# Back to Godhead Magazine #46 *2012 (04)* Back to Godhead Magazine #46-04, 2012 PDF-View Welcome Krishna-Avanti Primary School, Britain’s first government-funded Hindu school, is founded on the principles of Vaisnavism, or devotion to Krsna. In this issue, Tattvavit Dasa tells us about the school and a visit by Queen Elizabeth. Creating the school required the united efforts of many members of ISKCON’s congregation in the UK. In another part of the world, another project demands much greater combined energy to reverse an ongoing ecological disaster: the destruction of the sacred Yamuna River in India. In “The Save Yamuna Campaign,” Caitanya Carana Dasa reports on the river’s problems and efforts by environmentalists and Krsna devotees to do something about them. To support a good cause, whether building a Krsna-centered school or saving a sacred river, donors must give money, time, or energy to benefit others. Making such sacrifices isn’t always easy. But as Karnamrta Dasa writes in “Give to Live,” giving is central to the Krsna conscious life and is an expression of who we really are as spiritual beings. Giving to a spiritual cause becomes easier when we understand that whatever we possess is, like the title of Srila Prabhupada’s lecture in this issue, “Krsna’s Separated Energy.” Hare Krsna. —Nagaraja Dasa, 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 Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead. Letters *The Brain and the Soul* Scientists say that our consciousness comes from the brain and brain damage causes personality change. Is it really that the *atman* operates through the brain and that’s why it appears we are the brain? John Via the Internet *Our reply:* Regarding the scientists’ understanding of the brain and its function, one cannot deny that scientific and practical experience shows that injury to the brain often results in impairment of reasoning ability and even motor function of the body. What the scientific community neglects to recognize is the higher function of the spiritual intelligence and the self. Lord Krsna explains in the *Bhagavad-gita* that the living entity (*atman*) is situated within the material body, which functions just like a machine, made of the material energy. So if the machine is damaged, there will naturally be some impediment to its proper function. However, such damage to the body does not affect the spirit soul. *Krsna and Destiny* I am a follower of Krsna. Recently my mother passed away, and I am very depressed. I don’t know why many bad things come to me. I have surrendered to Krsna, so I feel I am never helpless. Can you let me know how Krsna protects? Why, when I am trying to be good, do bad things come to me? Has our destiny already been written by Krsna, or is He writing it still? Jaya Punjabi Via the Internet *Our reply:* When we begin the process of Krsna consciousness, Lord Krsna immediately gives His protection. This He provides according to His desire, and the sincere devotee accepts His good judgment in this regard. The living entity has been accumulating reactions, *karma*, both good and bad, since time immemorial, so some patience is required on our part. Although one unplugs a fan, there is some time while the blades still spin. So although we have taken shelter of Krsna, it may be some time before the blades of our sinful reactions stop turning completely. Continue with your sincere service and serious chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. In due course all the sufferings of material existence will become inconsequential as you make firm and steady progress in your devotional service. *How Bad Acts Affect Chanting* If I chant the holy name Krsna and do bad things, what will be the impact? Rahul Shevkar Via the Internet *Our reply:* If one is trying to light a fire, one would be well advised not to do so in the pouring rain. Similarly, if we sincerely desire to advance in spiritual life, we should curtail our tendency to enjoy sense gratification. Gradually, under the expert guidance of the bona fide spiritual master, we should abandon our involvement in sinful activity. This is easily accomplished in the good association of Krsna’s sincere devotees as we take up regulated chanting of the Hare Krsna *maha-mantra*, study the *Bhagavad-gita*, worship the deity, accept Krsna *prasada*, and so on. It is a gradual process, but you will find that your taste for abominable materialistic enjoyment will naturally dissipate as you engage with firm determination in the process of devotional service. *Falling Back to Old Ways* I find myself indulging in either sense pleasure or laziness, and every time I make a firm decision to stop myself from committing all these offenses, a few days, or even months, later I go back to my old ways. The strongest reason for this is my material associations, which I have no power to change yet. I am too young to have a spiritual master. What should I do? Sita Via the Internet *Our reply:* You should continue to sincerely chant Hare Krsna with a firm desire to advance in spiritual life. Maintain a fixed number of rounds of japa daily, and read about Krsna as your time allows. Most importantly, try to associate with Krsna’s devotees as much as possible in consideration of your current circumstance. In this way you will make steady progress in your devotional service, and gradually all unwanted habits will dissipate. As you continue with a serious and mature mentality, you will certainly advance. In *Sri* *Upadesamrta* (Text 3), *Sri*la Rupa Gosvami recommends: “There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles, (5) abandoning the association of nondevo tees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous acaryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service.” *Replies were written by Krishna.com Live Help volunteers. Please write to us at: BTG, P.O. Box 430, Alachua, Florida 32616, USA. Email: editors @krishna.com.* *Note* In reply to a letter in the last issue, we wrote, “We couldn’t find an account of how the Govinda Prayers ended up being played in all ISKCON temples.” Later, Tattavit Dasa, whose article on Krishna-Avanti School appears in this issue, mentioned that he remembered seeing something about this in *Miracle on Second Avenue*, by Mukunda Goswami. Here’s what we found on page 400: Prabhupada left London by the time “Govinda” came out, so we sent a copy of it to him in Los Angeles. We heard there was some controversy about the record among some of the more conservative male members of that community who didn’t think it was appropriate that a song led by a woman [Yamuna Devi] should be played in the temple. We thought this was absurd. Here was a recording of an ancient Vedic text, produced by one of the most popular musicians of our time [George Harrison] and which was selling by the thousands all over the world. Eventually we heard that the liberals in the temple prevailed; they arranged that our song be played in the temple when the devotees greeted the deities as they did each morning. Prabhupada himself readily agreed to the proposal [Later] Prabhupada requested that “Govinda” be played every morning in every temple when the deity altars were opened. Founder’s Lecture: Krsna’s Separated Energies Nairobi-October 31, 1975 His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Founder-*Ācārya* of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness *Srila Prabhupada explains how Krsna, though invisible to us in our current state, reveals Himself through His perceivable energies.* bhūmir āpo 'nalo vayuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā [*Bg* 7.4] Translation: "Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego—altogether these eight comprise My separated material energies." Prabhupāda: > bhūmir āpo 'nalo vayuḥ > khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca > ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me > bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā > [Bg 7.4] Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself. God is explaining what is God. That is real knowledge. If you speculate on God, it is not possible. You cannot understand. The God, Kṛṣṇa, in the beginning said, *asaṁśayaṁ *samagra*ṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu* [*Bg* 7.1]*. Samagram. Samagra* means whatever... Or *samagra* means complete. So whatever subject for study and knowledge there is, God is the sum total of everything, one. God is the sum total of everything. Therefore He begins to explain Himself that... First of all, because we have no information of God but practically we see the vast land, the vast water, ocean, the vast sky, then fire, so many things, material things, material things, also mind... Mind is also material. And then ego. Everyone is thinking that "I am something. I am..." *Kartāham iti manyate. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā.* This false ego. This ego means false ego. And there is pure ego. That pure ego is *ahaṁ brahmāsmi,* and the false ego: "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am African," "I am *brāhmaṇa,*" "I am *kṣatriya,*" "I am this," "I am that." This is false ego, *ahaṅkāra.* So at the present moment... Not at the present; always we are surrounded by all these things. That is our beginning of philosophy: Wherefrom this land came? Wherefrom this water came? Wherefrom the fire came? That is natural inquiry. Wherefrom the sky came? How the stars are situated, so many millions and millions? So these are the inquiries of the intelligent person. That is the beginning of philosophical life. Therefore those who are thoughtful human being, gradually they are inquisitive of understanding the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is there, and Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself, "I am like this." But unfortunately we'll not understand Kṛṣṇa, but we'll try to speculate what is God. This is our disease. Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself; God is explaining Himself. We shall not take that statement, but either we shall deny or we shall accept God without any head and leg and so on, so many things. This is our disease. Therefore in the previous verse it has been explained, > manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu > kaścid yatati siddhaye > yatatām api siddhānāṁ > kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ > [Bg 7.33] Out of many millions and millions of person, actually they are serious to understand, "What is the aim of life? What is God? What is my relation*.**.**.*" Nobody is interested*.* Just like*.**.**.* *Sa eva go-kharaḥ* [SB 10*.*84*.*13]*.* Everyone is interested with this bodily conception of life like cats and dogs*.* This is the position*.* Not only now; always this is the material condition*.* But somebody, *manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu,* out of millions, one tries to understand, to make his life perfect*.* And out of such perfection*.**.**.* Perfection means to understand his real constitutional position, that he is not this material body; he is spirit soul, Brahman. That is perfection, perfection of knowledge, *brahma-jñāna.* > brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā > na śocati na kāṅkṣati > samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu > mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām > [Bg 18.54] After *brahma-jñāna...* Sometimes the Māyāvādī philosophers they say, "By *bhakti* one gains *brahma-jñāna,* and one becomes liberated, merged into Brahman," and so on, so on, because they say, "*Bhakti* is meant for the less intelligent class of men." Their accusation is like that. No. That is not the fact. *Bhakti*, *kaniṣṭha-adhikārī,* in the lower stage of *bhakti*, that is also higher than the Māyāvāda philosophy. In the lower status of *bhakti* means that *arcā-vigraha,* anyone, any person, he does not clearly understand what is God, but by the instruction of the spiritual master one is engaged in the service of the Lord. This morning we have explained the Deity worship. Here is God. Here is God factually, but he has no realization that here is God. That is called *kaniṣṭha-adhikārī,* in the lower stage of devotional service. But if he accepts even theoretically that "Here is God," then he becomes more advanced than the Māyāvādī, who are thinking of God without head and leg, *nirviśeṣa-vādī.* So therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that one who has undergone the training by a Māyāvādī philosopher, his life is finished*.* *Māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa* [*Cc* Madhya 6*.*169]*.* He says that he is finished because he'll never be able to advance in devotional service, and that is the ultimate goal of life*.* Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām*.* Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā [Bg 18*.*54]*.* After realization of Brahman, when he is actually on the Brahman platform, then the symptom is, *na śocati na kāṅkṣati:* he has no more lamentation and no more aspiration*.* Ahaṁ brahmāsmi*.* Then he can see everyone on equal level, *samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu,* because he does not see the outward body, he does not see that "Here is a Hindu, here is a Muslim, here is a Christian, here is an Indian, here is American, here is black and here is white*.*" No*.* He sees within, within, introspection*.* He sees that within, > vidyā-vinaya-sampanne > brāhmaṇe gavi hastini > śuni caiva śva-pāke ca > paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ > [Bg 5.18] That is *samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu.* Not artificially you can make *samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu.* Artificially it is not possible. There will be some distinction, must be, bodily. So therefore, on the bodily platform they are trying to become united. The United Nation is trying for the last forty years, but there is no unity; it is not possible on the bodily platform. But on the spiritual platform there is unity. Just like in our movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you'll find all different nations, all different colors, all different religion, all different sex, they are all united in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is united nation. There is no distinction. And this is not artificial; this is practical. So the people are trying to become united, oneness. That is not possible on the bodily platform. So this bodily concept of life can be vanquished, can be, I mean to say, rejected on the spiritual platform. So here Kṛṣṇa says that first of all our material conception of life... We are in the material world. We see everything as stone and wood and earth and water and fire and everything. We have got the capacity to see all these things. Here Kṛṣṇa says that this *bhūmi,* this earth; *āpa,* this water; *anala,* this fire; *vāyu,* air; *kham,* the sky, ether; *mana,* mind... That is still subtle. Up to ether you can see, but the mind, which is still finer than the ether, *mana,* that you cannot see. [drinks water] Mind, everyone knows you have got mind, I have got mind, but you cannot see the mind, neither I can see your mind. Here is the subtle. First gross: *bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ,* up to ether. Ether also we cannot see, but we can understand here is ether by [claps] sound. As soon as there is sound, this is the understanding of ether. Ether, *vāyu,* you can touch, but you cannot see. Then fire, you can see. And then water, you can see also, and then earth—gross. From the finer, we are coming to the gross. Begins from the finer. So finer than the ether is the mind, and finer than the mind is intelligence, ego. And finer than the intelligence and ego is the soul. So how you can see soul? You cannot see even the material things, as soon it becomes finer. How you can see the soul? They cannot see, but soul is there. Therefore when the soul departs from the body we see the *bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhi-ahaṅkāra...* [*Bg* 7.4]. *Buddhi-ahaṅkāra.* The man, the dead man, is lying. The gross thing we are seeing, but the mind, intelligence, ego, which is carrying that soul, that we do not see. The how transmigration of the soul takes place, that we have no knowledge, poor fund of knowledge. We can simply think gross. *Jaḍa-darśana.* It is called *jaḍa-darśana.* Even there is no *sūkṣma-darśana.* Although there is mind, but we cannot see. Then how you can see the soul? So this is the defect of modern education. So what is beyond your perception, sense perception, that you have to hear. There are two kinds of knowledges: by practical experience, direct perception; and by hearing from authority, **aitihya*.* According to Vedic system, there are three kinds of evidences: direct, and... *Pratyakṣa... Pratyakṣa* means direct. And then *aitihya* and then **śruti.* Śruti. Śruti* means hearing from the authority. Just like here we see that there is mind. Everyone knows mind, but it is confirmed by the *śāstra* because we are hearing from Kṛṣṇa, which is called *śruti.* Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa says in the Second Chapter, > dehino 'smin yathā dehe > kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā > tathā dehāntara-prāptir > dhīras tatra na muhyati > [Bg 2.13] *Asmin dehe,* "Within this body, there is the proprietor of the body." That you have to learn by hearing. If you want to see immediately, "Let me see where it is in the...," oh, your so-called scientific research cannot help you. You have to learn it simply by hearing from the authority. This is called *śruti, śruti-pramāṇa. Śruti-pramāṇa,* evidence from *śruti.* So the Vedic knowledge is called *śruti.* You have to learn things beyond your perception simply by hearing from the authorities. So Vedic knowledge is the authority. Why we accept *Vedas* as authority? Because there is the perfect knowledge. I have discussed so many times the authority of the *Vedas*, accepting cow dung as pure although animal stool is impure. But *Vedas* accept that cow dung is pure; we accept it, "Cow dung is pure." This is called *śruti-pramāṇa. Śruti-pramāṇa* means the real knowledge, perfect knowledge, is coming from the supreme perfect, Kṛṣṇa. That perfect knowledge, after creation... Brahmā is the first created being, so Brahmā was instructed the *śruti,* perfect knowledge, by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the original spiritual master. *Vedānta-vid.* He says, Kṛṣṇa, in the *Bhagavad-gītā,* > sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo > mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca > vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo > veda-vid vedānta-kṛd ca aham > [Bg 15.15] So Vedic knowledge means the instruction given by Kṛṣṇa to the first living being, Lord Brahmā*.* *Janmādy asya yataḥ*.** From Kṛṣṇa everything is born, everything is emanated*.* He says in the *Bhagavad-gītā* that *ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate* [*Bg* 10*.*8]*.* Everything is coming from Him*.* So the first engineer of this universe, Lord Brahmā, he comes from Kṛṣṇa*.* Not directly Kṛṣṇa, but from Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu*.* There is *viṣṇu-tattva:* Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Catur-vyūha, Nārāyaṇa*.* Dvitīya-catur-vyūha: again Saṅkarṣaṇa; from Saṅkarṣaṇa, Mahā-Viṣṇu; Mahā-Viṣṇu to Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu; Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, then Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu; in this way*.* So Kṛṣṇa is the origin*.* Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ*.* Sarvasya means even this Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha, Pradyumna—everything*.* Then again the material world—Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara*.* Then from Brahmā so many demigods, in this way, this way*.* Therefore He is the ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ*.* This is the point*.* And the knowledge is also coming from Him*.* Knowledge is coming from Him*.* It is explained in the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, janmādy asya*: "The original person from whom everything is born," *yataḥ, anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ,* "He knows everything perfectly—indirectly and directly." *Anvayād itarataś ca abhijñaḥ.* And wherefrom He got the knowledge? Now, *svarāṭ.* That is His... God means *svarāṭ.* He hasn't got to get any knowledge from anyone else. Everyone gets knowledge from Him, but He hasn't got to take knowledge from anyone. *Svarāṭ,* independent. So the Brahmā, the first lord, first creature, living creature, so he got knowledge from Kṛṣṇa. *Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye*: "That Supreme Person gave the knowledge to the *ādi-kavi.*" *Ādi-kavi* means Lord Brahmā, the first learned man. So our Vedic conception of life, creation, is not like the Darwin, that his first creation... I do not know what is, but they think that they'll get knowledge from monkey. [chuckles] But we do not take knowledge from monkey. [laughter] Therefore we do not keep ourself in darkness. If you take knowledge from monkey, then you remain always like monkey. You cannot be advanced. But here it is... *Bhāgavata* says, *tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye:* we got knowledge directly from Kṛṣṇa, the most perfect. Therefore Brahmā is generated from Viṣṇu. So the first living creature, the perfect person within this material world who got instruction there, that is the beginning of creation. Beginning of creation is not crude or ignorance. Beginning of creation is first-class knowledge. That is the Vedic conception. So Kṛṣṇa says that how you are thinking of the material... Material scientists, they are studying earth. What is called? Soil expert, they are studying soil: "Where is mine? Where is gold? Where is coal? Where is this, that?" So many things they are studying. But they do not know wherefrom these things came. Here is... Kṛṣṇa explains that *bhinnā me prakṛti:* "This is My energy, My energy." How these different chemicals and earthly matters became manifested everyone is inquisitive, any thoughtful man. Here is the answer. Here is the answer, that, > bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ > khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca > ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me > bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā > [Bg 7.4] *Bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā.* Just like I am speaking, it is being recorded, recorded. But in my absence, if the record is played, it will exactly vibrate the same sound. So that is my energy or anyone's energy, but *bhinnā,* separated from me. You have to understand like that. So everything is energy of God, Kṛṣṇa, but this material world means we are missing Kṛṣṇa. Wherefrom this energy has come? That point we are missing. *Bhinnā.* One who knows... Just like the same example. In the record the play is going on, but one who does not know who has recorded this speech, he cannot find out. But one who knows voice, he can understand, "It is coming from Prabhupāda, or the Swāmījī." Similarly, the energy is there, but because we have forgotten the source of the energy or we do not know the source of the energy, therefore we take material things as final. This is our ignorance. This *prakṛti,* this material world, is composed of these things: *bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca.* So wherefrom this came? That Kṛṣṇa explains, that "They are My energies." Because we have to know, so... To understand Kṛṣṇa means one must know what is this earth, what is this water, what is this fire, what is this air, what is this sky, what is this mind, what is this ego. These material things, they should know that wherefrom these things came. They only theorize, that water is combination of some chemical, hydrogen, oxygen. But wherefrom the chemical came, hydrogen, oxygen, that they cannot answer. So therefore this is called *acintya-śakti. Acintya-śakti.* If you do not apply, if you refuse *acintya-śakti,* in God, *acintya-śakti,* inconceivable energy, then there is no God. *Acintya-śakti-sampannaḥ.* Now you can understand what is that *acintya-śakti*.* Acintya-śakti* you have got also, *acintya-śakti,* everyone, because we are part and parcel of God*.* Therefore minute*.**.**.* But we are*.**.**.* What is the ratio? The ratio is, it is said in the *śāstra*.**.**.** What is that? *Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca jīva-bhāgaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa cānantyāya kalpate* [*Cc Madhya* 19*.*140]*.* That keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya*.* Just giving an idea*.* What is that? The tip of the hair, just a small full stop, you divide this point into one hundred parts, and that one part again divide into one hundred parts*.* That is, mean, one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair*.* That is a full-stop–like*.* That is the magnitude of the *jīva,* spirit, spiritual spark, molecular parts, atomic parts*.* So keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca jīva-bhāgaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa anantyāya kalpate*.* So there is magnitude, but because in the material eyes we can see simply the gross thing, the subtle things we cannot understand*.* But from the *śāstra* you have to understand, from the *śruti*.** Then you'll understand*.* There is verse in the *Bhagavad-gītā, indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ manasas tu parā buddhiḥ* [Bg 3*.*42]*.* Just like here it is said mano buddhiḥ*.* Manasas ca parā buddhiḥ*.* Finer or superior than the mind is intelligence*.* That is*.**.**.* Another place it is also explained that gross thing means these senses*.* Indriyāṇi parāṇy āhuḥ*.* This is gross vision*.* I see a man means I see his body, his eyes, his ear, his hands and legs and everything*.* That is gross vision*.* But finer than these gross senses there is mind, which is controlling the senses*.* That you do not see*.* Indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ*.* Then mind is controlled by the intelligence*.* Manasas ca paro buddhiḥ*.* So you have to study like that. Simply like layman if you dismiss that "There is no God, there is no soul," this is simply rascaldom, simply rascaldom. Don't remain rascals. Here is **Bhagavad-gītā*.* Learn everything very particularly, very minutely. And it is open for everyone. Kṛṣṇa spoke *Bhagavad-gītā* to Arjuna not for Arjuna. He came for everyone, because He loves everyone. Everyone is son. > sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya > sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yāḥ > tāsāṁ mahad yonir brahma > ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā > [Bg 14.4] He is the seed-giving father. Don't take Kṛṣṇa as a foreigner or something else. No. He is your father, original father, seed-giving father. And the material nature is the mother. Just like father and mother, the father giving seeds, similarly, God gives the seeds, and the mother, material nature, gives the body. That you have got experience. The father gives the seed in the womb of the mother, and mother creates the body. Similarly, all living entities, they are coming from Kṛṣṇa. It is not possible to create by chemicals. That is not possible. But one who is not convinced, rascal, he tries to make chemical combination to create living beings. This is foolishness. So because we are learning knowledge from *śruti,* from the perfect person, we will never be convinced*.* We shall challenge, "You create, rascal, create first of all*.* Then talk*.* Otherwise I shall kick*.*" [laughter] This is our challenge*.* Because I know; we know very well that it will not be possible to create living being by combination of chemicals*.* He is talking nonsense*.* That is not possible*.* So we have to study from *śruti*.** Then we become learned*.* Then we can know what is our constitutional position*.* *Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati* [Bg 18*.*54]*.* Then he does not lament, and neither he aspires everything, because he knows everything is complete there, conducted by the Supreme Being*.* And the Supreme Being said, *mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram* [Bg 9*.*10]*.* So this is the understanding of knowledge*.* So you take it very seriously, study *Bhagavad-gītā* and learn everything nicely, become learned, and jñānavān*.* Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [Bg 7*.*19]*.* And just try to surrender to Kṛṣṇa*.* Then your life is successful*.* Thank you very much. Book Excerpt: Aspects of the Absolute Truth *Srila Jiva Gosvami discusses Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan in this selection from his Tattva-sandarbha, or “Treatise on Truth.”* *Though conceived of in various ways, ultimately the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person who shares intimate loving exchanges with the best of His devotees.* Here we present an excerpt from the upcoming Bhaktivedanta Book Trust edition of Srila Jiva Gosvami’s *Sri *Tattva-sandarbha**. Jiva Gosvami was one of the famed Six Gosvamis, leading contemporary followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. *Sri *Tattva-sandarbha** is the first of six *sandarbhas* (treatises) explaining the philosophy of Gaudiya Vaisnavism, or devotion to Krsna in Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s line. The translator is Gopiparanadhana Dasa, whose commentary closely follows the early eighteenth-century commentary of Srila Baladeva Vidyabhūsana. The book includes a supplement called *Sarva-samvadini*, mentioned in this excerpt. We begin here with the last of the opening *mangalacarana*, or “prayers for auspiciousness.” *TEXT 8* > yasya brahmeti samjham kvacid api nigame yati cin-matra-sattapy amso yasya-msakaih svair vibhavati vasayann eva may am pumams ca ekam yasyaiva rūpam vilasati parama-vyomni narayanakhyam sa sri-krsno vidhattam svayam iha bhagavan prema tat-pada-bhajam In the abstract feature of pure spiritual existence, the Supreme sometimes indeed goes in the Vedic texts by the name Brahman. In the partial expansion as the Lord of creation, that Supreme regulates the maya potency of material nature and exerts His control through further personal expansions. By the single manifestation of His personality called Narayana, that Supreme rules sovereign in the transcendental sky, beyond this universe. May that same Supreme, Sri Krsna, the original Godhead, be pleased to grant pure love to those in the world who worship His feet. *COMMENTARY* This verse concludes the *mangalacarana*. It praises Lord Krsna, wishes the blessing of love of God on His devotees, and also leads into the main discussion of *Sri Bhagavata-sandarbha*, since the revelation of Krsna and His energies constitutes the whole substance of *Srimad-Bhagavatam*. Everything alluded to in this verse will be elaborated in great detail throughout the six *Sandarbhas*, especially the fourth, *Sri Krsna-sandarbha*. This verse, in its first three lines, mentions three different aspects of the same Absolute Truth, realized by various seekers, and in the fourth line it identifies them all as manifestations of the original Godhead, Sri Krsna. The Absolute Truth, abstracted from His personality, is sometimes understood as the perfect source of all existence, one without a second. This view, taught in the Vedic *Upanisads*, appeals to philosophers who prefer the truth to remain impersonal. The same Supreme is conceived as nothing more than the creator of this world by those who cannot imagine God as having more important business of His own. And the same Supreme, as Lord Narayana (Visnu) in the infinite spiritual world, is the object of worship for devotees in awe of His supremacy. Ultimately, however, the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person who shares intimate loving exchanges with the best of His devotees, accepting roles in which He is equal and even subordinate to them. Only devotees who have taken shelter of Him in His original, most confidential form can experience such pure love. Technically, love of God in official reverence can also be called pure, but that quality of love is not of the same transcendental order of perfection. Fear of God as the creator and judge of this world is only peripherally spiritual. And when the personality of the Supreme is relativized altogether, His essence reduced to something nameless and formless, there can no longer be any real relationship with Him at all. When one perceives the Absolute Truth vaguely, having approached Him too distantly to discern His distinctive qualities—His transcendental bodily form and His personal character and powers—one identifies Him impersonally as the perfect existence of pure consciousness taught in the *Upanisads*, the special portion of the *Vedas* that are their philosophical culmination (*Vedanta*). In the *Upanisads* (*Taittiriy*a 2.1, *Katha* 6.13) we find such statements as *satyam jnanam anantam brahma* (“The Absolute Truth is real existence and consciousness, unlimited”) and *astaty* *evopalabdhavyah* (“One can know it only to the extent of saying ‘It exists.’”). In this way the *Vedas* provide an impersonal understanding of the Supreme. Those empowered with the vision of pure devotion, however, can also perceive in the statements of the **Upanisad*s* the personality of the Supreme. In fact the **Upanisad*s* enumerate many qualities of the Absolute Truth that it could not have if it were purely impersonal. The *Taittiriya* *Upanisad*, for example, follows the above utterance that *Brahman* is “real existence and consciousness, unlimited” with a detailed description of *Brahman* as *ananda-maya* (ecstatic) and as *rasa* (the taste of personal reciprocations). Raso vai sah, *rasa*m hy evayam labdhvananda bhavati: “He is the reservoir of pleasure, and one who realizes Him as *rasa* also becomes ecstatic.” (*Taittiriya* *Upanisad* 2.7) *God as the creator of this world is called the Purusa or Puman.* He appears as an expanded form of Krsna named Karanodakasayi Visnu, the Personality of Godhead who sleeps on the snake-bed of Ananta Sesa in the spiritual Causal Ocean. This Visnu is the Lord of maya, material nature, and He exerts His absolute control over her simply by glancing at her once. That glance agitates *maya’s* equilibrium and causes her to give birth to the millions of egglike material universes. Into each of these universal eggs, Lord Visnu enters as His further expansion Garbhodakasayi Visnu, who in as many forms as there are universes lies down in the water that fills the bottom half of the universe and who then directs the subsequent evolution of creation. In each universe, Garbhodaka-sayi Visnu also exhibits various pastime incarnations—Lord Matsya, Lord Varaha, and many others—who appear through Himself. And thus, as Srila Jiva Gosvami says, the Lord “regulates the maya potency of material nature and exerts His control through further personal expansions” (*amsakaih svair vibhavati vasayann eva mayam*). Lord Narayana is the principal expansion of Krsna who in the infinite realm of Vaikuntha rules with inconceivable splendor (*vilasati*). Because Lord Narayana, although in essence not less than completely God, does not display all of Krsna’s attributes, Lord Narayana is technically called a vilasa expansion of Krsna, the original Godhead. Sri Jiva Gosvami hints at this by using the verb *vilasati*. Vaikuntha lies beyond the boundaries of material creation; it is the transcendental sky, the perfect, eternal world inhabited by the Supreme Lord, His consorts, and His pure devotees. All the residents of Vaikuntha—both those who never fall to this world and those who have recovered their spiritual status—receive the Lord’s mercy, enjoying opulence equal to His and full facility to serve Him in personal loving relationships. God is one. And according to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that one God is Krsna, the cowherd boy of Vrndavana, who chooses to expand Himself unlimitedly and still remain the same one Supreme Person, just to increase His own pleasure. *Srimad-Bhagavatam* (1.3.28) designates this original Godhead as *svayam bhagavan*: *ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam* “All the expanded incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Sri Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead.” As Srila Jiva Gosvami will demonstrate in *Sri Bhagavata-sandarbha*, *Srimad-Bhagavatam* recommends with great emphasis—repeatedly and unequivocally—that all success in human life is achieved by coming to Krsna consciousness, which is best cultivated by the easy process of hearing and chanting Krsna’s glories. Because the practice of Krsna consciousness pleases the Supreme Lord, He gradually frees His devotees from material entanglement and awakens within their hearts their dormant love for Him. Srila Jiva Gosvami further explains text 8 in the *Sarva-samvadini*, which can be found on page 254. *TEXT 9* > athaivam sūcitanam sri-krsna-tad-vacya-vacakata-laksana-sambandhatad-bhajana-laksana-vidheya- > saparyayabhidheya-tat-prema-laksanaprayojanakhyanam arthanam nirnayaya > tavat pramanam nirnayate. tatra purusasya bhramadi-dosa-catustaya-dustatvat > sutaram alaukikacintya-svabhava-vastu-sparsayogyatvac ca tat-pratyaksadany api sa-dosani. This verse has alluded to various topics: Sri Krsna; and then *sambandha*, or the relation between Him and the words that describe Him; and then what we are enjoined to do, or in other words *abhidheya*, the recommended practice of worshiping Him; and finally *prayojana*, the goal, or love for Him. But before we can elucidate these topics we must first settle the question of *pramana*, the reliable means of ascertaining facts. In that regard, since an ordinary person is tainted by four faults, beginning with incorrect judgment, and especially because his faculties such as sensory perception are inadequate for establishing contact with a reality whose nature is supermundane and inconceivable, those faculties are faulty. *COMMENTARY* After invoking auspiciousness in the *mangala-carana*, the author of a scholarly work in the *brahminical* tradition is next expected to justify his work by stating how it fulfills the “four prerequisites” (*anubandha-catustaya*). *Vedanta* philosophers formulate these requirements as *visaya*, *sambandha*, *abhi-dheya*, and *prayojana*. The author should first demonstrate that his book has a specific, well-defined topic (*visaya*). Then, to convince the readers that his book will deal with the subject adequately, he should show the connection (*sambandha*) between the topic that needs to be described (*vacya*) and the words he proposes will do this (*vacaka*). He should also indicate the practical method (*abhidheya*) that he will provide to enable the readers to realize the subject. And finally he should define the higher purpose (*prayo-jana*) to be achieved by this realization. In Vedantic contexts the word *sambandha* is also used to indicate one’s relationship with God, but that is not how the word is used here. Here it indicates the connection between a description and that which is described. In text 8 the *visaya* mentioned is Sri Krsna, in His original form and His selfsame expansions. The *sambandha* is hinted at by the statement that the *Vedas* reveal Him in His impersonal aspect. The *abhi-dheya* is indicated by the reference to “those who worship His feet.” And the *prayojana* is suggested by saying “May He be pleased to grant them pure love.” Systematic thought in India is called *darsana* (vision), a word with different connotations than the Greek term *philosophica* (love of knowledge). Indian philosophy is generally intended for those who in one way or another are determined to achieve the full potential of life. Philosophy is meant to be practiced with the definite aim of self-realization. Therefore a serious work in any school of *darsana* should not only describe its topic theoretically but also relate it to the reader’s self-realization under the headings of *abhidheya* and *prayo-jana*. This implies that an author claiming to be an authority on *darsana* should be fully realized himself, at least within the scope of his topic. After all, he is responsible for teaching his readers the effective means for achieving an important goal in life. And how can he be relied upon if he is only speculating about his subject? In this first prose *anuccheda* (section) of *Sri* **Bhagavata*-sandarbha*, *Sri*la Jiva Gosvami points out that the preceding verse has already stated the four prerequisites. *Sri* Krsna is the subject of the **Bhagavata*m* and of the *Sandarbhas*. The **Bhagavata*m* is fully capable of describing Krsna, His personality, and His expanded energies, and the *Sandarbhas* will be an exposition on the **Bhagavata*m* by an experienced and authorized representative of a *Bhagavata* school whose eminent members include Madhva Muni and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In the preceding verse, Srila Jiva’s words “that same Krsna” (*sa krsnah*) and “the Supreme Personality of Godhead” (*bhagavan iha svayam*) concisely express that Krsna, as portrayed in *Srimad-Bhagavatam*, is Himself the Absolute Truth in all its aspects, personal and impersonal, complete and partial. In the same final line of the verse, the phrase “for those who worship His feet” (*tat-pada-bhajam*) describes in essence the recommended means for realizing Sri Krsna: the standard method of *bhakti-yoga*, devotional service, which begins with hearing and chanting about Him. The word *prema* identifies the final goal achieved by *bhakti-yoga*: transcendental love for Krsna, in which a devotee enjoys his own personal relationship with the Lord, forever. The overall plan of the *Sandarbhas* is as follows: The first, **Sri* Tattva-sandarbha*, will establish the *sambandha* in general terms by proving *Sri*la Jiva Gosvami’s thesis that **Sri*mad-*Bhagavata*m* is the most appropriate source of spiritual knowledge in Kali-yuga and that it thoroughly describes the Absolute Truth. The next three—the *Bhagavata*-, *Paramatma*-, and *Krsna-sandarbhas*—will elaborate on the *sambandha* through explanations given in **Sri*mad-*Bhagavata*m* about the special character of the Personality of Godhead, His relations with His manifold energies, and His most essential identity as *Sri* Krsna. The fifth, *Sri* *Bhakti-sandarbha*, will present the methods of devotional practice through statements from **Sri*mad-*Bhagavata*m*. And the sixth, *Sri* *Priti-sandarbha*, will discuss pure love of God according to the *Bhagavata*m. But “before we can elucidate these topics we must first settle the question of **prama*na*, the reliable means of ascertaining facts.” We need to determine how, in general, human beings can arrive at a correct understanding of things. *Pramana*, as defined in the episte-mology of the *Nyaya* *darsana,* means **prama*-karana*, “an instrumental cause of valid knowledge” (*Nyaya*-bhasa 5). “Valid knowledge” (*prama*) is further defined as *yathartha-nubhava,* “perception that agrees with the reality” (*Nyaya*-bhasa 7). *Vaisnava* *acaryas* accept the *Nyaya* theory of **prama*na* with some modifications, but the *Nyaya* theory is not the only one; each school of thought in India has its own conception of *prama* and **prama*na*—what true knowledge is, to what extent it can be achieved, and how. Buddhist logicians, for example, prefer to define true knowledge in ways other than by correspondence to real things because they deny that “things” exist at all; they do not accept any reality extending in time and space beyond the raw phenomena of each separate moment. Buddhists instead define truth in terms of capacity to inspire purposeful activity and in terms of consistency. *Avisamvadakam* *jnanam samyag jnanam*: “True knowledge is knowledge that creates no contradiction.” (*Nyaya*-bindu 1) *Sri Bhagavata-sandarbha* aims at the highest kind of knowledge obtainable: personal realization of the Absolute Truth. In the present anuccheda Sri Jiva Gosvami emphatically asserts that for this lofty purpose all *pramanas* are unreliable in the hands of imperfect humans. Every person in this world tends to make four kinds of mistakes in perceptive judgment: *bhrama*, confusing one thing for another, as when one sees a tree at dusk and thinks it a man; *pramada*, inattentiveness due to a distracted mind, as when one fails to notice that someone close by is singing a song; *vipra-lipsa*, the desire to deceive others, as when a teacher conceals from his students something he knows; and *karanapatava*, weakness of the senses, as when a person, even with a focused mind, is unable to discern some object. Because of these natural faults, no mortal can be perfectly reasonable on his own strength, no matter how diligently he tries. To err is human. *Dharma*, the eternal principles of human responsibility, stood originally like a mighty bull with four legs—mercy, cleanliness, truthfulness, and self-control. Each *yuga* in the cycle of four has seen a loss of one of these legs of *dharma*, with only one leg remaining in Kali-*yuga*: respect for truth. In our materialistic age, science provides the predominant belief system. We tend to trust that the scientific community, by their collective endeavor, will progressively master nature and bring us enduring and ever-improving happiness. And we often assume that truths given us by science are firm and beyond question. But such faith is naive, for the inductive scientific method, like every other human *pramana*, is prone to error. The ordinary means of acquiring knowledge are especially inadequate for learning about the Absolute Truth, which is not a measurable thing of this world and which refuses to reveal itself to speculators and skeptics. Although physical scientists may claim to know the basic laws of nature, these laws, consisting of knowledge of how mechanical forces interact and how we can manipulate them for our own aims, provide only relative truth. This understanding of things is not complete; complete understanding requires that we know not only how to use things but also what their ultimate causes and purposes are. Though the laws of physics tell us how to measure and predict the physical forces among objects, they say nothing about what or who first brought these forces into being and why these forces and objects exist. A basic premise of spiritual science is that underlying all existence is a unity, an Absolute Truth (*tattva*), and that everything thus has definite causes and purposes. Human intelligence that ignores this premise remains poor. In the *Sarva-samvadini* (page 245) Srila Jiva Gosvami discusses the ten means of knowing recognized in the various schools of Indian philosophy. In that discussion he demonstrates that knowledge derived from aural reception of revealed scripture is the most reliable. Give to Live By Karnamrta Dasa *Why bhakti-yoga is all about giving* HOW COULD I EXPLAIN to someone in a moment about my path of *bhakti-yoga*, or Krsna consciousness? Sometimes people casually ask what I believe in, looking for a nutshell understanding, perhaps so they will know how to categorize me. I wish people would understand that there is only one divine system in the universe, known by innumerable names and represented by many religions. Still I try my best to look for ways to share the similarities while celebrating the differences. Besides all its more esoteric ideas and philosophy, the path I follow, Gaudiya Vaisnavism, or *bhakti-yoga*, embodies universal truths that most religious and spiritual people accept. For instance, the idea that we are better situated when giving or in the consciousness of giving than when “on the take” is a universal truth people of all religions understand. Additionally, people understand that giving is getting, or that giving nourishes and benefits the giver. When we give, our soul expands or wakes up, but when we take selfishly, our soul contracts or becomes more covered. In a broad sense Krsna consciousness is all about learning how to give, rather than just take. So people should be encouraged to begin the process of giving—somewhere, somehow. Giving to God and saintly persons is the highest giving, because then we receive the true benefit of giving, yet everyone should be encouraged to give according to their realization. The material world is the plane of exploitation, while the spiritual world is the land of total giving in the fullness of spiritual love. In the highest love of spiritual giving, there is no material calculation, only the complete expression of one’s natural propensity to express love by giving one’s total being. The goal of *bhakti* is to revive this spiritually innate love for Krsna and for everything in relationship to Him. The Gita recommends different levels of giving according to one’s consciousness. But everyone should understand the ultimate purpose of giving: to please God, or Krsna, and realize our eternal nature as a servant who cooperates with Him, our source, and gives to Him. The results of our giving vary according to where and to whom our motivation inspires us to give. Yet regardless of our understanding, we should learn to give as a way of life. One size doesn’t fit all. But the principle of giving does. For example, everyone can give something to benefit humanity, living beings in general, the environment, and so on. Giving or sacrificing our wealth for a good cause is beneficial and purifying. In the fourth chapter of the *Gita* (4.31), after describing many types of sacrifice, Krsna says, “Without sacrifice [giving] one can never live happily on this planet or in this life: what then of the next?” Krsna says in the tenth chapter (10.25) that of the many kinds of recommended sacrifices or types of giving, He is the chanting of *japa*, or the soft chanting of the Hare Krsna *mantra* on beads. In addition to *japa*, Lord Caitanya came to bring us the holy name in group chanting, or *sankirtana*. Thus any way we chant the holy name is a supreme form of giving, benefiting us and anyone who hears the holy name. This is the power of the name of God. Krsna is mercifully present in His holy name, and anyone who hears it is supremely benefited. Understanding this will come with experience and education. It requires some adjustments in our conceptions and thinking. *The Most Worthy Recipient of Giving* When we understand our true nature as givers, we should look for a recipient to whom we can give unlimitedly. Only God can accept unlimitedly and reward us in a way that fully satisfies us. The ultimate giving is to give our soul to Krsna in love. We are already His, but in material consciousness we are serving, or giving to, the body, mind, and senses. This selfish giving entangles us. When we begin giving back to Krsna, we begin to understand our nature as souls and our real self-interest as serving Him. What kind of giving, or service to Krsna, does He most glorify in the *Bhagavad-gita*? Toward the end of the book Krsna says that anyone who explains the most confidential secret of Krsna consciousness will obtain pure devotional service and return to Him. Furthermore, Krsna proclaims, “There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” (*Bhagavad-gita* 18.69) These words should inspire us to fully embrace the idea that to give is to live serving, or giving to, the body, mind, and senses. This selfish giving entangles us. When we begin giving back to Krsna, we begin to understand our nature as souls and our real self-interest as serving Him. What kind of giving, or service to Krsna, does He most glorify in the *Bhagavad-gita*? Toward the end of the book Krsna says that anyone who explains the most confidential secret of Krsna consciousness will obtain pure devotional service and return to Him. Furthermore, Krsna proclaims, “There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” (*Bhagavad-gita* 18.69) These words should inspire us to fully embrace the idea that to give is to live. *The Role of Intention* We should think deeply about how giving is the basis of life and will determine our future in this life and the next. If we withhold our giving from where it should be given, then we are giving to our illusion, laziness, negative judgment, or selfishness. Giving involves the use of our body, but it also includes our emotions—love, hate, envy, anger, compassion, and so on. The results we obtain in giving are determined by our intention, as well as the three modes of material nature, as explained in the fourteenth chapter of the *Bhagavad-gita*. Our intention in giving as devotees of Krsna should be to best benefit everyone. We can analyze our intentions when giving to Krsna and ask ourselves how much are we giving and withholding. We can apply this consideration to our sacrifice of chanting the holy name: Am I giving my attention to Krsna’s name, or to my attachments or thoughts about the day? As souls, our nature is to give to Krsna, just as a part of the body serves the whole body. When we give to Krsna and love Him, we benefit all souls, who are part of Him. And when we give to other souls and love them, we see this exchange in relationship to Krsna, who is within them. Everyone gives something, sometimes, but as aspiring devotees we have to become conscious givers. *Meditation on Giving* I have found that to think of giving as the nature of the soul is a powerful meditation: “I am a giver. My life is a treasure. I use my wealth to give. Each day provides an opportunity to share what I have been given. Moment by moment let me ask myself: ‘What am I giving? Where am I giving? To whom am I giving? What is my motive in giving?’” An example of this meditation for chanting might be the following: “I am chanting my daily *japa* of the Hare Krsna *mantra*. What am I giving? I am giving my time, attention, and prayers for perfection and love. I am giving my attempt to love. “When am I giving? I am giving at each moment of the present. “Where am I giving? I am giving in my mind, in my heart, and in this room through my voice. “To whom am I giving? I am giving to Radha and Krsna through Their holy names, to the Supersoul in my body and within all things, and to my personal deities. “Why am I giving? I am giving to please Radha and Krsna, to become purified of my material consciousness, to revive my eternal nature as a loving servant of Krsna. I am giving out of duty to serve my *guru*, Lord Caitanya, and all the devotees. I am giving as worship and as a prayer for perfection.” *Karnamrta Dasa, initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1970, has trained in many energy-healing methods. He often works with his wife, Arcana Siddhi Devi Dasi, in putting on workshops for personal and spiritual growth. They live in the devotee community of Prabhupada Village in rural North Carolina. His book* Give to Live*, from which this article was adapted, came from some of his blogs on Krishna.com (http:// www.krishna.com/blogs/karnamrita-das). The book is available from the Krishna.com Store.* e-Krishna www.bbtmedia.com: Digital books, or ebooks, are electronic copies of books that can be read on computers, on tablets such as Apple’s iPad, and on smart-phones. The ebook format continues to rise in popularity, and in some categories ebooks outsell paper books. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) has recognized the importance of the electronic book in the future of the publishing industry and has now made available high-quality digital versions of Srila Prabhupada’s books in a range of digital formats that allow them to be read on different devices. The digital books are available for download on the www.bbtmedia.com website. To access the new BBT site, just sign in and create an account with a user name and password. This allows the BBT to provide better security and also lets them inform you when new books become available. The range of books at bbtmedia.com is amazing. You can download the entire *Sri Caitanya-caritamrta* in three volumes: *Adi-lila*, *Madhya-lila*, and *Antya-lila*. You can also download the entire *Srimad-Bhagavatam* in twelve volumes, one for each canto. Also available are *Bhagavad-gita* *As It Is*, *Krsna: The Supreme Personality of Godhead*, *Sri Isopanisad*, *The Journey of Self-Discovery*, *The Nectar of Devotion*, *The Nectar of Instruction*, *The Science of Self-Realization, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Teachings of Lord Kapila, Teachings of Queen Kunti, Bhakti: The Art of Eternal Love, Krsna Consciousness: The Topmost Yoga System*, and *Veda: Secrets from the East*, a new compilation of Srila Prabhupada’s talks. All of these books are available in English, and some of them are available in Lithuanian, Finnish, Hungarian, Slovene, and German. Other languages will become available over time. If you sign in and create an account, you will receive notice of new books and new languages. When you log in to bbtmedia.com you can see the list of formats available for download. You can get books for Apple’s iPhone, iPod, and iPad, and the Sony Reader, the Nook reader, and the Kindle. Clicking on a device type on the menu bar will reveal the books for your device. Clicking on a book will open a page with the book’s description and a download button. The BBT wishes to offer its ebooks free to the devotee community. To support this effort, the ebooks are available to the public through the Apple iTunes store and on Amazon.com. —Antony Brennan Srila Prabhupada Speaks Out Science: False Propaganda *The following conversation between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and some of his disciples took place in July 1975 on an early-morning walk in San Francisco.* Disciple: Srila Prabhupada, one of the scientists who invented the hydrogen bomb was lamenting recently that young people are not so interested in science anymore. Srila Prabhupada: Yes. The scientists cannot solve the problems of birth and death. So the young people are becoming saner. “What is the use of wasting our time in this way?” they think. “Science cannot solve any real problems.” That is good sense. Is this professor still alive? Disciple: Yes, he’s still living. Srila Prabhupada: So ask him to invent some bomb that will prevent death. Tell him, “People are already dying, and you have invented something to make them die wholesale. Now invent something that people can take so they’ll never have to die. Can you do that? No? Then we are no longer interested in your science.” Go to this professor and tell him, “You are regretting that we young men are no longer interested in science. This is the reason: Since when we die everything will be finished, what is the use of studying your science? You have not improved anything. The animals are taking birth and dying, and we are also taking birth and dying. What is the essential difference? So your science is all false propaganda. We are no longer interested.” Disciple: In Los Angeles you said that in twenty-five years science will be finished. Srila Prabhupada: Yes, it is already finished. Their so-called religion is also finished, and their so-called politics is also finished. Because they have finished with God, everything of theirs will soon be finished—zero, only zero. Disciple: The whole of human civilization, Srila Prabhupada? Srila Prabhupada: Where is that civilization? The mother is killing the child in the womb. Is that civilization? Where is their civilization? It is a less-than-doggish civilization. Dogs will not kill their offspring. Nonsense rascals! They are encouraging the mother to kill the child in the womb, and they're claiming this is a civilization. They are less than dogs and cats. The dogs and cats try to protect their young. Do you know that? The cats carry their kittens from one place to another so that the male cat may not kill them. The tigers also give protection to their young. Disciple: Even the rats do that. Srila Prabhupada: Yes, a mother's affection for her child is natural. But now the so-called civilized mothers are killing their children. This is your civilization. And this is your religion, your science, your philosophy—everything. This "civilization" is finished unless people take to Krsna consciousness. [Pointing to pinecones on the ground] What are these? Disciple: These are pinecones, Srila Prabhupada. They are the seeds of the pine tree. Srila Prabhupada: Let's see the scientists produce one seed like that. Where is the scientist who can do that? Millions of living beings are born every second, yet they are trying for years together to manufacture one living being in the laboratory and take credit for creating life. What is their credit, even if they succeed? Already millions and trillions of living beings are being born every day. These scientists who try to create life are fools, and the people they are fooling are also fools. Disciple: They say they can explain creation without God. They say everything has come from Mother Nature. Srila Prabhupada: But without a father, can a woman give birth? Where is the father? Ask these rascal scientists this question. Disciple: Sometimes they say that God is now dead. Srila Prabhupada: But even if a man's father is dead, that does not mean the man has taken birth without a father. That you cannot say. The father may be dead—that we'll discuss at a later date. But first you have to accept that a woman cannot give birth without a father. Who is that father? Disciple: Nature has created everything on her own. Originally things began by some chance combination of atoms and molecules. Srila Prabhupada: Anyone who says this creation began by chance is a rascal. Nothing takes place by chance. The answer is in the *Bhagavad-gita*, where Krsna says, *bijam mam sarva-bhūtanam*: "I am the original seed of all existences." Challenge these rascals. They're cheating so many people. Disciple: Now the scientists are studying the atom, Srila Prabhupada, and they agree. Srila Prabhupada: First of all let us know what good they have actually done. They are proposing so much nonsense—that nature is working independently, that human beings have descended from the apes—but have they released us from the clutches of the material nature? Even if you accept that there is no God and that nature is supreme, you are still subordinate. You are not independent. This is also explained in the *Bhagavad-gita* (3.27): "Everything is going on by the control of Krsna's material energy, but those who are fools and rascals think that they are independently doing everything." Why are you thinking you are independent? The material nature is pulling you by the ear: "Come here!" You cannot say, "I will not become an old man. I'll not die." You must become old and die. Even if you accept only the existence of nature but not God, you still must accept nature's authority. Where is your independence? Disciple: That is why they're engaged in science—to master nature. Srila Prabhupada: That is another foolishness. And we shall be misled by these rascals? They promise everything for the future. "Yes, in the future we'll do this. In the future we'll do that." Postdated check. "I'll give you a million-dollar check dated six months from now. Take it." Only the fool will be satisfied: "Now I am rich." Disciple: So the check from the sci-entist returns stamped "Insufficient Funds." Srila Prabhupada: Not "Insufficient Funds"—"No Funds." Disciple: Account closed. Prabhupāda: Yes. Happiness Without Distress *In a material conception of life, happiness has practically no meaning without sadness.* Is pure, unending, ever-increasing, ever-interesting happiness possible? By Urmila Devi Dasi CAN WE FIND happiness in this world? For most of us, what we call happiness is the temporary lessening of distress or sadness. Prabhupada explains: "By temporarily stopping the cause of suffering, we are thinking that we are enjoying." (Lecture, Tokyo, January 27, 1975) In a material conception of life, happiness has practically no meaning without sadness. "This material world," Prabhupada writes, "is the world of duality, and we cannot understand happiness without distress or distress without happiness. This is therefore called the relative world." (*Teachings of Lord Kapila*, Chapter 7, Text 13) All that we term happiness, therefore, depends on prior suffering. We enjoy eating because we feel the pain of hunger; without any hunger or appetite, eating will bring us no pleasure, no matter how tasty and well prepared the food. We find pleasure in sleep due to the distress of fatigue; a child who isn't tired rebels against going to bed. Sex is pleasurable because it temporarily extinguishes the burning of sexual desire. We enjoy the company of others to counter our own boredom or loneliness. Another characteristic of pleasure in this world is that it diminishes with experience. The great sage Narada explains that material happiness is like a flower that is attractive when fresh but disgusting when rotting (*Srimad-Bhagavatam* 4.29.54). He says that all objects of material happiness become stale (4.28.9). As Prabhupada puts it, "Material subject matter becomes stale, and one cannot hear a certain subject for a long time; he wants change." (*Krsna*, Chapter 13) If we eat our favorite food—say, pizza—for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, in a few days, or certainly weeks, we'll not only stop getting happiness from pizza, but we'll abhor it. Someone constantly surrounded by good friends will gradually stop enjoying their company and desire some time alone. All material pleasures, therefore, demand that we take a break from them occasionally so we can continue to enjoy them. Prabhupada explains: "Material engagement means accepting a particular status for some time and then changing it. This position of changing back and forth is technically known as *bhoga-tyaga*, a position of alternating sense enjoyment and renunciation. A living entity cannot steadily remain either in sense enjoyment or in renunciation." (*The Nectar of Devotion*, Preface) Our patterns of work and vacation, eating and not eating, and so forth, display this cycle of enjoyment and renunciation. No pleasurable activity will always give the same happiness, so there must be times of abstention to revive the original thrill. And even with breaks, the pleasure tends to diminish over time. *Innate Desire for True Happiness* Our desire for happiness not based on suffering or periodic renunciation indicates that such happiness may exist. We write and sing and dream of a happiness that will go on forever, increasing in intensity and pleasure, with no concomitant suffering at all. Our love songs are full of promises of eternal bliss that grows by the hour, and we imagine that as we progress through life gathering education, family, money, things, and accomplishments, our sense of satisfaction and happiness will grow. If never-ending, ever-increasing happiness doesn't exist, why do we look for it? The answer is that we are not of this world, but rather, as Lord Krsna explains in the second chapter of the *Gita*, are eternal spiritual beings unnaturally encased in a body of matter in a world of matter. The saint Rupa Gosvami explains that our spiritual heritage includes varieties of loving exchange with God. These exchanges are full of ever-expanding ecstasy, and they go on forever without a tinge of suffering. We seek and glorify the state where such exchanges exist because they are part of our nature. Just as a forest-dwelling animal in a desert craves shade and water, so we spiritual beings crave our birthright happiness in this land that conspicuously lacks it. *Is True Happiness a Myth?* Of course, the experience of fleeting happiness dependent on sadness persuades some people that all types of happiness must be boring and dull if they don't include periods of either lack or distress. They cannot imagine, however much they may want it on some level, that a perpetually happy world could exist or be interesting. They consider spiritual happiness either a myth or something dull. Many saintly persons, however, such as Sanatana Gosvami and Rupa Gosvami, describe spiritual happiness as dynamic and variegated. This happiness is based on an individual loving relationship with a personal yet unlimited Lord, Sri Krsna, who reciprocates with each devotee in an inexhaustible array of ways, in an endless variety of transcendent activities. Sanatana Gosvami writes in his commentary on the Tenth Canto, Chapter 13, of the *Srimad-Bhagavatam* that Krsna has innumerable qualities and a particular quality of the Lord attracts each of the innumerable souls. *Variety in Spiritual Happiness* In *Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu* Rupa Gosvami describes some types of spiritual bliss that look like suffering—fear, grief, anxiety, and so on. Because of the apparent similarity between these advanced stages of ecstasy and ordinary suffering, we may misunderstand many of the most elevated activities of the Lord and His devotees. By examining ways people try to be happy in material life, however, we can understand how normally disagreeable things are pleasurable in the context of loving exchanges with God. For example, people pay for movies and books that frighten, anger, or even horrify them, finding some pleasure in these sensations. However misguided and unfortunate the search for happiness that drives one to see a ghastly horror movie, the point is that even materialistic people seek happiness in a great diversity of ways. Why should spiritual happiness be devoid of such variety? Because the material world is a reflection or shadow of the spiritual world, spiritual happiness has far more permutations and nuances than material happiness. These dynamically increase the thrill of those who love God. Indeed, love of Krsna, even in this world, can bring us to a life the *Gita* describes as a thrill at every moment, with no trace of sadness. *Urmila Devi Dasi, a BTG associate editor, has a Ph.D. in educational leadership from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.* Dr. Best Learn to Read*, her three-part series to teach reading to children, is available at the Krishna.com Store* The Krishna-Avanti School *Welcome to England's first state-funded Krsna-centered school, a state-of-the-art learning environment that nurtures Vaisnava values.* By Tattvavit Dasa and Urmila Devi Dasi In many parts of the world, parents must choose between free secular education and expensive religious-based schools. But now in Britain, as in Australia and New Zealand, the government meets the operating costs of schools run by all religious institutions (as a result of funding increases over the last fifty years, and a widening of the policy, 1997, to include faiths other than Christians and Jews). This program allows children to learn regular school subjects in a cultural environment where the etiquette and some of the infrastructure are faith-based, without parents having to pay school fees on top of taxes. About seven thousand—almost a third—of England's schools are church or faith schools, yet until recently the followers of the sacred Vedic texts lacked a state-funded school. The run-up to one started in 2005. That year, the iFoundation, established by a few congregation members of Bhaktivedanta Manor in 2003 to create enterprises that embody and promote Vaisnava values, won approval for a primary school that would have ISKCON, the Hare Krsna movement, as its faith partner. The iFoundation's first four directors were Nitesh Gor (Navina Krsna Dasa), Prashun Popat, Pradyumna Dasa, and Upendra Kalan. The resulting school, built in Edgware, a town in the northwest London borough of Harrow, is named Krishna-Avanti. The state contributed the majority of the construction costs; the rest came from voluntary aid. Completing the school reached a dramatic high point when a last-minute loss of private funding jeopardized the project, which required four million dollars (£2.5m) in voluntary aid. The iFoundation sought the assistance and guidance of the experienced iFoundation directors more appreciative of the great surrender, sacrifice, enterprise, and achievements of Srila Prabhupada and his disciples. In 2011, a second Krishna-Avanti primary school opened in Leicester. Soon a primary school will open in Redbridge and an "all-through" (primary and secondary) school in Harrow. That ISKCON is the faith partner for Britain's first Hindu schools means that the British government and the Hindu community recognize the spiritual path of loving devotional service to Krsna, which the ISKCON devotees teach, as an essential and authentic branch of Vaisnavism, the largest of several primary traditions that make up Hinduism. What does the school's faith-based character mean for children? Naturally, the soul's eternal occupation of service, called *sanatana-dharma* in Sanskrit, is a fundamental feature of the school day. At the center of the new school building stands a temple built according to a Vedic architectural system, scaled down to three-quarters size for the children. The school day starts with *kirtana* as the children observe Krsna and His brother, Balarama, on the altar. Krsna and Balarama attended school together long ago in Avanti (present-day Ujjain, India). The name Krishna-Avanti, which can be translated as "Krsna in Avanti," is meant to inspire fondness for God and education. The temple is made of Makrana marble, the same material used on the Taj Mahal. Two hundred Indians in the town of Makrana, Rajasthan, carved the marble before it was shipped to Edgware. The temple's central location in the school led to huge challenges during the construction. Delays in India and the lack of suitable stone masons in the UK posed a logistical nightmare. The iFoundation wanted to hire stone masons from India, but for them to get work visas, they needed to pass a competency test in English. So the iFoundation paid for up to ten of them to study full time, in the expectation that enough would pass. But all failed. Providentially, the iFoundation located UKbased stone masons to overcome this problem. *The Spiritual Element at Krishna-Avanti* Spirituality is present not only in the collective worship at Krishna-Avanti; it is woven into the National Curriculum the school teaches, and it influences far more than just the study of religion. Rasamandala Dasa, author of *The Heart of Hinduism*, a work used for religious education in Britain's schools, helped enhance the Krishna-Avanti syllabus by looking at what Vaisnavism could add, such as its developed concepts of the inclusivity and equality of all beings and its emphasis on interactive and experiential approaches to education. Teaching children spirituality brings a sense of transcendent purpose to schooling and character formation. Although today's schools have programs to teach values, unfortunately for the students the schools emphasize careers and mundane opportunities. The Krishna-Avanti teachers know that when children receive an education steeped in spiritual values, they can become what Srila Prabhupada describes as the best citizens: clean, honest, law-abiding, loyal, healthy, and industrious. Evaluating the first Krishna-Avanti school, the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills said, "The pupils' joy in coming to school is very evident and is demonstrated in their regular attendance, punctuality, first-class behavior, and sense of purpose. They play and work in total harmony and respond enthusiastically to their teachers. The pupils' spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is outstanding." *Yoga* practice, Sanskrit classes, music, dance, and drama lessons using Indian and Western styles and instruments, and pure vegetarian meals offered to Krsna and Balarama and eaten in the traditional Vedic way—sitting cross-legged on the dining-room floor—also set Krishna-Avanti apart from other schools. How are controversies between science and faith dealt with at Krishna-Avanti? The book *In Good Faith* provides a look at "schools, religion, and public funding" in the UK. The authors note that in science education the concept of God is sometimes challenged and found unscientific and irrelevant. In this scheme of things, all creatures lack a spirit soul and are the products of evolution. This view conflicts with the Vaisnava view that God and the soul are at the heart of the beginning of the universe. So, like the schools mentioned in *In Good Faith*, Krishna-Avanti provides science teaching from its own perspective, staying true to the school's religious convictions and encouraging critical thought on scientific issues. As for academic subjects, the students achieve excellent scores. In the National Curriculum tests (SATs) on Science, English, and Math, every Krishna-Avanti student in the age five-to-seven group exceeded the expected level, or national average. *Sanatana-dharma*, as the soul's nature, is a consciousness that spiritualizes many of the school's activities. The students learn verses from the *Bhagavad-gita*, one of God's most blessed gifts to humankind, so that words like *karma* and *bhakti* slowly become familiar and loved and fill the children's imagination. Lord Krsna says that souls should be mindful of Him, offer their love to Him, sacrifice for Him, and act out of reverence for Him—and promises that in this way they will come to Him, since they are dearly loved by Him. In the commentary to his translation of the *Bhagavad-gita*, Graham Schweig (Garuda Dasa) writes that the ultimate goal for souls is to attain a state of full-heartedness—wherein one offers one's heart in uninterrupted, unconditional love in response to God's yearning to love us. Krsna pronounces this yearning as *isto 'si me drdham iti*: "You are so much loved by Me!" (Bg. 18.64) God seeks humanity and passionately loves souls. Deep spiritual awareness and attention are the ultimate purpose for Krishna-Avanti to include traditional rituals, Sanskrit study, and regular subjects infused with the vision of *bhakti*, the soul's loving devotional service to Krsna. *Focus on Attention* Rupesh (Rupesvara Gauranga Dasa), a devotee inspired by the school's spiritual ethos to teach there, took thirty students to the computer room to look up images of Krsna and write sentences about what Krsna wears. Later, he explained to them why they have to listen and pay attention. The call for children to pay attention is heard repeatedly in schools everywhere, but at Krishna-Avanti it could be said that there's a deliberate spiritual motive behind it. The call to "pay attention" commonly invokes thoughts of dutiful and reluctant obedience more than inspired motivation. Normally it is a stern plea for the learners to refocus and accomplish a task at hand, which usually is the accumulation of knowledge required to pass tests. But in a higher sense, paying attention can invite in—and enable children to receive—what is outside them or transcendentally beyond them. This is not a totally new concept in the West. The educational philosopher and activist Simone Weil wrote, "The only serious aim of schoolwork is to train the attention."* She taught school in the 1930s, and her book *Waiting for God* contains an essay called "Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God." Reading the *Bhagavad-gita* had a great influence on her work and even inspired her to learn Sanskrit. In her book, she elaborates on the link between attention and education. All school subjects, she maintains, should be directed to the development of the faculty of attention, because it leads to spiritual growth and dialogue. She understood Krsna's teaching that expressions of our willful intentions are manifestations of ego. The ego's dominant life-project is to secure and establish the sovereignty of "I" and "mine," to seize and possess the world for oneself. To affirm their own significance, people want the good things of life. Fearing a void, they want to have their investments confirmed through externally endowed rewards such as wealth and prestige. The highest form of paying attention is to focus on God and thereby nurture a sacred longing for Him. And while thus focused, one prepares oneself to accept service to God along with an ethical responsibility toward His creatures. More valuable than an egoistic pursuit of prestige and possessions is learning to be humble, compassionate, and understanding. These qualities can be realized by devotion to a spiritual path, beyond the limitations of egotistically thinking, "I am this body." Krishna-Avanti takes the insight of Western educational philosophers to its ultimate conclusion by training a child to pay attention to and serve God, opening the child to grace and the source of a higher intelligence. So attention is not simply a discipline of concentration or attending to the task at hand, but the "orientation of all that the soul is capable of toward God," as Weil wrote. Srila Prabhupada expressed a similar thought in a letter: "A surrendered devotee sees that everything is part of Krsna's plan and that whatever is meant to be, I am doing that; so let me do it with my full attention to every detail, let me become absorbed in such service, never mind what it is; let all other considerations be forgotten and my only desire be to do the best thing for Krsna's pleasure alone. That is the advanced stage of understanding devotional service." *One of the Greenest Schools in Britain* An innovative aspect of the school in Harrow is the ecological harmony of the building and school grounds. Designed by the architectural firm Cottrell & Vermeulen, it was the greenest school in Britain for several years according to BREEAM, the world's leading design and assessment method for sustainable buildings. Rancora Dasa, a senior British devotee, acted as a consultant on architecture and sustainability. Krishna-Avanti became one of *The Telegraph's* top ten buildings of 2010 and the Harrow Heritage Trust Building of the Year that same year. Unlike most schools in Britain, Krishna-Avanti recycles rainwater. It also pumps water two hundred feet below ground level to warm it for under-the-floor heating, which achieves a seventy-percent savings on heating bills. And it has computerized building management systems that control the rooms' lighting, temperature, and air circulation. Each classroom is a state-of-the-art educational environment equipped with a computer-interactive whiteboard. Play areas offer a variety of options: indoor and outdoor, covered and open-air, hard and soft surfaces. To insulate the building, the roof is planted with sedum, a fleshy-leaved plant with star-shaped flowers. The solution to the school site's poor drainage is to collect the water next to the school in a pond that can double as an outdoor study habitat. The school grounds also include a wildlife garden, an amphitheater, both grass and all-weather playing fields, and flower and vegetable gardens for outdoor learning. Naturally there is a waiting list to get into the school. For every place, there are five or six children whose parents want them enrolled. Krishna-Avanti provides an opportunity to see that Vaisnavism is complex, offers solutions to the human condition, and has broad applications to mainstream society. *A Visit from the Queen* ON MARCH 29, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, visited Krishna-Avanti Primary School at the invitation of the Harrow Council. They visited Harrow because of the diversity and inclusiveness of the local community. The Krishna-Avanti school represents this, being at the heart of the community, and had also won important ecological and architectural awards. This is Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee, her sixtieth year on the throne. Therefore the music and dance performances for her included the debut of a special fanfare written for the jubilee. The Mayor of Harrow, Councilor Mrinal Choudhury, from West Bengal, was the first to be presented to the royalty outside the school entrance. Nitesh Gor (Navina Krsna), chairman of the school's board of governors, guided the royal party during its one-hour visit. Nina Rajarani (MBE), her daughter, Ashwini, and her company of female dancers performed first for the Queen. At the conclusion, the smiling Queen asked Nina about the inter-generational feature of the dance, which included young girls, teenagers, adults, and mature ladies. Next, twenty-five Krishna-Avanti students, neatly flanking the altar, sang a Bengali hymn and the Hare Krsna mantra for the seated Prince and Queen. The royal couple then stood to unveil a tapestry, designed and woven by the Dovecot weavers of Edinburgh. This is Dovecot's centennial, and last summer in a new initiative some weavers worked in India with the Crafts Council of West Bengal. The tapestry, a gift to Buckingham Palace commemorating the school's place in the celebration of the Diamond Jubilee, shows Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu inspiring animals to dance and chant together in love of God. Srutidharma Dasa, the temple president of Bhaktivedanta Manor, described this miracle to the Queen by saying that chanting and dancing and surrendering the heart to God brings peace beyond bodily diferences and designations. The children had also chanted a verse about developing humility, tolerance, and respect for others as the means of constantly chanting God's names, and Srutidharma informed the Queen that the school runs on these principles. Queen Elizabeth responded, "Isn't that wonderful!" *Tattvavit Dasa recently co-edited* A Living Theology of Krishna Bhakti*, by Tamal Krishna Goswami, published by Oxford University Press in New York this summer.* *Urmila Devi Dasi has a Ph.D. in education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is an associate editor of* Back to Godhead*, a visiting lecturer at Bhaktivedanta College, and a member of the Sastric Advisory Council to ISKCON's Governing Body Commission. She acted as an educational consultant to the iFoundation in developing the Krishna-Avanti Primary School.* Krsna, the Friendly God *Learning about Krsna solves problems created by both polytheism and a vague monotheism.* By Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi MY FRIEND JYOTI told me that when she was a child growing up in Mumbai she went to temples with her parents to worship a variety of gods. "I did not know which one to worship most. I remember my childhood anxiety. I worshiped them all to avoid making insult." I laughed to hear her say this. Yet my own experience of religion was no less perplexing. Every Wednesday morning in our school chapel we sang in loud chorus: "Sinner, do you love my Jesus? Sinner do you love my Jesus? Sinner do you love my Jesus? . . . We're soldiers of the Lord! If you love Him why not serve Him? . . . Soldiers of the Lord!" At Light and Life Christian Day School there was no concept of gods in the plural sense except for "Thou shalt not have any other gods before Me" in the Ten Commandments. We knew nothing but exclusive monotheism. Meanwhile Jyoti was a product of a broad polytheism. She told me that one day she found the words to ask her Mom, "Couldn't one of the gods be the best?" "Yes, Jyoti, ultimately one of them must be the best." "Then which one?" "That I am not sure of," her mother replied. Jyoti was looking for one personal God who would be most worthy of her trust and affection. Worshiping the gods to get blessings did not appeal to her. While Jyoti in her childhood became interested to find out who was God, I was hurting for answers to different questions: Would the God described by my Christian teachers ever forgive my parents and nearly everyone I knew who drank alcohol, used swear words, or smoked cigarettes? Would my family ever surrender to God before it was time for them to go to hell? Was it my duty to convince them about God? I guess Jyoti and I had similar problems. I had the God problem, and she had the gods problem. *Search for the Supreme* Jyoti began to read many stories about the different demigods. Indra is celebrated as the king of heaven, so she thought he might be supreme. But he was always in trouble, making mistakes or fighting horrible battles. And there was no Indra deity on any altar in the temples. "I very much liked Siva and Ganesa," Jyoti told me. "In my mind I saw them as always meditating, so serious in their spiritual practice. And I liked Krsna because He seemed to be always enjoying His pastimes and was a good dancer. But I did not take Him so seriously. He was just the friendly god." One day when she was in college, Jyoti's professors quickly went home and the whole school closed down because everyone wanted to witness a reported miracle. A deity of Ganesa in a Mumbai temple was apparently drinking milk. When offered to him on a spoon, it vanished. She recalls, "My friends and I went to all the temples to try to witness a similar event, more out of curiosity than worship. We were not especially looking for God. Around then my family began to frequent a large temple in Mumbai with multiple altars and dozens of gods in all directions. I was overwhelmed. Then my family told me this was not even all of them. There are thirty-three million demigods in control of all of our affairs." "Why must there be so many of them?" I asked my family. "They told me each one is necessary to manage the many departments—the sun, the moon, the water we drink, the air we breathe, our savings, our health. By then I was a college student. I began to think, 'There has to be a controller of all of that. In any grand organization there is a leader who is leading the team, the head person.'" *Jyoti Finds Krsna* Jyoti was on to something. *Srimad-Bhagavatam* (10.87.28) states: "The demigods and material nature herself offer the Lord tribute, while also enjoying the tribute offered them by their worshipers, just as subordinate rulers of various districts in a kingdom offer tribute to their lord, the ultimate proprietor of the land, while enjoying the tribute paid them by their own subjects. In this way the universal creators faithfully execute their assigned services out of fear of the Supreme." Jyoti saw some *Mahabharata* movies and started to notice Krsna. "He was very cleverly controlling everything to bring about success for His friend Arjuna. At first I thought He was tricky—I did not trust Him—but I noticed He would never do anything to interfere with His devotees' vows and oaths. "I met Krsna devotees and started to read *Bhagavad-gita* *As It Is*, with Srila Prabhupada's commentaries. Eventually I came to realize that Krsna may seem tricky but He is like that to uphold *dharma* and to respect the free will and desires of every living being. He does not need to barter with us to give us some material reward, because our relationship with Him is never material. He is only looking toward our spiritual progress. Only God is like that. That is the God I love." Jyoti soon married, moved to the U.S., and began worshiping and serving Krsna at the Hare Krsna temple in Los Angeles. "Hearing and chanting about Krsna and His pastimes is very satisfying to me," Jyoti said. "Srila Prabhupada explains that you can judge a thing by its result. Just as a hungry person knows after eating that his stomach is now full and feels satisfaction, when we hear about the pastimes of Krsna—the most amazing, merciful Lord—our need for a relationship with God is fully satisfied." Jyoti's problem was solved. The *Bhagavad-gita*, a perfect, complete guide for the Vedic system of worship, described for her one God, Krsna, as the ultimate beneficiary of the worship of the various demigods. "As soon as one desires to worship some demigod, I make his faith steady so that he can devote himself to that particular deity. Endowed with such faith, he endeavors to worship a particular demigod and obtain his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone." *(Bhagavad-gita* 7.21, 22) *How My God Problem Got Worse* There are no demigods in Christianity, although there are plenty of angels, messengers, prophets, and patriarchs. And in the Old Testament we see God interacting with human beings. For example, God loves Abraham, but He chooses to test him by not allowing his wife to conceive a child until they are nearly one hundred years old. Abraham's children lead decadent lives in the infamous cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham repeatedly warns the inhabitants of the cities to give up their bad ways. God Himself tells Lot, Abraham's nephew, to leave there and not look back. Lot's wife sentimentally looks back, and God instantly transforms her into a pillar of salt. Later, God communicates with the wise leader Moses through a burning bush. Moses climbs to the top of a mountain and receives a stone tablet with God's commandments on it. There were plenty of voices from the sky and inflicted hardships such as pestilence and famine. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego nearly burned in God's furnace test for them. Daniel was made to survive the lion's den. Adam and Eve had to fall from paradise. As a kid I sometimes thought God could not be friendly because man was never going to be worthy. Then there was Jesus—thank God for Jesus! With his beautiful face and flowing hair, his eyes full of compassion for human suffering, he made up for it all. God his father was full of tests for you and a hell-sender with no face, a commander in the sky, but Jesus somehow made God seem nice, too. He had a son who wanted to help us and even die for us. Hearing the beautiful stories about Jesus from teachers who adored him made me develop a strong affection for him. I read the passages of his appearance in Matthew and Luke over and over again. My childhood intelligence began to grow, and my love for Jesus' pastimes remained sweet. But when I entered public school, I took up Darwinian ideas and became agnostic for the sake of fitting in. I put Jesus and God in the background, though I knew I would miss them. I was embarrassed about where to put my love. I stopped singing hymns and going to church. I believed that God was inseparable from me, but I was trying to see if I could deny that, and I suffered greatly. I had no spiritual guide. Nine years later I ran across devotees with information about Krsna and Lord Caitanya at several ISKCON Rathayatra festivals. I had good friends at the temple who repeatedly invited me to try the delicious vegetarian food offered to Krsna, called *prasada*. Slowly I began to see that learning about Krsna and His instructions and associating with devotees would save me from my connection to people with bad habits. By chanting the great *mantra* for deliverance—Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—my faith in God revived and I felt protected. I felt like I was recovering from a long illness. The great saints and spiritual masters described in the pages of the Srimad-Bhagavatam and Caitanya-caritamrta have Krsna as their friend and associate. They glorify Krsna in rich, fascinating descriptions. He is described as both all-powerful and commanding toward mankind and as soft and sweet as a lotus. He has tender skin with a hue of blue, as fresh as a new rain cloud. His body is composed of full bliss, cognizance, and ever-lasting existence. Krsna plays the part of a family member or intimate friend for His pure devotees, such as the great warrior Arjuna and the brahmana Sudama. As a boy Krsna explores in the forest near His house with His dear brother Balarama. His friends like to perform a skillful dance just to please their friend, and He claps His hands and praises them: "My dear friends, you are dancing and singing very nicely." The descriptions of Krsna are precisely what I was missing in the conception of God I was given in my childhood. I feel very satisfied by knowing about Krsna as God. Whatever we may feel we lack in our relationship with God or our family or friends, we can find in complete perfection in the descriptions of Krsna and His pure devotees. Srila Prabhupada explains in a lecture in Mumbai in 1973: We are seeking friendship with so many people to get our motive realized. But if we understand "Krsna is my best friend . . ." Or suhrdam sarva-bhutanam: He's not only my friend, your friend, but He's a friend of everyone. That friendship is equally distributed. But if one becomes a special devotee, with love and affection, engaged in the service of the Lord, He's especially inclined to him. That is Krsna's mercy to the devotee. He takes special care of the devotee, guides him, gives him intelligence. What kind of intelligence? Just to give him the clue how one can go back home, back to Godhead. Krsna does not give intelligence how one can gain some material prosperity. That is entrusted to Maya, or Durgadevi. With so much that Krsna has to offer, can it be true that Jyoti and I actually had a God (or gods) problem? Certainly Krsna never regarded us as His problem. The only problem is our ignorance of His unlimited, humble, and merciful personality, and that can easily be solved. He wants us to reestablish our long-lost relationship with Him. By studying His teachings and following Srila Prabhupada's instructions, we can easily do so. Sri Krsna is the friendly God. *Karuna Dharina Deva Dasi, a disciple of His Grace Virabahu Dasa, serves the deities at ISKCON Los Angeles, where she joined ISKCON in 1979. She lives with her husband and daughter.* The Save Yamuna Campaign *Environmental activism and devotional service unite for a common cause.* *By Caitanya Carana Dasa* FEW TOPOGRAPHICAL changes are as tragic and traumatic as the drying and dying of a river. The disappearance of the Saraswati River thousands of years ago reduced a fertile valley and a flourishing civilization in northwest India to the barren expanse of the Thar Desert. Today the Yamuna River, one of the largest water resources in India, faces the same fate; the United Nations has already declared Yamuna to be a dead river. But all is not lost. While irresistible, irreversible natural forces erased the Saraswati from the world map, resistible, reversible human influences are causing the lethal damage to the Yamuna River. And there's reason to hope for a beneficial change in the human influences. Environmentalists value the Yamuna as a precious natural resource, and devotees of Lord Krsna honor her as an indispensable devotional treasure in whose water Krsna sported. Therefore, the campaign to save the Yamuna has the potential to unite environmentalists and devotees on a common platform. *The Death of a River* Devotees see the river Yamuna not just as a water body but as an eternal spiritual goddess who supports and participates in Lord Krsna's pastimes when He comes to earth. The *Srimad-*Bhagavatam** details many of the pastimes Lord Krsna performed in her waters and on her banks. The Tenth Canto of the *Bhagavatam* contains many descriptions of the beauty of the Yamuna, as in 10.22.37: "The cowherd boys let the cows drink the clear, cool, and wholesome water of the Yamuna. O King Pariksit, the cowherd boys also themselves drank that sweet water to their full satisfaction." For devotee-pilgrims who have been visiting Vrindavan for centuries, the flowing Yamuna has flooded the mind with remembrances of the Lord. She is a merciful mother who bestows blessings of devotional service and a potent purifier who cleanses the heart of contaminations. Srila Rupa Gosvami depicts charmingly this multi-faceted glory of the Yamuna in his *Stava Mala*: "Sprinkling a single drop of her water on oneself destroys the reaction of the most heinous crimes. She increases the flow of confidential devotional service for Nanda-nandana [Krsna] within one's heart and blesses everyone who simply desires to reside on her banks. May Yamuna Devi, the daughter of Suryadeva, always purify me." Srila Prabhupada echoes the importance of the Yamuna in his purport to the *Srimad-Bhagavatam* (6.5.28): "Bathe in the Yamuna, chant the Hare Krsna *mantra*, and then become perfect and return back to Godhead." An article in the New Delhi *Hindustan Times* (June 23, 2010) reported the agonizing experience of a sixty-two-year-old man who had a lifelong habit of starting every day with a bath in the Yamuna, in keeping with a tradition that extends far back into history. For the past seven months, he had been forced to discontinue this traditional dip "because for a 100-km stretch between Delhi and Saharanpur district in western Uttar Pradesh, the Yamuna has disappeared. Only miles and miles of sand remain." A photo accompanying the article showed the empty riverbed being used as a roadway for trucks. For this man "who now bathes at home, the drying of the river he once worshipped is a personal tragedy. 'The death of the Yamuna here is like a disaster in my life,' he said in a choking voice." The disheartening implications of the Yamuna crisis and the heartening networking of environmental and devotional groups in the campaign to save it have been analyzed by Professor Dr. David Haberman (aka Sri Prem Das), Department Chair, Religious Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, in his book: *River of Love in the Age of Pollution: The Yamuna River of Northern India*. I draw from his book as well as from other relevant sources in this article. *Sources of the Yamuna Crisis* Two primary factors—depletion and pollution—have caused the Yamuna crisis. *Depletion*: According to the Government of India statistics, the Yamuna provides water to a massive hinterland of 366,223 square kilometers in several states of northern India. Like many other Indian rivers, the Yamuna gets depleted in the non-monsoon season. But what brings matters to the tipping point of crisis is the indiscriminate and excessive human intervention in its flow. Along its long path, multiple dams divide the Yamuna during the non-monsoon season into four segments. At these dams, almost 97% of the water is diverted to local towns and farmlands, with only a trickle left for going downstream. This trickle dries up within a few kilometers, after which the riverbed turns into a dry patch of land. One mortifyingly large patch of almost 100 km lies between Saharanpur and Delhi, as mentioned in the newspaper article. *Pollution*: If the river gets depleted to the point of drying out, then how does it continue on? *With polluted water.* It gets refilled with town runoffs and effluents, farm discharges, industrial effluents, and incidental ground water. Moreover, all the towns and villages adjoining her, including the national capital, Delhi, dump partly treated or untreated sewage into her, resulting in high contamination levels. To be considered potable, water must have a BOD (biological oxygen demand, in mgs per liter) not exceeding 3. But the BOD of the Yamuna water has measured about 51 during the monsoons and as high as 103 during the non-monsoon periods. Additionally, lead and other heavy metals, like iron and zinc, together with pesticides, arsenic, and NDM 1 (a gene immune to all known antibiotics) are also present in the water in a quantity way beyond the maximum acceptable limits. The magnitude of this depletion-cum-pollution is so alarming that the Central Pollution Control Board of the Government of India has declared that there is not a drop of natural river water in the Yamuna at Vrindavan (http://www.unhabitat. org/content.asp?typeid=19&catid=4 60&id=2170). *Devotional Dynamism* How can devotees reconcile the conception of Yamuna as a goddess with the perception of Yamuna as a dying river with depleted and polluted water? The reconciliation comes by understanding the dynamics of how and why the divine manifests in the material realm. To understand these dynamics, let's consider the example of a deity. The all-powerful Lord Krsna appears as a deity to give us an opportunity to remember and serve Him. Yet when ignorant or malevolent people under the grip of iconophobia threaten to harm the deity, devotees don't rest apathetically with the presumption that nobody can harm Krsna; they rise proactively with the conviction that it is their responsibility to protect the deity. They see this situation of protecting the deity form of the Lord as an exceptional service-opportunity provided by the Lord, who is always their protector. In fact, the resourcefulness and courage exhibited by devotees in medieval India to "rescue" the deities of Vrindavan from fanatical Muslim emperors like Aurangzeb are inspirational for all generations of devotees. A similar "rescue" operation is needed today for the Yamuna River. At a spiritual level, the goddess Yamuna is beyond being harmed by any material phenomena. Yet at a material level, when the river is being polluted devotees see the situation as an opportunity to protect their mother-goddess who has nourished them for centuries. *What Needs to Be Done?* Several practical and feasible measures can minimize and even reverse the crisis. Let's look at one measure to counter each of the two factors that have caused the crisis: *Depletion*: Implementing policies for sustainable water-resources management can counteract the Yamuna's depletion. An Allahabad High Court order (in response to PIL no. 4003 of 25 January 2011), in the case of Ganga Pollution v. The State of Uttar Pradesh, states, "Not more than 50% of the water should be drawn from the river at any given place." If this order is extended to the Yamuna, then depletion will be tackled at its roots. *Pollution*: Redirecting the pollutants presently being dumped into the Yamuna can counteract the Yamuna's pollution. Partially or fully treated town effluent, though deleterious for river waters, can serve as a major source of water and nutrients for farmlands. So if a canal is constructed to divert most of Delhi's sewage into the Agra canal, then the Yamuna can be saved from pollution and the Agra area can be provided farm-water. Such a redirection using canals has already been successfully implemented for the effluents from Kolkata that were earlier going into the Hooghly. Many other measures need to be adopted, but the example of these two major measures underscores what is essential for implementing any major measure: political will. *What Can We Do?* In a democratic country, mass mobilization can significantly, even decisively, influence the political will. And it is here that the joining hands of the environmentalists and the devotees can play a vital, even critical, role. A statement was issued urging ISKCON devotees to take an active role and has given the following broad suggestions of what can be done: All ISKCON temples, congregations, *yatras*, and devotees please: 1. Include Yamuna Maharani in their daily prayers. 2. Explain the spiritual importance of Shri Yamuna Maharani to others. 3. Organize special kirtans or dedicate existing kirtans to the Yamuna cause. 4. Organize special programs or dedicate existing programs to the Yamuna cause. 5. Explain the environmental issues to others. 6. Create worldwide campaigns. 7. Encourage and assist in petitions to accomplish the aforementioned purposes. 8. Use internal media (*Back to Godhead,* etc.) and external media (newspapers, television, etc.) effectively. 9. Spread this cause all over the world through print media, audio-video media, SMS, Internet (dandavats.com, desiretree.com, etc.), social groups (Facebook, etc.) The Save Yamuna campaign offers the perfect devotional platform especially for those devotees who have had an environmentalist lying dormant inside them. And as Lord Krsna assures Arjuna in *Bhagavad-gita* (11.33), if we do our part in His plan He empowers us to do extraordinary things and make miracles happen. As the Yamuna crisis unfolds, the uniting of ecological and devotional concerns may well be setting the stage for a miracle. Caitanya Carana Dasa is a disciple of His Holiness Radhanatha Swami. He holds a degree in electronic and telecommunications engineering and serves full time at ISKCON Pune. He is the author of eight books. To read his other articles or to receive his daily reflection on the *Bhagavad-gita, "Gita*-daily," visit thespiritual scientist.com. The author thanks Gautam Saha for providing several references in this article. Notes from the Editor *Prabhupada's Gift of Another World* THE VAISNAVA CALENDAR in this issue includes anniversary dates for both Srila Prabhupada's departure from India for America and, slightly less than a year later, his incorporation of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Though penniless when he reached the shores of America, the value of what Prabhupada carried in his heart and mind is priceless. He brought Westerners the gift of a whole new world. He introduced us not only to Lord Krsna, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and the spiritual world—until then only vague notions, at best, for most of us—but also to pure devotees of God, great historical personalities we most likely would never have known. Sometimes I pause to consider how enriched my life has become by meeting, in the pages of the **Sri*mad-Bhagavatam* and *Sri* *Caitanya-caritamrta*, exalted persons such as Narada Muni, Dhruva Maharaja, Prahlada Maharaja, Kunti Devi, Draupadi, Nityananda Prabhu, Svarūpa Damodara, Ramananda Raya. The list goes on and on. Only *Sri*la Prabhupada's devotion and sacrifice have allowed me to peer into the eternal world of these great devotees and aspire to someday live among them. The extraordinary spiritual stature of so many of Lord Caitanya's followers, whose blessed feet touched our planet in recent history, especially amazes me. In this issue's calendar we find the names of three of the Six Gosvamis of Vrindavan, preeminent disciples of Caitanya Mahaprabhu: Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, and Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. From the time of Lord Caitanya's stay on earth five hundred years ago and through the centuries since, persons like them-of the highest spiritual wisdom and devotion-have graced the ranks of the Gaudiya Vaisnavas. Their lives are perfect examples of pure devotion to God. An essential point in Srila Prabhupada's teachings is the need to associate with pure devotees. While we can't meet Narada Muni or Sanatana Gosvami today, we can enter their company by hearing how they lived and what they taught. With focused attention we can enter their world and let the power of their spiritual devotion transform us. People who insist on blazing their own spiritual trail and who discredit the value of learning from spiritual adepts do so at their own peril. We benefit in many ways when we read the teachings and prayers of great Vaisnavas and hear about their lives. Prabhupada wanted ISKCON to be a place where like-minded persons would congregate to discuss the collective wisdom of his own devotional tradition. Creating ISKCON was also an essential part of his plan to connect a worldwide audience to pure devotees past and present. Not so long ago, Prabhupada had to brave a month-long ocean voyage to speak to the West. One of the great wonders of our time is the ease with which we can now instantly communicate with people all over the world. Almost as if we were there, we can witness worldwide events as they happen. Similarly, thanks to Srila Prabhupada, through the medium of respectful hearing of transcendental sound we can now access the once foreign world of Radha-Krsna, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and Their countless associates. The most important sound is the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, another priceless gift from Srila Prabhupada. He compared it to a code: Crack the code by offenseless chanting, and everything will be revealed. —Nagaraja Dasa Vedic Thoughts In this Age of Kali, most of the population is foolish and not adequately educated to un-derstand Vedanta philosophy; the best purpose of Vedanta philosophy is served by inoffensively chanting the holy name of the Lord. Vedanta is the last word in Vedic wisdom, and the author and knower of the Vedanta philosophy is Lord Krsna; and the highest Vedantist is the great soul who takes pleasure in chanting the holy name of the Lord. That is the ultimate purpose of all Vedic mysticism. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada *Bhagavad-gita As It Is* 2.46, Purport Those who are eager to awaken their spiritual consciousness and who thus have unflinching, undeviated intelligence certainly attain the desired goal of life very soon. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu *Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila* 24.170 (quoted from the *Naradiya Purana*) For one whose mind is unbridled, self-realization is difficult work. But he whose mind is controlled and who strives by appropriate means is assured of success. That is My opinion. Lord Sri Krsna *Bhagavad-gita* 6.36 If one is unhappy to see the distress of other living beings and happy to see their happiness, his religious principles are appreciated as imper-ishable by exalted persons who are considered pious and benevolent. Dadhici Muni *Srimad-Bhagavatam* 6.10.9 In happiness and distress, in good fortune or in bad-everywhere the auspicious hand of the Lord is present. In this mood everyone should give up illusion and turn towards the service of the Supreme Lord. As a result, at some auspicious moment the necessity of praying for the mercy of the Lord may arise in the minds of the living entities. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Commentary on *Sri Caitanya-Bhagavata, Adi-khanda* 14.185 O Radha, service to Tulasi gives the greatest piety, the greatest good fortune, and the greatest benediction. It gives Lord Krsna's association. Sri Candranana *Sri Garga-samhita* 2.16.2 The *atma* is called all-pervading (*sarva-gatah*) because it accepts all types of bodies, such as that of man, *devata*, bird, and beast, one after another, according to *karma*. The *atma* also possesses a fixed form (*sthanuh*) and fixed qualities (*acalah*). Srila Baladeva Vidyabhūsana Commentary on *Bhagavad-gita* 2.24