# Back to Godhead Magazine #59 *2025 (01)* Back to Godhead Magazine #59-01, 2025 PDF-View COVER: The ultimate revelation of India’s vast literature of ancient wisdom is that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we are all eternal souls intimately connected with Him, and our fulfillment lies in escaping our material bonds and joining Him in His eternal home. Please see the article beginning on page 6. (Painting by Rāmaprasāda Dāsa.) Welcome The central message of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s lecture in this issue is one he never tired of repeating: the material world is a miserable place, and the human form of life is a rare opportunity for us eternal spirit souls to escape it and join Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world. The goal of liberation is stressed throughout India’s vast Vedic literature, but Śrīla Prabhupāda, a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, taught that release from our material confinement is not the ultimate attainment. The true state of liberation, from which one never returns, is achieved only when one is saturated with pure love for the Lord. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains in his lecture that essential to the development of pure love for Kṛṣṇa is hearing from His self-realized representatives. In “Qualified yet Unqualified,” Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa provides insight into the character of one such person, the famous child devotee Prahlāda. From Lord Kṛṣṇa’s *Bhagavad-gītā* Viśākha Devī Dāsi draws lessons on “The Glories of Self-realization.” Karuṇa Dhārinī Devī Dāsī gives us an overview of a small book compiled from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s early lectures in New York that reveal his inspiring enthusiasm for presenting Kṛṣṇa’s teachings in the West without adulteration. Other articles in this issue spotlight a variety of themes, including AI, Mīrābhāi, Lord Śiva as Viśvanātha, and Lord Kṛṣṇa as “the selfless autocrat.” Hare Kṛṣṇa. —*Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor* Q&A How does knowledge of reincarnation benefit us practically? A reincarnation-based worldview helps us make sense out of life and inspires us to grow to our full potential. Life presents us with blatant inequities. For example, some people are born fabulously rich, some distressingly poor. To make sense out of life’s disparities, there are three principal worldviews: 1. Chance: This is the materialist’s view, which holds that we are the result of chance interactions of natural forces, that one shot at living is all we ever get, and that we are successful if we mine the maximum material enjoyment out of our lives. With such a worldview, the setting for pursuing life’s material goals like wealth seems blatantly unfair. Given that different people are born into families with widely varying financial capacities, this worldview makes life seem like a 100-meter sprint in which some competitors start from the 0-meter point, some from the 25-meter point, some from the 50-meter point, and some from the 75-meter point. This worldview implies that we can never make sense out of life because there is no sense to life. By making the have-nots feel helpless and the haves feel insecure, it disempowers everyone. 2. Divine caprice: This worldview posits that the problems of life are moral tests arranged by God to impel us to grow spiritually. While it explains why life has problems, it doesn’t explain why some people’s lives are much harder than others’. If God is like the teacher who sets the questions for the test, then this worldview makes God into a discriminatory teacher who arbitrarily gives easy questions to some students and difficult questions to others. This worldview, with its capricious God, makes the have-nots feel helpless and the haves feel insecure. 3. Reincarnation: The reincarnation-based worldview explains that life is like a university that offers graduation into eternal life to those who develop the supreme virtue of selfless love for God and all His children. Those who don’t graduate by the end of the present life get further chances in the next life, where their starting point is determined by the deeds of their present life. Thus the reincarnation-based worldview enables us to see that diversity among people is like the diversity among students in different classes in a university. Just as students get exams meant to raise them from their present class to the next, people get problems custom-made to raise them from their present moral level to the next. Thus the reincarnation-based worldview empowers us by showing that we are not victims of mundane chance or divine caprice, but are the products our own choices. Doesn’t the fact that people often turn to spirituality when frustrated with material life prove that spirituality is an “escapeway” for those without the guts to face life’s challenges? Material frustration can be an impetus to take to a spiritual way of life, but it is neither sufficient nor necessary. Let’s analyze three correlations between material frustration and spirituality. 1. Possible impetus: In the *Bhagavad-gītā* (7.16), Lord Kṛṣṇa mentions the distressed or frustrated as one of the four categories of people who take up spiritual practices. These people think of spirituality as a kind of shock-absorber to withstand the blows of worldly failures. If they diligently try spiritual practices such as prayerful chanting of the holy names, these practices will indeed serve as effective shock-absorbers. 2. Insufficient impetus: But those who treat spirituality as a shock-absorber often give up their practices once the shock goes away—at least until the next shock comes along. To be steady in one’s spiritual practices, one needs the conviction that there’s something higher to life than the over-glamorized pursuit of pleasures and treasures, positions and possessions. For many people, such conviction comes only when they achieve a much-coveted material goal and then experience it to be a disappointing anticlimax: the pleasure turns out to be not even a fraction of the promise. Then they start inquiring about the way to a higher happiness and thus adopt devotional service to God, Kṛṣṇa, with resolution. 3. Unnecessary impetus: In addition to being frustrated due to material failure and disappointed with material success, there’s a third way, a much easier way, to arrive at spirituality: association with saintly people who have this conviction. Saintly people share their words of wisdom that analyze and expose the futility inherent in all material pursuits. They also demonstrate by their own examples the joy inherent in spiritual life, in a life devoted to spiritual service to God and all His children. Real spiritual life involves connecting with the source of all joy, love, and wisdom—Kṛṣṇa—and sharing that connection with everyone. A sterling example of a modern-day saint is Śrīla Prabhupāda, the founder-*ācārya* of ISKCON. At age 68, when most people sink into inactivity and oblivion, he left the sacred abode of Vrindavan to circle the globe 14 times, establish 108 temples, write 70 books, and inspire millions to seek and share spiritual love. Through his life and teachings, he demonstrated that spiritual life is not an escapeway from pain, but an expressway to happiness. That expressway opens not due to material frustration, but due to guidance and grace coming through saintly association. Founders Lecture *Los Angeles—August 18, 1972* *Freedom from Material Bondage* There is a way to cut the knots of karma that keep us spirit souls bound to material existence. > yad-anudhyāsinā yuktāḥ > karma-granthi-nibandhanam > chindanti kovidās tasya > ko na kuryāt kathā-ratim “With sword in hand, intelligent men cut through the binding knots of reactionary work [karma] by remembering the Personality of Godhead. Therefore, who will not pay attention to His message?”—*Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 1.2.15 *Karma-granthi. Granthi* means knot. If a man’s hands and legs are tied very strongly with ropes, he cannot move independently. Similarly, we are tied up by the laws of material nature. Another example: We are always bound up by the laws of the state, either criminal or civil. But the criminal law is stronger. When we are punished under criminal laws, then it becomes very painful. We cannot violate the state laws, either criminal or civil; it doesn’t matter. But if we violate the civil law, there is no such strong punishment. If we violate the criminal laws, the reaction is very strong. This body itself is a punishment. People do not know that. They are trying to enjoy this body by satisfying the senses of the body. Even the hog is doing that. The soul has forgotten that he has got the body of a hog so that he is bound to eat stool and live in a filthy place, but because he has got the facility for sense gratification with female hogs—never mind whether sister, mother, or daughter—he is happy. This is the hog’s life. The hog is satisfied. He doesn’t care about his condition. We are seeing that it is an abominable condition—living in a filthy place and eating stool. We are conscious of what his condition of life is, but he is very happy: “Oh, what a very nice, happy life. I am eating very nicely first-class food and having sex without any restriction. This is life.” This is called *māyā*, illusion created by the material energy. It is of two kinds: **āvaraṇātmikā*-*śakti** and **prakṣepātmikā*-*śakti**. When a living entity is living a very condemned life but still he’s thinking “I am very happy” or “We are all right,” that is called *āvaraṇātmikā*, covered. Real knowledge is covered. And another *śakti* is **prakṣepātmikā*.* Suppose somebody is coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. *Māyā* will dictate, “Oh, why are you coming here? There are so many restrictions and so many rules and regulations. Better to give it up.” “Why yes, what is this nonsense? Give it up.” This is called **prakṣepātmikā*.* *Māyā* is dragging him away. The more one is sinful, the more one is a miscreant, the more one is the lowest of the mankind, then the more *māyā* will not allow him to take to spiritual life. “Oh, why is this rascal here at the temple? He must suffer under me some time more; then he may be allowed.” That is **māyā*’s* thankless business. Her position is like that of the police. The police are nobody’s enemy, but they put the criminal in the jail and beat him with a rod. That is the business of *māyā*, thankless. Nobody will thank the police. When the police beat the criminal, no criminal will say, “Thank you very much.” No. Nobody is happy. Similarly, **māyā*’s* business is a very thankless task, but she is engaged by the supreme authority to punish. *The Cause of Our Bondage* As long as one is not consciously asking, “What is the position of my life? What am I doing?” that means he is tied up very tightly with the knot of *māyā*. So here is the medicine. What is that? *Yad anudhyāsinā yuktāḥ.* If there is a very hard knot, you take a sharp knife and you can cut it. Then the knot will open immediately. Similarly, this knot, this materialistic way of life, is very strong. And the beginning of the knot is sex life. We are tied up by sex life. Even in the lowest condition, in the life of a hog, there is sex life. Why are we bound up with the material laws of nature? Because we have got strong desire for sex. Not only human society, in animal society also, the central point is sex. People are working so hard because they have got the aim, “I will enjoy sex life.” In your country the hippies have given up everything, but sex is there. They cannot give it up. They have renounced everything—their father’s property, their happy life, everything—but sex is there. They cannot leave it. That is the central point of the knot. “Where shall you go, sir? Here is your knot.” Therefore this knot is very difficult to cut, but here it is suggested, “If you take this sword . . .” What is that sword? *Yad anudhyāsinā—*remembrance of Kṛṣṇa. Always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Take this sword. This sword is the only remedy. *Yad anudhyāsinā yuktāḥ.* If you take this sword, then *karma-granthi-nibandhanam*, this hard knot of karma will be cut. Karma means fruitive activities. I am doing something now, so I am creating another body. If I am acting like a dog, then I am creating another body, a dog’s body. Or I am creating a hog’s body, a tree’s body, or even a demigod’s body. If you act piously then you create a demigod’s body. But that is also a knot; that is not freedom. You American boys and girls are born in a richer nation than us Indians. We are born of poor fathers. But that does not mean that you are free from this knot. *Hope against Hope* People are trying to be happy. “We shall be happy by becoming materially advanced.” That is called *durāśayā*—hope against hope. They do not know that the proper destination of life is to attain Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They think, “By increasing motorcars we shall be happy.” This is called *māyā*. That will not help. This motorcar civilization will be finished within another hundred years. It has existed, say, for the last hundred years, and after a hundred years it will be finished. The scientists say the petroleum will be finished within fifty years or so. So after, say, a hundred years, this motorcar will be finished. Anything we manufacture—even a so-called empire or so-called material civilization—will be finished. But another knot is that we become captivated. “What is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement? We must have three dozen motorcars and three dozen wine bottles and . . .” This is their civilization. But this is *karma-bandhana*, the bondage of karma. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings therefore, *sat-saṅga chāḍi’ kainu asate vilāsa/ te-kāraṇe lāgila ye karma-bandha-phāṅsa*: “I have given up the pure status of consciousness because I wanted to enjoy in the temporary, material manifestation; therefore I have been entangled in the network of actions and reactions.” You are hearing *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* in front of Kṛṣṇa and practicing how to become pure. This is called *sat-saṅga,* or association with the spiritual. And a*sat-saṅga,* association with the material, means intoxication, illicit sex, drinking, and so many other such things. The advertisement is “Come on, here is a cigarette, ‘Kool.’ Make your brain cool by smoking.” [*Laughter.*] Rascal. They are smoking. How can it be cool? But they purchase Kool. This is called *māyā*. He’s smoking fire, and he’s becoming cool. But the advertisements are going on, and the rascals are captivated by them, and they smoke to become cool. Yes. This is called a knot. In so many ways they are tied up. *Become Intelligent* But one can become *kovida*. *Kovida* means intelligent. Intelligent persons should see things correctly. When we see the advertisement, we can immediately understand, “What is this nonsense advertisement? He’s smoking, and it is cool?” It is a contradiction. You’ll find contradictions everywhere. People are not intelligent, but they are thinking they are intelligent. But anyone who is intelligent can understand what is the trick. When one actually becomes intelligent then his enquiry is, “Why? Why am I put into this miserable condition of life? I do not want this, and it is forced upon me. I do not want to die; death is there. I do not want disease; the disease is there. I do not want this; it is forced upon me. I don’t want war, but the draft board drags me to the war. Why?” This “why” question must be there. That is intelligence. There is an *Upaniṣad* called the *Kena* *Upaniṣad*. *Kena* means “why?” When Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he also asked “Why?” ‘*Ke āmi,’ ‘kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya’* (*Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya* 20.102). “Who am I? Why am I put into this miserable condition of life?” That is intelligence. Sanātana Gosvāmī was a government minister. He could understand, “I am a minister. People adore me as a very learned man.” He said that to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. *Grāmya-vyavahāre *paṇḍita*, tai satya māni* (*Madhya* 20.100): “My dear Lord, because I am a minister and I’m supposed to be educated—I know a little Sanskrit, I know a little of the Arabic language—these common people, my neighbors, call me a *paṇḍita*, a learned man, very scholarly and well versed. But to tell You frankly, I do not know what I am. So what is the value of my education? I do not know.” *Ke āmi?* “What am I?” This is called intelligence. Cats and dogs are suffering; they don’t mind. They forget. You have got experience. A cat is coming to drink some milk here. You chastise it, but again it comes, and again it comes. Because it is an animal. But there is a difference between an animal and a man. Suppose there is a very palatable dish. So a man, although he is greedy, although he is hankering after that food, he’s awaiting the invitation. “Yes, you can take.” But cats and dogs will take it without invitation. That is the difference between the man and the animal. The animal cannot control itself; the man can control himself. Although he is hungry, he can control himself, out of civility: “How can I taste it without invitation?” That is the difference. Therefore the conclusion is that human life is meant for control. Not like the animal: “I want to eat,” and immediately take it.” A cat or a dog or a bull will rape. As soon as there is a female, the male immediately rapes. And there is no punishment. But if you do that on the street, raping, immediately you are a criminal. That is the difference. The inclination is there in both the animal and the human being. But a human being is supposed to be self-controlled. That is human life. The more you control your desire, the more you become perfect. And the more you become loose, the more you are an animal. That is the difference. People do not know these things. They want freedom. In the name of freedom they are becoming animals. That’s all. This is their civilization. But here it is said, *kovida*, intelligent. The intelligent person should take up this sword to cut the knot of attachment for material enjoyment. What is that sword? **Anu*dhyāsinā:* the sword of remembrance. *Anu* means “always” or “following.” “Following” means following the spiritual master, or the *ācārya*. “How the *ācārya*, the spiritual master, is living, let me follow that.” Or *anu* also means that as soon as one becomes accustomed to something, such as chanting, then he always does it. *Dhya* means “remembrance,” and *asinā* means “sword.” *Anu*dhyāsinā. *Transmigration by Karma* *Yad anudhyāsinā yuktāḥ karma-granthi-nibandhanam.* We have to cut this knot of *karma-bandhana*, the bondage of karma. By this *karma-bandhana* we are transmigrating from one body to another. This is not Darwin’s theory. I am the soul. I am changing—I am selecting my next body—in this life. Not that by nature there is a gradual evolution. Not evolution; it is already there. The living entity simply enters a particular type of body. Suppose I am doing something for which my punishment is that my next life is to have the body of a dog. Then I’ll have to enter into the womb of a dog mother, and she will give me the body of a dog. Then I will come out and enjoy like a dog. This is the law. Not that my body is gradually turning into a dog’s body. You can become a dog; you can become a god also. That is stated in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (9.25): *yānti deva-vratā devān pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ*: “Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; . . . those who worship ancestors go to the ancestors.” You create your body at the present moment. You have got the facility, the human form of body. Now you can make your choice, whether you are going to be a dog or a god. And *yānti mad-yājino ’pi mām*: “Those who are devotees engaged in My devotional service come to Me.” And when you go to God, you must have a body like God’s. Just like if you want to enter the water, then you must have a body like that of a fish. Otherwise you cannot enter the water. Similarly, when you enter the spiritual world, then you have a body like God’s. And if you don’t want that—if you want to enjoy unrestricted sense gratification—then you take the body of a hog. Nature is open to everyone. You can select your own future. Not that you are forced. Therefore it is said *kovida*: one must be intelligent to select, “What is my next life? How can I get out of this material bondage?” That is the whole instruction of the *Vedas*, how we can get out of these clutches of *karma-bandhana*, the knot of karma. *Knowing God* So the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, personally says, > janma karma ca me divyam > evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ > tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma > naiti mām eti so ’rjuna “One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” (*Gītā* 4.9) One must simply understand who or what God, or Kṛṣṇa, is. Not just, “Here is a God.” No. *Tattvataḥ*: one must know what God is. Some rascal is advertising, “You don’t need to accept the word of any book. I am God. Accept me.” How can I accept you as God? But people are such rascals that they’re accepting—“Yes”—and going after him. They have become so much like cats and dogs that if anyone says “There is no need of understanding through a book of knowledge; I say accept me,” they will accept. The rascal “God” will speak like that. For everything in the scientific world there is a book, in any science. In botany, for example, the book will mention, “This is the characteristic of this tree. For a mango tree, the leaf is like this, the fruit is like this, the taste is like this . . .” Or take any chemical; there are characteristics. For potassium cyanide, for example, there is no taste listed in its characteristics because potassium cyanide has not been tasted by anyone—because tasting means immediate death. But generally for chemicals the characteristics are given: “The color is like this, the taste is like this, the reaction is like this.” Everything has got a test. But these rascals, without testing, are accepting another rascal as God. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He was asked how to accept someone as God, said, “In the **śāstra*,* the authorized scriptures, God’s characteristics are mentioned. If someone’s characteristics as God are corroborated by the **śāstra*,* then He is God.” But the rascal is saying, “No, there is no need of any book. I say I am God and you must accept it.” And people are accepting. How foolish they are! Just see. There must be a test. We are not accepting Kṛṣṇa as God blindly, but by testing. His character is mentioned in the books. Although we cannot test, *śāstra* gives us the chance of testing. Similarly, we accept a spiritual master by testing, not by blind faith. We accept according to the Vedic instructions: > tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta > jijṣāsuḥ śreya uttamam > śābde pare ca niṣṇātaṁ > brahmaṇy upaśamāśrayam “Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.” (*Bhāgavatam* 11.3.21) These are the qualifications, the symptoms, of a guru. *Śābde pare ca niṣṇātam.* He has got full knowledge in the transcendental science. And without a book, how has he got knowledge? Or without hearing from another authority? So one must be intelligent. Then he can become free from this hard knot of material life by cutting it with the weapon of hearing topics of Kṛṣṇa—*kṛṣṇa-*kathā**. One should be intelligent enough to understand or to hear *kathā* of Kṛṣṇa. You simply have to do that, just as you are all sitting here. It doesn’t require that you have to pass an MA examination or a PhD examination. God has given you the ear. Simply sit down and hear from a realized person. The words are there. The messages are there, especially in *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* and *Bhagavad-gītā*. Everything is there to understand about God. You simply have to increase your attachment to hearing. That qualification is required. Not that first of all you pass an MA examination and then you come here and you can understand. No. Simply by hearing, hearing, hearing you will become expert. *Kovida*. Simply by hearing. This process has been approved by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You can remain in your position, but try to hear the transcendental message from realized souls. Then gradually you will be enlightened, and you will be free from this knot, this material bondage. Thank you very much. Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out *“Why Do You Say, ‘God Is a Word’?”* Here we conclude an exchange that took place in Paris on June 15, 1974, between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, two priests, and two Christian scholars. As we join the discussion, a newly arrived American student launches into his philosophy of “All is light.” Śrīla Prabhupāda: So there is only one path: surrender to God. Do all of you accept this? Student: I think that each man finds his own way. Śrīla Prabhupāda: No. no. Do you accept this principle—that God is great and we are all subordinate to Him? Student: My principle is the light—that there is only the light. If some people wish to call it God, they can call it God. God for me is just a word. It’s a word no one can understand. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Simply you understand. Student: I understand the light. Śrīla Prabhupāda: No. You think you understand God, or the ultimate truth. You say, definitely, “God is a word.” That means you think you understand the ultimate truth, or God. Student: No. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Then why do you say, “God is a word”? Student: I say God is only a word and that’s why I cannot speak of God, because it’s a word and it cannot be explained. Śrīla Prabhupāda: But you are using words, and you are explaining. Why do you speak these contradictory things? Student: No. I say that I cannot speak of God because God is a word. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Now you are saying you do not know what God is. First of all, accept that you do not know. Student: It is light. I speak of the light. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Now again you are saying you know God. You are speaking in both ways: that you do not know and that you do know. Sometimes you say you do not know, sometimes you say you do know. Student: No, no, no. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Disciple: Yes. And in the end you say you do know. You’ve decided that God or the ultimate truth is simply light. So when you say “All is light,” actually you’re claiming you do know God. Student (with hand on heart): I believe in what I feel here, and that is God for me. Śrīla Prabhupāda: That means that at other times, when you feel something else, that is God. Student (still with hand on heart): I feel the light here. Śrīla Prabhupāda: You can feel the light anywhere. Student: Light is this table, this floor. Light is everything. Śrīla Prabhupāda: That’s all right. Then why do you say you do not know God? You know God: in His preliminary feature, as the all-pervasive light. Student: Because for me, God is merely a word. How can you explain God with a word? What is God? Explain to me what is God. Śrīla Prabhupāda (to a disciple): Talk with him. He’ll simply waste my time. Student: If you can explain to me what is God, I would appreciate it. Śrīla Prabhupāda: [ To the disciple:] Just go and take him. [To the student:] You go and he’ll explain to you. Please. Student: He cannot explain to me. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Then you go away. Please. What can I do? I cannot waste time. Student: If you cannot explain to me what is God . . . Śrīla Prabhupāda: But you know everything. What can I explain? You know everything. [The student leaves.] Madame Devi: Your Divine Grace, are there certain qualities that make some people more receptive toward the divine and other people less receptive? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. That I have explained: *sattva-guṇa*, *rajo-guṇa*, *tamo-guṇa*, the modes of goodness, passion, and ignorance. Those who are in goodness—they can understand the divine very easily. Those who are in passion—they have got difficulty. And those who are covered by ignorance—they cannot understand. Madame Devi: Is this degree of covering a question of one’s physical body? Is it hormones or a chemical state—that some people are more covered by ignorance than others? Śrīla Prabhupāda: “Covered” means dirty things in the heart. That’s all. Just as the sun is covered by the cloud. Madame Devi: So by repeating the mantra, the name of God, your heart becomes more . . . Śrīla Prabhupāda: You become purified. Disciple: Śrīla Prabhupāda, you often give the example that the heart is a mirror. And the more we polish the mirror by chanting Krsna’s names, the more we become enlightened. Madame Devi: Therefore we have to repeat the name of God every day, many times. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Hmm. Yes. Madame Devi: Your Divine Grace, I would like to know about the problem of death: what happens at the time of death. Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. You have to prepare yourself. Just as in a dream we think about what we have done previously, similarly we are preparing our mental condition at the time of death by what we are doing in our daily life. Madame Devi: I see. And would it be true, in a sense, that our thoughts are more important than our actions? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Thoughts are the subtle action. Madame Devi: So, in other words, our thoughts begin the action, and they also determine the action? Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore we give thoughts beyond your present thoughts. From the authoritative Vedic scriptures. For example, *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* describes Lord Buddha, in his youth, seeing the elderly and thinking, “In old age I’ll be crippled like that? I am also going to be like that? No. What is the value?” Then he began meditation so that he could escape the material world, this cycle of old age, disease, death, and rebirth. As he studied the *Vedas*, he understood that by bad karma one becomes subjected to material tribulation. And most of the bad karma, he thought, is on account of our malice, starting from our practice of killing animals. So he wanted to stop this. That is Buddha’s first teaching. *Sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam*—”Stop animal killing.” Disciple: Śrīla Prabhupāda, as you recall, here in Paris last year a man came to meet you—the president of the Court of Paris. He was supposed to be a Buddhist, and yet he said to you, “In the climate of India, maybe you can get away with not eating meat. But in the climate of the West, we must eat meat.” Śrīla Prabhupāda: That is rascaldom. He’s a first-class rascal. Therefore the conclusion is, these religious and social leaders are rascals. If they want to be saved from their rascal position, this is the only method. Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Genuine God consciousness. Otherwise, how can they be saved from the cycle of rebirth and death? They are *ātma-hana—*“self-killing.” Suicidal. If you cut your own throat, who can save you? So these so-called followers of Lord Jesus or Lord Buddha who actually do not follow—they’re all rascals. We don’t hate anyone. We want to raise them. But actually, they’re all rascals. A Pause for Prayer O unconquerable enjoyer of all sacrifices, all glories and all victories unto You! You are moving in Your form of the personified *Vedas*, and in the hair holes of Your body the oceans are submerged. For certain reasons [to uplift the earth] You have now assumed the form of a boar. O Lord, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead and are worshipable by universal prayers, Vedic hymns and sacrificial ingredients. We offer our obeisances unto You. You can be realized by the pure mind freed from all visible and invisible material contamination. We offer our respectful obeisances to You as the supreme spiritual master of knowledge in devotional service. O lifter of the earth, the earth with its mountains, which You have lifted with Your tusks, is situated as beautifully as a lotus flower with leaves sustained by the tusk of an infuriated elephant just coming out of the water. O Lord, as the peaks of great mountains become beautiful when decorated with clouds, Your transcendental body has become beautiful because of Your lifting the earth on the edge of Your tusks. Who else but You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, could deliver the earth from within the water? It is not very wonderful for You, however, because You acted most wonderfully in the creation of the universe. By Your energy You have created this superwonderful cosmic manifestation. O Lord, there is no limit to Your wonderful activities. Anyone who desires to know the limit of Your activities is certainly nonsensical. Everyone in this world is conditioned by Your powerful mystic potencies. Please bestow Your causeless mercy upon these conditioned souls. – Residents of the Jana, Tapas, and Satya planets *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 3.13.34, 39, 40, 41, 43, 45 Money, Happiness, and Kṛṣṇa By Brajanātha Dāsa *We may say that money can’t buy happiness, but do we really believe it?* As the popular saying goes, “Money makes the world go around.” There is no denying that money rules the world. The potential power of money is limitless. It controls governments and industries and strains family relationships. Karl Marx called money the “universal agent of separation.” People generally believe that happiness comes from arrangements made with money that allow us to fulfill our desires. This conviction is constantly being fueled by the propaganda machine of movies, TV shows, and the internet, telling us we are nothing more than evolved animals with superior intelligence, learning abilities, and communication skills. Furthermore, as nobody in the material world is genuinely able to experience long-lasting bliss, everyone eventually is driven by unsatisfied lust to fight for whatever pleasurable items are available. It is sometimes said that money is oxygen for the poor (who use it to stay alive), a necessity for the middle class (who use it to improve their living standards), and a concern for the rich (who have to protect it). Happiness is a relative term and varies from person to person. When we’re unhappy, when we feel we’re missing something in our life, we try to make up for it with money, to get some kind of satisfaction by doing something. Then we feel guilty because we know we didn’t have to do whatever it was or shouldn’t have done it. This creates a vicious cycle of endless unfulfilled desires. As a result, our mind remains steeped in material consciousness. The solution is to elevate our minds to sublime heights on the transcendental platform. We need to realize that even if we could satisfy all our material desires, we can never be happy in the material world, because the material body is only a shell of the self; it is not the actual self. Real happiness comes only when the living entity is reunited with its source, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in a pure, selfless, loving relationship. Milk mixed with water doesn’t retain its pure identity. When milk is converted into yogurt, however, and then stirred to extract butter, the butter doesn’t mix with the liquid but floats on it. Our mind is like milk, and the world is like water. Each of us is a spiritual being with a spiritual mind that in contact with the material world cannot retain its original divine consciousness. By cultivating a worldly mentality, we fail to take shelter of the Lord’s mercy. But the association of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s devotees prevents distraction from our spiritual pursuits and is conducive to focusing the mind on the Lord. Once sufficient absorption in thought of the Lord is achieved, we can challenge the world and say, “I will live amid the dualities of the material energy and yet remain untouched by them.” *Aiming for a Higher Taste* People endeavor greatly for very little, and whatever is gained is limited and fleeting, quickly losing its value. We must come to know that our real happiness lies in experiencing the pleasure of our transcendental senses in Kṛṣṇa’s service. Traditionally, yogis tried to stop the actions of the senses and eliminate all desires, knowing that the senses and desire entangle the living entity in an endless cycle of action and reaction (karma) in the material world. *Bhakti-yoga*, however, doesn’t prescribe shutting down the senses and eliminating desire. These are innate to the living entity and can find fulfillment only in the spiritual sphere. Real happiness is transcendental to material sensual experience. We must be convinced of this. Otherwise, we will struggle on the spiritual path; our senses will surely be agitated, leading to falldown from our devotional practices. We should therefore know that the happiness we are trying to derive from money for material sense gratification is not real happiness. The natural state of the living being is to live an eternal life of bliss and full knowledge, but our material existence takes its toll. As we read the scriptures and hear from a genuine spiritual master, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s representative, we learn that if we take shelter of Kṛṣṇa through His representative and seek Kṛṣṇa’s guidance, and if we learn to remain equipoised in all situations, especially in adversity, we will master the key to long-lasting happiness. Kṛṣṇa gives a practical solution to the vagaries of life in *Gītā* 2.14. He says that in this world we constantly experience the dualities of happiness and distress, heat and cold, honor and dishonor, but we have to learn to tolerate them, seeing them all equally. To rise beyond dualities, He says, do your work without worrying about the outcome, giving up attachment to the results. He also says (*Gītā* 9.27) that whatever we do should be done as an offering to Him. Giving someone the results of our work may seem akin to slavery. And even though we are constitutionally Kṛṣṇa’s eternal servants, it’s hard for us to accept this fact and take shelter of Him. Kṛṣṇa recognizes our difficulty. He prescribes a gradual path and informs us of the tremendous benefit that can accrue to us if we simply endeavor to practice devotional service to Him (*Gītā* 2.40). As Śrīla Prabhupāda explains in his purport to *Gītā* 3.31, even if we can’t surrender right now to doing only what Kṛṣna desires, we will be properly situated in the beginning stages of devotional life if we don’t resent His expectations of us but instead feel humbled by our inabilities. In pursuing the noble ideal of full surrender to Kṛṣṇa, we will face hurdles in this process of mind control. Wherever we go, we encounter inducements to deviate from our path, as we are living in Kali-yuga, the age of spiritual degradation. But without controlling the mind, we cannot achieve self-realization. Arjuna, the great warrior and friend of the Lord, said that he found the mind impossible to subdue. “For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Kr and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind.” (*Gītā* 6.34). Kṛṣṇa agreed that the mind is difficult to overcome, but He said that with practice it is possible (*Gītā* 6.35) What is that practice? What should we do? We must divert our mind toward the higher taste of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Instead of fighting the mind, we must direct it to Kṛṣṇa’s service. The more the mind progresses in acquiring the higher taste of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the more its agitations will diminish. We will realize clearly that material pleasures are not worth pursuing, because they are temporary and result in repeated birth and death. Lord Kṛṣṇa says, “The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.” (*Gītā* 2.59) Kṛṣṇa declares that the spiritual platform offers supreme happiness (*Gītā* 6.20–23). It awards the highest taste, derived from a loving relationship with Him. We can experience it through *bhakti-yoga*. In *Gītā* 9.2 Kṛṣṇa describes devotional service as *su-sukham*: “joyfully performed.” *Bhakti* is easier to perform than any other process aimed at transcending this world, and it takes us to Kṛṣṇa, the highest and most relishable aspect of the Absolute Truth. *Stages of Practice* In *Gītā* 11.33 Lord Kṛṣṇa says, “Therefore get up. Prepare to ght and win glory. Conquer your enemies and enjoy a ourishing kingdom. They are already put to death by My arrangement, and you, O Savyasācī, can be but an instrument in the fight.” “Therefore get up”: Kṛṣṇa here implies that *bhakti* means action—not sitting idly, but acting for Him. That’s why His eternal associate whom He sent to guide us and whom we lovingly call Śrīla Prabhupāda translated *bhakti* as “devotional service” and not simply “devotion.” “Prepare to ght and win glory”: Kṛṣṇa says that if you are His devotee, then be prepared to serve His plan, which is to give a chance to all conditioned souls to go to Him. Apply to join His “army” and thus associate with His devotees. Admission is easy, and with a little strength (faith) you can join. All new recruits begin their training by starting to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Discipline is mandatory; follow all the rules and regulations of Kṛṣṇa consciousness diligently. Gradually we acquire weapons (realizations) that make us stronger day by day (increased faith). Being empowered with these unique weapons and strength will allow us to win glory. When we practice *bhakti-yoga*, we are making Kṛṣṇa the charioteer of our life. At the start of the *Bhagavad-gītā*, Arjuna was instructing Kṛṣṇa; in chapter two he was ready to receive instructions from Him. When we make Kṛṣṇa our charioteer, He takes care of everything for us. In chapter twelve Kṛṣṇa gives merciful concessions for those who want to control material desires and think of Him. Just fix your mind upon Him (12.8), He says at first. But if you can’t immediately fix your mind on Him without deviation, then follow the regulative principles of *bhakti-yoga* (12.9). If you can’t do that, then just try to work for Him (12.10); give up the results of your work and be self-situated (12.11). If you can’t do that, then engage yourself in cultivating knowledge (12.12). Better than knowledge is meditation, and better than meditation is to renunce the fruits of action and thus attain peace of mind. At the end of the seventh chapter, Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that to become His devotee one has to be free from all sins. Kṛṣṇa will free us from all sins if we take shelter of Him (*Gītā* 18.66). Kṛṣṇa is determined to love us, but we are determined to forget Him. He is hungry for our *bhakti*. He can get anything in this world, but there is one thing He cannot get unless we give it to Him, and that is our love. Kṛṣṇa feels extremely charitable toward any soul who offers his love to Him. That is the nature of Kṛṣṇa’s heart. Lord Kṛṣṇa says in the *Gītā* that He provides the intelligence by which we can go to Him. He also says that He provides what we lack materially and carries what we have, and that He is the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death. In *Gītā* 18.57 He advises: “In all activities just depend upon Me and work always under My protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of Me.” Kṛṣṇa’s perspective is practical and personal; He wants us to have a mood of dependence on Him and to connect our life’s activities to His service. Lord Kṛṣna both prescribes a gradual path to Him and presents us with information about the tremendous benefit that can accrue to us if we simply endeavor to practice devotional service to Him. Even if these points are still theoretical for us, we should acknowledge the truth of the Lord’s favorable intention toward us. We should not doubt Kṛṣṇa’s gestures of protection, which we experience by following the regulative principles and associating with devotees. We plan our future based on the present, whereas Kṛṣṇa plans our present for our future. Therefore Kṛṣṇa’s plans offer us perfect happiness, not only by liberating us from material existence, but also by bringing value to our material existence. *Money Is Kṛṣṇa’s Energy* When we think that happiness will come if we can just afford to make certain material arrangements and adjustments with money, then greed, one of the three gates to hell (*Gītā* 16.21), overtakes us. Money may not be the root of all evil, but love of it may be, along with the subsequent greed and materialism that ensue. On the other hand, because money is Kṛṣṇa’s energy, we can use it selflessly in a spirit of detachment to create powerful positive changes in the world. Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, “Money does not stay in one place. It passes from one hand to another. Ultimately no one can enjoy money, and it remains the property of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (*Bhāgavatam* 5.14.24). In *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 5.5.8 Lord Ṛṣabhadeva says that wealth causes illusion and bondage. This again implies that money brings material happiness, because no one would be attached to something that gives pain. In *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 5.26.36, however, we are warned not to earn money illegally; if we do, we risk being cast into hell. In *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 4.22.23 we are advised to stay away from money-minded people. According to our individual *karma*, Kṛṣṇa decides how much money each of us will receive. People seek the favor of Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, to have unlimited money, but Lord Kṛṣṇa is the beloved husband of Lakṣmī. When we try to engage Lakṣmī (money) in Kṛṣṇa’s service, we gradually realize Him in every sphere of life. By practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we can be happy no matter how much or how little money we have. We can be content even without money. The notion that money contributes to happiness need not be abandoned. But the concept that money is the primary source of happiness should be reconsidered. People, including devotees, work diligently to earn money, which provides a sense of security for the present and the future. Yet it is Kṛṣṇa who bestows security, not money. In reality, our needs are fulfilled by Him, with money serving merely as a conduit. Thus, while money can facilitate happiness as a tool, it is Kṛṣṇa who is the true bestower of happiness. 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. *The author acknowledges that much of this article is based on material from the website gitadaily.com, by Caitanya Caraṇa Dāsa. Some of the content was presented directly along with the author’s reflections.* Soul-Tech Synergy: Mindful Integration of AI into a Spiritual Life by Dīnabandhu Caitanya Dāsa and Cakrapāṇi Kṛṣṇa Dāsa *Exploring the interface of AI and spirituality.* Artificial intelligence (AI) in its latest avatar of ChatGPT has recently taken the world by storm. Representing the aspirational tech-centric pursuits of contemporary society, it has sparked a multitude of reactions from people, ranging from fascination and excitement to guarded optimism to paranoia about its potential misuse. Whatever the take, it’s certain that this disruptive technology is here to stay and will revolutionize how we gather information, communicate, and answer questions. ChatGPT has stepped up the AI game many notches ahead of existing text-generation and conversational tools by inching closer to reproducing human cognitive and creative capabilities such as summarizing and ideation. Its ability to access and present the essence of information crawled from the corners of the web, provide pointed answers to literally any posable question, and act as a personal AI companion positions it as an almost irresistibly attractive tool that cannot be ignored. It seems certain that this technology is well positioned to disrupt almost everyone’s life, including the lives of spiritual practitioners. *Dissipating the AI Hype* Yet it seems we are far away from being able to completely replicate a human experience with AI technology, especially when it comes to fulfilling emotional and spiritual needs, which are central to our very existence. A natural dual question for a practicing spiritualist is “How much do I need to dabble in this technology, and how much can I afford to?” The quick answer is that while we can afford to acknowledge and even marvel at the power of AI, we must be cautious about being enamored by its capabilities. In fact, as the creators of ChatGPT themselves admit at the bottom of every prompt bar, “ChatGPT can make mistakes. Consider checking important information.” To outsiders or beginners, it may appear that ChatGPT furnishes oraclelike super answers, but the near hypnotic grip fades away as flaws in responses soon surface. As true with most things in life, we need to strive for the sweet spot in between—to meaningfully and effectively leverage AI in advancing the spiritual cause of humanity and ultimately all living entities. *Decoding the Origins of Intelligence* In the *Bhagavad-gītā* (10.41) Lord Kṛṣṇa establishes that all opulent, beautiful, and glorious creations are but tiny manifestations originating from His supreme grandeur. Artificial intelligence is one such creation. It is empowered by human (natural) intelligence, which in turn traces its origin to the supreme intelligence (“I am the intelligence of the intelligent,” *Gītā* 7.10). Furthermore, *Gītā* 7.5 makes it abundantly clear that any form of mechanistic (machinelike) intelligence belongs to the inferior (external) energy of the Lord and that it is the living entities (superior energy) who are attempting to exploit this inferior energy. Much to the contrary, the contemporary efforts of scientists, entrepreneurs, industrialists, governments, and policymakers to fiercely champion the cause of artificial intelligence appears to be based on the fundamental premise that sophisticated machines equipped with advanced technology can supersede human capabilities. This premise traces its roots to an even more fundamental misconception—that life owes its origins to inanimate matter, a theory widely espoused in academia and beyond. *Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Rebuttal* Close to five decades ago, when AI was still in its infancy, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda foresaw the propensity of modern human society to empower machines and pointed out the limitations. In a conversation on February 18, 1977, in Mayapur, Śrīla Prabhupāda challenged the notion that artificial or mechanistic intelligence can play God by replacing or overtaking natural intelligence. He presented a witty and thought-provoking four-point rebuttal: (1) Western people are very proud of manufacturing complicated machines, but can scientists manufacture the complicated machine that is the body, fashioned by material nature? He quoted *Gītā* 18.61, *bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā*: The Supreme Lord “is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.” (2) To rebut the argument that manufacturing living bodies will be done in the future, Prabhupāda made the point that a snake charmer who cannot capture a *hele* (Bengali for “nonvenomous”) snake cannot be expected to capture a poisonous cobra. (3) He then said that millions of such machines (bodies) are automatically coming out by the will of the Supreme and under His direction (*mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram*, *Gītā* 9.10). In fact, they are not even being created directly by the Lord, but rather through His agent, the *māyā-śakti*. Hence, even if humans were to succeed in creating another human or some other living entity, what is the credit? (4) Prabhupāda then went a step further and challenged the scientists to create a pair of male and female machines that can automatically reproduce innumerable clone machines. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s style of argument and flow of logic here is fascinating, being unconventional and confrontational yet precise and compelling. He proceeds from an exposing argument to a dismissive one to a disruptive one: * Expose the futuristic claims of mechanistic science in creating life from matter. * Dismiss the utility of artificially creating life, since life is already being produced naturally without human interference. * Disrupt the very seed of the mechanistic thought process by proposing a radical idea: automating the propagation of AI machines. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s arguments not only expose the limitations of what has been and can be achieved in artificial intelligence but also establish the evident, yet easily overlooked, inimitable miracles of natural intelligence. While it is clear from the *Gītā* that consciousness cannot be replicated in totality by machines, Śrīla Prabhupāda is authoritatively establishing that even if such an improbable event were to occur someday, the credit is due to the supreme intelligence, by whose direction such machines have been eternally produced. *Risks Beyond Misuse for Spiritual Practitioners* For spiritual practitioners and seekers, the risk posed by AI technologies such as ChatGPT may stem less from misuse and more from reliance on them for our basic mental, intellectual, and creative functions, which can lead to the following five-fold ripple effect: (1) Dwindling patience: The first casualty of such tools is likely to be the virtue of patience. Existing search and AI technology has already increased the pace of information retrieval tremendously, and ChatGPT takes this to the next level. The near instant and reasonably accurate answers subtly reinforce the idea that we can get what we want, when we want, how we want, as soon as we want. Life, on the other hand, does not behave similarly with us, as we hardly get to control or choose the circumstances we wish to find ourselves in. Spiritual life, even more so, by definition, demands patience from the practitioner while allowing the purificatory process to work. Even after long practice, spiritual progress can be imperceptible, and the impatient practitioner may lose hope, taking shelter of alternative, shallow, quick-fix solutions that can eventually be detrimental. (2) Rusty intelligence: Our mind and intelligence are likely to become rusty from constant reliance on AI technology available at our fingertips. This can leave us vulnerable in real-life situations where our mental alertness is tested, and we could end up being mentally weaker than we would usually be. (3) Addiction tendency: AI can be addictive. Given ChatGPT scours the internet at incredible speeds, it can cast our minds into a tizzy, addicting us to retrieving, processing, and consuming information at remarkable speed. Human psychology is such that once we get accustomed to such speeds, slowing down will be difficult. For example, reading spiritual literature such as Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books may begin to appear monotonous or may be viewed as content consumption rather than an opportunity to spend time with His Divine Grace (Śrīla Prabhupāda clearly mentioned he will continue to live through his books). (4) Unengaged mental energy: The time freed by outsourcing routine tasks or even creative thinking to ChatGPT can be a double-edged sword. Used productively in devotional service, the extra time can be a blessing; otherwise, the extra time, coupled with an increasingly restless mind, can form a vicious cycle that results in a boredom epidemic. As a positive example, writing this article made us contemplate deeply how the article can benefit its readers. So we read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s statements on AI, and in the process we felt spiritually rejuvenated. While ChatGPT itself would have done a reasonably good job of writing the article (with some hits and misses), we would likely have found ourselves much less consciously involved, with limited opportunity to use our conscious intent to offer this service to guru and Kṛṣṇa, which is the foundational spirit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (5) Subconscious impressions: Tools such as ChatGPT can subconsciously convince us that machines can outperform human beings by a huge margin, which then reinforces the idea that matter, even if acknowledged to have been empowered by spirit, can ultimately become stronger than spirit, its origin. This is fundamentally at odds with the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which, as opposed to a mechanistic or reductionist understanding of life, emphatically establishes the superiority of spirit over matter. In the long run, such an attitude could lead a spiritual practitioner to doubt the basic tenets of the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Consequently, a practitioner can lose a taste for the process, fall prey to impersonalism or sensuality, and eventually drift away from the spiritual path. *Influences on Spiritual Life* Despite the potential challenges mentioned above, it is evident that aspiring spiritualists, like the rest of the world, need to embrace such technologies, although with guarded optimism. Spiritual teachers, especially, may need to adopt such tools to stay relevant to the ever-changing needs of audiences. We next outline some areas of the devotional life of an aspiring spiritualist that ChatGPT might influence. (1) Śāstric companion: ChatGPT and similar tools are primarily summarizing engines. Given that search and summary are innately intertwined, however, such tools are likely to become one-stop avenues for spiritual practitioners to access devotional content on the web. More teachers may choose to rely on ChatGPT’s impressive summarizing capabilities to prepare classes, and the audience may similarly do so in verifying quoted śāstric references, as well as facts and figures. Further, integrated-development AI platforms, which provide deeper authoritative insights into a specific subject (such as GitaGPT) or specific languages (such as Hanooman AI), have been developed to benefit spiritual practitioners. (2) Book reading: To supplement or even replace reading books, spiritual practitioners may increasingly rely on ChatGPT to summarize entire chapters, cantos, volumes, and books. For example, our prompt “Summarize SB 1.1” on ChatGPT led to a concise five-paragraph summary of the first chapter of the first canto of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*. Digging deeper, we asked “Break down SB 1.1.3 for me,” to which ChatGPT responded with an instant line-by-line summary. Finally, the prompt “Explain SB 1.1.3 word by word” elicited an impressively accurate response as well. Because ChatGPT reinforces the existing trend in reading habits—i.e., the shift from reading offline to reading online—reliance on hard copies of spiritual literature such as Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books and others may become increasingly minimal. (3) Book distribution: Distribution of spiritual literature may need to be viewed from a different perspective altogether given that the very definition of reading is being challenged in modern times. As reading goes increasingly digital, the need arises to closely integrate Kṛṣṇa conscious literature and webpages with AI platforms to make for easier dissemination. (4) Counseling: Spiritual practitioners may be inclined to seek guidance from chat GPT on philosophical, practical, and even emotional matters, primarily due to its 24/7 accessibility, unlike human mentors or spiritual guides. For example, when we prompted “Assume I'm a spiritual practitioner. Give me advice for my married life,” it responded with ten principles and concluded by saying, “By integrating these principles into your married life, you can create a spiritually vibrant, loving, and fulfilling partnership that honors the divine presence in each other and in your relationship.” It is important to note, however, that such advice, while helpful, cannot provide decisive recommendations, but only directional guidance. (5) Personalized spiritual guidance: Spiritual practitioners can receive personalized recommendations for relationship building, book reading, chanting, and other devotional activities based on their preferences and interaction history with ChatGPT. For example, when prompted “Give me a personalized recommendation for my *japa*,” ChatGPT responded “For personalized recommendations for your *japa* (chanting of the Hare Krishna *maha-mantra*), it would be helpful to know a bit more about your current *japa* practice and any specific challenges or goals you may have.” And it proceeded to rattle off relevant questions, such as: • How long have you been practicing *japa*? • How frequently do you chant *japa*, and for how long each session? • Do you have any specific goals or intentions for your *japa* practice? • Are there any particular obstacles or distractions you encounter during your *japa* sessions? When prompted with answers to these questions, it provided useful, pointed, and personalized advice on improving *japa*. It can similarly offer helpful advice on consistency in reading spiritual literature and repairing relationships among members of a spiritual community. *Treading the Middle Path: Employ, Evaluate, and Embrace* The proliferation of tools like ChatGPT is inevitable, with positives likely to outweigh the negatives. At the very least, the rapid progress of mechanistic intelligence will force people to evaluate or contemplate the fundamental distinction between machines and humans. As machine capabilities surpass human accomplishments more than ever before, it will be increasingly clear that any amount of computational number-crunching power, magical summarizing, or creative abilities cannot replace the emotional and spiritual needs of humans. This is likely to drive the quest for a deeper understanding of our fundamental identity as spiritual beings on a human journey. Spiritual practitioners can utilize ChatGPT as a valuable tool to enhance their understanding, deepen their practice, and cultivate a more intimate relationship with fellow practitioners, guru, and Kṛṣṇa, while being watchful not to be consumed by it or use it as a replacement for human interactions. Employ, Evaluate, and Embrace is a useful policy toward adopting such tools. To answer the question we asked at the beginning—how much do I need to dabble in this technology, and how much can I afford to?—spiritualists must adopt an approach of cautious optimism while employing these tools in pursuit of their sacred objectives. We cannot afford to watch from the sidelines, being doomsday prophets of AI, but neither should we allow AI infatuation or intoxication to overwhelm us. Standing firm in the tenets of the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we must approach AI in the true spirit of **yukta*-*vairāgya**, forgetting neither *yukta* (moderate employment of tech tools for a spiritual cause) nor *vairāgya* (detachment from the spirit of obsession). Dīnabandhu Caitanya Dāsa, a disciple of His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami, holds a faculty appointment at the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru, where he lives with his wife, two daughters, and parents. He is actively involved with Kṛṣṇa conscious children and youth and in outreach programs in Kannada, the local language. *Cakrapāṇi Kṛṣṇa Dāsa, a disciple of His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami, works as a machine learning engineer at OnebyZero, Bengaluru, where he lives with his wife and family. He serves as a coordinator for the ISKCON Nagarabavi outreach center in Bengaluru and conducts regular Kannada programs in the neighborhood.* Unqualified yet Qualified by Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa *Lessons from Prahlāda as he prepares to offer prayers to Lord Narasiṁha.* The pastime of little Prahlāda from *Śrīmad-Bhagavatam* illustrates the triumph of devotion over evil, and the unwavering faith and humility of one special young devotee. When the tyrannic demon king Hiraṇyakaśipu challenged his five-year-old son Prahlāda about the existence of God, Prahlāda declared, “My Lord is omnipresent.” To prove His little devotee’s words true, the Supreme Lord appeared in the unprecedented form of Narasiṁhadeva, a half-man, half-lion incarnation. The Lord then vanquished the demon and saved His devotee. After He had slayed the demon, the Lord’s anger remained unabated. His rage confounded the *devatās* and sages who witnessed the spectacle. In a bid to calm Him, *devatās* like Brahmā, Śiva, Indra, Candra, and Varuṇa approached Him with prayers and supplications. But despite their sincere efforts, Narasiṁha’s fury did not subside. Even Lakṣmī Devī, Lord Narasiṁha’s consort, was reluctant to approach Him. She admitted her fear, noting that she had never seen her Lord in such an intense state of anger. Her hesitation underlined the extraordinary nature of Narasiṁha’s wrath, the gravity of the situation, and the challenge of pacifying Him. Amidst the fear and confusion, Lord Brahmā approached young Prahlāda and asked him to pacify the Lord with prayers. Prahlāda humbly proceeded to offer do as requested. The following is an analysis of the first five *ślokas* (verses) Prahlāda spoke in front of the Lord while preparing to offer his prayers. “If They Couldn’t Do It, How Can I?” > 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.” (*Bhāgavatam* 7.9.8) The *devatās*, headed by Brahmā, as well as the sages and mystics in the assembly, were in the mode of goodness (*sattva-guṇa*). If they couldn’t satisfy the Lord, how could someone born in a family of demons (*ugra-jāti*), who are constantly in passion (*rajas*) and ignorance (*tamas*), satisfy the Lord? Furthermore, they praised the Lord with streams of words (*vacasāṁ pravāhaiḥ*) that were sweet, pure, soothing, and embellished with literary ornaments, yet they couldn’t satisfy the Lord. Then how could Prahlāda, who lacked such eloquence, do so? He showed no pride in receiving the privileged opportunity to appease the Lord; rather, he humbly declared his incapability to do so, despite being capable. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in the purport, A Vaiṣṇava who is fully qualified to serve the Lord still thinks himself extremely low while offering prayers to the Lord. For example, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī *. . .* considers himself unqualified, lower than the worms in stool, and more sinful than Jagāi and Mādhāi [notoriously wicked brothers purified by Caitanya Mahāprabhu]. A pure Vaiṣṇava actually thinks of himself in this way. Similarly, although Prahlāda Mahārāja was a pure, exalted Vaiṣṇava, he thought himself most unqualified to offer prayers to the Supreme Lord*. . .* . Every pure Vaiṣṇava should think like this. One should not be falsely proud of his Vaiṣṇava qualifications*. . .* . Unless one is meek and humble, to make progress in spiritual life is very difficult. Sometimes when we are considered capable of doing something that many others have failed to accomplish, we can become overpowered by pride—whether we can actually do it or not. We might think ourselves better than others. In contrast to this mentality, Prahlāda, right at the outset, declared his inferior position compared to that of Brahmā and others in the assembly who had failed to appease Narasiṁhadeva. He acknowledged his demonic lineage and the apparent unworthiness that came with it. In this *śloka*, Prahlāda also indicated that goodness and eloquence are not the necessary qualification to invoke the Lord’s mercy. What is? Prahlāda answers in the next verse. “The Only Qualification to Please You” > manye dhanābhijana-rūpa-tapaḥ-śrutaujas- > tejaḥ-prabhāva-bala-pauruṣa-buddhi-yogāḥ > nārādhanāya hi bhavanti parasya puṁso > bhaktyā tutoṣa bhagavān gaja-yūtha-pāya “One may possess wealth, an aristocratic family, beauty, austerity, education, sensory expertise, luster, influence, physical strength, diligence, intelligence and mystic yogic power, but I think that even by all these qualifications one cannot satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, one can satisfy the Lord simply by devotional service. Gajendra did this, and thus the Lord was satisfied with him.” (*Bhāgavatam* 7.9.9) The one dozen qualifications mentioned above are considered great by material calculation. Although such skills and opulences impress people, these things aren’t attractive to the Lord. Only *bhakti*, unalloyed devotion, can satisfy the Him. Duryodhana couldn’t please Kṛṣṇa with an opulent feast, but Vidura completely satisfied Him with a banana peel. Sincerity of purpose is more important than skill. Prahlāda was just a five-year-old boy, the son of an atheistic father, and born in a demoniac dynasty. But none of these were considered disqualifications for him to satisfy the Lord. While people tend to misjudge things, the Lord is perfect in His evaluation and judgment. He never rejects someone because of age, gender, wealth, nationality, education, family lineage, and so on. All He wants is sincere devotion. A *śloka* by a devotee named Śrī Dākṣiṇātya, quoted in Rūpa Gosvāmī’s *Padyāvalī*, a collection of verses from various sources, states, > vyādhasyācaraṇaṁ dhruvasya ca vayo > vidyā gajendrasya kā > kubjāyāḥ kim u nāma rūpam adhikaṁ > kiṁ tat sudāmno dhanam > vaṁsaḥ ko vidurasya yādava-pater > ugrasya kiṁ pauruṣaṁ > bhaktyā tuṣyati kevalaṁ na ca guṇair > bhakti-priyo mādhavaḥ “Where were the hunter Dharma’s piety, Dhruva’s maturity, and Gajendra’s knowledge? Where was Kubjā’s beauty? Where was Sudāmā’s wealth? Where was Vidura’s noble birth? Where was Ugrasena’s chivalrous strength? Lord Mādhava is pleased only by devotional service and not by material qualifications.” “Do I Have the Qualification?” Continuing the point that *bhakti* is the only qualification to please the Lord, Prahlāda speaks the next *śloka*. > viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa-yutād aravinda-nābha- > pādāravinda-vimukhāt śvapacaṁ variṣṭham > manye tad-arpita-mano-vacanehitārtha- > prāṇaṁ punāti sa kulaṁ na tu bhūrimānaḥ “If a *brāhmaṇa* has all twelve of the brahminical qualifications [as they are stated in the book called *Sanat-sujāta*] but is not a devotee and is averse to the lotus feet of the Lord, he is certainly lower than a devotee who is a dog-eater but who has dedicated everything—mind, words, activities, wealth and life—to the Supreme Lord. Such a devotee is better than such a *brāhmaṇa* because the devotee can purify his whole family, whereas the so-called *brāhmaṇa* in a position of false prestige cannot purify even himself.” (*Bhāgavatam* 7.9.10) Prahlāda thus established that *bhakti* is the only qualification to understand, approach, and satisfy the Lord. But the next question is “Does Prahlāda have that qualification?” If his answer is yes, then he would be contradicting the humble claim he made in the first verse. A devotee who has deep devotion for the Lord never claims that he or she has devotion. Yet, as Śrīla Viśvanaātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura states in his commentary on *Bhāgavatam* 7.9.9, Prahlāda claimed that he had some little *bhakti* for the Lord *only by the grace of his guru, Nārada Muni*. Although Prahlāda felt himself unqualified and incapable, he still stepped forward to offer prayers to the Lord, with remarkable humility. He humbly gave the credit for his ability and eligibility to his glorious guru, Nārada Muni, who had enlightened him in *bhakti* while he was in his mother’s womb. Despite recognizing the greatness of the sages and *devatās* who had already tried and failed, Prahlāda expressed his intent to pacify the Lord, relying on the strength given to him by his guru. In spiritual life we are not qualified to serve the Lord based on our experience or knowledge, but by the causeless mercy bestowed upon us by the spiritual master. That’s the transformative power of the guru’s grace, which is the cornerstone of one’s unwavering devotion. Further, although devotees think themselves unqualified and incapable, they still offer prayers to the Lord and serve Him, as they are convinced that these are the only means to purification and spiritual advancement. It is in this mood that Prahlāda speaks the next *śloka*. “Although Unqualified, I Will Be Benefited” > naivātmanaḥ prabhur ayaṁ nija-lābha-pūrṇo > mānaṁ janād aviduṣaḥ karuṇo vṛṇīte > yad yaj jano bhagavate vidadhīta mānaṁ > tac cātmane prati-mukhasya yathā mukha-śrīḥ “The Supreme Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always fully satisfied in Himself. Therefore when something is offered to Him, the offering, by the Lord’s mercy, is for the benefit of the devotee, for the Lord does not need service from anyone. To give an example, if one’s face is decorated, the reflection of one’s face in a mirror is also seen to be decorated.” (*Bhāgavatam* 7.9.11) Śrīla Prabhupāda comments: The Lord is always glorious, whether the devotee glorifies Him or not, but if the devotee engages in glorifying the Lord, the devotee himself automatically becomes glorious. . . . By glorifying the Lord constantly, the living entity becomes purified in the core of his heart, and thus he can understand that he does not belong to the material world but is a spirit soul whose actual activity is to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that he may become free from the material clutches. . . . In conclusion, the more we engage in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and render service unto the Lord, the more we benefit. Kṛṣṇa does not need service from any of us. Thinking too much about our shortcomings and inadequacies can be discouraging. However, rising above them is possible by offering prayers and sincerely serving the Lord and His devotees. *Bhakti-yoga* can elevate even the most unqualified or degraded. So instead of being overwhelmed with our weaknesses, we should strive to rise above them by engaging our bodies, minds, senses, and intelligence in serving and glorifying the Lord. In this mood Prahlāda speaks the next *śloka*. “Your Mercy Is Greater Than My Disqualification” > tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava īśvarasya > sarvātmanā mahi gṛṇāmi yathā manīṣam > nīco ’jayā guṇa-visargam anupraviṣṭaḥ > pūyeta yena hi pumān anuvarṇitena “Therefore, although I was born in a demoniac family, I may without a doubt offer prayers to the Lord with full endeavor, as far as my intelligence allows. Anyone who has been forced by ignorance to enter the material world may be purified of material life if he offers prayers to the Lord and hears the Lord’s glories.” (*Bhāgavatam* 7.9.12) Finally, Prahlāda thought to set aside the conception of being unfit and start offering prayers, depending on the Lord’s mercy. Kṛṣṇa’s causeless grace can overpower all our faults and deficiencies. He empowers even insignificant persons to perform inconceivable deeds in His service, provided they are sincere. The solution to all material shortcomings is sincere performance of *bhakti*. In the conception of being unqualified, if we restrain ourselves from engaging in *bhakti*, where is the possibility to overcome those deficiencies? If a patient says, “I am not taking medicine, *because* I’m sick,” does that sound reasonable? One must take medicine *because* one is sick. Similarly one affected by *māyā* must come out of it by sincerely taking shelter of the Lord. One can do *bhakti* according to one’s capacity. Prahlāda said that he would offer prayers as far as his intelligence allowed him—*yathā manīṣam.* The Lord is not performance-conscious; He is mood-conscious. He sees the attitude behind our service more than the magnitude of the service. Skills and efficiency may be required for a specific service, but if they become a source of pride, then they are a great disadvantage. Better to be an illiterate menial servant than a puffed-up scholar. *Humility, the Real Ornament of a Devotee* Prahlāda Mahārāja felt himself unqualified to offer prayers, yet he kept aside those feelings and prepared to offer prayers, expressing his confidence in the mercy of the Lord and his guru. In both cases he exhibited exemplary humility. Prahlāda’s example serves as an encouragement for all devotees. He demonstrated that one should not be discouraged by one’s perceived disqualifications or shortcomings. The Lord’s mercy is greater than any disqualification, and sincere devotion can bridge any gap. Prahlāda’s humility and his recognition of his dependence on the Lord are key takeaways. His prayers reflect a deep understanding of the devotee’s role in relation to the divine, emphasizing the importance of humility and reliance on the Lord’s grace. *Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa, a disciple of His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami, is dean of the Bhaktivedanta Vidyapitha at ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village (GEV), outside Mumbai. He is the author of thirty-three books, including the Subodhini series of study guides, children’s books such as* Bhāgavatam Tales*, and other self-enrichment books. He conducts online and residential scriptural courses for children and adults.* A Dog and His Master by Girirāja Swami “Without my even asking or saying anything, he knew my heart and gave the perfect solution through his instructions.” In 1975 I was the temple president of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s project in Bombay—Hare Krishna Land, in the Juhu Beach area. Almost every morning, Śrīla Prabhupāda would walk on Juhu Beach, and I, along with other devotees, would usually accompany him. One morning, happy in Kṛṣṇa consciousness but frustrated by the challenges in Juhu, I was feeling exhausted and a bit down, and although there were others present, Śrīla Prabhupāda began to speak as if he were addressing me personally. He quoted a Sanskrit verse with which I was unfamiliar. It included the word *s*a-nātha**. He said there were two words—*a-nātha* and *s*a-nātha**. *Nātha* means “master,” so *a-nātha* means “without a master,” and *s*a-nātha** means “with a master.” The whole goal of life, he said, is to become *s*a-nātha**, “with a master.” Many gentlemen walked their dogs on the beach each morning, and Śrīla Prabhupāda pointed to a hale and hearty gentleman walking a hale and hearty dog. The man was walking briskly and confidently with his dog on a leash, and the dog was walking equally briskly and confidently with his master by his side. Śrīla Prabhupāda commented that every dog wants a good master. If the dog has a good master, he is happy. He holds his head high; he wags his tail. He knows that his master will maintain and protect him, so he has no anxiety. But the street dog—“The poor fellow has no master. Therefore he is always suffering.” Śrīla Prabhupāda then pointed to some stray dogs. “They have no master. They do not know where they will sleep, how they will get food. Other dogs bark at them; children throw stones at them. They are always in anxiety.” Śrīla Prabhupāda stopped walking. He planted his cane firmly in the sand of Juhu Beach. Although I stood behind many of the devotees who moved close around him, he looked directly at me, his eyes laden with love and compassion, as if he knew exactly what I was feeling. “So we should be *s*a-nātha**, protected,” he said, “not *a-nātha*, orphan. We should have our master and be exclusively devoted to him. Then we will feel confident in his protection and always be happy.” *The Ideal of Life* Śrīla Prabhupāda quoted the Sanskrit verse again and explained some of the words. *Mano-ratha*: the chariot of the mind. Mental concoction is driving us here, there, here, there. We have no peace. But when we have our perfect master to serve, we become peaceful—*praśānta*—and jubilant: “I have got my master. I have no cares and anxiety.” This is the ideal of life—to become *sanātha-jīvitam*, living with the hope that “I have got my master, who will give me protection.” I knew that Śrīla Prabhupāda was speaking to me, addressing my need in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Without my even asking or saying anything, he knew my heart and gave the perfect solution through his instructions. Thus he exemplified the following verse from *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* (3.7.36): > anuvratānāṁ śiṣyāṇāṁ > putrāṇāṁ ca dvijottama > anāpṛṣṭam api brūyur > guravo dīna-vatsalāḥ “Those who are spiritual masters are very kind to the needy. They are always kind to their followers, disciples and sons, and without being asked by them, the spiritual master describes all that is knowledge.” Thereafter I always tried to remember and follow the instructions Śrīla Prabhupāda gave me on Juhu Beach. *The Verse Discovered* Although I had caught some of the words from the verse and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s explanation, I very much wanted to find the verse, but could not. Then several years later I came across it, quoted in *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta* (*Madhya* 1.206): > bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ > praśānta-niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntaraḥ > kadāham aikāntika-nitya-kiṅkaraḥ > praharṣayiṣyāmi sanātha-jīvitam “By serving You constantly, one is freed from all material desires and is completely pacified. When shall I engage as Your permanent eternal servant and always feel joyful to have such a fitting master?” Reading the purport, I found the same instructions Śrīla Prabhupāda had given on Juhu Beach: “Just as a dog or servant is very satisfied to get a competent, perfect master, or as a child is completely satisfied to possess a competent father, so the living entity is satisfied by completely engaging in the service of the Supreme Lord. He thereby knows that he has a competent master to save him from all kinds of danger.” I realized that Śrīla Prabhupāda was perfect because he always spoke on the basis of scripture. At the same time, because of his tremendous compassion and humanity, he could say just the right thing in the right way to deeply touch the heart of the listener. Now whenever I walk on Juhu Beach and see the different types of dogs—those with masters and those without—I remember Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions and pray that I will always remain Śrīla Prabhupāda’s dog. Girirāja Swami met Srila Prabhupada in 1969 and followed him to India, where he oversaw the development of Hare Krishna Land in Juhu. He has written five books, available from the Krishna.com Store and his website: girirajswami.com. Kashi Viśvanātha: Śiva-liṅga of Light By Rāmanātha-sukha Dāsa *In a city known as India’s spiritual capital, Lord Śiva may illuminate the eternal path of devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa.* The sacred city of Kashi (also called Varanasi [Vārāṇasī] or Banaras) is known as the oldest living city in the world. Situated on the bank of the Ganges in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, it is often referred to as the spiritual capital of India and as a place where time seems to stand still. Archaeologists say this sacred city has been continuously inhabited for at least 3,500 years, but many saints and sadhus believe it goes much further back into antiquity. When the sagacious American humorist Mark Twain visited Varanasi in the late nineteenth century, he quipped, “Banaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together.” He also said, “In religion, all other countries are paupers. India is the only millionaire.” The acclaimed scholar Diana Eck, author of the preeminent book *Banaras, City of Light*, wrote, “The city illumines truth and reveals reality. It does not bring new wonders into the scope of vision but enables one to see what is already there. Where this eternal light intersects the earth, it is known as Kashi.” The venerable *jyotir-liṅga* known as Kashi Viśvanātha is at the very heart of Banaras and represents that eternal light of divinity. Diana Eck explains in her book how numerous saints over millennia have visited Varanasi and commented on its unique transcendent qualities. After achieving enlightenment, Lord Buddha visited Banaras and gave his first talks at Sarnath, just eight miles northeast. Some scholars have reasoned that Jesus Christ during his lost years visited Banaras to study sacred scriptures. The eighth-century saint Ādi Śaṅkarācārya visited Varanasi, as did Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh tradition. Tulsidas took advantage of the spiritual ambience of Banaras to write his acclaimed *Ramcharitamanas*. In the late nineteenth century, the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava saint Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura visited Banaras with his twenty-four-year-old son, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī. Typically, spiritual aspirants from many schools of thought go to Varanasi to absorb the auspicious transcendental atmosphere as well as to die there. Their belief is that by dying or being cremated in Varanasi one can obtain *mokṣa*, spiritual release from the repeating cycle of birth and death. *Lord Caitanya at the Viśvanātha Temple* S Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited Kashi and converted a large number of Māyāvāda (impersonalist) *sannyāsīs* to Vaiṣṇaviasm. Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja writes in *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta* (*Ādi* 7.157) that on one occasion, “When the Lord went to visit the temple of Vis [Kashi Viśvanātha], hundreds of thousands of people assembled to see Him.” Śrīla Prabhupāda elaborates in his purport: “The important point in this verse is that S Caitanya Mahaprabhu regularly visited the temple of Vis (Lord S at Varan. Vais generally do not visit a demigod’s temple, but here we see that S Caitanya Mahaprabhu regularly visited the temple of Vis who is the predominating deity of Varan.” Varanasi was established many thousands of years prior to the visit of Śrī Caitanya, who certainly knew the importance of Kashi Viśvanātha. This preeminent *śiva-liṅga* is at the epicenter of Varanasi, the city having been established around the legend of this *jyotir-liṅga*. Since time immemorial pilgrims from all over India have traveled to Varanasi just to catch a glimpse of and pray to Kashi Viśvanātha, as pilgrims from around the world do today. To better understand the perpetual attraction of this famous Śiva temple and its relationship to *kṛṣṇa-bhakti* and Lord Caitanya, the original story of this first *jyotir-liṅga* will need to be told. *The Appearance of Lord Viśvanātha* According to the *Śiva Purāṇa*, Lord Brahmā and Lord Viṣṇu had an argument over supremacy. Lord Brahmā, as the creator of the universe, considered himself to be supreme, over Lord Viṣṇu, whose role is to maintain the universe. Generally, a creator is thought of as superior to a maintenance person. Viṣṇu, seeing the hubris of Brahmā, tried to correctly educate him about the reality of the situation. Lord Viṣṇu is factually the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all material and spiritual domains. He knew that Brahmā at the beginning of creation was dependent on Him as Garbodakasaya Viṣṇu, from whom the lotus Brahmā was born from emanated. Lord Brahmā is in fact a creator, but according to *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* and other Vedic texts, he is a secondary creator to Lord Viṣṇu, the primordial creator of the unlimited material universes, not just this one universe. The quarrel ensued partly due to the influence of the mode of passion on Brahmā and his refusal to listen to the reasoning and facts given by Viṣṇu. To help settle the debate, Lord Śiva mystically appeared as a pillar (*liṅga*) of infinite fire and light (*jyoti*) that went straight up to the heavens and down into the earth. The amazed Brahmā and Viṣṇu, concluding that it had manifest to help them resolve their ongoing dispute over who is supreme, decided to search for its origins. According to some iterations, Viṣṇu assumed His Varāha (boar) avatar form to burrow into the earth to discover the beam’s source. Brahmā rode his swan carrier and traveled upward toward the heavens to search out the origin. After some time, Viṣṇu and Brahmā became exhausted, having not found any end to the limitless *jyotir-liṅga*. When they returned to their starting point on earth, Lord Śiva had now manifest within the *jyotir-liṅga* as a meditating yogi. When Śiva asked if either of them had succeeded in finding the origin of the light beam, Viṣṇu said that as far as He could determine, the fiery light column was infinite and therefore had no beginning. Brahmā, on the other hand, lied, saying that he had discovered the end of the light, and he produced a *ketaki* flower as a false witness. Lord Brahmā, the first *brāhmaṇa* of the universe, had thus violated the fundamental brahminical principle of truthfulness. Detecting Brahmā’s lie, Lord Śiva became angry and cursed him to never be worshiped or venerated on earth. Śiva also declared that Viṣṇu would eternally be worshiped, not just for His honesty but for His factual position as the primary creator of unlimited material universes as well as the expansive spiritual world, known as Vaikuṇṭha. Lord Śiva knows that Lord Viṣṇu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Some interpretations of this legend say that Śiva reigns supreme over Viṣṇu, since he was able to settle the dispute as well as bestow the benediction that Viṣṇu would be eternally worshiped. But as we will see, this understanding is only correct from a limited Śaivite perspective. All three deities—Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva—can be understood to be supreme on some level. Lord Śiva, as the supreme devotee and Vaiṣṇava guru, understood that it was his service to rectify Brahmā’s false ego, or *ahaṅkāra*, which must be destroyed by one’s guru for real-ego identity to manifest. Some sources say that there are over two million regular *śiva-liṅga* temples in India that represent Lord Śiva’s presence and energy. However, there are only twelve especially auspicious *jyotir-liṅgas*, which symbolize Lord Śiva as a pillar of light. Kashi Viśvanātha is understood to be the first and foremost of all these *jyotir-liṅgas*. Śrīla Prabhupāda further writes in the *Caitanya-caritāmṛta* purport cited above: “Generally Mayavadi **sannyasi*s* and worshipers of Lord S live in Varan, but how is it that Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who took the part of a Vais *sannyasi*, also visited the Viśveśvara [Viśvanātha] temple? The answer is that a Vais does not behave impudently toward the demigods. A Vais gives proper respect to all, although he never accepts a demigod to be as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” This question raised by Prabhupāda is relevant to the modern-day Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. He gives a succinct, accurate answer, and this article will elaborate to further clarify the relationship between Lord Śiva and Lord Caitanya. One perspective that helps explain Mahaprabhu’s regularly going to the temple of Kashi Viśvanātha is that it was part of an overall strategy to educate and transform the many Śaivite *sannyāsīs* of that time to accept Vaiṣṇava dharma. Besides transforming impersonalists, during Lord Caitanya’s visit to Banaras He also taught by example and instructed three prominent Vaiṣṇava students: Sanātana Gosvāmī, Candraśekhara, and Tapana Miśra. Some of those lessons concerned the importance of Lord Śiva as the topmost Vaiṣṇava (*vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ, Bhāgavatam* 12.13.16). Such an understanding goes to the very essence of the true greatness of Lord Śiva and would help attract transcendentalists swayed by impersonal ideology to accept Vaiṣṇava theological conclusions. *Paṣcopāsanā Considered* Māyāvāda *sannyasis* generally follow the theology and practices of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya, the eighth-century philosopher/saint who established Advaita Vedānta along with the system of *pansana*. In medieval as well as modern forms of Hinduism, the *pansanā*system of worship is unfortunately connected to limited nondual philosophical conclusions. From the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava perspective, the “all is one and you are that One” concept of divinity is a misleading understanding of Sanātana Dharma.* The *pansanā*system of worship first manifested as part of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya’s teachings of Advaita Vedānta (spiritual nondualism). *Pansanā*advocates that there is one infinite supreme energetic source, known as Brahman, that pervades the creation. Vaiṣṇava philosophy does not deny this perspective, but clarifies that the conception of impersonal Brahman is only the beginning stage of God realization and self-realization. The *pansanā*teachings say that there are five main deities who are manifestations of the unlimited Brahman and they can be venerated and worshiped to obtain material necessities as well as to achieve *mokṣa*, or spiritual enlightenment. Those deities are (1) Gaṇeśa in his variety of expressions, (2) Viṣṇu and His many avatar expansions, such as Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, (3) Śiva and his expansions, such as Hanumān, (4) Śakti and her goddess expansions, such as Durgā/Kālī and many other female personalities, such as Sarasvatī Devī, Lakṣmī Devi, and Gaṅgā Devī, and (5) the sun-god, known as Sūrya, who can be invoked directly or through the recitation of the Brahma-gāyatrī mantra. Lord Brahmā, although the first *brāhmaṇa* of the universe and essential for universal creation, is not on this list of worshipable gods. The *Śiva Purāṇa* story of Brahmā being cursed by Śiva prevents him from being worshiped. However, his eternal female consort, Sarasvatī Devī, is sometimes invoked to bestow creative abilities and help in the pursuance of all variety of knowledge, both mundane and transcendent. The five-deity focus known as *pansana* advocates that a follower of Sanātana Dharma can chose to venerate whichever deity attracts his or her sense of devotion. However, from this philosophical perspective, after one achieves enlightenment, or *mokṣa*/salvation, the deity, the relationship with the deity, and one’s own sense of identity coalesce into the one nondual Brahman. The followers of Lord Caitanya describe such oneness as a kind of spiritual suicide, since devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa is eternal whereas becoming one with Brahman denies the reality of ever-expanding devotional love. Advaita Vedānta is not complete; Bhakti Vedānta best expresses the full conclusions of Sanātana Dharma. *The Authority of Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā* Gaudiya Vaiṣṇavas, like other followers of Sanātana Dharma, do not worship Lord Brahmā. However, they do look to his *Brahma-samhita* for his realizations into the nature of full transcendence. Besides describing the spiritual domain of Goloka Vṛndāvana, the *Brahma-samhita* elaborates on the five deities of *pansana*: Gaṇeśa (verse 50), Viṣṇu (48), Śiva (45), Devī (44), and Sūrya (52). *Brahma-samhita* is a treatise on Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all. Brahmā glorifies Kṛṣṇa as Govinda, who enjoys unlimited pastimes of divine love with His most confidential devotees. In text 40 Brahmā describes the all-pervasive impersonal Brahman as Kṛṣṇa’s effulgence: “I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the nondifferentiated Brahman mentioned in the *Upanis*. Being differentiated from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe, it appears as the indivisible, infinite, limitless truth.” This description alludes to the limitless column of light emanating from Kashi Viśvanātha. However, the source of that light is not Śiva, but Kṛṣṇa, as He confirms in the *Bhagavad-gītā* (14.17): “And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is immortal, imperishable and eternal, and is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness.” The *pansana* system of worship, with its goal of impersonal *mokṣa*, has become the basis for modern Hinduism. However, the perspective of Sanātana Dharma described in the *Brahmā-samhita* gives a broadened appreciation, with the goal of achieving an eternal intimate loving connection with Kṛṣṇa in Goloka Vṛndāvana. Śrīla Prabhupāda states in the same purport cited earlier: In the *Brahma-samhita* there are mantras offering obeisances to Lord S Lord Brahma, the sun-god and Lord Gan as well as Lord Vis all of whom are worshiped by the impersonalists as *pansana*. In their temples impersonalists install deities of Lord Vis Lord S the sun-god, goddess Durga and sometimes Lord Brahma also, and this system is continuing at present in India under the guise of the Hindu religion. Vais can also worship all these demigods, but only on the principles of the *Brahmā-samhita*, which is recommended by S Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is important to understand that Vaiṣṇavas can worship the **deva*tās*, but certain restrictions and a correct philosophical ideology must go along with such worship. Otherwise, devotion to the **deva*tās* as exemplified by modern-day Hinduism leads a devotee to accept misleading impersonal spiritual conclusions. Interestingly enough, the correct philosophical principles for *deva* worship are given by Lord Brahmā himself in his *Brahmā-samhita*. He may not be worshiped because of Śiva’s curse, but he aligns himself perfectly with Sanātana Dharma. *Protector of Vaiṣṇava Holy Places* Lord Caitanya, by regularly visiting Kashi Viśvanātha, established the metaphysical truth that Lord Śiva can be worshiped as the topmost Vaiṣṇava. In the holy places of Jagannatha Puri and Sri Vrindavan are **śiva-liṅga*s* that have existed since time immemorial as the *dik-pālas,* or protector deities. Liṅgarāja in Bhubaneswar is the protector of Jagannath Puri, and Gopīśvara Mahādeva protects the holy land of Vrindavan. Lord Caitanya visited these respective **śiva-liṅga*s* to establish the correct etiquette and reverence for Lord Śiva as the personality who grants entrance to the spiritual realm. When sincere pilgrims want to visit either of these two sacred cities, they must first get permission from the respective *śiva-liṅga*, who then helps them with issues of false ego. Kashi Viśvanātha also deals with issues of false ego, as seen with his curse of Lord Brahmā. As the destroyer, Śiva helps devotees of the Lord by smashing false, materialistic ego so that their real ego can manifest in relationship to the Supreme Lord. With Śiva’s chastening help, Lord Brahmā became more than a first-class *brāhmaṇa*; he became fully enlightened in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In modern times, the *Brahma-saṁhitā* continues to reveal the eternal divine-love exchanges within the spiritual world. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself discovered this luminous scripture on his tour of South India. Despite Lord Brahmā’s mistake of once lying, he continues as the founder of the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Vaiṣṇava *sampradāya*, the lineage of the modern-day Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. Lord Caitanya’s transformative influence on the Māyāvādi *sannyāsīs* in Varanasi was enormous. When Lord Śiva is perceived as the supreme Vaiṣṇava, then he offers varieties of auspicious benedictions for the devotee’s elevation to the spiritual world. This is the key understanding transmitted by Lord Caitanya to the thousands of Māyāvādī *sannyāsīs*. By Mahāprabhu’s preaching and by His exemplary behavior of showing proper respect to Kashi Viśvanātha, thousands of impersonalist *sannyāsīs* were converted to practice the essence of Sanātana Dharma, eternal loving devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Varanasi need not be the city of Śaivism and impersonal *mokṣa*. Rather, through Lord Caitanya’s mercy Kashi Viśvanātha is understood as the supreme Vaiṣṇava guru who allows the spiritual aspirant to appreciate the truths of the *Brahma-saṁhitā* and limitless pure devotion for Lord Govinda. Varanasi is forever blessed by the Viśvanātha *jyotir-liṅga*, which illumines the city as the spiritual capital of India. Lord Caitanya’s two-month visit to Varanasi, His regular *darśana* of Viśvanātha, and His transforming the impersonalist *sannyāsīs* into Vaiṣṇavas are testaments to Lord Śiva’s auspicious potency in helping bring the misled souls of Kali-yuga to appreciate the genuine Sanātana Dharma of eternal loving service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Devotees pray to their respective guru: > oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya > jñānāṣjana-śalākayā > cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena > tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ “I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance, with the torchlight of knowledge.” With proper understanding, Lord Śiva as the supreme Vaiṣṇava spiritual master will open our eyes with the torchlight of the *jyotir-liṅga* known as Kashi Viśvanātha. The *mokṣa* obtained in Varanasi need not be the salvation of merging into the divine Brahman effulgence, but rather, when Kashi Viśvanātha is appreciated through the vision of Lord Caitanya, then Lord Śiva will manifest and act as the supreme Vaiṣṇava. Through his service of destroying false ego, thus allowing positive transformation to pure *bhakti*, Lord Śiva as Kashi Viśvanātha is destined to shed new light on the glories of the ancient city of Varanasi. *Many Hindus today use the term “Sanātana Dharma” as an alternative to “Hinduism.” It is used in that way in this article. The literal meaning of *sanātana-dharma* is “the eternal occupation of the soul,” which is pure devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa. *Rāmanātha-sukha Dāsa was initiated by Śrīla Prabhupāda in 1974 at the Atlanta temple. He lives in London, where he serves as a mentor and gives seminars for the London College of Vedic Studies and the School of Bhakti. He can be reached at [email protected].* Mīrābāī and the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Tradition By Satyarāja Dāsa Despite a lack of conclusive evidence regarding details of her life and poetry, Śrīla Prabhupāda acknowledged her as a high-grade devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Mīrābāī is one of India’s most beloved poets. Her *padāvalī*, or songbook—an anthology of diverse poems—was composed in Braj Bhāṣā, a dialect of Hindi originating in the Mathura/Vrindavan area. It consists of highly devotional verses, all focused on Lord Kṛṣṇa and His various manifestations. Mīrābāī particularly sings to the “lifter of Govardhana Hill” (Śrī Giridhārī-lāla) and Śrī Śyāmasundara, who is “dark and beautiful,” and she sees herself as His eternal bride. The zealous Mīrābāī is said to have spent most of her life in various Kṛṣṇa temples, composing and singing songs of devotion that are revered to this day. Very little is known about her life. From her own poetry and from later hagiographies, we learn that Mīrā lived in the sixteenth century and was a member of the Rathor royal family of Merta in western India. She was married early in life to Bhojraj Singh Sisodia, the eldest son of Rana Sanga, ruler of Mewar. But from her youngest days she valued nothing but Kṛṣṇa, her “Dark Lord.” This humiliated her husband, who was not similarly devoted. Mīrā was rebellious and focused squarely on her “other husband,” despite overt pushback from family and the royal retinue. According to a popular legend, in fact, her in-laws tried to murder her for her familial transgression. They sent her a glass of poison, telling her it was nectar, and a basket with a snake instead of flowers. She survived these and other attempts on her life, which bring to mind the story of Prahlāda Mahārāja, the child devotee whose single-minded devotion prompted his demoniac father to try to kill him. In later years, Mīrābāī is said to have lived in Braj (Vrindavan), where she wandered from temple to temple sharing her poetry with all who were interested. She is even said to have met one of the famed six Gosvāmīs of Vrindavan, a story to which we will later return. Finally, she traveled to Dwarka, where she believed she could perpetually live with Kṛṣṇa as her husband. The hagiographies reveal that she miraculously left this world by merging into either Raṇacoḍalāla (Raṇacorajī) or Dvārakādhīśa, two of the main Kṛṣṇa deities in Gujarat.1 But one must understand Mīrābāī from within a certain context. There is little evidence that any of the poems attributed to her are actually hers, with the exception of a precious few.2 The earliest manuscripts bearing her name appear in the late 1600s or early 1700s—almost a century after her alleged lifetime. Even her dates are uncertain, though this is not uncommon for people of her period.3 *Mīrā Meets Jīva Gosvāmī?* Most of what we know about Mīrābāī is often traced to Nābhādāsa’s sixteenth-century *Bhaktamāla*, a compendium of the lives of devotional luminaries, written in the Braj Bhāṣā dialect. But, in truth, we learn little about her from his root text. Rather, her story is found only in *Bhaktamāla* commentaries and in commentaries of commentaries. A case in point would be the famous tale, popular in Vrindavan even today, about Mīrā meeting Jīva Gosvāmī.4 The basic story runs as follows: When Mīrā asked to meet with Śrī Jīva while in Vrindavan, he conveyed through his attendant that he was disinclined to do so. This was because he was both a *vairāgī* (renouncer) and a *puruṣa* (male), and the *śāstras* forbid any meeting between a *vairāgī* *puruṣa* and a *prakṛti* (female). Mīrā famously replied, “*Śāstras* also say that in Vrindavan, Kṛṣṇa is the only *puruṣa* and all the rest are *prakṛti*. But now I know that there is at least one more *puruṣa* in Vrindavan besides Kṛṣṇa.” Jīva Gosvāmī was impressed by hearing this, humbly admitted defeat, and agreed to meet with her. *But where do we find this tale? Is it authentic?* Many attribute this narrative to Nābhādāsa’s work, but the meeting is not mentioned there. Rather, the seeds of the narrative—and only the seeds—can be traced to Nābhādāsa’s initial commentator, Priyādāsa, in his book *Bhaktirasabodhinī*.5 But even there the full story is absent, with Priyādāsa simply saying that Mīrā and Jīva met and together relished *hari-kathā*, talks about Kṛṣṇa. In other words, we find only an abbreviated version of the story, without the details so popular today. Indeed, the full Mīrā/Jīva narrative doesn’t emerge in the *Bhaktamāla* corpus until much later, in the time of Bhagavān Prasāda Rūpkalā (1840–1932). It is found for the first time in his book *Vārtik Tilak* (also known as the *Bhaktisudhāsvāda*), a text in the “*Bhaktamāla* family” that goes back no further than the early twentieth century.6 In other words, the tale is apocryphal. My initial doubts about the meeting were magnified when my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, made various statements indicating that he too was dubious. As but one example, we may note the following: Dr. Patel: One Gosvāmī refused to see Mīrābāī [because she is a woman], and then she said that “Kṛṣṇa is the only man . . . ” Prabhupāda: One thing is, we don’t find in any authoritative scripture that Mīrābāī ever met Rūpa Gosvāmī, but they say like that in Vrindavan. But from the life of Rūpa Gosvāmī, we understand that the Gosvāmīs were so popular in Vrindavan that if there was any family quarrel, husband and wife, they used to come to Rūpa Gosvāmī to settle up, and automatically he would give the decision, and they would settle up. So how it is possible that he did not see any woman? Dr. Patel: He did not, ah, [not] Rūpa Gosvāmī. [Perhaps it was] Jīva Gosvāmī, some other Gosvāmī, they say. Girirāja: It was Jīva Gosvāmī. Prabhupāda: Jīva Gosvāmī? Girirāja: Yes. Prabhupāda: Why Jīva Gosvāmī should not see a woman? That is also doubtful.7 By all indications, then, Prabhupāda was skeptical of the story, and as he points out, it is not to be found in any of the accepted Gauḍīya scriptures, biographies of Mahāprabhu, or the literary output of the Gauḍīya *ācāryas*. Further, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s biographer, Satsvarūpa dāsa Goswāmī, also tells a story suggesting a similar conclusion: One time a devotee told Prabhupāda a famous story about Mīrābāī. According to this story, Mīrābāī wanted to meet Jīva Gosvāmī, but Jīva Gosvāmī sent back a message, “I am a *sannyāsī* and you are a woman, so I cannot meet you.” Then, according to the story, Mīrābāī sent another message to Jīva Gosvāmī, saying, “I thought that Lord Kṛṣṇa was the only male in Vṛndāvana and that all others were female.” When Jīva Gosvāmī heard this reply, he supposedly agreed to meet her. When Prabhupāda heard this story, he said that this may not be true, because in our line the *sannyāsī*s do not refuse to meet women.8 Prabhupāda’s reaction may give us reason to pause: “This may not be true.” His reservations should be noted.9 When combined with the historical fact that the story cannot be traced to a time before the twentieth century, we are left with the likelihood that it never occurred. *Mīrā Glorifies Śrī Caitanya* Mīrābāī is clearly seen by the larger, pan-Indian tradition as a saint, an inspired Vaiṣṇava poet absorbed in love for Kṛṣṇa. And to show that Prabhupāda also held her in high esteem, we may note some of his comments: “The celebrated Mīrā Bāī,” writes Prabhupāda, “was a staunch devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa as the great lifter of Govardhana Hill.” (*Śrīmad Bhāgavatam* 2.3.15, Purport) He also said, “I have no objection for Mirabai’s songs . . .” (Letter, January 29, 1970) And again, “Just like Mīrābāī. She was playing with Kṛṣṇa doll and later on she became a very high-grade devotee.” (*Bhagavad-gītā* lecture, New York, September 16, 1966) Śrīla Prabhupāda here calls her a “staunch devotee” and a “very high-grade devotee,” and he says that he has “no objection for Mīrābāī’s songs.” This is, indeed, high praise, especially coming from Śrīla Prabhupāda, who holds consideration of his devotional forebears to the highest standard. But what is also fascinating, and indeed revealing, is that in one of the many songs attributed to her, she sings in praise of Lord Caitanya, articulating a distinctly Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava perspective. It was in a conversation with famed poet Allen Ginsberg (1926–1997),10 which took place on a spring day in 1969, that Prabhupāda revealed this poem to the ISKCON world: Prabhupāda: She appreciated the fact that Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa, and she has written a song that, “Now You have left aside Your flute and now have taken a *sannyāsī* garb.” In that way she has written nice poetry. “And where is Your hair and peacock feather? Now You are bald-headed.” In this way she appreciated. Her life was also excellent. Her father gave her a small Kṛṣṇa doll to play with and she developed love of Kṛṣṇa as husband.11 When I first read this in BTG, I became determined to find the full poem. To be sure, it does not appear in all Mīrābāī anthologies, but few of her poems do. This is one reason that her oeuvre is considered highly questionable—the standard anthologies offer no critical edition. That is to say, one finds that a particular poem is attributed to her in one place, and then the same poem is found elsewhere, in some other text, without consistency of authorship. So, too, with the Caitanya poem. It doesn’t show up in the work of Parashuram Chaturvedi, the most widely read collection of poetry allegedly attributable to Mīrābāī, but it does appear in the writings of Krishnadev Sharma, also well known, and he lists it as poem #203.12 The poem also exists in various forms, with verses slightly changed according to the edition. That said, Śrīla Prabhupāda published the following version in 1955 when he was editor of the Hindi periodical *Bhāgavata Patrikā.*13 It is inspiring to think that a little over a decade later, Śrīla Prabhupāda would be founder-*ācārya* of a worldwide ISKCON and sitting in one of his own temples with a noted international poet, Allen Ginsberg, referring to this very same poem: > ab tau harī nāma lau lāī [lāgī] | > sab jag ko yah mākhana corā, nāma dharayo bairāgī || > kit choḍī vah mohana muralī, kit choḍī saba gopī. > mūṣḍa muṣḍāi dori kaṭi bāī, māthe mohana ṭopī || > māta jaśomati mākhana kāraṇa, bā jāke pā | > śyāma kiśora bhaye nava-gaura, caitanya jāko nā || > pītāmbara ko bhāva dikhāvai, kaṭi kopīna kasai | > gaura-kṛṣṇa kī dāsī mīrā, rasanā kṛṣṇa vasai | “Now I have a burning desire to chant Hari’s name. This butter thief to all the world has taken on the name of a renunciate. Where did He leave His enchanting flute? And where are all the *gopīs*? He shaved His head, tied a strip of cloth around His waist, and adorned Himself with a charming headdress. He whose feet mother Yaśodā tied to prevent Him from [stealing] the butter, that dark-skinned youth has become like fresh gold, and His name is Caitanya. Though clad in torn loincloth, His yellow garment as well as His inner loving sentiments are revealed to me. As a result, Kṛṣṇa lives upon the tongue of Mīrā, the maidservant of Gaura-Kṛṣṇa.”14 Even in English translation, one can appreciate the poetry of the verse, as well as its distinct Gauḍīya conclusions. The juxtaposition of Kṛṣṇa’s enchanting flute and His dalliance with the *gopīs*, contrasted with Śrī Caitanya as an austere renunciant; or Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful black hair, adorned with a colorful peacock feather, contrasted with the shaved head of a *sannyāsī*—these accouterments of the Lord, highlighted by Śrīla Prabhupāda in his conversation with Allen Ginsberg, evoke the imagery of Kṛṣṇa’s two sides, i.e., in His original form as the lover of Rādhā and as Śrī Caitanya, His combined form of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, showing how to be the perfect devotee. The color of butter, like “fresh gold,” and His yellow garment, unmistakably representing Śrī Caitanya, reveal to Mīrā the inner portion of Kṛṣṇa, or “His inner loving sentiments,” which is the essence of Śrī Caitanya’s *avatāra*, who tastes the essence of Rādhā’s love. She and Śrī Caitanya are both golden, even as Kṛṣṇa is outwardly dark and golden within (for He always keeps Śrī Rādhā within His heart). As a result of this realization, Mīrā can only chant—the effective method prescribed by Śrī Caitanya for our current age of quarrel and hypocrisy—with full enthusiasm. Indeed, this is a Mīrā that many connoisseurs of Indian poetry tend to miss, and one that can only emerge if studied and appreciated in disciplic succession. *Notes* 1. The hagiographies are divided about which deity Mīrābāī merged into, with some opting for Raṇachoḍalāla (Raṇacorajī) and others Dvārakādhīśa. For more on her life story, see Nancy M. Martin, “Loving God the Mīrā Way: A Sādhana in Song and Story,” *Journal of Vaishnava Studies*, Volume 30, No. 2 (Spring 2022), 9–18. 2. For a discussion of Mīrā’s historicity, see John Stratton Hawley, “Mīrābāī in Manuscript,” *Three Bhakti Voices: Mirabai, Surdas, and Kabir in Their Time and Ours* (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005), 89–116. 3. For more on Mīrā’s’s hagiography and its lack of dependability, see Nancy M. Martin, *Mirabai: The Making of a Saint* (New York: Oxford University Press, 2023). 4. The Bengali version of the *Bhaktamāla* opines that the exchange with Mīrā occurred with Rūpa Gosvāmī as opposed to Jīva, though this book is much later and tends to depend on unreliable sources for additional data. 5. The basic story revealing that Mīrā met with Jīva Gosvāmī is found in *kavitta* 479 of the *Bhaktirasabodhinī*, circa eighteenth century, but little more is said. 6. For more on the dubious history of the Mīrā/Jīva narrative, see Steven J. Rosen, “Jīva and Mīrā: the Meeting in Question,” *Journal of Vaishnava Studies* 30.2 (Spring 2022), 27–36. 7. See Śrīla Prabhupāda, Morning Walk, December 17, 1975, Bombay. 8. See *Śrīla Prabhupāda Nectar*, Chapter 3, Part 24. 9. Śrīla Prabhupāda also expresses doubt about her disciplic pedigree. There is a popular tradition in Braj suggesting that she was initiated by Jīva Gosvāmī, but there is no textual evidence to support this claim. In fact, she cannot be traced to any one lineage (*sampradāya*). This is one of the reasons that she is not highlighted in any of the standard four *sampradāya*s: she has no formal guru and thus cannot be aligned with any traditional disciplic succession. Prabhupāda: “No. I do not know who is the guru of Mīrābāī. But Mīrābāī, from the childhood, she was a devotee. But I do not hear anyone as her guru.” (1.1 1976 Conversations and Morning Walks (https://back2godhead.com/newpdf-17-36/057_1969_01-28.html#6) 10. For more on Allen Ginsberg’s involvement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and his relationship with Śrīla Prabhupāda, see Satyarāja Dāsa, “Beats, Bhakti, and Allen Ginsberg,” *Back to Godhead*, Volume 57, No. 1 (January/February 2023), 40–47. 11. Conversations between His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and poet Allen Ginsberg took place at the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple in Columbus, Ohio, on May 11, 12, and 14, 1969. See BTG Number 28, 1969 (https://back2godhead.com/newpdf-17-36/057_1969_01-28.html#6). 12. See Chaturvedi, Parashuram, *Mīrābāī kī Padāvalī*, 18th edition (Prayāg: Hindī Sāhitya Sammelan, 1932, reprint, 1989) and Krishan Dev Sharma, *Mirambai ki Padavali* (New Delhi, Regal Book Depot, 1990), 266. The verses on Caitanya Mahāprabhu are found in the latter text near the end of poem #203. 13. See *Bhāgavata Patrikā*, Volume 1, Issue 1 (June 5, 1955), 18. On the first page, Prabhupāda is listed as being on the “associate editors board" (*sahakārī-sampādaka-saṅgha*). He is called the “Chief/Chairman” (Saṅghapati), and his name, as listed on the magazine’s masthead, is unmistakable: “Paṇḍita Śrīyuta Abhaya-caraṇa Bhaktivedānta (Saṅghapati).” 14. Again, there are alternate versions of this poem with slight variants. For example, certain versions begin with the word *sādho* (“saints”). Other variants include phrases like *man-mākhana-corā* (“thief of the butter of people’s minds”), and words like *dāma* (“waist”), instead of *pāv* (“feet”), which makes sense given the Dāmodara episode being evoked. Special thanks to Śrīvāsa Dāsa of Vrindavan for help with the translation of this verse. Sidebar *Contrasting Kṛṣṇa with Caitanya Mahāprabhu* The device of contrasting Kṛṣṇa with Mahāprabhu is not peculiar to Mīrābāī's work. Here we see an earlier version in the poetry of Vāsu Ghoṣa, a close associate of Lord Caitanya. > pūrabe bāndhala cūḍā ebe keśa-hīna naṭa-vara-veśa chāḍi parilā kaupīna Then He tied His hair above His head. Now that head is shaved. He gave up a splendid dancer’s dress for a simple piece of cloth. > gābhī-dohana bhāṇḍa chila vāma kare karaṅga dharilā gorā sei anusāre In his left hand He once held a pot He used to milk the cows. Now Gaura holds another bowl, but one to beg for alms. > tretāya dharila dhanu dvāparete vaśī kali-yuge daṇḍa-dhārī hailā sannyāsī In Tretā-yuga He held a bow, in Dvāpara a flute. In Kali-yuga He holds a staff, because He’s now a monk. > basu ghoṣa kahe śuna nadīya-nivāsī balarāma avadhūta kānāi sannyāsī Vasu Ghoṣa says: “Listen, all who live in Nadīya: Balarāma is now an *avadhūta*, Kānāi [Kṛṣṇa] a *sannyāsī*!” – *Translation by Gopīnatha Ācārya Dāsa* *Satyarāja Dāsa, a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda, is a BTG associate editor and founding editor of the* Journal of Vaishnava Studies. *He has written more than thirty books on Kṛṣṇa consciousness and lives near New York City.* The Causeless Mercy of Kṛṣṇa, the Selfless Autocrat By Suvarṇa Rādhā Devī Dāsī *Lord Kṛṣṇa’s actions counter the assertion that absolute power corrupts absolutely.* Google, Alexa, Siri, AI—all of these seem to have quick answers to our problems and inquiries these days. However, we realize innately that they cannot answer our deepest questions about the meaning of life, nor can they solve our moral dilemmas or clarify our confusion about all that life throws at us. Consequently, we feel stuck and keep searching for a perfect solution. When we see materialism’s corrosive consequences and are left with no options, we may begin to explore spiritual paths. For all ardent seekers, Śrīla Prabhupāda’s **Bhagavad-gītā* As It Is* provides easy access to insightful answers that would never be found even by wading through many piles of information and many misunderstandings. The *Bhagavad-gītā* offers an inspiring and transformative worldview. We learn, first of all, that at our core we are indestructible souls and our life has a glorious purpose: to evolve our consciousness from material attachments to eternal spiritual love for Kṛṣṇa, the all-attractive Supreme. We evolve by cultivating a service attitude toward Kṛṣṇa, and toward everyone else in relation to Him. The *Bhagavad-gītā* is one of the most precious gems of the Vedic scriptures. It is Kṛṣṇa’s direct words bestowed on humankind five thousand years ago. One of the unique and beautiful aspects of the *Bhagavad-gītā* is that it introduces us to a spiritual way of life that pleases the Lord. In His conversation with Arjuna, Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke 574 of the *Gītā’s* 700 verses. He uses the first-person pronouns “I,” “Me,” and “Mine” at least 160 times, presenting Himself as the source of everyone and everything and the perfect focus, goal, and object of everyone’s love, devotion, and surrender. If we look at the flow of the *Bhagavad-gītā,* we can understand that it is an instruction manual for how to live in and leave this world in Kṛṣṇa consciousness to join Kṛṣṇa in His eternal spiritual home. In the beginning of his Foreword to *Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā,* Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura writes, “The materialistic demeanor cannot possibly stretch to the transcendental autocrat who is ever inviting the fallen conditioned souls to associate with Him through devotion or eternal serving mood.” The term “transcendental autocrat” means that Kṛṣṇa’s power is absolute and cannot be challenged. But what kind of autocrat is He—selfish or selfless? This question may arise when we consider that He concludes His instructions in the *Gītā* (verse 18.66) with the command “Surrender unto Me.” *Our Selfless Friend* It is obvious to everyone that caring only about oneself is selfish. The root of selfishness is the false ego, the conception that we are our material body and mind. In contrast to us, the Lord, being absolute—His body, mind, intelligence, etc., being one spiritual self—transcends false ego. He is always *ātmārāma*, or self-satisfied. Therefore He has no reason to be selfish. Instead, He is selfless, full of compassion, and equal to everyone. Lord Kṛṣṇa says in *Gītā* 9.29, > samo ’haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu > na me dveṣyo ’sti na priyaḥ > ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā > mayi te teṣu cāpy aham “I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.” The first two lines of the verse show Kṛṣṇa as the Supersoul, equal to everyone. The second two lines show Kṛṣṇa’s relationship with His devotees. This is His Bhagavān feature, His original form from which His Supersoul (Paramātmā) feature expands to oversee the material world. As Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa reciprocates with others in a very personal way according to how they approach Him. That is why different people achieve different results. For example, He protects those who take shelter of Him, as demonstrated in various incarnations. As Mohinī-mūrti He gave the *devatās* the nectar of immortality churned from the ocean of milk and withheld it from the *asuras*. As Nṛsiṁhadeva He gave the throne of Hiraṇyakaśipu to Prahlāda Mahārāja. As Rāmacandra He gave the kingdom of Rāvaṇa to Vibhīṣaṇa. As Kṛṣṇa He gave the kingdom of Kaṁsa to Ugrasena and that of Duryodhana to Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja. Regardless, Lord Kṛṣṇa loves us unconditionally even though we rebel against Him. He is a selfless friend, as He has demonstrated in various pastimes. When Indra tried to destroy the Vrajavāsīs with a typhoon, Kṛṣṇa protected them from Indra’s anger but didn’t punish him. Indra was humiliated, but he was forgiven and allowed to continue his services in the universal management. In this pastime the Lord not only protected the Vrajavāsīs but protected Indra from his own pride. If there are unwanted qualities in us, the Lord may protect us from them through small punishments. Similarly, Brahmā once became bewildered and kidnapped Kṛṣṇa’s calves and cowherd boyfriends in Vrindavan. But later he realized his mistake and apologized to Kṛṣṇa with deep regret and humble prayers. Kṛṣṇa forgave him and instructed him to continue his services. The Supreme Lord forgives His devotees when they seek His forgiveness for their mistakes, as He says in *Gītā* 9.30: “Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination.” He is also prepared to forgive even demons when they seek shelter of Him. This is His unlimited kindness. He will never disown us. Every living entity is part of Him, and thus He loves everyone as His child and hates no one. He stays with us as the Supersoul, witnessing all we go through in millions and billions of births while suffering under the illusion of independence. Kṛṣṇa’s kindness gives us hope, but we shouldn’t take advantage of His kindness and perform misdeeds. Kṛṣṇa’s autocracy leads to His eliminating miscreants, but it doesn’t mean He hates them. He never disowns them even though He disapproves of their nefarious activities. He tries to rectify their mentality and is willing to forgive them. But He never interferes with their little independence. *Our Supreme Well-wisher* To be selfish means to work only for one’s own self-interest. From *Gītā* 5.29 we understand that Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate beneficiary of the good things of this world, and in that sense He is also selfish. But from *Gītā* 15.7 we understand that everyone is part of Kṛṣṇa, so if Kṛṣṇa is selfish, then His selfishness is also for our good; we benefit when He benefits. This all-encompassing beneficial selfishness is unique to Kṛṣṇa, and hence He is transcendental to the implications of ordinary selfishness. Therefore we must have faith in the Lord’s integrity and intentions. We’ll achieve peace only when we realize that He is our greatest advocate and benefactor. Until then, we shall keep becoming frustrated and upset. *Kṛṣṇa and His Energy* Kṛṣṇa says in *Gītā* 9.17–18 that He is everyone’s source, shelter, sustainer, and most dear friend. Because everything is His energy and thus nondifferent from Him, nothing exists separate from Him. It is truly amazing how everything is resting on Kṛṣṇa while at the same time He is completely aloof from material existence, enjoying His transcendental pastimes in the spiritual world. It seems impossible. But because Kṛṣṇa is absolutely all-powerful, He can do anything conceivable or inconceivable. He is under no restrictions and can do anything He chooses to do. And while He is unpredictable, His is not whimsical or inconsistent. He is the transcendental autocrat who has fulfilled everyone’s desires since time immemorial. For those who are not devoted to Him, He fulfills their desire by creating a material world to bewilder them. Although they are by nature His eternal loving servants, they can forget that factual relationship and enjoy illusory, temporary happiness—and suffer distress—because of identifying with the soul’s material coverings of gross and subtle bodies. Though the word *autocrat* often has negative connotations, Kṛṣṇa’s absolute power does not make Him unkind. All His acts are for the ultimate benefit of all living entities. In every way He is good, a complete well-wisher for us. So what do we lose by surrendering to His autocracy? The absolute best must have full autocracy. The Lord punishes the wrongdoer, but He is not happy to do so, because the living entities are part of Him. He is said to be harder than the thunderbolt for the wrongdoer and softer than the rose for the faithful. The wrongdoer is misled by bad associates and by ill advice, which is against the established principles of the Lord’s order, and thus he becomes subject to punishment. The transcendental autocrat invites the fallen conditioned souls to associate with Him especially by chanting His holy names. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in his purport to *Bhagavad-gītā* 8.19: “But those intelligent persons who take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness use the human life fully in the devotional service of the Lord, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Thus, they transfer themselves, even in this life, to the spiritual planet of Kṛṣṇa and become eternally blissful there, not being subject to such rebirths.” When Śrīla Prabhupāda says “even in this life,” does he mean that within his heart the devotee enters Kṛṣṇaloka even while still in the material body? Or does he mean at the end of this life the devotee goes back to Godhead? Or does he mean both? We find the answer in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s purport to *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 2.2.30: “The devotee is able to relish the fruit of love of God and thus live practically with Lord Kṛṣṇa, even in this life, and be able to see the Lord in every step. The highest perfection of life is to enjoy life constantly in the association of the Lord, and one who can relish this does not aspire after any temporary enjoyment of the material world via other media.” And in his purport to *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 4.29.65: “If a person is engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, he is to be considered a liberated soul even in this life.” The conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa can be experienced at every moment. The pure devotee is already “back to Godhead” even before he leaves this body. This is why Śrīla Prabhupāda states his purport to *Bhagavad-gītā* 8.15: “The *mahātmās* receive transcendental messages from the realized devotees and thus gradually develop devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and become so absorbed in transcendental service that they no longer desire elevation to any of the material planets, nor do they even want to be transferred to any spiritual planet. They only want Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa s association, and nothing else.” The *Bhagavad-gītā* gives us instructions on how to reach Kṛṣṇa’s realm. Is there anything more sublime than this? Can someone get wealthy just by thinking about money? Or is it possible to just consider running for office and be elected right away? No. These things don’t just happen. However, the greatest accomplishment of all, reaching Goloka Vṛndāvana, is readily attained by meditating on Kṛṣṇa. This demonstrates the profoundness of Kṛṣṇa’s name. Because Kṛṣṇa and His name are identical, chanting His name is a most powerful means of connecting with Him and transcending worldly existence. While He delivered a few souls in His incarnations, His name has purified countless souls who have chanted it with faith and devotion. Kṛṣṇa is not simply attached to Rādhā and the other *gopīs*; He loves everyone and is the best friend of every living entity (including you). So if you want friendship with Kṛṣṇa like Arjuna, you can have it, provided you take shelter of Him like Arjuna. *Kṛṣṇa’s Causeless Mercy* Kṛṣṇa autocracy leads Him to eliminate miscreants, but His selflessness leads Him to accommodate miscreants in some way. He exhibited this quality in regard to Pūtanā, the demoness who tried to kill Him by suckling Him with a breast smeared with poison. But the Lord killed her. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, “When Kṛṣṇa saw that Pūtanā had come to kill Him, He thought that since this woman was present with motherly affection, although artificial, He had to offer her a benediction.” (*Bhāgavatam* 10.6.8, Purport) Pūtanā was malicious, but because she performed an act of a mother, Kṛṣṇa gave her a benediction for that pretension of motherhood. This example of the Lord’s causeless mercy has been praised by great *ācāryas* throughout history. Recalling Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, Uddhava exclaimed, “Alas, how shall I take shelter of one more merciful than Him [Lord Kṛṣṇa], who granted the position of mother to the she-demon Pūtanā although she was faithless and had prepared deadly poison to be sucked from her breast?” (*Bhagavatam* 3.2.23) *Take His Shelter* Everyone is totally dependent on Lord Kṛṣṇa, while He is fully independent. Once we accept our complete dependence on Him and surrender to Him with unmotivated, steady devotion, then we can resume our eternal loving relationship with our real dearest friend. Through the Vedic scriptures we can gain insight into Kṛṣṇa’s nature and activities. This knowledge manifests in our heart as a realization when we attain the mercy of Kṛṣṇa and His bona fide representative by submission, inquiries, and service. Kṛṣṇa is not a punishing, vengeful God. Our suffering is the result of our separation from Him, which we inflict upon ourselves by trying to enjoy life separately from Him. To leave the material world is extremely difficult because we must meet certain standards. But Kṛṣṇa offers His causeless mercy to those who seek it. Still, it is up to Him whether or not to bestow it. We cannot demand it from Him—since He is an autocrat. We must nevertheless approach Him sincerely and seek His shelter. His statement requesting exclusive surrender to Him (*Gītā* 18.66) is only for our benefit. When we read *Bhagavad-gītā* sincerely and submissively, in the mood of full surrender to guru and Kṛṣṇa, we will be able to see Kṛṣṇa in every page. And we will realize that He is a selfless friend and transcendental autocrat who is always ready to bestow upon us His causeless mercy. *Suvarṇa Rādhā Devī Dāsī, PhD, and her husband Brajanātha Dāsa, PhD, both disciples of His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami, live in Longmont, Colorado, with their two daughters. They are active in book distribution and serving Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda at ISKCON Denver.* The Glories of Self-realization by Viśākhā Devī Dāsī *In the Bhagavad-gītā Lord Kṛṣṇa offers essential lessons for anyone serious about answering life’s most important questions.* We humans are unique. Among all the millions of species of living beings, we alone want to understand ourselves—we seek meaning and value and purpose, we want to know why we exist, we wonder what, if anything, we’re supposed to be doing and what happens after death. It’s simply not enough for us to survive. To go beyond surviving and find answers to such profound questions, we may analyze and philosophize. We may search and research. And we may turn to the science of self-realization presented in one of humankind’s oldest wisdom narratives, the *Bhagavad-gītā*, the song divine. The *Bhagavad-gītā’s* premise is straightforward: the living force is not material. In other words, you and I and all things alive are more than a combination of physical elements; we are more than our body and mind. In the final analysis, we are spiritual beings temporarily residing within a particular body that has a particular mind. We are spirit souls who are different from our material residence (our body and mind). Time will gradually and inevitably destroy our material body and mind, but time will never affect the living force, the spirit soul, for the soul is immortal. The soul does not die when the body dies. The *Gītā* (2.29) enticingly declares, “Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing.” And it challenges us to try to understand the soul because that is who we are. Although we can sense our spiritual identity, we can’t see or measure it, we can’t touch or smell it, we can’t poke, prod, dissect, or x-ray it. Yet the concept that “I am not this body or mind; I’m an eternal soul living within this body and mind” makes perfect sense. For example, it’s because the soul is beautiful that we’re attracted by beauty and try to make our body and surroundings beautiful. It’s because the soul is knowledgeable that we’re uncomfortable with ignorance and want to be informed. And it’s because the soul is happy by nature that we’re always seeking happiness. Unfortunately, people often don’t take the opportunity to understand their identity, even though without such self-understanding all activities result in ultimate defeat in the struggle for existence. *Revolutionary Teachings* The *Bhagavad-gītā’s* first lesson—that we are spiritual beings—is completely revolutionary, for if we take this knowledge as true, even theoretically, we can understand why we’re not really satisfied with all the things this world offers. We can understand why we’re confused about life’s goal and frustrated with our attempts to find lasting pleasure and happiness in this world. If taken seriously, the knowledge of the *Bhagavad-gītā* changes absolutely everything about our values and viewpoint, our intention and motivation. If, somehow or other, we’re able to understand the subject of the soul, then our life is successful. And there are so many more wonders to follow in the extraordinary narrative known as the *Bhagavad-gītā*. The *Gītā* (4.38) gives us a hint of those glories to come: “In this world, there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge.” The philosopher and historian Alexis de Tocqueville asserted the necessity of faith in transcendental knowledge: “The incomplete joys of this world will never suffice for his [man’s] heart. Religion is only a particular form of hope and it is as natural to the human heart as hope itself . . . . Men cannot abandon their religious faith without a kind of aberration of intellect and a sort of violent distortion of their true nature; they are invincibly brought back to more pious sentiments. Unbelief is an accident, and faith is the only permanent state of mankind.” (*Democracy in America*, Vol. 2) It takes faith to embark on the spiritual path. Once we have enough faith to start following the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and controlling our senses, then according to Śrīla Prabhupāda, “Your result is guaranteed, and you'll feel it. How will you feel it? Just like you are hungry and if you are given some food, foodstuff, and you eat it, and as you eat it, you feel that ‘Yes, I am feeling satisfaction,’ so you'll feel it. You won’t have to ask anybody that ‘Whether I am making progress or not?’ You yourself will feel it.” (Lecture, *Bhagavad-gītā* 4.37–40, August 17, 1966, New York) We may wonder, “What exactly will I feel if I have faith in God and follow the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness?” For one, just from being rightly situated we’ll notice an inner shift toward increasing peace and a sense of fulfilment. Yet at the same time, we’ll also notice a keen sense of striving to be better and to do better than we’ve done in the past. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains, “There is always room for improvement. If you go on thinking, ‘Oh, I did not perform this duty so nicely. I should have done it this way,’ then you will improve. Our love for Kṛṣṇa keeps growing as long as we think that we are not doing the most for Kṛṣṇa and that we must do more. This is humbleness. If you think, ‘Oh, I did this so wonderfully. I am such a nice and sincere devotee,’ then this is not good. There will be no improvement.” (*Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta*, Chapter 56) In other words, in the life of a devotee of Kṛṣṇa there’s a dynamic balance between, on one hand, feeling that we’re doing what we’re meant to be doing, that we’ve found our place and our people, and on the other hand always striving to improve and never being complacent or lackadaisical. In one of His first instructions to Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa mentions another quality of devotees, namely that they are learned (*paṇḍita*). At least theoretically, devotees know the difference between matter and spirit, and they know that Kṛṣṇa, God, is the controller of both. Knowing that they are spiritual beings, *ātmās*, makes devotees more learned than the vast majority of people on this planet. Kṛṣṇa says that a characteristic or symptom of such knowledgeable people is that they are *anuśocanti*, meaning they don’t lament unnecessarily. *Progressive Qualities* Another quality that’s unearthed as one strives to be a full-fledged devotee is that one is sober and tolerant, or *dhīra*. In Kṛṣṇa’s words: > dehino ’smin yathā dehe > kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā > tathā dehāntara-prāptir > dhīras tatra na muhyati “As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from childhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” (*Gītā* 2.13) Besides “sober,” *dhīra* also means steady, resolute, brave, energetic, and composed. Along the same lines, Kṛṣṇa next mentions *titikṣasva*, or “tolerant,” as a quality of one who’s progressing in the science of self-realization. He says that the coming and going of happiness and distress are like the coming and going of winter and summer. We feel these changes due to our mind and senses, but these sensations do not affect our actual identity. In all circumstances we remain spiritual beings. Kṛṣṇa wants us to be untroubled by such inevitable fluctuations; He asks us to tolerate them without being disturbed. Throughout the world, innumerable academic institutions offer knowledge to innumerable students, yet it’s unlikely that those students are offered the preliminary teachings that Śrī Kṛṣṇa offers Arjuna as the *Gītā* begins: understanding the distinction between matter and spirit. Become fixed in that knowledge and experience a qualitative inner shift in your consciousness, including the gradual subsiding of regrets for what you’ve lost and longings for what you’ve not yet gained. You’ll see yourself beginning to tolerate the rising and falling of life’s constantly shifting tides without being deeply affected. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the supreme authority, makes a remarkable promise to those who manifest these basic qualities: “The person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation.” (*Gītā* 2.15) If we fail to develop such qualities, our future is not bright. In the observation of Alexis de Tocqueville, “When the taste for physical gratifications among them [the people] has grown more rapidly than their education . . . the time will come when men are carried away and lose all self-restraint.” (*Democracy in America*, Vol. 2) We may not often consider it, but we are immensely fortunate simply to be in a human body rather than in the body of one of millions of other, lower, species. Just as it’s a travesty for the children of wealthy parents to squander their inherited money, it’s a tragedy when we humans squander our intelligence and energy on paltry things like trying to gratify our senses and mind or trying to become materially influential and famous. We are meant for the grand endeavor of trying to understand our actual identity. And when we begin to grasp who we are, the door to unimaginable pleasure—spiritual pleasure—will gradually swing open. *Visakha Devi Dasi 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.* Big Help from a Small Book by Karuṇā Dhārinī Devī Dāsī *Śrīla Prabhupāda’s disciples turned some of his early lectures into small books for everyone’s benefit.* The small book *On the Way to Kṛṣṇa* was prepared from transcripts of *Bhagavad-gītā* lectures Śrīla Prabhupāda gave in New York City in the fall of 1966. The lectures consist of information in the *Bhagavad-gītā* that Śrīla Prabhupāda chose to present as most relevant for his new audience in the West. By the sound of amusement in his voice and the anecdotes and stories he would tell in those early lectures, we can conjecture that he was spoon-feeding his newcomers, similar to a father patiently offering guidance to a young child. Perhaps that is why small books such as *Rāja-vidyā: The King of Knowledge*, *Kṛṣṇa Consciousness: The Matchless Gift*, and *On the Way to Kṛṣṇa*, although admittedly selective presentations of classes given by Śrīla Prabhupāda, are such good reads. Prabhupāda himself saw the potential in publishing them: “I like your idea to publish many small books especially meant for the layman class. ISKCON Press has just printed Topmost Yoga and Easy Journey, and you may order these from them. I have written and spoken ample stock for such articles and essays. Now it is up to our editors in N.Y. to select and publish them.” (Letter to Bahulāśva Dāsa, November 1971) I regularly distribute Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books, including the small ones, and sometimes while I’m stuck under the eaves of a building in the rain with a stack of them in my hands, I’ll crack one open and take shelter in reading Śrīla Prabhupāda’s message. I then find myself transcended into a happiness that helps me through a wet day of book distribution. Here I present a short summary of three chapters (1, 2, and 5) of the little classic *On the Way to Kṛṣṇa.* *Throughway to Happiness* *On the Way to Kṛṣṇa* addresses our need to be happy. It is based on the *Bhagavad-gītā’s* infallible instructions. Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that it is possible to achieve happiness that is boundless and transcendental. Due to their levels of consciousness, different creatures on earth experience various conditions of life and degrees of happiness. For example, the experience of trees and animals is not highly developed. Their potential to feel happiness corresponds with this lacking. A certain amount of developed intelligence is required to experience and enjoy life as a human being can. Pure spiritual energy is inside every body, no matter what the species. Its potency is exhibited by the varying levels of consciousness. The soul is something like a spiritual spark, and as sparks come from a fiery source, the individual spiritual sparks emanate from the original fire, which is God. “The *Vedas* confirm that the spirit soul, although atomic in size, is the actual enjoying agent. It is not possible to measure the soul, but that is not to say that it is without measurement. The spirit soul must also have form; otherwise how is it that the material body has grown to accommodate it? The conclusion is that the spiritual spark is not impersonal. God is an actual person, and the spiritual spark, being a fragmental part of Him, is also a person.” (*On the Way to Kṛṣṇa*, Chapter 1). By this line of reasoning, we may further consider: can we, God’s children, assert our own need for happiness and individuality while denying that of our father? Like us, the Supreme Lord is an individual person who experiences happiness. The idea behind yoga practice is to transcend the material mind and senses by linking them with Kṛṣṇa, who is supremely conscious and full of unlimited happiness. Lord Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna, “In that joyous state [*samādhi*], one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness, realized through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth, and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain.” (*Gītā* 6.21) In another of his small books—*Elevation to Kṛṣṇa Consciousness*—Śrīla Prabhupāda tells the story of a man who wanted to know what sugar cane is. When he asked someone what it looks like, he was told, “It looks just like a bamboo rod.” So the foolish man began to chew on all kinds of bamboo rods. We are trying for sweet happiness by “chewing” the material body; in this attempt there is nothing sweet, nor is there any pleasure. *The Way of Chanting and of Knowing Kṛṣṇa* In the second chapter of *On the Way to Kṛṣṇa*, Śrīla Prabhupāda gives an example relevant to the environment that surrounded him when he delivered those initial lectures of 1966. “At the present moment we have accumulated so much dust on the mirror of the mind, just as on Second Avenue [New York City] there is dust and soot over everything due to the heavy traffic. Due to our manipulation of the material activities, a great deal of dust has collected over our mind’s clear mirror, and as a consequence we are unable to see things in perspective.” Though we are influenced by a material mind and body, our very self is a spiritual entity capable of true and transcendental happiness. It is imperative to remove the dusty covering to access our inner potential. By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, we can cleanse the dust from the mirror of the mind and properly see who we are. This chanting is a call to the Supreme: “My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, please engage me in Your devotional service.” Happiness can be achieved only when we begin to understand our identity as Kṛṣṇa’s servant. This dust is not simply immorality. What is moral in one society may be immoral in another. For example, historically in India drinking wine was considered immoral. But in America, wine drinking has generally been considered acceptable. The phrase “dust on the mirror of the mind” refers to whatever clouds our understanding of ourselves as servants of Lord Kṛṣṇa, regardless of our past good or bad habits. No matter what our position, if we take up the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa *mahā-mantra* with all sincerity, our materialistic habits will diminish. Kṛṣṇa makes a strong statement in this regard: “Even if one commits the most abominable activity, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination.” (*Gītā* 9.30) Śrīla Prabhupāda spices this lecture with a relevant story about a thief who set out on pilgrimage to a holy place. Along with many other pilgrims, he stopped to spend the night at an inn. The thief was addicted to stealing, but he was also inclined to stop. “I’m going on a holy pilgrimage, so it just doesn’t seem right,” he thought. “I shall not do it!” However, because his habit was to snatch things at night, he could not refrain from looking at the others’ bags, picking them up, and considering the contents. By and by they were all switched around. In the morning there was a clamor from the pilgrims. “Who moved my bag? Hey, where is mine?” Seeing this, the thief/pilgrim felt obliged to explain. “I am a thief by occupation. I am habituated to stealing at night, but I also thought that since I am going to this holy place it is not possible to steal. I have only just rearranged these bags. Please excuse me.” By telling this story to his new spiritual aspirants, Śrīla Prabhupāda deliberately shines a light on a sensitive point often debated in theological circles. He guides his young neophytes not to become discouraged over the possibility of weakness. This story illustrates a characteristic of a bad habit. The thief doesn’t want to commit theft anymore, but because he is habituated, sometimes he does. Thus Kṛṣṇa says that one who has decided to refrain from bad habits and progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is to be considered a sadhu, even if out of habit or by chance he yields to his faults. By chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra we are relieved of the dirt of our past misdeeds. Lord Kṛṣṇa says, “He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.” (*Gītā* 9.31) *The Roads of the Foolish and the Wise* Chapter five of *On the Way to Kṛṣṇa* includes the story of Dhruva Mahārāja, found in the Fourth Canto of *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*. The story shows how one can attain pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness regardless of past misfortune. Due to an incident of painful and shameful mistreatment by his own family, the young boy Dhruva was determined to seek revenge. Little did he know what the outcome would be. In Śrīla Prabhupāda’s telling of the story in a lecture and presented in *On the Way to Kṛṣṇa*, Dhruva was a prince of a royal family, the son of one of his father’s two wives. His stepmother was not favorable toward him. One day when Dhruva was sitting on his father’s knee, she insulted him by telling him that he was ineligible to sit there because he was not born of her. Feeling angry and hurt, Dhruva went to his mother, the king’s less-favored wife, and asked her how he might seek revenge. “Dear Mother,” he said, “my stepmother has insulted me by dragging me from my father’s lap.” “Dear son,” the mother replied, “what can I do? I am helpless, and your father no longer cares for me.” “Well, how can I take revenge?” the boy asked. “My dear boy, you are helpless. Only if God helps you can you take revenge.” “Oh, where is God?” Dhruva asked enthusiastically. “I understand that so many sages go to the jungle and forest to see God,” the mother replied. “They undergo great penances and austerities in order to find God there.” Dhruva at once set out for the forest, where he asked the forest creatures if they had seen God anywhere. Hearing of Dhruva’s quest, Nārada Muni became concerned. He asked the prince, “My dear boy, what are you doing in the forest?” “I have come here to get my father’s kingdom,” he said. Taking compassion upon him, Nārada initiated Dhruva into chanting the names of God: *oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya*. Dhruva readily took up chanting this mantra daily with great determination, and one by one his requirements for food, water, and even air became less important to him. He took complete shelter in the sound of the chanting. Dhruva did not attract the attention only of Nārada Muni in this endeavor; Nārāyaṇa Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His four-armed form, appeared before him, dressed in brilliant yellow silk and wearing pearl necklaces and a majestic helmet bedecked with fine jewels. Upon seeing the Lord, Dhruva experienced a great transformation and was overwhelmed with pure divine love. “My dear Dhruva,” the Lord said, “what do you want? You can take from Me whatever you want.” “My dear Lord,” the boy replied, “I was undergoing such severe penances simply for my father’s kingdom and land, but now I have seen You. Even the great sages and saints cannot see You. What is my profit? I left my home to find merely some scraps of glass and rubbish, and instead I have found a very valuable diamond. Now I am satisfied. I have no need to ask anything of You.” *Steering Toward the Supreme* From the story of Dhruva Mahārāja it can be understood that materialistic life is based on personal desire and selfish interests. When we say that we want some pleasure from this material world, it can only mean we want some type of gratification for our mind or senses. Like the man who chewed one bamboo stick after another, we try to find sweetness in all of the wrong places. We are actually looking for our own original love for Kṛṣṇa. In this world, that love becomes diverted into intense endeavor for self-centered enjoyment, which ends in suffering. In our original experience of love for Kṛṣṇa, there is none of this duality of enjoyment and suffering. By nature we are perfect and complete; as perfect emanations from Kṛṣṇa, our experience of Him and His service is wholly satisfying. The invocation to *Śrī Īśopaniṣad* states: “The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the complete whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the complete Whole, even though so many units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance.” Though the three stories presented here (the bamboo chewer, the pilgrimage thief, and Dhruva) may at first glance seem arbitrarily told by Śrīla Prabhupāda, don’t forget that he told them in the mood of a devoted father speaking to his beloved children. They are meant for each of us as well, steering us toward the topmost destination. We must not try to find sweetness in the wrong places, like the man chewing bamboo rods instead of sugarcane. There are many, many options in the material world to chew, but only one option, that of loving service to the Lord, affords us the pure sweet taste of transcendental satisfaction. On the way to Kṛṣṇa, we must forgo our past conditioning. Even after thoroughly taking to spiritual practice, we will still usually have some conditioning that lingers and haunts us. However, like the thief on pilgrimage, we have a travel plan to reach Kṛṣṇa’s abode that is firmly set. Considering what the destination is, we must not give in to the ghosts of our conditioning along the way. Like Dhruva, who wanted his father’s kingdom, we aspirants for pure love of Kṛṣṇa may chant with material objectives. But if we follow our spiritual master’s instructions, as Dhruva did, eventually the clouds of darkness will part and we will come to realize the immense value of our relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. *Karuṇā Dhārinī Devī Dāsī, a disciple of His Grace Vīrabāhu Dāsa, serves the deities at ISKCON Los Angeles, where she joined ISKCON in 1979. She has also been distributing Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books since her earliest days in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. She lives with her husband and daughter.* From the Editor *Lord Kṛṣṇa the Protector* Near the end of the *Bhagavad-gītā,* Kṛṣṇa speaks a verse that Śrīla Prabhupāda often cited as the culmination of His teachings: “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” (*Gītā* 18.66) The meaning of *surrender* here may not be self-evident. In *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta* (*Madhya* 22.100), Lord Caitanya lists six divisions of *surrender*: “Acceptance of those things favorable to devotional service, the rejection of unfavorable things, the conviction that Kṛṣṇa will give protection, the acceptance of the Lord as one’s guardian or master, full self-*surrender*, and humility.” Regarding the third item—the conviction that Kṛṣṇa will give protection—Lord Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna, “Declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.” (*Gītā* 9.31) Those of us committed to the practice of *bhakti-yoga* might take these words as a promise of physical protection, but it’s important to understand their context. Kṛṣṇa is here talking about devotees who have temporarily (Prabhupāda would say “accidentally”) deviated from their spiritual practice or vows. He is assuring us that He will never reject anyone who seriously takes to the path of *bhakti-yoga*, which leads to perfection in *prema*, pure love for Him. Everything Kṛṣṇa does for those of us on the path to Him is meant to aid our spiritual progress. On this principle He decides what is best for each of us. That may or may not always include physical protection. If we misunderstand Kṛṣṇa’s promise of protection for His devotees, we may lose faith in His words when we see that devotees are not always physically protected. An example of devotees’ not being protected physically is disease. A doubt may occur: “Why did Kṛṣṇa not protect me from cancer?” The great devotee Bhīṣmadeva addressed questions like this when, referring to the repeated hardships of the Pāṇḍavas, he said, “O King, no one can know the plan of the Lord [Śrī Kṛṣṇa]. Even though great philosophers inquire exhaustively, they are bewildered.” (*Bhāgavatam* 1.9.16) An axiomatic truth for aspiring devotees is that everything Kṛṣṇa does is motivated by love. We must hold on to that conviction. A corollary is that Kṛṣṇa has unlimited, perfect intelligence. He knows us better than we know ourselves, so no one is more qualified to help us achieve our ultimate goal. We should view our suffering while on the path of *bhakti-yoga* as helpful for our spiritual progress. First of all, it serves to remind us that the material world is not our real home and we’ll never find true happiness and fulfillment here. That’s an essential lesson for us to fully grasp, given that we tend to seek shelter in the things of this world rather than in Kṛṣṇa. Another harmful habit is the tendency to slacken our devotional efforts when everything seems to be going well. Even if we struggle to understand how Kṛṣṇa is always protecting us, the main point is to accept that He is doing so. That means we should practice turning to Him in all circumstances. That’s what is meant by surrender or “taking shelter”—a literal translation of the phrase *śaraṇaṁ vraja* from *Gītā* 18.66. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura tells us in a memorable instruction in one of his songs, “Take shelter of the holy name as your only business.” If we put that instruction into practice—taking shelter of the *mahā-mantra* rather than anything material—we’ll feel Kṛṣṇa’s presence and transcend the fear that pervades material existence. Hare Kṛṣṇa. —*Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor* Bhakti Wisdom The Vedic literatures give different directions for the human civilization, including the civilization of the senses, of the mind, of the intelligence, and of the soul proper. The *Bhagavad-gītā* primarily deals with the intelligence of man, leading one to the progressive path of civilization of the spirit soul. And *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is the complete human civilization dealing with the subject matter of the soul proper. As soon as a man is raised to the status of the civilization of the soul, he is fit to be promoted to the kingdom of God. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 2.7.18, Purport Modern civilization does not suspect its own degradation in exclusively seeking mundane enjoyment. The mind and body have a natural aptitude for sensuous gratification, and all mundane activities are practiced for its realization. The few can grasp that the unalloyed essence of the soul has a natural aptitude for exclusive service of the Absolute that is utterly incompatible with mundane sensuous living. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura *Notes on the Bhāgavata* 29 A pure devotee must not cherish any desire other than to serve Kṛṣṇa. He should not offer worship to the demigods or to mundane personalities. He should not cultivate artificial knowledge, which is devoid of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and he should not engage himself in anything other than Kṛṣṇa conscious activities. One must engage all one’s purified senses in the service of the Lord. This is the favorable execution of Kṛṣṇa conscious activities. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu *Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā* 19.168 Neither religious activities endowed with honesty and mercy nor knowledge obtained with great penance can completely purify one's consciousness if they are bereft of loving service to Me. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* 11.14.22 The eternal, imperishable, transcendental, blissful nectar honey of pure love for Kṛṣṇacandra’s lotus feet completely robs the void of all its attractiveness. Who could be attracted to the void if the nectar of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet is available. Śrīla Rāghava Gosvāmī *Śrī Hari-bhakti-ratna-prakāśa* 11c When the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not manifest all His transcendental qualities, He is called complete. When all the qualities are manifested, but not fully, He is called more complete. When He manifests all His qualities in fullness, He is called most complete. This is the version of all learned scholars in the devotional science. The most complete qualities of Kṛṣṇa are manifested within Vṛndāvana, and His complete and more complete qualities are manifested in Dvārakā and Mathurā. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī *Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu* 2.1.222–223 BTG59-02, 2025