# Back to Godhead Magazine #56 *2022 (06)* Back to Godhead Magazine #56-06, 2022 PDF-View Welcome Chapter twenty-five of the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam’s* Tenth Canto relates one of the most famous of Lord Krṣṇa’s earthly pastimes—His holding up Govardhana Hill for seven days to protect the residents of Vrindavan from a deluge. In the next chapter, titled “Wonderful Kṛṣṇa,” the village cowherd men express their amazement at Kṛṣṇa, especially His power to attract the love of everyone in Vrindavan. Viśākhā Devī Dāsī writes about Kṛṣṇa as “The Supreme Wonder Behind All Wonders.” From our current perspective, those wonders begin with His creation. That marvelous artifact can inspire us to cultivate our natural love for the all-attractive artist behind it. Kṛṣṇa spent 125 years on earth, His life and teachings preserved in the literature and culture of India over the millennia. After all this time, His *Bhagavad-gītā* has stood the test of time, still studied and adored by millions today. Caitanya Caraṇa Dāsa, in “The Wise on Gītā Wisdom,” considers qualities of the Gītā that have made it a perennial guide for great thinkers of the East and the West. First-time BTG author Nāndīmukhī Devī Dāsī, who hails from China, considers “Six *Gītā* Values and Chinese Culture.” She is hopeful that those shared values may attract more Chinese people to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s all-important message, which can invoke wonder in all. Hare Kṛṣṇa. —*Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor* Q&A *Why should we worry about any future life apart from this life? Why can’t we use spiritual guidance to be happy and get respite just in this life?* This question is an important one. It is natural for us to feel that we should be practical in our approach to spirituality, and this life seems to be our most practical and immediate concern. Therefore it seems that spirituality should help prepare us for this life rather than create worries about a future life. While this is certainly true, at the same time we also have to recognize that spirituality is a means to broaden our vision and enhance our wisdom so that we can see long-term rather than just short-term, as most spiritually uninformed people do. A child doesn’t understand the long-term perspective and so feels that studying is unnecessary to prepare for a future with a bright career and a promising job. Similarly, spiritually uninformed people, being spiritually childlike, feel that preparing for a possible future life is unnecessary. But a mature parent knows that the child is going to grow up and will have a miserable future if he or she does not prepare for a career by studying now. So similarly, spiritually mature people encourage us not to be shortsighted like a child, but to be farsighted and to recognize that we are eternal beings and our life is not going to end with death but is going to continue on. Therefore they encourage us to be pragmatic in the long-term sense by preparing for the future. Through children’s past-life memories, there is strong scientific evidence of reincarnation, as investigated by Dr. Ian Stevenson and other scientists at the University of Virginia, as well as in many other parts of the world. And Lord Kṛṣṇa clearly says in the second chapter of the *Bhagavad-gītā*, verse 27, jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur / dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca: “One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again.” So science and scripture both confirm that we will have another life after this life, and therefore it is farsighted intelligence to prepare for it. And an important point from the practical perspective is that preparing for a future life will not distract us from being satisfied in this life, but will enhance our satisfaction in this life. How is that? When, instead of fooling around and playing, a child starts studying so that he can have a bright career in the future, he begins to relish life in a far better way. Once he develops a taste for learning, then he discovers a new joy, as a whole universe of information, knowledge, and wisdom opens for him in his studies. Similarly, when we learn to live spiritually, our life becomes purposeful, our relationships become joyful, our mind becomes peaceful, and our struggles and challenges become meaningful. And in this way, by seeing life from a long-term perspective, we gain in the short term because we don’t get overwhelmed by the ups and down of life. If we don’t consider the future life, then our vision is like seeing life as a hundred-meter sprint. but when we consider that we are an eternal being going through multiple lives, then we understand that our situation is more like a hundred-mile marathon. If life is just a hundred-meter sprint and we lose, then we have lost forever, because the tournament is over. But if life is a hundred-mile marathon, even if we fall back in one lap, we can always make up for it in future laps, and there is always hope for future improvement and success. We see nowadays that people get overwhelmed by the routine ups and downs of life. For example, students get depressed and sometimes commit suicide because they do not perform well in one exam. A business collapse or stock-market crash causes people to get heart attacks or commit suicide. All this is because people do not see life from a long-term perspective, and so they take the short-term upheavals too seriously. When we see life from a long-term perspective, the short-term ups and downs in life do not affect us as much, and we can be more purposefully focused and resilient in using our talents for our own good, for the service of humanity, and for the glorification of God. In this way, in addition to creating a better future for us in the next life, preparing for a next life helps us better live this one. *Why is the Vedic philosophy pessimistic about life? Why not see the bright side of life?* Pessimism in Vedic philosophy is only initial, never final. In its conclusion, Vedic philosophy is supremely optimistic. Consider a person diagnosed with cancer that is serious but curable through rigorous chemotherapy. The patient may flinch at the prospect of the severe treatment, but when made aware of the prognosis—excruciatingly painful, gradual, inevitable death—he will become ready for the treatment. That’s why it is wisely said that getting the best outcome to a grave problem often begins by having a hard look at the worst. The Vedic texts apply this same principle to our current material existence. They explain that presently all of us are diseased; we are eternal souls afflicted with amnesia. Having forgotten our spiritual identities, we are misidentifying with temporary material bodies. Due to this misidentification, we have to unnecessarily suffer the miseries of old age, disease, death, and rebirth—again and again. The so-called bright side of life—the worldly pleasures—blind us to these harsh facts of life and fill us with the futile hope that some temporary adjustments within our material existence will free us from suffering. Thus the so-called bright side of life perpetuates our dark, diseased existence. Unfortunately, in our daily lives we get so caught up with pursuing the so-called bright side of life that we forget or neglect these miseries and so lose the opportunity to cure ourselves of them. Curing ourselves requires a spiritual therapy wherein we expose ourselves to spiritual, God-centered stimuli like His holy names, His sacred scriptures, His beautiful Deity, His sanctified food remnants (prasāda), and His saintly representatives. Although this spiritual therapy is nowhere as rigorous as chemotherapy—it is, in fact, remarkably peaceful and joyful—still most of us are highly reluctant to start it. Therefore the Vedic texts offer us an unsentimental, uncompromising look at the facts of life: miseries throughout our life’s journey that only worsen as we near the end. When we are forced to face this prognosis of our current life, our reluctance to accept spiritual therapy evaporates and the doorway to eternal life opens. This profoundly wise Vedic strategy is evident in the *Bhagavad-gītā*, which initially declares this world an irredeemably miserable place (8.15) and eventually shows us the way by which each of us can relish thrilling ecstasy at every moment (18.76–77). Thus the initial pessimism of Vedic philosophy is the essential beginning that leads to its ultimate optimism. Founder's Lecture: The Need to Become Detached *Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the real purpose of life is to get out of the bondage of material existence.* Vrindavan, India—December 11, 1975 Material civilization means increasing attachment to the temporary things of this world at the cost of life’s true purpose. > ko gṛheṣu pumān saktam > ātmānam ajitendriyaḥ > sneha-pāśair dṛḍhair baddham > utsaheta vimocitum “What person too attached to household life due to being unable to control his senses can liberate himself? An attached householder is bound very strongly by ropes of affection for his family [wife, children and other relatives].*”—Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 7.6.9 The point being discussed is vimocitam, how one can get out of the bondage of material existence. People do not know that “This is my business, how to get out of this entanglement.” They do not know even what that entanglement is. Such a foolish civilization is going on. Some are passing as scientists, philosophers, big, big politicians, but they do not know what is the aim of life. The aim of life is vimocitam. We are spirit souls, eternal. They do not know this. At the present moment almost everyone, 99.9 percent of people, do not know what is our problem and how to get out of it. They do not know. > na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ > durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ > andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās > te ’pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ “Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or *guru* a similar blind man attached to external sense objects, cannot understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and engage in the service of Lord Viṣṇu. As blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another materially attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labor, which are made of very strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life, suffering the threefold miseries.” *(Bhāgavatam* 7.5.31) We are bound up, hands and legs, by the tantryām, the shackles or ropes of nature, or of God. We are not free. Api īśa tantryāṁ baddhāḥ. We are not free; still we are trying to excel the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The modern scientists are very proud that they have advanced so much that there is no need of talking about God. This is the material civilization. So many wonderful things are going on. They cannot explain even how things are going on, and still they are proud of scientific advancement and declare, “There is no God.” This is the foolish civilization. And they are engaged in sinful activities. To solve the so-called population problem, they are killing. That means they are increasing their problems. They do not know the actual fact, that by this killing process they are increasing the problems of life. So what is this due to? This is due to sneha-pāśair dṛḍhair baddham. We are bound up by the shackles of nature, and it is due to our attachment to material existence. We have to undo this attachment—vairāgya, detachment. That is the necessary thing. How do we become detached? We are so much attached; how can we become detached? That is also given. The process is given in the *Bhāgavatam* (1.2.7). *Vāsudeve bhagavati **bhakti*-yoga*ḥ prayojitaḥ*: engage yourself in executing devotional service to Vāsudeva, or Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudeva means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the most opulent, bhagavati. Bhagavān means the most opulent, full with six kinds of opulence. You cannot become liberated by any means except **bhakti*-yoga*. That is explained in the *Bhāgavatam*. And Kṛṣṇa says in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (18.55), *bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ*: “You can become liberated simply by the *bhakti* process.” There are many processes, but nothing is powerful except the process enunciated by God Himself, Kṛṣṇa. *Detachment Education* *Bhakti-yoga* means *vairāgya-yoga*—detachment. *Vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam* *(*Caitanya-caritāmṛta**, *Madhya* 6.254). Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya explained this verse in connection with Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s activities. “Who is this personality?” So he explained. He composed one hundred verses in reference to Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s activities. Some of them are available, mentioned in the *Caitanya-caritāmṛta*. So first of all, ascertaining Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya says, “What is this movement, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, inaugurated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu? It is vairāgya-vidyā.” It is vidyā, education, but it is vairāgya-vidyā, detachment education. It is not attachment education. The material education means attachment education. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has said, jaḍa-vidyā jato, māyāra vaibhava. Our attachment to this material world is māyā, illusion. This material happiness is made by māyā, and people are making gorgeous arrangements. Why? Prahlāda Mahārāja says it is because they are vimūḍhān, all rascals. “Why rascals? They are scientists, philosophers.” That’s all right, but after making all these arrangements, you are under the clutches of māyā. You are not free from the clutches of māyā. So why are you wasting time in this way? You cannot make any solution or any assurance that whatever you are creating for enjoyment you will be able to enjoy. No. That is not possible. That they do not see. They are constructing big, big roads, motorcars, and skyscraper buildings, but there is no assurance that they’ll be able to enjoy them. That is not possible. At any moment, finished. Your skyscraper building, your big, big road, your big, big motorcars, they will remain where you manufactured them, and you have to leave. That they do not see. This is called mūḍha, foolish. They are afraid of death, but on account of foolishness they declare, “Oh, we are not afraid of death.” They’re afraid. *Increasing Foolishness* Actually we should not increase our foolishness. Human life is meant for utilizing our intelligence. That is human life. Instead of utilizing intelligence, if we increase our foolishness that’s the wrong type of civilization. That is not actual civilization. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu very kindly inaugurated this civilization, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is the same thing as confirmed in the Vedas: > 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.” *(Bhāgavatam* 1.2.7) Āśu: “very soon.” The examples are here. You are Europeans and Americans. You were attached to so many things. But because you have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness—*vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogam*—you have come to Vrindavan to worship Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. Or in your countries we have established so many temples. On account of being engaged in the devotional service of Vāsudeva, although you are young boys and girls you have given up so many nonsense things. This is called vairāgya, detachment. Meat-eating is the general life of Europeans and Americans, but at the present moment if somebody offers you millions of dollars and requests you, “Take some meat with me,” I think you will deny it. This is called vairāgya. I’ve actually seen. Our Gargamuni was sent to his father. I advised him, “Your father has a big business. Just accept it for Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” His father was very glad, but he offered meat, and when Gargamuni said, “Father, Daddy, I cannot take meat,” then the father became angry. He drove him away. So he came back. The young man refused to take the father’s property. This is vairāgya. And the whole Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means vairāgya-vidyā, the education of vairāgya, detachment. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa, and He wanted to teach the people this *vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam*. As Kṛṣṇa He commanded, “Just give up all this nonsense engagement.” *Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja* (*Gītā* 18.66): “Just surrender unto Me. That is good for you. I shall save you from the reactions of your sinful activities.” Material life means simply sinful activities. Simply. Even though there is some covering of pious activities, that is also sinful. It is said in the *Caitanya-caritāmṛta* *(Antya* 4.176), *‘dvaite’ bhadrābhadra-jñāna, saba—‘manodharma.’* Dvaite means “in this world of duality.” *Bhadra* and *abhadra*. We have manufactured so many things. We say, “This is very good” and “This is bad.” *Bhadra* *abhadra*. *Bhadra* means good, and *abhadra* means bad. But the author of *Caitanya-caritāmṛta*, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, says that this good and bad is concocted. They are neither good nor bad. They are the same thing—material quality. Then how are things going on as “This is good; this is bad”? *‘Ei bhāla, ei manda’,—ei saba ‘bhrama.’* This is mental concoction. In the material world there cannot be anything good. It is bad. If there is real goodness, that is the spiritual world, śuddha-sattva. In the material world there are three guṇas, or modes. Of these, sattva-guṇa is accepted as very good—the mode of goodness. But above this mode of goodness there is śuddha-sattva, pure goodness. Someone may say, “But goodness is goodness.” No. This material goodness is polluted with ignorance and passion. Therefore we see in the material world a very good person may become polluted. Yesterday morning we were discussing about Brahmā, the top created being in the universe. He is very good, but sometimes he is also polluted. Therefore this material world is not pure goodness. Even if there is goodness, it is not pure. There is always the chance of becoming polluted by the other, base qualities—ignorance and passion. *The Platform of Pure Goodness* Therefore there cannot be pure goodness here. Pure goodness is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness platform, devotional service. If you keep yourself rigidly on the platform of devotional service, then you are in pure goodness. And as soon as you are slack, immediately the two base qualities will attack you. Therefore it is very difficult to keep pure goodness. For example, goodness is represented by the brāhmaṇa. But at the present moment the brāhmaṇas, the hereditary brāhmaṇas by birth—how they have fallen on account of the attack of these base qualities! But they’re trying to keep their brahminical platform in spite of being polluted by the two base qualities. Therefore the *Caitanya-caritāmṛta* author’s statement: ‘ei bhāla, ei manda’,—ei saba ‘bhrama.’ Even if you are raised to the brāhmaṇa quality, there is always the chance of falling down. So therefore you have to keep always on the transcendental platform, brahma-bhūtaḥ. Even from the brahma-bhūtaḥ platform one may fall down. Those who are already merged into the Brahman fall down. *Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ* *(Bhāgavatam* 10.2.32). Why? Anādṛta yuṣmad aṅghrayaḥ. Unless one is a very rigid devotee, even if he has approached the other feature—namely the Brahman feature among Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān—he falls down. And why? Because of this attachment: sneha-pāśair dṛḍhair baddham. I was citing Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s song: > jaḍa-vidyā jato, māyāra vaibhava, > tomāra bhajane bādhā > anitya saṁsāre moha janamiyā > jībake karaye gāḍhā > (Vidyāra Vilāse 3) “Materialistic studies are the glare of māyā only, for they are an obstacle to spiritual progress. The infatuated person is trapped in the impermanent world, falsely trying to enjoy it, and such studies make him as foolish as an ass.” Gāḍhā means ass. This so-called advancement of civilization means the living entity is always compared to an ass, mūḍha. Instead of becoming intelligent, by material education one becomes more and more a first-class ass. Because the more you become advanced in so-called material civilization, the more you’ll forget God. Māyāra vaibhava. Māyā’s business is to keep you always sleeping, forgetting God. This is māyā’s business. The more you forget Kṛṣṇa, the more you are under the influence of māyā. So if you increase your volume of material civilization, then more and more you’ll forget God and you’ll be attached to this material world, māyāra vaibhava. People are increasing material civilization more and more and coming under the clutches of māyā. “Clutches of māyā” means birth, death, old age, and disease. This is māyā’s shackles, or ropes. But they do not care for it. They do not take into account that “I am eternal. I do not die even after the destruction of this body. So why shall I suffer in this way repeatedly, birth and death?” And that is also not only inconvenient, but very painful. Today you are an American or Indian, but tomorrow if you become a tree in the American land, then what is your position? But they do not care for it, do not understand it; therefore it is māyāra vaibhava. This advancement of material civilization is māyāra vaibhava. *Voluntary Mendicant* Therefore the Vedic civilization is about voluntarily accepting poverty. Voluntary. Big, big kings voluntarily accepted poverty. Bharata Mahārāja and others. Even Lord Rāmacandra. Take recent history, within five hundred years. Rūpa Gosvāmī was the chief minister of the government of Bengal, a most opulent position, but he became a mendicant, voluntarily accepting it. “What is this nonsense position—minister, opulent life? Kick it out.” He is not a fool. He was a politician. But he thought, “Kick it out,” and he became a mendicant. Voluntarily accepting poverty is Indian civilization, Vedic civilization. Not to increase material opulence but to decrease it. The more you decrease it, the more you are civilized. And in the Western countries, if you instruct them, “Decrease these nonsense activities—no more ‘tire civilization,’” they’ll say, “Oh, this is primitive. Primitive. This tendency is primitive.” Not primitive. That is a very sober civilization. Instead of increasing unwanted necessities, decrease them. That is stated in *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (1.7.6): > anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād > bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje > lokasyājānato vidvāṁś > cakre sātvata saṁhitām “The material miseries of the living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass of people do not know this, and therefore the learned Vyāsadeva compiled this Vedic literature, which is in relation to the Supreme Truth.” This *sātvata* *saṁhitām—Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam—is* there simply to decrease this unwanted so-called material civilization. It is very difficult to understand, but our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for that purpose. We are interested to construct a nice temple, but we are not interested to construct a very big skyscraper building for people’s general living. No. We should live very humbly. In India you’ll find there are so many valuable temples which cannot be constructed at the present moment. You will see in this Vrindavan the broken Govindajī temple. It is not possible to construct such costly temples at the present moment. Even by spending crores of rupees you cannot construct them. But those who had money used to do that. Money should be engaged for Kṛṣṇa’s comfort. This is bhakti. The meaning of Vrindavan is that everyone is engaged in how to keep Kṛṣṇa in comfort. This is Vrindavan life. Not for personal comfort. The whole of Vrindavan is engaged, beginning from Mother Yaśodā, Nanda Mahārāja, the young gopīs, and the young cowherd boys. That is Vrindavan: Kṛṣṇa is the center. Our aim of life should be to become more and more engaged with the view to give Kṛṣṇa the comfortable position. Then we can be liberated. We should be very much interested not for personal comfort, but for the comfort of the superior, Kṛṣṇa. Then it will be possible to get out of these material clutches. That is called vairāgya. Sneha-pāśair baddham. At present we are bound up by the laws of material nature, and if we want to undo it, then we should learn vairāgya-vidyā. > vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga > śikṣārtham ekaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇaḥ > śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-śarīra-dhārī > kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye “Let me take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who has descended in the form of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu to teach us real knowledge, His devotional service and detachment from whatever does not foster Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He has descended because He is an ocean of transcendental mercy. Let me surrender unto His lotus feet.” *(Caitanya-caritāmṛta*, *Madhya* 6.254) This is written by Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. If you want to get out of this material bondage, then learn *bhakti-yoga*, *vairāgya-vidyā*. How to learn? Kṛṣṇa Himself—Caitanya Mahāprabhu—is teaching. Just see His vairāgya. At home is the most affectionate mother and the most beautiful young wife, Viṣṇu-priyā, but He renounced everything. He became a sannyāsī in His full youth, at twenty-four years of age. He had a nice wife at home and a very affectionate mother. The home appeared to be very, very happy due to the mother and the wife. Not only that, but He was a learned scholar, very influential in Nabadwip. He could gather 100,000 men by His order only. He was so influential, so beautiful, so learned—everything. His opulence was very, very great. But He gave it up. Similarly, the Gosvāmīs also gave up their positions. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means vairāgya-vidyā: to get detached. Don’t increase attachment. Try to decrease attachment; then you’ll be successful. Thank you very much. "Not Everything Is God" This conversation between Śrīla Prabhupāda and some guests took place in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 23, 1969. Śrīla Prabhupāda: By following any *guru* or any principle, if you actually develop your love of God, then it is nice. Otherwise it is a useless waste of time. That is the test. But as far as I know these *yogis* say they are themselves God. They say that everyone is God. And then who is dog? So I think their idea is not very congenial. How can everyone be God? Then what is the meaning of God? Guest 1: I want to love everyone. Śrīla Prabhupāda: That is bogus. You cannot love everybody. If you love God, then you can love everybody. Because God is everything. Guest 1: If God is everything, then why don’t you love all beings one by one? Śrīla Prabhupāda: If you love a tree, then you have to pour water on the root—not every leaf. If you want to maintain your body, then you have to supply foodstuff to the stomach. Not to your eyes. Not to your ears. When you get a nice cake, you don’t put it here [indicates the ears]. You put it here [indicates the mouth]. Why? That is the process. There are nine holes in your body. Why do you put it in this hole? Guest 1: Yes, but . . . Śrīla Prabhupāda: First of all answer this. Guest 1: Well, I agree with you, but . . . Śrīla Prabhupāda: You have to follow the real process; then you’ll get it. That is love. Guest 1: You have to go to the root, but in the meantime you don’t ignore everything else. Śrīla Prabhupāda: If you ignore the root and you take the leaf, you simply spoil your time. Guest 1: No, but what I wanted to say is, Why can’t love of God and love of matter go and rise up to . . . ? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, if you love God, you love matter and God. Because matter is the energy of God. Guest 1: But you said that you will know that a technique is succeeding when your love for God will increase and your love for matter will decrease. Śrīla Prabhupāda: What is matter? Matter is another manifestation of God’s energy. If you love your body, then naturally you love your finger, the part of the body. So God is the supreme whole. Therefore if you love God, then you can understand that you have to love everybody. Guest 2: What is God? Śrīla Prabhupāda: What is God? Can you define God? Guest 2: No. Is God supposed to be the energy or is God supposed to be . . . Śrīla Prabhupāda: Energy is God’s energy, just as sunshine is the energy of the sun. Just try to understand. The energy—sunshine—and the sun are not different. But if you are satisfied with just the sunshine, it is not the sun. Guest 2: Are you saying that energy is God? God is energy? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Energy, being nondifferent from God, is in one sense God. But at the same time energy is not God. Sunshine is the energy of the sun. But if when the sunshine enters your room you think, “The sun has entered my room,” that is wrong. But sunshine is not different from the sun. Guest 2: It would appear that to claim that you can reach eternal bliss just by chanting is too easy. Śrīla Prabhupāda: That is one process of self-realization. There are different processes of self-realization. For this age, when people are less intelligent, this process is right. Guest 1: What you are doing by chanting is kind of . . . Śrīla Prabhupāda: You chant and you will understand. If you have no child, then how can you understand the labor of producing a child? Guest 2: But that is like saying that if you haven’t ever leaped into a well, you don’t know what will happen to you if you leap into a well. Śrīla Prabhupāda: First of all, you do not know your self. The first sign of ignorance is that you are identifying your self with this body, which you are not. First of all try to understand your self; then you will understand what is God. You do not know your self. Guest 2: But I am God, right? I am God. You are God too. Śrīla Prabhupāda: You are dog. Guest 2: But you are me and I am you. We are both God. Right? Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, no. Guest 2: Why not? Śrīla Prabhupāda: You do not know what is the meaning of God. What do you mean by God? First of all define. Guest 2: Everything is God. Śrīla Prabhupāda: If you apply that definition, then you are God. First of all define what is God. Guest 2: God is everything. God is it. Śrīla Prabhupāda: That is not the definition. God is not everything. Guest 2: And it is God. It is all it. Śrīla Prabhupāda: I say everything is God’s energy. Not everything is God. Guest 2: Not everything is God? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. The sunshine and the sun are one but at the same time different, simultaneously. You cannot accept the sunshine as the sun. Suppose you are in the sunshine, you cannot say that you are on the sun planet. A Pause for Prayer O Lord, You are the ocean of mercy, the friend of the poor. Please mercifully glance towards me. I have fallen into the ocean of illusion, where whales in the form of lust are trying to swallow me. Please protect me, O Lord! Since my birth, I have committed unlimited offenses and have not worshiped You without duplicity. Nevertheless, You are my only shelter. O Lord of my life, please do not neglect me; there is none more fallen than me. O Lord Śyāmasundara, You are known as the savior of the fallen. If You neglect me, I have no alternative. Even if I be an offender, You are my only hope, just as the husband is the only hope for a chaste wife. O Lord of my heart, please hear my prayer. You are the Supreme Lord. Please do not reject me. Even if I commit offenses, still You are my only protector. Please give me some insignificant service and consider me Your own servant. My heart is pierced by lusty desires and so I do not know what is beneficial for me. I cannot vanquish the material desires in my polluted mind. O my Lord, You are the wish-fulfilling desire tree. Please accept and purify me and let everyone see Your mercy. O my Lord, please look throughout the three worlds; there is no one more fallen than me. Be celebrated as “the deliverer of Narottama.” Throughout the three worlds of birth and death, let it be known that Lord Śyāmasundara is the deliverer of the fallen souls. Therefore, O Giridhārī, make me Your own servant. O Lord, Narottama is very unhappy. Please make me happy by inspiring me to perform saṅkīrtana. My greatest fear is that I will not be able to surpass the impediments on the path of devotional service. Hence, I pray to You constantly. —Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura The Wise on *Gītā* Wisdom *Einstein, Emerson, Thoreau, Huxley, and Hesse are among the admirers of this venerable book of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s teachings.* by Caitanya Caraṇa Dāsa Thoughts on *Bhagavad-gītā* appreciations by some prominent, influential (mostly Western) thinkers. “Einstein, Emerson, Thoreau, Huxley, Hesse—did they all really read and like the *Bhagavad-gītā*?” This was my incredulous question when some fifteen years ago I came across quotes on the *Gītā* by several eminent global thinkers. As I was born and brought up in India, where the *Gītā* was spoken millennia ago, I was familiar with it as an ancient Hindu text. I had even memorized a few of its verses for recitation contests in school. But I had very little idea that its wisdom might be relevant in modern times, let alone that eminent Western thinkers had admired it. No wonder the list of *Gītā* admirers that seemed to be like an intellectual who’s who in recent world history left me pleasantly shocked. That encounter also motivated me to study the Gītā much more seriously. After reading a few Gītā commentaries by well-known spiritual teachers, I came across the Gītā rendition I found most relevant: *Bhagavad-gītā* As It Is, by Śrīla Prabhupāda, the founder-ācārya of ISKCON. Studying it in the association of Kṛṣṇa devotees initiated an intellectual adventure that continues till this day. This adventure has involved studying the commentaries of many illustrious saintly teachers from the past, discussing the Gītā with contemporary devotee-scholars, memorizing and relishing its verses, and choosing to dedicate my life to sharing Gītā wisdom. All this intellectual engagement with the Gītā has helped me understand it better—and has also helped me better understand how it has so much more to understand. Now when I look back at those quotes that inspired me to take the *Gītā* seriously, I can appreciate those appreciations better. In this article I explain six of those quotes, based on the holistic understanding of the *Gītā* provided by the *bhakti* tradition. *Addresses Essential Questions* “When I read the *Bhagavad-gītā* and reflect about how God created this universe, everything else seems so superfluous.” —Albert Einstein, German-born scientist, Noble Laureate We live amidst information overload that makes us susceptible to intellectual malfunction—the inability to contemplate life’s essential questions. Data on hundreds of subjects from hundreds of sources swamps us through newspapers, TV, and the internet. Much of this information is irrelevant to our core concerns; knowledge about the favorite food of a popular actor, as is often tested in TV quizzes about trivia, hardly matters a few days later, even a few hours later. The *Bhagavad-gītā* dexterously avoids such intellectual superficiality by explicitly declaring (10.32) that spiritual knowledge is the most important among all branches of knowledge. Significantly, it doesn’t let spiritual knowledge remain in the realm of remote abstractions. It brings that knowledge to bear on issues that lie at the heart of our existential dilemma: who we are, what our role in the world is, and how we can find real happiness. The *Gītā* answers these questions within a profound theistic framework wherein God, Kṛṣṇa, plays a fascinating double role. It presents a multilevel conception of God as both a neutral overseer (Paramātmā) and a reciprocal lover (Bhagavān). The understanding of God as a neutral overseer provides room for the universe to function as a mechanism governed by laws, as is conceived by the scientific worldview. Thus it avoids the naivetī evident in simplistic notions of an arbitrary miracle-working god, notions that fail to acknowledge the mechanistic order that pervades the universe. And the *Gītā’s* simultaneous parallel understanding of God as a reciprocal lover provides room for divine intervention, as is vital for meaningful devotion. Otherwise, as happens frequently in conventional deism, God gets reduced to a mere first cause who is thereafter just a passive observer, unable to intervene on behalf of His devotees. The intellectual sophistication evident in the *Gītā’s* delineation (9.5–10) of Kṛṣṇa’s relationship with the world provides exciting insights for reconciling age-old conflicts between science and religion. *Guides Spiritual Evolution Systematically* “The *Bhagavad-gītā* is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value to mankind. It is one of the most clear and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed; hence its enduring value is subject not only to India but to all of humanity.” —Aldous Huxley, English writer Perennial philosophy centers on two vital principles: understanding the perennial, the function of the head; and loving the perennial, the function of the heart. *Gītā* wisdom boosts both the head and the heart in their voyage towards the eternal. For the head, the *Gītā* explains that reality comprises three levels: the arena of material forms, which is temporary; the arena of formlessness, which lies at the threshold of eternity; and the arena of spiritual forms, which lies at the heart of life in eternal reality. We can visualize these three levels in a graphical representation of reality as a continuum along the y-axis. The lower, negative side of the axis represents material reality. The upper, positive side refers to spiritual reality. And the zero point refers to the transition where matter ends and spirit begins. These three levels can also be alternatively referred to as material personal, impersonal, and spiritual personal, or transpersonal. Thus the *Gītā* provides an *in*clusive framework for contextualiz*in*g and *in*tegrat*in*g notions of reality that have emerged *in* various traditions throughout the world. Its nonsectarian understand*in*g of the Absolute Truth is evident *in* *Gītā* 14.4, where it declares Kṛṣṇa to be the father of not just all human be*in*gs but also of all liv*in*g be*in*gs. The same universal spirit is manifest *in* *Gītā* 10.8, which declares Kṛṣṇa to be the source of everyth*in*g. For the heart, the *Gītā* offers a positive role for emotions: they can be reinvented as roads to spiritual perception instead of being rejected as roadblocks. It first underscores that material emotions act as roadblocks because they distort our vision, making undesirable worldly things seem desirable. So it repeatedly (2.38, 9.28, 12.19, for example) urges us to evolve spiritually and grow beyond the grip of those emotions. But the *Gītā* refuses to let the material level have a monopoly on emotions. It declares spiritual emotions—emotions of the soul for Kṛṣṇa and through Kṛṣṇa for others—to be our original, natural emotions of which material emotions are pale shadows. It declares (15.19) that the ultimate spiritual reality is personal and lovable—and can be approached with devotional affection (10.10—bhajatāṁ prīti pūrvakam). Thus it celebrates spiritual emotions as roads to reality. In fact, it deems (4.10) love for Kṛṣṇa to be the crown of reality, life’s greatest achievement. Overall, the *Gītā* presents spiritual perfection not as an emotionally barren void or oneness, but as an emotionally fertile arena of endless love between Kṛṣṇa and all living beings. *Offers East-West Theistic Synthesis* “The *Bhagavad-gītā* is an empire of thought and in its philosophical teachings Kṛṣṇa has all the attributes of the full-fledged monotheistic Deity and at the same time the attributes of the Upanishadic absolute.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher Emerson precisely points to a feature of *Gītā* wisdom that many *Gītā* students and even *Gītā* teachers miss—Kṛṣṇa. If we let the *Gītā* speak for itself, it leaves no doubt (7.7, 10.8, 15.19) that Kṛṣṇa is the essence and conclusion of its message. The Western conception of a personal God is emotionally appealing but intellectually unappealing. The Eastern conception of an impersonal absolute is intellectually appealing but emotionally unappealing. The *Gītā’s* revelation of God as Kṛṣṇa is both intellectually and emotionally appealing. Here’s how. Emotionally, the idea of a personal God who protects and guides appeals to our innate need for relationships and reciprocation. Without them existence becomes an emotional wasteland. Yet most notions of a personal God in the Western theistic traditions can’t survive serious intellectual scrutiny. Intellectuals like to go beyond appearance to substance, to the first principle, to the root cause of things. So they often consider anything that has form and personality superficial and external. They feel impelled to go beyond to some deeper underlying universal truth. Thus, for example, the notion of a God as an old man with a long beard who sends thunderbolts to cast the sinful into the fires of hell for eternal damnation strikes thinking people as primitive and parochial. To those who wish to go beyond appearance to substance, the *Gītā* offers an arena of nondifferentiated oneness known as Brahman, the impersonal conception of the Absolute. But it also urges such intellectual seekers to probe deeper and recognize transcendental individuality and variety within spiritual homogeneity. The *Gītā* (14.27) indicates that the transcendental person, Kṛṣṇa, resides in his full glory beyond the Brahman effulgence. He is the support of Brahman and is the ultimate spiritual reality. In the supreme spiritual arena, He eternally reciprocates love with all those who choose to love Him and to join Him in His world of love. What can be more emotionally appealing? Thus by revealing a personal absolute who exists beyond all the sectarian categories that characterize the world of matter—categories that intellectuals wish to transcend—the *Gītā* offers an East-West synthetic understanding of God that appeals emotionally and intellectually. *Enables Philosophy to Blossom into Religion* “The marvel of the *Bhagavad-gītā* is its truly beautiful revelation of life’s wisdom which enables philosophy to blossom into religion.” —Hermann Hesse, German/Swiss poet The bane of most modern philosophy is its divorce from any transformational methodology for experiential verification. Most modern philosophers, no matter how brilliant, reign only in the arena of armchair speculation. Philosophy divorced from transformational methodology loses its social relevance and becomes the shrunken domain of ivory tower intellectuals who agonize over semantics. In popular culture, philosophy is superseded by pop psychology, wherein self-help platitudes gain center stage and wisdom becomes redefined as soothing sound bites. People futilely look for help from self-help without looking for the self. Gītā wisdom shows us the way out of this plight. It couples philosophy and religion into an integrated whole that serves as a potent tool for self-transformation and God-realization. The *Bhagavad-gītā* (9.2) indicates that it offers the king of all knowledge (rāja-vidyā), which can be verified by direct personal experience (pratyakṣāvagamam). Thus the Gītā’s approach to exploring reality is bold, inviting, and scientific. It presents theoretical propositions about the nature of reality—we are souls who have an eternal loving relationship with the all-attractive Supreme, Kṛṣṇa. And for inner verification of its theory, it presents the experimental method centered on the *yoga* of love, bhakti-*yoga*. The **Gītā*’s* philosophy, far from being a matter of armchair speculation, focuses on the issue closest to our heart: love. *Gītā* wisdom explains how life’s driving force is existence’s crowning reality—the love that activates us in our daily life, when purified and redirected towards Kṛṣṇa becomes the supreme reality to which even the Supreme submits in His world of endless love. And the **Gītā*’s* religion is far removed from conventional religions that ask followers to pray, pay, and obey. It invites devotee-seekers to analyze, utilize, and actualize its wisdom through personal practice that Kṛṣṇa rewards with proportional divine revelation, as indicated in *Gītā* 4.11. Thus the philosophy of love blossoms into a religion of love, wherein all our daily activities, whether spiritual or secular, become integrated into a magnificent program for our purification and our restoration in the eternal world of love to which we actually belong and for which we subconsciously long. *Reveals Itself to Those Who Attune to It* “In order to approach a creation as sublime as the *Bhagavad-gītā* with full understanding, it is necessary to attune our soul to it.” —Rudolf Steiner, Austrian social reformer The *Bhagavad-gītā* (4.3) indicates that its mystery is revealed to those who have tuned their hearts with the Absolute through devotion. What the *Gītā* offers is not just a different worldview for intellectual titillation but a different world to view for emotional transformation. A blind person can speculate endlessly about the nature of an elephant, but such speculation can never provide the understanding available through restoration of vision. Analogously, the *Gītā* (15.10–11) indicates that those who are stuck at the material level due to their attachments are blind to spiritual reality. Those who break free from the fetters of matter by diligent practice of yoga and raise their consciousness to the spiritual level become healed of this blindness; they perceive spiritual truth with the eyes of knowledge *(jñāna-cakṣu)*. The most complete spiritual cognition comes, as the *Gītā* (11.53–54) indicates, to those who cultivate a heart of devotion. This devotional tuning characterized the words, the actions, indeed the life, of Śrīla Prabhupāda. When George Harrison asked him how one could recognize an authentic *Gītā* commentator, Śrīla Prabhupāda replied in essence that the *Gītā* was a call to love Kṛṣṇa, so an authentic *Gītā* commentator had to be a Kṛṣṇa lover. Through his personal example and his philosophical exposition, Śrīla Prabhupāda unleashed the supremely transformational power of divine love. He thus opened for millions worldwide not just intellectual comprehension of *Gītā* wisdom but also devotional realization of Kṛṣṇa’s love. He transformed hippies into “happies,” changing aimless, lost people with self-defeating habits into purposeful and joyful devotees of Kṛṣṇa dedicated to the service of humanity. *Gives Hope Amidst Hopelessness* "When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to *Bhagavad-gītā* and find a verse to comfort me; and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gītā will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day." —Mahatma Gandhi Life is a battle filled with regular obstacles and occasional reversals. Maintaining our morale amidst these stresses and distresses is often difficult, sometimes impossible. When we become demoralized, we lose the battle before we fight the battle, for we lose the will to fight. We can best preserve the will to fight by linking ourselves with a transcendent reality that is forever secure, far beyond the threats and tribulations of material existence. *Gītā* wisdom reveals that world to be Kṛṣṇa’s world of love. The link to that world is loving remembrance of Kṛṣṇa, of how He tirelessly prepares the way for us to reach that world, no matter what the hazards along the way. *Gītā* wisdom solaced and strengthened Arjuna in his worst crisis, when in the face of the most important battle of his life, his emotions went into overdrive and dragged him into an abyss of confusion and dejection. Meditation on the *Gītā*’s verses has the power to heal and thrill, as testified (18.76–77) by one of its first conveyors, Sañjaya. The *Gītā’s* empowering potential beckons each one of us. By contemplating its wisdom, we can guide our thoughts beyond the immediate to the ultimate, beyond the circumstantial to the eternal, beyond matter to Kṛṣṇa. Thus we can find the supreme shelter, the supreme strength, the supreme satisfaction. That is the *Gītā’s* greatest gift and life’s ultimate achievement. *Caitanya Caraṇa Dāsa serves full time at ISKCON Chowpatty, Mumbai. He is a BTG associate editor and the author of twenty-five books. He has two websites: gitadaily.com and thespiritualscientist.com (the source for BTG’s “Q&A”).* When a Ghost Attacks God *King Kaṁsa dispatched many of his demoniac friends to find and kill his predicted future killer.* By Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa One of Kaṁsa’s deputed demons thought he had come up with a clever way to kill Kṛṣṇa. Ghosts do not have gross bodies. But they do have subtle bodies. Gross bodies are made of the five basic elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. Subtle bodies are made of mind, intelligence, and ego. Both of these bodies are material, and everyone in this world is covered by them. Subtle bodies store all kinds of desires and past impressions that induce the actions of gross bodies. People who have been too sinful may not get a gross body after death but may have to roam around invisibly in a subtle body with unfulfilled desires. Such bodyless beings are called ghosts. Sometimes ghosts try to fulfill their desires by possessing the bodies of others. Or they enter some physical objects to execute their evil plans. Here is the story of one such ghost inspired by the malicious thought to kill God, who was in the form of a baby. *Pride Made Him a Ghost* Utkaca was the son of a great demon named Hiraṇyākṣa.* He had a huge body and was very powerful. And he was proud of his strength, as any material good quality can potentially induce false pride in a person to a small or great extent. Once Utkaca went to the hermitage of a sage named Lomaśa, who had studied a hundred lessons in morality from Lord Brahmā. For no reason, Utkaca started breaking trees there, being puffed up because of his strong body. Seeing him creating an unnecessary disturbance, the sage Lomaśa cursed him: “O evil-hearted one, become bodyless!” Utkaca’s body at once fell away, as a snake’s old skin falls away. He became a ghostly being without a body (some say that he got an invisible body made of air). Such is the result of material pride and offense to saintly persons. Utkaca realized his mistake, fell at Lomaśa’s feet, and begged him, “O great sage, I did not know your power. Please forgive me and give me a body.” Lomaśa became pacified quickly and said, “Lord Kṛṣṇa’s foot will liberate you from this ghostly existence.” Saintly devotees have the power both to curse and to bless. Even the anger of saintly persons is a blessing. Because of Lomaśa’s curse, Utkaca would get an opportunity to be touched by the divine lotus foot of the Supreme God, Lord Kṛṣṇa. *Fear Haunted Him Like a Ghost* Later Utkaca, wandering as a ghost, made friends with another demoniac person, named Kaṁsa. Kaṁsa was the cruel maternal uncle of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He was madly in search of baby Kṛṣṇa because he had once heard an omen that he would be killed by the eighth son of his sister Devakī. Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself was to be that child. Fear of death haunted Kaṁsa like a ghost. Always immersed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa, he became completely Kṛṣṇa conscious, not with devotion, but with intense fear. Even fearful remembrance of Kṛṣṇa, when it leads to complete absorption in Him, can liberate a person. That is Kṛṣṇa’s special mercy on demons. Kaṁsa dispatched many of his demoniac friends to find and kill the Lord, his future killer. Instigated by Kaṁsa, Utkaca arrived in Gokula to kill Kṛṣṇa. In Nanda Mahārāja’s courtyard, the demon entered a household cart loaded with many vessels made of gold, silver, and brass. In Sanskrit, a cart is called śakaṭa, and a demon is called asura. Therefore Utkaca is also known as Śakaṭāsura—the cart demon. No one noticed Śakaṭāsura, as he was invisible. He waited for an opportunity to kill Kṛṣṇa. *A Ceremony Led by Women* Some background: Kṛṣṇa was just three months old when this incident took place. He had attempted to rise and turn around on His own for the first time. This stage of a child’s growth was celebrated as the utthāna (“rising”) ceremony. In the Vedic culture, a child’s birth or maintenance was never a burden for the parents, who joyfully celebrated all the significant stages of the child’s growth. Certain purificatory rituals were performed even before conceiving the child and when the child was in the mother’s womb. The birth ceremony was an event led by the father. The utthāna ceremony was led by the mother. Kṛṣṇa’s birth was celebrated by Nanda Mahārāja as Nandotsava with the assistance of Mother Yaśodā. The utthāna ceremony was celebrated by Yaśodā with the assistance of Nanda. In a cultured society, the mother and father have specific roles to play in raising the child with cooperation from each other. Such balanced care of parents nourishes the child and ensures the child’s physical and emotional development. Mother Yaśodā led the utthāna ceremony on the auspicious day when the moon was in the constellation of Rohiṇī, which was also Kṛṣṇa’s birth star. Being an expert in all ceremonies, Yaśodā did abhiṣeka (holy bathing) of Kṛṣṇa, assisted by other motherly gopīs of Gokula. Then Kṛṣṇa was rubbed dry and anointed with gorocana (an aromatic medicinal substance obtained from a cow) and dressed up nicely. Carrying her blue boy dressed in red garments and decorated with golden ornaments, Yaśodā received the brāhmaṇas who arrived to bless the child. Kṛṣṇa’s lotus eyes were decorated with black ointment, and He wore a glittering necklace made of a lion’s nail. Yaśodā offered respects to the devatās. And she liberally distributed grains, wealth, clothes, flowers, and cows in charity to the brāhmaṇas, who chanted *mantras* to invoke auspiciousness. *The Bodyless Ghost Attains a Spiritual Body* Little Kṛṣṇa felt sleepy, so Yaśodā carried Him to the courtyard. Being an affectionate mother, anxious for her child’s comfort, she carefully held Him motionlessly in her lap, fearing that He would wake up. She then laid Kṛṣṇa down under the household cart that, unknown to her, the ghost Utkaca had entered. She also lay down along with the child until He was asleep. When she saw that Kṛṣṇa was fast asleep, she got up very gently and went back to attend to the guests. Some small children who were playing nearby observed Kṛṣṇa as He peacefully slept. Because of Śakaṭāsura, the wheels of the cart began to sink into the earth, and the cart’s height started decreasing. Śakaṭāsura intended to fall on Kṛṣṇa and kill Him. But baby Kṛṣṇa awoke and, absorbed in the mood of an infant, began crying for His mother’s milk. Yaśodā was busy exchanging pleasantries and giving ornaments, garlands, sandalwood pulp (candana), oil, and vermillion (sindhura) to the village women. Therefore, she couldn’t hear the child crying from hunger. As is natural for babies, Kṛṣṇa angrily threw His little legs upward in the air. The red sole of Kṛṣṇa’s soft foot touched the cart with the gesture of a kick. Although Kṛṣṇa’s foot was as tender as a newly grown leaf, His kick turned the cart upside down. His limbs were inconceivably potent, and the cart got dismantled completely—its wheels and axle were dislocated, its handle was broken, and all the utensils on it were scattered here and there. Thus the demon in the cart died. Śakaṭāsura had entered the cart invisibly and was destroyed invisibly. No one had noticed him. But the children saw that Kṛṣṇa kicked the cart, which then overturned. When the cart broke into pieces, Śakaṭāsura left his subtle ghostly body and attained a pure spiritual body. He respectfully bowed down before Lord Kṛṣṇa. In a chariot pulled by a hundred horses, he went to Kṛṣṇa’s abode of Goloka Vṛndāvana in the spiritual world. Such is the mercy of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, especially in earthly Vrindavan. Śakaṭāsura represents a load-carrying mentality arising out of old and new bad habits, from this life and previous lives. These habits include lethargy, dullness, and false pride. Kṛṣṇa removes this contamination by kicking them aside when we take His shelter by performing *bhakti*. *Kṛṣṇa’s Uncompromising Sweetness* Kṛṣṇa didn’t manifest a gigantic form or use any weapons to kill Śakaṭāsura. Just the kick of a baby was sufficient. This is the sweetness of Kṛṣṇa’s childhood pastimes. To subdue King Bali, Lord Vāmana manifested His Trivikrama form and extended His foot to the greatest height to penetrate the covering of the universe. To kill gigantic Hiraṇyakaśipu, the Lord assumed the special body of Nṛsiṁhadeva. In other incarnations, the Lord exerted some energy according to the time and circumstances. But as Kṛṣṇa, He exhibited unlimited potency without compromising His form and mood as a child. Kṛṣṇa’s loving dealings with His mother, father, and friends in Gokula were a priority for Him, and the death of demons happened as a byproduct. The dead demons were delivered from their degraded life and attained better destinations or even spiritual liberation. Kṛṣṇa wanted the attention of His mother when He woke up from His sleep. Because the sound of His crying didn’t catch Yaśodā’s attention, He made a louder sound by kicking the cart and thus calling His mother there at once. As a result, Śakaṭāsura died, as if incidentally. This rare display of Kṛṣṇa’s power does not contradict the sweetness of His childhood pastimes but shows His completeness. Lord Rāma showed only humanlike pastimes during His childhood. But Kṛṣṇa, in His childhood, showed His powers in harmony with His sweet humanlike pastimes. *Love Covers Logic* Everyone saw the dismantled cart and wondered, “How did the cart turn over by itself?” The children who were looking at Kṛṣṇa, attracted by His sweetness, asserted, “Kṛṣṇa kicked the cart and it fell.” But the elders neglected the childish talk, thinking, “How could the kick of a three-month-old baby overturn such a heavily loaded cart!” An ordinary child could have been injured in many ways, but Kṛṣṇa enjoyed the dismantling of the cart and was safe. The gopas and gopīs thought that the accident took place because of the bad influence of some planet or ghost. The cowherd community was always accustomed to seeing Kṛṣṇa as their beloved child and object of affection, and not as God with powers. This time the elders didn’t see Kṛṣṇa’s powers. But in later pastimes they saw Kṛṣṇa manifesting His opulence right in front of their eyes when He subdued Kāliya, swallowed a forest fire, lifted Govardhan Hill, and so on. Yet, overcome by the bliss of prema that covered everything else, they always thought of Kṛṣṇa as their son. Every so-called calamity that came upon Kṛṣṇa only increased their love and didn’t induce any reverence for Him. Later, strong gopas easily restored the large, heavy cart. They worshiped the cart using kuśa grass and sacred water along with rice mixed with yogurt, since the cart, loaded as it was with valuable vessels, was considered an abode of Lakṣmī, the goddess of wealth. Nanda Mahārāja had perfectly qualified brāhmaṇas chant *mantras* for Kṛṣṇa’s protection from bad elements and ghosts. Whenever there was some danger or inauspicious occurrence, it was customary to have brāhmaṇas chant Vedic hymns to counteract it. Being unaware of Kṛṣṇa’s powers, brāhmaṇas blessed Him. Kṛṣṇa then happily drank Yaśodā’s milk, giving her the greatest happiness. *This article is based on the seventh chapter of the Tenth Canto of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* and the commentaries of Śrīla Prabhupada, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, and Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī. Details of Śakaṭāsura’s past life are based on Garga Saṁhitā. *Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa (www.gaurangadarshan.com), a disciple of His Holiness Radhanath Swami, is the dean of Bhaktivedanta Vidyapitha at ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village, outside Mumbai, and a member of ISKCON Board of Examinations. He is a* śāstric *teacher and is the author of over twenty books including the Subodhini series of study guides, and storybooks like Bhagavata Pravaha and Bhagavatam Tales.* Four Blessings of Sattva-guṇa *Though not spiritual itself, the material mode of goodness can assist us in our spiritual progress.* by Harivaṁśa Dāsa *The mode of goodness as the foundation for spiritual discipline.* Through histories, allegories, and direct and indirect logic, the entire gamut of Vedic scriptures urges humans to embark on the road less traveled. The journey must commence in this very world of fear and mortality and end at Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s eternal abode of no anxiety (Vaikuṇṭha). Sometimes decades, sometimes lifetimes—this journey is not a hundred-meter dash; it is a marathon. And as in any other marathon, the runners must discipline themselves for the run. The discipline for the spiritual pursuit is called sādhana. Unlike a literal marathon, here the feat to cross the finish line in triumph is not possible merely through the seeker’s own running—sādhana. This is because the final lap in this spiritual marathon is veritably completed through Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s kṛpā—mercy—alone. Kṛṣṇa is the supremely independent Lord. It is as if He alone knows the placement of the finish line: the gates of His abode. Without kṛpā, a spiritual practitioner cannot ascend to the transcendental abode. Though this is the case, it is sādhana which carries the capacity to attract kṛpā. It would not be a hyperbole to assert that sincere sādhana must unfailingly invite kṛpā. Such an assertion would not deviate an inch from the conclusive understanding of the scriptures. For instance, in *Bhagavad-gītā* (9.30–31) Kṛṣṇa gives the clarion call that even one who has veered a long distance away from righteous character (sudurācāraḥ), but who adheres with faith to the process of spiritual discipline, soon becomes righteous (kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā). Further, Kṛṣṇa asks Arjuna to announce that such a spiritual seeker never perishes (kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati). We can only guess the glorious situation of one who sincerely endeavors without fault. Furthermore, in *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* a causal link between sādhana and kṛpā is vividly portrayed in the famous rope-binding pastime (dāmodara-līlā) of the Tenth Canto. Seeing His mother’s relentless endeavor, by His mercy Kṛṣṇa finally allowed Himself to be bound. *The Foundation of Sādhana: Sattva, the Mode of Goodness* A natural question is “What should be the basis for a sincere sādhana that will attract krpā?” Kṛṣṇa mentions in the *Bhagavad-gītā* that every aspect of our internal and external life is imbued with and influenced by the three guṇas, or modes of nature, which permeate all material phenomena. These are (a) sattva, or the mode of goodness, characterized by satisfaction and balance; (b) rajas, or the mode of passion, characterized by activity and restlessness; and (c) tamas, or the mode of ignorance, characterized by inactivity and indolence. All are binding, like chains of gold, silver, and iron, and therefore Kṛṣṇa exhorts that ultimately one must raise oneself above the three modes (*nistrai-guṇyaḥ bhava,* *Gītā* 2.45) to move from the realm of matter to the realm of spirit. To that effect, since we are all conditioned by the variegated medleys of modes from being for ages in this material existence, scriptures advise that we first raise our existence to the purest of the three modes—sattva. This is because sattva acts as the fertile ground for the seed of spiritual acumen and the continuous growth of the plant of progressively matured spiritual realizations. Through the foundation of sattva, there is an opportunity to realize Kṛṣṇa (*sattvaṁ viddhi mat-padam,* *Bhāgavatam* 11.25.16). The next pertinent question is “In terms of the day-to-day practice of sādhana, how does sattva act as a strong foundation?” The rest of this brief article focuses on the four blessings sattva ushers in that bolster a seeker’s sādhana. *1. One in sattva observes and discriminates* Sādhana, the discipline to attain spiritual realization, involves steadfastly accepting favorable and rejecting unfavorable practices, not whimsically, but as prescribed in scriptures (*śāstraṁ pramāṇam, Gītā* 16.24). Hence, a sincere sādhana must have strong observatory and discriminatory potency based on scriptures. *Sattva* gives alert wakefulness (*sattvāt jāgaraṇam,* *Bhāgavatam* 11.25.20). Therefore a spiritual aspirant in the mode of goodness remains aware of the continuous process of self-refinement a spiritual discipline demands. Further, since sattva is enlightening *(prakāśakam*, *Gītā* 14.6) and gives rise to transcendental knowledge *(sattvāt* *sañjāyate* *jñānam*, *Gītā* 14.17), it breeds acumen to discriminate and choose based on scriptures. *Rajas*, on the other hand, causes one to be fickle, to follow one’s own sensual, psychological, or intellectual demands due to passionate longings (*tṛṣṇa-saṅga, Gītā* 14.7), and therefore it blinds one to the recommendations of the scriptures. Consequently, a person controlled by rajas lacks the scriptural discrimination needed for sādhana, due to too much involvement in material “doings” *(kriyayā*, *Bhāgavatam* 11.25.17). Even more spiritually debilitating is *tamas*. Due to self-deception *(pramāda)*, sloth *(ālasya)*, and slumber *(nidrā)* *(Gītā* 14.8), it destroys even the normal power of observation. *2. One in sattva is quick to act* A heightened sattva carries in it a sense of urgency to bring the discriminatory observation and subsequent contemplation to practice. Spirituality becomes practical philosophy with no room for procrastination. No sooner is an inch of gap in the desired state of spiritual maturity observed than the person in sattva plans to bridge that gap. This is due to the fact that “the nine gates of the body” become astutely receptive and active by being enlightened (sarva-dvāreṣu prakāśa, 14.11). On the other hand, *rajas-*generated greed *(lobha*, *Gītā* 14.17) produces the sensual consciousness and fickleness of immature attachment and detachment. This paralyzes the person in rajas to not make a conclusive action plan for self-improvement. Implementation is lightyears away in tamas, where observation itself is doubtful. *3. One in sattva sustains one’s effort* Even if the person in rajas is successful in spotting and implementing changes towards progressive spiritual development, the exercise is short-lived. As is generally true with spiritual endeavors, where swift results are not seen, a person in rajas fails in the discipline, as rajas carries with it desires for fruits of action *(karma-phala-prepsuḥ*, *Gītā* 18.27) and a perpetual inclination to begin new material endeavors *(pravṛttiḥ* *ārambhaḥ*, *Gītā* 14.12). *Sattva* helps one stick to the regimen, for it gives patience *(dhṛti)* and enthusiasm *(utsāha)* *(Gītā* 18.26). Therefore it helps a person in sattva carry on the effort even without seeing any immediate reward. *4. One in sattva is pleased* And last of all, *sattva* delivers occasional samples of happiness along the way that catapult a practitioner forward through the long and sometimes arduous journey (**sattva*ṁ sukhe sañjayati*, *Gītā* 14.9). Therefore, not only does someone in *sattva* spot the need for improvement and implement it, that too for a long time, but *sattva* also makes the process blissfully acceptable to the spiritual aspirant. *A Stable Launchpad* Spiritual discipline can be a long, challenging process that demands both eternal vigilance in regard to self-refinement and a happy commitment to doggedly pursue it till the last lap. The above-mentioned blessings ushered in by sattva can provide a stable material launchpad to eventually take a leap towards the spiritual world. This is recognized as the supreme intelligence of the intelligent (buddhimatāṁ buddhiḥ) and the cleverness of the most clever (manīṣiṇām manīṣā). That is, through unreal (anṛtena) and temporary (martyena) material facilities—including the guṇa of sattva—the eternal reality (satyam ṛtam) can be achieved *(Bhāgavatam* 11.29.22). *Harivaṁśa Dāsa teaches computer science at a top-tier graduate institution in Mumbai.* Govardhan Eco Village: Sustainable Beauty *As global environmental concerns continue to grow, the cutting-edge results of GEV are getting well-deserved attention from far and near.* By Hlādinī Śakti Dāsa In contrast to the notion that the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement advocates withdrawal from the world, the striking accomplishments of Govardhan Eco Village show how “engaged *bhakti”* is bringing extensive and crucially needed benefit to the world. Recently I boarded a flight to Maharashtra, India. My destination: ISKCON’s internationally celebrated Govardhan Eco Village (GEV). Its founder, His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami, established it to fulfill the desire of his beloved *guru*, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, to showcase the practicality of the ideal of “simple living and high thinking.” Its international impact and its contribution to planetary wellbeing have attracted worldwide attention and elicited much praise (more on that later), but to give you a firsthand glimpse of the project, here’s an entry from my diary. *Morning Meditation, Govardhan Eco Village, Maharashtra* Early this morning I rounded a bend in the parikramā path and suddenly saw His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami on the river Yamuna’s bank.1 He sat atop a red sandstone gazebo, beneath its intricately carved canopy. Alongside him was his friend His Holiness Nirañjana Mahārāja. Wrapped in saffron robes, both absorbed in chanting Kṛṣṇa’s holy names, they swayed, eyes closed, like two flames rising to greet the newborn day. Surprised by my good fortune, I prostrated myself on the Yamuna’s bank, my head pressed to her grassy lawn, and silently offered obeisances. Rising after a moment, I approached a few steps and, determined to keep a respectful distance from their sandstone perch, sat quietly at the base of the gazebo and resumed my own chanting. Minutes passed. The three of us quietly chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa. Then, opening his eyes and looking around, Rādhānāth Swami happened to notice me. He smiled and beckoned me to come sit beside him. I happily complied. As we each dipped back into the nectar ocean of Kṛṣṇa’s holy names, the newly risen sun slowly mounted the sky, burning away the last vestiges of night, along with the night’s bracing cool. In a nearby waterfall Yamuna’s waters sang. Brightly colored nectar gatherers—exotic butterflies and hummingbird moths—drank from the fragrant flowers along the river, fluttering their intricately painted wings. Morning birds flew here and there, their cries festooning the liquid air. Drunken bees dipped and hummed as they went about their mādhukarī.2 Suddenly, Nirañjana Swami crisply asked, “What? Is that a crab? There,” and he pointed across the Yamuna to the opposite bank. I strained to see, and after a moment spotted the pale creature, slowly stepping sideways across the narrow strip of green grass along the water’s edge. “I thought it was a scorpion,” Mahārāja chuckled. “But it’s big!” We all tittered at the chilling notion of a scorpion that big. Suddenly, before our eyes, from nowhere a dark-brown toad, as big as the crab, appeared and sat, as still as stone, inches from where the crab continued its strangely graceful, almost comical, sideways morning stroll. An instant later, faster than my eye could follow, the toad threw wide its gaping mouth, flashed out its long tongue, and, grabbing hold, whipped the unsuspecting crab into its fat maw. Gone! In a flash, the delicately stepping crab—gone! And the fat toad, after vigorously shaking its head once or twice, having swallowed the struggling crab in a single gulp, just sat there alone, unblinking, rock-steady, motionless on the quiet river bank. We were stunned. The swift finality of the crab’s morning promenade was shocking. And in the now ominous silence, the precarious nature of our own existential situation in the material continuum, so powerfully demonstrated by what we’d just witnessed, pointedly advertised the uneasy burden we all bear but speak of so seldom. Stuck in the material world, most of us struggle to mask the constant but subliminal abrasion offered us by our inherent mortality. Nirañjana Swami softly broke the silence: “Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam.”3 Indeed. We’d just seen the living truth of the *Bhāgavatam* declaration in action . . . yes, jīvo jīvasya jīvanam . . . yes, one living being is food for another! Yes, even here, in Vrindavan, the grim reaper keeps busy. Unexpectedly changing the channel, Rādhānāth Swami offered a refreshing commentary on Nirañjana Mahārāja’s succinct *Bhāgavatam* presentation. “Now we’ll see,” he suggested, referring to the fat, rock-steady toad. “If he was a devotee in his previous life, now he’ll go left side down.”4 What could we do but all laugh? Even so, because I was still digesting the ghastliness and perplexing banality of the savagery we’d just witnessed, I didn’t hear what Nirañjana Swami said next. But the gist of Rādhānāth Swami’s rejoinder rests in my memory vividly, however imperfect my paraphrasing: “It’s an eco village—a healthy eco-village—so it’s a self-sustaining chain of life. All the natural elements for eco-sustainability are here in a complex, ever-changing balance.” And then, with compelling reference to the mini spectacle we’d just witnessed, characteristic wit, and a graceful note of inspired theatricality, he added, “And if a big snake were to come along right now and suddenly swallow up the toad, we could see it’s really healthy—a super-healthy eco village.” Indeed, ISKCON has created a super-healthy, super-attractive eco village. And the world is paying close attention. Environmentalists, philanthropists, spiritual foundations, prestigious educational institutions, as well as concerned industrialists and private citizens are being drawn there by the understanding that the world’s ecological crises, if not properly addressed, threaten catastrophe. As global concern mounts, the cutting-edge results of GEV are getting well-deserved attention from far and near. Its rural development programs alone benefit 78 tribal villages, dramatically improving the lives of over 1.5 million people. More than 7,000 rural communities have been transformed by GEV’s introduction of educational resources and forest- and land-cultivation programs, and by its implementation of state-of-the-art techniques for water conservation and irrigation.5 In addition to these innovations, GEV’s entrepreneurial initiatives for women have dramatically improved the quality of life for women and children in the region, doing much to supplant entrenched patterns of social and economic disenfranchisement. The many fortunate souls thus benefited are becoming spontaneously and naturally attracted to the devotees and to the practices of *bhakti-yoga* because everywhere in GEV Prabhupāda’s teachings are being followed and promulgated: regular temple worship and daily classes in *bhakti-yoga*, sharing of sanctified foodstuffs (prasādam distribution), production and distribution of authorized books on *bhakti-yoga*, and a visible focus on cow protection and harmonizing with Mother Nature. Of course, most powerfully, there is the constant interaction that locals, visitors, and guests have with Śrīla Prabhupāda’s followers, the many highly skilled and committed devotees dedicated to developing the Eco Village. It is they, by their devotional service, who are ensuring that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness revolution Śrīla Prabhupāda came to inculcate worldwide continues to gain traction and expand exponentially. Greatly inspired, people in the region are working with government agencies and private concerns with profoundly life-affirming eco-green results that are attracting global attention. On the cultural front too, GEV is furthering a central feature of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s spiritual mission, namely it is promoting India’s rich spiritual heritage by re-creating the holy land of Vrindavan. There in Maharashtra various pleasure pastimes enacted by Kṛṣṇa with His intimate devotees in Vrindavan all come to life in beautiful dioramas. And Vraja’s rich forest groves, its pristine streams and enticing bodies of water, as well as its prominent temples have been enchantingly replicated in the lush beauty of Govardhan Eco Village. Certainly, Śrīla Prabhupāda is greatly pleased. And the world, poised on the brink of ecological catastrophe, is being shown the way back—back to the life-supporting patterns intended by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, back to Godhead. *Hlādinī Śakti Dāsa is a disciple of His Holiness Tamāl Kṛṣṇa Goswami.* *NOTES* 1 Within its borders, GEV has re-created Sri Vrindavan Dham, along with the sacred Yamuna, as well as a number of its temples and holy places. 2 Mādhukarī, from the Sanskrit “honey carrying bees,” refers to the Vedic custom of charity in which an ideal sage behaves like a busy honeybee. Traveling from flower to flower the bees move about, gathering morsels of honey from each. In the same way the ideal sage travels from place to place begging alms, limiting his brief visits to just a few houses, and accepting in charity only enough to keep body and soul together. 3 The phrase jīvo jīvasya jīvanam appears in *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (1.13.47): “Those who are devoid of hands are prey for those who have hands; those devoid of legs are prey for the four-legged. The weak are the subsistence of the strong, and the general rule holds that one living being is food for another [jīvo jīvasya jīvanam].” 4 By jokingly referring to “left side down,” Rādhānāth Swami was citing the practice popular among Kṛṣṇa devotees of lying down after a feast on the left side to aid digestion. 5 The statistics quoted come from https://ecovillage.org/project/govardhan-eco-village/ The entry was last updated in July 2020, but the project’s accomplishments are continually expanding in numerous ways. To learn more about GEV, visit any or all of its websites. Or, if possible, even better, visit the eco village to experience firsthand the many extraordinary and beautiful transformations taking place. Six *Gītā* Values and Chinese Culture *A look at some quotes from classical Chinese literature that echo Bhagavad-gītā values and are popular among Chinese people today.* by Nāndīmukhī Devī Dāsī Because certain values found in the *Bhagavad-gītā* align well with traditional Chinese values, highlighting them may help spread Kṛṣṇa’s teachings among the Chinese people today. There are various perspectives on how to popularize and gain appreciation for the timeless wisdom of the *Bhagavad-gītā*. A few years ago, some devotees considered the *Bhagavad-gītā* from the viewpoint of six key values and principles that could be referenced in daily life and decision-making: *sama-darśana* (equal vision), *icchā* (choice), *ahiṁsā* (without harm), *ācārya* (teaching by example), *amānitva* (humility), and *prīti* (affection). (A related article, titled “Gita Values,” appeared in the December 2019 edition of Viplavaḥ, a journal of the ISKCON Ministry of Education.*) These six *Gītā* values can be found in many traditional and modern cultures, and could help connect the ancient *Bhagavad-gītā* with a contemporary audience. This article revisits these six *Gītā* values in connection with Chinese culture. Chinese culture is one of the world’s oldest cultures, having accumulated an abundance of values, stories, and knowledge over thousands of years. China also has the biggest population in today’s world, almost one fifth of the global population. Chinese people and government are familiar with Chinese culture and largely identify with it. For members of ISKCON, an expanding worldwide organization, to communicate Kṛṣṇa consciousness internationally and interculturally it is relevant to consider cultural differences; people could be more appreciative and open when the culture that is precious to them is acknowledged and respected. Throughout history, numerous learned Chinese scrutinized the rise and fall of dynasties, historical events, natural phenomena, etc., trying to deduce unchanging causes of the vicissitude of success and failure, flourish and decay. Meanwhile, it is found in Chinese history and China today that values are usually preached on the basis of honoring ancestry, preeminent predecessors, and national identity. For a culture that is secularly oriented, advocating values that cultivate goodness is perhaps the highest social welfare activity. By bringing in the light of *Bhagavad-gītā*, however, we can expect not only a more solid and enlivening motivation for people to honor their cultural values, but also a greater opportunity for them to reconnect with their original Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which grants lasting meaning to their circumstantial activities. Following are the six *Gītā* values together with quotes, drawn from classical Chinese literatures, that echo the values and are popular among Chinese people today. In consideration of a global audience, quotes from modern spoken Chinese interpretations of the classical Chinese texts are presented in English. And Pinyin, a standard system of romanized spelling for transliterating Chinese, is used in place of Chinese characters. The four diacritics in Pinyin that denote tones are not included. Approximate dates of figures or literatures are provided for interested readers. The first paragraph in each of the sections below is taken directly from the Viplavaḥ article, written by Śeṣa Dāsa, minister of ISKCON’s Ministry of Education. *Gītā Value 1: sama-darśana (equal vision)* “The *Gītā’s* idea of equal vision speaks of the equality of all living beings, where life is respected regardless of race, gender, caste, creed, or species. This rests on the understanding that the energy we call life is not a temporary material energy but an eternal spiritual energy. Thus Kṛṣṇa says that the wise see a saint, a laborer, a dog, and an elephant with equal vision, and—while acknowledging their material differences—see real substance in their spiritual equality. This vision awards personhood to all, links everyone with God, and consequently with each other. It does not consider human dignity to be the natural basis of civilization, but instead the dignity of all life.” The idea of sama-darśana is well conveyed by the Chinese idiom “Yi Shi Tong Ren.” The idiom originates from Han Yu’s article “Yuan Ren.” Han Yu (768–824 CE), a prominent author and official in the Tang Dynasty, advocated the Confucian theory of altruism. In “Yuan Ren” he discussed that the world is divided into three parts: the sky, the ground, and humans. The sky is situated above. The ground is situated below. Humans are situated in the middle. In the sky are the sun, moon, and stars. On the ground are grass, trees, mountains, and rivers. “Humans” includes civilized humans as well as barbarians, birds, and beasts. The sky is the master of the sun, moon, and stars. The ground is the master of grass, trees, mountains, and rivers. Civilized humans are the masters of barbarians, birds, and beasts. To be a worthy master, civilized humans should widely practice being altruistic to all, regardless of species and social positions. Therefore sages, especially, are benevolent and treat barbarians, birds, and beasts alike. *Gītā Value 2: icchā (choice)* “Icchā means desire. The *Gītā* begins by Arjuna making a choice to seek guidance from his friend Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa concludes His *Gītā* by recognizing that after offering His opinion Arjuna will do as Arjuna desires. Kṛṣṇa has spoken to Arjuna openly, truthfully, and with affection. He has not been demanding or dogmatic. By leaving the choice to Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa has acknowledged this freedom. Thus Arjuna can freely choose his relationship with Kṛṣṇa, his service and responsibilities, and fight or flight on the battlefield. The *Gītā* establishes that love depends on individual choice.” In Chinese history there is also a capable man who used to live in seclusion yet chose to come out and committed himself to serving a master. Liu Bei was a warlord and the king of Shu Han state in the Three Kingdom Period. When he learned that Zhuge Liang (181–234 CE), who was then living in a secluded hermitage, was a man competent to help him establish and manage a kingdom, he went to visit him. He went there twice, only to find that Zhuge Liang was not at home. He went for a third time and finally met Zhuge Liang. Liu Bei’s sincerity touched Zhuge Liang, who then agreed to serve Liu Bei in his mission. Zhuge Liang mentioned the incident in his renowned article “Qian Chu Shi Biao”: “I was a laborer, plowing fields in Nanyang. I simply tried to sustain a life in the turmoil without any ambition for gaining fame among statesmen. The king [i.e., Liu Bei] did not consider me low-status, paid me personal visits three times in a row, and consulted me about the way of ruling the world. I cannot be more grateful, and thus promised the king to dedicate myself to his service.” *Gītā Value 3: ahiṁsā (without harm)* “Ahiṁsā means to act in a way that causes the least harm. In the Mahābhārata Kṛṣṇa says that all dharma, all good acts, are dependent on this one principle. The context of the *Gītā*, a battlefield, helps us appreciate that ahiṁsā does not mean pacifism. Nevertheless, a life of ahiṁsā does include avoiding violence—the harm of offering cruel words, of making others’ lives distressed or confused, of withholding knowledge or insight, and of being neglectful of ourselves. In the *Gītā* Kṛṣṇa asks us to consider loka saṅgraha—the welfare of the world, and sarva-bhūta-hita—the welfare of all beings. Ahiṁsā encourages such a life dedicated to truth, dharma, and spirituality, allowing us to be better servants of God and the greater good.” Chinese culture also advocates that one should do good to others and not harm. In Dao De Jing, a collection of the teachings of Lao Zi (571–471 BCE), it is said, “The foremost goodness is like water. Water benefits all instead of contending with them. Water stays at the lowest place, which everyone disdains. In this way it is in harmony with ‘Dao.’” In Meng Zi, a collection of the teachings of Mencius (372–289 BCE), it is said, “Imbibing the goodness in others is like doing good together with others. For a gentleman, the most important thing is to do good with others.” The Chinese idiom “Fu Jing Qing Zui” expresses the value of considering the welfare of all people and the welfare of the world. “Fu Jing” means carrying thorny grass. “Qing Zui” means pleading guilty. The idiom originates from a historical incident: Lin Xiangru and Lian Po (327–243 BCE) were high-ranking officials of Zhao state in the Warring States Period. After Lin Xiangru had been promoted to a position higher than Lian Po’s, Lian Po was indignant and became hostile to Lin Xiangru. Lin Xiangru prioritized the safety and stability of Zhao state and tolerated Lian Po’s hostility at all times. Later, Lian Po realized his misbehavior. With a bundle of thorny grass on his back, he approached Lin Xiangru and begged forgiveness. The two then became close friends and served Zhao state cooperatively. *Gītā Value 4: ācārya (teaching by example)* “The word ācārya means one who leads and teaches by example. The ācārya, by behavior, shows what can be done, how we can live a full life with a minimum of possessions, how a dedicated life of service gladdens the heart, and how a spiritual life is a practical life. The ācāryas inspire integrity and good character in others by the standards they set. Teaching by example is the essence of education; leading by example is the essence of government. Exemplifying one’s principles is the basis of dignity, respect, and trust.” The value of teaching and leading by one’s example is familiar to Chinese culture. Several Chinese idioms convey this idea, including “Wei Ren Shi Biao,” “Yi Shen Zuo Ze,” and “Shen Ti Li Xing.” In Lun Yu, a collection of the teachings of Confucius (551–479 BCE), it is said, “If you have good conduct, even if you do not command orders people will implement them. If you do not have good conduct, even if you command orders people will not obey. . . . If you rectify your own behavior, what difficulty is there in managing others and the state’s affairs? If you cannot rectify your own behavior, how can you rectify others’ behavior?” In Shi Jing (1100–700 BCE), the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, a verse says that those who have exemplary conduct and deep learning are like towering mountains, and people appreciate and admire these qualities. *Gītā Value 5: amānitva (humility)* “Humility in the *Gītā* is a virtue which is seen in behavior but which rests on understanding. Humility is the quality of not being anxious to be honored by others. Humility aided Arjuna to understand himself and what he must do in the greater scheme of things. Humility is not weak. It nurtured Arjuna’s self-esteem, self-confidence, and courage. It allowed him to know, love, and serve God. It perfumes our communication, is the jewel of the broadminded, and is the key to a spiritual life. It is the most attractive quality we can possess.” Humility perhaps is one of the most commonly reviewed values in Chinese culture. In Shang Shu (1000 BCE), one of the five classics of ancient Chinese literature, it is said, “Being complacent will do harm. Being humble will benefit.” In Zhou Yi (900 BCE), one of the oldest of the Chinese classics, sixty-four hexagrams are discussed. One of them is named “Qian,” a Chinese character that means humility. And all the explanatory verses of the hexagram indicate auspiciousness, which is rarely seen in the other sixty-three hexagrams. For instance, one verse states, “A humble gentleman is used for taking on important tasks. Auspicious.” Wang Yangming (1472–1529 CE), an important thinker and military general in the Ming Dynasty, wrote in his book Chuan Xi Lu, “Modesty is the foundation of all virtues. Pride is the chief of all evils.” Chinese people also see humility in living beings other than humans. In a poem by Xu Tingyun (1095–1179 CE), the humility of bamboos is glorified: “Have character before emerging from the soil. Remain unassuming even after having reached the clouds.” *Gītā Value 6: prīti (affection)* “In the *Gītā* Arjuna listens to all the advice given by Kṛṣṇa and chooses His path because he wants to please Him. His relationship with Kṛṣṇa is based on love, and Kṛṣṇa has shared his knowledge with Arjuna because of this love. All of the principles we have mentioned are enriched by our ability to offer and receive affection. Love for God develops our kindness, our gratitude, and our concern. Our ability to be compassionate and tolerant is nourished by affection. Preaching is excellent when graced with a concern born of affection, and our affection for God should be apparent in all our dealings—as the quality of a rose is apparent by its scent.” In Chinese culture the necessity of offering and receiving affection is emphasized. “Xian Huan Jie Cao,” for example, is a Chinese idiom that conveys this principle. “Xian Huan” refers to holding a jade ring in the mouth to repay a benefactor. “Jie Cao” refers to knotting grass into a rope to rescue a benefactor. The idiom indicates that we should always be grateful to others and never forget those who have helped and favored us. There is also a popular saying from a book titled Zhu Zi Jia Xun (seventeenth century CE) that says, “Grace as little as a drop of water should be repaid by a spring of water.” In a well-known poem, Meng Jiao (751–814 CE) expresses, “Children are like the tiny grass. Mother’s love is like the spring sunshine. How can children repay their mother for her love?” Love for the Supreme is also found in classical Chinese culture. It is written in a poem in the collection titled Shi Jing, “The Supreme is great and brilliant, looks at the world with tremendous attention, monitors and observes the four directions of the sky and the ground, and recognizes suffering in people.” Su Shi (1037–1101 CE), a prominent scholar-official in the Song Dynasty, wrote in his article “Chi Bi Fu,” “Between the sky and the ground, everything has its owner and does not belong to me. Even if it is something minute, I would not take possession. Only the fresh breeze on the river and the bright moon seen between the mountains, when heard by the ear it becomes sound, and when encountered by the eye it becomes form. It is the inexhaustible treasure of the Creator, and is enjoyable for you and me.” *A Life of Values* To live by values and principles is not easy; it can be a form of austerity of the body, mind, and speech. Yet, as Lord Ṛṣabhadeva taught, human life is meant for tapo divyam, austerity to realize the divine *(Bhāgavatam* 5.5.1). With the help of intelligence and volition, a human has the capability to move towards a life of quality that contributes to society and purifies his or her existence. May this presentation of the six Gītā values with parallel examples from Chinese culture help popularize *Bhagavad-gītā* and increase the enthusiasm of the readers to live a life of values and principles pertaining to the attainment of pure devotional service. *Originally published online, the article is no longer available. *Nāndīmukhī Devī Dāsī (Yanying Wang), a disciple of His Holiness Romapāda Swami, was born and raised in mainland China. She came to the U.S. by herself in August 2014 and later came across Kṛṣṇa consciousness and devotees via a bhakti-yoga club at the George Washington University. She completed her graduate education in statistics in the U.S. She cares about the development of ISKCON in China and the spreading of Kṛṣṇa consciousness worldwide.* Learning the Ropes: An Analogical Look at the Three Modes of Material Nature *Though the modes are like ropes that pull us in various directions, we can overcome their control.* By Satyarāja Dāsa We like to think we’re in control, but material nature has us tied up in knots. The three modes of material nature are subtle forces that influence every aspect of our physical, mental, and emotional existence. The Sanskrit term for these forces is guṇa, literally “strand,” “rope,” or “quality.” The modes pull us in various directions, both on the gross, physical plane and on the subtle, psychological one. I recently learned that although there are hundreds of varieties of knots, there are three overarching categories—loop knots, bends, and hitches. And while I have no idea how these different knots are used, or even what they look like, I was fascinated to discover that there are three of them, since this correlates with the number of modes described in Sanskrit texts. The modes are knotted ropes that keep us bound in various ways—bound to the material world, that is. Besides “rope,” the word “mode” is also appropriate when rendering guṇa into English. The word comes from the Latin modus, which means “measure.” This correlates with the Sanskrit māyā, defined by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati Ṭhākura as “that which is measurable,” i.e., the material world and everything in it. In Sāṅkhya, the classical Indian school of thought that seeks to understand reality by separating its components into puruṣa (consciousness) and prakṛti (the realm of matter), the modes are revealed as sattva (lightness, equilibrium, goodness), rajas (passion, motion, attachment), and tamas (darkness, inertia, lethargy). We find in an early Vedic text (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 4.5) that the modes are part of God’s energy and can be represented as three colors: white for sattva, red for rajas, and black for tamas. This same verse tells us that prakṛti, material nature, is nondifferent from the Supreme and that, consequently, the modes, which are part of prakṛti, are nondifferent from Him as well—as energy is nondifferent from its energetic source. Obviously drawing on the above verse, Śrīla Prabhupāda throughout his books also correlates white (or sometimes yellow) with sattva, red with rajas, and black (sometimes blue) with tamas, elaborating on how the modes tend to influence people. Again, light colors are associated with goodness and purity, red with passion and longing, and darker colors with sloth and ignorance. In the Upanishadic verse, the colors white, red, and black are used symbolically to elucidate the modes in terms of colors in a general way. However, if one wanted to illustrate the endless variety of hues that could arise from mixing such colors, it would be more accurate to use the primary colors (yellow, red, and blue), as Prabhupāda does. This is true because white would just give us lighter versions of red and black, whereas the primary colors can produce an infinite variety. By aligning the modes with this trichromatic truth of primary colors, we learn much about how modes interact within the material world. The three modes are always mixed with one another, just as colors rarely exist in an unalloyed state. The combination of three times three, Prabhupāda reminds us, initially allows for nine different mixtures, and when combined again, eighty-one mixtures, and so on. In other words, the modes never exist independently of each other, and as a consequence all living beings manifest as a combination of goodness, passion, and ignorance, even if one mode will predominate in a person’s life. This will dictate who they are, what they like, and the vocation to which they are inclined. The notion of mixing colors, i.e., the interaction of multiple modes, also brings us back to the “rope” metaphor, if with a particular twist: It is to be remembered that a rope is actually a combination of threads, a mixture of smaller strands composing a braided cable. *Understanding Through Analogy* Insight into the modes can be achieved by studying the numerous ways in which the key words—sattva, rajas, and tamas—are interpreted. For example, *Bhagavad-gītā* scholar Graham Schweig (Garuḍa Dāsa) suggests that sattva, rajas, and tamas could be understood as self-giving, selfish, and self-destructive, respectively, or, in terms of consciousness: conscious, subconscious, and unconscious. Although he doesn’t elaborate, such musings on the three key words give us helpful hints as to what they represent. Professor Schweig’s most telling correlation, however, is when he writes that the modes are comparable to objects that are transparent, translucent, and opaque. Let me explain this more thoroughly. If we consider several examples of transparent phenomena, such as air, water, and clear glass, we will note that light passes directly through them, usually with minimal adulteration or obstruction. And colored light passing through something transparent (and uncolored) will retain its color. That’s the way it is with sattva-guṇa. A person predominantly in this mode will reflect the nature of the soul, even though that nature is still filtered through material conditioning. Such a person is clear, light, and harmonious with ultimate reality and tends to be happy and aware. It should be noted, though, that the mode of goodness is not transcendence, and so its transparent quality is always compromised to one degree or another. Even a fully transparent window naturally includes a subtle element of distortion. This limitation of goodness in terms of transparency is a subject to which we will later return. Regarding rajas: Certain plastics and frosted glass, among other objects, are translucent. When light shines through these materials, it is constricted. This disallows accurate perception because translucent objects are only semi-transparent, blocking some ultraviolet rays. We can compare this to rajas. A person conditioned by this mode will be so consumed by longing, desire, and the need for immediate action that self-evident truth is often lost, his vision clouded by passion. The word rajas literally means “dust” or “smoke,” both of which inhibit light, but not fully, merely coloring it. This is similar to translucence: to the degree that a conditioned soul is “dusted” with desire and selfish interests, it becomes unable to see its true nature. Opaque objects block light, since they are unable to transmit radiant energy. This includes materials such as brick, wood, stone, cardboard, and metals, which refract or repel light, making it go in another direction altogether. This is reminiscent of tamas, a quality that so covers the soul that its original nature becomes totally obscured. While the soul is eternal, conscious, and blissful, the entity conditioned by tamo-guṇa is involved in temporary, ignorant, and miserable acts that perpetuate the cycle of birth and death. Other analogies help us understand the modes. For example, consider the three states of matter—solid, liquid, and gas—particularly as applied to water. Tamas might be seen as ice—motionless, hard, like a rock. It could easily be seen as frozen energy, unable to display its natural flow. Rajas, on the other hand, is like the dawn of the melting process, where things start to move fast, perhaps too fast, as water begins to drip in all directions. In contrast, sattva is like steam, which can be harnessed for positive results. When water turns gaseous, it can be used by steam engines. In fact, such engines played a central role in the Industrial Revolution and today generate more than seventy-five percent of the world’s electricity. Similarly, a person in sattva-guṇa is not hard and unmoving like a rock or wild and uncontrolled like an unsuppressed stream. Rather, he has calmed his passions and is able to control his actions in service to God and humanity. These analogies are not meant to be precise; they are merely helpful indicators, assisting in our understanding of the modes. *Scriptural Knowledge* To really understand this subject, one would do well to study the scriptures, particularly the *Bhagavad-gītā* (chapters 14, 17, and 18) and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (Canto 11, chapter 25). Although Lord Kṛṣṇa first mentions the modes in the second chapter of the *Bhagavad-gītā*, He goes on to systematically analyze them in almost one hundred of its seven hundred verses. Briefly, the Gītā teaches us that God, as the creator of the modes, is naturally above them (7.13), while they bind the ordinary soul to the body through conditioning (14.5). However, once we understand how the modes work and discover what lies beyond them, we can become free of material conditioning and purely devote ourselves to the service of God (14.19). Kṛṣṇa explains the modes in various contexts, including how they apply to faith, food, sacrifice, austerity, knowledge, and action. In general, He says that we develop habits according to the kinds of activity we favor, whether “good,” “passionate,” or “ignorant.” This influences our choice in friends, music, food, work, and so on, and the more we make such choices, the less freedom we have to make newer ones (13.22)—since by each act we create deeply embedded impressions in our consciousness. Thus our modal choices affect our overall perception of reality, in which we are trapped until we have the good fortune and good intelligence to accept the guidance of a liberated soul. Only then do we gradually become free of our conditioned responses to the world and learn to transcend the modes of material nature. All of this information is elaborated upon in the *Uddhava* *Gīta* of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*. A few verses should suffice: [inset] My dear Uddhava, the combination of all three modes is present in the mentality of “I” and “mine.” The ordinary transactions of this world, which are carried out through the agency of the mind, the objects of perception, the senses and the vital airs of the physical body, are also based on the combination of the modes. (11.25.6) O gentle Uddhava, all these different phases of conditioned life arise from work born of the modes of material nature. The living entity who conquers these modes, manifested from the mind, can dedicate himself to Me by the process of devotional service and thus attain pure love for Me. (11.25.32) A wise sage, free from all material association and unbewildered, should subdue his senses and worship Me. He should conquer the modes of passion and ignorance by engaging himself only with things in the mode of goodness. (11.25.34) Then, being fixed in devotional service, the sage should also conquer the material mode of goodness by indifference toward the modes. Thus pacified within his mind, the spirit soul, freed from the modes of nature, gives up the very cause of his conditioned life and attains Me. (11.25.35) [end inset] This last verse is essential for understanding the modes. It is often assumed that upon attaining a life of “goodness,” which affords happiness, knowledge, and peace of mind, one has “arrived,” as it were, reaching some kind of culminating perfection on the spiritual path. But this is simply not the case. Actions impelled by sattva, an aspect of material nature, bring on material reactions, or *karma*. So by their very acts of goodness, even good people inadvertently bind themselves to the world of matter. This is not to say that acts of goodness should be abandoned, but rather that they should be augmented by transcendental acts—acts of devotional service to the Lord and His devotees. Devotional service transcends goodness, passion, and ignorance and thus frees one from the material world. As Prabhupāda wrote in a letter (February 28, 1972): “Actually, [goodness] is not the final stage—one has to go further ahead to suddha sattva [pure goodness]. In the material mode of goodness there are sometimes tinges of the modes of passion and ignorance, but in the suddha sattva stage there is only pure love of God or pure mode of goodness; that is the difference.” Earlier, I referred to an analogy involving transparency, translucency, and opaqueness, mentioning how sattva-guṇa correlates with clear vision. However, I also noted that in the ultimate analysis such clarity is always compromised, causing subtle forms of misrepresentation. Prabhupāda often referred to a bona fide spiritual master as a transparent medium between the disciple and the Absolute Truth. In other words, one can actually see the truth by the grace of a legitimate spiritual teacher who acts as a clarifying lens for the sincere spiritual aspirant. This vision is not gained merely by engaging in action in the mode of goodness. Submission at the feet of a master, say Vedic texts, allows fully clarified vision, affording direct perception of the truth. *The Spiritual Modes* Philosophers have long referred to the three modes of material nature as “the Sankhyan Trinity,” since they form the groundwork of all things material. By contrast, sat-cit-ānanda is known as “the Vedantic Trinity,” or the very stuff of the spiritual world. It is this latter Trinity to which we will now direct our attention. Sat-cit-ānanda refers to eternity, cognition, and bliss, which manifests only in viśuddha-sattva, or beyond the material modes of nature. Since Kṛṣṇa’s material energy (bahiraṅgā śakti) is a facsimile or a perverted reflection of the spiritual energy (antaraṅga-śakti), there is a correlation between them, as mentioned in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s commentary on the *Caitanya-caritāmṛta* *(Ādi* 4.62, Purport): “Each of the three divisions of the internal potency—the sandhinī [sat], samvit [cit] and hlādinī [ānanda] energies—influences one of the external potencies by which the conditioned souls are conducted. Such influence manifests the three qualitative modes of material nature, proving definitely that the living entities, the marginal potency, are eternally servitors of the Lord and are therefore controlled by either the internal or the external potency.” The above is meant to remind us that, as stated in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (15.1), the world we see before us is like an upside-down banyan tree. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in his commentary on this verse: [inset] This tree, being the reflection of the real tree, is an exact replica. Everything is there in the spiritual world. The impersonalists take Brahman to be the root of this material tree, and from the root, according to Sāṅkhya philosophy, come prakṛti, puruṣa, then the three guṇas, then the five gross elements (pañca-mahā-bhūta), then the ten senses (daśendriya), mind, etc. In this way they divide up the whole material world into twenty-four elements. If Brahman is the center of all manifestations, then this material world is a manifestation of the center by 180 degrees, and the other 180 degrees constitute the spiritual world. The material world is the perverted reflection, so the spiritual world must have the same variegatedness, but in reality. [end inset] This explains how the three modes of material nature come from similar elements that exist in transcendence. But while phenomena such as eternity, cognition, and bliss have no deficits, wholly representing God and the spiritual world without adulteration, the three modes of material nature are shot through with problems for the conditioned soul. [inset] Since this manifestation is material, it is temporary. A reflection is temporary, for it is sometimes seen and sometimes not seen. But the origin from whence the reflection is reflected is eternal. The material reflection of the real tree has to be cut off. When it is said that a person knows the Vedas, it is assumed that he knows how to cut off attachment to this material world. If one knows that process, he actually knows the Vedas. . . . The purpose of the Vedas, as disclosed by the Personality of Godhead Himself, is to cut down this reflected tree and attain the real tree of the spiritual world. *(Gītā* 15.1, Purport) [end inset] By learning how to transcend the three modes of material nature through the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one becomes the perfect follower of the Vedas and attains the spiritual dimension. *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.* The Supreme Wonderful Behind All Wonders *The awe inspired by aspects of this world hints at the infinite awesomeness of its creator.* by Viśākhā Devī Dāsī While acknowledging the wonders of nature, devotees want to go beyond them to understand and appreciate their source. One of the joys of parenting is to experience the sense of innocent wonder that lights up a child’s life as he or she discovers the world day by day. Whether a pencil, a puddle, or mashed potatoes—everything stirs curiosity, everything demands further investigation and experimentation. As we grow, that sense of wonder and newness may weaken and shrivel until, as adults, we sometimes go to far-flung places in search of new sights, sounds, and tastes to stimulate us. Like the musk deer, which is said to search far and wide for the scent that’s coming from within its own body, by insisting on external stimulation we miss the actual wonder, the ātmā—the particle of spirit that gives life and consciousness to our body and the bodies of all beings. Although the ātmā is atomic in size, it’s moving our body and mind to act in amazing ways. Our great civilizations and cities, our inventions and industries, our philosophizing and proselytizing are all done by the minute spirit spark within the body. “Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all.” *(Gītā* 2.29) If such wonderful things can be performed by the minute spiritual spark, we cannot begin to imagine what can be accomplished by the Supreme Spirit Whole. The world we live in, composed of physical elements governed by the laws of material nature, is wonderful in its own way, but it does not work independently. Behind the workings of this world, behind the elements and nature’s laws, there’s the supreme ātmā—Paramātmā, God. He is the creator and controller of everything. “This material nature, which is one of My energies, is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, producing all moving and nonmoving beings. Under its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.” *(Gītā* 9.10) Perhaps we cannot see Kṛṣṇa in the background; perhaps we see only the wonderful activities of nature. But from the scriptures, and by using our common sense and logic, we can understand that behind these activities there’s the direction of God, Kṛṣṇa. *Material Wonders* We may look up at a clear night sky and, while marveling at its majesty and mystery, wonder about its origin and purpose. How is it that so many planets—such huge lumps of earth—are floating in the air just like cotton swabs? Is it possible for such wonderful creations of material nature to exist without any intelligence behind them? When we see anything wonderful, common sense should inform us that behind such a manifestation there’s a controller. Nothing can manifest without being controlled; to ignore the controller behind the manifestation is like a child thinking that a pencil has self-manifested. And if in the inferior material energy there are so many wonderful things, we can hardly imagine how great are the wonders of the spiritual energy, which is superior to the material energy. Although many people speculate on the source and purpose of creation, devotees of Kṛṣṇa, aware of the limits of the mundane mind and intelligence, appreciate nature’s wonders and also want to go beyond them to understand their source. As a person who beats an empty husk of wheat cannot get grain, those who simply speculate on the source of material nature will not come closer to actually understanding that source, and will not achieve self-realization. Their only gain is trouble. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: [extract] The Lord has employed His wonderful material energy in manifesting many, many wonderful distractions in the material world, and the conditioned souls, illusioned by the same energy, are thus unable to know the supreme cause. The most stalwart scientists and philosophers, therefore, cannot be accepted as wonderful. They only appear wonderful because they are instruments in the hands of the illusory energy of the Lord. Under illusion, the general mass of people deny the existence of the Supreme Lord and accept the foolish products of illusory energy as supreme. *(Bhāgavatam* 3.9.1, Purport) [end extract] *Material Nature’s Wondrous Covering Power* The ātmā is wondrous, the supreme ātmā is supremely wondrous, and the covering potency of the supreme ātmā is also wondrous. That covering potency covers our knowledge and awareness of our own actual identity as ātmā, and it covers our knowledge of the Supreme’s will. Even Kṛṣṇa’s dear devotees are sometimes struck by how His external energy works so wonderfully. In a well-known story in the Mahābhārata, King Yudhiṣṭhira was asked, “What is the most wonderful thing in this world?” He replied, “The most wonderful thing is that everyone sees that everyone else is dying, yet he’s thinking, ‘I shall not die.’” Of course, in one sense we all know intellectually that we won’t live forever; the death rate is a hundred percent—we’re all doomed to die. Yet we act like we won’t die in the sense that we don’t inquire into the purpose of life, we don’t know what will become of us after death, and we don’t think there’s a solution to death, which is so abhorrent to most of us. The *Bhāgavatam* (5.18.3) confirms, [extract] How wonderful it is that the foolish materialist does not heed the great danger of impending death! He knows that death will surely come, yet he is nevertheless callous and neglectful. If his father dies, he wants to enjoy his father’s property, and if his son dies, he wants to enjoy his son’s possessions as well. In either case, he heedlessly tries to enjoy material happiness with the acquired money. [end extract] Boldly and decisively, the *Gītā* declares that for the ātmā there’s neither birth nor death. As spiritual beings, ātmās, we are in fact eternal. Death means the end of the body we currently inhabit, not the end of us. And God consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, means becoming aware of these truths. *Becoming Wonderful* Once a devotee asked Śrīla Prabhupāda, “What happens to a person out on the street if we just give him one Simply Wonderful [a sweet made from powdered milk, butter, and sugar and offered to Lord Kṛṣṇa]?” Śrīla Prabhupāda replied: [extract] Then it is wonderful—simply wonderful. He has not tasted such a wonderful sweet in his life. Therefore, you give him Wonderful, and because he is eating that wonderful sweet, one day he will come to your temple and become wonderful. Therefore it is simply wonderful. So go on distributing this simply wonderful. Your philosophy is simply wonderful, your prasādam is simply wonderful, you are simply wonderful. And your Kṛṣṇa is simply wonderful. The whole process is simply wonderful. Kṛṣṇa acts wonderfully, and it is acting wonderfully. Who can deny it? (Lecture, July 20, 1971, New York City) [end extract] Those fortunate persons who taste the uncommon sweetness and fragrance of Simply Wonderful prasādam—or any prasādam—are themselves struck with wonder. Further explaining how each one of us can become wonderful, Śrīla Prabhupāda said, [extract] I am wonderful so long I serve Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise useless; no value. If I can serve Kṛṣṇa, then I am wonderful certainly. We don’t want to become cheap wonderful. We want to become really wonderful by serving Kṛṣṇa. That is our mission. Kṛṣṇa is wonderful undoubtedly. Who can become more wonderful than Kṛṣṇa? Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat [*Gītā* 7.7]. Always remember, Kṛṣṇa is wonderful. Don’t take Kṛṣṇa very slightly, like one of you. That is foolishness. Kṛṣṇa is wonderful, always. He’s the most wonderful person, and He can do anything wonderful. (Conversation, March 20, 1977, Māyāpur) [end extract] We become wonderful and revive our sense of wonder by connecting ourselves favorably to the supreme wonder, Kṛṣṇa. And then we discover His wondrously kind nature. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “My dear Sir, You have delivered the entire world, but that is not a very great task. However, You have also delivered me, and that is certainly the work of very wonderful powers.” (*Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya* 6.213) I may think, correctly, that I have no qualification for such an exalted goal as connecting with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If, however, I show my sincere desire for that goal by following the rules and regulations of *bhakti-yoga—“the* regulative principles of freedom,” in Prabhupāda’s words—Kṛṣṇa may grace me by allowing me to do wonderful things. A contemporary example of Kṛṣṇa’s grace in a person’s life is Śrīla Prabhupāda himself. Śrīla Prabhupāda: “We are speaking—we are not perfect; we are also ordinary human being—but people are taking that ‘Bhaktivedanta Swami has done wonder.’ What is that wonder? I am speaking *Bhagavad-gītā* as it is, that’s all.” (Conversation, January 8, 1976, Nellore, India) And at another time, Prabhupāda said, “People say that ‘Swamiji, you have done wonder, you have . . .’ so on, so on, so on. But I do not know what is the wonder. I know it is certain that I have not adulterated. That much I know.” (Conversation with Dr. Shaligram Shukla, July 5, 1976, Washington, D.C.) When we associate with the wonderful, our own innate, wonderful nature and potency are revealed, and we’re able to do extraordinary things. *Growing in Wonder* At the end of the *Bhagavad-gītā* (18.76–77) the narrator, Sañjaya, says to Dhṛtaraṣṭra, “O King, as I repeatedly recall this wondrous and holy dialogue between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, I take pleasure, being thrilled at every moment. O King, as I remember the wonderful form of Lord Kṛṣṇa, I am struck with wonder more and more, and I rejoice again and again.” As we hear about Kṛṣṇa with faith, we’ll naturally be amazed by His qualities and activities ¬– how He married and royally provided for His 16,108 queens, how He’s aware of and responding to the desires of all living beings, how He has created and is maintaining the material world, how He’s enjoying with His devotees in His transcendental abode. Discussing Kṛṣṇa will reawaken our own sense of appreciation and wonder, and that sense will be fully aroused when we ourselves reawaken—even to a small degree—our personal loving relationship with Kṛṣṇa. One of the many endearing aspects of Śrīla Prabhupāda was the almost childlike sense of innocent wonder he sometimes expressed. His heart, shining with pure goodness and completely free of envy, relished hearing about and relating Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, His extraordinary powers, and His loving exchanges with His devotees. Once, when Śrīla Prabhupāda was taking his students on a tour of holy places in Vrindavan, as he related how Kṛṣṇa showed His mother all the universes within His mouth his eyes widened and his face became animated. Śrīla Prabhupāda also relished seeing the powerful effects on his students of the chanting and other practices of *bhakti*; he relished the unlimited and causeless mercy of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. And the more his students heard about wonderful Kṛṣṇa and perceived Śrīla Prabhupāda’s wonderful activities, the more their love for these personalities increased. After all, it’s truly wonderful that the unlimited Personality of Godhead, the controller of the entire universe, the person upon whom the entire cosmos rests just as a woven cloth rests upon its own horizontal and vertical threads, the one who is sought by great sages for the sake of liberation and transcendental bliss, acts as a best well-wisher, as a friend, and as the spiritual master of His dear devotees. After Lord Kṛṣṇa granted Akrūra a vision of His majestic four-armed form of Vāsudeva, Akrūra prayed to Him: “Whatever wonderful things the earth, sky or water contain, all exist in You. Since You encompass everything, when I am seeing You, what have I not seen? And now that I am seeing You, O Supreme Absolute Truth, in whom reside all the amazing things on the earth, in the sky and in the water, what other amazing things could I see in this world?” *(Bhāgavatam* 10.41.4–5) *Wonder’s Reawakening* It’s a tragedy when our worldly lives become formulaic, rote, and dull. A deadened life is a life close to death. Let’s not allow that to happen; rather, whatever intelligence we have, whatever abilities we have, let us apply those to understanding and serving Kṛṣṇa. Then, if by His grace we can experience just a drop of His presence in our lives, our appreciation of Him will blossom, and with it, our sense of wonder. In regard to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s appearance as Lord Caitanya—considered Kṛṣṇa’s most merciful form—Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī writes, “If you are indeed interested in logic and argument, kindly apply it to the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. If you do so, you will find it to be strikingly wonderful.” (*Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi* 8.15) If we feel far from appreciating Kṛṣṇa’s and His devotees’ transcendental activities, we can still wonder at Kṛṣṇa’s marvelous creation all around us. Consider, for example, Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling’s famous statement “Just one living cell in the human body is more complex than New York City.” As a former resident of that teeming city, I can say that thought is overwhelmingly wondrous. *Viśākhā Devī Dāsī has been writing for BTG since 1973. The author of six books, she is the temple president at Bhaktivedanta Manor in the UK. She and her husband, Yadubara Dāsa, produce and direct films, most recently the biopic on the life of Śrīla Prabhupāda Hare Kṛṣṇa! The Mantra, the Movement, and the Swami Who Started It All. Visit her website at OurSpiritualJourney.com.* Spiritual Practice: A Lifelong Commitment *As we pursue the lofty goal of pure love for Kṛṣṇa, we’ll likely face difficult times that require determined perseverance.* by Vraja Vihārī Dāsa “Commitment is what transforms a promise into a reality.”—Abraham Lincoln “You heard my wife shouting at me?” He gaped in disbelief. I had unintentionally overheard their conversation when I forgot to disconnect my phone while it was in speaker mode. I kept it on the table, and as I resumed writing, he too kept his phone on while driving the crowded roads of Mumbai. The busy traffic kept him glued to the steering wheel, and he didn’t realize he hadn’t disconnected. A few moments of silence passed when suddenly I heard his wife’s voice boom on the phone. “You’ll now go and spend an hour with Prabhujī while I sit in the car waiting for you!” She sounded angry. I had been speaking to her husband, my close friend and schoolmate for many years, to request him to come to my room for some time to discuss some devotional service we were doing together. They were driving home, and he consented. I had no idea she would be upset. She went on with her tirade for another five minutes—the mess their house was in, the maid’s tantrums, the house tasks he hadn’t completed. She gave him a piece of her mind while he intermittently nodded and sounded a soft “Hmm.” I heard every word with keen interest. I knew I shouldn’t eavesdrop, but the temptation was hard to resist. After some time, I hung up. Later, as promised, he came to my room, and he was restless, all the while keen to go back to his waiting wife. Since we have been good friends for many years, I thought of playing a prank. I urged him to stay on for a longer time, and he sheepishly gave excuses. Finally, I mischievously smiled and confessed I had overheard her rebuking him. I even apologized. He was incredulous. I exclaimed, “She really was upset with you,” to which he simply sighed. “Oh Prabhu, that wasn’t even a trailer.” A few days later we met again, this time in a more relaxed setting. He recalled the incident, and we laughed over it. He candidly confessed that he shares a loving relationship with his wife. “She is very caring,” he said gratefully, “but sometimes she also purifies me with this aspect of her personality. I guess I make too many mistakes and irritate her too often.” He was more philosophical and confessed, “I guess marriage has opened my eyes to the reality that love is not simply about sweet exchanges; she isn’t only whispering sweet nothings in my ear. She also corrects me.” *The Honeymoon Phase of Spiritual life* We then discussed how the same principle applies in our relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and especially in our chanting of the holy names. Devotees in the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement chant a fixed number of rounds of the holy names daily on their beads. Initially, many of us were only “interested” in the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and we chanted when we felt like it or when it was convenient. But over time we made a commitment to chant regardless of how we felt or whether or not it was convenient. As new practitioners we were often excited, and we imagined that spiritual life in general and chanting in particular would always be ecstatic. Some of us thought we’d enjoy Kṛṣṇa consciousness forever and our lives would have no more problems. But, we discovered, soon the honeymoon phase is over. Kṛṣṇa, like a loving spouse, begins to show us the mirror. The first benefit that chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa offers a sincere practitioner is the cleansing of the consciousness. When you clean your room, it’s hard work. When we chant and purify our hearts, it’s going to be intense as well. Just as you clean the dirt from your room, similarly when we invite Lord Kṛṣṇa into our hearts by chanting His holy names, He also mercifully cleans our heart. And He kindly allows us to see the dirtlike, unhealthy aspirations there. In the beginning we are motivated to chant, and the process is exciting, but later it’s commitment that keeps us going. *A Wake-up Call* For those who had a romantic idea of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this realization comes as a rude wake-up call. It’s like my friend feeling cared for by his wife, but that doesn’t mean she spares him her frank feedback. Devotees feel loved by Kṛṣṇa, yet they feel the pain of their own inadequacies. They realize that their relationship with Kṛṣṇa isn’t always sweet like kheer, but rather it’s more like a sweet-and-sour vegetable dish—different, yet still irresistible! And this realization keeps the devotee humble. Thus humility is not a contrived principle or a skill that one develops. Rather it’s a gift that Kṛṣṇa gives when He sees we are sincerely willing to keep the relationship going, cheerfully and gratefully. When we come to terms with our limitations, accept ourselves the way we are, and yet offer our tiny existence to Kṛṣṇa, we come closer to Him. When I understand my frailties and yet trust that Kṛṣṇa will help me in my spiritual journey, I attract His grace. I feel loved by the Lord when I seek to come closer to Him by purifying my heart of the lower desires. Kṛṣṇa does help a devotee feel loved, yet a devotee is also humbled by the process that Kṛṣṇa has given us. This humility is Kṛṣṇa’s gift when He sees we value our relationship with Him. *From Excitement to Fulfilment* A relationship with your loved one will have its ups and downs; there will surely be moments of exhilaration, yet you may feel frustrated. Likewise, there will be occasions when you chant and dance in ecstasy; yet the element of hopelessness is also there. Kṛṣṇa consciousness has its share of austerity as one performs devotional activities consistently for years. Devotees chant for decades, with faith and humility, and they do experience a sense of belonging with the Lord. It’s a fulfilling relationship, but it may not always be a stimulating one. In a modern culture, where happiness is equated with the titillation of the senses, deep fulfillment in our bonding with Kṛṣṇa may not appear attractive at first. Therefore Kṛṣṇa entices devotees with thrilling kīrtanas, succulent prasāda, grand festivals, exciting challenges, and uplifting yātrās (pilgrimages). But to practice the process for years calls upon spiritual practitioners to commit to their relationship with Kṛṣṇa. The little choices we make daily to chant and pray and remember Kṛṣṇa, regardless of what’s happening in our lives, will eventually lead to the final result of love of Kṛṣṇa that we are striving for. A married couple realizes soon that there is more to love than the fun and frolic of the courtship days. Love demands tolerance, forgiveness, understanding, patience, and many other qualities. In the same manner, initially Kṛṣṇa consciousness is all about fun—because it’s about how I enjoy and do what I like. But as we go deeper in our relationship with God, it’s about pleasing God, according to His terms. *Definition of a Spiritual Practice* Sādhana, or spiritual practice, has three elements. First, it is performed for a long time. It isn’t a two-year or even a ten-year project. Devotees practice the process for many decades, diligently and enthusiastically. Second, there is no interruption in the practice. Whether it’s hot or cold, whether they’re happy or sad, sincere spiritual practitioners (sādhakas) keep up their daily practices without interruption. And third, there is an investment of emotions—sādhakas offer their intention to please Kṛṣṇa. After an initial stimulating period of discovering the process, a newcomer is ready to take the plunge, to deepen the relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Just like the archetypal “boy meets girl and both are happy to marry,” ideally a new devotee in the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement soon wants to become a serious, committed devotee. And we express our sincerity by making a commitment. We are willing to give our time and energy for the remaining part of our lives in order to develop a deeper relationship with Kṛṣṇa. A new sādhaka aspires to take spiritual initiation, and just as a Vedic wedding includes a fire sacrifice and an exchange of vows, a spiritual dīkṣā (initiation) includes a practitioner’s vowing to following regulative principles. In ISKCON, the sādhaka also vows to chant a minimum of sixteen rounds of the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra* on beads daily. In a marriage ceremony, a boy and girl who claim to love each other commit to each other. Similarly, devotees receiving dīkṣā commit to their *guru* and express their serious intent to make their relationship with Kṛṣṇa a lifelong one. In this world also, without commitment we cannot experience the depth of any activity or relationship. Therefore devotees commit to their relationship with *guru* and Kṛṣṇa and aspire to make their life a preparation to enter an eternal life with Kṛṣṇa in His kingdom, the longed-for home of the soul. *Śabarī’s Dedication* The Rāmāyaṇa describes the committed services of Śabarī. She chanted Lord Rāmacandra’s name constantly, and as her *guru*, the sage Maṭaṅga, was leaving this world, he assured her that one day the Lord would come to receive her service. Thus Śabarī waited for many decades for the Lord to arrive. She chanted and prayed with enthusiasm and eagerness to receive the Lord, who eventually gave her His audience. In our conditioned stage, we may chant for a few decades and wonder how long it will take for us to experience the pure love of God promised in the scriptures. Commitment means remaining steadfast in our promises long after the mood in which we made them has left us. Śabarī teaches us the attitude of commitment. She was blissful as she patiently waited for the Lord to reciprocate. The Rāmāyaṇa also describes in detail the beautiful trees and fragrant flowers that bloomed in Maṭaṅga Ṛṣi’s ashram. There was a secret to these flowers, which remained ever fresh. The residents of the ashram would daily go to the forest to fetch firewood and other ingredients for their daily worship. They worked hard and served their *guru* sincerely. When the sages returned after an intense and satisfying day of service, drops of perspiration from their bodies fell on the ground. As soon as a sweat drop touched Mother Earth, it instantly transformed into a beautiful flower that never wilted away. It remained fresh forever. The disciples’ loving offering of service to their *guru* caused this phenomenon. Similarly, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s dedicated years of service to his beloved *guru* mission brought about dramatic changes in people’s lives. His labor of love and his perspiration that came out in the form of his books and discourses transformed into fragrant offerings of love. And they remain as fresh as ever—thousands of people are inspired each year to dedicate their lives to Kṛṣṇa. *Exemplary Commitment to Service* Haridāsa Ṭhākura chanted three hundred thousand names of the Lord daily. When he got older and was unwell, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked him to reduce his chanting. Yet Haridāsa Thākura was hesitant to give up his vow. Lord Caitanya reciprocated Haridāsa’s commitment by allowing him to leave this world in His presence the next day. Another exemplary associate of Lord Caitanya, Sanātana Gosvāmī, circumambulated Govardhan Hill in Vrindavan daily as part of his service to the Lord. During his old age, he continued his service, although it was physically challenging. Lord Kṛṣṇa then appeared and gave him a special stone from the hill and asked him to offer his worship to this stone instead the hill. These stalwart devotees have shown us the way of committed spiritual practice. When spiritual practices are performed in this spirit of perseverance, the practitioner’s journey culminates in going back home to Godhead. And until then, while feeling loved by Kṛṣṇa in our spiritual practices, we also keep discovering our flaws and inadequacies. This keeps devotees humble. Simultaneously, Kṛṣṇa fills the devotee’s heart with the sense of belonging to Him. As for my friend, I suggested he spend more time with his family. I could manage our shared services on my own. His wife happily agreed. *Vraja Vihārī Dāsa, a disciple of His Holiness Rādhānath Swami, has served full time at ISKCON Chowpatty since 1999. He has an honors degree in economics and a master’s in international finance. He teaches Kṛṣṇa consciousness to youth and the congregation and has written four books. You can read his daily reflections at www.yogaformodernage.com.* From the Editor Messenger from Vaikuṇṭha Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, the spiritual master of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, passed from this world on the fourth day of the month of Nārāyaṇa in 1937 (January 1), which corresponds to December 12 on this year’s calendar. He was a towering spiritual figure of astounding intellect and lifelong dedication to spreading Lord Kṛṣṇa’s teachings. When Śrīla Prabhupāda was once asked to speak about him, he replied, “What can I say about him? He was a Vaikuṇṭha man.” Prabhupāda’s reply is fitting because a pure devotee of the Lord, as Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī undoubtedly was, moves in this world while existing on the plane of Vaikuṇṭha, the spiritual world. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, a leading disciple of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, wrote, “A person acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness with his body, mind, intelligence, and words is a liberated person even within the material world.” When Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī started his mission for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he faced many obstacles even though he was preaching in West Bengal, where approximately one fifth of the population were supposedly Caitanya Vaiṣṇavas. The movement that Lord Caitanya launched in the early sixteenth century had all but disintegrated, and what remained was largely populated by so-called followers who had in effect rejected His core teachings and were often living lives of debauchery. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī arrived on the scene to return Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism—pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness as given by Lord Caitanya—to its former glory. This required bold preaching, and he was up to the task. He constantly spoke uncompromisingly about Kṛṣṇa and the authentic teachings of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Preachers sometimes flatter their listeners, hoping to win sympathy for their message. But while Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī did observe normal social etiquette when meeting people of power or position, such as the British governor of Bengal, he always delivered the truth of Kṛṣṇa consciousness without watering it down to make it more palatable to his audience. The result of his uncompromising spirit was a vibrant society of dedicated disciples. He and his disciples preached untiringly throughout the Indian subcontinent, opening more than sixty temples and ashrams by the time of his passing. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī wanted to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness beyond India, and he sent disciples to other countries, including England, Germany, and Burma. His desire for the worldwide reach of Lord Caitanya’s movement was fulfilled by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, who credited his success not to his own ability or efforts, but to the blessings of his spiritual master. Likewise, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, though possessed of superb skills that he fully employed in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, always considered himself the humble servant of his immediate spiritual guides, namely his father, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, and his *guru*, Śrīla Gaura Kiśora Dāsa Bābājī. Those of us who feel a debt of gratitude to Śrīla Prabhupāda, the founder-ācārya of ISKCON, for rescuing us from the ocean of material existence must extend our gratitude to his spiritual predecessors as well. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu predicted that His holy name would be chanted in every corner of the world, and they prepared the way for Śrīla Prabhupāda to fulfill that prediction. If you’d like learn more about Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvati Ṭhākura, I suggest the three-volume work on his life and teachings by Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disciple His Holiness Bhakti Vikāsa Swami. Titled Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Vaibhava (available at amazon.com), this comprehensive, thoroughly researched book is sure to inspire you in your progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Hare Kṛṣṇa. —*Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor* Bhakti Wisdom The living entities are foreign to matter, and thus they cannot be happy unless they are situated in the same spiritual life as the Lord. The mistaken living being, out of forgetfulness of this original condition of life, unnecessarily wastes time trying to become happy in the material world. The whole Vedic process is to remind one of this essential feature of life. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 3.5.26, Purport It is a Vaiṣṇava’s business to induce all materialistic living entities to become inclined toward the Supreme Lord. This is real compassion. Our spiritual success is guaranteed if we are honest in our dealings with Vaiṣṇavas, hear attentively from them, and lead our lives according to their instructions. Only then can we be said to be taking advantage of their association. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura *Amṛta-vāṇī*, “Association” To understand the variegated nature of the spiritual world requires deep meditation. The variegated nature of the material world is temporary happiness and distress. The variegated nature of the spiritual world is vast and full of spiritual bliss. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura Commentary on *Brahma-saṁhitā* 5.56 Having achieved this human form of life, which affords one the opportunity to realize Me, and being situated in My devotional service, one can achieve Me, the reservoir of all pleasure and the Supreme Soul of all existence, residing within the heart of every living being. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 11.26.1 The manifestation of unadulterated devotional service is exhibited when one’s mind is at once attracted to hearing the transcendental name and qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is residing in everyone’s heart. Just as the water of the Ganges flows naturally down towards the ocean, such devotional ecstasy, uninterrupted by any material condition, flows towards the Supreme Lord. Lord Kapila *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 3.29.11–12 Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are the Lords of my life. They are my only goal in life or death. Those who worship the divine couple enjoy transcendental mellows and float always in the ocean of love of God. Let this fact ever remain in my heart. Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura *Prema-bhakti-candrikā* 4.3 O Lord, in this birth I have not meditated on You, glorified You, even slightly worshiped You, or developed any devotion to Your lotus feet. That is why I suffer in this condition. I am very poor and fallen. O Śrī Kṛṣṇa, O ocean of mercy, please be compassionate on me. Śrī Śaṅkara Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s *Padyāvalī* 68 COVER: The wonders of creation suggest the majesty of Lord Kṛṣṇa, its creator, whose carefree life in the spiritual world is the greatest of all wonders. (Painting by Dhṛtī Devī Dāsī.) 2023 A Reason to Fight BTG57-01, 2023