madhu pandit - krishna voice 2010 02(feb)

His Divine Grace A. C. BhaktivedantaSwami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Societyfor Krishna Consciousness, came toAmerica in 1965, at age 69, to fulfillhis spiritual master’s request that heteach the science of Krishnaconsciousness throughout the English-speaking world. In a dozen years hepublished some seventy volumes oftranslation and commentary on India’sVedic literature, and these are nowstandard in universities worldwide.Meanwhile, travelling almost nonstop,Srila Prabhupada moulded hisinternational society into a world wideconfederation of ashramas, schools,temples and farm communities. Hepassed away in 1977, in Vrindavana,the place most sacred to Lord Krishna.His disciples and followers are carryingforward the movement he started.

Feb 2010Vol 11, No.2

CONTENTS

Who is Lord Chaitanya? 4

Srila Prabhupada Speaks Out 9

To Love God 12

Sour Grapes and the Vine of Vedic Knowledge 14

From Morality to Spirituality 17

The Teachings of Lord Chaitanya 19

Published and owned by Sankirtana Seva Trust,editing by Chamari Devi Dasi.Layout, design and graphics by ISKCON DesignGroup, Bangalore.For all information contact: Editor, KrishnaVoice, SST, Hare Krishna Hill, Chord Road,Bangalore - 560 010 INDIA Phone: 91-80-23471956, 91-80-2357 8346 Fax: 91-80-2357 8625.© 2010 Sankirtana Seva Trust, Bangalore. AllKrishna art and the works of Srila Prabhupadaare © BBT International.All rights reserved throughout the world.Reproduction in any manner is strictlyprohibited.Printed for ISKCON, Bangalore, at ManipalPrinters (P) Ltd., Manipal.

Please chant...

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

...and be happy!

Krishna Voice, Feb 2010 3

Cover pages-4 Text pages-24


Who is Lord Chaitanya?Understanding His position in the light of scripture

and the teachings of previous spiritual mastersA lecture given in Mayapur, West Bengal, on March 2, 1974

by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupadaFounder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

jaya jaya mahaprabhu sri-krishna-chaitanyatanhara caranasrita sei bada dhanya

"Let me offer glorification to the Supreme Lord, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. One who has taken shelter of His lotusfeet is the most glorified person."

—Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila 7.2

Sri Krishna Chaitanya is Sri Krishna. Srila Rupa Gosvami spoke this verse:

namo maha-vadanyayakrishna-prema-pradaya te

krishnaya krishna-chaitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah

"O most munificent incarnation! You are Krishna Himself appearing as Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Youhave assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani [Lord Krishna's internal energy], and You are widely distributingpure love of Krishna. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You."

Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself. In this age, known as Kali-yuga, Krishna's direct incarnation is Sri ChaitanyaMahaprabhu. This is also confirmed throughout the Vedic literature—Mahabharata, Puranas, Upanishads. Theessence of all Vedic literature is the Srimad-Bhagavatam, and there also Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is acceptedas the Supreme Lord:

krishan-varnam tvisakrishnamsangopangastra-parsadamyajnaih sankirtana-prayair

yajanti hi su-medhasah

The Srimad-Bhagavatam says that in the Kali-yuga the incarnation of Krishna has a bodily complexion that isakrishna, "not Krishna." The Sanskrit word Krishna means "black." In the shastra, the scriptures, it is said thatKrishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appears in the four yugas, or ages, in four different colours:

asan varnas trayo hy asyagrhnato 'nuyugam tanuhsuklo raktas tatha pitah

idanim krishnatam gatah

"Your son Krishna appears as an incarnation in every millennium. In the past He assumed three colours—white,red, and yellow—and now He has appeared in a blackish color." This verse was spoken by the learned brahmanaGargamuni during Krishna's name-giving ceremony. In the Vedic culture, as soon as a child is born his horoscopeis made and his past and future are calculated. Today, because of poverty and other reasons, practically no onedoes this. But this is one of the samskaras, or purifying rituals for human life. At conception there is the garbhadhanasamskara, while the child is within the womb there is a samskara, and so on. In this way a human body is purifiedby ten kinds of samskaras, or purificatory methods.

It is said, janmana jayate sudrah samskarad bhaved dvija: "Everyone is born a shudra, a member of the unpurifiedcaste, but by samskara one becomes twice-born, or a brahmana."

Everyone is born from a father and a mother. Even cats and dogs have a father and a mother. Any life you get,there is a father and a mother. Therefore the Prema-vivarta says:

janame janame sabe pita-mata payakrishna guru nahi mile bhaja hari ei

Krishna Voice, Feb 20106

"In every birth you'll get a father and a mother. But in every birth you cannot get Krishna or a bona fide spiritualmaster." The perfection of human life is possible by the mercy of guru and Krishna. And that mercy can be achievedin the human form of life, not in the life of cats and dogs.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is acting as both guru and Krishna, or as the combination of the two. Kaviraja Gosvami,the author of Chaitanya-charitamrita, first offered his obeisances to Lord Chaitanya in the first verse of this chapter(agaty-eka-gatim natva ...). After offering obeisances to the Supreme Lord, "the only hope for the hopeless," nowthe author is again offering obeisances with the second verse: jaya jaya mahaprabhu sri-Krishna-Chaitanya.

Prabhu and Mahaprabhu

Nityananda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu—any Vaishnava, or devotee of the Lord, is addressed as prabhu ("Lord" or"master"). But Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Mahaprabhu, the "topmost prabhu, the master prabhu." All others areservant prabhus. For example, if you work in an office, you may consider your immediate boss your master, buthe's not the master. The managing director or the proprietor is master of the office. But, still, those who work underhim—"sub-prabhus"—are also called prabhu.

All Vaishnavas should be addressed as "Prabhu." That is the etiquette. But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Mahaprabhubecause He's the greatest master.

ekale isvara Krishna ara saba bhrtyayare yaiche nacaya, se taiche kare nrtya

"Lord Krishna alone is the supreme controller, and all others are His servants. They dance as He makes them doso." We are simply dancing in the material world, trying to be the master. Everyone is trying. Everyone wants toexploit the resources of the material nature, to become the master. That is the struggle for existence. I am tryingto become the master, and you are trying to become the master, so there is a clash. I challenge you, "Why shouldyou be the master?" And you challenge why I should be the master. That is going on. That is the nature of thematerial world. But if we accept that we are eternal servants and not the master, and that the master is Krishnaor Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, then our problems are solved.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has sung, jiv krishna dasa ei visvas korle to ar duhkha nai: "If you just understand thatthe spirit soul is the eternal servant of Krishna, you will never have any more sorrows." That is the solution.

Everyone wants to become the master, the prabhu. You can become prabhu. That is not extraordinary. Some wayor other we are prabhus. Suppose I am a family man. I am managing my family, my wife, my children, my servants,my subordinates, so I may be prabhu. In that sense I am a small prabhu. Similarly, everyone is prabhu. But thereis the supreme prabhu, the prabhu of all prabhus. That Mahaprabhu is Sri Krishna Chaitanya. He's Krishna.

As it is stated in the Brahma-samhita: Isvarah paramah krishnah. isvara means "ruler" or "controller." All of us aremore or less little controllers or rulers, but not the absolute ruler. The absolute ruler is Krishna. Similarly, theabsolute prabhu, master, is Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Taking Shelter of Mahaprabhu

Tanhara caranasrita: Everyone is prabhu, but when the prabhu takes shelter of the lotus feet of the Mahaprabhu,sei bada dhanya—the prabhu becomes glorified. Don't remain satisfied being a prabhu of your wife, children,family, country, or this or that, but try to become the servant of Mahaprabhu. Tanhara caranasrita. When you takeshelter of the supreme prabhu, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, then your life is successful. Sei bada dhanya:you are glorified.

To become the servant of God, or Mahaprabhu, is very prestigious. It is not very easy to become the servant ofKrishna or Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. So if one agrees to become the servant of the supreme prabhu,one's life is successful. Sei bada dhanya: he is glorified.

The Vaishnava's principle is to come to the platform of eternal servitude—not to become the master, but to becomeservant of the master. That is perfect philosophy. Gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah. The brahmanais thinking himself the master of the kshatriya [warrior] or the vaisya [merchant] or the shudra [labourer]. Thesannyasi [renunciant] is thinking himself the master of the vanaprastha [retired person], the grhastha [householder],or the brahmachari [celibate student]. Similarly, the head of the household is thinking himself the master, and thekshatriya king is thinking he's the master. You are a master to some extent, but if you accept Sri ChaitanyaMahaprabhu or Sri Krishna as your master, your life is successful. That is the secret of success, as confirmed inthe Srimad-Bhagavatam:


atah pumbhir dvija-sresthavarnasrama-vibhagasah

svanusthitasya dharmasyasamsiddhir hari-tosanam

"The highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one's own occupation accordingto caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead."

Arjuna was a kshatriya; his business was to fight. Why was he fighting the Battle of Kurukshetra? To become themaster of the kingdom. But he stayed eternally the servant of Krishna. That is success. Don't be satisfied simplyto be the master of your material position. Try to become the servant of the supreme; then you are successful.

Our mastership is relative; under certain conditions we become the master. But Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is themaster without any conditions. Namo maha-vadanyaya Krishna-prema-pradaya te. Because He's the master, Hecan distribute Krishna-prema, love of Krishna, very easily. Otherwise, Krishna-prema is very difficult to attain. Evenunderstanding Krishna is very difficult.

manusyanam sahasresukascid yayati siddhayeyatatam api siddhanam

kascin mam vetti tattvatah

Out of many millions of persons, one may try to make his life successful, and out of many such persons who havebecome successful in understanding their constitutional position, one may understand Krishna. One may understand;there is no surety. To understand Krishna is a very, very difficult job.

brahma-bhutah prasannatmana socati na kanksati

samah sarvesu bhutesumad-bhaktim labhate param

To understand Krishna and to understand the service of Krishna is very exalted. One has to become brahma-bhutah, completely liberated. Then one can understand how to render service to Krishna, mad-bhaktim labhateparam. But this difficult subject matter is given very easily by Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Therefore RupaGosvami offered his first prayer to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu:

namo maha-vadanyayakrishna-prema-pradaya te

krishnaya krishna-chaitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah

"You are not only giving Krishna, but You are giving Krishna-prema, love of Krishna." You may meet an exaltedperson, but to have an intimate, loving relationship with an exalted person is not very easy. But Sri ChaitanyaMahaprabhu distributed love of Krishna to anyone. That is Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's contribution to humansociety. If you simply come under the lotus feet of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, then love of Krishna is veryeasily achieved. To come under the lotus feet of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu means you have Krishna.That is the verdict of the scripture and Chaitanya-charitamrita. Krishna, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, does not giveanything else. He directly gives you Krishna and love of Krishna.

Glorious Navadvipa

To award this greatest benediction to human society, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa, the renounced orderof life, at the age of twenty-four in this land of Mayapur, Navadvipa. It is a very glorified place. It is not an ordinaryplace. The Vaishnava devotee and poet Narottama Dasa Thakura says, gauda mandala bhumi, yeba jane cintamanitara hoy vrajabhume vasa. "Anyone who understands the spiritual value of Navadvipa lives in Vrajabhumi,Vrindavana—Lord Krishna's land." There is no difference between Vrindavana and Navadvipa, or Gauda-mandala-bhumi. That is the verdict of the shastra.

Read Narottama Dasa Thakura's Prarthana and Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Prarthana. They are very, very valuablefor advancement in spiritual understanding—especially Narottama Dasa Thakura's Prarthana. By reading them,by understanding them, we can understand Krishna very easily. Otherwise, it is very, very difficult to understandKrishna. Big, big scholars, big, big sannyasis—they cannot understand Krishna. They think Krishna is like us—a

8 Krishna Voice, Feb 2010

very great man, a politician, a historical person. Or they think of Krishna as a debauchee because He associatedwith the gopis, the cowherd girls, or because He married sixteen thousand wives.

We shall be misled in understanding Krishna if we try to do so by our own knowledge. We have to accept Krishnathrough Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu advises everyone:

amara ajnaya guru hana tara' ei desayare dekha tare kaha 'Krishna'-upadesa

"Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Sri Krishna as they are given in the Bhagavad-gita and SrimadBhagavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land." Sri ChaitanyaMahaprabhu is Krishna Himself. Because Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came as a human being, people havemisunderstood Him to be a human being. But He's not human being; He's the master of the human beings.

Because we are part and parcel of Krishna, Krishna very kindly comes when we are distressed because of violatingthe laws of religion. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati. Dharmasya glani means "deviation from the path ofreligion." And what is religion? Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam. Religion means the laws of God. That isthe simple definition of religion. The rules and regulations given by the Lord are called religion, just as the rulesand regulations given by the state are called law. You cannot manufacture law. Similarly, you cannot manufacturedharma. Nowadays, in this Kali-yuga, rascals manufacture religion. But who cares for that religion? Or what willbe the benefit of such religion? There will be no benefit.

Today, so-called religious leaders even claim to be God. But Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu never manufacturedreligion, and to set the example He never said, "I am Krishna." Rather, when He was in Vrindavana some of thedevotees praised Him: "You are Krishna." He blocked His ears: "No, no. Don't say that," indicating that to claimto become God or Krishna is the highest type of rascaldom.

Some Mayavadis, or impersonalists, claim, "Everyone is God. I am God, you are God." They are all rascals. Wedo not accept such cheap "Gods." No. We accept Krishna. And we accept Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as God onthe authority of shastra and the acharyas, our predecessor spiritual masters. We follow in the footsteps of theacharyas. Rupa Gosvami says, krishnaya krishna-chaitanya-namne: "Sir, You are Krishna. You have come underthe name of Krishna Chaitanya. You are so magnanimous that You are distributing love of Krishna."

Without being Krishna, how can one distribute Krishna? Without being a millionaire, how can one distribute millionsof dollars? Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is so magnanimous that He is distributing Krishna. So take shelterof Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

You have come from distant places. You have spent much money to come here. Take advantage of this journeyand chant sri-krishna-chaitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda. Thenyou'll get Krishna, surely. This land is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's birthplace. Anyone who takes shelter of Sri KrishnaChaitanya Mahaprabhu is glorified.

Thank you very much.

So Easily Cheated and BefooledSRILA PRABHUPADA SPEAKS OUT

This exchange between His Divine GraceA.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

and some of his disciples took placeduring a morning walk in Denver,

Colorado, on June 28, 1975.Srila Prabhupada: Wherever my books aredistributed profusely, our work is successful.People are in gross ignorance, taking thistemporary material body and temporary lifeas everything. A very horrible situation. Butthese books give scientific self-knowledge from

the Vedas, knowledge of our actual, spiritualself and our eternal life.

Disciple: But sometimes, SrilaPrabhupada, troublemakers come

along. In Denver we have to dealwith several bogus groups thathave made their wor ldheadquarters here. One groupis led by a chubby self-styledguru who claims he's God.You've seen their magazine,I think, with this fat man

dressing like Krishna andeven sporting a peacock

feather and a flute.

Anyway, these groups put out tons of propaganda. Allimpersonalism, atheism. "God isn't really a separateperson—God is simply everything and everyone. Youare God. We are God. And mainly, our leader is God."

Srila Prabhupada: So make propaganda against themvery vigorously. These Vedic texts and this disciplicsuccession both come from Lord Krishna Himself. Wehave got sound footing. What do these nonsensicalrogues have? Show that they are all nonsense, bogus.This fat rogue is God, and his rascal followers areworshiping him as God? This rascaldom is going on insuch a cultured, sophisticated city? This rogue is beingworshiped as God?

Disciple: Well, to be fair, the local people are disgustedwith him. They don't like him at all.

Srila Prabhupada: I'll issue a challenge: "I shall kickthis rascal in the face, and if he is God, let him punishme." I am prepared. Let this rascal come out and meetme in public. I shall kick him squarely in the face. Lethim do whatever he likes—I am prepared. If he is God,let him kill me by his mantra or by his will. Only thenshall I accept him as God. This is my challenge. "I shallkick him in the face in public, and if he is God, let himpunish me."

And as for his followers, "You are such fools that youare accepting this scoundrel as God? You belong toAmerica, a nation advanced and sophisticated in somany ways. And yet you have become such utter foolsand rascals?" We shall challenge like that. "This roguehas come to cheat you. How have you allowedyourselves to become so easily cheated and befooled?"

Disciple: This supreme being was recently indicted forsmuggling, and now there's a warrant out for his arrest.

Srila Prabhupada: All right, so this is my challenge:"Now there is a warrant out for the arrest of the all-powerful one. So? Does he have the power to nullify it?Everyone knows that God is great. Is he great? And yetwe have to believe he is God? God is such a cheapcommodity that you have accepted this pathetic personas God? What is this nonsense—blindly accepting somerascal as God?

"At the same time, we give you people some credit,since at least you are inquiring about God. But inquireabout God through His authorized channels of education,this Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya disciplic succession andthis Vedic literature."

[On seeing a museum of natural history in the park:]This is a nice park, but what is this natural historyexhibition? "Natural history" means Darwin's bogustheory of evolution. People have become captured bythis evolution propaganda. That's all. The whole modern

civilization is based on Darwin's bogus theory of evolution.

But common sense dictates, How far back can we tracehistory with any accuracy? Can we trace the history ofthe sun—when it was created, when it came intoexistence? Can Darwin give us the history of the sun,of the moon, of the sky?

Where is the history? There is such a history, in theVedic literature. But where is your history? You simplyimagine, "There was a chunk, and it exploded andsomehow became manifested as the sun and moonand so on and so forth. And gradually these dull materialingredients developed consciousness and ultimatelyproduced living, conscious beings like us. No need forthe soul or the Supreme Soul, the creator." What is thisnonsense? How, actually, did this cosmic manifestationcome into existence? "There was a chunk." What othernonsense do you want us to believe?

[Chuckling.] You will find a nice example in one of thetexts I have translated today from Srimad-Bhagavatam:Just as a prostitute tries to befool people by changingher appearance, so the material nature changes herappearance to befool us. Bogus gurus, pseudo scientists.And we are so foolish that we are trying to establish along-term relationship with this prostitute. We are tryingto become her husband. Has anyone ever becomehappy by becoming the husband of a prostitute?

Therefore, Chanakya Pandita says, dusta bharya sathammitram bhrtyas cottara-dayakah/ sa-sarpe ca grhe vasomrtyur eva na samsayah: "If one has a wife who is aprostitute, a friend who is a hypocrite, a servant who isan upstart, or a home with a snake in it, he will die." Hewill die; there is no doubt about it. His life will be spoiled.This is Chanakya Pandita's verdict.

Chanakya also says, mata yasya grhe nasti bharyacapriya-vadini/ aranyam tena gantavyam yatharanyamtatha grham: "If at home a man does not have anaffectionate mother or a wife who speaks sweetly—if,rather, his wife speaks very hotly—then he should giveup that home at once and go to the forest. Actually, forhim, home is no different than the forest." [Chuckles.]How intelligent.

Formerly, at least one expected love from one's mother.That is also being finished. This is the advancement ofcivilization. Even one's mother is not reliable—what tospeak of others. A small child sleeps soundly on the lapof his mother, because he thinks, "Now I am safe." Buttoday the mother may kill the child, often with the helpof her rascal doctor. This is our modern civilization's so-called advancement.

Disciple: Srila Prabhupada, in the neighborhood of ourtemple, doctors and other supposedly high-class menlive.

Srila Prabhupada: The real doctor is he who can cureKrishna Voice, Feb 201010


this material disease of repeated birth and death. Whatdo you think? But you modern people want to be cheatedby some pseudo doctor or some pseudo yogi or meditatorwho is inimical to your real well-being. Therefore, theserascals have gained prominence, by popular support.Only a select group of people have come to me.Otherwise, the mass of people do not understand thisKr ishna consciousness movement as yet .

Disciple: Well, lots of people just won't listen to anyphilosophy.

Srila Prabhupada: That is why they are being cheatedso easily by these various scoundrels.

And now people have become so foolish that theycannot understand even the simplest philosophical idea.Not even Krishna's basic instruction in Bhagavad-gita—that just as the baby has his future and the child hashis future and the young man his future, so why not theold man? Within this one lifetime, the soul has manylittle lifetimes, many bodies—as a baby, a child, and soon and so forth—and yet the soul keeps his sense that"After all these changes of body and all these littlelifetimes, I am the same person." So after this life, when

the old-man body becomes finished, why not a nextlife?

Such a dull head these modern people have! If a childsays, "No, no, in the future I shall have no new body—I shall remain a child," is that sensible? And similarly,is it sensible for you to say, "No, no, in the future, aftermy elderly body is finished, everything will be finished—I shall have no new body"?

So people have become very dull-headed. The simpletruth they cannot understand. Dehino 'smin yatha dehekaumaram yauvanam jara/ tatha dehantara praptir: "Asthe embodied soul passes, within this lifetime, from onebody into another and yet another, so after this lifetime,the soul passes into still another body." That is the actualsituation. The example Krishna gives is so nice and sosimple, and yet people cannot understand. What kindof brain do they have? Animal brain.

The only hope is that you continue distributing my booksas much as possible, throughout Europe and Americaand the rest of the world. Some day, people will realizetheir value. Some day, people will realize what valuablebooks I have left for the study of the whole world. Thatday will come.


To Love GodSrila Bhaktivinode Thakura [Tajpur journal, Friday, August 25, 1871]

It was Christ Jesus who first said“Love God with all thy heart, with allthy mind, with all thy soul, and withall thy strength, and love man as thybrother.” This is an absolute truthindeed; but different men put differentinterpretat ions to this nobleexpression. The expressions of allgreat men are nice but somewhatmysterious - when understood theybring the truth nearest to heartotherwise they remain mere lettersthat “kill.” The reason of the mysteryis that men, advanced in their inwardapproach to the Deity, are in the habitof receiving revelations which are butmysteries to those that are behindthem. The stages of progress arevery much the same as the circlesof spiritualism which, though not truethemselves, explain a great dealabout the gradual development ofthe soul.

We have understood somespiritualists to maintain that matterwhen sublimated converts itself tospirit. This theory is indeed againstany inward conviction. Matter ismatter, and spirit is spirit; one of themcannot form the other. Spirit iscertainly of superior existence; though

we cannot fully understand in our present state of material imprisonment, what relation spirit does exactly bearto matter, space and time. Metaphysics apart, we decide that the human soul rises higher and higher and canunderstand things of which we have no idea at present. Subject to this important rule, Christ Jesus of Nazarethreceived and uttered these words quoted above.

To readers who are a little above the scale of ordinary men, these expressions of Jesus teach, that man shouldlove God with all his heart (meaning the affections of the heart perceivable in all children as opposed to hate),with all his mind (meaning the intellect which knows, as opposed to ignorance of, good things), with all his soul,(meaning the principle of the human constitution which worships the Almighty and feels its own immortality) andwith all its strength (meaning all active work). To the inspired, however, more things and better and sublimermeanings appear beneath these holy words of the inspired Jesus. He teaches man to love God and not to know,infer, hate or think of God. He tells us that man in his absolute state is not the intellect or the body but is the puresoul itself.

The essence of the soul is wisdom and its action is love absolute. The absolute condition of man is his absoluterelation to the Deity in pure love. Love then alone is the religion of the soul and consequently of the whole man.The pupil asks here “What have I to do with the heart? - my heart loves to see the ‘sun to smile’, ‘to eat the sweetestdishes and to see a dance’”. Jesus profoundly replies “Yes, you must love God with all thy heart. Your heart nowruns to other things than God, but you must, as you train a bad horse, make your feelings run to the loving God.”This is one of the four principles of worship or what is known in Vaishnava literature as shanta rasa. Then the pupilsays “My Lord, the intellect takes me elsewhere from God, i.e. it wants to take me to Positivism; please instruct

me what am I to do?” “Yes,” replies Jesus’” you must love God with all your mind, i.e. when you perceive, conceive,remember, imagine and reason, you must not allow yourself to be a dry thinker but must love. Love alone cansoften the dryness of the intellect, you must develop the intellect on all good and holy things by means of love oftruth, spiritual beauty and harmony.” This is the second phase of Vaishnava development which passes by thename of dasya rasa. The pupil then enquires whether the development of the affections and the intellect is quiteenough for him. Then says the Lord, “You must love God with thy soul also, i.e. you must perceive yourself inspiritual communication with the Deity and receive holy revelations in your sublimest hours of worship.” This iscalled the sakhya rasa of the Vaishnavas - the soul approaching the Deity in holy and fearless service.

The disciple apprehends that he will be lost in such a position and will be unable to act. Then the Saviour tells usthese words, “You must love God with all thy strength or will - you are wrong to conclude that you will lose youractive existence - you will get it the more. Work for God and to God, proceeding from no self interested views butfrom a holy free will (which is alone the strength of man) and identifying itself with pure love, will fully engross yourattention.” This description is of bhakti in general. Then Jesus proceeds to tell us “You must love man as thybrother.” From this is inferred the fourth phase of love which is a feeling that all men are brothers and God is theircommon Father. This is vatsalya rasa in its first stage of development.

Bhakti (love) is thus perceived in the very first development of the man in shape of heart, then in the shape ofmind, then in the shape of soul and lastly in the shape of will. These shapes do not destroy each other but beautifullyharmonize themselves into a pure construction of what we call the spiritual man or the ekanta of Vaishnavaliterature. But there is another sublimer truth behind this fact which is revealed to a few that are prepared for it.We mean the spiritualconversion of the soul intoa woman. It is in thatsublime and lofty statethat the soul can taste thesweets of an indissolublemarriage with the God oflove. The fifth or theh i g h e s t s t a g e o fVaishnava developmentis this, which we callmadhurya rasa, and onthis alone the mostbeautiful portion of theVaishnava literature soably expatiates. Thisphase of human life,mysterious as it is, is notattainable by all, nay, weshould say, by any but“God’s own.” It is so verybeyond the reach ofcommon men that therationalists and even theordinary theists cannotunderstand it, nay, theygo as far as to sneer atit as something unnatural.

Oh God! Reveal Thy mostvaluable truths to all sothat Your own may not benumbered wi th thefanatics and the crazedand that the whole ofmankind may be admittedas “Your own.”

13Krishna Voice, Feb 2010

Krishna Voice, Feb 2010 15Krishna Voice, Feb 201014

SOUR GRAPES AND THE VINE OF VEDIC KNOWLEDGEBy Satyaraja Dasa

“Oouuuch!”My dentist probably expected a more meaningfulexchange, perhaps simple pleasantries or a friendlyconversation. After all, he hadn’t seen me for quite sometime. But I was here to get down to business, and so washe. No time for light talk.“Let’s see,” he said, looking into my mouth as if searchingfor gold. “You need a few fillings. Hmm. Root canal, forsure, and definitely a bridge, right back here.”It was precisely at this point that the oouuch blurted outof my mouth. He poked once too often.“Come on,” I started. “The idea of all that dental work isdepressing—it’s going to cost way too much, and it’sprobably gonna hurt.”“I’m not saying this to depress you,” he said, shaking hishead. “That’s not my motivation. These are the facts.Your teeth need attention, and they need it now.”That sent my mind back to a conversation I had had theday before, at the Sunday feast in the Brooklyn HareKrishna temple. I was explaining certain basic points ofKrishna conscious philosophy to a newcomer, telling herthat the world is a place of misery, wherein repeated birthand death take place. We all go through birth, death, oldage, and disease, I reminded her, and we all suffer fromthreefold miseries: those caused by our own bodies andminds, by the bodies and minds of others, and by naturalcalamities.“Why are you so negative?” she asked.A bit surprised by her reaction, I explained that the negativephilosophy at the base of Krishna consciousness is onlya starting point. Using this as a foundation—that thematerial world can be a nasty place—Krishnaconsciousness goes on to explain how life can be trulyblissful, not only in some hopeful future life but also withinour own lifetime, in the here and now.But now, sitting in my dentist’s chair, I sounded a lot likethat young woman. My dentist was only giving me thefacts, explaining the state of rot in my mouth. Nonetheless,I found it necessary to rebel, to insist that he was beingoverly negative. Similarly, when I mentioned the obvioustruth of life in an ever-decaying material world, my newfriend at the temple needed to respond in kind, as if I wasdistorting the facts just to depress her.Optimists, Pessimists, and RealistsPeople usually fall into one of two categories: optimistsor pessimists. They view life as being basically a happyexperience or a dismal one. Optimists see the cup ashalf full, whereas pessimists see it as half empty. Thesetwo types of people view the same phenomenon differently.Where would one place the devotees of Krishna? Are

they pessimists?No, they are not. True, they are aware of the miseries ofmaterial existence, but that’s called knowledge in themode of goodness. Knowledge in the mode of ignorance,by contrast, is beleaguered by obliviousness—blindnessto the pain and suffering that are very real componentsof the material world. In other words, Krishnaconsciousness has much to say about the darker side oflife, about the perils of being caught in a temporarymaterial body. At first blush, therefore, Krishnaconsciousness might appear pessimistic. But a deeperlook reveals that it transcends the usual duality of optimismand pessimism altogether. Rather, it is what I would call“realism,” or, better yet, “spiritual realism.” That is to say,it is balanced. This is so because it is not a product ofthe usual conditioned responses, positive or negative,but it is instead the spiritual consciousness bequeathedto us by the saints and sages of the past. Indeed, Krishnaconsciousness is like a precious gem, originally revealedby God Himself, and then passed down by self-realizedsouls in disciplic succession, in an esoteric lineage createdby God to help all conditioned souls reach the ultimatespiritual truth.Pessimism and the Western Philosophical TraditionIn popular language, the term pessimist is applied topeople who habitually view life with intense melancholy,who view painful experiences as almost desirable—atleast in the sense that they wouldn’t know how to liveany other way. Pain is familiar to them. In addition, suchpeople generally have little corresponding appreciationfor the pleasurable or positive side of life. Alternatively,pessimists sometimes do want happiness in the normal,positive sense of the word, but they are doubtful aboutthe possibility of achieving it. These are two classic kindsof pessimism.As a philosophical system, Pessimism addresses thepresence of evil in the world, the built-in torment resultingfrom material limitations. Loved ones leave or die,situations to which we become attached soon change,fundamental anxieties find their way into our lives,especially that black hole of our own mortality—all causesuffering on both gross and subtle levels. In the West thephilosopher Leibniz taught that pain is integral to finiteand temporary existence. For example, he said, we don’twant to see the end of pleasure, love, and life, and yetend they must. The principle from which pain and evilarise—the temporary quality of all things material—isthus viewed as an essential part of nature. This idea isclear in Buddhist thought as well, where the Four NobleTruths categorize suffering in various ways along with acoherent system for the cessation of suffering. And it isalso taught in the Bhagavad-gita, upon which Krishnaconsciousness rests.

Arthur Schopenhauer is considered one of the fathersof Pessimism as a philosophical school of thought.His words, at least in regards to suffering, merely echothe truths found in the Vedic literature. Ultimately,Schopenhauer tells us, “All life is suffering.” He explainsthis by noting that everything that lives has desire,wants, and needs. “Life wants,” he says, “and becauseits wants are mostly unfulfilled, it exists largely in astate of unfulfilled striving and deprivation.”His analysis reminds me of something I said to mydentist: All materialistic endeavours for happiness fallinto three broad categories, and they all result inmisery: (1) You try for happiness and don’t achieve it.You’re miserable for obvious reasons. (2) You try forhappiness and achieve it, but it doesn’t live up to yourexpectations. Again you’re miserable. (3) You try forhappiness and get it, and it does live up to yourexpectations. But you lose it after some time. Is thereany form of material happiness that doesn’t fit intoone of these three categories?“And even that which we call ‘happiness,’” saysSchopenhauer, “is really only a temporary cessationof some particular suffering.”All satisfaction, or what is commonly called happiness,is really and essentially always negative only, andnever positive. It is not a gratification which comes tous originally and of itself, but it must always be thesatisfaction of a wish. For desire, that is to say, want,is the precedent condition of every pleasure; but withthe satisfaction, the desire and therefore the pleasurecease; and so the satisfaction or gratification cannever be more than deliverance from a pain, from awant.The Vedic tradition articulates this same idea. SrilaPrabhupada often referred to happiness in the materialworld as merely “the cessation of misery.” He usedthe analogy of the dunking stool. To punish evil-doers,officers of the court used to tie criminals to a see-sawkind of dunking stool, easing them down into waterand then, periodically, lifting them up again. Gaspingfor air, the convicted felon would enjoy the simple actof breathing as if it were the greatest pleasure. Likewise,Prabhupada taught, because the material world is sodevoid of any real enjoyment —of any substantivepleasure—the titillating sensations of the body andmind seem alluring, like a few precious breaths to adrowning person.So Are Devotees Pessimistic?It is clear from Srila Prabhupada’s books that sufferingis integral to material existence: “Out of so manyhuman beings who are suffering, there are a few whoare actually inquiring about their position, as to what


they are, why they are put into this awkward position,and so on. Unless one is awakened to this position ofquestioning his suffering, unless he realizes that hedoesn’t want suffering but rather wants to make a solutionto all suffering, then one is not to be considered a perfecthuman being. Humanity begins when this sort of inquiryis awakened in one’s mind.” (Bhagavad-gita As It Is,Introduction)The final sentence in the above quote reveals somethingabout the purpose of suffering in the material world. Itis meant to act as an impetus for the human being toinquire about God consciousness. After lifetimes ofvarious kinds of suffering, the wise begin to ask, “What’slife all about? Why am I here? Why should I go onsuffering?” These questions separate humankind fromthe animals.In Srila Prabhupada’s books he often reveals a kind ofhierarchy of consciousness. On the most fundamentallevel, he says, one believes that the world is safe, thatlasting pleasure exists here, and that one can live happilyever after. But he quickly adds that a life based on suchthinking is like animal life, where eating, sleeping, mating,and defending are the primary activities and one haslittle time to pursue God consciousness. Human beings,he tells us, must move on from this basic, animalisticmentality. And if they advance even a little, he says,then they adopt something of a pessimistic view of life,acknowledging the limitations of material happiness, itsshallowness and its temporary nature.Significantly, however—and this is the main point—Prabhupada also talks about a yet higher level ofexistence, wherein one bids adieu to pessimism andbecomes situated in Krishna consciousness. From thisperspective, life is full of meaning, full of purpose, fullof bliss. It begins while serving Krishna in the materialworld, and carries on when we attain His supremekingdom.Not Naive OptimistsOverall, devotees believe in hope rather than despair,tolerance rather than fear. They believe in love and nothatred, compassion not selfishness, beauty not ugliness,and realized knowledge not blind faith or irrationality.They believe in working hard for the true betterment ofhumankind, and they give their time and life to helpother people. These are not the virtues of the pessimist.But devotees aren’t naive optimists either. They don’tbelieve that all humans will necessarily pursue highergoals. Krishna consciousness is a pragmaticphilosophy—humans are not necessarily good or evilbut they do have the capacity for both. For this reasonSrila Prabhupada set up his institution (ISKCON) toencourage the ultimate good while discouraging notonly the overtly evil but also goodness diluted bymaterialism.On that point many may look at devotees somewhataskance, wondering why they are not more involved insocial work or altruistic endeavours. The truth is, devotees

favour these things, but they prefer to spiritualize them,to bring them to the next level by using them in Krishna’sservice. For example, devotees believe in feeding people,but they insist on feeding them Krishna prasadam,sumptuous vegetarian cuisine that has been offered toKrishna with love. Prasadam distribution is the epitomeof food distribution because it nourishes people bothmaterially and spiritually. Devotees favour this kind ofholistic endeavour, one they believe can help peopleovercome evil and pain.And that’s the question: How are we supposed toovercome evil and human suffering? Many traditionalreligions teach that we can overcome these only in anafterlife where a benevolent God rules in His paradisiacalkingdom. Krishna consciousness, however, rejects theidea that we must wait for some pie-in-the-sky future.Yes, those who are Krishna conscious have secured aplace for themselves in the hereafter, with Krishna inthe spiritual world. But that is not their chief concern.Instead, Prabhupada taught devotees that the fightagainst human suffering and evil must occur here andnow. Since each of us is responsible for that which goeswrong in our lives, we are also responsible for makingthings right. Krishna consciousness teaches that wecan indeed make things right, but only if we surrenderto God, with a heart full of love and devotion. Devoteestry to do that in their own lives, and they teach othersthe same principle.Prabhupada concludes:Knowledge means understanding how the supremecontroller is controlling. People who defy religion anddeny the existence of a supreme controller are like thejackal that keeps jumping and jumping, trying to reachgrapes on a high vine. After seeing that he cannot reachthe grapes, he says to himself, “Oh, there is no need toreach them. They are sour anyway.” People who saythat we do not need to understand God are indulgingin sour grape philosophy.Prabhupada here turns the “devotee as pessimist” ideaon its head. He sees the materialist as pessimistic—asrejecting God because of a “sour grapes” kind ofphilosophy. Indeed, from the Vedic perspective thedevotees have the greatest hope for humankind—toengage them in Krishna’s service—while the materialistsare hopeless, having given up the quest to understandGod. And in this hopelessness they sometimes viewdevotees as negative.But devotees value this world more than anyone else,because they see it in relation to God. Some peoplewill be pleased by this vision: “Right. It is important tosee God in His creation. But why, then, do you devoteestend to emphasize the Creator instead?” The reason isquite simple: Devotees know that focusing on the creationcan distract a person from the Creator. Therefore,devotees emphasize the Creator to help one avoid thepitfall of becoming sidetracked. Until one learns to focuson God, the relationship between Him and His creationremains an abstraction. This is not sour grapes; it’s justa fact of life.


Daily news reports of things like corruption, nepotism,favoritism, and infidelity have us fed up. Politicians say,“Education in ethics and values is the solution. ” Butdon’t most people already know right from wrong? Ithink so. They just feel they’ll fare better in life withoutfollowing moral codes. And exhortation by moralists orlegislation by politicians doesn’t inspire them to thinkdifferently.

Living by moral principles is like following traffic lawsfor smooth and safe travel. The purpose of travel,however, is not to follow the laws but to reach thedestination. If a traveler feels that the traffic laws delayhim or obstruct his reaching the destination, he maybreak them if he thinks he can get away with it.

Like traffic laws, moral principles promote order,specifically orderly social interactions. But moderneducation doesn’t teach us about the goal of socialtransactions or of life itself. Consequently people maystay moral out of deference to culture or tradition butgive up morality when circumstances threaten or temptthem. Worse still, the incessantly glorified goals ofmodern consumer society—fame, wealth, luxuries,power, pleasure, prestige—encourage and evennecessitate immoral behavior. The Bhagavad-gita(16.8–15) explains that a materialistic worldview leadsto insatiable lust and greed, which impel corrupt actions.When people are surrounded and bombarded bymaterialistic allurements, they may feel that by being

moral they stand to lose a lot and gain nothing tangible.Moreover, our godless education gives us no knowledgeabout any higher-order natural laws of cosmicaccountability. And the fallibility of our penal systems isall too well known. The result? Morality appears entirelydispensable, especially for the shrewd or powerful. Insuch an environment, how can we expect mere platitudesto inspire people to be moral?

Love: The Basis of Morality

“Morality means lack of opportunity.” This saying catchesthe tottering utilitarian approach to morality. The Vedictexts of ancient India assert that morality withoutspirituality is baseless and therefore short-lived. If weseriously want morality in society, we need to introducesystematic spiritual education centered on a positivegoal of life. The Vedic texts inform us of a nonsectarianuniversal spiritual goal of life: to develop pure love forGod. We are all spiritual beings and are meant to rejoicein our eternal loving relationship with the supreme all-attractive spiritual being, God. Being intrinsically spiritual,we find real happiness not in material acquisition but inspiritual awakening our innate love for God. The morewe love God, the happier we become.

Love for God results in love for all living beings as ourbrothers and sisters in the one universal family of God.When we love all living beings, we will no longer desireto exploit or manipulate others for our selfish interests.Instead, our love for God will inspire us to love andserve each other. This will create a culture of warmthand trust, which engenders moral behavior. This contrastssharply with the modern culture of alienation andsuspicion, which fosters immorality.

Genuine spiritual practices, even in their preliminarystages, trigger our innate value system. We intuitivelyrealize that God is our greatest well-wisher. Subsequentlywe voluntarily and lovingly choose to lead a morally andspiritually principled life, as ordained by God, knowingit to be in our ultimate interest. And as we find innerhappiness by loving God, we become freed from selfish,lusty, greedy, and egoistic drives. No longer do we feelwe are missing anything because of our morality. Moralityceases to be the “difficult but right” choice. Rather itbecomes the easy and natural course of action for ourspiritual growth.

Not Utopia, But Reality

Some may feel, “All this sounds good, but it’s unscientificand utopian.” In other words, we live in an age whereonly the scientific, practical worldview is consideredreasonable and acceptable. But is the Vedic worldviewreally unreasonable or impractical?

From Morality to SpiritualityChaitanya Charana Dasa


We need to remind ourselves that science has neverproven the non-existence of God or the soul. Ratherthe reductionistic approach chosen by most scientistsfor studying the universe just presumes the non-existenceof any spiritual reality. Strikingly enough, even withinthis reductionistic framework some scientists concludethat the evidence strongly suggests a super-intelligentdesigner of the cosmos (God) and a non-material sourceof consciousness within the body (soul).

Love of God will appear utopian only as long as we donot know the coherent philosophy and the clear-cut pathto its attainment. Through genuine spiritual practiceslike prayer, meditation, and chanting the names of God,anyone can experience spiritual enrichment. Once wetaste immortal love, we realize that it is the defining andunifying goal of life.

Higher Morality

Someone familiar with episodes in the lives of Krishnaand his devotees might object: “But Krishna Himselfsometimes acts immorally. And so do his devotees. Howcan worshiping an immoral God help us become moral?”

To understand this, we need to first consider the ultimatepurpose of all morality. We are lost in the darkness ofignorance in the material world, not knowing what to doand what to avoid. Like a torch, moral codes light theway for us. They protect us from being waylaid by selfishdesires and keep us on the way toward our ultimateobjective—achieving love for Krishna and returning tohim. But Krishna is the source of all morality, just as thesun is the source of all light. Because he is fully satisfiedin himself, he acts only out of selfless love for us, eitherto reciprocate with our love or to help us rectify ourerrant ways. He does not need moral codes becausehe has not the slightest trace of selfish desires. It is wewho need moral codes because we are filled with selfishdesires. But if we become proud of our morality and tryto examine Krishna with our moral standards, that’s likesearching for the sun with a torch. It’s foolish and futile.

When the sun rises by its own accord, its effulgencereveals its full glory. Similarly when Krishna decides toreveal himself by his own sweet will, we can understandhis pure morality and glory. Until then it is best for us toscrupulously follow moral codes to please him so thathe may eventually reveal himself. And we should becareful not to become proud of our righteousness.

If we accept Krishna’s position as the Supreme Lord,we can gain some understanding about how all his actsare moral. For example, Krishna steals butter from thehouses of the cowherd women of Vrindavana. But howcan he be considered a thief when he creates and ownseverything? He takes the role of a child to reciprocatethe maternal affection of his devotees. His stealing, anaughty childhood prank, enhances the sweetness oftheir loving exchanges. How can that be compared to

our stealing, which leads to pain and punishment?

Similarly Krishna takes the role of a handsome youthto reciprocate with the devotees who desire a conjugalrelationship with him. His love for the gopis (cowherdmaidens) is based not on the beauty of their bodies buton the devotion of their hearts. Some people allege thatKrishna’s pastimes with the gopis are like the lustydealings of ordinary boys and girls. But then why wouldhighly renounced saints who give up the sexual love ofthis world, seeing it as disdainful and distasteful, worshipthe pastimes of Krishna with the gopis? Even todaythousands of people all over the world are becomingfree from the control of lusty desires by chanting Krishna’snames and worshiping him. If Krishna himself werecontrolled by lust, how could he free his devotees fromlust?

In the battle with the Kauravas, Krishna urges thePandavas to act immorally. But that is like an authority’surging policemen to break the speed limit to catchthieves who are speeding away. The policemen are(apparently) breaking the law to serve the purpose ofthe law. Similarly the Pandavas break moral codes toserve a higher purpose that Krishna wants to see fulfilled:to establish the rule of morality by removing the immoralKauravas from power.

In exceptional circumstances, Krishna’s devotees mayact seemingly immorally to do his will, which is meantfor the ultimate good of all living beings. But generallydevotees follow moral codes as an expression of theirdevotion to Krishna. In fact, without devotion, we willnot have the inner strength to sustain lifelong adherenceto moral principles.

We need to exercise caution in understanding Krishna’sactions, which are above morality. Otherwise, we maymisunderstand him and reject his love, condemningourselves to staying below morality and suffering thekarmic reactions for our misdeeds.

If we want lasting morality, empty exhortation andineffectual legislation won’t do. As long as people aretaught to pursue material goals, they will feel moralityto be impractical or even undesirable. Only when theyknow and pursue love for God as the goal of life willmorality become desirable and practical for them.Therefore at a social level we need to introduce genuinespiritual education and practices leading to love for Godand inner fulfillment. And at an individual level,recognizing the spiritual basis of morality is highlyempowering. It opens for us a course of action farsuperior to apathy, tacit approval, helpless lamentation,or indignant self-righteousness. In a cancerous tissue,one healthy cell can activate the healing process.Similarly when the cancer of immorality afflicts modernsociety, each one of us can, by leading a life of spiritualand moral integrity, activate the process of socialrecovery.


C o n s c i o u s n e s s ,naturally, by the grace of

Krishna, he was alreadyconversant with everything,

but, "Because you are a humbledevotee you are asking Me to

confirm what is already realized byyou. This is very nice." These are the

characteristics of a true devotee. In theNarada Sutra it is said that one who is

very serious about developing his KrishnaConsciousness, by the grace of the Lord, has

his desire for understanding Krishna very soonfulfilled. The Lord said, "You are a suitable person

for protecting the devotional service of the Lord,therefore it is My duty to instruct you in the science ofGod, and I will explain to you one of the orders."

It is the duty of a disciple approaching a spiritual masterto enquire about his constitutional position. In responseto that spiritual process, Sanatana has already asked,

In the instruction of LordChaitanya to SanatanaGoswami we can understand theScience of God in the matter of Histranscendental form, His opulences,and His devotional service—foreverything is being described toSanatana Goswami by the LordHimself. At the time Sanatana fell atthe feet of the Lord and with greathumility asked about his real identity. Hespoke as follows: "I am born of a lowerfamily, my associations are all abominable,and I am fallen and the most wretched of mankind.I was suffering in the dark well of materialenjoyment, and I never knew the actual goalof my life. I do not know what is beneficialto me although in the ordinary way I amwhat is known as a great learned man;in fact, I am so much of a fool that I evenaccept that I am a learned man. You haveaccepted me as Your servant and Youhave delivered me from the entanglementof material life; now You can tell me whatmy duty is in this liberated state of life." In otherwords, we see by this plea that liberation is not thefinal word of perfection; there must be activitiesin liberation. Sanatana clearly asks, "You havesaved me from the entanglement of materialexistence; now after liberation, what is my duty?Kindly explain it to me." Sanatana further inquired"Who am I? Why are the three-fold miseriesalways giving me trouble? Finally, tell me howI will be relieved from this material entanglement?I do not know how to question about spiritualadvancement of life, but I beg that You kindly,mercifully let me know everything that Ishould know."

This is the process of acceptance of aspiritual master by the disciple. One shouldapproach a spiritual master and humbly submitto him and then inquire from him about one'sspiritual progress. The Lord was pleased bySanatana's submissive behaviour and He repliedto him as follows: "You are already benedictedby Lord Krishna, therefore you know everythingand you are free from all miseries of materialexistence." The Lord further replied thatbecause Sanatana was in Krishna

The Teachings of Lord Chaitanyaby His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupadaFounder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

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"What am I and why am I suffering from threefoldmiseries?" The threefold miseries are called adhyatmic,adhibhautic, adhidaivic. Adhyatmic means pertaining tothe body and mind, therefore there are two kinds ofmiseries suffered by the living entity: sometimes he issuffering bodily, and sometimes he is distressedmentally—both are miseries. We are put into miserieseven in the womb of the mother. And there are alsomany forms of misery that take advantage of our delicatebody and give us pain. Miseries inflicted by other livingentities are called adhibhautic. There are many livingentities such as bugs born of eggs, that give us miserieswhile we are sleeping in bed. There are many livingentities, like cockroaches, that sometimes give us pain,and there are other living entities born on different kindsof planets, and they also give us miseries. So far asadhidaivic miseries are concerned, they are offered bythe demigods from the higher planets. For instance,sometimes we suffer from serious cold weather,sometimes we suffer by the thunderbolt, sometimesearthquakes, tornadoes, droughts and all other naturaldisasters. So we are always in either of these threekinds of miseries. Sanatana's enquiry was, "What is theposition of the living entities? Why are they always putinto these three kinds of miseries?" Sanatana hasadmitted his weakness; although he was known by themass of people as a great learned man (and actuallyhe was a highly learned scholar in the Sanskritlanguage)—and although he accepted the designationof a very learned man given him by the mass of people,yet he did not actually know what his constitutionalposition was, and why he was subjected to the threefoldmiseries.

The necessity of approaching a spiritual master is nota fashion, but is for him who is seriously conscious ofthe material miseries and who wants to get out of them;it is the duty of such a person to approach the spiritualmaster. We find similar circumstances in the Bhagavad-gita. When Arjuna was perplexed by so many problems,whether to fight or not to fight, he accepted Lord Krishnaas his spiritual master. There also it was a case of theSupreme Spiritual Master instructing Arjuna about theconstitutional position of the individual entity. In theBhagavad-gita we are informed that the constitutionalposition of the individual entity is spirit soul; he is notmatter, therefore as a spirit soul he is part and parcelof the Supreme Soul, Absolute Truth, Personality ofGodhead. We also learn that it is the duty of the spiritsoul to surrender, for only then can he be happy. Thelast instruction of the Bhagavad-gita is that the spiritsoul is to surrender completely unto the Supreme Soul,Krishna, and in that way realize happiness. Here also,Lord Chaitanya in answering the questions of Sanatanais repeating the same truth, but without giving himinformation of the spirit soul which is described in theGita. He begins from the point where Krishna ended

His instruction. It is calculated by great devotees thatLord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself. And as He endedHis instruction in the Gita, from that point He begins Hisinstruction again, to Sanatana. The Lord said toSanatana, "Your constitutional position is that you arepure living soul. This material body is not the identity ofyour real self, neither is your mind your real identity, noryour intelligence, nor is false ego the real identity forself. Your identity is that you are eternal servitor of theSupreme Lord, Krishna. Your position is that you aretranscendental. Superior energy of Krishna is spiritualin constitution, and inferior external energy is material.In other words, you are between the material energyand the spiritual energy, therefore your position ismarginal. In other words, you belong to the marginalpotency of Krishna. You are simultaneously one withand different from Krishna because in a sense you arespirit, therefore you are not different from Krishna; butbecause you are only a minute particle of Krishna, youare therefore different from Krishna."

This simultaneous oneness and difference always existsin the relationship between the living entities and theSupreme Lord. From the marginal position of the livingentity, this "simultaneously one and different" isunderstood. The living entity is just like a molecular partof sunshine, whereas Krishna is compared to the blazingand shining sun. Lord Chaitanya compared the livingentities to the blazing sparks from the fire, and theSupreme Lord to the blazing fire of the sun. The Lordcites in this connection a verse from Vishnu Purana inwhich it is stated that everything that is manifested withinthis cosmic world is but a different energy of the SupremeLord. For example, as the fire emanating from one placeexhibits its illumination and heat all around, similarly theLord, although situated in one place in the spiritualworld, is manifesting His different energies everywhere,and the whole world of cosmic representation is butdifferent manifestations of His energy. The energy ofthe Supreme Lord is transcendental and spiritual, andthe living entities also belong to that energy, but thereis another energy which is called hard-working materialenergy, which is covered by the cloud of ignorance andtherefore divided into the three modes of material nature.Lord Chaitanya quoted from Vishnu Purana that allinconceivable energies are there in the SupremePersonality of Godhead, and the whole cosmicmanifestation is acting due to the same inconceivableenergy of the Supreme Lord. For example, as the heatof the fire is all perceivable, similarly the inconceivableenergy of the Supreme Lord is always perceivable byan intelligent person.

The Lord says that the living entities are also known asksetrajna, or "knower of the field of activities." In theGita in the 13th Chapter the living entity is described asksetrajna, the body is described as the field of activities,and the living entity is the knower of that field. Although

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Feb 25 EkadashiFeb 26 break fast

Mar 11 EkadashiMar 12 break fast

Feb 20 Ratha Yatra in BellaryFeb 28 Sri Gaura Purnima

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Appearancefasting till moonrise

Mar 6 Ratha Yatra in Chennai

Fasting Festivals

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the living entity is constitutionally conversant with spiritualenergy, or has the potency of understanding, he is beingcovered by the material energy, and he consequentlyunderstands this body to be himself. This is called falseego. In material existence, under this false ego, thebewildered living entity is changing his different bodiesand suffering different kinds of miseries. The knowledgeof understanding his true position is present to variousextents in different varieties of living entities. In otherwords, it is to be understood that the living entity is partand parcel of the spiritual energy of the Supreme Lord.The material energy is inferior energy, and thereforeman has the potency to uncover this material energyand utilize the spiritual energy. It is stated in theBhagavad-gita that the superior energy is covered bythe inferior energy. Due to this covering, the living entityis subjected to the miseries of the material world, and,according to the different degrees of obscuration, isproportionately suffering material miseries. Those who

are a little enlightened are suffering less, but on thewhole, everyone is subjected to material miseries onaccount of being covered by the material energy. TheLord also quoted from the Gita, 7th Chapter, in whichit is stated that earth, water, fire, air, sky, mind,intelligence, and ego, all combine together to form theinferior energy of the Supreme Lord. But the SuperiorEnergy is the real identity of the living entity; on accountof that energy the whole material world is working. Thecosmic manifestation, made of material energy ormaterial elements, has no power to act unless it ismoved by the superior energy, the living entity. Soactually, the conditional life of the living entity isforgetfulness of his relationship with the Supreme Lordin superior energy. When that relationship is forgotten,conditional life is the result. Only when man revives hisreal identity, that of eternal servitor of the Lord, does hebecome liberated.


Ratha Yatra in Bangalore

(Above) Devotees in Bangaloreparticipated in the annual SriSri Krishna Balarama RathaYatra in mid January.

(Left) Chief Guests His HolinessSri Sri Charumurthy ShivarudraMahaswamij i (Beli Math,Bangalore) and Sri N. L.N a r e n d r a B a b u ( M L A ,Mahalaxmipuram Constituency,Bangalore) are seen here withSri Madhu Pandit Dasa,President, ISKCON-Bangalore,at the inauguration.

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Vaikuntha Ekadashi Celebrations at Chennai

The citizens of Mangalore were blessed with thedarshana of Their Lordships Sri Sri Krishna Balarama,riding Their chariot during the annual Ratha Yatrain mid January 2010.

The inauguration of the Ratha Yatra was held at theA B Shetty Hall by Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat, southregional chief of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS), in the presence of Ajith Kumar Rai Malady,President of the Federation of World Bunts’Association and Madhu Pandit Dasa, President ofISKCON Bangalore.

The chariot was drawn by the devotees on the streetsof the city, begining at the Bunts Hostel Circle. Atotal of 18,000 packets of prasadam sweet andpuliogare were distributed to the devotees duringthe occasion.

Ratha Yatra in Mangalore

The Hare Krishna Movement’s temple at Chennai celebratedSri Vaikuntha Ekadashi with special alankara of the Dietiesof Sri Sri Krishna Balarama (above). Visitors to the templeentered through the Vaikuntha Dvara (right). Devotees alsoparticipated in the laksharchana.

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Vaikuntha Ekadashi Celebrations at HubliSri Veeranna Mattikatti, Chairman, LegislativeCouncil Karnataka, inaugurated the VaikunthaDvara at the Hubli ISKCON Temple. RenownedMadhva scholar, Sri Narasimha Achar was present(pic at bottom).Around 10,000 people visited the temple to havedarshana of Lakshmi Narayana at the VaikunthaDvara. There was a special alankara for KrishnaBalarama: Lord Krishna was adorned as fourhanded Narayana (left).Thousands of visiting devotees participated in thelaksharachana throughout the day (below).


Radio Mirchi Bangalore (RM-B) presented ‘Kombu Mela’,a cow fashion show at the ISKCON temple in Bangaloreon the occasion of Makara Sankranthi.

Ten teams of three each from colleges of Bangalorestrove to dress up cows with themes varying from thebasic ‘'Gow Mata’' by the Sindhi College to ‘'Astronaut”from Seshadhripuram College, covering diverse subjectsthat included Indian bridal dress to global warming andeco-friendliness.

One of the teams from Vogue Fashion Institute (VFI) wasawarded the first prize of Rs.10,000 for its ‘Beauty andthe Beast’ theme. The first runner up was also a team

Kombu Mela on Makara Sankranthi

from VFI with an ‘anti-plastic’ theme. The second runner-up was “Astronaut’. The second prize was Rs. 7,500 andthe third prize Rs. 5,000. Other colleges that participatedincluded the fashion team from Surana College, KLECollege, Presidency College and City College.

The station had been announcing the contest on air forsome time, and, of the twenty five teams that applied,ten were shortlisted based on innovativeness of the themethat they proposed. The ten cows and the venue for thecontest were provided by ISKCON Bangalore.

Sandalwood lead actors Chetan and Regina of the film‘Suryakaanthi’ were the judges for the event.

Sri Gavisiddheshwara Jatra Mahotsava 2010Sri Gavi Math, at the foot of a hill on the east ofKoppal, North Karnataka, has a history of onethousand years. At the annual Rathotsava this year,Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa (President ISKCON-Bangalore) was one of the chief guests. The chariotfestival was attended by thousands of devoteesfrom around the state.

Sri Ma. Ni. Pra. Ja. Gavisiddeshwara Maha Swamijiof Gavi Math, Koppal welcomes Sri Madhu PanditDasa to the festival (left).


Andhra Bank donates food distribution vans

As a part of the Corporate SocialResponsibility initiative, Andhra BankChairman and Managing DirectorR. S. Reddy donated four fooddistribution vans to The AkshayaPatra Foundation, Hyderabad, whichcan carry food to serve 20,000students.

This is a unique programmeto feed poor children. Duringour lifetime, we wish to seethe eradication of poverty.

In order to eradicate poverty,hunger has to be eradicated.

In this drive to eradicatehunger Akshaya Patra willcreate history.

— Sri Sushil Kumar ModiDeputy Chief Minister, Bihar

Distinguished Visitor

Krishna Voice Monthly Magazine, February 2010 Vol11, No.2 Price Rs 15/-Posted on 5th or 10th of the Month at MBC, Manipal, License to post without prepayment No. WPP(CO-8), Reg No. KA/BGGPO2521/ 2009-11, Registered with Registrar of Newspapers for India under No. RNI 71022/99, Posted at MBC, Manipal, 576104.

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madhu pandit - krishna voice 2010 02(feb)

Education

bhaktim labhate

sei bada dhanya

srila prabhupadas

sri chaitanya

great learned

srila prabhupada

chaitanya

learned man