# Back to Godhead Magazine #39 *2005 (03)* Back to Godhead Magazine #39-03, 2005 PDF-View ## Welcome IN THIS ISSUE, like the last one, we witness a success of cooperation as Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees open another impressive temple, this time in Suva, the capital of Fiji. Devotees from diverse nationalities and ethnicities took part in the dedication ceremonies, which were a panoply traditional Vedic rites. Also in this issue is a report on Hare Kṛṣṇa tsunami relief in Śrī Lanka, where ISKCON has a center in the capital, Colombo. Indradyumna Swami traveled there with a group of devotees and organized distribution of spiritually and materially nourishing food as well as Lord Kṛṣṇa’s holy names. Tragedies like the tsunami remind us of the inevitability of death. In this issue, Bhranti Devī Dāsī writes of how Lord Kṛṣṇa’s words in the *Bhagavad-gītā* helped her deal with the sudden death of her son. Arcana Siddhi Devī Dāsī tells how her own son gained valuable lessons while witnessing the passing of one of her Godsisters. This issue corresponds with the appearance anniversary of Lord Nrsimha—and the blessed death of the demonic Hiranyakasipu at His hands. As Satyaraja Dāsa’s article makes clear, even a plan for physical immortality as ingenious as Hiranyakasipu’s must fail. Fortunately, we souls can cross the border into spiritual life and gain eternal life in full happiness and enlightenment. Hare Kṛṣṇa. —*Nagaraja Dāsa, Editor* Our Purposes • To help all people discern reality from illusion, spirit from matter, the eternal from the temporary. • To expose the faults of materialism. • To offer guidance in the Vedic techniques of spiritual life. • To preserve and spread the Vedic culture. • To celebrate the chanting of the holy names of God as taught by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. • To help every living being remember and serve Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. ## Letters *Chanting as Sacrifice* I am currently reading the excerpt from the *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* in this month’s BTG (January/February): “Sati Gives Up Her Body.” On page 32 of the magazine, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s purport states that it is a sacrifice to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in this age. Why is the chanting process considered a sacrifice? My understanding is this: To sacrifice means to give up something, usually to obtain something else for oneself or for another. What are we giving up when we chant? I know what we are obtaining—that is clear. Emily Benjamin Via the Internet *Our Reply*: We are sacrificing our time to fix our ears, tongue, and mind on Kṛṣṇa in the form of His holy name. We are giving up whatever we previously spent the 1½–2½ hours doing each day instead of chanting sixteen rounds of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. And Kṛṣṇa is very pleased to see we are giving up some useless activity to focus our consciousness on Him. Perfection in Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to do all our activities for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure without any other consideration. *Why “Servant”?* Why does Kṛṣṇa want us to be His servant? Isn’t that a bit cruel? Why does He say “surrender” unto Him? I don’t get it. Sonul Via the Internet *Our Reply*: Existentially, God is always in a superior position to us, so we’re naturally subservient to Him. In the material world, people might mistreat their servants, but God treats His servants so well they enjoy serving Him and are completely satisfied in His service. Besides, the master-servant relationship is just one of the ways we can serve Kṛṣṇa, all of them fully satisfying for us. We can also be His “servant” by being His friend, superior (such as a parent), or lover. Because Kṛṣṇa’s intelligence is superior to ours, to surrender to His direction is our true self-interest. Or, to put it another way, Kṛṣṇa is asking us to surrender to, or accept, His love, because that’s the best thing for us. *Smoking and Chanting* I want to chant the *maha-mantra,* but I smoke cigarettes. I want to quit smoking. Do I need to wait until I have quit before I start chanting? Ellie Via the Internet *Our Reply*: You may immediately begin chanting the unlimitedly auspicious Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and you might find that you automatically quit smoking cigarettes. Many people have. Just keep in mind that as long as we maintain attachments to material things, we cannot achieve the perfection of chanting, so ultimately we have to give up such things. If you chant with great concentration, you will find it more effective. *Which God?* I am a Hindu and religious. I belong to a group of about twenty-five young people who do *bhajanas* and *kirtanas* together. We are having some problems between us about the right track to follow. I just want you to give me some advice about which god to pray to and follow. Sanjeet Ramanaick Mauritius *Our Reply*: It is not difficult to select a worshipable Deity if you accept *Bhagavad-gītā* as truth. Kṛṣṇa says in verse 7.7 that there is no truth superior to Him. In verse 10.8, He says that He is the source of all spiritual and material worlds and that the wise who know this worship Him with all their hearts. In verse 18.66, He says, “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender to Me. I will protect you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” In verses 9.34 and 18.65, He states that the most confidential knowledge is to always think of Him, become His devotee, bow down to Him, and glorify Him. In verse 9.23, He states that the worshipers of the demigods, or *devas,* get impermanent results by their worship, but His devotees attain His supreme eternal abode. *Troubling Studies* I study in the field of bioinformatics. I know that the soul forms the body of the organism. Then how do I concentrate on bioinformatics, which deals with amino acid and protein. This causes lots of trouble for me. Prasad Dehedkar Mumbai, India *Our Reply*: We should all try to use our situations to glorify Kṛṣṇa. You can do this by looking at your field of study in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way. How is it that the amino acids are so nicely arranged into proteins and the proteins are arranged into cells so that cellular growth, maintenance, and reproduction are going on? It is so complicated that only a fool could deny the arrangement of God. Otherwise, how without guidance could such a complicated arrangement take place. Who but God has constructed machines (living organisms) that change size while they are operating and can produce copies of themselves? Truly miraculous—an opportunity to meditate on the wonder of Kṛṣṇa. When you finish your degree, you can get a job and support your favorite Kṛṣṇa temple. Unless you would really rather study the scriptures and teach them to others as a lifetime monk and you have the determination to do it, then your situation is not so bad. You have to perform some kind of work. Why not stick it out? *Narayana and Kṛṣṇa* Why did Prahlada Mahārāja teach Narayana consciousness and not Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Anuradha Via the Internet *Our Reply*: There is no significant difference between Narayana and Kṛṣṇa because They are both Visnu-tattva, God Himself. Technically Kṛṣṇa is the source of Narayana, and Kṛṣṇa has some uniquely attractive qualities. Still you should know that Prahlada Mahārāja also spoke of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in addition to Narayana consciousness. One of his more famous verses begins *matir na krsne* (*Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* 7.5.30). In this verse he explains how people too addicted to sense enjoyment can never become Kṛṣṇa conscious. *Fear and Fearlessness* I have a question in regards to fear and fearlessness in spiritual life. Śrīla Prabhupāda quotes, *padam padam yad vipadam:* “There is danger at every step.” How to see this warning through the eyes of scripture? In *Bhagavad-gītā,* it is said that one should be devoid of fear (6.14) and that fearlessness belongs to godly men endowed with divine nature (16.3); and, of course: “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” (18.66) How can one be fearless and fearful at the same time? What is the happy medium at which one must arrive for success not only in the spiritual life but also in the day to day drudgery of, as Śrīla Prabhupāda puts it, the hard struggle for existence. How can one both love and fear God? What is feared is certainly not loved. Bruce Gatten Via the Internet *Our Reply*: Lord Kṛṣṇa says, “O son of Prtha, that understanding by which one knows what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, what is to be feared and what is not to be feared, what is binding and what is liberating, is in the mode of goodness.” (*Bhagavad-gītā* 18.30) In the mode of goodness spiritual knowledge becomes manifest, so there must be a good kind of fearfulness. A godly person fears degrading his soul. As Śrīla Prabhupāda says in his purport to *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* 7.6.1, “In all the schools, colleges, and universities, and at home, all children and youths should be taught to hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, they should be taught to hear the instructions of **Bhagavad-gītā*,* to put them into practice in their lives, and thus to become strong in devotional service, free from fear of being degraded to animal life.” This same idea is also mentioned in *Bhagavad-gītā* (2.40), “Even a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.” It is not a question of fearing God. God is all good, so a devotee never fears Him. Still he knows that the uncontrolled mind can lead him away from devotion to Kṛṣṇa for many lives, and he does not want to take the risk. So out of fear of his uncontrolled mind he takes shelter of the devotional service of the Lord, and by so doing he becomes convinced of the Lord’s protection and thus becomes fearless. Please write to us at: BTG, P.O. Box 430, Alachua, FL 32616, USA. Email: [email protected]. Replies to the letters were written by Kṛṣṇa-krpa Dāsa. ## Founder’s Lecture - Seeing God on His Terms *Los Angeles—April 29, 1970* We cannot demand to see God but must act in such a way that He will reveal Himself to us. by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Founder-*Ācārya* of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness > isavasyam idam sarvam > yat kinca jagatyam jagat > tena tyaktena bhunjitha > ma grdhah kasya svid dhanam Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong. —*Śrī Īśopaniṣad,* Mantra 1 Here is a statement that everything animate or inanimate within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. What are you, inanimate or animate? Devotees: Animate. Prabhupāda: Animate. Do you think you are controlled or not controlled? Devotees: Controlled. Prabhupāda: Is there any person here who is not controlled? Devotees: No. Prabhupāda: Or is there anyone anywhere within the universe who is not controlled? Can anyone say, “I am not controlled”? Nobody can say that. So if you are controlled, then why would you declare, “I am uncontrolled. I am independent. I am God”? Why this nonsense? Does being God mean that He is controlled? People are claiming, “I am God.” Is there any meaning to their claim? If I am controlled, then how can I be God? This is common sense. The Mayavada philosopher says, “Everyone is God. I am God; you are God.” But God is never controlled. If somebody is controlled, he is not God. This is a simple definition of God. God is not controlled. If somebody claims that he is God, then first of all ask, “Are you controlled or not controlled?” Common sense. Nobody can say that he’s not controlled. I have seen a rascal who has his own society, and he is preaching, “I am God.” But one day I saw him, and he had a toothache. He was moaning, “*Ohhh*!” [*Laughter.*] So I asked him, “You claim that you are God, and now you are under the control of a toothache. So what kind of God are you?” [*Laughter.*] You see. If someone claims, “I am God, you are God, everyone is God,” you immediately should know he’s a rascal. *Floating the Sun and the Earth* Nobody is uncontrolled. The earth is a small planet, and still you’ll see on this planet that there are big oceans like the Atlantic and the Pacific, and there are big mountains and skyscrapers. With all this load, the earth is floating in the air just like a swab of cotton. Who is controlling it? Can you float even a small piece of grain in the air? You can say “law of gravity” and so many other things, but you cannot utilize it. Or you can—the airplane is moving in the air—but only as long as the machine is working. As soon as your petrol is finished, the airplane will fall down. The sun is fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this planet. We can see that the sun is floating in one corner of this big space. So how can you say that it is not controlled? Is it floating on its own? No. The answer is there in the *Bhagavad-gītā* [15.13]. Kṛṣṇa says, “I enter into the material planets, and I keep them floating.” The pilot, not the machine itself, is keeping the airplane floating. This is simple truth. So since this planet is floating, somebody must have entered it. Kṛṣṇa says, “I have entered it.” What is the difficulty in understanding how it is floating? The analogy is there. Everyone can understand that the big airplane is floating in the sky because the pilot has entered within it. Similarly, if this planet is floating, then somebody—either you or somebody, God—has entered it. And that answer is there in the *Bhagavad-gītā:* “I enter into these planets, and I keep them floating.” That is our answer. The scientists say “the law of gravity.” But we have to take knowledge from Kṛṣṇa. That is our process. We don’t accept any other process of knowledge. Our process is to receive knowledge from the authority and accept it as fact. That is first-class knowledge. If you get an authority who can speak on the subject, and if you take that knowledge, that is perfect. *“Can You Show Me God?”* There are three processes to receive knowledge. The first is direct sense perception, *pratyaksa.* Somebody asks, “Can you show me God?” That means he is a Pratyaksavadi. He wants to see everything directly, experience everything directly. This class of men says, “Can you show me God?” But this is not first-class knowledge. Suppose you ask me, “Can you show me God?” I say, “Yes, I can show you God.” “Show me.” “I’ll show you. This microphone is God.” Will you believe it? Why not? Disciple: It doesn’t have the qualifications. Prabhupāda: No, if you ask me, “Can you show me God?” then I can show anything. “Yes, here He is—God.” Or why God? Suppose you go to a store and ask, “Can you give me gold?” The storekeeper may give you a scrap of iron and say, “Yes, here it is—gold. Take it.” What you will say? You do not know where to purchase gold, but you are in need of some gold, and you go to a storekeeper and ask him, “Have you got gold in stock?” So he’ll immediately understand, “He is a fool, because he has come to purchase gold in an ordinary store. If one wants to purchase gold, he must go where gold is sold. But he has come to an ordinary store to purchase it; therefore he’s a first-class rascal.” He’ll try to cheat him: “Here is gold.” He gives him a piece of iron. Then what will the person say? Will he accept the iron as gold? Why not? He does not know what gold is, and he has gone to a store to purchase it. The storekeeper gives him a piece of iron and says, “Here is gold.” So he’ll purchase it. He’ll be cheated. Similarly, those rascals who ask, “Can you show me God?” must know what God is; otherwise they’ll be cheated. That is being done. If you want to purchase gold, you must have at least some preliminary knowledge of what gold is. You must know its characteristics. A chemist tests chemicals or drugs for certain characteristics: the color is like this, the constitution is like this, the reaction is like this, the taste is like this. If a chemist in the laboratory can corroborate the characteristics, then he accepts it: “Yes, it is soda bicarb.” Similarly, if you want to know God, or if you want to see God, then first you must know the characteristics of God. Otherwise, if you go to another rascal and ask him, “Can you show me God?” and he shows you something nonsense and you accept it as God, is that a very nice thing? But that is going on: “I want to see God.” What qualification have you got to see God? People do not consider whether they are qualified to see God. We do not teach such cheap things. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement does not present something nonsense or cheap. If you want to see God face to face, then you must follow the rules and regulation. You must chant; you must purify yourself. Then gradually the time will come. When you are purified, you’ll see God. *God as the Deity* You can’t see Him immediately, in your present position. But God is so kind, Kṛṣṇa is so kind, that even in your present position He is present as *arca-vigraha,* the Deity in the temple. He’s open to be seen by everyone, whether the person knows or does not know what is God. The *arca-vigraha* is not an idol. He’s not the product of someone’s imagination. Knowledge of Kṛṣṇa’s form is received from the superior *acaryas.* In the *Brahma-saṁhitā* (5.30) Lord Brahma says, *venum kvanantam aravinda-dalayataksam:* Kṛṣṇa holds the flute and has eyes like lotus petals. Kṛṣṇa’s description is there in scripture. With your blunt senses you cannot immediately perceive God’s form, His name, His qualities, His paraphernalia. Our present senses are blunt. In the present civilization, people have become godless, because they have no power to understand God. Nor are they guided by persons who can make them understand what is God. Therefore people are becoming godless, atheistic. But if you read all these Vedic literatures under superior guidance, if you follow the rules and regulations, then *svayam eva sphuraty adah:* God will be revealed unto you. You cannot see God or understand God by your own endeavor. You have to surrender to the process by which God can be known. Then He will be revealed, not otherwise. God is the supreme controller. You are controlled. So how can you control God? “O God, please come here. I will see You.” No, no. God is not so cheap that by your order He will come and be seen by you. No. That is not possible. You must always know: “He’s the supreme controller and I am controlled. So if I can please God by my service, then He’ll reveal Himself to me.” That is the process of knowing God. Thank you very much. ## Dying to Teach *While passing from this world, a Kṛṣṇa conscious teacher gives her most important lesson.* *By Arcana Siddhi Devī Dāsī* WHEN MY son, Narayana, was seven or eight years old, I once left him home alone while I ran down the street to pick up a few groceries. He was engrossed in playing with a new Lego set, so he begged me to let him stay home. We lived in an apartment and our neighbors were home, so I agreed. When I returned, Narayana was sitting outside, sobbing. “What happened?” I asked as I gathered him up in my arms. His reply came through uncontrollable sobs. “Hanuman died.” I was a bit surprised that he would be so upset about the death of a gerbil. Getting the gerbil was one of his impulsive desires where the novelty quickly wore off and the brunt of the responsibility for the gerbil’s care ended up with my husband and me. Sometime before this, Hanuman had bit Narayana, and that was the last time Narayana really paid him any attention. Nevertheless, I said, “You’re feeling so sad because the gerbil died.” Continuing to cry, between gasps for air he said, “He couldn’t breathe. He was jumping around trying to breathe, but he couldn’t breathe.” I held Narayana tightly and waited to hear more. He finished by saying, “And one day I’m going to have to die, and I won’t be able to breathe, just like the gerbil.” He held me tighter and continued to cry. It was a perfect teaching opportunity. I told him we were all going to have to die but how we’d die would depend on how we’d lived. Our chanting and other devotional service would help us leave this world without too much suffering. In fact, if we could become completely Kṛṣṇa conscious, it would be like walking from one room into another. *Natural Gurus* After some time, he became pacified and we had a little funeral for Hanuman. Narayana told me he’d chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa while Hanuman left this world. I thought about how the gerbil was a kind of *guru* for Narayana. There are different types of *guru*s described in the scriptures. The *vartma-pradarsaka*-*guru* introduces us to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The *diksa*-*guru* initiates us into the chanting of the Lord’s holy names. And there are the siksa-*guru*s, or instructing *guru*s. The term generally refers to a spiritual teacher who is very influential in helping us in our spiritual journey, but it can refer to any person or thing that instructs us in spiritual life. If we allow the environment to speak to us, we’ll find spiritual guidance everywhere. In the Eleventh Canto of *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam,* Lord Kṛṣṇa tells His dear friend Uddhava about a conversation between King Yadu and a *brahmana* who had become spiritually advanced by extracting lessons from his surroundings. The *brahmana* identifies twenty-four teachers he had encountered that had taught him some important spiritual lesson: air, water, fire, the earth, the moon, the sun, a pigeon, a python, the sea, a moth, a honey thief, an elephant, a honey bee, a deer, a fish, a prostitute, a *kurara* bird, a child, a young girl, an arrow maker, a serpent, a spider, and a wasp. If we are open to receiving guidance from nature, we will constantly be seeing things that corroborate and reinforce the teachings of the Vedic literature. Every rising and setting of the sun can remind us of impending death, every tree can teach tolerance, and the grass can instruct us about humility. *Lessons from a Godsister* Hanuman served as a *siksa*-*guru* to my son by bringing the reality of death to his doorstep. Recently Narayana (now almost twenty-two) and I had the opportunity to see this lesson played out further by the passing of my Godsister Aradhya Devī Dāsī, a beloved member of our Hare Kṛṣṇa community in Sandy Ridge, North Carolina. Three days before her departure from this world, her lungs had filled with fluid and she was rushed to the hospital. The doctors were able to partially drain the fluid from her lungs, but they would again fill up, so she was sent home with a hospital bed and oxygen tanks to complete her stay in her present body. About a month earlier Aradhya was diagnosed with cancer. Cancer cells with no identifiable source or originating tumor infested her body. She had refused procedures such as chemotherapy and radiation. She opted for alternative healing methods and was under the care of a naturopathic doctor. Just before her recent health crisis, there had been some signs of improvement, giving her family and friends hope for a miraculous healing. But we all had to remind ourselves that the real miracle could be in her passing from the world while absorbed in remembering Kṛṣṇa. As one devotee, a truck driver, said to her, “What’s better—leaving this world and going to the heavenly planets, at the very least, or staying here and driving for Yellow Freight?” Before leaving the hospital, Aradhya told me that she had been able to detach herself from her family and felt ready to leave the world. We thought of a verse spoken by Queen Kunti to Lord Kṛṣṇa: “O Lord of Madhu, as the Ganges forever flows to the sea without hindrance, let my attraction be constantly drawn unto You without being diverted to anyone else. (*Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* 1.8.42) All of our spiritual practices are meant for this purpose. As we chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa *maha-mantra* each day on our beads, we rehearse focusing our mind on the Lord. So many extraneous thoughts infiltrate our meditation. So many attachments to this body divert our mind away from thinking of our Lord. Yet we continue to practice and to pray in the mood of Queen Kunti. It is at the time of death that we realize how crucial it is to have such exclusive devotion, for it is our thoughts at the time of death that take us to our next destination. Aradhya had some residual concern about how her husband and daughter would do without her. I tried my best to assure her that Kṛṣṇa had orchestrated this event not only for her spiritual progress but for theirs as well. She seemed to appreciate that. I also told her that we were only a step behind her and she would be showing us what it’s like to leave this world. Aradhya had distinguished herself in the Hare Kṛṣṇa community as a *gurukula* teacher. Now she would be teaching all of us her final lesson. We embraced each other, and she got ready to leave the hospital to return home. *With Devotees and the Holy Name* That night, at her home, many devotees from the community squeezed into her room to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and sing songs about the Lord’s sweet pastimes. The next morning her family members began arriving and the devotees came in shifts, sometimes reading to her and sometimes chanting. Aradhya had become very weak and could no longer hold a conversation. We would have to press our ear close to her mouth to decipher her short requests. She responded to our questions with a yes or no nod of her head. Sometimes we could see her lips move as she chanted along with the *kirtana.* Each devotee had meaningful personal exchanges with her during this time. While there was a collective experience, we each had our own unique impressions and realizations. One devotee came with her five-week-old infant. Both the baby and Aradhya were totally dependent beings at this stage of their lives, yet the infant was coming into the world and Aradhya was departing. It wasn’t long ago that the newborn child, now in a fresh new body, was in a dying condition. The ABCs of *Bhagavada-gita*—how we are not this material body—unfolded before us in this experiential learning session. Prabhupāda’s daunting words resounded in my head: “Don’t think this won’t happen to you.” Sensing that the end was near, some devotees stayed with Aradhya throughout the night, singing soft, melodious *kirtana.* Devotees also perched themselves on either side of her bed, chanting loud *japa* into her ears. Although outwardly unresponsive on the final day, Aradhya at one point placed her hands together in a gesture of prayer during the chanting of “Yasomati Nandana.” There were other indications throughout the day that she was conscious. She didn’t want anything to interfere with her ability to remember the Lord, so despite feeling a lot of pain during her final days, she had refused any pain medication. This was particularly astounding to me, since she didn’t so much as wince throughout her last days. At 9:16 P.M. on September 27, 2004, Aradhya Devī Dāsī took three shallow breaths and departed from the world. My son watched her departure, chanting on his beads. The quiet *kirtana* erupted into a divine symphony of loud voices rejoicing at her wonderful departure. It was the anniversary of the passing of Haridasa Ṭhākura, an associate of Lord Caitanya’s who had taught the glories of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra—another sign of the blessedness of her passing. I couldn’t help but remember Narayana’s reaction to his gerbil’s death. I asked him what he was thinking as he watched this dear Vaisnava depart from the world. “I just wish I could have gone with her,” he replied. In the past fourteen years he had gone from fear of dying to having faith in the glory of dying in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. How fortunate we are to have the Vedic teachings to help us understand the nature of matter and spirit. And how fortunate we are to have these teachings come to life as we each apply them and share them in our journeys back home, back to Godhead. *Arcana Siddhi Devī Dāsī was initiated by Śrīla Prabhupāda in 1976. She lives with her husband and son in Sandy Ridge, North Carolina, where she works as a family therapist.* ## Śrīla Prabhupāda 108 Celebration *A Lover of Festivals* *By Lokanath Swami* By introducing a variety of festivals, Śrīla Prabhupāda gave ISKCON a wonderful, colorful culture. Now, to glorify Śrīla Prabhupāda on his 108th anniversary, ISKCON celebrates many special festivals in his honor. As the golden early morning sun filters through the palm trees in the garden here at ISKCON’s center in Māyāpur, West Bengal, hundreds of devotees from all corners of the world sweetly sing and dance. Next to the temple of Śrī Śrī Rādhā Madhava, the Lord’s carrier, Garuda, presides over the ceremony to raise the Garuda flag to begin ISKCON’s annual Māyāpur Festival. As the flag unfurls at the top of the pole, multi-colored flower petals shower down upon the devotees. *Brahmanas* chant mantras as auspicious coconuts are broken, spraying devotees. Drums beat, hand cymbals ring, and devotees cheer. A trumpet blasts. As the colorful *kirtana* procession returns to the temple, smiling devotees stand in the gateway of the garden, freely distributing Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Madhava’s *maha-prasādam* sweets to all. The Garuda flag signifies that everything here during the Māyāpur Festival is for the pleasure of Visnu. The festival is special because we are all here together as a family to glorify Śrīla Prabhupāda on his 108th birth anniversary. I feel that Lord Kṛṣṇa is smiling to see this grand festival to honor His pure devotee. Walking on the pleasant flower-lined pathways that surround the temple, I ponder how all the wonderful festivals we so gratefully take part in throughout the Kṛṣṇa conscious movement are the mercy of Śrīla Prabhupāda. He is the founder of all our festivals, and a lover of festivals himself. *Utsava priya manavah,* the saying goes. “People love festivals.” We are inherently attracted to festivals because every day is a festival in the spiritual world—every step a dance, every word a song. Śrīla Prabhupāda conceived many festivals, starting with weekly Sunday festivals, which he called “The Sunday Love Feast.” Festivals celebrating the appearance days of the Lord, His incarnations, and His devotees soon followed—Janmastami, Rādhāstami, Rathayatras all over the world, and even traveling Padayatra festivals with bullock carts. Of course, the greatest of all festivals is the annual Māyāpur/Vṛndāvana Festival. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that he could give us a Vaisnava festival for every day on the calendar. *Reviving Bhakti Devi* Narada Muni, the universal traveling preacher, has a similar strategy spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Five thousand years ago began the current age of Kali, during which religion declines. Because of the influence of this degraded age, Bhakti Devi (personified devotion to the Lord) became old and ill. Her two sons Jnana (knowledge) and Viragya (renunciation) were exhausted and on the verge of death. The three of them met Narada Muni in Vṛndāvana. “O Bhakti Devi,” Narada Muni said, “don’t be distressed. Through festivals, I’m going to place you in every home, in every nook and corner of the world.” Śrīla Prabhupāda, in the disciplic succession of Śrīla Narada Muni, followed in Narada Muni’s footsteps by launching festivals of Kṛṣṇa consciousness all across the globe. To celebrate Prabhupāda’s 108th birth anniversary, devotees of the Hare Krishna movement have organized numerous festivals to honor and please Śrīla Prabhupāda. *“108 Celebration” Festivals* Highlights of this commemorative year’s festivals so far include: The inaugural function of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s 108th Anniversary Celebrations was the Panca-tattva Installation here in Māyāpur Dhama. This was followed by Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Vyāsa-pūjā, during which he was ceremoniously bathed with water from 108 holy places. Since then, Rathayatras around the world have centered on the theme of the 108 Celebration. In Russia, the Hare Kṛṣṇa festival in Divnomorsk, on the Black Sea, drew four thousand devotees, the best attendance ever for this annual event. In India, a special Śrīla Prabhupāda 108 offering was the National Youth Festival hosted by ISKCON Pune. It attracted more than four thousand college students from all across India. “Prabhupāda’s Legacy Lives!” was the theme of the Cross Maidan Festival in Mumbai. The festival commemorated the first festival Śrīla Prabhupāda organized in Mumbai, in 1971. The ten-day event drew thousands and was televised globally. Festivals celebrated temple openings in Suva, Fiji; Pandharpur, India; and Auckland, New Zealand. During the Gita Jayanti Festival and Śrīla Prabhupāda Book Distribution Marathon, devotees distributed over four million books and magazines for Śrīla Prabhupāda’s pleasure. India Padayatra’s twentieth anniversary coincided with Śrīla Prabhupāda’s 108th anniversary. To celebrate, devotees did Padayatra from Jansi to Chirgoan, literally following in the footsteps of Śrīla Prabhupāda, who walked this same route approximately fifty years ago. While writing this article, I am in Māyāpur, celebrating Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Family Reunion. *Festivals for the Age* I would like to thank ISKCON leaders, members, and supporters for their enthusiastic participation in glorifying Śrīla Prabhupāda during his 108 anniversary year. May he bless and empower us all to carry on his mission in this world, which is to establish the principles of *dharma* in the age of Kali. The festivals he inaugurated, and which his followers carry on, are a perfect way to spread the *dharma* of the age, the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Please visit www.prabhupada108.net for more information. ## Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out *Evolution: The Soul’s Upward Transmigration* This conversation between His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and one of his disciples, Dr. Thoudam Singh (now Bhakti Svarupa Damodara Swami), took place during an early-morning walk on Venice Beach in Los Angeles. Dr. Singh: Your Divine Grace, are all the species of life created simultaneously? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. The species already exist, and the living entity simply transfers himself from one womb to the next, just as a man transfers himself from one apartment to another. Suppose a person comes from a lower-class apartment to a first-class apartment. The person is the same, but now, according to his capacity for payment—according to his karma—he is able to occupy a higher-class apartment. Evolution does not mean physical development, but development of consciousness. Do you follow? Dr. Singh: I think so. Do you mean that evolution is actually the soul’s transmigration from the lower species of life up to the higher species? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. As you get more money you can move to a better apartment. Similarly, as your consciousness develops, you move up to a higher species of life. The species already exist, however. It is not that the lower species become higher species—that is Darwin’s nonsensical theory. Dr. Singh: And each living entity is made to live in a particular type of body according to his desires? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. God knows the various desires of all the living entities in the material world. Therefore, to accommodate all the conditioned souls, He creates the 8,400,000 species of life from the very beginning. Dr. Singh: Śrīla Prabhupāda, what is the difference between the transmigration of souls in animal bodies and the transmigration of human souls? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Animals transmigrate only in one direction—upward—but human beings can transmigrate to either a higher or a lower form of life. By nature’s law the lower species are coming up from animal forms to the higher, human forms. But once you come to the human form, if you don’t cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness you may return to the body of a cat or dog. Dr. Singh: The scientists have no information that evolution can operate in either direction. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Therefore, I say they are fools and rascals. They have no knowledge, yet they still claim to be scientists. Dr. Singh: One of the prominent scientific arguments is that before Darwin’s biophysical type of evolution could take place, there had to be something they call “prebiotic chemistry” or “chemical evolution.” Śrīla Prabhupāda: But from what have the chemicals evolved? The term “chemical evolution” implies that chemicals have an origin. And we know from the Vedic science that the origin is spirit, or life. For example, a lemon tree produces citric acid. Also, our bodies produce many chemicals through our urine, blood, and bodily secretions. So there are many examples of how life produces chemicals, but there are no instances where chemicals have produced life. Dr. Singh: A Russian biologist in 1920 developed the idea of chemical evolution. He demonstrated that before biochemical evolution, the earth’s atmosphere was composed mostly of hydrogen, with very little oxygen. Then, in due course . . . Śrīla Prabhupāda: This is a side study. First of all, where did the hydrogen come from? The scientists simply study the middle of the process—they do not study the origin. You must know the beginning. There is an airplane [Śrīla Prabhupāda points to an airplane appearing on the horizon]. Would you say the origin of that machine is the sea? A foolish person might say that all of a sudden a light appeared in the sea, and that’s how the airplane was created. But is that a scientific explanation? The scientists’ theories are just like that. They say, “This existed, and then all of a sudden, simply by chance, that occurred.” This is not real science. Real science must explain the original cause. Dr. Singh: What you have been saying completely contradicts Darwin’s theory of evolution. Darwin and his supporters say that life started from matter and evolved from unicellular organisms to multicellular organisms. They believe higher species like animals and men didn’t exist at the beginning of creation. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Darwin and his followers are rascals. If the higher species have evolved from the lower species, then why do the lower species still exist? At the present moment we see both the human species, with its advanced intelligence, and the foolish ass. Why do both these entities exist simultaneously? Why hasn’t the ass form simply evolved into a higher species and thus become extinct? Darwin thought that human beings evolved from the monkeys. But why do we never see a monkey giving birth to a human being? The Darwinists’ theory that human life began in such-and-such an era is nonsense. The *Bhagavad-gītā* says that on leaving this present body you can directly transmigrate to any species of life, according to your karma. Sometimes I travel to America, sometimes to Australia, and sometimes to Africa. The countries already exist; I am simply traveling through them. It is not that because I have come to America I have created or become America. And there are many countries I have not yet seen. Does that mean they do not exist? Any scientist who supports Darwin is unintelligent. The *Bhagavad-gītā* clearly says that all the species of life exist simultaneously, and that you can go to any of them—that will depend on your consciousness at the time of death. If you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, you can even go up to the kingdom of God. Lord Kṛṣṇa explains all this very clearly in the *Bhagavad-gītā*. ## Spiritual Places *Suva Welcomes the Emperor of Sweetness* *By Urmila Devī Dāsī* In the capital of Fiji, Lord Kṛṣṇa is enthroned in ISKCON’s largest temple outside India. Based on interviews with Bir Kṛṣṇa Goswami and Kṛṣṇa-priya Devī Dāsī THE OPENING ceremonies for ISKCON’s new temple in Suva, Fiji, are in full swing. Milk, honey, fruit juices, clarified butter, and scented water flow over Deities of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Their closest cowherd-girl associates, Lalita and Visakha. “An ocean of bliss is at the feet of the damsels of Vṛndāvana,” our venerable *acarya* Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has written. Perhaps the sweet mixture at their feet today won’t fill an ocean, but it does fill many buckets. And after the bathing ceremony thousands of guests will vie to taste a few drops. The process of installing the Deity, or welcoming the Lord, can be as simple as chanting Kṛṣṇa’s names. But here in Suva, Fiji’s capital, all traditional intricacies are being minutely followed. Since the qualification for worship is devotion and purity, not body or birth, both male and female priests perform the ceremonies. And they are of diverse nationalities and ethnicities: Fijian, Indian, Australian, European, American, African, New Zealanders. Some have traveled halfway around the world to have the benefit of readying the temple complex and greeting the Lord. Most of those helping, however, live in Fiji, home to many devotees of Kṛṣṇa. Having ten thousand ISKCON members in a country of 800,000 has a significant effect on the country. ISKCON’s Kṛṣṇa-Kaliya temple in Lautoka, Fiji, which opened in 1976, was the movement’s first temple built outside of India. The new Suva temple is now ISKCON’s largest outside India. Twelve Deities are being installed. Situated in the middle of the capital district, a five minute drive from the main shopping area, the Suva temple establishes the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement as the primary representative of the Vedic tradition. The Vedic culture remains tangible in the Fijian islands, where nearly half of the population has roots in India. Hospitality and respect are hallmarks of the people. A visitor to the temple quickly feels like part of a large family. This feeling may be somewhat due to the fact that it is common for entire families—husband, wife, parents, children, aunts, and uncles—to join ISKCON together. The atmosphere, programs, and goals inherent in ISKCON temples are a welcome part of the general culture. Yet it is not only those of Indian decent who embrace the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement in Fiji. Some members have their roots in Fiji’s indigenous cultures. Races and cultures find unity in diversity when Lord Kṛṣṇa is the center. When those helping with the temple preparations went downtown to shop, everyone smiled, waved, and asked when the grand opening would be. There’s a love among the people for hearing about Kṛṣṇa, chanting His holy names, and eating *prasādam.* (Devotees run six restaurants in Fiji, including one in the new Suva temple.) Perhaps the original culture of the people has been somewhat preserved, in part, because television—one of the chief generals of this degraded age—has been in the country for only six or seven years. With the temple’s prime location, it is common for government officials, including ambassadors and members of parliament, to come regularly to see the Deities and take *prasādam.* The temple’s golden spires, like ones in the royal Indian city of Jaipur, can be seen for miles away. They beckon to businessmen, who stop by and worship the Lord before work in the morning. Many initiated devotees hold prominent positions in society. An example is Kisori Devī Dāsī, one of the group who carried the golden *cakras* (discs of Lord Visnu) to the top of the domes during the temple’s opening ceremonies. She’s a gold medal winner at the Fiji School of Medicine. Cooperation among devotees to prepare the buildings was sweet and tangible. Regardless of externals such as differing occupations, social classes, nationalities, and gender, all worked together with great happiness to make the installation ceremony a success. Henry Ford’s great-grandson Alfred, also known as Ambarisa Dāsa, served alongside doctors and construction workers. Assisting with everything from management to menial labor were three ISKCON leaders in the renounced order: Bhakti Caru Swami, Vedavyasapriya Swami, and Bir Kṛṣṇa Goswami. Designations faded as devotees spent days grinding sandalwood into paste to offer to Kṛṣṇa. Gold-leafing the **kalash*as* (the ornaments, r*es*embling large stacked balls, that crown the temple dom*es*) was a huge project, demanding ingenuity and team effort. Before gold leaf will stick to a copper surface, the copper has to be absolutely clean and free of tarnish. Tamarind water, normally used to polish copper in Fiji, took too long. So Bir Kṛṣṇa Goswami, ISKCON’s governing body commissioner for Fiji, r*es*earched on the Internet to discover how to concoct his own solution—a mixture of lemon juice, salt, and laundry soap. After the polishing, the devote*es* had to put on two coats of primer and one coat of yellow paint before starting the detailed work of applying the gold. Finally, a crane lifted the *kalash**es* into place, where they now glimmer in the tropical sunshine. What a change from the small metal building used as a temple here for the last ten years! Coming to the island a month or even two weeks before the scheduled ceremony, one would have doubted that everything would be ready on time. But it was—down to the details. Commissioned paintings by Madhava-priya Devī Dāsī decorate the temple walls. Also on display are her paintings that tell the story of the *Ramayana*—especially appropriate since Kṛṣṇa in His form of Ramacandra, with Sita, Laksmana, and Hanuman, was being installed. The *Ramayana* is very popular in Fiji. Lord Rama not only inspires divine love, but also sets an example for all people in matters of morality, ethics, and righteous government. *Five Thousand Guests* When the three-day festival finally began, young men trained at ISKCON’s center in Māyāpur, West Bengal, performed the traditional Vastu Puja. Several sacrificial areas were prepared, two with sacred fires into which participants threw grains, symbolic of their offering their hearts to Kṛṣṇa. The five thousand guests chanted the holy names and danced with great happiness. More than forty people took initiation from three spiritual masters, promising to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and give up intoxication, illicit sex, gambling, and the eating of meat, fish, and eggs. Some devotees had the great fortune to unwrap the Deities’ eyes (part of the installation ritual), bath the Deities, massage them, and put them into beds the night before the final function. These devotees felt they were in the spiritual world. One of them, Ambarisa Dāsa, says it’s the best experience in Deity worship. As Rādhā- Golokabihari lay in Their beds, Bir Kṛṣṇa Goswami sang to Them of the places and residents of Vṛndāvana. Only a faint light illumined the space behind the altar. In this sweet atmosphere, devotees found an increased awareness of the Lord’s presence in the Deity form. One of the many mysteries of serving Kṛṣṇa is that those who serve His servants get the same experience as those who serve directly. The truth of this scriptural statement was obvious when the crowd of five thousand sang for two hours after the final public bathing ceremony as they waited for the Deities, being dressed behind closed curtains, to be revealed. As the curtains slowly parted, the crowd gasped and squealed with delight and intense spiritual pleasure. The Deities wore garlands of locally grown plumerias, the petals delicately folded over before being strung together. The opulence of the temple was overshadowed by the glorious sweetness of the Deities. Wave after wave of a nectar ocean of happiness, beyond the body and mind, carried to all at least a taste of the delight which is the natural state of all souls in connection with the Absolute Truth. More than seventy devotees have volunteered for various services to the Deities. Over time, as they perform the regular daily worship, the joy they felt at the installation will increase until it becomes fixed in their hearts, removing all mundane duality. Material desires, lamentations, and the pains of this world will be swept aside as if insignificant in the cleansing and purifying devotional service to the Lord. *Urmila Devī Dāsī, a BTG associate editor, is a member of the Hare Kṛṣṇa community in Hillsborough, North Carolina, of which Bir Kṛṣṇa Goswami is ISKCON’s govern body commissioner and Kṛṣṇa-priya Devī Dāsī is the former temple president.* *A DVD of the temple opening is available at www.krishna.com/store.* ## Śrīla Prabhupāda And Tamal Kṛṣṇa Goswami in Fiji *By Bir Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Goswami* WHEN Śrīla Prabhupāda visited Fiji, he invoked the presence of Kṛṣṇa and planted the seed that was later to fructify into what is there today. The scriptures say that even a moment’s association with a great soul like Śrīla Prabhupāda can give one perfection. Even though Prabhupāda’s visits to Fiji were short, they showed the truth of this statement. Śrīla Prabhupāda empowered his representatives Vasudeva Dāsa, Bhuvan Mohan, and Bhagavati Devī Dāsī to further give out the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. They did this with great success and opened up the magnificent Kṛṣṇa-Kaliya temple in Lautoka. Then Prabhupāda sent his dear disciple Tamal Kṛṣṇa Goswami to give the devotees a vision of a transcendental culture. Tamal Kṛṣṇa Goswami traveled throughout the islands and convinced thousands of people of the veracity of the Vedic teachings, engaging them in the service of the Lord. Sometimes he sent people by horseback to remote villages where now the entire population are devotees. Prabhupāda and Tamal Kṛṣṇa Goswami had a vision for the Suva temple. They wanted it to be a spiritual beacon for all of Fiji. They wanted it to serve as a base from which to distribute spiritual knowledge, spiritual food, and the holy names. And they wanted the Deities to attract everyone away from the mundane world. ## Neither Here Nor There *Exploring Borders with Lord Nrsimha* A delayed border crossing and a long-nailed woman spark thoughts of Kṛṣṇa’s fiercest incarnation. *By Satyaraja Dāsa* THE COLD WINTER day was offset by my warm compartment on the train. I could see snow from my snug window seat, but a soft pillow assured me that this would be a pleasant trip. I so wanted this long, relaxing ride. The Toronto American Academy of Religion conference had been intense. Now I would spend nearly a full day returning home. I could read, chant, and nap, and my plan was to do exactly those things, and in that order. In the seat to my right was an elderly woman with unusually long nails. She seemed obsessed with polishing them—with bright red nail polish. I was torn between spying on her cosmetic chore, which she tended to with enthusiasm, and admiring the oncoming evening sky. It was twilight, with the sun already over the horizon. It reminded me of the cover of *Bhagavad-gītā As It Is*. In that battlefield scene, highlighted by Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna on their chariot, the background reveals a dusky sky, with bits of yellow, red, and ever darker shades of blue. Just then, the conductor announced that we would soon be stopping for some time at the Canada-New York border; customs wanted to be sure that no terrorists were on the train. Within five minutes, we were there, sitting at what would turn out to be a protracted stop. “Where are we?” I asked the woman sitting next to me. “Is this considered New York or Canada?” “We’re in both,” she said, taking a moment to forsake her nails. “Or,” she added with a wry smile, “maybe we’re in neither.” As we both enjoyed her thought-provoking comment, and as I gazed at her long red nails, I began to think of Nrsimhadeva, the prominent incarnation of Kṛṣṇa who is half man and half lion. Lord Nrsimha’s nails are also described as long and scary looking. But it was more than her nails. It’s my habit to think of this particular incarnation of Kṛṣṇa when things seem suspicious or frightening, like a customs check for terrorists. The Vedic scriptures describe that Lord Nrsimha protects His devotees from all manner of calamity. But there was still more than the nails and the protection factor. It was that it was dusk and we were at the border of Canada and New York. Let me explain. *Nrsimhadeva: Some Background* *Nr* means “man,” *simha* means “lion,” and *deva* means “God” or “godly.” *Nr**simha**deva* is indeed a man-lion. But really He is so much more. His four arms identify Him as Visnu, an expansion of Kṛṣṇa, and He is listed in Puranic scriptures as a genuine manifestation of the Supreme Lord. Yet He is unlike any other incarnation. First of all, Nrsimha is ferocious: His sharp, thirsty teeth, His long, frightening nails (which would be the envy of my co-passenger!), His deafening cries for the blood of the infamous demon-king Hiranyakasipu—all these distinguish Him among incarnations of Visnu. His ferocity, reserved for demons like Hiranyakasipu, is often juxtaposed with His beauty and benevolence, traits more obvious to His devotees. When He revealed Himself to rid the world of Hiranyakasipu, millennia ago, His gleaming fangs were the features with which the demon became most acquainted. The Lord’s quivering tongue and innumerable arms (He sometimes showed four, sometimes more) were increasingly visible when Hiranyakasipu moved closer, in a vain attempt to do battle with Him. The demon became all too intimate with Nrsimhadeva’s razor-sharp claws. As a result of performing the most severe austerities, Hiranyakasipu developed untold mystic powers, but he used them only for his own selfish ends. He defeated all who vied for his post and, with great arrogance, mocked all who challenged him. Intoxicated with his well-earned excellence, he challenged every worthy being in the universe to any number and variety of duels, and he always won. There was a reason not only for his success but for his confidence: As a result of his austerities, he was offered a boon—anything he wanted—from Lord Brahma, the first created being. Initially, he asked Brahma for immortality. But Brahma explained to him that this was not possible. “Even I,” said Brahma, who has a life span lasting many millions of years, “must one day die.” So Hiranyakasipu asked Brahma for the following assurances: That he could never be slain indoors or outdoors, on the ground or in the air, by day or by night, by man or by beast, or by any weapon known to man. In this way, when Brahma agreed, the demon thought he had tricked the creator-god into securing his immortality. And so he went on conquering and terrorizing the universe. However, the saintly little boy Prahlada, Hiranyakasipu’s son, was a thorn in the demon’s side. Although their family was notoriously demoniac—burdening the world with a series of evil kings with political agendas and lascivious lifestyles—Prahlada was highly devotional, a pious boy with no interest other than serving the Lord. In school, at the age of five, he would encourage his friends to sing and dance in spiritual ecstasy. This frustrated Hiranyakasipu to no end, leading him to make attempts on his own son’s life. Each attempt failed, however, because Visnu Himself invariably arranged for the boy’s rescue. *The Man-Lion Appears* Completely vexed, the demon-king thought he might reason with his child. “You worship someone as Lord, someone you think is greater than I? Where is He? Show me this God of yours.” Prahlada merely answered that His sweet Lord is everywhere. “Even in this pillar?” asked Hiranyakasipu. When Prahlada affirmed that because God is all-pervading He was also in the pillar right in front of them, the demon could hear no more, and, drawing his sword, smacked the pillar with all his strength. At that moment Nrsimhadeva, the half-man and half-lion form of God, jumped out of the pillar and toward Hiranyakasipu. Fearful of the Lord’s intense ferociousness, the demon nonetheless attacked Him with determined enthusiasm. Appearing like a meager wasp in the presence of Lord Nrsimha, he raised his sword and shield and was ready for combat. Lord Nrsimha had no weapons—only His long lion nails on all four hands, His deafening growl, and His sharp teeth. *The Boons Fall Short* The battle with Hiranyakasipu was no challenge for the Lord of all. Nrsimhadeva snatched him up, as a cat might capture a mouse. Incensed by the demon’s arrogance and offended by the way he had treated Prahlada, the Lord was a sight to behold. Nrsimhadeva’s eyes, which glistened with wrath, resembled molten gold, as did His dress and crown. His teeth reflected the deadly dread in Hiranyakasipu’s eyes. His nostrils and mouth appeared like the caves of a huge mountain. His jaws parted fearfully, and His claws beckoned Hiranyakasipu, who saw in them his inevitable demise. In one quick motion, the Lord placed the demon on His lap and, in the doorway of the assembly hall, tore him to pieces with the nails of His hands. The Lord’s mouth and mane were sprinkled with the demon’s blood, and His fierce eyes, full of anger, were impossible to look at. Licking the edge of His mouth with His tongue, Lord Nrsimha, decorated with a garland of intestines ripped from Hiranyakasipu’s abdomen, resembled a lion that has just killed its prey. Lord Brahma’s boon was never violated: Hiranyakasipu was killed nether by man nor by beast, but by Nrsimhadeva, who was God as a hybrid entity: part man, part beast. Nor was he killed inside or outside, but at the threshold of the assembly hall. It was neither day nor night, but twilight. The death did not occur in the air or on the ground, but in Nrsimhadeva’s lap. And Hiranyakasipu was not killed by any weapon known to man, but by the naked claws of the divine man-lion. *Back to the Border* And so there I was, between day and night, at dusk; not on land or water, but on a train; not in New York or Canada, but on the border. The long red nails in front of me, and the fear of terrorists on the train, brought the story home. As I contemplated Lord Nrsimha, I shared the story with the woman next to me. I also spoke to her about the thought-provoking nature of borders. In philosophy, this is called the principle of liminality—existence at the threshold, an in-between state that is neither here nor there, or both here *and* there. The Nrsimha story, I told her, includes numerous layers of such inbetweens. Prahlada, for example, is from a family of demons, and yet he is honored among devotees. Even Kṛṣṇa says, in *Bhagavad-gītā* (10.30), “Of Daityas, I am Prahlada.” The Daityas were a race of enemies of the celestial *devas,* more in line with Hiranyakasipu’s demeanor than that of his son Prahlada. So, Prahlada is both: He is born a Daitya, but is also, by qualification, a *deva,* or godlike devotee. Another example of a liminal state: Hiranyakasipu is both a hedonistic sensualist and an accomplished ascetic. He was inclined to barbarism and selfishness and yet had the determination, albeit for the wrong reasons, to acquire the boons described in the story. This accomplishment showed a tremendous display of penance and austerity. So while he was clearly a self-centered demon on one hand, he warranted Lord Brahma’s favor on the other. Lord Nrsimha Himself is part man and part lion, which can be seen as another example of liminality. Also, He emerges from a pillar—cold, hard matter—and yet He is the supreme spirit. Ultimately, the conditions of Hiranyakasipu’s death are a virtual study of liminal states, with twilight, threshold, and so on. *The In-Between Nature of the Soul* The train started to pull out of the station. My neighbor was enthralled by the Nrsimha story. “Amazing,” she said. “But how does this apply to us? I mean, now we walk away from this threshold scene, and our interaction with borders is only temporary.” “Exactly,” I told her, “because we are not God, and our life in this world is temporary and limited, unlike Lord Nrsimha’s. Being God, His story is eternal and unlimited.” As we parted at Penn Station in New York, I left her with some concluding words: “There is a sense in which we can take this border idea with us. In the Vedic literature, we living beings are described as *tatastha-sakti,* or marginal energy. *Tatastha* means ‘situated on the shore,’ or more specifically, situated on that imaginary line that separates land and sea. It’s considered ‘imaginary’ because it is indefinable, perpetually pulling back and moving out towards sea. In the same way, the living being is essentially spiritual but has a tendency to fluctuate between matter and spirit, leaning toward one or the other at various times.” She shook her head: “This is deep.” “Right,” I said. “So always remember that you are a spirit soul temporarily caught in a material world, and that Lord Nrsimha is the Supreme Godhead.” We stopped in front of a bookstore as she smiled and waved goodbye, her long red nails a reminder of our spiritual discussion. She then pointed to a canopy above her head, indicating that she was entering a store named “Borders.” We laughed one last time, and went our separate ways. *Satyaraja Dāsa is a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda and a regular contributor to BTG. He has written over twenty books on Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He lives with his wife and daughter near New York City.* ## The Divine, Eternal Promises of the Lord *“Surely You Will Come to Me.”* After losing a child, a mother finds solace in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s words. *By Bhranti Devī Dāsī* IN THE SUMMER of the year 2000, something happened that would drastically change the lives of my family and me. It would also test our faith in Kṛṣṇa and make us view life with a new awareness—an awareness of death. We were traveling across America when, in the open country of Wyoming, the back tire on our minivan shredded and flew off. The car went out of control and after flipping over several times, landed upside down. One of my sons, Kesava Kumara, sustained a head injury that would take his life the following day. He was only twelve years old. We did all we could to prepare him spiritually for his passing. He left this world marked and anointed with *tilaka,* Yamuna water, and Vṛndāvana dust, and with his hands resting on Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. Time seemed to lose all meaning, as we were one day on a family vacation, one day at the hospital, and one day at the crematorium. When the doctor had informed us that he would not survive his injury, my first thought had been, “This life is ruined for me.” The bubble of illusion of a happy life in this world had been popped. I had never before felt so disoriented. How was this possible? Seven months earlier we had been in Vṛndāvana-dhama and had plans to return there after the summer. This seemed to be a nightmare that just couldn’t be true. At Kesava’s bedside we had desperately struggled to take shelter of the verses describing the immortality of the soul in the Second Chapter of the *Bhagavad-gītā.* The sudden loss of a loved one must be the most bewildering thing. It took months for me to grasp the reality of it. Intense grief can be very isolating, as it is rare that anyone around you can understand the depth of your pain. Later, as I reread the *Gita* and prayed to Śrīla Prabhupāda to help me through this, I noticed that so many of the verses spoken by the Lord are in the form of promises, divine and eternal. Lord Kṛṣṇa declares that we are eternally joined to Him. He speaks words of love and assurance, shining like a lighthouse in the dark. Dictionaries define a promise as “a verbal commitment,” “a pact,” “grounds for expectation.” Any promise is a precious agreement, but how much more precious when it comes from the heart of God and is eternal. As He is omnipotent, there is no possibility that He will be unable to fulfill His promises, as may be the case with a human promise, however sincere. It occurs to me that a promise is a gift—one that is spoken. I held fast to these assurances of the Lord, taking heart in them and receiving solace and comfort. I thought, “If I am eternally joined to the Supreme Lord, then so is my son—so is everyone.” Every living being, every soul, has an intrinsic, eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa. In the *Gita* the Lord speaks timeless wisdom to Arjuna, and it is meant for all souls, for all time. I would like to share with you six of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s promises. I hope that you will find encouragement in these eternal promises of love, given to everyone by the Supreme Lord Himself. *Six Promises by Lord Kṛṣṇa* (1) Śrī Kṛṣṇa promises: “Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kṛṣṇa and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.” (8.7) This is not a vague promise, but a clear and concrete statement. The First Canto of *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* presents a similarly clear statement on the result of hearing about the glories of the Lord: “Loving service unto the Personality of Godhead is established as an irrevocable fact.” Irrevocable: permanent, cannot be changed. Whatever we do for Kṛṣṇa in this life is permanent and will stay with us even after the demise of this one body and this one temporary life. (2) Śrī Kṛṣṇa promises: “Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me, and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.” (9.34) This is such a beautiful promise. Śrīla Prabhupāda states in the purport to this verse that we should be thinking of Kṛṣṇa in devotional love and continually cultivating knowledge of Him. This is our part in a very real and reciprocal relationship. In writing about the reciprocal relationship between the Lord and the devotee, Śrīla Prabhupāda uses beautiful imagery in the purport of verse 9.29: “The Lord and the living entities eternally glitter, and when a living entity becomes inclined towards the service of the Supreme Lord he looks like gold. The Lord is a diamond, so this combination is very nice.” (3) Śrī Kṛṣṇa promises: “To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” (10.10) The words used here are “constantly devoted,” which indicate devotion without pause or cessation, continually flowing. Many people may worship God for some material benefit, and that is pious, as they are submitting their prayers to Him. But here in this verse Kṛṣṇa speaks about those persons who desire only Him. We cannot go to Kṛṣṇa on our own power. If He is pleased with us, He gives us passage. From the beginning of the universe, the *Vedas* are there as guides, and down through the ages the Lord continually sends incarnations and saintly persons to bring transcendental knowledge to the *jiva* souls. That we must take shelter of a bona fide *guru* completely devoted to the Lord is a very important point and cannot be overestimated. Arjuna’s accepting Kṛṣṇa as his *guru* is a great turning point in the *Bhagavad-gītā.* After exhibiting apparent grief, lamentation, and bewilderment, Arjuna says, “I am a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.” (2.7) Our modern society places great emphasis on credentials, but people tend to take advice on spiritual matters from anyone who writes an interesting book on the subject. But life is temporary, and our connection with God is the most important area of study. We have to take care in selecting a teacher, just as we take care in selecting a doctor. We wouldn’t trust our surgical operation to a doctor who has no other qualification than being a good storyteller. (4) Śrī Kṛṣṇa promises: “My dear Arjuna, he who engages in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of fruitive activities and mental speculation, he who works for Me, who makes Me the supreme goal of his life, and who is friendly to every living being—he certainly comes to Me.” (11.55) Śrīla Prabhupāda says in the purport to this verse that anyone who wants to be intimately connected to Kṛṣṇa must take to the formula Kṛṣṇa presents here. He goes on to say that this verse is the essence of the *Bhagavad-gītā.* Lord Kṛṣṇa here describes the devotee as someone friendly to every living being. In a song praising the six Gosvamis of Vṛndāvana, Śrīnivasa Ācārya says they were “popular with both the gentle and the ruffians, because they were not envious of anyone.” How can we exhibit real caring and friendliness toward everyone? By spreading Lord Kṛṣṇa’s formula, so that people won’t miss the extremely valuable opportunity afforded by the human form of life, and so that they can become freed from all the miseries in this world. We can even benefit those souls not presently in human bodies by loudly chanting the holy name and by giving them *prasādam,* food offered to the Supreme Lord. (5) Śrī Kṛṣṇa promises: “Just fix your mind on Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt.” (12.8) As in 8.7, the Lord is again using the reassuring phrase “without a doubt.” In the purport Śrīla Prabhupāda states: “One who is engaged in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s devotional service lives in a direct relationship with the Supreme Lord, so there is no doubt that his position is transcendental from the very beginning. A devotee does not live on the material plane—he lives in Kṛṣṇa.” (6) Śrī Kṛṣṇa promises: “Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me, and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.” (18.65) I chose this verse for a memorial plaque placed in front of a young oak tree at the last school Kesava attended, in Alachua, Florida. I find this promise from the Supreme Lord to be so comforting, so personal—He really does know every one of us, and He really does want us to come to Him. In the purport Śrīla Prabhupāda refers to this particular message from Kṛṣṇa as a promise. It is a surely a very personal, reassuring message. “Because you are My very dear friend—because you are connected with Me in a relationship—I am revealing these secrets to you.” The most confidential knowledge is how to become reestablished in our original relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That is the most secret of all secrets. In *Vṛndāvana Mahimamrta* Śrīla Prabodhananda Sarasvati writes, “I desire to achieve the highest mood [of love for God], which is a secret even to the *Vedas.*” Śrīla Prabhupāda also tells us in the purport to this promise that we should concentrate our mind on the form of Kṛṣṇa as described in the *Brahma-saṁhitā:* a blackish boy with two hands, a beautiful lotuslike face, a flute, and peacock feathers in His crown. This is the form of Syamasundara, a form so attractive that it attracts the minds and hearts of everyone. The grief resulting from the loss of a child puts your very sanity to the test. Arjuna experiences symptoms of grief by even contemplating the loss of family members, and does go on to lose one of his sons in the battle. The loss of my son turned my world upside down. But Kṛṣṇa’s promises are precious lifelines that I trust. They have saved me from despair time and time again. I pray to be able to perform my part in divine reciprocation with the Lord, and to have unshakable faith that His eternal promises will be fulfilled, in every glorious aspect. “You will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.” (18.65) *Bhranti Devī Dāsī, a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda, joined the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement in Gainesville, Florida, in 1975. She makes Deity ornaments (*mukuts*) and paraphernalia and has worked at this craft for thirty years. She is currently working on a book on grief and loss and is residing in Vṛndāvana.* ## Purpose for the Inventive Spirit *Modern man seems to be able to invent anything —except the key to happiness.* *By Kṛṣṇa Ragini Devī Dāsī* BACK IN 1876, the telephone was an exciting invention. Although able to connect only two locations, the first telephone brought to people’s lives the amazement of sound transmitted to a distant place through electricity. Little by little it spread across a country, over a continent, and across the ocean, until it ended up as an accessory as common as a toothbrush. The “miracle” of sound transmission that produced such a thrill in the beginning became as unnoticed in its everyday use as the blinking of an eye. As ever-active spirit souls, we cannot stand the boring nature of things we come in contact with in this world. Because our natural desire is to relish the ever-fresh variety of the spiritual world, we always try to find something new in the wrong place—the material world. So, we had to invent another phone: the mobile phone. Like children in front of a new toy, people wanted to see it, to use it, to own it. It broke the old boundaries of communication that confined speakers to a certain place, giving us an illusory feeling of victory. But it too has become common. The video phone is here now, along with newer and faster cars, computers, and airplanes. But no new eyes for people to see that all these inventions—which absorb so much human effort and intelligence—never change the disappointing nature of material achievement. My father was a famous inventor in my country, Romania. He had more than seventy mechanical inventions, most of them having to do with servomotors. He received gold medals at exhibitions and worldwide recognition. After building up a career—born, like all prestigious careers, out of the mode of passion—he gradually came to a deeper understanding. “You know,” he used to tell us children, “this fame and glory, these successes and achievements, just come and go. It’s not worth looking for such things in life.” That was the most valuable lesson he ever taught me. It impressed upon me that pursuing material purposes was pointless. Human life is perfectly endowed for self-realization. Being able to experience both the satisfaction of fulfilled desires and the dissatisfaction of their temporary results, we can come to understand what this world is about and eventually turn to our real happiness in the spiritual realm. As spirit souls, we are meant for eternal happiness and full knowledge. We look for this happiness in things like new inventions, not being aware that it already exists in our true nature. We are like a sick person who can’t taste palatable food but won’t take the cure that would reawaken his taste buds. Our innate desire is to play with Kṛṣṇa to our heart’s content, but we falsely hope to find that happiness in things like movies, television, and computer games. Deluded, we mistake a copy for the original. The desire to enjoy matter impels us to accept such copies as real happiness and to come under their sway. Technology makes us fascinated with technique and form, and we lose sight of the content or deep meaning of things. A well-done movie or video-clip will draw our attention and appreciation, even if it promotes things that degrade the human condition. *Technology Falls Short* Kṛṣṇa Himself showed that technology is not worthy of our undying fascination. In destroying the demon Salva and his magnificent airplane—which could even disappear—Kṛṣṇa revealed that His own technology supersedes all others. After all, He creates the universe and the laws that make it work. The tendency of modern man to enthrone technology as the undisputed king of the world resembles Salva’s mentality. But Kṛṣṇa, in the form of time, “destroys” technological innovations one by one by making them uninteresting and old fashioned. When Lord Kṛṣṇa came here five hundred years ago as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He didn’t destroy technology, per se, but he destroyed the delusion that makes us think that technology is the key to happiness. His transcendental weapon to accomplish this is the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is a spiritual technology. Unlike material inventions, it never has to be updated. It is imported not from another country, but from the spiritual world. If one uses it correctly, with care and attention, one never tires of it. In fact, one enjoys it more and more. Chanting takes us on a spiritual journey to a place unreachable by any material aircraft—the spiritual world. *Lord Brahma’s Example* The feeling of emptiness that accompanies existence in this world was present even in Lord Brahma, the first engineer, at the very beginning of creation. Unsure of the purpose of his existence, he meditated and prayed. Lord Kṛṣṇa enlightened him and empowered him to create the wonders of the universe. Because of his spiritual stature, Brahma did not become proud of his technological mastery. He understood that He was using Kṛṣṇa’s energy in Kṛṣṇa’s service. We, on the other hand, create one small machine and think it’s ours to fully enjoy. Thoughtful people, however, see that such attempts to enjoy are futile. And they want to know how to find true happiness. Our God-given intelligence and ingenuity allow us to understand the laws of nature and use them to surpass the limitations of our bodies. We fly in the sky with planes and swim underwater with air tanks. But all achievements are of no real value if not used for a higher purpose. I recall my father saying that we should keep the body healthy and live long but that a long life should be spent for a noble cause. He said that a long life lived in vain, with the empty feeling of not knowing what it is lived for, can be more painful than a short one. The human intelligence capable of inventing so many new and ingenious things can also perceive the longing of the soul for its real position in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That is why no invention can really satisfy us in the long run, why everything that seems fresh in the beginning becomes stale in the end. The lack of a spiritual purpose renders things stale and futile. If inventions do indeed save us time and energy, we can give them purpose by using those savings for cultivating spiritual life. But instead, people misuse saved time by inventing newer and newer things for sense gratification, for improving how we eat, sleep, mate, and defend—animal activities. Unlike animals, human beings can control themselves for higher pursuits. We shouldn’t let technology become such a distraction that we lose sight of the goal of life. Even my father had to admit that inventions “come and go.” The purpose of life transcends anything that comes and goes, even “the progress of humankind through science and technology”—the slogan of the inventor. By serving matter and neglecting its cause, the Supreme Spirit, we remain perpetually involved with the temporary, including inventions that will someday be good enough only for the history of technology. If we are to dedicate ourselves to a goal, it should be the highest goal. If we are to serve, we should serve the greatest. My father’s inventions will be of eternal benefit if they happen to promote even once the devotional service of the Lord. *Kṛṣṇa Ragini Devī Dāsī joined ISKCON in Romania in 1991. A disciple of His Holiness Suhotra Swami, she serves with the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, translating Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books into Romanian.* ## Between Spirit and Matter *Many “paranormal” phenomena become much less mysterious when we accept the Vedic conception of the mind.* *By Navin Jani* AS A COLLEGE student, I can’t help but notice that it’s rather difficult to find a class on ghosts in the course catalog. Equally rare are course titles such as “Psychic Powers 101” or “Biology Lab on Alien Life Forms.” In fact, there appears to be almost no mainstream scholarly study of any kind of paranormal phenomena. Why is academia so reluctant to rigorously probe this increasingly undeniable aspect of reality? Perhaps it’s because scholars think there are only two ways to understand such things as ghosts: Either they simply don’t exist and are attributable to hoax, hallucination, and human error. Or they exist but are completely different from anything else we know and understand, and so they are a complete mystery. Neither view leaves much room for academic research or university-level instruction. This stalemate may have something to do with how we understand the mind. Since the time of Descartes, Western philosophy has wrestled with what is known as the “mind-body problem.” Is the mind merely an “emergent” property of the physical body that really has no existence of its own, as many modern philosophers would maintain? Or is the mind something completely different from matter, as the Cartesians (the followers of Descartes) would have us believe? To those who view mind as identical with matter, conscious experience must be accepted as a sort of illusion and altogether disregarded as an object of scientific inquiry. On the other hand, to those who subscribe to the second view (known as Cartesian dualism), the mind certainly exists but is more or less inscrutable. While the activities of the body must conform to the laws of physics, the mind is apparently unfettered by these laws. Whatever their differences, both views place the mind firmly beyond practical understanding and examination. And in the end, neither is intellectually satisfying or academically elegant. The Vedic literature of ancient India presents a third option. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in the *Bhagavad-gītā*, explains to His friend Arjuna that mind, intelligence, and false ego are three of His eight material energies. Together they compose the subtle body, while His five other material energies (earth, water, air, fire, and ether) make up the gross, or physical, body. This concept of the “subtle body,” as the combined mind, intelligence, and false ego, is the Vedic analogue to the “mind” in Western philosophy. Understood in this way, the mind is not completely transcendental to the laws that govern matter, yet neither is it subject to quite the same laws as the body. That is to say, the activities of the mind *can* be measured and predicted, but modern mainstream science has neither the tools nor the theoretical knowledge base with which to do this. So here we have three ways of conceiving the mind: as completely identical with matter (Modern Model), as completely opposed to matter (Cartesian Model), and as subtle matter between gross matter and pure spirit (Vedic Model). Another way to understand the difference between these three models is to look at whom they point to as the actual self. The Modern Model indicates the body itself as the self, with no separate or higher extraneous entity. The Cartesian Model points to the mind as the self, with the body serving as a vehicle. The Vedic Model describes the self as a completely spiritual entity, who occupies, or is temporarily covered by, both the subtle and gross bodies. The Vedic Model opens up opportunities for research into the workings of the subtle realm that are all but precluded by the other two models. Let’s take a look at how this might be so. *Psychic Powers* Psychic abilities, such as the ability to read minds (telepathy) or to move objects with the mind (telekinesis), are currently relegated to the fringes of academic investigation. And it’s no wonder. Given current choices, we can either follow the Modern Model and simply deny the existence of psychic powers, even in the face of countless anecdotes and other evidence to the contrary, or we can follow the Cartesian Model and accept the existence of such abilities but not be able to explain them any better than simply calling them “miracles.” If we follow the Vedic Model, however, and understand the mind as just another type of matter, we can at least accept in theory that interactions between the mind and the physical realm are possible. All that remains is to experiment and determine what kind of laws regulate the activities of the mind (the subtle body), and how they differ from the laws that affect the gross body. The Vedic literature can of course help this exploration by providing a theoretical framework. *Ghosts* If the mind is just another type of body through which a person can act, is it possible that some people have only this kind of body, without the usual physical counterpart? This is precisely how the literature of ancient India explains ghosts—another phenomenon that the Vedic Model of the mind can demystify. The Modern Model simply rules out the possibility of ghosts completely. They can’t be perceived by traditional means, so they don’t exist. The Cartesian Model, as an alternative, acknowledges an intangible reality beyond the body, so it has no problem accounting for ghosts in theory. In practice, however, ghosts must remain beyond rational scrutiny because the intangible reality they are a part of has nothing in common with matter. And matter, after all, is all our research instruments and scientific methods are prepared to handle. Here, again, the Vedic Model breaks open new ground. Ghosts can be understood as living entities who have a mind, or subtle body, but no physical form, or gross body. Such a view helps dispel the cloud of fear and mystery that otherwise surrounds these living beings. We can take comfort in the fact that, far from being magical or mythical, ghosts are not fundamentally different from you or me. They merely exist in another material state, which is yet to be fully understood by the scientific establishment. *Alien Beings* If beings exactly like us can exist without the need for an external physical body that we can directly perceive, could there be other kinds of embodied beings beyond our sensual perception? The Vedic literature answers with an emphatic yes: The other planets of the universe are populated, but by beings with more advanced consciousness, and correspondingly more advanced bodies. The Modern Model attributes UFO sightings and other evidence of alien beings to forgery and figments of the imagination. The Cartesian Model relegates these entities to the angelic realm. The Vedic Model, in contrast, supports a more positive and productive approach by simply extending the domain of the subtle body. Sentient life forms on other planets are understood to have, according to their status, either no gross bodies and only subtle bodies, or more refined gross bodies that exhibit characteristics akin to our subtle bodies. For example, many of them can fly and change shape at will, feats we humans can accomplish only in our thoughts and dreams (i.e., the realm of the mind/subtle body). Nevertheless, their bodies are still matter. These more sophisticated beings are not exempt, therefore, from the limitations that affect other materially embodied entities, including death. Nor are they precluded from interacting with more gross forms of matter (like our bodies). So human beings do not seek to make contact with aliens in vain. Armed with such a conception, our search for extra-terrestrial intelligence merely needs to be upgraded with a new set of tools that go beyond the five traditional senses. They are indeed out there, and they can, in fact, be communicated with. We merely need to take advantage of the Vedic literature and refine our process. *Beyond the Mind* It’s well and good to figure out the workings of the mind with the help of the Vedic Model, but, one might ask, what of the soul? Kṛṣṇa does, after all, speak of a superior energy of His beyond the eight material energies and unaffected by material laws. Having accepted the Vedic Model of the mind, one would surely want to explore the nature of this actual spiritual self in addition to understanding the temporary subtle and gross bodies. The *Vedas* urge us, in fact, to do just that. For those ready for that ultimate journey, the *Vedas* also provide the requisite knowledge and practical processes. But before our colleges and universities tackle such an ambitious subject, perhaps they should start by studying that realm which lies between the physical world we understand so well and the spiritual reality that transcends our understanding. Perhaps the scientific community should delve into this subtle arena of the mind and broaden its understanding to include such phenomena as psychic powers, ghosts, and life on other planets. This pursuit would give knowledge that could be used to improve our material life on this planet, as well as provide a bridge for moving towards an understanding of our spiritual life beyond this mundane realm. In the mean time, I’ll be scanning the course catalog . . . waiting. *Navin Jani is working on a master’s degree in city planning at the University of Florida. He and his wife, Kṛṣṇa-priya Devī Dāsī, are members of the congregation of the New Raman Reti temple in Alachua, Florida.* ## How I Came to Kṛṣṇa Consciousness *Getting Right With God* His childhood experiences with religion planted seeds of spiritual inquiry along with haunting memories. *By Devahotra Dāsa* AS A CHILD GROWING up in Tasmania, I was convinced that God wanted me to serve Him. I was raised as an Episcopalian, but between the ages of twelve and fourteen I was sexually molested by four priests. At an age when I was already experiencing unprecedented suffering, these very men who were supposed to uphold spiritual values compounded my suffering by abusing their spiritual office and principles. Like Holocaust survivors, many victims of child abuse reject God and the spiritual quest. This is especially true when their abusers were supposed to be men of God. In my mid teens I left the Episcopal Church. Later, after a brief look into Kṛṣṇa consciousness, my comparative religious studies course in college led me to the Orthodox Church. This eastern form of Christianity seemed to hearken back to the early church, to the asceticism of the desert fathers. I embraced their writings, intrigued by their emphasis on celibacy, communion with God, and monastic vegetarianism. My interest in eastern Christianity led me to look at Islam, with its austere iconoclasm and emphasis on community. Yet some answers were missing in Islam. Who is God? What does He look like? What is His nature? I also appreciated the meditation of Buddhism, as well as its monastic emphasis on the *sangha,* or spiritual association. The doctrine of transmigration of the soul was still alien to me, but curiosity impelled me to consider it more and more. Ever present in my mind was the question “If I fail to get my relationship with God right in this life, am I doomed to hell?” I yearned for a vibrant spiritual community that was missing in the tiny emigre Russian Orthodox Church I worshiped in. *BTG and a Step Forward* Most of this took place after my first contact with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In 1977 I bought a copy of *Back to Godhead* magazine in a health food store. I was at once drawn to Śrīla Prabhupāda. I read about how he had come to the United States with forty rupees and a trunk full of spiritual books. I remembered having heard about the *Vedas* in comparative religious studies. *Back to Godhead* was providing answers, supported by the *Vedas*, about the name, identity, and personality of God. I had long felt that the Christian Trinitarian notion of God was incomplete. Who is the Father really? I then went to the library and got the First Canto of *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam.* I immediately appreciated Sukadeva Gosvami’s exposition on the Absolute Truth. And so it was that, at age seventeen, during my final year in high school, I jumped on a plane to visit the Melbourne temple. I was impressed by the beautiful forms of Rādhā-Vallabha, the enthusiastic *brahmacaris,* the incredible *prasādam.* But I still bore the emotional residue of my Christian upbringing, and I ran out of the temple in tears, overwhelmed and uncertain. Still, my attraction for Kṛṣṇa grew, as from time to time I came across one of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. My appreciation was that of an armchair admirer—it came from the head and not the heart. That began to change when I met Puri Dāsa, who held a Sunday Feast in his tiny flat. His warmth and compassion, and his desire to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness, touched me. (He passed away several years later in a car accident while traveling to distribute Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books.) But I still wasn’t quite ready to commit to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In 1982, after my mother’s death, I entered an Anglican Benedictine monastery. My life in some ways mirrored *brahmacari* life—rising at 3.30 A.M., prayer, meditation, study. I spent over a year there before returning to Tasmania to enter the university, where I met Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees running a cooking club. I learned there was now a temple in Hobart. I became a regular at the Sunday Feast and enjoyed the classes by the temple president, Brhaspati Dāsa. Alas, this temple was to close in 1984, leaving me without devotees. I gravitated back to the Christian path for the next ten years, until in 1996 my wife and I went to Western Australia on vacation. One day we ran into devotees handing out flyers for their Perth center, and along we went. I learned that some devotee families had moved to Tasmania, and so I went and took lunch with them on my return. Finally, with my own *japa* beads, I took to regularly chanting the holy name and attending *mangala-arati* at the seaside home of one family. My Kṛṣṇa consciousness was finally taking off. I attribute my desire to serve the Lord at this point to the mercy of those devotees, whose love, instruction, wonderful *prasādam,* and clearly evident love of Prabhupāda affected my whole being. Gradually my chanting and other spiritual practices increased, and I tried more seriously to connect to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions. My desire to share this wonderful knowledge grew, and I took part with other devotees in presenting Kṛṣṇa conscious programs in public halls and people’s homes. While my wife could not embrace Kṛṣṇa consciousness at this point, she became a vegetarian and supported me in my spiritual journey. In 2000 we visited Vṛndāvana-dhama. I was mesmerized by the living fidelity to the Vedic tradition. I saw *bābājīs* (renunciants) embracing trees that Kṛṣṇa had walked by. At ISKCON’s Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma Mandir, I saw the emotion of hundreds of people at 4:00 A.M. as they waited to see the most beautiful Deities in the world. I knew that I had come home—to the house that Prabhupāda had built. I received spiritual initiation at Bhaktivedanta Manor in 2000 and entered a new family of godbrothers and godsisters. I met devotees whose serious pursuit of sanctity was self-evident. After two years of cooking for Rādhā-Gopinatha at ISKCON Sydney and enjoying that vibrant community, I came home to Tasmania. Now with a daughter, Lila Tulasi, I see that the next chapter in my Kṛṣṇa consciousness is unfolding. I aspire to see a community of devotees grow in Tasmania and to re-open the temple that closed twenty years ago. *Devotee families interested in helping develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Tasmania can reach Devahotra Dāsa at [email protected].* ## The Medicine Of the Holy Names *Devotees deliver their unique form of relief to Śrī Lanka’s traumatized tsunami victims.* *By Indradyumna Swami* The author headed up a team of Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees who traveled to Śrī Lanka to help with tsunami relief efforts last January and February. This article is adapted from the third part of his three-part report. In parts one and two, the author described what led to his decision to go to Śrī Lanka, his road trip through the devastation on the southern coast of that country, and the devotees’ meeting with government representatives to discuss coordinating ISKCON’s contribution to the relief work. THE DAY AFTER returning to Colombo from our trip to Matara, on the southern tip of Śrī Lanka, we quickly busied ourselves for the relief work ahead. We used funds donated from overseas to buy the basics required for cooking: tons of rice, beans, and vegetables, as well as spices, five huge new pots, and various cooking utensils. Ten devotees loaded everything on a government truck, piled in a van, and returned to southern Śrī Lanka, ready to begin serving daily *prasādam* to five thousand displaced persons. The same day, I took three devotees in another van to the east coast of Śrī Lanka, scouting for opportunities to distribute *prasādam* there. The thirteen-hour drive would take us through a hilly area and across a 100-km plain to the ocean. Much of Śrī Lanka’s east coast is controlled by the Tamil Tigers. The rebel force had fought the Sinhalese government for thirty years before agreeing to a ceasefire three years ago. The ceasefire had held, but the government had recently warned that it could not guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers going into rebel-controlled areas. “If you go to distribute *prasādam* and have *kirtana,* they won’t bother you,” said Mahakarta Dāsa, president of the Colombo ISKCON temple. “In fact, they’ll welcome you. Most of the tsunami aid given to Śrī Lanka is being distributed in the southern region, controlled by the government.” The horrors I had witnessed along the southern coast seemed far away as we drove through the picturesque interior jungle. The winding road took us through some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. After several hours, I asked the driver, “How do we know when we’re in Tamil Tiger territory?” “You’ll know,” he said with a laugh. Hours later, as twilight was settling in and just as I had drifted off to sleep, I was shaken awake by the jerking motion of our car bouncing up and down on the road. “What’s going on?” I asked the driver. “We’re now in Tamil Tiger territory,” he grinned. Sticking my head outside the widow, I saw potholes in the road every few meters. The asphalt was cracking everywhere, and there were few road signs giving proper directions. “It’s a different world from here on,” our driver said. “Some parts of the area are patrolled by government forces, and others by Tamil Tigers.” Sure enough, within minutes we came to a government army checkpoint barricaded in barbed wire. Soldiers came over to our van and shined their flashlights in. Not knowing exactly what to do, I simply smiled. To my surprise they all smiled back. “They know you’re here for relief work,” said the driver. “Few tourists come this way anymore.” “I can understand why,” I replied. The soldiers let us pass. *People in Shock* Just after midnight we arrived at our destination: a small village near Batticaloa on the far-eastern shore of Śrī Lanka. We soon met a local Hindu priest with whom we had an arranged meeting. He took us to a wedding hall across from a Ganesa temple, where we were to rest that night. Inside there was a small light shining, and I was surprised to see many men sleeping on the floor. “They’re fisherman who lost their homes and families in the tsunami,” the priest said. As I set up my mosquito net, huge clashes of thunder pounded outside. Soon rain started pouring down. I quickly fell asleep, exhausted by the day’s long journey. The next morning we went with the local priest, our translator, to check the camps for displaced persons. As we approached the first camp, I asked the priest if the people were getting enough food. “Food is not the problem here,” he told us. “Although the government has done little to help us, our people from the interior, unaffected by the tsunami, have been giving sufficient rice and beans. The Indian government has also sent several shiploads of the same. “The real problem here is that most of the victims of the tsunami are suffering from trauma. People are still in shock. At least twice a week rumors circulate that another tsunami is coming, and people panic. They grab their children and belongings and run out of the camps screaming.” “Are you trained in dealing with trauma?” he asked me. “No,” I replied, “but we have a special medicine for such things.” “A special medicine?” “Yes, wait and see.” As we walked into the first camp, I noticed a distinct difference from those on the south coast. Some seven hundred people milled about. Things appeared much less orderly. There were no Red Cross representatives or army personnel. People seemed disoriented. A number had bandaged injuries. One woman’s face was just beginning to heal from a bad burn. Sadness seemed to hover over the camp like a dark monsoon cloud. Walking straight into the middle of the camp, I asked for a chair and sat down. The people, curious, started to gather around us. The devotees sat near me. Taking our drum in my hands, I started to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Within moments the whole camp was listening carefully. As the tempo built up, I indicated that the people should clap along, which they began to do enthusiastically. After ten minutes I stopped. Turning to the priest I said, “They’re clapping, but they’re not chanting.” He leaned over and whispered, “They don’t know Kṛṣṇa here. But they know Ramacandra. After all, this is Lanka, where Ravana lived.” Smiling, I began *kirtana* again, singing “*Raghupati Raghava Raja Rama, Patita Pavana Sita Rama*.” Immediately the people responded by smiling and singing along. As the *kirtana* got faster, some people started dancing. After twenty minutes I brought the *kirtana* to a close. The atmosphere was like Vaikuntha, the spiritual world. Astonished, the priest said, “They all look so happy!” Turning to him with a smile, I said, “It’s the medicine of the holy names.” After the crowd settled down I began telling stories from the *Ramayana.* It was obvious by the way they nodded their heads that they knew the pastimes, but they drank the nectar of Rama’s life as if it was their first taste. After forty-five minutes I called all the children forward and asked a few simple questions: Who is Lord Rama’s wife? What color is Lord Rama? Who is His most faithful servant? When a child answered correctly, I would give him or her a little card with a picture of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and a calendar on the back. From the enthusiasm of the children, it seemed that those colorful cards were as good as gold. Then I taught them the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and the blissful atmosphere expanded as they chanted along. As we got up to leave, many of the women came rushing forward to put their babies in my arms. I wasn’t exactly sure what to do, so I just chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa in each infant’s ear. There were many babies, and it took quite some time. As we walked toward the gate, the entire camp followed us. They appeared very grateful: everyone waved and some even cried as we got into our van to go to the next camp. It was more evidence for me that *kirtana* and talks about Kṛṣṇa are the panacea for all problems in Kali-yuga. *Word from the South Coast* As we drove to the next camp, I got a call from Tara Dāsa, who was directing the *prasādam* distribution in the Matara district to the south. “It’s going well, Mahārāja,” Tara said. “Yesterday we distributed four thousand plates. It’s just the beginning. Many people in the camp enjoy helping us gather wood for cooking, and they also help us cut vegetables. The major has arranged trucks for us to go out and distribute *prasādam* to several camps in the area each day.” “More devotees will be arriving from Russia soon,” he continued, “and we’ll begin distributing *prasādam* in other parts of the country as well.” As we continued driving to the next camp, the priest turned to me and said, “The most traumatized are the people still on the beach. Although their homes were destroyed, some won’t leave. Do you think you could visit there before we go any farther? They really need help.” “Okay,” I said. “Let’s go.” Within a few minutes we were at the beach. As we got out of the car, I felt as if my eyes were tricking me. Everything was devastated as far as one could see. The destruction seemed even more extensive than in the southern part of the country. The tsunami had flattened practically every house. Cars, bicycles, chairs, sofas, toys, clothes—a seemingly unlimited assortment of paraphernalia—were strewn everywhere. And there was the awful stench of death. I covered my mouth with a cloth. “Mostly dead animals,” the priest said, “but we are still finding human bodies. They’re under the rubble of the houses and also wash up periodically on the shore.” On our drive along the southern coast I had seen the destruction only from a distance. Now I was walking through it. We had to step carefully through the ravaged area, over shards of broken glass, chunks of concrete, and jagged pieces of wood and wire—and bones, already bleached white by the tropical sun. Nearby I saw volunteers from a humanitarian organization spraying everything in sight with disinfectant. “By God’s grace there has been no epidemic yet,” said the priest. Walking through one neighborhood destroyed by the tsunami, we came across two distraught men sitting in the rubble of what used to be a house. As we approached, one of them looked up and, sobbing uncontrollably, said, “I was on top of the house, and I saw my mother swept away before my eyes.” “I lost both my children,” said the other man, standing. “They were torn from my arms as I sat right here.” Grabbing my shirt, he screamed, “Why has God allowed this? I am not a bad man!” For the moment there was nothing to say; no words could offer reason to one in such distress. I simply put my arm around him. After two minutes, as our group turned to go, I said to him softly, “Hare Kṛṣṇa.” Nodding his head, he looked to the sky, silently accepting his destiny and the will of providence. A few minutes later we approached a severely damaged temple that was deserted. “Where is the priest?” I inquired. “He died in the tsunami,” said our priest. “Hardly anyone survived in this area. We burned his body and spread the ashes over there near the sea.” *A Family Lost* Just then I saw a young man wandering aimlessly through the rubble nearby. I asked the priest to call him over. “What are you doing here?” I asked him. “School started a few days ago.” “I’m looking for the bodies of my mother, father, three brothers, and four sisters,” he said with a dazed expression. “The terrible ocean took them away.” I sat him down and put my hand on his shoulder. “The body is temporary,” I said, “but the soul is eternal and never dies.” Those few words calmed him, so I continued. “Your mother, father, brothers, and sisters are elsewhere now. You won’t see them again in this life.” I asked where he was living. “With my auntie,” he replied. “Don’t come back here,” I said. “Your mother would have wanted you in school now. Am I right?” “Yes,” he agreed, and as he turned to go he said, “Thank you.” Just as he left, a distressed woman came running up to me and grabbed my arm. She was speaking in Tamil, so I couldn’t understand her. “She said she lost her husband and eight-year-old daughter in the tsunami,” the priest said. “And her three-year-old boy is in the hospital. She has no money to feed him. She’s asking if you can give her some.” I reached into my pocket, and taking out two thousand rupees put it in her hand. Still crying, she went to sit in the ruins of her home. We spent several hours among the devastation near the beach, talking to people and trying to comfort them as much as we could. Sometimes I would offer transcendental knowledge, but more often it was a simple embrace that gave a person the solace they needed. *Cheering Up the Children* On the way back to our van we stopped at the local school, which was not much more than a steel frame left standing after the tsunami. Going inside, I watched as the teachers gave thirty or forty kids a lesson in mathematics. When the children noticed me they all ran up close, staring. I spent several minutes shaking their hands, asking them their names and pulling on the girls’ pigtails. I taught the children to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and after a short *kirtana* we departed. As we left, the teacher said, “Thank you. They’ll never forget your visit.” Walking back to our van, I said to the priest, “There’s years of work to be done, just in this one village.” “Can you stay a little longer?” he asked. “I’m afraid I have to move on,” I replied, “but I’ll be sending a group of devotees here in a few days to distribute *prasādam* and chant with the people. And I’ll spread the word. Perhaps there are devotees overseas who can spare a little time and come here as well.” Stopping, the priest took both my hands and said, “Tell them we would be most appreciative. Even if they came for just a few days.” We visited several more camps and the next day started the long drive back to Colombo. *ISKCON’s Orphanage* As we neared our base in Colombo late that afternoon, our driver reminded me of a promise I had made to visit an orphanage just outside the city, run by the local ISKCON temple. Seeing that I was tired and so a little hesitant, he said, “They’re wonderful little devotees.” “Devotees?” I asked. “Yes. It’s more than just an orphanage. Shall we go?” “All right,” I agreed. When we arrived at the orphanage, I met Nandarani Dasi, Mahakarta’s wife, who started the project seven years ago. “We have seventy-nine children at the moment,” she said, “most of them orphans from the war. But recently the government has asked us to take seventy-five more children orphaned by the tsunami. We’ve just begun building a new dormitory for that purpose.” As she took me on a tour of the property, I was amazed at how clean and well-organized everything was. “We also run a school for the children,” she said with a smile. “It must be difficult raising orphans who’ve experienced the horrors of war,” I suggested. “Many saw their parents killed,” she said soberly. “It was a technique used by soldiers on both sides. But through the years, these children have come to terms with all they saw in the war.” “How is that?” “Through Kṛṣṇa consciousness,” she replied. “Come, I’ll show you.” She took me to the temple, where all the children were eagerly waiting to meet me. When I walked in, they all paid obeisances and then excitedly gathered around me. “They want to hear stories about Kṛṣṇa,” she said, “and then have *kirtana.* It’s their life and soul.” I began telling them Kṛṣṇa conscious stories, and after an hour I picked up a drum and started **kirtana*.* Once again, I witnessed the merciful nature of the holy names as the children danced wildly with abandon, their big smiles radiating with youthful enthusiasm. I took the *kirtana* outside, and we chanted and danced all over the property. They were beside themselves with happiness. After an hour and a half I was exhausted and brought the *kirtana* party back into the temple. But they wanted more, so I kept going, praying for the strength to fulfill their taste for the holy names. When we finally finished, I sat on the floor with all the children around me, blissful smiles still decorating their innocent faces. “Am I in a war-torn country, recently ravaged by a tsunami, or am I in Vaikuntha?” I wondered to myself in amazement. Looking again at the blissful children, I knew: “For the moment, I’m in Vaikuntha.” That night I began putting the final touches on the infrastructure I had set up for our relief work on the island. I would be leaving in a few days, but devotees who had come with me from overseas would continue the work for at least another two months. Before retiring for the night, I remembered my promise to the priest on the east coast. I wrote emails to several Godbrothers, asking if they could spare some time to come and help the villagers deal with the tragedy of the tsunami. I got an instant reply. “I don’t know how much help I could be,” one Godbrother wrote. “I don’t have money, I’m not a doctor, and I don’t have experience in counseling.” I wrote back, “Just come with the holy names. They’re what’s needed most here now.” May Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, which is a reservoir of all transcendental happiness, the destruction of Kali-yuga’s sins, the most purifying of all purifying things, the saintly person’s food as he traverses the path to the spiritual world, the pleasure-garden where the voices of the greatest saints, philosophers, and poets play, the life of the righteous, and the seed of the tree of religion, bring transcendental auspiciousness to you all.” —Śrīla Rupa Gosvami, *Padyavali* 19 *His Holiness Indradyumna Swami travels around the world teaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness.* *Adapted from* Diary of a Traveling Preacher*, Volume 6, Chapter 4. To receive chapters by e-mail as they come out regularly, write to [email protected] (Volumes 3 and 4 are available from the Krishna.com Store.)* ## From the Editor *Purely Devotees* SRILA PRABHUPADA would sometimes refer to his disciples as pure devotees. Anyone who has read his books or been in the company of his followers for any length of time knows that the term “pure devotee” generally refers to someone who loves Kṛṣṇa fully and is free of all material desires. It’s who we want to become. So we ordinary mortals who are surely still works in progress wonder, “Why would Prabhupāda call us pure devotees?” It seems to me that Prabhupāda is implying that anyone who has accepted pure love for Kṛṣṇa as the goal of life and is pursuing it under the direction of a bona fide *guru* can be considered a pure devotee. Prabhupāda’s followers have rejected all other ultimate goals, as well as the means for attaining them. We know that as spirit souls we will not find fulfillment in any way except by awakening our love for Kṛṣṇa. That’s our conviction. That conviction distinguishes us from almost everyone else, and it shows in the spiritual practices we perform under Prabhupāda’s guidance. When Prabhupāda’s followers go to his temples, we do things meant for only one purpose: becoming Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Our endeavors for perfection don’t include things done by *karmis, jnanis,* or *yogis*. The Vedic literature tell us that all human beings can be classified into four groups according to their goals and activities: **karmis,* **jnanis*,* *yogis**, and *bhaktas.* Most people are *karmis.* Their only goal is happiness in the material world, either here on earth or in the heavenly planets after death. That’s what they work for. Better than *karmis,* from the spiritual point of view, are **jnanis*,* or philosophers. The highest aim of *jnanis* is to merge into spiritual oneness, in effect annihilating themselves to avoid the inevitable suffering of material existence. The *yogis*, at best, try to find something spiritual through sitting postures, controlled breathing, meditation, and so on. They sometimes get sidetracked by powers achieved through yoga. In any case, they generally have only a vague idea of what they hope to accomplish, and in essence theirs is a selfish quest. *Bhaktas,* or devotees, just want to love Kṛṣṇa. They know that’s all they need. Through devotion to Kṛṣṇa one can achieve anything that can be gained through any other process—*karma*, *jnana,* or *yoga*. But devotees are indifferent to those rewards. The spiritual practices Prabhupāda gave us don’t include *karma*, *jnana,* or *yoga* devoid of a *bhakti* connection. In his temples we don’t pray to *devas* for wealth or material happiness, we don’t guess about philosophical topics, and we don’t practice *yoga* *asanas* for enlightenment. We chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, worship the Deity of Kṛṣṇa, hear about Kṛṣṇa and pure devotion to Him, honor Kṛṣṇa’s greatest devotees, like Śrīla Prabhupāda, and strive to be like them. Our heroes love Kṛṣṇa without personal motive. We may have residual material attraction, but we know better. We’re convinced that pure love for Kṛṣṇa is ultimately the only desirable thing. Despite our shortcomings, if we hold on to our conviction and adhere to spiritual practices of pure *bhakti,* we are, in Prabhupāda’s view, pure devotees—or, to put it another way, purely devotees. —*Nagaraja Dāsa* ## Vedic Thoughts If one can develop his unflinching love for the transcendental Supreme Personality of Godhead, that can give complete satisfaction; otherwise there is no possibility of satisfaction in the material world or anywhere else. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* 4.4.28, Purport One is immediately freed from the clutches of *maya* if he seriously and sincerely says, “My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, although I have forgotten You for so many long years in the material world, today I am surrendering unto You. I am Your sincere and serious servant. Please engage me in Your service.” Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā* 22.33 Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the original Personality of Godhead, Govinda [Kṛṣṇa], who regulates the sufferings and enjoyments due to fruitive activity. He does this for everyone—from the heavenly king Indra down to the smallest insect [*indra-gopa*]. That very Personality of Godhead destroys the karmic reactions of one engaged in devotional service. Lord Brahma *Brahma-saṁhitā* 5.54 Lord Kṛṣṇa is the embodiment of all-ecstatic bliss; He is the reservoir of all pleasure. Having derived ecstasy from Him, the individual souls become blissful. For who indeed could breathe, who could be alive, if this blissful Lord were not present within the hearts of all souls? He alone bestows ecstasy. *Taittiriya Upanisad* 2.7 The topmost person is he who achieves the Supreme Lord through devotional service. He enjoys food and sports in the abode of the Lord. The demigods worship that Supreme Lord. *Chandogya Upanisad* 8.12 The Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared in His original form as a cowherd boy. Cheated and bewildered by His illusory potency, the world could not understand His true identity. *Śrī Kṛṣṇa Upanisad* 1.10 Persons who hear *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* regularly and are always taking the matter very seriously will have the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifested in their hearts within a short time. Mahārāja Pariksit *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* 2.8.4