# Back to Godhead Magazine #41 *2007 (01)* Back to Godhead Magazine #41-01, 2007 PDF-View ## Welcome OUR COVER STORY takes us to South India, where temples follow traditions that go back thousands of years. In *Kanchipuram: Home to the King of Blessers*, Adbhuta Hari Dāsa writes of his visit to Kanchipuram and the temple of the Visnu Deity known as Varadaraja ("king of those who give benedictions"). One way the Lord gives benedictions is by accepting our offerings of food to Him and returning them to us as His *prasādam* ("mercy"). In *When Does Food Become Prasadam?* Sivarama Swami provides enlightening insights into this spiritual phenomenon. Because the Supreme Lord is everywhere, only He can be the greatest giver of benedictions, and in *The Original Source of Everything*, Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies how God is present everywhere. To teach about this and other aspects of God, Prabhupāda translated and commented on many books from the Vedic library. In *The Importance of Śrī Īśopaniṣad*, Satyaraja Dāsa give us some clues to understanding why Prabhupāda chose an *Upanisad* to be one of the first books he translated. Learning the science of God includes learning about our relationship with Him. In this issue we present a lesson on that topic in *The Eternal Religion,* an extract from Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's magnificent book *Jaiva-dharma.* 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 *The Position of Earth* Where is the earth in the order of all the planets, in spiritual and material terms? And through devotion can we go to Kṛṣṇa's abode after this life? Or do we have to go through more lives and more planets to reach Kṛṣṇa's abode? Dharmesh Nayee Via the Internet *Our reply*: According to the Vedic literature there are fourteen planetary systems, six heavenly planetary systems above the earth and seven demonic planetary systems below it. Modern scientists see the earth as orbiting the sun, between the orbits of Venus and Mars. Śrīmad-Bhagavatam expresses the solar system from an earth-centered viewpoint, with the sun orbiting the earth, and Venus and Mars orbiting the sun. The result is the same; it is just a difference of where you are viewing from, the sun or the earth. If we have desires other than desires to love and serve Kṛṣṇa, we will have to stay in this world in different bodies and on different planets until we are free from such desires, unless Kṛṣṇa gives us some special mercy. If, like the residents of the spiritual world, we only want to serve Kṛṣṇa in this life, then we can attain the spiritual world after death. Śrīla Prabhupāda was confident that if his disciples daily chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra sixteen times around their beads, trying to give up offenses to the holy name and living without meat-eating, intoxication, gambling, and illicit sex, they could become pure enough in heart to attain the spiritual world at the end of this life. *Who's Being Saved?* When reading about Kṛṣṇa and devotees, I often wonder how people in the world not fortunate enough to live the life of a devotee are seen by Kṛṣṇa? Are they saved? Also, how does someone who is sinful—not a thief or a murderer but not as pure as a total devotee in loving service to Kṛṣṇa—how do they fare with Kṛṣṇa if they chant only occasionally? Nigel Sunderland Bedfordshire, UK *Our reply*: Kṛṣṇa sends His devotees all over the world to save people. Even if they just hear the devotees chanting the holy names, they are saved from the reactions to many sins. Furthermore, the holy name plants the seed of bhakti in their hearts, and the result will be that someday they will become devotees. As they take up the chanting of the holy names, the benefits gradually accumulate and they become more serious devotees. This happens more readily if they avoid offending devotees and the holy name. One especially dangerous offense is to chant with the desire to erase sinful reactions while continuing with one's sinful life. *The Charm Of the Uncharming* Why does this world look charming to everyone when it isn't actually charming? Mukesh Singh Via the Internet *Our reply*: Kṛṣṇa has created the material world for a dual purpose: (1) to allow living entities to enjoy without a direct relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and (2) to show them that such independent enjoyment will never satisfy them. Therefore it must appear charming and at the same time not be charming. The material world is meant to attract people who do not want to serve the all-attractive person behind it. It is called maya, or "that which is not." According to *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* (1.1.1), even great sages and demigods are deluded by it. Kṛṣṇa describes in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (7.14) that the delusion is very difficult to overcome and only those who surrender to Him can easily cross beyond it. It is meant to bewilder the atheistic, but if you follow Kṛṣṇa's instructions in the *Bhagavad-gītā*, you will not be bewildered by it, and then you can help others. *Proof for Scientists* I was speaking with a scientist friend who believes only what she can measure with her instruments. She refuses to believe in any proof of the existence of God, Kṛṣṇa. Can you give any direction so that I may engage her correctly in my explanation of the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Bruce Gatten Via the Internet *Our reply*: Most scientists don't have the time, knowledge, or instruments to replicate the experiments of other scientists and perceive the results through their own senses. They get their "proof" by accepting the conclusions of other scientists. In other words, they don't in fact believe only what they themselves perceive; they accept what others tell them. Besides, spiritual facts are also perceivable. There is a spiritual science of consciousness described in the ancient Vedic literature of India. By practicing bhakti-yoga, we can perceive the Supreme Lord through our own senses. People have done this, and they teach how it can be done. You cannot see an electron, but you rely on the experiments of others, who have detected them. Similarly, you cannot see God, but by relying on a self-realized soul, who can see God because he knows the process to do so and has followed it, you can know that God exists and know the process to personally experience Him. This is human life's special opportunity. If you do not take advantage of it, you are missing the most important knowledge—knowledge of consciousness and life itself. *Troubled* I want to know why trouble keeps coming my way. Ebenezer Via the Internet *Our reply*: Kṛṣṇa explains that the material world is characterized by suffering and temporality (Bhagavad-gītā 8.15 and 9.33) and thus trouble is to be expected. We get misery from past sinful acts and happiness from past pious acts, and most people have a mixture of both. Devotional service to the Supreme Lord is so powerful, however, that as a side effect it reduces misery, even when performed in the practicing stage. Thus by engaging in devotional service, beginning with chanting the holy name of the Lord, you can reduce your miserable condition. When one attains love of God, miseries are fully eradicated, even in this world, or when one is promoted to the kingdom of God. *Replies to the questions were written by Kṛṣṇa-krpa Dāsa.* *Please write to us at:* BTG, P.O. Box 430, Alachua, FL 32616, USA. E-mail: [email protected]. Founder's Lecture: The Original Source of Everything *Melbourne—April 23, 1976* Lord Kṛṣṇa explains that He is everything but everything is not Him. ### By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupādaFounder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness > maya tatam idam sarvam > jagad avyakta-murtina > mat-sthani sarva-bhutani > na caham tesv avasthitah "By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them." —*Bhagavad-gītā* 9.4 SOMETIMES people foolishly question, "Can you show me God?" Here God is giving the answer. *Maya tatam idam sarvam:* "I am everywhere. If you have eyes to see, you can see Me." God is everywhere; otherwise how can He be God? God means great, but we do not know how great He is. We simply say, "God is great," but we have no idea how God is great. That is explained in the Vedic literature: He is great because He is everywhere. In the material world there are innumerable universes. You cannot count the stars and planets. Every night you see them, but can you count them? No, that is not possible. The universe in which our earth is situated is only one universe. Earth is a tiny planet, and it is one out of many millions of planets. We cannot even calculate everything about this one planet. That is the greatness of God's creation. You cannot count even your own hairs. You claim, "This is my hair." Can you count it? No. That is the greatness of God's creation. God is present everywhere, and everything is innumerable, beyond our counting capacity. God is situated outside and inside. Otherwise, how can He be God? You are here, but you are not in your apartment. But God is in His apartment and He is everywhere. That is God. Rascals claim, "I am God." What kind of God are you? Are you spread everywhere? We should not accept such a cheap "God." God's description is there in the *sastra*, the Vedic scriptures: > eko 'py asau racayitum jagad-anda-kotim > yac-chaktir asti jagad-anda-caya yad-antah > andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham- > govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami "He is an undifferentiated entity, as there is no distinction between potency and the possessor thereof. In His work of creation of millions of worlds, His potency remains inseparable. All the universes exist in Him, and He is present in His fullness in every one of the atoms that are scattered throughout the universe, at one and the same time. Such is the primeval Lord whom I adore." [*Brahma-saṁhitā* 5.35] One portion of God is the Paramatma, the Supersoul. In His Supersoul feature God is present in innumerable universes. *Jagad-anda* means the universe. *Anda* means egg. The shape of the universe is like that of an egg. God maintains the millions and millions of universes by one portion of Himself, the Paramatma, or Ksirodakasayi Visnu. This is a great science. God expands Himself in so many ways, and for the material world He is expanded as the Purusa Avataras: Karanodakasayi Visnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu, and Ksirodakasayi Visnu. *Universes from God's Breath* Karanodakasayi Visnu is lying within the Causal Ocean, and from His breathing the universes are coming out. This is God. Because He is in a sleeping condition, Karanodakasayi Visnu is an expansion of God. He is not the original God. The original God is Kṛṣṇa. But He can expand Himself. That is God. Just have some idea what God is. As Karanodakasayi Visnu, He is sleeping within the ocean. As soon as there is a question of sleeping, there is breathing also. The bubbles that come out as He breathes are expanding as universes. When He exhales, innumerable universes come into form, and when He inhales, all of them become annihilated. This is the nature of the material world: It comes into existence at a certain date, it remains for some time, it gives so many by-products, it expands, it dwindles, and then it is finished. Everything material follows this progression. Your body is like that, my body is like that, the whole universe is like that. Here Kṛṣṇa says, *maya tatam idam sarvam*. He is speaking of His impersonal expansion. When we cannot understand God, then we come first to the impersonal feature, or the idea that God is everywhere. In philosophical terms this is called pantheism. The pantheists think, "God is everywhere. Therefore there is no personal God." No, that is foolish. *Maya* means, "by Me." Kṛṣṇa is saying, "By My energy I am expanded everywhere." This idea is similar to the sun and the sunshine; as soon as the sun is risen, the sunshine is expanded. The other day, while coming here, we saw how within a second the sun arose from the sea. Or it looked like that. Immediately, within a second, the whole world became illuminated. What is this illumination? It is the expansion of the sun as sunshine. But because the expansion is there that does not mean the sun globe is finished. The sun globe is there, and within the sun globe the sun god, or the predominating personality of the sun globe, is there. His name is also known to us. His name is Vivasvan. In America the President's name is Ford. Those who are intelligent know when they see him, "Oh, you are the President." Similarly, each planet has a president, a chief person. And their names are recorded in the Vedic literature. In the Bhagavad-gītā (4.1) you'll find that millions of years ago Kṛṣṇa met the sun god and spoke the Bhagavad-gītā to Him. *Imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam*. We have to take information from the right source. Then we are aware of everything. How is God expanded everywhere? Take this example: According to the scientists, the sun is 93,000,000 miles away, and immediately, within a second, its sunshine is expanded all over the universe. So if this is possible for an ordinary material thing like the sun, just imagine God's potency. Kṛṣṇa, God, is fully spiritual. How spiritually powerful He is that He can expand Himself all over the universes! This is a thoughtful consideration. Where is the difficulty in understanding when Kṛṣṇa says, *maya tatam idam sarvam*: "I am expanded everywhere"? There is no difficulty—if we are sane persons. We can see that in one universe there is one sun and it is so powerful, and there are innumerable universes and innumerable suns. How powerful must be the one who created all these suns! This calculation is common sense. If one sun, which is material, is so powerful that for millions and millions of years it is giving its energy—heat and light—and still it is so bright and powerful and its temperature is so high—then how powerful is God, the Creator. You can just imagine. When Kṛṣṇa says, *maya tatam idam sarvam*—"I pervade everything"—He is not speaking out of false pride. It is a fact. We simply must have the brain to understand. In every particle, every atom, there is the presence of God. That is stated in the sastra. *Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham* [*Brahma-saṁhitā* 5.35]. *Paramanu* means the atom. God is within the atom. God is within you also. God is outside; God is within. Outside, we see the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. What are these five elements? Expansions of God's energy. We see practically that the sunshine is the cause of this universe. Within the sunshine all the planets have grown, and on each, due to the sunshine, the vegetables are growing. When there is no sunshine, the leaf falls down. As soon as the sunshine is there, the colorful fruits and flowers and leaves come out. Everything is due to the sunshine. *The Shining of God's Body* The supreme sun is Kṛṣṇa. God has His effulgence—the shining of His body. That is called the *brahmajyoti*. From the *brahmajyoti* innumerable universes are generated. Therefore God is the cause of all creation. He doesn't have to personally manufacture each universe. He is so powerful that in His effulgence, in His shining, innumerable universes are created. And in each universe there are many millions and millions of stars and planets. These are the descriptions in the Vedic literature, from which we have to learn these things. You cannot speculate by your tiny effort, with limited power and perception. You have to understand from authoritative statements. That is called *Veda*. *Veda* means perfect knowledge, and if you study the *Veda*s, then you get perfect knowledge of everything. And the cream of the Vedic knowledge is here in the *Bhagavad-gītā*. If you read *Bhagavad-gītā* carefully, then you get all the knowledge perfectly. Here Kṛṣṇa is speaking of His impersonal expansion. You cannot see God in person in this expansion. Sometimes people foolishly ask, "Can you show me God?" God is there. You have to make your eyes qualified to see Him. For example, God is here in the temple, but somebody is thinking, "This is not God. This is a statue or an idol. They are worshiping an idol." Supposing it is an idol, if God is everywhere, why is He not in the idol? What is the argument? If God is everywhere, then why is He not the idol? God has that power. And actually this is not an idol. This is God's energy. *Three Energies of God* The same example: The sunshine is everywhere, so originally the sunshine is the cause of everything. Similarly, God's effulgence is the cause of material things also. That is explained in the Seventh Chapter of *Bhagavad-gītā*. God's energies have been summarized as three: external energy, internal energy, and marginal energy. The external energy is this material manifestation. Similarly, there is an internal energy: the spiritual world manifestation. And in between them there is another energy, called the marginal energy, *tatastha*. We living entities are the marginal energy. That means we can live either in this external energy or in the internal energy. At the present moment we are living in the external energy. But this external energy is also Lord Kṛṣṇa's energy, God's energy. It is not different from Him. We are captivated by the external energy. But the external energy is not permanent. The internal energy is permanent. The spiritual world is permanent, and we are also permanent. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant to transfer oneself from the external energy to the internal energy. That is the purpose of all Vedic literature. *Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah* *[Bhagavad-gītā* 15.15]. To understand God and go back home, back to Godhead, is the perfection of life. Here, we are in God's energy. There is no doubt. *Mat-sthani sarva-bhutani*: "All living beings are in Me." *Bhutani* means all living entities, anything that has grown. The trees, the plants, the hills, the ocean, the sky—everything is resting on God's energy. *Na caham tesv avasthitah*: "I am not in them." It is not as the pantheists think. They think, "If God has expanded in everything, then whatever I worship is worship of God." No. Kṛṣṇa says, "No, you cannot take it like that." The same example: The sunshine is not different from the sun, but because the sunshine has entered your room, that does not mean the sun has entered your room. If you try to understand, then you'll understand that God is everywhere but, still, He is not everywhere. This is His inconceivable power. Therefore, if we want to worship God, then we have to worship His name, form, qualities, pastimes, and so on. Then we shall realize that God is a person, the Supreme Being, and that He has all the propensities we have. Because we are part and parcel of God, we can study God's personality from our personality, just as we can study the father by the symptoms of the son. This is a crude example. Whatever propensities we have, where are they coming from? They are coming from God. Therefore in the *Vedānta-sutra* (1.1.2) it is said, *janmady asya yatah*: "Everything is emanating from God." The original source of everything is God. So by studying ourselves we can study the nature of God. The difference is only that He is huge, the greatest, and we are small particles, but the qualities are the same. Take a drop of ocean water. The chemical composition is the same as the ocean's. The taste is the same. Similarly, we are a small sample of God, but God is great. That is the difference between a living entity and God. If we understand this philosophy, then it is not difficult to understand God, and then we can reestablish our original relationship with Him. And if we act accordingly, then our life is successful. Thank you very much. ## The Eternal Religion *A great teacher in the Gaudiya Vaisnava line explains the unchangeable nature of the soul.* ### By Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura *In the form of a novel entitled Jaiva-dharma, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura presented the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in great detail. The following is taken from Chapter One, entitled "Nitya-dharma, the Eternal Nature of the Living Entity, and Naimittika-dharma, His Impermanent Religious Duties." Translated from Bengali by Sarvabhavana Dāsa.* SANNYASI THAKURA: "Dear master! Wherever I have been, I have heard *panditas* expound the importance of *dharma*, religious duty, and, in response, I have always enquired what *dharma* actually is in truth. However, the sad fact is that all the answers I have received are varied and contradictory. Therefore, now, from you, I would like to know—what is the true *dharma* of mankind? Why does each of the different religious teachers preach his particular version of *dharma* as being the only true religion? If there actually is but one *dharma*, then why are the numerous religious leaders not in agreement and so following that singular spiritual path?" Babaji Mahārāja quietly began his dissertation while worshiping the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu within his mind. "O fortunate one! Listen attentively as I explain to you man's true religion, his *nitya-*dharma**. The natural characteristics of a *vastu*, eternal entity or substance, are related to its *ghatana*, intrinsic constitution. By the mercy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, a *vastu*, once brought into existence, inherently possesses a permanent nature—known as its *dharma*. Thus, the innate nature is the *nitya-*dharma** of the *vastu*. "However, by force of circumstance, or by contact with other substances, the original character of the *vastu* may apparently be transformed. In the course of time, when this transformed character becomes stable, it then appears to be a seemingly permanent quality of the *vastu*—apparently being the genuine original, eternal and immanent nature. Nevertheless, this new distorted character is not the actual *svabhava*, inherent nature. Actually, this new character is defined as *nisarga*, a condition that only appears to be natural. Appearing to be eternal, the *nisarga* deceptively usurps the actual *svabhava* of the *vastu*. "Let us take, for example, the substance water. Liquidity is its inherent nature. However, when water freezes to ice, solidity becomes its assumed nature—its *nisarga*. *Nisarga* is a temporary condition because it is brought about by an agent acting as a catalyst. When the agent is removed, the false temporary *nisarga* also disappears; whereas, conversely, the true inherent nature is maintained eternally. Even if the *vastu* apparently transforms, the *nitya-dharma* remains its intrinsic nature, latent within the seemingly changed *vastu*, and by the amelioration of the alien circumstances the *nitya-dharma* will, in time, surely reassert itself. "The inherent nature, the *svabhava*, is the eternal religion of a *vastu*—the *nitya-dharma*. In contrast, the assumed nature of a *vastu*—the *nisarga*—is its *naimittika-dharma*, temporary nature. One who possesses *vastu*-jnana, knowledge of the Absolute Reality, is able to discriminate between *nitya-dharma* and *naimittika-dharma*, which takes the form of temporary, material, religious performance. However, without this knowledge, a person will falsely consider the temporary *nisarga* and resultant *naimittika-dharma* to be the *nitya-dharma*. Sannyasi Ṭhākura then asked, "Kindly further elucidate the definitions of *vastu* and *svabhava*?" Babaji Mahārāja answered, "The Sanskrit word **vas*tu* is a derivative of the root *vas*—which means 'to exist' or 'to dwell'—conjugated and made into a noun by the suffix tu. Therefore, **vas*tu* means 'that which exists being self-evident and perceivable.' *Vastu* is of two kinds: *vas*tava-**vas*tu* and a*vas*tava-**vas*tu*. Vastava-**vas*tu* is transcendental truth—eternal spiritual substance. A*vas*tava-**vas*tu* is matter—temporary objects possessing inert qualities, having but an illusory semblance of the actual eternal reality. The existence of *vas*tava-**vas*tu* is absolute, transcendental reality wherein the manifested attributes are a display of the actual intrinsic nature—the *nitya-dharma*. The *jiva* is an element of transcendental *vas*tava-**vas*tu*, and the *jiva*'s intrinsic nature is his *nitya-dharma*, permanent, inherent characteristic. "It is a matter of perception. Perception of the intrinsic *dharma* is at times accurate and, at other times, illusory. The statement of the *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam*, 1.1.2:... *vedyam vastavam atra *vastu* sivadam* ... 'The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the benefit of all' assures us that *vastava-*vastu** decisively denotes spiritual, transcendental truth. Ultimately, the Supreme Personality of Godhead alone is that *vastava-*vastu**, the truly abiding substance. The *jiva* is a fractional part of that *vastava-*vastu**, and *maya*—the external potency that produces illusion—is His energy. Therefore, *vastu* indicates the Supreme Lord, the *jiva*, and *maya*—all three principles together. Proper comprehension of the relationships amongst these principles is *suddha-jnana*, true knowledge. "There are various conceptions about these three principles, but almost all of them are illusory and mundane. For instance, in the Vaisesika school of thought, the argumentation and classification of *dravya*, objects, and their *guna*, qualities, are based entirely upon their *avastava-vastu*, temporary nature." Sannyasi Ṭhākura continued, "Master, I would like to have a better grasp of this subject." Babaji Mahārāja answered, "Śrīla Kṛṣṇadasa Kaviraja is a most elevated saint who has received the direct mercy of Śrī Nityānanda. He once showed me a handwritten manuscript, entitled *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta*, which contains the deliberations of Śrī Caitanya upon this topic. In the *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta*, Madhya-līlā, Chapter 20, verses 108 and 117, there is the following statement: > jivera 'svarupa' haya-krsnera 'nitya-dasa' > krsnera 'tatastha-sakti' 'bhedabheda-prakasa' "'The *nitya-dharma* of the *jiva* is to be an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa because he is the *tatastha-sakti*, marginal energy, of Kṛṣṇa and thus a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord.' > krsna bhuli' sei jiva anadi-bahirmukha > ataeva maya tare deya samsara-duhkha "'Forgetting Kṛṣṇa, the *jiva* has been attracted by the external feature from time immemorial. Therefore, *maya*, the illusory energy, gives him all kinds of misery in his material existence.' "Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the *cit-vastu*, the wholly and absolutely spiritual entity. When describing Him, many persons use the analogy of the sun: He is the only sun of the spiritual world, and the **jiva*s* are the innumerable particles of His rays. The *jiva* is an infinitesimal part of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and it would be an inaccurate parallel to compare the *jiva* to a rock, which is a minute part of a gigantic mountain, because the countless millions of **jiva*s* who emanate from Śrī Kṛṣṇa do not in any way affect or diminish the absolute wholeness of the Lord. Therefore, the Vedas compare the Supreme Lord to a fire and the **jiva*s* to the tiny sparks of that fire. "Actually, no comparison is truly appropriate. Whether the *jiva* is described as a tiny spark of a fire, a minute particle of a sunray, or a speck of gold from a gold mine, none of these comparisons is actually perfect. Nevertheless, if one can overlook the mundane imperfections in these analogies, then the actual truth about the *jiva* will easily crystallize: Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the infinite spiritual substance, while the *jiva* is His infinitesimal part and parcel and therefore also a spiritual substance. Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the *jiva* are qualitatively the same, being of the same spiritual nature. "However, the Supreme Lord is *brhat-cit-vastu*, the complete, infinite, spiritual entity, whereas the *jiva* is *anu-cit-vastu*, the infinitesimal spiritual entity, the Lord's part and parcel. Although they are one in the quality of their spiritual nature and consciousness, this contrast of quantity between the Lord and the *jiva* is a permanent feature of their natures. Therefore, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the *jiva*'s eternal master and the *jiva* is Śrī Kṛṣṇa's eternal servant. This is their natural constitutional relationship. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme ruler and observer; the *jiva* is the ruled and observed. Kṛṣṇa is the independently omnipotent Supreme Controller, and the *jiva*'s potency is dependent and controlled. Kṛṣṇa is the complete whole; the *jiva* is a minutely tiny part. With His infinitely superior opulence, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the all-attractive person, who thereby attracts all the *jiva*s to Himself. Therefore, it is natural for the *jiva* to be in Kṛṣṇa-dasya, eternal subservience to Kṛṣṇa, this being the *jiva*'s *svabhava* and thus his *dharma*. "Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the possessor of unlimited energies. For instance, to manifest the spiritual world the Lord displays the *antaranga-sakti*, which is His *purna-sakti*, full-blown internal potency. Similarly, to create the *jivas* and carry out the other tasks involved in the organization of this imperfect material cosmos, He employs another of His energies, the *tatastha-sakti*. By nature, the material and spiritual energies are diametrically opposed and are therefore incompatible. The *tatastha-sakti*, however, creates an entity that can interact with both the material and the spiritual natures. "The *tata-rekha*, the marginal line lying between the water of a river and its bank, is both water and land, being situated where the two meet. Since, in this case, the divine *tatastha-sakti* is situated at the margin of matter and spirit, it displays the characteristics of both matter and spirit—it is one principle, yet it displays two natures. The *jiva* is a spiritual spark, a product of the higher spiritual nature, yet, being the divine *tatastha-sakti*, the *jiva* has a nature that enables him to relate to the mundane material energy and be always prone to coming under her influence. Thus, on one hand, the *jiva* cannot be wholly likened to the pure spiritual nature, which is transcendental to and entirely beyond the influence of the material nature. Nevertheless, on the other hand, the *jiva* cannot be categorized as material since, by his intrinsic constitution, he is spiritual. Therefore, being an entity with innate characteristics different from both matter and pure spirit, the *jiva* receives a separate designation as the *jiva*-tattva, the *jiva* principle. In this respect, one must accept the eternal distinction between the Supreme Lord and the *jiva*. "Bhagavan, the Isvara, is the supreme master and controller of *maya*, who is fully subservient to His will. In contrast, the *jiva* is prone to come under the influence of *maya*; at any time, the *jiva* may be forced to submit to the dictates of *maya*. Therefore, all these three principles—*isvara*, *jiva* and *maya*—are mutually distinct eternal realities. "Amongst them, the Supreme Lord is described in the *Śrī Kathopanisad*, 2.2.13, as: > nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam "'The Supreme Lord is the one supreme eternal entity amongst all eternal entities and the fundamental conscious being amongst all conscious beings.' "Thus, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is declared the ultimate eternal cause of all three entities—*isvara, *jiva*,* and *maya*. Constitutionally, the *jiva* is the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa and the direct manifestation of His *tatastha-sakti*. From this analysis, we can conclude that the *jiva* is the *bhedabheda prakasa* manifestation of Bhagavan, simultaneously one with and different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The *jiva* may be subject to the domination of *maya*, while the Supreme Lord is eternally the controller of *maya*—herein dwells an eternal difference between the *jiva* and Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The *jiva* is one of the Supreme Lord's divine energies; thus, the *jiva*'s constitutional nature is spiritual, just as the Supreme Godhead is intrinsically spiritual. In this respect, the *jiva* and the Supreme Lord are non-different. However, the *jiva* and the Supreme Lord are simultaneously non-different and different, and the concept of eternal difference may be seen to predominate. "Servitorship to Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the *nitya-dharma* of the *jiva*, and when the *jiva*, somehow or other, turns away from Kṛṣṇa, this change of attitude is tantamount to rejection of the Lord and His service. From the point of this occurrence, the *jiva* is subject to the domination of *maya* because of his neglectful ignorance and consequent forgetfulness of the Supreme Lord. Furthermore, upon thus entering the material world, the *jiva* brings with him no historical record of this fall as this fall originates outside the purview of material time, thus justifying the use of the phrase *anadi-bahirmukha*, beginninglessly—in terms of material time—turned away from the spiritual realm. "Serving Kṛṣṇa is the *nitya-dharma* of the *jiva*, and the instant the *jiva* neglects and forgets this truth his eternal nature becomes perverted and progressively enslaved by *maya*. In contact with *maya*, he develops a mundane nature, his *nisarga*, paving the way for *naimittika-dharma*, which are the impermanent religious duties dictated by material contact. *Nitya-dharma*, the eternal religious activity born from the inherent nature of the *jiva*, is complete and pure in itself—it is constant and flawless. *Naimittika-dharma*, on the contrary, appears in many diverse forms under the varying material circumstances and when expounded upon by the less-enlightened men of conflicting opinions." Abruptly, Babaji Mahārāja fell silent and began to chant upon his beads. Sannyasi Ṭhākura, who had been listening keenly throughout the discussion, now offered his prostrate obeisances to Babaji Mahārāja, saying, "Master, today I will meditate on your esoteric teachings. Tomorrow I will return with whatever queries I may have and present them at your lotus feet." *Sarvabhavana Dāsa (the translator) is from Kolkata and was initiated in 1975 by Śrīla Prabhupāda*,* who directed him to translate works of the Gaudiya Vaisnava line into English*.* His translations include* Śrī Śikṣāṣṭaka*,* Śrī Harinama-cintamani*,* Śrī Manah Siksa*,* Śrī Dāsa-mula-tattva*,* and Śrī Caitanya-bhagavata*.* Jaiva-dharma *is available from the Krishna.com store, as well as from the publisher ([email protected]).* *About the Author* In the closing days of the nineteenth century, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura reestablished the teachings of Lord Caitanya, which by then had been largely misrepresented or lost. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura wrote almost one hundred books to explain the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, expose pseudoincarnations of God, and defeat misconceptions about the path of devotional service. He was the deputy magistrate for Jagannātha Purī, Orissa, as well as the father of ten children. One of his sons was Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati, the spiritual master of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who said, "Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura happens to be . . . one of the *acaryas*. And he has left behind him many books—*Caitanya-siksamrta*, *Jaiva-dharma*. These are very important books. They're in Bengali, in Sanskrit. . . . So we are trying to present Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's books also in English translation. Gradually you will get them." ## Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out *Meat-Eating And Nature's Law* *This exchange between His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and guests took place in December, 1968, at the Los Angeles Hare Kṛṣṇa temple.* Guest: If man didn't eat animals, they'd probably just die of starvation or something. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Why are you so anxious about the animals' dying of starvation? Take care of yourself. Don't be altruistic—"Oh, they will starve. Let me eat them." What is this altruism? Kṛṣṇa is supplying food. If an animal dies of starvation, it is Kṛṣṇa's responsibility. Nobody dies of starvation. That is a false theory. Have you seen any animal dying of starvation? Have you got any experience? Have you seen any bird dying of starvation? There is no question of starvation in the kingdom of God. We are manufacturing these theories for our own sense satisfaction. . . . There are millions of elephants in the African jungle and Indian jungle. They require one hundred pounds at a time to eat. Who is supplying food? So there is no question of starvation in the kingdom of God. Starvation is for the so-called civilized man. Guest: If man wasn't meant to eat meat, why in nature do the other animals kill meat? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Are you "another animal"? Guest: Well, we're all animals. Śrīla Prabhupāda: You count yourself among the animals? You classify yourself with the animals? Guest: Well, we're all animals . . . Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, not all. You may be, but we are not. Do you like to be classified with the animals? Guest: I don't feel that I am better than the animals. I have respect for all God's creatures. Śrīla Prabhupāda: You have respect for all, and you kill animals? Guest: Well, why is it—if man is not meant to eat meat—that in nature the animals eat each other? Śrīla Prabhupāda: When animals eat meat, they are following nature's law. When you eat meat, you are breaking nature's law. Guest: What? Śrīla Prabhupāda: For instance, a tiger will never come to claim the grain. "Oh, you've got so much grain—give me some." No. Even if there are hundreds of bags of grain, he doesn't care. But he'll pounce upon an animal. That is his natural instinct. But why do you take grain, fruit, milk, meat, and whatever you get? What is this? You are neither animal nor human being. You are misusing your humanity. You should think, "What is eatable for me?" A tiger may eat meat—he is a tiger. But I am not a tiger; I am a human. If I've got enough grain, fruit, vegetables, and other things God has given, why should I go to kill a poor animal? This is humanity. You are animal plus human. If you forget your humanity, then you are an animal. [A brief silence.] So we are not simply animals. We are animal plus human. If we increase our quality of humanity, then our life is perfect. But if we remain in animality, then our life is imperfect. We have to increase our human consciousness—that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you can live very peacefully, very nicely, in good health by eating so many varieties of foodstuffs given by Kṛṣṇa, why should you kill an animal? Besides that, scientifically, your teeth are meant for eating vegetables. The tiger has teeth for eating meat. Nature has made it like that. He has to kill another animal; therefore he has nails, he has teeth, he has strength. But you have no such strength. You cannot kill a cow like that—pouncing like a tiger. You have to make a slaughterhouse and sit down at your home. . . . If somebody else slaughters the cow, you can eat very nicely. . . . What is this? Do like the tiger! Pounce upon a cow and eat! But you cannot do that. Guest: So you don't believe in nature's law. I believe nature's law applies equally to everybody. Śrīla Prabhupāda: The tiger is made by nature's law in that way, so therefore he can do that. You cannot do it—your nature is different. You have discrimination, you have conscience, you are claiming to be a civilized human being—so you should utilize all this. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, perfect consciousness. Human life is meant for raising oneself to the perfection of consciousness, and that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We cannot remain in tiger consciousness. That is not humanity. Another Guest: Have we fallen from higher to lower, or have we come up from plants and animals? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, naturally you have fallen from higher to lower—from the spiritual world to this material world, and then down to the lower species. Then you make progress, and you again come to this human form. If you utilize your higher consciousness, then you go still higher: you go to God. But if you don't use your higher consciousness, you again go down. So don't be misguided. Take to God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that will be proper use of this human form of life. Otherwise, if we indulge in meat-eating, like a tiger, we may get the body of tiger in our next life, but what is the use? Suppose I become a very strong tiger my next life. Is that a very good promotion? Do you know the life of a tiger? They cannot even eat daily. They pounce upon one animal and keep it secretly, and for a month they eat the decomposed flesh—because they don't always get the chance to kill an animal. God will not give that chance. It is natural: in the jungle wherever there is a tiger the other animals flee. Self-defense. So on rare occasions, when the tiger is too hungry, then God gives him a chance to pounce upon another animal. A tiger cannot get so many palatable dishes daily. It is in the human form of life that we have all these facilities. But if we misuse them, then . . . go to the tiger life. Be very strong, with full pouncing capacity. ## In Memoriam - Bhakti-svarupa Damodara Swami His Holiness Śrīpada Bhakti-svarupa Damodara Swami passed from this world on the holy day Vijaya Dāsami, October 2, 2006. Śrīla Śrīpada ("one who gives Kṛṣṇa"), as he was affectionately known, was born in a Gaudiya Vaisnava family in Manipur, India. He was a *naisthika brahmacari* (lifelong celibate) who grew up absorbed in Manipuri culture, which is heavily focused on the *rasa-līlā*, Lord Kṛṣṇa's intimate pastimes with His cowherd girlfriends. Śrīla Śrīpada was known as a very dear disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda whose presence always made Śrīla Prabhupāda happy. Śrīla Śrīpada received a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry from the University of California, Irvine. Because of his scientific and Vaisnava backgrounds, Śrīla Prabhupāda asked him to start the Bhaktivedanta Institute to make scientific presentations of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Metanexus Institute, the world's largest science and spirituality organization, considered him one of the world's leading thinkers in the field of science and religion. He also founded the Ranganiketan Manipuri Cultural Arts Troupe for cultural presentations of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as per Śrīla Prabhupāda's instructions to him. Śrīla Śrīpada was also a global council member of The United Religions Initiative, the largest interfaith organization in the world. He left this world while meditating on the *rasa-līlā* of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The scriptures tell us that one who passes away in such consciousness is eligible to enter the Lord's pastimes. His saintly body was entombed at the most holy place of Śrī Rādhā-kund, India. A feature article on his life will appear in the next issue of *Back to Godhead*. ## When Does Food Become Prasadam? *With proper guidance, anyone can turn ordinary food into a spiritual substance.* ### By Sivarama Swami THE PHENOMENON of something changing from material to spiritual is an extraordinary one, but it is something we as devotees are involved in daily—often several times a day. It happens when *bhoga* (unoffered food) becomes *prasādam*, or food sanctified by the Lord. When I was a new devotee in Montreal, we arranged a program that was to be given on campus at McGill University. The leaflet advertising the program read, "See matter transformed into spirit before your very eyes." That title certainly drew interest from a lot of people. During the program, the temple president was giving the presentation, and he was leading up to this point. Finally he said, "OK, now it's about to happen. You are going to see spirit manifest before your very eyes." The students were sitting on the edge of their seats. The plate of unoffered food, which was the feast for that day, was brought in and placed in front of a picture of Panca-tattva (Lord Caitanya and His four main associates). A devotee then bowed down, rang the bell, and uttered some mantras. Finally he stood and declared, "Here it is! We brought in ordinary food, and now it's transformed into spiritual substance." And before anyone could challenge, he said, "The proof will be that you eat it now and see the effect that it has." As Kṛṣṇa says, *pratyaksa-vagamam dharmyam:* "The principle of religion is understood by direct experience." (*Bhagavad-gītā* 9.2), or in this case, the proof is certainly in the tasting. Those who have tasted Kṛṣṇa's *prasādam* know that it has extraordinary potency, and eating it is a very different experience from eating food that isn't offered to the Lord with love and devotion. So when does *bhoga* become *prasādam*? When it is offered, certainly. But for an offering to be successful, it must be accepted. When Kṛṣṇa accepts what we offer to Him, it becomes *prasādam*. The word *prasādam* means "mercy," and in the *Bhagavad-gītā* Lord Kṛṣṇa says, *prasade sarva-duhkhanam hanir asyopajayate*: "Receiving the mercy of the Lord destroys all misery." Therefore, when we eat (or, as we say, honor) *prasādam*, we feel elated. *Prasadam* destroys the results of our past sinful activities. Rupa Gosvami says it makes us feel "very auspicious." And what is it that is really being accepted? Is it the food itself? Kṛṣṇa says in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (9.26), > patram puspam phalam toyam > yo me bhaktya prayacchati > tad aham bhakty-upahrtam > asnami prayatatmanah "If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I will accept it." He says, "I accept the *bhakti*." You may offer a leaf, a flower, fruit, milk, or ghee-cooked preparations, but the devotion is what carries those preparations to Kṛṣṇa, and that's what makes Him inclined to accept it. *Śrī Īśopaniṣad* (Mantra 5) tells us, *tad dure tad v antike:* although Kṛṣṇa is very far away, He is also very close. So wherever we are when we offer something to Kṛṣṇa, devotion brings Him right to us. But not all offerings are on the same level; they depend on the nature of the devotee. Although there are many ways to categorize devotees, in this case we may consider three types: motivated, pure, and love-saturated devotees. Consequently, their offerings will fall into one of these three categories. *The Motivated Offering* A motivated offering is when something is offered to Kṛṣṇa with the idea that some material benefit will come in return, such as liberation from material suffering: "If I give this to Kṛṣṇa, I'll be prosperous, I'll be healthy, my children will find suitable spouses," and so on. Or someone might desire to be free from suffering, or to recover from an illness—this is offering with motivation. But even that motivated offering can be done in two ways. If it is done through the *guru-parampara*, the succession of gurus, then Kṛṣṇa will accept it, because pure devotees are very merciful, and to elevate motivated devotees they beseech Kṛṣṇa to accept their meager offerings. In other words, it is the purity of the devotees in the *guru-parampara* that transforms the impure offering into a pure offering. If a motivated person just makes an offering whimsically, however, not through a *guru-parampara*, then the offering doesn't become *prasādam* but remains *bhoga*. Yet still such offerings have value in the sense that the person is thinking, "At least I am offering this to Kṛṣṇa." Of course, whatever way people think of Kṛṣṇa is beneficial. *Akama, sarva-kama, moksa-kama*: without material desires, full of material desires, or desiring liberation. In each case they become gradually purified. But unless Kṛṣṇa exercises some extraordinary mercy, He doesn't accept food offered with ulterior motives. *Yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto 'pi*: "Without the grace of the spiritual master one cannot make any advancement." (*Gurvastaka* 8) Kṛṣṇa won't accept something unless it comes through the *guru-parampara*. An interesting question often arises regarding congregation members or new devotees who are not initiated but who are making offerings: Are the offerings *prasādam* or *bhoga*? In this case we should consider the potency of the disciplic succession. The disciplic succession is not restricted to initiated devotees. If someone receives an instruction from an authorized Vaisnava to offer food, then Kṛṣṇa will accept their offering. Kṛṣṇa won't reject their sincere approach, because such persons are, in effect, accepting the *guru-parampara* even though they have not yet gone through the process of *diksa*. *The Pure Offering* The second type of offering is the pure offering, when a devotee offers something to Kṛṣṇa to please Him. A devotee has no selfish motives; he only wants to please the Lord. Therefore at home he offers food to a picture, to a Deity, to a *salagrama-sila*. And in the temple, pure-hearted *pujaris* try to please Gaura-Nitai and Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. But even in this category there are two types of offerings: regulated and spontaneous. Regulated offerings are done out of duty, following all the rules and regulations. The other also involves the devotee doing everything just right, but out of a spontaneous attachment to the Lord. Such a devotee has a certain degree of affection, and the dominant thought is not one of obligation—"I will do this because I've been instructed to by *guru* and *sastra*." Yet by doing things according to *guru* and *sastra*, devotees awaken their natural attraction to Kṛṣṇa and perform spontaneous acts of devotion out of affection. This affection is a little different from mature love, spiritual love, but it is genuine. Still, both these pure offerings have to be made through the *guru*-parampara. The *prasādam* is also different in this category. When you offer something to Kṛṣṇa out of duty, He accepts it out of duty. He feels dutybound. In the *Bhagavad-gītā* (3.24) Kṛṣṇa says, "If I didn't follow the rules and regulations, then other people would be misled." Kṛṣṇa is acting out of duty. But Kṛṣṇa considers that of all the devotees who are surrendered to Him, the one who offers things to Him with affection is most dear to Him. Consequently, Kṛṣṇa reciprocates in kind: He responds with loving affection toward that devotee. Naturally the question arises, Are there different kinds of *prasādam*? And the answer, then, is yes. Kṛṣṇa says, *ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham:* "As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly." (Bg. 4.11) According to the quality and quantity of devotion with which one makes an offering to Kṛṣṇa, that offering proportionately becomes *prasādam*. It is interesting to note that a devotee's ability to taste *prasādam* will also be in proportion to his or her ability to offer *prasādam*. In other words, devotees will taste the spiritual nature of *prasādam* in the same degree they are manifesting devotion in the offering. *The Offering in Pure Love* The third kind of offering is that which is done with pure love. When devotees come to the stage of loving devotion, Kṛṣṇa directly accepts offerings from their hands and He reciprocates with them in kind. Loving devotion is that which is exhibited by Kṛṣṇa's eternal associates in the spiritual world, where He is directly engaged in tasting all the types of love His devotees offer. So what is it that's different, and how is it that *prasādam* becomes spiritual? The food looks the same before and after the offering, but what actually happens is that Kṛṣṇa reciprocates with the devotion of the devotee by manifesting His *svarupa-sakti*, or His *daivi-prakrti*, His internal spiritual potency, to the degree that the devotee allows. By "allows" I mean to the degree the devotee wants, or to the degree that he manifests a quality and quantity of devotional service. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was in Jagannātha Purī and tasted Jagannatha *prasādam*, He became overwhelmed by the ecstatic taste of the *prasādam*. He glorified the *prasādam* and could directly taste the saliva of Kṛṣṇa's lotus lips mixed in with the food. He went on to glorify the effect of the touch of Kṛṣṇa's lips. This is what happens when someone in loving devotion tastes food that has been offered to the Lord. And in this case, no doubt, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's ability to taste the potency of the *prasādam* exceeds that of the brahmanas who offered it to Lord Jagannatha. But still, that *prasādam* is Kṛṣṇa's internal potency. It is non-different from Kṛṣṇa, and it is dynamic. A loving devotee may taste more of the spiritual potency present in *prasādam* than was originally manifest to the pujari who offered it. We may also consider the examples of Prahlada Mahārāja and Mirabai: Both were given poison to drink, but because of their great loving devotion, the poison was transformed into nectar and had no effect. Why is that? Because both poison and nutritious food are part of the relativity of this material world. But when we offer something with love to Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa's *sac-cid-ananda* potency manifests in that food. In this way, poison becomes as much *prasādam* as a *pakora* does. *Offering Our Lives* We shouldn't think, however, that an "offering" is simply the *bhoga* or food we offer to Kṛṣṇa. Devotees make their entire life an offering: > yat karosi yad asnasi > yaj juhosi dadasi yat > yat tapasyasi kaunteya > tat kurusva mad-arpanam Kṛṣṇa is saying, "Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform—do that, O son of Kunti, as an offering to Me." (Bg. 9.27) Ultimately every breath a devotee takes is an offering: when devotees sleep because they need to maintain their bodies for Kṛṣṇa's service, then that sleep becomes an offering to the Lord; their eating to maintain their bodies so they can remain healthy to serve Kṛṣṇa is an offering to the Lord; when they receive anything—food, soap, money—all of these things are offered to Kṛṣṇa. In New Vraja Dhama (the devotee farm community in Hungary) anything the devotees acquire or receive, they first offer to Rādhā-Syamasundara, the presiding Deities, on a tray that sits before the altar. In this way the practice of offering everything to Kṛṣṇa becomes natural. We should learn how to offer everything. We rise early in the morning, and the first thing we do is offer prayers to the Lord. We chant Hare Kṛṣṇa not as entertainment but as an offering to glorify Kṛṣṇa. And when someone lives like that, then in one sense the act of making the offering becomes unnecessary (although devotees do it to set the example) because such devotees are always absorbed in doing everything for Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, *yo me bhaktya prayacchati*—the *bhakti* is already there, and Kṛṣṇa is very eager to receive it. In fact, Kṛṣṇa follows behind devotees to accept their loving devotion every moment of the day, in every movement of their bodies, and in every thought they manifest in relation to their devotional service to Him. Ultimately this is what we aspire for, and this is what loving devotees do: they live for Kṛṣṇa, and thus everything they do becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious—it becomes *prasādam*. The cowherd boys simply sit down with Kṛṣṇa and eat from their lunch packs—they don't make any offering to Kṛṣṇa. When they offer something to Kṛṣṇa, they take from their lunch packs and put it right in Kṛṣṇa's mouth. Or they may even bite off half a sweetball and then say, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa, just see how wonderful this sweetball tastes!" and put the rest in Kṛṣṇa's mouth. *Yo me bhaktya prayacchati*: it's just their love. The formality and technicality of offering is no longer relevant, because what Kṛṣṇa really wants is the love and devotion. That's all that actually interests Him. And whether Mother Yaśodā offers her breast milk, the *gopis* offer their bodies, the cows offer their milk, the cowherd boys wrestle and jump on Kṛṣṇa's shoulders—everything becomes *prasādam* because everything is an offering of love. Our business in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, therefore, is to live in this world of *prasādam* and thereby become *prasādam* ourselves. This is what Kṛṣṇa concludes in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (4.24) when He says, *brahmarpanam brahma havir brahmagnau brahmana hutam* ... : "A person who is fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is sure to attain the spiritual kingdom because of his full contribution to spiritual activities." If we're thinking about offering everything to Kṛṣṇa, if our physical acts are an offering to Kṛṣṇa, if our words are an offering to Kṛṣṇa, then ultimately we become an offering to Kṛṣṇa. Then we become *prasādam*. And Kṛṣṇa is always very eager to taste the wonderful mellows of our loving offerings to Him. *Sivarama Swami is an ISKCON guru as well as ISKCON's governing body commissioner for Hungary. This article was adapted from a lecture.* ## How I Came to Kṛṣṇa Consciousness *The Temple Of My Dreams* > A visit to an ISKCON temple inspires spiritual yearnings in a girl from Ujjain. ### By Parul Upadhyaya I made my first visit to an ISKCON temple on December 31, 1999, the day my brother Syamasundara Dāsa was married at the Śrī Śrī Rādhā Gopinatha Temple in Chowpatty, Mumbai. There, for the first time, I saw His Holiness Rādhānatha Swami Mahārāja. I was only thirteen, but I thought that now, when Indians are rejecting their culture, here is a foreigner teaching my countrymen their own tradition and culture. It was also the first time I had seen a marriage in a temple before the Deities. I liked the simple but beautiful ceremony and the devotional atmosphere. Later Syamasundara spoke to us about Lord Kṛṣṇa. I remembered only one thing from his talk: If we surrender to Lord Kṛṣṇa, He will free us from all our sins. After the wedding, I returned with my family to Ujjain. *Search for the Supreme* I realized that I could find the answers to my questions only in ISKCON. I used to ask spiritual questions from anyone who appeared knowledgeable. But I was never satisfied. I would ask, "Who is the greatest god?" Those who worshiped Lord Siva would say that Lord Siva is the Supreme, those who worshiped Lord Visnu called Lord Visnu God, and devotees of Devi said that she is the Supreme. Someone told me that Brahma, Visnu, and Siva are the greatest gods. But I would think, "How can all three be the Supreme God? There has to be one who is the Supreme." I would also ask, "Where was I before I was born? Where will I be after death?" A few days after returning from Mumbai, my aunt (Syamasundara Dāsa's mother) Devakimayi Devī Dāsī, visited us in Ujjain. I asked her, "Who is God?" She answered that Lord Kṛṣṇa is God. People had always answered my questions in a roundabout way, so when I heard so clearly that Lord Kṛṣṇa is God, I was very satisfied. Still, I asked her, "How is that possible? Lord Kṛṣṇa is an incarnation of Lord Visnu." "No," she replied, "it's not like that. Lord Visnu is an incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and there are three Visnus, not one. This is described in *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam*." From that day on I began to chant one round of the Hare Kṛṣṇa *maha-mantra* on beads. When I turned sixteen, my father took me to Mumbai for summer vacation. We went to the ISKCON temple and my father bought a subscription to *Bhagavad* *Darsana*, the Hindi edition of *Back to Godhead.* My father left me for fifteen days at my aunt's home and said, "Try to find out how much truth there is in this organization." My father had lived in a temple in his childhood and had seen much fraud in the name of God. He didn't want me to fall prey to some cheating organization. During the vacation, I would go with my aunt and cousin Shraddhaiy to the Śrī Śrī Rādhā Gopinatha Temple in Chowpatty. I liked the temple very much. Friends of my sister Carulata (Campakalata Devī Dāsī) were very nice to me. One day, Campakalata told me that a devotee should be as humble as a blade of grass. I tried to follow this principle. Shraddhaiy gave me a video of the installation festival of Śrī Panca-tattva in Māyāpur and another about Lord Caitanya. One day Campakalata told me about the four regulative principles followed in ISKCON and the prohibitions against eating onions and garlic and drinking tea and coffee. From that day, I began to follow these rules and chant four rounds on my beads. *A Lonely Devotee* When I returned to Ujjain, I told my mother, "I'm not going to eat onions and garlic." "This is a temporary phase," she said. "You'll soon give up these fanciful ideas." But I stuck to my vow. When Mom saw that I was determined not to eat onions and garlic, she started cooking separately for me. I would first offer the food to the Lord and then eat. This double cooking, however, would make Mother late for her work at the office. Soon she began to cook everything without onions and garlic. Thus, gradually everyone at home stopped eating them. I would read *Bhagavad Darsana* magazine daily, both at home and at school. When I would come home, I would beg everyone, "Please listen. Let me tell you what nice things I read today." But no one wanted to listen. In frustration and loneliness, I would cry daily in front of Lord, "Nobody understands me here. There are no devotees here. Why don't You call me to Your abode? You declared that You forgive the sins of whoever comes to Your shelter. Have I committed so many sins that You are keeping me far away from You? There is not even an ISKCON temple here where I can get the association of devotees. Please, Lord, help me. Please." I would worship the Lord before going to school and do Nrsimha arati in the evening. I felt very lonely. People said, "You don't eat onions and garlic—who will marry a girl like you?" I would think, "There is nothing in these people's heart except marriage, money, and job. There is hardly any place for God." Only my father, mother, and grandfather supported me, saying that I was doing the right thing. But I had no devotee to help me. One day a new biology teacher came to my school. Her name was Mrs. Wagle. I noticed she was wearing *tulasi* neck beads and had ISKCON *tilaka* on her forehead. "Are you in ISKCON?" I asked. "Yes," she replied. "But how do you know about ISKCON?" I told her everything. From that day on she became more of a mother than a teacher to me. I would read *The Science of Self-Realization* and *Bhagavad Darsana* and ask her questions. Every Sunday I would accompany her to Indore, where disciples of His Holiness Romapada Swami run a center. On Rama Navami (Lord Ramacandra's appearance day) I went with Mrs. Wagle (Malinipriya Devī Dāsī) to Mumbai, where her son and daughter-in-law were receiving initiation. Mrs. Wagle's son's name is Dr. Ranjit Wagle. He serves at Bhaktivedanta Hospital as an ophthalmologist. At initiation he received the name Gauranga Sundara Dāsa, and my cousin Shraddhaiy received the name Vrajarasa Dāsa. When the *abhiseka* (bathing ceremony) of the Deities was going on, my elder sister Manjari Priya said to me, "During the *abhiseka*, whatever you ask from the Lord for your devotional service is very quickly granted." I prayed, "O Lord! I do not want education or wealth. I only desire that You keep me in a place where I can find Your holy name and Your devotees." During the return train journey with Mrs. Wagle, we met a devotee who had come from Los Angeles and was going to the Ujjain Kumbhamela. Her name was Veda-vyasa Devī Dāsī, and she was a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda. She came with me and stayed in our house for a few days. When my father saw her genuine devotion, he asked, "Ujjain is the place where Lord Kṛṣṇa studied under Sandipani Muni, but there is no ISKCON temple here. Why?" "Very soon ISKCON will arrive here," she prophesized. By that time, I had begun chanting sixteen rounds and soon appeared for my twelfth-grade exams. I had always excelled in studies, but that year I hardly studied at all. I had lost all interest in my books. I would only read books about Lord Kṛṣṇa. Within my thick physics textbook, I would hide *Kṛṣṇa, the Reservoir of Pleasure* and read it secretly. Moreover, I fell sick during the exams. When the results were declared, I had failed. I was shattered and cried bitterly. My cousin Ritu, also an ISKCON devotee, was with me at that time. "Lord Kṛṣṇa never does anything wrong to anyone," she consoled me. "You used to study a lot, but this year you failed because you neglected your studies." This setback helped me; my pride got shattered, and I became more tolerant. Fortunately, because of a new rule, I didn't lose a year and was granted admission to a boarding school. *Answers to Prayers* In July, I read in a newspaper that there would be a big ISKCON temple in Ujjain. I was jubilant. Every day I would scan the newspaper for even a tiny bit of information about the new temple. In that newspaper, I first saw His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami Mahārāja. One day, during math class, our teacher shouted, "Hey! Look there! There are the Hare Kṛṣṇas." I was so overcome with joy on seeing the devotees that I ran out of class to meet them. While speaking to them, I suddenly remembered that my class was going on. When I stepped into the class, everyone was staring at me in disbelief. "Why did you go out?" the teacher asked me. I replied that I wanted to see the ISKCON devotees. Everyone laughed. Then I came to know that ISKCON had just built a temporary temple behind my school. Nothing could stop me now. Every day I would visit the temple with my friends and ask about the opening. On November 7, 2004, construction began. On that day, His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami Mahārāja, holding something covered with a white cloth, entered the temporary temple. I wasn't sure what was going on, but when everyone went inside, the altar curtains opened and I realized that Mahārāja had been carrying small Deities of Rādhā Madana-mohana. The Lord had finally appeared in Ujjain! I could not believe it. Not only had the Lord appeared, but I had also found my spiritual master—His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami Mahārāja, who had brought the Lord to Ujjain. What more mercy could I have asked for? November 12 was Dipawali. I told my father I wanted to go for the *mangala-arati*. Papa took me for the arati and let me stay there after it ended. On that day, Mahārāja gave the *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* class. Mahārāja is from Bengal, as are many of his disciples, so he gave the class in Bengali. "Do you know Bengali?" he asked me. "No," I replied. Then he asked a woman to translate the class for me. I was very happy that day—it was the first time Mahārāja had spoken to me. That day Papa also heard the class and asked Mahārāja, "How can we experience the spiritual world while staying in this world?" Mahārāja was very happy with the question and gave an enlightening answer. Papa found so much bliss in the *mangala-arati* that he felt he was in heaven. He also developed a desire to join ISKCON. He met Mahārāja, left his job, and became a full-time devotee at the temple. This was the happiest occasion for me. Life has come full circle for me. Where initially I was alone in Ujjain, now I have the wonderful association of devotees, Guru Mahārāja, and the Lord—everything I need. Truly if we take one step towards Lord Kṛṣṇa, He rushes to us with thousands of strides. *Parul Upadhyaya lives with her family in Ujjain.* ## The Ultimate Goal ### By Kṛṣṇa Dharma Dāsa The late Bill Shankly, football (soccer) player and manager, when asked if he thought football was a matter of life and death, famously said, "It's more important than that." Judging by the wall-to-wall media coverage of the World Cup, compared to the miniscule programming for trivial matters such as what happens to us after death, it seems Bill had a point. Here in England the flags are out everywhere, the talk is all about our star striker's injured foot, and a nation waits on its sofas for the show to begin. Heaven forbid that by the time this piece is published England's dreams of glory are dashed, but are such sporting events the right place to repose our hopes? What indeed are we hoping for? Success, of course, but why? What is it about a national sporting victory that makes us so euphoric? Every true-blooded Englishman will probably read these words with horror. "What is he talking about? Obviously we want our team to win. How could we even brook the possibility of a German victory or, worse still, a French one? It surely does not bear thinking about." But let's just give it some thought. Here we have a perfect illustration of a key Vedic teaching. Although we are eternal souls who ultimately have nothing to do with anything in this ever-changing world, in material consciousness we identify with the temporary body and the land in which it was born. We thus imagine ourselves to be English, American, German, or whatever. England's success is therefore my success, and I am over the moon when it happens. But is this imaginary elation really happiness? How long will it last? Will it solve any of the problems of my life, such as my growing old, becoming diseased, and dying? If the glorious event should occur and our team lifts the cup, will any of these problems be in any way diminished? It might provide a distraction for some time, but isn't that simply a head-in-the-sand approach to life's real issues? Śrīla Prabhupāda called frivolous sports gambling, and it is true, because we gamble with that most precious of all things, time. We do not know how much time we have in this human life. It is a rare and valuable opportunity to permanently solve all problems by achieving pure God consciousness. Reclining on the sofa to watch football betrays our assumption that we will have time later for dealing with our material predicament. But who knows? If our team wins, we may have a heart attack right there on the couch. Enjoyment of this kind is described as "mental concoction" in Bhagavad-gītā. If England wins I experience joy because I think I am English, but what is my feeling if I think I am German? I may suddenly suffer from amnesia and forget who I am, that I am English; it sometimes happens. What then will England's victory mean to me? Material so-called happiness is always like this: born of the mind, relative, and temporary—and on top of that the cause of such joy will very likely be the cause of misery to someone else. On the other hand, spiritual or absolute happiness, the happiness of the soul, is real and leaves no one feeling miserable. It results from pleasing God, which is compared to watering the root of a tree; the whole tree is thereby nourished. If the tiny twig of England is watered, the rest of the tree gets no benefit at all. Indeed, even the watered twig itself remains unnourished. But do the Vedas not talk about Kṛṣṇa's "sporting pastimes"? Can devotees not enjoy a game of anything? Does sport not have any utility in Kṛṣṇa's service? In response to the first question, we can see where our desire to enjoy sports originates. In the spiritual world devotees are eternally enjoying with the Lord in so many ways, but without anyone experiencing any misery, even if they are "defeated." Because Kṛṣṇa is pleased, everyone wins, enjoying the highest possible happiness. Sports in this world can also have spiritual utility if we understand life's ultimate goal to be self-realization. We need to keep our bodies fit for spiritual life, and sports are a good way to exercise. They can also teach useful skills like teamwork, which can be helpful in spiritual life too. But when sports become more than life or death, it is surely time to rethink our values. So let's keep fixed in life's real mission, knowing and pleasing God. Then, if the unthinkable should happen and our team loses, we won't feel like wrecking the town. ## Dream World of the Villages ### By Panca Tattva Dāsa In Central Florida there's a booming retirement community called The Villages, the largest single-site real estate development in the United States. The Villages website invites people age fifty-five and up to live in "the perfect place to enjoy life as you've always dreamed." There are pictures of happy seniors marching in parades, riding on golf carts, and admiring hotrods from the fifties. Lots of swimming, tennis, and arts and crafts. Everyone looks pleasant and helpful, happy and healthy. But old habits die hard, for The Villages is experiencing an explosion of cases of sexually transmitted disease. It seems the elderly really do want to enjoy life as they've always dreamed, and now some of them are being assisted by drugs like Viagra. A doctor in practice there says she's seeing more cases of herpes and human papilloma virus than she did when she worked in Miami. She has even treated a patient in her eighties. Dream life, indeed! What kind of dream is it when you wake up with an incurable disease? This is Kali-yuga, a time in which unregulated, irreligious behavior becomes prominent, and sometimes it looks as though moral standards decline within the scope of just a few generations. It's especially startling, though, when it involves the elderly. Why is that? Perhaps it's because we expect those who are older to be wiser—at least wiser than we are. They've arrived at the far shore, and we hope they can show us how to successfully navigate our way there. But if you have spent your life pursuing material enjoyment, how will your actions in old age depart from the patterns you've already established? You hear a tiny inner voice that says life is meant for a higher purpose, and you may even want to change your ways, but faced with unlimited longings for sense pleasure reinforced by many decades of indulgence, that lone desire is easily subdued. And when a drug comes along that can stimulate your tired old body to act in inappropriate ways, you might not be able to resist. Therefore, great saints and sages urge us not to wait until the fag end of life, when we've already got one foot in the grave, to take up Kṛṣṇa consciousness. At five years old, the boy saint Prahlada Mahārāja said, "One who is sufficiently intelligent should use the human form of body from the very beginning of life—in other words, from the tender age of childhood—to practice the activities of devotional service, giving up all other engagements." In Kṛṣṇa consciousness the emphasis is on purifying the heart's desires through the practice of devotional yoga, particularly by carefully chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa maha-mantra. Over time, one's innate desire for service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead awakens. It is this kind of elderly person—or young person, for that matter—who is truly wise, because he or she can guide us out of this material world entirely, to go back home, back to Godhead. Otherwise, without taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we may think that the dreamy life of The Villages is very nice, and risk waking up to a nightmare. ## Kṛṣṇa Scenes in Bulgaria *Alongside new buildings, signs of Bulgaria's economic development, devotees of Kṛṣṇa are laying a foundation for spiritual renewal.* ### By Tattvavit Dāsa My traveler’s guide said that Sofia, set on an elevated plateau, is the highest European capital. It looked high. During all the mild mornings of mid-July the top of the mountain range south of the city seemed close to the waning moon. Our Hare Kṛṣṇa temple is a house at the foot of one of the mountains. On three sides of the temple, men were constructing large buildings—indicative of the fast development Bulgaria has its sights set on, with plans to join the European Union this January. Still, in a field behind our house a traditional farmer grazed sheep. The bells around their necks made music when they walked. The shepherd, carrying a folding stool, sat down when his flock stopped. Bulgarian culture has begun to encounter Caitanya Vaisnavism and the chanting of names of God: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Devotees in Sofia and elsewhere in Bulgaria ask God to engage them in His loving service and purify their material desires. Some devotees are young and run small businesses and start families, but they renounce intoxicants, meateating, gambling, and nonreproductive sex. In contrast, Sofia has casinos big and small, its billboards use sexual provocation, and its Orthodox Christianity approves of animal slaughter. Regardless of what financial benefits Bulgarians will see in this life, working to enjoy one's profits entangles one in material life. But, Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā, a steadily devoted soul attains peace by offering the results of all activities to Him. Thus Bulgarians will benefit most from their work by gradually learning to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness. *Bulgarians in Belgium* All the Bulgarian devotees I met before visiting their country last summer have served at a Hare Kṛṣṇa community in rural Belgium. I was there teaching students at Bhaktivedanta College how to improve their essays. Mahendra Dāsa (Mladen Balabanov) joined the staff of the college in 2005 and taught two-week seminars on philosophy and world religions. His parents are a teacher and a scholar. He is thirty-five. As a boy he studied piano, and nowadays he skillfully plays devotional instruments and often leads the congregational chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. "During the Communist period in Bulgaria," he said, "drugs were not available, and I was not interested in them anyway. I did not smoke or drink." During the mid-1990s he took charge of the Sofia Hare Kṛṣṇa center. Then he obtained a Bachelor's degree in philosophy and later studied information systems and management at the London School of Economics. "I always hoped to use what I learned directly in Kṛṣṇa's service," he said. His wife, Sangita Dasi, encouraged him to join the Bhaktivedanta College staff instead of doing business. (She works as a set designer for Hollywood film companies that shoot in Bulgaria.) Last summer he became a part-time graduate student at De Montfort University in Leicester, England. Now, besides teaching some two-week modules and doing administrative work at the college, he is doing a postgraduate study of management in the field of organizational justice. *A Talk About the Body* When the school year at Bhaktivedanta College ended last June, Mahendra and I headed to Bulgaria. On a Friday night in Sofia I spoke (Mahendra translating) to fifteen guests about a new perspective on the body: Lord Kṛṣṇa says that desire, hatred, happiness, and distress are interactions of the senses and the elements that make up the body. This viewpoint resembles a psychologist's, but Kṛṣṇa adds that the body has an indestructible knower, the soul, who makes the body work. Therefore a person is transcendental to the senses, body, and mind. And one becomes well situated and happy by tolerating the urges of the senses and checking desire and anger. I was told that some Bulgarians follow a religion founded by Peter Dunov in Bulgaria in the early 1900s, which combines the idea of reincarnation with vegetarianism and Christian beliefs. But most people in Bulgaria know just this life. They know they are situated somewhere between birth and death. Throughout Bulgaria people post obituaries on the front doors of their houses and even on public trees to mark anniversaries of deaths in the family. *To the Sea Coast* Making lots of gradual curves through central Bulgaria's mountain range, we drove east to Mahendra's parents' house to pick up his fourteen-year-old stepson, Tine. En route we ate banitsa, a warm pastry filled with cheese, which Bulgarians like to start the day with. (In Sofia we tasted tarator, chilled yogurt soup made with cucumber, walnuts, and dill. One bacterium used to make yogurt is called Lactobacillus bulgaricus because it thrives on Bulgarian land.) Continuing east, we reached the Black Sea coast and headed south to the village where we stayed. Our hosts, male twins named Nitaicandra Dāsa and Gauracandra Dāsa and their parents, grow tomatoes and cucumbers in a huge greenhouse (or "glasshouse" as it is known in Europe). The twins now live near the greenhouse and practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness there, so we stayed in their former rooms on the top floor of the family's house. Breezes cooled us all day, and the balcony provided a view of roofs and gardens of a traditional neighborhood. Cocks crowed at dawn, but being early birds ourselves, we were already up chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa on our beads. Three devotees from the Sofia temple were also house guests, and they were busy distributing Śrīla Prabhupāda's books in the area. The cover photo of one book shows Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa wearing clothes with horizontal bands of color: white, green, and red—the colors of the Bulgarian flag. I guessed that the Bulgarian devotees who translated the book may have chosen the photo for that reason. The twins take care of three cows. And the fresh milk is drunk and made into curd and rice pudding ("sweet rice"). Out on a short walk near the greenhouse I came to a spacious grove of walnut trees, another natural opulence of rural life in Bulgaria. Every day before sunrise we drove to a beach. We would chant Hare Kṛṣṇa on our beads for an hour and a half and then swim. Afterward we met the twins, to sing and talk about Śrīla Prabhupāda and Kṛṣṇa before eating the breakfast Gauracandra cooked. Winding down at a beach one weekend was a party with techno music. This prompted me to tell Mahendra that Shakespeare wrote about a character "that converses more with the buttock of the night than with the forehead of the morning." In other words, the early morning is auspicious and meant for the spiritual development of the brain. Kṛṣṇa says, "What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-realized." We devotees see the sun rise on time and feel the regular seasonal temperatures and know that the master, Kṛṣṇa, is there, and we want to be His eternal servant. That is the actual position of the soul. His Holiness A. C. Bhaktivaibhava Swami, ISKCON's governing body commissioner for the country, hopes that Kṛṣṇa consciousness will keep spreading in Bulgaria. He told me by e-mail that he wished for any help in the form of supplies and support. "There is a great potential for spiritual life among the citizens of Bulgaria," he wrote. "Our Ratha-yatra festival and other programs are well attended and appreciated by government officials. We could do much more to benefit Bulgarians, but our resources are extremely limited. So our members can only make a humble attempt to spread the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra to every town and village." Lord Caitanya predicted five hundred years ago that Kṛṣṇa's names will become known and chanted worldwide. Now the devotees are presenting Kṛṣṇa's names and message to the Bulgarian populace. In the coastal area, in three weeks, 350 books were distributed by Tulasi Dāsa, Purusa-acutya Dāsa, and Pandava-bandhava Dāsa (a law-school graduate). Tulasi Dāsa hopes that Bulgaria's economic growth will enable more people to own and read Śrīla Prabhupāda's books. Then people will flourish without being captivated by the motives of making money and lording it over material nature. *Tattvavit Dāsa began contributing articles to BTG when he was on the staff for five years in the 1980s, and still edits and develops articles for the magazine. He has edited a dozen books. At Bhaktivedanta College, from the time the college opened in 2002 till January 2007, he taught students how to improve their essays.* ## Eleven Rathayatras THE FIRST Rathayatra parade in Bulgaria was organized in 1996, the centennial year of the birth of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, the founder-ācārya of the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. Śrīla Prabhupāda celebrated Rathayatra as a child in Calcutta, his hometown, and later introduced it in cities worldwide. The Bulgarian Rathayatra festival was the first in the Balkans. Ananda Caitanya Dāsa carved the Deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra. Sasa Bindhu Dāsa, an artcollege graduate, painted them. Nicki, who studied architecture, designed the chariot according to the scriptural specifications. And an elder wheelwright in the village of Manolovo made the chariot in three months. Rathayatra has now been held every summer in Sofia for eleven consecutive years. The national TV stations often show reports, and the main newspapers publish color photos of the festival. The parade passes the main buildings of downtown Sofia: the National Palace of Culture, the President's office, the Council of Ministers, and the Parliament. On the evening before the event, to invoke auspiciousness, devotees perform a public Vedic fire sacrifice at the place where the parade begins. The Indian ambassador, the religious adviser of the former Bulgarian president, a university teacher, and other VIPs often come to the opening ceremonies of the parade and festival. Naturally the festival in Sofia is not as well attended as those in London, Los Angeles, or Jagannātha Purī, but the citizens of Sofia like it. Many join the parade, pull the chariot ropes, and learn about the sacred meaning of the festival. Rathayatra is one of the major Vaisnava holidays celebrated by devotees in Bulgaria, and it is attended even by devotees from neighboring Macedonia and Serbia. After riding through the main streets, Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra finally stop at a pleasant small park, full of venerable trees that generously shade the Deities and devotees after the procession under the hot summer sun. The festival site takes on the mood of a garden party. The program includes traditional devotional songs and dances and a talk on Vedic wisdom. Hundreds of plates with prasādam are distributed to guests and passers-by. —*Rādhā Vinoda Dāsa* ## The Importance of Śrī Īśopaniṣad *Śrīla Prabhupāda chose a traditional text accepted by all classes of Vedic scholars to be one of the first books he translated.* ### By Satyaraja Dāsa Among all of *Śrī*la Prabhupāda's books, *Śrī* *Īśopaniṣad* occupies a unique position. It stands alongside his most important works: *Bhagavad-gītā*, *Śrī*mad-Bhagavatam, *Caitanya-caritāmṛta*, and *The* *Nectar* *of Devotion.* But within the larger context of Vedic scholarship, reflected in most branches of modern-day Hinduism, *Śrī* *Īśopaniṣad* enjoys a special status: It comes from a category of texts known as *sruti*. Generally, *sruti* refers to the original four *Veda*s and their supplemental Upanisadic literature. The Vedic tradition itself honors these texts as revelation, given to the world directly by God. In addition, there is another category of literature, known as *smrti*, or "that which is remembered" Vaisnavas consider these texts equal to *sruti* in every way. In fact, *smrti* is traditionally understood as the inner portion of *sruti*, without which the latter remains virtually indecipherable. The sacred texts generally included in the *smrti* category are the epics *(Mahābhārata* and *Ramayana)* and the *Puranas*, which are known in the *sruti* texts as "the fifth *Veda*." (See, for example, the *Chandogya Upanisad* 7.1.4 and *Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad* 2.4.10.) In fact, since the *Bhagavad-gītā* consists of words directly emanating from Kṛṣṇa, God, and *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* is directly about Lord Kṛṣṇa's intimate pastimes, true knowers of Vedic wisdom consider them *sruti* in the deepest sense of the word. Still, some Vedic scholars deny that the epics and the *Puranas* are *sruti*. Nanda Misra, commenting on *Śrī* Baladeva Vidyabhusana's *Siddhanta-darpana* (2.1), writes, "Some philosophers, being disturbed by statements about devotion to Visnu in the epics and the *Puranas*, try to say that those texts are not identical with the *Vedas*." This is because of a technical division of the scriptures, which has little consequence in the life of the practitioner. Prabhupāda, of course, was aware of these technicalities, and his *Śrī* *Īśopaniṣad* indirectly addresses the problem by supporting Kṛṣṇa consciousness with a text that all Vedic scholars would accept as *sruti*. The strategy of using "Vedic" evidences goes back to the greatest Kṛṣṇa conscious masters in history, such as Jiva Gosvami and Baladeva Vidyabhusana, and Prabhupāda was merely following their lead. Thus, as far back as the early 1960s, before he had officially founded ISKCON, Prabhupāda had serialized his *Īśopaniṣad* manuscript in *Back to Godhead* magazine. After coming West, it was one of the first books he published. He even suggested that his 1969 lecture "What are the *Vedas*?" be used as the Introduction to the book, which underlines the importance of the *Īśopaniṣad*'s Vedic status. To this day, that Introduction accompanies his *Īśopaniṣad*. *Śrī Īśopaniṣad* is the fortieth (last) chapter of the *Sukla Yajur Veda* and consists of eighteen Sanskrit mantras. All lists of the most important *Upanisads* begin by mentioning this one. As Prabhupāda writes, "Regarding the *Upanisads*, the following eleven are considered to be the topmost: *Isa, Kena, Katha, Prasna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya, Brhad-aranyaka,* and *Svetasvatara.* However, in the *Muktikopanisad*, verses 30-39, there is a description of 108 *Upanisads*." (*Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Adi-līlā* 7.108, Purport) Even among *Upanisads*, then, *Śrī Īśopaniṣad* is considered among the most important. There are other reasons for the preeminent position of this work, and these were made clear in the earlier commentaries of Vedanta Desika, from the Ramanuja school of Vaisnavism, and also in the one by Madhva, the great teacher from early on in the Hare Kṛṣṇa lineage. Quite simply, the *Īśopaniṣad* (*Isa-Upanisad*) is about Isa, or Isvara, "the Supreme Controller," God. The word *upanisad* means "to sit near." Whereas most other *Upanisads* are somewhat vague about the nature of the Absolute Truth, *Śrī Īśopaniṣad* delivers "the knowledge that brings one nearer to the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa." The book takes its readers methodically from an impersonal understanding of God to an awareness of His allpervading and unsurpassable personal aspect. Prabhupāda tells us that according to *Śrī Īśopaniṣad*, "the Supreme Absolute Truth is both impersonal and personal eternally, but His personal aspect is more important than the impersonal one." (*Teachings of Lord Caitanya*, Chapter 24) By way of evidence, *Śrī Īśopaniṣad*, in Mantra Twelve, offers an admonition against depersonalized conceptions of God: "Those who are engaged in the worship of demigods enter into the darkest region of ignorance, and still more so do the worshipers of the impersonal Absolute." Vaisnava commentators say that impersonalists tend to fall into hellish consciousness because they deny God's ability to have personal features, implying that they have something that God does not. All of our greatest pleasures come from sensual experience, and God is not to be denied such pleasures. He can see, hear, speak, and love. In short, He can experience things as we do, but without the imperfections associated with a temporary and limited nature. The *Īśopaniṣad* further informs us that God's impersonal feature is essentially an overwhelming white light, purely spiritual and fully engulfing all who come in its path. It is composed of God's bodily effulgence, which can be blinding, denying its viewers access to the personal form at its base. Mantra Fifteen states, "O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee." In Mantra Sixteen we further read, "O my Lord, O primeval philosopher, maintainer of the universe, O regulating principle, destination of the pure devotees, well-wisher of the progenitors of mankind, please remove the effulgence of Your transcendental rays so that I can see Your form of bliss. You are the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead, like unto the sun, as am I." For Vaisnavas, then, the impersonal aspect of the Lord is, in a sense, His less desirable side. This is so not only because it is bereft of personal characteristics, which allow one to have an intimate relationship with God, but because it can interfere with the ability to relate to God's form, as stated above. To sum up: Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation, with commentary, of *Śrī Īśopaniṣad* accomplishes many ends. To bring out Kṛṣṇa conscious conclusions, it uses a traditional text accepted by all classes of Vedic scholars. In addition, it methodically takes its readers from the impersonal conception of the Absolute to an awareness of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But more than all this, it delivers ultimate spiritual wisdom in an accessible form, which in fact is the virtue of all of Śrīla Prabhupāda's books. *Satyaraja Dāsa, a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda, is a BTG associate editor. He has written over 20 books. He lives with his wife and daughter near New York City.* ## A Summary of Śrī Īśopaniṣad *Śrīla Prabhupāda's Introduction* Establishes the limitations and imperfections of the conditioned soul and elucidates the higher dimensional reality of the Vedas. *Section One: Invocation, Mantras 1 and 2* The Supreme Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and therefore His creation is too. He has perfectly made arrangements for all living beings, and if we learn to live according to His arrangements, we can live happily on the spiritual platform, even in the material world. *Section Two: Mantra 3* Those who abuse the opportunity of the human form of life have a very dim future. *Section Three: Mantras 4—8* The Supreme Lord is the greatest person and possesses unique characteristics. Within Him all contradictions are resolved. The pure devotees see everything and everyone in relation to Him and are therefore on the transcendental platform, free from all anxiety. By rendering devotional service in this consciousness, they realize Him directly. *Section Four: Mantras 9-14* There are different types of nondevotee, and they achieve varying degrees of misfortune. To advance steadily, a devotee must understand both the wonderful nature of spiritual life and the defects of material life. That knowledge culminates in understanding Lord Kṛṣṇa's position as the Supreme Absolute Truth. *Section Five: Mantras 15-18* The speaker feelingly appeals to the Lord to remove His dazzling bodily effulgence and reveal His personal form. The time of death is approaching, and the devotee acknowledges that he is far from perfect. He prays that the Lord be merciful to him and, overlooking his shortcomings, accept him as an eternal servant and give him shelter at His lotus feet. ## Spiritual Places *Kanchipuram - Home to the King of Blessers* *This venerable town hosts temples whose history goes back to the ancient days of Vaisnava prominence in South India.* ### Text and photos by Adbhuta Hari Dāsa Kanchipuram, along with its ancient silk-trading history, is famous as a holy city and home to the great saint Ramanuj*acarya* and his worshipable Lord Varadaraja. Hundreds of temples attract delighted crowds that flock into this pilgrim center situated in northeast Tamil Nadu. Fifteen of these temples are designated *divya desams*, or special "divine sites" for Śrī Vaisnavas (followers of Ramanuja). These *divya desams* are connected to the Alvars, prominent South Indian Vaisnavas who appeared roughly between 4200 and 2700 B.C. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu, and Madhv*acarya* visited here. It is the birthplace of Canakya Pandita, author of *Niti-sastra* (civic laws) and minister of the Maurya empire. It is also the birthplace of Vedanta Desika, the most prominent Śrī Vaisnava *acarya* after Ramanuja. And it is said that here Lord Varadaraja, the presiding Deity of Kanchipuram, spoke the basic principles of *visistadvaita* philosophy to Ramanuj*acarya* through one of his gurus, Kancipurna. It just so happened that I arrived in Kanchi on the birth anniversary of Tata Desika, one of the *acaryas* of the Tatachar community, which has deep roots in this region. I immediately left for the celebration at the Varadaraja temple. As I entered the inner courtyard, which resounded with the mantra *om namo narayanaya*, I saw that a big crowd of devotees had gathered in front of one of the temple shrines. I approached a small group of young men, intent on discovering the cause for this gathering. One of them, Krishna, told me excitedly that at any moment the small *utsava* ("festival") Deities would be carried out of the temple and brought in front of a shrine dedicated to Tata Desika. Because of the patronage of Tata Desika in the fifteenth century, many temples of South India achieved the peak of their functional and architectural development. On his birthday he is blessed by the Deities, and grand rituals are performed with meticulous perfection and devotion. The morning began with an offering of rice and fruits to the four-armed Visnu form of Lord Varadaraja and His consorts Laksmi, Śrī, and Bhu Devi. This was followed by a bathing ceremony, during which hymns from the *Taittiriya Upanisad, Purusa-sukta,* and *Tirupavai* were chanted. Priests offered sanctified food, sandalwood paste, and Tulasi flower garlands to the Deities, and later distributed them to *brahmanas* standing to the left and right side of the shrine. At noon the Deities went in procession around the temple. Two groups of *brahmanas* followed the procession; those at the front chanted the *Divya Prabhanda* prayers (Vedas sung in Tamil by the Alvars), while those in back chanted Sanskrit Vedic hymns. The palanquin carriers lightly swung the Deities to and fro as they approached the Sudarsana-Narasimha Temple, passing a flower garden that runs along most of the procession path. In the flower garden is a small pond where it is said that Śrī Perundevi Tayar (Laksmi), the consort of Lord Varadaraja, originally appeared on a golden lotus. Further along the path is a shrine to Ramanujacarya, where the procession stopped so that he could receive the blessings of the Lord. Ramanuja spent most of his youth serving Lord Varadaraja in Kanchi. He also met his gurus Yamunacarya and Mahapurna here for the first time. Before the Deities were respectfully put to rest, we completed circumambulation by arriving at the starting point, the shrine of Tata Desika. In the evening another procession took place, this time along the main temple road, and *brahmanas* and pilgrims again escorted the gorgeously dressed Deities. One of the ornaments decorating Lord Varadaraja this time around was the Clive necklace. Robert Clive, the British governor of Madras during the 1700s, presented this necklace in appreciation to the Varadaraja Deity after Clive's fight with the Muslim Nawab of Arkad. On the way to Arkad, Clive stopped in Kanchi. Having felt severe stomach pains for several days, he was worried about the outcome of the impending battle. The priests gave him holy water and sanctified food, and upon taking these he was relieved of pain. In gratitude, he decided he would present to Lord Varadaraja the most valuable thing he captured from Arkad's treasury. Another time, while Lord Varadaraja was being fanned, Clive expressed his doubts about the Deity feeling hot. Upon hearing this, the priest fanning the Lord wiped the Deity's face with a small towel and gave it to Clive, who was amazed to find it wet. In the late evening hours, before the Deities were brought back to the temple, I went to see them with Śrīdhar Veerapuram, a Śrī Vaisnava I had met during the procession. He brought Lord Varadaraja's face to my attention. According to the history of the temple, Lord Varadaraja appeared from the fire of a sacrifice performed by Lord Brahma. Śrīdhar said that the Lord acquired the pinkish spots on His face when He emerged from the fire. Śrīdhar spoke enthusiastically about the Lord, so I requested him to accompany me on my visit to the other temples of Kanchipuram. *Exploring the Opulence* The next day, Śrīdhar suggested we first complete our exploration of the shrines, pastimes, and architectural wealth of the Varadaraja Temple, and then go to the other temples. I gladly agreed. Our morning began at the unavoidable *prasādam* stand prominently placed at the main entrance. Upon receiving the Lord's mercy in the form of food and perceiving a spiritual atmosphere, we walked down a hall of one hundred pillars that had magnetically attracted my sight with its astounding beauty. Dexterously carved on the monolithic black granite pillars are exquisite sculptures of dancers, men riding on various kinds of animals, avatars of Lord Visnu, and scenes from the *Mahābhārata* and *Ramayana*. Certain parts of these carvings, like the bows, spears, and arrows, sound like the strumming of a tampura when struck. At the end of the hall stands a platform used for festivals, such as the reenactment of the marriage of Lord Varadaraja and Laksmi. Almost adjoined to the back of the hall is Ananta Tirtham, a pond believed to have been created by Lord Ananta to witness the pastimes of Lord Varaha. (Lord Ananta is an incarnation of Lord Visnu who serves, in the form of a serpent, as Visnu's couch.) The original Deity of Lord Varadaraja is kept in a silver chest in a shrine inside this pond. Śrīdhar told me that once, during the intense heat of the summer, the Deity felt hot and, appearing in the dream of one of the priests, asked to be put into the water. Now every forty years the Deity is taken out and worshiped for forty-eight days. Śrīdhar and I next proceeded to the fourth area that encircles the main sanctum of Lord Varadaraja. Located here are Lord Rama's shrine, a mirror hall, and a Deity kitchen. Śrīdhar told me that traditionally only the healthiest and purest items—such as the fuelwood, vessels of bronze and silver, and water from the Deities' own reservoir for cooking—are used for the Lord in this kitchen. On the third circumambulation path we saw the shrines of Andal and Śrī Perundevi Tayar, consort of Lord Varadaraja. Next, we approached Lord Nrsimha, to whom we prayed to protect our devotion. Lord Nrsimha is worshiped at the base of a hill, in a cave rebuilt by Chola kings as a one-story building. Since Lord Nrsimha gave permission to Brahma to perform his sacrifices here, it is known as Nrsimha Ksetra ("Nrsimha's Place"). The *ma*in temple houses the shrine to Lord Varadaraja, so, circling halfway around the building, we climbed the steps that lead toward it. As we did so, we noticed rough mountain rock poking through the plaster wall. Upon reaching the sanctum on the first floor, we were dazzled by the splendor of *ma*ny ghee lamps, which revealed the Lord's form in a shrine accessible by several steps. The Deity of Lord Varadaraja, whose name means "the king of those who give benedictions," is huge. In three of His hands He holds the insignias of conchshell, disc, and *ma*ce, while His lower right hand is raised in blessing, with the words *ma* *sucah* ("Do not worry") inscribed on it. This means that He will fully care for and protect whoever surrenders unto Him. The Lord was richly decorated with costly jewels, and a huge golden necklace inscribed with the thousand names of Lord Visnu hung around His neck. The priest there offered us Tulasi leaves and *caranamrta* (water that has bathed the Deity), and described the wonderful relationships between the Lord and His devotees. He spoke of the glories of Ramanuja's *guru* Kancipurna, whose simple and pure devotion enabled him to converse with the Deity. And he told the story of Ramanuja's disciple Kuresa, and how the evil King Kotalunga was so intolerant of Vaisnavas that he viciously blinded him. Kuresa had been unselfishly ready to sacrifice his own life for the sake of his spiritual master. Therefore, due to his unconditional and surrendered service to his *guru*, Lord Varadaraja granted him transcendental sight. Śrīdhar and I stayed there to hear about the Lord's wonderful reciprocation with His devotees for a long time, deeply moved by the power of His presence. *Temples Around Town* In the next few days, Śrīdhar and I visited other temples and shrines sacred to Vaisnavas. Driving through the teeming city, we faced the inherent challenge of often finding the temples closed, since many of the smaller ones have irregular opening times due to lack of priests. Whenever our visit was successful, we emerged blissful, jubilant at being able to witness the Lord's many forms in Kanchipuram. Particularly impressive was the thirty-five-foot-high, twenty-four-foot-wide monolithic form of Lord Trivikrama (Vamanadeva), as well as the twenty-five-foot-high Deity known as Pandava Dootha ("Messenger of the Pandavas"). Another Deity, Yathoktakari, manifests Himself in an exceptional lying posture. In every other temple where the Deity of Lord Visnu is in the reclining pose, He lies on His left side, but here He lies on His right, just to demonstrate His affection toward His devotees. As the story goes, long ago a king banished the great devotee Tirumalasai Alvar and his disciple Kanikannan from the city because they wouldn't comply with his request to rejuvenate his aging body so that he could go on enjoying sensual pleasures. On the request of Tirumalasai, Lord Yathoktakari followed him out of the city, creating a gloomy darkness in the city. Alarmed, the king apologized for his mistreatment. So Tirumalasai Alvar returned to Kanchi with the Lord, who dispelled the darkness created in His absence. Next, we visited the Kamaksi Temple. Though people generally worship the Kamaksi Deity as Durga, she is said to be Laksmi Devi in the *Brahmanda Purana*, where Lord Hayagriva narrates her glories to the sage Agastya. Lord Hayagriva mentions that King Dāsaratha, ruler of Ayodhya and father of Lord Rama, prayed to Kamaksi here to obtain children. To visit the Vijaya Raghava Temple, last on the list of the *divya desams* in Kanchipuram, I took a local bus to Tiruputkuli, some seven kilometers from the town of Kanchipuram. According to the *Vamana Purana*, Lord Rama performed funeral rites here for Jatayu, the giant bird who valiantly fought to prevent Ravana from abducting Sita, the wife of Lord Rama. The hall opposite the temple pond commemorates the place where Ramanujacarya studied the advaita philosophy under Yadhava Prakasa. Since Ramanuja kept refuting the impersonal philosophy taught by his teacher, he was expelled from the ashram. Yadhava Prakasa even made an attempt on his life, but fortunately, by the mercy of devotees, he later recognized Ramanuja's saintly qualities and became his disciple. In the nearly two weeks I spent in Kanchipuram, I continuously discovered the neverending glories of the Lord and His devotees. Every detail I tracked down revealed some almost forgotten and charming pastime of the Lord. My search seemed endless and therefore ever fresh and dynamic. It was stimulating for my intellect and nourishing for my soul. Now, after all my research, I bear in my mind a deep impression of the most auspicious, beautiful, and enchanting smile of Lord Varadaraja. *Adbhuta Hari Dāsa joined ISKCON in Croatia. He is a frequent contributor to BTG of photo articles on important Vaisnava holy places in India.* ## From the Editor *Evidence of What's Important* We students of Śrīla Prabhupāda are all indebted to the Bhaktivedanta Archives for producing the Bhaktivedanta VedaBase, the searchable database of Śrīla Prabhupāda's books, lectures, and conversations. One of the benefits of the VedaBase is that it allows us to discover quickly how often Prabhupāda said something. From that we can often infer which points of the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness he felt required the most emphasis. I myself have sometimes been under the impression that Prabhupāda emphasized a particular point, only to learn through the VedaBase that he mentioned it rarely—I just happen to have listened repeatedly to a lecture where he talks about it. One thing that's clear is that Prabhupāda was especially fond of certain scriptural verses, many of which he quoted over and over again, and a few of which he chose to lecture on repeatedly. From the VedaBase I learned that the verse Prabhupāda spoke on most often was *Bhagavad-gītā* 7.1: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead said, 'Now hear, O son of Prtha, how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt.'" Judging by the frequency with which Prabhupāda spoke on (and quoted) this verse, I can safely say that it's a very important one. One point from this verse that Prabhupāda would stress is that, despite what others may say, we can in fact know God. Skeptics may say that even if God existed He would be too great for us to know. But here Kṛṣṇa responds to that idea: We can know God because God teaches us about Himself. To paraphrase Kṛṣṇa: "Hear from Me how you can know Me through yoga." Kṛṣṇa not only reveals the true purpose of yoga; He also tells Arjuna the essential quality of yoga: It must be done "in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me." No wonder Prabhupāda liked this verse so much. It summarizes the purpose of his movement, which is the same as Kṛṣṇa's purpose in speaking the *Bhagavad-gītā*—to guide people in *bhakti-yoga*, by which they can develop knowledge of Kṛṣṇa and love for Him. Another important point in the verse is that one can not only know God but can know Him "free from doubt." Our normal condition in this world is to be unsure about God and the nature of reality. Is it possible we could ever truly know the answers to the big questions? Most people would say no—we all have our own opinions, but no one knows anything for sure. Kṛṣṇa disagrees. He says that if we practice *bhakti-yoga* we can know Him without doubts. He gives us a method by which we can see Him face to face. And that vision—that full realization—shines the light of clarity on everything. That's a point Prabhupāda made many times: One who truly knows Kṛṣṇa knows everything. Don't believe me? Look it up in the Bhaktivedanta VedaBase. —*Nagaraja Dāsa* ## Vedic Thoughts One who disbelieves in the *sastras* [scriptures] is an atheist, and we should not consult an atheist, however great he may be. A staunch believer in the *sastras*, with all their diversities, is the right person from whom to gather real knowledge. Such knowledge may seem inconceivable in the beginning, but when put forward by the proper authority its meaning is revealed, and then one no longer has any doubts about it. —His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Adi-līlā 5.14, Purport This is the divinity of the Personality of Godhead: He is not affected by the qualities of material nature, even though He is in contact with them. Similarly, the devotees who have taken shelter of the Lord do not become influenced by the material qualities. —Suta Gosvami Śrīmad-Bhagavatam 1.11.38 Although the quality of being self-satisfied is eternally present in Kṛṣṇa, the quality of enjoying pastimes is also eternally present in Him. For the Supreme Lord to possess contradictory characteristics in perfect harmony is natural. In one aspect, Kṛṣṇa has the quality of self-satisfaction, and in another aspect, He manifests His opposite quality of enjoying pastimes with others. —Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura Śrī Caitanya-siksamrta 2.7.7 By one's engaging in the processes of demigod worship, austerities, breath control, compassion, bathing in holy places, strict vows, charity, and chanting of various mantras, one's mind cannot attain the same absolute purification as that achieved when the unlimited Personality of Godhead appears within one's heart. —Bhumi Devi Śrīmad-Bhagavatam 12.3.48 "Lord Kṛṣṇa is the all-powerful, all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He is the object of the prayers and worship of the demigods. Intelligent persons worship Him as He resides in His own spiritual abode. They thus attain the eternal transcendental bliss that is not available for others. —Gopala-tapani Upanisad 1.21 When the Lord is served with loving affection, one realizes His glory. By such means one becomes free of sorrow and victorious over death, and one ascends to the eternally manifest spiritual sky called Maha-Vaikuntha. —Svetasvatara Upanisad 4.7-8 The *sankirtana* of Kṛṣṇa's names is praised as the best and most powerful means to attain the treasure of *kṛṣṇa-prema* [pure love for Kṛṣṇa]. It is like a potent mantra that can attract precious objects from a distance. —Associates of Lord Visnu *Śrī Brhad-Bhagavatamrta* 2.3.164