# Back to Godhead Magazine #54 *2020 (06)* Back to Godhead Magazine #54-06, 2020 PDF-View Welcome In writing for Back to Godhead, authors often illustrate the philosophy or practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness with examples from the life or teachings of devotees whose stories appear in the Vedic literature, especially the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*. I’ve noticed during my years of editing BTG that one devotee seems to be referenced more than any other: Prahlāda. He naturally comes to mind because his life and character exemplify what we devotees-in-practice are trying to attain. Our cover story in this issue focuses on two essential qualities of spiritual life that Prahlāda spoke about and exhibited. Because of the extreme antagonism Prahlāda faced, his example is especially appropriate for us as we encounter life’s inevitable difficulties. Two articles in this issue address the topic of devotional life in challenging times: Caitanya Caraṇa Dāsa’s “Pandemic: Finding Meaning Amid Suffering” and Viśākhā Devī Dāsī’s “Practicing Spiritual Life in Difficult Times.” Looking back from our current challenges, Satyarāja Dāsa writes of the early days of ISKCON when Śrīla Prabhupāda showered his love and blessings on the first child born in the movement, Saraswati. Sārvabhauma Dāsa writes about India’s contributions to the world, especially its best contributions in the form of its spiritual heritage as delivered by Śrīla Prabhupāda. Hare Kṛṣṇa. —Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor Letters *How the Lord Protects* I am a follower of ISKCON. Before that I used to drink and eat nonveg, but now I have left that. In the past two years I have met with two accidents. I have heard that the Lord protects His devotees. Why is the Lord not protecting me? I always do good to others and never lie or cheat. Rajender Via the Internet *Reply*: It is important to understand what is meant by the Lord’s protection. We have earned certain reactions in previous lives. They are called *pārabdha karma*. They determine our body and to some extent the things that happen to us. They are sometimes changed by the will of the Lord, but for the most part we enjoy and suffer according to our previous karma. How we react to these events is what determines our next life. One important way that Kṛṣṇa protects us is by protecting us from our lower nature. You have given up sinful activities and are living much more in the mode of goodness. That is Kṛṣṇa’s protection. He sees our effort to serve Him and follow His instructions, and He protects us from our lower nature and guides us to make the right decisions. The material world will always be temporary and full of misery. Every body is born, grows, dwindles, gets sick, and dies. That is the way of the material world. Kṛṣṇa’s protection takes us closer and closer to getting out of the cycle of birth and death and entering the spiritual world. In the *Bhagavad-gītā* He says that He destroys the darkness of ignorance and guides the devotee in how to serve. If the devotee follows Kṛṣṇa’s direction, Kṛṣṇa protects that devotee from sinful action, thus opening the door to spiritual advancement. He also sends the spiritual master, the holy name, and the scriptures to assist us in proper behavior. Generally Kṛṣṇa’s protection doesn’t manifest in freedom from birth, death, old age, and disease. Even great souls die. But His protection manifests in giving us the strength, knowledge, and determination to make proper spiritual choices so that we can get out of the cycle of birth and death. *A Place at Kṛṣṇa’s Feet* Can I get a place at the feet of your Gopāla Kṛṣṇa? I am not a very pure soul. I am a sinner, and I lead a very lonely and sad life. Joydeep Via the Internet *Reply:* In this age of Kali, when there are so many distractions and we are so fallen, the Lord has made the process of purification very powerful and very simple. He appeared as Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to deliver us by giving the chanting of the *mahā-mantra* as the process of God realization. The names of Kṛṣṇa are Kṛṣṇa, so we can keep connected to Him all the time. We must try to chant in a humble state of mind, begging to be engaged in His eternal loving service. This makes the soul, our real self, happy in this lifetime and in the future. So, yes, Gopāla is ready to accept us all as long as we are pure. If you take up this recommended process of purification, you will certainly be released from this horrible material world. The process is easy and joyfully performed. As you call out to Him, He will surely give you His association and relieve your loneliness. Try to visit our temples or visit them on their live webcams. *What the Lord Wants* What does the Lord want from us so that He will bring us back to His place and allow us to serve His lotus feet? Also, why do different *sampradāyas* in Vaiṣṇavism have different *iṣṭa-devas* [worshipable Deities]? The Śrī sampradāya says Sītā-Rāma is supreme, the Rudra sampradāya says Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa is supreme, and the Gauḍīya sampradāya says Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is supreme. Whose path is correct, and will worship of anyone lead us to the same result? Pratik Via the Internet *Reply:* In the Gītā Kṛṣṇa says, “Just surrender unto Me and engage in My service.” He wants our devotion and wants us to follow His instructions. This is the art of *bhakti*, which we are teaching and practicing. Kṛṣṇa emphasizes that we must approach a spiritual master who will engage us properly in the art of service. In this age we can become purified and revive our loving attitude by chanting the Lord’s holy names. We are all different, and Kṛṣṇa appears in different forms to attract us. Rāma and Nārāyaṇa are forms of Kṛṣṇa. By worshiping any form of Kṛṣṇa along with His feminine counterpart—Rādhā, Sītā, Lakṣmi, and so on—we attain the association of that form of the Lord. So the result is the same; only the forms are different. One who wants to go to Goloka and be with Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa must worship Kṛṣṇa in His original form and develop unmotivated love for Him. *Renouncing the World* I sometimes feel that I have to leave the world and come to Kṛṣṇa and become an ISKCON devotee for life, but sometimes I think about other things, related to the material world. I have learned one thing: be happy and say Kṛṣṇa’s name. I don’t want to be born again and again. I want to become one in Kṛṣṇa. My main question: Is taking sannyāsa good, or should one go on with family, friends, and relationships? Kaustubh Via the Internet *Reply:* Yes, the material world is not a fit place for the spirit soul. We need to connect with Kṛṣṇa and finish our attraction to this temporary place. The renounced order of *sannyāsa* is recommended for those who have finished their responsibilities in household affairs and have been practicing detachment from bodily pleasures. It usually comes after a gradual process of pulling away from one’s attachments and increasing one’s spiritual practices and purification. Then one can be in a safe position to keep the difficult vows of *sannyāsa*. In our ISKCON movement, you would have to attend special classes and be observed for a few years before being approved to take *sannyāsa*. It is important to associate with other *sannyāsīs* for some time to be sure it is what one really wants. It is a serious choice. Usually, one will take the vānaprastha order first, leaving the family scene for some time with the permission one’s family. Sometimes the wife will accompany the husband, but there is no sexual interaction, and the life is a very simple one of traveling and preaching. This is usually taken up after fifty years of age. One has to be very regulated in one’s spiritual practices and usually gets the permission of one’s guru before taking these steps. *Negative Thoughts* How do we stop negative thoughts that are making our day worse? Harendra Via the Internet *Reply*: The early-morning hours are very important for training and controlling the mind. Therefore it is recommended that we rise early in the morning and take part in the recommended *sādhana*, spiritual practices, of hearing and chanting about Kṛṣṇa. If we can sacrifice this time to connect with Kṛṣṇa, our day will be more positive. We need to include some reading of Gītā verses too, to remind us of our real position as Kṛṣṇa’s servant. The material world is negative because it is based on bodily consciousness. In our original, pure consciousness, we act as the Lord’s servant, giving Him pleasure. What could be a nicer engagement! Try to arrange your schedule with the priority of a spiritual program to give your mind spiritual strength and the knowledge of who you are, eternally, and what your real engagement is. Founder's Lecture: Vedānta As It Is *Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the only way to get perfect knowledge is to hear from the perfect person.* San Francisco—February 17, 1967 Unlike us, when God speaks, His words are perfect. > prabhu kahe, vedānta-sūtra īśvara-vacana > vyāsa-rūpe kaila yāhā śrī-nārāyaṇa > bhrama, pramāda, vipralipsā, karaṇāpāṭava > īśvarera vākye nāhi doṣa ei saba “The Lord [Śri Caitanya Mahāprabhu] said, ‘Vedānta philosophy consists of words spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Nārāyaṇa in the form of Vyāsadeva. The material defects of mistakes, illusions, cheating and sensory inefficiency do not exist in the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.’”—*Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā* 7.106–107 We have been discussing this point—that there is no flaw in īśvara-vacana, that which is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because we ordinary persons are conditioned, we have got four kinds of flaws: we are subjected to commit mistakes, we are sometimes illusioned, sometimes we try to cheat, and always our senses are imperfect. So therefore, whatever knowledge we present will be imperfect. You cannot expect perfect knowledge from an imperfect person. A medical man, a doctor, when he’s sick he puts himself under the care of another medical man. He does not take care of himself, because at that time he’s an imperfect physician. Because he’s diseased, he’s imperfect, although he’s a physician. In his diseased condition he does not take charge of himself. He puts himself in the charge of another medical man. This is the system. When rascals and fools think of their imperfect stage as perfect, all the anomalies of this world begin. The rascals and fools do not think, “I am a rascal and a fool.” Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although He is God, presented Himself before His spiritual master as an ordinary person. He later reported that His spiritual master told Him, “You are fool number one.” We should be always prepared to admit our imperfection. But such imperfection is not present in the īśvara. Īśvara means “controller.” Suppose a man is in charge of such-and-such department, education department, if he’s a fool then what is the use of keeping such a man? Therefore *īśvara*s, those who are controllers, have no such flaw. That is to be admitted first. They are flawless. And what to speak of the Parameśvara, the Supreme Controller. There are two kinds of *īśvara*. You are also an *īśvara*, but you are now in the imperfect stage. When you become perfect, you become an *īśvara*, a controller. For example, at the present conditioned stage, we are all controlled by the senses. So when you at least become the controller of the senses, then you become an *īśvara*. Then there will be fewer mistakes, less illusion, less cheating, and perfection. God is free of all these imperfections. And what are the scriptures? The scriptures are the words of God. In every scripture we’ll find, “God said.” In the Bible it is said, “God said, ‘Let there be creation.’” Why God for creation? Because that will be perfect. If God said, “Let there be creation,” that creation will be perfect. *Water on Reserve* Don’t you see how this creation is perfect? We require water, and God has created this earth in such a way that three-fourths of the earth is covered with water. And the water is salty. Why? The water is reserved. Unless it is salty, it will decompose. And how is the water distributed? The sun evaporates the water, and that means the salt is removed. The pure water is evaporated in the sky and distributed all over the world. And it is kept on the summit of the mountain so that it can come down by gravitation throughout the year through the rivers and you can get water. Now see—nature study—how it is perfectly made. Can you do that? No. It is not possible. When there is a scarcity of water, you have to look to the sky. You have no power. Your science cannot acquire water when there is a scarcity, when there is no rain. You cannot create rain. You have to wait. So therefore, everything made by the Lord is perfect. There is no question of imperfection. In the Vedic language—*oṁ pūrṇam*—it is said that the Supreme Lord is full and perfect. Therefore whatever He creates is also perfect and full. Actually, there is no scarcity in this material world. We have created scarcity by our mismanagement. The whole world, the whole earth planet, belongs to all the living entities there. It is meant for them. God has created vegetables for the animals, and for the human beings He has created fruits, flowers, and grains, and you take milk from the animals. All live peacefully. But we nonsense rascals have created all these distinctions: “Oh, this is an American,” “This is an Indian,” “This is a Chinese,” “This is a Russian,” “I am this,” “I am that,” “Oh, I am Christian,” “I am Hindu.” Why? All of you are God’s servants, dependent on God. The leader is God. Just think in that way, and the whole thing becomes perfect. Everything is there, perfect. The arrangement, nature’s arrangement, is such that you can eat nicely. Whatever your body wants is there; there is sufficient supply. Take, eat nicely, live peacefully, and utilize the words of God. There is the Bible. There is the Koran. There are the Vedas. Try to understand God and make your life perfect and go back to Godhead. This is the whole policy. There is no flaw in the arrangement of God. That is to be understood first of all. *The Last Word in Knowledge* Vedānta is compiled by God Himself. That we have explained yesterday. Lord Kṛṣṇa says, *vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham*: “I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedās.” (*Gītā* 15.15) If God, Kṛṣṇa, is not the knower of Vedānta, then how can He compile the Vedānta? Vedānta means “the last word in knowledge.” Everyone is seeking knowledge, and vedānta means the last word in knowledge. Caitanya Mahāprabhu first of all establishes that in the Vedānta-sūtra you cannot find any flaw; therefore you have no right to interpret it. You are a nonsense rascal, so how can you touch and comment on the *sūtras* compiled by God, the Supreme Perfect? But we do not admit, “I am a rascal.” I think that I am very learned, I have no flaw, I am perfect. This is foolishness. Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s point is this: why does the foolish person interpret and comment on Vedānta, which is perfect itself? Do you require a light to see the sun? How is that possible? The sun is itself illuminated so nicely that you don’t require any other light to see the sun. If I say, “My dear boy, please come with me and take this light. I’ll show you the sun in the sky,” oh, you’ll think, “Oh, Swamiji is a nonsense. What is the use of this light?” Similarly, what knowledge do you have that you want to comment on the Vedānta-sūtra? It is already illuminated. The Vedānta-sūtra begins, **athāto* brahma *jijñāsā**: “Now one should inquire into the Absolute Truth.” Now you have this human form of life. Now you have got full consciousness. You are not like the animal. We are not like dogs and cats. Now try to understand what you are, what is spirit, or Brahman. Is it not your duty? Should you simply be satisfied like the animals—eating, drinking, mating, begetting children, and dying? Do you think that is your perfection of life? No. The Vedānta-sūtra says, *athāto* brahma-*jijñāsā*. This life is for spiritual realization. It is not meant for cats’ and dogs’ life, for sense gratification. The hogs are doing sense gratification all day. They are eating, and as soon as there is a female, oh, there is sex. Do you think this is human life? No. Vedānta says no, it is not human life. Human life is to understand what is spirit, what is the background of this manifestation. So at once the *Vedānta-sūtra* replies, *janmādy asya yataḥ*: “Brahman, the Supreme Absolute Truth, is the background of all these manifestations.” We are all living entities, and we are intelligent. We know how to do things very nicely. We have got intelligence. So do you think that He from whom we have emanated has no intelligence? He has no sense? He is impersonal? What is this nonsense? I am born of my father. Suppose that I have not seen him, that just after my birth my father died. In my childhood or even when my mother was pregnant, my father died, so I did not see my father. There are so many cases. Does this mean that my father is impersonal? Any common man can understand, “I have got this body from my father, and I am so intelligent that I can do things nicely. So naturally my father is a person. How can he be impersonal?” I understand this even if I have never seen him. *Vedānta-sūtra* says “that from whom everything emanated” is not impersonal. The first verse of the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* begins with these same words: *janmādy asya yataḥ*. The Supreme Person, God, is cognizant. He’s sentient, not impersonal, because He knows everything. Your father knows almost everything about you because he created you. This is a crude example. But God is perfect. We fathers are not perfect. But He’s perfect. Therefore, because He’s perfect He knows everything in every nook and corner of this creation. He knows everything. And the *Bhāgavatam* says, *abhijñaḥ*. *Abhijñaḥ* means that He knows. His knowing process is different from ours, but we simply apply our nonsense ideas to God. The Vedas say that the sun is the eye of God. So how can we can hide from the eyes of God? The sunshine is within your room. You are thinking, “I am alone in this room. Nobody can see me. Let us do nonsense.” Oh, the sunshine is there. How can you hide yourself? Therefore God is perfect. And He is not looking only from the outside. He’s sitting within you. So how can you hide yourself? That is not possible. There is no flaw in His seeing, His working, His writing, His instructing—everything is perfect. First of all you have to understand this. *In Everything There Is God’s Law* And the *Bhāgavatam* (6.3.19) says, *dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam. Dharma*—any religion or religious principle—is compiled and made by the Supreme Lord. Therefore in every scripture you’ll find that the beginning is God. The state laws are made by the state administrators. So how can you change them? You cannot. If the state law is that you must drive on the right, can you change that? “No, I shall go to the left.” Oh, at once you’ll be arrested. If you cannot change the laws of your state, how can you change the laws of God? That means the more you violate the laws of God, the more you become sinful. This is called sin. When you violate the laws of the state you become criminal; similarly, when you violate the laws of God you become sinful. This is the definition of sin and piety. If you follow the rules of God, then you are pious. Now, in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (7.11) Lord Kṛṣṇa says, “I am sexual intercourse for begetting children.” That means it is a pious activity. But sexual intercourse for sense gratification is a sin. Now, fools may inquire, “Oh, what is the difference between married sex life and nonmarried sex life?” That is the fool’s question. But the rule is that if you require sex life, just become a gentleman and marry. Get yourself married and live peacefully. That is nice. That is righteous. So why should we not accept? In everything there is God’s law, and that is perfect. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to be always conscious in contact with God. That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not an artificial thing. We have not manufactured some ideas and advertised that we are Kṛṣṇa conscious. No. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means that just as an obedient citizen of the state is always conscious of the state’s supremacy, similarly a Kṛṣṇa conscious person is always conscious of the supremacy of God, or Kṛṣṇa. He is called Kṛṣṇa conscious. “Why should we become Kṛṣṇa conscious?” If you do not become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then you become criminal. You become sinful. You have to suffer. The laws of nature are so strong that they will not let you go without suffering. As the state laws are so stringent that if you commit some criminal thing—simply keeping marijuana and LSD—you are still immediately arrested. You see? So what so speak of using them. [Laughs.] You see? This is to be known. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness—that we should not violate God’s laws. *Knowledge from the Right Person* Caitanya Mahāprabhu wants to stress the point that nobody can interpret either the Bible or the *Vedānta-sūtra* or the Koran. That is the principle. You cannot make any change. If you do not understand, then go to the right person to learn. Who is the right person? One who is receiving the knowledge by the paramparā system is the right person, not simply someone who’s very educated and world famous as a philosopher. He’s not the right person. The right person may be illiterate, but if he follows the guru-paramparā, the disciplic succession, he’s the right person. I have several times recited this narration. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was traveling in South India, He saw that a brāhmaṇa was reading *Bhagavad-gītā* and his neighbors knew that “This brāhmaṇa is illiterate. He does not know even what is A-B-C-D, and still he’s reading *Bhagavad-gītā*.” They were joking, sometimes criticizing him. The brāhmaṇa, of course, was reading as far as possible. Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw the fun and approached the brāhmaṇa. “My dear brāhmaṇa, what are you reading?” The brāhmaṇa understood that “Here is a sincere person. He’s not joking with me. He’s simply inquiring.” So he replied, “My dear sir, I am illiterate. I do not know even the alphabets. But my Guru Mahārāja asked me to read eighteen chapters of Bhagavad-gītā every day. So what can I do? I have taken to reading this Bhagavad-gītā in pursuance of the order of my spiritual master. So I am simply seeing the cover and trying to understand what is there.” Now, he’s illiterate. By seeing the cover, he’s trying to understand *Bhagavad-gītā* by the order of his spiritual master. This is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. “Because my spiritual master has ordered me to read *Bhagavad-gītā*—I know I’m illiterate, I cannot read—oh, let me see what it is.” Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked him, “Well, you are illiterate, but I see that with feeling you are crying.” “Yes, sir, I am crying.” “Why?” “Now, as soon as I take this book, the picture of Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna comes before me. I see that Kṛṣṇa is driving the chariot and Arjuna is hearing, and I simply appreciate, ‘Oh, Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He has become the chariot driver of His devotee.’ Therefore I am crying. ‘Oh, He’s so kind.’” Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “You are reading *Bhagavad-gītā*.” At once He embraced him. This is reading *Bhagavad-gītā*. Commentary on *Bhagavad-gītā* without Kṛṣṇa is all rascaldom. Be careful of those who comment in that way. They are all rascals, because they have made *Bhagavad-gītā* minus Kṛṣṇa. They want to interpret in their own way. Similarly, they interpret Vedānta minus God. Caitanya Mahāprabhu warns you, “Don’t go to such rascals.” There is no mistake. Try to understand Bhagavad-gītā or Vedānta-sūtra or any scripture as it is. Don’t try to change it. Thank you very much. Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out *“Flourishing” Toward World Destruction* *This conversation between His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and some of his disciples took place in New Vrindaban. West Virginia, on June 26, 1976.* Śrīla Prabhupāda: If, rather than surrender to Kṛṣṇa, you want to do something else, Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He’ll say, “All right, do it—see the effect.” After all, without Kṛṣṇa’s help we cannot do anything. Disciple: Śrīla Prabhupāda, you have said that today’s leaders are followers of Hiraṇyakaśipu. Like that demon, they are devoted to the idea of becoming powerful and opulent—just devoted to becoming powerful and opulent. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. The scriptures describe two kinds of men: *daiva āsura eva ca*—all over the universe, there are two groups, the godly and the ungodly. These two kinds of men and these two kinds of activities will go on. This is the nature of the material world. You will not find that all the men here are perfect. That is not possible. There is a class of men who are imperfect, bewildered. But in the scriptures it is being described who is perfect and who is imperfect. That you have to distinguish. You cannot clear this material world of imperfect persons; that is not possible. But you must know who is perfect and who is imperfect. And you must make your choice—whether you want to remain imperfect or you want to make progress toward becoming perfect That is up to you. Disciple: Śrīla Prabhupāda, it seems almost like a contradiction, in one sense, when Kṛṣṇa says in this verse [*Bhagavad-gītā* 16.9]. speaking of the demoniac, prabhavanti—that they are flourishing. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Materially—materially. It is just as when you go to a modern city and say, “Oh, how developed.” Prabhavanti—a kind of flourishing is going on. But what kind of prabhavanti, what kind of flourishing? Kṛṣṇa explains this in His next words. Kṣayāya jagato ’hitāḥ: flourishing, yes—flourishing toward world destruction. So the flourishing of the demoniac is in the wrong direction. That is not nourishing, actually. It is flourishing in the material sense, but what is the purpose, what is the end? Kṣayāya jagato ’hitāḥ—world destruction. In other words, there are two kinds of progress: to hell, to heaven. Disciple: As you know, Śrīla Prabhupāda, starting around the turn of the century, people were thinking it was progress to build big skyscrapers. Now it’s so hellish in the cities, everybody is moving out. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. Actually, when there are so many skyscrapers, it is hell. The natural flow of air is obstructed. In Bombay, for instance, you’ll see this unnatural situation. If you are on the top floor, you have got a little facility. If you are on the lower floors, it is hell. When you are in the midst of several skyscrapers and you are on the first or second floor, it is simply hell. No air. You have to run electric fans or air conditioning. You cannot see the sky, because the buildings are so tall. In fact, is that not why they are called skyscrapers? Disciple: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda. They are so tall that they virtually touch the sky. Śrīla Prabhupāda: So you have touched the sky in such a way that I cannot see even. And always I need to use electric lights. But here in the country, we see the sky, the sun. How nice it is! This is life. We see the green. We see down and up—clear sky, sun. This is life. We get rejuvenation in this atmosphere. What is this nonsense—all skyscrapers, no air, no light? *Kṣayāya jagato ’hitāḥ*. The mind becomes crippled. Health deteriorates. Children cannot even see the sky. Everything is spoiled. Disciple: Every day in the big cities, Śrīla Prabhupāda, an “air-quality management” bureau makes a report on the level of pollution. And on some days, it is not good for your health to leave your home. Now some people are even selling fresh air. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Fresh air? (Laughter.) Fresh water also. Disciple: In Tokyo there are special machines from which you can purchase clean air and clean water. Śrīla Prabhupāda: “Clean water”—by treating sewage and cleaning urine. Now people are doing that. Clean water by cleaning urine. During the last war, the German people derived fat from stool. Fat extracted from stool. Scientifically. You can use it as butter very nicely on your bread. This kind of thing is going on. Disciple: Śrīla Prabhupāda, some of these materialists argue that their modern techniques are not totally unbeneficial. For example, they have developed the tractor, which they say enables them to produce bountiful harvests. So much so that they can feed practically the entire world. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Why do they not? Disciple: Because their mentality is very abominable. Śrīla Prabhupāda: But if they can feed so many people, they should do that There are so many starving people, and in America alone, so much land is lying fallow. Disciple: Yes, and so many people are unemployed. Better to put people to work in the fields than in factories. If they are going to work. let them grow grain and milk the cows. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Then they will live very happily. “But,” say the leaders, “that we will not do.” Kṣayāya jagato ’hitāḥ: they are bent upon world destruction. Kṣayāya means “total ruination.” So save these people from ruination. Teachings of Queen Kuntī: Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Farsighted Commentary *The prayers of this exceptional queen are saturated with both profound philosophy and deep spiritual love.* *A devoted queen’s astounding prayers inspired Prabhupāda’s penetrating analysis of modern life.* Śrīla Prabhupāda was very fond of the prayers of Queen Kuntī, the mother of the Pāṇḍavas and a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. They appear in the First Canto, chapter eight, of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*, which he translated and published in India in 1962 with his commentary. Ten years later, having ventured to America, he offered a series of lectures on the prayers. These were compiled and published by his disciples in a book titled Teachings of Queen Kuntī. It is a candid, soul-searching book because it lays bare the anomalies of the social and industrial matrix that Śrīla Prabhupāda observed in America, while at the same time it gives us a bird’s-eye view into the determined spiritual success of a virtuous queen. *Lotuses, Shoes, Water, and Drunkards* Queen Kuntī was situated in the middle of a bitter and violent struggle between her beloved sons, her nephews, and their many seniors and allies. Her plight gave rise to her beautiful prayers, among the most philosophical and powerful expressions of love of God that can be found in all of the world’s literatures. At the time of the prayers, Kṛṣṇa has assisted Kuntī and her sons through many perils, but now He is about to leave them to return to His earthly home in Dwaraka. Lord Kṛṣṇa incarnated as a prince in the dynasty Yadu dynasty, and He happens to be Kuntī’s nephew. When He respectfully offers His farewell to her, touching her feet out of respect, Kuntī, knowing His confidential identity as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, offers her personal glorification of Him. “My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus, and whose feet are engraved with lotuses.” (*Bhāgavatam* 1.8.22) The lotus symbolizes transcendence because in all of its unique beauty, fragrance, and splendor, it blossoms in muddy ponds. In Hindu temples, the deity stands on a carved lotus, indicating that although the Lord is in this world, He is always situated above it. Whenever we see a lotus, we can easily remember Kṛṣṇa, just as Kuntī’s prayer describes Him. Prabhupāda’s commentary on this verse offers practical instruction for service to the Lord: “The Paṅkajanābhi [lotus-naveled] Lord accepts the *arcā-vigraha* (His transcendental form) in different elements, namely a form within the mind, a form made of wood, a form made of earth, a form made of metal, a form made of jewels, a form made of paint, a form drawn on sand, etc. All such forms of the Lord are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, and there should be a soothing atmosphere in the temple of worship to attract the burning attention of the nondevotees always engaged in material wranglings.” (*Bhāgavatam* 1.8.22, Purport) In his lecture on this verse that appears in Teachings of Queen Kuntī, Śrīla Prabhupāda turns from the lotus to the example of a shoe. If one’s child is absent from the house, off at school or play, one will naturally remember the child by glancing at the child’s shoe. “Oh, this is my child’s shoe.” Prabhupāda continues with another example: Even by experiencing the pure, clean taste of water on one’s tongue, something of Kṛṣṇa may be appreciated. Kṛṣṇa says in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (7.8), raso ’ham apsu: “I am the taste of water.” One may come to know God just by thinking of Him while drinking water. Then Prabhupāda suggests how America’s intoxicated population can also someday come to remember the Lord: “In America there are many drunkards. There is no scarcity of them. But I may request even the drunkards, ‘When drinking wine, kindly remember that the taste of this drink is Kṛṣṇa. Just begin in this way, and one day you will become a saintly, Kṛṣṇa conscious person.’” (*Teachings of Queen Kuntī*, 1.8.22, Purport) *The High Price of Material Progress* Queen Kuntī continues: “My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education, and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.” (*Bhāgavatam* 1.8.26) Since the time Teachings of Queen Kuntī was first published in America, the demands of material progress have only increased; moreover, they have spread all over the planet. Developing industry by advancing technology to transform the raw materials of the earth into fashionable commodities for the world market is the order of the day. At no time in history have human beings tapped into such an unusual variety of food, clothing, technical devices, home furnishings, vehicles, etc., imported from every corner of the world. The consumers often know nothing about the people who produced these things or how they were derived from natural resources. Śrīla Prabhupāda aptly breaks this situation down with the simple example of the poor people of Russia during the Communist regime. They were originally farmers, and their customs included going to church to pray to God to help them produce food. Gradually industry and commerce brought them to the cities, and the government took control of the distribution of foodstuffs. Under the influence of the new regime, their traditional prayer, “O God, give us our daily bread,” turned into, “O Communist friends, please give us our daily bread.” So the Russia’s leaders provided the citizens’ needs, but the conditions became more and more industrialized and atheistic. The churches became overgrown with weeds and covered with graffiti. Putting all emphasis on material progress kills the very spirit of the human being. The human being is actually an embodied soul meant for self-realization. *Prabhupāda’s Own Example* “My obeisances unto You, who are the property of the materially impoverished. You have nothing to do with the actions and reactions of the material modes of nature. You are self-satisfied, and therefore You are the most gentle, and are the master of the monists.” (*Bhagavatam* 1.8.27) It seems evident that Prabhupāda took this prayer of the queen very much to heart. In his commentary to this verse, he gives himself as an example of personal material failure that resulted in perfect Kṛṣṇa conscious success. As a householder, Śrīla Prabhupāda had very good opportunities to become a rich man; he executed the duties of his pharmaceutical business very well, and it prospered. After being the manager of a big chemical factory, he started his own factory, and the business was very successful. But eventually everything collapsed, and he was forced into carrying out the order of his guru to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the English-speaking world. Prabhupāda later explained that when all his material assets were taken away, he approached Kṛṣṇa, saying, "You are the only shelter." Kṛṣṇa is *akiñcana-vitta*, the property of the materially impoverished. Prabhupāda never felt that he had lost anything, however, but that he had gained many sincere and helpful disciples after he ventured to America and enlisted them in his International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Americans who have joined this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement were materially intoxicated before they became devotees, but now their intoxication is over, their material assets have become spiritual assets that may be helpful in furthering the service of Kṛṣṇa. For example, when these American devotees go to India, the Indian people are surprised to see that Americans have become so mad after God. Many Indians strive to imitate the materialistic life of the west, but when they see Americans dancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then they realize that this is what is actually worthy of being followed. (*Teachings of Queen Kuntī*, 1.8.26, Purport) *Lipstick, Plastic Jewelry, and Auto Bodies* “All these cities and villages are flourishing in all respects because the herbs and grains are in abundance, the trees are full of fruits, the rivers are flowing, the hills are full of minerals, and the oceans full of wealth. And this is all due to Your glancing over them.” (*Bhāgavatam* 1.8.39–40) Śrīla Prabhupāda’s commentary reveals the compassion he feels upon observing the direction that human civilization has taken: Human prosperity flourishes by natural gifts and not by gigantic industrial enterprises. The gigantic industrial enterprises are products of a godless civilization, and they cause the destruction of the noble aims of human life. The more we go on increasing such troublesome industries to squeeze out the vital energy of the human being, the more there will be unrest and dissatisfaction of the people in general, although a few only can live lavishly by exploitation. The natural gifts such as grains and vegetables, fruits, rivers, the hills full of jewels and minerals, and the seas full of pearls are supplied by the order of the Supreme, and as He desires, material nature produces them in abundance or restricts them at times. The natural law is that the human being may take advantage of these godly gifts of nature and satisfactorily flourish on them without being captivated by the exploitative motive of lording it over material nature. The more we attempt to exploit material nature according to our whims of enjoyment, the more we shall become entrapped by the reaction of such exploitative attempts. . . . If the human civilization has sufficient grains, minerals, jewels, water, milk, etc., then why should it hanker after terrible industrial enterprises at the cost of the labor of some unfortunate men? (*Bhāgavatam* 1.8.40, Purport) In his purport to 1.8.27, Prabhupāda singles out lipstick at the price of fifty cents a tube, and in his lecture on 1.8.40, he mentions beautiful women wearing plastic bangles. Such is the opulence of a civilization that highly prizes technology. For wealth, we may farm or collect natural materials and live simply; instead we refine oil to produce plastic and open huge factories that produce auto bodies or packaged carcasses of poor animals. *Melanie’s Story* In this regard I wish to mention the experience of a young woman, Bhaktin Melanie, who recently met the devotees of Kṛṣṇa. When I asked her how she became interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, she told me that she had a powerful spiritual awakening, and it was largely due to living in the city of Detroit. “How is that?” I asked. Melanie spent four years at a university in Detroit, attending dental school, and having come from sunny car-congested California, she was in culture shock. Detroit seemed to be packed with enormous old factories that were shut down. Cars rarely bothered to stop for the red lights at intersections because the big boulevards were empty. Less than half of the former population has remained. In winter the old city looks especially forbidding, a mere urban skeleton, since many houses are burnt down. The high crime rate and unusually high incidence of arson have taken six thousand structures. Melanie was overwhelmed by feelings of anxiety, and to survive the long winters she began to look for spiritual answers. She found a plethora of spiritual information, but when she started reading Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books online, she finally felt satisfied to find some solid answers to her questions about life. Now Melanie practices Kṛṣṇa consciousness at home and at the Los Angeles temple, having returned from Detroit. She graduated from dental school and practices dentistry. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s farsighted commentary predicts the demise of Detroit and its mass production, leading to its present-day scarcity: One may not be very advanced, but one should try at least to do something to understand God. A child is sent to school, and although he may simply learn ABCD, if he is interested he may one day become a very good scholar. Similarly, one day a pious man may become a pure devotee. Why should one give up religion altogether, become completely secular, and simply open a factory in which to manufacture nuts and bolts and work very hard and drink, and eat meat? What kind of civilization is this? It is because of this so-called civilization that people are suffering. . . . There is no need to become rich by starting some huge factory to produce auto bodies. By such industrial enterprises we have simply created troubles. Otherwise, we need only depend on Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's mercy, because by Kṛṣṇa's glance (*tava vīkṣitaiḥ*), everything is set right. So if we simply plead for Kṛṣṇa's glance, there will be no question of scarcity or need. Everything will be complete. The idea of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, therefore, is to depend on nature's gifts and the grace of Kṛṣṇa. (*Teachings of Queen Kunti*,1.8.40, Purport) *Bright-faced* “O Gadādhara [Kṛṣṇa], our kingdom is now being marked by the impressions of Your feet, and therefore it appears beautiful. But when You leave, it will no longer be so.” (*Bhāgavatam* 1.8.39) The remedy for the modern contentions over the use or misuse of our living environment can be found in the sincerity and love of God in this prayer. By love for Kṛṣṇa, we can gather the strength and integrity to prefer devotional service to Him over selfish, exploitative struggles with no good result. As in Detroit, the affluent societies of yore that developed by exploiting human labor and raw materials have always decayed and lost their beauty. The oil industry and the combustion-engine-centered auto industry that Detroit is historically famous for are now in dishonor due to very serious environmental consequences; the steely splendor of many modern cities grows dim. Prabhupāda predicts the fall of places like Detroit in his many purports throughout his books, but along with his farsighted observations, he consistently offers the solution: in essence, if we string together a list of zeros, no matter how many zeros of superior craftsmanship—no matter how many glistening auto bodies are carried down the assembly line—it is still a collection of zeros. However, by placing the one of Kṛṣṇa at the beginning of those zeros, we’ll have billions and trillions in real value, and everything will become attractive and worthwhile due to Kṛṣṇa’s presence. Every endeavor meant for His pleasure in devotional service remains our eternal success. In this regard, Śrīla Prabhupāda mentions the success of his devoted disciples: Those who have joined the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement were beautiful before they joined, but now that they have become Kṛṣṇa conscious they look especially beautiful. Therefore the newspapers often describe them as “bright-faced”. Their countrymen remark, ‘How joyful and beautiful these boys and girls have become.” At the present time in America, many of the younger generation are confused and hopeless, and therefore they appear morose and black-faced. Why? Because they are missing the point; they have no aim in life. But the devotees, the Kṛṣṇaites, look very beautiful because of the presence of Kṛṣṇa. . . . With Kṛṣṇa in the center everything becomes beautiful, and Kṛṣṇa can become the center at any time. (*Teachings of Queen Kunti,* 1.8.39, Purport) Reading a classic Bhaktivedanta purport like this one, I cannot help but smile; oddly, even reading about suffering becomes beautiful. There are so many sad or disturbing examples in human society of great suffering, but seeing it as revealed through Prabhupāda’s farsighted commentaries in Teachings of Queen Kuntī gives us understanding of the essential cause and how to cure it or endure it, even as Kuntī was able to do. Queen Kuntī’s teachings offer powerful insight into the mind of a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa. She concludes her prayers by asking Kṛṣṇa, “As the Ganges forever flows to the sea without hindrance, let my attraction be constantly drawn unto You, without being diverted to anyone else.” (*Bhāgavatam* 1.8.42) Queen Kuntī’s prayers, the utterances of a devotee completely sold out to the will of the Lord, inspire our love for Him, while Śrīla Prabhupāda’s protective instructions caution us about the anomalies of our modern life, and how to remain a devotee in the face of things to come. *Karuṇā Dhārinī Devī Dāsī, a disciple of His Grace Vīrabāhu Dāsa, serves the deities at ISKCON Los Angeles, where she joined ISKCON in 1979. She has also been distributing Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books since her earliest days in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. She lives with her husband and daughter.* Selfless and Seamless Devotion: Lessons from the Life and Character of Prahlāda *A young devotee from ancient times taught and exemplified the essential qualities for spiritual success.* By Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa Devotional service rendered to God with a materially unmotivated heart and with unwavering regularity completely satisfies the self. Achieving anything in life requires focus and determination. If our efforts and attitudes are consistent, we can achieve our intended goals easily and quickly. But if our motives are impure and our endeavors distracted, our success is hampered. In spiritual life, pure intentions and consistent focus on the prescribed practices are of vital importance. The timeless scripture Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.6) emphasizes this principle: > sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo > yato bhaktir adhokṣaje > ahaituky apratihatā > yayātmā suprasīdati “The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.” Bhakti, or pure devotional service unto the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, is described to be ahaituki and apratihatā. Ahaituki means not to have any selfish agendas behind one’s spiritual practice. Apratihatā means not to have any interruptions or irregularities in the practice. Advancement and satisfaction in bhakti depend on the purity of our intent and consistency of our attempt. In this world, our devotion to God is often obstructed by obstacles of various types. When reversals come, spiritual seekers strive to remain focused in their devotion by deriving inspiration from exemplary devotees. A wonderful example of such causeless and ceaseless devotion to God is seen in the life of a young devotee named Prahlāda, whose story is told in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. *Transmission That Transcends All Barriers* Prahlāda was the son of a great demoniac king named Hiraṇyakaśipu. When Prahlāda was in the womb of his mother, Kayādhu, Hiraṇyakaśipu went to perform austerities to get boons from Lord Brahmā, the creator of the universe. In his absence, the demigods attacked the demons and arrested Kayādhu to kill her child after his birth. But Nārada Muni stopped the demigods and sheltered pregnant Kayādhu in his own hermitage. Nārada Muni then taught Kayādhu the principles of spiritual life and the glories of devotional service unto the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu. But Kayādhu could not hear those teachings attentively, as she was anxious about her husband’s return and her child’s well-being. However, Prahlāda, who was still within Kayādhu’s womb, heard those divine instructions very eagerly, and that hearing resulted in his unflinching devotion to Lord Viṣṇu. In a communication system, when the transmitter of a signal is potent and the receiver is perfectly tuned to the signal, the transmission of data takes place very effectively. Similarly, in spiritual communication, when the guru is an advanced devotee of Kṛṣṇa and the disciple is eager to receive knowledge and inspiration from the guru, the transmission of bhakti takes place effectively. Because of Prahlāda’s spiritual eagerness, being in his mother’s womb with undeveloped senses was no barrier for him to receive the knowledge of bhakti from Nārada Muni. *Age, Caste, and Company Are No Bar* Hiraṇyakaśipu’s austerities were so extreme that Lord Brahmā descended from his planet and told Hiraṇyakaśipu to ask for a boon. Hiraṇyakaśipu asked Lord Brahmā to grant him immortality. When Brahmā replied that he didn’t have the power to do so, Hiraṇyakaśipu asked him to grant him the boons of not meeting death from any living entity created by Brahmā, inside or outside a house, during the day or night, on the ground or in the sky, by any weapon, human, animal, demigod, snake, and so on. Obliged, Brahmā granted those rare boons. Confident that he had attained immortality by these boons, Hiraṇyakaśipu became very proud. Out of his hatred for Viṣṇu and falsely thinking himself to be the supreme controller, he stopped the worship of Viṣṇu in his kingdom and tormented Viṣṇu’s devotees in various ways. Although Prahlāda was the son of this envious demon, Prahlāda himself had no demoniac tendencies or attachment to his father’s extensive property and influence. His heart was filled with love for Lord Viṣṇu, and as a result, the so-called privileges and pleasures of this mortal world seemed trivial to him. Little Prahlāda, hardly five years old, was sent to the school where the children of demons studied politics and diplomacy under the materialistic teachers Śaṇḍa and Amarka. Prahlāda never liked those teachings and was steadfast in the teachings of bhakti-yoga given by Nārada Muni. Prahlāda’s birth in a demoniac family, his tender age, and the company of those who hated Lord Viṣṇu didn’t affect his devotion to Viṣṇu. When our internal consciousness is focused on our beloved objective, external obstacles cannot hamper our success. Though the external atmosphere is surcharged with nondevotional vibrations, a determined devotee’s inner atmosphere is saturated with love for God. Generally, we are influenced by the people around us. But if we are determined and prayerful, we can transcend the influence of negative association and achieve our higher goals. Prahlāda, through his constant absorption in Lord Viṣṇu, effortlessly overcame every crisis. *Fearlessness in Facing Confrontations* Hiraṇyakaśipu once tested Prahlāda’s knowledge by asking him to repeat what he had learned from his teachers. Ignoring the topics taught by his materialistic teachers, Prahlāda fearlessly repeated the essence of the teachings of Nārada Muni, his real teacher. He instructed his powerful father that worshiping Lord Viṣṇu is in the best interest of every human being. > śrī-prahrāda uvāca > śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ > smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam > arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ > sakhyam ātma-nivedanam > iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau > bhaktiś cen nava-lakṣaṇā > kriyeta bhagavaty addhā > tan manye ‘dhītam uttamam “Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṇu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one’s best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words)—these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṇa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.” (Bhāgavatam 7.5.23–24) Prahlāda fearlessly explained to his father that the materialistic way of life entangles one in this world but service to the devotees of Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu frees one from material contamination and elevates one to the spiritual platform. Even when his teachers, Śaṇḍa and Amarka, chastised Prahlāda, he didn’t budge from his determination in bhakti. He fearlessly spoke the truth, which was against their philosophy of discriminating between people as friends and enemies. He said that every living being is a part of God and is His servant, and thus we are all one in quality. Facing a fierce demon and boldly confronting his conceptions is not possible for an ordinary person. A tender child generally fears chastisement and punishment by a strict elder, but Prahlāda boldly opposed the demoniac philosophy of his teachers and Hiraṇyakaśipu, while simultaneously being humble and respectful to them. Fearlessness and humility are natural symptoms of surrender to God. *Even Deadly Dangers Do Not Matter* Enraged at Prahlāda’s staunch devotion to Lord Viṣṇu, hardhearted Hiraṇyakaśipu tried to kill Prahlāda. But Hiraṇyakaśipu couldn’t kill him by throwing him under the feet of big elephants, throwing him among poisonous snakes, employing destructive spells, hurling him from the top of a hill, conjuring up illusory tricks, imprisoning him, poisoning him, starving him, exposing him to severe cold, wind, fire, and water, and throwing heavy stones to crush him. Throughout these extreme abuses and mistreatments, Prahlāda’s faith in Lord Viṣṇu and His protection didn’t diminish even slightly. Further, he absolutely had no bitter feelings towards Hiraṇyakaśipu, who tormented him in many ways. A devotee is ajāta-śatru: he is never hateful of anyone, even those who hate him. Developing faith in God’s protection is very rare. Even after attaining some faith, we are tested by the inevitable calamities of this world and may become disturbed. Ordinary people lose faith in God’s protection or blame God for their difficulties. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, “In case of benefit, no one will deny that it is God-sent, but in case of loss or reverses one becomes doubtful about how the Lord could be so unkind to His devotee as to put him in great difficulty.” (Bhāgavatam 1.17.22, Purport) Advanced devotees like Prahlāda accept even reversals as God’s blessings. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, “A devotee’s conclusion is that no one is directly responsible for being a benefactor or mischief-monger without the sanction of the Lord; therefore, he does not consider anyone to be directly responsible for such action. But in both the cases, he takes it for granted that either benefit or loss is God-sent, and thus it is His grace.” (Bhāgavatam 1.17.22, Purport) *Divine Teachings in the Demons’ Arena* The attempts to kill Prahlāda having failed, he was sent to school again. When his classmates called him to play in the absence of their teachers, Prahlāda spoke to them in sweet words about the futility of material life. Prahlāda told them that we shouldn’t waste the rare and valuable human life for sense gratification and get entangled in materialistic family affairs. Human beings should perfect their lives by worshiping the infallible Supreme Lord with bhakti right from childhood. Nothing is unobtainable when Lord Viṣṇu is satisfied. The pure spirit soul gets entangled due to material intelligence. Bhakti, or devotion to Lord Viṣṇu, is the best path to disentangle the soul from material existence. Thus Prahlāda urged his classmates to take to viṣṇu-bhakti. Prahlāda’s gentle demeanor attracted all his schoolmates, who were not very much contaminated by their materialistic surroundings. They loved Prahlāda’s teachings and rejected the instructions of Śaṇḍa and Amarka. Just as Nārada Muni’s pure teachings had inspired Prahlāda although he was within his mother’s womb, Prahlāda’s pure teachings inspired his schoolmates although they were mere children and the sons of demons. Inspiration in bhakti flows effectively when the hearts of both the proponent and the recipient are pure. *After All, It’s the Power of God* Śaṇḍa and Amarka reported to Hiraṇyakaśipu about Prahlāda’s activities in school, and Hiraṇyakaśipu became furious. Perplexed about how his five-year-old boy could be so fearless, Hiraṇyakaśipu asked Prahlāda, “My son Prahlāda, you rascal, you know that when I am angry all the planets of the three worlds tremble, along with their chief rulers. By whose power has a rascal like you become so impudent that you appear fearless and overstep my power to rule you?” (Bhāgavatam 7.8.6) Prahlāda replied that the source of his strength was also the source of Hiraṇyakaśipu’s. That source—Lord Viṣṇu—is the original source of all kinds of strength for every single being. An advanced devotee is convinced that every living being is ultimately dependent on the Supreme Lord’s power. Without the Lord’s sanction, not a blade of grass moves. When we love someone, we feel that person’s presence always and everywhere. A devotee who is in love with the omniscient Godhead sees Him everywhere at all times. On the other hand, an atheistic person devoid of love of God cannot see Him anywhere and doesn’t believe in His existence. Although having no qualification to see God, such a person challenges the devotees to show God. Hiraṇyakśipu threatened to kill Prahlāda and challengingly asked him if his God was present in a pillar in the assembly hall. Knowing the all-pervading nature of the all-powerful Supreme Lord, Prahlāda firmly said, “Yes!” Hiraṇyakaśipu struck the pillar in rage. To prove true the declaration of His devotee Prahlāda that God is all-pervading, the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu appeared from the pillar in an unprecedented form as Nṛsiṁhadeva, half man and half lion. After enjoying fighting for some time, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva placed Hiraṇyakaśipu on His lap and killed him at sunset, in the doorway, merely with His nails. Although He is not obliged to do so, the Supreme Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva respected the benedictions that Brahmā had given to Hiraṇyakaśipu. The demigods celebrated the Lord’s victory and arrived on the scene to offer prayers to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. *Accomplished but Not Arrogant* None of the demigods’ prayers could pacify the angry Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, however, and even Lakṣmī Devī, the Lord’s eternal consort, was afraid to approach Him. Then Lord Brahmā requested Prahlāda to pacify Nṛsiṁhadeva. Although Prahlāda was chosen to pacify the Lord when all the great demigods and sages had failed to do so, he didn’t feel superior to them. A humble Vaiṣṇava who is fully qualified to serve the Lord still thinks himself extremely low. He is never falsely proud of his qualifications. Prahlāda prepared himself to offer prayers to the best of his ability, for his own purification. In his heartfelt prayers, Prahlāda showed his deep humility, devotion, eagerness for shelter, fear of conditioned life, compassion for the fallen souls, knowledge of the Godhead’s unlimited opulence, and gratitude towards his guru, Nārada Muni, who had taught him bhakti. In his prayers, Prahlāda indirectly indicated and directly declared that bhakti is the ultimate refuge and that material opulences are futile. > manye dhanābhijana-rūpa-tapaḥ-śrutaujas- > tejaḥ-prabhāva-bala-pauruṣa-buddhi-yogāḥ > nārādhanāya hi bhavanti parasya puṁso > bhaktyā tutoṣa bhagavān gaja-yūtha-pāya Prahlāda Mahārāja said: “One may possess wealth, an aristocratic family, beauty, austerity, education, sensory expertise, luster, influence, physical strength, diligence, intelligence, and mystic yogic power, but I think that even by all these qualifications one cannot satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, one can satisfy the Lord simply by devotional service. Gajendra did this, and thus the Lord was satisfied with him.” (Bhāgavatam 7.9.9) *It’s Not a Business Transaction* Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva was very pleased with Prahlāda’s prayers and told him to ask for any benediction he wanted. Considering material benedictions to be impediments in bhakti-yoga, Prahlāda asked Nṛsiṁhadeva not to tempt him with boons. He told Him that he wasn’t a selfish merchant, trading his devotional service for some material benefit. Prahlāda said, “A servant who desires material profits from his master is certainly not a qualified servant or pure devotee. Similarly, a master who bestows benedictions upon his servant because of a desire to maintain a prestigious position as master is also not a pure master. O my Lord, I am Your unmotivated servant, and You are my eternal master. There is no need of our being anything other than master and servant. You are naturally my master, and I am naturally Your servant. We have no other relationship. O my Lord, best of the givers of benediction, if You at all want to bestow a desirable benediction upon me, then I pray from Your Lordship that within the core of my heart there be no material desires.” (Bhāgavatam 7.10.5–7) Prahlāda then requested the Lord to excuse his father, and the Lord said that Hiraṇyakaśipu had been purified along with twenty-one generations of his ancestors. Thus Prahlāda serves as an unparalleled ideal example of selfless and seamless devotion unto Lord Viṣṇu. By the mercy of Nārada Muni, Prahlāda received the seed of bhakti, and by performing bhakti without motivations and interruptions, he became exalted, experiencing the bliss of bhakti within himself at every moment. Progress in bhakti depends on the intent and intensity of one’s practice. One who performs bhakti with selfish motivations and undue interruptions cannot experience the intended pleasure of the heart. Both a candle and a 2000-watt bulb can light a dark room. But the dim candle flame illuminates a corner of the room, while the bulb illuminates the entire room. Similarly, if one’s practice of bhakti is weak and wavering like the dim flame of a candle, one cannot derive the full pleasure that bhakti can offer. On the other hand, if one’s performance of bhakti is as powerful as a 2000-watt bulb, one experiences the full bliss of bhakti. Therefore, seeking inspiration from the character of little Prahlāda, let us take our baby steps to intensify our absorption in the practice of devotional service. *Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa, a disciple of His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami, is dean of the Bhaktivedānta Vidyāpīṭha (www.vidyapitha.in) at ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village (GEV), outside Mumbai. He has written the Subodhinī series of study guides and other books, including Disapproved but not Disowned and Bhāgavata Pravāha. He teaches scriptural courses at several places in India and oversees the deity worship at GEV.* The Sun Never Sets on Śrīla Prabhupāda’s and India’s Influence *India’s gifts to the world are numerous, and Prabhupāda delivered the best of them.* by Sārvabhauma Dāsa Śrīla Prabhupāda was a powerful force in spreading many of India’s greatest gifts throughout the world. Indian essayist and novelist Pankaj Mishra has noted, “European subordination of Asia [and in particular, British colonial rule over India] was not merely economic and political and military. . . . It left its victims . . . eager to be initiated into the mysteries of their seemingly near-magical power.” While it can no longer be said that “the sun never sets on the British Empire,” Western high-tech culture nonetheless still casts a powerful, almost magical, spell all over the world. Yet in the essay “World Pacificist and *Bhagavad-gītā*,” written before 1967, Śrīla Prabhupāda described another formidable cultural force. “India’s original [Kṛṣṇa conscious] culture will not only be revived and reestablished, but also will foster India’s indigenous culture in other parts of the world . . . [and] the people of the world will get relieved of the so-called material prosperity terrorized by atomic bombs.” In an article in the Guardian Susan L. Huntington, author of The Art of Ancient India and professor of art history at Ohio State University, outlined important ways that India’s age-old spiritually advanced culture still endures and influences today’s world. She writes: The cultural continuity between India’s past and present is unmatched in the other regions of the world. The modern societies in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, the Americas and China for the most part bear little resemblance to their ancient counterparts. Indeed, what is striking from an overview of the early phases of India’s long and rich cultural development is the fact that so many of the features in evidence through the material record have had a persistent and lasting effect on Indic society and the world. . . . As suggested by artifacts that have survived, and what we know about the religious and philosophical beliefs of the people, the period 2500 BCE to 500 CE in ancient India was one of extraordinary cultural brilliance, with innovations and traditions that still leave their mark on the world today. Huntington noted that ancient gifts from India “that still leave their mark” worldwide include yoga and Ayurvedic medicine. In a room conversation in London in 1973, Śrīla Prabhupāda indicated that while the world has always looked to India—not just for wealth but for her wisdom as well—those who have claimed to represent her spiritual culture have not always been ideal representatives. “The Western countries . . . ,” Prabhupāda explained, “they have heard so many things about India’s culture. . . . They respect India’s culture, spiritual culture; they are hankering after it. But unfortunately, the so-called *yogis*, *swamis*, come and cheat them. That is the difficulty. This is the first time that systematically we are presenting what is actual Vedic *dharma*, or bhāgavata-*dharma*.” *Books of Bhāgavata-dharma* For precisely that purpose, Śrīla Prabhupāda founded the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) in 1972—to systematically present *bhāgavata-dharma*, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The BBT is the world’s largest publisher of India’s ancient Vaiṣṇava texts, along with contemporary works on the philosophy, culture, and personalist theology of *bhakti-yoga*. And it has produced and distributed hundreds of millions of transcendental books in numerous languages. Instead of muddling or misrepresenting India’s Vedic teachings like “so-called *yogis* and swamis,” these books elucidate the *yuga-dharma*, the scripturally recommended spiritual practice for Kali-yuga, the current spiritually debilitated age. That practice is *saṅkīrtana-yajña*—chanting and glorifying the holy names, forms, and pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Bhagavad-gītā teaches that we are spirit souls, not Hindus, Muslims, Christians, British, Americans, Chinese, Russians, Africans, or Indians, and while its origin is India, it offers a practical way to rise above all mundane material designations, which—without transcendental knowledge and realization—can lead to discord. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s message to Arjuna in the *Gītā* is “The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].”(5.18) Lord Kṛṣṇa never tells Arjuna, “You are Hindu; therefore, you should discriminate against non-Hindus.” Rather He teaches, “You are a spirit soul; act as a pundit (paṇḍita), one who sees with equal vision, sama darśana.” In a letter to his disciple Rāmeśvara Dāsa in 1973, Prabhupāda compared the wide-scale distribution of transcendental Kṛṣṇa conscious literature such as *Bhagavad-gītā* *As It Is* to a battle against material illusion. “To distribute books is our most important activity. The temple is . . . a base from which we send out our soldiers to fight with *māyā*. Fight with *māyā* means to drop thousand[s] and millions of books into the lap of the conditioned souls. Just like during wartime, the bombs are raining from the sky like anything.” Although *Bhagavad-gītā* is thousands of years old, the fact that it still affects millions of lives in today’s world is a tribute to Śrīla Prabhupāda’s extraordinary devotion and vision, and to his effort to spread its message far and wide without change. Unlike many swamis and yogis who come to the West, Śrīla Prabhupāda did not present watered-down or impersonal teachings to attract followers. When advised to call his movement a society for “God” consciousness, Śrīla Prabhupāda refused. Rather, he named it the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, to establish the identity of God, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Prabhupāda did not promote sectarian Indian nationalism, or “Hindutva,” yet at the same time he did not artificially do away with important elements of Kṛṣṇa consciousness culture simply because they might appear to be Indian. For instance, he faithfully introduced the traditional practice of deity worship in ISKCON’s temples in North and South America, Europe, Australia, Africa, and other parts of the world, as it has been performed for centuries by millions of Vaiṣṇavas in India, and he organized large-scale Jagannātha Rathyātrā festivals in major cities worldwide. *Historians’ Perspectives* British historian Arnold Toynbee (1889–1975),whose magnum opus, the twelve-volume A Study of History, chronicles the rise and fall of twenty-six civilizations in human history, met Śrīla Prabhupāda in London on July 22, 1973. Like Prabhupāda, who tirelessly spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness to save a materialistic modern world that remains “terrorized by atomic bombs,” Toynbee was convinced that India’s spiritual culture has a crucial role to play. He wrote, “It is already becoming clear that a chapter which had a Western beginning will have to have an Indian ending if it is not to end in the self-destruction of the human race. At this supremely dangerous moment in history, the only way of salvation for mankind is the Indian way.” Pulitzer Prize-winning American historian Will Durant (1885–1981) had every hope that, as he put it, “India will teach us the tolerance and gentleness of mature mind, understanding spirit and a unifying, pacifying love for all human beings.” Like Durant, Professor Huntington appreciates what she termed “the Indic compassion towards all living beings,” which she indicated is relevant today, as it “has been adopted by groups that advocate vegetarianism, animal welfare and environmental activism. Perhaps there is no greater compliment that can be paid to India’s ancient culture than the fact that its sophisticated beliefs and reverence for life can serve as guideposts to the world today.” Despite the pernicious influence of Kali-yuga and the subjugation of India by predominantly meat-eating invaders such as Persians, Greeks, Arabs, and British over the last several thousand years—as well as an ongoing massive contemporary cultural attempt to conquer India by American fast-food juggernauts such as Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and McDonald’s, which aims to have a thousand fast-food restaurants in India (where it does not serve beef)—vestiges of the Vedic culture endure. While it is difficult to quantify or gauge the magnitude of its impact, the massive distribution of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books in India and around the world is helping to educate people how to counteract the onslaught of Kali-yuga. Without *bhāgavata-dharma*, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is always the danger that India will abandon her exalted spiritual culture, including what Huntington described as her traditional “reverence for life.” Although true compassion requires transcendental knowledge or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and must go beyond mundane vegetarianism or veganism, Prabhupāda did urge the closing of slaughterhouses. He once said that for human beings to be vegetarian is natural. “For a human being to become nonvegetarian is unnatural.” The fact that deadly coronavirus diseases such as covid-19 and SARS likely passed from animals to humans in wet markets—where flesh is sold for food—underscores the relevance of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s efforts to raise humankind from the modes of ignorance and passion. *An Ethical Diet* Despite the influence of Kali-yuga, even today India statistically remains the world’s leading vegetarian country; she has the highest percentage of vegetarians of any nation in the world and numerically more vegetarians than the rest of the world combined. Śrīla Prabhupāda has inspired his followers to promote this traditional ethical diet all over the world, and he jokingly called his Hare Kṛṣṇa movement the “kitchen religion” because well prepared and spiced vegetarian cuisine offered to the Lord—*prasādam*—is an attractive part of *bhakti-yoga* and a popular feature of the movement’s temple feasts and festivals, Govinda’s vegetarian restaurants, and meatless food-relief programs worldwide. Yet this is not exactly new; for thousands of years India’s vegetarian culture and its unrivaled status as the spice capital of the world, from ancient times right up to the present (India currently is the world’s leading producer, exporter, and consumer of spices) have attracted foreigners—including medieval European explorers like Vasco de Gama and Christopher Columbus, who sought India’s precious native spices such as black pepper and turmeric. Śrīla Prabhupāda has also substantially helped revive Vedic cow protection as it is practiced in brahminical, Vaiṣṇava culture—worldwide as well as in India—by inspiring the establishment of Kṛṣṇa conscious vegetarian ahiṁsā dairy farms on every continent, a vital mainstay of traditional Indian culture. Faithfully following the previous ācāryas, or teachers, in the Brahma-Mādhva-Gauḍīya sampradāya, or disciplic line, according to time, place, and circumstance, Prabhupāda brilliantly “revived and reestablished” the essence of India’s Vedic culture, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It’s hard to imagine anyone who has done more to influence the world—transcendentally—than he. Indeed, the sun is always shining around the globe on people of all lands, races, and nationalities who are reading Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, chanting the holy names of the Lord, and performing devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. *Sārvabhauma Dāsa, a disciple of Tamāl Kṛṣṇa Goswami, lives in Houston, Texas.* Pandemic: Finding Meaning Amid Suffering *Challenging times can inspire our most important thoughts about life.* by Caitanya Caraṇa Dāsa *Crises such as pandemics can be impetuses for us to reexamine how we see our place and purpose in the world.* A pandemic can seem monstrously meaningless. A virus from one corner of the world can mean death for thousands, disease for millions, and disruption of daily life for billions. No one likes suffering. But what we especially dislike is meaningless suffering. If we are given an injection, we accept the momentary pain as part of the cure. But if a thorn pricks us while we walk on a road, we find that pointless pain especially annoying. To face suffering gallantly, we need to see it as meaningful, as a part of some intelligible bigger picture. Making sense of what is happening can give us a sense of purpose and a sense of power. We get a sense of purpose on understanding how we can play a part in the bigger picture. And we feel empowered when we leverage the resources we have for playing that part. Amid a crisis such as a pandemic, the *Bhagavad-gītā* can help us in our search for meaning, purpose, and power. *Meaning: How Can I Make Sense of It?* The *Gītā* was spoken at a time when its protagonist, Arjuna, faced an excruciating ethical dilemma that made him ask a fundamental question: What makes life worth living? A similar question confronts us when we face a threat such as a killer virus. Adversity can prompt both action to deal with the immediate threat and contemplation about its ultimate significance. Amid catastrophe, we might get into a frenzied struggle for the things that have survival value—or even the things that only seem for the moment to have survival value Additionally, impending catastrophe can impel us to think deeply about what brings value to our survival. Questions about our mortality acquire an unneglectable urgency when we understand that death might be not just at our doorstep, but on our doorknob, in the form of an invisible but incurable virus. What would we want to do if we had only a month to live? In our modern world, we have become accustomed to a life that is comfortable but superficial. We live to consume mindless entertainment. We give too much importance to our careers. We place way too much stock in our positions and possessions. We act as if we are machines for producing and consuming. We reduce happiness to physical sensations and emotional stimulations. When our mind-numbing pursuits are suddenly brought to a screeching halt, we are forced to ask what really matters. Therein lies our opportunity to evolve spiritually. Spiritual evolution is essentially a change in our conception of the spirit that drives us: “What is really of value? What actually counts?” The *Gītā* is spoken as a guidebook to aid spiritual evolution. It explains that the world we live in is a broken place, prone to distress and death (8.15). The bodies we have are breakable, prone to deterioration and destruction. While unsentimentally stating these undeniable truths, the *Gītā* urges us to consider a daring possibility: Might death be a comma, not a full stop? Might there be a core to us that exists beyond bodily destruction? Given that death is the ultimate destroyer of meaning in a materialistic worldview, given that a materialistic worldview is as much a metaphysical truth-claim as a more spiritual worldview, given that materialism has left millions with a haunting lack of meaning, we might do well to be open to a worldview that helps us find deeper meaning in life and in death. Indeed, becoming receptive to a more meaningful worldview is the way we can have *karuṇā* (compassion) on ourselves. Guiding us in our search for meaning, the *Gītā* (2.13) asserts that, at our core, we are indestructible spiritual beings. In our current context, this implies that beyond our virus-prone bodies, we are virus-proof souls. *Gītā* wisdom explains that we all are on a multilife journey of spiritual evolution. In that journey, every experience, be it enjoyable or miserable, can help us evolve. While the destructibility of our bodies can make our life seem meaningless, the indestructibility of our souls can become the foundation for our search for meaning. Even when life sends us suffering that seems meaningless, we can pursue spiritual evolution and therein find meaning. A crisis like a pandemic can assume meaning when seen as a reminder to focus on the things that bring value to our survival. Maybe we can shed some of the many superficialities that have crowded and clouded our inner and outer worlds. Maybe we can start doing the things that really count. *Purpose: What Part Can I Play?* While many things in the world are beyond our control, especially amid a crisis, some things are still in our control, even amid a crisis. The thing that is most in our control is our own consciousness. It is our first resource, the resource that enables us to use all our other resources. If we are agitated, we can’t properly use our intelligence, our talent, our contacts, our money, our life itself. By appropriate spiritual practices such as chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, we can calm our consciousness and increase our readiness to face life’s inevitable sufferings. For suffering, karma is often thought of as the **Gītā*’s* causal explanation. Yet *Gītā* wisdom doesn’t offer any simplistic explanation for all suffering; it cautions that the ways of karma can be incomprehensible (4.17). And the *Gītā* never uses karma to shame the sufferer; blaming the victim is reprehensible. Rather than speculating about who has done what karma, we can focus on what is our *dharma*, the right thing to do. The *Mahābhārata*, the epic within which the *Gītā* is situated, is driven by the search for *dharma*—all the major characters are repeatedly confronted by misfortune, and they deliberate how to respond effectively. Rather than obsessing over the often-unanswerable question “Why do bad things happen to good people?” the epic focuses on a more pragmatic question: “When bad things happen to good people, what do good people do?” A motif that runs through the *Mahābhārata* is the power of human choice. Distress befalls everyone in the world. What characterizes the wise is their response—they act in ways that decrease distress, not increase it. We gain a sense of purpose when we stop obsessing over the cause of suffering and start focusing on the cure, specifically on our part in the cure. However bad the situation we are in, we can always make it worse. That we can make things worse implies we can also make them better. The question “What can I do to be a part of the solution, even if my part is small?” is our compass for finding purpose amid suffering. *Power: How Can I Play My Part?* Medical knowledge can empower us to adopt the best practices for protecting our and others’ health. Similarly, spiritual knowledge can empower us to act positively by reminding us that we can be agents of a healing force far greater than ourselves. The *Gītā* (15.7) explains that each one of us is a part of the whole, the Supreme Truth—Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is not a judgmental being sitting atop the clouds to hurl thunderbolts on the sinful; He is the universal indwelling companion, situated in the chariot of our body, helping us fight our Kurukshetra on the field of life. We can play our part in harmony with Kṛṣṇa if we let ourselves be guided by a service attitude: “How can I serve? How can I contribute?” That service attitude can be the flashlight to see the path ahead. We know that we can do better. If we stop complaining or panicking or blaming, we can be calmer and steadier. The flashlight of our service attitude can show us our path more clearly. Amid a pandemic or other crisis, whatever we can do can seem like a tiny flashlight in a vast darkness. Yet every flashlight counts. Every step taken in the right direction makes a difference. If our flashlight can show the way for even one person, we are contributing that much to the solution. Small acts of kindness can bring warmth to those facing the abyss of loneliness. We can’t change the world, but we can change one person’s world. And because we are all parts of Kṛṣṇa, we can become channels for His light to manifest through us. If we offer ourselves as pliable and capable instruments, His light radiating through us can transform us from penlights to floodlights. If we diligently do the things we can do, divine grace may well empower us to many of the things we thought we couldn’t do. In a corona crisis, each one of us can be an agent of karuṇā. *Caitanya Caraṇa Dās 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, “Gītā-Daily,” *visit gitadaily.com.* The Kṛṣṇa Conception: Little Saraswati and the Dawn of ISKCON *The first child born in ISKCON received much love and attention from the movement’s founder.* By Satyarāja Dāsa “Prabhupāda says, “Oooh, this very morning I dreamed about this child [infant Saraswati], this exact child.’” Any thorough retelling of ISKCON’s early history will invariably include mention of a little girl, Saraswati by name, the daughter of two of the movement’s earliest members, Śyāmasundara Dāsa and Mālatī Devī Dāsī. Both are today well known for helping Śrīla Prabhupāda unfurl his mission worldwide. Prabhupāda was proud of little Saraswati, and would often point to her significance as part of his movement, as she showed how anyone—literally anyone—can take part in it. “Even a little child can engage in this process, chanting ‘Hare Kṛṣṇa,’ Prabhupāda said in reference to Saraswati, “It is simple and sublime. Just see.” In fact, Saraswati was the first child conceived in Prabhupāda’s Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, her very birth a significant part of “the Kṛṣṇa conception,” to use an obvious double entendre. The fundamental conception of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is that one can be a devotee of Kṛṣṇa—the same one Supreme Godhead referred to by any number of names, in any of the world’s many languages—regardless of one’s caste, creed, or religious affiliation. It has nothing to do with gender, race, or age. It is simply a matter of opening one’s heart and letting Him in. As Saraswati did. The background of this story is well known: In the summer of 1965, at the age of 69, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda left the holy land of Vrindavan, India, to share Kṛṣṇa’s eternal message in the West. A little over one month later, he arrived in Boston by freight ship, carrying only forty rupees and a trunk of books—the treasures in that trunk were his own translation of Śrīmad-Bhagavatam’s First Canto, his initial literary offering to the world. In the coming years this offering would overflow into a Vedic ocean of transcendental literature. Soon Prabhupāda was in New York City, where in 1966 he opened a temple and incorporated ISKCON. Enthusiastic followers joined him and made his teachings their life and soul. As quickly as one could say “Hare Kṛṣṇa,” that first temple surged with young seekers and fledgling devotees, and new temples were needed to accommodate the demand. One of Prabhupāda’s first serious followers was Michael Grant, a jazz musician who would become Mukunda Dāsa (and eventually Mukunda Goswami), one of Prabhupāda’s most outspoken advocates. After initiation, Mukunda planned a trip to India, but was sidetracked with the notion of visiting old friends on the West Coast. He and his wife, Jan (Jānakī Dāsī), made their way to see Jan’s sister, Joan, who would also join them and eventually become Yamunā Devī. Mukunda and Jānakī wanted to tell their close friends about the Swami they had met in New York (Prabhupāda), and so, in early October 1966 they drove across America to Sisters, Oregon, where they reconnected with Sam Speerstra, who had recently gotten a job with the U.S. Forest Service to scout for fires in Deschutes National Forest. He lived on a ninety-foot-high mountaintop tower with his girlfriend, Melanie Lee Nagel. Mukunda convinced them of Prabhupāda’s authenticity, and they too soon become disciples. Sam became Śyāmasundara and Melanie, Mālatī. These devotees, along with Gurudāsa, Yamunā’s husband, worked together to open a Hare Kṛṣṇa temple in San Francisco, wanting to invite Prabhupāda for the grand opening and to thus transform the face of the West Coast—and, from there, the entire world. It was the height of the hippie era, and “love” was already a central theme. The devotees wanted to give this love an added depth by infusing it with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They knew that Prabhupāda’s presence would do just that. Consequently, they opened the first Hare Kṛṣṇa temple in San Francisco, in the Haight-Ashbury district. It was the movement’s second temple. Many more would follow. It was in San Francisco, just after the summer of love (1967), that Saraswati was conceived. The next summer, on June 17, some two weeks before the now famous 1968 Rathayātrā festival, she was born. The baby was at the festival, an offspring of Lord Jagannātha’s mercy. *Expansion of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness* A third temple opened in Montreal, and in the summer of ’68 Prabhupāda was staying there. Prabhupāda named Saraswati on the day of her birth. “I ran out to the pay phone in the hall and rang the Montreal temple,” writes Śyāmasundara. “The Swami’s voice comes on: ‘Bhaktivedanta here.’” Śyāmasundara tells us what happened after that: “Yes, Swamiji, our baby was born today here in San Francisco. It is a girl. Will you name her?” A short pause. “She shall be called Saraswati devi dasi.” Over the moon, I yelled down the hall to Malati: “It’s Saraswati!” Saraswati is the goddess of music and knowledge, and she became the first child conceived and born in the Krishna consciousness movement. Swamiji wrote a letter to Sachisuta on June 17, 1968: “Just now I received one telephone message from San Francisco that a girl baby is born of Malati and Shymasundar. And they asked me for registration of the baby’s name, and she is named by me as Sarasvati devi. Please pray for the newly born baby in Krishna consciousness.” Soon after, Śyāmasundara decided he wanted to meet the Beatles to share Kṛṣṇa consciousness with them. Unsure why he was given this inspiration, much less whether it would bear fruit, he became determined to make the meeting happen and planned a trip to England. “After all,” he reasoned, “George Harrison is getting more and more into Eastern spirituality and the music of India. Maybe he’ll appreciate Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” Additionally, Prabhupāda would often talk about London, in terms of the British Raj and its influence on India. And it became clear that he wanted ISKCON to expand into that part of the world. Thus for Śyāmasundara the meeting became an obsession. But Prabhupāda told him that the baby should be at least six weeks old before traveling. “So we quickly meet with Mukunda and Janaki and Gurudas and Yamuna to pick a date for getting out of here,” writes Śyāmasundara. “We decide to go to Montreal first to get blessings from the Swami [Prabhupāda] and instructions on what to do in London. We shoot for late August.” The three couples and little Saraswati arrived in Canada on August 10, 1968, and made their way to the new Montreal temple. Govinda Dāsī, Prabhupāda’s assistant, greets them at the door, and upon seeing them, Prabhupāda says, “Oooh, this very morning I dreamed about this child, this exact child. I dreamed about her this morning.” He looks at Saraswati for a moment and says, “Remember me? I’m you’re old friend.” Saraswati looks up at him, wide-eyed and curious. He smiles at her lovingly. She is face to face with her “old friend.” Two days later, Prabhupāda wrote to Hayagrīva, one of his earliest disciples in New York: “Just on Saturday, several devotees have arrived from San Francisco: Mukunda, Janaki, Gurudasa, Yamuna, Shymasundar, Malati (and their little child, Srimati Sarasvati devi). All of them have come here for two weeks to practice together as our Sankirtana party, then they will go to London and begin preparations for our center there. While they are here, we are having rehearsal of Kirtana daily.” Prabhupāda often expressed concern about Saraswati, so young and in the midst of a vital, growing movement, with a lot of activity all around her. But in general she was a happy camper, compliments of Mālatī: “I have seen that baby Saraswati is always eating,” Prabhupāda mused. “Mālatī is nursing her child so nicely that she attended my meeting every day and the child was playing and she never cried.” Soon they were off for London. Prabhupāda dispatched them with great affection, especially Saraswati, to whom he offered a special good-bye. Śyāmasundara writes: And then the Swami asked Malati to hand Saraswati to him. He grabbed her little swaddled body gently in one hand and swung her to his chest, looped his garland around them both, and with such obvious love he said, in his sometimes cheeky way, “Now they will say, ‘What kind of sannyasi is he?’” Malati: I don’t think there was any photo of that. It was a very heartfelt departure. We were thinking, even, Will we see you again? We had one-way tickets. So we were intent on drinking in that vision of Swamiji behind that little desk, knowing we might not see him again, maybe ever. And indeed, this was the last time we saw Swamiji’s face for almost exactly one year. The three couples had one-way tickets to Luxembourg with the now nine-week-old Saraswati. They had virtually no money, and no one to receive them when they arrived—all they had was faith in Prabhupāda’s mission. *Meeting the Beatles, Winning Hearts* They planned a brief stopover in New York, where they saw ISKCON’s first temple and their newly acquired brothers and sisters—Prabhupāda’s other disciples on the East Coast. From there they went to London, arriving on August 28. They struggled there for many months, working hard to make the Kṛṣṇa conception known in the UK, staying wherever they could. Even though it took all they had, the six devotees and Saraswati were happy, making inroads by small increments. Overall, it was Śyāmasundara’s dream come true—or at least the first part of it. He was in London, spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But now the more difficult part: meeting the Beatles. The specifics of how he met the “Fab Four,” as they’re called, have been detailed by many. The story is told particularly well by Śyāmasundara in Chasing Rhinos with the Swami, and by Joshua Greene (Yogeśvara Dāsa) in his biographies of George Harrison (Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison) and Prabhupāda (Swami in a Strange Land: How Krishna Came to the West). But in terms of our present context, what is especially significant is Saraswati’s meeting with the famed pop band. Śyāmasundara writes: Up the steep stairs I lead him. I make the introductions, everyone shy, exhilarated, grinning—the ladies first: “George, meet my wife Malati.” (I’d already told him: formerly Melanie, hip, busy Frisco motorcycle chick, a dark-haired beauty—now vulnerable and blushing as she slips a garland around his neck.) “And this is our baby, Saraswati, almost eight months old. This is Yamuna.” (My friend since childhood, no-nonsense Joan, contralto voice like an angel.) “And this is her sister Janaki, and Janaki’s husband, Mukunda, who’s my old college mate, the first of us to meet Bhaktivedanta Swami.” (Mike Grant, jazz pianist extraordinaire.) “And Gurudas, Yamuna’s husband.” (New York street-wise dreamer and SF flower child.) Gurudas breaks the spell. “Let’s eat!” And we gather around on the floor as the girls lay out plates and bowls and heap them with Indian specialties. Just then, Saraswati crawls over, grabs a chapati off George’s plate, and holds it up to his face—“Why, thank you, Saraswati,” he says, unsure, but he takes a nibble. Malati grabs her, pulls her back to her lap, and everyone laughs. … On Sunday, September 7, we invited George and Pattie [Harrison], with John and Yoko, to a picnic in our new temple in the gallery. The girls whipped up a multi-course lunch, and we had a kirtan and sat around on the cool tile floor eating and getting to know each other. Janaki taught John how to play kartals; Saraswati, now walking, charmed everybody; Gurudas ran around and took black-and-white photos, although it made John and Yoko a little uptight. Everyone loved the prasadam, and all agreed it was a perfect day. But if Saraswati worked her way into Beatle hearts, as she did, she accomplished the same with Śrīla Prabhupāda. In her childlike way, she “got it.” She knew that Prabhupāda held the key to Kṛṣṇa. The following story illustrates this clearly: “Ah, look, there is Miss Saraswati!” “Pa-pa-pad!” Saraswati rises from her obeisances, raises her little arms in the air, and runs toward him, then stops, hangs her head, shy, thinking maybe she’s overstepped her bounds. Prabhupada leans down, takes her hand, and they walk together into his building and slowly up the stairs, chatting like old friends. In a closet next to his room, Prabhupada had set up small Radha-Krishna deities. He’s been teaching Yamuna and others the art of deity worship. Purushottam offers breakfast to the deities with an arati ceremony, ringing the bell, while the Swami sits joking around with Saraswati. Suddenly Saraswati rises to leave, and Prabhupada tosses a marigold at her that bounces off the back of her head. She picks up the flower, brings it back and, arm extended, she stuffs it into Prabhupada’s mouth. Just then I walk in—and crack up. Prabhupada has that saucer-eyed look, an orange flower filling his mouth. I hand the kid her favorite toy, a small Gopal doll she had dropped on the stairs, and say, “Saraswati, show Prabhupada your new doll, Baby Krishna.” Saraswati hands Prabhupāda her little doll, and he admires it with an “Oooooh!” She turns to me for my approval, and while she’s looking away, the Swami tucks the doll behind his back and says, “Saraswati, where is Krishna?” She looks around his desk, under the desk, makes a circuit around the room, and is about to cry, then points to Prabhupada, and says, “Pa-pad has Krishna!” Her little hands dive around in the fold of his dhoti and behind his back while Prabhupada shakes with hilarity. Then he reaches back and brings out the doll. Saraswati grabs it from him, shrieks, and runs out of the room, leaving us speechless we’re laughing so hard. For devotees, the story engenders much more than its overt meaning. “Prabhupāda has Kṛṣṇa.” Indeed. *With Prabhupāda in India* On September 20, 1970, a letter arrives from Śrīla Prabhupāda. The devotees in England are exhilarated, but few as much as Śyāmasundara and Mālatī: In the letter, Prabhupāda expresses his desire to have twenty disciples come to India to be with him—and they are on his list. “I was upstairs at Bury Place [the ISKCON temple],” says Mālatī, “. . . and someone came up with this aerogram and Prabhupāda was instructing us to come to India, so he gave a list of twenty names. We were on the list—and by hand he wrote, ‘And baby Saraswati.’” The list included Gurudāsa and Yamunā as well. Mukunda and Jānakī would stay back and take care of the temple in England with a handful of other devotees. Saraswati is now two years old. She is on her way to sacred India with the first coterie of Western devotees, flying there at Prabhupāda’s personal behest. When they arrive, the family finds itself in Bombay while Prabhupāda is in Calcutta. But that only makes their thoughts of union sweeter—they haven’t seen their guru in almost a year, and now they’re in the same country, even if separated by many miles. They can’t wait to be in his presence. Nonetheless, Śyāmasundara is developing strategies for preaching in Bombay on Prabhupāda’s behalf. In the long run, it was clearly all part of Kṛṣṇa’s plan—Western Vaishnavas in the land of the Ganges. And it was working. The people of Bombay were receptive to Śyāmasundara’s presence, and he wrote to Prabhupāda to inform him. Prabhupāda, never one to miss an opportunity to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness, quickly flew out to make that work for them on a larger scale. Sure enough, soon after arriving, they did public program after public program, with very little rest, each one larger than the one before. At such functions, Prabhupāda wisely engaged Saraswati in simple, fun, and yet effective ways guaranteed to sway any sensitive soul to the Kṛṣṇa conception. “Saraswati’s job at these gatherings,” writes Shymasundar, “was to sing and dance, and Prabhupada carried her in his car—often she sat on his lap—to all the programs. She broke the ice at the meetings, melted India’s heart, and she was soon the darling of Bombay.” Saraswati stayed in India throughout 1971, and she was even there for Prabhupāda’s historic venture into Vrindavan in November of that year—the first circumambulation of Kṛṣṇa’s holy land with Western disciples. Śyāmasundara remembers: He’s back home. This is where he hatched out the whole Hare Krishna movement. This is where Krishna empowered him to come West. And little Saraswati, she was one of his favorites. She followed him wherever he went. Sometimes he would grab her hand and walk with her. If Saraswati didn’t come to his room every morning around eight o’clock, he would sometimes ask, “And where is Saraswati?” He expected to see her every morning. And quite often he would play some trick on her when she came, either to make her laugh or cry. But he would always make up and give her some nice sweet. Prabhupāda’s mission was spreading rapidly, and Śyāmasundara was called upon to travel with him around the world, as his personal secretary, even while his wife and daughter would stay on in India. Thus, by late June 1971 Prabhupāda and Śyāmasundara were off to Russia, and although Prabhupāda didn’t stay long, he changed the face of Eastern Europe forever. Today the movement thrives in that part of the world due to his brief time there. From Moscow they flew to Paris and then on to San Francisco. Then they went to New York and back to England. Śyāmasundara was amazed at how the movement had grown, and now, with Prabhupāda’s presence, it would grow even more. They also went to Kenya, where the movement was struggling to achieve a foothold among the local people. After four months, however, they were back in India, first Calcutta and then Delhi, where massive festivals called “Pandal programs” were being organized on Prabhupāda’s behalf. Once in Delhi, Śyāmasundara was reunited with his wife and daughter, and as usual Saraswati was playing a major role at the festivals. Gargamuni Dāsa, one of Prabhupāda’s earliest disciples, remembers her contribution at that Delhi celebration: It was massively successful. You have to envision it. Connaught Place was modeled after its namesake in London, only larger, a literal hub for all the roads leading into Delhi, to the north being the Parliament and secretariat, and to the west residential areas for ministers, secretaries, VIPs, and the wealthy. Everyone came to this festival. People for as far as the eye could see. . . . Achyutananda, Dinanath, and myself, along with others, too, were on stage with Prabhupada, doing kirtan. Achyutananda was leading. And an amazing thing happened: Little Saraswati—she couldn’t have been more than three or four at the time—goes in front of Prabhupāda’s seat, and turns to the audience and gestures that they should all stand up and dance. How do you say no to a child? So they did. Almost 30,000 people rise to their feet and dance. Mind you, this was a different India in those days. Indians were more conservative than they are now. They weren’t into dancing at festivals. Still, they got up and everyone was in ecstasy. Prabhupada’s oceanic smile was the icing on the cake. He was obviously pleased. “Saraswati is a star in every show,” writes Śyāmasundara. “She dances around on-stage, followed by Prabhupada’s eyes. He laughs when she jumps in the air, enticing the audience to higher excitement. She wears tiny Rajasthani outfits: blouses and skirts of bold colors, mirrors and spangles. On one side of the pandal-tent is the very popular ‘Questions and Answers’ booth, where a senior devotee would sit on a high vyasasan and answer questions put by the public. All day long and into the night, three or four hundred visitors would stand around this booth and throw questions at Tamal Kṛṣṇa, or Gurudas, or Rishi Kumar, until well after midnight. There was a photo-display of ISKCON activities around the world, and a large scale-model exhibit of the Mayapur scheme.” As for Saraswati, her time with Prabhupāda was naturally life-altering. After all, the *Bhāgavatam* (11.2.30) tells us, “Even half a moment’s association with pure devotees is a priceless treasure.” Lord Caitanya confirmed this truth in the *Caitanya-caritāmṛta* (*Madhya* 22.54): “Simply by a moment’s association with a saintly person, one can attain the perfection of life.” *Keeping Kṛṣṇa in Her Life* Saraswati lived multiple lifetimes in just a few years. When she was five years old, it was time to start school. Her parents were aware that a stabilizing influence would be important for her future—a solid home foundation and regular attendance at a good school—and Prabhupāda encouraged it. “I tearfully dropped her off at the fledgling Gurukula school in Dallas—a highly accredited ISKCON boarding school at the time—in early 1973,” remembers Śyāmasundara. But he and Mālatī missed her so much—and she, them—that she returned to her parents in London later that summer. For a while she attended the Gurukula in France as well. At that point, she spent more time with Mālatī, who saw to her education. By the time of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s departure in 1977, Saraswati had returned to the States and then lived with Śyāmasundara in Los Angeles, where his work had taken him several years earlier. This allowed him to create a stable home for Saraswati. While there, she attended elementary and high schools in Topanga, Mt. Baldy, and Upland, California, and then went on to earn a scholarship and complete her studies at the University of Southern California, majoring in political science and psychology. Now fifty-one, and called Sara, she is married and has two children. She still feels a sense of community with the devotees. “World travel in my youth, especially being part of early ISKCON, has shown me that we’re all connected. People are different and yet the same, no matter where they come from. We all want the same things, we’re all spiritual beings, bonded on a fundamental level, beneath all the superficial differences.” Her core beliefs, she says, are the same as always. She maintains that real spirituality means “not being judgmental, to be open, forgiving, loving, as Prabhupāda was to me.” He taught her to be loving to all creatures, and he taught her that real spirituality necessarily translates into action, and that the best action is delivered with a kind heart, motivated by spiritual purpose. She learned this from him, she says, not only by his words but by his example. Apropos of this, she is today a vegan, preferring a plant-based diet, and is a big supporter of the Golden Rule—“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”—something she imbibed from her early days with the devotees. She tries to show by her everyday activities and her interaction with others what spiritual life means to her. Throughout her life, Saraswati has always benefited from and reflected on Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mercy in her early years. It affects her life to this day. She remembers that he was her best friend and transcendental playmate in her childhood, and that he was always kind to her. “What I learned from him cannot be put into words,” she says. “It formed who I am, how I see the world, and what I value in life.” She still chants, too, calling the mahā-mantra—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—her “great shelter,” something she invariably turns to for peace and inner satisfaction. Although she is not a regular *sādhaka* in an external sense, she calls upon Kṛṣṇa’s name regularly, sometimes overtly and sometimes subliminally. It’s always there for her: Reaching out for the holy name is like reaching out for Prabhupāda in her youth, she says. Nearly every day she remembers him smiling and laughing. The benefits of such a memory are limitless, especially when it relates to a pure devotee. In her early life among the devotees, Saraswati was always with her parents, it’s true. But she was also traveling to various parts of the world, often finding herself in the same room with people who were unknown to her. Prabhupāda’s smile and encouraging laughter gave her comfort, even personal self-confidence, as one normally gets in the company of someone who is old and wise, like a kindly grandfather figure. His smile and laughter always lifted her spirits, she says. And because it was Prabhupāda, it did a lot more than that: It helped her—and continues to help her—remember Kṛṣṇa. *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.* *Regarding this article, he offers special thanks to Sara (Saraswati) Siegel, Mālatī Dāsī, and Śyāmasundara Dāsa for their input by correspondence and phone. Śyāmasundara’s book Chasing Rhinos with the Swami was also indispensable in the writing of this article.* Book Excerpt: The Divine Love Trip - Meditations of a Prabhupāda Disciple *At Home in Jagannātha Purī Dhāma* *A devotee from America recalls her life and thoughts while living in one of India’s holiest cities.* by Sāmapriya Devī Dāsī “Lord Jagannātha walked right over me!” [Excerpted from The Divine Love Trip: Mediations of a Prabhupāda Disciple, Copyright 2019 Ellen Ruth Estes (Sāmapriya devī dāsī). This excerpt contains selected parts of the fifteenth chapter, titled “*Jagannātha Purī Dhāma*.” The book is available at the Krishna.com Store and the Amazon Global Store (print and Kindle editions).] *Introduction* When my husband and I first visited Jagannātha Purī we stayed on the beach at the Shankar Hotel. The owners were friendly and very pleased to tell us they knew other ISKCON devotees. The Shankar is in Chakra-tīrtha, on the east side of Purī, where many tourists are drawn to vacation. Europeans and Russians flock to Jagannātha Purī to take advantage of an inexpensive holiday in a quaint beach town, not understanding it to be a sacred place. We began to visit Purī every year in the winter. Quickly, attachment to long japa walks on the beach, roaming cows, and Lord Jagannātha, whose presence was manifest in all aspects of life, grew and we were feeling more and more at home in this holy *dhāma*. We had lived in Vṛndāvana for eight years and Māyāpur four years, but the intensity of living in the *dhāma* seemed to ease under the loving smile and magnanimous gaze of Lord Jagannātha. ISKCON owned twenty-five acres one hundred yards from the beach and another five directly on the coast. When a group of devotees became excited to develop a project there, we were happy to become part of it. The organizers of the project drew up a master plan, and five acres in the back which included a beautiful coconut garden were designated for devotees to build their homes. We distributed Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books and worked in the USA for several years, my mother gave us a donation and we sold our apartment in Māyāpur. Now with enough funds we were able to build a house in the newly founded Purī project. The land was divided into parcels and leased to devotees from all over the world. Our house was in the middle of these parcels directly in back of the coconut garden. Every year we traveled to America to work during the Christmas season, and with that financial base we maintained ourselves in Lord Jagannātha’s holy *dhāma*. We continued doing this for twenty-two years. *Cows* Cows often wandered ISKCON’s property, strolling to the back where several devotees had built their homes. In India sometimes cows and bulls walk the streets like mendicants. Understanding the sanctity of the cow, residents and shopkeepers take advantage of this opportunity to serve them by supplying grass, grains and vegetables. Generally bulls, who are more independent, travel alone, but cows, being very social, move in herds. One year, on Govardhana-pūjā, my husband and I sat on our screened porch facing the coconut grove, shielded from torrents of rain pounding the earth. Through the storm we could still hear the mighty ocean roaring five hundred meters away. The tumultuous winds and rain were mystifying as we celebrated Lord Kṛṣṇa protecting His cows and devotees from the wrath of Indra five thousands years earlier. As we sat enchanted by the raging deluge, we noticed several cows passing by just outside our boundary wall. They were en route for shelter at Vaiyāsaki’s unfinished house. Our dear god-brother had been enthusiastic to begin building, but unforeseen circumstances had forced him to desist. The skeleton of his house—roof, inner walls, and openings for windows and doors—had long since become a lodging for cows, monkeys, and other forest animals. On that Govardhana-pūjā day the rains were exceptionally heavy and there seemed like an endless stream of cows and bulls filing past our porch seeking shelter at Vaiyāsaki’s house. Every day at least five or ten cows meandered to the back end of the ISKCON land where our house stood to feast on the vegetable cuttings we saved for them. After receiving alms, they’d sit for hours chewing their cud and finally falling asleep in the shade of the tall trees. But this Govardhana-pūjā was a site to behold! Literally hundreds of cows lined in a row, climbed the steps to Vaiyāsaki’s unfinished *kīrtana* hall, and huddled together sheltered from the rain waiting out the storm. This extraordinary sight serendipitously resembled the enactment of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Govardhana līlā five thousand years ago as He lifted Govardhana Hill, providing shelter for the cows and residents of Vṛndāvana. During that torrential thunderstorm in Lord Jagannātha’s holy dhāma, Śrī Kṛṣṇa also gave shelter to His beloved cows in Vaiyāsaki’s half-built house. In the purport to *Bhagavad-gītā* 14.16, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca jagaddhitāya kṛṣṇāya govindāya namo namaḥ “My Lord, You are the well-wisher of the cows and the brāhmaṇas, and You are the well-wisher of the entire human society and world.” The purport is that special mention is given in that prayer for the protection of the cows and the brāhmaṇas. Brāhmaṇas are the symbol of spiritual education, and cows are the symbol of the most valuable food; these two living creatures, the brāhmaṇas and the cows, must be given all protection-that is real advancement of civilization. *Dust From the Feet of Lord Jagannātha* During the Ratha-yātrā festival in Jagannātha Purī the three majestic chariots of Lord Jagannātha, Lord Baladeva, and Lady Subhadrā sparkle in the sunshine as They stand outside the temple waiting for the Lords to board them. The newly painted carts are adorned with a myriad of flower garlands, cāmaras, bells and priests. Preparations for Lord Jagannātha’s Ratha-yātrā begin months in advance, and every year new chariots are built for the Lord’s transcendental journey. Mounds of wood collected for their construction are piled on both sides of Grand Road, where the service of building the chariots is performed. These chariots are handcrafted by artisans whose families have performed the same service to the Lord for thousands of years. On the day of the festival a very long, thick rope is held firmly in the hands of designated police officers. They proudly surround and protect the three regal carts, creating a cordon, as the crowd waits for the Lord to leave His temple. We became friends with the King of Purī, a graduate from Northwestern University in Chicago, and he was pleased to give us VIP passes inside the cordon. This was a great honor, and those passes allowed us to move freely within a secure area encircled by a million people. Multitudes of enthusiastic pilgrims travel hundreds miles to witness the Lords’ ascension onto Their Ratha-yātrā carts. There are seats on rooftops and balconies placed under cloth canopies for thousands of devotees. From those precious seats the public can view Lord Jagannātha and His divine brother and sister leave the temple to board Their chariots. Inside the cordon we too could see the grand forms of the Lords as They rocked back and forth, Their elaborate flower crowns swaying rhythmically. This progressive step-by-step walk of the Lord assisted by His servants is called pahandi. Finally, the Lord and His servants arrive at the long, steep ramp that leads to the elevated throne on Lord Jagannātha’s dazzling chariot. It’s not easy to escort the massive form of Lord Jagannātha up the wooden planks. The Deity is pushed and pulled by His devotees, who bellow sounds of hard labor mixed with devotional pride and ecstasy, honored to be serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead in such intimacy. All the residents of Purī are proud of the individual services they perform for the Lord’s pleasure. These services stem from centuries-old family traditions. Some families perform service daily and others only on special occasions, but hundreds of the Lord’s servants are engaged during the Ratha-yātrā festival—carving the chariot wheels or building the carts or sewing flags or painting exquisite images and designs on the bodies of the carts, and, of course, cooking the offerings. Everyone honors their particular service as the most important activity of their lives. As Lord Jagannātha was being rocked up the ramp by His devoted servants, I stood at a distance and appreciated how Lord Caitanya and His associates witnessed the same pahandi ceremony in this sacred place five hundred years earlier. While the Lord and His party steadily ascended, I noticed an opening under the ramp. If I stood up straight and tall, I could easily push my head under the ramp and then there would only be inches between Lord Jagannātha’s lotus feet and my head. This was a unique opportunity in the span of eternity, and I could not let it pass. I knew if I moved too quickly, other enthusiastic devotees would notice and this would make it impossible for me to strategically situate myself to receive the Lord’s mercy. So, I moved slowly and strolled nonchalantly under the ramp. No one knew why I was there; no one cared. As the Lord proceeded to climb, I pushed my head up until it touched the underside of the ramp. Lord Jagannātha walked right over me! Sacred dust from His lotus feet fell between the wooden planks and onto my head. It didn’t take long for others to notice what I was doing, though, and suddenly the entire area beneath the ramp was filled with pilgrims who wanted their own share of the sacred dust. Lord Jagannātha weighs at least two tons, and it is very rare for Him to step on someone’s head. Somehow by the Lord’s causeless mercy He placed His lotus feet on my head, and I live to tell the tale. All glories to the Lord of the universe! He gives His blessings to those who have no other shelter in the world but Him. *Purī Poem* While attending a kīrtana at a dear friend’s home in Alachua, Florida, I saw a very, very long red triangular flag draped on the wall just opposite from where I was sitting. This flag, which bore a bright yellow sun and crescent moon at its widest end, was prasāda from Lord Jagannātha’s temple in Jagannātha Purī. It was a gift from the devotee’s son, whose melodious chanting awakened a mood of love in everyone. When I saw that flag, I felt great separation from my life in Jagannātha Purī. This “Purī Poem” is an account of what happened in my heart during that sublime kīrtana. O beloved Purī, are you lost to me forever? Now I am so far away, will this cause us to sever that which exists beyond the world and grows so deep inside, though wandering a distant land where I now reside? You demanded everything, a struggle in my soul, as I searched for what is real, desperate to be whole. Now I do not walk your beach or hear the ocean cry, but there’s a dhāma within my heart, complete internal sky. O vipralambha-dhāma, you slip away from one who’s burning. As I utter prayers with hope the Lord will hear my yearning. What of my precious moments and cherished jewels of time? As I dare remember them, my tears become sublime. Sitting in your blessed lap, I chant the holy name, as descriptions of eternity bow their heads in shame. The Lord chose you, O Purī-dhāma, secret of delights, to relish prema of Himself, concealed in moonlit nights. Shadows of the coco palms dance on sacred sands. Lord Jagannātha rules all the worlds, but here His love demands, that those who wish to join with Him must know the trepidation, hidden in this hallowed land thrives love in separation. Breaking waves upon the beach lull me to gentle sleep, protected in Your own backyard for You to love and keep. But plagued by discontentment, attachments made me weep, and what one sows within his heart later he must reap. You, my Lord, control my life no matter where I go, and I am drowning in despair, as only You can know. I visit You in dark of night to dance upon the street, where Your Ratha-yātrā moves, and pray that we shall meet. Pilgrims come from all the world to see Your smiling face, walking through the obstacles that You have set in place. To satisfy their tortured hearts and miseries erase, they bow before You humbly and seek Your loving grace. Lord of my life, You reside in a temple by the sea, cowherd boy plays on His flute, calls all souls to be free. I long to hear this dazzling sound that stirs the depths of soul, awakening my slumbered state to cleanse my heart of coal. There are no papers, no tickets, no passes, no airplanes, no buses, no cars, yet all of a sudden I lay before You wearing my bruises and scars. Uplift me, my Lord, I shan’t go away but tightly embracing Your feet, I wait for the bolts of Your doors to unlock, rolling in Your sacred street. *Sāmapriya Devī Dāsī was initiated by Śrīla Prabhupāda in Berkeley, California, in 1975. Since 1999, she and her husband, Dhruva Mahārāja Dāsa, have lived sometimes in Jagannātha Purī and sometimes in Alachua, Florida.* Practicing Spiritual Life in Difficult Times *Sincere devotional practice in easy times will reward us when the times get tough.* by Viśākhā Devī Dāsī Kṛṣṇa gives sincere devotees the ability to pass any tests of faith that come their way. Sometimes devotees think, “Now that I’ve taken up Kṛṣṇa consciousness, my life will be problem-free.” Later, when inevitable problems arise, devotees may become disappointed, discouraged, and confused. It’s not unusual for those on the spiritual path to face difficulties: “To pursue the transcendental path is more or less to declare war on the illusory energy,” Śrīla Prabhupāda writes. “Consequently, whenever a person tries to escape the clutches of the illusory energy, she tries to defeat the practitioner by various allurements.” (*Gītā* 6.37, Purport) After a country declares war, its citizens will likely have more problems than they had before—their young people are drafted, there are supply shortages, and there is danger from attacks. Similarly, when we declare war on the illusory energy by taking up spiritual life, we may find ourselves beset with difficulties. For example, on some level, aspiring devotees may not fully accept the idea that they (and every one of us) are insignificant servants of Kṛṣṇa. It may be frustrating and upsetting not to have the prestige and influence one thinks one deserves. After all, one thinks (maybe subconsciously), “How can I feel fulfilled and happy if I’m insignificant?” Thus even in a spiritual movement we may find posturing, material ambition, competition for position and power, and a mood of entitlement. Another front in this war can be caused by faulty association—scientists, philosophers, industrialists, and so on who have eliminated God from their concept of possibility. Śrīmad-Bhagavatam—a book that promotes the summum bonum, or highest good—is notably unimpressed by materialistic so-called luminaries: “Acting from within the cores of the hearts of all philosophers, who propagate various views, [God] causes them to forget their own souls while sometimes agreeing and sometimes disagreeing among themselves.” (*Bhāgavatam* 6.4.31) In our times, the reach of materially minded people is pervasive, and their seeming conviction and persuasive arguments may make us doubt our chosen path and cause a crisis of faith—“I should be earning money and enjoying myself! What am I doing practicing austerities and living simply?” In Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words: “The material energy is always provoking doubts about the supreme authority of the Lord.” (*Bhāgavatam* 1.17.23, Purport) Another huge battle zone we may face is lust, greed, and anger. “Lusty desires are very strong in everyone, and they are the greatest impediment to the discharge of devotional service.” (*Bhāgavatam* 6.8.17, Purport) Still other challenges include the negativity caused by pain, conflict, distress, doubts, and depression that may wash over us for a variety of reasons. The *Bhāgavatam* (5.13.22) tells us that argument, false prestige, and lack of discrimination are the roots of entanglement in the material world. Kṛṣṇa summarizes these difficulties and the result of overcoming them in *Bhagavad-gītā* (15.5): “Those who are free from false prestige and faulty association, who are done with material lust, who are freed from the dualities of happiness and distress, and who, unbewildered, know how to surrender unto the Supreme Person attain to His eternal kingdom.” In his purport to this verse, Śrīla Prabhupāda offers a step-by-step process for overcoming formidable obstacles—for winning our war with the illusory energy. The process begins with knowledge and acceptance of Kṛṣṇa’s supremacy and proprietorship over everything. Simple acceptance can help free us of pride. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains, “Pride is due to illusion, for although one comes here, stays for a brief time and then goes away, he has the foolish notion that he is the lord of the world. He thus makes all things complicated, and he is always in trouble.” (*Gītā* 15.5, Purport) As our intelligence becomes clarified by accepting Kṛṣṇa’s unparalleled position, we can become untouched by the materialistic, godless mentality that often surrounds us. “Because He is all-powerful, [Kṛṣṇa] is not subject to the conditioned soul’s arguments regarding His existence or nonexistence.” (*Bhāgavatam* 6.9.36, Purport) As Kṛṣṇa is unaffected by mundane arguments, so too can be His devotees. In Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words: “One has to get out of this false notion that human society is the proprietor of this world. When one is freed from such a false notion, he becomes free from all the false associations caused by familial, social and national affections. These faulty associations bind one to this material world. . . . And when one has an understanding of things as they are, he becomes free from all dual conceptions such as happiness and distress, pleasure and pain. He becomes full in knowledge; then it is possible for him to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (*Gītā* 15.5, Purport) *Defeating Formidable Enemies* It’s often a great struggle to deal with the formidable enemy of lust, as well as its close relatives greed and anger. “The conditioned soul is always attracted by the external energy. Therefore he is subjected to lust and greed, and he suffers under the conditions of material nature.” (*Bhāgavatam* 7.9, Summary) But we do not have to yield to these urges. Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote in a letter to a disciple, “Regarding your enemy, Mr. Lust: I have noted the difficulties, but we should always remember that Krishna is stronger than any demon, and Mr. Lust, or his father or his grandfather, nobody can do anything provided we take shelter of Krishna very tightly.” (October 7, 1968) Ultimately we, as spiritual beings who are part of God, are stronger than lust, greed, and anger, and we can resist their influence by learning to detach ourselves from them, as we might detachedly observe a snowstorm from our favorite couch. Like the storm, sensual attacks pass—they go as they came. Simply knowing this fact and using our time and energy productively—with an awareness of God and a desire to serve and please Him—we can, by His grace, find self-control. Otherwise, without self-control, sensual urges can snow us under. *Bhagavad-gītā* (3.37, paraphrased) warns and prompts us, “Lust, sheltered in your mind and senses, is dragging you, bound and gagged, into the drifts of future misery. This rogue is kidnapping you.” When two foundational pillars gird our intelligence—that worldly existence is fleeting and that our actual identity is spiritual—we’ll realize that our battle with lust, greed, and anger is so significant that we cannot risk losing it and returning to the darkness from which we’ve been gradually emerging. Even if we flounder in battle, our sense of material momentariness and spiritual momentousness can grant us relief from the degrading commands of base urges. By tolerating the dualities of this world—pleasure and pain, honor and dishonor, happiness and distress—we dismantle a barrier between us and God. “Anyone who is steady in his determination for the advanced stage of spiritual realization and can equally tolerate the onslaughts of distress and happiness is certainly a person eligible for liberation.” (*Gīt*ā 2.15, Purport) *But How?* Tolerating urges and dualities and taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa sound doable, but how are they accomplished realistically? Śrīla Prabhupāda was practical and wanted his followers to succeed in spiritual life, so he made the process of spiritual life eminently accessible. He requested all his followers to obey four regulative principles: no eating meat, fish or eggs; no intoxicants, including tea and coffee; no illicit sex life; and no gambling. And he requested them to chant the mahā-mantra—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—a minimum of sixteen “rounds” on their beads daily (generally a two-hour practice). The four prohibitions form the basis for a life of peace and piety, and the recitation of Kṛṣṇa’s divine names forms the basis for transcending this material world altogether. Śrīla Prabhupāda also encouraged his followers to practice sādhana. He explains, “Sādhana means the activity by which we can attain, we can achieve that goal of life.” (Lecture, *Gītā* 1.43, July 30, 1973) The Sanskrit word sādhana has a number of meanings, among them: leading straight to a goal, furthering; effective, efficient, productive of; the act of mastering, subduing; healing, cure; any means of accomplishing. For those following the path of bhakti-yoga, sādhana refers to executing devotional service to Kṛṣṇa with discipline and with the aim of achieving pure love of God. Under Prabhupāda’s directions, his followers practice sādhana by rising early in the morning to chant the mahā-mantra and other prayers, and to read and discuss the scriptures in the company of devotees. They eat food that has been offered to Kṛṣṇa, celebrate auspicious days commemorating Kṛṣṇa and His devotees, and serve Kṛṣṇa in whatever ways they can. Sādhana may not sound exciting, but it is actually the most exciting activity a conditioned soul can do. Sādhana-bhaktas have a vividly decorated life physically, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually. They are not afraid of going inward more deeply, and they bravely try to do so daily. They are willing to take calculated risks to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness, willing to have unfamiliar experiences, willing to try unusual things for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure, and willing to face sudden changes when serving Kṛṣṇa, because so-called failure doesn’t frighten them. “There may be failure in some attempt, but one should not be sorry for that; he should make progress with patience and determination.” (*Gītā* 16.1–3, Purport) Devotees understand that actual failure means to stop trying to advance spiritually. This world, Kṛṣṇa says, is a temporary place of suffering (*Gītā* 8.15)—it’s a ruthless furnace of misery. Devotees, however, make the best use of this world by practicing sadhana-bhakti and in that way take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, who pervades every aspect of creation. Gradually they delight in His presence and transcend this world by gladly serving Him in whatever ways they can. The rewards from such service may not necessarily be externally apparent. They may come simply from the joy of attempting to do one’s service sincerely and in the best possible way, and from the awareness that one is on an invaluable devotional path and is being true to it. There’s something magnificent about steadily devoting oneself to something authentic and timeless and utterly joyful. As aspiring spiritualists, we make a statement against materialism and the materialistic mentality when we enjoy our transcendental service and lifestyle with all our heart, when we are grateful for our path. Kṛṣṇa will appreciate our service to Him, and we will know of His pleasure by the happiness and inspiration we feel. He reciprocates our loyalty to Him by giving us enthusiasm, patience, and conviction. But what about devotees who have been practicing sādhana-bhakti for some time and then find their enthusiasm waning? How can we understand this, and what can we do about it? There can be a number of reasons for waning Kṛṣṇa conscious enthusiasm. The dual meaning of the word “routine” reveals one reason. Sādhana-bhakti is routine in the sense that it’s a set sequence of actions regularly followed; it’s a fixed program. If sādhana-bhakti becomes routine in the sense that we feel it’s ordinary, if we do it unconsciously and without appreciation but simply out of habit, we may find our lost awareness brings on a period of spiritual desolation. A similarly crisis can occur if we disrespect devotees and think of them as ordinary people. Śrī Caitanya says, “At the time of initiation, when a devotee fully surrenders unto the service of the Lord, Kṛṣṇa accepts him to be as good as Himself.” (*Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya* 4.192) Devotees are extraordinary. Lord Śiva, who is among Kṛṣṇa’s greatest devotees, says, “Association with saintly devotees is man’s highest achievement.” (*Bhāgavatam* 12.10.7) Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes the importance of honoring devotees: “Offending or blaspheming a Vaiṣṇava has been described as the greatest offense, and it has been compared to a mad elephant. When a mad elephant enters a garden, it ruins all the creepers, flowers and trees. Similarly, if a devotee properly executing his devotional service becomes an offender at the lotus feet of his spiritual master or another Vaiṣṇava, his devotional service is spoiled.” (*Cc. Antya* 3.213, Purport) If we’re feeling uninspired in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we can try to analyze the possible causes and rectify any mistakes we’ve made or mistaken attitudes we have. And we can take our situation as Kṛṣṇa’s test, knowing that He does not give His devotees a test without also giving them the ability to pass it if they desire to. “The Lord is so kind to His devotee that when severely testing him the Lord gives him the necessary strength to be tolerant and continue to remain a glorious devotee.” (*Bhāgavatam* 8.22.29–30, Purport) *What Our Future Holds* Beyond time and material nature, mindfulness and morality, ethics and duality, concepts and cynicism, there’s a person who controls it all. That eternal Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa, is the wellspring of all that exists. He has a name and a form, as well as qualities and activities. A proper analysis of this world—composed of His energies—will finally bring us, lost in wonder and humbled at our privilege, to Him, the supreme source of all, including the effulgent Brahman. Yet many shy away, uneasy and upset by this conclusion. It is astounding to realize there is an intimate yet inconceivable person with us. We are stilled and awed. Acknowledging Him, we make our daily struggles into a beautiful life. Adversity and loss, confusion and disappointment may surround us, but so does the divine presence behind our daily tasks and difficulties. Our security rests in the strength of our connection with Him. When we ask basic and relevant questions of any proposed course of action—Is it righteous? Is it wise? Is it pleasing to Kṛṣṇa and His devotees?—and respond appropriately, obstacles that were once boulders pulverize into pebbles. *Viśākhā Devī Dāsī has been writing for BTG* s*ince 1973. She is the author of six books. Visit her website at OurSpiritualJourney.com.* Knowledge and Renunciation in Relation to *Bhakti* *What does bhakti have to do with these two cornerstones of genuine spiritual life?* by Bharata Dāsa Some insights gained by looking closely at two nearly identical verses in *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*. > vāsudeve bhagavati > bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ > janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ > jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam “By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world.” (*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 1.2.7) > vāsudeve bhagavati > bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ > janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ > jñānaṁ yad brahma-darśanam “Engagement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and application of devotional service unto Kṛṣṇa make it possible to advance in knowledge and detachment, as well as in self-realization.” (*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 3.32.23) These two verses from *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* on *bhakti* (devotional service), *jñāna* (knowledge), and *vairāgya* (detachment) are similar except for the last line. And the first verse beautifully leads into the second one, as Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals through his translations and even more clearly in his purports. The first verse relates perfectly to the second verse because the second begins where the first ends. Engaging in devotional service gives detachment and causeless knowledge (1.2.7), and knowledge leads to *brahma-darśanam*, or self-realization (3.32.23). The key word in 1.2.7 is *ahaitukam*, “causeless.” Rendering devotional service immediately delivers detachment and causeless knowledge. But what is “causeless” knowledge? The previous verse establishes that the supreme occupation is to engage in “unmotivated and uninterrupted devotional service.” Once the *jīva* realizes that the supreme *dharma* is devotional service (1.2.6), then the knowledge enhancing his devotional service manifests causelessly (1.2.7). Śrī Kṛṣṇa says something about causeless knowledge in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (10.10): “To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.” More importantly, as Śrīla Prabhupāda explains in the purport to the second verse above (3.32.23), both verses begin with *vāsudeve bhagavati* (“unto Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead”). So *vairāgya*, *jñāna*, and **brahma*-*darśanam** are possible only after rendering devotional service to the person Vāsudeva, or Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Brahma can refer to either the Absolute Truth (Brahman) or the individual soul. Thus the phrase **brahma*-*darśanam** can mean either self-realization or God realization. Taking *brahma* to mean the Absolute Truth, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains in his purport that if Brahman were only formless, as the impersonalists claim, there would be no question of *darśanam* (seeing). *Darśanam* requires two persons—the seer and the seen. Brahman can also refer to the *brahma-jyoti*, or the impersonal aspect of the Absolute Truth. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in the same purport: “Brahma-darśanam means that as soon as one sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he can at once realize what impersonal Brahman is. A devotee does not need to make separate investigations to understand the nature of Brahman.” *The Only Perfect Method* A faithful devotee who has heard from the Vedic scriptures and is equipped with knowledge and renunciation engages in rendering devotional service, as Sūta Gosvāmī explains in *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (1.2.12): > tac chraddadhānā munayo > jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā > paśyanty ātmani cātmānaṁ > bhaktyā śruta-gṛhītayā “The seriously inquisitive student or sage, well equipped with knowledge and detachment, realizes that Absolute Truth by rendering devotional service in terms of what he has heard from the *Vedānta-śruti*.” Śrīla Prabhupāda eloquently captures this point in his purport of this verse: “Devotional service, which is based on the foreground of full knowledge combined with detachment from material association and which is fixed by the aural reception of the *Vedānta-śruti*, is the only perfect method by which the seriously inquisitive student can realize the Absolute Truth.” The *Nārada-bhakti-sūtras* consider whether knowledge alone can be the means for developing devotional service, or whether one depends on the other: *tasyā jñānam eva sādhanam ity eke* “Some say that knowledge is the means for developing devotion.” (28) *anyonyāśrayatvam ity eke* “Others consider bhakti and knowledge interdependent.” (29) Devarṣi Nārada’s conclusion: *svayaṁ phala-rūpeti brahma-kumārah?* “But the son of Brahmā [Nārada] says that bhakti is its own fruit.” (30) *Bhakti Is Independent* How is devotional service its own fruit? It cannot be known by any means except itself. Devarṣi Nārada explains this with examples: > rāja-gṛha-bhojanādiṣu tathaiva dṛṣṭatvāt. > na tena rāja-paritoṣaḥ kṣuc-chāntir vā “This is illustrated by the examples of a royal palace, a meal, and so on. A king is not really satisfied just by seeing a palace, nor can someone placate his hunger just by looking at a meal.” (31–32) Jñāna and vairāgya are insufficient when the goal is to know the Lord as a person. They may help one realize the Lord’s impersonal aspect, leading to sāyujya- mukti, or merging into the effulgence of the Lord’s form, a goal rejected by devotees. But transcendentalists engaged in renunciation and the cultivation of knowledge who are bereft of loving service to Kṛṣṇa can only advance to that stage. Only by proper service is it possible to obtain the good wishes of Lord Kṛṣṇa and know Him as a person. Merely knowing about a king is not enough to obtain his mercy. Similarly, knowing a recipe for a dish is not enough to satisfy us; we have to taste the dish. Śrīla Prabhupāda elaborates on this point in his purport to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.15: Liberation from material bondage is, therefore, a by-product of devotional service. Attainment of spiritual knowledge is not sufficient to insure liberation. Such knowledge must be overcoated with devotional service so that ultimately the devotional service alone predominates. Then liberation is made possible. Even the reactionary work of the fruitive workers can lead one to liberation when it is overcoated with devotional service. Karma overcoated with devotional service is called *karma-yoga*. Similarly, empirical knowledge overcoated with devotional service is called jñāna-yoga. But pure bhakti-yoga is independent of such karma and jñāna because it alone can not only endow one with liberation from conditional life but also award one the transcendental loving service of the Lord. In the fifteenth chapter of the *Bhagavad-gītā* (15.1) Śrī Kṛṣṇa explains that the leaves of the metaphorical tree of the material creation are the Vedic hymns and one who knows the tree knows the Vedas (*chandāṁsi yasya parṇāni yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit*). Then in verses three and four He exhorts the sincere seeker to cut down this very tree with the sword of *vairāgya* in order to achieve the ultimate destination of surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself). Thus even for one who has achieved the platform of spiritual knowledge (jñāna) and renunciation from material attachments (vairāgya), these are merely tools to help one reach the goal: *bhakti*. *Bharata Dāsa, a disciple of His Holiness Bhaktisvarūpa Dāmodara Mahārāja, lives in Sacramento, California, with his wife, Ātmānandinī Devī Dāsī, and their children, Aparajita and Aniruddha. He works as a civil engineer.* COVER: The story of the great devotee Prahlāda is well known among students of the Vedic literature. He displayed signs of having attained pure love for Kṛṣṇa at young age, and his trials inspired the descent of the Lord’s half-man, half-lion avatar, Nṛsiṁhadeva. Vedic Thoughts A liberated person enjoys happiness by factual experience. He can, therefore, sit silently at any place and enjoy the activities of life from within. Such a liberated person no longer desires external material happiness. This state is called brahma-bhūta, attaining which one is assured of going back to Godhead, back to home. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda *Bhagavad-gītā* 5.24, Purport In the material condition, the living entity is sometimes raised to higher planetary systems and material prosperity and sometimes drowned in a hellish situation. His state is exactly like that of a criminal whom a king punishes by submerging him in water and then raising him again from the water. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā* 20.118 The living entity is eternal, as I am, and always exists within Me. But you should not artificially think, “Now I have seen the soul.” Rather, I, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, will bestow this benediction upon you when you are actually qualified. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa *Mahābhārata*, *Mokṣa-dharma* Activities such as mystic trance, becoming one with the Supreme, and the religious principles of brahminism, such as speaking the truth and tolerance, have their own respective attractions, but when one becomes captivated by love of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all attraction for mystic power, monistic pleasure, and mundane religious principles becomes insignificant. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī *Lalita-mādhava* 5.2 The Supreme Personality of Godhead is limitless. He is transcendental knowledge, and He is the eternal transcendental reality. He is present in everyone’s heart. One who properly understands Him becomes blessed and all his desires are completely fulfilled. *Taittirīya* *Upaniṣad* 2.1 The Supreme Lord manifested the material intelligence, senses, mind and vital air of the living entities so that they could indulge their desires for sense gratification, take repeated births to engage in fruitive activities, become elevated in future lives and ultimately attain liberation. Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 10.87.2 May our mental functions always take shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, may our words always chant His names, and may our bodies always bow down to Him and serve Him. Wherever we are made to wander about this world by the Supreme Lord’s will, in accordance with the reactions to our fruitive work, may our good works and charity always grant us love for Lord Kṛṣṇa. Nanda Mahārāja and Other Cowherds *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 10.47.66–67 Those who are eager to awaken their spiritual consciousness and who thus have unflinching, undeviated intelligence certainly attain the desired goal of life very soon. *Nāradīya Purāṇa* Quoted in the *Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu* 1.2.103 From the Editor *Learning to See* Śrīla Prabhupāda would often point out the absurdity of the skeptic’s demand to see God in our present condition. “What qualification do you have to see God?” he would challenge. He would also point out that seeing is just one way to acquire knowledge; we often get more and better information by hearing. In everyday language, we use “see” in the sense of “understand.” We say, for example, “Oh, now I see what you mean.” This use of the word often suggests the need for qualification. A child is usually unqualified to “see” what a college professor is explaining. A mathematician may fill many pages with symbols showing the solution to a mathematical problem, but most people won’t be able to see the solution (or even understand the problem). The same principle applies to spiritual life. I once read a scholarly book about consciousness, a topic that even brilliant minds tend to struggle with, mainly because of their commitment to philosophical materialism. The author of the book noted that the topic of consciousness is a subtle one and, having heard many speculations on it, he was convinced that even among the highly educated, some people intuitively understand it better than others. Those of us who practice bhakti-yoga began our spiritual lives because we were able to see the truth of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s teaching to Arjuna that each of us is a particle of consciousness. Many people just cannot see that. For them, the idea that they are not their body seems absurd. “You mean I’m not me?” We want to see God, but we can’t even see ourselves. But we don’t have to stay in ignorance. We can qualify ourselves to see both our real self and God. The Vedic literature and teachers in the tradition give us access to spiritual reality by presenting instructions on different levels. We can learn and increase our qualifications in stages. Demanding to see God right now is like a kindergartener demanding to receive a PhD. Many years of study and perseverance are required. Even in ordinary life, people show by their actions that they can’t see what is obvious to others. For example, some people never seem to understand that bad behavior brings bad consequences. Even though the evidence is right in front of them, they just don’t see it. The Bhāgavatam speaks of “seeing but not seeing,” and it trains us to see what is true. Lord Kṛṣṇa speaks of the need to learn from a guru who has seen the truth. Such a guru is said to force open our eyes with the light of knowledge. One reason for not seeing the obvious is a lack of desire to know the truth, as expressed in the saying “Ignorance is bliss.” Changing our ingrained habits and viewpoints is difficult, so we avoid the challenge by ignoring improvements that require sacrifice. The reality that good things usually take effort is itself a lesson we may be unwilling to acknowledge. Change and maturation are a natural part of life. Children go through stages, outgrowing their desire for things they once cherished. A central theme of the Vedic literature is that our growth as human beings must continue after we reach physical maturity. Human life is meant for ongoing improvement in our ability to see reality, the basis of which is God and our relationship with Him. Hare Kṛṣṇa. —*Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor* 2021 When God Offers a Discount BTG55-01, 2021