ECO-Vrindaban Board Meeting Minutes 12/09/2018

Mission Statement: ECO-Vrindaban promotes cow protection, local agriculture, and above all, loving Krishna, as envisioned by Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON New Vrindaban’s Founder-Acharya.

Participating Directors: Anuttama, Chaitanya Mangala (chair), Jamuna Jivani (board secretary), Makara, Olivia, Ranaka, and Vraja.

Participating Advisors: Kripamaya.

1. Ranaka’s Monthly Report

Lalita Gopi (Temple Barn)

• Milking eight cows at the Temple Barn: Lakshmi, Subhadra, Sriya, Jamuna, Malati, Surabhi, Anjali, and Usha. They are producing approximately 20 gallons of milk per day.
• Anandavidya is making approximately 30-40 lb of butter each week, although it is hard to measure because he has not been putting it in molds since the Deity cooks are using it in large quantities for ghee.
• The vet visited to trim Malati’s hooves and checked on Vamsika at Nandagram. He confirmed she is approximately 2.5 months pregnant.
• Ray installed the new hundi at the Temple Barn to securely collect donations.
• Sriya is being dried off for rebreeding and will soon go to visit Madhu the bull at Nandagram.
• The new ECO-V bags have been very useful. Lalila Gopi is keeping a supply at the barn and offering them for $10 each when a bag is needed.
• We are providing bedding for the cows and leaving open the barn door for the cows to come in for shelter from the winter elements.
• We are temporarily not feeding hay on the hill above the barn due to wet and muddy weather conditions.
• The new “Do not feed the cows during milking” signs are proving effective.

Ray (General Farm Hand)

• Mounted two new tractor tires on the front of the 5095M John Deere tractor.
• Moved the last three cows from the Bahulaban pasture to their winter quarters at the Valley Barn.
• Repaired pasture fence at Valley Barn.
• Continues moving hay as needed from the Valley Barn to the Nandagram and Temple barns.

Caitanya Bhagavat (Nandagram & Bahulaban)

• Daily barn maintenance and general cow care: feeding hay, filling the stock tanks with water two to three times per day, bed packing, counting the cows and checking on the cows’ health and well-being at Nandagram and Bahulaban. Also, he is performing similar duties at the Valley Barn on the weekends.
• Caring for Tulasi’s medical needs, as she is geriatric.
• Caring for Madusudhana the sire bull and Vamsika the cow, who are at Nandagram for breeding.

Suchandra (Community & Teaching Gardens)

• Her part-time winter crew consists of Monique and Sara
• The crew has been preparing gardens for spring and shutting down operations for the winter:
• Planted fall lily and gladiola bulbs at the Teaching Garden.
• Have covered most of the lily/gladiola beds with hay.
• Dug up cannas at the Teaching Garden.
• Stored all ground cover to save for next year.
• Re-planted mums where they can re-grow next year.
• Pulled down the bitter melon and loki vines at the Teaching Garden and Vidya’s Garden.
• Started making cages for next year’s tomatoes and vines.
• Began measuring and mapping of the gardens for next year.
• Planned the seed order for the coming year

Lila (Nandagram Garden)

• She shut down the Nandagram Garden for the season and will resume in late February.

Radhanath das (Vidya’s Garden)

• He and Dharma Raj cleaned out the garden from dead plants, removed ground cover, and added the cow manure. There are only a few beds left, which will be finished by spring.
• Prepared pots with soil for planting the next batch of flowering bulbs (narcissus, amaryllis, and hyacinths).
• Continued preparations for next year by finalizing the seed and supplies orders and devised strategies and goals for next season.

Ranaka

• Vidya, Suchandra, Radhanath das, Monique, Lalita, Caitanya Bhagavat, Ray, and Ranaka met with Kacey Gantzer to hear about greenhouses and high tunnels. These structures would allow us to extended the growing season for some crops and flowers, and would yield a more even flow of harvesting throughout the growing season while reducing the labor input. Kacey is committed to working with us throughout the implementation process.

2. External Grant Request: $15K for Gopal’s Garden School 2018-19 Academic Year

WHEREAS: The ECO-V Board wishes to continue its support of a school in the New Vrindaban community.

RESOLVED: The Board approves a grant of $15K for Gopal’s Garden 2018-19 school year.

Here’s a link to the ECO-Vrindaban website.

For regular updates, please visit, like and follow the ECO-V Facebook page.

Makara Sankranti Seva opportunity! Today is the auspicious day of giving Charity- Makara Sankranti , when the sun enters Makara ( scorpio), is a special muhurta especially glorified for offering charity( annadana) by Vishnu Smrti. Hence, this day is known as Punya Kala- that yields unlimited spiritual credits.Contribute generously to feed Vaishnavas for Gaura Purnima […]

The post Makara Sankranti Seva opportunity! appeared first on Mayapur.com.

The Sun, a popular British Newspaper with sales of around 1.5 million copies daily has featured Prince Harry and his wife Meghan on the front cover with the headline “Harry Krishna” after the Prince revealed that he meditates daily. Whilst he is not chanting the mahamantra, for the British press to make the connection between meditation and our movement is very powerful. Prince Harry practices a form of Buddhist meditation. On a visit to a cafe and supermarket that sells discounted food to people on low incomes, they met a 69-year-old Buddhist monk who gave Harry a copy of a book entitled 8 Steps to Happiness after the Prince told him that he meditates every day. This revelation came as the couple visited Birkenhead on the Wirral peninsula for engagements, including a walkabout in the town centre. Continue reading "Harry Krishna
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Lord Krishna never allows His devotee to become proud (video)
Srimad Bhagavatam Class by HH Subhag Swami at Iskcon Kolkata, J...

Giriraj Swami, Vishvambara das, Nityananda das and Rtadvaja Swami spoke on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.18 at the housewrming celebration of Balaram Prasad das and Siddhesvari dasi

Giriraj Swami singing Mangalacarana and Kirtan
Talks by Giriraj Swami, Vishvambara das, Nityananda das and Rtadvaja Swami

Answer Podcast

The post Is Krishna present in the book Bhagavatam – is he also present in a digital book? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Once, when King Sagara wanted to perform an ashvamedha yajna, Indra stole his sacrificial horse. 

The king sent his 60,000 sons to find it, and they found it next to Kapila Muni’s ashram, where Indra had hidden it. Mistaking Kapila Muni for the thief, the sons accused Kapila Muni, who in his wrath at the false accusation burned the sons to ashes. 

Later, having compassion for King Sagara’s sons, Kapila Muni agreed to the restoration of the sons if Ganga would descend to earth to perform the last ritual of mixing the ashes with her holy water.

King Bhagiratha, who was a descendent of King Sagara, performed severe austerities to induce Ganga, who at that time only flowed in heaven, to come to earth and free the 60,000 sons. 

The Ganga Sagara festival is held annually on Sagara Island’s southern tip, where the Ganges enters the Bay of Bengal. Nearby is a temple of Kapila Muni.

Satyaraja Dasa: Most systems of Indian philosophy endorse the notion that, in some sense, all living beings are one with God. Some would say that spiritual philosophy in general – East and West – is based on the premise of oneness, suggesting an ontological unity for all that is. The reasoning is straightforward: Since everything emanates from God, and since God is absolute, then His emanations partake of His essential nature, even if they exist in temporary forgetfulness.* Thus, ultimate spiritual vision, according to this line of thought, breaks down all barriers and allows us to see the truth of our essential oneness with God.

Today, January 14, Makara-sankranti, marks the anniversary of the grand opening of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari’s temple and cultural complex in Juhu, Bombay. Two days after the opening, The New York Times ran an article on the front page of its second section, with the headline “Hare Krishna Sect Displays Vitality At Its New $2 Million Temple in India”: “JUHU, India, Jan. 15—Several hundred members of the Hare Krishna sect, chanting and singing and clapping, opened a $2 million temple and cultural center here this weekend in a colorful festival of devotion. “To the young American monks of the movement the dedication of their sumptuous carved marble temple on the Arabian seacoast here, 10 miles north of Bombay, symbolized a kind of coming of age of the sect, which they hope is becoming less controversial. Continue reading "Celebrating the Juhu Temple Opening
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Today, January 14, Makara-sankranti, marks the anniversary of the grand opening of Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari’s temple and cultural complex in Juhu, Bombay.

Two days after the opening, The New York Times ran an article on the front page of its second section, with the headline “Hare Krishna Sect Displays Vitality At Its New $2 Million Temple in India”:

“JUHU, India, Jan. 15—Several hundred members of the Hare Krishna sect, chanting and singing and clapping, opened a $2 million temple and cultural center here this weekend in a colorful festival of devotion.

“To the young American monks of the movement the dedication of their sumptuous carved marble temple on the Arabian seacoast here, 10 miles north of Bombay, symbolized a kind of coming of age of the sect, which they hope is becoming less controversial.

“ ‘We are gaining a broader base among the general public, in both India and America,’ explained Tamal Krishna, a 32-year-old New Yorker who is a member of the organization’s 23-member governing board. ‘We’re learning that there’s no way we’re going to give Krishna consciousness a general appeal if we make everyone shave their heads and chant “Hare Krishna” all day long.’

“But like most leaders of the movement, Tamal Krishna, who was named Thomas Herzig when he was growing up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, does have a shaved head, a saffron?colored flowing garment called a dhoti and streaks of Ganges River mud on his forehead. Like all of them, he chants this mantra at least 1,728 times a day: “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”

“The chant, which has been sung with stomping feet on hundreds of American street corners in the 12 years since the International Society for Krishna Consciousness was started in New York, was the motif of the weekend here. Crowds shouted it to the beat of drums and cymbals as each statue of Krishna was anointed, as each of the huge teak and brass temple doors was opened and as marigolds and bananas were laid in offering beside the silver?plated altars.

“But one difference between this celebration and the performances in the United States was reflected in the fact that India’s Health Minister and other high Government officials were among the speakers at the dedication ceremony, lending respectability. As a saffron-clad monk from Miami Beach put it, ‘When we come to India, we are coming home.’

“Spiritualism is common to Indians, and several thousand of them visited the new temple here during the opening ceremony, joining enthusiastically in the chant of homage to Krishna, a Hindu god, and responding with alacrity when the American monks greeted them in the Hindu fashion, palms pressed together under their chins, as if in prayer.

“But the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is still essentially American, as it has been ever since it was founded by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, an Indian?born ascetic who went to New York in 1965 with the idea of combining Indian spiritual wisdom and American resourcefulness—a lame man and a blind man helping each other to walk, in the analogy he used to make.

“By the time of his death two months ago at the age of 81, Swami Prabhupada had built up a movement that has 10,000 full?time monks and an annual income, its present leaders say, of $16 million from the sale of its books—mostly the swami’s translations and interpretations of the ancient Vedic scriptures.

“The Hare Krishna people (a term they use themselves) are reluctant to disclose the details of their finances. But it is known that they have at least a few very substantial donors, including George Harrison, the former Beatle, and Alfred Ford, a great grandson of the founder of the Ford Motor Company and a nephew of Henry Ford 2d. In the last few years the society has acquired working farms in several American states, as well as two dozen big urban properties, including a 14-story temple and hotel at 340 West 55th Street in New York, which it bought for $1 million.

“Another sign of what its leaders like to think of as its move into the Establishment was a ruling in Queens last year by Justice John J. Leahy of the State Supreme Court. He turned aside allegations of brainwashing and ruled that the members of the movement should be allowed to ‘practice the religion of their choice.’

“To the Hare Krishna people, that ruling drew the line between their sect and what they disdain as ‘the modernistic cults,’ such as the Children of God. They also see a great distinction between themselves and the thousands of other young Americans attracted by Indian mysticism in the fact that instead of the self?indulgence offered by some swamis, Krishna consciousness demands an extraordinarily rigorous routine in which gambling, smoking, drinking, taking drugs, and eating meat, eggs and fish are all forbidden, as is any sexual activity that does not have conception as its immediate goal.

“But beyond the extremely religious vanguard, there is a growing body of other members of the faith who believe to one extent or another in the society’s interpretation of the ancient texts of Lord Krishna. The society, which regards itself as the most orthodox exponent of Hinduism, decrees that spiritual purification, through the omnipresent Lord Krishna, can lead to a life free of anxiety and to ‘pure, unending, blissful consciousness.’

“Its leaders say there are tens of thousands of sympathizers in America and perhaps more than that attending its temples in India. Tamal Krishna, who is called His Holiness and carries a six?foot orange staff as a symbol of complete control over his senses, looks toward a day when Krishna consciousness will be unexceptional in American society.

“ ‘When you go to the factory or the office and the guy at the next bench or the next desk is a Krishna follower, then we won’t be regarded as weird anymore,’ he said. ‘And believe me, that day is coming.’ ”

The article carried two photos, one with the caption “A young American Krishna follower gives Sanskrit discourse to Indian counterparts at festivities,” and the other with “Hare Krishna devotees chanting at dedication of their new temple in Juhu, India, on Saturday.”

The January 30 edition of Newsweek carried nearly a full page about the opening in color, a rare feature for the time, with the heading “KRISHNA-BY-THE-SEA.” At the top of the page was a photo of the diorama of Srila Prabhupada standing in Tompkins Square Park, next to one of the new temple and guesthouse, with the caption “Rags to riches: Diorama of swami teaching, $2 million complex.”

“The rituals performed,” the article stated, “were as old as India itself—the Sanskrit chants, the sacrificial ?re, the bathing of the marble deities in sacred Ganges water—but the celebration was essentially American. For three days last week, several hundred saffron-robed U.S members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness descended on a fashionable beach resort in suburban Bombay to dedicate their new $2 million temple complex, complete with hotel, library, theater and neon signs that flash such blessings as YOUR LIFE WILL BE SUBLIME. The affair was aimed at establishing a legitimacy for the Krishna-consciousness movement, founded in a Greenwich Village storefront twelve years ago by Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who died last November. Today, the movement numbers only 10,000 devotees, half of them in the U.S. Still, the sect—which forbids meat, alcohol, tobacco and illicit sex—claims to earn close to $20 million a year, largely from sales of the prolific swami’s writings.

“The dedication ceremonies attracted 15,000 spectators, including Indian Health Minister Raj Narain. ‘It is amazing to me,’ he said, ‘that now Westerners have taken to the ancient Indian culture just when we are losing it.’ ”

At the bottom was a photo of the procession on Juhu Beach and one of a devotee speaking at the foot of Prabhupada’s vyasasana. The caption read, “Spreading the swami’s word: A joyous procession on the beach, a devotee lecturing inside the temple.” At the front of the procession was a portable seat with a photo and a small brass deity of Srila Prabhupada, and standing near the deity, I was fanning him with a camara. The devotee preaching in the temple was Tamal Krishna. At the front of the magazine was a small photo with the caption “Barry Came with a Krishna follower” (Gopal Krishna) and a preview of the main article.

“The rituals were as old as India itself,” the preview began, “but the celebration was essentially American. Hundreds of U.S. members of the movement for Krishna consciousness dedicated their flashy new temple last week in a beach resort near Bombay—and Barry Came joined 15,000 Indians during the devotions.”

I thought of how perfectly Krishna—or Srila Prabhupada—had arranged everything. There I was fanning Prabhupada, happy in my position as his simple servant. And there was Tamal Krishna sitting behind one of Prabhupada’s books, his right arm extended, preaching forcefully on Prabhupada’s behalf—his natural position. And Gopal Krishna, who always worked with the media, was shown with the reporter.

It all seemed perfect. Mukunda, who was responsible for the coverage, had done a great job. I thought how happy Prabhupada would have been to see it—how major news media were recognizing and appreciating his and ISKCON’s progress “from rags to riches.” I could just picture him smiling broadly, his eyes wide open—beaming with pleasure.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

Distributing 1,11000 Plates of Prasadam all over Mumbai (Album of photos)
Prasadam Distribution festival at ISKCON JUHU 14th ...

New York Bhakti Center’s Year in Review.
A YEAR OF GROWTH, STRENGTHENING, AND TRANSFORMATION!
The Bhakti Center exists to provide a spiritual home for an ever-growing number of New Yorkers. Over this past year, our management, staff, and wider family applied themselves with increased determination to their spiritual practices (sadhana); invested in relationships with one another (sanga), and offered countless hours in heartfelt service (seva). The results are evident in the smiles that decorate the hundreds of faces that move up and down our staircases each day.
2018 has seen unprecedented growth in attendance for all of our programs—most notably for kirtan, yoga and wisdom classes. Our community groups continue to be a bedrock of nourishment and have even sprouted up beyond Manhattan to homes in Brooklyn and New Jersey.
With funds raised last year, we have upgraded long-neglected areas of the building like the reception and the back of the temple room. With the help of our community of friends and supporters, this year’s fundraising efforts have brought us closer than ever to paying off our mortgage—assuring the offering of the building in service for generations to come.
We offer our heartfelt gratitude to you and request that you continue to join hands with us to help the Bhakti Center fulfill its highest potential. It’s our firm belief that the path of progress shown by our teachers holds the key to true inner transformation, and our intention is that together we may continue to experience it and share it with New York City and the entire world.
Gratefully in service,
Virabhadra Rama das Executive Director
To read the entire 44-pages pdf online please click here: https://goo.gl/AMqPCv

Teaching visitors at Balinese Vishnu temple on the mountain to chant the maha-mantra (Album of photos and videos
Srila Prabhupada: “Although Kali-yuga is full of faults, there is still one good quality about this age. It is that simply by chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 12.3.51 Purport)
Find them here: https://goo.gl/MVh85p)

Kripamoya Das: Krishna is the Original Soul. If they were able, all souls could trace their ultimate origin to Krishna, the origin of everyone and everything. Just as the body has a soul within, so the soul also has a soul. The Soul of the soul is known as Atma-atma. But this Soul is never trapped or compromised as the individual soul is. This Soul remains ever free and above all. He is therefore known as the Over Soul or Superior Soul, or Supersoul, the Param-atma.

HELP FROM KRISHNA!
Sacinandana Swami: On Sunday I took my bicycle and cycled to one of my favourite benches at the lake. I felt exhausted and brain tired after a whole week of intensive writing. Any inspiration was highly welcome. Two swans saw the lonely monk (me) on the bench and gave me company – but they could not help.

From 6am to 9 am the devotees gathered at the Gopinath Hotel and from there went for darsana of Gambhira, Siddha Bakul, Sveta Ganga and Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya’s house. Puri is of the utmost importance for our sampradaya. Here Caitanya Mahaprabhu spent his last eighteen years and displayed His pastimes. At the back of the sea, He performed bathing of Haridas Thakur and declared that whoever takes bath here will be vanquished of all sins, because the water has touched the feet of Haridas Thakur. It is here where Bhaktivinoda Thakura prayed for a son to carry on preaching and Bhakti Siddhanta was born, and to the best disciple of Bhakti Siddhanta, Srila Prabhupada, Lord Jagannatha was very dear. At the age of five Srila Prabhupada performed Ratha yatra. In ISKCON’s early days in San Francisco, Malati mataji found a small deity of Jagannatha without knowing what it was and brought it to Srila Prabhupada, who then payed full dandavat to the deity and said, “Jagannatha has come to San Francisco.”

In spite of the fact that everything comes from the Supreme Being, He is still aloof from it all. He does not disengage Himself from His eternal pleasure pastimes with His devotees in the spiritual realm. So, in the process of creating the material worlds, the Supreme expands Himself into various forms, which are His plenary parts. Krishna is the primeval Lord, the original Personality of Godhead, so He can expand Himself into unlimited forms with all potencies. They are no different from Him, but may exhibit differences in form. He first expands Himself into Baladeva, or Balarama, who is considered Krishna’s second body and brother. Balarama assists in Lord Krishna’s innumerable spiritual pastimes in both the spiritual and material realms. Continue reading "How Lord Krishna is the Source of all Avatars
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Answer Podcast

The post Is the difference in consciousness between humans and animals because of brain complexity? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.11 at a bhakti-vriksha meeting in Fisco TX.


Kirtan
Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.11
Nrsimha Prayers

Gita Mela in Mayapur (5 min video)
This a special festival held every year during the Christmas and New Year holidays here in Mayapur. We have been doing it now for the last 5 years. It is 11 days nonstop from 11 am till 9pm of dance, bhajan, talks by visiting swami ’ s from all around the world and of course a little rock n roll kirtan. As you can see from the video there is plenty of booths as well to keep all the visitors entertained while getting a healthy dose of knowledge from Bhagavad Gita As It Is. Srila Prabhupada has said that he wanted every day to be a festival day here in Mayapur, so that is what we are striving for. Sri Dham Mayapur ki jai!
Your servant
Jiva-Natha das
Campus Preaching Coordinator
Sri Dham Mayapur
>

Rathyatra Festival 2019 in Whangarei (Album of photos)
Giving out the mercy!!
Jai Jagannath, Baladev, Subhadra, ki Jai.
Today in the northernmost city in New Zealand’s Whangarei city with a population of around 60 thousand.
We had our annual Rathyatra.
Special guest was Mayor Sheryl Mai who swept Her way around the city to Her great delight enjoying every moment and enjoyed taking prasadam with the devotees at the end of the parade.
Whangarei has a very successful food for life program managed by Buddhimanta Prabhu, who also organized the Rathyatra, and Gopala restaurants managed by Atanu Prabhu. They have both created a very favorable impression on the local people.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/3429kG

New Govardhana Weekly Newsletter for January 13, 2019, San Diego Hare Krishna Temple.
Newsletter Sections: Upcoming Festivals ...

How I came to Krishna Consciousness (23 min video)
HG Gauranga Simha Das (poet and singer from Mayapur) narrates how he became devotee by reading Srila Prabhupada’s books.

Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk by Krishna-kripa Prabhu.
Krishna-kripa Das: I show and tell about chanting Hare Krishna wi...

The Passing of His Grace Parvata Muni Prabhu.
On Wednesday, January 9th, 2019, at 10:00am in Auckland, New Zealand, His Grace ...

Harinama in Los Angeles by the devotees of New Dwarka, 11 January 2019 (5 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: One can be free from al...

Mahaprabhu’s lips quivered in the ecstasy of jubilation as He sang the glories of the Holy Name. His effulgent body, stoked and fueled by prema, illumined the small dark room to reveal His two constant night companions. In great ecstasy He said to Srila Svarupa Damodara in a faltering voice, “My ears are dying of thirst. Sing! Sing, My dear friend! Sing the glories of the all-merciful Holy Name.” Continue reading "The Price of Causeless Mercy
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(Written for my presentation at the World Parliament of Science, Religion and Philosophies in Pune, India, October, 2018)

Sometimes people say that they want to see God, or that God is not perceivable. And this is confirmed in the Vedic scripture, but with additional points of instruction on how we can perceive the Supreme Being. The Svetasvatara Upanishad (4.20) explains “His form of beauty is imperceptible to mundane senses. No one can see Him with material eyes. Only those who realize, through deep pure-hearted meditation, this Supreme Personality, who resides in everyone’s heart, can attain liberation.”

Krishna lila or His pastimes are eternally going on in the spiritual world, whereas they appear to be happening only at certain points in time within the material energy. However, one who has purified or spiritualized his or her consciousness can still witness these activities even while in the material body. This can especially happen at the holy places (dhamas) where the spiritual and material energies overlap, and where the spiritual world appears with this material domain. Such places include Vrindavana, Mathura, Jagannatha Puri, Dwaraka, etc. And when the Lord is pleased with your service, He can reveal Himself to you. In this way, many greatly elevated and pure devotees of Krishna have been able to have personal darshan of the Lord and witness His pastimes even while in the material body. Then they may leave instructions for the rest of us to follow so that we can do the same. This is verification that the process of devotion, bhakti-yoga, works.

 
The Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.29) continues with this point. “My Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your lotus feet, one can understand the greatness of Your Personality. But those who speculate to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even though they continue to study the Vedas for many years.”

The Katha Upanishad (1.2.23) also relates “The Supreme Soul can neither be attained by studying the Veda, nor by sharp intelligence, nor by hearing many discourses on the scriptures. However, the Lord reveals His original transcendental form to the soul who embraces Him within the heart as the only Lord and Master. That soul alone can attain Him–the Supreme Soul, the Personality of Godhead, the Lord of the heart.”

Since Krishna is the Supreme Being and source of all enjoyment, it is in our best interest to engage in His service, for that will also connect us to Him and give us that great pleasure and bliss that we are always trying to find. That is the point of devotional service, called bhakti-yoga, which is the process of connecting (yog) with the Supreme through devotion (bhakti). In this way, our inherent loving propensity is directed toward the supreme lover and natural object of love, God. There is no better way of finding God than this. In other words, through devotion we do not try to see God, but we act in such a way that God reveals Himself to us. Then everything is accomplished. There can be no greater achievement in the human form of life than that. Everything else is temporary; it comes and goes. Only our spiritual achievements last eternally because they are connected with the immortal soul. Therefore, reawakening our relationship with the Supreme is the highest goal in human existence.

 
Since it is established in the Vedic texts that the Absolute ultimately is a person, then meditating on the personal form of God rather than the impersonal feature is the highest form of meditation. This is verified in Bhagavad-gita (12.2): “The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: ‘He whose mind is fixed on My personal form, always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith, is considered by Me to be the most perfect.’”

Herein, we can understand that realizing the Absolute Truth in the form of the Supreme Person is much easier and much more attractive than struggling to realize, meditate on, or merge into the great white light of the impersonal brahmajyoti, or some other non-personal aspect of God. By understanding the Supreme Personality, all other facets of the Absolute, such as the Brahman effulgence and Paramatma or Supersoul, are also understood. In fact, those who are absorbed in Brahman realization can easily become attracted to understanding the Supreme Personality as did such sages as Sukadeva Gosvami and the Kumaras, as noted in Srimad-Bhagavatam:

“Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the son of Vyasadeva, Sukadeva Gosvami. It is he who defeats all inauspicious things within this universe. Although in the beginning he was absorbed in the happiness of Brahman realization and was living in a secluded place, giving up all other types of consciousness, he became attracted by the most melodious pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna. He therefore mercifully spoke the supreme Purana, known as Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is the bright light of the Absolute Truth and which describes the activities of Lord Krishna.” (Bhag.12.12.68)

Therefore, since Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality, then naturally there are certain ways in which to understand Him. This is a science, which we can more deeply explain later. But for now we can offer a summary of the instructions that point the way. The main point of consideration is that if we are trying to understand Lord Krishna, then we need to know what pleases Him, which is something that we can find from His direct instructions.

The key is explained directly by Lord Sri Krishna Himself when he says: “Knowledge about Me as described in the scriptures is very confidential, and it has to be realized in conjunction with devotional service. The necessary paraphernalia for that process is being explained by Me. You may take it up carefully. All of Me, namely My actual eternal form and My transcendental existence, color, qualities and activities–let all be awakened within you by factual realization, out of My causeless mercy.” (Bhag.2.9.31-32)

Therefore, it is Lord Krishna’s causeless mercy upon us that allows us to reach the stage of being truly awakened. Any other process is but mechanical and does not necessarily invoke the mercy of the Supreme Lord. So, to start this process, one needs to hear from one who knows and is acquainted with the qualities of Lord Krishna and can explain them to others. This is established in this famous verse:

yasya deve para bhaktir
yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy arthaha
prakashante mahatmanaha

“Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed.” (Svetasvatara Upanishad 6.23)

Lord Krishna also says, however, that “I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible.” (Bg.9.25)

Lord Brahma concurs with this point and verifies the need for the performance of devotional service, in which he says to Lord Krishna, “My dear Lord, devotional service unto You is the best path for self-realization. If someone gives up that path and engages in the cultivation of speculative knowledge, he will simply undergo a troublesome process and will not achieve his desired result. As a person who beats an empty husk of wheat cannot get grain, one who simply speculates cannot achieve self-realization. His only gain is trouble.” (Bhag. 10.14.4)

As Lord Krishna establishes the foundation for attaining the means to understand Him, He continues to emphasize the importance of this process: “Only by practicing unalloyed devotional service with full faith in Me can one obtain Me, the Supreme Person. I am naturally dear to My devotees, who take Me as the only goal of their loving service. By engaging in such pure devotional service, even the dog-eaters can purify themselves from the contamination of their low birth.” (Bhag.11.14.21)

In his summary of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Suta Gosvami also explains the above point: “Remembrance of Lord Krishna’s lotus feet destroys everything inauspicious and awards the greatest good fortune. It purifies the heart and bestows devotion for the Supreme Soul, along with knowledge enriched with realization and renunciation.” (Bhag.12.12.55)

Lord Krishna continues His instructions to Arjuna: “My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding.” (Bg.11.54)

“The person who is searching after the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, must certainly search for it up to this, in all circumstances, in all space and time, and both directly and indirectly. O Brahma, just follow this conclusion by fixed concentration of mind, and no pride will disturb you, neither in the partial nor in the final devastation.” (Bhag.2.9.36-37)

Herein it is as if Lord Krishna is speaking directly to us, that if we follow through with this process, we will be successful even at the time of death, which is certainly the final test of life in whatever we may have done.

“For one who worships Me, giving up all his activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, who has fixed his mind upon Me, O son of Pritha, for him I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.” (Bg.12.6-7)

“All that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me. In this way you will be freed from all reactions to good and evil deeds, and by this principle of renunciation you will be liberated and come to Me.” (Bg.9.27-28)

“By regularly hearing, chanting and meditating on the beautiful topics of Lord Mukunda with ever-increasing sincerity, a mortal being will attain the divine kingdom of the Lord, where the inviolable power of death holds no sway. For this purpose, many persons, including great kings, abandoned their mundane homes and took to the forest [for performing spiritual pursuits].” (Bhag.10.90.50)

Here it becomes clear that, as it is further described, for those who hear and chant the holy names and topics of Krishna, millions of grievous sinful reactions become immediately burned to ashes. Of course, the most important time for remembering the Lord and chanting His name is at the time of death. That is why it is said that those who chant “Krishna, Krishna” at the time the body expires become eligible for liberation.

 
The GopalaTapani Upanishad (1.6) states, “One who meditates on this Supreme Person, glorifies Him, and worships Him, becomes liberated. He becomes liberated.”

In conclusion, Lord Krishna simply explains that, “Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do. Because you are My very dear friend, I am speaking to you the most confidential part of knowledge. Hear this from Me, for it is for your benefit. Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend. Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” (Bg.18.63-66)

This, therefore, is the means by which we can reach the stage of understanding the Supreme Being.

[More information can be found at: http://www.stephen-knapp.com]

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