# Back to Godhead Magazine #42 *2008 (02)* Back to Godhead Magazine #42-02, 2008 PDF-View ## Welcome THE BULK of this issue focuses on the history and current status of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement in the former Soviet Union. In 1971, Śrīla Prabhupāda spent only a few days in Moscow. But there he met a young Russian who would become his disciple and spearhead the rapid underground growth of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the USSR. Despite persecution, the "Soviet Hare Kṛṣṇas" pressed on, and since the fall of Communist rule, the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement in the Commonwealth of Independent States has grown exponentially. In "Checkmate! ISKCON's Victory in Russia," Satyaraja Dāsa traces the history of ISKCON from Prabhupāda's visit up to the present-day breakthrough in Moscow, where Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees have finally received land and permission to build a magnificent temple. Two of the main driving forces behind the Moscow temple project are Bhakti Vijnana Goswami and Brahmananda Puri Dāsa. Urmila Devī Dāsī's "Two Seeds that Grew in Iron" tells how each came to Kṛṣṇa and flourished spiritually despite the oppressive atmosphere. The book excerpt "A Taste of Salted Bread" reveals the courage and determination of Kṛṣṇa devotees who risked everything to bring Kṛṣṇa's message to a land under atheistic rule. 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 *Why No Eggs?* Many people understand abstinence from meat, but with eggs it is harder to explain. Nowadays eggs are unfertilized, and there is nothing being harmed (as in an embryo), so people question the difference between consuming unfertilized eggs and drinking milk. Nritya Ramani Collegeville, Minnesota *Our reply:* In the cookbook The *Hare Kṛṣṇa Book of Vegetarian Cooking,* author Adiraja Dāsa writes, "Those who abstain from meat but eat eggs or fish are not considered true vegetarians because they are eating flesh, even though it may be hidden, as in eggs, under a calcium coating. One who becomes a vegetarian only to avoid killing may see no reason to refuse unfertilized eggs, but if we take the Vedic view that all flesh is unfit for human consumption, it makes sense to shun eggs, which, fertilized or not, are nothing but the assembled materials for the bodies of chickens." Eggs are not something attractive for Kṛṣṇa to eat, and we offer everything to Kṛṣṇa before consuming it. As for milk, Kṛṣṇa created a symbiotic relationship between cows and human society. Cows produce more milk than their calves need, and the extra is meant for human consumption. Kṛṣṇa Himself played the role of a cowherd boy in His youth when He appeared in this world (as well as eternally in the spiritual realm), and He greatly enjoys milk and the many palatable foods made from it. *Seeking Guidance* I am interested in guidance on how to live the life of a devotee. It is very easy when you are with other devotees or in a temple, studying the *Gita,* but it is difficult for me to maintain that same focus at my work. Any suggestions would be helpful. Carolyn Via the Internet *Our reply:* It is nice to note that you would like to keep focused on Kṛṣṇa even at work. Yes, it is easy, as you say, when we are with devotees or at a temple. But Arjuna had the same problem you have. And he was wondering if he should renounce everything and focus on Kṛṣṇa exclusively. But Kṛṣṇa encouraged him to keep fighting but at the same time remember Him. How do we maintain this focus on Kṛṣṇa at work? If we are in love with someone, we tend to keep remembering him or her even in the midst of our work or under any circumstance. Kṛṣṇa is the supremely attractive person. We have a natural tendency to love Him, but it is covered now. So to revive that love, we need to chant the holy names of Kṛṣṇa regularly and read about Him from *Bhagavad-gītā* and *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam*. If you are not already doing so, chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa *maha-mantra* every day as much as possible, either quietly on beads or singing by yourself or with others. Read the scriptures that tell about Kṛṣṇa, and offer your food to Him. You can do these things before you go to work or when you return. There is also a lot of opportunity to associate with devotees through various websites, such as Krishna.com. By practice, Kṛṣṇa will remain in your mind, you will start seeing Him in every action you do at work, and you will do your job well. *BTG Reaching Inmates* I am a second-generation Indian-American devotee. I was born in Gujarat state and raised in Atlanta. I have been in prison for almost 3½ years and have about 3½years to go, unless I am paroled earlier. I cannot express in words what BTG means to me and what impact this magazine has had on people's lives in prison. There are so many testimonials of "BTG-*līlā*" in prisons that I could give you. Here are just a few: Once, a South American inmate started chanting and dancing when he saw my BTG and found out that I am a devotee. The other Latino inmates smiled and listened attentively as he told us how his old girlfriend in his native Uruguay was a devotee, how he went to the temple, ate *prasādam*, etc. He told me, "You have a real good culture, real good religion." Another time, at another prison, another Latino inmate saw the BTG in my hands and immediately started chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and dancing in ecstasy. I hadn't mentioned a thing, and we hadn't even introduced ourselves to each other. He told me how he used to go to the Laguna Beach temple, how nice the devotees were, how he liked the programs and the food. He immediately took the BTG. Śrīla Prabhupāda's BTG has a transcendental life of its own. Another time, I was moved into an open dorm, where I knew only one person out of eighty or so inmates. I had the BTG issue of Śrī Panca-tattva in Māyāpur and another issue, which had His Holiness Śrīdhara Swami's life story. I hadn't even set my mattress and belongings down when a crowd of people immediately started picking up and looking through the BTGs, saying they wanted to read them. They felt a spontaneous attraction. It seems that no matter what religion, viewpoint, opinions, background, experiences, culture, or knowledge a person has, there is something for everybody in BTG. I want to thank you and the staff Vaisnavas for writing and producing such an excellent, interesting, spiritually entertaining, and enlightening magazine. Hardik Kaswala Calhoun State Prison, Morgan, Georgia *BTG-Inspired Bhakti* I am a twenty-four-year-old man incarcerated in Florida. The first contact I ever had with this wonderful movement was in January of 2002. I had written Muktakesa Dāsa of the ISKCON Prison Ministry and asked a few questions. His reply came with two copies of BTG. When I opened the pages and laid my eyes on a picture of Lord Kṛṣṇa, I was instantly hooked. Since then, I've stayed in contact with devotees regularly, and I practice the philosophy to the best of my ability. I just wanted to send a big thank you and to let you know that I'm very grateful for the service you provide. Bobby Glover Hardee Correctional Institute, Bowling Green, Florida *CORRECTION* In the article on ISKCON Ujjain in the last issue, the caption for the photo on page 28 misidentified one of the three personalities pictured. They are in fact Kṛṣṇa (with peacock feathers) and Balarāma, along with their classmate Sudama. They are facing a larger Deity of Sandipani Muni in the temple, which sits at the site of his ashram. *Replies 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: Increasing Our Attachment for Kṛṣṇa *Sanand, India—December 27, 1975* *Success in life comes when we direct our love back to its true object: Lord Kṛṣṇa.* ### By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Founder-*Ācārya* of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness > sri-bhagavan uvaca > mayy asakta-manah partha > yogam yunjan mad-asrayah > asamsayam samagram mam > yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu "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."—*Bhagavad-gītā* 7.1 IF YOU LEARN from the supreme authority without any deficiency, then the knowledge is perfect. Ordinary persons have four deficiencies: they commit mistakes, they are in illusion, their senses are imperfect, and with imperfect knowledge they try to teach others about the ultimate truth—that is cheating. We have to receive knowledge from the person who knows past, present, and future. So the best persons from whom to receive knowledge are Kṛṣṇa and His representatives. Kṛṣṇa is perfect, no doubt, and one who speaks what Kṛṣṇa speaks is also perfect. A human being, or a living being, is not expected to become as perfect as Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. But if a person sticks to the instructions of Kṛṣṇa, without addition or alteration, he is also perfect. Unfortunately, people alter and add to Kṛṣṇa's version. So-called scholars and politicians misinterpret *Bhagavad-gītā*. For example, in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (1.1) it is said, *dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre samaveta yuyutsavah:* "Assembled to fight in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukshetra..." Somebody interprets, "This *dharma-ksetra* is this body." Why should one interpret in that way? Interpretation is required when things are not very clear. Kurukshetra still exists. People go to Kurukshetra to execute religious rituals. And in the *Vedas* it is stated, *kuru-ksetre dharmam acaret:* "One should go to Kurukshetra to perform religious acts." Why should *dharma-ksetra* be interpreted as "body"? Where is the dictionary where *dharma-ksetra* means "body"? If we interpret **Bhagavad-gītā*,* then we spoil the whole thing. I spoil myself and others. We should accept *Bhagavad-gītā* as it is—as it is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. Here the Supreme Personality of Godhead is speaking. So we should take it without any interpretation. Kṛṣṇa, the supreme authority, says, "You must transfer your **asakti*,* attachment, to Me." Everyone has **asakti*,* material attachment. Someone is attached to his family, someone to society, someone to nation, someone to business—so many things. We have **asakti*,* but to make our life perfect, we have to transfer the *asakti* to Kṛṣṇa. I have seen in the Western countries that many people have no family but because the *asakti* is there, they keep a dog. They are accustomed to place their *asakti* in cats and dogs. That means that *asakti* does not go away. But we must transfer that **asakti*,* that tendency of attachment, to Kṛṣṇa. That is Vṛndāvana life. In Vṛndāvana the center of *asakti* is Kṛṣṇa. Nanda Mahārāja and Yasoda have *asakti* for Kṛṣṇa. The young girls have *asakti* for Kṛṣṇa. The cowherd boys have *asakti* for Kṛṣṇa. The trees have *asakti* for Kṛṣṇa. The fruits and flowers have *asakti* for Kṛṣṇa. The Yamuna River has *asakti* for Kṛṣṇa. If we make Kṛṣṇa our central point of *asakti*, then we can create Vṛndāvana everywhere. This is the success of life. We have to transfer our *asakti* to Kṛṣṇa. That is the highest form of mystic *yoga*. Kṛṣṇa has already explained in the previous verse: > yoginam api sarvesam > mad-gatenantaratmana > sraddhavan bhajate yo mam > sa me yuktatamo matah There are many **yogi*s* and many forms of *yoga* practice, but the *yogi* who always thinks of Kṛṣṇa is the first-class *yogi*. *Kṛṣṇa Draws Our Attention* Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement aims to educate people to become attached to Kṛṣṇa. But if one does not know what Kṛṣṇa is, there is no question of increasing one's *asakti* for Kṛṣṇa. So to help us understand Him, Kṛṣṇa personally appears to draw our attention to Him. When we forget our *asakti* for Kṛṣṇa, that causes our material life; we struggle for existence in material life. Kṛṣṇa says [Bg 4.7], > yada yada hi dharmasya > glanir bhavati bharata > abhyutthanam adharmasya > tadatmanam srjamy aham *Dharmasya glani* means deviation from the occupational duty. When we deviate from our duties toward Kṛṣṇa, out of His causeless mercy He appears to teach us how to divert our attention and *asakti* to Him. *Dharmasya glani*—deviation from the path of religion—means to forget our eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore ultimately—at the end of the *Bhagavad-gītā* (18.66)—Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, orders, *sarva-*dharma*n parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja:* "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me." Kṛṣṇa did not come to establish so-called Hindu *dharma* or Muslim *dharma* or Christian *dharma* or this *dharma* or that *dharma*. He came to establish the real *dharma*: to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. In *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* [1.1.2] cheating types of *dharma* are kicked out. *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* explains real *dharma* as established by Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-*dharma*n parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me." According to some scriptures on *dharma*, one should progress from *dharma* (religion) to *artha* (economic development) to *kama* (sense gratification) and finally to *moksa* (liberation). In this connection Śrīdhara Swami, the great commentator on **Śrīmad-Bhagavatam*,* says, *atra moksa-vancha api nirasta:* "In the *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* there is no chance or opportunity to think of so-called liberation." The purport is that one immediately becomes liberated when one fully surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. Bilvamangala Ṭhākura says*, *mukti*h svayam mukulitanjali sevate 'sman:* Why should a devotee be anxious for **mukti*,* liberation; *mukti* is always standing at his door, ready to give him service—*mukulitanjali-seva,* with folded hands. A devotee doesn't have to endeavor separately for *mukti*. As soon as the devotee is engaged in devotional service, *mukti* is already there. If a man becomes rich, automatically his poverty is gone away. A rich man does not have to endeavor separately to drive away poverty. So the central point is that Kṛṣṇa is advising here, "Just increase your *asakti,* attachment, for Me. Then everything will come." The word *mad-asrayah* in this verse is very important, because you cannot increase your attachment for Kṛṣṇa without being *mad-asrayah*. *Mad-asrayah* means to be directly under the direction of Kṛṣṇa or to be directly under the direction of somebody who has taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa recommends *mad-asrayah*. You cannot execute the *yoga* system—devotional service, bhakti-*yoga*—without being under the control of somebody who is under the control of Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Sukadeva Gosvami has therefore recommended, *yad upasrayasraya*. One has to take shelter of a pure devotee; then he becomes purified. > kirata-hunandhra-pulinda-pulkasa > abhira-sumbha yavanah khasadayah > ye 'nye ca papa yad-apasrayasrayah > sudhyanti tasmai prabhavisnave namah "Kirata, Huna, Andhra, Pulinda, Pulkasa, Abhira, Sumbha, Yavana, members of the Khasa races, and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him." [*Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* 2.4.18] Even persons considered lowborn can be purified if they take shelter of a pure devotee. Kṛṣṇa says in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (9.32), > mam hi partha vyapasritya > ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah > striya vaisyas tatha sudras > te 'pi yanti param gatim "Anyone, even if lowborn, gets the supreme perfection if he takes shelter of Me." It is the duty of a devotee of Kṛṣṇa to expand the progressive march toward devotional service. Otherwise, how will people learn? This expansion is *para-upakara,* welfare work, and it is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission: > bharata-bhumite haila manusya janma yara > janma sarthaka kari kara para-upakara > [Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi 9.41] "Every human being born in India should first of all make his life successful by understanding Kṛṣṇa, and then he must preach outside to render service to others as welfare activities." Kṛṣṇa appeared as Caitanya Mahāprabhu to teach us practically how to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness and how to deliver lowborn persons. Śrī Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura, an *acarya* of the Gaudiya *sampradaya,* Caitanya Mahāprabhu's spiritual lineage, sings*, sri-nanda-nandana yei, saci-suta haila sei:* "Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead who appeared as the son of Mahārāja Nanda, has now appeared as Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the son of Mother Saci." And *balarama haila nitai:* "Balarāma has appeared as Nityānanda Prabhu." Now, what is Their business? Narottama sings: *dina-hina yata chilo, hari-name uddharilo, tara saksi jagai madhai*. He is giving evidence how the fallen are delivered. "Here is the example: Jagai and Madhai." Jagai and Madhai were born in a good *brahmana* family, but by bad association they became drunkards, thieves, woman-hunters, and so on. But they were delivered by Caitanya Mahāprabhu and became first-class Vaisnavas. *The Attachment Is Dormant* Our aim should be to increase our attachment to Kṛṣṇa. That attachment is there naturally. It is not artificial. It is said in the *Caitanya-caritāmṛta* (*Madhya* 22.107), > nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema 'sadhya' kabhu naya > sravanadi-suddha-citte karaye udaya *Kṛṣṇa-bhakti,* attachment for Kṛṣṇa, is quite natural. It is already there. It simply has to be awakened. If you engage yourself in hearing about Kṛṣṇa, then your heart will be purified and your original Kṛṣṇa consciousness will be awakened. For this purpose Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu also advises*, param vijayate sri-krsna-*sankirtana*m:* "All glories to the *sankirtana* movement," because simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra* everything will automatically come. The more you chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa maha-*mantra*, the more your heart disease—material enjoyment—will decrease. Then you will understand your position and you will gradually be attracted by Kṛṣṇa. This is the test of *bhakti:* If you engage yourself twenty-four hours a day in devotional service, then immediately you become liberated. Liberation means to detest material enjoyment. Attachment to Kṛṣṇa is so nice. In the beginning Dhruva Mahārāja was attracted by material enjoyment. He wanted a kingdom greater than his father's, and to get that benediction he went to the forest to meet the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But when he saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he refused to accept any benediction. That is the benefit of Kṛṣṇa *asakti*. If you actually become attached to Kṛṣṇa, then you'll think yourself completely filled up. There will be no more asking for any material benefit. Therefore in the scripture it is recommended, > akamah sarva-kamo va > moksa-kama udara-dhih > tivrena bhakti-yogena > yajeta purusam param > [Śrīmad-Bhagavatam 2.3.10] Even if you have material desires, if you are attached to Kṛṣṇa your material aspirations will be fulfilled; at the same time, you'll get Kṛṣṇa. When Dhruva Mahārāja refused to take any benediction, Lord Visnu informed him, "Don't bother. You had some desire for material fulfillment, so you may have your own planet, Dhruvaloka. Enjoy there, and when your life is finished you'll come to Vaikuntha, the spiritual world." *Liberal Kṛṣṇa* Kṛṣṇa is so nice, so liberal, that if you have a little tinge of aspiration He will fulfill it, and at the same time you'll go back to Godhead. Therefore it is recommended, *yajeta purusa param*. If you have some material desire, still you should worship Kṛṣṇa. He'll fulfill your desire, and you will be able to go back home, back to Godhead. Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful, almighty, full with six opulences. So if you have any material desire, Kṛṣṇa can fulfill it, but stick to Kṛṣṇa so that your *asakti* will increase. If you divert your attention to the demigods, then your *asakti* will fail. A devotee who places his faith in Kṛṣṇa has no chance to worship demigods. A devotee of Kṛṣṇa has no scope for worshiping some other Deity, because that will not help him increase his attachment for Kṛṣṇa. We have to give up all material desires and simply stick to Kṛṣṇa, to always be ready to serve Him. Arjuna was ready to serve Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, everyone should be ready to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is the perfection of life. One has to execute the process of devotional service. As Kṛṣṇa says, *mad-asraya:* "Take shelter of Me or My devotee." In *Bhagavad-gītā* Kṛṣṇa is personally instructing. So let us take shelter of His personal instructions and make our life successful. As it is said here, a pure devotee understands Kṛṣṇa *asamsayam samagram:* not partially but fully. It is, of course, not possible to understand Kṛṣṇa fully. Still, a devotee can understand Kṛṣṇa almost fully. That is also confirmed in the last chapter of the *Bhagavad-gītā:* > bhaktya mam abhijanati > yavan yas casmi tattvatah > tato mam tattvato jnatva > visate tad-anantaram "One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God." [Bg 18.55] If we want to go back home, back to Godhead, then we must increase our attachment for Kṛṣṇa, and by that process we can understand Kṛṣṇa. Then our door to go back home, back to Godhead, is clear. The conclusion is, therefore, that we should take to the *bhakti* process as it is enunciated in authoritative scripture by Kṛṣṇa and the *acaryas*. *Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja:* "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto me." [Bg 18.66]. That is the only way for our perfection of life. Thank you very much. ## 7 Stages of Purification *Lord Caitanya describes the many blessings obtained by chanting the holy names of the Lord.* ### By Rādhānatha Swami THE FIRST VERSE of Lord Caitanya's *Śikṣāṣṭakam* ("Eight Instructions") describes the seven tongues of the flame of the sacrifice of chanting Kṛṣṇa's holy names. Lord Caitanya explains how seven stages of transcendental purification and elevation take place when we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. *Removing the Dust* Lord Caitanya begins, *ceto-darpana-marjanam:* the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord cleanses the mirror of our consciousness. Originally we are all pure Kṛṣṇa conscious entities. The soul is part of the supreme soul, Kṛṣṇa. Pure love of Kṛṣṇa in ecstatic bliss is within the heart of every living being. The function of the mirror of our consciousness is to reflect the true identity and nature of our own self. When we look in the mirror, we do not expect to see someone else. The soul is unlimitedly beautiful, because it is qualitatively one with Kṛṣṇa, the supreme beauty. Kṛṣṇa says in the *Bhagavad-gītā* that one spark of His beauty creates all the things in material existence that intoxicate us with illusory pleasure. Still, the beauty of one infinitesimal *jivatma* (soul) within any species of life has more qualitative beauty and enchantment than all the things within the entire cosmic manifestation. We cannot even imagine the beauty of the soul. When we look into the mirror of our consciousness, we are supposed to see the reflection of our self. But somehow our consciousness has been covered with layers and layers of dust that has accumulated birth after birth after birth. And so we cannot see who we are or what we are meant to be. All we see is that dust. The dust is all of our selfish, egoistic desires to enjoy material existence. It is lust dust. We have so many aspirations for how we will enjoy. We are intoxicated by the illusory phantasmagoria of the so-called beautiful things of this world, which are compared to mirages. We chase after these mirages birth after birth, looking for happiness but finding no real satisfaction. Unfulfilled, we often become angry and frustrated. Our selfish desires are not satisfied, so we want to blame someone or something. And we make so many offenses. If somehow or other we get a little bit of pleasure in the material world, we are dissatisfied. We want more and more. So we fall prey to greed, another species of dust. Kṛṣṇa explains that lust is just like fire. The more fuel you put in, the hungrier it becomes. The more you have, the more you become greedy for more. And if somehow or other someone has something you want or something more than what you want, then the dust of envy manifests. You become hateful of that person. You wish and pray that the person will lose everything and suffer. You become envious. "Why do you have those things? Why not me? I deserve them." And through all of this—lust, anger, envy—we become proud of whatever little we have; we think we are very great. And we're in illusion, which drives us mad. So our false ego, or our desire to enjoy, and all its byproducts and the reactions to our attempts to enjoy are the types of dust that cover the mirror of the soul. Sometimes less intelligent people, frustrated in so many ways with dissatisfaction of all their pursuits in material life, take to a process of religion to be liberated by becoming God. That is another type of dust. The first stage of chanting the holy names of the Lord is the removal of all this dust from the mirror of the mind. *Extinguishing the Fire* The next stage is *bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam:* chanting the holy names extinguishes the forest fire of material suffering. This world, Kṛṣṇa says, is essentially a place of suffering. We are trying to be happy in a place of suffering. It is just like trying to be dry when you are submerged in the ocean. If you want to get dry, you have to get out of the ocean. So if you want to enjoy, you need to get out of this material existence. All you have to do to get out of material existence is to want to get out. Chant and go back to Godhead. The only thing that keeps us here is our desire to stay here. And *maya* gives us these few tokens of happiness, just so we can feel, "Oh, I like it here. It's worth all these miseries and sufferings, death after death. Just to get some nice food or touch some soft object or watch some television. It is worth it!" In this way *maya* keeps us in this miserable situation. Material existence is compared to a burning forest fire. What can extinguish a burning forest fire? No fire brigade has any hope. Only by the power of God, when He sends rain showers, is it possible. The chanting of the holy names of Kṛṣṇa is like that rainstorm. What is impossible for us to do individually or even collectively as human society—extinguish a forest fire—can be done by Kṛṣṇa's mercy alone. A fire millions of times greater and more intense than an uncontrollable forest fire is burning within our hearts. And the flames of that fire implicate us in the three miseries of material existence. The first is miseries of our own body and mind. The body has so many inconveniences and discomforts. Take disease, for example. One little creature enters your body and can cause so much misery. Then there are miseries of the mind—anxiety, distress, lamentation, disappointment. So many tears flow from the eyes due to these miseries. And there are miseries caused by others, such as our brothers and sisters, our families, our husbands or wives. Politicians, insects—so many other living beings create suffering for the conditioned soul. Natural disturbances also create miseries. Too much heat, too much cold, too much rain, too little rain. In the material world too much or too little of anything and you suffer. Everything has to be just right for any relief or happiness. When there is a drought we pray for rain; when there is a flood we pray for drought. "Let the rain come. No, no, I changed my mind; let the rain stop." When it is too hot we pray, "Let there be a nice breeze." And then a frigid cyclone comes and—"No, no, I changed my mind. I don't want this breeze. Let it be hot." The dualities of material existence are always there. Earthquakes, volcanoes, cyclones. These are all miseries of material nature. In the second stage of chanting the holy name, Kṛṣṇa's mercy flows as a reciprocation, just like a rainstorm, completely extinguishing the blazing forest fire of material existence. We achieve freedom in the sense that we are forever delivered from all suffering from material existence. *The Benediction Moon* The next stage is *sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam*. We have cleansed the mirror-heart of all the dirt of material attachment. We have extinguished the blazing forest fire of material existence, the cause of all miseries, and now our actual blissful spiritual nature begins to awaken. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu compares the holy name to a beautiful full moon. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa. The holy name radiates an oceanic quantity and quality of benedictions. As a night lotus blossoms in the light of the full moon, the soul blossoms in the rays of the holy name. When the lotus is closed, its fragrance and beauty cannot be enjoyed. But when the lotus comes in contact with moonlight, it blossoms, and all of its fragrance and beauty are manifested to the world. When the holy name touches our hearts, it awakens the natural, beautiful loving qualities of our souls. And we realize our own spiritual existence in our relationship with Kṛṣṇa. As that relationship develops, it manifests in five *rasas,* or spiritual tastes: in a neutral relationship with the Lord, as a servant of the Lord, as a friend of the Lord, as a parent of the Lord, or as a lover of the Lord. *Real Knowledge* The next stage Lord Caitanya describes is *vidya-vadhu-jivanam*. When the lotus of our soul blossoms, we gain real knowledge of who we are. We know that our real purpose is to surrender completely to the will of God. To the degree we surrender, we feel ecstasy. To the degree we are complacent or reluctant or we refuse to surrender to the will of Kṛṣṇa, to the service of Kṛṣṇa, we are cheating ourselves of the nectar of transcendental love, our eternal birthright. Complete surrender is the expression of knowledge of the true nature of our self, the soul. In the material sense, surrender means to give up, against our will, and it is a miserable idea. When you are fighting a war, you want the other side to surrender. Nobody likes to surrender. It means you lose everything. In the spiritual sense, it is just the opposite. Actually, you are surrendering at all times. It is just a question of whom you are surrendering to, because everyone is in a subordinate position in the material world. We have the independent free will to surrender to either Kṛṣṇa's spiritual energy or His material energy. Every time you desire to see or taste or hear something material, you are surrendering to material nature. When we surrender to *maya,* every time we surrender to any of our desires we plunge deeper and deeper into the blazing fire. The only means to be free from the power of *maya* is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, the all-good, all-beautiful reservoir of all pleasure. Why are we reluctant to surrender to Kṛṣṇa? Because we are habituated to surrendering to *maya*. To surrender to Kṛṣṇa is the easiest, simplest, most natural thing. But we have become so unnatural in our thinking, feeling, and willing that it appears to be very difficult. Still, through the power of the holy name—as the dust of our heart becomes cleansed, as the forest fire of material existence and the suffering of our actions and reactions of sinful activities are extinguished, as the true knowledge in the lotus of our hearts becomes revealed—surrendering to Kṛṣṇa becomes our very nature. Surrender means to love Kṛṣṇa, to serve Kṛṣṇa. The expression of love is to serve. *Expanding Ocean of Bliss* The next stage that Lord Caitanya explains is *anandambuddhi-vardhanam:* when we surrender to Kṛṣṇa, when we agree within our heart to live in harmony with Him and be the servant of the servant of His servants, then by His grace He places us in an unlimited ocean of transcendental ecstasy. The happiness of this world is like a drop of water in the desert. But the happiness achieved through the chanting of the holy name is like being submerged in an ocean of nectar, an ocean of ecstasy. The soul is longing for the unlimited ecstatic joy of reuniting with Kṛṣṇa. Once we see the beauty of Kṛṣṇa, then we are aware that the things of this world that charm our heart are insignificant, irrelevant. When we realize we are not this body, we know there is nothing so great about material pleasure. It has nothing to do with the soul and reality. In our unpurified state, when we see a beautiful thing it is just some light entering into our eye, but it makes us crazy. Or some sound frequency enters our ears, and we get crazy. Something scrapes our tongue—what is the tongue but a lump of flesh wiggling around? But when something touches its surface, we go mad. That is what material enjoyment is, and we take it so seriously. But one little glimpse of the beauty and charm of Kṛṣṇa will completely take our minds forever from this material existence. The supreme power of Kṛṣṇa is not in creating the material world but in displaying His all-attractive beauty, which charms the hearts of all His living entities for all of eternity. One drop of love for Kṛṣṇa can conquer the entire universe in a second. All that power, all that beauty, all the love, and all the opulences are within His name. And when that name enters our heart, all aspirations and desires for anything but the service of that name cease to exist. *Purifying Pleasure* The next aspect of chanting is *sarvatma-snapanam*. Kṛṣṇa conscious pleasure is very different from the pleasures of the material world. The pleasures of the material world pollute us. The more pleasure we get, the more our hearts are polluted with the misconception that we are the enjoyer. But the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa consciousness purifies us. The more we are happy in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the more purified we become. Enjoyment from chanting and hearing the names and glories of the Lord completely purifies our heart. Not even the seeds and weeds of material enjoyment are left. Sometimes when we cut down weeds, it appears that everything is safe. But the seeds are still in the ground, and it is just a matter of time before they grow again. The holy name has the power to completely purify us, to the extent that even the seeds of material desires cease to exist as we drown in the ocean of *krsna-bhakti* and *kṛṣṇa-prema*. *Victory Over Illusion* The next stage Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explains is *param vijayate *sri-krsna-sankirtana*m*. Lord Caitanya says, "Go on with this *sri-krsna-sankirtana*. Let it be victorious in all directions." This is Lord Caitanya's benediction: The holy name of the Lord, when chanted by sincere devotees, not only delivers the six previous wonderful blessings, but it spreads out and expands to create victory over illusion and throughout the world. Wherever the Lord's sincere devotees chant the holy name, these seven effects will take place. The supreme ultimate victory is accomplished through the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. *Rādhānatha Swami, an ISKCON* guru*, is an ISKCON governing body commissioner with responsibilities in parts of India and the United States. He is based at ISKCON Chowpatty (Mumbai).* ## In your own words... *Describe an incident in your life where you clearly felt Kṛṣṇa's direct involvement.* *I’m a twenty-two-year-old student,* and although I don't really consider myself a devotee yet, I feel strongly about Kṛṣṇa. I love to read about Him, listen to *bhajanas,* and play songs about Him on my guitar. Last Janmastami I finally decided to go to a Kṛṣṇa temple for the first time. On that special day, my friend and I visited the jam-packed ISKCON Mumbai temple. For crowd control, there were only two ways to enter. I couldn't afford the first, which was for special donors only, and the second required a pass, which I didn't have. I didn't try to slip in, opting instead to take the Lord's blessings from outside. I focused my mind on Kṛṣṇa. Suddenly a couple approached my friend and me and told us we could use their passes. Thanking them profusely, we entered and soon found ourselves in front of the Lord and surrounded by devotees. I was shocked, as I had thought it would be impossible for a stranger like me to get in. I knew then that Kṛṣṇa had touched my life and helped me gain His audience. Vikram Shekhawat Mumbai, India *Every year during* ISKCON's Jagannatha Rathayatra in Hyderabad, my husband was able to donate only 516 rupees. This year I asked him to give 5,116 rupees. I remembered him telling me he'd helped a friend a year ago, and I suggested he ask this friend to repay the debt. I told my husband to ask for 10,000 rupees, so that his friend would give us at least 5,000. My husband refused. But the next day, the friend arrived at our house uninvited and gave us 10,000 rupees. My husband hadn't mentioned his friend's name before, so it came as a bit of a shock. "Pleased to meet you," he said, introducing himself to me. "My name is Jagannatha Reddy." Meenakshi Veerapaneni Hyderabad, India *On a recent visit to Guyana,* I was traveling in a van full of devotees. Everyone was in an ecstatic mood, as one devotee was speaking of her first visit to Vṛndāvana Dhama. None of us had ever been there. We were running late, and our driver was speeding. Suddenly, he lost control of the vehicle. The van skidded and fell into a roll. It flipped over three times before crashing into a river. Everyone's first reaction was to start screaming, but my mother shouted, "No, chant!" We began to chant Kṛṣṇa's name loudly. Our driver managed to force open the door, because luckily it was the dry season and the river was not full. Local villagers came running, expecting to count the dead bodies, but one by one, all the devotees emerged unharmed. It was a terrible accident, but because we had been hearing about Kṛṣṇa's holy abode and chanting His name, we were all saved without even a scratch. Still trembling, we understood that Lord Kṛṣṇa had protected us all. Rādhā Govinda Dasi Colon, Panama *Some years ago, I was walking past a sweet shop* when I spotted a display of huge **rasgula*s,* those white juicy sweets full of syrup. My taste buds became rampant with excitement. I could almost feel the taste of a *rasgula* in my mouth, so I bought one. But it was Sunday and I was on my way to the Śrī Śrī Gaura Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Temple, so I decided I must first offer the *rasgula* to the Lord. I took the *rasgula* to the temple, and to my utter surprise, the moment it was being offered by the temple priest to the Lord, I felt a deep satisfaction. And I never again craved *rasgula*s so much. I now understand that if we satisfy the Lord, we also become satisfied. Prem Prakash Pathak Lucknow, India *It was Christmastime 1978, and I was with a group of devotees* distributing Prabhupāda's books in Cardiff, Wales. Two men who had taken a book wanted their money back. They found the devotee who had sold it to them near his books in an alley. They were about to attack him when Satyavaka Dāsa burst into the alley and chanted loudly, "Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu *ki jaya*!" Then something mystical happened: The two men stopped talking, became almost docile, and decided to keep the book and give a donation. Navadvipa Dāsa Harper Woods, Michigan *I have been trying to become Kṛṣṇa conscious* in the last few months. My wife, speaking from her ignorance and prejudice about ISKCON, said she would divorce me and take my children if I would not give it up. I prayed to Kṛṣṇa, asking Him to show me how I could serve Him under such circumstances. After a few tense days, my wife began feeling guilty that she had given me an ultimatum. She realized that after seventeen years of marriage, she couldn't treat me like this. Now I can keep my family together and still search for my own spirituality. I know Kṛṣṇa did this for me, because my wife has never before given in so easily to something she is so against. Kṛṣṇa made the arrangement, and I am totally grateful and devoted to serving Him. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jed Peretz Castle Rock, Colorado *One day in 1974, barely out of my teens,* I was hitchhiking home for the weekend. I stood on the side of the road for hours, not helped by a particularly bad case of stomach cramps. Finally, a young man about my age picked me up. As I got into his car, George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" began playing on the car radio. Soon we were discussing spiritual life, and for the next hour we shared spiritual realizations. When he dropped me off, I suddenly felt the terrible cramps again. I realized that discussing topics of Kṛṣṇa had lifted me clean out of my bodily conception. I had been interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness for some time, but now I was even more convinced that this was real transcendental life. Four weeks later, I joined the ISKCON temple in Ottowa. Kṛṣṇadasa Kaviraja Dāsa Toronto, Canada ## Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out *The Quest to Create Life* *This exchange between His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and his disciple Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami, Ph.D., took place in Atlanta during March of 1975*. Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami: Modern scientists are working very hard to create life in the laboratory. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Try to understand this. Just as God already exists, so the living entities, being part of God, also already exist—eternally. So you haven't got to "create." That is foolishness, because the living entities are eternal—they are never created. They simply become manifest in the material world in four ways. Some of them are manifested through seeds, some of them through fermentation, some through eggs, and some through embryos. But the living entities already exist, so there is no question of "creation." This is the science of the living entity. There are already so many millions and trillions of living entities, and yet the materialistic scientists are holding big conferences on how to create something. Just see this childish proposal. They are wasting time, misleading people, and wasting everyone's hard-earned money. Therefore I say they are rascals. They are trying to "create." What will they create? Everything is already there. But they do not know this, even with all their advanced education. Therefore, the *Bhagavad-gītā* describes them as *mudhas,* rascals. Now, you tell these *mudhas,* "My dear sir, you cannot create, nor can anything be created. Just find out where the living entities are coming from, what is their source, who is the brain behind all of nature. Find that out. That is real knowledge. If you struggle for this knowledge and try to find the original source of everything, then some day you may come to the platform of *vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah:* you'll understand that God is the source of everything, and your knowledge will be perfect." Look at this nice flower—do you think it has come out automatically, without the direction of any brain? This is nonsensical philosophy. These so-called scientists use so many bombastic words, but how much are they actually explaining? Nobody else can understand, only them. They put forth some complicated language in such a way that unless they explain it, nobody will understand. They say that everything is automatically done "by nature." That's not the fact. Nature is an instrument, just like a wonderful computer. But still there is an operator. These rascals have no common sense. Where is the machine that is working without any operator? Is there such a machine within their experience? How can they suggest that nature is working automatically? Nature is a wonderful machine, but the operator is God, Kṛṣṇa. That is real knowledge. Just because the machine is working very wonderfully, does that mean there is no operator? For example, the harmonium is also a machine, and if an expert musician is playing it, then it produces very melodious, pleasing sounds. "Oh, how nice." But will the harmonium play automatically and give out melodious sounds? So they don't even have any common sense, and still they are calling themselves scientists. That is our regret—that these people don't even have any common sense, and still they are passing as scientists. Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami: They are thinking that because through chemistry they are able to synthesize some primitive amino acids... Śrīla Prabhupāda: That is craftsmanship; that is not knowledge. For instance, let us say that you paint a picture of a rose. You are a painter—not a man of knowledge. "Man of knowledge" means someone who knows how things are being done. A painter simply imitates what he sees, that's all. Therefore, art and science are two different departments. Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami: So if they create something synthetic, that is just an art. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. For example, a good cook knows how to mix the spices and condiments and make very tasteful things. So you can call a chemist a good cook. Chemistry is nothing but the art of mixing different chemicals, that's all. There is oil, there is alkaline, you mix it very professionally, and soap comes out—very useful. Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami: But the scientists are convinced that somehow they'll be able to create life and even make a human being. Śrīla Prabhupāda: This is not a problem, that without your creation of life the world will go to hell. Life is already there. For instance, there are so many motorcars—if I manufacture another motorcar, is there any great credit for me? So many motorcars are already there! When there were no motorcars, the first man who manufactured one had some credit. "Yes, you have done something nice—a horseless carriage. People will benefit from it—a convenience—that's all right." But when there are millions and millions of motorcars simply creating accidents, and I manufacture another motorcar, what is my credit? Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami: Zero. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Zero. And to achieve this "zero," they are going to hold some big conference, and so many people will come and spend money. Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami: They want to make a better human being. They want to make life better. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, that is our proposal. We say to the scientists, "Don't waste time trying to make life. Try to make your life better. Try to understand what your actual spiritual identity is, so that you may become happy in this lifetime. This research should be done." The first thing they have to learn is that there is a driver, or soul, within the "motorcar" of the body. This is the first point of knowledge. Unless one understands this simple thing, he's no different from an animal. The driver—the soul—is moving the motorcar of this body. And if the driver is educated, then he can move his body for self-realization, so that he can go home, back to Godhead. Then he becomes perfect. So we are educating the driver—we are not trying to manufacture another tin car. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. ## Checkmate! *ISKCON’s Victory in Russia* *Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees in Moscow are working to build a stunning Vedic temple and cultural center. A look back at how they got to this point.* > By Satyaraja Dāsa IT WAS EARLY evening on July 11, 1972. Chess enthusiasts filled a sports arena in Reykjavik, Iceland, while millions watched on TV and listened on the radio. In what was dubbed "the match of the century," Bobby Fischer challenged Boris Spassky, the Russian world chess champion, for the title, knowing full well that emerging victorious would have implications in the Cold War world. Just one year earlier, Śrīla Prabhupāda had been strategizing to bring God into a godless Soviet Russia. If we think of Prabhupāda's quest as a sort of chess match, it would have seemed that he had few pieces on the board, while the Soviets had the most powerful pieces and key squares blocked. But even one pawn or knight backed by the most powerful king and queen may sometimes checkmate castle fortresses and brilliant strategists. Thus, the story of Prabhupāda's victory trumps that of the World Chess Championship of 1972. Śrīla Prabhupāda had initially tried to come to the USSR as an official representative of India, writing a letter proclaiming his intent to the Ministry of Culture. But he was denied entrance without explanation. Finally, after several attempts, he was given a tourist visa that granted him a short stay, even if he was not allowed to lecture at Moscow University. The lecture had been one of his reasons for wanting to visit. Still, Prabhupāda's five days on Russian soil provided him ample opportunity to position himself well for the eventual checkmate his movement would play in Soviet Russia. His initial strategy emerged when, through his disciple and secretary Syamasundara Dāsa, he met a young Russian seeker—Anatoly Pinyayev—'who would soon become Ananta-santi Dāsa, his courageous, lone student in the Soviet Union. Another forward move was Prabhupāda's talk with Professor G. G. Kotovsky, then head of the Indian and South Asian Studies Department of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Prabhupāda left a distinct impression on Professor Kotovsky, who got their conversation published in an important Russian periodical ("Vaishnavism" in *Otkrytyi Forum* 1, 1997, pp. 109–114). But it was Ananta-santi who took Prabhupāda's message to heart, single-handedly, vigorously, sharing what he had learned with hundreds of Soviet people, many who became devotees. After meeting the enthusiastic Russian, Prabhupāda had remarked, “Just as you can judge whether rice is properly cooked by picking out one small grain, so you can know an entire nation by observing one of its handpicked youths." Next, in 1977 and 1979, the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust received an invitation to the prestigious Moscow International Book Fair, acquainting Moscovites with Prabhupāda's books for the first time. *The New York Times* (July 31, 1983) noted the significance: "[The exhibit] drew curious Russians, the books spread, and Hare Kṛṣṇa was on its way in Russia." But by 1980, under Brezhnev's rule, several devotees were thrown into prison, initiating a tense and often traumatic relationship between ISKCON and the Soviet Union. By the mid-1980s Yuri Andropov was in power, and he intensified the campaign already underway against the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. He saw devotees as representing all things religious and was determined to wipe them out. Because of Ananta-santi's contagious enthusiasm and the staggering results of the book fairs, Semyon Tsvigun, the deputy chief of the KGB under Andropov, said that the three main threats to the Soviet Union were "pop music, Western culture, and Hare Kṛṣṇa." Such pronouncements, and the sentiments that fueled them, led to intense persecution of Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees. *ISKCON Knights in Russia* And so, with ISKCON declared one of the great threats to the Soviet nation, an ongoing battle ensued. But this was no Fischer versus Spassky—two equal adversaries pitted against each other. This was a war conducted by a totalitarian state against a relatively small number of Kṛṣṇa devotees. Consequently, dozens of ISKCON's new Soviet faithful were thrown into prisons, labor camps, and psychiatric hospitals, suffering vicious mistreatment at the hands of police and political yes-men. Several devotees died in prison, clinging tightly to their faith while being tortured in various ways. Harikesa Swami, then ISKCON's governing body commissioner for the Soviet Union, would not stand for such horrors. A driving force for reform, he made the Russian tragedy a worldwide concern. Kirtiraja Dāsa had been ISKCONs regional secretary for the Soviet Union since 1979. He began an international campaign of news releases and demonstrations to pressure Soviet authorities to release the imprisoned devotees and stop the persecution of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. To carry out this work, he founded the Committee to Free Soviet Hare Krishnas. Supportive voices were heard at the Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Reykjavik, at the United Nations, and in international newspapers. At the November 1986 meeting in Vienna of the Commission of Security and Cooperation in Europe, the international organization that monitors compliance with the human rights provisions of the Helsinki accords, Hare Kṛṣṇa members again called attention to the plight of imprisoned Soviet devotees. The situation culminated later that year when Śrī Prahlada Dāsa, then a pre-teen devotee from an ISKCON school in Australia, joined in Kirtiraja's efforts. He and "The Krishna Kids" recorded an album on the international EMI label, one of the world's largest record companies. The album included the song "Free the Soviet Krishnas," a plea to Gorbachev that was also released as a single. Prahlada appeared frequently on television and radio to promote the album and share his concern for the devotees in Russia. Eventually the devotees were freed, marking a new beginning for religion in the former Soviet Union. *Pawns, Fake-Outs, And Half Victories* On a beautiful spring day in 1988, the Council for Religious Affairs officially registered the Moscow Society for Krishna Consciousness, concluding, or so it seemed, a longstanding feud between the devotees and the State. (It was the first religious society registered in the Soviet Union since World War II.) Now devotees could chant in public and practice their religion freely. That same year, over 1,600 new religious communities, most of them Russian Orthodox, were registered. Something was clearly brewing, and many experts attributed the change, in large measure, to the devotees. Only two years later, responding to ISKCON requests, Moscow authorities allotted a dilapidated two-story building to be used as a temple. After the devotees renovated the property, they opened the first ISKCON temple in the history of Russia and the USSR, a temple frequented by large numbers of Hindus as well. Moreover, in 1991, ISKCON applied for a plot of land to build an authentic Vedic temple and cultural center in Moscow, a huge project. Surprisingly, the application was approved, and devotees began looking for a suitable location. It seemed the government was willing to give the Russian devotees whatever they wanted. But it didn't last. Water seeks its own level, and Russian authorities soon succumbed to the same religious prejudices they had known in the past. The Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church made an official statement calling the teachings of the *Bhagavad-gītā* the product of a "false religion." And they called all other religions a threat to the unity of national consciousness and cultural identity. In 1997 a bill passed by the Russian parliament (Duma) recognized the Russian Orthodox Church as the sole, preeminent religion of the Russian Federation, with an addendum acknowledging only three other "traditional" Russian faiths: Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism. Other religions would not have the same legal status or any support for their missionary work. But the devotees, again, would not be intimidated. The ISKCON temple had become the only place of worship for over ten thousand Indians. Throughout the '90s, Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Russia began to flourish, resulting in 97 registered communities, 22 monasteries, and 250 home groups. As the new millennium dawned, the prime minister of India, A. B. Vajpayee, learned about ISKCON's work from Russian administrators. Despite the gracious approval of Vajpayee, the government of Moscow decided to renovate the area surrounding ISKCON's longstanding temple, threatening the devotees' practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness once again. And so it was that, in 2004, the Moscow government took back the building and destroyed it according to city renovation plans, depriving thousands of devotees of their place of worship. Seeking support, ISKCON asked prominent Indian politicians to help. By this time, Vajpayee, the former prime minister, had been following the events in Russia for several years. He met with devotees on numerous occasions, both in India and in Moscow, to map out the best way to resolve their dilemma. In January 2004, after many years of struggle, the mayor of Moscow finally signed an order proclaiming that land would be given for a new ISKCON temple—in a prominent Moscow location and free of charge, no doubt at the behest of important Indian politicians. The land was on the main road from the Kremlin to the international airport, about a ten-minute drive from the heart of Moscow. The devotees happily relocated to a temporary building on their newly acquired land and were prepared to develop their new temple complex. It didn't take long, however, for the Russian Orthodox Church, along with Muslim and Jewish authorities, to speak out against the construction, opining that the entire Kṛṣṇa religion was against Russian tradition. Protestors rallied in Pushkin Square, in the center of the capital, brandishing icons, flags, and banners with warnings like "Krishna Followers Are Brainwashed" and "Friends, Defend Your Faith. We Oppose the Expansion of Sects. Beware!" The protests offended the nearly 100,000 followers of Lord Kṛṣṇa spread across the country. In response, Russia's Indian community, led by Sanjit Kumar Jha, president of the Association of Indians in Russia, retaliated, and a vehement back-and-forth surfaced yet again. Though the devotees knew that Kṛṣṇa would ultimately emerge victorious, it now looked like the odds were against them. As sure as Spassky landed some strategic moves in the early rounds of the Fischer-Spassky match, the Kremlin now seemed to be getting the upper hand. In October 2005, the mayor of Moscow, Yury Luzhkov, suddenly reversed the order for ISKCON's land, and the temple was demolished. Conveniently, the office of the city executive attorney found legal discrepancies in the wording of the Moscow government's original order and decided to revise it. The revision was merely a form of subterfuge so that they could gradually cancel it altogether. In short, the devotees now had no home and no outlet for their practice or their preaching. That being the case, they were inundated with journalists and reporters from major newspapers, radio shows, and TV networks, including the main Russian TV-news program, "*Vremyachko*." His Holiness Bhakti Vijnana Goswami, president of ISKCON Russia, was interviewed, as were prominent members of the Indian community, who made their outrage clear. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad stepped in, agreeing to mount a "Defend Russian Hindus" campaign. Dignitaries from India and Russia came forward, until their voices were heard loud and clear. *Endgame* The Moscow mayor finally allocated land to ISKCON, despite objections by the Orthodox Church, which threatened to renew its protests against the construction. But the die was cast, and overturning the mayor's decisions seems highly unlikely. Devotees played a winning move. The significance of a final and abiding land allocation should be clearly understood. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism, along with the Russian Orthodox Church, are Russia's traditional religions, deemed part of Russia's heritage. But the Hare Kṛṣṇa religion—Vaisnavism, and even its Hindu relatives—is not part of that exclusive group, which makes the land grant a coup of historic proportions. Land was not awarded to Catholic and Protestant sects; the only Christian sect to get land was the Russian Orthodox Church. Only ISKCON and the other three accepted religions received land. An important voice influencing the mayor's decision was that of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who had come to Russia for the Delhi Culture Fest and to renew diplomatic relations. She was incensed by the entire temple debacle and insisted that the situation be corrected at once. Earlier, the issue had been raised at various diplomatic meetings, with Russian President Vladimir Putin assuring Indian Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh that he would look into the matter. Apparently, he did. K. Raghunath, India's ambassador to Russia, made the following comment in a speech aired nationwide: I would also like to speak a few words in address to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). We are close to this organization. ISKCON attained a wonderful success in spreading the philosophy of the *Bhagavad-gītā* and implementing it in everyday life. Besides this, ISKCON works hard to preserve and protect the unparalleled culture of India. ISKCON also deserves glorification for strengthening the friendly bond between Russia and India. The campaign to build the new temple, known as "Temple of the Heart," is receiving support from patrons around the world. Fall 2006 witnessed a new dawn for ISKCON Russia: More than six thousand people, mostly Indians, came to the still unfinished but beautiful temple to celebrate Janmastami, the anniversary of Lord Kṛṣṇa's advent in this world. In attendance were the ambassadors of Nepal, Śrī Lanka, and Mauritius and the Director of the J. Nehru Cultural Center. One year later, also on Janmastami, ISKCON signed a contract to proceed with architectural plans for the new temple. That day they also secured the governmental approvals and permits needed to start building. Though some intrigue lingered, with special interest groups trying to thwart the work, nothing could stop the devotees now. They had important political leaders on their side, and the public had become fully aware of the situation. Any attempt to stop the project would become prominent in the news. Because of the determined efforts of the devotees, the Indian government, and other international entities, ISKCON Russia is now on solid ground. "It was all Krishna's arrangement," says Bhakti Vijnana Goswami, one of ISKCON's governing body commissioners in Moscow (with Niranjana Swami and Gopala Kṛṣṇa Goswami). "Through all the political machinations and the difficult times, we ended up with the best possible temple grounds. It's much better land than we had before, and quite reminiscent of Vṛndāvana, where Kṛṣṇa came to earth five thousand years ago. It's a bit away from the center of the city, and it's in the midst of beautiful rivers, rolling mountains, and a gorgeous forest area. Kṛṣṇa knew what He was doing. Hundreds of thousands of people will come here to learn *mantra* meditation and the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Even in 2003, while going through more trying times, the devotees knew considerable success: Almost 6,000 people visited the temple that year, and an additional 14,500 schoolchildren observed temple services as part of mandatory classroom experience. Devotees chanted regularly on Moscow streets, distributed *prasādam* widely, and put over 160,000 books into Russian hands. Naturally, with the new temple things have only increased. The Indian congregation numbers around 15,000 people, many of them students at colleges and other institutions of higher learning. Many native Moscovites have become full-time devotees or attend ISKCON's temple services and festivals throughout the year. Prabhupāda's books now appear in ten of Russia's official languages, and more than eleven million copies of his *Bhagavad-gītā As It Is,* in Russian translation, have been distributed. *The Vedic Cultural Center* All that being said, the new temple is clearly the most significant trophy in ISKCON Russia's battle for religious freedom. As currently planned, it will be a Vedic Cultural Center with the following features: 1. Vedic temple 2. Veda-expo multimedia hall 3. Educational and cultural center 4. Library of Vedic classics 5. Social services center 6. Healthcare center 7. Conference hall 8. Restaurant of Vedic cuisine 9. Winter garden Prominent ISKCON devotees from around the world have visited the fledgling Moscow temple, considered its leaders' vision for the future, and come away deeply impressed. They could not help but acknowledge its potential and its worldwide ramifications. Said Bhakti Tirtha Swami (1950–2005) soon before he left this world: "We are noticing that the Russian devotees are some of the most enthusiastic devotees in the world. So many devotees are being made, so much preaching opportunity, so many people are coming forth. Therefore, we need something very grand, very wonderful, to accommodate all of these people.... History will show how the devotees in CIS, and Russia in particular, were empowered to establish this most grand and glorious, famous and fabulous temple. "We are excited," he continued. "We want to encourage as many people as possible to support this effort—because it is an effort not just for CIS, or for Russia, but... it is something for the whole world, something Śrīla Prabhupāda himself very much wanted. He was so concerned about preaching throughout the world, and in his last days he expressed a special concern about the preaching in the communist countries." Rādhānatha Swami, too, was recently outspoken about the far-reaching potential of the project in Russia: "I sincerely believe that building this temple in Moscow is one of the most important projects in the history of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. "Śrīla Prabhupāda personally went to Moscow in the early 1970s," says Rādhānatha Swami, "and although it was behind the Iron Curtain, where atheism and communism were prominent, Śrīla Prabhupāda saw immense potential in the people of Russia to accept the doctrine of pure, unalloyed love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. And so he wrote that if the devotees sincerely worked together... this temple would be built. And he stated emphatically that it would be a great triumph." Bhakti Caru Swami also spoke eloquently about the significance of the devotees' work in the former Soviet Union: "Who could have imagined that Kṛṣṇa consciousness would spread in Russia? But Caitanya Mahāprabhu predicted that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement would spread to every town and village of the world, and He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead—so His prediction will never go in vain." Concludes Bhakti Vijnana Goswami: "The establishment of this temple in Russia is huge—historically, symbolically, emotionally, and spiritually. The temple will also be huge in size, accommodating thousands of devotees, visitors, and seekers. We are already seeing this on a practical level, and its impact is second only to temples in India. In the long run, its influence will be felt all over the world, not only in Eastern Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet Union. It will have huge meaning for ISKCON and beyond ISKCON, all over the world." Boris Spassky lost his world championship chess match with Bobby Fischer. Though Russian chess pros had held the title for more than forty years, this was the first time a Soviet player would enter the match as an underdog. In chess, superior strategy always wins in the end, but in life, it's always best to be on the side of the righteous. As the *Bhagavad-gītā* tells us in its concluding verse, "Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality." Nearly every Moscovite now benefits from Prabhupāda's books and the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, which is a winning move. And though Red Square is still the most famous city square in Moscow, the Temple of the Heart will soon have everyone in check. *Satyaraja Dāsa, a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda, is a BTG associate editor. He has written over twenty books on Kṛṣṇa consciousness and lives near New York City.* *Prabhupāda on The Moscow Temple* *Vrindavana, July 7, 1977* My dear Harikesa Mahārāja, Please accept my humble obeisances at your feet. His Divine Grace Śrīla Prabhupāda has received your letter dated the 28th June, 1977, and instructed me to answer it. Your letter was super encouraging to His Divine Grace. Prabhupāda has been receiving directly reports from Ghanasyama Prabhu [Bhakti Tirtha Swami] about his preaching in Yugoslavia, and these have given him full ecstasy. He has had me read each of them to him no less than ten or eleven times to the biggest men who came to visit him. Prabhupāda relishes the reports each and every time. Prabhupāda was especially pleased to learn of the possibility of a temple in Russia. He said, "Take this opportunity immediately. It will be a great triumph if we open a temple there. If you work sincerely, it will come, definitely. The Russian people are not all atheists. They are very good people. I have studied them. Simply the government..." Your servant, Tamal Krishna Gosvami, Secretary to Śrīla Prabhupāda *Food for Life* WHILE ISKCON has been struggling for justice in Russia, its Food for Life volunteers have given out over one million bowls of hot porridge, freshly baked bread, and tea. Risking their lives, devotees in Russia went on humanitarian missions to war zones like Chechnya and Abkhazia to feed people. Again and again they showed that faith in God and divine service is more important than bodily comforts and selfish pursuits. Devotees helped hundreds of thousands of Russians, Chechens, Georgians, and Armenians—children and adults, victims of war. Hare Krishna Food for Life was the only Russia-based non-governmental charity organization working in Russia's war zone. Devotees gave deprived people hope for a better future, spiritual solace, and moral support. Often arrested for their service, they continued to distribute sacred food to needy people. Some were even killed while trying to help others. One example of the devotees' efforts: An earthquake measuring 7.2 flattened a small city in the far eastern peninsula of Russia. The next day, Food for Life volunteers were flown in by helicopter by the Russian emergency ministry. Once they arrived, they provided hot food to survivors and rescue teams who worked around the clock to find bodies and tend to survivors. Letter from an Observer ### By Devi Deva Dāsa AFTER BEING ASKED to help with the Moscow temple project in 2000, I began to pay more attention to the Russian news. Two things became clear: Moscow's newfound wealth, and the power Russia has come to possess within the international community. It is extremely important for the roots of Kṛṣṇa consciousness to take hold in Russia now. As I traveled over the next few years for organizational meetings with various departments and dedicated souls, I gained an overwhelming respect for the creative, cultural, and spiritual nature of Russians and have come to see that they are seekers of truth. They have suffered greatly. Kṛṣṇa consciousness and answers that come from the Vedic literature are a welcome respite for their broken hearts. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in Russia has been on a long journey. But ultimately the ordeal has been for the better, since the journey has afforded Kṛṣṇa's devotees many opportunities to transmit Vedic culture, build relationships, and enlist prominent supporters. Devotees in Russia have received support from the British parliament and the mayor of Delhi, as well as many high-ranking officials in the federal governments of India and Russia. All have used robust diplomatic pressure to help the devotees build the first major ISKCON temple in Russia. The quest to build that first temple has been a long uphill battle. Through this prolonged struggle, the devotees have been forced to hold services in an abandoned parking lot, with no water or sewage system to speak of. Despite these trials and previous ones, many have dedicated themselves to Kṛṣṇa consciousness for over twenty years now. They have visited India, gone on devotional pilgrimages, and continued to increase their faith in many ways. They have developed over sixty communities in the former USSR, all created in a mood of self-sacrifice. The Kṛṣṇa devotees in Russia possess a strong work ethic and are always eager to do whatever is needed to get the job done. I'm inspired to bear witness to this, and hundreds of my colleagues have expressed similar sentiments. I have attended three gatherings/festivals on the Black Sea resort area of Russia. What an experience! The huge assortment of Russian devotees spanned all ages and backgrounds. From the very young to the very old, entire families and many well-educated youths were in attendance. Devotees have friends among sophisticated leaders in Russian society and the arts. Russian devotees are populating temples all over the world. Devotees have met with Vladimir Putin and former Indian Prime Minister A. B. Vajpayee. What a ride it has been thus far, with so many twists and turns in our history in Russia! Now we have entered a new phase, and the most exciting times are in front of us. On September 4, 2007, after the Moscow city government allotted the land, the devotees finalized the temple designs and signed a contract with an architectural firm to build the temple. The temple and cultural center will be world class, located on high ground overlooking a beautiful river and protected forests. The upscale area is known as "the Switzerland of Moscow." We launched a fundraising campaign last November to raise the $15 million dollars it will take to build the exquisite temple, where Russians of all ages and backgrounds can be educated formally in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The center will provide a fertile environment for the further cultural exchange of Russian and Vedic cultures, which already contributes to the Russian devotees' dynamic theater and arts program. Devotees have had an ongoing food relief program and are well respected for their public services. Endowed with the beautiful space a temple can provide, devotees will be able to branch out and expand these services. As a growing spiritual community, the devotees face the challenge of maintaining strong community involvement from its members. It is a difficult time for families, who have to deal with harsh economic realities. Corruption is still rampant in Russia, and particularly so in Moscow. This, coupled with an atmosphere of distrust spawned from memories of the past, weighs heavily on the aspiring students of spiritual life. They are in need of our help. Please join us in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give something of permanent value to the souls of Russia. Visit www.moscowtemple.org. Two Seeds that Grew in Iron *Two leaders of the Moscow temple project flourished in devotion to Kṛṣṇa behind the Iron Curtain* ### By Urmila Devī Dāsī As heard from Bhakti Vijnana Goswami THE GOAL was a nation of atheists. Over three generations—seventy years—the government had an explicit, determined policy to create such a nation. As in the other Soviet Republics, atheistic propaganda permeated education and social life in Armenia. Any slight practice of devotion to God, in any religion, whether public or private, often met with swift, brutal consequences. One day in an Armenian mountain village, a typically atheistic engineer, a man well respected in his community, sat outside for a smoke. When a truck came to deliver a package, he and his friend the truck driver talked about news from the city. As the driver carried the package to the engineer's house, the engineer saw an unusual book in the truck: a Russian translation of *Śrī Īśopaniṣad*. Curious, he picked it up. He looked at the photo of Śrīla Prabhupāda on the back and thought, "How amazing that there is someone like this living on this planet!" Then he spontaneously fell on the ground to offer obeisance to the photo. "What is this book?" he asked the returning driver. "Oh, someone forced it on me. You want it? I don't need it." The engineer spent the rest of the day absorbed in Prabhupāda's translation of this key *Upanisad* of the *Yajur Veda*. In those nineteen verses and commentaries, the engineer found two points he decided to put into practice at once, not only for himself but for his whole family. From that very day, his family, including his six children, became vegans and chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa *maha-mantra*. Two years later, the engineer, who was to become an initiated disciple named Brahmananda Puri Dāsa, was able to meet other devotees of Kṛṣṇa. He learned they were secretly printing spiritual books, often compiling them by hand or with minimal, poor equipment. He offered the use of his large house and cellar for printing. Using a little money from previous book sales and his own savings, he started procuring printing equipment. Since printing was illegal, getting the equipment was not a matter of an open purchase from a store, but involved great risk and ingenuity. Often he had to barter and finagle even to get paper, generally unavailable at any price. Eventually, Brahmananda Puri had a full printing press in his cellar. Being the main person responsible for printing forbidden religious books, he was taking the highest risk of all the Soviet devotees. While those producing and selling the books in small quantity were in constant jeopardy of days, months, or even years of torture and imprisonment in jails and psychiatric hospitals, Brahmananda Puri's arrest would have most likely resulted in over fifteen years of punishment, and probably eventual execution. After Communism collapsed in the Soviet countries and printing became legal, Brahmananda Puri printed close to ten million books with very little capital. Today he is one of the key people making the planned Moscow temple a reality. He secures the permits, gets government approval, and moves the process forward. *A Science Student's Discovery* Far from that Armenian village, an atheistic scientist walked through Moscow's streets. It was 1977, and he was then a brilliant graduate student, attending chemistry classes at Moscow State University. The idea that life could be connected with religion was the furthest thing from his imagination. But after the Moscow International Book Fair, at which devotees "lost" some books and leaflets, one of his friends became a vegetarian. He also noticed his friend becoming unusually secretive. The student scientist, under his friend's influence, also gave up meat, fish, and eggs, and read the *Bhagavad-gītā* in Russian, although it was a translation other than Śrīla Prabhupāda's. Soon he discovered the reason behind his friend's newfound furtive behavior. To avoid arrest he was hiding his chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra*. That scientist, who much later accepted the renounced order and the name Bhakti Vijnana Goswami, felt shocked when reading the *Gita*. His father and grandfather held high and respected positions as scientists, and all his family were atheists. Yet the *Gita* affected him as only one other book—the Gospel of John—had done. After reading the *Gita*, he felt he couldn't live as he had before. The book presented such a harmonious and beautiful picture of life that it beckoned him to leave an existence he no longer felt satisfying. He noted, however, that the main difference between reading the Gospel and the *Gita* was that after the former, he didn't know how to change or what to change. Now, along with the *Gita*, his friend had given him the practice of the four regulative principles (no intoxication, no illicit sex, no gambling, no meat, fish, or eggs) and the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra*—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Bhakti Vijnana Goswami's taking up the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa is particularly remarkable given that his friend explained nothing about the meaning or nature of the *mantra*. He simply said that chanting would be good for him. He didn't explain who Kṛṣṇa is. The translation of the *Gita* he had read used the word Bhagavan (meaning God, full of all opulences) but not Kṛṣṇa. In any case, as a scientist, Bhakti Vijnana Goswami decided to experiment with the *mantra*. To his great happiness, it moved him profoundly. He knew that if he was caught chanting, arrest with torture might follow. So, Bhakti Vijnana Goswami's first chanting aid was a string of twenty-seven beads instead of the traditional 108, enabling him to hide his japa beads quickly if needed. When his friend took him to meet other devotees, Bhakti Vijnana Goswami was disappointed. Most were not intellectuals like his associates. He appreciated that they were peaceful people and found much joy from *kirtana*. He was intrigued and kept chanting, yet did not make a full commitment. *Meeting the KGB* One day as Bhakti Vijnana Goswami walked to the area where he worked on campus, he got a message that his academic advisor wanted to see him. While walking up the stairs to the office, he saw his advisor, usually bold and outgoing, hastily walking the other way, his face as white as paper. Trembling, with a choked voice, his advisor said, "Someone wants to see you in my office." In the office waited a man three times his size. The huge man smiled and then showed his identification—a colonel of the KGB. The student who had remained only remotely connected with the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement had not expected such an encounter. Now, he felt sure he was in deep and dangerous trouble. The KGB colonel did not even try to reason with the frightened young man. "You are an educated man, with a bright future and career in front of you. But somehow you got involved with people who are very dangerous. I hope you know that it is your duty to report to us about them. We are not asking very much. But if you do it, your career will prosper. You'll be promoted. If you don't, you may be kicked out of your studies, and you'll have no future. You may even go to prison, where all these other people will end up." He could only reply, "Sir, I cannot give you an answer now." The KGB man relented slightly. "Okay, but you have to come to our place in three days to let me know." The young student dabbling in spiritual life felt fearful. "What will happen?" he thought. "I'll have no future. I'll go to prison." But then he had quite a different idea. "How is it that the KGB takes this chanting so seriously as to send a colonel to threaten me just for a little practice of it? It must be something very powerful and important." Thus the KGB colonel acted as a type of *guru*, pushing Bhakti Vijnana Goswami to delve seriously into spiritual life. *Powerful Advice From a Petite Source* His new determination sat side by side in his heart with the fear of the KGB threat. He decided to consult with one of the more intellectual devotees, a petite nineteen-year-old woman named Malini Devī Dāsī. He secretly confided in her about the office encounter. She laughed and said with strong conviction, "They cannot do anything to you. You are an eternal soul." Her words struck like lightning. "They cannot do anything to the real me," he realized. A wave of calm engulfed him, and the fear vanished. "This tiny woman has transformed my vision," he concluded. Later that day he was at his appointment with the KGB, feeling cool and confident. The secret meeting was in one of the city's international hotels, which were under the government's close watch. In a small room, the colonel and another man sat, smiling. "So," the colonel said lightly, "did you think about my offer?" "I am not going to work for you, because it is against my principles." The colonel jumped from his chair and yelled, "What principles do you stupid fools have besides four regulative? Go home now, but you should know you are finished." Bhakti Vijnana Goswami walked calmly out of the room and traveled to the empty apartment a friend had given him in Moscow. He decided all would be fine, somehow or other. *A Fateful Home Festival* His spiritual practices at home became much more serious, and he decided to hold a large festival in his home. The *kirtana* for the festival was exuberant, even roaring. Bhakti Vijnana Goswami felt good to have hosted such a huge, important celebration. But three days later, half the festival participants were arrested and taken into custody. The officials brought in Bhakti Vijnana Goswami as a witness to the charges against the devotees. Their so-called interrogation of him was, in fact, torture. The officers recounted to him many details of the festival, including what was said by whom, when, and under what circumstances. To create a fearful atmosphere in which hiding anything would be useless, they wanted to give the impression that they were everywhere and knew everything. After this incident in 1983, Bhakti Vijnana Goswami wound up his activities in Moscow because he was in the last year of that part of his studies. He practically ran from Moscow to his hometown to take shelter of his highly placed father and grandfather. The KGB's hand reached there relentlessly three days later in the form of a letter demanding an appointment. Each week they required him to come to a meeting where agents psychologically tortured him. He was materially well situated, and they threatened to dismantle his life. The situation was scary, but inevitably during these sessions the sweet voice of the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra* would come to him. The *mantra* was unlike the voice of his own mind, and had a powerful effect similar to the courageous words of Malini. So, at each meeting he would start off feeling very fearful, and then the *mantra* would come and he would become calm to the point of laughing inside. At that same moment, the interrogator, who had previously seemed intense, would suddenly become uneasy and timid. *Leaving Russia* After four sessions, Bhakti Vijnana Goswami decided simply not to go any more. To his amazement, for the next two years he heard nothing from the KGB. He was teaching others about Kṛṣṇa, distributing books, and meeting with people to discuss Kṛṣṇa. He also defended his thesis and got his Ph.D. in molecular biology from the Soviet Academy of Science. Life seemed peaceful. During this time, an American devotee, Kirtiraja Dāsa, had been working to help the Soviet devotees. He wanted Bhakti Vijnana Goswami to translate Prabhupāda's books into Russian because he was the most educated among the devotees. Devotees with little or no formal training in English had done most of the first Russian translations of the scriptures from Prabhupāda's English. Then someone outside Russia who had only a little training in Russian would edit them, using a prerevolution English-to-Russian dictionary. The results were poor from a literary point of view. For example, Prabhupāda's term "devotional service to the Lord" became "devotional slavery," and "servants" of God became "slaves." Even though the books had these types of problems, and were often handmade—pages were missing and the print was hard to decipher—many people took up Kṛṣṇa consciousness by reading them. But Kirtiraja wanted to bring the Russian books up to a world standard. If Bhakti Vijnana Goswami stayed in Russia to translate, he would be under an ever-present threat of arrest. To assure that high-quality book translation could continue unhindered, Kirtiraja wanted to get Bhakti Vijnana Goswami to the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust office in Sweden. Through various maneuvers, including having devotees in Sweden fast and protest outside the Russian embassy, Bhakti Vijnana Goswami was allowed to emigrate to Sweden, where he spent eight years translating Prabhupāda's books into Russian. Today he is one of the key spiritual leaders in the former Soviet bloc and oversees the Moscow temple project. Decades of government-induced atheism in the Soviet bloc simply increased people's hunger for spiritual life. Now that a consumer culture has been introduced, people have become frustrated on both sides. They know that both communism and capitalism are cheating, because material happiness has not increased. To find lasting and expansive happiness that the soul seeks, one must go to the reservoir of pleasure, the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Devotees such as Brahmananda Puri and Bhakti Vijnana Goswami are not content to drink alone from that reservoir. They want to bring the opportunity of loving service to Kṛṣṇa to all who thirst for full satisfaction. In Oman, frankincense trees grow out of solid rock. Here in Russia, the most beautiful and fragrant plants of love of God were growing out of unyielding iron. Who had planted such seeds? The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement started from Prabhupāda's three-day visit to Moscow, where he initiated one disciple, Ananta-santi Dāsa. In that land of scarcity, where a two-hour wait for a little bread or milk was common, people were keen to get for themselves any opulence that others might have. So, Ananta-santi would tell whomever he met, "Do you already have a *mantra*?" Without knowing what a *mantra* was, they would say, "No, I don't have one of those." "Oh, all my friends already chant a *mantra*. Why don't you do so as well?" Soon, those he had induced to chant were printing leaflets that explained the chanting from a scientific point of view, also referencing the parapsychology popular in the Soviet Union. At least seventy percent of the people who read these leaflets started chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. The movement started to swell. Today, a visit to Russia's annual Hare Kṛṣṇa festival in September puts one in the midst of the largest crowd of devotees of all ISKCON's festivals. Throughout the world, the movement is growing the fastest in former Soviet bloc countries, and it is common for entire extended families—grown children, parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles—to decide together to devote their lives to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Surely it is fitting for these devotees, who have sacrificed more than most even to do simple acts of devotion, to have a place of worship equal to their dedication. *Urmila Devī Dāsī has a Ph.D. in educational leadership from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. She is working on international curriculum projects for primary and secondary education in ISKCON.* ## A Taste of Salted Bread *In the former Soviet Union, Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees risked being imprisoned and tortured for distributing Śrīla Prabhupāda's books.* *The following excerpts are from Sarva-bhavana Dāsa's book* Salted Bread, *which focuses on how he and his friend Sacisuta Dāsa served Lord Kṛṣṇa and spread His teachings in the Soviet Union. These excerpts, drawn from most of the chapters in* Salted Bread*, were selected by BTG Associate Editor Urmila Devī Dāsī, who edited the book.* *The Beginning* I had a very ordinary childhood in Armenia, growing up just like anyone else. My greatest fortune in childhood was to have one very good, close friend I called Sako. We had been vegetarians since fifteen years of age. My fondest dream was to one day take a bath in the sacred Ganges River, visit all the ancient temples, and climb the Himalayan Mountains to meet the great *yogis* there. *Entering the Spiritual World* My friend Senik took me to the Hare Kṛṣṇa Yerevan center after I got out of the army. I found that I was also singing and clapping my hands with the devotees. I was thinking that it would never end. The cymbals and drums were so harmonious that I felt as if I were in heaven! Everyone in the room was swaying back and forth like waves in an ocean of bliss. Some devotees kept bringing trays of food and ringing tiny bells; they were offering the food to Kṛṣṇa. Soon I noticed that the fruits I brought were also offered at the altar, and I looked around me to see if anyone else noticed that those were the fruits I had brought. I do not know how it happened, but I started to lead the singing. What finally forced me to stop was when the police, the KGB, were trying break the door down. Some devotees were running from one room to another and hiding the books, typewriters, and other items. After some time, the devotees decided to open the door. Five angry men practically flew in and started to scream orders. They started to search everywhere and anywhere; I did not understand what they were looking for so eagerly. They started to register everyone's names and check their documents. After everything cooled down, the devotees started to serve the sanctified food, *prasādam,* as if nothing had happened just five minutes ago. "I'm sorry about last night," a devotee told me the next morning. "Did the KGB write down your name?" "Yes, they did." "So, that means you are already one of us. You are a Hare Kṛṣṇa devotee!" "I don't mind," I said. All the devotees, including myself, started to laugh softly. *Right Time for Decision, And On the Way to Kṛṣṇa* As soon as I entered the doorway of my home after my return journey, I found that the KGB had come and searched our house. Soon, Sako and then I moved into the Yeravan center. *My New Lifestyle* Sako encouraged me to distribute books. So, I tried it. The first time in my life I offered a book to a young university student, he took it happily. But the second man read a little bit and then threw it in my face. He told me the Hare Kṛṣṇas are crazy and one of his relatives had taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He shouted, "And he is a totally crazy man—he is not eating meat, eggs, and fish, not even alcohol! What kind of madness is that? God created everything for us to enjoy, and this stupid guy is saying that he cannot eat with his friends!" I felt miffed but did not lose my enthusiasm from the first man, and I continued to distribute more. The only problem I had now was that I did not want the police to disturb my parents, but it was practically impossible because my name and address were already on the blacklist. Two or three months after I moved into the temple, I heard that police were starting to arrest devotees and put them in jail in Russia. Everyone became tigers—starting to print and distribute even more flyers and books. One day after distribution, all the devotees looked as if they were celebrating something. We quickly went inside and saw the Russian *Bhagavad-gītā* and *Coming Back* in Armenian. I asked our leader, Sannyasa Dāsa, if I could look at them, but he told me, "They should be used as originals from which to print more. So it is better if we do not touch them and possibly leave any fingerprints on the pages or pictures." In a few weeks, Sannyasa brought us the first printed pages of the *Gita.* After that he taught us how to fold, and we all sat down to fold all the pages in order to make a book. We applied glue to the side of the set of pages, pressed it into the cover, and placed it under some heavy suitcases next to the heater so that it would dry quickly. After it was dried, Sannyasa marked it with a pencil cutting line. He then started to cut the excess paper with a razor blade and metal ruler. Soon our first handmade book was ready. One devotee wanted to open and read from it, but another grabbed it from his hand and told him that we have to first offer it to *guru* and Kṛṣṇa, then only could we see it ourselves. So after placing it on the altar, we started an ecstatic and unusual kirtana. At that time I didn't realize the full significance of what was going on in that little room on the ninth floor and what a very special sacrifice I was participating in. After many years, I understood that we were actually founding a powerful mission in the USSR. I did not know at that time that these books would make a revolution and that after only ten to fifteen years there would be hundreds of temples and thousands of Kṛṣṇa devotees in the Soviet Union just because of these small handmade books. *My First Arrest* Soon, Sannyasa filled a room full of printed pages of *Bhagavad-gītā,* and everybody was busy folding them and turning them into hundreds of bound copies of Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings. It was ecstatic to see how our first book came out of that room and was sold right across the street. Sannyasa was telling us that we should all learn each step of the operation perfectly so that if one devotee was not there, the others could do his part. He meant that if one devotee got arrested, then the others could carry on. We were trying not to speak too much about this subject, but at the same time, it was impossible to avoid it. Almost every day the police would catch some devotees, beat them up, take all the books, and then free them after hours or days. No one said it, but everyone was thinking that he or she might be the next one to be arrested. I was thinking in that way also: "What if they catch me? What am I going to do? What will I tell them?" When I first started distributing books, I would sometimes be brought to meet people who were retyping the books with carbon paper to make four copies. They would be doing this in a secret room because in Armenia you could not own a typewriter or a photocopier openly unless you had a special permit, which was not easy to obtain. And they were typing very slowly with one or two fingers. When I asked them what they were doing, they would say, "So many people asked me if they could borrow this book, but I didn't want to lend it out because who knows when I would get it back. So, I am making four copies." I would say, "Why didn't you just ask for more?" Their jaw would drop, and they would say, "There's more?" as if they never thought that there would be more. We started to send books to Russia by post. For some time it worked out well, until the KGB found out about it. They made a new rule that a package of more than a certain size and weight was subject to inspection. Then we started to smuggle books out of Armenia in trucks. We contacted people who brought goods to Armenia and took other materials back to Russia. They knew how to hide our boxes in the front of the truck behind other goods. One morning after breakfast, I accidentally offered a book to a man on the street who happened to be a KGB agent. He started to ask many more questions, which made me feel that something was fishy, but I did not know what to do. He took out his police identification and said, "Place your hands behind your back and follow me." This was the first time that I was made to walk with my hands behind my back. I had only seen this kind of imposition in the movies, and just a year before I would never have believed that one day I would be treated in that way, too. I started to chant the *maha-mantra* in my mind while walking through the police station. I could hear someone screaming. One of the policemen was very fat and ugly; another one was skinny and smiling at me. That is usually the tactic of the police; later on I became very familiar with it. One is beating you up, and another one is gently asking questions. *In Every Town and Village* This type of short arrest became a common event. Many of the devotees had been arrested several times and went through what they had to. In each arrest the KGB confiscated books, which we were spending so much time and effort to make, plus the cash collected from the books. As for the devotees, many were leaving the temple or not coming to the temple, because they did not want to be arrested. More and more, many devotees came to Armenia from different parts of the USSR to get Śrīla Prabhupāda's books and flyers. One devotee said, "It would be wise if you Armenian devotees did not go out and distribute books at all. Just print and bind good quality books for us, and we will come here, take them from you, and distribute them for you as well. If they arrest you, then where will we get the books?" Another devotee said, "Devotees are making photocopies of the *Bhagavad-gītā* and binding and distributing them from home. Some of the devotees do not have the original books, so what they produce is a fifth or sixth photocopy, which is hardly readable. Sometimes the pages are mixed up and one cannot find the right page. But people still buy them from devotees because they thirst for those books." *Preaching is the Essence* Sako, who later received the initiated name Sacisuta Dāsa, returned from book distribution. He started to glue some books and pack some of the Russian books in a box to be shipped. The atmosphere was peaceful, with some devotees singing a sweet *kirtana*. Some were talking about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and some others were cooking. Then, all of a sudden someone started to scream, "The KGB is here!" After the fourth day, it was clear to all of us that the KGB had already taken our leaders to the jail from the police station. Having our leaders in jail was so depressing that sometimes we would not go out for days, only chanting, eating, and sleeping. The only person who was doing some active work was Sacisuta—he was making more and more books ready for distribution and hardly ever talking with us. He was serious, and it was as if he was in a different world. He was often the only one who would clean the floor, do the shopping, wash the pots after cooking, and so on. *My Last Arrest* I had forgotten how many times they had arrested and released me, but at the time of Sannyasa and Kamalamala's arrest, I thought that because the police were now convinced they had the leaders of our movement in Armenia, they wouldn't be arresting the rest of us anymore. But I was wrong. The police arrested me and some other devotees many times after that. During this time, we rented another house to store books and important items, and we would go there perhaps once a week. At about eight o'clock one evening, Sacisuta and I were going to that house, bringing some missing Gita pages to complete the books. At that time I had a strange premonition while riding on the bus. I asked Sacisuta if he had the same feeling. He said that he also felt that there was some danger, but we did not know what to do and which way to go, forward or backward. Both of us had such strong feelings of danger that we decided to go back without taking any further pages for the books. I do not remember any other incident of Sacisuta's stepping back from any situation, ever. Once we were arrested, one fat policeman hurt me the most, even stomping on my toes with his boots, giving me excruciating pain. "So," he said while hurting me, "now I think you can tell us where your books are printed and where you are storing them." "I do not know, sir," I said. "I really do not know. I told you that many times already" "Okay, after I prepare a nice seat, then you will tell us everything immediately." He waved his hand to the policeman next to him and asked him to bring one beer bottle. Then he came close to me and with his whole strength stepped on the tip of my toes with his big boots. "O God," I thought, "this is one of the worst things I have ever experienced." Then a policeman came in with a glass bottle in his hand and placed it in the middle of the room. "So now for the last time I am asking you, and that's it. Either you will tell me or you are going to sit on this bottle." I hung my head and started to chant loudly, "*Namaste narasimhaya,*" and prayed for help. Then he came and twisted my hands while another one held my legs, and they pulled me up. The third one came and tried to take off my belt. I had started to jump and shake my whole body so they wouldn't be able to take my pants off. So then he hit me, probably with his full power, on my belly, and I thought that maybe now I'll be cut into two pieces. But still I didn't give up shaking. I started to kick them and scratch as much as I could. I tore the shirt of the policeman who was holding my hands, which made him even angrier. Somehow, even after so much beating, I got some enormous amount of power and started to move in such a way that they could not take my pants down. I started to scream louder than I had ever screamed in my life, like a tiger, nonstop for a long time. I started to think how loudly Nrsimhadeva screamed when He appeared to kill the demon Hiranyakasipu. As soon as they brought me close to the bottle, I moved fast and it fell on its side. After several times of trying, they finally dropped me down and left the room. They took me downstairs and locked me up in one of many rooms. Some criminals were in the room, too, and they started to ask me many questions. Some of them had already heard about Kṛṣṇa, and one had even read the *Bhagavad-gītā* a little bit. *Entering Hell* I used to take only a piece of bread and one spoonful of sugar in the morning. The bread was of a very substandard quality. It was black and wet, and if you pressed it hard, water would drip out of it. So, I kept the bread on the window for three or four days until it was dried and crunchy, and then ate it. I learned how to make *japa* beads out of bread. One morning, a guard used my beads to strike my face and body until he was exhausted. Those *japa* beads had been my only possession, for which I had saved so many pieces of bread. Soon we realized that even fifty-four beads were too risky to keep, so we started to make twenty-seven-bead strings. Being smaller, they were easier to hide from antagonistic persons. The difference was just that we had to chant four times in order to make 108, or one round. Sometimes, I even used a nine-bead set, keeping it almost all the time in my hand. After a while, everyone in the jail knew about Kṛṣṇa. Some people from the other cells started to ask me and the other devotees questions. Soon, offering food before eating became a tradition in our cell. Everyone in the jail was taking *prasādam* from the devotees. Even people who were against Kṛṣṇa consciousness ate something out of our offerings. Many of the inmates told me that they could actually tell the difference between offered and nonoffered food. *Who Is Crazy?* One day, we moved into a psychiatric hospital. I could not believe that the person in front of me was the same Sannyasa I knew before. He was so skinny! He moved slowly and slurred his speech. His chin had become sharp, and his eyes sunk in. His beautiful face, which had some beard growth, was very white. About one month before my coming, they started to give devotees daily injections by force of a neuropsychological drug. Sometimes while he was talking, Sannyasa's mouth would become dry and his eyes would roll like a drunk man. Sometimes he would sit and look at one spot for a long time without making a movement or saying anything. After a while, he would stand up and shake as if he were cold. Sannyasa is a very strong personality, and no matter what happened and what condition he was in, he would every day complete chanting his sixteen rounds of the Hare Kṛṣṇa *maha-mantra*—a determination that surprised me and inspired me with more energy to go on. After some time, they took us back to the jail to wait for trial. *Unwanted Days* In my new jail, the worst guard was a very rough, sweaty man. He shouted, "Today you will tell me exactly where you were printing your books and who was printing them for you. I know you did not tell it to anyone, but you will tell me today, only me. Do you understand that?" He took his baton and beat me very severely on my forehead and temples. Then he hit me once with most probably his full energy. The blow sent me flying to the other end of the room, and I fell down with heavy bleeding from my nose and mouth. Then he came close to me and started to kick my back and chest so hard that I lost consciousness and do not remember anything whatsoever after that. I opened my eyes after some time and saw him dragging my body on the floor. He was cursing me and stomping on my stomach and face mercilessly. To protect my face, I turned. As soon as I had turned, he kicked my spine and I went unconscious again. Everything became black. My ears were blocked completely, and only some kind of a strange sound was constantly whistling in my ears. Then he threw me into my cell and closed the door with a curse. The only lasting misfortune was my chronic spinal pain and eye problem. The lack of vision was a huge change in my life, and I had to get used to my new situation. I would have to go through life half-blind and almost disabled. The devotees had paid three times the usual bribe at that time to send us a parcel full of wonderful *prasādam*. One prisoner was breaking up the bread when he found letters secretly hidden in it. They encouraged us to be strong, never forget Kṛṣṇa, and continue to chant and follow the rules as much as possible in our difficult situation. Tears were running down my cheeks while reading their sincere sentiments, and my hands were shaking. *The Court Decision* After our trial, we were sent to Siberia to a labor camp where I spent the rest of my sentence. *Conclusion* After ISKCON's registration, many conditions changed in the USSR. But that registration was not so easy to get. It was the result of countless demonstrations in front of many buildings and in various streets of Moscow. Generally, during these demonstrations there was some conflict with police and many devotees got arrested. In 1989, for the first time in history, a group of fifty devotees were allowed by the Russian government to go to India for a pilgrimage. Most of them had been tortured by the KGB some months before. A two-month tour was organized. I was fortunate to be part of that historic pilgrimage. Just a year before, I was suffering in a jail, but now we were chanting and dancing with hundreds of devotees from all over the world. ISKCON's Rādhā-Govinda Temple in Kolkata was the first real temple we had ever seen. There was a reception waiting for us, and thousands of flowers fell from the balcony on all the Soviet devotees. We slowly came up the stairs and entered the temple. The moonlike faces of Rādhā and Govinda were smiling at all of us as if to say, "Finally you are home. There is no KGB here, so please chant and dance as much as you like." Salted Bread *is available from the Krishna.com store.* ## From the Editor *Workplace Meditation* I WORK ON A LAPTOP COMPUTER, which I take home with me every night. When I come into the office in the morning, I have to get down on my hands and knees to plug my power cable into an electrical outlet under my desk. While I was doing that one morning, I thought about the symbolism of my, in effect, bowing down to my desk each morning as I begin my service to Prabhupāda and Kṛṣṇa: I'm bowing to my *yajna-sthana* ("place of sacrifice"), where I try to do my part to push forward Lord Caitanya's *sankirtana* movement. The privilege of serving Kṛṣṇa is a great gift received from the Lord and His representatives. Prabhupāda traveled the world delivering that gift, which anyone with the desire for self-fulfillment can accept. Each one of us has the opportunity to take advantage of that gift by making our work an offering to the Lord. Devotional service to Kṛṣṇa comes in many forms, beginning with hearing about Him and chanting His holy names. While some of us might be in the position to spend our lives hearing and chanting, most of us have responsibilities that require us to work. Whatever our occupation may be (with a few exceptions), we can offer it to Kṛṣṇa in a mood of service. If we think of our place of work as our *yajna-sthana,* Kṛṣṇa will accept our work as an offering to Him. He says in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (18.46) that by worshiping Him we can attain perfection by performing our own work (*sva-karmana*). Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in his purport to that verse: "Everyone should think that he is engaged in a particular type of occupation by Hṛṣīkeśa, the master of the senses. And by the result of the work in which one is engaged, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, should be worshiped. If one thinks always in this way, in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then, by the grace of the Lord, he becomes fully aware of everything. That is the perfection of life." Here Prabhupāda says that one should worship the Lord by "the result" of one's work. Some of us can directly serve the Lord through our occupations. For example, we might be able to offer our professional services to the Lord's devotees without charge. But that might be hard if our work involves moving papers from our in-box to our out-box or moving a widget along an assembly line. But the "result" of our work also includes our income. So we can serve the Lord by giving financial support to the temple or to projects involved in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In serving Kṛṣṇa, our frame of mind is important. It is best to offer our work to the Lord before we do it, to offer our money before we earn it—rather than as an afterthought. Beginning our workday with the thought that our job is an offering to Kṛṣṇa will purify our work and our hearts. Prabhupāda translates the word *yajna,* which means an offering to the Lord, as "*sacrifice*." Any offering to Kṛṣṇa is technically a *yajna,* but the English word *sacrifice* implies giving up something we're attached to. It's not easy to give up what we've worked hard to get. But if we do so, Kṛṣṇa will be pleased, and His pleasure is our perfection. —*Nagaraja Dāsa* ## Vedic Thoughts The human being is the elder brother of all other living beings. He is endowed with intelligence more powerful than animals for realizing the course of nature and the indications of the Almighty Father. Human civilizations should depend on the production of material nature without artificially attempting economic development to turn the world into a chaos of artificial greed and power only for the purpose of artificial luxuries and sense gratification. This is but the life of dogs and hogs. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* 1.10.4, Purport By being fixed in this knowledge, one can attain to the transcendental nature, which is like My own nature. Thus established, one is not born at the time of creation nor disturbed at the time of dissolution. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa *Bhagavad-gītā* 14.2 Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Him [Kṛṣṇa] who is the associate of the members of the Yadu dynasty and who is always a problem for the nondevotees. He is the supreme enjoyer of both the material and spiritual worlds, yet He enjoys His own abode in the spiritual sky. There is no one equal to Him because His transcendental opulence is immeasurable. Śrīla Sukadeva Gosvami *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* 2.4.14 The Supreme Lord is full of eternity, knowledge and bliss. He is always embraced in the spiritual world by His divine energies called *hladini* (the ecstatic potency) and *samvit* (the omniscient potency). In the material world the individual soul (*jiva*) experiences many sufferings, being covered by his ignorance. Sarvajna-sukta Quoted by Jiva Gosvami in *Bhagavat-sandarbha* Bhagavan is the one Supreme Being who expands all souls and all matter by His inconceivable energy (*acintya-sakti*) and then enters into these emanations as the Supreme Lord (*isvara-svarupa*). He also transcends all souls and matter as the impersonal Brahman effulgence (*brahma-svarupa*), far beyond all imagination. He manifests His divine potency (*para-sakti*) to reveal His form of eternity, knowledge, and bliss (*sac-cid-ananda-svarupa*), thereby becoming the object of devotion for all souls. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura *Vaisnava-siddhanta-mala,* Chapter 2 The propensity for selfish enjoyment deadens the pure function of the soul. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati Ṭhākura Lecture, Vṛndāvana, Karttika 1928 Just as the minds of young girls take pleasure in young boys, and young boys take pleasure in young girls, kindly allow my mind to take pleasure in You [Kṛṣṇa] alone. *Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu* 1.2.53