# Back to Godhead Magazine #58 *2024 (03)* Back to Godhead Magazine #58-03, 2024 PDF-View Welcome Śrīla Prabhupāda founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in New York City in 1966. In the 1950s, before his ocean voyage to America in 1965, he had started the League of Devotees in Jhansi, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Though he had to abandon that project, one outcome of it was that a deity of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu he acquired during that time ended up being installed in the temple of one of his godbrothers. Satyarāja Dāsa tells the story in this issue. Unlike his short-lived League of Devotees, Prabhupāda’s ISKCON spread throughout the world and continues to grow. From India, especially, come regular reports of impressive ISKCON temples rising in cities throughout the country. In this issue we learn about the opening of a grand temple in Punjab and the obstacles the devotees there overcame to make it a reality. ISKCON’s growth may be seen as running counter to the general decline in religious faith that Viśākhā Devī Dāsī writes about in “The Morphing of Faith.” Śrīla Prabhupāda’s mission, whether in launching the League of Devotees or ISKCON, was always to present Lord Kṛṣṇa and His teachings without adulteration. Millions of people around the world have found their faith in God awakened or invigorated as a result of his determined efforts. Hare Kṛṣṇa. —*Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor* Q&A What is the role of logic in regard to the spiritual practice of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa? On the spiritual path, we can and should use our logical faculty, but we should not stay stuck at logic; we should also progress from logic to experience. The Vedic texts of ancient India explain that presently all of us are spiritually sick. When we are spiritually healthy, we experience the peace, power, and pleasure that are natural to us as eternal souls, beloved children of the Supreme Lord. Just as the proper medical treatment can restore our bodily health, the proper spiritual process of chanting the holy names can restore our spiritual health. Using the treatment analogy, let’s see what logic can and cannot do. What Logic Can Do Just as, with logic, we can evaluate the various medical treatments available and choose the best one, with logic we can evaluate the various spiritual paths available and choose the practice of chanting as the easiest, safest, and fastest path to spiritual recovery. Just as logic can help us systematically observe the effects of a treatment and notice when the promised results appear, logic can help us observe the effects of chanting on our consciousness and notice our mind becoming peaceful, pure, positive, and pleasant. Indeed, the logical faculty, when applied to analyzing the chanting experience, can enable us to become spiritual scientists. In this spiritual science, our consciousness becomes the laboratory; chanting, the procedure; and inner peace and pleasure, the expected result. What Logic Cannot Do Just as one’s health cannot be restored merely by logically analyzing the diagnosis, our spiritual health cannot be restored merely by logically analyzing the Vedic philosophy. Just as logic cannot substitute for medical treatment, mere expertise in logical gymnastics cannot substitute for the actual experience of chanting. Thus, logic will enable us to recognize that chanting is a profound and practical science—provided we are open-minded enough to experiment. Unfortunately, many people refuse to conduct the experiment, claiming in advance that it is illogical. Aren’t they like a judge who declares a defendant guilty without even hearing the case? Such people may claim to be champions of logic, but they are actually being illogical. Logic is a precious tool for discerning the truth, but sadly, for such people logic becomes a trap that keeps them in self-imposed and self-righteous misunderstanding. To summarize, on the spiritual path, logic is necessary but not sufficient. Therefore, let’s combine our head’s logic with our heart’s experience to examine spirituality, particularly the practice of chanting the holy names. Are spiritual feelings imaginary or actual? For intelligent people, reality determines both their feelings and their beliefs. Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa brings us in contact with a higher plane of reality, and that factual experience of higher reality subsequently molds both our feelings and our beliefs. Let’s understand this with an example. If we come close to the parapet of a skyscraper, we feel fearful, and we believe that we will be wounded, even killed, if we walk off the terrace. What is the cause of those feelings and beliefs? It is the objective reality that there is a steep fall from the parapet to the ground below. The objectivity of this reality is evident in the fact that those who step off the parapet will be injured—irrespective of their feelings and beliefs. Similarly, chanting brings us in contact with the higher reality of God, who is supremely, eternally peaceful and joyful. That divine contact makes us peaceful and joyful. Is belief necessary for experiencing these feelings? Belief is helpful, but not necessary. But open-mindedness is necessary. That’s why even nonbelievers, if they open themselves to the presence of God during chanting, can experience these sublime feelings. But disbelievers, even if they chant, may not experience these feelings if they lock their minds and don’t allow God inside. They are like people who don’t walk off a parapet and then claim that the fact that they are not injured is the proof that there’s no steep fall; it’s all just imaginary. Actually, it is their unreasonable skepticism that is imaginary, and it deprives them of the experience of divine reality. An important proof that the higher reality has been contacted through chanting is that chanting results not just in altered mental states, but also in altered behavioral traits. Millions of people all over the world—including many who were initially nonbelievers—have become free from stress and addictions by chanting. They report that chanting brings them in contact with a peaceful, joyful higher reality whose taste is so satisfying that it inspires them to transform their entire way of life so that they can experience it more. Consequently, they disconnect themselves from selfish worldly indulgences that keep them stuck at our current lower level of reality—and this disconnection means freedom from stress and addiction. This brings us to the final point: if something supposedly imaginary can easily free people from addictions and stress, something that “real” medicine and technology can hardly do, then that “imaginary” thing is desirable and glorious. A Pause for Prayer May Lord Nārāyaṇa protect me from unnecessarily following false religious systems and falling from my duties due to madness. May the Lord in His appearance as Nara protect me from unnecessary pride. May Lord Dattātreya, the master of all mystic power, protect me from falling while performing bhakti-yoga, and may Lord Kapila, the master of all good qualities, protect me from the material bondage of fruitive activities. May Sanat-kumāra protect me from lusty desires. As I begin some auspicious activity, may Lord Hayagrīva protect me from being an offender by neglecting to offer respectful obeisances to the Supreme Lord. May Devarṣi Nārada protect me from committing offenses in worshiping the Deity, and may Lord Kūrma, the tortoise, protect me from falling to the unlimited hellish planets. May the Personality of Godhead in His incarnation as Vyāsadeva protect me from all kinds of ignorance resulting from the absence of Vedic knowledge. May Lord Buddhadeva protect me from activities opposed to Vedic principles and from laziness that causes one to madly forget the Vedic principles of knowledge and ritualistic action. May Kalkideva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who appeared as an incarnation to protect religious principles, protect me from the dirt of the Age of Kali. –*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 6.8.16–17, 19 Founder’s Lecture: Prahlāda Mahārāja, Greatest of the Great *Śrīla Prabhupāda explains why, among an assembly of great souls, Lord Brahmā asks Prahlāda to appease Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva.* *Seattle—October 21, 1968* As a pure Vaiṣṇava, Prahlāda surpasses even the residents of higher planetary systems who possess nearly boundless powers. > śrī-prahrāda uvāca > brahmādayaḥ sura-gaṇā munayo ’tha siddhāḥ > sattvaikatāna-gatayo vacasāṁ pravāhaiḥ > nārādhituṁ puru-guṇair adhunāpi pipruḥ > kiṁ toṣṭum arhati sa me harir ugra-jāteḥ “Prahlāda Mahārāja prayed: How is it possible for me, who have been born in a family of asuras, to offer suitable prayers to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Even until now, all the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā, and all the saintly persons could not satisfy the Lord by streams of excellent words, although such persons are very qualified, being in the mode of goodness. Then what is to be said of me? I am not at all qualified.”—*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 7.9.8 Lord Nṛsiṁha appeared for killing a great demon, Hiraṇyakaśipu. Hiraṇyakaśipu was a very powerful materialist, and he did not believe in God. Generally, materialistic persons have no capacity to understand what is God. In the *Bhagavad-gītā* (2.44) it is stated, *bhog*aiśvarya*-prasaktānāṁ tayāpahṛta-cetasām*. *Bhoga* means sense enjoyment, and *aiśvarya* means opulence, wealth, riches. Persons who are very much attached to sense gratification and are hankering after material opulence are thinking, “These things will save me.” They never think that they will have to leave all these things behind and will have to go on alone. When a bird flies in the sky, it has to leave everything behind and fly in the sky on its own strength. There is no other help. Or take these jet planes. When we get in the sky, leaving this land, no longer can we depend on our strength on the land. If the plane is sufficiently strong, then we can fly; otherwise there is danger. Similarly, persons who are very materialistic are thinking that this opulence, prestige, and material strength will save them. No. That is bewilderment. Therefore *Bhagavad-gītā* says, *tayā apahṛta-cetasām*. *Apahṛta-cetasām* means those whose consciousness has become bewildered by these material opulences. For such persons, *vyavasāyātmikā* buddhiḥ *samādhau na vidhīyate*. Samādhi means concentration in the *vyavasāyātmikā* buddhi, or *niścayātmikā buddhiḥ. Niścayātmikā* means to be firmly convinced that “Only Kṛṣṇa consciousness will save me.” Persons who are too sensuous and after material opulence cannot have this conviction. > bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ > tayāpahṛta-cetasām > vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ > samādhau na vidhīyate “In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.” [*Bg* 2.44] *Vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ* means full confidence that Kṛṣṇa consciousness will save me and nothing else can save me. This is full confidence. So those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, their firm faith is in one: Kṛṣṇa. *Avyavasāyinām* means those who are not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, those who are flickering. For them, *bahu-śākhā*—their consciousness has many branches. They think, “This will save me,” “This will save me,” “That will save me,” “That will save me.” But one who is fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa knows—and it is certain—that Kṛṣṇa will save him. That’s all. *The Definition of God* It’s very easy to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. God is one. God cannot be many. God is one. Otherwise there is no meaning of God. The definition of God is “the person or entity who has no equal or superior.” Nobody is superior to Him and nobody is equal to Him. *Asama ūrdhva*. *Sama* means equal, and asama means no equal. Nobody is equal to Him, and nobody is higher than Him. That is God. So God is one. There cannot be many Gods, but God can expand Himself in many forms. That is a different thing. Hiraṇyakaśipu was materially puffed up, and he was thinking that he is God. Fortunately, his son Prahlāda Mahārāja was a great devotee, a Vaiṣṇava, by the grace of Nārada, and he was always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He was in school, a five-year-old boy, and naturally the school was an atheistic school. Similarly nowadays, in no school or college do they encourage any theological study. What is it called? Secular state. So gradually we are becoming like Hiraṇyakaśipu. Hiraṇyakaśipu tried, Rāvaṇa tried, Kaṁsa tried to exist without God, but they did not continue to exist. Hiraṇyakaśipu tried to protect himself in so many material ways. But when he was too much against his innocent devotee son, then Kṛṣṇa appeared as Nṛsiṁhadeva. And He was very fearsome, so fearsome that all the demigods came to pacify Him. He was groaning in anger. There is anger in God also. Somebody says, “Why should God be angry?” No, there is anger in God. Everything is there in God. Otherwise, where does anger come from? He is the source of everything. But He is absolute; His anger is as good as His mercy. That is the difference. When we become angry, there is no mercy. Mercy is far away from our anger. But God, Kṛṣṇa, because He is absolute, whether He is angry or He is merciful, He’s the same. It is said “God is good.” He’s good when He’s angry and He’s good when He’s merciful. That is the difference between Him and us. Not only God, but even God’s devotees acquire the same quality. Sometimes we see that saintly persons like Nārada and Śiva become angry and curse somebody, but that curse becomes a benediction. That is the absolute stage. Hiraṇyakaśipu was killed by Nṛsiṁhadeva, and everyone was very fearful. “God has appeared in such a fearsome form—half lion, half man, with four hands.” Nobody could pacify Him. Everyone was afraid. Then Prahlāda Mahārāja, a five-year-old boy, was requested, “Nṛsiṁhadeva has appeared for your protection especially. So try to pacify the Lord.” The boy was very jolly. He was praying in this way, *brahmādayaḥ* *sura-gaṇa munayo ’tha siddhāḥ*: “I see here there are so many great personalities, like Brahmā, Śiva, Indra, Candra—all great demigods.” Sura-gaṇāḥ means demigods, and munayaḥ means great saintly persons, sages. “All of them are here.” *The Residents of Siddhaloka* *Siddhāḥ* means the residents of Siddhaloka. There is a planet within this universe called Siddhaloka. Its inhabitants are highly elevated. They are materialists; they are not spiritualists. But they are materially advanced. Here, we are flying in the sky or in outer space with some machine, but there, in that planet, Siddhaloka, the inhabitants are so elevated that they can fly in the sky without any machine. Wherever they like, they can go. And whatever they want, immediately they can acquire it. These are called yoga-siddhis. You have heard so much advertisement of *yoga*. Actually, when one becomes perfect in *yoga*—in aṣṭa-siddhi-*yoga*, eight kinds of material perfection—then he can become smaller than the atom. He can go out from anywhere. You may lock him up airtight, packed, but he’ll come out. This is called aṇimā-siddhi. Actually, it so happened in Benares. There was a swami whose name was Trailuṅga Swami. He was wandering in the street naked. It is not a very old story; say about 150 years ago this happened in Benares. He was a naked *yogi*, and the government would not allow that; the police would not allow that. So he was thrice arrested and put into custody, and thrice he came out. Then he became a very famous man, simply by exhibiting one perfection of yoga. That means a perfect *yogi* can come out from anywhere. Not only Trailuṅga Swami, but we have seen one Mr. Chakravarti in our childhood in a circus—he was playing this part. He was packed up. First of all his hands and legs were tightly knotted with a seal. Then he was put into a bag and the bag was also sealed. Then with this bag he was put in a box. The box was locked and sealed. And he came out from that box in everyone’s presence. We have seen it. These wonderful things, *yoga-siddhīs*, are there. Similarly, one can walk on the water. He’ll not be drowned. He becomes so light he can float in the air. So *siddhāh* means that the persons who reside on that planet have got these *siddhīs* automatically by taking birth there. Just by taking birth in the Western countries—America or Europe—you are more opulent than other countries materially. Similarly, in Kṛṣṇaloka also, those who are there are automatically all lovers of Kṛṣṇa. There are many different planets with different kinds of residents. What knowledge have we got of these things? *Knowledge from Śāstra* But we have to take knowledge from the *śāstra*, the Vedic scriptures. Therefore the *Vedānta-sūtra* says, *śāstra*-yonitvāt. You have to understand, you have to gather your knowledge, from authentic scripture, not by experimental knowledge. Experimental knowledge cannot be perfect because our instruments of acquiring knowledge are imperfect. So however you may use these instruments perfectly in your way, basically they are imperfect. Therefore you cannot have perfect knowledge through them. If you want to have perfect knowledge, then you have to understand authoritative scripture. Just like here, in this *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*, we understand that there are Brahmā and the demigods and the siddhas. So we have to accept. You cannot understand these things by experimental knowledge. You simply have to accept them as it is stated here. Therefore I am presenting this *Bhagavad-gītā* *As It Is.* Then you understand. That is knowledge, perfect knowledge. Otherwise, if you interpret, if you don’t believe, then you don’t get perfect knowledge. There is no other way. The example is that if you want to know who is your father, the only witness is your mother. Higher evidence is final. If you want to make an experiment to find out who is your father, that is not possible. That experimental knowledge is not possible. You have to accept. Similarly, for perfect knowledge of the Supreme, you have to accept the supreme version of the Vedas. Then it is perfect knowledge. *Dr. Frogs of the Material World* So there are many different planets within this universe, and there are spiritual planets beyond this universe. God’s creation is full of variety. We should not think that what we are seeing is all in all. This is Dr. Frog’s knowledge. Dr. Frog knows, “This small well is everything.” He has no knowledge of the Pacific Ocean. Similarly, these Dr. Frogs of this material world are thinking this planet is all in all and 25,000 miles up from this planet is all space. No. > panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo > vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām > so ’py asti yat-prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve > govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi “I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, only the tip of the toe of whose lotus feet is approached by the yogis who aspire after the transcendental and betake themselves to prāṇāyāma by drilling the respiration; or by the *jñānīs* who try to find out the nondifferentiated Brahman by the process of elimination of the mundane, extending over thousands of millions of years.” (*Brahma-saṁhitā* 5.34) Consider if you could prepare an airplane that is a mental airplane. You are sitting here, and mentally you can immediately transfer yourself ten thousand miles away or more than that—immediately, within a second. I am here in America, and India is about fifteen thousand miles away from this place. But immediately, within a second, I can think that I’m sitting in my room there. The mind is so forceful. Just see. This is practical. You can transfer your mind immediately. So how can you compare mental airplanes with mechanical airplanes? The mechanical airplane is not so speedy. The jet planes are running at the rate of five hundred or one thousand miles per hour, but my mental plane can run fifteen thousand miles per second. You see? And just understand, then, the spirit—how speedy the spirit should be. Matter is earth, water, fire, air, and ether. Earth is crude. Water is crude. Fire is still finer, but crude. But still finer is air, and still finer is ether, and still finer is mind, and still finer is soul. You see? So just imagine: if the mind is so strong that it can transfer itself from here to fifteen thousand miles away in a second, how speedy and powerful is the soul. Yogis can come to the platform of the mental plane and travel speedily. There are still many yogis in India who early in the morning travel about four thousand miles and take bath in four different pilgrimage sites within half an hour. Yes. So the *siddhas* mentioned here are real persons; it is not a story. *The Power of Goodness* So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, “These demigods, these great saintly persons, these siddhas, how have they become so powerful?” *Sattvaikatāna*: being situated in the material mode of goodness. If you keep yourself in the mode of goodness, then you get your spiritual power more and more. And if you keep yourself in the modes of ignorance and passion, then you cannot make progress. You will have to remain here or go down. If you keep yourself in the mode of ignorance, then you go down even to the animal kingdom. If you keep yourself in the mode of passion, then utmost you can remain in Europe and America, that’s all. But if you keep yourself in goodness, then you can go up. These things are explained in the *Bhagavad-gītā*. Those who are in the mode of goodness, even if they are not sufficiently spiritually advanced to enter the spiritual kingdom, will go to the upper status of planetary systems, such as Siddhaloka, Janaloka, and Maharloka. This earth is in the middle planetary system, as is heaven also. *Bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ*. You are chanting the *Gāyatrī* *mantra*: *bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ*. These are in the middle. Then above them are Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka, and Satyaloka. There are seven planetary systems that are up and seven that are down. Those who are in the mode of goodness are elevated to the higher planetary systems. > ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā > madhye tisthanti rājasāḥ > jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā > adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ “Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets; and those in the abominable mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds.” (*Gītā* 14.18) Jaghanya means very abominable character. You see? Eating nonsense and keeping nonsense habits. Little more than the animals, that’s all. *Jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā* *adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ*. They are going down, down, down, down. These things are explained there. So here, the demigods headed by Lord Brahmā, and the siddhas and the great saintly persons and elevated *yogis*—how have they become so? Now, *sattvaikatāna-gatayo vacasāṁ pravāhaiḥ*. They fluently explain everything in very nice words, just like a prayer. Kṛṣṇa’s name is *Ut**tama**śloka*. *Ut**tama* “selected, high class.” Actually, not high class; it is transcendental. *Ut* means “trans,” *tama* means “darkness,” and *śloka* means “verses.” So ut*tama**śloka* means verses which are not of this material world. In Brahma-saṁhitā we read, *govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi:* “I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord.” These words, these vibrations, are not of this material world. These are transcendental vibrations, above this material world. And so those mentioned here are so learned that fluently they went on praying to the Lord with *uttamaśloka*, selected transcendental sounds. But *nārādhituṁ puru-guṇair adhunāpi pipruḥ*: but still, the Lord is not yet pacified. Although these great personalities have presented their prayers in such nice selected verses that are transcendental vibrations, still they could not pacify the Lord. And *kiṁ toṣṭum arhati sa me harir ugra-jāteḥ*: “Then how is it possible for me to please the Lord? I am born of a father who was most passionate. So my body is most abominable. I have got this body from an abominable father. So how can I please the Lord when they have failed?” This is the mood of a Vaiṣṇava. He’s not proud. Brahmā, Lakṣmī, and all the demigods and saintly persons have requested him, “My dear Prahlāda, you try.” That means he is greater than all the persons present there; otherwise how could they request him? If in an assembly somebody is requested, “Please lead us,” that means that person, that leader, is the greatest of all. Prahlāda is accepted as the greatest personality, greater than Brahmā, than the demigods, than the yogis. But this is his humbleness, meekness. In the Bible also it is said that the humble and meek can enter into the kingdom of God. So out of his humbleness, meekness, he’s expressing, “These great personalities failed to pacify the Lord. How is it possible for me, who have got this body born of a passionate father?” This is very beautiful. *Don’t Be Afraid* Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught us how we shall preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don’t be disheartened because the police are obstructing, because the people are complaining. They will do that. Why just the police and the public? This poor, innocent boy, five years old, because he was chanting, his father became his enemy. His father, what to speak of others. If you try to trace out the history of the world, you’ll find always that persons who are for Kṛṣṇa or God have been persecuted. Lord Jesus Christ was crucified; Haridāsa Ṭhākura was caned in twenty-two marketplaces; Prahlāda Mahārāja was tortured by his father. So there may be such things. Of course, Kṛṣṇa will protect us. So don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid if somebody tortures us, somebody teases us. We must go on with Kṛṣṇa consciousness without any hesitation, and Kṛṣṇa will give us protection. If you are more tortured, then Kṛṣṇa will appear as Nṛsiṁhadeva and give you all protection. You are all representatives of Prahlāda. Keep your confidence in Kṛṣṇa, and He will give you protection. And go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Thank you very much. Predictions for the Age of Quarrel On June 15, 1974, in Paris, Śrīla Prabhupāda received a visit from two priests and two Christian scholars. (Before his guests arrived, Śrīla Prabhupāda briefly noted the Vedic literature’s predictions for our age.) Śrīla Prabhupāda: In the Twelfth Canto of *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* this current Age of Kali, the age of quarrel and hypocrisy, is described: > tasmāt kṣudra-dṛśo martyāḥ > kṣudra-bhāgya mahāśanāḥ > kāmino vitta-hīnāś ca > svairiṇyaś ca striyo ’satīḥ This means, “Gradually people will become dwarfs, and they will die very young. They will be mostly unfortunate, eat too much, and be very much sexually agitated. Gradually they will become poverty-stricken and aimless, and the women all unchaste.” Just see. Everything’s coming true. > dasyūtkṛṣṭā janapadā > vedāḥ pāṣaṇḍa-dūṣitāḥ > rājānaś ca prajā-bhakṣāḥ > śiśnodara-parā dvijāḥ “The cities will be full of rogues and thieves.” Just see. Disciple: That’s Paris. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Anywhere. In Calcutta it is dangerous to go out, because you do not know whether you’ll come back. People are so afraid. A man is going to work at the office; it will be God’s grace if he returns. I was a guest at the place of one of our life members, sitting there in the morning, when someone came in—“Oh, that gentleman who was at the temple this morning has been killed.” He was a very important businessman. He went to the temple, and coming back he was killed from behind. About so-called saintly persons, the *Bhāgavatam* predicts, *tapasvino grāma-vāsā*: “The so-called **yogi*s*—they’ll live in the city.” Actually, the **yogi*s* have no business in the city. They should go to a secluded place. But they will live in the city, just like any ordinary materialistic person. Some man is living a materialistic life in the city of Paris, and he’s supposed to be a *yogi*. Disciple: This is all in the Twelfth Canto of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Foretold five thousand years ago. Here it is said, *tapasvino grāma-vāsā nyāsino ’tyartha-lolupāḥ*: “And the sannyāsīs, the so-called renunciants—they’ll be too greedy for money.” And *patiṁ tyakṣyanti nirdravyaṁ bhṛtyā apy akhilottamam*: “The common tendency will be to divorce the husband, especially when he has insufficient money or insufficient sex power.” The wife will divorce. Divorce cases take place mainly in two instances: when the husband has no money and when the sex indulgence is not very good. Here is more: > vāso-’nna-pāna-śayana- > vyavāya-snāna-bhūṣaṇaiḥ > hīnāḥ piśāca-sandarśā > bhaviṣyanti kalau prajāḥ “In the Kali-yuga, the general public will lose their places of residence and will become homeless.” You see. I was surprised when I saw, just after arriving in America, that so many people were lying on the street in the Bowery. They had no place of residence. Sometimes they had shelter at night; they would pay one dollar and lie down, and in the morning they would go away. I saw many signboards there. Disciple: They call them “flophouses.” Śrīla Prabhupāda: Anyway, vāsa means “residence,” anna means “food,” and *pāna* means “beverages”—milk or water or whatever, you require something to drink. And *śayana*: “sleeping,” lying down on a bed. And vyavāya, “sex.” Regulated sex, within marriage, for having nice children, is also required. But the *Bhāgavatam* predicts, “These things will be nil.” Even *bhūṣaṇaiḥ*, proper clothing. *Hīnāḥ piśāca-sandarśā* *bhaviṣyanti*: “Being devoid of all these things, people will be just like urchins.” These hippies—they are exactly like this. They have no place to sleep. Nothing of the sort. And with long, long hair—looking like *piśāci*. [To his Sanskrit editor:] What is the meaning in English? Sanskrit editor: Ghosts? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Ghosts, yes. Ghostlike. *Hīnāḥ piśāca-sandarśā bhaviṣyanti kalau *prajāḥ**: “In the Kali-yuga, the *prajāḥ*, the people in general, will become devoid of proper residence and food and drink and even proper resting places and bathing and clothing. They’ll look like ghosts.” And more: > kalau kākiṇike ’py arthe > vigṛhya ca tyakta-sauhṛdāḥ > tyakṣyanti ca priyān prāṇān > haniṣyanti svakān api This means that in the Kali-yuga, for a cent—for the matter of taking a cent only—a man will give up his friendship with others. And he’ll even kill his own relatives to take two cents or five cents. Disciple: Śrīla Prabhupāda, your visitors have arrived. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. And *na rakṣiṣyanti manujāḥ sthavirau pitarāv api*: “People will not even give protection to their elderly parents.” [To guests coming in:] Hare Kṛṣṇa. Disciple: Śrīla Prabhupāda, I’d like to introduce these visitors who have come to see you. Father Canivez, here, is Secretary of the Bishops of France. And here are Father Fransard and also Madame Siaude, who is studying Rāmānujācārya and Madhvācārya. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Very good. Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Disciple: And Mr. Misraki not only composes music but also wrote a book on life after death. Father Fransad: Thank you, Your Divine Grace, for so kindly receiving us. May I ask, first, Do you believe that God is a person? Śrīla Prabhupāda: At least Christians cannot believe in an impersonal God. Christians cannot say that God is impersonal. After all, Christ is God’s son, and since the son is a person, how can the Father be impersonal? And in the Bible it is said, “In the beginning was the word.” That is God’s word. So if one has a word, then he’s a person. A word comes from a tongue and mouth. As soon as there is a word, the background is a tongue and mouth. And the Christians pray in the church, “O God, give us our daily bread.” So God has ears—so that He will hear and supply. But His personality, His word, His hearing—they’re all transcendental, nonmaterial. Father Fransard: I agree on this point. As you say, God is a person. That is why we can say we have a personal relationship with God. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, God is a person. *Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate*: The Absolute Truth is realized from three angles of vision—Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. Brahman, the Supreme Person’s impersonal, all-pervasive energy; Paramātmā, His localized expansion in everyone’s heart; Bhagavān, the Supreme Person. Father Fransard: I’m accepting some of the things you are saying, but I don’t think that I’m obliged to accept everything. I find many things agreeable in the Vedic literature, but I think it might be a mistake to say that the Bible is exactly the same thing as the Vedas. There are still distinctions. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Distinctions. Then it is to be considered which is perfect: the later edition, or the original. Being an Instrument in Kṛṣṇa’s Plan *Our God-given talents find perfection when used in the service of the Lord.* by Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa A humble devotee accepts the Lord’s will and executes it to the best of his or her ability, that ability having been granted by the Lord Himself. An instrument is often something we use to accomplish a task and then forget about, or at least park aside for some time. But in the realm of *bhakti*, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, things work differently. This is because the glories of becoming an instrument of Kṛṣṇa’s will are ongoing and eternal. We clearly find evidence in support of this statement in scriptures like the *Bhagavad-gītā*, **Śrī*mad-Bhāgavatam*, and *Śrī* *Caitanya-caritāmṛta*. *The Logic Behind Being Kṛṣṇa’s Instrument* *Śrī*la Prabhupāda explains that because a finger is a part (*aṁśa*) of the body, its duty is to serve (*sevā*) the body. Similarly, because all living beings are part of Kṛṣṇa, their natural duty is to serve Him. The *Bhagavad-gītā* (15.7) confirms that all living entities are eternal parts (*aṁśa*s) of the Lord. And *Śrī* Caitanya Mahāprabhu says in *Śrī* *Caitanya-caritāṁṛta* (*Madhy*a 20.108) that all living beings are eternal servants of Lord Kṛṣṇa: *jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya—kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa*.’ Irrespective of one’s social status, gender, nationality, skills, and so on, everyone is a part and servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Thus, our natural function is to serve Kṛṣṇa, and this is done most effectively by identifying ourselves as instruments in Kṛṣṇa’s plans. *What Kṛṣṇa Expected from Arjuna* Lord Kṛṣṇa revealed to Arjuna the purposes of His descent in this world: > paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ > vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām > dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya > sambhavāmi yuge yuge “To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.” (*Gītā* 4.8) Lord Kṛṣṇa personally performs these three activities, and sometimes He empowers, engages, or takes assistance from His devotees like the Pāṇḍavas to execute them. By fighting in the Kurukshetra war, Arjuna was supposed to assist Lord Kṛṣṇa in fulfilling these three purposes, as an instrument in Kṛṣṇa’s plans, instead of posing himself as an independent well-wisher of the soldiers by not killing them. In fact, Kṛṣṇa had already decided the deaths of the miscreants who had insulted Draupadī and viciously misbehaved against the Pāṇḍavas. Arjuna had only to be instrumental in manifesting their deaths by fighting dutifully. Lord Kṛṣṇa told Arjuna to just act as an instrument (*nimitta-mātram bhava*) in His plans: > tasmāt tvam uttiṣṭha yaśo labhasva > jitvā śatrūn bhuṅkṣva rājyaṁ samṛddham > mayaivaite nihatāḥ pūrvam eva > nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savya-sācin “Therefore, get up. Prepare to fight and win glory. Conquer your enemies and enjoy a flourishing kingdom. They are already put to death by My arrangement, and you, O Savyasācī, can be but an instrument in the fight.” (*Gītā* 11.33) As it is said, “Not a blade of grass moves without the Lord’s sanction.” Therefore, although it was Arjuna and the other Pāndavas who were to fight in the war, it was Kṛṣṇa who would decide the outcome. Ultimately, the death of any soldier in any war depends on the decision and sanction of Kṛṣṇa, and not just the strength of the warriors taking part. At Kurukshetra, Kṛṣṇa had already decided the deaths of Duryodhana, Duḥśāsana, Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Karṇa, Śakuni, Jayadratha, and so on. So, Kṛṣṇa’s sanction was there, His instruction was there, His personal presence and guidance were there, and all Arjuna had to do was execute the mission in the mood of being an instrument of Kṛṣṇa’s plan. In fact, the entire conversation between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna in the *Bhagavad-gītā* serves as a guide for all who strive to embrace their role as instruments in Kṛṣṇa’s divine plans. Recognizing oneself as an aṁśa of Kṛṣṇa, and acknowledging one’s position as His servant, one should act as an instrument in His hands and attribute to Him the credit for all one’s achievements. *Invincible, yet an Instrument* In the above verse (*Gītā* 11.33), on the one hand Lord Kṛṣṇa addressed Arjuna as savyasācin, an expert bowman who could shoot arrows with both hands; he was renowned for his mastery of his Gāṇḍīva bow. But on the other hand, Kṛṣṇa emphasized that Arjuna should consider himself *nimitta-mātram*, merely an instrument in Kṛṣṇa’s hands. Elsewhere, Kṛṣṇa addressed Arjuna as parantapa, “one who defeats his enemies.” Kṛṣṇa thus highlighted Arjuna’s fighting skills, praising him as the most celebrated fighter of his times, with numerous military achievements. At the same time, Lord Kṛṣṇa emphasized that Arjuna should recognize himself as an instrument in His hands. Kṛṣṇa revealed to Arjuna the consequences of the war through the majestic display of His *Kāla-rūpa*, His form of time, with hundreds of faces, some emitting fire. Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Karṇa, Śakuni, and others who aligned with irreligion were seen entering those fires. Thus, Kṛṣṇa declared and displayed that He had already slain all those warriors but Arjuna still had to fight and kill them and thus manifest their inevitable deaths. Despite Arjuna’s talents, power, and fame, his true reputation and glory lay in acting humbly as an instrument in Kṛṣṇa’s hands. *Inanimate and Animate Instruments* An inanimate object may be called an instrument, but how can a living being, who has some independence, free will, desires, feelings, and emotions, possibly act as an instrument in the hands of the Lord or some other master or guru or anyone else? That’s where the idea of voluntary spirit comes into the picture. *Bhakti* entails using one’s free will to voluntarily and enthusiastically serve the Lord. A devotee’s acting as an instrument in the Lord’s service is not a ritual or an obligation, but a voluntary, conscious, and earnest desire to serve Him, with the very strength the Lord has bestowed upon the devotee. Kṛṣṇa never interferes with the independence of any living being. He gives us knowledge, power, and resources and leaves it up to our discernment to decide how to use them. After all, like any wise person, He doesn’t want to receive forced love or service. For example, initially Arjuna declined to fight in the Kurukshetra war, but Kṛṣṇa enlightened him by speaking the *Gītā*, and finally He said, > iti te jñānam ākhyātaṁ > guhyād guhyataraṁ mayā > vimṛśyaitad aśeṣeṇa > yathecchasi tathā kuru “Thus I have explained to you knowledge still more confidential. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.” (*Gītā* 18.63) Lord Kṛṣṇa left the decision to Arjuna, and Arjuna voluntarily prepared to act as an instrument in Kṛṣṇa’s plans and fight as a service to Him. Arjuna’s previous disinclination to fight was due to his material emotions and his confusion regarding his duty (*dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ*, *Gītā* 2.7). But after he heard the *Gītā*, all his confusion was gone and he regained his intelligence and prepared to fight. He declared, > naṣṭo mohaḥ smṛtir labdhā > tvat-prasādān mayācyuta > sthito ’smi gata-sandehaḥ > kariṣye vacanaṁ tava “My dear Kṛṣṇa, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions.” (*Gītā* 18.73) This is the life of a devotee—to be enlightened and empowered by Kṛṣṇa and willingly act as an instrument in His plans by appropriately using one’s minute independence. Instead of being proud of one’s capabilities or discouraged with one’s disabilities, one should sincerely try to use all one’s God-given abilities in His service and realize that all accomplishments are due to His sanction. This consciousness instills hope and humility in devotees and empowers them to serve Kṛṣṇa in meaningful ways, even beyond their imagination. To become an empowered instrument of the Lord, a devotee must consciously and voluntarily be willing to serve Kṛṣṇa to the best of one’s God-given abilities. There lies the perfection of life. *The Source and Utility of All Powers* After the Kurukshetra war, Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted to depart from Hastinapura and return to Dwarka, but Kuntī Devī approached Him and asked, “Kṛṣṇa, if You leave now, who will protect my sons?” Kṛṣṇa consoled her, saying, “Bhīma and Arjuna possess great power, and Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja embodies righteousness. They, along with the rest of the Pāṇḍavas, will ensure your safety and security.” Kuntī replied, “My sons without You are like senses without a soul. Their abilities and strengths are meaningful only by Your presence.” Similarly, Yudhiṣṭhira later said to Bhīma, > yasmān naḥ sampado rājyaṁ > dārāḥ prāṇāḥ kulaṁ prajāḥ > āsan sapatna-vijayo > lokāś ca yad-anugrahāt “From Him [Kṛṣṇa] only, all our kingly opulence—our kingdom, good wives, life, progeny, control over our subjects, victory over our enemies, and future accommodation in higher planets—has become possible. All this is due to His causeless mercy upon us.” (*Bhāgavatam* 1.14.9) Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in the purport, “Prosperity earned by one’s personal endeavor also depends on the mercy of the Lord. Personal labor must be there in addition to the Lord’s benediction, but without the Lord’s benediction no one is successful simply by personal labor.” In similar mood, Arjuna told Yudhiṣṭhira (*Bhāgavatam* 1.15.7–17) that it was only by Lord Kṛṣṇa’s mercy that he (Arjuna) won Draupadī’s hand, defeated Indra and other devatās, offered the Khāṇḍava forest to Agni. and had the wonderful assembly hall built by Maya Dānava. It was by Kṛṣṇa’s blessings alone that Arjuna killed the *Nivātakavaca* demons, regained Virāṭa’s cows, and astonished Śiva, Pārvatī, and the devatās with his fighting and thus received various weapons and even entered heaven and shared Indra’s throne. It was only due to Kṛṣṇa’s grace that Bhīma defeated Jarāsandha and released the kings he had arrested. It was only by Kṛṣṇa’s support that the Pāṇḍavas were saved from Durvāsā’s anger during their exile and later won the Kurukshetra war. Thus, the powerful and accomplished Pāṇḍavas and their mother, Kuntī Devī, expressed that the source of their power and prosperity was their beloved Lord Kṛṣṇa. They acknowledged their exclusive dependence on Him and emphasized that everything they had and everything they were was only by His grace. From all the above examples it is clear that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the ocean of all powers and His devotees derive their power from Him and use it in His service. Because all of us are aṁśas of Kṛṣṇa, and our bodies, senses, powers, talents, and skills are generated from Him, it is appropriate that we use all of them in His service. That is *bhakti*. And we shouldn’t be attached to our bodies, powers, skills, and so on, because they may be taken away once the service is completed. When Kṛṣṇa departed from this planet, Arjuna said, “Lord Kṛṣṇa, my intimate friend, has left me alone, and now my astounding power, which astonished even the demigods, is no longer with me.” (*Bhāgavatam* 1.15.5) Śrīla Prabhupāda comments: No one, therefore, can be independently powerful in any measure without being endowed by the Lord. When the Lord descends to the earth along with His eternal, ever-liberated associates, He not only displays the divine energy possessed by Himself, but also empowers His associate devotees with the required energy to execute His mission of incarnation. . . . The power and energy which were bestowed upon Arjuna were required for fulfillment of the mission of the Lord, but when His mission was fulfilled, the emergency powers were withdrawn from Arjuna because the astounding powers of Arjuna, which were astonishing even to the denizens of heaven, were no longer required, and they were not meant for going back home, back to Godhead. If endowment of powers and withdrawal of powers by the Lord are possible even for a great devotee like Arjuna, or even the demigods in heaven, then what to speak of the ordinary living beings who are but figs compared to such great souls. The lesson is, therefore, that no one should be puffed up for his powers borrowed from the Lord. The sane man should rather feel obliged to the Lord for such benefactions and must utilize such power for the service of the Lord. Such power can be withdrawn at any time by the Lord, so the best use of such power and opulence is to engage them in the service of the Lord. Just as money created by a magician’s wand is useless, and sowing seeds in barren land yields no results, our talents, skills, positions, and possessions are also useless without Lord Kṛṣṇa’s blessings. It is Kṛṣṇa who gives His devotees opportunities, inspiration, and assistance to render a particular service. And when the service is completed, He withdraws the powers. From the above analysis, we can learn the following lessons. • Kṛṣṇa bestows on us various positions, possessions, talents, skills, and resources so that we may use them in His service. However, when the particular service is finished, Kṛṣṇa may take them away. • We should not become attached to our positions, possessions, or powers; instead, we should develop attachment to the principle of rendering service to Kṛṣṇa, with whatever we possess. • Whatever we have is meant to be used in Kṛṣṇa’s service, and if that purpose is absent, all our possessions and positions are futile. • Our real wealth lies in our connection with Kṛṣṇa, rather than in worldly possessions, fame, or talents. Our most valuable possession is the love and devotion we hold for Kṛṣṇa. • We should cherish and prioritize our connection with Kṛṣṇa through submissive service, while letting go of attachment to our temporary material positions, possessions, expertise, fame, facilities, acclaim, and so on. And we should actively engage in His divine service and be grateful for the opportunity, inspiration, and ability to serve Him. • Our motivation should stem from the understanding that service to Kṛṣṇa is the most precious gift from Him. Our focus should be on our participation in Kṛṣṇa’s service rather than the recognition we get for it. *Transferring Credits* When a person signs a document with a pen, who should get the credit for signing the document—the pen or the person? The pen is just an instrument in the hands of the person, and therefore the person gets the credit although the pen’s role is crucial. Similarly, when we become successful in serving the Lord, the credit for our accomplishments must go to the Lord because it is He who has given us the opportunity, inspiration, and ability to perform. The only credit for us is that we have used our free will and chosen to serve the Lord. Furthermore, we may have received support from others in accomplishing the service. Therefore, we shouldn’t be eager to claim credit, although we must be responsible to execute the service in the mood of an instrument. This devotional attitude is based on humility and the understanding that all our abilities, talents, and inspirations are the Lord’s gifts. By dedicating them to the service of Kṛṣṇa, we awaken and use them in a way that is spiritually nourishing and purposeful, thus reminding us that we are merely instruments in the divine plan and any success or credit should be directed toward the Lord and His representatives. By recognizing that our abilities are bestowed upon us by Kṛṣṇa, we understand that we are not the ultimate doers or enjoyers. A doer-ship mentality inevitably leads to an enjoyer-ship mentality. One thinks, “Because I have done this activity, I should enjoy its results.” When we think of ourself as the doer and enjoyer of our work, that consciousness binds us to this world. It also destroys our humility and our gratitude toward those who helped us. On the contrary, humble devotees serve the Lord with commitment and responsibility and yet transfer the credit to the Lord and His devotees. A peacock cannot fly very high. Other birds, such as sparrows, can fly higher. Pigeons can fly even higher than sparrows, while eagles and vultures can fly still higher. Similarly, every devotee has unique talents and capabilities and can use them to serve and glorify Kṛṣṇa. By using our free will and consciousness to choose Kṛṣṇa’s service over material sense gratification, we become genuine instruments in Kṛṣṇa’s plans. Our love for Him is exhibited when we willingly and voluntarily choose to act as His instruments, putting His desires above our own. *Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa (www.gaurangadarshan.com), a disciple of His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami, is an educator and spiritual author. He is the dean of Bhaktivedanta Vidyapitha at ISKCON Govardhan Ecovillage (GEV). He conducts online and residential spiritual-education programs for children and adults at multiple places across the globe. He has lectured more than 7,500 hours and penned more than 33 books, including study guides, self-enrichment works, and children’s literature.* Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura on Service to the Spiritual Master and the Devotees *Lessons on an essential spiritual practice from a prominent devotee in Lord Caitanya’s line.* By Yadunandana Swami *Essential wisdom from a prominent follower of the six Gosvāmīs.* Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura (c. 1531–1630) is one of the most significant personalities in post-Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism.1 He is traditionally known as a prolific writer and one of the founders of a wonderful style of *kīrtana* named *padāvalī*, rasa *kīrtana*, or līlā-*kīrtana*, in which singing the holy names of Kṛṣṇa and praising His divine pastimes beautifully mix, powerfully stirring the emotions of those who sing, hear, or contemplate the meaning of these songs. It appears, nevertheless, that only two of his literary works have been preserved: *Śrī Prema-bhakti-candrikā* (“The Moon Rays of Loving Devotion”) and Prārthanā, an anthology of devotional songs and prayers. In these two books, Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura beautifully distills Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s teachings concerning the science of loving Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda said that although the songs of Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura are written in Bengali, and not Sanskrit, his message is profound and as good as śruti, the original Vedas. This statement is supported by the fact that Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura’s songs have had great impact on the Caitanya Vaiṣṇava tradition in general, and on the ISKCON worldwide community in particuqlar. This article focuses on Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura’s teachings on service to the spiritual master and the devotees, as found in *Śrī Prema-bhakti-candrikā*. *Serving the Servants* It is significant that Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura starts his *Śrī Prema-bhakti-candrikā* by praising the spiritual master and the devotees. All the authorized scriptures establish that to approach God, the Supreme Person, it is essential to serve and surrender unto His devotees. In the *Bhagavad-gītā*, for example, Śrī Kṛṣṇa repeatedly explains how much He loves His devotees.2 Moreover, in the Ādi Purāṇa Kṛṣṇa says that a person who claims to be His devotee is not His devotee; only a person who claims to be a devotee of His devotee is actually His devotee.3 Having imbibed from Lord Caitanya this theology of serving the servants of God,4 Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura starts by singing the praise of the spiritual master. This song is known as Śrī Guru-vandanā or *Śrī-guru-caraṇa-padma* (the first line in the song). It is sung every day in ISKCON temples to honor Śrīla Prabhupāda as ISKCON’s founder-*ācārya* and preeminent instructing spiritual master for all its members. The translation is beautiful and full of deep meaning: The lotus feet of the spiritual master are the abode of pure devotional service. I bow down to those lotus feet with great care and attention. My dear brother (my dear mind), it is through the grace of the spiritual master that we cross over this material existence and obtain Kṛṣṇa. Make the teachings from the lotus mouth of the spiritual master one with your heart, and do not desire anything else. Attachment to the lotus feet of the spiritual master is the best means of spiritual advancement. By his mercy all desires for spiritual perfection are fulfilled. He who has given me the gift of transcendental vision is my lord, birth after birth. By his mercy, divine knowledge is revealed within the heart, bestowing prema-bhakti (pure divine love) and destroying ignorance. The Vedic scriptures sing of his character. O spiritual master, ocean of mercy and friend of the fallen souls, you are the teacher of everyone and the life of all people. O master! Be merciful unto me, and give me the shade of your lotus feet. May your glories now be proclaimed throughout the three worlds. Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains in his commentary on this song, “It is impossible to attain devotional service or the mercy of the Supreme Lord without taking shelter of the lotus feet of the spiritual master. Therefore in order to enter the temple of devotional service, one must first take shelter of the lotus feet of the spiritual master.” Every committed practitioner of bhakti is generally aware of this principle and does his or her best to apply it in daily life. Its essence is pleasing the spiritual master. Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī explains in the first chapter of his Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta that the spiritual master is the direct manifestation of Kṛṣṇa.5 Because embodied souls are generally not able to see the Lord within the heart, Kṛṣṇa is so kind that He agrees to become manifest through His loyal servant, who on the order of the Lord acts as a spiritual master. When I reflect on the practical application of this principle, I wonder to what extent my service to Śrīla Prabhupāda and my initiating and instructing spiritual masters is selfless and attentive. I cannot claim to be free from the tendency to do things mechanically, without deep and sincere feeling in the heart. On the other hand, the process of devotional service is not just an intellectual or emotional exercise. It is practical. In this regard Śrutakīrti Dāsa has shared a very instructive experience he went through as Śrīla Prabhupāda’s personal servant. Satsvarūpa Dāsa Gosvāmī relates this experience in Prabhupāda Nectar (volume 3, page 46): When Śrutakīrti was serving as Prabhupāda’s personal servant, he often felt embarrassed by the tremendous demonstration of love that the devotees offered to Prabhupāda, whereas Śrutakīrti himself felt a lack of love. Especially in arrival scenes at the airport, dozens of devotees would be dancing around, chanting, crying, and falling down on the ground. It was an amazing sight of love for Śrīla Prabhupāda. On one of these occasions, while accompanying Śrīla Prabhupāda, Śrutakīrti began to feel very sorry for himself. He thought that all these devotees were dancing and chanting, and here he was, walking beside Śrīla Prabhupāda, but he had no feeling, no real love. This began to disturb his mind. One day during the massage, Śrutakīrti expressed it to Prabhupāda. “Śrīla Prabhupāda, all these devotees have such love for you. It makes me feel so bad. I have none of this love. When I am with you, I can see everyone dancing and chanting and crying, but I have so much association and yet I don’t feel that this is there.” He was hoping that Prabhupāda would say something or do something, but Prabhupāda said nothing. He went on massaging and finished. Then Prabhupāda went and bathed. After putting on his tilaka and chanting his Gāyatrī, Prabhupāda called Śrutakīrti into the room. “So, do you like serving me?” said Prabhupāda. “Oh, yes, Prabhupāda,” said Śrutakīrti. “I like serving you very much.” “Then,” said Prabhupāda, “that is love. Everyone can do so many things . . . singing, dancing, jumping up and down, but you are actually doing something. Isn’t this love?” “I guess so, Śrīla Prabhupāda.” “So you just do your service,” said Prabhupāda. “That is all that is necessary. That is what love means—to do service.” *Two Great Statements* In Tamal Krishna Goswami’s doctoral thesis on Śrīla Prabhupāda’s theological contribution,6 he identifies two *mahā-vākyas* (“great statements,” traditionally drawn from the *Upaniṣads*) found throughout his books. Great *ācāryas*, such as Śaṅkara and Rāmānuja, who commented on Vedānta philosophy stated that by understanding the deep meaning of the *mahā-vākyas*, spiritual practitioners achieve *brahma jñāna*, enlightened knowledge and realization of the Supreme Truth; similarly, by imbibing the meaning of Prabhupāda’s two *mahā-vākyas*, a practitioner of *bhakti* attains the ultimate goal of this supreme path, *prema-*bhakti**, pure love for God. These two *mahā-vākyas* are “the Supreme Personality of Godhead” and “devotional service.” The first one is Śrīla Prabhupāda’s translation of part of the pivotal verse (*paribhāsa sūtra*) in *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (1.3.28), *kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam*. The second one is Śrīla Prabhupāda’s translation of the term *bhakti*.7 Other spiritual masters in Śrī Caitanya’s disciplic line have emphasized *bhakti* as divine love, feeling, or emotion. Śrīla Prabhupāda has nevertheless integrated two essential elements: practical service and a loving devotional attitude. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instruction to Śrutakīrti realistically teaches us that practical service is as important as inner feeling, if not more so. If there is real devotional feeling, it will be shown by service. If there is service but no devotional feeling at first, the devotion will gradually manifest in the heart of the practitioner who perseveres in performing service. Therefore, praising and serving the spiritual master is the most solid foundation in any spiritual undertaking. This is confirmed in the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad verse starting with the words *yasya* deve: “All the spiritual secrets are revealed to those great souls who faithfully and lovingly serve the spiritual master just as they serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”8 *Serving the Devotees* After establishing the glories of the spiritual master, Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura offers his praise to the Vaiṣṇavas: One should decorate the body with the dust from the lotus feet of the Vaiṣṇavas because by this, one can achieve transcendental realizations. By constant association with devotees, one’s cultivation of devotional service is purified and one can conquer nescience. As it is insufficient to approach God without serving the spiritual master, it is not possible to please God and the spiritual master without serving the devotees. Elsewhere, Śrīla Narottama has sung *hari guru vaiṣṇava*, equally praising Hari (God), the spiritual master, and the devotees of the Lord. To please one’s spiritual master while displeasing one’s fellow devotees is contradictory. Such an attitude and behavior is like pouring fuel and water into a fire simultaneously. In this regard, a well-known incident took place during Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s time. An inauguration ceremony for a new temple in his Gauḍīya Mission had been arranged. Shortly before the event, one of the temple managers heavily reprimanded one of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta’s *brahmacārī* disciples who had behaved inappropriately with women. As a result, the *brahmacārī* left the temple in shame. When Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta came to preside over the grand opening of the temple, he inquired about the disciple who had left. When the temple managers informed him of what had happened and told him that they did not know where the *brahmacārī* had gone, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta asserted that unless they brought him back, he would not inaugurate the temple. Then one of the temple inmates remembered that this *brahmacārī* was expert in repairing watches. The devotees decided to search for him in all the watchmaker workshops. They finally found him working in one of these shops and requested him to return because otherwise their spiritual master would not inaugurate the temple. The *brahmacārī* expressed that actually he wanted to return, but due to shame he did not dare to. All spiritual authorities conclude that service to the Lord’s devotees is the highest spiritual principle and the essence of religion. It is a source of divine enlightenment, liberation from material entanglement, and unlimited happiness. *Devotees’ Spiritual Power* The devotees of the Lord are so powerful that their very presence purifies even the holy places. This is confirmed in many *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* verses. For example, when King Bhagīratha wanted to bring the holy river Ganges to the earth planet, Mother Ganges9 expressed apprehension because she was afraid that when throngs of sinful people would bathe in her waters, they would pollute her by leaving all their karmic reactions there. The argument that convinced her to descend to the earth was that pure devotees would also visit the holy places and bathe in her waters, and their spiritual potency would cleanse whatever sinful reactions had been accumulated in her waters.10 Recently, during my stay in Sridham Mayapur, there were literally hundreds, if not thousands, of devotees there. I experienced that the spiritual potency generated in the temple programs felt like bathing and swimming in an ocean of nectar. To be in the association of devotees is like being carried by the waves of that ocean of nectar. In the association of devotees, devotional service becomes natural, and one has to endeavor much less than when practicing devotional service with little or no close devotee association. As a general principle, devotee association makes devotional service much easier. The spiritual power of saintly devotees will carry anyone to the highest stages of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore, Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura’s writings repeatedly emphasize the importance of associating with devotees. *Praise for the Gosvāmīs* Next, Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura expresses praise for, appreciation of, and gratitude toward the Gosvāmīs of Vrindavan, particularly Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Sanātana. Among the spiritual successors of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Sanātana are most prominent because they have revealed all the intimate secrets of divine service to Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Narottama writes: All glories to Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmīs, who are the reservoirs of loving devotional service, being the personifications of the highest transcendental mellows directed toward Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. By their mercy, a desire tree has been generated in this world that can relieve the distress and lamentation of all people. The various characteristics of loving devotional service have been elaborately described by these two great personalities in their books. One who hears these descriptions feels transcendental happiness in his heart and takes shelter of the sweet Divine Couple. The loving affairs of the young Divine Couple are like refined gold. O Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Sanātana! You have unfolded this treasure to me, and I will wear these jewels of love as a garland around my neck. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His spiritual successors have revealed numerous details concerning the Personality of Godhead and His intimate associates in the transcendental world. To serve God as the supreme unknown is certainly laudable, and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* repeatedly refers to the Personality of Godhead as adhokṣaja, which means imperceptible by the material senses.11 But *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* also reveals specific details about the Personality of Godhead and His loving relationships with His devotees. Śrī Caitanya and the six Gosvāmīs of Vrindavan have, through their divine perception, even more specifically illuminated the *Bhāgavatam’s* revelations. In Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura’s writings, he shares all these divine treasures, which he received from the Gosvāmīs, both personally and through their writings.12 He expresses particular gratitude toward the leaders among the Gosvāmīs, Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Sanātana, for their invaluable literary contribution. In this regard, Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura comments: The word *lakṣavāna* refers to gold which is thoroughly refined, being without a tinge of any impurities. Such gold shines brightly. In the same way, the loving dealings of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa are most pure, without a tinge of selfishness. All glories to Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs, who have, out of compassion, revealed this treasure of sweet love of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa to the world through their writings. O most merciful Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana Gosvāmīs! Please bestow upon this poor fellow the treasure of this love and be glorified as the most munificent. Please put a garland made from the jewels of prema around my neck. What is especially significant for me with regard to the opening chapter of Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura’s *Prema-bhakti-candrikā* is that in order to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I should do two things: serve and follow the devotees of the Lord. As will be seen later, when one explores the esoteric teachings on devotional service, it is essential to become a servant and follower of the Lord’s intimate associates. This is true both in the initial stages of practice, in which the process is highly exoteric—i.e., performed primarily with the external senses—and in the advanced or perfected stages of spiritual enlightenment. Some time ago I rewrote a personal mission statement in which I intended to encapsulate the principle of cultivating love for Kṛṣṇa by serving and following the devotees of the Lord. First I wrote that I will cultivate love for Kṛṣṇa by “serving and following the intimate devotees.” Later on I decided to amend it to “serving and following the devotees.” Though the amended statement certainly includes the most intimate associates of the Lord, I think it is more complete than the first version in that it includes all sincere devotees. Moreover, it does not risk underestimating any genuine devotee. For me it may be pretentious to serve and follow only “the intimate devotees.” Who am I to undermine the value of any true devotee of the Lord? Who am I to judge the sincere service of others? To get the mercy of the most intimate associates of the Lord, I need to please them by serving all the devotees. Śrī Caitanya taught that one should consider oneself a servant of the servant of the servant of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura concludes the first chapter of *Prema-bhakti-candrikā* by emphasizing the practice of the nine *bhakti-yoga* processes, which are meant for worshiping only the Supreme Personality of Godhead and not any other deities. Moreover, he states that only through the guidance of the sacred scriptures, the spiritual master, and the saintly persons is it possible to maintain a clean heart and consciousness. In addition, avoiding bad company and selfish philosophies is essential for attaining complete purity and divine love. The nine processes of devotional service are the essence of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. O brother! The best method of attaining loving devotional service is to always engage in performing these nine limbs of devotional service without taking shelter of the demigods. My desire is to have my heart purified by the statements of the Vaiṣṇavas, scriptures, and spiritual master, and, seeing the unity of these three, I will always float in the ocean of love of God. I will be aloof from the bad association of the fruitive workers, mental speculators, and the people devoid of devotional service. I, Narottama Dāsa, sing this truth. In his first chapter of instruction in *Prema-*bhakti*-candrikā*, Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura establishes a solid foundation for the spiritual practitioner on the path of devotional service: The essentials to advance on the path of pure *bhakti* are to avoid unfavorable people and selfish activities, to serve and follow the spiritual master, the devotees, the previous holy teachers (*ācāryas*), and the sacred scriptures; and to practice—in relation to Śrī Kṛṣṇa—the established processes of devotional service, such as hearing, chanting, remembering, and worshiping. *Notes* 1. For biographical accounts of Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura’s life, see *Bhakti-ratnākara, Narottama-vilāsa, Prema-vilasa*, and *Narottama-carita*. A summary of his life can also be found in *Prarthana*: *Songs & Prayers of Loving Devotion*, published by Touchstone Media (1999). 2. See, for example, *Bhagavad-gītā* 7.17, 12.13–20, and 18.68–69. 3. Cited in *The Nectar of Devotion*, Chapter 12. 4. See *Caitanya-caritāmṛta*, *Madhya* 13.80. 5. See *Caitanya-caritāmṛta*, *Ādi* 1.44–45. 6. Goswami, Tamal Krishna 2012. *A Living Theology of Krishna Bhakti: Essential Teachings of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada*. Oxford University Press. 7. See *The Nectar of Devotion*, Preface. 8. This is the last verse of the *Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad: yasya deve parā bhaktir / yathā deve tathā gurau // tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ / prakāśante mahātmanaḥ* 9. According to Sanskrit literature, rivers are feminine personalities. Sacred rivers are especially referred to as mothers because they give both material and spiritual shelter to the people who live nearby and to the pilgrims who bathe in their waters. 10. See *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 9.9.5–6. 11. See, for example, *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 1.2.6, 1.7.6, and 1.15.33. The term *adhokṣaja* and its variables (e.g., *adhokṣaje*) appear in the Bhaktivedanta VedaBase more than eight hundred times. 12. There is evidence that Śrīla Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura had personal association with and received spiritual instruction from Lokanātha Gosvāmī and Jīva Gosvāmī. It appears that his connection with Śrī Rūpa and Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmīs was mainly through their writtings. *Yadunandana Swami holds a master’s degree in the study of religion from the University of Wales Trinity St. David, UK, and has lectured at universities and international conferences in nearly thirty countries. He has been the director of the Instituto de Estudios Bhaktivedanta in Spain since 2011 and president of New Vrajamandala farm since 2017. He is the author of four books.* The Morphing of Faith *Though faith in God is in decline, faith as an intrinsic human trait remains, only to be directed to an endless array of less worthy subjects.* by Viśākhā Devī Dāsī *Faith is not disappearing, just finding new destinations.* Not far from where I live outside London, there’s a strikingly beautiful solid-stone St. John the Baptist church, part of which was built in the thirteenth century, its tall steeple visible for miles around. The entire UK is heavily dotted with similar churches, for in former centuries it was normal for people to invest grand amounts of time, labor, and money in buildings exclusively intended for the worship of God. In more recent times we generally don’t find resources used in that way, at least in the Western world. In the March 21, 2021, edition of *The Atlantic*, Shadi Hamid writes, “The United States had long been a holdout among Western democracies, uniquely and perhaps even suspiciously devout. From 1937 to 1998, church membership remained relatively constant, hovering at about 70 percent. Then something happened. Over the past two decades, that number has dropped to less than 50 percent, the sharpest recorded decline in American history. Meanwhile, the ‘nones’—atheists, agnostics, and those claiming no religion—have grown rapidly and today represent a quarter of the population.” This phenomenon is not limited to the United States: “Our analysis shows that those claiming religious identity, practising a religion or believing are clearly diminishing, as a proportion of the British population.” (https://www.bsa.natcen.ac.uk/media/39293/1_bsa36_religion.pdf) “The proportion of Australians who describe themselves as having no religion has risen from 26.0% in 2003 to 45.5% in 2020.” (http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8664-religion-in-australia-march-2020-202103220545) Although it seems evident that faith in God is weakening in our times, the presence of faith in and of itself is not. Rather, faith—a word derived from Latin fides and Old French feid, meaning confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept—is an inherent quality of the soul. Faith is always present within us individually and in human society generally; what’s changing is where we repose that faith. From the *Bhagavad-gītā* we learn that each of us—each living entity—is not our body or mind but a spiritual being, an ātmā, or soul, that has the same qualities as God in minute quantity. God, Kṛṣṇa, has complete faith in Himself, for He is the Supreme Being, the original, unlimited creator who oversees and maintains His perfect and complete creation. By our nature as spiritual beings who are part of God, we naturally have complete faith in Him and rely fully on Him. Out of His care and love for us, His *ātmās*, Kṛṣṇa Himself asks us to surrender unto Him utterly (*Gītā* 18.62). How are we to surrender? By thinking of Him, devoting ourselves to His service, worshiping Him, and bowing down to Him (*Gītā* 9.34). This mindset and the activities that accompany it are indigenous to the soul. We are meant to do these things with full faith in Kṛṣṇa’s protection and with feelings toward Him of gratitude and affection. *Diverted Faith* Each one of us has this faith, but for a multitude of reasons—such as widespread disillusionment with organized religion, the promotion of science, secular education and a secular society, as well as the effects of our own previous acts (*karma*) on our present consciousness—our innate faith has been channeled away from God to an array of other subjects. Our firm and inherent faith, which in former years was centered on God, has become diverted. Instead, political affiliations, demands for policies and rights, and intense views on justice and what constitutes freedom have taken on the character of theological polemics. Faith is as present and fervent as ever, but it has become enmeshed in subjects other than God; the object of our faith has dramatically shifted. In Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words, “Faith you must have. Without faith, you cannot go a step forward in your ordinary life. You must have faith. But faith—what faith? Ah, the belief and faith should be in the authorized place. That is the process. Faith we must have. Without faith, we cannot make progress. But not blind faith, but to accept something which is recognized.” (Lecture, *Gītā* 8.21–22, Nov. 4, 1966, New York) Our collective misplacement of faith has produced unintended consequences. Temples, churches, mosques, synagogues—indeed, all places of expressions of faith in God—are intended as places where we learn virtue and gather the fortitude needed to free ourselves from the grip of passion and ignorance and come to the mode of goodness, characterized by peacefulness, charity, truthfulness, sense control, wisdom, and humility. As the bastions of high principles as well as the people who live by high principles become less prominent and vibrant parts of our lives, our personal principles are easily thwarted. Without thinking about it, we adopt a materialistic mindset and goals. Formerly, widespread support for the edifices of faith and for faithful people helped plant seeds of faith in God in the hearts and minds of the next generation. As young people saw their parents and elders steadily nurture faith, and as they experienced faith supported by society generally, their own faith in God was fertilized, protected, and cultivated. In that environment, faith in God naturally blossomed strong and healthy and continued to be passed down through the generations. *Challenged by Our Conditioning* We may question, however, that if we and all people naturally have faith in God, why do we have to work so hard to cultivate that faith and fight against human frailties? Kṛṣṇa explains, > mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke > jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ > manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi > prakṛti-sthāni karṣati “The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.” (*Gītā* 15.7) Due to our conditioned life in this material world, we’re under the influence of a combination of the modes of material nature—goodness, passion, and ignorance. It’s this conditioning that impels us to divert and misplace our faith. Kṛṣṇa says, “According to the modes of nature acquired by the embodied soul, one’s faith can be of three kinds—in goodness, in passion or in ignorance.” (*Gītā* 17.2) When society doesn’t tend the seedbeds of unconditioned God-centered faith, we find people (perhaps even ourselves) justifying avarice, unequal opportunities, exploitation, cheating, and the mentality that might makes right. We find a few people hogging a disproportionate amount of resources and wealth. We see a growing fear of “outsiders”—immigrants and others who differ from us. We find people polarized over insignificant topics. In other words, our foundation for discerning what is and is not to be done, who is and who is not to be emulated, begins to crumble. Without the strong support of piety and God consciousness, we begin to flail helplessly in gusts of greed and fear and self-righteousness. *A Place to Reorient Faith* Unadulterated faith in God is natural and, besides being the birthright of each of us, is the path to a robust, joyful life. But to steadily traverse the path toward unadulterated faith takes an enormous amount of work, especially in these times. To give us community and culture where we can reorient our faith and place it firmly in God, Kṛṣṇa, Śrīla Prabhupāda established the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. He explains, “The International Society for Krishna Consciousness is opening many centers just to invite people to live in the company of devotees and practice the regulative principles of spiritual life.” (*The Nectar of Instruction* 3) And, “People must be given the chance to associate with the devotees of ISKCON, because simply by reciprocating in the six ways mentioned above* an ordinary man can fully revive his dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In the *Bhagavad-gītā* (2.62) it is stated, *saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ*: one’s desires and ambitions develop according to the company one keeps. It is often said that a man is known by his company, and if an ordinary man associates with devotees, he will certainly develop his dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (*The Nectar of Instruction* 4) Unadulterated faith is within us, and we can unearth it through the process and facilities that Śrīla Prabhupāda has offered us in the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. The fortunate people who come in contact with this movement and follow the simple process Śrīla Prabhupāda has given—hearing from the scriptures, chanting the names of God, keeping the company of devotees, serving Kṛṣṇa and His devotees—will uncover their innate faith in Kṛṣṇa and continue to progress spiritually. This does take effort, but there is no effort more worthwhile than struggling against the current tide of partisanship and mistaken positions, of materialistic calculations and concoctions, of gross and subtle deceptions and untruths. Struggle is inevitable in this world, as the *Gītā* verse above declares: karṣati, “struggling hard.” We struggle personally with our inner demons and collectively with the degradation of society and its leaders. We follow the immense wisdom of spiritual guides through the ages to the degree that we succeed in extricating our faith from nongodly people and objects and reinstating it fully where it naturally reposes, in Kṛṣṇa. We commit ourselves to truth and allow ourselves to be molded according to our actual identity, and in so doing we will find ourselves feeling complete and enthused, like a person who’s been wandering in the night, lost and alone, who finally arrives in the bright, warm company of long-lost loving friends and family. It’s a feeling of embracement and enchantment—I’m finally where I belong; I’m home. Here I can express myself and grow. *“Offering gifts in charity, accepting charitable gifts, revealing one’s mind in confidence, inquiring confidentially, accepting *prasāda* and offering *prasāda* are the six symptoms of love shared by one devotee and another.” (*The Nectar of Instruction* 4) *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.* The Caitanya Deity of Mathura and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Sannyāsa Initiation *How the deity of Lord Caitanya came to be worshiped in the temple where Prabhupāda accepted the renounced order of life.* By Satyarāja Dāsa *In the early 1950s, Śrīla Prabhupāda purchased a deity of Lord Caitanya to install in Jhansi, but the Lord had other plans.* “Very big place. You have seen this Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha in Mathura? There is Caitanya Mahāprabhu deity. . . . So at Mathura I delivered the deity to this Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha, and I made my place in Vrindavan.”1 My spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, entered the renounced order of life on September 17, 1959. The temple in which he took his renunciation vows is called Śrī Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha, in Mathura, U.P., India. For me, as a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda, visiting this temple was life-altering, not only because of my spiritual master’s affiliation with it, but because of the deity of Śrī Caitanya that he personally brought there, and which is worshiped there to this day. I fell in love with the deity at first sight. This article is about both Prabhupāda’s relation to that deity and the temple the deity calls home. The story begins at Jhansi, a city in the Bundelkhand region of southern Uttar Pradesh, on the banks of the Pahuj River. It was the early 1950s, and while Śrīla Prabhupāda was not yet a formal *sannyāsī*, he had left hearth and home to push forward the mission of his guru, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī. In pursuit of that mission, he had birthed an institution called the League of Devotees, which would be a precursor to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Śrīla Prabhupāda had been to Jhansi in 1952 on business for his chemical concern and marked it as a place that might be amenable to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The owner of a Jhansi hospital, Mr. Dubey, had read several issues of *Back to Godhead*, liked them, and invited Prabhupāda to lecture at the well-attended Gita Mandir, where he would regularly address an audience of more than one hundred educated people, many of them young medical students and graduates from Jhansi’s Ayurvedic University. After hearing Prabhupāda’s initial talk, Prabhakar Misra, principal of the nearby Vedanta Sanskrit College and head medical officer of the Ayurvedic University, resolved to be his assistant and worked closely with him. By 1953, they established a temple, though it was not fully functioning until the following year. Satsvarūpa Dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s primary biographer, writes: On May 16, 1953, Śrīla Prabhupāda held a grand-opening celebration for the League of Devotees, with continuous readings, *kīrtana*, and *prasādam* distribution from early morning until night. In the evening, when attendance was the greatest, Śrīla Prabhupāda lectured from the Ninth Chapter of *Bhagavad-gītā* on “Rāja-guhya Yoga.” Prabhākār Miśra conducted a fire sacrifice, and several brāhmaṇas chanted mantras from *Brahma-saṁhitā*. Guests received a sixteen-page prospectus containing Śrīla Prabhupāda’s essay on the need for the League and an excerpt from the charter explaining its goals. It was signed, “OM … TAT … SAT, Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta, Founder and Secretary.”2 “That League of Devotees,” Prabhupāda mused many years later. “I was alone. There were some students, but they were not so active. I was doing everything. I wanted to organize with Prabhakar Misra and others, but they were not interested to devote their whole time. If you asked him to do full-time work, that he’d not do. But he was initiated. They were all learned scholars in Sanskrit—medical men.”3 It was not to last. Indeed, by the winter of 1956, Prabhupāda was already in Vrindavan.4 But one significant event—not often emphasized—occurred while he was still in Jhansi, and that was his acquisition of a very special Caitanya deity, four feet tall and made of pure neem wood, around whom he would build his temple. This deity has the distinction of being the first among many forms of Kṛṣṇa to grace Prabhupāda’s temples and preaching mission. The deity was procured while Prabhupāda was in Jhargram, West Bengal. Interestingly, he did not make the journey in search of a *mūrti*. Instead, his intention was to raise money for his mission in Jhansi. But while in Bengal, he was inspired to bring a deity back with him, thinking how important such worship would be for the many householders who attended his programs. Taking the one-hour ride to Bankura, some fifty miles from Jhargram, he specifically requested a *mūrti* of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Satsvarūpa Dāsa Gosvāmī writes: Abhay [Prabhupāda] spent his time in Jhargram chanting the holy name and becoming settled in detachment from his family. For several days he chanted *japa* almost continuously. [His godbrother] Paramahaṁsa Mahārāja would lecture in the evenings, and then Abhay would also speak on the *Bhagavad-gītā*. But as time passed, his thoughts turned again to Jhansi, and he soon felt ready to go back to the League of Devotees. He had to secure the buildings and go on with the preaching. But before returning he obtained a large deity of Lord Caitanya that he planned to install at the Bharati Bhavan [the building he used as a temple in Jhansi]. Ironically, he had gone to Calcutta to do business and raise money, but now he had no money, no business, and no family responsibilities. He had been married thirty-six years, and now, at age fifty-eight, he had fully taken to the *vānaprastha* order [a precursor to sannyāsa]. Now he could dedicate his life fully to preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Abhay did not [immediately] adopt the saffron dress of a *vānaprastha*, but continued wearing a white *dhotī* and *kurtā*. The people of Jhansi had always known him as a preacher with no family, ever since he had first arrived . . . . Now he was returning to them with a deity of Lord Caitanya and a determination to establish Lord Caitanya’s temple in Jhansi. Abhay met with a warm welcome from Ācārya Prabhākar and others. But he also met with competition for possession of the Radha Memorial [which he had hoped would serve as his Jhansi temple].5 Besides the Caitanya deity, two other consequential events came to the fore in the early 1950s: (1) Prabhupāda had a series of dreams in which his guru, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, encouraged him to take sannyāsa; and (2) Prabhupāda’s esteemed godbrother Śrīla B. P. Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, along with his disciple Śrīla B. V. Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja, came to visit Prabhupāda in Jhansi, to assist in any way they could. Keśava Mahārāja could immediately see that Jhansi was too remote to be a successful preaching center, and soon returned to Mathura, where he would open a center of his own. He called that center the Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha, naming it after the presiding Kṛṣṇa deity of Mathura, Śrī Keśavajī, established at Lord Kṛṣṇa’s birth site. It should also be noted, in our present context, that Śrīla Keśava Mahārāja did not disguise his admiration for Prabhupāda’s newly acquired deity of Śrī Caitanya, and since the deity was not yet installed, they discussed the possibility of bringing Him to Mathura. This is precisely what Śrīla Prabhupāda did in due course. In fact, as soon as the Jhansi project fell through, in 1956, Śrīla Prabhupāda sought shelter at the *maṭha* in Mathura, particularly because Keśava Mahārāja offered him full editorship of the *maṭha*’s Bengali newspaper, the *Gauḍīya Patrikā*, which periodically ran Śrīla Prabhupāda’s articles. He had been contributing to the paper since 1951, while publishing his own Back to Godhead, but now he would be allowed more managerial input. Arriving in Vrindavan, Prabhupāda fully prepared for his mission to the West. First, he meditated deeply on what the six Gosvāmīs and his guru actually wanted of him, absorbed in writing while residing in the renowned Vaṁśī Gopāla temple, which was near beautiful Keshi Ghat. For Prabhupāda, it was idyllic, especially because of the view from his rooms on the second floor overlooking the Yamuna River. Still, he soon left that place in favor of the Rādhā Dāmodara temple, where Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī had established his mission. The six Gosvāmīs were eagerly awaiting Mahāprabhu’s prediction to come to pass: “Kṛṣṇa’s name will be heard in every town and village of the world.”6 Indeed, as Prabhupāda lived and worked in Jīva Gosvāmī’s temple, he too contemplated this prophesy, which he would soon fulfill after founding ISKCON. “So I was staying in Vrindavan in a very nice place,” Prabhupāda remembers. “Then these Rādhā-Dāmodara temple men, they called me that ‘Why don't you come, live here? We’ll give you two rooms. You just repair and live here. Whatever you like, you can do.’ So I thought, ‘It is Jīva Gosvāmī’s place.’ Otherwise, living in a very big palace, Keshi Ghat . . . Then I came to Rādhā-Dāmodara temple. So I was writing *Bhāgavatam*, Back to Godhead, and printing in Delhi.”7 It should be noted, too, that during this period he would occasionally stay with Śrīla Keśava Mahārāja at the Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha as well. For three years he would go back and forth between these three places. And then, in 1959, he took *sannyāsa*, a subject to which we will later return. *Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha* Meanwhile, Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha was a new facility. It had functioned as a well-known *dharmashala* for the poor before it was purchased by Śrīla Keśava Mahārāja, and had been active as such since the late 1800s. But for the devotees’ purposes, it needed heavy renovation, which was done posthaste. The Bengali *Gauḍīya Patrikā*, produced by Keśava Mahārāja and his cohort, soon announced its opening: This past 13 December 1954, a Monday, on the *viraha-divasa* [day of separation] from Jagad-guru Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Śrila Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, Śrī Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti has acquired within the city of Mathura, in front of Dampier Park and the big hospital, to the right of the famous Kaṁsa-ṭīlā (two homes down), close to Holi Gate, Imperial Bank, the main post office, the State bus stand, various bazaars, etc., and not far from the Mathura Cantonment station, a huge brick-and-mortar *aṭṭālikā* [mansion] that has a hall and 36 rooms. This enormous *maṭha-bhavana* is situated within one furlong [an eighth of a mile] north of the Mathura Cantonment station, to the east of the main road. This is the most famous site in Mathura and a most excellent place.8 The temple was centered, of course, on its beautiful deities, specifically Śrī Śrī Rādhā–Vinoda-bihārī (large white marble forms of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa), along with Prabhupāda’s Lord Caitanya, still worshiped there to this day. The story behind the acquisition of Rādhā–Vinoda-bihārī is fascinating. Śrīla Keśava Mahārāja wanted to install deities of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa from the moment he acquired the property. But for various reasons it had to wait. It was not until the summer of 1956 that he was able to take the journey to Jaipur to make the necessary arrangements. For two weeks he searched for a suitable sculptor. He was meticulous and told each one that if he were dissatisfied, they would have to start over. Finally, he came to a small shop on Khazana Valley Road. There he met a talented artisan who did contract jobs for larger establishments. Keśava Mahārāja immediately recognized his skill and sincerity, and engaged him in carving the deities, which, the man said, would take some time.9 After a few days, the sculptor contacted Keśava Mahārāja and told him that he had had the most fascinating dream in which both Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa had whitish complexions, even though Kṛṣṇa is generally depicted as blackish.10 At that time, Śrīla Keśava Mahārāja said to the sculptor, “Very good. My Kṛṣṇa is Rādhā–Vinoda-bihārī; He has taken on the color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī because of being completely absorbed in thoughts of Her.”11 This in fact would become the standard in Keśava Mahārāja’s temples throughout India. His deities of Kṛṣṇa depict the whitish hue meant to simulate the golden complexion of both Rādhā and Mahāprabhu, the latter having adopted Śrī Rādhā’s intensely loving mood of unexcelled devotion. Keśava Mahārāja had even written a poem, the “Śrī Śrī Rādhā–Vinoda-bihārī Tattvāṣṭakam,” with the first line immortalizing this conception: “I worship the lotus feet of that form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa who, being thoroughly immersed in separation from Śrīmatī Rādhikā (who sometimes displays *māna*, Her mood of jealous indignation), experiences the disappearance of His own dark complexion while manifesting Her bright golden luster.”12 Thus, on the day of Annakūṭa, November 3, 1956, Śrīla Keśava Mahārāja established Śrī Śrī Rādhā–Vinoda-bihārī in the Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha amidst a festive celebration with many hundreds of devotees. Interestingly, in the early days of the temple, at one point there were three sections of the altar: Girirāja (Govardhana) in one wing, Rādhā–Vinoda-bihārī in another, and in the third section were small, temporary deities of Gaura-Viṣṇupriyā (Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His consort), who have since been moved to a temple in the village of Dauji, outside Mathura. That section of the altar, the local devotees tell us, was actually reserved for Prabhupāda’s Caitanya deity, which arrived soon after the temple opening. It is intriguing that Keśava Mahārāja always installed Rādhā, Kṛṣṇa, and Mahāprabhu together—in all his temples. But in Mathura he initially installed just Rādhā and Vinoda-bihārī by Themselves. Then Mahāprabhu came later. It was as if He was awaiting Prabhupāda’s arrival with his gift of the special Caitanya deity destined to reside at Śrī Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha and to witness Prabhupāda’s sannyāsa. It is important to note, too, that Śrīla Prabhupāda, although mainly establishing blackish deities of Kṛṣṇa throughout the world, clearly supported the notion of white Kṛṣṇa as well, and we see Them in many of his ISKCON temples: Rādhā-Vrindabanchandra (West Virginia), Rukmiṇī-Dvārakādhīśa (Los Angeles), Rādhā-Gokulānanda (UK), Radha-Londonīśvara, Rādhā-Giridhārī (San Diego), Rādhā-Brajabihārī (Miami), Kiśora-Kiśorī (Chicago), Rādhā-Śaradbihārī (Philadelphia), Rādhā-Madanamohana (Vancouver), Rādhā-Rāsabihārī (Juhu, Mumbai), Rādhā-Gopīnātha (Chowpatty, Mumbai), and many others. Śrīla Prabhupāda gave yet another reason why Kṛṣṇa mūrtis in the temple can be depicted with a whitish hue: So *a*kṛṣṇa** means different color, “not *kṛṣṇa*,” not black. So what is the actual? That we have to refer to *śāstra* again—that Kṛṣṇa, in how many categories of color He appears? That is stated in the *Bhāgavatam*. When Kṛṣṇa was born, then Gargamuni was calculating about His horoscope, and he said to Nanda Mahārāja that “This, your child—idānīṁ *kṛṣṇa*tāṁ gataḥ. Śuklo raktas tathā pīta idānīṁ *kṛṣṇa*tāṁ gataḥ—your child had formerly white color.” White color . . . Sometimes some critics criticize us that “Kṛṣṇa everywhere He is black. Why in your temple white?” But it is said that *śukla*—śuklo raktas tathā pīta idānīṁ *kṛṣṇa*tāṁ gataḥ: “Your son had other colors also, white and red and yellow, and now He has assumed blackish color.”13 Of course, Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, and no material color can quite capture Him. One must learn to see through the “eyes of love” (*premā-netra*), as the sages tell us.14 The Lord can appear in whatever color He or His loving devotee prefers. As Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Thākura’s commentary on the *Brahma-saṁhitā* (5.38) makes clear: “The Śyāmasundara form of Kṛṣṇa is His inconceivable, simultaneous personal and impersonal self-contradictory form. True devotees see that form in their purified hearts under the influence of devotional trance. *The form Śyāma is not the blue color visible in the mundane world but is the transcendental variegated color affording eternal bliss, and is not visible to the mortal eye.*” [Italics added.] It was in the presence of just such a deity—specifically Śrī Śrī Rādhā–Vinoda-bihārī and Prabhupāda’s very own Lord Caitanya deity—that His Divine Grace took sannyāsa. *Śrīla Prabhupāda Takes Sannyāsa* There was a brief but energetic report on Śrīla Prabhupāda’s sannyāsa ceremony four days after it occurred, complements of Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha’s Hindi journal, the Bhāgavata Patrikā, which was highly regarded and well distributed throughout North India: It is with great enthusiasm and excitement that we are sharing this auspicious news that the editor of the renowned Back to Godhead magazine and president of the associate editors of the famous *Śrī Bhāgavata Patrikā* (Hindi) and *Śrī Gauḍīya Patrikā* (Bangla)—Śrīpāda Abhayacaraṇa “Bhaktivedānta”-jī—and one of the most prominent of all the patrons of Śrī Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti, and someone who serves the maṭha financially and in all ways, the aged (87-year-old)—Śrīpāda Sanātana Dāsādhikārī—accepted *tridaṇḍa-sannyāsa* . . . on the auspicious day of Śrī Viśvarūpa Mahotsava, from the Samiti’s founder and president Parivrājakācārya Tridaṇḍi Svāmī Oṁ Viṣṇupāda 108 Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja at Śrī Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha, Mathura. All the rituals were performed in front of Śrī Śrī Guru-Gaurāṅga Rādha–Vinoda-bihārī, before the worshipful portrait of Śrīla Prabhupāda [Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī] and in the presence of many *sannyāsīs*, according to Śrī Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī’s Sātvata scripture, *Sat-kriyā-sāra-dīpikā*.15 Viśvarūpa Mahotsava celebrates the day on which Śrī Caitanya’s older brother, Viśvarūpa, took *sannyāsa*. It is considered one of the most auspicious days of the year. And on that same date, 450 years later, our own Śrīla Prabhupāda saw fit to accept the renounced order of life under the auspices of Śrīla Keśava Mahārāja, his beloved godbrother. “When I was a householder,” Prabhupāda muses, “several times there was indication given by my Guru Mahārāja that I should give up family life and become a *sannyāsī* and preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. In several ways there were hints from my spiritual master, but still, I was not willing. I was thinking, ‘If I go away, then my family, my sons, my daughters, they will suffer.’ But actually, I have left my family connection in 1950. Actually ’54, but introductory in ’50. For the last twenty years. But they are living; I am living. They are not dying in my absence, and I am not suffering without being in my family. On the other hand, by Kṛṣṇa’s grace I have got better family members. I have got nice children in a foreign country. They are taking so much care of me, I could not expect such care from my own children.”16 Elsewhere he said: So my godbrother—his name is Keśava, Bhaktiprajñāna Keśava—did this favor for me because he was an ocean of mercy, kṛpāmbudhi. We offer our obeisances to Vaiṣṇavas: *vāñchā-kalpa-tarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca*. The Vaiṣṇavas, the representatives of the Lord, are so kind. They bring the ocean of mercy for distributing to the suffering humanity. *Kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye*. So I am offering my respectful obeisances unto His Holiness because he forcefully made me adopt this *sannyāsa* order.17 And so it was that on a September morning in 1959, in the fifty-by-twenty-five-foot temple room on the second floor of the Keśavajī Gauḍīya Maṭha, a group of devotees sat before the deities of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya—the Lord Caitanya whom Prabhupāda himself had brought there. Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami recounts the initiation ceremony: The Deities were colorfully dressed in royal clothing and silver crowns. Rādhārāṇī’s right hand faced palm-forward in benediction for the worshiper; at Her side, Her left hand held a flower for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa stood like a dancer, placing His right leg in a casual tiptoe pose before His left, playing His long silver flute, which He held gracefully to His red lips. His long black hair reached down past His shoulders, and the garland of marigolds around His neck reached down to His knees. On His right stood the Deity of Lord Caitanya, His right arm raised, left arm at His side, His body straight, feet together. He was a soft golden color, and He had large eyes, a well-formed red mouth, and straight black hair down to His shoulders. One level below the Deities were pictures of the spiritual masters in disciplic succession: Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, Bhaktiprajñāna Keśava Mahārāja. Abhay sat on a mat of kuśa grass beside ninety-year-old18 Sanātana, also to receive *sannyāsa* that day. Sitting opposite the two candidates, Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja, Keśava Mahārāja’s disciple, prepared to conduct the ceremony of *mantras* and offerings of grains and ghee into the fire. Akiñcana Kṛṣṇadāsa Bābājī, Abhay’s Godbrother, known for sweet singing, played *mṛdaṅga* and sang Vaiṣṇava bhajanas. Sitting on a raised *āsana*, His Holiness Keśava Mahārāja presided. Since there had been no notices or invitations, only the maṭha’s few residents attended. Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja chanted the required *mantras* and then sat back silently while Keśava Mahārāja lectured. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Keśava Mahārāja asked Abhay to speak. Abhay had not expected this. As he looked around at the gathering of devotees, he understood that the common language was Hindi; only Keśava Mahārāja and a few others spoke English. Yet he knew he must speak in English. After Abhay’s speech, each initiate received his *sannyāsa-daṇḍa*, the traditional head-high staff made of four bamboo rods bound together and completely enwrapped in saffron cloth. They were given their sannyāsa garments: one piece of saffron cloth for a dhotī, one for a top piece, and two strips for underwear. They also received tulasī neck beads and the sannyāsa-mantra. Keśava Mahārāja said that Abhay would now be known as Bhaktivedanta Swami Mahārāja and that Sanātana would be Muni Mahārāja. After the ceremony, the two new sannyāsīs posed for a photo, standing on either side of their sannyāsa-guru, who sat in a chair. Keśava Mahārāja didn’t impose any strictures on Abhay; he simply encouraged him to go on preaching. Yet Abhay knew that to become A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami did not mean merely that he was giving up family, home comforts, and business. That he had done five years ago. Changing from white cloth to saffron cloth, from Abhay Bābū to Bhaktivedanta Swami Mahārāja, had a special significance: it was the mandate he had required, the irrevocable commitment. Now it was only a matter of time before Bhaktivedanta Swami would travel to the West as Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī had ordained.19 What Prabhupāda did next would change the course of history, as readers of Back to Godhead know full well. In fact, had Prabhupāda not come to the West, many of us might not be reading this magazine at all. *Notes* 1. Śrīla Prabhupāda, Room Conversation, August 21, 1976, Hyderabad. 2. See Satsvarūpa dāsa Gosvāmī, *Śrīla* *Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta*, Volume 1, Chapter Seven (Los Angeles: Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, 1980), 156. 3. Ibid. Prabhupāda stayed there for two years: “Oh, League [of Devotees] . . . I was trying to collect some devotees,” Prabhupāda remembers. “Some of them, they were medical students. So they . . . came to live with me. But still, I lived there for two years. From 1954 to ’56. . . . This Prabhakara and . . . They were not full time. They were students. That’s all. They were living with me.” (Room Conversation, October 3, 1976, Vrindavan) 4. His correspondence shows he was in Vrindavan. “Revered Sri Goswami Ji,” Prabhupāda writes to the leader of the famous Rādhāramaṇa temple, “Kindly accept my respectful obeisances. I have come to Vrindaban to see you specially on some important mission. (Letter to Sri Biswambhar Goswami, Shanti Kutir, Vrindaban, December 25, 1956) 5. Satsvarūpa dāsa Gosvāmī, *Śrīla* *Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta*, Volume 1, Chapter Seven, op. cit., 164. 6. See Śrī *Caitanya-bhāgavata*, *Antya* 4.126: *pṛthivīte āche jata nagarādi grama sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma.* 7. Śrīla Prabhupāda, Room Conversation, August 12, 1973, London. 8. See *Śrī Gauḍīya Patrikā* 6.10 (December 17, 1954), 395. Special thanks to Śrīvāsa Prabhu of Vrindavan for his help with translating relevant portions of the Gauḍīya Patrikā. 9. Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, Śrī Guru Darśana (Vrindavan U.P.: Bhaktabhandav, 2016), 253–255. 10. Ibid. 11. Ibid. 12. See “Śrī Śrī Rādhā–Vinoda-bihārī Tattvāṣṭakam,” Verse 1: *rādhā-cintā-niveśena yasya kāntir vilopitā / śrī-kṛṣṇa-caraṇaṁ vande *rādh*āliṅgita**-vigraham* (https://kksongs.org/songs/r/radhacintanivesana.html). The word *rādh*āliṅgita** can be interpreted as *rādhayā* *āliṅgita*, meaning that Kṛṣṇa’s hue changes into Rādhikā’s hue because She embraces Him. 13. See Śrīla Prabhupāda, *Bhagavad-gītā* 7.2, Lecture, London, March 10, 1975. Of course, in some cases, white deities may be purchased simply because black marble is not to be had. Indeed, the traditional black goldsmith’s stone (*kastipathar*), popular for deity making in days of old, eventually became rare and less likely to acquire. Thus, sculptors turned to white marble, as it was cheaper and more easily available. 14. See Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī’s seventeenth-century work the *Caitanya-caritāmṛta* (*Ādī-līlā* 5.21). 15. See *Śrī Bhāgavata Patrikā* 5.4 (September 17, 1959), 92. Special thanks to Śrīvāsa Prabhu of Vrindavan for help with the Hindi translation. 16. Śrīla Prabhupāda Lecture, Tittenhurst, Ascot, UK, September 12, 1969. 17. Śrīla Prabhupāda Lecture, Seattle, October 21, 1968. 18. According to the writeup quoted earlier, on page 33, he was eighty-seven. 19. Satsvarūpa dāsa Gosvāmī, *Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta*, Volume 1, Chapter Nine, op. cit., 229–230. Is the Gītā a Book of Violence? *Why readers and commentators miss the point of the Bhagavad-gītā when they accuse Lord Kṛṣṇa of wrongdoing.* by Caitanya Caraṇa Dāsa Some critics of the *Bhagavad-gītā* accuse Kṛṣṇa of being a warmonger unjustly inciting the pacifist Arjuna. At first glance, the *Bhagavad-gītā* might seem like a philosophical justification for war—Kṛṣṇa speaking to Arjuna to convince him to fight. Because our modern psyche has been deeply scarred by violence rationalized using sacred texts, we may recoil from Kṛṣṇa’s words. If we experience such a negative visceral reaction, we can help ourselves by understanding the circumstantial reasons for the war, which are described in the *Mahābhārata*, the huge epic of which the Gītā is a small but significant part. *The Mahābhārata Context* The Pāṇḍavas were rightful heirs to the Kuru kingdom, or at least to half of it. Yet they were targeted repeatedly by their cousins, especially Duryodhana. He tried to assassinate them by poison and arson, impoverish them through a rigged gambling match, and humiliate them by publicly disrobing their wife. Though the Pāṇḍavas were unfairly exiled for thirteen years, they accepted that exile stoically. But even after that stipulated period, Duryodhana refused to give them their rightful half of the kingdom. When they sought to settle for just five villages, he not only derisively dismissed their peace proposal; he even tried to arrest their peace envoy, Kṛṣṇa. The Pāṇḍavas were left in no doubt about Duryodhana’s mentality. Let alone reforming, he showed no sign of even repenting—he was bent on continuing his devious ways to satisfy his hunger for power. If the Pāṇḍavas had allowed such a person to remain the king, they would have failed in their duty as kṣatriyas, martial guardians of society. When they finally resolved to fight, it was out of duty, not out of greed or revenge. Let’s go beyond understanding these circumstantial reasons for the war and take a closer look at the claim that Kṛṣṇa spoke the *Gītā* to goad a peace-loving Arjuna to fight. We’ll consider two specific components: Was Kṛṣṇa a warmonger? Was Arjuna a pacifist? *Was Kṛṣṇa a Warmonger?* If Kṛṣṇa had been a warmonger, why would He have gone with a peace proposal to Duryodhana? And Kṛṣṇa’s proposal wasn’t just for optics; in the Kuru assembly, He sought peace resourcefully. First, Kṛṣṇa presented His proposal to the king, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, as etiquette required. When the king quickly admitted that he didn’t need any persuading (it was his son Duryodhana who was the obstacle), Kṛṣṇa systematically explained to Duryodhana the rationale for peace. He outlined the many benefits for the Kurus of having an alliance with the powerful Pāṇḍavas, who after all belonged to the same dynasty. Then He outlined the futility, even the folly, of fighting the Pāṇḍavas. Just one of them, Arjuna, had defeated an army of the *asuras* and even an army of the gods—armies far more powerful than the Kaurava army. Seeing Duryodhana still recalcitrant, Kṛṣṇa made an incredibly accommodating offer: instead of half of the kingdom, just give the Pāṇḍavas five villages so that they could do their duty as *kṣatriyas*, at least symbolically. Derisively dismissing Kṛṣṇa’s proposal, Duryodhana retorted that he wouldn't give them enough land to even put the tip of a needle in. On top of that, he tried to arrest Kṛṣṇa, thus egregiously violating the most basic martial codes about how to treat peace messengers. By his actions, Duryodhana unwittingly demonstrated for everyone to see that he was the real warmonger. The world wouldn’t have known peace as long as he was in power, driven by his greed for kingdom and his envy of the Pāṇḍavas. It was to free the world from such a vicious power-grabber that Kṛṣṇa wanted Arjuna to do his duty of fighting. To illuminate Arjuna about his duty, Kṛṣṇa spoke the *Gītā*. Put succinctly, Kṛṣṇa spoke the *Gītā* not because He was a warmonger, but because war was the only way to stop the real warmonger, Duryodhana. *Was Arjuna a Pacifist?* Was Arjuna a pacifist? Yes in the sense that he knew well the costs of war and therefore always sought first to resolve conflicts by peaceful means. No in the sense that he didn’t naively think that war should be avoided at all costs. Arjuna’s disposition may be described best as a realist; he knew how the real world worked. Sometimes, power-hungry people or even downright evil people are bent on fighting for their nefarious purposes, and war is the only way to deal with them. In such situations, the cost of not fighting is far greater than the cost of fighting. The destruction, exploitation, and oppression they would unfurl if they gained power would be far worse than whatever sacrifice is required to resist and repel them. And one essential way to deal with such people is deterrence: to have the skills and resources to punish them forcefully if they dare to attack. As is often said in geopolitics, the best way to ensure peace is to always be ready for war. To that end of preserving peace in society, Arjuna had been trained since his childhood in various martial skills. He belonged to a long, illustrious line of kṣatriyas, and he was their worthy scion. By his talent and commitment, he had become a peerless archer. And during his life, he had unflinchingly fought whenever he had been convinced that the fight was for a justified and virtuous cause. Then why had he flinched at Kurukshetra? Because on seeing his venerable elders ready to fight to death, he had become doubtful that the cost of fighting might be more than the cost of not fighting (2.5). Hence, his refusal to fight (2.9). Arjuna was unwilling to fight not because he was a naive pacifist, but because his observations left him unsure whether fighting the Kurukshetra war was the right thing to do. After having analyzed the nature of the two main speakers in the *Gītā*, let’s now focus on the *Gītā*’s content by considering four points: • How the *Gītā* goes far beyond the war-peace polarity • What Kṛṣṇa never mentions to Arjuna in the *Gītā* • What Arjuna’s last words tell us about the *Gītā* • What the *Gītā’s* last verse reveals about its essential message • How the *Gītā* Goes Far Beyond the War-Peace Polarity Given that Kṛṣṇa speaks the *Gītā* on a battlefield, we would expect it to discuss quite a bit about the two binaries war and peace. Yet it’s remarkable how infrequently it refers to either. References to war: After the first chapter description of the battlefield setting and Arjuna’s breakdown therein, once Kṛṣṇa starts speaking philosophy in the second chapter (2.10) He makes only a few references to war throughout the *Gītā*, such as 2.31–37, 3.30, 4.42, and 8.7. Among these, 3.30 and 4.42 are primarily about a metaphorical inner war to spiritualize one’s consciousness. Similarly, 8.7 is a directive to simultaneously cultivate inner devotional remembrance and practice outer dutiful diligence—fighting is mentioned because it happens to be Arjuna’s duty. Apart from the eleventh chapter revelation of the universal form, which includes a description of the destruction that will unfold on the battlefield, the *Gītā* from its ninth chapter on contains practically no reference to fighting. The only exception is an eighteenth-chapter reference to killing (18.17), whose focus is to illustrate the concept of doership, not call for war. References to peace: There are only a few (such as 2.70, 2.71, 5.29, 12.12, 18.42, and 18.62), and they refer to inner peace. And the *Gītā* has some references to nonviolence, or *ahimsa*: 10.5 (*ahiṁsā samatā tuṣṭis*), 13.8 (*ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam*), 16.2 (*ahiṁsā satyam akrodhas*), and 17.14 (*brahmacaryam ahiṁsā ca śārīraṁ tapa ucyate*). The **Gītā*’s* focus: Overall, in the *Gītā* Arjuna is not a proponent of peace or nonviolence, nor is Kṛṣṇa a proponent of war or violence. Their discussion is essentially about transcendence and a transcendental vision to face life’s many circumstantial challenges. To explain the elements of this transcendental vision, Kṛṣṇa speaks about many metaphysical subjects, including identity, duty, causality, harmony, mortality, spiritual reality, divinity, and equanimity (*ātmā*, *dharma*, *karma*, *yoga*, *anta-kāla*, *brahma*, *mama* [Kṛṣṇa’s first-person reference to divinity], and *sama* respectively). Weaving all these into a coherent and empowering worldview, Kṛṣṇa equips Arjuna, and through him all *Gītā* readers, to face life’s challenges with greater clarity and confidence. *What Kṛṣṇa Never Mentions to Arjuna in the Gītā* Approaching the subject from another perspective, if Kṛṣṇa’s purpose had just been to get Arjuna to fight, he chose a laboriously long method for persuasion: doing a metaphysical overview of various paths for holistic living, such as *karma-yoga*, *dhyāna-yoga*, *jñāna-yoga*, and *bhakti-yoga*. Instead, Kṛṣṇa could have chosen a far easier way: just incite Arjuna by describing how the opposing Kauravas had ruthlessly and repeatedly persecuted his family. Even if Arjuna had a soft spot for Bhīṣma and Droṇa, Kṛṣṇa could still have instigated Arjuna by highlighting that they too had remained passive while his wife Draupadī was dishonored right in front of their eyes. Even an ordinary man would become aggressive if his wife were insulted publicly. What then to speak of a mighty *kṣatriya* like Arjuna, who was more than capable of punishing anyone who dared disrespect his wife. Yet it’s remarkable that Kṛṣṇa doesn’t even mention Draupadī’s disrobing. What’s even more remarkable is that He doesn’t refer even once to any of the Kauravas’ atrocities. And what’s most remarkable is that far from inciting Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa repeatedly tells him to avoid anger; he even declares that anger is a gate to hell (16.21). Why does Kṛṣṇa never mention the Kauravas’ atrocities in the *Gītā*? Though He does mention these atrocities at other places in the Mahābhārata, both before and after the *Gītā*, why does He so conscientiously and conspicuously avoid mentioning them in the *Gītā* itself? Because His purpose in speaking the *Gītā* is not just to get Arjuna to fight; it is to instruct Arjuna, and through Arjuna all of humanity for all of posterity, in timeless principles of living. That’s why He primarily focuses on analyzing various paths for spiritual growth and then secondarily brings that analysis to bear on Arjuna’s martial predicament. Only because Kṛṣṇa stresses universal principles in the *Gītā* has it had enduring appeal for millennia. And it has been cherished and relished even by saints and philosophers who never taught that the *Gītā* teaches that fighting is the way to live . *What Arjuna’s Last Three Words Tell Us about the Gītā* Arjuna’s last words in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (18.73) are “I will do Your will” (kariṣye vacanaṁ tava). What do they tell us about Kṛṣṇa’s message? The *Gītā* begins with Arjuna in heart-wrenching distress. Significantly, he doesn’t restrict his question to his specific situation; he doesn’t ask, “Should I fight or not?” or even “What is my *dharma*?” Instead, he asks, “What is *dharma*?” (2.7) By phrasing his question in such a universal term, Arjuna paves the way for Kṛṣṇa to share timeless wisdom. Reciprocating with Arjuna’s mood, Kṛṣṇa doesn’t get into the ethics of the Kurukshetra battle. Instead, He addresses universal questions about the meaning and purpose of life, thereby providing all of us a compass for dealing with whatever dilemmas we may confront during our life journey. Given that the *Gītā* is spoken on a battlefield with both armies waiting for Arjuna to end his discussion with Kṛṣṇa, it is significant that Arjuna doesn’t conclude, “I will fight.” Though he does fight after the *Gītā* ends, his words highlight that he has understood the universality of the *Gītā*’s message: it is not just a call to fight; it is a call to harmonize with the Divine. Arjuna’s last words reflect his enlightened self-understanding: he doesn’t see himself merely as a reluctant *kṣatriya* who has resolved to do his protective duty; he sees himself as an eternal part of the Supreme Whole, Kṛṣṇa (15.7), who has consciously committed to align himself with Kṛṣṇa’s will. These twin truths—enlightened self-understanding and voluntary wholehearted harmonization with the Divine—constitute the *Gītā*’s transcontextual message. Such are the *Gītā*’s universal principles for living that have inspired millions for millennia and will continue to do so. *What the Gītā’s Last Verse Reveals about Its Essential Message* In the concluding verse of the *Bhagavad-gītā*, the narrator, Sañjaya, indirectly answers Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s unspoken question in the *Gītā’s* first verse. The blind king’s literal question, “What did the warriors at Kurukshetra do?” contains the actual concern “Who will win?” Sañjaya answers with a prophecy: “Wherever there is the supreme mystic—Kṛṣṇa—and the archer Arjuna, there will be victory.” While this statement foretells the specific victory of the Pāṇḍavas in the Kurukshetra war, it also has a universal message. Just as the *Gītā’s* message has both specific relevance to its physical context and universal relevance to all contexts, so does its conclusion. Kṛṣṇa began speaking His message when Arjuna had cast aside his bow in confusion and dejection (1.46). On hearing that message, Arjuna became ready to discharge his responsibility (18.73) and picked up his bow with conviction and determination. Arjuna’s bow can be considered to represent our free will. Though we may never have to fight in a war against our relatives, our life’s complexities, perplexities, and adversities may still dishearten and paralyze us. Nonetheless, like Arjuna, if we hear Kṛṣṇa’s message of love, we too can become energized to face life’s challenges resolutely. Kṛṣṇa’s words will raise our vision from the negative movements of life events to the omnibenevolent intention of the Lord, who oversees and orchestrates those events. When we focus on striving to act in a mood of loving service to Him, we will find a way ahead through the darkest of distresses. Such is the illuminating and empowering result of the loving alignment of the human will with the divine will. Bringing about that alignment is the *Gītā’s* essential purpose and our life’s most fulfilling achievement. To conclude, the *Gītā’s* essential message is neither about violence nor about silence in the face of violence; it is about transcendence—about facing life’s challenges empowered with a higher spiritual vision and purpose. *Caitanya Caraṇa Dāsa serves full time at ISKCON Chowpatty, Mumbai. He is a BTG associate editor and the author of more than twenty-five books. He has two websites: gitadaily.com and thespiritualscientist.com (the source for BTG’s “Q&A”).* Spiritual Places: A Palace for Rādhā-Gopīnātha in Ludhiana *When devotees installed the cornerstone for this temple in 2012, they didn’t know what challenges lay ahead.* *With Resolute Determination Some determination on our part is required for us to reap the benefits of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.* By Brajanātha Dāsa and Suvarṇa Rādhā Devī Dāsī *What does it take to be assured of success in our spiritual quest?* In any field, success isn’t instant. But instant success is easily sold to us in today’s world via marketing. In fact, however, the keys to success and proficiency are commitment, consistency, and resolute determination. Determination makes one continue trying to do or achieve something despite obstacles. Often, people decide to achieve a difficult mission and start pursuing it, but after some time they begin losing themselves in justifications, excuses, and confusion. Or they slip onto a side road, thinking that it looks like the main way. So one should be vigilant not to slip unknowingly onto side roads, avoiding them with discrimination and proceeding with resolute determination to accomplish the mission. This is possible in any endeavor if one has a competent mentor, who can help in many ways. For example, he or she can encourage us, accelerate our learning by setting goals with us, and help us maintain focus, avoid traps, and much more. We have all heard stories of people who with resolute determination and the help of a mentor or coach overcame all obstacles to accomplish great things. For instance, Lionel Messi did not win his first World Cup in 2022 without the aid of a coach. It took years of guidance from a coach, followed by discipline, practice, and resolute determination. Similarly, to achieve anything, either in material life or in spiritual life, one needs a mentor and resolute determination. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is no exception. First of all, one needs the determination to struggle with the six senses, which include the mind. The senses and the mind are always trying to pull us away from Kṛṣṇa, trying to divert us from the transcendental path to Kṛṣṇa. The only way to give the senses and mind the peace they desire is to bring them back to their constitutional position. That means absorbing them in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We must remain steadfastly determined to be thus absorbed. We cannot allow ourselves to be deterred. We must diligently stick to the path of unalloyed devotional service to the Lord, and such diligence is possible under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. If we act in this way, we are assured of all success. This is the beauty of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness process. The sincere devotee is guaranteed to win in the struggle against the senses and the mind. How is this possible? With regular practice. *The Yoga Ladder* The practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is known as *bhakti-*yoga**. There are other *yoga* practices, and all the *yoga* practices together are compared to a ladder, with each rung representing a different type of *yoga*. This ladder gradually takes a person step by step further and further away from gross ignorance and misery and closer to the topmost perfection of *yoga*, pure love for the Supreme Person, the source of all existence. However, to complete each step of the *yoga* ladder, gradually perfecting each type of *yoga*, takes many, many lifetimes. But those who understand the essence of *yoga* come immediately to the highest rung of the *yoga* ladder. That is bhakti-*yoga*, and it connects its practitioners directly to the loving service of the Lord. Thus they immediately become the topmost of all *yogis* and escape the cycle of birth and death, even in one lifetime. The *bhakti-yoga* system is simultaneously the most difficult and the easiest of all *yogic* paths. It is very difficult for those who try to make it on their own without the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, and it is very easy for those who humbly submit themselves as disciples of a bona fide spiritual master. *The Ideal Type of Yoga* Under the tutelage of a qualified teacher, we are taught how to dovetail our individual consciousness with the supreme consciousness in all of our activities. The *bhakti-yoga* devotee’s life becomes an exciting adventure of gradually unraveling the original state of being that he once cherished unlimitedly before slipping countless eons ago into the wheel of birth and death by misuse of his independence. Kṛṣṇa declares in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (6.47) that *bhakti-*yoga**, in which the highest *yogis* meditate on Him, the object of all devotion, is the ideal type of *yoga*. By establishing a connection with Kṛṣṇa, one gains superior awareness and taste, enabling one to reject negative emotions and maintain one’s focus on the objective. Bhakti-*yoga* connects one with Kṛṣṇa, cleansing one of the distracting emotions that weaken one’s resolute determination. Kṛṣṇa further says in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (7.28) that one who leads a clean life and abstains from impure behavior will become steadfast in his devotional activities. This was demonstrated by Dhruva Mahārāja. *Dhruva’s Amazing Success* Dhruva Mahārāja was a son of King Uttānapāda. When he was five years old, his stepmother, Suruci, prevented him from sitting on his father’s lap. She rebuked Dhruva, telling him that although he was the king’s son, he was disqualified because he had not taken birth from her womb. She sarcastically told him to worship God by penances and austerities so that in his next life he could take birth from her womb. Dhruva’s mother, Sunīti, consoled him and told him that Lord Brahmā, his great-grandfather, attained his exalted position as creator of the universe by the mercy of the Lord, which he attained by performing severe austerities and penances to please Him. Having been insulted by his stepmother and neglected by his father, Dhruva had a revengeful attitude toward his stepmother and stepbrother, Uttama. In a passionate mood, Dhruva was determined to undergo any austerity to sit in a position greater than his great-grandfather. Since both his mother and stepmother had mentioned that approaching God was the only solution to his unfortunate situation, he left the kingdom in search of Him. The Lord reciprocated Dhruva’s resolute determination by sending His representative Nārada Muni to initiate him in spiritual practice. At first Nārada tried to dissuade the young boy, but when all his attempts to discourage him failed, Nārada described to him the form and qualities of the Lord (*Bhāgavatam* 4.8.46) and instructed him to constantly chant the mantra oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya (“I offer my obeisances to Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord”) and meditate on the Lord. He recommended that Dhruva go to the sacred Madhuvana forest of Vrindavan for his meditation. Dhruva sat down to chant the mantra with great absorption, faith, and emotion. He gradually left his connection with all gross matter, gave up taking solid food, liquids, and even air, and controlled his mind and senses. In six months, by deeply meditating on the wonderful form of the Lord as described by Nārada Muni, he attained the stage of *samādhi*, complete absorption with an undiverted mind. This was possible for Dhruva because he had faith in the mantra, the presiding deity of the mantra (the Lord), and the spiritual master, Nārada Muni. When the form of the Lord on which Dhruva was meditating disappeared, Dhruva was disturbed. But when he opened his eyes, he saw that very Lord standing in front of him. He was confused about how to pray to the Lord, but by the touch of the Lord’s conch shell, all the knowledge and conclusions of the Vedas manifested in his heart, and he offered wonderful prayers. Due to the mercy of the Lord and His personal association, Dhruva realized that what he had been looking for was like broken pieces of glass and what he had achieved was a diamond. Still, the Lord fulfilled his previous desire to attain a kingdom greater than his great-grandfather’s by giving him a planet that is spiritual and never destroyed. It is commonly known as the Pole Star. Dhruva’s history spans five chapters in the Fourth Canto of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (4.8–4.12). The beginning chapters describe his unbreakable determination, and chapter twelve describes many of his sweet devotional qualities, which devotees are advised to emulate. Dhruva Mahārāja’s motive was selfish, but in his quest to fulfill his desires, he followed Nārada Muni’s instructions. And when he saw the Lord, he chose the selfless option (devotional service to the Lord) rather than a selfish one (a great kingdom). Through Dhruva’s example, the Lord demonstrated that by executing *bhakti-yoga* with resolute determination under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master one can get all material results and go beyond the material world as well, because liberation is automatically included when we develop our relationship with the Supreme Lord. *Fulfiller of Desires* The Lord fulfills the devotee’s residual material desires in such a way as to eliminate the core of the material tendency. This is contrary to other forms of desire fulfillment, such as worship of demigods, where the core of material desire remains, as exemplified by Hiraṇyakaśipu, Rāvaṇa, and others of like mind who received boons from demigods. Therefore, all kinds of people, whether full of material desires, without material desires, or desiring liberation, are advised to approach the Lord in any condition of life. For the pure devotee, Kṛṣṇa fulfills every desire, and the pure devotee remains unwavering in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whether amid untold opulence or unspeakable misery. Even great power is available to the devotee. For example, Ambarīṣa Mahārāja had the Sudarśana disc of Lord Viṣṇu standing by, ready to protect him from any danger. Although all outcomes are possible through devotional service to the Lord, a devotee’s only goal in life is to serve and satisfy the Lord. The result is that the Lord will give the pure devotee things that are not obstacles to bhakti, and the devotee will accept them for his or her service to the Lord. The history of Dhruva Mahārāja demonstrates that even if we are determined to approach the Lord for our own selfish objectives, Kṛṣṇa may send a transcendental guru to guide us toward Him. And He certainly sends His devotees to this world to guide the sincere devotees who want to always serve Him. Kṛṣṇa’s mercy is never missing; what is missing is our determination to benefit from it. Once we muster our determination, we will find Kṛṣṇa’s mercy empowering us in our journey to the eternal bliss of service to Him. If we follow Kṛṣṇa’s instructions with resolute determination under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, we will one day see Kṛṣṇa face to face. *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.* Are You a Soldier or a Beggar? *Changing our approach to dealing with challenges in our spiritual life might be the key to success.* by Vraja Vihārī Dāsa *Adjusting our inner attitude toward the challenges Māyā presents to us can help us achieve success in the practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.* “Devotional service is more or less a declaration of war against the illusory energy.”—Śrīla Prabhupāda (*Bhagavad-gītā* 9.30, Purport) A new devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, adrenaline pumping, marches confidently to “battle.” His seniors and comrades have encouraged him to fight the enemy called Māyā, the illusory forces in this material world. He is confident and believes his friends who have assured him that he will emerge victorious. He preaches fearlessly and chants determinedly. His weapon is his bead bag, his shelter is the association of devotees, his preaching and serving fearlessly are his bullets. Then one day, suddenly he sees a bullet of serious doubt whizz past him. Then a bomb of faith-shaking scandal or controversy explodes. He barely manages to dive to safety. He then takes guard, adjusting his rifle (bead bag) even as various temptations and distractions threaten to pull him away from spiritual life. He looks behind for those who egged him on to march into the war. He sees no one. A realization dawns: “I have to fight this battle alone.” He has friends and spiritual support in the Kṛṣṇa conscious community, but still it’s his battle. He has to fight all his conflicts alone. All these years while he was flaunting his bead bag and preaching vigorously, Māyā hadn’t taken him seriously. But now she is determined to finish him. As he fights this unrelenting enemy, he feels weak, disappointed at his own inadequacies, discouraged. Secretly, he hopes and prays that Māyā takes pity on him and spares him the daily battles. He is getting battle weary. *The Wake-up Call* His realization that this is not an ordinary skirmish but a lifelong war is his wake-up call. A few battle victories don’t excite him anymore because there’s always the next time when Māyā will attack. He has learned that the more successful we are in our devotional service, the more the tests and challenges will await us. He fights harder, struggles to perform more austerities, takes up more responsibilities, busies himself with daylong services, hoping he’ll get so busy that he’ll have no time for Māyā. But Māyā secretly smiles at this fighter’s foolhardy attempts—she has unlimited tricks up her sleeve. Her arsenal of temptations and distractions to take a spiritual practitioner away from Kṛṣṇa is endless. Her ubiquitous presence in the material world and her quiver of numberless arrows make her the most overwhelming archer. Our tiny soldier is no match for her. This is the time for thinking outside the box. Our weak fighter needs to give up the soldier’s mindset and accept the beggar’s mood. *The Out-of-the-Box Solution* Sincere Hare Kṛṣṇa practitioners take on the mood of a beggar by begging Kṛṣṇa to allow them to serve Him. They are eager to please Kṛṣṇa but feel themselves weak and helpless. While fighting Māyā bravely, they know they are simply beggars. The dual role of soldier and beggar is a paradox that intelligent devotees learn to accept as part of their devotional life. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s close associate Haridāsa Thākura was allured by Māyā Devī herself in the form of the most beautiful woman in creation, and he passed the test. Devotees transforming themselves from “soldier devotee” to “beggar devotee” read about this temptation and realize that Haridāsa Thākura conquered Māyā not because he was a soldier, but because he begged the Lord for mercy. He considered himself fallen and insignificant compared to the other devotees of Lord Caitanya, devotional stalwarts whom Haridāsa regarded as worthy of his worship. Śrīla Prabhupāda echoed this mood of a sincere beggar devotee: “If one is fortunate enough to beg from the Lord this Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra*, his life is successful.” (*Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādī-līlā* 9.36, Purport) Many of us aspiring devotees learn that we must move from the head to the heart in our spiritual practices. For a long time, we devised strategies to counter Māyā’s nefarious designs. We had faith in our abilities and determination. But over time we realized that it’s our sincere aspirations alone that can attract Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. If pleased by our desire to reconnect with Him, Kṛṣṇa will empower us to face Māyā’s attacks with grace and fortitude. As our heart bathes in the sweet yearning for Kṛṣṇa’s love, we learn to see Māyā for who she is—an agent of Kṛṣṇa, entrusted with the thankless but essential task of testing us. *A Warrior Turned Beggar* In the sixteenth century, when Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu performed His enchanting pastimes in the coastal holy town of Jagannatha Puri, Odisha, the king of the land was attracted to Lord Caitanya. But the Lord tested him. Mahārāja Pratāparudra was an able king, with widespread influence and power. He repeatedly requested his guru, the wise Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, to arrange an audience with Lord Caitanya. But when asked, the Lord dismissed the king (and all kings) as a materialist and not worthy of His time and attention. Bhaṭṭācārya assured Lord Caitanya that Pratāparudra was not an ordinary king but a sincere devotee who loved to serve devotees. Yet Caitanya Mahāprabhu was unmoved; in fact He threatened to leave the place if anyone again made such a request of Him. Devotees tried many indirect and direct ways to get Lord Caitanya to shower His mercy upon the king. While the Lord remained indifferent, the king was determined to win His favor. One day he shocked the devotees with his letter where he declared: “If Gaurahari, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, will not show mercy to me, I shall give up my kingdom, become a mendicant and beg from door to door.” (*Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā* 12.10) King Pratāparudra pleased Caitanya Mahāprabhu when he swept the street in front of Lord Jagannātha’s Rathayātrā procession. His taking this menial position confirmed to Lord Caitanya that the king was a sincere servant of Kṛṣṇa. The king also happily relieved his subordinate Rāmānanda Rāya of his service as governor of the Madras province, Rāmānanda being eager to join Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s service. Rāmānanda explained how the Lord wanted him to resign from his government duties and spend time with Him in chanting and hearing Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes. An ordinary man would have felt insecure or envious to note that while his junior was earning the Lord’s favor, he was being ignored; in fact the Lord had said that it would be abominable for Him to meet the king. Yet the king spontaneously celebrated Rāmānanda Rāya’s good fortune and encouraged him to serve Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The king also continued Rāmānanda Rāya’s salary and humbly wished he himself would soon get the mercy of the Lord. The king wasn’t spared even a public humiliation by Lord Caitanya when, while chanting and dancing in front of Jagannātha’s cart, Lord Caitanya fell into the arms of the king. Much to the king’s shock, the Lord declared that it was pitiful that He had touched a person interested in mundane affairs. Later, when the king, disguised as a humble Vaiṣṇava, massaged Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet and sang beautiful prayers glorifying Kṛṣṇa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu was moved. Still, the final test remained. *The Final Test* Lord Caitanya in great happiness asked the king who he was. Pratāparudra could have introduced himself as the king who had tried many times to meet the Lord, but, fixed in his spiritual identity, he humbly presented himself as a servant: “My Lord, I am the most obedient servant of Your servants. It is my ambition that You will accept me as the servant of Your servants.” (*Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya* 14.18) In a dramatic story with many twists and turns, as recounted in the *Madhya-līlā* of *Caitanya-caritāmṛta*, the king finally wins the Lord’s favor. What is noteworthy in this episode is the king’s moving away from his position as a royal warrior/administrator to that of a humble beggar. Often we identify ourselves with our external designations—birth, gender, ability, qualifications, beauty, Facebook followers. But to win the Lord’s favor, we need to move away from these limiting titles and focus on our inherent nature as a servant of the Lord. Just as water is liquid in its normal state or a chili pepper is hot or sugar is sweet, likewise you and I—as living entities, or souls—are eternal servants of the Lord. When we play the beggar role, we seek to realign with our original nature—we want to be a servant of Kṛṣṇa. And when we happily serve the devotees of Kṛṣṇa, we please Him and convince Him of our intentions to be reinstated in our relationship with Him. This is what King Pratāparudra did. And a devotee who humbly serves everyone and cultivates the mood of a beggar becomes dear to Kṛṣṇa. *Resolving the Paradox* Sincere devotees of Kṛṣṇa are both soldier and beggar. There’s still a place for the controlling mood of a soldier at times, but devotees discover the benefit of making way for the surrendering mood of a beggar. In their inner life, they move from the achieving mode to the receiving mode. In the world of prayers, they beg for mercy. As soldiers, we fight the mind’s lower nature, and as beggars, we make peace with our mind and beg for mercy from Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes, as a soldier, we can become tough and bury our spiritual emotions. But as a beggar, we seek love and compassion from Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead that the art of focussing one’s attention on the Supreme and giving one’s love to Him is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Devotees aspire to give their heart to Kṛṣṇa. They fight the war against Māyā, but as a servant of Kṛṣṇa, and for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure. *Vraja Vihārī Dāsa, a disciple of His Holiness Rādhānāth 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.* Moving with Grace *His work as a mover by day and a hospital chaplain by night inspired thoughts of how much moving and dying have in common.* by Thomas Mallery *Three steps to a permanent move to our real home.* It was our second move of the day. We’d made multiple attempts to reach the customer by phone prior to knocking on the door. On our way to the elevator, the senior man on the crew cynically commented that our customer was probably still asleep and not packed (the ultimate sin against a mover). After we’d banged on the door a few times, it swung open. You never know what will be revealed when that door opens. In this case, a disheveled man was the foreground to a studio apartment in utter disarray. There are varying degrees to being “packed,” but this was complete negligence. The customer assured us with alcohol-laden breath that he would “get things together.” We hauled on our backs what was sealed and easy to carry. Personal items jostled and shook and spilled out of furniture drawers. We didn’t take the time to wrap one piece of furniture, nor did we care how safely all his belongings were packed as they were carried out the door and indignantly tossed into the truck. Our lack of care was a direct effect of his lack of preparation. Had he been dying—moving out of his body—rather than just moving out of his apartment, his ill-preparedness would have had far more dire consequences. In my time working as a mover by day and a volunteer hospital chaplain by night, it became obvious how much moving and dying have in common. Underpinning the nature of each event is a latent yet looming fear linked to an emotional, spiritual, and physical letting-go. Moving, or how one prepares to move, can be seen as a reflection of the dying process. The body is a physical dwelling that we will eventually have to leave. Kṛṣṇa says in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (2.16), “Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent [the material body] there is no endurance and of the eternal [the soul] there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of both.” This body’s being an unendurable home of the soul means that one day we will have to move on from it. While ordinary moving demands we confront our material lives, dying requires confronting our spiritual and emotional lives. Though preparing to move is common sense, most people neglect to see the importance of preparing for death. The reality of our bodily impermanence is a fact kept hidden within our busy lives. It is only when that busyness is interrupted by the timeless miseries of old age, sickness, and death that we might finally acknowledge our body’s temporary nature. But by that point, one is ill-prepared to manage the bewildering effects those conditions can have on the untrained mind. Moving from this body does not have to be a fearful event. It can be a glorious one. The first step in coming to that realization is always acknowledgement. We must acknowledge that our move is impending and worth preparing for. That acknowledgement is the work of detachment. The second step is streamlining and packing. This is the work of discernment. We must decide what is essential to bring with us on this mystifying journey and dispense with all nonessentials. The third step is “the unpack,” and with good preparation it will be enlightening. Preparedness is key to making move-day a joyous one. *Step One: Acknowledgement* We all experience the body’s slow dissolution over the course of a lifetime; the aging process acts as a series of notifications that our moving date is nearing. Yet the fact that we are all destined to move out of our bodies largely goes unacknowledged throughout our lives. When we accept that we will no longer possess our body or our home, we may begin the subtle process of detachment. By recognizing that our home ownership will expire, we begin to naturally let go of our attachments to it within the mind. The dysfunctional aspects of the home may come into clearer view as we look to leave it behind: “Well, I sure won’t miss this leaky spigot.” Similarly, detachment from the body may be initiated by contemplating its myriad defects and insufficiencies. Time can be a great assistant to this process. As Kṛṣṇa declares in the *Gītā* (11.32), “Time I am, the great destroyer of the worlds . . . .” As we age, we can see that nothing, not even our physical body, is outside the destructive force of time. As we age, the symptoms that our bodily home will eventually be destroyed become ever more present. The senses even, the old pleasure centers of the body, begin to wane in their potency. Just as we slowly detach from the home we are leaving, so too we can detach from the body we will eventually leave behind. Awareness is a critical tool that aids this process of detachment. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa offers specific instructions that deepen and expand our awareness while encouraging regulation of our daily habits. Self-regulation is key to expanding our awareness and thereby gaining a deeper understanding of how we relate to our body. If we are constantly indulging in bodily pleasures, our intelligent awareness is diminished. Kṛṣṇa advises, “Before giving up this present body, if one is able to tolerate the urges of the material senses and check the force of desire and anger, he is well situated and is happy in this world.” (*Gītā* 5.23) We must be like a mountain that tolerates whatever weather is thrown against it. Kṛṣṇa assures us that there is no chance of peace in a mind constantly engaged in satisfying the senses. In reacting to the demands of the senses, we deny the subtle messages of the bodily qualities such as nonself, impermanence, and misery. Tolerance enables those subtle messages to flow unimpeded. If we constantly remember those three qualities of the material body, our detachment will manifest effortlessly. Communication between body and mind must be simplified by reducing distractive engagements. Communication between body and mind is best served by removal of unnecessary sense engagements that may deepen attachments based on false conceptions. By bringing clarity to the bodily relationship, we can see that the gradual degenerations of the body are signs that our move day is imminent. As much as we want the body to be our forever home, it is not. *Finding Our Way Back Home* Kṛṣṇa explains that our true home transcends the temporal qualities of material existence. He affirms this by declaring, “This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same.” (*Gītā* 2.24) We are spirit souls existing eternally within these temporarily manifested bodies for the purpose of finding our way back home, back to Godhead. At some point we strayed too far from our original home and got lost. Now we need to find our way back. Our reconnection to our true home lies within. To find our way back we need only retrace the misguided steps we took away from it. Every step taken in lust was a step away from our true home, as was every step taken in service of our false ego, every step taken to selfishly gratify the senses, every step taken out of fear, and every step taken out of anger. Only you know the steps you have taken. Only you can retrace your missteps and find your way back. There are adept movers in this world who can help guide you back home. We must submissively inquire from them and render them service. There is no material burden too great for them to carry. Once our true home is realized, we’re ready for the next step: packing. *Step Two: Packing* The essence of packing for a move is in deciding what should go and what should be left behind—in other words, to discern what is essential and what is inessential. A life lived in preparation for death involves a similar program on the level of the mind and emotions. In packing for a home move, we go through each room of the house, organizing and boxing up our material lives. Preparing for death involves going through each room of our consciousness, intent on cleaning things up. Using discernment, we can see that burdens of the mind such as fear, stress, anxiety, lust, craving, anger, hatred, envy, greed, and delusion need to be left behind. We no longer have any use for them, and they will certainly not serve us where we are going. It can be difficult parting with possessions that appear to be a part of who we are. We’ve even dragged them from one home to another in this life. They’ve been nothing but a burden, and it’s time to get rid of them. Every moment of our lives may become an opportunity to reorganize and purify our consciousness when we fix our focus away from development of our material lives to development of our spiritual lives. The most effective means of purifying our consciousness in this Age of Kali is the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. There is no sacrifice more effective in delivering us from material bondage than chanting the holy names. Our faith in the *mahā-mantra* is capable of cultivating kindness, compassion, detachment, equanimity, patience, tolerance, virtue, courage, fearlessness, generosity, forgiveness, gratitude, and attachment to the Supreme Lord—all of the essential qualities one must pack for the move from this body. The room in the house that typically requires the most attention—but tends to receive the least—is the basement. The basement is always the pivotal area of a home that can make or break a move. It is where rows of shaky shelving house a multitude of plastic tubs filled with relics of a covetous past. The accumulative mass of stuff can be easily overwhelming. Many people, wrought with hopelessness, end up placing on their movers the burden of sorting it all out (which I do not recommend). If the basement were an analogy for an aspect of the mind, it would be the storehouse consciousness, or, more commonly, the subconscious. It is where we store all the plastic tubs of the experiences, feelings, perceptions, and thoughts we’ve unconsciously accumulated through the gates of our senses. This cache of mental impressions is a critical aspect of mental health and well-being. These impressions can affect how we perceive every aspect of life, including our capacity for decision-making. We don’t have the luxury of burdening anyone else with our basement issues when it’s time to move from the body. It is our problem alone. Organizing our mental basements can seem like a daunting task, but when we cultivate awareness and detachment from the bodily conception, the natural evolution of consciousness is already underway. Our first step (acknowledgement) naturally gives rise to the second (discernment) as our consciousness expands without exclusion. We begin to see our stored past with a fresh perception and an acute discernment of what is essential versus inessential to maintaining peace of mind. Packing can be an opportunity to initiate a change in habit, from one of satisfying a need to possess, to letting go. After all, we can’t take anything material with us in our move from this body: we only take what is in our consciousness. Moving from a material home may require some heavy lifting, but the move from this body should be free from all heaviness. *Step Three: Unpacking* This brings us to the unpack. In a home move, we begin unpacking when we arrive at our new home and are ready to settle into it. Taking shelter of the Supreme Lord provides the warmth and security of a forever home. In a spirit of endless offering, we commit our lives to devotional service as an expression of gratitude for the confidence, courage, fearlessness, joy, and empowerment that the Lord’s shelter provides. Our service is symbolic of unpacking in that it conveys faith in Kṛṣṇa as the ultimate refuge from the storms of the material world. Devotional service is an expression of our commitment to remaining in the abode of the Lord (as manifest through our service here) no matter what conditions may arise. By engaging with matter in full consciousness of Kṛṣṇa, with no other motive than to satisfy the Lord of all beings, we take up residence in His eternal abode—here and later “there”—as humble reciprocators of His transcendental love. After we’ve let go of our illusory home and everything dispensable within it and packed appropriately for our eternal home, it is the time to open our heart and allow our natural qualities of joy, peace, happiness, gratitude, tolerance, equanimity, forgiveness, kindness, compassion, and love to manifest. We feel in harmony with our environment, knowing we’ve taken the appropriate steps to get to where we are. Only Kṛṣṇa can inspire our complete detachment from the illusions of security in the material world, because real security is realized only in the eternal. How can anything liable to fall apart ever be considered secure? Even before we leave this body, we can live as if we’ve already arrived in the spiritual kingdom. If we take exclusive shelter of our movers in the form of the guru, and render devotional service, we can experience freedom from material bondage in this very life. This network of temporality captivates our focus, steals our energy, and thwarts our true purpose of reconnecting with our eternal beloved. We mustn’t believe in the false idea of finding our forever home within this body, or this world. Moving from the body requires us to take nothing from this life except love. The work of unburdening our heart does not have to wait until moving day—it can start now. There is nothing in all this material manifestation that we can depend on at the moment of death. By the Lord’s mercy we will only have our mind. Its ability to hamper or smooth our bodily transition will rest on the work we’ve done to prepare for that moment. Our move date may not be clear, because it could come at any time, but that may be seen as a benefit. The most miraculous work occurs when we allow ourselves to not know that date. Gurus are akin to the crew that comes to your home to help you pack up all your belongings prior to your move. Gurus aid in the organization and preparation so that everything ends up in its proper place in your new home. They have the experience and knowledge to counsel you on what should be taken and what should be left behind. They help minimize your material burdens if you allow them into your heart. When we are preparing to move from this body, the guru knows precisely who is going to move us. The supreme mover, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is the greatest mover in the entire cosmic creation. When we are well packed and ready for our move, we don’t fall victim to anxiety, fear, doubt, or bewilderment; we are instead joyous, equanimous, confident, fearless, and peaceful because we know our mystical mover has finally arrived to carry us back to our forever home. *Thomas Mallery is an aspiring disciple of Her Grace Nārāyaṇī Devī Dāsī and is an active member of the ISKCON community in Philadelphia, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.* Cover: This deity of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is worshiped in the temple in Mathura, India, where Śrīla Prabhupāda received sannyāsa initiation in 1959. Please see the article beginning on page 28. (Photo by Tridandi Bhikshu BB Krsnakarunya.) BTG58-04, 2024