# Back to Godhead Magazine #25 *1991 (04)* Back to Godhead Magazine #25-04, 1991 PDF-View ## Statement of Purposes Back to Godhead, the magazine of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, is a cultural presentation to respiritualize human society. It aims at achieving the following purposes: 1. To help all people distinguish more clearly between reality and illusion, spirit and matter, the eternal and the temporary. 2. To present Kṛṣṇa consciousness as taught in *Bhagavad-gītā* and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*. 3. To help every living being remember and serve Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. 4. To offer guidance in the techniques of spiritual life. 5. To expose the faults of materialism. 6. To promote a balanced, natural way of life, informed by spiritual values. 7. To increase spiritual fellowship among all living beings, in relationship with Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. 8. To perpetuate and spread the Vedic culture. 9. To celebrate the chanting of the holy names of God through the *saṅkīrtana* movement of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. ## Notes from the Editor *Sudden Departures* With the untimely demise of Rajiv Gandhi, we bid farewell, it seems, not only to a man but to a dynasty. The family that with only short intermissions has governed India since its modern political debut has abruptly, violently been blown off the Indian stage. The scene for Mr. Gandhi’s violent departure was Sriperumbudur, a village in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was here that nearly ten centuries earlier another Indian leader had appeared—Śrī Rāmānujācārya, the great philosopher and teacher. Rāmānuja had taught that, in the oneness of all existence, each being is distinct in its eternal individuality. Each individual is an integral part of the supreme individual, Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa. By forgetting our relationship with Viṣṇu, taught Rāmānuja, we tiny individuals are caught in the endless, turbulent, sometimes violent complexities of the material world, in the workings of a constant cycle of *saṁsāra*—birth and rebirth. But by devotion to Lord Viṣṇu, Rāmānuja said, we can break free from that cycle and enter into Lord Viṣṇu’s eternal realm, to associate with Him in bliss and knowledge. As the *Bhagavad-gītā* confirms, this perfection is attained by one who remembers the Lord at the point of death. Of course, the individual who for a while was Rajiv Gandhi went to Śrīperumbudur not to meditate upon Lord Viṣṇu or study the teachings of Rāmānuja but to campaign for his former post as Prime Minister. But now he has lost everything, and we do not know where he has gone. Gone too are more than 130,000 people who used to live, until May, in Bangladesh. They, it seems, had less to lose, yet they too, literally with the force of a typhoon, have suddenly been blown from the stage. And, again, where they have gone is unknown. Even back in the security of the West, every now and then the post office returns as a “nixie” the mail we’ve sent to a subscriber in New York, California, or Iowa and checkmarks it with an explanation: “Deceased.” Because death may come at any moment, it is urgent for us to understand the nature of Kṛṣṇa’s birth and pastimes. When Kṛṣṇa comes to this material world or departs it, He does so not as an ordinary man, forced by the laws of nature, but as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And as stated in *Bhagavad-gītā,* one who understands the transcendent nature of Kṛṣṇa’s birth and pastimes leaves behind the cycle of birth and death and attains to Kṛṣṇa’s abode in immortality. It is to enable us to reach Lord Kṛṣṇa that Śrīla Prabhupāda came to the West and started ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, twenty-five years ago. Since then, prime ministers and peasants have come and gone. Yet ISKCON, perhaps to the surprise of many, has endured. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which at first may have seemed a fad, is coming to be recognized as the perennial philosophy taught by such self-realized devotional teachers as Rāmānuja. Time moves on, leaving persons and dynasties and history in its wake. But Kṛṣṇa is Time Himself, and Kṛṣṇa consciousness goes on and on and on. ### —Jayādvaita Swami ## Letters *Spiritually Enlivened* I always feel enlivened after reading BTG. It renews my enthusiasm for attaining a spiritual base for my life. Stetan Sondej Chippendale, Australia *Deeper Insight* The feature on Baladeva Vidyabhusana gave a deeper spiritual insight into the Gaudiya Vaiṣṇava movement. M. Vinayak Singapore *Subscribing to Learn* Even though I have not accepted everything you preach, I admire your devotion to God so much that I subscribe to BTG to learn how to incorporate Kṛṣṇa consciousness into my life as best I can. Dennis M. Donlon Brooklyn, New York *Show the Work* I was crushingly disappointed by the photo with Suresvara Dasa’s great ox power article. The photo of the devotee lounging with the calf is exactly in the wrong mood. I’m probably wrong, but he doesn't even look like he takes care of the animals. Where are his barn boots? Where are his blue jeans? I think we need to guard against conveying a mood of enjoyment and leisure, of retiring to the peaceful country with the cows. The struggle—against seemingly insurmountable odds—to work the oxen and establish Prabhupāda’s varṇāśrama social system is one of the most tremendous battles in all ISKCON. Arjuna’s fighting mood is much more in line with what we should be trying to convey. Then we will attract energetic, resourceful devotees to this service—not those who are simply looking to retire from the stress of modern civilization. It’s a desperate, urgent situation. It would be good to have more photos that convey the excitement and challenge of the *work* involved. Hare Kṛṣṇa Dāsī Brunswick, Maine *Controversies* Although our Society is still confronted with various opinions regarding the application of the philosophy in many areas, I feel that Back to Godhead is not the place to openly bandy these controversies about. Bhakti Rasa Dāsa Christchurch, New Zealand I cannot urge you strongly enough to continue the “ISKCON Community Discussion” forum. For those like me who’ve been around some time, it’s especially interesting to be allowed to hear some of the more intimate thoughts of devotees, especially on issues of vital concern to the renewal and growth of ISKCON. Aside from this, it provides an absolutely essential candid look at the devotees and ISKCON for those “just browsing” or those even more removed. There are so many issues which need to be addressed with respectful, healthy dialogue, and sharing some of this with *all* readers of BTG (from old friends to newcomers) provides a sense of openness and honesty that far surpasses the ecumenical silence so typical of organizations undergoing growth and change. I find the new BTG so much more stimulating, provocative, open, honest and satisfying that I fully honor your efforts. Wade A. Ryan Fullerton, California *Put Kṛṣṇa on the Cover* I have not at all liked the covers of the Back to Godhead issues I have recently received. On the reverse of each of the covers is an extraordinarily beautiful picture of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī which should appear in all of their fragile and delicate beauty *on the cover,* not hidden away on the reverse side. One looks to the Back to Godhead for spiritual inspiration, and these pictures of Kṛṣṇa are truly inspiring. Why should the cover of the beautiful Back to Godhead magazine not in itself be beautiful? Nancy Maria DiBlasi New York, New York *Pictures for Home Altars* Would it be possible for you to print color pictures of each of our four ācāryas [previous spiritual masters] so that all four could be cut out and separately used to frame for our home altars or elsewhere? These pictures are not easy to come by; at least no one has been able to help me find them for four years now. Bhaktin Karen Nevada City, California For a set of four full-color glossy photos, 5 inches by 7, write or call: The Bhaktivedanta Archives, P.O. Box 34453, Los Angeles, CA 90034. Phone: (213) 559-2143. The photos are $5 each, plus shipping. *Healing* Honestly, I had not been a regular BTG reader for many years because of the support of the “erroneous zonal guru system” mentioned in “An Apology.” It was so healing to read an official acknowledgment that my own perceptions and realizations about those years of ISKCON were accurate and my feelings validated. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Nikuñjavāsiṇī Devī Dāsī Alachua, Florida *Flourishing* Is ISKCON disintegrating? Personally I see BTG as the voice of the movement and see the magazine’s continued growth to be a sign that all is indeed well. Judging from the new format, I would say that in fact the movement is flourishing and becoming more mature. The devotees are emerging as intelligent and rational people in a world of dogma and hypocrisy. Janakarāja Dāsa Watford, England *Pearl Deplores Swine* I have always known that the “Hare Krishnas” were a bunch of sexist pigs and have never supported you although I do what I can to support and encourage most yoga groups. I subscribed to your magazine hoping you had changed or would at least have the common courtesy to keep your sexist views quiet. Instead you blatantly publicize them. People like you give yoga, religion and spirituality a bad reputation. I am ashamed to be even remotely associated with you. I would appreciate it if you would refund my money. Starr Allen Huntington Station, New York *On the Right Track* I am 29 years old. Twelve years ago my father invited me to a Kṛṣṇa consciousness Sunday feast at the San Diego temple to celebrate my high school graduation. Fearing that ISKCON could be a false religion that uses mind control, I accepted his invitation reluctantly. 1990 was the year I finally decided to more seriously investigate Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and I decided that rereading Prabhupāda’s biography would be a good idea. What I learned was that the devotees who obey the regulative principles, avoid sinful activities and follow the instructions to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa would be successful and worthy to follow. (If they didn’t follow, I would be foolish to do service for them.) The new BTG proves to me beyond a doubt that the ISKCON I know today is once again on the right track. All glory to the assembled devotees! Bryce Barr San Diego, California *A Big and United Family* I would like to thank you for the wonderful new long-awaited Back to Godhead magazine. My husband and I (as well as the many other devotees we have discussed BTG with) have relished its many interesting and enlivening articles. Personally I’ve found it has given me a reassured sense of ISKCON as a big and united family—something I’ve found a little lacking lately, even if only in my own perception. Tulasī Mālā Devī Dāsī Murwillumbah, Australia *A Most Welcome Critique* I’ve read the magazine from cover to cover, and I cannot be more positive in my impressions. Aside from the dearth of those beautiful colored photographs I enjoyed (money money money) I think you’ve improved the magazine in very substantial ways. I like the new format with so many articles by individual devotees dealing with so many different topics. The spiritual content is certainly there—but there’s a much more down-to-earth quality about the reporting, which I think will have greater appeal. Some of the writing is really terrific. I especially enjoyed Ravīndra’s article—he expresses himself beautifully—and, of course, Satsvarūpa is no slouch either. I get the feeling there’s a more open, honest approach in the magazine—a sincere desire to reach your readers by laying it all out on the table, so to speak. I hope you get equally positive responses from others as well. Gloria Shapiro Tamarac, Florida *Mrs. Shapiro is the Editor's mother.* We welcome your letters. Send correspondence to The Editors, Back to Godhead, P.O. Box 90946, San Diego, CA 92169, USA. ## The Spiritual Master *How to Find Him … How to Honor Him … How to Follow Him* *From the Vyāsa-Pūjā addresses of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder-*Ācārya *of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness* Garlanded with roses and gardenias, surrounded by devoted followers, Śrīla Prabhupāda sits upon a magnificent throne. Disciple after disciple prostrates himself on the ground at Śrīla Prabhupāda’s feet. The disciples praise him. Śrīla Prabhupāda sits gravely and says nothing. Finally he begins to speak. “Vyāsa-pūjā,” he says, “means that one day in a year, on the birthday of the spiritual master, he is offered respect.” Why? “Because he is the representative of Vyāsa [here Śrīla Prabhupāda refers to the ancient compiler of the Vedic wisdom] and is delivering without any change the same knowledge which has come down by disciplic succession.”** Śrīla Prabhupāda’s birthday comes the day after Janmāṣṭamī, the appearance festival of Lord Kṛṣṇa. These days fall at the beginning of September this year. Here we select from what Śrīla Prabhupāda said about the meaning of the Vyāsa-pūjā ceremony. Let us listen as he continues to speak. *The Original Guru* “Vyāsa is the original *guru* because from his literature we understand spiritual knowledge. All these literatures, whatever we have produced, are originally from Vyāsadeva.”** “This *āsana* [throne] where they have seated me is called the vyās*āsana*. The *guru* is the representative of Vyāsadeva.… So anyone who represents the great *ācārya* [spiritual master] Vyāsadeva is allowed to sit on the vyās*āsana*.” *Disciplic Succession* As an orthodox representative of an ancient tradition, Śrīla Prabhupāda follows the system of Vyāsa-pūjā out of respect for the practices and philosophy of that tradition. “This Vyāsa-pūjā ceremony,” he says, “means to offer our thanks to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because He is the original *guru.* We receive this message through the *paramparā* system: from Kṛṣṇa to Brahmā, Brahmā to Nārada, Nārada to Vyāsadeva …” Śrīla Prabhupāda continues to name the illustrious teachers in the *paramparā,* the disciplic chain: “Mādhavendra Purī, then Īśvara Purī, then Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then the Six Gosvāmīs, then others—Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī, Gaura Kiśora dāsa Bābājī, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī …” It is in this *paramparā,* Śrīla Prabhupāda says, that he himself comes next. “So we come to Kṛṣṇa conscious understanding through this long **paramparā*.* Similarly, in the Vyāsa-pūjā ceremony, whatever respect, honor, and presentations you give go to Kṛṣṇa through that *paramparā* system.”** *The Lord’s Viceroy* “The spiritual master,” Śrīla Prabhupāda explains, “receives all honor, all contributions, on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not for himself. For example, in our country when there was British rule there was a viceroy, a king’s representative. So naturally when the viceroy used to go to some meeting, many people used to present valuable jewels just to honor him. But the law was that the viceroy could not touch a single jewel or contribution. It was going to the royal treasury. On behalf of the king the viceroy could accept all contributions, but they went to the king. “Similarly, on Vyāsa-pūjā day whatever honor, contributions, and feelings are being offered to the spiritual master go to Kṛṣṇa. As we have received the knowledge from upwards, this respect goes upwards.”** “Don’t jump over to God, crossing the spiritual master. Then it will be a failure. You must go through the spiritual master. We are observing the Vyāsa-pūjā ceremony, the birth anniversary of our Guru Mahārāja [spiritual master]. Why? We cannot understand Kṛṣṇa without a spiritual master. “If anyone wants to understand Kṛṣṇa by jumping over the spiritual master, then immediately he becomes bogus. Nobody can understand Kṛṣṇa without going through His most confidential servant. “If you think that you have become very learned and very advanced and can now avoid the spiritual master and understand Kṛṣṇa, that is bogus.… We should always pray, *yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ:* only by the grace of the spiritual master can we achieve the grace or mercy of Kṛṣṇa. This is the meaning of Vyāsa-pūjā.”** *A Revolutionary Practice* Śrīla Prabhupāda is very much aware that some people may misconstrue the Vyāsa-pūjā ceremony. “Of course,” he says, “those who are my students know what is this ceremony. … But an outsider may ask, ‘Why is a person being worshiped like God?’ There may be some doubt.”** “Now I must explain my position, because in these days a person’s being worshiped as a most exalted personality is something revolutionary.”**8 “It is not that I am training my disciples to worship me—man worship—or that I’m getting some honor from them for nothing. No. It is not that. Whatever honor, whatever respect, whatever presentation you are giving to your spiritual master, it will go to Kṛṣṇa by the *paramparā* system.” “An outsider may think, ‘This man is being flattered, and he is hearing his own eulogy.’ But this is not the fact. The disciples are receiving the message sincerely, and they are expressing their feeling. So that feeling is going to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And as the message has come through the channel of disciplic succession, all these praises will also reach Kṛṣṇa through that disciplic succession.”** “If you offer prayers to the *ācārya,* then Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is pleased. To please Him you have to please His representative. ‘If you love me, love my dog.’ And in the *Bhagavad-gītā* it is said, *ācāryopāsanam:* we have to worship the *ācārya.*”** “Kṛṣṇa says, **ācārya*ṁ māṁ vijāniyān:* ‘You accept the *ācārya* as Myself.’ Why? I see that he is a man. His sons call him father, he looks like a man, so why should he be as good as God? “Because he speaks as God speaks, that’s all.… He says as the Supreme Personality of Godhead says; therefore he is *guru.* Even though you see that he is materially born, that his behavior is like that of other men, he says the same truth spoken in the *Vedas* or by the Personality of Godhead; therefore he is *guru.* He does not make any whimsical change; therefore he is *guru.* That is the definition. It is very simple.”** *The Humility Of the Pure Devotee* Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that he himself is but a servant of his spiritual master. “Of course, my students offer me so much respect, but all these respects are due to my spiritual master. “I am nothing. I am just like a peon. When a peon delivers a letter, he is not responsible for what is written in that He simply delivers.” Śrīla Prabhupāda feels indebted, he says, not only to his spiritual master, from whom he received the message of Kṛṣṇa, but also to his disciples, who are helping him spread it. “Anyone who is coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not an ordinary living being. Actually, he’s a liberated soul. And I am very much hopeful that, even if I die, my disciples who are now participating today will continue my movement.… “Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura wanted European and American people to understand the philosophy of the Caitanya cult and take part in it. That was his desire. My Guru Mahārāja, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, also attempted to send his disciples to preach the Caitanya cult in the Western world.… “At our first meeting, perhaps you know, he asked me to preach. So at that time I was a young man, only twenty-five years old, and I was also a householder. I should have joined and executed his desire immediately, but due to my ill luck I could not immediately execute his order. But it was in my heart: ‘It is to be done.’ “So anyway, although I began very late, at the age of seventy years, by the help of my disciples this movement is gaining ground and is spreading all over the world. Therefore I have to thank you. It is all due to you. It is not my credit. It is your credit that you are helping me execute the order of my Guru Mahārāja.”** *How Does One Meet A Spiritual Master?* “Kṛṣṇa is within everyone.… So He is called *caitya-*guru*,* the *guru* within the heart. … And when Kṛṣṇa sees that a living entity is very anxious to understand Him or to revive his Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then Kṛṣṇa gives him all opportunity, especially by manifesting Himself as the spiritual master. … The spiritual master is therefore Kṛṣṇa’s manifestation—Kṛṣṇa’s mercy manifestation to help a person develop his Kṛṣṇa consciousness.”** “The whole world is in the blaze of the threefold miseries, and a person who is authorized to deliver people from those material pangs is called a spiritual master.”** *Continuing the Disciplic Succession* Śrīla Prabhupāda tells his disciples that they too should become spiritual masters. “Spiritual master is not a new invention. So all my students present here who are feeling so much obliged … I am obliged to them because they are helping me in this missionary work. At the same time, I shall request them all to become spiritual masters. Every one of you should become spiritual masters next. “And what is your duty? Whatever you are hearing from me, whatever you are learning from me, you have to distribute the same *in toto*, without any addition or alteration. Then all of you will become spiritual masters.… “To become a spiritual master is not a very wonderful thing. One simply has to become a sincere soul.”** “It is not difficult. It is difficult when you manufacture something. But if you simply present whatever you have heard from your spiritual master, it is very easy. “If you want to become overintelligent, to present something, to interpret something, over what you have heard from your spiritual master, then you’ll spoil the whole thing. Don’t make any addition or alteration. Simply present it as it is. … Remain always a servant of your spiritual master and present the thing as you have heard it. You will be a spiritual master. This is the secret.”** “One should not think, ‘I am not qualified to become a *guru.*’ No, you are qualified if you follow strictly the *paramparā* system.”** “If you simply preach this cult—‘My dear friend, my dear brother, you surrender to Kṛṣṇa’—you become a spiritual master.”** *There Is a Need* “Caitanya Mahāprabhu has asked everyone to become a *guru.* Everyone. Because there is need of **gurus*.* The world is full of rascals; therefore there is need of so many *gurus* to teach them.… “Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: *āmāra ājñāya *guru* hañā tāra’ ei deśa:* Wherever you are living, become a *guru* and deliver them. Suppose you are living in a small neighborhood; you can become a *guru* of that neighborhood and deliver them. “How is it possible? I have no education. I have no knowledge. How can I become *guru* and deliver them? “Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: It is not at all difficult. *Yāre dekha, tāre kaha ’kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa.* This is your qualification. If you simply deliver the message given by Kṛṣṇa, you become *guru.*… “Kṛṣṇa said, *sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja.* [Give up all other engagements and surrender to Me.] You preach. You request everyone, ‘Sir, you surrender to Kṛṣṇa.’ Then you become a *guru.* It is a very simple thing. Kṛṣṇa said, *man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru.* [Think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me, and offer obeisances to Me.] You say, ‘You become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. You offer obeisances. Here is a temple. Here is Kṛṣṇa. Please come here.…’ “So this is the **guru*’s* qualification. The *guru* does not show some magic or produce some wonderful things to become *guru* … “People are giving me credit that I have done miracles. But my miracle is that I carried the message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu: *yāre dekha, tāre kaha ’kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa.* “So this is the secret. Any one of you can become a *guru.* It is not that I am an extraordinary man, an extraordinary god coming from some mysterious place. It is not that—it is a very simple thing. “Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: *yāre dekha, tāre kaha ’kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa.* So I request you to follow Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s instruction that you also be-come a *guru* at your home. It is not that you have to make a gigantic show of becoming a *guru*. The father has to become a *guru*; the mother has to become a *guru*. Actually, in the *śāstra* it is said one should not become a father, one should not become mother, if he does not become a *guru* to his children.”** *Become Kṛṣṇa’s Favorite* “So I hope that all of you—men, women, boys, and girls—become spiritual masters and follow this principle. Simply sincerely follow the principles and speak to the general public. Then you become Kṛṣṇa’s favorite. Kṛṣṇa says in the **Bhagavad-gītā*, na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ:* ‘One who is doing this humble service of preaching work, Kṛṣṇa consciousness—nobody is dearer to Me than him.’ So if you want to become recognized by Kṛṣṇa very quickly, take up this process of becoming a spiritual master. Present the *Bhagavad-gītā* as it is. Then your life is perfect.” ## Lessons from the Road *Janmāṣṭamī in Czechoslovakia* ### By Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami THE DAY BEFORE JANMĀṢṬAMĪ, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Appearance Day. We’ve come to the “farm.” It’s a run-down group of buildings, some with roofs entirely uncovered. Turīya Dāsa said the Communists confiscated it forty years ago and put the farmers in jail, although their only crime was that they were prosperous. The devotees moved in a month ago. They’re building a temple room. They greeted us with a *kīrtana,* men and boys bare-chested in the August heat. They expected us to stay in our van, and so we will, although it’s crowded and not ready for living in. A devotee here tells me the Czech people are used to following their leaders and if they have to perform austerities, even going without food, they are practiced at it. “Why did you come to a place like this for Janmāṣṭamī,” he asks me, “instead of going to a gala festival in a big temple?” “I like to do something different.” “Well, you’ve come to the right place. Get ready for simple life.” * * * *Janmāṣṭamī day* They just held a wonderful initiation ceremony outdoors for Bhakta Tomas Kobes (of the Czech BBT, the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust). Now he’s Tattva-darśi Dāsa. I was told not to be demanding about the ingredients for the sacrifice, or *yajña,* but just to accept whatever they could offer. So they had oil instead of ghee, and no coconut or banana leaves. And we were lucky to have bananas. But there was plenty of *bhakti,* devotion. The guests and devotees, about fifty in all, sat on simple cloths. The brass Gaura-Nitāi Deities and the altar from the temple room were brought out. Turīya Prabhu translated my lecture, and everyone listened with attention. How sweet they are, these mild, fair-skinned devotees. I felt satisfied to be home on this farm, in the world of ISKCON. I imagined the sun moving across the planet, and Janmāṣṭamī festivals occurring at different hours. Surely our festival was noteworthy, although we didn’t have ten thousand guests and large Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities. Just an outdoor *yajña* with oil instead of ghee. By the time the *yajña* was over, it was almost dark, so we brought the Deities inside. We walked down the dusty path into the old house and put Their Lordships on the simple altar. Then we danced with *kīrtana.* Three more hours until midnight. * * * I was asked to give a lecture about the appearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Afterwards, I asked for questions, and an elderly lady raised her hand. Since almost all the devotees here speak only Czech, I was surprised when she began to speak in English. “Satsvarūpa Goswami,” she said, “could you tell something about Prabhupāda, because you knew him very well?” I started out by remembering Janmāṣṭamī 1966 in the storefront. “The room we are in now reminds me of that storefront,” I said. “It was about the same size. 1966 was the first year Prabhupāda observed Janmāṣṭamī in America. He asked the devotees to stay all day in the storefront and fast, but his request seemed difficult. Some of us expressed doubt we could do it, so Swamiji said, ‘If you get hungry or weak in the afternoon, you can take some fruit from my refrigerator.’ When he said that, it gave us some hope, because it seemed almost impossible that a living being could go all day without eating. “Fasting was one problem, and another was what to do all day. How to control the mind? When Prabhupāda stayed with us in the storefront, reading from his *Bhagavad-gītā* manuscript, it was very enjoyable. But whenever he left us alone, our consciousness and conversation dropped way down. We began to complain, ‘I don’t think I can do this. How does he expect us to stay like this all day? This is like being in prison—you can’t even leave the temple.’ “Even while Prabhupāda was present, one of the disciples, later to be initiated as Jānakī Dāsī, said, ‘Swamiji, I’m sorry but I have to leave. I have to go home and feed my cats.’ “Swamiji said, ‘No, do not do it. Stay here and you can take care of them later.’ “Jānakī thought about it, but then said, ‘I’m sorry. I have to go and take care of them.’ “The rest of us reluctantly surrendered and stayed there the whole day, which slowly turned into afternoon and night. We sat against the wall, drowsy and weak, trying to chant on our new red beads.” When I finished talking about the 1966 Janmāṣṭamī, one of the *brahmacārīs* raised his hand. He had asked me several technical questions in lectures I had given the previous day. One of his questions was “How did Lord Śiva appear as one of the associates of Lord Caitanya?*”* Another was “Is it true that Lord Kṛṣṇa was not worshiped before His actual appearance, but that before His appearance He had always been worshiped as the *śalagrāma-śilā*?*”* When he raised his hand again, I thought, “Oh, here we go again.” But the question was “In Czechoslovakia, we do not have Prabhupāda’s biography except for the one-volume edition. Could you tell us more about what it was like when Prabhupāda went to sing in the park in New York City? Did he bring a carpet? Were you there? What was it like?” That was a nice setup. I said, “Yes, there was a carpet. We had an old carpet someone had given us. We started out, about ten or twelve devotees along with Prabhupāda, and walked to the park. Once we got to the park, we were a little shy. I thought some of my old friends might come around and see me, and I was embarrassed. But when Prabhupāda began to sing the names of the previous spiritual masters, and then Hare Kṛṣṇa, we sat close to him. “He was like a mother and a father. Just as little children stay close to their parents when afraid, we stayed close to our spiritual parent. We sat with him on the rug, inside his world, which he had created within the ‘big’ world of Tompkins Square Park.” I told the devotees how the Swami encouraged us to get up and dance in the park. Brahmānanda and Acyutānanda did it regularly. Once Prabhupāda looked at me and gestured that I should dance. At first I wasn’t sure he meant me, so I turned around and looked behind me. I looked at him again. Yes, he meant me. * * * *Midnight* I am fortunate to be deep in the heart of Janmāṣṭamī at the Czech farm. It’s the same ecstasy available anywhere in ISKCON, and one should not miss out on it. You can find it in a big or a little temple. Simply follow the basic program: fast all day, fully engage in chanting and hearing or cooking or whatever, and then, having fasted and attended a day and night full of classes about Kṛṣṇa, gather for a last couple of hours of *kīrtana* until midnight. Then open Lord Kṛṣṇa’s gifts, attend the *ārati,* and honor *prasādam.* A special feature here is the simplicity and newness. The devotees know only two or three Hare Kṛṣṇa tunes, and if you try any others they’ll have trouble following. They don’t yet know the words to most songs. I was speaker and lead singer, and Madhumaṅgala was the only drum player. At one point I turned to Turīya and asked, “What should we do for the next hour, speak or chant?” He replied, “It’s up to you. Whatever you want.” I continued a *kīrtana* with a medium-slow beat, strong and steady like the 1966 *kīrtana*s, and the devotees stayed with me. We all surrendered to the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra.* *Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami is the author of more than two dozen books, including a six-volume biography of Śrīla Prabhupāda.* ## Bhakti-yoga in the Home *“What’s for Supper, Mummy?”* ### by Rohiṇīnandana Dāsa SHOPPING FOR KṚṢṆA with your children can be a rich spiritual event, provided you have their cooperation and plenty of time. We had neither the last time our family trundled along the synthetic aisles. As I rushed about, one child wriggled in the supermarket trolley, and the other dawdled behind. I thought of a time I had peeked into the Deity kitchen**** at the temple. I remembered the calm concentration, soft meditational prayers, and neat *tilaka* of Kṛṣṇa’s cook as he scooped a steaming preparation into a silver bowl. In the temple they don’t use tinned, frozen, pre-cooked, or manufactured foods, and here I was, scurrying along narrow passages lined with the stuff. Irritated, my head beginning to ache, I was trying to decipher long lists of words like “hydrolyzed protein,” “maltodextrin,” and “monosodium glutamate.” In Europe, to make matters worse (or better, depending on your point of view), such words are interspersed with “E” numbers, which stand for stabilizers, emulsifiers, anti-oxidants, artificial colors, preservatives, and flavor enhancers. E321, for instance, means “butylated hydroxytolene,” and E341(a), “calcium tetrahydrogen diorthophosphate.” Years ago I wasn’t concerned about these lists; if something looked vegetarian, it was OK for me. Now, because we’re offering our food to Kṛṣṇa, I worry about what exactly is on the lists. The other day I unwittingly bought a product containing E471, which sometimes has a vegetarian source and sometimes doesn’t. My wife phoned the manufacturer. In this product the E471 came from lard. What to do? I couldn’t return the offending item—by now it was past the “sell by” date—and I didn’t feel like throwing it away. So I fed it to the birds with their regular *prasādam* scraps and hoped they, or their guardian angel, would not be offended. Back to the supermarket … Somehow I ran the gauntlet of a pounding head, the distracted children, the mysterious ingredients, and the long queue at the cash register and made it to the lift up to the car park. I collapsed against the wall. A fellow shopper glanced with sympathy. “It’s a tough life,” I gasped. He agreed. In the car home I again thought of the temple with its organic garden. I thought of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s home, Vṛndāvana, and all the wonderful preparations Kṛṣṇa’s mother, Yaśodā, cooks for Him. And then I thought of all the things I’d just bought. Was *anything* really suitable to offer Kṛṣṇa? All I could do was take solace in Kṛṣṇa’s assertion in the *Bhagavad-gītā* that in this world every endeavor is covered by fault, just as fire is covered by smoke. Fortunately, Kṛṣṇa is mainly interested in our intentions. The *Gītā* exhorts us to strive for the perfection of always thinking of the supreme perfect being, Lord Kṛṣṇa, even in the midst of provocation and imperfection. Of course, I can always improve the way I do things for Kṛṣṇa, and I intend to. But it’s a relief to know that in our helplessness, in our exasperation, Kṛṣṇa is on our side. We returned home. Entering the back door of our rustic cottage, the children clamored, “Where’s supper? We’re starving!” As I was wondering whether there was time to sort out the bags of shopping or clean up the kitchen a bit before cooking, I heard a tearful “Father!” I looked around to see my three-year-old standing in a puddle of urine. Well, what about Kṛṣṇa’s offering? Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings, “O Kṛṣṇa, my mind, my body, my house, my family—all belong to You.” Everything can be done as an offering to Kṛṣṇa, including mopping up a puddle on the floor. Devotional service, being transcendental, can never be stopped by any material conditions. Still, it’s natural and correct for an aspiring devotee to want to cook something as nicely as possible for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure. I quickly offered a snack to the picture of Śrīla Prabhupāda we keep in the kitchen for such occasions and sat the children down at the table in the next room. I hoped they would eat and then play together till dinnertime without fighting. They were welcome to come back into the kitchen, of course, and help stir a pot or cut up a carrot. Next I put on a *bhajana*** tape and quickly cleaned the kitchen. With sleeves rolled up, a clean apron on, and the holy name on my lips, I was ready to start. Cooking for Kṛṣṇa is not only great fun; it’s also purifying, because it absorbs our wandering minds, especially when two or three preparations are on the go and we’re planning another. I felt peaceful and happy. We usually cook rice, *dāl,* vegetables, and sometimes *capātīs* and a sweet pudding. But since it was late and I was tired, I made spaghetti, with a sauce of tinned tomatoes and cheese. I threw together a salad and began to make up the Lord’s plate. We keep a special plate for Kṛṣṇa with His own bowls and spoon. I filled a cup with water and placed it on the plate along with a little bowl of salad and another of spaghetti. I added a couple of small mounds of salt and pepper. I carried the plate into the temple room and placed it on the altar, after sprinkling three drops of water where I would set the plate.**** I also sprinkled three drops of water onto the bell and was just about to recite the offering prayers when one of my young sons rushed in. He speedily touched his head to the floor, came toward me, and held out his hands for three drops of water. Then he took the bell and rang it merrily as I recited the prayers. My wife and I try to encourage any devotional tendency a child may show, even at the expense of the rules of Deity worship. If he’s got the spirit right, we never try to stop or correct him, and gradually he is getting to know the right behavior. The offering prayers can be simple: “Hare Kṛṣṇa. My dear Lord, please accept this offering.” Or you can recite traditional prayers in Sanskrit or English.**** The idea behind the offering is to offer the food to a spiritual master, who offers it to his spiritual master, and so on, until it reaches Kṛṣṇa. Anyone can easily be linked to the Lord in this way. Otherwise, lacking devotion, most of us would be unable to offer anything to Kṛṣṇa. He accepts even the simplest offering from His pure devotee, but He refuses even the most elaborate offering from a nondevotee. After my son and I had made the offering, we sang Hare Kṛṣṇa together for a couple of minutes as the Lord ate His meal. Then we quickly went into the next room, loudly reciting *śarīra avidyā jāl …***** The “starving” children quickly took their places at the table. After they had been served, I went back to the temple room, removed Kṛṣṇa’s plate, and put the *mahā-prasādam* on another plate.**** In our house whoever makes the offering waits to eat until the offering plate has been on the altar for ten minutes and then washed and put away. Some householder devotees have a rule that they make a certain number of offerings every day, regardless of the changing needs of the family. Others, like us, make only one special offering a day that’s just for Kṛṣṇa. Home altars are, of course, functional, in that we cook what the family requires, doing our best to cook as a service to Kṛṣṇa. But it’s also a good practice to prepare something, such as a little fruit and milk, especially for the pleasure of the Deity.**** In this little story I have described some things we do as a family to try to keep Kṛṣṇa in the center of our lives. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please let me know. *Rohiṇīnandana Dāsa lives in southern England with his wife and their three children. You can write to him c/o BTG.* ## Science: The Vedic View *Astronomy and the Antiquity of Vedic Civilization* ### By Sadāpūta Dāsa TRADITIONAL CHINESE STORIES tell of a monkey named Sun who goes through remarkable adventures. In one story, two “harpooners of death” capture him, claiming he has reached the limit of his destiny on earth and is due to be taken to the underworld. The story’s translator tells us that according to the Chinese the constellation Nan Teou, the Southern Dipper, decides everyone’s death, and the harpooners of death carry out the decision.** In my last column I compared Vedic ideas about time with similar ideas found in cultures around the world. We saw that many cultures share highly specific Vedic thoughts about how long ancient people lived and what happened in ancient human societies. This suggests that an ancient cultural tradition existed worldwide, hinted at today in many cultures through fragmentary and poorly understood memories but spoken of in detail in the Vedic writings. In this column we turn from time to space. And we find that ancient traditions about the layout of the universe bear similar traces of a common cultural background. Vedic literature divides the visible heavens into regions, which transmigrating souls are said to reach according to their *karma.* We can think of the constellations of stars as a road map for the soul’s travel after death. First I shall describe this map. Then I shall give some evidence that people in old cultures all over the world had a similar cosmic map, often agreeing with the Vedic map in many minute details. To describe this map I need to introduce some basic ideas from astronomy. In both Indian and Western astronomy, the lines of latitude and longitude on the earth are projected onto the sky and set into a daily spin about the polar axis, so that to an observer on earth they seem to rotate once a day with the stars. This gives us a celestial coordinate system in which each star has a latitude, called its declination, and a longitude, called its right ascension. We can think of the stars as points on a huge imaginary sphere, called the celestial sphere, surrounding the earth. Just as the earth has a northern and southern hemisphere separated by the equator, so does the celestial sphere. Each year, against the background of stars, the sun completes a circuit called the ecliptic, a great circle tilted 23½ degrees from the celestial equator. Around the ecliptic in a broad band stretch the twelve constellations of the zodiac and twenty-eight constellations called *nakṣatras,* or lunar mansions. Books of Vedic astronomy list the *nakṣatras* and important stars. And more recent astronomers have identified the modern names of the constellations and stars to which these Vedic luminaries are thought to correspond. (The map above marks these correspondences, giving the ancient Sanskrit names and the modern locations.) According to the *Viṣṇu Purāṇa,* north of the star Agastya and south of the three *nakṣatras* Mūla, Pūrvaṣādhā, and Uttarāṣādhā lies the road to the region of the Pitṛs, Pitṛloka.** This is said in Vedic literature to be the headquarters of Yamarāja, the demigod who punishes sinful human beings. The *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (5.26.5) says that this region, along with the hellish planets, lies in the south of the universe, beneath Bhūmaṇḍala, the earthly planetary system. The *nakṣatras* mentioned here match parts of the southern constellations Scorpio and Sagittarius, and Agastya is thought to be the star Canopus, which lies in the southern hemisphere. From the description in the *Viṣṇu Purāṇa,* therefore, we can locate Pitṛloka in terms of familiar celestial landmarks. The Milky Way is seen in the sky as a great band of light, densely packed with stars, running roughly north and south, cutting the celestial equator at an angle of about 62 degrees. A very bright region of the Milky Way intersects the ecliptic in the constellation Sagittarius. This is close to the *nakṣatras* Mūla and Pūrvāṣādhā, which form the beginning of the path of the Pitṛs. Just as Pitṛloka is south of the ecliptic, the higher planets are to its north. So the mystics who follow the path to these planets, the path of the demigods, also begin at Mūla and Pūrvāṣādhā, but they travel northward. Their journey is described in the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (2.2.24-25) and in the *Viṣṇu Purāṇa.* Moving along the ecliptic, the mystics travel up to Revatī. (This leg of their journey is called Vaiṣvānara.) From Revatī they move through the *nakṣatras* Aśvinī, Bhāraṇī, and Kṛttikā and travel on to the planet of the fire-god, Agni. There they are purified of all contaminations. From Agni the mystics keep going north, through Brahmahṛdaya and Prajāpati, following the Milky Way, and as they reach the latitudes of the seven *ṛṣis* they enter Viṣṇupāda, the path of Viṣṇu. This is the path they follow until they at last reach the polestar, Dhruvaloka, a spiritual planet within the material universe. In more familiar terms, Aśvinī, Bhāraṇī, and Kṛttikā match parts of the constellations Aries and Taurus. The seven *ṛṣis* (*saptarṣi*) correspond to the constellation Ursa Major, commonly known as the Big Dipper. Opposite the point where the Milky Way meets the ecliptic in the southern hemisphere, it intersects the ecliptic in the north, at the boundary of Taurus and Gemini. It is here that we find the star Agni. Once we locate the paths of the Pitṛs and the demigods on the celestial sphere, we can ask whether other cultural traditions offer similar accounts of the soul’s celestial travels. It turns out that many do. Here are some examples: 1. We return to the story of the Chinese monkey, Sun, mentioned in the beginning of this column. The Chinese Southern Dipper consists of six stars in Sagittarius. It is interesting to note that this constellation shares stars with two of the *nakṣatras* marking the beginning of the path of the Pitṛs. So the start of the route to Yamarāja corresponds in this Chinese tradition to the place in the heavens where the fate of the dead is decided. The Chinese tradition also has messengers of death similar to the Vedic Yamadūtas. 2. The German scholar Franz Boll has analyzed ancient Greek traditions regarding Hades, the River Styx, and the ferryman of the underworld. We tend to think of Hades as lying beneath our feet, within the earth. Boll, however, cites texts placing this region in the heavens around the southern crossroads of the Milky Way and the ecliptic.** 3. Boll points out a close relationship between Greek and Babylonian traditions. According to his analysis, the Babylonian god Dikud, the judge of Hades, may correspond to the star Theta Ophiuchi. This star lies close to the location mentioned in the Vedic writings as the beginning of the path of the Pitṛs. Boll cites a text referring to this star as “the beginning of the road of the lower heavenly vault.”** 4. In North America the Pawnee and Cherokee say that the souls of the dead are received by a star at the northern end of the Milky Way. There the path divides. “He [God] directs the warriors on the dim and difficult path, and women and those who die of old age upon the brighter and easier path. The souls journey southwards; at the end of the celestial path they are received by the Spirit Star.”** The anthropologist S. Hagar thinks the Spirit Star is Antares. Antares (Jyeṣṭhā) lies, again, near the beginning of the path of the Pitṛs. 5. The Roman writer Macrobius, in his **Commentary* on the Dream of Scipio,* says that souls of the dead ascend by way of Capricorn and, to be reborn, descend again through the gate of Cancer. Here Macrobius appears to have shifted everything by one sign of the zodiac; Capricorn is next to Sagittarius, and Cancer is next to Gemini. In fact, Macrobius says in his *Commentary* that Capricorn and Cancer lie where the zodiac crosses the Milky Way.** 6. In Honduras and Nicaragua the Sumo say that their “Mother Scorpion,” who receives the souls of the dead, dwells at the end of the Milky Way. “And from her, represented as a mother with many breasts, at which children take suck, come the souls of the newborn.”** Here the “Mother Scorpion” is reminiscent of the constellation Scorpius. We note that the tail of the constellation Scorpius corresponds to the *nakṣatra* Mūla. 7. In general, Polynesians have traditionally believed in reincarnation and have held that the Milky Way is the pathway of transmigrating souls. The Mangaians of the Austral Islands in Polynesia believe that souls can enter heaven only on evenings of solstices (north islanders at one solstice and south islanders at the other).** The important point here is that the solstices occur when the sun is near the intersection of the Milky Way and the ecliptic. These astronomical examples, and our earlier examples about time, indicate that old cultures around the world shared a view of the cosmos similar in many ways to the Vedic one. The details that appear again and again in these stories suggest the existence of a common cultural tradition. Yet the stories differ, and we have no clear historical records of their origin. This suggests that their common cultural source dates from the remote past. So the existence of these stories is consistent with the Vedic accounts of an ancient world civilization with a spiritual view of the origin and purpose of the universe. *Sadāpūta Dāsa (Richard L. Thompson) earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from Cornell University. He is the author of several books, of which the most recent is* Vedic Cosmography and Astronomy *(see page 20 to order). Write to him c/o BTG in San Diego.* ## Schooling Kṛṣṇa’s Children *Now’s Your Chance* ### By Śrī Rāma Dāsa IT’S BEEN A PLEASURE opening the mail in response to my first columns. Readers seem excited about the plans and programs mentioned. The real surprise, however, was how many people offered help in various ways. The puzzle for me was how to take the offers and channel them. Well, good news for everyone who’s wanted to get their foot in the door and help build an educational system for the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. Now you can directly take part, at the most fundamental level, in planning, organizing, and taking all the steps needed to make a strong school system in your part of the world. Early this year in Māyāpur, India, at the annual meeting of ISKCON’s governing body commission (GBC), we reorganized ISKCON’s approach to developing our school system. Now there are eight regional boards of education, each responsible for the progress of primary and secondary schooling in one area: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, eastern India, western India, Southeast Asia, and Australia/ New Zealand. Each area was assigned a GBC member, who is duty-bound to see to the organization and progress of the regional board. This year, each is responsible to see to forming the board, inviting all interested parties to get involved, and reaching certain goals set by ISKCON’s International Board of Education. Currently, a top priority is to make sure that each ISKCON-affiliated school has implemented ISKCON’s strict policies for preventing child abuse. The International Board of Education has a five-year plan for developing curricula, training teachers, getting schools certified, helping former students, developing reading materials for our children, and so on. It’s a broad agenda, but by working on the regional level we can reach goals beyond the resources of local schools but suited to the needs of local cultures and areas. Beyond the priorities assigned by the International Board, we hope the regional boards will take the initiative in cooperating to find teachers, pool resources in curriculum development, organize fund-raising campaigns, encourage experienced schools to help new ones, and so on. Conventions of headmasters and teachers should become regular events. Ideally, every school will send its headmaster or principal, as well as a teacher or two, to each regional board meeting. But there’s room for many others to take part also. We need people willing to take charge of (or at least help with) curriculum development, networking home schools, solving legal problems, writing and illustrating children’s books, raising funds, training teachers.… The possibilities are limitless. Of course, getting the regional boards off the ground is not going to be an easy task. We’ll have to travel to meet together, give our time and energies, and take on new commitments. But if you’re serious about having a real influence on the development of ISKCON’s school system, now is the time to act. If you would like to take part, please contact me at the address or phone number at the bottom of this column. I’ll put you in touch with the GBC member responsible for organizing your regional board of education. As always, I strongly recommend that you learn more about ISKCON education by subscribing to *ISKCON Educational Journal,* four issues for $10.00 in the U.S. and Canada or $13.00 elsewhere. A free sample issue is available for the asking. Also, for $10.00 we have available the manual “Preventing Child Abuse in ISKCON.” I look forward to meeting many of you face to face in the future—in a regional board of education meeting in your part of the world. Ś*rī Rāma Dāsa, Chairman, ISKCON Board of Education, 3764 Watseka Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90034, USA.* ## Janmāṣṭamī on the Jaladuta ### By Yamunā devi THREE YEARS AGO, on Janmāṣṭamī, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s appearance day, I received a copy of the diary Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote aboard the steamship *Jaladuta.* It’s a personal account of his first journey from India to America. Though I had read excerpts in various publications, the full handwritten text revealed a richness I had barely realized before. Often difficult to read, the cramped and sometimes blurry script describes dramatic events—two life-threatening heart attacks, repeated illness—along with personal observations and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s daily routine. It also mentions two prayers he wrote to Lord Kṛṣṇa while on the ship. I strongly recommend reading these inspiring verses. You can find them in *Śrīla Prabhupāda Līlāmṛta, Volume 2: Planting the Seed,* by Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami. As an avid student of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s cooking instruction, I was particularly fascinated with entries in his diary noting some of the dishes he cooked and distributed to the crew members. In one entry Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, “Today is the 32nd day of our journey from Calcutta. In the morning I couldn’t take my breakfast properly, then I cooked *bati-chachari.* It appeared to be delicious, so I was able to take some food.” In other entries, Śrīla Prabhupāda mentions nourishing dishes that serve as one-pot meals. For example, *kicchari* is a rice-and-legume stew that can take on new and varied faces for months on end. *Kaḍi,* often served with *kicchari*, is an aromatic yogurt gravy laced with vegetables, cooked beans, or savory dumplings. *Chachari* is a succulent char-flavored vegetable dish. It combines three cooking procedures in one pot—boiling, steaming, and frying—without your ever stirring the pot, not even once! These dishes require no exotic ingredients, are easy to make, and, as was probably done aboard the *Jaladuta,* need only be accompanied with hot wheat flatbreads or a salad for a simple meal. Śrīla Prabhupāda was a generous cook who taught in the kitchen by demonstration. The same dishes he’d cooked on the *Jaladuta* he taught in the next two years to his ISKCON students in New York and San Francisco. The dishes became instant favorites. In 1967 I compiled a book of these early recipes. I’d lost track of the book until, to my amazement, someone recently sent me the manuscripts in my original calligraphy. To remember and savor Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Janmāṣṭamī of 1965, observed aboard the *Jaladuta*, it seems apropos to pass on a few of these early recipes to you. *Kicchari* (Serves 4-6) > ½ cup yellow split peas > 1 teaspoon salt > 1 teaspoon turmeric > 1-2 dried hot chilies > 7 cups water > 1 cup long-grain rice > 1 cup sliced carrots > 1 cup sliced Brussels sprout > ¾ cup cubed potatoes > melted butter or ghee Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, partly cover, and boil gently for 20 minutes. Stir in the rice and vegetables, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the water is absorbed and the grains are cooked, about 45 minutes. Drizzle with butter or *ghee.* *Kaḍi* (Serves 4-6) > 1 cup chickpeas (garbanzo beans) > 3 tablespoons chickpea flour > ½ cup yogurt > 3 cups buttermilk > ½ teaspoon turmeric > ½ teaspoon salt > 2 teaspoons cumin seeds > ¼ teaspoon crushed red chilies > 2 tablespoons butter or ghee Soak the chickpeas in water overnight and drain. Cook them in plenty of fresh water until tender, 1-2 hours. Drain. Combine the flour and yogurt in a saucepan and stir the mixture until it’s smooth. Blend in the buttermilk, turmeric, salt, and chickpeas. While stirring, gently boil over moderate heat until thickened, 5-10 minutes. To prepare the seasoning, place the cumin and chilies in a dry pan and stir-toast until darkened and fragrant. Add the butter or *ghee,* heat briefly, and pour the seasoning into the *kaḍi.* *Bati-Chachari* (Serves 4-6) > 1 pound boiling potatoes, cubed > 1 pound string beans, cut in 1½-inch pieces > 1-2 whole red chilies > ½ teaspoon turmeric > 3 tablespoons butter or ghee > 2¾ cups water > 1 teaspoon salt Place all the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, partly cover, and boil gently until the liquid is absorbed and the vegetables are fork tender, about 25 minutes. Remove the lid, raise the heat slightly, and cook until the vegetables fry in the seasoned butter. (Do not burn the vegetables; only allow a deep brown crust to form in the pan.) Cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Then stir in the crust and serve. *Yamuna Devi* *is the author of* Lord Krishna’s Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking*.* ## The Lord of Unlimited Pastimes *This September, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s devotees celebrate His birthday. Like everything else about Kṛṣṇa, His birth is nothing ordinary.* ### By Harikeśa Swami IT IS NOT POSSIBLE for an ordinary living entity to compare to Kṛṣṇa. From the very beginning of His pastimes here on earth, more than 5,200 years ago, Kṛṣṇa displayed His superiority over everyone. Once, when Kṛṣṇa was lying peacefully on His bed like a small baby dependent on his mother, a cruel witch named Pūtanā approached with a plan to kill Him. Pūtanā was by nature ugly, but by mystic power she had transformed her large, grotesque body into that of a beautiful woman. She was so beautiful that although she was heading straight for the place where Kṛṣṇa lay, Kṛṣṇa’s mother, Yaśodā, did not think to stop her. Pūtanā looked harmless and seemed simply to want to nurse the child, but she had smeared poison on her breast and was planning to kill Him when He sucked her milk. But this plan was not to be fulfilled. Baby Kṛṣṇa accepted the breast coated with poison and sucked the milk and also the witch’s life air, killing her immediately. God does not have to become God by mystic practice. Some pseudo transcendentalists say that although we are not God at present, we can become God through a carefully contrived series of physical and mental exercises. They think that after some time, say six months or a year, they will realize their position as the Supreme. This is foolish. No one is greater than God, and no one is equal to Him. He is always God, and one who is not God now can never become God, despite careful practice of mystic *yoga* for millions of years. When Pūtanā approached Kṛṣṇa, He was lying on His bed like a small, helpless baby. Yet He was fully aware of what was happening around Him, and He was fully competent to kill the demon who had come to kill Him. He did not have to perform austerities and penances to get His power, for it was naturally present within His transcendental form. We can understand the difference between Kṛṣṇa and an ordinary living being simply by considering Kṛṣṇa’s birth. An ordinary being is born by the seminal discharge of a father into the womb of a mother. The embryo grows and then takes birth tied to his mother with an umbilical cord and coated in a slimy liquid. Slapped on the rear by the doctor, he starts his life crying. Kṛṣṇa does not take birth like this. At the moment of His birth, He showed His four-armed Nārāyaṇa form to His parents. He stood before them with beautiful flowing black hair, a shining crown, a jeweled necklace of *kaustubha* stone, valuable bracelets, earrings, and similar ornaments. He held a conchshell, club, lotus, and disc in His four hands, and He was dressed in yellow silk. The jewels and clothes on His transcendental body made Him look dazzling, like a bright blackish cloud. Thus the birth of an ordinary child cannot compare to Kṛṣṇa’s. Indeed, His father and mother, Vasudeva and Devakī, could hardly believe their eyes on seeing His wondrous form of transcendental bliss. Throughout Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes during the more than 125 years He stayed on earth, we find the recurrent theme of inconceivable action. Just consider His lifting Govardhana Hill. Kṛṣṇa had managed to anger King Indra, the demigod in charge of rain, by stopping a sacrifice meant to satisfy him. Kṛṣṇa wanted to cut down Indra’s excessive pride, so He specifically used words sure to upset Indra and invoke his wrath on the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. As Indra’s wrath arose, he poured down rain, hail, and pieces of ice as if bringing about the final devastation of the world. The cows and cowherd men and women of Vṛndāvana approached Kṛṣṇa pleading for protection. Kṛṣṇa, manifesting His supremely powerful mystic potencies, simply placed His hand under a mountain known as Govardhana Hill and lifted it straight off the ground into the air. He held the mountain like an umbrella on the little finger of His left hand for seven days, while Indra futilely tried to destroy the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. Who can lift a mountain? Who can even lift a piece of paper and hold it up for more than an hour, what to speak of seven days? Yet Kṛṣṇa did this wonderful feat without the slightest sign of fatigue. Who can compare to the Personality of Godhead? Yet although Kṛṣṇa is so great, worldly intellectuals try to reduce Him to the level of an ordinary historical personality. Which historical personality could marry 16,108 princesses simultaneously in 16,108 palaces? Yet Kṛṣṇa did, with all conceivable pomp and ceremony. Normally no one can expand himself into other forms, for we are all bound to the one form of our body. But Kṛṣṇa can expand Himself into innumerable forms—each one acting differently. This is the supreme mystic opulence of the Supreme Person. Once Nārada Muni, a great wandering sage among the demigods, wanted to see what Kṛṣṇa was doing in each of His 16,108 palaces. Nārada entered the first palace and saw Kṛṣṇa being fanned by His principal queen, Rukmiṇī. Leaving that palace, Nārada entered the next and saw Kṛṣṇa playing with His children just like an affectionate father. In the next palace he saw Kṛṣṇa preparing to bathe. Moving from one palace to another, Nārada saw that Kṛṣṇa was engaged in different activities in each of His 16,108 palaces. Only the Supreme Lord could display such varied pastimes simultaneously. The conclusion is simple. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who performs unlimited, inconceivable pastimes while on earth. Although people may want to bring many other persons forward as God, their candidates cannot compare in the slightest to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we worship the Supreme Absolute Truth, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the one without a second, and we are satisfied chanting His holy name: Hare Kṛṣṇa. *Harikeśa Swami is a member of ISKCON’s governing body commission with responsibilities in India and Europe. He is also a trustee of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, overseeing the publication and distribution of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books in many European languages.* ## Deviant Vaiṣṇava Sects, Part 2 Some who say they follow Lord Caitanya try to make His easy method easier— by throwing out the rules. ### By Suhotra Swami *Part Two: Prākṛta-sahajiyās* *The great spiritual master Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura spoke of thirteen sects that claim to have inherited Lord Caitanya’s mission but who distort His teachings. Although especially prominent in Bengal, their ideas show up even in the West. Here, therefore, in the second of a three-part series, Suhotra Swami continues to examine these sects.* VAIṢṆAVAS, devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa, use the term *prākṛta-sahajiyā* to refer to persons who imitate the signs of *prema,* pure love for God, while still addicted to the low-class pleasures of illicit sex and intoxication. The *sahajiyās* imagine that they feel the divine emotions of Kṛṣṇa and His dearest devotee, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Yet they don’t understand that before we can savor the pleasure shared by Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, we must rid ourselves of lustful desires for sensual pleasure. The word *sahaja* means “easy.” A **prākṛta*-sahajiyā* wants the bliss of spiritual life without the struggle to attain it. And the word *prākṛta* means “materialistic.” Because the *sahajiyās* forgo the standard disciplines of *bhakti-yoga,* the divine love they apparently show never gets beyond material lust. The *prākṛta-sahajiyās* mistake lust—the disease of the soul—for spiritual advancement. So instead of curing lust, they wind up cultivating it. *Bhagavad-gītā* (16.23-24) recommends that we follow *śāstra-vidhi,* the directions of the scriptures, to purify ourselves of lust. *Śāstra-vidhi* especially calls for us to give up meat-eating, illicit sex, gambling, and intoxication and to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra.* This gradually readies us for *rāga-mārga,* the path of natural attraction to Kṛṣṇa, reserved for highly advanced devotees. The *prākṛta-sahajiyās,* however, go easy on the scriptural regulations. They stay attached to materialistic enjoyment of the senses. But this sense enjoyment blinds them, and therefore their ideas of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa’s devotees, Kṛṣṇa’s service, and love of Kṛṣṇa are but a faulty creation of their lower nature. According to the Bengali historian Dr. S. B. Das Gupta, the Bengali *sahajiyā* movement can be traced back long before the time of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, to the reign of the Buddhist Pala dynasty (c. A.D. 700–1100). At that time a secret cult of the name Sahajayana arose within the Vajrayana (“Diamond Vehicle”) school of Buddhism. Sahajayana Buddhists abandoned ritualism and study of scriptures as useless. They practiced a “*yoga* of sex” in which they took consciousness to be the unity of the male and female principles, sometimes called *upaya* and *prajñā,* or *karuṇa* and *śūnyata.* The Sahajayana Buddhists wrote many songs, known as the Caryapadas, expressing their philosophy in mysterious language. Later, under the Sena kings, Vaiṣṇavism became ascendant in Bengal when the great spiritual master Jayadeva Gosvāmī won royal patronage for it. The Buddhist **sahajiyā*s* then absorbed aspects of Vaiṣṇava philosophy and twisted them. They renamed their *upaya* and *prajñā* principles “Kṛṣṇa” and “Rādhā,” imagining Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa to represent the highest state of bliss attained by men and women on the *sahajiyā* path. In the thirteenth century, with the Islamic occupation of northern India and Bengal, the *sahajiyās* were influenced by the practices and philosophy of the Sufis. The word *sufi* comes from the Arabic word *saf,* meaning “sacred,” and it signifies a mystical Islamic order of mendicants. Their goal is a state of inspiration called *fana,* or oneness in love with Allah. Sufis seek to attain *fana* through song and dance. In the Middle Ages they faced persecution as heretics in Arabic countries, especially because some Sufi preachers announced that they were themselves the very Allah worshiped by all Muslims. But in India the Sufis could flourish, not in the least because their ideas had much in common with Māyāvāda, or impersonalistic, philosophy. The sixteenth century saw the advent of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His movement of *saṅkīrtana,* congregational chanting of the holy names of God. In a typical social blur, the *sahajiyās* who had arisen from the Buddhists and merged with the Sufis now sang and danced on the fringes of the *saṅkīrtana* movement. There they celebrated their mundane sexual mysticism with song and dance. This, of course, was a perversion of the *saṅkīrtana* movement. So Lord Caitanya and His followers rejected the *sahajiyās.* This is evident in *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta,* which tells us how strictly Lord Caitanya followed the rules of celibacy and how sternly He dealt with those devotees who broke them. By the 1700’s, however, the great movement begun by Lord Caitanya appeared to have become corrupted by the caste *gosvāmīs* and the ritualistic *smārta brāhmaṇas* [see the May/June issue of BTG]. This offered a chance for the *sahajiyās* to influence the common people, and various *prākṛta-sahajiyā* sects became popular. In the next century, therefore, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura took pains to distinguish the pure teachings of Lord Caitanya from *prākṛta-sahajiyā* perversions. Following his example, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī strongly opposed those who deviated from Lord Caitanya’s teachings. And Śrīla Prabhupāda kept to this same strong, uncompromising course. As Śrīla Prabhupāda mentions in his commentary on *Caitanya-caritāmṛta,* the *sahajiyās* “indulge in sense gratification in the name of devotional service.” In this way they “throw mud into transcendence.” They churn their materialistic emotions into a state of sentimental ecstasy, and this they take to be spiritual. But the first step in spiritual advancement is to distinguish between spirit and matter. The *sahajiyās* confuse the two. “The name of Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful,” the *sahajiyās* say. “So the spiritual state of a *guru* and disciple at initiation doesn’t matter, because the holy name works by its own power. There’s no need to tell anyone to follow rules—let them chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, smoke, drink, gamble, and have sex. The holy name will cleanse them of sinful reactions.” Genuine spiritual masters reject such notions as offenses to the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. The holy name of the Lord is certainly all-powerful, just as a fire is powerful. But fire can give life, and fire can kill. So too, the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, properly chanted under the guidance of a spiritual master, burns up the devotee’s lingering material attachments. It nourishes his spiritual life. But if the power of the holy name is used as a tool to mix spiritual life with intoxication and illicit sex, the effect is ruinous. Another feature of the *sahajiyā* attitude is its perverse “humility” (really just envy). The *sahajiyā*s consider themselves simple and modest and the strict devotees haughty. For example, *sahajiyā*s think that a devotee who becomes known for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness has fallen into the grip of name and fame. A devotee who refutes atheists and materialists is proud. Congregational singing of the Lord’s holy names is showy. Devotees fussy about giving up illicit sex, smoking, and other harmless enjoyments are fanatical and inwardly attached to these pleasures. *Sahajiyās* look down on devotees who take disciples and train them in scriptural principles. The scriptures, the *sahajiyās* think, oppose true devotion. So the *sahajiyās* either interpret the scriptures in their own way or write new scriptures to prove that sex and intoxication promote rather than obstruct spiritual awareness. In summary, *prākṛta-sahajiyās* are stubborn sense enjoyers. They may have talents for singing, dancing, acting, speaking, joking, and seducing women or men. They may try to pass off these talents as spiritual accomplishments. And they may dress as Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees. But in fact they can’t see the difference between offensive and pure chanting of the holy name. They take worldly service to be devotional service, lust to be love, and illusion to be spirituality. *Gaurāṅga Nāgarīs* The *gaurāṅga nāgarīs* are a type of *sahajiyā* who mix moods of devotion (*rasas*) in a clashing, unpalatable way. This error is technically called *rasābhāsa.* The *gaurāṅga nāgarīs* are prominent in Bengal and Bangladesh. Some of their customs seem praiseworthy. For example, like staunch Vaiṣṇavas they wear *tilaka* and neckbeads, perform good *kīrtana*, and strictly abstain from flesh and fish. But they are counted out of Lord Caitanya’s disciplic line because of a subtle contamination in their idea of who Lord Caitanya is. The *gaurāṅga *nāgarī*s* are devotees of Lord Caitanya, who is also known as Gaurāṅga (“the golden-limbed Lord”). But they impose upon Him Kṛṣṇa’s role as the free enjoyer of the village girls of Vṛndāvana. They style Him as *nagara* (a lusty village youth) and themselves as *nāgarī* (village girls). Yet although it is true that Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself, His mood is never that of Kṛṣṇa, the supreme enjoyer, but always that of Kṛṣṇa’s devotee. In the *Caitanya-caritāmṛta* (*Ādi* 1.5), Lord Gaurāṅga is said to be golden because He is *rādhā-bhāva-dyuti-suvalita,* “adorned with the mood and luster of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī,” Kṛṣṇa’s foremost devotee. Nowhere in any revealed scripture is it said that Lord Caitanya descends with the mood of Kṛṣṇa. Spokesmen for the *gaurāṅga nāgarīs* not only say that Lord Caitanya exhibited Kṛṣṇa’s enjoying mood; they say that Viṣṇupriyā Devī, the Lord’s second wife, was Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and that her close female friends were *gopīs.* But as Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura makes clear in *Śrī Caitanya Bhāgavata,* Viṣṇupriyā Devī is actually a form of the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī. The wives, mothers, and daughters of Lord Caitanya’s associates attended Viṣṇupriyā just as the maidservants of Lakṣmī serve Lakṣmī in the spiritual world. They serve in awe and reverence, not in the informal mood of the *gopīs.* *Śrī Caitanya Bhāgavata* also speaks clearly about Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s extreme gravity in His dealings with women—even with His own wives, what to speak of other women. But the *gaurāṅga nāgarīs* have invented offensive myths about Lord Caitanya’s supposed love affairs. These stories should never be heard. The so-called mood of devotion of the *gaurāṅga nāgarīs* is mere eroticism. Their conception of Lord Gaurāṅga is a creation of their impure minds, and as they meditate upon this wrong conception, they succumb to lust. But, following the *sahajiyā* line, they take that lust to be spiritual ecstasy. *Sakhī Bekhī and Cūḍa Dhārī* *Sakhī* is a term for the confidential girlfriends of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. The word *bekhī* is a corruption of the Sanskrit word *veṣa,* which means “dress.” A sakhī *bekhī* is a man or a woman who dresses like a *gopī* and imagines himself or herself to be enjoyed by Kṛṣṇa. *Sakhī bekhīs* imitate *rāsa-līlā,* Kṛṣṇa’s dance with the **gopīs*,* sometimes by dancing with a person dressed like Kṛṣṇa who wears a *cūḍa,* a crown of peacock feathers. This person is called *cūḍa dhārī.* The philosophy of these two types of *sahajiyā* groups is the same. Practically the only difference is that one group dresses like *gopīs* and the other like Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya taught, “The only controller is Kṛṣṇa; everyone else is His servant.” Each spirit soul is a tiny spark of *parā-prakṛti,* the Lord’s subordinate or female spiritual energy. But this sense of our “being female” has nothing to do with mundane gender. We have temporarily assumed a male or female body as a result of past *karma;* the material covering does not reflect the eternal nature of the soul. From *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (Canto 4, Chapter 28) we learn that souls now in men’s bodies received them as a karmic result of earlier lives when they were women with a lusty attachment to men. And those now in women’s bodies were men too attached to women. The soul as a spiritual spark caught in the cycle of birth and death is genderless. But according to the particular ecstasy a soul enjoys in relation to Kṛṣṇa, the soul’s transcendental gender is revealed. We see this in the spiritual bodies of Kṛṣṇa’s eternal associates. Kṛṣṇa’s devotees who serve Kṛṣṇa with motherly and fatherly affection, for instance, have transcendental bodies accordingly. And the same is true of those who serve Kṛṣṇa in *mādhurya-rasa* (conjugal love). To be placed in *mādhurya-rasa* one must develop the sentiments of a *gopī,* or cowherd damsel, under the guidance of a highly realized Vaiṣṇava. In *Caitanya-caritāmṛta* (*Madhya* 22.156-158), Lord Caitanya clearly tells Sanātana Gosvāmī how an advanced devotee is to use the physical body in Kṛṣṇa’s service. Externally, the devotee should perform regular devotional practices, such as hearing and chanting the holy name. Obeying all the scriptural rules, he or she should strictly avoid sinful life. And it is internally—within the purified, self-realized mind—that the devotee always meditates on serving Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana in a particular *rasa,* or relationship. The *sakhī bekhīs,* however, seem to think they have found an easier way. They dress in *sārīs,* decorate themselves with nose-rings and ornaments, and grow their hair in long braids. They paint their feet red, shave their faces twice a day, sing in falsetto voices, and gesture with women’s mannerisms. And they seem to think that this will please Kṛṣṇa. *Cūḍa dhārīs* similarly think they can attract Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī to their rotting material bodies simply because they dress like Kṛṣṇa. Some *sakhī bekhīs* say they are only following the example of Śrī Gadādhara Dāsa Ṭhākura. This devotee of Lord Caitanya’s (a different person from the well-known Gadādhara Paṇḍita) once walked through town in the mood of a *gopī,* carrying a clay pot of Ganges water on his head, calling out to sell yogurt, and laughing loudly. This, however, was an unusual ecstatic incident in the life of a pure devotee; it was not his regular practice. Imitators say they can see their internal spiritual form by external play-acting. They forget, however, that neither Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu nor any spiritual master in Lord Caitanya’s line ever taught that one can awaken love for Kṛṣṇa through speculative histrionics. Śrīla Prabhupāda once told a story to show how we must follow the method of *bhakti-yoga* to get love for Kṛṣṇa. In the story, a man tried to cook by placing the flame on the floor and hanging the pot near the ceiling. “If you want to cook,” Prabhupāda said, “you have to cook according to the method. You may have a pot and you may have a flame, but if you don’t cook by the method, you’ll never get the food.” The *sakhī bekhīs* and *cūḍa dhārīs* take Kṛṣṇa and the *gopīs* cheaply. Under the influence of impersonalism, they think they can become one with the Lord and the *gopīs* through some imaginative meditation. But the scriptures say that even Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune herself in her eternal form, can’t enter the *rāsa-līlā,* despite ages of austerity. So how can a fool do so by merely dressing up the material body? *Suhotra Swami, an American disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda, has taught Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Europe since the mid-seventies. He was recently appointed ISKCON’s Governing Body Commissioner for Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, and Czechoslovakia.* ## Project Profile HERE’S A Kṛṣṇa conscious project you might like to support or get involved in. We’ll tell you what the goals are, who’s involved, what’s going on, what’s blocking the way, and how you can give a hand. *Project* The Bhaktivedanta Institute. *Centers* Bombay, San Francisco, and San Diego. *Project Leaders* The Institute is led by devotees of Kṛṣṇa who hold degrees in various scientific disciplines. International Director: Bhakti Svarūpa Dāmodara Swami (Ph.D., Physical Organic Chemistry, U.C. Irvine). Assistant Director: Sadāpūta Dāsa (Ph.D., Mathematics, Cornell). International Secretary: Rāsarāja Dāsa (M.S., Electrical Engineering, BITS India). *Goals* To present Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the context of modern science, show that life comes from life, and help persons committed to the scientific world view explore the Vedic knowledge offered in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. *Details* Through its three centers, the Institute addresses issues on which science and Kṛṣṇa consciousness both have something to say. In 1986, in Bombay, the Institute organized the World Conference for the Synthesis of Science and Religion, attended by more than a thousand distinguished thinkers in both fields. The Institute published a book of the proceedings. The Bombay center actively interacts with the intellectual community in Bombay and the rest of India through campus lectures and in-house programs. In 1990, in San Francisco, four hundred scientists and scholars attended the Institute’s First International Conference on the Study of Consciousness Within Science. The proceedings are available on audio and video tapes, and a book on consciousness within science will be published soon. Since then, a discussion group on consciousness and science has been meeting monthly at the University of California at San Francisco. The San Diego center is active in publishing books and producing videos. Its latest book, *Human Evolution: A Conflict Between Fact and Theory,* is in press. *Plans* In London in 1992, the Institute will sponsor a second International Conference on the Study of Consciousness Within Science. The San Diego center is researching and planning for a Vedic planetarium and science museum, to be built in Washington, D.C. Also in the works in San Diego: more videos, and a detailed book about Vedic astronomy. *Obstacles* A shortage of staff and need of more money for research, publishing, and conferences. *How You Can Help* Take part in conducting research, programming computers, writing scripts, producing videos, editing manuscripts, translating papers, or organizing colloquia. The Institute also needs more full-time general workers for support functions. Send tax-deductible donations to any of the Institute’s centers. For further information, please contact: Rājahaṁsa Dāsa, 84 Carl St., San Francisco, CA 94117. Phone: (415) 753-8647. Fax: (415) 765-1503. Sadāpūta Dāsa, P.O. Box 99584, San Diego, CA 92169. Phone: (619) 272-8145. Fax: (619) 581-0344. Rāsarāja Dāsa, Hare Krishna Land, Juhu Rd., Bombay, India 400 049. Phone: 620-6860 or 620-0312. ## Sharing in New Caledonia *Where is it? And what about the horrible stories?* ### By Indradyumna Swami THE LETTER ARRIVED by air mail registered express from New Caledonia. Sitting in the office at our center in Sydney, Australia, I mused over the colorful stamps depicting a beautiful tropical isle. “Where in the world is New Caledonia?” I asked Priyavrata, who looked over my shoulder curiously. “I’m not exactly sure,” he said. “I think it might be part of the Falkland Islands—somewhere near Argentina.” “It’s in the South Pacific!” said Ajita, who had just come in the door. “You never studied geography? It’s a French territory.” Opening the envelope, I wondered who could be writing me from the South Seas. I discovered it was my old friend Mahābhāgavata Dāsa from France. He’d gone to New Caledonia three years ago with his wife and child to open a Hare Kṛṣṇa temple. Somewhat isolated from devotees, he was inviting me to come there for a month or two to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. “There are many opportunities for reaching the French here,” Mahābhāgavata wrote, “and the weather is ideal.” “Notice how he mentioned the French,” said Ajita, “and not the Melanesians. They’re the island folk who’ve lived there for thousands of years. Some of them wanted independence a few years ago. When it came to a vote, the majority preferred to stay a French territory. But there’s still a lot of tension between the French and the local people.” “What do you think, Prabhus?” I asked, “Why don’t we go for a few weeks?” They answered with big grins. One week later six of us flew out of Sydney loaded with books, drums, and cymbals, bound for Noumea, New Caledonia, two thousand kilometers northeast of Sydney in the South Pacific Ocean. That evening, as our Boeing 727 circled over New Caledonia getting ready to land, the red-orange sunset spread a magnificent backdrop behind the vast horizon. The green island stood out like an emerald against the turquoise water. As we landed and the doors opened, a warm tropical breeze greeted us. “I think I’m going to like it here,” joked Priyavrata. After customs and immigration, Mahābhāgavata Dāsa, with his wife, Govinda Mohiṇī Dāsī, and their fourteen-year-old son, Lakṣmī Nārāyaṇa Dāsa, greeted us enthusiastically outside. “Thank you for coming, Prabhus,” said Mahābhāgavata as he placed a fragrant flower garland around the neck of each devotee. In the bus back to the temple, Mahābhāgavata explained their situation on the island. “We’ve been here three years,” he said. “We have a simple center with a vegetarian restaurant. It’s just on the outskirts of the city. We serve around seventy-five people a day. “Europeans?” I asked. “Mostly,” he said. “But once in a while the islanders come too. You know there’s some tension here?” “Yes, I’ve heard,” I replied. “We distribute many books door to door in the European section,” Mahābhāgavata said. I looked up. “And to the Melanesians?” “In the capital, Noumea, there’s no problem. But it’s too dangerous to go to their villages outside the city,” he said. “No outsiders go there.” Our bus stopped abruptly in front of the Hare Kṛṣṇa restaurant. As we sat and took *prasādam,* everyone hungry after the long journey, I noticed Mahābhāgavata speaking quietly to his wife near the kitchen. He seemed to have guessed my mind. She shook her head disapprovingly and walked over to our table. “Mahārāja, excuse me,” she said. “But no one goes to those villages. We’ve heard horrible stories.” “But we’re not going there to take anything,” Ajita said. “They ought to see we’ve come to give them something—Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” “But how will they know it has anything to do with God?” she asked. “Know or not know,” I said, “Kṛṣṇa’s holy name will make the atmosphere auspicious. And *prasādam* will break the ice!” By this time Mahābhāgavata was becoming convinced. He said we should make a plan. “The plan is simple,” I said. “Like anywhere else in the world, we’ll chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and pass out books and *prasādam.* And if there’s any problem, we’ll depend on Kṛṣṇa.” That afternoon and evening everyone got ready for the next day’s expedition. An air of excitement filled the temple as devotees loaded the vans with books and instruments and cooked *prasādam* in the kitchen. “Make the *prasādam* first class,” I asked. “It’s our ultimate weapon.” By late evening everything was packed and ready to go. We went to sleep with great hope. We awoke well before sunrise, and by 7 A.M. we had finished our spiritual practices. The devotees seemed particularly intent on their chanting. They were taking shelter in Kṛṣṇa’s name. Despite our optimism, we knew of the risks. By 9 A.M. we were off. *Kīrtana* filled the van as we drove out of the city. The warm *halavā prasādam* fogged the windows as we entered the jungle and wound our way through the mountains. After two hours we came out of the mountains and into a valley. We could see small villages scattered here and there, smoke curling from the rooftops of the traditional huts some of the Melanesians still live in. Other, more modern houses dotted the roads to the villages. “Which village shall we try?” asked Mahābhāgavata. “Let’s go to that one,” I said, pointing to a village in the center of the valley. “If it’s successful, we can fan out and go to the others.” Coming off the main asphalt road, we drove onto a dirt road and headed toward the village. After thirty minutes we pulled up near a group of houses with no one in sight. “Where is everyone?” Priyavrata asked, a touch of concern in his voice. “Probably in the fields,” said Ajita. “Most likely the women and children are home though.” “Let’s get out and have *kīrtana* through the village,” I said. “And bring the *prasādam.*” We started chanting. Soon the doors of the houses began opening, and the residents came forward with big smiles to greet us. Suddenly we found ourselves surrounded by curious and inquisitive faces. As we started to give out *prasādam,* the procession came to a standstill. Soon people were coming back for seconds and thirds. I winked at Mahābhāgavata. “So much for the horrible stories,” I said. Within an hour we’d passed out all the *halavā.* Chanting from house to house, our fears gone, we drew a following of village children. We felt confident this simple process could bring Kṛṣṇa consciousness to every village on the island of New Caledonia. *Indradyumna Swami joined ISKCON in Detroit in 1971. He accepted* sannyāsa*, the renounced order of life, in 1979. Since then he has spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness in many parts of the world.* ## Remembering Śrīla Prabhupāda *Disciples recall the pastimes of a pure devotee.* IN BOMBAY, every morning for a week or two a life member used to take Śrīla Prabhupāda and a small group of his disciples for a walk on a pleasant open walkway near the sea. One morning, after the stroll, we were sitting in the car about to leave when a woman walked up to us. She held an infant in her arms, and by her side were three other young children. She spoke in Hindi and was obviously begging. Śrīla Prabhupāda passed some coins out the window, giving a few to the woman and each of the children. While we were driving back, I mustered all my courage and asked, “Why do we give Kṛṣṇa’s money to beggars?” I had read in the *Bhagavad-gītā* that giving charity to spiritually unworthy recipients was not transcendental but was under the influence of the modes of material nature. After I asked the question there was a long silence, and I felt that my worst fear was realized: I had offended Śrīla Prabhupāda. I waited and still Śrīla Prabhupāda didn’t reply. So finally I offered, “Is it because the money is *prasādam*?” And Śrīla Prabhupāda at once said, “Yes, it is *kṛṣṇa-prasādam.*” This answer relieved me immeasurably because not only did it eradicate my doubts about Śrīla Prabhupāda’s act, but it also allowed me to rectify my own offensive mentality. However, I never took it that I should give money to beggars, thinking it was *prasādam,* but rather from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s hand those coins were sanctified and would purify anyone who received them. Viśākhā Devī Dāsī Alachua, Florida ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA had just arrived in Paris from Moscow. It was his first visit to the French capital. I was excited because I had never seen my spiritual master. Śrīla Prabhupāda had initiated me by letter. He was more wonderful than I had ever dared to imagine. His soothing saffron robes were dazzling in the late-afternoon sunshine. We fledgling devotees had just opened a new temple in a Paris suburb. We’d done it with sheer enthusiasm and very little money. We were poor, yet madly inspired by Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy. We didn’t even have a car for Śrīla Prabhupāda, so we called a taxi to take him from downtown Paris to the temple. Śrīla Prabhupāda sat in the back seat, his servant Aravinda was next to him, and I snuggled as close as possible to Aravinda. We got caught in a traffic jam in the prestigious Place de la Concord. The noise of the traffic was disturbing yet I ventured a question, reading from the *Gītā* I always carried with me. “Śrīla Prabhupāda, what does this verse mean: ‘What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night for the introspective sage.’ ” I wasn’t sure he’d heard me. “Four o’clock,” he said. “Our devotees wake up at four o’clock.” Aravinda interjected that I was asking about a verse from the *Bhagavad-gītā.* I read the verse again in a louder voice. Śrīla Prabhupāda began to laugh. “Yes,” he said. “This verse means that when the *karmīs* [materialists] see us they are laughing. And when we see them we are laughing. But we know we are right. Therefore, our laugh is best. The materialists think we are wasting our time in spiritual life. We know they are wasting their time in material life. Therefore, our laugh is best.” Hari Vilāsa Dāsa Berkeley, California ## Every Town & Village The worldwide activities of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) *World News* ### United States ISKCON’s first temple opens again in July, at 26 Second Avenue in New York. This is the small storefront where Śrīla Prabhupāda started ISKCON in 1966. It had formerly been a shop and still bore the name “Matchless Gifts.” After three years, ISKCON moved on to larger quarters, but now devotees are opening the original place again. It will serve as a reading room, a memorial to Śrīla Prabhupāda, and a full-time center for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The place next door—a Laundromat in the old days—will become a Hare Kṛṣṇa restaurant. The temple will reopen with a festival on July 11—twenty-five years from the day of ISKCON’s founding. ISKCON has secured a ten-year lease on the property, with an option to buy. There’s a fund-raising campaign to help the project. For details, see page 60. San Francisco celebrates its twenty-fifth annual Rathayātrā festival, the Festival of the Chariots, on August 4. The mayor, Art Agnos, has proclaimed the occasion Rathayātrā Day. *Bhagavad-gītā* on computer disks has been released by the Bhaktivedanta Archives. The computerized *Gītā* includes the Sanskrit transliteration, the full text, and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s complete purports. Included is a versatile program for making searches. (For ordering information, see page 59.) ### Europe Boy George has filled the British air-waves with the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. The popular singer’s record *Bow Down Mister,* his “Krishna anthem,” has been high on the British charts. Though George says he’s still “too materialistic” to live the devotees’ life-style, he’s “totally sympathetic” to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and “quite happy to promote it.” Ultimately, he says, “the song is just meant to make people feel happy.” A 90-room villa serves as ISKCON’s new center near Padua, in northeastern Italy. The devotees purchased the villa, a former monastery between Padua and Vicenza, to replace their old center, a smaller, rented building near a Padua factory. Poland got a taste for big Kṛṣṇa conscious festivals in May, as the Gauranga Bhajan Band toured the country with chanting, spiritual food, and multi-projector slide shows. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust has enhanced its main European production center, in Sweden. The center puts out books in more than twenty-seven languages. It’s now set up to come out with two hundred new titles a year. People in Romania are reading their first Vedic scripture—*Śrī Īśopaniṣad,* published in Romanian by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. ### India Thousands of people feasted on *prasādam,* spiritual food, served by ISKCON at the annual rice-and-yogurt festival in Panihati, West Bengal. The festival, held June 24, celebrates a feast thrown for Lord Caitanya’s devotees 500 years ago. In America, the festival is also held at the end of June in Atlanta, Georgia. The giant Rathayātrā festival takes place in Purī, Orissa, on July 13. ISKCON holds its Rathayātrā festival in Calcutta the same day. *For more detailed news, ISKCON puts out a monthly newspaper, ISKCON World Review.* *To subscribe, see page 58. Any news from your town or village? Please let us know!* *Māyāpur-Vṛndāvana News* Here’s news from the two places most sacred to Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees: Māyāpur (90 miles north of Calcutta) and Vṛndāvana (90 miles south of New Delhi). ### Māyāpur Direct Telephone Service Installed Phone calls can now go in and out of Māyāpur directly. With tens of thousands of pilgrims visiting Māyāpur every year, the Department of Telephones has put in a new exchange, sparing callers from having to go through local operators. New Kitchen Building for Gurukula The *gurukula* school has a new kitchen building. Designed to cook for and seat 300 people, the building is being built in phases. The first phase—the ground floor—should be done by now. The next phase—another floor—will be added next year. The kitchen is being built with donations from Switzerland. Cost-efficient Architect Helping Build New Places to Stay An architectural school dedicated to cost-efficient technology is helping the Māyāpur project build a new guesthouse and a new residence for unmarried men. The work is now in progress. Laurie Baker’s architectural school has worked in South India the last thirty years to promote the use of local materials for cost-efficient building, with a minimum of steel and cement. Eager to spread such techniques to other parts of India, the school has sent to Māyāpur an engineer, a supervisor, and four masons. They’ll stay as long as needed to train ISKCON’s construction team. The new building for men will house 200. It’s Monsoon Time in Māyāpur The rains in Māyāpur are enormous. If you’re planning to visit, bring your own boat. ### Vṛndāvana Swing Festival From August 25 through August 28, Vṛndāvana celebrates its most widely attended festival, Jhūlan Yātrā, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s swing festival. During the festival, small Deities in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s temples enjoy swinging on ornate swings. The temples also sponsor *rāsa-līlā* dramas and dance performances. During this very pleasant time—after the summer has broken and the monsoon rains have passed—the population of Vṛndāvana is said to increase tenfold. *Padayātrā News* Padayātrā India At the start of July the Padayātrā will leave the state of Karnataka and cross into Maharashtra. There the devotees will stop first in the city of Kohlapur, known for its temple of Mahā-Lakṣmī, visited by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Traveling northeast, the devotees will reach Pandharpur, the home of Lord Vithala, the Viṣṇu Deity worshiped by the saint Tukarama. When the devotees arrive, at the end of July, they’ll be just in time for Śayanā Ekādaśī, when the temple of Lord Vithāla celebrates its biggest festival of the year. Thousands of pilgrims attend from all over the state of Maharashtra. Then the Padayātra will walk on to Nasik, on the bank of the Godavari, one of India’s seven sacred rivers. It is at Nasika that Lakṣmaṇa, the younger brother of Lord Śrī Rāmacandra, cut off the nose of the ogress Śūrpaṇakhā, and it is here also that the demon Rāvaṇa kidnapped Lord Rāmacandra’s wife, Sītā. This year the celebration of Kumbha Mela will be taking place at Nasik, and the Padayātrā will enter in time for the holy bathing days at the end of August and beginning of September. About twenty kilometers west of Nasik, the party will also visit Tryambakesvara, the source of the Godavari. From Nasik, the Padayātrā will head northwest into the state of Gujarat. On October 23 through November 21, in a separate party, ISKCON’s pilgrims will walk through the holy land of Vṛndāvana, where Lord Kṛṣṇa performed the transcendental pastimes of His childhood and youth. Earlier this year, the Padayātrā in Navadvīpa, West Bengal, went so well that next March it will become part of ISKCON’s annual Māyāpur-Vṛndāvana festival. Padayātrā Europe Padayātrā started in England at Newcastle on May 1. A spokesman for the party said, “We are walking to share a more simple and spiritual way of life and to show its benefit in our relationships with each other and the environment.” By the end of June the Padayātrā will have passed through Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, and Leicester. Its next big festivals: July 3 in Northampton, July 8 in Luton, July 10 in Watford, and finally July 14 in London. After England: Holland, Belgium, and France. By the third week in September the Padayātrā will take part in ISKCON’s festival of the chariots in Paris. From there it will take the Deity of Lord Jagannātha on a 230-kilometer procession south to New Māyāpur, the Hare Kṛṣṇa farm near Chateauroux. Meanwhile, starting April 1, for six to eight months a Padayātrā will be traveling from Florence to various places in Italy. For more information about Padayātrā, write to: International Padayātrā M-119 Greater Kailash 1, New Delhi 100 048, India Phone: 641-3249 or 641-2058 Padayātrā America 4969 Mills St., Apt. 10, La Mesa, CA 91941 Phone: (619) 461-2594, Fax: (619) 463-0168 Padayātrā Europe Bhaktivedanta Manor, Letchmore Heath, Watford, Hertfordshire WD2 8EP, England Phone: (09) 2385-7244 ## Legal Victories *U.S. Supreme Court Grants ISKCON Appeal, Sends $5-Million Judgment Back to California for Review* The Hare Kṛṣṇa movement won’t have to sell its Los Angeles temple and won’t have to pay $5 million to a California woman and her mother—at least not now, and maybe never. That’s the effect of a decision from the United States Supreme Court. In 1983, a California jury ruled against the Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees in a court case that accused them of having “brainwashed” teenage Robin George and kept her from her family. The penalty: $32.6 million. The Court of Appeal later knocked that down to $2.9 million ($5 million with interest). But to pay that price the movement would have had to sell its Los Angeles headquarters and five other temples. The Supreme Court, however, granted ISKCON’s appeal, set aside the $5-million penalty, and sent the case down again to a lower court. The Supreme Court, in its order, told the lower court to look at the case again in the light of a ruling two weeks earlier on an insurance case, Pacific Mutual v. Haslip. In that ruling, the Supreme Court had decided that punitive damage awards—awards meant not just to compensate but to punish—are allowable under the United States Constitution. But the Court warned that in some cases such awards might transgress constitutional standards. “One must concede,” wrote Justice Blackmun, speaking for the Court on Haslip, “that unlimited jury discretion … in the fixing of punitive damages may invite extreme results that jar one’s constitutional sensibilities.” In a concurring opinion, Justice Kennedy wrote, “A verdict returned by a biased or prejudiced jury no doubt violates due process, and the extreme amount of an award compared to the actual damage inflicted can be some evidence of bias or prejudice in an appropriate case.” Is this such a case? That the Court granted the devotees’ appeal and sent their case back down for review suggests that it very well may be. “This case should have been knocked out of the courts weeks after it was filed,” says Amarendra Dāsa, a devotee attorney. “We want to retry this case from the beginning, without the allegations of brainwashing” that an appellate court later threw out. The Georges still hope to win. “I’d like to live to see some of the money that we deserve—that we’ve earned,” says Marcia George, Robin’s mother. But fate has yet to reveal what it is that the Georges deserve. *Massachusetts Supreme Court Overturns $610,000 Verdict, Throws Out “Heresy Trial”* A few weeks after the Supreme Court decision, fate gave ISKCON a most welcome decision in Massachusetts. There the state’s Supreme Judicial Court ruled that a 1987 judgment hitting ISKCON for $610,000 be thrown out. Like the George case, this was a case in which a mother and daughter (this time Mary and Susan Murphy) sued ISKCON. They claimed that ISKCON had “intentionally inflicted emotional distress” on Susan during her stay at ISKCON’s Boston temple. At trial, the lawyers for the Murphys tried to show that ISKCON had brought the Murphys distress by teaching Susan the doctrines of the Vedic scriptures. The lawyers brought in long, detailed passages from the Vedic scriptures to argue this point. The trial, ISKCON said, was a “heresy trial,” in which the jury had been asked to pass judgment on the Kṛṣṇa conscious scriptural teachings. In a nation committed to religious freedom, ISKCON said, courts can’t put religious doctrines on trial. While ISKCON’s appeal was pending, the state’s Supreme Court, on its own initiative, plucked it from the Appeals Court into their own courtroom. An unusual move. Still more unusual: All seven justices of the Court jointly heard the case. Result: The justices unanimously overturned the lower-court decision. Chief Justice Paul J. Liacos declared that the lower court’s verdict “impermissibly infringed” on ISKCON’s right to freely practice its religion. Inherent in the Murphys’ claims, the Court said, was the notion that ISKCON’s teachings are fundamentally flawed and inconsistent with a proper notion of human development. “While this issue may be the subject of a theological or academic debate,” the Court said, “it has no place in the courts of this Commonwealth.” The Court therefore threw out the bulk of the damage judgment—$560,000 out of $610,000—and threw the rest of it back down to the original court. (There the Murphys, if they want, can try again.) The Court cited a decision from a case ISKCON had won in 1981: “Tolerance of the unorthodox and unpopular is the bellwether of a society’s spiritual strength.… Our republic prides itself on the enormous diversity of religious and political beliefs which have been able to find acceptance and toleration on our shores.” Dr. V.J. Mody, president of the Hindu Alliance, based in Washington, said the decision “sends a clear message to anti-religious elements that they cannot unjustly attack bona fide religions, like the Hare Kṛṣṇa faith, be they mainstream or minority.”