# Back to Godhead Magazine #53 *2019 (03)* Back to Godhead Magazine #53-03, 2019 PDF-View Welcome This issue coincides with the anniversary of the appearance of Lord Narasiṁha, Lord Kṛṣṇa's incarnation as half man, half lion. To commemorate this event, we present an excerpt from Narasimha: the Divine Protector, written by Dhruva Dāsa and filled with stunning photos of various Deities of Lord Narasiṁha taken by Dāmodara Rati Dāsa. While the Deities presented in this issue are all worshiped in the Indian state of Karnataka, the book contains photos of Deities in various parts of India, along with stories of their discoveries by the intrepid writer-photographer duo. Several articles in this issue deal with time. Girirāja Govinda Dāsa's "Perspectives on Time and Space" gives Prabhupāda's and the Bhāgavatam's views on the topic, and Indra Kṛṣṇa's "The World Beyond Time" contrasts Kṛṣṇa's time-free world with the material world, where time rules all. Satyarāja Dāsa's "Daśāvatāra and Evolutionary Theory" touches on the theme of time as well, as he discusses Kṛṣṇa's ten incarnations and Darwinian evolution, both of which occur over long expanses of time. Not to stretch the "time" theme too much, it's safe to say that Caitanya Caraṇa's "Life of Devotional Dynamism" is also about time—how we use it in our lives to progress toward attaining the timeless world of eternal love. Hare Kṛṣṇa. —*Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor* Letters *Prayer* How can I pray to Kṛṣṇa? Carl Via the Internet *Reply:* The Vedic scriptures and great teachers in our line—descending from Lord Caitanya, the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa who appeared five hundred years ago—recommend that we pray by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra*: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. You can chant on beads by yourself (this is called *japa*), or you can chant (sing) with a group (*kīrtana*). Both are a very effective way of calling on the Lord for service. The *mantra* is a prayer that means "O Lord, O energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your service. Please accept me." Our eternal position is that each of us is a loving servant of God, and chanting the mahā-*mantra* is the way to contact Him directly. In chanting the *mantra* we are calling out to the Lord by invoking His names, which, because God is absolute, are identical to the Lord Himself. Chanting is therefore very purifying and cleansing to the materially contaminated heart. Try to visit our temples and take part in this pleasant activity with others. Or you can of course do it at home. In your heart and mind, pray for the Lord's help to bring you closer to Him. He likes it very much when we glorify Him out loud, so *kīrtana* is very powerful in that way. The *mahā-mantra* is a sound from the spiritual realm and gives quick results. *The Benefits of ISKCON* I'm unhappy with my life and would like to join ISKCON. What are the benefits? DJ Khaled Via the Internet *Reply:* What is attracting you to Kṛṣṇa? You must be intelligent to see that there is nothing in the material world that is attractive and everlasting. Kṛṣṇa means "all attractive," and being with Him is the best life. That's the greatest benefit any organization can offer, and that's what ISKCON does. *Bhakti*, or devotional service, attracts Kṛṣṇa because it is the means to please Him. If He is pleased, then we will be too. Devotees in ISKCON are learning to please Kṛṣṇa, beginning with glorifying Him. We are undertaking a process of service to Kṛṣṇa that will awaken our sleeping spiritual senses and allow us to understand our real position. By serving Kṛṣṇa we feel real satisfaction. In ISKCON, serving Kṛṣṇa is what we do and what we feel. We help each other in our attempt to attain perfection in this lifetime by connecting to Him. Please understand that devotional service is natural and enjoyable for the whole family. Our temples are full of people who want to be there. Spend some time in helping around the temple, or make a temple in your home and invite devotees. In many places, even where there are no ISKCON centers, groups of devotees study and serve together. Kṛṣṇa wants us to return to Him, and Śrīla Prabhupāda started ISKCON to help us all do that. *Human Life Guaranteed* If I chant sixteen rounds like the devotees in the temple do but because of some reason I am not in the association of devotees, am I still guaranteed of a human birth in my next life? Madhwesh Via the Internet *Reply:* There is only gain in chanting the holy names, especially if you are chanting at least sixteen rounds, as Śrīla Prabhupāda prescribed. Continue with faith that the Lord has recognized your sincerity. It is harder to persist in one's chanting without the association of other devotees, so you are doing great if you are able to do so. There are ways to get devotee association even if you don't live near devotees. You can hear daily classes live through Kṛṣṇa.com webcams. You can hear recorded classes from ISKCON leaders from the ISKCONdesiretree.com site. You can contact the closest temple and invite devotees to visit you. Many temples have devotees who travel to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You can also give your association to fellow workers and interested people. Śrīla Prabhupāda's books are great association and are soothing to the soul. But chanting, which is direct contact with Kṛṣṇa, is enough to ultimately liberate you from materialistic life and at least assure you of a human birth in your next life. Kṛṣṇa has been waiting for you for a long time. Don't underestimate the strength and potency of the *mahā-mantra*. It will deliver you to your Lord. *Searching for Peace* I want to find peace. What should I do? I don't feel attached to society. I just want to find peace. Harshit Via the Internet *Reply:* It is natural to want peace. Peace is our inherited right because we are part of Kṛṣṇa, the source of all pleasure. The only way to have peace is to link to Him through devotion. All our attachments to material things have to vanish so that we can give all our attachment to Him. In this way He is pleased, and we will be too, eternally. Real peace is not to be found in the material world, where there is only some temporary relief from the misery. We are learning the art of pleasing Kṛṣṇa through this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, which is dedicated to hearing and chanting the Lord's glories. Please take it up, and you will not be disappointed. The chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa is a vibration that is identical to Kṛṣṇa and can clear the clouds from our contaminated consciousness. Chanting is easy, and anyone can take part. Naturally, the misconceptions about enjoying material things will vanish, and your mind will stop being in anxiety—no more hankering and lamenting. You'll be happy to just serve the Lord, satisfied with what He has given you. Founder's Lecture: Prahlāda Mahārāja's Exemplary Humility Montreal—July 2, 1968 Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness *Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that although the pure devotees of the Lord are in the most exalted position, they are never proud.* *Prahlāda Mahārāja's Exemplary Humility* Though specially favored by Lord Nṛsiṁha, Prahlāda feels unqualified in the presence of the higher beings of the universe. > brahmādayaḥ sura-ganā munayo 'tha siddhāḥ > sattvaikatāna-gatayo vacasāṁ pravāhaiḥ > nārādhituṁ puru-guṇair adhunāpi pipruḥ > kiṁ toṣṭum arhati sa me harir ugra-jāteḥ > [SB 7.9.8] This is Prahlāda Mahārāja praying. Prayers of Prahlāda Mahārāja is very important, most glorious prayer of Prahlāda Mahārāja. This is after the death of his father, Hiraṇyakaśipu. When Lord Nṛsiṁha appeared, half lion, half man, with terrible sounds, very gigantic form, and within a second He finished that gigantic demon Hiraṇyakaśipu, the whole world became afraid. Even Lakṣmījī, constant companion of Lord Viṣṇu, she also became afraid. When all the demigods assembled there—Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā and Indra, and many other denizens of higher planets—they came to see why the Lord is so angry, and they tried to pacify Him. But He was still roaring just like a lion. He was roaring because he could not tolerate that "My devotee has been so much tortured, this little boy, five years old. Simply for the reason that he is Kṛṣṇa conscious, only for this fault, this rascal has tortured him so much." So everyone was afraid. Nobody could pacify Him. At that time Brahmā—he is the supreme living entity of this universe—so intelligently, he pushed forward Prahlāda Mahārāja, "My dear boy, you just try to pacify your Lord, because the Lord has appeared to protect you, for you only. So we could not pacify Him. I think if you go forward and pray and pacify the Lord, He may agree." That is a fact. So Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was not afraid. That will be explained in these verses, that when Lord asked him, "My dear Prahlāda, are you afraid by seeing My these features?" he replied, "My dear Lord, I am not at all afraid, but I am afraid of this material existence." That is very nice explanation; we shall come. Now, he says humbly... Vaiṣṇava is always humble. He did not think that "Oh, all other demigods failed to pacify the Lord. Now it is my turn, so how great I am, that I am superseding all these great demigods." So this is the Vaiṣṇava devotee's temperament: humble and meek. They, although they are always in the exalted position, they never advertise that "I am in exalted position." He is never puffed up. As you have read it, the author of *Caitanya-caritāmṛta,* such a great devotee, who could produce in his ripe old age such nice transcendental literature, which is certified by my Guru Mahārāja as the postgraduate study of the devotees. So *Bhagavad-gītā* is the study for the neophytes*,* those who are entering*,* those who are trying to understand the science of God*,* for them. That means it is primary study. And after studying *Bhagavad-gītā**,* just like the boys*,* after passing the school final examination*,* they are allowed to enter into the degree college*,* similarly*,* one who has understood *Bhagavad-gītā* very nicely and taken up the instruction*,* *sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja* [*Bg* 18.66]*,* such person is eligible to enter into the study of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.* He accepts Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is a preliminary qualification. The beginning of devotional service is to accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme. In the *Caitanya-caritāmṛta* it is also said that what is the beginning of devotional life. He has explained that *śraddhā.* Devotion means... The Sanskrit word is *śraddhā:* devotion, affection, affinity, attachment. So... Or faith. The faith word is generally understood. So what sort of faith? There are different kinds of faith. But *Caitanya-caritāmṛta*-kāra, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, he says that strong faith, not ordinary faith. Strong faith. What sort of strong faith? He has explained, *śraddhā śābde viśvāsa sudṛḍha niścaya* [Cc Madhya 22.62]. So faith means unflinching faith without any deviation, with full understanding. What is that understanding? *Kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya:* "One who engages himself in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, it is to be understood that he has finished all activities of auspicity." That means he has already finished or passed the examination of pious activities. *Kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya.* This is the beginning. Unless one takes it firmly that "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead..." And if anyone is engaged in the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa, then it is to be understood that he has done all pious activities. This is this faith, this kind of faith, unflinching faith. When we have got this unflinching faith, that is the beginning of *Bhāgavata* life. *Bhāgavata* life means devotional life, direct connection with the Supreme God. That is *Bhāgavata* life. So after one has got this unflinching faith, that "Simply by serving Lord Kṛṣṇa, all religious activities or all pious activities are done," that faith is the last word of *Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā* is explained to Arjuna in so many ways. But ultimately, he comes to the point to Him Himself. When He explains the *yoga* system, He explains nicely the process, how to execute *yoga* performances, the sitting posture, the breathing posture and eating and sitting and place. Everything explained nicely. But at the end He says that, > yoginām api sarveṣāṁ > mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā > śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ > sa me yuktatamo mataḥ > [Bg 6.47] "Of all the yogīs, one who is always thinking of Me, Kṛṣṇa, within his heart, he is first-class yogī." Similarly, when He explains about *jñāna* system, or philosophical speculation, He summarizes at the end, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante *jñāna*vān māṁ prapadyate [Bg 7.19]: "After many, many births of philosophical speculation, when the learned scholar or philosopher comes to this point..." What is that point? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante *jñāna*vān māṁ prapadyate [Bg 7.19]: "After many, many births' philosophical speculation, when one actually becomes scholar or wise, he surrenders unto Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Why? *Vāsudevah sarvam iti:* "Because He is everything." This is the end of knowledge, when one understands that Vāsudeva is everything. Similarly, *yoga-pantha,* the process of *yoga,* the process of *jñāna* and the process of *karma,* fruitive activity*.* What is that? He summarizes in the *Bhagavad-gītā, yat karoṣi yad juhoṣi yad aśnāsi yat tapasyasi kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam* [Bg 9*.*27]*.* There are different kinds of activities. So Kṛṣṇa says, "Whatever you do, it doesn't matter." If somebody says that "I am a businessman," that's all right. "What is to be done?" "Now, you do business to your best capacity, but the profit give to Me. The profit is Mine." If you agree, then simply by doing business you become a great devotee. The same example: just like Arjuna. He is a fighter. So how he became so great devotee? By fighting. By fighting for whom? For Kṛṣṇa. "No. He fought for getting the kingdom." No, he did not fight for getting the kingdom. He said, "Better I shall forego. I don't want this kingdom by fighting with my relatives and..." He was very good man, but he agreed to fight for Kṛṣṇa. He changed his decision. Similarly, any work, if you do for Kṛṣṇa, that is **bhakti*.* Don't think that *bhakti* means simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and sitting down in one place. No. *Bhakti* means all kinds of activities. God is all-pervading; therefore *bhakti* is also all-pervading. From all spheres of life the devotional service can be done. So these things are taught: those who are attached to work*,* for them; those who are attached to philosophy*,* for them; those who are attached to *yoga* system*,* for them; and those who are devotees*,* for them it is certainly. So from all angles of vision*,* when one comes to the point that *kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya* [Cc Madhya 22.62]*,* if one is engaged in the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa*,* then everything is perfect. That is the conclusion of *Bhāgavata*.* Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya *saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam** [SB 1*.*2*.*13]*.* You*.**.**.* How you can test that the particular engagement in which you are occupied, whether it is successful or not? How it is to be tested? The Bhāgavata gives you the formula*.* What is that, the formula? Now, *saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam* [SB 1*.*2*.*13]*.* You just try to see whether by your work Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, has become satisfied*.* If you see that He is satisfied, then whatever work you are doing, either you are philosopher or a businessman or a scientist or anything, politician—there are so many occupational duties—but you have to test whether that is giving you real perfection*.* That test is that you have to see whether by your activity the Supreme Lord is satisfied*.* Then*.**.**.* This is a great science. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness science. Simply... Therefore we have to take shelter of an expert. Just like a student goes to a school, and if he works on exercises and he puts before the teacher, and if the teacher says, "Yes, it is good," then he is successful; similarly, *tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet* [Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12]: You have to approach to a *guru,* or representative of Kṛṣṇa, and if he says, "It is all right," then you know that Kṛṣṇa is satisfied. *Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ.* You have to approach such a person whose certificate will ensure that Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied. You have to find out such person. Then your life is successful. So that will also... You will get according to your sincerity of purpose, because Kṛṣṇa is within you. So after understanding **Bhagavad-gītā*,* if one becomes faithful that "I shall devote my life for service of Kṛṣṇa," then he is eligible to enter into the study of **Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*.* That means *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* begins from the point where *Bhagavad-gītā* ends. *Bhagavad-gītā* ends at the point, *sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja* [*Bg* 18.66]: One has to surrender fully unto Kṛṣṇa, giving up all other engagements. Always remember, all other engagement means not that you have to give up. You... Try to understand that Kṛṣṇa said that "You give up everything and surrender unto Me." So that does not mean that Arjuna gave up his fighting capacity. Rather, he took to fighting more vigorously. So "give up all other engagement" means don't take the fruit of your engagement. Give up. Just sacrifice the fruit of the engagement. That is to be given to Kṛṣṇa. This is surrender. Just like a good boy surrendered to his father means whatever he earns, the money, at the end of month he puts in the hand of the father: "Oh, this is my month's earnings"; similarly, we have to sacrifice the fruits of our labor to Kṛṣṇa. This is the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And to develop that Kṛṣṇa consciousness, just like when you have passed preliminary examination in the school, then you have to further enlightenment, further progress of advancement of education, you enter into the college, degree college, similarly, after finishing or understanding *Bhagavad-gītā* very nicely, if you are convinced about Kṛṣṇa, then study *Bhagavad-gītā* [**Bhāgavata*m*], where the beginning is: *namo bhagavate vaṣudeva.* Vyāsadeva begins by surrendering himself to Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa. *Bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya janmādy asya yataḥ.* He is the origin of everything. Then *Bhāgavata* begins. And one who has understood *Bhāgavata,* or he has made his relationship well established with Kṛṣṇa and is functioning in that relationship, then he is passed on the subject matter of *Bhāgavata,* and then you begin **Caitanya-caritāmṛta*.* That is postgraduate study. After getting your degrees, as you try for your Ph.D. or M.A., similarly, *Caitanya-caritāmṛta* is like that, postgraduate study. And the author of the *Caitanya-caritāmṛta*, he places himself that "I am lower than the worm in the stool." Just see how humble. This is the nature of Vaiṣṇava. That is not artificial he says. Every Vaiṣṇava thinks himself as very insignificant. Actually, every one of us is very insignificant in comparison to the Supreme Lord. What we are? Nothing. But if we establish our loving relationship, which is already there, then we will become the greatest. By relationship with the greatest, we become the greatest. So artificially if we become puffed up, "I am God," we shall always remain in the position of a dog. We shall never be God. But actually if we feel ourself humble and meek servant of God, then we become more than God. Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He treats His devotees more honorable than Himself. And He recommends to the devotees that *mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā* [SB 11.19.21]: "My dear devotees, take it for granted that if you worship My devotees, that is more than My devotional service." Kṛṣṇa recommends, and actually that is the fact, that Kṛṣṇa is more pleased. Just like... It is very natural. Just like one gentleman, he has got a little child, and if you try to please that little child, that gentleman automatically becomes pleased. You can please the child with two-cent-worth lozenges, and if the child is laughing and very pleased, his father immediately becomes pleased. But if you want to please the father, you will require at least two hundred dollars. So you can finish two hundred dollars' business with two cent. Similarly, devotees are so nice that if you give him anything... Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa is also so nice that He will be pleased with anything offered. You offer little water, little flower, little... And devotees are still [indistinct]. If you simply offer a devotee little sweet words, oh, he is very pleased. You see? That is the nature of devotee. Devotee does not want anything from you. They simply want that you... Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he says... He has got a nice song, that "If you simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, oh, I become sold to you." Nityānanda Prabhu also said like that. So to please a devotee is very nice*.* Therefore our process is to take shelter of a devotee*.* Directly we don't approach Kṛṣṇa*.* *Gopī-bhartur pāda-kamalayor dāsa-dāsanudāsa* [*Cc Madhya* 13*.*80]*.* Therefore in Vṛndāvana you will see everyone is praising Rādhārāṇī, because Rādhārāṇī is very quickly pleased*.* And as soon as Rādhārāṇī is pleased, Kṛṣṇa is automatically pleased*.* This is the process*.* So Prahlāda Mahārāja, although he is such a great devotee, he says that *kiṁ toṣṭum arhati sa me harir ugra-jāteḥ:* "Oh, I am born of a father, demon." So naturally everyone presents himself in relationship with father. If your father is American, then you say, "I am American." If my father is Indian, I will say, "I am Indian." Similarly, he is born of a demon father, so he is presenting himself that "I am a demon. I am born of a demon father." **Ugra*-jāteḥ. *Ugra*-jāteḥ* means... *Ugra* means violent. Demons are always violent. So "I am born of a violent father. How can I please the Lord? The... Brahmā, Lord Śiva, and so many other demigods, they have failed to please, to pacify the Lord in His angry mood, and I am born a demon, or born of a demon father. So my position is so lower." *Kiṁ toṣṭum arhati:* "How can I please the Lord?" *Ugra-jāteḥ. Brahmādayaḥ sura-gaṇāḥ:* "Where demigods like Brahmā, *munayo,* great sages, and *siddha...*" *Siddhas,* they are the particular citizen of Siddhaloka. They are called *siddhas*. There is a planet which is called *Siddha*loka. There is description in the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* of the *Siddha*loka in the Second Canto. *Siddha*loka is a planet where the inhabitants can fly in the air without any machine, without any airplane. Just like bird can fly in the air without any machine, so the denizens of *Siddha*loka, they can also fly in the air without any machine, without any airplane, and they can go from one planet to another. They are called *siddhas.* *Siddha* means they have got eight kinds of perfection. The *yoga* system, those who are practicing *yoga*, their ultimate goal is to achieve eight kinds of perfection, not that simply exercising, finish. Actual *yoga* system means to attain eight kinds of perfection. What is that eight kinds of perfection? Oh, he can become the smaller than the smallest. I have several times explained: A perfect yogī, if you put him in lock-up, he will come out. He will become the smaller than the smallest and come out from the lock-up. I have seen it. So he can become greater than the greatest, smaller than the smallest, greater... *Aṇimā, laghimā. Prāpti:* he can get anything whatever he likes, immediately. *Prāpti, siddhi, prākāmya, īśīta, maśīta.* There are so many kinds of *yogic* perfections. So these *siddhas,* they can travel from one place to another, even ordinary yogīs, those who have perfected. They take bath in the morning in four different pilgrimages in India. That means thousands of thousands miles away, and they finish it within one hour. They go and take bath, again come back. So these are yogic perfection. They are called *siddhas.* So all the denizens of that particular planet, they are *siddhas. Siddhas* means they have got all these perfection of *yoga* practice. So they were also present, offering prayers; Brahmā was present, Lord Śiva was present, and great sages were present. All of them tried to pacify. And how they wanted to pacify? *Sattvaikatāna-gatayo vacasāṁ pravāhaiḥ:* they were very great, learned men. Immediately they began to compose in Sanskrit verses so many nice prayers, and they were all full of goodness, modes of goodness. *Sattvaikatāna-vacasāṁ pravāhaiḥ. Pravāhaiḥ* means they prayed in such a fluent way, just like the river flows down without any check. That is the learned man. Just like a learned man will speak fluently for hours together, similarly, they were so learned scholar that they composed prayers in Sanskrit so nicely and began to speak just like flow of water. So he says, *sattvaikatāna-gatayo vacasāṁ nārādhituṁ:* "Still, they could not pacify the Lord." *Nārādhituṁ. Puru-guṇair adhunāpi pipruḥ:* "Still, the Lord is not pacified. Still." *Kiṁ toṣṭum arhati:* "Then what can I do?" Where... There is an English word, "Where angels fail, the fools rush in." So "I am so lower. I am born of an atheistic father, demon. How can I please the Lord?" So this is the position. So now how he will please the Lord we shall discuss in the next meeting. Thank you. [devotees offer obeisances] So any question? [break] Devotee: Could you say that prayer again of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, "You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa..."? I couldn't understand that. Prabhupāda: Oh. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is..., has composed a song that he is going all around the city begging alms. So he says that "I don't want anything from you. Simply you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and that will be sufficient." So we can do also, following the footprints of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Nityānanda Prabhu. *Āmāre kiṁlaha, laha gaurāṅgera saṅge...* Nityānanda Prabhu also said like that that you simply purchase Me by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is the price. That's all. Yes? Guest: You mentioned these miracles. The only miracle [indistinct] a yogī who has gone beyond the material encagement. That is what the yogī is trying, is striving, to do, trying to go beyond the material nature. When one mentions miracles, it is surely a proof that he has actually transcended this material nature. Prabhupāda: Yes. Guest: But why..., why are they trying to transcend material..., transcend material nature? Who is doing these miracles? Or why try to do [indistinct]? Why should human beings try to do [indistinct]? Prabhupāda: No. The *yoga* practice is like that. It is very good that "Why we should bother ourself with such things?" That is the opinion of the devotees. The devotee, they do not want any such miracles to perform or to make some jugglery to the people. They are satisfied with the service of the Lord. So that is the position of the devotee. But generally, the yogīs, they want such things. There are many instances of great yogīs in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, just like Durvāsā Muni. He wanted to show his power to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. That's a very nice story. I shall narrate next meeting. The yogīs, everyone, yogīs... *Yoga* practice is, therefore, it is more or less material achievement. Because when they are powerful to show some miracles and people become captivated, "Oh, he is performing such miracle thing." In Benares, in India, there was a yogī, his business was anyone who will go there, he immediately produced two or four rasagullās and offer him. And many hundreds and thousands of educated men became his disciple simply for the matter rasagullā, which is only four annas—worth. So people want to see this jugglery. And those who want following some or some material achievement, they want to show... Actually, it is a fact. Suppose if I could manufacture rasagullā by some mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, oh, thousands of people will come immediately. You see? People want to see, and those persons who want to have a cheap following, they want to show such jugglery. But a devotee is not of that mentality. They will simply..., humble servant. They are satisfied by serving the Lord. That is devotee's position. So your statement, that "Why one should bother with these things?" that's a very nice proposal. Why? There is no necessity. Suppose if I can manufacture some rasagullā, what is the worth of this rasagullā? Oh, we can, if we spend ten cents, we can make it. So why shall I waste my energy for manufacturing rasagullā in the *yoga* system? Actually, therefore, Kṛṣṇa says that the perfection of, real perfection of *yoga*, the first-class yogī is he who is always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. That is first class. He is recommended. > yoginām api sarveṣāṁ > mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā > śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ > sa me yuktatamo mataḥ > [Bg 6.47] "The first-class yogī is he who is always..." He never says that first-class yogī is he who can show this jugglery. No. That is not recommended. Actually... And the *yoga* practice begins, samādhi. Real *yoga* practice is, after controlling the senses, the next stage is samādhi, concentrate the mind, focus the mind on Viṣṇu always. Always thinking of Viṣṇu, always seeing Viṣṇu within himself. That is *yoga* practice. But by such practice, automatically one gains such powerful things, and when one gains such powerful power, they want to exhibit to get following for material achievement. But that is not the purpose of *yoga*. *Yoga* means to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead and ultimately reach in His kingdom. That is the real purpose of *yoga*. [break] Yes? Devotee (1): When they perform these miracles, [indistinct] that is with their material body? Their material body performs? Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes? Woman devotee: Why do you say that Jesus Christ performed so many miracles when he made.., he changed [indistinct] bread, fishes [indistinct], and you never say that Kṛṣṇa performed any miracles. When Kṛṣṇa lifted up Govardhana Hill, nobody said that was a miracle. But when Jesus Christ made so much food, they say it's a miracle. Why is that? Prabhupāda: The difference is that in Vṛndāvana they are pure devotees. They knew that "Oh, this is not a miracle for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa can do anything and everything." So they were not surprised. If I lift one mountain, you will be surprised, because you know that "Swāmījī is man. How he is lifting?" But they know that Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful. [chuckles] So there was no surprise. It is just like natural work. They were so much affectionate to Kṛṣṇa that... He was not only lifting; every day He was doing so much great performances. And His boyfriends, they will come home, and they will narrate the story to their mothers: "Oh, Mother, today Kṛṣṇa performed like this. There was a great demon, and He killed him immediately." And the mother will say, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa did that? He is very nice boy, very nice." [laughter] Because they were so affectionate to Kṛṣṇa, they always think, "Everything is possible for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is so nice. Kṛṣṇa is so great." That is their idea. So that is not miracle. That is ordinary thing for us. Just like Yaśodā. Kṛṣṇa's friends complained, "Mother Yaśodā, Kṛṣṇa has eaten earth. You gave Him sweetmeat, but He was not eating sweetmeat." You know, the boys, they complain each other and again make friends. So Yaśodā was..., "Oh, Kṛṣṇa, I gave You sweetmeats. You are eating earth?" "No, Mother. I have not eaten. They are telling false." And they were still, "Yes. We have seen, Mother, He has eaten." Then Mother asked Him, "Oh, show Your face. Open Your mouth. I want to see." So He opened His mouth, and he [she] saw all the universe within His mouth—not only earth, the whole planets, sun and moon, and everything, within His mouth. Then she thought, "Oh, what I have seen? All right. Don't do it." That's all. [laughter] She is not at all surprised. She thought that "I saw something. Maybe I wrong or right. All right. Don't do it." That's all. So they were so much affectionate to Kṛṣṇa that Kṛṣṇa's this jugglery could not enchant them. [chuckles] You see? Therefore Kṛṣṇa said to the gopīs that "Your love is so pure that it is not possible for Me to repay." Kṛṣṇa is declaring insolvent to pay their debt. "You be satisfied with your love only. I cannot repay." That is the position of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa and the residents of Vṛndāvana so affectionately connected that there is no such conception that "Kṛṣṇa is God. Kṛṣṇa can play wonderful things." They simply love Kṛṣṇa. And out of love they forget everything: "All right. That's all right. That's all right." So that ecstasy of love is only possible in Vṛndāvana. Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out *Heaven and the Spiritual Universe* *This is a continuation of a conversation between His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and reporters in Melbourne, Australia, on June 29, 1974.* Reporter: Your Divine Grace, in your books you talk about Brahmaloka, which, I suppose, is heaven, where we will at last see God. Śrīla Prabhupāda: No. First of all, heaven is simply a higher material planetary system, where you cannot directly see God. There are many material *lokas,* or planetary systems, and heaven is one of them, and of course Brahmaloka is one. Don't you see? There are so many material planetary systems, with innumerable planets. The planetary systems include Brahmaloka, Candraloka, Varunaloka, Suryaloka, and so many others. Reporter: So when we speak of heaven, are we speaking of a physical place? Would one be on a physical planet? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Just consider the planets in this universe that you see each day and night. Are they physical or not? Take the sun. The sun is not a physical planet? Reporter: It is. Śrīla Prabhupāda: What do you mean by "physical." Reporter: Well, actually existing on a material... Śrīla Prabhupāda: At night don't you see existing so many planets—innumerable planets? Are they physical or not? Reporter: Stars and planets. They are physical, yes. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Consider this example. When you say "United States of America," you are talking about an actual place. There are living entities—men and mountains and rivers. Everything is there. Similarly, all these other planets in this universe—they are inhabited by living entities. There are similarly cities and towns and mountains and rivers and oceans. Everything is there—though of a unique pattern on each planet. So in heaven, everything is of a superior quality, a superior pattern. As a result, in your present body you are not able to go and live there. Even on this single planet, there are widely varying climatic conditions. In the Arctic region some living entities can live, but for us, is very difficult to live there. One place is suitable for one kind of man; another place is suitable for another. So from planet to planet, and from place to place on each planet, you'll find living entities. And these living entities have received various kinds of material bodies just suitable to various conditions. For instance, you cannot live within the ocean, but just for that reason you cannot say that nobody can live within the ocean. That would be foolishness. Simply you must admit you cannot live there. But there are so many varieties of fish, and they are living within the ocean very comfortably. So don't try to transfer your present experience to other living entities. That is not a very good argument. Now, here on this planet many of the so-called scientists—they are saying that on other planets there are no living entities. Why? These so-called scientists are putting forth so many reasons: "This element is lacking." "That element is lacking." But what, Mr. Scientist, do you know of how this or that condition may affect beings with bodies vastly different from anything you have experienced? You know virtually nothing about the other planets. Then how can you say there are no living entities there? Reporter: I quite agree. Very often these scientists make grand statements without a clue as to whereof they speak. So in fact, there is a heavenly planetary system, with real living entities, and it is in this material universe? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. In this material universe you'll find a place for souls who have lived virtuously, but who have not become unalloyed devotees of the Lord. That is called heaven, a place of great material opulence. But heaven is not in the spiritual universe. No, the spiritual universe is reserved for those souls who have developed unalloyed devotion to the Lord. Therefore in heaven you’ll not see the Lord. And even though you may enjoy a life of many thousands of years, at last you must undergo death and accept another birth on an earthly planet. Reporter: Your Divine Grace, do you see a time coming when all mankind will be united? Śrīla Prabhupāda: That is very difficult to say, but we can be united on the spiritual platform, not on the material platform. Reporter: Well, then, would you say that this spiritual unity of all mankind is possible within this generation? Śrīla Prabhupāda: It is possible at any time—provided people take to the actual principles of spiritual life. But they'll not take to these principles. For example, one of the basic principles of spiritual life is no meat-eating. Now, do you think this principle will be embraced by everyone? And yet this is one of the fundamental principles of spiritual life—no meat-eating. Reporter: Is that a necessary ... Śrīla Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Without this—if you don't stop meat-eating—you cannot understand what spiritual life is. One who is mired in sinful life cannot understand what God is, or what devotion to God is. That is not possible. Reporter: And would it be the same for the rest of what you call the principles of spiritual life? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. People who are sinful, who do not follow the spiritual principles, cannot understand God or devotion to God. The basic spiritual principles include four prohibitions. We instruct our students not to indulge in gambling, illicit sex, meat- or fish- or egg-eating, or intoxication, including cigarettes, tea, and coffee. Reporter: Drinking coffee and tea is also prohibited? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. It is also a form of intoxication. Gambling, illicit sex, flesh-eating, intoxication—these are the four pillars of sinful life. So unless one gives up these four things, he cannot understand what God is, what God's kingdom is, what our real business here in this material world is—namely preparing to go to God. A Pause for Prayer O most powerful, insurmountable Lord, who are kind to the fallen souls, I have been put into the association of demons as a result of my activities, and therefore I am very much afraid of my condition of life within this material world. When will that moment come when You will call me to the shelter of Your lotus feet, which are the ultimate goal for liberation from conditional life? My dear Lord, O supreme great, You have created this material world of sixteen constituents, but You are transcendental to their material qualities. In other words, these material qualities are under Your full control, and You are never conquered by them. Therefore the time element is Your representation. My Lord, O Supreme, no one can conquer You. As for me, however, I am being crushed by the wheel of time, and therefore I surrender fully unto You. Now kindly take me under the protection of Your lotus feet. —Prahlāda Mahārāja to Lord Nṛsiṁha *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 7.9.16, 22 Fixing Racism at the Root *The Bhagavad-gītā gives the key to ending the scourge of racism.* By Ādi Puruṣa Dāsa How the practice of *bhakti-yoga* can solve a persistent societal problem. There’s a perennial deep-rooted phenomena that affects millions of people worldwide. Historically, it has led to untold numbers of vicious hate crimes and revolts. Even today, in some places children are afraid to go to school because of it. It is racism. Discrimination against someone simply because of his or her race is unfortunately not foreign to us in our current world. World leaders endorse it, millions practice it, and millions suffer from it. It has been going on for so long that it seems there may not even be a solution for it. The ancient tradition of *bhakti-yoga*, however, has answers to this enduring problem. *Readjusting Our Vision* How exactly can we combat racism? One important way is to readjust our view of others. The *Bhagavad-gītā* provides us with the insight to make this possible. Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna, “The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].” (*Gītā* 5.18) A learned sage sees all living beings equally despite whatever body they happen to be in. Whether someone has the body of a dog, or the body of someone who eats dogs, or even the body of a mad politician, a humble sage sees them all on an equal level. But why would this be? The wise know that the real living entity is not the body, but rather a spiritual entity—the soul. The body is just like a dress the living entity puts on for some time. When the body gets old, one must change the “dress” of the body for another, in the same way that I may change out of a t-shirt and shorts into a suit. Our bodies are changing all the time, yet we remain the same spiritual soul. Those in knowledge don’t view people according to the particular bodily dress they happen to be wearing, but rather they look at everyone on a deeper level by seeing them as spiritual souls, equal to all other living beings. After all, while we may judge people for their fashion choices, we don’t let such choices permanently affect our opinions of them. If I happen to wear a really goofy t-shirt one day, my friends may tease me a little, but they wouldn’t stop being friends with me or treat me differently. So why then do we continue to discriminate against others based on the outer dress of their body? Someone with a black body or a white body now may in the next life be born into a German family that makes Volkswagen Beetles, or they could be born as an actual beetle. Viewing someone as lesser or higher depending on their race is imperfect vision because any type of bodily designation is impermanent. By seeing others as fellow spiritual souls equal to ourselves, however, we treat others on the basis of who they really are, and we avoid racism because we don’t let trivial matters like the particular body someone has determine his or her worth. *How Can We Practically Develop This Vision?* Of course, while in theory trying to develop the vision of equanimity sounds simple enough, in practice it can be difficult. Cultural forces are so strong that even if we don’t succumb to racism, we may be in an environment where racism is prevalent. How can we strive to develop an attitude of equality to all and in doing so set a positive example for others? One way to develop this vision is to practice *bhakti-yoga*. By such practice, one can develop qualities like equanimity automatically. One of the main practices of *bhakti-yoga* is to chant the names of God, especially the *mahā-mantra*: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Just as someone sleeping can be woken up by sound, we can be reawakened to our original spiritual nature by chanting and hearing the *mahā-mantra*. In our pure state, we are naturally blissful and free from impurities like anger or envy. Why does the *mantra* work? The mahā-*mantra* consists of names of God, and because God is omnipotent, His name is nondifferent from Him. Thus by chanting names of God one is associating with God and thus becoming purified. *Bhakti-yogis* also know that God is one but has many names, such as Kṛṣṇa, Allah, and Jehovah. Thus one can chant the names of God in one's respective faith, and the purifying effect will be there. A common criticism of *bhakti-yogis* is that their chanting is impractical. When one takes a closer look at what the chanting does, however, one will find that it is a very practical use of one’s time. The chanting purifies one’s consciousness, which in turn leads one to think and then act in a more considerate way towards others. Therefore the practice of chanting the names of God can stop racism at the root because it empowers us to be more loving towards one another and reluctant to discriminate. In addition to chanting the names of God, however, *bhakti-yogis* do more active things. Chanting God’s names spiritualizes the chanters' consciousness so that they can spiritualize the rest of their normal activities. Thus *bhakti-yogis* can perform their occupations or other duties with the attitude of pleasing the Supreme rather than themselves. This helps cultivate qualities like compassion and selflessness rather than greed or envy. The result is that one will be compassionate towards everyone, whether friend or enemy. Kṛṣṇa describes this in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (6.9), “A person is considered still further advanced when he regards honest well-wishers, affectionate benefactors, the neutral, mediators, the envious, friends and enemies, the pious and the sinners all with an equal mind.” Therefore *bhakti-yoga* is a practical way to combat racism because it is not simply an intellectual adjustment, but a holistic process that purifies the heart so that one can love all living entities. *Making an Impact* One who acknowledges the effectiveness of *bhakti-yoga* in helping to combat racism might still wonder how this will make a widespread difference in solving racial problems once and for all. Once again, Kṛṣṇa gives us some insight as to how this can happen. He states, “Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.” (*Gītā* 3.21) If someone practices *bhakti-yoga* and develops a pure heart, then other people will naturally begin to follow the example. People are naturally drawn to follow those they think are great men or women, and certainly a *bhakti-yogi* who sets a strong example of loving every living being will earn respect. Therefore the purification the *bhakti-yogi*s experience benefits not only themselves, but also society because other people will want to follow the example of such pure-hearted souls. History also shows that changing the hearts of the people is a more effective strategy than simply passing a law. For example, the Declaration of Independence states, “All men are created equal.” But did the founding fathers really believe that all men were created equal? Well, considering how they kept slaves and only considered them three fifths of a full person, I’d say not. It took the work of many abolitionists to change the hearts of the people. Therefore simply passing a law won’t fix the problem of racism because the real problem is in the heart. It shouldn’t be up to the oppressed to have to fight for their equality rights. All people, whether rich or poor, white, black, yellow, or brown, should learn to accept one another on the basis of the soul and not the external dress of the body. If it became a genuine societal value to view others equally, then not only racism but also hatred in general would be reduced and there would be much more peace in the world. Of course, it may take a long time for the world to come to this platform. Still, if we work to combat the impurities within us, ultimately the evil in the outside world will also reduce as a natural consequence of hatred being replaced by love. *Ādi Puruṣa Dāsa is pursuing a master's degree in Religious Studies at Duke University in North Carolina.* The Life of Devotional Dynamism *A quotation from an American dancer and actress inspires thoughts about living a life of bhakti.* Caitanya Caraṇa Dāsa Wherever we are in life, and however we got there, *bhakti* wisdom empowers us to make the best use of our present circumstances. "What we are is God’s gift to us; what we become is our gift to God."—Eleanor Powell (1912–1982), American dancer and actress I first came across this quote many years ago and found it intuitively, inspiringly insightful. Over the years, I have contemplated it in the light of the *Bhagavad-gītā’s* devotional wisdom, wisdom that was probably unknown to Powell. Here I will break this quote into four parts to share how *bhakti* infuses our life with an untiring devotional dynamism. *What We Are* We all are at different points in our life according to our starting point at birth and what has happened since. Some things were determined for us at birth, including our genes, their resultant endowments, and our families. Presently, we are characterized by our sex, family lineage, age group, economic bracket, religion, nationality, and so on. We often identify with these things, thinking that their combination is what we are. But we are much more. The *Bhagavad-gītā* explains that we are souls, spiritual beings distinct from our bodies. We stay in one body for one lifetime and then move on to another body (2.13), just as people give up worn-out clothes and put on new ones (2.23). While in a particular body, we have our distinctive blend of talents and limitations. But these don’t define us so much when we appreciate our spiritual identity. We understand that these stem from the part of us that is not actually us—our body. The body is an essential interface for the nonmaterial soul to function in this material world. Still, it is an impure instrument that can sully the pure soul’s actions. We can’t blame the body, because we got it by our own past *karma*. Nonetheless, we are not our *karma*—we are spiritual beings distinct from our past actions and their consequences, even consequences that manifest consequentially as our physical vehicles. By knowing ourselves as essentially spiritual, we can avoid lamenting about our deficiencies and focus on our abilities. Thus discovering and developing our talents, we can become our best. We need to be aware of our limitations, but that awareness comes to the center of our consciousness when we see ourselves materialistically, because materialism defines us in terms of what we materially have or don’t have. In contrast, spiritual wisdom helps us place our material side at the periphery of our identity and focus on pure spiritual potential, thereby freeing us to make our best contributions. *God’s Gift to Us* Our very existence is an expression of God’s love—we are meant for a life of eternal love with Him. *Bhakti* wisdom reveals God to be not just supreme, but also supremely loveable—He is the all-attractive person, Kṛṣṇa. Eternal love for God is best reciprocated in the spiritual realm, in God’s personal abode. And our life in this world can help us prepare for that life of love. Thus our very existence, with our innate longing to love and be loved, and with the opportunity to find eternal fulfillment for that love—all this is God’s gift to us. Moreover, what we presently are is not just the random result of our *karma*. The *Bhagavad-gītā* (9.10, 13.23) states that material nature works under Kṛṣṇa’s supervision. So He orchestrates material things for our spiritual evolution. When seen from the perspective of the past, what we are is a result of our *karma*. But when seen from the perspective of the future, what we are is a divine gift, a customized takeoff point for our onward spiritual evolution. The *Gītā* (7.8) states that human abilities are manifestations of God in this world. This devotional vision can help us counter one of our biggest enthusiasm eroders: unhealthy comparison. When we see others who have more talents than us, we often feel sorry for ourselves. Such self-pity can dishearten us. It can also sentence us to a lifelong struggle to become someone else. But others are who they are, and we can never become them; we can only become their second-class imitators at best. (Of course, we can take inspiration from exemplars, especially exemplars on the spiritual path, and follow in their footsteps with whatever capacities we have.) *Bhakti* wisdom counters such disempowerment by providing us a healthy self-esteem. If God had wanted us to be someone else, He would have made someone else. But He chose to make us—that means He wants us to be us. Of course, He wants us to be the best us, not the worst us, which is what we may become if we don’t make wise choices. For helping us bring out our best, the *Bhagavad-gītā* recommends a social division of labor that engages people according to their natural endowments (4.13). While this system has over the centuries degenerated into the discriminatory caste system, the original purpose was inclusive. The *Gītā* (18.45) assures that we all can, by working according to our own nature, attain perfection. This implies that whatever we are is suitable for our growth. Given that different people are differently endowed, comparison is unavoidable—all the more because we live in a competitive world. Still, comparison needn’t be unhealthy. We can take inspiration from others’ talents and use that inspiration for tapping our talents and enhancing our contributions in a mood of devotion. The healthiest form of comparison is comparison with ourselves. If we can strive to every day become a better version of what we were the previous day, then we are on the sure path to growth. *What We Become* We all have an innate drive to change ourselves for the better and to change things around us for the better. This is a characteristically human drive. Birds are largely content to live in the same kind of nests and eat the same kind of foods, year after year, generation after generation, unless forced to adapt by environmental changes. We, however, have the drive to improve these things, as is evident in our hundreds of house types and thousands of recipes. Indeed, all science, art, literature, and everything else that manifests the change humans have brought about stems from this drive to become better. Some people fear that this human spirit of taking initiative will be choked in a life of devotion. However, devotion doesn’t stifle our initiative, but sublimates it. *Bhakti* wisdom urges us to direct our initiative, our urge to improve, upwards in the realm of consciousness, towards actualizing our potential and sharing it with others. Significantly, *bhakti* doesn’t divorce the material from the spiritual; it harmonizes the material with the pursuit of the spiritual. Far from rejecting the material as profane, it acknowledges that even the material emanates from the divine, as the *Gītā* (10.8) indicates when stating that everything comes from Kṛṣṇa. Undoubtedly, *bhakti* focuses on direct devotional activities such as chanting, studying scripture, worshiping the Deities, and so forth. These activities purify our consciousness and infuse it with an attitude of devotion towards Kṛṣṇa. *Bhakti* teachings urge us to carry a service attitude into the whole of our life and redefine our duties as devotional service, as a way of worshiping Kṛṣṇa. The *Gītā* (18.46) states that God is the source of everything and pervades everything. Being thus immanent, He can be worshiped through our vocations. When energized by a mood of service and contribution, we get a lofty purpose for our hard work. Without a spiritual vision, we are driven to work hard to gain recognition in the world’s eyes. But the world recognizes only the top performers, and if we don’t become one, we remain unrecognized and feel unworthy. Today’s money-centered culture often makes us equate, consciously or subconsciously, our net worth with our self-worth. Such equating can damage our confidence and determination. We can prevent this by internalizing the *bhakti* vision of life. This vision is evident in a sweet story associated with the Rāmāyaṇa. When Rāma’s various assistants, primarily monkeys, started building a bridge across the ocean, a small squirrel felt inspired to assist. She labored to carry little lumps of earth on her back and place them on the bridge. Some of the monkeys wanted to tell her to get out of their way; they felt that her puny contribution would make practically no difference to the bridge—to the contrary, she would just get in their way as they raced about carrying huge boulders that contributed tangibly to the bridge. Rāma stopped the monkeys from shooing away the squirrel and told them that He valued her contributions as much as He valued theirs, for He saw the quality of the contribution more than the quantity. They both had the same desire to serve—the squirrel was contributing to the best of her capacity, and the monkeys to the best of theirs. Kṛṣṇa acknowledges and appreciates our contributions, even if they don’t seem noteworthy or even noticeable in the world’s eyes. By fixing our vision on Kṛṣṇa instead of the world, we can rise above the insecurity that arises from having our self-esteem dependent on recognition by a fickle world. Breaking free of the negativity that chokes our contributions, we strive enthusiastically to become our best. *Our Gift to God* Ultimately, we can’t give any gift to God because He is the proprietor of everything, as the *Gītā* (5.29) reminds us. Whatever we may give Him actually belongs to Him; it is only temporarily in our possession. Still, the *bhakti* tradition recommends that we express our devotion to God by offering Him the things we have received from Him. This spirit is seen in the widespread cultural practice of the devout prayerfully offering the Ganges handfuls of water taken from the Ganges itself. In such offering, the content of the gift is not as important as the intent: the humble desire to express our reverence, gratitude, and devotion. Kṛṣṇa highlights this primacy of intent when He says in the *Gītā* (9.26) that He is satisfied with simple offerings—just a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even a little water—when these are offered with devotion. In keeping with this devotional mood, we can reinvent our work as our gift to God and offer its fruits to Him. *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (11.2.36) urges us to offer for the Lord’s pleasure all our faculties—body, speech, mind, senses, intelligence, whatever we have according to our nature. How one’s vocation can become a gift to God is seen through the example of the *Gītā’s* original student, Arjuna. He was the best archer of his times. And he became the best not just by his innate talent, prodigious as it was, but also by his unparalleled commitment. While he was learning at his martial teacher’s academy, whatever he was taught during the day he would practice late into the night. By such diligence, he became proficient at various extraordinary archery skills, such as hitting invisible targets just by hearing their sounds. Thus he became an eminently competent instrument in Kṛṣṇa’s hands. When Kṛṣṇa wanted to establish dharma, which required fighting an epic war, Arjuna became Kṛṣṇa’s foremost agent. Unlike Arjuna, we may not have avenues for directly serving Kṛṣṇa through our vocations or avocations. Still, we can hone our abilities and make positive contributions in our sphere of influence, knowing that opportunities to serve can open anytime. After all, Arjuna too did not know in advance that his archery skills would enable him to play such a crucial role in Kṛṣṇa’s plan—he honed his skills because being a warrior was his nature and his duty. And, in due course, Kṛṣṇa arranged for those skills to be used in His service. Ultimately, the gift that Kṛṣṇa wants most from us is not what we do, but what we become—and become spiritually. Whatever we do in this temporary world will be temporary. But in striving to do it in a devotional mood, we can purify our heart, making it a suitable place for Him to manifest His all-pure, all-attractive presence. When we become attracted to Him, we attain His abode, never to return to this mortal world, as the *Gītā* assures repeatedly (4.9, 8.15, 8.21, 15.6). *Bringing It All Together* When we strive to serve in this world, we will be impeded and distracted by various challenges. Still, just as gold shines all the more when passed through fire, so too do we shine better with our purity and spirituality when purged by our devotional perseverance in facing the world’s problems (*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 11.14.25). When we persevere thus, we progress both materially and spiritually. Materially, we do greater justice to our God-given talents and make tangible contributions in this world. And spiritually, we rise in our consciousness and come closer to Kṛṣṇa. Thus the life of love we lead here becomes, at the end of our life, our launching pad for attaining the world of eternal love, where we can delight forever with our Lord. *Caitanya Caraṇa Dāsa, a disciple of His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami, serves full time at ISKCON Chowpatty, Mumbai. He is a BTG associate editor and the author of twenty-five books. To read his other articles or to receive his daily reflection on the Bhagavad-gītā, "Gita-Daily," visit gitadaily.com.* Book Excerpt: Narasimha: the Divine Protector In Search of Narasiṁha's Temples *An introduction to some of the many Deities of the Lord's half-man, half-lion incarnation found throughout India.* by Dhruva Dāsa A fond attachment to Lord Narasiṁha formed in childhood leads to an adventurous search for many of His out-of-the-way temples in India. Adapted from Narasimha: the Divine Protector, Volume 1: The Lost Temples. Copyright 2017 The Narasimha Foundation. All rights reserved. Available at narasimhathelosttemples.com. The text of this excerpt is essentially the Introduction to the book and retains the book's style for spelling Sanskrit words. The two-page spreads showing the Deities are just as they appear (though smaller here) in the 12" x 15" book. While we've chosen to show only one spread for each Deity, the coverage in the book may sometimes extend to two or three spreads. Each of the Deities shown here is in the Indian state of Karnataka. The name of the town or village of the Deity appears with the Deity's name. For example, "Mogarnadu Laxmi Narasimhadeva" means Lakṣmī Narasiṁhadeva in the village of Mogarnadu, Karnataka. Lord Narasimha is known as the divine protector and remover of all spiritual obstacles. He appeared in the form of a half-man, half-lion incarnation of Vishnu to protect and save His devotee Prahlad, who was only a young boy at the time. Prahlad’s father, Hiranyakashipu, was perhaps the most heinous demon-king that ever lived, and Narasimhadeva’s destruction of this demon speaks to the power of good over evil, or righteousness over iniquity. Although I'm now a young man, my childhood was anything but ordinary. Unlike most Western youth, I grew up in an ashram in middle America, where my parents embraced the teachings of India and her eternal religion of the soul, which included reverence for Lord Narasimha. In the ashram, I used to serve His Deity form on a regular basis, creating a connection of loving attachment to Him. His protective nature captivated my mind and heart, especially since, like Prahlad, I was only a child and knew that He would show compassion to me as someone who was completely dependent on Him. As I grew older, my attraction for Him grew more and more, eventually developing into an intense desire to search out His many temples in India. When the chance finally came, I seized it and ended up going to Ahobilam (where He is said to have manifested on earth), on the southeastern coast of the country. After that first experience, I knew I just had to find more Narasimha temples and document them for posterity—to show the world. *** Narasimhadeva is worshiped and celebrated throughout India, mainly due to the fact that He is considered the supreme divine protector, something appreciated by all traditions regardless of sectarian affiliation. Although Hindus tend to create a hierarchy of gods and often debate who among them is actually the greatest, Narasimhadeva is respected by all Indic traditions equally, both in India and in other parts of Asia. As the divine protector and remover of obstacles, He is seen as Ganesh’s supreme counterpart. While Ganesh removes material obstacles, Narasimha can even remove spiritual ones. For the past 16 years I have been traveling around India in search of the lost and unknown temples of Lord Narasimha. When I began my search, many told me that His temples were only located in one particular region of the subcontinent (Andhra Pradesh). While this initially seemed to be true, I gradually found out that He revealed Himself in many forms and temples throughout the country. From the Himalaya mountains to the deepest, dangerous jungles of South India and the deserts of Rajasthan—there He was in all His glory. After each amazing temple, I would have to search out another and find Him, yet again, in a new form, or in a new manifestation. At times I would forget to sleep or eat—so passionate was my search, my obsession. I continued on like a madman or like a desperate child in search of his lost father. The different forms of the Deities were spectacular, each one driving me further, virtually forcing me to move forward to locate the next and the next and the next and the next. They were all unique, expressing various characteristics of Lord Narasimha: Some were ferocious, awesome, gentle, huge, tiny, smiling, peaceful, yet all so brilliantly attractive in Their diverse ways. Some of the temples were difficult to find. But I was determined to not give up and always prayed to Him for direction. While on buses, trains, rickshaws, or walking on the road, I would follow any and every lead, however slight it might have been. Sometimes I would meet someone who spoke just enough English to tell me about a temple they knew, or they would take me to someone who they thought could help me. It was as if the Lord Himself was mapping out my path through all these wonderful, kind people that almost mystically came my way. The temples were often in out-of-the-way place, too. Most of them were on top of hills or mountains or in caves surrounded by jungles that were home to tigers, bears, and cobras. Though I sometimes succumbed to fear, I never doubted that the Lord would protect me. *** The idea for the book came about gradually. After finding the first 100 temples, I realized that this could be an important service to Lord Narasimhadeva. If I could find His most obscure temples, catalog and photograph them, get all the details and history from the locals and the temple priests, others might be able to retrace my steps in the future, thus bringing them to the feet of the Lord. Photographing all the art, paintings, carvings, temples, Deities, temple grounds, priests and just anything to do with Him, I knew would be extremely valuable to my peers and future generations. My mission became clear: To write about these wonderlands of Narasimha and create a book of all His temples, His devotees, His ritual and His art—a book about Narasimha culture. Though the beginning years were some of the most memorable and incredible times of my life, this last year, traveling with my friend and photographer Damodar Rati, would no doubt influence how this book takes shape in a major way. In other words, the volume is largely a visual experience, even if it includes enough text to take the readers where they need to go. I have not labored to document details of history and outer specifics. Rather, I try to give the reader a brief visceral experience with as few words as possible and allow the form of the Lord to speak for itself. May Lord Narasimha protect us always. Dhruva Dāsa (Dhruva Gorrick) and his photographer, Dāmodara Rati Dāsa (Dennis Sher), live in Alachua, Florida. Dhruva can be reached at [email protected]. Gulante Yoga Narasimha This Yoga Narasimha Deity holds a special place in my heart. The first time I found this temple I was driving up the coast of Karnataka with a friend of mine looking for another Narasimha temple I had heard about some years before. As we were driving I looked out the window and there was a sign on the side of the road saying “Narasimha temple.” “Wait!” I shouted. “There is a Narasimha temple back there.” I urged my friend to stop and turn around. He slammed on the breaks and we did a quick, dangerous U-turn in the middle of a bustling road, full of people, animals, and cars. Pulling up to the temple, I jumped out of the jeep with crazy excitement, as I always do when I stumble onto His temples by accident. For me, it is the highest rush imaginable and always fills me with excitement. Running towards the temple, dashing around a sharp corner, I witnessed the most amazing Yoga Narasimha Deity I had ever seen. Even to this day, that particular Deity holds a special place in my heart —His mood and visage touched me deeply. I prostrated myself before the Him and as I was getting up I noticed a friendly looking man walking out of a door, coming towards me. By now my friend had joined me and, luckily, he spoke the local language. So when the man introduced himself as the priest of the temple, I asked him to tell me the story of this Deity and His shrine. My friend translated for me as the priest was talking. He began by saying that many hundreds of years earlier, one of his great saintly ancestors was walking through the jungles with some disciples and they suddenly heard a powerful roaring sound. The saint perceived this as “very auspicious roaring” and led his followers to seek out where it is coming from. They all followed the sound and came to the base of a small hill. Climbing upward, they came to a cliff where they found a cave, noticing that the roaring was coming from inside. The saint entered the cave alone, leaving his followers outside, but when he emerged, they saw that he was carrying this beautiful Narasimha Deity. They all shouted “Jai! Jai!” which means, “spiritual victory!” and together they walked back to the village, enjoying a sense of accomplishment and spiritual fulfillment. Once in the village, they engaged in a huge celebration until late that evening, formally if enthusiastically inviting the Lord into their midst. One addendum to the story: That night the saintly man and his family, said the head priest, were attacked by tigers. Fearing for their lives, they took shelter of the Lord in the form of that Narasimha Deity, and He dutifully protected them. After the incident, that same night, Narasimha appeared to the saint in a dream and asked that, in reciprocation, His worship always be steady and never stop. There would be harsh reaction, said the Lord, if it did. I interrupted the priest and asked if the worship had ever declined after hearing the Lord’s warning. He indicated that it had —he opened his cloth at that point and showed me his leg. There were bite marks and claw marks. He said that when the worship slackened, a tiger attacked him, seemingly out of nowhere. The Lord saved him and, like his ancestor, he devoted his life to the temple from that time forward. I went back to that temple after some time, and I was very happy to see the priest still there worshiping his Lord. Local legend also has it that a tiger guards the temple, even today, and has attacked thieves who have tried to rob the temple at night. Marvantee Shanti Narasimha What I love about this temple is that it is situated in such a beautiful location, between the beach and a fresh water river. It was one of the first temples I visited when I was a young man in search of Lord Narasimha. It is believed that Lord Shiva and countless saints, kings and yogis worshiped this Deity over many centuries. They say it is over 2,000 years old and holds special significance for the local people —this Deity is said to remove all the inappropriate desires that hinder us from practicing a more spiritual life. The faith of the devotees who worship this Deity is palpable. When Damodar and I arrived at the temple —I had been there many times before —no one was anywhere to be seen. Somehow, we arrived when His many worshippers were out and about, doing other things. So we entered and went directly to see the Lord in this amazing form of Shanti Narasimha. Previously, whenever I had the good fortune to have darshan (“audience”) of this Deity, He was always covered by layers of flower garlands and elaborate dress, covering much of His form from public view. To my astonishment, when we walked into the inner sanctum of the Lord’s chambers, there He was in all His glory, without any coverings—the priests must have just finished the morning rituals, bathing and cleaning Him to prepare for the day. I jumped in excitement, explaining to Damodar how my wish had finally come true after so long. Just then the priest walked in and I looked at Damodar and said, “Guess what his name is.” “Narasimha,” Damodar replied. “Yes, indeed it is,” I said. “Narasimha worshiping Narasimhadeva,” Damodar mused. We laughed. “Yes,” I said, “he and his family have been doing the service here for many generations.” The priest and I greeted each other after not seeing each other for some time. He then took us around the temple to show us all the new improvements and developments in taking care of the Deity. It was so lovely to be back here again, sort of like coming home. Feeling emotional, I hugged the priest to let him know how close I felt to him, and soon we were saying our goodbyes. As we headed out to the jeep, I was stopped by some young local girls who asked what we were doing there. I answered that I was searching for all the Narasimha temples in the region. They were excited and started telling me how their family Deity is Narasimha. They mentioned a temple that I hadn’t heard of. I was thrilled and thanked them profusely. Damodar and I then drove back onto the beach road in front of the temple and I immediately said, “First things first—let’s find this new temple that the girls told us about.” We admired the beauty of this sacred land and headed off to find yet another lost temple of Lord Narasimha. Mangalore Bhadra Narasimha The first time I visited this temple of Bhadra Narasimha more then 15 years ago, I knew I would never forget it. In fact, ever since then, I have had a special place for this Deity in my heart, and coming back to Him again after so long was very precious to me. This is a unique form of the Lord. He is standing, offering His full blessings and protection to His devotees. They say that if you approach Him, He will protect you and remove any and all suffering. On my most recent visit, I was greeted by the actual family who runs and owns the temple. They informed me how this sanctuary was one of the oldest in Mangalore and how their great ancestors built it for their family worship, since Narasimha is their family God. To connect with these priests whose family had been worshiping this Deity for over a thousand years felt humbling, for one could sense that they carried both love and awe and reverence in their blood line. Damodar and I relished their company for as long as we could and, in the end, when we had to leave, we thanked them for their time and hospitality. They asked us if we would come back again. I smiled in response and replied, “Yes, I must—there is no way I can stay away from this place!” They were happy with that response, and they left us with these words: “May Narasimha bless you on your search—take Him with you wherever you go.” We then headed out to find another temple, one that I had heard about and which was close to this one. Feeling fortunate for the blessings of the Lord’s devotees, we left not only with a sense of mission but with glee in our hearts. Hanagarakatte The Three Deities of the Saint I have been looking for this temple for over ten years. I reminded myself of that fact as we pulled up to its front doors. “Finally, what a relief,” I confessed to Damodar. The reason it was difficult to find was because very few people knew about it. The structure is hidden deep in the jungles of Karnataka and very well protected by the ashram that surrounds it. When we parked the car, we were immediately greeted by a nice, elderly man who spoke English. I explained to him why I was there and he responded favorably, inviting me to meet “Swamiji.” We gladly accepted the invitation and followed him to the master’s quarters. Entering Swamiji’s room, the benevolent saint looked up at us with an innocent smile, exuding great kindness. “Please sit,” he encouraged us. “What may I do for you?” I explained my intense search for the Lord, and how excited I was to be at this particular temple, how I wanted to document its Deity and history. He looked up and revealed there was not just one Deity there, but three. “Three!” I said, obviously shocked. He then told us how these Deities are believed to be several thousand years old and were worshipped by many saints in their ancient lineage. We then went to the temple proper and, although warned, I didn’t expect to see what appeared before us: a most beautiful, elaborate silver altar with three Narasimha Deities. I was thrilled and more excited than words can express. I shouted enthusiastically to Damodar, who was lagging behind. “Damodar get over here—they are out of this world!!” When he approached the altar area, I grabbed him and brought him closer still: “Look, look—aren’t they awesome!” All three Deities were covered in silver kavacha (“body armour”), which was so beautiful I could stare at them for days. Still, I wanted to see their actual forms, so I asked the priest if he would take off the coverings. I needed to see them in all their glory. Complying with my wishes, the priest gladly did so without hesitation. As each Deity was uncovered and their true forms revealed, we were struck with awe. The beauty and power of the Ugra Narasimha Deities were stunning. “It’s about time,” I said to myself. “I am finally here after wanting to find You for so long. Thank you.” Thanking the Swamiji, too, for his kindness, we carried on with our journey surcharged by the energy of those Deities, who mesmerized us with their beauty and were fully empowering in their countenance and blessings. Koodli Chintamani Narasimha This very ancient temple goes back to the 12th century. As legend has it, it was built by one of the Hoysala Kings for this distinct self-manifested Deity of Narasimhadeva. Local devotees believe that this Deity, known as Chintamani Narasimha, has a special power to remove any mental illnesses. Moreover, they believe that the great child-devotee Prahlad actually worshipped this form himself. When Damodar and I arrived at the temple, it was unfortunately closed. Nonetheless, we found an elderly cleaning lady sweeping outside the temple grounds, and we watched as she soon opened the front gates of the temple to clean inside. We followed right in behind her and were shocked as, within moments, we were in the presence of the amazingly beautiful form of Chintamani Narasimha. I asked the cleaning lady where the priest was and she said that we should wait, that he’d be arriving after an hour or so. Consequently, Damodar and I wandered about in the general area, exploring the ancient bathing ghat in front of the temple. We were fascinated by the fact that this is where two sacred rivers—the Tunga and the Bhadra—meet, and how pious souls have been bathing here for centuries. As we milled around, in fact, there were several pilgrims bathing and chanting *mantras*, offering oblations to the sacred waters. We joined them and soaked up the sanctified liquid, which was both cleansing and refreshing. And purifying too. After some time, we journeyed back up to the temple. The priest was there and started his morning rituals and prayers to the Lord. He chanted numerous *mantras* as he prepared for the bathing and cleaning ceremony. A very kind looking man with a sort of power in him coming from years of service to the Lord, he asked us to sit and to let in this ancient and purifying ceremony. We did as he requested and watched the entire puja with rapt attention. It was an experience both Damodar and I will never forget. Ganga Nadu Shanti Narasimha A local in the village of Udupi directed us to a temple in the middle of nowhere —it’s at a place called Ganga Nadu, about two hours north of where we were. Damodar and I immediately jumped in our jeep to find this temple. The man also said it is a very special and rare place, and I reminded Damodar of this fact as we were weaving through the crazy traffic to get there. It was actually quite hard to find. We stopped a few times to ask a group of people on the side of the road—luckily, they all pointed in the same direction. We drove off the main road on a very small back gutter for some time. That brought us to a railroad crossing with unclear directions on all sides. At this point, we both had serious doubts as to whether we were going to find this temple—we didn’t even know where we were or where to go from here. All of a sudden, a man pulled up next to us on a motorcycle. He looked at us and inquired in perfect English, “Where are you guys going?” I excitedly replied we were looking for a Narasimha temple in Ganga Nadu. “Ah, yes,” he said. “That’s a very special place. You must drive in this direction for a while longer and you will come to a fork in the road. At that point, go right and continue until you come to the end. You’ll find Him there.” As the railroad crossing was opening, he grinned and said “Have fun,” which I took as a facetious remark. Still, we both waved to him and I floored it as I was on a mission to find this Deity once and for all. As we came down the last little hill, we could see a tiny temple surrounded by mountains in the most tranquil, divine spot you could ever dream of. There was a freshwater stream running in front of the temple and there were wild tulasi bushes growing everywhere, indicating the auspiciousness of the place. We were completely struck with wonder and taken aback by the mood and beauty of this sacred place. Finally, we got out of the jeep and went up to the temple, but it was locked and there wasn’t a soul around as of yet. My gut (or something more divine) told me to look above the door and sure enough there was a key. It opened the lock and we swung the door open—there He was! Damodar and I both said the same thing, at the exact same time: “Gosh!” This form of Narasimha was just so perfect —strong and noble and yet simultaneously peaceful and calm. I never want to leave this place, I thought to myself. I want to stay here forever, just to be with Him and to serve Him. We did a puja and offered flowers to Him which a group of small children had brought just for this purpose. It was like being in another universe or transported back in time. We felt the Lord’s presence. Commendable Commanders *The pure lives and exemplary character of great ācāryas inspire us to follow in their footsteps in our attempts to practice spiritual life.* by Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa Admiring the contributions of spiritual legends who transparently transmitted the transcendental teachings for our progress. The greatest pride of a follower of a Vaiṣṇava sampradāya (disciplic succession) lies in that person’s connection with the *guru-paramparā*, the lineage of the great spiritual masters who lead the legacy of that Vaiṣṇava school. The pure lives and exemplary character of these great spiritual commanders, the ācāryas, inspire one to follow in their footsteps in one’s attempts to practice spiritual life. Their illuminating commentaries on the timeless scriptures enlighten their sincere followers, giving them the necessary direction on the devotional path. *“Is He God?”* A couple of decades ago, my father took me to a beautiful temple on the beach of a popular city in southern India. I was about to enter my teenage years, and I was impressed with the serene ambience of the new campus and the majesty of the monuments. Passing through the beautiful pathways in anticipation, we entered the magnificent temple hall. Previously I had visited many temples, some big and some small, of the Hindu Deities. This time, however, I was amazed to see a huge well-furnished, well-maintained temple room, unlike the ones I had seen earlier. I gradually turned my attention to the beautiful altar, and to my surprise, I didn’t see any presiding Deities of the forms of God I knew by then. I only saw three huge framed photos of sadhus, calm and peaceful and old, sitting in meditating postures. I didn’t know how to respond, but I certainly didn’t expect or probably couldn’t appreciate that such a wonderful temple was for them. I was told that many people believe that the one in the middle of the altar, the oldest of the three, is God or God’s incarnation. I wasn't sure if he himself claimed that or other people felt it to be true, but I just folded my hands, offered respects, and asked myself, “Is he God?” *“He Is God’s Man!”* About a decade later, as a graduate student, I visited another huge temple in another city, as a part of a college tour with my classmates and teachers. The temple complex was enormous, with many details that attracted my attention. When I entered, I was captivated by the presiding Deities of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. I had seen a few Kṛṣṇa temples, but this one was unique. In front of the main altar was a smaller altar in which I saw the carved form of a saintly person sitting cross-legged. People were offering him respects. I later inquired about him and came to know that he was a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa and taught devotion to Kṛṣṇa to many people across the world by writing spiritual books and establishing temples. His followers worshiped him in gratitude for bringing them closer to God. I reverentially remembered another saintly person I knew of, Rāmānujācārya, a great eleventh-century Vaiṣṇava saint whose form I had seen in many Viṣṇu temples, worshiped with similar devotion. I was told the name of this saint—Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. I was thrilled and thought, “He is God’s man!” *Temporary and Transcendental Realms* A few years later, I went to the same city to do my post-graduation work and eventually came in touch with some followers of Śrīla Prabhupāda and started reading his books. People in general believe that this world is our home, as it contains variegated facilities for our enjoyment, including cities, towns, mountains, rivers, seasons, and many comforts offered by modern technology. Earlier I had heard and considerably believed that the goal of life is to live happily in this world by striving for success and settling for acquiring necessary education, wealth, fame, friends, and so on. However, I came to know from Prabhupāda’s books that humanity has been awarded a higher intelligence to understand that this planet serves as its residence not for long. Lost in its quest for material happiness that might, in the best case, last for a life of mere decades, humanity is fascinated by the fleeting glamor of this material world, considering it an eternal residence, and forgets the ultimate necessity of transcending it. Quoting scriptures like the *Gītā*, Prabhupāda informed us that there is yet another world, which is completely spiritual, never subject to destruction. The Supreme Lord, being the ultimate well-wisher of all living beings, descends from there into this world as incarnations to reclaim the suffering souls and position them back in their eternal situation in that transcendental world. He also sends His representatives, the *gurus* or ācāryas, to educate humanity with the knowledge to transcend this world. These *gurus*, empowered by the Lord, guide us on the spiritual path, inculcate the essential attitude in us, and thus invite us back to the spiritual world for an eternal life. I felt that Prabhupāda is one such ācārya. Lord Kṛṣṇa say to Uddhava in the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (11.20.17), > nṛ-deham ādyaṁ sulabhaṁ sudurlabhaṁ > plavaṁ sukalpaṁ guru-karṇadhāram > mayānukūlena nabhasvateritaṁ > pumān bhavābdhiṁ na taret sa ātma-hā “The human body, which can award all benefit in life, is automatically obtained by the laws of nature, although it is a very rare achievement. This human body can be compared to a perfectly constructed boat having the spiritual master as the captain and the instructions of the Personality of Godhead as favorable winds impelling it on its course. Considering all these advantages, a human being who does not utilize his human life to cross the ocean of material existence must be considered the killer of his own soul.” *Transparency in Transmission* Does a *guru* become so on his own? Who makes him a *guru* or *ācārya*? Is there someone who bestows upon him the power and authority to connect people to God or guide them to the spiritual realm? I got simple yet profound answers to these questions in my discussions with devotees and in my own attempts to study scriptures. An *ācārya* is a transcendental professor of spiritual science who has faithfully followed and imbibed the teachings of his own bona fide teacher. The lineage of teachers thus created ultimately connects to the Supreme Godhead, from whom all spiritual knowledge originates. Thus all the *ācārya*s in a Vaiṣṇava school are pure representatives of Kṛṣṇa by dint of their dedication to His devotional service and by repeating His teachings. At the beginning of the *Śrīmad-*Bhāgavatam**, the sage Śaunaka praises Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī for his vast learning and his ability to speak the *Bhāgavatam* to enlighten all the sages assembled at Naimisharanya. Sūta Gosvāmī attained this qualification by dint of his simplicity (*saumya*) and his submissiveness (*snigdha*) to his **guru*s*, who had endowed him "with all the favors bestowed upon a gentle disciple" (*Bhāgavatam* 1.1.8). Receiving the favor of the *guru* depends on the disciple’s sincerity in following the *guru*'s instructions. Such a sincere follower is connected to the *paramparā*, and when he speaks, his words are as good as Kṛṣṇa’s words, due to his transparency in transmitting the transcendental message descending from Kṛṣṇa through the *paramparā* (evaṁ *paramparā*-prāptam . . ., *Gītā* 4.2). In the last chapter of the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (12.13.19), Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī says, “I meditate upon that pure and spotless Supreme Absolute Truth, who is free from suffering and death and who in the beginning personally revealed this incomparable torchlight of knowledge to Brahmā. Brahmā then spoke it to the sage Nārada, who narrated it to Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa. Śrīla Vyāsa revealed this Bhāgavatam to the greatest of sages, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and Śukadeva mercifully spoke it to Mahārāja Parīkṣit.” Commenting on this verse in the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust edition of the Bhāgavatam, Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples write, "The words tad-rūpeṇa, tad-rūpiṇā and tad-ātmanā in this verse clearly indicate that Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself originally spoke *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* to Brahmā and then continued to speak it through the agency of Nārada Muni, Dvaipāyana Vyāsa, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and other great sages. In other words, whenever saintly devotees vibrate *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*, it is to be understood that Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself is speaking the Absolute Truth through the agency of His pure representatives." *True Teacher: His Realization and Responsibility* I became inquisitive and wanted to understand what are the qualities of a true *guru* who can guide us on the spiritual path and how to find such a person. I found answers in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books to many such basic yet important questions that I myself had and that I had heard from others as well. A *guru* or an *ācārya* is someone who has realized the real import of divine scriptures. Leaving aside all external considerations, such great personalities take complete shelter of the Supreme Godhead (*śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam, Bhāgavatam* 11.3.21). The *guru* is well versed in kṛṣṇa-tattva, the science of Kṛṣṇa, and is the direct representative of Kṛṣṇa. Lord Kṛṣṇa tells Uddhava, “One should know the ācārya as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man. . . . ” *(Bhāgavatam* 11.17.27). I could appreciate, after reading this, why Prabhupāda and Rāmānujācārya are also worshiped along with Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu in Their temples. An *ācārya* teaches by his own example. Taking shelter of such a teacher constitutes the most vital aspect in the lives of spiritual seekers. *Śrīmad-*Bhāgavatam** mentions that being a *guru* is a very responsible position and one who cannot deliver his dependents from the cycle of birth and death by teaching them the process of *bhakti* must not accept the position of a *guru* (*guru*r na sa syāt . . ., *Bhāgavatam* 5.5.18). *Proponents of a Pure Process* How exactly does a *guru* guide people? What methods does he employ? Does he himself prescribe practices, or does he repeat standard spiritual practices followed for ages? Śrīla Prabhupāda says that the duty of a *guru* is to find the means, according to time, place, and circumstances, by which people can come closer to Godhead. Great *ācāryas* like Madhvācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, and Śrīla Prabhupāda translated the scriptural recommendations on devotional service into exact practical methods to follow daily. For instance, some of Śrīla Prabhupāda instructions to his followers were to chant sixteen rounds of the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra* on their beads daily, attend morning prayers and *ārati*, worship the *tulasī* plant, and study the scriptures he had translated and commented on. Early on, I was impressed and inspired to hear these practical and scientific guidelines based on scriptures and to witness devotees sincerely following them. *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (10.2.31) mentions that because the *ācāryas* take complete shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, they leave behind on earth the method to cross the material ocean. And Kṛṣṇa, being very merciful to them, accepts this method and bestows His mercy upon those who follow it in the *ācārya-sampradāya*. The *ācāryas* also initiate and empower followers to carry forward the spiritual teachings for future generations. One who has faith in such authorized processes and who practices them sincerely attains success on the spiritual path. *Distinguished Distributors* Do the spiritual seekers approach an *ācārya*, or does the *ācārya* approach them? Compassion is the driving force behind the activities of the *ācāryas*. They certainly guide people who approach them, but even if people do not come, they themselves go out to preach God’s message. Their travels, teachings, writings, practices, and outreach are all imbued with their spirit of compassion to enlighten the poor-hearted people, and they are devoid of any personal agendas and selfish motivations *(Bhāgavatam* 10.8.4). They endeavor to assist Kṛṣṇa in reclaiming the rebellious souls and reuniting them with Him by being the true distributors of His compassion. I witnessed and experienced this voluntary spirit of inspiring people in sincere followers of Śrīla Prabhupāda. *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* says that the real philanthropy is to distribute Kṛṣṇa consciousness and reawaken the dormant love for God within people's hearts. Saintly Vidura says to the sage Maitreya, > janasya kṛṣṇād vimukhasya daivād > adharma-śīlasya suduḥkhitasya > anugrahāyeha caranti nūnaṁ > bhūtāni bhavyāni janārdanasya “O my lord, great philanthropic souls travel on the earth on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead to show compassion to the fallen souls, who are averse to the sense of subordination to the Lord.” (*Bhāgavatam* 3.5.3) Śrīla Prabhupāda, in his seventieth year, arrived alone in America to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness, having left a comfortable home in holy Vrindavan. While thousands of Vrindavan residents were absorbed in daily worshiping and serving Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, not even thinking of going to nearby Mathura, Prabhupāda contemplated how to take the Vrindavan experience to the western world. He underwent many challenges during his tireless attempts for four decades to establish a worldwide spiritual movement, and ultimately he became successful by Kṛṣṇa’s grace. *Transferring the Tributes* One quality of the *ācāryas* that deeply impressed and inspired me, more than their scholarship and accomplishments, was their humility. Shifting the blame upon others and claiming and craving credit for oneself are common qualities I observed in many people I met. I even found these qualities in myself at times, although my conscience said they're improper. In contrast I saw the enlightened *ācāryas* transfer the credit to the Lord and other Vaiṣṇavas with all humility, never boasting of their accomplishments. I witnessed many of their followers sincerely attempting to imbibe these qualities, and some naturally behaved so, setting an ideal example. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura wrote in the beginning of his Sārārtha Darśini commentary on the *Bhāgavatam*: I studied the *Bhāgavatam* for a long time by the mercy of *guru*. After studying the Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī commentary of Sanātana Gosvāmī and the Sandarbhas of Jīva Gosvāmī, by the mercy of Śrīdhara Svāmī I write this commentary on the *Bhāgavatam*. I am not learned or qualified. It is either my own foolishness or the causeless mercy of the Lord that makes me write. If its cause is my foolishness, it will produce mockery, and if its cause is mercy of the Lord, it will produce bliss with every word for the devotees. (Translation by Bhānu Swami) Thus Viśvanātha Cakravartī was ready to accept blame and transfer credit. Śrīla Prabhupāda, in his purport to the first verse of the *Bhāgavatam*, encourages readers to read the explanations of the *Bhāgavatam* by the previous *ācāryas*: Within the past five hundred years, many erudite scholars and *ācāryas* like Jīva Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Vallabhācārya, and many other distinguished scholars even after the time of Lord Caitanya made elaborate commentaries on the *Bhāgavatam*. And the serious student would do well to attempt to go through them to better relish the transcendental messages. And at the end of his translation of *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta*, Prabhupāda wrote: I think that His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura is always seeing my activities and guiding me within my heart by his words. . . . It is to be admitted that whatever translation work I have done is through the inspiration of my spiritual master, because personally I am most insignificant and incompetent to do this materially impossible work. I do not think myself a very learned scholar, but I have full faith in the service of my spiritual master. . . . If there is any credit to my activities of translating, it is all due to His Divine Grace. *Non-repayable Debt* Can we do something for such *ācāryas*? Yes. We can serve them by working to the best of our capacity to fulfill their desire to connect all conditioned souls to Kṛṣṇa. But it is childish to think that we can fully repay them for what they have given us. The *ācāryas’* examples are a great source of inspiration. Their contribution for the spiritual uplift of the people is a thankless task. And one who takes benefit of their efforts is eternally indebted to them. Pṛthu Mahārāja told the four Kumāras, > yair īdṛśī bhagavato gatir ātma-vāda > ekāntato nigamibhiḥ pratipāditā naḥ > tuṣyantv adabhra-karuṇāḥ sva-kṛtena nityaṁ > ko nāma tat pratikaroti vinoda-pātram “How can such persons, who have rendered unlimited service by explaining the path of self-realization in relation to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and whose explanations are given for our enlightenment with complete conviction and Vedic evidence, be repaid except by folded palms containing water for their satisfaction? Such great personalities can be satisfied only by their own activities, which are distributed amongst human society out of their unlimited mercy.” *(Bhāgavatam* 4.22.47) *Disciple’s Duty: From Knowledge to Realization* One can be connected to a bona fide Vaiṣṇava sampradāya through a *guru* who is the representative of all the previous *ācāryas* in that *paramparā*. A *guru* is like a parent. Just as a child’s growth depends on the attentive care and guidance of the parents, a disciple’s advancement in spiritual life depends on the guidance of the *guru*. Tasmād *guru*ṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam *(Bhāgavatam* 11.3.21): Anyone who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take his shelter by initiation. Lord Kṛṣṇa says, > tad viddhi praṇipātena > paripraśnena sevayā > upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ > jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ “Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.” *(Gītā* 4.34) A disciple makes the best of his association with the *guru* or *ācārya* in proportion to his eagerness, sincerity, and service attitude. For example, Vidura’s qualities of faith and submissiveness inspired Maitreya to bestow upon him the knowledge of the *Bhāgavatam*. In expressing his gratitude to Maitreya (*Bhāgavatam* 3.7.18), Vidura gives us a wonderful instruction: One may receive knowledge from the scriptures and the spiritual master, but realizing this knowledge is possible only by sincere service to the *guru*, without which one’s philosophical understanding remains theoretical. Vidura continues: By serving the feet of the spiritual master, one is enabled to develop transcendental ecstasy in the service of the Personality of Godhead, who is the unchangeable enemy of the Madhu demon and whose service vanquishes one's material distresses. Persons whose austerity is meager can hardly obtain the service of the pure devotees who are progressing on the path back to the kingdom of Godhead, the Vaikuṇṭhas. Pure devotees engage one hundred percent in glorifying the Supreme Lord, who is the Lord of the demigods and the controller of all living entities. *(Bhāgavatam* 3.7.19–20) Thus through these few years of learning from scriptures and devotees, I continue to make my feeble attempts, to the best of my God-given capacity, to follow the teachings of the *ācāryas* and inspire others to connect to Kṛṣṇa. *Practice the Process* Humanity finds its glory in the great souls who did God’s work and brought people closer to God consciousness. They presented a process of devotional service to the Supreme Lord that can be practiced by everyone—not just *brahmacārīs* and *sannyāsīs*, but householders, the young, the old, and children. The saner section appreciates the *ācāryas'* commendable contributions to humanity. We are indebted to them for showing us a spiritual way out in the midst of the materialistic ways of life. All we need to do is to accept their teachings from wherever we are in our life's journey and practice the process prescribed by them. We can thus perfect our human life, which, once lost, is very difficult to obtain again. *Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa, a disciple of His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami, is dean of the Bhaktivedānta Vidyāpīṭha (www.vidyapitha.in) at ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village (GEV), outside Mumbai. He has written study guides, including* Bhāgavata Subodhinī *and* Caitanya Subodhinī*. He teaches* Bhāgavatam courses at several places in India *and* oversees the Deity worship at GEV. Perspectives on Time and Space *What do the Bhāgavatam and Śrīla Prabhupāda have to say about these universal concepts?* by Girirāja Govinda Dāsa At the beginning of his first book, Easy Journey to Other Planets, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, "Dedicated to the scientists of the world.” Perhaps it was Lord Kṛṣṇa's special plan that Śrīla Prabhupāda’s first book be related to science, and space in particular. By this dedication, Śrīla Prabhupāda is inviting scientists and any inquisitive thoughtful people to explore the science in the Vedic literature. One of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s outstanding contributions to humanity was to translate the *Śrīmad-*Bhāgavatam** from Sanskrit into English, with elaborate commentary, or "Purports." The topic of space and time has received intense research in modern science, especially by Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. This article will discuss the **Bhāgavatam*’s* ideas on the relation between time and space, the eternal cyclic nature of time, relative time measurements, and related topics. We will also consider Newton’s and Einstein’s ideas about absolute space and time and where the *Bhāgavatam* stands in relation to these concepts. We will explore some conclusions of modern cosmology and the relevance of the *Bhāgavatam* to them. Finally, we will explore some metaphysical and philosophical aspects of time and space as given in Vedic scriptures. *The Correlation of Space and Time in the Bhāgavatam* In his purport to *Śrīmad-*Bhāgavatam** 3.11.4, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, “Time and space are two correlative terms. Time is measured in terms of its covering a certain space of atoms.” This statement is significant as it verifies the correlation between time and space. According to the *Bhāgavatam*, the material world comprises of combination of innumerable atoms, or *paramāṇu*s. The invisible and indivisible *paramāṇu* is the ultimate material particle. Any material form is a conglomeration of such atoms. Śrīla Prabhupāda continues in the purport, “Standard time is calculated in terms of the movement of the sun. The time covered by the sun in passing over an atom is calculated as atomic time." At the *paramāṇu* scale, the passing over of the sun may be understood as the passing of sunshine over an atom occupying a distinct position in space. In essence, the *Bhāgavatam* is correlating time, matter, space, and sunlight. This correlation should ring a bell for someone who has pondered over Einstein’s theory of relativity, which also interrelates space and time, although not in the same sense as the *Bhāgavatam* does. *The Eternal Cyclic Process* Continuing on from atomic time, the *Bhāgavatam* gradually scales up the time divisions—till the stupendous lifetime of Brahmā (311.04 trillion years). He is the secondary creator (after Viṣṇu) and is in charge of a particular universe. *Śrīmad-*Bhāgavatam** (6.17.37) says there are innumerable universes. Thus there are innumerable Brahmās, and, like the universe, they manifest and dissolve with every breath of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Eternally the process repeats cyclically, and hence we cannot ascertain a particular beginning time or an end time. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, “No one knows where time began and where it ends." (*Bhāgavatam* 3.10.11, Purport) The current universe was preceded by an infinite number of universes and will be followed by an infinite number. This cyclic scheme of creation and dissolution with vast time scales has impressed many modern scientists. Distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan said, “Vedic cosmology is the only one in which the time scales correspond to those of modern scientific cosmology." Nobel laureate Count Maurice Maeterlinck wrote of “a Cosmogony which no European conception has ever surpassed." Thus we see in the *Bhāgavatam* the correlation between space and time and the systematic development of time from the minute atomic level to the macro level of Brahmā’s life. The *Bhāgavatam* also explains that Brahmā perceives time on his planet differently than the people on earth. *Relative Time Measurements on Different Planets* Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in his purport to *Śrīmad-*Bhāgavatam** 10.13.40, “On different planets, the calculation of time is different. To give an example, a man-made satellite may orbit the earth in an hour and twenty-five minutes and thus complete one full day, although a day ordinarily takes twenty-four hours for those living on earth.” This quotation is taken from the incident where Brahmā played mischief with Lord Kṛṣṇa. Brahmā resides in a planetary system called Brahmaloka, which is very far from earth. The time scale on his planet is so huge that one moment there is equal to one year on earth. Once, Brahmā stole Lord Kṛṣṇa’s cowherd friends and their calves from Vrindavan (on earth) and returned to earth within a moment. Meanwhile a whole year had passed on earth. In discussing the incident, Śrīla Prabhupāda describes different times on different planets. Elsewhere in the *Bhāgavatam* (9.3.28–32), we hear of King Kakudmī's visit to Brahmaloka with his daughter, Revatī. Kakudmī was seeking a suitable bridegroom for her and wanted to consult Brahmā. When Kakudmī arrived there, Lord Brahmā was hearing performances by Gandharvas, celestial musicians. After the performance ended, Kakudmī submitted his desire. Brahmā laughed and told him that 27 *catur-yugas* (116.64 million years) had elapsed on earth and all those potential sons-in-law he was considering had died long ago. These incredible incidents relate somewhat to the ideas of time dilation in Einstein’s theory of relativity. *Einstein and Newton on Space and Time* Newton considered that the universe had existed forever in an unchanging state—a static universe. He considered time and space separate and independent and believed in absolute space and time. According to him, absolute time meant that one could distinctly measure the interval of time between two events and this time would be the same no matter who measured it. About absolute space, he wrote, “In its own nature, without regard to anything external, [it] remains always similar and immovable." Einstein’s concepts differ from that of Newton, who said that space and time are not separate entities but a single four-dimensional (length, breadth, height, time) continuum called space-time. This space-time will curve or bend around any massive planets or black holes, giving rise to gravity. Thus space and time are not like a static stage where the drama of matter takes place. Together, space and time, as a single space-time, act on matter and also get acted upon. The curvature of the space-time continuum can be significantly different for different observers, as will the corresponding time measurements. Technically this is called time dilation. Thus in Einstein’s theory of general relativity, time (or space) is relative and not absolute. Einstein’s theory is widely regarded as a paradigm shift from Newton’s ideas of absolute space and time. In Einstein’s theory, however, the omnipresence, universality, and nondiscriminating nature of space-time and gravity acquire a sort of absolute nature, although the theory focuses on relativity. This has led to philosophical discussions among scientists. Meanwhile, supporters of Newton claim that his work has not been sufficiently understood and his idea of absolute space cannot be discarded. So there is still some inconclusiveness among scientists despite centuries of deliberations. The *Bhāgavatam* also conceives of absolute and relative time and space. Open-minded readers can seriously consider this alternative explanation. *Absolute and Relative Time in the Bhāgavatam* The two incidents involving Brahmā mentioned from the *Bhāgavatam* give an idea of time being measured differently on different planets that somewhat resembles Einstein’s idea of time dilation. Additionally, the *Bhāgavatam* describes absolute time, but the description differs from Newton’s explanation. Explaining absolute time in his purport to Śrīmad-*Bhāgavatam* 3.10.10, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, “Metaphysically, time is distinguished as absolute and real. Absolute time is continuous and is unaffected by the speed or slowness of material things. Time is astronomically and mathematically calculated in relation to the speed, change and life of a particular object. Factually, however, time has nothing to do with the relativities of things; rather, everything is shaped and calculated in terms of the facility offered by time." Taking this quotation together with the two incidents of the *Bhāgavatam* mentioned earlier, we can infer that there is an absolute time but it is perceived differently on different planets, thereby giving rise to relative time measurements. The *Bhāgavatam* says that time is an impersonal feature of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Since Śrīla Prabhupāda says, “Kṛṣṇa is the source of all relative truths [*Bhāgavatam* 10.2.26, Purport],” we can conclude that Kṛṣṇa is the absolute reference for all relative times. *Absolute and Relative Space in the Bhāgavatam* As for space, the *Bhāgavatam* and the *Brahma-saṁhitā* categorize it into two types. What we generally consider space is called *nabha* in Sanskrit, and it is the mundane space (or sky) of the material world. It manifests in each universe during the lifetime of a particular Brahmā. Since there are innumerable universes and innumerable Brahmās, there are innumerable *nabha*s. These material *nabha*s are the domain of matter. Beyond the realm of material spaces is the spiritual sky. It is called the *sanātana* (eternal) sky. It is absolute, and any relativity arises only in the material sky. In his purport to *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 5.5.19, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, “The spiritual world is called absolute.” Speaking about the material sky, he said, “Material world means relative world." (Lecture, Bombay, November 13, 1974) The spiritual space is the absolute space, and the material space, or nabha, is the relative space. Thus, like time, even space is both absolute and relative. *Modern Cosmology and the Relevance of the Bhāgavatam* Einstein’s theory proved to be a major milestone in modern cosmology, leading to the famous Big Bang theory. Scientists theorize that our universe is expanding and must have had a beginning some fourteen billion years ago from a point—known as a singularity—of infinite density, temperature, and space-time curvature. Scientists feel that such extreme conditions could allow for unifying Einstein’s theory of relativity with quantum physics, and the mystery of the universe could be unraveled. The attempts at unification, although a terra incognita, have resulted in two prominent theories: string theory and quantum-cosmology theory. Scientists working on string theory (the most prominent version being M theory) are hypothesizing the existence of multiverses with multidimensions rather than a single universe. The theory of quantum cosmology extends Einstein’s space-time past the Big Bang to a pre-Big Bang universe with a "quantum bridge" in between. Although this sounds complicated, in simple terms the theories are basically saying that many universes exist simultaneously, they come and go, and this process goes on forever. The *Bhāgavatam* stated the same thing long ago, with much additional information and scientifically sound principles, such as the interrelatedness of space and time, cosmic events ranging over billions of years, and different time measurements on different planets. These points should evoke interest in any inquisitive person to take up the study of the *Bhāgavatam*. Further, science continues to research the transformation of energy into matter, an idea present in the *Bhāgavatam* from a larger perspective. There we see that the entire material manifestation (matter) is in fact a transformation of Kṛṣṇa’s external energy, called pradhāna. The *Bhāgavatam* associates every detailed stage of the transformation of matter with the corresponding sensory experiences by living entities. For example, when air is manifested, it gets associated with touch, and when water is manifested, it gets associated with taste, and so on. This description hints that whatever we think of as reality in the material realm is strongly limited by material sense perception. The *Bhāgavatam* invites us to go higher, up to the spiritual realm, for a complete picture of reality. Modern science, in its study of space and time, limits itself to the domain of matter. The *Bhāgavatam* takes both material and spiritual things into account in its grand narrative. So it would be difficult to expect science to reach the exact conclusions of the *Bhāgavatam* unless science acknowledges spirit, or consciousness, and admits it into its framework. This may take time. Meanwhile the interested reader is requested to open-mindedly undertake an in-depth study of Śrīmad-*Bhāgavatam*, along with Śrīla Prabhupāda’s elaborate purports. *The Final Purpose* In the end, the grand question would be “What is the purpose behind all this cosmic drama?” Modern science is mute on this most important question of purpose, but the *Bhāgavatam* has the answer: Each of us is a spirit soul, part of Kṛṣṇa, but we are now in the wrong place—the material realm, limited by space and time. In the *Bhagavad-gītā* (15.6) Lord Kṛṣṇa invites all of us to join Him in the absolute sanātana sky, specifically His abode, known as Goloka Vṛndāvana. The *Bhāgavatam* informs us of infinite such spiritual planets, known as Vaikuṇṭha planets. The spiritual universes are beyond the limitations of material space and time. There is no past and future but only the pure and immutable present time. Here in the material universe, we are tightly conditioned to think of past, present, and future times, whereas in the spiritual world there is only the present. The ultimate goal of the Vedic literature is to take us from this temporary material existence limited by space and time to the spiritual realm, where we live our spiritual existence eternally, alongside Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. *Girirāja Govinda Dāsa is disciple of His Holiness Jayapatāka Swami Mahārāja and a śikṣā disciple of His Holiness Bhakti Vinoda Swami. He works as a scientist in the field of digital signal processing and is interested in exploring scientific aspects of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.* The World Beyond Time *Our lives are controlled by time, which has no influence in Kṛṣṇa's eternal abode.* By Indra Kṛṣṇa Dāsa Time, an energy of Kṛṣṇa that completely controls us in the material world, has no influence in the spiritual world, Kṛṣṇa's eternal abode. Attaining that world beyond time appears to be an attractive proposition. "*Mai samay hoon*," which means “Time I am,” was the catchy opening line of every episode of the famous Mahābhārata serial that almost thirty years ago brought millions in India to the front of their television sets for an hour every Sunday morning for almost two years. The deep effect this serial had on the lives of the people of India can be gauged from the fact that the country practically came to a halt and almost nobody would miss the episodes that unfolded as they happened some 5,100 years ago. I was a young man then, and that opening sentence had a very mystifying effect on me. I could not understand who the “I” in that sentence was and how a person could be Time. I continued to harbor this mystery in the deep chambers of my heart, believing that someday it would be resolved from within. Even today the excitement of those words is just as fresh, as lively, and as interesting. I don’t remember having asked anyone the meaning, but I enjoyed living with this line in its mystery, its probable sublimity, and its ultimate liberation. It has been a journey that I have relished every bit of. *Defining Time* I grew up with the notion that time is very important. To do everything on time requires discipline, a desirable quality. But what is time? We might jokingly say that time is what a clock reads. But, more seriously, time is one of the seven fundamental physical quantities in both the International System of Units and the International System of Quantities. In an operational definition of time, a certain number of repetitions of one or another standard cyclical event (such as the passage of a free-swinging pendulum or the electronic transition frequency of Caesium atoms) constitutes one standard unit, such as a second. Though highly useful in the conduct of both advanced experiments and everyday affairs of life, this definition of time leaves aside the question of whether there is something fundamental called time that flows and can be measured. Time is often referred to as a fourth dimension, along with three spatial dimensions. Time has long been an important subject of study in religion, philosophy, and science, but a proper definition of time has consistently eluded everyone. Whatever its ultimate meaning, time as we experience it every day has to be used fruitfully. Time is a great leveler; no matter who you are, you have only twenty-four hours in a day. Time is our greatest wealth. Colloquially, "Time is money." The great moral instructor Cāṇakya Paṇḍita stated, "Even one moment of life spent cannot be regained for millions of gold coins. Therefore, what greater loss is there than time spent uselessly?" Today many people have money, fame, and position, but no time. For a student, time assumes great significance during examinations. For an engineer, time is an important resource in planning a job. For a lover, time spent away from the beloved is torture. For a sprinter, much time is spent improving his time count by a split second. For a railway commuter, a few seconds decide whether he will catch his regular train or not. Life is governed by time, and yet time is slipping from our hands. *The Onslaught of Time* As time marches on, I see its effect on me and everybody around me. My body is getting old. It is changing, and so is everything around me. Old buildings fall, and new buildings rise. Ways of doing business have changed, ways of communication have changed, our value system has changed. The list is endless. I find it difficult to keep up with the technological development and change happening around me. I am at such a loss to handle the gadgets a small child uses with great ease that I feel I will soon be outdated. Eventually I may not be able to manage the information and the communication. Every time a new gadget comes to the market, I feel jittery, but the younger generation is happy. Every time a new invention hits the market, I feel uncomfortable when I have to come to terms with it. When relationships change, I have to manage, whether I like it or not. We are busy. We do not have time. We have jobs to do, social commitments to fulfill, responsibilities to be shouldered, and therefore we have no time for other things. For many of us, life has become routine, monotonous, predictable, with no time for anything other than filling our bellies and gratifying our senses. *The Turning Point* My life went on like everyone else's till I came to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which brought new adventure, and life took a new turn, an unpredictable turn, with romance and newness at every step. It was then that the mystery of “Time I am" was revealed to me in the pages of *Bhagavad-gītā* (11.32), where the Lord tells Arjuna, > kālo ’smi loka-kṣaya-kṛt pravṛddho > lokān samāhartum iha pravṛttaḥ > ṛte ’pi tvāṁ na bhaviṣyanti sarve > ye ’vasthitāḥ pratyanīkeṣu yodhāḥ "Time I am, the great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people. With the exception of you [the Pāṇḍavas], all the soldiers here on both sides will be slain." Here Kṛṣṇa unfolds to Arjuna one of His secrets—that He is time. The destruction of everyone except the Pāṇḍavas was part of His plan. Time is a great destroyer. It destroys everything; nothing can stand the onslaught of time. Nothing is spared. Nobody is spared. Great kings and emperors who ruled this world are gone. Also gone are great civilizations, with their buildings and their cultures. In their place, new things have come up. Even something like iron, which is very strong and apparently unbreakable, meets its death with time. Its property to rust and therefore decay is born along with its great strength. We see that destruction and death are occurring around us, but the import of it all does not get into our brains till we come to the pages of *Bhagavad-gītā*. The great mystery I carried within my heart was resolved as soon as I received the light of *Bhagavad-gītā* through Śrīla Prabhupāda unadulterated translation and commentary, which he rightly termed *Bhagavad-gītā* As It Is. In *Bhagavad-gītā* (10.30) Kṛṣṇa says, "Of subduers I am time." Whatever wealth we have will be taken away by God's agency of insurmountable time. Due to misusing God's property, materialistic societies end up in deprivation and poverty, whereas in the past, societies governed by rulers or kings who considered themselves God’s representatives and recognized God's overall proprietorship flourished and had material opulence far beyond anything we know today. With every rising and setting, the sun takes one day of our life. The sun that gives life by its light also takes it away. Exempt from this rule, however, are those who utilize their time by discussing the topics of the all-good Lord (*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 2.3.17). By the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, as propagated by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is the Supreme Lord Himself, one can achieve transcendence in this very life. A sincere practitioner of spirituality sees the possibility of freedom from time and the three modes of material nature, which otherwise completely control everybody. *Knowledge Brings Relief* What a relief this knowledge brings us! Death is not a catastrophic or an end-all event but a passage from one form of life to another. Strange as it may seem, I've considered that death will in some ways be a big relief. I won't have to keep myself updated on the latest technology, the latest gadgets, the latest financial knowhow, or the latest trend or news. Time rules in the material world, where everything meets death and the concept of time exists. But there is a place that time does not affect, a place where there is no death—the spiritual world, where there is no influence of time, so no death, no schedules, no deadlines. Will it be uninteresting? Is permanence boring? These are some questions a materialistic mind asks. But the spiritual world attracts me. Kṛṣṇa describes it as eternal and self-illuminating. It is a place where no one desires to return to the material world. Everything there exists in unlimited variety. Everything is conscious, eternal, and loving. *Vrindavan Calling* With this mystery solved, life has taken a different meaning. Away from the fast-moving world, Vrindavan, Lord Kṛṣṇa's abode on earth, is calling. It is a place where time stands still. Though, externally, new buildings, other structures, and roads have arisen, internally Vrindavan remains same, the place of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. Kṛṣṇa never ages. He is always in His youthful form. He is the master of time, so it has no effect on Him. Though time has taken a toll on the decaying buildings of Vrindavan, it is a timeless place that Kṛṣṇa brings with Him for His pastimes on earth. The Yamuna River, now drying up and filled with garbage, was formerly clean and fully flowing. On its banks Kṛṣṇa would play His flute. Now the forests and groves where Kṛṣṇa performed His pastimes with the *gopīs* and *gopas* are only a shadow of their past glory. The roads that now throw dust in the air with every passing vehicle are the same places where cows would raise dust in the evening when they returned from grazing. To see the real Vrindavan through its material covering, we need a mind purified of all material hankerings, a humble and prayerful heart, and the mercy of Lord Nityānanda and Lord Caitanya. *Kṛṣṇa’s Pastimes* In His unmanifested pastimes, or aprakaṭa-līlās, Kṛṣṇa never leaves Vrindavan. Mother Yaśodā waits every evening to see Kṛṣṇa return with the cows and cowherd boys, the dust on His face making Him more and more attractive. The residents of Vrindavan are concerned that Kṛṣṇa's feet may be hurt by the stones and pebbles on the road. The cows are in ecstasy when Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma milk them; their love flows as milk. They are the lucky ones who spend the greater part of the day with Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Kṛṣṇa’s friends are no less lucky. They can ride on Kṛṣṇa’s back, share their food with Him, and enjoy the whole day in His company. Kṛṣṇa eternally enjoys His various ages simultaneously. So His early childhood pastimes are also taking place. For example, although there is no shortage of butter and yogurt in their houses, He and His friends steal these from neighbors' houses. The boys' pleasure is heightened by the adventure of stealing and then eating. The elder gopīs, who are Yaśodā's contemporaries and victims of the boys' thievery, complain to Yaśodā, but they are ecstatic because of Kṛṣṇa’s naughtiness. They don’t really want to complain; they use their feigned irritation only as a ruse to see Kṛṣṇa. At the same time, Rādhārāṇī is decorating Herself in anticipation of meeting the more grown-up Kṛṣṇa. Her mirror seems to disclose Her mood, and She feels bashful. Kṛṣṇa comes and sits behind her and combs Her hair, and Rādhārāṇī enjoys seeing all this in the mirror. Time stands still. There is no hurry. Time cannot disturb Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī in Their pastime. Kṛṣṇa then walks through the grove with Rādhārāṇī, and the trees, the creepers, and the Yamuna are filled with ecstatic love. The Lord and His dearest have come, and all the devoted entities of the grove have put up their best. The grass below the divine couple's feet is flowing with tears of love. The couple's divine love is like an endlessly blooming garden. *Kṛṣṇa’s Liberating Pastimes* All souls can reawaken their inherent blissful nature by hearing about and understanding the reservoir of love, Kṛṣṇa. Once we are attracted to the beauty of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, any so-called beauty of this world does not attract us. Though the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa appear to be ordinary amorous affairs, a true understanding of them frees one from lust, covetousness, and false ego. Theirs is a pure love, without a tinge of mundane passion. By appreciating it, we can taste love in its pristine pure form. Kṛṣṇa’s unique pastimes can attract us all and purify our existence. A proper appreciation of them will pave the way for immortality, freeing us from the fear of death. I know that my body is moving inexorably towards death. I know that my friends and relatives are weakening and will also see an end. The only lasting relationships I have are with the Lord and His devotees. Everything else will go on in the same way, with or without me. So let me focus on You, my Lord. You, the protector of the world, who gave me this life will also take it away. I have no complaint, because I am Your servant. My only request is that I would like to remember You always, including that moment when I leave this body. And if I am able to remember only You then, will You take me to Your world, where there is no effect of time? I know Your promise never goes in vain. O Lord, please help me remember only You at the end of this life, so that I do not have to return to this mortal world, where there is danger at every step. I fervently pray to You that when I leave this body, please come as Time at that very time and take me to Your abode. *Indra Kṛṣṇa Dāsa, a disciple of His Holiness Jayapatāka Swami Mahārāja, has been a practicing structural engineer for thirty-five years. He has worked in various capacities in a public sector company in India and with multinational companies in various parts of the world. He lives in Dubai.* East Meets East: *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* in the Land of Confucius *Two brothers collaborate to write a novel through which to introduce Kṛṣṇa consciousness in China.* by Sārvabhauma Dāsa Two brothers present a unique retelling, set in modern Beijing, of India's ancient *Bhāgavata* *Purāṇa*. In Śrīla Prabhupāda’s compassionate desire to make the sublime science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness available to every soul in the world, he didn’t forget China. In 1974 and 1977 he wrote to disciples, “Preach widely and enthusiastically to the Chinese population, especially to the young people, and they may not respond quickly, but they are very sober-minded; when they decide to join us that will be a fixed decision . . . . After all, a large portion of the earth's population is of Chinese origin, so why should we neglect them?” “I agree with your statement very much that if the Chinese are approached intelligently they will become strong devotees, because their moral character and steadfast nature is very strong. I also observed this in the Chinese people and appreciated it very much.” When Prabhupāda—undeterred by divisive mundane global politics—wrote these letters, the People’s Republic of China was virtually cut off from the noncommunist world by what was termed the “Bamboo Curtain,” a Cold War euphemism for the rigid political demarcation at that time between the Communist and capitalist noncommunist states of East Asia, akin to Europe’s “Iron Curtain.” In 1961, he had been invited to attend the Congress for Cultivating the Human Spirit, an international religious conference in Japan. Aware that Oriental people are fond of the temperate autumn season, Prabhupāda composed a special text based on *Śrīmad-*Bhāgavata*m's* Tenth Canto, Chapter 20, which describes autumn in Vrindavan, Lord Kṛṣṇa's sacred abode, and he planned illustrations for each verse. Although it turned out that Prabhupāda could not attend the conference, years later the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust published the book *Light of the* *Bhāgavata*, which combined his poetic descriptions with color illustrations by renowned Chinese artist Madame Yun-sheng Li. The book was thus a unique blending of the world's two oldest cultural traditions: Indian and Chinese. Although the voidist teachings of Buddha came to China from India long ago, until recently *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*, the spotless treatise on *bhakti-yoga*, had not been presented in an especially accessible form for the Chinese, either in their homeland or abroad. To help fulfill Śrīla Prabhupāda’s desire to enlighten the Chinese, two American-born brothers were inspired to team together in an unlikely literary venture. *A Unique Collaboration* Near the end of Tamāl Kṛṣṇa Goswami’s 1989 Kṛṣṇa conscious novel, *Yoga* *for the New Millennium*, the American-born Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava *guru* Sanatan Swami tells his aspiring disciple Li Guang Shi, a PhD student from mainland China who has just graduated from New York’s Columbia University, “Kṛṣṇa has a special purpose of His own to fulfill through you,” and adds, “Kṛṣṇa’s plan began to take shape with your very birth.” The new devotional novel *The Story of Li Guang Shi*: Back Home, Part I, by Tamāl Kṛṣṇa Goswami and his nine-years-younger brother Carl Herzig, picks up where Yoga for the New Millennium leaves off. Like Li Guang Shi's birth, Tamāl Kṛṣṇa Goswami's was not without a special purpose in regard to the people of China, and as one reads Back Home, it appears that Carl’s own birth and subsequent role in writing devotional literature was likewise more than mere coincidence. In material life Carl had prepared for such an eventual service via his prior development as an English professor, poet, and writer, but most importantly he emerged as a Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava devotee himself, a development that both surprised and delighted Tamāl Kṛṣṇa Goswami, since the two had little contact for many years and had been, apparently, living in different worlds. *TKG, His Brother, and China* Tamāl Kṛṣṇa Goswami might never have had anything to do with China, but in 1976, amid controversy over his leadership of the Rādhā-Dāmodara traveling saṅkīrtana party in America, he had commented in jest to Śrīla Prabhupāda that maybe he should go somewhere far away, like China, where no one could object to his managerial style. To his chagrin, the next day Prabhupāda told him, “You said China. I’ve wanted to do something there; I think Kṛṣṇa has spoken through you.” And it is probably safe to say that by material calculation, the odds were incredibly slim that Tamāl Kṛṣṇa Goswami’s brother would ever have written a transcendental 500-plus-page novel retelling and explaining India’s great Purāṇic history *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*—in, of all places, the ancient land of Confucius and Mao Tse Tung. Back Home did not arise from Carl's own planning or inspiration; in fact, it wasn’t even his idea. As the book’s Preface explains, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s grace came to Carl in 1994 in the form of an unexpected long-distance phone call from his brother. “I’ve been preaching in China and have begun a novel set in Beijing,” Tamāl Kṛṣṇa Goswami told him. “We should use our relationship for devotional service. I’d like you to finish it; it’s yours now. I’ll send you the manuscript.” Carl began work on the novel, but in 2002 he received news that his brother had passed away in an automobile accident near Māyāpur, India. He was devastated, but he didn’t rationalize away the request. In fact, although he had academic responsibilities as professor of English at an Iowa university as well as family duties as a husband and father of three, he molded his life around it. “Śrīla Prabhupāda had once said that it had taken him twenty-two years to act upon his *guru’s* order to preach in the West,” Carl noted in Back Home's Preface, “but that instruction never left his heart. Neither had Tamāl Kṛṣṇa’s request left mine.” Meditating on it, he chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra*, studied the *Bhagavad-gītā* and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*, sought devotees’ association, and visited China for research. In due course, he received initiation from His Holiness Girirāja Swami, along with the spiritual name Kālachandjī Dāsa. *Vaiṣṇava Literature* Regarding a statement by the great Vaiṣṇava author Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, Śrīla Prabhupāda stresses that without the mercy of the Lord, the blessings of devotees in a bona fide disciplic succession, and a humble service mood, it is not possible to compose devotional literature. By their mercy, all these devotees ordered me to write of the last pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. . . . Having received the order of the Vaiṣṇavas but being anxious within my heart, I went to the temple of [the Deity] Madana-mohana in Vṛndāvana to ask His permission also. (*Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi* 8.72–73) Purport: To write about the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not an ordinary endeavor. Unless one is empowered by the higher authorities, or advanced devotees, one cannot write transcendental literature. . . . *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta* was written by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī by their mercy. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī considered all the devotees that have been mentioned to be his preceptor **guru*s*, or spiritual masters, and [the Deity] Madana-gopāla (*Srī Madana-mohana vigraha*) is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Thus he took permission from both of them, and when he received the mercy of both *guru* and Kṛṣṇa, he was able to write this great literature, *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta*. This example should be followed. In 1995 Carl visited his brother at the Dallas ISKCON temple, home of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kālachandjī, installed by Śrīla Prabhupāda in 1972, and, having been the recipient of this important request, prayed for Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kālachandjī’s blessings to be able to execute this task, seeing it as a blessed duty. *Overcoming Kali-yuga's Influence* Śrīla Prabhupāda appreciated China as a great and important civilization, with much in common with India’s Vedic culture, but he explained that due to the materialistic age in which we live, India and China need to regain their former spiritual greatness, and this can be accomplished only when *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is widely distributed and understood: Our neighboring friend China has attacked the border of India with a militaristic spirit. We have practically no business in the political field, yet we see that previously there were both China and India, and they both lived peacefully for centuries without ill feeling. The reason is that they lived those days in an atmosphere of God consciousness, and every country, over the surface of the world, was God-fearing, pure-hearted and simple, and there was no question of political diplomacy. There is no cause of quarrel between the two countries China and India over land which is not very suitable for habitation, and certainly there is no cause for fighting on this issue. But due to the age of quarrel, Kali, which we have discussed, there is always a chance of quarrel on slight provocation. This is due not to the issue in question, but to the polluted atmosphere of this age: systematically there is propaganda by a section of people to stop glorification of the name and fame of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, there is a great need for disseminating the message of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* all over the world.” (*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*, 1.5.11, Purport) *Li Guang Shi* It is fitting, therefore, that when in The Story of Li Guang Shi: Back Home, Sanatan Swami and several of Li Guang Shi’s American college friends visit him after he has returned to China to work as an AIDS researcher on behalf of his countrymen (at a drastically smaller salary than he could fetch in the US), the swami begins a month-long lecture series on *Śrīmad-*Bhāgavatam**, reexplained in modern Beijing for several of Guang Shi’s Chinese friends, associates, and visiting New York chums. As Sūta Gosvāmī retold the *Bhāgavatam* in the forest of Naimisharanya after having faithfully heard its recitation by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to King Parīkṣit, Back Home presents a special retelling of the *Bhāgavatam* that reveals important parallels, connections, and distinctions between traditional Chinese philosophy and culture and the best of India’s great *bhakti-yoga* tradition. Responding to questions, challenges, and interchanges with his lively and diverse Beijing audience, Sanatan Goswami's faithful presentation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness confronts—rather than avoids—numerous philosophical doubts that can arise in anyone, Chinese or otherwise. In Back Home Kālachandjī and Tamāl Kṛṣṇa Goswami compare Chinese teachings such as Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism with Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava philosophy and even draw parallels between *qi gong* and *yoga*, and between traditional Chinese medicine and India’s Ayurvedic health system. I’ve never been to China, but recently I was honored to meet Kelly, a student from the mainland studying hotel management at the University of Houston. Kelly had begun to dine at our Houston Govinda’s restaurant, befriended devotees, and even volunteered to make flower garlands for our temple Deities. When I presented her a copy of *Yoga for the New Millennium*, she enjoyed it and said it was relevant to her. Then, when she graduated and her student visa was expiring and she was about to return to China, I gave her a newly arrived copy of Back Home, although I’d not yet read it myself. Having now read it, I realize it was an appropriate gift, because it is a sincere attempt to present *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*, to help effect what Śrīla Prabhupāda referred to as a spiritual “cultural conquest.” In “*World Pacifist and Bhagwat Gita,*” an essay he wrote prior to 1967, Prabhupāda explained that unlike a materialistic triumph—in which someone loses—such a victory or conquest is a win/win for everyone. “By such conquest the people of the world will get relieved of the so-called material prosperity terrorized by atomic bombs.” Although in Kali-yuga we are always haunted by the specter of global tension and distrust, with pestilence, war (including the very real threat of nuclear devastation), even “trade wars,” and with endless other unpleasant anomalies, in a letter to Jayādvaita Dāsa in 1972 Śrīla Prabhupāda explained that a transcendental pen can be mightier than the sword. “These books and magazines are our most important propaganda weapons to defeat the ignorance of *maya's* [illusion’s] army, and the more we produce such literature and sell them profusely all over the world, the more we shall deliver the world from the suicide course.” Kṛṣṇa conscious literature is the best “weapon” to defeat ignorance and illusion, thereby automatically creating greater peace and harmony. *The Lord as Bhakta-vatsala* If we wonder how Kālachandjī Dāsa ended up being a seemingly unlikely choice to assist in the Lord’s plan for the writing of such an important book, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words may give us an insight. “When He [Lord Kṛṣṇa] personally does something, it is only to satisfy His devotee. The Lord is known as *bhakta-vatsala* because He very much favors His devoted servant.” Because Śrīla Prabhupāda, Kṛṣṇa’s pure devotee, desired to bless the Chinese people with Kṛṣṇa consciousness and he chose Tamāl Kṛṣṇa Goswami to help, and because Tamāl Kṛṣṇa Goswami had a plan to write a book to help fulfill Prabhupāda’s desire and chose his brother to help, the Lord, as *bhakta-vatsala*, sanctioned or inspired this unique cooperative literary effort. Thus in Back Home Kālachandjī Dāsa offers his brother, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the Chinese people, and all of us an honest literary attempt to save humankind from its “suicide course” by re-presenting the purifying message of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*, according to time, place, and circumstance. There are many bright souls like Kelly—good citizens, all over the world—who can benefit immensely from these transcendental literatures, thereby making their countries and the world a much better place. *Sārvabhauma Dāsa, a disciple of Tamāl Kṛṣṇa Goswami, is based in Houston, Texas, where he engages in various Kṛṣṇa conscious preaching and writing projects.* Daśāvatāra and Evolutionary Theory *Exploring an interesting parallel between the order of Lord Kṛṣṇa's avatars and Darwin's theory of evolution.* By Satyarāja Dāsa *The ancient Purānas spoke of evolution long before Darwin.* Although there are unlimited *ava*tars of the Supreme Lord, the Vaiṣṇ*ava* tradition singles out ten as representative of the rest. These ten are known in Sanskrit as *daśāvatāra*. *Daśa* means “ten,” and **ava*tāra* means “descent,” from *ava* (“down”) and *tarati* (“crosses over”). Although Jayadeva Gosvāmī's twelfth-century list of ten is arguably the most popular, there are several *daśāvatāra* lists in the Vaiṣṇava tradition. Significant are those left to us by Vedānta Deśika (fourteenth century) and Vādirāja Tīrtha (sixteenth century). There are few variants in these lists, and Jayadeva Gosvāmī's, the earliest of these three, is considered the standard: Matsya, Kūrma, Varāha, Narasiṁha, Vāmana, Paraśurāma, Dāśarathi Rāma (Rāmacandra), Kṛṣṇa (or Balarāma), Buddha, and Kalki. *Evolutionary Theory* A surprising if much documented aspect of the *daśāvatāra* story is its connection with evolutionary theory. Evolutionists claim that we all arise from a single common ancestor, and like the branches of a tree, species separate from each other over time. Charles Darwin (1809–1882), the most famous proponent of this theory, was foreshadowed by the *Purāṇas*, which had already proffered a teaching of evolution. But rather than claiming that one species evolves into the next, the *Purāṇas* tell us that all species were created simultaneously and that each eternal living being evolves through the various species until it reaches perfection. In other words, the original theory involved an evolution in consciousness. Explaining this Purāṇic point of view, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: It is confirmed in Padma Purāṇa that the species of life evolved from aquatics to plants, vegetables, trees; thereafter insects, reptiles, flies, birds, then beasts, and then human kind. This is the gradual process of evolution of species of life. . . . But we do not accept Darwin’s theory. According to Darwin’s theory, homo sapiens came later on, but we see that the most intelligent personality, Brahmā, is born first. So according to Vedic knowledge, Darwin or similar mental speculators are rejected so far as the facts are concerned.1 Prabhupāda’s disciple Sadāpūta Dāsa (Richard L. Thompson, 1947–2008), who received a PhD in mathematics from Cornell University, elaborates: *Padma Purana* provides an example of the idea of evolving consciousness. This traditional text posits a gradual evolution of souls by transmigration through 8,400,000 different forms of life. This process is generally progressive, although reversals are admitted. Remarkably, the evolutionary succession is given as aquatics, plants, insects and reptiles, birds, beasts, and human beings. . . . This parallels the paleontological succession of marine life, terrestrial plants, insects and amphibians, reptiles, birds, advanced mammals, and finally humans. The parallelism is so close that the modern Vaiṣṇava teacher Bhakivedanta Swami Prabhupāda saw the *Padma Purana* as anticipating Darwin’s theory of evolution.2 How does all of this relate to *daśāvatāra*? Evolutionary theory, when viewed from a certain perspective, neatly intersects with the ten incarnations. Man’s origin in the waters is evoked by the pisciform nature of Matsya. Then come the tortoise and the boar, taking us from amphibians to land animals. This is followed by a therianthropic form (Narasiṁha), and then homo sapiens proper, and so on.3 Eventually we arrive at humans endowed with wealth, values, and spiritual knowledge. In fact, numerous Hindu teachers—and some from the West as well—have noted the correlation. *Avataric Evolutionism* C. Mackenzie Brown, professor of religion at Trinity University, Texas, writes prodigiously about “avataric evolutionism”—the idea that Viṣṇu’s ten incarnations anticipated Darwinian evolution. According to Brown, “the late nineteenth-century origins of the theory [are to be found] in the works of Keshub Chunder Sen and Madame Blavatsky.” He also cites Narayana Bhavanrao Pavgee, known as one of the “Vedic fathers of geology,” and Aurobindo Ghose, Indian nationalist turned philosopher, as early proponents of the idea.4 In Vaiṣṇava circles, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura (1838–1914), the Bengali reformer and devotional exemplar of the Gauḍīya tradition (and one of Keshub Chunder Sen’s schoolmates), was the first to align *avatars* with evolution, as can be seen in his book *Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṁhitā* (Chapter Three, texts 1–11).5 Bhaktivinoda’s son and successor, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura (1874–1937), elucidated Bhaktivinoda’s thoughts on the subject: We can notice the different stages of animal life from the invertebrates to the fully-grown human beings. These stages have been classified by the Indian sages of a scientific outlook in ten orders, viz, (1) the invertebrate, (2) testaceous or shelly, (3) vertebrate, (4) erectly vertebrate (as in the combined form of man and beast), (5) mannikin [dwarf], (6) barbaric, (7) civilised, (8) wise, (9) ultra-wise and (10) destructive. These are the historical stages of jivas [souls]. According to the gradation of these stages as indications of evolution of the serving mood of the jiva soul, there are manifested the ten Incarnations of God, viz., Matsya (Fish), Kurma (Turtle), Varaha (Boar), Nrishmha (Man-Lion), Vamana (Dwarf), Parasurama, Rama, Kṛṣṇa, Buddha and Kalki, as worshipable Deities with eternal transcendental Names, Forms, Attributes and Sports.6 To be clear, Vaiṣṇavas do not accept evolutionary theory as it is commonly understood. Yes, initially the earth was covered with water, and gradually with the emergence of land new species manifest themselves. But the species are not “created” at that time, even if the bodies gradually arise according to necessity. As Śrīla Prabhupāda says, “The species already exist, and the living entity simply transfers himself from one womb to the next, just as a man transfers himself from one apartment to another. Suppose a person comes from a lower-class apartment to a first-class apartment. The person is the same, but now, according to his capacity for payment—according to his *karma*—he is able to occupy a higher-class apartment. Evolution does not mean physical development, but development of consciousness.”7 In other words, the species are created to accommodate different levels of consciousness. Living beings are placed in appropriate bodies according to their awareness level and evolve up or down according to their activities and mental disposition. That is to say, the species are static, but the evolution or devolution of consciousness is dynamic. The 8,400,000 forms of life exist to accommodate all the possible forms of consciousness that develop in the course of *saṁsāra*, or repeated birth and death. Thus the teachings of Vaiṣṇavism, even though sometimes framed in terms of evolutionary discourse, as seen above, are distinct from the modern scientific perspective, stressing evolution of consciousness and not the emergence of bodies or species arising from each other. Instead, Vaiṣṇavism teaches that one transmigrates through the species according to an inner development (or regression) of consciousness, not through a biophysical evolution. The Lord, in His compassion, then incarnates in these species as well, just to sanctify all life forms for the purpose of spiritual elevation. This is the esoteric meaning of daśāvatāra in a nutshell. *NOTES* 1 Letter to Hayagrīva Dāsa (Los Angeles, March 9, 1970). 2 See Richard L. Thompson, *Maya: The World as Virtual Reality* (Alachua, Florida: Govardhan Hill Publishing, 2003), p. 254. 3 Although *daśāvatāra* is sometimes presented in terms of evolution, the Purāṇas inform us that, at the dawn of cosmic creation, the fish incarnation was not alone, but rather He was accompanied by humans, plants, animals, sages, the Vedas, and so on, making this theory incompatible with the understanding of evolution as we know it today. 4 See C. Mackenzie Brown, “*The Western Roots of Avataric Evolutionism in Colonial India*.” Zygon 42:2 (June 2007): 423–47. Also see C. Mackenzie Brown, “*Colonial and Post-Colonial Elaborations of Avataric Evolutionism*.” Zygon 42:2 (September 2007): 715-47. 5 See Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, *Śrī Kṛṣṇa-saṁhitā*, trans., Bhūmipati Dāsa (New Delhi: Vrajraj Press, 1998), pp. 87–89. The book was originally published in 1880, making Bhaktivinoda’s articulation of the theory contemporaneous with that of the Theosophists and Keshub Chunder Sen, often seen as its originators. Others associate the idea with the famous scientist J. B. S. Haldane (1892–1964), but he would have expressed his notions about the subject a little later than the others. And I could not find any substantial evidence indicating that he wrote about it at all. 6 This expression of daśāvatāra in relation to evolution comes from a conversation between Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura and Albert E. Suthers (1887–1984), who was affiliated with the history of religions department at Ohio Wesleyan University. Their discussion originally appeared in the January 1929 issue of The Harmonist (*Sree Sajjanatoshani*). See Rūpa Vilāsa Dāsa, A Ray of Vishnu (Washington, Ms., New Jaipur Press, 1988), p. 99. 7 “Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out," Back to Godhead, Vol. 12, No. 10, October 1977. *Satyarāja Dāsa, a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda, is a BTG associate editor and founding editor of the Journal of Vaishnava Studies. He has written more than thirty books on Kṛṣṇa consciousness and lives near New York City.* Cover: The Deity of Lord Narasiṁha, Lord Kṛṣṇa's half-man, half-lion incarnation, that appears on the cover of the book Narasimha: the Divine Protector, an excerpt of which appears in this issue. From the Editor *Religion Beyond Religion* The philosophy and theology that form the basis of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement derive primarily from two scriptures: *Bhagavad-gītā* and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*. Śrīla Prabhupāda would often refer to the *Bhagavad-gītā* as the preliminary study of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and to *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* as the post-graduate course. In the *Bhagavad-gītā* Lord Kṛṣṇa concludes His instructions to Arjuna with the definitive statement "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear." (*Gītā* 18.66) Most people would consider the *Bhagavad-gītā* a religious book, so Kṛṣṇa's telling Arjuna to give up religion seems odd. Just what does Kṛṣṇa mean by this? Śrīla Prabhupāda explains in his commentary that throughout the *Gītā* Kṛṣṇa has discussed various types of religion found in the Vedic scriptures but now He is clarifying that Arjuna should simply surrender unto Him. If Arjuna does so, he need not fear incurring liabilities for having neglected the various religious duties and paths Kṛṣṇa has described. Kṛṣṇa created them, so He can exempt His devotees from having to follow them. The theme of giving up what is normally considered religion carries over to *Śrīmad-*Bhāgavatam**, this being one reason why Śrīla Prabhupāda referred to this scripture as the post-graduate study of the principles revealed in the *Bhagavad-gītā*. The second verse of the *Bhāgavatam* tells us that this scripture promotes only the highest form of religion, rejecting "cheating religion," or religion in pursuit of what throughout the Vedic scriptures are called the four goals of human life: *dharma*, *artha*, *kāma*, and *mokṣa*, which Prabhupāda generally translates as religion, economic development, sense gratification, and liberation. The idea proposed by this progression is that because most people want to enjoy in this life and the next, the Vedic scriptures encourage them to do so by performing religious acts that bring material rewards. This is what is generally understood as religion. And when, after many lifetimes, we tire of this endless cycle of duty and reward, we seek liberation, often understood as the impersonal liberation of merging into God's energy or existence, thus essentially losing one's individuality. After the *Bhāgavatam's* opening statement rejecting this type of religion, we're told that the sages who had gathered to hear from the eminently qualified Sūta Gosvāmī asked him to explain what he had ascertained to be "the absolute and ultimate good for the people in general" *(Bhāgavatam* 1.1.9). Sūta Gosvāmī's reply defines true religion: "The supreme occupation [*dharma*] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self." This is the religion that Lord Kṛṣṇa, the source of religion, promotes when He tells Arjuna to "abandon all varieties of religion." In this verse, Śrīla Prabhupāda translates paraḥ dharmaḥ as "supreme occupation." Pure devotional service to the Lord, or *bhakti*, is not religion in the ordinary sense. It is the supreme religion, characterized as "unmotivated" (*ahaitukī*) and "uninterrupted" (*apratihatā)*. (*Ahaitukī* can also be taken as "causeless," or appearing of its own volition, a theme that Satyarāja Dāsa will explore in the next issue of BTG.) The rewards of conventional religion, including promotion to heavenly worlds, are temporary. Conventional religion is a step in the right direction, but *bhakti* is *sanātana-dharma*, the eternal religion of the soul. Promoting it is Kṛṣṇa's persistent and final instruction to Arjuna. Only *bhakti* can reunite us with Kṛṣṇa and fully satisfy us forever. Hare Kṛṣṇa. —*Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor* Vedic Thoughts The *Bhagavad-gītā* primarily deals with the intelligence of man, leading one to the progressive path of civilization of the spirit soul. And *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is the complete human civilization dealing with the subject matter of the soul proper. As soon as a man is raised to the status of the civilization of the soul, he is fit to be promoted to the kingdom of God. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 2.7.18, Purport What power does the name of Kṛṣṇa possess? My heart constantly burns in the fire of worldly desires, just like a desert scorched by the rays of the sun. The holy name, entering the core of my heart through the holes of my ears, showers unparalleled nectar upon my soul. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura *Śrī Nāma-māhātmya* 1, from Śaraṇāgati O brothers, please hear My truthful statement. Worship the invaluable wealth of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. O brothers, may you all desire to attain the same lotus feet that Lakṣmī desires to serve, the same lotus feet by whose worship Lord Śiva has became known as a pure servant, and the same lotus feet from which the Ganges emanated. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu *Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-khaṇḍa* 1.165–167 What is the direction of all Vedic literatures? On whom do they set focus? Who is the purpose of all speculation? Outside of Me no one knows these things. Now you should know that all these activities are aimed at ordaining and setting forth Me. The purpose of Vedic literature is to know Me by different speculations, either by indirect understanding or by dictionary understanding. Everyone is speculating about Me. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (11.21.42–43) An intelligent person does not take interest in a place, even in the topmost planetary system, if the pure Ganges of topics concerning the Supreme Lord's activities does not flow there, if there are no devotees engaged in service on the banks of such a river of piety, or if there are no festivals of saṅkīrtana-yajña to satisfy the Lord [especially since saṅkīrtana-yajña is recommended in this age]. Demigods *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 5.19.24 The self-effulgent Vaikuṇṭha planets, by whose illumination alone all the illuminating planets within this material world give off reflected light, cannot be reached by those who are not merciful to other living entities. Only persons who constantly engage in welfare activities for other living entities can reach the Vaikuṇṭha planets. Maitreya Ṛṣi *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 4.12.36 O Viṣṇu! Your name is spiritual in nature and self-effulgent. Thus even though we understand but a fraction of its glories, by merely repeating its syllables we attain a refined intelligence capable of understanding the Lord. *Ṛg-veda* 1.156.3 Quoted in Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa's commentary on Rūpa Gosvāmī's *Nāmāṣṭaka* 3 BTG53-04, 2019