SEBG SM CH 4 & 5 June2007

Is God Personal or Impersonal?
93
Chapter 4
Is God Personal or
Impersonal?
94 ‘Self Manager’, Course-3
Chapter Contents
Sr. Page
Contents
No. No.
1 Is the Ultimate Truth Personal or Impersonal? 95
2 All Major Religions refer to God as a Person 96

Impersonal Brahmajyoti is Nothing but the Effulgence
3 97
of the Personal God, Shri Krishna
4 Speciality of God’s Form 98
5 The Three Aspects of the Absolute Truth 99
Personal Worship or Impersonal Meditation: Which
6 is Better? 102
The Lord’s Appearance and Activities are Divine 104

Krishna Knows Past, Present and Future; 105
ordinary living entities are prone to
forgetfulness
Krishna And His Body Are Non-different 105
Krishna is Eternally Youthful 106
7 Krishna’s Appearance and an ordinary living
entity’s birth
Krishna’s disappearance and an ordinary 106
living entity’s death
Krishna is not bound by Karma; But a 105
living entity is bound by good and bad karma
8 “As You Surrender, I Reward You Accordingly” 108

The Most Joyful Process for Returning back to
9
Godhead
110
Individual or GD Task:
Learning about the Glory of Bhakti yoga over Dry 111
10 Impersonal Logic
Story: ‘A Dry Logician Impersonalist turns into 111
a flower-like Pure Devotee’
Is God Personal or Impersonal? 95

Is the Ultimate Truth Personal or Impersonal?
Whether God is personal or impersonal has been a subject of raging controversy
throughout the ages. In the points mentioned below we can logically understand what the
ultimate truth is:
1) When all emanations are personal, how can their origin be impersonal? You are a
person, I am a person, even the butterfly is a person. In fact, every living entity is a
person. When all of us are persons, then how can God, the one from whom all of us have
originated, not be a person? Your father is a person, his father is a person, his father is
also a person, then how can the Supreme Father not be a person?
2) Complete whole must include personal and impersonal: By definition, God is
perfect and complete. Being the complete whole, He must contain everything both within
and beyond our experience, otherwise He cannot be complete. Therefore, to be perfect
and complete, God must be both personal and impersonal.
3) Why do some people feel that the Supreme cannot be Personal? When we are all
persons, why should someone consider that the Absolute Truth, in the ultimate sense, is
not a person? Srila Prabhupada mentions the mentality, which leads to this sort of
impersonal conception in the purport of the Bhagavad-gita (4.10). In the materialistic
concept, the body is perishable, full of ignorance and completely miserable. Therefore,
people in general keep this same bodily idea in mind when they are informed of the
personal form of the Lord. Consequently they feel that the Supreme cannot be personal.
But scriptures declare, ‘ishwara parama krishna sac cid ananda vigraha’ - ‘Lord Shri
Krishna is the Supreme controller and He has a body of eternity, knowledge and bliss’.
Thus Lord Krishna’s personal form is made of pure spiritual substance unlike our
material bodies that are made up of bones, flesh, stool, urine, bile and similar substances.
4) Fear of Spiritual Identity: Since in this world all living entities are suffering from
the three-fold miseries and four fold problems – birth, old age, disease and death – some
people become frustrated with problems given by their material bodies, conflicts arising
from material relationships, etc. When they are informed that spiritual life is also
individual and personal, they become afraid of becoming persons again, and so they
naturally prefer a kind of merging into the impersonal void to achieve peace. They do
not know that the spiritual world is centered around the Lord of Love – Shri Krishna –
and all the living beings there are endowed with pure spiritual bodies. The relationships
between them are sweet and free from envy. There every word is a song, every gait is a
dance, unlike the miserable material world that we are living in now.
5) The Lord’s divine body has no veins:

Isopanishad, Mantra 8 speaks about the nature of the
Lord’s body as one free from veins or nerves, one that
is completely pure, unlike a normal material body that
contains foul-smelling substances like stool, urine,
bile, etc: “…asnaviram shuddham apapa viddham…”
Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport as follows:
“… The anatomy of a material body must have a
mechanical construction with veins and so forth, but
the transcendental body of the Supreme Lord has
nothing like veins. It is clearly stated here that He is unembodied, which means that there
is no difference between His body and His soul. Nor is He forced to accept a body
according to the laws of nature, as we are. In materially conditioned life, the soul is
different from the gross embodiment and subtle mind. For the Supreme Lord, however,
there is never any such difference between Him and His body and mind. He is the
Complete Whole, and His mind, body and He Himself are all one and the same….”
All Major Religions Refer to God as a Person
All religions refer to God as a person and not just as a power or a void. For example,
• In the Bible, Ezekiel (1.26) describes God as having “the semblance of a human
form." In Genesis, chapters 18 and 19, it is stated that God appeared before Abraham in a
humanlike form, although the form is not elaborately described. There are also many
other references to the form of God, such as, ‘under His feet’ (Exodus 24:10), ‘the eyes
of the Lord’ (Genesis 38:7), ‘the ears of the Lord’ (Numbers 11:1), ‘inscribed with the
finger of God’ (Exodus 31:18).
• In the Koran too, Allah’s face (‘Wajh’ 55.26-27), Allah’s eyes (‘Aynun’ 11.37), etc.,
are clearly mentioned.
• Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita (13.14):
sarvataù päëi-pädaà tat sarvato 'kñi-çiro-mukham
sarvataù çrutimal loke sarvam ävåtya tiñöhati
“Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes, heads and faces, and He has ears everywhere. In
this way the Supersoul exists, pervading everything.”
How can an impersonal God have feet, finger, hand, eyes, ears, etc?
The Vedic literatures, which predate the Bible as well as the Koran, and which were
written in a highly advanced spiritual culture, also declares God to be a person, but they
go well beyond that; they specifically reveal His form, His features, His pastimes and His
personality. A few quotes from the Vedic scriptures proving the form of God are given
below:
The Rig Veda (1.22.20) states that Vishnu is the Supreme and that saintly persons are
always anxious to see His lotus feet.
The Taitareya Upanishad also states that the cosmic manifestation came about when the
Lord glanced over material nature (1.1.1-2). This is also verified by the Prasna
Upanishad (6.3).
‘om shri krishnaya namah om sac cid ananda rupaya’ - “I invoke Lord Krishna, who
possesses a form that is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss.” (Gopal Tapani Upanishad
1.1, 1.2). Here the word, ‘rupaya’ means ‘form’.
‘isvarah paramah krishnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah, anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-

karanam’ - “Krishna is the supreme controller. He has a form of eternity, knowledge, and
bliss. He is the prime cause of all causes.” (Brahma Samhita 1). Here the word vigraha,
which means ‘form’, is explicitly used.
There are many other similar descriptions about the Lord.
Impersonal Brahmajyoti is nothing but

the Effulgence of the Personal God, Shri Krishna
The jnanis, or monists, often cite verses from the Upanishads to support the impersonal
viewpoint. But in Isopanishad we find:
hiranmayena patrena satyasyapihitam mukham

tat tvam pushann apavrunu satya dharmaya dhrishtaye
“O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling
effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee.”
[Ishopanishad, Text 15]
2) That the brahmajyoti is Krishna’s effulgence is confirmed by Lord Shri Krishna

Himself in the Bhagavad-gita (14.27): ‘brahmano hi pratishta aham’ - ‘I am the support
of the impersonal Brahman’.
3) The Brahma-samhita (5.40) confirms the same truth as follows:

yasya prabhä-prabhavato jagad anda koti
kotish vashesha vasudhadi vibhüti-bhinnam
tad brahma nishkalam anantam ashesha
govindam ädi-purusham tam aham bhajami
“In the millions and millions of universes there are innumerable planets, and each and
every one of them is different from the others by its cosmic constitution. All of these
planets are situated in a corner of the brahmajyoti. This brahmajyoti is but the personal
rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, whom I worship.” This mantra
from the Brahma-samhita is spoken from the platform of factual realization of the
Absolute Truth by the first created living being, Lord Brahma.
Speciality of God’s Form
The Vedic literatures thus clearly declare that God has an all-beautiful form, a spiritual
form, which is made up of one pure spiritual substance
– sac-cid-ananda. There is a clear cut difference
between God and the souls. In case of God, Krishna
and His body are non-different. In our case, we are
pure spirit souls, but covered by a material body,
similar to a man wearing a shirt. Thus our soul is
different from our material body. Our material body is
a bundle of bones, flesh, nerves and different
mechanisms, along with abominable substances like
stool, mucus, etc., all packed up together with a nice
looking skin that makes us forget the temporary
perishable nature of the material body. Opposed to
this, the Lord’s body is eternal, spiritual in nature and
has real everlasting beauty. To help us understand how
His form is divine and completely different from ours,
the Lord perfomed a wonderful pastime.
O nce, when Lord Krishna was still a child, His mother, Yashodamai, looked into His mouth to
see if He had eaten mud. What would one expect to see in the mouth of an ordinary mortal?
The oral cavity with teeth, tongue and palate—nothing special. Yet when she looked into
the mouth of the Lord, she saw the entire universe in His mouth – all the directions, the
mountains, the islands, oceans, seas, planets, air, fire, moon and stars. In this universe she also
saw herself - looking into Krishna's mouth. This pastime illustrates that although Krishna appeared
to be just like an ordinary child standing in front of His mother, He simultaneously contained the
entire universe within Himself.
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, to make the subject free from
all ambiguity, would always refer to the Absolute Truth, not just as God but as “The
Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (This is the English equivalent of the Sanskrit word
Bhagavan, which refers to the ultimate aspect of the Absolute Truth.) When the Lord is
addressed as, “The Supreme Personality of Godhead”, it is clearly understood that He has
a form and a personality, and the word Godhead signifies that He is supreme God.
The Three Aspects of the Absolute Truth
According to the Shrimad Bhagavatam (1.2.11), the Absolute Truth is
realized in three phases: Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan: ‘vadanti
tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti shabdyate’.
“The Absolute Truth is realized in three phases of understanding by

the knower of the Absolute Truth, and all of them are identical. Such
phases of the Absolute Truth are expressed as Brahman, Paramatma,
and Bhagavan."
BRAHMAN (The impersonal effulgence aspired to by jnanis) means spirit, the greatest,
supreme, Krishna’s all-pervading energy. This impersonal effulgence that emanates from
Krishna’s body is the aspiration of Brahmavadis. While Brahman is spiritual in nature,
there is no variety in Brahman. Brahman effulgence is not a permanent destination for
the soul; the soul needs variety of spiritual engagements, and that is available only in the
Vaikuntha planets or Goloka Vrindavan.
PARAMATMA (The Supersoul aspired to by Yogis) is an

expansion of Lord Krishna, as the fourhanded form of Vishnu (known
as Ksirodakashayi Vishnu, or one who lies in the ocean of milk in the
Shwetadwipa planet above Brahmaloka). He is present in every atom,
in the space between the atoms, as well as in the hearts of all living
beings. He escorts the living entity from one body to another in the
material world. In the Mundaka Upanishad the soul and Supersoul are
compared to two birds sitting on the branches of a tree. The soul is
compared to the fruit eating bird, which enjoys and suffers the
resultant reactions to his karma. The Supersoul is compared to the
silent bird, which patiently waits for the soul to turn to him, so that He
may provide him information on how to return back to Godhead. The
Supersoul is the giver of remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness to
the soul. He is the overseer, proprietor, sanctioner, and maintainer of
the soul. The yogis or the meditators perceive this Paramatma feature
of the Absolute Truth. Dhruva Maharaja and Narada (in his previous
lifetime as the son of a maid), achieved the darshan of the

Paramatma. The destination of such yogis who meditate on the
Paramatma is the Vaikuntha planets (if they understand that the
Paramatma is a person), or Brahmajyoti (if they think that the
Paramatma is impersonal).
BHAGAVAN (The Supreme Personality of Godhead aspired to

by Bhaktas) is the ultimate realization of the Absolute Truth
and is the last word in transcendence. This Bhagavan aspect is
the all-glorious, all-beautiful, three-fold bending form of Lord
Shri Krishna holding a flute in His hands. Realization of this
Bhagavan feature automatically includes the realization of the
Brahman and Paramatma features. The worshippers of Lord
Vishnu or Lord Rama attain Vaikuntha planets, and the
worshippers of Shri Krishna attain Goloka Vrindavan, where
they eternally serve the Lord of their hearts.
Illustration of a Distant Mountain…

Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are not
different. They are simply different aspects of the complete Godhead.
“Looking at a mountain from a distance, we may see a hazy cloud, and if we come nearer, we
may see something green. If we actually climb the mountain, we will find many houses, trees
and animals. Our vision is of the same mountain, but due to our different positions we see
haze, greenery or variegatedness. In the final stage, there are varieties—trees, animals, men,
houses, and so on….” [Srila Prabhupada in Teachings of Lord Kapila, Chap. 5]
Brahman and Paramatma Realization is incomplete realization:

In the purport to the Isopanishad invocation mantra, Srila Prabhupada explains, “ The
Supreme Personality of Godhead is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]. Realization of
impersonal Brahman is realization of His sat feature, or His aspect of eternity, and
Paramatma realization is realization of His sat and cit features, His aspects of eternity and
knowledge. But realization of the Personality of Godhead is realization of all the
transcendental features—sat, cit and ananda. When one realizes the Supreme Person, he
realizes these aspects of the Absolute Truth in their completeness. Vigraha means
"form"……….”
Illustration of a Train…
Once a railway line was laid for the first time in a village. When a train was about to
come for the first time, hundreds of villagers gathered. When the train appeared in the
distance, one man saw the smoke emanating from the engine at a kilometer’s distance
and ran into the village and shouted, “I have seen the train; it is simply a big smoke”. A
second man waited longer and observed a bright light coming towards the platform. He
ran into the village and proclaimed, “I know what a train is all about. It is just a big
bright light. That’s all.” A third man waited longer for the train to arrive at the station.
When the train arrived and stopped, he met the driver, who came out from the
locomotive. A fourth man, who waited till the end, understood that not only was there a
driver, but there were hundreds and thousands of passengers sitting in the bogies
connected to the locomotive. Now the fourth man could give a complete picture of what
a train was all about.
Similarly, a materialist thinks that there is nothing beyond this smoke-like material world.
Their philosophy of life is to eat, drink and be merry. The impersonalist knows half the
truth about God; he thinks God is a big bright impersonal light. The yogi thinks God is
the greatest personality behind the cosmic machinery of this universe. The bhakta knows
the complete picture – God and His energies, the material and spiritual, and the sweet
loving relationships between the Lord and His part-and-parcel living entities.
Illustration of a Prime Minister and citizens…

Consider the example of a Prime Minister of the country.
A police constable works under the police department,
which is one of the energies of the Prime Minister. That is
the way he is related to the Prime Minister.
A citizen may know that the government runs the affairs of

the country, but does not have a direct relation with the
Prime Minister.
A Member of Parliament can see the Prime Minister face to face, but has a relation in the
mood of awe and veneration.
But a son, wife, or mother of the Prime Minister has the

most intimate relation with the Prime Minister. They are so
intimately related to him, that they do not even see him as a
Prime Minister but as a very near and dear lovable object.
They know his likes and dislikes, interests and concerns,
moods and mission, etc.
In the same way, there are many worshippers of various demigods, who are incharge of
various departmental affairs within the universe, like Brahma, Shiva, Karthikeya, Indra,
Varuna, etc. They are very indirectly related with the Lord. Then there are the Karma
yogis who offer the fruits of their work to the Supreme government.
The jnana yogis are attached to the impersonal aspect of the

Lord and have no information of the Lord’s personal
nature, qualities and attributes. They are like a man under
the government of a country; he does not know that behind
the government there is a Prime Minister who runs the
government. Similarly behind the impersonal Brahman,
Lord Krishna says that He is the ultimate support [BG
14.27].
The Ashtanga yogis may be attracted to impersonal

Brahman or to the personal form of Vishnu seated in the
heart of everyone as the Paramatma. If an Ashtanga yogi’s
meditation intensifies he can see Lord Vishnu face to face
in a neutral relationship of awe and veneration, and attain the Vaikuntha planets. But
only a Bhakti yogi is like a near and dear relative of Lord Shri Krishna, Bhagavan, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus a Bhakti yogi only can know the desires and
interests of the Lord and serve Him personally.
Personal Worship or Impersonal Meditation: Which is Better?
Many people imagine different forms of impersonal meditation, without endeavoring to

learn the science of God in disciplic succession. It is worth knowing what Lord Krishna
spoke to Arjuna about this :
Personal worship is best; Impersonal worship is troublesome
Arjuna inquired: Which are considered to be more perfect, those who are always properly
engaged in Your devotional service or those who worship the impersonal Brahman, the
unmanifested? [BG 12.1]
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Those who fix their minds on My personal
form and are always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith are
considered by Me to be most perfect. [BG 12.2]
For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the
Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline is always
difficult for those who are embodied. [BG 12.5]
The soul can never lose his individuality by merging in Brahman.

A green parrot enters a green tree; but his individuality is not destroyed.
The impersonalists (jnanis) perform severe penance to meditate on the impersonal
Brahman and achieve a state of peace there. After a great struggle, they may attain the
brahmajyoti with the desire to merge and become one with the Brahman. But every
minute soul has an identity that cannot be destroyed. Even when the soul remains within
the brahmajyoti, his situation is like that of a parrot that has entered a tree. The parrot is
green, the tree is green and so it may seem homogenous. Because the parrot has the same
color as the tree, it may appear to have merged into the tree. Still the parrot has its
individuality. Similarly the living entity has his individuality, even after entering into the
brahmajyoti.
The soul cannot remain inactive; in search of activity the soul falls back from Brahman
Imagine yourself locked up in a room alone. Even if food is supplied in time, who can
remain alone in a room year after year? We cannot remain alone forever. Eventually we
will leave that room and look for some association. It is our nature to want some
recreation with others.
The impersonalists, dissatisfied with the loneliness of their position in the impersonal
effulgence of the Lord, therefore return again to this material world. This is stated in the
Shrimad Bhagavatam [10.2.32]:
ye 'nye 'ravindaksa vimukta-maninas
tvayy asta-bhavad avishuddha-buddhayah
aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah
patanty adho 'nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah
"O lotus-eyed Lord, although nondevotees who accept severe austerities and penances to
achieve the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure.
They fall down from their position of imagined superiority because they have no regard
for Your lotus feet."
The impersonalists are like astronauts in search of a planet. If

they cannot rest in some planet, they have to return to earth. Do
you remember some decades ago a ‘skylab’ rocket, not able to
attain any planet, fell back to earth? The impersonalist attains
Brahman where there is only ‘peace’ but no activity.
Therefore, as long as we are on this earth, we should practice to

love and serve Krishna, the Supreme Lord; then we can enter
His spiritual planet to join His eternal service. If we are not
trained up in this way, we can enter the brahmajyoti as an
impersonalist, but there is every risk that we will again fall down
into material existence, and again engage in some mundane social welfare activities of
opening hospitals, schools, dharmashalas, etc.
Love or Peace: which is superior?
The impersonalist aspires to merge into Brahman to achieve peace – ‘om shanti shanti
shantih’. The bhakta aspires to enter into the spiritual planets to engage in personal
loving devotional service to the Lord. It is easy to understand which of the two is
superior – peace or love.
Imagine a husband and wife who had a terrible fight and so decided to live in two
separate rooms of the house. Initially there is a relief. Each of them feels, “Thank God.
No more anxiety or quarrel. Now I am peaceful.” But after a day or two, life becomes
boring. They cannot keep quiet like a dumb person. They hanker to be united again;
they desire to develop loving relationships again. When they give up the quarreling
mentality and agree to cooperate with one another, then the loving relationship is
established again. Nobody will want to stay alone in a room even if food is supplied in
time and all other facilities are provided.
Similarly, God and the living being have a loving relationship. God is the master, like
the husband. The living entity is the servant, like the wife. If the living entity gives up
the Lord and goes to Brahman to stay alone and be in peace, he cannot be situated there
for a long time. In want of a loving relationship he will fall back into the material world.
But those who enter into the spiritual planets and get connected with the Lord in a loving
relationship in one of the five mellows – shanta (neutral), dasya (servitorship), sakhya
(friendship), vatsalya (parental) or madhurya (conjugal) -- will never fall back to the
material world.
Thus love is superior to peace. In fact, peace is a subset of love.
Hence the bhakta attains the highest destination – the spiritual world, where he serves the
Lord in various ways in a particular relationship. Therefore, by pleasing the Supreme
Lord one automatically becomes situated in eternal bliss.
The Lord’s Appearance and Activities are Divine

In understanding that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
one may wonder, “If Krishna is God, how does He take birth into the
material world and behave like an ordinary child?” However even
when He descends into this material world, His appearance and
activities are divine, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (4.9):
janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah

tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so ‘rjuna
“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not,
upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal
abode, O Arjuna."
That the appearance and activities of Krishna are transcendental can be understood from
His following superhuman attributes.
1. Krishna Knows Past, Present and Future; ordinary living entities are prone to
forgetfulness
In the Bhagavad-gita (4.4), Arjuna asks Krishna how He could have instructed Vivasvan,
who was apparently millions of years senior to Him by birth. Krishna explains in the
Bhagavad-gita (4.5) that, although both He and Arjuna have passed many “births”, the
difference is that Krishna can remember all of them, whereas Arjuna and other ordinary
living entities cannot. Why is it so? Because Krishna is God, Arjuna is an ordinary living
entity.
If a common man is asked what vegetable he ate just a week ago on Tuesday afternoon, it
would be very difficult for him to answer immediately. He would surely have to dredge
his memory to recall. We are subjected to forgetfulness because we change bodies one
after another, but the Lord does not change bodies.
2. Krishna And His Body Are Non-different

We are offered material bodies one after another and we are born into this world impelled
by our good and bad karma. But as far as Lord Krishna is concerned, He comes to
this material world in His self-same sac-cid-ananda body out of His own sweet will.
So Krishna and His body are non-different.
The Lord explains this fact in Bhagavad-gita (4.6): “Although I am unborn and My
transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all sentient beings,
I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.”
3. Krishna is Eternally Youthful

Whenever Lord Krishna descends into this material world, despite the fact that He grows
from childhood to boyhood and from boyhood to youth, astonishingly enough He never
ages beyond youth. At the time of the Battle of Kurukshetra, He had many grandchildren
at home; or in other words, He had sufficiently aged by material calculations. Still He
looked just like a young man twenty or twenty five years old. We never see a picture of
Krishna in old age because He never grows old like us, although He is the oldest person
in the whole creation – past, present, and future. Neither Krishna's body nor His
intelligence ever deteriorates or changes.
That Krishna is eternally youthful is confirmed by Lord Brahma in the Brahma-Samhita

(5.33): adyam purana purusam nava yauvanam ca: “Although Lord Krishna is the
original person, the oldest, still He is always a fresh youth.”
4. Krishna’s Appearance and an ordinary living entity’s birth
Srila Prabhupada writes about Lord Krishna’s appearance as

follows: “…Lord Krishna first of all situated Himself in the
unalloyed heart of Vasudeva and was then transferred to the heart of
Devaki. He was not put into the womb of Devaki by seminal discharge.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His inconceivable potency,
can appear in any way. It is not necessary for Him to appear in the
ordinary way, by seminal injection within the womb of a woman…”
[Krishna Book Chap. 2]
When Lord Krishna was born, He appeared as a baby with four

hands, holding conchshell, club, disc, and lotus flower,
decorated with the mark of Shrivatsa, wearing the jeweled
necklace of Kaustubha stone, dressed in yellow silk, dazzling
like a bright blackish cloud, wearing a helmet bedecked with the Vaidurya stone,
valuable bracelets, earrings and similar other ornaments all over His body and an
abundance of hair on His head. Due to the extraordinary features of the child, Vasudeva
was struck with wonder. How could a newly born child be so decorated? Such is the
divine nature of the birth of Krishna.
On the other hand, when an ordinary child is born, he is born naked, smeared in amniotic
fluid, stool, urine, crying and in total ignorance, with filthy worms falling out from the
same womb as his brothers. Thus it is clear that the Lord’s advent is not like an ordinary
child’s painful birth.
Therefore the Lord says that anyone who considers Him to be an ordinary man is a fool:
“Fools deride Me when I descend in a human form. They do not know My transcendental
nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be.”(Bhagavad-gita 9.11)
5. Krishna’s disappearance and an ordinary living entity’s death
It is commonly known that a hunter named Jara, mistaking the sole of the Lord's left foot
for a deer, sent an arrow. The common people foolishly think that Krishna was an
ordinary man who was killed by the arrow of a hunter.
According to Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakura, a great saint and scholar, the arrow
merely touched the Lord's lotus foot and did not pierce it, since the Lord's limbs are
composed of eternity, knowledge and bliss. In the verses of Bhagavatam describing this
incident, there is no description of the hunter extracting the arrow from the foot; rather he
falls at the Lord’s feet.
While describing this incident, Shukadeva Goswami asked

Parikshit the following rhetorical question, “Lord Krishna
brought the son of His guru back from the planet of the lord
of death in the boy's self-same body and, as the ultimate
giver of protection, He saved you also when you were
burned by the brahmastra of Ashwattama. He conquered in
battle even Lord Shiva, who deals death to the agents of
death, and He sent the hunter Jara directly to Vaikuntha in
his human body. How could such a personality be unable to
protect His own Self?”
Death is an insignificant expansion of Lord Krishna's

external potency and cannot possibly act upon the Lord
Himself. Those who actually understand the transcendental
nature of Lord Krishna's activities will find convincing evidence in these examples. Lord
Krishna does not die like ordinary mortals; rather He ascends to His own abode after
completing His earthly pastimes as shown in the following verse references.
SB 11.31.6 explains “...adagdhva dham avishat svakam” – “Without employing the

mystic agneya meditation to burn up His transcendental body, which is the all-attractive
resting place of all the worlds and the object of all contemplation and meditation, Lord
Krishna entered into His own abode.”
SB 1.3.43 explains “kåñëe sva-dhämopagate dharma-jïänädibhiù saha...” – “Lord

Krishna ascended to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc.”
Krishna's appearance, activities and disappearance are like the movements of the sun.
When the sun appears in the East, one may think that the sun is born. And when the sun
sets in the West, one may think that the sun is dead. The sun always exists, although we
see it rise and set, appear and disappear, according to our position on the planet.
Similarly, the Lord's pastimes are going on eternally, although we can see them manifest
in this particular universe only at certain intervals. The Lord is always residing in His
supreme abode, Goloka Vrindavana, and by His Supreme will, His activities are also
manifested in innumerable universes.
6. Krishna is not bound by Karma; But a living entity is bound by good and bad
karma
The living beings are of many varieties, such as the demigods, human beings and lower
animals, and all of them are subject to the reactions of their past good or bad activities.
Sometimes foolish people with a poor fund of knowledge think that, just as we enjoy and
suffer, the Lord also has to reap His good and bad karma. Such people falsely conclude
that karma is more powerful than the Lord. Lord Krishna clearly refutes this
misconception in the Bhagavad-gita (4.14): “There is no work that affects Me; nor do I
aspire for the fruits of action.”
All acts of the Lord are called ‘lila’ or ‘pastimes’. A lila is a situation voluntarily
accepted for enjoyment. On the other hand, a living entity cannot call his activities of
birth, old age, disease and death as ‘lila’ because these are situations forcibly imposed for
suffering. A millionaire may sometimes perform a drama taking the role of a beggar to
please his relatives and friends on a vacation; neither is he paid for it nor is he obliged to
do it. He simply does it out of his free will for the pleasure of his relatives. In the same
way Lord Krishna, or Lord Rama, may perform some act that may apparently appear to
be humanlike, but those acts can be understood to be pastimes of the Lord. While the
display of the Lord’s superhuman acts prove His supremacy, his humanlike activities
shows His love for His devotees.
From the evidences discussed in this chapter, we can clearly understand that the
conclusion of all the scriptures is that Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. When one understands this supreme position of Krishna, one can learn to serve
Him with love and devotion. By such devotional service, one can attain krishna-prema,
pure love for Krishna. That is the ultimate perfection of life.
“As You Surrender, I Reward You Accordingly”
Everyone is seeking Krishna, the all attractive, whether they
know it or not. The spirit soul is only a part and parcel, but
Lord Krishna is the Supreme Whole, and is infinitely blissful.
Being a part and parcel of the Supreme, every soul is supposed
to be blissful. Being covered over by material energy, the soul
is hankering to return back to his natural state of being the
servant of the Lord in blissful consciousness.
The materialists struggle for this bliss by manipulating matter in
various ways, but a transcendentalist seeks God on a spiritual
plane. The Jnanis seek Brahman, the Yogis seek Paramatma
and the Bhaktas seek Bhagavan Shri Krishna.
Sometimes people ask, “Can I see God?” One can see God if one can qualify oneself.
Even if one wants to see the Prime Minister of India, one cannot just go and barge into
his room. One needs certain qualifications. One has to first meet the secretary and he
may or may not give an appointment. There is a long string of formalities and ultimately
one may or may not get an opportunity to meet him. It is very difficult to get a personal
audience with the Prime Minister, even for a few minutes. Most of the requests by
people are rejected. But the Prime Minister’s child, or a close relative, can walk into the
Prime Minister’s cabin anytime he likes. He need not even knock on the door. He can
just go and come. Why? Because there is a loving relationship.
Krishna is the master, but who can control Krishna? His devotee. Krishna is the supreme
controller, but He is controlled by the devotee. Krishna is called ‘bhakta vatsala’. Once
somebody had come to see the Prime Minister Gladstone. And Mr. Gladstone informed,
“Wait, I am busy.” So he was waiting for hours. Then he became inquisitive, “What is
this gentleman doing?” So he peeped through the door and saw an amazing sight. The
Prime Minister, who is controlling the British Empire, had become a horse and taking his
child on his back, was offering him a joyride. This is called affection.
The question is, do you have that loving relationship by which you can see God? So the
key factor is that the qualification for seeing God is to develop that loving relationship.
That is why the Lord says, “ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamyaham”
[BG 4.11]: “You have to qualify yourself to see Me. According to your level of
qualification I will reveal myself to you.” This is a formula of reciprocation between two
people. Relationships can take place between people. It cannot take place between two
inanimate objects or impersonal objects. So Lord Krishna says that He will reveal
Himself to you to the degree of your surrender. The more you develop a personal
relationship with the Lord, the more He will reciprocate love.
The Bhakta is the highest transcendentalist who has understood the Lord in toto,
completely. Otherwise all the others like Karma yogis, Jnana yogis, Ashtanga yogis,
simply understand the Lord in various parts. It is just like the story of six blind men who
were trying to describe the elephant. Thus Lord Krishna says, “If you want to see Me as
impersonal, I will give you the intelligence to achieve that realization. If you want to see
Me as Paramatma situated in the heart of all living beings, I will give you that
understanding. If you want to see Me as Krishna, Rasaraj, who is a loving person
reciprocating rasas with My devotees, then I will reciprocate with you in that way.” This
is the meaning of ‘as you surrender to Me, I reward you accordingly’ [BG 4.11].
The Most Joyful Process For Returning Back to Godhead
Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared 500 years ago on this earth planet as the Kali
Yuga Avatar, specifically for the purpose of preaching Krishna-Bhakti, love of Krishna
through congregational chanting of the Holy Names: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
As per the scriptural authorities (SB 11.5.32, Vishnu sahasra nam, Caitanyopanishad
from Atharva Veda), He is Lord Krishna Himself teaching the living entities the proper
way to approach Krishna. He is like a teacher who, seeing a student doing poorly, takes
up a pencil and writes, saying, “Do it like this: A, B, C”. By this, one must not foolishly
think that the teacher is learning his ABCs. Although He appears in the guise of a
devotee, one should always remember that Lord Chaitanya is Krishna (God) Himself
teaching us how to become Krishna conscious.
Still, even if we grant that Lord Chaitanya is

Krishna, we may ask, “Why did Lord Krishna
appear in this form?” The answer is that Lord
Krishna in His form of Lord Chaitanya most
generously distributes love of God to the fallen
people of the age of Kali. When Lord Krishna
appeared on earth five thousands years ago, He
blessed the world with His loving pastimes in
Vrindavana and with His teachings in the
Bhagavad-gita. But with the passage of time, it
became more and more difficult for people to
fully appreciate and take advantage of that
blessing. The present age, the age of Kali, is
characterized by the deterioration of spiritual
values and understanding. In the course of time,
therefore, people became confused about Lord
Krishna’s teachings in the Gita. Also, the
unfortunate people of this age are unable to practice austerities for self-purification in
spiritual life. To rescue these fallen souls, therefore, Lord Krishna has again appeared,
but this time as His own pure devotee, Lord Chaitanya.
The chanting of the holy names of God as delivered by Lord Chaitanya is not only an
easy practice, but it is also the topmost method for achieving spiritual perfection. No one
but the Supreme Lord Himself could distribute the highest form of devotional service,
and thus Lord Krishna Himself appeared as a devotee. That is Lord Chaitanya.
Lord Chaitanya is Lord Krishna in His most merciful feature. Therefore, even if one
doesn’t understand Lord Chaitanya’s identity as the Supreme Lord, but accepts Him as a
saintly person or as a social reformer and philosopher, one can still derive the highest
benefit by chanting the names of God. Without knowing anything at all about Lord
Chaitanya, people throughout the world have enthusiastically participated in Lord
Chaitanya’s sankirtana movement of chanting, dancing and partaking of spiritual food
(prasadam). Through the growing Hare Krishna movement, Lord Chaitanya’s prediction
that His name would be chanted in every town and village of the world is quickly coming
to pass, and people all over the world are coming to know the holy name of Krishna.
Chanting, Dancing, Feasting and Fasting, the devotees of the Lord blissfully prepare their
way back home, back to Godhead. Hare Krishna.
Learning about the Glory of Bhakti yoga over Dry Impersonal Logic
If you are in a classroom, then your teacher will make groups of 4 or 5 students; if you
are reading this book alone, you can do it as an individual task. The story given below
illustrates how a great impersonalist scholar and logician, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya,
the spiritual master for the royal order, turned into a humble, mild, flower-like devotee
by the mercy of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The conversations between them are only
partially presented here. A detailed version can be read from Chaitanya Charitamrita or
‘Teachings of Lord Chaitanya’ by Srila Prabhupada. Read the story carefully. Each
member of your group can read one title given below. Discuss the answers for the
questions inserted in between the story amongst yourselves and answer the questions on
a separate sheet. Submit your answers along with the EBG Quiz answers. Remember to
mention on the top of your sheet ‘Lesson 15 : Is God Personal or Impersonal?, Individual
or Group Task’ along with your name or name of group members.
A Dry Logician Impersonalist turns into

a flower-like Pure Devotee
The real and obscured meaning of Vedanta

When Lord Chaitanya met Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya at Jagannatha Puri, Bhattacharya, being the greatest
logician of the day, also wanted to teach the Lord Vedanta. Since Bhattacharya was an elderly man, the age
of Lord Chaitanya's father, he took compassion on the young sannyasi and requested Him to learn Vedanta-
sutra from him. Otherwise, Bhattacharya maintained, it would be difficult for Lord Chaitanya to continue as
a sannyasi. When the Lord finally agreed, Bhattacharya began to teach Him in the temple of Jagannatha.
Bhattacharya lectured on the Vedanta-sutra continuously for seven days, and the Lord heard him without
speaking a word.
On the eighth day, Bhattacharya said: "You have been hearing Vedanta-sutra from me for the past week, but
You have not asked any questions, nor have You indicated that I am explaining it nicely. Therefore I cannot
tell whether You are understanding me or not."
"I am a fool," the Lord replied. "I have no capacity to study Vedanta-sutra, but since you asked Me to hear
you, I am trying to listen. I am simply listening to you because you said that it is the duty of every sannyasi
to hear Vedanta-sutra. But as far as the meaning you are conveying is concerned—I cannot understand
that." Thus the Lord indicated that in the Mayavadi sampradaya there are many so-called sannyasés who,
even though illiterate and unintelligent, hear Vedanta-sutra from their spiritual master just as a matter of
formality. Although they listen, they do not understand anything. As far as Lord Chaitanya was concerned,
He said that He did not understand the explanation of Bhattacharya not because it was too difficult for His
understanding, but because He did not approve of the Mayavadi interpretation.
When the Lord said that He was an uneducated fool and could not follow the expositions, Bhattacharya
replied: "If You do not follow what I am saying, why don't You inquire? Why do You simply sit silently? It
appears that You do have something to say about my explanations."
"My dear sir," the Lord replied. "As far as the Vedanta-sutra, or the codes of Vedanta are concerned, I can
understand the meaning quite well. However, I cannot understand your explanations. There is nothing really
difficult about the meaning of the original Vedanta-sutra, but the way you explain Vedanta-sutra appears to
obscure the real meaning. You do not elucidate the direct meaning but imagine something and consequently
obscure the true meaning. I think that you have a particular doctrine which you are trying to expound
through the codes of Vedanta-sutra."
Lord Chaitanya protested against misinterpretations of the Upanisads, and He rejected any explanation,
which did not give the direct meaning of the Upanisads. The direct interpretation is called abhidha-vritti,
whereas the indirect interpretation is called laksana-vritti. The indirect interpretation serves no purpose.
There are four kinds of understanding, called: (1) direct understanding (pratyaksa), (2) hypothetical
understanding (anumana), (3) historical understanding (aitihya) and (4) understanding through sound
(sabda). Of these four, understanding from the Vedic scriptures (which are the sound representations of the
Absolute Truth) is the best method. The traditional Vedic students accept understanding through sound to
be the best.
Q1 : Why did Lord Chaitanya say that He did not understand the explanation of Bhattacarya?
Q2 : Why did Bhattacarya want to teach Vedanta to Lord Chaitanya?
Q3 : What did Lord Chaitanya say about Bhattacarya’s explanations in connection to Vedanta?
Q4 : What did Lord Chaitanya protest against?
Q5 : What are the ways to understand the Truth and which of them is best?
The Absolute Truth is without a material form
Lord Chaitanya then said that all the Vedic statements of the Upanisads aim at the ultimate truth known as
Brahman. The word Brahman means "the greatest," and when we speak of the greatest we immediately
refer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all emanations. Unless the greatest possesses
six opulences in full, he cannot be called the greatest. The greatest, who is full in six opulences, is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, the Supreme Brahman is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead as well. In Bhagavad-gita (10.12) Krishna is accepted by Arjuna as the Supreme Brahman (param
brahma). The conceptions of the impersonal Brahman and the localized Supersoul are contained within the
understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Whenever we speak of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we add the word Sré, indicating that He is full
with six opulences. In other words, He is eternally a person; if He were not a person, the six opulences
could not be present in fullness. If we say that the Supreme Absolute Truth is impersonal, we mean that His
personality is not material. Thus in order to distinguish His transcendental body from ordinary material
bodies, some philosophers have explained Him as being impersonal from the material point of view. In
other words, material personality is denied, and spiritual personality is established. In the Shwetasvetara
Upanisad (3.19) it is clearly explained that the Absolute Truth has no material legs and hands, but in that
scripture it is indicated that He has spiritual hands by which He accepts everything offered to Him. Similarly,
He has no material eyes, but He does have spiritual eyes by which He can see everything and anything.
Although He has no material ears, He can hear everything and anything. Having perfect senses, He knows
past, future and present. Indeed, He knows everything, but no one can understand Him, for by material
senses He cannot be understood. Being the origin of all emanations, He is the supreme, the greatest, the
Personality of Godhead.
Q6 : What is the meaning of the word, ‘Brahman’?

Q7 : What is the prerequisite to call someone the ‘greatest’ or ‘God’?
Q8 : Why is the Absolute Truth described as impersonal by some philosophers?
Q9 : What does Shwetasvetara Upanishad speak about the Absolute Truth in essence?
Q10: Why can no one understand God by his endeavors?
The beauty that is hidden behind the impersonal effulgence
There are many similar Vedic hymns, which definitely establish that the Supreme Absolute Truth is a person
who is not of this material world. For instance, in the Hayasérsa-pancaratra, it is explained that although in
each and every Upanisad the Supreme Brahman is first viewed as impersonal, at the end the personal form
of the Supreme Lord is accepted. A similar verse occurs in Sri Isopanisad:
hiraëmayena pätreëa satyasyäpihitaà mukham
tat tvaà püñann apävåëu satya-dharmäya dåñöaye
"O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Please remove
that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee." (Text 15)
This verse indicates that everyone should engage in devotional service to the Supreme Lord, who is the
maintainer of this whole universe. Everyone is sustained by His mercy; therefore devotional service unto
Him constitutes the true religion. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the eternal form of sac-cid-
ananda, and His effulgence is spread throughout the creation, just as sunshine is spread throughout the
solar system. And just as the sun disc is covered by the glaring effulgence of the sunshine, the
transcendental form of the Lord is covered by the glaring effulgence called brahmajyoti. Indeed, in this
verse it is clearly stated that the eternal, blissful, cognizant form of the Supreme Lord is to be found within
the glaring effulgence of the brahmajyoti, which emanates from the body of the Supreme Lord. Thus the
personal body of the Lord is the source of the brahmajyoti, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (Bg. 14.27). That
the impersonal Brahman is dependent on the Supreme Personality is stated in the Hayasérsa-pancaratra
and in every other Upanisad or Vedic scripture. Indeed, whenever there is talk of the impersonal Brahman
in the beginning, the Supreme Personality is finally established at the end. Just as Isopanisad indicates, the
Supreme Absolute Truth is both impersonal and personal eternally, but His personal aspect is more
important than the impersonal one.
Q11 : Explain with an example the relationship between the Supreme Lord and His effulgence.
Q12 : How would you establish that the impersonal Brahman is dependent on the Supreme Personality of
Godhead?
Eko bahunam, The One and the many
As also confirmed in the Aitareya Upanisad (1.1), sa aiksata: "The Lord glanced at material nature." The
cosmic manifestation did not exist before His glance; therefore His glance is not materially contaminated.
His seeing power existed before the material creation; therefore His body is not material. His thinking,
feeling and acting are all transcendental. In other words, it should be concluded that the mind by which the
Lord thinks, feels and wills is transcendental, and the eyes by which He glances over material nature are
also transcendental. Since His transcendental body and all His senses existed before the material creation,
the Lord also has a transcendental mind and transcendental thinking, feeling and willing. This is the
conclusion of all Vedic literature.
In the Mundaka Upanisad it is stated that there are two birds sitting on the same tree, and one of these
birds is eating the fruit of this tree while the other bird is simply witnessing his activities. Only when the
bird eating the fruit looks at the other bird does he become free from all anxieties. This is the position of the
infinitesimal living entity. As long as he is forgetful of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who witnesses
all his activities, he is subjected to the threefold miseries. But when he looks to the Supreme Lord and
becomes the Supreme Lord's devotee, he becomes free from all anxieties and material miseries. The living
entity is eternally subordinate to the Supreme Lord; the Supreme Lord is always the master of all energies,
whereas the living entity is always under the domination of the Lord's energies. Although qualitatively one
with the Supreme Lord, the living entity has the tendency to lord it over material nature; however, being
infinitesimal, he is actually controlled by material nature.
Because the living entity tends to be controlled by material nature, he cannot at any stage become one with
the Supreme Lord. If a living entity were equal to the Supreme Lord, there would be no possibility of his
being controlled by material energy. In Bhagavad-gita the living entity is described as one of the energies of
the Supreme Lord. Although inseparable from the energetic, energy is still energy, and it cannot be equal
with the energetic. In other words, the living entity is simultaneously one and different from the Supreme
Lord.
Q13 : What is the conclusion of Vedic literature about the Lord’s mind and form?
Q14 : How long the soul is subjected to the threefold miseries?
Q15 : What is the difference between the Lord and the living entity?
Q16 : How can you prove that the living entity is not equal to the Supreme Lord?
Q17 : What is the relationship between energy and energetic?
Q18 : In what way is the living entity one with or different from the Supreme Lord?
The Liberated position – senseless eternity or sweet spiritual activity?

For the impersonalist and voidist philosophers, the next world is a world of senseless eternity and bliss. The
voidist philosophers want to establish that ultimately everything is senseless, and the impersonalists want
to establish that in the next world there is simply knowledge devoid of activity. Thus less intelligent
salvationists try to carry imperfect knowledge into the sphere of perfect spiritual activity. Because the
impersonalist experiences material activity as miserable, he wants to establish spiritual life without activity.
He has no understanding of the activities of devotional service. Indeed, spiritual activity in devotional
service is unintelligible to the voidist philosophers and impersonalists. The Vaisnava philosophers know
perfectly well that the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can never be impersonal or
void because He possesses innumerable potencies. Through His innumerable energies, He can present
Himself in multiple forms and still remain the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus despite
expanding Himself in multiple forms and diffusing His innumerable energies, He can maintain His
transcendental position.
Thus Lord Chaitanya exposed many defects in the Mayavadi philosophy, and although Bhattacharya tried to
establish himself by logic and word jugglery, Lord Chaitanya was able to maintain Himself from his attacks.
The Lord established that Vedic literature is meant for three things: understanding our relationship with the
Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead, acting according to that understanding, and achieving the
highest perfection of life, love of Godhead. Anyone who tries to prove that the Vedic literatures aim at
anything else is of necessity a victim of his own imagination.
The Lord then quoted some verses from the Puranas by which He established that Sankaracharya was
deputed to teach by the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He quoted a verse from the Padma
Purana (62.31) in which it is stated that the Lord ordered Mahadeva, Lord Siva, to present some imaginary
interpretations of Vedic literatures in order to divert people from the actual purpose of the Vedas. "By doing
so you will attempt to make them atheists," the Lord said. "After that, they can produce more population." It
is also stated in Padma Purana (25.9) that Lord Siva explained to his wife, Parvati, that in the age of Kali he
would come in the form of a brahmana to preach an imperfect interpretation of the Vedas, known as
Mäyävädism, which in actuality is but a second edition of atheistic Buddhist philosophy.
Bhattacharya was overwhelmed by these explanations of Lord Chaitanya. After hearing Mayavada
philosophy explained by Lord Chaitanya, he could not speak. After he remained silent for some time, Lord
Chaitanya asked him, "My dear Bhattacharya, don't be confused by this explanation. Please take it from Me
that the devotional service of the Supreme Lord is the highest perfectional stage of human understanding.
Indeed, it is so attractive that even those who are already liberated become devotees by the inconceivable
potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." There are many such conversions in Vedic literature. For
instance, in Shrimad Bhagavatam (1.7.10) the famous atmarama verse is especially meant for those who
are attracted to self-realization and liberated from all material attachments. Such liberated impersonalists
become attracted to devotional service by the various activities of Lord Krishna. Such are the
transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Q19 : What do the voidists and impersonalists want to establish about the next world?
Q20 : Why is an impersonalist interested in establishing spiritual life as one without any activity?
Q21 : How do Vaishnava philosophers establish the fact that the Supreme Lord is never impersonal or
void?
Q22 : What three things did Lord Chaitanya mention as the purpose of all Vedic literature?
Q23 : Why did Lord Shiva come as Shankara to preach Mayavada?

Q24 : What is the relationship between Buddhism and Mayavada?
Q25 :How did Lord Chaitanya establish the superiority of devotional service over the liberation of
impersonalists?
The heart transformation of Bhattacarya

Bhattacharya then asked Lord Chaitanya to explain the famous Atmarama verse, for he desired to
hear it from the Lord Himself. Lord Chaitanya replied that first of all Bhattacharya should explain
the verse according to his own understanding, and then Lord Chaitanya would explain it.
Bhattacharya then began to explain the Atmarama verse, using his methods of logic and grammar.
Thus he explained the Atmarama verse in nine different ways. The Lord appreciated his erudite
scholarship in explaining the verse and said: "My dear Bhattacharya, I know that you are a
representative of the learned scholar Brihaspati and can explain any portion of the sastras nicely.
Yet your explanation is more or less based on academic education only. Aside from this academic
scholarly approach, there is another explanation."
Then, at the request of Bhattacharya, Lord Chaitanya explained the Atmarama verse. The words of the
verse were analyzed thus: (1) atmaramah, (2) ca, (3) munayah, (4) nirgranthah, (5) api, (6) urukrame, (7)
kurvanti, (8) ahaitukém, (9) bhaktim, (10) ittham-bhuta-gunah, (11) harih. Lord Chaitanya did not mention the
nine different explanations of Bhattacharya, but He did explain the verse by analyzing these eleven words.
In this way, He expounded sixty-one different explanations of the verse.
In summary He said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is full of innumerable potencies; no one can
estimate how many transcendental qualities He possesses. His qualities are always inconceivable, and all
processes of self-realization inquire into the potencies, energies and qualities of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. However, the devotees of the Lord immediately accept the inconceivable position of the Lord. Lord
Chaitanya explained that even great liberated souls like the Kumaras and Sukadeva Gosvami were also
attracted to the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Lord.
Bhattacharya appreciated Lord Chaitanya's explanation, and he concluded that Lord Chaitanya was none
other than Krishna Himself. Bhattacharya then began to deprecate his own position, relating that he had at
first considered Lord Chaitanya to be an ordinary human being and therefore committed an offense. He then
fell down at the lotus feet of Lord Chaitanya, deprecating himself, and requested the Lord to show His
causeless mercy upon him. Lord Chaitanya appreciated the humility of this great scholar and therefore
exhibited His own form, first with four hands, and then with six hands (sadbhuja). Sarvabhauma
Bhattacharya then repeatedly fell down at the Lord's lotus feet and composed various prayers to Him. He
was undoubtedly a great scholar, and after receiving the causeless mercy of the Lord, he was empowered
to explain the Lord's activities in different ways. Indeed, he was able to express the method of chanting
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
It is said that Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya composed a hundred verses in appreciation of the Lord's
activities, and that those verses were so great that they could not even be surpassed by Brihaspati, the
greatest learned scholar in the heavenly planets. The Lord was very pleased to hear these hundred verses,
and He embraced Bhattacharya. Bhattacharya became overwhelmed with ecstasy by the Lord's touch, and
he practically fell unconscious. He cried, trembled, shivered and perspired, and sometimes he danced and
sang and fell at the lotus feet of Lord Chaitanya. Bhattacharya's brother-in-law, Gopinath Acharya, and the
devotees of the Lord were surprised to see Bhattacharya transformed into a great devotee.
Gopinath Acharya then began to thank the Lord: "It is by Your grace only that Bhattacharya has been
transformed from his stone like position into such a devotee." Lord Chaitanya then replied to Gopinath
Acharya that it was due to a devotee's favor that a stone like man could be transformed into a mild, flower
like devotee. Actually Gopinath Acharya had sincerely wished that his brother-in-law, Bhattacharya, would
become a devotee of the Lord. He had sincerely desired that the Lord favor Bhattacharya, and he was glad
to see that his desire was fulfilled by Lord Chaitanya. In other words, a devotee of the Lord is more merciful
than the Lord Himself. When a devotee desires to show his mercy to a person, the Lord acts, and by His
grace one becomes a devotee.
Q26 : How many explanations were given by Bhattacarya and Lord Chaitanya for the ‘atma rama’ verse?
Q27 : What was the summary of Lord Chaitanya’s discussion on the atmarama verse?
Q28 : Give an example of liberated souls taking to devotional service that proves that devotion is superior
to liberation?
Q29 : How did Bhattacarya respond to Lord Chaitanya’s explanations? What special darshan did Lord
Chaitanya give him?
Q30 : What happened when Lord Chaitanya embraced Bhattacarya?
Q31 : How did the brother-in-law of Bhattacarya thank Lord Chaitanya?
Q32 : How is a devotee of the Lord more merciful than the Lord? Illustrate with an example.
Bhattacarya attains pure devotional understanding transcending mundane empty rituals
Bhattacharya again began to praise the Lord and said, "You have descended Yourself to deliver all
the fallen souls of this material world. Such an undertaking is not very difficult for You, but You
have turned a stonehearted man like me into a devotee, and that is very wonderful indeed.
Although I was very expert at logical arguments and grammatical explanations of the Vedas, I was
as hard as a lump of iron. But Your influence and temperature were so great that You could melt
away a piece of iron like me."
Lord Chaitanya then returned to His place, and Bhattacharya sent Gopinath Acharya to Him with various
kinds of prasada from Jagannatha temple. The next day the Lord went to the temple of Jagannatha early in
the morning to attend mangala arati. The priests in the temple brought Him a garland from the Deity and
also offered Him various kinds of prasada. The Lord was very much pleased to receive them, and He at once
went to the house of Bhattacharya, taking the prasada and the flowers to present to him. Although it was
early in the morning, Bhattacharya understood that the Lord had come and was knocking on his door. He at
once rose from his bed and began to say, "Krishna! Krishna!" This was heard by Lord Chaitanya. When
Bhattacharya opened the door, he saw the Lord standing there, and he was so pleased to see Him early in
the morning that he tried to receive Him with all care. He offered Him a nice seat, and both of them sat
there. Lord Chaitanya then offered him the prasada which He had received in the temple of Jagannatha, and
Bhattacharya was very glad to receive this prasada from the hands of Lord Chaitanya Himself. Indeed,
without taking his bath and without performing his daily duties or even washing his teeth, he began
immediately to eat the prasada. In this way, he was freed from all material contamination and attachment,
and as he began to eat the prasada, he cited a verse from Padma Purana. In Padma Purana it is stated that
when prasada is brought or received, it must be eaten immediately, even if it has become very dry or old, or
even if it is brought from a distant place, or even if one has not completed executing his daily duties. Since it
is enjoined in the sastras that prasada should immediately be taken, there is no restriction of time and
place; the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead must be followed. There are restrictions one must
follow before accepting food from various people, but there are no restrictions on accepting prasada from
all kinds of people. Prasada is always transcendental and can be taken under any condition.
Lord Chaitanya was very pleased to see that Bhattacharya, who had always obeyed the rules and
regulations strictly, accepted prasada without following any rules and regulations. Being so pleased, Lord
Chaitanya embraced Bhattacharya, and they both began to dance in transcendental ecstasy. In that ecstasy,
Lord Chaitanya exclaimed: "My mission in Jagannatha Puri is now fulfilled! I have converted a person like
Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya. I shall now be able to attain Vaikuntha without fail."
The missionary goal of a devotee is to convert simply one person into a pure devotee. In this way his
admission to the spiritual kingdom is guaranteed. The Lord was so pleased with Bhattacharya that He began
to bless him repeatedly: "Dear Bhattacharya, now you are a completely pure devotee of Lord Krishna, and
Krishna is now very much pleased with you. From today you are freed from the contamination of this
material body and the entanglement of material energy. You are now fit to go back to Godhead, back home."
Q33 : What did Lord Chaitanya hear when Bhattacarya got up from his bed?
Q34 : What act did Bhattacarya do which he would not have done if he was not a devotee?
Q35 : What is the essence of the Padma Purana quote that was cited by Bhattacarya?
Q36 : Why was Lord Chaitanya very pleased to see Bhattacarya?
Q37 : What is the missionary goal of a devotee?
Q38 : How did Lord Chaitanya bless Bhattacarya?
One attains the Lord by the mercy of a devotee

After this incident, Lord Chaitanya returned to His place, and Bhattacharya became a pure and faultless
devotee. Since he was formerly a great academic scholar, Bhattacharya could only have been converted by
the causeless mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. From that day onwards Bhattacharya never explained any
Vedic literature without explaining devotional service. Gopinath Acharya, his brother-in-law, was so pleased
to see Bhattacharya's condition that he began to dance in ecstasy and vibrate the transcendental sound
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
The next day, after visiting Jagannatha temple early in the morning, Bhattacharya went to visit Lord
Chaitanya, and he offered his respects by falling down before the Lord. He then began to explain his past
undesirable behavior. When he asked the Lord to speak something of devotional service, the Lord began to
explicitly explain the verses of Brhan-naradiya Purana, in which it is stated: harer nama harer nama [Cc.
Adi 17.21]. Upon hearing this explanation, Bhattacharya became more and more ecstatic. Seeing the
condition of his brother-in-law, Gopinath Acharya said, "My dear Bhattacharya, previously I had said that
when one is favored by the Supreme Lord, he will understand the techniques of devotional service. Today I
am seeing this fulfilled."
Bhattacharya offered him his due respect and replied, "My dear Gopinath Acharya, it is through your mercy
that I have received the mercy of the Supreme Lord." The mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can
be obtained by the mercy of a pure devotee. Lord Chaitanya's mercy was bestowed upon Bhattacharya
because of Gopinath Acharya's endeavor. "You are a great devotee of the Lord," Bhattacharya continued,
"and I was simply blinded by my academic education. Yes, I have obtained the mercy of the Lord through
your agency only." Lord Chaitanya Himself was greatly pleased to hear Bhattacharya say that a man can
obtain the mercy of the Lord through the agency of a devotee. He appreciated his words and embraced
Bhattacharya, confirming his statement.
Thus Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya was converted into one of the most important devotees
of the Lord, and he had no other interest than to serve the Lord. He thought of Lord
Chaitanya constantly, and meditation and chanting became the main purpose of his life.
Q39 : What great transformation had taken place in the way that Bhattacarya behaved as a learned man?
Q40 : What earlier statement of Gopinath Acharya was seen to be coming true in the life of Bhattacarya?
Q41 : How did Bhattacarya confirm the sastric truth, ‘the mercy of the Lord can be obtained by the mercy of
a devotee’?
Q42 : What became the main purpose of Bhattacarya’s life?
The real meaning of mukti
One day Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya came before the Lord, offered his respects and began to read a verse
from Shrimad Bhagavatam (10.14.8). This verse dealt with Lord Brahma's prayer to the Lord. The verse
read:
tat te 'nukampäà su-samékñamäëo bhuïjäna evätma-kåtaà vipäkam
håd-väg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te jéveta yo mukti-pade sa däya-bhäk
"A person who devotes his mind, body and speech to the service of the Lord, even though in the midst of a
miserable life fraught with past misdeeds, is assured of liberation." Bhattacharya changed the word mukti
(liberation) to bhakti (devotional service).
"Why have you changed the original verse?" the Lord asked Bhattacharya. "The word is mukti, and you have
changed it to bhakti." Bhattacharya then replied that mukti is not as valuable as bhakti and that mukti is
actually a sort of punishment for the pure devotee. For this reason he changed the word mukti to bhakti.
Bhattacharya then began to explain his realization of bhakti. "Anyone who does not accept the
transcendental Personality of Godhead and His transcendental form cannot know the Absolute Truth," he
said.
One who does not understand the transcendental nature of the body of Krishna becomes Krishna's enemy
and defies or fights with Him. The enemies eventually merge into the Lord's Brahman effulgence. Such mukti
or liberation into the Brahman effulgence is never desired by the Lord's devotees. There are five kinds of
liberation: (1) attaining the planet where the Lord resides, (2) associating with the Lord, (3) attaining a
transcendental body like the Lord's, (4) attaining opulence like the Lord, and (5) merging into the existence
of the Lord. A devotee has no particular interest in any of these types of liberation. He is satisfied simply by
being engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. A devotee is especially averse to merging
into the existence of the Lord and losing his individual identity. Indeed, a devotee considers oneness with
the Lord to be hellish. He will, however, accept one of the four other kinds of liberation in consideration for
being engaged in the service of the Lord. Out of the two possibilities of merging in transcendence—namely
becoming one with the impersonal Brahman effulgence and becoming one with the Personality of
Godhead—the latter is more abominable to the devotee. The devotee has no aspiration other than
engaging in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
On hearing this, Lord Chaitanya informed Bhattacharya that there is another purport to the word mukti. The
word mukti-pade directly indicates the Personality of Godhead. The Personality of Godhead has innumerable
liberated souls engaged in His transcendental loving service, and He is the ultimate resort of liberation. In
any case, Krishna is the ultimate shelter.
"Despite this reading," Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya replied, "I prefer bhakti to mukti. Although according to
You there are two meanings to the word mukti, still, because this word is equivocal, I prefer bhakti to mukti
because when one hears the word mukti, he immediately thinks of becoming one with the Supreme. I
therefore even hate to utter the word mukti. However, I am very enthusiastic to speak of bhakti."
Lord Chaitanya laughed very loudly at this and embraced Bhattacharya with great love. Thus Bhattacharya,
who had taken pleasure in explaining Mayavadi philosophy, became such a staunch devotee that he even
hated to utter the word mukti. This is only possible by the causeless mercy of the Lord Sri Chaitanya. The
Lord is like a touchstone, for by His grace He can turn iron into gold. After his conversion, everyone marked
a great change in Bhattacharya, and they concluded that this change was made possible only by the
inconceivable power of Lord Chaitanya. Thus they took it for granted that Lord Chaitanya was none other
than Lord Krishna Himself.
Q43 : Who becomes Krishna’s enemy? What is his destination?

Q44 : Why do devotees never desire mukti into Brahman effulgence?
Q45 : What are the four types of liberation that a devotee may accept? Which is the fifth type that a devotee
rejects?
Q46 : On what condition will a devotee accept one of the four types of liberation?
Q47 : What was the meaning of the word ‘muktipade’ given by Lord Chaitanya?
Q48 : Why did Bhattacarya prefer the word bhakti to mukti even after hearing the explanation?
Q49 : Why did Lord Chaitanya laugh loudly after hearing Bhattacarya’s explanation?
Q50 : In what connection the example of touchstone is given?
* * * * *
‘Self Manager’, Quiz : 4

Is God Personal or impersonal?
Part A (to be answered by All)
Answer the following questions in TWO or THREE sentences on a separate sheet: (10 x 2 =
20 marks)
1. Give two words from the Koran that indicate the truth that God has a personality.
2. Why do some people prefer a kind of merging into the impersonal void?
3. How is God’s body different from our bodies?
4. Who is situated as the Supersoul in all bodies?
5. Some people argue that ‘atma so paramatma’ means ‘atma and paramatma are same’.
Defeat this misconception with an appropriate example from scriptures.
6. List two common lessons that you learnt from the different illustrations such as
distant mountain, train or Prime Minister, etc.
7. Do those who desire to become one with God merge into His existence? Explain
with an example.
8. What happens to the impersonalists who attain the impersonal effulgence after many
lifetimes of penances and austerities?
9. In what ways does a materialist, yogi, jnani, and bhakta – seek unlimited bliss?
10. Why is a Bhakta the highest transcendentalist?
Part B (only for married and Below 50 years)
Answer the following questions within TWO or THREE sentences: (2 + 3 = 5 marks)
1.Which is superior – Love or peace? Explain with an example.

2. How are the devotees blissfully preparing their way back to Godhead?
Part C (only for College students)

1. Mention two words or two quotes from Shri Isopanishad that proves God is personal.
2. Some people argue that even Lord Rama or Lord Krishna have to suffer their past
good and bad karma. They say, ‘karma does not even spare the Lord’. Refute this
misconception with a sastric quote.
* * * * *
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Quiz : 4
Syllabus for the following Quiz: BG 2.12, 4.10, 4.11, 9.4-5, 7.7, 7.24, 12.1-5
Answer the following questions in ONE or TWO sentences on a separate sheet: (1 x 40 =

40 marks)
1. What is the Mayavadi theory that is mentioned in this purport? How is it not
supported in this verse? (2.12)
2. Some people say that, “We look like individuals only in the conditioned stage. When
we become liberated we will realize that there is only one big soul and that soul is
me.” Refute this understanding using the knowledge of this verse. (2.12)
3. Why cannot a conditioned soul teach something worth hearing? (2.12)
4. When does Bhagavad-gita lose all importance? (2.12)
5. Why does the plurality mentioned in this verse not refer to the body? (2.12)
6. Who can understand the spiritual individuality? (2.12)
7. Who cannot touch the Bhagavad-gita? (2.12)
8. What happens to one who takes to the Mayavadi type of understanding of Gita?
(2.12)
9. Who has difficulty understanding the personal nature of the Supreme Absolute Truth?
Why? What mistake do such people commit? (4.10)
10. Why do some people fear having a personality in the spiritual world and performing
pastimes with the Supreme Personality of Godhead there? (4.10)
11. Who are the people who conclude that everything is void? What do these people
take shelter of? What do they consider such engagements to be? (4.10)
12. What three things should one get rid of? What is the process for the same? (4.10)
13. Write the steps one below the other, that a practicing devotee attains by performance
of devotional service. (4.10)
14. What is the ultimate goal of practicing devotional service now? (4.10)
15. Explain how the Lord awards different practitioners different results? (4.11)
16. Some modern intellectuals think that Bhakti yoga is not suitable for them; they want
to try some other path other than Krishna consciousness. Can one avoid Krishna by
taking to some other path like Ashtanga yoga, Karma yoga or Jnana yoga? (4.11)
17. ‘All kinds of spiritual processes are but different degrees of success on the same
path’. Explain this statement in your own words. (4.11)
18. What is the best method to realize Lord Shri Krishna? (9.4)
19. How does the Lord dispel the misconception of most people that “the Absolute Truth
is spread all over and thus It has lost its personal existence”? (9.4)
20. Give an example to show that the Lord is everywhere but also aloof from
everything? (9.4)
21. What is the difference between our wanting to do something and Krishna wanting to
do something? (9.5)
22. What is being stressed in this verse? (7.7)
23. Sometimes impersonalists stress on the word ‘arupam’ from Upanishads like
Shvetasvatara Upanishad. How can we understand that this ‘arupam’ does not mean
that the Lord has no form? (7.7)
24. What does this verse describe? Who cannot understand God’s personal nature?
(7.24)
25. Who are known as Mayavadis? (7.24)
26. What is the crucial point that Prabhupada is arguing about by citing the 7.20 verse in
this purport? What is the crystal clear conclusion we can arrive at by understanding
this argument properly? (7.25)
27. What is the conclusion of every chapter of Bhagavad-gita? (12.1)
28. Why is Arjuna asking this question to Krishna? What is he thinking? (12.1)
29. What type of activities does a pure devotee engage in? What are these activities
counted as? (12.2)
30. What method has to be adopted for seeing the Supersoul within the individual soul?
How practical is this method? (12.3)
31. What is the difference between jnana yoga and bhakti yoga? (12.5)
32. What is the difference between a Deity of the Lord and an idol? Explain with an
example. (12.5)
33. How is the Deity that is made up of stone, wood or oil paint not material? Find out
from your teacher, or seniors, how it is actually not material and give an explanation
in about five sentences. (12.5)
34. How does a person in Krishna consciousness realize the Lord very easily? (12.5)
35. What is ‘troublesome’ for the common man in the path of jnana yoga? (12.5)
36. Bhaktas approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly. Jnana yogis take the
trouble to understand what is not Brahman. What is the risk involved in the practice
of such Jnana yogis? (12.5)
37. How can a Jnana yogi come to the point of Bhakti yoga? (12.5)
38. After coming to the path of Bhakti yoga, what type of difficulty a Jnana yogi faces in
his Bhakti yoga practice? (12.5)
39. What is the danger when one wants to ignore devotional service? (12.5)
40. Why should the path of impersonalism not be encouraged in this age? (12.5)
* * * *
The Art of Self Management 125
Chapter 5
The Art of
Self Management
Chapter Contents
Sr. No. Contents Page No.

1 Where is the Modern age leading us to? 127
2 Experience Real Freedom through Krishna consciousness 130

The Need for Self Control for Self Management 131
3 Practical examples of Self control from everyday life 131
Self Control boosts Will Power, Concentration and Memory 131
4 Self-restraint develops Will power 132
5 What is Self management? 133
6 Different Levels of Training 133
7 Senses drag us on the wrong path in our conditioned stage 134
8 Need to Control our Senses 135
9 Practical Solutions to Sense Control 136
Regulation in habitsImportance of avoiding Illicit 141

sex
Glory of Celibacy and Chastity 142
The Mind : Taskmaster of the Senses 144
10
Watch those thoughts ! 145
Useful and harmful Recreation 146
Sleeping habits 147
The Need for a Proper Diet 148
11 Nature Of Material Pleasure 150
12 Four basic human needs for effective living 157

13 160
‘The great devotee saint Haridas Thakur and the Prostitute’
The Art of Self Management

yuktähära-vihärasya yukta-ceñöasya karmasu
yukta-svapnävabodhasya yogo bhavati duùkha-hä
TRANSLATION
He who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material
pains by practicing the yoga system. [BG 6.17]
* * * *
Where is the Modern age leading us to?
There is a great difference between the modern educational system and that of a hundred
years ago. In today’s system, moral and spiritual training are banned. Children are not
allowed to pray. Still, the government in countries like America wonders why it is
necessary to hire armed guards to keep order in schools. Indeed, schools today are
supplied with surveillance and intruder devices, closed circuit TV, watchdogs, buzz-
controlled doors, walkie-talkie, panic buttons and even weapon-screening devices.
Talking about West is not out of context for Indian scenario, but prudent, as India’s
ambitions for progress is heading in the same direction.
Spiritual training used to be part of the classical educational tradition. Students were
tutored in ethics and philosophy. Religion was taught and prayer was encouraged. As
recent as one generation ago, the character of students—though not ideal – was angelic
compared to today’s. According to a recent study conducted by the California
Department of Education and Fullerton, California Police, typical school problems during
the 1940s were : “Talking in class, chewing gum, making noise, running in the hall,
getting out of place in line, wearing improper clothes, and not throwing paper in the
wastebasket.” Typical school problems in the 1980s were : “Drug abuse, alcohol,
pregnancy, suicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, arson and bombings.”
This drastic change from childish naughtiness to corruption and criminality has occurred
within the past fifty years. Much of the blame lies with parents, who grew up during the
rebellious 60’s. william McGuire of the National Education Association states : “Parents
say to their children, ‘You don’t have to listen to that teacher’. So six-year-old kids,
sensing that no one is going to stop them, feel okay about cursing a teacher. Fifth graders
throw pies in teacher’s faces, and tenth-graders sell drugs in the lavatories.”
Moral degradation inevitably leads to academic degeneration. Today, thirty percent of

American students fail to graduate from high school. And a great percentage of those
who do graduate can’t even write a coherent paragraph describing their job preference.
Is it not high time we ask what is happening in our society? What is happening in the
West is not something that is farther in reaching India. As we are importing Western
multinationals into India, we are also importing the Western culture to permeate India.
How the culture of India has already become polluted can be seen by the behaviour of
modern students.
Srila Prabhupada calls the universities as ‘centres of nescience’ because the modern
education is not producing a generation of gentlemen but a bunch of degenerated
perverted intellectuals who hardly understand their real identity as the soul, the goal of
life and proper codes of conduct . The boys graduating from modern universities :
• Are proud for no reason and do not feel the need of

guidance or blessings of superiors. They consider
superiors to be good-for-nothing parasites in society.
Students have no conception of self-restraint. In the
West, assaults by students upon teachers are so
commonplace that Dr.Alfred, psychiatrist at the
University of California has coined the term “the battered
teacher.” After studying 250 abused teachers, he found
them suffering symptoms similar to battle fatigue. In
order to avoid being physically attacked, teachers pamper
students and even kowtow to them. Lamentably, the
teachers themselves are strangers to self discipline.
• Have no faith in God or His laws and they freely
indulge in all kinds of sinful activities without worrying
about what future holds for them. They indulge in
smoking, drinking, drugs, watching movies, ragging, playing cards, eating beef,
indulging in illicit sex thus polluting their bodies, frustrating their minds paving way for a
dreadful future. They have not tasted the sweetness and freedom that comes from self
management and self control.
• Accept bogus theories that everything emerged from a big bang and some ape-like
ancestors evolved into human beings of the modern times. With such absurd
misconceptions about life, they have no goal or purpose to even living, leave alone living
a life of principles. They have never challenged these theories which have no solid
evidences to prove. They were coined by atheists to shelf God aside so that man can go
on with his sense-gratification program.
• Accept concoctions that modern man is the most evolved and civilised being as he
has the most developed in science and technology and that the man of ancient times lived
uncultured life in jungles hunting animals with no civilisation or scientific advancement.
Such concocted foolish theories make the boys deny scriptures, Puranas by disposing
them as mythology and feeling proud of their modern so called ‘advancement’. They are
hardly aware of the fact that celestial weapons used by Vedic man were powered through
subtle mantras which are like software programs keyed into a microprocessing device to
activate the servo motors. Depending on the input instructions, the servomotors would
activate linear or rotary movements; the celestial weapons could do much more – put a
hole in every leaf of the tree, pour rain, create fire etc.
• Are not given instructions in celibacy; rather religious instructions on refraining from
illicit sex are considered superstition or dogma and meant for weaklings, not for
courageous boisterous youths. Modern medical teachers openly make propaganda that
sex is not all that bad ; indeed everyone should be given freedom of speech and
expression. Thus authenticated by the top people, the demoniac youth cultivate nescience
with greater vigor. By avoiding illicit indulgence in sex, one attains Purity, Memory,
Wisdom, Concentration, Retention power, Vichara shakti (power of enquiry), Dharana
shakti (power to grasp), Good health, Vigor, Strength, Determination, Discrimination
power, Peace of mind, Self confidence, Cleanliness and many other similar subtle
qualities. By free indulgence, one loses all these finer qualities.
• Have either no religious practice or have only some show-bottle religion due to social
pressure or mundane piety or desire to acquire name and fame with no understanding of
God or soul.
• Adopt some yoga practices going to yoga societies that teach how to get healthier to
have better sex like monkeys. They are not interested in learning yama, niyama,
pranayama, asana for controlling senses to achieve the meditation on the Supreme. In
fact, the knowledge of Supreme Lord is not taught in such yoga socieities.
• Wear some tulasi neck beads or yoga pants or some T-shirt on Nirvana or some
slogan on meditation, but hardly live a life of principles as a human being.
• Patriotism and nationalism is given undue importance with the exclusion of God,
(who is the fountainhead of all existence) due to which sectarianism and cleavage in the
population of the world is brought about. Men fight for no reason, forgetting the
temporary nature of the material world.
Therefore, the modern universities are ‘centres of nescience’ or ‘spiritual slaughter
houses’ only.
Experience Real Freedom through Krishna consciousness
High academic education cannot uplift us above animals Srila Prabhupada writes in
his book, ‘Nectar of devotion’ : ……a person engaged in Krishna consciousness, acting
in devotional service, can develop all the good qualities that are generally found in the
demigods….On the other hand, a person who is not in Krishna consciousness has no
good qualities. He may be highly educated from the academic point of view, but in the
actual field of his activities he can be seen to be baser than the animals. A vulture may
rise very high in the sky. He also has powerful eyes. Yet what is the object of all these
great qualifications? A dead body, a rotting carcass. Similarly, we may have a very high
education and may rise very high with our spaceships, but what is our objective? Sense
enjoyment, the enjoyment of this material body. This means that all the striving and all
this high education are merely on the animal platform.
Krishna consciousness brings forth Character For

example, a Krishna conscious boy, even if he is not very well
educated by the university standard, can immediately give up
all illicit sex life, gambling, meat-eating and intoxication,
whereas those who are not in Krishna consciousness, although
very highly educated, are often drunkards, meat-eaters, sex-
mongers and gamblers. These are practical proofs of how a
Krishna conscious person becomes highly developed in good
qualities, whereas a person who is not in Krishna
consciousness cannot do so. We experience that even a young
boy in Krishna consciousness is unattached to cinemas,
nightclubs, naked dance shows, restaurants, liquor shops, etc.
He becomes completely freed. He saves his valuable time from being extravagantly spent
in the way of smoking, drinking, attending the theatre and dancing.
Silent meditators or Sense gratifiers? One who is not in Krishna consciousness usually
cannot sit silently even for half an hour. The yoga practitioners claim that by becoming
silent they will realize that they are God. This system may be all right for materialistic
persons, but how long will they be able to keep themselves silent? Artificially, they may
sit down for so-called meditation, but immediately after their yogic performance the so-
called ‘Gods’ will engage themselves again in such activities as illicit sex life, smoking,
meat-eating and many other nonsensical things. By engaging mind and senses in Krishna
consciousness he automatically gives up all this nonsense and develops a high character.
The conclusion is that no one can truly have any good qualities if he is lacking Krishna
consciousness.
Youth is a time for the mind, body and spirit to be nurtured and developed through
discipline. Unfortunately today’s schools teach nothing of self-control. No courses are
offered in ethics, philosophy or religion. Only recently colleges, schools and universities
have woken up to see the degradation of youth and children and begun to worry about
introducing some courses to discipline them. Consequently, sense indulgence is ruining
the life and health of today’s youth. In the following section we have given some
important headings that are helpful to students and grownups to improve themselves in a
way that will benefit their body, mind and soul.
The Need for Self Control for Self Management
Practical examples of Self control from everyday life

How would you behave ?
• When you want a second serving of a Gulabjamun, when only one is allowed?
• When you meet a old friend in your library where SILENCE board is put up?
• When your mother gets a terrible sickness just before your planned European tour?
To learn restraint in all these situations is called Self Control. Singers avoid ice cream,
cold drinks and hot chilly items to have high pitch. A man with typhoid avoids pooris
and oily foodstuffs to get well. A pilot avoids drinking alcohol in order to save the
passengers from plane crash. Without self restraint none of these can attain peace and
happiness.
Self Control boosts Will Power, Concentration and Memory
The power by virtue of which you can make your mind do what you wish to do can be
termed Will Power. It seems easy to develop will-power, but it is not as easy as it is
often spoken in seminars.
Sharu Rangnekar, a famous management consultant, offers a simple suggestion for

reducing weight. He says anyone who can shake his head from left to right can reduce
weight. Seems so easy, isn’t it? But we have to remember that this shaking of head from
left to right has to be done even when you see icecream, chocolates, fried stuff and sweets
are offered to you!
One may argue what is wrong in enjoying icecreams, sweets, movies, drinks etc. It is of
course natural for water to flow from higher to lower level. But only when the water is
stored at a higher level by pumping it up and storing it in a water tank, AGAINST the
natural laws, that is develops the power to rush through the pipes and reach when you
want to have a shower bath. In the same way, great achievements are possible only when
lower habits and tendencies that are harmful to the individual’s progress are restrained by
will power.
Self-restraint develops Will power

When there is a flood, it has no restraints; it
inundates houses, uproots trees, carries away cattle,
drowns human beings and causes havoc. When the
same mass of water takes upon itself two restraints
called banks, it gets momentum and moves ahead.
When that river faces one more restraint in front of
it, called a dam, it becomes a source of great power
for the welfare of society. Then the water can be
productively used for hydro electric power stations
purposes or for irrigation in a regulated way.
The human mind also, like a uncontrolled wind or a

flood flows in all directions uncontrollably. For
instance when you are reading a book, your mind
may desire to close it and see a TV program; while watching TV you might want to meet
someone. Only by will power, one can give undivided attention to only one thing at a
time. Thus you must control your mind that you can make it do what you want to do. In
a tug of war almost all the energy spent by the men playing the game, is wasted. This is
because of the opposing forces.
Something similar happens in the human mind all the time. The human mind has the
tendency to think of literally hundreds of things. On the average, we have 10,000 random
thoughts per day. That is about 7 per minute. It is like seven vectors pulling your mind
in seven different directions. A person who has so trained the mind that he can think of
only one thing for a period of an hour will have a force at his command.
If you learn…
• to put restraints on your mind and
• learn to prevent it from wandering and
• give your entire attention to whatever you are doing,
you will be able to achieve what seems to be superhuman to an average person.
One with a strong will-power can Relax easily. He can also Concentrate on anything
easily. Thus, though concentration and relaxation seem to be two opposite states of
mind, both can be easily attained by a person who has will-power. If you learn to relax at
will, you can develop will-power. If you learn to concentrate, you can develop your
will-power also. Then you will be able to make your mind do what you want.
What is Self management?

It can be easily seen that Bhagavad gita is a sacred literature that gives valuable lessons
that could benefit us immensely in our personal and professional lives in all ages and
times. Self Management means to learn to manage oneself before managing others. We
cannot change the consciousness of the organisation without changing the consciousness
of the people working within the organisation.
We always want to manage others, manage men, money, market, material, machines etc.
But if I do not know how to manage myself, how can I manage others?
Just as we have the courage to direct others as to what they should be doing, why they
should be doing and how they should be doing, similarly, are we able to direct our Mind
and sense organs with proper understanding.
For example, the tongue has no bones but it can break

bones if not managed properly. On most occasions, the
information slips through the tongue in the wrong place,
at the wrong time, in front of the wrong person and one
cannot avoid the consequences that arise. This is the
difficulty in managing oneself. If I am not able to take
the responsibility of managing my own sense organs, how
can I take up the responsibility of managing my life, my
family or my workplace and maintain a balance in all the
different areas of my life ? In short, Self Management
means to learn the art of gaining the courage to manage our own selves.
We need the maturity when to manage, when not to manage, where to manage, how to
manage, to what extent to manage and in which way we have to manage. If we do not
have the maturity or understanding then it would be difficult to survive as we can easily
become victims.
Different Levels of Training

Traditional view of management is that if you could manage the external environment –
Work place, Facilities for employees, Salary package, Training courses, better technical
know how etc -- then you could manage to attain success in the world of fastly changing
technology.
Despite the costly training arranged by HR in technical or functional skills, it is observed

that there is no tangible change in the attitude and behaviour of people. Companies
wonder how to make one self-motivated, committed and responsible? For this a change in
consciousness is required. This requires the core values of a personality to be brought out
in all roles, responsibilities, routines and relationships.
In any management training program, development of various aspects of human

resources like the Physical, Mental, Social (emotional) are taken care of to tap the inner
potential to the maximum.
• PHYSICAL (Doing) : For the development of the physical aspect, where the doing
capacities are connected, there are various programs relating to stress management,
health, safety, nutrition, diet etc.
• MENTAL (Thinking) : Likewise, there are many programs for the development of
one’s mental capacities like : intellectual development program, mind power, creativity,
innovation, learning, studying etc, which deal with our thinking abilities.
• SOCIAL (Feeling) : Because we are social beings, emotionally connected with each
other, there are development programs like Psychological assessment, Transactional
analysis, Quality circles, Team work etc.
• SPIRITUAL (Being) : But we find that the missing dimension is Spiritual, which is
intimately connected with the being or personality. Spirituality is connected with our true
nature, innate values like peace joy love tolerance humility etc, innate power, self respect,
enhancing the will power through meditation.
The heart of Self Management is how to better manage the inner organisation as a means
for more effective leadership of the external organisation. The subsequent portion of this
chapter would help us understand better how by applying the principles of spirituality one
can be happy now and for ever.
Senses drag us on the wrong path in our conditioned stage

All that glitters is not gold; Maya’s allurements is for fools Have you seen dolls of
man or woman made up of plaster of paris kept in cloth shops? Similarly , this body is
combination of blood and muscles and veins. If the upper skin is removed, the body is
full of obnoxious horrible things. But outwardly, under the illusion of maya, it looks very
attractive. It is attracting our senses. We are being bound by the false illusory beauty of
this world. We are running after the mirage, and find no peace, no happiness. Therefore
we have to divert our attention back to Godhead. One who is not Krishna conscious is
subjected to material desires while contemplating the objects of the senses. The senses
require real engagements, and if they are not engaged in the transcendental loving service
of the Lord, they will certainly seek engagement in the service of materialism.
Senses carry away even mind The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that
they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring to
control them. [BG 2.60] The nature of the mind is flickering and unsteady. But a self-
realized yogi has to control the mind; the mind should not control him. At the present
moment, the mind is controlling us (go-däsa). The mind is telling us, "Why not drink that
nice liquor?" and we say, "Yes." It says, "Why not smoke this cigarette?" "Yes," we say.
"Why not go to this restaurant for such palatable food? Why not do this? Why not do
that?" In this way, the mind is dictating, and we are following. Material life means being
controlled by the senses, or the mind, which is the center of all the senses. Being
controlled by the mind means being controlled by the senses, because the senses are the
mind's assistants. The master mind dictates, "Go see that," and the eyes, following the
directions of the mind, look at the sense object. The mind tells us to go to a certain place,
and the legs, under the mind's directions, carry us there. Thus, being under the direction
of the mind means coming under the control of the senses. If we can control the mind, we
will not be under the control of the senses. One who is under the control of the senses is
known as go-däsa. The word go means "senses," and däsa means "servant." One who is
master of the senses is called gosvami, because svami means "master." Therefore, one
who has the title gosvami is one who has mastered the senses.
Need to Control our Senses
Result of uncontrolled senses Somebody may ask, “Why bother so much about sense
control? Why not just enjoy and let them loose in any direction they want to go?” Then
as itching sensation keeps growing by scratching or as the fire grows by pouring ghee in
fire, similarly the uncontrolled senses will drive one to the point of unbearable pain and
insanity. This is only the first instalment. The later instalments will be given in the
subsequent material bodies that follow due to the sinful acts performed due to
uncontrolled senses. That is why, just as a doctor treats a disease by various methods, the
yogi controls the unruly senses by certain practices, including fasting, chanting,
meditation, exercise, worship, and knowledge that, “I am not this body. I am a pure spirit
soul, servant of God.”
Uncontrolled mind and senses : what it can do to you ? The position of a person
whose mind and senses are uncontrolled becomes pitiable. There are six vegams or
urges. Väco vegam is the urge to talk unnecessarily. That is a kind of pushing of the
tongue. Then there is krodha-vegam, the urge to become angry. When we are pushed to
anger, we cannot check ourselves, and sometimes men become so angry that they commit
murder. Similarly, the mind is pushing, dictating, "You must go there at once," and we
immediately go where we are told. The word jihva-vegam refers to the tongue's being
urged to taste palatable foods. Udara-vegam refers to the urges of the belly. Although the
belly is full, it still wants more food, and that is a kind of pushing of the belly. And when
we yield to the pushings of the tongue and the belly, the urges of the genitals become
very strong, and sex is required. If one does not control his mind or his tongue, how can
he control his genitals? In this way, there are so many pushings, so much so that the body
is a kind of pushing machine.
All these senses wander astray in all directions due to an uncontrolled mind. A foolish
man who knows no solution when faced with dangers in life, may fall prey to bad vices
like smoking, drinking or suicide, to free himself from suffering; but he is inviting more
suffering than ever before. In modern times we can practically see people getting stress,
lack of confidence, lack of determination and so on…. due to an uncontrolled mind.
There is no peace and happiness in accumulation of wealth, or possessing bodily beauty,
or in display of strength. The real secret of happiness is a controlled mind, which is
gradually achieved through a God-conscious way of life.
Our Senses don’t belong to us, They belong to Krishna We are very proud of our
senses. The senses are given by the Lord just as a father gives his son some toys;
similarly, we want to enjoy this material world. Therefore our material senses are given
to us with the advice "All right, enjoy them. You experience this material world, and
when you do not experience enjoyment, then you shall come back again to Me." So the
senses are actually meant for rendering service to the Lord. The senses belong to the
Supreme Lord. Just as these are my spectacles and should be used for my purpose. Just
like this room, this loft where we are sitting. The loft belongs to our landlady. We should
always be conscious of that. There is no harm in using it as long as we remember it is not
ours. But if I think, "This is my loft. I don't have to pay the rent. I am the owner," the
trouble begins. We have rented this loft. That is fine, but I do not own it.
Srila Prabhupada Lect. BG 2.55-58 New York 66
No Peace of mind without Sense control Everyone in this material world is looking for
peace, but they don't want to control the senses. For example, if you are diseased, and the
doctor says "Take this medicine" or "Follow this diet," but you refuse. You take whatever
you want, against the instruction of the physician, so how can you be cured? Similarly,
we want to be cured of the chaotic condition of this material world, we want peace and
prosperity, but we are not willing to control the senses.
Srila Prabhupada Lect. BG 62-72 Los Angeles 68
Practical Solutions to Sense Control

Have you seen the three monkeys—one with eyes closed, one with ears closed and the
third with mouth closed – indicating that we should avoid seeing, hearing or speaking
unwanted things that bring about degradation in our lives. But this is not enough.
Artificial Supression will not help, Higher taste is required The process of restriction
from sense enjoyment by rules and regulations is something like restricting a diseased
person from certain types of eatables. The patient, however, neither likes such restrictions
nor loses his taste for eatables. A doctor once told a Landlord, Jamindar to refrain from
eating alphanza mangoes owing to his having Diabetes. The Jamindar was fond of
mangoes and used to eat a lot before. Once when he was sitting at home, he found
servants bringing sacks of alphanza mangoes and loading them in the warehouse. The
Jamindar could not restrain himself. In the night he opened the warehouse which was
filled with fragrance of the mangoes. He thought, “Oh, what cruelty! I am not allowed to
eat because I have Diabetes. Let me better eat and die.” This is the condition of people
when they are tempted by sense objects of this world. People succumb to temptations
and invite enormous future suffering.
Thus silent meditation or suppressing senses is recommended for less intelligent persons
like Jnanis or Yogis who have no better knowledge. But one who has tasted the beauty of
the Supreme Lord Krishna, in the course of his advancement in Krishna consciousness,
no longer has a taste for dead, material things.
Two component formula: Withdraw your senses & Engage them in God's service
When one engages in devotional service (Krishna

consciousness) then automatically material enjoyment
becomes distasteful. Krishna explains in the Gita that,
besides restraining the senses from sinful activities, we must
engage our mind and consciousness on Him. He says:
(B.G.2.61)
täni sarväëi saàyamya yukta äséta mat-paraù
vaçe hi yasyendriyäëi tasya prajïä pratiñöhitä
"One who restrains his senses, keeping them under full

control, and fixes his consciousness upon Me, is known to
be a man of steady intelligence." The sure-shot method of
controlling our mind and all our senses is to engage them in
positive spiritual activities.
Sublimation and not Supression is the solution Unless

one is Krishna conscious it is not at all possible to control
the senses. As cited above, the great sage Durväsä Muni
picked a quarrel with Mahäräja Ambarisha, and Durväsä
Muni unnecessarily became angry out of pride and therefore could not check his senses.
On the other hand, the king, although not as powerful a yogi as the sage, but a devotee of
the Lord, silently tolerated all the sage's injustices and thereby emerged victorious. The
king was able to control his senses because of the following qualifications, as mentioned
in the Srimad Bhagavatam (9.4.18-20):
sa vai manaù kåñëa-padäravindayor vacäàsi vaikuëöha-guëänuvarëane

karau harer mandira-märjanädiñu çrutià cakäräcyuta-sat-kathodaye
mukunda-liìgälaya-darçane dåçau tad-bhåtya-gätra-sparçe 'ìga-saìgamam
ghräëaà ca tat-päda-saroja-saurabhe çrémat-tulasyä rasanäà tad-arpite
pädau hareù kñetra-padänusarpaëe çiro håñékeça-padäbhivandane
kämaà ca däsye na tu käma-kämyayä yathottama-çloka-janäçrayä ratiù
"King Ambarisha fixed his mind on the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, engaged his words in
describing the abode of the Lord, his hands in cleansing the temple of the Lord, his ears
in hearing the pastimes of the Lord, his eyes in seeing the form of the Lord, his body in
touching the body of the devotee, his nostrils in smelling the flavor of the flowers offered
to the lotus feet of the Lord, his tongue in tasting the tulasi leaves offered to Him, his legs
in traveling to the holy place where His temple is situated, his head in offering obeisances
unto the Lord, and his desires in fulfilling the desires of the Lord... and all these
qualifications made him fit to become a mat-para devotee of the Lord."
One may externally control the senses by some artificial process, but unless the senses
are engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, there is every chance of a fall. The
Krishna conscious person is concerned only with the satisfaction of Krishna, and nothing
else. When Hanuman went to Sri Lanka to search mother Sita, he had to go to the inner
chambers of Ravana where there were all kinds of women sleeping. He had to study their
features to know whether Sita was there. Although Hanuman was a brahmacari, still he
firmly absorbed his mind in remembering Lord Rama and fixed his intelligence in the
mission of Lord Rama and did not get allured by the different beauties. Thus a devotee
can live and move even in a materialistic city full of maya and still not get tainted by
impurity, if his heart is focussed in rendering loving devotional service to the Lord.
Wind up the senses before maya; Exhibit the senses for Krishna seva The test of a
yogi, devotee, or self-realized soul is that he is able to control the senses according to his
plan. Most people, however, are servants of the senses and are thus directed by the
dictation of the senses. The senses are compared to venomous serpents. They want to act
very loosely and without restriction. The yogi, or the devotee, must be very strong to
control the serpents—like a snake charmer. He never allows them to act independently.
There are many injunctions in the revealed scriptures; some of them are do-not's, and
some of them are do's. Unless one is able to follow the do's and the do-not's, restricting
oneself from sense enjoyment, it is not possible to be firmly fixed in Krishna
consciousness or even attain a peaceful material life. The best example is of tortoise. The
tortoise can at any moment wind up its senses and exhibit them again at any time for
particular purposes. Similarly, the senses of the devotees are used only for some
particular purpose in the service of the Lord like hearing, chanting, seeing Deities etc and
are withdrawn otherwise. Keeping the senses always in the service of the Lord is the
example set by the analogy of the tortoise, who keeps the senses within.
Desireless means to convert material desires into spiritual desires To become

desireless means not to desire anything for sense gratification. In other words, desire for
becoming Krishna conscious is actually desirelessness. To understand one's actual
position as the eternal servitor of Krishna, without falsely claiming this material body to
be oneself and without falsely claiming proprietorship over anything in the world, is the
perfect stage of Krishna consciousness.
Three types of gunas or modes - Goodness, Passion and Ignorance
While the scientists have hardly begun to understand these emotions that the living
beings exhibit and often arrive at wrong conclusions as to considering them to be merely
some chemical secretions in the body, authentic scriptures like Bhagavad gita and Vedic
literatures give us a detailed account of such behaviour. Not only do they explain the
mechanism of such behaviour, but they offer us tangible solution to how to go about
modifying our behaviour, to become a better gentleman for the benefit of home, nation
and the world.
Those in the mode of goodness tend to be powerful through humility. They are clean,
selfless, pious, humanitarian, considerate, kind and pure. Those in the mode of passion
tend to be selfish, egoistic, extremely interested in attracting adoration, distinction,
personal profit, greedy and lusty. Those in the mode of ignorance are lazy, unclean,
disturbing to others and even obnoxious. These three principles, which are like ropes that
bind every human being, govern each thought and action and form the environment in the
material world. Most of us embody a mixture of these attributes as various modes of
nature work on our minds. People are different in character, habits, needs and desires
based on how they are influenced by the modes. And modern day Leaders are no
exception to these powerful forces; in fact every living being is orchestrated like a puppet
according to the mode they belong to, until they begin to understand their actual position
and surrender to God to become an instrument in His hands.
Learn to manage your Mind
You can make your Mind, a Friend or Enemy. The Master Mind dictates, the servants
senses follow. The nature of the mind is flickering and unsteady.
If you have no control over your driver, your driver is your enemy, but if he acts
according to your orders, he is your friend. The yoga system is meant to control the mind
in such a way that the mind will act as your friend. Sometimes the mind acts as a friend
and sometimes as an enemy. Because we are part and parcel of the Supreme God, who
has infinite independence, we have minute, or finite, independence. It is the mind that is
controlling that independence, and therefore he may either take us to the Krishna temple
or to some nightclub.
The mind is a friend when it is under the control of the intelligence. Then it is serene,
grave, self-controlled, simple and pure. When the mind is an enemy, it is controlled from
within by desire and from without by sense objects.
Chanting and meditating on Hare Krishna maha mantra –
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
helps us to control the mind very easily. The meaning of the word, ‘Mantra’ is ‘to deliver
the mind’. By chanting this mantra about 108 times a day, one can initially attain peace
of mind, and subsequently ever expanding joy leading to love for God and love for all. In
his doctorate thesis on ‘Effects of the Hare Krishna mahamantra on Stress, Depression
and the three gunas’ Dr.David Brian Wolf mentions that by chanting hare krishna,
persons who habitually think depressing thoughts such as, “I am worthless” train
themselves to replace these thoughts with thoughts that are rewarding and supportive of
self-esteem.
Benefits of Self Control To be self-controlled, we must be well established in
renunciation. Temptations must be resisted, evil thoughts subdued, and base desires
rejected. Only then will we have lasting peace and joy. Self control is discipline. It is
the power to keep the mind and senses submissive to the direction of the intelligence and
eternal soul. Self control yields all knowledge. It increases energy and purifies. A
wonderful entourage follows in its path : charity, compassion, knowledge, forgiveness,
patience, nonviolence, sincerity, mildness, modesty, determination, liberality,
contentment, truthfulness, benevolence, and freedom from anger and malice. Self control
gives us the fortitude to withstand tribulation and endure great suffering in defense of
what is right. By self control, the mind becomes clear and discriminating. In short, self
control opens wide doors to material and spiritual peace and joy.
There is no victory more glorious than mastery over our own mind and senses. When we
are self-controlled we sleep peacefully and awake enthusiastically. Self mastery means
conquering the body and subduing the restless mind. We know happiness and
contentment. Until we control the body and mind, we are subject to the slavery of cruel
taskmasters, such as lust and ignorance. He who rules his own mind and senses has no
need for crown. He is the real superman.
Regulation in habits
Although we are suggesting that this body is useless and is a form of contamination, we
are not recommending that it be abused. We may use a car to carry us to work, but this
does not mean that we should not take care of the car. We should take care of the car for
it to carry us to and fro, but we should not become so attached to it that we are polishing
it every day. We must utilize this material body in order to execute Krishna
consciousness, and to this end we should keep it fit and healthy, but we should not
become too attached to it. That is called yukta-vairägya. The body should not be
neglected. We should bathe regularly, eat regularly, sleep regularly in order to keep mind
and body healthy. Some people say that the body should be renounced and that we should
take some drugs and abandon ourselves to intoxication, but this is not a yoga process.
Krishna has given us nice food—fruits, grains, vegetables, and milk—and we can prepare
hundreds and thousands of nice preparations and offer them to the Lord. Our process is to
eat Krishna-prasada and to satisfy the tongue in that way. But we should not be greedy
and eat dozens of samosäs, sweetballs, and rasagulläs. No. We should eat and sleep just
enough to keep the body fit, and no more.
Importance of avoiding Illicit sex
The attraction between men and women is the strongest attraction in the material world.
Because of romance, men have been killed, families have been broken, and wars have
been fought. In this day and age, a lot of emphasis is put on how to make oneself more
attractive to the opposite sex. But this attraction and desire is fantasized but short-lived
and is a source of varities of suffering.
The scriptures warn us about the dangers of engaging in illicit sex. That means sex
outside of marriage. Having boyfriends or girlfriends before marriage or after marriage
in Vedic life is not considered natural and not at all beneficial for progressive Krishna
consciousness.
In the modern times, boys and girls, totally ignorant of spiritual life don’t know the goal
of life. They think making money, decorating the dead material body with cosmetics and
indulging in sense gratification with opposite sex as the only engagement in life. To this
effect, what begins with a handshake ends up in pregnancy or abortion. Man-woman
intimate friendship before marriage causes innumerable problems :
• Intoxicated mind keeps dwelling in sex related thoughts and one’s mind becomes
wound up
• One gives up one’s duty such as Education or career because of day dreaming about
opposite sex
• Parents are put into anxiety when son or daughter is involved in such practices
• Man and women find it difficult to control their senses when they come together and
thus resort to illicit sex
• They can get AIDS and similar diseases thus losing their very life itself just for the
sake of instant gratification of their senses
• Once a boy feels he has had enough from a girl, then he may give her up and look
for a new partner; this may lead to family fights, abortion and heartburnings,
sometimes even murders etc.
The teenagers of the modern times even in India due to loose behaviour have become
victims of terrible sufferings. Though they think they are enjoying, they suffer
subsequently like ignorant animals with no spiritual knowledge. Wise people should take
note of this and learn to control the senses for both material and spiritual well being.
Glory of Celibacy and Chastity

Chastity and modesty are two highly esteemed qualities that are not often practiced these
days. To be chaste means to be pure, cultured in dealing with men and appropriately shy
as per the guidance given in scriptures in your behavior. Modesty means to behave in a
way that is considered proper and reserved. Modesty and Chastity can be practiced in the
way we speak, act and way we dress.
Sexual energy is the very essence of mind and body. Unless it is conserved, mind and
body cannot fully mature. “Premature sexual activity impairs the educability of the
child”, Freud noted. Truly, no subject is more important for students than the science of
celibacy.
A yogi must also be "completely free from sex life." If one indulges in sex, he cannot
concentrate; therefore brahmacarya, complete celibacy, is recommended to make the
mind steady. By practicing celibacy, one cultivates determination. One modern example
of such determination is that of Mahatma Gandhi, who was determined to resist the
powerful British empire by means of nonviolence. At this time, India was dependent on
the British, and the people had no weapons. The Britishers, being more powerful, easily
cut down whatever violent revolutions the people attempted. Therefore Gandhi resorted
to nonviolence, noncooperation. "I shall not fight with the Britishers," he declared, "and
even if they react with violence, I shall remain nonviolent. In this way the world will
sympathize with us." Such a policy required a great amount of determination, and
Gandhi's determination was very strong because he was a brahmacari. Although he had
children and a wife, he renounced sex at the age of thirty-six. It was this sexual
renunciation that enabled him to be so determined that he was able to lead his country
and drive the British from India.
Thus, refraining from sex enables one to be

very determined and powerful. It is not
necessary to do anything else. This is a secret
people are not aware of. If you want to do
something with determination, you have to
refrain from sex. Regardless of the process—be
it hatha-yoga, bhakti-yoga, jnana-yoga, or
whatever—sex indulgence is not allowed. Sex
is allowed only for householders who want to
beget good children and raise them in Krishna
consciousness. Sex is not meant for sense
enjoyment, although enjoyment is there by
nature. Unless there is some enjoyment, why
should one assume the responsibility of
begetting children? That is the secret of nature's
gift, but we should not take advantage of it.
These are the secrets of life. By taking
advantage and indulging in sex life, we are simply wasting our time. If one tells you that
you can indulge in sex as much as you like and at the same time become a yogi, he is
cheating you. According to Sri Krishna’s authoritative statement in Bhagavad-gita, one
must be "completely free from sex life." Being free from sex, one should "meditate upon
Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate goal of life." This is real meditation.
The face of a celibate is bright and charming. He is serene because his mind is
controlled. A spiritual luster surrounds him because he is relishing the inner joy of no
sex. “Fight to overcome thy foolish passions,” Pythagoras told his students, “Be sober
and chaste. Sex is always harmful and not conducive to health.” “When can I engage in
sex?” on of his students asked. “Whenever you want to be weaker than yourself.”
Pythagoras replied.
Eminent European medical men also support the statements of the Yogis of India.
Dr.Nicole says : “This vital fluid of man carried back and diffused through his system
makes him manly, strong, brave and heroic. If wasted, it leaves him effeminate, weak
and physically debilitated and prone to sexual irritation and disordered function, a
wretched nervous system, epilepsy, and various other diseases and death. The suspension
of the use of the generative organs is attended with a notable increase of bodily and
mental and spiritual vigor.”
Dhanvantari, the father of the Ayurvedic system of medicine wrote : “The secret of health
lies in the preservation of virya (seminal fluid), which is the essence of the Atman (self)
itself. He who wastes virya cannot enjoy physical, mental, moral or spiritual well being.”
(Harivamsa). Dhanvantari further explained that when the virya is lost, the prana (life
air) is agitated, and one becomes nervous. The mind is then agitated, and when the mind
is disturbed, the whole system suffers.
The Mind : Taskmaster of the Senses

The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses;
intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the
intelligence. [BG 3.42]
The senses are like five spirited horses pulling a chariot. The chariot is the material body;
the mind, the reins. The person seated within the chariot is the soul. Intelligence pulls
the reins.
From wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must
certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the self. [BG 6.26]
The mind’s business is accepting and rejecting. The mind depends on the intelligence to
interpret information fed to it by the senses. Then the mind tells the senses to act in a
certain way, or to refrain from acting. The mind a friend when it acts in real knowledge
for one’s welfare, but the mind becomes the enemy when it drags one to succumb to the
temptations. Sri Krishna explicitly states in Bhagavad gita that a man must utilize his
mind to elevate himself. Unless one can control the mind, there is no question of
elevation. The body is like a chariot, and the mind is the driver. If you tell your driver,
"Please take me to the Krishna temple," the driver will take you there, but if you tell him,
"Please take me to that liquor house," you will go there. It is the driver's business to take
you wherever you like. If you can control the driver, he will take you where you should
go, but if not, he will ultimately take you wherever he likes.
If you have no control over your driver, your driver is your enemy, but if he acts
according to your orders, he is your friend. The yoga system is meant to control the mind
in such a way that the mind will act as your friend. Sometimes the mind acts as a friend
and sometimes as an enemy. Because we are part and parcel of the Supreme, who has
infinite independence, we have minute, or finite, independence. It is the mind that is
controlling that independence, and therefore he may either take us to the Krishna temple
or to some nightclub.
The mind is a friend when it is under the control of the intelligence. Then it is serene,
grave, self-controlled, simple and pure. When the mind is an enemy, it is controlled from
within by desire and from without by sense objects. Then it is restless, frivolous, and
impure. Lust makes its abode in the mind and orders it to act for sense gratification. If
unchecked, the mind can go mad and lead one to a most hellish place. If at all we desire
self-control, we must control the mind. Then the mind will control the senses by
engaging them intelligently in accordance with spiritual knowledge.
Chanting Hare Krishna helps us to control the mind very easily. The meaning of the
word, ‘Mantra’ is ‘to deliver the mind’. It is the purpose of this Krishna consciousness
movement to fix the mind on Krishna. When the mind is so fixed, he cannot do anything
but act as our friend. He has no scope to act any other way. As soon as Krishna is seated
in the mind, there is light, just as when the sun is in the sky, darkness is vanquished.
Krishna is just like the sun, and when He is present, there is no scope for darkness. If we
keep Krishna on our mind, the darkness of mäyä will never be able to enter. Keeping the
mind fixed on Krishna is the perfection of yoga. If the mind is strongly fixed on the
Supreme, it will not allow any nonsense to enter, and there will be no falldown. If the
mind is strong, the driver is strong, and we may go wherever we may desire. The entire
yoga system is meant to make the mind strong, to make it incapable of deviating from the
Supreme.
Watch those thoughts !
When the name of an object is heard, a subtle form arises in the mind. In fact, the mind
cannot conceive of a thing without mentally projecting it in subtle form. The mind tends
to repeat and dwell on those desires, thoughts, and recollections which it has found
enjoyable. When thoughts arise in the mind, they do not end there but produce a series of
related desires and thoughts, gaining momentum until they finally force one to act, even
against his better judgement and discrimination. Lusty thoughts precede lusty acts.
Perfect celibacy is observed mentally when we do not entertain the mind with sexual
fantasies. It is said :
Watch your thoughts – they become words; Watch your words – they become actions
Watch your actions – they become habits; Watch your habits – they become character
Watch your character – it becomes your culture
Regardless of how vigilant we are, what yogis call ‘vasanas’ are bound to occur. A
‘vasana’ is a wave on the lake of the mind. Vasanas agitate the mind, and turn a beautiful
lake into a stormy dangerous one. Due to vasanas we experience attraction, repulsion,
and attachment for the things of this world. When the mind contemplates an object, finds
it attractive, and begins to desire it, a vasana is forged. As desire intensifies, it becomes
lust, and a strong determination to enjoy the object develops. The mind then attempts to
experience that object through the senses : by seeing it, feeling it, tasting it, smelling it,
or hearing it. And it all begins as a mere ripple on the lake of the mind !
Even if a vasana is successfully resisted, it will not necessarily go away. It might arise
again and again, sometimes with redoubled force. Unless the mind is fixed in yoga, we
cannot resist such constant agitation. We will finally yield and become a slave to
material desire. If we at all aspire to purify our heart, we must strive to control the unruly
mind and impetuous senses and thereby stand calm in the midst of the storms of lust. “A
person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires—that enter like rivers into
the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still—can alone achieve peace, and not
the man who strives to satisfy such desires.” [BG 2.70]
Useful and harmful Recreation

Just as contemplating on bad thoughts leads to bad act, so can talking about it. Our
tongue is the most difficult sense to control. If the tongue is not eating, it is usually
wagging. People compulsively talk, talk, talk. Any idle talk is undesirable. “Be silent”,
says Pythagoras, “or say something better than silence.” “Speak fitly,” says George
Herbert, “or be silent wisely.” One should learn the art of speaking in a way that will
benefit oneself and others. One should always learn to speak and connect things to God.
This will purify everyone’s heart.
Technology and opulence have given

Americans a lot of free time, but what is
being done with it? Ironically, high
suicide rates are found in countries in
which people have the most leisure time.
Instead of using their time for spiritual
advancement, people squander it in many
self-destructive ways, or, at best,
frivolous ways. Precious hours are
wasted on spectator sports, drinking,
drug-taking, chit-chatting, and perhaps
worst of all – watching TV
indiscriminately.
A average American child growing between 5 to 14 years of age would witness the
violent death of 13,000 humans on TV. The National Institute of Mental Health reports :
“Violence on television does lead to aggressive behaviour by children and teenagers who
watch the programs.” Watching so much violence certainly hardens a person. How can a
child be expected to develop into a compassionate adult with respect for life if he is
constantly being exposed to violence?
People consider watching TV, playing carom, chess, cricket as recreation. Another
dangerous invasion is the ‘Internet’ which is ‘global gossip’. It is a ‘net’ that catches the
fish-like minds of youth and endangers them either into poronography or love-affairs-
chatting. Youths spend dozens of hours in front of the computer surfing and surfing and
subsequently suffering due to exchanging romantic letters ignoring their college studies.
According to scriptures walking, doing yoga asanas, swimming, kabadi playing,

wrestling are the recreation activities that boost up one’s physical health, mental peace,
strength and vigor.
Read the later chapters on ‘Practical application of Bhagavad gita’ to know how we can
keep ourselves engaged 24 hours a day in proper consciousness to achieve wisdom, peace
of mind and limitless inner joy that we can share with others.
Sleeping habits
There are people who spend their leisure in sleeping long hours. This is a sign of mode
of ignorance. If one sleeps too much one cannot perform meditation with a fresh mind;
the mind tends to be drowsy. If one sleeps too little, then one feels tired all day and is
unable to perform any activity with full attention and precision.
One who eats more than required will dream very much
while sleeping, and he must consequently sleep more than is
required. One should not sleep more than six hours daily.
One who sleeps more than six hours out of twenty-four is
certainly influenced by the mode of ignorance. A person in
the mode of ignorance is lazy and prone to sleep a great deal.
Such a person cannot perform yoga.
According to expert doctors, sleeping :

• between 9 pm to 12 pm is equivalent to six hours
• beween 12 pm to 3 am is equivalent to three hours
• between 3 am to 6 am is equivalent to one and a half
hours
Thus early to bed and early to rise, makes you healthy, wealthy and wise. According to
Ayurveda, one should sleep when sun sleeps and one should be awake when sun is
awake. If one keeps this standard then one will never fall sick.
Unfortunately in the modern times, students who stay in the hostels keep awake
practically whole night wandering to hotels or canteens eating at midnight (that leads to
indigestion) or gossiping with friends, playing football or cricket, hunting for girlfriends
etc. Some in the name of studying ‘night out’ keep themselves awake but waste all their
time dozing on the table or chatting with friends. Such night hawks sleep ten to fifteen
hours in the day and thus ruin their health in the long run.
The early morning hours are very suitable for mantra meditation, prayer and absorption in
rememberance of the Lord as well as studies. In those hours, the mind is fresh and
absorbs input like a blotting paper absorbing ink. By rising early, taking a fresh bath and
chanting Hare Krishna one can develop one’s inner strength, confidence and purity and
can remain blissful and fresh all day in pure consciousness. In our VOICE centers
everyday, there is Mantra Meditaiton program that calms the agitation of the mind and
gives one a focus in life beginning at 4:30 am followed by dancing and chanting of the
Holy Name and a enlivening and enlightening class and discussion.
The Need for a Proper Diet

Almost everyone could live healthily for a
century if he just followed a life of plain
living and high thinking. For many reasons,
however, people live unhealthy lives and die
prematurely. People poison their digestive
tract with meat, alcohol, and various
chemicals used in junk-food coloring and
preservation. They also poison their bodies
with licit and illicit drugs, pain relievers,
sleeping pills etc. really, it’s a wonder that
the average lifespan is as long as it is now.
Yoga is meant for the reestablishment of our lost relationship with Krishna. Generally,
one joins a yoga society in order to improve his health or to reduce fat. People in rich
nations eat more, become fat, and then pay exorbitant prices to so-called yoga instructors
in order to reduce by all these artificial gymnastics; they do not understand that if they
just eat vegetables or fruits and grains, they will never get fat. People get fat because they
eat voraciously, because they eat meat. People who eat voraciously suffer from diabetes,
overweight, heart attacks, etc., and those who eat insufficiently suffer from tuberculosis.
Therefore moderation is required, and moderation in eating means that we eat only what
is needed to keep body and soul together. If we eat more than we need or less, we will
become diseased.
There is no need for men to eat animals, because there is an ample supply of grains,
vegetables, fruits and milk. Such simple foodstuff is considered to be in the mode of
goodness according to the Bhagavad-gita. Animal food is for those in the mode of
ignorance. Therefore, those who indulge in animal food, drinking, smoking and eating
food which is not first offered to Krishna will suffer sinful reactions because of eating
only polluted things. Bhuïjate te tv aghaà päpä ye pacanty ätma-käraëät. Anyone
who eats for sense pleasure, or cooks for himself, not offering his food to Krishna, eats
only sin. One who eats sin and eats more than is allotted to him cannot execute perfect
yoga. It is best that one eat only the remnants of foodstuff offered to Krishna. A person in
Krishna consciousness does not eat anything which is not first offered to Krishna.
Therefore, only the Krishna conscious person can attain perfection in yoga practice.
It is well known that nutrition dramatically influences the mind and senses, and the
reproductive system in particular. Rich nutrition increases reproductive activity, and
minimal nutrtion diminishes it. Throughout history, people have avoided meat and
restricted their diet to calm the senses. In all relgious calenders there are fast days.
Fasting is practiced among Christians, Jews, Muslimss, Hindus and Buddhists. In fact,
fasting, vegetarianism and celibacy were common even among Pythagoreans, Gnostics,
Essenes, neo-Platonists and Manichaens. One should not artificially abstain from eating,
manufacturing his own personal process of fasting, practice yoga. The Krishna conscious
person observes fasting as it is recommended in the scriptures. He does not fast or eat
more than is required, and he is thus competent to perform yoga practice.
In Bhagavad gita [BG 17.8-10], food is classified according to the three modes of nature :
goodness, passion and ignorance. As humans, we can choose the type of food we eat.
Lower animals cannot do this, for they eat by instinct. For spiritualists, foods in mode of
goodness is preferred. Food in goodness produces purity of mind and health of body and
thus increases our lifespan. Moreover it nourishes the inner self, stimulating memory and
enabling us to remember our spiritual identity and eternal loving relationship with God.
The purpose of food is to increase the duration of life, purify the mind and aid bodily
strength. This is its only purpose. In the past, great authorities selected those foods that
best aid health and increase life’s duration, such as milk products, sugar, rice, wheat,
fruits and vegetables. These foods are very dear to those in the mode of goodness. They
are quite distinct from untouchable things like meat and liquor. Fatty foods, as mentioned
in BG 17.8 have no connection with animal fat obtained by slaughter. Animal fat is
available in the form of milk, which is the most wonderful of all foods. Milk, butter,
cheese and similar products give animal fat in a form which rules out any need for the
killing of innocent creatures. It is only through brute mentality that this killing goes on.
The civilized method of obtaining needed fat is by milk. Slaughter is the way of
subhumans. Protein is amply available through split peas, däl, whole wheat, etc.
Foods in the mode of passion, which are bitter, too salty, or too hot or overly mixed with
red pepper, cause misery by reducing the mucus in the stomach, leading to disease. Foods
in the mode of ignorance or darkness are essentially those that are not fresh. Any food
cooked more than three hours before it is eaten (except prasädam, food offered to the
Lord) is considered to be in the mode of darkness. Because they are decomposing, such
foods give a bad odor, which often attracts people in this mode but repulses those in the
mode of goodness.
Remnants of food may be eaten only when they are part of a meal that was first offered to
the Supreme Lord or first eaten by saintly persons, especially the spiritual master.
Otherwise the remnants of food are considered to be in the mode of darkness, and they
increase infection or disease. Such foodstuffs, although very palatable to persons in the
mode of darkness, are neither liked nor even touched by those in the mode of goodness.
Although wholesome foods in goodness are physically and spiritually beneficial, they
should be eaten in moderation. Too much eating means eating more than is required to
keep the body and soul together. One should never eat more than necessary. It is a yogic
principle to fill the belly half full with food in the mode of goodness, a quarter full water,
and then to leave a quarter empty for the circulation of air. Such moderation is materially
and spiritually healthy.
A glutton can never be focussed in spiritual life, for control of tongue is absolutely
necessary for control of the genitals. The perfect sadhaka is always lean and alert, never
fat and lethargic. The tongue and genitals are intimately connected in the human
organism. When the tongue is stimulated with foods in the mode of passion, the genitals
are also excited. If the tongue is well controlled, the genitals will also be controlled.
Therefore food should be simple, non-irritating, and non-stimulating. Spices should be

used sparingly. The stomach must never be overloaded, especially at night, for that will
increase the chance of nocturnal emission. We should always remember that our body is
a instrument that belongs to God, provided to us to utilise wisely in His service. When
we eat the food offered to God in love, then it not only nourishes our brain providing
strength, but also nourishes the soul awakening the love of God.
Nature Of Material Pleasure
kuträçiñaù çruti-sukhä mågatåñëi-rüpäù

kvedaà kalevaram açeña-rujäà virohaù
nirvidyate na tu jano yad apéti vidvän
kämänalaà madhu-lavaiù çamayan duräpaiù
TRANSLATION
In this material world, every living entity desires some future happiness, which is
exactly like a mirage in the desert. Where is water in the desert, or, in other words,
where is happiness in this material world? As for this body, what is its value? It is
merely a source of various diseases. The so-called philosophers, scientists and
politicians know this very well, but nonetheless they aspire for temporary happiness.
Happiness is very difficult to obtain, but because they are unable to control their
senses, they run after the so-called happiness of the material world and never come
to the right conclusion. [SB 7.9.25]
PURPORT
There is a song in the Bengali language which states, "I constructed this home for
happiness, but unfortunately there was a fire, and everything has now been burnt to
ashes." This illustrates the nature of material happiness. Everyone knows it, but
nonetheless one plans to hear or think something very pleasing. Unfortunately, all
of one's plans are annihilated in due course of time. There were many politicians
who planned empires, supremacy and control of the world, but in due time all their
plans and empires—and even the politicians themselves—were vanquished.
Everyone should take lessons from Prahläda Mahäräja about how we are engaged in
so-called temporary happiness through bodily exercises for sense enjoyment. All of
us repeatedly make plans, which are all repeatedly frustrated. Therefore one should
stop such planmaking.
As one cannot stop a blazing fire by constantly pouring ghee upon it, one cannot
satisfy oneself by increasing plans for sense enjoyment. The blazing fire is bhava-
mahä-dävägni, the forest fire of material existence. This forest fire occurs
automatically, without endeavor. We want to be happy in the material world, but
this will never be possible; we shall simply increase the blazing fire of desires. Our
desires cannot be satisfied by illusory thoughts and plans; rather, we have to follow
the instructions of Lord Kåñëa: sarva-dharmän parityajya mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja
[Bg. 18.66]. Then we shall be happy. Otherwise, in the name of happiness, we shall
continue to suffer miserable conditions.
The living entity is by nature pleasure-seeking, änanda-maya. Now we are suffering

because we are falsely seeking pleasure on the material platform and as a result we are
becoming entangled in the painful complexities of material existence. But if we try to give
up the pleasure-seeking propensity altogether, we shall eventually become frustrated
and return to the platform of material pleasure-seeking. We have to engage our mind
and senses in the service of Krishna, who is Rasa-Vigraha or reservoir of all
transcendental pleasure. Our thirst for enjoyment will be quenched only by contacting
this ocean of pleasure; till then the living entity has to struggle with his mind and senses
in the chase after mirage that is explained below.
A average man in society spends most of his time in counteracting the problems
or pains, `kurvan dukha pratikaram sukhavan manyate grhi’ [SB 3.30.9]. He tries
to repeat the pleasurable experiences by becoming addicted to the objects that
gave him pleasure – opposite sex, situations, things etc. most often, he ignores
the presence of others in fulfilling his own ambitious plans for enjoyment, thus
causing pain to them and conflicting relationships. Sometimes in order to
achieve the pleasure he does not mind adopting a foul means, going against his
own conscience, thus causing an internal conflict. Thus `raga’ (attachment to
things one should shun) and `dvesha’ (aversion to good things) toss him like a
football occasionally leaving islands of tiny pleasures that urge him to continue
on the same rat race.
Material Pleasure- Temporary Mitigation Of Pain

The whole world is chasing after material pleasure, but the fact is there is no happiness in
the material world. What appears to be happiness is only a temporary mitigation of pin.
For instance, in those days, if the policemen wanted to get a truth out of the mouth of a
thief, they used to tie the thief to the end of a stick up-side-down and dip him in water.
After sometime, they would bring him out. The thief would be suffocating and would
take breath feeling a great sigh of relief. After enquiring him, they will once again dunk
him in water. Similarly in this material world we get a small relief from miseries,
sandwiched with two thick layers of suffering.
If one carefully observes ones own life, he can see that every effort made is to counteract
some type of suffering. If one has successfully counteracted the suffering, he considers it
as `enjoyment’. But there is truly no positive enjoyment. For instance, let us take the
example of the heavily crowded trains in Bombay city. When you are standing in the
railway platform you may see three trains passing one after another completely loaded
with people and you may find your chance of getting in very bleak. But somehow or
other if you get into the fourth train by the push of other people, you feel `happiness’.
But inside the train your nose get stuck in someone’s armpit and your body is bent in four
places and you desire to get a sitting place as your legs are paining. If you get a small
sitting place even to keep one of your thighs you feel `happiness’. After sometime by
will of providence if you get a window seat, you feel `greater happiness’ although
squeezed to the window by three people sitting next to you. Now there is anxiety about
how to come out of the crowd to get down in the next station, otherwise you will miss
your station. Thus every step is a temporary mitigation of suffering that is perceived as
happiness.
Material Pleasure And Material Pain Are Twins

There are unlimited sense objects for enjoyment, but not one of them is able to give
complete satisfaction. Just like the riddle that says, ‘water water everywhere not a drop
to drink (sea)’ we are surrounded by unlimited varieties of enjoyable objects; but
somehow happiness eludes us. In youth, people fall prey to many vices with the intense
desire for squeezing out some happiness in life; but where does that struggle end ? It
can be practically observed that the worldly pleasures are always mixed with pain like
sweet rice mixed with sand. Pain is called `athithi’ or an uninvited guest, who comes to
your door unexpectedly.
(eg) smoking – cancer, illicit sex – AIDS, Liquor – Liver problem, Tobacco – bronchitis
Pleasure and pain are born together like twins. They are two sides of the same coin. We
want to separate the pleasure component from the coin and throw away the pain
component. How is this possible? How can you want a person without his shadow? Pain
and pleasure are inseparable from each other. We can only transcend this duality by
engaging all our senses in the service of the master of the senses, Lord Hrishikesh or
Lord Krishna.
Material Pleasure Is Limited
How much can you enjoy? If somebody tells you, “I am

enjoying life”, you may ask them : “How much can you
enjoy? How long can you enjoy?” Most people are
hunting for pleasure on the gross material platform. The
more advanced search for pleasure in speculation,
philosophy, poetry, or art. The bhakti-yogi, however,
searches for pleasure on the transcendental platform, and
that is his only business. Why are people working so hard
all day? They are thinking, "Tonight I shall enjoy. Tonight
I will associate with this girl or with my wife." Thus people
are going to so much trouble to acquire a little pleasure.
Pleasure is the ultimate goal, but unfortunately, under
illusion, people do not know where real pleasure is to be
found. Real pleasure exists eternally in the transcendental form of Krishna. You have
seen pictures of Krishna, and if you have noticed that Krishna is always jolly. If you join
His society, you will also become jolly. Have you ever seen pictures of Krishna working
with a machine? Have you ever seen pictures of Krishna smoking? No, He is by nature
full of pleasure. Pleasure cannot be found artificially. The word rasa means "taste," or
"mellow." We enjoy sweets or candy because of their taste. Everyone is trying to enjoy
some taste, and we want to enjoy sex because there is some taste there. That is called ädi
taste. Material tastes are different because they are tasted and quickly finished. Material
tastes last only a few minutes. You may take a piece of candy, taste it, and say, "Oh, that
is very nice," but you have to taste another in order to continue the enjoyment. Material
taste is not unlimited, but real taste is without end. Spiritual taste cannot be forgotten; it
goes on increasing. Änandämbudhi-vardhanam. Caitanya Mahäprabhu says, "This
taste is always increasing." The Pacific Ocean is always tossing, but it is not increasing.
By God's order, the ocean does not extend beyond its limit, and if it extends, there is
havoc. Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu says that there is another ocean, an ocean of
transcendental bliss, an ocean that is always increasing. Änandämbudhi-vardhanaà

prati-padaà pürëämåtäsvädanaà/ sarvätma-snapanaà paraà vijayate çré-kåñëa-
saìkértanam. By chanting Hare Krishna, our pleasure potency increases more and more.
How long can you enjoy? One may be proud of having facilities to enjoy now; but how
long can he go on? Rich people who suffer from diabetes or chronic constipation are
unable to taste any good preparations. “What is the use of all my money? I cannot eat
even one laddu.” they feel. A old lady with hunch back was looking down to the ground
searching the jewel of youth that passed away in her life. If one is youthful, one may
certainly have enormous strength ; but one should not laugh at old people because one
who laughs also will turn old – like the wet cow dung laughed at dry dung which was
thrown into fire ; he didn’t realise that the same thing will happen to him also. Thus one
cannot keep enjoying forever, even if one possesses all facilities.
These two questions, `how much’ and `how long’ easily expose the nature of material
pleasures. There may be a dozen five star hotels in the city and every day over fifty
varieties of items may be in the menu. Although our tongue is hankering to enjoy
delicious preparations, how much can one enjoy even if he happens to be the wealthiest
person in the city? All material pleasures have beginning and end – like a cow tied to a
pole cannot enjoy grass beyond the radius of the rope.
Two solutions to stop suffering The irony is that even the drop of material pleasure
that is achieved is unsatisfying and accompanied by unlimited suffering, `trpyanti neha
krpana bahu dukha bhaja’. There is a particular plant called poison IV plant that causes
itching sensation by merely touching it. As one forgetfully touches other parts of the
body this itching multiplies more and more and leads to enormous suffering. By
continuous scratching, one may start bleeding. The solution to stop itching is : (i) stop
scratching (ii) apply medicine. Similarly the only solution to a suffering soul hankering
for pleasure is to give up the endeavour in the material world and take to the medicine of
chanting the holy names of the Lord. Thus trying to gain material pleasures is compared
to pouring petrol in the fire to put off the fire. The fire only will become aggravated.
Relish the topmost pleasure Thus indulging in or suppressing material pleasures is not
the solution; one should sublimate them by taking to Krishna consciousness. In spiritual
life, one experiences real joy called `satya ananda’ not `mithya ananda’. A connoisure of
food may travel some hundred miles to go to a particular hotel to taste a particular
delicacy, a connoisure of art may purchase a painting for millions of dollars if it is
pleasing to his mind, a connoisure of Maths may solve a complicated problem and get a
great intellectual satisfaction, a connoisure of treking may climb up Himalayas and lay a
flag at the top and feel his ego satisfied. Yogis are connoisures of pleasure. They don’t
become satisfied with petty pleasures achieved by body, mind, intellect or ego. They
relish the unlimited bliss that comes by surrendering to the Lord in love and rendering
service to Him in divine consciousness. `ramante yogino anante satyananda cidatmani…’
Material Pleasure is a Chase after Mirage; they can’t give us satisfaction we’re
looking for
Material Pleasure never satisfies a person, it only leads to a more desperate search for
pleasure. In Bhagavatam [SB 7.13.29] there is an example of a deer who was very
thirsty. He was standing next to a lake of fresh clean water covered with clumps of grass.
Because of grass on the top of water he could not see the water; he ran here and there in
search of water and at last died without achieving it. Our material body has grown upon
the soul and we identify with it. Not knowing our true identity as the pure spirit soul
different from the material coverings, we try to satisfy the material body in so many
ways, but we are led only to frustration. The whole world is on chase after material
pleasures without understanding the true nature of the soul that is just beneath the sheath
of material body. Suppose you desire to eat an ice cream cone. After your desire of
eating ice cream cone is fulfilled you get a momentary satisfaction. But soon after this
your mind will begin to search for another object of pleasure. You may start thinking,
“What should I do now? May be I should go to a movie.” In this way mind constantly
wants a variety of pleasurable sensations. In fact, one realizes his inability to satisfy the
demands of his mind.
The material world is a perverted reflection of the spiritual world. Sometimes it appears
that material pleasures are more easily reachable than spiritual bliss; but it is not true. A
moving image of a seductive woman can make a passionate man lusty but cannot give
him tangible enjoyment. Once a crane that spent a lot of time near a lake in search of fish
happened to see a bull’s testicle hanging. He thought to himself, if fishes are so easily
available why do people struggle hard to get it from the lake. Thinking in this way, he
put his beaks in between the two legs on the bull and got a severe kick from the bull. Not
able to understand what is happening, the crane tried again and again and got repeated
kicks. This is the condition of one pursuing material pleasures. A fake rupee note may
be damn cheap but it is of no value. Thus the material objects are like mere shadows that
are imitation of spiritual objects and cannot give us satisfaction that we are looking for.
Material Pleasure becomes a boredom after sometime
We have been situated in the bodies of dogs, cats etc for many lifetimes. We have
already had these pleasures millions of times – eating, sleeping, mating and defending.
Prahlad maharaj calls it, `punah punah carvita carvananam’ [SB 7.5.30] meaning
`chewing the chewed’. Sometimes a school going child chews a chewing-gum for hours
together. It gives a good flavour in the beginning, but becomes tasteless within a short
time. But when the teacher begins the class, the child keeps it under the desk but later
takes it and keeps chewing it although there is no taste. Nowadays school boys playing
cricket chew the chewing gum more out of fashion than to get any taste out of it !
No same material object can give us pleasure for a long time.

For example, if you are mad for eating gulabjamuns, eat one,
two, three…. A stage will come when you will not want to eat
anymore and if it is given forcefully, you will feel repulsion
and vomit.
Suppose you are very excited to hear about a picnic to some

place with your friends after a month. You may be counting
down the day of the picnic. Initially, you may enjoy the
experience but after sometime you start feeling bored and ask
others, “When are we returning back?”
If somebody gives you a birthday gift nicely packed in a shining golden paper pack, how
eager are you open and see what the gift is! But once the gift is opened, you turn it
around left, right, up, down and see it, you keep it aside. Now probably you may not
touch it again ever in future !
A newly wedded couple holds several dreams about marriage and life with the new
partner. They feel some divinity associated with the whole thing – nightingales are
singing, flowers are showering from the heaven, lakes are blooming with lotuses, swans
are joyfully swimming back and forth, peacocks are dancing and whole world is enjoying
our marriage etc. These things are sometimes even shown in movies. But the
bridegroom with a beautiful king-like turban is raised on a horse and given all respects
for one day, only to tolerate the onslaught of all kinds of problems throughout his life.
Once marriage is over, the couple has to face the harsh realities of life – getting a job,
purchasing a flat, procuring furniture, raising the newly born child, admitting him in
school, household chores and problems, facing crises etc. Although they often proudly
tell others that they have been united by `love marriage’, they may fight almost like cat
and rat.
Thus the charm of material pleasures is short lived and turns into boredom or dryness
after sometime.
Material pleasure – nectar in the beginning, poison at the end
Suppose all of a sudden you get a craving of the tongue to eat some pizza late night. The
very thought of pizza brings saliva in your tongue and the prospect of eating it gives great
joy and hope. Initially you have to take the trouble to go to the hotel. You may have to
wait in the long queue till your turn comes. You may have to have a fight with the waiter
for not cooperating in the matter of giving you the food in the right time and in the right
manner or not respecting you properly. After the pizza comes, you may find it
excessively spicy or not well prepared. After somehow or other consuming it you may
get a momentary pleasure along with the later consequences of adverse effect on your
health the next day. On one hand you may suffer heart burning, nausea and indigestion
and on the other hand you feel a mental urge to repeat the experience of eating pizza
again and again.
Often people go by the externals. They think, “He/She looks so handsome/beautiful.

He/She must be too good. I have to achieve this person’s company in my life as a life-
partner. I have no other goal now.” Now even after you manage to live with him/her,
you also come across many other facets of his/her behavior that pinch you and you have
to bear with them. A person’s superficial beauty is not representative of his/her qualities.
Thus one begins to become aware of the sharp ends that abrade and create fire sparks in
their relationship. If one is not mature, one whom we loved the most may become one
whom we hate the most now. Further when such a person leaves your company after
some time due to any unavoidable circumstances or even temporarily for some time you
suffer mental agony in his/her separation. Thus there is little pleasure in the beginning
followed by the long tail of sufferings.
While the common saying goes amongst people of this world, `familiarity breeds
contempt’, in spiritual circles, `familiarity breeds love’. A materialist goes by the
superficial, while a devotee sees the real spiritual being in every body. He sees a
brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog eater alike by seeing the supersoul seated
in the hearts of all these beings. Thus in spiritual life, when we come closer to either
Krishna or devotees we feel an ever increasing attraction as such relationships exist and
are experienced on a spiritual plane.
Four basic human needs for effective living
A hedonistic stereotyped life aimed at ‘eat, drink and be merry’ may begin with the joy
of instant gratification but will plunge one in untold misery eventually. A wise person
should have a balanced life meeting the following four needs which will bring about
regulated life. Ultimately the aim of such a life is to act with one’s body, mind and words
for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord.
The problems in life come when we’re sowing one thing expecting to reap something
entirely different. The first thing we have to be aware of is that we are spirit souls
animating a material body. The body is a vehicle offered by the Lord so that we may
engage it in His service, get purified from the contaminations that we have picked up and
return back home back to Godhead. With this foundational understanding, one should
also pay attention to the following four needs in order to bring out one’s best as an
offering to the service of the Lord.
Physical Needs
A devotee can have a healthy body to serve Krishna without any impediment. Otherwise
a healthy body utilised for sense gratification is no better than the heafty body of an
animal. Now, vibrant health is based on natural principles. It grows over time out of
regular exercise, proper nutrition, adequate rest, a healthy mind-set, avoiding substances
that are harmful to the body, leading a clean life – internally and externally. But instead
of paying the price, we’re caught up in the illusion of appearance –fantasy that the right
clothes, the right makeup, the quick-fix weight-loss programs (actually proven to
contribute to the long-term problem instead of solving it) will fulfill our physical need.
It’s an empty promise. It brings short-term satisfaction, but it’s cotton candy. There’s no
substance to it. It doesn’t last.
Economic well-being is based on principles of cutting costs, saving for future needs,
earning interest instead of paying it. But we live with the illusion that having “things”
will fulfill the need – regardless of the fact that they’re bought on credit and we spend
months or even years paying twice what they’re worth for the cotton-candy satisfaction
of instant gratification.
Social Needs
Quality relationships are built on principles trust and being lovable. And trust grows out
of trustworthiness, out of the character to make and keep commitments, to share
resources, to be caring and responsible, to belong, to love unconditionally. When we see
each other as spirit souls, part-and-parcels of Krishna, then we can love one another,
respect others, care for others by seeing their connection to God. Community centered
around God is based on love, trust and respect.
But when we’re lonely and in the pain of the unmet need, we don’t want to be told to go
out and earn it, to be trust-worthy – worthy of someone’s trust and affection. It’s so
much easier to believe in the cotton-candy illusion of sexual gratification, or the idea that
appearance and personality will win affection, or pay someone talk to us in an
affectionate way. It’s easier to get a fix of love than to work on being a loving person.
And our culture – music, books, advertising, movies, TV programming – is filled with the
illusion.
Mental Needs
It is to gain knowledge with understanding and realisation about meaning and purpose of
life. It is not bookish knowledge. Srila Prabhupada says, ‘Bookish knowledge without
realisation is useless.’ But far from spiritual knowledge, the modern education system is
based on only material knowledge. That too involves evaluation based on memory,
cramming ability etc rather than learning for the long-term development and growth.
We’re into “get the degree...so you can get the job...so you can get the money...so you
can buy the things...so you’ll be successful.” But what does that kind of “success” bring?
Can that bring about the same character and competence that come from deep, continuous
investment in learning and growth?
Also the mind being a storehouse of desires, thoughts, plans, previous experiences etc
cannot be peaceful without absorption in Krishna consciousness. The mind should never
be kept idle, but be always engaged busily in Lord’s service.
Spiritual Needs
The living entity is by nature pleasure-seeking, änanda-maya. Now we are suffering
because we are falsely seeking pleasure on the material platform and as a result we are
becoming entangled in the painful complexities of material existence. But if we try to
give up the pleasure-seeking propensity altogether, we shall eventually become frustrated
and return to the platform of material pleasure-seeking. Although there is eternal
existence on the Brahman platform of impersonal realization, there is no änanda. Variety
is the mother of enjoyment. In the Vaikuntha planets there is actual, spiritual änanda.
Lord Sri Krishna is there in His ecstatic, spiritual form, surrounded by His blissful
associates, all of them eternally full of bliss and knowledge. They have nothing to do
with material existence. In the spiritual planets even the scenery and birds and animals
are fully conscious of Krishna and are absorbed in transcendental bliss. Yad gatvä na
nivartante tad dhäma paramaà mama (Bg. 15.6). One who goes to the blissful, spiritual
planet of Krishna will be fully satisfied and never come back to the material platform.
In Vaikuëöha, the spiritual world, there is no anxiety. Vaikuëöha means "freedom from
anxiety," and in Vaikuëöha the liberated souls are always dancing, chanting, and taking
prasäda. On this earth we are trying to be happy artificially and are therefore frustrated.
There are no factories, hard work, or technical institutions. There is no need for these
artificial things like Restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and dance halls that are always
announcing, "Come on, here is änanda. Here is pleasure." That is because everyone is
searching for änanda, pleasure. Our society for Kåñëa consciousness is also announcing,
"Here is änanda," but our standard of pleasure is very different. In any case, the goal—
pleasure—is the same. In Vedänta-sütra it is stated, änandamayo 'bhyäsät: (Vedänta-sütra
1.1.12) God is änandamaya, full of bliss and pleasure. Since we are part and parcel of God, we
also possess these same qualities. So the goal of our yoga process is to join with the supreme
änandamaya, Çré Kåñëa, to join His dance party. Then we will be actually happy.
Only a selfless life of surrender to God and achievement of purity of thought and action
can bring about true satisfaction to us. Accumulating possessions, occupying posts and
positions, keeping a big bank balance – none of these have made anyone satisfied.
‘The great devotee saint Haridas Thakur and the Prostitute’
If you are in a class room, then your teacher will make groups of 4 or 5 students; if you
are reading this book alone, you can do it as an individual task. The story given below
illustrates how the great devotee Haridas Thakur, effortlessly tackled the allurement of
maya in the form of a woman simply by the strength of his chanting Hare Krishna. Lust
makes men into monsters and women into witches in this world. But Haridas Thakur was
an exception to this because of his being a pure devotee of the Lord and Namacharya of
the Holy name. Read the story carefully. Each member of your group can read one title
given below. Discuss the answer for the questions inserted in between the story amongst
yourselves and answer the questions on a separate sheet. Submit your answers along with
the EBG Quiz answers. Remember to mention on the top of your sheet ‘Lesson 16: ‘The
great devotee saint Haridas Thakur and the Prostitute’, Individual or Group Task’ along
with your name or names of group members.
Haridäsa Öhäkura and the Prostitute

(from the book ‘Chant and be happy’)
Strict followers of the caste system in sixteenth-century India avoided all contact with Muslims. Yet Çré Caitanya
Mahäprabhu, founder of the modern-day Hare Kåñëa movement, shattered all bonds of prejudice and bigotry by
elevating Haridäsa Öhäkura, who was born in a Muslim family, to the position of nämäcärya, or the spiritual master of
the holy name of Kåñëa. In this way Çré Caitanya practically demonstrated one of His central teachings-if any person is
seen to be a great devotee of the Lord, he should be honored and respected regardless of his birth or social status.
Such a spiritually advanced person can completely transform the lives of others. In the following incident from the life
of Haridäsa Öhäkura, we see how a beautiful prostitute, through the power of his chanting, became a great saint.
In the forest of Benäpola, in what is now known as Bangladesh, the solitary monk sat before the sacred tulasé plant
chanting the holy names of Kåñëa day and night. Haridäsa Öhäkura would chant three hundred thousand names of the
Lord each day. The body of this extraordinary saint, who was constantly in trance, was maintained by spiritual strength
from chanting, and he barely slept at all. He was so influential that all the neighboring people offered their respects to
him.
But a landholder named Rämacandra Khän, the district tax collector, was envious of devotees of Lord Kåñëa. Unable to
tolerate the great respect that was being offered to Haridäsa Öhäkura, he schemed to dishonor him. By no means,
however, could he find any fault in the character of Haridäsa. Therefore, he called for some local prostitutes and
plotted to discredit the saint. Rämacandra Khän said to the prostitutes, "There is a mendicant named Haridäsa
Öhäkura. All of you devise a way to deviate him from his vows of austerity." Austerity means renunciation of sensual
pleasures, especially the pleasure of sex.
Q1: What revolutionary step did Lord Caitanya take in His times without caring for opposition?
Q2: By such act, what did Lord Caitanya wanted to show the world?
Q3: For what reasons, did Ramacandra Khan scheme to dishonor Haridasa Thakura?
Q4: What is Austerity?
Rämacandra Khän selected a ravishing young beauty to break the monk's vow of celibacy and dishonor him. "I shall
attract the mind of Haridäsa Öhäkura," she promised, "within three days."
Rämacandra Khän said to the prostitute, "My constable will go with you so that as soon as he sees you with Haridäsa
Öhäkura, he will immediately arrest him and bring both of you to me."
The prostitute replied, "First let me have union with him once; then the second time I shall take your constable with me
to arrest him.
At night the prostitute, after dressing herself in a seductive way, went to the cottage of Haridäsa Öhäkura. Haridäsa
was young, strong, and handsome, and the girl was eager to be alone with him. After offering respects to the tulasé
plant, she went to the door of Haridäsa's hut, offered him obeisances, and stood there. Exposing part of her body to his
view, she sat down on the threshold and spoke to him in sweet words.
"My dear Haridäsa, O great preacher, great devotee, you are so beautifully
built, and your youth is just beginning. Who is the woman who could control
her mind after seeing you? I am eager to be united with you. My mind is
greedy for this. If I don't obtain you, I shall not be able to keep my body and
soul together."
Haridäsa Öhäkura replied, "I shall accept you without fail, but you will have
to wait until I have finished chanting my regular rounds on my beads. Until
that time, please sit and listen to the chanting of the holy name. As soon as
I am finished, I shall fulfill your desire."
Hearing this, the prostitute remained sitting there while Haridäsa Öhäkura
chanted on his beads until the light of morning appeared. When she saw
that it was morning, the prostitute stood up and left. Coming before
Rämacandra Khän, she informed him of all the news.
"Today Haridäsa Öhäkura has promised to enjoy with me," she said.
"Tomorrow certainly I shall have union with him."
The next night, when the prostitute came again, Haridäsa Öhäkura gave her many assurances. "Last night you were
disappointed. Please excuse my offense. I shall certainly accept you. Please sit down and hear the chanting of the
Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra until my regular chanting is finished. Then your desire will surely be fulfilled."
After offering her obeisances to the tulasé plant and Haridäsa Öhäkura, she again sat down at the door. Hearing
Haridäsa Öhäkura chanting the Hare Kåñëa mantra, she also chanted, "O my Lord Hari, O my Lord Hari."
When the night came to an end, the prostitute was restless. Seeing this, Haridäsa said, "I have vowed to chant ten
million names in one month. I have taken this vow, but now it is nearing its end. I thought that today I would be able to
finish my chanting of the Hare Kåñëa mantra. I tried my best to chant the holy name all night, but I still did not finish.
Tomorrow I will surely finish, and my vow will be fulfilled. Then it will be possible for me to enjoy with you in full
freedom."
Q5: Give two examples of men who beceame allured when they were put in situations similar to that of Haridas
Thakura.
Q6: Can you think of a person who sends apsaras to allure rishis and munis when they perform severe penances?
What is his intention in doing so?
Q7: In the modern day context men are allured thoroughly by media using woman as a tool. How can this story of
Haridas Thakura help us in tackling such problems in our lives?
Q8 : What is so special about chanting Hare Krishna that Haridas Thakura could resist such a powerful temptation
offered by the prostitute?
The prostitute returned to Rämacandra Khän and informed him of what had happened. The next day she came earlier,
at the beginning of the evening, and stayed all night. Again, as she began to hear Haridäsa Öhäkura's chanting, she
also chanted "Hari, Hari," the holy name of the Lord.
"Today it will be possible for me to finish my chanting," the saint said. "Then I shall satisfy all your desires."
The night ended with Haridäsa still chanting, but now, because of her constant hearing of Haridasa's chanting, the
mind of the prostitute had changed. Now fully purified, she began to cry and fell at the lotus feet of Haridäsa Öhäkura,
confessing that Rämacandra Khän had appointed her to pollute him.
"Because I have taken the profession of a prostitute," she said, "I have performed unlimited sinful acts. My lord, be
merciful to me. Deliver my fallen soul."
Haridäsa replied, "I know everything about the conspiracy of Rämacandra Khän. He is nothing but an ignorant fool.
Therefore his activities do not make me feel unhappy. On the very day Rämacandra Khän was planning his intrigue
against me, I would have left this place immediately, but because you came, I stayed here for three days to deliver
you.
"Kindly act as my spiritual master," she begged. "Instruct me in my duty by which to get relief from material existence."
Haridäsa answered, "Immediately go home and distribute to the brähmaëas [priests] whatever property you have.
Then come back to this room and stay here forever in Kåñëa consciousness. Chant the Hare Kåñëa mantra continuously
and render service to the tulasé plant by watering her and offering prayers to her. In this way you will very soon get
the opportunity to be sheltered at the lotus feet of Kåñëa."
After thus instructing the prostitute in the chanting of Hare Kåñëa, Haridäsa Öhäkura stood up and left, continuously
chanting the Lord's holy names.
Q9: What was Haridas Thakura’s technique to avoid falling down to maya’s pulls? How can this help us?
Q10: What happened to Prostitute at the end? How did it happen?
Q11: Find out what is so special about watering Tulasi plant.
Q12: What section of this pastime touched your heart the most? Why?
Following the order of her spiritual master, the prostitute distributed to the local priests whatever household
possessions she had. Following Haridäsa's example, she began chanting the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra three hundred
thousand times a day. She chanted throughout the entire day and night, and she worshiped the tulasé plant. By eating
frugally and fasting, she conquered her senses. As soon as her senses were controlled, symptoms of love of God
appeared in her person.
Thus the prostitute became a great saint, and her fame spread throughout the land. Because she was very advanced in
spiritual life, many devotees of the Lord would come to see her. Seeing the sublime character of this former prostitute,
everyone was astonished. They glorified the influence of Haridäsa Öhäkura and offered their obeisances to him.
As for Rämacandra Khän, he was eventually ruined by the arrangement of the Lord. Meanwhile, Haridäsa Öhäkura
continued his travels, always preaching the glories of the holy name, about which he often said, "As the rising sun
immediately dissipates all the world's darkness, which is deep like an ocean, so the holy name of the Lord, if chanted
once without offenses, can dissipate all the reactions of a living being's sinful life. All glories to that holy name of the
Lord, which is auspicious for the entire world."
To this day, thousands of pilgrims each year visit the samädhi tomb of Haridäsa Öhäkura, who, although born a Muslim,
became the spiritual master of the holy name, and one of India's greatest devotee-saints.
Q13: What procedure did the prostitute adopt to attain the platform of love of God?
Q14: Why did devotees of the Lord come to see this prostitute? Why were they astonished?
Q15: What happened to Ramacandra Khan?
Q16: Give an example for how Holy name of Krishna dissipates all reactions of a living being’s sinful life.
* * * * *
‘Self Manager’, Quiz: 5

The Art of Self management
Part A (to be answered by All)
Answer the following questions in TWO or THREE sentences on a separate sheet : (10 x
2 = 20 marks)
Schools today are supplied with surveillance and intruder devices, closed circuit TV,
watchdogs, buzz-controlled doors, walkie-talkie, panic buttons etc. What do you infer
from this?
1. Why do we call the modern day youths as perverted intellectuals? What are they
ignorant about?
2. What is the notion of modern man regarding the ‘ancient’ man? Is that notion correct
or not? Substantiate your statement.
3. What does one lose by indulging in illicit sex?
4. What is the goal of modern man’s interest in yoga exercises? Has he suddenly
become very spiritual minded?
5. What is the difference between academic education and Krishna conscious education?
6. Your friend ridicules you when you talk about self restraint or self control. He says
that one should be a free bird in life without unnecessarily repressing one’s senses
and desires. What would you tell him?
7. Under what conditions is one subjected to material desires?
8. Who is a go-dasa and who is a go-swami?
9. Suppressing our desires or free indulgence as per mind’s whims – which of the two is
better? Give reasons for your answers.
Part B (only for married and Below 50 years)
1. ‘Without becoming Krishna conscious, it is not at all possible to control one’s

senses’. Explain this statement with one sastric and one practical life example.
2. Why do love marriages sometimes end up in a ‘cat-rat’ type of fight? What alternative
way of living would you suggest them?
Part C (only for College students)

1. Why is internet surfing considered a dangerous or harmful recreation? It is the life of

youths in the modern times. Mention at least two engagements thought of as
recreations by modern man, but which are dangerous for the individuals.
2. What is the right and wrong way to fulfill the social need?
* * * * *
Bhagavad Gita As It Is Quiz : 5

The Art of Self management
Answer the following questions in ONE or TWO sentences on a separate sheet: (1 x 30 =

30 marks)
Syllabus for the following Quiz:

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 2.56, 2.61-68, 3.34, 5.22, 6.16-18, 17.8-10, 7.14-16
1. How is a Krishna conscious person able to be steady in success and failure? (2.56)
2. What is the only way to control the senses? (2.61)
3. How is a sincere devotee of the Lord able to shun opportunity for material
enjoyment? (2.62)
4. How does a impersonalist suffer in comparison to a devotee? (2.63)
5. What is the cause of disturbance? (2.66)
6. What is the correct technique for controlling the mind? (2.67)
7. What is not possible by human endeavour? (2.68)
8. Which propensities are to be curbed? (3.34)
9. What is the speciality in the ability of a Krishna conscious person? (5.22)
10. What two things go ill together? (5.22)
11. What happens when one eats more than necessary? (6.16)
12. What is the ideal of a devotee in sleeping habits? (6.17)
13. What is the difference between a devotee and impersonalist in connection to the
transcendental stage? (6.18)
14. When is transcendental engagements like that of Ambarish maharaja possible? (6.18)
15. What is the special mention made about Fatty foods in this purport? (17.10)
16. What is the right process of speaking in spiritual circles? (17.15)
17. What are the different points to be paid attention in training the mind? (17.16)
18. What is the way to gain satisfaction of the mind? (17.16)
19. What is the best method to save ourself from the demanding mind? (17.16)
20. How can we purify our existence? (17.16)
* * * * *

SEBG SM CH 4 & 5 June2007

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Is God Personal or Impersonal?

2 All Major Religions refer to God as a Person 96

The Lord’s Appearance and Activities are Divine 104

8 “As You Surrender, I Reward You Accordingly” 108

Is God Personal or Impersonal?

5) The Lord’s divine body has no veins:

All Major Religions Refer to God as a Person

‘isvarah paramah krishnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah, anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-

There are many other similar descriptions about the Lord.

Impersonal Brahmajyoti is nothing but

hiranmayena patrena satyasyapihitam mukham

2) That the brahmajyoti is Krishna’s effulgence is confirmed by Lord Shri Krishna

3) The Brahma-samhita (5.40) confirms the same truth as follows:

“The Absolute Truth is realized in three phases of understanding by

PARAMATMA (The Supersoul aspired to by Yogis) is an

lifetime as the son of a maid), achieved the darshan of the

BHAGAVAN (The Supreme Personality of Godhead aspired to

Illustration of a Distant Mountain…

Brahman and Paramatma Realization is incomplete realization:

Illustration of a Prime Minister and citizens…

A citizen may know that the government runs the affairs of

But a son, wife, or mother of the Prime Minister has the

The jnana yogis are attached to the impersonal aspect of the

The Ashtanga yogis may be attracted to impersonal

Personal Worship or Impersonal Meditation: Which is Better?

Many people imagine different forms of impersonal meditation, without endeavoring to

The soul can never lose his individuality by merging in Brahman.

The impersonalists are like astronauts in search of a planet. If

Therefore, as long as we are on this earth, we should practice to

The Lord’s Appearance and Activities are Divine

janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah

2. Krishna And His Body Are Non-different

3. Krishna is Eternally Youthful

That Krishna is eternally youthful is confirmed by Lord Brahma in the Brahma-Samhita

4. Krishna’s Appearance and an ordinary living entity’s birth

Srila Prabhupada writes about Lord Krishna’s appearance as

When Lord Krishna was born, He appeared as a baby with four

While describing this incident, Shukadeva Goswami asked

Death is an insignificant expansion of Lord Krishna's

SB 11.31.6 explains “...adagdhva dham avishat svakam” – “Without employing the

SB 1.3.43 explains “kåñëe sva-dhämopagate dharma-jïänädibhiù saha...” – “Lord

The Most Joyful Process For Returning Back to Godhead

Still, even if we grant that Lord Chaitanya is

A Dry Logician Impersonalist turns into

The real and obscured meaning of Vedanta

The Absolute Truth is without a material form

Q6 : What is the meaning of the word, ‘Brahman’?

The beauty that is hidden behind the impersonal effulgence

Eko bahunam, The One and the many

The Liberated position – senseless eternity or sweet spiritual activity?

Q23 : Why did Lord Shiva come as Shankara to preach Mayavada?

The heart transformation of Bhattacarya

Bhattacarya attains pure devotional understanding transcending mundane empty rituals

One attains the Lord by the mercy of a devotee

The real meaning of mukti

Q43 : Who becomes Krishna’s enemy? What is his destination?

‘Self Manager’, Quiz : 4

Part B (only for married and Below 50 years)

Answer the following questions within TWO or THREE sentences: (2 + 3 = 5 marks)

1.Which is superior – Love or peace? Explain with an example.

Part C (only for College students)

Answer the following questions in ONE or TWO sentences on a separate sheet: (1 x 40 =

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