# Back to Godhead Magazine #13 *1978 (07)* Back to Godhead Magazine #13-07, 1978 PDF-View ## Understanding the Source of Everything *Śrīla Prabhupāda’s First Talks in America (New York, December 29, 1966)* ### by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda > bhāgavatārambhe vyāsa maṅgalācaraṇe > 'parameśvara' nirūpila ei dui lakṣaṇe > [Cc Madhya 20.358] We have been discussing about the symptoms, characteristics, of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One characteristic is that is eternally constant, or present with Him, and another characteristic is that it is sometimes manifested, sometimes not manifested. These two characteristics are called the superior energy and the inferior energy. Manifestation of the superior energy is always constant, present in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And manifestation of the inferior energy, that is not always present. It is sometimes manifested, sometimes not manifested. Just like we have got also... It is very easy to understand. We have got several energies, personally. And we have got some mean energy also that is within us. That is not always manifested. Sometimes I commit theft. That is my energy. That is my energy, but it is not always manifested. This is a crude example. Similarly, everything is there in the Supreme Personality of Godhead*.* *Janmādy asya yataḥ* [*Cc Madhya* 20*.*359]*.* The *Bhāgavata* explains, in the beginning of *Bhāgavata*, that everything has its origin from the Supreme Lord*.* Everything*.* Whatever you have got, it has its origin from the Supreme Lord*.* And that is also confirmed in other Vedic literature*.* *Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante* [Taittirīya Upaniṣad 3*.*1]*.* Imāni bhūtāni, all these things which are created, there is a source*.* That is Brahman*.* That is Brahman*.* The *Vedānta-sūtra* also confirms this, *janmādy asya yataḥ. Athāto brahma-jijñāsā.* What is Brahman? This is explained in one code word, *janmādy asya yataḥ:* Brahman is that from whom everything is emanating. That's all. Brahman is that from whom, or from which—whatever you like—everything is emanated. So that supreme source, *summum bonum* of everything, is described in the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: janmādy asya yato 'nvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ svarāṭ.* That supreme source of everything, what is the nature of that supreme source of everything? Now the *Bhāgavata* says, *janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca arthesu abhijñaḥ.* He is conscious. First qualification is conscious. The supreme source cannot be unconscious. Why? Because we are conscious being. So we are also emanation from the Supreme Lord, the living entities. Some of the living entities are moving, some of the living entities, they do not move. Just like the trees, the hills, the mountains, they have got also their life. So they are not moving. We are moving. Man, human being, cats, dogs and ants, so many there are. So they are conscious. So unless the Supreme Lord is conscious, the supreme source of all generation is conscious, wherefrom this consciousness can come? So the philosophy that the supreme source is void, how you can maintain? Wherefrom this consciousness comes? They say that consciousness is generated by the combination of matter. Up till now, no scientist has proved that by combination of chemicals and matter, physical things, one can produce consciousness. So the *Bhāgavata* very nicely describes that the supreme source of everything, He is conscious. Conscious. *Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayāt itarataś ca.* Now, He is conscious in two ways: *anvayāt itarataś ca.* Directly and indirectly. Just like we are also conscious, but we are directly conscious. Indirectly, we are not conscious. Indirectly we are not conscious. But God is all-powerful supreme consciousness. Therefore He's directly conscious and indirectly conscious. In the *Bhagavad-gītā,* you will find that Kṛṣṇa says that *vedāhaṁ samatītāni vartamānāni ca bhārata* [*Bg* 7.26]: "I know everything about *atītāni,* what is past, everything what is past, and I know what is present, I know what is future." And on this understanding, Kṛṣṇa says in the Second Chapter, you may remember, that "You, Me and all these persons who have assembled here, they were individual person in the past, they are individual persons now, and they will continue to be individual person in the future." This is consciousness, *anvayāt itarataś ca.* Now again, what sort of consciousness? Wherefrom He has got this consciousness? Just like we have got our consciousness from the Supreme Lord, the supreme source, and wherefrom the Supreme, or God, He has got His consciousness? So *Bhāgavatam* says *svarāṭ. *Svarāṭ.* Svarāṭ* means He is independent. His consciousness is not dependent on others' consciousness. *Svarāṭ.* God, He has got all the knowledge. Yesterday we have been discussing Bhagavān. Bhagavān is full of all knowledge. Wherefrom He got this knowledge? Now our experience is that we go to schools, college, and get knowledge. Wherefrom He gets knowledge? The *Bhāgavata* replies, *svarāṭ.* He's self-sufficient, full of knowledge. These are the differences. So these qualifications are always present. This is called *svarūpa-lakṣaṇa.* Unless God is independent, unless God is conscious, indirectly and directly, He cannot be the supreme source. This is called *svarūpa-lakṣaṇa:* constantly present. *Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ.* Now, people may argue that in the creation we find Brahmā the first-born living creature, and he has given us the Vedic knowledge. So this... In the creation, because he's the first living creature, then he is *svarāṭ.* He is also independent. Why God is independent? This living creature, he's first-born. He's independent. Otherwise, how could he give the knowledge of *Vedas*? So the reply is *tene brahma hṛdā*.** No*.* He's also dependent*.* He got the knowledge from the Supreme Lord*.* How is that? He's the first-born living creature*.* How he got knowledge from God? *Tene brahma hṛdā*.** Brahmā*.**.**,* the Vedic knowledge was imparted into the heart of Brahmā*.* Why? Because God is situated within everyone's heart*.* *Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati* [*Bg* 18*.*61]*.* These things are very nicely described in the *Bhāgavatam* in the beginning*.* Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye*.* Ādi-kavaye means Brahmā*.* *Kavi* means the learned*.* *Kavi**.* *Kavi*naṁ purāṇam anuśāsitāram [*Bg* 8*.*9]*,* in the Bhagavad-gītā*.* He's the kavinaṁ purāṇam*.* He's the oldest learned man. Oldest. *Purāṇam. Purāṇam* means the oldest. Then why God is not recognized? Now *muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ.* To understand God, even the greatest of the greatest thinker, philosopher or sage or saintly person, they are also bewildered. Cannot understand. *Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamya.* So Lord Caitanya is [indistinct] that He has got two characteristics. One characteristic is..., that is always present. What is that? He's independent and full of knowledge, and He's conscious. Unconsciousness is not the qualification of God. Voidness cannot be accepted as the qualification of the Supreme. The Supreme must be conscious. *Tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye, tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra trisargo 'mṛṣā.* And *yatra:* in Him rests the material manifestation. And what is this material manifestation? *Tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayam.* It is simply exchange of fire, water and earth. Of course, there other things are eight elements, fire, water, earth, ether and air. This is the gross material elements. And the finer material elements are the mind, intelligence and false ego. We have discussed this in the *Bhagavad-gītā.* So this material manifestation is nothing but a manipulation, or a preparation of these things. Just... Just like we present sometime varieties of foodstuff—*kacaurīs,* *siṅgāra,* *purī* and *rasagullā,* and so many things. But what are these? That is varieties of grains and milk, fat, that's all. Similarly, all these varieties, manifestation in the material world, they are... *Yatra, yatra..., tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo,* oh, and *yatra trisargo 'mṛṣā.* *Amṛṣā.* It is false. But it appears to be just like real. Foolish living entities, under the spell of illusory energy, they have accepted this false exchange of material elements as reality. This is called materialism. One who has accepted this false representation of reality, they are called materialist. And one who knows the real position of this material world, he's spiritualist. That is the difference between materialism and spiritualism. So this, this material representation, false representation, are temporary. The Vaiṣṇava philosophy, they do not say false. Why they will say false? God is real. His energy is real. You cannot say material energy as unreal, because God is there, and His energy is there. Just like the fire is there, the heat is there, the temperature is there. You cannot say temperature false. It may be manifested at some time, or it may not be manifest. Just like the temperature of sun is not perceived nowadays because it is due to the cold season. But the temperature is the same, but it is manifested during June-July. It is very strongly. And in other seasons, it is not manifested. Similarly, this material energy, you cannot say that it is false, it is false*.* The Vaiṣṇava philosophy is perfect*.* As it is temporary*.* *Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate* [*Bg* 8*.*19]*.* It is sometimes manifested*.* And this is called taṭasthā*.* This characteristic, this symptom of the Supreme Lord, is called *taṭasthā:* sometimes manifested, sometimes not manifested*.* But so far the superior energy is concerned, that is always manifested*.* That is explained in the next line: dhāmnā svena sadā nirasta-kuhakaṁ paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi*.* Now that is *paraṁ satyam,* the Supreme Truth, where there is no such temporary manifestation*.* So this is knowledge and ignorance*.* The ignorant materialistic, they are captivated, *durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninas* [SB 7*.*5*.*31]*.* What is the materialistic point of view...? Now, *durāśayā.* They are thinking to have peace and prosperity. This is nonsense. *Durāśayā.* This is called *durāśayā.* That will never be fulfilled. The foolish creatures[?], what will never be fulfilled, they're trying for that. *Durāśayā, na te viduḥ.* Why they are trying so? *Na te viduḥ.* They are fools. They do not know. What they do not know? *Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatim.* What is their self-interest, they do not know. And what is that self-interest? Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord. Their self-interest is to go back to home, go back to Godhead. That is their real self-interest. One should be interested, selfish. This is real selfishness, that I must know what I am, what is the goal of my life. But these people, they do not know what is the goal of life. They are trying to adjust things here, but things will never be adjusted, because the nature of this material world is like that. *Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate* [Bg 8.19]*. Trisargo 'mṛṣām.* It is a false, or temporary, representation... So this sum and substance is that the Supreme Lord, God, or Kṛṣṇa, has got two..., that He has got many diverse energies; all these diverse energies are, I mean to say, summarized in three division: the spiritual energy, the material energy and the marginal energy. We are the mar... We are living entities. We are marginal. We are sometimes captivated by the material energy and sometimes we are in spiritual energy. Now our attempt is, Kṛṣṇa consciousness means, we are trying to transfer ourself from this temporary energy to the permanent energy. Therefore in the *Bhagavad-gītā* you'll find, *mahātmānas tu mām, daivī prakṛtim āśritāḥ* [*Bg* 9.13]. *Daivī prakṛti* means the superior energy, divine energy. This is also divine energy, but that is directly. This is indirectly. This is temporary. Nothing, without..., nothing can exist without being divine, because everything is coming out from divine. So *sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma* [*Chāndogya Upaniṣad* 3.14.1]. Therefore the impersonalists, they have taken everything as Brahman. That is their... That is also true. Everything is Brahman. That's right. That's all right. Just like in this store. This whole thing is store. That's all right. But we have to take advantage of the store, not sitting in this, I mean to say, lavatory. You have to sit here. If you saw, "That is also sitting place. Why not go there? And deliver the lecture from there?" No. We have to utilize here. So you have to take advantage of the best. Everything is energy of Kṛṣṇa. That's all right. But we have to take advantage of the better energy, superior energy. So *na te viduḥ,* they do not know how to take advantage of that superior energy. So there are two energies, the superior and inferior, or the spiritual and material*.* The material energy*.**.**.* This is the definition and the sum and substance of the definition and activities of the supreme *summum bonum, janmādy asya yataḥ,* the supreme source of everything*.* So, but the superior energy in which the Supreme Lord is always staying*.**.**.* *Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto* [Bs 5*.*37]*.* In the *Bhagavad-gītā* also it is stated, *paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto vyaktāt sanātanaḥ* [Bg 8.20]*, puruṣaḥ sa paraḥ pārtha bhaktyā.* That *puruṣa,* that Supreme Lord, has to understood *bhaktyā,* not otherwise. That is stated. Only through Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no other way. You cannot understand the Supreme Lord. That Supreme Lord is *dhāmnā svena sadā. Sadā* means always, eternal. *Dhāmnā svena:* in His own abode. His own abode. *Dhāmnā svena nirasta-kuhakam:* where there is no illusion. *Nirasta-*kuhaka.* Kuhaka* means illusion. Just like here we..., everything is *kuhaka.* Everything is made of earth, water, temporary things. Just like a doll. Doll is the... You find, you sometimes find in store, storefront of big mercantile firm, there is nice girl standing with dress. So that is *kuhakam,* illusion. That is illusion. Those who know, "Oh, it is a doll," similarly, that is the difference between a man in knowledge and man in ignorance. They are accepting this material doll as reality. That is materialism. And those who are in knowledge, they know, "No, it is doll." The reality is different. So *sadā nirasta,* there is no, *kuhakam...* That doll illusion is not there. *Sadā nirasta-kuhakam.* There, *satyaṁ param,* and there exists the Supreme Truth. *Satyaṁ paraṁ *dhīmahi**. This *dhīmahi* means Gāyatrī *mantra.* Those who are *brāhmaṇas,* who are elevated, they are given this Gāyatrī mantra, oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṁ bhargo devasya *dhīmahi*. Dhīmahi. That *dhīmahi* word is used here in the **Bhāgavatam*.* So *Bhāgavatam* is meant for persons who are already in the qualification of *brāhmaṇa.* It is not meant for persons who are in the qualification of *śūdra.* Because this very word suggests, *dhīmahi*. Dhīmahi is meant for *brāhmaṇa,* Gāyatrī *mantra.* So this is to be understood, that God is always, His real characteristic, spiritual energy. And another characteristic, material energy, that is temporary. Thank you very much. Any question? Any question? Devotee: Yes. What is the difference between *karma-yoga* and *bhakti-yoga*? Prabhupāda: Oh, we have not discussed just now **karma-*yoga**.* Anyway, *karma-*yoga** and *bhakti-*yoga*... Karma-*yoga** is meant... *Yoga,* first thing, **yoga*. Yoga* means linking, connecting. So any **yoga*,* there are many different kinds of **yoga*,* any *yoga* means linking oneself with the Supreme. So those who are too much addicted to ***karma*.*.. Karma* means work. Just like we see in your New York City. Everyone is busy with ***karma*.* Karma* means you do something, there is some result and you enjoy or suffer. That is called **karma*.* They are doing business, they are doing so many things. There is result. So *karma* has an effect. So it may be good or bad. So one has to enjoy or suffer. So those who are too much addicted to this *karma*, activities, when those activities are done with *yoga—yoga* means linking with the Supreme—that is called *karma*-yoga. Devotee: Isn't... *Bhakti-yoga* is not the same? Prabhupāda: **Bhakti-yoga*. Karma-yoga* is almost the same **bhakti-yoga*.* And *bhakti-yoga* is direct. *Bhakti-yoga* is... That, *bhaktas,* they are not addicted to *karma,* but they are simply addicted to the service of the Lord. That service of the Lord and ordinary work sometimes appears one and the same. Just like we are also typewriting. They..., your mother was asking the other day, "Oh, you have got Dictaphone?" "Yes." "Oh, why do you say that materialism bad?" "And we are spiritualizing this. You have produced these material things. We are spiritualizing." So sometimes the ordinary *karma* and *bhakti* appears to be the same. But they are not the same. They are not the same. Because everything, the source of emanation; we have nothing to hate from materialism, because materialism is the energy of God. Why shall we hate? We have nothing to hate. We don't hate materialism. The materialism... They do not understand what is materialism. Materialism means to forget the source of all this. That is materialism. One who knows the source of everything is God, for him, there is no materialism. Because he utilizes everything for that source. So for a advanced devotee, there is nothing materialism. There is nothing material. Everything is spiritualism. [end] ## The Kṛṣṇa Culture Comes to Latin America *A Personal Account* ### by Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Svāmī When I was a young boy growing up in Mexico City, I would sometimes meditate on what comes after death and why we have to die. And I would pray for more years to live, because I didn't want to die. I could see that even the most well-off people were distressed, because everybody knows you can't get away from disease, old age, death, and so many other things that just come of their own accord. You can't get away from them at all. And I was seeing that whatever kind of happiness you could find, it was just here-today-gone-tomorrow. I have an uncle who's a philosopher and a theologian, and I would ask him who I was, what God is like, whether I could go back to the spiritual world after finishing this lifetime, and how to live in a spiritual way. But all he knew about was rituals and that kind of thing. When it came to everyday living, he had about as much information as I did. It all left me feeling really disappointed. I felt disgusted with the ordinary materialistic way of life, but the taste I got of spiritual life left me feeling pretty much the same way. So I was caught in a dilemma, until my teens, when a friend handed me an old copy of the *Bhagavad-gītā.* Every day I would read one chapter, and every few days I would read all eighteen chapters, and I also started doing the *yoga* postures that the *Gītā* described. The postures gave me some relief, some peace of mind, and although the Sanskrit-to-Spanish translation seemed to leave something to be desired, I felt intrigued by the descriptions of good and bad *karma,* life after death, reincarnation, and the path to the transcendental world. The *Gītā* said most people keep coming back to this world life after life, because they're too attached to its mirage-like pleasures, and so they have to get old and diseased and die again and again. But the *Gītā* also said there was a way to become a "great soul" (a *mahātma*) and go back to the eternal world. It seemed a little like the old saying, "A coward dies a thousand deaths, a hero dies but one." Yet for me all of this was quite far-off and theoretical. My anxiety was going away, but I had a vague sense that I wasn't going anywhere. One day in 1971, I was watching a tv variety show when the host introduced two Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees as his guests, and they answered his questions about who they were and what they were doing. One of them was a young man from Mexico, and the other was Citsukhānanda dāsa, a young North American of Latin descent. He said that his spiritual master had asked him to explain the *Bhagavad-gītā* to the people of Latin America and show them how to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra.* Then the two of them chanted awhile. This was the first time I had heard about the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, but I didn't take much interest in it. A while later, on a Saturday afternoon, I was doing my *yoga* postures when a friend came over and said, "I've just gone to see the Hare Kṛṣṇa people at their new center. A lot of local people are becoming members, and they have a big festival every Sunday. So why don't we go tomorrow?" I still wasn't very interested, but we went anyway and tried some of the Kṛṣṇa vegetarian feast, which I noticed had some dishes that were surprisingly pleasant-tasting. A few months later I went again, just to get some incense. Two months after that I paid another visit, and then the intervals between visits shortened from two months to one month to fifteen days to a week. But when Śrīla Prabhupāda, the spiritual master, stopped in Mexico City in 1972, that really decided things for me. From the moment I saw him I knew: "Here is a saintly person, a pure devotee of God." I figured that if this was the Kṛṣṇa movement's founder, then I had to become a member. After that I started chanting the *mahā-mantra* a lot and really getting to know the devotees and reading Śrīla Prabhupāda's translations, like *Nectar of Devotion* and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.* When I read his *Bhagavad-gītā As It Is,* I knew I was seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa's treatise on spiritual life with every word intact. It was a new world (a taste of the spiritual world, I sensed, because I felt totally satisfied without the usual materialistic "pleasures," like smoking and drinking, meat, gambling, and illicit sex). I was naturally satisfied, naturally happy from within. That Mexico City Kṛṣṇa center was the first in all of Latin America, and the only one at the time I became a devotee. I remember that wherever I went (with my freshly-shaven head and saffron robes), people would immediately start asking me questions. It might begin as a two-person conversation, but before I could turn around, perhaps fifty people would have gathered, and we'd have a discussion on the ABC's of self-realization and spiritual life. "The first point to get clear," I would explain, "is that you're not really the material body that you're living in right now—it's only an outer covering, a garment. What you really are is the spirit living within your body. We may have so many different kinds of garments," I would say, "—Latin American, Chinese, French—but inside we're all very much the same. We're all spiritual, and we all come from the Supreme Spirit. If you want to have peace inside yourself and peace all around the world, that's the way you've got to see things." Quite often someone would ask, "Do you believe in the theory of reincarnation?" "It's not a theory," I would say. "It's a fact. Reincarnation is just like changing your garment at the end of the day. At the end of your life, you change your body—you get a new body. And what kind of body you get then depends on what kinds of things you're desiring now. To satisfy your desires you can transmigrate all over the world and all over the universe, from one body to another." And sometimes I would point out, "Here in Mexico City you see many signs that advertise, 'Fly to New York and Enjoy the Fun,' and if you fly to New York you'll see many signs that advertise, 'Fly to Mexico and Enjoy the Sun.' So your desires can carry you from one material situation to another—one body to another—all over the world and all over the universe, but you won't feel satisfied. Once a fish is out of the water, you can dress him in Levis or a tuxedo or a sequined jacket; it doesn't matter—he'll just be choking until you put him back in the water. And it's the same for us. Wherever we go in the material world, we'll just feel frustrated. We have to get back to the spiritual world." It seemed that every day new people would come to the Mexico City Kṛṣṇa center and become full-time devotees. In fact, we were getting letters from people in parts of the continent that we hadn't even been to as yet. Later we opened a second center, in Caracas, Venezuela, and people who had purchased one of Śrīla Prabhupāda's books either there or in Mexico City would write to us. Usually they would tell us how interested they were, and they would ask whether the devotees were going to come to their town or city and open a center. They would also offer to cooperate with us in every possible way to get the new center established. So within a few years we had opened twenty-three centers, including ones in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Guatemala, Bolivia, and Panama. It didn't seem to matter where we went; people from the area would come and join us. And if a person who had joined us happened to be from a place where we hadn't yet opened a center, quite often he would decide to go back there and do it himself. Of course, not everybody felt so favorable. I remember that once when I was distributing Śrīla Prabhupāda's books on a bus in Bogotá, a man sitting with his arm around a young woman said, "Why don't you get a job? You're doing nothing—you're just parasites." "Sir," I said, "we're distributing books about self-realization and love of God—this is our job. Now, you might think you're supporting yourself, keeping yourself alive, but actually it's God who's doing all of that. And anyone who doesn't know it is a parasite. We all have to learn to love God, that's all." "I don't need you and your books to tell me that," the man returned. "I already love God." By now everyone in the bus was riveted to our conversation, and I went on. "Perhaps you do love God, sir, but in any case, there's a simple test you can give yourself—if you love God, are you following His laws?" "Yes, of course." "What about 'Thou shall not kill'? Almost everybody today is eating animal flesh and in that way sending so many innocent creatures to be slaughtered. Is this following God's laws?" The man was staring down at the floor of the bus. Once I'd make that point, hardly anyone ever knew what to say. "All of us are worried sick over poverty and natural disasters and epidemics and war, but if we don't follow God's simple laws, what can we expect? If we don't want to watch our culture, our heritage, go down the drain, we've got to follow God's laws, because love of God—real love of God—is the core of that heritage." Another time, also on a bus, a young woman asked, "Are you trying to run away? What about addiction, corruption, terrorism—are you just trying to escape the world's problems?" "The world's real problem," I said, "is that we're all trying to escape from our relationship with the Supreme Lord. That's at the root of all our problems. And trying to solve our problems without reviving our relationship with Him is like trying to water a tree leaf by leaf—without watering the root." Once a tv emcee made a blunt challenge to Hṛdayānanda dāsa Gosvāmī, the devotee Śrīla Prabhupāda appointed to represent him in Latin America. "What contribution are you making to society?" the man wanted to know. "So many people are coming into your movement, and isn't their service being lost to society? What are they actually doing—why don't they work?" "I think we work," Hṛdayānanda Mahārāja replied. "In fact, we work harder than you." The man was taken aback, and Mahārāja continued. "Even the best plans of the most intelligent leaders haven't made the world any better," he said. "Why are all our cities still pocked by crime, drug abuse, and prostitution, even after all the plan-makers have worked so hard? We have to see, finally, that the real problem is spiritual. We've forgotten all about God. We're dreaming that He doesn't have any part in our world, and now the dream has turned into a nightmare. Now, people like you might choose to deal with the nightmare by falling asleep and becoming part of it, but no—you have to help everybody wake up. That's the only solution. "So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is working very hard to wake everybody up from this nightmare—this bad dream that there's no God in control and that it's simply 'man against nature' and 'man against man.' This movement is trying to wake the world up to reality: everything we see around us belongs to Kṛṣṇa, the supreme controller and the supreme friend of everyone, and if we'll just stop hoarding things, He'll take care of everything we need." Hṛdayānanda Mahārāja went on to say that the world needs a group of people who understand the science of God-realization and self-realization—people who can deal with the world's actual, spiritual problem. As Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote to me in April of 1977, "This is the success of our movement—that our devotees are becoming learned *brāhmaṇas,* spiritual teachers. By your own personal example you have to teach others to become *brāhmaṇas.* Now all of you work together and very vigorously spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout Latin America." Many times he has remarked that if just one percent of the population became well-versed in spiritual science and really pure in their everyday living, then the rest of the world would say, "These men have ideal character," and they would follow their example. "It takes so many stars to fill the sky," Śrīla Prabhupāda has said, "but it takes only one moon to light it." When we give seminars in colleges and universities, sometimes we talk about this urgent need for spiritually learned teachers, or *brāhmaṇas.* On one occasion a student asked Hṛdayānanda Mahārāja, "You're trying to make a caste system, aren't you?" "Take any social body anywhere in the world," Mahārāja explained, "and you'll find it has its natural subdivisions, the same way your own body has its subdivisions: head, arms, belly, and legs. Everywhere you go you'll find some people who feel inclined to study and teach, others who want to administrate and protect, another group who do best in agriculture and trade, and still others who take an interest in assisting the rest of the people as workingmen. All over the world you'll find that these subdivisions are already there. The problem is, right now there's no system for training spiritual teachers or spiritually qualified administrators. So today's social body has no head and no arms, just a belly and legs. And that's why the whole world is in such complete chaos. "Now, in a Kṛṣṇa conscious society anyone can get as much spiritual training as he can absorb. It doesn't depend on what family you were born in—that would be a caste system, a perversion of the real Kṛṣṇa conscious social system. No, everything depends on you and the way you want to live your life. For instance, many years ago in India a prostitute's son asked a great spiritual master to accept him as a student. Generally, a child's family background gives some hints about his aptitudes, so the master asked the boy who his father was. The boy said he didn't know, and when he went home and asked his mother, she said she didn't know, either. Finally he returned and told the master, 'Sir, my mother doesn't know who my father is.' The master felt heartened that even in such an embarrassing situation the boy was so pure and honest. "That's all right,' he said. 'You are a *brāhmaṇa.*" And even in the embarrassing, downright maddening situation called the modern city, the people of Latin America are learning the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and *man*y are becoming *brāhmaṇas* and teaching the science to others. Every Sunday hundreds of people come to each of our centers for the Kṛṣṇa festival, and every summer they come to the Festival of the Chariots. (Last summer in Guadalajara, Mexico, five thousand came out, and this year the government has given us a parade route right through the center of the city.) Wherever they happen to be, we want people to chant and experience the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-*man**tra*. Mahā* means "great," *man* means "mind," and *tra* means "release." So the mahā-*man**tra* releases the mind from all anxieties and helps the chanter revive his eternal loving relationship with Lord Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda has also asked us to introduce the Latin American people to *prasāda* ("the Lord's mercy," spiritual food offered to Kṛṣṇa). So much devotion goes into these vegetarian dishes that anyone who tastes *prasāda* feels an instant uplift in consciousness. As Śrīla Prabhupāda has always said, "Kṛṣṇa consciousness is practical." Of course, urban-industrial society is little more than a scheme for fetching food from the nearly uninhabited farmlands, so to be totally practical, people can just live on the land, grow their own fruit and vegetables and grain, and keep cows for milk, butter, yogurt, and cheese. This is the ideal Kṛṣṇa conscious social setting. Farms provide the perfect economic base and the perfect atmosphere, where workingmen, agriculturalists, administrators, and spiritual teachers can live simply and peacefully. It's what Śrīla Prabhupāda calls "simple living and high thinking." Recently, a man in Guatemala donated seven hundred acres so that we could start a Kṛṣṇa conscious farm community there, and we've just started another farm community in Brazil. Not long ago a Costa Rican gentleman arranged meetings for us with that country's vice-president and president. And the same man has arranged for several meetings of the national religious council at our center. The religious leaders have become fond of *prasāda* (especially *pakorās,* breaded cauliflower chunks deep-fried in pure butter), and they visit often. In Lima, Peru, we stop at the correctional institutions each week and distribute *prasāda* to the inmates. The government has written us several letters of appreciation. In Mexico we've also opened a *gurukula* ("school of the spiritual master"), so that from their earliest years the devotees' children can learn the science of the soul. As Śrīla Prabhupāda has so often said, ours is an educational movement, and we're convinced that every student has a right to learn this most essential of all sciences. Many educators are beginning to feel the same way. A short while back, for instance, a large parochial school in Costa Rica invited us to talk about the *Bhagavad-gītā* at an assembly, and the students and teachers just kept asking more and more questions. They wouldn't let us go. Whether you present it in Spanish or Portuguese or English or German or the ancient Sanskrit, India's Vedic literature offers the same original science—the science of the soul, the science of self-realization and realization of God. I recall many times when people have seen us distributing Śrīla Prabhupāda's books and they have come over to shake our hands and thank us. The gratitude all goes to Śrīla Prabhupāda, actually, for books that are literally blueprints for the respiritualization of the world. In January of 1977, he wrote a glowing letter to Pañcadraviḍa Svāmī, who along with Hṛdayānanda Mahārāja Gosvāmī directs the movement's Latin American activities. "I am very pleased to note your book distribution figures in Latin America," Śrīla Prabhupāda said. "The seed is already there. Now water it and let it grow, and fruit will come out, the fruit of love of Godhead." ## Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out *On "Slave Mentality"* What follows is a conversation between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, one of his disciples, and a reporter from a leading Paris newsweekly. Interviewer: To me, God means freedom. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes—God means freedom, provided you surrender to God. That is real freedom. Interviewer: But I may not accept your idea of God. I may want to worship God, or I may not want to worship God. That is my freedom, and that's the most important thing to me. Śrīla Prabhupāda: A child's freedom, for instance, is to live completely under the protection of his parents—then he has freedom. But without their protection, he'll have no freedom, only suffering. If the child is very rebellious, he may think he doesn't need his parents—he wants to be free. But he is just a rascal. He does not really know what freedom is. Similarly, if you don't surrender to God, then you are misusing your freedom. And you'll lose your freedom. The *Bhagavad-gītā* says, *daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā:* "Material nature is so strong that she will not allow you to get free." But, *mām eva ye prapadyante:* "If you surrender to Kṛṣṇa instead of Kṛṣṇa's *māyā,* then you'll become free." If you don't agree to accept the control of Kṛṣṇa, you'll be forced by Kṛṣṇa's material energy. So what is this so-called freedom? You have to surrender. Interviewer: But isn't that a rather stifling kind of slave mentality? Śrīla Prabhupāda: We want to become the slave of Kṛṣṇa, and you want so-called freedom. But you do not know that if you don't become a slave of Kṛṣṇa, then you must become a slave of *māyā.* The nature of the soul is to be a slave—that is your natural position. And we can see this practically: if people are not slaves of this material nature, then why are they dying? You don't want to die, but you'll be forced to die. So how are you free? But because people are rascals, they don't understand this. They are imagining themselves free. Interviewer: But throughout history people have fought valiantly for the freedom to enjoy life to the fullest—the pursuit of happiness. Śrīla Prabhupāda: That means that they're thinking that freedom means to become the servant of the senses. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy teaches, "Don't become the servant of your senses." And people think, "Oh, but this is our freedom." They do not know that by trying to become free, they are becoming servants of their senses. Where is your freedom? To freely enjoy sense gratification means to become the servant of your senses. This is *māyā's* illusion. You are voluntarily accepting *māyā's* slavery and thinking, "Now I'm free." This is illusion. Your senses are pulling you by the ear—"Come here. Do this and you'll be happy." Just like a dog: as soon as his master pulls the leash—"Come on! Come on!"—he has to follow. So people are becoming just like dogs, and they are thinking "free." Because they are unintelligent rascals, they cannot understand what real freedom is. But we are teaching that real freedom comes when you surrender to God. Interviewer: But how can you surrender to something you don't know? You can't really know God. You can't even speak about Him. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Our position is that we know God from God's explanation of Himself. We don't try to speculate about God like you. We're not such rascals. I agree that I cannot know God, but in the *Bhagavad-gītā God* Himself says, "I am like this," and I accept it. That's all. That is my position—this is my full surrender to God. I may not know what He is, but when He says, "I am like this," I accept it. I never say, "I have understood God." How can I know God? I am limited, and God is unlimited. But He says, *mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat:* "There is no greater truth than Me." And I accept this. You can call it "slave mentality" or whatever you like, but I accept the words of Kṛṣṇa. Instead of endeavoring foolishly to know God by mental speculation, I submit to the statement of God that He is the Supreme Person. So which way is better: to speculate on God foolishly, or to accept the statements of God? Which is better? Interviewer: To accept the statements of God. Śrīla Prabhupāda: So, you are more intelligent than the rascals. The rascals will remain fools by speculating on God for many, many lives. And when they become actually wise, they'll surrender to God. This is also stated by the Lord in *Bhagavad-gītā—bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate:* "After many, many births of mental speculation, when one actually becomes wise he surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa." I have already surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. Why should you wait? Devotee: One problem is that they never had authorities they could surrender to. Even their parents have cheated them. Śrīla Prabhupāda: That is a fact. The parents are also rascals. Unless you approach a person who is the representative of Kṛṣṇa, who has understood Kṛṣṇa, then the rascaldom continues. You have to find out a person who has understood the Supreme Truth—otherwise, you'll simply find another rascal, another rascal, another, another. But you should not think that just because you have been cheated, there is no genuine authority. That's simply another kind of rascaldom. If someone has been cheated with counterfeit money, he should not conclude that there is no real money. So, don't become illusioned just because you were cheated by counterfeit authorities in the past. Unfortunately, people are so unintelligent that they cannot judge what is the real authority and what is unreal. They take the real to be counterfeit and then follow the blind rascals. ## Every Town and Village ### A look at the worldwide activities of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) *Guru to Islanders: Protect the Cows* On a recent journey to the South Pacific, His Holiness Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Gosvāmī (one of ISKCON's eleven initiating spiritual masters) visited the island nation of New Zealand. While there he met with the mayor of Auckland, addressed a large gathering at the Auckland Town Hall, and stopped at ISKCON's new farm community just north of the capital. Throughout his visit, Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Gosvāmī urged the people of New Zealand (one of the world's largest meat-producing nations) to "work the land and protect the cows."' In front-page coverage the national press quoted him as saying, "Why don't New Zealanders show the world that people can live off the land without anxiety? By protecting the cow, rather than killing it, we can be very happy." Later, Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Gosvāmī presented Auckland mayor Sir Dove-Meyer Robinson with *Bhagavad-gītā As It Is,* which affirms that the basis for a peaceful, God conscious society is agriculture and the protection of cows. Mayor Robinson related that when his hosts had offered him meat at a business luncheon earlier that day, he had replied, "No, thank you. I'm not a cannibal—I don't eat my relatives." At ISKCON's newly acquired farmlands on Auckland Harbor, Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Gosvāmī asked the New Zealand devotees to demonstrate to their countrymen the practical advantages of the Kṛṣṇa conscious life-style of simple living and high thinking. *Bombay Mayor Tours New Cultural Center* The mayor of Bombay recently joined ten thousand of his fellow citizens at ISKCON's new cultural center on Juhu Beach to celebrate one of India's main national holidays. Mayor Śrī Wamanrao Mahadik was the chief guest at the festival marking the appearance day of Lord Rāmacandra, an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa who long ago ruled India as the perfect monarch. Regarding the work of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the mayor said, "We feel very proud today to see how you are propagating Indian culture. This is a great day in our lives. We want to extend all facilities to help this great cause." After touring the ultramodern International Guesthouse at the Juhu Beach complex, the mayor remarked, "This place is so nice that I am sure Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Rāma will personally come here to take rest." ## Tantra - Can Sex Be Yoga? ### by Acyutānanda Svāmī Ever since Hermann Hesse's *Siddhartha* first captured the fancy of Westerners, it has indeed caused a wave of thought and action, especially among young people. Though the book says nothing new, it seems to offer the best of both worlds. In essence, it promises that one can indulge his senses to the highest (and mostly the lowest) limit of enjoyment, and that in this way one can come to superconsciousness. Of course, the ultimate material pleasure is sex, and genuine spiritual methods prescribe substantial if not total abstinence. So this new wave may seem like a pleasant alternative for people who take things superficially and want only profit with no loss—or, as a Bengali proverb says, for people who want only the back half of the cow, the part that gives milk, and not the front half, the part that must be fed. Many so-called spiritual leaders who have ridden in on this wave call themselves "tantrics" and call their dubious process "Tantra Yoga." They teach what they claim is a genuine process of "burning out the mind" through sensual exhaustion—a sexual exercise called "tantra" that is supposedly found in the Vedic literature. As we might expect, in this way they meet a lot of women. As followers of the Vedic literature, the members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness want to expose this erroneous and abominable practice and save the naive from being exploited by cunning cheats. First, let's take a look at the word *tantra* itself. *Tantra* means "a strict *yoga* system of injunctions, rules, and regulations." There are four progressive levels of *tantra*s: (1) *tantra*s for people who are in nature's mode of darkness or ignorance, (2) *tantra*s for people in the mode of passion, (3) *tantra*s for people in the mode of goodness, and (4) Vaiṣṇava *tantra*s, those for people who are devotees of the Lord and are thus transcending the modes of this world. The Western seeker finds all this Vedic literature shrouded in mystery, and until he finds a bona fide *guru,* a genuine spiritual preceptor, he will remain in illusion. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda has dispelled this mystery by teaching the Vedic literature purely and without divergent commentaries. "I have no secrets," said Śrīla Prabhupāda. "I will give you everything as it is." Usually, the so-called *gurus* maintain a secluded mystery about themselves, a sort of "I-know-some-thing-I-won't-tell" attitude that keeps the followers always groping for answers. Śrīla Prabhupāda was never like that. He broke open the treasure-house that is the Vedic literature. There are three Vaiṣṇava **tantras*: Nārada Pañcarātra, Pañcarātra,* and **Vaikhānasa*.* These offer rules and regulations that free the mind from material attachments and fix the consciousness on the forms, names, qualities, and pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. These *tantras* describe how a Vaiṣṇava (a *yogī* who is devoted to the Lord) should regulate his life: how he should use beads for chanting spiritual *mantras,* how he should worship the Lord's revealed Deity forms, and many other techniques of God realization. The *Vaikhānasa* and other pañcarātric *tantras* are very rigorous, and to make spiritual progress one must follow their regulations flawlessly. So the members of ISKCON follow the *Nārada Pañcarātra.* Basically, all the rules and regulations of the *Nārada Pañcarātra* are explained by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his book *The Nectar of Devotion.* There are sixty-four main guidelines, of which five are very important: (1) accepting a spiritual master, (2) worshiping the Deity, (3) studying the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,* (4) chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra,* both congregationally and individually (that is, softly, on chanting beads), and (5) living in a holy place like Mathurā-Vṛndāvana (the area of Lord Kṛṣṇa's birth and childhood pastimes). To follow these guidelines properly, one must receive formal initiation from a spiritual master and observe four basic prohibitive principles: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, and no meat, fish, or eggs. The Vaiṣṇava *tantras* quickly remove the illusory sense that the physical body is the self. In a short time the devotional *yogī* realizes that he is a pure, blissful, eternal spiritual soul, and he engages in the loving service of Lord Kṛṣṇa with full enthusiasm. Soon obstacles vanish, and he experiences a taste for hearing and chanting Kṛṣṇa's names. This higher taste surpasses all material pleasures, and physical or mental circumstances cannot spoil it. The taste develops into pure devotion *(*bhāva*-bhakti),* in which the *yogī* experiences every emotion at its peak in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. When the waves of *bhāva* crash together in the heart, the devotional *yogī* experiences full love of Godhead, and this is the highest perfection of life. The *tantras* for people who are attached to the mundane mode of goodness describe the process of *karma-kāṇḍa,* or sense gratification combined with some opportunity for spiritual advancement. This branch of the Vedic literature offers marriage ceremonies, birth ceremonies, funeral ceremonies, and ceremonies for worshiping various demigods and gaining material success. According to these *tantras*, if one engages himself in family life, obeys all scriptural regulations, and commits no sin for one hundred human births, he will go back to the spiritual world, back to Godhead. Clearly, it is a slow process—and to risk even one more birth in the material world is foolish, since the senses are so strong that at any time one could commit sins and ruin his chances for liberation. The *tantras* for people in the mode of passion offer methods of rectifying past sins through difficult and costly sacrifices or through long pilgrimages to holy places. But even after one performs all these rites, he may still have the desire in his heart to go on sinning. And although this process of worshiping minor Deities can promote one to higher, superhuman planets, one quickly uses up his good *karma* and must soon fall down to lower planets and start all over again. It is a slow process without any lasting benefit. For those in the mode of ignorance—those who are envious of Kṛṣṇa or too impatient to follow a spiritual path, or those who want magical powers, wealth, and quick liberation—there is the process called *śrī-vidyā.* (This is the yogic code that bogus *gurus* have perverted to the level of gross sensuality; it is what Westerners have come to know as "Tantra.") If one fails to follow *śrī-vidyā's* rules and regulations flawlessly, he will experience not a quick attainment of mystical powers but a quick downfall and utter ruination. In many cases severe and incurable disease, madness, or sudden death has resulted from tampering with this path. (As I describe the items in this tantric process, I hope the reader will be able to catch the thread of how each point has been misrepresented to appear fascinating, easy, and enjoyable.) For success on the tantric path, the *yogī* tries to please the Deity of destructive illusory energy, Kali (or Durgā). And the process is rarely carried out to the end. The aspirant must completely control his physical organs by practicing the sitting postures and fasts of the *haṭha-*yoga** process, and this is simply the beginning. The *yogī* must meditate according to strict rules. He must sit atop a deer skin, *kuśa* grass, and a cotton cloth, and must fix his eyes on the tip of his nose. Further, he must renounce all intoxication, gambling, and animal foods, and he must practice celibacy. Yes, restraining the sex urge is most important if one is to perfect the so-called *yoga* of sex. Contrary to much of today's advertising, physical pleasure is not the true point of *haṭha-*yoga**. When the *yogī* has complete and utter control of all his external and internal organs, then he must gradually clear his mind of all attractions and repulsions toward material things. He must neither love nor hate anything. Now the *guru* will advise terrible austerities that test the *yogī*'s tolerance of heat and cold. If the *yogī* passes through these calmly, then he begins a still more grueling process. First, the *yogī* must cook meat and eat it without relish and also without disgust (since, more than likely, he has been a vegetarian). Then he goes to a cremation ground, where he searches through the ashes until he finds the one part of the human body that does not burn. This is a cylindrical piece of tissue about two inches long and one-half inch thick that is situated behind the navel. It does not get consumed in the flames, but glows with an eerie green light. The *yogī* must say the appropriate *mantras* and, without cringing, eat it. Then, at a time prescribed by the **guru*,* he must cook a dead fish in a skull and similarly eat it without disgust. Then he must drink wine without being influenced by its effect. All of this prepares his nerves and emotions and makes him totally indifferent to the urges of the body. Then he kills five animals and makes their heads into a kind of seat. After the *yogī* sits down, the *guru* invokes the spirits of the animals, and they attack the *yogī*'s mind. If he remains sane, he can go on to the next stage—sex. A *yoginī* (female **yogī*)* who has been trained in the arts of the flesh is called, and under the guidance of the spiritual master, a kind of sex act is performed. During intercourse the *yogī* must control his mind and constrict his stomach muscles so that he doesn't lose his seminal fluid but instead removes the woman's fluid. The *yogī* keeps the mixture of these two fluids in the base of his spine. There it will eventually enkindle the *kuṇḍalinī* (or "serpent power"), which will rise up the spine through the *suṣumṇā* nerve and actually rip the *yogī*'s soul out of its situation in the heart and then out of the body and into the clear white light. (With their crippled minds, today's cheaters have misconstrued this severe discipline into a license for orgies.) Now the *yogī* sits for meditation and begins *rāja-yoga.* He raises the *kuṇḍalinī* force in the spine to the six centers of psychic power. At each of the six *cakras,* or psychic centers, Deities who reside there offer him material powers and pleasures of inconceivable dimension. These are all tricks of Kali (Durgā) to divert the *yogī* from success. When and if his *kuṇḍalinī* force reaches the center located at his eyes, the *yogī* may then prepare for leaving his body. He must now make "the long tongue." With a sharpened goat's tooth, the *yogī* cuts the septum, or cord of flesh, under his tongue. Day after day he cuts the septum again, so that the tongue can extend higher and higher. As it heals, the *yogī* cuts further. At last, he can stretch his tongue up to the middle of his nose, then to his eyes. When he can stretch his tongue to his forehead, he is ready. Then by the *kuṇḍalinī* force the *yogī* raises the living soul up to the throat and inserts the "long tongue" in the postnasal passage. This keeps the soul from passing out the mouth, nose, eyes, or ears. Through mystic fire a channel opens, the top of the skull fractures, and the soul enters the clear white light. Once in this light, the *yogī* will probably make the mistake of thinking that he has become God. Completely forgetting his whole struggle with his body, he will fall immediately into a low form of life like that of a germ or stone. As *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (10.2.32) informs us, "Because of his impure intelligence, the *yogī* who would become one with God ultimately falls back down to the material world—no matter how severe the austerities he has performed." Now we have viewed the real path of *tantra* in detail. The followers of the Vaiṣṇava *tantra*s suggest that for genuine spiritual progress, you don't have to go to all this trouble. Instead you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and your life will be sublime. An intimate disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s since 1967, His Holiness Acyutānanda Svāmī spent the last eleven years studying and teaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness in India. From 1967 to 1972 he resided in *āśramas* in both Bengal and South India. There he became proficient in Bengali, and he made an extensive study of the Vedic scriptures underlying the various schools of Indian thought. After 1972 he taught the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout the subcontinent, consistently receiving warm welcomes at important devotional centers. Not long ago, he returned to the West for an extended visit and lecture tour. ## The Vedic Observer *Exploding the Big Bang Theory* ### by Drutakarmā dāsa Like an AM radio song or a first-run movie, a scientific theory has to be catchy if it's going to get anywhere. To begin with, it has to have a name that people will remember. Bright high school students should be able to make science fair displays out of it. *Time* and *Newsweek* readers should want to tell their friends about it. Members of key congressional committees should be able to get the drift of it at the first or second briefing. Take the big bang theory, for instance; the scientists have reason to be proud of this one. It goes something like this.... Sixteen or twenty billion years ago, when the only thing in existence was a super-dense cosmic chunk, a big bang took place and set in motion a random evolution that has led to today's living world (with its plants and animals and government appropriations for scientific theories). As we might expect, in their 1977 report to NASA the leading men at the Goddard Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory had fond words for the big bang: A concept of cosmic evolution ... is receiving considerable attention today. This does not mean that it has been proven, nor that all scientists concerned with the broad range of studies involved with this theory agree with it—either in its detail or its overall structure. Yet it serves as a useful framework within which to define general themes of extraterrestrial investigation and. . . to help guide the planning of specific programs in Space Sciences. *(Report to the NASA Administrator by the Outlook for Space Study Group)* In other words, the big bang theory may not be true, "but," say the scientists, "we're using it anyway, to plan out the next stage of our multibillion-dollar space program." They're using the big bang to get the big buck. Shortly after the statement we've just read, the scientists offer a modest summary, in the form of an easy-to-digest table: Steps in Cosmic Evolution Big Bang Matter Galaxies and Stars Suns and Planets Earth Oceans and Atmosphere Life Intelligence A little puzzling, perhaps, but a clear sign that the scientists are attuned to the American psyche. For one thing, we don't like know-it-alls, and the scientists do everything they can to avoid seeming dogmatic. They couch their theory in question marks, and sure enough, it catches our fancy all the more. As the table reveals so unabashedly, the big bang theory is a doubt on top and a doubt on the bottom, with a few slices of guesswork sandwiched in between. But somehow it's irresistible. Well, not quite irresistible, at least not anymore. It's starting to look more and more like what my *Webster's New Collegiate* calls a "myth": "an ill-founded belief held uncritically, especially by an interested group." Mainly, though, the big bang theory just doesn't make sense. After all, how could all the complex life-forms in our world have come from an exploding chunk? As far as I can see, explosions cause death and disintegration, not life and ongoing creation. Explosions make piles of rubble, not plants and flowers and butterflies and human beings. Happily, many scientists are starting to see things the same way. Richard L. Thompson, Ph.D. (American Mathematical Society) has shown that it's statistically impossible for complex life-forms to evolve from simpler inorganic forms—explosions or other "natural" processes notwithstanding. (See his *Demonstration by Information Theory That Life Cannot Arise from Matter,* 1977.) Dr. Thompson finds that the laws of mathematics point to a universal controlling intelligence. And this is just what the Vedic literature tells us: "In the beginning of the creation there was only the Supreme Personality. There was no sun, no moon, no stars. There was only Kṛṣṇa, who creates and enjoys all." And when He desired, He manifested the universe, in an orderly way. As His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda explains, "The whole process of creation is a gradual development from one element to another, reaching up to the variegatedness of the earth as so many plants, mountains, reptiles, birds, animals, and varieties of human beings." NASA's own latest findings support this conclusion, if only unintentionally. Not long ago, a team of scientists sent ultrasensitive radio equipment aloft in a NASA U-2 jet and measured "the cosmic microwave background"—the radiation they think the big bang left behind. Dr. Richard Muller, Dr. George Smooty, and graduate student Marc Gorenstein reported, "Our measurements give a picture of an extremely smooth process. The big bang, the most cataclysmic event we can imagine, on closer inspection appears finely orchestrated." Then might there be an orchestrator? The U-2 data report (*NASA Activities,* February 1978) goes on to say that the expansion of the universe was "serene, highly controlled, and completely uniform"—not explosive, but more like "the blossoming of a plant or flower." We may be a little amazed to discover that the five-thousand-year-old *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* offers the same description: "The bud of a lotus flower generated from the Personality of Viṣṇu, and by His supreme will it illuminated everything, like the sun...." Then Brahmā, the first living being, was born atop the lotus flower and "saw that the lotus was spread throughout the universe." Of course, if we go to Mt. Palomar we might not be able to see Lord Viṣṇu or the universal lotus, just as when we watch a TV show we probably won't be able to see the producer or director. The Vedic literature informs us, "No one can grasp the universal controlling intelligence with his blunt material senses." Yet from this controlling intelligence the whole universe has sprung (as NASA says) just like a blossoming flower. ## Questions People Ask About Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa *Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare* Q. *What are* *the instruments I see the Kṛṣṇa people playing when they chant in the streets?* A. When the chanters go out into the streets, they play the *mṛdaṅga* (which in Bengali means "the drum you can walk with") and *karatālas,* small hand cymbals. Five centuries ago Lord Caitanya and His followers traveled through India's towns and villages and chanted to the accompaniment of these same instruments. The traditional drums are made of clay and break quite easily, so it has proven a wise idea to manufacture them out of fiberglass. In quieter settings chanters may also play the harmonium (a hand-pumped organlike instrument) and the tamboura (a stringed drone instrument). His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, the founder-*ācārya* of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, was especially fond of the *mṛdaṅga* and *karatālas,* and he personally taught his disciples how to play them. As the famed poet Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura wrote three centuries ago, "The spiritual master is always happy to chant the Lord's names, dance in ecstasy, and play musical instruments for the Lord's pleasure." Q. *When I meditate I want to experience higher energy levels. Does chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa help you do this?* A. Yes. Actually, everything we experience is simply a combination of the Supreme Lord's energies. Kṛṣṇa has three principal energies. First there's the spiritual energy, which is eternal and full of knowledge and bliss. Then there's the material energy, which is temporary and full of ignorance and distress. Between these two is the Lord's marginal energy, which is made up of the living beings (ourselves) who emanate from Him. Our situation is that we can be in contact with either the material energy or, the spiritual energy, and according to the choice we make, we experience either recurring material discomforts (like disease, old age, and rebirth) or eternal spiritual pleasure. By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa we can again experience the eternal knowledge and bliss of the spiritual energy. Actually, Lord Kṛṣṇa has invested all His spiritual energy in the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra.* Q. *What's the best time of day to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa?* A. Lord Caitanya said we should always chant Kṛṣṇa's names—twenty-four hours a day. If that's not possible, then chant whenever you can; there are no hard and fast rules. Q. *Why chant "Kṛṣṇa"? Why not just say "God, God"?* A. The word "president" describes the highest post in a country or company, but don't we want to know the name of the person who occupies the post? In the same way, the word "God" describes the highest of all posts, that of the supreme controller, but don't we want to know His name? The Vedic literatures tell us that God's original name is Kṛṣṇa. Of course, God has many other names—such as Govinda, Yahweh, Jehovah, and Allah—but Lord Caitanya (the incarnation of God for this age, who appeared in India in 1486) recommended the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. Q. *Isn't it limiting God to call Him by a name?* A. Actually, isn't it limiting God not to call Him by a name? All of us have names, so why shouldn't He? As the Vedic literatures explain, God has millions of names, but *Kṛṣṇa* ("the all-attractive one") is the most universal. Q. *Will chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa put you in samādhi?* A. First of all we might ask, "Just what is *samādhi*?" As the *Bhagavad-gītā* explains, *"Samādhi,* or trance, is the state in which one completely restrains his mind from material mental activities by practice of *yoga.* In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses, in his relationship with the Supreme." The *yoga* of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is the easiest and most practical way to attain *samādhi* in the present age. Anyone, even a child, can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. All you have to do is focus your mind on the transcendental sound vibration of the *mahā-mantra,* and you'll absorb your consciousness in the Supreme, which is the same result that haṭha-yogīs formerly achieved after much difficulty. In ages gone by, a *haṭha-yogī* would go to the forest and hold difficult postures for many years so that he could focus his attention on the Lord in his heart. Of course, this is hardly possible for us today; a lotus posture makes us uncomfortable after only a few minutes. But you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa for hours, whether you're standing, walking, sitting, dancing, or whatever. No matter what you’re doing, the *mahā-mantra* keeps your mind in spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And this is *samādhi*. ## Letters Dear Editor, In my opinion, the name "Rāma" is a symbol of standard ethics and principles. When Lord Rāma ruled the earth, His life was an excellent example of human behavior toward parents, family, public, friends, and subjects. He revealed the best possible integration of human virtues. His universal affection, prideless sacrifice, and matchless humane nature attracted millions of people to preserve their faith in humanity. Respectfulness toward those of pious intellect was another outstanding quality of His life. To follow goodness it is not essential to be great, but to remain human is the best qualification. Saint Mohandas Gandhi is the foremost exponent of the holy name of Rāma in the modern era. I believe that the second part of the *mahā-mantra* (Hare Rāma Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma Hare Hare) should promote humanism and secularism. Shashi O. Bhatnagar Dear Mr. Bhatnagar, The name *Rāma* is not a symbol of ethics and principles; rather, it is a transcendental name of God. To try to justify one's own philosophical views by speculative interpretation of the name *Rāma* is an offense to the name itself, as mentioned in the *Padma Purāṇa (tathārtha-vādaḥ).* Lord Rāma's life was not at all an example of human behavior, excellent or otherwise. Rather, it was an example of the behavior of the Supreme Lord Himself. By His mere desire, Lord Rāmacandra floated huge boulders in the Indian Ocean to form a bridge to Śrī Laṇkā. Is this an example of human behavior? Even by the best possible integration of human virtues, it is not possible to match the transcendental prowess of the Supreme Lord. Those who try to bring the Supreme Lord down to the level of a mere virtuous human are not very much appreciated in *Bhagavad-gītā* (9.11), which distinctly tells us that such mental speculators are unaware of the transcendental supremacy of the Lord. The word *secularism* means "indifference to or exclusion of religion," and *humanism* refers to a system of thought that asserts the paramount importance of man and generally minimizes the idea of a transcendental Absolute Truth. Both these ideas are utterly antithetical to the Vedic teachings. Lord Rāmacandra taught the world by playing the role of an ideal king completely obedient to religious principles. So He could never approve of such useless doctrines as *secularism* and *humanism*. Lord Rāmacandra appeared in this world to reestablish religious principles (*dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya*), and the kingdom He guided was one of unalloyed devotion to the Supreme Lord. What does this have to do with *secularism* and *humanism*? Those who are genuinely attracted to Lord Rāmacandra with true understanding place their faith in Him, the Lord, the Personality of Godhead—not in humanity, as you have wrongly suggested. The ideals of humanism and secularism were better represented by Rāvaṇa, who sought to promote his own human interests and those of his human followers in a secular state that ignored the superhuman power of the Godhead. Lord Rāmacandra killed Rāvaṇa and lived the life of an ideal religious king to teach the world that pious intellect, ethical behavior, and all the best human qualities culminate in unalloyed devotional service to the Supreme Lord. Without such devotion, these pious qualities have no substantial value. One should therefore chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare to develop and promote this unalloyed devotion, and nothing else. > Sincerely yours, > Jayādvaita Svāmī > Senior Editor ## Remembering Śrīla Prabhupāda *Some Personal Recollections by His Disciples.* In October of 1971, my parents came to see me in Calcutta. Śrīla Prabhupāda was talking with some of his disciples in his quarters. As soon as my parents entered, Śrīla Prabhupāda greeted them. After hearing him speak for some time, they finally came to the point—they wanted me back. Śrīla Prabhupāda said, "I have no objection; ask your son." I said, "I want to stay with Śrīla Prabhupāda." "We want to set up a big trust for Girirāja," my father said. "And we want him to come home to sign the papers." "Yes, you can send the papers," Śrīla Prabhupāda replied. "He can sign." My parents said that they had no objection to my remaining in the movement, but they did not want my health to deteriorate. So they wanted me to be stationed near home. Śrīla Prabhupāda said, "Do not worry. I will take personal care of him." My parents were still apprehensive, so Śrīla Prabhupāda added, "Let him stay with me in India for some more months, and I will take personal care of him. Then, when I return to America in April, he can come with me." With my parents somewhat relieved, I said, "Just see how intelligent Śrīla Prabhupāda is. In the winter, when the Western countries are cold and dark, Śrīla Prabhupāda stays in India. And in the summer, when the West is warm and sunny, Śrīla Prabhupāda goes there." My father was becoming enlivened by Śrīla Prabhupāda, and he affirmed, "Yes, he is very intelligent." Śrīla Prabhupāda said, "No, your son is—he has understood my strategy." My father said, "No! You are intelligent, actually." Śrīla Prabhupāda replied, "Yes, I have to be intelligent; otherwise how could I attract so many intelligent young men like your son?" My mother was still thinking of my poor health and long absence from home, and she began to cry. To cheer her, Śrīla Prabhupāda gave her a *sandeśa* (a milk sweet). At first my mother wouldn't accept, but Śrīla Prabhupāda's kind and gentle persistence prevailed. Then he declared, "Girirāja, you must take at least two dozen of these sweets daily. Then you will become strong and healthy." Śrīla Prabhupāda assured my parents, "I will personally see that he is supplied with sufficient *sandeśa.* Do not worry." Everyone was thoroughly pleased and satisfied by Śrīla Prabhupāda's loving dealings. As my father was leaving the temple he remarked, "Your spiritual master certainly knows how to deal with people." Meanwhile Śrīla Prabhupāda's secretary marveled, "Śrīla Prabhupāda, everybody likes you so much!" "Yes," he said, "because I like everybody." *—Girirāja Svāmī* Among many other things, Śrīla Prabhupāda taught his disciples how to worship the Deity forms of Lord Kṛṣṇa and His eternal consort Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. For instance, he told us that we should dress the Deities very opulently, which meant that we had to make special garments for Them. I was in Bombay in 1972 when I made my first attempt at sewing outfits. When Śrīla Prabhupāda walked into the temple one day to see the Deities, he smiled broadly. Even as he was prostrating himself before Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, he looked up at Them repeatedly and smiled. Then he arose, and he said to me, "Thank you very much. Make thousands of outfits like this. And always make Rādhārāṇī more beautiful than Kṛṣṇa—then Kṛṣṇa will never leave." One other time, while Śrīla Prabhupāda was in Los Angeles in July of 1974, he remarked how nicely the Deities were dressed and asked who had done it. The other devotees told him that it was Mañjuali dāsī and I. That afternoon Śrīla Prabhupāda's secretary told us that Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted to speak to us in his quarters. When we got there he gave us twenty dollars for the Deities, and we said we'd buy more cloth and make more garments for Them. Śrīla Prabhupāda was smiling beautifully. "So always engage in this way," he told us. "Then your present life will be perfect, and your next life will be perfect. You'll go back home, back to Godhead." *—Tuṅgabhadrā-devī dāsī* One day at our Los Angeles center, Śrīla Prabhupāda was walking behind the temple and down the narrow, sandy pathway that led to his garden. As he passed through the gateway, he glanced lovingly at every plant and flower. Then he slipped his shoes off and took his place on the cushioned platform we had made for him. Along with some other devotees, I followed him in through the gateway. Just then an older disciple told him, "Here's Jalaśayī. She's the gardener." And although I'd done really nothing, Śrīla Prabhupāda folded his hands and bowed his head toward me. When he said "Thank you very much," I realized he knew just how to encourage each of us. Meanwhile, some of the temple *pūjārīs* (the devotees who are in charge of Deity worship) began asking Śrīla Prabhupāda detailed questions, and he gave thoughtful, detailed answers. I simply sat there listening and watching every gracious move he made. When there were pauses between questions, Śrīla Prabhupāda would softly chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra,* his right hand fingering the beads in his saffron-colored bead bag. I could see his eyes still moving around the garden and taking in all the plants and flowers. Suddenly he stopped, and said, "This is just like the spiritual world." *—Jalaśayī-devī dāsī* ## Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Childhood Activities *The Transcendental Pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa* ### To His mother and father, Lord Kṛṣṇa was an endearing child. To the demons, He was death personified. Playing like an ordinary child. Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was a constant source of pleasure to His parents. His Mother Yaśodā would say, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, please bring my wooden measuring pot," and somehow little Kṛṣṇa would bring it to her. Or Kṛṣṇa's father Nanda Mahārāja would say, "Please bring me my wooden slippers." And with great difficulty Kṛṣṇa would put the slippers on His head and bring them. Every so often Nanda and Yaśodā would ask Kṛṣṇa to lift some heavy object, and He would simply stand and touch it, as if He were at a loss what to do. At times the neighboring cowherd women (the *gopīs),* would clap their hands and promise, "If You dance for us, dear Kṛṣṇa, we shall give You half a sweetmeat." Kṛṣṇa would smile and dance as if He were a wooden doll in their hands. Sometimes at their bidding, He would sing very loudly. In this way He became submissive to the *gopīs.* Through these pastimes Kṛṣṇa wanted to show great philosophers and sages that although He controls the universe, His pure devotees control Him. One day an elderly woman came near Kṛṣṇa's house to sell fruit. She called out, "If anyone wants fruit, please come to me and get it!" Kṛṣṇa immediately took some grain in His hands and went to barter for fruit, just as He had seen the older people do. But He was not very careful to hold His hands tight, and He was dropping all the grain as He walked. Still, being captivated by Kṛṣṇa's beauty, the fruit vendor accepted whatever few grains were left in His palm. Then she affectionately filled His hands with fruit. At that moment, through His mystic power Kṛṣṇa filled the woman's basket with jewels and gold. Whoever gives something to the Lord is never the loser; he is the gainer millions of times over. Some time later, Kṛṣṇa was playing with His older brother Balarāma and some other children on the bank of the River Yamunā. When Yaśodā went to call Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma for lunch, They were so busy playing that They didn't come. "Kṛṣṇa!" she called. "Please come home! It's already past time for Your lunch! Balarāma, please come back. You boys have been playing all morning, and now You must be very tired and hungry. Please come home and take Your lunch. Your father Nanda Mahārāja is waiting for You. He won't eat until You come back, so please hurry." As soon as Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma heard that Nanda Mahārāja was waiting for Them, They started to return. But just then Kṛṣṇa's playmates complained, "Kṛṣṇa, You're leaving just when we're having the most fun. Next time we won't let You leave. Or maybe we won't even let You play with us at all." Little Kṛṣṇa became afraid, and instead of going back home for lunch, He went back again to play with the boys. Mother Yaśodā scolded Him, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, do You think You are just a street boy? You have no home? Please come home right this minute. Besides, today is Your birthday. You can't just play all day—You have some important things to do. Every little boy that has a birthday must give some cows in charity to the good *brāhmaṇa* priests. And just look at Yourself! You're all covered with dust and sand, so come home and let me give You a bath. Don't You know that all Your friends at home are very clean?" Finally Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma came home. There Mother Yaśodā bathed and dressed Them very nicely and decorated Them with ornaments. Then she called for the *brāhmaṇa*s and held a birthday celebration for her wonderful child. After all of this, the elder cowherd men met with Nanda Mahārāja to consider how to deal with some recent disturbances in their village. Nanda's brother Upananda, who was very learned and experienced, began to speak. "My dear friends," he said gravely, "now we should leave this place, because great demons are always coming here to disturb our peaceful lives. Mostly, they are trying to kill the small children. Just consider the witch Pūtanā—it is simply the Lord's mercy that Kṛṣṇa escaped her hands. Next the whirlwind demon took Kṛṣṇa into the sky to kill Him, but by the grace of the Lord, this demon fell down on a stone slab and died. More recently, Kṛṣṇa was playing between two trees, and they almost fell down right on top of Him. Just imagine the calamity if He or any of the other children had been crushed by the falling trees! This place is no longer safe. I think that all of us should go to the forest called Vṛndāvana. That place is very suitable for us, because it is lush with grass, herbs, and creepers for our cows. Also, it has nice gardens and tall mountains. We can all be happy there—let us go today." The rest of the cowherd men agreed, and they began loading their household belongings onto their bullock carts. The women, children, and old men of the village sat in the carts, while the cowherd men, who carried bows and arrows, walked in front and looked after the cows, bulls, and calves. With horns and bugles sounding, the caravan set off for Vṛndāvana. Along the way, Mother Yaśodā sat with Kṛṣṇa on her lap, and she enjoyed talking with Him. Soon the caravan reached Vṛndāvana, where all the seasons are pleasing. When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma saw Govardhana Hill and the River Yamunā, They were very happy. The cowherd men made a camp by drawing their bullock carts around them in the shape of a half-moon, and later they built permanent houses. Before long the cowherd men placed Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in charge of the calves, and every day the brothers would go along with the other cowherd boys into the pasturing ground. Sometimes all the boys played football with *āmalakī* and bael fruits, and their ankle bells jingled as they ran. Sometimes they made themselves into cows and bulls by covering themselves with blankets. Then they roared and fought with one another. They also imitated the sounds of swans, peacocks, cranes, and monkeys. Once, while Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were playing on the bank of the Yamunā, a demon named Vatsāsura took the shape of a calf and came to kill Them. Vatsāsura mingled with the other calves, but Kṛṣṇa noticed this and signaled to Balarāma. Although Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord and knows everything, He pretended He didn't understand what the demon was up to. Both brothers followed Vatsāsura and sneaked up on him. Suddenly Kṛṣṇa caught the demon-calf by his hind legs and tail, whipped him around, and threw him into a *kappitha* tree. The demon lost his life and fell down to the ground along with many *kappitha* fruits. (This fruit is sweet and sour, and all the cowherd boys liked to eat it.) Kṛṣṇa's playmates gathered around Him and said, "Well done!" And the demigods in the sky showered flowers. With the trouble past, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma ate Their breakfast. In this way Kṛṣṇa, who maintains the whole creation, used to take care of the calves. Every day the cowherd boys would go to the bank of the Yamunā to water their calves, and the boys would also drink. One day they had taken a drink and were sitting on the riverbank when they saw a huge ducklike animal. It was as big as a hill, and the boys were afraid. Suddenly the demon, who was called Bakāsura, came at Kṛṣṇa with his sharp beak and swallowed Him up. All the cowherd boys were stunned and breathless, as if they had died. But Kṛṣṇa became like a fire and burned the demon's throat. Then Bakāsura threw Kṛṣṇa up and tried to kill Him by pinching Him with his beak. But Kṛṣṇa caught hold of the gigantic duck's beak and pulled it apart. He split Bakāsura down the middle, just as an ordinary child splits a blade of grass. From the sky the demigods showered *mallikā* flowers and sounded celestial kettledrums and conchshells. Now that Kṛṣṇa had come out victorious, the boys felt as if they had regained the very source of their life. One after another, they embraced Kṛṣṇa. After this they rounded up all their calves and headed home. When the boys arrived in the village, they told everyone what had happened. On hearing how Kṛṣṇa had done away with Bakāsura, all the cowherd men and women felt deeply moved, because they loved Kṛṣṇa very much. "It is astonishing that this boy Kṛṣṇa has faced so many causes of death," they thought. "But the demons have not harmed Him at all. They themselves have died, like flies rushing into a fire." The residents of Vṛndāvana always talked about the wonderful activities of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma. They were so absorbed in these discussions that they forgot about the miseries of material life. And what they enjoyed five thousand years ago is open today to anyone who hears or speaks about the transcendental pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. *[Adapted by Drutakarmā dāsa from* Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, *translation and commentary by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.]* ## Notes from the Editor *Humanism: Giving Credit Where Credit Isn't Due* Now that I'm preparing a book on the life of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, I have been researching the centuries-old biographical tradition. In one collection of biographies, I came upon an editor's introduction that riled me: That from the ranks of humanity there can emerge a Socrates, a Cato, a Jesus, a More, a Newton, a Mozart, a Balzac, a Deburau, a Napoleon, is in my eyes a thing more wonderful than all the miracles ever imagined by the makers of religions.... Our desire for an immortality of the soul shall be dedicated to the belief that the great wonder of creation is man and the infinite possibilities that lie not within the theologies of religious leaders, but within ourselves. Why does this man feel that to praise great men he has to decry God? This kind of humanism is nothing new, of course, but it is surely misplaced and misinformed and does justice neither to God nor to man. For the sake of argument, let us accept that the extraordinary human being is the most wonderful thing in the world. Still we have to inquire, "Where does the extraordinary greatness of a particular man or woman come from?" In the *Bhagavad-gītā,* Lord Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead affirms, "It is I who am the ability in man." And the transcendentalist reasons that intelligence has to come from an original source of intelligence—an original, supreme consciousness. The skeptic may deny this, but he cannot offer any explanation why someone like Socrates suddenly arises. The appearance of a great personality may seem like a unique combination of historical exigency and individual merit, but a great man cannot be explained merely by historical, economic, sociological, genealogical, or psychological factors. What's more, there is no scientific method for producing such a great personality. The intellectual community cannot produce an Einstein, the art schools cannot produce a poet or musician, nor can politicians or historians produce a great man of action. We may take pride in the achievements of great men, but these achievements are hardly the independent creation of humanity. Even the "great man" cannot understand how he has come by his uncommon powers. Why, when his contemporaries appear to work just as hard and to have just as good an education, does he rise above all of them? If there really is no explanation, if greatness is simply an accident, why should we praise an accident? If Mozart's music is superior by accident, then why give Mozart so much credit? Those who thoughtfully study the life of a great man usually conclude that "destiny" or "genius" or "inspiration" or "special power"—not accident—accounts for his high achievement. Of course, the *Bhagavad-gītā* explains in detail that one's *karma,* his activity in past lives, accounts for his abilities in this life. At any rate, everyone appreciates a person who makes a great contribution to humanity. But while most people wonder at the greatness of the man, a Kṛṣṇa conscious person inquires even further—into the cause, the source of the greatness of all men and women and indeed of all life. Thus far, for the sake of argument we have assumed that mankind's ultimate object of study is mankind. But let's think for a moment. Is man really the ultimate? No, he cannot be. As great as any man may be, he is still a tiny creature subject to the miseries of old age, disease, and death. This is true not just for the average man but even for a Napoleon, a Socrates, a Shakespeare, or an Einstein. So anyone who is actually advanced will acknowledge his frailty with all humility. He will acknowledge that he is actually a tiny creature in a vast universe, that he must bow to time and the control of the Supreme. In other words, a man's relative greatness does not make him the supreme great. As the Vedic literature explains, the supreme great is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān—"the one who possesses all the opulences: wealth, power, beauty, strength, knowledge, fame, and renunciation." In this world a great man may have one or two of these qualities to some degree. But no human being possesses all these qualities to a greater degree than his contemporaries. The person who possesses all the opulences to an infinite degree, eternally, can be defined as God, and whatever greatness we see in man or in nature is but an infinitesimal spark of His greatness. As Lord Kṛṣṇa informs us in the *Bhagavad-gītā,* "I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being, moving or unmoving, that can exist without Me. There is no end to My divine manifestations. Know that all beautiful, glorious, and mighty creations spring from but a spark of My splendor." (Bg. 10.39-41) Man is surely great, and his real greatness lies in his ability to understand God's message: that he is made in God's image; that he is an eternal soul, part and parcel of God; and that God is the supreme. Any man who doesn't help other people recognize their identity as eternal souls, any man who doesn't acknowledge that we are now in a state of ignorance that forces us to undergo repeated births and deaths, is not really a great man. Any man who cannot help his fellow beings become liberated from the sufferings of this material world cannot be considered a great contributor, even though he may have made a long-lasting impression on his contemporaries. (How long-lasting is this world's fame, anyway? We may call Shakespeare or Socrates "immortal" for a few hundred or a few thousand years after their passing, but what is this compared to eternity?) Men who are actually great are quick to acknowledge the greatness of God, who out-dramatizes Shakespeare and out-thinks Socrates. As I begin my study of the life of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, I see that he did everything in the pure consciousness of glorifying God. And he helped others see that devotional service to Kṛṣṇa is the very purpose of life. I can understand that I won't be able to do full justice to his life, but at least I can see that here is true greatness. As Śrīla Prabhupāda showed us, a great person does not claim that he is dominating events or that he has created the greatest wonder, nor does he leave a legacy that does nothing to free mankind from birth and death. No. A great person is he who realizes that Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Being, is everything. A great person surrenders to Him, and he shares this enlightenment with others. —SDG