# Back to Godhead Magazine #53 *2019 (04)* Back to Godhead Magazine #53-04, 2019 PDF-View Welcome The Vedic scriptures say that being in the company of a pure devotee of the Lord even for a moment can lead to spiritual perfection. Though Śrīla Prabhupāda traveled continually, and many thousands of people heard him speak Lord Kṛṣṇa’s teachings, few people had the opportunity to spend extended time with him. Still he inspired acts of spiritual devotion that sometimes bore fruit many years later. Our cover story in this issue relates to one such episode. When a young Indian couple heard Śrīla Prabhupāda speak in Melbourne in 1975, they were inspired to donate land for a temple in their hometown in India. Last year, that temple finally became a reality. Touching on a related topic, Satyarāja Dāsa in this issue writes about ajñāta-sukṛti, unknown acts of devotional service to the Lord that engender further spiritual opportunities. One of the places where Śrīla Prabhupāda spent much time was Los Angeles, where many devotees heard him speak daily for sometimes several months. From his headquarters there, he set many of the spiritual standards that have sustained the lives of Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees for fifty years. This year, ISKCON Los Angeles—New Dwaraka—celebrates fifty years of Prabhupāda’s installation of their Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities. Hare Kṛṣṇa. —*Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor* Letters *Bad Thoughts* When I am chanting, why do a lot of bad thoughts come to my mind? Bikash Kilhar Via the Internet *Reply:* That is natural. Continue chanting, and eventually the bad thoughts will go away. It is something like this: Before cleaning your house, everything looks in order. When you start cleaning, you move things around. In the middle of the cleaning, you will see that the house is dirtier than it was before cleaning. But if you continue cleaning, gradually you will clean everything and put everything back in place. Similarly when the mind is not cleansed (before chanting), it looks like everything is normal. When you start cleaning the mind by chanting, however, the dirty things in your mind come to the surface. But if you continue with sincere chanting and take shelter of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, the dirty thoughts that come to the surface of the mind will be completely wiped off. This is how the chanting process works. So do not quit. Just continue, and gradually your mind will become cleaner and cleaner and cleaner—to the point that you will have tears of love for Kṛṣṇa when you chant. *A Place for Passion* I am a student. How much should I engage in Kṛṣṇa so that I can manage both my studies and Kṛṣṇa consciousness? In other words, can we have passion in life or not? Sankarsh Via the Internet *Reply:* Yes, we can have passion in life. Arjuna had passion to fight the war. Passion is necessary to create things and implement new ideas. But we should not have a selfish passion. A passion just for yourself keeps you bound up by *karma*. Dovetail or engage your passion in Kṛṣṇa's service. Whatever studies you are currently engaged in, do your best, and then use the knowledge, position, and money you acquire to promote Kṛṣṇa and devotional service to Him. *Profession and Devotion* Can I be a good devotee while pursuing my professional dreams? Shubh Sharma Via the Internet *Reply:* You can most definitely become Kṛṣṇa conscious and pursue your profession. If you have a spiritual master, you can ask your spiritual master what you should do. But generally, one can work in the material world but still be in the highest consciousness by having a regular sincere sādhana, or spiritual practice, every day. Chanting and hearing, especially early in the day before work, will help you remember your spiritual position as the humble servant of the Lord. These practices will help you focus during the day on your intentions to please the Lord with your service. That will keep you happy and out of the illusion of thinking that you are the enjoyer, controller, and proprietor of everything. Many of the great teachers in our line were professionals, but at every moment they worshiped and remembered the Lord. *Stressed and Angry* I am in stress, and I would like some suggestions on how to control my anger. Nikhil Walia Via the Internet Reply: Kali-yuga, the age we are living in, is the age of anxiety and quarrel, so you are not alone in facing these problems. Our hearts get polluted with lust, anger, and greed, which are our great enemies. The scriptures recommend that we chant the Lord’s holy names to help us remember our real identity as His servant. We are not the body and mind, which are sources of miseries. Please take up the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra*. Chanting is very potent and will give quick results. If you chant daily—especially, if possible, in the company of advanced devotees—you will feel the cleansing effect, and your mind will come under control. The mind needs engagement in spiritual topics, and that engagement can be had by reading Kṛṣṇa's instructions in the *Bhagavad-gītā*, hearing His pastimes, chanting His glories, and serving Him every day. You can visit our temples or join in the temple services by taking advantage of temple webcams. Our original consciousness is pure and blissful; it is just covered with dirt from our being here in this material world. So enter the spiritual world by engaging in Kṛṣṇa’s service. *Changing Kali-yuga Consciousness* I have two questions: Can you explain the word “consciousness” as used in *Bhagavad-gītā* As It Is? And can the *Gītā* change Kali-yuga? Shivani Patel Via the Internet *Reply*: “Consciousness” means awareness, and it is a symptom of the soul within each living being. Once the soul is gone—when a person dies—then there is no awareness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the original consciousness of the soul. It means to understanding that we are by nature loving servants of the Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Material consciousness, or thinking that we are the body, is a polluted state that is due to our contact with the material energy. The *Gītā* is personal instruction for us to elevate and purify our consciousness to get back to awareness of Kṛṣṇa. If we can do that, then we will be free from all illusion and suffering. On the bigger scale, if everyone, or at least a percentage of people, could regain their Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then Kali-yuga could be changed. Śrīla Prabhupāda once said that if even five percent of the people became Kṛṣṇa conscious, then the planet would become Vaikuṇṭha, or the spiritual world, where there is no anxiety. This can happen only by the chanting of the holy names of the Lord, which can purify anyone. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu inaugurated the *saṅkīrtana* movement, which centers on congregational chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra*. All over the world, people taste real spiritual life by engaging in *saṅkīrtana*. And the natural result is that they give up the bad habits that cause so many problems in Kali-yuga. *Effective Chanting* Could you please tell me, can I chant while traveling in the bus? What are the effective ways to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa to increase love for Kṛṣṇa? Nagarjuna Via the Internet *Reply*: There are no restrictions for chanting; you can chant anywhere, anytime. So, yes, you can chant in the bus. We should not chant on beads while we’re driving, as that can be dangerous. But singing and chanting even while driving is fine. If you want to count your chanting on beads as part of your daily quota for *japa*, then you have to be in an attentive mood, without distractions, just concentrating on the holy name. ISKCON has *japa* retreats every year in Vrindavan, India, and elsewhere, and there are books and tapes that can help you get the best out of your *japa*. These can help you develop good habits for chanting attentively and effectively. The most important practice is to hear the names in the *mantra* and take them into your heart. Love for Kṛṣṇa is already within you; it just has to be awakened by chanting His names. If you remember that the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra* is a prayer begging Kṛṣṇa to accept you, then you can cry out to the Lord with that mood in your heart. Founder's Lecture: Deity Worship, Not Idol Worship *Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that authorized worship of the Deity in the temple is grounded in the Vedic scriptures.* Los Angeles—July 16, 1969 Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness *A talk given on the occasion of the installation of the Deities Śrī Śrī Rukmiṇī Dvārakānātha.* Now today this function of installing Deity, this is authorized. Just like several times I have given the example that when you put your mails in a box in the street, because it is written there "US Mail," you know that it is authorized box. And if you put your letters within this box, it will surely reach the destination. The post office will work. So there is no difference between the huge post office building and that small box, because it is authorized. Similarly, the difference between idol worship and Deity worship is like that. Unless authorized process is accepted, it is idol worship. That is the general rule. If somebody thinks that "There is a box, red and blue, on the street. Why shall I go to that box? Let me have similar box at my door, and it will be cleared by the postman because it is blue and red," oh, that will not be. Because the box which you put at your door, that is not authorized. Similarly, we have to worship the Deity according to the authorized system. Just like in our Gauḍīya-sampradāya there is authorized system by the Gosvāmīns, and there is a big book which is called *Hari-bhakti-vilāsa.* So everything is stated there, how the Vaiṣṇava family should have their all function... It is called *Vaiṣṇava-*smṛti.* Śruti* and *smṛti.* So we have to follow this regulation of the *śruti, Vedas,* and *smṛti.* Smṛti means derived from the *Vedas.* Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says, > śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-pāñcarātrikī-vidhiṁ vinā > aikāntikī harer bhaktir utpātāyaiva kalpate > [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.101] Without following the rules and regulations of Vedic injunctions, without reference to the regulative principles mentioned in different *smṛtis,* without reference to the *Purāṇas* and without reference to the **pāñcarātrikī-vidhī*...* The *pāñcarātrikī-vidhī* means it is a special concession for this age. *Vaidika-vidhī* and *pāñcarātrikī-vidhī*. *Vaidika-vidhī* is very authorized, but this *Vaidika-vidhī* is specially meant for those who are highly elevated *brāhmaṇas.* In this age it is accepted as a fact by the *śāstras, kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ.* In this age nobody is actually bona fide **brāhmaṇa*s* by birth. Formerly they used to be. The family tradition, the *garbhādhāna* system, the *saṁskāra* were strictly followed; therefore a son born of a *brāhmaṇa* father was accepted as a *brāhmaṇa*—not immediately, but going through the process. But in this age, because it is very difficult to find out a person who is born of a qualified *brāhmaṇa,* therefore *Nārada Pañcarātra* is there. So these Gosvāmīns, Rūpa Gosvāmī specially, recommends, *śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-pañc...* [*Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu* 1.2.101]. Either you follow the principles of *śruti, Vedas,* followed by *smṛti, purāṇādi,* or you follow the *pāñcarātrikī-vidhī.* The *pāñcarātrikī-vidhī.*.. Just like we are introducing in this temple for worshiping Deity, but actually the Deity can be worshiped by the bona fide *brāhmaṇas.* There was agitation in India, perhaps you know, that Gandhi stamped some persons as **harijana*. Harijana.* They were coming from the **bhaṅgīs*. Bhaṅgīs* means sweepers or the cleaners of the toilet room. So Gandhi accepted them. The government was creating..., British government was creating faction between high caste, low caste. So Gandhi thought that "I shall make these *bhaṅgīs* and *camars* as **harijana*,* as great devotees." But simply by rubber-stamping, how one can become devotee? That is not possible. Without going the *pāñcarātrikī-vidhī,* they remain the same unclean drunkard and the all nonsense habits. And simply by rubber-stamping, *harijana*? No. Here*,* what we are doing*,* it is not rubber-stamping. It is actually training according to the *pāñcarātrikī-vidhī.* We are training all boys to become *brāhmaṇas:* to refrain from four kinds of sinful activities*,* to take bath*,* to take this*,* take that. And above all*,* chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. *Ceto-darpaṇa-marjanam* [Cc Antya 20.12]*,* cleansing of all sinful activities. So in this way *harijana* can be made, but not that you pick up somebody nonsense and rubber-stamp this "*harijana*." No. There must be process. There is no hindrance for anyone to become **harijana*. *Hari*jana* means God's person or devotee. *Hari* means God, Kṛṣṇa, and jana means His person. Just like we have got here government servant, special, or ordinary person. So *harijana* means the servants of the Supreme Lord. So that is not ordinary thing. There is no harm to create *harijana* by regular process, but you cannot make *harijana* simply by stamping. *Bhagavad-gītā* says equal opportunity for everyone*.* *Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśrityā ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ* [*Bg* 9*.*32]*.* Low-class born birth is understood due to sinful activities—low-class birth, animal birth*.* Sinful activities*.* But Kṛṣṇa says *pāpa-yonayaḥ,* born in sinful families, never mind*.* Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśrityā*.**.**.* If he becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious by bona fide process, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśrityā*.**.**.* Vyapāśrityā means bona fide process*.* Not an imitation, bona fide*.* And bona fide means as they are depicted, as they are described, as they are enjoined in the authorized *śāstra* like śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-pañca*.**.**.* [*Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu* 1*.*2*.*101]*.* *Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśrityā ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ.* Never mind in whatever family one is born, sinful family. Never mind. *Striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśyaḥ,* including woman and *śūdras* and *vaiśyas,* they are considered as less intelligent. They are considered as less intelligent. Therefore, according to Vedic system, a boy born in a *brāhmaṇa* family, he is allowed all the *saṁskāras,* reformatory, purificatory process, but the girl is not. Why? Now, because a girl has to follow her husband. So if her husband is *brāhmaṇa*, automatically she becomes *brāhmaṇa*. There is no need of separate reformation. And by chance she may be married with a person who is not a *brāhmaṇa*, then what is the use of making her a *brāhmaṇa*? That is the general method. So therefore the*.**.**.*, even born in a *brāhmaṇa* family, a woman is taken as woman, not as *brāhmaṇa**.* But Kṛṣṇa says, "Never mind*.* Even if she is woman, even she is *śūdra,* even she is *vaiśya,* or any other," I mean to say, "family born in, never mind*.*" *Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśrityā,* if anyone is bona-fidely made Kṛṣṇa conscious, *te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim,* so his way is open to the path of Vaikuṇṭha, *parāṁ gatim*.* Kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā bhaktā rājarṣayas tathā* [*Bg* 9*.*33]*.* So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice, it opens the door of highest perfectional platform for everyone, provided he follows the rules and regulation. That's all. That is the only condition. Otherwise, if simply by imitating, if somebody thinks, "Oh, I can become a..." like that: "If such and such person can become, I can do..." No. That is warned by Rūpa Gosvāmī, > śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi- > pāñcarātrikī-vidhīṁ vinā > aikāntikī harer bhaktir > utpatayaiva kalpate > [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.101] If we simply imitate, oh, that will not do. So do not try to imitate. Follow the simple rules and regulations—it is very nice—and above all, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. You'll become purified. Without being purified you cannot touch Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. In the *Vedas* it is stated, "Without becoming Brahman, you cannot approach Brahman." Just like without becoming fire, you cannot approach fire, because the inconsistency of temperature. It will burn. Just like here is fire, and I am feeling temperature, but the fire flames within the fire, they do not feel, because the temperature is the same. Similarly, without becoming Brahman, without understanding oneself, realizing himself, nobody can... Kṛṣṇa is the Parambrahman*.* *Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān* [*Bg* 10*.*12]*.* That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā*.* Puruṣaṁ śāśvatam*.* Therefore one has to keep himself very purified; otherwise you cannot touch Kṛṣṇa*.* That is not possible*.* It is fire, so you have to become fire*.* And how to become fire? Fire, you are also fire, but now you are covered fire, covered by this material body*.* Therefore you have to spiritualize this body by purificatory process*.* The same example, just like the iron rod, it is iron, but you put into the fire, it becomes warm, warmer, warmer, then red hot, then it is fire*.* Similarly, by this process, chanting process, by regulative process, you are becoming warmer, warmer, warmer, warmer*.* And when you fully become red-hot warm, then your body is as good as Kṛṣṇa's*.* So we have to keep ourself always in the fire of Kṛṣṇa consciousness; then everything is all right*.* [laughs] Otherwise, it will become dull, and it will be simply idol worship*.* That's all*.* That is the difference between idol worship and Deity worship*.* If there is no life, then it is idol worship, hedonism*.* And when there is life, feeling, "Where is Kṛṣṇa? Here is Kṛṣṇa*.* Oh, I have to serve Kṛṣṇa, I have to dress Him, I have to serve Rādhārāṇī, She is here*.* Oh, I must do it very nicely*.* And as far as possible decorate Her to the best capacity," in this way, if you always feel Kṛṣṇa conscious, then you are fire*.* The same example, keeping with the fire*.* And if you think it is a brass-made doll, I mean to say, idol*.**.**.* *Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham* [Bg 4*.*11]*.* If you think this is a brass-made idol, then it will remain a brass-made idol to you forever. But if you elevate yourself to higher platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then Kṛṣṇa, this Kṛṣṇa, will talk with you. This Kṛṣṇa will talk with you. There is a Vaṁśidāsa Bābājī Mahārāja, he was talking with his Deity. And Kṛṣṇa... Just like Madana-mohana, He was talking with Sanātana Gosvāmī. Madana-mohana... Sanātana Gosvāmī at that time had no temple; he was hanging his Deity on the tree. So Madana-mohana was talking with him, "Sanātana, you are bringing all these dry *capatis,* and it is stale, and you don't give Me even little salt. How can I eat?" Sanātana Gosvāmī said, "Sir, where shall I go? Whatever I get I offer You. You kindly accept. I cannot move; old man." You see. So Kṛṣṇa had to eat that. [chuckles] Because the *bhakta* is offering, He cannot refuse. *Yo me bhaktyā prayacchati*. Real thing is *bhakti.* What you can offer to Kṛṣṇa? Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. What you have got? What is your value? And what is the value of your things? It is nothing. Therefore real thing is *bhaktyā;* real thing is your feeling. "Kṛṣṇa, kindly take it. I have no qualification. I am most rotten, fallen, but [weeps] I have brought this thing for you. Please take." This will be accepted. Don't be puffed up. Always be careful. You are dealing with Kṛṣṇa. That is my request. Thank you very much Overcoming Obstacles Through Devotional Purposefulness *Some lessons we can learn from Hanumān’s fixity of purpose in his service to Lord Rāmacandra.* By Caitanya Caraṇa Dāsa *Reflections on Hanumān’s flight across the ocean to Lanka.* Among the most visually dramatic events in Vālmīki's Rāmāyaṇa is Hanumān’s flight across the ocean to Lanka, the stronghold of the demon king Rāvaṇa, who had abducted Sītā. During his aerial journey, Hanumān’s thoughts and actions as he encountered various obstacles can guide us when we face challenges in our life and in our spiritual life in particular. Let Reflections Reinforce Action When Hanumān leapt off the Indian coastline, he fixed his mind on Rāma. He remembered Rāma’s grief-stricken yet hope-filled words during their last meeting, when Rāma had given him a signet ring to give to Sītā. Rāma had not given any such token to anyone else in any of the search parties sent in the four directions to search for Sītā. Rāma’s handing that ring to Hanumān reflected His confidence that Hanumān would find Sītā. Remembering Rāma’s confidence in him, Hanumān felt increasingly energized to reach Lanka as fast as possible. The wind-god, the celestial father of Hanumān, wanted to aid his son, who was performing an extraordinary service to their Lord. Accordingly, the wind blew powerfully behind Hanumān, helping him move faster. As Hanumān flew, the sight of the vast ocean stretching out in all directions below him reminded him of the potency of Rāma’s names. The sacred scriptures declare that by chanting the Lord’s names, one can cross the entire ocean of material existence—what, then, would be the difficulty in crossing one ocean within that material existence? Seeing shoals of aquatics moving about in the ocean, Hanumān thought of how the other vānaras (celestial monkeys) in his party were praying for his success—and not just praying but also performing austerities. When he was preparing to take off for Lanka, they had told him that till he returned, they all would perform *yogic* meditation; they would stand on one foot, praying that the merits of their austerity assist Hanumān in his mission. As he remembered those for whom he was working, and those with whom he was working, his inspiration increased and his determination deepened. With his reflections thus energizing his actions, Hanumān sped through the sky towards destination Lanka. Whenever we do anything that challenges us in our spiritual life, we need to ensure that our thoughts support us, not sabotage us. If we carefully contemplate the things that inspire us, not the things that dishearten us, our contemplations can work in tandem with our actions. *Don’t Let the Good Come in the Way of the Best* When Hanumān was speeding above the ocean, he suddenly found a mountain rising in front of him. The personified mountain, a venerable elderly person named Mainaka, told Hanumān that he had been friends with Daśaratha, Rāma's father. He said that he wanted to serve Rāma by serving Rāma’s servant, specifically a dedicated servant such as Hanumān. Mainaka asked Hanumān to rest on the mountain before continuing on his onerous flight. For Hanumān, reciprocating with Mainaka’s desire to serve Rāma would not have been wrong—far from it, it would have been proper etiquette. Devotees are expected to be courteous with everyone, what to speak of other devotees. But Hanumān had a mission far more urgent than resting or socializing. He knew how much Rāma was distressed in separation from Sītā, and he could also imagine how Sītā would be pining in separation from her Lord. Now that he was so close to reaching Sītā, he didn’t want to lose even one moment. Moreover, Sugrīva, the vānara king who was overseeing the search for Sītā, had asked the search parties to return within a month. Hanumān and his party had already been searching for longer than that. He didn’t want to do anything that would delay him further. And yet Hanumān didn’t have the heart to reject the service Mainaka was so kindly offering. After all, Mainaka was a pious soul, devoted to the same Lord to whom Hanumān was devoted. So Hanumān lowered himself from his aerial trajectory and touched the mountain, thus offering it his respects. Rising again, he explained the urgency of his service and sought Mainaka’s permission to continue. Pleased with Hanumān’s untiring eagerness to serve Rāma, Mainaka gladly gave permission. The Bhagavad-gītā (9.26) states that the Lord accepts even the simplest offering given in devotion, because He focuses on the devotion with which it is offered. Hanumān, as a devotee of the Lord, accepted Mainaka’s devotion while ensuring that in practice his own service was not delayed. Thus, Hanumān expertly did both: he honored etiquette and stayed fixed in his purpose. When we are rendering an important and difficult service to the Lord, we may be offered comforts by those wanting to assist us. We may be inclined to enjoy those comforts as due rewards for our hard work. But if we keep our purpose foremost, we won’t be swayed. Simultaneously, we need to be careful not to go to the other extreme. We may be tempted to reject those comforts as an exhibition of our renunciation. Hanumān’s example reminds us to be courteous, appreciating their intention of service, even when we have to say no. Hanumān’s declining Mainaka’s offer also illustrates that even in the context of devotional service to the Lord, the good is often the greatest enemy of the best. If we had to choose between the bad and the best, we would naturally choose the best—at least we wouldn’t be confused about what to choose, even if our conditionings made that choice difficult to implement. But when we have to choose between the good and the best, the mind’s rationalizations can delude us into preferring the good. By nourishing our intelligence regularly through scriptural study, we can keep our eyes fixed on the best. When we have a yes for the most important thing burning within us, we will get the conviction to say no to less important things. *Know Which Battles to Fight and Which to Skip* When Hanumān flew on, he soon came across a gigantic creature who identified herself as the demoness Surasā. Actually, she was a goddess, the mother of the Nāgas, or celestial serpents, and the daughter of Dakṣa, a progenitor son of Brahmā. She had been asked by the gods to test Hanumān, specifically his bala (strength) and buddhi (intelligence), two resources he would need in abundance if he were to succeed in Lanka. Surasā told Hanumān that she was going to devour him and that he had no chance to escape because she had been blessed by Brahmā that any creature going by that area would have to enter her mouth. Initially, when Hanumān had seen this fearsome demoness with her deadly mouth wide open, he had been about to attack. But on hearing her speak, he changed tack. He requested her to let him go and deliver Rāma’s message to Sītā, assuring her that during his return journey he would enter her mouth. When she remained unrelenting, he told her that he would enter her mouth if she could make it big enough to accommodate him. Saying this, he expanded his size. When the demoness made her mouth bigger than him, he made his body bigger still. No matter how big she made her mouth, Hanumān kept making himself bigger still. Both of them repeatedly exhibited their extraordinary shape-changing abilities. When Hanumān saw that this competition of size expansion was just going on and on, he reversed his strategy: he suddenly decreased his body to a small size. He entered Surasā’s mouth, and before she could close her cavernous mouth, he slipped out. Folding his hands in front of her, he told her that as he had honored Brahmā’s benediction by entering her mouth, she should now let him proceed. Pleased with him, she revealed her true identity and purpose, and blessed him to move on. Hanumān thus passed the test of the gods with flying colors. He demonstrated his strength by expanding his body to phenomenal dimensions and his intelligence by expertly honoring Brahmā’s benediction while persevering in his purpose. Here, Hanumān intelligently chose his battles. As a warrior who loved a good fight, he could have seen Surasā’s challenge as a spur to fight. But he expertly put first things first. Instead of getting into a needless and possibly endless confrontation, he took the humble position by decreasing his size, and moved on with his mission. For Hanumān, proving his own greatness was not as important as carrying out his mission. We too need to be similarly intelligent in choosing our battles. Amidst conflicts that may arise as we pursue our goal of pure devotion to the Lord, we need to discern which issues to hold on to and which to let go. Many things may be wrong around us, and we may feel that we need to set them all right. But we are finite beings with finite time, energy, and resources. If we try to fight every single battle that comes our way, we will keep fighting endlessly, drain ourselves completely, not do even those things we could have done, and, most important, waste valuable time that could be used in nourishing our devotion. In our interactions with our loved ones, for example, we may find ourselves getting into a heated argument on an issue that is not particularly important. At such time, instead of getting sucked into the confrontation, we need to mentally take a step back and get our priorities straight. Our relationships should aid us in our spiritual life, and thus they are more than some temporary issue. Our love for our family, friends, and associates during our life's spiritual journey should free us from the need to be right in every argument. Knowing that the battle of egos can be endless, we can take the humble position. Humility doesn’t mean letting ourselves be trampled by others—it simply means that we don’t let our ego come in the way of our purpose. *When One Door Closes, Look for Another That Has Opened* While Hanumān was flying on, he suddenly found himself paralyzed. Though he strained to the fullest extent of his phenomenal strength, he couldn’t move onwards. Looking down, he saw a hideous demoness, named Siṁhikā, looking at him and licking her lips. He understood that she had used her mystic powers to catch his shadow, thereby arresting his progress. As he was considering his options, he found himself being pulled down towards her devouring, gloating mouth. Her plan was to chew Hanumān to kill him and feast on him. With remarkable presence of mind, Hanumān used the momentum generated by the demoness's pulling him down to speed through her mouth down into her alimentary canal. Before she could even understand what was happening, he went deep into her stomach and started attacking it from within. Eventually, after ripping apart her stomach from inside, he emerged, unhurt and victorious. As the demoness fell screaming to her death into the ocean, setting off huge waves, Hanumān flew on. Siṁhikā represents envious people who try to pull down the person who is the object of their envy. Just as Siṁhikā caught Hanumān’s shadow, the envious catch hold of incidental or inconsequential faults in those who are doing good things, even extraordinary things. But just as the very power with which Siṁhikā pulled Hanumān down ended up becoming a cause of her destruction, the shenanigans of the envious rebound against them. In the Vedic scriptures we find many examples of envious people being destroyed by their envy of devotees of the Lord. Sometimes, envious people may create problems for us that are almost impossible to overcome, just as Hanumān found it impossible to move on. Instead of becoming overwhelmed or disheartened, we can keep our wits about us, as did Hanumān. And, by the Lord's grace, some way forward will emerge. In general, when one door closes in our face during our life journey, we may feel frustrated. But instead of glaring at that door, we can start looking for some other door that might be opening. If we let resentment blind us, we will miss the opened door, which is often an invitation from the Lord to increase our devotion and service to Him. The no to a particular door in life is not a no to life. Failures in spiritual life don’t equate with a failed spiritual life. If we keep persevering in our service attitude, striving our best to find some way to serve our Lord, then, no matter how many doors close in our life, some door will soon open somewhere. The Bhagavad-gītā (18.58) assures us that those who stay conscious of the Lord are guided by His grace to overcome all obstacles. Even if we find ourselves powerless externally, we needn’t let ourselves become hopeless internally. If we keep ourselves faithfully hopeful, then that inner power of faith will attract the supreme power of divine grace, revealing a way where none seemed to exist. Flying on, Hanumān eventually reached Lanka. He saw a huge island with a central fortified city, walled off on all sides. He assumed a small form to discreetly enter the city. Suddenly, a demoness blocked him. Declaring herself to be Laṅkinī, the guardian of Lanka, she rebuked him for trying to sneak in. As a shrewd warrior, Hanumān could size up the strength of opponents. Assessing Laṅkinī’s strength, he slapped her with enough force to knock her down but not slay her. Again his purpose was foremost in his mind. He wanted to find Sītā as soon as possible. So, before Laṅkinī could recover from the shock of being felled by a mere monkey she had been planning to gleefully devour, Hanumān sped past, entering Lanka. While trying to figure out how a mere monkey could have overpowered her, Laṅkinī remembered an ancient prophecy: When she would be overcome by a monkey, Lanka would soon be destroyed. With an impending sense of doom, Laṅkinī got up and went to alert Rāvaṇa, while knowing that no one could stave off that which destiny had ordained. Perhaps the most important lesson from Hanumān’s adventurous leap to Lanka is his single-minded purposefulness in serving the Lord. Rather than letting obstacles deter him, he resourcefully found a way through them. Similarly, when faced with obstacles to our spiritual progress, if we stay purpose-conscious instead of becoming obstacle-conscious, the Lord will show us ways to move ahead. *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.* *This article was adapted from the author's book* Wisdom from the Ramayana: On Life and Relationships. Introducing “Ahimsa Balancing” *A proposal for dealing with the challenge of being pro-dairy but anti-cruelty.* by Jayādvaita Swami As an aspiring devotee of Kṛṣṇa, I face a moral problem: I am pro-dairy but anti-cruelty and anti-slaughter, and I know that the dairy industry and the slaughter industry are partners in cruelty and killing. If I buy milk from the store, I can be sure it comes from cows that have been exploited and abused and at last are heartlessly slaughtered. How then can my ethics allow me to purchase such milk, offer it to Kṛṣṇa, the well-wisher of cows, or even drink it? Yet the entire culture of Kṛṣṇa consciousness gives importance to milk and milk products: *ghee*, yogurt, butter, milk sweets, and so on. We offer such items to Kṛṣṇa, we use them to bathe our Deities, we consume these items ourselves, and we use them for the food we serve at our festivals and feasts, at home programs, at our restaurants, and wherever we distribute *prasādam*. What can we do? * If fortunate, we can use only *ahiṁsā* milk—milk provided by cows cared for and protected throughout their natural lives. For those who have their own cows, or live near a Hare Kṛṣṇa farm, or have some other way to get genuine *ahiṁsā* milk, this may be the very best option. But for most of us, *ahiṁsā* milk may rarely be available, if at all. * Another option is to drink dairy-industry milk anyway and justify our choice with various reasons or rationalizations—or just not think about it much. The world is tough. What can we do? (That’s the option I myself have taken, for many years.) * Or else we can go the vegan route and swear off dairy entirely. With that choice, we can think, “I don’t want anything to do with that vicious industry.” And by refusing to buy slaughter-industry milk we can “vote with our wallets,” depriving the industry of our money. A small gesture, perhaps, but those pennies can add up. I’ve lately thought of another alternative, which I call “*ahiṁsā* balancing.” Suppose we can’t get *ahiṁsā* milk but for one reason or another we’re unready or unwilling to swear off milk. We can still take action against the slaughter industry and vote with our purses and wallets—by giving a proportionate contribution for cow protection. When I buy a dollar’s worth of milk at the store, I can set aside a dollar for protecting cows. (If a dollar is too much, I can set aside fifty cents—or whatever I can.) And every month or every year, I can take the money set aside and send it to a reliable *ahiṁsā* dairy. (For me the nearest to my home base in New York City is the Gita Nagari farm in Pennsylvania.) As a financial tactic, this is arguably more effective than merely boycotting the slaughter industry’s products. If I refuse to buy slaughter-industry milk, the multi-billion-dollar dairy companies like Nestlī, Arla, Danone, Fonterra, and Kraft Heinz will hardly miss my pennies. All the vegans in the world, times ten, would make hardly a dent in their cash flow. But modest contributions made to a small *ahiṁsā* farm can make a big difference for the farm, helping it keep going and sustain its mission of providing milk from protected cows. Individuals can contribute, or families, or temples, or any program that uses milk. If you’re vegan, fine—apart from saying no to the milk industry, you can still make a positive contribution to cow protection by donating to help sustain *ahiṁsā* farms. As for me, I’ve done a rough calculation. I’m going to say that every day I drink a big glass of milk and use a tablespoon of *ghee*. (I think those numbers are on the high side—but good enough. And the high numbers can cover for extras like yogurt and milk sweets.) For a year, that would come to 33 gallons of milk and 183 ounces of *ghee*. In New York City, milk costs about $4.40 a gallon, and 32 ounces of *ghee* goes for $14. Do the math, and the dairy money I want to offset comes to $226. So, adding a little extra, before the year ends I’m going to donate $300 to Gita Nagari. By refusing to drink milk or use milk products, I’d deprive the dairy industry of a lot less. For every dollar spent on milk, a portion goes to the supermarket, a portion to the company that made the carton, a portion to trucking companies, a portion to the banks and finance companies involved, a portion to taxes all along the supply line. So, yes, I could inflict on the dairy industry a tiny little slap, but by *ahiṁsā* balancing I can help provide grass and care and shelter for cows loved and protected by Kṛṣṇa’s devotees—and give the dairy industry a bigger slap by helping provide, in contrast to their products extracted with cruelty, milk that truly stands for love, devotion, and *dharma*. The Fiftieth Anniversary of New Dwaraka Dhama *Śrīla Prabhupāda spent much time in his “Western world headquarters,” overseeing his worldwide mission.* by Karuṇa Dhārinī Devī Dāsī The place Śrīla Prabhupāda called his "Western world headquarters" remains a vital oasis of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. *Part One: Some History* Starting off in Midcity LA, 1968 ISKCON’s new center in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, was getting a good turnout. It was “the summer of love,” 1967, when idealistic youth gathering in the Haight to seek peace, justice, and alternative lifestyles often became overwhelmed by the area's crime, pimps, and drug dealers. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disciples offered hot prasādam meals at the ISKCON storefront every day, and their center became a drop-in for wayward souls of the freewheeling lifestyle that had become an epidemic. That summer, the San Francisco devotees staged the western world’s first Festival of the Chariots, or Rathayātrā, attended by thousands. The devotees' activities in San Francisco brought media attention to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s movement, and one day Mukunda Dāsa received a phone call from ABC TV in Hollywood. The caller invited Prabhupāda and Mukunda for an interview on the Les Crane Show, scheduled for January 17, 1968. Prabhupāda was already thinking about starting a center in Los Angeles, and this influential interview would bring him there. Several of Prabhupāda’s disciples had already arrived in LA and rented a storefront building at 2364 Pico Boulevard, in midcity, an area bordered by Beverlywood, the towering Wilshire Boulevard Miracle Mile, and Koreatown. The new center was furnished with an altar—two wooden orange crates covered with a madras. Atop the altar stood a mystical-looking print of smiling Kṛṣṇa holding a cow. Dayānanda Dāsa, his wife Nandarāṇī Devī Dāsī, and Aniruddha Dāsa anxiously awaited the day Śrīla Prabhupāda would visit their new center. When Prabhupāda arrived in Los Angeles the day before the interview, they had an apartment waiting for him on Saturn Street, one block from the center on Pico. The next day was a success. Les Crane proved an amiable interviewer, and after that show, seen by millions, the devotees made many new contacts. Śrīla Prabhupāda was happy to tour the new little center. Sitting under a tree in front of the apartment house on Saturn Street, taking the morning sun along with his massage, he gave his three disciples personal, friendly instructions. One was to regularly perform public chanting, harināma-saṅkīrtana. To make this easier, they soon moved to a location on busy Hollywood Blvd., one block from Grauman’s Chinese Theater. Prabhupāda's presence drew devotees from San Francisco, and the young kīrtana leaders led enthusiastic chanting for long hours at this new location, often until 1:00 a.m. The group also sold Back to Godhead magazines and incense. One night Śrīla Prabhupāda, chauffeured in a car, parked in front of the kīrtana party, and the delighted devotees bowed down on the busy Hollywood Boulevard sidewalk, paying loving obeisances to their spiritual master. The devotees regularly held a Sunday Love Feast for guests, as Prabhupāda had done in New York. Yet just when the center was gaining popularity, the devotees were evicted due to the intense aromas from their kitchen and the sounds of kīrtana. Out on the sidewalk with pots, pans, and bedding, and the Deities of Jagannātha, Baladeva, and Subhadrā in their arms, they accepted a passerby's offer of the use of her garage. Soon Dayānanda and Nandarāṇī put up the married couples and single women in their home, a house in a poor neighborhood in Watts was rented for the brahmacārīs, and Śrīla Prabhupāda took the Jagannātha Deities to his apartment. Spread out in several directions, but with their love for Śrīla Prabhupāda holding strong, the group met at various places. The Sunday Feast continued, now in a decorated garage, and Prabhupāda kindly came and lectured. The devotees’ greatest joy came at the Watts location on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings, when Prabhupāda lectured on the *Bhagavad-gītā* and led *kīrtanas* with the mṛdaṅga drum while everyone sang and danced. For months he tolerated the scattered living condition of his disciples without saying a word. Then one night he did not ask his usual questions, such as "How was the saṅkīrtana?" or "How many magazines did you distribute today?" Instead he asked, “How long do you expect me to sit in this house? The Deities are in my apartment and you are all here. What are you doing?” His looked at one devotee after another, asking each one of them, “What are you doing?” He did not lecture that night. Soon after, they chanced upon a church for sale with three large adjacent rooms at 1975 La Cienega Blvd., and the devotees, with their Deities, were able to be together again. Fondly remembering their days at the West Los Angeles La Cienega temple, devotees describe themselves as a happy family, mostly in their twenties, with Śrīla Prabhupāda in the center as their perfect father. They cooked together, Śrīla Prabhupāda their expert guide introducing what he called “kitchen religion.” He taught them how to make everything from rice to rasagulas and offered Kṛṣṇa an amazing array of dishes. The devotees savored the prasādam and spent hours trying to perfect the recipes themselves. Prabhupāda once asked, “Where is Kṛṣṇa’s favorite place in the temple?” When no one could answer, he replied, “In the kitchen.” If he wanted a pencil, they would shout out, “Prabhupāda wants a pencil! Prabhupāda wants a pencil!” and run to bring it to him. They planted a large rose garden for him in front of his apartment. Śrīla Prabhupāda was pleased with this new location and wrote to his disciples in other centers to describe it. From this center, which he called his world headquarters, he began to send devotees in every direction to open more centers. And he introduced important new aspects of Kṛṣṇa conscious practice, which would include the worship of Deities of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. *Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Worship Begins* The disciples in Los Angeles heard that Prabhupāda had taught the devotees in New York how to worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities, and they wanted to start their own Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa worship. There were no Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities to be found in America, but one day eleven-inch brass Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities arrived in a box, carried by an old friend of Prabhupāda's, a widow from Vrindavan who visited for kīrtana at the temple. On July 16, 1969, Śrīla Prabhupāda installed the Deities in the temple. Because his mind was already a throne for Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, he didn't need an altar for Their worship. But out of his immense compassion, he wanted to give his disciples the opportunity to worship Them directly. They were transferred from the heart of the pure devotee, Śrīla Prabhupāda, to the temple of the neophyte westerners on the credit of their developing love. The devotees began a full schedule of decoration, āratis, and food offerings, just as Prabhupāda had established it in New York, and the way it is done in temples in India. Since Deity worship requires sewing, cleaning, and cooking, Śrīla Prabhupāda turned to some of his older female disciples to initiate it. Śilāvatī Dāsī explains: Śrīla Prabhupāda kept a set of his own five-inch Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deities with him when he traveled. He would dress and bathe them every day. Sometimes we would watch. I wanted to be able to worship, too. I became very attracted. But when I asked him many questions, he said that if I told you all of the regulations regarding Deity worship, you would never get out of the shower [because of the high standard of cleanliness required]. You would never be able to do anything. He tried to give us as much as we could handle, but he also knew we were not very capable. Śrīla Prabhupāda described for Śilāvatī the traditional paraphernalia for offering the ārati. When she had gathered all the items, she tried to perform the ceremony as Prabhupāda looked on. Afterward, Prabhupāda patiently took her aside and taught her how to do it correctly. Each morning, Śilāvatī offered the *maṅgala-ārati* to the Deities. She was alone. All the other devotees were still sleeping due to their late-night *saṅkīrtana*. Yudhiṣṭhira Dāsa remembers that, because Śilāvatī couldn't blow the conchshell that announces the beginning of the āratī, she would douse him with water every morning at 4:30 a.m., after his late night out on *saṅkīrtana*, so that he would wake up to blow the conchshell. Since flowers are required in Deity worship, Jayānanda Dāsa donated one hundred and eight rose bushes and planted them in front of the temple. *The Morning Program* Śrīla Prabhupāda stopped the late-night *saṅkīrtana* and requested all his disciples to attend the daily *maṅgala-ārati* at 4:30 a.m. Everyone had to be in bed by 10:00 p.m. And what nectar to wake up to! At the morning *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* class, Śrīla Prabhupāda had the devotees responsively chant the Sanskrit *mantras* after him, and he directed that this become the standard in all temples. Meanwhile, in London, devotees had released a popular single record, “Govinda,” with the help of George Harrison in his studio. It featured beautiful Sanskrit verses from the *Brahma-saṁhitā* in glorification of Lord Kṛṣṇa. One day the devotees played it in the temple, and Śrīla Prabhupāda became stunned. His body shivered, and tears streamed from his eyes. In the silence of the moment, the devotees chanted softly. Finally Śrīla Prabhupāda repeated the refrain from the song, govindam ādi puruṣam tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. And then he asked, “Is everything all right?” The response was a huge roar. “Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda!” Then he began *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* class. "Arriving from his morning walks in Venice Beach or Cheviot Hills Park," Bhūtātmā Dāsa recalls, "Śrīla Prabhupāda would enter the temple just as the Govindam prayers began, stirring a spiritual excitement in the hearts of the devotees. Now we were about to share an hour of sweet transcendence with this most wonderful person—greeting the Deities, singing Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava, and hearing *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* from the self-realized *ācārya*. The morning programs with Śrīla Prabhupāda were special beyond compare. They seemed to create an enduring mood that pervaded the temple. *Moving to Watseka Avenue* After just one year, there was not enough room at the La Cienega address. The devotees' Spiritual Sky Incense business was growing, Back to Godhead distribution was increasing, and the Sunday Love Feast was attended by souls from local areas as well as the new centers in Laguna Beach and San Diego. When Tamāl Kṛṣṇa Dāsa and Dayānanda Dāsa found a big church with a service building and minister’s quarters, Śrīla Prabhupāda negotiated the price with the minister, and it became ISKCON's most impressive property. From *Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta*, Volume 4: On the auspicious occasion of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura's appearance day anniversary, the Los Angeles devotees received permission to enter their new temple on Watseka Avenue. The rooms had not even been cleaned, and the large hall was bare; but the devotees brought in Prabhupāda's *vyāsāsana* from the old temple on La Cienega, and Prabhupāda had them place on it a large picture of his spiritual master. Standing before his spiritual master, Prabhupāda offered ārati while some fifty disciples gathered around him, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and dancing in the otherwise empty hall. After the *ārati*, Prabhupāda directed his disciples in offering flowers to the picture of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī. Then, still standing before the vyāsāsana, he said he had nothing to offer his spiritual master on this day except his own disciples. He then read aloud the names of all his disciples. Taking his seat on a low *vyāsāsana* beside the large *vyāsāsana* of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, Prabhupāda gave a short history of his Guru Mahārāja, son of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and powerful *ācārya* of the mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. As Prabhupāda recalled his first meeting with his spiritual master, he told how Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī had told him to teach Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the English-speaking world. This large new temple, Prabhupāda said, had been provided by Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī as a gift for the devotees to use in Kṛṣṇa's service. They should not become attached to the opulence, Prabhupāda said, but they should use this wonderful place for preaching. As he spoke, he wept. Afterwards, Śrīla Prabhupāda directed the serving of a delicious feast. Then he instructed his disciples on how the buildings should be used, where the Deities’ altar should be, where devotees would stay, and other details. *The Deities’ Journey to Their New Temple* Inside the building on Watseka Ave. was an old Spanish-mission—style pulpit with arches over it. Devotees hung large oil paintings of the disciplic succession and Lord Caitanya there. Śrīla Prabhupāda lectured from the podium while disciples sat in the pews. He said he liked this arrangement for guests. After many days and nights preparing for the move, the devotees took the Deities on a long procession from La Cienega Blvd. through Cheviot Hills to the new location on Watseka Ave. The Deities rode in a beautiful palanquin with a canopy to protect Them from the sun. A scene of Vrindavan—cows grazing along the banks of the Yamuna River and a full moon rising—was painted on the cart so that Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa would feel at home. The palanquin was decorated with fresh fruits and flowers. Along the way some devotees knocked on doors to ask for offerings. Their mood was spontaneous. “We’re taking Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa to Their new temple.” Soon the palanquin was overflowing with an array of donated flowers. Once the Deities were placed on the temple altar, Śrīla Prabhupāda directed the devotees to line up on two sides of the temple room—women on one side, men on the other. The space between them would allow Śrīla Prabhupāda to see the Deities, and allow the devotees to see Prabhupāda and the Deities. When Śrīla Prabhupāda first saw the new altar, he reached up and touched some silk greenery decorating the top. “This isn’t proper," he told a temple leader. "Only real flowers and plants should be offered.” Once, when Śrīla Prabhupāda entered the rear of the temple, he asked, “What is that in Kṛṣṇa’s eye?” The devotees didn't see anything at first, but then discovered that a speck of the tilaka from Kṛṣṇa’s forehead had fallen into His eye. One morning when most of the devotees were out of town for the San Francisco Rathayātrā, a pipe bomb was thrown into the Watseka building through the back door. It exploded and shook everything. Some devotees were cut with small pieces of shrapnel. Śrīla Prabhupāda then taught the devotees Sanskrit prayers to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. He went over the words several times with the stunned devotees, and then they sang it together. Śrīla Prabhupāda remarked that because his movement was growing, the demons were becoming more envious. With a May 1970 letter to all ISKCON centers, Śrīla Prabhupāda introduced the morning program: “Now at the present moment I am concentrating my energy in this Los Angeles center which is ideal for all other centers in respect of Deity worship, Arotrika, Kirtan and other necessary paraphernalia. . . . I wish that you may come here at your convenience for a few days and see personally how things are going on.” This invitation brought devotees to Los Angeles to study the new standards Śrīla Prabhupāda was setting for them. As the movement grew, more and more devotees made their home in what Śrīla Prabhupāda eventually named New Dwaraka. They were sculptors, architects, carpenters, designers, musicians, businessmen, managers, accountants, technicians, writers, editors, artists, teachers, seamstresses, jewelers, photographers, film producers, speakers, and actors, and their skills blossomed due to their love for Śrīla Prabhupāda. Much of his legacy was born from the culture of *kṛṣṇa-bhakti* he inspired in LA, including translated and published Vedic scriptures, kṛṣṇa-līlā oil paintings, musical recordings, lectures, museum dioramas, festivals, dramatic performance, films, and the standard-setting worship of Śrī Śrī Rukmiṇī-Dvārakādhīśa. *Part Two: New Dwaraka Today* Fifty Years of Growth New Dwaraka was home to many original projects born from the seeds of the talent and ambition the early disciples offered to their beloved spiritual father. Those seeds sprouted into the strong plants of many traditional programs, thriving with fine, sweet flowers for the pleasure of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Govinda’s Śrīla Prabhupāda was keen on opening Hare Kṛṣṇa restaurants for the distribution of prasādam, and Govinda’s Buffet of Los Angeles was the first of such vegetarian restaurants, opening in 1982. Today both Govinda’s Gift Shop and Govinda’s Buffet are a vital hub of the New Dwaraka community. Govinda’s Gift Shop offers a superlative storehouse of the best from India, while the Buffet serves out a fresh daily assortment of prasādam dishes to a continuous flow of visitors. The Govindas are situated upstairs and downstairs in a building adjacent to the temple. At Govinda’s many a newcomer receives a warm greeting. “So many interesting people come through, and they have a lot of questions about Kṛṣṇa and the temple,” says Aditi, who works the register and stocks shelves. “I get to give every customer I meet a free copy of one of Śrīla Prabhupāda's books.” Govinda’s is staffed by devotees, including householders and single men and women living in the ashrams. Taḍit Devī Dāsī, the wife of temple president Svavāsa Dāsa, has been the purchaser and manager of Govinda’s for thirty-three years. She holds a degree in fashion design, and her trained eye and chaste dedication to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s saṅkīrtana mission have inspired her to assemble a gift shop that has attracted the media as well as a variety of celebrities from around the world. Govinda’s Gift Shop has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Weekly, The New York Post, Yogi Times, Yoga Journal, Allure, In Style, Harper's Bazaar, Lucky Magazine, and Vogue. Taḍit’s determined sacrifice to maintain the quality and quantity of goods in the store has served as a dependable financial foundation for the temple and *ashrams*. The elaborate flower outfits offered to the Deities on festival days are sponsored by the Gift Shop, and designed and put together by the women who work there. Govinda’s Natural Foods Buffet serves a fresh assortment of American and ethnic dishes daily. The peaceful, friendly atmosphere is a famous respite for busy Westsiders. Govinda’s kitchen is under the direction of Jaganivāsa Dāsa, a 1983 graduate of the Culinary Institute of New York City. He is also an Ayurvedic medical advisor and holds a masters in herbology and homeopathy from Ashford University in Washington, D.C. A culinary professional for thirty years, Jaganivāsa specializes in five varieties of international cuisine. With his mother as a respected chef, Jaganivāsa developed a culinary sense early in life. He began cooking and helping in cooking classes at the age of four. Later Jaganivāsa taught culinary art for three years in his native city of Cali, Columbia, where he owned and operated an intercontinental vegetarian restaurant. Besides supporting the Los Angeles temple’s opulent worship, the steady income from the two Govindas insures that teams of missionaries are able to travel and share Prabhupāda’s books by the thousands without any encumbrance. *Book Distribution* For many devotees who feel inspired to distribute Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, New Dwaraka is the place of choice. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust was established in Los Angeles in 1974, and to date forty-five million books and pamphlets have been distributed in North America. Surprisingly, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s strategy for the distribution of his books didn't include commercial sales, although he had no objection to that method. He was convinced that sincere devotees who presented his literatures directly to the public could win people’s hearts, so he emphasized the one-on-one approach of a missionary in the field. In Los Angeles, Ānanda Kīrtana Dāsa heads up a traveling team of brahmacārīs who go from concert to concert every summer, and campus to campus in the fall and spring, distributing *Bhagavad-gītās*, *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatams*, and other books to young people. “Every day is an adventure,” he explains. “Recently I was distributing *Bhagavad-gītās* at Orange Coast College, and a professor asked me into his classroom to speak on it. The students were very interested. They were asking how to start a *bhakti-yoga* club!" Bhṛgupati Dāsa is the go-to person for vehicles, permits, new distribution spots, book supply, bags, carts, tables, and medicine. He has been a distributor for forty-five years, and he knows how important it is to keep the young men who have chosen the missionary life supplied with basic daily needs. “We have quite a few new devotees who have imbibed the spirit of book distribution," says Bhṛgupati. "I never have to ask them to go out—they just go. Gaurāṅga Prema was out manning a book table for three hundred and ten days last year. Prema Saṅkīrtana did the same. It’s really great to be living in a temple where there is so much support for distributing Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books. We feel the support directly and indirectly. “Svavāsa Prabhu, the temple president, wears two hats—he is also a trustee for Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. So we are really fortunate to have his influence. He personally glorifies and encourages all of us, which makes it a lot easier, and a lot more fun too.” *Youth Outreach* Hari Bhakti Dāsa opened “the *Mantra* House” in his apartment a half a block from the temple. Every Thursday night, between forty and a hundred youth descended on the small apartment from all directions to chant, do a little *hatha* yoga, and ask questions. Eventually Hari Bhakti relocated the program to a full-size house, that of Atulya Bhakti Devī Dāsī, who organizes the programs and does the cooking. The Mantra House has the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra* painted in large bold letters on the wall at the front of the room, intriguing every visitor to experience the chanting of the holy names of Kṛṣṇa. The dean of the University of Southern California met with temple president Svavāsa to discuss what the devotees have to offer to students on campus, including literature, clubs, and food distribution. The dean gave Svavāsa a pastoral position with the faculty. This gives New Dwaraka Youth Outreach the opportunity for a meeting room at USC as well as campus sponsorship of food-distribution programs. The temple also hosts Bhakti Club programs at the University of California at Los Angeles and Long Beach State University. *Nama Hatta* In the Southern California area there are fifty-two initiated devotees—preachers, pūjārīs, cooks, administrators—who share a beginning in their spiritual practice: all were inspired by the Los Angeles temple's Nama Hatta program. Originally Cāru Dāsa encouraged ISKCON Life Members to hold Kṛṣṇa conscious programs in their homes. As the years went by, and due to the efforts of Pāvaka Devī Dāsī and Nirantara Dāsa, the programs increased to three or four a week at forty-five households throughout southern California. Nirantara recalls: When I started, there was a great demand, and sometimes I was doing two programs a day. Families would attend other families' programs, and so we built up a core group. I soon realized there was no way I was going to impress them with my knowledge of *kṛṣṇa-līlā*. Many already knew a lot about Kṛṣṇa, but they wanted to know more about Prabhupāda and Lord Caitanya. So that was my first focus. Also, Kṛṣṇa prompted me to connect with the children and teenagers because getting them interested meant I would automatically get the adults interested. I made the programs about them rather than me. These Nama Hatta members, being primarily people with years of professional status, have offered their services in ISKCON as administrators, preachers, managers, accountants, editors, writers, doctors and teachers. *New Dwaraka Festivals* Besides Rathayātrā [see the sidebar "Rathayātrā Is Deity Worship"], New Dwaraka celebrates twenty-one other festivals every year, and Śrī Śrī Rukmiṇī-Dvārakādhīśa preside with effulgent, beaming smiles, expanding into the hearts of all who attend. During festival celebrations devotees stand transfixed before the Deities, who appear in beautiful new outfits decorated in a style that is bold and regal, merciful and magnificent. New Dwaraka has several unique festivals: Rukmiṇī Dvādaśī (the appearance day of Śrī Rukmiṇī), the marriage of Tulasī and Śālagrāma-śilā, and the festival of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda, held on the anniversary of the 1986 passing of Their worshiper Gaurī Devī Dāsī, a beloved longtime resident of New Dwaraka. Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda are the household Deities of Svavāsa and Taḍit. The New Dwaraka Fiftieth Anniversary festival will take place on July 16, 2019. By that time the freshly renovated Deity rooms for keeping Their Lordship's paraphernalia will be completed. The festival takes place on the anniversary of the special day that Śrīla Prabhupāda installed Rukmiṇī-Dvārakānātha, bathing and dressing Them himself. At the end of his talk on that occasion, which appears as the Founder's Lecture in this issue of Back to Godhead, Prabhupāda begins to weep in ecstasy, revealing to the devotees present his deep humility and the spiritual gravity of the moment. SIDEBAR 1: *"Rathayātrā Is Deity Worship"* Śrīla Prabhupāda could not attend the first Rathayātrā celebration in Los Angeles in 1977 because he was in England at the time and too ill to travel, but when shown photos of the new chariots, he said, “We have never seen such carts!” The Rathayātrā festival is a high priority for the devotees of New Dwaraka. Mahānta Dāsa, a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda and a special servant of the LA Rathayātrā, is one of the happiest and most persevering devotees you will find. “When I joined here," says Mahānta, who started serving in New Dwaraka the year the festival was introduced, "the community was bigger. There were many, many disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda, and many flourishing projects started by him and his disciples. The worship of Śrī Śrī Rukmiṇī-Dvārakādhīśa and, of course, our big Rathayātrā have really been maintained very nicely. I like working for Govinda’s Buffet because I know it does a big service maintaining what Prabhupāda gave us here.” In August of 2018 New Dwaraka held its forty-second annual chariot festival, attended by thirty thousand guests. Mahānta managed the free-feast booth, which served eight thousand plates of prasādam. “For me," he says, "staying fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is all about the association of devotees, my Rathayātrā service, helping with Govinda’s Buffet and Juice Bar since 1986, and my Deity worship. I dress the temple Gaura-Nitāi Deities. "I really like to take shelter of my Deity worship. I went to Hawaii for two years, but when I returned to help with Rathayātrā, Gaura-Nitāi gave me back my service to Them. They took me back. “The Rathayātrā festival is Deity worship too. People ask me, 'Why do you spend so much time after Rathayātrā washing buckets, trays, and lids? You could just hire someone.' I tell them that when I first arrived in New Dwaraka, Prabhupāda’s disciples told me that taking care of Rathayātrā paraphernalia is just like massaging the lotus feet of the Lord.” Ratna Bhūṣaṇa Dāsa, another steady servant of the Rathayātrā, concurs. “The carts, the tents, the stoves, the trailers and trucks—we are told they are all part of the Lord’s own body,” he says. “The Nectar of Devotion," Mahānta Dāsa says, "tells us that anyone who comes out to the street and just happens to see Lord Jagannātha riding on His cart becomes a resident of Vaikuṇṭha.” Sidebar 2: *The Bhagavad-gītā Museum* In 1971 Śrīla Prabhupāda asked a few disciples to go to India to learn the art of diorama doll making. He said dioramas would become living books. Bharadvāja Dāsa headed up this ensemble of sculptors for New Dwaraka's FATE museum, as the *Bhagavad-gītā* Museum was originally known. By 1977 the full set of clay dolls were completed and on display. Ameyātmā Dāsa built a computer to meld the dolls with the multimedia technology of the times. Each of the eleven exhibits came to life. The concepts he helped invent would later come to be known in the industry as animatronics. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Dāsa currently directs and hosts tours of the museum. He is a soft-spoken devotee from Iran, with degrees in civil engineering. He provides routine technical support for the museum and brought it into the realm of social media as well. “I enjoy this service," he says. "It brings many people to the temple who might otherwise never come. Some are curious artists; some are from the Hollywood production scene or social clubs. Thousands of Atlas Obscura members have toured the museum.” In its inception the museum received rave reviews and attracted many guests to New Dwaraka, as it does now. But over the years, the old technology wore out. The original resplendent-clay dolls that were the genius artistry of Bharadvāja Dāsa and many other diligent devotee artists waited in limbo for something better. Puruṣottama Kṣetra Dāsa eventually adapted the audio/video displays to a smoother running animatronics-specific program. “The museum is a great educational tool,” says Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Dāsa. “Such a small space packed with so much profound transcendental *Bhagavad-gītā* philosophy.” Under his management, museum attendance has more than quadrupled in recent years. Sidebar 3: *Still Prabhupāda's Western World Headquarters by Svavāsa Dāsa, New Dwaraka Temple President* Keeping the same temple morning program, with mature devotees guiding younger members, opulent Deity worship, book distribution, the *Bhagavad-gītā* Museum tours, weekly *bhakti-yoga* club meetings at several universities, and harināma singers going out regularly to greet the public, New Dwaraka remains the “Western world headquarters” of ISKCON, as Śrīla Prabhupāda defined it fifty years ago. The temple is situated near major transportation routes to UCLA, USC, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and various tourist attractions, so we get a wide variety of visitors who appreciate this transcendental place. They express gratitude for the delicious *prasādam* and peaceful atmosphere. Our Venice Beach Rathayātrā Festival, now in its forty-second year, continues to attract tens of thousands of people. It’s no wonder New Dwaraka holds such charm; when we add up the periods of time our founder-*ācārya*, Śrīla Prabhupāda, spent here, it sums up to two full years. Out of the ten years he toured the planet establishing ISKCON, two of those years he invested in Los Angeles with his personal managerial supervision, spearheading many lasting projects, translating and publishing books, and offering spiritual protection and guidance. Prabhupāda’s personal quarters and garden are well kept here. This is certainly a holy tīrtha full of transcendental blessings for everyone. As a temple president, it is a great blessing to work here with many of the same nice devotees for over thirty-four years now. It’s been a great honor for Taḍit and me to do this service for Śrīla Prabhupāda. What makes it really worthwhile is the generous support we feel from our congregation. They have lovingly contributed to renovate the Deity-paraphernalia room. They have also contributed to protecting the devotees from the possibility of earthquakes by sponsoring the retrofitting of our properties, as well as supporting every festival. Taḍit and I started out at the Denver temple in 1973, and in 1978 we were put in charge of the temple. We had a community of fifty devotees with a small party of book distributors. It was a satisfying beginning, developing relationships with devotees, with the aim of distributing Śrīla Prabhupāda's books in large quantities. Taḍit and I were then requested to move to Los Angeles, where I was to take the post of temple president. We were really surprised by the enormity of the Los Angeles temple project, but very excited about the possibilities of distributing huge quantities of Śrīla Prabhupāda's books. Years have gone by, and after some contemplation, and with the impetus of the devastating 1994 Northridge earthquake, which destroyed the opulent carved onyx columns and arches adorning the temple interior, we began an ambitious, still ongoing program to repair and enhance Śrī Śrī Rukmiṇī-Dvārakādhīśa’s temple facilities. The many enhancements in New Dwaraka are our humble offering on the fiftieth anniversary of Śrīla Prabhupāda's installation of Śrī Śrī Rukmiṇī-Dvārakānātha. *Karuṇā Dhārinī Devī Dāsī, a disciple of His Grace Vīrabāhu Dāsa, serves the Deities at New Dwaraka, where she joined ISKCON in 1979. She lives with her husband and daughter.* The author wishes to thank Puruṣottama Kṣetra Dāsa for his kind assistance with this article, especially for writing the section on the *Bhagavad Gita* Museum and interviewing Svavāsa Dāsa. Our Deities' Mysterious Past *The story of how Jagannātha, Baladeva, and Subhadrā made their way to the home of a family in the UK.* by Paresh Mistry After many years of living in obscurity, Lord Jagannātha invites a devotee couple into His service in a most unlikely way. Tuesday, 9 January 2018. I was reading the book Chasing Rhinos with the Swami, by Shyamsundar das, and decided to stop for a break and watch a television program called Antiques Road Trip, where two antique experts compete against each other. They get a budget of £200 at the beginning of their road trip with which they buy antiques and collectables. At the end of the trip, the items are sold at an auction. The winner is the person who manages to accumulate the most profit after selling the antiques/collectibles. Over a number of days they travel the length and breadth of the U.K. visiting various antique shops to find bargains. I have always been fascinated by the stories behind the antiques they find. As I was watching this episode, I caught a glimpse of something that looked very familiar. I had to rewind the program and pause the screen. I was shocked. It looked like Lord Jagannātha and Subhadrā Devī with what appeared to be part of Lord Baladeva's head behind them. I took a photo and sent it to a few devotees to make sure, and within a few minutes it was confirmed with a simple message: “Jai Jagannatha!” The narrator of the program mentioned the name of the antique shop and the area it was located in. I went to the Internet and found a contact number for the shop and rang to make an enquiry. The owner of the antiques shop answered my call. When I mentioned the Antiques Road Trip episode, he pointed out that it had been filmed over a year and a half earlier and so he was unsure whether many of those antiques in the shop would still be available. He explained that antiques stock is regularly rotated, especially if they are not selling. He asked me to describe what I had seen, and so I described Lord Jagannātha. The owner couldn’t remember if they had already been sold and decided to check. I recall the eerie silence on the phone as I waited. Within a few minutes he came back. “You're in luck. The tribal masks are still there.” My initial thought was Did he say tribal masks? At this point I simply wanted to know more about them. Where had they come from? How old were they? Unfortunately, he didn’t have the answers to these questions and said that they belonged to another antiques dealer. He suggested I call that dealer the following day. He finished the conversation by saying, “I suspect that these tribal masks are from Africa or South America.” I was really intrigued at this point and had many more questions, but I knew I had to simply wait to contact the dealer the next day. What happened that night is difficult to explain. I had a recurring dream that Lord Jagannātha Himself was calling me to come and get Him. I distinctly remember Lord Jagannātha's words telling me, “I am waiting for you to serve Me.” The following day I was unable to explain this to anyone, but I had an intense desire to retrieve Their Lordships as soon as possible and begin serving them. *A Fascinating Story* Wednesday, 10 January 2018. I was feeling quite apprehensive as I rang the antique dealer who owned the Deities. When I eventually made contact, the story became more fascinating. The dealer said he was now retired but had been in the navy for many years, traveling all over the world. Every country he was stationed at, he would buy various items. Now, in his retirement, he was selling most of these. He said he had bought the tribal items (as he described the Jagannātha Deities) from an elderly woman in her eighties or nineties in Costa Rica, Central America, while he was stationed there. She'd had the Deities for many years, but he could not remember how long. She had acquired them from local village people in Costa Rica. I wondered how long these Deities were with the people in the village and, more important, how they got to Costa Rica. After the dealer bought the items from the woman, he kept them in his loft for over forty years, along with the other "tribal artifacts." He said that he and his wife had "taken a liking" to these items and so had kept them longer than any of his other antiques. The couple were simply captivated by the way they looked. I expressed an interest in buying the Deities, we agreed on a price, and he suggested he could post them to me, as the antique shop was quite far away (in the county of Somerset, while I was in Berkshire). I proposed that my wife and I would be more than happy to collect them. The date for collection was agreed upon: Saturday, 13 January. What followed was a series of sleepless nights with the same recurring dream where Lord Jagannātha was calling me to come and get Him and then serve Him. During the day, I was constantly contemplating on the many unanswered questions. How did the lordships get to Costa Rica in the first place? How old are they? Where were they made? Where did their journey begin? My desire to see them had increased tenfold. The days seemed like weeks. *A Priceless Purchase* Saturday, 13 January. The day finally arrived. With great anticipation I set off with my wife on the long drive to Crewkerne in Somerset. After about two hours, we reached the sleepy little town. As we approached the antique shop, I felt anxious, fearing that maybe Their Lordships were already sold. When we entered the shop, a woman approached us and asked, “Are you the gentleman who rang about the tribal masks?” I acknowledged, and she gestured to follow her. She led us to a section in the shop with many tribal artifacts from Africa and Central and South America. There, among the shields, swords, knives, masks, and other items, were the three lovely Deities. I couldn't believe it. They looked simply effulgent and stood out amongst everything there. They looked so beautiful. “They are very tired looking due to the age," the woman said, "and some damage on one of them, so if you don’t want them, it’s okay.” “No, no, they're perfectly fine," I said. "We'll take them.” As she took the Deities and walked away towards the till, I paused for a minute and looked around at the big shop, wondering why the cameraman filming the television program decided to focus on the Deities for that split second. There were so many other antique items, spread over two floors, dwarfing the Deities, but the cameraman for some reason chose to zoom in on them. As I paid, I explained the spiritual significance of the Deities and how they were not tribal masks or any kind of tribal artifact. She was pleasantly surprised. Furthermore, she was astonished when we decided to pay more than what we'd agreed on. Just before we left, we gave her some prasādam and Prabhupāda books. Once we had left the shop, I couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. As we drove back with the Deities, I kept thinking how the Lord works in inconceivable ways. I still had many unanswered questions. The following day I managed to speak to Steve (the first antiques dealer) and explained the significance of the Deities. He was very surprised, and he was pleased that I had found something that meant so much to me. *The Lord Inspires His Servants* After bringing the Deities home, our first instinct was to serve them something to eat. Who knows when they had had their last meal. Fearful because of not knowing how best to serve them, I prayed to Lord Jagannātha to help me find devotees who could help. After a couple of enquiries, devotees were soon appearing from nowhere, offering help with outfits, painting the Deities, and other services. It felt as though the Lord Himself had planned all this and had chosen certain devotees to come forward at this very moment to serve Him. Rādhā Rūpa Devī Dāsī, for example, spent many weeks carefully painting and transforming the Deities. Amṛta Devī Dāsī, in the U.K. on a visit from Mauritius, designed and made outfits. His Holiness Bhakti Rasāmṛta Swami arrived to officially install the Deities and perform the first ārati. On that day, I was hoping devotees would bring many offerings so we could at least try to offer fifty-six items, as is done in Jagannath Puri in India. I realized yet again that Lord Jagannātha had different plans. We ended up with 108 offerings. Later on, following these events, I sat down and once again picked up Chasing Rhinos with the Swami. I began to read from the point I had stopped when these wonderful events started to unfold. On the very next page, I read how Mālatī Devī Dāsī had found ISKCON's first Jagannātha Deities in San Francisco in 1967. I still wonder how old these Deities are and where and how their journey began. Equally amazing is how He engaged so many devotees to come and serve Him. *Paresh Mistry lives in Wokingham, Berkshire, with his wife, Rashmi, and daughter, Divya. He has been with ISKCON since the mid-seventies, when he was part of the Mahabharat Club for Children. He has been serving at Bhaktivedanta Manor for the last sixteen years, initially teaching at the Kṛṣṇa Club and for the last ten years serving at the College of Vedic Studies as an administrator in the Bhakti Sastri Team.* Vrindavan Away from Vrindavan: A Palace for Their Lordships in Haryana *A donation of land offered in the 1970s culminates in an impressive new temple outside New Delhi.* The inspiration for this temple outside Delhi occurred in Australia more than forty years ago. by Rādhikā-kṛpā Devī Dāsī Śrīla Prabhupāda landed in Melbourne in the winter of 1975 to install Gaura-Nitāi Deities. Many Indians and westerners were attracted to his lectures and talks in Melbourne. Among them was a young Indian couple, Shri Gopal and Usha Bhardwaj, who had recently migrated to Australia. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s fatherly affection and care was a great support for his audience, and his charismatic personality appealed to Shri Gopal and Usha. They rushed to the temple for his classes, drove him to home programs, and revealed their hearts to him. Their love blossomed and grew stronger day by day. The Vedic scriptures rightly describe this spiritual phenomenon. Simply by the association of pure devotees one can understand the transcendental name, fame, quality, and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: > ‘sādhu-saṅga’, ’sādhu-saṅga’—sarva-śāstre kaya > lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya "The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment’s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success." (*Caitanya-caritāmṛta*, *Madhya* 22.54) Śrīla Prabhupāda comments on this verse in his purport to *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (4.24.59): "Simply by associating with a pure devotee, one becomes wonderfully advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. *Sādhu-saṅga*, or association with a devotee, means always engaging in Kṛṣṇa consciousness by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra* and by acting for Kṛṣṇa." Because Śrīla Prabhupāda's stay in Melbourne was brief, the couple was able to engaged in the direct service of a pure devotee of the Lord for only a short while, but Śrīla Prabhupāda's saintliness instilled in their hearts the desire to donate a piece of land they had in Bahadurgarh, their hometown in the state of Haryana in India. They approached Śrīla Prabhupāda and gave the two and a half acres to ISKCON. They wanted a beautiful temple to be constructed there to benefit the people of their town. Sometime later, Śrīla Prabhupāda invited the couple to come to their homeland to complete the necessary paperwork. After an unavoidable delay of one year, Mrs. Bhardwaj arrived in Delhi in 1977 and anxiously rushed to the Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Pārthasārathi Temple at Lajpat Nagar to enquire into Śrīla Prabhupāda’s whereabouts. A shock awaited her. Śrīla Prabhupāda had departed this world. Shattered and distressed, she returned to Melbourne with a broken heart. After many years, she once again traveled to Delhi, where she met Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami Mahārāja. She narrated the story of the meeting with Śrīla Prabhupāda and requested to execute the remaining paperwork. Thus after nearly three decades, the pending paperwork, including the legal registration of the land in the name of ISKCON, was finally done. This marked the completion of one phase of the construction of the Bahadurgarh temple. The year was 2003. In the years gone by she had lost her beloved husband, her partner in the donation. She was keen that a Rādhā–Madana-Gopāla Temple be completed in her lifetime, but with several ISKCON temples in progress in the greater Delhi area, it was not possible to launch another project at that time. *A Palatial Temple Rises* Finally, the work on the land was scheduled to begin in 2012. But although the project changed its executors a couple of times, no concrete construction was going on. Eventually a strong team evolved that soon took the project to its peak. Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami entrusted the work into the capable hands of his disciple Vedavyāsa Dāsa, who ensured him of magnificent results. Vedavyāsa brought on Rāsapriyā Dāsa, a devotee with love for the Supreme Lord and an exceptional sense of art and architecture. He drafted new plans for a palatial temple inspired by Vrindavan temple architecture but with a uniquely styled inner sanctum. Vedavyāsa, an industrialist fully dedicated to the Lord, promised full financial support and encouraged Rāsapriyā to go ahead with his vision. Neither of them wanted any compromise on quality. They worked successfully as a team, overseeing the work of nearly two hundred people. Soon the building started taking shape, and a huge, high, solid structure was visible on the ten thousand square yards of land. The artwork of Rajasthan was brought to life in Bahadurgarh, a business hub of Haryana. As the work progressed, the temple's form as a grand palace gradually emerged. The completed palatial temple now stands majestically amidst sprawling gardens. The complex includes an eight-room guesthouse, seven rooms for brahmacārīs, and seven rooms in the administrative block. The Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Madana-Gopāla Temple officially opened on August 18, 2018, with a three-day festival attended by eight thousand devotees and guests. Filled with delight, Mrs. Bhardwaja attended the inauguration ceremony with her son and daughter. Kṛṣṇa had answered her prayers and accepted the name Śrī Śrī Rādhā–Madana-Gopāla that she had wished the Deities to have. "This beautiful palace for Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is beyond my imagination," Mrs. Bhardwaja said with a beaming smile. "I now have faith that the love and devotion my husband and I offered have been accepted." *Rādhikā-kṛpā Devī Dāsī is the wife of Rāsapriyā Dāsa and a disciple of His Holiness Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami. She is the author of a book on the Vaiṣṇava teachings in Sikhism that has been translated into five languages, including (in Pakistan) Sindhi and Urdu. An international preacher, she has given talks in Australia, Canada, Thailand, Japan, Pakistan, and the UK.* Ajñāta-sukṛti: The Mystery of Unintentional Devotion By Satyarāja Dāsa *What qualifies a person to obtain the rare gift of a life of devotional service to the Lord?* "*Ajñāta-sukṛti* means doing pious activities without knowledge. So we give everyone a chance to act very piously without his knowledge. This is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement." (Śrīla Prabhupāda conversation with Bob Cohen, February 1972, Māyāpur) It’s usually better to do something in knowledge than in ignorance. *Bhakti-yoga*, or devotional service, is no exception. But everyone, in every field of endeavor, has to begin somewhere, usually as an uninformed neophyte. Such is the case, too, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness: Kṛṣṇa, God, in His infinite kindness, allows us to take our first spiritual steps without any knowledge whatsoever, and often quite by “accident.” Indeed, we might be continuing our journey from a previous life, we might unknowingly receive the mercy of a devotee in this life, or we might simply have an inborn yearning, a deep-rooted spiritual readiness we're unaware of. But if in this life we are extremely fortunate, one day we happen upon a devotee or devotees of Kṛṣṇa and, often unwittingly, begin our spiritual journey. We “luck out,” as they say. We meet a devotee by “chance” (Kṛṣṇa’s arrangement), or perhaps hear the chanting of God’s names, or receive a book—and spiritual life “begins.” We have opportunity to make further advancement on the path of transcendence. As Śrīla Prabhupāda says, We are wandering in different species of life in different planets. *Brahmāṇḍa bhramite *kona bhāgyavān jīva**. . . . One must be very much fortunate to come in contact with Kṛṣṇa and *guru*. . . . *Ajñāta-sukṛti* means just like Kṛṣṇa’s representative is preaching all over the world, and if somebody comes in contact with that representative of Kṛṣṇa, and satisfies him, he acquires some *ajñāta-sukṛti*. This is called *ajñāta-sukṛti*. He does not know what spiritual benefit he's achieving by serving the representative of Kṛṣṇa. He does not know. But he acquires it imperceptibly. This is called *ajñāta-sukṛti*. So when *ajñāta-sukṛti* is accumulated, then he becomes fortunate. That is called *kona bhāgyavān jīva*. (Lecture on The Nectar of Devotion, Vrindavan, October 29, 1972) *What Is Ajñāta-sukṛti?* Ajñāta means “unknowing” or “unconscious”; and sukṛti means “pious actions.” So a literal reading of the full phrase would be “unplanned or unwitting pious engagement.” This engagement results in unexpected future reward, often manifesting long after the initial activity has any real substance. To more clearly understand this phenomenon by way of analogy: One might naturally be kind to a child without any expectation of reward. However, if the child grows up and reciprocates in a significant way, this would be an instance of ajñāta-sukṛti, at least from a material point of view. The phrase has more profound iterations, going far beyond mere piety, as we shall see. In the *bhakti-yoga* tradition, a sharp distinction is made between piety and transcendence, or material goodness and spiritual goodness. Material goodness has temporary value and is ultimately corruptible, whereas spiritual goodness is eternal and fundamentally incorruptible. Both are laudable, in their way, but ordinary piety and goodness are products of this world. They manifest through material actions and therefore necessitate material reactions under the law of *karma*, the universal action/reaction schema of the material world. They consequently bind us to the world of matter without affording us spiritual reactions, i.e., reactions that bring us closer to God. The Sanskrit term for material goodness is sattva, but spiritual goodness is called śuddha-sattva, meaning “pure goodness,” and while sattva and śuddha-sattva are in many ways closely related, they are also worlds apart. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, The soul’s activity becomes adulterated in contact with matter, and as such the diseased activities are expressed in the form of lust, desire, hankering, inactivity, foolishness and sleep. The effect of devotional service becomes manifest by complete elimination of these effects of passion and ignorance. The devotee is fixed at once in the mode of goodness, and he makes further progress to rise to the position of vasudeva, or the state of unmixed *sattva*, or śuddha-*sattva*. Only in this śuddha-*sattva* state can one always see Kṛṣṇa eye to eye by dint of pure affection for the Lord. (*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 1.2.19, Purport) What does all of this have to do with *ajñāta-sukṛti*? *Ajñāta-sukṛti* extends from ordinary pious acts to acts of genuine transcendence. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura (1838–1914), a great spiritual master in our Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava lineage, explains this as follows: *Sukṛti*, or pious activity, is of three varieties: (1) *karmonmukhī*, or piety derived from fruitive activities, (2) *jñānonmukhī*, or piety derived from the cultivation of knowledge, and (3) *bhakty-unmukhī*, or piety derived from devotional service. The first two result in enjoying the fruits of action and in liberation, respectively. However, *bhakty-unmukhī* involves faith in and appreciation of pure devotional service. Such exalted piety is achieved by unknowing performance of pure devotional service, without spiritual knowledge *(ajñāta-*sukṛti*)*. *Bhakty-unmukhī* is the most important kind of *sukṛti*, and it leads the *jīva* to meet a pure, saintly devotee. By associating with a devotee of Kṛṣṇa the *jīva*’s faith becomes firm. Gradually he develops a taste for chanting the holy name, becomes compassionate toward all beings, and is fixed in devotional service. (*Harināma-cintāmaṇi*, Chapter 1) Citing *Śrī*la Bhaktivinoda’s work, *Śrī*la Prabhupāda elaborates on this theme in *Śrī* *Caitanya-caritāmṛta* (*Madhya* 22.45), emphasizing that only *bhakty-unmukhī* *sukṛti*, or transcendental piety, is the harbinger of true fortune: In the scriptures, devotional service and pious activity are considered fortunate. Pious activities can be divided into three categories: pious activities that awaken one’s dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness are called *bhakty-unmukhī* *sukṛti*, pious activities that bestow material opulence are called *bhogonmukhī* *sukṛti*, and pious activities that enable the living entity to merge into the existence of the Supreme are called *mokṣonmukhī* *sukṛti*. These last two awards of pious activity are not actually fortunate. Pious activities are fortunate when they help one become Kṛṣṇa conscious. The good fortune of *bhakty-unmukhī* is attainable only when one comes in contact with a devotee. By associating with a devotee willingly or unwillingly [i.e., consciously or unconsciously], one advances in devotional service, and thus one’s dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness is awakened. Thus the highest kind of *ajñāta-*sukṛti**, known as *bhakty-unmukhī* *sukṛti*, serves as a doorway, or a threshold, leading to the world of transcendence. By performing this type of *sukṛti*, or good act, people who might otherwise not be interested in spiritual life inadvertently contribute something that serves God’s mission in the material world, thus catapulting them into the realm of fledgling devotional service. For example, there are people who unknowingly assist Śrīla Prabhupāda and his followers, serving the mission by a stroke of good fortune. Consider the real estate person who gave Śrīla Prabhupāda a special deal on a soon-to-be temple; or executives of a printing company who slashed its usual prices because they felt kindly disposed to “an old Indian gentleman”; or a supermarket clerk who gives devotees a donation of fruits or vegetables because “they seem like nice people.” In all these and similar instances, living beings are unwittingly engaged in service and thus became privy to *bhakty-unmukhī* *sukṛti*. In due course, their spiritual life will awaken, largely as a result of this unconscious activity. Though some of the above might seem unrealistically far-reaching, Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava philosophy opines that God’s kindness is that pervasive—even if a person performs a far removed service, Kṛṣṇa remains in that person’s debt and will eventually award him or her the opportunity for conscious service and advancement on the spiritual path. One of Lord Kṛṣṇa's names is Acyuta (“The Infallible”) because, as Prabhupāda puts it, He is “never forgetful of even a little service rendered by His devotee.” (Kṛṣṇa, Chapter 14) For example, someone who hears devotees chanting on the street has unintentionally performed a devotional act because hearing about Kṛṣṇa is one of the nine processes of devotional service described in the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*. So even though that person doesn't know the value of hearing the holy names, that hearing can gradually mature into direct and conscious devotional service. If it does, this is *ajñāta-sukṛti* par excellence. The point is that ajñāta-sukṛti stands a long distance from mere pious activity—it is spiritual, with eternal value. As Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sums up, *Sukṛti* is of two kinds: *nitya* [eternal] and *naimittika* [occasional, accidental]. *Sukṛti* that leads to *sat-saṅga* [the company of devotees] and *bhakti* is *nitya*-*sukṛti*; and *sukṛti* that results in material enjoyment and impersonal liberation is *naimittika*-*sukṛti*, otherwise known as a*nitya*-[temporary]-*sukṛti*. *Sukṛti* is differentiated on the basis of results—if the result is eternal, *sukṛti* is the eternal *nitya*-*sukṛti*; and if the result is evanescent, *sukṛti* is the temporal *naimittika*-*sukṛti*. (*Jaiva Dharma* Chapter 6) One might legitimately ask how “devotional” service could be executed unconsciously. After all, if one does not have devotion that inspires a determined effort to serve the Lord, how can one’s activity be called “devotional”? Clearly, pure devotional service must be intentional and favorable, as defined by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in *Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu* (1.1.11). But one’s introduction to devotion will generally be unintentional and dispassionate and yet still have the desired effect. *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (6.2.18–19) explains: As a fire burns dry grass to ashes, so the holy name of the Lord, whether chanted knowingly or unknowingly, burns to ashes, without fail, all the reactions of one’s sinful activities. If a person unaware of the effective potency of a certain medicine takes that medicine . . ., it will act even without his knowledge because its potency does not depend on the patient’s understanding. Similarly, even though one does not know the value of chanting the holy name of the Lord, if one chants knowingly or unknowingly, the chanting will be very effective. These examples clarify that even if one approaches the Lord by mistake or unconsciously, spiritual potency will still function as it is wont to do. *Some Scriptural Instances of Ajñāta-sukṛti* While the scriptures offer many examples of *ajñāta-sukṛti*, I will briefly mention three: Maitreya, Ajāmila, and Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī. While these three paradigmatic souls are today the subjects of scriptural elucidation, their spiritual life began with unintentional devotional service. The exalted sage Maitreya, a disciple of Maharṣi Parāśara, the father of Vyāsadeva, is revered as one of the original speakers of the esteemed *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*. Still, initially he was a “mixed devotee” and only gradually became aware of the importance of pure devotional service through ajñāta-sukṛti. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, By some fortunate accident, Maitreya reached the place where Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was resting. To meet the Lord is not an ordinary incident. Maitreya was a great sage and a learned scholar-philosopher but not a pure devotee of the Lord, and therefore his meeting with the Lord at that time may have been due to *ajñāta-sukṛti*, or some unknown devotional service. Pure devotees always engage in pure devotional activities, and therefore their meeting with the Lord is natural. But when those who are not up to that standard meet the Lord, it is due to the unforeseen fortune of accidental devotional service.” *(Bhāgavatam* 3.4.9, Purport) Ajāmila is another example. He had forgotten the ultimate purpose of life but was fortunate enough to give his son the name Nārāyaṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, The Supreme Personality of Godhead is kind to the conditioned soul. Although this man completely forgot Nārāyaṇa, he was calling his child, saying, "Nārāyaṇa, please come eat this food. Nārāyaṇa, please come drink this milk." Somehow or other, therefore, he was attached to the name Nārāyaṇa. This is called *ajñāta-sukṛti*. Although calling for his son, he was unknowingly chanting the name of Nārāyaṇa, and the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is so transcendentally powerful that his chanting was being counted and recorded. *(Bhāgavatam* 6.1.26, Purport) In the context of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's pastimes, we see the example of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, among others. Prakāśānanda was a Māyāvādī (impersonalist) sannyāsī and a greatly revered spiritual leader of his time, with over sixty thousand disciples. Still, he had an offensive attitude toward Vaiṣṇavism, with spiritual conceptions that countered pure devotional service. Nonetheless, when he met Śrī Caitanya, he was respectful, leading Him by the hand and offering Him a place to sit. He also engaged in amicable discussion with the Lord. Prabhupāda apprises us of the results: The respectful behavior of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī toward Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very much to be appreciated. Such behavior is calculated to be *ajñāta-sukṛti*, or pious activities that one executes unknowingly. Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu very tactfully gave Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī an opportunity to advance in *ajñāta-sukṛti* so that in the future he might actually become a Vaiṣṇava *sannyāsī*. (*Caitanya-caritāmṛta*, *Ādi* 7.65, Purport) *Only Bhakti Gives Bhakti* Most people today might not be as renowned as Maitreya, Ajāmila, or Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, but what they have in common with them is an incomplete understanding of spiritual life, or perhaps even an offensive attitude toward the Lord or those who embrace life’s ultimate goal. For such people, *ajñāta-sukṛti* is a godsend. Over time, such *sukṛti* guides one to eventually select the company of a *sādhu*, a saintly person, and to take instruction from him. And with that one gesture, one can move from ajñāta-*sukṛti* to jñāta-*sukṛti*, or “conscious” devotional service. This leads to faith (*śraddhā*), and faith leads to miracles. When one develops faith in the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even if it begins with unintentional *bhakti*, the gateway to transcendence opens, and real, conscious spiritual life ensues. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī restates this same principle in yet another way. In his *Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu* (1.2.14), he says that śraddhā arises “by some excessive fortune” (*atibhāgya)*. But where, one might reasonably ask, does such fortune come from? Both Jīva Gosvāmī and Viśvanātha Cakravartī provide an answer in their commentaries: This fortune comes from “the company of great devotees.” It is through great souls that Kṛṣṇa’s grace is received by one and all, first unconsciously or unintentionally, often in spite of ourselves, and then consciously, according to our desire or volition, as we advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is *ajñāta-sukṛti* in a nutshell: Kṛṣṇa initially bestows His grace on us—even without our knowing it—through the association of Vaiṣṇavas. That initial engagement might appear mundane, or less than what we might think of as spiritual. Again, we might unintentionally hear the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa as we walk down the street. Or we might open a door for a devotee out of natural courtesy. But should these simple acts be viewed as material? No, they should not, for *bhakti* stands on its own. Only *bhakti* can give us *bhakti*, and nothing material can grant us that ultimate benediction. Thus those simple, initial acts of “piety”—because they lead us to devotional service proper—must be considered spiritual in their own right. The *Bhāgavatam*, too, is quite clear that devotional love is independent *(svarāṭ)* in that it does not arise from any lesser principle, including *karma* (work) or *jñāna* (knowledge). That being said, the same text also states that “charity, vows, *tapas*, sacrifices, *japa*, Vedic recitation, and the practice of restraint” can lead to *“kṛṣṇa-*bhakti*”* (*Bhāgavatam* 10.47.24). What does that mean? If *bhakti* arises only of its own accord, without dependence on anything else, how can these other things, even *ajñāta-sukṛti*, lead to devotional service? This is where Bhaktivinoda’s commentary, cited above, comes in. In text 10.47.24, as in other places, the *Bhāgavatam* is clearly talking about *bhakty-unmukhī* *sukṛti*, not ordinary *sukṛti*, or mere pious activity associated with the material world. No. Although apparently material, it is a fully spiritual activity. Viśvanātha Cakravartī makes this clear in his commentary on this verse, both in his *Sārārtha-varṣinī* commentary on the *Bhāgavatam* and in his book *Mādhurya-kādambinī*. He explains that the practices mentioned in this *Bhāgavatam* verse are not those of mundane piety, which are products of *karma*, but are rather the dawning of true devotion. When one comes into contact with devotees, Viśvanātha tells us, every activity takes on transcendental significance, even if one remains blissfully unaware of it. This is ajñāta-*sukṛti*. *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.* Our Dream Life by Viśākhā Devī Dāsī *From a Kṛṣṇa conscious perspective, we may be dreaming far more than we know.* According to Kṛṣṇa conscious scriptures, we have three states of consciousness: 1. *Jāgrata*: the life we're most aware of, our (apparently) awakened state, during which we go about our regular activities. 2. *Svapna*: the sleeping state in which we dream. At this time the machinery of our gross body continues to work while our subtle body carries us, the soul, to another atmosphere. But because the gross body has to continue, the subtle body (mind and intelligence) and soul return to our present gross body. Often, when returning to the gross body, we forget our dream. 3. *Suṣupti*: the dreamless state of sleep, and the unconscious state when the soul is in the mother’s womb and a fetus is developing around it. We also experience suṣupti when we take an anesthetic for a surgical operation, and when the material world becomes unmanifested at the time of annihilation. None of these states of consciousness—wakefulness, dreaming, and deep sleep—are substantial, as all three are simply displays of various phases of material life, which is temporary. In that sense, all three states are dreams because the lasting reality is that each of us is an eternal soul temporarily inhabiting a material body and mind. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains: “You are taking this day dream as reality because the duration is long. At night when you dream, the duration is for half an hour. And this [day dream] is for twelve hours, or more than that. That is the difference. It is a twelve hours’ dream, and that is half an hour dream. But actually, both of them are a dream. And because it is a twelve hours’ dream, you are accepting it as real. That is called illusion.” (Morning Walk, January 9, 1974, Los Angeles) In other words, our material body and mind are temporary while we, the eternal soul who animates the body and mind, are eternal. Thus our material body and mind are something like a passing dream. In a dream we suffer because we’re chased by an attacker, but actually there is no attacker. We have created some situation in a subtle form and suffer the consequences, but a person who’s awake knows that there’s no attacker. The attacker is a myth for both the person dreaming and the person awake, but the sleeping person takes the myth as reality; the awakened one knows better. When we awaken from a dream, we separate ourselves from the activities we had in the dream; we realize that those activities were mental concoctions. Similarly, when we’re liberated from the material concept of life—that is, when we awaken to our spiritual identity—we become free of the bodily concept of life. Then, no longer identifying with the gross or subtle material bodies, we are relieved of both our nighttime and daytime dreams. We’re no longer affected by the happiness and distress of material life. *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (3.27.25) says, "In the dreaming state one’s consciousness is almost covered, and one sees many inauspicious things, but when he is awakened and fully conscious, such inauspicious things cannot bewilder him." In the purport that follows, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains: In the condition of dreaming, when one’s consciousness is almost covered, one may see many unfavorable things which cause disturbance or anxiety, but upon awakening, although he remembers what happened in the dream, he is not disturbed. Similarly the position of self-realization, or understanding of one’s real relationship with the Supreme Lord, makes one completely satisfied, and the three modes of material nature, which are the cause of all disturbances, cannot affect him. In contaminated consciousness one sees everything to be for his own enjoyment, but in pure consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he sees that everything exists for the enjoyment of the supreme enjoyer. That is the difference between the dream state and wakefulness. The state of contaminated consciousness is compared to dream consciousness, and Kṛṣṇa consciousness is compared to the awakened stage of life. With a bit of introspection we can discern that we, the spirit soul, are different from the body and mind that experience the three states of consciousness: We perceive that in *jāgrata*, or the awake state, we enjoy or suffer the characteristics of our material body. Similarly, in *svapna* (dreaming state) we enjoy or suffer similar experiences within the mind. And in *suṣupti* (deep dreamless sleep) we are unaware of everything. By remembering and contemplating our succession of wakefulness, dreaming, and deep sleep, we realize that we are observing these three states. We remember, “I saw so many things in my dream, and then my dream ended and I didn’t see anything. Now I’m waking up.” Therefore, we are ultimately the experiencing agent, or the seer—a separate, transcendent observer—of all three phases of consciousness. In this way we realize that our actual identity is separate from the material body and mind. Once we even theoretically accept that we are a spiritual being separate from and transcendental to the temporary body and mind, then, in spite of being within a material body, we will be less disturbed by the happiness and suffering of that body. We’ll begin to see material experiences in the same way a person who has just awakened from a dream sees his or her dream experiences. By properly identifying ourselves as Kṛṣṇa’s eternal servant, we’ll become relieved of our false material identity, and then the miseries of illusory existence will lessen, just as the anxiety of a troublesome dream lessens as soon as we awaken. Sometimes in a dream we imagine that we have awakened; similarly, we may consider ourselves conscious of our eternal identity as Kṛṣṇa’s part and as His servant, but if we remain absorbed in material life rather than in devotional service to the Supreme Lord, we are actually still dreaming. In Kṛṣṇa's words, “According to My instructions, one should fix the mind on Me alone. If, however, one continues to see many different values and goals in life rather than seeing everything within Me, then although apparently awake, one is actually dreaming due to incomplete knowledge, just as one may dream that one has wakened from a dream.” *(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 11.13.30) Another way to look at our situation in this world is to consider that Kṛṣṇa is eternal, we are eternal, and our dealings with Kṛṣṇa are also eternal; our relationship and exchange of loving service with Kṛṣṇa are eternal. But somehow or other we have allowed that relationship to be interrupted by *māyā* (illusion), which is called svapna, a dreamlike state. As a dream is not factual—it’s a hallucination—similarly our detachment from Kṛṣṇa is also a hallucination. At any moment we can revive our Kṛṣṇa consciousness simply by waking up to the fact that “I have nothing to do with anything material. I am Kṛṣṇa’s servant.” When a nightmare becomes intolerable, we break it; similarly, we can break our material connection at any moment and awaken to the fact that we never were separated from Kṛṣṇa. Our original and eternal position is that we are always with Him. As soon as we forget this, illusion is there, just as, when we sleep, we dream. *Transcendental Dreams* Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed his followers not to take their dreams very seriously; he wrote in a letter that they were “not very important matters." He continued: “But if we occasionally dream of Kṛṣṇa, that is nice. That means you are making advancement in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. But do not take such things very seriously. The important business is to become conscious of Kṛṣṇa all the time by absorbing the mind, body, and words in pleasing Kṛṣṇa, and that means following strictly the regulative principles and practices of devotional service, such as chanting, reading, attending arati, going for street sankirtana, like that, and engaging oneself full time in some work for Kṛṣṇa. In this way, you will become too much busy serving Kṛṣṇa.” Prabhupāda explained that one who’s spiritually advanced will dream of Kṛṣṇa and sometimes receive instructions from the Lord or His devotee in his or her dreams: “Sometimes He tells His devotee in a dream that His temple and His garden are now very old and that He cannot enjoy them very nicely. Thus He requests the devotee to repair them. Sometimes He is buried in the earth, and as if unable to come out Himself, He requests His devotee to rescue Him.” *(Bhāgavatam* 6.19.5, Purport) These dreams of pure devotees are on the transcendental plane, but because the devotees are still in the material world they consider them to be dreams. In these "dreams," the Lord talks with the advanced devotee, and the advanced devotee sees Him. Unlike mundane dreams, these dreams are factual; they are reality that appears to be dreams. Śrīla Prabhupāda once gave a personal account of such dreams that he had had: In my family life, when I was in the midst of my wife and children, sometimes I was dreaming my spiritual master, that he’s calling me, and I was following him. When my dream was over, I was thinking, I was a little horrified. "Oh, Guru Mahārāja wants me to become a sannyāsī. How can I accept sannyāsa?" At that time, I was feeling not very satisfied that I have to give up my family and have to become a mendicant. At that time, it was a horrible feeling. Sometimes I was thinking, "No, I cannot take sannyāsa." But again I saw the same dream. So in this way I was fortunate. My Guru Mahārāja [Prabhupāda begins to cry, choked voice] pulled me out from this material life. I have not lost anything. He was so kind upon me. I have gained. I left three children. I have got now three hundred children. (From an impromptu talk in Seattle, 1968, after Prabhupāda learned of the passing of his godbrother Bhaktiprajñāna Keśava Mahārāja) *The Lord’s Dream* As a devotee’s “dream” is in fact a spiritual reality, the Lord’s dream is the reality for all of us, for this entire creation is the dream of God, Mahā-Viṣṇu, a plenary expansion of Kṛṣṇa. The *Brahma-saṁhitā* (5.47) describes: > yaḥ kāraṇārṇava-jale bhajati sma yoga- > nidrām ananta-jagad-aṇḍa-saroma-kūpaḥ “I adore the primeval Lord Govinda who, reposing in the Causal Ocean with the infinity of the world in the pores of His hair, enjoys creative sleep [*yoga-nidrā*].” In His sleep, the Lord manifests this entire creation. In other words, this creation, which we take as reality during our jāgrata phase, is the Lord’s dream. “In the illusion of his dream," Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples write in their purport to *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 10.86.45, "a sleeping person creates an apparent world, complete with cities populated by the fictional products of his imagination. In somewhat the same way, the Lord manifests the cosmos. Of course, the creation is not illusory for the Lord, but it is for those souls who are put under the control of His *Māyā* potency. As her service to the Lord, *Māyā* deludes the conditioned souls into accepting as real her temporary, insubstantial manifestations.” The Lord, however, as the supreme creator of the material worlds, is unaffected by them and all that occurs within them. Similarly, a self-realized person, or a devotee, knowing well that this material cosmic manifestation is a temporary, illusory creation, is unaffected by it and all that goes on within it. The material world is like a phantasmagoria, but behind this creation there is reality—the spiritual world. A devotee is interested in that spiritual world, where everything and everyone is awake and free of all illusions. *Viśākhā Devī Dāsī has been writing for BTG since 1973. Visit her website at OurSpiritualJourney.com.* From the Editor *“One of the Means to the Way”* In a 1956 letter to Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the president of India, Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote, “The aim of life should be to make a sincere effort to go ‘Back to Godhead’ but contrary to this, the tendency is to go back to hell or in the cycle of evolutionary animal life as it is described in the 16th chapter of *Bhagavad-gītā*. “Please therefore save them from the great falldown. Believe me or not, I have got the clue of going ‘Back to Godhead’ just after leaving my present material body and in order to take along with me all my contemporary men and women of the world, I have started my paper "Back to Godhead'' as one of the means to the way. “Please do not think of me as wonderful or a mad man when I say that I shall go ‘Back to Godhead’ after leaving my present material body! It is quite possible for everyone and all of us.” When Prabhupāda wrote this letter, he was struggling alone in India, and nearly a decade would pass before he would incorporate the International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness in New York with the help of a small group of followers. But from the 1920s, when his spiritual master instructed him to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the English-speaking world, and especially from the time he started publishing Back to Godhead in 1944, Prabhupāda always yearned to deliver “all my contemporary men and women of the world.” And soon after achieving some success in the USA, Canada, and England, he began sending disciples all over the world to deliver Kṛṣṇa consciousness to non-English-speaking countries. Despite his desire to take as many people as possible with him back to Godhead, Prabhupāda knew that it would be a difficult task. He wrote in his purport to *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 1.2.17, “The Lord is more anxious to take us back into His kingdom than we can desire. Most of us do not desire at all to go back to Godhead.” Prabhupāda’s first challenge, then, was to convince his readers that “Godhead,” meaning in this context the kingdom of God, was a place we should all aspire to attain. Throughout his early Back to Godhead articles, and then throughout his books, lectures, and other means of communicating his message, Prabhupāda strove to inspire us to want to attain the eternal, spiritual kingdom of God. And the place he described, by presenting clear information from the Vedic scriptures, was not just some nondescript “kingdom of God”; it was Goloka Vṛndāvana, the sweet home of the all-attractive Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Because Prabhupāda was filled with love for Kṛṣṇa, his words about Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa’s eternal home naturally awaken within us the desire to serve Kṛṣṇa there. I chose here to use the phrase “serve Kṛṣṇa” rather than “enjoy with Kṛṣṇa” because while it is true that the endless joy we fail to achieve in this world can be found only in the company of Kṛṣṇa, it’s important to remember that ultimately the key to attaining Kṛṣṇa is not to desire to enjoy with Him, but to desire to serve Him. And it is in awakening our innate longing to serve Him that we find the greatest happiness and fulfillment. Śrīla Prabhupāda started Back to Godhead to inspire us to use this life to return to our service at Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. Hare Kṛṣṇa. —*Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor* A Pause for Prayer Śrī Narada said: I have seen many times the insurmountable power of Your Māyā, O almighty one, by which You bewilder even the creator of the universe, Brahmā. O all-encompassing Lord, it does not surprise me that You disguise Yourself by Your own energies while moving among the created beings, as a fire covers its own light with smoke. Who can properly understand Your purpose? With Your material energy You expand and also withdraw this creation, which thus appears to have substantial existence. Obeisances to You, whose transcendental position is inconceivable. The living being caught in the cycle of birth and death does not know how he can be delivered from the material body, which brings him so much trouble. But You, the Supreme Lord, descend to this world in various personal forms, and by performing Your pastimes You illumine the soul's path with the blazing torch of Your fame. Therefore I surrender unto You. *—Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 10.70.37–39 Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out *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, the various scriptures I've read refer often to the life breath. They say the breath comes directly from God, so one path of *yoga* is to concentrate on the breath and then on God. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. There are various kinds of air within the body, and the soul is within the heart, floating on those airs. So one preliminary form of *yoga* has to do with controlling those airs. At the time of death, the idea is to elevate the soul from the heart to the *brahma-randhra*, a small opening at the top of the head. From there the soul goes out to any planet he desires. Naturally he'll desire to go to a spiritual planet, where he can live without material miseries and in association with God. That is the goal of *yoga*. But here in your country, *yoga* means a certain type of physical exercise. Yes. Reporter: And this path of devotional *yoga* or bhakti-*yoga* that you teach—this is the path for this time, this age? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. *Bhakti-*yoga** is the real *yoga*. You'll find in *Bhagavad-gītā* that when the Lord describes the *yoga* system, He says, > yoginām api sarveṣāṁ > mad-gatenāntarātmanā > śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ > sa me yuktatamo mataḥ "The firstclass *yogi* is he who is always thinking of Me [Kṛṣṇa] within himself and rendering transcendental loving service to Me." The *bhakti-yogī* is the first-class *yogi*. So these students of ours are being taught how to think of Kṛṣṇa always, twenty-four hours a day, without any stop. And that is first-class *yoga*. Reporter: To think about something, don't you first have to see it? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Reporter: Well, are you showing your disciples Kṛṣṇa? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Certainly. Reporter: Then what is Kṛṣṇa? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Ask my disciples. They have already seen Kṛṣṇa. Ask them. They'll tell you what Kṛṣṇa is. But let me ask you, as before: if they give realized information about Kṛṣṇa, will you accept it? Reporter: Yes. Śrīla Prabhupāda [*motioningi*: Then see. Here is Kṛṣṇa. Reporter: But that's a painting. Śrīla Prabhupāda: That is a painting. Suppose a painting of you were there. Could I not say, "Here is Mr. Such-and-such"? Reporter: Yes. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Then what is the wrong there? Reporter: Well, to paint me, the artist would have to see me. Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, first of all, are you in your picture or not? Reporter: Yes, I am. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is in His picture. But the difference is that people cannot talk with your picture, but we can talk with Kṛṣṇa's picture. That is the difference. Reporter: But some of these pictures of Kṛṣṇa seem a bit different. Śrīla Prabhupāda: No. We are speaking of the basic principle. Kṛṣṇa's blackish-bluish color is there. Kṛṣṇa's flute is there. Kṛṣṇa's peacock feather is there. These things are described in the *śāstra*, the scripture. So these paintings follow the actual form of Kṛṣṇa described in the scripture. Now, take even a painting of yourself. One man may paint your face a little differently from the way another man paints it. But on the whole, your form is the same, and of course, it does not depend on the painter's conception. So Kṛṣṇa's form is not dependent on the painter's conception but on the description of His features given in the scripture. Since Kṛṣṇa is absolute, He and His picture are nondifferent. Reporter: But if a painter were to paint a picture of me or anybody else, first he'd directly study the subject—a living subject. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. In this case, also, the subject is living. Kṛṣṇa is living, and in the scripture He is described: "Kṛṣṇa's colour is bluish. In His hand Kṛṣṇa has got a flute. Kṛṣṇa has got a peacock feather on His head." And *tri-bhaṅga-lalitam*: Kṛṣṇa stands gracefully, His form curving in three places." *Tri-bhaṅga* means that when He stands, in three places His form curves. You see? Ś*yāmaṁ tri-bhaṅga-lalitaṁ niyata-prakāśaṁ*: "Kṛṣṇa's graceful dark-bluish, threefold-bending form is eternally manifest." These are the descriptions given in the *Vedas*. And for instance, from these descriptions my students have painted so many pictures. From these descriptions I have simply given hints that "This picture should be like this." So they take note and make the pictures, and people very much appreciate our pictures. So you can paint pictures by consulting the scriptural authority—the *Vedas*—and those who have studied the *Vedas*. That is what we are doing. If you are intelligent, you can make genuine pictures of God like that. Reporter: But still, somebody must have seen Kṛṣṇa to actually paint Him. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. People have seen Kṛṣṇa. For instance, when Kṛṣṇa was present on this earth, so many people saw Him. Ever since then, people have built so many temples. And by worshiping the Deity in their temples, they are regularly worshiping Kṛṣṇa's form—just as it is described in the Vedic literature and as the people centuries ago saw personally. Reporter: But has anybody now actually seen Kṛṣṇa? Now? Śrīla Prabhupāda: How can someone see Kṛṣṇa now? One has to see through the *parampara*, the disciplic succession that began with those who saw Kṛṣṇa. You may not have seen your grandfather. How do you know what he was like? How do you know? Your grandfather and his father you have not seen. How do you know anything about them? Reporter: By your parents' telling you. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Your father has seen your grandfather. Although you may not have seen him, still, your father can describe all about your grandfather. "My father was like this, like this, and like this." What is the difficulty? So therefore, you have to receive knowledge from the authorities, the disciplic succession. Vedic Thoughts A pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always thinking of how the fallen, conditioned souls can be delivered. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, influenced by the merciful devotees’ attempt to deliver fallen souls, enlightens the people in general from within by His causeless mercy. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 4.29.46, Purport Speaking *hari-kathā* [topics about Kṛṣṇa] is real rest—it removes all fatigue. . . . Exalted personalities and their followers always engage in glorifying topics about Hari in all respects. They have no other duty. Caitanyadeva also instructed us, *kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ*: always chant the glories of Hari. The symptom of liberated persons is that they only chant the glories of Hari at all times with body, mind, and speech. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura *Uncommon Dialogues*, Conversation 5 The *jīva* [living entity] is part and parcel of *cid-vastu*, the absolute transcendence; hence, he possesses the same qualities as the Absolute Whole, but in minute measure. . . . Free will is certainly present in the nature of the *jīva*, but proportionate to his infinitesimal size. The intrinsic constitutional presence of free will has elevated the *jīva* to a much higher status than matter and has made him its lord and master in the material sense. It has also favored him with the possibility of becoming the dearmost servitor of the Supreme Lord. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura *Jaiva Dharma*, Chapter 16 As a blind person cannot see anything, even with the help of a lamp or a mirror, persons who are averse to Lord Viṣṇu cannot see Him even if He stands before them. *Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa* The soul's designation, the mind, is the cause of all tribulations in the material world. As long as this fact is unknown to the conditioned living entity, he has to accept the miserable condition of the material body and wander within this universe in different positions. Because the mind is affected by disease, lamentation, illusion, attachment, greed, and enmity, it creates bondage and a false sense of intimacy within this material world. Jaḍa Bharata *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 5.11.16 What is the value of religiosity, economic development, and sense gratification to one who has firm devotion for You, the Personality of Godhead, the root of all the worlds? Liberation sits in the palm of his hand. *Śrī Viṣṇu Purāṇa* 1.20.27 O Lord [Kṛṣṇa], O killer of the Agha demon, may we find happiness in the deep ocean of Your transcendental pastimes, where the great waves of Your smiles and laughter rock the universes, where the center is always crowded with many dolphins of the surrendered souls, and where the swans of the great devotees drink to their full satisfaction. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī *Śrī Govinda-virudāvalī* 6 BTG53-05, 2019