What is Pure Bhakti?

 Lord Krishna is Hrishikesha

Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja spoke at Sri Jagannatha Puri- evening of October 9, 2001  [As usual in Puri, Srila Narayana Maharaja spoke in a combination of Hindi, Bengali, and English. The English is presented as it is, and when he spoke otherwise, he called on various disciples to translate:]
Yesterday I explained in brief how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the endless ocean of rasa, inspired all truths in the cloud-like Srila Raya Ramananda. Then, He in turn heard and realized all these truths from Srila Raya Ramananda. He attained vijnana, realization of those truths. Now, if you want to enter deeply in the dialogue of Srila Raya Ramananda, Raya Ramananda Samvad, you will have to know some primary things. Those who want to really deeply enter Raya Ramananda Samvad and realize it, should be sincere. They should be very sincere. They should know what is perfect bhakti, that is, svarupa-siddha-bhakti, and they should know what is sanga-siddha-bhakti, aropa-siddha-bhakti, and karma-jnana-misra-bhakti. The definition of pure svarupa-siddha-bhakti is the barometer of bhakti, and from it we can know whether or not one is performing bhakti and what class of bhakti he is in. Otherwise we cannot.
First we should try to explain what is bhakti.
[Sripad Madhava Maharaja translating Srila Narayana Maharaja's Hindi:] Srila Maharaja just explained that prior to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, so many acaryas came to this world, like Sandilya Rsi, Parasara Muni, Narada Rsi, Vyasa, etc. Sandilya Rsi has defined bhakti in his books. He explained that if one has great attachment and a sense of 'mineness' for God, that is called bhakti, but he did not clarify who is God- Lord Krsna, Lord Ramacandra, or any Visnu incarnation. After that, our Purvacarya [previous acarya] Sri Narada Rsi has defined bhakti in his Narada-pancaratra:

sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hrsikena hrsikesa-
sevanam bhaktir ucyate

"Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one's senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord." (Cc. Madhya 19.170) Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam. You have to be free from all material designations, such as, "I am a king," "I am a subject," "I am the husband of this lady," or "I am a wife." Tat-paratvena nirmalam. There are two principles in this world. One is tat-padartha and another tam-padartha. Tat means Bhagavan, and tam means the jiva. Tat-paratvena. You have to be absorbed completely in the bhajana of Bhagavan, who sad-vastu, the reality. Then your heart will be pure. Tat-paratvena nirmalam / hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam. After that, being pure hearted, you should serve God with all of your senses. Ambarisa Maharaja has shown us the light of how to serve God with all one's senses. If you do that, then it will be bhakti.
In Srimad Bhagavatam we have also seen the definition of bhakti:

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati

["The supreme occupation (dharma) for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self." (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.6)] In another sloka it is stated:

laksanam hi bhakti-yogasya
nirgunasya hy udahrtam
ahaituky avyavahita
ya bhaktih purusottame

["The manifestation of unadulterated devotional service is exhibited when one's mind is at once attracted to hearing the transcendental name and qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is residing in everyone's heart. Just as the water of the Ganges flows naturally down towards the ocean, such devotional ecstasy, uninterrupted by any material condition, flows towards the Supreme Lord." (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.29.12)] Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo. This is the best religion for living entities. Here pumsam means all living entities. Ahaituky apratihata / yayatma suprasidati. One has to serve continuously. Continuous means like an unbroken stream of honey. If you pour honey from a jar, its flow is an unbroken stream from top to bottom. Similarly, you'll have to do bhakti continuously. Here atma means that both the soul and Supersoul will be pleased. If the Supersoul is pleased, then the soul will be automatically pleased.
After all, by the causeless mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami has defined bhakti in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. Hearing that definition, all the associates of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu became overjoyed. Raising his two arms, Srila Haridasa Thakura began to dance. Now Srila Maharaja is going to explain Srila Rupa Gosvami's definition.
[Srila Narayana Maharaja again spoke in Hindi and Sripad Ramacandra dasa Adhikari translated his words:] Srila Maharaja is explaining here that in order to enable ourselves to enter Raya Ramananda and Sri Mahaprabhu Samvad, first we have to know what is bhakti. Srila Maharaja has taken the definition bhakti from Srila Rupa Gosvami. Srila Rupa Gosvami's definition includes all the other definitions of the previous acaryas. Anyabhilasita sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam, anukulyena krsnanu-silanam bhakti uttama.
What is the svarupa-laksana, intrinsic nature, of bhakti? It is anukulyena krsnanu-silanam, constant endeavors performed to please Krsna. At the same time, we should know what should be avoided. That is called the tatastha-laksana, marjinal characteristic, of bhakti. The tatastha-laksana is anyabhilasita sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam.
[Sripad Aranya Maharaja (translating Srila Narayana Maharaja's Hindi):] Srila Maharaja has explained what is anusilanam, nivrtti-mulaka and pravrtti-mulaka, making constant endeavors to reject what is unfavorable and accept what is favorable for bhakti.
When sadhana is mature then:

'mane' nija-siddha-deha kariya bhavana
ratri-dine kare vraje krsnera sevana

"There are two processes by which one may execute this raganuga bhakti - external and internal. When self-realized, the advanced devotee externally remains like a neophyte and executes all the sastric injunctions, especially those concerning hearing and chanting. But within his mind, in his original, purified, self-realized position, he serves Krsna in Vrndavana in his particular way. He serves Krsna twenty-four hours a day, all day and night." (Cc. Madhya 22.157) Internal service means serving by bhava, as Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami have done. In his definition, Srila Rupa Gosvamipad has not stopped by giving the word krsnanusilanam. He also used another word, and that is anukulyena. What is the necessity of this word? It means the absence of pratikula-bhava, an antagonistic mood towards Krsna.
Some people think that anukulyena means 'pleasing to Krsna', but this is not the meaning. Anusilanam means endeavors which are uninterrupted, going on without any brake, like a flow of honey. Anu also means in the anugatya, under the guidance of, rasika-bhagavat-vaisnavas. Srila Maharaja said, "Don't be like Rupa Kaviraja. He was not following his seniors and superiors. He was not under their guidance; rather he independently made his own new path and process. That is not anusilanam.
How should anusilanam be performed? Anukulyena. This word does not mean giving Krsna pleasure. Anukulyena means the absence of pratikula-bhava, a mood which is unfavorable.
Why is it necessary to understand this? Srila Maharaja explained that if we say that the endeavors simply give Krsna happiness, then two types of faults will spring up. One kind of fault is called avyapti-dosa, and the other is called ativyapti. This should be understood very clearly. The word vyapti means covering. The definition of bhakti should cover or include everything that is bhakti. If the definition is too narrow, it may exclude some things that are actually bhakti, and that is called avyapti-dosa, the fault of under-extension of the definition. The other fault is called ativyapti-dosa. That means when the definition is too broad, too loose, then it covers everything which is bhakti but it extends further to cover those things which are not bhakti. This is the fault of over-extension of the definition.
Srila Maharaja then gave an example to illustrate avyapti-dosa and ativyapti-dosa. The first is ativyapti-dosa, the fault of a definition that over-extends itself to include that which is not bhakti. The example is the wrestlers Canura and Mustika. When Krsna and Balarama came to the wrestling arena of Kamsa, Canura, Mustika, Kosala, and the other wrestlers were ready to fight with Krsna. They challenged Him and inspired His mind with vira-rasa, a mood of heroism. While wrestling, Krsna experienced so much happiness. The wrestlers' fighting was pleasing to Krsna, but it was not bhakti at all. The wrestlers had pratikula-bhava, a mood that was against Krsna. They were not concerned with Krsna's happiness. They wanted to kill Him. They were not concerned with His auspiciousness and welfare. They did not think He should be benefited and happy in His life. In this way, even though the activity of fighting was pleasing to Krsna and gave Him happiness, the wrestlers themselves had pratikula-bhava.
Anukula means 'pratikula-bhava-rohita'. When pratikula-bhava is absent, it is called anukulyena. If one says, therefore, that anukulyena krsnanusilanam means endeavors which please Krsna, the definition will then be extended to include Canura and Mustika, who had no bhakti at all. This would be the fault of ativyapti-dosa, over-extension of definition.
The second type of fault in definition is called avyapti-dosa. Mother Yasoda was feeding Krsna her breast-milk, and Krsna was very pleased by this. However, when she saw that the milk on the stove was boiling over, although Krsna wanted to continue drinking, Mother Yasoda put Him down with one hand and left Him, and went to take care of the milk. Krsna was not pleased by this. He bit His lips. He became angry and frustrated, and tears came from His eyes. He was so angry that He took a vessel of yogurt and broke it.
It seems, then, that this endeavor, this krsnanusilanam that was preformed by Yasoda Maiya, was not pleasing to Krsna. Therefore, if we take the word anukulyena to mean pleasing to Krsna, Mother Yasoda's activity will not be included within uttama-bhakti. Saying this would be a fault of avyapti-dosa, under-extension of the definition.
Actually, all of Mother Yasoda's activities were completely and fully bhakti. She had no idea of Krsna's Bhagavata, that He is Parabrahma. She was only thinking how He will be benefited and how His life will be auspicious. She was thinking, "If the milk will boil over then what would happen? By my breast-milk I cannot make sandesh, I cannot make khira, and I cannot make so many other preparations. If I don't feed these to Krsna, He will not be happy." Therefore, putting Krsna down, she took care of the milk. She had so much love for Krsna that sometimes it seemed that she has more love for tadiya-vastu, the substances in connection with Krsna, than for Krsna Himself. Why? This was because these things gave happiness to Krsna and made His life auspicious and successful.
Srila Maharaja gave another example: If Krsna will tear His cloth or lose His ornaments, Mother Yasoda will twist His ear and give Him a slap. She will show Him a stick and threaten, "O, I will beat you." And when she does this, Krsna becomes upset. He is not pleased with this, so why is she doing it? She thinks, "Krsna should grow up to be well behaved and responsible, and in this way His future will be auspicious and happy. Her activity is really full bhakti, anukulyena, because it's pratikulya-rohita. The endeavor may be pleasing to Krsna or it may not be pleasing to Krsna, but somehow it is for His benefit. Srila Gurudeva raised a point. If someone has this mood, anukulyena, meaning they are devoid of pratikula-bhava, will they be doing bhakti? No, it will still not be bhakti. It will be bhakti when there is both anukulyena and krsnanusilinam.
[Srila Narayana Maharaja:] I gave an example of Krsna in boyhood with Baladeva, Sudama, Madhumangala, and other cowherd friends.
[Sripad Aranya Maharaja:] Srila Maharaja gave the example of Brahmanda Ghata. When Krsna was a small child, his brother Baladeva and so many friends told Yasoda Maiya that Krsna was eating earth. Yasoda Maiya became very concerned. If a baby eats earth he will become sick. She therefore came and asked, "Have You eaten earth?"
Krsna said, "O mother, I have not eaten any earth."
"Baladeva and all Your friends are saying that You have done so. Show me Your mouth."
Krsna opened His mouth and Mother Yasoda looked inside. She not only saw earth, but all the planets and all the universes inside the mouth of Krsna. Still, Mother Yasoda had no idea of that Krsna is the Supreme Lord. She was only thinking, "He is my child. If He is pleased or not pleased by what I do, this is not important. Krsna must grow up to be happy and auspicious in His life."
Srila Maharaja explained that if only this mood of pratikula-rohita is there, it will still not be bhakti. Both elements must be there; that is, anukulyena and also krsnanusilanam. When both combine, this will be uttama-bhakti - as long as there is no anyabhilasita sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam. Note that the fault of ativyapti and avyapti is the fault of definition, not the fault of Mother Yasoda or Canura and Mustika.
Srila Maharaja has explained the meaning of anukulyena, but this has been used next to the word anusilanam. When both ideas are together, then they reveal to us the svarupa-laksana, natural characteristic, of bhakti. Alone, neither one nor the other will suffice. If we only take the word anukulyena, which means pratikula-rohita, devoid of a mood which is antagonistic to Krsna, it will not be bhakti. We can see this in the example of an earthen pot. The pot has no mood against Krsna, but we cannot say it is doing any bhakti because it is not doing any anusilinam. It is not performing any endeavor at all - no seva. It cannot be doing bhakti.
Srila Maharaja explained that there are devotees in santa-rasa, the mood of neutrality. If someone in santa-rasa sees a person criticize and insult Krsna, they will do nothing. They will not say anything and they will not complain. They will remain silent. Those in santa-rasa will not feel hurt by those words, and therefore they have not much anusilinam. Jnani-bhaktas are influenced by santa-rasa, and Bhismadeva is an example. In the battle of Kuruksetra, Bhisma took his bow, fired arrows at Krsna, cut His body and made it bleed.
[Srila Maharaja:] Why did he do so? He was thinking that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He therefore cannot be injured.
[Sripad Aranya Maharaja (translating):] Krsna has a transcendental body. It cannot be divided. He is the Absolute Truth and therefore He will not feel any pain. He cannot be cut, He cannot be killed, and so there is no harm. Is Bhismadeva a bhakta? Or, is he a non-devotee because he is doing this to Krsna? No, he is not a non-devotee. Even though he was shooting arrows at Krsna, he had no pratikula-bhava. He has no mood against Krsna. His jnana, knowledge of Krsna's Godhood, allowed him to think that Krsna was not hurt by his actions.
[Srila Maharaja:] Bhisma Pitamaha did not actually fight with Krsna, nor did he shoot at Him. Who did? A demon inside him. [Sripad Aranya Maharaja]: Srila Jiva Gosvamipada explained in his commentary that a demon entered Bhismadeva and it was he who was shooting Krsna. We therefore see that anukulyena was there. Bhismadeva was pratikula-bhava-rohita, but he was not doing any seva for Krsna. So when there is anukulyena, a favorable mood towards Krsna, along with anusilanam, the cultivation of all endeavors of the body, mind, words, and moods, which is continuous and under the guidance of pure devotees, this is called the svarupa-laksana of uttama-bhakti.
Srila Maharaja then said that we'll also have to know the extrinsic or marginal characteristic of bhakti, which is called tatastha-laksana. The tatastha-laksana of uttama-bhakti has been defined in the line anyabhilasita sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam.
Anyabhilasita sunyam. First of all, the general idea means there is no selfishness. The devotee does not serve Krsna to get anything in return. He is not doing anusilanam for his own happiness or with any expectations. But here it is not stated 'anyabhilas-sunyam', completely devoid of all other desires. The verse is saying 'anyabhilasita sunyam'. This suffix 'sita' indicates that one should be devoid of all desires except for the service of Krsna in one's svabhava, his natural position. If one is sitting down chanting and everything is peaceful, then in his nature he has no desire other than to serve Krsna. If a calamity or crisis or great danger will come, if someone comes to kill or beat that person, then at that time his regular nature, his svabhava, becomes transformed, and at that time he may call out, "O Krsna, save me." In this situation the devotee is asking Krsna for something for himself, but this mood is not in him. It is not in his svabhava in ordinary circumstances. Therefore, by the word anyabhilasita, this suffix 'sita' has made a concession to include this devotee in the definition of uttama-bhakti.
Srila Maharaja then explained the word anyabhilas. This is the desire for worship and fame and so on. One should be devoid of all these things, and he should desire nothing for himself. 'Sita' is given to indicate that these things are not present in one's svabhava. Srila Maharaja gave some examples to illustrate this:
The first example is Draupadi. Draupadi served Krsna, and she didn't want anything in return. Yet, we see that when Dusasana came to take away her clothes, at that time she called out, "He Govinda! O Govinda, please save me!" Apparently she was asking for something for herself. Did this mean that her activity was not pure bhakti? No, because in her svabhava, in her ordinary condition, she would never ask Krsna for anything. Only at this time of crisis or calamity was she calling. Therefore her action is included in the definition of uttama-bhakti.
On the other hand, let us see the example of Dhruva Maharaja. Dhruva Maharaja was not in any predicament or dangerous situation, but he was standing and chanting his mantra, thinking, "I want a kingdom greater than that of my grandfather." Dhruva is anyabhilas. His desire other than the satisfaction of Krsna was in his svabhava, and therefore he cannot be included in the category of an uttama-bhakta.
Srila Maharaja then came to the topic of jnana-karmady-anavrtam. Srila Rupa Gosvamipad never said 'jnana-karmady-sunyam,' to be devoid of karma and jnana. He said 'jnana-karmady-anavrtam.' Your karma and your jnana, the knowledge that you have and the activities that you perform, should not cover your bhakti. No one can become free from jnana and karma. Eating is a karma, breathing is a karma, going here and there - these are all karmas. We cannot be free from these, and we will also have to perform some duties in society. They should be done in such a way, however, that they do not cover bhakti.
Srila Maharaja explained that you cannot be without jnana, and especially in the beginning, jnana is very good. We will have to have some knowledge of what is bhakti-tattva and so on. By tattva-jnana, by knowing siddhanta, the mind will be steady, and with a steady mind one can become absorbed. Some jnana is good, therefore. It will not cover bhakti. On the other hand, impersonal jnana will cover bhakti.
Srila Maharaja gave the following example: If someone dies, then according to karma-kanda sastra, the relatives will have to do some sraddha. They will have to do a ceremony for their deceased relative. They will have to make some oblations. Why? Being in this world, if anyone will commit sinful activities, knowingly or unknowingly, there will be a reaction and they will have to go to hell and suffer. Their descendents do this sraddha ceremony, and by this they offer prasadam to their deceased relatives who become free from suffering.
If someone is a Vaisnava and chanting harinama throughout their whole life, is there any necessity to do any sraddha for them? What necessity is there? Can they go to hell? Will they be in a suffering condition? No, they will either be in a better position or they may even go back home, back to Godhead. There is no need to do sraddha for Vaisnavas. Still, Vaisnavas may do sraddha for their deceased relatives. Why? When they perform this function they will invite so many sadhus along with all their relatives. There will be harinama sankirtana, classes on hari-katha, and prasadam distributed to everyone. Everyone will get benefit. At the same time, the Vaisnavas don't have a belief that, "If I do this sraddha my bhakti will increase."
If someone has the faith that, "By performing sraddha my bhakti will be increased," or if someone has a faith that, "By not doing sraddha this will be dangerous and detrimental to my devotional service," then this karma will be avrta. It will cover bhakti. When the karmas and duties of this world are performed without faith that they will either be favorable or unfavorable to bhakti, and the performer engages in a detached way, such activities can be made favorable for preaching or for bhakti. That karma does not cover bhakti and it is thus permitted.
Gaura premanande!
-- Typists: Srimati Yasoda Gopi devi dasi and Srimati Radhika devi dasi -- Editor: Srimati Syamarani devi dasi

Lord Chaitanya's Army Distributing Love of Godhead

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

From Locana Dasa Thakura's Chaitanya Mangala (Sutra-khanda, song 12,
texts 562-565)  Lord Chaitanya speaking:

nama-guna-sankirtana vaisnavera shakti
prakasa karibe ami nija prema-bhakti

Chanting of the name & qualities of Krsna is the life & energy of the
Vaisnavas. I will reveal these activities & rejuvenate pure devotional
service unto Myself.

ei mate kali-papa karibe sanhara
sabe cala age pache na kara vichara

In this way I will destroy all the sins in Kali Yuga. So all of you,
My associates, go ahead and take birth on the earthly planet before My
advent and don't remain behind.

ebe nama sankirtana tikshna khadaga laiya
antara asura jivera phelibe katiya

Taking the sharp sword of the congregational chanting of the Hare
Krsna mantra, (nama-sankirtana) I will root out & destroy the demoniac
mentality in the hearts of all the conditioned souls.

yadi papi chadi dharma dure dese yaya
mora senapati-bhakta yaibe tathaya

If some sinful people escape and giving up religious principles go to
far off countries, then my Senapati Bhakta will come at that time to
give them Krsna consciousness. (senapati - a military field commander,
bhakta - a devotee. Lord Caitanya will empower His own devotee to

spread Krsna Consciousness around the world.)

Mystic Experience and the Name of God

From Back to Godhead

By Achyutananda Das

Taking into account the many descriptions of Godhead found in ancient books, scriptures and the eternal wisdom heard by disciples from their venerable masters, the Absolute Truth may be defined as follows: He is by Himself and for Himself; He has all knowledge, strength, opulence, fame, beauty and renunciation; He is the Fountainhead of limitless energies and the Fountainhead of infinite qualities all of which are identical with Himself. He has infinite forms, all of which have equal powers and qualities; and He has infinite Names with which He is identical. And, He is beyond the scope of the organic senses. We cannot see Him, hear Him, touch Him, smell or taste Him with our eyes, ears, hands, noses or tongues. The Name of God can only be spoken through spiritual lips; in which case, in our Krishna Consciousness society, which preaches the group chanting of the Name of God, exactly what are we all doing? Why chant the 16-word mantra of Hare Krishna if God’s Name is beyond our power to utter? This sensible question deserves a sensible answer, and to do justice to this common inquiry we can only go to the writings of those souls who actually have had spiritual bodies, senses and faculties and who had regular intimate communion with Krishna.

Bhaktivinode Thakur is one such spiritual entity whose poems, writings and powerful, inspiring personality is moving mountains of darkness from the hearts of the devotees. He has written, “O Harer Nama [the Name of God], You enter my ear, my tongue and penetrate my heart and tears spring from my eyes, turning the dust at my feet to clay. Thus the impressions of my steps are left so that others will follow my way.” So it is not by his own initiative that anyone may chant the Name, but it is the Name which takes the initiative and out of His own prerogative descends to the soul of the aspirant.

When the Name pierces all the physical, mental and intellectual boundaries up to the soul, then the full Personality of Krishna with all His qualities, forms, etc. is realized. It is just like this: on a cloudy day we cannot see the sun, but it is due to the sunlight itself that we see the clouds. When by the heat of the sun the clouds break, the clear light is seen and then the full sphere of the sun is seen at last, revealing the world, myself and of course the full sun itself. Krishna descends to our consciousness in the same manner. First as a principle that is to say, by our reason we come to the knowledge that we and this world must have a creator who is different but not apart from us. Then if the seeker is more fortunate, a firm belief can become lodged in his mind.

As the Divinity comes down through the chanting of the Name, real spiritual experience enters one’s senses, and sometimes he feels or sees God everywhere. Where the devotee is determined to seek after God above and beyond anything else, it is a sign that Krishna is piercing his finer sentiments until, face to face, the devotee sees Krishna, having totally surrendered to Him. Those learned in the science of Krishna declare this stage to be “Samadhi,” or trance.

Such a state is very rarely to be found in any person, and yet nowadays we frequently read about states which resemble samadhi achieved by quite a number of mystical people. How can we be sure of authenticity?

There are eight symptoms which precede samadhi, which are as follows: 1) stunned sensation, 2) chills, 3) what we know as goose bumps or horripilations, 4) trembling, 5) perspiration, 6) tears, 7) choking and 8) trance. But just by seeing these outer signs, can we conclude that a person is really in samadhi? No. And many cases of such tricks or accidents of nature occur. Once a scholar was reading this description to some elderly religious women. He noticed that all through his discourse one women was weeping constantly. He thought that she might be approaching that rare state, and afterwards bowed to her and praised her devotion. But the old grandmother said, “No, I am not a devotee. I had a son he died last year. You look just like my boy!” With that she departed the temple, leaving the foolish scholar baffled.

We must never judge the true contact with God by material or outward symptoms, though they may resemble the eight sattvik, or pure, symptoms of samadhi. Once a yogi came to a village and displayed his power of walking across the surface of a river. All the people showered coins and praises on him, but one wise old man approached him and said, “Swamiji, you have two cents worth of power!”

“How is that?” the yogi retorted, amazed by such denseness and arrogance.

“Because for two cents I can take you across the river on my boat!”

No matter how wonderful the feats of magic or of nature may look, we must always weigh them on the scales of eternal, blissful knowledge. At this moment huge waves are crashing together in the ocean. Niagara Falls is discharging billions of kilowatts of energy, even galaxies are colliding somewhere, causing inconceivably blinding light and explosions terrible enough to dwarf 1000 megaton hydrogen bombs but sitting aloof from any of this temporary if grand phenomena, the soul of man remains untouched. No matter how great the impressions of phenomena are, they are only elements changing energy into other elements, and cannot pierce to the true depths of the soul. But if one man makes 1 per cent of spiritual progress, he has made eternal progress which benefits all beings. For when Krishna actually does descend to any soul, He can project His energy to all things near and far.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s inconceivable spiritual potency is such. When His chanting was vibrated, even trees and wild animals forgot their conditional natures and danced in ecstasy. Any of the supremely fortunate people who witnessed His pastimes became powerhouses of divine energy, each and every one capable of continuing the smooth flow of Krishna Consciousness to all, as that consciousness itself descended from Krishna’s realm.

No personality, incarnation, saint or great emperor has revealed such vibrant outbursts of direct contact of God as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Sometimes He would, in the transcendental feeling of separation, be endowed with all the eight above-mentioned symptoms. Raising Himself to full height, He would crash to the ground wailing for Krishna. The devotees often feared all His bones broken to splinters. After chanting the Hare Krishna Mantra, Chaitanya sometimes began to roll to and fro. Rivers of tears flowed from His eyes. And then He gave an extremely confidential teaching: “I have no trace, not a tinge of love for Krishna in Me for if I did, how is it that I could remain alive within this body?”

Not to speak of the trances and “experiences” recorded by many curious seekers of “bliss consciousness,” cosmic and “expanded” consciousness, Lord Chaitanya, in the ecstasy of love of God, felt His own love hopelessly inadequate. He made light of the many symptoms He exhibited, and when He spoke at all it was not of Himself, but of the pure love of God which was His life and mission.

Now, if it is possible to connect oneself with the current of blissful consciousness, what is the method? There are many doors but which one leads to the goal? We are not yet possessed of pure intelligence, so how can we know which way is right? Again the answer descends from Krishna, enriched by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and revived by Bhaktivinode Thakur, whose potency was infused into Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, who in turn bestowed his great love and mercy and sublime wisdom upon Prabhupad Bhaktivedanta Swami, the writer’s own divine master. Now available for all, regardless of rank or status and free of charge, the same primeval Krishna Consciousness is being distributed by Prabhupad’s Society. Carried along spiritual currents, the Name divine, the Maha Mantra comes, as we spread the glorious chanting of Hare Krishna.

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Chapter 18: Conclusion-The Perfection of Renunciation

Krishna Speaks the Gita to His Devotee and Friend Arjuna

TEXT 65

man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaisyasi satyam te
pratijane priyo 'si me

SYNONYMS

man-manāḥ—thinking of Me; bhava—just become; mat-bhaktaḥ—My devotee; mat-yājī—My worshiper; mām—unto Me; namaskuru—offer your obeisances; mām—unto Me; eva—certainly; eṣyasi—come; satyam—truly; te—to you; pratijāne—I promise; prijaḥ—dear; asi—you are; me—My.

TRANSLATION

Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

PURPORT

The most confidential part of knowledge is that one should become a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa and always think of Him and act for Him. One should not become an official meditator. Life should be so molded that one will always have the chance to think of Kṛṣṇa. One should always act in such a way that all his daily activities are in connection with Kṛṣṇa. He should arrange his life in such a way that throughout the twenty-four hours he cannot but think of Kṛṣṇa. And the Lord's promise is that anyone who is in such pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness will certainly return to the abode of Kṛṣṇa, where he will be engaged in the association of Kṛṣṇa face to face. This most confidential part of knowledge is spoken to Arjuna because he is the dear friend of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone who follows the path of Arjuna can become a dear friend to Kṛṣṇa and obtain the same perfection as Arjuna.

These words stress that one should concentrate his mind upon Kṛṣṇa-the very form with two hands carrying a flute, the bluish boy with a beautiful face and peacock feathers in His hair. There are descriptions of Kṛṣṇa found in the Brahma-saṁhitā and other literatures. One should fix his mind on this original form of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. He should not even divert his attention to other forms of the Lord. The Lord has multi-forms, as Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, Rāma, Varāha, etc., but a devotee should concentrate his mind on the form that was present before Arjuna. Concentration of the mind on the form of Kṛṣṇa constitutes the most confidential part of knowledge, and this is disclosed to Arjuna because Arjuna is the most dear friend of Kṛṣṇa's.  -From Bhagavat Gita As  It Is, translations and purports by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Sri Gaura purnima

Sri Sri Gouranga Radha Damodar at Eco Truly Park, Peru - See more at: http://vrindanews.com/aroundtheworld/america/peru-es/darshan-of-sri-sri-gouranga-radha-damodar-at-eco-truly-park-peru/#sthash.CGY8rJxU.dpuf

  Sri Sri Gouranga Radha Damodar at Vrinda Eco Truly Park Peru

Sri Sri Gouranga Radha Damodar

*Sri Gaura Purnima March 22, 2016*     The following is a lecture given at Sri Keshavaji Gaudiya Matha on the divine birthday of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Navadvipa, India on March 14, 2006 by Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja:   After the completion of Lord Sri Krsna's pastimes in Vrndavana and Dvaraka in Dvarapa-Yuga, He was thinking very deeply. He considered, "I went to the material world and tasted the moods and relationships of dasya (servitude), sakhya (friendship), vatsalya (parental affection) and madhurya-rasa (conjugal love). Although I did so, however, I was not completely satisfied." Sri Krsna was not totally satisfied, because He had three unfulfilled desires: sri-radhayah pranaya-mahima kidrso vanayaiva- svadyo yenadbhuta-madhurima kidrso va madiyah saukhyam casya mad-anubhavatah kidrsam veti lobhat tad-bhavadhyah samajani saci-garbha-sindhau harinduh ["Desiring to understand the glory of Radharani's love, the wonderful qualities in Him that She alone relishes through Her love, and the happiness She feels when She realizes the sweetness of His love, the Supreme Lord Hari, richly endowed with Her emotions, appeared from the womb of Srimati Saci-devi, as the moon appeared from the ocean. (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 1.6)] Krsna was trying very hard to understand the nature of Srimati Radhika's affection for Him. After the attainment of prema there is sneha (melting heart), then maan (sulky mood) and then pranaya (a sense of oneness with one's beloved). Pranaya means very deep affection. After pranaya comes raga, anuraga, bhava, mahabhava, and ultimately Radhika's madanakya-mahabhava. Krsna was trying to understand the glory of Radharani's pranaya, Her love for Him. He was thinking, "I feel happy upon seeing Radha; but when She sees Me, She becomes completely maddened. What is in Me that She tastes?" I cannot taste the extent of My sweetness as She can. Krsna has four special types of sweetness: the sweetness of His form, the sweetness of His flute playing, the sweetness of His pastimes, and the sweetness of the love He generates in the hearts of the Vrajavasis. How can Krsna taste His own sweetness? He cannot do so. Only Srimati Radharani can taste His sweetness completely. Krsna had a desire to understand what Radhika experiences. He was thinking, "I am the most beautiful personality in the entire world. No one is more beautiful than I. But Radhika is much more beautiful than I. And yet there is something in Me which drives Her mad upon seeing Me. What is that thing?" He could not understand, and He thus developed greed to taste His own sweetness. In order to do this, He descended as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. There is another reason for Mahaprabhu's advent given in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi-lila 4.15-16): prema-rasa-niryasa karite asvadana raga-marga bhakti loke karite pracarana rasika-sekhara krsna parama-karuna ei dui hetu haite icchara udgama ["The Lord's desire to appear was born from two reasons: the Lord wanted to taste the sweet essence of the mellows of love of God, and He wanted to propagate devotional service in the world on the platform of spontaneous attraction. Thus He is known as supremely jubilant and as the most merciful of all."] Krsna is rasika-sekhara. He is the crest-jewel of all enjoyers. He is the ocean and embodiment of all devotional mellows, and He is the supreme taster. He is also parama-karuna, the most merciful. Because of these two qualities He descended to this world. He came to taste something Himself, and He also came to give something – raga-marga, the path of spontaneous attraction. Just hear the pastimes of Sri Krsna. Study the commentaries of our acaryas. The Srimad-bhagavatam has described how Lord Krsna's cowherd-boy friends, headed by Sridama, Subala, Arjuna and Stoka-krsna, love and serve Him. Nanda Baba and Mother Yasoda also have love for Him. The Srimad-bhagavatam also describes the love of the gopis and their service mood towards Him. The service of these eternal associates in Vrndavana is called ragatmika. Those who try to follow in the footsteps of these ragatmika devotees are called raganuga. Anugamana means to follow. There are two types of raga-marga (the path of spontaneous love): raganuga-bhajana and rupanuga-bhajana. Rupanuga-bhajana consists of two sections. First, following the manner in which Srila Rupa Gosvami, in his form as a sadhaka or spiritual practitioner, served in the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and fulfilled His innermost desires. In the second section the devotee follows the manner in which Rupa Manjari (Srila Rupa Gosvami in his siddha form, a maidservant of Sri Radha and Krsna) served and fulfilled all the desires of Sri Radha. Sriman Mahaprabhu came to this world to sprinkle upon the fortunate living entities the special service mood manifested by Sri Rupa Manjari. That mood is called manjari-bhava. On this night, 520 years ago at the time of the lunar eclipse, in order to avoid the bad effects of that eclipse, millions upon millions of people entered the Ganga and chanted "Haribol, haribol." At that time the Muslims were thinking, "All those Hindus are chanting harinama and Hare Krsna." Thus, they also chanted "Haribol, haribol", and in this way they were chanting nama-abhasa. Somehow or other everyone was chanting the holy name at the appearance of Sacinandana Gaurahari. Mahaprabhu's mother, Sacimata, had lost her first eight sons, and therefore she gave this child the special name Nimai. Nimai was born under a neem tree because neem keeps away ghosts, witches and evil spirits. When a parent loses children, they give the child a special name in order to protect their child so Yamaraja will not take them seriously. Here in Navadvipa, Nimai manifested his balya-lila (one to five years) up to His kishora-lila (youth). After His kishora-lila He took sannyasa and went to Jagannatha Puri. From Jagannatha Puri, on the excuse of looking for his elder brother Visvarupa in Pandarapura, He went to South India and met with Raya Ramananda at Godavari. There Raya Ramananda narrated the pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna to Mahaprabhu. When He was in Jagannatha Puri in the association of Sri Svarupa Damodara and Sri Raya Ramananda, He tasted the ecstasy of Srimati Radharani in the small room of the Gambhira. How high were His bhavas there! Somehow or other He would escape by passing through the seven locked doors of the Gambhira, even though they remained locked. He would roam about in transcendental ecstasy. The ecstatic emotions He experienced in Jagannatha Puri are to some extent described in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. Sometimes His joints would become distended and He would become very long, and sometimes He would assume a contracted form, like a turtle. You have now come to the land of Gaura-bhumi. The place we are presently situated, Kuliyagrama, is called aparadha-bhajana-patha. One may have committed offenses to devotees or to Sri Guru, and for some reason that pure devotee or Guru is not forgiving them. Still, by staying here, taking shelter here and weeping with a feeling of repentance, Gaura-Nityananda Prabhus will purify him from that offense. You have come to that place where offences are destroyed. Tomorrow is the last day of our parikrama, and after that everyone will be returning to their homes. My Gurudeva used to say, "When you go home, don't tell anyone of the problems you experienced here, such as the heat and bathrooms. Rather you should tell everyone, "There were no problems at all at the Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha. There were a variety of subjis (vegetables) and air-conditioned rooms and attached toilets. Premananda prabhu gave everyone rasagulas (a fancy Bengali sweet) and parathas. We had great happiness." Don't tell anyone about the problems you may have incurred during the parikrama. Rather you should glorify the parikrama. Preach, and next year each of you should bring two or three more people. This year there were 15,000 pilgrims on parikrama, and next year we will make arrangements for 30,000 pilgrims. Now there will be an enactment of Sriman Mahaprabhu's pastimes in the Bengali language, performed by a Bombay dance-drama group named Nritanjali, whose leader is Mr. Tushar Guha. Please stay for that.     Editorial Advisors: Sripad Madhava Maharaja and Sripad Brajanath dasa Editor: Syamarani dasi Transcriber: Vasanti dasi Typist: Anita dasi Proofreader: Krsna-kamini dasi   -From purebhakti.com

There Cannot be Any Peace

The following is a lecture given by Ramesvara Das in December 1983 at the Los Angeles ISKCON temple: Practically all of America has been forced to think about the likelihood of nuclear war. Of course, our materialistic leaders have tried to convince us that there is really nothing to worry about, because they have this wonderful materialistic formula that prevents nuclear war by making it too horrible. If you happen to watch any of these leaders making their presentation, it is somewhat convincing. However, it is fully convincing only to one who has a very limited vision of material existence and the laws of material nature.

Our materialistic leaders don't search for the root cause of quarrel and war. Instead, they try to cure this ever-spreading disease by treating some of the external symptoms, by making some superficial adjustments. But from India's Vedic literature, like theBhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, we learn the root cause of quarrel and war. Let us examine the Vedic version.

Each of us has a permanent and real self the atma, or soul that is within the temporary material body and that uses the body to fulfill its desires. Unfortunately, in this materialistic society our desires focus not on satisfying the real, inner, spiritual self but on exploiting the material world's resources and so gratifying our material body the outer, illusory self. In other words, right now our desires are based on illusion because they're based on an illusory concept of self, the bodily concept. Now, from this false, bodily concept springs false proprietorship. Simply because my body has some little, temporary sway over some part of the material world, I desire to be the owner of this part of the material world. But the material world existed long before I had this body. And after my material body is finished, the world will continue to exist. Yet in the interim, I desire to be the owner. This desire for false proprietorship again, based on the false, bodily concept of who we are causes quarrel and war.

The people in Russia and the people in India and the people in the Middle East and the people in America more or less, all have this false, bodily concept of self. So all of them are desiring to use the world's resources for their bodily gratification desiring to lord it over the world and make it their own. In spite of the different political and economic systems, people all over the world are the same. They all have the false, bodily concept of self, and so they all are desiring false proprietorship over the body's "domain."

As we would expect, people who have the bodily concept will do virtually anything to gratify their body even to the point of inflicting pain and suffering on other creatures. If your body is the most important thing in the world to you, then logically, to gratify your body you'll even do something that may harm someone else. And to extend your bodily gratification, you'll work to gratify the bodies of your "fellow citizens," people who sport the same national bodily designation even though you may bring harm to "foreigners," those of other bodily designations.

Now, from the sages of India and from the Vedic literature we learn that the creator and director of the material world has established laws that govern the world. And these laws are inviolable. But just for their bodily gratification, people have engaged in tremendously harmful transgressions of these natural laws. And so these transgressions must bring reactions. The laws of physics, we know, are based on this principle of action and reaction. And the same principle governs the interaction of living beings. We call this principle the law of karma.

To sum up what we've touched on thus far, the human beings in today's world have the bodily concept of self, which forces them to try lording it over the earth's resources and use these for their own bodily gratification which forces them to engage daily in a whole series of very violent and condemned activities that bring severe karmic reactions down on everyone.

More about those karmic reactions in a moment. But first, specifically what are these condemned activities? For example, most Americans are flesh eaters, most Russians are flesh eaters, most Muslims are flesh eaters, and unfortunately many Hindus are becoming flesh eaters. People all over the world are flesh eaters. They don't even give it any thought at all. However, if you do think about it, you will realize that in order for people to be flesh eaters, each year almost ten billion animals have to be murdered. This is one example of how in the pursuit of our sense gratification, we've become callous and indifferent to the pain that we cause to other living beings.

And even if we do not notice our transgression of Nature's and God's laws as we go to the local steakhouse or cook flesh in our homes, Nature notices and God, or Krsna, notices. Nature is noticing that though she has worked so hard to produce these material bodies so that certain souls can live in certain species of life, nonetheless the humans have organized gigantic concentration camps in which thirty million animals and birds are systematically exterminated each day our "final solution" for these inferior races of creatures. And this is happening on a global scale. Nature is producing these material bodies, and humans are disrupting Nature's work by yearly destroying so many of Nature's creatures.

Still more, human beings have decided, for economic reasons, business reasons, personal reasons, that it has become largely incompatible with their "lifestyle" to bear children. In other words, people want to have unrestricted sex without having to accept the natural consequences. Engaging in sex almost inevitably results in children, no matter how hard modern science tries to find ways to prevent children from being conceived. So scientists have been called upon to alleviate this messy problem. And these learned men have invented the methodology by which the child can be killed while he's living inside the womb of the mother. And this technological breakthrough has been exported to practically every country in the world. Each year, all over this planet, nearly sixty million of these child murders are taking place. And these child murders have been endorsed by nations all over the world, even India.

We could go on to discuss what humans do to plants and trees, and what they do to the soil, the rivers, the oceans, the air. But for now, just consider the animals and the babies. Over a span of ten years, our modern civilization kills more than one trillion animals and six to eight hundred million babies. Today if someone is conceived in America, the chances of his dying in the womb are more than thirty percent. It's getting risky to be in your mother's womb. In Japan the chances that you'll be killed in the womb of your loving mother are about fifty percent. In Russia you're in an especially unfortunate situation, since the chances that you'll be killed in the womb of your mother are more than sixty-five percent. The average Russian mother will have at least eight abortions.

So here we have the root cause of quarrel and war. Due to our false bodily concept and our desire for false proprietorship, the human society resorts to violence, and by the higher laws of Nature, known as the laws of karma, society has to undergo similar violence. There cannot be peace. There has to be scarcity, and epidemics, and war, and tornadoes, and earthquakes. And although modern man would like to regard these things as accidents, he should know better. Human life is meant for understanding that these things have a cause that the entire universe is based on the principle of cause and effect, or action and reaction. Any educational system, however grand and elaborate it may be, is a failure if it doesn't impart this understanding.

So when we hear our materialistic leaders saying, "There couldn't possibly be a nuclear war because we've made it just too horrible," we know better. "We've made so many weapons that nuclear war would be just too horrible," our leaders say, "so therefore there won't be a nuclear war." This type of reasoning, which sounds so sophisticated when you hear the Kissingers and the rest mouthing it on television, is actually very naive. As we've noted, it comes from a limited vision of life and the universe and the laws that govern the universe. "We don't have to stop our sins; we have this theory that we can stop the reactions of these sins from coming." Anyone with any real knowledge of God's laws knows that if a person is engaging in violently sinful activities, these will create reactions that no material formula can stop.

If you break the law of the State, you will be punished. Now, wouldn't it be foolish to think that the law of God is weaker than the law of the State? "We humans can punish the lawbreaker, but God cannot." That would be very foolish. Of course, in a society where people are systematically taught there is no God, they soon forget about the law of God. After all, in our "secular society" you cannot teach anything about the law of God in any school. It is against the law to teach about the real law.

And to keep it that way, our "modern thinkers" are very busy concocting theories to convince people that there's no God and that man is just the material body not the inner soul, not the servant of the Supreme Soul. "Everything is happening without any need of a God. . . . Life is caused by matter, not God. . . . The various species have appeared by chance evolution, without a God. . . . The creation of the universes, the stars, the planets is caused without a God." As a result, if you go through the school system in any country of the world, you come out thinking that God is irrelevant and that you are this body. The main thing is to get you thinking that you are this body the bodily concept. When you're finished watching TV, you think you're this body. When you're finished reading Time magazine, you think you're this body. When you are finished listening to popular tunes and their lyrics, you think you're this body. When you're finished watching a movie, you think you're this body.

At present the whole society is organized around this: how to get you into the bodily concept, how to get you very attached to it. And when you're attached to it, what do you do? Engage in sinful activities. You're going to control the world for your bodily gratification. You're going to murder your baby. You're going to eat flesh. "It's very important to kill those babies, and it's very important to kill those animals. Because that's how we gratify our bodies." This is the way a person in the bodily concept thinks.

So it's not at all reassuring to us in the Krsna consciousness movement when we see the leaders of the world going on television and telling everybody, "You don't have to worry about nuclear war, because we've made it so horrible that there won't be a war." This is not reassuring to us at all. If only they would go on television and say, "We're going to stop killing babies, and we're going to stop killing animals. This is our peace formula. We will not have a nuclear war because we're going to stop killing all these babies and animals." When we finally acknowledge the sacredness of all life, the result will be that God will grant us peace. But if we remain warlike and violent toward all forms of life, how can the karmic reaction be anything but war and violence upon ourselves? How is Nature going to let us get away with murdering six hundred million babies and a hundred billion animals every ten years? How do we suppose we're going to get away with that? How dare we think that we can do this with impunity and have our leaders come on the TV and soothe us by saying, "We've made war too impossibly horrible that's the peace formula."

Only a fool will accept this type of propaganda. So there is a type of folly and hypocrisy even, for instance, in the nuclear freeze movement. These people seem very well intentioned. They want peace and they're praying for peace and marching for peace. But they themselves may be murderers of babies and animals. So first they have to make their own hearts peaceful. First they have to get rid of all the violence from their own hearts. Otherwise, what is the use of their marching for peace? God is not going to respond to their prayer for peace, because right afterward these same people are going to McDonald's or Burger King or Planned Parenthood or the abortion clinic.

So it's not just our institutions and leaders that bring about all this murder it's our very selves, "we the people," who are the willing customers of these institutions and the followers of these leaders. There is a certain myth that these horrible governments are going to create this nuclear war, and that we poor innocent citizens who have nothing to do with it are going to suffer. We call this "the myth of the innocent citizen," because the innocent citizen is not as innocent as people think.

To sum up, there is an actual peace formula, and it begins with an understanding of the difference between the actual self and the temporary body. We have to become liberated from this bodily concept or there's no question of peace. We actually have to learn, "I am not this body. I am not these bodily designations 'American,' 'African,' 'Indian,' 'Russian'; 'black,' 'white,' 'yellow,' 'red'; 'man,' 'woman,' 'child'; 'young,' 'old.' I am something more than this. Therefore I should not act as if I were just this body. I should learn what it means to be a spirit soul. And what it means to act as a spirit soul." Only then can we have real compassion and put an end to the gross violence that exists in this present so-called civilized world.

So this knowledge about the difference between the soul and the body and how to act as a liberated soul rather than as an illusioned soul this is the fundamental education that is required if there's actually going to be peace on earth. And the Krsna consciousness movement is dedicated to making this spiritual education available to all people whatever their culture or religion or race or creed or nationality or gender precisely because we do not see the living being in terms of these bodily designations.

If people adopt these spiritual principles, they can free themselves from the violent reactions of karma that are practically just around the corner. Of course, we do not believe in the doomsday scenario, wherein the human race is exterminated.

The human race serves a purpose in God's plan, and God's plan cannot be demolished by humans. That's not possible. The human race will always exist. But without spiritual knowledge, the human race will have not only a World War III but a World War IV and a World War V, and on and on. These karmic reactions will go on and on and on until human beings are given a spiritual education rather than this dull material education that most of us have been subjected to for most of our lives.

So to start with, we recommend that you read the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. Anyone who reads this literature will be enriched with spiritual knowledge and will understand how to act in harmony with the laws of God rather than transgress them. And not only that. This literature reveals how you can free yourself from whatever karma you have created before whether in this life or in past lives. You can learn this ancient spiritual science of Krsna consciousness through acceptingprasadam, vegetarian foods offered to Lord Krsna; and through reading the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, knowledge spoken by and about Krsna; and through chanting the holy names of Krsna: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. And we invite you to come as often as you like to these Hare Krsna centers. They are open to everyone, so that everyone can revive his spiritual consciousness and become free from the bodily concept and from the karma leading to nuclear war.  -From Back to Godhead Magazine 1984

Material Progress is Superficial

The essential purpose of human life is to advance in Krishna consciousness. Material progress is external. Of course, that's a truism, because external is one synonym of material. In many parts of the world we see that there is a lot of material prosperity. Nice houses, apartment buildings, office buildings, shopping malls, hotels, cars, airplanes, etc., etc., are features of material advancement, but such advancement is superficial. If a person does not have any Krishna consciousness then his/her life is futile. Material posessions are temporary, whereas advancement in Krishna consciousness is permanent. If a person makes 10% advancement in Krishna consciousness in this life, then in his/her next life he/she will begin from 10%. All the while such a person enjoys an increasingly enlightened state of existence. In this life or after many lives, when one reaches 100% progress in Krishna consciousness, then the next life is in Goloka Vrindavan where there is no more repeated birth and death.

Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.6

TEXT 6

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo

yato bhaktir adhokṣaje

ahaituky apratihatā

yayātmā suprasīdati

SYNONYMS

saḥ—that; vai—certainly; puṁsām—for mankind; paraḥ—sublime; dharmaḥ—occupation; yataḥ—by which; bhaktiḥ—devotional service; adhokṣaje—unto the Transcendence; ahaitukī—causeless; apratihatā—unbroken; yayā—by which; ātmā—the self; suprasīdati—completely satisfied.

In the transcendental land of Goloka Vrndavana, Lord Sri Krsna stands on the bank of the Yamuna river playing His flute. With His eyes blooming like lotus petals, His head bedecked with a peacock feather, and His beautiful figure tinged with the hue of blue clouds, He charms millions of cupids with His unique loveliness.

TRANSLATION

The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.

PURPORT

In this statement, Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī answers the first question of the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya. The sages asked him to summarize the whole range of revealed scriptures and present the most essential part so that fallen people or the people in general might easily take it up. The Vedas prescribe two different types of occupation for the human being. One is called the pravṛtti-mārga, or the path of sense enjoyment, and the other is called the nivṛtti-mārga, or the path of renunciation. The path of enjoyment is inferior, and the path of sacrifice for the supreme cause is superior. The material existence of the living being is a diseased condition of actual life. Actual life is spiritual existence, or brahma-bhūta [SB 4.30.20] existence, where life is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge. Material existence is temporary, illusory and full of miseries. There is no happiness at all. There is just the futile attempt to get rid of the miseries, and temporary cessation of misery is falsely called happiness. Therefore, the path of progressive material enjoyment, which is temporary, miserable and illusory, is inferior. But devotional service to the Supreme Lord, which leads one to eternal, blissful and all-cognizant life, is called the superior quality of occupation. This is sometimes polluted when mixed with the inferior quality. For example, adoption of devotional service for material gain is certainly an obstruction to the progressive path of renunciation. Renunciation or abnegation for ultimate good is certainly a better occupation than enjoyment in the diseased condition of life. Such enjoyment only aggravates the symptoms of disease and increases its duration. Therefore devotional service to the Lord must be pure in quality, i.e., without the least desire for material enjoyment. One should, therefore, accept the superior quality of occupation in the form of the devotional service of the Lord without any tinge of unnecessary desire, fruitive action and philosophical speculation. This alone can lead one to perpetual solace in His service.

We have purposely denoted dharma as occupation because the root meaning of the word dharma is "that which sustains one's existence." A living being's sustenance of existence is to coordinate his activities with his eternal relation with the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the central pivot of living beings, and He is the all-attractive living entity or eternal form amongst all other living beings or eternal forms. Each and every living being has his eternal form in the spiritual existence, and Kṛṣṇa is the eternal attraction for all of them. Kṛṣṇa is the complete whole, and everything else is His part and parcel. The relation is one of the servant and the served. It is transcendental and is completely distinct from our experience in material existence. This relation of servant and the served is the most congenial form of intimacy. One can realize it as devotional service progresses. Everyone should engage himself in that transcendental loving service of the Lord, even in the present conditional state of material existence. That will gradually give one the clue to actual life and please him to complete satisfaction.

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Rember Krishna in Happiness and Distress

It is said that if people are contented and happy they may forget the glory of God, but when their lives and comforts are in danger the river of bhakti (devotion) will flow.

Bhagavad-gita 4.34

Chapter 4: Transcendental Knowledge

TEXT 34

tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah

SYNONYMS

tat—that knowledge of different sacrifices; viddhi—try to understand; praṇipātena—by approaching a spiritual master; paripraśnena—by submissive inquiries; sevayā—by the rendering of service; upadekṣyanti—initiate; te—unto you; jñānam—knowledge; jñāninaḥ—the self-realized; tattva—truth; darśinaḥ—the seers.

TRANSLATION

Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.

PURPORT

The path of spiritual realization is undoubtedly difficult. The Lord therefore advises us to approach a bona fide spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession from the Lord Himself. No one can be a bona fide spiritual master without following this principle of disciplic succession. The Lord is the original spiritual master, and a person in the disciplic succession can convey the message of the Lord as it is to his disciple. No one can be spiritually realized by manufacturing his own process, as is the fashion of the foolish pretenders. The Bhāgavatam says: dharmaṁ hi sākṣād-bhagavat-praṇītam-the path of religion is directly enunciated by the Lord. Therefore, mental speculation or dry arguments cannot help one progress in spiritual life. One has to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge. Such a spiritual master should be accepted in full surrender, and one should serve the spiritual master like a menial servant, without false prestige. Satisfaction of the self-realized spiritual master is the secret of advancement in spiritual life. Inquiries and submission constitute the proper combination for spiritual understanding. Unless there is submission and service, inquiries from the learned spiritual master will not be effective. One must be able to pass the test of the spiritual master, and when he sees the genuine desire of the disciple, he automatically blesses the disciple with genuine spiritual understanding. In this verse, both blind following and absurd inquiries are condemned. One should not only hear submissively from the spiritual master; but one must also get a clear understanding from him, in submission and service and inquiries. A bona fide spiritual master is by nature very kind toward the disciple. Therefore when the student is submissive and is always ready to render service, the reciprocation of knowledge and inquiries becomes perfect.  -Translation and Purport by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada