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Here is an excerpt from the upcoming biography of Srila Prabhupada, Bhaktivedanta , compiled and edited by His Grace Purujit Dasa. Image fron: Bhakti vedanta According to the Hindu conception of life, even if there is some misunderstanding between husband and wife, it is not taken very seriously. Canakya Pandita says, aja-yuddhe muni-sraddhe prabhate megha-dumbare dampatih kalahe caiva bambharambhe laghu-kriya “Fighting of the goats, sraddha ceremonies performed by the sages in the forest, rumbling of the clouds early in the morning, and a fight between husband and wife should not be taken seriously.” Srila Prabhupada explains: “Aja-yuddhe, when there is fighting between two goats, they are initially very serious about fighting, but if somebody comes and claps his hands, they disperse, and the fighting stops. So, if you see there are two goats fighting, you don’t care for it. Similarly, if there is muni-sraddhe, a ceremony observed by some sages in the jungle, what do they have? Some leaves and flowers. That’s all. What elaborate arrangement can they make? And if there is prabhate megha-dambare, the thundering sound of the cloud in the morning, one may know that there will be no rain, and if there is rain, it will be a drop only, although there may be very great rumbling. These are some of the rules. And similarly, if there is dam-pate kalahe, war between husband and wife, it is to be taken as insignificant. The next moment, they will live peacefully again. Let them fight. It will stop automatically. The show will be very big, but the result will be nil. They will scream at each other, ‘Never come to me! I shall not see your face! If you come, I shall kill you!’ And so on, but they are talking the next moment. Even Mahatma Gandhi wrote in his biography about how he fought with his wife. At one point, he pushed her out of the house and said: “Get out. I don’t want you.” His wife Kasturabhai then began to cry on the street, “Where shall I go? You have driven me away.” Gandhi then called her back, and that was the end of the argument. In India, if there is quarrel between husband and wife, nobody takes it very seriously. The husband may complain, the wife may complain, but everyone will tell them, ‘Yes, yes. That’s all right. It will be all right.’ They never go to court for divorce. I have seen that even if they divorce, the husband is still anxious for the wife, and the wife is anxious for the husband, so the idea of divorce is artificial. The combination of husband and wife cannot be cut off. Even if there is some misunderstanding, they should not go to the court to file for divorce. They should tolerate. These are some of the rules for spiritual advancement. According to Indian culture, once married, there is no question of divorce. Both the husband and wife would not even dream of divorce because the love was so strong. They were combined as life companions. Even if the husband becomes diseased and paralyzed, the wife cannot give him up. “Oh, he is my husband.” Similarly, even if the wife becomes diseased or so many things, the husband and wife are combined for life. Whenever there are men and women, there must be fighting. That is individuality, but if you don’t give them any seriousness, they’ll mitigate. That is the process. In the Western countries, in the name of liberty, so many family lives are dismantled simply by these divorce laws, but according to Vedic civilization, there is no divorce. Once united, it cannot be disunited in any condition of life. Why divorce? Divorce kills the whole family life. The children go away; the father goes away; the mother goes away. I have seen so many cases. So, previously, there was no question of divorce. So, even if the husband and wife fight and it becomes a very serious thing, don’t think of it as serious. This is the Hindu philosophy. I was very young when I got married, and my wife was only 11 years old, but there was no question of separation in our marriage, neither will the girl ever be separated from the boy; that is their vow. The fighting must be there, but that does not mean separation. I fought with my wife all along, yes, but there was no question of separation. One must be responsible. Marriage is not a joke. The modern, so-called advanced boys and girls are now after divorce. My wife never thought of any other man; nor did I think of any other woman. Although we fought. Fighting is natural, but this is not fighting. It is a fight of love.” thought of any other man; nor did I think of any other woman. Although we fought. Fighting is natural, but this is not fighting. It is a fight of love.” ( BHAKTIVEDANTA , Chapter "The Wife of a Pure Devotee")

This is a story from Krishna book, chapter 52. In the previous chapter, due to his haterd of Krishna, Rukmini's elder brother had arranged that she will marry Śiśupāla. Now, Rukmini thinks that there is no one greater than Krishna and she wants to marry Him. She is sending Krishna a message saying that she doesn't want to marry Śiśupāla. Sheis asking Him to kidnap her on her way home from the temple, where she and her family were doing a ritual for the blessing of Goddess Durga, for the marriage that should take place the next day... After hearing Rukmiṇī’s statement, Lord Kṛṣṇa was very much pleased. He immediately shook hands with the brāhmaṇa and said, “My dear brāhmaṇa, I am very glad to hear that Rukmiṇī is eager to marry Me, since I am also eager to get her hand. My mind is always absorbed in thoughts of the daughter of Bhīṣmaka, and sometimes I cannot sleep at night because I am thinking of her. I can understand that the marriage of Rukmiṇī with Śiśupāla has been arranged by her elder brother in a spirit of animosity toward Me; so I am determined to give a good lesson to all of these princes. Just as one extracts and uses fire after manipulating ordinary wood, after dealing with these demoniac princes I shall bring forth Rukmiṇī, like fire, from their midst.” Kṛṣṇa, upon being informed of the specific date of Rukmiṇī’s marriage, was anxious to leave immediately. He asked His driver, Dāruka, to harness the horses for His chariot and prepare to go to the kingdom of Vidarbha. After hearing this order, the driver brought Kṛṣṇa’s four special horses. The names and descriptions of these horses are mentioned in the Padma Purāṇa. The first one, Śaibya, was greenish; the second, Sugrīva, was grayish like ice; the third, Meghapuṣpa, was the color of a new cloud; and the last, Balāhaka, was of ashen color. When the horses were yoked and the chariot was ready to go, Kṛṣṇa helped the brāhmaṇa up and gave him a seat by His side. Immediately they started from Dvārakā and within one night arrived at the province of Vidarbha. The kingdom of Dvārakā is situated in the western part of India, and Vidarbha is situated in the northern part. They are separated by a distance of not less than one thousand miles, but the horses were so fast that they reached their destination, a town called Kuṇḍina, within one night or, at most, twelve hours. King Bhīṣmaka was not enthusiastic about handing his daughter over to Śiśupāla, but he was obliged to accept the marriage settlement due to his affectionate attachment for his eldest son, who had negotiated it. As a matter of duty, the king was decorating the city for the marriage ceremony and acting in great earnestness to make it very successful. Water was sprinkled all over the streets, and the city was cleansed very nicely. Since India is situated in the tropical zone, the atmosphere is always dry. Dust always accumulates on the streets and roads, so they must be sprinkled with water at least once a day, and in big cities like Calcutta twice a day. The roads of Kuṇḍina were arrayed with colored flags and festoons, and gates were constructed at particular crossings. The whole city was decorated very nicely. The beauty of the city was enhanced by the inhabitants, both men and women, who were dressed in fresh, washed clothes and decorated with sandalwood pulp, pearl necklaces and flower garlands. Incense burned everywhere, and fragrances like aguru scented the air. Priests and brāhmaṇas were sumptuously fed and, according to ritualistic ceremony, were given sufficient wealth and cows in charity. In this way, they were engaged in chanting Vedic hymns. The king’s daughter, Rukmiṇī, was exquisitely beautiful. She was very clean and had beautiful teeth. The auspicious sacred thread was tied on her wrist. She was given various types of jewelry to wear and long silken cloth to cover the upper and lower parts of her body. Learned priests gave her protection by chanting mantras from the Sāma Veda, Ṛg Veda and Yajur Veda. Then they chanted mantras from the Atharva Veda and offered oblations in the fire to pacify the influence of different stars. King Bhīṣmaka was experienced in dealing with brāhmaṇas and priests when such ceremonies were held. He specifically honored the brāhmaṇas by giving them large quantities of gold and silver, grain mixed with molasses, and cows decorated with cloth and ornaments. Damaghoṣa, Śiśupāla’s father, executed all kinds of ritualistic performances to invoke good fortune for his son. Śiśupāla’s father was known as Damaghoṣa due to his superior ability to cut down unregulated citizens. Dama means curbing down, and ghoṣa means famous; so he was famous for controlling the citizens. Damaghoṣa thought that if Kṛṣṇa came to disturb the marriage ceremony, he would certainly cut Him down with his military power. Therefore, after performing the various auspicious ceremonies, Damaghoṣa gathered his military divisions. He took many elephants garlanded with golden necklaces, and many similarly decorated chariots and horses. It appeared that Damaghoṣa, along with his son and other companions, was going to Kuṇḍina not exactly to get Śiśupāla married but mainly to fight. When King Bhīṣmaka learned that Damaghoṣa and his party were arriving, he left the city to receive them. Outside the city gate were many gardens where guests were welcome to stay. In the Vedic system of marriage, the bride’s father receives the large party of the bridegroom and accommodates them in a suitable place for two or three days until the marriage ceremony is performed. The party led by Damaghoṣa contained thousands of men, among whom the prominent kings and personalities were Jarāsandha, Dantavakra, Vidūratha and Pauṇḍraka. It was an open secret that Rukmiṇī was meant to be married to Kṛṣṇa but that her elder brother Rukmī had arranged her marriage to Śiśupāla. There was also some whispering about a rumor that Rukmiṇī had sent a messenger to Kṛṣṇa; therefore the soldiers suspected that Kṛṣṇa might cause a disturbance by attempting to kidnap Rukmiṇī. Even though they were not without fear, they were all prepared to give Kṛṣṇa a good fight to prevent the girl from being taken away. Śrī Balarāma received the news that Kṛṣṇa had left for Kuṇḍina accompanied only by a brāhmaṇa and that Śiśupāla was there with a large number of soldiers. Balarāma suspected that they would attack Kṛṣṇa, and thus out of great affection for His brother He took strong military divisions of chariots, infantry, horses and elephants and went to the precincts of Kuṇḍina. Meanwhile, inside the palace, Rukmiṇī was expecting Kṛṣṇa to arrive, but when neither He nor the brāhmaṇa who took her message appeared, she was full of anxiety and began to think how unfortunate she was. “There is only one night between today and my marriage day, and still neither the brāhmaṇa nor Śyāmasundara has returned. I cannot ascertain any reason for this.” Having little hope, she thought that perhaps Kṛṣṇa had found reason to become dissatisfied and had rejected her fair proposal. As a result, the brāhmaṇa might have become disappointed and not come back. Although she was thinking of various causes for the delay, she expected them both at any moment. Princess Rukmini anxiously awaits Krishnas arrival Rukmiṇī further thought that demigods such as Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and Goddess Durgā might have been displeased. It is generally said that the demigods become angry when not properly worshiped. For instance, when Indra found that the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana were not worshiping him (Kṛṣṇa having stopped the Indra-yajña), he became angry and wanted to chastise them. Thus Rukmiṇī thought that since she did not worship Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā very much, they might have become angry and tried to frustrate her plan. Similarly she thought that Goddess Durgā, the wife of Lord Śiva, might have taken the side of her husband. Lord Śiva is known as Rudra, and his wife is known as Rudrāṇī. Rudrāṇī and Rudra refer to those who are accustomed to putting others in distress to cry forever. Rukmiṇī was thinking of Goddess Durgā as Girijā, the daughter of the Himalayan Mountains. The Himalayan Mountains are very cold and hard, and she thought of Goddess Durgā as hardhearted and cold. In her anxiety to see Kṛṣṇa, Rukmiṇī, who was after all still a child, thought this way about the different demigods. The gopīs worshiped Goddess Kātyāyanī to get Kṛṣṇa as their husband; similarly Rukmiṇī was thinking of the various types of demigods not for material benefit but in respect to Kṛṣṇa. Praying to the demigods to achieve the favor of Kṛṣṇa is not irregular, and Rukmiṇī was fully absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa. Even though she pacified herself by thinking that the time for Govinda to arrive had not yet expired, Rukmiṇī felt that she was hoping against hope. Not expressing her mind to anyone, she simply shed tears, unobserved by others, and when her tears became more forceful, she closed her eyes in helplessness. While Rukmiṇī was in such deep thought, auspicious symptoms appeared in different parts of her body. Trembling began to occur in her left eyelid, arm and thigh. When trembling occurs in these parts of the body, it is an auspicious sign indicating that something lucrative can be expected. Just then, Rukmiṇī, full of anxiety, saw the brāhmaṇa messenger. Kṛṣṇa, being the Supersoul of all living beings, could understand Rukmiṇī’s anxiety; therefore He sent the brāhmaṇa inside the palace to let her know that He had arrived. When Rukmiṇī saw the brāhmaṇa, she could understand the auspicious trembling of her body and immediately became elated. She smiled and inquired whether Kṛṣṇa had already come. The brāhmaṇa replied that the son of the Yadu dynasty, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, had arrived; he further encouraged her by saying that Kṛṣṇa had promised to carry her away without fail. Rukmiṇī was so elated by the brāhmaṇa’s message that she wanted to give him in charity everything she possessed. However, finding nothing suitable for presentation, she simply offered him her respectful obeisances. The significance of offering respectful obeisances to a superior is that the one offering obeisances is obliged to the respected person. In other words, Rukmiṇī implied that she would remain ever grateful to the brāhmaṇa. Anyone who gets the favor of the goddess of fortune, as did this brāhmaṇa, is without a doubt always happy in material opulence. Princess Rukmini sees Krishnas messanger approaching When King Bhīṣmaka heard that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma had come, he invited Them to see the marriage ceremony of his daughter. Immediately he arranged to receive Them, along with Their soldiers, in a suitable garden house. As was the Vedic custom, the king offered Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma honey and fresh, washed garments. He was hospitable not only to Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and kings such as Jarāsandha but also to many other kings and princes according to their personal strength, age and material possessions. Out of curiosity and eagerness, the people of Kuṇḍina assembled before Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma to drink the nectar of Their beauty. With tearful eyes, they offered Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma their silent respects. They were very much pleased, considering Lord Kṛṣṇa the suitable match for Rukmiṇī. They were so eager to unite Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī that they prayed to the Personality of Godhead, “Our dear Lord, if we have performed any pious activities with which You are satisfied, kindly be merciful upon us and accept the hand of Rukmiṇī.” It appears that Rukmiṇī was a very popular princess, and all the citizens, out of intense love for her, prayed for her best fortune. In the meantime, Rukmiṇī, being very nicely dressed and protected by bodyguards, came out of the palace to visit the temple of Ambikā, Goddess Durgā. Deity worship in the temple has been in existence since the beginning of Vedic culture. There is a class of men described in the Bhagavad-gītā as veda-vāda-rata: they believe only in the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies but not in temple worship. Such foolish people may here take note that although this marriage of Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī took place more than five thousand years ago, there were arrangements for temple worship. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says, yānti deva-vratā devān: “The worshipers of the demigods attain the abodes of the demigods.” There were many people who worshiped the demigods and many who directly worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The system of demigod worship was directed mainly to Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Lord Gaṇeśa, the sun god and Goddess Durgā. Lord Śiva and Goddess Durgā were worshiped even by the royal families; other, minor demigods were worshiped by silly, lower-class people. As far as the brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas are concerned, they simply worship Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gītā the worship of demigods is condemned but not forbidden; there it is clearly stated that less intelligent men worship the demigods for material benefit. On the other hand, even though Rukmiṇī was the goddess of fortune, she went to the temple of Goddess Durgā because the family deity was worshiped there. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that as Rukmiṇī proceeded toward the temple of Goddess Durgā, within her heart she always thought of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore when Rukmiṇī went to the temple it was not with the intention of an ordinary person, who goes to beg for material benefits; her only goal was Kṛṣṇa. As Rukmiṇī proceeded toward the temple, she was silent and grave. Her mother and her girlfriends were by her side, and the wife of a brāhmaṇa was in the center; surrounding her were royal bodyguards. (This custom of a would-be bride’s going to the temple of a demigod is still practiced in India.) As the procession continued, various musical sounds were heard. Conch shells, drums such as paṇavas , and bugles of different sizes, such as tūryas and bherīs, combined to make a sound which was not only auspicious but very sweet to hear. Thousands of wives of respectable brāhmaṇas were present, all dressed very nicely with suitable ornaments. They presented Rukmiṇī with flower garlands, sandalwood pulp and a variety of colorful garments to assist her in worshiping Lord Śiva and Goddess Durgā. Some of these ladies were very old and knew perfectly well how to chant prayers to Goddess Durgā and Lord Śiva; so, followed by Rukmiṇī and others, they led these prayers before the deity. Rukmiṇī offered her prayers to the deity by saying, “My dear Goddess Durgā, I offer my respectful obeisances unto you as well as to your children.” Goddess Durgā has four famous children: two daughters – the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī, and the goddess of learning, Sarasvatī – and two sons, Lord Gaṇeśa and Lord Kārttikeya. They are all considered to be demigods and goddesses. Since Goddess Durgā is always worshiped with her famous children, Rukmiṇī specifically offered her respectful obeisances to the deity in that way; however, her prayers were special. Ordinary people pray to Goddess Durgā for material wealth, fame, profit, strength and so on; Rukmiṇī, however, desired to have Kṛṣṇa for her husband and therefore prayed that the deity be pleased with her and bless her with that benediction. Since she desired only Kṛṣṇa, her worship of the demigods is not condemned. While Rukmiṇī was praying, she presented a variety of items before the deity, chief of which were water, different kinds of flames, incense, garments, garlands and various foods prepared with ghee, such as purīs and kachaurīs. She also offered fruits, sugarcane, betel nuts and spices. With great devotion, Rukmiṇī offered them to the deity according to the regulative principles, directed by the old brāhmaṇa ladies. After this ritualistic ceremony, the ladies offered the remnants of the food to Rukmiṇī as prasādam, which she accepted with great respect. Then Rukmiṇī offered her obeisances to the ladies and to Goddess Durgā. After the business of deity worship was finished, Rukmiṇī caught hold of the hand of one of her girlfriends in her own hand, which was decorated with a jeweled ring, and left the temple in the company of the others. All the princes and visitors who came to Kuṇḍina for the marriage had assembled outside the temple to see Rukmiṇī. The princes were especially eager to see her because they all actually thought that they would have Rukmiṇī as their wife. Struck with wonder upon seeing Rukmiṇī, they thought she was especially manufactured by the Creator to bewilder all the great chivalrous princes. Her body was well constructed, the middle portion being thin. Her high hips were adorned with a jeweled locket, she had pink lips, and the beauty of her face was enhanced by her slightly scattered hair and by different kinds of earrings. The bodily luster and beauty of Rukmiṇī appeared as if painted by an artist perfectly presenting beauty following the descriptions of great poets. Rukmiṇī’s breasts are described as being somewhat high, indicating that she was just a youth not more than thirteen or fourteen years old. Her beauty was specifically intended to attract the attention of Kṛṣṇa. Although the princes gazed upon her beautiful features, she was not at all proud. Her eyes moved restlessly, and when she smiled very simply, like an innocent girl, her teeth appeared just like jasmine buds. Expecting Kṛṣṇa to take her away at any moment, she proceeded slowly toward her home. Her legs moved just like a full-grown swan, and her ankle bells tinkled mildly. The chivalrous princes assembled there were so overwhelmed by Rukmiṇī’s beauty that they became almost unconscious and fell from their horses and elephants. Full of lust, they hopelessly desired Rukmiṇī’s hand, comparing their own beauty to hers. Śrīmatī Rukmiṇī, however, was not interested in any of them; in her heart she was simply expecting Kṛṣṇa to come and carry her away. As she was adjusting the ornaments on a finger of her left hand, she happened to look upon the princes and suddenly saw that Kṛṣṇa was present amongst them. Although Rukmiṇī had never before seen Kṛṣṇa, she was always thinking of Him; thus she had no difficulty recognizing Him amongst the princely order. Kṛṣṇa, unconcerned with the other princes, immediately took the opportunity to place Rukmiṇī on His chariot, marked by a flag bearing an image of Garuḍa. He then proceeded slowly, without fear, taking Rukmiṇī away exactly as a lion takes a deer from the midst of jackals. Meanwhile, Balarāma appeared on the scene with the soldiers of the Yadu dynasty. Jarāsandha, who had many times experienced defeat by Kṛṣṇa, roared, “How is this? Kṛṣṇa is taking Rukmiṇī away from us without opposition! What is the use of our being chivalrous fighters with arrows? My dear princes, just look! We are losing our reputation. He is just like a jackal taking booty from a lion.” Krishna kidnaps Princess Rukmini Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the fifty-third chapter of Kṛṣṇa, “Kṛṣṇa Kidnaps Rukmiṇī.”

This is a lecture on the Bhagavad Gita as it is, Chapter 2, text 70 given by His Grace Purujit Dasa, the founder of B.L.I.S.S. apuryamanam acala-pratistham samudram apah pravisanti yadvat tadvat kama yam pravisanti sarve sa santim apnoti na kama-kami Bhagavat Gita as it is, Chapter 2 : Contents of the Gita Summarized, text 70 SYNONYMS apuryamanam—always filled; acala-pratistham—steadily situated; samudram—the ocean; apah—water; pravisanti—enter; yadvat—as; tadvat—so; kamah—desires; yam— unto one; pravisanti—enter; sarve—all; sah—that person; santim—peace; apnoti— achieves; na—not; kama-kami—one who desires to fulfill desires. TRANSLATION A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires—that enter like rivers into the ocean which is ever being filled but is always still—can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires. PURPORT Although the vast ocean is always filled with water, it is always, especially during the rainy season, being filled with much more water. But the ocean remains the same— steady; it is not agitated, nor does it cross beyond the limit of its brink. That is also true of a person fixed in Krsna consciousness. As long as one has the material body, the demands of the body for sense gratification will continue. The devotee, however, is not disturbed by such desires because of his fullness. A Krsna conscious man is not in need of anything because the Lord fulfills all his material necessities. Therefore he is like the ocean—always full in himself. Desires may come to him like the waters of the rivers that flow into the ocean, but he is steady in his activities, and he is not even slightly disturbed by desires for sense gratification. That is the proof of a Krsna conscious man—one who has lost all inclinations for material sense gratification, although the desires are present. Because he remains satisfied in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, he can remain steady, like the ocean, and therefore enjoy full peace. Others, however, who fulfill desires even up to the limit of liberation, what to speak of material success, never attain peace. The fruitive workers, the salvationists, and also the yogis who are after mystic powers, are all unhappy because of unfulfilled desires. But the person in Krsna consciousness is happy in the service of the Lord, and he has no desires to be fulfilled. In fact, he does not even desire liberation from the so-called material bondage. The devotees of Krsna have no material desires, and therefore they are in perfect peace. (end of purport) ''Ocean which is ever being filled but is always still —can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.” We're being bombarded by an incessant flow of desires. That is why we're in this material world. This body we have is the result of our desires, from our previous life. Just like studying in school, if you study very nicely, you do your homework, then, at the time of exam, you're going to pass the test. And if you slack off, if you're negligent, then you're gonna fail. Right? So we've been designing our current body in our previous life, by our meditation. People think, oh, I don't do meditation. It's not for me, I'm more of an active person, I want to move around, meditation is too boring. No. Everybody is meditating on something. If you do not meditate on Krishna, you meditate on money, you meditate on your girlfriend or boyfriend, you meditate on Mr. Putin, whatever, something. You have to absorb your mind. The mind is always looking for some subject, for some shelter. The mind cannot be inactive. This is a great misconception. People think that spiritual life or meditation means to stop the mind. The mind is constantly bringing all kinds of thoughts. Just like when we were chanting, now, just remember, how many thoughts passed your mind? We're thinking so many things, it is not so easy to just chant so many minutes or so many hours. So, you cannot stop the mind, this is not possible. Material objects like a drum do not have personality, like the spirit soul. So, when there is 'mine', there must be the 'I'. There must be the possessor. My body is that which is possessed. Just like sometimes they protest 'my body, my choice'. So if it's your body, then you must show, where's the 'I'? There must be the possessor, right? This place, this house, does not belong to no one. There is a proprietor. Similarly, there is a body and if you say this body is mine, there must be the possessor. Can you show me where the possessor is? Where is the possessor? If I chop off my hand and throw it in the garbage, am I in the garbage? Or is my hand in the garbage? If I take my hand, if I take my leg, my hair, ear, whatever, and I'm putting it in the garbage, I am not in the garbage. Right? So, from that I can understand that I am not this body. I am not the body. The body is the possessed, and I am the possessor. I am spiritual. Consciousness. We're all conscious here, right? Because you're conscious, you can hear me now, you can see me now. You can maybe smell some incense. The senses are picking up perceptions. But if I ask you if you can show me your consciousness - is there any way you can show me your consciousness? Why is the mind constantly thinking of something? Because the soul is ever active. The soul is the spiritual active principle in the body. And the mind is a subtle covering on the soul. The soul is you. When we say 'I', that is the soul. I say 'my body', 'my hand', 'my leg', 'my face', 'my mouth', 'my eye', 'my hair.' Not even the mind you can show me. But if I say that because you cannot show me your mind, that you have no mind, you're mindless, that is not logical. We have mind, you can perceive the mind. Sometimes the mind is disturbed and you cannot focus on reading a book. If a friend just died of suicide or something, you cannot read, you're always thinking of that friend. So the mind is disturbed. And sometimes the mind is very peaceful. You can perceive everything very clearly, you're not disturbed by anything, you're free. You feel no anxiety. So who is observing the mind? Obviously, it's not the mind. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to make the distinction between a peaceful state and a concentrated state of mind. So, the mind doesn't have to be killed or stopped. Simply the mind should be directed properly, to Krishna. Krishna, when we say Krishna, we don't mean an ordinary person, just like you and me. The mind is looking for the ultimate shelter, the ultimate. The mind is looking for the reservoir of all pleasure. Why we're disturbed, why we have thoughts, is because we're always looking for pleasure. But the pleasure in the material world doesn't last. There's a beginning, a middle and an end, that's it. The soul is eternal. Why is the soul eternal? How can we explain that the soul is eternal? What is the proof? When a person dies, you cannot revive his consciousness by any material means. Suppose we conclude that the consciousness is made of some neurons in the brain or some chemical composition in the body. If that is so, then you take the missing neurons and you adjust the situation in a way that the consciousness can continue. But they cannot do it. So you cannot revive consciousness. The body is always changing, but the soul remains. The soul doesn't die. The body dies, but the soul doesn't die. The body is actually dying every second. The moment you entered into this temple, your body died. You have replaced your body because the cells, the tiny little molecules that your body consists of, are constantly being replaced, rejuvenated, replaced, rejuvenated, trashed. The old cells are trashed, the new cells are developed. Like that. The change is so subtle that we cannot perceive the difference. But if you take a microscope, you will see there's a lot going on. So, we're dying every single moment. The body you had as a small baby, where is that now? Can you show me? That body is dead. It is practically dead. Because all the tiny elements that formed that body are gone. Your body consists of completely different cells. Everything is replaced. But you're still here, you're still aware, yes, I am such and such, I am living this life, I had a child body, now I have this body, in the future perhaps I'll have an old body. So you don't change, the body changes. Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, roams the pasturing grounds with his brother, Balarama, and the cows. The spirit soul is unique, unlike a brass gong which is made on a mass scale. Stand there, do nothing. There are some philosophers and certain spiritual movements, they aim to stop the activity and kill the mind. So, when you observe the child, you see he can stay there for a little while. But as soon as you turn your head, he will do some kind of mischief again. But if you engage the child positively, if you give him some crayons or something to draw, then he will not create mischief, and he will do something positive. So, this Krishna consciousness means you absorb the mind in Krishna. Krishna, we're coming back to Krishna. The gross body. The subtle body also changes, as I said, the mind is changing, undergoing different states of consciousness. The intelligence is changing. That is another subtle covering on the soul. It's like a small child, he's going to put his fingers into the electric socket. No intelligence. So the intelligence is developing, and you're observing, oh, my intelligence is developing. And the sense of identity, that's the most subtle covering on the atma, on the soul, it's called ahankara, false designation, sense of identity. We think “I'm such and such”. I'm this and that, I want to be this, I want to be that. Nowadays, especially, people are selecting different genders, different identities. So now, people can very much appreciate the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. Because this is all explained: we're not the body, we have nothing to do with any of these identities or genders. The soul is eternal, full of bliss, and full of knowledge. And right now, we have put on a dress, a bodily dress. Due to our material desires, we have created this body by our consciousness, and we are undergoing the different consequences and reactions of our previous activities. Even these desires that we have, the incessant flow of desires, they are also triggered by our previous activities, previous reactions, karmas. They don't come by accident. We think, “I desire, I want to do what I want”. But when you analyse that want, that want has been conditioned by reactions of causes and effects. So many. It is not that you desire by accident. We desire according to our association. If you associate with people who take intoxication, automatically, you will desire, oh, let me also smoke, let me also drink, let me try it out, you guys are all doing it, okay, I'm also going to try. We are social beings. We are very much affected by the association that we are situated in. Peer pressure. The association puts pressure on the individual. So, we cannot stop this flow of desires. It is just like when a child is very naughty. You tell Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As you can see there [points to picture of Krishna], this is the Bhagavan feature of Krishna. Krishna is the Absolute Truth. When we say God, that word God is not very nice. Because the word God refers to a controller. But there's so many controllers. You are also God, you are also a controller. You control a limited sphere in this material world, you control your life to a certain extent. That doesn't fully describe the Absolute. The Absolute Truth is everything within your experience and everything beyond your experience. So, because we have the experience of energy, then God must be energy. And because we have the experience of the energetic, the controller, the personality, the consciousness, like we were discussing before, then God also must be conscious and must be a person, just like you are a person, you are an individual, you are unique, there is no one else in this universe that is like you. This is the beauty of consciousness. It is unique, it is original. When you take material things, for example these instruments [points to kartals], they are made in a factory, mass scale, and they all look the same. The more we absorb ourselves in the material consciousness, the more we lose our originality, our uniqueness. And the more we come back to our spiritual consciousness, the more original and unique we become. We are already unique, but we're covering ourselves within the material designations. So, Krishna is brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate . He is the Supreme Personality. At the same time, he is the all pervading energy. Both. God is not complete without his potencies. You cannot separate God and His potencies or energies. So, we are also part and parcel of God. Tathasta sakti . We are the marginal potency of Krishna. Marginal means that we can choose, either we are situated in the material energy, matter, or we situate in the spiritual energy. When we take up Krishna consciousness, we practice Krishna consciousness- this 'Hare', when we say 'Hare Krishna', this word 'Hare' is the address to the spiritual energy of Krishna. We're asking for shelter: oh, spiritual energy, Radhe, Radha, please engage me in Your service. Please give me your shelter. So the marginal energy of Krishna, he can choose. Either he is in the spiritual energy, or he is serving in the material energy. His position is always to serve. Even a great powerful man, Mr. Biden or some very powerful politician, President, Prime Minister, he is also serving. Although he can control the whole country, he derives pleasure from service. When his grandchildren come, he puts them on his back and pretends that he is a horse, and the grandchildren have a good time. Why does he do that? Because service is pleasure. Service can be, of course, a very uncomfortable, horrible experience, when we serve out of force. But service is also the greatest expression, or the only expression, of love. If you love someone, you don't just say 'I love you, I love you'. You want to serve that person, you want to bring that person something that he or she likes. That is love. So, just imagine how pleasurable it is to serve God, serve Krishna. That is possible for the living entity if he serves Krishna, that automatically his desires are properly channelled, properly positioned. It is not selfish to serve Krishna, or to fulfill the desire of Krishna. At the same time, it is not dry renunciation, artificial renunciation: oh, I just stop all desires. Just like the devotees; they cook for Krishna. They've been working since early in the morning, preparing different foodstuffs for Krishna. Then they offer to Lord Chaitanya, they offer to Krishna. They are simply absorbed in Krishna's pleasure, not their own pleasure. We're thinking of our own pleasure. What will I eat today? Oh, I will choose this food and that food. Oh, I will relish so much. Oh, very nice. But they're thinking, 'what will Krishna relish tonight?' So they're thinking of Krishna's pleasure; it is not selfish. At the same time, their desires are automatically fulfilled because after Krishna takes the prasadam, all the devotees enjoy the remnants. This is the unique feature, the unique characteristic of Krishna consciousness or bhakti yoga as opposed to the other paths. We are not saying that you should cut out everything. Yes, you must cut. Because the material life is suffering, is bondage, we create so many unnecessary desires, and then we have to work very hard to fulfill them. And then we are being disappointed continuously, right? Why are we disappointed? Why are we depressed? Why are we having a bad time here? Because everything is temporary. You think it will last forever, this relationship, or this project or whatever. But then, because the nature of the material world is that it is temporary, we become disappointed. Why we're disappointed is because we are eternal, we're eternal souls, we want eternal pleasure, we want eternal relationships, we want unlimited pleasure. That is possible, with Krishna. When you connect with Krishna, desires are not cut. Instead, you desire for Krishna. And because you are part and parcel of Krishna, you are his tiny little energies, when Krishna enjoys, you also enjoy. You also enjoy, but you enjoy through Krishna. Just like you have different bodily parts. They have different functions. The hand is supposed to take food and put it in the mouth. If you put the foodstuff in some other hole, eye or ear or nose, you will not be happy. It must go into the mouth. From the mouth that goes to the stomach, and it is distributed all over the body. And it goes to the finger as well. The finger is nourished very nicely. The finger is part and parcel of the body. It is not the whole body, but it's part and parcel of the body. If the finger wants to take the food directly through the skin, it will be frustrated. That's not how it works. He must put it in the mouth and it goes to the stomach. It is distributed, and the nourishment goes into the finger. So similarly, we don't have to stop enjoyment. But enjoy through Krishna. Enjoy through Krishna, always think of Krishna first, then automatically you become the greatest yogi and the greatest renunciant. No amount of temptation will be able to take you down. Krishna says, the wise person doesn't engage in the pleasures of the senses, knowing well that they don't last. These pleasures, they don't last. We're very much foolish, because we always fall for this cheating of illusory potency. The illusory energy Māyā is trying to delude us, always. 'Come enjoy with me, it's going to be fine. It's going to be wonderful. It will be eternal. The pleasure will be eternal'. But every time we fall for it, we realise that no, I got cheated again. Again, I'm miserable. So a wise person, a devotee of Krishna, is not cheated like this. He will not engage in this temporary activity because he knows what the result will be: simply disappointment. But at the same time, he's not a dry renunciant. All these people trying to isolate themselves, going to the Himalayas, to the forest etc, they think, 'now I'll be free from any material temptation. I will simply isolate myself, go to the jungle, go to the Himalayas, or close myself in a temple'. Our temple is not an ordinary temple. The devotees go every day and they try to spread Krishna consciousness. They try to bring others. Come and enjoy, let us enjoy together with Krishna. There are people who think that temple life means I close myself off, and I condemn the world, the world is all nonsense, it's simply frustration. So I'll cut myself off, I will give up the material world. There's a particular philosopher, Sripada Sankaracharya, who says brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. He says the absolute is the truth, but this material world is illusion. We don't say that this world is illusion, because again, it is the energy of Krishna. Because Krishna is real, Krishna is a reality, is the truth, this world is also real, but it is temporary. Just like if you take a shadow, you cannot take so much advantage from a shadow as from reality. If I want to embrace a beautiful girl and I try to embrace the shadow, I will not be very satisfied. Our soul is passing through many bodies even in this lifetime. Lord Caitanya's Sankirtan party Like slides in a film, the body appears continuous, but it is always changing. Similarly, this material world is like a shadow reflection of the spiritual varieties in Krishna. But because it is a shadow, it gives us little hints of the substance. Just like a shadow, you can see there's some similarity. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada gave us this Bhagavad Gita in the English language so we can become free from lifetimes of misidentification with the material body. Why do you need this human body? You get a nice tiger body, you can enjoy meat without any restriction. Raw. You don't have to cook. You don't like to cook? Okay. Take the body of a tiger. You want unlimited sex life, 100 times every day? The human body is not meant for this purpose. In the Bible it is mentioned that man has been created in God's image. So, this is a hint. God has a similar form as you have. But at the same time, your form cannot be compared to God's form. brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate . Although Krishna is a person, individual, through his energies he expands simultaneously everywhere. This is the sublime philosophy of Lord Chaitanya. Here you see in this picture, [points to Pancha Tattva] this is Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu with his four associates. He is the last appearance of Krishna in this world; he appeared 500 years ago in West Bengal to start the Sankirtan movement. This is a special moment. We're trying to become Krishna conscious through Sankirtan. Sankirtan means congregational chanting of the holy name of Krishna. Lord Chaitanya also gave a very deep philosophy: one of his philosophical doctrines is called acintya bheda-and-abheda-tattva . That means that God is inconceivably one and different, simultaneously, from his creation. He is everywhere, this is all the energy of God. If someone says that God is everything, yes, that is true. But simultaneously, he is Krishna, residing in the spiritual world, enjoying His transcendental pastimes with his associates in Goloka Vrindavan. The planet of cows, transcendental world. At the same time, he's there. Just like a big politician or a big entrepreneur like Jeff Bezoz. He is everywhere, all around Amazon. His policy is being followed. Right? So he's all pervading by his energy, by his policies. But at the same time, Mr. Bezos is not present in every Amazon factory. He is not there. He is sipping a nice cocktail in Hawaii. He is enjoying. He is not working at Amazon. So it is like that with Krishna also. He is all pervading. He's present by His energy everywhere, and at the same time, He's completely aloof. He is not affected. He is not attached to the material world. We're attached because we want material enjoyment. So Krishna gives us. You can enjoy whatever you like. You like to eat meat? Okay, become a tiger. The human body is meant for self realisation. So, take the body of a pigeon. Pigeons have sex life 300 times every day. So, Krishna is simply fulfilling our desires. That's why a wise person wants to stop these desires and an even wiser person, he dovetails his desires in the service of Krishna, then he automatically becomes the topmost transcendentalist. Otherwise, Prabhupada says here, that because the person who wants to get liberation wants freedom from desires, he is not engaged in the service of fulfilling Krishna's desire. He's also frustrated. He desires liberation. He wants to be free from all miseries. But you cannot be in that position. The soul is seeking pleasure. The soul is seeking relationship. So after some time, even if he achieves liberation - that is possible, impersonal liberation, you can do that without Krishna - still, he decides to go back to the material world and suffer the karma. Why? Because he wants association. He wants love. He wants some love, some other person to share with. That's why he goes back to the material world. So, this is not a very good idea. We should come to Krishna directly and Krishna is promising: janma karma ca me divyam evaà yo vetti tattvataù tyaktvä dehaà punar janma naiti mäm eti so 'rjuna . One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna. Krishna also has karma, but that karma activity doesn't have any reaction. There is no reaction for Krishna, whatever he does, it doesn't have any consequences. So, if you understand that about Krishna, then you go back home, back to the spiritual world. After this body is finished, you go there to enjoy with Krishna unlimitedly, eternally. You will never come back into this material world. So that's what we want. And this is possible through Krishna consciousness. So a devotee, although desires are coming, he is not acting on them; he understands this is cheating. If I want nice foodstuff, I will make a nice foodstuff for Krishna. If I want a nice flower for myself, to smell it, I will offer it to Krishna. If I want a nice house, I will make a nice temple for Krishna. Everything for Krishna. Krishna, Krishna, Krishna. Then automatically you become free.

This article is written by Daivi Shakti Devi dasi for the appearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura last year. It is pointing out the glories of an important Acharya in our sampradaya. Images used in this article are from the upcoming ‘BHAKTIVEDANTA’, an authorized biography of Srila Prabhupada, compiled and edited by His Grace Purujit Dasa. Image taken from 'Bhaktivedanta'   Bhaktivinoda Thakur is a great acharya in our Vaishnava philosophy. He said that the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita was the conclusion of the entire book and was also a great inspiration for his son, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. One of our spiritual master, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, derived all his inspiration from his Vaishnava father. Bhaktivinoda Thakur is a representative of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Six Goswamis, and all the acharyas who have transmitted the Vedic philosophy to us. Through their pure devotional service, these acharyas can deliver all people from the material world and its sufferings. Generally, in the grihastha ashram, there is competition and envy. But for a paramahamsa, these feelings are not present. A paramahamsa is a liberated soul who has no desire other than to serve God, Krishna, and is fully engaged in Krishna consciousness. At this stage, there is no room for envy. Like Kardama Muni centuries ago, Bhaktivinoda Thakur also desired to have a child who could preach the philosophy and teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In our Vaishnava philosophy, it is said that if someone does not act on the spiritual level but on a material platform, they act like a dead man or a ghost. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, who wrote many important and powerful songs in our philosophy, composed one that translates as: “Oh, living entity, wake up! How long will you sleep in the arms of Maya? Now you have the opportunity to possess a human form, so try to wake up and realize who you are.” In this song, Bhaktivinoda Thakur addresses himself to set an example of how one should speak to one’s mind and intelligence to finally awaken and realize our true nature. Bhaktivinoda Thakur, being a realized soul, was never imprisoned by the illusory energy. He also gives the following advice: “My friend, you are being tossed by the waves of material nature. Try to understand that you are an eternal servant of God, and then everything will stop and you will be eternally happy.” Srila Prabhupada, our spiritual master, also cites Bhaktivinoda Thakur in the Bhagavatam, where he says: “My dear Lord, whatever I have, even my mind, the center of all my material activities, my house, my body, and everything connected with this body, now I surrender to You. You are now completely free to act as You wish. If You want, You can kill me or save me, but in any case, I am Your eternal servant, and You have every right to do whatever You want with me.” As mentioned earlier, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord, predicted that His glorious names and the Hare Krishna Mahamantra would be propagated in every town and village of the world. Bhaktivinoda Thakur, the father of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, desired to fulfill this great prediction. We follow in their footsteps under the instructions of an authentic spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. The various acharyas show by their example the different ways to serve the Lord. For example, an advanced person in Krishna consciousness will not have the desire to engage their senses in temporary sexual pleasures. Bhaktivinoda Thakur, although married and having ten children, showed that a household can become as pure as Vaikuntha, even in the material world, by being absorbed in Krishna consciousness. By installing the Lord’s deities and serving them, and following the instructions of the Shastras, the desire for sexual pleasures will not be awakened. The goal of Krishna consciousness is to control the senses. Bhaktivinoda Thakur indicated in a song that the tongue is the greatest enemy of all other senses. If someone can control their tongue, they can easily control their other senses. Krishna tells us that we can control our tongue by honoring prasadam offered to the deities. In our youth, we are often under the illusion that we will always remain young and energetic, but this illusory pleasure disappears quickly with age. Bhaktivinoda Thakur reminds us that all material pleasures vanish over time. To free ourselves from the chains of material energy, we must accept an authentic spiritual master and question him submissively. We must accept all his instructions, even if they seem difficult, because the spiritual master has seen the truth. Bhaktivinoda Thakur sang that a true Vaishnava must surrender to his spiritual master like a loyal dog, always ready to protect and serve his master. Bhaktivinoda Thakur also criticized material studies as obstacles to spiritual progress. In our modern civilization, people are proud to exploit the resources of material nature through various sciences, but this does not represent true advancement of civilization. On the contrary, it hinders spiritual progress. Bhaktivinoda Thakur emphasized that the most auspicious place to live in this universe is this planet, and on this planet, the land of Bharat Varsha is the best. In Bharat Varsha, Bengal is even better, and in Bengal, the district of Nadia is the best. In Nadia, Navadvip is the best place because it is where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared and initiated the sacrifice of chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Upon discovering Vedic philosophy and our eternal position as servants of Krishna, and experiencing the happiness of Krishna consciousness, a Vaishnava will naturally want to share this spiritual happiness. Bhaktivinoda Thakur explains that a true Vaishnava helps others become Vaishnavas. In the Shreemad Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada often uses Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s analogy to describe how we are tossed by the waves of material nature. The mind is always agitated, sometimes accepting things and then rejecting them. Bhaktivinoda Thakur sang in his Gitavali: “My dear mind, under the influence of Maya, you are carried away by the waves of acceptance and rejection. Take refuge in Krishna.” By meditating on Krishna’s lotus feet, we will be saved from the waves of Maya. It is a misconception to think that a devotee can live alone. A devotee is never alone because the Supreme Personality of God resides in their heart. Bhaktivinoda Thakur prayed to be born as an insignificant insect in the association of devotees. Living with devotees, always engaged in the service of the Lord, is living in Vaikuntha, a realm without anxiety. Bhaktivinoda Thakur was a great magistrate and a great Vaishnava. He was also the shikshaguru of Gora Kishora Das Babaji, a realized soul who nevertheless accepted Bhaktivinoda Thakur as his spiritual guide. This shows that even a realized soul can receive guidance from other Vaishnavas. Bhaktivinoda Thakur ordered his son, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, to accept Gora Kishora Das Babaji as his spiritual master. After the departure of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, religious principles were somewhat lost. Bhaktivinoda Thakur reintroduced the disciplic succession and left behind many books and songs. In 1896, he sent the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to McGill University in Canada, manifesting his desire to propagate Krishna consciousness, especially in America. It is touching to know that Srila Prabhupada was born in 1896, the year Bhaktivinoda Thakur was praying to see people from the East and West united in the worship of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The various acharyas in our disciplic succession are perfect examples of devotional life. Their lives and prayers inspire us to surrender to Krishna and engage in His devotional service. By following their teachings, we can achieve perfection. In the material world, there are no greater personalities than the acharyas representing Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This article might conclude here, but there could be more articles about Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, as his life and teachings are very rich. Hare Krishna.

Attached is the first edition of the monthly B.L.I.S.S newsletter.

Here is the latest B.L.I.S.S. vlog filmed in India, Haridwar, edited by His Grace Purujit Dasa. Enjoy!

All the important dates. Want to join us to celebrate? Contact us! Vaishnava calendar Hare Krishna vaishnava calendAR Note: Ekadashi means fasting from at least grains for the whole day until 9am following day. JULY 2024 1 JULY (MON). Sri Srivasa Pandita — Disappearance. 2 JULY (TUE). Yogini Ekadasi. 6 JULY (SAT). Sri Gundicha Marjan  (cleaning Sri Gundicha Temple at Sri Puri Dham and cleaning all temples). Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura — Disappearance. 7 JULY (SUN). R asa Yatra of Sri Krishna. 17 JULY (WED). Sayana Ekadasi. 21 JULY (SUN). Beginning of Chaturmasya Vrata. Disappearance of Srila Sanatan Goswami Prabhu.   25 JULY (THURS). Disappearance of Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami Prabhu. 31 JULY (WED). Kamika Ekadasi. AUGUST 2024 16 AUGUST (FRI). Pavitraropana Ekadasi. 17 AUGUST (SAT). Disappearance of Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhu and Srila Gauri Das Pandit Goswami.   19 AUGUST (MON). Lord Balarama — Appearance. 26 AUGUST (MON). Sri Sri Krishna Janmastami: Appearance of Lord Sri Krishna (midnight). Complete fast until midnight, then no grains. 27 AUGUST (TUE). Appearance day of our dear spiritual master His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Fast until midday. 29 AUGUST (THURS). Annada Ekadasi. SEPTEMBER 2024 11 SEPTEMBER (WED). Sri Radhastami: Appearance of Srimati Radharani. Fast until noon. 14 SEPTEMBER (SAT). Fast today for Vamanadeva, fasting.  Parsva Ekadasi. 15 SEPTEMBER (SUN). Sri Vamana Dvadasi: Appearance of Lord Vamanadeva. Srila Jiva Gosvami — Appearance. 16 SEPTEMBER (MON). Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura — Appearance. 17 SEPTEMBER (TUE). Srila Haridasa Thakura — Disappearance. 18 SEPTEMBER (WED). Sri Visvarupa Mahotsava (feasting) 28 SEPTEMBER (SAT). Indira Ekadasi. OCTOBER 2024 13 OCTOBER (SUN). Vijay Utsav of Sri Ramachandra and appearance of Sri Madhvacharya. 14 OCTOBER (MON). Pasankusa Ekadasi. 15 OCTOBER (TUE). Disappearance of Srila Raghunath Das Goswami, Srila Raghunath Bhatta Goswami and Srila Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami. 17 OCTOBER (THURS). Beginning of Kartika vrata. 21 OCTOBER (MON). Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura — Disappearance. 24 OCTOBER (THURS). Bahulastami. 28 OCTOBER (MON). Rama Ekadasi. NOVEMBER 2024 1 NOVEMBER (FRI). Dipavali.  Offering and placing of lamps (or candles) on the temples of the Lord. 2 NOVEMBER (SAT). Sri Sri Govardhan Puja. 5 NOVEMBER (TUE). Srila Prabhupada — Disappearance. 9 NOVEMBER (SAT). Sri Gadadhara Dasa Gosvami — Disappearance. Sri Srinivasa Acarya — Disappearance. 12 NOVEMBER (TUE). Utthana Ekadasi. Srila Gaura Kisora Dasa Babaji — Disappearance. 15 NOVEMBER (FRI). End of Kartika vrata. 16 NOVEMBER (SAT). Sri Krsna Rasayatra. 27 NOVEMBER (TUE). Utpanna Ekadasi. DECEMBER 2024 11 DECEMBER (WED). Moksada Ekadasi. Advent of Srimad Bhagavad Gita. 19 DECEMBER (THURS). Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura — Disappearance. 26 DECEMBER (THURS). Fasting for Saphala Ekadasi. JANUARY 2025 2 JANUARY (THURS). Disappearance of Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhu and Srila Jagadis Pandit. 10 JANUARY (FRI). Ekadasi. Putrada Ekadasi. 11 JANUARY (SAT). Appearance of Srila Jagadis Pandit. 25 JANUARY (SAT). Ekadashi. FEBRUARY 2025 3 FEBRUARY (MON). Sri Krishna’s Vasanta Panchami. Appearance of Sri Sri Visnupriya Devi. Appearance of Srila Pundarik Vidyanidhi, Srila Raghunath Das Goswami and Srila Raghunandan Thakur. Disappearance of Srila Visvanath Chakravarti Thakur. 5 FEBRUARY (WED). Appearance of Sri Advaita Acharya. 6 FEBRUARY (THURS). Disappearance of Sripad Madhvacharya. 7 FEBRUARY (FRI). Disappearance of Srila Ramanuja Acharya. 8 FEBRUARY (SAT). Gaura Ekadashi. Bhaimi Ekadashi . Fast . 9 FEBRUARY (SUN). Dvadasi. Appearance of Lord Sri Varahadev. Break fast after 9am after offering worship to Lord Varahadev. 10 FEBRUARY (MON). Appearance of Sri Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Fast until noon. 12 FEBRUARY (WED). Appearance of Srila Narottam Thakur. 17 FEBRUARY (MON). Krishna Panchami. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura — Appearance (Fast till noon). 24 FEBRUARY (MON). Krishna Ekadashi. Vijaya Ekadashi . Fast . MARCH 2025 10 MARCH (MON). Gaura Ekadashi. Amalaki Ekadashi . 14 MARCH (FRI). Sri Gaura Purnima: Divine appearance of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Fast until moonrise, then no grains (anukalpa). End of year 539 Gaurabda. 15 MARCH (SAT). Start of year 540 Gaurabda. 22 MARCH (SAT).   Appearance of Sri Srivas Pandit. 25 MARCH (TUE). Krishna Ekadashi. Papa Vimochani Ekadashi . Fast . APRIL 2025 6 APRIL (SUN). Rama Navami: Appearance of Lord Sri Ramacandra. 8 APRIL (TUE). Ekadasi. 12 APRIL (SAT). Sri Balarama Rasayatra & Sri Krsna Vasanta Rasa. 24 APRIL (THURS). Ekadasi. 27 APRIL (SUN). Appearance of Sri Gadadhara Pandita. MAY 2025 8 MAY (THURS). Ekadasi. 11 MAY (SUN). Sri Nrisimha Chaturdasi: Appearance of Lord Sri Nrisimhadev. Full fast until sunset. 23 MAY (FRI). Ekadasi. JUNE 2025 7 JUNE (SAT). Ekadasi. 21 JUNE (SAT). Sri Srivasa Pandita Disappearance. 22 JUNE (SUN).  Yogini Ekadasi. 25 JUNE (WED). Disappearance of Sri Gadadhara Pandita & Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. 26 JUNE (THURS). Gundica Marjana. 27 JUNE (FRI). Ratha Yatra. JULY 2025 6 JULY (SUN). Ekadasi. 10 JULY (THURS). Srila Sanatana Gosvami Disappearance. 15 JULY (TUE). Disappearance of Srila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami. 21 JULY (MON). Ekadasi. AUGUST 2025 5 AUGUST (TUE).  Ekadasi. 6 AUGUST (WED). Srila Rupa Gosvami Disappearance. 9 AUGUST (SAT). Lord Balarama Appearance. 16 AUGUST (SAT). Sri Krishna Janmastami: Appearance of Lord Sri Krishna. 17 AUGUST (SUN). Srila Prabhupada Appearance. 19 AUGUST (TUE). Ekadasi. 31 AUGUST (SUN). Radhastami: Appearance of Srimati Radharani. SEPTEMBER 2025 4 SEPTEMBER (THURS). Ekadasi. Sri Vamana Dvadasi: Appearance of Lord Vamanadeva. Srila Jiva Gosvami Appearance. 5 SEPTEMBER (FRI). Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Appearance. Break ekadasi at 9am with regular prasasdam. Feast in evening. 6 SEPTEMBER (SAT). Srila Haridasa Thakura Disappearance. Dry fast until 5pm. 7 SEPTEMBER (SUN). Sri Visvarupa Mahotsava. Feasting. 17 SEPTEMBER (WEDS). Ekadasi. OCTOBER 2025 2 OCTOBER (THURS). Sri Madhvacarya Appearance. 3 OCTOBER (FRI). Ekadasi. 4 OCTOBER (SAT). Srila Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami Disappearance. Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami Disappearance. Srila Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami Disappearance. 11 OCTOBER (SAT). Srila Narottama Dasa Thakura Disappearance. 14 OCTOBER (TUE). Bahulastami. 17 OCTOBER (FRI). Ekadasi. 22 OCTOBER (WEDS). Govardhana Puja. 25 OCTOBER (SAT). Srila Prabhupada Disappearance. 30 OCTOBER (THURS). Sri Srinivasa Acarya Disappearance. NOVEMBER 2025 2 NOVEMBER (SUN). Ekadasi. Srila Gaura Gisora Dasa Babaji Disappearance. 5 NOVEMBER (WEDS). Sri Krsna Rasayatra. 15 NOVEMBER (SAT). Ekadasi. DECEMBER 2025 1 DECEMBER (MON). Ekadasi. Advent of Srimad Bhagavad Gita. 8 DECEMBER (MON). Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Disappearance. 16 DECEMBER (TUE). Ekadasi. 23 DECEMBER (TUE). Disappearance of Srila Jiva Goswami and Srila Jagadisa Pandita. 31 DECEMBER (WEDS). Ekadasi. Sri Jagadisa Pandita Appearance.

This article is from volume 1 of the Krishna conscious magazine, Matchless Gift: a beautiful, original e-magazine designed, written and created by Expand the Bliss devotees. Tik Tok, a social media where people post short videos to catch the attention of potential followers, and to simply get likes, has been recently acclaimed to be a culture-changing phenomenon, but it can also turn into a ticking bomb. Tick tock. Tick tock. For example, Mizzy, age 18, whose real name is Bacari-Bronze O'Garro from Stoke Newington, North London is using the app in a most unusual way. His cheeky face recently filled up the pages of all major London newspapers and tabloids and he even appeared on Piers Morgan's TalkTV show. He received all the hype, after he filmed himself entering a family’s home without the family's permission and while sitting on their couch. After entering the 2 million £ house of a banker and an interior designer with his two friends, he pretended to be looking for a study group and was opposed by the shocked owners. They are shortly seen in the video politely asking him to leave, pointing to their small children for his consideration. The mother, whose house Mizzy invaded, thought it was an attempted burglary. She said, ‘Mizzy has caused the family a lot of distress.’ We sympathize with her. Can we possibly imagine a situation where a random person off the street randomly walks into our house, sits on our couch, and yet we remain equipoised? Quite the opposite. In the age where burglary, knife crimes and psychopathic individuals running around has become a norm, it could be pretty scary. Piers Morgan, a famous British TV host, has told Mizzy he was a “complete moron” after the prankster defended his shenanigans by saying “I can do what I want.” Mizzy has been issued with a criminal behavior order at Thames Magistrates Court and fined £365. Many call the penalty ‘pathetic’ and lenient. Example to follow: The teenager, who is unemployed and on Universal Credit (the British welfare system), later said “UK laws are weak.” Joanne, who did not want to give her last name, said, “I've known Mizzy all his life and since he got into TikTok he's been nothing but trouble. There are lots of people around here who've been harassed by him in his videos. He's burst into people's homes, stolen their shopping or knocked them off their bikes. The police are always going to his house but so far they've not been able to stop him. The boy is a nightmare, this is a lovely area, but he ruins it for many of us. He needs to be kept away from here for our safety.” Francis, another neighbor, cried, “We've had enough of Mizzy, he needs to be excluded from this area.” A community protection order is not enough because he can't be trusted to behave himself. He might think he's being funny but he's ruining our lives. “Mizzy is a TikTok terror and a waste of space. Everybody around here knows what he's like. Lots of people are too afraid to go out and when they do, are always looking over their shoulders for Mizzy and his mates. Nobody has got a good word to say about him. We're sick and tired of his stupid behavior and these videos he makes.” All the neighbors spoken to by the media were too afraid to give their full names or be photographed and claimed that Mizzy was part of a larger group of well-known teenagers who help him make his videos. Ahmed, who lives along the same road as him, said, “There's a whole gang of them and they're all useless idiots who take a lot of pride in scaring us locals. You never know what they're going to do next, and many people are too afraid to go out or confront them. These kids think they're being funny but they're just a bunch of morons who cause a lot of distress. They should all be locked up.” Members of the local orthodox Jewish community, one of the largest in the UK, claimed they felt deliberately targeted by Mizzy, who is well-known to them. Amos Cohen explained: “Bacari is a waste of space. We all know who he is, and we avoid him. He's done a lot of horrible things to the Jewish community and makes fun of us. It's just a matter of time before somebody stands up to him and knocks him out, but really, the police should do all that they can to make sure he's stopped.” Mickey, another local resident, revealed how Mizzy had stolen a traditional hat worn by Jewish men from a relative of his. He added: “Mizzy is a menace. If he doesn't stop, he should be made to leave the area. We all know who he is and none of us like him. All social media channels should ban him, and the courts should lock him up. He's distressing a lot of people, and this can't continue.” Indeed, the clouds are drawing in on Mizzy since the social media channels are banning Mizzy's account now. For example, his TikTok account has been taken down. His YouTube, which has nearly 39,000 subscribers, has also been deactivated, with a message saying it had breached the platform's terms of service. In Mizzy's last video, on Monday, he boasted of how his videos had 'blown up' since the outrage at his 'home invasion' video. And he crowed that criticism of his sick stunts was only helping him by generating more views and engagement. In summary, Mizzy has become a real troublemaker and his tiny little smart phone gadget is a weapon he uses very effectively to inflict pain on others. It seems that everyone is disturbed. There is no positive response found to his videos with the exception of those 39000 youtube subscribers . These subscribers are probably a similar set of varna sankarites (unwanted children) as Mizzy himself and they might soon start to imitate their icon Mizzy and might make even more horrendous Tiktoks, so we better watch out. Better lock your door twice or thrice. Srila Prabhupada explains: " Children begotten under the rules and regulations of the scriptures generally become as good as the father and mother, but children born illegitimately mainly become varna-sankara. The varna sankara population is irresponsible to the family, community and even to themselves. " ( SB 4.27.7 ) "Born illegitimately" means the parents have spontaneous sex life and these children are born by accident without their parents wanting them. Just think about it. They are an accident, an extra burden, a trouble. From their very birth the parents consciously or unconsciously infect them with the idea that their existence does not have a real meaning. Since the nature of the soul is that it is full of meaning, being part and parcel of Krishna, the supreme meaningful, the child tries to fight back by overcompensating for the lack of meaning to his very existence by creating as much commotion as possible. "I am important. Look at me!" Unfortunately, this further entangles him in the vicious cycle of being the fifth wheel in the society, since the society wants to protect itself for smooth running and smooth social intercourse. He is an immediate threat and he will be eliminated for the peace of all concerned. We call this second class intelligence. If one does not want to follow the authority, he is put into jail and must learn the hard way. The foolish idea of " I can do what I want" is a desperate attempt of the jiva soul to imitate his all powerful master with the consequence of being put into an even more subjugated position. However, this propensity of entering other peoples' houses can be also found in the pastimes of great Krishna conscious sages such as Sukadeva Goswami or Narada Muni. They, of course, do not enter the houses of people with the intention of making funny Tiktoks. Their intention is to give them enlightenment in terms of Krishna consciousness. Just like Mizzy, they do not stay long. It is stated that Sukadeva Goswami, who is the speaker of the Srimad Bhagavatam, would only stay as long as it takes for a householder to milk a cow. This was not because Sukadeva Goswami was afraid of cops, but because he was afraid of material attachment. When a renounced person starts to meditate on the opulent life of a householder and wishes to enjoy as he does, he becomes fallen. For this reason a preacher of Krishna consciousness should never become over-dependent on the good will of his householder benefactors and he should take only what is required to keep his body and soul together from them, never desiring their opulent position. Mizzy and many such varna-sankarite youths would do well if introduced to the wonderful life of a brahmacari or a sannyasi under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. Due to their varna-sankarite nature, they have already experienced the bitterness of material existence, feeling unwanted and unloved. In fact, all of us will at one point realize this to be the true nature of material relationships when stripped of artificial pretensions. This is the way to become a prime potential for real spiritual life. One must be, of course, willing to be educated in the principles of Krishna consciousness. Such willingness can be awakened by hearing and chanting the holy name and taking the remnants of Krsna prasadam. There is evidence of this in the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam. Narada Muni, who later on became a famous traveling preacher, in his childhood was himself a varna-sankarite, but because he associated with pure devotees, heard their discussions and chanting, and because he took the prasadam they left for him, he became a highly elevated Vaishnava preacher. Perhaps Mizzy should also be informed about the benefits of prasadam and devotee association. Will anyone message him and inform him before he breaks into another house and causes further psychopathic traumas or perhaps even heart attacks? If you're interested in purchasing a copy of Matchless Gifts volume 1 and read more, you can click here.

Do I need to take initiation from a " living guru" or is Srila Prabhupada my guru? Several most and dear disciples of Srila Prabhupada from the early days of the movement describe how Srila Prabhupada desired the initiations to go on after his physical departure. Their testimonies might shed light on this difficult question. GAURIDAS PANDIT DASA One of my services for Srila Prabhupada was to take care of his garden and fan him with the camara while he was there every morning from about sunrise until about 9am. At these times he would chant japa or listen to devotees chant bhajans or read the books to him. Sometimes the secretary, Tamal K.G., would read letters from the devotees. Srila Prabhupada would dictate a response, then the secretary would type it and bring it back later to read it again to Srila Prabhupada who would approve and sign it. On July 5th Tamal asked Srila Prabhupada about some devotees who wanted to get initiated as he was getting many requests from the Temple presidents. This conversation occurred in the garden as I fanned him. Srila Prabhupada said: “Tomorrow I will announce some ritvik acharyas who will initiate disciples on my behalf when I leave the planet.” Gaurida Pandit Prabhu, who served Srila Prabhupada as his personal servant in 1977 TAMAL KRSNA GOSWAMI Actually, Prabhupada never appointed any gurus. He didn't appoint eleven gurus. He appointed eleven ritviks. He never appointed them gurus. Myself and the other GBC have done the greatest disservice to this movement the last three years because we interpreted the appointment of ritviks as the appointment of gurus. What actually happened, I'll explain. I explained it, but the interpretation is wrong. What actually happened was that Prabhupada mentioned that he might be appointing some ritviks, so the GBC met for various reasons and they went to Prabhupada - five or six of us. We asked him, "Srila Prabhupada, after your departure, if we accept disciples, whose disciples will they be, your disciples or mine?" Later on there was a piled-up list for people to get initiated, and it was jammed-up. I said, "Srila Prabhupada, you once mentioned about ritviks. I don't know what to do. We don't want to approach you, but there's hundreds of devotees named, and I'm just holding all the letters. I don't know what you want to do." So Prabhupada said, "All right. I will appoint so many...," and he started to name them and he did name them. He made it very clear that they're his disciples. At that point it was very clear in my mind that they were his disciples. Tamala Krsna Goswami second on the left was a personal servant of Srila Prabhupada in his final days YASODANANDANA DASA (a passage taken from his diary as written on July 10 1977 ) Tamal Krishna Maharaja comes out of Prabhupada’s room. TKG: “Haribol, Yasoda, did you see this?” Yasoda: “No, what is it?” TKG: “This is signed by Prabhupada.” [Yasoda looks at the July 9th “appointment” letter] Yasoda: “What does all this mean?” TKG: “Devotees have been writing to Prabhupada asking for initiations and now Prabhupada has named eleven ritviks who can initiate on his behalf. Prabhupada said others can be added.” Yasodanandan: “And when Prabhupada departs?” TKG: “They’ll be ritviks. That’s what Prabhupada said. It’s all on tape.” Yasodanandan Dasa was a leading preacher in South India and other parts of the world during Srila Prabhupada's manifested lila GARGAMUNI DASA Prabhupada had so many rtviks all over the world. They were doing the fire sacrifices, doing the first and second initiation so rtvik is not a bad word. Some unscrupulous people have made it a bad word. It's a good word because Prabhupada started it in 1972. It's a good word. In fact the system worked perfectly. This rittvik system he introduced worked perfectly all over the world. Every devotee stayed in the temple where they were initiated. There was no problem, no politics and then a month before Prabhupada left he mentions in a conversation: "You keep the system. This is a perfect system. If you keep the system, everything will go on as it is going on now." But what did we do? We changed the system. That's another story. And that's why a havoc came in the eighties. It was a havoc, fire in the institution, because we changed the system. Prabhupada said you keep the system, because it was working perfectly. Gargamuni Prabhu joined the movement in 1966 and gave Srila Prabhupada his first recording machine. CYAVANA SWAMI Most devotees never really understood who Srila Prabhupada is. The initiation means to begin on the path of Bhakti, each one must figure out how to take that first step. Srila Prabhupada made it perfectly clear to me that we are not his only disciples. His instruction was,"I have given you everything, don't change anything... I will have millions of disciples." These are the most important instructions Srila Prabhupada ever gave us for the future of his Movement...In my discussions with Prabhupada the subject of adding to and changing the books and philosophy came up frequently, but the question of what to do regarding initiations after he was no longer with us was very difficult to ask, it was almost unthinkable at the time that he would not always be with us. Myself and Brahmananda Swami were in Srila Prabhupada's room one morning in Nairobi, Kenya in 1975, at first he seemed surprised at the question, as if he had already made it very clear. We were performing initiations on his behalf all over the world for some years, so he said to simply continue as he had been training us, "on my behalf " was not just for then, it is for always. His answer was clear and simple. Cyavana Swami (the first from right) was a prominent preacher in Africa and elsewhere AMBARISA DASA The principal definition of the word “initiate” in the dictionary is “to begin or set going”. Is there any question that the primary personality who initiated our reception of transcendental knowledge is Srila Prabhupada? Will this position of Srila Prabhupada ever change for ISKCON devotees? We think not. Ambarisa Prabhu is a chairman of the Temple of the Vedic planetarium (above) KIRTANANANDA SWAMI (about the fall down of the various ISKCON gurus) This is why I suggested so strongly that ISKCON should adopt the rtvik process of initiation for the new Gurus. Kirtananda Swami was one of the so-called gurus who attempted to imitate Srila Prabhupada HANSADUTTA DASA Although I see everything in a sane, sober and proper perspective now, it has taken me more than 10 years of painful, anguished and repentant soul searching to understand my problem-a problem which to you and many sincere disciples of Prabhupada was obvious from the moment (and even before that) Prabhupada left this mortal world in 1977. Being completely overwhelmed with the fever of pratistha (desire for name and fame), obsessed with the ambition to be a guru, in short to be the lord and master of the devotees, I consequently became completely blind to the order of Srila Prabhupada, which he clearly expressed in his letter to the GBC and Temple Presidents, dated July 9,1977. In that letter he named 11 devotees and made it clear that they are to act as his rittvik representatives (deputies) for initiating new disciples on behalf of the Founder Acharya A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada never sent any other directive, newsletter or written document thereafter indicating that any one of his disciples should be an acharya or guru in any way. His letter of July 9, 1977, naming 11 senior disciples or rittvik representatives stands alone as the only order Prabhupada ever issued before his disappearance (four months later) in November of that year, 1977. For years since, falling down from the standard of devotional service, I have suffered grievously, knowing I caused the spiritual ruin of hundreds and thousands of sincere, aspiring devotees, whom I stole away (kidnapped) from Srila Prabhupada (the Founder Acharya) by presenting myself as a bona fide acharya, spiritual master, when in fact I was not even able to control my senses any more than an ordinary karmi. Why has it taken me so long to write this frank and honest letter? Because the hankering and ravenous hunger for honour and prestige as a guru, acharya and holy man is so strong in my heart it is only in the last year that by the grace of Prabhupada and the attentive chanting of the Holy Name that the fever of pratistha has subsided to the point where I can clearly see and express myself in this regard honestly. I am humbly prostrating myself before you, Urdhvaga, and all the devotees everywhere, especially those who were subjected to the unhappy relationship of accepting me as their Guru and thereby being completely broken in their faith and enthusiasm to perform devotional service. I know that simply writing a letter of apology is not enough. I shall spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to re-establish Srila Prabhupada as the Founder Acharya and modern-day Vyasadeva of the Brahma Gauidya Vaishnava Sampradaya, as expressed in the enclosed paper, “Prabhupada, His Movement and You.” I suggest that those new devotees who have been erroneously initiated by ISKCON Gurus who like myself have fallen down or who present themselves as anything more than rittvik representatives of the Founder Acharya Srila Prabhupada, can be properly initiated once and for all simply by accepting Srila Prabhupada as their guru and sampradaya acharya by sitting in on a rittvik initiation performed by a devotee who is properly situated in the order of Srila Prabhupada, as per his July 9, 1977 letter authorising rittvik representatives to initiate on his behalf. The bottom line is simply this: The senior disciples should have continued to do after the disappearance of Srila Prabhupada what they were already doing for years while Prabhupada was present-act as Srila Prabhupada’s menial servants in the matter of initiations. They were rittviks while he was present, and they should have continued to be rittviks in his absence. Anything more than this is nothing more than the ambition to be guru, which is one of the two last traps of maya-the other being the desire to be Krishna. Hansadutta Prabhu was a dear disciple of Srila Prabhupada, who honestly stepped down from the guru position VAIKUNTANATH DASA In 1972, when Prabhupada gave a series of lectures on The Nectar of Devotion for one month in Vrindavan, a thought was plaguing me. When I first joined, I’d been taught that the parampara system is like a chain, and if you’re not initiated, if you’re not linked up to this chain, then you can’t go back to Godhead. I thought, “We’re distributing so many books, but if the people who read them are not initiated, then they can’t go back to Godhead.” So, one day I followed Prabhupada from Rupa Goswami’s samadhi, where he lectured, and just before Prabhupada stepped onto his courtyard, I said, “We’re distributing so many books but if people aren’t initiated, then they can’t go back to Godhead.” Prabhupada turned, looked at me right in the eyes and said, “Just by reading my books they are initiated.” I thought, “That is an incredible example of compassion. Vaikuntanatha Prabhu was a dear disciple of Srila Prabhupada instrumental in the early days of the movement GURU KRPA DASA In 1977 during the months of May, June, July 1977 I was in Vrindaban with Srila Prabhupada, giving him his massage in his bed between 1 AM and mangala aratik. During the day, many letters would arrive. Satsvarupa Swami was the secretary and we decided that only letters that would give joy to Srila Prabhupada would be read. Like numbers of books sold, etc. A maximum of five letters daily were read to Srila Prabhupada. After some weeks like this, there were stacks and stacks of letters, all relating to initiation. Hundreds of people were panicking that Srila Prabhupada would leave the planet before they were given initiation. At this time, this situation was brought before Srila Prabhupada in his room by Satsvarupa, Tamal, myself, and maybe some others. Up until this time it was a very simple matter that we were doing the initiations, but we first had to ask permission. Srila Prabhupada NEVER refused any recommendation from his senior men. And personally, I would sometimes argue with some GBC that they were giving it too easily. At this meeting, Srila Prabhupada basically said, “From here on, if you feel they are ready, then you may give the initiation on my behalf.” I understood this for what it was, simply extending the authority a little further than it had been. Tamal Krsna Swami, began to say, “But who will do it?. Which devotees will do this?” Srila Prabhupada said, “The nearest one will do it. Whoever is closest.” Tamal said, “Can Bhavananda do? Can Jayapataka do?” Thus these eleven names came out. Question: Why were you not on the list of eleven? Answer: Because it did not matter. Srila Prabhupada said whoever was closest. I was already doing and Srila Prabhupada never told me or anyone else not on the list to stop. Guru Krpa Prabhu was a prominent preacher instrumental in building the Krsna Balarama Temple in Vrndavana ROHINI KUMAR SWAMI At our center at 26th Second Ave., Srila Prabhupada, when asked who would be the next acarya after him stated, “There will not be any more acaryas.” RUPANUGA DASA The idea that one must have a living diksa guru to understand Krsna consciousness from Srila Prabhupada appears to be a scam. The fact is that reading or hearing from Srila Prabhupada is associating with the most bonafide spiritual master, the best spiritual master, at whose pada (lotus feet) all other prabhus pay obeisances. And reading his books is directly associating with him and equal in power to hearing in his physical presence. Rupanuga Prabhu was a prominent preacher, temple president and a governing body commissioner of ISKCON BHAJA HARI DASA Srila Prabhupada did not 'personally' tend to every one of his thousands of initiated disciples. Many disciples never met Srila Prabhupada even once, what to speak of receive individual instruction. The whole reason Srila Prabhupada set up ISKCON was to train up devotees in spiritual life. This 'personal', 'warm' one-on-one training would be done by Temple Presidents, Sankirtan Leaders, Pujaris, Bhakta leaders etc etc. As long as a disciple strictly followed, Srila Prabhupada promised to take personal responsibility for taking him back to Godhead. To my knowledge that offer still stands. There is absolutely no reason why this system could not have continued to this very day. Bhaja Hari Prabhu was a temple president of the Bhaktivedanta Manor in London, UK PRADYUMNA DASA At the time of Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance, it was most clearly understood by all of us present that Srila Prabhupada MADE NO SUCCESSOR. Everyone admitted that fact and understood it clearly. Instead, the GBC was to jointly manage ALL affairs of ISKCON just had been the case previously. This was the same solution as desired by Om Visnupada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who also had not made any successor, although his wishes were NOT followed. In addition to the GBC management, Srila Prabhupada also selected 11 somewhat advanced disciples to grant initiation to newcomers. However, it was never mentioned at any time by His Divine Grace that these 11 were to be known as ACARYAS. He simply instructed that they may now accept disciples. Otherwise, as it was understood and practiced at that time, there was NO SPECIAL POSITION given to these 11, either in the society as a whole, or in relation to their Godbrothers. Management would depend on the joint GBC, and among godbrothers and sisters, all are on the same level, with the exception of some special regard and respect shown to older (senior) disciples by these Godbrothers & Godsisters who are junior. Pradyumna Prabhu was Srila Prabhupada's Sanskrit editor and a scholar GOVINDA DASI Srila Prabhupada could clearly see that none of his disciples were mature enough to set up shop as gurus, so he ordered them to be “ritviks” after his departure. There is ample evidence of this. Govinda Dasi was a personal secretary to Srila Prabhupada who introduced Tulsi worship and care in the West BHAKTISIDDHANTA DASA The point is – forget the political connotations and let us all remember it is Srila Prabhupada who is always in the centre and the force behind everything at all times. So it is understandable that if anyone is now taking the role of Acharya and not handing his initiates over to the source then, what is the fate of both the new guru and their initiates? This movement would undergo a drastic change if all the new gurus who are initiating on behalf of Srila Prabhupada would recognize this fact and not take glorious worship and stand down to allow all new comers to this society full access to Srila Prabhupada who sweated blood and tears for each one of us who joined this movement. This is how it was in the beginning when Srila Prabhupada was physically with us and was not able to directly attend the initiation ceremony.I am not a political antagonist but most of all my god brother’s and god sister’s like myself are all ritvik. Most of us were initiated when Srila Prabhupada was not physically present. This was not such a big deal to us we were all disciples of His Divine Grace.Srila Prabhupada didn’t hand me my beads or give my name directly; so what is the difference today? Let’s make this movement a better place for all who have joined and will join in the future how we can deny anyone the right to take Srila Prabhupada as their life and soul. I am told there are over 90 gurus now acting as diksa gurus instead of allowing Srila Prabhupada that privilege. To actually put Srila Prabhupada in the centre means to not stand in his way and to allow everyone unrestricted access to Srila Prabhupada like it was in the early days. Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhu has been a devotee involved in the BBT art work department BALAVANTA DASA I remember telling Tamal: "Why are you changing who you are? You remain who you are. You're Tamal Krishna Maharaja and now you simply have another service which is to initiate. We used to do the initiations on a regular basis, I mean you know, I would chant on beads, we would pick the names, we would give the beads on behalf of Prabhupada. Just continue doing that. Don't become Gurudeva, don't take this false profile of being like Prabhupada. Balavanta Prabhu performed various services in the movement including being a GBC secretary. Aksayananda Maharaja Once he called me, he said, "Do you think you can become a guru?" And I said, "Become a guru, Prabhupada?" He said, "Yes. I am thinking to make some of my disciples guru." Radhaballabha: When was this? Aksayananda: This was before he went to London. Radhaballabha: While he was ill. Aksayananda: Yeah, when he was ill. This was before he had nominated the 11 gurus. And I said to him, "Whatever you order, the potency is in your order." And he gave a very big smile. He was pleased. And he· said, "Can you perform fire sacrifice?" I said, "Yes." Then he ordered that... That was informal, of course. That was not an official order to become a guru or initiating guru. He ordered like that: "Become a guru." He said, "Because I cannot do it, and I will be leaving." He told in this way. Of course, I have not taken it as an order to become an initiating guru or anything like that, but he wanted..., he always ordered his sannyasis to be gurus, to preach, to make everyone devotees or siksa-gurus. SRILA PRABHUPADA GIVES ORDER ON INITIATIONS AFTER HIS DEPARTURE Satsvarupa: ... our next question concerns initiations in the future, particularly at that time when you're no longer with us. We want to know how first and second initiation would be conducted. Prabhupada: Yes. I shall recommend some of you. After this is settled up, I shall recommend some of you to act as officiating acaryas. Tamala Krsna: Is that called rtvik-acarya? Prabhupada: Rtvik, yes. GBC Meets with Srila Prabhupada – May 28, 1977, Vrndavana Tamala Krsna: But all these persons are still your disciples. Anybody who gives initiation is doing so on your behalf. Prabhupada: Yes. Room Conversations – July 7, 1977, Vrndavana Make your own field and continue to become rtvik and act on my charge. Srila Prabhupada's letter to Hansadutta July 19, 1977, Vrndavana rtvijah -- the priests recommended by the spiritual master SB 8.16.53 rtvik -- priests conducting the ceremony; SB 5.3.2 There may be many spiritual masters who instruct, but the initiator spiritual master is one. KB 80: The Meeting of Lord Krsna with Sudama Brahmana Reporter: Do you expect to name one person as your successor or have you already? Prabhupada: That I am not contemplating now. But there is no need of one person. Room Conversation with Reporter -- June 4, 1976, Los Angeles Srila Prabhupada: "Continue to become rtvik and act on my charge."

The 17th of August 2025 marked the auspicious appearance day of our divine spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. Here at the B.L.I.S.S temple, devotees wrote heartfelt offerings to him. Here is the offering by His Grace Purujit Dasa SRILA PRABHUPADA’S BEHAVIOR ESTABLISHES THE TRUE PURPOSE OF RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLES On April 22. 1977, a few months before his physical departure, Srila Prabhupada said: "I shall choose some guru. I shall say, "Now you become acarya. You become authorized." I am waiting for that. You become all acarya. I retire completely." Srila Prabhupada explains: Malayadhvaja, the great king, was certainly a mahā-bhāgavata, topmost devotee. By executing devotional service, he begot many sons and disciples for propagating the bhakti cult (śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ [SB 7.5.23]). Actually, the entire world should be divided among such disciples. Everyone should be engaged in preaching the cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In other words, when disciples are grown up and are able to preach, the spiritual master should retire and sit down in a solitary place to write and execute nirjana-bhajana. This means sitting silently in a solitary place and executing devotional service. SB 4.28.33 purport In the last stage of the spiritual master's life, the devotees of the spiritual master should take preaching activities into their own hands. In this way the spiritual master can sit down in a solitary place and render nirjana-bhajana. SB 4.28.33 purport So when he preaches all over the world, that is called parivrajakacarya. And when he's experienced, he executes the work by his assistants. That is called paramahamsa. Sri Vyasa-puja -- London, August 22, 1973 The word nirjana bhajana means "sitting silently in a solitary place and executing devotional service." Srila Prabhupada indicated to his disciples his wish to engage in such worship at the end of his life many times. For example as early as 1970 he writes: Now I have set up the Governing Body Commission to handle management, questions of philosophy, and personal problems. These things are too much botheration for me, I simply want time to write books to satisfy my Guru Maharaja. Letter to: Upendra -- Los Angeles 6 August, 1970 There are also other quotes where Srila Prabhupada expresses such a desire: One Japanese speaker speaking in Gujarat State, India, predicted that in 5 years time this Krishna Consciousness Movement would be the world religion, as was reported in the newspaper here. So now your responsibility has become very great. Practically, it is in your hands now to manage things, so I can translate and write books. Letter to: Locanananda -- Delhi, India 8 December, 1971 Relationship between Godbrothers must be very genuine and pleasing. Otherwise, the future of our institution will not be very hopeful. After all, very soon you have to manage. As I am getting old, I wish to retire from an active part. Letter to: Tamala Krsna -- Tittenhurst 1 October, 1969 ...I have decided to retire and divert attention to book writing and nothing more. Letter to: Satsvarupa, Uddhava -- Los Angeles 27 July, 1970 Besides establishing the GBC, in order to free himself more from managerial work, Srila Prabhupada gradually, step by step empowers his disciples to also give initiations. He introduces the concept as early as 1969: And the next year we shall hold an examination on Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Nectar of Devotion and Vedanta Sutra, and those who will successfully pass will be awarded with the title of Bhaktivedanta. By 1975, all of those who have passed all of the above examinations will be specifically empowered to initiate and increase the number of the Krishna Consciousness population. Letter to: Kirtanananda -- Los Angeles 12 January, 1969 In this letter he envisions his disciples to be eligible for the title Bhaktivedanta and on that basis be empowered to initiate new devotees. In another instances, Srila Prabhupada wants the GBC members to initiate the newcomers: GBC means now they should tour very extensive. That is the first principle, the GBC. Not sit down (in) one place and pass resolution. No, they must be active. They must act like me. As I am old man, I am traveling all over the world. Now to give me relief, the GBC members... I shall expand into twelve more so that they can exactly work like me. Gradually they will be initiators. At least first initiation. You must make advance. That is my motive. So, in that way I want to divide it in twelve zones. Conversation with the GBC -- May 25, 1972, Los Angeles Later he indeed starts authorizing many GBC members and sannyasis to give first initiations by chanting on new initiate's beads. It is seen from Srila Prabhupada's correspondance that many disciples have done this service in Srila Prabhupada's lifeime. I think now you may be appointed by me to give first initiations to new disciples by chanting on their beads on my behalf. In America Kirtanananda Swami is going that. So now if there are two of you that will give me great relief. Kirtanananda will chant on the beads for new devotees in America, Canada, like that, you can chant on the beads for the European continent new disciples. They shall, of course, still be considered as my disciples, not that they shall become your disciples, but you will be empowered by me to chant their beads and that is the same effect of binding master and disciple as if I were personally chanting. Letter to: Revatinandana -- Bombay 4 January, 1973 Then towards the last months of his stay with us, Srila Prabhupada travels to Vrndavana to prepare for his final departure. Upon his arrival he says: I am feeling very weak. I was to go to other places like Chandigarh program, but I cancelled the program because the condition of my health is very deteriorating. So I preferred to come to Vrndavana. If death takes place, let it take here. So there is nothing to be said new. Whatever I have to speak, I have spoken in my books. Now you try to understand it and continue your endeavor. Whether I am present or not present, it doesn't matter. Arrival Speech -- May 17, 1977, Vrndavana On the 28th of May 1977 he announces to soon recommend some of his senior disciples to act as officiating acaryas, which would completely free him from any involvement in the formal initiation procedure. They will from now on approve the new initiates, give their names, chant on their beads or chant on their brahmin threads as it is in the case of second initiations. The conversation runs as follows: Prabhupada: I shall recommend some of you. After this is settled up, I shall recommend some of you to act as officiating acaryas. Tamala Krsna: Is that called rtvik-acarya? Prabhupada: Rtvik, yes. Satsvarupa: Then what is the relationship of that person who gives the initiation and the... Prabhupada: He's guru. He's guru. Satsvarupa: But he does it on your behalf. Prabhupada: Yes. That is formality. Because in my presence one should not become guru, so on my behalf, on my order... Amara ajnaya guru hana [Cc.Madhya 7.128] . Be actually guru, but by my order. GBC Meets with Srila Prabhupada -- May 28, 1977, Vrndavana The initiations are to be performed on Srila Prabhupada's behalf still. This order is later officially confirmed by the directive to all temple presidents known as "the July 9th letter" and we see that this system of initiation is indeed taking place while Srila Prabhupada is still physically present on the planet: Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. One Bengali gentleman has come from New York? Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Mr. Sukamal Roy Chowdury. Prabhupāda: So I have deputed some of you to initiate. Hm? Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Actually... Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Prabhupāda: So I think Jayapatākā can do that if he likes. I have already deputed. Tell him. Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Prabhupāda: So, deputies, Jayapatākā's name was there? Bhagavān: It is already on there, Śrīla Prabhupāda. His name was on that list. Prabhupāda: So I depute him to do this at Māyāpura, and you may go with him. I stop for the time being. Is that all right? Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Stopped doing what, Śrīla Prabhupāda? Prabhupāda: This initiation. I have deputed the, my disciples. Is it clear or not? Girirāja: It's clear. Room Conversation -- October 18, 1977, Vṛndāvana Later on Srila Prabhupada is sending his leading men back to work on their managerial duties to leave him to do a parikrama (pilgrimage) of the holy places. I wish that you GBC manage very nicely and consider I am dead and let me try to travel all the tirthasthana. Without any responsibility...So far my presence is required (for) management, I think I have bequeathed, properly you can manage. Room Conversation -- November 8, 1977, Vrndavana At this point, he is completely relieved from all managerial duties. His disciples are running the movement independently from him. Thus Srila Prabhupada by his personal example shows that the officiating acharya system of initiation works even without his physical involvement in the matter and therefore the system could potentially continue even after Srila Prabhupada's physical departure. Sometimes the objection is raised saying that such a system of initiation denies Srila Prabhupada’s right to personally accept or reject prospective disciples, arguing it deviates from the traditional parampara, which requires the spiritual master’s direct approval. However, Srila Prabhupada established a system during his lifetime in which the acceptance or rejection of disciples was delegated to officiating priests. If this were a deviation from the parampara tradition, it would imply that Srila Prabhupada himself broke with tradition, which is illogical.  It is stated: dharma-sthapana-hetu sadhura vyavahara "A devotee's behavior establishes the true purpose of religious principles.'' CC Madhya 17.185 Thus, the system of initiations through appointed priests is authentic, as established by Srila Prabhupada’s own example. This reflects the role of an acharya: yad yad acarati sresthas tat tad evetaro janah sa yat pramanam kurute lokas tad anuvartate ''Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men follow in his footsteps. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.'' BG 3.21 If the sole objection to continuing this system is the spiritual master’s physical absence, one might reasonably ask: why follow any of his instructions if he is not physically present? If Srila Prabhupada cannot guide his new disciples in his physical absence, he cannot guide his original disciples either. Initiation is not an absolute endorsement but a conditional one. Srila Prabhupada states: Srila Rupa Gosvami warns, however, that if a person is properly initiated by a bona fide spiritual master, he should not think that simply by the acceptance of such initiation his business is then finished. One still has to follow the rules and regulations very carefully. If after accepting the spiritual master and being initiated one does not follow the rules and regulations of devotional service, then he is again fallen. NoD 5: The Purity of Devotional Service Initiated means beginning, not perfection. The Spiritual Master's business is to guide him to the perfectional point. But if one does not strictly follow the guidance of a bona fide Spiritual Master his initiation does not bear any meaning. Letter to: Jaya Gopala  --  Los Angeles 11 January, 1970 If the objection is that Srila Prabhupada cannot approve or disapprove of new disciples, the counterpoint would be that he similarly cannot approve or disapprove whether his original disciples remain his disciples. Such reasoning leads nowhere. Those who are sincere will follow his instructions even when he is physically absent and those who are insincere will disobey him even in his physical presence. Srila Prabhupada remembers: So far personal association with the Guru is concerned, I was only with my Guru Maharaja four or five times, but I have never left his association, not even for a moment. Because I am following his instructions, I have never felt any separation. There are some of my Godbrothers here in India who had constant personal association with Guru Maharaja, but who are neglecting his orders. This is just like the bug who is sitting on the lap of the king. He may be very puffed-up by his position, but all he can succeed in doing is biting the king. Personal association is not so important as association through service. Letter to: Satadhanya -- Calcutta 20 February, 1972 All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

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The 17th of August 2025 marked the auspicious appearance day of our divine spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. Here at the B.L.I.S.S temple, devotees wrote heartfelt offerings to him. Here is the offering by Bhakta Rama Lakshman Bhakta Rama Lakshman preaching in London On this auspicious appearance day of Srila Prabhupada, I would like to offer Vyasa Puja offerings unto his lotus feet. The meaning Vyasa puja is worship of Vyasadeva who is the literal incarnation of Krishna. Vyasadeva is in the disciplic succession of Brahma. The teachings to Arjuna were recorded by Vyasadeva verbatim.- Letter to: Dinesh Dated: October 31st 1969 Location: Tittenhurst Letter to: Dinesh Vyasadeva compiled all the Vedic literatures like the 4 Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, Vedanta sutras or Bramhan sutras, Bhagavad Gita, even after compiling all of these Vedic literatures, he was unsatisfied. This was perceived by Narada muni, his spiritual master and he instructed Vyasa deva to write about the supreme personality of godhead Sri Krishna and that is the wonderful srimadth Bhagvatham, the natural commentation on Vedanta sutra and the cream of all Vedic literatures. The nectarian srimadth Bhagvatham is sufficient alone to realize the supreme personality of godhead. This amazing Srimad Bhagavatam was translated into English by His Divine Grace Srila A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and has explained the words, as it is, with no adulteration. Srila Prabhupada is the perfect representative of Vyasadeva in the parampara system, so offering prayers to Srila Prabhupada is as good as offering Prayers to Vyasadeva. In this so called Advanced age of technology, the people are much disturbed, unsatisfied with the education system. Although going through sophisticated degrees the universities are never satisfied due to the high volatility in modern technology. The people don't know where they are even heading in life. The one technology you learn today is completely useless in the future. Before, I was also one of them misguided, unsatisfied, until I was introduced to Krishna consciousness by the devotees of the B.L.I.S.S temple, headed by his Grace Purujit Prabhu. I got to know about the glories of Krishna and Srila Prabhupada. I got to know the goals of life i.e to revive the eternal relationship with krishna by chanting his names and to be a humble servant of Srila Prabhupada ! As a senapathi bhaktha of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Srila Prabhupada’s life and soul is completely absorbed in the name of Krishna and he is so merciful that he has given the holy name to the Western world which is completely submerged in ignorance. Srila prabhupada is a perfect bonafide spiritual master in the bramha madhava gaudiya sampradaya and has spent his whole life propagating the mission of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu i.e the congregational chanting, dancing and glorification of supreme personality of godhead Sri Krishna! Srila Prabhupada underwent very hard labour in translating the voluminous Vedic literatures of Bhagavad gita ,Srimad Bhagvatham, Chaitanya Caritamrta and many more literatures in simple English, so that it is easily available to all humankind and he urged us to take benefit of these Vedic literatures and make our lives perfect! Visvanatha chkravarti thakur in his famous eight stanza says: yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādoyasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi “By the mercy of the spiritual master one is benedicted by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement.” Śrīla Prabhupāda very directly explained that he lives forever through his books and instructions. Here are some of his own words: “I will never die. I shall live forever in my books, and you will utilize.” (Conversation, July 16, 1975, San Francisco) “What I am teaching, I have written in my books. If you want to know me, read my books.” (Morning Walk, Los Angeles, December 13, 1973) “Even if I depart, if you kindly continue these books, you will be benefited. That is my request.” (Room Conversation, Vrindavan, May 17, 1977) “I am always with you through my books. That is the way to be with me.” (Letter to Govinda, October 22, 1971) Jagat guru Srila Prabhupada ki jay!