Search Results

There are innumerable spirit souls living in both the material universe and beyond the spiritual sky, and each of us has an eternal and personal relationship with Krishna. Krishna consciousness means transcending the conditioning of the material body and awakening the propensity to love and serve Krishna, which is lying dormant in the heart of every living entity. As there are innumerable, eternally individual personalities, so there are innumerable ways to serve Krishna. This article aims to help the reader to answer the question: How can I work for Krishna? We cannot escape work. Somehow or other, the living entity is constantly engaged in service, be it service to his friends, his family, his boss, or his senses. This service is very pleasing to the senses. It is so satisying to help a pregnant lady with her pushchair, or to see someone's eyes light up when you give them a compliment. The problem with this type of work is that it is pertaining to material nature, and anything which pertains to matter is by nature temporary, so any fruits of pleasure or distress obtained by this service is fleeting. If we want to reach that happiness which is unending, we must serve our eternal well wisher, Krishna. Our dear Rama Lakshman Prabhu (left) and the wonderful Govinda Prabhu of IHKM Germany (right) cooking for Krishna Prabhupāda : So our principle is: We have to act according to the desire of Krishna; then it is good. Otherwise, bad. Krishna says, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). So in spite of advancement of knowledge, because they are not Krishna conscious, therefore they are all duṣkṛtinaḥ , all sinful men. That is the test. So it is very difficult to understand this philosophy, but this is the fact. We are not going to be followers of zero- vādīs or impersonal- vādīs . We remain completely in the varieties, but these varieties are usable only for the satisfaction of Krishna. That is spiritual. You cannot stop the varieties. You have to change the quality of the varieties. Just like we are eating. It is not possible to stop eating. Why shall I stop eating? But the quality is changed. It is prasādam . Devotee : Just like we're getting some money for our books... Prabhupāda : The quality's changed. Devotee : ...they take that spiritual life is negation of anything that they're doing now—no more money, no more anything. Prabhupāda : For our personal comfort, we, our students are lying on the floor. They are not using the money for purchasing nice furniture. No personal comfort. But if you say that "You are purchasing big, big car," yes, for going quickly to serve Krishna. Our service is main point. If I can go and serve Krishna within a minute, why shall I wait for one hour? So we take all advantages. After all, it belongs to Krishna. They say that "We have manufactured." That's all... But we say that Krishna has manufactured. So they... This philosophy, it is little difficult to understand by the dull men, that nothing is without Krishna. Everything... Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam ( Īśopaniṣad 1). Sarvam , when we say sarvam , how we can exclude this and that? Everything is in relationship with Krishna, sarvam. Sarvam means everything. So how can you discriminate, "This is material; this is spiritual"? The discrimination is that when it is not used for Krishna, that is material, and when it is used for Krishna, that is spiritual. (Srila Prabhupada Conversation, Melbourne, April 20, 1976) "Bad work means sense gratification. That's all. Anything you do for the satisfaction of your sense, that is bad work. And anything you do for satisfaction of Krishna, that is good work. This is the division of bad work and good work. The same thing, if you do for your personal satisfaction, it is bad work. And the same thing, if you do for the satisfaction of Krishna, that is good work. We must first of all learn this. Just like Arjuna was thinking in the beginning that 'Fighting and killing is not good, especially fighting with the family members and killing them. No, no, I cannot do that.' Bad work. He was thinking it was bad. But same thing he did. When he understood Bhagavad-gītā , he did not do anything else, because he was a fighter, he was a warrior. In the beginning he was refusing because he was trying to satisfy his senses. 'Oh, it is very good. I think it is... I think...' What you are? You are always misguided if you think like that. But the same Arjuna, when understood Bhagavad-gītā ... Krishna inquired from him, 'Now what is your decision?' Now, kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73). 'Yes, now I have decided.' So what is that vacanaṁ tava? Krishna asked him to fight. So same fighting, how he became good now? Because Krishna wanted it. A good work. So this should be our motto of life, that you should act if Krishna is pleased. This is good work." (Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bombay, April 5, 1974) Spritual life does not mean renouncing everything and sitting in a deep meditation, actually it's quite the opposite. There is a nice quote from Srila Rupa Gosvami, as follows: anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo vairāgyaṁ phalgu kathyate "When one is not attached to anything, but at the same time accepts everything in relation to Krishna, one is rightly situated above possessiveness. On the other hand, one who rejects everything without knowledge of its relationship to Krishna is not as complete in his renunciation." (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.255-256) So Krishna consciousness gives you all facility to pursue what you are passionate about, provided you utilise it in Krishna's service. After all, Krishna is the fulfiller of all desires. So if you want to be a big preacher, or you want to have lots of babies, if you can cook a mean curry or enjoy singing, dancing, reading or writing, all this and more can be dovetailed with the will of Krishna. "There is no question of giving anything up in Krishna consciousness. That is the sum and substance of the Bhagavad-gita . Arjuna also thought like that 'I shall not fight' and fell silent. but Krishna did not approve of this sentimental attitude of the great Arjuna. The whole Bhagavad-gita was spoken to Arjuna simply to convince him that he should work for the satisfaction of Krishna. Therefore Krishna plainly says, 'Whatever you do as work, whatever you eat, or give away in charity, do it for Me.' This is real Krishna consciousness, to work for the satisfaction of Krishna." (Srila Prabhupada Letter, August 30, 1973)

The startling observation made by Srila Prabhupada in the early 70's of the last century. This purport very much relates to the world situation now. Material advancement of civilization means advancement of the reactions of the threefold miseries due to celestial influence, earthly reactions and bodily or mental pains. By the celestial influence of the stars there are many calamities like excessive heat, cold, rains or no rains, and the aftereffects are famine, disease and epidemic. The aggregate result is agony of the body and the mind. Man-made material science cannot do anything to counteract these threefold miseries. They are all punishments from the superior energy of maya under the direction of the Supreme Lord. Therefore our constant touch with the Lord by devotional service can give us relief without our being disturbed in the discharge of our human duties. The asuras, however, who do not believe in the existence of God, make their own plans to counteract all these threefold miseries, and so they meet with failures every time. The Bhagavad-gita (7.14) clearly states that the reaction of material energy is never to be conquered, because of the binding effects of the three modes. They can simply be overcome by one who surrenders fully in devotion under the lotus feet of the Lord. (Sb 1.14.10 purport)

Kartik month is ahead of us. During Kartik, devotees worship Krishna in a form of Lord Damodara which in Sanskrit means ''one with a rope around His belly''. Lord Damodara is baby Krishna in His lila where Mother Yashoda bind Him with a rope around His belly because He was stealing butter. Every evening during Kartik month, devotees offer a ghee lamp in front of picture of Lord Damodara and sing the song ''Sri Damodarastakam'' glorifying His pastimes. Mother Yashoda binding Lord Krishna Once upon a time, seeing that her maidservant was engaged in different household duties, Mother Yaśodā personally took charge of churning butter. And while she churned butter, she sang the childhood pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and enjoyed thinking of her son. The end of her sari was tightly wrapped while she churned, and on account of her intense love for her son, milk automatically dripped from her breasts, which moved as she labored very hard, churning with two hands. The bangles and bracelets on her hands tinkled as they touched each other, and her earrings and breasts shook. There were drops of perspiration on her face, and the flower garland which was on her head scattered here and there. Before this picturesque sight, Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as a child. He felt hungry, and to increase His mother’s love, He wanted her to stop churning. He indicated that her first business was to let Him suck her breast, and then she could churn butter later. Mother Yaśodā took her son on her lap and pushed the nipple of her breast into His mouth. And while Kṛṣṇa was sucking the milk, she was smiling, enjoying the beauty of her child’s face. Suddenly, the milk which was on the stove began to boil over. Just to stop the milk from spilling, Mother Yaśodā at once put Kṛṣṇa aside and went to the stove. Left in that state by His mother, Kṛṣṇa became very angry, and His lips and eyes became red in rage. He pressed His teeth and lips, and taking up a piece of stone, He immediately broke the butter pot. He took butter out of it, and with false tears in His eyes, He began to eat the butter in a secluded place. In the meantime, Mother Yaśodā returned to the churning place after setting the overflowing milk pan in order. She saw the broken pot, in which the churning yogurt had been kept. Since she could not find her boy, she concluded that the broken pot was His work. She smiled as she thought, “The child is very clever. After breaking the pot He has left this place, fearing punishment.” After she sought all over, she found her son sitting on a big wooden grinding mortar, which was kept upside down. He was taking butter from a pot which was hanging from the ceiling on a swing, and He was feeding it to the monkeys. She saw Kṛṣṇa looking this way and that way in fear of her because He was conscious of His naughty behavior. After seeing her son so engaged, she very silently approached Him from behind. Mother Yashoda chasing Lord Krishna with a stick Kṛṣṇa, however, saw her coming toward Him with a stick in her hand, and He immediately got down from the grinding mortar and began to flee in fear. Mother Yaśodā chased Him to all corners, trying to capture the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is never approached even by the meditations of great yogīs. In other words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, who is never caught by the yogīs and speculators, was playing just like a little child for such a great devotee as Mother Yaśodā. Mother Yaśodā, however, could not easily catch the fast-running child because of her thin waist and heavy body. Still she tried to follow Him as fast as possible. Her hair loosened, and the flowers in her hair fell to the ground. Although she was tired, she somehow reached her naughty child and captured Him. When He was caught, Kṛṣṇa was almost on the point of crying. He smeared His hands over His eyes, which were anointed with black eye cosmetics. The child saw His mother’s face while she stood over Him, and His eyes became restless from fear. Mother Yaśodā could understand that Kṛṣṇa was unnecessarily afraid, and for His benefit she wanted to allay His fears. Being the topmost well-wisher of her child, Mother Yaśodā thought, “If the child is too fearful of me, I don’t know what will happen to Him.” Mother Yaśodā then threw away her stick. In order to punish Him, she thought to bind His hands with some ropes. She did not know it, but it was actually impossible for her to bind the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mother Yaśodā was thinking that Kṛṣṇa was her tiny child; she did not know that the child had no limitation. There is no inside or outside of Him, nor beginning or end. He is unlimited and all-pervading. Indeed, He is Himself the whole cosmic manifestation. Still, Mother Yaśodā was thinking of Kṛṣṇa as her child. Although He is beyond the reach of all senses, she endeavored to bind Him to a wooden grinding mortar. But when she tried to bind Him, she found that the rope she was using was too short – by two inches. She gathered more ropes from the house and added to it, but still she found the same shortage. In this way, she connected all the ropes available at home, but when the final knot was added, she saw that the rope was still two inches too short. Mother Yaśodā was smiling, but she was astonished. How was it happening? Mother Yashoda seeing a whole cosmic manifestation in His mouth In attempting to bind her son, she became tired. She was perspiring, and the garland on her head fell down. Then Lord Kṛṣṇa appreciated the hard labor of His mother, and being compassionate upon her, He agreed to be bound up by the ropes. Kṛṣṇa, playing as a human child in the house of Mother Yaśodā, was performing His own selected pastimes. Of course, no one can control the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The pure devotee surrenders himself unto the lotus feet of the Lord, who may either protect or vanquish the devotee. But for his part, the devotee never forgets his own position of surrender. Similarly, the Lord also feels transcendental pleasure by submitting Himself to the protection of the devotee. This was exemplified by Kṛṣṇa’s surrender unto His mother, Yaśodā. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme bestower of all kinds of liberation to His devotees, but the benediction which was bestowed upon Mother Yaśodā was never experienced even by Lord Brahmā or Lord Śiva or the goddess of fortune. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known as the son of Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja, is never so completely known to the yogīs and speculators. But He is easily available to His devotees. Nor is He appreciated as the supreme reservoir of all pleasure by the yogīs and speculators. After binding her son, Mother Yaśodā engaged herself in household affairs. At that time, bound up to the wooden mortar, Kṛṣṇa could see a pair of trees before Him which were known as arjuna trees. The great reservoir of pleasure, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, thus thought to Himself, “Mother Yaśodā first of all left without feeding Me sufficient milk, and therefore I broke the pot of yogurt and distributed the stock butter in charity to the monkeys. Now she has bound Me up to a wooden mortar. So I shall do something more mischievous than before.” And thus He thought of pulling down the two very tall arjuna trees. There is a history behind the pair of arjuna trees. In their previous lives, the trees were born as the human sons of Kuvera, and their names were Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva. Fortunately, they came within the vision of the Lord. In their previous lives they were cursed by the great sage Nārada in order to receive the highest benediction of seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa. This benediction-curse was bestowed upon them because of their forgetfulness due to intoxication. This story will be narrated in the next chapter. Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the ninth chapter of Kṛṣṇa, “Mother Yaśodā Binds Lord Kṛṣṇa.”

Madhvacharya is one of the foremost ācāryas in our sampradāya, which bears his name — the Brahma-Madhva-Gauḍīya sampradāya. His father named him Vasudeva, and due to his strength and appearance, people called him Bhīma. From early childhood he displayed exceptional learning in the Vedas, and at the age of eleven he accepted sannyāsa.Madhvacharya composed many authoritative works in Sanskrit and other languages, performed wonderful miracles and established the philosophical principles and practices that continue to guide us to this day. Śrīla Prabhupāda glorifies Madhvacharya in the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, acknowledging his vital role in our disciplic succession... Śrīpāda Madhvācārya Caitanya Mahāprabhu next arrived at Uḍupī, the place of Madhvācārya, where the philosophers known as Tattvavādīs resided. There He saw the Deity of Lord Kṛṣṇa and became mad with ecstasy. Purport: Śrīpāda Madhvācārya took his birth near Uḍupī, which is situated in the South Kanara district of South India, just west of Sahyādri. This is the chief city of the South Kanara province and is near the city of Mangalore, which is situated to the south of Uḍupī. Near the city of Uḍupī is a place called Pājakā-kṣetra, where Madhvācārya took his birth in a Śivāllī-brāhmaṇa dynasty as the son of Madhyageha Bhaṭṭa, in the year 1040 Śakābda (A.D. 1118). According to some, he was born in the year 1160 Śakābda (A.D. 1238). In his childhood Madhvācārya was known as Vāsudeva, and there are some wonderful stories surrounding him. It is said that once when his father had piled up many debts, Madhvācārya converted tamarind seeds into actual coins to pay them off. When he was five years old, he was offered the sacred thread. A demon named Maṇimān lived near his abode in the form of a snake, and at the age of five Madhvācārya killed that snake with the toe of his left foot. When his mother was very much disturbed, he would appear before her in one jump. He was a great scholar even in childhood, and although his father did not agree, he accepted sannyāsa at the age of twelve. Upon receiving sannyāsa from Acyuta Prekṣa, he received the name Pūrṇaprajña Tīrtha. After traveling all over India, he finally discussed scriptures with Vidyāśaṅkara, the exalted leader of Śṛṅgeri-maṭha. Vidyāśaṅkara was actually diminished in the presence of Madhvācārya. Accompanied by Satya Tīrtha, Madhvācārya went to Badarikāśrama. It was there that he met Vyāsadeva and explained his commentary on the Bhagavad-gītā before him. Thus he became a great scholar by studying before Vyāsadeva. By the time he came to the Ānanda-maṭha from Badarikāśrama, Madhvācārya had finished his commentary on the Bhagavad-gītā. His companion Satya Tīrtha wrote down the entire commentary. When Madhvācārya returned from Badarikāśrama, he went to Gañjāma, which is on the bank of the river Godāvarī. There he met with two learned scholars named Śobhana Bhaṭṭa and Svāmī Śāstrī. Later these scholars became known in the disciplic succession of Madhvācārya as Padmanābha Tīrtha and Narahari Tīrtha. When he returned to Uḍupī, he would sometimes bathe in the ocean. On such an occasion he composed a prayer in five chapters. Once, while sitting beside the sea engrossed in meditation upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he saw that a large boat containing goods for Dvārakā was in danger. He gave some signs by which the boat could approach the shore, and it was saved. The owners of the boat wanted to give him a present, and at the time Madhvācārya agreed to take some gopī-candana. He received a big lump of gopī-candana, and as it was being brought to him, it broke apart and revealed a large Deity of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Deity had a stick in one hand and a lump of food in the other. As soon as Madhvācārya received the Deity of Kṛṣṇa in this way, he composed a prayer. The Deity was so heavy that not even thirty people could lift it. Yet Madhvācārya personally brought this Deity to Uḍupī. Eight of Madhvācārya’s sannyāsa disciples became directors of his eight monasteries. Worship of the Lord Kṛṣṇa Deity is still going on at Uḍupī according to the plans Madhvācārya established. Madhvācārya then for the second time visited Badarikāśrama. While he was passing through Maharashtra, the local king was digging a big lake for the public benefit. As Madhvācārya passed through that area with his disciples, he was also obliged to help in the excavation. After some time, when Madhvācārya visited the king, he engaged the king in that work and departed with his disciples. Often in the province of Gāṅga-pradeśa there were fights between Hindus and Muslims. The Hindus were on one bank of the river, and the Muslims on the other. Due to the community tension, no boat was available for crossing the river. The Muslim soldiers were always stopping passengers on the other side, but Madhvācārya did not care for these soldiers. He crossed the river anyway, and when he met the soldiers on the other side, he was brought before the king. The Muslim king was so pleased with him that he wanted to give him a kingdom and some money, but Madhvācārya refused. While walking on the road, he was attacked by some dacoits, but by his bodily strength he killed them all. When his companion Satya Tīrtha was attacked by a tiger, Madhvācārya separated them by virtue of his great strength. When he met Vyāsadeva, he received from him the śālagrāma-śilā known as Aṣṭamūrti. After this, he summarized the Mahābhārata. Madhvācārya’s devotion to the Lord and his erudite scholarship became known throughout India. Consequently the owners of the Śṛṅgeri-maṭha, established by Śaṅkarācārya, became a little perturbed. At that time the followers of Śaṅkarācārya were afraid of Madhvācārya’s rising power, and they began to tease Madhvācārya’s disciples in many ways. There was even an attempt to prove that the disciplic succession of Madhvācārya was not in line with Vedic principles. A person named Puṇḍarīka Purī, a follower of the Māyāvāda philosophy of Śaṅkarācārya, came before Madhvācārya to discuss the śāstras. It is said that all of Madhvācārya’s books were taken away, but later they were found with the help of King Jayasiṁha, ruler of Kumla. In discussion, Puṇḍarīka Purī was defeated by Madhvācārya. A great personality named Trivikramācārya, who was a resident of Viṣṇumaṅgala, became Madhvācārya’s disciple, and his son later became Nārāyaṇācārya, the composer of Śrī Madhva-vijaya. After the death of Trivikramācārya, the younger brother of Nārāyaṇācārya took sannyāsa and later became known as Viṣṇu Tīrtha. It was reputed that there was no limit to the bodily strength of Pūrṇaprajña, Madhvācārya. There was a person named Kaḍañjari who was famed for possessing the strength of thirty men. Madhvācārya placed the big toe of his foot upon the ground and asked the man to separate it from the ground, but the great strong man could not do so even after great effort. Śrīla Madhvācārya passed from this material world at the age of eighty while writing a commentary on the Aitareya Upaniṣad. For further information about Madhvācārya, one should read Madhva-vijaya, by Nārāyaṇācārya. The ācāryas of the Madhva-sampradāya established Uḍupī as the chief center, and the monastery there was known as Uttararāḍhī-maṭha . A list of the different centers of the Madhvācārya-sampradāya can be found at Uḍupī, and their maṭha commanders are (1) Viṣṇu Tīrtha (Śoda-maṭha), (2) Janārdana Tīrtha (Kṛṣṇapura-maṭha) (3) Vāmana Tīrtha (Kanura-maṭha), (4) Narasiṁha Tīrtha (Adamara-maṭha), (5) Upendra Tīrtha (Puttugī-maṭha), (6) Rāma Tīrtha (Śirura-maṭha), (7) Hṛṣīkeśa Tīrtha (Palimara-maṭha), and (8) Akṣobhya Tīrtha (Pejāvara-maṭha). The disciplic succession of the Madhvācārya-sampradāya is as follows (the dates are those of birth in the Śakābda Era; for Christian era dates, add seventy-eight years.): (1) Haṁsa Paramātmā; (2) Caturmukha Brahmā; (3) Sanakādi; (4) Durvāsā; (5) Jñānanidhi; (6) Garuḍa-vāhana; (7) Kaivalya Tīrtha; (8) Jñāneśa Tīrtha; (9) Para Tīrtha; (10) Satyaprajña Tīrtha; (11) Prājña Tīrtha; (12) Acyuta Prekṣācārya Tīrtha; (13) Śrī Madhvācārya, 1040 Śaka; (14) Padmanābha, 1120; Narahari, 1127; Mādhava, 1136; and Akṣobhya 1159; (15) Jaya Tīrtha, 1167; (16) Vidyādhirāja, 1190; (17) Kavīndra, 1255; (18) Vāgīśa, 1261; (19) Rāmacandra, 1269; (20) Vidyānidhi, 1298; (21) Śrī Raghunātha, 1366; (22) Rayuvarya (who spoke with Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu), 1424; (23) Raghūttama, 1471; (24) Vedavyāsa, 1517; (25) Vidyādhīśa, 1541; (26) Vedanidhi, 1553; (27) Satyavrata, 1557; (28) Satyanidhi, 1560;(29) Satyanātha, 1582; (30) Satyābhinava, 1595; (31) Satyapūrṇa, 1628; (32) Satyavijaya, 1648; (33) Satyapriya, 1659; (34) Satyabodha, 1666; (35) Satyasandha, 1705; (36) Satyavara, 1716; (37) Satyadharma, 1719; (38) Satyasaṅkalpa, 1752; (39) Satyasantuṣṭa, 1763; (40) Satyaparāyaṇa, 1763; (41) Satyakāma, 1785; (42) Satyeṣṭa, 1793; (43) Satyaparākrama, 1794; (44) Satyadhīra, 1801; (45) Satyadhīra Tīrtha, 1808. After the sixteenth ācārya (Vidyādhirāja Tīrtha), there was another disciplic succession, including Rājendra Tīrtha, 1254; Vijayadhvaja; Puruṣottama; Subrahmaṇya; and Vyāsa Rāya, 1470-1520. The nineteenth ācārya, Rāmacandra Tīrtha, had another disciplic succession, including Vibudhendra, 1218; Jitāmitra, 1348; Raghunandana; Surendra; Vijendra; Sudhīndra; and Rāghavendra Tīrtha, 1545. To date, in the Uḍupī monastery there are another fourteen Madhva-tīrtha sannyāsīs. As stated, Uḍupī is situated beside the sea in South Kanara, about thirty-six miles north of Mangalore. (CC Madhya 9.245) While at the Uḍupī monastery, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw “dancing Gopāla,” a most beautiful Deity. This Deity appeared to Madhvācārya in a dream. (CC Madhya 9.246) Madhvācārya had somehow or other acquired the Deity of Kṛṣṇa from a heap of gopī-candana that had been transported in a boat. (CC Madhya 9.247) Madhvācārya brought this dancing Gopāla Deity to Uḍupī and installed Him in the temple. To date, the followers of Madhvācārya, known as Tattvavādīs, worship this Deity. (CC Madhya 9.248) Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu received great pleasure in seeing this beautiful form of Gopāla. For a long time He danced and chanted in ecstatic love. (CC Madhya 9.249) Gopāla Deity that Madhvācārya installed Uḍupī

A few quotes from our spiritual master, Shrila Prabhupada, underlining the importance of Associating with Hare Krishna devotees. In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation, and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devotion and devotional service begin. (S.B 3.25.25) Vaisnavas are always satisfied... "The process of advancing in Krishna consciousness and devotional service is that one must seek the association of persons who are already Krishna conscious and who engage in devotional service. Without such association one cannot make advancement. One must give up the association of materialistic persons and seek the association of devotees because without the association of devotees one cannot understand the activities of the Lord. Association with devotees means association with the Lord. The devotee who makes this association develops the consciousness for rendering service to the Lord, and then, being situated in the transcendental position of devotional service, he gradually becomes perfect." (S.B 3.25.25 Purport) Harinam Sankirtan with B.L.I.S.S "One cannot live outside the society of devotees; one must live in the association of devotees, where there is constant chanting and hearing of the glories of the Lord. The Krishna consciousness movement is started for this purpose, so that hundreds of ISKCON centers may give people a chance to hear and chant, to accept the spiritual master and to disassociate themselves from persons who are materially interested, for in this way one can make solid advancement in going back home, back to Godhead." (S.B 4.22.23 Purport) Associating with devotees is not limited to worshipping their beautiful form, washing their lotus feet and offering your humble obeisances. Shrila Prabhupada says: "To carry out the teachings of guru is more important than to worship the form, but none of them should be neglected. Form is called vapu and teachings is called vani. Both should be worshiped. Vani is more important than vapu." So if you are unable to live in a temple, the nectar of vani is so easily reachable, especially in this Iron age of Kali. There are countless books, classes and lectures of Srila Prabhupada to hear from. And if you're sentimental, like me, and greatly appreciate the physical presence of devotees, the Expand The B.L.I.S.S temple holds daily classes of Shrimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita, where you have the opportunity to hear and be heard from sincere followers of Shrila Prabhupada, and the classes are steamed on our Facebook and TikTok pages too! The B.L.I.S.S Facebook page "By advancement in the association of the devotee one is placed in devotional service, and this service dispels all one's misgivings about Krishna, or God, and Krishna's activities, form, pastimes, name and other features. After these misgivings have been perfectly cleared away, one becomes fixed in one's study. Then one relishes the study of Bhagavad-gītā and attains the state of feeling always Krishna conscious. In the advanced stage, one falls completely in love with Krishna. This highest perfectional stage of life enables the devotee to be transferred to Kṛishna's abode in the spiritual sky, Goloka Vṛndāvana, where the devotee becomes eternally happy." B.G 8.28 Purport "So everything can be attained very nicely and easily simply by this sādhu - saṅga ." "Thank you very much."

In this purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 4.20.3 Srila Prabhupada is explaining a point which can easily be applied to problems we are facing today. In daily life we find that when a madman commits murder, he is excused even by High-court judge. The idea is that a living entity is always pure because he is part and parcel od The Supreme Personality of Godhead. When he falls into the clutches of material energy, he becomes a victim of three modes of material nature. As stated in Bhagavad Gita 5.14: na kartrtvam na karmani lokasya srjati prabhuh na karma-phala-samyogam svabhavas tu pravartate "The embodied spirit, master of the city of his body, does not create activities, nor does he induce people to act, nor does he create the fruits of action. All this is enacted by the modes of material nature." Actually the living entity, or soul, does not do anything; everything is done under the influence of the modes of material nature. When a man is diseased, the symptoms of the disease become a source of all kinds of pain. Those who are advanced in transcendental consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, are never envious, neither of the soul nor of the activities of the soul under the influence of material nature. Advanced transcendentalists are called sudhiyah. Sudhi means "intelligence," sudhi means "highly advanced," and sudhi means "devotee." One who is both devoted and highly advanced in intelligence does not take action against the soul or the body. If there is any discrepancy, he forgives. It is said that forgiveness is a quality of those who are advancing in spiritual knowledge. SB 4.20.3 purport

Have you ever wondered — in an age where gender equality is being discussed everywhere — can a woman actually take the order of sannyāsa? Is it supported by the scriptures? What do our ācāryas say about this topic? A female is never awarded the order of Sannyasam . Because a female is never considered independent and Sannyasam was never awarded to any female in the past by the great Acaryas like Sankara , Ramanuja etc. The female Sannyasins are to be immediately understood as pretenders or prostitutes. In India they have organized so many organizations where specially young females are maintained to attract rich women-hunters who pretend to pose as righteous in the society. This is the age of Kali which plunders away spiritual sense of the human being and it is only the Divine Grace of Lord Caitanya Who can protect us from all these dangerous pitfalls. You were not agitated by unfavorable criticism and yet you chanted Hare Krishna Mahamantra that is the way of chanting Hare Krishna. I thank you very much for this forbearance. I am very glad to note that you can know the foolishness of the modern society in spiritual understanding and I thank you very much for your appreciation of my association. This association is disciplic and as such all thanks are due to Lord Krishna Who infuses His powers through the bona fide disciplic succession. Letter to Brahmananda (14 March, 1967, San Francisco) ''Females are not meant for the renounced order of life; they should be faithful to their good husbands, for if a husband is competent for liberation, his wife will also achieve liberation with him. As stated in the shashtra, the results of a husband's pious activities are shared by his wife. Therefore a woman's duty is to be very chaste and faithful to her husband. Then without separate endeavor she will share in all the profit the husband earns.'' (SB 6.6.1 purport)

By friction one can get fire from wood, by digging the earth one can get food grains and water, and by agitating the milk bag of the cow one can get nectarean milk. Milk is compared to nectar, which one can drink to become immortal. Of course, simply drinking milk will not make one immortal, but it can increase the duration of one's life. In modern civilization, men do not think milk to be important, and therefore they do not live very long. Although in this age men can live up to one hundred years, their duration of life is reduced because they do not drink large quantities of milk. This is a sign of Kali-yuga. In Kali-yuga, instead of drinking milk, people prefer to slaughter an animal and eat its flesh. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His instructions of Bhagavad-gītā, advises go-rakṣya, which means cow protection. The cow should be protected, milk should be drawn from the cows, and this milk should be prepared in various ways. One should take ample milk, and thus one can prolong one's life, develop his brain, execute devotional service, and ultimately attain the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is essential to get food grains and water by digging the earth, it is also essential to give protection to the cows and take nectarean milk from their milk bags. (Shrimad Bhagavatam 8.6.12, Purport) Here are a series of quotes, of Shrila Prabhupada, outlining the importance of cow protection and the benefits of cow's milk in the human diet. If we really want to cultivate the human spirit in society we must have first-class intelligent men to guide the society, and to develop the finer tissues of our brains we must assimilate vitamin values from milk. Devotees worship Lord Śrī Krishna by addressing Him as the well-wisher of the brāhmaṇas and the cows. The most intelligent class of men, who have perfectly attained knowledge in spiritual values, are called the brāhmaṇas. No society can improve in transcendental knowledge without the guidance of such first-class men, and no brain can assimilate the subtle form of knowledge without fine brain tissues. For such important brain tissues we require a sufficient quantity of milk and milk preparations. Ultimately, we need to protect the cow to derive the highest benefit from this important animal. The protection of cows, therefore, is not merely a religious sentiment but a means to secure the highest benefit for human society. (Light of the Bhagavata 27, Purport) Even if you are meat-eater, don't eat cow. You can eat others animals. But don't eat... "We are śvapacas," śvapaca is there. So if you are at all meat-eater, you can eat pigs, goats, but don't eat cows' flesh. That is very sinful. Why it is sinful? Because it's a very, very important animal in the human society, very important animal. You get milk and milk products. Then your brain becomes very nice, memory sharpened. That is, therefore, important. Don't eat. It is economically. (Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Mayapur, February 17, 1976) Rādhāvallabha: Sometimes there is too much milk. Prabhupāda: (laughter) Huh? That he can send to us. Milk is so nice that it cannot be wasted, even a drop. First of all you get milk, that is the Indian system. So there is a big milk pan, and as soon as the milk is drawn it is put into the pan. The pan is in the fire. So as much as you like, drink milk, children, elderly persons. Then at night, when there is no demand for milk, it is converted into yogurt, not wasted. Whatever balance milk is there is converted into yogurt. Then in daytime also you take yogurt, as much as you like. If it is not all consumed, then it is stored in a pot. Then when that pot is enough stored, then you churn it. Churn it, and you get butter and Buttermilk. So again you take buttermilk with cāpāṭi and everything, not a single drop is lost. Then the butter, you melt it, convert into ghee and store it, it will stay for years. So not a drop of milk can be wasted. And this butter, because in the village they are eating so much milk products, they do not require butter or ghee. Maybe little, so that is stored. They go to the city. The city men they require, especially. Ghee is very important thing in the city. So they purchase. So in exchange of that money, whatever they want, they purchase in the city and come back. But the simply maintaining the cows, their economic problem is solved. Simply maintaining the cows. (Garden Conversation -- June 10, 1976, Los Angeles)

This is a memory by Srila Prabhupada's disciple, Anakadundubhi Dasa. One time his Godbrothers came. Sridhara Maharaja was there also. He had a great love for Sridhara Maharaja, because he one time told Subhag that Sridhara Maharaja was the person who brought him to Krsna consciousness. He was the first Gaudiya Math devotee to go to his house, Prabhupada's house, and preach to him in Calcutta. One time Sridhara Maharaja came, and Srila Prabhupada heard that he was here, and he came running down the stairs without putting any shoes on or anything, to greet him in his room. And I said, "Srila Prabhupada, you haven't got any shoes on." And he said, "What do I care? My Godbrother has come. I must go and greet him." That afternoon I went to bring his garland over to his room. All the doors and windows were shut, and he was sitting in the room with all of his Godbrothers, and Sridhara Maharaja was put in a respected position. And I went to give Srila Prabhupada his garland, but he said, "No, don't give it to me. Give it to Sridhara Maharaja." He respected him very greatly. Srila Prabhupada with his Godbrother Sridhar Maharaj Prabhupada used to keep an asana in his room, and whenever Krsna dasa Babaji used to come, he would come and sit down on the asana next to Srila Prabhupada, and they would have such an intimate relationship. They would be sitting there laughing, even in front of other Godbrothers. It seemed like the others really weren't in on what was going on with Srila Prabhupada. Krsna dasa Babaji would sit there laughing and laughing in so much ecstasy, and they would say something and laugh and laugh. It was like really old friends. I would follow Srila Prabhupada down from his room sometimes. I was his guard, so I would walk down behind him and I would see Krsna dasa Babaji would wait downstairs, and as Srila Prabhupada would come downstairs, he would appear and pay his obeisances, and he would just have this laugh on his face that he was so glad to see Srila Prabhupada. It was really love. He was so pleased to see Srila Prabhupada, and Srila Prabhupada also would be so pleased to see him, and they would laugh together and joke. Sesa: He's here in Mayapur, this Krsna dasa? Anakadundubhi: He travels all around. He's known not to stay anywhere more than three days, but after Srila Prabhupada's disappearance, he stayed here for four days and took prasada in my office every day. I would serve him. Always, always chanting Hare Krsna, all day; and even when he's resting at night, you can hear him chanting. He just rests, and the lights are off, but he's chanting all the time. He's very wonderful. He said, "I love this ISKCON. Every day's a festival in ISKCON. That's what I love about this asrama -- so much alive. It's always a festival here. That's why I like to stay here." He said, "Swami Maharaja's asrama is always so alive." He liked it very much. Everyone knows he never stays anywhere more than three days. Prabhupada never disrespected any of his Godbrothers, though. That's one thing he says in Caitanya-caritamrta: you should never disrespect your Godbrother. Whenever they came, he would offer them all respects and speak with them very nicely, and he would never challenge them. At the same time, after they'd gone, he would make his comment. But he never disrespected them. He always received them very nicely. Sesa: But did he talk about the conflict? Anakadundubhi: Yeah. He would talk about it sometimes. One year he said, "I want to meet with my Godbrothers." He was here during the festival. He said -- he offered them -- "We will pay all of your overhead, all of your management, all of your... We will give full financial support. You join us, we will give the vans. You just preach. We will give all facility. Join with us and we will give you all facility to just preach." But they wouldn't do it. One very dear Godbrother was here called Govinda Maharaja. He disappeared very soon after Srila Prabhupada's disappearance. Sesa: Nothing much ever came of his meetings with them, though. Anakadundubhi: No. They didn't want to make any conditions at all. One day I was standing in Srila Prabhupada's doorway, and they'd sent some invitation for him to come there, and he said, "No. What's the use of my going there? You won't listen to what I say and you won't let me preach. What's the use of my going to your temple?" And then later on, one chief of police -- he comes here now and again -- he came to Srila Prabhupada's room for darsana that night. He was saying to Srila Prabhupada, "They invited you, but you didn't go." Prabhupada said, "It is just like when the Kauravas heard the Pandavas blowing their conch shells. They heard Krsna's and the Pandavas' conch shell, and their hearts were shattered. So similarly, the Gaudiya Math is seeing our preaching. It is just like the Pandavas' conch shells, and their hearts have become shattered. Therefore they cannot join with us." Srila Prabhupada with his disciples preaching in India

This is a memory by Srila Prabhupada's disciple, Anakadundubhi Dasa. One thing I noticed -- a very beautiful thing Srila Prabhupada used to do. Where his asana was in his darsana room, just up on the opposite wall there's a beautiful carving. It's still there now: a sandalwood carving of Radha and Krsna just like the Krsna book cover, with Radha and Krsna standing, and Radharani has her arm around Krsna, with Krsna holding His flute and Radha holding His chadar. Srila Prabhupada would sit on his asana when there weren't any guests for darsana, and he would just look at that picture. He loved it very much. And when I would take his garland in to him, he would wear it during darsana, and then maybe darsana would go on for an hour, or hour-and-a-half. Then after darsana he would get up and go to the bathroom after taking the garland off. Then he'd come back in and give the garland to Radha and Krsna. Srila Prabhupada worshiping Dieties And a number of times I gave him just a small, fine white garland that Jananivasa would make of very fragrant little white flowers. He used to take that garland and put it on Radha and Krsna in such a beautiful way. It was like the perfection of Deity worship, the way he put that little garland there. I could never conceive of how he put it there so nicely, because I would try and put a garland on that picture and there never used to be anywhere I could find to put it on Them that it would hang. Srila Prabhupada found such a nice way to put these garlands on that it would look so gorgeous. He was filled with devotion, the way he put that garland on. Quite often he would do that. Or he would put it on the picture of his spiritual master. Mostly he would put it on Radha and Krsna. It's not something I can explain now -- it was just so beautifully arranged, the way he put it on. He'd always ask when I gave him his garland, "These are our flowers?" And I would say, "Yes," and he would say, "Ah, very nice." He was always very pleased to receive home-grown things. And when they served him vegetables, they would always tell him whatever was grown on the property. On morning walks he would walk down the road. There's a big tree there. He would walk down to there and back. One time he went down to see our preaching boat. He went on board and looked at it and then came back. He liked that. Sometimes he would walk out to the goshalla and see how the cows were and see how the goshalla was developing. He'd go out to inspect the land for the temple. Then he would come straight back in from his morning walk, into the temple and take darsana of the Deities and then go and sit down and accept guru-puja. One thing he was very strict about was that all of the guru-parampara on the altar had garlands. He refused to accept his garland unless the whole guru-parampara had garlands. This happened once or twice: the garlands hadn't been made in time or for some reason the garlands weren't there for the parampara. Sesa: Did he ever say anything special about the Deities here? Anakadundubhi: Jananivasa told me that once he commented that They're the most renounced Deities in ISKCON, because when They were first here in Mayapur They were standing on bricks covered with a cloth, in a straw hut. But these were the Deities which were at a pandal when it was the first time Srila Prabhupada chanted "Jaya Radha-Madhava." At that time he cried. Our Deities are named Radha-Madhava, and he cried so much that his eyes literally squirted water like syringes. And then he stopped chanting for some time and then he said, "Just chant Hare Krsna." Once or twice he did that here also. He stopped for a few moments, and then he would start talking again. He was always very pleased when the Deities were decorated with a lot of flowers. One day when he first came, he saw that the whole temple was covered with flowers, garlands on every pillar and post, banana trees and everything. He said, "This is a sure sign that Krsna is smiling." Every year when Srila Prabhupada would come, we would post men on the roof to see whether the cars were coming. One year our kirtana party went right up to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's samadhi, which is about a mile up the road at least, and we waited with a kirtana party until he came, and then we followed him all the way back. The year when the gate was completed, we made a big, big garland right across the gate, about fifteen to twenty feet long. We stretched this big, fat garland across the gateway, and then Bhavananda Maharaja stood there with a cushion with a pair of scissors on it. Srila Prabhupada came in his car and he had to stop and cut the garland. It was very wonderful. The gate swung open, and this whole kirtana following Prabhupada surged through the gate. Prabhupada had an orange silk umbrella we were holding above his head, because the sun was very hot as he was walking. Then we all went down to the temple. Srila Prabhupada in Mayapur The whole land was covered with flowers, and then the gateway was decorated with banana trees and flower garlands, and the women stood up above, and as Prabhupada went in the door they showered him with rose petals and flowers. And when he went in, the whole temple was covered in flowers. There were garlands hanging from all the ceilings -- strings of mango leaves and banana leaves. Everywhere there was incense in clay pots and dabs at every post. It was gorgeous. He was very pleased. That's when he said Krsna was smiling.

This is a story from Krsna Book, chapter 64 where Lord Balarama is coming back to Vrindavan after being in Dwaraka for a long time. He is coming to visit His parents and the residents of Vrindavan who have greatly missed Him... Lord Balarāma became very anxious to see His father and mother in Vṛndāvana. Therefore, with great enthusiasm He started on a chariot for Vṛndāvana. The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana had been anxious to see Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma for a very long time. When Lord Balarāma returned to Vṛndāvana, all the cowherd boys and the gopīs had grown up; but still, on His arrival, they all embraced Him, and Balarāma embraced them in reciprocation. After this He came before Mahārāja Nanda and Yaśodā and offered His respectful obeisances. In response, Mother Yaśodā and Nanda Mahārāja offered their blessings unto Him. They addressed Him as Jagadīśvara, or the Lord of the universe who maintains everyone. The reason for this was that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma maintain all living entities. And yet Nanda and Yaśodā were put into such difficulties on account of Their absence. Feeling like this, they embraced Balarāma and, seating Him on their laps, began their perpetual crying, wetting Balarāma with their tears. Lord Balarāma then offered His respectful obeisances to the elderly cowherd men and accepted the obeisances of the younger cowherd men. Thus, according to their different ages and relationships, Lord Balarāma exchanged feelings of friendship with them. He shook hands with those who were His equals in age and friendship and with loud laughing embraced each one of them. Lord Balaram After being received by the cowherd men and boys, the gopīs, and King Nanda and Yaśodā, Lord Balarāma sat down, feeling satisfied, and they all surrounded Him. First Lord Balarāma inquired from them about their welfare, and then, since they had not seen Him for such a long time, they began to ask Him different questions. The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana had sacrificed everything for Kṛṣṇa, simply being captivated by the lotus eyes of the Lord. Because of their great desire to love Kṛṣṇa, they never desired anything like elevation to the heavenly planets or merging into the effulgence of Brahman to become one with the Absolute Truth. They were not even interested in enjoying a life of opulence, but were satisfied in living a simple life in the village as cowherds. They were always absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa and did not desire any personal benefits, and they were all so much in love with Him that in His absence their voices faltered when they began to inquire from Balarāmajī. First Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodāmāyī inquired, “My dear Balarāma, are our friends like Vasudeva and others in the family doing well? Now You and Kṛṣṇa are grown-up married men with children. In the happiness of family life, do You sometimes remember Your poor father and mother, Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā-devī? It is very good news that the most sinful King Kaṁsa has been killed by You and that our friends like Vasudeva and the others who had been harassed have now been relieved. It is also very good news that You and Kṛṣṇa defeated Jarāsandha and Kālayavana, who is now dead, and that You are now living in a fortified residence in Dvārakā.” When the gopīs arrived, Lord Balarāma glanced over them with loving eyes. Being overjoyed, the gopīs, who had so long been mortified on account of Kṛṣṇa’s and Balarāma’s absence, began to ask about the welfare of the two brothers. They specifically asked Balarāma whether Kṛṣṇa was enjoying His life surrounded by the enlightened women of Dvārakā Purī. “Does He sometimes remember His father Nanda and His mother Yaśodā and the other friends with whom He so intimately behaved while in Vṛndāvana? Does Kṛṣṇa have any plans to come here to see His mother, Yaśodā, and does He remember us gopīs, who are now pitiably bereft of His company? Kṛṣṇa may have forgotten us in the midst of the cultured women of Dvārakā, but as far as we are concerned, we still remember Him by collecting flowers and sewing them into garlands. When He does not come, however, we simply pass our time by crying. If only He would come here and accept these garlands we have made. Dear Lord Balarāma, descendant of Dāśārha, You know that we would give up everything for Kṛṣṇa’s friendship. Even in great distress one cannot give up the connection of family members, but although it might be impossible for others, we gave up our fathers, mothers, sisters and relatives. But then Kṛṣṇa, without caring a pinch for our renunciation, all of a sudden renounced us and went away. He broke off our intimate relationship without serious consideration and left for a foreign country. But He was so clever and cunning that He manufactured very nice words. He said, ‘My dear gopīs, please do not worry. The service you have rendered Me is impossible for Me to repay.’ After all, we are women, so how could we disbelieve Him? Now we can understand that His sweet words were simply for cheating us.” Protesting Kṛṣṇa’s absence from Vṛndāvana, another gopī said, “My dear Balarāmajī, we are of course village girls, so Kṛṣṇa could cheat us in that way, but what about the women of Dvārakā? Don’t think they are as foolish as we are! We village women might be misled by Kṛṣṇa, but the women in the city of Dvārakā are very clever and intelligent. Therefore I would be surprised if such city women could be misled by Kṛṣṇa and could believe His words.” Then another gopī began to speak. “My dear friend,” she said, “Kṛṣṇa is very clever in using words. No one can compete with Him in that art. He can manufacture such colorful words and talk so sweetly that the heart of any woman would be misled. Besides that, He has perfected the art of smiling very attractively, and by seeing His smile women become mad after Him and give themselves to Him without hesitation.” Another gopī, after hearing this, said, “My dear friends, what is the use of talking about Kṛṣṇa? If you are at all interested in passing time by talking, let us talk on some subject other than Him. If cruel Kṛṣṇa can pass His time without us, why can’t we pass our time without Kṛṣṇa? Of course, Kṛṣṇa is passing His days without us very happily, but we cannot pass our days happily without Him.” When the gopīs were talking in this way, their feelings for Kṛṣṇa became more and more intense, and they were experiencing Kṛṣṇa’s smiling, Kṛṣṇa’s words of love, Kṛṣṇa’s attractive features, Kṛṣṇa’s characteristics and Kṛṣṇa’s embraces. By the force of their ecstatic feelings, it appeared to them that Kṛṣṇa was personally present and dancing before them. Because of their sweet remembrance of Kṛṣṇa, they could not check their tears, and they began to cry without consideration. Lord Balarāma, of course, could understand the ecstatic feelings of the gopīs, and therefore He wanted to pacify them. He was expert in presenting an appeal, and thus, treating the gopīs very respectfully, He began to narrate the stories of Kṛṣṇa so tactfully that the gopīs became satisfied. To keep the gopīs in Vṛndāvana satisfied, Lord Balarāma stayed there continuously for two months, namely the months of Caitra (March–April) and Vaiśākha (April–May). For those two months He kept Himself among the gopīs, and He passed every night with them in the forest of Vṛndāvana to satisfy their desire for conjugal love. Thus Balarāma also enjoyed the rāsa dance with the gopīs during those two months. Since the season was springtime, the breeze on the bank of the Yamunā was blowing very mildly, carrying the aroma of different flowers, especially the flower known as kaumudī. Moonlight filled the sky and spread everywhere, and thus the banks of the Yamunā appeared very bright and pleasing, and Lord Balarāma enjoyed the company of the gopīs there. Sri Krishna Rasayatra The demigod known as Varuṇa sent his daughter Vāruṇī in the form of liquid honey oozing from the hollows of the trees. Because of this honey the whole forest became aromatic, and the sweet aroma of the liquid honey, vāruṇī, captivated Balarāmajī. Balarāmajī and all the gopīs became very much attracted by the taste of the vāruṇī, and all of them drank it together. While drinking this natural beverage, all the gopīs chanted the glories of Lord Balarāma, and Lord Balarāma felt very happy, as if He had become intoxicated by drinking that vāruṇī beverage. His eyes rolled in a pleasing attitude. He was decorated with long garlands of forest flowers, and the whole situation appeared to be a great function of happiness because of this transcendental bliss. Lord Balarāma smiled beautifully, and the drops of perspiration decorating His face appeared like soothing morning dew. While Balarāma was in that happy mood, He desired to enjoy the company of the gopīs in the water of the Yamunā. Therefore He called the Yamunā to come nearby. But the Yamunā neglected the order of Balarāmajī, considering Him intoxicated. Lord Balarāma became very much displeased at the Yamunā’s neglecting His order. He immediately wanted to scratch the land near the river with His plowshare. Lord Balarāma has two weapons, a plow and a club, from which He takes service when they are required. This time He wanted to bring the Yamunā by force, and He took the help of His plow. He wanted to punish the Yamunā because she did not come in obedience to His order. He addressed the Yamunā, “You wretched river! You did not care for My order. Now I shall teach you a lesson! You did not come to Me voluntarily. Now with the help of My plow I shall force you to come. I shall divide you into hundreds of scattered streams!” When the Yamunā was threatened like this, she became greatly afraid of the power of Balarāma and immediately came in person, falling at His lotus feet and praying thus: “My dear Balarāma, You are the most powerful personality, and You are pleasing to everyone. Unfortunately, I forgot Your glorious, exalted position, but now I have come to my senses, and I remember that You hold all the planetary systems on Your head merely by Your partial expansion Śeṣa. You are the sustainer of the whole universe. My dear Supreme Personality of Godhead, You are full with six opulences. Because I forgot Your omnipotence, I have mistakenly disobeyed Your order, and thus I have become a great offender. But, my dear Lord, please know that I am a soul surrendered unto You, who are very affectionate to Your devotees. Therefore please excuse my impudence and mistakes, and, by Your causeless mercy, may You now release me.” Yamuna begging Balaram for mercy Upon displaying this submissive attitude, the Yamunā was forgiven, and when she came nearby, Lord Balarāma enjoyed the pleasure of swimming in her waters along with the gopīs in the same way that an elephant enjoys himself along with his many she-elephants. After a long time, when Lord Balarāma had enjoyed to His full satisfaction, He came out of the water, and immediately a goddess of fortune offered Him a nice blue garment and a valuable necklace made of gold. After bathing in the Yamunā, Lord Balarāma, dressed in blue garments and decorated with golden ornaments, looked very attractive to everyone. Lord Balarāma’s complexion is white, and when He was properly dressed He looked exactly like the white elephant of King Indra in the heavenly planets. The river Yamunā still has many small branches due to being scratched by the plowshare of Lord Balarāma. And all these branches of the river Yamunā still glorify the omnipotence of Lord Balarāma. Lord Balarāma and the gopīs enjoyed transcendental pastimes together every night for two months, and time passed so quickly that all those nights appeared to be only one night. In the presence of Lord Balarāma, all the gopīs and other inhabitants of Vṛndāvana became as cheerful as they had been before in the presence of both brothers, Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma. Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the sixty-fifth chapter of Kṛṣṇa, “Lord Balarāma Visits Vṛndāvana.”

This is a prayer composed by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada upon his arrival to Boston Harbor, on September 18th, 1965. The poem is written in Bengali. It is a heartfelt request to Lord Krishna for guidance and strength to fulfill the instruction of his spiritual master Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. Srila Prabhupada was instructed to preach the message of Srimad Bhagavatam to the Western world. With only a few rupees, a pair of kartals and few sets of 3-volume Bhagavatams, he arrived in the USA. Although it seems like he had nothing, he had the most important thing that the whole western world didn't even know it was greatly lacking. He had full faith in Lord Krishna and his spiritual master and the knowledge of Bhagavata Dharma. This poem is a perfect example of the humble attitude and full renunciation of a pure devotee. We should aim to achieve such attitue. Please listen to his humble prayers... Mārkine Bhāgavata-dharma baro-kṛpā kaile kṛṣṇa adhamer prati ki lāgiyānile hethā koro ebe gati My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, You are so kind upon this useless soul, but I do not know why You have brought me here. Now You can do whatever You like with me. āche kichu kārja taba ei anumāne nahe keno āniben ei ugra-sthāne But I guess You have some business here, otherwise why would You bring me to this terrible place? rajas tamo guṇe erā sabāi ācchanna bāsudeb-kathā ruci nahe se prasanna Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of ignorance and passion. Absorbed in material life, they think themselves very happy and satisfied, and therefore they have no taste for the transcendental message of Vāsudeva. I do not know how they will be able to understand it. tabe jadi taba kṛpā hoy ahaitukī sakal-i sambhava hoy tumi se kautukī But I know Your causeless mercy can make everything possible, because You are the most expert mystic. ki bhāve bujhāle tārā bujhe sei rasa eta kṛpā koro prabhu kori nija-baśa How will they understand the mellows of devotional service? O Lord, I am simply praying for Your mercy so that I will be able to convince them about Your message. tomāra icchāya saba hoy māyā-baśa tomāra icchāya nāśa māyār paraśa All living entities have come under the control of the illusory energy by Your will, and therefore, if You like, by Your will they can also be released from the clutches of illusion. taba icchā hoy jadi tādera uddhār bujhibe niścai tabe kathā se tomār I wish that You may deliver them. Therefore if You so desire their deliverance, then only will they be able to understand Your message. bhāgavater kathā se taba avatār dhīra haiyā śune jadi kāne bār bār The words of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are Your incarnation, and if a sober person repeatedly receives it with submissive aural reception, then he will be able to understand Your message. śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt satām naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye ceta etair anāviddhaṁ sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ mukta-saṅgasya jāyate bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi dṛṣṭa evātmanīśvare It is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.17–21): “Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who relishes His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted. By regularly hearing the Bhāgavatam and rendering service unto the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is practically destroyed, and loving service unto the glorious Lord, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact. At the time loving service is established in the heart, the modes of passion [rajas] and ignorance [tamas] and lust and desire [kāma] disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness and he becomes happy. Thus established in the mode of goodness, the man rejuvenated by loving service to the Lord gains liberation from material association [mukti] and comes to know scientifically of the Personality of Godhead. Thus the knots of the heart and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions [karma] is terminated when one sees the Self as master.” rajas tamo hate tabe pāibe nistār hṛdayer abhadra sab ghucibe tāhār He will become liberated from the influence of the modes of ignorance and passion and thus all inauspicious things accumulated in the core of the heart will disappear. ki ko’re bujhābo kathā baro sei cāhi khudra āmi dīna hīna kono śakti nāhi How will I make them understand this message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified, and the most fallen. Therefore I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own. athaca enecho prabhu kathā bolibāre je tomār icchā prabhu koro ei bāre Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about You. Now, my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure, as You like. akhila jagat-guru! bacana se āmār alaṅkṛta koribār khamatā tomār O spiritual master of all the worlds! I can simply repeat Your message, so if You like You can make my power of speaking suitable for their understanding. taba kṛpā ha’le mor kathā śuddha habe śuniyā sabāra śoka duḥkha je ghucibe Only by Your causeless mercy will my words become pure. I am sure that when this transcendental message penetrates their hearts, they will certainly feel engladdened and thus become liberated from all unhappy conditions of life. āniyācho jadi prabhu āmāre nācāte nācāo nācāo prabhu nacāo se-mate kāṣṭhera puttali jathā nācāo se-mate O Lord, I am just like a puppet in Your hands. So if You have brought me here to dance, then make me dance, make me dance, O Lord, make me dance as You like. bhakti nāi beda nāi nāme khub daro “bhaktivedānta” nām ebe sārthak koro I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge, but I have strong faith in the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. I have been designated as Bhaktivedanta, and now, if You like, You can fulfill the real purport of Bhaktivedanta. Signed – the most unfortunate, insignificant beggar A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, on board the ship Jaladuta, Commonwealth Pier, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. dated 18th of September, 1965