Hare Krsna,

In Bhagavad Gita 4.9, Lord Krsna states that “One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”

Since we are asked to meditate on the appearance of Lord Kapiladeva, it is important to understand a few purpose and principles of the Lord’s appearance.

Purpose of Lord’s Appearance:

I want to jump a chapter ahead to quote a verse about the purpose of the Lord’s appearance, especially the appearance of Lord Kapiladeva. In SB 3.25.1, Saunaka Rsi says, “Although He is unborn, the Supreme Personality of Godhead took birth as Kapila Muni by His internal potency. He descended to disseminate transcendental knowledge for the benefit of the whole human race.”

There are also couple of verses in BG where Lord Krsna declares why He appears.

“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend Myself. To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.” (BG 4.7-8)

Principles behind Lord’s Appearance:

Principle # 1: The Lord is not forced to accept a body.

When Krsna or His expansions and incarnations come, all His energies also come. It is not that He is forced to come. We have to accept a certain type of body because we are forced to do so, but this is not the case with Śrī Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa or His incarnation come, they do not depend on karma for their bodies. The Supreme Lord is above karma and is fully independent. It is therefore said, ātma-māyayā. The Supreme Lord comes by His own energy, not by the external energy or by force. An example given is that when a governor visits a prison, he is not forced to do so and nor does he become a prisoner by visiting the prison. He goes there by his own good will to see how things are managed and run.

Principle # 2: The Lord always maintains His transcendental position.

Regardless of what form the Supreme Lord appears in, He always maintains His transcendental position. Whether the Lord appears as a baby from Vasudeva and Devaki or appears from a pillar like Lord Nrsimhadev, He always maintains His transcendental position. He always remains God and does not conform to Mayavada philosophy that the Lord loses His divinity when He appears in human form.

Principle # 3: The Lord can take birth from anywhere.

The Supreme Lord is all-pervading. He may appear from the semen of His devotee (Lord Kapiladeva), He may appear from the pillar of Hiraṇyakaśipu’s palace (Lord Nrsimhadeva), He may appear from the nostril of Brahma (Lord Varaha), or He may appear from the womb of a mother (Lord Krsna from Devaki and Lord Caitanya from Mother Saci). The Lord manifests His full independence to act in any way.

“Fire is already present in wood, but by a certain process, fire is kindled. Similarly, God is all-pervading. He is everywhere, and since He may come out from everything, He appeared in His devotee’s semen.” (SB 3.24.5-6)

Although the Lord may appear from various sources, it does not mean that that the nostril of Brahmā or the pillar of Hiraṇyakaśipu’s palace or the semen of Kardama Muni is the source of the appearance of the Lord. The scorpion lays its eggs in piles of rice, and sometimes it is said that the scorpion is born out of rice. But the rice is not the cause of the scorpion. Actually, the eggs were laid by the mother. Similarly, material nature is not the cause of the birth of the Supreme Lord. Being fully independent, He can appear from anywhere and through any agent.

The true reason for the Lord’s appearance is that He descends out of compassion because He is more anxious to have us return home, back to Godhead, than we are to go. Because we are in ignorance, we do not know anything about the kingdom of God. We know nothing about how to get there or how to become happy. We have forgotten all this. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa comes at intervals or sends His representative, the pure devotee. Sometimes He comes personally, and sometimes He sends His incarnation. He, therefore, descends into the material world in numerous forms to display pastimes, enlighten, and attract the conditioned souls to back home, back to Godhead.

Similarly, the Lord appeared as Kapiladeva for the propagation of transcendental knowledge and to give instructions in Sāṅkhya philosophy to His mother, Devahūti for her deliverance.

“The Personality of Godhead, being worshiped by you, will spread my name and fame. He will vanquish the knot of your heart by becoming your son and teaching knowledge of Brahman… After many, many years, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Madhusūdana, the killer of the demon Madhu, having entered the semen of Kardama, appeared in Devahūti just as fire comes from wood in a sacrifice.” (SB 3.24.4 & 6)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

After hearing about the multiple incarnations of the Supreme Lord, I could see a simple pattern. It is my own realization; I could be wrong. The appearance of the Supreme Lord almost always has two aspects – internal reason and external reason. In the appearance of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the internal reasons are to understand the glory of Radharani’s love, to experience the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and to taste the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His (Krsna’s) love. (CC Adi 4.230). The external reason for Mahaprabhu’s appearance is His desire to distribute pure love of Godhead (Krsna prema) through nama-sankirtana (congregational chanting of the Holy Name).

Similarly in Lord Krsna’s appearance, there are multiple reasons. One of the internal reasons I could think of is Krsna’s desire to teach the living entities how to perform spontaneous devotional service.

“Mother sometimes binds Me as her son. She nourishes and protects Me, thinking Me utterly helpless. My friends climb on My shoulders in pure friendship, saying, ‘What kind of big man are You? You and I are equal. If My beloved consort reproaches Me in a sulky mood, that steals My mind from the reverent hymns of the Vedas.Taking these pure devotees with Me, I shall descend and sport in various wonderful ways, unknown even in Vaikuṇṭha. I shall broadcast such pastimes by which even I am amazed.” (CC Adi 4.24-28)

And, of course, the external reason of Krsna’s appearance is mentioned in BG 4.7-9:

“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion – at that time I descend Myself. To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium. One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”

This means that for the Lord’s advent, the internal reason(s) and the social conditions must meet. Regarding the appearance of Lord Kapiladeva, the Supreme Lord Himself announced that He will appear through the conjugal union of Kardama Muni and Mother Devahuti.

“O great sage, I shall manifest My own plenary portion through your wife, Devahūti, along with your nine daughters, and I shall instruct her in the system of philosophy that deals with the ultimate principles or categories.” (SB 3.21.32)

The social condition (external reason) I could think of is the protection of Mother Devahuti. So far we have studied that Kardama Muni desired to leave home after giving birth to nine daughters.

“The powerful Kardama Muni was the knower of everyone’s heart, and he could grant whatever one desired. Knowing the spiritual soul, he regarded her as half of his body. Dividing himself into nine forms, he impregnated Devahūti with nine discharges of semen. Immediately afterward, on the same day, Devahūti gave birth to nine female children, all charming in every limb and fragrant with the scent of the red lotus flower.” (SB 3.23.47-48)

We now know that Kardami Muni is about to leave home and Devahuti for spiritual pursuits. In due course of time, the nine daughters will also get married to their respective husbands and will leave home. Who will give protection to Devahuti after they leave home? In childhood a woman must be under the protection of the parents, in youth she must be under the protection of the husband, and in old age she must be under the protection of the grown children. In Dehavuti’s case, she will be left with no one after her husband and daughters leave home. Thus there is a need for a son to appear from Kardama Muni and Devahuti who will give protection and care to Mother Devahuti. The wonderful thing is that that son will be none other than the Supreme Lord Himself (Lord Kapiladeva).

Another aspect to consider is that while the Supreme Lord desires to increase the population of the material world through the agency of Lord Brahma and His sons/expansions, the Supreme Lord also needs to establish transcendental knowledge. Otherwise, what is the use of increasing population but not teaching them bhakti and devotional service? Through Lord Kapiladeva, the Lord gives protection to Mother Devahuti and also propagates pure devotional service by instructing her.

All these factors are prelude to the appearance of Lord Kapiladeva.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Narada Muni once narrated an allegorical story to King Pracinabarhi. King Prachinabarhi wanted to gain the pure wisdom through which he can be freed from the bonds of karma. The story is mentioned in Canto 4 of Srimad Bhagavatam. I am paraphrasing the story below:

Once upon a time, there was a king called Puranjana. He had unlimited desires for sense enjoyment; consequently, he traveled all over the world to find a place where all his desires could be fulfilled. Unfortunately, he found a feeling of insufficiency everywhere. Once, while wandering in this way, he saw on the southern side of the Himālayas, in a place named Bhārata-varṣa [India], a city that had nine gates all about and was characterized by all auspicious facilities. While wandering here and there in that land, King Purañjana suddenly came in contact with a very beautiful woman who was walking there without any engagement. She had ten servants with her, and each servant had hundreds of wives accompanying him. The woman was protected on all sides by a five-hooded snake. She was very beautiful and young, and she appeared very anxious to find a suitable husband. Purañjana became attracted by the eyebrows and smiling face of the very beautiful girl and was immediately pierced by the arrows of her lusty desires. When she smiled shyly, she looked very beautiful to Purañjana, who, although a hero, could not refrain from addressing her. Eventually, they both got married to each other. Being entangled in different types of mental concoction and engaged in fruitive activities, King Purañjana came completely under the control of his wife. Indeed, he used to fulfill all the desires of his wife, the Queen. When the Queen drank liquor, King Purañjana also engaged in drinking. When the Queen dined, he used to dine with her, and when she chewed, King Purañjana used to chew along with her. When the Queen sang, he also sang. Similarly, when the Queen cried, he also cried, and when the Queen laughed, he also laughed. When the Queen talked loosely, he also talked loosely, and when the Queen walked, the King walked behind her. When the Queen would stand still, the King would also stand still, and when the Queen would lie down in bed, he would also follow and lie down with her. When the Queen sat, he would also sit, and when the Queen heard something, he would follow her to hear the same thing. When the Queen saw something, the King would also look at it, and when the Queen smelled something, the King would follow her to smell the same thing. When the Queen touched something, the King would also touch it, and when the dear Queen was lamenting, the poor King also had to follow her in lamentation. In the same way, when the Queen felt enjoyment, he also enjoyed, and when the Queen was satisfied, the King also felt satisfaction. In this way, King Purañjana was captivated by his nice wife and was thus cheated. Indeed, he became cheated in his whole existence in the material world. Even against that poor foolish King’s desire, he remained under the control of his wife, just like a pet animal that dances according to the order of its master.

It was almost impossible for King Purañjana to give up the company of his Queen even for a moment. Nonetheless, one day, being very much inspired by the desire to hunt, he took up his bow and arrow with great pride and went to the forest, not caring for his wife. At that time King Purañjana was very much influenced by demoniac propensities. Because of this, his heart became very hard and merciless, and with sharp arrows he killed many innocent animals in the forest, taking no consideration.

Sri Narada Muni then summarized the lesson to King Pracinabarhi: My dear King, any person who works according to the directions of the Vedic scriptures does not become involved in fruitive activities. Otherwise, a person who acts whimsically falls down due to false prestige. Thus, he becomes involved in the laws of nature, which are composed of the three qualities [goodness, passion, and ignorance]. In this way a living entity becomes devoid of his real intelligence and becomes perpetually lost in the cycle of birth and death. Thus, he goes up and down from a microbe in stool to a high position in the Brahmaloka planet. (SB 4.26.7-8)

The reason I mentioned this story is because King Puranjana violated the Vedic instructions and became entangled in material existence. On the other hand, Mother Devahuti and Kardama Muni strictly followed all Vedic instructions (even the instructions of producing a child) and were thus blessed with the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their son.

Everyone is therefore advised to act in terms of the Vedic instructions which are applicable in all time, places, and circumstances. When a person within a state acts according to the laws and licenses of the government, he does not become involved in criminal activities. Similarly, one who acts according to the Vedic instructions does not become entangled in material fruitive activities. Man-made laws are always defective because they are made by people who are prone to committing mistakes, being illusioned, cheating and having imperfect senses. The Vedic instructions are different because they do not have these four defects. The knowledge of the Vedas is knowledge received directly from God, and there is consequently no question of illusion, cheating, mistakes, or imperfect senses. All Vedic knowledge is perfect because it is received directly from God by the disciplic succession. Lord Krsna instructed Vedic knowledge to Brahma into his heart (tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye). Brahma distributed the Vedic knowledge to Narada, Narada to Vyasadeva, Vyasadeva to Sukadeva Goswami, and so on. In this way Vedic knowledge came to us in disciplic succession. Vedic knowledge is therefore considered perfect. If we act according to Vedic knowledge, there is no question of being involved in sinful activities.

“He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection nor happiness nor the supreme destination.” (BG 16.23)

Every living entity is part and parcel of God. Living entities are put into the miserable threefold condition of material existence because they voluntarily accepted material existence on the false pretext of becoming an enjoyer.

“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.” (BG 15.7)

To save the living entities from this horrible condition, the Lord has given all the Vedic literatures in His incarnation of Vyāsadeva.

kṛṣṇa bhuli’ sei jīva anādi-bahirmukha

ataeva māyā tāre deya saṁsāra-duḥkha

“By forgetting Kṛṣṇa, the living entity has become materialistic since time immemorial. Therefore, the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa is giving him different types of miseries in material existence.” (Cc. Madhya 20.117)

māyā-mugdha jīvera nāhi svataḥ kṛṣṇa-jñāna

jīvere kṛpāya kailā kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa

“When a living entity is enchanted by the external energy, he cannot revive his original Kṛṣṇa consciousness independently. Due to such circumstances, Kṛṣṇa has kindly given him the Vedic literatures, such as the four Vedas and eighteen Purāṇas.” (Cc. Madhya 20.122)

Every human being should therefore take advantage of the Vedic instructions; otherwise, one will be bound by his whimsical activities and will be without any guide.

“The human body, which can award all benefit in life, is automatically obtained by the laws of nature, although it is a very rare achievement. This human body can be compared to a perfectly constructed boat having the spiritual master as the captain and the instructions of the Personality of Godhead as favorable winds impelling it on its course. Considering all these advantages, a human being who does not utilize his human life to cross the ocean of material existence must be considered the killer of his own soul.” (SB 11.20.17)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

The qualities and characters of Mother Devahuti should be inspiration for all practitioners of bhakti yoga who are sincerely trying to attain the platform of pure love of Godhead. In Bhagavad Gita 13.8-12, Lord Krsna lists twenty qualities that He declares is knowledge. Everything besides them is ignorance.

“Humility; pridelessness; nonviolence; tolerance; simplicity; approaching a bona fide spiritual master; cleanliness; steadiness; self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification; absence of false ego; the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; detachment; freedom from entanglement with children, wife, home and the rest; even-mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me; aspiring to live in a solitary place; detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization; and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth – all these I declare to be knowledge, and besides this whatever there may be is ignorance.”

If we analyze deeply, we see that Mother Devahuti possessed all these qualities. She was humble, tolerant, simple, self-controlled, devoid of any pride, lust, envy, greed, sinful activities, and vanity. She was detached from the general mass of people, even-minded amid pleasant and unpleasant event, renounced from objects of sense-gratification, devoid of false ego. Most importantly, she realized the importance of self-realization, knowledge of the Absolute Truth, and values of serving a spiritual master or a superior authority like her husband Kardama Muni.

Srila Prabhupada explains (in purport to the above verse) that “all the good qualities of knowledge develop in one who has attained the stage of devotional service. The principle of accepting a spiritual master, as mentioned in the eighth verse, is essential. Even for one who takes to devotional service, it is most important. Transcendental life begins when one accepts a bona fide spiritual master. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, clearly states here that this process of knowledge is the actual path. Anything speculated beyond this is nonsense.”

The most important quality that I can inspiration from Mother Devahuti is her attitude of sincere service. Mother Devahuti served her husband the same way one should serve one’s spiritual master. Devahūti was so faithful to her husband that not only did she serve him with great devotion, service and respect, but she did not even care for her own health. That is called selfless service.

“Devahūti served her husband with intimacy and great respect, with control of the senses, with love and with sweet words. Working sanely and diligently, she pleased her very powerful husband, giving up all lust, pride, envy, greed, sinful activities and vanity. The daughter of Manu, who was fully devoted to her husband, looked upon him as greater even than providence. Thus she expected great blessings from him. Having served him for a long time, she grew weak and emaciated due to her religious observances. Seeing her condition, Kardama, the foremost of celestial sages, was overcome with compassion and spoke to her in a voice choked with great love.” (SB 3.23.1-5)

Some people with strong feminist mindset may revolt at some of Srila Prabhupada’s statements such as “the wife must render service just like an intimate friend, and at the same time she must understand that the husband is superior in position, and thus she must offer him all respect…Even if there is some wrong on the part of the husband, the wife must tolerate it.”

My counter-argument is “Look at the ultimate result Devahuti obtained at the end!” What did she attain after a lifetime of service to her husband? Pure love of Godhead and the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself as her son (Lord Kapiladeva). We should judge a tree by its fruits. Instead of misrepresenting (and revolting at) Srila Prabhupada’s statements, we should see what he is trying to teach us – that by serving one’s superiors, we can achieve all spiritual perfection.

“Love of Kṛṣṇa is the highest perfection of bhagavat-prasāda, or divine mercy… By the grace of Kardama Muni, Devahūti experienced actual realization simply by serving. We get a similar example in the life of Nārada Muni… Kardama Muni, who offered her the best gift which can be bestowed in human life: the grace of the Lord, or love of God. This grace of the Lord was achieved by Devahūti by the good will and satisfaction of her husband. She served her husband, who was a great devotee and saintly person, with great sincerity, love, affection and service, and Kardama Muni was satisfied. He willingly gave love of God, and he recommended that she accept it and enjoy it because he had already achieved it.” (SB 3.23.7-8 Purport)

It is a fact that just by satisfying the spiritual master, we can receive all blessings, mercy, and grace of the Lord (yasya prasadad bhagavata prasadah). One cannot attain love of Godhead simply by chanting the Holy Name of the Lord or reading the scriptures unless these activities are combined with service to a pure Vaisnava. No one can attain pure love of Krsna without serving the pure devotees of the Lord. The most amazing thing is that we can attain love of Krsna in one lifetime just by this selfless service attitude to the devotees of the Lord. Srila Prabhupada quotes the example of Sri Narada Muni who became the great personality Nārada by menially serving the maha-bhagavatas.

Devahuti did not have to perform intense austerities, sacrifices, meditation or cultivate deep knowledge of the Vedas. Simply by serving her husband (who she treated as her spiritual master) sincerely, faithfully, and lovingly, she attained all perfection.

I pray to the Lord to bless me with such an attitude and mood of selfless service as Mother Devahuti’s. What cannot be achieved in many lifetimes can be attained in just one lifetime by selfless service to the Vaisnavas, one’s spiritual master, and one’s superiors like a husband or wife (if such a person is a pure devotee of the Lord).

All the so-called bodily troubles that Devahuti went through is actually a small price to pay to attain the ultimate wealth  – the grace of the Lord, love of God (premā pumartho mahān). To achieve love of Godhead is the highest perfection of life. This is easily obtained by rendering service to the pure Vaisnavas.

“By serving her devotee husband, Kardama Muni, Devahūti shared in his achievements. Similarly, a sincere disciple, simply by serving a bona fide spiritual master, can achieve all the mercy of the Lord and the spiritual master simultaneously.” (SB 3.22.7 P)

I offer my thousands of respectful obeisances to Mother Devahuti with a prayer that she bestows upon us unalloyed devotional service to the pure devotees of the Lord. gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the maintainer of the gopīs. (Padyāvalī 74)

Mother Devahuti is truly a great inspiration to me.

All glories to Mother Devahuti!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

The qualities of demoniac people (and kings) are perfectly enunciated by Lord Krsna in BG Chapter 16. The whole chapter deals with the divine and demoniac natures. In BG 16.13-15, Lord Krsna tells Arjuna,

“The demoniac person thinks: “So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the future, more and more. He is my enemy, and I have killed him, and my other enemies will also be killed. I am the lord of everything. I am the enjoyer. I am perfect, powerful, and happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives. There is none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall rejoice.” In this way, such persons are deluded by ignorance.”

This verse perfectly portrays the conditions and mentality of demoniac rulers today. Greed is their main driver. Let me take an example. The largest country in the world by size of land mass is Russia. It has 11% of the world land mass. Ukraine, on the other hand, has only 0.4% of the world landmass. But still the bigger country wants to annex the smaller country that is far less powerful and populated. What is the need? Just sheer greed. As Krsna says, “so much wealth I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes.” In this case, Russia is not happy being the largest country in the world; it wants more land. This greed arises from lack of God consciousness. Because these rulers do not believe in or accept God as the sole proprietor of everything, they want to be the controller and enjoyer of everything in this world. They want to fulfill their sinister desires by trampling on the dead bodies of innocent civilians.

On the other hand of the spectrum, Svayambhuva Manu perfectly exemplifies how a qualified king should rule. He believed and applied the principle of Yajnārtha-karma – that work should be done only for the satisfaction of Visnu. He acknowledged his kingdom and opulence to be gifts from the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus always engaged in devotional service. Svāyambhuva Manu created an atmosphere of complete Krsna consciousness in his kingdom. There is always chanting and hearing of the glories of Krsna.

“Emperor Svāyambhuva Manu enjoyed life with his wife and subjects and fulfilled his desires without being disturbed by unwanted principles contrary to the process of religion. Celestial musicians and their wives sang in chorus about the pure reputation of the Emperor, and early in the morning, every day, he used to listen to the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with a loving heart.” (SB 3.22.23)

There is a dire need of a qualified king and ruler in today’s society. That leader will not sprout from today’s society drowned in sheer sense gratification. The leader can only rise from a culture of pure God consciousness or Krsna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada had great hopes to see a Krsna conscious leader in the world. It has been more than 45 years that Srila Prabhupada left this mortal world. But we are still awaiting to see that day when a Krsna conscious leader will take charge. It does not matter what faith the leader belongs to. He/She may be a Vaisnava, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, etc. Whoever he/she may be, he/she should strictly abide by the scriptures and rule according to those principles.

Any leader must always remember the “peace formula” given by Krsna in BG 5.29: “A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.”

By practicing and preaching the simple method of chanting the holy names of the Lord — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare – let us hope to install a pure devotee of the Lord as the most qualified ruler of this age. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

The conversation between Svayambhuva Manu and Kardama Muni is deep, profound, and full of instructive lessons for us. There are quite a few things that stood out for me.

“”My daughter is the sister of Priyavrata and Uttānapāda. She is seeking a suitable husband in terms of age, character, and good qualities.” (SB 3.22.9)

This is a very important guiding principle for anyone trying to find a suitable life partner. One should look at the age, character, and good qualities of one’s prospective partner. Unfortunately, in today’s misguided age, people only look at good looks and good bank balance. Their choice of partner is at a superficial level. The result is that marriages do not last very long nowadays. Unfortunately, even devotees do not always follow the above principle in choosing their partners. My spiritual master once narrated to me about his conversation with another big, famous, and respected sannyasi in ISKCON. I will not disclose his name because I do not have his permission. He told my spiritual master that many devotees do not strictly follow the four regulative principles. They follow three and a half regulative principles. I was curious which regulative principle is violated the most. The sannyasi said that the regulative principle is ‘no illicit sex’. I was left speechless after hearing this.

Traditionally in India, arranged marriages followed this principle of considering someone for marriage by age, character and good qualities. During my younger days whenever I heard of any marriage discussions in the family, the usual questions asked about the groom and bride used to be always, “Is the boy of good character? Does he have any bad habits or bad association? Does he respect his parents and elders? How is his relationship with everyone in the family? Is the girl shy, well-mannered and respectful to everyone? Is she religious and spiritual? Is she Goddess Lakshmi (means does she represent the good qualities of the Goddess)? Who are the parents of the boy (or girl)? Are they from respectable family?” As you can see, the whole line of inquiry is about character, family background, good qualities, culture, etc.

Unfortunately, nowadays the line of assessing a bride or groom goes like this: “How educated is the boy/girl? Where does he/she work? What is his/her monthly income? Where does the boy live and work? (Men who work abroad are rated highly) Does the boy have his own house, car, and maidservants? How many houses does he have? Has he paid off all the mortgages? Is he debt-free? Does he live with his parents or independently? (Men who live independently away from joint family system are preferred). Is the girl beautiful? Is she modern in her outlook and behavior? Is she ok to settle abroad with our boy?”

As you can see, how far our society has fallen down from the ideal principles set by Svayambhuva Manu and Kardama Muni!!

Another point that stood out for me from this conversation between Svayambhuva Manu and Kardama Muni is this:

“The moment she heard from the sage Nārada of your noble character, learning, beautiful appearance, youth and other virtues, she fixed her mind upon you.” (SB 3.22.10)

Aren’t we all trying to apply this principle in our journey in Krsna bhakti? Don’t we all want to fall in love with Krsna and desire him intensely by hearing about His qualities, form, pastimes, etc.? Queen Rukmini fell in love with Krsna just by hearing about His glories. She did not even see Him once. But she decided to marry none other than Krsna. This shows how important is hearing from bonafide sources. Devahuti heard about Karadama Muni from Narada Muni.

“O my Lord, Your devotees can see You through the ears by the process of bona fide hearing, and thus their hearts become cleansed, and You take Your seat there. You are so merciful to Your devotees that You manifest Yourself in the particular eternal form of transcendence in which they always think of You.” (SB 3.9.11)

The last point that stood out for me is: “The highest authority for me is the unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whom this wonderful creation emanates and in whom its sustenance and dissolution rest. He is the origin of all Prajāpatis, the personalities meant to produce living entities in this world.” (SB 3.22.20)

This means that while I am busy engaged in fulfilling my family, societal, professional, and other responsibilities, I must remember that my ultimate goal is Krsna. He is my highest authority. Somehow or other I must always remember Him through the process of hearing and chanting His Holy Name. I must remind myself that Krsna is my life and soul. I belong to no one other than Him. This material world is not my real home. My real home is where Krsna lives eternally with His friends, family and associates. As we will see in later chapters, Kardama Muni, after fulfilling his family responsibilities, leaves home to attain self-realization in Krsna consciousness. As Srila Prabhupada said, “Work now, samadhi later.” Kardama Muni did just the same and became a wonderful example for all of us to follow.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

For me it is hard to say at what moment in my life association with a saintly person changed direction of my life. I grew up in a family of demigod worshippers. We would visit many temples and interact with many holy people. Who knew whether there was a pure saintly person in that midst of such holy people who blessed me? Who knew whether a very sincere and renounced devotee of Lord Siva, who our family is very attached to, blessed me to become a devotee of Krsna? Being a devotee of Krsna, surely he knew that Lord Siva is vaisnavanam yatha sambhu (Lord Siva is the greatest devotee of the Supreme Lord). Who knew whether it was a co-passenger from Mathura in my flight from India to London who kept talking to me non-stop about Krsna and blessed me secretly? Who knew whether it was a sankirtana devotee at my graduate school in Minneapolis who gave me a copy of Srimad Bhagavad Gita that changed my life? There is no doubt that association with saintly persons definitely changed the course of my life. Like the Avantika brahmana in Srimad Bhagavatam who considered both moving and non-living entities as his guru, I also consider all the different people who came into my life as arrangement by Lord Krsna to put me on the path of bhakti.

There is no doubt that association with Srila Prabhupada through his vani (his books and classes) played the most significant role in my devotional life. Whereas other saintly person may have blessed me to develop faith in the Lord, Srila Prabhupada really opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. As I mentioned in the previous post, I spent the last 8 days in New Vrindaban with advanced devotees. I was also very fortunate to associate with my dear spiritual master HH Varsana Swami Maharaja. Coming in contact with my spiritual master a few years ago gave me a new impetus to my bhakti life.

The amazing thing about bhakti is that our desire to associate with saintly persons increase every day. There is no satiation. Even a so-called new devotee in ISKCON is a saintly person because he/she is continue his/her Krsna consciousness from previous life. We should, therefore, not take association of saintly persons for granted. Rather we should develop the mood to hear from them, inquire about their realizations of bhakti, serve them, and seek their blessings. In one of my earlier trips to New Vrindavana during the summer this year, I met a wonderful small boy of 5-6 years old. His name is Om. My spiritual master met him a few months ago and was very impressed by the level of spiritual advancement of this young devotee. He recommended me to meet this boy whenever I get a chance. When I finally met him, I was so inspired. He is 100% Krsna conscious. His father told me that on his first day at school, he preached to the teachers and other students about the virtues of vegetarianism because the school was serving meat for lunch. He was not afraid to speak the truth and preach about Krsna conscious principles. He has so much potential that his mom (who is a doctor) gave up her profession so that she could take proper care of him and ensure that he turns out to be a great devotee. By associating with him, I realized that I do not possess even one percent of bhakti  and realization this young devotee has. I am sharing this story just to prove the point that saintly persons come from different cultures, different ages, and different places. We should not blind sight ourselves by thinking that saintly persons are there only in ISKCON. The Supreme Lord is all pervading; His energies are all pervading. Similarly His devotees also exist everywhere. We must be on the look out for such devotees and seek their association.

“Lord Caitanya says that one should always try to associate with saintly persons because if one establishes a proper association with a saintly person, even for a moment, one attains all perfection. Somehow or other, if one meets a saintly person and achieves his favor, then the entire mission of one’s human life is fulfilled…Thus it is actually a fact that if one meets a saintly person completely engaged in transcendental duties and achieves his favor, then one’s life mission becomes complete. What is not possible to achieve in thousands of lives can be achieved in one moment if there is an opportunity to meet a saintly person. It is therefore enjoined in Vedic literature that one should always try to associate with saintly persons and try to disassociate oneself from the common man, because by one word of a saintly person one can be liberated from material entanglement.” (SB 3.22.5 Purport)

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

lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya

“The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment’s association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success.” (CC Madhya 22.54)

Only association with pure saintly devotees can give us the taste for chanting the Holy Name of the Lord.

“The chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra should be heard from the lips of a pure devotee of the Lord. When the mantra is chanted by a pure devotee of the Lord in love, it has the greatest efficacy on hearers, and as such this chanting should be heard from the lips of a pure devotee of the Lord, so that immediate effects can be achieved.” (The Science of Self Realization) All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

This forum topic is so timely. As I write this, I am in New Vrindavana (West Virginia) this week to spend the last few days of Kartika (Damodara) month in this beautiful country-side holy place. Yesterday as I was taking a japa walk and meditating on the varnasrama system, I saw an old time resident of New Vrindavana collecting fire wood for the winter. He is a disciple of HDG Srila Prabhupada and his name is Tapakunja prabhu. He has been living in New Vrindavana since 1974. During the course of our chitchat, he mentioned how it is important for everyone to get connected to the land. He said real varnasrama system starts from the land and cows (trade, cows and agriculture). He mentioned that Srila Prabhupada’s only regret was he could not set up the varnasrama system. I looked up to find the source of that conversation. I am pasting the excerpts of that conversation below:

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Here is Abhirāma prabhu’s direct encounter:

I was personally present on two occasions when Srila Prabhupada spoke about how important establishing varṇāśrama was to him. Both times were in the summer of 1977, in Prabhupada’s room in Vrindavan, before he left to go to London. At the time, Tamal Krishna Goswami was Srila Prabhupada’s personal secretary, and I his assistant. I was also Prabhupada’s nurse.

The first time, several devotees were there with Srila Prabhupada. We knew that his health was getting weaker. He was talking to the devotees about his imminent departure. “I have no lamentation,” Prabhupada said. He paused for a few seconds, and then he said, “No, I have one lamentation.” A devotee asked, “Because you have not finished translating the Srīmad Bhāgavatam?” Prabhupada replied, “No, that I have not established varṇāśrama.”

On the next occasion, some time later, I was with Srila Prabhupada in his room when he made the statement, “Fifty percent of my work is not complete because I have not established varṇāśrama.”

I remember one more quote from that summer. Prabhupada stated, “I want to establish varṇāśrama.” A devotee asked, “How will you do that, Srila Prabhupada?” and he replied, “I will go to Gīta Nāgari, I will sit down, and I will teach you to live off the land.” I personally consider that to be the bīja mantra [seed mantra] of varṇāśrama.

– Excerpt from Srila Prabhupada on Varnasrama (1999)

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My realization is that without a real varnasrama system we go through an ‘identity crisis.’ Let me explain. From a personal standpoint, I still am not sure what exactly are my ‘varna’ and ‘ashrama’. I am single. Therefore I am neither a grhastha (householder), vanaprastha (semi retired), or sannyasa (renounced order). I used to think I am a brahmacari. But one devotee told me that real brahmacaris are those who stay with their spiritual masters or in the temple full-time. This left me more confused about my ashrama. Looks like I am in the middle of nowhere. From a varna standpoint, I am not sure either. I think I fall under sudra category but I am not sure. All I know is that I am not happy with my work life and the work I am doing. Maybe my varna is meant for something else. This is what I meant by ‘identity crisis’. This identity crisis is prevalent in the whole world resulting in unhappiness, distress, and misery – all due to the lack of a proper varnasrama system. Even India has failed this system big time.

In the conversation between Lord Caitanya and Ramananda Raya, Lord Caitanya asked a question about the advancement of spiritual knowledge, the Lord Himself said, “Please quote some verses from scripture about the ultimate goal of human life.” Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya at once replied: “A person who is sincere in his occupational duty will gradually develop a sense of God consciousness.” He also quoted a verse from Viṣṇu Purāṇa (3.8.9) which states that the Supreme Lord is worshiped by one’s occupational duty and that there is no alternative for satisfying Him. The purport is that human life is meant for understanding one’s relationship with the Supreme Lord, and by acting in that way any human being can dovetail himself in the service of the Lord by discharging his prescribed duties. For this purpose human society is divided into four classes: the intellectuals (brāhmaṇas), the administrators (kṣatriyas), the merchants (vaiśyas), and the laborers (śūdras). After hearing Rāmānanda Rāya expound upon the proper execution of a regulated life, Lord Caitanya said that such regulations are simply external. Indirectly He asked Rāmānanda to expound on something superior to such an external exhibition. Formal execution of rituals and religion is useless unless it culminates in the perfection of devotional service. (Source: TLC 27)

In other words, Lord Caitanya rejected the varnasrama system as the ultimate goal of life.

In this age of Kali Yuga, it is not possible to establish or follow real varnasrama system. The only activity recommended in this age is the chanting of the Holy Name of the Lord – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare | Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare

“For spiritual progress in this Age of Kali, there is no alternative, there is no alternative, there is no alternative to the holy name, the holy name, the holy name of the Lord.” (CC Adi 7.76)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

Lord Kapiladeva is non-different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is one of the plenary expansions of the Lord. The plenary expansions are also non-different from the Lord. Like a candle lit from the original candle as the same potency and brightness, there is no difference between the immediate expansion of the Lord and His secondary expansions. Since the Lord is absolute, His name, His form, His pastimes, His paraphernalia and His qualities all have the same potency. However, it must be noted that Lord Krsna is the source of all other incarnations (ete camas kalah pumsah, krsnas tu Bhagavan svayam – SB 1.3.28).

Lord Kapiladeva is the author of the philosophical system known as Sankhya. Sankhya is both a system of metaphysics, dealing with the elemental principles of the physical universe, and a system of spiritual knowledge, with its own methodology, culminating in full Krsna consciousness. Lord Kapiladeva appeared in this world as the son of Kardama Muni, a master of mystic yoga, and his wife, Devahuti.

I want to write a little bit about Sankhya philosophy. When I was very new to Krsna consciousness, I used to think that Sankhya philosophy has nothing to with bhakti. I may have been deceived by the concepts of godless Sankhya philosophy propounded by another Kapiladeva. Having read Srila Prabhupada’s books regularly, I now understand that Sankhya philosophy deals with the elemental categories or principles of the physical universe – what in the Western world is known as metaphysics. It enumerates principles of cosmic evolution by rational analysis. It also expounds analytical knowledge that enables one to distinguish between matter and spirit.

“According to Sankhya philosophy, the material cosmos is composed of twenty-four elements: the five gross material elements, the three subtle material elements, the five knowledge-acquiring senses, the five active senses, the five objects of sense pleasure, and the mahat-tattva (the total material energy).” (CC Adi 5.14 Purport)

This understanding culminates in bhakti, devotion for and service to the Supreme.

Lord Caitanya’s teachings are also very similar to the teachings of Lord Kapiladeva.

“Lord Caitanya’s teachings are identical to those given by Lord Kapila, the original propounder of sankhya-yoga, the sankhya system of philosophy. This authorized system of yoga teaches meditation on the transcendental form of the Lord. There is no question of meditating on something void or impersonal. When one can meditate on the transcendental form of Lord Viṣṇu even without practicing involved sitting postures, such meditation is called perfect samadhi. That this kind of meditation is perfect samadhi is confirmed at the end of the Sixth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, where Lord Kṛṣna says that of all yogis, the greatest is the one who constantly thinks of the Lord within the core of his heart with love and devotion.” (CC Preface)

In fact, Lord Caitanya gives a wonderful and most practical method to practice Sankhya-yoga meditation in this age.

“On the basis of the sankhya philosophy of acintya-bhedābheda-tattva, which maintains that the Supreme Lord is simultaneously one with and different from His creation, Lord Caitanya taught that the most practical way for the mass of people to practice sankhya -yoga meditation is simply to chant the holy name of the Lord. He taught that the holy name of the Lord is the sound incarnation of the Lord and that since the Lord is the absolute whole, there is no difference between His holy name and His transcendental form. Thus by chanting the holy name of the Lord one can directly associate with the Supreme Lord by sound vibration.” (CC Preface)

It is amazing how Lord Caitanya connects everything to the Holy Name of the Lord. Therefore by chanting with the Holy Name of the Lord, we too can imbibe the teachings of Lord Kapiladeva just as Mother Devahuti did.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare | Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

It is important to understand the concept of acintya-bhedabheda-tattva to understand the difference between personalist and impersonalist points of view. This theory of simultaneous oneness and difference between the individual soul and the Supersoul is propounded by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as the philosophy of acintya-bhedābheda-tattva. According to the acintya-bhedabheda principle, the living entity is eternal (nitya) like the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the difference is that the Supreme Lord is the greatest, no one being equal to or greater than Him, whereas the living entity is sūkṣma, or extremely small.

A popular example is taken of the sun. the sunshine is not different from the sun itself, but it is simultaneously also different. One may be in the sunshine, but he is not on the sun itself. Similarly, the living entities are parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord; they are same in quality but not in quantity. The living entities are infinitesimal parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord.

The Supreme Lord is one but His expansions are various. Ete camas kalah pumsah, Krsna tum Bhagavan svayam (SB 1.3.28). There are many expansions of the Supreme Lord but Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

“The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the Complete Whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the Complete Whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance.” (Sri Isopanisad 1)

The difference between the personalist and impersonalist point of view arises here. The impersonalists say that everything is one. Although so many emanations emanate from the Lord, they say that they are same as the Lord. Not everything is one. The trunk is not one with the leaf, but ultimately because the root is the cause, so there is no difference between the trunk and the leaf.

“The true understanding is that the differences are manifested by the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The seed is manifested as a tree, which displays varieties in its trunk, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits.” (SB 7.9.31 P)

In the 10^th chapter of Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krsna gives several examples how everything is His energy. He says that of all the Adityas He is Visnu; of the Maruts he is Marici; of all the Rudras he is Lord Siva; of priests He is Brhaspati, and so on. This does not mean that Visnu, Marici, Rudras, Siva,etc., are same as the Supreme Lord Krsna Himself. It simply means that Krsna is the source of everything and everyone; but He retains His supreme position always. Even when He comes to this material world, He is always Krsna – the Supreme Lord. The baby form of Krsna is still Bhagavan. Krsna does not lose His “Godhood” just because He appears in various forms and incarnations in this material world. He is like the sun that can never be covered by the clouds. The clouds can obstruct out vision of the sun momentarily; but can never cover the sun. Similarly, when the Supreme Lord appears in this material world, He can never be covered by maya. Otherwise why would Krsna say that by simply surrendering unto Him, we can overcome maya (daivi hy esa gunamayi – BG 7.14).

Therefore the impersonalists’ view that the Supreme Absolute Truth, transforming Himself into the universe, loses His separate existence is wrong. Rather than considering everything in the world to be Lord, we must see everything as the property of the Lord.

“Everything, whatever we see, is the manifestation of the Supreme Lord; therefore, everything should be engaged in the service of the Lord. This is oneness. The difference between the impersonalist and the personalist is that the impersonalist does not accept the separate existence of the Lord, but the personalist accepts the Lord; he understands that although He distributes Himself in so many ways, He has His separate personal existence…There is a nice example regarding the sun and the sunshine. The sun, by its sunshine, is spread all over the universe, and all the planets rest on the sunshine. But all the planets are different from the sun planet; one cannot say that because the planets are resting on the sunshine, these planets are also the sun. Similarly, the impersonal or pantheistic view that everything is God is not a very intelligent proposal. The real position, as explained by the Lord Himself, is that although nothing can exist without Him, it is not a fact that everything is Him. He is different from everything. So here also the Lord says, “You will see everything in the world to be nondifferent from Me.” This means that everything should be considered a product of the Lord’s energy, and therefore everything should be employed in the service of the Lord. One’s energy should be utilized for one’s self-interest. That is the perfection of the energy.” (SB 3.21.31 P)

The personalist devotees properly understand the isavasyam principle that everything is owned and controlled by the Lord. They understand the subtle oneness and difference of the Supreme Lord and His various energies. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. Everything is an expansion of Brahman, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, yet everything is not the Supreme Godhead, and He is not everywhere. Everything rests upon Him and yet does not rest upon Him.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!