Visvarupa-mahotsava is the date on which Lord Chaitanya’s older brother, Visvarupa, took sannyasa, the renounced order of life. And on the same date some four hundred and fifty years later, our own spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, also accepted sannyasa.

According to Vedic literatures, Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, come in the present age in the role of a devotee. In the previous age, Lord Krishna came in His original feature and spoke the Bhagavad-gita, and at the conclusion He instructed, sarva-dharman parityaja mam ekam saranam vraja: give up all other duties and surrender unto Me. But people could not understand or appreciate Lord Krishna’s instruction. So later, about five hundred years ago, Krishna came again, not in His original form but in His devotional form as Lord Chaitanya. And Lord Chaitanya taught us how to serve Krishna, how to worship God in the present age.

Lord Chaitanya taught various methods of worship, but He especially emphasized the chanting of the holy names of God, or Krishna. In particular, He quoted a verse from the Brhan-Naradiya Purana (38.126):

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 Hari, Krishna. In this age of Kali, there is no other way, no other way, no other way for spiritual realization.”

He acted like a teacher who shows students how to write the alphabet. The teacher stands in front of the class and writes on the board, “A, B, C, D.” The teacher has no need to practice writing, but he shows by his own example how to form the letters properly. In the same way, God, Krishna, had no need to worship, but to set the example for us, so that we could learn how to worship God in the best way in the present age, He came as Lord Chaitanya and taught and demonstrated the chanting of the holy names of Krishna.

When Lord Chaitanya appeared, the social and spiritual system called varnashrama-dharma was still prevalent in India. In this system there are four social and four spiritual divisions, all necessary for society to function properly. Although we may not refer to them by the same terms, and although the system has not been developed as systematically and scientifically as in Vedic culture, still, by the arrangement of nature, the divisions still exist. In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna says, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah: “According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me.” (Gita 4.13) So, the four social orders, or broad divisions of occupational duties, are created by Krishna.

The four divisions include, first, the intelligent class, who are teachers and priests, but mainly teachers. Then there is the martial, or administrative, class, who are rulers and warriors; they govern and protect the citizens. There is the vaishya, or productive class, who engage in agriculture—farming and cow protection—and, with any surplus, in trade. And there is the service class, or workers, who perform services to support the other three classes.

When a person hears the description of the different social orders and duties, he or she may be alerted to the possibilities for exploitation and domination of the “lower” classes by the “higher.” But in Vedic society the different members work cooperatively for the common good, ultimately for the pleasure of God. In the physical body there are natural divisions—the head, the arms, the stomach, the legs—and they all have different functions. But they all cooperate for the benefit of the whole. In the social body, the brahmans are compared to the head—they give guidance. The kshatriyas are compared to the arms—they protect the body. The vaishyas are compared to the stomach—they provide food for the body. And the sudras, or workers, are compared to the legs—they carry the rest of the body where it wants to go. There is no question of competition among the different parts of the body—or of exploitation. They all work for the good of the whole.

Apart from the social divisions, there are four spiritual divisions. These are also natural, especially in a culture meant for self-realization and God realization, which Vedic culture is. The first order is the brahmacharis, celibate students. In the traditional system, the brahmachari would study in the ashram of the guru, in the gurukula. He would be trained mainly in principles of good character. And because the main emphasis was on good character and spiritual development, the teachers had to be spiritually qualified.

Here we can see the defect in modern education, where emphasis is given to material knowledge without much consideration of personal character. Now practically no spiritual or moral qualification is required of teachers. They may drink, they may smoke, they may gamble, they may do all sorts of nonsense in their “private” lives, but if they know the subject in a material way, they are considered qualified to teach. But in the Vedic system, because the emphasis was on moral character and spiritual development, the teachers, the brahmans, had to be exemplary. And in addition, they had to know the content of the subjects they taught. The exemplar in the Vedic system was called acharya. Acharya means “one who teaches by example”— not that in the classroom the teacher says, “You should not smoke” but then outside the classroom he or she smokes, or that the teacher says, “You shouldn’t drink” but then outside he or she drinks.

A friend of ours in Bombay was attending an international conference on drug abuse in Delhi. She is a devotee, and she works with a lot of underprivileged people in the slum areas of Bombay. And in her own way, she tries to introduce Krishna consciousness, seeing how, by God’s grace, it can transform people’s lives, how people who were addicted to drugs can give them up with the spiritual strength gained by chanting and other practices. So, she went to the conference, and during the evenings her colleagues would get together and have parties and drink and smoke and take drugs. Then, during the day, they would meet to discuss what to do about the problem of substance abuse. Socially, she would be with them. After all, they were her friends and colleagues, but when she would attend their parties, they would insist, “Why don’t you have a drink? Have a smoke. Have this, have that.” And she would always refuse.

One night, their party was busted by the police. The only one of them of good character, of spotless character, was our friend, the devotee. They knew that her word would be accepted, because she was strict in her habits. So her colleagues appealed to her to make up some story that they were conducting an experiment, doing research, on taking drugs. Whatever happened in the end, the point I am making is that in Vedic culture the teachers were supposed to be exemplary. Their character was considered one of their main qualifications as teachers.

So, the first order is brahmachari—celibate students living in the ashram of the guru, the spiritual preceptor. The second order is grihastha—married, or household, life. At the age of twenty or twenty-five, the young man could choose to enter the grihastha-ashrama. At such a time he would take permission from the guru to leave the gurukula, and there would be a ceremony comparable to today’s graduation. The young man would leave and go out into the world, bringing with him all the principles of moral character and spiritual development that he had learned in the ashram of the guru.

Then, after living in the grihastha-ashrama, having children and providing for their future, the husband and wife would enter the vanaprastha-ashrama, retired life. They would retire, not to while away their time in idle pursuits and reminiscences, but to realize God. Of course, there is no harm in reminiscing sometimes, but they had a positive engagement, and their positive engagement was spiritual perfection.

The first instruction of the Bhagavad-gita is:

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.” (Gita 2.13) In other words, the soul is distinct from the body.

Later in the Gita Krishna says that He has two energies: the superior energy, or para-prakrti, which is spiritual, and the inferior energy, or apara-prakrti, which is material.

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

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

“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, and false ego—all together these eight constitute My separated material energies. 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 7.4–5) The spiritual energy is conscious and eternal, whereas the material energy is unconscious and temporary. This physical body is made of the eight material elements, inferior energy, but the soul within the body is made of the superior, spiritual energy.

The soul continues to live after the death of the body. In one sense there is no death of the body, because the body is always dead. It is just a machine, and the soul is the driver of the machine who makes the machine work. When the soul is in the body, the body appears to be alive. When the soul leaves the body, we declare that the body is dead, because the soul has left. Now, someone might argue that the soul, or life, is created by a particular chemical combination, that when the chemicals or atoms and molecules combine in a certain way, life is produced. But if that were the case, death would merely be a breakdown in the chemical combination. If life were created by a certain combination of chemicals, then death would mean that the combination had broken down, and the implication would be that if we restored the combination, the person would come back to life. A car is a combination of material elements. The car may break down, but if you keep replacing the material elements, the car will work again. Even if the car is from 1900, if you replace the engine, replace the carburetor, replace the steering—whatever the parts are—if you keep replacing them, it will work again. Yet although people have tried to become immortal since the beginning of time, they have never succeeded in bringing a dead person back to life, because life is not a combination of material elements. Life is the quality of the spiritual soul, the superior energy of the Lord. Once the spiritual soul leaves the body, we can do nothing to bring the body back to life, because the living force has left.

So the question is, “What happens to the living force when it leaves the body? What happens to the soul?” According to the Bhagavad-gita, the soul, depending on its activities, or karma, will enter a particular type of body. If the car breaks down and is not worth fixing, the driver will get another car. What kind of car he gets will depend on how much he can afford. If the person has been earning and saving, he can get a luxury car. If the person has been working but not earning so much, or has not been saving, or not that much, he might get an ordinary car. If the person has been irresponsible or is unemployed, he might not be able to afford a car at all. He might have to get a motorcycle or a scooter or a bicycle, or he may just have to walk. In the same way, the body we get in the next life will depend on how we conduct ourselves in the present life. If we are responsible and follow a disciplined, moral, spiritual life, we will get a better body. In fact, if we are fully self-realized, or God-realized, fully surrendered to God, we can get a spiritual body and go to the spiritual world and live with God in the spiritual kingdom. Otherwise, if we are not perfect but are good, we will get a good material body in the material world; we will take birth on a higher planet—on a heavenly planet—or on earth in a better situation, with better opportunities for education; we may be born with more intelligence, with more opulence, with better looks, and so on. And if we have been negligent in our duties toward God, if we have been immoral or irreligious, we will be born in an unfortunate situation on earth in a human body or even in a lower species of life. Or we may have to take birth on a hellish planet and suffer there for some time.

In the Vedic system, by the time a person reaches the age of fifty or so, he or she should have fulfilled his or her family responsibilities and be free to leave the work and assets to the next generation, to concentrate on spiritual development. Old age is a warning, or a reminder, that one will have to leave the body, and so one will consider, “How can I use my time to reach the best destination?” It is as if you are living in a house and you get notice that you have to vacate. Of course, you will continue to take care of the house to some degree, but you will not put all your energy into taking care of a house that you must soon vacate. Rather, you will consider, “Where am I going to move?” That is the guiding principle in Vedic civilization: “Where am I going to go after I leave the present body, this present habitat?”

The best destination one can achieve is the spiritual kingdom of God, and for that one must engage in spiritual practices, especially chanting the holy names of God, by which one will develop love for God. Such practices are common to different religious traditions. Although here we speak on the basis of the Bhagavad-gita, the basis of Vedic knowledge, the principle of chanting God’s name is in practically every tradition; the principle of praying to God, glorifying God, learning about God from scriptures and teachers, and serving God and His creatures—ultimately to develop love for God—is part of every bona fide religious tradition. As the Bible says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shalt be in thine heart. Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. . . . Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him.” This passage from Deuteronomy (6.5–9, 7.9) pretty well describes the life of devotees. While standing up, sitting in house, walking on a path—wherever they are and in whatever they do—they are conscious of God, and they teach their children the same principle: to be God conscious.

Again, the ideal of singing the name of the Lord or praising the name of the Lord is common to every tradition. The Bible, for instance, enjoins us, “Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people. Sing unto Him, sing psalms unto Him, talk yet of all His wondrous works. Glory ye in His holy name; let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face continually.” (I Chronicles 16.7–11) But the actual process of chanting, especially the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, is elaborated most scientifically in the Vedic literatures. Srimad-Bhagavatam in particular gives precise and detailed information about God and the process to reach Him. Otherwise, one could question, “If the principles are the same, why did you have to take to Krishna consciousness? Why could you not have just been a good Christian or Jew or whatever?” The answer is that this method, which is called bhakti-yoga, is scientific and practical, and that the knowledge of God given in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam is most detailed. To love someone, you must know the person: “To know him is to love him.” To know God is to love Him. Otherwise, we may talk theoretically about loving God, but if we don’t know Him, how can we really love Him?

God in the most complete conception is both male and female: Radha and Krishna. Still, for simplicity’s sake, we often use the masculine pronoun. In any case, we learn about God in detail from the Vedic literatures, especially Srimad-Bhagavatam. As our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, used to say, “Every religion will teach that you should love God, but who is God? The Vedic scriptures tell you His name, His address, His telephone number—all the details—about His family, His friends, His habits, His hobbies, His pastimes.” That is why we have taken to Krishna consciousness: to learn about God and how to reach Him—in detail. Even then, as Srila Prabhupada said, “You don’t have to give up being a Jew or a Christian or a Muslim or whatever; you can add Krishna consciousness and become a better Hindu or a better Christian or a better Jew.” It is not a religion in the sense that you have to convert, like one gives up one faith and accepts another. You can remain whatever you are and add bhakti-yoga. With the physical practices of yoga, hatha-yoga, people don’t mind—they may be Christian or Jewish or Muslim and still practice yoga. So too you can practice bhakti-yoga whatever your faith may be. But this yoga will help you to come closer to God and have direct realization of God.

In varnashrama-dharma, the last stage, after retired life, is called sannyasa, renounced life. Although in retired life the husband and wife may stay together, their aim is God consciousness. They often retire to a holy place to worship and serve God, associating with learned scholars and saintly persons, so that they can come closer to God and be with God in their next life. But in the fourth stage, which is not meant for everyone and is not generally recommended in the present age, the husband and wife do not remain together. Also, although the brahmachari will usually marry and have children, in exceptional cases he may not; he may remain in the brahmachari-ashrama for his entire life, or at some point proceed directly from the brahmachari- to the sannyasa-ashrama. In the renounced order too there are different stages, four stages, but in the present age the recommended process for the renounced order is to spread the message of Godhead—to travel and preach the message of Godhead, and to write articles and books on the science of God.

So, these are the four social and spiritual orders, and from that background we come to today’s occasion: Visvarupa-mahotsava. As mentioned earlier, Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself, and He appeared on earth, as did Krishna, like an ordinary person. Yet although He seemed to take birth like an ordinary person, His birth was not ordinary; it was divine. Just as a dramatic actor might play the part of a family member on stage, so Lord Chaitanya appeared in a particular family on earth. And in the family in which He chose to appear, He had an older brother named Visvarupa (who Himself was an incarnation of Lord Balarama, Krishna’s first expansion).

From the very beginning, Visvarupa was attracted to devotional service to Lord Krishna. As soon as He was old enough, He would go daily to bathe in the Ganges and then proceed to the home of Advaita Acharya to engage in topics of Krishna. He had no interest whatsoever in material life. And so, when He heard that arrangements were being made for His marriage, Visvarupa left home and took sannyasa. At that time, Lord Chaitanya tried to console His aggrieved parents: “My dear mother and father, it is very good that Visvarupa has accepted the sannyasa order, for thus He has delivered both His father’s and His mother’s family.”

As a sannyasi, Visvarupa’s name was Sankararanya Svami. He traveled from one place of pilgrimage to another, throughout the country. Finally, He attained perfection—entered the spiritual world after giving up His mortal body—in Pandarapura, a holy place in Maharashtra. As cited by Srila Prabhupada, the Gaura-candrodaya states that after His departure, Visvarupa remained mixed within Sri Nityananda Prabhu. The date on which Visvarupa took sannyasa is celebrated today as Visvarupa-mahotsava.

Now we come to our spiritual teacher and founder-acharya, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He was born in Calcutta in 1896 in a very pious family. He was well educated and attended Scottish Churches’ College, one of the most prestigious colleges in Calcutta. As a young man, he married and had a child, but soon he met a very saintly person, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, and was impressed by him. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta requested that Srila Prabhupada take up the mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and spread His message all over the world, specifically in English. From their very first meeting in 1922, Srila Prabhupada accepted Srila Bhaktisiddhanta in his heart as his spiritual master, and eleven years later, in Allahabad, he was formally initiated as Abhay Caranaravinda dasa. Abhay means “fearless” and caranaravinda means “the lotus feet” of Krishna. By taking shelter of the lotus feet of Krishna, one becomes fearless—even of death, the most fearful situation in the material world.

Srila Prabhupada always remembered the order of his guru maharaja, and in his household life he began the fortnightly magazine Back to Godhead. He personally wrote all the articles, got the issues printed, and distributed them. He would go on foot to the teashops in Delhi and approach the customers with his magazine. Later, a friend suggested that magazines might be thrown away but that books would remain forever. And so Srila Prabhupada turned his attention to translating the Bhagavad-gita, and later Srimad-Bhagavatam.

In 1950 Srila Prabhupada retired from family life as a vanaprastha. He traveled to Jhansi and tried to start his guru maharaja’s mission there. He was on the verge of acquiring an ideal property to use as a center, but in the end there was some politics with the governor’s wife and the deal fell through. So he left Jhansi and came to Mathura, a holy place associated with Lord Krishna’s pastimes, to the Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha, where he served in cooperation with one of his godbrothers, His Holiness Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Maharaja.

Even in his household life, Srila Prabhupada had dreams in which his guru maharaja was calling him to leave his family and follow him. Srila Prabhupada would wake up and feel horrified: “How can I take sannyasa?” He continued to have the dream, and in Mathura, Kesava Maharaja advised him, “To really preach the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and fulfill Guru Maharaja’s order, you must take sannyasa.” So, on September 17, 1959, on Visvarupa-mahotsava, the same date that Visvarupa, the older brother of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, took sannyasa, Srila Prabhupada accepted the renounced order of life at the Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha in Mathura. At the end of the ceremony Kesava Maharaja asked him to speak. Although the common language was Hindi, Srila Prabhupada thought of his mission and the order of his guru maharaja, and he spoke in English. Now he was Bhaktivedanta Swami and “completely ready to discharge the order of his spiritual master.”

It is most fortunate for all of us today that Srila Prabhupada did take sannyasa. After he translated Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, in three volumes, he felt ready to travel. Later he would remark, “When I decided to go to foreign countries, I thought of New York. Generally they go to London, but I thought, ‘No, I will go to New York.’” He managed to procure free passage in the passenger cabin of a cargo carrier of the Scindia Steam Navigation Company, and so he crossed the Atlantic on board the Jaladuta, suffering two heart attacks on the way. Then, in New York, for almost one year, he struggled alone. No one took up his message seriously. He would stay at different people’s places, but he had no place of his own—and almost no money. He felt so discouraged that from time to time he would go to the Scindia office to see when the next boat was departing for India. But—again fortunately for us—he never left.

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Visvarupa-mahotsava, September 17, 2005, Carpinteria, California]

Today is Bhadra-purnima. Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.13.13) states, “If on the full moon day of the month of Bhadra one places Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, he will attain the supreme transcendental destination.” As explained in the purport, “One should place Srimad-Bhagavatam on a golden throne because it is the king of all literature. On the full-moon day of the month of Bhadra, the sun, which is compared to this king of literatures, is present in the constellation Leo and looks as if raised up on a royal throne. (According to astrology, the sun is said to be exalted in the sign of Leo). Thus one may unreservedly worship Srimad-Bhagavatam, the supreme divine scripture.”

In Krsna-lila-stava (412–416), Srila Sanatana Gosvami prays, “O Srimad-Bhagavatam, O nectar churned form the ocean of all the Vedic scriptures, O most prominent transcendental fruit of all the Vedas, O You who are enriched with the jewels of all spiritual philosophical conclusions, O you who grant spiritual vision to all the people of the world, O life-breath of the Vaisnava devotees, O Lord, You are the sun which has arisen to dispel the darkness of the Kali-yuga. You are actually Lord Krsna, who has returned among us.

“O Srimad-Bhagavatam, I offer respectful obeisances unto You. By reading You one attains transcendental bliss, for Your syllables rain pure love of God upon the reader. You are always to be served by everyone, for You are an incarnation of Lord Krsna.

“O Srimad-Bhagavatam, O my only friend, O my companion, O my teacher, O my great wealth, O my deliverer, O my good fortune, O my bliss, I offer respectful obeisances unto you.

“O Srimad-Bhagavatam, O giver of saintliness to the unsaintly, O uplifter of the very fallen, please do not ever leave me. Please become manifested upon my heart and my throat, accompanied by pure love of Krsna.”

Bhadra-purnima is also the date on which Srila Prabhupada took sannyasa. When asked, “Are you going to America?” he replied, “No, Srimad-Bhagavatam is going to America—I am going with it.”

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

The Radha Madhava Community is a colorful community with ISKCON residents coming from many different parts of the world and India. Our residents accept His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as their ultimate authority and guide on all matters, and live by the philosophical and behavioral guidelines set by him.

Today is the divine appearance day of the transcendental twins: Rangadevi and Sudevi Sakhi. In the year 1992, the last of the four Asta-sakhis, or principle associates of Srimati Radharani, appeared in Mayapur and took their places on the altar. Rangadevi and Sudevi, were two of these four and they stand third and fourth on […]

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Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila Chapter 11,

“Haridasa Thakura is known as namacarya because it is he who preached the glories of chanting hari-nama, the holy name of God. By using the words tomara avatara (“your incarnation”), Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms that Haridasa Thakura is the incarnation of Lord Brahma. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that advanced devotees help the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His mission and that such devotees or personal associates incarnate by the will of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord incarnates by His own will, and, by His will, competent devotees also incarnate to help Him in His mission. Haridasa Thakura is thus the incarnation of Lord Brahma, and other devotees are likewise incarnations who help in the prosecution of the Lord’s mission. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta 11.25 purport)

Srila Haridas Thakura’s disapperance day (Right click to download)

In the beginning, when my Guru Maharaja ordered me, I thought it that 'I shall first of all become very rich man; then I shall preach.' (laughs) So I was doing very nice in business. In the business circle, I got very good name, and with whom I was dealing business, they were very satisfied. But Krishna made so trick that He broke everything, and He obliged me to take sannyasa. So that is Hari. So that I had to come to your country with only seven dollars. Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada talks about his sannyasa initiation
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From: Rahul Ranjan Mishra

Some people say that the incident of Lord Rama worshiping Lord Shiva is not mentioned in Valkmiki Ramayan. Is it true? Are there any other incidents that are not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayan but are described by subsequent Acaryas? 

To hear the answer, please click here

Transcription by: Raji Nachiappan

Question: Is the incident of Lord Rama worshiping Lord Shiva not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana? Are there any other incidents that are not mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana but are described by subsequent acharyas?

Answer: The two well-known incidents that are not mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana apart from the incident of Lord Rama worshipping Shiva, are the incidents of the Lakshmana-rekha drawn by Lakshmana when he left Sita to search for Lord Rama and the incident of Shabari offering half chewed fruits and berries to Lord Rama.

In general, since the Lord’s pastimes are many in number and because different pastimes happen in different yugas, it is never possible for any one book to be comprehensive in the narration of all pastimes. Therefore, the question is, if we hear a pastime, then how do we know if it is authentic? We have to look at what our acharyas have said. By our acharyas, I mean the acharyas from the Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradaya. However, the acharyas of the Gaudiya sampradaya have primarily focused on detailing Krishna Lila. Hence, if we do not find relevant comments in their writings, then we can look in the writings of acharyas from other sampradayas. In the Sri sampradaya, for example, there are commentaries like the Govinda Raja commentary on the Ramayana, which is well acknowledged, and we can refer to those for verification. If we are unable to find any comments that substantiate these pastimes in any of the acharyas’ writings, then that in itself does not necessarily mean that these pastimes are not bonafide. It just means that they may or may not be bonafide. We then have to look at two factors: (i) does the pastime fits the storyline of the Ramayana (ii) does the pastime supports the philosophical message of Ramayana. If these pastimes contradict either of these, then there is reason to treat them with a pinch of salt.

Some storytellers of the Ramayana, in order to portray everybody in the Ramayana as a devotee, narrate certain incidents. One among them is the incident when Lord Rama went to Kaikeyi and asks her to do a sacrifice for him. Kaikeyi then replies, “Whatever you want, I will do for you”. Lord Rama then warns Kaikeyi that by agreeing to do this, the whole world will misunderstand her. Kaikeyi did not mind and was ready to do what Lord Rama asked of her. He further cautioned her, that doing this sacrifice may even cause the death of her husband. Kaikeyi hesitates but then says, “For your sake, I will do it.” Then, Lord Rama tells her to ask for those two benedictions. The attempt here, to portray everyone as a devotee including Kaikeyi, leads to a disastrous contradiction with the storyline, message and the teachings of the Ramayana. In the Valmiki Ramayana and most other renditions of the Ramayana, it is Manthara who actually instigates Kaikeyi. Therefore, if Lord Rama is requesting Kaikeyi, then the whole incident of Manthara instigating Kaikeyi becomes redundant and this particular twist to the story becomes contradictory to the storyline of Valmiki Ramayana. Secondly, it is also against the philosophy because the philosophical message from this pastime is that how bad association can pervert a person’s mentality completely. It is described in the Ramayana that Kaikeyi was kind, gentle and wise. However, because of bad association, she became cruel, harsh and foolish. Kindness is a disposition of the heart and she turned the opposite, as cruel. Gentle is a manner of speech and she became harsh. Wise is a disposition of the intelligence but she became foolish.

The incident of Kaikeyi becoming influenced by Manthara teaches a very important lesson at an ethical level. That lesson is that bad association can ruin a person completely and distort as well as pervert his perceptions and actions. This lesson becomes redundant and lost if this new twist to the Ramayana is accepted. Hence, this twist cannot be accepted.

The Valmiki Ramayana does not mention Shabari offering fruits which she first chewed. Valmiki Ramayana just says that she offered fruits to Lord Rama. Here, if we contemplate on the point that the Lord is bhavagrahi and how for the sake of his devotees he is ready to flout all rules, then that is beautifully conveyed through this incident. The Lord was ready to accept that which is already chewed because it was offered with love. The message of this pastime is not contradictory to the essential underlying message of the Ramayana which is the glorification of bhakti and the bhaktavatsalya nature of the lord.

Similarly, the Lakshmana-rekha pastime is also not incorrect because it neither contradicts the philosophy nor the storyline of the Ramayana. Valmiki Ramayana just mentions that Lakshmana left Sita to search for Lord Rama. It stands to reason that Lakshmana still wanted to do his duty and make some arrangements to protect Sita while he was away. It is conceivable that he could have drawn the Lakshmana-rekha. That Lakshmana-rekha is also used by our achrayas to indicate the protective nature of the instructions of the spiritual master. As long as we are within the circumference of protection of the spiritual master we will be protected. Lakshmana represents the spiritual master and when we step out of that circle of protection, we get dragged away by Ravana who represents the mind. In that sense, this incident is not contradictory but complementary to the storyline of the Valmiki Ramayana. It is also conveying a valuable additional lesson and hence there is nothing wrong in accepting that.

With respect to Lord Rama worshipping Lord Shiva, that is also consistent with the overall mood of the Valmiki Ramayana. Lord Rama does not consistently reveal himself as the Supreme Lord in the Ramayana, although he does extraordinary deeds and displays not just super human but divine power. Also, Lord Rama worshipping Shiva is not the only incidence of Lord Rama worshipping a devata. He even worshipped Samudra Deva, when he wanted to get across the ocean.

In general, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are depicting the karma kanda way of life at one level, while depicting bhakti at another. At the karma kanda level, it is depicted that how in order to fulfil one’s obligation to the devatas one needs to worship the devatas and Lord Rama demonstrates that. At a pure devotional level, he is actually exhibiting his bhaktavatsalaya nature. Lord Krishna worshipped and performed an aarti for Sudama, however, that does not make Sudama to be God. Similarly, just because Lord Rama worshipped Lord Shiva, it does not mean that Lord Shiva is the supreme.

Therefore, broadly speaking, it is ideal to stick to Valmiki Ramayana when making a decision of which pastimes are bonafide. Otherwise, stick to pastimes which are referred to, by our acharyas. Also, if the pastimes are not contradictory to the storyline or the philosophical message of the Valmiki Ramayana, they can be accepted if we have heard other senior Vaishnavas quote them. If some pastimes do not fit into any of the above categories, then it is best that we do not quote them. However, that does not mean that we go on a crusade or a campaign to condemn such pastimes. They may have some devotional input that some devotees may be able to relate to. If they, of course, contradict the philosophy or the storyline then we have to be cautious. At least we should not quote them and if we have the capacity, then we can tell the person who is quoting to rethink their position.

End of transcription.

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 25 August 2019, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Bhagavad-gita 13.3)

Everyone is trying to be happy in the material world. Real happiness however is found on a deeper level. Now, the art is to develop a bigger vision. The Bhagavad-gita, in the beginning, talks about Arjuna, who is a member of a royal family, and has found himself in a difficult situation, a war situation which made him depressed. But then Krsna explained to Arjuna na jayate mriyate va kadacin nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah (Bhagavad-gita 2.20). He explained that the soul never takes birth, the soul never dies, and so on.

He also explained that the goal of life cannot be something temporary because by nature, we are eternal and by nature, we are looking for things that last eternally. Nobody likes it when the thing they really like is broken or stolen. It hurts. We are all attached. We want things to continue. We want love forever. All these things we want, but do we get them? Not really in the material world. It changes over time. So material enjoyment is by nature different from our nature. We are looking for things that last and they never do and it is painful because we are meant to actually find our enjoyment in eternal things. 

That is the message of the Bhagavad-gita: that one should look a little deeper in life, a little more long-term and only then can one find true happiness. It is a change. It takes some time to change our outlook but many people feel that there has to be more. So the real goal of life is spiritual and that is what we somehow or other have to keep in mind. We may sort of feel that way ourselves, but it will never become very solid unless we hear from self-realized persons. Therefore, one must hear from a teacher – from a guru – because such a teacher will not only tell us that spiritual life is the goal, but he can also instill a desire in our hearts. That is our aim.

The article " Look a little deeper " was published on KKSBlog.

“Today we are observing the Sri Krishna janmasahtami adhivas because lord Krishna Janmastami is one of the most holy days in the universe. Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita  My birth and My work is transcendental. We will offer about 26 sacred items to the deities. We will offer that with various prayers. We have here […]

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[Bhagavatam class at Radha Kunjabihari Mandir, ISKCON, Pune, India]

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Transcription :

Transcribed by: Raji Nachiappan

Question: What is the role of vairagya in grihasta life?

Answer: Vairagya is not an aspect of bhakti. Among the sixty-four items of bhakti that Rupa Goswami specifies, there is no mention of vairagya. For example, activities like chanting the holy names, reading the scriptures and worshipping the deities are all aspects of bhakti. Vairagya, in that sense, is not an aspect bhakti among the sixty-four items.

Vairagya, rather, is a natural result of bhakti. In the Srimad Bhagavatam (1.2.7), it is said that

vasudeve bhagavati, bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty asu vairagyam, jnanam ca yad ahaitukam

When one practices bhakti, one experiences such higher happiness that material happiness becomes distasteful. That’s the technical and philosophical point about the relationship between bhakti and vairagya. From the practical point of view, however, even to practice bhakti and to avoid sins, we need some renunciation. Some element of detachment is required to follow the four regulative principles, live a moral and spiritual life.

However, when the scriptures discuss vairagya, this is not entirely what they mean. Vairagya means not only to give up sinful activities, but to give up all activities. Arjuna asked this question in the Bhagavad Gita (18.1) and Lord Krishna replies:

kamyanam karmaṇam nyasam, annyasam kavayo viduḥ
sarva-karma-phala-tyagam, prahus tyagam vicakshanaḥ

“The giving up of activities that are based on material desire is what great learned men call the renounced order of life [sannyasa]. And giving up the results of all activities is what the wise call renunciation [tyaga].”

Lord Krishna says that giving up all fruitive activities is sannyasa. With respect to our devotional life, what we can focus on is simple living and high thinking, according to our situation. This principle has to be applied intelligently. For example, we have Krishna Chandra Prabhu (aka Hrishikesh Mafatlal) who is a big industrialist. For him, what simplicity means will differ from what simplicity means to someone working in a simple job for a small company. If Krishna Chandra Prabhu starts living in a small one BHK or two BHK apartment because he has become a devotee, that is not only going to become difficult for him, but it can significantly impede services that he may be capable of doing.

Therefore, what does vairagya mean practically? Sometimes devotees may think they do not need a big house for themselves and that they will live simply. However, if there is a desire to preach to the elite class of people, then those people may not come to a small house for a program. They may want to come to a program which is conducted in an opulent environment. For example, if ISKCON’s restaurant Govinda’s at Juhu was constructed as a small restaurant, it will not attract the kind of people that it is attracting today.

The point is that, there can be simplicity at different levels. What is simplicity for a person from one particular financial background may be different from what simplicity is, for another person from a different financial background. Therefore, we should not impose one definition on everybody. The general definition of simplicity is, seeking that level of material position which does not overly complicate one’s life. For example, suppose we have enough finances to buy a two BHK flat, but we want to buy a big bungalow and for that we take a big loan. Then to pay that loan we are forced to take a job which requires us to work sixteen hours a day. Then what is happening? It clearly becomes a case of over-endeavour, atyaharaḥ prayasas cha.

If we have that kind of education and competence, by which we can get a bungalow by working eight or ten hours, then we do not have to live in a one BHK flat. If by our education, we get a high paying job by which we can live in an upwardly mobile locality, then we will still be simple. Therefore, it is not that devotees have to live in a house with practically nothing in order to be simple. If that is what one feels inspired by, then one can do that. However, one should not reduce bhakti to such things alone. We have the example of Pundarika Vidhyanidhi. He was living opulently, yet he was an exalted devotee. When he had remembrance of Lord Krishna, he started rolling on the floor. Therefore, our focus should be on getting into material professions that do not complicate our lives too much by taking too much of our energy and leaving none for bhakti.

Vairagya in the grihastha ashram would mainly mean two things: (i) following the four regulative principles (ii) not being caught up in materialistic pursuits that one does not get time and energy for spiritual life.

At another level, vairagya also means giving charity. Charity is not just an activity; it is a mentality. Sometimes, devotees think that since they are not earning as much right now, they will not be able to give in charity. They mentally vouch to themselves that in the future, they will give even more than half of their salary in charity. Currently, however, they feel they cannot even give one percent of their income. This is not the right attitude. What should be done is that, charity should be cultivated as a mentality. Whatever we earn is by Krishna’s grace and we should give a part to Lord Krishna. If we cannot even give one percent now, then we will not be able develop the habit of giving. Then eventually even if we have the capacity to give more, we will still be attached.

Entering the vanaprastha ashram can vary according to time, place and circumstance. Generally, grihasthas are situated in very influential positions in society. If after attaining such a position if they take to a life of renunciation, then their social reach becomes limited. On the other hand, if one takes to a less demanding job or saves enough so that they do not have to work anymore but still live in the society with a nominal position, then they will have respectability in society. Then, with that respectability, along with the increased availability of time, one can reach out to people with Krishna’s message. Rather than focusing on changing ashrama in the future, one should focus on serving Krishna better. Therefore, devotees can take up high paying positions not only to save enough for taking up less demanding jobs later but also to attain respectability to utilise in spreading the message of Lord Krishna.

That is how we can gradually move towards decreasing the time and energy we spend with the material energy and have more and more time for Lord Krishna.

End of transcription.

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[Bhagavatam class at online Bhakti Sanga Conference, USA]

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From this statement by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu we can clearly understand that the word yavana does not refer only to a particular class of men. Anyone who is against the behavior of the Vedic principles is called a yavana. Such a yavana may be in India or outside of India. Continue reading "The Glories Of Srila Haridasa Thakura
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Sri Siddha-Bakula is located near Gambhira Temple on Bali Sahi road in Sri Jagannatha Puri Dhama. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally arranged for Srila Haridasa Thakura to reside at this place. This is the place where he performed his daily bhajana of chanting 192 rounds (3,00,000 names) of Hare Krishna maha-mantra Continue reading "SRI SIDDHA-BAKULA Bhajana Kutir of Namacarya Srila Haridasa Thakura at Sri Ksetra Jagannatha Puri Dhama
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Bhaktivinoda Thakur (2 September 1838 – 23 June 1914), born Kedarnath Datta, was a leading philosopher and spiritual reformer of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, who almost single-handedly effected its resurgence in India in the late 19th and early 20th century and was hailed by contemporary scholars as the most influential Gaudiya Vaisnava leader of his time. Along with his son Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, he pioneered the propagation of Gaudiya Vaisnavism in the West and its eventual global spread.

In his youth Kedarnath spent considerable time researching and comparing various religious and philosophical systems, both Indian and Western. His spiritual quest led him at the age of twenty nine to becoming a follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1533). He engaged in deep study and committed practice of Chaitanya’s teachings, soon emerging as a reputed leader within the Chaitanya Vaishnava movement in Bengal.

Bhaktivinoda edited and published over one hundred books on Vaishnavism, including major theological treatises as Krishna-samhita (1880), Chaitanya-sikshamrita (1886) Jaiva-dharma (1893), and Hari-nama-cintamani (1900). Between 1886 and 1910, he also published a monthly journal in Bengali entitled Sajjana-toshani (“The source of pleasure for devotees”). In 1886, in recognition of his prolific theological, philosophical and literary contributions, the local Gaudiya Vaishnava community conferred upon Kedarnath Datta the honorific title Bhaktivinoda (“the pastime or pleasure of bhakti or devotional service”).

In his later years Bhaktivinoda founded and conducted nama-hatta – a traveling preaching program that spread the teachings of Lord Chaitanya throughout rural and urban Bengal, by means of discourses, printed materials and Bengali songs he had written. Bhaktivinoda opposed numerous distortions of Lord Chaitanya’s original teachings and authoritatively established the true teachings. He also re-discovered the lost site of Chaitanya’s birth in Mayapur near Navadvip, which he commemorated with a prominent temple.

The revival of Gaudiya Vaisnavism effected by Bhaktivinoda spawned one of India’s most dynamic preaching missions of the early 20th century headed by his son and spiritual heir, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. Of Bhaktisiddhanta’s many disciples who carried on his mission, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami (1896–1977) is known throughout the world for introducing Gaudiya Vaisnavism to the West and subsequently around the globe.

The Russian Yatra Mega-Festival (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Over 5,000 devotees attended this year’s Sadhu Sanga Festival in Russia. The sheer volume of devotees and the prestigious presence of senior devotees made it a most memorable event. [ Photos by Kartamashi dasa ]

So, today is a very auspicious day, Thakura Bhaktivinoda’s birthday. Here is the picture of Thakura Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda. He was one of the acharyas of this disciplic succession from Krishna. We have got a succession table from Krishna—a genealogical table. There are two kinds of genealogical tables, one by the semen—the father, his son, his son, like that. That is a material genealogical table. And there is a spiritual genealogical table—disciplic succession. Just like Krishna, the original father, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, spoke the Vedic knowledge to Brahma. Lord Brahma spoke to Narada, Narada spoke to Vyasa, and Vyasa spoke to Madhvacharya. So, in this disciplic succession, Lord Chaitanya—from Lord Chaitanya to the Six Gosvamis, and similarly, coming down, down, to Bhaktivinoda Thakura, then Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja, then my spiritual master, and then we are the next generation, my disciples. Continue reading "Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s Appearance Day
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A lecture by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada on Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s appearance day, September 3, 1971,  London.

So, today is a very auspicious day, Thakura Bhaktivinoda’s birthday. Here is the picture of Thakura Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda. He was one of the acharyas of this disciplic succession from Krishna. We have got a succession table from Krishna—a genealogical table. There are two kinds of genealogical tables, one by the semen—the father, his son, his son, like that. That is a material genealogical table. And there is a spiritual genealogical table—disciplic succession. Just like Krishna, the original father, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, spoke the Vedic knowledge to Brahma. Lord Brahma spoke to Narada, Narada spoke to Vyasa, and Vyasa spoke to Madhvacharya. So, in this disciplic succession, Lord Chaitanya—from Lord Chaitanya to the Six Gosvamis, and similarly, coming down, down, to Bhaktivinoda Thakura, then Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja, then my spiritual master, and then we are the next generation, my disciples.

So there is a disciplic succession, and the acharyas are authorities. Our process of knowledge is very simple. We take it from authorities. We don’t speculate. Speculation will not help us to come to the real knowledge. Just like when we are in difficulty, in some legal implication, we go to some authority, a lawyer. When we are diseased we go to a physician, the authority. There is no use in speculation. Suppose I am in difficulty in some legal implication. If I simply speculate, “I shall be free in this way and that way,” that will not help. We have to go to a lawyer who knows things, and he will give us instruction, that “You do like this; then you’ll be free.” Similarly, when we are diseased, if we speculate at home, “My disease will be cured in this way and that way”—that is useless. You go to an authorized physician, and he will give you a nice prescription, and you’ll be cured. That is the process of knowledge. But in the modern age people think, “I am free, I am independent, and I can make my own solution.” That is rascaldom. That’s not good. Arjuna was talking with Krishna as a friend, but when he saw that there was no solution talking like this, he surrendered to Krishna. He said (Gita 2.7), sisyas te ’ham, aham: “Myself, I surrender unto You as Your disciple.” Sisyas te ’ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam. Prapannam means “surrendered.” So that is the Vedic injunction, that if you want to know transcendental knowledge or science . . . “Transcendental” means beyond the scope of your direct perception.

Spiritual knowledge is beyond the scope of your sense speculation. When a soul, only a spiritual spark, leaves this body, you cannot see it. Therefore, the atheistic class of men speculates, “There may be a soul; there may not be soul.” Or, “The bodily function was going like this; now it stopped. The blood corpuscles have ceased. It is no more red; it is white; therefore life . . .” These are speculation. This is not actual knowledge. Actual knowledge you get from the authority, Krishna. He says, tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati. Just like the soul is passing through different stages. Dehino ’smin yatha dehe. (Gita 2.13) Deha means this body. Asmin dehe, in this body there is dehi. Dehi means the owner of this body. That is the soul. That is passing through childhood, boyhood, babyhood, youth, old age. Everyone can perceive that you were a child—you were a baby, you were a boy, and now you are young man or old man. So you are there. And as you are passing through different types of bodies, similarly, when you give up this body you will accept another body. What is the difficulty? Tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati. (Gita 2.13) There is no question of becoming astonished, how transmigration of the self, the soul, takes place. The vivid example is there. Simply you require a little intelligence. That intelligence is developed through the instruction of the acharya. Therefore, the Vedic injunction is not to acquire knowledge by speculation. That is useless.

athapi te deva padambuja-dvaya-
prasada-lesanugrhita eva hi
janati tattvam bhagavan-mahimno
na canya eko ’pi ciram vicinvan
(SB 10.14.29)

Ciram vicinvan. Ciram means for thousands of years you can speculate, but you cannot understand what is God. That is not possible. But if you receive knowledge from the devotee, he can deliver you. Therefore the Vedic injunction is tad-vijnana. Vijnana means science. If you want to know the transcendental science, then you must approach a guru. If you are at all interested to understand the spiritual science, tad-vijnartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet, you must approach a guru. (MU 1.2.12) Guru means this succession, as I have explained.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura was an ideal guru. He was not a sannyasi; he was a grihastha, a householder, living with family, wife, children. Still, he was guru. So anyone can become guru—not that only a sannyasi can become guru. A householder also can become guru, provided he knows the science. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was talking with Ramananda Raya . . . Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a sannyasi, born in a very high brahman family, a very learned scholar. He was talking with Raya Ramananda, a grihastha, governor of Madras. And He was questioning, and Ramananda Raya was answering. That means Ramananda Raya was taking the part of guru, and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was taking the part of a disciple. So, Ramananda Raya was hesitating. He thought, “I am a grihastha, and not even a brahman. And besides, I am dealing in material affairs, politics. I am a governor. And Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is a sannyasi, born of a high-class brahman family. So it does not look well that I teach Him.” He was hesitating. And Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Oh, why you are hesitating?”

kiba vipra, kiba nyasi, sudra kene naya
yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei ‘guru’ haya
(Cc Madhya 8.128)

He said, “Don’t hesitate. Either one may be a brahman or one may be a sudra (kiba vipra, kiba sudra). Vipra means brahman, and sudra is the fourth-grade human being. So, kiba vipra, kiba sudra: he may be a first-grade human being or the lowest-grade human being, or he may become a sannyasi or a grihastha. It does not matter. Anyone who knows the science of Krishna, he can become a guru.” This is the verdict. Because spiritual science does not belong to the bodily platform. It is on the spiritual platform. It is very nice. Just like when you go to a lawyer or an engineer or a physician, you do not inquire whether he’s a brahman or a sudra. Simply you have to know whether he’s a lawyer; that’s all—whether he’s a physician. If he knows the medical science, he may be a brahman, he may be a sudra, he may be a sannyasi, he may be a householder—it doesn’t matter. Your business is with a physician, with a lawyer. Similarly, our business is to understand Krishna. So anyone who knows Krishna perfectly, we have to go there. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet. The Vedic injunction is not that you have to approach a sannyasi or a grihastha or an Indian or American. No. Gurum. And guru means who knows the science of Krishna.

So, Bhaktivinoda Thakura was a grihastha, a very responsible officer, magistrate. And he was so exalted that he would come from his office generally at five o’clock, then take his supper, and immediately go to bed. Immediately. Say at seven o’clock in the evening he went to bed and he woke up at twelve o’clock—it is sufficient sleep, five hours. One should not sleep more than five to six hours. Minimize as far as possible. The Gosvamis used to sleep not more than one and a half or two hours. Sleeping is not a very important thing. Even big politicians, they used to sleep for two hours. Especially in the spiritual line, one should minimize as far as possible eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. Minimize. And gradually it will come to nil. Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was eating only a little piece of butter every alternate day, not even daily. So, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, regularly he was coming from his office, and after taking his supper immediately he would go to bed, and he would wake up at twelve o’clock, and write books. He left behind about one hundred books. And he excavated the birthplace of Lord Chaitanya, organized how to develop that birth site, Mayapur. He had so many businesses. He used to go to preach about Chaitanya’s philosophy. He used to sell books to foreign countries. In 1896 he attempted to sell Life and Precepts of Chaitanya in McGill University in Montreal. So he was busy, acharya. One has to adjust things. Not that “Because I am grihastha, householder, I cannot become a preacher; it is the business of the sannyasi or brahmachari.” No. It is the business of everyone. The whole world is suffering for want of knowledge. The present civilization is animal civilization. They do not know anything beyond eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. That’s all. This is animal civilization. An animal does not know beyond these four principles of life: eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. That’s all. No, human life is meant for something else: “What I am? What is God? What is my relation with God? What is this material world? Why I am here? Where I have to go next?” So many things one has to learn. Athato brahma jijnasa. This is human life. Not to eat and sleep and have sex life and die some day like cats and dogs. Therefore there is need of acharyas, teachers, for propagating spiritual knowledge, Krishna consciousness. Although Bhaktivinoda Thakura was a grihastha, householder, a government officer, magistrate, still he was acharya. So from his dealings, from his life, we should learn how one can become a preacher in any stage of life. It doesn’t matter what one is.

There was one incident, very interesting, when he was magistrate in Jagannatha Puri. Jagannatha temple is a very big establishment. In the temple fifty-six times daily bhoga is offered. And you’ll find in the temple always at least five hundred to one thousand people gathered. They come from outside, and prasada is ready. If you go and ask in the Jagannatha temple, “We are one hundred men come from outside. We want prasada,” yes, immediately ready. So it is a huge temple. This is one temple, but there are many other thousands of temples in India where prasada is distributed. Now it is minimized by our present government. They think that it is an unnecessary expenditure. They are minimizing. But it is not an unnecessary expenditure. They do not understand. Formerly in India there was no necessity of hotel. Anyone goes anywhere, even in a village, he goes to a temple—prasada is ready. There is no need of going to a hotel. You pay or don’t pay. If you say, “I want a little prasada,” “Yes, take it.” That is the system still. There is the Nathadvara temple in Rajasthan. You pay two annas only. Two annas means one cent. You get sumptuous prasada for two annas, all very nice prasada, still. So prasada distribution in the temple is a longstanding tradition. The Jagannatha temple is managed by a body, and it is the custom that the local magistrate of the district becomes the president, or manager. So Bhaktivinoda Thakura was manager in that sense, because he was magistrate. The managing committee was being presided over by him. So, there was a complaint. In Orissa—this Jagannatha temple is situated in Orissa. Utkala. This state originally belonged to Dhruva Maharaja. His son’s name was Utkala, Maharaja Utkala. So, in this Utkala there was a pseudo-yogi. Just like you’ll find nowadays also, there are so many rascals declaring, “I am incarnation of God.” And they know some mystic power, play some jugglery, and foolish people take them: “Oh, he’s God.” So there appeared one such pseudo-God, pseudo-Vishnu, in a village of Orissa. And he was dancing rasa dance, and foolish people were sending their daughters and wives to dance with him. You see? There were so many. People are so foolish, they do not know . . . They want to be cheated, and these cheaters come. He declared, “I am God. I am Visnu.” There were sane men also. They took objection: “What is this nonsense? This man is dancing with ladies and girls.” So they filed a complaint. At that time it was British rule. They complained to the governor or the commissioner, very high officer. The commissioner knew that Bhaktivinoda Thakura . . . His name was Kedaranath Datta, his household name. So the commissioner of the division, he knew that Kedaranath Datta was a religious man, and he was the magistrate in charge. So he handed over the case for inquiry: “What is this complaint? You please inquire and do the needful.” Bhaktivinoda Thakura was a pure devotee, and he understood: “This rascal is a bogus man, cheating people. I must inquire.” So he went to the village in plain dress with some police constables. They also were in plain dress. And as soon as he approached, that rascal yogi said, “Oh, you are Kedaranath Datta. Very nice. I shall make you king of India. Please don’t try to bother me.” Because he could understand, “He has come to inquire about my rasa-lila.” Bhaktivinoda Thakura first said, “Sir, you are such a great yogi. Why you are in the village? Why don’t you go to Jagannatha Puri? There is temple, and Lord Jagannatha is there. Better you go there and see the Lord and be happy. Why you are in this village?” “Oh, Jagannatha?” replied the pseudo-yogi, “That is made of wood. I am personally the Supreme Lord. That is made of wood.” Oh, then Bhaktivinoda Thakura—he was a devotee—he became fire. The yogi was insulting. Arcye sila-dhir gurusu nara-matih. According to shastra, if somebody thinks . . . Just like here is Deity. If somebody thinks, “Oh, it is made of stone . . .” It is stone to the eyes of the nondevotee, but to the devotees it is personally the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It requires the eyes to see. So, devotees see from a different angle of vision. Just like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, when He entered the Jagannatha temple, immediately He fainted: “Oh, here is My Lord.” And the nondevotee is seeing: “It is wood, a lump of wood.” Therefore, to the nondevotee, He remains always as wood, but to the devotee He speaks. That is the difference. Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena. (Bs 5.38) If God is everything, why He cannot manifest through wood or stone? That’s a fact. God is omnipotent. He can express Himself even through wood and stone. That is God’s omnipotence. Not that God is unable to express Himself through wood or stone. Then how He’s omnipotent? Omnipotent means His potency can be expressed through anything. Because anything, everything, is the expansion of God’s energy. Parasya brahmanah saktis tathedam akhilam jagat. The whole world is a manifestation of different energies of God. Just like through the energy of electricity the electric powerhouse, although far, far away from this place, was expressing. There is electricity. Through this glass, through these wires, the power can be expressed. There is a process.

So Bhaktivinoda Thakura became hot with anger. Because a devotee cannot tolerate blasphemy of another devotee or of God. So as soon as the yogi said, “Why shall I go to Jagannatha Puri to see the wooden Jagannatha? I personally am Vishnu,” Bhaktivinoda Thakura ordered his constables, “Arrest him. Arrest this rascal.” So he was arrested. And when he was arrested—he had some yogic mystic power—all the constables, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and his family members became affected with high fever, 105-degree fever. So when Bhaktivinoda Thakura came back, his wife became very much disturbed: “You arrested Vishnu, and we are all going to die. Now we have got high fever.” Bhaktivinoda Thakura replied, “Yes, let us all die, but this rascal must be punished.” This is the view of a pure devotee. So the yogi was taken into custody, and a date was fixed for his trial. All these days, Bhaktivinoda Thakura and his family especially, they were suffering from high fever. Maybe that yogi was planning to kill the whole family, but it was going on as fever. So, on the trial day, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Kedaranath Datta, when he came to the bench and the man was presented, the so-called yogi had big, big hairs. So Bhaktivinoda Thakura ordered, “Bring one barber and cut his hair.” No barber dared. The barbers thought, “Oh, he’s Lord Vishnu. If I offend, as he’s suffering from fever, so I shall also die.” So Bhaktivinoda Thakura ordered, “Give me the scissors. I’ll cut.” So he cut his hairs and ordered him to be put in jail for six months, and in jail that Vishnu incarnation managed to take some poison, and he died.

This is one of the incidents. There are many incidents. He was a very strong man. He punished many pandas in the tirthas who exploited visitors. So, this is the position of a devotee. In spite of his becoming a responsible magistrate, a householder, still, Bhaktivinoda Thakura was acharya.

We have to follow the acharyas. If we are at all interested in spiritual science, we must follow the Vedic instruction tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet. We must approach. You cannot have spiritual knowledge simply by speculating. Impossible. Simply waste of time—srama eva hi kevalam. (SB 1.2.8) You must go to the authority. Therefore, the Bhagavad-gita (13.8) recommends, acaryopasanam. Acarya-upasana—worshiping not only the Lord, but also the acharya. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija. (Cc Madhya 19.151) Guru, acharya; and Krishna. One should seek the favor of both. Not that “I am now seeking the favor of Krishna. What is the use of guru or acharya?” No. You cannot overstep the acharya and go to Krishna. That is not possible. Krishna will not accept you. Just like if you want to see a big man you should go through his secretary, through his orderly, doorkeeper; similarly, our process is to go through the acharya (acaryopasanam). That is the injunction of the Vedas.

 Tarko ’pratisthah: if you want to enter into the spiritual world, you cannot get through simply by arguments, because there is no limit to arguments. I place my argument in one way. Then another man, who is better in argument, places his argument in a different way. So if you simply go on arguing, it is not possible. Tarko ’pratisthah. Argument will never help you. And srutayo vibhinnah. If you think, “I shall read scriptures and understand God,” no, that also is not possible. Srutayo vibhinnah: scriptures are also different, because scriptures are made according to time, circumstance, and people. Just like the Bible. Lord Jesus Christ preached in the desert, Jerusalem—or wherever—to people who were not so advanced. Therefore his first instruction was “Thou shall not kill.” That means they were very much engaged in killing affairs; otherwise, why this instruction? And actually, it so happened that they killed Jesus Christ. So that society was not very enlightened. So, a scripture for a society that is not very enlightened and a scripture for a society that is very enlightened must be different. Just like the dictionary: For the schoolboy a pocket dictionary, and for a college student the big international dictionary. Both of them are dictionaries, but the small pocket dictionary is not equal to the big dictionary, because it is made different for different classes of men. So, scriptures are made according to different classes of men. There are three classes of men: first-class, second-class, and third-class. The third-class man cannot understand the philosophy and scriptural injunctions of the first-class man. That is not possible. Higher mathematics cannot be understood by the small schoolboys who are simply trying to understand “Two plus two equals four.” But “Two plus two equals four” is equally good for the higher mathematics student. But still, higher mathematics and lower math are different. Therefore it is said, srutayo vibhinnah: the scriptures are different. So if you try to understand what is God simply by reading scriptures, you cannot succeed. You must approach a guru. Just like a medical book may be available in the market. If you purchase one medical book and study and think you can become a doctor—that is not possible. You must hear the medical book from a medical man in the medical college. Then you will be qualified. And if you say, “Sir, I have read all the medical books; recognize me as a medical practitioner,” no, that will not do.

So, srutayo vibhinnah: scriptures are different. And argument also is not helpful. One man may argue better than me. And then philosophy. It is said, nasau munir yasya matam na bhinnam: One philosopher differs from another philosopher. Just today Syamasundara has purchased one book about different philosophers. By that also you cannot ascertain what the truth is. Therefore shastra says, dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam. The truth is very confidential. If you want to know that truth, mahajano yena gatah sa panthah: you have to follow the great acharyas (Mahabharata, Vana-parva 313.117, quoted as Cc Madhya 17.186). Then you will understand. Therefore acarya-upasana is essential. In all the Vedic shastras the injunction is that. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet, srotriyam brahma-nistham. (MU 1.2.12) Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21): one who is inquisitive to understand higher truths must surrender to guru. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta, jijnasuh sreya uttamam—one who is inquisitive, who is now inquiring about transcendental subject matter. Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya. (Gita 4.34) All the shastras say. In our Vaishnava shastra also, Rupa Gosvami says, adau gurv-asrayam: “First, in the beginning, you must take shelter of a bona fide guru.” (Brs 1.2.74)

We should adore, we should worship, Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s birthday, because in the modern age he reintroduced the disciplic succession from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Five hundred years ago, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu taught this philosophy, but within two hundred years . . . Because this material world is so made that whatever you introduce, in due course it will deteriorate. You make a nice house, but after one hundred years, two hundred years, or nowadays, after fifty years, it becomes dilapidated. That is nature’s law. Kala, time, will destroy everything. Now the British Empire, such a big, vast empire, is finished. Kala, time, will finish everything. Anything material, it has birth, it has growth, it has got some opulence, then dwindling, then finished. That is the way of material nature. So, we are interested in spiritual subject matter. Therefore the process is adau gurv-asrayam: one has to accept a bona fide spiritual master. That is our process. Without accepting a bona fide spiritual master, we cannot make any progress. It is impossible.

So, Bhaktivinoda Thakura is acharya, one of the acharyas. And he left behind many important books—Caitanya-siksamrta, Jaiva-dharma—in Bengali and Sanskrit. And many songs. He prepared many books of songs. The song Sri Nama (gay gora madhur svare) is Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s. We are trying to present Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s books also in English translation. Gradually you will get them. So our adoration, our worship to Bhaktivinoda Thakura today, is because he may bless us to peacefully progress in Krishna consciousness. Acarya-upasana—simply by the blessings of the acharyas we can make rapid progress. Vedesu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau. (Bs 5.33) Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah. (Sri Gurvastaka) We sing every day, “By the mercy of the spiritual master, acharya, we immediately get the blessings of Lord.” Immediately. Yasya prasadat. Yasya means “whose”; prasadat, “benediction.” By the benediction of the spiritual master (yasya prasadad), bhagavat-prasadah: if spiritual master, acharya, is pleased, then you should know that Krishna is also pleased. You should know. This is not very difficult. Just like you are working in office, if your immediate officer, boss, is pleased, that means the proprietor of the firm is also pleased—although you do not see him. This is fact—if your immediate boss is pleased. Similarly, we, our business, this spiritual line, is guru-åç-krpa. We have to first receive the merciful benediction of the acharya, and then Krishna will be pleased and He’ll also give His blessings. There is a verse in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.19.21), mad-bhakta-pujabhyadhika. Krishna says, “If anyone worships Me directly and if anyone worships Me through the acharya, he’s a better devotee who is coming to Me through the acharya (mad-bhakta-pujabhyadhika).

This Vaishnava philosophy, process, is to go through the acharya—servant of the servant of the servant. We should try to become servant of the servant. Gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah. (Padyavali 74, quoted as Cc Madhya 13.80) We should not approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly. That is not good. In the Vedic injunction also it is said, yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau. (SU 6.23) If one has got unflinching faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead (yatha deve), and similar faith in guru . . . Of course, we must accept a bona fide guru, in the disciplic succession. That is also not very difficult to select, who is bona fide guru. Bona fide guru means he presents himself as servant of God—he does not pose falsely that “I am God”—this is bona fide. It is not difficult to find out bona fide. But this is the test. If anyone says that “I am God,” then he cannot be guru. Because he has no knowledge. How he is God? He can cheat some people—that is a different thing. You can cheat all people for some time and some people for all time, but not all people for all time. That is not possible. So, any guru who poses that “I am God” is a false guru. The bona fide guru will say, “I am servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna, God.” That is the business of guru. He serves Krishna as Krishna desires; that is his business. That is also not very difficult. Krishna desires, Krishna says (Gita 18.66), sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: “You give up all other engagements and just surrender unto Me, and I’ll give you protection.” Krishna says. So guru’s business is that “You simply surrender to Krishna.” What is the difficulty? He simply repeats the same thing—not for himself, but for Krishna. He’s bona fide guru.

So, this Krishna consciousness movement is bona fide because we say the same thing as Krishna says. We don’t make any addition or alteration. Not like big scholars who say, “It is not to Krishna . . .” Krishna says (Gita 18.65), man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru, and the scholar interprets, “It is not to Krishna.” Just see the foolishness. Krishna says directly, “unto Me,” and the scholar says, “not to Krishna,” misleading. Such a misleading guru will not help you. Therefore, to find out a bona fide guru means to find one who does not change the words of Krishna. That is his position. He presents everything as it is, and he has understood the science thoroughly (jijnasuh sreya uttamam). What is the symptom of a guru? Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam. (SB 11.3.21). Those who are inquisitive to understand higher scientific knowledge (uttamam)—uttama means higher. There are three words: uttama, madhyama, adhama—first-class, second-class, third-class. Spiritual knowledge is uttamam. Anyone who is inquisitive to understand first-class knowledge, he requires a guru. Those who are interested in third-class knowledge, they do not require any guru. Third-class knowledge means animal knowledge: how to eat, how to sleep. How to make arrangement for eating, how to make arrangement for sleeping—that is third-class knowledge. Because the animals also try for this kind of knowledge, how to eat, how to sleep. Therefore this kind of knowledge is third-class knowledge. And second-class knowledge is “What I am?” Athato brahma jijnasa—the Vedanta. That is second-class knowledge. And first-class knowledge, when he actually understands what he is—he is eternal servant of Krishna—and engages himself in the service of the Lord, that is first-class knowledge. And therefore, as soon as he comes to the first-class knowledge platform, he becomes happy:

brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param
(Gita 18.54)

After being liberated from the material concept of life by the blessings of Krishna and guru, one comes to the platform of first-class knowledge, where he engages himself directly in the service of the Lord. That is first-class knowledge. First-class knowledge is beyond liberation. Second-class knowledge is trying for liberation. And third-class knowledge means being in bondage, like animals. The animals are bound up by their particular types of body and have no possibility of becoming liberated. That is animal life. But human life is better than animal life because if he likes, a human can make himself liberated from this bondage of material body. That is the facility. He can understand himself, what he is. He can understand what is God. He can understand the relationship between God and himself. He can understand what is this material world. Because there are thousands of books of knowledge. Take Bhagavad-gita. Everything is there. And it is meant for human beings, not for cats and dogs. Cats and dogs cannot understand, but a human being can understand.

So, this Krishna consciousness movement is to enlighten people to utilize this very nice life, human form of life, properly. To utilize it properly means to revive one’s dormant Krishna consciousness. The Krishna consciousness, or God consciousness, is there already. It is developed in the human form of life, but it is now covered due to our background of association with this material world for unlimited years. We are coming through different species of life, over millions and millions of years. Suppose I was a tree sometimes; I was standing up for ten thousand years in one place. We have passed through. That’s a fact. That is evolution. Now we have the opportunity of light. If you don’t use this opportune moment and again go back to the cycle of evolutionary process, jalaja nava-laksani sthavara . . . So this is a great science. Unfortunately, there is no opportunity for the people to study this science in schools, colleges, or universities. They are simply teaching people, “You work hard and gratify your senses.” That’s all. Therefore a section, younger section, has been disgusted. They have refused to cooperate with this materialistic society on account of this disappointing education. And it will increase, because this sort of education cannot give peace or prosperity to people. Problems are increasing. Therefore, our request is that if you want to decrease or completely finish all the problems of life, take to Krishna consciousness through the process of disciplic succession and you’ll be all happy.

Thank you very much.

Syamasundara dasa: If anyone has any questions pertaining to the lecture, you can ask them at this time.

Devotee girl: Bhaktivinoda Thakura, he also took sannyasa in later years? Is this right?

Prabhupada: Yes. In very late years, in his retired life.

Devotee: Prabhupada, you say that an animal has no chance for liberation. What would happen if an animal came in contact with a pure devotee?

Prabhupada: Yes, there is a chance of deliverance. Yes, even an animal, because he’ll hear Hare Krishna from the pure devotee. That will not go in vain. The devotee will give prasada. The animal does not know, but the devotee, out of compassion, gives prasada and chants Hare Krishna. So the animal also gets the opportunity of hearing. So he’ll also be liberated. One dog, during Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s time, he also became liberated. There is a history. Sivananda Sena’s dog, he was liberated by the grace of Lord Chaitanya. So by the association of a pure devotee . . . Therefore Bhaktivinoda Thakura, in one song, prays to the Lord, kita-janma hau yatha tuya dasa. Kita means “insect.” “My Lord, if I have to take my birth again”—because a devotee does not pray to God for liberation; he simply prays, “Wherever I may take my birth, may I never forget You.” That’s all. That is a devotee’s prayer. A devotee does not say, “Elevate me to the heavenly planet or Vaikuntha planet.” No. “You can put me anywhere.” Just like Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, kita-janma hau: “My dear Lord, I have no objection if I have to take my next birth as an insect”—what to speak of human being or other thing—“as an insect, but I must be in the house of a devotee.” An insect, by eating the remnants of foodstuffs left by the devotee, will be delivered. Kita-janma hau yatha tuya dasa/ bahir-mukha brahma-janma nahi asa: “I don’t want my next birth as Lord Brahma if I forget You. I don’t want.” A devotee prays to the Lord that he be able to constantly remember the lotus feet of the Lord, never mind whether as insect or as king or as dog—never mind. That is pure devotee. That is wanted.

Indian man: If one has accepted a bona fide spiritual master and does not receive much knowledge from him, can he change his spiritual master later?

Prabhupada: A bona fide spiritual master, where is the necessity of changing?

Indian man: No, he has not got the knowledge from him, but can I change?

Prabhupada: No, no. Bona fide spiritual master means he must get knowledge. He must get knowledge. He must inquire from the . . . The student must inquire from the spiritual master. If he remains dumb, then what the bona fide spiritual master can do? Adau gurv-asrayam sad-dharma-prcchat—jijnasuh. He must be jijnasuh. We get so many letters daily, so many inquiries. The student must be very inquisitive. Otherwise, how will he make progress? If he remains dumb, then what can the bona fide spiritual master do? If you go to a very nice school but you do not study, if you do not inquire, then what is the use of going to the nice school? You must also be very alert to inquire, to understand, to make progress. Then it will be all right. If you do not utilize the benefit of having a bona fide spiritual master, then that is your fault. You must utilize the opportunity. We are publishing so many books, so many literatures, magazines. Why? Just to enlighten more and more. But if you don’t take advantage of this, then how can you make progress? Change of spiritual master is required when the spiritual master is not bona fide. Otherwise there is no necessity of changing.

Indian lady: How does one contact the spiritual master? Through a book can you contact the spiritual master?

Prabhupada: No, you have to associate.

Syamasundara: “Can you associate through a book?” she asked.

Prabhupada: Yes, through books, and also personal. Because when you accept a spiritual master you have got personal touch—not that in air you make a spiritual master. You make a spiritual master concrete. So as soon as you accept a spiritual master, you should be inquisitive.

English man: If the spiritual master, Prabhupada, worships God through a demigod, is he bona fide?

Prabhupada: No. He does not know how to worship. How he can be bona fide? Krishna says (Gita 18.66), sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam. Why he should go to the demigods? That means he has no knowledge. Krishna says, mam ekam. Why should you go to others? That means he’s insufficiently qualified. Why should you go to the demigods? What is the necessity? He’s not bona fide, because he has insufficient knowledge. Bona fide spiritual master must have sufficient knowledge. Krishna says, God says, mam ekam. Why he should go to demigods? That is proof that he’s not bona fide.

Devotee: If one accepts initiation from a bona fide spiritual master but continues to perform material activities, is he still bound by his karma?

Prabhupada: He has to do everything under the instruction of the spiritual master. That is his duty. Sisya. Sisya means one who voluntarily accepts disciplinary measures from the spiritual master. He’s ruled by the spiritual master.

Indian lady: Can the death of a spiritual master take us too? . . . Is that spiritual master still guiding after his death?

Prabhupada: Yes, yes. Just like Krishna is guiding us, similarly, the spiritual master will guide. We are being guided by Krishna, by the Bhagavad-gita, although Krishna is not physically present, so-called. Krishna is always present. But even if we say that Krishna is not physically present as He was present before Arjuna, still, His book Bhagavad-gita is there. And that Bhagavad-gita is nondifferent from Krishna. Krishna and Krishna’s teaching are the same, absolute. That is Absolute Truth. Krishna and Krishna’s . . . Here, the form [indicating the Deity], the same. It is not that we are making a show of offering Krishna some food. No, we are offering directly to Krishna and He’s eating. Krishna, being absolute, can act through anything, provided we are sincere and serious.

“One who has unflinching devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead has all the good qualities of the demigods. But one who is not a devotee of the Lord has only material qualifications that are of little value. This is because he is hovering on the mental plane and is certain to be attracted by the glaring material energy.”. Learned sages have described the meaning of auspiciousness as love for the entire creation, caring affection for all living entities, saintly character, happiness, and other such qualities. The person in whom bhakti has arisen bestows affection to the whole world and becomes the object of attachment for everyone in the world. He effortlessly becomes the recipient of all saintly qualities and attains all types of pure happiness and auspiciousness. Continue reading "Good Qualities and Devotion
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[Sunday feast class at ISKCON, Bergen Country, USA]

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Today is Vamana-dvadasi, the appearance day of Vamanadeva. “Urukrama is a name for Lord Vamanadeva, who performed the wonderful act of occupying the three worlds with three footsteps. Lord Vamanadeva requested three paces of land from Maharaja Bali, and when Maharaja Bali agreed to grant them, the Lord immediately covered the entire world with two footsteps, and for His third step He placed His foot upon Bali Maharaja’s head. Sri Jayadeva Gosvami says:

chalayasi vikramane balim adbhuta-vamana
pada-nakha-nira-janita-jana-pavana
kesava dhrta-vamana-rupa jaya jagadisa hare

‘All glories to Lord Kesava, who assumed the form of a dwarf. O Lord of the universe, who take away everything inauspicious for the devotees! O wonderful Vamanadeva! You tricked the great demon Bali Maharaja by Your steps. The water that touched the nails of Your lotus feet when You pierced through the covering of the universe purifies all living entities in the form of the river Ganges.’

“Since the Supreme Lord is all-powerful, He can do things that seem wonderful for a common man. Similarly, a devotee who has taken shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord can also do wonderful things unimaginable to a common man, by the grace of the dust of those lotus feet.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.1.35 purport)

We pray to serve the Lord in such a way that He will be pleased to give Himself to us.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (195) it is said that Srila Jiva Gosvami was formerly Vilasa-manjari gopi. From his very childhood Jiva Gosvami was greatly fond of Srimad-Bhagavatam. He later came to Navadvipa to study Sanskrit, and, following in the footsteps of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, he circumambulated the entire Navadvipa-dhama. After visiting Navadvipa-dhama he went to Benares to study Sanskrit under Madhusudana Vacaspati, and after finishing his studies in Benares he went to Vrndavana and took shelter of his uncles, Sri Rupa and Sanatana.

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Crawley Ratha Yatra.

KIRTAN FEST 2019 at ISKCON of Houston.
The 3rd Annual Kirtan Fest at ISKCON of Houston was attended by over 350 devotees who traveled from across the USA and beyond. Each year the festival brings more kirtaniyas and more devotees are taking advantage. This year’s event was led by a mix of young and senior devotees including HH Bhakti Sundar Goswami, HH Rtadhvaja Swami, HG Havi Dasa, HG Sri Prahlad Dasa, HG Param Dasa & HG Gaura Mani Devi Dasi, HG Namarasa Dasa & HG Tulasi Priti Devi Dasi, HG Amala Harinam Dasa & HG Nadia Bihari Devi Dasi, HG Krishna Kishore Dasa, HG Balaram Tirtha Dasa & HG Dhanya Devi Dasi, HG Krishna Prasad Dasa and more. In addition, two second-generation budding singers, Mayuri Mahajan and Revati Buchwald created enthusiasm among devotees by their heart touching kirtans. At the welcome address, HG Nityananda Dasa (GBC Secretary for Texas) encouraged all attendees to participate in Kirtan Fest every year and thanked the local committee for organizing the event.

HH Gopal Krishna Goswami met with Hon'ble Lieutenant Governor of NCT of Delhi, Shri Anil Baijal Ji to extend a cordial invitation t...

Yoga retreat at Almviks gård, Sweden (5 min. video)
An international group of yogis gathers at Almvik for a two-week-long retreat focusing on Ayurveda and bhakti-yoga.

Bali maharaj, who is the grandson of Prahlad maharaj, who was king of the daityas, he worshipped Visnu, and he was able to defeat Indra. He became the ruler of the whole universe. So all the devas and the deva mata Aditi came before Visnu, and offered their prayers and obeisances. So Visnu agreed to […]

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“According to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, one should never consider one’s spiritual master to be mundane or on an equal level with one’s self. One should see the spiritual master as being always under the shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. One should never try to engage the spiritual master in one’s personal service with the mentality of lording it over the spiritual master and attaining through him some material gain. One who is actually advancing will become more and more eager to serve the spiritual master, and thus such a disciple experiences the pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Continue reading "Glorious Tests
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So when Vamanadeva appeared, Bali Maharaja was attracted by His beauty as a Dwarf Brahmin, and as he was charitably disposed, he wanted to give Him some charity. But Sukaracharya, being elevated in mystic yogic powers, he could understand that Vamanadeva was Visnu. And in order to favor the demigods, He had come there to cheat Bali Maharaja in the shape of begging some charities. Bali Maharaja was puffed up with his material vanities, and Vamanadeva as He is Visnu, all-peaceful, without interrupting his attitude, just approached him in the form of a Brahmin, Who has a right to beg something from the princely order. And the principle orders also are always disposed, to make charities to the Brahmins. Continue reading "Srila Prabhupada on Lord Vamanadeva
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Answer Podcast

Transcription :

Transcription by: Suresh Gupta

Question: Is spirituality the only way to overcome bad habits?

Answer: Definitely there are people who are non-devotees and who have given up bad habits. Basically, the mind is like a programable device. It is running a particular program and we need to re-program it. It depends on what new program we try to put in. Some people may give up drinking but replace it with smoking. If they smoke they may replace it with drinking. They might reprogram their minds into thinking that smoking is not as dangerous as drinking or vice versa. Ultimately this does not really get them out of bad habits, it is just replacing one bad habit with another.

Similarly, somebody might replace a bad habit with a good one. However, some people succeed, and some people fail. Along with the impetus that makes them pick a bad habit, it is also due to the strength of impressions. For example, if somebody is a social drinker then all that they need to do to give up their bad habits is change their social circle. Just by hanging out with more sober people, their drinking will go away. Such people are not so much interested in drinking but are more interested in the sense of belonging and acceptance.

Other than that, somebody might be drinking so that they may get some break from life’s worries. Even if such people change their social circle, they might not give up their drinking because their need is different. Maybe when such people start doing something else that gives them a break (for example, hearing music, gardening etc) then they might give up drinking. Therefore, in terms of specific extreme expressions of anarthas, by certain practices which may not be necessarily devotional, people can give up those habits. However, in terms of complete anartha nivritti, that is difficult because in the conditioned stage, anarthas are what are seen as a source of pleasure. One may think, if I give them up then what will I do with my life?

However, should we complement our practice of bhakti with something else? It depends on what we are doing. Many devotees, in their chanting, when their mind is just wandering too much, they stop for some time and take a few deep breaths. What happens by this, the deep breathing itself just calms the mind down. Taking deep breaths and breathing slowly for some time can help calm the mind and then one can chant. However, if somebody says, “Okay, actually breathing calms my mind and chanting does not. Then instead of chanting, I will just do slow breathing for two hours”, then this will be a wrong understanding.

There are two things – pacification of the mind and purification of the mind. Deep breathing will basically just pacify the mind. It is not really removing the anarthas, it is just distancing us from them for a particular time. This is more like a pain killer and not a curative medicine. Pain killers are cheap but provide immediate temporary relief whereas curative medicines are expensive and require patience. Out of temptation for immediate relief, one cannot say, that if pain killer can give immediate relief then why to take curative medicine at all. Similarly, when we do something which brings us temporarily to sattva guna then such an alternative might seem easier. For example, there are people who do laughter therapy. We might laugh at it but those who do it get some relief. It is not that they are being foolish but If someone thinks that this is all I need to do then that is a problem.

With respect to pain killers, it is best to do what one needs to do. Do not campaign for it and do not campaign against it, because each person’s pain might be different and a pain killer that works for someone, may not work for someone else. Someone may not even need it, but another person might need it. However, if one starts campaigning for it then they are just burdening people with something which they do not need. Similarly, if we campaign against it then we are depriving someone of something they need. Therefore, it is best that if there are certain practices which calm our mind, then we can adopt them. It is only when we start seeing them as alternatives to bhakti, that is when it becomes a problem.

End of transcription.

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