The devotees are chanting happily at Fontaine des Innocents during the recent Ratha Yatra Festival in Paris (3 min video)

Performing arts company Natya Nectar is set to deliver the wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita to audiences across India – before going to Broadway in New York and beyond.

Chant: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare  Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare  And Be Happy!! ayur harati vai pumsam udyann astam ca yann asau tasyarte yat-ksano nita uttama-sloka-vartaya Both by rising and by setting, the sun decreases the duration of life of everyone, except one who utilizes the time by discussing topics of the all-good Personality of Godhead.  ~ Srimad Bhagavatam 2.3.17 11.00 - 11.15      Tulsi Puja 11.15  - 11.30     Guru Puja 11:30 - 11:55     Aarti & Kirtan 11.55  - 12.00    Sri Nrsingadeva Prayers 12.00 - 1:00     Vedic discourse   1.00 - 1.30      Closing Kirtan   1.30 - 2.00     Sanctified Free Vegetarian Feast

Bhaktivinod Thakura was a high court judge and he was so expert in his work that when he wanted to take retirement the government pleaded him not to do so.

“A brahmachari should be quite well behaved and gentle and should not eat or collect more than necessary. He must always be active and expert, fully believing in the instructions of the spiritual master and the sastra. Fully controlling his senses, he should associate only as much as necessary with women or those controlled by […]

The post Brahmacari Ashrama appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Harinam Utsav 2018 Mumbai (Album of photos)
“Come one, come all, chant the names of Lord Krsna,” said Lord Nityananda even to the most downtrodden. This holy name of the lord is non-different than him. Chanting his glories with all your heart in the association of like-minded devotees will yield the ultimate satisfaction for Lord Gauranga. Here are some moments of sankirtan we enjoyed.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/59Yzxt

Bliss In The Buckeye State (4 min video)
Indradyumna Swami: Our show in New Albany, Ohio was attended by a number of government officials, including the mayor of the city. After the program, he very kindly told us, “Your show is better than any Broadway theater.”
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/PvkZFg

Answer Podcast

 

Transcribed by: Sudeep Naik

Question: While being in family life how can we be detached?

Answer: The word detached sometimes have a negative connotation. Sometimes people think that if I become detached I will become uncaring, irresponsible but detachment does not mean becoming uncaring or unfeeling. It simply means that we do not let anything control our feelings.

Dhritarashtra was attached to Duryodhana, and because of his attachment he just went along with whatever Duryodhana wanted. Duryodhana acted viciously and Dhritarashtra consented to that. In Mahabharata when Yudhishthira becomes a king, Narada Muni comes to meet him. Normally when we meet someone we generally say – “how are you”. However, Narada muni asks similar question but in a more informed way. He says, “O King, are you pursuing dharma, artha and kama in balance? Do not pursue dharma at the expense of artha and kama, do no pursue artha at the expense of dharma and kama and do no pursue kama at the expense of dharma and artha.” Dharma refers to our religion or spirituality, artha refers to our profession, kama refers broadly to our family. Mahabharata is telling us to pursue all these three in balance.

By detachment, if we think that I will only be pursuing dharma and neglecting artha and kama then that is a misunderstanding. We have to pursue all three. However, some people are workaholics. They pursue artha so much that they neglect their family, their spirituality. They just become super achievers in their profession but they become utter failures in their life. Their families break apart, children go on a wrong track and they are unhappy. Success in one area of life cannot compensate for failure in another. Professional success cannot compensate for family failure. Similarly, family success cannot compensate for spiritual failure. All these three are separate tracks and we need to progress on all these three tracks in a harmonious way and see that Krishna as God is not just limited to dharma.

It is not that we worship Krishna only when we go to temple, Bhagavad-gita offers us an inclusive vision of God. Krishna says “sva-karmana tam abhyarcya siddhim vindati manavah” (by your work worship the divine). It means that we do not see our family members as just family members but seen them that they are entrusted to us by God. They are also God’s part. Our children are not our children alone, but they are God’s children. We can serve God by taking care of them also. We have certain talent, ability, which we use in our profession. Those talents are gifts given by God to us. Arjuna had archery skill, he excelled in that skill and used it in Krishna’s service. God is not just limited to dharma. If we have proper attitude of service, then artha and kama can be permeated with bhakti bhava. Bhakti integrates dharma, artha and kama, in a spiritual trajectory of our life.

End of transcription.

The post While being in family life how can we be detached? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Podcast

The post Bhagavatam tenth canto study 54 – 10.10.1-9 The curse that takes us away from the things that take us away from Krishna is mercy appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Congregation program at Chicago, USA]

Podcast

 

Podcast Summary

 

Video:

The post The time to understand time is now appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 07 January 2018, Brisbane, Australia, Q&A Programme)

Can you tell us a bit about the time you entered into the grhasta ashram. How was that a factor in your spiritual life?

Generally sanyasis do not speak about their purva janma (previous life) but since you are asking, I will briefly tell you. I was married for 24 years before I took sannyasa. My former wife is also from the Netherlands and she came to Krsna consciousness 1 year after I did. Even though she was drawn to Krsna consciousness, she was not so sure about the movement initially, specifically with respect to the movement’s attitude towards women, which was a little difficult for a capable lady from the West to swallow. But she made it. Anyways, so I was in the grhasta ashram for all those years that I stayed in India.

Were you pushed to taking sannyasa or did you jump?

It was more of a natural progression for me. I was married for a very long time but somehow it worked out that we never had any children. I lived in Vrndavan which is a holy place and after spending so much time there, it somehow started to feel like vanaprastha. So what else was there for us to do? Grow old, hand in hand? I was a leader and a temple president for some years where I had started managing things, but eventually my role was one of managing and coaching people. So it was going in that direction for me where the next step seemed one of spiritual leadership as I was dealing more and more with people.

The article " Q&A with KKS: Changes in ashram " was published on KKSBlog.

Photos of a recent event in London: On Friday 21st September, Sivarama Swami opened up about his life as a Monk in an interview with filmmaker Ravinol Chambers at Bridewell Hall. It was a great evening which finished off with Mantra-meditation and a delicious Vegan dinner.

Harinama Sankirtana in Union Square park Wednesday September 26th (Album of photos) Srila Prabhupada: One must engage his tongue in the service of the holy name. Our Krishna consciousness movement is based on this principle. We try to engage all the members of the Krishna consciousness movement in the service of the holy name. (Sri-Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, 8.16 Purport)

New Prasadam outlet at Isodyan guest house opened today in Mayapur. For only Rs.100, a grand lunch prasad with a menu of 12 items will be served at the new AC prasadam hall at the ground floor of Isodyan bhavan . At the inaugural function today with kirtan, all the management members, division heads honored prasadam and gave blessings for the success of this endeavor by Mayapur Guest house . With the increasing number of guests, this additional venue for prasadam will be highly welcomed by the guests. Next time, on your visit to Mayapur, make sure to have lunch in Isodyan guest house.

Radhanath Swami: Yoga is often misunderstood as merely breath control, asanas or exercises; for some it is about practising some rules and regulations based on morality and for others it is cultivation of scriputral knowledge. But the real purpose of Yoga is to fix our mind on the Supreme.

Read More...

Mayapur Academy: The Deity Dressing Unit in Hindi has started this week. Students first learned the theories of art as well as the importance of not scratching the deities head, not even a practice head. The students were asked to first pin pieces of paper to their classmates head to stress the importance of treating the deity as a person. Each student receives so much hands on assistance during this unit. Head facilitator Kurma Chaitanya prabhu and his assistant Krishna Kanta prabhu spend time with each devotee to make sure they understand how to demonstrate each of the principals of art they have learned earlier in the week. Mayapur Academy would also like to thank the dedicated translators and helpers Bimala Prasad prabhu and Ananda Lila mataji.

On 18th Septembar 2018 H.G. Adi Purush Prabhu took Sannyasa at ISKCON Ujjain Temple from H.H. Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja. His new Sannyasa name is: Bhakti Dayita Adi Purush Swami.

Decades ago, HH Indradyumna Swami met HH Vishnujana Swami and other devotees for the first time in his life right at the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. That started his spiritual journey. Many of us have heard of the famous 'Silver Spoon' story. So it was the dear-most desire of our heart that when Maharaja is in Michigan after such a long time, we would visit that place with him and hear the epic event that changed not only his, but in due course of time, many lives on this planet. So despite heavy rain we went on Harinam because maharaja called for it. We all gathered at the 'Krishna's Corner' of the University campus which is famous for Harinam and Maharaja joyfully lead a very ecstatic kirtan. The rain also made it's appearance from time to time, pouring down tears of ecstasy. Gradually a huge number of people joined and, dancing their way, they learned to sing Hare Krishna. Afterwords, came the moment we all have been waiting for. Maharaja asked everyone to follow his lead and took us under a nearby tree. Then he showed us where it all started. He narrated the whole story glorifying HH Vishnujana Swami. It was such a beautiful story, many of us were in tears. Please relish the pictures of this memorable day.

Answer Podcast

The post Is our attempt to mitigate destiny also determined by destiny? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Podcast

The post Bhagavatam tenth canto study 53 – 10.9.18-23 The kingdom of God is the kingdom of love appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

[Seminar at ISKCON, Naperville, USA]
Podcast

 

Podcast Summary

 

Video:

The post Role of self-confidence in bhakti appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Giridhari Swami: Devotees from Hong Kong, China and the Philippines came together at Vraja Eco Village to glorify Srila Prabhupada through their spoken offerings and song. Some devotees wrote offerings in advance, while others spoke extemporaneously. I could not help but be moved by their expressions of heartfelt appreciation for Srila Prabhupada and all that he done from them. I was reminded of what Srila Prabhupada wrote about this own spiritual master in the preface pages of the Srimad-Bhagavatam: "He lives forever by his divine instructions and the follower lives with him."

In every adversity there is something to learn not only about ourselves but also about material nature and our progression in Krishna Consciousness; sometimes we share these thoughts other times we keep them to ourselves.

Last month I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, I knew all wasn’t well for a while as cronic fatigue set in and slow impairment of cognitive ability declined. But so much to do and after all it’s been a busy time so all will be well upto the point the body and mind collapsed, with the GP signing me off work whilst investigation were entered. So thyroid was the reason and a few weeks into treatment some slow recovery, however I still have to deal with some of the fallout.

As HH Mahavishnu Swami once said “the material body the embarrassment of the spirit soul’s

Indeed it is

But it has given me time to pause, think and gain insight, indeed so captivated by this material body we hardly question it as we progress manipulate and put so much emphasis on me an I untill difficulty. Indeed like many I started to take an interest in Krishna Consciousness due to difficulties why is it?

As my thyroid slowly slowed down I had no real cause for concern and similar in material life we go on with no concern; by good fortune intelligence kicks in and questions are sought until we get the answer needed. My suffering is simply because I wanted independence from Sri Krishna and enjoy, and due to continued participation in material nature we suffer.

So the cure.

For my thyroid it’s medication but it will be life long miss the medication my ability to function both physically and mentally will be compromised. As a devotee the cure for material suffering is a life time if japa and reading and studying along with sharing Srila Prabhupada’s books; so others like me can be cured.

Like me

So I was in denial that there was anything wrong, I’m just a little older and so….. there will be a reason not to seek help; same as when suffering in material nature well it’s like this….
But once we get to the point we sincerely ask and seek help it will be there, but it will be lifelong.

So during this period of absence from work by good fortune I got the association not only of my God Brother and his lovely family but also my own guru Maharaj, both good for the material body and spirit soul. Most notably the words of my guru Maharaj who said finally I was worthy of my name Dhirabhakta Das, but I noted that this does not mean I’ve achieved perfection simply that I must keep on going.

For in all of the recent illness I am reminded that the worst illness of all is not knowing Krishna

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 07 January 2018, Brisbane, Australia, Q&A Programme)

Since you accepted the sanyas order, you have been travelling around the world. Can you tell us a bit about your current preaching activities.

For the last 20 or so years, I have been travelling a lot. I started off as a sanyasi in 1997 and then in 2001 I became a spiritual master. Once I started to have disciples, I had ongoing personal relationships with people across the world. So naturally, my travels related to these relationships, so I could stay in contact with my disciples. One thing I do in my travels is to maintain these relationships, and through them, I am trying to push forward Krsna consciousness.

When I started in the movement, it was a very missionary movement, like that in Prabhupada’s time. It was really about changing the world. Nowadays it is not so much about that, but it is more about living a Krsna conscious lifestyle and finding a way as a devotee to be doing that. As a sanyasi, I am still a part of the missionary or revolutionary side of the movement. Here, I am trying to help people get situated in a nice spiritual life, like a nice boat, and after a while, I rock that boat in order for them to do something. Not just to live their life nicely, where they feed the family cat some prasadam and that all the flowers in the garden are offered to Krsna. This is nice, but we want something more than that. We do not just want the cat to take the prasadam, we want the whole world to take it! So this is my mission, to build this revolutionary spirit within all my disciples!

The article " Q&A with KKS: Current preaching mission " was published on KKSBlog.

Представляем официальный трейлер нашего первого полнокупольного фильма в формате 360 градусов под названием «9 шагов к вечности», показ которого сейчас проходит в полнокупольном кинотеатре в Шри Майяпур-дхаме в Западной Бенгалии, Индии!

Данный фильм был создан нашей собственной командой режиссёров иммерсионного кино из департамента выставок ХВП с использованием (с разрешения) картин из архива Би-би-ти и уникальных работ в формате 3D и 2D нашей группы талантливых художников со всего мира. В настоящее время фильм доступен на английском и бенгали!

Главным вызовом для нас было самостоятельно обучиться производству полнокупольных видео, но мы это сделали! А сейчас – создавать более длинные и качественные полнокупольные фильмы.

The post Отдел экспозиций ХВП представляет … appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Presenting the official trailer of our first Fulldome 360 film – 9 Steps to Eternity, now playing at the Mayapur Fulldome Theater in Sri Mayapur Dham, West Bengal, India!

This film was developed by our in-house team of immersive film makers at the TOVP Exhibits using (with permission) paintings from the BBT Archives, and unique 3D and 2D content by our talented ensemble of international artists. Currently in English and Bengali languages!

The challenge was to learn the fulldome production pipeline on our own, but we did it! Now to make bigger and better Fulldome films

The post TOVP Exhibits Presents … appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

В первой части данной статьи мы объяснили, что, если говорить в общем, причина строительства ХВП (или любого храма Вишну/Кришны) заключается в том, что духовное возвышение общества важнее любого мирского служения телу, такого как помощь бедным, открытие больниц и т.д. В этой части мы еще глубже раскроем данную тему и назовем несколько конкретных причин.

Истории из шастр подтверждают вышеизложенный момент, и мы можем сами испытать это в своей собственной жизни. Цель жизни – любовь к Богу, все остальное является результатом этого. Как написано в шастрах, нитйо нитйанам четанаш четананам, единственный верховный, вечный и наделенный сознанием нитья, Бог, поддерживает Свои бесконечно малые обладающие сознанием частицы, нитьянам. В этом нет ничего удивительного, потому что Он – наш божественный Отец. Как Господь Кришна говорит в «Бхагавад-гите», йаджнартхат кармано ’нйатра, все жертвоприношения следует выполнять для Вишну, это принесет нам счастье в материальном плане и высшее освобождение – достижение духовной сферы.

Таким образом, можно возводить неограниченное количество храмов Вишну, даже наш собственный дом может стать храмом. И то невероятное благо, которое человек получает от строительства здания храма Господа, такого как ХВП, несопоставимо ни с чем другим. Об этом Вы узнаете из цитат из «Агни-пураны» и других шастр в третьей части данной статьи. Но вначале, назовем некоторые важные причины, почему мы строим Храм Ведического Планетария:

1. ХВП олицетворяет собой особую цепь ученической преемственности, исходящую от Юга-аватары этой эпохи, Господа Шри Чайтаньи Махапрабху, в святой земле Его рождения, Шридхаме Майяпуре.
2. Этот храм будет распространять чистую беспримесную вечную религию, бхагавата-дхарму, сутью которой является чистое преданное служение Верховному Господу, Шри Кришне.
3. Шрила Прабхупада, ачарья-основатель ИСККОН, в особенности побуждал своих учеников построить этот невероятный храм-планетарий для духовного блага мира и для того, чтобы бросить вызов атеистическим, механическим и материалистическим взглядам ученых на вселенную и жизнь. Его желанием было «привлечь людей всего мира в Майяпур»
4. ХВП окончательно утвердит Шридхаму Майяпур в качестве всемирной штаб-квартиры Международного Общества сознания Кришны, ИСККОН, и станет главной достопримечательностью будущего великолепного города, сущностью которого будет чистое преданное служение Господу.
5. Шесть Госвами (и другие ачарьи) все построили для своих Божеств прекрасные огромные храмы во Вриндаване. Этот пример показывает, что даже в одном и том же месте может быть много храмов. На самом деле, Вриндаван известен как деревня храмов.
6. Пожертвование на строительство храма приносит благо не только спонсору, но и многим его прошлым и будущим поколениям.
7. Строительство храма приносит благо не только спонсору и его семье, но и паломникам, которые в течение сотен и тысяч лет будут посещать этот храм.
8. Спонсор также будет получать благо от духовного развития паломников, посещающих храм, который он помог построить, на протяжении всего срока существования храма.
9. Строительство храма является практическим служением для людей, обладающих достатком, в соответствие с указанием Господа в «Бхагавад-гите»: предлагай Мне все, что ты делаешь, все, что ты ешь, все, что ты раздаешь, а также все совершаемые тобой аскезы.
10. Служение и поклонение Божеству Господа – самый легкий способ для обычных людей начать свое духовное развитие.

 

НОВОСТИ ХВП – БУДЬТЕ В КУРСЕ

Посетите ХВП: www.tovp.org
Читайте о ХВП: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
Смотрите о ХВП: www.youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
Загрузите приложение ХВП для мобильного телефона: www.tovp.org/ru/announcements-ru/new-tovp-phone-app-goes-live/
Подпишитесь на новости ХВП: https://goo.gl/forms/ojJ2WcUUuqWh8bXt1
Поддержите ХВП: www.tovp.org/ru/donate/seva-opportunities/

The post Зачем строить ХВП? Нам действительно нужен еще один храм? Часть 2 appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

In Part 1 of this series of articles we explained that the overall reason for building the TOVP (or any temple of Vishnu/Krishna) is that the spiritual upliftment of society is more important than any mundane services to the body like helping the poor, opening hospitals, etc.. In this part we will elaborate further and present some specific reasons.

The recorded histories in the shastras prove the above point, and in our own personal lives we can experience this. The goal of life is love of God; everything else comes as a result. As stated in shastra, nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam, the one supreme eternal, conscious nitya, God, is maintaining His infinitesimal eternal, conscious parts, nityanam. There is no mystery in this because He is our divine father. And as Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, yajnarthat karmano nyatra, all sacrifice must be performed for Vishnu and that will bring about our happiness on the physical plane and ultimate liberation into the spiritual plane.

So there can be unlimited temples for Vishnu, even one’s own home can be made so. And the astounding benefits of personally helping to build an actual temple structure for the Lord like the TOVP are incomparable to anything else as you will read in Part 3 of this article from the Agni Purana and other shastras. But first, here are some other important reasons as to why we are building the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium:

1. The TOVP represents the specific line of disciplic succession from the Yuga-avatar, Lord Sri Mahaprabhu, at the sacred land of His birth, Sridhama Mayapur.
2. This temple will disseminate the pure, spotless, eternal religion of Bhagavat Dharma, pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna.
3. Srila Prabhupada, the Founder/Acharya of ISKCON, specifically urged his disciples to build this incredible temple/planetarium combination for the spiritual welfare of the world and to challenge the atheistic, mechanistic and materialistic scientists’ view of the universe and life. His desire was, “to attract the people of the whole world to Mayapur”.
4. The TOVP permanently establishes Sridhama Mayapur as the World Headquarters for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON, and will become the main attraction of an eventual grand city of pure devotional service to the Lord.
5. The six goswamis (and other acharyas) all built immense and beautiful temples for their deities in Vrindaban. This example shows that there can be many temples even in the same location. As a matter of fact, Vrindaban is known as the village of temples.
6. Donating to the construction of a temple not only benefits the donor, but his family members for many generations in the past and into the future.
7. Building a temple benefits not only the donor and his family but the pilgrims who visit it for years to come.
8. The donor is also benefited by the accrued spiritual advancement of the pilgims who visit the temple he helped to build for as long as the temple exists.
9. Building a temple is a practical service to engage those who have wealth, and follows the Lord’s instruction in Bhagavad-gita to offer Him all that you do, all that you eat, all that you give away, as well as all austerities you perform.
10. Service and worship of the deity of the Lord is the easiest way for the common man to begin their spiritual progress.

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
Support us at: www.tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities

The post Why Build the TOVP? Do We Really Need Another Temple? Part 2 appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Podcast

The post Bhagavatam tenth canto study 52 – 10.9.13-17 Krishna’s form appears finite but is infinite appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast

The post Is not trusting those who have cheated us a weakness of the mind? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Giriraj Swami read and spoke on Bhagavad-gita 9.14 during the Sunday Krishna Fest.

“This verse is the summary of the previous verses. The Lord tells Arjuna that those who are purely in Krsna consciousness and do not know anything other than Krsna are called mahatma; yet there are other persons who are not exactly in the position of mahatma but who worship Krsna also, in different ways. Some of them have already been described as the distressed, the financially destitute, the inquisitive, and those who are engaged in the cultivation of knowledge.” (Bhagavad-gita 9.15 purport)

"You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. - John 14.28

"The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. - Mark 12.29

By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. - John 5.30

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ - John 20.17

Modern Christianity
Jesus is God - contradicts John 14.28
God exists as a trinity (in three) - contradicts Mark 12.29
Jesus is All Powerful - contradicts John 5.30
Jesus is the only son of God. - contradicts John 20.17

I think it is important to know that Jesus spoke according to time and circumstance. To think that Jesus and Krishna are one and the same is ignorance and also offensive. The verses spoken by Jesus clearly indicate his position in relation to his father. I am sure there may be other verses claiming Jesus's position but certainly these verses are clear as day and cannot be ignored or unnecessarily interpreted.

Hare Krishna

[Talk to Yoga students at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, Chicago, USA]

Podcast

 

Podcast Summary

 

Video:

The post Understanding, identifying and managing the mind appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The post Overcoming negative emotions, Wisconsin, 2018 (2) appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

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

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

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

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

“One should chant the holy name, chant the holy name, chant the holy name of Hari, Krishna. In this age of Kali, there is no other way, no other way, no other way for spiritual realization.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The first instruction of the Bhagavad-gita is:

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

“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” (Gita 2.13) In other words, the soul is distinct from the body.

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

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

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

“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, and false ego—all together these eight constitute My separated material energies. Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.” (Gita 7.4–5) The spiritual energy is conscious and eternal, whereas the material energy is unconscious and temporary. Physical bodies are made of the eight material elements, inferior energy, but the soul within each body is made of the superior, spiritual energy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hare Krishna.

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

Podcast

The post Bhagavatam tenth canto study 51 – 10.9.7.12 Yashoda catches the Lord whom the yogis can’t catch appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast

The post If good karma can’t change bad karma, how does atonement work? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Thakura Haridasa was present during most of the Lord’s pastimes in Nadia, and when the Lord went to Jagannatha Puri, Haridasa also went and took up residence there. Everyday, after attending Lord Jagannath’s mangal arati, Lord Caitanya would come to see Haridasa Thakura and would bring him some of Lord Jagannath’s prasadam.

When Sri Sanatana Goswami and Sri Rupa Goswami would come from Vrindavana to Puri they used to stay with Haridasa Thakura. Haridasa, in order to maintain the etiquette, would not go near Lord Jagannatha’s temple but would offer his obeisances to the Cakra on top of the temple, from a distance. As he was considered to be a Mohammedan by birth, his presence in the temple would be objectionable to those who were caste conscious.

Mahamaya devi took initiation in the maha-mantra from Haridasa Thakura and Caitanya Mahaprabhu appointed him as the acarya of the Holy Name. His departure from this world, in the presence of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, is fully described by Sri Krsna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami in the Antya-lila of Sri Caitanya Caritamrta.