# Back to Godhead Magazine #31 *1997 (06)* Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997 PDF-View *Statement of Purposes* > 1. To help all people discern reality from illusion, spirit from matter, the eternal from the temporary. > 2. To expose the faults of materialism. > 3. To offer guidance in the Vedic techniques of spiritual life. > 4. To preserve and spread the Vedic culture. > 5. To celebrate the chanting of the holy names of God as taught by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. > 6. To help every living being remember and serve Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. ## From the Editor *Who Is This Magazine For?* WHO IS *BACK TO GODHEAD* meant for? Is it a magazine just for Kṛṣṇa devotees? Or for a broader Kṛṣṇa conscious congregation? Or is it for everybody? Or what? As the editor, here’s how I think of it. First, yes, at the core of our audience we find Kṛṣṇa's devotees. Since this is a magazine about Kṛṣṇa, naturally it should inform and enliven Kṛṣṇa's devotees, those who have fully dedicated their lives to following the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And then, surrounding that core, I envision an audience that extends much further, in wider and wider circles. In our next circle outward comes our broader Kṛṣṇa conscious community. Here again I mean people who devote themselves to Kṛṣṇa, perhaps almost fully, perhaps just starting, everyone at his or her own level of spiritual advancement. For this broader congregation, BTG should serve as spiritual food, to keep Kṛṣṇa consciousness alive and growing, as well as tasty. In yet another circle, often overlapping the first two, I think of an audience “born into” the Vedic heritage: those raised in the Hindu community, the Hindu religion, or the Hindu way of life. If you’re born Hindu, the spiritual knowledge and culture of the Vedic sages are your natural inheritance. And BTG will give you a deeper understanding of what you’ve inherited, and how to take advantage of that inheritance to attain the perfection of life. Add here, too, the Hare Kṛṣṇa “second generation”: those born and brought up in the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. For the sons and daughters of Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees, BTG helps clear the way to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Extending outward one more circle, we find a world of spiritual seekers, people sincerely looking for understanding, for enlightenment, for truth. Some may not even have decided that the truth is spiritual; but whatever the truth may be, they’re looking for it. “Who am I?” they ask. “Why am I here? What is my purpose in life?” For such inquiring souls, thirsty for truth, BTG offers the fresh, pure water of the Vedic knowledge, flowing strong and broad like the timeless river Ganges, and says, “Here, drink deep.” Even people already following a spiritual path will find gifts of eternal value in the pages of BACK TO GODHEAD. And at last, extending as far as we can go, we come to people who are spiritually asleep. Bewitched by illusion, oblivious of their eternal nature, they have their backs to what’s real and are busy chasing shadows. For them, BACK TO GODHEAD issues a call: “Wake up! Wake up! Don’t stay in illusion; come to reality. Don’t stay in the darkness; come to the light. Don’t stay in the world of birth and death; taste the nectar of eternal existence.” This is what we hope to achieve through BACK TO GODHEAD. —Jayādvaita Swami ## Letters *Good Reminder* The article by Sāmba Dāsa [May/June] about his near-death experience is remarkable for its description of how he was able to remember Kṛṣṇa and how Kṛṣṇa responded by protecting him completely. It reminds us of the potency of Kṛṣṇa's name and in what a helpless situation we living entities are. I found it especially important for me because I tend to lose precious time in meaningless activities unconnected with Kṛṣṇa and His all-powerful and all-attractive name. Kunal Dāsa Mumbai, India *Dramatic Reading* Please permit me to point out that your magazine is well received and your Letters page commands a lot of interest. As a journalist of thirty-two years’ experience, I know for a fact that the letters page of a periodical is an indicator of how popular the periodical is. Allow me to take this opportunity to congratulate you on the splendid article on Nṛsiṁhadeva, an incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu. That article appeared in your issue of May/June 1996 and was titled “Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva Comes to Māyāpur.” Forgive me for such a belated response. But as the saying goes, better late than never. I was considerably enlightened by that article and actually read it several times before drafting a response. I have always wondered about the complexities of the construction of *mūrtis* [carved forms of the Lord], particularly those depicting Lord Nārāyaṇa and His incarnations. I knew that correct proportions have a lot to do with the actual depiction, but to what extent I was only able to discover after digesting your beautiful article. It was a delicious experience, like tasting honey. I have seen many **mūrti*s* of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and I realize that the *mūrti* or the picture is the actual person. Śrīla Prabhupāda makes this point in his lectures over and over, stressing the absolute nature of the Supreme Being. As such, **mūrti*s* are to be respected and treated with love and devotion. What I learned from the narrative of the construction of the Nṛsiṁhadeva *mūrti* has served to strengthen my belief. I also know that there have to be professional sculptors of *mūrtis* of divine beings, and I hold the view that such persons have to be dedicated, committed, and knowledgeable of the subject. The implications are awesome if an offense is committed in the process, even in error. In the narrative, it is stated that the *guru* advised the *sthāpati* [sculptor] not to make the statue. “Don’t do it,” he cautioned. “Your family will be destroyed!” How the *sthāpati* was finally made to sculpt the statue is told in a style full of suspense. And how the *sthāpati* had to hurriedly send away the finished statue from his studio to its present location in the temple at Māyāpur makes dramatic reading. I was so impressed with the article that I bought a second copy of the magazine and made a present of it to a dear friend of mine, who is a Hindu priest and president of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha. I told him to pay special attention to that article. Please allow me therefore to take the opportunity once again to offer my congratulations to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness for doing a great job worldwide. May I humbly suggest that *Back to Godhead* magazine would do well should it find and publish more stories like the one aforementioned. In this turbulent Age of Kali, such stories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead help to strengthen the faith of devotees. It did in my case. Clinton Collymore, M.P. Minister in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development Government of Guyana South America *Please write us at: BTG, P.O. Box 430, Alachua, FL 32616, USA. Fax: (904) 462-7893. Or BTG, 33 Janki Kutir, Next to State Bank of Hyderabad, Juhu, Mumbai 400 049, India. Phone: (022) 618-1718. Fax: (022) 618-4827. E-mail:* [email protected] ## Calendar Close-up *Gītā Jayanti December10—The anniversary of the day on which Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke the Bhagavad-gītā* The following verses from the *Bhagavad-gītā* (10.8–11) are known as the “nutshell” verses of the *Gītā,* because they contain the essence of Lord Kṛṣṇa's teachings in that great transcendental work. > ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo > mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate > iti matvā bhajante māṁ > budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts. > mac-cittā mad-gata-prāṇā > bodhayantaḥ parasparam > kathayantaś ca māṁ nityaṁ > tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me. > teṣāṁ satata-yuktānaṁ > bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam > dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ > yena mām upayānti te To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me. > teṣām evānukampārtham > aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ > nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho > jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance. ## Activity in Liberation *Action takes on its true purpose for a person with realized knowledge.* ### A lecture given in London on August 24, 1971 ### by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupādaFounder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness > yaḥ svānubhāvam akhila-śruti-sāram ekam > adhyātma-dīpam atititīrṣatāṁ tamo ’naham > saṁsāriṇāṁ karuṇayāha purāṇa-guhyaṁ > taṁ vyāsa-sūnum upayāmi guruṁ munīnām “Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto him [Śuka], the spiritual master of all sages, the son of Vyāsadeva, who, out of his great compassion for those gross materialists who struggle to cross over the darkest regions of material existence, spoke this *Purāṇa,* supplement to the *Vedas,* the cream of Vedic knowledge, after having personally assimilated it by experience.”—*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 1.2.3 THESE ARE THE qualifications of the spiritual master: *svānubhāvam,* “must have assimilated personally,” and *śruti,* “must have heard.” The *Vedas* are called *śruti* because absolute knowledge has to be learned by hearing, not by speculation. Here Sūta Gosvāmī is offering respect to Śukadeva Gosvāmī because Śukadeva Gosvāmī has assimilated the whole Vedic knowledge, or *śruti*-sāra. *Sāra* means “essence.” What is the ultimate goal of knowledge, the essence of knowledge? That is explained in *Bhagavad-gītā: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ.* The real purpose of Vedic knowledge is to search for Kṛṣṇa. Śukadeva Gosvāmī assimilated the Vedic knowledge, and he was searching after Kṛṣṇa. Although a liberated soul, still he was after Kṛṣṇa. To become liberated is not the final stage. Liberation means to understand that one is not the material body. But that much knowledge is not sufficient; one must also act according to that knowledge. When one is cured of a fever, that is nice. But that is called the convalescent stage. In the convalescent stage, if we do not take care nicely the fever may relapse. Convalescence is a marginal stage. We must come either to the healthy state or to the feverish state. So even if we are liberated, if we are not engaged in the activities of liberation then we are considered to be in the marginal stage. And the marginal stage means that we may fall into the material condition. *Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho ’nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ.* *Kṛcchreṇa* means “with great difficulty.” Philosophers try with great difficulty to understand the Absolute Truth by mental speculation. But simply by mental speculation you cannot stay in that understanding. Or, in other words, by theoretical knowledge you cannot escape. Knowledge must be practiced. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we put the candidate into practice. Without practice, knowledge alone is no good. Simply to become foolishly puffed up—thinking, “I am now liberated”—is not liberation. That point is explained elsewhere in the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Ye ’nye ’ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. Vimukta-māninaḥ* refers to those who think they have become liberated, such as the Māyāvāda, or impersonalist, *sannyāsīs.* They address one another as “Nārāyaṇa,” implying that everyone has become Nārāyaṇa, God. The modern increase of incarnations of God means that the Māyāvāda philosophy is prevalent, because in the Māyāvāda philosophy everyone thinks that he is God, Nārāyaṇa. “I have become Nārāyaṇa.” No. You cannot become Nārāyaṇa. You can become Nārāyaṇa’s *dāsa,* the servant of Nārāyaṇa. That is your healthy state. *Activity After Liberation* Liberation means sufficient knowledge to understand that one is not the body. That is called liberation. After liberation there is activity. That the Māyāvādīs do not know. They think that after liberation there is no activity. Some of them use the example that when a water pot is full it makes no more sound. But our philosophy is that when one is liberated one’s actual life begins. What is that actual life? To be engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Therefore in the *Bhagavad-gītā* Lord Kṛṣṇa says, > brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā > na śocati na kāṅkṣati > samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu > mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām “One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.” One must realize, assimilate, how he is Brahman, or spirit. Brahman means the Absolute Truth. We living entities, being part and parcel of the Supreme Brahman, Kṛṣṇa, are certainly Brahman, absolute. There is no doubt about it. But if one stops the activities of Brahman realization, then he falls down. The Brahman activities are those of devotional service. People may think, “These Kṛṣṇa conscious people are also working, they are also eating, they are also sleeping, they are also earning money. We are earning money in this way; they are earning money in another way.” So they may see the similarity of action. To fools, *karma* (fruitive work) and *bhakti* (devotional service) appear the same. But they are not the same. In *bhakti* is the realization that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, whereas on the *karma* platform, the realization is “Everything belongs to me. It is my house, my money, my child, my country, my society, my property.” “My” and “I.” “I am the monarch of all I survey, and I am the proprietor of everything.” This misconception is not there in *bhakti*. In the *bhakti* school everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. We don’t take anything as our own. That is called Vaiṣṇava philosophy. *Seeing God* It is stated here *yaḥ svānubhāvam. Svānubhāvam* means “personally convinced.” *Anubhāvam.* God can be realized at the present stage by *anubhāva,* appreciation. We cannot see God now, but there is no difference between seeing God and appreciating or understanding the nature of God, because God is Absolute. So our business at present is to feel the presence of the Lord in every action. The presence of the Lord—that is wanted. If you continue in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, seeing the presence of the Lord in everything, then someday it will be possible for you to see Kṛṣṇa face to face. Now we are seeing the Deity of Kṛṣṇa, so we are seeing Kṛṣṇa. Here is Kṛṣṇa. But because we are conditioned souls, sometimes we think, “This is not actually Kṛṣṇa; this is a statue of Kṛṣṇa.” But that is not the fact. The fact is that Kṛṣṇa is one. Kṛṣṇa is absolute, *advaya-jñāna.* He is identical to everything, because everything is a manifestation of His energy. Energy is not different from the energetic. *Śakti-śaktimatayor abhedam.* The heat and light of the sun appear different from the sun, but actually they are not, because they exist simultaneously with the sun. Wherever there is sun there is heat and light. Or wherever there is heat and light there is sun. In the morning when you see that there is no more darkness you understand that the sun has risen. *Svānubhāva* means to have no darkness in your heart. When you understand Kṛṣṇa fully within your heart, your actual liberation is attained. *Giving Knowledge* After assimilating the whole Vedic literature, Śukadeva Gosvāmī distributed it. That is another instinct of one who has knowledge. If you really have learned the essence of Vedic knowledge, automatically you’ll be inclined to preach it. *Śravaṇaṁ *kīrtanam*. Śravaṇam* means to hear, to receive the knowledge. And *kīrtanam* means to distribute, to describe the knowledge. *Yaḥ svānubhāvam akhila-śruti-sāram ekam adhyātma-dīpam. Dīpam* means “lamp.” *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is just like a lamp in the darkness to see Kṛṣṇa, or God. And for whom is it meant? *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is not meant for those accustomed to reading nonsense literature. They want to waste their time. They have no engagement. They purchase some book of fiction and read it. But this book—*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*—is different from those books. It is meant for persons desiring to get out of this world of ignorance (*tamo ’naham*). *Gṛham andha-kūpam. Andha* means “blind” or “darkness.” Our materialistic way of life is described as *gṛham andha-kūpam.* Family life is just like a dark well. We are already in darkness, and another darkness is to fall into a dark well. If one falls into a dark well, it is very difficult to get out, because one may cry very loudly and people may not hear. We are in darkness in the universe. The universe is dark because it is covered. The covering is like a coconut shell. Within a coconut shell it is dark, and outside it is light. Similarly, the universe is just like a coconut, and we are within. And as a coconut is half full of water, the universe is also half full of water. On that water Lord Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is lying. And from His navel a lotus stem sprouts. Just imagine that within a coconut there is water and someone is lying there and a stem is coming from his navel. The universe is exactly like that. Outside the universe there is light. Here, within the universe, because it is covered, light is required. Sunlight is required. Moonlight is required. Electricity is required. But in the spiritual world there is no necessity of light—everything there is self-effulgent. *Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya:* “Don’t stay in the darkness. Come to the light.” For those who are actually serious to go out of the darkness and go to the light, *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is the lamp. *Saṁsāriṇām karuṇayā.* Saintly persons are very compassionate to materialistic men, *saṁsāriṇām. Saṁsāra”* means that people are perpetually wandering within this darkness in different forms of life. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, *brahmāṇḍa bhramite:* we are wandering throughout the universe. The modern educational system has no knowledge of this. Modern so-called education teaches, “Our one life is everything. Waste this life by sense gratification, because after death everything is void. Now you have this body, so enjoy your senses.” That is the materialistic way of life. People have no knowledge that there is life after death. But we should prepare ourselves. We should know what kind of body we shall have in the next life. But instead of understanding these things, people are being carried away by the waves of material nature. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura therefore sings, > (miche) māyār bośe, jāccho bhese’, > khāccho hābuḍubu, bhāi > (jīv) kṛṣṇa-dās, e biśwās, > korle to’ ār duḥkho nāi Everyone is suffering. Under the influence of *māyā*, the illusory energy, everyone is being carried away by the “waves”—the three modes of material nature—and everyone is suffering. Sometimes we are drowned, sometimes we come up; sometimes relief, sometimes distress. The only way to get out of this anxiety—to stop perpetually being carried away—is to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, *sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja:* “You are suffering; simply surrender unto Me.” The *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* says the same thing: surrender to Kṛṣṇa. *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* begins, *satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi:* “I offer my respect to the Supreme.” *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya:* “I offer my respectful obeisances to Lord Vāsudeva.” Vāsudeva means Kṛṣṇa. *The Confidential Purāṇa* *Saṁsāriṇāṁ karuṇayāha purāṇa-guhyam.* The *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is also known as the *Bhāgavata *Purāṇa*.* The Māyāvādīs say that the **Purāṇa*s* are stories. No. They are not stories. *Purāṇa* means “to fill, to supplement, to complete.” The **Purāṇa*s* are not outside the Vedic literature. Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, *Purāṇa*—they all belong to the Vedic literature. The *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is called *Mahā-purāṇa,* “the great *Purāṇa*.” Why? *Purāṇa*-guhyam: because it is very confidential. There are three kinds of *purāṇas: sāttvika-purāṇa,* for people in the mode of goodness; *rājasika-purāṇa,* for people in the mode of passion; and *tāmasika-purāṇa,* for people in the mode of ignorance. The aim of each is to take the reader, according to his quality, to the platform of liberation. In the *tāmasika-purāṇas* are recommendations to worship goddess Kālī. In the *rājasika-purāṇas* are recommendations to worship demigods in the heavenly planets, such as Indra and Candra. But in the *sāttvika-purāṇas* only the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is recommended. The *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is called **purāṇa*-guhyam* because in this *purāṇa* you won’t find any recommendation for worshiping any demigod. Simply *satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi—*only the ultimate Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa. *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.* Śukadeva Gosvāmī first of all spoke *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* out of compassion for people suffering material pangs. *Taṁ vyāsa-sūnum upayāmi *guru*ṁ munīnām.* Sūta Gosvāmī says, **guru*ṁ munīnām:* “Śukadeva Gosvāmī is not only my *guru* but the *guru* of great sages and saintly persons.” Even Vyāsadeva, the compiler of the *Vedas,* considered Śukadeva, his son, greater than himself. When Śukadeva Gosvāmī appeared in the assembly where many saintly persons were present at the time of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, all the *munis,* saintly persons, stood up to receive him. Even Vyāsadeva stood up. Therefore Śukadeva is *guruṁ munīnām,* the spiritual master of all saintly persons. [To disciple:] Read the purport. Disciple [reading]: “In this prayer Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī practically summarizes the complete introduction of the **Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*.* The *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is the natural supplementary commentary on the *Vedānta-sūtras.* The *Vedānta-sūtras,* or the *Brahma-sūtras,* were compiled by Vyāsadeva with a view to presenting just the cream of Vedic knowledge.” Prabhupāda: Yes. First of all there was only one *Veda,* the *Atharva-veda.* Then Vyāsadeva divided it by subject into four **Vedas*: Sāma, Yajur, Atharva,* and *Ṛg.* Then he explained the *Vedas* through the *Purāṇas.* Vyāsadeva compiled the *Mahābhārata* for the same purpose—to help people understand the Vedic literature. The *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* says, > śtrī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnāṁ > trayī na śruti-gocarā … > iti bhāratam ākhyānaṁ > kṛpayā muninā kṛtam “Out of compassion, the great sage [Vyāsadeva] … compiled the great historical narration called the *Mahābhārata* for women, laborers, and friends of the twice-born.” Vyāsadeva summarized the Vedic literature by writing the *Vedānta-sūtra.* Still he was not happy, and under the direction of his spiritual master, Nārada, he wrote the commentary on the *Vedānta-sūtra:* *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.* Go on. Disciple: “*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is the natural commentary on this cream. Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī was a thoroughly realized master of the *Vedānta-sūtra,* and consequently he also personally realized the commentary, the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*. And just to show his boundless mercy upon bewildered materialistic men who want to cross completely over nescience, he recited for the first time this confidential knowledge. “There is no point in arguing that a materialistic man can be happy. No materialistic creature, be he the great Brahmā or an insignificant ant, can be happy. Everyone tries to make a permanent plan for happiness, but everyone is baffled by the laws of material nature. Therefore the materialistic world is called the darkest region of God’s creation. Yet the unhappy materialists can get out of it simply by desiring to get out. Unfortunately they are so foolish that they do not want to escape.” Prabhupāda: People do not know that escape is possible. They think this life is all. That is their education. They have no knowledge. Although they are suffering at every step, they are making plans in their own way within the material world. Big organizations like UNESCO and others are trying to stop the suffering. Their attempts are described in the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* as *carvita-carvaṇānām:* “chewing the chewed.” Our present leaders can see that our previous leaders tried to stop suffering but were unsuccessful, but still they want to try in a different way. If you are really anxious to become free from conditional life, you have to take knowledge from spiritual sources. Go on. Disciple: “Therefore they are compared to the camel who relishes thorny twigs because he likes the taste of the twigs mixed with blood. He does not realize that it is his own blood and that his tongue is being cut by the thorns. “Similarly, to the materialist his own blood is as sweet as honey. And although he is always harassed by his own material creations, he does not wish to escape. Such materialists are called *karmīs*. Only a few may feel tired of material engagement and desire to get out of the labyrinth.” Prabhupāda: *Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate.* After many, many births, those who are intelligent will come to realize, “This material engagement is not the solution. I must take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Thank you very much. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. ## Lessons from the Road > Two Energies, Two Choices ### By Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami LORD KṚṢṆA HAS two energies, material and spiritual, but they can be used interchangeably if one knows how. Just as the same electricity can be used to heat or cool a building, so Kṛṣṇa's energies can be used for different purposes according to the living entity’s desire. That doesn’t mean that the living entity can control Kṛṣṇa's energies, only that he can use them. When a conditioned soul wishes to exploit the material nature, he contacts the material energy. When he no longer wishes to dominate or enjoy the material energy and instead uses it in Kṛṣṇa's service, he contacts the spiritual energy. The living entity is called the “marginal potency” of God—he can go either way. The *Bhagavad-gītā* (9.13) states: “Being marginal potency, as soon as the living entity is freed from the control of material nature he is put under the guidance of the spiritual nature.” There are only two choices. In the *Bhāgavatam,* Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks of penance and repentance as our means to begin the switch from material to spiritual. If we regret our association with the material energy, we will no longer feel dependent upon its dualities and we will turn to Kṛṣṇa. Repentance burns away our sins and pushes us toward surrender. Lord Kṛṣṇa states, “The material energy is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.” (Bg. 7.14) Śrīla Prabhupāda adds, “Kṛṣṇa, being the Lord of the illusory energy, can order His insurmountable energy to release the conditioned soul.” Repentance is followed by penance or austerity. We begin our austerity by trying to stop exploiting material resources as if we own them. That means we have to learn tolerance, because the material energy rarely acts for our comfort. Numberless little things in life irritate us. The more attached we are to physical ease, the more troublesome these things become. Therefore, we have to tolerate. Those who tolerate are neither culprits who cause pain to other living entities to ensure their own comfort nor helpless victims living only for relief nor fools trying to enjoy. Our senses become subdued and our hearts purified. Repentance and penance are nothing more than attitude. An episode in the *Bhāgavatam* shows how our attitude determines whether we live in the spiritual or the material energy. When Vidura tried to convince Dhṛtarāṣṭra to return the throne to the Pāṇḍavas, its rightful heirs, Dhṛtarāṣṭra threw Vidura out of the palace, which had been his home. So Vidura decided to go on pilgrimage. Because of his love for Kṛṣṇa, he accepted his new situation as the Lord’s will. Śrīla Prabhupāda states that in this instance the Lord’s material energy acted as the internal, spiritual energy. Although Vidura could see that he had been mistreated, he also saw Kṛṣṇa's blessing. Suddenly he was free of political entanglement and could seek out pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness in a life of renunciation and devotion. When we stop blaming others for the pain they seem to cause us, and understand our role in causing our own *karma*, and when we see our powerlessness against the material energy, we will become more dependent on Kṛṣṇa. Then the material energy will become spiritual in our hands. Instead of dragging us further into material life, our happiness and distress will elevate us in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Rather than causing us pain, our predicaments and perplexities will provide us another chance to meditate on Kṛṣṇa. And that will make us happy. Of course, the atheists consider this mad, irresponsible. You should not tolerate your suffering but strive to overcome it. But is it possible? No matter how hard we work to get ahead in life, we never seem to become happy. That’s because everything we do must be done at the expense of others, who are seeking gratification at our expense. If we manage to climb to the top of the pile, then Providence slaps us—a family member dies, the fortune dwindles, the spouse is unfaithful, we contract a debilitating disease, and in the end we die. To pursue such a blind path is the ultimate in irresponsibility. The *Bhāgavatam* (1.3.34) states: “If the illusory energy subsides and the living entity becomes fully enriched with knowledge by the grace of the Lord, then he becomes at once enlightened with self-realization and thus becomes situated in his own glory.” We are the marginal potency of God. We can go either way. We can respond to whatever life deals us by glorifying God, or we can make that other choice. *Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami travels extensively to speak and write about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He is the author of many books, including a six-volume biography of Śrīla Prabhupāda.* ## Lord Kṛṣṇa's Cuisine *Cooking Class: Lesson 32 Sandeśa: King of Bengali Sweets* ### By Yamuna Devi IN 1971, MY SECOND YEAR living in India, I chanced upon a small tan paperback entitled *Bengal Sweets.* The author, Mrs. J. Haldar, dedicates her work to “the womanhood of Bengal, whose sweet beauty, sweet charm, sweet devotion, sweet grace, sweet manners, sweet temper, and sweet voice, often secreted behind the veil, are prominently revealed in the delicate aroma, the exquisite flavor, and the fascinating appearance of BENGAL SWEETS.” Though written in old Indian English and a flowery 1940s kitchen style, the book is still one of the best references on techniques for making Bengali sweets. If you love sweets and you visit India, this book is worth ferreting out. *Sandeśa,* often called “the king of Bengali sweets,” is the next topic in this cooking series. In an effort to describe *sandeśa,* some writers call it India’s counterpart to cheesecake. But it is not. It stands on its own as an elegant and simple-to-make cheese fudge. *The Elements of Sandeśa* Plain *sandeśa* is made from only two ingredients: sugar and soft unripe *chenna* cheese (milk curd). The texture of *sandeśa* depends on several factors: the amount of whey left in the fresh cheese, the cheese consistency when brayed, the type of sugar used and whether in dry granular form or made into a syrup, the cooking time, the type of pan, and the type of heat. *Sandeśa* broadly falls into two categories: fudgelike *kara-pāk,* and soft, melt-in-your-mouth *naram-pāk.* The variety and quality of the two raw elements—*chenna* cheese and sugar—determine the finished attributes of plain **sandeśa*.* While good cheese does not ensure good **sandeśa*,* it greatly affects the outcome. Tasteless refined white sugar is widely used in India today, but people in earlier times made *sandeśa* with unrefined cane or date-palm sugar, sweeteners that lend both flavor and color. Besides plain *sandeśa,* many other varieties are widely popular, including those flavored with saffron, powdered coconut, crushed cardamom seeds, or silky-smooth wet pastes of dates, mangoes, almonds, cashews, or pistachios. Like fine Swiss chocolates, some varieties are shaped in intricate molds that imprint designs on their surface, or they may be layered, or combined with a milk fudge called *khoa.* *Śrīla Prabhupāda and Sandeśa* Though *gulābjāmuns* (also called Sweet Balls or ISKCON Bullets) were ISKCON’s most popular sweet in the late 1960s, Śrīla Prabhupāda also taught us how to make *sandeśa.* My first lesson took place one October morning in 1969 in the kitchen of Prabhupāda's small apartment at John Lennon’s Tittenhurst estate. Without giving much instruction, Prabhupāda made plain, soft *sandeśa.* When he finished his batch, he asked me to do the same in front of him. I had trouble braying the cheese to the right consistency, and I cooked it over a flame that was too high, but the effort seemed to please him. For as long as the *sandeśa* batches stayed fresh, he asked that two small pieces—one of his and one of mine—be served with his breakfast daily. He often remarked how tasty they were. Years later, while residing near Delhi’s Bengali Market, Śrīla Prabhupāda recalled how in his childhood first-class *sandeśa* was available in the marketplace for five *annas* a kilo (sixteen *annas* made one rupee). In 1973, marketplace *sandeśa* was thirty-five rupees a kilo, and Śrīla Prabhupāda considered it barely edible. Fortunately, Prabhupāda's cooks learned the art of making fine *sandeśa*, so he was able to have *sandeśa* cooked by devotees. ### Class Homework If you are following these classes, prepare at least three or four types of *sandeśa* from the class textbook, *Lord Krishna’s Cuisine.* While working, keep your senses focused on pleasing the Lord, and enjoy what you are doing. Newcomers can try the recipe at left. *Yamuna Devi is the author of the award-winning cookbooks* Lord Krishna’s Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking *and* Yamuna’s Table. *She is a regular contributor to* The Washington Post *and* Vegetarian Times. *Date Sandeśa* (Makes about 12 ounces) Medjhool, a premier date grown in small quantities, is an excellent choice for fresh date *sandeśa.* No matter what your choice, choose plump, shiny dates. Fresh dates are best, though you can also use plump dried ones. > fresh chenna cheese (milk curd) made from ½ gallon of milk > 12 to 15 plump dates, pitted and cut into quarters 1. Place the dates in a food processor, cover, and pulse briefly; then process until semi-smooth. Unwrap the drained cheese, break it into pieces, and add it to the processor. Process until the cheese and dates are without graininess. 2. Transfer the mixture to a heavy-bottomed pan and cook it over the lowest possible heat. Stirring constantly, cook for 10–15 minutes or until the surface of the cheese becomes slightly glossy and the texture slightly thick. (The *sandeśa* will continue to firm up as it cools.) 3. Scrape the *sandeśa* onto a buttered tray, and with clean oiled hands roll the *sandeśa* into 1-inch balls. Store them in single layers, separated by parchment or waxed paper. Refrigerate the *sandeśa* in a well-sealed container until ready to offer to the Lord. (Keeps up to 3 days.) ## Book Distribution *A Wonderful Service* ### Compiled by Navīna Nīrada Dāsa HERE ARE SOME experiences and realizations of devotees who give people Kṛṣṇa consciousness by giving them books by Śrīla Prabhupāda and his followers. *Staying Humble* Distributing Kṛṣṇa conscious books is a wonderful service because it puts you in situations where you allow Kṛṣṇa to purify you. One day I went to a busy shopping area to distribute books. When I showed the books to a girl, she looked at me and started to cry. “I already have two books from you people,” she said. “I read the books, and because they’re so wonderful, I can understand that you are a wonderful person. You are actually a saint. You are sacrificing everything just to give us the chance to become purified.” Enjoying her praise, I thought, “Yes, Kṛṣṇa is the well-wisher of everyone, and since I’m His representative, I’m also everyone’s well-wisher.” In this frame of mind, I continued trying to distribute books. When the next five or six people showed no interest, I thought, “They’re in ignorance. They can’t see me as the messiah of this place.” Then I met a man who took the books in his hands and said, “These books are from Swami Prabhupāda, aren’t they?” I said, “Yes, you know them?” “Yes,” he said. “I like these books because they describe the good qualities of saintly persons.” I thought, “Here we go again—all my good qualities.” But then he gave me back the books and angrily said, “These books are wonderful, but I don’t think you have the good qualities they describe.” And he walked away. I thought, “Anyway, he’s not as intelligent as that girl. She really understood.” I couldn’t interest anyone in the books for a while after that, but I still thought, “It’s their ignorance. It’s not because of me.” Then I approached a man who screamed, “You’re my worst nightmare!” Shaking, I went to the van to read about the good qualities I was supposed to have. Ekacakra-grāma Dāsa, Belgium *The Proof Is in the Taste* In Galway, in western Ireland, I presented a book to a girl who seemed interested. But after I talked for a couple of minutes she said, “I’m not really convinced. Why should I take this book?” I said, “Well, this book is just like a cake. I may say, ‘This is a nice cake,’ and you may say, ‘No, I don’t think so.’ But how will you know unless you taste it? So unless you take the book and read it, you’ll never know how good it is.” She replied, “You don’t know how relevant that is. I work in a bakery. Every day people come in and ask, ‘Is this one nice? Is this one nice?’ And it drives me crazy.” Then she asked, “How much is the book? I’ll take it.” Bhakta Mick, Ireland *A Cool Day in Finland* It was winter in Scandinavia, the temperature around minus ten degrees Celsius. I was walking on an outside shopping street when I saw an old woman. She walked with crutches and was shaking. I showed her the books, and she was getting quite interested, when behind me I heard a loud crash. The sound was so loud and it startled the old woman so much I thought she might die. I turned around to see that a huge mass of snow and ice had fallen from the eighth floor of a building onto the sidewalk and the cars parked there, crushing them. Anyone who would have been under that ice would have died. Just before I had stopped her, the old woman had been about to walk there. Realizing she could have died, she eagerly bought some books. Tattva-vāda Dāsa, Finland *Śrīla Prabhupāda's Books Save Lives* Viditri Dāsa, from Belgrade, was distributing books door to door. He rang at one door repeatedly, and no one answered. But because he heard sounds inside, he kept trying. Finally, a woman opened the door, but she was not happy to see him. “Who are you?” she asked. “What do you want from me?” Viditri replied, “Good afternoon, I have some nice magazines for you. What are you doing, by the way?” She said, “Why are you disturbing me? I was going to commit suicide.” He looked inside and saw a chair in the middle of the room and a rope with a noose hanging from the ceiling. “Life is not as bad as you think,” Viditri said. “You just need some spiritual guidance.” They talked for some time, and at the end she bought a magazine and said, “Ok, I promise you, I won’t commit suicide.” Bhakti Graṇṭha Dāsa, Yugoslavia *Navīna Nīrada Dāsa, a disciple of Harikeśa Swami, has been one of ISKCON’s leading book distributors for many years. He is based at the ISKCON temple in Zurich.* ## India’s Heritage *Good Names* ### By Ravi Gupta WHEN MY FATHER showed me my genealogy table and I read over the names of my great-grandfathers and -grandmothers, I noticed a trend: they were all names of Lord Kṛṣṇa, His expansions, and His associates. On my father’s side, my grandparents were Giridhari Lal (Kṛṣṇa, lifter of Govardhana Hill) and Ramavathi (Sītā Devī, consort of Lord Rama). My great-grandparents were Chayil Bihari (Kṛṣṇa, the topmost trickster) and Rama Katori (Lord Rāma’s bowl). On my mother’s side, they were Rama Prasad (the mercy of Lord Rāma) and Prema Kumari (love of God), and Narayana Das (servant of Kṛṣṇa's expansion Nārāyaṇa) and Yashoda Kumari (Yaśodā, Kṛṣṇa's mother). But as the list progressed, the names became those of qualities: Sudhir (sober), Vivek (knowledge), Sulekha (good writing), Praveen (capable), Asha (hope), Rekha (a line, limit), and so on. Finally, when it came to my generation many of the names reflected a clear Western influence: Dolly, Sweetie, Pinky, Jhilmil (glitter), and so on. The Vedic tradition of giving one’s children names of Kṛṣṇa is ancient, and in a great many cases it continues to the present, despite the materialistic influence. Perhaps the most famous example of naming one’s child after Lord Kṛṣṇa is found in the story of Ajāmila, related in the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.* Ajāmila was at first a gentle and pious *brāhmaṇa.* But because of bad association he fell from his spiritual practices and began living with a prostitute. He spent his days gambling, drinking, and cheating. He had many children, the youngest of whom he named Nārāyaṇa. Ajāmila loved Nārāyaṇa dearly. When the inevitable arrived and Ajāmila lay on his death bed, he was overcome with fear. Because of his sinful deeds, the ghastly-looking Yamadūtas (servants of Yama, the Lord of death) came to take Ajāmila to hell. In great anxiety and desperation, Ajāmila called out the name of his dearest son, Nārāyaṇa. As soon as Ajāmila called the name of Nārāyaṇa, the Viṣṇudūtas (servants of Viṣṇu) appeared. They ordered the Yamadūtas to stop. “At the time of death,” they said, “this Ajāmila helplessly and very loudly chanted the holy name of the Lord, Nārāyaṇa. One who chants the holy name of the Lord is immediately freed from the reactions of unlimited sins even if he chants indirectly [to indicate something else], jokingly, for musical entertainment, or even neglectfully. … Previously, while eating and at other times, Ajāmila would call his son, saying, ‘My dear Nārāyaṇa, please come here.’ Simply by chanting the name of Nārāyaṇa in this way, he sufficiently atoned for the sinful reactions of millions of lives.” So if our family members are named after Lord Kṛṣṇa, we will receive great spiritual benefit just by calling those names throughout the day. Furthermore, such names may help us remember the Lord at death, when it is most difficult to remember Him. Spiritual names also make it easier for us to remember that we are all related in the service of Kṛṣṇa, and that our true position is not as enjoyers but as His servants. For this reason, when the spiritual master gives a disciple a new name upon initiation, he adds the suffix *dāsa* or *dās,* meaning “servant.” This signifies a new birth for the disciple as a servant of Kṛṣṇa. What is in a name? Not much for names like Dolly, Sweetie, and Pinky. At the end of our lives, material names will be snatched away like everything else. But in the holy name of Kṛṣṇa lies an unlimited wealth of eternal spiritual benefit. Such should be the names we want in our heritage. *Ravi Gupta, age fifteen, lives at the Hare Kṛṣṇa center in Boise, Idaho, USA. The center is run by his parents. Ravi, who was schooled at home, is a third-year student at Boise State University.* ## Schooling Kṛṣṇa's Children *Nourishment for Parents and Teachers* ### By Ūrmilā Devī Dāsī ONCE, SOME WEEKS went by when Śrīla Prabhupāda was not writing as much as usual. When a disciple asked him if something was wrong, Prabhupāda replied that every endeavor has periods of activity and relaxation. We parents and teachers who guide and care for children in Kṛṣṇa consciousness must consider our need to relax, recharge, and get spiritual nourishment. Otherwise, we’ll become exhausted. All who work regularly with children need various types of recharging. Our body and mind need regular rest, meals, and quiet. Parents often say they can’t get proper rest and rejuvenation, especially when caring for very young children. Vedic society solves this problem with the extended family; aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmothers, and a network of relatives help one another. In modern society we may have to get help from a network of friends. Another need is our spiritual nourishment. Children learn more through experience than concepts. So they’ll know more about spirituality from what we are than from what we say. To show saintly qualities, we must regularly immerse ourselves in a concentrated bath of serving Kṛṣṇa through hearing about Him, chanting His names, and so on. Śrīla Prabhupāda gave us a morning schedule of such worship. During that time, we parents and teachers should daily examine whether we are begging Kṛṣṇa for mercy and guidance or simply mechanically going through the motions. Involving our children in our morning spiritual practice will help us gain the sustenance we need. When children are very young, of course, they need some simple diversions so that we may focus on our worship. But within a short time, children included in daily morning devotions respect parents’ or teachers’ personal time with Kṛṣṇa. On the other hand, when we leave children sleeping so that we can have our own devotions, not only do the children lose out on the benefit of attending, but gradually we will be tempted to stay sleeping as well. Besides our basic morning program, we need to faithfully set aside time for study, prayer, and service. Our family once had a designated time to read about Kṛṣṇa for half an hour each evening. Over a few months, I found myself finishing many books I’d only been able to gaze at with longing. Even a young child can look at pictures of Kṛṣṇa during such a time. Finally, we need the association of other devotees of Kṛṣṇa. We have the general society and companionship of other devotees, of course, but certain types of association particularly help those committed to caring for children. One type of association we need are “fans”—devotees who cheer us on and enliven us. They may not know the details of toilet training or helping children memorize the *Bhagavad-gītā* verses, but they care enough to value our service. They’re enthusiastic, they give unconditional support, and they’ll step in and cheer us on in difficult times. We also need friends close enough to be honest with us about our faults. They too may not be familiar with our work, but they can see if we’re disturbed rather than peaceful. Receiving correction is difficult, but without having devotees who care about us enough to give needed advice, we may suffer by going far down the wrong path. We also need devotees with whom we can “talk shop,” those who do what we do. For example, in many places ISKCON has formal seminars where principals, *gurukula* teachers, home-schooling parents, and Sunday school teachers can come together for support, encouragement, and problem solving. Some devotee communities have parent support groups with scheduled meetings. Having parents or co-workers we can talk to regularly is best. We need to know how others in our position handle the pressures that come with guiding children. Those of us who serve the Lord by caring for devotees in young bodies must live in a way that helps us do our best job. *Ūrmilā Devī Dāsī and her family run a school for boys and girls in North Carolina. She is the major author and compiler of* Vaikuṇṭha Children, *a guide to Kṛṣṇa conscious education for children.* ## Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out *“No one—Not Even Darwin—Can Be Independent”* *Here we continue an exchange that took place in Perth, Australia, on May 9, 1975, between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and Carol Cameron, then a doctoral candidate in anthropology.* Carol: Your Divine Grace, is the intellect helpful in knowing God? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Unless you have got the necessary intellect, then you are no better than the animals. The animals have no intellect for understanding God, but the human being has got that intellect. That is the distinction between animals and human beings. Otherwise, as for material necessities such as eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, both the human beings and the animals sleep, enjoy sex, become fearful, and arrange for defense. So, as for access to the material necessities of life, that is equal in the animal and the human being. But the human being has a special intellect, more developed than the animal’s. He can understand what he is, what God is, what this cosmic manifestation is, and what the aim of life is—how we should conduct our lives. This is the prerogative for the human being. The animals have no such prerogative. Now, if we do not utilize these special intellectual facilities, then we remain animals; we do not make any spiritual advancement. At the present moment, we are simply trying to improve our access to the material necessities of life—eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. We are thinking, “The dog is eating on the floor. If we can eat on a table, using chairs and nice dishes, that is advancement of civilization.” We are thinking like that. The dog is sleeping outdoors, but if we sleep in a very nice apartment, lavishly decorated, that is advancement of civilization. The dog is having sexual intercourse on the street, without shame—and we are also coming to that point—but for the time being, if we have sexual intercourse in an apartment, in the name of love and so on, that is advancement. The dog is defending with his jaws and nails, and we are defending with nuclear bombs; therefore, we are advanced. But we have forgotten that the human being has got this special intellect to understand God. That understanding we are not pursuing. For example, you are going to be a doctor in anthropology. Is it not? Carol: Yes. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Where is the sense of God there? Carol: I do it only for a living. The other side of me is something else. Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, I mean to say that anthropology is a big scientific department. Where is the understanding of God there? Carol: Right. I find it difficult to reconcile the love of God with actually doing something like this study of anthropology. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Then why are you wasting your time speculating on anthropology? Carol: Hmm. Śrīla Prabhupāda: If you cannot adjust yourself to this anthropology business, why are you wasting your time? Anthropology is a false science. There is no meaning. Carol: I’m waiting to be led into something which is good. Śrīla Prabhupāda: The whole Darwinian theory is false. It has no sound basis. Darwin himself admits that it is just a theory. Theory is not science. I can propose some theory—“It is like that.” But that is not science. Science means observation plus experimental proof. That is science. You observe how the rules are working, and when you practically bring them to bear in your experiment, then it is science. If you simply theorize, that is not science. It is mental speculation. There is no benefit. You can speculate, constructing a castle in the air. That is not a very good thing. You should present something which will benefit the people, something practical. That is science. Carol: Do you think it is possible for people to live in, say, an educational framework? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Education—if it is not for the benefit of the people, then what is the use of such education? That is not a good education. Education means something which will benefit the mass of people. That is education. To enlighten them to do something better—that is education. Now, this whole Darwinian theory is false. But people are giving it so much stress. First of all, no one—not even Darwin—can be independent. For instance, Darwin died. So he was under the control of something higher. No man wants to die, but he is forced to die. Is it not? Then where is his independence? Carol: That is the illusion. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. So if you simply live in illusion, then where is your education? If you remain in darkness, then where is your education? Illusion means darkness. So if you are in darkness, now, where is your education? And where is your philosophy? Carol: The only way to remove this darkness is through love. Is this what you are saying? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Love is far away. First of all, you become educated. Carol: How? In what way? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Education means right knowledge. Right knowledge. For instance, everyone wants to live. Nobody wants to die. So the inquiry should be, “I do not wish to die. Why is death forced upon me? What is that force—what is the nature of that force?” On the other hand, if I simply resign myself—“Yes, some kind of force is there”—then where is my knowledge? Again, I do not wish to die. So education means finding out, “Why is death forced upon me?” Nobody wants miserable conditions of life, but miserable conditions are forced upon me. So first of all, I should inquire, “I do not want these things. *Who is forcing these things upon me?”* This is life’s first philosophical inquiry. Carol: I tend to approach from the other side and ask, “Who am I?” and “What is this thing that I call myself?” Śrīla Prabhupāda: But first, everyone has this basic problem: “I don’t want these miserable conditions, but they are forced upon me.” For instance, you are now a young girl. You do not like the idea of becoming an old woman. But you will have to become an old woman. Carol: Oh, yes. Hmm. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Nature will force you. After forty years of age, you must become old, and you cannot remain so beautiful. This is forced. No one wants this. No woman wants, “I shall not look so beautiful, and my flesh shall be flabby, with no more luster.” *I don’t want all these things. Why are they forced?* Carol: Suffering and pain lead people to God, don’t they? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the law. But we are so dull-headed that we do not inquire. That is my statement—that you should inquire, “Who has made this law? Who is forcing these things upon me?” After you make this inquiry, then you can inquire about God’s actual identity and your actual identity. But first of all you must be aware of your situation—that these miserable conditions are being forced upon you. For instance, a dog cannot understand that he’s on a chain. He’s leading a life most dependent, most miserable. And yet he is jolly. He is jumping here and there. That is a dog’s life. If the master wants to kill him, the dog cannot do anything. But he is very jolly. Sometimes he even jumps. That is a dog’s life, not human life. Human life means realizing, “I am dependent at every step, and still I am declaring myself independent. *What is this nonsense?*” This inquiry should be there. “I am dependent at every step, exactly like the cats and dogs, but still I am claiming, ‘I am independent.’ Why?” Carol: Your Divine Grace, is it possible to carry out this inquiry while engaged in ordinary daily activities? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, certainly. You can become spiritually realized in any walk of life, regardless of your daily activities. The thing is, this is the real inquiry: “Why am I put into these conditions which I do not like? Who is forcing them upon me? Wherefrom has my life begun? What is the ultimate goal of my life?” These things should be asked. That is the proper inquiry of the human being. Without getting answers to these questions, we cannot solve the very real problems of birth, death, old age, and disease. Instead, like Darwin, we are forced to theorize something utopian. What is the use of such so-called knowledge? ## Bangalore's New Beacon of Vedic Culture *ISKCON’s new temple in South India blends modern and traditional architecture, hinting at ISKCON’s aim of teaching eternal Vedic truths in the modern age.* *On May 31 this year, the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement opened a magnificent new temple in the South Indian city of Bangalore. The guest speaker for the opening ceremonies was Dr. Shanker Dayal Sharma, then President of India. Here is an interview with Madhu Paṇḍita Dāsa, president and project director for ISKCON Bangalore.* BTG: What inspired the Bangalore project? Madhu Paṇḍita Dāsa: We wanted to build a center from which to teach Vedic knowledge in a practical and rational way for the benefit of as many people as possible. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has wonderful things to offer everyone. Śrīla Prabhupāda, ISKCON’s founder-*ācārya,* has taught how Lord Kṛṣṇa's instructions can be applied to any situation in life. If we follow Kṛṣṇa's instructions, we’ll find the best within ourselves and achieve happiness. The new temple is meant to promote understanding of those instructions. To help society attain happiness, today’s world promotes knowledge in various fields. But all that knowledge pertains to the temporary material sphere only. It cannot provide the real, eternal happiness we are seeking. No amount of material progress will provide eternal happiness. Because we are primarily spiritual, we must pay attention to developing our spiritual identity. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement—and, in particular, this temple—is performing the service of developing the spiritual aspect of the society. BTG: What makes this temple different from other temples? MPD: This temple—and all ISKCON temples—provides much more for the soul than rituals. Spirituality today has come to the level of blind rituals and sentiment, and most temples aren’t doing much to go beyond that. But ISKCON temples are centers of spiritual learning through godly association, centers where a visitor can learn the science of spiritual life. BTG: India is full of people struggling for the basic necessities. How will the people of India benefit from this complex? MPD: Socially, greed in one section of society causes poverty in another. The mood of exploitation forces human beings to forget one another’s spiritual equality before God. But through spiritual knowledge we can find our common father, the Supreme Lord, and realize our brotherhood. Only in this way can there be peace, harmony, and social equality in our nation and among all nations. And that spiritual knowledge is what the temple is meant to teach. Whether materially rich or poor, man is essentially spiritual. Wealth and poverty come by our past acts. Bound by the laws of *karma*, today’s rich man may be a pauper in his next life. And the poverty or wealth of a society comes from the collective *karma* of its individuals. As long as we are ignorant of the purpose of human life and serve only the body, we will stay bound by the laws of *karma*, which toss us about like the waves of the ocean. Rich or poor, everyone needs the knowledge that can prevent that bondage. So our temple is open to everyone, irrespective of class, caste, sex, nationality, or even religion. The temple is needed to balance the material and spiritual needs of man. India’s real asset is spiritual knowledge, but today many Indians have forgotten that. What remains of Vedic knowledge in society is hardly more than some cultural residue. Many Indians do not know the progressive values of human life, the basis of Vedic culture. People have not learned Vedic knowledge in a rational way. But Śrīla Prabhupāda taught Vedic philosophy rationally through his writings, which anyone can easily understand. The neglect of India’s spiritual heritage is driving Indian society to chaos and confusion. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement strives to teach the importance of that heritage. So that is our task: spiritual education. And this temple project is an important instrument to fulfill it. BTG: Don’t most people in India already have some knowledge of *Bhagavad-gītā* and spiritual life? MPD: Culturally, Indians are better situated to understand this knowledge, if willing. To be born in Bhārata-varṣa [India] is considered most auspicious. It provides the greatest opportunity for spiritual advancement. But in today’s spiritually degraded world even Indians have opted to neglect their spiritual culture and follow the materialistic Western civilization. Instead of giving spiritual inspiration to the world, Indians have given up the responsibility to learn, practice, and promote the transcendental message of the Vedic scriptures. Unfortunately even the leaders of the country know little of India’s unlimited spiritual heritage and make no attempt to follow or promote it. When Śrīla Prabhupāda was asked why it was easier to spread Vedic culture in the West than in India, he said that to wake someone who is sleeping is easy, but not someone pretending to be asleep. Westerners accepted their ignorance about spiritual matters and were eager students. Generally an Indian prefers to appear familiar with the *Bhagavad-gītā* and other Vedic scriptures, although he knows them only by name and is disinclined to study them. ISKCON is trying to inspire Indians to see their spiritual aspect as an important part of life and eventually become the guiding force of the world. We hope that eventually a new generation will become knowledgeable leaders and will rejuvenate and inculcate these values in the Indian society and all over the world. If we who are born in India learn to appreciate and practice the values of Vedic science and culture, the whole world will follow. Śrīla Prabhupāda taught the Vedic knowledge to people all around the world; he is truly India’s cultural ambassador to the world. Indians should take up the spiritual leadership of the world. We are not interested in cheap religious conversion. We are interested in making the world spiritually aware. BTG: Turning to the architectural side of the project, as an architect and the project director could you tell us how the design emerged? MPD: For the first two years after we got the land, we could not find a professional architect who understood what we really needed. That forced us to venture into it ourselves. Gradually over the past six years, through study, trial, and higher inspiration we developed the design. We never conceived it right at the start in its details as it stands today. It evolved by the grace of the Lord. I am fully convinced that Lord Kṛṣṇa, in the heart of all those involved in the project, was the guiding force in developing the design. Truly He is the architect. I experienced this more directly when wonderful design solutions arose at various critical turning points. In the beginning, once we had decided to deal with the design ourselves, there was a time when concepts were rather unclear. Then Jagat Candra Dāsa proposed the glass tower, and that set the design rolling in the direction of synthesizing traditional and modern elements. Gradually, I was able to develop the design, using aspects of traditional South Indian architecture. Śrīmatī Bhaktilatā, my good wife, helped with conceptualizing the overall aesthetics and the interiors. It was a great experience for me to develop the functional design of the complex. I hadn’t imagined that my civil engineering education could be such an asset to me in my service to the Lord. BTG: Apart from the five temple shrines themselves, what are some of the features the temple building includes? MPD: The complex also houses shops, offices, a library, a lecture hall, a 350-seat multimedia theater, a 1,000-seat multi-purpose hall with equal dining capacity, ten smaller computer-aided theaters, a *prasādam* hall for pilgrims, and a lobby where visitors can learn from devotees about Kṛṣṇa and *Sanātana-dharma*. There are also eight seminar rooms for about forty people each. We plan to hold special seminars for groups such as executives, politicians, the elderly, school children, and congregation members from outside Bangalore. A 70-room guesthouse under construction will be available for visitors and life members. A separate building will house 150 *brahmacārīs,* celibate young men. BTG: Did you receive foreign funds to build the temple? MPD: No. The people of Karnataka, especially from Bangalore, paid for the temple. We did not receive foreign funds. Śrīla Prabhupāda organized ISKCON in such a way that each center is financially autonomous. We have enrolled people as members of our Life Patronship program. Today we have 22,000 life patrons registered in ISKCON Bangalore. Apart from that, many people sponsored specific items in the building. ISKCON Bangalore houses about sixty serious full-time life-dedicated devotees. Many of these devotees are highly educated and have joined the movement inspired by the lofty instructions of the Vedic scriptures. They feel a sense of mission to do something constructive and spiritually uplifting for society. By their efforts, thousands of people were inspired to contribute for this great cause. BTG: How has taking part in the project benefited the donors and life members who contributed toward it? MPD: All our donors and life members are very fortunate to have helped the project, because they have done direct service to the Lord’s mission. The opportunity to engage in the service of the Supreme Lord is rare and valuable. Service rendered to the Lord is the highest pious activity. Even the smallest service becomes an eternal asset and can save one from unlimited misfortune. The greatest welfare activity is to provide society with spiritual knowledge. Our donors and life patrons have contributed for this cause and can take pride in being involved in it. It will surely be a matter of great satisfaction for them to see the fruits of their charity being distributed to everyone, irrespective of caste, creed, or color. By serving Śrīla Prabhupāda they must have greatly pleased him. And when a pure devotee of the Lord is pleased, the soul is immensely benefited. We are grateful to all who helped in this endeavor to serve humanity. BTG: How will you run such a big complex? MPD: The sixty full-time devotees will run and maintain it. Also, many people who practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness at home offer practical service to the temple after work and during holidays. Some even take one day leave a month for a full day of service in the temple. So I don’t see any problem in serving the thousands of pilgrims who will be visiting every day. ## Project Profile *Archiving ISKCON Films* Here’s a Kṛṣṇa conscious project you might like to support or get involved in. *Location* Los Angeles *Project Manager* Yaduvara Dāsa *The History* From the time Śrīla Prabhupāda came to America, professional and amateur photographers began shooting photos and films of his activities. Yaduvara Dāsa is gathering, organizing, cleaning, editing, and transferring to state-of-the-art digital video all of the films of Śrīla Prabhupāda. An early film, if not the first, came from Richard Witty. It was his first professional film. In the fall of 1966, Richard and his wife loaded up their gear and headed for Tompkins Square Park in New York City, where they shot their first roll of film of Śrīla Prabhupāda, seated on the lawn playing his small drum and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Richard and his wife went on to visit and cover the activities of the temple at 26 Second Avenue. They developed their film, edited it, added soundtracks, made a print at their lab, and released it under the title *Matchless Gifts.* They carefully stored the film and kept it for years. One day in 1981, Richard, now a successful commercial filmmaker, saw a devotee distributing books in New York City and offered the film as a gift to ISKCON. The timing was perfect. Yaduvara was nearing completion of *Your Ever Well-Wisher,* a film on Śrīla Prabhupāda's life, and he was missing footage of the very beginnings of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement in New York. *Matchless Gifts* fit perfectly into the film biography. Yaduvara Dāsa carefully stored Richard’s film along with others he himself had shot. William Kerr, another filmmaker, added to the stock by contributing films of Śrīla Prabhupāda shot in Australia. And others added their films. In the early ’80s, the Bhaktivedanta Archives, in Los Angeles, took over the responsibility of storing the films. When the Archives moved to North Carolina, Yaduvara moved the films to an underground vault near Butler, Pennsylvania. Age had taken its toll, especially on the color films. In the twenty-seven years since the first color films had been shot, many of them had turned a light purple. In 1994 the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International gave a grant to transfer the film to digital video. In May 1996, Yaduvara gathered all the films from the vault, the Archives, and ITV (ISKCON Television) and started the project. Over the years, the footage had been cut up and used in seven films produced by ISKCON Cinema. Yaduvara wanted to fit the films back together and try to recreate the original scenes as they were shot. First he had to clean the films, which were gummy from splicing tape. Then he had to synchronize the sound with the picture—a daunting task, since many of the films and soundtracks had no audio and visual clapsticks or start marks. Sometimes Yaduvara had a film of Śrīla Prabhupāda speaking but no sound. So he would try to read Prabhupāda's lips. When he picked up a few words, he would call Raṇajit Dāsa at the Archives and have him look up the phrase in VedaBase, the CD-Rom containing all of Prabhupāda's recorded words. If Raṇajit found what Yaduvara was looking for, he would him send a transcript along with a matching audio cassette of Śrīla Prabhupāda speaking. Then Yaduvara would match the audio with the film, cutting out spaces between the words in the audio track so it would match the picture, frame by frame. Yaduvara transferred the last frame of 16mm film to digital video this past June. A lab in Hollywood with digital technology brought back the color-faded film so it looked nearly new. Phase One of the project was complete. Copies are now stored safely at the Bhaktivedanta Archives, ITV in Los Angeles, and the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust in Sweden. Phases II and III: All the Super 8mm and Regular 8mm film of Śrīla Prabhupāda needs to be transferred to digital video, and finally all the films of ISKCON at the time Śrīla Prabhupāda was present. ITV plans to release these never-before-seen films in the near future. *How you can help* Be aware that there are more films to be found—films recorded by TV stations, films still being kept in private homes, and so on. If you find any, contact either the Bhaktivedanta Archives or ITV. More funds are needed to complete Phases II and III. Please contact: Yaduvara Dāsa 3755 Watseka Ave. #7 Los Angeles, CA 90034, USA Tel: (310) 559-8073; fax (310) 559-7101; E-mail: [email protected] The Bhaktivedanta Archives P.O. Box 255 Sandy Ridge, NC 27046, USA Tel: (336) 871-3636; E-mail: [email protected] ITV P.O. Box 556 Topanga, CA 90290, USA Phone: 1-800-559-0380 ## Mahābhārata—The History of Greater India *The Kidnapping of Princess Subhadrā* ### Encouraged by Lord Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna takes a bride in the chivalrous way of a warrior. ### Translated from Sanskrit by Hridayānanda Dāsa Goswami *The sage Vaiśampāyana is telling the history of the Pāṇḍavas to their great-grandson, King Janamejaya. As the narration continues, the Pāṇḍava Arjuna, during a one-year exile, is visiting Lord Kṛṣṇa in the great city of Dvārakā.* After some days had passed, O king, the Vṛṣṇi, Bhoja, and Andhaka dynasties staged a huge festival on Raivataka Mountain. The heroes of these dynasties gave charity to thousands of *brāhmaṇas.* With elegant cottages and colorful jewels spread all around the mountain, the whole region looked gorgeous, O king. On all sides the trees were beautifully lit up with lamps. Dancers danced, singers sang their songs, and skilled musicians sounded their instruments. The powerful Vṛṣṇi boys, nicely dressed and ornamented, dashed about in golden chariots. By the hundreds and thousands the men of the city came on foot with their wives and followers in varieties of simple and elaborate vehicles. Almighty Lord Balarāma, intoxicated from drinking Vāruṇī honey and followed by the Gandharvas, came strolling about with His wife Revatī. Similarly, the mighty Ugrasena, king of the Vṛṣṇis, being praised in song by the Gandharvas, walked about with a thousand female companions. Two of Lord Kṛṣṇa's sons, Pradyumna and Sāmba, who could fight with frenzied might, were also affected by drinking heavenly beverages. Sporting divine garlands, they enjoyed themselves like immortal gods. Gada, Bhānu, Pṛthu, Vipṛthu, Akrūra, Sāraṇa, Niśaṭha, Satyaka, Sātyaki, Hārdikya, Viḍūratha, Cārudeṣṇa, Bhaṅgakāra, Kṛtavarmā, and all those not mentioned were individually praised in song by the Gandharvas. Surrounded by ladies, the Vṛṣṇis made the festival at Raivataka Mountain a striking affair. In the midst of the thrill, splendor, and excitement, Lord Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, and Arjuna, son of Kuntī, walked around together. As the two transcendental friends strolled about the festival ground, they saw Vasudeva’s lovely daughter, Subhadrā, Śrī Kṛṣṇa's younger sister, in the midst of her friends. She was gorgeously decorated and radiant with pure goodness. As soon as Arjuna saw her, Cupid rose up in his heart. Kṛṣṇa noted at once that Arjuna’s mind was fixed on His sister. As if to tease Arjuna, the lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa said, “O Bhārata, what is this? The mind of a saintly forest-dweller is agitated by romantic desire! Arjuna, she is My sister, and the sister of My brother Sāraṇa, born of the same mother. If you are seriously thinking about her, I myself shall speak to our father.” Arjuna said, “Whom would she not bewilder with her perfect beauty, the daughter of Vasudeva and sister of Śrī Kṛṣṇa? If Your sister, the Vṛṣṇi princess, could become my queen, then I surely must have done all that is good and noble. But what means should I use to win her? Please tell me, Janārdana [Kṛṣṇa], and I shall do it precisely, if it can be done.” Lord Kṛṣṇa said, “Among warriors, marriages are normally decided by the bride’s own choice at a *svayaṁvara* ceremony. But it is doubtful that your sentiments would influence Subhadrā to choose you. Those who know the sacred law have stated, ‘Among warriors who have proven to be heroes, forcibly taking a princess for marriage is approved.’ Therefore you should take My noble sister by force.” *Arjuna’s Bold Act* [After some days had passed,] Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa made up their minds: “Let us do it!” They dispatched speedy men to go at once to deliver their proposal to Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira, who was staying at Indraprastha. As soon as Yudhiṣṭhira, the mighty-armed Pāṇḍava king, heard the plan, he gave his approval. When Arjuna learned that Subhadrā had gone to Raivataka Mountain, he met with Kṛṣṇa, and the Lord said, “Let it be done.” Abiding by Kṛṣṇa's decision, Arjuna departed in a golden chariot built to scriptural code, yoked with the horses Sainya and Sugrīva, delicately adorned with a garland of bells, and equipped with a full assortment of weapons. The chariot rumbled like a rain cloud, shone like blazing fire, and struck dead the hopes of the hostile. Arjuna, tightly fitted with armor and wielding a sword, set out at once on the pretext of a hunting expedition, his finger- and wrist-guards fastened. Subhadrā offered reverence to Raivata, the great stone mountain, to all the Deities who resided there, and to the *brāhmaṇas,* having them invoke good fortune with their chants. After respectfully walking around the mountain, Subhadrā was about to depart for Dvārakā when Arjuna, son of Kuntī, rushed up to her and forcibly placed her in his chariot. Taking the girl, who was smiling innocently, the tigerlike Arjuna departed for his city in the chariot, which could travel in the sky. When Subhadrā’s military escort saw that she was being stolen away, they cried out and then hurried back to Dvārakā to sound the alarm. They went at once to Sudharmā, the royal assembly hall, and fully explained Arjuna’s bold act to the assembly leader. Hearing this, the leader repeatedly struck the gold-encircled battle drum, and it reverberated throughout the city. Stirred by the sound, the Bhojas, Vṛṣṇis, and Andhakas put aside their eating and drinking and rushed to the assembly hall. Then, as fires blaze on the sacred altars, so those tigerlike men of the Vṛṣṇis and Andhakas—*mahāratha* warriors who shone like swirling fire—took their seats by the hundreds on royal thrones wrought in gold, upholstered with costly cushions, and colorfully studded with gems and coral. When all were seated like the gods in session, the assembly chief and his assistants told what Arjuna had done. When the Vṛṣṇi heroes heard this, their eyes turned red with rage, for they could not tolerate Arjuna’s deed, and they proudly rose up together and sent forth a war cry: “Yoke the chariots at once! Bring the lances, the full armor, and the most prized bows!” Some warriors cried out to their chariot drivers, “Yoke the chariots!” while other warriors brought their own swift horses, adorned in gold. As the chariots, armor, and flags were being brought forward, and as the heroic men roared instructions, a great crowd and commotion arose about them. *Lord Balarāma Speaks* But Lord Balarāma spoke. Standing garbed in blue, sporting a garland of forest flowers, acting as if drunk and emboldened by Vāruṇī beverage, Lord Balarāma, as big and strong as the peak of Mount Kailāsa, said, “What is this you are all doing without knowledge when you see that Lord Kṛṣṇa remains silent? Without knowing His feelings you are all enraged and roaring in vain. Let Him, with His great mind, explain to you His own plan and what He would like to do, and then do that with full attention.” Hearing these authoritative words from Balarāma, all became silent, and then they began to say, “Yes, He is right. That is best.” Thus, having heard these balanced, objective words from the intelligent Balarāma, all the men again took their seats in the assembly. Then Lord Balarāma asked victorious Lord Kṛṣṇa, “My dear Kṛṣṇa, why do You remain seated, watching all this in silence? O infallible one, for Your sake all of us honored Arjuna, but it seems that he did not deserve the honor, for he has a wicked mind and has disgraced his family. Indeed, what man anywhere, having eaten our food, should then break our dish and still consider himself born in a noble family? Who would behave so rashly and inconsiderately, having come here seeking our friendship, beseeching our help, and knowing all that we have done for him? Insulting us and disregarding You, he has stolen Subhadrā, and thus he has taken death upon himself. “How can I tolerate it, Govinda, when he puts his foot right on My head, for he is treading on the head of a cobra? Today I alone shall rid the earth of the Kauravas, for I will not tolerate such an offense from Arjuna.” All the Bhojas, Vṛṣṇis, and Andhakas agreed, and they supported Lord Balarāma, whose deep and grave voice vibrated like kettledrums or rumbling clouds. (*continued in the next issue*) *Hridayānanda Dāsa Goswami, who holds a Ph.D. in Indology from Harvard University, is Professor of Vaiṣṇava Theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He frequently speaks at universities and is translating the* Mahābhārata *and other Sanskrit works.* ## Every Town & Village *The worldwide activities of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)* *Worldwide* November 4 marks the twentieth anniversary of the departure of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, founder-*ācārya* of ISKCON, who left the world in November of 1977. Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees have chosen December 13 as a day to make a special effort to distribute large numbers of books on Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This year’s goal: one million books worldwide. To take part, get in touch with your local ISKCON center. ### United States Vandals set fire to the main equipment and hay storage barn at ISKCON’s New Talavan Farm in Carriere, Mississippi, last July, causing at least $100,000 in damage. Destroyed were two tractors, a hay bailer, $5,000 worth of hay, and the New Orleans Rathayātrā cart. The loss is a severe financial burden for the farm. Donations can be sent to Yogīndra Dāsa, President, ISKCON New Talavan, 31492 Anner Road, Carriere, MS 39426 USA. ### Israel Druze leader Sheik Moafaq met with ISKCON’s Dānavīr Swami last February during Dānavīr’s Swami’s visit to eleven Druze villages in northern Israel. The meeting took place in an auditorium at the site of the tomb of the late Druze leader Sheik Amin Tarif, who had spoken with devotees several times. For the meeting with Dānavīr Swami, the auditorium was filled with sheiks eager to learn more about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Druze are an Arab sect whose teachings are in some ways similar to those of the *Vedas.* ### South America ISKCON leader Bhakti Tīrtha Swami lectured last spring at the University of Guyana. He met with Guyanese President Samuel Hines. And while in Guyana he was interviewed on four national TV shows and by several radio stations, as well as all the major Guyanese newspapers. ### Europe Devotees in Holland held Rathayātrā festivals in Amsterdam and The Hague. ### Africa ISKCON Ghana has acquired 210 acres of farmland. A master plan for a Hare Kṛṣṇa community on the land calls for 160 acres for farming and cottage industries, and 50 acres for schools, a temple, a restaurant, a guesthouse, a medical clinic, a tourist village, an art museum, and a barn with surrounding pastures. ### Commonwealth of Independent States More than a thousand devotees took part in July in a Hare Kṛṣṇa festival in Moscow. ## Departures VILĀSINĪ DEVĪ DĀSĪ, a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda's, passed away last July in London, of cancer. Vilāsinī joined ISKCON in 1970. She served as an indexer for the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust in New York in the early seventies. She went on to serve Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities in Detroit, France, and finally London. Vilāsinī had been in an apparent coma shortly before her passing, but when devotees arrived to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa in her room, she awoke to chant and hear the holy name of Kṛṣṇa till the end. ## The Life of King Kulaśekhara *One of the chief saints of the Śrī Vaiṣṇava tradition of South India* ### By Śyāmasundara Dāsa THE NAME OF King Kulaśekhara is well known to followers of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Prabhupāda used to relish the *Mukunda-mālā-*stotra**, written by this great saintly king. This *stotra* (prayer) is commonly known in ISKCON as “The Prayers of King Kulaśekhara.” *Who Are The Ālvārs?* *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (11.5.39–40) states, “In the Age of Kali those persons who drink the waters of the holy rivers of Draviḍa-deśa [South India], such as the Tāmraparṇī, Kṛtamālā, Payasvinī, the extremely pious Kāverī, and the Pratīcī Mahānadī, will almost all be pure-hearted devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva.” The Ālvārs are twelve especially great devotees who appeared in South India. According to the traditions of the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas (one of the four disciplic successions of Vaiṣṇavas, devotees of Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu), the Ālvārs are not ordinary *jīvas* (living entities) but are incarnations of the *parṣadas* (paraphernalia) of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The Tamil word *ālvār* means “drowned in love of God.” Although modern scholars say the Ālvārs appeared in the seventh to ninth century A.D., according to the tradition of the Śrī Sampradāya they appeared between 4,700 and 6,200 years ago. Dates aside, the Ālvārs all composed devotional songs, mostly in the Tamil language, in praise of Lord Kṛṣṇa and His incarnations. The songs embody elevated knowledge of the science of God, and the followers of the Śrī Sampradāya consider them as good as the **Vedas*.* The *ācāryas,* or great spiritual teachers, of the Śrī Sampradāya, such as Nāthamuni, Yāmunācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Vedāntadeśika, and Virarāghavācārya, learned not only the four Sanskrit *Vedas* but also the Tamil *Veda,* or the *Divya-prabandha,* consisting of the four thousand songs of the Ālvārs. *A Hidden Saint* Maharaja Kulaśekhara was born into the Sera dynasty of the royal family of Travancore, the southern half of the modern state of Kerala, in southwest India. The rulers of the land did not claim to own the kingdom but considered themselves vassals and ministers to Ananta Padmanābha Swami, the Deity of Viṣṇu, whom they regarded as the actual owner of the land. Ananta Padmanābha, situated at Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), was, and still is, the worshipable Deity of the people of that area. The kings of Travancore would come before the Lord at least twice a day to offer obeisances and report on the administration of the country. (The tradition of the Mahārāja of Travancore’s visiting Lord Ananta Padmanābha Swami goes on to the present day, even though the king has no real political power.) Such was the pious and saintly quality of the ancient line of Vedic kings among whom Mahārāja Kulaśekhara appeared. Before the birth of Kulaśekhara (around 3,000 BC), his parents were childless, a worrisome situation for a monarch. Kulaśekhara’s father, Dṛdhavrata Mahārāja, prayed intensely and worshiped Lord Nārāyaṇa, an expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Lord was pleased and blessed Dṛdhavrata to have as his son a plenary portion of the Kaustubha gem, which Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa wears as a pendant on His neck. That son was Kulaśekhara. To prepare for the throne of the Sera dynasty, Prince Kulaśekhara learned warfare and government, as well as the Vedic scriptures. When Kulaśekhara came of age, Dṛdhavrata installed him as the king and retired to the forest to pursue undisturbed spiritual life, as recommended in the scriptures for saintly kings. Kulaśekhara was a *kṣatriya* (ruler and military man) of great prowess and became king not only of the Sera lands but also of the neighboring lands of the Pandya and Chola dynasties. Kulaśekhara’s flawless administration stood for peace, virtue, justice, and happiness. He nourished the people, and he personified magnanimity. But despite his good qualities, the king was spiritually blind. Playing the part of a worldly king given over to his senses, he considered himself independent of God. But Lord Kṛṣṇa had a plan for His servant Kulaśekhara. By the causeless mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa, King Kulaśekhara’s consciousness gradually transformed. Spiritual perceptions dawned, and he saw the world and its concerns at their real value. He was also blessed with visions of the true nature of the Lord. According to the Śrī Vaiṣṇava tradition, Lord Nārāyaṇa sent Viṣvaksena, His commander-in-chief, to Kulaśekhara Ālvār to initiate him into Vaiṣṇavism. Blessed by the mercy of the Lord, Kulaśekhara would often go into ecstasy. He recorded his spiritual visions and deep realizations in devotional songs, which became part of the *Divya-prabandha.* He now saw everything with purified spiritual eyes and developed a strong sense of detachment. He would daily condemn his responsible worldly position as king, ever hankering to go to Śrī Raṅgam, to the temple of the Deity Ranganātha Swami, to stay there at the feet of the Lord forever. Sometimes he would sigh, hankering to visit the holy shrine of Tirumalai (Tirupati) and have the audience of the Deity Śrī Veṅkateśvara Swami. He would sometimes yearn to go to another holy place—and another, and yet another—and at each place reside for life. A divine love-sickness had set in. Kulaśekhara felt shackled to the throne and could find no happiness in royal wealth and splendor. To alleviate his spiritual thirst, he invited sages to his capital. With them he carefully studied all the Vedic scriptures. He plucked out the best pearls of wisdom and strung them into a garland (*mālā*) of poems called the Mukunda-*mālā*. Śrīla Prabhupāda was especially fond of this work and would often sing one verse in particular: > kṛṣṇa tvadīya-pada-paṅkaja-pañjarāntam > adyaiva me viśatu mānasa-rāja-haṁsaḥ > prāṇa-prayāna-samaye kapha-vāta-pittaiḥ > kaṇṭhāvarodhana-vidhau smaraṇaṁ kutas te “O Lord Kṛṣṇa, let the royal swan of my mind now enter the tangled stems of the lotus of Your feet. How will it be possible for me to remember You at the time of death, when my throat will be choked with mucus, bile, and air?” *Lover of Rāma* Kulaśekhara Ālvār chose to hear daily from the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, the history of Lord Rāmacandra, Lord Kṛṣṇa's incarnation as the ideal king. Kulaśekhara was so entranced in spiritual consciousness that he lived and breathed the pastimes of Śrī Rāma and felt them to be ever fresh and present. One day, during the recitation of the Rāmāyaṇa by his *guru*, Kulaśekhara heard the following passage: > There twice seven thousand giants stand > With impious heart and cruel hand. > Here Rāma stands, by virtue known; > How can the hero fight alone? On hearing the line “How can the hero fight alone?” Kulaśekhara rose in a frenzy of devotion for his Rāma and commanded his army to march with him to where Rāma was fighting alone and helpless. To relieve Kulaśekhara’s distress, the ministers arranged for a party of soldiers to meet him as he was going out and tell him that Rāma had been victorious. In spiritual delirium, Kulaśekhara believed their tale and returned home. The king celebrated with great care every important event mentioned during the daily recital of the Rāmāyaṇa. Kulaśekhara would have the Deity of Śrī Rāma carried through the streets of the city in procession, and then he would serve everyone a feast of *prasādam*, food offered to Śrī Rāma. To prevent Kulaśekhara from slipping into spiritual madness, his *guru* sometimes skipped parts of the Rāmayāṇa that might disturb the king. One day, however, the *guru* was absent and his son performed the reading without discrimination. On hearing of the demon Rāvaṇa’s kidnapping of Sītā, Lord Rāma’s wife, King Kulaśekhara, greatly angry in spiritual ecstasy, shouted, “I must march across the sea, reduce Laṅkā to ashes, slay its ruler Rāvaṇa with all his friends and kinsmen, rescue my weeping mother Sītā, and join her with my father Śrī Rāma!” Kulaśekhara rose, armed himself, gathered his army, marched to the sea, and plunged in. It is said that the king’s Deity of Lord Rāma then appeared to Kulaśekhara and consoled him. In the company of Sītā, Lord Rāma said to Kulaśekhara, “O my faithful servant, listen. We are returning victorious from the battlefield. Our enemies have all perished, and we have rescued Sītā Devī. Your wish has been fulfilled. Let us all return to the city. Let me carry you to the shore, just as I carry souls from the ocean of birth and death to the shores of the spiritual world.” Then Śrī Rāma caught hold of Kulaśekhara, brought him safely to the shore, and after accompanying him to the city, disappeared. The king’s ministers were deeply troubled. How could they help the king manage the kingdom when he was in such a state? They concluded that his association with devotees was the cause of his divine infatuation, and they decided to wean him from that association. Meanwhile, the king had decided to retire to Śrī Raṅgam. The ministers thought, “Once the king is there, he will never return.” So the ministers schemed to keep the king at home. Whenever the king said he was about to leave for Śrī Raṅgam, the ministers had a group of Śrī Vaiṣṇavas come to the city, and the king would postpone his journey on their account. Soon, however, the king’s court, his palace, his private apartments, and all the public places were filled with Śrī Vaiṣṇavas. The king allowed the devotees free access and familiarity; he venerated and adored them. The ministers saw the saintly devotees as a nuisance and were in a quandary about what to do. If they tried to dissuade the king from going to Śrī Raṅgam, they would have to suffer bringing the godly devotees to the kingdom; and if they tried to cut the root of the king’s divine ailment—the association of devotees—the king would simply renounce his kingdom and depart. The ministers then tried to discredit the devotees by blaming them for the theft, which they arranged, of a valuable necklace belonging to the king’s personal Deity of Śrī Rāma. But when Kulaśekhara heard the accusations, he exclaimed, “O ministers, lovers of God are incapable of stealing. There is no vice in their thoughts or actions. To prove the truth of my conviction and the falsity of your accusations against these innocent devotees, let a vessel be brought to me with a venomous cobra in it, and I shall thrust into that vessel my hand.” A servant carried out the command. The king thrust his hand into the vessel of death, but withdrew it unharmed. Ashamed, the ministers hung their heads. To trifle with the king, they realized, was useless. They fell at his feet, confessed their trick, brought the necklace, and placed it before him in fear and respect. Mahārāja Kulaśekhara pardoned them and asked them to become servants of the Śrī Vaiṣṇavas. “No more will I dwell with these vile and scheming ministers,” the king thought. “I am disgusted with them. Indeed, I am weary of the whole world. I would prefer to leap into fire than keep company with brutes turned away from God.” *The king Retires* The saintly King Kulaśekhara decided to give up his kingdom. He installed on the throne his son Dṛdhavrata (named after the young man’s grandfather) and, accompanied by his daughter, left for Śrī Raṅgam. On arriving at Śrī Raṅgam, Kulaśekhara gave his daughter in marriage to the Deity, Lord Raṅganātha Himself. (Kulaśekhara’s daughter is considered a portion of Nīlā-devī, one of the Lord’s energies.) Kulaśekhara stayed at Śrī Raṅgam for many years, engaged in the service of the Lord and His devotees. He would sometimes go on pilgrimage to other holy places, such as Tirupati, Ayodhya, and Chitrakuta. In Śrī Raṅgam, Kulaśekhara composed the *Perumāl-tirumoli,* a work containing 103 devotional songs. In his last days Kulaśekara went to the shrine of Nāmmālvār at Tirunagari,* near present-day Tinevelli. From Tirunagari, he went to the holy place called Brahmadeśa Mannar-Koil, where he stayed for some time serving the presiding Deity, Rāja-gopāla Swami. There, at age 67, Kulaśekhara returned to the spiritual world. *Tirunagari is the Tamil name for the Ādi Keśava temple, where Lord Caitanya found the important scripture **Brahma-saṁhitā*.* Śrī Vaiṣṇava scholars believe that the *Brahma-saṁhitā* was revealed to Nāmmālvār in trance and that he wrote it down. ### Reference Govindacharya, Alkondavilli, 1982 (reprint), *The Holy Lives of the Azhvars or Dravida Saints,* Bombay: Anantacharya Indological Research Institute. *Śyāmasundara Dāsa, a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda's, is a well-known astrologer in ISKCON. He and his wife live in North Carolina, USA.* *Selections from Mukunda-mālā-stotra* ### By Kulaśekhara Ālvār > 7 > cintayāmi harim eva santataṁ > manda-hāsa-muditānanāmbujam > nanda-gopa-tanayaṁ parāt paraṁ > nāradādi-muni-vṛnda-vanditam I always think of Lord Hari [Kṛṣṇa], whose joyful lotus face bears a gentle smile. Although He is the son of the cowherd Nanda, He is also the Supreme Absolute Truth worshiped by great sages like Nārada. > 8 > kara-caraṇa-saroje kāntiman-netra-mīne > śrama-muṣi bhuja-vīci-vyākule ’gādha-mārge > hari-sarasi vigāhyāpīya tejo-jalaughaṁ > bhava-maru-parikhinnaḥ kleśam adya tyajāmi The desert of material existence has exhausted me. But today I will cast aside all troubles by diving into the lake of Lord Hari and drinking freely of the abundant waters of His splendor. The lotuses in that lake are His hands and feet, and the fish are His brilliant shining eyes. That lake’s water relieves all fatigue and is agitated by the waves His arms create. Its current flows deep beyond fathoming. > 9 > sarasija-nayane sa-śaṅkha-cakre > mura-bhidi mā viramasva citta rantum > sukha-taram aparaṁ na jātu jāne > hari-caraṇa-smaraṇāmṛtena tulyam O mind, please never stop taking pleasure in thinking of the Mura demon’s destroyer [Kṛṣṇa], who has lotus eyes and bears the conch and disc weapon. Indeed, I know of nothing else that gives such extreme pleasure as meditating on Lord Hari’s divine feet. > 11 > bhava-jaladhi-gatānāṁ dvandva-vātāhatānāṁ > suta-duhitṛ-kalatra-trāṇa-bhārārditānām > viṣama-viṣaya-toye majjatām aplavānāṁ > bhavati śaraṇam eko viṣṇu-poto narāṇām The people in this vast ocean of birth and death are being blown about by the winds of material dualities. As they flounder in the perilous waters of sense indulgence, with no boat to help them, they are sorely distressed by the need to protect their sons, daughters, and wives. Only the boat that is Lord Viṣṇu can save them. > 12 > bhava-jaladhim agādhaṁ dustaraṁ nistareyaṁ > katham aham iti ceto mā sma gāḥ kātaratvam > sarasija-dṛśi deve tārakī bhaktir ekā > naraka-bhidi niṣaṇṇā tārayiṣyaty avaśyam Dear mind, do not bewilder yourself by anxiously thinking, How can I cross this fathomless and impassable ocean of material existence? There is one who can save you—Devotion. If you offer her to the lotus-eyed Lord [Kṛṣṇa], the killer of Narakāsura, she will carry you across this ocean without fail. > 26 > tattvaṁ bruvāṇāni paraṁ parastān > madhu kṣarantīva mudāvahāni > prāvartaya prāñjalir asmi jihve > nāmāni nārāyaṇa-gocarāṇi My dear tongue, I stand before you with joined palms and beg you to recite the names of Lord Nārāyaṇa. These names describing the Supreme Absolute Truth bring great pleasure, as if exuding honey. ## Science *Advanced Astronomy In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* *This ancient Vedic text gives an accurate map of the planetary orbits known to modern astronomy.* ### By Sadāpūta Dāsa TODAY WE TAKE for granted that the earth is a sphere, but the early Greeks tended to think it was flat. For example, in the fifth century B.C. the philosopher Thales thought of the earth as a disk floating on water like a log.**1 About a century later, Anaxagoras taught that it is flat like a lid and stays suspended in air.**2 A few decades later, the famous atomist Democritus argued that the earth is shaped like a tambourine and is tilted downwards toward the south.**3 Although some say that Pythagoras, in the sixth century B.C., was the first to view the earth as a sphere, this idea did not catch on quickly among the Greeks, and the first attempt to measure the earth’s diameter is generally attributed to Eratosthenes in the second century B.C. Scholars widely believe that prior to the philosophical and scientific achievements of the Greeks, people in ancient civilized societies regarded the earth as a flat disk. So to find that the *Bhāgavata Purāṇa* of India appears to describe a flat earth comes as no surprise. The *Bhāgavata Purāṇa*, or *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,* is dated by scholars to A.D. 500–1000, although it is acknowledged to contain much older material and its traditional date is the beginning of the third millennium B.C. In the *Bhāgavatam,* Bhūmaṇḍala—the “earth mandala”—is a disk 500 million **yojana*s* in diameter. The *yojana* is a unit of distance about 8 miles long, and so the diameter of Bhūmaṇḍala is about 4 billion miles.** Bhūmaṇḍala is marked by circular features designated as islands and oceans. These features are listed in Table 1, along with their dimensions, as given in the *Bhāgavatam.* N Inner Radius Outer Radius Thickness Feature 1 0 50 50 Jambūdvīpa 2 50 150 100 Lavaṇoda 3 150 350 200 Plakṣadvīpa 4 350 550 200 Ikṣura 5 550 950 400 Śalmalīdvīpa 6 950 1,350 400 Suroda 7 1,350 2,150 800 Kuśadvīpa 8 2,150 2,950 800 Ghṛtoda 9 2,950 4,550 1,600 Krauñcadvīpa 10 4,550 6,150 1,600 Kṣīroda 11 6,150 9,350 3,200 Śakadvīpa 12 9,350 12,550 3,200 Dadhyoda 13 12,550 15,750 3,200 Inner Puṣkaradvīpa 14 15,750 18,950 3,200 Outer Puṣkaradvīpa 15 18,950 25,350 6,400 Svādudaka 16 25,350 41,100 15,750 Kāñcanībhūmi 17 41,100 125,000 83,900 Ādarśatalopamā 18 125,000 250,000 125,000 Aloka-varṣa Table 1*.* *The radii in thousands of* yojanas *of the islands and oceans of Bhūmaṇḍala, as given in the* Bhāgavata Purāṇa*.* There are seven islands, called *dvīpas,* ranging from Jambūdvīpa to Puṣkaradvīpa. Jambūdvīpa, the innermost, is a disk, and the other six are successively larger rings. The islands alternate with ring-shaped oceans, beginning with Lavaṇoda, the Salt Water Ocean surrounding Jambūdvīpa, and ending with Svādudaka, the Sweet Water Ocean. Beyond Svādudaka is another ring, called Kāñcanībhūmi, or the Golden Land, and then yet another, called Ādarśatalopamā, the Mirrorlike Land.**5 There are also three circular mountains we should note. The first is Mount Meru, situated in the center of Bhūmaṇḍala and shaped like an inverted cone, with a radius ranging from 8,000 *yojanas* at the bottom to 16,000 *yojanas* at the top. The other two mountains can be thought of as very thin rings or circles. The first, called Mānasottara, has a radius of 15,750 thousand *yojanas* and divides the island of Puṣkaradvīpa into two rings of equal thickness. (In Table 1 these are referred to as inner and outer Puṣkaradvīpa.) The second mountain, called Lokāloka, has a radius of 125,000 thousand *yojanas* and separates the inner, illuminated region of Bhūmaṇḍala (ending with the Mirrorlike Land) from the outer region of darkness, Aloka-varṣa. At first glance, Bhūmaṇḍala appears to be a highly artificial portrayal of the earth as an enormous flat disk, with continents and oceans that do not tally with geographical experience. But careful consideration shows that Bhūmaṇḍala does not really represent the earth at all. To see why, we have to consider the motion of the sun. In the *Bhāgavatam* the sun is said to travel on a chariot (Figure 2). The wheel of this chariot is made of parts of the year, such as months and seasons. So it might be argued that the chariot is meant to be taken metaphorically, rather than literally. But here we are concerned more with the chariot’s dimensions than with its composition. The chariot has an axle that rests at one end on Mount Meru, in the center of Jambūdvīpa. On the other end, the axle connects to a wheel that “continuously rotates on Mānasottara Mountain like the wheel of an oil-pressing machine.”**6 The wheel rolls on top of Mount Mānasottara, which is like a circular race track. The sun rides on a platform joined to the axle at an elevation of 100,000 thousand *yojanas* from the surface of Bhūmaṇḍala. Since the axle extends from Mount Meru to Mount Mānasottara, its length must be 15,750 thousand *yojanas*, or 157.5 times as long as the height of the sun above Bhūmaṇḍala. Since the sun’s platform is somewhere on the axle between Meru (in the center) and the wheel (running on the circular track of Mānasottara), it follows that to an observer at the center the sun always seems very close to the surface of Bhūmaṇḍala. To see this, imagine building a scale model of the sun’s chariot on a level field, with 1 foot representing 100,000 thousand *yojanas.* In this model, the sun is a ball riding 1 foot above the field on an axle 157.5 feet long. One end of the axle pivots around Mount Meru, which is about 1 foot high (or a little less), and the other end goes through a wheel about 1 foot in diameter which follows a circular track. If the sun is a good part of the way out from the center (say, 50 feet or more), it will seem close to the field from the point of view of an observer lying down with his eye close to the base of Mount Meru. The same is true if the model is scaled up to actual size. Suppose that Bhūmaṇḍala represents our local horizon extended out into a huge flat disk—the so-called flat earth. Then an observer standing in Jambūdvīpa, near the center, must see the sun continuously skim around the horizon in a big circle, without either rising into the sky or setting. This is actually what one can see at the north or south pole at certain times in the year, but it is not what one sees in India. The conclusion, therefore, is that Bhūmaṇḍala does not represent an extension of our local horizon. Since the sun is always close to Bhūmaṇḍala, and since the sun rises, goes high into the sky, and then sets, it follows that the disk of Bhūmaṇḍala is tilted at a steep angle to an observer standing in India. In brief, Bhūmaṇḍala is where the sun goes. It extends high into the sky overhead and also far beneath the observer’s feet. Furthermore, it must be regarded as invisible, for if it were opaque it would block our view of a good part of the sky. Bhūmaṇḍala is not the “flat earth,” but what is it? One possibility is the solar system. In modern astronomy, each planet orbits the sun in a plane. The planes of these orbits lie at small angles to one another, and thus all the orbits are close to one plane. Astronomers call the plane of the earth’s orbit the ecliptic, and this is also the plane of the sun’s orbit, from the point of view of an observer stationed on the earth. To an observer on the earth, the solar system is a more-or-less flat arrangement of planetary orbits that stay close to the path of the sun. Bhūmaṇḍala is far too big to be the earth, but in size it turns out quite a reasonable match for the solar system. Bhūmaṇḍala has a radius of 250 million **yojana*s,* and at the traditional figure of 8 miles per *yojana* this comes to 2 billion miles. For comparison, the orbit of Uranus has a radius of about 1.8 billion miles. If we move in from the outer edge of Bhūmaṇḍala we meet the Lokāloka mountain, with a radius of 125 million *yojanas,* or about 1 billion miles. From Uranus the next planet inward is Saturn, with an orbital radius of about 0.9 billion miles. Thus we find a rough agreement between certain planetary orbits and some circular features of Bhūmaṇḍala. Of course, Bhūmaṇḍala is earth centered. Its innermost island, Jambūdvīpa, contains Bhārata-varṣa, which Śrīla Prabhupāda has repeatedly identified as the planet earth.7 In contrast, the orbits of the planets are centered on the sun. How, then, can they be compared to earth-centered features of Bhūmaṇḍala? The solution is to express the orbits of the planets in geocentric (earth-centered) form. Although the calculations of modern astronomy treat these orbits as heliocentric (sun-centered), the orbits can be expressed in relation to any desired center of observation, including the earth. In fact, since we live on the earth, it is reasonable for us to look at planetary orbits from a geocentric point of view. The geocentric orbit of a planet is a product of two heliocentric motions, the motion of the earth around the sun and the motion of the planet around the sun. To draw it, we shift to the earth as center, and show the planet orbiting the sun, which in turn orbits the earth. This is shown in Figure 1 for the planet Mercury. The looping curve of the planet’s geocentric orbit lies between two boundary curves, in the figure marked A and B. If we continue plotting the orbit for a long enough time, the orbital paths completely fill the donut-shaped area between these two curves. If we superimpose the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn on a map of Bhūmaṇḍala, we find that the boundary curves of each planet’s orbit tend to line up with circular features of Bhūmaṇḍala. Thus the inner boundary of Mercury’s orbit swings in and nearly grazes feature 10 in Table 1, and its outer boundary swings out and nearly grazes feature 13. We can sum this up by saying that Mercury’s boundary curves are tangent to features 10 and 13. The boundary curves of the orbit of Venus are likewise tangent to features 8 and 14 as shown in Figure 4, and those of the orbit of Mars are tangent to features 9 and 15. Figure 5 shows the alignments between features of Bhūmaṇḍala and the boundary curves of Mercury, Venus, and Mars. The inner boundary of Jupiter’s orbit is tangent to feature 16, and the outer boundary of Saturn’s orbit is tangent to feature 17. These alignments are shown graphically in Figure 6. If we include Uranus, we find that its outer boundary lines up with feature 18, the outer edge of Bhūmaṇḍala. The orbital alignments make use of over half the circular features of Bhūmaṇḍala. Each of the features from 8 to 18, with the exception of 11 and 12, aligns with one orbital boundary curve. But it turns out that features 11 and 12 also fit into the orbital picture. Unlike the planetary orbits, the geocentric orbit of the sun is nearly circular, since it is simply the earth’s heliocentric orbit as seen from the earth. The sun’s orbit lies almost exactly halfway between the circular features 11 and 12, and this is shown in Figure 5. To compare geocentric orbits measured in miles with Bhūmaṇḍala features measured in **yojana*s,* we have to know how many miles there are in a **yojana*.* I began by using 8 miles per **yojana*,* in accordance with Prabhupāda's statement “One *yojana* equals approximately eight miles.”**8 But there is a simple way to refine this estimate. We have seen that the boundary curves of the planets tend to line up with the circular features of Bhūmaṇḍala. The trick, then, is to find the number of miles per *yojana* at which the curves and features line up the best. A boundary curve can touch a circular feature at either its apogee (point furthest from the earth) or its perigee (point closest to the earth). This gives us 4 points (apogee and perigee of curves A and B) that I call turning points. This is illustrated in Figure 7. In note 9 I use turning points to define a measure of “goodness of fit” that tells us how good an alignment of features and orbits is. Figure 3 is a plot of goodness of fit against the length of the *yojana,* for lengths ranging from 5 to 10 miles. The curve has a pronounced peak at 8.575 miles per *yojana.* This value—reasonably close to the traditional figure of 8 miles—gives the best fit between features of Bhūmaṇḍala and planetary orbits. To compute the geocentric orbits of the planets, I used a modern ephemeris program.**10 Such calculations must be done for a particular date. I used the traditional date for the beginning of Kali-yuga: February 18, 3102 B.C. But it turns out that the results are nearly the same for a wide range of dates. So the orbital calculations do not tell us when the *Bhāgavatam* was written, but they are consistent with the traditional date of about 3100 B.C. Table 2 lists the correlations between planetary boundary curves and features of Bhūmaṇḍala, using 8.575 miles per *yojana.* The error percentages tell how far the radius of each feature differs from the radius of its corresponding turning point, and they show that there is a close agreement between planetary orbits and various features of Bhūmaṇḍala.**11 Besides the planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, I have included the sun, the planet Uranus, and Ceres, the principal asteroid, since these are also part of the total pattern. N Planet Turning Point Turning Point Radius Feature Radius Error Percentage 1 Mercury A perigee 5,976.0 6,150 2.9 2 Mercury B apogee 15,701.1 15,750 0.3 3 Venus A perigee 2,851.0 2,950 3.5 4 Venus B apogee 18,813.0 18,950 0.7 5 Mars A perigee 4,090.0 4,550 11.2 6 Mars B perigee 25,736.5 25,350 -1.5 7 Jupiter A perigee 43.422.8 41,100 -5.3 8 Saturn B apogee 121,599.6 125,000 2.8 9 Sun mean 10840.4 10,950 1.0 10 Ceres B apogee 42,683.2 41,100 -3.7 11 Uranus B apogee 229,811.0 250,000 8.9 Table 2*.* *Correlation between radii of features of Bhūmaṇḍala and orbital turning points*.* The feature radii are from Table 1 and are in thousands of* yojanas**.* Error percentage is the error in the feature radius relative to the corresponding orbital turning point*.* The orbital turning points are calculated for the beginning of Kali-yuga, using a modern ephemeris program*.* They are expressed in thousands of* yojanas *using 8*.*575 miles per* yojana*.* The sun’s mean orbital radius falls within 1% of the center of Dadhyoda (the Yogurt Ocean), which is bounded by features 11 and 12 in Table 1. This puts the sun about halfway between Mounts Meru and Mānasottara along the axle of its chariot. Although Uranus is not mentioned in the *Bhāgavatam,* its orbit lies near the outer boundary of Bhūmaṇḍala, in the region of darkness called Aloka-varṣa. It is noteworthy that the inner boundary of Aloka-varṣa is the circular Lokāloka Mountain, said to serve as the outer boundary for all luminaries.12 This is consistent with the fact that the five planets visible to the naked eye are Mercury through Saturn (Saturn’s orbit lies just within the boundary of Lokāloka Mountain). Asteroids orbit mainly in the region between Mars and Jupiter where astronomers, on the basis of orbital regularities (the so-called Bode-Titius law), predicted the existence of a planet. Asteroids are generally thought to be raw materials for a planet that never formed, though some astronomers have speculated that asteroids may be debris from a planet that disintegrated. Ceres is the largest body in the asteroid belt, and its geocentric orbit lines up well with the outer boundary of Kāñcanībhūmi (feature 16). The hundreds of orbits of smaller main-belt asteroids are scattered fairly evenly around the orbit of Ceres. As already mentioned, and as shown in Figure 3, the correlation between Bhūmaṇḍala and the planetary orbits is best at 8.575 miles per **yojana*.* This length for the *yojana* was calculated entirely on the basis of the *Bhāgavatam* and the planetary orbits. Yet it is confirmed by a completely different line of investigation. As I explained in the previous issue of BTG, the *yojana* has close ties to the dimensions of the earth globe and to units of measurement used in ancient Western civilizations. My investigations about this led independently to a length of 8.59 miles for one standard of the *yojana*, a figure that agrees well with the length of 8.575 miles obtained from the orbital study. This agreement underscores the point that Bhūmaṇḍala does not represent the planet earth, since the 8.59 mile figure reflects accurate knowledge of the size and shape of the earth globe (including the slight polar flattening). We should note that the *Bhāgavatam* lists heights of the planets above Bhūmaṇḍala. These heights are sometimes interpreted as the distances in a straight line from the planets to the earth globe, but they are far too small for this. Table 3 compares the heights listed in the *Bhāgavatam* with the mean distances of the planets from the earth, which are many times larger. Planet Height (*Bhāgavatam*) Height (*Modern*) Mean *Distance* Sun 100 100 10,840 Venus 600 555 10,840 Mercury 800 572 10,840 Mars 1,000 690 14,480 Jupiter 1,200 1,733 56,381 Saturn 1,400 5,205 103,474 Table 3. *Heights of the planets above Bhūmaṇḍala in thousands of* yojanas*, as given in the* Bhāgavata Purāṇa *and as calculated using modern astronomy. The modern heights denote the maximum distances the planets move perpendicular to the plane of the solar system, the plane I have suggested that Bhūmaṇḍala represents. For comparison, the mean distances of the planets from the earth are listed.*** *(The mean distance is the halfway point between the minimum and maximum distance of the planet from the earth, as computed using modern astronomy.)* The arguments presented here suggest that the planetary heights actually represent distances perpendicular to the plane of Bhūmaṇḍala. Since Bhūmaṇḍala represents the plane of the solar system, the heights listed in the *Bhāgavatam* should be compared to the furthest distances the planets move perpendicular to the ecliptic plane. (Since the sun in the ecliptic plane lies 100 thousand *yojanas* from Bhūmaṇḍala, the figures should be offset by that amount.) Table 3 makes this comparison and this is also indicated in Figure 8. We see that for the sun, Venus, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter, the height listed in the *Bhāgavatam* roughly agrees with the modern height. For Saturn the modern height is about 4 times too large, but it is still much closer to the *Bhāgavatam* height than the mean distance, which is about 74 times too large. I suggest that the heights listed in the *Bhāgavatam* give a simple estimate of the maximum movement of the planets away from the ecliptic plane. This supports the interpretation of Bhūmaṇḍala as a simple but realistic map of the planetary orbits in the solar system. The flatness of the solar system is also indicated by the small magnitude of the *Bhāgavatam* heights in comparison with the large radial distances listed in Tables 1, 2, and 3. In conclusion, the circular features of Bhūmaṇḍala from 8 through 18 correlate strikingly with the orbits of the planets from Mercury through Uranus (with the sun standing in for the earth because of the geocentric perspective). It would seem that Bhūmaṇḍala can be interpreted as a realistic map of the solar system, showing how the planets move relative to the earth. Statistical studies (not documented here) support this conclusion by bearing out that when you choose sets of concentric circles at random, they do not tend to match planetary orbits closely and systematically like the features of Bhūmaṇḍala. The small percentages of error in Table 2 imply that the author of the *Bhāgavatam* was able to take advantage of advanced astronomy. Since he made use of a unit of distance (the *yojana*) defined accurately in terms of the dimensions of the earth, he must also have had access to advanced geographical knowledge. Such knowledge of astronomy and geography was not developed in recent times until the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It was not available to the most advanced of the ancient Greek astronomers, Claudius Ptolemy, in the second century A.D., and it was certainly unknown to the pre-Socratic Greek philosophers of the fifth century B.C. It would appear that advanced astronomical knowledge was developed by some earlier civilization and then lost until recent times. The so-called flat earth of classical antiquity may represent a later misunderstanding of a realistic astronomical concept that dates back to an earlier time and is still preserved within the text of the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*. ### Notes 1. Kirk, G. S. and Raven, J. E., 1963, *The Presocratic Philosophers,* Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press., p. 87. 2. Kirk and Raven, 1963, p. 391. 3. Kirk and Raven, 1963, p. 412. 4. British readers, please note: The billions in this article are American; the British billion has three zeros more. 5. The translation of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 5.20.35 says that beyond the ocean of sweet water is a tract of land as wide as the distance from Mount Meru to Mānasottara Mountain (15,750 thousand *yojanas*), and beyond it is a land of gold with a mirrorlike surface. But examination of the Sanskrit text shows that the first tract of land is made of gold, and beyond it is a land with a mirrorlike surface. We have listed this as Ādarśatalopamā, based on the text. 6. *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 5.21.13. 7. In several places Śrīla Prabhupāda has written that the planet earth was named Bhārata-varṣa after Mahārāja Bharata, the son of Ṛṣabhadeva. 8. *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* Fifth Canto, Chapter 16, Chapter Summary. 9. “Goodness of fit” can be defined as follows: For each planetary orbit, we can find the shortest distance from a turning point to a circular feature of Bhūmaṇḍala. The reciprocal of the root mean square of these distances for Mercury through Saturn is the measure of goodness of fit. This measure becomes large when the average distance from turning points to Bhūmaṇḍala features becomes small. 10. All orbital calculations were performed using the ephemeris programs of Duffett-Smith, Peter, 1985, *Astronomy with Your Personal Computer,* Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 11. The 11.2% error of Mars stands out as larger than the others, since Mars partially crosses over feature 9, the outer boundary of Krauñcadvīpa. The *Bhāgavatam* may refer to this indirectly, since it states in verse 5.20.19 that Mount Krauñca in Krauñcadvīpa was attacked by Kārtikeya, who is the regent of Mars. 12. *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 5.20.37. 13. The mean distances of the sun, Venus, and Mercury are the same because Venus and Mercury are inner planets that orbit the sun as the sun orbits the earth (when seen from a geocentric point of view). *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* Alien Identities: Ancient Insights into Modern UFO Phenomena. ## Bhakti-yoga at Home *Why and How to Pray* ### By Rohiṇīnandana Dāsa I REMEMBER PEEPING as a small boy around the edge of the door to my father’s room. I would see him kneeling in front of a chair, his elbows resting on the seat, his hands clasped, his thumbs touching his bowed forehead, his eyes closed. I felt awed. He seemed to be in another world, a private world. For a while I used to kneel beside my bed to pray at night. My prayers mostly consisted of thanking God or asking Him for something. I also went with my father to church on Sundays, while my mother stayed home to cook lunch. When we returned home, we said grace before we ate the Sunday roast. You can imagine how I felt the day I first saw Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees in London, chanting and dancing their way down Oxford Street, and read that the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra* is the “great prayer for deliverance.” Amidst the noise and bustle of the street, the devotees loudly sang Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, while they danced, ran, spun around, and leapt into the air. How could such exuberance and extroversion be prayer? Yet somehow it seemed a natural and fitting way to hallow the name of God. The devotees were not shy about honoring and glorifying God’s name or sharing their joy. As I became more familiar with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I understood that prayer is a way to associate directly with the Lord. By making heartfelt requests, by thanking Kṛṣṇa for His blessings, or by glorifying His wonderful personality and activities, devotees forever rejoice in the Lord’s company. Ultimately, prayer is an unceasing expression of love of God, an inseparable aspect of a devotee’s existence. Śrīla Prabhupāda tells us to try to mold our lives in such a way that we constantly remember Kṛṣṇa. He gives us the example of a woman whose hair is freshly and elaborately styled: She may be doing housework, but she always remembers her hair. Similarly, although a devotee may act in many ways, he never forgets Kṛṣṇa. A devotee prays according to his spiritual advancement. *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* recommends we worship the Supreme Lord whether we have no desires or are full of them, in which case we can learn to depend on Kṛṣṇa for their fulfillment. As we learn the art of prayer, we will gradually become pure devotees, without hankering any more for material things. Kṛṣṇa enjoys taking care of us, as parents enjoy caring for their children. When we gain confidence that Kṛṣṇa is totally reliable in His promise that He will supply all life’s necessities, we will naturally stop praying for material things and instead want to reciprocate Kṛṣṇa's kindness. Although a pure devotee does not want anything from Kṛṣṇa, he has no other shelter or support than the Lord, so he naturally calls out to Him. When Lord Caitanya (Kṛṣṇa Himself in the role of His own pure devotee) traveled alone as a *sannyāsī,* He used to sing, “O Lord Kṛṣṇa, please protect and maintain me. O Lord Rāma, descendent of King Raghu, please protect me. O Kṛṣṇa, killer of the Keśī demon, please maintain me.” The *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is a storehouse of prayers offered to the Lord by the most elevated devotees in universal history. Śrīla Prabhupāda recommends we select prayers relevant to us and recite them, both for our purification and to learn how to pray to Kṛṣṇa. Among others, Śrīla Prabhupāda recommended Prahlāda Mahārāja’s prayers to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva (Canto Seven) and Queen Kuntī’s prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa (Canto One). Besides repeating the prayers of advanced devotees, we can offer our own. In a letter, Śrīla Prabhupāda gives an idea of how to offer our own prayers: “Simply our prayer should be, ‘My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, please remind me to always chant Your holy name. Please do not put me into forgetfulness. You are sitting within me as the Supersoul, so You can either put me into forgetfulness or cause me to remember You. So please do not put me into forgetfulness. Please always remind me to chant. Even if You send me to hell, it does not matter, just so long as I am always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.’ ” The Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra* is a request to be engaged in the Lord’s service. It is a devotee’s main prayer, and all other forms of prayer flow from it. *Rohiṇīnandana Dāsa lives in southern England with his wife and their three children. Write to him in care of* Back to Godhead. ## The Land, the Cows, and Kṛṣṇa *Offerings from Mother Earth* ### By Hare Kṛṣṇa Devī Dāsī IN THE *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (4.19.8) Śrīla Prabhupāda notes, “Although the earth’s ground is the same, different tastes arise due to different kinds of seeds.” What a miracle it is that although two plants grow next to each other in the same dirt, one produces sweet melons, the other hot peppers! Although they use the same resources from Mother Earth, it is as if they give different interpretations of those resources—like two artists with a box of oils, one painting a stately portrait, the other a rich landscape. Different living entities have different ways of serving Kṛṣṇa. The portrait artist might paint a picture of the spiritual master; the landscape artist a landscape of Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇa's home. Both artists can gain spiritual advancement, because Kṛṣṇa reciprocates with everyone’s service. Similarly, when the fruits of both the melon and the pepper plant are offered to Kṛṣṇa in tasty preparations, He blesses the living entities in those plant bodies with spiritual advancement in their next life. But, whereas artists can arrange for their paintings to be used in Kṛṣṇa's service, plants cannot make an offering to Kṛṣṇa. They need humans to harvest their produce and offer it to Kṛṣṇa. Only then can plants gain spiritual advantage. Not only do the plants benefit, but as the *Bhāgavatam* indicates, even Mother Earth feels spiritual satisfaction when the fruits, grains, and vegetables she produces are offered to the Lord. The reverse is also true. The Fourth Canto of the *Bhāgavatam* gives the example that under evil King Vena none of Mother Earth’s products were offered to Kṛṣṇa and she became so offended that she stopped producing food. This is like a mother who gives her child money or flowers to offer in a temple or church. When the child takes these things and offers them, both the child and the mother feel spiritual satisfaction. But if the mother finds that the child is ruining the flowers or spending the money on candy, she stops giving the child things to offer. Then neither mother nor child is happy. Śrīla Prabhupāda once said that every plant has a use. So weeds can serve Kṛṣṇa, too. Even pesky stinging nettles can be used as a coagulant to replace animal rennet in cheese-making. Devotees fortunate enough to live in the countryside don’t have to import foods from abroad to make an enjoyable offering for Kṛṣṇa. The finest foods to offer are the ones grown with love and devotion right in our own gardens. As Prabhupāda told devotees in France, “Anything grown in the garden is a hundred times more valuable than if it is purchased from the market.” Devotees in Kṛṣṇa conscious farm communities around the world have taken up the spirit demonstrated by Śrīla Prabhupāda, and they rejoice in offering Kṛṣṇa things they have grown themselves. I once asked Lalitā Sakhī Dāsī, the head cook at Gītā Nāgarī Farm in Pennsylvania, to describe her favorite offering to the Deities. She replied, “Pizza—because everything is produced right here at Gītā Nāgarī. Our oxen grow the grains for the flour. Our cows produce the milk for the cheese. The tomatoes for the sauce are extra flavorful because they’re grown with cow manure from our barn. Even the basil and oregano come from our herb garden.” Mother Earth wants to help her children, but if they’re uninterested in serving Kṛṣṇa she becomes discouraged. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, “Just as a cow cannot deliver sufficient milk without being affectionate to her calf, the earth cannot produce sufficient necessities without feeling affection for those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious.” In the ideal Kṛṣṇa conscious village, the process is perfect. Devotees express their love for Kṛṣṇa by singing and dancing in *kīrtana,* and that stimulates the affection of Mother Earth, who produces crops and pastures abundantly. Cows and oxen graze on the lush pastures, and in turn produce milk and grains. Plants in the gardens and fields become healthy and productive. Devotees then collect all the foodstuffs and prepare tasty offerings for the Deities. In this way the offerings of Mother Earth are used perfectly, and all the living entities—Mother Earth, the plants, the devotees, the cows and oxen, and even the neighbors who receive the food after it’s offered to Kṛṣṇa—get spiritual happiness. *Hare Kṛṣṇa Devī Dāsī, an ISKCON devotee since 1978, is co-editor of the newsletter* Hare Kṛṣṇa Rural Life. ## Calendar Close-up *Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Disappearance Day: December 18* *Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, the spiritual master of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout India during the early part of this century. He opened sixty-four temples, wrote several books and many essays, and published many books written by his predecessor spiritual masters. He was the leader of the spiritual institution known as the Gauḍīya Math and oversaw the distribution of large numbers of books on Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Here we present a translation of selected verses from his Bengali poem* Vaiṣṇava Ke? *(“Who Is a Vaiṣṇava?”)* ONE IS TRULY a Vaiṣṇava who has given up the habit of falling victim to the ferocious tigress of wealth, beauty, and fame. Such a soul is factually detached from material life, and is known as a pure devotee. Someone with this consciousness of detachment has thereby become victorious over the mundane world of birth and death. ONE IS INDEED detached who moderately partakes of worldly things deemed necessary for living in devotional service; a devotee acting in that manner does not fall prey to the disease of material infatuation. Thus devoid of selfish attachment and endowed with the ability to see things in relation to the Lord, the devotee perceives all sense objects as being Lord Mādhava [Kṛṣṇa] Himself. THIS IS THE STANDARD of befitting renunciation, and one who realizes this is most fortunate indeed. Everything involved in such a devotee’s life represents Lord Hari’s personal spiritual opulence as manifest in the world of matter. On the other hand, one who engages in chanting the Lord’s name with hopes of enhancing his own material reputation finds that all his activities and paraphernalia represent only the riches of hypocrisy. O MIND, please reject the company of two types of persons: those desiring impersonal liberation from the material world, and those who desire to enjoy the pleasure of material sense objects. Both of them are equally nondevotees. Things used in relation to Lord Kṛṣṇa are objects belonging directly to the transcendental realm, and thus having nothing to do with matter they cannot be either owned or forsaken by persons interested in mundane enjoyment or renunciation. Translation by Daśaratha-sūta Dāsa ## Vedic Thoughts Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive, but pure devotional service attracts even Him. This means that pure devotional service is even transcendentally stronger than Kṛṣṇa Himself, because it is Kṛṣṇa's internal potency. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda The Nectar of Devotion, p. 4 Those who fix their minds on My personal form and are always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith are considered by Me to be most perfect. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Bhagavad-gītā 12.2 The wise inhabitants of the heavenly regions know that the perfection of the head is to offer obeisances to the Supreme Lord, the perfection of the life-breath is to worship the Lord, the perfection of the mind is to ponder the details of His transcendental qualities, and the perfection of speech is to chant the glories of His qualities. King Kulaśekhara Ālvār Mukunda-mālā-stotra 46 What is difficult to achieve for determined men who have taken refuge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s lotus feet? His feet are the source of sacred rivers like the Ganges, which put an end to the dangers of mundane life. Śrī Maitreya Ṛṣi Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.23.42 Of all types of worship, worship of Lord Viṣṇu is best, and better than the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is the worship of His devotee, the Vaiṣṇava. Lord Śiva, Padma Purāṇa It has been conclusively decided in the scriptures, after due consideration, that the ultimate goal for the welfare of human society is detachment from the bodily concept of life and increased and steadfast attachment for the Supreme Lord, who is transcendental, beyond the modes of material nature. Pṛthu Mahārāja Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.22.21 The service of Truth is the function of the soul. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Search for Truth (essay) 1998 Book Distribution