Hare Krsna,

My humble realization is that mode of goodness attracts goodness, mode of passion attracts things of passion, and mode of ignorance attracts worthless pursuits. A peaceful mind is attained in the mode of goodness (or pure goodness). It is like a clear still water of a lake. When the water is clear, still and calm, we can see deeper into the bottom of the lake. Mode of passion is like dirt on the water surface that obstructs our vision of the depth of the lake. Mode of ignorance makes us simply blind to the existence of the lake. Mode of passion is a result of immense sinful reactions and conditioning of many lifetimes.

In BG 14.7, Lord Krsna explains to Arjuna that “the mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, and because of this the embodied living entity is bound to fruitive actions.” On the other hand, “the mode of goodness, being purer than others, is illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge.” (BG 14.6)

Being a struggling sadhaka (aspiring devotee), I can totally relate to a turbulent mind. It stifles contemplation, making it difficult to hear and assimilate properly. I may chant for two hours early in the morning and later watch five minutes of worthless sense gratificatory stuff on internet. But the mental impression created from those five minutes lingers in my mind longer as compared to the impressions created by the chanting of the Holy Name. This proves that I am still far away from attaining a truly peaceful mind. Everyday is a struggle; it’s a struggle to balance bhakti and detach my mind from everything mundane. More often than not, it is a losing battle. I have kind of resigned myself to accept that attaining a completely peaceful mind in a state of pure goodness is something that I may never see in this lifetime. Alas!

But I need to keep trying; keep picking myself up. I have faith that Krsna is pleased by my sincere endeavor to please Him more than the result itself. This is similar to the pastime of Mother Yasoda trying to bind little Krsna with a rope. No matter how much she tried, the rope would fall short of two fingers’ length every time. Finally, Lord Krsna, out of His supreme mercy and compassion, allowed Himself to be bound, and thus allowing Himself to come under the control of His devotee. I hope Krsna is equally merciful to me (especially in the glorious Lord Damodara month where the Lord is believed to be exceptionally merciful).

In every incarnation, the Lord appeared to annihilate the demons. Krsna killed many demons during His manifest pastimes; Lord Rama killed ten-headed Ravana; Parasurama killed the ksatriyas twenty-one times with His axe, Lord Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakasipu with His nails, Lord Varahadeva killed Hiranyaksa, and so on. But Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not kill any demons in His manifest pastimes on this planer. Rather He killed the demoniac tendencies within us. He did not carry any weapons like club, sword, disc, etc., like His other incarnations. His weapons are the Holy Name and Srimad Bhagavatam.

Srimad Bhagavatam (Canto 1 Chapter 2) beautifully describes how can rise above the mode of passion and ignorance.

(SB 1.2.17-21)

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.”

“By regularly hearing the Bhāgavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the glorious Lord, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.

“As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature’s modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy.

“Thus established in the mode of unalloyed goodness, the man whose mind has been enlivened by contact with devotional service to the Lord gains positive scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead in the stage of liberation from all material association.

“Thus the knot in the heart is pierced, and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions is terminated when one sees the self as master.”

Therefore, there is hope. There is hope that we can be free of the influence of the mode of passion and ignorance. Even mode of goodness is also binding. However, the process of bhakti-yoga is so powerful that it frees us from the effects of all the three modes. As I mentioned earlier, mode of passion is like dirt accumulated on the surface of the lake. Similarly, we have dust accumulated over the mirror of our minds over many lifetimes. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore advises us to chant the Holy Name of the Lord – congregationally and individually.

“All glories to the Śrī Kṛṣṇa saṅkīrtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This saṅkīrtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.” (Sri Siksastaka 1)

Therefore, simply by chanting the Holy Name of the Lord, we too can achieve a mind purified of all passion (like Vidura). We will then be able to hear and contemplate better “the many narrations of the spotless pastimes of the Lord.” Thereby leading us to faster spiritual advancement and Krsna consciousness.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare | Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

I have found tremendous value in deeply studying our weekly Srimad Bhagavatam lessons, meditating on the forum topics, and writing to share my realizations. I am not a natural and good speaker; however, writing come naturally to me. I always write the forum posts as an offering to Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krsna. I write to PLEASE them. Writing helps me meditate deeper on the lessons we studied and reflect on the practical application of the lessons learned.

While meditating and writing the forum topics, I meditate on the following themes:

1. Connect with Krsna: I meditate and write to connect with Krsna deeply. Krsna is non-different from His name, form, pastimes, qualities, etc. By trying to connect with Krsna, we are saved from the miseries of the material world. Krsna promises in BG 4.9:

“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.”

• Pleasing Srila Prabhupada: Srila Prabhupada advises us to write whatever we have understood.

Srila Prabhupada….”Just read from my books and try and explain the meaning in your own words.” (Letter, 73-01-26)

“You must all study all of the books so that when the need arises you can repeat in your own words their purport.” (Srila Prabhupada letter, 72-01-06)

“The process is that you should memorize the purports of my books and then speak them in your own words.” (Srila Prabhupada letter, 75-11-15)

“By writing according to our realization we become more and more convinced and all doubts are destroyed.” (Srila Prabhupada letter, 75-11-15)

• Practical application: An important aspect of studying and writing about scriptures is to apply the teachings in our lives. Study and application of the teachings from the scriptures such as Srimad Bhagavatam must be underwent with a goal of spiritual progress and character development. I, therefore, try to meditate on how to practically apply the teachings into my daily life.

“Spiritual knowledge must be developed by a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge, and that is the guaranteed way for attainment of spiritual perfection.” (SB 2.3.22 P)

• Lessons: I meditate on what lessons I can draw from the materials we studied. Each pastime has multiple lessons to be imbibed. Writing helps me go deeper into the lessons.

• Examples: What I really appreciate about Srila Prabhupada’s writings is his ability to connect the topics of Srimad Bhagavatam with examples from daily lives. This helps me to relate to the subject matter better. Therefore, whenever I write I try to draw relevant examples from the world around me. This helps me to understand the subject matter clearly and deeply.

• Analogies: Meditating on analogies helps me understand the subject matter better. For example, Srila Prabhupada always explained the three features of the Absolute Truth (Brahman, Paramatma, Bhagavan) with analogy of the sun (sunshine, sun planet, sun god).

CC Adi 16.86, Translation: “Poetic skill used with due consideration is very pure, and with metaphors and analogies it is dazzling.”

• Sastric Connection: To substantiate my writing, I try to support my statements with references from other books of Srila Prabhupada such as Bhagavad Gita, CC, etc. This proves the point that there is a common theme that runs across the writings of our acaryas. Their writings never contradict with each other. Whenever I struggle to understand a subject matter, I try to refer to other scriptures. For example, the Vedic Cosmology described in Canto 5 is very hard for me to understand. Therefore, I refer to other books on the same subject matter where the topics are elaborated more deeply and clearly.

• Realizations: I write to test my understanding and realizations of the subject matter we studied. Srila Prabhupada wrote the following about realizations and writing:

 “Realization means you should write, every one of you, what is your realization. What for this Back to Godhead is? You write your realization, what you have realized about Kṛṣṇa. That is required. It is not passive. Always you should be active. Whenever you find time, you write. Never mind, two lines, four lines, but you write your realization. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, writing or offering prayers, glories. This is one of the function of the Vaiṣṇava. You are hearing, but you have to write also. Then write means smaraṇam, remembering what you have heard from your spiritual master, from the scripture. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ: (SB 7.5.23) about Viṣṇu, not for others. Don’t write any nonsense thing for any nonsense man. Useless waste of time. Viṣṇu. Write about Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa. This is cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Hear, write, remember, try to understand. Don’t be dull, dull-headed. Very intelligent. Without being very intelligent, nobody can have full Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is for the most intelligent man. So that intelligence will come if you try to understand Kṛṣṇa. We have got so many books. Always try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Then you are liberated. Simply by… You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa in full. He is unlimited; our knowledge is limited. But as far as you can, try to understand Kṛṣṇa. These are the items.”  (Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 32 Excerpt — Los Angeles, August 14, 1972)

• Prayerful Mood: I am incapable of understanding everything in Srila Prabhupada;s writing because of my limited mental faculty and intelligence. Secondly, it is not possible to understand Krsna fully and glorify Him. Whenever I encounter ‘writer’s block’, I pray to Krsna to give me the necessary intelligence to glorify Him. And He always reciprocates. This is my personal realization. Sometimes it feels like my typing is controlled by a higher power, where thoughts and realizations flow effortlessly. Krsna is the doer; I am not.

BG 10.10: To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.

In conclusion, writing and sharing the forum realizations increased my faith in Krsna, helped me transform from impersonal to personal realization of Krsna, and helped me connect with the Holy Name better. Whenever my minds get diverted to sometime else, I try to meditate on how to write the forum topics of the week. This helps my sadhana better.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

The details of the actual fight between Lord Varaha and Hiranyaksa resembles the fight depicted in blockbuster movies. Materialistic people waste tons of money catching up on the mundane, sense gratifying movies that do not yield any ultimate benefit. Material sounds and things entangle conditioned souls; spiritual sounds liberate entangled sounds.

I have been reflecting on the possibility that in future, some devotees would be empowered to render entire Srimad Bhagavatam into a film series – a collection of related films in succession that share the same theme. Something on the lines of The Godfather, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter series. Srimad Bhagavatam has so many topics and lessons related to the Supreme Lord that the whole humanity would be benefited even by watching them simply for entertainment. Epics such as Ramayana and Mahabharata rendered into TV series have been great success in India. Why not Srimad Bhagavatam? The only challenge is that the film series must be commercially viable; the people who fund the movie series would be keen to get return on their investment.

“The real fighting is now. Krsna will give you all protection. So, chant Hare Krsna and fight. One movie expert has opined there are so many ideas in our movement. Try to get our ideas into movies.” (Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Letter to Tamala Krsna — Vrindaban 30 October, 1976: New York)

“We can use everything—television, radio, movies, or whatever there may be—to tell about Krishna and outside of devotional service all these modern paraphernalia are just so much rubbish.” (Srila Prabhupada’s Letter to Bhagavan — Bombay 24 November, 1970)

The possibility of depicting Krsna lila into movies had been discussed with Srila Prabhupada. Here is the snippet of the conversation.

Morning Walk — June 10, 1975, Honolulu:

Ambarīṣa: Bali and I were discussing that the other day. Bali-mardana and I. Maybe when I come back here to live, maybe after Christmas, he and I, we’ll see if we can work out… He knows some people that are in the movie business.

Siddha-svarūpa: Which actors?

Prabhupāda: Actors, we shall play. They haven’t got to pay for us.

Ambarīṣa: He was thinking also maybe to make it an epic picture of Bhagavad-gītā.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Siddha-svarūpa: That would be most popular, I believe.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa-līlā also. That will be also popular. From Bhāgavatam we can have so many.

Siddha-svarūpa: Endless.

Ambarīṣa: They could be run on T.V. too.

Siddha-svarūpa: Have a series. (break) …not to continue or make any impression. And that will necessitate very good acting, not slapstick comedy. (break)

Prabhupāda: …not professional. (break) …men can be trained up—that is possible—to play. We require professional director. Money may be spent by the movie company. And we give our men an idea. (break)

Siddha-svarūpa: …always looking for new movies, new ideas, the companies.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Ambarīṣa: ‘Cause they have made many great religious pictures, big epics about Jesus and stuff like that. So maybe they would be open to the idea of doing the Bhagavad-gītā. That would be nice. (break)

Siddha-svarūpa: I mentioned to you something about making a movie of Bhagavad-gītā. You said it would be very difficult to find fifty thousand elephants. (laughs) There will be some… (break) …Kṛṣṇa-līlā will be easier. He can be fighting one demon or dancing with the gopīs. Bhagavad-gītā is… (break)

Prabhupāda: …do not understand the existence of soul, then why do they say, “My head, my hand”? Why not say, “I head.” What is their answer? Why do you say, “My head”?

Siddha-svarūpa: They have no answer. (break) …very much to know about this.

Prabhupāda: That is the folly.

Siddha-svarūpa: Their desire is to enjoy the world and have religion to help them.

Prabhupāda: It is not the question of religion. Unless one understands, then he does not understand the transmigration of the soul. (end)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

“One can practice bhakti-yoga in many rasas. There are twelve rasas, five primary and seven secondary. The five primary rasas constitute direct bhakti-yoga, but although the seven secondary rasas are indirect, they are also counted within bhakti-yoga if they are used in the service of the Lord.” (SB 3.16.31 purport)

In the case of Lord Varaha and Hiranyaksa, there are mainly exchanges of secondary rasas such as anger (raudrah), chivalry (virah) and fear (bhayanakah). As the teachers mentioned in the last Zoom review, the yoga maya potency of the Lord covered both the Lord and Hiranyaksa. They forgot they are eternally related as Lord and master. The yoga maya potency created the situation where Hiranyaksa appeared to fulfill the Lord’s desire to engage in intense fight. To the ignorant and naked eye, the fight would appear ghastly. But to the pure devotees who see through the scriptures and the eyes of the acaryas, this fight is also a loving exchange between the Lord and His servant.

I am actually mesmerized by the how Sridhar Swami reveals the hidden meaning of Hiranyaksa’s insulting words to the Lord. He says that the demon is basically praising the Lord with a careful play of words.

Hiranyaksa’s criticism	Meaning	Hiranyaksa’s indirect praise as given by acaryas
Vana-gocarah	Resident of the forest or water	Narayana, who lies on the water
Mrgah	Animal	One who is sought after by great sages
Ajna	Fool	There is no knowledge which is unknown to You
Suradhama	Lowest of the demigods	Lord of all the demigods, therefore He is the best of all demigods, or God
Mameksatah	In my presence	In spite of my presence, You are able to take away earth
Na svasti yasyasi	You cannot go and not be hurt by me	Unless You kindly take the earth from our custody, there can be no good fortune for us
Abhavaya	For killing	Killing the process of continued birth and death
Sucah	Grief	Material universes are extinguished by Lord’s yogamaya

“When on account of love and devotional service for the Lord there is special valorous enthusiasm, the resultant activities are called chivalrous. These chivalrous activities can be manifested in the acts of mock-fighting, giving in charity, showing mercy and executing religious principles. By performing chivalrous activities in fighting, one is called yuddha-vīra. By charitable activities one is called dāna-vīra. By showing extraordinary mercy one is called dayā-vīra. And when one is munificent in executing religious rites, he is called dharma-vīra. In all such different chivalrous activities, Kṛṣṇa is the object.” (Nectar of Devotion, 46)

“When a friend wants to satisfy Kṛṣṇa by performing some chivalrous activities, the friend becomes the challenger, and Kṛṣṇa Himself becomes the opponent; or else Kṛṣṇa may give audience to the fighting, and by His desire another friend becomes the opponent. A friend once challenged Kṛṣṇa thus: “My dear Mādhava, You are very restless because You think that no one can defeat You. But if You do not flee from here, then I shall show You how I can defeat You. And my friends will be very satisfied to see this!” (Nectar of Devotion, 46)

In this case, we see that Hiranyaksa became the opponent of Lord Varaha by the inconceivable arrangement of the Lord.

“In these chivalrous activities, only Kṛṣṇa’s friends can be the opponents. Kṛṣṇa’s enemies can never actually be His opponents. Therefore, this challenging by Kṛṣṇa’s friends is called devotional service in chivalrous activities.” (Nectar of Devotion, 46)

The key takeaway lesson for me is that pure devotees always try to please Krsna in any manner possible. Even if it means playing the role of enemy of Krsna. This is pure devotional service where Krsna’s pleasure is kept at the center of everything. So the question we should be asking ourselves always is, “Is my action pleasing to Krsna? How can I please Him more?” One way to do this is to chant His holy name with faith, sincerely and attentively. This will please Lord Caitanya and our gurus the most.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

In BG 7.15, Krsna mentions who the demons are before elaborating more on their characteristics and nature in Chapter 16 of BG. The Lord says, “Four kinds of people do not surrender unto Me—those ignorant of knowledge, those who lazily follow their lower nature though capable of knowing Me, those with deluded intellect, and those with a demoniac nature.”

In the purport, Srila Prabhupada explains that demoniac people are those “who are aware of God and His purpose for the world but still work against Him.  It is because of their demonic nature; they do not like God and His glories. They themselves are far from devotion and try to disturb others who are on the path of spirituality. Surrender to God is not at all expected from them.”

In SB 1.11.34 Purport, Srila Prabhupada further explains the demoniac nature: “Unfortunately persons who are engaged in destructive work are unable to surrender to the Personality of Godhead. They are all fools of the first order; they are the lowest of the human species of life; they are robbed of their knowledge, although apparently they seem to be academically educated. They are all of the demoniac mentality, always challenging the supreme power of the Lord. Those who are very materialistic, always hankering after material power and strength, are undoubtedly fools of the first order because they have no information of the living energy, and being ignorant of that supreme spiritual science, they are absorbed in material science, which ends with the end of the material body. They are the lowest of human beings because the human life is especially meant for reestablishing the lost relation with the Lord, and they miss this opportunity by being engaged in material activities. They are robbed of their knowledge because even after prolonged speculation they cannot reach to the stage of knowing the Personality of Godhead, the summum bonum of everything. And all of them are men of demoniac principle, and they suffer the consequences, as did such materialistic heroes as Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, Kaṁsa and others.”

A key quality of demoniac nature is the propensity to exploit the Lord’s resources for their own selfish ends. They forget the isavasyam principle – that everything within the universe is controlled and owned by the Supreme Lord.

“The demoniac spirit is to train all family members to exploit the resources of this universe for personal sense gratification, whereas the godly spirit is to engage everything in the service of the Lord. Hiraṇyakaśipu was himself very powerful, and he made his younger brother, Hiraṇyākṣa, powerful to assist him in fighting with everyone and lording it over material nature as long as possible. If possible, he wanted to rule the universe eternally. These are demonstrations of the spirit of the demoniac living entity.” (SB 3.17.20)

I do not have to elaborate further on the demoniac nature because we live in an age where demons are dominating almost every aspect of our lives. We see demoniac tendencies everywhere. Politics, business, education system, and, to a large extent, religion institutions are controlled by people with demoniac nature. What to speak of others, even conditioned souls like me have demoniac natures. The fact that I wanted to enjoy separately from the Lord is a demoniac symptom. The fact that I misused my free-will to turn away from Krsna is demoniac thinking. They fact that I am often driven my intense desire for sense gratification is demoniac desire. The fact that I am still unable to remember Him 24 hours a day is also demoniac. Each anartha in my heart is a manifestation of a specific demoniac quality. Because I had demoniac tendencies, I fell into this miserable material world. So yes, there is a demon in me as well.

Fortunately by the mercy of Krsna, gurus and Vaisnavas, I am trying to kill that demon through the process of bhakti-yoga.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura says: “The devotee who worships the holy name should first petition the Lord for the strength to cast out all these unfavorable tendencies and should pray thus before Lord Hari on a daily basis. By doing this regularly, the devotee’s heart will eventually become purified. Sri Krishna has killed a number of demons which may arise in the kingdom of the heart, so in order to destroy these problems, a devotee must cry very humbly before the Lord and admit defeat then the Lord will nullify all contaminations.”

Therefore, we have to chant the Holy Name attentively and hear from pure and advanced devotees to kill the demons in our hearts. Inattention is another demoniac quality that I have realized while meditating on this forum post. Only the Holy Name can uproot all the demoniac tendencies from our hearts.

harer nāma harer nāma

harer nāmaiva kevalam

kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva

nāsty eva gatir anyathā

” ‘In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverence is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.‘ ” (CC Madhya 6.242)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

In the various scriptures, it is said that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There may be many gods, from Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Indra and Candra down to the rulers of the lower planetary systems, the presidents, ministers, chairmen and kings. Actually Viṣṇu is the Supreme Lord, but there is even one above Viṣṇu, for Viṣṇu is also the plenary portion of a part of Kṛṣṇa. There are many manifestations of Viṣṇu and many manifestations of living entities. Viṣṇu manifestations are called svāṁśa, partial manifestations, and the living entities are called vibhinnāṁśa.

The demigods like Brahmā and Indra have been promoted to such exalted positions by pious activities and austerities, but actually Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, is the master of everyone. ln the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa, āra saba bhṛtya. This means that Kṛṣṇa alone is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all others, even the viṣṇu-tattva and certainly the living entities, are His servitors. Baladeva is the immediate expansion of Kṛṣṇa. He also engages in the service of Kṛṣṇa, and certainly the ordinary living entities are serving. Everyone is created, constitutionally, for serving Kṛṣṇa. Real supremacy belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam is the statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: “Kṛṣṇa is the only Supreme Lord.” (SB 4.7.43 P)

Since all living entities are parts and parcels of Krsna, it is the duty of every living entity to surrendet to Krsna and be an instrument in His will and plan. It is not so easy to become a part of Krsna’s plan. Krsna is inconceivable; His plans, desires, and will are also inconceivable. Krsna made Arjuna the chief executor of His plan during the whole Mahabharata saga. For the purpose of creation, maintenance and destruction, Krsna made Lord Brahma, Lord Visnu and Lord Siva the respective owner of each domain. For propagating Krsna consciousness all over the world, He entrusted out great acaryas such as Srila Prabhupada and his predecessors as the torchbearers of the flame of bhakti. When Krsna desired to taste the love and happiness of Srimati Radharani that She derives from Krsna, He decided to advent Himself as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Similarly when Krsna had a desire to fight, He chose Jaya and Vijaya to be His enemies.

“Because the Lord is the source of everything, anger and fighting are also inherent in His personality. When He desires to fight with someone, He has to find an enemy, but in the Vaikuṇṭha world there is no enemy because everyone is engaged fully in His service. Therefore He sometimes comes to the material world as an incarnation in order to manifest His fighting spirit…Jaya and Vijaya were selected by the Lord to fight with Him in the material world, and that was the reason the sages came to see Him and accidentally the doorkeepers were cursed. It was the Lord’s desire to send them to the material world, not perpetually, but for some time.” (SB 3.16.26 P)

The secondary rasa of chivalry is very intriguing. Normally no devotee of Krsna would like to fight with Krsna. Therefore, this exchange of chivalry with someone is a special mercy of Krsna on those devotees He chooses to engage in the fight with.

“When a friend wants to satisfy Kṛṣṇa by performing some chivalrous activities, the friend becomes the challenger, and Kṛṣṇa Himself becomes the opponent; or else Kṛṣṇa may give audience to the fighting, and by His desire another friend becomes the opponent. A friend once challenged Kṛṣṇa thus: “My dear Mādhava, You are very restless because You think that no one can defeat You. But if You do not flee from here, then I shall show You how I can defeat You. And my friends will be very satisfied to see this!” (Nectar of Devotion, 46)

In these chivalrous activities, only Kṛṣṇa’s friends can be the opponents. Kṛṣṇa’s enemies can never actually be His opponents. Therefore, this challenging by Kṛṣṇa’s friends is called devotional service in chivalrous activities. (Nectar of Devotion, 46)

It is therefore important that we rightly exercise our free will to act as per Krsna’s desires without questioning or doubting. Things may not be conceivable to us immediately but in due course of time, Krsna’s plan will be revealed to us. Therefore, when we chant the maha-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, we are actually begging Sri Radha and Sri Krsna – both the energy and the energetic – to include us in Their divine plan. There is tremendous joy just in the ability of expressing this desire to Them; what about the joy of actually playing a part in the fulfillment of Their desires. Krsna is the reservoir of all pleasures. Each one of us has a particular rasa (mellow) with Krsna. Among countless living entities spread all over the creation (both material and spiritual), I may feel insignificant and lost. But I trust that each one of us has a unique relationship with Krsna.

Yes, my Lord Krsna, Thy will be done. Please make me a part of Thy will.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

It is the greatness and humility of Lord Krsna that He thinks His transcendental glories have increased because of His devotion to His servitors. Lord Krsna is full in six kinds of opulences – fame, beauty, wealth, power, knowledge, and renunciation. He is the reservoir and source of all qualities. He is the cause of everything. Everything comes from Him. And still to think that His has obtained these qualities because of His devotion to His devotees makes Him the Supreme Lord. The devotee thinks that he is elevated in all good qualities due to his being a devotee of the Lord. The Lord thinks He is the reservoir of all good qualities due to His being a servitor to His devotees. This is mutual appreciation.

“”The relationship between the Lord and His devotee is transcendentally beautiful. As the devotee thinks that it is due to being a devotee of the Lord that he is elevated in all good qualities, so the Lord also thinks that it is because of His devotion to the servitor that all His transcendental glories have increased.” (SB 3.16.7 Purport)

In the spiritual world, there is always a transcendental competition going on between the Lord and His devotees. The devotees want to serve and glorify the Lord more and more. In return, the Lord also wants to glorify His devotees.

“The Lord is situated as Himself, Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He is accompanied by His expansions like Lord Rāma, Baladeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Mahā-Viṣṇu and so forth. The devotees worship all these forms according to their liking, and the Lord, out of His affection, presents Himself as arcā-vigraha. He sometimes presents Himself personally before the devotee out of reciprocation or affection. A devotee is always fully surrendered to the loving service of the Lord, and the Lord is visible to the devotee according to the devotee’s desires. He may be present in the form of Lord Rāma, Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva and so on. Such is the exchange of love between the Lord and His devotees.” (SB 5.7.9 P)

If we reflect deeply, the reasoning behind the advent of Lord Caitanya is a deeper meaning and example of mutual appreciation. In Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta introduction, Srila Prabhupada explains:

“Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are one, and when Kṛṣṇa desires to enjoy pleasure, He manifests Himself as Rādhārāṇī. The spiritual exchange of love between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa is the actual display of Kṛṣṇa’s internal pleasure potency. Although we speak of “when” Kṛṣṇa desires, just when He did desire we cannot say. We only speak in this way because in conditioned life we take it that everything has a beginning; however, in spiritual life everything is absolute, and so there is neither beginning nor end. Yet in order to understand that Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are one and that They also become divided, the question “When?” automatically comes to mind. When Kṛṣṇa desired to enjoy His pleasure potency, He manifested Himself in the separate form of Rādhārāṇī, and when He wanted to understand Himself through the agency of Rādhā, He united with Rādhārāṇī, and that unification is called Lord Caitanya. This is all explained by Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja in the fifth verse of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.”

“Viṣaya and āśraya are two very significant words relating to the reciprocation between Kṛṣṇa and His devotee. The devotee is called the āśraya, and his beloved, Kṛṣṇa, is the viṣaya…In the loving affairs of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, Rādhārāṇī is the āśraya feature and Kṛṣṇa the viṣaya. The transcendental consciousness of the Lord tells Him, “I am Kṛṣṇa, and I experience pleasure as the viṣaya. The pleasure enjoyed by Rādhārāṇī, the āśraya, is many times greater than the pleasure I feel.” Therefore, to feel the pleasure of the āśraya category, Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.” (CC Adi 4.135 Purport)

“The relation, the natural relation between God and ourselves, is so sweet that a pure living entity is always trying to render service to the Lord without any material profit and the Lord is trying to serve the devotee. He’s also finding out the opportunity, how to serve His devotee. So, this is spiritual exchange of love.” (SP Lecture on BG 4.6-8)

Therefore, Krsna consciousness means that we are trying to reach that platform of real love, exchange of love, a platform of mutual appreciation with the Lord. By chanting the Holy Name of the Lord lovingly and attentively, we express our appreciation for the Divine Couple Radha and Krsna. By this the Lord is pleased and thus there is an exchange of love and mutual appreciation between the Lord and His devotees. The particular loving mood or attitude relished in the exchange of love with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called rasa, or mellow. This is the same mood of the Lord that is reflected in the pastime of the four Kumaras and Jaya/Vijaya. The Lord

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

It is encouraging to hear that when one is in a Vaikuntha planet, even if by chance one commits an offense, he is protected by the Lord. I do not accept that any devotee can commit an offense in the spiritual world. This is because in spiritual world (Vaikuntha), everything is suddha-sattva or pure goodness. There cannot be any lust, anger, greed, offense, envy, etc. This episode of the offenses committed by the four Kumaras and Jaya/Vijaya against each other is another inconceivable pastime of the Lord to prove that the personal form of the Lord is more confidential, complete, and full of bliss as compared to the impersonal conception of the Lord.

This pastime also shows the Lord’s love and care for His devotees such as Jaya and Vijaya.

“By mistake the doormen held the sages from entering Vaikuṇṭhaloka, but because they were engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, their annihilation was not expected by advanced devotees. The Lord’s presence on the spot was very pleasing to the hearts of the devotees. The Lord understood that the trouble was due to His lotus feet not being seen by the sages, and therefore He wanted to please them by personally going there. The Lord is so merciful that even if there is some impediment for the devotee, He Himself manages matters in such a way that the devotee is not bereft of having audience at His lotus feet.” (SB 3.16.2 P)

I can recollect several examples where the Lord came to help His devotees even if He was not summoned directly. Draupadi’s protection by Krsna during the gambling match is a case in point. When she was being disrobed by Dushasana, Lord Krsna protected her even though He was not personally present in the gambling match. The Lord extended an unlimited length of saree to protect Draupadi’s chastity and honor.

Another example is the beautiful pastime of Lord Nrsimhadeva and little Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada Maharaja was tortured by his atheist father, Hirankasipu, for worshipping the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Hiranyakasipu tried various means to have Prahlada killed such as throwing him in a snake pit, throwing him from a mountain, have him sit on a burning pyre, poisoning, and various other means. But the merciful Lord appeared from the pillars to protect His dear devotee Prahlada.

One of my favorite pastimes from Srimad Bhagavatam is the protection of the elephant Gajendra from a crocodile. This story is about elephant Gajendra who was King Indradyumna in his past life and was cursed by Agastya rishi to become an elephant. Once, Gajendra, the leader of the elephants frolicked in a lake near Trikuta Mountain with his female elephants. A crocodile in the lake caught Gajendra’s leg. Gajendra struggled for many years to free himself. Finally, he prayed to Lord Vishnu for help. Gajendra offered a lotus flower to Lord Vishnu and offered many prayers. Pleased with Gajendra’s prayers, Lord Visnu appeared on the back of Garuda. Lord Visnu, immediately cut the crocodile’s head with His disc and pulled Gajendra out of the lake. Gajendra then received a spiritual body and returned back to Godhead. The interesting thing about this pastime is that when Gajendra was offering praying to the Lord, he did not know exactly who the Supreme Personality of Godhead is. He just remembered the prayer from his past life. By the Lord’s extraordinary mercy, he remembered the prayer at the right time. Even though Gajendra offered the prayer without knowing who the Supreme Lord was, the Lord nevertheless appeared instantly to protect Gajendra.

Gajendra Moksham (the liberation of Gajendra) is one of the most famous exploits of Lord Vishnu in Srimad Bhagavatam. A recitation of this episode early in the morning has great immortal powers like the recitation of the sacred hymn Sri Vishnu Sahasranama. There is no disaster from which, the mighty and the compassionate Lord would not protect the devotees, that with faith and devotion remember His feet as their refuge.

At the end of Gajendra’s prayers to the Lord, the Lord gave a benediction to everyone.

“”My dear devotee, unto those who rise from bed at the end of night and offer Me the prayers offered by you, I give an eternal residence in the spiritual world at the end of their lives.” (8.4.25)

The verses SB 8.3.2 through 29 are Gajendra’s prayers of surrender to Lord Vishnu and are worth memorizing.

“The conclusion is that if one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness with all seriousness, he is to be understood as already purified, and Kṛṣṇa is ready to give him protection by all means. The Lord assures herein that He is ready to give protection to His devotee even if there is need to cut off part of His own body.” (SB 3.16.6 P)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

In the sixth chapter of Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krsna explains the process of meditation and dhyana-yoga to Arjuna.  In this chapter, Krsna describes astanga-yoga in greater detail as a means to control the mind and the senses. The word “yoga” means linking with the Supreme. When the linking process is predominantly in fruitive activities it is called karma-yoga, when it is predominantly empirical and analytical it is called jnana-yoga, and when it is predominantly in a devotional relationship with the Supreme Lord and service to Him it is called bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga, or Krsna consciousness, is the ultimate perfection of all yogas. Then in BG 6.47, Krsna gives the conclusion of the process of meditation and yoga.

yoginam api sarvesam

mad-gatenantar-atmana

sraddhavan bhajate yo mam

sa me yuktatamo matah

“And of all yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all.”

The culmination of all kinds of yoga practices lies in bhakti-yoga. All other yogas are but means to come to the point of bhakti in bhakti-yoga. Yoga actually means bhakti-yoga; all other yogas are progressions toward the destination of bhakti-yoga.

In this chapter (SB 3.15), we see that the four Kumaras attained the final goal of meditation and yoga by (a) inhaling the sweet fragrance of the Tulasi leaves emanating from the toes of the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, and (b) viewing the transcendental form of the Lord again and again. The effect of this is that they immediately got transformed from the impersonal conception of the Lord to the personal conception of the Lord. This is a rare transformation not easily achieved. It is possible only by the causeless mercy and grace of the Supreme Lord Himself.

My understanding of this transformation of the Kumaras is that they got elevated from other yogic processes to the bhakti-yoga process immediately by seeing the personal form of the Lord. Real yoga is to search out the four-handed Supersoul within one’s heart and see Him perpetually in meditation. Such continued meditation is called samādhi, and the object of this meditation is the four-handed Nārāyaṇa who is sitting in everyone’s heart.

A conditioned jiva like me is not qualified and eligible to experience such a dramatic transformation of my heart like the Kumaras. In our cases, our transformation is affected by the grace of a bonafide spiritual master like Srila Prabhupada. Our transformation starts by reading the books on Krsna consciousness, chanting the Holy Name of Krsna, tasting prasadam, hearing about the Lord’s name, form, qualities, pastimes, etc., and associating with devotees. In this age, this is the best process of practicing Krsna Consciousness.

“In the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, dictation is received through the transparent medium of the spiritual master. When one is sufficiently trained and acts in submissive faith and love for Kṛṣṇa under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, the dovetailing process becomes more firm and accurate. This stage of devotional service by the devotee in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the most perfect stage of the yoga system.” (SB 3.15.45 P)

It is not true that we are not bereft of the opportunity for transformation that the Kumaras underwent. Srila Prabhupada came from Vaikuntha and created that opportunity for us, by the mercy of Lord Caitanya.

“The only way to realize the perfect stage of yoga is to follow the principles of Bhagavad-gītā as practiced by Lord Caitanya. This is the simplest and highest perfection of yoga practice. Lord Caitanya demonstrated this Kṛṣṇa consciousness yoga system in a practical manner simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, as prescribed in the Vedānta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā and many important Purāṇas.” (SB 3.15.45 P)

In this age, the process of intense meditation and astanga-yoga is not possible. “The meditation process was possible in the golden age, Satya-yuga, because people in that age used to live for hundreds of thousands of years. If one wants success in practical yoga practice, it is advised that he take to the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, and he will actually feel himself making progress. In Bhagavad-gītā this practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is prescribed as rāja-vidyā, or the king of all erudition.” (SB 3.15.45 P)

“Those who have taken to this most sublime bhakti-yoga system, who practice devotional service in transcendental love of Kṛṣṇa, can testify to its happy and easy execution. The four sages Sanaka, Sanātana, Sanandana and Sanat-kumāra also became attracted by the features of the Lord and the transcendental aroma of the dust of His lotus feet.” (SB 3.15.45 P)

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna,

At first, I was hesitant to write on this forum topic because of my ignorance of life in the spiritual world. It is impossible for a materially imprisoned person like me to say something about the spiritual world for the simple reason that I have never seen that transcendental abode of the Lord. I have no idea what that place looks like. But later I realized that we do not see transcendental things through our eyes – we see them through our ears by the process of hearing and reading from bonafide sources.

Srila Prabhupada also eluded to this fact. He writes, “Generally a human being has no idea of what the constitutional position is in the higher material planets, which are far better constituted in regard to all paraphernalia, yet the Vaikuṇṭha planet is so pleasing and so celestial that it is compared to the middle jewel or locket in a necklace of jewels.” (SB 3.15.39 P)

From the lesson, we could understand that the key difference between life in the material world vs, the spiritual world is that of harmony. In Vaikuntha, everything and everyone is in harmony with the Supreme Lord. On the contrary, everything is pretty much in disharmony. There is disharmony even within us. Our interests are in disharmony; our desires are in disharmony; our love for others is in disharmony; our goal of life is also conflicted. This disharmony within us extends to our family, to the realm of our friendship, to society, to our country, and eventually to the whole world. Because of so much disharmony, the world is in a mess today. The disharmony is related to the interests of the Supreme Lord. We do not act in accordance with the interests of Krsna. We fail to ask, “What will please Krsna the most?” We fail to ask, “How can I serve Krsna? How can I please Krsna?” Since we do not ask, we do not act on them either. Thus the result is that of disharmony.

But things are different in the spiritual world. Everything is done keeping Lord Krsna at the center. In the previous lesson, we studied that even though the women of Vaikunthas are as beautiful as Lakshmi, the men are not aroused because they are absorbed in Krsna consciousness. The couples in Vaikuntha fly in beautiful airplanes made of gold while constantly glorifying the faultless Lord. They even deride the fragrance of honey laden madhavi flowers as distraction. The birds in Vaikuntha temporarily stop their own singing to hear the humming sound of the king of bees that resemble hari-katha. Although transcendentally fragrant, the plants in Vaikuntha greatly respect Tulasi for her austerities that made her leaves attain a position in the Lord’s garland. The forest in Vaikuntha bear flowers and fruits of all seasons, because there everything is spiritual and personal. In the Vaikuṇṭha world there is no question of enmity between the Lord and the residents.

“The external energy of the Lord is called the material world, and the kingdom of the internal energy of the Lord is called Vaikuṇṭha, or the kingdom of God. In the Vaikuṇṭha world there is no disharmony between the Lord and the residents. Therefore God’s creation in the Vaikuṇṭha world is perfect. There is no cause of fear. The entire kingdom of God is such a completely harmonious unit that there is no possibility of enmity. Everything there is absolute. Just as there are many physiological constructions within the body yet they work in one order for the satisfaction of the stomach, and just as in a machine there are hundreds and thousands of parts yet they run in harmony to fulfill the function of the machine, in the Vaikuṇṭha planets the Lord is perfect, and the inhabitants also perfectly engage in the service of the Lord.” (SB 3.15. 33 P)

In Vaikuntha, real religion exists in the form of devotional service to the Lord or pure Krsna consciousness. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo (SB 1.2.6) In the spiritual world this religious principle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is maintained in harmony, and therefore that world is called Vaikuṇṭha.

In the spiritual world, there is no question about the existence of lust, anger, and greed because of the absence of the three modes of material nature. It is stated that as long as a living entity is pure, he is in complete harmony with the desires of the Supreme Lord, but as soon as he becomes impure he is in disharmony with the desires of the Lord. By contamination he is forced to transfer to this material world, where the living entities have three enemies, namely desire, anger and lust. These three enemies force the living entities to continue material existence, and when one is free from them he is eligible to enter the kingdom of God. (SB 3.15.34 P)

Srila Prabhupada says that we can turn this material world into Vaikuntha. If the same principles of pure devotional service that exists in Vaikuntha can be adopted here, wholly or partially, then it is also Vaikuṇṭha. So it is with any society, such as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness: If the members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, putting faith in Kṛṣṇa as the center, live in harmony according to the order and principles of Bhagavad-gītā, then they are living in Vaikuṇṭha, not in this material world. (SB 3.15.33 P)

Therefore, the key remedy is to take shelter of and chant the holy name of the Lord. Gradually we will become completely purified and attain pure harmony with the Supreme Lord. Our hearts will be purified and become an abode of the Lord. Wherever the Lord resides, that place is Vaikuntha. It was Sri Advaita who told Lord Caitanya, “Wherever You are, O Lord—there is Vrndavana.”

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!