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The gopis of Vrndavana were so attached to Krishna that they were not satisfied simply with the rasa dance at night. They wanted to associate with Him and enjoy His company during the daytime also. When Krishna went to the forest with His cowherd boy friends and cows, the gopis did not physically take part, but their hearts went with Him. And because their hearts went, they were able to enjoy His company through strong feelings of separation. To acquire this strong feeling of separation is the teaching of Lord Chaitanya and His direct disciplic succession of Gosvamis. When we are not in physical contact with KrishnA, we can associate with Him like the gopis, through feelings of separation. Krishna’s transcendental form, qualities, pastimes, and entourage are all identical with Him. There are nine different kinds of devotional service. Devotional service to Krishna in feelings of separation elevates the devotee to the highest perfectional level, to the level of the gopis. It is stated in Srinivasacarya's prayer to the six Gosvamis that they left the material opulences of government service and the princely status of life and went to Vrndavana, where they lived just like ordinary mendicants, begging from door to door. But they were so much enriched with the gopis' feelings of separation that they enjoyed transcendental pleasure at every moment. Similarly, when Lord Caitanya was at Jagannatha Puri, He was in the role of Radharani, feeling the separation of Krishna. Those who are in the disciplic succession of the Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya should also feel the separation of Krishna, worship His transcendental form, and discuss His transcendental teachings, His pastimes, His qualities, His entourage and His associations. The spiritual masters should enrich the devotees to the highest devotional perfection. Feeling constant separation while engaged in the service of the Lord is the perfection of Krishna consciousness. KB 1970-1-34 / The Gopis' Feelings of Separation

We give all praise, honor, and glory unto Lord Yeshua HaMashiach. " Madhudvisa : What is our view of Lord Jesus Christ? Prabhupada : Jesus Christ, Lord Jesus Christ, is... He is son of God, the best son of God, so we have all respect for him. Yes. Anyone who is teaching people about God consciousness, he is respectful to us. It does not matter in which country, in which atmosphere, he was preaching. It doesn't matter." (Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary – June 28, 1974, Melbourne) Shrila Prabhupada explains how one who is sharing genuine God consciousness is worthy of our respect. "Lord Jesus preached the message of God and I have taken up the same mission, and it would be a good luck for me if I can follow the foot prints of Lord Jesus who preached the message of God in spite of all persecution. Lord Jesus is a living example how one has to suffer in this material world simply for the matter of preaching the message of God." (Shrila Prabhupada, Letter to: Sally  --  New York 19 November, 1965) Our Shrila Prabhupada exemplifies true humility by such a statement and gives us glimpses only of the depth of that humility, of which we can only pray to imbibe even a drop. He constantly emphasizes that spreading God consciousness is an inseparable aspect of following in the footsteps of the representative of God, in this case, in following Lord Yeshua. "Now, in the Bible, Lord Jesus Christ is described as the son of God. Now, so far I have heard, that it is claimed that he is the only one son of God. Now according to Bhagavad-gita, every living entity is son of God. Now how to adjust? If the Bible says that Lord Jesus Christ is the only one son, then how these so many innumerable sons can be adjusted? There is adjustment. There is very nice adjustment. One should know it. He is the only one son means one who can sacrifice his life for God, he is real son. And one who is simply taking from father, "O God, give us our daily bread," and He is supplying, and eating and enjoying sense enjoyment, he is not real son. The real son is he who sacrifices his life for glorifying his father. Similarly, anyone who will sacrifice his life... Of course, it is not required that everyone shall be crucified like Lord Jesus Christ, but he should sacrifice his energy for the Supreme Lord. And that person who has devoted his energy for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord, he is called Krishna conscious person." (Shrimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.6  – January 3, 1970, Los Angeles) Krishna consciousness means that 'I sacrifice, or dovetail, all of my energies for the service of the Lord and by a sincere and dedicated application of this practical process, I will attain the ultimate state of bliss; pure love of God.' "This awakening of pure love of God is the ultimate perfection of all bona fide religious principles including Christian, Judaic, Mohammedan, Hindu, etc. Just as it is recorded that Lord Jesus Christ said that the first commandment is that one should love God with all his heart, and soul and mind. Similarly Krishna instructs that everyone should surrender unto Him in Love. Lord Jesus says that the first thing is to develop your love for God. Krishna is God. Krishna says to love Him only. So what is the difference between the original teachings of Lord Jesus Christ and Krishna? Yes, it is a fact that no one can see Krishna without being a pure devotee of the Lord. Every living entity is the son of God, but not all of the sons are faithful to their Father. This is explained in Bhagavad Gita. So one who turns away from his father naturally cannot see his father; but the faithful son can see his father at any time. Under the circumstances, we can understand the word of John because amongst all the people of that place Jesus Christ was the only faithful son of God, Krishna. Lord Jesus says (John 6:46), "Not that any man hath seen the father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father." So one who is a devotee of the Lord in pure love, who teaches others how to love God is the messenger of God and he can see God without any doubt. Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita (11:54), "My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood as I am, standing before you; and I can thus be seen directly. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of my understanding."  So the method of approaching God, bhaktiyoga or devotional service, and the supreme goal of life, pure love of Krishna, is the same message taught by Lord Jesus Christ as well as Krishna Himself. The matter is very simple: Lord Jesus is the faithful son of God and his Father God is Krishna, so there cannot be any disagreement between them. Therefore the Father and Son are one, in agreement. Lord Jesus explains that he kept his disciples faithful to the Lord in His Holy Name. And the process of Lord Chaitanya is the same -- to keep one always in contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead by constantly chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, the Holy Names of the Lord." (Letter to: Gerald  --  ISKCON: Akash Ganga Bldg; 89 Bhulabhai Desai Road; Bombay-26 India 19th February, 1971) Shrila Prabhupada explains how the Father and the Son are One. How are they One? They are one in agreement. Their interests are One. They are united in all ways, but they remain eternally individuals. The father is always the father and the son is always the son, and without this distinction, where is the question of a relationship with God? For a relationship, there must be some dynamic. And to develop a relationship, we must have the facility to associate with some person, which we can do by staying in contact with the Lord's Holy Names, such as Hare, Krishna, and Rama. " Woman : How do you explain the fact that Jesus said that "I am the way, the truth and the light," and that "No man comes to the father but by me"? Man : Do you believe the Bible? Prabhupada : What is that? Hmm? Madhudvisa : She's asking how can we explain that Jesus said he is the only way? Prabhupada : Yes, he is the only way. We also admit. Because he is the representative of God, so if you want to approach God, you must approach through His representative. That is his version: "I am the only representative of God," then you have to reach God through him, that is fact." (La Trobe University Lecture – July 1, 1974, Melbourne) Attaining pure love of God is not something cheap, but we are so fortunate–not due to our own qualifications–but due to the causeless and inconceivable mercy extended to us by the bonafide representative of the Lord as ordained by the Lord's own sweet will. The Lord's representative has given us a method by which to revive our forgotten relationship with the Lord, and that is by associating with Him by the recitation of His innumerable sweet names. Thus, we are daily chanting: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare "Now, now the principal religions of the world -- Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion and Buddha religion -- most of them believes some supreme authority or personality coming down from the kingdom of God. Just like in your Christian religion Lord Jesus Christ, he claimed to be the son of God and coming from the kingdom of God to reclaim you. So this claim of Lord Jesus Christ we admit. We, the followers of Bhagavad-gita, we admit this claim. So there is no difference of opinion between the followers of Hindu religion and Christian religion. In details there may be, according to country, climate and people, in details there may be difference, but that does not make any material difference." (Bhagavad-gita 4.6–8 – July 15, 1966, New York) Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita 4.7 that, yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham "Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion -- at that time I descend Myself."So, Krishna is always ready to reclaim us back to His Kingdom, therefore He sends His loving representative, or in other cases, He descends Himself. "Sometimes there are inquiries as to how one can surrender unto the Supreme Lord. In the Bhagavad-gita (18.66) the Lord asked Arjuna to surrender unto Him, and therefore persons unwilling to do so question where God is and to whom they should surrender. The answer to such questions or inquiries is given herein very properly. The Personality of Godhead may not be present before one's eyes, but if one is sincere in wanting such guidance the Lord will send a bona fide person who can guide one properly back home, back to Godhead. There is no need of material qualifications for making progress on the path of spiritual realization. In the material world, when one accepts some particular type of service, he is required to possess some particular type of qualification also. Without this one is unfit for such service. But in the devotional service of the Lord the only qualification required is surrender. Surrendering oneself is in one's own hand. If one likes, he can surrender immediately, without delay, and that begins his spiritual life. The bona fide representative of God is as good as God Himself. Or, in other words, the loving representative of the Lord is more kind and more easy to approach. A sinful soul cannot approach the Lord directly, but such a sinful man can very easily approach a pure devotee of the Lord. And if one agrees to put himself under the guidance of such a devotee of the Lord, he can also understand the science of God and can also become like the transcendental pure devotee of the Lord and thus get his liberation back to Godhead, back home for eternal happiness. So realization of the science of Godhead and relief from the unnecessary, useless struggle for existence are not at all difficult for the willing candidate. But they are very difficult for persons who are not surrendered souls but who simply speculate without any profit." (Purport, SB 2.7.46) The situation is that Krishna is always anxious to bring us back Home, and He gives us all facility, at all times, under all circumstances. So, if we have some love or inclination for Lord Yeshua HaMashiach, who is very approachable compared to Krishna Himself, then we should follow in His footsteps by applying and living His teachings, and at the same time, we should not think that we are on the same level and attempt to imitate His activities. Simply follow His instructions, and this will be the perfection of our lives. "My Dear Suchandra, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated December 3rd, 1969, and I am very glad to learn that you are feeling very strongly for Jesus Christ. You have already mentioned the exemplary character of Lord Jesus Christ that he sacrificed everything for God. This example should be taken. The process should be to follow the example, not to imitate the exact activities. For example, Lord Jesus Christ wanted to preach amongst some persons who were practically against the principle of accepting God as the Supreme, and the result was that these people crucified him. At the present moment, the world situation is more dangerous than before. People have become actually Godless. So if you follow the footsteps of Lord Jesus Christ to preach God-consciousness against Godlessness and dedicate your life in that way, that will be the real purpose of following Jesus Christ." (Letter to: Suchandra  --  London 8 December, 1969) Not only does Srila Prabhupada acknowledge Lord Yeshua as the son of God, He encourages His disciple, "So if you follow the footsteps of Lord Jesus Christ to preach God-consciousness against Godlessness and dedicate your life in that way, that will be the real purpose of following Jesus Christ." A whole book could be written about such details and in fact, one has been published called, Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers : " Bob : Prabhupada, people that engage in religions, like these "Jesus freaks" and other people, claim that Jesus is guiding them. Can this be so? Shrila Prabhupada : Yes, but they are not taking the guidance. Just like the Christians. Jesus is guiding them, "Thou shalt not kill," but they are killing. Where is the Jesus guidance? Simply saying, "I am guided by Jesus Christ" -- will that do? "But I don't care for his words." Is that guidance? Nobody is being guided by Jesus Christ. Their claim is false. It is very hard to find a man who is actually being guided by Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ's guidance is available, but nobody is caring for him. They have taken Jesus Christ as contractor to take up their sins. That is their philosophy. They commit all kinds of sins, and poor Jesus Christ will be responsible. That is their religion. Therefore they say, "We have a very good religion. For all our sinful activities, Jesus Christ will die." So is that good religion? They have no sympathy for Jesus Christ. He died for our sins. Why should we commit sins again? Such a great life has been sacrificed for our sins, so we should be guided by Jesus Christ. But if you take it otherwise -- "Ah, we shall go on committing all sins, and Jesus Christ will make a contract to nullify all my sins; I'll simply go to the church and confess and come back and again do all nonsense" -- do you think that shows very good intelligence? Bob : No. Shrila Prabhupada : Actually, one who is guided by Jesus Christ will certainly get liberation. But it is very hard to find a man who is actually being guided by Jesus Christ. Bob : What about the "Jesus freaks," the young people that have joined the Jesus movement? They read the Bible very often, and they try to -- Shrila Prabhupada : But violence is against the Bible's injunctions. How can they kill if they are following the Bible? Bob : I asked one this, and he claimed that Jesus was also eating meat in the Bible. Shrila Prabhupada : That's all right. He may eat anything. He is powerful. But he has ordered, "Thou shalt not kill. You must stop killing." He is powerful. He can eat the whole world. But you cannot compare to Jesus Christ. You cannot imitate Jesus Christ; you have to abide by his order. Then you are guided by Jesus Christ. That is actually obedience. That is explained in the Bhagavata. One who is isvara, who is empowered, can do anything, but we cannot imitate. We have to abide by his order: "What he says to me, that I will do." You cannot imitate. You say that Jesus Christ ate meat. Admitting that, you do not know in what condition he ate meat. He is himself eating meat, but he is advising others not to kill. Do you think that Jesus Christ was contradicting himself? Bob : No. Shrila Prabhupada : He cannot do that. That is real faith in him -- that he cannot do that. So why has he eaten meat? He knows, but he has asked me not to kill. I have to follow. That is the real system. You are not Jesus Christ; you cannot imitate him. He has sacrificed his life for God. Can you do that? So why shall you imitate Jesus Christ? You are imitating Jesus Christ by eating meat. Why not imitate Jesus Christ and sacrifice your life for spreading God consciousness? What do you think? Yes, when you preach you can say what you think. They are so-called Christians -- but what are they doing for God? Just consider the sun. The sun is absorbing urine. Can you drink urine? If you want to imitate the sun -- "Oh, here is the sun absorbing urine. Let me drink urine" -- can you? Jesus Christ is powerful; he can do everything. But we cannot imitate; we have to simply abide by his order. That is real Christianity. We cannot imitate a powerful man. That is wrong. In our Vedic literature, there was a poison ocean, so people could not find out what to do with it. Then Lord Shiva said, "All right, I'll drink it." So he drank the whole poison ocean and kept it in his throat. Can you drink poison? Not the ocean -- just one cup? So how can we imitate Lord Shiva? Lord Shiva never advised that we drink poison. So you have to abide by the advice, not imitate." (PQPA 9: Deciding for the Future)

Can everyone be equal in society? This is one of the ideals of communism, but Shrila Prabhupada contends otherwise based on the strength of the truths of the Bhagavad-gita and simple observation of society. Shyamasundara: Karl Marx contended that philosophers have only interpreted the world; the point is to change it. His philosophy is often called "dialectical materialism" because it comes from the dialectic of George Hegel -- thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. When applied to society, his philosophy is known as communism. His idea is that for many generations, the bourgeoisie [the property owners] have competed with the proletariat [the working class], and that this conflict will terminate in the communist society. In other words, the workers will overthrow the capitalistic class and establish a so-called dictatorship of the proletariat, which will finally become a classless society. Shrila Prabhupada: But how is a classless society possible? Men naturally fall into different classes. Your nature is different from mine, so how can we artificially be brought to the same level? Shyamasundara: His idea is that human nature, or ideas, are molded by the means of production. Therefore everyone can be trained to participate in the classless society. Shrila Prabhupada: Then training is required? Shyamasundara: Yes. Shrila Prabhupada: And what will be the center of training for this classless society? What will be the motto? Shyamasundara: The motto is "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." The idea is that everyone would contribute something, and everyone would get what he needed. Shrila Prabhupada: But everyone's contribution is different. A scientific man contributes something, and a philosopher contributes something else. The cow contributes milk, and the dog contributes service as a watchdog. Even the trees, the birds, the beasts -- everyone is contributing something. So, by nature a reciprocal arrangement is already there among social classes. How can there be a classless society? Philosophy conversations with Shrila Prabhupada- Karl Marx

Shrila Prabhupada transcendentally laments about the unfortunate neophytes who are unable to appreciate the empowered activities of and observe the maha-bhagavata from external point of view, thus committing serious offenses. If we consider the bodily defects of a Vaishnava, we should understand that we are committing an offense at the lotus feet of the Vaishnava. An offense at the lotus feet of a Vaishnava is very serious. Indeed, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has described this offense as hati-mata, the mad elephant offense. A mad elephant can create a disaster, especially when it enters into a nicely trimmed garden. One should therefore be very careful not to commit any offense against a Vaishnava. Every devotee should be ready to take instructions from a superior Vaisnava, and a superior Vaishnava must be ready to help an inferior Vaishnava in all respects. One is superior or inferior according to his spiritual development in Krishna consciousness. One is forbidden to observe the activities of a pure Vaishnava from a material point of view. For the neophyte especially, considering a pure devotee from a material point of view is very injurious. One should therefore avoid observing a pure devotee externally, but should try to see the internal features and understand how he is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. In this way one can avoid seeing the pure devotee from a material point of view, and thus one can gradually become a purified devotee himself. Those who think that Krishna consciousness is limited to a certain section of people, a certain section of devotees or a certain tract of land are generally prone to see the external features of the devotee. Such neophytes, unable to appreciate the exalted service of the advanced devotee, try to bring the maha-bhagavata to their platform. We experience such difficulty in propagating this Krishna consciousness all over the world. Unfortunately we are surrounded by neophyte Godbrothers who do not appreciate the extraordinary activities of spreading Krishna consciousness all over the world. They simply try to bring us to their platform, and they try to criticize us in every respect. We very much regret their naive activities and poor fund of knowledge. An empowered person who is actually engaged in the confidential service of the Lord should not be treated as an ordinary human being, for it is stated that unless one is empowered by Krishna, one cannot spread the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world. When one thus criticizes a pure devotee, he commits an offense (Vaishnava-aparadha) that is very obstructive and dangerous for those who desire to advance in Krishna consciousness. A person cannot derive any spiritual benefit when he offends the lotus feet of a Vaishnava. Everyone should therefore be very careful not to be jealous of an empowered Vaishnava, or a suddha-vaishnava. It is also an offense to consider an empowered Vaishnava an object of disciplinary action. It is offensive to try to give him advice or to correct him. One can distinguish between a neophyte Vaishnava and an advanced Vaishnava by their activities. The advanced Vaishnava is always situated as the spiritual master, and the neophyte is always considered his disciple. The spiritual master must not be subjected to the advice of a disciple, nor should a spiritual master be obliged to take instructions from those who are not his disciples. NoI: verse 6 purport

In the following conversation Shrila Prabhupada gives an interesting challenge to the atheistic men about the existence of God. Devotee (3): Those persons who are atheistic, they say that God is created out of a necessity, that people have a necessity to have their father image, so therefore they create religion. This is their basic philosophy, that man creates his own religion. He creates it out of necessity. He needs a father image, so therefore he creates the idea of God. Prabhupada: Created? What is that? Devotee (3): No. They feel that we have created, man has created the idea of God out of necessity. Devotee (4): The atheists are saying that man needs God although there is no God. They are insecure in this world. Prabhupada: What is God? Devotee (3): They feel basically that it's an idea. God is an idea. Prabhupada: Why it is idea? Explain. What for this idea? Why this idea is necessary? Devotee (1): Basically I think because in the Western countries there's no conception of God. Prabhupada: They.... Those who have no conception, that is another thing. But those who talk of God, that there is God or there is no God, what is the conception of God? That is.... Why do they say there is no God? Why do they say there is God? Somebody accept there is God. Somebody does not accept. So, there are two causes. Hari-sauri: The basic principle is that God is there, so you either accept or reject Him. Prabhupada: Yes. (laughs) One is doubtful or one is convinced. God is there. One is doubtful, he says "There is no God." My question is why the question of God is there? Devotee (1): General consensus is that when one is in need of God, then they accept God. They don't think that out of knowledge... Prabhupada: Therefore I am asking what is the conception, why they need, why they do not need. First of all describe food. There is some idea, that food is like this. Then the question of food. If there is no need of food, then why is this food question? Devotee (1): Just like the child wants to be protected by the parent, they're thinking that..., therefore people are feeling that they want to be protected by God. The child is always seeking protection from the parent. Prabhupada: There is necessity of God. Just like the child, there is necessity of the parents, a parent is there. Similarly, you feel necessity of God, God is there. Feeling the necessity of parent, the parents are there. Similarly, if you feel necessity of God, then God is there. Devotee (1): They say that because people are feeling this necessity, it is a crutch. Prabhupada: No, no. Necessity means there is. Otherwise why necessity? When you feel hungry, the necessity of food, food is there. The necessity of light, the sun is there. Devotee (4): Do you mean, Shrila Prabhupada, in order to conceive of something, a thing must be there? Prabhupada: There is no "conceive." Necessity. You require it. Just like when you're hungry you require food. Food is there. The eyes want to see; therefore the object of seeing is there. The hand wants to touch, so the object of touching is there. The nose wants to smell: the object of smell is there. So as soon as you feel necessity, the thing is there. Hari-sauri: And it's there even if you don't feel the necessity. Prabhupada: Ha? Hari-sauri: It's there even if you don't feel the necessity. Prabhupada: That is another tradition. First of all, as soon as you feel necessity, the object is there. Devotee (4): They say that necessity should not be God, but that it should be transferred to man. Prabhupada: I am not talking of God. I say as soon as you feel necessity, the object is there. Devotee (5): That necessity is our mistake. That is our insecurity. Prabhupada: So.... [break] ...that is mistake, then you are rascal, that's all. Mistake is committed by rascal. So you are rascal. If you commit mistake then you are rascal. Then don't talk, stop talking. (everyone laughs) Who is going to hear a rascal? (indistinct) [break] ...he is hungry, there is no necessity of food? Who's that rascal that says "No, there is no necessity of food"? He's feeling hungry, he wants to eat something, and if he says "No, there is no necessity of food," then is he not rascal? And if you say "Now we are feeling the necessity of food, but that is my mistake," is that answer? Devotee (1): They're feeling that some people have the necessity for God, but actually... Prabhupada: Why? That is the question. Why some people have? That means some people intelligent, some people rascals. That's all. This is wrong. Devotee (1): The question is, why some people are feeling a necessity for God? That is the question they ask. Prabhupada: That is the difference between rascal and intelligent. Just like in Hawaii Island, when the rascals were living, they did not feel the necessity of skyscraper. When intelligent Americans came, they feel the necessity. That is the difference. (everyone laughs) Is that all right? Devotee (1): Yes, Prabhupada. Prabhupada: Necessity is the mother of invention. That is an English proverb. Is it not? So unless you feel necessity, you are rascal. Hari-sauri: Well, taking that the other way... Prabhupada: Dull matter. Dull matter. It has no necessity. It is dull matter. And as soon as you have got life, there is necessity. Without feeling necessity means dullness. Just like these Hawaiians, very nice. They did not think the necessity of the skyscraper, motorcar.... But when it was inhabited by the Americans, (indistinct) That is the difference between advanced and not advanced. Devotee (1): Can one say that necessity for eating, sleeping, mating and defending is animal life? The necessity for God is advanced life? Prabhupada: Certainly. Necessity means more you become advanced, the more necessity. Necessity mother of invention. Advancement, they are manufacturing so many things. There is no necessity of car, but people are advanced, they are inventing: "Now comfortably I shall..." So necessity means advanced life. No necessity means dull life. That's all. Devotee (1): The atheists fear that they've put the necessity on the wrong object. Prabhupada: That means they're rascals. If there is no necessity, that means dull life, dull brain. The madman will think there is no necessity of clothing: "I can remain naked." And actually remains. He's a madman. And a sensible man, he requires dress, nice dress, first-class dress. So this is the difference between intelligent and dull. Dull has no necessity. Intelligent has necessity. (Morning Walk -- May 28, 1976, Honolulu)

Is Vaikunta Loka the supreme Loka? How big is it? What is there? Which type of food? Are there any creatures who live in there? How do they live? The Spiritual abode as opposed to this material world is eternal, divine, blissful and full of knowledge. One qualifies to enter Vaikunta when he or she attains freedom from the karmic bondage by taking shelter of Supreme Lord Vishnu with pure love and sincere devotion. The original state of consciousness of the soul is thus attained when it is being favoured by the mercy of the Super conscious Lord Vishnu. In this state one's engagement diverts into serving the Supreme Lord having attained its original state with a divine body free from matter and limitations of time which means the soul attains a divine form like Lord Krishna and continues to serve the original GODHEAD with full blissfulness. There is no dominion of time, hence the souls attaining such abode do not die, age or get any diseases or become subject to anxiety or fear. Divine bodies are the original form of the soul unlike material world where the soul is embodied by the five gross material elements which impose limitations on the free movement of the soul and covers its original consciousness with the desire to lord it over the material nature. This is because the desire to serve the Lord is directed to serve one's temporary material coverings through senses. This is a state of illusion which is absent in the spiritual world. Hence, having acquired divine bodies, the souls do not have to “maintain” them by eating, sleeping, mating or defending. They are in eternally sat chit ananda state.

Discover more content by the devotees in each issue of the Matchless Gift magazine. Buy the new issue , or receive new issues monthly here with our Uttama subscription The fresh aroma filling the air in the cool, damp, morning hours. The vibrant, popping, joyful green of the grass and trees. The wet, woody scent mixing with the sweet delicacy of newly blooming wildflowers. The mesmerizing hum of the cicadas high up in the canopy. The chattering of squirrels and their rambunctious acrobatics between branches. The crisp, blue sky, scattered with fluffy white clouds. The little wonders all around. Spiders weaving their web of the day with fine intelligence and artistic skill. Tiny mushrooms growing from almost nothing in the middle of a gravel hill. Intricate violet flowers swirling out to meet the bees. The unexplainable quiet existing between the trees. Trillions of individual living entities all gathered in one place with one aim. Each plant, each blade of grass uniquely finding their way through the transmigration of species. Enter human-being. Craving variety, individuality. Seeking relationship, community. Yet nothing seems to satisfy this burning desire. Oh, the painful emptiness of a forest; this land is conspicuous by Your absence. A path worn by the feet of many, winding through the understory. The stark reality of an aching heart, an aching body. A need... A NEED.... I NEED YOU. “Krishna, where are You?” The silence... denoting the absence of laughter. The shadows cast by the canopy... hinting at Your effulgence. I'm listening for your little feet running through the woods. But all I hear are leaves shuttering in the breeze. I'm looking for the dust raised by the cow's hooves, signifying you'll be home soon. Is that...?! No.... that's not the sound of your flute. Mother Earth carries the remnants of the kumkum from your foot. Everything that makes Her beautiful is coming from You. She is enchanting only because She weeps. She screams and fights to reclaim Her position As the foundation for your lotus-like feet. There is only one sound in a forest Hare Krishna There is only one person in the world Hare Krishna There is only one original form Hare Krishna poem There is only one purpose for this material world Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

An animated class by Purujit Prabhu. Cool Stuff! His Grace Purujit Prabhu is self-effulgent

Krishna consciousness cannot be limited by any material circumstances. It is the original spiritual consciousness of every living entity. The following is an excerpt from the upcoming biography of Shrila Prabhupada, the founder of the Hare Krishna movement. By flicks of chance one might have been obliged to adopt a profession which was not very adorable in the society, but that did not hamper one in the matter of executing devotional service of the Lord. Devotional service of the Lord is uncheckable in all circumstances. From the pages of the Srimad Bhagavatam we can understand that even 5000 years ago, there were prostitutes in a city like Dwarka where Lord Krishna resided. The prostitutes are necessary citizens for proper upkeep of the society. The government opens wine shops but it does not mean that government encourages drinking of wine. The idea is that there is a class of men who will drink at any cost and it has been experimented that prohibition in great cities encouraged illicit smuggling of wine by different venues. Similarly a class of men who are not satisfied at home do require such concessions. If there is no prostitute to satisfty their lust, such low class of men induce other women to prostitution. It is better that prostitutes are available in the market place so that sanctity of the society is maintained. It is better to maintain a class of prostitutes than to encourage wholesale prostitution within the society. The real reformation is to enlighten all people to become devotees of the Lord and that will check all kinds of deteriorating factors of life. Sri Bilvamangala Thakura, a great acharya of the Vishnusvami Vaishnava sect in his householder life was too much attached to a prostitute who happened to be a devotee of the Lord. One night when the Thakura came to Chintamani's house in torrents of rain and a thunder, Cintamani was astonished to see how the Thakur could come in such dreadful night after crossing a foaming river which was full of waves and water. She said to Thakur Bilvamangala that his attraction for the flesh and bone of an insignificant woman like her would have been properly utilised if it could be diverted to devotional service of the Lord to achieve such attraction for the transcendental beauty of the Lord. It was a momentous hour for the Thakur and he took a turn towards spiritual realisation by the words of a prostitute. Later on the Thakura accepted Cintamani prostitute as his spiritual master and at several places of his literary works he has glorified the name of Cintamani who showed him the right path. In the Bhagavad-gita (Bg. 9.32) the Lord says as follows "O son of Pritha, even the low born candalas and those who are born in the family of unbelievers or even the prostitutes, shall attain perfection of life, if they take shelter of My unalloyed devotional service. In the path of devotional service there are no impediments on account of degraded birth and occupation. The path is open for everyone who agrees to follow it." From the descriptions of the Srimad Bhagavatam it appears that the prostitutes of Dwarka who were so much eager to meet the Lord were all His unalloyed devotees; and as such they were all on the path of salvation according to the above statement of the Bhagvad-gita. Therefore, the only reformation that is necessary in the society is to make organised effort to turn the citizens to be devotees of the Lord and thus all good qualities of the denizens of heaven will overtake them in their own way. On the other hand, those who are unbeliever-non-devotees, have no good qualification whatsoever, however materially advanced they may be. The difference is that the devotees of the Lord are on the path of liberation, whereas the nondevotee-unbelievers are on the path of further entanglement of material bondage. The criterion of advancement of civilization is to see whether the people are educated and advanced on the path of salvation.

“Actually a bona fide spiritual master is never a conditioned soul.” (Letter 6.10.69). “Unless one is under the shelter of a self-realised guru, his understanding of the Supreme is simply foolishness.” (Teachings of Lord Caitanya, p.201) “The qualification of the guru is that he must have realized the conclusion of the scriptures.” (SB 11.3.21) “To become Krishna conscious one must take shelter of a realized soul... a self-realized spiritual master, a niskincana.” (SB 7.5.32) “A serious devotee must first approach a spiritual master who is not only well versed in the Vedic literature but is also a great devotee with factual realization of the Lord.” (SB 2.4.10) “One must approach a self-realized Krishna conscious person and touch his feet.” (SB 4.26.20) “Unless one is self-realized and knows what his relationship is with the Supersoul, he cannot become a bona fide spiritual master.” (SB 3.28.2) “The word ‘tattva-darshi’ refers to one who has perfectly realized the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (SB 5.15.4) “No one can get out of this struggle for existence without accepting a pure devotee of the Lord.” (SB 5.14.1) “This confidential knowledge is extremely difficult to understand, yet it’s very easy if one takes shelter of a pure devotee.” (SB 7.6.27) “One cannot be in a transcendental position unless one serves very faithfully a pure Vaisnava.” (CC Antya 7.53)

The 6th of April 2025 will mark the auspicious appearance of Lord Ramacandra, the husband of Sita and incarnation of Krishna. Join us at the B.L.I.S.S South London temple, where we will be celebrating this divine occasion. Book here: https://www.expandthebliss.com/ramanavami "It is sometimes said that people want the kingdom of God without God. Such an aspiration, however, is never to be fulfilled. Good government can exist when the relationship between the citizens and the government is like that exemplified by Lord Rāmacandra and His citizens. Lord Rāmacandra ruled His kingdom exactly as a father takes care of his children, and the citizens, being obliged to the good government of Lord Rāmacandra, accepted the Lord as their father." Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.10.50, Purport

A common misconception among aspiring devotees of Krishna consciousness is that they become prideful of their service and position and think themselves more elevated than they really are. Herein is a nice explanation of this wrong mindset by Srila Prabhupada supported by a song from Bhaktivinoda Thakura. A devotee on the topmost platform of devotional service always humbly thinks that he is not rendering any devotional service. He thinks that he is poor in devotional service and that his body is material. On the other hand, those known as the sahajiyas foolishly think that their material bodies are transcendental. Because of this, they are always bereft of the association of pure devotees, and thus they cannot behave like Vaisnavas. Observing the defects of the sahajiyas, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has sung as follows in his book Kalyana-kalpa-taru: ami ta'vaisnava, e-buddhi ha-ile amani na haba ami pratisthasa asi', hrdaya dusibe ha-iba niraya-gami nije srestha jani', ucchistadi-dane habe abhimana bhara tai sisya tava, thakiya sarvada na la-iba puja kara "If I think I am a Vaisnava, I shall look forward to receiving respect from others. And if the desire for fame and reputation pollute my heart, certainly I shall go to hell. By giving others the remnants of my food, I shall consider myself superior and shall be burdened with the weight of false pride. Therefore, always remaining your surrendered disciple, I shall not accept worship from anyone else."