Planet ISKCON

“Simple Living — High Thinking” is a Strategic Partnership project involving youth workers and youth from 5 partner organisations from Sweden, Belgium, Hungary, Slovenia, and Czech.

According to Vedic cosmology, the planet earth we live on is located on the southern-most portion of Bhu-mandala’s central island of Jambudvipa. Is it flat or spherical?

The sacred city of Jagannath Puri was one of the worst hit, with 25 deaths. According to ISKCON devotee Madhavananda Das, who runs Gopal Jiu Publications from Puri, no ISKCON devotees were killed or seriously injured.

Composed by Rukmini devi dasi

The Kingsday weather forecast was predicted to be wet, wet, wet. “The rain of mercy will be greater than the rain of water” was Maharaja’s forecast. He threatened to withhold some mercy from those who were late the next morning, “I’ll have a special thundercloud above my head for you.”

saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-
trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam
prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya
vande guroḥ śrī caraṇāravindam

It’s Kingsday!!! – The Krsna way
harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā

View all Vyasa-puja 2019 articles.

The article " Day 2 Kings day poem " was published on KKSBlog.

Kamlesh Krishna Das will be serving within the Magistrate Court, which handles 95% of all legal cases in the UK. He was officially appointed and sworn in on Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is on April 1^st, and will be based primarily in Hertfordshire. 

Leicester joins London for Maha Harinama Sankirtan (Album of photos)
Many devotees from Leicester joined the regular Bhaktived...

How to teach Bhagavatam to Children - Seminar video.
Recently we have given a seminar on “How to teach Srimad Bhagavatam to Children”. In this seminar, we talk about how to systematically teach Srimad Bhagavatam to young children using Visual summaries and Poems. I have shared many examples which demonstrate kids developing a genuine desire to learn Srimad Bhagavatam and how they at a young age are absorbing the message of Srimad Bhagavatam very deeply.

2019 North American Sankirtan Orientation Seminar, Dallas TX (Album of photos)
We had a wonderful 2019 North American Sankirtan Orientation Seminar last weekend at Dallas, TX by the wonderful HG Vaisesika Prabhu.
We had a record 65 people register for the seminar. Out of which we had 18 devotees visited us from outside Dallas. We had devotees visiting us from – Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Oklahoma, San Diego, Chicago, Berkley, and Indianapolis.

Much awaited Darshan of Sri Radha-Madhava in blue Chandan today! A feast to the eyes, Sri Radha-Madhava in “Nila Kalevara”- Jayadeva Goswami’s Gita Govinda coming live… “Chandana Carcita Neela Kalevara…!” Just as Yasoda is Krsna’s perfect mother, so Vrindavana is Krsna’s perfect playground, with mountains, valleys, meadows, forests, rivers, and lakes as arenas of undulating […]

The post Vana Bihari – Frolicking in the Forest! appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Braja Vilasa prabhu, TOVP International Fundraising Director, gives a midstream update about the progress of the #Giving TOVP 10 Day Worldwide Matching Fundraiser May 7-17. This historic and unifying fundraising marathon is well underway and on target to raise $250,000 for the completion of the TOVP by 2022. This goal includes a matching donation from TOVP Chairman, Ambarisa das, who will match every contribution dollar for dollar, capping at $125,000. Already over $90,000 has been raised.

Newly announced on the video is our ambitious and transcendental goal to get 108 Nrsimha bricks sponsored for Nrsimha Caturdasi (May 17th/ 18th in India). Be a generous TOVP Giver and make your donation today as we approach the final day of the fundraiser. Simply go to the website below to make your gift: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities/giving-tovp-fundraiser/

Sri Nrsimhadeva Bhagavan Janma Mahottsava Ki Jaya!!!

 

TOVP NEWS AND UPDATES – STAY IN TOUCH

Visit us at: www.tovp.org
Follow us at: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Watch us at: www.youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
Phone App at: http://tovp.org/news/announcements/new-tovp-phone-app-goes-live/
Mailing List at: https://goo.gl/forms/ojJ2WcUUuqWh8bXt1
RSS News Feed at: https://tovp.org/rss2/
Buy from us at: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/
Support us at: www.tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities

The post Braja Vilasa Prabhu Midstream #Giving TOVP Fundraiser Announcement appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

By the GBC

The following are the candidates for sannyasa along with their respective waiting periods: Navadwip Dwija Gauranga Das (Bangladesh) This year. Priti Vardhana Das (Mayapur) This year. Pushpashila Shyam Das (Bangladesh) This year. Vrindavan Chandra Das (Vrindavan) This year. Continue reading "Sannyasa Waiting List — 2019
→ Dandavats"

By the GBC

Whereas ISKCON requires common standards, policies, and procedures for managing investigations of misconduct or abuse, in instituting corrective and rehabilitative consequences for offenders, as well as in restorative justice for all involved when guilt is established; Resolved: That the GBC Body hereby recognizes that an “ISKCON Legal Development Committee” has been created by the ISKCON Ministry of Justice and has been delegated the following responsibilities... Continue reading "Formal Recognition of Legal Development Committee — 2019
→ Dandavats"

By the GBC

The GBC Body endorses the recommendation of the GBC Vaisnava Calendar Committee that it may proceed as follows: 1. That the observance of "Lalita Sasti" be removed from the calendar. 2. That the observance of the "Appearance of Radhakund" be shifted to Caitra Purnima. 3. That the observance of Bhadra Purnima be added to the calendar. Continue reading "Calendar updates: Necessary adjustments to the observances shown on ISKCON calendars — 2019
→ Dandavats"

[Talk at Phoenix, USA]

Video

Podcast

 

Podcast Summary

The post Hanuman in the cave – Persevering in bhakti through pleasure and trouble appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Seminar at ISKCON, Phoenix, USA]

Video

Podcast

 

Podcast Summary

The post Developing deeper relationships – CARE acronym appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

By Giriraj Swami

On this occasion, we pray to Mother Sita to bless us to become pure-hearted servants like Hanuman, Laksmana, and Mother Sita herself—and to save us. Whatever Ravana-like demonic tendencies we have, let them be vanquished by her mercy, by her will, so we may continue in our devotional service without any impediment and ultimately attain pure love (prema), our ultimate goal. Continue reading "Sri Sita-navami
→ Dandavats"

Podcast

The post How do we balance not repressing ourselves and avoiding things unfavorable to Krishna consciousness appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The celebration of the most amazing avatar of the Lord in his half-man/half-lion form is now approaching. For devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu this form has special significance in many ways, and the stories abound of His appearance in Nabadvipa Dhama, His pastime with Chand Kazi, and many more.

But of special importance is the history of the Mayapur Nrsimha Deity, our Ugra Nrsimha form at the ISKCON Chandrodaya Mandir, the form most representative of His anger against the demons who harass His devotees. This is one of several types of Ugra Nrsimha forms called Sthana-Nrsimha wherein He is posed with bent knees and one foot forward prepared to leap out of the pillar at Hiranyakashipu. The remarkable story of the appearance of this murti and His arrival at ISKCON Mayapur is retold below by His Grace Atma Tattva prabhu.

As everything in the Dhama takes on the mood of the main avatar Who appeared there, so Mayapur Ugra Nrsimha has also taken on the mood of service to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He is always in the audarya mood of Mahaprabhu to distribute Krishna consciousness and is ready to assist and protect the devotees in the sankirtan movement. Thus, His angry mood subsides and He also feels the ecstacy of distributing Krishna prema.

In light of the above it should be noted that the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, while serving many, many purposes in the distribution of Krishna consciousness throughout the world for thousands of years to come, is also the new home for Mayapur Nrsimha. He will reside there on His most opulent, wonderful altar in His own separate wing of the temple to be worshiped by generations of devotees, bestowing blessings and mercy on all in their progress towards Krishna prema. Thus, we should all take special interest in seeing to the completion of the TOVP.

Every year Ambarisa prabhu sponsors a special Nrsimha puja during Nrsimha Caturdasi for all the donors and supporters of the TOVP project. This year you can add your name to that list by making a donation during the historic and unifying #Giving TOVP 10 Day Worldwide Matching Fundraiser which will be ending in a few days on Nrsimha Caturdasi, May 17th (18th in India). Ambarisa prabhu will also be matching all donations capping at $125,000, thus doubling the income to the project.

Go to the TOVP website address below and make your donation, large or small, while there’s still time and offer your seva to Mayapur Nrsimha to help build His new home.

https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities/giving-tovp-fundraiser/

Sri Nrsimhadeva Bhagavan Janma Mahottsava ki jaya!!!

 

The Appearance of Lord Nrsimhadeva at ISKCON Mayapur

The appearance of Lord Narasimhadeva in ISKCON Sri Mayapur itself is an act of Yogamaya of the Supreme Lord. The story of how Lord Narasimhadeva came to Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir is really flabbergasting to know. The story below is reproduced ‘as such’ from the Mayapur journal based on the experiences of His Grace Atma Tattva Prabhu (ACBSP).

On the 24th of March, 1984, at 12.20 a.m., thirty-five dacoits armed with weapons and bombs attacked Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir. They harassed the devotees and treated them with derision. But the greatest shock came when the dacoits decided to steal the Deities of Srila Prabhupada and Srimati Radharani. Fearlessly the devotees challenged the attackers. How could they see Srila Prabhupada and Srimati Radharani carried away? Shots were fired, a few dacoits fell, and their plans foiled. Srila Prabhupada was rescued, but the beautiful form of Srimati Radharani would no longer grace the main altar.

This incident really disturbed the minds of the devotees. Those involved in management were especially concerned to make some permanent solution. This was not the first time the devotees had faced violence and harassment in Mayapur. The co-director of Mayapur suggested that Lord Narasimhadeva be installed. When the dacoits had threatened devotees at yoga-pitha, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and his son Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura had promptly installed Sri Sri Lakshmi-Narasimhadeva. There had been no further disturbances. Other devotees in Mayapur were not so keen to follow so closely in these footsteps. The pujari must be a naisthika-brahmachari (celibate from birth), and the worship of Lord Narasimhadeva must be very strict and regulated. Who would be prepared to worship Him?

Despite such hesitancy, the co-director was enthusiastic to bring Lord Narasimhadeva to Mayapur. He asked Bhaktisiddhanta Dasa and myself to draw some sketches. One day quite spontaneously he said that the Deity’s legs should be bent, ready to jump, he should be looking around ferociously, his fingers should be curled, and flames should be coming from his head. I sketched a Deity in this mood. The devotees liked it, and Pankajanghri Dasa agreed to worship him. Radhapada Dasa, a wealthy devotee from Calcutta offered to sponsor the sculpting and installing of the Deity.

It seemed Lord Narasimhadeva’s appearance in ISKCON Mayapur would be a simple, straightforward affair. Radhapada Dasa promptly gave Rs. 1,30,000 and it was accepted that the Deity would be ready for installation in three months. I left for south India to get things organized. By Krishna’s grace I soon found a very famous sthapati. A sthapati not only sculpts Deities; he is also expert in temple architecture and engineering. The man was very obliging until I mentioned that the Deity we wanted to carve was Ugra-Narasimha. He emphatically refused to make such a Deity.

I approached many Deity sculptors, but the answer was always the same: No. I had made a number of trips between Mayapur and south India, six months had passed, but Lord Narasimhadeva had not yet manifested in Deity form. Radhapada Dasa was very anxious to see Lord Narasimhadeva installed in Mayapur. He asked me to visit the original sthapati I had seen and once again I pleaded him with our case. This time the sculptor was a little more congenial and offered to read me a chapter from the silpasastra (a Vedic scripture on sculpture and temple architecture) that deals with the different forms of deities. He read aloud some verses describing Lord Narasimhadeva. A series of verses described his flame-like mane, his searching glance, and his knees bent with one foot forward ready to jump from the pillar. When he read this I was amazed. This was exactly what we wanted. I showed him the sketch I had done. He was impressed and offered to draw an outline based on the scriptural description which we could use as a guide for sculpting the Deity. He reminded me, though, that he would not carve the form himself. It took him a week to complete the sketch, and it was very impressive.

I returned to Mayapur and showed the sketch to the temple authorities. Everyone wanted this same sthapati to carve the Deity. Once again I was sent back to south India to try to convince him. I went straight to the house of the sthapati. I was feeling very anxious. What could I do but pray to Lord Narasimhadeva to be merciful and agree to manifest himself in our temple in Sri Mayapur Dhama? I had hardly said two sentences when the man very matter-of-factly said he would carve the Deity.

The story of how he came to this decision is interesting. The sthapati had approached his guru, the Sankaracharya of Kanchipuram, about our request. His guru’s immediate reply was, “Don’t do it. Your family will be destroyed.” But then, after a moment’s reflection, he asked, “Who has asked you to carve this Deity?” when he heard that it was the Hare Krishna people from Navadvipa, he became very concerned. “They want Ugra-Narasimha? Are they aware of the implications of sculpting and installing Ugra-Narasimha? Such deities were carved over 3,000 years ago by very elevated sthapatis.

“There is a place on the way to Mysore where a very ferocious Ugra-Narasimha is installed. The demon Hiranyakashipu is torn open on His lap and his intestines are spilling out all over the altar. Once, the standard of worship there was very high. There was an elephant procession and festival everyday. But gradually the worship declined. Today that place is like a ghost town. The whole village is deserted. No one can live there peacefully. Is that what they want for their project?”

The sthapati replied, “They are insistent. They are constantly coming to talk to me about the Deity. Apparently they have some problem with the dacoits.” Handing his guru a sketch of the Deity, he said, “This is the Deity they want.” His guru took the sketch and looked at it knowingly. “Ah, this is an Ugra category,” he said, “but a Deity in this particular mood is called Sthanu-Narasimha. He doesn’t exist on this planet. Even the demigods in the heavenly planets don’t worship a form like this. Yes, this Deity belongs to the Ugra category. Ugra means ferocious, very angry. There are nine forms within this category. They are all very fierce. The one they want is Sthanu-Narasimha: stepping out of the pillar. No. Don’t carve this Deity. It will not be auspicious for you. I will talk with you about this later.”

A few nights later the sthapati had a dream. In the dream his guru came to him and said, “For them you can carve Sthanu-Narasimha.” The next morning he received a hand-delivered letter from Kanchipuram. The letter was from Sankaracharya and gave some instructions regarding temple renovations. There was a footnote at the bottom. It read, “For ISKCON you can carve Sthanu-Narasimha. The sthapati showed me the letter and said, “I have my guru’s blessings. I will carve the Deity.”

I was overwhelmed with joy. I gave him an advance payment and asked him how much time it would take to carve the Deity. He said the Deity would be ready for installation within six months. I returned to Mayapur. After four peaceful months in the holy dhama, I decided to go to South India and purchase the heavy brass paraphernalia required for Narasimhadeva worship and then collect the Deity.

The trip was well organized and trouble-free until I visited the sthapati. I explained to him that all the paraphernalia required for the worship had been purchased and that I had come to collect the Deity. He looked at me as if I’d lost my sense and exclaimed, “What Deity? I haven’t even found the suitable stone!” I couldn’t believe my ears. “But you told me he would be ready in six months,” I exclaimed. “I will keep my promise,” he said. “Six months after I find the stone the Deity will be ready for installation.”

His reply was emphatic, but I just couldn’t understand or accept the delay. In frustration I challenged him, “There are big slabs of stone all over South India. What’s the problem?” he looked at me the way a teacher would view a slow student and said very deliberately, “I am not making a grinding mortar, I am making a Deity. The scriptures tell us that only a stone that has life can be used to make a Vishnu Deity. When you hit seven points of the stone slab and they make the sound mentioned in the scriptures, then that stone may be suitable. But there is a second test to indicate whether the stone is living stone. There is a bug that eats granite. If it eats from one side of the stone to the other and leaves a complete trail visible behind it, then the second test of living stone has been passed. That stone is living stone, and expression can manifest from it. Only from such a slab can I carve your Narasimhadeva. Such stone speaks poetry. All features of Deity sculpted from such stone will be fully expressive and beautiful. Please be patient. I’ve been searching sincerely for your six foot slab.”

I was amazed and a little anxious. The devotees in Mayapur were expecting the arrival of the Deity soon. How was I going to explain the “living stone” search to them? Maybe they would decide to make Narasimhadeva from marble.
I decided to try to lighten the subject by discussing the Prahlada Maharaja murti with the sthapati. “Please forgive me, but I forgot to tell you last time I came that we want a Prahlada murti. We want to worship Prahlada-Narasimhadeva. What do you think?” “I don’t think that will be possible,” the sthapati replied matter-of-factly. I looked at him incredulously, not sure what to say. He smiled and continued, “You want everything done exactly according to scriptures. You Narasimhadeva will be four feet high. Comparatively speaking, that will make Prahlada Maharaja the size of an amoeba.” “But we want Prahlada Maharaja one foot high,” I interrupted. “Fine,” the sthapati replied, “but that means your Narasimhadeva will have to be about 120 feet high.” We began to argue back and forth about Prahlada Maharaja’s form. Finally the sthapati sighed in resignation and agreed to make Prahlada Maharaja one foot tall. At least I now had something positive to report when I returned to Mayapur.

After two months I returned to South India. There had been no developments. I shuttled back and forth from Mayapur to South India every thirty or forty days. Finally, our stone was found and the sthapati became a transformed man. For over a week he hardly spent any time at home. Hour after hour, day after day, he just sat staring at the slab. He had a chalk in hand but didn’t draw anything. He refused to allow his laborers to do anything except remove the excess stone to make the slab rectangular.

The next time I visited him, he had made a sketch on the stone. That was all. I was worried. The Mayapur managers were becoming impatient. “Are you sure this Deity will be finished in six months?” I asked in desperation. “Don’t worry. The work will be done”, he replied.

I returned to Mayapur, only to be sent back to South India to check on some details of the Deity. I found the sthapati carving the form himself with intense care and dedication. At that stage the stone had gone and the shape had come. The sthapati had just started on the armlets. He took two weeks to carve them. All the features were so refined and delicate. I was impressed and very happy.

It took the sthapati a little over twelve months to finish the Deity. When he completed the work he didn’t immediately inform me but decided to visit some friends for a few days. It was the monsoon season, there were few visitors, and he felt it safe to lock up Lord Narasimhadeva securely in his thatched shed. Two days later his neighbors ran to inform him that the thatched shed was on fire. There was heavy rain and everything was wet, but the coconut-tree roof had caught fire. He ran to the scene to find Narasimhadeva untouched but the shed burned to ashes. Immediately he phoned me, “Please come and take your Deity. He’s burning everything. He’s made it clear He wants to go NOW!”

Enthusiastically, I traveled to south India, hired a truck, and half-filled it with sand. I arrived at the sthapati’s studio thinking this final stage would be relatively simple. I had foolishly forgotten that Lord Narasimhadeva is a very heavy personality: he weighed one ton! After two or three hours we managed to lift the Deity safely from the shed onto the truck.

To travel across the border safely, we also needed police permission, along with signed papers from the Central Sales Tax Department, the Archeological Director, and the Art Emporium Department in Tamil Nadu. All the officers demanded to see the Deity before signing the necessary papers. Once they took darshan of Lord Narasimhadeva, they all became very obliging and efficient. We had all the necessary papers in hand within twenty-four hours – a miracle given the usual quagmire of bureaucracy found in government offices in India.

The trip back to Mayapur was also amazingly trouble-free and peaceful. Our protector was certainly with us. Usually the sthapati comes on the day of the installation ceremony, goes into the Deity room and carves the eyes of the Deity. This is called netranimilanam (opening the eyes). It was an exceptional case that our Narasimhadeva’s sthapati had already carved the eyes. He had not only carved the eyes; he had also done the prana-pratistha (installing the life force), a little puja and an arati. I am sure that is why all the papers were prepared so obligingly, and transporting the Supreme Lord was so easy. He was already present. And who could dare to say no to Lord Narasimhadeva?

The installation of Lord Narasimhadeva was very simple and lasted three days; from the 28th to the 30th of July 1986. I remember feeling apprehensive that perhaps the installation was too simple. The grave warnings of the Sankaracharya of Kanchipuram had deeply impressed me. But my mind was soon appeased by an awareness of loud, dynamic kirtana, sankirtana-yajna, the only true opulence of Kali-yuga, was dominating the scene. I felt enlivened and satisfied. Lord Narasimhadeva, the protector of the sankirtana mission, had finally decided to manifest at Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir.

The post Nrsimha Caturdasi and the #Giving TOVP 10 Day Worldwide Matching Fundraiser May 7-17 appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Today is Sita-navami, the appearance day of Srimati Sitadevi, the eternal consort of Lord Ramachandra. To begin, we shall read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Nine: “Lord Caitanya’s Travels to the Holy Places.”

TEXT 2

jaya jaya sri-caitanya jaya nityananda
jayadvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda

TRANSLATION

All glories to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityananda Prabhu! All glories to Sri Advaita Prabhu! And all glories to all the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

TEXT 178

daksina-mathura aila kamakosthi haite
tahan dekha haila eka brahmana-sahite

TRANSLATION

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu arrived at southern Mathura from Kamakosthi, He met a brahmana.

TEXTS 179–193

The brahmana who met Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu invited the Lord to his home. This brahmana was a great devotee and an authority on Lord Sri Ramacandra. He was always detached from material activities.

After bathing in the river Krtamala, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to the brahmana’s house to take lunch, but He saw that the food was unprepared because the brahmana had not cooked it.

Seeing this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “My dear sir, please tell Me why you have not cooked. It is already noon.”

The brahmana replied, “My dear Lord, we are living in the forest. For the time being we cannot get all the ingredients for cooking.

“When Laksmana brings all the vegetables, fruits, and roots from the forest, Sita will do the necessary cooking.”

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very satisfied to hear about the brahmana’s method of worship. Finally the brahmana hastily made arrangements for cooking.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took His lunch at about three o’clock, but the brahmana, being very sorrowful, fasted.

While the brahmana was fasting, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked him, “Why are you fasting? Why are you so unhappy? Why are you so worried?”

The brahmana replied, “I have no reason to live. I shall give up my life by entering either fire or water.

“My dear Sir, Mother Sita is the mother of the universe and the supreme goddess of fortune. She has been touched by the demon Ravana, and I am troubled upon hearing this news.

“Sir, due to my unhappiness I cannot continue living. Although my body is burning, my life is not leaving.”

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “Please do not think this way any longer. You are a learned pandita. Why don’t you consider the case?”

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued, “Sitadevi, the dearmost wife of the Supreme Lord Ramacandra, certainly has a spiritual form full of bliss. No one can see her with material eyes, for no materialist has such power.

“To say nothing of touching Mother Sita, a person with material senses cannot even see her. When Ravana kidnapped her, he kidnapped only her material, illusory form.

“As soon as Ravana arrived before Sita, she disappeared. Then just to cheat Ravana she sent an illusory, material form.”

TEXT 194

aprakrta vastu nahe prakrta-gocara
veda-puranete ei kahe nirantara

TRANSLATION

“Spiritual substance is never within the jurisdiction of the material conception. This is always the verdict of the Vedas and Puranas.”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

As stated in the Katha Upanisad (2.3.9, 12):

na sandrse tisthati rupam asya
na caksusa pasyati kascanainam
hrda manisa manasabhikÿpto
ya etad vidur amrtas te bhavanti
naiva vaca na manasa
praptum sakyo na caksusa

“Spirit is not within the jurisdiction of material eyes, words, or mind.”

Similarly, Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.84.13) states:

yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke
sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih
yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij
janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah

“A human being who identifies his body made of three elements with his self, who considers the by-products of his body to be his kinsmen, who considers the land of his birth worshipable, and who goes to a place of pilgrimage simply to take a bath rather than to meet men of transcendental knowledge there is to be considered like an ass or a cow.”

These are some Vedic statements about spiritual substance. Spiritual substance cannot be seen by the unintelligent, because they do not have the eyes or the mentality to see the spirit soul. Consequently they think that there is no such thing as spirit. But the followers of the Vedic injunctions take their information from Vedic statements, such as the verses from the Katha Upanisad and Srimad-Bhagavatam quoted above.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

We know from Srila Prabhupada, from the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu:

nama cintamanih krsnas
caitanya-rasa-vigrahah
purnah suddho nitya-mukto
’bhinnatvan nama-naminoh

Namah cintamanih krsnah: the holy name of Krishna is Krishna Himself. Caitanya-rasa-vigrahah: it is the form of rasa, the reservoir of pleasure. It is purna, complete; suddha, pure; and nitya-mukta, always free from material contamination. Why? Because there is no difference between the holy name of Krishna and the possessor of the name, Krishna Himself (abhinnatvan nama-naminoh).

Now the question arises, “When the Lord is spiritual and beyond the jurisdiction of material senses, how can one with materially covered senses touch, or chant and hear, the holy name of Krishna?” In the next verse of the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami explains:

atah sri-krsna-namadi
na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
svayam eva sphuraty adah

Atah means “therefore,” as in athatho brahma-jijnasa. Atah: therefore (that is, because the holy name of Krishna is completely spiritual like Krishna) one cannot chant or hear the holy name—touch the holy name—with materially contaminated senses. However, if we engage our senses in the service of the Lord and the Lord becomes pleased with our service, the Lord will reveal Himself to us.

In other words, although we cannot perceive the Lord with materially contaminated senses, the Lord can reveal Himself to us when He is pleased by our service: He can purify our senses and make Himself visible to us.

When even a sadhaka, a devotee who is practicing devotional service, cannot touch even the holy name of the Lord, how could a demon like Ravana see or touch Mother Sita, who is directly the spiritual energy of the Lord? It is not possible. What Ravana saw and touched was not the original Sita but maya Sita, an illusory representation of the original Sita. Thus Lord Chaitanya was consoling the brahman, “Don’t lament that Mother Sita has been touched by the demon Ravana. The demon Ravana could not even see her, what to speak of touch her. There is no need to lament.”

TEXT 195

visvasa karaha tumi amara vacane
punarapi ku-bhavana na kariha mane

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then assured the brahmana, “Have faith in My words and do not burden your mind any longer with this misconception.”

PURPORT

This is the process of spiritual understanding. Acintya khalu ye bhava na tams tarkena yojayet: “We should not try to understand things beyond our material conception by argument and counterargument.” Maha-jano yena gatah sa panthah: “We have to follow in the footsteps of great authorities coming down in the parampara system.” If we approach a bona fide acarya and keep faith in his words, spiritual realization will be easy.

COMMENT

In the material world everyone is acting independently. Actually, people are not independent, but they imagine themselves to be independent. They want to think for themselves, see for themselves, make their own decisions, make their own plans. Even when they come to the subject of God, they keep the same attitude: “I don’t need anyone to tell me about God. I can think for myself; I can decide for myself.” Or they may accept some authority according to their liking. Many people go to various authorities and pick and choose what they like from each, and in the end they find confirmation for whatever they thought or wanted to begin with. That is not the way to understand God. Rather, one must approach a bona fide spiritual master and surrender. Surrender means “no wavering to this side or that side.” One must remain fixed in submission and obedience to the spiritual master and accept the spiritual master’s instructions without argument.

Of course, the whole process is based on faith, and therefore Lord Chaitanya’s first words are visvasa karaha tumi amara vacane: “Have faith in My words.” If you do, He says, you will be relieved. But if you don’t have faith in His words, you’ll go on suffering and nobody will be able to help you.

visvasa karaha tumi amara vacane
punarapi ku-bhavana na kariha mane

“Have faith in My words and do not burden your mind any longer with this misconception.”

TEXT 196

prabhura vacane viprera ha-ila visvasa
bhojana karila, haila jivanera asa

 TRANSLATION

Although the brahmana was fasting, he had faith in the words of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and accepted food. In this way his life was saved.

COMMENT

The brahman was fasting because he thought Ravana had touched Sita and kidnapped her. He was ready to give up his life, but because he had faith in the words of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he gave up his misconception, took prasada, and saved his life.

TEXT 197

tanre asvasiya prabhu karila gamana
krtamalaya snana kari aila durvasana

TRANSLATION

After thus assuring the brahmana, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu proceeded further into southern India and finally arrived at Durvasana, where He bathed in the river Krtamala.

TEXT 199

setubandhe asi’ kaila dhanus-tirthe snana
ramesvara dekhi’ tahan karila visrama

 TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then went to Setubandha [Ramesvara], where He took His bath at the place called Dhanus-tirtha. From there He visited the Ramesvara temple and then took rest.

PURPORT

The path from Mandapam through the ocean to the island known as Pambam consists partly of sand and partly of water. The island of Pambam is about seventeen miles long and six miles wide. On this island, four miles north of Pambam Harbor, is Setubandha, where the temple of Ramesvara is located. This is a temple of Lord Siva, and the name Ramesvara indicates that he is a great personality whose worshipable Deity is Lord Rama. Thus the Lord Siva found in the temple of Ramesvara is a great devotee of Lord Ramacandra. It is said, devi-pattanam arabhya gaccheyuh setu-bandhanam: “After visiting the temple of the goddess Durga, one should go to the temple of Ramesvara.”

In this area there are twenty-four different holy places, one of which is Dhanus-tirtha, located about twelve miles southeast of Ramesvara. It is near the last station of the South Indian Railway, a station called Ramnad. It is said that here, on the request of Ravana’s younger brother Vibhisana, Lord Ramacandra destroyed the bridge to Lanka with His bow while returning to His capital. It is also said that one who visits Dhanus-tirtha is liberated from the cycle of birth and death, and that one who bathes there gets all the fruitive results of performing the yajna known as Agnistoma.

COMMENT

It is said that when Lord Rama was on the way to Lanka, He worshiped a deity of Lord Shiva. Some ignorant people say, “Because Lord Rama worshiped Lord Shiva, Shiva is the Supreme and Rama is subordinate to him.” But actually, the opposite is true: Lord Shiva himself is a great devotee of Lord Rama. Sometimes, however, the Lord likes to serve His devotees, as in the case of Krishna and Yasoda. Krishna used to obey the dictations of Yasoda, but that doesn’t mean that Yasoda is God. Krishna used to carry the shoes of Nanda Maharaja, but that doesn’t mean that Nanda Maharaja is God. Krishna drove the chariot of Arjuna, but that doesn’t mean that Arjuna is greater than Krishna. Krishna washed the feet of Sudama Vipra, but that doesn’t mean that Sudama is superior to Krishna. The Lord takes pleasure in worshiping His devotees. Lord Ramachandra wanted to glorify His devotee Shiva, and therefore He may have worshiped him.

Other ignorant people say that because Ravana was a devotee of Lord Shiva, Rama approached Lord Shiva to ask his permission before killing Ravana. Once, at Juhu Beach, a disciple mentioned this idea to Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada replied that people who say that Lord Rama had Lord Shiva’s permission to kill Ravana want to say that Lord Shiva is a rascal, that he would give permission for someone to kill his devotee: “Oh, yes. He is my devotee, but it’s all right—you can kill him.” So Prabhupada said they want to prove that Lord Shiva is a rascal. Rather, Srila Prabhupada said (and quoted shastra) that when Rama was in the process of killing Ravana, Mother Parvati said to Lord Shiva, “Ravana is your great devotee, and now he is in trouble. Why don’t you do something to help him?” And Lord Shiva replied, “Lord Rama is the Supreme Personality of Godhead; when He wants to kill Ravana, what can I do?”

TEXT 200

vipra-sabhaya sune tanha kurma-purana
tara madhye aila pativrata-upakhyana

TRANSLATION

There, among the brahmanas, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu listened to the Kurma Purana, wherein is mentioned the chaste woman’s narration.

PURPORT

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura remarks that only two khandas of the Kurma Purana are now available, namely the Purva-khanda and Uttara-khanda. Sometimes it is said that the Kurma Purana contains six thousand verses, but according to Srimad-Bhagavatam the original Kurma Purana contains seventeen thousand verses. It is considered the fifteenth of the eighteen Maha-puranas.

TEXT 201

pativrata-siromani janaka-nandini
jagatera mata sita—ramera grhini

TRANSLATION

Srimati Sitadevi is the mother of the three worlds and the wife of Lord Ramacandra. Among chaste women she is supreme, and she is the daughter of King Janaka.

TEXT 202

ravana dekhiya sita laila agnira sarana
ravana haite agni kaila sitake avarana

TRANSLATION

When Ravana came to kidnap Mother Sita and she saw him, she took shelter of the fire-god, Agni. The fire-god covered the body of Mother Sita, and in this way she was protected from the hands of Ravana.

TEXT 203

‘maya-sita’ ravana nila, sunila akhyane
suni’ mahaprabhu haila anandita mane

TRANSLATION

Upon hearing from the Kurma Purana how Ravana had kidnapped a false form of Mother Sita, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu became very satisfied.

TEXT 204

sita lana rakhilena parvatira sthane
‘maya-sita’ diya agni vancila ravane

TRANSLATION

The fire-god, Agni, took away the real Sita and brought her to the place of Parvati, goddess Durga. An illusory form of Mother Sita was then delivered to Ravana, and in this way Ravana was cheated.

TEXT 205

raghunatha asi’ yabe ravane marila
agni-pariksa dite yabe sitare anila

After Ravana was killed by Lord Ramacandra, Sitadevi was brought before the fire and tested.

TEXT 206

tabe maya-sita agni kari antardhana
satya-sita ani’ dila rama-vidyamana

TRANSLATION

When the illusory Sita was brought before the fire by Lord Ramacandra, the fire-god made the illusory form disappear and delivered the real Sita to Lord Ramacandra.

TEXT 207

sunina prabhura anandita haila mana
ramadasa-viprera katha ha-ila smarana

TRANSLATION

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard this story, He was very pleased, and He remembered the words of Ramadasa Vipra.

TEXT 208

e-saba siddhanta suni’ prabhura ananda haila
brahmanera sthane magi’ sei patra nila

TRANSLATION

Indeed, when Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard these conclusive statements from the Kurma Purana, He felt great happiness. After asking the brahmanas’ permission, He took possession of the manuscript leaves of the Kurma Purana.

TEXT 209

nutana patra lekhana pustake deoyaila
pratiti lagi’ puratana patra magi’ nila

TRANSLATION

Since the Kurma Purana was very old, the manuscript was also very old. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took possession of the original leaves in order to have direct evidence. The text was copied onto new leaves in order that the Purana be replaced.

TEXT 210

patra lana punah daksina-mathura aila
ramadasa vipre sei patra ani dila

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu returned to southern Mathura [Madurai] and delivered the original manuscript of the Kurma Purana to Ramadasa Vipra.

TEXTS 211–212

sitayaradhito vahnis
chaya-sitam ajijanat
tam jahara dasa-grivah
sita vahni-puram gata

pariksa-samaye vahnim
chaya-sita vivesa sa
vahnih sitam samaniya
tat-purastad aninayat

TRANSLATION

“When he was petitioned by Mother Sita, the fire-god, Agni, brought forth an illusory form of Sita, and Ravana, who had ten heads, kidnapped the false Sita. The original Sita then went to the abode of the fire-god. When Lord Ramacandra tested the body of Sita, it was the false, illusory Sita that entered the fire. At that time the fire-god brought the original Sita from his abode and delivered her to Lord Ramacandra.”

PURPORT

These two verses are taken from the Kurma Purana.

TEXT 213

patra pana viprera haila anandita mana
prabhura carane dhari’ karaye krandana

TRANSLATION

Ramadasa Vipra was very pleased to receive the original leaf manuscript of the Kurma Purana, and he immediately fell down before the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and began to cry.

TEXTS 214–218

After receiving the manuscript, the brahmana, being very pleased, said, “Sir, You are Lord Ramacandra Himself and have come in the dress of a sannyasi to give me audience.

“My dear Sir, You have delivered me from a very unhappy condition. I request that You take Your lunch at my place. Please accept this invitation.

“Due to my mental distress I could not give You a very nice lunch the other day. Now, by good fortune, You have come again to my home.”

Saying this, the brahmana very happily cooked food, and a first-class dinner was offered to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu passed that night in the house of the brahmana. Then, after showing him mercy, the Lord started toward the Tamraparni River in Pandya-desa.

COMMENT

The chastity of Mother Sita is glorified in similar terms in the summary of the pastimes of Lord Ramachandra in the Ninth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Because Ravana had been cursed by the anger of Mother Sita, his armies were vanquished and ultimately he was killed.

te ’nikapa raghupater abhipatya sarve
dvandvam varutham ibha-patti-rathasva-yodhaih
jaghnur drumair giri-gadesubhir angadadyah
sitabhimarsa-hata-mangala-ravanesan

 “Angada and the other commanders of the soldiers of Ramacandra faced the elephants, infantry, horses, and chariots of the enemy and hurled against them big trees, mountain peaks, clubs, and arrows. Thus the soldiers of Lord Ramacandra killed Ravana’s soldiers, who had lost all good fortune because Ravana had been condemned by the anger of Mother Sita.” (SB 9.10.20)

After Ravana had been killed, his wife, Mandodari, praised the power of Mother Sita’s chastity, addressing her husband:

na vai veda maha-bhaga
bhavan kama-vasam gatah
tejo ’nubhavam sitaya
yena nito dasam imam

“O greatly fortunate one, you came under the influence of lusty desires, and therefore you could not understand the influence of Mother Sita. Now, because of her curse, you have been reduced to this state, having been killed by Lord Ramacandra.” (SB 9.10.27) In his purport to this verse, Srila Prabhupada explains that any woman who follows the example of Mother Sita’s chastity and service can attain similar power—and that in fact women should follow her ideal example: “Not only was Mother Sita powerful, but any woman who follows in the footsteps of Mother Sita can also become similarly powerful. There are many instances of this in the history of Vedic literature. Whenever we find a description of ideal chaste women, Mother Sita is among them. Mandodari, the wife of Ravana, was also very chaste. Similarly, Draupadi was one of five exalted chaste women. As a man must follow great personalities like Brahma and Narada, a woman must follow the path of such ideal women as Sita, Mandodari, and Draupadi. By staying chaste and faithful to her husband, a woman enriches herself with supernatural power.”

Although Mother Sita was completely pure and chaste, some ignorant citizens criticized Lord Rama for accepting her back after she had been abducted by Ravana, and to preserve His authority as king—for the benefit of the citizens—He was obliged to consign her to the care of the great sage Valmiki Muni.

By her transcendental qualities and devotional service, Sitadevi attracted her husband, Lord Ramachandra, the Personality of Godhead. And after she completed her pastimes on earth, He remained absorbed in thought of her—while perfectly executing His royal duties—until He followed her, to continue their eternal lila in the spiritual world.

munau niksipya tanayau
sita bhartra vivasita
dhyayanti rama-caranau
vivaram pravivesa ha

“Being forsaken by her husband, Sitadevi entrusted her two sons to the care of Valmiki Muni. Then, meditating upon the lotus feet of Lord Ramacandra, she entered into the earth.” (SB 9.11.15)

tac chrutva bhagavan ramo
rundhann api dhiya sucah
smarams tasya gunams tams tan
nasaknod roddhum isvarah

 “After hearing the news of Mother Sita’s entering the earth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead was certainly aggrieved. Although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, upon remembering the exalted qualities of Mother Sita, He could not check His grief in transcendental love.” (SB 9.11.16) Of course, the Lord’s grief upon hearing the news of Sitadevi’s entering the earth was not material. In the spiritual world there are also feelings of separation, but such feelings are a manifestation of the Lord’s internal pleasure potency (hladini-sakti) and give rise to transcendental bliss—although they resemble the miserable feelings experienced by ordinary men and women who are materially attached to each other.

tata urdhvam brahmacaryam
dharyann ajuhot prabhuh
trayodasabda-sahasram
agnihotram akhanditam

“After Mother Sita entered the earth, Lord Ramacandra observed complete celibacy and performed an uninterrupted Agnihotra-yajna for thirteen thousand years.” (SB 9.11.18)

smaratam hrdi vinyasya
viddham dandaka-kantakaih
sva-pada-pallavam rama
atma-jyotir agat tatah

“After completing the sacrifice, Lord Ramacandra, whose lotus feet were sometimes pierced by thorns when He lived in Dandakaranya, placed those lotus feet in the hearts of those who always think of Him. Then He entered His own abode, the Vaikuntha planet beyond the brahmajyoti.” (SB 9.11.19)

Sri Sri Sita-Rama ki jaya!

There is an important lesson for all of us here, whether we are in the bodies of men or women: Sitadevi is the energy of Lord Rama, the property of Lord Rama, and to take the property of the Lord for one’s sense gratification is demonic. Ravana was a scholar, a devotee of Lord Shiva, and he had many, many good qualities. But he had one fault that put him in the category of demons: he wanted to take the Lord’s property and enjoy it for himself. As we have been discussing—and maybe realizing—people in Kali-yuga have two sides: the devotee side and the demon side. The demon side wants to take the property of the Lord and enjoy it, like Ravana. So we must be careful that the demonic side does not become predominant. Otherwise, just as Ravana and his whole dynasty were destroyed, our spiritual life will be destroyed.

What is the difference between material and spiritual? When people challenge us, “You are living in a marble palace, you are using telephones, computers, tape recorders, and automobiles, so you are involved in materialism,” how do we reply? We reply, “We are using everything in the service of the Lord. What is used in the service of the Lord is no longer material but becomes spiritual.” And it is true. The temple is spiritual because it is dedicated to the service of the Lord, and all the paraphernalia used in the Lord’s service is spiritual. So there is no contamination. However, if we use the paraphernalia meant for the service of the Lord for our own sense gratification, then it is no longer spiritual. It becomes maya. Ravana wanted to take Rama’s Sita, but he couldn’t touch the original Sita. He could get only the maya Sita. Similarly, the Lord’s paraphernalia is spiritual when engaged in the Lord’s service, but if we try to use the same things for our sense gratification, they become maya.

We should not be complacent and assume, “I am a devotee and everything I do is spiritual. Even if I handle money, it is spiritual because it’s for Krishna.” If it is for Krishna, it is spiritual, lakshmi, but if it is used for our sense gratification, it becomes material, maya. So, we must be careful in every situation—in every activity, every transaction—to consider: Am I doing this for Krishna or for sense gratification? If an activity is done for Krishna, it becomes spiritual, but if that same activity is done for sense gratification, it becomes material. All the things we have, all the paraphernalia, which are meant for Krishna’s service, become maya if we use them for sense gratification. So we should be very careful, especially if we take donations from the public. In the temple we take donations from the public—directly or indirectly. Even if we don’t directly take donations, we are using donations for our service, so we should take care that the donations we take from the public are used exclusively in transcendental devotional service and not one cent is used for sense gratification. If we use any of it for sense gratification, we are implicated in a cheating process, because the public think they are giving the money for Krishna’s service but in fact we are using it for ourselves.

Srila Prabhupada said that if we take money in the name of Krishna’s service and then use it for sense gratification, we become debtors to the people who gave us the money. In other words, we are supposed to be only peons, carrying the money from the donor to the Lord—like Hanuman. He went to liberate Sita from Ravana, not to keep her for himself but to deliver her to Lord Rama. So, we should be like Hanuman. We should liberate Sita from the hands of whomever and deliver her to Rama. We are not meant to touch her. If we do, we’ll have to come back in another life and pay our debt to the people from whom we took the money. So, these are subtle laws, and Srila Prabhupada was concerned that we should not become victims of our desires for sense gratification. Therefore he explained everything very clearly, so that we can be conscientious and use the Lord’s property only for the Lord’s service. Then we will be like Hanuman, the great devotee who got the mercy of Lord Rama. But if we try to use the Lord’s property for our sense gratification, we become like Ravana and will be destroyed.

On this occasion, we pray to Mother Sita to bless us to become pure-hearted servants like Hanuman, Laksmana, and Mother Sita herself—and to save us. Whatever Ravana-like demonic tendencies we have, let them be vanquished by her mercy, by her will, so we may continue in our devotional service without any impediment and ultimately attain pure love (prema), our ultimate goal.

Sri Sri Sita-Rama-Laksmana-Hanuman ki jaya!
Sri Sita-navami ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Nitai-gaura-premanande hari-haribol!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Sita-navami, May 9, 1995, Bombay]

By Maharishi Valmiki

Oh daughter of Janaka, the blessed refuge of souls! Oh Consort of Shri Raghu Rama, bedecked with shining gem-ornaments! Pray, protect me always! You are the wind that destroys the clouds of demons like the hundres-headed Ravana; You are the indweller in the hearts of the devotees; Your Feet shine with the lustre of gems set in the crown of Indra. Continue reading "Srimati Sita Devi (consort of Lord Sri Rama) – Appearance
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On May 7 in the auspicious day of Aksaya Tritiya and second day of Ramadan, Villa Vrindavana devotees in Florence distributed prasada to the Muslim members in the mosque of Florence.

Back to The Motherland - Moscow (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: We always look forward to our visits to Moscow, the capit...

Entering the clear waters of the Yamuna to prepare for the incomparable worship of goddess Katyayani, the girls of Vraja left their garments on the shore. Smiling and clever Krsna stole those garments, climbed a kadamba tree, embarrassed the girls by speaking many splendid joking words, and eventually returned their garments. I take shelter of […]

The post Vastra Harana – Stealing the Gopis’ Clothes appeared first on Mayapur.com.

By the GBC

ISKCON Law 7.3.2 is amended to read as follows: As taught by Srila Prabhupada, the etiquette of not initiating in the presence of one's diksa-guru will be upheld in ISKCON. However historical precedents also teach us that disciples may sometimes, in exceptional cases, initiate in the physical presence of their diksa-gurus. The GBC clarifies that an individual devotee taking up the service of diksa-guru in the physical presence of their guru may be allowed as an exception when the following conditions are met. The Guru Services Committee will confirm that the candidate for becoming a second generation guru has met all these conditions... Continue reading "Conditions for Second-generation Diksa-gurus — 2019
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By the GBC

In order to start a cow protection project that will be accredited within ISKCON and accepted as an ISKCON supported project, a “Cow protection Certificate of Readiness” needs to be obtained. The following are the requirements for obtaining such a certificate, which will allow new cow protection projects to commence their operations: 1. The GBC Minimum Cow protection Standards ISKCON Law 507(1999) needs to be read and fully understood before applying for the certificate. 2. An exam must be taken and passed. The questions in the exam will be based on the content of Law 507. 3. A well-thought-out business plan with the signature of the GBC member must be presented to the Ministry of Cow Protection and Agriculture. Continue reading "Cow protection Certificate of Readiness — 2019
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By Gadadhar dasa

On the 8th of May 2019 an International Seminar was held on Communications, Religion and Culture (ISO-CRC) at the prestigious Sekolah Tinggi Agama Hindu (College of Hindu Religion), Singaraja, Bali. HH Subhag Swami was invited as the keynote speaker to attend the seminar and discourse on, ‘An Introduction to Religion and the Essence of Vedic Knowledge.’ An audience of 200 students, faculty chairman and faculty secretaries were present. Continue reading "International Seminar On Communications, Religion and Culture (ISO-CRC) in Bali
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Podcast

The post How do we refute secular humanism? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been thinking about Karma and also interactions with the people I meet; events and interactions change the perspective or situation sometimes in a positive way and sometimes in a negative way.

On occasions there are things that can be done to either plicate a negative situation or to improve and change our position in a positive way. Whilst interactions can have a negative or positive effect on how things play out.

I recalled a small exercise my Guru Maharaja gave on how we can understand the cause of my happiness and distress and each time I do it the same result comes back, it is me. But this does not explain the way that I can name individual’s and situations that have influenced and caused me both happiness and distress.

The Karma delivery system: I chose to enjoy material nature and so the upshot of this is that I’m accumulating Karma, not only in this life time but in my many other lifes. Sri Krishna has made arrangements so that one way or another I get the just reactions at the right time, and this is where my interactions with others and situations come into it. Sri Krishna has the perfect Karma delivery system and because of this I can name individuals or situations as to why things happen.

And in many ways this delivery system adds to the illusion which captivates the spirit soul in material nature, I am the doer. And I can blame or praise individuals depending or my own limited perspective and understanding. The karma delivery system is so subtle that it’s hard to grasp and at times understand, but reminded me of another thing my Guru Maharaja said and that is we cannot control what we receive because of our Karma but we can control how we react.

Yes we react and not always in the correct manor.

And although by the process of chanting Hare Krishna were in many ways given an unfair advantage as our Karma is slowly reduced we still receive and have to deal with it. But with real knowledge it makes it easier to understand what is going on.

It’s always nice I think to ponder thing’s and sometimes it leads to a greater understanding or thoughts on a subject.

The cause of my own happiness and distress is me, my choice to enjoy material nature and with each interaction and situation it gives me an opportunity to advance or retract from this Krishna Conscious path.

But as always I look forward to hearing others thoughts on this.

[Talk at Phoenix, USA]

Video

Podcast

 

Podcast Summary

The post Curses and Choices – How to change our consciousness appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Satsvarupa das goswami is an avid writer and a well known personality in the history and present day of ISKCON. Satsvarupa das Goswami is a writer, artist and spiritual master in the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya. He is one of the first disciples of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), also known in the Western countries as the Hare Krishna movement.

Based in Albany, New York Satsvarupa has written hundreds of books in the form of essays, diaries, poems and journals, presenting devoted fans with both fictional and non-fictional material. In 2010 he created a website which allowed him to publish daily excerpts of his writings and share his current realizations of what life in the fast lane to Krishna is really like . . . What actually happens when you seriously decide to pursue God? Painting also demanded more and more of his time. His naïve style went through many phases, and like his writing, was not appreciated by everyone. Undaunted, he carried on with the same dogged persistence. The website and daily posts on Facebook became his major forms of delivery. They were the ideal medium, allowing him to preach to the masses and avoid travel at a time when his aging body was becoming infirm and breaking down.

I invite you to take a look at his writings, his website and daily Facebook posts.

Website: https://satsvarupadasagoswami.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SDG.SatsvarupaDasaGoswami/
RSS Feed: https://satsvarupadasagoswami.com/feed/

The article " Satsvarupa DG Free Writes " was published on KKSBlog.

Brisbane Rathayatra (Album of photos)
Ramai Swami: This year’s Rathayatra in Brisbane was held downtown again with the beginning and end point being King George Square.
The parade went through the city streets for about an hour and Their Lordships, Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra Devi rode majestically while the devotees chanted and danced in ecstasy.
Once back at the Square, there were many performances on the main stage and, of course, lots of tents with prasadam, books, paraphernalia and so on. It was a beautiful sunny day and thousands of devotees and people came to get the mercy of the Lord.
Find them here: https://is.gd/2ezDiI

Birmingham 24hr Kirtan 2019 (Album of photos)
This year for the first time in the new ISKCON building. When you lose your voi...

How to care for the elderly, for the dying, and for us. Hari-dhama dasa and Gavesi devi dasi, both disciples of His Holiness Mukunda Goswami, have been conducting spiritual care workshops in India, Sweden and Germany. These workshops look at the care of the dying and elderly, underpinned by knowledge and skills training. It equips the student with the confidence to respond to the needs of the dying and bereaved.

Chandan Yatra is a very sweet festival to remember and meditate on various pastimes of the Lord. A festival that Lord kindly favors everyone to do some personal service for Him- grinding chandan, decorating, swinging Him etc… Summer festival has its own flavour. As per the tradition, Chandan Yatra festival started at Puri. In the […]

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By the GBC

Whereas the current commercial dairy systems of the world in which the older cows, practically all bulls, young and old, and most female calves are slaughtered is thoroughly condemned and abhorrent; Whereas Srila Prabhupada wrote in this regard: “These greatly sinful acts are responsible for all the troubles in present society.” (SB 1.17.3 Purport) Resolved: By Janmastami 2022 all ISKCON centers should develop a plan whereby all milk and milk products — butter, ghee, yogurt etc. — offered to the deities are procured from protected cows. The centers may approach the International Ministry of Cow Protection for assistance. Continue reading "Milk from Protected Cows — 2019
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By the GBC

Whereas plastic is often used once-off and then thrown away; Whereas the lifetime of plastic varies from 50 years to more than 1000 years; Whereas plastic contaminates mother earth and her inhabitants; Whereas many ISKCON temples use plastic and foam cups, plates, spoons, water bottles, maha-prasadam packages, plastic bags, etc., once-off and then discard them despite there being biodegradable alternatives; Whereas Srila Prabhupada states that first you become conscious and then you become Krishna conscious; Whereas there is an increasing awareness in the general public about such issues and ISKCON should set a proper example: Resolved: That ISKCON centres and members are strongly encouraged to not use single-use plastic. Continue reading "Ban of ‘One Time Use’ Plastic — 2019
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By the GBC

On behalf of the GBC Body, we respectfully offer you the title of GBC Emeritus with gratitude and appreciation for your years of contributions and services to ISKCON and dedication to Srila Prabhupada. You pioneered Krishna consciousness and laid the foundation for ISKCON’s future growth in Switzerland in 1971, later establishing ISKCON as a legally recognized Swiss Church foundation. Thereafter, you organized Srila Prabhupada’s official reception by the Government of Geneva and, in 1978, organized the first public Rathayatra in a major European city outside the UK. Later, you successfully resisted defamatory remarks (libel) made by the Catholic Church against the Hare Krishna movement in Switzerland, and thereby defended the position of ISKCON as a bona fide spiritual organization. Continue reading "Letter of Appreciation to Guru Gauranga Das — 2019
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This year’s Rathayatra in Brisbane was held down town again with the beginning and end point being King George Square. 

The parade went through the city streets for about an hour and Their Lordships, Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra Devi rode majestically while the devotees chanted and danced in ecstasy.

Once back at the Square, there were many performances on the main stage and, of course, lots of tents with prasadam, books, paraphernalia and so on. It was a beautiful sunny day and thousands of devotees and people came to get the mercy of the Lord.

My mind is so filled with memories of Mother Arca-vigraha that it is difficult to isolate what inspired me about her. But I think she embodied the two most important devotional principles—chanting the holy names and serving the Vaishnavas—and she performed these activities with great determination and enthusiasm.

I miss her as a friend. She was older than I, and more experienced, and I learned a lot from her training, instructions, and association. I often share thoughts and experiences with her in my mind—especially things that I wouldn’t share with anyone else. She was very understanding and completely trustworthy.

I first met Mother Arca-vigraha in 1985 in Durban, South Africa, at the opening of the Sri Sri Radha-Radhanath Temple. I had met the devotees and moved into the temple just two weeks earlier. Arca, Aileen Lipkin—or “Angel,” as she was then known—had come from Johannesburg to attend the opening festival, and we were part of a large group of women who shared a small room stacked with bunk beds, with a primitive shower in the corner.

I was struck by how Angel seemed to transcend her surroundings. She was always beautifully dressed in gorgeous designer Punjabi suits with matching bead bags of the same cloth. Petite, with a colorful shock of red curls and bright, piercing brown eyes, she was worldly and sophisticated, but also funny and down-to-earth. And she was a perfectionist. Whatever she did, from making a salad to completing a painting or sculpture, she did with artistic precision. I never detected in her even a trace of laziness or sloppiness, and she never compromised on quality. I liked her immediately.

Shortly after the temple opening, I was sent to Johannesburg to do sankirtana. There was a vibrant devotee community in Muldersdrift, a semirural area just north of the city, and there, at the temple, I again met Angel. We would often sit together and talk, but I was frequently traveling, so she and I also exchanged letters. Hers were works of art, written on huge pieces of drawing paper in beautiful, meticulous script, often accompanied by a small watercolor painting or pencil drawing. Her letters were filled with wisdom and realization. I remember one that I found particularly interesting—an account of Angel’s meeting with a Buddhist nun who had taught her that a woman did not have to have many, or even any, children of her own; she could be the mother of all living entities, showing mercy and kindness to all.

Angel had perceived her identity as an artist from an early age. As a child, she would spend hours drawing and would even dab turpentine on her wrists the way other girls would perfume. Her spiritual search had begun at the age of twelve. Angel’s mother, with whom she enjoyed a very close, deep relationship, fell ill with cancer. Angel would sometimes come home from school and find her mother in bed, shaking with tremors, and she would lie down with her and try to stop the shaking.

When her mother died, Angel was devastated. She would spend hours swinging back and forth on the front gate, gazing at the blue sky and feeling very alone. It was, she said, the first time in her life that she was confronted with death. Her father was grief-stricken and unable to take care of his children. So he handed them over to other families—Angel to the care of a Catholic lady, Mrs. Schneider, who lived next-door. Although Angel was Jewish by birth, Mrs. Schneider trained her how to pray with folded hands and bended knees, how to call out to and take shelter of God. She taught her, Arca later realized, to develop a personal relationship with God, something that stayed with her for the rest of her life.

After high school, Angel apprenticed as a display artist in a Johannesburg department store, and soon thereafter she started her own commercial art studio and quickly built up a successful practice. She married, and later credited much of her success to her husband, Lee, who encouraged her to dedicate herself fully to her art. The couple had two children, but tragically, some years later, Lee passed away following a heart attack.

In the years after her husband’s death, Angel found herself increasingly weary of the materialism that surrounded her. Even though she had two beautiful children and had accumulated wealth, success, fame, and popularity, she felt that her life was incomplete, that her soul was yearning for deeper satisfaction and answers. She longed for solitude. So she traveled alone to Israel, and at the edge of the Sinai desert she joined a band of Bedouin nomads—the only woman, only outsider, in the group.

The solitude of the desert and the simple, rugged, austere life of the nomads had a profound effect on Angel; it was a turning point in her life. When, about two months later, she returned to “civilization,” sunburned, relaxed, and revived, she determined to devote herself fully and relentlessly to her search for higher meaning.

Notwithstanding her professional and commercial success—her painting “Woman on a Donkey” was one of the best-selling poster prints of all time—Angel’s art had always been part of her inner search, a road map of her spiritual journey. And by the mid-’80s, she had explored many paths: the major religious traditions as well as others more occult, mystical, and philosophical—anthroposophy, Egyptology, and Kabbalah. She had read books by Rajneesh and visited Sai Baba in India, and she had learned from the Bedouins in the desert. She practiced and taught Tai Chi and fencing and was well versed in naturopathy, homeopathy, acupuncture, and Ayurveda. But still she yearned for something more.

In 1984, while doing research for an art project at the University of Witwatersrand, Angel met the devotees and began attending programs. She and a friend would drive the hour or so from where she was living, in Yeoville, to the temple in Muldersdrift, pitch a tent, and stay the weekend. She had already been following a vegan and mostly raw diet, and she was attracted to the philosophy of Krishna consciousness and liked both the austerity of the devotees’ lifestyle and the genuine spiritual atmosphere. The only thing she couldn’t come to terms with was the quantity and opulence of the devotees’ diet. So instead of honoring (eating) the prasada, she would take it back to Johannesburg to distribute to “Twilight Kids,” homeless boys living on the streets.

One highlight of the Sunday programs for Angel, and for me as well, was Bhakti Caitanya Swami’s (then named Raghubir dasa) Krsna book classes. She was always eager to learn about the philosophy of Krishna consciousness, and she loved to hear about Krishna’s pastimes.

Whatever path she had followed earlier, she had learned whatever she could about it and practiced it very seriously. Gradually she rejected all the other theories and came to Krishna consciousness. She realized that Krishna consciousness was the process she had always been yearning and searching for. And when she joined and became a devotee, she already had had a lot of spiritual training and realization.

At a time when “joining” Krishna consciousness meant moving into the temple and adopting the strict rules of ashram life, Arca lived “outside” in her own house. She was more natural and spontaneous in her devotional service and could not always remember details such as how many times to offer an incense stick or ghee lamp. But gradually I understood that the purpose of all the rules and regulations was to remember Krishna and that she was remembering Him, so what was the problem if she made some small mistakes?

She lived “outside” in her own house at a time when we all lived in the temple and were trained to be very, very strict. There were so many rules and regulations, and the slightest “deviation” had tremendous consequences, or so it seemed at the time. But she was so natural and spontaneous, and in the beginning she couldn’t get every detail right, such as how many times to offer an incense stick or ghee lamp. I gradually understood that the purpose of all the rules and regulations was to remember Krishna and that she was remembering Him, so what was the problem if she made some small mistakes?

On May 3, 1987, Angel, I, and three other aspiring devotees received initiation from Giriraj Swami—his first disciples. Derek became Damodara dasa; Paolo, Patraka dasa; and Aditi, Vrajesvari dasi. And Angel became Arca-vigraha dasi. Maharaja explained how one devotee, an artist, had asked Srila Prabhupada, “Of the nine types of devotional service, which is painting?” Prabhupada had answered, “Arcanam, decorating the form of the Lord.” And from then on, painting the Deities became one of Arca’s main services.

Toward the end of that year Arca was diagnosed with cancer. The doctors removed a lymph node in her right armpit, and the cancer went into remission.

About a year later, Indradyumna Maharaja organized a Ratha-yatra festival in Durban, and he asked Arca-vigraha to help paint the chariots, which she did in the most beautiful way. As usual, she worked very hard, taking time off only to chant her rounds. She would walk up and down in the parking lot in front of the Sri Sri Radha-Radhanath temple, chanting intensely.

At that time I was based at a new preaching center not far from Arca’s house. There was no facility for women at the center, however, so I stayed with her. She just opened up her home to me—and to ISKCON—and I ended up living there for two years, until we moved to India. She often held programs at the house, where she had the most beautiful temple room, with large Jagannatha-Baladeva-Subhadra deities, covered from floor to ceiling in colorful Orissan cloth and adorned with sequined pillows and embroidered carpets. She attracted a varied group of people—artists and intellectuals—different from those who would usually come to the temple, and even the mayor of Johannesburg, with whom she was friends, once came to a program.

Arca would get up very early every morning, around three o’clock, and she never failed to chant her sixteen rounds. We would go to the morning program at the center, and then she would get to work and I would go out and distribute books all day and then come back to attend the evening program. When I would finally get home, at about ten, ready to collapse, she would still be awake and would make hot milk with molasses, and we would talk until late at night, sometimes reading from Srimad-Bhagavatam. The next morning, she would be up again at three, ready to start another day (though she would often encourage me to take a little extra rest).

Arca always said that Jayananda Prabhu was her role model. His example inspired her with the determination to always finish her rounds, no matter what. While taking Giriraj Swami’s course on The Nectar of Devotion at the Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education (VIHE) in Vrindavan, she commented that the real nectar of devotion was to do service. She had such a taste for service that she often said that she wanted to become like the Six Gosvamis, and she lamented that she had to sleep at night. Later, when she was painting the deities in Vrindavan, she would hardly sleep for days, sometimes weeks.

In Johannesburg I would often read aloud to Arca. She did not read so much herself, but she always enjoyed hearing. Sometimes, when she was working in her studio, I would sit in a chair in the corner and read from Srimad-Bhagavatam. Sometimes we would listen to devotional recordings. We both found it all—the philosophy, the descriptions, the pastimes—wondrous, mind-blowing, and would talk about how to incorporate the ideas into her art.

Inspired by Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad-gita, Arca developed the idea of organizing some of their themes into a series of drawings. She had a vision of starting with charcoal drawings depicting different aspects of sinful, materialistic life and then gradually introducing more and more color as she moved into depictions of spiritual life. She planned to culminate the series with a gorgeous image of Goloka Vrindavan, all in color. She called the series “The Eye Opener.”

Arca worked on “The Eye Opener” for years, and when the owner of the prestigious Goodman Gallery, where Arca had exhibited throughout her career, first saw the drawings, she exclaimed, “I want them!” But when she realized what a challenge they represented to contemporary life, she refused to exhibit the work, and her relationship with Arca-vigraha became strained.

That was a blow to Arca’s professional career, but instead of being discouraged, she took it as Krishna’s mercy to further cut her ties with the material world. She had faith that eventually someone, somewhere, would exhibit her new work or use it in Krishna’s service. She never completed “The Eye Opener,” partly because she got sick, partly because her other services demanded increasing amounts of her time. Her art was her only means of livelihood, but she was so immersed in Krishna consciousness that she just kept taking on more devotee projects—anything from designing incense packets to painting the personal deities of whoever asked.

Arca’s service to the devotees was incredible. She never held back. She was friendly to everybody and made everyone feel special and loved. One day, before I lived with Arca, I went to visit her. I knocked on the door, and when she opened it she exclaimed, “Oh, Kuntidevi!” with such joy. I thought, “Wow, she really likes me!” Then, about an hour later, somebody else came and knocked, and when Arca opened the door she greeted that person with exactly the same joy and enthusiasm. I was surprised and a little disappointed at first to realize that it wasn’t just me whom she liked so much, but then I realized what a special quality it was to be so warm and gracious, not just as a social mannerism but from a genuine love and appreciation in her heart for all kinds of people.

In the late eighties, Giriraj Maharaja became very ill on one of his visits to Johannesburg. Arca took charge of the situation and insisted on taking Maharaja to the hospital. There, they told us that if we had brought Maharaja even a few minutes later, he would have left his body. If Arca, in her fearless, spontaneous manner, had not taken charge, overriding the indecision and hesitation of others, the incident might have had a very different outcome.

Arca then insisted on taking Maharaja back to her house, where she could administer the proper care. This kind of arrangement was unheard of, but Arca knew what had to be done and just did it. A number of devotees moved in with her to help, and Arca did not spare any cost or effort to take care of Maharaja. She pushed all else aside. As she did with everything, she embraced the service of Maharaja’s care wholeheartedly, with full dedication and surrender, and poured every ounce of her being into it. She never held back from Krishna or His devotees.

Maharaja stayed at Arca’s house for many weeks, gradually gaining strength, and when he was strong enough to travel again, she accompanied him to Mauritius to make sure he would get the right kind of care and prasada. She trained the Mauritian devotees how and what to cook. And more than that, she trained all of us to take care of each other. At that time this kind of love and care was not really emphasized in ISKCON; we tended to be a bit regimented in our service and often neglected ourselves and others. But Arca taught us how to be personal and loving.

Arca’s cooking, like everything else she did, was superb. She was a very conscious cook, preparing food with the freshest, most wholesome ingredients. She never compromised on quality, even though she was sometimes criticized for spending extra money. Her salads were big bowls of nutritious art, perfectly cut and gorgeously assembled. Everything was done to create healthy and delicious offerings, but also with the same beauty and elegance that characterized everything she did.

She took equal care with her possessions. She had a juicer that she had received as a wedding present, and she took such good care of it that it was still in first-class condition thirty years later, even though she used it every day. This was one of the first practical lessons I learned from her—after every use to immediately take the machine apart, wash every piece, dry every part, put it together again, and pack it away. I learned how to take care of things and how to perform even simple tasks thoroughly. This may not seem like a very profound lesson, but Srila Prabhupada said that Krishna consciousness means to be conscious, and she taught me to become conscious of details.

Arca was also a friend with whom one could talk about anything and freely reveal one’s heart. She never indulged in gossip, and, in addition to being a good listener, she gave excellent advice. Many devotees, young and old, took shelter of her and confided in her, and she had the ability to see the uniquely beautiful qualities in each of us. She would often emphatically declare, “We should just use this one little incarnation for Krishna.” If she saw the need, she could also speak sternly to someone about correcting his or her behavior. Finally, in the end, Arca really had only one message: full surrender to guru and Krishna. There was no time to waste.

Arca’s devotion to Krishna was wonderfully spontaneous; she just followed her heart. Sometimes, while offering bhoga to her Deities, she would stop and say, “Wait, Lord Jagannatha, wait! I have something else for You!” Then she would run back to the kitchen, cut up an apple, and run back to the altar to complete the offering. She knew that bhakti was the most important offering of all and understood that the first principle of Deity worship was to remember that Krishna was a person and that we should treat Him with love. If something disturbed her, she would call out loud, “Krishna!” and when confronted with a difficult problem, she would say, “I will speak to Krishna,” and then she would talk to Him just like she would talk to a dear friend. We weren’t quite sure how to understand her spontaneity, but her relationship with Krishna was indisputably real.

She would befriend all kinds of devotees, even if they were shunned or ostracized by others. For example, in Vrindavan Arca made friends with one devotee who was extremely critical and offensive and welcomed him into her house. I was really concerned and could not understand why she had befriended him, so I asked Govinda Maharaja and Giriraj Swami what we should do about her association with this person. But eventually I realized that Arca was simply willing to give everyone a chance.

In the late eighties Arca traveled to India often and fell in love with Vrindavan. On one trip, she bought a plot of land and decided to build a house—one of the first Western devotees to do so. It was a struggle, and being a Western woman, she was cheated and taken advantage of, but still she persevered, selling her paintings in the West and returning to India, and in this way, with her going back and forth, the construction progressed.

Then, on Nrsimha-caturdasi in 1991, at a program at the Hillbrow temple in Johannesburg, Arca felt some pain just beneath her collarbone. She knew that the cancer had returned. Medical tests confirmed it, and the doctors’ prognosis was that she had only another seven to nine months to live.

Arca was devastated. We sat in her kitchen and pondered it all. She wanted to speak to her spiritual master, so we tracked down Giriraj Swami in Portugal. “Let go of everything,” he told her. “Go to Vrindavan and let Srimati Radharani take over.”

Arca took her guru maharaja’s words to heart and wholeheartedly surrendered her life to his instruction. Over the next few months, she wound up her affairs in Johannesburg, and in September 1991 she, her daughter Sara, and I left for Vrindavan—Arca-vigraha for good, Sara to help with the move, and me to be with Arca for what I thought would be a few months.

When we arrived in Vrindavan, Arca’s house was not yet ready, so for the first few months we lived in the temple guesthouse, at the far end of the outside passage, in a dark, unheated room with a cold-water shower. A group of aggressive monkeys lived on the adjacent boundary wall, and it was frightening even to step outside.

In time, the house was completed and we moved in. We were on a secluded lane nearby the temple and just off the parikrama path, diagonally across from Balaram Baba’s ashram, where the sound of kirtan could be heard twenty-four hours a day. There was a small goshala on the one side, and Sivarama Swami and B. B. Govinda Swami shared a house on the other. It was perfect.

From the beginning, Arca intended the house to be not just for herself, but as an offering to her spiritual master, a place for him to stay during his visits to the holy dhama. She would work and live on the ground floor, and the upper floor, with a separate entrance and quarters, would accommodate her guru maharaja. That was her mood: to offer everything to her spiritual master and Krishna.

Arca was a well-known figure in Vrindavan, and all the devotees were aware that now she had come to leave her body. Several, especially Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhu and Mother Vidya, helped her settle in, and serious devotees absorbed in cultivating Krishna consciousness were eager to help her attain her spiritual goals. Our lives became completely surcharged with the mood of Vraja.

B. B. Govinda Maharaja (at first still Ayodhyapati dasa) was already Arca’s friend, but now he also became her spiritual guide. Not knowing how long she had to live, he wanted her to deepen her relationship with Sri Vrindavan dhama. He would take us to the holy places in his big brown Food for Life van, and through him we developed a taste for the beauty of Krishna’s pastimes and dhama.

Govinda Maharaja came to see Arca almost every day. He had so much love and compassion and had been living in Vrindavan for so long that he was able to advise us both spiritually and practically. He would read to Arca, sing bhajanas, and bring his Deities over to stay with her. He was the best possible friend and benefactor, with his blend of down-to-earth humor and wisdom. Sometimes, when I would find my service challenging, he would tell me to just shower Arca with “love bombs.” Without his help and support and encouragement, I never could have accomplished my service to her. Arca adored Govinda Maharaja, and he really helped her.

Despite the dire prognosis handed down by the doctors in South Africa, Arca still had some health and vitality. She still wore beautiful, colorful saris, and her short hair remained a rich reddish color. And initially, for the first year or so, she continued to live a fairly normal life. She attended the full morning program at the temple, and almost every morning after mangala-arati, together with Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhu, we would do Vrindavan parikrama, taking a bath in the Yamuna along the way, and be back at the temple in time for greeting of the Deities.

We often went to Delhi to purchase household items for the new house, or to Jaipur for service and darshan—even as far as Bombay, where Giriraj Swami was based. One time, Govinda Maharaja took us for darshan of Sri Govindaji and Sri Gopinatha in Jaipur and Sri Madana-mohana in Karoli all in one day, because it is said that if one has had darshan of all three Deities on the same day, one has seen the complete form of Krishna. These experiences were drawing her deeper and deeper into spiritual consciousness.

All the shopkeepers and rickshaw wallas in Vrindavan knew Arca and respected her for leaving her comfortable life in the West to prepare for her departure in the holy place of Vrindavan. At times some of the Vraja-vasis would invite us to their homes for lunch, and we always accepted. People of all types and walks of life wanted to know Arca and serve her in some way. Everyone accepted me as her daughter, even though we explained that that was not our biological relation. To the Vraja-vasis, serving her like a daughter meant that I was her daughter, and I was afforded a degree of respect, even honor, for serving Arca this way.

Arca was always seeking ways to employ her skills and talents to render devotional service. Srila Prabhupada had said that by tradition in India, women did not go on the altar. So the idea of Arca painting the temple deities there was unheard of. But Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhu, who was serving as head pujari in Vrindavan and was also an artist, had arranged for her to paint Sri Sri Radha-Shyamasundara secretly at night. He was the first to arrive at the temple in the morning and the last to leave at night, so he was able to open the doors and let her in and out without anyone knowing. In Juhu also, after being requested, she would paint the deities at night; no one knew who was doing the beautiful work.

When Arca served like this, she would hardly sleep for weeks on end. I think that is one of the reasons she got so sick. She would be up all night on the altar and busy during the day. She was always very controlled, never sleeping much and eating only healthy food and even then not too much. But when she was absorbed in service, she would forget eating and sleeping entirely. And she couldn’t refuse any devotee who asked her to paint their deities or help with some project. This in turn endeared her even further to the devotees, with whom she forged close friendships.

Over time, Arca was able to use her artistic talent in the service of some very special projects. Once, a Gaudiya Vaishnava at Radha-kunda wanted to renovate Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami’s bhajana-kutira and was looking for an artist to paint a new portrait. It would be served and worshiped like a deity, nondifferent from the transcendental personality it represented, and since Radha-kunda was one of the most important holy sites, visited by millions of pilgrims every year, the painting had to look exactly like the one it was replacing, and the artist had to be carefully chosen. This young Vaishnava from Radha-kunda, who was friendly with Bhurijana Prabhu and his wife, Mother Jagattarini, asked them to help him find the right person—“but not a foreigner and not a woman.” So Bhurijana and Jagattarini asked Arca-vigraha to do the service, but secretly—she couldn’t even sign the painting or reveal herself as the artist.

On the day of the bhajana-kutira’s reopening, the painting was unveiled for all to see, and everyone thought it was wonderful. Then someone pointed to Arca-vigraha, who was sitting at the back of the assembly, and exclaimed, “And here is the artist!” We froze on the spot. But the local babajis were so enchanted with the painting that they no longer cared who had painted it. In fact, they requested Arca to also paint Jiva Goswami, and Ananta dasa Babaji, Radha-kunda’s chief mahanta, requested a meeting with Arca to thank her personally. Both paintings are still there at Radha-kunda, installed and worshiped.

Another wonderful service opportunity came when Govinda Maharaja arranged for Arca to paint a large govardhana-sila for the Houston ISKCON temple. We had never seen such a large sila, and it stayed with us for several weeks, while Arca contemplated how to paint the features. She was a perfectionist and never rushed a task, no matter what. She painted Giriraja with gorgeous, full lips and expressive lotus eyes. I had never seen a govardhana-sila painted quite like that. Usually silas had conchshell eyes and a simple, linear, half-moon smile. But Arca infused so much transcendental personality into the deities she painted. All her hearing and meditation on Krishna’s name, form, qualities, and pastimes were translated into her art.

She still wanted to complete some of her own projects too—to finish “The Eye Opener” and do something big for Srila Prabhupada. Bhurijana Prabhu once preached to her that not even Srila Prabhupada had been able to finish his work of translating Srimad-Bhagavatam, and this comforted her a little. But she never let up.

Even before we arrived in Vrindavan, Arca had already decided that she did not want chemotherapy or any other conventional cancer treatment. She decided to accept Ayurvedic care and eventually settled on that, but at first she was also open to a variety of alternative approaches, and strangers often approached her with claims of a cure. One local baba claimed that the cancer was the result of a ghost and prescribed a black rubber band to be worn around Arca’s waist; another recommended mantras and talismans invoking Hanuman, another one those invoking the lower spirits. Ananta-santi dasa, Srila Prabhupada’s first disciple in Russia, who had endured many hardships and was now wandering around India, an emaciated ascetic with his blond hair in a topknot, insisted that she go to the Himalayas to fast and submerge herself in icy cold water every day for forty days.

Initially we also injected an experimental homeopathic drug from Switzerland directly into the tumor. Due to the lack of proper medical facilities and personnel, I would often administer the injections myself, despite my lack of training. Eventually, with the help of a young Ayurvedic doctor, Liladhar Gupta—the son of a reputed Ayurvedic physician—she settled on a regimen of treatments that for a while seemed to soften and shrink the tumor. But whatever the treatment, Arca was adamant that she wanted to maintain a clear consciousness right until the moment of death.

In 1992 Arca contracted hepatitis, probably from drinking contaminated water, and as a result she could not tolerate any medicine. Then, while still struggling with the hepatitis, she developed a severe case of pneumonia. It was a battle for her life, and a great setback in her fight against the cancer. After this incident, we realized that there really was no hope of a cure or even an extended remission. More and more, Arca accepted the inevitable.

Despite the steady decline in her health, Arca continued to work at her art until almost the very end. She took inspiration from the verse tat te ’nukampam su-samiksamano—that if one is suffering but takes the misery as the mercy of Krishna, tolerates it, and takes the opportunity to become more serious about Krishna consciousness, he or she can earn the right to enter the kingdom of God. Although she was in such extreme pain—every doctor said that the type of cancer she had was the most painful—she never begrudged it but always took it as Krishna’s purifying mercy upon her.

Sometimes the local Vraja-vasis would affectionately joke about that “tough English woman” and say that she had been a yogi in a previous life. Many people thought that Arca was a very wealthy woman, but the truth was that she still had to work to earn the money she used for the house and her medical expenses. She would paint floral still lifes, for which there was a demand in South Africa, and her daughter, Sara, who served as Arca’s agent, would travel back and forth between India and South Africa, collecting the paintings, selling them, and bringing back the payment and more art supplies.

Although Arca was very sick at that time and the pain in her arm was almost unbearable, she would still paint. I would go into the fields in Vrindavan to collect flowers for her to paint. It wasn’t so easy to find flowers on stems in Vrindavan, because people there grow flowers mainly for garlands. So sometimes I would go to Khan Market in Delhi and pick out some beautiful flowers and bring them back to Vrindavan. We would arrange them in one of her colorful Rajasthani ceramic vases, and then she would just paint for days. It was a momentous effort every time. But she was so determined. Then we would have to package the paintings so that Sara could sell them. Arca was very particular about the packing. She did it with great care and precision and artistry, the way she did everything. I would watch her and help her, and eventually I was entrusted with doing the packing.

In addition to being an amazing devotee, Arca was a wonderful person. She was balanced—deeply absorbed in Krishna consciousness, but not fanatical or dogmatic.

Arca often said that we should see the divinity in everyone. She had great respect for all living entities—even the dogs. When she saw dogs suffering in Vrindavan, she would cry. Sometimes she would say that she was crying for the whole world. Of course, her emotions were heightened by her personal suffering, but she was always very sensitive.

She always had a sense of adventure and curiosity about life, even when she was sick and dying. At one stage, when she was still exploring different treatment options, we were going to many doctors and healers and going to different hospitals in Delhi and Mumbai. But through all of this, which was a very emotionally intense experience, Arca always maintained a sense of humor and compassion. Looking back on it now, I can see how incredible it was for her to have maintained this spirit under such circumstances. But back then I just saw it as an adventure—not only the physical adventure of traveling throughout India, but also a spiritual journey.

Arca still had commitments to her children. Her son, Michael, a brilliant and successful advertising executive in Canada, had suffered from a nervous breakdown, and Arca was very concerned about him and tried to help him through his struggle with stress and depression. Eventually he was able to overcome his problems and became a successful author and motivational speaker, often referring to her in his talks and books.

While Arca was still able to go out, we went on parikramas whenever we could, visiting the holy places. She had a special affinity for Vrindadevi, and we often drove to Kamyavana for Vrindadevi’s darshan. Later on, when Mother Daivisakti and Deena Bandhu Prabhu began the renovation of Vrinda-kunda, they arranged for Arca to paint the deity there. (Later, after Arca left, Guru Maharaja, Govinda Maharaja, and a few close devotees visited Vrinda-kunda, and Guru Maharaja mentioned to the pujari that Arca was sorry she could not finish her work on the deity. The pujari smiled, pointed upward, and replied, “Her service to Vrindadevi will be complete there.”)

All the while, Arca was aware that part of her process was to let go of her remaining material attachments, even natural, loving attachments like family and friends, and subtle ones like art—her paper, brushes, and paints. One of her final attachments, she said, was color. She understood how all the tastes and impressions we gather throughout a lifetime become imprinted on our hearts and how eventually we have to let them all go.

In the summer of 1993, when Arca, in frail health, could no longer tolerate the intense heat in Vrindavan, where there was still no air conditioning and even electricity was sporadic, we flew north to Kullu Manali, in the Himalayan foothills near India’s border with Tibet. While we were staying in the small village of Kullu, one young man invited us to visit his family, high in the mountain slopes. The only way to reach their village was by foot, a steep three-hour climb from Kullu, and there was no way Arca could make the trek, but she insisted I go. One morning the young man and I set out. The ascent was magnificent, with beautiful vistas of the surrounding mountain peaks and the river below. I knew Mother Arca would love it and resolved to bring her.

First our friend offered to carry her on his back. Then he said he could take her on a mountain horse, but she was too frail for such a bumpy ride. Reluctantly, we gave up the idea. At nine o’clock the next morning, however, our friend burst into our room and said, “Come, let’s go!” He had four other men with him, and they had crafted a special palanquin, or palki, for Arca, complete with curtains and a roof to shield her from the sun. For a reasonable sum, they would carry her up and down the mountain.

Arca loved the palki and was excited about the adventure. Not wanting to miss the beautiful scenery, she had us take down the curtain and the roof, and she made herself as comfortable as possible, sitting cross-legged, sketching. The palanquin bearers carried her with the utmost care and respect. She had that effect on people—everyone recognized her as someone special, and wherever we went around Kullu, people would offer respect and address her as “holy mother.”

Eventually we reached the village. First we visited the village temple, where there were a deity of Lord Ramachandra and a shiva-lingam. Then the boy took us further up the mountain to his family home. They lived in a simple log cabin, with sheep downstairs and the people above, overlooking groves of almond and apple trees. Huge hemp bushes grew wild.

Arca was fascinated by the villagers’ simple, self-sufficient way of life. They grew their own wheat, dal, and vegetables; herded sheep for wool; and kept short-legged Himalayan cows for milk. They ground their own atta and spun and dyed the wool to weave their famous Kullu shawls and tunics. Using the hemp, they made shoes.

With classic Indian hospitality, the mother offered us lunch. She gathered bundles of wheat, ground them in a stone grinder, and with this freshly-ground atta, hand-formed thick rotis. Then, squatting on the floor, with her baby playing in a corner, she cooked dal and a sabji of fresh, tiny eggplants with chili-masala stuffing. It was simple and delicious.

After lunch, we drank glacier water from a mountain stream. According to legend, the Pandavas, as well as many sages and rishis, had spent time in the area, and it wasn’t difficult to imagine these great devotees living there, drinking fresh water from the streams, eating fruits and berries from the trees, and meditating on God.

Arca gained a lot of inspiration from that trip up the mountain. She saw it as a symbolic journey—surveying from above the world she was leaving behind and embracing the world beyond.

One morning while we were still in Kullu, Arca woke up with intense pain. She could tell that the cancer had spread, so we immediately returned by bus to Delhi—a fifteen-hour journey winding down steep, narrow mountain passes. In Delhi we went straight to Batra Hospital to meet Dr. Ghosh, an oncologist whom she had previously consulted. He was very straightforward and told her that the cancer had come to a critical point; she did not have long to live.

Arca was shaken. The only thing she could do was try to manage the pain through radiation therapy. So we went back to Vrindavan for a few days, before returning to Delhi, to Batra Hospital, where she would receive a series of treatments.

She wanted her art equipment with her—her pencils and brushes and paints and papers—in case she felt inspired to work. We also took a portable kitchen—stoves, pots, and dry goods. And her special pillow, sheets, and personal effects.

The taxi left us at the hospital, and there were throngs of people. Struggling with all our luggage, we took our places in a long line leading to the front desk and eventually reached the admissions clerk. Our idea was that I would stay at the hospital with Arca and cook and take care of her. But the hospital refused. Hearing that, Arca turned around and walked out.

“We’re going to Kaya Maya,” she declared—to a nearby Ayurvedic clinic. So, we piled into an auto rickshaw, with Arca in the back on top of the luggage and me squeezed in next to the driver. When we arrived at Kaya Maya, however, we found that the facility was just a day clinic. Still, the manager agreed to give us a place to stay—a small dark room full of cobwebs, with a simple tap-and-toilet bathroom and another room, a crude cement structure with a tap and a basin, to use as a kitchen.

Every day people would come to consult “Guruji,” the clinic’s famous Ayurvedic kaviraja, and as they waited for hours in the courtyard, they would come right up to our door and window and stare at Arca and me. And Arca, also intrigued, would return their gazes, noting something unique and beautiful about each person, no matter how ordinary he or she seemed.

But she was very sick and in great pain. We had no transport to get back to the hospital, where she was receiving treatments, so every day I would walk down to the main road to hitchhike. When a car stopped I would tell the driver, “Just wait; I have to call my mother,” and run back up to get Arca.

Arca had been accustomed to having the best of everything, but here she was, far from country and family and modern facilities, accepting rides from strangers to a mediocre hospital. There, we met people from all over India and Nepal, some with huge tumors, like footballs, protruding from their bodies. It was difficult to be surrounded by so much suffering.

When the series of treatments was complete, we returned one last time to Vrindavan, where Arca became more and more absorbed in Krishna consciousness. She was like a great saintly person, finishing up her life on earth, and other saintly personalities came to see her, both to bless her and to receive her blessings. Giriraj Swami came to Vrindavan to be with her, and despite his duties in Bombay, he stayed with her until the very end. (Arca’s experience during this time convinced her of the need for a hospice in Vrindavan, and Maharaja promised her that he would establish one—which he did.) Govinda Maharaja still came every day, positioning his govardhana-sila in Arca’s line of vision and helping her focus on Krishna’s pastimes by recounting them and reading aloud. Tamal Krishna Goswami came every morning to read from the portion of Srimad-Bhagavatam known as the Venu-gita. Bhurijana Prabhu also came daily, and Sivarama Swami and Kesava Bharati Maharaja visited often. Sometimes they would all read to her from the Lalita-madhava, each reciting the part of a different character. She had retained her great taste for hearing and absorbed it all with enthusiasm. Sometimes, as she listened to the beautiful pastimes of Krishna in Vrindavan, her heart would melt and she would cry. Narayana Maharaja also came to bless her, as well as other senior Vaishnavas, and some of the senior female devotees would visit regularly and we would sing bhajanas together. The atmosphere was surcharged with profound spiritual energy, and as Arca in this way became more and more absorbed in Krishna consciousness, her focus shifted from her life and service in this world to her life and service in Goloka Vrindavan.

By Gaura-purnima of 1994, Arca was no longer able to eat. The tumor was pressing down on her food pipe and she couldn’t swallow. She wasn’t able to keep her Ayurvedic medicine down and was becoming increasingly dehydrated and weak; we were afraid she would fall into a coma. Just then, a wonderful devotee doctor from France—Gopaswami Prabhu, who had a certificate in hospice care—arrived in Vrindavan, and with his help we learned how to manage the different symptoms of her failing body. There was no hope or chance of recovery, but Gopaswami Prabhu showed us how to keep Arca’s body comfortable enough so that she could remain conscious, in keeping with her desire. She was often in great pain, and her body was barely more than a skeleton. But she still relished hearing Krishna’s pastimes—sometimes laughing, sometimes crying.

Arca had always said that she wanted only five devotees present at the time of her passing. For the previous few weeks, we had screened her visitors, allowing only her closest friends to visit. But on the night before she left her body, we sensed that the time was near, and there was an all-night kirtan and vigil to which everyone was welcome. Many devotees came, and everyone who wanted to serve her got the chance to do so. We took turns crushing ice and putting small amounts into her mouth.

Late the next morning—Jahnu-saptami, May 18—only Giriraj Swami, Nama Chintamani, Rasikananda, Krishna Kumari, and I were present.

At around noon Mother Arca-vigraha breathed in deeply a few times, flung her right arm backwards, and took her last breath. One tear ran from the corner of her right eye. There were tulasi leaves on her tongue and forehead, and she was surrounded by sacred objects. Giriraj Maharaja was chanting japa, and the recorded sound of Srila Prabhupada chanting filled the room.

Govinda Maharaja, who had been called away to attend to something urgent at the temple, returned moments later; then, after a few minutes, the door flew open and devotees poured in. Deena Bandhu Prabhu, Gauri dasa and the gurukula boys, and so many other devotees came in, and there was a beautiful kirtan. We bathed Arca’s body in water from Radha-kunda; decorated it with tilak; and painted the names of Radharani on different parts of her body, dressed it in a fresh white sari, placed it on a palanquin, and festooned it with garlands. Everything was so beautiful and auspicious.

The men then took Arca’s body on a procession to all the main temples in Vrindavan, starting at the Krishna-Balaram Mandir, and finally to the cremation ghat on the banks of the Yamuna. Arca’s closest friends and well-wishers—her guru maharaja, Govinda Maharaja, Bhurijana Prabhu, and others—lit her funeral pyre and stayed for hours, until it was all over.

By her own example, Mother Arca-vigraha taught us about wholehearted, unflinching faith and surrender to guru and Krishna. She showed us how to live with grace and dignity, and she showed us how to leave in the same manner. Her last few months had extracted from her the ultimate in surrender and purification, and by the time she passed away, her consciousness had become highly exalted.

Arca had taken her spiritual master’s instruction, “Just go to Vrindavan and let Radharani take over,” completely to heart. Her faith in guru and her love for Vrindavan had assured her complete victory, and there is no doubt that she entered the eternal pastimes of Radha and Krishna.

[A talk by Kuntidevi dasi on Mother Arca-vigraha’s disappearance day, May 9, 2000, in Carpinteria, California.]

On Jahnu-saptami twenty-five years ago His Holiness Giriraj Swami’s disciple Arca-vigraha devi dasi passed away from this world and went back to Godhead.

Mother Arca-vigraha and I were very good friends and had been friends for a long time. We first met in 1986, when she came to Vrindavan. Then, in 1987, I went to South Africa with Indradyumna Swami and we had some programs at her home in Yeoville.

Arca suffered from cancer. She got the news in late 1987, but she had some treatment done, and the doctors seemed to think that it had cleared up the cancer, but then she became affected again. She took some small treatment in South Africa, but by nature she wasn’t inclined to take a lot of heavy medications. She felt that she should depend more on her guru and Krishna. She wasn’t inclined to take heavy treatments that were likely to disturb her consciousness. That was a big factor for her: she didn’t want her Krishna consciousness to be affected. She wanted to always try to have a clear mind and consciousness so that she could meditate on the holy name and on the instructions of her spiritual master. She didn’t take the chemotherapy or other treatments they like to give in Western countries, which generally have the tendency to destroy a person suffering from such a disease.

Arca started coming to Vrindavan, and by the grace of Srimati Radharani and Krishna she was able to buy a plot of land in Vrindavan and build a house. She wanted to pass her final days there. I would say to her, “There are so many people in South Africa—twenty or thirty million—and out of them, how many have been blessed by Radha and Krishna to come to Vrindavan, purchase a piece of property, build a house, and live in that house in Vrindavan?”

So, she started staying there, and she took up service in Vrindavan, and because she was such a fine artist, she was always involved in different art projects. The last service she was given was to do the artwork for the large carved marble panels to be placed at the back of Srila Prabhupada’s samadhi.

Arca-vigraha was very serious about her work. In her final days she was in terrible pain, and her left arm was useless; the cancer was affecting her whole left side. Then the cancer grew and intruded upon her windpipe and esophagus, the food pipe, and eventually she couldn’t eat. She just stopped eating and was only drinking. She had no energy, and she became just like bones with some skin on top. But what would she do? She would ask the devotees caring for her to prop her up in bed, and then she would say, “Bring me my artwork,” and they would bring it to her. She was determined to do this service for Srila Prabhupada and the Vaishnavas. She would sit there, and with whatever little energy she had she would draw the designs of Prabhupada for those back panels. They were big panels, and she would cut out sections and put them together. Sometimes she could work for only five minutes before having to take rest, but then she would get up again, have the devotees bring her artwork back, and resume her work. She had so much transcendental determination.

Arca was like a different species of person. Sometimes I look at our present generation, and I have to admit that it is not very good. The postwar generation went down really fast—lack of honor, lack of credibility, lack of integrity. The world has become lost for want of integrity. People lie, say anything to achieve their end, to achieve sense gratification. They’ll say or do anything to get what they want as quickly as possible. I see this particularly in India, where I live, but I know it goes on everywhere. In India, I go mad at the lack of integrity. In contrast, in Srila Prabhupada’s generation, there were people who would die for principle. They had so much integrity, they would give their head for principle. Arca’s generation was like that, too. We find that generally the older people we meet are men and ladies of integrity and honor. And she was like that. She was a phenomenal person. And even though she was suffering from cancer and was in pain, she always held her head high. Her mentality was never that she wanted people to just come and pet her and give her consolation. What was her mentality? She was always trying to do good for others. Devotees were constantly coming to her. She would be suffering so much, but when devotees would come, she would immediately set herself upright and start preaching, preaching straight Krishna consciousness. She had so much character. She was so noble. And when the people would leave, she would collapse again. And then more people would come, and she would preach: “We are not this body. We should not identify with the pains and pleasures of this body. We should fix our mind on Krishna, fix the mind on the goal.”

After Gaura-purnima 1994, some young people from Bulgaria were in Vrindavan. They had become attracted to a famous yogi there. They had heard about him and come to Vrindavan because they thought, “He is our guru.” In Vrindavan they stayed with this yogi and found out that he was actually terrible: very angry at times and screaming and doing erratic things. So, these Bulgarians said, “We came all the way here, and we thought this guy was our guru, but he’s not.” They didn’t know what to do. They were coming by the Krishna-Balaram temple, and they met the devotees there and somehow the devotees introduced them to Giriraj Maharaja. So, they started coming over to listen to Giriraj Maharaja speak. They would come over to Arca-vigraha’s house, and we were doing a lot of reading there. There would often be kirtan, and on different occasions Arca would have the devotees sit her up and she would start preaching to these Bulgarian people. So much character. She had so much faith in Krishna and so much faith in the holy name. She was a unique personality.

I was Arca’s next-door neighbor, and every evening I would go over at about eight o’clock to check on how she was doing and how her day had passed. Up until Kartika 1993 she had been on her feet and was still moving and doing all right. But one evening at eight o’clock I walked into her house and what I found was not so pleasant. Arca was sitting on her bed crying and crying and crying. I had never seen her cry before. So, I walked over and asked what was wrong. “This pain is increasing every day,” she said. “I don’t know what to do.” I said, “You’re sure you don’t want to go to Delhi to take some treatment?” She said, “No, I don’t want to go that way; I don’t want my consciousness to be disturbed.” I used to argue with her about that, because I am the type that if I get a headache I take an aspirin. She wasn’t like that. She was tough. I used to argue with her about it, but it got to the point where it seemed that my arguments were exhausted. She was crying and saying, “I don’t know what’s going on with this pain. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me. I just don’t know. I just don’t know.”

Then I realized that the only thing to do was to speak about Krishna. So I got out the Krsna book and started reading about Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan. I said, “Mataji, there is no other medicine than this, so you just have to fix your mind on Krishna’s pastimes.” And I started reading to her about Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan. And I saw the most amazing thing: a person who just five minutes earlier had been weeping and crying—she just started listening to the pure recitation of Krishna’s pastimes, and her mind became absolutely absorbed. She was a phenomenal person, and she was an artist. She had an artist’s mind, and whenever she heard a beautiful description of Krishna, she could keep that impression in her mind. She would paint the whole scene within her mind and remain fixed on it.

So, I read her some stories about Krishna, and she became absorbed. When I started, she was crying, but when I finished, she was ecstatic. Then I went back to my place to take rest. The next day after the morning program, I came back to see how she was doing, and she told me that she had become so absorbed in hearing about Krishna—she had become so ecstatic from what we had read the previous night—that she couldn’t take rest and had stayed up until one o’clock just thinking about what we had read and discussed, and chanting japa. One amazing thing she said was, “When I was chanting japa, all I could think about was what you had read me from the Krishna book. It was the best japa I have ever chanted in my life, because I was chanting Krishna’s holy name and thinking about Krishna at the same time.” She became completely enlivened. It reminded me of when Srila Prabhupada came back to Vrindavan for the last time before he passed away. He said, “My diet is caranamrta, and my medicine is the holy name.” So that became her principle and policy too. Her diet became practically nothing, and her medicine became Krishna’s holy names and pastimes.

Because Arca was such a fine person, a lot of people in the Vrindavan community had a lot of love for her. So it was nonstop—from morning to night—that people were coming to her house to have the opportunity to be able to just sit and read from Prabhupada’s books for her. There was practically a queue, and for Arca it was exhausting. Here was a cancer patient who was going through her final stages, so she wanted to have some time to rest during the day, but from morning to night people were lining up to come and see her and read for her. So she would invite everyone and listen. Braja Bihari would read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, and I would read from Krsna book and Srimad-Bhagavatam, and different devotees would come, and they just wanted to read for Arca, because her mentality was, “I have to fix my mind on Krishna, I have to fix my mind on Krishna, I have to fix my mind. The best things for me to fix my mind on Krishna are the names and the pastimes of Krishna.” She just wanted to hear. She became very greedy and enthusiastic simply to hear about Krishna. That went on through the course of the winter.

One time, Arca put me in a predicament. In January of that year I had prepared everything to go abroad for a preaching tour. Everything was arranged, and I had told Arca that I was going, because I had really been helping her a lot. Then the night before I was to leave, she took her medicine as usual, but because the pipe in her throat was closing up, she started choking. She practically choked to death—but she survived. She became very nervous. When I went to see her the next day, I was getting ready to leave, and she said, “My guru maharaja can’t come here at this time. I’m really worried that I might die very soon, and I’d like to have one of my spiritual authorities here (she saw me as a siksa-guru) when I pass away. Please don’t go now on your preaching tour.”

It was a big shock. I had everything arranged, and I was ready to just get on the plane and fly. She said, “Please don’t go now, because I may die at any time.” So, I didn’t know what to do. I consulted some senior devotees at the Krishna-Balaram temple and explained the situation, that I had been requested to stay, and asked them, “What is your opinion?” Three or four different devotees came back with the same opinion, that we are continually traveling throughout the world and preaching to people that they should become devotees of Krishna, and so many people are surrendering and becoming devotees of Krishna, and once they surrender and give their lives to Krishna, at that last moment of their life when they need help as well, we shouldn’t abandon them. These devotees, whom I considered my authorities, requested, “Perhaps you should stay on here in Vrindavan and help.” So I chose to do that.

Things were going on. I had service in Vrindavan, so I stayed and did my service, and I was helping Arca-vigraha. Her condition was going down day by day, but she always maintained, “I have to hear.” Despite how bad she felt, “I have to hear about Krishna, I have to hear about Krishna.” She was becoming like a materialistic person who is eager for money, but she was becoming eager for Krishna: “I just have to hear about Krishna.” That continued until Gaura-purnima.

At Gaura-purnima her situation really started to decline. Her condition just went down and down, and she was becoming weaker and weaker, with more pain and more pain. Between Kartik and close to Gaura-purnima, Giriraj Maharaja had not been able to come to Vrindavan. Finally, immediately after the GBC meetings in Mayapur, he came, with the idea to spend some time there. It was interesting, because when Arca-vigraha would ask me about her spiritual position, I would speak to her as I had heard Srila Prabhupada preach: “Simply fix your mind on Krishna and understand Krishna, and punar janma naiti—there’ll be no more birth and death, and you’ll go back to Godhead. Just fix your mind on hearing Krishna’s names and pastimes, and you’ll go back to Godhead.” So, when Giriraj Maharaja came and in one of his first meetings with Arca-vigraha asked, “How are you doing?” she replied, “Everything is fine. The material situation is hopeless, but spiritually everything is fine. I’m fixing my mind. I’m going back to Godhead.” When Giriraj Maharaja heard his disciple saying, “I’m fixing my mind; I’m going back to Godhead,” he might have felt that was a bit bold, or presumptuous. She was thinking, “I’m getting enthused, I’m getting determined, I want to go back to Godhead, I want to get out of this material world, I want this to be the last time.”

So, he came over to my house, and he was in one of those very deep, deep, thoughtful moods. He wasn’t really saying anything. When eventually I asked, “What’s up, Maharaja?” he replied, “I just went to see Arca-vigraha.” “So, what’s up?” “She’s thinking that she will go back to Godhead.” I looked up and said, “Yes, I think she’ll go back to Godhead, too. Don’t you think she’ll go back to Godhead?” He said, “But I’ve heard that Madhavendra Puri was crying and Rupa Gosvami was crying and Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was crying, just hoping against hope to go back to Godhead, to attain the service of Radha and Krishna, and here she is—she’s chanting and she’s hearing, but she’s just assuming that she’s going to go back to Godhead. It doesn’t seem like she has the right mood.” I said, “Well, I think that Krishna has a special plan for each and every one of His devotees. For us, people who have taken up Krishna consciousness from the West and are following Srila Prabhupada and his instructions, we should constantly hear about Krishna. I think Krishna will construct a special program just for Arca-vigraha to take her back to Godhead.”

Then I asked Maharaja, “What thing enlivened you the very most in your entire life?” He thought and then replied, “The thing that enlivened me the most was when I would sit before Prabhupada and hear him speak Krishna consciousness.” Giriraj Maharaja was already planning to spend some time in Vrindavan, so I said to him, “I think that your prime responsibility and duty now, as Arca-vigraha’s spiritual master, is to sit with her and discuss with her about Krishna.” Maharaja was very serious. “I have to go now,” he said. And he left.

Maharaja took our discussion quite seriously, and he devised a schedule by which he was able to spend a great deal of quality time with Arca-vigraha. What was he doing when he was with her? He would sit there with Srimad-Bhagavatam. Any of you who have been to Vrindavan may have seen the big red chair in Arca-vigraha’s room. He would sit there in the red chair, and the rest of us would sit nearby—and from morning until night he would read Srimad-Bhagavatam or Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. He was just pouring the nectar of Krishna into the ears of his disciple. It was nonstop, incessant. I would come over from my place twice a day. The reading would have been going on for many hours, and I would come in to be with the devotees and we would start having bhajana and kirtan. That would go on for a few hours, and then the reading would start again. A big program was developed for just hearing about Krishna. Hearing about Krishna is the real medicine, the medicine to relieve us from birth and death, and that was her program.

There was another interesting time. Srila Rupa Gosvami wrote some dramas, which are discussed in the Caitanya-caritamrta. He wrote one called Lalita-madhava and one called Vidagdha-madhava. Vidagdha-madhava is about Krishna’s activities in Vrindavan, and Lalita-madhava is about His activities when He left Vrindavan and went to Dvaraka—a super beautiful play, the most beautiful play you could ever read in your life. One day someone may make a dramatic presentation of that play, and it will be beautiful. There are so many feelings of separation. It’s a ten-act play. In the first act Krishna is in Vrindavan and then, in the third act, Krishna leaves Vrindavan and goes to Mathura, and all the Vrindavan people are just cast into a terrible ocean of separation. And then, through so many dramatic devices, Srila Rupa Gosvami describes how all the people who were in Vrindavan rejoin Krishna in Dvaraka. So much intrigue, so many funny words, so many funny jokes. Rupa Gosvami is the most beautiful, fantastic poet that has ever existed.

So, that play, Lalita-madhava, has many different characters. And we did one thing for Arca-vigraha. Giriraj Maharaja, my friend Sivarama Swami, Kesava Bharati Maharaja, and Tamal Krishna Goswami, who were all in Vrindavan, all went over to Arca’s house and started reading Lalita-madhava, and we would each take a different character in the play, like we were actually performing the play. We were all assuming different voices and trying to read with feeling, and this amazing drama was being enacted right there in the house of Arca-vigraha. We read the whole play. It was something amazing.

So, we would just go on like that, reading and reading and reading. And I could see that Arca never tired of hearing about Krishna. It is described that this is the mentality of a devotee. A devotee never becomes satiated hearing about Krishna. Sometimes, because we have the diseased type of mentality described by Rupa Gosvami as jaundiced, it is as if our tongue has jaundice and cannot taste the sweetness of Krishna’s name or pastimes. But when that jaundice is cured, we can just go on relishing more and more. And that was the situation. It was a high, high intensity program of simply hearing about Krishna, hearing the philosophy of Krishna, hearing the pastimes of Krishna, and hearing kirtan of the holy name of Krishna. This is how Arca spent her final days in this world. And even though Arca’s suffering was becoming more and more intense, she was actually very peaceful.

At a certain point we came to realize that because Arca’s throat was closing up, she couldn’t drink, and the thing that would actually finish her life was not going to be the cancer but dehydration. At one stage she did become dehydrated, so I called the doctor and he put her on a drip, and she became resuscitated and full of life again. So we thought that putting her on the drip had improved the quality of her life and her situation. She said, “The quality of life may be there, but then the pain also comes back.” Later, she was becoming dehydrated again. My principle in dealing with her was that she was in control. I never made decisions about her independently. So when it became obvious that we would have to give her another drip, we asked her, “What is your decision?” She said, “Now I’m ready to go.” So we didn’t give her the drip. We fed her water by spoonfuls, and at the end of her life she couldn’t take even water; her caregivers would crush ice and put little bits in her mouth, and it would melt and trickle down her throat. And she very peacefully lay in her room hearing about Krishna from morning until night.

At that point all of us had more or less been staying up all day and all night, so it was becoming difficult, but on the night before Arca passed away, some devotees organized an all-night kirtan. The next morning, Giriraj Maharaja came down and started preaching to Arca and reading from Srimad-Bhagavatam and discussing Krishna’s activities in each section. Later he simply sat next to her bed and chanted japa. I was called over to the temple to do some work in the Food for Life office, and at about eleven o’clock that morning, while I was standing in the office, someone came over to tell me to come quickly to Arca’s house, because she was having difficulty breathing. When I arrived, Giriraj Maharaja was chanting the names of Krishna, and when I looked at Arca-vigraha, she had already left her body. It was actually a very auspicious situation.

The ladies prepared Arca’s body to be carried to the Yamuna. The devotees from the temple came, and we had kirtan. The devotees lifted up Arca’s body, and we performed parikrama of the Krishna-Balaram mandir. We put her body at the gate of the temple with her head facing the feet of Sri Sri Krishna-Balaram, Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, and Sri Sri Radha-Shyamasundar. We had kirtan there for some time, and then we set out for the Yamuna. In India when there’s a funeral procession the ladies stay back, so the ladies stayed back. We went by all the major temples of Vrindavan with a big kirtan procession. Then, on the banks of the Yamuna, we had the cremation ceremony of Arca-vigraha, and then we all took bath in the Yamuna and returned to the temple in the evening.

Arca was not an ordinary person in any sense of the word. She was a famous artist in South Africa, and her nickname there was “Angel,” because she was such an angelic person. You always think an angel wants to do good for you, and that was Arca’s mood. She never wanted to stop doing good for the devotees. She was like the best mother you could ever have. I used to joke with her—she was born in a Jewish family, and there are so many jokes about the characteristics of Jewish mothers—that I had preached in Israel and had done so many things in relationships with Jewish people, but I had never had a Jewish mother, and now Krishna had arranged it. She was always caring for the devotees. She never stopped preaching or trying to encourage people. Her life was exemplary.

Today, as I think about Arca, there are two things that strike me: one, how she cared for other people and didn’t care for herself, and two, how fortunate she was to leave her body in Vrindavan and go through that high-intensity program of hearing about Krishna. When Srila Prabhupada came to Vrindavan to leave, he said that to be born in Vrindavan is good, to live in Vrindavan is better, but to die in Vrindavan is best. He had been on one last tour, and the devotees had brought him back to Bombay, and he was lying there in his new quarters in Juhu. He was very weak. Sometimes the devotees would meet around Prabhupada’s bed and discuss what to do, and Prabhupada would pretty much just lie there silently, not saying anything. Then one day after they had been discussing what to do—“Should Srila Prabhupada go to Vrindavan or stay in Bombay?”—one of my godbrothers, Kuladri, said, “Srila Prabhupada, it seems to me that you are waiting for Krishna to make some decision on whether you stay or go. If you are going to wait for Krishna’s decision, that might as well be in Vrindavan.” Thereupon Srila Prabhupada smiled and said, “Yes, that is very good advice.” And then the devotees arranged for his travel back to Vrindavan.

Arca was so fortunate. She wasn’t born in Vrindavan, but at the end of her life Krishna gave her the opportunity to live in Vrindavan, and He gave her the opportunity to die in Vrindavan. And Krishna gave her that opportunity because she was such a fine person. She was always making endeavors to help everyone else, and at the end of her life Krishna allowed her spiritual master to stay there and help her. It was a very wonderful situation, and she was a very wonderful person.

So, we should remember Arca-vigraha and pray for her mercy, that we may develop the quality to always be able to help other people and the quality to always be able to hear about Krishna and have great faith in Krishna’s names and Krishna’s pastimes.

—Bhakti Bhrnga Govinda Swami