Shyamsundar Prabhu and Gurudas Prabhu Lecture on Prabhupada Memories at ISKCON Chowpatty on 28th January (video)

Please find below the final, official version of the GBC Understanding ISKCON's Lines of Authority paper. This final version has taken into consideration all comments received in Mayapur and thereafter. The release of this version as the full and final paper has been approved by the GBC executive committee. The next step for our committee is to help see that course material is developed so that classes on these principles are taught. In this way the principles expressed in this paper will become part of our ISKCON culture. Continue reading "Understanding ISKCON’s Lines of Authority
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Here is my little contribution on preparing & offering food to Krishna with love & devotion. I have developed all these recipes with special care & effort. I believe it will be of great help to everyone to learn & cook for Krishna. It is a collection of recipes, for everyday cooking as well as for the festivals & other special occasions Continue reading "Why Only Krishna Prasadam?
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Please help Yamaraja Prabhu (BTG).
Back To Godhead has just launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for medical care for Yamaraja Prabhu, who has been designing and laying out BTG since the seventies. I’m writing to ask all of you to help us spread the word about the campaign. This is the link for it: https://www.gofundme.com/yamaraja-prabhus-cancer-treatment
You can read about his situation there. In summary, he has been fighting multiple myeloma, a type of cancer, for about ten years using modern medicine, undergoing one experimental treatment after another. These treatments have kept the cancer in check, but they have not – and cannot – get to the root of the problem, which is in the stem cells, so the cancer will inevitably show up somewhere. Some devotees see his situation as hopeless and have advised him to just give up and chant Hare Krishna. But he’s not ready for that, so we BTG workers here in Alachua have decided to do whatever we can to support him in his desire to get alternative treatment in Mexico, something he has been investigating for quite some time. He realizes that there is no guarantee that it will work, but it just might, and modern medicine is running out of tricks. After his many years of service to Prabhupada’s dear magazine, we feel it is appropriate to give him the moral support he needs at this time. Yamaraj prabhu wants to continue his service as long as he can, so we’re asking the ISKCON community to support him. Thank you. Hare Krishna. Your servant, Nagaraja Dasa

Like a beautiful palace with a closed door the dhama also requires a key to grant us entrance. This is chanting the Name. According to Sri Bhaktivinoda Thakura it is chanting the Holy Name with loving affection Continue reading "Gentle forgiving Krsna – the only shelter
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Hare Krishna Sheffield (Album of photos)
Hare Krishna: It was a pretty good January @ Hare Krishna Sheffield! We had Mahamantra das over sharing his wit and wisdom, we started a small food distribution program distributing food to Sheffield`s homeless, and also had a few good days out in the city distributing some amazing books to the good people of Sheffield..all in all, a pretty good month.
let us see what 2018 brings…
Find them here: https://goo.gl/2MJYfz

Harinam @ Queen St, Auckland,NZ on the 2/2/2018 (Album of photos)
Srila Prabhupada: The easiest way to control the mind, as suggested by Lord Caitanya, is chanting “Hare Krishna,” the great mantra for deliverance, in all humility. Bhagavad-Gita, 6.34 Purport.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/SX5f5o

“The game point - The mode of goodness and economy.”
During the Iskcon Leadership Sanga of this year, which will take place in a few weeks in Mayapur, the GBC Ministry of Cow Protection and Agriculture will also be presenting “The game point - The mode of goodness and economy.”
The environment which surrounds us has a lot of influence on the way we think. This presentation is about a community in Siberia which has cows and children and is building its way towards sustainability. They are developing a viable business model for ahimsa milk, honey and vegetables, based on a cooperative community sadhana. They have ingeniously weaved part of the farm duties in their morning spiritual practices.
This sets the ground for harmony between spiritual life and economy. Their example is very relevant because it is full of elements both of the mode of goodness and economic development. Their practice is fully sheltered by the vision of their GBC, the local preacher and the GBC Ministry for Cow Protection and Agriculture.
Presenters will be Kalakantha Prabhu and Vrajaraja Prabhu, who is coming from Russia especially for these presentations.
More photos: https://goo.gl/ArSGGF

Conversation

• Kṛṣṇa is Nārāyaṇa but Kṛṣṇa’s appearance is superior
• Whatever form of the Lord we are attracted to we need to be aware of Kṛṣṇa’s position
• Whatever form of Kṛṣṇa one worships is perfect as it’s Kṛṣṇa’s desire for variegatedness
• It is not the vaiṣṇava way to say one worship is good and another is not
• Lord Caitanya’s contribution is vraja-bhakti and Kṛṣṇa’s ontological position
• The concept in Tirupati is that Viṣṇu has become Govinda although it is the other way around

Malati Devi Dasi: Dear Devotees, Her Grace Narataki Gopal based in Alachua has been taken by ambulance to Northern Regional Hospital...

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Srimad Bhagavatam Class by H.G. Mukunda Datta Prabhu in ISKCON Vrindavan, 31.01.2018 (video)

“Can Lord Chaitanya wear a peacock feather?”
Jananivas: In 1973 we had just completed the lotus building in Mayapur. I went to Prabhupada’s room and asked him,
“Can Lord Chaitanya wear a peacock feather?”
He said, “Why not? He is Krishna.”
I told him some of the Gaudiya Math people were complaining that Lord Chaitanya shouldn’t wear a peacock feather.
Srila Prabhupada became very disappointed and he just looked down. He didn’t say anything else.
I took it to mean that he was disturbed that his God-brothers always criticized him.
In fact he wrote one letter, “How can they help when they only hinder us.” It was an open letter.
My understanding was that Prabhupada was wondering why they didn’t see what he had accomplished?”
He picked us out of the gutter of material existence.
We had shaved heads, we wore tilaka and dhotis and we were chanting Krishna’s names.
In other words, “Look at what he’d done rather than fault finding.”

Since that time I found new evidence where Lord Chaitanya is described with a peacock feather.

In the Advaita Gauranga Maji by Advaita Acharya he gives the description of Mahaprabhu in meditation.

In the description he says He has His sikhi-piccha, the peacock feather in His hair and another one over His ear. [laughs]

There is another in the nitya-lila of Mahaprabhu when after breakfast He goes with His friends on sankirtan.

They see all the white cows and the peacocks and He corresponds with Vrindavan-lila when Krishna goes out with the cows in the morning.

So he gets into His cowboy mood. [laughs]

So he starts calling out to all of His cows,

“Ah, Shyama he, Dubala he, Ganga he, Yamuna he, come on.” [laughs]

All the devotees would inquire, “What’s happening?”

“Oh, He’s in the mood of Krishna in Vrindavan.”

So they are all assuming the same mood as Him.

They would pick up sticks and start twirling them around like cowboys do. “Hi, hi, hi, let’s go up to Goverdhan.”

Nityananda Prabhu tends to have a Buffalo horn, “Woo, woo, woo, Goverdhan he.”

In that description Lord Chaitanya wears a peacock feather.

Also Prabhupada asked Malati mataji one time, "Why Lord Chaitanya is not wearing a peacock feather?”

She said, “Oh, He should be wearing?” He said, “Yes.”

She asked, “What about Nityananda Prabhu?”

He said, “Sometimes he could wear but Lord Chaitanya should always wear.”

So now we had guru, sadhu and shastra. It became a little bit controversial.

—Jananivas

First Monthly Sankirtan Festival Alachua (MSF)
Sri Vrindavana devi dasi: Our first Monthly Sankirtan Festival for 2018 was held on Saturday, January 20, 2018. We started the morning by reading chapter 5 of Bhagavad Gita together -Sanskrit and English translations. Then Sri Vrndavana devi dasi presented a review of Vaisesika Prabhu’s time-tested “How to distribute a Gita on its own merit” followed by a role-playing session. Ragatmika devi dasi, veteran book distributor, then led us in reciting Srila Prabhupada’s Jaladuta prayer, “Markine bhagavat dharma”. She also spoke for a few minutes encouraging us in our upcoming sankirtan yajna.
On behalf of TIA (Team ISKCON Alachua), I’m happy to share these numbers with you. -35 devotees went out in five teams door to door, store to store and to Depot Park. About 400 cookies were distributed, along with, 42 Bhagavad Gita hard 43 Bhagavad Gita soft and 128 small books. We all got back to the Temple to a nice lunch specially prepared for the MSF. We shared sankirtan stories and realizations during prasadam.
We want to thank Vaisesika Prabhu for giving us the tools to make sankirtan fun, organized, and inclusive. We are all feeling very optimistic. Srila Prabhupada ki Jai. Our next MSF will be on Saturday, February 24, 2018. Please mark your calendars.

Nityananda Trayodasi at the VIHE, January 29, 2018 (Album of photos)
Students, teachers, staff and other vaishnavas gathered a...

“What principles can we learn from the Amish Community?”
ISKCON GBC Ministry of Agriculture and Cow Protection: It is striking to see a spiritual culture present in the USA thriving despite all predictions of impossibility. The original 5,000 grew into 400,000 Amish depending primarily on the land. They mainly run their own education system and have two thousand schools catering for their own young, staffed by members from their own communities. They hold onto their young people - up to 93% of the young adults decide to stay within the community.
People come to see it, leaving a yearly revenue of 2 billion dollars for their guided tours, to appreciate a social system that works.
The ISKCON Ministry of Cow Protection and Agriculture will be presenting on the ILS on “What principles can we learn from the Amish Community?” . Presenters will be Kalakantha das and Samba das.

Celebration of Narottama Das Appearance Day (Album with photos)
Deena Bandhu Das: Today we celebrated Narottama Das Appearance ...

• Holy places become sacred due to Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes and presence, and the presence of Kṛṣṇa’s devotees who have Kṛṣṇa in their hearts
• Parikrama is also called pāda-sevanam which is
  • meditation on Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet and keeping Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet in our mind and heart
  • service to the saṅkīrtana movement and the vaiṣṇavas
• The difference between going to Vṛndāvana and being in our place of service and experiencing Vṛndāvana is that Vṛndāvana has a potency devotees immediately feel
• A conscious effort is needed to benefit from being in the dhāma
• Narottama sings tīrtha-yātrā pariśrama, „ what is the use of visiting holy places?”

On any path there will always be ups and downs, and we have to remain steady in difficulties, reverses and success—any of which could deviate us. Krishna consciousness is all about developing and deepening of faith—from beginning to end—and we have to do what is favorable to have and improve our faith. Though we will repeatedly stumble, we have to keep picking our self up, dusting our clothes, and keep on keeping on. I have stumbled many times in the past, yet even in the worst of times I continued to practice Krishna consciousness to some degree. Though I might like to pretend otherwise, I still don’t always choose the most Krishna conscious thing to do. I don’t think I am unique in this regard. We always have to choose, and our choice will be determined by our desires which may be more or less Krishna conscious. Continue reading "Remaining a Devotee Despite Obstacles and Trials
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What are the various definitions of inattention while chanting? A. O Lord! All anarthas are produced when we do not pay attention to our chanting. The exalted devotees have defined inattention as indifference, laziness, and restlessness. (Harinama-cintamani) Q. What is the symptom of a restless chanter? A. Those who are afflicted with restlessness try to finish their prescribed rounds as soon as possible. One should be extremely careful not to commit such an offense while chanting. (Harinama-cintamani) Continue reading "Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura about inattentive chanting
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The GBC Organizational Development Committee at work today (Album of photos)
Bhakti Chaitanya Swami: We arrived in Sri Mayapur Dhama a couple of days ago, and now I’m participating in the GBC Organizational Development Committee meeting. The main GBC meetings start on the 3rd.
Find them here: https://goo.gl/YMNfp2

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Lord Nityananda appeared in the village of Ekachakra, in West Bengal, India, around 1474. In the Caitanya Caritamrita He is declared to be the avatar of Lord Balarama, the direct expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. His father was Hadai Pandit and mother, Padmavati Devi.

As a child He was called Nitai and had a close circle of friends. Together they used to imitate the pastimes of Krishna and His associates. For His first twelve years, Nityananda Prabhu stayed in Ekachakra and shared loving pastimes with His neighbours.

Just before His thirteenth birthday, a traveling mendicant came to His home and said he needed a traveling companion and young Nitai would be an appropriate person for such a service. Nitai was eager, and reluctantly, Hadai Pandita agreed to let his son go.

Nitai travelled from holy place to holy place for the next twenty years, until He was thirty-two, receiving instruction and friendship from His elderly sannyasi companion. He more and more took on the character of an avadhuta, a spiritually elevated person who is aloof to material surroundings.

Nityananda Prabhu reached the land of Nadiya, where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu resided. When the two Lords finally saw each other for the first time, they were immediately overtaken by waves of ecstasy. Nitai was roughly thirty-two years old, and Mahaprabhu was twenty.

From this point until Mahaprabhu left Navadvipa for Jagannatha Puri, Nityananda Prabhu was always at His side. When Lord Chaitanya went to Jagannatha Puri, Lord Nityananda spent some time with Him there. However, the movement in Navadvipa had been sorely neglected, and so, in 1511, Mahaprabhu requested Nityananda, His most reliable sankirtana commander, to return to Bengal.

At the end of His manifest lila, Lord Nityananda returned to Ekachakra where He established a deity of Lord Krishna known as Bankima Raya, accompanied on the right by a deity of Jahnava Devi, and on the left, Srimati Radharani. The priests of this temple say that Nityananda Prabhu merged into the form of Bankima Raya to leave the earth for His eternal pastimes in the spiritual sky.

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 05 April 2015, Durban, South Africa, Ratha Yatra Lecture: The secret of spiritual advancement)

If we do not have a connection with Srimad Bhagavatam, then spiritual life becomes dry! Chanting becomes difficult and then the four regulative principles become very narrow and gradually with time, we start craving for more space. Even though we have all the knowledge, even though we have been enlivened in Krsna consciousness and even though we have been so surrendered, at one point it will become too narrow! So the Bhagavatam is very important because it is the science that explains everything about Krsna and through Bhagavatam, we connect with Krsna. It keeps us focused on seeing who Krsna is, where Krsna is and how everything connects with Krsna… It is essential! For our faith to grow, we need to invest.

When you enter into a new job, in the beginning, you have to learn everything and then after a while, when you have been working for a number of years, then you are totally expert. You can do it real quick. So it gets easier over time. As you get into a routine, it gets easier. But spiritual life is the opposite. In a material situation, as you get more expert, you have to invest less but not in spiritual life.

In spiritual life, as time passes, we have to invest more and if we do not invest more, our faith will dry up! What was enough yesterday, is not enough anymore. You know, may be last year we did all these things and it was enough to keep us enthused but now, we do the same things but we are not feeling enthused because we have not invested more. We have to invest more; that is the way of spiritual life!

Mahatma Das: January 29, 2018 - “The Most Valuable Assets” (5 min video)
Srila Prabhupada: Every one of us is searching after some mellow, some pleasure from everything. Krishna is the reservoir of all pleasures, rasa-vigraha, fully personified. Wherever there is Krishna, there is rasa, a transcendental mellow, enjoyment, relishable. Surat, December 17, 1970.
Watch it here: https://goo.gl/FL3uLm

Nityananda Trayodasi Abhishek ISKCON Mayapur 29/01/18 (video)

Ambarisa Das: Srila Prabhupada was a true visionary. He always had very big ideas for the spreading of Krishna consciousness and the ideal Vedic culture.
One of Srila Prabhupada’s many gifts to his followers, and the entire world, was his detailed vision for the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium.
Srila Prabhupada had a clear vision for the temple, and he expressed it on many occasions. He wanted a unique Vedic Planetarium to present the Vedic perspective of life, including a gigantic display of the material and spiritual worlds, which could be viewed by pilgrims on different levels as they traveled through the Planetarium.
Now here in India we are constructing a very large Vedic Planetarium…within the planetarium we will construct a huge, detailed model of the universe as described in the text of the fifth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. Within the planetarium the model will be studied by onlookers from different levels by use of escalators. Detailed information will be given on open verandahs at the different levels by means of dioramas, charts, films etc.
Srila Prabhupada
As in everything he did, Srila Prabhupada was acting in fulfillment of the desires of the previous Acharyas, or spiritual preceptors. A grand temple for Mayapur was predicted by none other than Lord Nityananda, the most intimate associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, some five hundred years ago.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, the father of the modern day Krishna Consciousness movement, narrates a description of the future development of Mayapur given by Sri Nityananda Prabhu to Srila Jiva Goswami:
Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Srila Jiva Goswami
Sri Nityananda Prabhu and Srila Jiva Goswami
When our Lord Caitanya disappears, by His desire, the Ganges will swell. The Ganges water will almost cover Mayapur for a hundred years, and then the water will again recede. For some time only the place will remain, devoid of houses. Then again, by the Lord’s desire, this place will again be manifest, and the devotees will build temples of the Lord. One exceedingly wonderful temple (adbhuta-mandira) will appear from which Gauranga’s eternal service will be preached everywhere.
In July of 1976 Srila Prabhupada expressed his preference for the outer design of the temple. While visiting Washington, he instructed Yadubara Prabhu and Vishakha Mataji to take photos of the Capitol building. When they inquired why, he replied:
“I wanted both of you to take various detailed photographs of that Capitol.”
“The Capitol Building.” Yadubara nodded. “For what purpose, Srila Prabhupada?”
“We shall have a planetarium in Mayapur,” Prabhupada told him. “To show spiritual world, material world, and so on succession of the planetary systems, everything. A building like that. We are acquiring three hundred and fifty acres of land for constructing a small township to attract people from all the world to see the planetarium. … You take all details, inside, outside. That will be nice.”

Vaisnava historian Chaturatma dasa speaking from an unpublished book about the glories of Narottama dasa Thakura. This episode cover...

Love, Learn, Pray, Give, Accept, Release, Let Go, & Celebrate!
Karnamrita Das: I often think about how to express the most important aspects of life that can most benefit us all. The following is one perspective and attempt to do this. We begin by sensing that love is our nature and that which we most hanker for. When we discover that our capacity to love in this world, and the capacity for others to accept the amount of love we are capable of giving, is limited and ultimately unsatisfying, we can begin our quest to realize our spiritual nature as beings of eternity, wisdom, and love.
We discover that the fulfillment we seek is only possible when our spiritual nature is gradually awakened since this nature is who we truly are. There are many stages of this divine awakening which will be promoted by those who seek the goal their path offers. According to the bhakti Vedic scriptures, the highest stage is when our loving propensity and full consciousness is reposed on the Supreme Original Person, God, or Krishna.

When we love Krishna, then we always know what to do. This is true learning and practical wisdom. Krishna teaches in chapter 15 of his Bhagavad Gita, that when we know Krishna as the Supreme Original Person, without doubting, then we know everything that is necessary.

In our endeavor to learn to love Krishna (bhakti), we learn that prayer—through chanting the holy name, reciting prayers in the scripture and by great devotees, and our personal prayers—is our connection to God and leads us to serve and remember him. We also learn that by serving, loving, and giving to others in the spirit of service to Krishna, we grow spiritually and help others as well (para-upakara). We can’t separate Krishna from his devotees, and that spiritual essence is in everyone.

If we are only interested in serving and acknowledging God, without being kind and serving his devotees—which includes all living beings—we are considered still beginners on the path of bhakti. We will be fulfilled to the extent that we can unselfishly give, on all levels, but especially when we give what the soul is truly hankering for beyond the desires of the flesh, to find our everlasting love and activity. Krishna says in his Gita’s 18th chapter that those who teach his Word from the Gita are the dearest to him, because then, we are an extension of his compassion and mercy to help others spiritually awaken.

As we live through life’s many challenges, we are required to accept many conditions and situations we may not like. Part of our spiritual maturity is to accept ourselves as we are now with faith in the person we can become, as well to accept the life we have created, and our apparent fortune or misfortune.

When we have faith that whatever comes to us, whether joy or calamity, is ultimately meant for our highest good to help us take shelter of God, then our acceptance is natural—as it’s a by-product of our faith that Krishna’s protection and maintenance sustain us. Krishna promises in the Gita’s 9th chapter that his devotees never perish, but are led to everlasting spiritual life.

Our spiritual “job” is to excavate the connection of everything to Krishna. We must go beyond our body, our circumstances, or worldly tribulations, and find our true rest in our soul’s relationship to Krishna and the love he has for us. Our love for him expressed through service and in his glorification becomes our life connection to our Source, now, and forever.

Giving to, and loving, the Center benefits everyone and everything. In this mood we can release and let go of whatever is unfavorable—attitudes, perceptions, and conditions—to this devotional giving. We celebrate this in gratitude thru song and dance, the overflow which we share with others.

The Ultimate Sacrifice of Love.
In the Sri Caitanya Caritamrta, it is described how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu along with His associates in the Panca-tattva broke open the sealed storehouse of love of Godhead, and became so intoxicated by it, that they simply couldn’t keep it to themselves, and decided to freely distribute it. Sri Nitai opened the marketplace of the holy name, allowing anyone and everyone to purchase the holy names for the price of faith.
Sri Nityananda Prabhu is understood be the most merciful - even more than Patita-pavana Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself! Sri Nitai risked His life trying to save the most wretched of people, and saved the offender Kazi from the wrath of Sriman Mahaprabhu, such was His mercy and compassion.
In his song “Madhur E Harinama”, Bhaktivinoda Thakura states: “Sri Nitai is more merciful than Sriman Gauranga Mahaprabhu. Sri Gaurasundara (Lord Caitanya) is wonderfully merciful. Sri Nitai is more merciful than Sri Gaurasundara. Sri Nitai is so merciful. He saw that the jivas have been suffering here, drowning in this ocean of materialistic existence from time immemorial. His heart bleeds, so Sri Nitai felt love, affection and compassion for them. He became sympathetic for the suffering souls, so He brought the Holy Name from Sri Vrajabhumi for those Kali-yuga people.”
Lord Nityananda is the embodiment of service in separation – the ultimate sacrifice of love. He only met Mahaprabhu after 32 long years in separation. He stayed by Lord Gauranga’s side until He was instructed by Mahaprabhu in Puri to go back to Bengal to get married so that he could preach to the householders. This broke Nitai’s heart. Lord Gauranga was His very life; how could He possibly live without Him? However, Nityananda took that instruction to heart and went back to Navadvipa, got married and preached.
No one can even begin to imagine the burning pain of separation the Nityananda Prabhu felt, but it was His sacrifice of love. His sacrifice of not having the Lord’s physical association was for the benefit of all the struggling conditioned souls, and ultimately for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord. He followed the Lord’s instructions without complaint, all the while enduring the burning pangs of separation.
The acaryas say that no one can get the mercy of Lord Gauranga without the mercy of Lord Nityananda. Sri Nitai is Adi-guru (original Guru), and only by the mercy of the Guru can one make progress on their spiritual path. With determination and faith in Guru, who is the representative of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, we must push on with our sadhana and service. Every endeavour for the pleasure of the Lord is a sacrifice that one has to make in order to execute his or her duty.

heno nitai bine bhai, radha-krsna pāite nāi
dṛḍha kori’ dharo nitāir pāy
“Unless one takes shelter under the shade of the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, it will be very difficult for him to approach Radha-Krsna.”
Srila Locana Das Thakura, in Caitanya Magala, writes a beautiful song which describes the magnanimity of Sri Nityananda Prabhu.

“The noble Lord Nityananda is never angry, for He is the personification of supreme transcendental bliss. Devoid of any concept of false ego, Nitai wanders about the town.

“Going from door to door in the residences of the most fallen and wretched souls, He freely distributes the gift of the Hari-nama mahamantra.

“He exclaims to whomever he sees while holding straw between his teeth, ‘Please purchase me by worshipping Gaurahari!’

“Saying thus, Nityananda Prabhu rolls about on the ground, appearing like a golden mountain tumbling in the dust.

“Locana Dasa Thakura says, ‘Whoever has not experienced the awakening of affection for such an avatara as this, that sinful person simply comes and goes uselessly in the cycle of repeated birth and death.’ ”