Hare Krsna,

The chronology of Lord Krsna’s appearance in each yuga is a bit perplexing.

Garga Muni told Nanda Maharaja: Your son Kṛṣṇa appears as an incarnation in every millennium. In the past, He assumed three different colors — white, red and yellow — and now He has appeared in a blackish color. [In another Dvāpara-yuga, He appeared (as Lord Rāmacandra) in the color of śuka, a parrot. All such incarnations have now assembled in Kṛṣṇa.] (SB 10.8.13)

Here is my confusion. This discussion between Garga Muni and Nanda Maharaja took place in Dvapara yuga when Lord Krsna actually appeared in His original form. Garga Muni said the Supreme Lord appeared as white, red and yellow in previous yugas. Can we assume that the Lord appeared as white in Satya-yuga and as red in Treta yuga? We know the Lord appeared as yellow in Kali-yuga (as Gauranga Mahaprabhu). Therefore, when Garga Muni said the Krsna already assumed yellow color in the past, how are we supposed to understand this? At the time when this discussion took place between Garga Muni and Nanda Maharaja, Kali Yuga had not yet appeared.

What is my source that Lord appeared as white in Satya-yuga and red in Treta-yuga? The Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes the incarnations for each yuga in chronological order. The Bhāgavatam says, kṛte śuklaś catur-bāhuḥ, tretāyāṁ rakta-varṇo’sau, dvāpare bhagavān śyāmaḥ and kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇam.

SB 11.5.20: In each of the four yugas, or ages — Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali — Lord Keśava appears with various complexions, names and forms and is thus worshiped by various processes.

SB 11.5.21: In Satya-yuga the Lord is white and four-armed…

SB 11.5.24: In Tretā-yuga the Lord appears with a red complexion.

SB 11.5.27: In Dvāpara-yuga the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears with a dark blue complexion, wearing yellow garments.

Eleventh Canto does not mention to Krsna appearing as yellow before Kali-yuga. Therefore there seems to be a contradiction between Garga Muni’s statements and what is mentioned in the Eleventh canto.

In another place, Srila Prabhupada writes: “That is confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by Garga Muni, who said that although the child Kṛṣṇa was blackish, He also appears in three other colors — red, white and yellow. He exhibited His white and red complexions in the Satya and Tretā ages respectively. He did not exhibit the remaining color, yellow-gold, until He appeared as Lord Caitanya, who is known as Gaurahari.” (SB 11.5.32)

Here also Srila Prabhupada indicates that Lord Krsna did not appear in yellow complexion until His appearance as Lord Caitanya. Therefore, Garga Muni’s explanation that Krsna appeared as yellow in previous yuga is perplexing.

I tried to refer to other acarya commentaries but couldn’t find a conclusive answer. My personal philosophy has been that whenever there are contradictions in the scriptures or something is not clearly explained, I take shelter of Srila Prabhupada’s explanation. In this case, Srila Prabhupada clears up the confusion in the purport. He says:

“To adjust all these statements, one should understand that although in some yugas some of the colors are prominent, in every yuga, whenever Kṛṣṇa appears, all the colors are present. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇam: although Caitanya Mahāprabhu appears without kṛṣṇa, or a blackish color, He is understood to be Kṛṣṇa Himself. Idānīṁ kṛṣṇatāṁ gataḥ. The same original Kṛṣṇa who appears in different varṇas has now appeared. The word āsan indicates that He is always present. Whenever the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in His full feature, He is understood to be kṛṣṇa-varṇam, although He appears in different colors. Prahlāda Mahārāja states that Caitanya Mahāprabhu is channa; that is, although He is Kṛṣṇa, He is covered by a yellow color. Thus the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas accept the conclusion that although Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in pīta color, He is Kṛṣṇa.”

Then I wondered why I need to get into all these perplexing details. It is more important to chantg the Holy Name of the Lord which is the top-most benediction for this age.

SB 11.5.32: In the Age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kṛṣṇa. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions.

It is, therefore, important to follow the teachings of Lord Caitanya and worship Him by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.

“Therefore, to worship Lord Caitanya, everyone should together chant the mahā-mantra — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. To propagate worship in churches, temples or mosques is not possible because people have lost interest in that. But anywhere and everywhere, people can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Thus worshiping Lord Caitanya, they can perform the highest activity and fulfill the highest religious purpose of satisfying the Supreme Lord.” (SB 11.5.32 P)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

One thing that caught my attention in this lesson is the art of asking the right questions to sadhus.

When Garga Muni had been properly received as a guest and was very comfortably seated, Nanda Mahārāja submitted with gentle and submissive words: Dear sir, because you are a devotee, you are full in everything. Yet my duty is to serve you. Kindly order me. What can I do for you? (SB 10.8.3)

In the purport, Srila Prabhupada writes, “Nanda Mahārāja could understand that Garga Muni had come for this purpose and that his own duty now was to act according to Garga Muni’s advice. Thus he said, “Please tell me what is my duty.” This should be the attitude of everyone, especially the householder.”

When Parīkṣit Maharaja was cursed to die within seven days and Sukadeva Goswami visited him, he asked Sukadeva Goswami, “You are the spiritual master of great saints and devotees. I am therefore begging you to show the way of perfection for all persons, and especially for one who is about to die. Please let me know what a man should hear, chant, remember and worship, and also what he should not do. Please explain all this to me.” (SB 1.19.37-38)

Sukadeva Goswami replied, “My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. The answer to this question is the prime subject matter for hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists.” (SB 2.1.1)

Suta Goswami, when narrating this conversation between Sukadeva Goswami and Pariksit Maharaja, to the sages of Naimisranya also said something similar, “O sages, I have been justly questioned by you. Your questions are worthy because they relate to Lord Kṛṣṇa and so are of relevance to the world’s welfare. Only questions of this sort are capable of completely satisfying the self.” (SB 1.2.5)

Srila Prabhupada explains that simply by such questioning and hearing, one can achieve the highest perfectional stage of life. Because Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Supreme Person, any question about Him is original and perfect. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that the highest perfection of life is to achieve the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa. Because questions and answers about Kṛṣṇa elevate one to that transcendental position, the questions of Mahārāja Parīkṣit about Kṛṣṇa philosophy are greatly glorified. (SB 2.1.1 Purport)

Srila Prabhupada explains very deeply about the art of questions and answers.

“The whole world is full of questions and answers. The birds, beasts and men are all busy in the matter of perpetual questions and answers. In the morning the birds in the nest become busy with questions and answers, and in the evening also the same birds come back and again become busy with questions and answers. The human being, unless he is fast asleep at night, is busy with questions and answers. The businessmen in the market are busy with questions and answers, and so also the lawyers in the court and the students in the schools and colleges. The legislators in the parliament are also busy with questions and answers, and the politicians and the press representatives are all busy with questions and answers. Although they go on making such questions and answers for their whole lives, they are not at all satisfied. Satisfaction of the soul can only be obtained by questions and answers on the subject of Krishna.

Krishna is our most intimate master, friend, father or son and object of conjugal love. Forgetting Krishna, we have created so many objects of questions and answers, but none of them are able to give us complete satisfaction. All things but Krishna give temporary satisfaction only, so if we are to have complete satisfaction we must take to the questions and answers about Krishna. We cannot live for a moment without being questioned or without giving answers. Because the Srimad-Bhagavatam deals with questions and answers that are related to Krishna, we can derive the highest satisfaction only by reading and hearing this transcendental literature. One should learn the Srimad-Bhagavatam and make an all- around solution to all problems pertaining to social, political or religious matters. Srimad-Bhagavatam and Krishna are the sum total of all things.” (SB 1.2.5 Purport)

Therefore the questions that we ask the speakers should be intelligent and beneficial to all listeners. Such questions and answers should help one advance on the spiritual path and should be practically applied in our day-to-day life.

If the sages of Naimisaranya or Pariksit Maharaja had not asked such practical questions we wouldn’t have had this opportunity to cherish this transcendental scripture of Srimad Bhagavatam.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

It is mentioned by our acaryas that Trnāvarta represents the false pride produced by useless scholarship, which gives rise to wrangling debates and arguments, dry reasoning, and dry logical indulgences in the association of people who are attached to such things.

While meditating on this anartha, I could see a connection to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastime. Before Mahaprabhu took shelter of Srila Ishvara Puri, He engaged in debates and arguments with other scholars. Navadvipa was a hotbed of philosophical debates during that time. Mahaprabhu liked to show off His scholarship to others. He even defeated Keshava Kashmiri who had been traveling to centers of learning all over India, debating the Sanskrit Vedic literatures with scholars. In spite of Mahaprabhu’s reputation as a scholar, Ishvara Puri, His spiritual master, chastised Him:

“You are a fool. You are not qualified to study Vedānta philosophy, and therefore You must always chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. This is the essence of all mantras, or Vedic hymns.

Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa one can obtain freedom from material existence. Indeed, simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra one will be able to see the lotus feet of the Lord.

In this Age of Kali there is no religious principle other than the chanting of the holy name, which is the essence of all Vedic hymns. This is the purport of all scriptures.”

(CC Adi 7.72-74)

Receiving this order from His spiritual master, Lord Caitanya immediately exhibited ecstatic symptoms of love of God by chanting the Holy Name of Krsna and gave up dry scholarship and debates.

Through this pastime, Mahaprabhu is teaching us that we need to kill the Trnavarta within our heart if we want to get a taste for chanting the Holy Name of the Lord.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes in Sri Krishna Samhita: “Persons who are on the path of attachment should avoid the first obstacle, accepting a bogus guru, by discussing Putana’s arrival in Vraja in the guise of a nurse. The second obstacle is false arguments. It is difficult for one’s ecstatic emotion to be awakened until Trnavarta, in the form of a whirlwind, is killed in Vraja. In the form of Trnavarta, the arguments of philosophers, Buddhists, and logicians are all obstacles to the ecstatic emotion of Vraja.”

As sadhakas, it is important that we endeavor to remove these various anarthas that are stumbling blocks on our path to attain pure devotional service to Krsna. Some of these anarthas could be eliminated by our own endeavor and purity, and others can be destroyed by the mercy of Krsna.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

It’s good to be back with our regular study of Srimad Bhagavatam in the association of like-minded devotees.

For this forum post, I would like to focus on the 1^st and 2^nd verse which talks mainly about the benefits of hearing topics about Krsna.

SB 10.7.1-2: King Parīkṣit said: My lord, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, all the various activities exhibited by the incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are certainly pleasing to the ear and to the mind. Simply by one’s hearing of these activities, the dirty things in one’s mind immediately vanish. Generally we are reluctant to hear about the activities of the Lord, but Kṛṣṇa’s childhood activities are so attractive that they are automatically pleasing to the mind and ear. Thus one’s attachment for hearing about material things, which is the root cause of material existence, vanishes, and one gradually develops devotional service to the Supreme Lord, attachment for Him, and friendship with devotees who give us the contribution of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you think it fit, kindly speak about those activities of the Lord.

Srila Prabhupada, in his purport to these verses, succinctly captures the essence of Krsna consciousness movement. He says that the root cause of all our suffering is due to our various material desires. However, this root cause of suffering can be removed by revival of our original Krsna consciousness. This revival fundamentally begins with hearing and chanting about Krsna. Therefore, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other Vedic literatures exist simply to give us a chance to hear about Kṛṣṇa.

Unfortunately, we have no attraction for hearing about Krsna, and this is the root cause of our suffering. The first two verses of this chapter highlight five main benefits of hearing Krsna-katha. It says that by repeatedly hearing Krsna-katha, two things disappear and three things appear.

The two things that DISAPPEAR are (1) our distaste for hearing and chanting, and (2) our ending material desires. Hari indicates the Lord who takes away all our suffering and faults. Isvara indicates the Lord who attracts our internal and external senses. The mind has no inclination to hearing about Krsna, and even if it has, there are various other desires. But hearing about Krsna vanquishes both disinclination and material desires.

The three things that APPEAR from hearing hari-katha are:

• Sattvam (Purity): The heart becomes purified by hearing about Krsna. Lust, anger, greed, pride, envy, illusion and madness disappear from the heart. Instead qualities such as sense of selflessness, tolerance, compassion and humility start to arise. All that we talk about, hear about, desire and aspire about gradually arise in the heart. When the heart becomes pure because of destruction of impure desires, it becomes capable of comprehending rasa. This purification happens quickly by hearing all the pastimes of Krsna, but more slowly in the case of hearing the pastimes of the avataras.
• Bhakti: By hearing about Krsna, actual devotion unto Krsna arises in our heart.
• Friendship with devotees develops.  By hearing, bhakti or prema to the Lord, who attracts the devotees, appears and friendship with devotees also develops.

“The pastimes of Kṛṣṇa can be properly received from devotees. If one has developed a little bit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness by hearing from Vaiṣṇavas about the activities of Kṛṣṇa, one becomes attached to Vaiṣṇavas who are interested only in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (SB 10.7.1-2 Purport)

Therefore Pariksit Maharaja, in these two verses, welcomes the narrations of the unlimited pastimes of Krsna. With great eagerness, he requests Sukadeva Goswami to continue with more stories about Krsna.

SB 10.7.3: Please describe other pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality, who appeared on this planet earth, imitating a human child and performing wonderful activities like killing Pūtanā.

SB 3.25.25: In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation, and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devotion and devotional service begin.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

(Reference cited: Brhad Vaisanava Tosani by Srila Sanatana Goswami)

Hare Krsna,

The Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna is known as bhava-grahi janardana because He takes only the essence of a devotee’s attitude. If a devotee sincerely surrenders unto Him, the Lord, as the Supersoul in everyone’s heart, immediately understands this. Thus, even though, externally, a devotee may not render full service, if he is internally sincere and serious the Lord welcomes his service nonetheless. Thus, the Lord is known as bhava-grahi janardana because He takes the essence of one’s devotional mentality.

This means Krsna sees our intentions and not our actions. If our intentions are pure and without any material motives and executed even if faultily, Krsna accepts it. One beautiful example in this regard is of Vidura’s wife. Vidura’s wife was totally lost in her intense devotion for the Lord. Once when Krsna walked into her house and seated Himself comfortably on an asana, He told her that He was hungry. She immediately ran into the kitchen. She had not cooked anything. When she looked around she saw a bunch of bananas lying there. She brought them and sat down below His asana. She picked up a banana, peeled the skin and instead of giving the fruit to Krsna, she gave the banana peel to Krsna to eat and threw away the fruit. She was totally beyond her body consciousness and the surroundings. Krsna, who accepts anything offered with love and devotion, very happily accepted the peel and ate it relishing it all the time. She continued to give the Lord peel after peel and the Lord continued partaking it.

Therefore, Krsna says in BG 9.26: “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.”

The pastime of Putana is very interesting because in this case, Krsna, instead of considering her evil intention, saw her action and mercifully accepted it. Even though she came with the intention of killing Him by feeding her breastmilk, Krsna took her motherly act into consideration and ignored her demoniac intention. Not only that, He even granted her a position of a nurse in the spiritual world. Remembering this Uddhava went into ecstasy and narrated this merciful nature to Vidura.

SB 3.2.23: Alas, how shall I take shelter of one more merciful than He who granted the position of mother to a she-demon [Pūtanā] although she was unfaithful, and she prepared deadly poison to be sucked from her breast?

In his purport, Srila Prabhupada explains that this is an example of the extreme mercy of the Lord, even to His enemy. Lord Kṛṣṇa accepted the motherhood of Pūtanā because she pretended to be an affectionate mother, allowing Kṛṣṇa to suck her breast. The Lord accepts the least qualification of the living entity and awards him the highest reward. That is the standard of His character. Therefore, who but the Lord can be the ultimate shelter?

Another similar example is that of Ajamila. Even though He cried out the name of his youngest son, Narayana, at the time of his death, the all-merciful Lord immediately sent His Visnudhutas to rescue him from the agents of Yamaraja. This is another instance of the Lord taking into account the action of Ajamila even though his intention was not really to call out the Lord but his son.

This pastime of Putana therefore gives me tremendous hope. The hope that just by chanting the Holy Name of the Lord even though impurely or somewhat offensively or even inattentively, Krsna will accept our chanting and bestow on us the right benedictions. This is why Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is considered the most merciful incarnation.

namo mahā-vadānyāya | kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te

kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne | gaura-tviṣe namaḥ

“O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṇa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṇa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.” (CC Madhya 19.53)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

I would like to share Putana’s past life so that we have a context why she behaved the way she did. Brahma-vaivarta Purana mentions that in her last life Putana was Ratnamala, the younger sister of Bali Maharaja. However, Garga Samhita mentions that she was the daughter of Bali Maharaja. At the time when Bali Maharaja was visited by Lord Vamanadeva she also witnessed His arrival. As soon as Ratnamala had set her eyes on the Lord, she desired that He might become her son wishing to suckle Him out of maternal affection. The Supreme Lord, feeling obliged to Bali Maharaja, His pure devotee, and understanding her heart, addressed Ratnamala, promising that whatever desire she was cherishing at that moment would be fulfilled. However, when Ratnamala saw how Lord Vamanadeva tricked her father/brother and tied him up like a vagabond, she became angry and bitter. Looking at the Lord she thought maliciously: “If you become my son then not only will I feed you, but I will also kill you!” According to the original benediction that Lord Vamanadeva had offered, Ratnamala would have the opportunity to suckle Him as her child. However, because her sentiments had now swung so violently to the opposite extreme, by exercise of His unlimited intelligence, Lord Vamanadeva ingeniously supplied the solution by smoothly incorporating the suitable reactions to both diverse desires in a single pastime. Thus at the end of Dvapara-yuga she became known as Putana and fulfilled her desires. Then, by Lord Krishna’s touch, she attained liberation too.

Another interesting point that our acaryas comment upon is why Krsna closed His eyes.

SB 10.6.8: Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the all-pervading Supersoul, lying on the bed, understood that Pūtanā, a witch who was expert in killing small children, had come to kill Him. Therefore, as if afraid of her, Kṛṣṇa closed His eyes. Thus Pūtanā took upon her lap Him who was to be her own annihilation, just as an unintelligent person places a sleeping snake on his lap, thinking the snake to be a rope.

Srila Visvanatha Chakravarty Thakura comments that Krsna closed His eyes – (a) to show His fearfulness as a small child; (b) to avoid seeing such an inauspicious person; (c) to avoid making the violence auspicious by the touch of His auspicious glance; (d) to avoid the shame of killing a woman posing as a mother, and (e) to avoid seeing the inauspiciousness of Pütanä’s death.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura compared Putana to false guru or pseudo guru. Putana appeared as a loving mother externally, but she was a dangerous demon internally. Thus, Putana represents a pseudo guru, or a so called teacher who seems to be genuine, but actually unauthentic and deviant. A pseudo guru may appear in multiple forms. A fake guru is one who teaches one’s students sense gratification or liberation or both.

Being greedy, foolish people desire excessive material wealth and undue enjoyment, and seek so-called gurus who suggest them shortcuts that appear religious. These fake gurus often seek wealth and enjoyment for themselves from and through the ignorant masses who approach them for the same. These materialistic gurus misdirect such people with some mantras or rituals to attain material wealth, fame, influence and so on. However, ultimately all material prosperity is temporary and is lost at any moment.

There are other people who are frustrated with sense gratification and thus develop some spiritual inclinations. Unfortunately, they sometimes approach gurus who direct them towards impersonal liberation. These gurus teach detachment from material enjoyment, and emphasize that liberation (moksha), i.e., merging in the effulgence of God (Brahman) as all in all. However, detachment from material enjoyment has to be accompanied by attachment to spiritual enjoyment. And the ultimate spiritual enjoyment of the soul is in the eternal activity of loving and serving (bhakti) Krsna, and not just merge in His effulgence to be inactive. Thus, the gurus who direct people towards liberation are cheating and depriving people of their real fortune of loving company of God in His eternal abode.

Sometimes one’s materially contaminated mind also acts like a pseudo guru. The mind carries millions of material impressions from past lives and is the storehouse of unlimited material desires for selfish enjoyment. Such mind inwardly presents mundane reasoning and manifests as a so-called spiritual guide. Trusting the deviant and distracted mind, a spiritual seeker gives into its desires and obsessions. The right course of action recommended for a devotee, however, is to sharpen one’s intelligence with spiritual knowledge presented in the scriptures. With deliberate spiritual intelligence one must control the fickle mind and make it focus on one’s spiritual practices and come closer to Krsna.

Therefore, a sincere spiritual seeker has to diligently protect oneself from falling into the clutches of pseudo gurus who manifest outwardly (fake gurus) and inwardly (fickle mind). And one must seek shelter of the real gurus who appear inwardly as the Supersoul and outwardly as a pure devotee like Srila Prabhupada. If we are sincere in seeking shelter of Krsna, He will divert us from fake gurus and direct us towards authentic gurus of bhakti. Under the guidance of such gurus, we can easily attain the lotus feet of Krsna in His eternal abode.

Putana pastime is so deep and enriching!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada and acaryas for bringing out the sublime nectar and teachings from the Putana lila!

Hare Krsna,

It is a revelation to learn that both Vasudeva and Nanda Maharaja are stepbrothers, born from the same grandfather King Devamidha. It is, therefore, pleasing to see such a beautiful friendship, brotherhood, love and affection between them even though we hardly get to see such relationships between step-siblings in the material world today.

On the meeting of Vasudeva and Nanda Maharaja, few things stand out for me. That love for Krsna is at the center of every dealing between them. When Nanda Maharaja went to Mathura to pay taxes to Kamsa, he also offered some presentations so that Kamsa would be satisfied and not think about finding Krsna and harming him. Nanda Maharaja’s only concern was how to protect his transcendental child, Kṛṣṇa. This shows the art of how to pacify one’s enemies – through sweet words, presentations, negotiations, consensus, etc. “Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer”, as a saying goes. Unfortunately for the online generation who make friendship connections on social media, it is hard to distinguish between true friends and enemies. They may not be who we think they are.

My second takeaway from the conversation Vasudeva and Nanda Maharaja is the good fortune of meeting friends and dear relatives.

SB 10.5.24: It is also by good fortune that I am seeing you. Having obtained this opportunity, I feel as if I have taken birth again. Even though one is present in this world, to meet with intimate friends and dear relatives in this material world is extremely difficult.

Vasudeva is right in saying that meeting with friends and relatives in the material world is extremely difficult. We may live in the same city but still it’s hard to see our friends and family. My parents and relatives live in India, and I live in the United States. My parents lament why we are not able to live together. The truth is that this is the design of the material world. As Vasudeva’s analogy rightly pointed out that just as planks and sticks are unable to stay together and carried away by the force of a river’s waves, so too we are unable to stay together due to our past karma and waves of time. It is better to learn to live in separation. This is why I like Lord Caitanya’s line and teachings so much – we need to learn to love and serve Krsna in the mood of separation.

“Kṛṣṇa can be present more acutely in separation. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s teaching: to love Kṛṣṇa in separation. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu in separation: govinda-viraheṇa me. Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me. He was thinking that “Everything is vacant without Govinda, without Kṛṣṇa.” (SP Lecture on SB 1.8.39)

This is a great transcendental art to learn how to love Krsna in separation.

My third takeaway is learning that one’s religion, economic development and sense gratification cannot offer real benefits unless one’s friends and relatives are properly situated and away from distress. Wow! I haven’t heard this before!

SB 10.5.28: When one’s friends and relatives are properly situated, one’s religion, economic development and sense gratification, as described in the Vedic literatures, are beneficial. Otherwise, if one’s friends and relatives are in distress, these three cannot offer any happiness.

This means that our real happiness lies in the happiness of people around us, and especially Krsna. If Krsna is pleased, everything is pleased. If Krsna is not pleased, everything is in vain.

My fourth takeaway is about the role of destiny in one’s life.

SB 10.5.30: Every man is certainly controlled by destiny, which determines the results of one’s fruitive activities. In other words, one has a son or daughter because of unseen destiny, and when the son or daughter is no longer present, this also is due to unseen destiny. Destiny is the ultimate controller of everyone. One who knows this is never bewildered.

It is amazing to see how both Vasudeva and Nanda Maharaja acknowledge the role of destiny in whatever happened in their lives. Even though they mention destiny, I am sure by destiny, they meant the mysterious and inconceivable plan and working of the Supreme Lord. Who other than Him is the cause of all causes?

“Naturally we cannot violate the destiny, but if we do it, then we suffer(?). But our destiny can be changed by Kṛṣṇa when we are Kṛṣṇa conscious. That we do not do, but Kṛṣṇa will do. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi: (BG 18.66) “I shall give you protection.” So that change takes place for my protection by Kṛṣṇa.” (SP Room Conversation — July 4, 1972, New York)

My final takeaway is how Krsna or Paramatma guides devotees through the agency of His pure devotees. Vasudeva forewarns Nanda Maharaja to return to Gokula as soon as possible due to some impending disturbances. As we will see in the next chapter, Vasudeva’s fear is about to be proved right.

It is simply amazing how much nectar we can derive from the pastimes of Krsna and His devotees’ dealings with each other.  

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Reading the festivities and activities in Gokula after Krsna’s birth gave me great bliss and joy. The description shows how a perfect Krsna-conscious society lives. For that matter, this also provides an exemplary template on what an ideal society should look like. The festivities in Gokula and the activities of the residents of Gokula showed what a great family atmosphere there is. There is tremendous joy among the Vrajavasis on hearing that Mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja gave birth to a beautiful child Krsna. This is a society where there is no envy. Mother Rukmini was not jealous about the fact that all the center of attraction is Krsna, and not Balarama. She happily receives the women who were guests at the festival. This is a society where there is tremendous and unimaginable opulence just from cows, agriculture, and trade. Even Wall Street would faint in comparison to such opulence in Gokula. Who can imagine two million cows being given to charity, that to decorated with cloth and jewels? Who can imagine brahmanas being given in charity hills of grain, covered with jewels and with cloth decorated with golden embroidery? In Gokula the consciousness is so pure that no one thinks about withholding their wealth. Nanda Maharaja appears to be the most magnanimous. Gokula is an ideal society where there is no conflict between brahmanas and Vaisnavas. The brahmanas are given due respect and engaged in service according to their education and knowledge. This is a society where there is no blasphemy of demigods as we can see that Nanda Maharaja arranged for worship of the demigods and forefathers. This is a society where the whole village shows up to congratulate Mother Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja. No one sends a cheap $3.00 greeting card and makes excuses about not showing up in person. This is a society where people do not go to distant land to earn livelihood. Everyone can live self-sufficiently and happily in a village comfortably with cows, land and rivers.  

From the description, I can see that there is great love among the residents. They share each other’s joys and distress (as we will see in upcoming chapters when the demons start causing trouble). There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child. We can literally see that when the whole village comes to see Krsna.

The description of the festivities in Gokula turns our modern idea about prosperity upside down. We think only cities can give us economic gains and a good lifestyle. We think that only modern-day slavery in the form of jobs can give us sustenance. We think that cities are wealthy and villages are poor. We think cities have health, wealth and happiness and villages lack these things. How wrong we are! Gokula showed a village life is a perfect life in all respects. Be it wealth, health, happiness, purity, joy, love, kindness, help, service, God-consciousness, Gokula have it all.

I am sure this is the vision Srila Prabhupada had when he established ISKCON temples all over the world. He wanted devotees to live in the same spirit and mood as the residents of Gokula. What is even more perfect is that we can live with Krsna at the center. Nothing can get better than this! This is a perfect life. How I wish I could live in Gokula serving all the residents (including plants animals, etc.)!

“It is my ambition that all devotees may remain self independent by producing vegetables, grains, milk, fruits, flowers, and by weaving their own cloth in handlooms. This simple life is very nice. Simple village life saves time for other engagements like chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra. Generally people are spoiling their lives for decorating the dead body and giving no attention at all to the spirit soul within. Our business is just the opposite, to give more time to the spiritual life and accept material necessities only as required. This makes life perfect. This is the Vedic way of life. We do not reject or accept anything until it is seen in the light of our Krsna Consciousness Movement. Anything favorable for Krsna consciousness we accept and anything unfavorable we reject, anukulasya sankalpah pratikulyam-vivarjanam.” (Srila Prabhupada letter to Tusta Krsna — Hyderabad 23 August, 1976)

I really liked Text 4: O King, by the passing of time, land and other material possessions are purified; by bathing, the body is purified; and by being cleansed, unclean things are purified. By purificatory ceremonies, birth is purified; by austerity, the senses are purified; and by worship and charity offered to the brāhmaṇas, material possessions are purified. By satisfaction, the mind is purified; and by self-realization, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the soul is purified.

In this age just by chanting Hare Krsna maha-mantra attentively and with devotion, we can attain all purification – purification of body, senses, mind, intelligence, and consciousness. What more? We can even attain love of Godhead by chanting the Holy Name.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna
Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Kamsa’s conduct in this pastime clearly proves that just having good transcendental knowledge is useless if it doesn’t lead to association with good devotees. In his conversation with Devaki and Vasudeva, Kamsa was apologetic to them, and understood the philosophical difference between immediate cause and remote, ultimate cause. It appears from his talks with Vasudeva and Devakī that he knew all about the laws of nature. The better side of him made him decide to release Devakī and Vasudeva from the prison, and he admitted before them the wrongness of his atrocities. Falling at the feet of Devakī and Vasudeva, he begged their pardon and tried to convince them that because the events that had taken place were destined to happen, they should not be unhappy for his having killed so many of their children.

But as soon as he returned back to his ministers and advisors, Kamsa got influenced by their demoniac ill-advise. Kamsa had jnana but not vijnana (practical realized knowledge). Such vijnana can come only from guru, sadhu and sastra. Unless one associates with advanced devotees for prolonged time, one’s material and selfish consciousness will continue to exist. Bad association is extremely dangerous. Look at Kamsa! He had pure devotees Vasudeva and Devaki as his nearest relatives. Devaki was his sister. He saw and spoke with Goddess Durga face to face. He associated with Narada Muni. He also had devotees like Akrura in his council of ministers. Despite all these good fortunes, he still got easily influenced by his crooked ministers. This shows that even if we have met the Supreme Lord or His pure devotees directly, we are still susceptible to fall down if the people around us are evil. Unless we have bhakti (or desire for bhakti) in our hearts for the Supreme Lord, we will not understand the value of devotee association. In Ramayana, we have seen Mother Kaikeyi’s ears poisoned by maid servant Manthara. We all know what followed after that. On the other hand, Prahlada was born in a demoniac family. But still he ended up being a pure devotee (and one of the twelve Mahajanas) totally surrendered to the Supreme Lord because he had pure love and devotion for the Lord.

In essence, association can make or break a person. Good association will elevate us spiritually. Bad association will take us down. Therefore, our scriptures repeatedly glorify sadhu sanga. HDG Srila Prabhupada was clearly cognizant of this factor as a necessary ingredient in our progress in bhakti. Therefore, he established ISKCON temples throughout the world through which devotees can find real shelter in the association of devotees. Mayadevi is very strong. We cannot avoid her and what to speak about fighting her. We need association with armies of devotees to stay out of her influence and control.

Therefore the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 22.54) says:

‘sādhu-saṅga,’ ‘sādhu-saṅga’ — sarva-śāstre kaya

lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya

If one desires his real welfare, he must associate with devotees and saintly persons and in this way rectify the material condition of his life.

Srimad Bhagavatam and Sri Caitanya Caritamrta are replete with examples of where devotees earnestly pray for the mercy and association of pure devotees.

Vrtasura prays: “O my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, will I again be able to be a servant of Your eternal servants who find shelter only at Your lotus feet? O Lord of my life, may I again become their servant so that my mind may always think of Your transcendental attributes, my words always glorify those attributes, and my body always engage in the loving service of Your Lordship?” (SB 6.11.24)

Prahlada Maharaja prays: “O my Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, by engaging in Your transcendental loving service in the association of devotees who are liberated souls [haṁsas], I shall become completely uncontaminated by the association of the three modes of material nature and be able to chant the glories of Your Lordship, who are so dear to me. I shall chant Your glories, following exactly in the footsteps of Lord Brahmā and his disciplic succession. In this way I shall undoubtedly be able to cross the ocean of nescience.” (SB 7.9.18)

This should be our mood. We should desire pure bhakti and association of saintly devotees in our life. As they say in English, better be alone than in bad company. Similarly we should prefer living alone in solitude rather than associate with materialistic people who are dangerous in my journey back home, back to Godhead. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.4.18) it is stated that even the lowest, who are called caṇḍālas (dog-eaters), can be purified by association with a pure devotee. Therefore devotional service and the guidance of a pure devotee are so strong that there is no discrimination between the lower and higher classes of men; anyone can take to it. The simplest man taking shelter of the pure devotee can be purified by proper guidance. In his previous life Nārada Muni was the son of a maidservant, but by good association with pure devotees he became enlightened in devotional service, and in the next life he became a perfect man comparable with himself only.

SB 3.25.25: In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation, and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devotion and devotional service begin.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Modern material world runs on the erroneous theory of seeing and immediately reacting on immediate causes. Countries are at war because they see and react to immediate and visible cause. Israel attacks Palestine because Hamas attacked Israel. Hamas attached Israel because they think their land is forcibly occupied. No one bothers to ponder about the unseen causes behind the immediate cause. Where and how did it all begin in the first place? What is the root cause of the conflict? No one asks these questions. Neither the government, nor the people and not even the media ask such questions. Everyone tends to jump on the immediate cause. This erroneous principle of looking only at immediate cause pervades every aspect of modern civilization. The healthcare industry runs on treating immediate causes and symptoms. Healthcare workers are trained to treat a disease, not address the root cause of the disease. The root cause could be anything such as a lifestyle incompatible with the design of the material nature and human body. Treatment of a disease rather than prevention of disease has become the norm sadly. Similarly in corporate world (which I am a part of) runs on the concept of immediate results. Perform or perish. Show good results and you keep your job and business. Perform badly and you lose them. No one bothers to address the unseen causes behind a person’s or business’ performance. Same goes for election of a government. Electorates get carried away by the immediate impact a political candidate makes. Hence short-term solutions and political rhetoric have become the norm because the political system is designed to reward immediate results. Therefore, no political leader bothers to come up with long term fixes. There are so many evils burning modern world – gun violence, conflict with nature, child abuse, women harassment, hunger and poverty, homelessness, and so on. No one is trained to be inquisitive about the remote, unseen causes.

This is the side effect of modern education which is designed to see and acknowledge immediate causes only. Scientists see only the material elements as the source of the material creation. They are unable to see that there is a Supreme Person who is the cause of all causes. What this implies is that the ability to only see immediate causes rises only from bodily conception of life. Once we acknowledge that there is a spirit soul and Supersoul behind everything, we will be able to see the remote, unseen causes. We will be able to understand how fruitive actions and reactions work, how karma and time works, how the Supreme Lord works by His various energies and potencies. This ability to see remote, unseen causes cannot come from mundane material education which is built on mental speculation and bodily conception. Real knowledge will come from guru, sadhu and sastra.

We are grateful to acaryas such as Srila Prabhupada who have mercifully removed the curtain of immediate cause from in front of our eyes and have revealed the actual truth behind the curtain. Srila Prabhupada loved to give examples of material creation.

“In the material creations, the Lord is only the supreme cause. The immediate cause is the material nature by which the cosmic manifestation is visible. The created beings are of many varieties, such as demigods, human beings and lower animals, and all of them are subject to the reactions of their past good or bad activities. The Lord only gives them the proper facilities for such activities and the regulations of the modes of nature, but He is never responsible for their past and present activities. The living entity is responsible for his own acts. The Lord only gives him facilities, through the agency of material nature, external energy. Anyone who is fully conversant with all the intricacies of this law of karma, or fruitive activities, does not become affected by the results of his activities. In other words, the person who understands this transcendental nature of the Lord is an experienced man in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and thus he is never subjected to the laws of karma. One who does not know the transcendental nature of the Lord and who thinks that the activities of the Lord are aimed at fruitive results, as are the activities of the ordinary living entities, certainly becomes entangled himself in fruitive reaction. But one who knows the Supreme Truth is a liberated soul fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (BG 4.14 Purport)

The three modes of material nature pull the strings but the Supreme Lord controls material nature.

“The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature.” (BG 3.27)

Kamsa’s argument that everyone suffers and enjoys the results of his own work under the control of providence is valid. He has this knowledge because he has a good understanding of the the constitutional position of the body and the soul [ātmā].

“Kaṁsa begged Devakī’s pardon by analyzing the matter deeply. He was not the cause of the death of Devakī’s sons. Rather, this was their own destiny. Under the circumstances, Devakī should excuse Kaṁsa and forget his past deeds without lamentation. Kaṁsa admitted his own fault, but whatever he had done was under the control of providence. Kaṁsa might have been the immediate cause for the death of Devakī’s sons, but the remote cause was their past deeds. This was an actual fact.” (SB 10.4.21 P)

Kamsa had the right knowledge but he could not act upon that knowledge. He had jnana but not vijnana (realized knowledge). He still performed the atrocities of killing Devaki’s six innocent children. Therefore, for those of us who are on the path of attaining pure love of Godhead, we must be careful about cultivating too much knowledge. Top heavy and bottom empty. Head filled with knowledge and information but heart devoid of love and devotion.

Bill Starmer prabhu shared a beautiful verse in his forum post. I would like to re-share it here as it is relevant and hits the point.

NOD 14: Some scholars recommend that knowledge and renunciation are important factors for elevating oneself to devotional service. But actually that is not a fact. Actually, the cultivation of knowledge or renunciation, which are favorable for achieving a footing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, may be accepted in the beginning, but ultimately they may also come to be rejected, for devotional service is dependent on nothing other than the sentiment or desire for such service. It requires nothing more than sincerity.

As Mother Samapriya mentioned in the review session today, we need to develop submissiveness imbued with faith to the spiritual master and the Supreme Lord. Only then the knowledge will transform into realized knowledge. Otherwise, we run the risk of becoming a Kamsa i.e., acting sinfully despite knowing the truth and transcendental knowledge related to the body and soul. All we should care about is developing a sincere desire to please the Lord and His devotees. This will keep us on the safest and transcendental platform.

īhā yasya harer dāsye
karmaṇā manasā girā
nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu
jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate

“A person acting in the service of Kṛṣṇa with his body, mind and words is a liberated person, even within the material world.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.187)

SB 10.4.27: Persons with the vision of differentiation are imbued with the material qualities lamentation, jubilation, fear, envy, greed, illusion and madness. They are influenced by the immediate cause, which they are busy counteracting, because they have no knowledge of the remote, supreme cause, the Personality of Godhead.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!