# Back to Godhead Magazine #57 *2023 (02)* Back to Godhead Magazine #57-02, 2023 PDF-View Welcome This issue coincides with the sacred festival known as Gaura Pūrṇimā, which commemorates Lord Kṛṣṇa’s advent as *Śrī* Caitanya Mahāprabhu in Mayapur, West Bengal, in 1486 CE. The festival’s name refers to Lord Caitanya’s golden (*gaura*) complexion and the fact that He appeared on a full-moon (*pūrṇimā*) night. This issue of BTG honors the event with two articles related to Lord Caitanya: The Unsurpassed Excellence of *Śrī* *Caitanya-caritāmṛta*, by Satyarāja Dāsa, and Nine Glories of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa. One of the main purposes for Lord Caitanya’s descent was to inaugurate the spiritual practice recommended by the Vedic scriptures for the current age—*saṅ*kīrtana**, or the congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda introduced *kīrtana* to the West in the 1960s, and it has become a common practice for many spiritual groups. Misconceptions about what constitutes genuine *kīrtana* abound, however. So in this issue we’re running an excerpt from the book Prema Kirtan: Journey into Sacred Sound, by Prāṇadā Devī Dāsī. The excerpt focuses on one of the many spiritual benefits of being part of the culture of *kīrtana* as promoted by Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself. Hare Kṛṣṇa. —*Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor* Q&A *Can Vedic spirituality offer a solution to the current global eco-crisis?* Certainly. Practical measures to protect the environment like avoiding plastics and choosing eco-friendly products are valid and valuable, but Vedic wisdom helps us go deeper to find the root cause of our current eco-crisis. With the well-known seminal work of Lynn White, Jr., published in the journal Science in 1967, as a take-off point, we can trace historically the origin of our eco-crisis: 1. Nature is a mere backdrop for human redemption: Prior to the common era, in both the East and the West nature was seen as sacred and conscious, imbued with varieties of spirits and guardian beings, and so was treated with caution and even reverence. The victory of the Semitic religions over paganism sowed the seeds of ecological destruction. Whatever their original scriptural view of nature, the Semitic religions in almost all of their popular and influential versions have de-sacralized nature. That is, the Semitic worldview didn’t see nature as sacred; nature was just the backdrop for the central cosmic drama of human redemption. 2. Nature is a hostile force that humanity must conquer through science: Due to the natural calamities that periodically devastate human history, nature was also seen as hostile and fearful. Consequently, when science and technology seemed to develop the power to bend nature to human will, the Semitic vision of nature only facilitated human exploitation of nature, through mining, deforestation, or industrialization. Of course, the scientific worldview held the laws of nature to be supreme, and it soon reduced the Semitic God to an unnecessary add-on—till the German philosopher Neitsche infamously announced that He was dead. The seeds grew into good-looking flowers as the potential for technological development seemed endless. 3. Nature is all there is to spirituality: The good-looking flowers soon turned into poisonous fruits as pollution, climate change, and loss of bio-diversity started threatening human existence itself. This led to the deep-ecology movement, with environmental sensitivity as its religion and nature its Deity. But this godless, soulless version of “spirituality” makes human life barren of ultimate meaning and the human heart devoid of lasting love. Indeed, deep ecology strikingly resembles the paganism that the Semitic religions overthrew. Are we going around in a fruitless circle? Is there a worldview that combines the virtues of these three past worldviews: eternal life through divine grace as promised by the Semitic religions, the power of human intelligence and endeavor as revealed by the Age of Science, and the environmental sensitivity engendered by the deep-ecology movement? Yes, there is. The Vedic worldview as explained by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu incorporates care of nature as an essential part of the spiritual discipline (*sādhana*) by which we humans beseech God’s grace and thus achieve ultimate salvation. Rather than deifying nature (as done in paganism and deep ecology) or minimizing nature (as done in the Semitic worldview) or exploiting nature (as done in the scientific worldview), this Vedic worldview recognizes that, because both we and nature ultimately belong to God, real harmony comes not merely by the harmony of the human and the natural, but by the harmony of the human and the divine orchestrated through harmonious use of the natural. *Isn’t spiritual life with its longing for another world an attempt to escape from reality?* Yes, spiritual life is an attempt to escape—not from reality, but to reality. Let’s objectively examine what people call real life. It is the life of perpetual struggle from the womb to the tomb: struggle for education amid the backbreaking pressure of others’ expectations, struggle for employment amid cutthroat competition, struggle for family harmony amid hot and cold domestic wars, struggle for health amid the aging of the body—and ultimately the futile struggle against the death sentence inherent in our mortal bodies. Amid all these struggles, we busy ourselves in complicated versions of the animalistic pursuits of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. The uncertainty of success in these pursuits causes us constant stress, and we tout the occasional success as our happiness. Throughout this “real” life, we wake up each morning to witness our bodies emit a foul-smelling substance. We hastily flush away the foul reminder that our bodies are not how we make them look by dressing and making-up. But we can’t flush away the coloring and discoloring of our bodies as they age, sicken, and succumb. Even before such distresses overwhelm us, our life gets so boring that more patients visit psychiatrists due to boredom than due to distress. How have we declared a life so inane, so pointless, so disappointing, so deadening as real life? How have we been deceived into accepting as real such a pathetically low estimation of our human potentials? Our real life is far more dignified than the indignities our bodies subject us to. Our real life is far more graceful than the disgraces that the world buffets us with. Our real life is the life of spirit, the life of freedom, the life of joy, the life of eternity. The *Bhagavad-gītā*—and indeed the sacred texts of the world’s greatest wisdom-traditions—proclaims that our real life is beyond the life of this miserable material world. In our real life, our innate longing for everlasting life is fulfilled by recognizing and realizing our spiritual immortality. Therein, our intrinsic longing for love is eternally and completely fulfilled by reposing it in the all-attractive, all-loving eternal Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa. That life of love is our real life, not our present ugly and unfortunate caricature of life that we mistakenly label as real life. So, by fixing our ambitions and aspirations on the world beyond while doing our necessary duties in this world, let us rise from pseudo-reality to reality. Founder's Lecture: Ignoring Our Real Business *Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that our perfection lies in doing everything only for the satisfaction of Lord Kṛṣṇa.* London—August 27, 1973 Just as the Vedic literature predicted, the most essential qualities of human beings are diminishing day by day. > naimiṣe ’nimiṣa-kṣetre > ṛṣayaḥ śaunakādayaḥ > satraṁ svargāya lokāya > sahasra-samam āsata “Once, in a holy place in the forest of Naimiṣāraṇya, great sages headed by the sage Śaunaka assembled to perform a great thousand-year sacrifice for the satisfaction of the Lord and His devotees.”—*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 1.1.4 [Śrīla Prabhupāda asks his Sanskrit editor, Pradyumna Dāsa, to read the word-by-word translation of the Sanskrit verse.] Pradyumna Dāsa: “*naimiṣe*—in the forest known as Naimiṣāraṇya.” Prabhupāda: When you go to India you can see this Naimisaranya still. It is a very nice place. Just like Vrindavan, Prayag, Haridwar—there are hundreds of nice places for spiritual advancement. This Naimisaranya is still there. The railway station is now called Nimsar. It is about a hundred miles from Lucknow, and people go there. It is a very excellent place for spiritual advancement. Go on. Pradyumna: “*animiṣa-kṣetre*—the spot which is especially a favorite of Viṣṇu, who does not close His eyelids.” Prabhupāda: Our eyelids close, covering our eyes, but Viṣṇu’s eyelids never close. Therefore He is called *animiṣa*. The *gopīs*, Kṛṣṇa’s cowherd girlfriends, condemned Brahmā: “Why have you awarded us these nonsense eyelids? They sometimes cover our eyes, and we cannot see Kṛṣṇa.” This is the *gopīs*’ desire. They want to see Kṛṣṇa always, without being disturbed by the eyelids. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The moment the eyes are being closed by the eyelids is intolerable by them. This is perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are condemning, “Oh, Brahmā did not know how to create. Why has he created these eyelids?” This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because we are conditioned in this material world, our eyelids are made like that. They must close for a moment, again, again, again. Not for a moment—for hours. [Laughs.] We want to close our eyes for hours. That is our disease. But in the spiritual world there is no closing of the eyes. Go on. Pradyumna: “ṛṣayaḥ—the sages; *śaunaka-ādayaḥ*—headed by the sage Śaunaka; *satram*—sacrifice; *svargāya*—the Lord who is glorified in heaven; *lokāya*—and for the devotees who are always in touch with the Lord; *sahasra*—one thousand; *samam*—years; *āsata*—performed.” Prabhupāda: Samam āsata—they were performing a sacrifice for one thousand years. How were they able to do that? In the Satya-yuga people used to live for one hundred thousand years; in Tretā-yuga, ten thousand years; in Dvāpara-yuga, one thousand years; and now, in this Kali-yuga, one hundred years. That also is not complete. Nobody can complete one hundred years, and the life span is reducing. Our forefathers or grandfathers might have lived for a hundred years, but we are not living so long. And gradually our children, our grandchildren, will reduce their span of life so much so that at the end of Kali-yuga if a man lives for twenty to thirty years he’ll be considered a grand old man. Yes. We are reducing. But formerly they were living so many years. In this Kali-yuga the duration of life, the span of life, will be gradually reduced. Memory will be reduced. Strength will be reduced. Mercifulness will be reduced. It is an age of reduction, not increasing. And manda. Manda means all faulty or slow. Actually people are manda, so many faults. And slow means slow in spiritual realization. The human form of life is meant for spiritual realization. That is the distinction between the human form of life and the animal form of life. The animals are not interested, or they do not know what is spiritual life. But the human form of life with developed consciousness is meant for understanding our identification. Athāto brahma-*jijñāsā*: This human form of life is meant for inquiring about our spiritual identity. That is our real business. But in that line of thought we are manda, very slow. “All right, I shall take it later on. Now I have got strength, so let me enjoy my senses. Then I shall see later on.” That is called manda. Not serious. But spiritual life is essential. It is a very serious subject matter. I am covered by this material body, and I am changing one body after another. I do not know what the next change is going to be, either cat or dog or tree. We are not at all interested. There is no such education in the university about the transmigration of the soul, the eternity of the soul, what is the aim of life. Therefore people are *sumanda-mati*. Their philosophy is very bad. They are simply thinking from the bodily concept of life. This is asses’ philosophy, dogs’ philosophy, frogs’ philosophy. This is going on. And they are passing as philosophers. *Frog Philosophy* Frog philosophy we have discussed in our Back to Godhead. A frog is informed, “There is an Atlantic Ocean.” “Oh, what is that?” “A very big span of water.” So he is calculating how big. He is in a three-foot-wide well. He thinks, “Maybe four feet.” “No.” “Five?” “No, very big.” “Six?” Go on—four, five, six, seven, millions. How can he estimate? Similarly these speculators are thinking, “God? I am God. He may be like me. He and me. All right.” “No, you are not God.” “All right. God may be a little more than me, a little more intelligent.” This is frog philosophy. And when they hear from the Vedic scriptures that all the universes are coming out in the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu and Mahā-Viṣṇu is a partial representation of Kṛṣṇa, they say, “These are all stories.” Even when they are informed of the capacity of God, they take it as a story. This is the position. Therefore sumanda-mati. By their philosophy, their opinion, they are all condemned. Manda-bhāgyāḥ. They are mostly unfortunate. They cannot get even the primary necessities of life—eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. Even in your country, the British Empire, the Empress Queen, oh, so many people are lying on the street. Manda-bhāgyāḥ. Unfortunate. They can get all the facilities of life, but because they are unfortunate, they are lying on the street. In America, such a big nation, with everything complete, no scarcity, still there are so many hippies. Manda-bhāgyāḥ. Unfortunate. If one is unfortunate, you cannot make him correct. He is condemned. You cannot check one’s misfortune. If one’s unfortunate position can be changed, that is only by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no other way. You cannot make any philanthropic work and change the fortune of any person. No. That is not possible. It is not that because a child has got his father and mother he is happy or he should be happy. No. In spite of having a rich father and mother, if he is unfortunate he must be unhappy, just like these hippies. In spite of having rich parents and grandparents, they are lying on the street. I have seen it. Torn clothes. Why? Condemned. Condemned by God. So simply having a rich father and mother does not mean that he’ll be happy. No. If he is unfortunate, in spite of having a rich father and mother he’ll be unhappy. Similarly, if one is suffering from disease, it is not that because he is given the help of a good physician and first-class medicine he’ll be cured. No. There is no guarantee. We have seen this. First-class medicine and a first-class physician are employed for curing someone, but still he dies. We have manufactured so many counteracting measures. The scientists are very much proud. “We are now manufacturing counteracting medicine.” But where is your counteracting medicine for stopping death and disease? Disease is happening. Manufacture any medicine that by taking one tablet I shall never be diseased or I shall never die. That is not possible. You are manufacturing some medicine for some disease. All right, that disease is cured, but another disease is there. In India there is malaria or some other disease, and in your country there is cancer, the so-called rich-man’s disease. You are rich men. Your disease is also very rich. India, where people are poverty-stricken, they suffer only a little malaria, that’s all. “Oh, you are rich. Oh, you have got cancer. There is no cure. That’s all. Finished.” This is actually to be studied. Why is this happening? You may manufacture, you may invent so many nice things, counteracting all this suffering, but if you are neglected by Kṛṣṇa, no counteraction will save you. If one is neglected by God, he cannot be saved. That is not possible. Go on. *Do Everything for Kṛṣṇa* Pradyumna [reads the verse translation]: “Once in a holy place in the forest of Naimiṣāraṇya, great sages headed by the sage Śaunaka assembled to perform a great thousand-year sacrifice for the satisfaction of the Lord and His devotees.” Prabhupāda: Yes. Yajña, sacrifice, means Lord Viṣṇu. Whatever we do, it must be done for Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection. Do whatever you like, but do it for Kṛṣṇa. Then there is perfection. Arjuna was a fighter, expert in killing. So he was considering, “Why shall I kill my own family members? Better to stop.” But Kṛṣṇa encouraged him, “You must kill.” That is yajña. Under the instructions of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna was engaged in the killing art, but that is yajna because it is for Kṛṣṇa, not for himself. For himself he was denying to fight. But when he agreed to fight and kill on account of Kṛṣṇa, it is called yajña. People do not know this secret. They think that killing is very bad. Killing is very bad, that’s all right. But why only killing? Even if you give charity, if you become munificent, merciful, that is also not good unless you do it for Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is canvassing, > yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi > yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat > yat tapasyasi kaunteya > tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam “Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform—do that, O son of Kuntī, as an offering to Me.” *(Gītā* 9.27) Everyone is engaged in some work. Everyone is engaged in performing sacrifices. Everyone likes to give in charity. He has got some money; he wants to give some charity. Everyone is eating. Kṛṣṇa says, “Do all of this as an offering to me.” When we offer food to Kṛṣṇa, He eats with His eyes and leaves everything for us. That is Kṛṣṇa. If you give me a plate, thinking, “Guru Mahārāja will leave some prasādam for us,” I eat everything. [Laughter.] That’s all. No prasādam. You see? You are cheated. But Kṛṣṇa will not cheat. Kṛṣṇa will eat everything, and you still keep everything. So where is your loss? Why don’t you offer food to Kṛṣṇa? And why only in the temple? Everyone can do it at home. Everyone is eating. Why not offer the food to Kṛṣṇa? That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Is it very difficult? But the difficulty is that Kṛṣṇa does not eat all nonsense things and people want to eat all nonsense. So therefore they are afraid of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. Yes. Because they’ll be forbidden to eat what they want. Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati: “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.” *(Gītā* 9.26) Kṛṣṇa is limiting what He will accept, even though He can eat everything. In Vrindavan He swallowed a forest fire. So for Kṛṣṇa even to eat meat is not a very difficult job, because He is Kṛṣṇa, all-powerful. But He has prescribed, “Give Me this foodstuff.” If you call me to your house, you’ll ask me, “What can I offer you?” So similarly, we have called Kṛṣṇa. “Kṛṣṇa, please come and stay with us in this temple.” So therefore we must give Him food that He wants. Not whimsically. And it is clearly stated. Kṛṣṇa says, “All right. Give Me patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam.” Patram, vegetables; phalam, fruits; toyam, milk, water. In this way Kṛṣṇa says, “Give Me this.” So you give it to Him. And Kṛṣṇa says, “If it is offered with faith and love, I eat it.” Is Kṛṣṇa lying when He says He eats—because we see that the food is still there? No. He eats. But we do not know how He is eating. That is a spiritual process. That is answered in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.32): *aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti.* Because He is omnipotent, every part of His body has got all the potencies of the other parts of the body. Therefore if you offer food with faith and love to Kṛṣṇa, He can eat simply by seeing. We can see with our eyes; we cannot eat with our eyes. But Kṛṣṇa can eat with His eyes, and He can see with His tongue, He can hear with His hair. That is Kṛṣṇa. Omnipotent. Every part of His body has got the potency of the other parts. That is Kṛṣṇa. Why? **Ānanda-cinmaya*-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya*. Because His body is not like this body, this material body. *Ānanda-cinmaya*. His body is an eternal spiritual body of consciousness and bliss. *Kṛṣṇa Is Personally Present* Therefore when seeing the deity in the temple don’t think, “Here is Kṛṣṇa, stone.” No, because stone is also part of His body. This is the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa. One has to learn it. This is not stone worship. Kṛṣṇa is personally present. We should worship Kṛṣṇa as He is personally present. If you think He is stone, then that is an aparādha, an offense. To think of the worshipable deity as stone and wood, to think of the spiritual master as an ordinary human being—these are not allowed. One who thinks that way is not making progress. So the sages at Naimisaranya were performing a great *yajña*, or sacrifice. That is our only business, to perform *yajña*. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, because everything is being done for Kṛṣṇa, is simply *yajña*. Nothing else. It is not *karma*. When you perform *karma*, you are bound up by the results of *karma*. But if you perform *yajña*, you are not bound up. Those who are engaged in devotional service have no more *karma*. *Karma* means that if you do something, then it will have a reaction, either good or bad. But here, because everything is done for Kṛṣṇa, I haven’t got to enjoy or suffer the resultant action. This is the philosophy. Thank you very much. Simply Creating Problems *This conversation between Śrīla Prabhupāda and some American disciples took place in Surat, India, on December 21, 1970.* Śrīla Prabhupāda: In your country there is a welfare department. The expenditure is increasing. Disciple: Yes. Śrīla Prabhupāda: That means the social structure is very bad. Otherwise, the natural procedure is that everyone should be self-independent. Disciple: But what can the state do? Should the state just leave the people alone? Śrīla Prabhupāda: No. The state should make the citizens so nicely developed in their Kṛṣṇa consciousness that they will be self-dependent, self-satisfied. That is the ideal of civilization. Disciple: But America is very far from that. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Therefore it is not advanced, although they are very proud of their advancement. This is not a sign of advancement. Not very long ago, say about two hundred years, there was a big zamindar [landholder]. He was known as king in Krishnanagar. He was very charitably disposed, so he went to a brāhmaṇa—a greatly learned scholar—and asked him, “Can I help you in any way?” And the brāhmaṇa replied, “No, I don’t require your help. I am quite satisfied.” The zamindar asked, “How are you satisfied?” The brāhmaṇa said, “Oh, my students bring some rice, so my wife boils that. And I have got this tamarind tree. I take some leaves and prepare some juice out of it. That is sufficient.” You have perhaps heard of Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. He was the greatest politician. He was prime minister of India. But he was living in a cottage and just giving instructions. So that is India’s Vedic civilization. Everyone is satisfied, self-sufficient. And now, in your country, to work you have to go to an office fifty miles away. And because you have to take this trouble, Kṛṣṇa has provided you with cars. You are thinking, “I am advanced.” You don’t think, “Although I have got a car, I have to go fifty miles from my home.” This is illusion. You are thinking, “I am advanced. I am happy. I have got this car.” This is illusion. Yes, [my disciple] Gaurasundara was going to work [to maintain a temple in Hawaii], and he was driving fifty miles to Honolulu. The poor fellow had to rise early in the morning, and he had to hurry greatly. Therefore I advised, “Gaurasundara, better you give up this job. Just depend on Kṛṣṇa.” So he has given it up. What is this? Going fifty miles by motorcycle or motor car—how tedious it is. But still they are satisfied: “We are advanced.” And because they have many cars, there is always that [imitates a traffic noise] wherever I go. Disciple: And more problems come after that. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Wherever you go—[makes a traffic noise again]. Up in the sky [makes an airplane noise]. And then digging [makes a jackhammer noise]. Is it not so? Don’t you feel botheration? But they are thinking, “America is very much advanced in machines.” And when that garbage truck comes . . . [makes appropriate noise]. So many sounds are going on, always. Of course, you have got very nice cities, nice roads everywhere. But you have created so many troubles. In the news there was the story of a lady who became a patient. She became mad from all these sounds. And I think they are thinking very seriously how to stop all these sounds. Is that so? Disciple: Especially the airplanes. They make such a tremendous sound that they break windows. Śrīla Prabhupāda: I am staying with Śambhu in Bombay. When an airplane comes over the top of the house, it is just like a thunderbolt. So this is called illusion. We are creating a civilization which is very painful, but we are thinking that we are advanced. This is illusion. We are simply creating problems, and still we are thinking that we are advanced. But from another point of view, *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* says there is no problem. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ. You simply try for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And how shall I live? The answer is: tal labhyate duhkḥavad anyataḥ sukham. You don’t aspire for miseries, but they come upon you; they are forced upon you. Similarly, happiness will also be forced upon you, whatever you are destined to receive. So don’t try for getting happiness or avoiding distress. Happiness and distress will go on. You simply try for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which without your trying will never be achieved. You have to voluntarily try for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, revive it. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Simply surrender unto Me]. . . . Kṛṣṇa can force you to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. But He doesn’t do that. He doesn’t interfere with your independence. He simply says, “Do it.” Therefore you have to try for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not for other things. Other things are already there. For the birds and beasts there is no problem for eating. Why should you have a problem? A prisoner has no eating problem. The government supplies what he needs. He only has the problem that he should not be a criminal. That is his problem. He should try for that: “I shall never again become a criminal.” That is the real activity. It is not that in the prison he has to worry, “What shall I eat?” No, eating is already there. Even if you are a prisoner, the government has supplied food. Similarly, God has supplied everyone with eatables, even cats and dogs. Why not you? You have created your own problem. The real problem is how to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Disciple: These problems will take care of themselves if people develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Śrī-Śacī-Tanayāṣṭakam *Eight Prayers Glorifying the Son of Śrīmatī Śacīdevī* by Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya (1) I offer my respectful obeisances to the beautiful son of Śrī Śacīdevī. His superexcellent spiritual body is a brilliant golden color. He is incessantly churned by sublime transcendental ecstasies. A tiny fraction of His mercy is able to deliver all the three worlds. (2) I offer my respectful obeisances to the beautiful son of Śrī Śacīdevī. His transcendental form manifests transformations of ecstasy such as faltering of the voice. The mighty sound of His voice chastises wicked men. His mercy dispels the fear of all that causes repeated birth and death. (3) I offer my respectful obeisances to the beautiful son of Śrī Śacīdevī. He wears garments the color of the rays of the rising sun. The radiance of his beautiful cheeks and nails puts to shame the moon. He takes delight in uttering the glories of His own transcendental qualities and holy name. (4) I offer my respectful obeisances to the beautiful son of Śrī Śacīdevī. Streams of ecstatic tears flow from His lotus eyes. He is ornamented with transformations of ecstasy caused by ever-new loving mellows. His pastimes of dancing exhibit very slow and graceful movements. (5) I offer my respectful obeisances to the beautiful son of Śrī Śacīdevī. The nimble movements of His beautiful dancing feet, adorned by sweetly twinkling anklets, are very pleasing. His soothing brilliant face surpasses the cooling rays of the moon. (6) I offer my respectful obeisances to the beautiful son of Śrī Śacīdevī. His wonderful divine form is graced by a shaven head and adorned with the loincloth of a mendicant, the sannyāsa staff, and a waterpot. Such a form of His chastises wicked souls and destroys their sins. (7) I offer my respectful obeisances to the beautiful son of Śrī Śacīdevī. As a householder, His face is surrounded by locks of dark hair decorated with the dust of the earth. His excellent lips, which are red like the bimba fruit, are beautified by their trembling in ecstasy. Upon His forehead He wears brilliant tilaka made of sandalwood paste. (8) I offer my respectful obeisances to the beautiful son of Śrī Śacīdevī. The glowing beauty of His lotus-petal eyes surpasses that of the rising sun. His two splendid arms extend down to His knees. His divine body is dressed in the fashion of an adolescent dancer. Count Your Blessings *An effective way to curb the tendency for spiritually debilitating envy is to cultivate the quality of satisfaction.* By Brajanātha Dasa *Envy has no place in a life of devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa.* The equality of all people is enshrined as a sacred modern value. This contrasts with medieval societies, where hierarchies were often rigid and upward mobility was almost impossible. While the premise of equality makes upward mobility seem possible, the reality of disparity makes such mobility seem difficult, even impossible. Nowadays, inequality is accentuated by the increased interconnectedness of society, whereby people living in poverty can see others living in prosperity and can feel the glaring disparity. This disparity can incite cravings that if unfulfilled can trigger enormous envy in people’s hearts. Envy due to disparity arises from the presumption that the trappings of wealth are the providers of happiness. But is that presumption true? That man driving the most expensive car may well be so lonely and miserable that he may drive off the next sharp turn to end his life. No matter how our mind imagines other people’s lives to be, no one’s life is perfect. Someone who owns a mansion may have a broken family. Someone who has the picture-perfect family may have a terminal disease. Someone who is a comedian may suffer from depression after the laughter. *Cultivating Satisfaction* To put it another way, envy is an indirect admiration of others’ opulence. Rather than getting carried away by images that look good, we need to train our mind for good. Such training centers on looking at the things we have, not at the things we don’t have. Cultivating satisfaction becomes easier once we understand the spiritual truth that we are parts of the all-attractive ultimate reality, Kṛṣṇa, and that our ultimate satisfaction lies in our personal loving connection with Him. When we practice *bhakti-yoga* to develop our inner connection with Kṛṣṇa, our mind becomes purified *(Gītā* 17.16). Our desire to delight ourselves separately from Kṛṣṇa causes us to suffer. This desire is rooted in envy (*matsarya*) of Kṛṣṇa, which is the foundation of our material existence. According to our ācāryas, the great spiritual teachers in the line of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, envy is a uniquely bad quality because it can never be used in Kṛṣṇa’s service. It breeds hatred toward all creatures and is the root of five other major impediments to devotional service to the Lord: self-centered desire (*kāma*), anger (*krodha*), greed (*lobha*), arrogance (*mada*), and delusion (*moha*). There is no space in the devotees’ association or in Goloka Vṛndāvana for persons envious of Kṛṣṇa or His devotees. In the spiritual realm, envy does not exist. Envy can only exist in the material world. *Duryodhana’s Envy* Kṛṣṇa takes much more seriously the offense of envy of devotees than offenses against Himself. A vivid illustration of the gravity of envy of the Lord’s devotees can be found in Duryodhana’s story in the Mahābhārata. Duryodhana was envious of the Pāṇḍavas, the Lord’s devotees, because they, and not him, were the rightful heirs to the throne. He envied Yudhiṣṭhira’s royal position, Bhīma’s physical power, and Arjuna’s peerless archery. Driven by envy, he conspired repeatedly to humiliate and destroy the Pāṇḍavas. But the effects of envy’s malevolence extend beyond its targets to its hosts. Because of his envy, Duryodhana was not satisfied even when he had deceitfully gotten the Pāṇḍavas’ kingdom for himself. While they were living in exile in the forest, he went there to parade his prosperity before them. He wanted to humiliate them by showing them the glaring contrast between his prosperity and their poverty. As fate would have it, his plan boomeranged when he was defeated by celestial beings and had to be rescued by the Pāṇḍavas. Those whose humiliation he wanted to see ended up seeing his humiliation. He could have lived luxuriously in his prosperous kingdom, but envy wouldn’t let him live in peace. Envy tormented him so much that he ended up doing something self-destructive. Actually, not just one thing—his whole life was a litany of envy-impelled actions. Envy kept him relentlessly dissatisfied. If we entertain envy, it will similarly torture us incessantly. By understanding envy’s nature, we can become determined to adopt a zero-tolerance approach toward it. The *Bhagavad-gītā* (16.18) indicates that envy toward anyone is ultimately envy toward the all-attractive supreme, Kṛṣṇa. Although Kṛṣṇa speaks of the dangers of lust, anger, greed, and other negative emotions, in several verses (e.g., 9.1, 12.13, 16.19, 16.21, and 18.67) He gives special emphasis to envy by saying or implying that the knowledge of *Bhagavad-gītā* should not be passed on to envious persons. Therefore we can see why getting rid of envy is so vital. Kṛṣṇa says in verse 16.19 that He casts envious people into the ocean of material existence in various demoniac species of life. Their only hope for deliverance is mercy from Him. *Misdirected Love* Lust, anger, greed, envy, and so on are the shoots arising from a foundational weakness: misdirected love. The *Gītā* explains that we all are souls who are eternal parts of Kṛṣṇa and are meant to love Him and delight in that love eternally. Unfortunately, however, instead of loving Him, we are at present loving worldly things. Why do we misdirect our love? It is not so much because worldly objects are irresistibly attractive; it is because we don’t believe that our love for Kṛṣṇa will be reciprocated—we doubt whether He cares. Due to this disbelief, we let ourselves be allured by worldly things, believing their promises of pleasure. Lord Caitanya suggests that we rid ourselves of this deep-seated problem of envy by always chanting Kṛṣṇa’s holy names. Envy has taken the place of Kṛṣṇa in our hearts. We need to make room for Kṛṣṇa to take up residence there. The litmus test for envy is how Kṛṣṇa conscious we are. If we are Kṛṣṇa conscious, we are not envious. By offering the oblations of our faith and devotion to harināma-saṅkīrtana and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, we can attract Kṛṣṇa’s boundless mercy, which dispels envy, as a lamp dispels darkness. When we practice *bhakti-yoga* and start relishing Kṛṣṇa’s names and glories, we learn to see others’ opulence devotionally: instead of being reminded of our inferiority, we are reminded of our Lord’s glory. By such redirection, our devotion intensifies and our envy decreases and eventually disappears. Count your blessings, and you will see miracles every day of your life. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and rejoice! *Brajanātha Dāsa, PhD, and his wife, Suvarṇa Rādhā Devī Dāsī, PhD, both disciples of His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami, live in Longmont, Colorado, with their two daughters. They are active in book distribution and in serving Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda at ISKCON Denver.* Why the *Gītā’s* First Chapter Matters *Though seemingly lacking in philosophy, Chapter 1 of the Bhagavad-gītā helps clarify the book’s relevance to our lives.* By Caitanya Caraṇa Dāsa The absence of philosophy in the opening chapter of the *Bhagavad-gītā* is more than compensated for by its vivid description of the context—a context that makes the subsequent philosophy relevant, even riveting. The *Bhagavad-gītā* is widely known as a book of profound philosophy. Yet it begins with an entire chapter devoted to historical content. Considering that chapter unimportant, many readers skip it and start with the second chapter. Even some modern *Gītā* commentators succumb to this tendency of downplaying the first chapter. Given that the *Gītā* is not a large book—all its Sanskrit verses could fit in the front and back pages of the New York Times—why does it spend an entire chapter on history? Because that chapter is crucial for establishing the context in which its central message is delivered. To understand why the *Gītā’s* first chapter matters, consider five reasons. *1. Quandary addressed: When our inner map fails* Our life is shaped significantly by our decisions. And we face the greatest decision-making challenges amid situations wherein we just can’t figure out what to do. The *Gītā’s* first chapter illustrates how Arjuna finds himself in such a quandary. He is torn between his duty to dynasty *(kula-dharma)* and his duty to society *(kṣatriya-dharma)*: should he protect his relatives even when they were aggressors, or should he protect society from those aggressors? Being unable to decide, he feels overwhelmed (1.30). To better understand Arjuna’s predicament, let’s consider a map metaphor. Suppose I’m driving on an important journey using a digital map, but suddenly my map stops working. That will leave me disoriented. Similar was Arjuna’s disorientation—except that it arose from a failure of not an outer map, but his inner map. We all have an inner map that guides us during our life journey. Even if we haven’t consciously contemplated the existence of such a map, it still subconsciously shapes our choices. That map comprises the values we hold sacred and the purposes we consider important. Suppose we are presented with an opportunity to invest in a project that promises large returns but also involves huge risks. If we value adventure more than security, the investment choice gets the green light on our inner map; otherwise, it gets the red light. But what if the inner map lights for both choices? Suppose a judge has to adjudicate a case where her son is charged with a crime. As she values both her family and her job, she will feel torn. Suppose further that she has no option of recusing herself. While such a scenario is unrealistic in real-life jurisprudence, we can still use this hypothetical example to sense the immense emotional turmoil of a judge put in that situation Similar was the turmoil that engulfed Arjuna in the *Gītā’s* first chapter. When we face such disorientation, what can we do? We may take it as a personal failure of our character—that would leave us demoralized, helpless, paralyzed. Instead, we can try to see the situation as a functional failure of our map, not a personal failure. Because our map is inside us and has been created by us consciously or unconsciously, it’s not easy to look at it instead of looking with it. Nonetheless, that inner map is ultimately just like any other outer creation of ours; it’s not us. If we wrote or painted or composed something that turned out to be faulty, we would be distressed. But we wouldn’t see that flaw as a final negative verdict on our basic self-worth. By such a thought exercise, if we can see disorienting experiences dispassionately they can become opportunities to better align our inner map with reality. The *Bhagavad-gītā* is a time-honored guidebook that delineates the contours of reality—both material and spiritual—thereby equipping us to revise and refine our inner map. And the *Gītā* demonstrates such a realignment in Arjuna; after hearing the *Gītā*, he became calm, clear, and confident (18.73). *2. Universality made accessible: Blending the specific and the universal* In the **Gītā*’s* first chapter (1.32–35), Arjuna confronts a specific question: are possessions acquired at the cost of relationships worth the price? And the *Gītā* uses that specific question as a launching pad for addressing a universal question: what really matters in life? In adopting this approach, the *Gītā* harnesses a basic truth of human psychology: we learn best by an expert combination of the specific and the universal. Specifics catch our attention, as when novels paint a vivid picture of places, peoples, or predicaments. But such specifics may do nothing more than captivate and titillate; particulars described in fictional or historical texts may be too different from our circumstances to be relevant. If those particulars are to help us learn anything tangible, they need to be placed in a broader framework that highlights their relevance. When a book rises from its particular situations to broader principles that address universal human concerns, readers can better understand how those same principles apply to them. However, if those principles are presented without adequately specific examples, they may seem too abstract to comprehend or even focus on. That’s why effective teaching requires a judicious balance between the specific and the universal. The *Gītā* presents such a balance: it begins with a fascinating specific situation, wherein a warrior about to fight a major war suffers an emotional and ethical breakdown. The *Gītā*’s first chapter describes a particular place, person, and predicament, thus commanding attention. Even if the characters’ names are unfamiliar, readers can still be intrigued by the overall setting. Once they invest their attention in reading further, they are led to broader questions in the *Gītā*: Are we duty-bound to protect our relatives even if they are unrighteous or downright vicious? When is a righteous war worth the toll it takes? Or most universally: how do we decide what is *dharma*, the right thing to do? By starting with a specific situation in its first chapter, the *Gītā* captures attention; by progressing to universal human concerns in its subsequent chapters, it maintains relevance. *3. Emergency tackled: When we feel that we have no time to think* The *Bhagavad-gītā’s* first chapter describes an emergency situation: a battlefield where two huge armies are assembled, ready to fight. Amid emergencies, we need to act not just immediately, but also intelligently—that is, in ways that make things better, not worse. In some emergencies, what will make things better is clear: when a fire breaks out, we need to find a fire extinguisher. But we live in a complex world, wherein some emergencies can’t be addressed by any obvious measures. Or worse still, the obvious measures may end up making things worse, not better. Suppose a severely sick person is brought into the emergency unit of a hospital. The doctor on duty will naturally want to help that person, but suppose the patient’s sickness eludes the doctor’s diagnosis. Then the doctor needs to consult a more experienced doctor. Or suppose the diagnosis seems straightforward initially, but soon the patient starts exhibiting symptoms contrary to the initial diagnosis—that too should give the doctor pause. In the **Gītā*’s* first chapter, Arjuna gets a similar cause to pause. When he sees the sheer scale of the impending destruction in the fratricidal war, his response changes from fighting to freezing (1.45); he is too heroic to even consider the third typical response: fleeing. Despite that initial paralysis, the same thoughtfulness that has rendered Arjuna physically inactive makes him philosophically receptive—he seeks an answer to one of life’s big questions (2.7): what is the right thing to do? The *Gītā* demonstrates Arjuna’s exemplary readiness to patiently and attentively hear a philosophical answer on a battlefield; thus it inspires us all to be similarly contemplative whenever necessary, even amid emergencies. *4. Sorrow channeled: When loss of purpose prompts spiritual enquiry* The *Gītā’s* first chapter provides the setting for demonstrating one of life’s most sorrowful losses: loss of purpose. While Arjuna’s lack of purpose is hinted at in the first chapter (1.30), he makes it explicit in the second chapter. He asserts the pointlessness of all the options before him (2.6) and the pointlessness of even the conventional conception of success for a kṣatriya: sovereignty in this world or prosperity in the next (2.8). And when all the doors around him get closed, he looks up—he becomes spiritually inquisitive and receives the *Gītā’s* wisdom. Loss and the resulting sorrow are unpalatable yet unavoidable experiences during our life journey. When we lose something desirable, that’s distressing; when something we had desired, sought, and gotten turns out to be far below our expectations, that’s even more distressing; when our experiences leave us so disoriented that we are no longer sure what is desirable, that’s most distressing. Thus, among all kinds of losses, the most unbearable is the loss of purpose. When sorrow thus overwhelms us so much that none of the normal solutions seem workable, we become more open to exploring spiritual wisdom. Such wisdom focuses not simply on particular solutions, but on universal principles that also have specific applications for addressing current challenges. Analyzing these principles inevitably brings us to life’s spiritual dimension, wherein we anchor ourselves in timeless truths before we tackle contemporary issues. Thus the *Gītā* provides a metaphysical foundation for the common idea that adversity opens the door to opportunity and even prosperity. The *Gītā*’s message is meant to be not just philosophical (addressing the head’s questions), but also therapeutic (healing the heart’s sorrows). In fact, the *Gītā*’s concluding prophecy (18.78) indicates such auspiciousness for Arjuna and for all *Gītā* students. *5. Thoughtfulness: What we think amid threats reveals the level of our consciousness* The *Gītā’s* first chapter reveals Arjuna’s extraordinary thoughtfulness. Though the prospect of the impending war overwhelms him emotionally, not once does he express any fear of his own death. His neglecting the possibility of his own death is not because he is foolish or foolhardy; he is just concerned about other things that are more important for him. He expresses several concerns that include sin and its consequences (1.32–36); the destruction of the dynasty and the consequent devastation of society (1.39–45); and the ethical feasibility of fighting for a kingdom at such immense human cost (1.37–38). That Arjuna is able to think of such concerns on a battlefield is remarkable. That he is able to articulate those concerns coherently is even more remarkable. That he is articulate while being so emotionally afflicted and ethically conflicted as to be unable to even hold on to his bow (1.29) is most remarkable. Here’s a metaphor to illustrate his caliber. Suppose the CEO of a company loses his job because his company goes bankrupt due to a recession. The CEO will naturally worry, but what does he worry about the most? His reputation? His family’s social standing? His employees’ livelihood? The bigger his primary concern, the higher his level of consciousness. Pertinently, commentators assert that the *Gītā’s* first chapter highlights Arjuna’s qualification for spiritual wisdom. His virtue of thoughtfulness made him capable of comprehending the *Gītā’s* profound wisdom. But wasn’t Arjuna’s reasoning in the first chapter wrong? Not exactly wrong; it was ill-informed and inadequately farsighted because it overlooked our essential spiritual identity and destiny. Nonetheless, it’s noteworthy that he retained his basic reasoning ability even amid great duress. Once his thoughtfulness was grounded in and guided by the *Gītā’s* wisdom, he became empowered to do his difficult duty with determination and devotion (18.73). The more thoughtful we are, considering factors beyond our immediate or self-centered concerns, the better we can appreciate *Gītā* wisdom. *Summing Up* To summarize, the importance of the *Gītā’s* first chapter can be conveyed using the acronym QUEST. • Quandary: The *Gītā’s* first chapter demonstrates how life’s quandaries can prompt us to revise our inner map by seeking spiritual wisdom • Universality: The first chapter provides a gripping specific setting as a launching pad for its discussion on universal principles of living. • Emergency: The first chapter sets the scene for demonstrating that no emergency need be given the right to steal our right to careful decision-making. • Sorrow: The first chapter highlights how sorrow, specifically the agony of loss of purpose, can be channeled to seek spiritual wisdom. • Thoughtfulness: By describing Arjuna’s thoughtful consideration of concerns far bigger than his personal safety, the *Gītā’s* first chapter reveals his readiness for the *Gītā’s* wisdom. *Sidebar: The First Chapter at a Glance* In the *Bhagavad-gītā’s* first chapter, after Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks about the events happening on the battlefield (1.1), Sañjaya responds by describing how Duryodhana assesses the strengths of the two assembled armies (1.2–11). Then Bhīṣma blows his conchshell (1.12), signifying the start of the war, and all the Kauravas follow suit (1.13). From the other side, the Pāṇḍavas respond by blowing their conchshells (1.14–19). When the war is thus set to start, Arjuna makes a surprising request to Kṛṣṇa: take my chariot to the middle of the battlefield (1.21–23). Kṛṣṇa obliges (1.24) and urges Arjuna to behold the Kauravas, headed by Bhīṣma and Drona (1.25). Arjuna sees relatives on both sides and becomes overwhelmed (1.26–27). Dreading the toll the impending war will take, he articulates several reservations about fighting (1.28–45) and finally casts aside his bow (1.46). Nine Glories of Caitanya Mahāprabhu *Important lessons about Lord Caitanya from the Bhāgavatam verse that immediately follows the one predicting His advent.* By Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa A verse from *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* lists the special qualities of Lord Kṛṣṇa in His most recent appearance on earth. Lord Kṛṣṇa says in the *Bhagavad-gītā* that He descends in every age as an incarnation for three purposes: to protect the righteous, to punish the evildoers, and to establish *dharma*. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa descended in the current age, Kali-yuga, as Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, or Śrī Caitanya, in 1486 CE. In this incarnation, the Lord appeared in the form of a devotee to teach how to perform loving devotional service (*bhakti*) unto Him. Assuming the emotions of a devotee, Lord Caitanya constantly chants Kṛṣṇa’s holy names and thus spreads the *yuga-dharma*, or the process of salvation for this age, which is *kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana*, the congregational chanting of the holy names of Kṛṣṇa. > dhyeyaṁ sadā paribhava-ghnam abhīṣṭa-dohaṁ > tīrthāspadaṁ śiva-viriñci-nutaṁ śaraṇyam > bhṛtyārti-haṁ praṇata-pāla bhavābdhi-potaṁ > vande mahā-puruṣa te caraṇāravindam This verse of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (11.5.33) describes how the “lotus feet” (*caraṇāravindam*) of the great personality (*mahā-puruṣa*) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are glorious in nine ways: 1. *dhyeyaṁ* *sadā*—are the eternal object of meditation 2. *paribhava-ghnam*—destroy the insults of material life 3. *abhīṣṭa-doham*—award the greatest desire of the soul 4. *tīrthāspadam*—are the shelter of holy places and saintly people 5. *śiva-viriñci-nutam*—are honored by Śiva and Brahmā 6. *śaraṇyam*—are worthy of surrender 7. *bhṛtyārti-ham*—relieve the distress of devotees 8. *praṇata-pāla—*protect those who simply bow down 9. *bhavābdhi-potam*—are the boat to cross the ocean of material existence *1. The eternal object of meditation (dhyeyaṁ sadā)* *Dhyeyam* refers to “an object that is to be meditated upon.” *Sadā* means “always.” The worthiest object of everyone’s meditation is the Supreme Lord and His divine name, form, qualities, and pastimes. And that meditation is to be done constantly (*sadā*). Unlike Vedic rituals, there are no rigid rules about time and place for such devotional meditation. Meditation on the Lord begins from His lotus feet—the word lotus here implying, among other things, transcendence and unique beauty. The scriptures repeatedly recommend that one should always meditate upon the Lord’s lotus feet to purify one’s consciousness. Dhruva Mahārāja says that happiness can be attained by meditation on the Lord’s lotus feet (*tava pāda padma dhyānā*t) and by hearing about Him in the association of His devotees (*bhavat-jana kathā śravaṇa*). (*Bhāgavatam* 4.9.10) The moonlike effulgence emanating from the toenails of the Lord’s lotus feet destroys the thick gloom of the darkness of ignorance in our hearts (*Bhāgavatam* 3.28.21). In Kali-yuga the authorized process of meditation is to chant the holy names of the Lord, especially the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra*, which Lord Caitanya propagated far and wide. *2. Destroy the insults of material life (paribhava-ghnam)* *Paribhava* means “insults of material existence.” *Ghnam* refers to “destruction.” The very fact that the blissful spirit soul is entrapped in the material world undergoing unnecessary suffering is itself an insult (*parābhava*) for the soul. The merciful lotus feet of Lord Caitanya destroy this humiliation. In Kali-yuga, this age of quarrel, people cannot tolerate others’ prosperity and status, and thus there are fights even among family members, not to speak of states or nations. The real cause of all problems is the soul’s identification with the material body and mind. This false identification makes one believe that a temporary sense of enjoyment gives happiness, although it ultimately gives pain, and pursuing it causes insult. People are further tormented by excessive heat, cold, famine, drought, and so on. Taking shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu can relieve one of all these harassments and embarrassments, caused by envious people and other living entities (*ādhibhautika kleśas*), by one’s own body and mind (*ādhyātmika kleśas*), or by natural calamities (*ādhidaivika kleśas*). One who takes shelter of His lotus feet loosens the hard knot that psychologically binds one to bodily identification and resultant attachment. Then one need no longer face insults in this world and can be spiritually blissful. *3. Award the greatest desire (abhīṣṭa-doham)* *Abhīṣṭa* means “desire.” Doham means “to give.” The living being in this material world may have unlimited material desires. But in the purest state of the soul, it only desires and hankers to love and serve Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-prema, or love of God, is the deepest desire of every living being. Just as sugar is meant to be sweet, the soul is meant to love and serve Kṛṣṇa. Any other attitude or engagement of the soul is only a temporary and unnecessary cloud on the soul’s pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The mercy of Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet enables one to revive one’s dormant *kṛṣṇa-prema*. Lord Caitanya is so merciful that without reservations He gives the rarest *kṛṣṇa-prema* to even the most fallen soul. Therefore He is addressed as *kṛṣṇa-prema* *pradāyate*: “You who give love of Kṛṣṇa.” In a similar mood, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Gosvāmī writes: > cirād adattaṁ nija-gupta-vittaṁ > sva-prema-nāmāmṛtam aty-udāraḥ > ā-pāmaraṁ yo vitatāra gauraḥ > kṛṣṇo janebhyas tam ahaṁ prapadye “The most munificent Supreme Personality of Godhead, known as Gaurakṛṣṇa [Caitanya Mahāprabhu], distributed to everyone—even the lowest of men—His confidential treasury in the form of the nectar of love of Himself and the holy name. This was never given to the people at any time before. I, therefore, offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.” (*Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya* 23.1) *4. Shelter of holy places and saintly people (tīrthāspadam)* *Tīrtha* means “a holy place or a saintly person,” and *āspadam* means “abode or shelter.” Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet are the shelter of all holy places and saintly devotees. The holy river Ganges emanated from the Supreme Lord’s lotus feet, so the Lord is also called *tīrtha-pāda*. People go to a holy place or a holy river to free themselves from sinful reactions. But when pure devotees who have taken shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet visit holy places, those places are purified of all the accumulated visitors’ sinful contamination. People living in various parts of the world may not be able to visit holy places like Vrindavan and Mayapur. But by worshiping Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet, they can get the results of visiting and bathing in all sacred places. Therefore if one takes shelter of Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet, one need not worry about the impurity caused by objects, places, and actions in Kali-yuga. *5. Honored by Śiva and Brahmā (śiva-viriñci-nutam)* *Viriñci* means Lord Brahmā, and nutam means “to bow down.” Even the great devatās and most powerful personalities in this universe, like Śiva and Brahmā, bow down to Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s lotus feet and meticulously worship Him. When Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as Śrī Caitanya in Kali-yuga, Lord Śiva appeared as Advaita Ācārya and Lord Brahmā appeared as Haridāsa Ṭhākura. They had both appealed to Lord Kṛṣṇa to descend as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and liberate the fallen people of Kali-yuga. Responding to their request, Lord Caitanya descended. So He is called *śiva-viriñci-nutam*. The following *Bhāgavatam* prayer establishes the Lord as most worshipable by great devatās. > natāḥ sma te nātha sadāṅghri-paṅkajaṁ > viriñca-vairiñcya-surendra-vanditam > parāyaṇaṁ kṣemam ihecchatāṁ paraṁ > na yatra kālaḥ prabhavet paraḥ prabhuḥ “O Lord, You are worshiped by all demigods like Brahmā, the four *Sanas* and even the King of heaven. You are the ultimate rest for those who are aspiring to achieve the highest benefit of life. You are the supreme transcendental Lord, and inevitable time cannot exert its influence upon You.” (*Bhāgavatam* 1.11.6) *6. Worthy of surrender (śaraṇyam)* *Śaraṇyam* means “most worthy to take shelter of.” Lord Caitanya is the most munificent of all the incarnations of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He is easily served, and He is the worthiest object of surrender. Even Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā are not safe without the shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya. He is *śaraṇyam* because He is *karuṇārṇavam*—an ocean of compassion. *7. Relieve the distress of devotees (bhṛtyārti-ham)* *Bhṛtya* means “a servant,” *ārti* means “distress,” and *ham* means “to relieve.” Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet can relieve all His servants from all kinds of distresses. Because the Lord is very affectionate to His devotees, He relieves them of suffering. Lord Caitanya once cured a leper *brāhmaṇa* named Vāsudeva of his leprosy and gave him a beautiful body. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, a scholarly devotee of Lord Caitanya, praised His mercy as follows: > satataṁ janatā-bhava-tāpa-haraṁ > paramārtha-parāyaṇa-loka-gatim > nava-leha-karaṁ jagat-tāpa-haraṁ > praṇamāmi śacī-suta-gaura-varam “He is always removing the suffering of material existence for mankind. He is the goal of life for persons who are dedicated to their supreme interest. He inspires men to become like honeybees [eager for the honey of *kṛṣṇa-prema*]. He removes the burning fever of the material world. I bow down to Gaura, the beautiful son of mother Śacī.” (*Śacīsutāṣṭakam* 4) *8. Protect those who simply bow down (praṇata-pāla)* *Praṇata* means “to surrender or to bow down.” *Pāla* means “to maintain or to protect.” Lord Caitanya is so merciful that He protects not only His surrendered devotees but even those devotees who simply offer obeisances unto His lotus feet without duplicity. He protects anyone who simply bows down with the thought of doing service, although they have not done the service. Even neophytes will get all protection from the Lord’s lotus feet if they are sincere in seeking shelter. *9. The boat to cross the material ocean (bhavābdhi-potam)* *Bhava* means “material existence,” characterized by repeated birth and death. Abdhi means “an ocean.” Potam refers to “a boat.” Thus *bhavābdhi-potam* refers to Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet because they act as a suitable boat for crossing the ocean of material existence. The following prayer by the *devatās* further describes how His lotus feet act like a boat. > tvayy ambujākṣākhila-sattva-dhāmni > samādhināveśita-cetasaike > tvat-pāda-potena mahat-kṛtena > kurvanti govatsa-padaṁ bhavābdhim “O lotus-eyed Lord, by concentrating one’s meditation on Your lotus feet, which are the reservoir of all existence, and by accepting those lotus feet as the boat by which to cross the ocean of nescience, one follows in the footsteps of great devotees. By this simple process, one can cross the ocean of nescience as easily as one steps over the hoofprint of a calf.” (*Bhāgavatam* 10.2.30) Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says that a follower of Caitanya Mahāprabhu is a *jīvan-mukta*, a liberated soul. The devotee is always confident (*niścaya*) that the Lord will quickly take him across the ocean of material existence and is firmly convinced of the potency of the process of devotional service. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is addressed by the word *mahā-puruṣa* in this verse, whose whole intention is to offer obeisances at His lotus feet. Those divine lotus feet are the actual eternal object of meditation for devotees because they cut off the bondage of material life and fulfill all one’s spiritual desires. *Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa (www.gaurangadarshan.com), a disciple of His Holiness Radhanath Swami, is the dean of Bhaktivedanta Vidyapit?ha 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. A Summer Tradition on the Coast *Every summer, people on the Polish Baltic Sea coast encounter Kṛṣṇa consciousness through joyful festivals and the chanting of the Lord’s holy names.* By Indradyumna Swami “Really sir, make it a point to go with your family!” The days of our summer tour along the Polish Baltic Sea coast are spent chanting and dancing. For four to five hours a day, we go on harināma and hand out invitations for the festivals we will host in the evenings. The chanting parties are full of such color and joy that they are festivals in and of themselves. After thirty years of chanting along the coast each summer, we are well known—I would even go so far as to say we are loved. This was apparent when we arrived in Mielno. I asked the driver to stop at a local grocery store so that Guru Kṛpā Dāsa could buy us all some fruit. The woman behind the counter said to him, “I haven’t seen you before. You must be a tourist. This is your lucky day! Our town is hosting the famous Festival of India down by the beach this evening. They come every summer. Believe me, you shouldn’t miss it. My husband jokes that it’s the greatest show on earth. But it’s not a joke! They have a big stage, delicious food, and so many attractions! Really sir, make it a point to go with your family!” Guru Kṛpā thanked her for the information and said he would surely visit the festival. *A Song to Console* The people’s love of the devotees was shown in a different way in Rewal. Our kīrtana party passed an elderly gentleman playing a guitar at the entrance to the beach one Saturday afternoon. I recognized him because I had seen him at the same spot many times over the years. But this time I saw he was crying, so much so that tears were streaming down his face. I was immediately concerned. “Run over and see what the problem is,” I said to Jāhnavī Dāsī. “See if he needs help.” The kīrtana party continued down the beach, and Jāhnavī caught up with us half an hour later. “Gurudeva,” she said, “you may remember there were always two men singing there together every summer.” “Yes, I vaguely remember,” I replied. “Well, they were childhood friends. They were homeless and they played music in the summer to make some money. Last night one of them suddenly passed away from a heart attack. The remaining man you saw is so distraught.” “How did you console him?” I asked. “Did you speak to him about the eternal nature of the soul?” “Well, I didn’t really have to,” she replied. “He has one of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books and he’s read it cover to cover. He told me he understands that his friend has passed on to another life. It’s just that he’s going to miss him. But he shared something quite amazing with me.” “What is that?” I asked. “He composed a song last night to help him with his grief, and he’s been singing it all day to help others who may be suffering as well. I recorded it on my phone. Please listen.” An angelic voice filled with emotion sang: “O brothers! Come forward! I will reveal to you a secret: “How to perceive this world through a song of grace “That reveals beyond the shadow of darkness “The light of Him who gives the gift of love “Which removes the pain of those we’ve lost. “O brothers all! Raise your voices and sing along! > “Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa > “Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare > “Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma > “Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.” Jāhnavī said, “He heard the *mahā-mantra* from our kīrtana party years ago. He told me he’ll be singing his song here over and over until the last day of summer.” I smiled and said, “That means there are two kīrtana parties singing in town. Such is the mercy of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahaprabhu.” Out of His spontaneous compassion He restored all people back to consciousness and through the means of His holy name enabled them to pass beyond the impassable ocean of the age of quarrel. Thus, by the golden moons of Lord Hari and the Vaiṣṇavas, news of the names of Kṛṣṇa was told from person to person. (Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Suśloka-Śatakam, text 46) I continued to think about the man and the song he wrote for his lost friend as the kīrtana party continued down the beach. When we took a break, I said to Jāhnavī, “It was a very touching story you told me about that man.” “I have another one just as heart-warming, Gurudeva,” she said, smiling. “Yesterday I met a woman who told me she came to Niechorze last year with a group of friends to attend our festival. It was her fiftieth birthday, and she had planned to celebrate it with us. Three years before, she had come and really enjoyed the event. But because of the pandemic, we weren’t on the coast last year. She told me she was very disappointed. She had wanted her friends to experience our festival. So, you know what she did, Gurudeva?” “I don’t know,” I said, “but I’m intrigued! What did she do?” “She rented a vacation home for a day and held a Hare Kṛṣṇa festival there for her friends. She began by dressing them all in makeshift saris that she fashioned from colorful cloth she had purchased in the market. Then she painted gopī dots on their faces. She read to them from a *Bhagavad-gītā* she had bought at the festival years ago. Then she answered their questions as best she could. Finally, she taught them the *mahā-mantra* and led them in a blissful one-hour kīrtana. The whole program lasted three hours, and everyone loved it. Now whenever anyone asks her what her religion is, she says she’s a Hare Kṛṣṇa devotee.” *Help from the Mayor* That evening at our festival in Mielno, I sat alone behind the stage before giving my lecture. I prayed to Śrīla Prabhupāda to give me the intelligence and purity to touch the hearts of the audience in my talk. I reflected on the fact that I was representing the efforts of generations of ācāryas and their combined efforts to establish Kṛṣṇa consciousness as a worldwide movement. I also wanted to take advantage of the fact that we were there that evening by the grace of the Supreme Lord and one very pious mayor. Several years ago, when the topic of our festival coming to town had arisen in a town council meeting, all the members had voted against it except one: the mayor. “With the power invested in me as mayor,” he said, “I’m overruling all of you. The Festival of India has been coming to our town each summer for years and sharing a culture rich in the arts and full of color and festivity. It’s a family event that appeals to people of all ages and provides our citizens and tourists with a unique experience. We will welcome this festival to our town this coming August, and there will be no debate on the matter.” And so, this year, our festival continued in Mielno as it has throughout the years. In Mielno, Rewal, Niechorze, and all the other towns up and down the Baltic Sea coast, our festival has literally become a summer tradition. *“I Have to Have that Book”* I went on stage and began explaining the basic points of our philosophy. I was encouraged to see that most of the audience was listening carefully. But there was a sudden interruption: a fire engine, its sirens blaring, came screaming down the street and stopped outside a house right next to the festival site. As the firemen jumped out to unroll the fire hoses, most of the audience ran over to watch what was happening. I continued speaking to those who stayed in spite of the commotion. Afterwards I went to the book tent. A number of people came forward to ask me to sign a dedication in the Bhagavad-gītās they had purchased. One man spoke to me about the fire truck interruption. “I was torn between staying and listening to you or running over to see the fire,” he admitted. “Luckily, I stayed and listened to your lecture. And I’m glad I did, because I agree with everything you said, and I can’t wait to read this book!” The woman next to him spoke up. “My daughter and I just arrived two minutes ago,” she said. “My daughter saw someone walking by with that book you’re holding.” “You mean this *Bhagavad-gītā*?” I asked. “I don’t know what it’s called,” she replied. “But when my daughter saw it, she became very emotional and ran over and asked the person where he got it. It’s unusual because she’s only nine years old and she’s usually very shy. She actually asked the gentleman if she could hold it. When he gave it to her, she started crying and her hands were shaking. I’ve never seen her like that. Something came over her. Now she’s insisting I buy one for her. But she’s only nine. What will she understand? I’ve told her it’s a book for adults and that I’m not going to buy it.” Hearing this, the girl shouted, “No Mommy, I must have it. I know this book!” People were staring, and her mother looked stunned. “What do you mean you know this book?” she asked. “I don’t know, Mommy. I just know that I have to have that book. Please!” She started to cry. Finally, the mother relented and bought the *Bhagavad-gītā*. “Let me carry it,” the girl said. Holding the book to her chest as they walked away, the girl looked calm and peaceful. Before they disappeared into the crowd, she looked back at me and smiled, and I felt the hair on my neck stand up. “All this is possible,” I thought, “only by the causeless mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu!” *Indradyumna Swami travels around the world teaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For more information, visit his website: travelingmonk.com. This article was adapted from his Diary of a Traveling Monk, Volume 15, Chapter 18.* Defending: Our Most Challenging Animal Tendency *To develop higher consciousness, devotees of Kṛṣṇa try to minimize the propensities common to animals and humans.* By Karuṇā Dhārinī Devī Dāsī We can rise above this deep trait we share with animals by using the faculties allotted to human beings alone. India’s ancient scriptures describe four basic propensities in animals: eating, sleeping, mating, and defending (or fearing). While these are innate in human beings as well, devotees of Kṛṣṇa try to minimize them for the sake of developing higher consciousness. Devotees know that the tendency to serve Kṛṣṇa is even more fundamental, being intrinsic to the soul—our real self—and therefore they engage in practices that help them rise above the animal propensities and awaken their natural love for Kṛṣṇa. Eating, sleeping, mating, and defending cannot be eliminated entirely, but regulating them creates a life of balance and peace so that a more refined person can emerge. The first three animal propensities are activities of the senses. Defense, especially among humans, is a bit more subtle or complicated. For animals, defending usually means fighting, while for human beings it can be something as civil as installing a fence or buying an insurance policy. Defense is hidden at the core of our misidentification with the body. The other three are corollaries that depend on sound defense in order for one to engage in them. While self-defense is natural, if we live only to eat, sleep, mate, and defend we’ll greatly increase our identification with the body, whose vitality naturally diminishes. Later in life, defending our health may go on for decades. To watch a sparrow or a pigeon is to see a creature in a nearly continuous state of defensiveness. Throw her some crumbs, and she may peck at them, but every other moment the little head rotates this way and that. Who is coming? How much longer can I stay here? Where to fly to? Birds know no peace. Nature has not equipped them with hands or arms, only wings, and with those they are ever ready to escape. There is no moment when the soul in an animal’s body becomes self-examining, questioning who it is or what it is doing. In the human form of life, however, we are offered better equipment, a finer brain, and the potential for greater sensitivity. Kṛṣṇa designed the human form of life for the adventure of self-discovery. Concentration on defensive measures makes us no better than the animals. *Why Do We Defend?* Defense against enemies with missiles and bombs is a multi-billion-dollar pursuit. During the COVID-19 pandemic our fighting strategies were turned against an elusive, invisible virus. We drop chemicals on dangerous wildfires, build enormous levees to stop flooding, post signs indicating which direction to run from a tsunami, install protective airbags in cars, put danger-of-suffocation warnings on plastic bags. While the endeavor to stay safe or healthy is necessary and laudable, India’s ancient scriptures strongly encourage us to question why we defend the body so steadily and courageously. Our stay in material existence is not at all ideal; it is fraught with birth, death, old age, and disease. Still, the eternal soul within the body, while identifying with the body, seeks to save itself from harm or destruction. Being an integrated part of Kṛṣṇa, the soul—life—is precious and does not deserve to suffer or die. Yet until we come to the point of awakening to the needs of the soul and stop catering to the fallible body, we will continue to fail in the game of defense. For one who has understood the glories of the soul, the Lord, and their eternal relationship, there is no sound reason to ardently defend the indefensible body against every threat, real or imagined. Śrīla Prabhupāda several times told a story about a gentleman he observed who was lying in bed, begging his doctor, “Please, sir, can you give me four more years? I have not settled up my daughter’s marriage, I have not finished my business at work; I must do this before I leave. You must allow me four years!” The true *yogi*, on the other hand, wants to quit the material body, not remain in it. The death of the body is victory day for the *yogi* who has lived his life realizing his power beyond the body. At the critical time of death, he may place the vital force of his life air (on which the soul is carried) between the eyebrows and decide where he wants to go. If he is reluctant to maintain any connection with the material world, he can, in less than a second, reach the transcendental Vaikuṇṭha planets and live there in a spiritual body suitable for the spiritual atmosphere. This is easy for a person perfect in the practice of *yoga*. Rather than defend his existence in the body, he uses the bodily airs as a mere point of departure. This sounds simple enough. But if for even a moment we still think of sense gratification (because we still regard the body as the self), then we are not truly suited for the path of *aṣṭāṅga-yoga*. It will not be successful. In this age, when people tend to be slow to realize the spiritual self, *yogic* perfection is possible by *mantra* meditation. Therefore chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra*, the repetition of the holy names of God, is recommended: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. It helps us drop our artificial defenses. The Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra* is identical to the Supreme Lord Himself. It is an easy means of deliverance, especially suitable for our modern life in which passionate defense of one’s body, possessions, ethnicity, social status, political affiliation, nationality, etc., has created madness. *Defending Atheism* While weaponry defends the nation and medical precaution defends the body, still finer defending occurs in more subtle layers. For example, to illustrate the stubbornness of scientists in defending their atheistic theories, Śrīla Prabhupāda once told the story of two men arguing over whether something had been done with scissors or a knife. (See the sidebar “Scissors!” “Knife!”) Creating all kinds of enmity, as well as advanced military equipment to defend it, engineers hold high the products of their trade. Meanwhile the population they serve is harassed by a host of human-induced disasters. Many scientists defend a worldview that excludes God. The devastating consequences of their inventions may require them to believe they have no one to answer to. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in his purport to *Bhagavad-gītā* 16.9: The materialists, who have no concept of God, think that they are advancing. But according to *Bhagavad-gītā*, they are unintelligent and devoid of all sense. They try to enjoy this material world to the utmost limit and therefore always engage in inventing something for sense gratification. Such materialistic inventions are considered to be advancement of human civilization, but the result is that people grow more and more violent and more and more cruel, cruel to animals and cruel to other human beings. They have no idea how to behave toward one another. Animal killing is very prominent amongst demoniac people. Such people are considered the enemies of the world because ultimately they will invent or create something which will bring destruction to all. Indirectly, this verse anticipates the invention of nuclear weapons, of which the whole world is today very proud. At any moment war may take place, and these atomic weapons may create havoc. Such things are created solely for the destruction of the world, and this is indicated here. Due to godlessness, such weapons are invented in human society; they are not meant for the peace and prosperity of the world. *Defending in the Service of Kṛṣṇa* Practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the midst of a materialistic society, where living to enjoy and defend the body is epidemic, can sometimes make us feel like a tiny minority. But as our devotion to Kṛṣṇa grows, defending ourselves against the influence of such association for the sake of service to Kṛṣṇa becomes natural. This is when the defense tendency becomes fully satisfactory for the sake of Kṛṣṇa. There are many great examples of devotees who fought for the cause of Kṛṣṇa. In fact, the entire war described in the *Mahābhārata* was to defend *dharma*. A fascinating example of fighting for Kṛṣṇa in contemporary times is that of Śrīla Prabhupāda. He carefully defended the cause of Kṛṣṇa among all of those expert persons who would challenge his Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. At an advanced age he advocated for Kṛṣṇa on many fronts, skillfully debating with professors, scientists, and reporters, as well as corrupt businessmen trying to cheat his Society. Another inspiring example is that of the devotees who pioneered Kṛṣṇa consciousness in communist Russia. They were jailed and mistreated but would not give in to their oppressors’ demand that they give up their Kṛṣṇa conscious practice. They staunchly defended for the sake of the future of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in Russia, and for that they underwent terrible hardship—and undoubtedly gained great spiritual rewards. The pure devotee Vasudeva is a brilliant example of defending in the service of the Lord. His actions are described in the Tenth Canto of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*. Though he had every reason to become furious, a unique example of defending for the cause of Kṛṣṇa is seen in his strategy and action when the life of his new bride was under threat. Vasudeva’s wife Devakī was to be the vehicle for the appearance of the Supreme Lord on earth. She would become the mother of Kṛṣṇa, who would one day kill Devakī’s nefarious brother Kaṁsa. When Kaṁsa learned of this on her wedding day, he immediately wanted to eliminate her to save himself from the threat. When he drew his sword to kill Devakī, Vasudeva cautiously pleaded with him to stop. He told him it was unseemly to kill a helpless woman, his own sister at that. Vasudeva acted as neither a panicked husband nor a pawn in a dysfunctional family. He was wily. Acting with pure intelligence, he knew that preserving the life of his wife was not only his duty, but more importantly would insure an opportunity for Kṛṣṇa’s appearance and consequently the eradication of the infiltration of demons in the Yadu dynasty. Vasudeva thought deeply. He decided that for the time being he would go ahead and promise to hand over his newborn sons to Kaṁsa to induce him to stop threatening Devakī. Flattering the cruel king, Vasudeva said, “O best of the sober, you have nothing to fear from your sister Devakī because of what you have heard from the unseen omen. The cause of death will be her sons. Therefore I promise that when she gives birth to the sons from whom your fear has arisen, I shall deliver them all into your hands.” (*Bhāgavatam* 10.1.54) Vasudeva was anxious because his wife was in danger, but externally he smiled and reasoned with Kaṁsa. He knew of the impending death of his sons in the hands of the demon, but to save Devakī’s life and at the same time promote the cause of Kṛṣṇa, he made a sound and quick decision. While narrating this episode in *Śrīmad-*Bhāgavatam**, Śukadeva Gosvāmī offers sage advice regarding the defense of one’s body: “As long as he has intelligence and bodily strength, an intelligent person must try to avoid death. This is the duty of every embodied person. But if death cannot be avoided in spite of one’s endeavors, a person facing death commits no offense.” (*Bhāgavatam* 10.1.48) Śrīla Prabhupāda’s wise purport explains: “Because death is a punishment imposed in the condemned life of material existence, the Vedic culture is based on avoiding death. Everyone should try to avoid death and rebirth by cultivating spiritual life and should not submit to death without struggling to survive. One who is not trying to stop death is not an intelligent human being.” *Regulation Rather than Prohibition* Though only a rare soul can serve Kṛṣṇa’s cause as soberly as Vasudeva did, we can still take heed of his example in our own practice. When the lower propensities of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending become bullies, like little *Kaṁsas*, we may not be in a position to defeat them, but we can cleverly regulate them. We can promise our lusty tongue that we will prepare food as a sacrifice for Kṛṣṇa and honor Kṛṣṇa’s *prasāda*. We can welcome the onslaught of sleepiness to maintain a healthy body fit for the service of Kṛṣṇa. We can accept sexual intercourse to conceive a child to be nurtured in the association of devotees. Nothing is prohibited; it is simply regulated. Yet perhaps the most challenging to regulate is the tendency to defend, which will linger as long as we live in a body. The degree to which we have dropped material defensiveness will indicate the degree to which we have humbly understood our position as spirit soul, an eternally blissful particle of the energy of Kṛṣṇa. As spirit souls we never have any need to defend a temporary body. The whole Vedic culture is meant to focus our attention on awakening to our spiritual identity and thus ending the repeated cycle of birth and death. Caitanya Mahāprabhu once declared that he had no love for Kṛṣṇa, saying that the proof was that He continued to live in His body even though He had not gained Kṛṣṇa’s company. This is a very high level of realization and can be appreciated only by following the rules and regulations of Kṛṣṇa conscious living. With sincere chanting of the holy names and the association of devotees, identification with the body eventually loses importance, and our material entanglement ends. The greatest devotees come to the material world to show how the strong tendency to defend must be used solely for the cause and purpose of Kṛṣṇa. *Sidebar: “Scissor!” “Knife!”* As he strolled around the perimeter of the roof [of ISKCON’s temple in Mayapur, West Bengal], Prabhupāda switched to his favorite topic, science and the theory of chance. He said scientists cling to their various theories, even though they lack proofs and are constantly defeated by the superior power of God. Yaśodānandana Swami offered the French philosopher Voltaire as a prime example of stubbornness. He was an atheist. When a Catholic priest came to him and asked, “Why don't you accept God?” he refused. But at the end of his life he became crazy, driven to consuming his own stool and urine. Prabhupāda laughingly depicted the intransigence of the scientists with a funny story about “scissor philosophy.” One man declared that a piece of paper had been cut with a knife. A second said no, it was done with scissors. An argument ensued, and the first man, being stronger, took the other to a river. There he told him, “Now, if you don't agree that it was a knife I shall throw you into this water!” The other continued to insist, “It was scissors!” So he was tossed into the river and began to drown. Still he would not concede. As he disappeared, his hand emerged from beneath the surface with two fingers moving together like a pair of scissors. “No, it is scissor! It is scissor!” To loud laughter, Prabhupāda thrust his hand into the air and wiggled his fingers in imitation, both charming and entertaining us as he told us this was the definition of a rascal—even though he is losing his life, still he obstinately refuses to accept the superior force of God. This is the typical materialistic scientific mentality. —*From A Transcendental Diary, Vol. 1, by Hari Śauri Dāsa* Science: The Size and the Age of the Universe *What the Bhāgavatam has to say, and some shortcomings to science’s theories.* Book Excerpt: Prema Kirtan: Journey into Sacred Sound *Dying in a Kirtan Culture* Because kīrtana is done with others, our fellow chanters can help us immensely when we face our ultimate test. The Unsurpassed Excellence of *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta* *“Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī has very concisely explained the essence of all the scriptures in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.” —Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī* Entitlement: Does Anything Belong to Us? *Unless we recognize God as the ultimate owner of everything, all that we claim to be ours is stolen property.* COVER: When Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared on earth some five centuries ago as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He bestowed unprecedented mercy on the fallen souls of this age. (Painting by Ācārya Dāsa.) BTG57-03, 2023