Godhead is light. Nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead there is no nescience.

The Magazine of the Hare Krishna Movement • Jul/Aug 2020 • $4.50

The Science of
Chanting
Going Beyond Mere Syllables

ALSO:
Prepare to Go to Kṛṣṇa
Devotional Surrender:
An Embracing of Truth
Royal Duty, Divine Duty
An Eventful Tour:
Lessons from Kṛṣṇa’s
Entrance into Mathurā
The Spiritual Highway

www.krishna.com
Assisting you in your quest for the Absolute Truth WELCOME

BACKto GODHEAD
The photos illustrating
the cover story for this
issue were taken at the
2020 Radhadesh Mellows
Kirtan Festival in Belgium.
Over the last dozen or so
years, kīrtana festivals have
Founded 1944 • Vol. 54, No. 4 • July / August 2020 become an important part of the culture of
the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. As evidence of the
Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa
6
FEATURES D EPARTMENTS spiritual power of the Lord’s names, devotees
who attend these festivals, which usually last
from one to three days, spend many hours
are together the
one Supreme
Absolute Truth.
Founder’s Lecture Letters  4
each day joyfully singing the Hare Kṛṣṇa
6 Prepare to Go to Kṛṣṇa A Pause for Prayer  11 mahā-mantra.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that only the foolish person Book Section: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  35 “Chanting,” whether by singing or by
doesn’t know that we are all on the threshold of death.   King Pṛthu Praises the Brāhmaṇas uttering the holy name while counting on
and Vaiṣṇavas
13 Devotional Surrender: An Embracing of Truth japa beads, is at the heart of the practice of
If we examine the real meaning of “surrender” to Kṛṣṇa, we Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out  39 bhakti-yoga, whose goal is to awaken our love
54 will find the concept to be dynamic and reciprocal.    Soul-Killing Rascals for Kṛṣṇa. In this issue, Gaura Śaraṇa Dāsa’s
20 The Science of Chanting: Calendar  47 “Steer Your Life Guided by Wisdom” and
13 Tirumala Devī Dāsī’s “The Spiritual Highway”
Going Beyond Mere Syllables Hare Kṛṣṇa Mahā-Mantra  53
If anyone eager for devotional service utters the holy name both stress the importance of understanding
In Memoriam: Śrutidharma Dāsa  64
even partially or improperly, the holy name exhibits its    “This Life Is for Serving Others” life’s goal and striving to attain it. The title of
spiritual potency. the book excerpt in this issue says what we
From the Editor  66
can expect as we pursue that goal: “Māyā Is
30 Absurdity, Abdication, and Abuse:    When God Loses Control Śrī Caitanya
Lessons from the Mahābhārata Going to Test You.” Mahāprabhu, the
Vedic Thoughts  67 combined incarnation
Like Dhṛtarāṣṭra, all who are blinded by their attachments In his opening lecture, Śrīla Prabhupāda
of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa,
invite misfortune upon themselves. tells us to “Prepare to Go to Kṛṣṇa,” and
COVER Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura, a close inaugurated the
associate of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, chants Ūrmilā Devī Dāsī, in “Devotional Surrender: chanting of Hare
41 Royal Duty, Divine Duty An Embracing of Truth,” writes that Kṛṣṇa
Hare Kṛṣṇa on japa beads. The painting was Kṛṣṇa five hundred
A newcomer to the UK finds inspiration in the Queen’s years ago.
the backdrop behind the kīrtana leaders at mercifully responds to our earnest attempts to
example.
the 2020 Radhadesh Mellows Kirtan Festival take refuge in Him.
44 The Spiritual Highway in Belgium. Please see the article “The
Hare Kṛṣṇa. – Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor
Science of Chanting,” beginning on page
We aspiring devotees may experience traffic congestion of a
20. (Painting by Vrinda Gleeson, Rukmini
different kind – traffic congestion within the heart.
Poddar, and Sita Bell.)
Book Excerpt: Living the Wisdom of Bhakti:
30 41 Life As a Spiritual Practice, Volume One
“So these rascals
OUR PURPOSES
48  Māyā Is Going to Test You may go on • To help all people discern reality from illusion,
What seem like obstacles on our spiritual path are all part of talking so many spirit from matter, the eternal from the temporary.
Kṛṣṇa’s merciful plan for our progress. things, but we • To expose the faults of materialism.
don’t care about
54 An Eventful Tour: Lessons from • To offer guidance in the Vedic techniques of
any of them. We
Kṛṣṇa’s Entrance into Mathurā spiritual life.
have to do our
When the young village cowherd enters the big city, He flouts own business. • To preserve and spread the Vedic culture.
the law and order of its evil king. Let the dog bark; • To celebrate the chanting of the holy names of His Divine Grace
the caravan will A. C. Bhaktivedanta
61 Steer Your Life Guided by Wisdom God as taught by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahā­prabhu.
Swami Prabhupāda,
pass.” – p. 40 • To help every living being remember and
The benefit of having a human body over an animal body is Founder-Ācārya of
20
the ability to direct our life toward a higher destination. serve Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. the International
Society for Krishna
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD   3
Consciousness.
 BACK TO
GOD­HEAD
The Magazine of the
Hare Krishna Movement
FOUNDER (under the direction of His Divine Grace
Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti­­­siddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda)
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupāda (1896 –1977)
BHAKTIVEDANTA BOOK TRUST
REPRESENTATIVE  Govardhana Dāsa
EDITOR  Nāgarāja Dāsa
GENERAL MANAGER  Prema-mañjarī Devī Dāsī
ASSOCIATE EDITORS  Caitanya Caraṇa Dāsa,
Drutakarmā Dāsa, Satyarāja Dāsa,
Viśākhā Devī Dāsī
DESIGN / LAYOUT  Govinda Cordua
PROOFREADERS  Gadāgraja Dāsa, Keśihanta
Dāsa, Kṛṣṇa-kṛpā Dāsa, Mahāmāyā Devī Dāsī,
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Letters
Still Exciting
I would like to offer my heartfelt
gratitude for the ever-enlivening
content of this precious publication,
Back to Godhead. This magazine was
the first piece of Prabhupāda’s mag-
nificent publications that I picked up
as a child, and it hasn’t left my heart
since. That childlike excitement still
bursts out every time I see this bless-
ing come through the post. All glories
to the wonderful devotees who are so
merciful to continue this project with
such quality and detail.
Krupa Maisuria
Leicester, UK
To Enjoy or Not to Enjoy
Some people say we should enjoy
this world, and Kṛṣṇa says this world
is māyā. So should we enjoy this
material world?
Satwik Sharma
Via the Internet
Reply: The material energy is trying to
convince us to try to enjoy here. But
can one really enjoy in a prison? No,
this is not a place of enjoyment. It is
a place for purifying ourselves of our
selfish desire to enjoy without God,
Kṛṣṇa. If we become purified, then we
can experience the highest enjoyment,
much higher than what the material
energy promises.
We are entitled to a spiritual plea-
sure coming from the reservoir of all
pleasure, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, whom we are part
of. If we link to Him with love and de-
votion, through service, then we can
experience pleasure eternally.
The practice of connecting to
Kṛṣṇa has been made easy and joyful
by the Lord Himself for us inmates
in Kali-yuga. It begins with glorify-
ing, hearing, and chanting His holy
names. So yes, we can enjoy even here
in the material world – if we are in
His transcendental company. Kṛṣṇa is
present in His names and in His ser-
vice. Taking advantage of these moves
us off the bodily platform of hanker-
ing and lamenting, anxiety, and all
our material problems. The proof is
shown in the lives of those who have
taken up this reformatory process of
bhakti. The results are amazing. In ev-
ery country there are congregations of
devotees joyfully engaged in Kṛṣṇa’s
service.
How and How Much to Chant
Is there any particular way in which
we should chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa man-
tra, or is there a rule that one needs to
chant it a particular number of times?
Aryan
Via the Internet
Reply: Lord Caitanya, the most recent
incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, recommends
the constant chanting of the glories
of the Lord, especially by chanting
the mahā-mantra. He says that there
is no hard and fast rule for chanting.
He did, however, show the example
of keeping track of a regular num-
ber of mantras chanted daily. Śrīla
Prabhupāda asked us to chant a
minimum of 16 rounds of the mahā-
mantra on our mālā of 108 beads. This
is the standard for initiated devotees.
Prabhupāda encouraged one who
is beginning the process to set some
amount, even just a few rounds a day,
and do it every day. One can increase
gradually up to sixteen, which takes
a couple of hours or so. So just set
­yourself something that you can do.
The process of chanting is to hear
the words of the mantra and try to
take them to your heart. The website
iskcondesiretree.com has classes and
seminars on chanting japa, such as
those of Bhūrijana Dāsa. You can of
course sing the mantra at any time,
and you can find many tunes on the
same website.
You can join in the chanting at our
temples. And if you’re not near a tem-
ple, you can take part online, as some
temples have live webcams. If there
is a temple near you, the devotees
there can help you set up an altar in knowledge of how and what to offer down and say the offering prayers to
your home, and you can have a sacred Him. Also, I want to know about the them. They can be found here: http://
place for chanting. time – when I don’t feel like eating or food.krishna.com/article/offering-
I want to skip my meals, should I offer food-krishna. Repeat each prayer
Material Desires Him food even then? three times. If that is not possible,
Parul Makwana then call the Lords to come and ac-
How can we overcome material
Via the Internet cept your offering to them. If you can,
desires?
wait a little bit for them to accept the
Siddesh Kumar
Reply: If you are not doing deity wor- preparations, then clap your hands to
Via the Internet ship of a high standard, then you are let them know you are going to take
not obligated to offer and eat at cer- the plate away. Bow down and thank
Reply: The recommended process
tain times. As long as you are not of- them. Then clean the area. It is the
in this age for controlling the mind
fering meat, fish, and egg preparations, sincerity that the Lord is accepting, so
and its hankering and lamenting is
then you are doing all right. Try not to put your heart into it.
to chant the holy names of the Lord,
offer grains cooked by nondevotees.
Hare Kṛṣṇa. The Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā- Present your food items on a Replies were written by Krishna.com
mantra puts us in direct contact with designated offering plate on a clean Live Help volunteers. Please write to
the Lord and helps to purify our con- surface in front of pictures of Prabhu­ us at: BTG, P. O. Box 430, ­Alachua,
sciousness from the dirty things we pāda and your guru and Lord Cai- Florida 32616, USA. Email: editors@
have been accumulating for lifetimes. tanya and Lord Kṛṣṇa if you can. Bow krishna.com.
By the power of transcendental sound,
we can awaken the lost consciousness
of our real relationship with God, a The International Society for Krishna Consciousness
relationship of eternal love.
Kṛṣṇa’s name and He Himself are
the same. Our mind and senses need
CENTERS
engagement in something spiritual.
Chanting is the easiest and most joy-
AROUND
THE WORLD
ful process, and it works for everyone.
As we take up devotional service
and keep busy in Kṛṣṇa’s service, we Founder-Ācārya: His Divine Grace
change our material desires into the A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
desire to satisfy Him. Our desires
become spiritual, and we become
­satisfied internally.
The art of offering everything to
Kṛṣṇa works, as we think more of
Him and less of ourselves, our prob-
lems, and our anxieties. Kṛṣṇa takes
over our life and sees to it that His
devotee is happy. It is a reciprocal ex-
change, eternally fresh and sweet. This
is bhakti, the art of loving devotion to
the Lord of our heart, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Offering Food to the Lord
I work in a bank, and it is always
tough to manage time for my spiri-
tual practices. However, by Kṛṣṇa’s Copenhagen, Denmark
mercy I do get some time to offer
Him food, and then only do I take my For the complete list, go to centres.iskcon.org
food (as prasādam). But I lack proper
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  5
 FOUNDER’S LECTURE
Los Angeles – May 19, 1972

Prepare to
Go to Kr.s.n.a
Intelligent human beings focus
their efforts on attaining the best
possible destination after death.

by His Divine Grace

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupāda
Founder-Ācārya of the International Society
for Krishna Consciousness

śrī-śuka uvāca death. Any moment we can die. Therefore it is

evam etan nigaditaṁ
  pṛṣṭavān yad bhavān mama
nṛṇāṁ yan mriyamāṇānāṁ
  manuṣyeṣu manīṣiṇām
“Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Mahā­rāja Parīkṣit, as
you have inquired from me as to the duty of the
intelligent man who is on the threshold of death,
so I have answered you.”
– Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.3.1
said, “As sure as death.” All other things may be
not sure, but death is sure.
Therefore it is said here manuṣyeṣu manīṣiṇām.
Not ordinary men. Manīṣī. Manīṣī means thought-
ful. They ask, “What is to be done now, before
death comes? Shall I die like cats and dogs, or
shall I die like a human being?” This is the ques-
tion. When cats and dogs die, nobody cares. But
when a human being dies, there are so many cere­
monies, there is mourning, because human life is
important.

N OW, THIS IS THE IMPORTANT part of

the verse: a “man who is on the threshold
of death.” Who can say, “I am not on the
threshold of death”? Is there anyone in the uni-
verse who can say, “I am not on the threshold of
Parīkṣit Mahārāja was cursed to die, but he was
given seven days’ time: “You, King, shall die after
seven days, being bitten by a serpent.” This was
the curse given to him. He accepted it. He could
have counteracted it. He was a Vaiṣṇava. He was
Painting by Puṣkara Dāsa

death”? Can anyone say that? Everyone is on
the threshold of death. That’s a fact. Everyone is
­subject to death.
Nobody can say, “I shall live for so many years.”
No guarantee. Everyone is on the threshold of
very powerful. But he thought, “Yes, I am an of-
fender. The brāhmaṇa boy has cursed me; I shall
accept it.”
He prepared himself for death. For seven days
he placed himself on the bank of the Ganges

6  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020 JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  7
 without drinking a drop of water, and pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca janā na vidur increase it to millions of dollars. That protection, but no independence. In [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and
for seven days he continuously heard āsurāḥ. Asura janā, those who are is intelligence. And miserliness, or the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, striyo the benefactor of the truthful devotee, What Is the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from Śukadeva demons, do not know these two things, foolishness, is that I get some money vaiśyās tathā śūdrās. Striyaḥ means cleanses desire for material enjoy- Hare Kṛṣṇa Movement?
Gosvāmī. That was decided. In any pravṛtti and nivṛtti, what is our duty from my father, but I spend it for woman. Women, śūdras, and vaiśyas ment from the heart of the devotee Founded in 1966 by His Divine
circumstances of life, hearing and and what is not our duty. That is the nothing. are put into the same category. who has developed the urge to hear Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
chanting is prescribed. position of the modern civilization. This human form of life is specially One has to be enlightened. As the His messages, which are in themselves Prabhupāda, the International
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, “My dear They do not know these things. What meant for becoming a brāhmaṇa. We śūdra can be enlightened under good virtuous when properly heard and Society for Krishna Consciousness
King, I have explained to you what is is our duty to do and what is our duty are therefore creating brāhmaṇas. We protection, similarly a woman can chanted.” (Bhāgavatam 1.2.17) (ISKCON) carries on a great
to be done now, at the time of death.” not to do, they do not know. Nor do are not creating śūdras. Śūdras are also be enlightened. There is no bar- Hṛdy antaḥ-sthaḥ. Kṛṣṇa is within ancient tradition rooted in the
We should take instruction from they have any education in this life already there. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. ricade to enlighten woman. Everyone your heart. If you kindly continue Bhagavad-gītā, the teachings Lord
Anyone born is a śūdra. Śūdra can be enlightened. Everyone has got to hear about Him, as you are doing, Kṛṣṇa spoke five millennia ago. The
means one who has no knowl- the light. But ordinarily the śūdras then Kṛṣṇa will be very much pleased. Gītā and the other Vedic scriptures
Without being intelligent, nobody can take edge, who is ignorant. He is
called a śūdra.
and the vaiśyas are not to be consid-
ered very intelligent.
“Oh, this person is now interested in
Me.” Because nobody’s interested in
declare Kṛṣṇa to be the original
person, God Himself, who appears
to Kr.s.n.a consciousness. Our mission is to Śūdras are not intelligent.
They cannot do anything
Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Everyone
is born a śūdra. Saṁskārād bhaved
Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is also silent to them.
But as soon as you become interested,
periodically in this world to liberate
all living beings.
educate people to become intelligent. thoughtfully. Get some work,
get some few dollars daily, eat
dvijaḥ. By saṁskāra, reformation, one
becomes a dvija, “twice-born.” We
oh, Kṛṣṇa becomes very active. “Oh,
he’s trying to do something. I shall
Only five hundred years ago,
Kṛṣṇa descended as Śrī Caitanya
and sleep. That is the way of follow this principle in the Kṛṣṇa help him.” Mahāprabhu to teach the most
the behavior of Parīkṣit Mahārāja about what we should do and what the śūdras. They cannot do anything consciousness movement. Not that In the Bhagavad-gītā (10.10) it is sublime and effective means of
about how to act when one is on the we should not do. independently. all of a sudden we accept anyone as said, meditation for the present day:
threshold of death. Everyone is on Therefore this particular word is A brāhmaṇa will not engage in a brāhmaṇa. We give saṁskāra in the the chanting of the names of God,
the threshold of death, but the foolish mentioned here, manīṣiṇām. In hu- anyone’s service. That is specially form of chanting and other things. teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ especially as found in the Hare
person does not know that. The fool- man society those who are specifically forbidden. Even if he is in difficulty, First of all comes association. By good   bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam Kṛṣṇa mantra.
ish person thinks, “I shall live forever.” intelligent, it is for them. The author a brāhmaṇa should not accept any- association, by the association of dev- dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ Today members of ISKCON
That is foolishness. of Caitanya-caritāmṛta writes, kṛṣṇa one’s service like a dog. This word otees, one can understand automati-   yena mām upayānti te continue Lord Caitanya’s move-
yei bhaje sei baḍa catura. Catura is especially used. A dog cannot live cally what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa. ment by distributing the teachings
ahany ahani bhūtāni means very intelligent. Without being without a master. A dog, if he hasn’t Traditionally the śūdras were not “To those who are constantly devoted of Lord Kṛṣṇa and the Hare Kṛṣṇa
  gacchantīha yamālayam intelligent, nobody can take to Kṛṣṇa got a good master, is a street dog. He given any saṁskāra, because it is very to serving Me with love, I give the mantra all over the world.
śeṣāḥ sthāvaram icchanti consciousness. Our mission is to may be killed at any time. He has no difficult for those in the very lowest understanding by which they can
  kim āścaryam ataḥ param educate people to become intelligent. protection. Therefore this very word stage of life to accept saṁskāra, the come to Me.” Kṛṣṇa is silent for the Pronunciation
They are foolish. They do not know is used. Śūdra means like a dog. He reformatory method. But this Kṛṣṇa nondevotees, but He speaks to the We spell Sanskrit words and names
“Day after day countless living enti- the value of life. They do not know must have a master; otherwise he consciousness movement, under the devotees. That is very natural. A big by a phonetic system that lets
ties in this world go to the kingdom of what is going to happen after death. ­cannot live. direction of the Six Gosvāmīs and man talks with men who are intel- you know how to say each word.
death. Still, those who remain aspire No. Just like cats and dogs. There are different classes of men. the pañcarātra system, is giving ev- ligent, who are businesslike. Why Pronounce short a like the u in
for a permanent situation here. What Therefore the Gargopaniṣad says, Śūdras must have protection. Woman eryone the opportunity to become a should he waste his time talking with but, long ā like the a in far (and
could be more amazing than this?” etad viditvā yaḥ prayāti sa brāhmaṇaḥ: must have protection because they brāhmaṇa because without becom- some rascals and fools? So Kṛṣṇa held twice as long as the short a).
(Mahā­bhārata, Vana-parva 313.116) “One who leaves this body after cannot do anything independently. ing a brāhmaṇa nobody can under- talks, but He talks to the devotees. Pronounce e like the a in evade,
Yudhi­ṣṭhira Mahārāja was asked knowing everything is a brāhmaṇa.” To give them independence means stand what is Kṛṣṇa or what is Kṛṣṇa Who are devotees? Satata-yuktānāṁ long ī like the i in pique. Pronounce
by Dharma­rāja, “What is the most And etad aviditvā yaḥ prayāti sa to create some trouble. In the Manu- consciousness. bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam. Those who the vowel ṛ like the ri in rim, and
wonderful thing within this world?” kṛpaṇaḥ: “Anyone who dies without saṁhitā it is clearly said, na strī are twenty-four hours engaged in c like the ch in chair. Pronounce
He answered this way: ahany ahani knowing the value of life is a kṛpaṇa, svātantryam arhati. Women cannot be Coming to Goodness rendering loving devotional service to consonants like ch, jh, and dh as
bhūtānī gacchantīha yamālayam. “Ev- a miser, cripple-minded,” because given independence. No. They must the Lord. To such persons Kṛṣṇa gives in staunch-heart, hedge-hog, and
eryone, at every moment, is going to he could not utilize the opportunity be protected. When a girl is a child, up One must be on the platform of good- intelligence, not others. red-hot. Pronounce ś and ṣ like sh.
the place of Yamarāja, the superinten- given to him by nature. You American to twelve years, thirteen years, say fif- ness. When one is fixed up on the This process of hearing from So for Kṛṣṇa say KRISHNA, for
dent of death, where a man’s life, what boys and girls – nice country, good fa- teen, sixteen years, not more than that, platform of goodness, the other two Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, Caitanya say CHAITANYA.
he has done, is scrutinizingly studied.” cilities, no poverty – everything is very she must be protected by her father. qualities – ignorance and passion – must be continued. That is our life.
I say “a man’s life.” Not an animal’s nicely given to you. But if in spite of And at the age of thirteen to sixteen cannot disturb him. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. Spiritual Names
life. Animals have no such thing as all these facilities you don’t take to years, she must be married. The father Śravaṇam means hearing. ISKCON members receive names
“wrong” or “right.” But a human being Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you are must find out some boy who can take śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ Kīrtanam means chanting about Lord of Lord Kṛṣṇa or his great devotees,
must have this conscience, “right” or kṛpaṇas, misers. charge of her, the second charge. And  puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ Viṣṇu, not others. “Now I am hearing combined with Dāsa, for men, or
“wrong.” “Miser” means one who has got when she’s old, the charge is given to hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi and chanting about Nixon.” [Chuck- Dāsī, for women, both of which
money but cannot utilize it. He is a the elder sons. A woman is protected   vidhunoti suhṛt satām les.] That will not help. Everyone mean “servant.” For instance, the
Duty and Not Duty miser. There are many merchants who like that. is busy with the newspaper. “What name Kṛṣṇa Dāsa means “servant
get a few thousand dollars from their Śūdras also should not be given “Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of has Nixon said, what is he doing . . .” of Kṛṣṇa.”
In the Bhagavad-gītā (16.7) it is said, father, but due to intelligence they independence. They should be given Godhead, who is the Paramātmā Everywhere.

8  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020 JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  9
 The politicians have made the sarva-dharmān parityajya said, or what is spoken about Kṛṣṇa.”
minds of the general public very   mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja That means Bhagavad-gītā and
much interested in what the politi- ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
cian says. Every day people see that   mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ Every one of you, follow the
the politicians are simply speaking instruction as you have received it.
all nonsense; still they’re interested. “Abandon all varieties of religion and Chant sixteen rounds regularly, with-
Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver out fail, follow the regulative prin-
(Bhāgavatam 7.5.30). This is called you from all sinful reaction. Do not ciples, hear about Kṛṣṇa, and preach
“chewing the chewed again and again.” fear.” (Gītā 18.66) Kṛṣṇa is saying, about Kṛṣṇa – every one of you be-
By the laws of material nature, we are “Give up all other occupations, other come a spiritual master. It is a simple
all bound up tight, hands and legs. We duties. Simply surrender unto Me. thing. No education is required. We
cannot neglect the laws of nature. If Don’t hesitate. Do it.” are hearing about Kṛṣṇa, so we can
you eat a little more than you should, Kṛṣṇa is personally canvassing. speak the same thing. What is the
then you have to fast for three days. He’s so kind that He comes person- difficulty?
That we actually know. If you expose ally. He speaks the whole truth in I hear from my spiritual master or
from any learned man, “Kṛṣṇa
is the Supreme Personality
People are so much bound up by the laws of of Godhead,” so after hear-
ing I say, “Kṛṣṇa is Supreme
nature; still they are thinking, “I am free. I am Personality of Godhead.” I
haven’t got to search out
independent. Where is God? I am God.” whether or not Kṛṣṇa is the
Personality of Godhead. If I
accept the authority, then I
yourself a little too much to cold, then the Bhagavad-gītā. He’s canvassing, speak the real truth. This is our Kṛṣṇa
you have to pay ten dollars to the “Please do it.” consciousness movement.
doctor – a fine. He again comes as a devotee, Lord Therefore sometimes people say in
People are so much bound up by Caitanya. Lord Caitanya is teaching India, “Swamiji, you have done a won-
the laws of nature; still they are think- how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. There derful thing.” I do not know. I’m not
ing, “I am free. I am independent. is no difference between Lord Cai­ a magician. But I am confident that I
Where is God? I am God.” Just see. tanya’s teachings and Kṛṣṇa’s teach- did not adulterate the words of Kṛṣṇa.
Such foolish persons. Every moment ing. They are the same thing. In one That’s all. That’s my credit. I did not
they are being kicked on the face form Kṛṣṇa is saying, “You surrender like to take the position of Kṛṣṇa. I
by the boot of material nature, and unto Me,” and Lord Caitanya says, remained the servant of Kṛṣṇa, and I
still they’re saying, “I am God. I am “Surrender to Kṛṣṇa.” The fact is the spoke what Kṛṣṇa said. That’s all. This
­independent.” You see? same. We are following Lord Cai- is my secret.
It is just like one blind man telling tanya Mahāprabhu. We are canvassing, Everyone can do that. There is no
other blind men, “Please follow me. I “Please surrender to Kṛṣṇa.” magic. The magic will act as soon as

Painting by Puṣkara Dāsa

shall lead you to the right path.” Our business is not very difficult you become a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa.
“But you are blind yourself, and we if we follow, if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa The magic will be done by Kṛṣṇa, not
are also blind. What will be the help?” fully and teach others the same by me or you. He will do it. It is just
But no, they will follow. In our thing. No adulteration. No. Exactly like a small child: Nobody can hurt

A Pause for Prayer

country Gandhi promised, “I shall
give you independence in one year
if you follow me – nonviolence, non-
cooperation.” People followed, but
it took thirty years. But actually, that
is not independence. So these politi-
cians, especially, mislead us. Not only
politicians – the so-called yogis as
well.
Kr.s.n.a and Caitanya:
The Same Message
The real leader is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says,
what Kṛṣṇa says. Then you become
a spiritual master, a guru. Caitanya
Mahāprabhu says,
yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa
āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa
“Under My order, become a spiritual
master and deliver the people of
your country.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta,
Madhya 7.128) And what is that
order? Yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-
upadeśa: “Whomever you meet, sim-
ply speak to them what Kṛṣṇa has
him; the father will take care of him.
He does not know anything. He’s
simply depending on his father: “My
father, mother,” that’s all.
Kṛṣṇa says, “Surrender unto Me;
I’ll give you protection.” He’s not a
liar. He’s not inefficient. He’s strong.
He’s sufficiently opulent. He can do [Nārada Muni said:] O Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, unlimited Lord, source You are the shelter of all souls, and being the supreme
that. Believe in Kṛṣṇa’s word and of all mystic power, Lord of the universe! O Vāsudeva, controller, You fulfill Your desires simply by Your will.
surrender unto Him. Don’t spoil this shelter of all beings and best of the Yadus! O master, You By Your personal creative potency You manifested in the
human form of life. Death is sure. are the Supreme Soul of all created beings, sitting unseen beginning the primal modes of material nature, and through
Before death, we must prepare to go within the cave of the heart like the fire dormant within their agency You create, maintain and then destroy this
back to home, back to Godhead. kindling wood. You are the witness within everyone, the universe.
Thank you. Supreme Personality and the ultimate controlling Deity. – Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.37.10 –12

10  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020 JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  11
DEVOTIONAL SURRENDER:
An Embracing of Truth
by Ūrmilā Devī Dāsī
Accepting Kṛṣṇa’s invitation to come under His shelter
doesn’t end our social engagement; it uplifts it.
T HE CONCEPT of surrendering our-
selves to Kṛṣṇa is at the heart of what
it means to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Yet the
word surrender may conjure conceptions of
painful subjugation, perhaps as the regretful
end to a war for the losing side. Conversely,
if we do indeed feel the joy of Kṛṣṇa’s call
for our surrender in terms of accepting His
love, we may define such surrender as a with-
drawal from social engagement. Surrender
may seem to imply a cloistered or monastic
12  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
  mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
life. As we examine the real meaning of sur-
render, we will find the concept to be dynamic
and reciprocal, rather than anything narrow or
stereotyped.
The Bhagavad-gītā (18.66) ends with a call
“Abandon all varieties of religion and just sur-
render unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sin-
ful reactions. Do not fear.”
In fact, proper social engagement can occur
only with surrender, as explained in Bhagavad-
to surrender to the Lord without fear and gītā (7.14), because only through surrender is
to engage with the world in that mood of the veil of ignorance and illusion lifted.
surrender.
sarva-dharmān parityajya
  mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
Painting by Rāmadāsa Abhirāma Dāsa and Dhṛtī Dāsī. JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  13
Photos from iStockphoto.com. Collage by Govinda Cordua.
 daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
  mama māyā duratyayā
mām eva ye prapadyante
  māyām etāṁ taranti te
“This divine energy of Mine, consisting
of the three modes of material nature,
is difficult to overcome. But those
who have surrendered unto Me can
easily cross beyond it.”
Our illusion is an egoistic covering
of the self, such as thinking oneself to
be the center of reality. Social engage-
ment without surrender and without
Basing engagement with others on a false plat-
form likely renders all interaction problematic,
possibly ineffective, and perhaps even harmful.
the Lord’s consequent lifting of illu-
sion is based on false premises of the
identity of the self and others. Basing
engagement with others on a false
platform likely renders all interaction
problematic, possibly ineffective, and
perhaps even harmful. Therefore the
message of the Bhagavad-gītā is to
engage in the world with a mood of
surrender. Interaction in the light of
truth allows us to have real meaning
and value in our actions.
According to scripture, surrender
to Kṛṣṇa has six aspects. Two of the
sixty-four limbs of bhakti epitomize
some of these aspects. These limbs
are called ātma-nivedanam and
śaraṇāpatti. Let us first look at the six
aspects of surrender to the Lord and
then those two limbs.
Six Aspects of Surrender
ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ
  prātikūlyasya varjanam
rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāso
  goptṛtve varaṇaṁ tathā
ātma-nikṣepa-kārpaṇye
  ṣaḍ-vidhā śaraṇāgatiḥ
(Lakṣmī-tantra 17.60 [quoted in
Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 11.676] and
Ahirbudhnya-saṁhitā 37.2)
14  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
There are a number of ways in which
Śrīla Prabhupāda translates the above
verse. First, we can look at his transla-
tion of each word:
ānukūlyasya – of anything that
assists devotional service to the
Lord; saṅkalpaḥ – acceptance; prāti­
kūlyasya – of anything that hinders
devotional service; varjanam – com-
plete rejection; rakṣiṣyati – He will
protect; iti – thus; viśvāsaḥ – strong
conviction; goptṛtve – in being the
guardian, like the father or husband,
master or maintainer; varaṇam –
acceptance; tathā – as well as;
ātma-nikṣepa – full self-surrender;
kārpaṇye – and humility; ṣaṭ-vidhā –
sixfold; śaraṇa-āgatiḥ – process of
surrender.
With this as a reference, we will use
this translation:
1. Accept everything favorable to
serving the Lord.
2. Give up everything unfavorable
for serving the Lord.
3. Have a firm conviction that only
Kṛṣṇa can protect oneself.
4. Always accept Kṛṣṇa as one’s
maintainer.
5. Always be conscious that one is
not independent in fulfilling desires.
6. Always humbly think of oneself
as most fallen so that Kṛṣṇa will take
care.
Alternatively, Śrīla Prabhupāda
sometimes translates aspect four,
goptṛtve, as “to become a member of
a spiritual family” or “to introduce
oneself with the associates of the
Lord.” He said, for example, “When
you are advanced, you’ll understand
what is your relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
Then if you introduce yourself with
that association . . .”
Prabhupāda gives an alternative
explanation for aspect five, ātma-
nikṣepa, as “dedicate one’s life for His
service.”
We will look at each of the six in
terms of both surrender and social
engagement.
Accept Everything Favorable
to Serving the Lord
In a narrow sense, this aspect of sur-
render would mean taking up the
sixty-four various limbs, or aṅgas, of
bhakti. Rūpa Gosvāmī describes that
the three most important aṅgas all
relate to a spiritual master.
These are “accepting the
shelter of a bona fide spiritual
master, taking initiation from
him and serving him with
respect and reverence.” (The
Nectar of Devotion, chapter 6)
This concept is certainly
not unique to Gauḍīya
Vaiṣṇavas. Surrender to the Lord in
most religious traditions involves ac-
cepting a preceptor, prophet, guide,
mentor, or leader, that acceptance of-
ten including some sort of ceremony
of dedication to the specific path
of that person or tradition. Among
Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas this ceremony of
dedication is called dīkṣā, where one
receives mantras for meditation and
is connected with both a specific guru
and that guru’s lineage. Kṛṣṇa states
in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.34):
tad viddhi praṇipātena
  paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
  jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
“Just try to learn the truth by ap-
proaching a spiritual master. Inquire
from him submissively and render
service unto him. The self-realized
souls can impart knowledge unto you
because they have seen the truth.”
In addition to those three most
important favorable activities, a sur-
rendered person follows as many of
the limbs of bhakti as he or she is
able to do, in line with individual cir-
cumstances. Rūpa Gosvāmī especially
recommends “five kinds of devo-
tional activities – namely residing in
Mathurā, worshiping the Deity of the
Lord, reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
serving a devotee and chanting the
Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra – [that] are so po-
tent a small attachment for any one of
these five items can arouse devotional
ecstasy even in a neophyte.” (The
Nectar of Devotion, chapter 13)
Some degree of social engagement
is inherent, or at least implied, in
many of the positive aṅgas of bhakti.
For example, living in a holy place
includes assisting the residents there
and serving the place by, for example,
cleaning and maintaining the shrines
and features such as rivers and
mountains.
Generally, or at least ideally, reci-
tation of scriptures such as Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam involves engagement
with others, as Kṛṣṇa explains in the
Bhagavad-gītā (10.9):
mac-cittā mad-gata-prāṇā
  bodhayantaḥ parasparam
kathayantaś ca māṁ nityaṁ
  tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca
“The thoughts of my pure devotees
dwell in me, their lives are fully de-
voted to my service, and they derive
great satisfaction and bliss from al-
ways enlightening one another and
conversing about me.”
Chanting the mahā-mantra – Hare
Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare
Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma
Rāma, Hare Hare – is done both as
individual meditation and musically
in groups, both among practitioners of
bhakti and involving the public.
In a broad sense, accepting what is
favorable for serving the Lord brings
the possibility of a wide range of so-
cial engagement. Śrīla Prabhupāda
writes in his purport to Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 1.5.22:
All the sages and devotees of the
Lord have recommended that
the subject matter of art, science,
philosophy, physics, chemistry, psy-
chology and all other branches of
knowledge should be wholly and
solely applied in the service of the
Lord. Art, literature, poetry, paint-
ing, etc., may be used in glorifying
the Lord. The fiction writers, poets
BACK TO
and celebrated litterateurs are
generally engaged in writing of
sensuous subjects, but if they turn
towards the service of the Lord they
can describe the transcendental
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pastimes of the Lord. Vālmīki is a
great poet, and similarly Vyāsadeva
is a great writer, and both of them
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Give Up Everything
Unfavorable for Serving
the Lord
The main things a surrendered per-
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JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  15
 tri-vidhaṁ narakasyedaṁ
  dvāraṁ nāśanam ātmanaḥ
kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas
  tasmād etat trayaṁ tyajet
“There are three gates leading to this
hell – lust, anger and greed. Every sane
man should give these up, for they
lead to the degradation of the soul.”
These three mentalities and desires
are directly opposed to surrender as
well as to beneficial social engage-
ment. It is not that a surrendered
person represses these inclinations,
A person free from vice in both behavior and mo-
tivation can engage socially in the world to truly
help others in an atmosphere of affection and trust.
but rather neither indulges them nor
represses them. Surrender means a
position of neutral observer towards
lust, anger, and greed.
Letting go of lust, anger, and greed
naturally involves uninterest in ac-
tivities rooted in those psychological
states. In this regard, Śrīla Prabhu­
take up service in dangerous or dif-
ficult situations. Worldly life is filled
with various causes for fear at every
moment. But one who feels the Lord
as protector can minister to others in
the most difficult situations without
being personally affected.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, a great
teacher in the Gauḍīya line, demon-
strates this aspect of surrender with
a song about the cows that Lord
Kṛṣṇa herds. He writes in his book
Śaraṇāgati (translation by Daśaratha-
suta Dāsa):
Surrendering my soul unto You
has lifted from me the burden of
false pride. No longer will I try to
provide for my own safety. I know
that You will give protection to
Your treasured possessions, O Lord.
I now understand the mentality of
Your treasured cows safely main-
O Gokula Hari! Bhaktivinoda is
now the property of Gokula, Your
holy abode. O Keśava! Kindly pro-
tect him with gentle loving care.
Always Accept Kr.s.n.a as
One’s Maintainer
We often think that we are maintain-
ing ourselves and our loved ones with
our occupation, but even a brief time
of careful thought will reveal that ev-
eryone is fully dependent on God for
life. Regardless of how hard we work,
how skilled, knowl-
edgeable, or clever
we are, no matter
who our friends and
family are, circum-
stances in nature and
in human society in
general can bring us
prosperity or ruin
independent of our endeavors. This
aspect of surrender, therefore, is both
a simple and an ongoing deepening
acceptance of fact. Such an acknowl-
edgement allows us to work for our
livelihood in the mood of service to
the Lord rather than independently.
This mood promotes social engage-
will I arrange the marriages of my
sons and daughters? Now, through
self-surrender, I have been relieved
of all anxiety. O Lord, surely you
will provide for the maintenance of
Your own household. Recognizing
me as Your own servant, You will
certainly maintain me. While ren-
dering devotional service unto You,
I feel the greatest happiness.
Always Be Conscious That
One Is Not Independent in
Fulfilling Desires
Śrīla Prabhupāda comments on the
Nārada-bhakti-sūtra, verse 12, with
the following explanation of this
aspect of surrender: “One should al-
ways remember that one’s activities
and desires are not independent. In
other words, the devotee should feel
completely dependent on Kṛṣṇa, and
thus he should act and think as Kṛṣṇa
desires.” In his Teachings of Lord
Caitanya (chapter 12), Prabhupāda
explains this part of surrender as fol-
lows: “A devotee is always conscious
that he is not independent in fulfilling
his desires; unless Kṛṣṇa fulfills them,
they cannot be fulfilled.”
In this aspect of surrender, social
engagement involves acting as the
Lord’s instrument rather than on
one’s own volition. As is stated in the
Bhagavad-gītā (11.33):
tasmāt tvam uttiṣṭha yaśo labhasva
  jitvā śatrūn bhuṅkṣva rājyaṁ
samṛddham
mayaivaite nihatāḥ pūrvam eva
  nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savya-sācin
“Therefore, get up. Prepare to fight
and win glory. Conquer your enemies
and enjoy a flourishing kingdom.
They are already put to death by My
arrange­ment, and you, O Savyasācī,
can be but an instrument in the fight.”
Always Humbly Think of
Oneself as Most Fallen So
That Kr.s.n.a Will Take Care
Śrīla Prabhupāda defines humility as
follows: “Humility means that one
should not be anxious to have the sat-
isfaction of being honored by others.
The material conception of life makes
us very eager to receive honor from
others, but from the point of view of
a man in perfect knowledge – who
knows that he is not this body – any-
thing, honor or dishonor, pertaining
to this body is useless.” (Bhagavad-
gītā 13.8–12, Purport)
Humility is a sense of the truth
of our insignificance, our fallen state,
our need of unconditional mercy and
grace, and our awareness of total
­dependence on Kṛṣṇa.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes in
Śaraṇāgati:
Now please hear me, O Lord! I
am utterly helpless. Without Your
mercy, everything is lost. Please give
me the shelter of Your lotus feet. I
drank the deadly poison of worldli-
ness, pretending it was nectar, and
now the sun is setting on the hori-
zon of my life. Were You to judge
me now, You would find no good
qualities. Have mercy and judge me
not. Cause me to drink the honey of
Your lotus feet.
The humility of surrender is part of a
devotee’s willingness to do the most
menial service in the world, and to

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pāda specifically had initiates vow to
give up intoxication, illicit sex, gam-
bling, and eating of meat, fish, or eggs.
tained by Your side. When You lead
Your herds to pasture, O Mādhava,
on the banks of the Yamunā River,
You will call to them by softly play-
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes in
ment based not on a desire to get aid
Śaraṇāgati:
or maintenance from anyone, but only
to do good for them. It thus removes

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All those activities are both the prod-
ucts of those negative psychological
states and the cause of an increase in
them. A surrendered person would
also give up all forms of deceit, lying,
and cheating.
Clearly, a person free from vice
in both behavior and motivation
can engage socially in the world to
truly help others in an atmosphere of
­affection and trust.
Have a Firm Conviction That
Only Kr.s.n.a Can Protect
Oneself
This aspect of surrender brings on a
state of fearlessness and acceptance
of everything in life as part of the
Lord’s plan for our protection. It is
this mood that enables persons ad-
vanced in spiritual consciousness to
ing on Your flute. By slaying great
demons such as Aghāsura and
Bakāsura, You will always provide
full protection, O Kāna of the
cowherd settlement! Fearless and
confident of Your protection, I will
drink the water of the Yamunā. The
Kāliya serpent’s venom poisoned
the Yamunā’s waters, yet that poi-
son will be vanquished. You will
purify the Yamunā, and by such
heroic deeds enhance our faith. You
will surely protect me by swallow-
ing the forest fire. Thus You are
called Gopāla (protector of the
cows) and Govinda (pleaser of the
cows). In order to curb the malice
of Indra, king of the demigods, You
will protect me from his torrents of
rain, O lifter of the mighty Govar-
dhana Hill! When the four-headed
Brahmā abducts me along with
Your cowherd boyfriends and calves,
then also You will surely protect me,
all exploitation and selfishness from
our interpersonal dealings.
Seeing Kṛṣṇa as our maintainer
can also be understood as deeply
meaningful for those who have real-
ized their eternal spiritual nature.
Such persons no longer identify
with the temporary body and mind
as the “self” that needs to be main-
tained. Rather, their identity is firmly
rooted in the awareness that they
are fully part of Kṛṣṇa as a spiritual
entity whose very self He constantly
­supplies with abundance.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes in
his book Śaraṇāgati:
Within my mind I have always been
anxious for the maintenance of my
wife and children, my own body
and relatives. How will I earn mon-
ey? How will I acquire fame? How
The soul inhabiting this mortal
body has given up the false ego
attached to the word “I,” for to-
day the spiritual sense of being
Yours has entered his heart. All “I want all our students to write articles for our transcendental
my possessions – body, home, ser- magazine,” Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote in a 1971 letter.
vants, brothers, friends, wife, sons,
If you’re interested in writing for Back to Godhead, please read
personal belongings, fencing, and
gateways – all of these things are our writers’ guidelines by going to http://btg.krishna.com
now Yours, for I have become Your
and clicking on “Write for BTG?” at the bottom of the page.
servant. I am but a mere occupant
in Your house. You are the owner
of the house, and I am Your most
obedient servant. My only activity
now is endeavoring for Your hap-
piness. My will has become merged
with Your will. From this day for-
ward Bhaktivinoda has completely
forgotten himself. I have become
supremely happy by surrendering
myself at Your lotus feet. Sorrow
has gone far away, and there are no
more cares. All I see is joy in the
four directions.

16  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020 JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  17
engage socially in the total mood of
a giver, without expectation of return
on any level.
The six aspects of surrender are ev-
ident in two limbs, or aṅgas, of bhakti
that Rūpa Gosvāmī describes, namely
ātma-nivedanam and śaraṇā­patti. We
will look at each of them.
Ātma-nivedanam
This limb of bhakti means to make
oneself the possession of the Lord
for Him to do with as He pleases. The
word ātmā can refer to our body, our
mind, and the soul, our eternal self.
This aṅga of bhakti involves the sur-
render of each for the Lord to do with
as He pleases.
Body: Commenting on Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 11.29.34, Jīva Gosvāmī
writes:
Because he has offered his body
to the Lord, he gives up all activi-
ties for pleasure in this life and the vahāmy aham (yoga – requirements;
next, which nourish his body and
things related to that body. The
Lord then thinks, “I desire to
make him special. He then attains
freedom from death (amṛtatvam)
and attains similarity to Me (ātma­
bhūyāya).” This means that he
attains liberation in the form of
attaining his svarūpa (eternal spiri-
tual form) and sārṣṭi (powers) like
those of the Lord’s.
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Glasgow, recently opened a bed-and-breakfast to accommodate guests.
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18  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
In Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.197
Rūpa Gosvāmī writes:
deho, yathā bhakti-viveke –
cintāṁ kuryān na rakṣāyai
vikrītasya yathā paśoḥ
tathārpayan harau dehaṁ
viramed asya rakṣanāt
“Offering the body as ātmā is illustrat-
ed in Bhakti-viveka: Just as one does
not worry about an animal that has
been sold, one should offer this body
to the Lord and be uninterested in its
maintenance.”
As is stated in the ­Bhagavad-gītā
(2.45): niryoga-kṣema ātmavān
(niryoga-kṣemaḥ – free from ideas of
gain and protection; ātma-vān – es-
tablished in the self). “Be free from
all dualities and from all anxieties for
gain and safety, and be established in
the self.”
For, as further stated in the
Bhagavad-gītā (9.22): yoga-kṣemaṁ
kṣemam – protection; vahāmi – carry;
aham – I). “I carry what they lack,
and I preserve what they have.”
Mind: Kṛṣṇa takes charge of our
life, providing not only the bodily
necessities, but also whatever guid-
ance we require for our spiritual
progress. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā
(10.10–11):
teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
  bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
  yena mām upayānti te
“To those who are constantly devoted
to serving Me with love, I give the un-
derstanding by which they can come
to Me.”
teṣām evānukampārtham
  aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ
nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho
  jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā
“To show them special mercy, I, dwell-
ing in their hearts, destroy with the
shining lamp of knowledge the dark-
ness born of ignorance.”
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes:
My mind, my household affairs, my
body, whatever is in my possession,
my dear Lord, I offer to You for
Your service. Now You can do with
them as You like. You are the su-
preme possessor of everything, so if
You like You can kill me, or if You
like You can give me protection. All
authority belongs to You. I have
nothing to claim as my own.
Soul: Rūpa Gosvāmī explains the
surrender of the soul, in Bhakti-
rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.196):
tatra dehī,yathā yāmunācārya-stotre —
  vapur-ādiṣu yo ’pi ko ’pi vā
guṇato ’sāni yathā tathā-vidhaḥ
  tad-ayaṁ tava pāda-padmayor
aham adyaiva mayā samarpitaḥ
“Offering the soul is illustrated in a
stotra of Yāmunācārya: My dear Lord,
I may be living within some body as
a human being or as a demigod, but
whatever mode of life, I do not mind,
because these bodies are simply
by-products of the three modes of
material nature, and I, who am in pos-
session of these bodies, am surrender-
ing myself unto You.”
In other words, surrender of the
soul means the devotee of Kṛṣṇa is
willing to reincarnate in any species
or type of body – to be put anywhere
for whatever purpose of service the
Lord desires.
In summary, ātma-nivedanam
relates to social engagement in that
the devotee who practices this aṅga
allows and accepts that the Lord will
use his body, mind, and very self to
interact with others and the world
as the Lord desires. This practice is
rare because it is difficult. One lets go
of even the slightest sense of being
an independent doer. Yet this type
of surrender is available to both the
practicing and the perfected devotees.
Of the six aspects of surrender,
ātma-nivedanam most directly
involves accepting what is favor-
able, rejecting what is unfavor-
able, acting only as the Lord
desires, and deep humility.
Śaran.āpatti
Śaraṇāpatti as an aṅga of bhakti en-
compasses the aspects of surrender
where the devotee sees the Lord
as protector and maintainer. Śrīla
Prabhupāda explains it as follows
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.39,
Purport):
Surrender means not that we de-
mand something from the Lord but
that we completely depend on His
mercy. If Kṛṣṇa likes, He may keep
His devotee in a poverty-stricken
condition, or if He likes He may
keep him in an opulent position.
The devotee should not be con-
cerned in either case; he should
simply be very serious about trying
to satisfy the Lord by rendering
Him service.
Rūpa Gosvāmī explains in Bhakti-
rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.201):
atha śaraṇāpattiḥ, yathā hari-
bhakti-vilāse—
tavāsmīti vadan vācā tathaiva
manasā vidan
tat-sthānam āśritas tanvā modate
śaraṇāgataḥ
“Accepting the Lord’s protection
(śaraṇāpatti), illustrated from Hari-
bhakti-vilāsa 11.677: He who, while
saying “I am Yours,” accepts the
­ rotection of the Lord feels bliss.”
p of feeling they are the ones who care
Śrīla Prabhupāda indicates that
this sense of protection is shown by
the devotee’s activities of body, mind,
and words. The practice of śaraṇāpatti
is demonstrated in a kind of freedom
in social engagements, as explained in
the Bhagavad-gītā (3.18):
naiva tasya kṛtenārtho
  nākṛteneha kaścana
na cāsya sarva-bhūteṣu
  kaścid artha-vyapāśrayaḥ
All creation is fully dependent on the Lord
in all respects and at all times. Surrender is,
therefore, an embracing of truth.
“A self-realized man has no purpose
to fulfill in the discharge of his pre-
scribed duties, nor has he any reason
not to perform such work. Nor has
he any need to depend on any other
­living being.”
Relationship Between
Ātma-nivedanam and
Śaran.āpatti
What is the relationship between
ātma-nivedanam and śaraṇāpatti?
While a surrendered devotee may
engage in both of these limbs of
bhakti, which encompass all six as-
pects of surrender, some devotees
take up only one. For example, while
Rūpa Gosvāmī describes ātma-
nivedanam as very rare because of
its difficulty, many people will find
śaraṇāpatti a comforting and desired
way to live. Conversely, at advanced
levels of spiritual realization, some
devotees have a mood that they are
caring for the Lord. Such devotees
include those who act as his parents
and teachers in his various incarna-
tions. Thus śaraṇāpatti would be at
odds with their ecstatic loving mood.
Yet such persons could fully take
up the practice of ātma-nivedanam.
Of course, from an ontological
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  19
perspective, even those in an ecstasy
for Kṛṣṇa are really under His care
and protection.
Happiness Through Truth
While words such as surrender and
submission seem to imply a kind of
military or forced conquest with con-
comitant painful suppression of one’s
own interests, the spiritual reality is
entirely opposite. Any thoughtful
person can quickly ascertain that all
creation is fully dependent on the
Lord in all respects and at all times.
Surrender is, therefore, an embracing
of truth. And when we understand
ourselves and others in truth, our ac-
tions bring us the happiness, meaning,
and satisfaction we all desire.
Ūrmilā Devī Dāsī (Dr. Edith Best)
has served ISKCON since her initia-
tion by Śrīla Prabhupāda in 1973.
She and her husband are in the
vānaprastha order and have three
children, fourteen grandchildren, and
a great-grandson. She has a PhD in
education, is an associate editor of
Back to Godhead, and is the chair-
person of the Śāstric Advisory Coun-
cil to ISKCON’s Governing Body
Commission. She travels worldwide
teaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. She
is the author of Dr. Best Learn to
Read, an eighty-three-book literacy
program for children. Her books
for adults are The Great Mantra for
Mystic Meditation, Essence Seekers,
and Śrī Manaḥ Śikṣā, all available on
Amazon. Her official website: http://
urmiladevidasi.org/; personal website:
http://urmiladasi.com/.
This article was originally presented
as a talk at an interfaith conference in
Chennai, India, in December 2019.
The Science of Chanting
Going Beyond
Mere Syllables
By Satyarāja Dāsa
Kṛṣṇa’s holy names are so powerful that
even inverted mantras containing His
names deliver immense spiritual benefit.

P RAYERS, MANTRAS, and hymns

composed of sacred syllables abound in
religious traditions, and they are highly
developed in the Vaiṣṇava tradition of ancient
India. Some prayers and mantras stand supreme,
largely because they express a selfless inten-
tion and purity of purpose. A prayer that asks
for some selfish end or reflects conditioned
responses to the material world is not as pure
as one that asks for nothing in return. Self-
centered prayers may be a preliminary step on
the spiritual path, and to call on God in any
situation is praiseworthy, but some prayers are
clearly more selfless than others, reflecting a
sincere focus on a singular goal: to get close to
God in a spirit of love and devotion.

Photos by Soulphotography Studios. All photos were taken

Jāhnavī-jīvana Dāsī at the 2020 Radhadesh Mellows Kirtan Festival in Belgium.

20  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020 JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  21
 Supreme among all mantras and
prayers is the mahā-mantra – Hare
Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa,
Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma,
Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare – which is a
calling out to God and His spiritual
energy in the mood “O Lord! O en-
ergy of the Lord! Please engage me in
Your service.” By chanting the mahā-
mantra we are asking for only one
thing – to be engaged in the Lord’s
devotional service. The mahā-mantra’s
purity is profound: It not only offers
spiritual protection from the present
Vedic scriptures (śāstras) are sacred sound
(śabda brahma). Every word of the Vedas is
deemed eternal by the Vedas and their followers.
evil age, but it is also the best possible
resource for those who seek genuine
spiritual enrichment and the ultimate
goal of love of God.
Being absolute, the Lord and
His name are identical. Gauḍīya
Vaiṣṇavas trace this teaching to the
Padma Purāṇa:
nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś
 caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ
pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto
  ’bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ
“The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is spiri-
tual substance, identical to Kṛṣṇa
Himself. It is spiritually absolute, an
embodied form of transcendental
consciousness (caitanya) and rela-
tionship (rasa). It is fully pure, eter-
nal, complete, and never material
under any circumstances. It is the es-
sence of Kṛṣṇa’s own potency. There
is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and
His name.”
Here in the relative world a person
and that person’s name are two dif-
ferent things. Someone is not present
before us merely by our calling out
his or her name. A thirsty man’s cry
of “Water! Water! Water!” will never
satisfy his thirst, because the name
water and the substance water are
22  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
completely different. In the spiritual,
absolute world, however, there is no
such difference. There, an object and
its name, or a person and his name,
are one. Therefore simply by vibrating
the holy name of God, one associates
with God directly. This allows one to
attain the spiritual platform. As Śrīla
Prabhupāda says:
This chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare
Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare /
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma
Rāma, Hare Hare is directly enact-
ed from the spiritual platform, and
thus this sound vibration surpasses
all lower strata of consciousness –
namely sensual, mental, and intel-
lectual. . . . Anyone can take part in
the chanting without any previous
qualification.
Proper Chanting
Vedic scriptures (śāstras) are sacred
sound (śabda brahma). Every word
of the Vedas is deemed eternal by the
Vedas and their followers. Different
schools accept different mantras or
sacred sounds as most important. For
the present age of Kali-yuga, however,
śāstras unequivocally declare congre-
gational chanting of the holy names
of Kṛṣṇa as supreme: “Whatever
result was obtained in Satya-yuga by
meditating on Viṣṇu, in Tretā-yuga by
performing sacrifices, and in Dvāpara-
yuga by serving the deity of the
Lord in the temple can be obtained
in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the
name of Lord Hari [Kṛṣṇa].” (Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 12.3.52)
Two prerequisites are fundamental
to effective chanting: Sincerity, and
receiving the name from a legitimate
source. Anyone can chant the name,
and even a child will benefit from
chanting. In the beginning stages of
spiritual life, the Lord gives Himself
freely through the holy name to any- Bad.a-haridāsa Dāsa
one inclined to chant it. Purification
will ensue regardless of qualification
or disqualification. But as we advance
in practice, we must take the process
more seriously, avoiding clearly de-
fined offenses and learning how to
chant with attention.1
In regard to receiving the holy
name from a legitimate source, the
scriptures are clear: “If one does not
affiliate with an established lineage,
the mantra one chants will not bear
the expected fruit [love
of God]. Therefore in
Kali-yuga there will be
four sampradāyas [lin-
eages] with which one
must align. They may
be enumerated as fol-
lows: Śrī Sampradāya,
Brahmā Sampradāya,
Rudra Sampradāya, and Kumāra
Sampradāya. All will preach from the
city of Jagannatha Puri in Orissa.”2
In the preliminary stage, chanting
is encouraged without any injunctions,
and one can easily make genuine
spiritual advancement. Yet one is ex-
pected to gradually engage in serious
recitation of the holy name. If one
nonchalantly persists in unconscious
or distracted chanting, paying no heed
to the offenses listed in scripture, one
is engaging in nāmāparādha, or of-
fending the name.
“O brother!” Caitanya Mahā­
prabhu’s direct associate Jagad­ānanda
Paṇḍita warns, “You cannot chant
the holy name in the association of
nondevotees. Something resembling
the sounds of the name may come out
of your mouth, but it will not ­really give up honor and dishonor, tolerate (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 2.1.103) tells a sincere heart, one can gradually
be the name. It will sometimes be the world with detachment, and thus us about such ābhāsa – shadow, sem- know śuddha-nāma, the “pure name,”
the name’s reflection (nāmābhāsa) chant the name of Kṛṣṇa.” (Prema- blance, or, more literally, “a dawning wherein one tastes the holy name
and sometimes offensive chanting vivarta 7.1–8) twilight” – in relation to the name: proper, with God dancing on one’s
(nāmāparādha), but brother, you “Even a shadow (ābhāsa) of the sun tongue.
should know that in either case this of the name that arises in the cave of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura writes
Three Levels of Chanting
kind of chanting interferes with the one’s mind disabuses one of the dark- about these three levels of chanting in
attainment of pure devotion to Kṛṣṇa. If we make a serious endeavor as ness of sin.” Thus when one chants Jaiva Dharma (Chapter 25):
If you want to chant the holy names practitioners, we can rise beyond as sādhana, or spiritual practice, one
properly, then associate with devotees the unconscious or even offensive actually chants the holy name, at least [W]hen the name is chanted
and keep desires for sense enjoy- level of chanting and into the realm in shadow form, and by this becomes impurely with a desire for sense
ment, liberation, and yogic powers at of nāmābhāsa, which is a “shadow” free of sinful reactions. By persistently enjoyment (bhoga) or liberation
a distance. Give up the ten offenses, of the holy name. Rūpa Gosvāmī engaging in this way and cultivating (mokṣa), and based on a Māyāvāda
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  23

Paripūrn.a Rādhā Dāsī
[impersonalistic] conception, that
is known as nāma-aparādha. If the
other kinds of aparādhas . . . are
present because of simple igno-
rance, the aśuddha-nāma (impure
name) taken in that situation is not
nāma-aparādha, but nāmābhāsa.
You should remember that as long
as one does not commit nāma-
aparādha when one is chanting
nāmābhāsa, there is hope that
the nāmābhāsa will go away and
śuddha-nāma will arise.
The word ābhāsa means lus-
ter, shadow or reflection. As the
radiance that emanates from a
naturally lustrous object has kānti
(effulgence) or chāyā (shadow), so
the sunlike Name has two kinds of
ābhāsa: one is the shadow (nāma-
chāyā), and the other is the reflec-
tion (nāma-pratibimbā). . . .
Śuddha-nāma means taking
24  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
nāma with a favorable attitude,
while remaining free from all
material desire (anyābhilāṣā), and
from coverings of jñāna, karma and
so on. To desire the supreme bliss
that comes when the transcendental
nature of nāma manifests clearly is
not anyābhilāṣā. All kinds of desires
apart from that – such as the desire
to be free from sins and to gain lib-
eration – are certainly anyābhilāṣā.
There will be no śuddha-nāma so
long as anyābhilāṣā remains; one
will not receive śuddha-nāma as
long as he still desires the fruits of
performing jñāna, karma, yoga and
so on.
If one keeps these characteris-
tics of bhakti in mind and deliber-
ates carefully, it becomes clear that
śuddha-nāma is certainly that nāma
which is free from nāma-aparādha
and nāmābhāsa.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura also mentions
various kinds of nāmābhāsa in the
following way, which will lead us to a
discussion of inverted mantras:
There are four kinds of nāmābhāsa:
One may utter śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāma to
indicate something else (saṅketa),
jokingly (parihāsa), antagonisti-
cally (stobha), or even disrespect-
fully (hela). Learned people know
that these four types of shadow
nāmābhāsa destroy unlimited sins.
Those who are ignorant of nāma-
tattva and sambandha-tattva per-
form these four kinds of nāmābhāsa.
Vijaya: What is sāṅketya-
nāmābhāsa?
Bābājī: Sāṅketya-nāmābhāsa
is uttering Bhagavān’s name when
alluding to something else. For
instance, Ajāmila called his son
Nārāyaṇa at the time of his death,
but Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name is
also Nārāyaṇa, so Ajāmila’s utter-
ing “Nārāyaṇa” was an instance of
sāṅketya-nāmābhāsa. When Mus-
lims see a pig, they show hatred and
exclaim, “Harāma! Harāma!” The
exclamation “harāma” contains the
two words “ha” and “rāma,” so the
person uttering the word “harāma”
also obtains deliverance from the
cycle of birth and death as a result
of taking that sāṅketya-nāma.
All the śāstras accept that
nāmābhāsa gives mukti. Through
śrīnāma, relationship is strongly
established with Mukunda (the
giver of liberation). Therefore, by
uttering śrīnāma one is in touch
with Bhagavān Mukunda, and by
that contact mukti (liberation) is
easily obtained. The same liberation
that is obtained with great difficulty
through brahma-jñāna is easily
available to everybody without
hard labor through nāmābhāsa.
Inverted Mantras
When the syllables of a mantra are
inverted, or disrupted in some other
way, the resultant sounds are some-
times “alluding to something else”
and may thus be deemed a form of
sāṅketya-nāmābhāsa. In most cases,
even in Sanskrit literature, such inap-
propriate chanting is fraught with
potential difficulty. Most Vedic man-
tras need to be pronounced correctly
to be effective. But transcendental
sounds, such as the mahā-mantra, do
not come under Vedic rules. Nor are
they subject to the grammatical laws
of ordinary language. As Haridāsa
Ṭhākura, Śrī Caitanya’s close associ-
ate, tells us: “The letters of the holy
name have so much spiritual potency
that they act even when uttered im-
properly [vyavahita haile].” (Caitanya-
caritāmṛta, Antya 3.59)
Haridāsa Ṭhākura then quotes a
verse from the Padma Purāṇa:
If a devotee once utters the holy
name of the Lord, or if it penetrates
his mind or enters his ear, which is
the channel of aural reception, that
holy name will certainly deliver him
from material bondage, whether
vibrated properly or improperly,
with correct or incorrect grammar,
or properly joined or vibrated in
separate parts. O brāhmaṇa, the
potency of the holy name is there-
fore certainly great. However, if
one uses the vibration of the holy
name for the benefit of the material
body, for material wealth and fol-
lowers, or under the influence of
greed or atheism – in other words, if
one utters the name with offenses –
such chanting will not produce the
desired result very soon. Therefore
one should diligently avoid of-
fenses in chanting the holy name
of the Lord. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta,
Antya 3.60)
Haridāsa Ṭhākura continues, “If one
offenselessly utters the holy name
even imperfectly, one can be freed
from all the results of sinful life.
(Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya 3.61)
Commenting on Caitanya-
caritāmṛta, Antya 3.59, Śrīla Prabhu­
pāda writes:
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī
Ṭhākura states that the word vya-
vahita (“improperly uttered”) is
not used here to refer to the mun-
dane vibration of the letters of the
alphabet. Such negligent utterance
for the sense gratification of ma­
terialistic persons is not a vibration
of transcendental sound. Utterance
of the holy name while one engages
in sense gratification is an impedi-
ment on the path toward achieving
ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. On the
other hand, if one who is eager for
devotional service utters the holy
name even partially or improperly,
the holy name, which is identi-
cal with the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, exhibits its spiritual
potency because of that person’s
offenseless utterance. Thus one is
relieved from all unwanted prac-
tices, and one gradually awakens his
dormant love for Kṛṣṇa.
According to Sonic Theology: Hindu-
ism and Sacred Sound, by Dr. Guy L.
Beck (Santoṣa Dāsa), a musicolo-
gist who teaches philosophy and
Asian studies at Tulane University
and is an initiated disciple of Śrīla
Prabhupāda, two conceptions of
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  25
The Ten Offenses
Against the
Holy Name
1. To blaspheme or criticize the
devotees of the Lord.
2. To consider the names of Śiva
or other devas to be equal to
Viṣṇu’s.
3. To disobey the order of the guru
or to consider him an ordinary
person.
4. To disrespect scriptural authority.
5. To interpret the meaning of the
name.
6. To consider the name’s glories
imaginary.
7. To sin with the idea that the
name will relieve one of reaction.
8. To express the glories of the
name to the unfaithful.
9. To consider the chanting of the
name mere pious activity.
10. To not have complete faith in
the name after being given due
instruction.
It is also considered an offense to be
inattentive while chanting.
sound gradually arose in Sanskrit lin-
guistics: Varṇavāda and Sphoṭavāda.
Varṇavāda, which derives from
Mīmāṁsā philosophy, argues that
the divine potency of Vedic mantras
lies solely within the individual syl-
lables (varṇa) themselves, and that
that potency is activated regardless
of whether the chanter or listener
understands its linguistic meaning.
In Sphoṭavāda, established by gram-
marian Bhartṛhari, the meaning of
a mantra is independent of the indi-
vidual syllables and is activated only
by virtue of a completed thought in
sentence form. Thus, according to
Sphoṭavāda, the potency of a mantra
depends on overall word or sentence
meaning and is not inherent in the
individual syllables.
 According to Sphoṭavāda theory,
then, sound utterance has to be se-
mantically coherent to have potency
of spiritual effect. Therefore, while
Śaṅkara and other proponents of
Advaita Vedānta adopted Sphoṭavāda,
Vaiṣṇava ācāryas generally empha-
sized Varṇavāda. “Rāmānuja, Madhva,
Śrīdhara Svāmī, and Jīva Gosvāmī,”
says Beck, “all accept Varṇavāda.”
The divine has bestowed special transcendental
potencies in the mantra that can be accessed
by anyone regardless of Sanskrit competency.
This is because the Varṇavāda theory
fits more neatly with the idea that the
divine (Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa) has bestowed
special transcendental potencies
in the mantra that can be accessed
by anyone regardless of Sanskrit
competency.3
Here are two examples of inverted
mantras from Vaiṣṇava literature, one
involving the name of Rāma and
the other the name of Śrī Rādhā. In
both examples, rapid repetition turns
an inverted mantra into a proper
one. Regarding the first one, Śrīla
Prabhupāda told the story on several
occasions:
Nārada Muni elevated so many
fallen souls. This Vālmīki Muni was
also. So he was given this mantra,
“Rāma.” He could not chant it. Then
he was advised to do just the oppo-
site, marā. Marā means “dead body.”
So marā mārā marā. Three marā
means one “Rāma” is there. So in
this way he was initiated and he
became a great sage. For sixty thou-
sand years he meditated simply on
“Rāma, Rāma, Rāma, Rāma, Rāma,
Rāma.” And when he was liberated,
he wrote this Rāmāyaṇa.4
The second example is found in
Viśvanātha Cakravartī’s Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Bhāvanāmṛta:
One day when Śrī Rādhikā came to
Nandagrāma to cook for Kṛṣṇa, He
26  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
peeked into the kitchen and, upon
seeing Her, had an irresistible urge
to lovingly recite Her holy name.
Aware that such blatant recitation
in His paternal home would look
strange and improper, He devised
a covert method to accomplish His
goal: He took one of His pet par-
rots on His arm, and, while caress-
ing it and feeding it pomegranate
seeds, taught it one particular verse
– dhārādhara-vapu-nārāyaṇo ’smān
sa prasīdatu (“May Lord Nārāyaṇa,
with dark complexion [dhārādhara],
be pleased with us”). The young
parrot could not memorize such a
long verse, so Kṛṣṇa told it to just
practice repeating the first word.
The parrot then started repeating
“dhārā dhārā dhārā” over and over.
Kṛṣṇa joined him in this repetition
as well, and before long they were
chanting “rādhā rādhā rādhā.” Thus,
without evoking the suspicion of
His elders, the Lord was able to rel-
ish the chanting of Śrī Rādhā’s holy
name.5
Both the above forms of inverted
mantra were articulated in a group
discussion between Śrīla Prabhupāda,
some of his disciples, and Beatle
George Harrison:
George Harrison: He had a baby
girl and was trying to think of a
name, so I told him to call it Dhārā,
you know? ’Cause from Rādhā –
rādhārādhārādhā – it becomes
dhārā. So he called his girl that
name.
Jayatīrtha Dāsa: There’s a story of
Vālmīki. You know that story?
Gurudāsa: Marāmarāmarāmarā-
marāmarā.
Jayatīrtha: Vālmīki was a murderer,
or a dacoit, thief. So he was met by
Nārada Muni, I think.
Prabhupāda: Yes, Vālmīki.
Jayatīrtha: And he was advised by
Nārada Muni to please chant the
holy name of the Lord and give up
this thievery. So he wouldn’t. So
instead Nārada Muni said, “You
chant marā.” Marā means death. So
he agreed.
Prabhupāda: Marāmarā – rāma.
Jayatīrtha: Later on, Vālmīki wrote
the Rāmāyaṇa after having chanted
rāma. He became purified.6
The Mahā-mantra:
The Name Remains the
Same
According to a popular narra-
tive in Bengal, inversion is no
stranger to the mahā-mantra.
Some say that the mantra
may have originally been re-
cited with the “Hare Rāma” part first.
The background of this story runs
as follows: The mahā-mantra can be
found in the Kali-santaraṇa Upaniṣad,
a part of the original Vedas, or śruti,
whose verses are properly chanted
only by qualified brāhmaṇas. In our
current age, normal processes of
purification are ineffective, and thus
brāhmaṇas are unqualified, few being
able to properly chant śruti mantras.
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the story
goes, reversed the order of the chant.
He thus showed respect for the rules
of eligibility given in śruti texts but
allowed everyone to chant this most
potent of all sound vibrations.
Śrīla Prabhupāda’s godbrother
Śrīla Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdharadeva
Goswami Mahārāja (1895–1988)
expressed the above narrative as
follows:
It is said that because it comes from
the Upaniṣads, the Hare Kṛṣṇa
mantra is a Vedic mantra, and,
therefore, because the ordinary
people may not have any entrance
into Vedic mantras, Śrī Caitanya
Mahāprabhu readjusted this mantra
by reversing the order of the words.
In that way, it is said, the concern
that it is a Vedic mantra is thereby
canceled, and so Śrī Caitanya
Mahāprabhu gave it to all without
breaching the injunctions of the
Vedas. Some devotees in Uttar
Pradesh who have great affection
for Śrī Caitanyadeva like to give
this opinion.7
It is unlikely that Śrīdhara Mahārāja
subscribed to this view himself, but
as he says, “Some devotees . . . like to
give this opinion.”
No authoritative source substanti-
ates the Śrī Caitanya component of
this story, and the tale has tradition-
ally been relegated to the realm of
apocrypha. Nonetheless, when the
notion of inversion – specifically in
relation to the mahā-mantra – was
brought to the attention of modern
Gauḍīya ācāryas, they took the time
to address it. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta
Sarasvatī, for example, said:
Kali-santaraṇa Upaniṣad has been
published in Mumbai and Madras,
but because [the manuscripts of]
the Upaniṣad were collected from
the adulterated members of the
Rāmāyet-sampradāya, the order of
the mahā-mantra in these particular
editions was reversed. But even
despite being so, its meaning and
position cannot be reversed. Any
wise person will not accept any
order or reading different from the
mahā-mantra and its order given
by the person denoted by the holy
name (nāmi), Śrī Gaurasundara,
who himself descended in Kali-
yuga to distribute the easy process
for crossing over the age of Kali
(kali-santaraṇa) and attaining love
of God.”8
Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī here
suggests that Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s
own recitation of the mahā-mantra
gave pride of place to “Hare
Kṛṣṇa.” But how would we know
Mahāprabhu’s preferred version of
the mantra? His first Bengali biogra-
phy, Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, mentions
the mahā-mantra five or six times. In
that book the full mantra – with the
Hare Kṛṣṇa part first – emanates from
Mahāprabhu’s lips twice. The first
instance occurs early in His pastimes
when He answers Tapana Miśra’s
question about the ultimate goal of
life. The Lord answers:
By congregationally chanting the
holy names you achieve everything,
including the goal of life and the
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  27
means for attaining it. “For spiritual
progress in this Age of Kali, there
is no alternative, there is no alter-
native, there is no alternative to
the holy name, the holy name, the
holy name of the Lord.” Just chant
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma,
Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare
Hare. This verse consists of the
holy names and is called the mahā-
mantra. It contains sixteen names
composed of thirty-two syllables. If
you continue chanting this mahā-
mantra, the seed of love of God will
sprout in your heart. Then you will
understand the goal of life and the
process for achieving it.”9
In the second instance, Mahāprabhu
tells the people of Navadvīpa: “‘Hare
Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa,
Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma,
Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.’ I have told
you the mahā-mantra. All of you
chant this mantra according to a pre-
scribed number. Everyone will attain
all perfection by it. At every moment
chant it; there is no other rule.”10
These instructions to the residents of
Navadvīpa are also related in Nara-
hari Cakravartī’s Bhakti-ratnākara
(12.2047–2054), where the Hare
Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is also recorded
in its entirety (12.2049).
Fortunately, the original order of
the mantra is also preserved in the
Purāṇas, tantras, and āgamas, which
refer to the mahā-mantra as starting
with the Hare Kṛṣṇa part first. For
instance, in the Brahma-yāmala, Lord
Śiva describes the mahā-mantra as
follows:
Without Hari there is no other way
to eradicate the sins in the age of
Kali. Therefore hari-nāma should
be revealed in order to save the
world. The people in Kali-yuga ev-
erywhere can be liberated from the
greatest sins by chanting the follow-
ing mantra. First one should chant
the two words “Hare Kṛṣṇa” twice
and then two words more – “Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa.” Then one should chant the
two words “Hare Hare” and then
twice “Hare Rāma.” In the end,
Mahādevī, one should chant “Rāma
Rāma” and then “Hare Hare.” In
this way one should pronounce the
mahā-mantra of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which
destroys all sins.
Similarly, Dhyānacandra Gosvāmī
in his Gaura-govindārcana-smaraṇa-
paddhati (132–133) describes three
powerful Kṛṣṇa mantras famous for
bestowing love of God on their chant-
ers. The first of them, he writes, is the
Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, explained
in Sanat-kumāra-saṁhitā as follows:
“The words ‘Hare Kṛṣṇa’ are repeated
twice, and then ‘Kṛṣṇa’ and ‘Hare’ are
both separately twice repeated. Then
‘Hare Rāma’ is repeated twice, then
‘Rāma’ and ‘Hare’ are both separately
twice repeated.”
In the end, however, the question
of order is simply inconsequential,
since as soon as one starts repeating
the mantra over and over again, such
considerations disappear through
the incessant flow of names, as Śrīla
Prabhupāda confirms:
Either you chant Hare Rāma or
you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, it is the same.
There is no difference. Sometimes
28  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
they first of all place “Hare Rāma,
Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare
Hare.” And sometimes they place
“Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa . . .” There is no difference.
Sometimes they say, “No, it should
be Hare Rāma first.” Sometimes
they say, “No, Hare Kṛṣṇa.” But
that is not very important, childish.
Either you say Hare Rāma or Hare
Kṛṣṇa, the same.”11
Uninterrupted Concentration
The holy name of the Lord is so pow-
erful that even if its recitation is inter-
rupted by inverted words, innovative
sequence, or intervening syllables, it
can still have the desired effect. Śrīla
Prabhupāda’s conclusive purport
to Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya 3.60,
leaves little to the imagination:
If one somehow or other hears, ut-
ters or remembers the holy name,
or if it catches his mind while com-
ing near his ears, that holy name,
Śacīnandana Swami
even if vibrated in separate words,
will act. An example of such separa-
tion is given as follows:
Suppose one is using the two
words halaṁ riktam. Now the syl-
lable ha in the word halam and the
syllable ri in riktam are separately
pronounced, but nevertheless the
holy name will act because one
somehow or other utters the word
hari. Similarly, in the word rāja-
mahiṣī, the syllables rā and ma
appear in two separate words, but
because they somehow or other
appear together, the holy name
rāma will act, provided there are no
offenses.
Still, it is obviously better to chant
with uninterrupted syllables. Bhak-
tivinoda Ṭhākura offers a nuanced
perspective in which he notes that
while one can still benefit from sepa-
rated syllables, that is not as effec-
tive as when the syllables are in an
uninterrupted flow. In his Harināma-
cintamāṇi (2.50–53) he writes that
“disruption” causes offense and thus
minimizes benefit. This type of of-
fense is known as varṇa-vyavadhāna,
Raman.ajī Dāsa or a disruption in the syllables, and
should be avoided.12
The tradition never teaches that
one should chant in a circuitous way.
Instead, the message is that the holy
name, being merciful and supremely
potent, can offer its fruits not only
to those who chant scrupulously
and with loving attention but also to
those who chant inadvertently or im-
properly. This, then, is the implication
of inverted mantras – it highlights
the supremely munificent nature of
the holy name. Let it be clear: The
tradition recommends that in chant-
ing one follow in the footsteps of the
great souls throughout history who
as perfect exemplars have chanted
with full concentration and with-
out interruption, in terms of both
syllabic sequence and determined
constancy.
Notes
1. Padma Purāṇa (Brahma-khaṇḍa
25.15–18, 22–23) offers a cautionary list
of pitfalls to avoid in chanting the holy
name. (See the sidebar “The Ten Of-
fenses Against the Holy Name.”) These
are called nāma-aparādha, “offenses
against the name.” In the Gauḍīya tradi-
tion the list can initially be found in the
Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, Eleventh Vilāsa, texts
521–524. The notion was then carried
into Jīva Gosvāmī’s work, both in his
commentary on Rūpa Go­svāmī’s Bhakti-
rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.120) and in his
own Bhakti-sandarbha (Anuccheda 265).
Viśvanātha Cakravartī then highlights the
importance of this list again by citing it in
his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu (Pūrva-
vibhāga, First Wave 7).
2. Though this verse cannot be found in
current editions of the Padma Purāṇa, it
was cited (as a verse in that Purāṇa) in
Kavi Karṇapūra’s Śrī Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-
dīpikā (21), an early Gauḍīya text. We
can therefore assume that it was in earlier
editions of the Purāṇa. The verse can
also be found in the eighteenth-century
Bhakti-ratnākara, Fifth Wave. A similar
verse, almost identical, appears in the
Garga-saṁhitā, a traditional saṁhitā in
the Vaiṣṇava tradition. (Garga-saṁhitā,
Aśvamedha-khaṇḍa, 61.24–26) For
more on this reference, see Viśvanātha
Cakravartī’s Gaura-gaṇa-svarūpa-
tattva-candrikā, trans., Demian Martins
(Vrindavan, U.P.: Jiva Institute, 2015),
Introduction, xiii.
3. See Guy L. Beck, Sonic Theology: Hin-
duism and Sacred Sound (Delhi: Motilal
Banarsidass, 1995), 52–57.
4. Śrīla Prabhupāda lecture on Caitanya-
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  29
caritāmṛta, Madhya 20.330–335, New
York, December 23, 1966. The “marā,
marā, marā” story does not appear in the
critical edition of Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇa,
though it exists in several manuscripts
of that text, as confirmed by Rāmāyaṇa
scholars Robert Goldman and Philip
Lutgendorf in personal correspondence
with me. That being said, it is a well-­
established part of the Rāmāyaṇa tradi-
tion. The narrative can be found in the
fourteenth-century Adhyātma Rāmāyaṇa
(2.6.80), an appendix to the Brahmāṇḍa
Purāṇa. It also appears in the anonymous
fifteenth-century Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, writ-
ten in Sanskrit, and in Krittivas Ojha’s
Bengali Rāmāyaṇa. Tulsīdāsa alludes to
the story in his Rāmcaritmānas (1.19.3)
but offers no details.
5. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Bhāvanāmṛta (6.1–2), in Bhānu
Swami’s translation: “Kṛṣṇa taught a baby
parrot to say, ‘May the Lord with dark
complexion (dhārādhara) be pleased
with us.’” (And on that pretext chanted
Rādhā’s name (dhā-rādhā-rā). “Pet-
ting and feeding the bird pomegranate
seeds intermittently, Kṛṣṇa made the
small bird continuously repeat the word
dhārādhara.”
6. Conversation with George Harrison on
July 26, 1976.
7. Accessed at http://gosai.com/writings/
the-maha-mantra.
8. From a conversation with a guest at
the Gauḍīya Maṭh, September 4, 1932.
Printed in the Gauḍīya magazine, Vol.
11, No. 11, October 22, 1932, p. 101.
9. See Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi-khaṇḍa
14.143–147.
10. Ibid. Madhya 23.76–78.
11. Śrīla Prabhupāda lecture on Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 3.25.44, Bombay, Decem-
ber 12, 1974.
12. See Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Śrī
Harināma-cintāmaṇi: The Beautiful
Wish-Fulfilling Gem of the Holy Name,
Sarvabhāvana dāsa, trans. (Bombay:
Bhaktivedanta Books, 1990). The origi-
nal Bengali contains verses and several
endnotes concluding each chapter.
The passage in question is Chapter
2, Endnote 9. The endnote offers this
information: In the word hathikari,
the first and last syllables produce the
word hari. Because the syllables thi-ka
intervene, the full benefit of the name
is not attained.
Satyarāja Dāsa, a disciple of Śrīla
Prabhupāda, is a BTG associate edi-
tor and founding editor of the Journal
of Vaishnava Studies. He has written
more than thirty books on Kṛṣṇa con-
sciousness and lives near New York
City.
 ABSURDITY,
ABDICATION,
AND ABUSE:
Lessons
from the
Mahābhārata by Caitanya Caraṇa Dāsa
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s actions demonstrate how
if we don’t use our power when we should,
we end up using it when we shouldn’t.

W HEN THE PĀṆḌAVAS completed their

forest exile, they were joined in the king-
dom of Virāṭa by their influential father-
in-law, Drupada. After consulting with him, they sent
­Drupada’s priest as a messenger to Hastinapura.
In essence, the priest told the Kurus, “The Pāṇ­
ḍavas have completed their prescribed exile of thir-

Detail of a painting by Jadurāṇī Dāsī

teen years. They have honored their part in the terms
of the gambling match; the onus is now on you to
honor your part and return their kingdom to them.”
Dhṛtarāṣṭra replied that he would send his answer
soon through his own messenger, Sañjaya.

30  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020 JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  31
 For thirteen years, Dhṛtarāṣṭra had
been living his dream – he and his son
Duryodhana were enjoying the royal
throne with unchallenged power. But
that dream had always existed on
the verge of a nightmare: the return
of the Pāṇḍavas. He would have to
hand over their kingdom to them. If
he didn’t, war would result. Seeing
his dream slipping from his hands, he
wondered if he could somehow keep
both the kingdom and the peace.
The Preposterous Peace
Proposal
To this end, Dhṛtarāṣṭra came up with
a sophistry that he conveyed through
Sañjaya. The essence of his message
to the Pāṇḍavas was “­Householders
are expected to eventually leave their
Dhr.tarās.t.ra had been living his dream – he
and his son Duryodhana were enjoying the
royal throne with unchallenged power.
homes to go to the forest and lead a
retired life. You, O Pāṇḍavas, have al-
ready achieved the status of living in a
forest. Why turn back towards house-
hold life now by seeking a kingdom?
And why fight a war to gain a king-
dom you will eventually renounce?
And why, for a temporary kingdom,
fight against your own family mem-
bers? Live in peace where you are
and continue to progress spiritually.”
On hearing the message, Yudhi­
ṣṭhira replied in an aggrieved tone,
“When, O Sañjaya, did we state that
we wanted to fight? We wish to live
peacefully with the Kurus while pur-
suing our dharma. There is a time for
engaging with the world and a time
for renouncing the world. We still
have our duties to our ancestors and
our citizens. To serve our ancestors,
we need to continue our lineage by
begetting progeny. To serve our citi-
zens, we need to help them practice
dharma. For doing these duties, we
need a kingdom. Without doing our
32  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
dharma as engaged householders, we
can’t abruptly jump to the retired
stage. It is only for doing our dharma
that we seek our rightful kingdom.
We aren’t causing war; only those
who are stopping us from doing our
dharma are causing it. Please tell our
uncle that we are ready to serve him
respectfully and to live peacefully.”
When Sañjaya returned to Dhṛta­
rāṣṭra and conveyed Yudhi­ṣṭhira’s
incisive reply, the fallacy of Dhṛta­
rāṣṭra’s reasoning became undeniably
obvious.
Don’t Just Speak Philosophy – tried to arrest Kṛṣṇa. This attempt
Pursue the Purpose of
Philosophy
Consider the implications if Dhṛta­
rāṣṭra’s argument were accepted and
became a precedent. Any greedy per-
son could steal others’ property, force Dhṛtarāṣṭra asked Sañjaya, “What is
the victims into poverty and forest life, happening?”
and then claim the moral high ground
by saying that the victims should stay
in the forest for their own spiritual
growth.
To know philosophy is important;
to know the purpose of philosophy
is even more important; and to know
our own heart to ensure that we pur-
sue the purpose of the philosophy
we cite is most important. Otherwise,
we may end up abusing philosophy
not just to deceive others, but also to
­deceive ourselves.
Nowadays, some unscrupulous
people abuse ideologies to rational-
ize violence in the name of religion.
They often live in an echo chamber
surrounded only by yes-men who ap-
plaud whatever twisted arguments
they come up with. They end up de-
ceiving others, deceiving themselves,
and ultimately defeating their own
higher interests.
We all need the association of
those who are wiser than us, who
know the purpose of philosophy, and
who help us stay on track in pursuing
that purpose.
When Those with Eyes
Couldn’t See, But the Blind
Could
Before the Kurukshetra war, Kṛṣṇa
went to the Kuru kingdom with a
peace proposal on the most accom-
modating terms. Duryodhana not
only rejected the proposal but also
was reprehensible because it violated
all diplomatic conventions that guar-
anteed the safety of a peace envoy.
Kṛṣṇa foiled Duryodhana by expand-
ing Himself to gigantic proportions
and displaying His universal
form. The form emanated
such fire and anger that
everyone was blinded. Over-
come by fear, the soldiers
who had charged forward
to arrest Kṛṣṇa fell on their
backs, rose falteringly, and
fled.
Hearing the chaos, the blind
Sañjaya replied in an awestruck
tone, “Kṛṣṇa is showing His universal
form.”
On hearing this, Dhṛtarāṣṭra said
to Kṛṣṇa, “O Keśava, I have never
seen anything throughout my life.
You are revealing a form that few can
see. Please bless me with the vision to
see this form.”
Kṛṣṇa replied, “So be it.”
Soon Dhṛtarāṣṭra could see for
the first and only time in his life. And
what a majestic sight he saw: the blaz-
ing form pervading all directions, con-
taining luminaries from all over the
universe, reducing everything around
it to insignificance.
Thus Dhṛtarāṣṭra experienced
Kṛṣṇa’s unparalleled power through
two benedictions. First, he got the
power to see. Second, he got to see
the awe-inspiring universal form.
Yet, despite getting this double
demonstration of divinity, Dhṛtarāṣṭra the Pāṇḍavas meant courting war. him the vision to see the Kurukshetra
remained attached to his son. His ab- Alas, why had he neglected his wise war from his palace. But he hadn’t
dication of responsibility in the face brother’s words? been able to see his sons throughout
of Duryodhana’s obstinacy made the But, then, was his cause so unjusti- their life; how could he bear to see
war inevitable. fied? He was the elder brother; the their death? Dreading that possibility,
kingdom should have been rightfully he had requested Vyāsa to grant the
Eyesight Can Be Given, But his. Even if he couldn’t get it because power of remote vision to Sañjaya.
I-Sight Has to Be Chosen of his blindness, his sons could. And And yet he continued hoping that
should. maybe – just maybe – his sons could
Seeing Kṛṣṇa’s universal form could
Maybe there was still a chance. In win.
have prompted Dhṛtarāṣṭra to think
their army, his sons had veterans such With a combination of weariness
about Kṛṣṇa’s position. He had heard
as Bhīṣma and Droṇa whose experi- and eagerness, he awaited the news
from the sages that Kṛṣṇa was God
ence and expertise had few parallels. of the Kurukshetra war as Sañjaya
descended to this world, and that
Who could possibly defeat them? began his live commentary.
He was everyone’s greatest well-
But a voice stabbed him from with-
wisher, as would be later reiterated in
in. During the Virāṭa battle, Arjuna Desiring the Impossible,
Bhagavad-gītā (5.29).
had single-handedly defeated all the Dreading the Inevitable
Unfortunately, Dhṛtarāṣṭra was so
Kuru warriors, including the veterans.
attached to his son that he remained
His ambivalence continued. Dur­ Those who are blinded by their at-
spiritually blinded. He couldn’t un-
yodhana had formed many alliances tachments are unfortunate. Those
derstand that he was a soul who was
by which he had eleven divisions of who are illumined by knowledge
only temporarily, circumstantially in
soldiers. The Pāṇḍavas had just seven. but still choose to stay attached and
a relationship with another soul who
The Kauravas outnumbered their op- blinded are even more unfortunate.
had taken on the role of his son. In-
stead of giving due importance to his
ponents by more than one and a half Those who are provided illumina-
times. Surely that would be a decisive tion by God Himself, but choose
eternal relationship with the Supreme
Soul, Kṛṣṇa, he got carried away by
advantage.
The stabbing inner voice coun-
instead to pursue their doomed de-
sires are most unfortunate. Such was
his temporary relationship with his
son. And even when Kṛṣṇa merci-
tered. What was the value of this
numerical superiority? The Pāṇḍavas
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s tragic fate.
He knew about Kṛṣṇa’s position
fully gave him the eyesight to see the
had Kṛṣṇa on their side. Dhṛtarāṣṭra and power, yet he kept longing for his
universal form, still he held on to his
thought of the time he had beheld sons’ victory. With knowledge, we are
worldly attachment. He never could
Kṛṣṇa’s universal form. Who could meant to transform our desires. Even
muster the will to choose I-sight – the
counter such power? if our desires don’t naturally go in
inner focus by which he could under-
The fear that his son’s cause was the direction our knowledge points
stand who he really was and where
doomed haunted him. It was this to, we still need to push them in that
his best interests lay.
awareness that had prompted him to direction. If instead we let them
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s not having eyesight
decline when Vyāsadeva had offered pull us in the opposite direction, we
was lamentable. His not having I-sight
was even more lamentable. And his
Bhakti Sastri Plus
reluctance to receive I-sight when it
was offered by Kṛṣṇa Himself was
most lamentable.
Course
Ambivalence and Turbulence
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JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  33
 sentence ourselves to frustration and
destruction.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra didn’t align his desires
with his knowledge. Consequently
he remained in the exhausting grip
of ambivalence. He desired the im-
possible: victory for his sons. And he
dreaded the inevitable: victory for
those on Kṛṣṇa’s side.
The Murderous Embrace
After the Kurukshetra war ended, the
Pāṇḍavas came to meet Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
Yudhiṣṭhira was apprehensive, know-
Dhr.tarās.t.ra desired the impossible: victory
for his sons. And he dreaded the inevitable:
victory for those on Kr.s.n.a’s side.
ing that the blind king would hold
them responsible for the death of
his sons. He requested Kṛṣṇa to ac-
company them, confident that Kṛṣṇa
would expertly defuse any volatile sit-
uations. Accordingly, the six of them
approached Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
When they were ushered into
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s presence, he looked
shattered. Speaking in a subdued
voice, he opened his arms to hug them,
one by one. Yudhiṣṭhira went forward
first. When Bhīma stepped forward
next, Kṛṣṇa stopped him. Using His
mystic power, He summoned an iron
effigy of Bhīma that Duryodhana
had used for honing his mace-fighting
skills while also venting his envy.
Kṛṣṇa arranged for that effigy to step
into Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s embrace. As soon
as Dhṛtarāṣṭra felt Bhīma within his
arms, he crushed him tightly. All his
anger at Bhīma for having killed his
hundred sons came out in the force
of that crushing hug. Within moments,
the effigy crumbled to pieces and
then to powder. The effort exerted
Dhṛtarāṣṭra so much that he fell back
vomiting blood.
As soon as he regained his com-
posure, he spoke loud words of
lamentation.
34  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
“Alas! What have I done! In a fit of
rage, I have killed Bhīma.”
Consoling him, Kṛṣṇa said, “O king,
do not lament. Bhīma still lives.”
When the startled Dhṛtarāṣṭra
turned his head in the direction of
Kṛṣṇa’s voice, Kṛṣṇa continued, “An-
ticipating your anger, I arranged for
an effigy of Bhīma to step into your
embrace. What you crushed was that
effigy.”
Continuing gently, Kṛṣṇa said, “O
king, do not be angry with Bhīma.
He is not responsible for the death
of your sons; their own misdeeds
are. They were advised repeatedly
by their well-wishers to desist from
treating the Pāṇḍavas unfairly, but
they never listened. You know this
well. They have now met the end they
deserved. Live in peace, O king, with
the Pāṇḍavas, who have always been
respectful to you.”
Disuse and Abuse of Power
This is the only instance in the
Mahābhārata when Dhṛtarāṣṭra ex-
hibited his physical power. His power
was astonishing – he crushed with
mere arms an effigy that had with-
stood numerous blows from Duryo­
dhana’s mace. And yet Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s
expression of power was tragically
misdirected. If he had used even a
fraction of that power to rein in his
wicked son Duryodhana, he could
have not only saved the lives of all his
sons but also prevented a catastroph-
ic war that killed millions.
Of course, to control Duryodhana,
Dhṛtarāṣṭra needed not just physical
power, but inner power, the power to
fight against his attachments and to
stick to the impartiality expected of
an elder, let alone a king. Unfortu-
nately, Dhṛtarāṣṭra was too weak to
muster that power. Crushing external
adversaries is far easier than crushing
internal attachments.
If we don’t use our power when we
should, we will end up using it when
we shouldn’t. And that inappropri-
ate use can compound the problems
caused by the preceding failure to use
it properly.
The biggest disasters in world his-
tory have been caused not by power-
less people, but by powerful people.
These powerful people may fall in
two categories: those who abuse
their power, and those who don’t use
their power to stop those who
abuse power. Depraved dicta-
tors often abuse their power
and leave a trail of slaughter
and mayhem wherever they
go. And rulers who could and
should counter the dictators’
abuse of power remain pas-
sive. They may be Pollyan-
naish pacifists who try to appease
the dictators while the dictators just
continue and increase their atrocities.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra embodied both the abuse
and the disuse of power. He abused
it by trying to kill Bhīma, and he had
misused it by continually trying to
­appease Duryodhana.
To not have power makes us weak;
to have power and fail to use it appro-
priately makes us weaker still; to have
power, to fail to use it appropriately,
and then to use it inappropriately
makes us weakest. Why weakest?
Because such disuse and abuse sig-
nify that we don’t have control over
whatever power we have – we are
simply driven by our impulse and our
attachments.
By pursuing our spiritual growth,
we all gain the inner power to use
properly whatever outer power we
have.
Caitanya Caraṇa Dāsa, a disciple
of His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami,
serves full time at ISKCON Chowpatty,
Mumbai. He is a BTG associate editor
and the author of twenty-five books.
To read his other articles or to receive
his daily reflection on the Bhagavad-
gītā, “Gita-Daily,” visit gitadaily.com.
BOOK SECTION : ŚRĪMAD-BHĀGAVATAM
Referred to as “the ripe fruit of the tree of Vedic literature,” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
is the most complete and authoritative exposition of Vedic knowledge.
Five thousand years ago, the great sage Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa composed
this purāṇa, or history, to explain the essence of spiritual knowledge.
Here we present Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in serialized form, with the original
Sanskrit text, transliteration, word meanings, translation, and purports
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda,
founder-ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
KING PR.THU PRAISES
THE BRĀHMAN.AS
AND VAIS.N.AVAS
Continuing to advise his citizens, Pṛthu Mahārāja
stresses the importance of brahminical culture.
and liberation from material attachment and be satisfied.
CANTO 4: CHAPTER 21 In this world there is no fruitive activity superior to serv-
ing the brāhmaṇa class, for this can bring pleasure to the
demigods, for whom the many sacrifices are recommended.
40 paumaA*éaBaetaAnaitavaelamaAtmana:
  ‘as$aId"taAe'tyantazAmaM svata: svayama, / PURPORT: In Bhagavad-gītā (2.65) it is said: prasāde
sarva-duḥkhānāṁ hānir asyopajāyate. 1 Unless one is self-
yaiªatyas$ambanDainaSaevayaA tata:
satisfied, he cannot be free from the miserable conditions
  parM" ik(ma‡aAista mauKaM h"ivaBauRjaAma, // of material existence. 2 Therefore it is essential to render
service to the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas to achieve the per-
pumāḻ labhetānativelam ātmanaḥ fection of self-satisfaction. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura
  prasīdato ’tyanta-śamaṁ svataḥ svayam therefore says:
yan-nitya-sambandha-niṣevayā tataḥ
  paraṁ kim atrāsti mukhaṁ havir-bhujām tāṅdera caraṇa sevi bhakta-sane vāsa
janame janame haya, ei abhilāṣa
pumān – a person; labheta – can achieve; anati-velam –
without delay; ātmanaḥ – of his soul; prasīdataḥ – being “Birth after birth I desire to serve the lotus feet of the
satisfied; atyanta – the greatest; śamam – peace; svataḥ – au- ācāryas and live in a society of devotees.” A spiritual at-
tomatically; svayam – personally; yat – whose; nitya – regu- mosphere can be maintained only by living in a society of
lar; sambandha – relationship; niṣevayā – by dint of service;
tataḥ – after that; param – superior; kim – what; atra – here; 1. What does the Bhagavad-gītā say is the qualifica-
asti – there is; mukham – happiness; haviḥ – clarified butter; tion for being free from the miserable conditions
bhujām – those who drink. of material existence?
2. What must one do to achieve the perfection of
By regular service to the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, one can self-satisfaction?
clear the dirt from his heart and thus enjoy supreme peace
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  35
 BOOK SECTION : ŚRĪMAD-BHĀGAVATAM BOOK SECTION : ŚRĪMAD-BHĀGAVATAM
devotees and by serving the orders of the ācāryas. The spiri- aśnāti – eats; anantaḥ – the Supreme Personality of God- offering food to a pure devotee like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, He as He is, as described in Bhagavad-gītā (janma karma ca
tual master is the best brāhmaṇa. 3 At present, in the Age head; khalu – nevertheless; tattva-kovidaiḥ – persons in was equally as blessed as He would have been by offering me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ), one becomes a perfect
of Kali, it is very difficult to render service to the brāhmaṇa- knowledge of the Absolute Truth; śraddhā – faith; hutam food to thousands of learned brāhmaṇas. When perform- brāhmaṇa. The brāhmaṇa who knows Kṛṣṇa perfectly well
kula, or the brāhmaṇa class. The difficulty, according to the – offering fire sacrifices; yat-mukhe – whose mouth; ijya- ing sacrifices, one offers oblations to the sacrificial fire, but is always in a transcendental position. This is also confirmed
Varāha Purāṇa, is that demons, taking advantage of Kali- nāmabhiḥ – by different names of demigods; na – never; when such oblations are offered to Vaiṣṇavas, they are cer- in Bhagavad-gītā (14.26):
yuga, have taken birth in brāhmaṇa families. (rākṣasāḥ ka- vai – certainly; tathā – as much; cetanayā – by living force; tainly more effective.
lim āśritya jāyante brahma-yoniṣu). In other words, in this bahiḥ-kṛte – being bereft of; huta-aśane – in the fire sacri- māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa
age there are many so-called caste brāhmaṇas and caste fice; pāramahaṁsya – regarding devotees; paryaguḥ – never   bhakti-yogena sevate
42 yaä," “aö inatyaM ivar"jaM s$anaAtanaM
Gosvāmīs who, taking advantage of the śāstra and of the goes away. sa guṇān samatītyaitān
innocence of people in general, claim to be brāhmaṇas and   ™aÜ"AtapaAemaËÿlamaAEnas$aMyamaE: /   brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
Vaiṣṇavas by hereditary right. One will not derive any ben- Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Ananta,
s$amaAiDanaA iba”aita h"ATaRä{"í"yae
efit by rendering service to such false brāhmaṇa-kulas. One eats through the fire sacrifices offered in the names of the “One who engages in full devotional service and who does
must therefore take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master different demigods, He does not take as much pleasure   ya‡aed"maAd"zAR wvaAvaBaAs$atae // not fall down in any circumstance at once transcends the
and his associates and should also render service to them, in eating through fire as He does in accepting offerings modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of
for such activity will greatly help the neophyte in attain- through the mouths of learned sages and devotees, for then yad brahma nityaṁ virajaṁ sanātanaṁ Brahman.”
ing full satisfaction. This has been very clearly explained He does not leave the association of devotees.  śraddhā-tapo-maṅgala-mauna-saṁyamaiḥ Therefore a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is actually a perfect
by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura in his explanation samādhinā bibhrati hārtha-dṛṣṭaye brāhmaṇa. 6 His situation is transcendental, for he is free
of the verse vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana PURPORT: According to Vedic injunctions, a fire sacrifice   yatredam ādarśa ivāvabhāsate from the four defects of conditional life, which are the ten-
(Bg. 2.41). By actually following the regulative principles is held in order to give food to the Supreme Personality dencies to commit mistakes, to be illusioned, to cheat and
of bhakti-yoga as recommended by Śrīla Narottama dāsa of Godhead in the names of the different demigods. While yat – that which; brahma – the brahminical culture; nityam to possess imperfect senses. A perfect Vaiṣṇava, or Kṛṣṇa
Ṭhākura, one can very quickly come to the transcen- performing a fire sacrifice, one pronounces the word svāhā – eternally; virajam – without contamination; sanātanam conscious person, is always in this transcendental position
dental platform of liberation, as explained in this verse in mantras such as indrāya svāhā and ādityāya svāhā. These – without beginning; śraddhā – faith; tapaḥ – austerity; because he speaks according to Kṛṣṇa and His representa-
(atyanta-śamam). mantras are uttered to satisfy the Supreme Personality of maṅgala – auspicious; mauna – silence; saṁyamaiḥ – con- tive. Because Vaiṣṇavas speak exactly according to the tune
The particular use of the word anativelam (“with- Godhead through demigods such as Indra and Āditya, for trolling the mind and senses; samādhinā – with full concen- of Kṛṣṇa, whatever they say is free from these four defects.
out delay”) is very significant because simply by serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead says: tration; bibhrati – illuminates; ha – as he did it; artha – the For example, Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā that everyone
brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas one can get liberation. There is real purpose of the Vedas; dṛṣṭaye – for the purpose of find- should always think of Him, everyone should become His
no need to undergo severe penances and austerities. The nāhaṁ tiṣṭhāmi vaikuṇṭhe ing out; yatra – wherein; idam – all this; ādarśe – in a mirror; devotee, offer Him obeisances and worship Him, and ulti-
vivid example of this is Nārada Muni himself. In his pre-   yogināṁ hṛdayeṣu vā iva – like; avabhāsate – manifests. mately everyone should surrender unto Him. These devo-
vious birth, he was simply a maidservant’s son, but he got tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada tional activities are transcendental and free from mistakes,
the opportunity to serve exalted brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas,   yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktāḥ In brahminical culture a brāhmaṇa’s transcendental posi- illusion, cheating and imperfection. Therefore anyone who
and thus in his next life he not only became liberated, but tion is eternally maintained because the injunctions of the is a sincere devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa and who preaches this
became famous as the supreme spiritual master of the en- “I am not in Vaikuṇṭha nor in the hearts of the yogīs. I re- Vedas are accepted with faith, austerity, scriptural conclu- cult, speaking only on the basis of Kṛṣṇa’s instructions, is
tire Vaiṣṇava disciplic succession. According to the Vedic main where My devotees engage in glorifying My activities.” sions, full sense and mind control, and meditation. In this understood to be virajam, or free from the defects of ma-
system, therefore, it is customarily recommended that af- It is to be understood that the Supreme Personality of God- way the real goal of life is illuminated, just as one’s face is terial contamination.
ter performing a ritualistic ceremony, one should feed the head does not leave the company of His devotees. fully reflected in a clear mirror. A genuine brāhmaṇa or Vaiṣṇava therefore depends
brāhmaṇas. 4 Fire is certainly devoid of life, but devotees and eternally on the conclusion of the Vedas or Vedic versions
brāhmaṇas are the living representatives of the Supreme PURPORT: Since it is described in the previous verse that presented by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Him-
41 @´aAtyananta: Kalau taÔvak(AeivadE": Lord. Therefore to feed brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas is to feeding a living brāhmaṇa is more effective than offering self. 7 Only from Vedic knowledge can we understand the
feed the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly. It may oblations in a fire sacrifice, in this verse it is now clearly actual position of the Absolute Truth, who, as described
  ™aÜ"Aò"taM yanmauKa wjyanaAmaiBa: / be concluded that instead of offering fire sacrifices, one described what brāhmaṇism is and who a brāhmaṇa is. In in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, is manifested in three features –
na vaE taTaA caetanayaA baih"Sk{(tae should offer foodstuffs to brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, for the Age of Kali, taking advantage of the fact that by feed- namely impersonal Brahman, localized Paramātmā and, at
that process is more effective than fire yajña. The vivid ing a brāhmaṇa one obtains a more effective result than last, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This knowledge
  ò"taAzAnae paAr"mahM"syapayaRgAu: // example of this principle in action was given by Advaita by performing sacrifices, a class of men with no brah- is perfect from time immemorial, and the brahminical or
Prabhu. When He performed the śrāddha ceremony for His minical qualifications claim the eating privilege known Vaiṣṇava culture depends on this principle eternally. One
aśnāty anantaḥ khalu tattva-kovidaiḥ father, He first of all called Haridāsa Ṭhākura and offered as brāhmaṇa-bhojana simply on the basis of their birth should therefore study the Vedas with faith, not only for
  śraddhā-hutaṁ yan-mukha ijya-nāmabhiḥ him food. It is the practice that after finishing the śrāddha in brāhmaṇa families. In order to distinguish this class of one’s personal knowledge, but for the sake of spreading
na vai tathā cetanayā bahiṣ-kṛte ceremony, one should offer food to an elevated brāhmaṇa. men from the real brāhmaṇas, Mahārāja Pṛthu is giving
  hutāśane pāramahaṁsya-paryaguḥ But Advaita Prabhu offered food first to Haridāsa Ṭhākura, an exact description of a brāhmaṇa and brahminical cul- 5. What is the Vedic conclusion – the ultimate
who had taken his birth in a Muhammadan family. There- ture. One should not take advantage of his position simply understanding, or Vedānta understanding?
3. Why, at present, is it very difficult to render fore Haridāsa Ṭhākura asked Advaita Prabhu why He was to live like a fire without light. A brāhmaṇa must be fully
service to the brāhmaṇa-kula, or the brāhmaṇa doing something which might jeopardize His position in conversant with the Vedic conclusion, which is described 6. Why is a devotee of Kṛṣṇa said to be in the tran-
class? brāhmaṇa society. Advaita Prabhu replied that He was in Bhagavad-gītā. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (Bg. scendental situation?
feeding millions of first-class brāhmaṇas by offering the 15.15). 5 The Vedic conclusion – the ultimate understand-
4. Why is feeding brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas feeding 7. What are the three features of the Absolute
food to Haridāsa Ṭhākura. He was prepared to talk with any ing, or Vedānta understanding – is knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. Ac-
the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly? Truth?
learned brāhmaṇa on this point and prove definitely that by tually that is a fact because simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa

36  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020 JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  37
 BOOK SECTION : ŚRĪMAD-BHĀGAVATAM

this knowledge and these activities through real faith in
the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and
the Vedas.
8 The word maṅgala (“auspicious”) in this verse is very
significant. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī quotes that to do what is
good and to reject what is not good is called maṅgala, or
auspicious. 9 To do what is good means to accept every-
thing favorable to the discharge of devotional service, and
to reject what is not good means to reject everything not
favorable for discharging devotional service. 10 In our
Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we accept this principle
by rejecting four prohibited items – namely illicit sex life,
intoxication, gambling and flesh-eating – and accepting
the daily chanting of at least sixteen rounds of the Hare
Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and daily meditation three times a
day by chanting the Gāyatrī mantra. In this way one can
keep his brahminical culture and spiritual strength intact.
By following these principles of devotional service strictly,
chanting twenty-four hours a day the mahā-mantra – Hare
Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma,
Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare – one makes positive
progress in spiritual life and ultimately becomes complete-
ly fit to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to
face. Because the ultimate goal of studying or understand-
ing the Vedic knowledge is to find Kṛṣṇa, one who follows
the Vedic principles as described above can from the very
beginning see all the features of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute
Truth, very distinctly, as one can see one’s own face com-
pletely reflected in a clear mirror. The conclusion is, there-
fore, that a brāhmaṇa does not become a brāhmaṇa simply
because he is a living entity or is born in a brāhmaṇa family;
he must possess all the qualities mentioned in the śāstras
PURPORT: It is said that one who has unflinching faith
and practice the brahminical principles in his life. Thus he
in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which means un-
known as Śyāmasundara, within his heart. That is the per- ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA SPEAKS OUT
fectional stage of brahminical culture.
43 taeSaAmahM" paAd"s$ar"Aejare"NAu-
  maAyaAR vahe"yaAiDaik(r"Iq%maAyau: /
yaM inatyad"A iba”ata @AzAu paApaM
  nazyatyamauM s$avaRgAuNAA Bajainta //
teṣām ahaṁ pāda-saroja-reṇum
  āryā vaheyādhi-kirīṭam āyuḥ
yaṁ nityadā bibhrata āśu pāpaṁ
  naśyaty amuṁ sarva-guṇā bhajanti
teṣām – of all of them; aham – I; pāda – feet; saroja – lotus;
reṇum – dust; āryāḥ – O respectable persons; vaheya – shall
bear; adhi – up to; kirīṭam – helmet; āyuḥ – up to the end
of life; yam – which; nityadā – always; bibhrataḥ – carry-
ing; āśu – very soon; pāpam – sinful activities; naśyati – are
vanquished; amum – all those; sarva-guṇāḥ – fully qualified;
bhajanti – worship.
O respectable personalities present here, I beg the bless-
ings of all of you that I may perpetually carry on my crown
the dust of the lotus feet of such brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas
until the end of my life. He who can carry such dust on his
head is very soon relieved of all the reactions which arise
from sinful life, and eventually he develops all good and
desirable qualities.

ultimately becomes a fully Kṛṣṇa conscious person and canflinching faith in the Vaiṣṇava or the pure devotee of the
understand what Kṛṣṇa is. How a devotee continuously
sees Kṛṣṇa face to face within his heart is described in the
Brahma-saṁhitā (5.38) as follows:
premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
  santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti
yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ
  govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
The devotee, by development of pure love for Kṛṣṇa, con-
stantly sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is
8. How does Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī define
“auspicious”?
9. How does Śrīla Prabhupāda apply Śrīdhara
Svāmī’s definition?
10. According to Śrīla Prabhupāda, how does
one keep his brahminical culture and spiritual
strength intact?
Soul-Killing Rascals
Supreme Lord, develops all the good qualities of the demi-
gods. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā/ sarvair guṇais
tatra samāsate surāḥ (Bhāg. 5.18.12). Prahlāda Mahārāja
also said, naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim (Bhāg.
7.5.32). Unless one takes the dust of the lotus feet of a pure
Vaiṣṇava on one’s head, one cannot understand what the This conversation between His Divine Grace
Supreme Personality of Godhead is, and unless one knows A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one’s life remains
imperfect. A great soul who has fully surrendered to the some of his disciples took place in New Vrindaban,
Supreme Lord after understanding Him fully and after West Virginia, on June 26, 1976.
repeatedly undergoing austerities and penances for many,
many lives is very rare. The crown of a king is simply a big
load if the king or head of the state does not actually bear
Disciple: Śrīla Prabhupāda, some people will agree that a real
the dust of the lotus feet of brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas. In civilization trains its citizens to find happiness in spiritual
other words, if a liberal king like Pṛthu Mahārāja does not principles and godly living. Some may also agree that in a
follow the instructions of brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas or does
not follow the brahminical culture, he is simply a burden on
real civilization, one part of the populace learns the role of
the state, for he cannot benefit the citizens. Mahārāja Pṛthu material providers. Yet these same people may disagree that
is the perfect example of an ideal chief executive. still another part of the populace should learn the role of
protectors and find happiness in fighting.
[Continued in the next issue.]

38  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020 JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  39

“What is so godly about fi ­ ghting?”
they may ask. “Why train the so-
called militarily inclined to find happi-
ness in fighting? This is a selfish type
of happiness. You’re not considering
Royal
Spirit. Everything is matter only, and has some particular theory of his own.
the whole cosmos is supposed to be According to them, one interpretation
a mass of ignorance. According to of the scriptures is as good as another,
them, everything is void, and what- for they do not believe in a ­standard
ever manifestation exists is due to our understanding of the scriptural

that their fighting will cause misery.
What about all the maimed and the
killed and their families? You ought
to consider all this misery caused by
your so-called protectors.”
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Some people may
think in this way. But such people are
Duty,
ignorance in perception. They take it injunctions.”
for granted that all manifestation of Text 9: etāṁ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya
diversity is a display of ignorance. Just naṣṭātmāno ’lpa-buddhayaḥ prabha-
as in a dream we may create so many vanty ugra-karmāṇaḥ kṣayāya jagato
things which actually have no exis- ’hitāḥ: “Following such conclusions,
tence, so when we are awake we shall the demoniac, who are lost to them-
see that everything is simply a dream. selves and who have no intelligence,

rascals; they cannot think at all. We
haven’t got to reply to any of them,
because they are rascals. They can
talk all nonsense. We don’t have to
care about their nonsense. Take a
child – he’s talking so many foolish
things. Sometimes we reply, “Yes, yes,
Divine
But factually, although the demons engage in unbeneficial, horrible works
say that life is a dream, they are very meant to destroy the world.”
expert in enjoying this dream. And so, Śrīla Prabhupāda: This is the right
instead of acquiring knowledge, they description of the modern age. Exact –
become more and more implicated in hm? Etāṁ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya. And
their dreamland. They conclude that what is that next word?
as a child is simply the result of sexual Disciple: Naṣṭātmānaḥ.

we know.” But we don’t take seriously
anything – anything – spoken by a
child. So these rascals may go on talk-
ing so many things, but we don’t care
about any of them. We have to do our
own business. Let the dog bark; the
caravan will pass. So it is not that we
have to care about the barking of the
dogs. Let them bark.
[To disciple:] Continue reading.
Disciple [reading from Bhagavad-gītā
16.6, 8]: “O son of Pṛthā, in this world
there are two kinds of created beings.
One is called divine and the other the
demoniac. I have already explained
to you at length the divine qualities.
Duty
intercourse between a man and wom- Śrīla Prabhupāda: Naṣṭātmānaḥ:
an, this world is born without any soul. “They have lost their soul.” Naṣṭāt­
For them it is only a combination of mānaḥ: “They have no information of
matter that has produced the living the soul. Naṣṭātmānaḥ: “God and the
entities, and there is no question of soul are forgotten.”
the existence of the soul. As many “There is no God,” these modern
living creatures come out from perspi- rascals say. “There is no cause of this
ration and from a dead body without creation; there is simply a big chunk.”
any cause, the whole living world has Like that. Naṣṭātmānaḥ – they have
come out of the material combina- lost their very self. by Viśākhā Devī Dāsī
tions of the cosmic manifestation. Naṣṭātmānaḥ alpa-buddhayaḥ:
Therefore material nature is the cause these soul-killing rascals have no in-
of this manifestation, and there is no telligence. Just like cats and dogs. “If Queen Elizabeth’s devotion to duty
other cause. They do not believe in these four principles are available – can inspire us in fulfilling our duties,
the words of Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā: eating, sleeping, mating, and defend-
mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa- ing – then everything’s complete. Our both temporary and eternal.

Now hear from Me of the demoniac.
“They say that this world is unreal,
with no foundation, no God in control.
They say it is produced of sex desire
and has no cause other than lust.”
Purport, by Śrīla Prabhupāda:
“The demoniac conclude that the
carācaram. ‘Under My direction the
whole material world is moving.’ In
other words, among the demons there
is no perfect knowledge of the cre-
ation of the world; every one of them
I
human life is a perfect success.” But
no. If you are interested only in eating, N PREPARING TO MOVE from the
sleeping, mating, and defending, then
alpa-buddhayaḥ – you are a stupid USA to the UK to start a new service
animal. at Bhakti­vedanta Manor near London,
I started brushing up on English history. Over

GLOSSARY
the last century, the person who stood out
world is phantasmagoria. There is no
cause and effect, no controller, no most for me was Queen Elizabeth II, the
purpose: everything is unreal. They current queen and the longest-reigning mon-

All photos by Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter

with AUDIO
say that this cosmic manifestation
arises due to chance material actions
and reactions. They do not think that
the world was created by God for
a certain purpose. They have their
For help with the meaning and pronunciation
own theory: that the world has come
about in its own way and that there
is no reason to believe that there is a
God behind it. For them there is no
difference between spirit and matter,
and they do not accept the Supreme
arch in British history. It seems that Queen
­Elizabeth has brought an unwavering sense
of duty to her post. Unlike her uncle, who
abdicated the throne to marry a divorcee, and
unlike her children and grandchildren, who
of Sanskrit words, visit our online
have often been distracted from their monar­
Glossary of more than 1,200 words.
chical duties, Queen Elizabeth has consistent-
www.krishna.com /glossary ly put God and her country before personal Queen Elizabeth II has had exchanges with
considerations. UK Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees on several occasions.

40  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020 JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  41
 systematically
dismantled Ar-
juna’s “good
reasons” for not
fighting, relieved
him of confusion,
and unequivo-
cally established
the priority of
divine duty.
What is Duty?
The word “duty”
comes from
Old French deu,
past participle
of devoir, “to
owe,” from Latin
debere, “to owe.”
Duty is some-
Photos by Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter
thing required of
us as a legal or
moral obligation.
If we’re not clear
about what our
legal or moral
obligations are,
or, as in Arjuna’s
case, if those ob-
The Queen and Śrutidharma Dāsa, an ISKCON UK ligations appear
leader who recently passed away. to conflict, we
can become dis-
Although many in the UK complain tressed and demoralized.
about the cost and antiquated pomp Like Arjuna, each one of us, at
of the now powerless monarchy, some point, has duties to our family,
Queen Elizabeth is still widely ap- teachers, seniors, and society. Negli-
preciated for her steady and dutiful gence in any of these areas will even-
service. tually lead to self-berating anxiety,
This led me to think about duty yet at the same time there’s another,
and how it’s a central theme in the overriding consideration.
talks between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna in For duty to be fulfilling, it requires
the Bhagavad-gītā. Although A ­ rjuna’s something more than an ­immediate
duty was to fight, he found many purpose. It requires an ultimate pur-
good reasons not to: For one, his pose, a purpose that’s bigger than
teachers, relatives, friends, and elders ourselves and rooted in the reality
were on the opposing side; for anoth- of who we are. Kṛṣṇa explained to
er, he felt society would become cha- Arjuna that although He Himself has
otic due to many war deaths. When, no need to perform duties while in
like Arjuna, we forget that our duty this world, He does so because if He
is to serve Kṛṣṇa, we become bewil- didn’t, His bad example would be fol-
dered, fall into material consciousness, lowed by others. The result would be
and become implicated in personal societal havoc. Therefore Kṛṣṇa does
sense gratification. In Arjuna’s case, His duty, and He wants all leaders
overwhelmed with confusion, he and learned members of society to
turned to Kṛṣṇa for relief, and Kṛṣṇa do theirs so that those who are not
42  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
learned will in turn do their duty. In
this way society will function well and
all will benefit. In Śrīla Prabhupāda’s
words, “A realized soul in Kṛṣṇa con-
sciousness should not disturb others
in their activities or understanding,
but he should act by showing how the
results of all work can be dedicated
to the service of Kṛṣṇa.” (Gītā 3.26,
Purport) For better or worse our
­behavior affects others.
The Queen’s Example
Thus, a preliminary aspect of the
refined art of duty is to be a good
example to others. “Whatever action
a great man performs, common men
follow. And whatever standards he
sets by exemplary acts, all the world
pursues.” (Gītā 3.21) Or, put in other
words: “Just for the sake of educat-
ing the people in general, you should
perform your work.” (Gītā 3.20) How
do those who are devoted to God
exhibit a good example? One way is
by controlling their mind and senses,
for unless the mind and senses are
controlled, one cannot make any
­advancement in spiritual life.
In 1947, when Elizabeth was a prin-
cess touring South Africa with her
family, she addressed her people:
On my twenty-first birthday, I wel-
come the opportunity to speak to
all the people of the British com-
monwealth and empire wherever
they live, whatever race they come
from, and whatever language they
speak. I declare before you all
that my whole life, whether it be
long or short, shall be devoted to
your service and to the service of
our great imperial family to which
we all belong. But I shall not have
strength to carry out this resolution
alone unless you join in it with me,
as I now invite you to do. I know
that your support will be unfailingly
given. God help me to make good
my vow, and God bless all of you
who are willing to share in it.
She became queen a few years later.
After vowing to maintain the laws of
God and to execute all her judgments
with justice and mercy, she then sol-
emnly declared, “The things which I
have here before promised, I will per-
form and keep. So help me God.”
In the Gītā Kṛṣṇa says that among
people He is the monarch, which is
called naradeva in Sanskrit. Naradeva
means “God in human form,” for the
monarch is the supreme citizen in
the state and is responsible for the
welfare of all others, just as God is the
supreme living being in the creation
and is the maintainer of
all other living beings.
By his or her example, Everyone has some particular type of duty or
the monarch is sup-
posed to represent the occupation. If we perform our duties in the wor-
Supreme Lord and help
the citizens become God
conscious, for this is the
ship and service of God, our life will be perfect.
ultimate duty of every
citizen. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains:
The part and parcel of this body –
hand – what is it meant for? It is
meant for serving the whole body.
Similarly, if I am part and parcel
of the Supreme Lord, then what is
my duty? My duty is to abide by
the orders of the Lord. That is the
version of all Vedic scriptures. And
Bhagavad-gītā [18.66] is the essence
of all Vedic scripture. It says, sarva-
dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ
­śaraṇaṁ vraja [“Abandon all variet-
ies of religion and just surrender
unto Me”]. (Lecture, Jan. 22, 1967,
San Francisco)
Given that we are an integral part
of God, each one of us is morally
obliged to be accountable to Him. We
owe it to ourselves to become aware
of Him by following His directives
and the directives of His devotees, for
that awareness will bring us the fulfill-
ment we seek. This is not to say that
we neglect our many unavoidable
duties to our family, teachers, friends,
seniors, and society, but rather that
through this vision we can see those
duties in the light of accountability
to God. Our multifarious duties need
not obstruct our spiritual life but
can be dovetailed to our spiritual
life. Queen Elizabeth expressed this
thought in her annual Christmas
message broadcast to the Common-
wealth in 2000: “To many of us, our
beliefs are of fundamental impor-
tance. For me the teachings of Christ
and my own personal accountability
before God provide a framework in
which I try to lead my life.” Everyone
has some particular type of duty or
occupation. If we perform our duties
in the worship and service of God,
our life will be perfect.
In addition to accountability to
God, Kṛṣṇa instructs us in the Gītā
to become equipoised regarding the
results of our activities. He says, “You
have a right to perform your pre-
scribed duty, but you are not entitled
to the fruits of action.” (Gītā 2.47)
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains:
Everyone has his proprietary right
in regard to prescribed duties, but
should act without attachment to
the result; such disinterested obliga-
tory duties doubtlessly lead one to
the path of liberation. Arjuna was
therefore advised by the Lord to
fight as a matter of duty without
attachment to the result. His non-
participation in the battle is another
side of attachment. Such attach-
ment never leads one to the path of
salvation. Any attachment, positive
or negative, is cause for bondage.
Inaction is sinful. Therefore, fight-
ing as a matter of duty was the only
auspicious path of salvation for
­Arjuna. (Gītā 2.47, Purport)
Further emphasizing this point, Kṛṣṇa
says, “Without being attached to the
fruits of activities, one should act as a
matter of duty, for by working with-
out attachment one attains the Su-
preme.” (Gītā 3.19) Śrīla Prabhupāda
comments, “To act on behalf of the
Supreme is to act without attachment
for the result. That is perfect action of
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  43
the highest degree, recommended by
the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”
So another aspect of the art of
duty is to do the best we can, knowing
that ultimately the result of our ef-
fort is not in our control, and remain
detached from that result. Queen
Elizabeth voiced a thought similar to
this in her 2002 Christmas address: “I
know just how much I rely on my own
faith to guide me through the good
times and the bad. Each day is a new
beginning, I know that the only way
to live my life is to try to do what is
right, to take the long view, to give of
my best in all that the day brings, and
to put my trust in God.”
A still more impelling reason to
do our duty is to please God, Kṛṣṇa:
“Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu
has to be performed; otherwise work
causes bondage in this material world.
Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform
your prescribed duties for His sat-
isfaction, and in that way you will
always remain free from bondage.”
(Gītā 3.9) Everything we do can be
done for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction. In fact,
we should have no goal in life except
acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness just
to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda
explains:
While working in that way, one
should think of Kṛṣṇa only: “I have
been appointed to discharge this
particular duty by Kṛṣṇa.” While
acting in such a way, one naturally
has to think of Kṛṣṇa. This is perfect
Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One should,
however, note that after doing
something whimsically he should
not offer the result to the Supreme
Lord. That sort of duty is not in the
devotional service of Kṛṣṇa con-
sciousness. (Gītā 18.57, Purport)
(Continued on page 46)
The Spiritual Highway
by Tirumala Devī Dāsī
Something to think about the next time you’re stuck in traffic.
S
LOW-MOVING traffic – any mo-
torist’s nightmare. Johannesburg,
where I live, is notorious for be-
ing one of the most traffic-congested
cities in Africa. And slow-moving
automobile traffic isn’t the only kind
of traffic congestion we face in life.
There’s traffic to get to the cashier
at the grocery store, traffic to get
prasādam at the Sunday Feast, and
at festival times, traffic to get a clear
view of the deities in the temple.
On a more subtle level, we aspir-
ing devotees may experience traffic
congestion of a different kind – traffic
congestion within the heart. The dy-
namics of day-to-day traffic can reveal
much about the highway of spiritual
life.
When we’re sitting in traffic, it’s
easy to look in the rear-view mirror
at all the cars lined up behind and
appreciate the progress we’ve made.
Similarly, a devotee may introspect
to review his or her progress or look
into the “rear-view mirror” to the
material world and wonder how to
change things to make the stay here
more comfortable. Don’t we all some-
times do this, whether in a small situa-
tion or in a more serious life-changing
one?
Perhaps our looking backwards is
not always just about material desires.
Sometimes we’re faced with a difficult
situation, a challenging set of karma,
and we think a change would be good,
so we look at the “cars” around us.
Sometimes the people in other “lanes”
seem to be moving much faster
44  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
than we are, and we may think that
other people are better off and that a
change in circumstances sounds rath-
er appealing. Then somehow our situ-
ation may change. We “change lanes,”
and then see that the lane we were
just in has started moving faster and
the lane we just got into has slowed to
the pace of our previous lane.
How many times has that hap-
pened to you? In these times we may
sometimes question what really is
in our best interest. We may wonder
how to identify what really is best
for us and what to do to be in that
ideal situation. But the bad news is
that there isn’t an angelic harp that
mysteriously plays when we make a
life-changing decision that’s the right
choice. The good news, however, is
that the Bhagavad-gītā teaches us that
Kṛṣṇa already knows what is in our
best interest and affectionately places
us in the right situation whether we
realize it or not.
A story highlights this point well.
The residents of a small town con-
stantly complained to the mayor
about their problems.
Eventually the mayor said, “I have
a brilliant idea. We’re going to have
an exhibition of problems. Everyone
can bring their problems, we’ll put
them on display in the townhall, and
everyone can come and see them.”
So everyone playfully had a look
at everyone else’s problems. Eventu-
ally it was time to leave, but then
the mayor said that no one could
leave without taking a problem with
them. So when they had to choose a
problem, they thought very seriously
about which problem to take. Guess
what problems everyone ended up
taking? Their own! It was easier to
take back their own problems than
anyone else’s.
Fallible Soldiers
We often cling to things to give us
some sense of security and com-
fort. This is explained very nicely in
the purport (by Śrīla Prabhupāda
disciples) to Mukunda-mālā-stotra,
verse 13:
It is not an easy thing to wake up
from the complacency of ordinary
life. Everyone knows that life is
full of difficulties, but we tend to
think that our family members
and friends are our only solace. . . .
Several times in the Mukunda-
mālā-stotra, the poet compares the
material world to the sea, and the
Lord (or His lotus feet) to a boat
that can rescue us. The metaphor is
excellent, for no matter how expert
a swimmer a person may be, he can-
not survive on his own in the rough
and vast expanses of the ocean. So
our attempt to swim the ocean of
material life on our own strength,
encouraged by our family and
friends, is as futile as the attempt of
the lone swimmer at sea.
While on our spiritual journey, we
We should gradually give up our false may struggle with traffic congestion
sense of security, which we look for in our hearts, but if we take shelter
in “fallible soldiers” (the term that of the boat of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam uses to refer to feet, we’ll soon reach our destination.
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  45
our family and friends in this world).
Sometimes we want to change our sit-
uation, thinking that by doing so we
will be better off. We are like a chess
player who can see one or two moves
ahead, but Kṛṣṇa can see all the
moves across the whole chessboard.
Kṛṣṇa knows what situation is best for
our purification.
Appreciating the Mercy
We all have challenges, and we may
think that our difficulties are worse
than the next person’s. But we should
not use our challenges to rationalize
why it is difficult for us to be devotees.
We have been given great mercy and
must take full advantage of it. The
mercy we have received is no small
thing at all.
You might think there is a “broken
vehicle” in your path, stopping you
from progressing any further. If so,
then you need to rely on the mercy
of those in the next lane to allow you
space to get into the free-flowing lane.
We became frustrated in material life
ROYAL DUTY, DIVINE DUTY
(Continued from page 43)
Monarchs of Yore
While Queen Elizabeth is exemplary
in many ways, she doesn’t compare to
the monarchs of previous ages, mon-
archs such as Yudhiṣṭhira, Ṛṣabha,
Bharata, Pṛthu, and Gaya. Of Gaya,
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.15.7) says,
King Gaya gave full protection
and security to the citizens so that
their personal property would
not be disturbed by undesirable
elements. He also saw that there
was sufficient food to feed all the
citizens. [This is called poṣaṇa.] He
would sometimes distribute gifts to
the citizens to satisfy them. [This
is called prīṇana.] He would some-
times call meetings and satisfy the
citizens with sweet words. [This is
called upalālana.] He would also
give them good instructions on
how to become first-class citizens.
[This is called anuśāsana.] Such
were the characteristics of King
46  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
and searched for something greater,
and then by Śrīla Prabhupāda’s
mercy we came to Kṛṣṇa conscious-
ness somehow or other. The Nectar
of Devotion explains that one comes
to devotional service if one has some
attraction to it or has executed it pre-
viously. But for one to have executed
devotional service previously means
that one must have had some attrac-
tion to it previously. So, then, how
does one come to devotional service?
Only by the mercy of a pure devotee.
Śrīla Prabhupāda was so kind that
he gave us his mercy freely. When
someone gives you a gift, a good feel-
ing comes to you. But an even more
wonderful feeling comes when you
share that gift with others. In traffic,
when we finally get into the free-
flowing lane and are grateful to the
driver who let us through, then don’t
we want to let the person we see stuck
behind the broken-down vehicle
through as well?
Similarly, we should share this
priceless mercy we have been given.
We should not be distracted by tem-
Gaya’s royal order. Besides all
this, King Gaya was a householder
who strictly observed the rules
and regulations of household life.
He performed sacrifices and was
an unalloyed pure devotee of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
He was called Mahāpuruṣa because
as a king he gave the citizens all
facilities, and as a householder he
executed all his duties so that at the
end he became a strict devotee of
the Supreme Lord. As a devotee, he
was always ready to give respect to
other devotees and to engage in the
devotional service of the Lord. This
is the bhakti-yoga process. Due to
all these transcendental activities,
King Gaya was always free from
the bodily conception. He was full
in Brahman realization, and conse-
quently he was always jubilant. He
did not experience material lamen-
tation. Although he was perfect in
all respects, he was not proud, nor
was he anxious to rule the kingdom.
porary, material problems, looking
back at what we should have done
differently to change our material po-
sition. We should not place too much
emphasis on how we should change
our material situation. There is a
place for material changes, but our
consciousness must be trained to be
on Kṛṣṇa and His pure devotees and
serving their lotus feet. We should fo-
cus on our real mission – to surrender
as instruments in Śrīla Prabhupāda’s
mission to spread the glories of the
holy name.
While the highway of the material
world may sometimes be frustrating,
when we look at the bigger network
of the spiritual highway, we can real-
ize that there is no bad traffic, just
traffic to purify our hearts on the jour-
ney back home, back to Godhead.
Tirumala Devī Dāsī, a disciple of His
Holiness Kadamba Kānana Swami,
is a member of the BBT Africa team.
She is also an author and illustrator
for Kadamba Kids Books, a series of
Kṛṣṇa conscious books for children.
Though Elizabeth is not of the spiritu-
al stature of King Gaya, it is hearten-
ing to see that a pious, God-centered
Queen can stir the sincere affection
and appreciation of her people de-
spite the rampant atheism, depression,
skepticism, cynicism, pessimism, fatal-
ism, and consumerism in these dire
and distracted times. As said in the
UK, “God save the Queen.” Or in the
Queen’s words during her Christmas
message of 2013: “For Christians, as
for all people of faith, reflection, med-
itation and prayer help us to renew
ourselves in God’s love, as we strive
daily to become better people. The
Christmas message shows us that this
love is for everyone. There is no one
beyond its reach.”
Viśākhā Devī Dāsī has been writing
for BTG since 1973. She is the author
of six books. Visit her website at
OurSpiritualJourney.com.
This calendar is calculated for
Maya­pur, West Bengal, India.
The dates, derived from a lunar
calendar, may vary by one day
for other locations. For the
exact dates for your area, go to
www.vaisnavacalendar.com.
  Because the Hare Kṛṣṇa
movement comes in disciplic line
from Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the
calendar includes not only dates
relevant to all followers of the Vedic
tradition but also dates relating
to Lord Caitanya’s associates and
prominent spiritual masters in His
disciplic succession.
Month of Vāmana
(June 6 – July 5)
JULY
1 – Śayanā Ekādaśī
Fasting from grains and beans.
5 – Disappearance anniversary of
Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, one of the
Six Gosvāmīs of Vrindavan. First
month of Cāturmāsya begins (fast-
ing from green leafy vegetables).
Month of Śrīdhara
(July 6 – August 3)
10 – Disappearance anniversary of
Śrīla Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, one
of the Six Gosvāmīs of Vrindavan.
13 – Disappearance anniversary of
Śrīla Lokanātha Gosvāmī, a great
devotee of Lord Caitanya.
14 – Anniversary of incorpora-
tion of ISKCON, in New York City,
1966.
16 – Kāmikā Ekādaśī
Fasting from grains and beans.
30 – Pavitropanā Ekādaśī
Fasting from grains and beans.
CALENDAR
Jhulana Yātrā (swing festival) of 26 – Śrī Rādhāṣṭamī, appear-
Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Govinda begins. ance anniversary of Śrīmatī
Rādhārāṇī, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s eternal
31 – Disappearance anniversary consort. Fasting till noon, fol-
of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, one of the lowed by feasting.
Six Gosvāmīs of Vrindavan. Dis-
appearance anniversary of Śrīla
29 – Parśvā Ekādaśī
Gaurīdāsa Paṇḍita, an associate of
Fasting from grains and beans.
Lord Caitanya.
(Fasting till noon today; feast
tomorrow.)
AUGUST
30 – Śrī Vāmana-dvādaśī, appear-
ance anniversary of Lord Vāmana,
3 – Jhulana Yātrā ends.
Appearance anniversary of Lord Lord Kṛṣṇa’s incarnation as a dwarf
brāhmaṇa. Appearance anniversary
Balarāma. Fasting till noon,
followed by feasting. Second of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, one of the
Six Gosvāmīs of Vrindavan.
month of Cāturmāsya begins
(fasting from yogurt).
Painting by Muralīdhara Dāsa
Month of Hr.s.īkeśa
(August 4 – September 2)
4 – Anniversary of the
departure of His Divine
Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupāda to the
United States in 1965.
12 – Śrī Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī,
appearance anniversary of
Lord Kṛṣṇa. Fasting till mid-
night. Call your local Hare
Kṛṣṇa temple for a schedule
of events.
13 – Appearance anniver-
sary of His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhakti­vedanta Swami
Prabhupāda, Founder-Ācārya
of the International Society Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma
for Krishna Consciousness.
Fasting till noon, followed by
31 – Appearance anniversary of
feasting.
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, father
of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī
15 – Annadā Ekādaśī
Ṭhākura (Śrīla Prabhupāda’s
Fasting from grains and beans.
spiritual master), and a pioneer
23 – Appearance anniversary of in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness
Śrīmatī Sītā Devī, the consort of in English. Fasting till noon, then
Śrīla Advaita Ācārya. feasting.
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  47
 BOOK EXCERPT

Māyā Is
Going to
Test You by Mahatma Das
Māyā’s tests are a blessing
to bring us closer to Kṛṣṇa.

SECTION ONE: OBSTACLES

TO CULTIVATING BHAKTI
Chapter 1
Whenever we try to achieve something great, there
will be obstacles and tests on our path. Devotional ser-
vice is no exception. No matter who we are, we all get
tested. And Māyā will hit us where we are the weakest.
So what do we do, lie down and roll over? We might
feel like it sometimes, especially when overcoming ob-
stacles on the path of bhakti feels like a never-ending
Excerpted from Living battle. The previous faith that “Kṛṣṇa consciousness
the Wisdom of Bhakti: works – I’m going to get purified in this lifetime” can
Life As a Spiritual turn into “I hope I become purified in this life.” And
Detail of a painting by Dirghā Dāsī

Practice, Volume One,

by Mahatma Das. Copy- for some, it even becomes “Maybe in another life
right 2019 by Martin I’ll become Kṛṣṇa conscious.”
Hausner. This excerpt In this chapter, we discuss how to deal with
retains the book’s style
for Sanskrit and other our obstacles in a way that moves us closer
considerations. to Kṛṣṇa.

48  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020 JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  49
 Declaring War on Māyā
We should expect that overcoming an-
arthas (unwanted material desires and
conditioning) will be difficult. This is
because becoming a devotee means
we have declared war on Māyā, the
presiding deity of the material world.
When we tell Māyā, “I have decided
to give my life to Kṛṣṇa and leave
your clutches,” we have to be ready
for a fight.
Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in The
Real Peace Formula: “Māyā will try
to defeat us as soon as she sees that a
Developing transcendental laulyam, or an
intense longing for Kr.s.n.a, is how, ultimately,
we will pass Māyā’s test.
living soul is leaving her grip.” How?
She does so by crowding our road
to Goloka Vrindavan with obstacles.
What are obstacles?
Obstacles are those things we fo-
cus on when we lose sight of our goals.
Māyā hits the hardest where we
are the weakest, where she finds our
strongest material tendencies; we are
only as strong as our weakest link –
and she knows exactly where that is.
So what’s the best way to fight
Māyā?
Actually, there’s no way we can
directly win a fight with Māyā. Kṛṣṇa
says in Bhagavad-gītā 7.14, mama
māyā duratyayā: “My material energy
is insurmountable.” She has a million
tricks up her sleeve to illusion us and
keep us away from Kṛṣṇa. She can
even convince us that we are con-
quering her while we are fully in her
clutches.
Kr.s.n.a Tests Us
But don’t get discouraged; Māyā’s
simply doing her job. This is all part
of Kṛṣṇa’s plan. The battles we have
with Māyā are for our own spiritual
benefit. If taken in this way, Māyā
shows us where we are weak and
50  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
where we need to work, and thus
she can act as a force for our becom-
ing more serious and determined in
Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
It also is important to realize that
Māyā is just responding to our ma-
terial tendencies.
After all, she is not tempting us
with anything that we don’t have an
attraction to. We are the ones who
give her space to come into our lives.
But by frustrating our attempts at
enjoyment, she can teach us great
­lessons – if we care to learn.
We all need struggles to keep us on
our toes and strengthen us. If Māyā
doesn’t kick us from time to time, the
process of surrender can be slow. We
need to be pushed by obstacles. It is
Kṛṣṇa’s kindness that He tests us in
this way. And it is also Kṛṣṇa’s kind-
ness that He helps us get through the
tests. Śrīla Prabhupāda sheds light on
this:
“The Lord is so kind to His devotee
that when severely testing him, the
Lord gives him the necessary strength
to be tolerant and to continue to
remain a glorious devotee.” (Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam 8.22.29–30, Purport)
Look at it this way: if anyone
forces us to take more shelter of
Kṛṣṇa, that person is our best friend.
So it is important to understand that
Māyā is not actually our enemy. She
is on our heels to challenge our Kṛṣṇa
consciousness, and if Māyā kicks us in
a way that pushes us towards Kṛṣṇa,
she is doing us a great service. When
we pass her test, she herself will help
us go to Kṛṣṇa.
Do I Really Want Kr.s.n.a?
Developing transcendental laulyam,
or an intense longing for Kṛṣṇa, de-
spite whatever obstacles or personal
shortcomings on our spiritual path, is
how, ultimately, we will pass Māyā’s
test. Although it sounds contradictory
to develop a strong desire to be Kṛṣṇa
conscious while being challenged by
many anarthas, it is actually possible.
Rūpa Gosvāmī shows us how we
should be thinking in The Nectar of
Devotion, Chapter 18:
“I have no love for Kṛṣṇa, nor
for the causes of developing love of
Kṛṣṇa – namely, hearing and chanting.
And the process of bhakti yoga, by
which one is always thinking of Kṛṣṇa
and fixing His lotus feet in the heart,
is also lacking in me. As far as
philosophical knowledge or
pious works are concerned, I
don’t see any opportunity for
me to execute such activities.
But above all, I am not even
born of a nice family. There-
fore I must simply pray to You,
Gopījana-vallabha [Kṛṣṇa,
maintainer and beloved of the gopīs].
I simply wish and hope that some way
or other I may be able to approach
Your lotus feet, and this hope is giving
me pain, because I think myself quite
incompetent to approach that tran-
scendental goal of life.”
In his prayer, Rūpa Gosvāmī, play-
ing the part of a conditioned soul,
focuses on his unrelenting desire and
hope to be Kṛṣṇa conscious although
he lists many reasons why he feels
­unqualified to be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
What you focus on is more impor-
tant than where you are at.
Echoing Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya in
the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.70,
Rūpa Gosvāmī further explains in
his Padyāvalī, 13–14, this time more
directly:
“Pure devotional service in Kṛṣṇa
consciousness cannot be had even by
pious activity in hundreds and thou-
sands of lives. It can be attained only
by paying one price – that is, intense
longing to obtain it. If it is available
somewhere, one must purchase it
without delay.”
There are many stories in which
people with handicaps, either physi-
cal or circumstantial, achieved great
things despite the odds against them.
What happens when a child really
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These tests are opportunities
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Bhāgavatam, Cantos 1–3 and others.
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Concentrated study of Śrīmad-
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fore, according to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī,
the continuous obstacles presented by
the demigods form a kind of ladder
or stairway upon which the devotee
steadily progresses back to the king-
dom of God.” (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
11.4.10, Purport)
So as you confront difficult chal-
lenges, challenges in which you may
be faltering, try seeing Kṛṣṇa standing
behind these obstacles asking you,
“What’s important to you? Do you
want Me, or do you want something
else?”
But I’m Not Pure
You might think, “OK, this all sounds To enroll, visit http://mayapurinstitute.org
good, but I’ve been working on over-
coming the same anarthas for years. will only become steady (the stage even develop into: “My anarthas are
Although I’ve made progress, some of niṣṭhā) after most anarthas are there, they will have their effect on
anarthas seem strongly glued to my removed (anartha-nivṛtti). We could me, and I just have to accept this fact.
heart. It’s discouraging that they have think that having these anarthas “So why should I continually
remained with me despite my at- actually gives us a right to be un- struggle to get rid of them? I’m so
tempts to overcome them.” steady – and thus a right to also be fallen that I have ‘good’ reason to not
To justify our discouragement, we discouraged. strictly follow.”
could quote the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam In the long run, if it gets very dif- This kind of mentality can lead
1.2.18 and The Nectar of Devotion ficult to cope with our desires and us to relax our spiritual practices or
(Chapter 16), which state that we struggles, our thought processes might engage in activities which, instead of
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  51
 rooting out our anarthas, make them
more prominent in our lives.
Enthusiasm Despite Anarthas
Anarthas exist on lower stages of
bhakti. It is a fact we must accept.
The question is can we really remain
enthusiastic and determined in devo-
tional service while these persistent
anarthas remain in our hearts?
Although it seems like a contradic-
tion, the answer is yes.
If you asked Kṛṣṇa what He had to
say on this subject, He would repeat
Māyā wants us to believe that we are so fallen
that even Kr.s.n.a can’t help us overcome our
strong conditioning.
what He says in the Gītā (2.70): “Be
like an ocean. The river of desires will
enter, but the ocean is still.”
The point is that devotees who
­really want to be Kṛṣṇa conscious can
tolerate the obstacles and anarthas
in their lives, not give in to them, and
thus remain enthusiastically deter-
mined in their service. The goal of
Kṛṣṇa consciousness is what makes us
enthusiastic. Anarthas are just bumps
in the road that we must deal with.
“But I have a heavy mind. You
don’t know how fallen I am, how
conditioned I am. I have so many bad
habits.”
The following prayer, composed
by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī as part
of his commentary to the Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam (11.20.27–28), expresses
a similar mood, yet deals with it in a
wonderful and positive way:
“By my previous shameful life, my
heart is polluted with many illusory
attachments. Personally, I have no
power to stop them. Only Lord Kṛṣṇa
within my heart can remove such
inauspicious contamination. Whether
the Lord removes such attachments
immediately or lets me go on being
afflicted by them, I will never give up
my devotional service to Him. Even if
52  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
the Lord places millions of obstacles
in my path, and even if because of my
offenses I go to hell, I will never for
a moment stop serving Lord Kṛṣṇa. I
am not interested in mental specu-
lation and fruitive activities; even
if Lord Brahmā personally comes
before me offering such engagements,
I will not be even slightly interested.
Although I am attached to material
things, I can see very clearly that they
lead to no good because they simply
give me trouble and disturb my devo-
tional service to the Lord. Therefore,
I sincerely repent my foolish attach-
ments to so many material things, and
I am patiently awaiting Lord Kṛṣṇa’s
mercy.”
This prayer tells us that despite
having material desires, a devotee is
not interested in pursuing them or
even enjoying them if they come to
him automatically, but that he is only
interested in serving Kṛṣṇa. It is a
prayer that offers us a reassuring and
liberating attitude: we can be enthu-
siastic despite our anarthas. We can
be hopeful of being Kṛṣṇa conscious
despite our shortcomings. We can re-
main determined even in the face of
many obstacles.
We can – unless we listen to those
little voices in our head telling us, “No
you can’t.” Have those little voices
ever made excuses for you not being
Kṛṣṇa conscious, and then blamed
them on your anarthas?
If so, and if you’ve ever lost your
enthusiasm for devotional service
because of unwanted desires that
repeatedly surface in your heart, I
suggest you copy the above prayer,
keep it where you can regularly
see it, and study it over and over
again. The power of Śrīla Viśvanātha
Cakravartī’s prayer will silence those
little voices.
How Do We See It?
Śrīla Prabhupāda also taught that
we can act in a Kṛṣṇa conscious way
despite our heart’s contrary desires.
Māyā tells us the exact opposite: She
wants us to believe that we have to
give in to our conditioning – that
we are so fallen that even Kṛṣṇa
can’t help us overcome our strong
conditioning.
I suggest that we look at steadiness,
enthusiasm, and determination to be
Kṛṣṇa conscious as an indication of a
HARE KR. S. N. A
pure desire to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. We
might have to carry many anarthas
throughout our life, but if we
HARE KR. S. N. A
want to be Kṛṣṇa conscious
more than anything else, these
anarthas cannot and will not
KR. S. N. A KR. S. N. A
deter us.
Let our difficult challenges
just make us more determined
to be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Exercise HARE HARE
Make a list of some of the things that
are detrimental to your spiritual life
that you nevertheless give in to.
Now ask yourself: why do you do
HARE RĀMA
so?
What is giving in to these
things costing you, materially and
HARE RĀMA
RĀMA RĀMA
spiritually?
What is/are the belief(s) behind
giving in? To uncover those beliefs,
look at the activities in your life that
are detrimental to your bhakti and
ask, “What would one have to believe
in to do these things?”
HARE HARE
And now, flip the question around:
what would you have to believe in to
not give in?
If you find that your desire to be
Kṛṣṇa conscious is not strong enough
to enable you to not give in, then
what could you do to make your
­spiritual desires stronger? Photo by Bhīṣmadeva Dāsa / HoofprintMedia.com PRONUNCIATION:
ha-ray, krish-na, rah-ma.
Mahatma Das, a disciple of Śrīla To hear Śrīla Prabhupāda
Prabhupāda, designs and conducts
professionally organized workshops
chanting, go to krishna.com/
and retreats, both live and online, to hare-krishna-maha-mantra.
assist devotees and nondevotees in
their spiritual growth (mahatmadas.
com).
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  53
AN EVENTFUL TOUR:
Lessons from Many pious souls

Kr. s. n. a’s
come forward to serve
Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma
as They enter Mathurā.

Entrance
into
Mathurā
By Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa
The self-satisfied Lord eagerly reciprocates
the earnest offerings of fortunate people
who get the rare privilege of serving Him.

I T WAS ALMOST EVENING when Kṛṣṇa,

Balarāma, and the cowherd boys went to tour
the splendorous city of Mathurā. Kṛṣṇa was
born in Mathurā, but His father, Vasudeva, had
quickly taken Him to Gokula to protect Him
from wicked King Kaṁsa, His maternal uncle.
Since then, Kṛṣṇa had lived in Vraja with Yaśodā,
Nanda Mahārāja, the cows, the cowherd boys and
girls, and all the other residents. Now Kṛṣṇa had

Painting by Muralīdhara Dāsa

come to Mathurā on Kaṁsa’s invitation. Upon
arriving at the outskirts of Mathurā, He had tak-
en permission from Nanda Mahārāja to enter the
city with Balarāma and other cowherd boys.

54  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020 JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  55
Intense Eagerness Satisfied:
Kr.s.n.a Gives His Darśana to
the Residents of Mathurā
More than Kṛṣṇa’s wanting to see
the city, the city longed to see Kṛṣṇa.
Śrī Vallabh­ācārya writes in his
Madhurāṣṭakam, madhurādhi-pater
akhilaṁ madhuram: “Everything is
sweet about Kṛṣṇa, the emperor of
sweetness.” Kṛṣṇa is the real Lord of
Mathurā. The people of Mathurā had
often heard about Kṛṣṇa’s sweet and
valorous deeds in Vṛndāvana and had
developed a deep attraction for Him.
Now the eagerness of the residents
of Mathurā was fulfilled as they got
to see Kṛṣṇa’s charming form. They
were overwhelmed with happiness.
With their lotuslike faces blooming
with affection, they showered Kṛṣṇa
with the flowers of their loving glan­
ces and smiles. Many people offered
Kṛṣṇa various presentations. They ap-
preciated the great fortune of the resi-
dents of Vṛndāvana, who would daily
see Kṛṣṇa to their heart’s content.
Great Arrogance Punished:
Kr.s.n.a Delivers the Wicked
Washerman
On entering the city, Kṛṣṇa and
Balarāma came upon a washerman
carrying colorful clothes for King
Kaṁsa. Kṛṣṇa, who is complete in all
respects, politely asked the washer-
man for some garments, promising
him a great benefit in return. What
fortune! While millions of devotees
eagerly wait for an opportunity to
render some service to the Supreme
Lord even indirectly, that same Lord
voluntarily came to this washerman
to ask for some cloth.
Glorious are those devotees who
eagerly look forward to serving the
Lord. Unfortunate people, however,
miss such chances, which come on
their own accord. Instead of recogniz-
ing his fortune in receiving the oppor-
tunity to offer clothes to Kṛṣṇa, the
wicked washerman rejected Kṛṣṇa’s
request and publicly ridiculed Him
with loud, angry, harsh, insulting
words.
There were many washermen in
56  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
After Kṛṣṇa kills a wicked washerman, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma select clothes
they fancy from the washerman’s bundle.
Mathurā, but this person happened
to be the king’s washerman, and thus
he was very arrogant. Our connection
with superior or influential people
can make us so proud that we deride
others and look down upon those
who don’t have such privilege.
The washerman said that Kṛṣṇa
and His associates, being uncivilized
cowherds, forest dwellers, and moun-
tain wanderers, did not deserve the
fine cloth meant for the royal order.
He cautioned Kṛṣṇa that the king’s
soldiers would beat, loot, and kill
Them if They asked for the clothes.
In his previous birth this person
had been a washerman in Ayodhyā,
the kingdom of Lord Rāmacandra
(Śrī Garga-saṁhitā 5.10.4–8). He had
criticized Rāma for accepting Sītā
Devī, who, kidnapped by Rāvaṇa, had
Painting by Puṣkara Dāsa
stayed in his place for a year. Rāma
considered that just as this washerman
had criticized Him now, lusty kings
in the future might cite His accepting
Sītā as an excuse to have illicit connec-
tions with women. To avoid any such
misunderstanding, Rāma banished
Sītā, although He and His dear devo-
tees knew beyond doubt the chastity
and purity of glorious Sītā Devī.
Hearing the sinful washerman’s
malicious words, Kṛṣṇa effortlessly
beheaded him merely with His fin-
gertips. The Lord doesn’t have to
exert Himself to punish the wicked.
For instance, Lord Narasiṁha killed
Hiraṇyakaśipu merely with His nails,
and Lord Varāha killed Hiraṇyākṣa
with just a slap.
The washerman’s assistants, see-
ing his untimely end, dropped their
bundles of clothes on the spot and ran In his past life the weaver had street, a florist named Sudāmā stayed
in different directions. An effulgence lived in Mithilā. He was a great in his house. Sudāmā used to go to
(the spirit soul) came from the wash- devotee and an expert weaver. He Vṛndāvana regularly to get rare flow-
erman’s body and entered Lord Kṛṣṇa. made very fine garments for Rāma ers and would see Kṛṣṇa wearing rus-
Thus the Lord delivered him. Then and Lakṣmaṇa to wear on Their tic dress. On the pretext of collecting
Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, and the cowherd wedding day. Seeing Rāma and flowers, he would go to where Kṛṣṇa
boys took the garments that suited Lakṣmaṇa, more handsome than played and offer Him flowers as a gift.
them. millions of cupids, the noble-hearted Now, while all his assistants went out,
No mortal being can stop things weaver desired to place the garments he was at home, engrossed in making
from reaching the Lord and His devo- on the two Lords with his own hands. garlands for the Lord with beautiful,
tees. For instance, Lord Rāma took All-knowing Lord Rāma in His heart fragrant, soft, colorful flowers.
the kingdom of Rāvaṇa and gave it to blessed the desire of the weaver, who Just as a devotee is eager to serve
Vibhīṣaṇa, Mohinī Mūrtī took nectar thus took birth in Mathurā. Now the Lord, the Lord is eager to receive
from the demons and gave it to the he made garments for Kṛṣṇa and the devotee’s service and bless the
demigods, Lord Narasiṁha took the Balarāma and dressed Them himself, devotee. Thus Kṛṣna and Balarāma
throne of Hiraṇyakaśipu and gave and he attained a transcendental asked people the whereabouts of
it to Prahlāda, and Lord Kṛṣṇa took form like Theirs. (Śrī Garga-saṁhitā Sudāmā’s house and went there. See-
kingdoms from Duryodhana and 5.10.10–16) ing Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma suddenly,
Kaṁsa and gave them Yudhiṣṭira Sudāmā was overwhelmed with hap-
Mahārāja and Ugrasena. Sincere Service Attitude piness and gratitude and considered
Rewarded: Kr.s.n.a Blesses himself blessed to receive Them at his
Cherished Desire Fulfilled: Sudāmā the Florist home. He offered Them obeisances,
Kr.s.n.a Blesses the Weaver bathed Their feet and worshiped
While many Mathurā residents ea- Them with pure paraphernalia. Be-
Thereupon a weaver came before gerly came out to see Kṛṣṇa on the ing a lover of the Lord, he was
Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Out of fear of
Painting by Devahūti Devī Dāsī
Kaṁsa, this weaver had never gone
to Vṛndāvana, but he had heard of its
great happiness from his companions
who had gone there. Thus he was
anxious to see Kṛṣṇa. The Lord will
surely fulfill the heart’s longing of a
sincere devotee.
Feeling great affection for Kṛṣṇa
and Balarāma, the weaver dressed
Them in soft gold-colored silk cloth
embedded with jewels, and he offered
Them cloth armlets, bracelets, and
earrings that looked just like jewels,
just suitable to Their bodily complex-
ions. The ornaments were suitable
to the occasion too, because Kṛṣṇa
and Balarāma would soon fight with
Kaṁsa’s wrestlers, and these soft or-
naments wouldn’t hurt Their bodies.
The brothers looked resplendent.
Pleased with the weaver’s selfless ser-
vice, Kṛṣṇa blessed him that he would
attain a cowherd-boy form like the
Lord’s (sārūpya mukti) and would en-
joy opulence, influence, sensory vigor,
and physical and mental strength.
The garland-maker Sudāmā offers
Kṛṣṇa a garland of fragrant flowers.
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  57
 comparison in the Lord’s service, as
Kṛṣṇa wants every devotee to render
the best service he or she can.
Kṛṣṇa was already dressed and
ornamented splendidly, enchanting
onlookers, and now, with Sudāmā’s
garlands, His body emanated a most
pleasant fragrance. Kṛṣṇa then told
Sudāmā to ask for a benediction. In-
telligent Sudāmā prayed as follows:
so ’pi vavre ’calāṁ bhaktiṁ
  tasminn evākhilātmani
tad-bhakteṣu ca sauhārdaṁ
  bhūteṣu ca dayāṁ parām
Sudāmā chose unshakable devotion
for Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Soul of all ex-
istence, friendship with His devotees,
and transcendental compassion for all
living beings. (Bhāgavatam 10.41.51)
Kṛṣṇa bestowed what Sudāmā
prayed for and also gave him strength,
fame, beauty, long life, and ever-­
increasing prosperity for his family
and departed ancestors.
Śrī Garga-saṁhitā (5.10.17–26) ex-
Painting by Rāmaprasāda Dāsa
very much. Her mind overwhelmed
by Kṛṣṇa’s beauty, charm, sweetness,
smiles, words, and glances, Trivakrā
gave Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma generous
amounts of ointment that contrasted
with Their complexions. She ignored
her position as a servant of Kaṁsa
and publicly decorated Kṛṣṇa with
various patterns on His cheeks, chest,
and arms, without disturbing the
­ornaments and garlands.
Pleased with Trivakrā, Kṛṣṇa want-
ed to straighten her back. He stepped
on her toes with His lotus feet, took
hold of her chin with the index and
middle fingers of His right hand, sup-
ported her back with his left hand,
and pulled up her body, thus straight-
ening her spine. By Kṛṣṇa’s touch,
Trivakrā was suddenly transformed
into an exquisitely beautiful woman
with straight, evenly proportioned
limbs. If one has bhakti for Kṛṣṇa,
one’s heart will shine with straight-
ness (honesty). If there is no bhakti,
straightness is only an external show.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī com-
desire would be fulfilled in Mathurā
City at the end of Dvāpara-yuga. By
Lord Śiva’s blessing she now became
Lord Kṛṣṇa’s beloved. Thus Kṛṣṇa
awarded Trivakrā a conjugal relation-
ship with Him. Grabbing His upper
cloth, the now beautiful and charming
Trivakrā asked Kṛṣṇa to come to her
house. Kṛṣṇa promised her a visit af-
ter He had finished certain duties, and
He continued His tour.
Kṛṣṇa then went to Kaṁsa’s sacri-
ficial bow and broke it, causing terror
in Kaṁsa’s heart. Kṛṣṇa and Bala­
rāma killed the wicked soldiers who
tried to attack Them. Then the Lords
concluded Their eventful tour and
­returned to Their residence to rest.
The Lord is the ultimate proprietor
of everything, as this entire universe
manifested from Him. Even if we
arrogantly hold back things for our
own selfish interests without offering
them to Him, those things will leave
us anyway and return to Him. But
anyone who voluntarily offers things
to the Lord with love, like the ascetic
Śabari and the aborigine woman who
offered fruits to Lord Rāma and Lord
Kṛṣṇa respectively, receives all bless-
ings from Him. Whether noble or
wicked, anyone who offers something
to the Lord will be rewarded with
great material and spiritual benefit.
Gaurāṅga Darśana Dāsa, a disciple
of His Holiness Rādhānāth Swami, is
dean of the Bhaktivedānta Vidyāpīṭha
(www.vidyapitha.in) at ISKCON
Govardhan Ecovillage (GEV). He has
written study guides, including Gītā
Subodhinī, Bhāgavata Subodhinī,
and Caitanya Subodhinī, and teaches
śāstric courses at several places in
India. He also oversees the deity
worship at GEV.

plains that in his previous life Sudāmā ments that Kubjā represents the
had been a florist named Hemamālī earth, which was bent down by the
in the Caitraratha gardens of Kuvera, great burden of countless wicked
the treasurer of the demigods. He was rulers. Kṛṣṇa’s straightening Kubjā’s
peaceful, generous, respectful to saints, back represents His rectifying the
and devoted to the Supreme Lord. burdened condition of the earth
Kṛṣṇa in the home of Kubjā, a former hunchback He had transformed For five thousand years he worshiped by punishing the demoniac people.
into a beautiful woman on arriving in Mathurā. Lord Śiva daily with three hundred (Bhāgavatam 10.42.1, Purport)
lotuses. Lord Śiva was pleased to offer According to Śrī Garga-saṁhitā
aware of scriptural conclusions and immediately offered fresh garlands to him a boon. Hemamālī asked Śiva to (5.11.1–11), in her past life Kubjā
thus praised the Lord eloquently in the Lords and Their associates. Kṛṣṇa bless him with the opportunity to see was Śūrpaṇakhā, the sister of the
­various ways. He said, expects us to offer the best we have. Lord Kṛṣṇa enter his home. Lord Śiva demoniac king Rāvaṇa. When Lord
Our ability to serve Him comes from said that his desire would be fulfilled Rāma was in Pañcavatī forest dur-
tāv ajñāpayataṁ bhṛtyaṁ Him; thus He empowers different in Mathurā at the end of Dvāpara- ing His exile, she fell in love with
  kim ahaṁ karavāṇi vām servants to render different types of yuga. To keep Lord Śiva’s promise, Him. Rāma had vowed to accept only
puṁso ’ty-anugraho hy eṣa service. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma now entered one wife, however, and didn’t accept
  bhavadbhir yan niyujyate What we offer may not be the Sudāmā’s home and blessed him. Śūrpaṇakhā. So Śūrpaṇakhā tried YOU’RE INVITED!

The Sunday Feast

“Please order me, Your servant, to
do whatever You wish. To be en-
gaged by You in some service is
certainly a great blessing for anyone.”
(Bhāgavatam 10.41.48)
Love for the Lord is visible in
one’s eagerness to serve Him. And
the opportunity to serve Him is the
highest attainable benediction. Be-
ing a first-class servant, Sudāmā
understood what Kṛṣṇa wanted and
greatest or the most expensive thing
in a material sense, but if offered with
pure love and devotion, the Lord
prizes it. For instance, Lord Rāma was
immensely pleased with the simple
service of a squirrel in the making
of the stone bridge across the ocean.
Kṛṣṇa is more attracted to our service
attitude and mood of gratitude than
to the magnitude of our service. Thus
there is no scope for scarcity, inse-
curity, and unhealthy competition or
Heart’s Longing Reciprocated:
Kr.s.n.a Transforms Kubjā and
Grants Her Pure Love for Him
As Kṛṣṇa walked further, He saw a
young hunchback woman carrying
fragrant ointments, and He asked
her for some. She was Trivakrā, also
known as Kubjā. She introduced
herself as a maidservant of Kaṁsa,
who she said liked her ointments
to devour Sītā Devī. But Lakṣmaṇa
quickly cut off her ears and nose with
His sword.
Her love refused, disappointed
Sūrpaṇakhā went to Puṣkara-tīrtha.
Wishing to get Lord Rāma as her
husband, she stayed underwater and Most Hare Kṛṣṇa centers around the world put on a special festival
meditated on Lord Śiva for ten thou- every Sunday – for regulars as well as newcomers. Come by
sand years. When Śiva appeared be- and get a taste of the world’s oldest cultural tradition. Call your
nearest center to find out the schedule for the Sunday Feast.
fore her, she asked him to grant her
the blessing of getting Śrī Rāma as Visit: centres.iskcon.org
her husband. Lord Śiva said that her

58  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020 JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  59
 Steer
Your Life
Guided by
Wisdom By Gaura Śaraṇa Dāsa
The Vedic scriptures point us to the highest
destination and tell us how to get there.
L IFE IS A JOURNEY, and on this jour-
ney the soul is seated in the vehicle of
a body given by the material nature
(bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni
māyayā, Gītā 18.61). Material nature sup-
plies various types of vehicles to the souls
wandering in material existence, depend-
ing on their past desires and karma. Out
of various types of vehicles, the human
body is considered the best vehicle for the
journey towards a spiritual destination.
And Prahlāda Mahārāja says in Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam (7.6.1), durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ
janma: “A human birth is rarely achieved.”
We are all extremely fortunate to
have this human vehicle, which is better
equipped for the journey of life than ani-
mal forms. According to Hitopadeśa (25),
āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca
  sāmānyam etat paśubhiḥ narāṇām
dharmo hi teṣām adhiko viśeṣo
  dharmeṇa hīna paśubhiḥ samānāḥ
“Both animals and men share the activities
60  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
of eating, sleeping, mating and defending.
But the special property of the humans is
that they are able to engage in spiritual life.
Therefore without spiritual life, humans
are on the level of animals.” This verse sug-
gests that the privilege of having a human
body over an animal body is the ability to
steer our life towards a destination higher
than just eating, sleeping, mating, and
defending, which even animals can some-
times do even better than human beings.
The greatest privilege of being in a hu-
man vehicle is the opportunity to learn
about the highest destination and how to
get there. Whether we know it or not, our
journey began the moment we were born
by the force of time. So it’s time to under-
stand the wisdom given in the Vedic scrip-
tures, especially Bhagavad-gītā, to make
this journey successful.
Kṛṣṇa, while seated in a vehicle, a char-
iot, speaks to Arjuna about the existential
journey of the soul, about the vehicle the
soul acquires, and about how to drive the
vehicle to its ultimate destination.
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  61
Know Your Destination
Consider that you set out on a jour-
ney and don’t know where to go. It
might sound adventurous initially,
but sooner or later you will get tired
of just traveling and will want to be
back home. Like any other journey,
our life journey needs a destination
to be meaningful. Any number of
temporary stops will not satisfy the
soul, however attractive they may be
to its conditioned mind and senses.
To be satisfied, the soul aspires for an
­eternal destination, its home.
Scriptures are like maps to guide
us to our ultimate destination. Kṛṣṇa
explains that the eternal destina-
tion for the eternal soul is His eter-
nal abode and not this temporary
­material existence:
avyakto ’kṣara ity uktas
  tam āhuḥ paramāṁ gatim
yaṁ prāpya na nivartante
  tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
“That which the Vedāntists describe as
unmanifest and infallible, that which
is known as the supreme destina-
tion, that place from which, having
attained it, one never returns – that is
My supreme abode.” (Gītā 8.21)
Now that we know the spiritual
world is our destination, the next
question is how to get there.
Understanding the Body,
the Chariot
As a driver needs to understand
the vehicle to successfully reach the
destination, we as spirit souls travel-
ing in this human vehicle need to
understand it to drive to our ulti-
mate destination safely. In the Kaṭha
Upaniṣad (1.3.3–4), the human body is
explained as follows:
ātmānaṁ rathinaṁ viddhi
  śarīraṁ ratham eva ca
buddhiṁ tu sārathiṁ viddhi
  manaḥ pragraham eva ca
indriyāṇi hayān āhur
  viṣayāṁs teṣu gocarān
ātmendriya-mano-yuktaṁ
  bhoktety āhur manīṣiṇaḥ
62  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
“The individual is the passenger in the
car of the material body, and intel-
ligence is the driver. Mind is the driv-
ing instrument, and the senses are the
horses. The self is thus the enjoyer or
sufferer in the association of the mind
and senses. So it is understood by
great thinkers.”
The Hierarchy of Our Body
In the Bhagavad-gītā (3.42) Kṛṣṇa
gives the hierarchy of the body and
mentions that the soul is higher than
all these bodily functions:
indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur
  indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ
manasas tu parā buddhir
  yo buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ
“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.”
Intelligence, the Driver
In the chariot analogy, intelligence
is the driver. The driver needs to be
strong to make sure he can guide the
mind and senses.
yastu avijñānavān bhavaty
  ayuktena manasā sadā
tasyendriyāṇy avaśyāni
  duṣṭāśvā iva sāratheḥ
“The senses of a person who is with-
out discrimination and whose mind
is always uncontrolled are unman-
ageable, like the vicious horses of a
driver.” (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.5) One
whose intelligence is not strong can-
not control the mind and senses. If the
horses driving a chariot are uncon-
trolled, then there are all the chances
for an accident and little or no chance
to reach the destination safely. The
driver must hold the reins tightly to
control the horses effectively and
travel in the right direction.
In reality, however, for most of us
our intelligence is not strong enough
to control our mind and senses. So
naturally the question arises, What
will become of me if my intelligence
is not strong enough to control the
mind? This is explained as follows in
the Kaṭha Upaniṣad (1.3.7):
yas tv avijñānavān bhavaty
  amanaskas sadā ’śuciḥ
na sa tat padam āpnoti
  saṁsāraṁ cādhigacchati
“One whose intelligence is not strong
and hence has an uncontrolled mind
and senses doesn’t reach the supreme
destination, but rather revolves in the
cycle of birth and death.”
The tone of this verse needn’t
dispirit us; rather, the verse can act as a
reminder for us to steer our life in the
right direction by controlling our mind
and senses through our intelligence.
Mind and Senses, Reins
and Horses
In the chariot analogy, the mind is
compared to reins, and the senses are
compared to the horses that drive the
chariot. Have you ever seen or been
in a vehicle where the brakes sud-
denly stopped working? It’s dreadful
to even imagine, and at worst it can
be fatal. Hence in this journey of life,
mind and sense control is crucial for
us to make it to the destination.
Since the senses are inferior to
the mind, by controlling the mind we
can easily control the senses. Hence
sense control follows mind control
and not necessarily vice versa. Śrīla
Prabhupāda gives an example in his
purport to Bhagavad-gītā 2.60: “Even
Viśvāmitra, a great sage and perfect
yogī, was misled by Menakā into sex
enjoyment, although the yogī was
endeavoring for sense control with se-
vere types of penance and yoga prac-
tice.” Since Viśvāmitra’s mind was
diverted to meditate on sense objects,
eventually his sense control failed
to help him. Kṛṣṇa says, dhyāyato
viṣayān puṁsaḥ (Gītā 2.62): if the
mind is engaged in sense objects, the
senses cannot be controlled.
Therefore to control the senses
one needs to control the mind from
wandering. For the mind to be con-
trolled, however, one needs a strong
intelligence, as stated in Bhagavad-
gītā (3.43), evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ
buddhvā saṁstabhyātmānam ātmanā:
“One should steady the mind by delib-
erate spiritual intelligence.”
How to Make the
Intelligence Strong
In Bhagavad-gītā 2.66 Kṛṣṇa says that
one who is not connected with the Su-
“One who restrains his senses, keep-
preme in Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot
have transcendental intelligence (nāsti
buddhir ayuktasya). Kṛṣṇa also says,
teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
  bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
  yena mām upayānti te
TEMPLE OF THE
VEDIC PLANETARIUM
Mayapur, West Bengal, India
The largest Vedic temple to be built in thou-
sands of years. To learn about the project,
keep track of its progress, and see how you
can get involved, visit the following sites:
• facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
• youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
• tovp.org
“To those who are constantly devoted
to serving Me with love, I give the in-
telligence by which they can come to
Me.” (Gītā 10.10)
And in Bhagavad-gītā 2.61 Kṛṣṇa
says,
tāni sarvāṇi saṁyamya
  yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ
vaśe hi yasyendriyāṇi
  tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā
ing them under full control, and fixes
his consciousness upon Me, is known
as a man of steady intelligence.” So
only when the soul is connected with
Kṛṣṇa can intelligence be strong to
control the mind and senses naturally.
Though fixing the consciousness on
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  63
Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate goal, regulating
the interaction of the mind and senses
with their sense objects is implicit and
necessary. Only then will the spiritual
practices be beneficial in strength-
ening the intelligence through God
realization.
The Soul in Connection
with the Supreme Self
Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in the
purport to Bhagavad-gītā 3.42, “If,
therefore, the soul is directly engaged
with the Supreme, naturally all other
subordinates, namely, intelligence,
mind and senses, will be automatically
engaged.”
When the self is connected to the
Supreme Self through the processes
of bhakti-yoga, then the self will
naturally be satisfied (yato bhaktir
adhokṣaje . . . yayātmā suprasīdati,
Bhāgavatam 1.2.6).
Therefore by engaging ourselves
in the devotional activities of chant-
ing and hearing about the Supreme
Lord and remembering Him, we can
develop knowledge that strengthens
our intelligence, and detachment that
makes our mind and senses lose their
taste for objects of enjoyment.
vāsudeve bhagavati
  bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
  jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam
“By rendering devotional service unto
the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa,
one immediately acquires causeless
knowledge and detachment from the
world.” (Bhāgavatam 1.2.7) When we
steer our vehicle in the right direction
with such transcendental intelligence,
eventually we will reach the ultimate
destination of the supreme abode of
Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Gaura Śaraṇa Dāsa Brahmacārī, a
disciple of His Holiness Rādhānāth
Swami, has served in various projects,
including ISKCON Chowpatty and
Govardhan Ecovillage. He currently
serves at the Bhakti Center in New
York City.
 for him, and he turned his hand to
IN MEMORIAM a remarkable variety of initiatives
and projects with enthusiasm and
determination. In doing all this, he

“This Life
was always a charming gentleman to
those he met, and a genuine sadhu.
His skills and affectionate dealings
with others impressed a generation of
worshipers at the Manor, and when

Is for
Śrutidharma asked them to help Śrīla
Prabhupāda’s mission, they would
often accept the invitation, becoming
donors, life members, sevakas, and
patrons.

Serving The Manor Campaign

When Bhaktivedanta Manor was
beset on all sides with challenges

Others”
to its very existence, Śrutidharma
proved indispensable to the campaign
to keep the temple open. Whether

David Crick
through a sponsored walk in 1989,
fund-raising dinners, or meeting
members of Parliament and Hindu
leaders, Śrutidharma coordinated
by Kripamoya Dāsa the campaign through various com-
munity networks. He spent months at

S RUTIDHARMA DĀSA, the

beloved son of Raojibhai and
Dhanlaxmi Patel, and younger
brother to Mukesh, was born in
Jinja, Uganda, in 1958. As a twelve-
year-old boy he made the journey to
­London with his family and grew up
in Wembley.
Around the same time, the early
devotees of Kṛṣṇa came from Amer-
ica and eventually started a temple
at 7, Bury Place near the British
Museum. It was there, at age 19, that
the young Shailesh Patel met Śrīla
Prabhupāda and became very im-
pressed with his words and mission.
After graduating in biochemistry,
Śrutidharma was engaged in heart
research. Some months later, he took
part in the Mahabharata Youth Club,
an initiative for the young people
of Harrow, Wembley, and Southall
started by Akhaṇḍadhī Dāsa of
Bhaktivedanta Manor. Along with
two friends he became an enthusias-
tic member of the youth club, taking
part in energetic kīrtanas and plays.
After Akhaṇḍadhī Dāsa persuaded
them to join the temple in 1980, the
three friends became the first of
many young devotees to become
sadhus from the local community,
much to the surprise of their families.
The two friends eventually became
Prāṇa­bandhu Dāsa and His Holiness
­Ātma­nivedana Swami.
Śrutidharma quickly became
an indispensable member of the
outreach team and visited thousands
of families in London over the next
decade. He was known for his ability
to present Kṛṣṇa in an attractive man-
ner and always had the right story or
scripture verse for any occasion. He
sang, acted in dramas, gave speeches
to crowds great and small, conducted
saṁskāras, and raised funds. No task
was too big and no service too menial
the end of 1993 and early 1994 tour-
ing the country to request all Hindu
groups to unite to demonstrate their
concern and to fight the proposed
temple closure. Eventually, his ener-
getic campaigning and urgent request
that each town send a coach or two
to London brought 36,000 people
onto the streets before the Houses of
Parliament.
After the grand victory in 1996,
Śrutidharma and Prāṇabandhu jointly
formed the Bhaktivedanta Manor
Foundation (BMF). Two years later,
in the spring of 1998, Śrutidharma
was married to Śrī Rādhikā Dāsī.
They shortly became the proud
­parents of a son, Nitai.
As a priest, chaplain to the Mayor
of Harrow, interfaith leader, and reli-
gious minister, Śrutidharma was also
involved in publishing. He became the
head of publications and conceived,
designed, and edited a series of pub-
lications for the Manor, including
paperback books, magazines, guides,
leaflets, calendars, websites, and the
famous Janmashtami Souvenir Book.
Condolence letter from Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
President of
Bhaktivedanta Manor
Śrutidharma Dāsa formally became
the president of Bhakti­vedanta Man-
or on the 18th of July 2010. Over the
last ten years, and until only months
before his passing, he continually ex-
panded his range of relationships to
include serving as a chaplain, visiting
schools and businesses, taking part in
saṅkīrtana street processions, visiting
members of Parliament, conducting
corporate events, and conducting
informal house gatherings and larger
spiritual retreats. He was interviewed
by newspapers, radio, and television.
He offered kind hospitality to visiting
leaders of all religious groups and
encouraged the congregation and vol-
unteers in their spiritual lives. He met
many dignitaries, including chief rab-
bis, archbishops, two Prime Ministers,
members of the royal family, and Her
Majesty the Queen.
Śrutidharma Dāsa gave his life
selflessly and wholeheartedly in the
service of Śrīla Prabhupāda and
Rādhā-Gokulānanda. For forty years
he was a major pillar of the activities
and achievements of Bhaktivedanta
Manor, a genuinely warm and affec-
tionate brother and spiritual teacher
to thousands, and a sadhu who united
all in service to Kṛṣṇa, the Lord of
his life.

64  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020 JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  65
 FROM THE EDITOR
When God Loses Control
WE CAN TRULY KNOW about God only when
He reveals Himself. Śrīla Prabhupāda often said
that God reserves the right to not reveal Himself
to the unworthy, including people who try to un-
derstand Him through intellectual endeavors alone.
Fortunately for us, God, Kṛṣṇa, has revealed
Himself in various ways, including repeatedly com- Prabhupāda writes, “One should be captivated by
ing to this world with His eternal associates. The
Vedic scriptures tell of His descents, and even if
we’re not there to witness them, by respectfully
reading about them we can learn a great deal about
Him. That reading purifies our hearts, allowing us
to appreciate Him and develop our love for Him.
One of the most amazing things we learn about
God from the Vedic scriptures, especially Śrīmad-
Bhāgavatam and other scriptures that focus on
Kṛṣṇa, is that even though He’s God and therefore
unlimitedly powerful, He enjoys being controlled
by His devotees. This quality of His shows that love pearing to each devotee in whatever form of His
is at the core of ultimate reality.
Vaiṣṇava authorities teach that one way to de-
scribe the ultimate truth is to say that it consists of
three essential elements: God (Kṛṣṇa), His devo-
tees, and the loving exchanges between them – or
Bhagavān, bhakta, and bhakti. The exchanges of
love between Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His devo-
tees (all of us in our pure state) motivate every-
thing He does.
Many religious traditions appreciate the majesty land of Goloka Vṛndāvana, He lives with His
of God and praise His unlimited power, especially
as displayed in His act of creation. Granted, reli-
gions outside the Vaiṣṇava tradition may also speak friends climb on his back, His parents scold Him
of God’s love for mankind, but they say little if
anything about His love-filled relationships with
His purest servants.
Through Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and similar scrip-
tures, Kṛṣṇa grants us access to His most intimate
66  BACK TO GODHEAD  •  JULY / AUGUST 2020
relationships with His devotees. Even in the
Bhagavad-gītā, where He plays the role of a teach-
er, He speaks of the love He and His devotees
have for each other.
In commenting on text 15.6 of the Gītā, where
Kṛṣṇa says something about His eternal abode,
this information.” We should likewise be captivated
to learn that pure love is so powerful that it can
control even God, the Supreme Controller.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam relates many examples of
the power of pure spiritual love. One example that
quickly comes to mind is Kṛṣṇa’s being tied up
by His mother, Yaśodā. He’s God, so no one can
tie Him up – unless He allows it. Yaśodā’s love is
so pure that it overpowers Him. Similarly, when
Brahmā prays to Lord Kṛṣṇa for the ability to build
and populate the universe, he praises Kṛṣṇa for ap-
the devotee wishes to see. “This is Your mercy on
Your devotees,” Brahmā says.
In the ultimate sense, Kṛṣṇa is always in control
of everything, but because love is essential to His
nature, He arranges events in which He is free to
ignore that He’s God so that He can savor the pure
love of His devotees.
Kṛṣṇa’s dealings with His devotees go on eter-
nally in the spiritual world. In His transcendental
eternal associates in an atmosphere of love and
intimacy. His Godhood is not displayed there. His
when He’s naughty, His girlfriends rebuke Him out
of jealous anger – all because He wants things that
way. And because He’s God, He always gets what
He wants.
– Nāgarāja Dāsa
VEDIC THOUGHTS
The Supreme Personality
of Godhead is unlimited, and
any service rendered Him is also
unlimited because the Lord’s unlimited
energy is the dynamic force behind such service.
When this supernatural energy is reposed in
us, all our thoughts and feelings, our physical
body, our mind, our knowledge, and so on, are
energized by it. Every endeavor then simply
merges into this flow of energy, and we become
like a lotus growing from the mud – in the
world but uncontaminated by it. This is how the
nondual principle comes alive: our mind, heart,
consciousness, and activities become nondifferent
from the Supreme Lord, the Absolute Truth.
His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Renunciation Through Wisdom, Chapter 5
When a diseased eye is treated with medici-
nal ointment it gradually recovers its power to
see. Similarly, as a conscious living entity cleanses
himself of material contamination by hearing and
chanting the pious narrations of My glories, he
regains his ability to see Me, the Absolute Truth,
in My subtle spiritual form.
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.14.26
It is true that by practicing restraint of the senses
by the yoga system one can get relief from the
disturbances of desire and lust, but this is not
sufficient to give satisfaction to the soul, for this
[satisfaction] is derived from devotional service to
the Personality of Godhead.
Śrī Nārada Muni
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.6.35
Foolish people, who are actu-
ally drowning in ignorance but
consider themselves intelligent and
scholarly, get battered by the kicks of
māyā. They wander in the material world just like
blind people being led by other blind people.
Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.8
All the bodily forms of the Supreme Soul are
eternal and unchanging. They have no material
qualities, desirable or undesirable, and at no time
are they born from material nature. They are all
full of supreme bliss, fully aware of everything,
complete in all transcendental qualities, and
devoid of all faults.
Mahā-varāha Purāṇa
Quoted in Jīva Gosvāmī’s
Bhagavat-sandarbha, Anuccheda 54
The Supreme Personality of Godhead may
have inconceivable potencies and mutually
contradictory qualities, for these truths are all
described in the scriptures, which are the root of
all knowledge of the spiritual reality.
Śrīla Vyāsadeva
Vedānta-sūtra 2.1.27
Although the Supreme Person has all variety of
His personal energies, if one’s mind is unable to
appreciate that variety one may conceive of the
Lord in a more general way, or one may even
have some direct realization of Him but without
a clear distinction between the energies and their
possessor. Considered in this way, He is known as
Brahman.
Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī
Śrī Bhagavat-sandarbha, Anuccheda 2
JULY / AUGUST 2020  •  BACK TO GODHEAD  67
2020
Hare Krsna Festival of India . ..

2019 New York City Rathayātrā. Photo by Hari Kirtan and Vrindavan Eshwari.

SCHEDULE FOR NORTH AMERICA

July 25–26 Montreal Rathayātrā
August 2 Los Angeles Rathayātrā
August 11 Vancouver, BC,
Śrī Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī
August 15–16 Vancouver, BC, Rathayātrā
August 16 San Francisco Rathayātrā
August 22 Bellevue, WA, Ganesh Utsava
September 5–6 Seattle Rathayātrā
September 12–13 E  ast Los Angeles Festival
September 19 Potomac, MD, HoliDC Festival
September 26 Philadelphia Rathayātrā
October 3 Bloomington, Illinois,
Śrī Rāmacandra Vijayotsava
October 10–11 Baltimore Rathayātrā

NOTE: Some of these dates are yet to be confirmed. Before scheduling your travel, be sure to confirm the festival date
with the ISKCON temple in the city where the festival is to be held. Or email Festival of India: madhuhadasa@gmail.com.