Planet ISKCON

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हमको अक्सर यह बताया जाता है कि हम आध्यात्मिक जगत में थे और वहाँ से यहाँ आए। लेकिन भक्तिविनोद ठाकुर अपने तत्त्व-विचार में कहते हैं कि हम कभी भी आध्यात्मिक जगत में थे ही नहीं और वहाँ से पतन जैसी कोई चीज़ होती ही नहीं है। तो इसे कैसे समझा जाए?

असल में यह ऐसा विषय है जिसमें आचार्यों के वचनों में कुछ विरोधाभास जैसा प्रतीत होता है। इसलिए इसको समझने में सावधानी की आवश्यकता है।

अगर हम श्रील प्रभुपाद के वाक्यों को देखें तो उन्होंने भी इस विषय पर अलग-अलग स्थानों पर अलग तरह के कथन किए हैं। अधिकांश स्थानों पर वे कहते हैं कि हम आध्यात्मिक जगत से पतित होकर यहाँ आए हैं। लेकिन कुछ जगहों पर उन्होंने बहुत स्पष्ट रूप से कहा है कि आध्यात्मिक जगत से कोई पतन नहीं होता। जैसे, चौथे स्कंध में जय-विजय की लीला के प्रसंग में प्रभुपाद कहते हैं कि वैकुण्ठ से पतन नहीं होता।

इसी बिंदु को लेकर 1980 के दशक में ISKCON में काफी विवाद हुआ। तब तक प्रभुपाद इस जगत से जा चुके थे और संस्थान पूरी तरह स्थिर भी नहीं हुई थी। इसलिए यदि कोई भक्त प्रभुपाद से अलग कुछ बोलता था तो उसके विरुद्ध बहुत कठोर कार्रवाई होती थी। इसी समय दो विद्वान भक्तों ने एक पुस्तक लिखी जिसमें उन्होंने यह सिद्ध करने का प्रयास किया कि वैकुण्ठ से कभी भी कोई पतन नहीं होता। उसके उत्तर में GBC ने Our Original Position नामक एक पुस्तक प्रकाशित की।

लेकिन उसमें भी यह बात स्पष्ट नहीं हुई कि यदि हम यहाँ से वहाँ जाते हैं और फिर वहाँ से वापस पतन संभव नहीं है, तो हमारा वास्तविक आरंभ कहाँ से हुआ?

बल्देव विद्या भूषण अपनी टीकाओं में बताते हैं कि तीन बातें हैं –

1. हमें स्वयं स्मरण रहेगा,
2. अगर भोग करने की इच्छा भगवान से स्वतंत्र होकर उत्पन्न होगी,
3. तभी वह स्मृति भगवान की कृपा से प्रकट होगी – जैसा गीता में कहा है मत्तः स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च।

तो अगर हमें कोई विशेष स्मृति नहीं है तो इसका अर्थ यह नहीं है कि वह बात असत्य है। क्योंकि भगवान की इच्छा से ही स्मृति, ज्ञान और विस्मरण प्रकट होते हैं।

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Click here for more photos A lively tapestry of vibrant music, colors, and devotion unfolded at ISKCON temple in Houston. On a warm evening, over 10,000 enthusiastic devotees gathered to celebrate Janmashtami, the divine appearance of the Supreme Lord, Krishna. “It was a really a magnificent event,” said Sarang Thakur Dasa, ISKCON Temple President. “We
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The post Should we follow our authorities even when they are imperfect and their instructions are very demanding-just as Radhanath Maharaj followed his authorities in New Vrindavan? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Last year we observed Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasapuja at our Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha temple in Baha, Bali. This year all the devotees went to Sri Sri Radha Rasesvara temple and the celebration was in the bottom floor of the new temple building, although it is not fully complete yet.

Needless to say, it was a wonderful function with abhiseka, homages, puspanjali and Srila Prabhupada puja offered by His Holiness Subhaga Maharaja. The devotees performed ecstatic kirtan, which was followed by sumptuous prasadam that consisted of many preparations, including one of Srila Prabhupada’s favorites, tasty kachoris.

Notes on Srila Prabhupada Tributes 2025

I proofread Srila Prabhupada Tributes 2025 in two and a half days back in July. I took notes on some points that were striking to me in some way, either because they included new information or presented truths about Srila Prabhupada or his message in a creative way. I share with you to honor him on his appearance day. They are in the same order as in the book, by date of initiation, with the swamis first.

Umapati Swami:

“But, you ask, Why only Prabhupada? Other masters in our line also teach about Krishna. Yes my friend, but only one master sailed across the ocean in his old age just to deliver me. And I’m sticking with that one.”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:

“You turned me into a respectable person. Before I met you, I had many sinful habits, like the four sinful activities – illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication and gambling. I was a lost cause. But the first night I attended your class in the storefront on Second Avenue, I tasted bliss, and I felt I had been saved. Chanting in kīrtana with you brought me ecstasy. I was able to give up all my sinful activities in one night, and from then on, I have always tried to be a faithful servitor to you. I became your servant. I became your disciple after one night. Just by meeting you and joining you in kīrtana and listening to your lecture (although I couldn’t understand your accent so well), I became sworn to serve you always.”

Jayapataka Swami:

“We successfully registered a trust called Sarasvata Gaudiya Vaishnava Association (SGVA). Most of the Gaudiya Mathas have joined this institution, and we celebrate together the appearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. We are also aiming to collectively honor their disappearance days. After we do our own celebration in the morning, we gather at one Matha or another to celebrate the particular event. In this way, we are trying to unify the disciples and followers of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada, as per your wish.”

Kavicandra Swami:

“At one point I thought I was a devotee, sometimes even thinking I was a ‘good’ devotee. Then I thought that I was trying to be a devotee. Now I wonder if I am even trying to be a devotee.”

“We can never repay what he has given, but fortunately he will accept our efforts to serve. Srila Prabhupada taught us everything from every angle in many different ways.”

Janananda Goswami:

“May you cast your glance on France and make us dance. I pray you please shower your glance of mercy on us all that we can continue on the path of becoming your unalloyed servants – fulfilling your desires to preach the sankirtana movement without the self-aggrandizing false ego that drives me on.”

Bhakti Caitanya Swami:

“My prayer on this most sacred day is that Lord Krishna gives me more intelligence so I can appreciate you more and more and reciprocate more and more. Let that be my meditation and the foundation of my life.”

Bhaktimarga Swami:

“Some have perished, some have stayed

Some are on a climb, some are delayed

Men and women, definitely aged

Surely all will be home, fully engaged”

Bhakti Ananda Goswami:

“When I showed my Dad, Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is, his reaction surprised me. He said that all of the great German physicists knew these Sanskrit literatures because ‘that is where they got their ideas from’.”

Varsana Swami:

“In your collective body of ISKCON, we have the ongoing privilege of displaying our love and loyalty by cooperating among ourselves.”

Devamrita Swami:

“Because your boundless, steadfast compassion defied all odds, your apprentices and trainees can break free of the most severe penal servitude – no longer chained by lust, anger, greed, and envy – in the ultimate maximum-security prison that is the material nature.”

Bhakti Vikasa Swami:

“Book distribution and farms: these are our solid programs. They can change the whole world. The whole foundation of animal civilization can be destroyed.” (a Prabhupada quote)

Govinda Dasi:

“This Hare Krishna Mahamantra is the only weapon to defend against the demons of this Kali Yuga. Public sankirtan melts down the sinfulness of the culture—but it must reach the masses. It must be held not only in temples and homes, but in public places. While you were here, my dear Master, we did Harinama Sankirtan at every public gathering, every war protest, every rock concert, anywhere and everywhere, and we were on the streets of every major city for 6 to 8 hours daily—except Sunday when we had your ‘Love Feast.’”

Kanchanbala Dasi:

“The Admiral happened to discover Indrayumna Maharaja’s Bhagavad-gita class in session, and he joined in to hear.

“At the end, the Admiral raised his hand and said, ‘This is what I have been looking for.’ “All of a sudden, Indradyumna Maharaja received a call to come back, Srila Prabhupada is arriving in two days to Paris, as they were quite a distance away. The Admiral caught wind of it, and asked, ‘Young man, what is a Spiritual Master?’ Maharaja said, ‘Come with me and see.’ The Admiral was so inspired and moved, spontaneously grasping an opportunity to meet Srila Prabhupada.

“When they arrived in Paris, Srila Prabhupada heard about the Admiral and sent for him to come. The Admiral came in uniform decorated with stripes and medals, sitting with His Divine Grace. Srila Prabhupada spoke with him for two hours, preaching to him very strongly, ‘You are not your body, you are not an Admiral,’ The Admiral was hearing with rapt attention. Towards the end of the meeting, the Admiral addressed Srila Prabhupada, ‘My dear Spiritual Master, what chapter of the Bhagavad-gita should I focus on?’ Srila Prabhupada said, ‘Every day for the rest of your life you read the Ninth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. That is my instruction to you.’ On that occasion, Srila Prabhupada didn’t mention the 4 regulative principles and chanting 16 rounds.

When the meeting came to a close, the Admiral asked Indrayumna Maharaja, ‘What should I do now?’, and Maharaja said, ‘Bow down,’ which he very readily did.

Then, eight years later, while Indrayumna Maharaja was doing sankirtana, he met the Admiral again at a Military Parade in Paris. The Admiral caught sight of Indrayumna Maharaja and said, ‘You are the one who brought me to my Spiritual Master. I read the Ninth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita every day.’ He then asked, ‘How is my Spiritual Master doing?’ It was when Srila Prabhupada had already departed a few years ago. In a devastated state, Maharaja said, ‘I am so sorry to say His Divine Grace has left this world. He has gone back to Godhead.’ Immediately, the Admiral burst into tears. All along, to the end, His Divine Grace gave the final lesson to everyone, was the art of leaving this world remembering Krishna. How Srila Prabhupada had made such a heartfelt impression in one meeting with the Admiral and then he took shelter of Srila Prabhupada’s guidance. It was just so moving to hear.”

Locanananda Prabhu:

“I had no specific qualification to engage in any particular service, but I found my place doing Harinam Sankirtana on the streets of Paris. I was the tambourine man, and it was my role to watch for approaching police vehicles and warn the leader to stop chanting until they had passed.”

Sarvamangala Dasi:

“I am praying to never be bereft of your unfathomable kindness and brilliant enlightening guidance.”

Vishnu Prabhu:

“O Gurudeva, you’ve revealed to me my true home

Within this dark world I’ve no need to roam

Your teachings are a river, flowing endlessly bright

Guiding my soul through the shadows of night

You’ve opened my eyes to the beauty of grace

In my thoughts and deeds, I feel your embrace

You’ve allowed me to take on this artist’s role

But you’ve become the painter of my soul

Your compassion knows no bounds or end

A torchlight of hope, you constantly send

In our moments of doubt, your light breaks through

In the caves of our hearts where we can find you

From the day I found you it became my call

To learn your teachings, so I wouldn’t fall

You’ve silenced the chaos, bestowed on us peace

Because of your kindness, our love will increase

Echoes of your voice resonate in my heart

With each quoted sloka, I feel a new start

You’ve lifted my spirit, dispelled all my fears,

With a love that transcends all ages and years

No foes can deter the path that you’ve set

Your blessings direct us, we’ll never forget

Your mission was a tapestry woven so fine

through Sri Chaitanya’s mercy and parampara line

Through the ancient sages, profound and wise

You’ve revealed the truth that never dies

In the tangled web of this earthly plight

Your guidance shines brightly, a relentless light

In your teachings, all Vedic truths unfold

Every verse in your books is a treasure I hold

Your purports, a beacon, illumines the way

Turning night into day, and ending dismay

You’ve removed the veil of this temporal guise

Revealing the essence, where the eternal lies

With each page I turn, my heart becomes free

Freed by your wisdom, I can finally see

O guide of my heart, forever I’ll strive

To honor your teachings which are always alive

In your divine radiance, I’ll continually bask,

For you have the answers to the questions I ask

When fear looms large and illusions take hold

Your words are the fire, freeing us from the cold

You’ve driven away the demons of deception

With knowledge as armor, you’ve given protection

In the dance of existence, through pleasure and pain

Your love for Krishna has broken the chain

You saw we were imprisoned, slaves of our strife

Then you freed us, and revealed the goal of life

You appeared as the tsunami of the Bhakti sea

My beloved Gurudeva, you’ll always be

And chanting Krishna-nama I pledge to uphold

This sacred vow is worth more than gold

We must cherish your words, like the stars in the night

They guide our devotion, as our souls take flight

With your divine knowledge, we stand ever tall

In gratitude, to your Divine Grace, I surrender my all.”

Narayani Dasi:

“Nanda devi dasi came to Vrindavan to leave her body but it took 20 years for her to leave. Because of her disease, she could not chant properly, finish her rounds or go to the temple. Just before she left her body, she had a vision. She was walking on the path back to Godhead, and Srila Prabhupada was walking next to her. On both sides of the path were people criticizing her, saying things like, she didn’t chant her rounds properly, she is a woman so she can’t go back to Godhead, she didn’t go to the temple regularly… But then Srila Prabhupada turned to the people and said, ‘It’s ok. She is with me.’ Then the people on both sides of the path started praising her.”

Somadas Prabhu:

“I heard later when some of your disciples asked you if it was ok to pray to Lord Nrsiṁha Deva for your protection. You said we should pray to him for the protection of the spiritual master, for the protection of ISKCON, and the protection of all the devotees in ISKCON. . . . Also, I pray that all living entities become members of ISKCON so they get that protection. And I wish that all living entities develop pure love for Krishna and chant 16 rounds without offense and follow the four principles, Krishna if You so desire.”

Vishnugada Prabhu:

“During one reading of the Lilamrta, we came across an exchange between you and a professor during your visit to Philadelphia in 1975 to attend the first large Ratha Yatra festival on the East Coast. The professor entered your darshan with some of his students. When he was introduced as a professor of religion you requested he tell you his understanding of religion. He responded saying ‘no’ and that it would be better for you to tell him your understanding. At that, you turned to Svarupa Damodara Prabhu, sitting nearby, and said: ‘What do you make of this, a religion professor who can’t explain religion?’ Svarupa Damodara said: ‘I think this is a cheater Srila Prabhupada.’ At that there erupted a heated exchange between the two of you and the professor left.

“A devotee attending the reading became disturbed and confused hearing the pastime. He asked me: ‘What kind of Vedic hospitality is this, inviting someone to your place and then insulting him? Aren’t we supposed to treat even enemies with respect when they come as our guests?’ I responded that it was a good question, and I didn’t have a good answer. However, I suggested there was likely more to the story than what was included in the Lilamrta. I encouraged him to call Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, who was present during the incident, since he might be able to give a more complete description of what went on. The call was made.

“Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu admitted he was the one who invited the professor. The professor’s name was actually Dr. Yadav, indicating he was a descendant of the Yadu dynasty, the family of Lord Krishna. Ravindra added that the next morning when he accompanied you on your morning walk, he apologized for inviting a professor who was not very respectful. You just chuckled, saying it was your business to chastise rascals.

“Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu then mentioned that some time later he met the same professor in Philadelphia. The professor eagerly inquired about you. When Ravindra updated him, professor Yadav spontaneously exclaimed: ‘Your guru saved me!’ and proceeded to explain that despite being born in an exalted family he had become involved in all kinds of degraded activities. But upon meeting you, Srila Prabhupada, your strong words shook him out of his illusion and were instrumental in bringing him back to an appreciation of the Bhagavat dharma of his roots. He then profusely thanked Ravindra Svarupa for inviting him for your darshan.

“We had a golden opportunity to learn from this encounter. It demonstrated to us that you are always fully transcendental and acting for a person’s ultimate benefit, even when we may not understand how. Although you are usually a cordial, charming, and attentive host, when the opportunity arose to elevate someone in Krishna Consciousness, that purpose was paramount. It was even more important than adhering to the rules of etiquette. The incident reminded us of your commentary when Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya asked Lord Caitanya why Sripad Isvara Puri kept Govinda, a person from a sudra background, as a disciple. You noted: ‘An authorized spiritual master is as good as Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If Hari is free to act as He likes, the empowered spiritual master is also free. As Hari is not subject to the criticism of mundane rules and regulations, the spiritual master is also not subjected.’ (CC Madhya 10.136) Like Narada Muni cursing the sons of Kuvera to extract them from their intoxicated lifestyle facilitating their meeting with Lord Damodara, your strong words brought the professor to his right consciousness.”

Sankarshan Prabhu:

“As a hippy singer/songwriter, I was on a mission to deliver the world from chaos. For this purpose, I wrote hundreds of songs and sang them in many different venues. But, because I was totally in a state of chaos myself, lost in material sense gratification, there was no question of my being able to do anything at all to deliver the world from chaos. After two years I finally realized my lost state. In an attempt to free myself from chaos, I was inspired by Lord Jesus, who prayed to be able to serve God’s will instead of his own will. Thus, I prayed to God to guide me how I could become His perfect servant. Krishna heard and answered my sincere prayer by sending your representative, His Holiness Vishnujana Swami, to Austin to open an ISKCON center. That most glorious sannyasi expertly guided me how to practice the sublime science of Krishna consciousness.”

Anuttama Prabhu:

“Srila Prabhupada, with each year that passes it becomes more and more obvious how dependent we are on your mercy, your teachings, and your example.”

“Thank you for guiding us via hundreds of recorded lectures, in which you at once plead, coach, embrace, and call out to each of us to come closer to you and to Lord Krishna.”

“But sadly, the world around us impels us to hurt ourselves and others. The world impels us to cheat. The world impels us to be full of hate and anger and jealously and envy. It is practically demanding that we do so. It is tempting us to do so. It is prodding us to do so. But you have given us the secret to rising beyond all that, the Lord’s holy name:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare”

“Srila Prabhupada, you were and are the perfect manifestation of authenticity. This is one of your greatest qualities – one that attracted thousands and today attracts millions to take shelter of you. If we want to be counted as among your followers, if we want to preach and teach and serve you and follow you, we too need to become authentic. Not shallow, and not proud; but to become humble Vaishnavas, trying our utmost to respect all others, to be kind to all others, and to be servants of all others.”

Jitamitra Dasi:

“I can thank you every day for having the great compassion to accept and trust me to be your disciple despite not knowing me personally. I will continue to try to personalize my relationship with you by always taking guidance through your instructions and by keeping my initiation vows as my most treasured possession that cemented our relationship in love and trust.”

Janakaraja Prabhu:

“Every time I chant, my faith is restored, my conviction that you have given the greatest gift that can heal the desert-like hearts of us conditioned souls.”

Vaisnavananda Prabhu:

“In July 1975, at an arrival address in San Francisco, he said that just as Krishna is in anxiety regarding the welfare of His devotee, so the spiritual master is in anxiety regarding the state of his disciples. Prabhupada told us that if we sincerely maintain our practice of Krishna consciousness but fail to return back home back to Godhead in this lifetime, that he will take as many births as needed to come back for us, but that we should not abuse that privilege and become serious in our sadhana bhakti.”

Ali Krishna Devi Dasi:

“First, you gave us yourself, a unique personality, full of countless exceptional qualities. You gave us the vision of your beautiful, timeless face, a face both old and young at the same time. You gifted us with your oceanic smile and your seriousness, your humor, and your gravity.”

“Another beautiful gift you gave us is our names. You gave each of us new names to call one another so that we could remember our true origin and the bond that unites us.”

“There’s some who claimed you bent the rules

To spread the yuga-dharma

Yet millions more you’ve lifted

From the wreck of Kali’s drama

And countless souls around the world

Are touched by your compassion

As they chant Lord Krishna’s holy name

Untouched by fad or fashion”

Badarayana Prabhu:

“There is the internal path of cultivation of bhakti, and there is the external path of delivering the conditioned souls. You desired that we cultivate these two paths simultaneously with tivrena bhakti-yogena, great force, intensity and dedication. You set the example as the acarya that we do so until our dying day. Your mood was imbued with love, compassion and urgency.”

“We now see that prophecy being realized with Tulsi Gabbard, a serious Vaishnavi, not only having run for POTUS [President of the United States], but now holding the highest position in US intelligence agencies. And Kashyapa Patel, as the head of the FBI, who in his first Congressional acceptance hearing declared for all the world to hear, “Jaya Sri Krishna.” Another powerful Vaishnava. And there’s Usha Vance, the vegetarian Hindu/Vaishnava wife of the current vice president JD Vance. How could it be that there are so many Vaishnavas in top positions of US government, who themselves have had their own internal great awakening, if not by the mercy, will and plan of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself the Supreme Personality of this age?”

Kadamba Devi Dasi:

“Thank you for your gift that I can never repay. Let my understanding and love for Krishna flourish under your guidance and protection.”

Citraka Prabhu:

“We are but fallen souls striving to follow your footsteps. We face internal challenges, grapple with the complexities of maintaining the integrity of your institution, and struggle with our own imperfections.

“We pray for your mercy to overcome these obstacles, to remain united as a spiritual family, and to continue expanding your mission with sincerity and dedication. We seek your guidance to navigate the turbulent waters of Kali-yuga, to deepen our sadhana, and to develop a genuine taste for the holy name.”

Govardhan Devi Dasi:

“Like the maha-mantra, your glories grow sweeter the more they are sung. What a gift you have given the world!”

“You told us that your Bhaktivedanta purports were your ‘emotional ecstasies’. I’ve always thought of that as referring particularly to the purports where you reflect on the Lord’s pastimes. It strikes me now, though, that your constant urging, through your Bhaktivedanta purports, that we strive to leave this material world and return back to Godhead is just as much a part of your repeated ecstasy.”

Dravida Dasa:

“The Hare Krishna movement’s a desire tree, whose fruits

Are all the splendid ways Lord Gaura’s army wins recruits.

To plant that tree upon the earth, from Krishna’s realm he came—

To Srila Prabhupada I bow, his glories I proclaim.”

“There have been many ups and downs, still, the unseen power, compassion of the Lord and of you, dear Srila Prabhupada, has kept me in the association of devotees.”

“ISKCON is the manifestation of your love for us and all the other parts and parcels of Lord Krishna.”

“The lesson I learned from associating with devotees is that humility is the greatest asset one can imbibe. Humility is the solution to all problems of life one has to solve in one’s sojourn.”

“On one of those days, as you sat serenely on your vyasasana, you told us while looking directly at me, ‘So one day you may feel no desire to chant Hare Krishna and no desire to do any service.’ This statement shocked me greatly because I wanted to do nothing else at that time. And then you continued, ‘Then you can pray to Mother Radharani, “My dear Radharani, I am feeling no desire to chant my japa and no desire to do any service. But please bless me that I may chant just one more round of japa and do some little service.”’ ‘If you can get a taste for that,’ you said, ‘you will never fall down.’ This made perfect sense to me. You continued and said something incredibly amazing to me still:

“‘Actually, that is the highest taste.’”

Ksetrajna Prabhu:

“One by one as they approached you out of curiosity or to inquire or to speak, they were won over to the path of devotion to Krishna.

“Thank you for allowing me to be amongst your miracles.”

Taraka Prabhu:

“Your blessings, too vast to ever recount,

Flow through our lives in an endless amount,”

“With boundless compassion, he reached every shore,

Welcoming all to Vaikuntha’s door.

Regardless of background, caste, or creed,

He called every heart to the spiritual need.”

“Yet never swayed from the truth’s clear stand,

Even among the elite of the land.

Like Vyasadeva, he built a family vast,

Disciples of disciples, a lineage to last.”

“To the spiritual master, our eternal guide,

Who channels Vyasadeva’s wisdom far and wide,

We offer our thanks, our obeisances pure,

For the path of truth that shall always endure.”

“Fortunate are we to serve your feet,

In your mission, our lives complete,

Your presence lingers, far and wide,

In words, in deeds, and by your side.

“In every book, in every line,

Your spirit lives, your truth divine,

In countless languages, your words do fly,

Transforming hearts, lifting them high.”

Trilokanatha Prabhu and Mahojjvala Devi Dasi:

“The sweetness of God is yours to bestow:

Like Mahaprabhu, you give the high to the low.

This understanding is what keeps us afloat.

In this material ocean, you captain our boat.”

“As we stumble and fall, in the midst of this maze,

Your words ring so true ‘be surprised at who stays!’

And still, amid grace, we fume, and we fuss.

Our prayer is that you will be patient with us.”

Moksalaksmi Devi Dasi:

“Thank you for all the incredible life experiences I have had because I chose to join and stay in your movement. It’s been an incredible life spent trying to serve you in some way or another.”

“You can either love it or hate it or both at the same time as you hate that you can no longer have those intimate quiet moments with the deities but you love the fact that your preaching, Srila Prabhupada, has been an unparalleled success. You have single-handedly put Vrindavan well and truly back on the map. You have reminded the whole of India about Krishna and turned Vrindavan from a quiet forgotten village into a hub of countless souls seeking out the mercy of Krishna and the incalculable benefits of Sri Vrindavan Dham.”

Sandamani dd:

“New devotees come from all walks of life

See the mundane world with its hatred and strife

Krishna Consciousness is the true alternative

Whether one is moderate, liberal or conservative.”

Satyaraja Prabhu:

“Clearly you are still with us, for you live in your instructions, and if you were not in some sense here, how could we write Vyasa-puja offerings? These offerings themselves are one of the many ways that your presence can still be felt throughout the world.”

Sriniketan Prabhu:

“Although for a conditioned soul the path back to Godhead appears very difficult, by the mercy of a bona fide acarya like yourself, the process becomes simple and blissful. In fact it is so completely satisfying that we don’t even care so much about going back to Godhead, as long as we can stay in your service and association. Because when we are in your association – you who are always absorbed in transcendental activities to please Krishna – this is actually as good as being back to Godhead.”

Narakantaka Prabhu:

“You once recounted how a priest, acting on his own accord, approached you and said, ‘Swamiji, I see a brightness in the faces of your students. How have you created this brightness?’ (Room Conversation with Dr. Karan Singh, November 25, 1971, Delhi).

I know precisely why: because you dwell within our minds.

Indeed, you own our minds.

That is why your devotees now possess such ‘bright faces.’ It is your brightness that shines through!”

Jagannathesvari dd:

“Every time I write a Vyasa-puja offering to you, it means one more year as your disciple. Each passing year tightens the bond and brings me closer to you and further away from distant memories of previous lifetimes in the material world. Every year increases my amazement at my good fortune to be your disciple. What are the odds? How is it possible that I have become an initiated disciple of the Jagat Guru, the person chosen by Lord Chaitanya to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world? It is inconceivable to my tiny brain. Every year increases my wonder, awe, gratitude and love for you.”

Atitaguna dd:

“In Kali-yuga there are not many good qualities. You gave us the only good qualities we have in this life.”

Gopimata dd:

“Thank you for your kindness and compassion. Thank you for your ability to see right through the tamasic layers that cover our pure soul. To us, these layers appear to be very complicated and important, but you see that they can be easily removed.”

My dear Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept my prostrated obeisances at your divine, merciful lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.

When I joined the Boston temple in 1969, Satsvarupa dasa was the temple president and also the editor of BTG, and he always wanted articles for the magazine. So I wrote one, entitled “The Genuine Spiritual Master,” and by the time the issue with my article reached you, in February of 1971, I was with you in Gorakhpur, India.

After reading my article, you called for me. The temple room was dimly lit—only some narrow shafts of light pierced through the slim openings in the wooden shutters along the side. Sitting alone on your raised cushion at the far end of the room, you were the very image of the eternal spiritual master, and your voice resonated with the truth of eternal time. I sat at your feet, eyes and ears wide open.

“I saw your article in Back to Godhead,” you said. “It was very nice. You should write. This is your first business. Go on writing. We require many, many such articles about Krishna consciousness. So you should devote yourself to writing.”

“I will try,” I said. “But why are you asking me? I have no special qualification.”

“We require many to do this work, and we need you also. So, you travel with me and I will guide you. You come and stay with me.”

I felt thrilled and honored. You had never before given me a direct instruction. In fact, we had hardly ever spoken, and now you were inviting me to stay with you so you could guide me in writing.

Over the years, you repeated your instruction for me to write. In a letter to me dated August 12, 1971, you wrote, “In the midst of your heavy duties, go on writing something glorifying the Lord and put our philosophy into words. Writing articles means to express oneself how he is understanding the whole philosophy. So this writing is necessary for everyone.”

In 1973 I sent you my Vyasa-puja offering, and on August 23, from Bhaktivedanta Manor, you sent me an encouraging note: “I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter and the nice Vyasa-puja offering you sent. I have sent it to Satsvarupa Goswami for printing in the BTG. Writing is a very important part of our work, and Satsvarupa is always anxious to have new material from the devotees for expanding the BTG. You have a nice talent for writing, and practice makes perfect, so continue. It will be appreciated.”

In recent years I have edited Life’s Final Exam: Death and Dying from the Vedic Perspective and written Watering the Seed—With Teachings from His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada; Many Moons: Reflections on Departed Vaishnavas; I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story; and Dancing White Elephants: Traveling with Srila Prabhupada in India, August 1970–March 1972. This year I submitted two articles to BTG, which have been accepted for publication, and I am in the last stages of completing my latest book, about meeting you and the devotees in Boston, April 1969–October 1970.

On this occasion I pray to you to bless me that I can continue to serve you, the devotees, and the world by writing about Krishna consciousness in the right consciousness. As you wrote in your commentary on Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 19.132, “It is certainly not good to write literature for money or reputation, but to write books and publish them for the enlightenment of the general populace is real service to the Lord. That was Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī’s opinion, and he specifically told his disciples to write books. He actually preferred to publish books rather than establish temples. Temple construction is meant for the general populace and neophyte devotees, but the business of advanced and empowered devotees is to write books, publish them and distribute them widely. According to Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, distributing literature is like playing on a great mṛdaṅga. Consequently we always request members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to publish as many books as possible and distribute them widely throughout the world. By thus following in the footsteps of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, one can become a rūpānuga devotee.”

I am assisted in my work by a team of expert editors, headed by Kalachandji dasa, and I request you to kindly bless them too.

Thank you very much.

Hare Krishna.

Your eternal, grateful servant,
Giriraj Swami

By Chintamani dasi Everyone always wanted Srila Prabhupada to come to their temple, especially if it was Janmashtami and Vyasa puja. We often didn’t know where Srila Prabhupada would go next, sometimes there wasn’t much warning. It was either by a letter or phone call to our Japanese temple that we found out the good
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Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 21, No. 32

By Krishna Kripa Das

(Week 32: August 6–12, 2025)

New Mayapur and Paris

(Sent from Sarcelles, France, on August 16, 2025)

Where I Went and What I Did

The thirty-second week of 2025, I spent five days in New Mayapur, attending the Balarama festival and staying for the initiation ceremony the following day. The first three days I was unable to go on harinama because I had no transportation, but the last two days I did harinama with Harinama Ruci. On Balarama Purnima we chanted in Tours for almost two hours, and a lot of people interacted with us. The next day we chanted in Amboise for about an hour and a half, and then I chanted for another forty minutes on my way to and at the train station. The last two days, I lived at ISKCON Paris in Sarcelles, eighteen minutes by train north of Paris itself. In Paris I chanted Hare Krishna for three hours each afternoon, usually from 3 to 6 p.m.

We were blessed to have three devotees from Amsterdam who love kirtan, namely Parividha Prabhu and Rati Manjari and Citralekha Devi Dasis, visit us on Monday, and they chanted for the deities and also came on harinama.

I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrita and The Nectar of Devotion. I share notes on classes by Janananda Goswami, Agnideva Prabhu, Mandakini Devi Dasi, Devaki Devi Dasi, and Vigatsu Prabhu. I share quotes from Sri Caitanya-bhagavata by Vrindavana Dasa Thakura and its commentary by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.

Thanks to Jiva Prana Prabhu, president of ISKCON Paris, for sponsoring my train from Amboise to Paris, so I could attend the harinama with Harinama Ruci there. Thanks to Devaki Devi Dasi for giving me a complimentary copy of her book, Sheltering Relationships. Thanks to Parividha Prabhu for taking the video of me dancing in kirtan.

Itinerary

June 19–August 19: Paris
August 20: London harinama
August 21–22: Liverpool harinamas
August 23: Liverpool Ratha-yatra
August 24: Manchester harinama
August 25: London harinama and flight to New York

Chanting Hare Krishna in New Mayapur

Agnideva Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in New Mayapur (https://youtu.be/xhdzmboNKBQ):

Rati Manjari Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna during Jhulan Yatra at New Mayapur (https://youtube.com/shorts/rf8VpI0R4as?feature=share):

Agnideva Prabhu chants Hare Krishna and “Yasomati Nandana” after Guru Puja in New Mayapur (https://youtu.be/m_ymEiXWoKM):

Svarupa Damodara Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at New Mayapur (https://youtu.be/nNNedXFt60E):

Mataji chants Hare Krishna at Jhulan Yatra in New Mayapur (https://youtube.com/shorts/AWtsfZcPxJQ?feature=share):

Taptakanchana Gauradhama Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the end of the Jhulan Yatra and in the New Mayapur temple lobby (https://youtu.be/iAxpjlM0lL0):

Agnideva Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at New Mayapur the evening before Balarama Purnima (https://youtu.be/_YTGIAW07hM):

Janananda Goswami chants Hare Krishna before the deity greeting on Balarama Purnima in New Mayapur (https://youtu.be/oDK0IO2Kgu4):

“The cowherd girls said: ‘O friends, those eyes that see the beautiful faces of the sons of Maharaja Nanda are certainly fortunate. As these two sons enter the forest, surrounded by Their friends, driving the cows before Them, They hold Their flutes to Their mouths and glance lovingly upon the residents of Vrindavan. For those who have eyes, we think there is no greater object of vision. Dressed in a charming variety of garments, upon which Their garlands rest, and decorating Themselves with peacock feathers, lotuses, lilies, newly grown mango sprouts and clusters of flower buds, Krishna and Balarama shine forth magnificently among the assembly of cowherd boys. They look just like the best of dancers appearing on a dramatic stage, and sometimes They sing.’” (SB 10.21.7–8)

In a warm Janmashtami greeting, Govardhan Dasa, the Chairman of ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC), extends his blessings to the global ISKCON community that is gathering to mark Sri Krishna Janmashtami and looking ahead to the upcoming 60th anniversary of ISKCON. Nearly one thousand celebrations are expected worldwide, reflecting the movement’s expansive reach. Emphasizing ISKCON […]

The post GBC Chairman Shares Janmashtami Message with Global ISKCON Community appeared first on ISKCON News.

Ambassador Kristensen shares a ghee lamp during his August 5th visit to ISKCON Delhi. Earlier this month, Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen, Ambassador of Denmark to India, paid a special visit to the ISKCON Delhi temple—his first visit to a Krishna temple since assuming his new role. Sharing his thoughts on X, he remarked that he was […]

The post Danish Ambassador Shares Warm Wishes on Janmashtami Following a Visit to ISKCON Delhi appeared first on ISKCON News.

We read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Two: “Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krsna in the Womb.”

TEXT 18

tato jagan-mangalam acyutamsam
  samahitam sura-sutena devi
dadhara sarvatmakam atma-bhutam
  kastha yathananda-karam manastah

SYNONYMS

tatah—thereafter; jagat-mangalam—auspiciousness for all living entities in all the universes of the creation; acyuta-amsam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is never bereft of the six opulences, all of which are present in all His plenary expansions; samahitam—fully transferred; sura-sutena—by Vasudeva, the son of Surasena; devi—Devaki-devi; dadhara—carried; sarva-atmakam—the Supreme Soul of everyone; atma-bhutam—the cause of all causes; kastha—the east; yatha—just as; ananda-karam—the blissful (moon); manastah—being placed within the mind.

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, accompanied by plenary expansions, the fully opulent Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is all-auspicious for the entire universe, was transferred from the mind of Vasudeva to the mind of Devaki. Devaki, having thus been initiated by Vasudeva, became beautiful by carrying Lord Krsna, the original consciousness for everyone, the cause of all causes, within the core of her heart, just as the east becomes beautiful by carrying the rising moon.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

As indicated here by the word manastah, the Supreme Personality of Godhead was transferred from the core of Vasudeva’s mind or heart to the core of the heart of Devaki. We should note carefully that the Lord was transferred to Devaki not by the ordinary way for a human being, but by diksa, initiation. Thus the importance of initiation is mentioned here. Unless one is initiated by the right person, who always carries within his heart the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot acquire the power to carry the Supreme Godhead within the core of one’s own heart.

The word acyutamsam is used because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is sad-aisvarya-purna, full in the opulences of wealth, strength, fame, knowledge, beauty, and renunciation. The Supreme Godhead is never separated from His personal opulences. As stated in the Brahma-samhita (5.39), ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan: the Lord is always situated with all His plenary expansions, such as Rama, Nrsimha, and Varaha. Therefore the word acyutamsam is specifically used here, signifying that the Lord is always present with His plenary expansions and opulences. There is no need to think of the Lord artificially as yogis do. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah (Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.13.1). Yogis meditate upon the Supreme Person within the mind. For a devotee, however, the Lord is present, and His presence need only be awakened through initiation by a bona fide spiritual master. The Lord did not need to live within the womb of Devaki, for His presence within the core of her heart was sufficient to carry Him. One is here forbidden to think that Krsna was begotten by Vasudeva within the womb of Devaki and that she carried the child within her womb.

When Vasudeva was sustaining the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within his heart, he appeared just like the glowing sun, whose shining rays are always unbearable and scorching to the common man. The form of the Lord situated in the pure, unalloyed heart of Vasudeva is not different from the original form of Krsna. The appearance of the form of Krsna anywhere, and specifically within the heart, is called dhama. Dhama refers not only to Krsna’s form, but to His name, His form, His quality, and His paraphernalia. Everything becomes manifest simultaneously.

Thus the eternal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with full potencies was transferred from the mind of Vasudeva to the mind of Devaki, exactly as the setting sun’s rays are transferred to the full moon rising in the east.

Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, entered the body of Devaki from the body of Vasudeva. He was beyond the conditions of the ordinary living entity. When Krsna is there, it is to be understood that all His plenary expansions, such as Narayana, and incarnations like Lord Nrsimha and Varaha, are with Him, and they are not subject to the conditions of material existence. In this way, Devaki became the residence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is one without a second and the cause of all creation. Devaki became the residence of the Absolute Truth, but because she was within the house of Kamsa, she looked just like a suppressed fire, or like misused education. When fire is covered by the walls of a pot or is kept in a jug, the illuminating rays of the fire cannot be very much appreciated. Similarly, misused knowledge, which does not benefit the people in general, is not very much appreciated. So Devaki was kept within the prison walls of Kamsa’s palace, and no one could see her transcendental beauty, which resulted from her conceiving the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Commenting upon this verse, Sri Viraraghava Acarya writes, vasudeva-devaki jatharayor hrdayayor bhagavatah sambandhah. The Supreme Lord’s entrance into the womb of Devaki from the heart of Vasudeva was a heart-to-heart relationship.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

We have gathered here at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna to remember and celebrate His appearance in this world. According to Vedic literature, Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead (krsnas tu bhagavan svayam). He is the Absolute Truth, the origin of all that exists. And He is realized in three features, nondual (advaya), as explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.11):

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
  tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
  bhagavan iti sabdyate

“Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramatma, or Bhagavan.”

Brahman is the impersonal effulgence that emanates from the transcendental form of the Lord; Paramatma is the localized feature of the Lord, within the heart; and Bhagavan is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna Himself, full in six opulences.

The form of Krishna is not material. Our bodies are material, distinct from the soul, which is spiritual. The Bhagavad-gita (2.13) explains,

dehino ’smin yatha dehe
  kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara-praptir
  dhiras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” The soul is a nonphysical, nonchemical particle of spiritual energy, and it is the soul that animates the body. As long as the soul is in the body, we say the body is alive. Actually, the body is never alive; the body is just a machine. But it appears to be alive when the soul is present to animate it. And when the soul leaves the body, the body has no capacity to act, to function, and then we say that the body is dead.

In conditioned beings, such as us, there is a distinction between the body, which is made of material energy, and the soul, which is composed of spiritual energy. But in the case of Krishna, there is no difference between His body and soul. Being absolute, His body and He are the same. In our case, there is a difference between us and the body, because our real identity is the soul. If someone’s father passes away, the son or daughter will cry, “Oh, my father has left. My father is gone.” Although the body of the father is there, why do we say, “My father has gone”? Intuitively we know, especially at a time like death, that the body lying there in the room is not the person. The body is just a bag of chemicals. The real person is the soul who has left the body, and so the children and other relatives and friends cry, “Oh, he’s gone,” because he is the soul, not the body.

But in the case of Krishna, He and His body are not different, because He is absolute. There is no difference between His inside and His outside. He is completely spiritual. The Brahma-samhita says, isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah: “Krishna is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal, blissful spiritual body.” Anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam: “He is the origin of all, but He Himself has no origin. He is the prime cause of all causes.” That is Krishna.

Everything we see in the material world has a cause. On a simple level, we can say, “I am caused by my parents” (or “my body is caused by my parents”). They in turn were caused by their parents, who in turn were caused by their parents. And if we keep going back, further, further, further, eventually we will come to the original cause, and that is Krishna (sarva-karana-karanam). He is the cause of everything—the cause of all causes. But He Himself has no cause.

This is hard for us to understand in the conditioned state, because everything material has a cause; everything has a beginning and an end. But Krishna has no beginning and no end; He is eternal (sanatana). Eternal means “no beginning and no end.” Even we, as spirit souls, are also eternal. We have no beginning and no end. Our life in a particular body has a beginning, which we call “birth” (or “conception”), and it has an end within a particular body, which we call “death.” But we, as spirit souls, have no beginning and no end, because we are parts and parcels of Krishna. We are of the same quality as Krishna, just in different quantity. The Lord says,

mamaivamso jiva-loke
  jiva-bhutah sanatanah
manah-sasthanindriyani
  prakrti-sthani karsati

“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.” (Gita 15.7)

The living entity is an eternal, fragmental part of Krishna. This is the sublime philosophy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu called acintya-bhedabheda-tattva: the “inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference” of the living entity and the Supreme Lord. We are one in quality with the Lord but different in quantity—He is infinite and we are infinitesimal. Because we have the same qualities, we can have a relationship with Him. Unless there is some commonness, we can’t have a relationship. And because of the difference in quantity—He is the whole and we are the part—our relationship is one of service. It is the natural function of the part to serve the whole. For example, the hand is part of the body, so the function of the hand is to serve the body. If the hand doesn’t serve the body, there is something wrong; it is diseased or dead. So, our natural function is to serve Krishna (jivera ‘svarupa’ haya—krsnera ‘nitya-dasa’). And we are eternal, as Krishna is eternal, and our relationship, our service, is also eternal—it never ends.

Earlier we mentioned the three features of the Absolute Truth: Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan. There are different classes of transcendentalists, who have different spiritual aspirations. Most people are materialists. They are not even interested in spiritual life. They just want to enjoy the world. But when one becomes a little more elevated, a little more purified in consciousness, one thinks of improving oneself spiritually. And when one becomes serious enough, one will actually enter into a discipline in a particular school of thought and practice. So, one category of transcendentalists is the jnanis. Their goal is to merge and become one with Brahman, the impersonal effulgence that emanates from the transcendental body of Krishna. And higher than the jnanis are the yogis. They want to realize the localized feature, the Lord within the heart (dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah). And the highest are the bhaktas. They want to enter into a loving relationship with Bhagavan, Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Although in one sense, because the Absolute Truth is nondual (advaya), all transcendentalists are the same, still, from an analytical or objective point of view there are degrees of realization. As stated earlier, Krishna is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. Sat means “eternal,” cit means “cognizant,” and ananda means “blissful.” The jnanis who attain impersonal Brahman realize only the sat feature, eternal existence. The yogis who realize Paramatma have perception of sat (eternity) and cit (knowledge), because they apprehend the individuality of the Lord in the heart. And the bhaktas have full realization of sat, cit, and ananda (eternity, knowledge, and bliss), because real happiness comes from loving relationships. Although one may say that there is a sort of bliss in impersonal Brahman, compared with the ecstatic happiness of loving service to Krishna it is insignificant. There are many statements in the shastra, the Vedic scriptures, to the effect that the happiness realized in relationship to Krishna is like an ocean and that the happiness of merging (or trying to merge) into impersonal Brahman is like a puddle of water in comparison.

tvat-saksat-karanahlada-
  visuddhabdhi-sthitasya me
sukhani gospadayante
  brahmany api jagad-guro

“My dear Lord, O master of the universe, since I have directly seen You, my transcendental bliss has taken the shape of a great ocean. Being situated in that ocean, I now realize all other so-called happiness, the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman, to be like the water contained in the hoofprint of a calf.” (Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya 14.36) Practically, there is no comparison.

Furthermore, to realize impersonal Brahman is very difficult, especially in the present age. And even if one succeeds—or imagines that one has succeeded—there is every chance that one will fall down.

ye ’nye ’ravindaksa vimukta-maninas
  tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayah
aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah
  patanty adho ’nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah

“O lotus-eyed Lord, although nondevotees who accept severe austerities and penances to achieve the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure. They fall down from their position of imagined superiority because they have no regard for Your lotus feet.” (SB 10.2.32)

More likely, they just imagine that they have realized Brahman, but whether they have actually realized it or just imagine they have, because they have neglected the service of the lotus feet of Krishna they fall down (patanty adhah).

We, conditioned souls, are rotating in the cycle of repeated birth and death (samsara), and our goal is to gain release from this samsara-chakra. Such liberation is called mukti, or moksha. The impersonal type of liberation, in which the individual soul merges into the spiritual light, is very hard to achieve—if one can achieve it at all. But even if one does, it doesn’t last. Therefore the Bhagavatam says patanty adhah: they fall down. Why? Because they have no engagement in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.

Impersonal liberation is like going to sleep. Intelligent people can perceive that there is misery in material existence, and they want relief. That is one factor that may lead someone to consider spiritual life.  So, a person trying to achieve impersonal liberation is similar to someone who is suffering and tries to escape the suffering by sleeping—“The world is too much.”  Well, all right, you can temporarily escape the misery by going to sleep, but how long can you remain asleep? Eventually you will wake up, and the same miseries will be there.

And being suspended in the impersonal Brahman effulgence can be boring. It is a relief—it is definitely a relief—to be out of the material world, but eventually it gets boring. Someone may go on a cruise: “Oh, boy, I need to get away from things. Let me go on a cruise. I want to enjoy the sea.” And it may be nice for a while, but eventually one gets bored—just water and waves and wind. Eventually one wants to go back on dry land, even though the land is what one wanted to get away from. Although there was frustration and misery on the land, at least there was some stimulation, some variety.

The impersonal jnanis who want to merge and become one with Brahman eventually fall down (patanty adhah), because they become restless. They want some activity, and because they have no idea of the spiritual activities of Krishna consciousness, devotional service to Krishna, patanty adhah, they fall into material activities, and again they suffer, because the result of material activity is material misery.

So, why does the Lord descend? He is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha: eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. And He lives in His spiritual abode, where everything is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. And He is served by great souls completely free of material contamination, liberated from the material bodies that cause so much pain. Why should the Lord come here at all? What does He have to gain?

Personally, He has nothing to gain. But He comes out of His mercy, to deliver us. The material world is compared to a prison house, and we, conditioned souls, are the prisoners. Like prisoners, we are restricted. We can’t just go anywhere and everywhere, wherever we want. Liberated souls can travel anywhere in the universe. They don’t need spaceships or any other such contraptions. They can move about freely. But we are bound. We are not allowed to leave this planet very easily, and even if we do, we don’t really have any other place to stay. So we are bound, and we have to suffer.

I mentioned the body, that there is so much pain in the body. Someone might think, “This swami is very negative about the body.” But the Bhagavad-gita says, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam: one should always perceive the miseries of birth, death, old age, and disease. You might say, “Why does the swami have to be so negative? I want to enjoy the body. I want to enjoy life. I want to enjoy the here and now”—which is good in a certain context—but if I ask any of you, “Truthfully, do you want disease?” “No.” “Do you want old age?” “No.” “Do you want death?” “No.” Well, that is what comes with the body. When you get a material body, those come in the package; they are what you get with it. You may think, “But there is so much happiness in the body. I can go surfing, I can go hiking, I can eat ice cream, I can drink and eat and enjoy with the body.” Well, yes, but it is not actually the body that enables you to enjoy; it is the soul within the body. All the parts of the body may be there when the soul departs, but where is the enjoyment? There is no enjoyment in the body after the soul leaves. We may think that we are enjoying with the senses, but it is actually because of the presence of the soul that we are able to enjoy and work and live.

The body is the medium for the conditioned soul’s experience. For example, I wear eyeglasses. I see through the eyeglasses—the eyeglasses themselves don’t see. Similarly, we have these sense organs—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin—and we perceive through them. They themselves cannot actually perceive. It is the soul that perceives—through the senses of the body. But we don’t need the body in order to perceive happiness. With the body, there is some perception of happiness—but with lots of pain.

There are different schools of philosophy—sad-darsana—and one philosopher has analyzed and concluded that the body is meant for misery. He gives the example of your little finger. How many ways can your little finger enjoy? Not many. And how many ways can it feel pain? So many. Even a little sliver or blister can be so painful. And the finger can be cut, burned, crushed. The body is so vulnerable. But the soul is not. As the Gita says, it can’t be cut, it can’t be burned, it can’t be made wet, it can’t be withered—it is beyond the range of material elements.

nainam chindanti sastrani
  nainam dahati pavakah
na cainam kledayanty apo
  na sosayati marutah

“The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.” (Gita 2.23) Without the body, the soul can enjoy freely, in every way, but without the pain.

And because the soul is part and parcel of Krishna, it derives its real happiness in relation to Krishna. We now are like fish out of water, because originally we come from Krishna, from the spiritual atmosphere, and we have come into the material world and are suffering in a foreign atmosphere. We are always restless, anxious, and fearful.

So, why does Krishna come? He comes to reclaim us, His lost children, to bring us back home, back to Him. That is why He comes. There is no other reason. There is nothing for Him here. He comes only for our sake.

Although He comes into the material world, He doesn’t come in a physical body. He comes in His original, spiritual form (sac-cid-ananda-vigraha). And Krishna in particular comes in a form that resembles a human being. “Man is made in the image of God.” That Krishna comes in a humanlike form is very good for us, because it makes it easier for us in human bodies to relate to Him.

anugrahaya bhaktanam
  manusam deham asthitah
bhajate tadrsih krida
  yah srutva tat-paro bhavet

“When the Lord assumes a humanlike body to show mercy to His devotees, He engages in such pastimes as will attract those who hear about them to become dedicated to Him.” (SB 10.33.36) He comes to reclaim us and deliver us, His lost children and devotees.

How does He come? He does not take birth like an ordinary human being, by seminal discharge. Rather, He manifests Himself, or appears.

ajo ’pi sann avyayatma
  bhutanam isvaro ’pi san
prakrtim svam adhisthaya
  sambhavamy atma-mayaya

“Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all living entities, I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.” (Gita 4.6)

That is what we read tonight. It is a very esoteric subject, how the Lord appears. But He chooses a completely purified devotee and enters the mind of that completely purified devotee. The name of the devotee whose mind Krishna entered is given here—Vasudeva. And the state that enabled him to receive Krishna within his pure mind is called vasudeva, which means completely beyond the three modes of material nature, completely transcendental—the state of pure goodness, suddha-sattva. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam, sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam: completely pure consciousness is known as vasudeva.

sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam
  yad iyate tatra puman apavrtah
sattve ca tasmin bhagavan vasudevo
  hy adhoksajo me manasa vidhiyate

“The condition of pure goodness, suddha-sattva, in which the Supreme Personality of Godhead is revealed without any covering, is called vasudeva. In that pure state the Supreme Godhead, who is beyond the material senses and who is known as Vasudeva, is perceived by my mind.” (SB 4.3.23, quoted as Cc Adi 4.66)

After Vasudeva received Krishna within his purified mind, or heart, he, by his spiritual power, transferred Him into the purified heart of Devaki. There was no seminal discharge. The process by which the Supreme Personality of Godhead was transferred from the heart of Vasudeva to the heart of Devaki is called diksa. Diksa means “spiritual initiation.” Diksa takes place between teacher, or guru, and disciple. When the guru is qualified enough, he can carry Krishna within his heart. And when the disciple is qualified enough, he can receive Krishna from the guru—through an exchange called diksa.

The process of diksa is essential for the realization of God (Krishna). There is an entire science of bhakti-yoga, described in Srila Rupa Gosvami’s Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, and it begins with this process. Guru-padasrayas tasmat: “One must accept shelter at the lotus feet of a spiritual master.” Krsna-diksadi-siksanam: “One must take initiation from him and receive instruction from him.” And visrambhena guroh seva: “One must serve him with intimacy.”

We cannot attain Krishna by our own efforts. We have to receive Krishna by the mercy of one who has Him. Thus Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, a great spiritual teacher, prays to the pure devotee:

krsna se tomara, krsna dite paro,
  tomara sakati ache
ami to’ kangala, ‘krsna’ ‘krsna’ boli’,
  dhai tava pache pache

“Krishna is yours; you have the power to give Him to me. I am simply running behind you shouting, ‘Krishna! Krishna!’ ” (Saranagati, “Ohe! Vaishnava Thakura”)

This act of diksa, as described in today’s verse, is really the culmination of a gradual process. It is not so easy that we just decide, “Oh, let me find a guru who has Krishna, and he will give Him to me, and my business will be finished.” We have to be qualified to receive Krishna, and the process of becoming qualified proceeds gradually. We have to work to come to that stage of purity where we can receive Krishna in our hearts—and not just receive Him in our hearts, but actually see Him face to face. After residing for some time in the heart of Devaki, Krishna came before her, and they saw each other face to face. She saw Him face to face, and He saw her. That is the perfection of Krishna consciousness.

So, we have to qualify ourselves. We have to cleanse the mirror of the heart (ceto-darpana-marjanam).

The process of purification varies from age to age. Although the basic process is the same—Krishna consciousness—in the present age the specific process recommended is to chant the holy names of the Lord:

harer nama harer nama
  harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
  nasty eva gatir anyatha

“One should chant the holy name, chant the holy name, chant the holy name of Lord Hari [Krishna]. There is no other means, no other means, no other means for success in this age.” (Brhan-naradiya Purana 38.126)

“Chant” is repeated three times for emphasis. “You must do it, you must do it, you must do it.” There was once a cartoon in a newspaper, which depicted an elderly man sitting across from his wife. She was requesting him, “Chant, chant, chant,” and he was replying, “Can’t, can’t, can’t.” That is our misfortune. Shastra, scripture, tells us, “Chant, chant, chant” (harer nama harer nama harer nama), and for no good reason—just some causeless aversion—we say (not necessarily by our words but by our behavior), “Can’t, can’t, can’t.” “Can’t, because I am too busy.” “Can’t, because I prefer other things.” “Can’t, because . . .”—because, because, because. So harer nama harer nama harer nama is emphatic: chant, chant, chant. And kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva: there is no other way, no other way, no other way. Now, that phrase might conjure up images of a fanatical Christian insisting, “Jesus is the only way.” But this nasty eva, the “only way,” is a little different. (And we don’t want to presume that there is anything wrong with “Jesus is the only way,” either.) But in this context, nasty eva, “no other way,” has a special meaning.

In different ages, different methods for self-realization were recommended—in Satya-yuga it was meditation, in Treta-yuga Vedic sacrifice, and in Dvapara-yuga opulent temple worship. In the present age, however, harer nama, chanting the holy names of God, is prescribed. So, nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva means “not by silent meditation, not by elaborate sacrifices, not by ritualistic temple worship,” but by chanting the holy names.

The holy names are not sectarian. There are Christian sects in which practitioners constantly repeat the name of Jesus. We don’t say that you have to chant only the holy name of Krishna. You may chant any name of God. Because God is absolute, any name of God is as good as any other. But you should chant some name. The Muslim tradition also recommends chanting the name of God, of Allah. In Pakistan I came across a book titled, Ninety-Nine Names of Allah. In the Vedic tradition there is Visnu-sahasra-nama, “A Thousand Names of Vishnu.” So the principle of chanting the names of God is current in every tradition, but it is often overlooked. Then again, in any tradition, the majority of people are conventional. It is only the minority who are really mystical, or spiritual. But within the mystical, spiritual traditions, the chanting of God’s names is advised.

The process of chanting (sankirtana) cleanses the heart (ceto-darpana-marjanam) and makes it a fit place for the Lord to reside. That is what we have to do to prepare to receive Him. We have to chant. And chanting is pleasant, as I hope you have all experienced. It is pleasurable. That’s the other thing: although the results of Krishna consciousness are the highest, the process is also the easiest and most sublime. It’s almost too good to be true, but it is true. Chanting is easy and joyful, and at the same time it cleanses the heart (ceto-darpana-marjanam) and makes it a fit place for the Lord to reside. And that process is accomplished through diksa, the continuing process of diksa, which culminates in perfect realization of Krishna. And then, when one is fully purified and realized, Krishna can’t contain Himself within your heart. He becomes so pleased with your service and so eager to see and embrace you that He comes out of your heart. (Of course, at the same time, He also stays there.) In His own way, He comes out of your heart to look at you and touch you and embrace you and take you by the hand and invite you to come with Him to His eternal abode.

That is the perfection of Krishna consciousness, and it is possible for each and every one of us. We just have to make the effort to chant without offense, and remain encouraged and steady in that effort. And for that, we need association. In every endeavor one needs association. In every field there are associations of people engaged in the same endeavor, because they support each other. There is the chamber of commerce, the diabetes society, the birdwatchers association—there are societies for everything, because in association with others who are pursuing the same goal, we get encouragement to stay on the path and we learn from them, from their experiences, how to improve in our own efforts and quicken our progress. It is a natural thing—and essential. Once we become a little serious, once we develop a little faith and attraction, the next stage is to associate with devotees (adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah). That association will really help us.

Chanting is simple, but the real art of chanting is to hear the chanting. Anyone can chant mindlessly, “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna . . .” and look at the trees, look at the moon, look at the newspaper, look at the television, but that’s not real chanting. Real chanting means to hear with one’s mind fixed on the sound. This is meditation, mantra meditation, and it takes practice. If you chant for five minutes, will you be able to keep your mind fixed on the sound of the holy name? It will be a challenge. Even one minute is a challenge, because the nature of the mind is to flicker. It is restless. It always wants to go every which way—like the wind. In the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna says that it is harder to control the mind than to control the wind.

cancalam hi manah krsna
  pramathi balavad drdham
tasyaham nigraham manye
  vayor iva su-duskaram

“The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate, and very strong, O Krsna, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind.” (Gita 6.34)

How can you control the wind? It is always going here and there. No one can stop it. So how can we control the mind? We can’t. Still, the Bhagavad-gita says it is possible—by practice (abhyasa) and detachment.

asamsayam maha-baho
  mano durnigraham calam
abhyasena tu kaunteya
  vairagyena ca grhyate

“It is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by suitable practice and by detachment.” (Gita 6.35)

This is the suitable practice: hearing about Krishna consciousness and then chanting—and hearing—Lord Krishna’s name. We chant and we hear. We practice fixing our mind on the sound of the holy name of the Lord. That is our sadhana; that is our practice. And it is serious business, and hard work. As our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, said, “Chanting is easy”—anyone can articulate the sounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna—“but the determination to chant [and hear with attention] is not so easy.” So that is what we need. We need that determination (drdha-vratah). And that determination develops in the association of devotees who are serious about chanting and hearing. Therefore the association of devotees is so valuable, and it is most important to maintain favorable relationships with devotees.

There are different offenses to be avoided when one chants. The main offense is to be inattentive while chanting, and another is to offend devotees. Devotees are our best well-wishers. They give us the holy name. They give us support in our efforts to chant. And if we offend them, we cut ourselves off from our best well-wishers, our best friends, our best support for the chanting. We cut ourselves off from the mercy that we so desperately need to progress. But if we pay attention to these two points—chanting attentively and maintaining favorable relationships with devotees—then gradually we can come to the stage of perfection. It takes time, but we can actually come to that stage when Krishna will enter our hearts. He is there already, but He will manifest Himself fully to us, and then, eventually, we will see Him face to face. So we should always, every spare moment, kirtaniyah-sada-harih, chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Whatever you do when you are not chanting should be to place you in a position where you can chant. You may say, “I can’t chant all the time. I have to work. I have to earn money. I have to pay the bills.” That is true, but what is the goal of it all? Why do you want a roof over your head? Why do you want food on your plate? Ultimately, it should be to keep your body and soul together so you can chant the holy names and realize God. That is kirtaniyah-sada-harih, to “always chant the name of God.” We have the body. We must take care of it. We must bathe and dress and eat and sleep. We must get the necessities of life. We must do it all. But why are we doing it? The goal should be to chant the holy names of Krishna and realize Krishna.

Krishna comes to give us this message, and if from this occasion, Sri Krishna Janmashtami, we can just take this message—take it in our heart—that will be the beginning of our perfection. We must take it in our heart and practice it and repeat it to others—repeat it both for the benefit of others and for our own sake. And the results will be glorious. Krishna’s purpose in appearing in this world will be fulfilled, and our purpose as human beings will be fulfilled. And we will all be happy in Krishna consciousness together. Hare Krishna.

Are there any questions or comments?

Guest (1): Christians believe in resurrection, and Buddhists and Hindus believe in reincarnation, but personally, I always ask myself, “What is the meaning of starting something and ending something? What is the meaning of several or many lives when we can be comfortable with maybe just one life? Why do we reach only after many lives?”

Giriraj Swami: That is a very good question. We agree with you completely. That is the whole idea. Especially now that we have come to this human form of life, which is achieved after many lifetimes, and especially now that we have come in touch with devotees who tell us about Krishna and the process of bhakti-yoga, we can and should complete our purpose in this world in this life.

labdhva su-durlabham idam bahu-sambhavante
  manusyam artha-dam anityam apiha dhirah
turnam yateta na pated anu-mrtyu yavan
  nihsreyasaya visayah khalu sarvatah syat

“After many, many births one achieves the rare human form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should quickly endeavor for the ultimate perfection of life before his body, which is always subject to death, falls away. After all, sense gratification is available even in the most abominable species of life, whereas Krsna consciousness is possible only for a human being.” (SB 11.9.29)

And if we chant seriously—chant and hear and follow the regulative principles that support the chanting and hearing—we can achieve complete success in the same lifetime. And that should be our determination.

Still, the Bhagavad-gita explains that if by chance you are not completely successful, then in your next life you continue from where you left off in this one; you don’t have to start all over again. With anything material, you have to start all over again in the next life. In this life you might know seven languages, but in your next life, when you are born, all you can say is “Ga, ga, ga,” and you don’t even know ABC. Materially, whatever you acquire in this life is lost at the time of death. But whatever you gain spiritually through the practice of bhakti-yoga continues in the next life. Suppose in this life you complete only 50 percent; then in the next life you begin from 51 percent. You don’t have to start again from the beginning.

But still, we have the human form of life, and the association of devotees, so why should we take any chances? We should have that determination to be completely successful in this life, just like you said.

Guest (1): Why did we come here in the first place? Why do we have to go through so many lives?

Giriraj Swami: Actually, as mentioned, we all come from Krishna, but when we turn away from Him—when we forget Him and want to enjoy apart from Him—we come under maya and suffer in the material world.

krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga-vancha kare
nikata-stha maya tare japatiya dhare

“When the living entity desires to enjoy separately from Krishna and turns away from Him, the illusory potency of the Lord, maya, immediately takes the soul in her clutches.” (Prema-vivarta)

But in that process, we don’t start at the bottom; we start at the top. We start as an elevated being on a higher planet. So we can reverse the process from that position and go back to Godhead. We don’t start as a germ or an amoeba. But if we are careless, we can keep declining and end up as an amoeba, in the body of an amoeba. But we don’t start at the bottom. We actually start at the top, and if we are attentive and vigilant, we can reverse the whole process in one lifetime. We don’t have to pass more than one life, and we don’t have to see any lower form of life.

Guest (1): Can we say that everything around us is energy—the material world? Animals, vegetables, minerals—everything is life, even if it doesn’t have consciousness by itself?

Giriraj Swami: Well, that is true—everything is energy—but as stated in the Bhagavad-gita, there are two kinds of energies. One is the material energy, and the other is the spiritual energy. The spiritual energy is conscious, alive. And the material energy is dull, dead.

bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh
  kham mano buddhir eva ca
ahankara itiyam me
  bhinna prakrtir astadha

“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, and false ego—all together these eight constitute My separated material energies.” (Gita 7.4)

apareyam itas tv anyam
  prakrtim viddhi me param
jiva-bhutam maha-baho
  yayedam dharyate jagat

“Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.” (Gita 7.5)

What we see alive in the material world is really a combination of the spiritual and material energies—the spiritual spark within the physical body. And as long as the soul is present, there is consciousness. But an inanimate object—say, this piece of metal—has no consciousness. Of course, in an ultimate sense, we could say that there is consciousness everywhere, because Krishna is everywhere. He is expanded within the atoms and in the space between the atoms throughout the entire universe (andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham). But practically, in terms of individual consciousness, animals and vegetables have souls; they are a combination of matter and spirit. Minerals do not have souls; they are material energy. And then there is Krishna, who is completely spiritual.

Guest (1): Are there other forms of intelligence on other planets in the universe, or is it just here on our own planet?

Giriraj Swami: There is, in fact, even more advanced intelligent life on planets other than the earth. Everything is the creation of God. We don’t believe that anything has happened by accident or chance. God has created all these planets to provide different environments for different types of people. Just as there are different relativities on earth—Ojai or Santa Barbara may be relatively more congenial than Alaska or Antarctica—so there are relativities within the universe. Some planets are more heavenly, and some are more hellish. The earth is considered to be in the middle, though a little on the lower side. But there is intelligent life everywhere—and suffering everywhere—and everyone is ultimately meant to become God conscious and go back home, back to Godhead

a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah
  punar avartino ’rjuna
mam upetya tu kaunteya
  punar janma na vidyate

[The Supreme Lord Krishna said:] “From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.” (Gita 8.16)

Guest (2): You said that the only practice we need to do is chant the name of God. That seems to be asking God to receive from Him the grace of the holy name. But what can we do to prepare ourselves in everyday life to better understand and receive this grace?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, there are practices. Although chanting in and of itself is enough, there are disciplines that we can undertake to make it easier for us to get the full benefit of the chanting, to get the full grace of the Lord. There are certain personal restrictions. But the beauty of chanting is that even if it is hard at first to accept these restrictions, the process of chanting itself, the process of purification itself, will make it easier to accept them—to the point where we won’t even want to indulge in adverse activities anymore.

The first restriction is no eating meat. The second is no taking intoxicants. The third is no illicit sex—no sex outside of marriage, no frivolous sex. And the fourth is no gambling. If we are able to follow these regulative principles, our chanting will be more quickly effective, and we will be better receptacles for God’s grace.

And there are other things as well, such as getting up early in the morning. “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” The early hours of the morning, especially before sunrise, are considered the best for spiritual practice, and therefore we generally rise early. Some devotees, when feasible, get up at two. They may take rest at eight and get up at two. Otherwise, we try to rise by four. Initiated disciples have a certain quota of chanting, which takes about two hours to complete. So they rise by four and complete their quota of rounds between five and seven and still have the rest of the day ahead of them.

And the more serious you are, the more things you can learn to improve your practice. But if you can just manage those four restrictions—and get up early—you will be off to a good start. And if you want to know more, we have volumes of books . . .

Guest (2): Hard news. Thank you.

Giriraj Swami: I was going to ask if you were ready for the answer before I gave it, but I figured that you asked, and you seemed sincere, so I just said it.

But again, the good news is that if you chant, all the other things will become easier. That’s why we don’t emphasize the restrictions at first, because we know that if people just chant, they will lose interest in those indulgent acts, and they will become more and more eager to advance in Krishna consciousness.

Guest (2): Inshallah.

Giriraj Swami: When you said “inshallah,” it reminded me of a group of Ahmadiyya Muslims who would sometimes meet me at our Juhu Beach temple. They told me the same thing, that the prayers offered before sunrise—almost like we say, beginning an hour and a half before sunrise—are heard by God more than prayers offered later in the day.

Inshallah, or insha’Allah, means “if Allah wills.” Allah is a name of God, so insha’Allah means “God willing.” Of course, we also accept the name Allah. Allah is the same as Krishna. But our devotees in Pakistan, instead of “insha’Allah,” would sometimes say, “insha Krishna,” to mean the same thing—“God willing.”

Krishna Bhamini dasi: Maharaja, I was just going to give an example. In the beginning, some people think, “Oh, I have to be a vegetarian” when they hear all the negative restrictions. But the process of spiritual life is so pleasant that they experience a higher taste. They actually prefer our food, prasada, to other things they used to eat. And it is kind of like that with all of the seeming restrictions. As we chant and associate with devotees, we develop a higher taste.

Giriraj Swami: Good point.

Krishna Bhamini dasi: I was going to say one more thing. You already explained it. But in today’s world, fanatical Muslims, or fanatics in any religion, may be chanting God’s names, yet so much violence is going on. They may chant, for example, “Allah, Allah,” yet engage in so much violent activity. They are “God’s warriors,” so to speak. So, you have explained that there are ways to chant God’s names properly.

Giriraj Swami: Correct. One must avoid that offense of offending devotees, and devotees are there in every tradition. One may take the name of God in one’s own tradition, but if one is inimical to devotees in other traditions, that is an offense, not only against the devotees but against the holy name. And if one commits offenses against the holy name, one doesn’t get the benefit. In fact, it is described that when you offend devotees, the holy name is offended and withdraws its mercy. So even though such fanatics are mouthing God’s name, it is almost as if God has left. He has withdrawn His mercy from them, because they are offensive.

Of course, offending devotees is the worst, but offending anyone—causing pain to any living entity—is prohibited. That is the complete injunction. And that is one reason why we don’t kill animals or eat flesh.

So, it is not just a question of mouthing God’s name. One should be in the proper consciousness, the proper mood of service to God and to the devotees of God—in whatever tradition, culture, or community they may be. We should respect and appreciate all genuine devotees, servants of God, and encourage the devotees and chant the holy names. That will bring us all success, and one day the holy name will reveal Himself to us, and we will see Krishna face to face.

prabhu kahe,—“vaisnava-seva, nama-sankirtana
dui kara, sighra pabe sri-krsna-carana”

The Lord [Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu] said, “You should engage yourself in the service of the servants of Krsna and always chant the holy name of Krsna. If you do these two things, you will very soon attain shelter at Krsna’s lotus feet.” (Cc Madhya 16.70)

Hare Krishna!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami, September 2, 2007, Ojai, California]

Jaya Sri Rama! ISKCON Auckland invites you and your family to celebrate Sri Rama Vijayotsava 2025 at Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Temple on Saturday 4th October 2025 with the burning of Ravana's Effigy from 7:30pm onwards.

Hare Krishna! On the auspicious occasion of Sri Radhastami, ISKCON Auckland invites you to join us for the special temple extension ground breaking ceremony on Sunday 31st August 2025, with special guest His Holiness Bhakti Vinod Maharaj.

By Maharishi Das Every single day I get calls from new and old customers looking for the ultimate in sound perfection as they all understand that great sound helps transport them to another place. While for many this music may not be spiritual but they certainly experience spiritual bliss, they can still understand for an
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As devotees and well-wishers around the world commemorate this special day with kirtan, abhishek, homages and feasting, we welcome you to join us on Sunday 17th August 2025 at ISKCON Auckland's Sri Sri Radha Giridhari temple to honour the life and teachings our beloved ISKCON Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's Appearance Day.

Dear Devotees; Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada With Srila Prabhupada’s 129th Vyasa-puja just a few days away, you are cordially invited to download and read the 2025 Vyasa-puja book which was created as a result of your sincere and devoted offerings: https://vyasapuja.com/vyasapuja-book-2025.pdf Please also share this link with one and
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