tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35326884813974502582024-03-12T16:08:36.810-07:00Audarya BhavanBabhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-69924237916021170602012-02-24T19:28:00.005-08:002012-02-24T19:38:09.873-08:00Embracing Unity in Diversity: Early Notes Toward a Rhetoric of Consciousness<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyU7JXKruXsVCfTyYQjggarF6PhVsb_61sdFFmFFjka5e4Mb_Vvf8TX1SpIlUauFepI59Wfc0D0jIMnt17xruQ99izmzm44jmMb5NrL0wdtVYWZNwXGFgo3wKzGLJMD_c2FZ-epq5b9RA/s1600/IMG_0542%255B1%255D.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyU7JXKruXsVCfTyYQjggarF6PhVsb_61sdFFmFFjka5e4Mb_Vvf8TX1SpIlUauFepI59Wfc0D0jIMnt17xruQ99izmzm44jmMb5NrL0wdtVYWZNwXGFgo3wKzGLJMD_c2FZ-epq5b9RA/s320/IMG_0542%255B1%255D.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712910812850397618" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />When I was teaching in gurukulas, the students would occasionally find out that another child didn't like one sort of food or another and would tease them: “Eww—you don't like mangoes? That means you don't like Prabhupada and Krishna!” These eight- or nine-year-olds were probably joking, or half joking, to the extent that kids are capable. But when adults insist in the rudest language that other devotees who don't share their opinions on one detail or another regarding devotional practice or association are faithless, or even demons, they are not joking. And it's not funny.<br /><br />Rather, they are simply demonstrating a narrow-minded attitude and cramped thinking discouraged by Srila Prabhupada himself. Unfortunately, we see a great deal of such narrow-mindedness in discussions among devotees over the course of our association, both face to face and in online discourse. I have found it to be perhaps the most discouraging, most corrosive attitude among devotees. I believe it would immeasurably improve the quality of devotee association, and perhaps even the devotees' preaching efforts, if, rather than seeing other devotees of Krishna in such a pinched, miserly way, we tried instead to imbibe and exhibit the kind of broad, generous vision of others that Srila Prabhupada himself exemplified.<br /><br />Those devotees who have spent any time on the internet over the last few years have most likely observed a number of controversies among preachers, which often appear to be focused more on approaches to preaching than anything else. Sannyasi A rips into Sannyasi B for having the temerity to write on Bhagavad-gita. Sannyasi C conducts a campaign against Sannyasi D, accusing him of being infected with “New Age” ideas. Then he goes after Sannyasi E for engaging in mundane welfare work in the name of preaching. Others in turn criticize Sannyasi C for being stuck in the Middle Ages with regard to a number of social issues. A good number of ISKCON leaders consistently vilify those who have accepted instruction from preachers outside the GBC’s control, calling them guru-tyagis or worse, often pushing them outside ISKCON altogether. Many devotees criticize the BBT and its staff for continuing to edit Srila Prabhupada's books. Defenders of the BBT's managers and staff, on the other hand, sometimes belittle those who see themselves as simply standing up for the purity of Srila Prabhupada's books.<br /><br />And I don’t want to give the impression that this problem is exclusively, or even primarily, a problem among ISKCON’s devotees. It’s no secret that many preachers from one mission have over the years disparaged pretty much everyone who didn’t surrender to their guru, whom they touted as the most advanced devotee on the planet, sometimes as the only pure devotee around. And leading preachers in another mission used their blogs for years to harass preachers from other missions who did not serve under their guru, using downright cruel facsimiles of humor. More recently, these same leaders now find themselves embroiled in succession conflicts, which some of them broadcast all over the Web, publicly accusing their perceived opponents of all sorts of impropriety and a laundry list of offenses. And then we have a number of Web sites whose specialty seems to be publishing any and every complaint against leaders of ISKCON and pretty much every other Gaudiya mission. And so it goes, ad infinitum, ad nauseam.<br /><br />What's more, we engage in all this bickering in public, across the internet! What does this say to the countless students who type “Hare Krishna” or some such search phrase into their search engine as they work on that term paper? To someone who might have purchased a book about Krishna consciousness, or the father wondering if he should let his child visit a temple or stay at an ashram? It seems we can establish dialog and discuss contentious matters cordially with academics, with Christians, with Jews, perhaps with some Muslims and Buddhists, and even some atheists, but we can't talk with another devotee who disagrees with us by even less than one percent without getting into a fight. And sometimes we do so in the most intemperate language. One can only imagine how Gaudiya vaisnavism must look to those whose experience of it is limited to what they see on the internet.<br /><br />What seems to be missing here is discourse driven by the kind of vision Srila Prabhupada showed throughout his lifetime of spreading Krishna consciousness. Let us see, for example, how he responded to discord among devotees in a letter he wrote to Kirtanananda in 1973:<br /><blockquote>Now this displeasing of god brothers has already begun and gives me too much agitation in my mind. Our Gaudiya Math people fought with one another after the demise of Guru Maharaja but my disciples have already begun fighting even in my presence. So I am greatly concerned about it. . . .<br />Material nature means dissension and disagreement, especially in this Kali yuga. But, for this Krsna consciousness movement its success will depend on agreement, even though there are varieties of engagements. In the material world there are varieties, but there is no agreement. In the spiritual world there are varieties, but there is agreement. That is the difference. The materialist without being able to adjust the varieties and the disagreements makes everything zero. They cannot come into agreement with varieties, but if we keep Krsna in the center, then there will be agreement in varieties. This is called unity in diversity. . . . But, if we fight on account of diversity, then it is simply the material platform. Please try to maintain the philosophy of unity in diversity. That will make our movement successful. One section of men have already gone out, therefore we must be very careful to maintain unity in diversity. . . .<br /></blockquote>What we see here is an exhortation to a broader, more generous vision of how diverse devotees may serve the Mahaprabhu’s mission than some may be accustomed to. The basis of this generosity, Srila Prabhupada explains, is the generosity of spirit Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches:<br /><blockquote>Following in the footprints of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu:<br />trnad api su-nicena taror iva sahisnuna<br />amanina manadena kirtaniya sada harih<br />“One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.”<br />We must always remember this verse and be as tolerant as the tree, as we execute the Krsna consciousness movement. Without this mentality we cannot be successful.<br /><blockquote></blockquote></blockquote>Srila Prabhupada’s letter suggests that tolerating difference is essential to the broad vision he urges his disciple to develop here. This word is well worth examining.<br /><br />Devotees generally use “tolerance” in the sense of forbearance, putting up with something we see as unfavorable. We often speak of tolerating the urges of the mind and senses, of tolerating abuse from an unappreciative public, of tolerating the devotees who get on our nerves, of tolerating bodily pain or the itching of bug bites. This certainly answers to one of the two meanings the word has in English; moreover, it’s a useful understanding for practicing devotees. But it is neither the sole nor the primary meaning.<br /><br />Most English dictionaries give the primary sense of tolerance as fairness toward practices, opinions and perspectives different from our own; freedom from bigotry; a liberal, undogmatic attitude. This is certainly the sense in which Srila Prabhupada uses it in his letter to Kirtanananda, the most useful sense of tolerance for truly progressive devotees in a diverse, worldwide movement. And, unfortunately, this kind of tolerance among devotees is too uncommonly found.<br /><br />Instead, we encounter scenes such as this: When visiting an ISKCON temple in a large US city a few years ago, I was subjected to one of ISKCON’s more prominent sannyasis asserting that all but one of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s disciples failed to appreciate their guru’s innovation of an organized institution for systematically propagating the teachings of Lord Caitanya. Therefore, he said, they all became either mayavadins or sahajiyas. (And he made such a blanket condemnation of Srila Prabhupada’s Godbrothers by way of ostensibly glorifying Srila Sarasvati Thakura on the anniversary of his disappearance.) Or we find ourselves embroiled in endless squabbles with members of another mission, who seem to regard everyone who does not share their degree of faith in a particular sadhu as the lowest of offenders. And recently I was involved in an online discussion with a number of my Godbrothers and sisters in which a couple of participants conducted protracted campaigns of vilifying another Godbrother and everyone who associated with him in the harshest imaginable language because he declines to submit to ISKCON’s GBC in all matters, including ISKCON policies contrary to Gaudiya vaisnava siddhanta.<br /><br />Srila Prabhupada sometimes told us that one definition of a brahmana is liberal, broadminded, generous, as opposed to the narrow-minded kripana, who is miserly and grudging—at best—in appreciating others with whom he does not closely identify. And he made it abundantly clear throughout his teaching campaign that the dominant attitude in our movement should be that of the brahmana.<br /><br />We should note carefully, though, that the generosity expressed should not be a kind of Pollyannaism that pretends away the differences between different groups of devotees. I suggest, rather, that we behave, as Srila Prabhupada often exhorted, as a society based on love and trust. The problem is that leaders too often insist that we love and trust them, but they treat us as if we had little intelligence or sincerity. Love, trust, and cooperation are reciprocal activities, two-way streets. But if love and trust seem too lofty, too inaccessible, perhaps we could begin with simple mutual respect.<br /><br />We need, of course, to be able to discuss the issues that seem to divide us, but we should discuss them respectfully. We can only do that, however, if we begin to turn away from a Manichean view of the world, including the world of devotees. That is a black-and-white view that my perspective, my approach, my mission, my guru, is good, and all others are inferior, if not bad, perhaps even evil. We see that, in American political discourse, this perspective has led to such toxic rancor and demonization that government has been all but crippled. And the same thing has happened in discourse among devotees. Embracing unity in diversity, on the other hand, means accepting and openly acknowledging that devotees whose approach to service may appear more liberal or conservative, or different in any way we find significant, may also desire to make the perfection of Krishna consciousness available to everyone. It means moving from black and white to shades of gray, but also beyond that to a full-color spectrum of approaches to preaching and practicing, as long as they don’t challenge the siddhanta established by our acaryas.<br /><br />We should note that even discussed in a more civil manner, some ideas and policies will be rejected. As much as I may respect your sincere desire to serve Mahaprabhu’s mission, I may still find a particular policy ill advised, or even contrary to siddhanta established by our acaryas. You may also find my reluctance to bow to your institution’s leaders’ authority narrow or short sighted, even obstinate. And we may very well feel compelled to say so. Moreover, our discussion may be quite vigorous because of the strength of our convictions. But we should be able to discuss these issues vigorously without casting aspersions on each others’ faith, denigrating each other’s accomplishments, or calling each other names. We should be more interested in generating light than heat. Perhaps we need fewer lessons in logic and argumentation and more guidance from Miss Manners!<br /><br />So let us by all means discuss those differences, but let us strive to do so with a more nuanced approach than we too often see these days. After all, discussion aimed at understanding the conclusions of the scriptures strengthens our faith. Moreover, the focus of our disagreements is usually how to serve guru and Gauranga. I hope we devotees can learn to discuss with real respect, not the sham respect we see among today’s politicians. Doing so would be easier, of course, if we learn to respect each other’s service and contributions, regardless of institutional affiliation or differences in approaches. We must respect boundaries, as well. Good fences, the proverb says, make good neighbors. How far this is true is another discussion altogether. Where I’m from, on the island of Hawaii, we build rock walls, but they’re usually only a foot or two high, not sky-scraping walls topped with broken glass or razor wire. It’s easy to step over them to visit, as the mood there is “e komo mai”: come on over. My kuleana (responsibility) is taking care of what’s on this side of the wall, and yours is what’s on that side. And if bananas, avocados, or mangos from trees on my side hang over the wall, they’re yours. We devotees of Caitanya Mahaprabhu should be able to behave similarly, accepting responsibility for our own service, sharing generously, respecting, but not worshiping, boundaries. Intruding on other missions’ affairs simply to break devotees’ faith should be avoided.<br /><br />In our attempts to create a discourse of love and trust, we may recall Krsna’s praise of speech that does not cause distress, is truthful, agreeable, and beneficial as austerity of speech. And, bearing in mind that Krsna repeatedly praises nonviolence in Bhagavad-gita, devotees may want to consider approaches such as nonviolent communication. This helps us both express our own perspective honestly and clearly, while at the same time paying others respectful, empathetic attention. And when we do write, whether a book or an email, we should consider carefully a couple of things all conscientious writers learn: how we want to present ourselves, who our audience is (both our intended audience, and, given the reality of the digital world, who our audience is likely to become), and our purpose, what we hope to accomplish by writing a particular text. If we can do such things, we may find it possible to work together and realize Srila Prabhupada and Mahaprabhu’s ambitions for the sankirtana movement. Otherwise, we’re likely to find ourselves as divided by recrimination and name calling as the leaders of the two main political parties in the US are today. And our efforts will likely prove no more effective.<br /><br />I don’t intend that this brief essay serve as a manifesto, or that it be read as a comprehensive treatment of the problem I identify here, which not that we devotees disagree among ourselves, but that the manner in which we publicly express our disagreement poisons our relationships and undermines the culture of bhakti. This is merely an essay, in the more formal sense of an attempt—here, an attempt mainly to begin a conversation. Read it as an opening gambit, if you like. It will also likely serve as the beginning to a longer, more comprehensive project I have been considering for some time. Meanwhile, I hope devotees will feel free to continue the conversation by offering their own insights and experiences.<br /><br />Let us imagine together how much more easily the world may be able to appreciate the teachings of Lord Caitanya when his followers no longer publicly bicker like eight-year-old children. I hope we can all become humble enough to accept that devotees with perspectives different from ours may certainly love and honor Srila Prabhupada, our guru varga, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as much as we—and to treat them as such. A broader vision, colored by the love and trust that should come naturally to progressive vaisnavas, will show that diversity of perspectives and approaches to be an asset, not a liability. At least addressing each other as if we had such a vision may at least be a step in the right direction. We may then begin to see how Mahaprabhu’s sankirtana movement is enriched by that diversity, which may provide a broader range of appeal to the larger society, which is in such dire need of the vaisnavas’ mercy.Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-7396073677914393252011-09-14T14:07:00.000-07:002011-09-14T16:08:32.799-07:00Prayer to the Lotus Feet of Lord Krishna<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzJZRu2jEWYO-RGlfLdxqX6Tm8y8VkIq-YFZ8itYg6bht0c8BlFv_01Uu8ZEUZjlXJQDpEyf93KPDn1Qj4JnwODV77Vk3mn-vWAKg7ImrJlI4E6bLeeWUZZULdP15PMOc-yOrBY_qrKA/s1600/Jaladuta+copy.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDzJZRu2jEWYO-RGlfLdxqX6Tm8y8VkIq-YFZ8itYg6bht0c8BlFv_01Uu8ZEUZjlXJQDpEyf93KPDn1Qj4JnwODV77Vk3mn-vWAKg7ImrJlI4E6bLeeWUZZULdP15PMOc-yOrBY_qrKA/s320/Jaladuta+copy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652352963075216050" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I should have posted this yesterday, which was the anniversary of Srila Prabhupada's writing a poem that many of my friends and I consider to be very significant. It was written aboard the Scindia freighter <span style="font-style:italic;">Jaladuta</span> on September 13, 1965. Srila Prabhupada was faced with the practically unprecedented task of introducing the teachings of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to the West. To that end, he had gotten passage on this freighter and had survived seasickness and a couple of heart attacks during his journey. On the 13th he wrote in his journal, "Today I have disclosed my mind to my companion Lord Sri Krishna. There is a Bengali poem made by me today in this connection." Here the Bengali is first, followed by a translation.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Bhagavan Krsner Pada Padme Prarthana</span><br />A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">kṛṣṇa taba puṇya habe bhāi<br />e-puṇya koribe jabe rādhārāṇī sukhī habe<br />dhruva ati boli tomā tāi</span><br /><br />Dear brother, Krsna, you will find virtue only when Srimati Radharani first becomes pleased with you. This is as fixed as the Pole Star.<br /><br />(1)<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">śrī-siddhānta saraswatī śacī-suta priya ati<br />kṛṣṇa-sebāya jāra tula nāi<br />sei se mohānta-guru jagater madhe uru<br />kṛṣṇa-bhakti deya ṭhāi ṭhāi </span><br /><br />Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who is very dear to Lord Gauranga, the son of mother Saci, is unparalleled in his service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. He is that great saintly spiritual master, most magnanimous within this universe, who bestows devotion to Krsna in various places throughout the world.<br /><br />(2)<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">tāra icchā balavān pāścātyete ṭhān ṭhān<br />hoy jāte gaurāńger nām<br />pṛthivīte nagarādi āsamudra nada nadī<br />sakalei bole kṛṣṇa rāma</span><br /><br />His desire is very powerful, and thus he is causing the Holy Name of Lord Gauranga to spread throughout all the countries of the Western World. In all the cities, towns, and villages on the earth, extending to all the oceans, rivers, and streams, everyone may chant the names of Krsna and Rama.<br /><br />(3)<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">tāhale ānanda hoy tabe hoy digvijay<br />caitanyer kṛpā atiśay<br />māyā duṣṭa jata duḥkhī jagate sabāi sukhī<br />vaiṣṇaver icchā pūrṇa hoy </span><br /><br />Thus all directions will be conquered by a flood of transcendental ecstasy flowing with the excessive mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When all the miserable living entities that have been corrupted by maya become happy, then the Vaisnava's desire is fulfilled.<br /><br />(4)<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">se kārja je koribāre ājñā jadi dilo more<br />jogya nahi ati dīna hīna<br />tāi se tomāra kṛpā māgitechi anurūpā<br />āji tumi sabār pravīṇa </span><br /><br />Although my Guru Maharaja ordered me to accomplish this mission, I am unworthy to do it, being very fallen and incompetent. That being the case, O Lord Krsna, Your mercy is today arising in a befitting manner to make me become worthy, for You are the wisest of all.<br /><br />(5)<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">tomāra se śakti pele guru-sebāya bastu mile<br />jībana sārthak jadi hoy<br />sei se sevā paile tāhale sukhī hale<br />taba sańga bhāgyate miloy </span><br /><br />If You bestow Your divine power, then one attains the factual substance which is service to the spiritual master - and life becomes successful. If that service is obtained, then one becomes truly satisfied, and ultimately received Your association due to good fortune.<br /><br />(6)<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">evaḿ janaḿ nipatitaḿ prabhavāhikūpe<br />kāmābhikāmam anu yaḥ prapatan prasańgāt<br />kṛtvātmasāt surarṣiṇā bhagavan gṛhītaḥ<br />so 'haḿ kathaḿ nu visṛje tava bhṛtya-sevām</span><br /><br />(As stated by Prahlada Maharaja to Lord Nrsimhadeva in the Srimad Bhagavatam, 7.9.28:)<br />"Thus, by associating with material desires one after another, I was following the general populace by falling into a blind well full of snakes. My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead! Then the great sage Narada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple, and instructed me how to achieve the transcendental position similar to his own. How could I ever leave the service of your servant?"<br /><br />(7)<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">tumi mor cira sāthī bhuliyā māyār lāthi<br />khāiyāchi janma-janmāntare<br />āji punaḥ e sujoga jadi hoy jogāyoga<br />tabe pāri tuńhe milibāre </span><br /><br />O Lord Krsna, You are my eternal companion. Forgetting You, I have suffered the kicking of maya birth after birth. If today the chance to meet You occurs again, then surely I will be able to rejoin You.<br /><br />(8)<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">tomāra milane bhāi ābār se sukha pāi<br />gocārane ghuri din bhor<br />kata bane chuṭāchuṭi bane khāi luṭāluṭi<br />sei din kabe habe mor</span><br /><br />O my dear brother! In Your company I will experience great joy once again. Wandering about the pastures and fields, I will pass the entire day with You in tending the cows. Joking with You and frolicking throughout so many forests of Vraja, I will enjoy pastimes of stealing and eating one another’s lunch. When, oh when will that day be mine?<br /><br />(9)<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">āji se suvidhā hala tomāra smaraṇa bhela<br />baro āśā ḍākilām tāi<br />āmi tomāra nitya-dāsa tāi kori eta āśa<br />tumi binā anya gati nāi </span><br /><br />Today that remembrance of being with You came to me in a very nice way. Feeling great longing I called out for You, O Lord Krsna! Only because I am Your eternal servant do I desire Your association so much. Except for You, I have no other refuge.</span>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-9224473074929171362010-09-02T18:02:00.000-07:002010-09-02T18:18:52.118-07:00Vyasa-puja 2010<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOf5flWk2ykXLU8NrR4HRt_m-ZJvq2DvwsVKayZtU00STGBkHWl7J6Xq3xrWtRzpL01XQwvY7O4kqdttAqT3j0IxKWW_QKqckYxL8Cr42ervpmFo70vvjlNcOCMOa5hndC-28YsorB5Y/s1600/PrabhSD72a.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOf5flWk2ykXLU8NrR4HRt_m-ZJvq2DvwsVKayZtU00STGBkHWl7J6Xq3xrWtRzpL01XQwvY7O4kqdttAqT3j0IxKWW_QKqckYxL8Cr42ervpmFo70vvjlNcOCMOa5hndC-28YsorB5Y/s320/PrabhSD72a.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5512489091349322722" /></a><br /><em>(Today was the 114th anniversary of the appearance of our beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, among us. This is the homage I wrote to mark this occasion.)</em><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><em>namah om visnupadaya krsna-presthaya bhutale <br />svami sri bhaktivedanta prabhupadaya te namah</em><br /><br />I offer my humble obeisances to His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krsna on this earth, having taken shelter of His lotus feet.<br /><br /><em>gurvajnam sirasi-dhrtva saktyavesa sva-rupine<br />hare-krsneti mantrena pascatya-pracya-tarine</em><br /><br />Taking the order of his guru on his head, he became empowered by Nityananda Prabhu to act as a saktyavesa avatara. He distributed the Hare Krsna mantra all over the Eastern and Western world, uplifting and delivering all fallen souls.<br /><br /><em>visvacarya prabharyaya divya karunya murtaye<br />sri bhagavata-madhurya-gita-jnana pradayine</em><br /><br />He is the best of millions of gurus because he is the personification of divine mercy. He has distributed the sweet nectar of Srimad-Bhagavatam and the transcendental knowledge of Bhagavad-gita all over the world.<br /><br /><em>gaura-sri-rupa-siddhanta-sarasvati nisevine<br />radha-krsna-padambhoja-bhrìgaya gurave namah</em><br /><br />He is constantly engaged in exclusive devotional service to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, Srila Rupa Gosvami, and Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu. I offer my humble obeisances to Srila Prabhupada, who is like a bumblebee always tasting the nectar of the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha and Govinda.<br /><br />(These prayers of praise for our beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, were written at his request by Sripada Bhakti Sundara Govinda Maharaja, under the direction of his spiritual master, Sripada Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Maharaja. Sripada Govinda Maharaja left our vision earlier this year.)<br /><br />Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati wrote that at the beginning of every new year, at the beginning of every new month, at the beginning of every week and every day, and at every moment, we should progressively remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I have sometimes said that Vyasa-puja is an opportunity for us to remember the spiritual master and dedicate our lives anew to his service. I want to do so this year with a particular focus on one aspect of the guru’s place in a disciple’s life.<br /><br />Devotion to the guru is absolutely essential to spiritual progress. Krsna das Kaviraja says in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta that the spiritual master’s instruction is “the active principle in spiritual life”: <em>acaryera mata yei, sei mata sara</em>. The Bengali word Srila Prabhupada gives as “active principle” here is <em>sara</em>. Another way to understand this word is essence, or essential principle. Consequently, we can see that surrender to the guru is itself the essence of spiritual life, and failure to do so means we completely miss the point of spiritual endeavor, which renders our attempts at progress useless. Srila Jiva Goswami says in Bhakti Sandarbha that satisfying the guru is the main cause of attaining divine love and service.<br /><br />In each of the centers Srila Prabhupada and his followers have established around the world, devotees begin each day with a meditation on the guru by singing Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti’s Gurvastakam. In the eighth verse, Cakravarti Thakura says,<br /><br /><em>yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado<br />yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto 'pi</em><br />“By the spiritual master’s mercy, one may receive Krsna’s blessings; without the guru’s grace, no one can make any spiritual progress.” From the beginning of his mission Srila Prabhupada established the central position of the spiritual master in the lives of spiritual practitioners.<br /><br />We see in <em>Bhaktirasamrta-sindhu </em>that practical spiritual life is built on the foundation of taking shelter of the spiritual master, which includes several items. Srila Rupa Goswami explains the first items of <em>sadhana</em>: <em>guru-padasrayas tasmat krsna-diksadi-siksanam/ visrambhena guroh seva</em>. A <em>sadhaka </em>takes shelter of a guru, accepts initiation, takes instruction from, and serves the guru with faith, with trust. Sometimes we see the word visrambha translated as respect, or reverence, but a quick exploration of that word reveals that the relationship with the spiritual master should be much more than the kind of distance implied in words such as respect and reverence. <br /><br />Srila Rupa Goswami himself defines visrambha later in <em>Bhaktirasamrta-sindhu</em>, in the context of discussing the mood of friendship. He says that deep, familiar trust, free from any sort of restriction or control. Srila Jiva Goswami further explains that deep trust implies not only freedom from excessive reverence and fear, but also a sense that friends are in no way different from each other. Elsewhere, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti says it is a sense that one’s own life, body, mind, intelligence, clothes, and everything else are one with those of the object of love. So <em>visrambhena guroh seva </em>seems to point to service based on a real sense of identity with the guru to the extent that the disciple has no doubt whatsoever that the guru has only his or her best interests in his heart.<br /><br />So just how deeply does this confidence based on identity run? How far does this intimate trust extend? Visvanath Cakravarti seems to answer this in a commentary on a verse in Srimad-Bhagavatam’s fourth canto:<br /><blockquote>A devoted and chaste wife, while absorbed in the service of her husband, may ignore even her own children. Similarly, a disciple who is deeply absorbed in the service of the guru may even ignore practices such as hearing and chanting, knowing that by guru-seva alone he can easily attain complete perfection in devotion. And just as a devoted wife ignores her own pleasures and home comforts, so too does a disciple completely absorbed in guru-seva ignore even the divine bliss arising out of hearing and chanting, nor does he seek out the kind of secluded place suitable for such bhajan. That is the instruction in this verse. The Vedas also proclaim the supremacy of service to the guru.</blockquote><br />Visvanath Cakravarti Thakura’s analogy in no way minimizes the practices of <em>sadhana bhakti</em>. Our experience, in fact, is that the guru teaches us to engage progressively in cultivating those practices. Rather, it points out, as Visvanatha says himself, “the supremacy of service to the guru” over all else. <br /><br />The essence of devotional service for a disciple, then, seems to be dedication to the service of the spiritual master without any reservation, with complete confidence that such service will carry us to Krsna’s lotus feet. This confidence finds support in Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura’s assurance that those of us who regularly chant his eight beautiful verses of praise for the guru during the <em>brahma-muhurta</em> will certainly attain direct service to Vrndavana-natha, Sri Krsna. <br /><br />With this in mind, then, I beg that I may be able to continually increase my dedication to the service of my eternal spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, without which my life has no meaning.<br /><br />Babhru dasBabhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-29876369624416142142009-11-29T18:37:00.000-08:002009-11-29T18:54:16.267-08:00Gender-Specific Pronouns in Srila Prabhupada’s Books<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgek5rNRGg5P68YpomjtyLE9lfwcey8VvZldRZ6RLSzamvXL2nr10SAmz-NSWGlKrBHgyGQ0lCgE2By744-7qtNU40rPkcaR9y1pU8c8lm4y28VNl_bKvafPgauDSffGpKaHUUGl9M_pQc/s1600/Prsidsmil.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgek5rNRGg5P68YpomjtyLE9lfwcey8VvZldRZ6RLSzamvXL2nr10SAmz-NSWGlKrBHgyGQ0lCgE2By744-7qtNU40rPkcaR9y1pU8c8lm4y28VNl_bKvafPgauDSffGpKaHUUGl9M_pQc/s320/Prsidsmil.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409723753390433442" /></a><br />(<i>I wrote this note some time ago for a BBT Web site dedicated to discussing contentious issues in Srila Prabhupada's books.</i>)<br /><br />From time to time we hear, or hear about, complaints regarding Srila Prabhupada’s use of gender-specific words as if they were generic. We find this throughout Srila Prabhupada’s conversations and books. For example, in his introduction to <i>Bhagavad-gita As It Is </i>he writes, “The purpose of <i>Bhagavad-gita </i>is to deliver mankind from the nescience of material existence. Every man is in difficulty in so many ways, as Arjuna also was in difficulty in having to fight the Battle of Kurukshetra.” In his translation of <i>Bhagavad-gita </i>3.23 he has Lord Krishna say, “For if I ever failed to engage in carefully performing prescribed duties, O Partha, certainly all men would follow My path.” And in another place in the introduction to <i>Bhagavad-gita As It Is </i>Srila Prabhupada writes, “For instance, a child may think that an automobile is quite wonderful to be able to run without a horse or other animal pulling it, but a sane man knows the nature of the automobile’s engineering arrangement. He always knows that behind the machinery there is a man, a driver. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is the driver under whose direction everything is working.”<br /><br />What we see here is typical of Srila Prabhupada’s writing and speaking throughout his preaching career. He consistently used man as a generic term for person, regardless of gender, mankind for the whole of human beings, and masculine pronouns such as he and his as generic. This raises the question in many minds today whether Srila Prabhupada’s language is sexist, whether it reflects a sexist attitude in the author, and whether it perpetuates sexism among his followers. And it makes some wonder further how someone who lives on the transcendental platform and preaches the equal vision (<i>sama-darshanah</i>) Lord Krishna teaches in Bhagavad-gita could be unaware of the effects such sexist language might have on the minds of readers. Actually, this narrow slice of the gender issue should be an easy one for Srila Prabhupada’s thoughtful followers to deal with. Compared with some of Srila Prabhupada’s comments about women’s relative intelligence, place in society, etc., this hardly seems a substantive issue.<br /><br />Until very recently, some time in the 1970s and more prominently in the 1980s, such usages were accepted as conventional and standard. Srila Prabhupada grew up in Victorian and Edwardian India in the late 19th and early 20th century, and was educated, as we know, at Scottish Church College in Calcutta. There he received a prestigious British education, studying English, Sanskrit, and Philosophy. We would expect, then, that he certainly learned the conventions of spoken and written English then current. And we see evidence of this in the poetry and essays he wrote as a young disciple, especially in the poem and speech he offered on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura’s Vyasa-puja in 1935.<br /><br />And just what was standard in those days, not only in India but throughout the English-speaking world? Since the earliest recorded uses of English until the last 25or 30 years of the 20th century, what we consider masculine personal pronouns (he, him, himself, his) were used generically and were accepted as referring to any person of either sex. This was especially the case after indefinite pronouns such as anyone, someone, anybody, etc. The same was the case for words such as man, mankind, and words ending in –man. In Old English, man’s principal meaning was “human.” <i>Wer </i>and <i>wyf </i>were the gender-distinct words, “a man” and “a woman,” respectively. The language, alive and fluid as it is, changed through Middle English and modern English, but this is where man comes from. This is how Srila Prabhupada learned English in the early 20th century, and it’s how his disciples learned English in the middle of the 20th century.<br /><br />These conventions came into question in the middle of the 20th century with the rise of feminist ideas, at first in academia, then in the broader society. The problem is the ambiguity that has arisen in the evolving use of man sometimes for “the human species” and sometimes for “male humans,” and a perception of excluding female humans from any discussion using man generically. Similar problems arose regarding generic use of masculine pronouns. As academics discussed these issues in conference papers, articles, and books, they also brought the issues to their students in the colleges and universities where they taught. Publication of Miller and Swift’s <i>Handbook of Nonsexist Language </i>in 1980 brought these issues to the public and helped many both articulate and understand the arguments. Many even today see the issue as “political correctness” (a term I personally abhor for a catalog of reasons) run amok; nevertheless, the innumerable discussions over the years have drawn new attention to language’s power to both influence and reflect the way we think and feel.<br /><br />So should readers consider Srila Prabhupada’s use of so-called generic masculine words as sexist? If so, we would also have to judge the writing of some iconic feminist writers as sexist, too. Here’s Mary Wollstonecraft, considered by many the mother of modern feminism, at the beginning of her landmark essay, <i>Vindication of the Rights of Women</i>: "In what does man’s preeminence over the brute creation consist? The answer is as clear as that a half is less than the whole; in Reason."<br />More recently, Virginia Woolf wrote such things as “Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind is written large in his works.” It would be awkward to accuse such writers of promoting or acquiescing to any notions of male dominance. What explains these constructions is convention: at the time these writers wrote these words, it was simply the standard to refer to human beings generically in such terms.<br /><br />Because this was the standard for so much of the history of English, most usage experts suggest that we simply accept that this was the case and judge the writers’ intentions somewhat generously. Here’s how Bryan Garner, author of Garner’s Modern American Usage, a contributor to <i>The Chicago Manual of Style </i>and editor in chief of <i>Black’s Law Dictionary</i>, says it:<br /><blockquote>Those committed to nonsexist usage ought to adopt a statute of limitations that goes something like this: in quoted matter dating from before 1980, passages containing bland sexism – such as the use of the generic he or of chairman – can be quoted in good conscience because in those days the notions of gender-inclusiveness were different from today’s notions.</blockquote><br />So how might we deal with the criticism we may hear of an apparent inclination to male dominance in Srila Prabhupada’s speech and writing, at least as evidenced by his grammar? Those who are concerned about expressing gender-inclusiveness in a way that educated people today may appreciate it should feel free to deliberately use gender-neutral language in their own writing. It should, however, be done gracefully, not in ways that are obtrusive or call attention to themselves. (I have edited a couple of books by a sannyasi godbrother who does consider today’s conventions, and with considerable grace. And I tried to bring a similar graceful awareness of gender issues to the writing of the more than 6,000 college and university students to whom I’ve taught writing over the last couple of decades.) At the same time, we should be able to quote such passages as this topic addresses confidently. And just understanding a little of the history of these things may help us deal with any apparent disjuncture with the manners of our own time. If we understand that history and have firm faith in the equal vision we see in Srila Prabhupada’s character, it shouldn’t be hard to help others understand it as well. If they then honestly consider the contributions he has made to the world’s spiritual progress, they will no doubt find it strikingly wonderful.Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-71084309510219672092009-11-21T06:04:00.000-08:002009-11-21T06:27:46.419-08:00A comment on some ISKCON leaders' struggle to define membership<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8nmpoROeKm9nY_euMBjLf_WYco8EGMs_EMUzTuxd50QPUheBYc3Pdh5K5xWDEcE3Ei3W0dTf7ybGMYvTfuOzoclVoq6fQn0aG90C7TwcVHL7d_eMYOFFOivMgj5uVEIYeBi0aln8JvY/s1600/k_2045.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406562800165011170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8nmpoROeKm9nY_euMBjLf_WYco8EGMs_EMUzTuxd50QPUheBYc3Pdh5K5xWDEcE3Ei3W0dTf7ybGMYvTfuOzoclVoq6fQn0aG90C7TwcVHL7d_eMYOFFOivMgj5uVEIYeBi0aln8JvY/s320/k_2045.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><i>A few weeks ago, I received a copy of a PowerPoint presentation arguing for certain standards for ISKCON membership. More recently, an <a href="http://news.iskcon.com/node/2386">ISKCON news site </a>published some audio accompanying this presentation, along with some editorial comments. Perhaps against my better judgement, I posted a comment on this presentation.</i><br /><br /><strong>I haven't had a chance to listen to the audio yet, but someone sent me Sivarama Swami's powerpoint presentation a couple of weeks ago. At the moment, I can only respond to that. Although I understand the perceived need to define membership, such definition should be in line with Srila Prabhupada's standard, as suggested by others here and elsewhere.<br /><br />With regard to specifics of his presentation, I can share a couple of my initial, immediate responses to reading his ideas.<br /><br />He suggests that membership requires accepting the GBC as one's "ultimate managerial and spiritual authority." What's the basis for such an assertion? Certainly not Srila Prabhupada's instruction. We know he told us that the GBC is the Society's ultimate managerial authority, but spiritual authority? Bullet Point One, and I'm already out.<br /><br />He says that members must "be connected to ISKCON's line of authority." That reads to me as an empty claim. What does it even mean?<br /><br />He writes that members may "only accept initiation from member of ISKCON." Well, I guess I'd be okay, if I hadn't already been excluded by Bullet Point One. But we might ask about the status of those serving in ISKCON who are initiated by preachers working outside the GBC's authority. Perhaps he means that they should be purged, however valuable their service may be and despite the fact that they follow all the other requirements. I'm not sure that's a good idea.<br /><br />He says that members of ISKCON "do not divorce." It appears that certain members of the GBC, as well as other officers in the Society, be they local, regional, or international, must be exempt from this requirement.<br /><br />He writes that "[t]he laws and bylaws of ISKCON determine devotees’ values and conduct in all aspects of their live; work (varna), social status (asrama) and spiritual practice and aspiration." I'm certainly further excluded, it seems. I have chosen for the last 40 years to shape my values and conduct according to guru, sadhu, and shastra. ISKCON's laws and bylaws change too frequently, and on the basis of too many factors other than guru, sadhu, and shastra, for me to take that seriously.<br /><br />This strikes many devotees as an outline of a plan for further reducing ISKCON's membership and consequently its influence. I'm looking for a reason to disagree with that assessment. Can someone throw me a line?</strong>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-23689659279167819772009-08-14T06:33:00.000-07:002009-08-14T06:37:22.816-07:00Sri Vyasa Puja: Celebrating the Spiritual Master's Appearance<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqm6ZGyMwwCrMmrhlX2eIq2H9RcgpqjmYmXX5DyKpG77ZioAQ9PVLWWp0efMn_DITDHYUnigdMCpChIGqSUFMd_kOADRCvgHLFUhlCU_MoOLCiAD1h9FTZHKBwHzxLEJ_UnryIZWYNcY/s1600-h/SrilaPrabhupada2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqm6ZGyMwwCrMmrhlX2eIq2H9RcgpqjmYmXX5DyKpG77ZioAQ9PVLWWp0efMn_DITDHYUnigdMCpChIGqSUFMd_kOADRCvgHLFUhlCU_MoOLCiAD1h9FTZHKBwHzxLEJ_UnryIZWYNcY/s320/SrilaPrabhupada2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369812766393241026" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">nama om visnupadaya krsnapresthaya bhu-tale<br />srimate bhaktivedanta svamin iti namine<br /><br />namaste sarasvate deve gauravani pracarine<br />nirvisesa sunyavadi pascatya desa-tarine</span><br /><br />In our folly, we conditioned souls vacillate between two endeavors which can only end in frustration: exploitation and renunciation. You show us the futility of trying to exploit the resources of material nature and the senselessness of denying its existence. Out of your infinite, causeless mercy you have come to show us a third way of living. This third way is the path of surrender, of dedication to the Supreme Personality, Sri Krsna. We could compare these choices with possible responses to finding someone’s property lying in the street. We may pick it up and use it for ourselves, which is simply theft, or we may ignore it, not wanting to become implicated in someone else’s business, which is simply stupidity. But the third way, that of an honest, responsible person, is to pick the item up and return it to its rightful owner. <br /><br />You have taught by your example how to act on the understanding that, as we learn from Bhagavad-gita, Krsna is the rightful beneficiary or enjoyer of all activity, the real proprietor of everything in existence, and the dearest friend of all beings. We express that understanding—that faith—through the sixfold process of surrender taught by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;">anukulyasya sankalpah pratikulyasya varjanam<br />raksisyaiti visvaso goptrtve varanam tatha<br />atma niksepa karpanye</span></blockquote><br />Although these six aspects of surrender—accepting whatever favors spiritual culture, neglecting whatever doesn’t favor spiritual culture, feeling confident of Krsna’s protection, accepting Him as our exclusive maintainer, foregoing any sense of separate interest, and humility— may strike the less experienced as some grim spiritual practice, it’s nothing other than recognizing our own real nature as beings dependent on Krsna for everything. This dependence is much like that of a child’s dependence on a parent or a domestic animal’s on its owner. It’s just that natural, and it fosters love.<br /><br />And, Srila Prabhupada, you showed us what it’s like to live a life of surrender. After all, it is your utter surrender to Krsna’s will and the service of sri guru that seems to account for the success of your mission. Sometimes we hear devotees speak of some grand plan you had as you embarked on the monumental task you inherited from your spiritual master. It appears from your own words, though, that the essence of that great plan was nothing more or less than utter surrender to Krsna, absolute dependence on Him for your success. We see that in the song you wrote on arriving at Boston Harbor, and we see it in your “Prayer to the Lotus Feet of Krsna,” written aboard the Jaladuta as you crossed the Atlantic. In both, your humility shows in your feeling of a lack of qualification for presenting Mahaprabhu’s gospel to us westerners. At Boston Harbor you wrote, <br /><blockquote>How will I make them understand this message of Krsna consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified and the most fallen. Therefore I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own. Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about You. Now, my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure as You like. . . . O Lord, I am just like a puppet in Your hands. So if You have brought me here to dance, then make me dance, make me dance, O Lord, make me dance as You like.</blockquote><br />That’s your secret, your big plan: acknowledge that only Krsna can make this happen. And how might you induce Krsna to help you? Here is the measure of your devotion—you struck a bargain with Krsna. In your “Prayer to the Lotus Feet of Krsna,” addressing Krsna directly, you remind him that all good fortune is possible only by pleasing Srimati Radharani. If Krsna were to ensure the success of your mission, given to you by your spiritual master, who is an eternal associate of Radharani, you suggest, He may be able to gain Her favor. <br /><br />In other words, surrender is really just another expression of ecstasy. You showed that further on several occasions, when you talked of Krsna’s playing with his cowherd-boy friends, and especially of their taking their lunch together at midday. You sometimes told us how the boys would steal each others’ lunches, including Krsna’s, and play keep-away with them. Ultimately, the other boys would end up with Krsna’s lunch and would enjoy the laddus and kacoris Mother Yasoda would pack for Him. “I just want to go back to the spiritual world,” you would say longingly, “and have laddus and kacoris with Krsna.”<br /><br />Our charge—my charge—is to follow your example of utter dependence on Krsna and surrender, as Krsna says at the conclusion of Bhagavad-gita, without any other consideration. You have been beckoning me follow you in surrender, to make spiritual progress and sharing your gift my sole business, at least now, as my life draws near its end. I pray that I may be able to answer that call some time soon. Then, perhaps, I may some day become eligible to taste some of those laddus and kacoris.Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-46788312333010118702009-05-26T19:11:00.000-07:002009-05-26T19:16:31.304-07:00Announcement for a New Web Site<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFT_E_KdUSTVeVLEtJemCUBOCsAjYWstpzKvatmw3Qq0w0uQNHL5H0B54zXx6qlxyKUJ52oKaqJw0U8yxrF_8uZ1ijdhjxXeE_2FvCEDxV-7SjC7cBDGQjNFOYzuJgAGMJdw-2APMB1s/s1600-h/Harnonist+logo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 190px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilFT_E_KdUSTVeVLEtJemCUBOCsAjYWstpzKvatmw3Qq0w0uQNHL5H0B54zXx6qlxyKUJ52oKaqJw0U8yxrF_8uZ1ijdhjxXeE_2FvCEDxV-7SjC7cBDGQjNFOYzuJgAGMJdw-2APMB1s/s320/Harnonist+logo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340321525919810274" /></a><br /><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} p {mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults ext="edit" spidmax="1026"> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout ext="edit"> <o:idmap ext="edit" data="1"> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--> <p>A New Gaudiya Vaisnava Web Site for Ideas and Discussion</p> <p>by Babhru das</p> <p>We live in times best characterized by the need to define the spiritual, times ripe for the resurgence of metaphysics. Not only has science failed to retire the “why” questions that arise spontaneously in human consciousness, but philosophy has also thought-drained its well dry. Bridging the metaphysics of the East and the philosophical traditions of the West, we propose a return to active discourse between humanity and divinity, which is the essence of revelation. This holds far more potential for fulfilling humanity’s essential needs than unbridled intellectual exercise and the licensing of technology to change the nature of nature. In such dialogue, reason shines as an aspect of faith, and faith itself is the illuminating embrace of truth, rather than mere belief. Science, technology, and philosophy should all be harnessed—tied to revelation—in pursuit of improving the quality of life and knowing well the truth of material impermanence, which facilitate not only the betterment of our material conditions as long as they last, but our quest for enduring happiness as well.</p> <p>Therefore, I am pleased to announce the launch of <a href="http://harmonist.us/">The Harmonist</a>, a Web site dedicated to bridging the gap between East and West, between mind and spirit, between philosophy and revelation. The Harmonist publishes articles illuminating the philosophical conclusions of Gaudiya Vedanta, often by way of interfacing with other spiritual and philosophical traditions in a way that honors these traditions in their own right. It also publishes articles commenting on<br />issues of the day, both within the Gaudiya Vaisnava community and the world at large. It focuses as well on news articles relevant to the greater spiritual community and the importance of sustainable living, which it views as the best way of living in this world while pursuing transcendence.</p> <p>The Harmonist seeks to both facilitate and take part in this discussion—the conversation that is the human response to revelation grounded in Vedanta. Our focus is also devotional Vedanta and the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">school</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">Sri Caitanya</st1:placename></st1:place>—Gaudiya Vedanta—in particular. We publish articles illuminating the philosophical conclusions of Gaudiya Vedanta, often by way of interfacing with other spiritual and philosophical traditions in a way that honors these traditions in their own right. We also publish articles commenting on issues of the day, both within the Gaudiya Vaisnava community and in the world at large. We focus as well on news articles relevant to the greater spiritual community and the importance of sustainable living, which we view as the best way of living in this world while pursuing transcendence.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In addition to articles, a classroom, videos, and comics, the Harmonist encourages lively discussion among members and visitors with a robust comments feature. Check out <a href="http://www.harmonist.us/" target="_blank">www.harmonist.us</a> and join the discussion!</p>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-76818674082849233102009-04-22T13:39:00.000-07:002009-04-22T14:08:06.342-07:00Considering Srila Prabhupada’s Mercy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFSgYUyVIKDIkQDMBAMNOxMjnQWou0GoLlrFOdCdt5i9LSry-l1abRZ1UcKTnYgty6IbVO_UY3DtyajSfooO2IlqBnFgTHD26iAR14TmEx2dsnFAdQ8fqcE_iU5fZEXTZTP2f4dLeq9Q/s1600-h/CT29-008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFSgYUyVIKDIkQDMBAMNOxMjnQWou0GoLlrFOdCdt5i9LSry-l1abRZ1UcKTnYgty6IbVO_UY3DtyajSfooO2IlqBnFgTHD26iAR14TmEx2dsnFAdQ8fqcE_iU5fZEXTZTP2f4dLeq9Q/s320/CT29-008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327622545424069666" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-size:85%;" >(Note: This is an old article, maybe nine years old or so. I've published it elsewhere on the 'net, and it was used for a couple of years in ISKCON San Diego's Janmastami souvenir magazine. But I haven't shared it here before, so here goes.)<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family: georgia;">About 500 years ago, Lord Krishna personally appeared as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the place of the avatar for the age of Kali. Lord Chaitanya had two purposes for coming: to experience first-hand the bliss of serving Krishna and to spread pure love for Krishna, which is very rare. Writing about Lord Chaitanya’s plan for making His mercy widely available, Srila Krishna das Kaviraja Gosvami says, “sri-krishna-chaitanya-daya karaha vichara, vichara karile chitte pabe chamatkara: If you are indeed interested in logic and argument, kindly apply it to the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. If you do so, you will find it to be strikingly wonderful.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Actually, Lord Chaitanya revolutionized vaishnavism. He took Krishna consciousness into the streets when He inaugurated the congregational chanting of Krishna’s holy names and deputed bands of devotees to widely preach the glories of sankirtana and pure devotional service. He Himself traveled all over India preaching Krishna consciousness. He specifically deputed Lord Nityananda to preach in Bengal. Whereas Lord Chaitanya’s direct followers came mostly from the higher social classes, Lord Nityananda made absolutely no distinction. He approached and anyone and everyone, as demonstrated in His pastime with Jagai and Madhai, and implored them to take up devotional service to Krishna accompanied by chanting Hare Krishna.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the mid-nineteenth century, Srila Saccidanana Bhaktivinoda Thakura saw that Lord Chaitanya’s teachings had become distorted in several ways and had fallen into disrepute. He conceived a dynamic plan to spread the glories of devotional service to everyone around the world. Part of his program was a modern approach to presenting Krishna consciousness. He presented the philosophy of Srimad-Bhagavatam in a way that even those who were influenced by modern Western philosophies, both in India and abroad, could appreciate it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Essential to Bhaktivinoda’s revolutionary view was the understanding that Lord Chaitanya was not exaggerating when He said that His name would be sung in every town and village around the world. Bhaktivinoda wrote in his monthly journal Sajjana-tosani, “Sriman Mahaprabhu did not descend with His associates to deliver a certain number of human beings in the land of India, but rather His purpose was to deliver and uplift all living beings in all countries of the world by practicing the eternal religion of all souls.” He quoted a verse from Chaitanya-bhagavata in which the Lord predicted, “My name will be preached in all the countries and towns that exist throughout the world.” Bhaktivinoda Thakura then expressed his heart’s desire: “There are many kinds of religion in the world, and among all of them the highest development of religion is the congregational chanting of the Supreme Lord’s divine names. Of this there is no doubt. Alas! When will that day come when greatly fortunate souls in countries such as England, France, Russia, Prussia, and America will take up banners, kettle drums, mridangas and karatalas and thus cause the ecstatic waves of Harinama-kirtana and the singing of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Holy Name to rise in the streets of their towns and cities? O when will that day come, when pure and transcendental Vaisnava-prema will be the only religion of all souls and all tiny sectarian religions will meet in the unlimited and universal religion of Vaisnavism as rivers merge into the great ocean? O when will that day come?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s plan for propagating Krishna consciousness also included reviving a scientific daivi-varnashrama system to help make society more conducive to spiritual culture. He passed this vision of preaching Krishna consciousness to his son and siksa disciple, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who extended Bhaktivinoda’s revolution by taking concrete steps to reinstitute varnashrama-dharma. Asserting that vaishnavas are as good as brahmanas, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati gave his disciples the sacred thread at initiation, regardless of their family lineage. He also reintroduced the ashrama of tridandi-sannyasa to Gaudiya vaishnavism. Moreover, he created an organized institution for systematically propagating Krishna consciousness and trained his disciples to aggressively confront all forms of false religion.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Throughout his preaching career, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati exhorted everyone he met to help spread Krishna consciousness to the entire world. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada recounted that when he first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta immediately challenged him and his friends, as educated young men familiar with English, to take Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission seriously and teach it to those who spoke English. In his last days, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati told his disciples to, above all, work cooperatively to continue and expand the systematic preaching he had begun, following Bhaktivinoda’s instructions. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Among Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s many disciples who were working to spread Lord Chaitanya’s message as broadly as they could, Srila Prabhupada worked steadily toward further extending this transcendental revolution. We know now how he persisted over the years to satisfy Bhaktivinoda’s and Bhaktisiddhanta’s desire for systematically making Krishna consciousness available to everyone everywhere in the world. He worked with his Godbrothers for decades, published Back to Godhead single-handedly and distributed it himself, wrote Easy Journey to Other Planets, translated Srimad-Bhagavatam, and coaxed Sumati Morarji to give him passage on a freighter to New York, where he arrived practically penniless at the age of 70.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">After suffering two heart attacks on the ship, Srila Prabhupada struggled in New York to distribute his books and establish the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. He worked tirelessly for twelve years to translate, publish, and distribute many authentic Vedic literatures, establish temples on every continent except Antarctica, and train thousands of disciples to carry on his work.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">In 1976, while Srila Prabhupada was staying in Honolulu, some friends of mine spent a night in the temple’s front yard. Unable to sleep, they stayed up until mangala-arati chanting japa and watching the window of Srila Prabhupada’s room. He was up all night working on his books, occasionally stopping to chant devotional bhajans with his harmonium. Although he was almost 80 years old, he worked through the night to satisfy the desires of his spiritual master and Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Looking back, one of Srila Prabhupada’s prominent Godbrothers, Srila B. R. Sridhar Maharaja, concluded that Srila Prabhupada had been personally empowered by Lord Nityananda to give Krishna consciousness to everyone everywhere in the world. After reading the poems Srila Prabhupada had written aboard the Jaladuta and on his arrival at Boston Harbor, he reasoned that Srila Prabhupada had emptied himself of all desires except to spread Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s message. And very much like Lord Nityananda, who gave anyone he encountered the most valuable treasure of the chanting of Hare Krishna in exchange for only a little faith, Srila Prabhupada freely distributed the holy name of Krishna to anyone who showed even enough faith to stop and listen for a moment. Lord Nityananda distributed what amounted to free samples of the highest spiritual realization, confident that those who tried the sample would want to buy his product, possibly becoming steady customers. Srila Prabhupada also gave out free samples of harinama, advertising it with the slogan, “Chant Hare Krishna, and your life will be sublime.” Consequently, millions who tried it became at least lifetime customers, if not distributors.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had implored his disciples to work vigorously to spread Krishna consciousness everywhere, thus satisfying the desires of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Bhaktivinoda Thakura. “The line of Bhaktivinoda will never be closed,” he wrote. “With even more enthusiasm you should become engaged in preaching the desire of Bhaktivinoda’s heart.” He also figuratively exhorted all his disciples to “be prepared to shed two hundred gallons of blood for the nourishment of the spiritual corpus of every individual of this world.” </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Considering objectively what Srila Prabhupada did in his lifetime, we can safely conclude that he set the perfect example of sacrificing everything to satisfy Krishna. It’s clear that he understood the revolutionary desires of Lord Chaitanya, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and worked to bring about what Srimad-Bhagavatam calls “a revolution in the impious lives of this world’s misdirected civilization.” Anyone who uses logic and argument to consider the mercy of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada will certainly find it strikingly wonderful.</span><br /></span><br /></span>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-56761014956898953992009-02-26T12:43:00.000-08:002009-02-27T07:56:21.597-08:00What I did on my summer vacation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxV4XMj8Z55fj_HYsjTJCJzMd-Dx47PmhPjf5622QVfLu3ZeXIEz5FL-WhvifEnr_lNqEqLnETZatbs_E0LuTcK-hDjw7lGrzbTXU8s79jF7jdhscYjvXlxiZUSAGiW_mTvQuv7S47uHs/s1600-h/Prabhupada+in+car+Hnl+72-a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxV4XMj8Z55fj_HYsjTJCJzMd-Dx47PmhPjf5622QVfLu3ZeXIEz5FL-WhvifEnr_lNqEqLnETZatbs_E0LuTcK-hDjw7lGrzbTXU8s79jF7jdhscYjvXlxiZUSAGiW_mTvQuv7S47uHs/s320/Prabhupada+in+car+Hnl+72-a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307505032656390242" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">As many of you probably know, I spent much of last year at Audarya, Tripurari Maharaja's ashram in California, and at Madhuvan, his ashram in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. One of the things I worked on while there was an essay bringing together the external evidence we have about Srila Prabhupada's internal life. It turned into a rather long piece, and it was great fun to write.<br /><br />This essay gives us access to the diverse indications given by Srila Prabhupada by which we may understand his love for Krishna.</span> <span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span> </p><ul style="font-family:georgia;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Intimate stories from disciples</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">The realizations of sadhus</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Signs from Srila Prabhupada's life</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Srila Prabhupada's own statements.</span></li></ul><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" > We are offering this chance to follow the trail of Srila Prabhupada's spiritual passion and glimpse his innermost desire free online in two versions, one you can read online and one you can download as a pdf. If you find it interesting, feel free to share it with anyone you think might also find it interesting.<br /><br />You may find this essay at </span> <span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://cowdust.us/" target="_blank">http://cowdust.us/</a>, where you'll be given the choice to either read it online or download it. Have fun, and feel free to leave comments.</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I hope you’ll find it enlivening and thought provoking. And fun!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MhGDVhXWb_rH8OKwlVuK6X6qQtrRTUwPyWup-W4FDCNBLeyBzOtdTh-cc96tq-4qSl6ujq_zEvSPANgeJOJ21RSvEKwodJUojB8_r0xd5SWTvZvP0K14a-9OAxvlrGuHpGxWDTAoW7E/s1600-h/gk_2090.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MhGDVhXWb_rH8OKwlVuK6X6qQtrRTUwPyWup-W4FDCNBLeyBzOtdTh-cc96tq-4qSl6ujq_zEvSPANgeJOJ21RSvEKwodJUojB8_r0xd5SWTvZvP0K14a-9OAxvlrGuHpGxWDTAoW7E/s320/gk_2090.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307211742959457010" border="0" /></a></span></p>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-52338389797487959402008-12-27T07:59:00.000-08:002008-12-27T10:57:02.127-08:00Book Review<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWSVesjluqzK0rv0Vch3QKmFyNpnnHbFwfWD2E1wKTMd1tYmKJdwcrdDfDZSI2eDth9OjMPEnLxwVtlhVpiu8XE95EVCKTjjGPYU_JqZpbGbxqUqlfdk949tUfowAcdPT0peXQiN7isg/s1600-h/siksastakam+cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWSVesjluqzK0rv0Vch3QKmFyNpnnHbFwfWD2E1wKTMd1tYmKJdwcrdDfDZSI2eDth9OjMPEnLxwVtlhVpiu8XE95EVCKTjjGPYU_JqZpbGbxqUqlfdk949tUfowAcdPT0peXQiN7isg/s320/siksastakam+cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284500966879641650" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I haven't been very active on the blog lately. However, I thought I would post this review I wrote of a very important book. </span><br /><br />In Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s masterpiece, <span style="font-style: italic;">Jaiva Dharma</span>, one of his characters, Raghunatha dasa Babaji, tells a student, “Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not personally write any books, His followers have written volumes on His order. The Lord has personally given eight instructions, in verse form, known as the Siksastaka; the devotees cherish them as a necklace of priceless gems. They contain all His instructions in condensed form.” My own spiritual master, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, did not say very much about Mahaprabhu’s Siksastaka, but he cited those eight verses constantly in his books, lectures, letters, and informal conversations.<br /><br />In fact, it appears that not many Gaudiya vaisnava acaryas have said very much about these verses that form the seed of the teachings of Lord Caitanya. However, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explored the meanings inherent in Siksastaka in his Sri Sanmodana-bhasya in 1886 and <span style="font-style: italic;">Bhajana-rahasya</span> in 1902, and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura followed in the wake of Sri Sanmodana-bhasya with his brief Vivrtti, which he published along with Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s commentary in 1929. Inspired by these two great spiritual geniuses, Swami B. V. Tripurari has recently published <span style="font-style: italic;">Siksastakam of Sri Caitanya</span>. This book further explores the ocean of nectar that is Siksastaka, beginning with these commentaries and integrating material from other acaryas as well. It further serves as a sort of map of the path of spiritual progress prescribed by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and his followers.<br /><br />Most readers are probably aware that a couple of editions of Siksastakam have been published in recent years, with the commentaries of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. These are valuable books for which we should all be grateful. I have studied them myself to aid my own dedication to deeper immersion in chanting Sri Krsna’s holy names.<br /><br />One thing that this book apart from the others and makes it unique—and indispensible to progressive Gauòiya vaisnavas—is its weaving of essential elements of Sri Sanmodana-bhasya, <span style="font-style: italic;">Bhajana-rahasya</span>, and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s Vivrtti, as well as of commentary from earlier Gauòiya acaryas, especially Srila Jiva Gosvami and Srila Visvanath Cakravarti Thakura, into a rich, poetic tapestry that more fully reveals the benefits of Sri Krsna saìkirtana, depicts aspects of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s inner life, and helps sadhakas better cultivate and measure the growth of their own inner lives.<br /><br />The tapestry’s border ties the entire work together by framing Mahaprabhu’s eight verses as a confession offered to Ramananda Raya and Svarupa Damodara, a confession to what may be the greatest caper ever pulled: stealing the emotional life of Srimati Radharani. The progressively profound exploration of the verses themselves takes us on a journey into the depths of Sri Krsna saìkirtana, revealing along the way connections between the benefits of saìkirtana previewed in the first verse and the progressive stages of bhakti which Srila Rupa Gosvami describes in Sri Bhaktirasamrta-sindhu, beginning with the initial faith that opens us to the association of vaisnavas and culminating in different stages of <span style="font-style: italic;">prema</span>.<br /><br />Swami Tripurari’s language often tends to the poetic, and appropriately so, considering the poetic density of his subject. This enhances the reader’s appreciation for the effects Sri Krsna saìkirtana—and the study of Mahaprabhu’s verses—on the hearts of those who apply themselves to them. Consider, for example, this passage from the Swami’s commentary on verse four, which discusses the third effect of chanting Sri Krsna nama, spreading the petals of the white lotus of good fortune by its moonbeams:<br /><blockquote>As we have seen from this fourth verse of Sikskastakam, Mahaprabhu, representing a devotee who has attained ruci, stands well positioned to gradually experience prema-dharma and the drama of Krsna lila. When the sadhaka attains ruci, saranagati is fully in place, as his or her sraddha has matured by virtue of being in touch with the land of faith. Now the stage—<span style="font-style: italic;">saranagati</span>—on which the drama of Krsna lila is performed is established in the <span style="font-style: italic;">sadhaka</span>’s heart. The seeds of material desire are destroyed and the seed of bhakti that has already sprouted in the form of sraddha begins to blossom.<br />The beauty of sraddha’s blossom shines brightly, enchanted by the soothing moon of Sri Krsnacandra. This blossom of <span style="font-style: italic;">ruci </span>enchants the entire world and also charms the sadhaka’s heart. In its shadow stands material desire and the darkness it represents. As inauspiciousness is removed (<span style="font-style: italic;">klesaghni</span>), the <span style="font-style: italic;">sadhaka</span>’s life becomes truly auspicious (<span style="font-style: italic;">subhada</span>).</blockquote><br />Swami Tripurari’s language here and throughout the book sheds light on the charm that saìkirtana and Mahaprabhu’s glorification of that practice exert on the practitioner’s heart. However, his language never fails to clearly illuminate the features of Krsna-conscious philosophy vital to proper understanding. Moreover, his glossary and copious notes facilitate the kind of careful study to which many will want to subject this book.<br /><br />The Swami writes that this book is written mostly for those familiar with Gaudiya vaisnavism, with an eye to exploring the ocean that is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Siksastakam. As with any diving expedition, each member will appreciate the tour according to his or her experience and skill. And as a skilled guide, Swami Tripurari helps show his charges how and where to find wonders previously unseen, perhaps even unimagined. I hope everyone who is serious about plumbing the depths of Sri Krsna nama will take advantage of the treasure that is Swami B. V. Tripurari’s <a href="http://www.swami.org/store/siksastakam-of-sri-caitanya.html?osCsid=9viap940f3ep8l27dp5aau4lg2"><span style="font-style: italic;">Siksastakam of Sri Caitanya</span></a>. This is certainly a book that I will always carry with me.Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-65244169854464170502008-10-18T08:10:00.000-07:002008-10-19T16:49:02.416-07:00Srila Prabhupada's Big Plan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKK7VmqkMo1DPK3aGkD-hnc3ExOevi7Mq-P_aM0l7OhwA51EP5Zk4SvpYR_vAC1t4fgDSETbsMDf83wHncPIGm6y4lF8FVqQ0mQ6RFixt0w3oHiAnVmH9Q3vn4nGZVkoJpeDcLJQkH7YU/s1600-h/gopa+kumar.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKK7VmqkMo1DPK3aGkD-hnc3ExOevi7Mq-P_aM0l7OhwA51EP5Zk4SvpYR_vAC1t4fgDSETbsMDf83wHncPIGm6y4lF8FVqQ0mQ6RFixt0w3oHiAnVmH9Q3vn4nGZVkoJpeDcLJQkH7YU/s320/gopa+kumar.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258520729871042130" border="0" /></a>
<br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CVALUED%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="Edit-Time-Data" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CVALUED%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_editdata.mso"><!--[if !mso]> <style> v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place" downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City" downloadurl="http://www.5iamas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:smarttagtype></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Balaram; 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margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7lz6HKjSQvtFvMkyRYxWLsOVsrD5gRgXMg27Jr8QaNReB951-yHldbH1jKaN53h32ZRYGhxRakCP_svVZrMRBVHxMr1fc5T3um503MP-zQzMHwxEBii4pC5r7qI7jrnjtgwO9sDCHOo/s1600-h/gopa+kumar.gif"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" spt="75" preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"> </v:formulas> <v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"> <o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258517846557146290" spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7lz6HKjSQvtFvMkyRYxWLsOVsrD5gRgXMg27Jr8QaNReB951-yHldbH1jKaN53h32ZRYGhxRakCP_svVZrMRBVHxMr1fc5T3um503MP-zQzMHwxEBii4pC5r7qI7jrnjtgwO9sDCHOo/s1600-h/gopa+kumar.gif" style="'width:240pt;height:148.5pt'" button="t"> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\VALUED~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.png" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7lz6HKjSQvtFvMkyRYxWLsOVsrD5gRgXMg27Jr8QaNReB951-yHldbH1jKaN53h32ZRYGhxRakCP_svVZrMRBVHxMr1fc5T3um503MP-zQzMHwxEBii4pC5r7qI7jrnjtgwO9sDCHOo/s320/gopa+kumar.gif"> </v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></a>Sometimes we hear devotees talk about a grand plan Srila Prabhupada had for spreading the teachings of Lord Chaitanya, even before he came to the West. We have a hint of that plan, and perhaps a glimpse into his internal life, in a poem he wrote aboard the <i>Jaladuta</i>. On September 13, 1965, he wrote in his diary, “Today I have disclosed my mind to my companion Lord Sri Krsna.There is a Bengali poem made by me today in this connection.” He called this poem "Prayer to the Lotus Feet of Krishna."</span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <u1:worddocument> <u1:view>Normal<u1:zoom>0<u1:punctuationkerning/> <u1:validateagainstschemas/> <u1:saveifxmlinvalid>false<u1:ignoremixedcontent>false<u1:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false<u1:compatibility> <u1:breakwrappedtables/> <u1:snaptogridincell/> <u1:wraptextwithpunct/> <u1:useasianbreakrules/> <u1:dontgrowautofit/> <u1:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</u1:browserlevel> </u1:compatibility> </u1:alwaysshowplaceholdertext> </u1:ignoremixedcontent> </u1:saveifxmlinvalid> </u1:zoom> </u1:view> </u1:worddocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <u2:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </u2:latentstyles> </xml><![endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>
<br />krsna taba punya habe bhai
<br />e-punya koribe jabe radharani khusi habe</i>
<br /><i>dhruva ati boli toma tai</i>
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Dear brother, Krishna, </span><span style="font-size:100%;">it is as certain as the Pole Star that you will attain your good fortune only when Srimati Radharani becomes pleased with you.
<br />
<br /><i>sri-siddhanta saraswati
<br />saci-suta priya ati</i><i>
<br />krsna-sebaya jara <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">tula</st1:city></st1:place> nai</i><i>
<br />sei se mohanta-guru
<br />jagater madhe uru</i><i>
<br />krsna-bhakti dey thai thai</i>
<br />Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who is very dear to Lord Gauranga, the son of mother Saci, is unparalleled in his service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. He is that great saintly spiritual master who bestows intense devotion to Krsna at different places throughout the world.
<br />
<br /><i>tara iccha balavan
<br />pascatyete than than</i><i>
<br />hoy jate gauranger nam</i><i>
<br />prthivite nagaradi
<br />asamudra nada nadi</i><i>
<br />sakalei loy krsna nam</i>
<br />By his strong desire, the holy name of Lord Gauranga will spread throughout all the countries of the Western world. In all the cities, towns, and villages on the earth, from all the oceans, seas, rivers, and streams, everyone will chant the holy name of Krsna.
<br />
<br /><i>tahale ananda hoy
<br />tabe hoy digvijay</i><i>
<br />caitanyer krpa atisay</i>
<br /><i>maya dusta jata duhkhi
<br />jagate sabai sukhi</i><i>
<br />vaisnaver iccha purna hoy</i>
<br />As the vast mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu conquers all directions, a flood of transcendental ecstasy will certainly cover the land. When all the sinful, miserable living entities become happy, the Vaisnavas' desire is then fulfilled.
<br />
<br /><i>se karja je koribare
<br />ajna jadi dilo more</i><i>
<br />jogya nahi an dina hina</i><i>
<br />tai se tomara krpa
<br />magitechi anurupa</i><i>
<br />aji numi sabar pravina</i>
<br />Although my Guru Maharaja ordered me to accomplish this mission, I am not worthy or fit to do it. I am very fallen and insignificant. Therefore, O Lord, now I am begging for Your mercy so that I may become worthy, for You are the wisest and most experienced of all.
<br />
<br /><i>tomara se sakti pele
<br />guru-sebaya bastu mile</i><i>
<br />jibana sarthak jadi hoy</i><i>
<br />sei se seva paile
<br />tahale sukhi hale</i><i>
<br />taba sanga bhagyate miloy</i>
<br />If You bestow Your power, by serving the spiritual master one attains the Absolute Truth-one's life becomes successful. If that service is obtained, then one becomes happy and gets Your association due to good fortune.
<br />
<br /><i>evam janam nipatitam prabhavahikupe</i><i>
<br />kamabhikamam anu yah prapatan prasangat</i><i>
<br />krtvatmasat surarsina bhagavan grhitah</i><i>
<br />so 'ham katham nu visrje tava bhrtya-sevam</i>
<br />My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because of my association with material desires, one after another, I was gradually falling into a blind well full of snakes, following the general populace. But Your servant Narada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple and instructed me how to achieve this transcendental position. Therefore, my first duty is to serve him. How could I leave his service? (Prahlada Maharaja to Lord Nrsimhadeva, Bhag. 7.9.28)
<br />
<br /><i>tumi mor cira sathi
<br />bhuliya mayar lathi</i><i>
<br />khaiyachi janma-janmantare</i>
<br /><i>aji punah e sujoga jadi
<br />hoy jogayoga</i> <i>tabe
<br />pari tuhe milibare</i>
<br />O Lord Krsna, You are my eternal companion. Forgetting You, I have suffered the kicks of maya birth after birth. If today the chance to meet You occurs again, then I will surely be able to rejoin You.
<br />
<br /><i>tomara milane bhai
<br />abar se sukha pai</i>
<br /><i>gocarane ghuri din bhor</i><i>
<br />kata bane chutachuti
<br />bane khai lutaputi</i><i>
<br />sei din kabe habe mor</i>
<br />O dear friend, in Your company I will experience great joy once again. In the early morning I will wander about the cowherd pastures and fields. Running and frolicking in the many forests of Vraja, I will roll on the ground in spiritual ecstasy. Oh when will that day be mine?
<br />
<br /><i>aji se subidhane
<br />tomara smarana bhela</i><i>
<br />baro asa dakilam tai</i>
<br /><i>ami tomara nitya-dasa
<br />tai kori eta asa</i> <i>tumi
<br />bina anya gati nai</i>
<br />Today that remembrance of You came to me in a very nice way. Because I have a great longing I called to You. I am Your eternal servant and therefore I desire Your association so much. O Lord Krsna, except for You there is no other means of success.
<br />
<br />Srila Prabhupada's long-time friend and godbrother, Srila B. R. Sridhara Maharaja., opined that this poem, directed to <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place>, gives clues to Prabhupada's internal spiritual life: <o:p></o:p></span> <!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--> <!--[endif]--></p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <u3:worddocument> <u3:view>Normal<u3:zoom>0<u3:punctuationkerning/> <u3:validateagainstschemas/> <u3:saveifxmlinvalid>false<u3:ignoremixedcontent>false<u3:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false<u3:compatibility> <u3:breakwrappedtables/> <u3:snaptogridincell/> <u3:wraptextwithpunct/> <u3:useasianbreakrules/> <u3:dontgrowautofit/> <u3:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</u3:browserlevel> </u3:compatibility> </u3:alwaysshowplaceholdertext> </u3:ignoremixedcontent> </u3:saveifxmlinvalid> </u3:zoom> </u3:view> </u3:worddocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <u4:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </u4:latentstyles> </xml><![endif]--> <p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent2" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style=";font-family:Balaram;font-size:100%;" >He expressed his own position in eternal <i>lila</i> in his poem. I conjecture like that. Hare Krsna! In his diary in Bengali he wrote, “Today I cooked some <i>bati-caccari</i>. It was quite delicious. So I ate something. Today I expressed my inner feelings to my friend and wrote a poem about that.”</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"><u5:p></u5:p></span> <p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent2" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style=";font-family:Balaram;font-size:100%;" >And that friend came to his aid. He was so earnest in his prayer to Krsna that he might be able discharge the duty that had been given to him by his Guru Maharaja that Krsna came down to help him—his friend helped him in this propaganda work. So <i>saktyavesa-avatara</i>. I take him; I cannot but take him to be so.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"><u5:p></u5:p></span> <p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent2" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style=";font-family:Balaram;font-size:100%;" >Addressing Krsna he wrote, “You are my eternal friend. Forgetting You, I have come to this world and I have been suffering the kicking of Maya, the goddess of misconception. If You come to help me in this campaign, then after finishing this I can again join You. When I shall be united with You again I shall wander along with You the whole day in keeping the cows in the forest. Running this side and that side in the jungle, in the forest. And then, <i>lutaputi</i>, to fall on the ground in different shows of play. I aspire after that day. I have got this good chance to serve my Gurudeva. For that reason my heartfelt appeal to You is that You please come to help me. I am Your eternal servitor, therefore so much aspiration I have got for You. You, no other, are my only resort.” </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"><u5:p></u5:p></span> <p class="MsoBodyTextFirstIndent2" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style=";font-family:Balaram;font-size:100%;" >So after performing this service he aspires after a life in the cow-keeping <i>lila</i> of Krsna, and he is appreciating that sort of friendly service of Krsna very much from the core of his heart, his aspiration after finishing his worldly preaching campaign.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-size:100%;"><u5:p></u5:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br />So what was Srila Prabhupada's grand plan? Feeling himself helpless and completely dependent on his friend <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place>, he talked the Lord into helping him. And, it would seem, his plan worked brilliantly.
<br /></span></p> Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-70561140263764423112008-10-15T09:14:00.000-07:002008-10-15T09:43:53.843-07:00Growing family<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimaru7wxjL8wjG0vLZYoBvj33cIV9WhSELRQu3nIgOo1diF7DPJs1Y0O5RqHnR-3S6W2-ejKlpwE0Shg5rNyzZyihS0cIbFP4n12VO84eIWoDRlTM3gOoU3E_zfrszuxsKfdjR18yxrQ/s1600-h/10.11.08_Everett+at+Home.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimaru7wxjL8wjG0vLZYoBvj33cIV9WhSELRQu3nIgOo1diF7DPJs1Y0O5RqHnR-3S6W2-ejKlpwE0Shg5rNyzZyihS0cIbFP4n12VO84eIWoDRlTM3gOoU3E_zfrszuxsKfdjR18yxrQ/s320/10.11.08_Everett+at+Home.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257422209543432210" border="0" /></a><br />This is Everett Todd DeKiep. He's my grandson. My daughter, Krishnamayi, brought him into our families (ours and the DeKieps') last week. She and her husband live in Helena, Montana, where he works as an economist for the state and she works at the Lewis and Clark Library in Helena.<br /><br />Our family has always been pretty close. My daughters are bright, independent women who have their own relationships with Krishna consciousness. I'm proud of them, and I think Everett is really cute.<br /><br />Family relations in Krishna consciousness can be a little complicated sometimes. On the one hand, we understand that time brings us together and then separates us. On the other hand, my immediate family members are all devotees of Krishna. This part of my life has revealed a theme of trying to balance those perspectives. Ultimately, I need to focus my energy on life's real goal, and I'd like to do so in a way that encourages the rest of my family to do the same in their way, and in their time. In any event, my time and energy are shifting progressive toward the life of total commitment, somewhat as I knew it before getting married over 35 years ago, but on a deeper level. Some may find that disconcerting, I suppose, and I am working on mitigating that discomfort. In the meantime, I try to follow wherever my sadhana takes me. Proceeding with caution is not among my interests these days.Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-54772441258169992912008-04-20T05:53:00.000-07:002008-04-20T06:05:05.384-07:00Some thoughts on discussions of polygamy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHgXFtpyih5r30H2JIFyhxUTTxkp2ER73r9OQV7qSAX7JyWxprQWPAUMlX8Ury6awvVb_hY9G6BVesSLgnPzQUjUBnTx25O7KZ93PV47lJKma3hcHloSQT90G8XUUq5TgDoLnfQKeueg/s1600-h/Krishna+massaging+Radha.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEHgXFtpyih5r30H2JIFyhxUTTxkp2ER73r9OQV7qSAX7JyWxprQWPAUMlX8Ury6awvVb_hY9G6BVesSLgnPzQUjUBnTx25O7KZ93PV47lJKma3hcHloSQT90G8XUUq5TgDoLnfQKeueg/s320/Krishna+massaging+Radha.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191312570728918898" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Recent events in Texas have some Hare Krishna devotees blogging about polygamy. I engaged in a brief discussion of how devotees discuss this sensitive issue a few years ago, and put together a synthesis of those articles for another devotee friend's blog a year or two ago. I thought this might be a way to revive this blog. I'm not sure how relevant anyone who happens on this page will find this. We'll see . .<br /></span><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Regarding the topic itself, I think that thorough study of Srila Prabhupada’s discussion of polygamy will show that, although he felt it was an important part of ideal Vedic culture, his consideration of time, place, and circumstance led to the conclusion that it was undesirable in the modern <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place> consciousness movement. My own opinion of polygamy in our time is very close to what Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura wrote in 1857: “Polygamy is the bane of native [Indian] society—a curse that enslaves many of the softer sex. The Kulina Brahmins are inseparable companions of polygamy. In their society it is as firmly advocated as is American slavery in the Southern States. The Kulina women are no better off than the African blacks. But an African black has many advocates around: he has a voice in the ‘Anti-Slavery League,’ whilst a Kulina Brahmini has no zealous friend to tell of her sorrows and relieve them. The legislature ought to hear the cries of the people as far as their interest is concerned. Reform in everything is sought for and as the first movement we desire the removal of polygamy by an enactment.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Some years ago one of my Godbrothers, who has made a name for himself as an advocate of polygamy, wrote a critique of a Godsister’s complaints about the practice of polygamy among devotees. I wrote a very short response, called “Lord Ramachandra’s Example,” noting that his article, like most advocacy of this practice, seemed to miss one important source: a verse and purport in the Ninth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Chapter 10, verse 54 says, “Lord Ramacandra took a vow to accept only one wife and have no connection with any other women. He was a saintly king, and everything in His life was good, untinged by qualities like anger. He taught good behavior for everyone, especially for the householders, in terms of varnasrama-dharma. Thus He taught the general public by His personal activities.” </p> <p class="MsoNormal">In his purport, Srila Prabhupada explains this further: “<i style="">Eka-patni-vrata</i>, accepting only one wife, was the glorious example set by Lord Ramacandra. One should not accept more than one wife. In those days, of course, people did marry more than one wife. Even Lord Ramacandra’s father accepted more wives than one. But Lord Ramacandra, as an ideal king, accepted only one wife, mother Sita. When Mother Sita was kidnapped by Ravana and the Raksasas, Lord Ramacandra, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, could have married hundreds and thousands of Sitas, but to teach us how to be faithful He was to His wife, He fought with Ravana and finally killed him. The Lord punished Ravana and rescued His wife to instruct men to have only one wife. Lord Ramacandra accepted only one wife and manifested sublime character, thus setting an example for householders. A householder should live according to the ideal of Lord Ramacandra, who showed how to be a perfect person.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I pointed out that this purport makes abundantly clear Srila Prabhupada’s desire that we establish daivi-varnasrama-dharma by marrying only one wife and remaining faithful to her throughout our lives. Since My Godbrother invests much in dates, let’s note that this volume was published in 1977. My Godbrother’s research shows that, in the abstract, we should have little objection to the kind of polygamy practiced by men with qualifications similar to King Dasarath. We should also note, however, that even Dasarath’s household was not perfectly peaceful. If men less qualified than he try to care for more than one wife, we can expect just the sorts of problems we have experienced over the years. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">In fact, our godbrothers’ attempts at “polygamy” were really meant for increasing their sense gratification, regardless of their attempts to rationalize their behavior. I know of no such arrangements in which the “wives” were all equally satisfied with the results over the long run. In the conversation my Godbrother cites as Srila Prabhupada’s “last and final instruction on the matter,” Srila Prabhupada says another wife would be allowed “[i]f the woman allows husband.” He imposed the same restriction on acceptance of the sannyasa ashram by his married disciples. This shows the wife’s importance in the family and underscores Srila Prabhupada’s assertion that both husband and wife should be faithful.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In trying to introduce spiritual culture to the world, we need to be bold, as Srila Prabhupada showed by his own example. We must also be humble and honest enough to acknowledge the limits of our actual understanding of varanasrama’s cultural manifestations, as well as the limits of our understanding of Srila Prabhupada’s desires. Otherwise, we risk minimizing his significance and missing the richness of genuine spiritual culture. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">When this Godbrother wrote a nine-page reply entitled, Lord Krishna’s Example: Giving Shelter to 16,108 Wives,” I wrote what follows:</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I have no intention of becoming embroiled in a tit-for-tat argument with my Godbrother about the propriety of polygamy; however, I do want to respond to a few problems I found in his reply to my article, “Lord Ramachandra’s Example.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">First, it should be clear to anyone who reads my article carefully that it does not disparage polygamy, either as a principle or in its correct practice. It argues for nothing other than careful consideration in argument. That’s all. In the article to which I responded, my Godbrother simply ignored any views other than his own. As I have taught over 6,000 college students, any successful argument must take into consideration other sides of an issue, including any questions or objections that may be raised. My Godbrother’s didn’t, and I simply wanted to point out that if we intend to include polygamy in our understanding of establishing varnashrama-dharma, we should do so carefully. “We must also be humble enough to acknowledge the limits of our actual understanding,” is what I actually said. I stand fast by my advocacy of humility.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Further, anyone who reads my article can also see that nowhere in it do I attack my Godbrother’s character or his motives for repeating Srila Prabhupada’s words. I met my Godbrother when he lived in <st1:city st="on">Los Angeles</st1:city> and <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Three</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Rivers</st1:placetype></st1:place>, and never had any impression of him except that he is a serious, sincere devotee. And since an interlocutor’s character is an important element of classical rhetoric, maybe I should mention my own track record: I have been a faithful disciple since early 1970 and a faithful husband to my wife for 33 years. Ask anyone who knows me.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Since my Godbrother finds it appropriate, however, to question my motives, let me deal with that section of his recent article first. He asks, “Are you trying to create a generation of young prostitutes so you can enjoy them?” Not at all. I’m strictly monogamous, and at 58 I’m done with sex and headed in the other direction. I’m probably more upset than my Godbrother is that so many of our devotees’ daughters aren’t properly situated; many of them were my students. Moreover, as far as I know, no one has ever before suggested such a flaw in my character. I find it insulting to Srila Prabhupada, to my vaishnavi wife, and to my godbrothers’ daughters. More to my point, though, such character attack, although it’s certainly his prerogative to indulge in it, weakens my Godbrother’s argument.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Early in his second article, my Godbrother misstated my comments. Regarding the June 28, 1977 conversation, my Godbrother wrote I’m “reading things that just aren’t there and putting words in SP’s mouth that he didn’t say.” This is simply not true. Even in his quotation in this most recent article, right where he tries to prove I’m making things up, Srila Prabhupada says, “If the woman allows husband, ‘He likes.’ . . .” I didn’t say this; Srila Prabhupada did. His main point here is, as My Godbrother points out, that a chaste wife who is properly protected ought not to object. But Srila Prabhupada <i style="">does</i> say that a second wife would be permitted “If the woman allows.” My Godbrother says, “I only read<span style=""> </span>that SP says the wife must not mind very much if her husband takes more than one wife.” Then read it again, more carefully this time, prabhu, because you seem to have missed a sentence. “If woman allows.” One more time—those are not my words, but Srila Prabhupada’s own. My Godbrother should read his own article more carefully, or at least be careful enough to edit out what he doesn’t want us to see.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">He says I claim the Ninth Canto purport says “that Srila Prabhupada does NOT want us to take more than one wife.” That is just not what I write there. What I do say is that it expresses his desire that his male disciples accept only one wife and remain faithful to her. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">He claims that I see this verse “as some sort of absolute dictum that is so strong and powerful that it totally overpowers and over shadows [sic]” all instructions that favor polygamy. But that’s not what I say, either. Nowhere do I even imply that it nullifies any other instruction. One could make a case that instructions in Srila Prabhupada’s books should carry more weight than comments made in his room, on a walk, or even in a letter. I read a letter to a godbrother named Sadhanananda in which Srila Prabhupada wrote that devotees say, “Srila Prabhupada has said this, or said that.” This is another form of cheating, he said. “If it is not in my books,” he wrote, “I did not say it.” I won’t make such a case. I will, however, present some of Srila Prabhupada’s instructions in the matter, from his books and other sources, to show that this is not an isolated statement that runs counter to his real desire.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the purport to SB 4.26.4, Srila Prabhupada writes, “One should be satisfied with his married wife, for even a slight deviation will create havoc.” Then he continues, “A Krishna conscious grihastha should always remember this. He should always be satisfied with one wife and be peaceful simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra.” In a 1972 Bhagavatam lecture in <st1:city st="on">Los Angeles</st1:city>, he said, “So to become <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place> conscious means immediately--that is the test--immediately he will become free from lust and greediness. If he's not free from lust and greediness, he is making a show; he's not <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place> conscious. This is the test. If one is actually advanced in <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place> consciousness, then these two symptoms will be visible in his character: no more lusty, no more greediness. He should be satisfied with one wife or one husband. Why hankering after others? That is lusty. That means it is not on the stage of <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place> consciousness; it is in the material platform.” In a 1974 Bhagavatam class, he said, “a person should be so nicely trained up that the one wife with religious, by performing religious ceremony, is given to him, he should be satisfied with her, not to see other women, adulteration. This is Kali-yuga.” In 1975 he told us, “If anyone can maintain a family--family means one wife and one or two children--then he is to be considered very expert, successful,” and in 1976 he said, “Tapasya begins with brahmacarya, life of celibacy, or accepting one wife only.<span style=""> </span>That's all.” Years before, in 1971 he said, “We recommend our students not to have illicit sex. We don't stop sex, but regulate. . . . What is the difficulty? No illicit sex means don't be cats and dogs. Be married man and have one wife, one husband, and be satisfied.” </p> <p class="MsoNormal">In 1974, he wrote Sukadeva prabhu, “No, devotees are not allowed more than one wife. Devotees should have no wife if possible, but those who cannot maintain celibacy, they can marry one wife. At the present moment people are so unfortunate they cannot maintain even one wife. First of all at the present moment they are not married and remain mostly unmarried. So for such persons even one wife is a great burden. Under the circumstances how one can think of more than one wife? This is stupidity.” There are more, but this just shows that, although I don’t claim this one purport supersedes all others, it is also not an isolated instruction.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">My Godbrother objects to my saying that his research shows that, “in the abstract, we should<span style=""> </span>have little objection” polygamy practiced by men as qualified as Dasharath. He’s particularly upset by “little objection” and suggests we should have “NO” objection. He also doesn’t like “in the abstract.” I agree. I’m happy to change it to “In principle, we should have no objection to the kind of polygamy practiced by men with qualifications similar to King Dasharath’s.” Despite my Godbrother’s cleverness, I have no desire to obstruct our understanding of varnashrama-dharma, but to encourage careful understanding and even more careful application.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">At one point, my Godbrother concedes that, so far, experiments with polygamy have failed. Then he suggests that “most” monogamous marriages have failed as well, so perhaps we should give up on marriage altogether and just couple like animals. I’m sorry he wasted any of his time energy, and space on this unfortunate point. This is a clear case of the logical fallacy called <i style="">argumentum ad absurdum</i>. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Although my Godbrother claims that polygamy is not meant for increasing sex life, Srila Prabhupada seems to have another opinion. In a 1973 letter to Rupanuga, he wrote, “After conferring with my various GBC representatives I have concluded that polygamy must be strictly prohibited in our society. Although it is a Vedic institution still there are so many legal implications. Neither are many of our men fixed up enough to tend for more than one wife. Polygamy will simply increase the sex life and our philosophy is to gradually decrease the sex life till eventually there is no sex life.” Of course polygamy is ideally meant for protecting women. But that’s not its only purpose, as we see in a <i style="">Srimad-Bhagavatam</i> purport: “A man is allowed to keep more than one wife because he cannot enjoy sex when the wife is pregnant. If he wants to enjoy sex at such a time, he may go to another wife who is not pregnant. These are laws mentioned in the <i style="">Manu-samhita</i> and other scriptures” (SB4.26.4, purport). And in a <i style="">Bhagavatam</i> class, he said, “According to Vedic civilization, because man is very aggressive, so he's allowed to accept more than one wife.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Finally, my Godbrother invokes examples different from Lord Ramachandra’s that he seems to think Srila Prabhupada wanted us to follow. Bhima, Arjuna, and other devotees, he points out, had more than one wife. Of course, they were rich kings and perfect devotees. Lord Nityananda had more than one wife, my Godbrother says. Maybe, but the example of Nityananda Prabhu’s Srila Prabhupada wants us to follow is his compassion and tireless preaching of the holy names, not his disregard for social conventions. Even Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he says, ignored Lord Rama’s example by remarrying after his first wife’s passing. In fact, He did, but only at the insistence of his widowed mother. He also left that wife at age 24 to go preach all over <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Ultimately, as evidenced by my Godbrother’s title, he suggests we follow the example of Lord Krishna, who had 16,108 wives. However, when Srila Prabhupada discusses the Lord’s household, he doesn’t suggest it as a model for ours, except that, despite lying comfortably next to our wives, we should rise early in the morning, bathe and meditate on <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place>. Instead, Srila Prabhupada points out that <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place> accepted 16,108 wives to demonstrate His opulence as the full-fledged Personality of Godhead. This is one way <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place> shows He is not one of us!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Once more, in case it’s not clear to some, I’m not writing specifically to oppose polygamy. I’m really suggesting that we discuss the issue fully and apply it carefully. In fact, I expect this to be my last article on the subject. I’m much more interested in how we discuss it than in whether anyone has more wives than I. Neither do I suggest that anyone with an opinion different from mine is an atheist or infected with sinful desires of some sort. I only advocate careful and civil discourse among devotees, especially in public.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Perhaps we should follow Srila Prabhupada’s example. If necessary, marry one wife or husband, conduct our home lives according to the instructions of our spiritual master, gradually give up all material endeavor and sense gratification, and immerse ourselves in distributing prasadam, protecting cows, and chanting and broadcasting the glories of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s <i style="">sankirtan</i> movement. After all, Narada Muni testifies that “those who are always full of cares and anxieties due to desiring contact of the senses with their objects can cross the ocean of nescience on a most suitable boat—the constant chanting of the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead.” </p>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-43088964060115503912007-07-21T15:11:00.000-07:002007-07-21T16:59:12.631-07:00The Path is the Goal<span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLbnzQEqNc0h95JfxL8gWSWdBMfLFGflp62lfgpp5aOt3ktOUygh0aaBlRm918a3L1iS1HhkDuwwoMXL5GBQ3iFSHgy-hNHbXg40c9-qXTXblLpwFa2_mX2RufAATR73cceklOilb_DY/s1600-h/pathway-surrealmysteriouswinding.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLbnzQEqNc0h95JfxL8gWSWdBMfLFGflp62lfgpp5aOt3ktOUygh0aaBlRm918a3L1iS1HhkDuwwoMXL5GBQ3iFSHgy-hNHbXg40c9-qXTXblLpwFa2_mX2RufAATR73cceklOilb_DY/s320/pathway-surrealmysteriouswinding.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089776593912812370" border="0" /></a><br />My main project now is <i style=""><span style="font-family:Balaram;">çaraëägati</span></i><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-family:Balaram;">, </span></i></b>the way of taking shelter of the Lord. I mean this in (at least) two senses: I'm engaged in a writing project focused on <i style=""><span style="font-family:Balaram;">çaraëägati</span></i><span style="font-family:Balaram;">,</span></span><span style=";font-family:Balaram;font-size:100%;" >and my prime task in life is putting </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:Balaram;">çaraëägati</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> into action. In the introductory song to his <i style=""><span style="font-family:Balaram;">Çaraëägati</span></i></span><span style="font-size:100%;">, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura calls taking full shelter of Krishna, also sometimes called surrender, <i style=""><span style="font-family:Balaram;">çaraëägati</span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Balaram;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">or </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >prapatti</span><span style="font-size:100%;">, the life of the devotees. He writes,<br /></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-family:Balaram;">çré-kåñëa-caitanya prabhu jéve doyä kori<br />swa-pärñada swéya dhäma saha avatari<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Balaram;font-size:100%;" >Çré Kåñëa Caitanya Prabhu descended from the eternal spiritual world along with His personal associates and divine abode, incarnating in this temporary material world out of compassion for the fallen souls.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-family:Balaram;">atyanta durlabha prema koribäre däna<br />çikhäya çaraëägati bhakatera präna<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Balaram;font-size:100%;" >In order to freely distribute the gift of ecstatic love of God, which is very difficult to obtain, He taught the path of <span style="font-style: italic;">çaraëägati</span>, devotional surrender to the Supreme Lord. This <span style="font-style: italic;">çaraëägati </span>is the very life of the true devotees.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-family:Balaram;">dainya, ätma-nivedana, goptåtve varaëa<br /><span style=""> </span>'avaçya rakñébe kåñëa'-viçväsa, pälana<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-family:Balaram;">bhakti-anuküla-mätra käryera svékara<br />bhakti-pratiküla-bhäva varjanäìgikära<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Balaram;font-size:100%;" >The six ways of surrender through <i style="">çaraëägati</i> are (1) <i style="">dainya</i>-humility, (2) <i style="">ätma-nivedana</i>-dedication of the self, (3) <i style="">goptåtve varaëa</i>-acceptance of the Lord as one's only maintainer, (4) the consciousness of <i style="">'avaçya rakñibe kåñëa</i>'-'Kåñëa will surely protect me'-which is <i style="">viçväsa</i> (faith) in Kåñëa's <i style="">pälana</i> (protection), (5) <i style="">bhakti-anuküla-mätra käryera svékara</i>-execution of only those acts favorable to pure devotion, and (6) <i style="">bhakti-pratiküla-bhäva varjanäìgikära</i>-renunciation of conduct adverse to pure devotion.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-family:Balaram;">ñaò-aìga çaraëägati hoibe jähära<br />tähära prärthanä çune çré-nanda-kumära<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Balaram;font-size:100%;" lang="ES-CR" >Çré Nanda-Kumära, the youthful son of Nanda Mahäräja, hears the prayers of anyone who takes refuge in Him by this six-fold practice of surrender.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span lang="ES-CR" style="font-family:Balaram;">rüpa-sanätana-pade dante tåëa kori<br />bhakativinoda poòe duhuì pada dhori<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Balaram;font-size:100%;" >Bhaktivinoda prostrates himself at the feet of Çré Rüpa and Çré Sanätana Goswämé, places a straw between his teeth, and clasps their lotus feet with his hands.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-family:Balaram;">käìdiyä käìdiyä bole ämi to' adhama<br />çikhäye çaraëägati koro he uttama<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Balaram;font-size:100%;" >Weeping and weeping, he tells them, "I am certainly the lowest of men! Oh please make me the worthiest by teaching me the ways of <span style="font-style: italic;">çaraëägati</span>!"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> It's likely that the writing will appear here and other places as it develops. The life work is manifesting now.</o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p>Due to a confluence of events that seems providential, my wife and I are leaving our home here in Puna on the Big Island of Hawaii. Satyaki has accepted a post teaching at the devotional school in ISKCON community in Alachua, Florida. I will go with her; however, my own surrender will soon take me other places, to a life of what Srila Sridhar Maharaja calls "deep engagement in responsible service." I'll post more about that later.</o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dvA-_r-H7IrSmmVq82ieSWOqjuFSKl3kt7QZCgI8IC_OMr9UYGSOHt79YcglDi3oWMJFQmxEZHt32yf36R8GF8D-FJZkUJ5YiBx6piN-8XGfl_Z3EONTp7Eb_gHmTjUKb3bi_1auo_c/s1600-h/BVT+4+altar.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dvA-_r-H7IrSmmVq82ieSWOqjuFSKl3kt7QZCgI8IC_OMr9UYGSOHt79YcglDi3oWMJFQmxEZHt32yf36R8GF8D-FJZkUJ5YiBx6piN-8XGfl_Z3EONTp7Eb_gHmTjUKb3bi_1auo_c/s200/BVT+4+altar.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089803836890370930" border="0" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-46110342842557564562007-06-25T23:32:00.001-07:002007-06-25T23:39:01.192-07:00How Krishna Consciousness Came into My Life, Pt. 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzg71KHDxGJSK9mFsX0AXuwZB7pGamSkEsT4C-wsdjdFx11DofjAbBq2aU3HKIg9RJJwzlpwAyu8uVsdSc1eJT5NXujzNJt8k56swbr1ddnhbbHmqWAwOhdky6Kmgx5xuA3-mIUaGMP0/s1600-h/Prabhupada+in+car+Hnl+72.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzg71KHDxGJSK9mFsX0AXuwZB7pGamSkEsT4C-wsdjdFx11DofjAbBq2aU3HKIg9RJJwzlpwAyu8uVsdSc1eJT5NXujzNJt8k56swbr1ddnhbbHmqWAwOhdky6Kmgx5xuA3-mIUaGMP0/s320/Prabhupada+in+car+Hnl+72.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080258826595823186" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51);">Here's a draft of the rest of my story.</span><br /><p class="MsoNormal">The next day, I went to the place where I had recently quit working to collect a paycheck I had coming, so I could buy my own copy of <i style="">Bhagavad-gita As It Is</i>. I also started attending the <i style="">Bhagavad-gita</i> classes held three nights a week at the temple. I remember still having difficulty dealing with the fact that this spiritual treatise was spoken on a battlefield, with the Lord exhorting His friend to fight—against his relatives, friends, and teachers! I asked about it three meetings in a row. The temple president, Gaurasundar das, was very patient with me, explaining painstakingly the difference between spirit and matter, the body and the soul, and apparent nonviolence and real nonviolence. After three times, the concepts began to sink in, and I was hooked. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">On the alternate nights, I found myself in <st1:place st="on">Waikiki</st1:place>, a member of the temple’s <i style="">sankirtan</i> party. During the day, I would walk from my apartment near <st1:place st="on">Diamond Head</st1:place> up to the temple to help with the gardening duties. In particular, I was eager to help with the mango trees. The devotees had told me that their spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, had declared the mango king of fruits and promised to visit <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Honolulu</st1:place></st1:city> when mango season came. After a couple of weeks, it became clear that I was spending more time with the devotees than with my other friends. My interests had changed drastically in a very short time: less surfing, more serving. I began discussing the possibility of moving into the temple for more intense study and spiritual practice with my friends. Some were adamantly opposed, convinced that, although I was one of them, I was becoming brainwashed by all the chanting. Others suggested that, although it could be a big adventure, monastic life wasn’t for everyone. After some vacillation, I went down to the beach one day to sell my surfboard so I could pay my share of the rent for the month at my old apartment. Then I packed my few belongings and walked up to <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Manoa</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Valley</st1:placetype></st1:place> to begin this adventure.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">At the time, I didn’t think of myself as a devotee, or as a disciple of Srila Prabhupada’s. For some time, even after moving into the temple, I referred to Srila Prabhupada as “your spiritual master” in my conversations with the seven devotees that comprised ISKCON Hawaii at the time. My idea was that I would try to develop an understanding of <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place> consciousness and share it with those with whom I associated. However, as I chanted regularly, spent anywhere from four to eight hours a day chanting on the streets of Honolulu, and studied <i style="">Bhagavad-gita </i>and<i style=""> Srimad-Bhagavatam</i>, my relationship with Krishna consciousness began to change in ways that even I could recognize. I began to see that it was much more than just a very appealing personal philosophy. I can still remember a few particular passages from the first canto of <i style="">Srimad-Bhagavatam</i> that initiated drastic changes in my appreciation for the <i style="">Bhagavatam’s</i> ideals. One is in the purport, or commentary, on the second verse. The verse explains that <i style="">Srimad-Bhagavatam</i> has nothing at all to do with any religious concept less than pure love of God:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhagavata Purana propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhagavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyasadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhagavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In his purport, or commentary, Srila Prabhupada discusses how all beings in the material world are engaged in a competitive struggle for dominance over others. Then he contrasts with this the attitude of pure devotees of Godhead: </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">But the devotees of the Lord rise above such competitions. They do not compete with the materialist because they are on the path back to Godhead where life is eternal and blissful. Such transcendentalists are nonenvious and pure in heart. In the material world, everyone is envious of everyone else, and therefore there is competition. But the transcendental devotees of the Lord are not only free from material envy, but are well-wishers to everyone, and they strive to establish a competitionless society with God in the center.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This was the most radical idea I think I had encountered at the time, in the real sense of the word: it went right to the root of all our problems, and it offered the perfect solution. This, it seemed to me, was everything!</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As I got further into the first canto of <i style="">Srimad-Bhagavatam</i>, I found more statements in the verses and purports that showed me the profundity of Srila Prabhupada’s mission. In one such passage, Narada Muni, a great sage, explains the difference between mundane literature and transcendental literature to his disciple, Vyasadeva, the divine compiler of the Vedic literatures:</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">Those words which do not describe the glories of the Lord, who alone can sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are considered by saintly persons to be like unto a place of pilgrimage for crows. Since the all-perfect persons are inhabitants of the transcendental abode, they do not derive any pleasure there.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;">On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I began to see that the Hare Krishna movement was not simply an exotic religion but a revolutionary movement. But this wasn’t the kind of revolution we had become accustomed to discussing in those days of social and political ferment. This, I was beginning to understand, was a revolution of the heart. I was interested in finding ways to change our culture. At the time, the most profound political influence in my life was Mohandas Gandhi. I had read pretty much every thing by and about him that I had been able to get my hands on. While I was still in the Navy, one of my friends had drawn a charcoal portrait of Gandhi that I displayed in my room in the barracks, and later in my apartment in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Honolulu</st1:place></st1:city>. I liked his idea of revolution based on nonviolent non-cooperation with evil. I found his search for Absolute Truth inspiring. I found his practice of observing celibacy, or <i style="">brahmacharya</i>, to re-channel his energy to effecting social change intriguing, if impossible for me. And I had been inspired by his faith in <i style="">Bhagavad-gita</i> to explore it myself. His approach to revolution, it seemed to me, was almost spiritual.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">But this approach was completely spiritual. And the more I read, the more clearly I could see this, the more firmly I became convinced.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Later in the first canto, I read of Emperor Parikshit’s encounter with an abused bull. In the vision of the Vedic sages, the bull is Dharma, the personification of religious principles. At one point King Parikshit exclaims, “In the age of Satya [truthfulness] your four legs were established by the four principles of austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness. But it appears that three of your legs are broken due to rampant irreligion in the form of pride, lust for women, and intoxication.” In his purport Srila Prabhupada explains that the Dharma, religion, had been abused by Kali, the personification of the age in which we live, characterized by hypocrisy and quarrel. The pillars on which this age is built are destructive habits such as gambling, intoxication, unrestricted pursuit of sexual gratification, and meat eating. The antidote suggested here is a culture based on simplicity, cleanliness, mercy, and truthfulness. Now that was truly revolutionary, at least in my experience! And a little earlier, I had found the essential antidote for the influence of this age of discord. If we can make arrangements, Srila Prabhupada says, “for the constant chanting of the holy names, qualities, etc., of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no chance at all” for Kali’s influence to increase the downward spiral of modern society. And Srila Prabhupada recommends using even modern technology for widely broadcasting the holy names of Krishna, as well as <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place>’s teachings. That was it. I was convinced that I had found the real revolution and that I had to dedicate my life to helping effect that revolution. I would somehow become Srila Prabhupada’s disciple and an instrument in his life’s work.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">That determination was further solidified when Srila Prabhupada visited <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Honolulu</st1:place></st1:city> in August of 1970. When I first saw him, my heart leapt, and I knew without any doubt that I had found my eternal teacher and that I could approach him without any reservation. When I did physically approach him to offer a flower lei and offer the common gesture of obeisance by bowing down to the ground, I inexplicably found myself so overwhelmed with spiritual emotion that I sobbed uncontrollably, unable to offer the prayers of dedication a disciple likes to make. Later, as we walked from the airport lobby to the car that awaited him, I held an umbrella over his head (yes, even inside the airport), he stopped for a moment and smiled broadly as he looked into my eyes. I felt as though he had accepted me as I had accepted him. I felt irrevocably committed to the spiritual revolution that is Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s <i style="">sankirtana</i> movement and have never looked back.</p>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-25031123792341875982007-06-06T21:42:00.000-07:002009-01-10T18:47:03.795-08:00Thinking about Srila Prabhupada<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKo9i58G7jXHzZ-YV6T8K8CqPtpZoJoAi712gthuYZjgz_kYsCSmudWKBs5-YSAl3wEVucjdrTrAi6nxj76wlMMzWhRgxURnSLlHPI2juLWf-DvmSDyyrEXoYjRXCsJB2Cp1v8prwX6qA/s1600-h/Prabhupad+with+mridanga2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKo9i58G7jXHzZ-YV6T8K8CqPtpZoJoAi712gthuYZjgz_kYsCSmudWKBs5-YSAl3wEVucjdrTrAi6nxj76wlMMzWhRgxURnSLlHPI2juLWf-DvmSDyyrEXoYjRXCsJB2Cp1v8prwX6qA/s320/Prabhupad+with+mridanga2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5073197530994011682" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I heard a disturbing--but not surprising--story about an offering written by one of my Godbrothers for this year's Vyasa-puja book, which commemorates the appearance of our spritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. This got me thinking about my own offering for this year, which in turn made me think about posting some of my past offerings here. This one was written on behalf of the San Diego, California ISKCON center in 1994.</span><br /></span><style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } A:link { so-language: zxx } --> </style> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale<br />śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe<br />nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">śrīla prabhupāda dayā karaha vicāra<br />vicāra karile citte pābe camatkāra</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Anyone interested in logic and argument should apply them to the mercy of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda! If they do so they will find it strikingly wonderful.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">For more lives than anyone can count, we have<br />worked hard at becoming the most fallen of souls,<br />Our hallmarks, our pride: ignorance, misfortune, and sin.<br />We have majored in forgetting Kṛṣṇa, doing extra coursework<br />in denying our eternal relationship with the Lord.<br />Our own bodies, born and bred in Kali-yuga,<br />serve as our diplomas: Fool Number One,<br />devoid of any grace.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">But Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Thief;<br />He has stolen our misfortune by<br />sending Your Divine Grace, His personal envoy,<br />to show the folly of our self-imposed exile.<br />You have changed our lives by demonstrating<br />pure devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, conceivable to us only<br />by Your Divine Grace.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The matchless gift, which<br />immediately relieves all material distress,<br />opens the way to the best of fortune,<br />bestows transcendental happiness,<br />is rarely achieved,<br />transcends even liberation,<br />and is the only way to attract Kṛṣṇa,<br />is available only at the lotus feet<br />of the pure spiritual master.<br />Anyone who wants any happiness must learn<br />bhakti from a bona fide guru,<br />making his word one’s life and soul.<br />Lord Caitanya shows this as the root<br />of the devotional creeper.<br />We can attain love for Kṛṣṇa<br />only by the spiritual master’s<br />divine grace.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are the supreme professor<br />of the science of devotional service.<br />Anyone who claims to know anything about Kṛṣṇa<br />must have heard it from you.<br />Any goodness found in the word in this age of anxiety and discord<br />is strictly due to your taking the word of your spiritual master<br />as life and soul, and showering us with<br />your causeless mercy.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">The task of preaching is our legacy;<br />you left you mission incomplete<br />so we could spend our lives pursuing its fulfillment.<br />We are your limbs in this dark world, and<br />apart from you, our lives have no meaning;<br />apart from Your Divine Grace –<br />your causeless mercy – we have no life.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">As we approach the Śrīla Prabhupāda Centennial year,<br />your helpless children – your “boys and girls”<br />(though boys and girls, perhaps, only in your eyes anymore),<br />those who came in the years of struggle,<br />the new counterculture kids who remind us<br />of ourselves not so long ago,<br />and the world’s great hope, the gurukula alumni,<br />who show us all how to remember Kṛṣṇa<br />everywhere and when –<br />pray to dedicate our work, words, and thoughts<br />to establishing your reputation as the universal teacher of pure devotion<br />so all may be attracted to your lotus feet<br />and receive your causeless mercy.</span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Just as we get water from the earth by digging,<br />we hope to get one more drop of your mercy<br />by our service to your great mission.<br />That drop of mercy, we hope, will yield<br />humility, forbearance, compassion,<br />and freedom from personal ambition.<br />Only then will be fit to free<br />all fallen souls of Kali-yuga<br />from the ignorance and misfortune they so prize<br />and share the great treasure of<br />Your Divine Grace.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Tamal;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Tamal;font-size:12;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-74369779287660884512007-05-08T22:20:00.000-07:002007-05-08T22:25:50.617-07:00Another Haiku<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlJfLZa9J2RJL77Nfxvp7rkTbbJm2LwS2I_AtzxDY4qjE95NsKsd3qAWHGLw_swEBwD0Py9c6OINaxBfGaqeS3XCSHqMNP4Xy_-_aV-CN49aFd2lBOwWD1LDjH0vQrt6B5Z4jsKlilR0/s1600-h/gk_2068.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlJfLZa9J2RJL77Nfxvp7rkTbbJm2LwS2I_AtzxDY4qjE95NsKsd3qAWHGLw_swEBwD0Py9c6OINaxBfGaqeS3XCSHqMNP4Xy_-_aV-CN49aFd2lBOwWD1LDjH0vQrt6B5Z4jsKlilR0/s320/gk_2068.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062427292585971826" border="0" /></a>Here's another <span style="font-style: italic;">haiku</span> I wrote years ago, with a different mood from the poem I previously posted:<br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Hoof dust in the air,<br />The flute’s song is floating there;<br />Krishna’s coming home.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-67139454118953178802007-04-28T22:04:00.000-07:002007-04-28T22:12:03.804-07:00A Little Haiku<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMnJOUgkzMfHzxjfvni-SNE1R9vSWX26lZHbZYZwobOAOJyHe8m7ujnlIO2IW5HkNXSvgW6ElskM6dGQxqbQnt81Y2H4WL3UVADWdBA5WeEBXhUvjQ0uC3I-TI0Nim46vor4LSQ7m2vhY/s1600-h/Japanese_water_garden_with_carp2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMnJOUgkzMfHzxjfvni-SNE1R9vSWX26lZHbZYZwobOAOJyHe8m7ujnlIO2IW5HkNXSvgW6ElskM6dGQxqbQnt81Y2H4WL3UVADWdBA5WeEBXhUvjQ0uC3I-TI0Nim46vor4LSQ7m2vhY/s320/Japanese_water_garden_with_carp2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058713095062704226" border="0" /></a><br />Once in a while I fiddle with different forms of poetry. I've written a few <span style="font-style: italic;">haiku</span>, and I thought I'd share them here occasionally. Although <span style="font-style: italic;">haiku</span> generally include a season word, I often use reference to other time, such as time of day. I thought I'd start with this one in the wake of the recent passing of my sister and four of my Godbrothers, all of whom were probably younger than I.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Orange and blue koi<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Gliding under lily pads<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Can't see the heron's near.</span>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-69473970143590574542007-04-20T22:09:00.000-07:002007-04-22T21:50:53.166-07:00How Krishna Consciousness Came into My Life, Pt. 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25QmbWz2zqJPWvND-cveaDn5zHco8G78oOtgeMnyc9b5v4-W_KiQXazDXyMk6AcFDpvYp8ty9ozSHpVPP2rwoFYnvWg2dy5Gpj7-gRHiI5bl22TtiRpYtLpIRgT0kV7nfDpF59QrtILI/s1600-h/Prabhupada+Hippie+Hill.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25QmbWz2zqJPWvND-cveaDn5zHco8G78oOtgeMnyc9b5v4-W_KiQXazDXyMk6AcFDpvYp8ty9ozSHpVPP2rwoFYnvWg2dy5Gpj7-gRHiI5bl22TtiRpYtLpIRgT0kV7nfDpF59QrtILI/s320/Prabhupada+Hippie+Hill.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056008697914578530" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I have worked, off and on, on writing an account of the events that brought Krishna consciousness into my life. I'd like to offer here a draft of the first part of that article.</span><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal">It was certainly not what anyone expected to happen that weekend. I had been in the Navy for almost three years and served as an intelligence analyst at the <st1:placename st="on">Pacific</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Fleet</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Intelligence</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype> at <st1:place st="on">Pearl Harbor</st1:place>. Because of the security clearances necessary for my work, I generally avoided going to concerts such as this one. It seemed that attending a Grateful Dead concert, or a Jefferson Airplane concert at <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Honolulu</st1:city></st1:place>’s Civic Auditorium during the late ‘60s would draw unwanted attention. But here it was, a full-moon night in May of 1969, and I couldn’t resist seeing the Jimi Hendrix Experience live at the Waikiki Shell. After the warm-up band played, Jimi came out and played a couple of numbers. Then he mumbled something about the sound system not being powerful enough for his music and said he’d be back in fifteen minutes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>After much more than fifteen minutes, one of the announcers from the local underground FM radio station, which promoted the concerts this weekend, announced that Jimi wouldn’t be able to play that night, but if we brought our ticket stubs on Sunday night, he’d perform for free. In the meantime, which might have been an hour or so, I heard a persistent sound from just outside the Shell: ching-ching-chiiiing, ching-ching-chiiiing, ching-ching-chiiiing, on and on. Sometimes it went faster, sometimes slower, but it never stopped during the entire break. As we left the Shell, what we found were perhaps the most exotic folks I had ever seen. There, under a large, rainbow-colored banner with the Hare Krishna mantra, were Govinda dasi, Sudama, Turiya das, and another young woman, playing karatals, a guitar, a rather exotic-looking drum, and chanting, “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.” As the crowd streamed out of the Shell, it gathered around the devotees, young people clapping, swaying, and chanting along. As I heard the mantra, I found it oddly familiar. Sure, I had heard the song from the tribal rock musical <i style="">Hair</i> on the radio, but this was different. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>After some time, the crowd had grown so large that it blocked the exit, and the police asked everyone to move away. So Sudama and Turiya das led the crowd across the grass into <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Kapiolani</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Park</st1:placetype></st1:place> as the full moon seemed to smile on the now-enormous sankirtan party of several thousand chanting, dancing people. The kirtan’s energy seemed to build, and I found myself completely carried away, even though I was a shy guy in the Navy, short hair and all. Unfortunately, the police eventually broke the crowd up and ordered everyone to disperse. But the experience had left an indelible impression on me. When we went to the concerts the next two nights, the devotees were there again, and I found myself chanting with much of the time.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>A couple of months later I got out of the Navy, and I returned to Hawaii early in the fall of ’69, with the intention of taking some time for surfing and “finding myself” before returning to college. I would sometimes go to concerts at the Waikiki Shell, and sometimes we would go for a walk in the evening down <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">Kalakaua Avenue</st1:address></st1:street>, hoping to meet interesting people. Wherever I went, it seemed the devotees were there. I couldn’t deny my attraction to the chanting, but I actually saw that as somewhat dangerous. After having been in the Navy, I was wary of ever joining <i style="">anything</i> again. So I would stand just out of sight, or on the other side of the street, and chant along. One Saturday night, however, I had a surprise. As I left the center of <st1:place st="on">Waikiki</st1:place>, I encountered a Hare Krishna monk on the other side of the street. It was Turiya das, one of the men I had chanted with the previous spring. We spoke for a few minutes, and when I left him he asked me to come to their Love Feast the next day at Queen’s <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Surf</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>. I agreed, and we parted.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>The next morning I remembered that I had promised the <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place> monk that I’d go to their feast. I thought I had better not break a promise made to a monk, so I decided I would indeed go. I had seen the devotees distributing food in the park on Sunday afternoons, but I kept my distance because I was worried about how strongly I felt drawn to the chanting. Besides, their food, although vegetarian, appeared cooked, and I was trying to get into a raw-foods diet. But this Sunday I had determined that I would go and that I would open myself entirely to the chanting to see what it does. I even thought I should forego all my bad late-‘60s indulgences that day so I could experience the chanting with a clear head.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>So there I found myself on a warm, sunny, early-winter’s afternoon, sitting on the grass near the ocean in my Levi’s and t-shirt, my eyes closed, chanting the maha-mantra over and over. Later, as <i style="">prasadam</i> was being distributed, Turiya das sat down with me and started a conversation. When he asked if I had ever read <i style="">Bhagavad-gita</i>, I found I had an admission to make. While in the Navy I developed a strong interest in the politics and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi. I had read every book by and about him I could find in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Honolulu</st1:place></st1:city>. I had also tried reading several editions of <i style="">Bhagavad-gita</i> because of Gandhi’s interest in that ancient scripture. But I had a hard time making any sense of <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place>’s philosophy, perhaps because it was being spoken on a battlefield, and I had left the Navy very inclined to a nonviolent life, after three years of analyzing aerial photography of the Vietnam war. However, I soon found there may have been a more profound reason for my trouble with <i style="">Bhagavad-gita</i>. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>When I tried to explain my difficulty with the text, Turiya das handed me a copy of the blue, paperback <i style="">Bhagavad-gita As It Is</i> and asked if I had read this particular edition. Admitting I hadn’t, I spent several minutes leafing through, stopping to read a page here and there. As I read, I found the meaning quite clear and compelling. After a few minutes, I looked up at Turiya das and exclaimed, “This is not only easy to understand, but what I’ve read so far makes more sense to me than anything I’ve ever read!”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Turiya das smiled and replied, “If someone actually understands it, he can make it understandable to others, right?”</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>When I walked back to my apartment later that afternoon, I seemed to see the world differently than the day before. It’s not that I had a clearly defined new world view; things just seemed different, and I sensed a change shaping up in my life.</p><p class="MsoNormal">(To be continued)<br /></p>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-64297126402799098162007-03-12T19:10:00.000-07:002007-03-22T09:48:11.139-07:00In memoriam<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn56zq2wY-4QZQhK2iD04bepMWNBS5hrMuXNl5UPPz8DMKE3Kz5LltJTWzTitE9_dWL9KtlcU4FNeYmI_PYmVrf8BR8Mc3SDpGiF1kOwWUP3nM49HO7c2iOMSEfXd2JposKTEoakfg3uE/s1600-h/HildaFest133DQ061119IMC.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn56zq2wY-4QZQhK2iD04bepMWNBS5hrMuXNl5UPPz8DMKE3Kz5LltJTWzTitE9_dWL9KtlcU4FNeYmI_PYmVrf8BR8Mc3SDpGiF1kOwWUP3nM49HO7c2iOMSEfXd2JposKTEoakfg3uE/s200/HildaFest133DQ061119IMC.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5041227078332735074" border="0" /></a>A bright light has left our world. My sister, Hilda <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Weisberg</span>, passed away this morning at the age of 56. She had been dealing with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ALS</span> (Lou Gehrig's Disease) for about a year and a half. She left early in the morning, before sunrise, at home with her husband Len. This picture was taken at a celebration of her life held at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California last November.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Throughout her life, Hilda was one of the gentlest, kindest, most generous, most gracious people anyone could know. She exemplified generosity and grace. For several years, she has been intensely involved in the practice of Theravada Buddhism and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Vipassana</span> meditation. She was quickly recognized as a special person in her <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">sanga</span> even before her illness.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">When she was diagnosed with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ALS</span> in December of 2005, she went after the disease very vigorously, intensifying her spiritual practice and simplifying her diet even more than she had already. It seemed for a while as if her zest for life would prevail. However, in the last few months it became apparent that her body would succumb to the attack on her nervous system.<br /></div><br />All the while, she touched the hearts of members of her family, her spiritual community, and anyone else who came in contact with her, by her expressions of gratitude and joy. She always asked after others' health and always looked for ways she could extend herself to others. The manner in which she faced death is exemplary and inspiring. It's hard to count the number of us who will miss her terribly.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"> <div style="text-align: justify; font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcH1COMLfoBgBHmSC5F83UiRol-Nske1i2vvmnXBxUvBe_zHKF1BG1bEhiIF_vUIYOCcEh6vkqff-mrhXoLeRdQzvR2z0jzr0Qu8iATrO6vObwoOg9sy7KeztrQdE_mcF5qk8gKvtu-Bc/s1600-h/HIlda+%26+Friend2.jpg"><br /></a></div> </div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-weight: bold;"><div style="text-align: center;"> <div style="text-align: justify; font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcH1COMLfoBgBHmSC5F83UiRol-Nske1i2vvmnXBxUvBe_zHKF1BG1bEhiIF_vUIYOCcEh6vkqff-mrhXoLeRdQzvR2z0jzr0Qu8iATrO6vObwoOg9sy7KeztrQdE_mcF5qk8gKvtu-Bc/s1600-h/HIlda+%26+Friend2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcH1COMLfoBgBHmSC5F83UiRol-Nske1i2vvmnXBxUvBe_zHKF1BG1bEhiIF_vUIYOCcEh6vkqff-mrhXoLeRdQzvR2z0jzr0Qu8iATrO6vObwoOg9sy7KeztrQdE_mcF5qk8gKvtu-Bc/s200/HIlda+%26+Friend2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5041233598093090434" border="0" /></a></div> </div></div></div></div></div>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-73758471992978163362007-03-08T17:59:00.000-08:002007-03-10T00:06:13.322-08:00Sri Gaura Purnima<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEc2eAUvA1WO6WZUN5cVpsYUwdnueq55q_hWtzBRxxnaa3lA2LSWLSpaDnxq3o_ORWayFfC5Xk6s2F7SLKM923D4zNv8K5H-Nvac7BUWbD_2T5mpRNHerjjPxe4QXdlsLrhAgmhvRs34/s1600-h/twobrothers.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEc2eAUvA1WO6WZUN5cVpsYUwdnueq55q_hWtzBRxxnaa3lA2LSWLSpaDnxq3o_ORWayFfC5Xk6s2F7SLKM923D4zNv8K5H-Nvac7BUWbD_2T5mpRNHerjjPxe4QXdlsLrhAgmhvRs34/s320/twobrothers.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5040200572559056386" border="0" /></a>This past Saturday, March 3, was Gaura Purnima, when Gaudiya Vaishnavas celebrate the appearance of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in this world. Lord Chaitanya's appearance is a mystery and a manifestation of the greatest grace. His most widely available gift is the congregational chanting of the holy names of God, which is the most efficacious means for spiritual realization in the current age.<br /><br />I always especially like Gaura Purnima because it was just before that festival in 1970 that I formally joined my spiritual master's mission in Honolulu. So it's a little like a birthday for me in a way.<br /><br />We see Lord Chaitanya on the right in this picture. On His right is Lord Nityananda (His right-hand man), whose mercy is compared to the soothing effect of the light of millions of moons. Together these two brothers inaugurated the chanting of Hare Krishna about 500 years ago in India.<br /><br />Devotees everywhere mark this festival with grand celebrations marked by congregational chanting of the holy names of Krishna and of Lord Chaitanya. Here's a picture of one such celebration in San Diego, California in 2002. The young women in the front are our two daughters. Krishnamayi, in the green sari, was recovering from a near-fatal bicycle accident. Lalasamayi, in the blue sari, lovingly nursed her sister back to health. This was Krishnamayi's first public outing after the accident.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ae1m4IPYn1GprLcS9I5u6i3RaInMrqhwznVgX-ToBgUiseGzhMAj-Th3B4B7ul2B7y5T6tWmFKd_4dfnojq9lx3tcj5_j74ktn4wugGeMxcx3oa7XsHaNhYbUZ8fGB6feha2hjhQbHg/s1600-h/Gaurapurnima+2002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ae1m4IPYn1GprLcS9I5u6i3RaInMrqhwznVgX-ToBgUiseGzhMAj-Th3B4B7ul2B7y5T6tWmFKd_4dfnojq9lx3tcj5_j74ktn4wugGeMxcx3oa7XsHaNhYbUZ8fGB6feha2hjhQbHg/s320/Gaurapurnima+2002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5040203420122373666" border="0" /></a></div>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-89616531677184933662007-03-02T12:10:00.000-08:002007-03-02T22:15:14.995-08:00Vyasa-puja<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxc2yFHJ8kpof40OtihEZGrbV2jpTm9KztYfmeIcGca2EN-VmGjIzarGpFJavSoLEkVknlPIzgEsczWln1Nys12rfd6thWaIUNVoLAEERN0v-wkhRFiEHhl8-wdRL-sAhG3iX-wd9KUEg/s1600-h/Swami2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxc2yFHJ8kpof40OtihEZGrbV2jpTm9KztYfmeIcGca2EN-VmGjIzarGpFJavSoLEkVknlPIzgEsczWln1Nys12rfd6thWaIUNVoLAEERN0v-wkhRFiEHhl8-wdRL-sAhG3iX-wd9KUEg/s320/Swami2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037422693258682706" border="0" /></a>Today is a festival called<span style="font-style: italic;"> Vyasa-puja </span>for disciples of Swami B. V. Tripurari, my friend and mentor. <span style="font-style: italic;">Vyasa-puja</span> celebrates the appearance in this world of the spiritual master, who is considered a representative of Srila Vyasadeva, an empowered incarnation of Godhead who compiled the Vedic scriptures.<br /><br />Swami Tripurari is a disciple of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, and has been living in the renounced order of spiritual life for over thirty years. He was renowned for his bold outreach when we were young and has become well known for his commitment to Krishna consciousness and the depth of his understanding over the last 35 years. He is the author of many articles published in print and on the Internet, as well as of several wonderful books exploring the science of bhakti yoga as taught by Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Prabhupada. I met Swami when I spent some time at the Los Angeles center for Krishna consciousness in 1973, and I have had the pleasure of his company and advice for the last eight years or so. During that time I have found myself charmed by his wisdom, humor, devotion, and compassion. I have also had the privilege of helping with the editing of some of his books and hope to serve more closely with him in the coming years. I find myself inspired to seek and accept deeper engagement in more responsible service to the mission of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu by his kindness, his broad, deep vision of Krishna consciousness and its benefits for all society, and his example of selfless surrender. I hope to be able to progressively act on that inspiration throughout the rest of my life.<br /><br />A couple of years ago, I adapted a Sanskrit verse as a prayer to Swami Tripurari:<br /><br /><i>prasida suhrid artanam prasidaudarya-dharine<br />raga-soka-bhujangena dastam mam uddhara guro</i><br />Please be kind to me, dear friend to the distressed. Be kind, my guide, O reservoir of munificence, and deliver me, for I have been bitten by the snake of attachment and lamentation.Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-30692692759730789562007-02-28T22:48:00.000-08:002007-02-28T23:25:50.178-08:00The heart of our home<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizy8AZv4FquY63ItsAMxHpXjt4MbpaXHLSANUzqa7I3St5b8y5yRqHmVqdKMlXpzh5rubfPg_O8mZNKFMPpiGCxd6kB-Z9fr2erq8NVWNbvRJ7B8W_G0lpcKOtKWnSYOEBhENP4prbCu0/s1600-h/Feb+11+pix+001sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizy8AZv4FquY63ItsAMxHpXjt4MbpaXHLSANUzqa7I3St5b8y5yRqHmVqdKMlXpzh5rubfPg_O8mZNKFMPpiGCxd6kB-Z9fr2erq8NVWNbvRJ7B8W_G0lpcKOtKWnSYOEBhENP4prbCu0/s320/Feb+11+pix+001sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036851370744434610" border="0" /></a>I call our home Audarya Bhavan to remind me that this is not really my house; the center of our home is our service to the devotees of Krishna and to our worshipable Deities. Here's a picture of our altar, taken last year. I have since laid a tile floor. The Jagannath Deities and Sri Sri Radha-Madhava are guests and are the worshipable Lords of our godbrother, Nischintya and of our godsister Aditi, respectively.<br /><br /><br />My worshipable Deities include our Shalgrama-shila, Sri Murali-manohara, seen here in a picture taken several years ago, when we lived in Hilo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LXYuC4LtsPtbKy_KIGHCqTloYUioKv3N48yu7-gUACzmrEulMsqPG0NIK8319aoMf4dfHCAJtTP80_kVFnyH1tHQoqI29hwbdBnP4r1vBh9o5VZ8FrzOQrrOrZHEYfDjGfwiO8PGUK8/s1600-h/Murali-manohara4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LXYuC4LtsPtbKy_KIGHCqTloYUioKv3N48yu7-gUACzmrEulMsqPG0NIK8319aoMf4dfHCAJtTP80_kVFnyH1tHQoqI29hwbdBnP4r1vBh9o5VZ8FrzOQrrOrZHEYfDjGfwiO8PGUK8/s320/Murali-manohara4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036849296275230610" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">We are also blessed with the opportunity to worship Sri Krishna and Balarama in the form of two tiny Govardhana-shilas.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYejcXGqGCo0fs7Ge4k_AaCAnjR4Oz3baGC7Zyhx04ZZqwwNU77QCYHY0V9Lb6xFj-U-J7kDMqi6VauSVMMrDHdg09zgHgL61VUPzGvb_b4kI931Gyp1wrUtTwIhSc-pYdKakq7kwcx8/s1600-h/girirajas3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYejcXGqGCo0fs7Ge4k_AaCAnjR4Oz3baGC7Zyhx04ZZqwwNU77QCYHY0V9Lb6xFj-U-J7kDMqi6VauSVMMrDHdg09zgHgL61VUPzGvb_b4kI931Gyp1wrUtTwIhSc-pYdKakq7kwcx8/s320/girirajas3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036853728681480146" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GWa4_NSR2OcGUo946jqt2UFDCTqLYCRGTlYXa5c-QHnFF01HwdEP_AAwPyEb4eR-p3xj3tJQJpbv955iEZ__YLnqE-VL6-SOmJj62i_hcShbocD-Kv-GSgimUx2t5OUJnoACx6qhymo/s1600-h/girirajas3.JPG"><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div></div>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3532688481397450258.post-81122722884637964602007-02-27T11:21:00.000-08:002007-03-02T12:17:54.344-08:00Inaugural post<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAsBUoNZOp0TloDStfb9lyu5BDduwAlT6i3BjlkYXnkCgmGQDJsFke6xQi6gDqy31QL_UfVh8kFa2yXGk3-v4BEX3FV6Dz1TViIW_d_9wNZ0prhfq_SgasFF18HskiGvegawjfVB34is/s1600-h/SP72Hawaii02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAsBUoNZOp0TloDStfb9lyu5BDduwAlT6i3BjlkYXnkCgmGQDJsFke6xQi6gDqy31QL_UfVh8kFa2yXGk3-v4BEX3FV6Dz1TViIW_d_9wNZ0prhfq_SgasFF18HskiGvegawjfVB34is/s320/SP72Hawaii02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036310625771933522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:georgia;">A couple of friends have suggested that I keep a Weblog. I've resisted doing so for years, but I've decided to give it a whirl. I suppose I can use this blog to share some of my explorations of the path of bhakti yoga. Perhaps I'll get a clearer idea of what to do </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">with </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">this as I develop it.<br /><br />I'll take a chance here and begin by sharing some of the poetry I've written over the years. I'll start with a couple of sonnets I wrote several years ago. They are dedicated to the service of my eternal spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.</span><br /><p class="MsoNormal">I’ve turned my back on <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place>, from Him run<br />As fast and far as I could ever go.<br />I’ve been stuck tight in Kali, my head spun<br />By a drastic case of karmic vertigo.<br />Who knows how long I’ve wallowed in this pit?<br />Who cares how many different ways I’ve tried<br />To find some pleasure?<span style=""> </span>Though the signs said, “Quit!”<br />I closed my eyes and courted suicide.<br />Then you, my master, turned me to the light<br />With <i style="">Hari-kirtan</i>, <i style="">Gita</i>, and <i style="">prasad</i>.<br />And now, although I’m clearly neophyte,<br />I try to serve the confidant of God.<br />A child of Kali, saved by Divine Grace,<br />Chants Hare Krishna in the Marketplace.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I wasn’t very steady, but I tried<br />To accept what <st1:place st="on">Krishna</st1:place> wanted—leave the rest.<br />Not convinced yet, not completely purified,<br />I must have really put your mercy to the test.<br />But as I chanted and I read your divine words,<br />I found real life, a spiritual revolution.<br />New desires from deep in my heart stirred;<br />I longed to taste and share the nectar of devotion.<br />A disciple’s life I wanted, nothing more;<br />Your mission became everything to me.<br />And so today I write you to implore<br />That this may be my life eternally.<br />Now your child, begging for Your Divine Grace,<br />Works to spread your teachings in this fallen place.</p>Babhru dashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12394886800750624206noreply@blogger.com0