The post Daily Darshan: February 18,2018 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

“Effect of Five Offenses” lecture by Gauranga Prabhu at ISKCON Chowpatty on 18th February 2018 (video)

A visit to Bhaktivedanta Research Center in Kolkata (Album of photos)
Indradyumna Swami: The BRC is a project started by my go...

Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

The post Gita 17.02 See not just people’s ideological faith – see also their functional faith appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast

The post How can we differentiate between what to hold on to and what to let go? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The Chariot of the Mind - By the medieval poet, Govinda Das
By drinking the nectarean honey of the lotus feet of Sri Gaura, by singing the glories of Sri Gaura’s deity, by listening to the instructions of Sri Gaura, and by associating with devotees who follow his instructions, so many fortunate individuals experienced the joyous waves of prema.
—-
O mind! Why do you keep burning repeatedly in the fire of worldliness? Simply keep chanting the mantra of your dear Lord.
Think carefully about the ultimate aim of your life and then climb on the chariot of the [purified] mind. Make the feet of Lord Gaura your charioteer.
Engage your five life-airs (prāṇa, apāna, udāna, vayāna and samāna) as the five horses driving this chariot. Let āśā, the hope of attaining the Lord, be the strong rope controlling these horses so that the chariot may never break down.
Using this chariot, go quickly towards the shore of the unlimited ocean of the Lord’s loving pastimes. Having reached there, bathe thoroughly in the waves of this ocean of prema.
In this ocean, you will swim along with other servants of Hari who are delighting in the waves of bhakti-rasa. These servants of Hari will fetch you the rare jewel of prema from the depths of this ocean and will thus fulfill your most cherished desire.
In the middle of that ocean of bhakti-rasa is a house decorated with precious jewels in which brilliant complexioned Radha and dark complexioned Shyam reside.
The charioteer, Lord Gaura’s lotus feet, will help you meet these two, Radha and Shyam. It is for this reason that Govinda Das sings the glories of Gaura.

ISKCON Mayapur Kirtan Mela 2018 - Sweet bhajan by Havi das (video)

Written by Naimisaranya dd

After attending the Sunday feast program in Gauradesh (Cologne) in Germany on 21 January, Kadamba Kanana Swami arrived in Radhadesh that same evening to a small group of devotees who welcomed him with a short kirtan. Maharaja spent some time with the devotees before taking rest for the night.

On Tuesday morning, Maharaja gave the Srimad Bhagavatam class. The chapter which provided the theme for the lectures that week was entitled “The Lord incarnates as Mohini-murti.” Maharaja quoted the Uddhava Gita which says that heroism means to overcome the natural tendency to enjoy material life. Maharaja discussed how to deal with the material energy and how follow this heroic path as outlined in the Nectar of Devotion – recordings to follow. 

On Thursday, Maharaja gave the morning Bhagavatam class again. Continuing the descriptions of how Lord Siva was bewildered by Mohini-murti, Maharaja explained the need for the varnasrama system for dealing with the material energy when there is the affliction of lust. Later that evening saw the official opening ceremony of the Radhadesh Mellows festival with short addresses by both Sacinandana Swami and Kadamba Kanana Swami. Kadamba Kanana Maharaj spoke about how the special mercy of Lord Caitanya, Lord Nityananda and the entire Panca Tattva is unique to this Kali yuga. He explained how their special mercy in this age, helps one attain results very quickly. He also explained that the Mellows is more than just a nice festival, but rather a life-changing event which we should embrace.

On Friday, the first day of the festival arrived and saw the unveiling of the much anticipated artwork for the festival. Fitting with the theme for this year’s festival, Lord Nityananda served as the backdrop for the Mellows this year in the form of an acrylic mural titled “Eternal Bliss” by Kardami Kapila das from Bulgaria. The first of Kadamba Kanana Maharaja’s four one-hour kirtan slots for the festival was scheduled for that morning. Even though this festival is named the “Mellows” for its meditative kirtans, true to form, Kadamba Kanana Maharaja transformed the atmosphere and got the crowd on their feet within the first ten minutes of his slot! The festival was well-organized and it meant that a strict schedule was followed for the kirtan slots each of which ended on time in a bittersweet fashion. Other legendary kirtaniyas performing included Madhava, Jahnavi Jivana and Acyuta Gopi to name just a few.

Saturday’s Srimad Bhagavatam class emphasised the importance of a retreat such as the Mellows. Maharaja discussed how such a retreat serves to strengthen our commitment and bring new life to our everyday practices. He used the Sunday morning class on Caitanya Caritamrta to discuss the glories and mercy of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda which amped everyone up further for Nityananda Trayodasi the next day

Finally, Lord Nityananda’s appearance day arrived. With a packed morning program scheduled, the day started off sweetly with Sacinandana Swami giving the morning Srimad Bhagavatam class. This was followed by a set of five entertaining short dramas directed by Syamananda Prabhu that was appreciated by all. A mesmerizing abhishek was then performed Gaura Nitai by the senior devotees present and the fun continued with pushpa-abhishek which brought out the enthusiasm in everyone. After the festivities, Kadamba Kanana Swami, Niranjana Swami and Sacinandana Swami took lunch together. Although most of the festival attendees had already begun their journeys back home, those who were still around were in for a treat with Kadamba Kanana Swami’s final kirtan offering for the festival.

All through the festival, Maharaja gave his time generously to the many festival attendees and disciples who travelled from far and wide, and who eagerly awaited his association. On Tuesday, even though the Radhadesh Mellows was over, and the remaining few were set to recover from the long weekend, Maharaja gave the Srimad Bhagavatam class which continued with descriptions of the Lord in the form of Mohini-murti. Maharaja gave his experiences with the “innerer schweinehund” (the pig within). His honest descriptions and confessions were refreshing. They were well-received by the audience and appreciated for its remarkable sincerity and authenticity in dealing with this topic of lust.

On Friday, Maharaja gave one last class for the French preaching program which was attended those who were staying at guesthouse for a retreat. He then departed Radhadesh early on Saturday (3 February) morning to Germany.

Visit Flickr to see more photos.

Srimad Bhagavatam class 4.30.33 in Mayapur. Speaker: HH Devamrita Swami on 14-02-2018 (video)

Srimad Bhagavatam 4.20.13 in Mayapur. Speaker: HH Radhanath Swami, on 10-02-2018 (video)

• In Florida school massacre 17 students were killed and others wounded
• Law from the days of the Wild West are in force today
• US has a society that doesn’t think of what its needs are
• America has the highest rate of crime in the world
• Arm dealing business aims at making money at the cost of the lives of others



The post Daily Darshan: February 17,2018 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Srimad Bhagavatam class 11.5.32 and memories of Tamal Krishna Goswami in Mayapur. Speaker: HH Lokanath Swami on 16-02-2018 (video)

In the wake of the recent historic Chakra installation ceremony on February 7th, the TOVP is pleased to release this specialTribute song, Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, to all devotees worldwide. Written and composed by Yamuna Jivana das from South Africa, over fifty devotee singers, musicians, recording engineers and artists from all over the world contributed their talents to help create this beautiful composition in glorification of the temple, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada. The entire TOVP Team wishes to recognize and thank all the devotees who helped to make this song possible. Continue reading "TOVP Tribute Song Official Release
→ Dandavats"

In the wake of the recent historic Chakra installation ceremony on February 7th, the TOVP is pleased to release this specialTribute song, Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, to all devotees worldwide.

Written and composed by Yamuna Jivana das from South Africa, over fifty devotee singers, musicians, recording engineers and artists from all over the world contributed their talents to help create this beautiful composition in glorification of the temple, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada. The entire TOVP Team wishes to recognize and thank all the devotees who helped to make this song possible.

Use the link below to download the song, the song cover art and credits page.

Please note there are several file options of the song available in this download: high quality (lossless) — flac (Windows, Linux and Android devices) and m4a (Mac and iPhone/iPad devices), and regular (lossy) — mp3/m4a. We recommend the flac and m4a files for the best quality sound, but if your playback device doesn’t work with the flac and m4a files, the mp3 file will always work. If you are unsure which file works best with your system/device, simply download the mp3 file which can be used on all playback devices.

Become a TOVP Ambassador and share this announcement with all your friends and relatives and spread the TOVP message through music..

DOWNLOAD ZIP

The post TOVP TRIBUTE SONG OFFICIAL RELEASE appeared first on Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.

Iskcon Parvat Patia Center (Surat) Rathyatra And Book Distribution Report (Album of photos)
“Our propaganda should be focused on spreading kirtana and distributing literature, books and magazines. The process experienced now is that after holding kirtana, they are selling magazines and books successfully.”
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Brahmananda, 30th January 1969

Visit to Santipura (Album with photos)
Indradyumna Swami: Yesterday we took a large group of devotees to Santipura. There in th...

Govardhan Ecovillage hosted a 4-day conference, Hinduism and Ecology: Towards a Sustainable Future, from 11th to 14th of December 2017. The conference was jointly organized by Yale University, Govardhan Eco Village, Bhaktivedanta Vidyapith, and Maharashtra Tourism, and brought together leading faculty from prominent American universities and Hindu leaders from around the world, who extensively explored Vedic solutions to the ecological crisis. Continue reading "Hinduism and Ecology: Towards a Sustainable Future
→ Dandavats"

For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada this report contains the following North American results of book distribution for the month of January 2018. North American Totals, Monthly Temples, Monthly Weekend Warriors. Monthly Top 100 Individuals, Monthly Top 5, Cumulative Countries, Cumulative Temples, Cumulative Top 100 Individuals, Cumulative Top 5 Continue reading "NASN January 2018 – North American Sankirtan Newsletter
→ Dandavats"

Bhagavad-gita verse-by-verse podcast

The post Gita 17.01 The Gita universalizes and contextualizes the analytical framework of the three modes appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Answer Podcast

The post When we feel excessive fear, how can we correct the mind’s corrupted software? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Today is Srila Jagannatha dasaBabaji Maharaja’s disappearance day. He comes in the Gaudiya Vaishnava disciplic succession after Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura and Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana. He was a renounced ascetic, fully engaged in chanting the holy names of Krishna and meditating on His pastimes. For some time, he made his residence at Surya-kunda in Vraja-dhama, near the temple of Suryadeva, where Srimati Radharani used to come and worship the sun-god—or, I should say,where She used to come to meet Krishna on the pretext of coming to worship the sun-god.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who comes in the disciplic succession after Jagannatha dasa Babaji, accepted Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja as his main guru, his siksa-guru. Once, some of Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s disciples in Vraja approached the Thakura. They complained that although they had come to Vraja to live like Jagannatha dasa Babaji, fully absorbed in chanting the holy names and meditating on Sri Sri Radha-Krishna’s astakaliya-lila, Babaji Maharaja had refused to instruct them in such esoteric topics and had instead engaged them in cultivating tulasi plants, flowers, and vegetables to offer to the Lord. So, these disciples requested Bhaktivinoda Thakura to appeal to their guru maharaja to instruct them in the esoteric practices of Krishna consciousness.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura told them, “Actually, your gurudeva’s instructions are right for you. Because you still have anarthas, for you to try to sit and do nirjana-bhajana [solitary worship] and practice asta-kaliya-lila-smarana [meditation on the Lord’s eightfold daily pastimes] would be artificial, and you would just become degraded. So you should follow your gurudeva’s instructions with full faith and work hard in Krishna’s service. Then, in time, you may be able to chant the holy names purely.”

Eventually, Jagannatha dasa Babaji moved to Mayapur, where he lived by the banks of the Ganges, fully absorbed in chanting the holy names. He had the greatest reverence for the holy land of Navadvipa. Although he was so renounced and so absorbed in Krishna consciousness, as his reputation spread, gentlemen would come to him and give him donations. Once, Babaji Maharaja asked one of his servants to take the donations he had received, which he kept in an old burlap bag, and purchase a large pot of rasagullas. All the devotees were surprised, because Jagannatha dasa Babaji was so renounced and lived so simply. He would eat just the most simple rice and dal. Anyway, the servant brought the sweets, and Jagannatha dasa Babaji offered them to his Deities and then distributed them to the cows and dogs in the dhama. He said that the creatures of the dhama were elevated souls and worthy of service.

Later, Babaji Maharaja would not accept prasada until he had shared his food with ten newborn puppies. He would wait until they came, and he would count them with his hands. In his old age, Babaji Maharaja’s eyelids drooped over his eyes and prevented him from seeing. So he would count them with his hands, and only after they had begun to eat would he also partake. He would say, “They are puppies of the dhama. They are not ordinary living entities.”

He had so much faith in and affection for the dhama.

He had less affection for Mayavadi impersonalists. He used to say, “Let the dogs come in for darsana, but the impersonalists—kick them out!”

Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji lived to a very old age. In fact, some Vaishnavas say he was just waiting for Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura to come—someone to whom he could impart his special knowledge and realization, for the benefit of humanity. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had requested to be transferred from his post in Orissa to Bengal so he could be near Navadvipa-dhama. And eventually, he was posted at Krishnanagar, near Navadvipa.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura did extensive research to determine the actual birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He studied various old maps, consulted the local people, and visited the different places. Eventually he found a mound where many tulasi trees were growing. He got the intuition that this was the actual birthplace of Lord Chaitanya, but he wanted his intuition to be confirmed. At the time, Jagannatha dasa Babaji was the most renowned Vaishnava, and he was Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s siksa-guru. Thus, Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s disciples carried him to the place where the mound and tulasi plants were situated. He was so old (over a hundred and forty years old, some say) that his disciples had to carry him in a basket. And his eyelids were so heavy that he had to open them with his hands to be able to see. So, the disciples brought him, but they didn’t tell him that it was the site Bhaktivinoda Thakura had determined to be the birthplace. Still, when Babaji Maharaja arrived there, he spontaneously jumped out of his basket and began to dance in ecstasy, singing the holy names. Thus he confirmed the location of Mahaprabhu’s birthplace.

Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji’s bhajana-kutira and samadhi are there in Navadvipa-dhama, in Koladvipa. Devotees who perform Navadvipa-parikrama visit there and get his mercy. We also pray to him for his mercy, that we may be instrumental in fulfilling the desires of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and the other acaryas in the line of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu coming to us through Srila Prabhupada and his disciples.

Srila Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Today we also think of His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaja, who left this world on Jagannatha Dasa Babaji’s disappearance day, also in Gauda-mandala-bhumi.

Two years ago I was in Dallas for the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, just a few months after Goswami Maharaja passed away. As we were observing the ceremony in the temple, I was thinking how Tamal Krishna Goswami was the perfect servant and therefore the fit representative of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Then I thought of him in relation to all of the acaryas in the last two centuries—Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and Srila Prabhupada (who are the most prominent of them)—and how he really took their mission to heart. He was absorbed in fulfilling all aspects of their mission: developing Mayapur, distributing books, spreading the chanting of the holy names throughout the world in various ways—all the programs that were so important to our predecessor acaryas.

Although I could speak of Goswami Maharaja’s surrender and service for days, we now have the rare opportunity to hear from His Grace Amoghalila dasa Adhikari.

Amoghalila dasa:

nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine

 namas te sarasvate-deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine

 vancha-kalpa-tarubhyas ca krpa-sindhubhya eva ca
patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah

I am thinking of one or two incidents I can mention, and some realizations I had from them. One was the last morning Srila Prabhupada was in Bombay, in Juhu. I was fortunate—actually by Giriraj Maharaja’s mercy—to be able to be in Srila Prabhupada’s room then. After about a month in Bombay, Srila Prabhupada was leaving that morning for Vrindavan. Madhava Prabhu and Upendra Prabhu were also there, though Upendra was in and out of the room.

Srila Prabhupada was just lying on his bed. He could hardly move. He couldn’t even sit up by himself. He was so weak he could barely speak. But then he said something. It was hard to hear what he said, so I leaned near him and asked, “What, Srila Prabhupada?” He said, “Call Tamal.” So Upendra Prabhu went out to get Tamal Krishna Maharaja. When Goswami Maharaja came into the room, Prabhupada’s bedroom, he offered dandavat-pranama (prostrated obeisances), and then he got up. Srila Prabhupada asked him about the arrangements for going to Vrindavan. Goswami Maharaja said, “Yes, Srila Prabhupada,” he offered dandavat-pranama, and he went out. A minute or two later he came back in. He offered dandavat-pranama, he got up, and then he told Srila Prabhupada the answer to Prabhupada’s question. He said something, he got something ready, and then he offered dandavat-pranama and went out. This happened at least three times: He came in and went out, he came in and went out, he came in and went out within just a few minutes—it couldn’t have been more than five minutes. Practically every minute he was coming in, offering dandavat-pranama, getting up, talking to Prabhupada for a few seconds or half a minute, offering dandavat-pranama again, and going out.

Later,after Srila Prabhupada left us, when I was Goswami Maharaja’s personal secretary, I mentioned this to him. He said, “Yes, Srila Prabhupada instructed me to do this. Srila Prabhupada said that because familiarity breeds contempt, it is very important when

somebody is intimately serving the spiritual master that they keep a reverential mood.” Goswami Maharaja, of course, was such an intimate servant of Srila Prabhupada’s, yet he always maintained that deep reverence—of course love, also, but at the same time he always had such deep reverence for Srila Prabhupada. Tamal Krishna Maharaja is such an ideal example of a personal servant and disciple.

I am thinking of one other incident then, when I was Goswami Maharaja’s personal secretary in 1978 in Bombay. As I mentioned to Giriraj Maharaja, I think the real reason Goswami Maharaja wanted me to be his personal secretary was so he could train me, because he had seen how disturbing my mismanagement was. I had been the vice president and the so-called manager of Hare Krishna Land, and at one point during that time, Giriraj Maharaja had mentioned to Tamal Krishna Maharaja, “Amoghalila is mismanaging the affairs here.” Goswami Maharaja had said, “There is no mismanagement . . . There is no management!” So, he felt that I needed some training in management. Therefore, he made me his personal secretary, to train me. I think that was the main reason, and he tried to train me and he did.

He did train me a lot, although I didn’t follow his training so well, but one incident when he trained me was very moving. Every time I think about it, I just . . . He was teaching me how to clean the floor. I mean, I had been a devotee for six or seven years, so I had been cleaning floors for a long time. Anyway, once when I was cleaning the floor, he said, “No, that’s not how you clean the floor,” because I had the cloth bunched up or something. So, he took the cloth from me, he got down on his hands and knees, he spread the cloth out big, he folded it over once, I think just once, and he started cleaning the floor. I tried to stop him; I said, “Maharaja, it’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll do it.” He responded, “No, I want to show you how to do it.” And he cleaned for quite a while. He cleaned a large area, and I was protesting, but he said, “No. Just watch what I am doing.” He had the cloth spread out quite big, and he cleaned for some time. I tried to stop him again, but he explained: “No, Srila Prabhupada did this to me. Srila Prabhupada showed me like this. He got down on his hands and knees and he cleaned the floor to show me how to do it. So why can’t you let me show you how to do it?”

So, Tamal Krishna Goswami was the perfect servant of Srila Prabhupada. As you said, Maharaja, the perfect servant or ideal servant becomes the ideal representative. Goswami Maharaja was so strict in following Srila Prabhupada, exactly to the detail—even how you open up a cloth and fold it and clean the floor, every detail, everything!

Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: When you began, saying how Tamal Krishna Goswami would come and offer full obeisances, I thought of what some devotees told me about his routine in Dallas after Srila Prabhupada left. Every night he would go into Prabhupada’s room where the deity of Prabhupada was installed, and he would chant his last Gayatri and put Prabhupada to rest. He wanted to do that as his personal service. And they told me that whenever Goswami Maharaja would leave the temple premises, even for an hour or two, he would first circumambulate the building. They gave me the impression that he was circumambulating Srila Prabhupada, although, of course, he was circumambulating the other deities as well. But he was very conscious of Srila Prabhupada. In general, he was always very conscious of his lords and masters.

I also think of how Goswami Maharaja had one of Srila Prabhupada’s teeth, which he placed in a silver capsule and hung around his neck. Indradyumna Swami, who is quite expert in getting deities and sacred relics, once was asking Tamal Krishna Goswami questions about the tooth—what was eventually going to happen to it. And Tamal Krishna Goswami understood that Indradyumna Maharaja was trying to see if he could one day get the tooth. Goswami Maharaja just laughed and said, “Don’t even think of it. I am taking it with me. Even after I leave, it will stay with my body.’ And it did. His idea was that by the tooth being put into his samadhi, people who circumambulated his samadhi or offered obeisances there would get the benefit of circumambulating Srila Prabhupada’s tooth, of offering obeisances to his tooth. And on the absolute platform, Srila Prabhupada’s tooth is as worshipable as he is.

Hare Krishna!

[Talks given on February 20, 2004, in Carpinteria, California]



The post Daily Darshan: February 16,2018 appeared first on Mayapur.com.

Srila Prabhupada once said that when devotees give up practicing Krishna consciousness it is ‘fifty percent their fault, and fifty percent ISKCON’s”. In this article I would like to explore what I perceive as a systemic problem contributing to our society’s fifty percent of the blame.

It is surely surprising that someone should get as far as seriously following the process of Krishna consciousness, only to give it up again. Most of us experienced an immediate relief of suffering when we joined, and we have all heard many times how pure devotional service to Krishna is the highest platform of happiness. Throughout Srila Prabhupada’s books it is made clear that the root cause of misery is turning away from Krishna, and still devotees turn away from the process and plunge themselves back into the material whirlpool.

And it is by no means an unusual phenomenon, as those of us who have been around a while will testify. I don’t believe any actual figures have been kept, but I would suggest that probably the greater number who commence the process, chanting sixteen rounds and following the principles, will slacken or stop their practises at a later date. They may not argue that the process does not work, but the fact they have ceased practising speaks for itself. Perhaps they are now absorbed in a material career, or have taken up some other spiritual path, or ‘new age’ doctrine, or whatever. All of these are sought because they are seen as a means to happiness, to solving the problem of suffering. And if they are pursued to the exclusion of sadhana then obviously they are viewed as a better solution, at least for the time being. It seems then that the point of Krishna consciousness, that it destroys all misery and bestows the highest happiness, is somehow being missed.

IMMEDIATE SOLUTIONS

Srila Prabhupada certainly saw Krishna consciousness as the solution to all problems, personal and social, immediate and long term. In 1974 he even asked devotees to write a book called “How Krishna Consciousness Can Solve All The Problems of Life.” At this time he asked his disciples to present a new problem to him each day and he would explain how Krishna consciousness is the answer. This eventually led to the “Spiritual Solutions to Material Problems” section of the Science of Self Realisation.

Scripture makes it clear that Krishna consciousness is the sure remedy to suffering. In its very beginning Srimad Bhagavatam states that it “uproots the threefold miseries” and Srila Prabhupada comments, “…by service (to the Lord) one is immediately freed from material encumbrances.” (1) As is often the case with such instructions, Prabhupada uses the word “immediately”.

The Bhagavatam goes on to analyse why we suffer. “Due to the external energy, the living entity, although transcendental to the three modes of material nature, thinks of himself as a material product and thus undergoes the reactions of material miseries.”(2)

Again Prabhupada comments, “…due to this unholy contact (with the material energy), the pure spiritual entity suffers material miseries under the modes of material nature” (3)

In other words our problems begin when we identify with matter. Thinking ourselves to be the body, we experience the miseries that afflict it, such as old age, disease and death. This misidentification is the fundamental anartha, or unwanted contamination of the heart. It leads to the subsidiary anarthas of lust, greed, anger etc, as we try fervently to achieve bodily or mental satisfaction. These various impetuses drive us to all kinds of foolishness, along with their resultant painful reactions.

Hence uprooting our suffering means destroying the basic misidentification with matter. This is made clear in the Bhagavatam. “The material miseries of the living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service.”(4) “Linking process” means connecting with Krishna, seeing our true identity as his eternal loving servants.

The Bhagavatam presents itself as the specific means of achieving this. “Simply by giving aural reception to this Vedic literature, the feeling for loving devotional service to Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sprouts up at once to extinguish the fire of lamentation, illusion and fearfulness. ”(5)

Prabhupada explains that there is no difference between Krishna and the subject matter about him. Just by hearing about Krishna we immediately contact him, “And the transcendental sound is so effective that it acts at once by removing all material affections.”(6)

Again we should note in such references that terms like “at once” are used. The relief from suffering is immediate. So how can we get that immediate relief? Many devotees, as mentioned above, have had some taste of it, but still went away. It seems they were not experiencing sufficient alleviation of their pain to maintain diligent spiritual practises. They thus turned to other solutions that they felt were more immediate, putting aside the actual means of eradicating their suffering condition.

What I would like to consider here is the possibility that they did not fully experience the benefits of Krishna consciousness because they did not fully practise the process as given by Prabhupada. I feel that a key element may have been missing, that of effective hearing and chanting of Krishna katha, specifically Prabhupada’s books.

THE PRIMARY PRACTISE

Hearing is the first of the nine angas, or limbs, of bhakti, and it is the primary limb upon which all the others depend.

“Unless one hears about the holy name, form and qualities of the Lord, one cannot clearly understand the other processes of devotional service.”(7)

It is often said that chanting is the most important limb, but Prabhupada interestingly makes the following comment,

“When we speak of hearing and chanting, it means that not only should one chant and hear of the holy name of the Lord as Rama, Krishna (or systematically the sixteen names Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare), but one should also read and hear the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam in the association of devotees.”(8)

In the purport quoted above Prabhupada describes this as a “primary practise” of bhakti that will cause the creeper of love of God to grow all the way to Krishna’s lotus feet. It is my belief that in general we have failed to appreciate the critical importance of hearing and discussing Krishna katha together. As a result we may not have deeply assimilated the messages of Krishna consciousness and thereby felt the benefit. We may have been attending the morning programme, including class and chanting our rounds, but still felt that something was missing, and thus even after some years of practice we are still not feeling the full effect.

Another problem associated with a failure to deeply analyse our books is that we may fail to understand our duty. The result of not properly following sastra is explained by Krishna in the Gita. “He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination. ”(9). Even though we may not deliberately “discard” scriptural instruction, by not properly understanding and practising the philosophy we effectively do this, and thus experience the above unwanted outcomes.

SADHU SANGA

A recurrent message in Prabhupada’s books, as stated in the quote above, is that hearing and chanting should be performed in the association of other devotees. This is called sadhu-sanga. Anyone coming to Krishna consciousness will be quickly apprised of the importance of sadhu-sanga. There is the famous verse that says how even by a moment’s association with a sadhu one can achieve “all perfection”.(10) Then there is Lord Chaitanya’s statement that the “root cause of bhakti is sadhu-sanga” (11), which Srila Prabhupada translates as the association of advanced devotees. Lord Chaitanya said that the main quality of a Vaishnava is that he gives up non-devotee association and associates with other Vaishnavas. Srila Prabhupada explains, “When Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu was requested to explain the duty of a Vaishnava, a Krishna conscious person, He immediately said, asat-sanga-tyaga-ei vaisnava-acara [Cc. Madhya 22.87].” (12)

Sadhu-sanga, or sat-sanga as it is also called, is the second element of devotional practise after sraddha or faith, as defined by Rupa Goswami. We could go through Srila Prabhupada’s books and extract any number of quotes emphasising the importance of associating with devotees. So what exactly constitutes sat-sanga, and who is the ‘sat’ or sadhu referred to in sastra?

In one place Srila Prabhupada directly equates sadhu sanga with hearing. “Lord Chaitanya therefore recommended five main principles for attaining perfection in the devotional service of the Lord. The first is association with devotees (hearing).”(13)

For the most part, though, he defines it as discussing Krishna-katha. “Those who are devotees, they assemble together. Bodhayantah parasparam. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, “They discuss about the glories of the Lord.” Bodhayantah parasparam. That is sadhu-sanga” (14) Here Srila Prabhupada quotes a seed verse of the Bhagavad-Gita , where Krishna describes the symptoms of a pure devotee, how they “derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about me.”(15)

Prabhupada could be strong about the need for hearing and chanting together, or discussing Krishna katha. “Sat-sanga means assembly, discussion. Bodhayantah parasparam, tusyanti ca ramanti ca. If you are not interested in association, discussion, then you are finished. So… karmis, they are fools and rascals. When you have got this center, it is not that you should be engaged from morning till you go to bed for sense gratification. That is not life. That is karmi’s life. You have no time for sat-sanga, for association. You cannot make any progress by this sort of karmi’s life. We have to work for organization, but not that whole day and night engaged and no sat-sanga. That is a misguided policy, and it will spoil the whole structure.” (16)

Krishna conscious discussion is also known as istha-gosthi, instituted by Srila Prabhupada. This has largely come to mean meetings where temple business is discussed. We require management meetings, of course, but here is Prabhupada’s definition of istha-gosthi: “For a devotee, there is no point in making friendships with ordinary persons; he should make friendship with other devotees so that by discussing among themselves, they may elevate one another on the path of spiritual understanding. This is called ista-gosthi. In Bhagavad-gita there is reference to bodhayantah parasparam, “discussing among themselves.” Generally pure devotees utilize their valuable time in chanting and discussing various activities of Lord Krishna or Lord Caitanya amongst themselves.”(17)

THE EFFECT OF SADHU SANGA

Prabhupada would often cite a key Bhagavatam verse that describes how by sat-sanga, by discussing Krishna consciousness in the association of devotees, the whole process of bhakti unfolds.

“In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation, and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devotion and devotional service begin.”(18)

This verse appears three times in the Chaitanya Charitamrita, twice cited by Lord Chaitanya himself in his instructions to Sanatana Goswami.

Discussion about Krishna is both sravanam and kirtanam, hearing and chanting about the Lord. This is the “watering process” for the seed of bhakti, as described by Lord Chaitanya. The result is that one achieves the highest perfection of life. In Srimad Bhagavatam, Prabhupada states, “The highest perfectional gain of humanity is to engage in discussions of the activities and glories of the Pious Actor.”(19)

Prabhupada indicates how by this process we will achieve success in all our endeavours. “This process of hearing about and glorifying the Lord is applicable for everyone, whoever he may be, and it will lead one to the ultimate success in everything in which one may be engaged by providence.”(20)

Discussion about Krishna is the means by which we develop detachment and come to the Lord. “Therefore one must learn detachment by discussion of spiritual science based on authoritative scriptures, and one must hear from persons who are actually in knowledge. As a result of such discussion in the association of devotees, one comes to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”(21)

In 1972 Prabhupada issued an instruction to a prominent GBC member that his “first job” should be to ensure that the devotees in his care were regularly reading and discussing his books. “Your first job should be to make sure that every one of the devotees in your zone of management is reading regularly our literatures and discussing the subject matter seriously from different angles of seeing, and that they are somehow or other absorbing the knowledge of Krishna Consciousness philosophy. If they are fully educated in our philosophy and if they can get all of the knowledge and study it from every viewpoint, then very easily they will perform tapasya or renunciation and that will be their advancement in Krishna Consciousness.” (22)

Prabhupada wanted us to thoroughly analyse his writings from various perspectives, with a view to clearing all doubts. “Try to always study our books and see our philosophy from different lights of directions, become convinced yourself of this knowledge and without a doubt all of your difficulties of mind will disappear forever and you will see Krishna face-to-face.”(23)

He did not expect us to just blindly accept what he had written, and explained how by the process of discussion we would gradually become attached to the subject matter. “Suppose you hear something of the Bhagavad-Gita, and it appeals to you, or even does not appeal to you. Just try to think over: ‘What Bhagavad-Gita says? How Swamiji has discussed this matter?’ Apply your arguments. Apply your logic. Don’t take it as a sentiment or as a blind faith. You have got reason; you have got arguments; you have got sense. Apply it and try to understand it… You will gradually develop your attachment for hearing it, and devotional service will be invoked in your heart, and then gradually, you will make progress.”(24)

Discussions in which we try to see from different angles please Krishna. “Such pure devotees, always merged in knowledge of Krishna and absorbed in Krishna consciousness, exchange thoughts and realizations as great scientists exchange their views and discuss the results of their research in scientific academies. Such exchanges of thoughts in regard to Krishna give pleasure to the Lord, who therefore favours such devotees with all enlightenment.” (25)

We become oblivious to misery. “My dear King, in the place where pure devotees live, following the rules and regulations and thus purely conscious and engaged with great eagerness in hearing and chanting the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in that place if one gets a chance to hear their constant flow of nectar, which is exactly like the waves of a river, one will forget the necessities of life — namely hunger and thirst — and become immune to all kinds of fear, lamentation and illusion.”(26)

Prabhupada comments, “If one gets the chance to hear from pure devotees in such a place, allowing the constant flow of the river of nectar to come from the mouths of pure devotees, then the cultivation of Krishna consciousness becomes very easy.” (27)

WHO IS SADHU?

Generally Prabhupada says that we must hear and chant in the association of pure devotees. Indeed, as quoted above, such association is the ‘root cause’ of bhakti. In one place Srila Prabhupada defined sadhu sanga as “associating with the bona-fide spiritual master and abiding by his order.”(28) In the Bhagavatam verse about sat-sanga, cited above (3.25.25), Prabhupada translates the word ‘satam’ as “pure devotees”, and this is usually how he translates the word ‘sadhu’.

It is a frequently repeated point. Lord Chaitanya says, “Unless one is favoured by a pure devotee, one cannot attain the platform of devotional service. To say nothing of Krishna-bhakti, one cannot even be relieved from the bondage of material existence.” (29)

Commenting on this verse, Prabhupada says, “If one is serious about escaping maya’s influence and returning home, back to Godhead, one must associate with a sadhu (devotee). That is the verdict of all scriptures. By the slight association of a devotee, one can be freed from the clutches of maya. Without the mercy of the pure devotee, one cannot get freedom by any means. Certainly a pure devotee’s association is necessary in order to obtain the loving service of the Lord. One cannot be freed from maya’s clutches without sadhu-sanga.” (30)

In one lecture Prabhupada describes the sadhu as a perfect devotee. “Sadhu means a devotee, perfect devotee of Krishna. That is a sadhu. Therefore it is recommended, sadhu-sanga. We have to associate with sadhu, means who have completely dedicated life for Krishna’s service.” (31)

Everything depends upon such association. “The secret of success in the cultivation of Krishna consciousness is hearing from the right person.” (32) And the proper way to associate with such persons is to hear from them. “…one has to associate with liberated persons not directly, physically, but by understanding, through philosophy and logic, the problems of life.” (33)

There is no shortage of such statements throughout Prabhupada’s instructions. We need the pure devotee’s association. The question then, is what does ‘pure devotee’ mean? There are many statements by Prabhupada describing their symptoms, but this can be a somewhat subjective area. One man’s pure devotee may well be another’s rascal. Where one person sees all the qualities of a pure devotee as given in sastra, another may have quite a different view.

However, although there may well be other pure devotees, there cannot be any argument that Prabhupada is the “right person” as described here. He has made his association freely available in his instructions, which are intended for everyone in our society. Those of us who are not his initiated disciples need to find someone from whom we can receive instruction and initiation, but we can also derive immense benefit by hearing directly from Srila Prabhupada through his books, especially in the association of devotees. Perhaps that association will be primarily our own spiritual master, as Prabhupada suggests above, but even if this is not possible we can still come together to discuss Krishna consciousness on the basis of Prabhupada’s teachings. In that way we will get the association of a topmost sadhu, the maha-bhagavata devotee, Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada writes, “Here is the remedy for eliminating all inauspicious things within the heart which are considered to be obstacles in the path of self-realization. The remedy is the association of the Bhagavatas. There are two types of Bhagavatas, namely the book Bhagavata and the devotee Bhagavata. Both the Bhagavatas are competent remedies, and both of them or either of them can be good enough to eliminate the obstacles.” (34)

It is my belief that by deeply and carefully studying and discussing Prabhupada’s books we effectively get the association of both Bhagavatas , the book and the person.

As well as this, it is service to Prabhupada, as he explains, “To serve the topmost devotee means to hear from him about the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (35)

As Prabhupada so painstakingly produced his books, it surely behoves us to also try painstakingly to understand what he wrote. And by so doing all the benefits listed above will be ours.

MAKING OUR CLASSES SAT SANGA

Surely the best opportunity for us to regularly hear from Srila Prabhupada in the association of other devotees is during our daily classes, but is that happening? Prabhupada plainly expected the class to be a powerful transformational experience. Thus he translated the ‘nasta prayesu’ verse as follows: “By regular attendance in classes on the Bhāgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.” (36)

As I have shown above, this destruction of anarthas or unwanted things in the heart is the effect of proper sat-sanga. If we are actually associating with Prabhupada, through his instructions, this should be happening. However, in my experience so many of our classes fail to offer Prabhupada’s association. Often the speaker will read the verse and purport, and then deliver his or her own thoughts on the subject with scant reference to Prabhupada’s actual words. Stories, jokes, anecdotes, pep talks, favourite cause espousals, outright speculation and even mundane discussion of politics or whatever, are all too common in classes I have heard (and I have recently made a fairly wide study of them). Even where the speaker sticks to the philosophy, it is still rare to hear a class that adheres closely to Prabhupada’s words, seeking to deeply unpack and understand his meaning, and then discussing that together. We are thus mostly getting the speaker’s association, rather than that of Srila Prabhupada, the undoubted sadhu. Some of us may be pure devotees, but speaking for myself I am still a conditioned soul, and I would venture to suggest that many of us called to give class are in the same floundering boat. We are aspiring pure devotees, on the path of sadhana bhakti, which means still becoming freed of anarthas.

Prabhupada says: “Because conditioned soul cannot give you the truth. I am conditioned soul. I cannot say something which is absolute… Because we cannot take any instruction from a conditioned soul. So the spiritual master, even if you take that he is conditioned soul, but he does not speak anything from his own side. He speaks from Kṛṣṇa’s side. So unless… The Vedic principle is that unless one is not liberated from the material conditions, he cannot give us any perfect knowledge. The conditioned soul, however he may be academically advanced, educated, he cannot give us any perfect knowledge.” (37)

As conditioned souls we must therefore stick very closely to Prabhupada’s words in order to not speak ‘anything from our own side’, as he puts it.

I do not want to denigrate the value of any devotee’s association, and I know that many give good talks, but I would suggest that our temple classes, morning and evening, be reserved as sacred time during which we all associate deeply with our Founder-Acharya. Recently the GBC published a pamphlet entitled Srila Prabhupada: The Founder Acharya of ISKCON. In its preamble they stated, “Srila Prabhupada’s presence is to be felt in the life of every ISKCON devotee today, and in the lives of devotees many centuries into the future.” The aim of the pamphlet was declared as, “understanding how Śrīla Prabhupāda is in the center of our lives and our society, and knowing how to keep him in that essential role.” (38) Prabhupada’s role was stated in the pamphlet to be: “The single prominent śikṣā guru immanent in the life of each and every ISKCON devotee—a perpetual, indwelling active guiding and directing presence.”(39)

Siksa means instruction, and thus to ensure that Srila Prabhupada is the “prominent siksa guru” in our lives must mean prominently hearing from him, and that surely begins with class.

And Prabhupada wanted class to be a learning experience. “We should have regular classes, just like school and colleges, eight hour, six hour. Be engaged always in reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, discussing amongst yourself. Then you’ll make progress. Otherwise, if you take it as an official routine work… You should take as routine work, but with consciousness that “We have to learn something,” not simply attending the class, but to learn something. In this way make your life successful.” (40).

Note how he even suggests that there be six or eight hours of classes a day, although mostly he would instruct that there be one hour of class in both the morning and evening. Even this is often minimised, with morning class as short as thirty minutes (after all the preliminaries), and evening class non-existent for most. Many devotees do not even attend the morning class. Of course, where temple attendance is not possible we can conduct our classes at home, but the main principle I would stress, wherever we hold class, is the need to hear the words of Srila Prabhupada.

HOW TO HEAR EFFECTIVELY

As far as the methodology of effective hearing is concerned, there is much more to say, but this article is already too long. My wife Cintamani-dhama and I have compiled a set of principles drawn from Srila Prabhupada’s instructions which can be found on our website: www.improvingsanga.wordpress.com

Fundamentally, though, there should be a complete focus on Prabhupada’s words. Put the purport up on Powerpoint for everyone to see, or have them bring their own books. Then go through systematically, picking up on his points, diving deeply into the nectar of his words. Take time, if necessary. Some purports are long and packed with valuable instructions. Why not spend more than just one day on a verse? So much is missed when we rush through his purports. They deserve more than that, and surely this is what Prabhupada expected. Take a look at the link below:

http://www.vanipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Read_Srila_Prabhupada’s_Books

To conclude then, I believe that if we institute more direct hearing from Srila Prabhupada, especially in classes, we will see a fall in our attrition rate. Devotees will better experience the benefits described above and be less inclined to seek other, paltry solutions. Krishna consciousness will be seen as the all-encompassing remedy for every problem, and we will quickly feel the wonderful effects of Prabhupada’s powerful association.

There is no difference between the spiritual master’s instructions and the spiritual master himself. In his absence, therefore, his words of direction should be the pride of the disciple.(41)

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1•SB 1.1.2
2•SB.1.7.5
3•Ibid
4•SB 1.7.6
5•SB 1.7.7
6•Ibid
7•SB 7.24-25
8•SB.2.2.30
9. Bg.16.23
10•CC.Mad.22.54
11•CC.Mad.22.83
12•SB.5.18.10
13•SB.2.9.31
14•SP Lecture Bombay, December 4, 1974
15•Bg.10.9
16•SPC.New Delhi, Nov 3, 1973
17•SB.3.29.3
18•SB.3.25.25
19•SB.3.36.37
20•SB.2.1.5
21•Bg.15.3-4
22•SP Letter Los Angeles June 16, 1972
23•SP Letter New York; July 8, 1972
24•SP Lecture July 28, 1966
25•CC Adi 1.49
26• SB 4.29.39-40
27• Ibid.
28• SP Lecture August 19, 1968
29• CC. Mad 22.51
30• SB.5.3.14
31• SP Lecture, Sydney, February 16, 1973
32•SB 4.29.39-40
33•SB 3.31.48
34•SB 1.2.18
35•SB.4.22.22
36. SB. 1.2.17
37. SPL 27 Nov 1968
38. Srila Prabhupada: The Founder Acharya of ISKCON, p.9
39. Ibid, p.22
40. SPL January 16th, 1975
41. Caitanya Caritamrita Adi Lila 1.35

“Chanting, Dancing, Harinam & Feasting” (Album of photos)
Dharmatma Das ACBSP: A wonderful gathering of over 450 Nepali devotees at Hrishikesh Mandir, Rurukshetra Dham at Ridi Bazar, situated on the banks of Kali Gandaki River, Nepal. Three days of wonderful programs, Krishna katha, huge Harinam in Ridi Bazar, Kirtans and otherworldly Prasadam. All glories to the sweet devotees who expertly organized everything and cared for us so nicely.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/6Cnwya

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