Planet ISKCON

Lecture by HG Narayani Devi Dasi at ISKCON Alachua

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Gananoque, Kingston, Belleville

 

House Hop Jagannatha

 

The sleep was deep in the Prime Minister Suite and after that morning shower, which has become more or less ritual, my window to the south revealed a flowing, wide Saint Lawrence, shady trees and the balance of the inn’s structures—something out of early 1800s history books. From the veranda I was chanting my gayatri mantras when Nimai Nitai came to my side. It was time to go.

 

Where did we go?

 

After a stroll through Gananoque’s downtown and the ferry docks for the Thousand Islands, Nimai took me on board his vehicle for a second day of House Hop Jagannatha. Yes, the community of Gujarati decent got right behind the program’s organization. We ended up visiting 28 different homes. For me, the main feature is the chanting, in addition to gift-giving. Prabhupada’s books were presented to the hosts.

 

I was hankering, during break-time, for a cooling off in the Saint Lawrence, however, time did not allow. It definitely was another day of roasting in the sun. Most homes we visited are new. Being in the suburbs you don’t have mature trees to offer shade.

 

All the fun culminated at the residence of Mukesh, who owns and runs “Day’s Inn.” The food was tasty.

 

Nimai and I drove back to Toronto but stopped in at the city of Belleville for a stroll along the Maria River. It’s always precious to touch nature before you book it in for the day.

 

May the source be with you!

4 km

 

Milton/Etobicoke

 

Being Inn

 

It was sweet going from home to home with Savyasacin, not by foot, but in his red Jeep, following the caravan headed by Jagannatha deities. It is the Covid version of the Chariot Fest and, because it is relatively small scale, executing this mini party is very doable. All that is required are mantras, rituals, musical instruments, some satvic food—gas in your tank—companions, and a lot of bhakti. Today it took place in the burbs of Milton and tomorrow it’ll be Kingston. With the heat it felt like being barbecued. It said it “feels like 38°C.” The heat goes on.

 

The day started to cool at early evening. I was invited by Igor, a Ukrainian, if I might use that term. He called in friends to his spacious backyard, which made for a perfect setting for chanting, eating and getting to know one another from the Russian-speaking community. What a fabulous group they are! And what a good time we had, with cabbage rolls and all!

 

I did manage to fit in a dramatic reading and practice of “Rolling the Dice” with Steven, Balarama and Savy, before heading off to Gananoque Inn, situated on the St. Lawrence River, next to the ferry that takes you sailing through the gorgeous Thousand Islands. The Gananoque Inn is a Patel-motel type of operation (they’re my friends) and they so kindly put me in the suite where Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, stayed. That’s my second time to be in a PM space, the first time being in a B&B at Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, in a room where Pierre Trudeau and his family stayed; some kind of demigods in their time.

 

May the Source be with you!

0 km

 

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The post How to deal with learned devotees who lack empathy? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

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In the Brihad-Gautamiya Tantra, Radharani is described as follows:

devi krishna-mayi prokta radhika para-devata

sarva-lakshmi-mayi sarva kantih sammohini para

“The transcendental goddess Srimati Radharani is the direct counterpart of Lord Sri Krishna. She is the central figure for all the goddesses of fortune. She possesses all the attractiveness to attract the all-attractive Personality of Godhead. She is the primeval internal potency of the Lord.”

Srimati Radharani is the Supreme Goddess. Radharani is the queen of Vrndavana. She is most always seen with Lord Krishna. It is described that She is the Chief Associate and devotee of Lord Krishna, and topmost of all Goddesses. Her name means the She is the most excellent worshiper of Lord Krishna. However, She is also an expansion of the Lord’s energy. Since She is also an extension of Krishna, She is the feminine aspect of God. Thus, in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, God is both male and female. They are One, but Krishna expands into two, Himself and Radharani, for the sake of divine loving pastimes.

To explain further, Srimati Radharani is also the source of the other goddesses, who are expansions of Her. Just as Lord Krishna is the source of all other expansions and incarnations of God, Radharani is the source of all other expansions of the energies of God, the shaktis, or other goddesses. Thus, Vishnu, Rama, even Shiva are all expansions of the one Supreme Being, and similarly Lakshmi, Sita, and even Durga are all expansions of this Supreme Feminine form of God, Radharani.

It is explained that the beloved consorts of Lord Krishna are of three kinds, namely the goddesses of fortune or Lakshmis, His queens, and the milkmaids of Vraja called the gopis. All of them proceed from Radharani. The Lakshmis are partial manifestations, or plenary portions, of Srimati Radharani, while the queens in Vaikuntha and in Dvaraka are reflections of Her image. The Vraja-devis or gopis are Her expansions and assist in the increase of rasa, or the divine loving pastimes. Among them there are many groups that have various sentiments and moods, which help Lord Krishna taste the sweetness of the rasa dance and other pastimes. (Cc.Adi-lila. 4. 75-81)

“Among the gopis of Vrindavana, Srimati Radharani and another gopi are considered chief. However, when we compare the gopis, it appears that Srimati Radharani is most important because Her real feature expresses the highest ecstasy of love. The ecstasy of love experienced by the other gopis cannot be compared to that of Srimati Radharani.” (Ujjvala-nilamani 4.3 of Srila Rupa Gosvami)

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Gaura Mani Devi, Grammy-nominated kirtaniya, Vrajavadhus Director and personal mentor to thousands of devotees worldwide. She shares specific transcendental qualities of motherhood taught by Srimati Radharani, which we, contemporary mothers and fathers can practically apply today in our raising bhakti children. A video by GBC Strategic Planning Team

The enigmatic Kailasa Temple at the Ellora Caves in Maharashtra, India has fascinated researchers for centuries. As the world’s largest monolithic structure, it is without doubt one of the most breathtaking sites on the planet.

Husband and wife team Prema Rupa Madhava Das and Prema Rupini Madhavi Dasi, who previously organized Bhakti Vriksha programs and “Harinama Party Buses” in their hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentina, launched the retreat when the pandemic halted those activities.

The School of Bhakti at the Bhaktivedanta Manor UK, offers a variety of courses and workshops by qualified, respected teachers, to help "everyone come closer to Krishna".

A prayer to Radharani performed by Vrajavinod Shyam Das and the Vrajas Kirtan Band from Vrindavan.

Srimad Bhagavatam is the highest revelation of spiritual truth and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the personification of the Srimad Bhagavatam

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Every year NICE (Narasimha’s institute for children education), the education wing of ISKCON Miraroad, organizes Spiritual Science Exhibition during the summer vacations, where around 200 children in and around Miraroad, Mumbai participate enthusiastically.

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Lecture by HG Daivi Shakti Mataji on Radha Ashtami

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The post How can we kill the demons in our heart by hearing about the killing of the corresponding demons in Krishna lila? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

 

Radhastami Celebration in Auckland NewZealand 2020

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On the most auspicious day of Radhastami and the 50th sannyasa anniversary of His Holiness Jayapataka Swami (August 26, 2020) Maharaja speaks about the Grand Installation Ceremony of the New Prabhupada Murti in the TOVP scheduled for February, 2021 to celebrate the 125th Appearance Anniversary Year of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.

2021 celebrates the 125th Appearance Anniversary Year of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder/Acharya of ISKCON. The TOVP will be recognizing this auspicious appearance year of the Samstapak Acharya (acharya for the next 10,000 years) with a 3-day festival beginning with the Appearance of the adi-guru, Lord Nityananda Himself, on February 25th, along with a worldwide Prabhupada Abhisheka observance. February 26th is dedicated to the opening ceremony of His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaja’s samadhi and remembrances by Godbrothers and disciples. On February 27th we will complete the celebration with the installation of a specially designed, one-of-a-kind, life-size murti of Srila Prabhupada created by master sculptor, Locan das (ACBSP). Like no other Prabhupada murti in the world, this murti sits in a ‘worship pose’ personifying his statement, “Mayapur is my place of worship”. He will sit gloriously on his grand Vyasasana for hundreds of years to come, eternally worshiping his Lordships and welcoming all the pilgrims who come to see Them.

February 25 – Nityananda Trayodasi / Worldwide Prabhupada Abhisheka

February 26 – Bhakti Charu Maharaja Samadhi Opening

February 27 – New Prabhupada Murti Installation

Donate today towards our worldwide combined guru dakshina campaign for Srila Prabhupada to help open the TOVP by sponsoring one or more of six kinds of abhishekas.

Go to the link below to sponsor an abhisheka: https://tovp.org/donate/prabhupada-murti-installation/

Lecture by HH Badrinarayan Swami on Radha Ashtamiat ISKCON of San Diego, CA

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Doctors have diagnosed Bhutatma's Condition as Cancer and have given him just a couple of months to live....of course this does not mean that his condition can not be reversed by the blessing and prayers of the Vaishnavas

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The post How can we develop relationships with those whose services are different from ours? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Now you can stay in touch and informed about the TOVP through our new and innovative TOVP interactive Smart Card. Simply download the ‘card’ from the link below and click on any of the links to visit our website, Facebook Page, YouTube Channel, Instagram account and much more, all on one convenient online ‘card’.

Keep the TOVP Smart Card on your desktop screen or other computer location and use it whenever you want to find out what’s going on with the TOVP.

DOWNLOAD THE TOVP SMART CARD (PDF)

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 August 2017, Durban, South Africa, Radhastami Festival Lecture)

Where in the world is love to be found? That love which has been glorified throughout the millennium – in songs, in poetry, in words, in exchanges between partners – that love, where is it to be found in this world? Where is that love in comparison to the degree of love that is found in the residents of Vrndavana? And where is that love found amongst the residents of Vrndavana? That love that completely and entirely takes over all existence, that love which rules the Supreme, where is that love found? This topmost love can be found in none other than, Srimati Radharani. Her love reaches levels which no one even in the spiritual world can understand. Even Krsna Himself cannot conceive Radharani’s love. A love so deep that even Krsna, the Supreme, becomes completely captured. Krsna is the all-attractive, He is Madana Mohana. But even Krsna, who can drive all mad, who can bewilder all minds, even that Krsna becomes bewildered by Madana Mohana Mohini, by Srimati Radharani. That is the nature of the loving exchanges between Srimati Radharani and Krsna. 

The article " Where is the deepest love? " was published on KKSBlog.

Dhira dasa is a wonderful devotee. I served with him for many years in Boston back in the early 1980's. Among the many other services we performed together we used to go out on harinama together regularly in the Boston Common (see the other attached photo).

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We have gathered on this most auspicious occasion, the sacred day of Sri Radhastami. The Vedic literatures describe that Krishna is the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Lord, and the origin of all that be:

isvarah paramah krsnah
   sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
   sarva-karana-karanam

 “Krsna, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all, although He Himself has no origin. And He is the prime cause of all causes.” (Bs 5.1)

The Brahma-samhita further explains that Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead and that He expands Himself into various plenary portions and portions of plenary portions. Still, Krishna is the supreme, original Personality of Godhead, as confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam: krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. (SB 1.3.28)

The Brahma-samhita gives the example that if you have one candle, from that candle you can light a second candle, from the second candle you can light a third candle, and from the third candle you can light a fourth candle. All may have the same candlepower, yet one of them is still the original candle. In the same way, Krishna expands Himself into so many incarnations who all have the full powers of Godhead. Still, Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead, and His first expansion is Balarama.

Just as Krishna expands on the side of the all-powerful Personalities of Godhead, He also expands on the side of the power of the all-powerful Personality of Godhead. The direct expansions of the all-powerful are called visnu-tattva, and the expansions of the energy of the Lord are called sakti-tattva. The first expansion on the side of the energy is Srimati Radharani. From Srimati Radharani all of the gopis are expanded, all of the queens in Dvaraka are expanded, and all of the consorts of the Lord in various incarnations are expanded. Thus, Sita of Sita-Rama is expanded from Srimati Radharani, and Laxmi of Laxmi-Narayana is also expanded from Srimati Radharani. Srimati Radharani is the origin of all of the expansions of Krishna’s energy. She also has an indirect expansion called the material energy. Srimati Radharani is the personification of the spiritual energy, and Durga is the personification of the material energy. Thus, Durga is an indirect expansion of Srimati Radharani.

We also are expansions of Krishna, the marginal potency of Krishna. Krishna has three energies: the spiritual energy, the material energy, and the marginal energy. We, the living entities, are called the marginal energy because we can come under the influence of either the spiritual energy, personified as Srimati Radharani, or the material energy, personified as Durgadevi. Srila Prabhupada has compared the marginal position to the seaside. Sometimes, when the tide is low, the area is part of the land, and sometimes, when the tide is high, the same area is submerged under the water and becomes part of the ocean. Similarly, we can be part of either the spiritual world, under Srimati Radharani’s protection, or the material world, in Durga’s custody.

We can see the image of Srimati Radharani, standing with Her right hand raised in benediction to bless the devotees. Or we can see the image of Durga, who has ten hands with ten weapons to punish the miscreants. Unfortunately, to some degree all of us are miscreants. And so we are bound to the prison house of the material world. And Durgadevi is the warden of the prison. She punishes the conditioned souls with the different weapons in her various hands. Especially, Durgadevi is known for her trident, or trisul. The three prongs of the trident represent the threefold miseries of material existence: the miseries we suffer because of other living entities, the miseries we suffer because of acts of nature, and the miseries we suffer from our own minds and bodies. Thus the goal of life is to transfer ourselves from the control of the external, material energy, to the control of the spiritual energy, or Srimati Radharani.

One verse from the ninth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita gives us a practical idea of how, in our own positions, we can take shelter of Srimati Radharani and come under Her protection:

 TEXT 13

mahatmanas tu mam partha
   daivim prakrtim asritah
bhajanty ananya-manaso
   jnatva bhutadim avyayam

TRANSLATION

“O son of Partha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

In this verse the description of the mahatma is clearly given. The first sign of the mahatma is that he is already situated in the divine nature. He is not under the control of material nature. How is this effected? That is explained in the Seventh Chapter: One who surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, at once becomes freed from the control of material nature. That is the qualification. One can become free from the control of material nature as soon as he surrenders his soul to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the preliminary formula. Being marginal potency, as soon as the living entity is freed from the control of material nature, he is put under the guidance of the spiritual nature. The guidance of the spiritual nature is called daivi prakrti, divine nature. So when one is promoted in that way—by surrendering to the Supreme Personality of Godhead—one attains to the stage of great soul, mahatma.

The mahatma does not divert his attention to anything outside Krsna, because he knows perfectly well that Krsna is the original Supreme Person, the cause of all causes. There is no doubt about it. Such a mahatma, or great soul, develops through association with other mahatmas, pure devotees. Pure devotees are not even attracted by Krsna’s other features, such as the four-armed Maha-Visnu. They are simply attracted by the two-armed form of Krsna. They are not attracted to other features of Krsna, nor are they concerned with any form of a demigod or of a human being. They meditate only upon Krsna in Krsna consciousness. They are always engaged in the unswerving service of the Lord in Krsna consciousness.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

So, the mahatmas are under the protection of the divine nature, the spiritual nature, personified by Srimati Radharani. Once, when Srila Prabhupada was preaching in Bombay, one of the leaders of the most prominent Hindu organization in India came to meet him. He asked Srila Prabhupada, “How is it that India, which is a land of so many mahatmas, has so many problems?”—because in principle, the presence of mahatmas should remove the problems. Srila Prabhupada replied, “The reason India has so many problems is that you cannot distinguish between who is a mahatma and who is not.”

Here in the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna, the supreme authority, gives the definition of a mahatma: he is under the protection of the spiritual energy and is always engaged in the devotional service of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original source of all incarnations and the prime cause of all causes. Obviously, India, and every other part of the world, needs more mahatmas. But how do we get mahatmas? One can become a mahatma through the association of another mahatma. Srimad-Bhagavatam, considered the supreme authority among Vedic scriptures, confirms that to become freed from the clutches of material nature we must serve mahatmas.

After reading the definition of a mahatma, certainly anyone who knows even a little about Srila Prabhupada can understand that he was a mahatma, a great soul. Srila Prabhupada was always engaged in the service of Lord Krishna, as we read in the next verse (Gita 9.14), satatam kirtayanto mam, always engaged in chanting the glories of Krishna. And by taking shelter of Srila Prabhupada, who has taken shelter of his spiritual master, who took shelter of his spiritual master, who took shelter of his spiritual master, one ultimately takes shelter of Srimati Radharani and Lord Krishna. That is the process of parampara.

The same process exists in the spiritual world. In fact, Srila Prabhupada’s activities and the activities he prescribed for his followers are in essence the same activities that the maidservants of Srimati Radharani and Her other associates perform in the spiritual world. The mahatmas in the material world are always engaged in chanting the glories of Krishna. And Srimati Radharani and Her associates in the spiritual world always engage in chanting Krishna’s glories. Another wonderful fact about Srimati Radharani is that She always tries to bring other gopis to Krishna; She wants other gopis to get the chance to serve Krishna and give pleasure to Krishna. And the mahatmas in the material world have the same mood. They want to bring others to Krishna, to engage others in the service of Krishna for Krishna’s pleasure.

Earlier, we read about the confidential reasons for the descent of Lord Chaitanya—how He came to propagate the sankirtana movement externally and taste Srimati Radharani’s love for Krishna internally. Not only did Krishna come as Lord Chaitanya and Lord Balarama as Nityananda and Srimati Radharani as Gadadhara Pandita, but all of Radha and Krishna’s associates came and assumed forms in caitanya-lila. Although many of the lady associates of Srimati Radharani in krsna-lila assumed male forms in caitanya-lila, the inner relationships were the same. And the methods of devotional service that Srila Prabhupada has taught us in relation to the sankirtana movement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will ultimately help us develop the inner mood of Lord Chaitanya’s associates, which is the same as the inner mood of the associates of Radha and Krishna.

Srimati Radharani’s best friends in krsna-lila are Lalita and Visakha. Lalita and Visakha appeared in caitanya-lila as Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and Ramananda Raya. They were the most confidential associates of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Jagannatha Puri. And just as Srimati Radharani, feeling intense separation from Krishna after Krishna left Vrindavan for Mathura and Dvaraka, would open Her heart to Her friends Lalita and Visakha, Lord Chaitanya, in the mood of Srimati Radharani in separation from Krishna, used to express His lamentation to His most confidential friends, Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya.

Serving under Lord Chaitanya and Svarupa Damodara Gosvami were the Six Gosvamis of Vrindavan, who in krsna-lila were Srimati Radharani’s most intimate maidservants. Yet even here we find some hierarchy. Among the Six Gosvamis, Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami were the leaders. And as we read in other works by the Gosvamis, Rati Manjari, who is Raghunatha dasa Gosvami in caitanya-lila, had the most intense love for Srimati Radharani, but still, his goal—or her goal—was not to serve Srimati Radharani directly. She and others want to serve under the guidance of Sri Rupa Manjari, who in caitanya-lila is Srila Rupa Gosvami. So we find the same principle of parampara. Parampara means literally “one after the other”: one takes shelter of a mahatma who has taken shelter of a mahatma who has taken shelter of a mahatma who has taken shelter of Srimati Radharani.

Basically, what we are doing in ISKCON under the guidance of Srila Prabhupada is the same. We take shelter of Srila Prabhupada and his associates, Srila Prabhupada has taken shelter of his guru maharaja, his guru maharaja took shelter of his guru maharaja, and so on, up to Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Rupa Gosvami, Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, Ramananda Raya, and Lord Chaitanya, or, in other words, Rati Manjari, Rupa Manjari, Lalita and Visakha, and Srimati Radharani and Lord Krishna. So we don’t have to make an artificial effort to cultivate the mood of the gopis. Of course, at a certain mature stage of devotional service we may naturally develop such a mood internally. But Srila Prabhupada said—and there are so many features to Srila Prabhupada’s genius, but one was his ability to express profound truths in brief, simple statements—Srila Prabhupada said that the way to develop the love of the gopis for Krishna is to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world.

One might wonder how the two—the gopis’ love and spreading Krishna consciousness—are connected. The connection is that Radharani and Her associates are ready to sacrifice anything and everything to give Krishna the greatest pleasure. And the greatest pleasure that we can give Krishna, at least in the material world, is to bring more souls to Him. This may sound easy, but to bring others to Krishna in the present age is not at all easy. There is so much opposition—from the material nature, from society, sometimes even from our own families—that we may have a tendency to compromise, because we do not want to lose our position in society, we don’t want to upset our family members, we don’t want to do anything that will have a negative effect on our material lives. But that is not the mood of the gopis. The mood of the gopis is that to please Krishna they are ready to leave everything: mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands, babies—everything. Of course, we are not saying that you should do the same, and Lord Chaitanya did teach that one can remain in one’s position and be Krishna conscious. But the point is that the gopis are ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of Krishna’s pleasure. And we should be developing the same mood. In fact, to actually preach effectively one has to have that mood, because if one is too concerned about one’s material position and assets, he or she won’t want to take the risk to preach. And because the preacher does take the risk, he or she is especially recognized by the Lord and specially blessed by the Lord. So, the duty of the spiritual master is to engage the disciple in such a way that the disciple can get the most mercy from Krishna and the Vaishnavas. And Srila Prabhupada knew that by his engaging us in spreading Krishna consciousness we would get the most mercy from Krishna and His associates. But it is not always easy.

I shall tell you one story from Madras. It is not a good one, because I am using myself as an example, which is not very becoming, but ultimately what happened was all Prabhupada’s mercy. I was the first devotee from ISKCON to go to Madras, in 1971. In Madras there are many Shaivas and Vaishnavas, who have a long history of debate, and many impersonalists who think, “The Vaishnavas are arguing that Vishnu is the Supreme, and the Shaivas are arguing that Shiva is supreme. How silly! Actually, God has no form. He just assumes the form of Shiva or Vishnu or Durga. So why all these petty arguments?” They are some sort of jnanis, and they really consider themselves superior, both to the Vaishnavas and to the Shaivas.

In Madras I began to preach in the same way I had heard Srila Prabhupada preach everywhere. We had programs and enrolled life members. Srila Prabhupada was very eager for us to enroll life members, mainly as a way of distributing his books to them, and also as a way of giving them the association of devotees. But after a few weeks, I found that there was an undercurrent of protest against the way I was preaching, and even friends began to advise me, “You should not criticize others. Whatever you want to say positively about what you are doing and about Krishna consciousness, say. But don’t say anything negative about anyone else or any other process.”

So, I thought about it. Over the six or eight weeks I was in Madras, I stayed at different places, and one of the men I stayed with cited the example of the Gaudiya Matha—that the Gaudiya Matha was quite well established in Madras and that every year so many thousands of people would go there for Janmashtami. “They don’t criticize anyone,” he said, “so why can’t you be like them?” I thought about it. Was that really what we were meant to be like? Then the brother of Mr. Ratnamiyer (who had his own organization, Astika Samaja, and who initially had offered to arrange a program for Srila Prabhupada), who was even more favorable, said the same thing: “Don’t criticize others. Just say whatever you want in a positive way about Krishna consciousness.” So I was getting the same thing from all sides, and I thought, “Maybe Krishna is trying to tell me something. There are too many signs that I am doing something wrong.” So I wrote a letter to Srila Prabhupada.

One Saturday shortly thereafter I had an appointment with an industrialist, and I decided that I was not going to get into any controversy or debate. I was just going to show the pictures of our activities, show the books, tell him about Krishna consciousness, and not make any comments about anything else. So I went to the man’s office. He had a large compound, with his office and his factory and his residence. I showed the pictures, showed the books, took out the life membership forms, and asked him to become a life member. He said, “What about Shankaracharya? You said so many things. Why haven’t you said anything about Shankaracharya? He is one of the great acharyas of India.” And I said, “Yes, he is one of the great acharyas of India.” He said, “Well, why don’t you say more about him? You haven’t said anything about him.” I tried to be very tactful, but he kept provoking me, probing more and more. So I had to explain that Shankaracharya was an incarnation of Lord Shiva who came to bewilder the atheists and drive Buddhism out of India, but that in order to drive Buddhism out of India he had to preach a false interpretation of the Vedas. But the man kept arguing. I even took out the Teachings of Lord Caitanya (we didn’t have the Caitanya-caritamrta then) and showed him the verses about Shankaracharya. But he was becoming more adamant in his position, and I remained adamant in mine. Finally I decided, “Okay. I have wasted enough time here.” I put away the pictures, put away the books, closed the briefcase, and said, “Well, it was nice meeting you.” He escorted me to the door and then said, “Before you leave, I want to show you my temple room.” I thought, “Oh, no. There is going to be a shiva-linga, and he is going to want me to offer my obeisances, and if I don’t he is going to become offended.” He said, “Really, I insist. I want you to see my temple.” So I went to see his temple.

It was quite big. There was a large marble altar, the base of which was at least three feet high, and on top of the base were big marble Radha-Krishna Deities. I was shocked. It was very hard to find Radha-Krishna Deities in Madras. In fact, I think they were the only ones I saw. There were one or two Deities of Krishna, but most of the Vaishnava temples had Deities of Vishnu. So I was delighted, and I offered my obeisances and prayers. Then I looked at the man. “Swamiji,” he said, “my family and I—and all of my ancestors—are devotees of Radha and Krishna. Actually, I was just testing you. I am very pleased with you. You have passed the test. You did not compromise. I will be happy to become your life member.” Then he took me back to his office and wrote out a check for the whole amount, and that was that.

Then I started thinking that maybe I wasn’t doing the wrong thing after all. I came back to the place where I was staying in Egmore, and there was a letter from Srila Prabhupada. I was very excited, and when I opened the letter, Srila Prabhupada’s words jumped right off the page: “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. 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 other are His part and parcel servants. This we must declare boldly to the whole world, that they should not dream of world peace unless they are prepared to surrender fully to Krishna as Supreme Lord.”

That was Srila Prabhupada’s mood, and that was Srila Prabhupada’s message. And for his service, he is the most dear servant of Radha and Krishna. Srimati Radharani has no desire other than the pleasure of Krishna. And who has given Krishna more pleasure—within the material world at least—than Srila Prabhupada? Consequently, he has given the greatest pleasure to Srimati Radharani. And so Srimati Radharani would do anything for Srila Prabhupada. So if we do even some little service to Srila Prabhupada, his heart is so magnanimous that he will take it as a big service. And he will be very pleased. And when we please Srila Prabhupada, Srimati Radharani is pleased. And then our lives are successful.

One other point in the purport is that a pure devotee’s attraction remains fixed on Krishna’s original form, undistracted even by His Vaikuntha expansions. Bhajanty ananya manaso: the great soul is engaged in the service of Krishna without deviation. Srila Prabhupada explains that bhajanty ananya manaso indicates that the great soul doesn’t divert his mind from Krishna for anything or to anything, not even to another incarnation of Krishna. He is not attracted even to any other feature of Krishna, what to speak of any demigod or human being. There is a story mentioned in the Caitanya-caritamrta, which is discussed more elaborately in other books of the Gosvamis, in which Lord Krishna was enjoying pastimes with the gopis and then left them. The gopis were searching for Him all around Govardhana Hill, and Krishna, to play a joke on them, assumed the form of Lord Narayana with four arms holding the four symbols of lotus, conch, disc, and club. When the gopis came across Lord Narayana, they offered Him namaskara and asked Him if He had seen Lord Krishna. They were not interested in Lord Narayana. They wanted only Krishna. And because Lord Narayana was not helping them find Krishna, they left Him behind. Then Srimati Radharani passed before Lord Narayana, and Lord Krishna became so attracted by Her pure love that He could not maintain His form of Lord Narayana. He had to withdraw His two extra hands and resume His original form as Lord Krishna. That is the power of Srimati Radharani’s love.

Of course, this is transcendental, and whenever Srila Prabhupada spoke on Radhastami he would discuss elaborately how the pastimes of Radha and Krishna are not material and how the attraction between Radha and Krishna is not material. He would also discuss how Sukadeva Gosvami, who was a lifelong brahmachari, recited the pastimes of Radha and Krishna and would never have done so if they had been material. And Lord Chaitanya was a strict sannyasi, but He would hear about the pastimes of Radha and Krishna. Had they not been spiritual, He would not have listened to them. There are so many proofs. The main one, of course, is that Krishna is the origin of everything. Srila Prabhupada would quote the saying that a sweet merchant is not attracted by sweets. Krishna has created the whole material world; He is not going to be attracted by it. So we should always remember that the loving affairs between Radha and Krishna are completely transcendental. But transcendentally, Krishna could not restrain Himself in the presence of Srimati Radharani, and so He couldn’t maintain His four-armed form as Lord Narayana.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta states that originally, the one, Krishna, separated Himself into two, Radha and Krishna, and then the two, Radha and Krishna, combined again and became one: Lord Chaitanya. When we were in Calcutta, our landlord, a Bengali gentleman named Mr. Raya, told Achyutananda Swami his own theory of Lord Chaitanya and Radha and Krishna. He said that Lord Chaitanya is the supreme and the original, that Radha and Krishna come from Lord Chaitanya, and that Lord Chaitanya is more beautiful and greater than Radha and Krishna, just like rasagulla is better than milk and sugar. Achyutananda was a little confused, so he approached Srila Prabhupada—a few of us were also in the room—and told him about the discussion with the landlord. Then he asked, “Who is the original?” Srila Prabhupada replied that Radha and Krishna come first: “The same example: first the milk and sugar exist separately and then they combine together to form the rasagulla.” Then Achyutananda asked, “Well, who is greater?” Srila Prabhupada paused for some moments, closed his eyes, and then answered, “Srimati Radharani is the greatest.” He pointed to a picture on the wall that showed Srimati Radharani sitting on a raised platform and Lord Krishna kneeling at Her feet, trying to please or appease Her so She would give up Her mana and accept Him. And then Srila Prabhupada said that the devotees are the greatest, and therefore Krishna becomes the servant of the devotees.

Sometimes Srimati Radharani manifests a type of transcendental jealousy, called mana, which is not like the jealousy of the material world. In the material world, jealous anger usually is an attempt by a jealous person to gain control of the situation or gain the upper hand in the relationship with another person. But Srimati Radharani’s jealous anger exists simply to give pleasure to Krishna. And Krishna takes pleasure in trying to remove Srimati Radharani’s mana.

There was a great devotee of Krishna named Jayadeva Gosvami, who lived in Sri Navadvipa-dhama some centuries before Lord Chaitanya appeared. He wrote a poem called Gita-govinda, which describes the pastimes of Radha and Krishna. And he (like some of the other gosvamis) would actually see the pastimes within his heart and record what was manifest to him, and the poem would be accepted as authoritative scripture. So, he was writing about the pastimes of Radha and Krishna in rasa-lila. Srimati Radharani was manifesting Her jealous anger, and Lord Krishna wanted to pacify Her. Jayadeva Gosvami saw in his heart that Lord Krishna was putting His head at Srimati Radharani’s lotus feet, but he could not accept that Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes, the ruler of the universe, was acting in such a way. Jayadeva Gosvami was having a debate within his mind: Could this be happening? His intelligence and heart were in conflict. He couldn’t decide. He thought, “I can’t write this.” He started, but he couldn’t continue. So he closed the book, left it in the care of his wife, Padma, and went for his bath in the Ganges. Very soon, “Jayadeva” came back and said, “Padma, please bring me my book.” So Padma brought his book, and he took up the pen and completed the verse and went away. A little while later, the original Jayadeva came back, and his wife said, “You have come back so soon. You left, then you came back, then you left again, and now you have come back again.” Jayadeva said, “I never came back.” “No, you came. I saw you.” “No, I never came back.” “Yes, you came. You said, ‘Padma, bring me my book. I want to write something.’ So I brought your book and you wrote something and left again.” Then Jayadeva said, “Well, bring my book. I will see.” So he looked in his book, and he saw that the verse he had begun had been completed by Sri Krishna Himself. The verse read, smara-garala-khandanam mama sirasi mandanam dehi pada-pallavam udaram, which means, “I am burning in the poison of separation.” Krishna is telling Radharani, mama sirasi mandana: “Please decorate My head with Your lotus feet.” That was the essence of the verse. “And I would consider that to be Your greatest favor.” Then Jayadeva realized that Krishna Himself had come and completed the verse. He offered his obeisances to Padma and said, “Padma, you are so fortunate. You saw Krishna Himself. I could not see Krishna, but you saw Him.” And Padma replied, “I am so unfortunate; I saw Krishna but I didn’t know He was Krishna.” And they both were overwhelmed with different types of ecstasy.

There is a very beautiful verse by Raghunatha dasa Gosvami in which he prays to see Lord Krishna’s head decorated by the red paint—in Sanskrit and Hindi called alta—that ladies put on their feet. Raghunatha dasa prays that he might see the beautiful face of Krishna. Krishna is always beautiful, and when He comes home from the pasturing grounds with the dust raised by the cows and calves smeared on His face and hair, He looks even more beautiful. But Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami prays for the day when, in the form of Rati Manjari, he will see Krishna’s face and hair beautified by the most gorgeous of all ornaments: the red paint from the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani. He says that this will be the perfection of his meditation.

So, Lord Krishna takes pleasure in serving His devotees and worshipping His devotees. Sometimes ignorant people think Shiva is the Supreme because when Rama went to Ramesvaram He worshipped the shiva-linga. But no, the Lord takes pleasure in worshipping His devotees and serving His devotees. Just like Krishna’s carrying Nanda Maharaja’s shoes doesn’t mean that Nanda Maharaja is the Supreme. But Krishna takes pleasure in being subordinate to His devotees. Similarly, in Dvaraka, Krishna’s washing the feet of Sudama Vipra doesn’t mean that Sudama Vipra is the Supreme. Krishna likes to worship His devotees. Krishna drove the chariot of Arjuna. This doesn’t mean that Arjuna is the Supreme. But Krishna likes to serve His devotees. And Srimati Radharani is His greatest devotee. Therefore, Krishna likes to serve Her the most and to become the most subordinate and obedient to Her. And therefore once a year, on Radhastami, we are allowed to see the lotus feet of Srimati Radharani, which are otherwise the exclusive property of Lord Sri Krishna’s head.

Sri Sri Kisora-Kisori ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Hare Krishna.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Radhastami, August 25, 2001, Chicago]

Answer Podcast

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Video – Srimad Bhagavatam 3.4.28 Bringing In Material Conceptions Into The Spiritual Realm 2014-07-27 Timisoara

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The Annex, Toronto

 

Moving Machinery

 

A very nice young man from Guelph, by the name of Paramahamsa, came to check out my walking habits and address any physical pain—should I have any. As a professional therapist he was most helpful, especially in offering demonstrations on good bodily maintenance. After the session with him, I took to my walk, to Bathurst and Bloor and back, and I must say that my movement was much more at ease, considering my ankles had become weakened in the last few days. I was also limping less.

 

One thing that contributed to relieving some strain on the legs was the mere switch of footwear. Our resident handyman, David, put some serious shoe glue to my Kyboot sandals, which put them out of commission for two days. During that period I resorted to my indoor crocs for my strolls and that was enough to weaken my hip-down mobility. Having the right footwear is so important.

 

No offense to the croc shoes. They are amazing in many ways—light-weight and rain resistant, however, for long length trekking, not the best.

 

Speaking of rain, we received a few tokens of it at periods throughout the night. I must say that the summer, at least in Southern Ontario, has been absolutely fabulous. A bit intense with heat at times but that is what you bargain for, being in this material world. It is an acceptance of the good and the bad.

 

May the Source be with you!

4 km