# Back to Godhead Magazine #39 *2005 (04)* Back to Godhead Magazine #39-04, 2005 PDF-View ## Welcome IN THIS ISSUE the important points Giriraja Swami makes in “Service to Guru: No Higher Duty” rest on the vital principle that the heart of any genuine spiritual practice is the disciple’s relationship with the *guru*. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disciples, granddisciples, and followers often reflect on how their connection with him gives them access to all the other great spiritual masters of the tradition, who have much to teach us. In his article Giriraja Swami draws on the teachings of Śrīla Jiva Gosvami, who wrote that service to the pure spiritual master wins one greater favor from Kṛṣṇa than sitting at the *guru*’s feet to hear talks on elevated spiritual topics. By serving the *guru*, we serve Kṛṣṇa. And, as Jahnudvipa Dāsa explains in “Our Eternal Purpose,” service to Kṛṣṇa is what we’re made for and the only thing that will fully satisfy us. When our natural desire to serve Kṛṣṇa awakens within us, there’s no stopping it. In “Mahārāja Prataparudra: Humble Servant in Kingly Dress,” Satyaraja Dāsa tells of a sixteenth-century king whose resolve to serve Lord Caitanya captured the hearts of the Lord’s closest associates and won him his longed-for audience with the Lord. 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 *Tsunami Relief* I have just read “The Medicine of the Holy Names,” by Indradyumna Swami (May/June). My eyes filled with tears and my heart with joy to know in this age of tsunamis that Kṛṣṇa’s devotees are there giving *prasādam,* love, kindness, and above all the chanting of the holy names. I am so blessed to be a friend of ISKCON. Mrs. H. Shiva-Lozada Via the Internet *Inspired by Soldier’s Service* The article by Parthasarathi Dāsa (March/April) about soldering in Iraq was so inspiring. I was mesmerized while reading it. I had no idea that a soldier of Kṛṣṇa was on this battlefield. Perhaps the article appealed to me so much because like him, I have been working inside the military establishment for the past seventeen years—with very little success in teaching others about Kṛṣṇa. I guess there is no place like the frontlines to put life and death in the forefront of your consciousness. I want to relay to him how grateful I am to him for the work he is doing. What glorious service this is for Kṛṣṇa! Mahavisnupriya Devī Dāsī Lacrosse, Florida *Kṛṣṇa and Visnu* We Hindus believe that Kṛṣṇa is an avatar of Lord Visnu. Do you also believe so? “Virtual Citizen” Via the Internet *Our Reply*: No doubt that Kṛṣṇa is Visnu, but He is more than just another incarnation. *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* (1.3.28) explains that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the source of all the avatars of Lord Visnu: “All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists.” In *Bhagavad-gītā* (7.7) Kṛṣṇa says, “O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.” And in verse 10.8, He says, “I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me.” Since everything emanates from Him, He is the source of Lord Visnu. *Guru Speaks the Truth* Why do you believe that the spiritual master speaks the absolute truth? Tryn Fitzgerald Via the Internet *Our Reply*: The spiritual master speaks the truth because he speaks on the basis of the scripture, which is God’s words. Also, because of his obedience to the Lord, the Lord inspires him from within in reciprocation (*Bhagavad-gītā* 10.10–11). *Kṛṣṇa Wants Service* If Kṛṣṇa loves us, why does He want us to serve Him? That doesn’t seem right. Balakrishna Via the Internet *Our Reply*: Kṛṣṇa knows that by our very nature we have to serve someone and that because He is the most qualified person, we will be happiest serving Him. Therefore it is His mercy that He kindly engages us in His service. Persons who understand this truth take great pleasure in serving Kṛṣṇa, and they aspire only to remain engaged in His service. Service to Kṛṣṇa is not like the service we are forced to do in this world. When we regain our pure spiritual state, we can serve Kṛṣṇa in an intimate relationship, such as parent, friend, or lover. Ultimately, that’s the kind of service Kṛṣṇa wants, and it’s based on love. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that. *Above the Transcendental Platform* In *The Science of Self-realization* it is said, “When we progress from the bodily platform and we see the mind as the center of sense activity, we take the mind as the final stage of realization. That is the mental platform. From the mental platform we may come to the intellectual platform, and from the intellectual platform we can rise to the transcendental platform. Finally we can rise above even the transcendental platform and come to the mature, spiritual platform.” Could you explain why each level is higher than the other and how the mature spiritual platform is above the transcendental platform? Sirisha Dhaveji Via the Internet *Our Reply*: The mind is considered superior to the senses because it can direct them. Intelligence is superior to the mind because it can direct the mind. The transcendental soul is superior to the intelligence because he can direct the intelligence. (See *Bhagavad-gītā* 3.42.) Realization of the Personality of Godhead is superior because Paramatma and Brahman are merely partial manifestations of the Godhead. There are three levels of transcendental realization (*Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* 1.2.11): (1) Brahman, the all-pervading spirit, (2) Paramatma, the localized form of God within the heart, who gives enlightenment, and (3) Bhagavan, the spiritual form of the Personality of Godhead. The highest of these is the last one. That is what Śrīla Prabhupāda refers to as the “mature spiritual platform,” even though the others are also transcendental. *No God* I believe there is no God. We create this virtual image so that we can apply a moral code to society. For example, you can tell someone not to kill but he might not listen. But if you tell him that God will punish him, then he won’t kill. Besides that, praying to an imaginary God makes people feel good and gives them mental strength to endure the harshness of this world. Bijender Yadav Via the Internet *Our Reply*: There are many arguments for the existence of God. Here’s just one of them: God has created a body for you so complicated you cannot even understand how it works. If a human being were to create an amazing machine that increased in size while it operated and was able to reproduce copies of itself, he would certainly get some award. God has already accomplished such feats numerous times, but we are so faithless, we would rather glorify natural selection instead, although no one has even shown one new species that has evolved by natural selection. 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: When Knowledge is Nescience *Los Angeles—May 12–13, 1970* A Kṛṣṇa conscious person can give genuine value to an education that could otherwise blind one to spiritual reality. by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Founder-*Ācārya* of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness > sa paryagāc chukram akāyam avraṇam > asnāviram śuddham apāpa-viddham > kavir manīṣī paribhūḥ svayambhūr > yāthātathyato 'rthān vyadadhāc chāśvatībhyaḥ samābhyaḥ > andhaṁ tamaḥ praviśanti > ye 'vidyām upāsate > tato bhūya iva te tamo > ya u vidyāyām ratāḥ “Such a person must factually know the greatest of all, the Personality of Godhead, who is unembodied, omniscient, beyond reproach, without veins, pure, and uncontaminated, the self-sufficient philosopher who has been fulfilling everyone’s desire since time immemorial. “Those who engage in the culture of nescient activities shall enter into the darkest region of ignorance. Worse still are those engaged in the culture of so-called knowledge.” —*Śrī Īśopaniṣad,* Mantras 8–9 Such a person must factually know the greatest of all . . . who is unembodied, omniscient . . .” That is the distinction between God and us. We are embodied. This body is different from me. Therefore when I leave this body, it becomes dust. “Dust thou art, dust thou shall be.” That refers to the body. I am not dust. I am spirit soul. Kṛṣṇa is not embodied. He has no difference between His body and His soul. He does not change His body, because He doesn’t have a material body. And because He does not change His body, He remembers everything. We change our body; therefore we do not remember what happened in our last birth. Even in sleep we forget our body and the environment we are in. While sleeping and dreaming, you are in a dreamland. You don’t remember even that you have this body. Every night we experience this. I’m not the body. The body becomes tired. It sleeps or is inactive. But—as I am—I work, I dream, I go somewhere, I fly, or I create another kingdom, another body, another environment. This we experience every night. It is not difficult to understand. Similarly, in every life, we create a different environment. In this life I may think I am Indian. You may think you are American. Or next life, a different position. Next life I may not be American, or I may not be Indian. And if I become American, I may not be a man. I may be a cow or a bull. Then I will be sent to the slaughterhouse. You see? This is going on. This is the problem. Always changing bodies. It is a serious situation. We should take this life very seriously. “I’m changing my body life after life. I have no fixed position. I do not know where I will be put within the 8,400,000 species of life. So I must make a solution.” Kṛṣṇa gives that solution: *yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama.* “If anyone, some way or other, by developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness comes to Me, he doesn’t have to return and accept a material body.” [*Bhagavad-gītā* 15.6] He gets the same kind of body as Kṛṣṇa, *sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah:* a spiritual body of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. We should very seriously execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without any deviation. We should not be neglectful, thinking that this is a fashion or something imposed. No. This is the most important function. Human life is meant simply for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have no other business. But unfortunately we have created so many engagements that we forget Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is called *maya.* We are forgetting our real business. The rascal, blind leaders are leading people to hell. The leaders are tied up by the stringent rules and regulations of the material nature, but they have become leaders. And the people are being misled. That is called *maya.* Some way or other you have come in contact with Kṛṣṇa. So catch Him very tightly. If you catch Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet very tightly, then *maya* will not be able to do any harm. *Two Educations* There are two kinds of education: material education and spiritual education, *brahma-vidya* and *jada-vidya. *Jada*-vidya* means material education. *Jada* means “that which cannot move,” or matter. Spirit can move. Our body is a combination of spirit and matter. As long as the spirit is there, the body moves, just as a man’s coat and pants move as long as the man is wearing them. It appears that the coat and pants are moving, but actually the living entity is moving, and the covering, the dress, appears to be moving. Similarly, this body is moving because the spirit soul is moving. If a car is moving, that means the driver is moving it. Foolish people may think that the car is moving on its own. But in spite of all the mechanical arrangements, it cannot move. Because of the wrong kind of education, people think that material nature is working independently, moving and manifesting so many wonderful things. The waves are moving, but the waves are not moving independently. The air is moving them. But the air is also not moving independently. In this way, if you go back, back, back, you’ll find that Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes. That is philosophy: to search out the ultimate cause. Here it is said, *andham tamah pravisanti ye avidyam upasate.* Those captivated by the external movements are worshiping *avidya,* nescience. That will not help them. There are big, big institutions for studying technology—how a car can move, how an airplane can move. They are manufacturing so much machinery. But there is no educational institution to study how the mover, the spirit soul, is moving. That lack of education is called *avidya,* nescience. The actual mover is not being studied, but the external movement is being studied. When I lectured at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, I inquired, “Where is that technology to study the mover?” But they have no such arrangement. They could not answer satisfactorily. That is *avidya.* *Dark Destination* Here, in the *Īśopaniṣad,* it is said, *andham tamah pravisanti ye avidyam upasate.* For those engaged only in the material advancement of education, the result will be that they will go to the darkest region of existence, *andham tamah.* It is a very dangerous position that at the present moment there is no arrangement in any state, all over the world, for spiritual education. This situation is pushing human society to the darkest region of existence. Actually, that is happening. In your country, your rich country, you have a nice educational system, with so many universities, but what class of men are you producing? The students are becoming hippies. Why? The leaders should think about this. “What are we producing in spite of so many educational institutions?” The leaders are worshiping *avidya,* nescience. That is not knowledge. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung very nicely: *jada-vidya jato, mayara vai-bhava. Jada-vidya* means material education. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says it is an expansion of *maya.* *Tomara bhajane badha:* The more we advance in material education, the more we will be hampered in understanding God. And at last we shall declare, “God is dead. I am God. You are God”—all such nonsense. That idea is hinted at here: *andham tamah. Andham* means darkness. There are two kinds of darkness: ignorance, and the absence of sunlight or other light. Materialists are certainly being pushed into the darkness. But there is another class—so-called philosophers, mental speculators, religionists, and *yogis*—who are going still more into the darkness because they are defying Kṛṣṇa. They pose as if culturing spiritual knowledge, but because they have no information of Kṛṣṇa, or God, their advancement of education is more dangerous because they are misleading people. For example, with their so-called *yoga* system they are misleading people by preaching, “Meditate and you’ll understand that you are God.” By meditation one becomes God. [*Laughs.*] You see? Kṛṣṇa never meditated. He never had any chance to meditate, because from the very beginning Kamsa was prepared to kill Him. Then He was transferred by His father to the house of Nanda-Yasoda. There, when as a three-month-old baby He was sleeping, the demon Putana attacked Him. So Kṛṣṇa had no chance to meditate to become God. He is God from the very beginning. That is God. God is God, and dog is dog. That is the law of identity. “Become still, become silent, and you will become God.” This is nonsense. How can I become silent? Is there any possibility of becoming silent? No. There is no such possibility. “Become desireless.” How can I become desireless? *Purified Activities* These are all bluffs. We cannot be desireless. We cannot be silent. But our desires, our activities, have to be purified. That is real knowledge. We should desire only to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is purification of desire. Not desireless—that is not possible. How can I be desireless? How can I be silent? That is not possible. I cannot be silent for a second. So then our activities should be engaged, dovetailed, in Kṛṣṇa’s service. This is real knowledge. As a living entity, I have all these things—activities, desires, the loving propensity. Everything is there. But it is being misguided. We do not know where to place all these things. That is *avidya,* nescience. This *Īśopaniṣad* teaches us that we should be very careful. We don’t say that you shouldn’t advance in material education. You can advance, but at the same time you should become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is our propaganda. We don’t say that you shouldn’t manufacture cars or machines. But we say, “All right, you have manufactured this machine. Employ it in Kṛṣṇa’s service.” That is our proposal. We don’t say stop it. We don’t say that you can’t have any sex life. But we say, “Yes, have a sex life—for Kṛṣṇa. Produce Kṛṣṇa conscious children. For that purpose you can have sex a hundred times.” But don’t create cats and dogs. That is our proposal. Education is required, but if education is wrongly diverted, it is very, very dangerous. That is the purport of this verse. So-called education has no value. Thank you very much. ## Esteem for Sacred Writings *Pure chanting of God’s names requires reverence for God in all His forms, including revealed scripture.* *By Urmila Devī Dāsī* This is the seventh in a series of articles on offenses to be avoided when trying to progress spiritually by chanting God’s names. This article discusses the offense of blaspheming Vedic literature or literature in pursuance of the Vedic version. IT IS FASHIONABLE in modern secular societies to regard sacred literature as the mythological musings of undeveloped people. Schools teach that with our current understanding of physics, medicine, psychology, democracy, and so on, we have little use for such writings except as literary art. Those who take scripture literally are pegged with pejorative terms such as “fundamentalists.” It may be stylish to borrow ideas from the Vedic scriptures—*yoga*, meditation, *mantra* chanting. But living by the laws of scripture is seen as outmoded and simplistic. To get the spiritual benefit of chanting Kṛṣṇa’s names, however, requires a reverence for Kṛṣṇa in all His forms, including His scriptures. Kṛṣṇa appeared on earth in His original form about five thousand years ago. After He departed to His eternal abode, His “literary incarnation,” Vyasadeva, compiled the cream of Vedic scripture, *Śrīmad-*Bhagavatam*.* Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote that reading this scripture is identical to seeing Kṛṣṇa in person. Because the words of the *Bhagavatam* describe Kṛṣṇa, they are spiritually identical to Him. If we blaspheme the *Bhagavatam*, other Vedic books, or literature in pursuance of the Vedic version, we offend the holy name, greatly impeding our progress in chanting. What do we mean by “*Vedic* literature”? Unlike modern scholars, Śrīla Prabhupāda did not use the term *Vedic* to denote only a particular period in the history of India. Following the previous spiritual masters in his line, he justifiably used the term to apply to all the traditional sacred books of India. And “literature in pursuance of the *Vedic* version” refers to any books that, like the *Vedas,* direct us toward a proper understanding of our relationship with God. We avoid this offense against Kṛṣṇa’s holy name if we accept the concept of scripture in general, revere authentic scriptures of traditions other than our own, respect but avoid scriptures that teach valid yet lesser religious practice, and reject pseudo scripture that opposes love of God. We also avoid this offense by worshiping Kṛṣṇa with our intelligence through careful study and application of sacred literature. Such study infuses us with both eagerness and direction for attaining devotional service to the Lord. We take our happiness from exploring each aspect of the Vedic scriptures we read. And we scrupulously adhere to the obvious meanings and applications consistent with both the texts as a whole and the examples of liberated souls. *A Culture of Enlightenment* One reason people reject the very concept of sacred writing is that the word *scripture* to them conjures up the ghosts of societies that forbade smiling on the Sabbath, or declared that the way to perfection was a system of intricate ritualistic procedures that few could perform and even fewer understand. Besides, *scripture*s contain fantastic stories of miracles and supernatural happenings that modern science claims it discredited long ago. And aren’t *scripture*s the product of imperfect persons? The reality is that when correctly understood and applied, genuine scripture acts like a guidebook and instruction manual for human life and the cosmos. It is the procedure brochure for the enterprise of the material creation. From scripture, coupled with oral tradition, we learn of methods of spiritual elevation, including the chanting of the holy name. From scripture we learn of the lives of past saints, sages, and incarnations of Kṛṣṇa. In fact, the stories of scripture, whether in written or oral form, are the basis for the transmission and foundation of a culture of enlightenment. *Making Sense of the Fantastic* Certainly it is true that many stories in sacred writings seem fantastic to our scientific world. But many current technological wonders seemed fictional and implausible only a few decades ago. It is not, therefore, implausible that former societies could have had abilities and expertise unavailable today. For example, ancient architecture in Peru is virtually impossible to re-create using modern methods. The view that technology has always progressed and could never have been greater than it is today may be inaccurate. Indeed, even recent history indicates that much knowledge existed in ancient Greece, was lost to Europe in the Middle Ages, and then gradually resurfaced. It is reasonable and logical, then, to assume that what is commonplace today, such as television and the Internet, may be lost and forgotten in the future, only to resurface later. Additionally, even today there is much strong empirical evidence for the existence of the supernatural. But because current science can’t explain the evidence, it is usually suppressed. Also, the *Vedas*—with their information about spirit and subtle matter—provide a world view that makes the seemingly impossible easy to accept. For example, once you understand that spirit, or life, is independent of matter, it’s easy to believe that living beings can live anywhere in the universe and do all kinds of amazing things. A valid complaint about scripture for the spiritually minded is that much of it focuses on ritual and material gain. Kṛṣṇa validates that sentiment when He tells His friend Arjuna that those who have practiced *yoga* in previous lives are above most scriptural rituals. The sad truth, however, is that few people are interested in genuine spiritual realization. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa and His great devotees give instructions and examples in scripture for all types of people. There are different scriptures for various classes of people with diverse inclinations and desires. And there may be various levels and kinds of instruction in the same scriptural canon. Sometimes the Lord, His agent, or His son may teach eternal truths at a lower level or in an obscured way according to time, place, or circumstance. Scriptures that arise from such teachings may teach less than pure, unmotivated devotion to the Lord, but they serve the function of gradually bringing people to the pinnacle of realization. Knowing that perfection is generally achieved over many lifetimes, one absorbed in chanting the *mantra* of the ultimate truth supports and encourages those at various levels. Bona fide scripture, by definition, comes directly from God or from souls liberated from the imperfections and cheating of common persons. The unadulterated truth can flow through a person free from selfish desires and linked with God, just as the view of the world outside can pass through a clear window. *A Role for Discrimination* Still, one shouldn’t accept simply any writing as sacred just because it claims to be so. Part of the offense of blaspheming scripture is to accept a philosophy contrary to serving the personal form of the Lord with devotion. Also, if a “religious” system claims that other genuine methods and scriptures are sinful, it should be abandoned as small-minded sectarianism. In addition, we should reject any system or philosophy that denies the soul, the Personality of Godhead, the process of developing love for God, or the goal of individual loving union with Him. Therefore, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa while holding a monistic attitude—thinking that the ultimate reality is simply energy and light—is part of this offense to the holy name. A devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa should depend only on traditions that expound *bhakti*—loving devotion to the person Kṛṣṇa. Offering respect from a distance, one should avoid scripture that promotes yogic powers, good works for heavenly rewards, or salvation devoid of *bhakti*, what to speak of lower forms of worship aimed at power gained through propitiating ghostly or demonic beings. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s *Harinama Cintamani* lists nine essential principles of *krsna-*bhakti*.* We can identify *bhakti* scriptures as those that promote these nine principles: (1) There is one Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. (2) He is the possessor of all energies. (3) Kṛṣṇa is the fountainhead of transcendental relationships and is situated in His own spiritual world, where He eternally gives joy to all living beings. (4) Living beings are particles of the Lord, unlimited in number, infinitesimal in size, and conscious. (5) Some living beings have been bound in material universes from time beyond memory, attracted by illusory pleasure. (6) Some living beings are eternally liberated and engaged in worshiping Kṛṣṇa; they reside with Him as associates in the spiritual sky and experience love for Him. (7) Kṛṣṇa exists with His energies—material, spiritual, and the living beings—in a state of simultaneous identity and differentiation, permeating all yet remaining aloof. (8) The process for the living being to realize Kṛṣṇa is nine-fold: hearing about Kṛṣṇa, chanting, remembering, serving, worshiping, praying, acting as His servant, being His friend, and surrendering everything. (9) The ultimate goal of a living being is pure love for Kṛṣṇa, which Kṛṣṇa awakens in a soul out of His mercy. If one follows the most pure scriptures, rejects assorted worldly traditions masquerading as sacred, and respects genuine scripture that’s at a lower level, there still must be care in scriptural study. Even an eternal tradition of untainted written or oral revelation can become skewed through imaginative interpretation and usage. To respect scripture, we understand it using the most clear and direct meaning possible, studying the practical precedents of past and present pure devotees of Kṛṣṇa. We also approach scripture through the direction of a *guru*, who gives specific guidance for what is relevant to our present circumstance. Misinterpretation or misapplication of scripture can be more dangerous than denying it altogether. A wolf disguised as a sheep is far more dangerous than an obvious wolf. With so many considerations and confusions about scripture, wouldn’t it be better to simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, and forget scripture completely? It is true that chanting alone can bring us to perfection. But it must be offenseless chanting, which requires a reverential attitude toward genuine sacred writings. Oh, but how much pleasure and solace there is in scripture! We can gain much joy and confidence from reading the *Bhagavad-gītā,* the words of Kṛṣṇa Himself. And we can find similar succor in works of contemporary writers—devotees who take the principles Kṛṣṇa elucidated and apply them to familiar situations. Of course, relish and delight are not our only motives for reading sacred writings. We *need* scripture. To ascertain truth without scripture, we have little choice but to rely on our own sensual and mental faculties and those of others. These alone can give us only partial, relative knowledge. Our senses are imperfect, even when enhanced with sophisticated instruments. We make mistakes from habit, carelessness, or unconscious bias. We tend to cheat—even to cheat ourselves. And when we identify the body as the self, we are living in a general illusion. Therefore, axiomatic truths—the starting point for logical and sensory conclusions—must come from a source free of defects if we want to base our actions on perfect knowledge. When our foundational knowledge comes from the Absolute Truth, then chanting Kṛṣṇa’s holy name will quickly propel us on the path to Him. Hearing from scripture about the beauty of Kṛṣṇa’s form and the superb activities of the spiritual world will inspire us to chant with intense desire for His loving service. Pleased with our desire, Kṛṣṇa will cleanse us with a downpour of His mercy, and our progress will be swift indeed. *Urmila Devī Dāsī and her family run a school in North Carolina. She is a* BTG *associate editor and the major author and compiler of* Vaikuntha Children, *a guide to Kṛṣṇa conscious education for children.* ## Service to Guru: No Higher Duty *An address at the Los Angeles Hare Kṛṣṇa temple, delivered last year on the birth anniversary of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda.* *By Giriraja Swami* > yat-sevayā bhagavataḥ > kūṭa-sthasya madhu-dviṣaḥ > rati-rāso bhavet tīvraḥ > pādayor vyasanārdanaḥ TRANSLATION: By serving the feet of the spiritual master, one is enabled to develop transcendental ecstasy in the service of the Personality of Godhead, who is the unchangeable enemy of the Madhu demon and whose service vanquishes one’s material distresses.” (*Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* 3.7.19) Purport by Śrīla Prabhupāda: “The association of a bona fide spiritual master like the sage Maitreya can be of absolute help in achieving transcendental attachment for the direct service of the Lord. The Lord is the enemy of the Madhu demon, or in other words He is the enemy of the suffering of His pure devotee. The word *rati-rasah* is significant in this verse. Service to the Lord is rendered in different transcendental mellows (relationships): neutral, active, friendly, parental, and nuptial. A living entity in the liberated position of transcendental service to the Lord becomes attracted to one of the above-mentioned mellows, and when one is engaged in transcendental loving service to the Lord, one’s service attachment in the material world is automatically vanquished. As stated in *Bhagavad-gītā* (2.59), *rasa-varjam raso ’py asya param drstva nivartate.*” We are gathered at the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda on his divine appearance day, here in what he called ISKCON’s Western world headquarters. Śrīla Prabhupāda translated many transcendental literatures for us. He would rise early in the morning and spend as much time as possible translating. At the very least, he would translate from midnight to 6:00 A.M. Although I said “early in the morning,” it would be more precise to say that he rose in the middle of the night. Usually he would retire at about ten, sleep for about two hours, and then get up at about midnight and translate. He considered his service of translating the Vedic literature and writing to be most important. And for whom did he write? He himself said that he wrote for his sincere followers. He wrote for everyone, but mainly for his sincere followers. So to read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books—to study them, to try to understand them and apply them—is an important part of our service to him. As Śrīla Prabhupāda once said, “You should not only distribute my books; you should read them.” So today on Śrīla Prabhupāda’s appearance day I thought to discuss some of the philosophy that he has presented in his books, because the philosophy is the basis of our activities in devotional service, our activities in ISKCON. One of the first books that Śrīla Prabhupāda translated was *The* *Nectar of Devotion*, a summary study of Śrīla Rupa Gosvami’s *Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu*. *The*re Śrīla Prabhupāda, following Śrīla Rupa Gosvami, explains that there are three divisions of devotional service: *sadhana-bhakti, *bhava-bhakti*,* and **prema-bhakti*.* *Sadhana-bhakti* has been rendered by Śrīla Prabhupāda into English as “devotional service in practice,” *bhava-bhakti* as “devotional service in ecstasy,” and *prema-bhakti* as “devotional service in pure love of Godhead.” For people interested in spiritual advancement there is a great question: How do we progress? Of course, Śrīla Prabhupāda himself emphasized the chanting of the holy names, and thus we are called the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. And Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as we read in *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta,* also confirmed that of all the items of devotional service, the chanting of the holy names is the most important. Therefore Śrīla Prabhupāda stressed above all the chanting of the holy names, and for disciples the chanting of at least sixteen rounds. Now, where does service to the spiritual master, or in our case, service to Śrīla Prabhupāda and his mission, come into the picture? Where does it fit? In the *Bhakti-sandarbha* (*Anuccheda* 237) Śrī Jiva Gosvami discusses the importance of serving the spiritual master, with reference to various Vedic books. In text 237.13 he cites a verse from the *Padma Purana* in which a disciple considers devotion (*bhakti*) to his spiritual master to be of paramount importance: “For me devotion to my spiritual master is more important than devotion to Lord Hari. If I am devoted to my spiritual master, then Lord Hari will personally reveal Himself to me.” Śrī Jiva Gosvami comments: “This success does not depend even on any other practice of worshiping the Supreme Lord.” Later, Śrīla Jiva Gosvami quotes Lord Kṛṣṇa’s statement in *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* (10.80.34): > nāham ijyā-prajātibhyāṁ > tapasopaśamena vā > tuṣyeyaṁ sarva-bhūtātmā > guru-śuśrūṣayā yathā “I, the Soul of all beings, am not as satisfied by ritual worship, brahminical initiation, penances, or self-discipline as I am by faithful service rendered to one’s spiritual master.” And he remarks, “The commentary [of Śrīla Śrīdhara Svami] says: ‘It has already been said that no one is more deserving of service than the *guru* who gives one knowledge. Consequently, there is also no higher duty than worshiping that spiritual master.’” *A Special Perfection* Śrīla Jiva Gosvami advises that to achieve special perfection (*vaisistya lipsu*), one should, if one is able, constantly and specifically render service to the lotus feet of one’s spiritual master(s) (*sri-guru-caranam nityam eva visesatah sevam kuryat*). That is the mood of service that Śrīla Prabhupāda exhibited as a disciple of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati Ṭhākura, and that is the mood of service he instilled in us—through his example and through his words. Now, the verse from the *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* that we just read states specifically that by serving the lotus feet of the spiritual master one develops ecstasy, or *rati*. *Rati* is part of that scheme of different levels of devotional service mentioned by Śrī Rupa Gosvami. After *sadhana-bhakti* comes **bhava*-bhakti,* and a synonym for *bhava* in certain contexts is *rati*. *Rati* means “attachment.” As Śrīla Prabhupāda mentions in the purport and as Śrī Rupa Gosvami elaborates in the *Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu,* there are different *bhava*s, or types of *rati*. There is dasya-*rati*, attachment to Kṛṣṇa in the mood of being a servant. There is sakhya-*rati*, attachment to Kṛṣṇa in the mood of being a friend. There is vatsalya-*rati*, attachment to Kṛṣṇa in the mood of being a parent. And finally there is madhurya-*rati*, attachment to Kṛṣṇa in the mood of being a lover of Kṛṣṇa. As suggested in this verse and purport, it is by serving the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda that one can develop these *bhavas,* these different types of attachment to Kṛṣṇa’s service (*rati-rasah*). And it is by service to the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda that one develops that desire to serve Kṛṣṇa in a particular relationship. Thus, we don’t have to engage in any sort of artificial esoteric practice to develop that desire for service to Kṛṣṇa in a particular relationship. That desire (*lobha*) comes by serving the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Śrīla Jiva Gosvami also discusses today’s verse in *Śrī Bhakti-sandarbha* (*Anuccheda* 244). He says, “The word *tivra* (‘intense’) hints at the special result of personal service, compared to that of mere association.” Citing verse after verse, Śrīla Jiva Gosvami glorifies the results of associating with pure devotees (*sat-sanga*), which is the only process that can give one the strong love that can control Kṛṣṇa. As powerful and beneficial as hearing and chanting in the association of pure devotees (*prasanga*) is, however, personal service rendered to pure devotees (*paricarya*), combined with chanting and hearing, brings an “exceptional result” (*vasistam phalam*): even greater love for Kṛṣṇa. I felt it appropriate on Śrīla Prabhupāda’s appearance day to express our appreciation for this aspect of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mission: how he was able to present the process by which one can achieve ecstatic love of Godhead in the simplest terms—in terms of service to him. By surrendering to Śrīla Prabhupāda and developing love for him, we surrender to Kṛṣṇa and develop our love for Him. So we should serve Śrīla Prabhupāda in all respects with full faith and conviction, without reservation. The famous verse in the Fourth Chapter of the *Gita* (4.34) says, > tad viddhi praṇipātena > paripraśnena sevayā > upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ > jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ “One must approach a spiritual master and render service to him, inquire submissively of him, and surrender to him.” And we find in the Thirteenth Chapter of the *Bhagavad-gītā,* as one of the items of knowledge, *acaryopasanam:* one must approach the *acarya*. There Śrīla Prabhupāda comments that one who has approached the spiritual master with all humility and offered him all services can make advancement even if he is unable to strictly follow all the rules and regulations. Or the regulative principles will be easier for one who has served the spiritual master without reservation. That was Śrīla Prabhupāda’s spirit: he was ready to do anything to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And he inspired in us the same spirit so that we were ready to do anything to assist him. *A Story of Mutual Love* Malati Devī Dāsī tells a nice story about how when we first got the land in Māyāpur, Śrīla Prabhupāda invited his Godbrothers to meet him there. Śrīla Prabhupāda had a small thatched hut, which is still there, although renovated. Malati was cooking for Śrīla Prabhupāda. It was very difficult for her because there was almost no money. She had to struggle to get money from the treasurer, then walk with her young daughter to the boat, haggle with the boat people so they would accept the proper fare, take the boat across to Navadvipa, haggle with ricksha drivers so that they too would accept the right amount, ride to the fruit and vegetable markets, haggle with the vendors there to get the right price, and then return to cook on the single portable coal burner and the single portable kerosene burner on the floor in the corner of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s hut, separated from him by a plain cloth curtain. As the devotees didn’t have a refrigerator then, whatever she needed she had to buy fresh daily—and thus go through the same struggles every day. Malati was on the verge of collapsing every day, but then so were most of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disciples, dedicated as they were to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s service in spite of all material impediments and inconveniences—living in tents, eating the local food, getting dysentery, and so on. Malati’s constant meditation was how to make the *prasādam* come out nice so that Śrīla Prabhupāda would be pleased. And every day Śrīla Prabhupāda would point out the defects in her service, so that she could improve. But she felt that he was criticizing her. And she felt that she could never get it right. Then one day she thought that she had finally managed to cook everything properly and arrange the plate just to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s standard. She brought the plate of *prasādam* to Śrīla Prabhupāda, but when she came to remove the plate he said, “There is too much salt” not that there was too much salt in the food, but there was too much salt placed on the plate with the pepper and ginger and lemon slices. So she concluded, “I can never get it right. I should find someone else who can do the service better.” And at once she felt relieved. So she decided, “I’ll tell Śrīla Prabhupāda tomorrow.” The next day, Malati heard that some of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Godbrothers were coming to join him for lunch, so she assumed that she would not cook that day, because Śrīla Prabhupāda had been under criticism from his Godbrothers for keeping women in his ashrams and for having a woman cook. But Śrīla Prabhupāda called her to tell her what items he wanted her to cook that day, as usual. She was dutiful, so she decided, “Well, I’ll just cook today, and then I’ll tell him tomorrow.” So she cooked. When the *prasādam* was ready, Malati lifted up the cloth that separated the work area from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s room. There she saw Śrīla Prabhupāda sitting on the floor at the end of the room, with two of his Godbrothers on either side. Śrīla Prabhupāda appeared to her like a diamond in a gold setting, flanked as he was by his esteemed Godbrothers. And she felt intimidated by the presence of such venerable Vaisnavas. Already on her knees, she pulled her sari over her head and arms, so only her hands showed, and with her knees and elbows on the floor, she carried Śrīla Prabhupāda’s plate of *prasādam* with her outstretched hands, practically crawling between the Godbrothers to approach her spiritual master. Then Śrīla Prabhupāda said to his Godbrothers, “Yes, she cooks for me.” He paused. “And I criticize her. But she would slit her throat for me, and I would do the same for her.” When she heard that, Malati almost collapsed on the floor. That was more than any reciprocation she could have ever hoped for or even imagined. And what Śrīla Prabhupāda had said was true. We were ready to do anything for him—in part because we knew he would do anything for us. *Ready to Do Anything* So Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mood was the same—toward his spiritual master and toward his disciples, in service to his spiritual master and in his reciprocation with his disciples for their sincere efforts to assist him. Certainly he would do anything for his spiritual master. He came on a steamship all the way from India to America, to New York. He lived in the Bowery. He was ready to do anything for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And he was ready to do anything for us, really. For the devotees who gave everything to him, he was ready to give everything to them. It is the love for Śrīla Prabhupāda that we develop through our surrender and service to him that becomes the basis for developing love for Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda used to say that the spiritual master is the “transparent via media” for Kṛṣṇa. We get knowledge from Kṛṣṇa through the spiritual master, and we offer service to Kṛṣṇa through the spiritual master. But more than just the mechanics of the service, it is the mood of devotion that we want to offer to Kṛṣṇa. So we develop the mood of devotion for the spiritual master, and that becomes the mood of love and devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa—Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Service to Śrīla Prabhupāda is an extremely deep thing; this mood of service is the very basis of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Upon that basis ISKCON was formed, and upon that basis ISKCON will grow strong. And that too is the basis on which, as Śrīla Prabhupāda said, we will have another ISKCON in the spiritual world. [*Giriraja Swami now replies to a question from the audience.*] She asked if I can tell a personal story about my serving Śrīla Prabhupāda without reservation. Well, I don’t know if I have come to that stage. Maybe if you ask me in a few million lifetimes I can tell you one. But there is a sweet story that comes to mind, from when we were in Gorakhpur. At that time Śrīla Prabhupāda had with him his brass Rādhā-Madhava Deities, now installed in Māyāpur, and he wanted the devotees to make a *simhasana*—an altar—for the Deities. Days passed, however, and nothing was happening. Finally, Śrīla Prabhupāda became so concerned that he took the matter into his own hands and organized the construction of the *simhasana*. Kausalya Dasi, who was the Deities’ *pujari,* got a large table, which she thoroughly cleaned. Then Śrīla Prabhupāda had us get long bamboo poles to tie to the table’s four legs, and string to connect the tops of the bamboo poles. Śrīla Prabhupāda then asked Haimavati Dasi for her two best saris, one to drape across the top as the roof and one to drape over the front as the curtain. Finally, Śrīla Prabhupāda wanted branches of trees and bushes to tie to the bamboo poles as decorations. I was relatively new and not that capable of doing other services, so I, along with another man, was sent out to bring back branches. It was already about five o’clock in the afternoon and getting towards sunset, but I didn’t know when to stop. I was quite new and could not determine how much to bring or when to stop. So I just kept getting more and more and more. And it kept getting darker and darker. I thought of Kṛṣṇa and Sudama when they went into the forest to collect firewood for their spiritual master, and they went deeper and deeper, and it got darker and darker, and they got lost. I wasn’t sure that I would be able to find my way back. Still, because I did not know how much to bring, I just kept collecting more and more. I could hardly walk, I was carrying so many branches. Finally, I made my way back to where we were staying, climbed up the stairs, and there I saw Śrīla Prabhupāda. The altar was already done. Practically all the devotees had gone to rest, and only Śrīla Prabhupāda and one or two other devotees were still there. I came staggering up the stairs with this huge load of branches. Śrīla Prabhupāda was in such an ecstatic mood. I think he was really pleased that we finally had made an altar for the Deities. He saw me coming up, and it was late, and I guess he figured that I was really trying to bring back a good bunch of branches. I dropped them onto the floor. He was smiling and beaming, and he touched me. He didn’t touch devotees very often. There are some of the early devotees he did touch, but it was only twice in my experience in Kṛṣṇa consciousness that he touched me. He was very pleased. He said, “Thank you very much.” And he touched my shoulder. That was a nice experience. When I look back on that incident I feel, “Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda was the founder-*ācārya* of ISKCON, but he was also my spiritual master.” And it was sort of like Kṛṣṇa and His friend Sudama with their spiritual master, Sandipani Muni: There was that personal touch of the spiritual master with his disciples. Śrīla Prabhupāda *ki jaya*! *Giriraja Swami was a leader at ISKCON’s Bombay temple during the ’70s, affording him the opportunity for much association with Śrīla Prabhupāda. He currently lives in Santa Barbara, California, where he writes books and teaches Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He also oversees some projects in India.* ## Mahārāja Prataparudra: Humble Servant in Kingly Dress *Lord Caitanya fulfilled the deepest wish of a powerful ruler who defended Orissa against invaders from the north and south.* *By Satyaraja Dāsa* MAHARAJA Prataparudra, a king who played a central role in Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s life, is mentioned in all of Lord Caitanya’s sacred biographies as well as in secular historical records. For example, Prabhat Mukherjee, a scholar of Orissan history, has written several books on the Caitanya tradition, touching on Mahārāja Prataparudra’s genealogy and political career. Such historical accounts tell us that the wise king Purushottam Deva ruled Orissa until 1497, when he was succeeded by Prataparudra, who ruled until 1540, about seven years after Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned to His eternal abode. Following the tradition of kings in his line, Prataparudra accepted the titles Gajapati and Gaudeshwar. His empire extended from the Ganges in Bengal to Karnataka, with his capital city in Cuttack, Orissa. Though his capital was in Cuttack, like Gajapati kings before him he is also associated with Puri, the holy city in Orissa on the Bay of Bengal. Puri is the home of the Jagannatha temple and has been a pilgrimage site for centuries. Historical documents tell of Prataparudra’s battles with both Hussein Shah, the ruler of Bengal, and King Krishnadeva Raya of Vijayanagar, a South Indian kingdom. Hussein Shah played a role in the history of Caitanya Mahāprabhu: Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami, leading disciples of Lord Caitanya, were ministers in the Shah’s government before retiring to join Lord Caitanya’s mission. Despite recurring battles during his rule, King Prataparudra led a disciplined and religious life. This is evident from the following account, given to the Vijayanagar emperor by a spy in his court: The Gajapati king gets up from bed early in the morning two hours before sunrise and salutes two Brahmins before looking at any other person. Then accompanied by the Sixteen Patras [the Brahminical council], he goes on a ride of about twenty or thirty miles before returning to the palace. After taking his bath, he engages himself in the daily worship of Lord Jagannath, after which he takes his midday meal. After food, he recites the *Ramayana.* Then, putting on official robes bedecked with jewels, he sits in the court and transacts his daily business. —From Dr. R. Subrahmayam, *The Suryavamsi Gajapatis of Orissa* A book called **Sarasvati-vilasa*,* accepted as authoritative by Orissan historians, says that King Prataparudra had four queens, named Padma, Padmalaya, Ila, and Mahila. It is also written that by the time of his death, Prataparudra had thirty-two sons and several daughters. Among his many children, *Sarasvati-vilasa* highlights the life of one son, Purushottam (named after Prataparudra’s predecessor). *Caitanya-caritāmṛta* (*Antya-līlā* 3.9.99) and *Bhakti-ratnakara* (6.65) also speak of Purushottam, confirming information from secular texts. Documents of the Jagannatha temple inform us that even before meeting Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Prataparudra followed the custom of sweeping the road before Lord Jagannatha’s chariot. They also tell us that he was well educated and a patron of learning and brahminical culture. He had already acquired knowledge of *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* and discussed truths about Kṛṣṇa with Ramananda Raya, one of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s most important associates and the governor, under the king, of Rajamahendri in the south. Ramananda Raya dedicates the prefatory verse of every song in his devotional play *Jagannatha-Vallabha-Natakam* to King Prataparudra, indicating the extent of the king’s attraction for hearing the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. The king’s soft, devotional heart is perhaps most clearly evident in the story behind a painting he commissioned [See photo and caption on pp. 24–25]. After many of the Lord’s intimate associates had passed on, the king wanted to “immortalize” them for the pleasure of the remaining Vaisnavas, particularly for Śrīnivasa, a greatly respected second-generation devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. As the story goes, when Śrīnivasa arrived in Puri he hoped to study the *Bhagavatam* under Gadadhara Pandita. But Gadadhara’s manuscript had been irreparably damaged by his tears of spiritual ecstasy. So he sent Śrīnivasa back to Bengal to get another copy. But by the time he returned, Gadadhara had passed away, leaving Śrīnivasa disconsolate. To assuage Śrīnivasa’s grief, Mahārāja Prataparudra gave him the painting, so that he could regularly meditate on the Lord and His devotees. The grandson of Śrīnivasa later gave it to a devotee named Nanda Kumar, which is how it arrived in Kunja-ghat, Kumar’s ancestral home. The authenticity of this painting has come into question. Did King Prataparudra actually commission it? This doubt has been exacerbated by the fact that there are several modern renditions of the original work, all with variations. Gopal Ghosh, of the Vrindavan Research Institute (UP, India)—where such things are thoroughly analyzed and catalogued—states after extensive study, “There is no doubt about the authenticity of the painting.” Still, not everyone agrees. But it is certain that the painting has been part of the tradition for several centuries. Though there is compelling historical evidence for Prataparudra’s existence and his reign in sixteenth-century India, as we have seen, his importance as a monarch is overshadowed by his spiritual significance in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya. The book *Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika*, by Kavi Karnapura, is accepted by spiritual masters in Lord Caitanya’s line as the authority on identifying the associates of Lord Caitanya. In *Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika* (118) the author writes, “Mahārāja Prataparudra, who was as powerful as Lord Indra, had formerly been Mahārāja Indradyumna, who began the worship of Lord Jagannatha.” It is no wonder, therefore, that as Prataparudra this soul is intimately connected to Jagannatha yet again, but this time through the grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The blessings *Śrī* Caitanya Mahāprabhu showered on King Prataparudra have been documented in most of Lord Caitanya’s biographies, including Murari Gupta’s *Kadaca,* Locana Dāsa Ṭhākura’s *Śrī* *Caitanya-mangala,* Vṛndāvana Dāsa Ṭhākura’s *Śrī* Caitanya-Bhagavata, Kṛṣṇadasa Kaviraja Gosvami’s *Śrī* Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Kavi Karnapura’s *Śrī* Caitanya-caritāmṛta-maha-kavya and *Śrī* Caitanya-candrodaya-nataka. They tell essentially the same story: King Prataparudra, though a monarch, was a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Naturally, when Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa Himself, came to Puri, the king wanted to see Him. But Mahāprabhu told His associates, “I cannot give him what he wants. Because he is a king, he is like a black serpent.” Caitanya Mahāprabhu then made His position clearer. “For a renunciant like Me,” He said, “it is risky to associate with two kinds of people: women, and persons involved in worldly matters.” Although this particular king was a very advanced devotee, Mahāprabhu, on principle, still denied him His association. Lord Caitanya was very strict, setting an example for others who would take up the life of renunciation. When Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Ācārya, Ramananda Raya, and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya—all beloved associates of Lord Caitanya—requested Him to see the king, He told them, “I’ll leave Puri and go to Alalanatha, or somewhere else. I will not remain here. You can remain here with him. But I will not.” This is how strongly He felt about avoiding the association of men involved in money and power. Disappointed, Prataparudra was ready to renounce the world himself. If Lord Caitanya would not see him because of his royal position, then why not give it up? Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, Ramananda Raya, and the others told Lord Caitanya of the king’s determination, and Lord Caitanya was pleased. Still, He stood by His vow of renunciation and again asserted that He would avoid the king, despite the king’s devotion. Nityānanda Prabhu then suggested that Lord Caitanya send the king a piece of His outer garment to appease him. Lord Caitanya did so, and Prataparudra worshiped that garment as if it were Lord Caitanya Himself. Ultimately, the great devotee Ramananda Raya interceded on the king’s behalf, and by his prodding, Lord Caitanya agreed to see the king’s son. After all, Lord Caitanya reasoned, “a son is one’s own self born again,” as the saying goes. And the young prince was naturally not as ensconced in worldly matters as his father. So Lord Caitanya’s associates brought the boy to Him. The prince was dark-hued and handsome, reminding Lord Caitanya of Kṛṣṇa Himself. Lord Caitanya showed him special mercy. Upon seeing the boy, Mahāprabhu embraced him, and the young prince swooned in ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. Later, he went to his father, Prataparudra, who naturally embraced his son as well and received that same intense love. Feeling Lord Caitanya’s ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa, the king now wanted to be in Mahāprabhu’s presence more than ever*.* Sarvabhauma then devised a plan: The Rathayatra festival would soon be held in Puri, and in spiritual bliss Mahāprabhu would no doubt dance like a madman before the cart of Lord Jagannatha*.* After a while, Lord Caitanya would want to rest and would retire to a nearby garden*.* At that point, the king could, in the dress of a commoner, approach the Lord while reciting intimate passages from the *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam,* Tenth Canto*.* These sweet verses never failed to move Lord Caitanya into ecstatic trance*.* He would then embrace the king under the assumption that he was a simple Vaisnava*.* The day of the festival finally came, and it was marked by the king’s humble act of sweeping the road before Lord Jagannatha. When Mahāprabhu saw this, He was inclined to the king more than ever, and He bore this in mind as He ecstatically sang and danced before the majestic cart. At one point, His mystic reverie reaching a crescendo, He nearly passed out. By His divine arrangement He allowed Prataparudra to be right at His side to catch Him in his arms. The touch of the king, however, restored Mahāprabhu to His senses, and He chided Himself for having touched a worldly person. The *Caitanya-**caritāmṛta* tells us something deeper: Lord Caitanya inwardly relished His association with the king but needed to set an example for others in the renounced order of life. Sarvabhauma’s plan, too, was enacted later on in the festival, and the king indeed received the embrace of Lord Caitanya. It is said that Prataparudra turned over the kingdom to his son even while Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was present in this world. Soon after Lord Caitanya’s passing, he was so grief-stricken that he left Puri. According to the *Bhakti-ratnakara* (3.217–221), “When the king heard that Lord Caitanya had departed, he fell to the ground and lamented. Hitting his head again and again, he fell unconscious, and only the company of Ramananda Raya kept him alive. The king was unable to bear the absence of Lord Caitanya, and so he left Puri, staying elsewhere for the rest of his days.” Historian N. N. Vasu writes in his *Archeological Report of Mayurbhanj* that Mahārāja Prataparudra started for Vṛndāvana but didn’t make it there. While en route, he passed away in the village of Ramachandrapur in the Mayurbhanj district of Orissa. The name of the village was then changed to Pratappur in his honor, and it is known by that name today. *Satyaraja Dāsa, a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda, is a BTG associate editor. He has written over twenty books. He lives with his wife and daughter near New York City.* *The Lord’s Royal Sweeper* “With his rod of chastisement, the Gajapati king Prataparudra decimated his enemies, destroying all threats to his subjects. Like the sun, he would always shine with valor. Despite this, he humbly saw himself as the Lord’s most insignificant servant and swept the Lord’s path with a golden broom. He became completely motionless (with love) as he watched the pastimes of the two Lords, Nilacala Candra and Gauracandra—Lord Jagannatha and Lord Caitanya.” *—Kavi Karnapura, Caitanya-caritāmṛta-maha-kavya* 15.95–96 ## Śrīla Prabhupāda 108 Celebration *A Year of Expansion* *By Lokanath Swami* Lord Caitanya predicted that the holy name of the Lord would reach every town and village. Although we still have a long way to go, the latest developments in ISKCON’s efforts to fulfill that prophecy are very encouraging. Since the last issue of BTG, ISKCON has established its mission in the 160th country on the planet. Over four million publications were distributed during 2004, and according to *Newsweek* magazine, Hare Kṛṣṇa is the fastest growing religion in the former Soviet Union. During his lifetime, Śrīla Prabhupāda expressed satisfaction with the expansion of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. He did not take ISKCON’s growth as his personal doing, but he saw it as the grace of Lord Caitanya and Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati Ṭhākura. He would often state how wonderful it was that Kṛṣṇa consciousness was spreading. Once, Prabhupāda was sitting in his garden in Vṛndāvana, talking with a British disciple, who said that he was a great-grandson of Lord Macauley, a leader during the British occupation of India. Prabhupāda quoted the imperialistic slogan “The sun never sets on the British empire” and applied it to his Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. He said that practically no materialistic industrialist could have as many branches as he had in ISKCON. Even if he were to stay only three days in each one of his temples, he would not have time in the year to do it. Prabhupāda made such transcendental boasts to show people that Kṛṣṇa consciousness was no trifle. Jokingly Prabhupāda told the British disciple that he wondered, “If the sun never sets on the British empire, why does it never rise in London?” *Sankirtana Empire* Empires have come and gone, and yet another empire of an entirely different nature, the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement—Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s *sankirtana* empire—is coming onto the scene. It has been predicted that the golden age currently being ushered in will last for ten thousand years. The world will always remember that this empire was single-handedly started by Śrīla Prabhupāda, an elderly gentleman with an initial investment of only five dollars. Unlike the spreading of mundane empires, the spreading of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s *sankirtana* empire is and will be free from the dualities of material existence. It is simply out of this world. There is no conqueror and conquered, no master and slave, no victor and loser. It is simply a transcendental, joyful process where the equality and eternality of souls is propagated and established, where everyone feels the joy of freedom from the bonds of the three modes of material nature and the shackles of national identities. Param vijayate sri-krsna-*sankirtana*m: “All victory to the congregational chanting of the holy names of Śrī Kṛṣṇa!” All this has been accomplished in a short forty years. As we are nearing completion of the 108th anniversary of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s appearance, there are a couple of more anniversaries at our doorstep. *Anniversaries to Come* Śrīla Prabhupāda departed for America in 1965. So this year is the fortieth anniversary of that eventful year when he ventured overseas to inaugurate his global mission. In 1966 Prabhupāda incorporated his International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Coincidently, 2006—the fortieth anniversary of ISKCON’s founding—is also the 500th anniversary of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s inauguration of the *sankirtana* movement. After Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted initiation from Isvara Puri in Gaya, He returned to Māyāpur and met Lord Nityānanda for the first time. When these two Lords united, the congregational chanting of the holy name began. That was in the year 1506. These anniversary celebrations give us further opportunities and inspiration to accomplish more for the *sankirtana* movement. All around the world, devotees have been inspired by the 108 anniversary year to make extra efforts to please Śrīla Prabhupāda. We have witnessed the expansion of Prabhupāda’s movement this year on many fronts worldwide. I’ve had the honor of being the global coordinator for the Śrīla Prabhupāda 108 Celebration. Along with the 108 Celebration team, I would like to express my appreciation and heartfelt thanks to all those souls who, with all their heart and strength, glorified the great soul Śrīla Prabhupāda. May he further shower his blessings upon them all! I would also like to express my gratitude to Nagaraja Dāsa, the editor of *Back to Godhead.* He enthusiastically dedicated space in the magazine for the Śrīla Prabhupāda 108 Celebration column for the entire year. This greatly helped the anniversary campaign. *Holy Name Celebrations* By the time this issue reaches your hands, devotees around the world will have celebrated Padayatra Week (June 5–11) and World Holy Name Day (June 12). Both events were dedicated to glorifying and broadcasting the holy name of the Lord. Glory to the *sri-krsna-*sankirtana*,* which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This *sankirtana* movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious. —Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu The holy name was Śrīla Prabhupāda’s greatest gift. Although nearly penniless, when he traveled overseas he carried a real treasure—the holy name of the Lord. And countless souls in 160 countries are becoming enriched by its wealth. I end these 108 Celebration columns with Śrīla Prabhupāda’s popular message: “Chant Hare Krishna and be happy.” ## Our Eternal Purpose *There’s something none of us can avoid doing, and our fulfillment comes by learning how to do it right.* *By Jahnudvipa Dāsa* TO THOROUGHLY understand something one must know its essence. In Sanskrit that essence is called *dharma*—the inseparable quality that makes a thing what it is. A stone’s *dharma* is to be hard, water’s is to be wet, fire’s to be hot, sugar’s to be sweet. One might ask, What then is the *dharma* of the living entity? According to the Vedic scriptures our *dharma* is service. Because we souls, we particles of consciousness, are eternal parts of Kṛṣṇa, we are meant to serve Him. In our present state, where we exist separately from Kṛṣṇa, this service is expressed according to the body we exist in, but the tendency to serve shines through inevitably, in all circumstances. We all have to serve someone or something. We serve our children, we serve society by paying taxes, we serve the boss at work, we serve our spouses. Service is an integral aspect of love. Without service, love is just empty words. A man might declare his love to a woman, but if he never does anything for her, if he never shows her his love by buying her flowers or looking after her when she is sick, what then is the value of his love? We serve the ones we love. The urge to serve is so strong that people without loved ones get a canary or a little dog on which to lavish their service tendencies. They feed their pets, clean up after them, pay the veterinary bills. These are all symptoms of the loving service that is always evident in the living entity. Selfish people who care for nothing and no one may assert that they feel no need to serve or care for anyone. But even they have to serve. They serve the urges of their bodies. They have to eat, they have to sleep. They serve their sexual desires. They serve their mind’s demands for name and distinction. In all circumstances everyone is serving someone or something. As with *ma*ny Sanskrit words, “*dhar**ma*” can have various meanings, depending on the context. For example, *dhar**ma* can mean the codes of religion. The Vedic scriptures say that *dhar**ma* in that sense is what separates hu*ma*n beings from ani*ma*ls. And *dharma* can mean duty, also inextricably connected with human life. The Vedic scriptures describe types of *dharma*, or duty, in terms of our different bodies and their inherent abilities. There are specific *dharma*s for women, for men, for children, for old people, and for all the different types of people and social orders. *Temporary and Eternal Duties* So in human life we have temporary duties in relation to our body and our eternal duty as pure souls in relation to the Supreme. The Vedic scriptures prescribe duties in both these areas. In *Bhagavad-gītā* Lord Kṛṣṇa says that one who neglects to perform the *dharma* set down in the scriptures and instead acts whimsically cannot expect to be happy in either this life or the next. “He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination.” (Bg. 16.23) “But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do not attain God consciousness; they fall down. For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next.” (Bg. 4.40) Following *dharma* as directed by the Vedic scriptures leads to happiness, welfare, and gradual promotion to increasingly advanced forms of life on higher planets. But neglect of designated duties creates a hellish existence for oneself and others. If one insists on breaking with the natural balance of life, one will gradually sink down to the most abominable life forms. Some people think that the duties given to us by God are a nuisance, a hindrance to our enjoyment. But it is simply irrational to suggest that God wants us to suffer, that He is jealous of our enjoyment and therefore makes all these rules just to curb our pleasure. What kind of God would do that? Kṛṣṇa wants us to become happy and satisfied, and therefore He has given directions for accomplishing exactly that. Any dispassionate observer must admit that as the modern culture has discarded the rules of God and invented its own rules for becoming happy, the result has been unhappiness. Modern civilization is turning the planet into a dump and making people miserable. Those are the unavoidable consequences of ignoring the rules and regulations established by God. *Finding Natural Happiness* We can achieve happiness only by acting in line with our real nature. Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught that the position of the soul is to be the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. So we have an eternal duty: direct service to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We perform that service in the liberated state, when we’re free of the need to exist in a physical body. That service entails allowing ourselves (the soul) to be enjoyed by Kṛṣṇa. When we no longer desire to enjoy selfishly, or separately from Kṛṣṇa, we serve Him unconditionally by performing all activities to please Him. By such service we express our love for Kṛṣṇa. Such loving service is the eternal *dharma* of the soul, and it is without the hankering and lamentation that accompany so-called love in this world. We can taste this love even while in the material body, for such pure devotional service is without any tinge of material properties and is thus not dependent on whether the soul is situated in the material or spiritual world. In fact, when we serve Kṛṣṇa with body, mind, and words, we are considered liberated: “One who acts to serve Kṛṣṇa with his body, mind, intelligence, and words is a liberated person, even within this material world.” (*Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu* 1.2.187) *Chanting and Dharma* The method by which to become engaged in such service, which is inherent in the heart of all living entities, is simply to invoke that service by calling to Kṛṣṇa for it. That is done by chanting and meditating on the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra*: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. By chanting Kṛṣṇa’s name we engage in our eternal *dharma*. Then our life becomes sublime, regardless of whether we’re rich or poor, ugly or beautiful, clever or dull—in any material condition. As soon we call out to Kṛṣṇa we are carried to the transcendental plane. Regardless of religious or cultural affiliation, anyone can realize this truth. We simply have to add the chanting of Kṛṣṇa’s name to our life. From that everything else will come. We will find the satisfaction we all hanker for. We will reach the highest goal of life. *Jahnudvipa Dāsa joined ISKCON in 1982 and distributed books for several years. He has served in the North European branch of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and presently is a reporter with Radio Krishna in Copenhagen, Denmark. He lives in Māyāpur with his wife, Braja Sevaki Devī Dāsī.* ## Rupa Gosvami’s Govardhanastaka *Poetic Praise of a Holy Hill* A leading disciple of Lord Caitanya uses traditional rules of Sanskrit poetry to create artistic beauty. *By Dvija-mani Dāsa* RULES ARE MEANT to be broken, so they say. The truth of this statement manifests itself most clearly in the arts. But the great twentieth-century American poet T. S. Elliot warned, “It’s not wise to violate rules until you know how to observe them.” In the world of modern poetry, there is a strong trend to break all ties with tradition, to break all the rules, in a search for free expression. After all, are not the rules of poetry simply the inventions of other writers who were living in times and places different from our own? Perhaps not. Who was the first poet? With whom do these traditional guidelines originate? If God is the source of everything, as He must logically be, then He is also the source of poetry. If one could find the guidelines of poetic aesthetics coming from the Supreme Lord Himself, that would be a model worth following. The poets of the Vaisnava tradition know this well. They have followed the rules and guidelines of poetry coming down in an ancient tradition that traces all the way back to the *Agni Purana*, a part of the sacred Vedic literature, revealed from transcendence. In fact, the *acaryas*, the great saintly teachers, in the Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition have themselves contributed to clarifying and defining the rules of poetry in their numerous works on poetic theory. And yet these great Vaisnava poets knew how and when to bend the rules of poetry—the very rules they promoted—to increase the wonderful sweetness of their glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Rupa Gosvami’s *Prathama Govardhanastaka* provides us with a choice example of his poetic genius. This poem takes the form of a prayer to Mount Govardhana, the divine mountain Kṛṣṇa lifted with His own hand to protect the inhabitants of His village from a torrential storm sent by the *deva* Indra, as the pastime is detailed in the *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam*. But, in light of the advice of T. S. Elliot, let us begin by examining through some select verses from his poem how Rupa Gosvami uses traditional rules of poetry to create artistic beauty, before we go on to see how he bends these rules to enhance this beauty even further. While *Prathama Govardhanastaka*—literally “the first of the [two] eight-stanza poems about Govardhana”—is a descriptive name of Rupa’s composition, the poem has also another name, a proper title: *Matta-Mayura* (“The Maddened Peacocks”). These peacocks make their appearance in the first stanza of the poem: > govindasyot-tamsita-vamsi-kvanitodyal- > lasyotkantha-matta-mayura-vraja-vita > radha-kundot-tunga-taranganku ritanga > praty-asam me tvam kuru govardhana purnam “O you who are covered by a flock of peacocks maddened by the desire to dance arising by the sound of that flute which is decorated by the mouth of Govinda! O you whose limbs are sprouting because of being irrigated by the swelling waves of Rādhā-kunda! O Govardhana, please fulfill my desire.” Rupa Gosvami’s keen wit is revealed here, as *matta-mayura* is also the name of a standard poetic meter in Sanskrit literature, the very meter in which this poem is written. The meter is so named because its rhythm evokes in the mind the image of a peacock strutting his stuff: four long syllables, a pause, then the pattern long, short, short, long, long, short, short, long, long. Rupa Gosvami shows in this poem his strict adherence to the sacred scriptures, the **Bhagavata* Purana* (*Śrīmad-*Bhagavata*m*) in particular, for the content of the poem as well as for its form. In the *Bhagavata* (10.21.18), the *gopis,* the cowherd damsels of Vṛndāvana, praise Govardhana, saying, “Ah! This mountain, ladies, is the best servant of Hari, for it experiences rapture by the touch of the feet of Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa and because it extends its respect to Them, along with Their cows and companions, with its water for drinking, its fine grasses, its caves, and its edible roots.” This stanza of the *Bhagavata* becomes the source of Rupa’s description in the first three stanzas of his poem. After mentioning the sprouting grasses and the water of Rādhā-kunda in the first stanza, he goes on to refer directly to this very glorification by the *gopis* in his second stanza. > yasyotkarsad vismita-dhibhir vraja-devi- > vrndair varyam varnitam aste hari-dasyam > citrair yunjan sa dyuti-punjair akhilasam > praty-asam me tvam kuru govardhana purnam “You are he whose service to Hari is described as being the best by all the goddesses of Vraja, their minds amazed by your excellence. You imbue every direction with many varieties of splendor. O Govardhana, please fulfill my desire.” While examples can be found even in these first lines, Rupa Gosvami shows in the fourth and fifth stanzas that he is well conversant and skillful in the standards of poetic ornamentation of sound (*sabdalankara*). While further describing the beauty of Mount Govardhana in the fourth stanza, Rupa Gosvami employs *anuprasa*, alliteration, a number of times, giving the stanza a pleasing sound. > sasvad-visva-lankaranalankrti-medhyaih > premna dhautair dhatubhir uddipita-sano > nityakrandat-kandara venu-dhvani-harsat > pratyasam me tvam kuru govardhana purnam “O you whose peaks are illuminated with minerals that are purified by always ornamenting the ornament of the universe and that are washed with pure love! O you whose caves are ever resounding because of exhilaration in the form of the sound of a flute. O Govardhana, please fulfill my desire.” Here he also exemplifies the *sabdalankara* called *slesa*, a pun or double meaning. The term *medhya* used at the end of the first line most commonly means “purified.” Since Kṛṣṇa is the source of all purity, anything used in His service and thus coming in contact with Him is automatically purified. The minerals atop Govardhana’s peaks become purified by being used as ornaments on the body of the Lord, who is Himself the ornament of the universe. But the *acarya* Baladeva Vidyabhusana, commenting on this stanza, notes that the term *medhya* can also be analyzed grammatically to mean “fit to be used for.” Although things become purified by being used in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, some things are simply not appropriate to offer to Kṛṣṇa in the first place. One should not, for example, think that meat can become pure and suitable to eat by offering it to Kṛṣṇa, for Kṛṣṇa will not accept such an offering. But Mount Govardhana is naturally pure and its minerals are perfectly suitable for decorating Kṛṣṇa’s body. In the next stanza, Rupa Gosvami twice employs a difficult, but beautiful, *sabdalankara* known as *yamaka*. In a *yamaka*, a complete sequence of syllables is repeated in exact form, without simply repeating the same word. > prajya rajir yasya virajaty upalanam > krsnenasau santatam adhyasita-madhya > so ’yam bandhur bandhura-dharma surabhinam > pratyasam me tvam kuru govardhana purnam “You are the charming-natured friend of the *surabhi* cows, whose great row of rocks, in the midst of which Kṛṣṇa always resides, is brightly radiant. O Govardhana, please fulfill my desire.” Here, in the second line, the sequence of sounds *ta-ma-dhya* repeats exactly, though in different parts of different words. The first instance begins with the **-ta*m* of the word *satatam*; the second, with the *-ta* of the word *adhyasita*. Similarly, in the third line, the sound *bandhur* is repeated, but in two distinct words. After these poetic descriptions of the beauty of Mount Govardhana, in three stanzas Rupa Gosvami glorifies the pastimes associated with Mount Govardhana. While these stanzas contain relatively fewer *sabdalankaras*, ornaments of sound, they abound in the other type of poetic embellishments: *arthalankaras*, ornaments of meaning. The sixth stanza describes the pastime of Kṛṣṇa’s lifting Govardhana. > nirdhunvanah samhrti-hetum ghana-vrndam > jitva jambha-ratim asambhavita-badham > svanam vairam yah kila niryapitavan sah > pratyasam me tvam kuru govardhana purnam “You are the one who, defeating the unstoppable Indra, Jambha’s foe, by warding off the mass of clouds which bring about universal destruction, have thus verily cast out his enmity towards your kin. O Govardhana, please fulfill my desire.” In this stanza we have the ornament known as *visesokti*, wherein a cause is mentioned but the effect does not correspond. Indra, here referred to as the slayer of the demon Jambha, is said to be impossible to oppose, *asambhavita-badham*. Yet Rupa describes how just the opposite result manifested when Indra came into conflict with Mount Govardhana. Indra was defeated by Govardhana, who checked the clouds of universal devastation that were sent to destroy the land of Vraja. But how can the unstoppable Indra be stopped? Rupa Gosvami does not tell us this directly, but allows the suggestive power of poetic language to impress the point on our minds even more deeply. Indra may be said to be unstoppable, but as he is a finite living entity this claim must be understood as only relatively true. Indra is not independently powerful. Even the very water he is in charge of supplying as rain is not his own creation, any more than the sand a glass-maker uses to make glass is his own creation. His power and that rain come ultimately from Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes. Thus, that power, no matter its magnitude, can be easily overridden by Govardhana propped up upon the divine hand of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Rupa Gosvami goes on in this way and composes eight stanzas of exquisite beauty and amazing profundity describing the glories of this sacred hill, with each stanza sharing a common refrain. But although this is supposed to be an *astaka*, a poem of eight stanzas, Rupa Gosvami’s poem contains a ninth stanza. This is not at all uncommon for this form of poetry. But such extra stanzas are generally quite disconnected from the main body of the poem itself, often even using a different, simpler meter. Rather than continuing to praise the object of the poem, they address the person reciting the poem, promising beneficial results from the act of recitation. Here we see Rupa Gosvami break with the standard format. He writes as his final verse, > adri-sreni-sekhara padyastakam etat > krsnambhoda-prestha pathet yas tava dehi > premanandam tundilayan ksipram amandam > tam harsena svi-kurutam te hrdayesah “O peak of all mountain ranges! O most beloved friend of the dark rainclouds! May the Lord of your heart gladly accept as His own any embodied soul who recites this eight-stanza prayer to you, quickly nourishing him with the intense joy of pure love.” Rupa Gosvami is still addressing Govardhana. The beginnings of each of the first two lines contain vocative addresses to Govardhana—and quite poetic addresses at that. He is first addressed as the greatest among all mountains, using a word for “greatest” that literally means “mountain peak.” Then, he is called the beloved friend of the dark rainclouds. This is standard poetic imagery. Clouds, floating along in the sky, often get stopped by the peak of an eminent mountain, appearing to befriend the mountain. But of course the word used here for “dark” *krsna—*is also the name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to whom Govardhana is the dearest friend. If we take the phrase in this way, then Kṛṣṇa is said to be like a raincloud, in that He is the source of showers of nectarean transcendental sentiment (*rasa*). Still, Rupa Gosvami has not totally broken the standard form. This extra stanza deals with the benefits that accrue to the person who recites the poem. But, instead of taking the form of a promise addressed to the reader, it takes the form of a request to Govardhana to bless the reader that Kṛṣṇa may bestow *prema*, pure love, upon him. Even in this, however, he makes the final stanza more intrinsically connected to the main body of the poem than is normal for an *astaka*. Throughout the poem the refrain reads, “O Govardhana, please fulfill my desire,” yet it is never stated what the desire is. Here we finally find out. Rupa Gosvami’s desire is that those who read his poetry will be awarded pure love of Godhead. In making such a prayer, Rupa Gosvami demonstrates a mood of perfect compassion. He has composed poetry in glorification of Govardhana, but he is not only asking Govardhana for some benefit for himself. Rather, he is making a prayer on behalf of the audience who will read his poetry. He has composed this wonderful poem, making it available for the world to read with the hope that it will be an instrument for awakening love for Kṛṣṇa in its readers. He is also giving us, the readers, a chance to cultivate this same compassion by offering the same prayer. And his prayer will be effective. First of all, the poem contains the transcendental name, form, qualities, and pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa, particularly in the form of Mount Govardhana. The holy name of the Lord is identical to the Lord Himself, and that name purifies and elevates anyone who comes into contact with it. Secondly, Rupa Gosvami, such a dear, intimate devotee of the Lord, has requested the Lord to grant this boon to one who recites this prayer. The Lord is controlled by the love of devotees such as Rupa Gosvami and allows His mercy to follow the lead of the mercy of such pure devotees. Finally, this poem is of such wonderful quality and sweetness that it very easily captures the mind of its reader. One can go on chanting Kṛṣṇa’s holy name endlessly, but unless one comes to the point of chanting without offense—that is, chanting with profound intensity and careful attention—the fruit of pure love for Kṛṣṇa will not be achieved. We must still offer our purposeful effort and attention to poetry like this, but Rupa Gosvami has, by his elegant wit and charming style, made it that much easier for us to deeply absorb our minds in these wonderful descriptions of Mount Govardhana. *Dvija-mani Dāsa, a disciple of Ravīndra Svarupa Dāsa, currently lives with his family in Sweden, where he is pursuing a Master’s degree in Indology at Uppsala University. He is working together with his guru on a translation of and commentary on Raghunatha Dāsa Gosvami’s* Manah-siksa. To read the complete poem, go to krishna.com/394 ## Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out *“If You Have No Idea of God, How Will You Think of Him?”* This conversation with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda took place at ISKCON’s center in Melbourne, Australia, on June 29, 1974. Guest: Your Divine Grace, is the purpose of human life to realize God? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes—that is the only purpose. Guest: Śrīla Prabhupāda, have you realized God? Śrīla Prabhupāda: What do you think? What is your opinion? Guest: I can’t say. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Then if I say yes, what will you have understood? If you are not expert, then even if I say, “Yes, I am God-realized,” how will you take it? If you do not know what God-realization is, then how can you ask this question, and how will you be satisfied by the answer? Therefore, you should not ask this question. It has no value—unless, of course, you are prepared to accept whatever answer I give. Are you prepared? Guest: Yes. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Then it is all right. I am seeing God every moment. [*Pause*] But unless you are prepared to take the answer, you should not ask such questions. Guest: Your Divine Grace, is meditation a means to realize God? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Meditation is one means, but you cannot meditate now because you do not know what God is. So how will you meditate? If you do not know what God is, upon whom will you meditate? First of all, you must know. We know God: Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa says, *man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah:* “Always think of Me.” So we meditate upon Kṛṣṇa. That is perfect meditation, because meditation means to think of God. But if you do not know what God is, how can you think of Him? Guest: It is written in many scriptures that God is light. Śrīla Prabhupāda: God is everything. God is darkness, also. We say that God is that person from whom everything comes. So light comes from God, and darkness also comes from God. Guest: Do you think that meditation is a way to see God inside yourself? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the description of meditation. *Dhyanavasthita tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah:* by concentrating his mind, the yogi tries to see God within. So you must know what God is. Consider our ISKCON institution, for example. My disciples know what God is, so they can think of God. But if you have no idea of God, how will you think of Him? Guest: This path of devotional yoga, or *bhakti-yoga*—is this the path for the present age? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, *bhakti-*yoga** is the real *yoga*. You’ll find that when the *yoga* system is described in *Bhagavad-gītā,* the Lord says, “The first-class *yogi* is he who is always thinking of Me, Kṛṣṇa, within himself.” So our students are being taught to think of Kṛṣṇa always, twenty-four hours a day, without stopping. That is first-class *yoga*. Guest: If you are to think about something, you first have to see it. Do you show your devotees Kṛṣṇa? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Certainly. Guest: Then what . . . well . . . what is Kṛṣṇa? What does He look like? Śrīla Prabhupāda: See—here is Kṛṣṇa. Guest: But that’s a painting. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, it is a painting. But suppose a painting of you were there. Could I not say, “Here is Mr. such-and-such”? Guest: Yes. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Then what is the wrong there? Is your picture not yourself? Guest: Yes, it is. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Similarly, this is Kṛṣṇa’s painting. But the difference is that we cannot talk with your picture but we can talk with Kṛṣṇa’s picture. That is the difference. Guest: But still, somebody must have seen Kṛṣṇa to actually paint Him. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. When Kṛṣṇa was present on this earth, so many people saw Him. And since then, there have been so many temples of Kṛṣṇa’s Deity, Kṛṣṇa’s form. The same form described in the Vedic literature appeared personally, and the devotees made statues. These forms of Kṛṣṇa are being worshiped regularly. There are thousands and thousands of Kṛṣṇa temples. Guest: But has anybody actually seen Kṛṣṇa? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes—just as your father has seen your grandfather. You may not have seen him, but your father can describe him—“My father was like this.” What is the difficulty? Disciple: He asked if anyone now has seen Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda: How can one see Him now? One has to see through the *parampara,* the disciplic succession. You have not seen your grandfather, so how do you know who he was? Guest: Your parents tell you. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. So you have to receive knowledge about God from the authorities, from the *parampara.* Guest: But supposedly Kṛṣṇa is eternal, so surely He exists today. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, Kṛṣṇa is existing. At night the sun is existing, but you have no eyes to see it. That does not mean the sun does not exist. It is your deficiency—you cannot see. Guest: So we need divine sight? Śrīla Prabhupāda: You require qualification. Kṛṣṇa is always existing, but you require the qualification to see Him. That is described in the Vedic scriptures. *Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrd-ayesu vilokayanti:* those who are saintly persons in ecstatic love with Kṛṣṇa can see Him always, twenty-four hours a day. That is not difficult to understand. If you love someone, you see him always. Is it not so? You need the qualification of love. Then Kṛṣṇa will be visible twenty-four hours a day and talk with you. So you have to qualify yourself to hear Kṛṣṇa, to see Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa is always present. ## Spiritual Places *Dwarka’s Playground* When Lord Kṛṣṇa lived in His capital, He would enjoy at Raivataka Mountain with His family and fellow citizens. *By Adbhuta Hari Dāsa* AT 1,117 METERS (3,666 feet), Girnar Mountain is the highest peak in the Indian state of Gujarat. Formerly known as Raivataka Mountain, it is mentioned in the *Mahābhārata* and several *Puranas.* Five thousand years ago, its charming caves and groves ornamented the eastern gate of Dwarka, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s royal city on the sea. The Yadavas, the citizens of the Dwarka, found the beautiful forests and heavenly gardens of Raivataka ideal for their festivals and sports. Raivataka Mountain is located just outside the city of Junagadh. I visited there while traveling in Gujarat to distribute Prabhupāda’s books with a small group of devotees from the ISKCON center in Vadodara. Traveling from Rajkot, we approached Raivataka Mountain from the north. It was an impressive sight, rising above the plains of Gujarat. With its thick forests, peaceful atmosphere, and proximity to Junagadh, it seemed an ideal place for our studies, meditation, and book distribution. One member of our party, Shodan Bakshi, is from Junagadh. He advised us to drive through Junagadh by following the upper course of the Kalva River, known in the *Puranas* as the Suvarnarekha. On his suggestion, we stayed in one of the ashrams near the Rādhā-Damodara temple, in the foothills of Raivataka Mountain. From there we were able to see the Deities of Rādhā-Damodara daily and enjoy the enchanting beauty of the mountain. During our morning visits to the Rādhā-Damodara temple, we were always happy to see Sarju, a brown cow who lived at our ashram. Every morning she would go to the Rādhā-Damodara temple before us and eat grass from the people selling it in front of the temple. We would stop at one of the many shops to buy flowers to offer to the Deities. As we crossed the bridge over the Suvarnarekha River on our way to the temple, we could hear the pleasant sound of the water over the rocks. On the left side of the bridge, as a part of the river, is Damodar Kund, where a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa named Narasimha Mehta, famous at this holy place, used to bathe. Every time we passed Damodar Kund, we saw many pilgrims dipping into it or offering it respects by sprinkling its water on their heads. Climbing a few steps, we reached the main temple altar, where the Deities of Rādhā-Damodara are situated. According to the *Skanda Purana,* the Deities are twelve thousand years old and self-manifested. They appear in forms of brownish-black stone. Although they are called Rādhā-Damodara, they appear in the form of Laksmi-Narayana, with four hands, holding the club, disc, and conch shell, and giving blessings with the lowered right hand. In the temple hall opposite the Rādhā-Damodara Deities is a small shrine of Narasimha Mehta. Next to the main temple is a temple of Lord Balarāma and His wife Revati. These Deities look very similar to the Rādhā-Damodara Deities. On our first visit They were dressed in beautiful red cloth and a white shawl. We circumambulated the three-story temple, with its eighty-four pillars. It was recently renovated in a simple modern style. We noticed that the back side of the temple still contains stone carvings and sculptures from an older temple. The original temple was built 4,500 years ago by Lord Kṛṣṇa’s grandson Vajranatha, who built many temples, especially in the Vṛndāvana area. Near the Rādhā-Damodara temple is the sixty-fourth Vallabh*acarya* *bai-thak,* or place where the sixteenth-century Vaisnava *acarya* Vallabha lived for some time. Behind that is Revati Kund. King Revata lived in this area with his daughter Revati, who became the wife of Lord Balarāma. She and Lord Balarāma would often come to sport in this area. About twenty meters from Revati Kund is Mucukunda’s cave. The cave is not a natural one but a small shrine in a small temple of Lord Siva. It is believed that this is the place where Lord Kṛṣṇa came after running from the demon Kalayavana, who was burnt by angry Mucukunda’s glance. The story of Mucukunda is told in the *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* and other *Puranas.* In the ashram where we stayed, priests worship Deities of Sita-Rama, Laksmana, and Hanuman in a small, old temple. They were kind and helpful, and the atmosphere of the temple was very spiritual. But the ashram is next to a small pond of the Suvarnarekha River, a common place for leopards from the jungle to drink water at night. It is not unusual for people to be killed by leopards here. One member of our party saw a leopard in the ashram courtyard one night. When we told our hosts about it, they laughed, seeing the fearful expressions on our faces. They didn’t take the leopard sighting as unusual. Since the ashram is situated in the middle of a jungle, sometimes cobras enter their kitchen. *A Mountain Surrounded by Devas* We later moved to an ashram in a village closer to Raivataka Mountain. This village is famous for its temple of Bhavanatha, or Lord Siva. According to the *Skanda Purana,* Lord Siva came here from his home in Kailasa in search of a place for meditation. Parvati, his wife, was disturbed by his absence. So with the help of Lord Visnu and some of the **devas*,* she searched and found him at the base of Raivataka Mountain. Lord Siva decided to stay here as the Deity Bhavanatha and advised the *devas* to live here as well. Lord Visnu made His home at Revatacal (Revata Mountain) as Rādhā-Damodara. Lord Brahma stayed at Mucukunda Mountain, Parvati remained on Raivataka, and Indra found his place on Indracal (Indra Mountain). Others selected appropriate places surround Raivataka. Behind the Bhavanatha temple, towards Raivataka Mountain, is Mrugi Kund, a pond where the grand Siva Ratri festival is celebrated each February. Thousands of people perform the five-day circumambulation (*parikrama*) of Raivataka Mountain. The biggest *parikrama* starts on Ekadasi during the month of Karttika. Lord Siva has declared this place the holiest of the holy because it is the favored home of so many *devas.* *Climbing Day* Throughout our three-week stay at the base of Raivataka Mountain, the weather was always cloudy and unstable. The sky rumbled with thunder, and lightning flashed on the horizon. We waited for a clear day to climb the mountain. The top of the mountain was like a magnet attracting dense blue clouds. On one of our last days there, we finally got our chance. Many pilgrims daily come to visit temples on the mountain, and this time we joined them. At the beginning of the ten thousand steps that lead to the top of the mountain, and along the path, many local people have small shops and stands for selling religious paraphernalia and refreshing drinks. The higher we went up the mountain, the higher went the prices. At one of the stands, we bought bamboo sticks, which people use as climbing aids, but to us they were protection in case of another close encounter with some wild animal, which could easily enter our path from out of the thick jungle. As we climbed, many big black-faced, silver-haired monkeys played nearby, jumping in the branches of the trees. After an hour of tough climbing, we emerged from the jungle and continued over rocky terrain and under overhangs of smooth rock. The large, unusual cavities in the rock made it look like Swiss cheese. Huffing and puffing, we reached an imposing gate behind which sit a group of Jain temples on a small plateau. From there we came to the temple of Gaumukhi Ganga, where a spring of Ganges water spouts from what resembles a cow’s mouth. Next was the old temple of Amba Devi, the form of Parvati residing there as a promise to Lord Siva. This stone temple, built in the twelfth century, offered us a breathtaking view of the Jain temples and of Junagadh in the distance. From this point the steps led us downwards for some time and then again upwards toward the highest peak of Raivataka Mountain. It is a stupendous uncovered perch with white marble tiles, on which rest the footprints and the Deity of Gorakhnath, a sage considered an empowered incarnation of Lord Siva. We rested there for some time. After accepting a glass of water from a very kind sage who lives there in a hut, we proceeded down towards Lord Dattatreya’s ashram, where he performed austerities for twelve thousand years. In the ashram is a big pile of wood surrounded by bricks. In the middle of this pile of wood, the fire is constantly kept burning, symbolizing the soul covered by ignorance. Some two hundred steps above the ashram, on a single piece of big rock, we came to the newly built temple of Lord Dattatreya, the combined incarnation of Brahma, Visnu, and Siva. The Deity, with three heads, is very beautiful. He is surrounded by four dogs, symbolizing the four *Vedas.* We bowed at the feet of the Deity, and after receiving coconuts and flowers from the priest, rushed back to our ashram, since it was getting dark and the clouds had gathered again, covering the mountain and slowly showering drops of rain. *The Mercy of Rādhā-Damodara* On Sunday, Rishi, a priest of the Rādhā-Damodara temple, invited us for lunch. We happily agreed, and they served us the Lord’s *prasādam* from His midday meal. Among the many wonderful preparations, the special items were the sweet rice, which they offer daily in big quantities, a special sweet called *churma laddu,* and rice pudding offered to Lord Balarāma. After the feast, they gave each of us a donation and a saffron shawl that had been worn by the Deities. The next day, we continued our book-distribution tour, leaving Raivataka Mountain—which stands undisturbed by the repeated strikes of rain-bearing clouds, just as a devotee whose mind is absorbed in the Personality of Godhead remains peaceful even when threatened by all sorts of dangers. *Adbhuta Hari Dāsa joined ISKCON in 1994 in Croatia.* BTG *has run several of his articles on Indian holy places, as well as one on Angkor Wat.* ## From the Editor *Paths in the Bhagavad-gītā* MY SEARCH FOR TRUTH was quite short. After I’d contentedly pursued material goals until around age twenty-three, disillusionment set in. I started reading philosophical books, and it was only a matter of months before I came upon *Bhagavad-gītā As It Is.* Having found shelter in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s faithful guide to Kṛṣṇa’s teachings, I had escaped misdirection by other commentators. In his Introduction, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes that when an American woman asked him to recommend an English version of **Bhagavad-gītā*,* he could not do so, “because in almost every one of them the commentator has expressed his own opinions without touching the spirit of *Bhagavad-gītā* as it is.” One widespread opinion is that the *Gita* presents several valid paths to perfection. Simply choose one, since all paths lead to the same goal. But Prabhupāda showed that while it is true that Lord Kṛṣṇa presents several paths, they are clearly not equal. The paths fall into four categories: *karma*, *jnana, yoga*, and *bhakti.* Anyone who thinks these are equal is skipping some important conclusions Lord Kṛṣṇa makes. Start with *karma*, which means “work.” Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that he is entitled to do his work, or as Prabhupāda renders the word, his “prescribed duty.” Many people take this as the essential teaching of the *Gita.* “Kṛṣṇa says that my perfection lies in doing my ordinary duties.” Yet Kṛṣṇa adds, “But you are not entitled to the fruits of action.” And Kṛṣṇa gives the perfection of *karma* when He says that whatever we do should be done “as an offering unto Me.” In other words, *karma* must become *karma*-yoga—work connected to Kṛṣṇa under the direction of a *guru*—and that’s the same thing as *bhakti.* Above *karma* is **jnana*,* or the path of philosophical conjecture, especially with liberation as the goal. Kṛṣṇa recommends **jnana*,* no doubt, but He makes clear where *jnana* should lead: After many, many births, a person mature in *jnana* surrenders unto Him. So Kṛṣṇa teaches that **jnana*,* like *karma*, finds fulfillment in *bhakti.* Many verses in the *Gita* deal with meditative yoga, and one can find encouragement there for practicing it. (It is instructive, though, to consider that the highly qualified Arjuna thought it too difficult for him.) But Kṛṣṇa makes it clear who’s the best *yogi*: “the one with great faith who always abides in Me, thinks of Me within himself, and renders transcendental service to Me.” In other words, the bhakta-*yogi*. Karma, *jnana,* and *yoga* must all end in *bhakti* to be of supreme value. *Bhakti* is clearly the focus of the *Gita.* One who understands “the spirit of *Bhagavad-gītā* as it is,” as Prabhupāda did, sees that Kṛṣṇa’s discussions of *karma*, *jnana,* and *yoga* are all within the context of *bhakti*. Kṛṣṇa is telling us that He wants our love. *Bhakti* is more than just another path; it’s the goal, the essence of our eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa. It’s not something to be given up after reaching another goal. This understanding is the thread holding together Kṛṣṇa’s discussions of other topics, as He drives home with numerous verses directly stressing *bhakti*. And just to make sure we get the point, Kṛṣṇa ends with His most memorable instruction: “Abandon all varieties of religion”that would include *karma*, *jnana,* and *yoga*—“and just surrender unto Me.” So while it’s true that Kṛṣṇa describes different paths, they all converge at *bhakti,* which alone can take us all the way home.—*Nagaraja Dāsa* ## Vedic Thoughts The ambition to corroborate the existence of the transcendental Absolute Truth by limited conjectural endeavors cannot be fulfilled, because He is beyond the scope of our limited speculative minds. In an honest search for truth, we must admit that His powers are inconceivable to our tiny brains. The exploration of space has demanded the work of the greatest scientists of the world, yet there are countless problems regarding even fundamental knowledge of the material creation that bewilder scientists who confront them. Such material knowledge is far removed from the spiritual nature, and therefore the acts and arrangements of the Absolute Truth are, beyond all doubts, inconceivable. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Adi-līlā* 2.96, Purport If I were to desist from lecturing about the Absolute Truth due to being fearful that some listeners may be displeased, I would be deviating from the path of Vedic truth and accepting the path of untruth. I would become one who is inimical to the *Vedas,* an atheist, and would no longer possess faith in Bhagavan, the very embodiment of truth. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati Ṭhākura *Upadesavali* 7 It has been seen that any *rasa* [relationship with God] that appears in India eventually spreads to the Western countries. Therefore madhurya-*rasa* [the conjugal relationship] will soon be preached throughout the world. Just as the sun rises first in India and gradually spreads its light to the West, the matchless splendor of spiritual truth appears first in India and gradually spreads to the Western countries. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura “From Moses to Mahāprabhu” (essay) In the land of Gokula in Mathura-mandala, Lord Kṛṣṇa resides. At His two sides are Rādhā and Candravali. . . . Laksmi, Durga, and the Lord’s potencies are expansions of Śrī Rādhā. *Purusa-bodhini Upanisad* Quoted in *Vedānta-syamantaka* (2.37), by Śrīla Baladeva Vidyabhusana To achieve the topmost transcendental knowledge, a person, rather than engaging his intelligence and personal abilities in argument or following false paths, should approach a bona fide spiritual master to attain wonderful transcendental knowledge from him. *Katha Upanisad* 1.2.9