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Compiled from the teachings of Srila Prabhupada WHO IS VISNU? sahasra-sirsa purusah sahasraksah sahasra-pat sahasra-bahur visvatma sahasramsah sahasra-suh narayanah sa bhagavan apas tasmat sanatanat avirasit karanarno nidhih sankarsanatmakah yoga-nidram gatas tasmin sahasramsah svayam mahan (Sri Brahma-samhita 5.11-12) The Lord of the mundane world, Maha-Visnu, possesses thousands of thousands of heads, eyes, hands and so on. He is the source of thousands of thousands of avataras in His thousands of thousands of subjective portions. He is the creator of thousands of thousands of individual souls. The same Maha-Visnu is spoken of by the name of "Narayana" in this mundane world. From that eternal person has sprung the vast expanse of water of the spiritual Causal Ocean. The subjective portion of Sankarsana who abides in paravyoma, the above supreme purusa with thousands of subjective portions, reposes in the state of divine sleep [yoga-nidra] in the waters of the spiritual Causal Ocean. KRSNA AND VISHNU'S EXPANSIONS Srila Prabhupada explains the various expansions as follows: From Krsna, or Govinda, comes Balarama; from Balarama comes Sankarsana; from Sankarsana, Narayana; from Narayana, the second Sankarsana; from the second Sankarsana, Maha-Visnu; from Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu; and from Garbhodakasayi Visnu, Ksirodakasayi Visnu. SB 6.16.37 purport When the material world is created, the Maha-Visnu expansion is there. From Maha-Visnu, all these universes are generated. And from Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu is expanded. This Garbhodakasayi Visnu enters into each universe, and then, in each universe, from Garbhodakasayi Visnu, Ksirodakasayi Visnu is expanded. That Ksirodakasayi Visnu has a planet within this universe near the polestar. And from that Ksirodakasayi Visnu, the expansion Paramatma is distributed in everyone's heart. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20.172–244 – December 16, 1966, New York Maha-Visnu is called Karanodakasayi Visnu. And this Karanodakasayi Visnu enters in every universe as Garbhodakasayi Visnu. And this Garbhodakasayi Visnu again expands as Ksirodakasayi Visnu. Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.8 – March 5, 1972, Calcutta First Krsna, then Balarama, then Sankarsana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Vasudeva. Vasudeva, Sankarsana. Then, from Sankarsana, Narayana. Then, from Narayana, again catur-vyuha, second Sankarsana, Vasudeva, Aniruddha. And from the second Sankarsana is Maha-Visnu. And from Maha-Visnu, Karanodakasayi-Visnu. And from Karanodakasayi-Visnu, Ksirodakasayi-Visnu. The Ksirodakasayi-Visnu is in each universe. He is the Supersoul. Room Conversation with Prof. Regamay – June 4, 1974, Geneva Finally, the Caitanya Caritamrta says: visnos tu trini rupani purusakhyany atho viduh ekam tu mahatah srastr dvitiyam tv anda-samsthitam trtiyam sarva-bhuta-stham tani jnatva vimucyate (Madhya 20.251) "'Visnu has three forms called purusas. The first, Maha-Visnu, is the creator of the total material energy [mahat], the second is Garbhodasayi, who is situated within each universe, and the third is Ksirodasayi, who lives in the heart of every living being. He who knows these three becomes liberated from the clutches of maya.' To summarize: 1st)Sri Krsna 2nd) Balarama 3rd) Vasudeva-Sankarsana-Pradyumna-Aniruddha (first set of quadruple forms) 4th) Narayana 5th) Vasudeva-Sankarsana-Pradyumna-Aniruddha (second set of quadruple forms) 6th) Maha-Vishnu 7th) Garbodakasayi-Vishnu. It is from this particular Vishnu (namely Garbodakasayi-Vishnu) that the trio (Guna-avataras) viz… Vishnu (known as Ksirodakasayi-Vishnu), Brahma and Shiva appear 8th) Ksirodakasayi- Vishnu. The different avataras (incarnations) that appear in this world appear through the body of this particular Vishnu (Ksirodakasayi- Vishnu) 9th) Paramatma (the Super consciousness or Supersoul expanded from Ksirodakasayi- Vishnu). I will now present quotes that more minutely describe the three purusa Vishnu expansions: THE FIRST PURUSA: MAHA VISHNU suta uvaca jagrhe paurusam rupam bhagavan mahad-adibhih sambhutam sodasa-kalam adau loka-sisrksaya Suta said: In the beginning of the creation, the Lord first expanded Himself in the universal form of the purusa incarnation and manifested all the ingredients for the material creation. And thus at first there was the creation of the sixteen principles of material action. This was for the purpose of creating the material universes. (SB 1.3.1) Srila Prabhupada comments: "When the creation is again set up, this mahat-tattva is again let loose. This mahat-tattva contains all the ingredients of the material manifestations, including the conditioned souls. Primarily this mahat-tattva is divided into sixteen parts, namely the five gross material elements and the eleven working instruments or senses. It is like the cloud in the clear sky. In the spiritual sky, the effulgence of Brahman is spread all around, and the whole system is dazzling in spiritual light.  The mahat-tattva is assembled in some corner of the vast, unlimited spiritual sky, and the part which is thus covered by the mahat-tattva is called the material sky. This part of the spiritual sky, called the mahat-tattva, is only an insignificant portion of the whole spiritual sky, and within this mahat-tattva there are innumerable universes. All these universes are collectively produced by the Karanodakasayi Visnu, called also the Maha-Visnu, who simply throws His glance to impregnate the material sky." SECOND PURUSA: GARBHODAKASAYI VISHNU yasyambhasi sayanasya yoga-nidram vitanvatah nabhi-hradambujad asid brahma visva-srjam patih A part of the purusa lies down within the water of the universe, from the navel lake of His body sprouts a lotus stem, and from the lotus flower atop this stem, Brahma, the master of all engineers in the universe, becomes manifest. (SB 1.3.2) Srila Prabhupada comments: "The first purusa is the Karanodakasayi Visnu. From His skin holes innumerable universes have sprung up. In each and every universe, the purusa enters as the Garbhodakasayi Visnu. He is lying within the half of the universe which is full with the water of His body. And from the navel of Garbhodakasayi Visnu has sprung the stem of the lotus flower, the birthplace of Brahma, who is the father of all living beings and the master of all the demigod engineers engaged in the perfect design and working of the universal order. Within the stem of the lotus there are fourteen divisions of planetary systems, and the earthly planets are situated in the middle. Upwards there are other, better planetary systems, and the topmost system is called Brahmaloka or Satyaloka. Downwards from the earthly planetary system there are seven lower planetary systems inhabited by the asuras and similar other materialistic living beings. From Garbhodakasayi Visnu there is expansion of the Ksirodakasayi Visnu, who is the collective Paramatma of all living beings. He is called Hari, and from Him all incarnations within the universe are expanded. Therefore, the conclusion is that the purusa-avatara is manifested in three features -- first the Karanodakasayi, who creates the aggregate material ingredients in the mahat-tattva, second the Garbhodakasayi, who enters in each and every universe, and third the Ksirodakasayi Visnu, who is the Paramatma of every material object, organic or inorganic. One who knows these plenary features of the Personality of Godhead knows Godhead properly, and thus the knower becomes freed from the material conditions of birth, death, old age and disease, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita. In this sloka the subject matter of Maha-Visnu is summarized. The Maha-Visnu lies down in some part of the spiritual sky by His own free will. Thus He lies on the ocean of karana, from where He glances over His material nature, and the mahat-tattva is at once created. Thus electrified by the power of the Lord, the material nature at once creates innumerable universes, just as in due course a tree decorates itself with innumerable grown fruits. The seed of the tree is sown by the cultivator, and the tree or creeper in due course becomes manifested with so many fruits. Nothing can take place without a cause. The Karana Ocean is therefore called the Causal Ocean. Karana means "causal." We should not foolishly accept the atheistic theory of creation. The description of the atheists is given in the Bhagavad-gita. The atheist does not believe in the creator, but he cannot give a good theory to explain the creation. Material nature has no power to create without the power of the purusa, just as a prakrti, or woman, cannot produce a child without the connection of a purusa, or man. The purusa impregnates, and the prakrti delivers. We should not expect milk from the fleshy bags on the neck of a goat, although they look like breastly nipples. Similarly, we should not expect any creative power from the material ingredients; we must believe in the power of the purusa, who impregnates prakrti, or nature. Because the Lord wished to lie down in meditation, the material energy created innumerable universes at once, and in each of them the Lord lay down, and thus all the planets and the different paraphernalia were created at once by the will of the Lord. The Lord has unlimited potencies, and thus He can act as He likes by perfect planning, although personally He has nothing to do. No one is greater than or equal to Him. That is the verdict of the Vedas. THIRD PURUSA: KSIRODAKASAYI VISHNU etan nanavataranam nidhanam bijam avyayam yasyamsamsena srjyante deva-tiryan-naradayah This form [the second manifestation of the purusa] is the source and indestructible seed of multifarious incarnations within the universe. From the particles and portions of this form, different living entities, like demigods, men and others, are created. PURPORT Srila Prabhupada comments: "The purusa, after creating innumerable universes in the mahat-tattva, entered in each of them as the second purusa, Garbhodakasayi Visnu. When He saw that within the universe there were only darkness and space, without a resting place, He filled half of the universe with water from His own perspiration and laid Himself down on the same water. This water is called Garbhodaka. Then from His navel the stem of the lotus flower sprouted, and on the flower petals the birth of Brahma, or the master engineer of the universal plan, took place. Brahma became the engineer of the universe, and the Lord Himself took charge of the maintenance of the universe as Visnu. Brahma was generated from rajo-guna of prakrti, or the mode of passion in nature, and Visnu became the Lord of the mode of goodness. Visnu, being transcendental to all the modes, is always aloof from materialistic affection. This has already been explained. From Brahma there is Rudra (Siva), who is in charge of the mode of ignorance or darkness. He destroys the whole creation by the will of the Lord. Therefore all three, namely Brahma, Visnu and Siva, are incarnations of the Garbhodakasayi Visnu. From Brahma the other demigods like Daksa, Marici, Manu and many others become incarnated to generate living entities within the universe. This Garbhodakasayi Visnu is glorified in the Vedas in the hymns of Garbha-stuti, which begin with the description of the Lord as having thousands of heads, etc. The Garbhodakasayi Visnu is the Lord of the universe, and although He appears to be lying within the universe, He is always transcendental. This also has already been explained. The Visnu who is the plenary portion of the Garbhodakasayi Visnu is the Supersoul of the universal life, and He is known as the maintainer of the universe or Ksirodakasayi Visnu. So the three features of the original purusa are thus understood. And all the incarnations within the universe are emanations from this Ksirodakasayi Visnu." KRSNA IS THE SOURCE OF ALL THE PURUSAS Although the Bhagavad-gita the Lord confirms His supreme position in many slokas (for example 7.7.), the Srimad bhagavatam gives a final verdict on this matter in the following sloka: ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam indrari-vyakulam lokam mrdayanti yuge yuge (SB. 1.3.28) “All the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord,but Lord Sri Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists. “ In the Caitanya Caritamrta this verse is analyzed and explained by Srila Krsnadas Kaviraja Goswami as follows: saba avatarera kari samanya-laksana tara madhye krsna-candrera karila ganana tabe suta gosani mane pana bada bhaya yara ye laksana taha karila niscaya avatara saba -- purusera kala, amsa svayam-bhagavan krsna sarva-avatamsa purva-paksa kahe -- tomara bhala ta' vyakhyana paravyoma-narayana svayam-bhagavan tenha asi' krsna-rupe karena avatara ei artha sloke dekhi ki ara vicara tare kahe -- kene kara kutarkanumana sastra-viruddhartha kabhu na haya pramana anuvadam anuktva tu na vidheyam udirayet na hy alabdhaspadam kincit kutracit pratitisthati anuvada na kahiya na kahi vidheya age anuvada kahi, pascad vidheya 'vidheya' kahiye tare, ye vastu ajnata 'anuvada' kahi tare, yei haya jnata yaiche kahi, -- ei vipra parama pandita vipra -- anuvada, ihara vidheya -- panditya vipratva vikhyata tara panditya ajnata ataeva vipra age, panditya pascata taiche inha avatara saba haila jnata kara avatara? -- ei vastu avijnata 'ete'-sabde avatarera age anuvada 'purusera amsa' pache vidheya-samvada taiche krsna avatara-bhitare haila jnata tanhara visesa-jnana sei avijnata ataeva 'krsna'-sabda age anuvada 'svayam-bhagavatta' piche vidheya-samvada krsnera svayam-bhagavatta -- iha haila sadhya svayam-bhagavanera krsnatva haila badhya krsna yadi amsa haita, amsi narayana tabe viparita haita sutera vacana narayana amsi yei svayam-bhagavan tenha sri-krsna -- aiche karita vyakhyana (Adi 2.68-85) "The Bhagavatam describes the symptoms and deeds of the incarnations in general and counts Sri Krsna among them.This made Suta Gosvami greatly apprehensive. Therefore he distinguished each incarnation by its specific symptoms. All the incarnations of Godhead are plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions of the purusa-avataras, but the primeval Lord is Sri Krsna. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the fountainhead of all incarnations. An opponent may say, "This is your interpretation, but actually the Supreme Lord is Narayana, who is in the transcendental realm. "He [Narayana] incarnates as Lord Krsna. This is the meaning of the verse as I see it. There is no need for further consideration."To such a misguided interpreter we may reply, "Why should you suggest such fallacious logic? An interpretation is never accepted as evidence if it opposes the principles of scripture.'One should not state a predicate before its subject, for it cannot thus stand without proper support.'If I do not state a subject, I do not state a predicate. First I speak the former and then I speak the latter.The predicate of a sentence is what is unknown to the reader, whereas the subject is what is known to him. For example, we may say, 'This vipra is a greatly learned man.' In this sentence, the vipra is the subject, and the predicate is his erudition.The man's being a vipra is known, but his erudition is unknown. Therefore the person is identified first and his erudition later. In the same way, all these incarnations were known, but whose incarnations they are was unknown."First the word 'ete' ['these'] establishes the subject [the incarnations]. Then 'plenary portions of the purusa-avataras' follows as the predicate."In the same way, when Krsna was first counted among the incarnations, specific knowledge about Him was still unknown."Therefore first the word 'krsna' appears as the subject, followed by the predicate, describing Him as the original Personality of Godhead."This establishes that Sri Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead. The original Personality of Godhead is therefore necessarily Krsna."Had Krsna been the plenary portion and Narayana the primeval Lord, the statement of Suta Gosvami would have been reversed."Thus he would have said, 'Narayana, the source of all incarnations, is the original Personality of Godhead. He has appeared as Sri Krsna.' Krsnadas Kaviraja then continues: bhrama, pramada, vipralipsa, karanapatava arsa-vijna-vakye nahi dosa ei saba (Adi 2.86) "Mistakes, illusions, cheating and defective perception do not occur in the sayings of the authoritative sages." Srila Prabhupada comments: "Srimad-Bhagavatam has listed the avataras, the plenary expansions of the purusa, and Lord Krsna appears among them. But the Bhagavatam further explains Lord Krsna's specific position as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Since Lord Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead, reason and argument establish that His position is always supreme.Had Krsna been a plenary expansion of Narayana, the original verse would have been differently composed; indeed, its order would have been reversed. But there cannot be mistakes, illusion, cheating or imperfect perception in the words of liberated sages. Therefore there is no mistake in this statement that Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Sanskrit statements of Srimad-Bhagavatam are all transcendental sounds. Srila Vyasadeva revealed these statements after perfect realization, and therefore they are perfect, for liberated sages like Vyasadeva never commit errors in their rhetorical arrangements. Unless one accepts this fact, there is no use in trying to obtain help from the revealed scriptures. Bhrama refers to false knowledge or mistakes, such as accepting a rope as a snake or an oyster shell as gold. Pramada refers to inattention or misunderstanding of reality, and vipralipsa is the cheating propensity. Karanapatava refers to imperfectness of the material senses. There are many examples of such imperfection. The eyes cannot see that which is very distant or very small. One cannot even see his own eyelid, which is the closest thing to his eye, and if one is disturbed by a disease like jaundice, he sees everything to be yellow. Similarly, the ears cannot hear distant sounds. Since the Personality of Godhead and His plenary portions and self-realized devotees are all transcendentally situated, they cannot be misled by such deficiencies." The text of Caitanya Caritamrta continues: viruddhartha kaha tumi, kahite kara rosa tomara arthe avimrsta-vidheyamsa-dosa yanra bhagavatta haite anyera bhagavatta 'svayam-bhagavan'-sabdera tahatei satta dipa haite yaiche bahu dipera jvalana mula eka dipa taha kariye ganana (Adi 2.86-89) "You say something contradictory and become angry when this is pointed out. Your explanation has the defect of a misplaced predicate. This is an unconsidered adjustment. Only the Personality of Godhead, the source of all other Divinities, is eligible to be designated svayam bhagavan, or the primeval Lord. When from one candle many others are lit, I consider that one the original." Srila Prabhupada comments: "The Brahma-samhita, Chapter Five, verse 46, states that the visnu-tattva, or the principle of the Absolute Personality of Godhead, is like a lamp because the expansions equal their origin in all respects. A burning lamp can light innumerable other lamps, and although they will not be inferior, still the lamp from which the others are lit must be considered the original. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead expands Himself in the plenary forms of the visnu-tattva, and although they are equally powerful, the original powerful Personality of Godhead is considered the source. This example also explains the appearance of qualitative incarnations like Lord Siva and Lord Brahma. According to Srila Jiva Gosvami, sambhos tu tamo-'dhisthanatvat kajjalamaya-suksma-dipa-sikha-sthaniyasya na tatha samyam: "The sambhu-tattva, or the principle of Lord Siva, is like a lamp covered with carbon because of his being in charge of the mode of ignorance. The illumination from such a lamp is very minute. Therefore the power of Lord Siva cannot compare to that of the Visnu principle." MORE EVIDENCE THAT KRSNA IS THE SOURCE OF VISNU yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah visnur mahan sa iha yasya kala-viseso govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami "Brahma and other lords of the mundane worlds, appearing from the pores of hair of Maha-Visnu, remain alive as long as the duration of one exhalation of the latter [Maha-Visnu]. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whose subjective personality Maha-Visnu is the portion of portion." (Bs 5.48) Shrimad-Bhagavatam (10.85.31) describes Devaki’s prayer and confirms the related statement:“My dear Krishna, I know that Maha-Vishnu, who is lying in the causal ocean of the cosmic manifestation, and who is the source of this whole creation, is simply an expansion of Your plenary portion. Creation, maintenance, and annihilation of this cosmic manifestation are being effected only by Your plenary portion. I am, therefore, taking shelter of You without any reservation.” Furthermore it is stated in the same Canto: “O Lord of lords, O Lord Krishna, You are the seer of all creation. You are indeed everyone’s dearest life. Are You not, therefore, my father, Narayana? The sacredd name ‘Narayana’ refers to one whose abode is in the water born from Nara (that is Garbhodakashayi Vishnu). Indeed, that Narayana is also Your plenary portion. All Your plenary portions are transcendental. They are absolute and are not creations of Maya.” (10.14.14) “O Lord Krishna, persons who are unaware of Your inconceivable energy cannot understand that You alone expand Yourself as the creator Brahma, maintainer Vishnu, and annihilator Shiva. Persons who are not in awareness of things as they are contemplate that I, Brahma, am the creator, Vishnu is the maintainer, and Lord Shiva is the annihilator. Actually You are alone everything: creator, maintainer and annihillator.” (10.14.19) Ramanujacarya has also admitted Krsna the Supreme. Sankaracarya has admitted in his note on Bhagavad-gita, sa bhagavan svayam krsnah. (Room Conversation of Srila Prabhupada with Prof. Regamay – June 4, 1974, Geneva) 64 QUALITIES Another evidence that Krsna is the supreme is that He possesses all the 64 qualities or attributes that no other expansion possesses (not even Narayana or Visnu). Srila Prabhupada explains: "Originally the Lord is full of all opulences, all prowess, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation. When they are partly manifested through the plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions, it should be noted that certain manifestations of His different powers are required for those particular functions. When in the room small electric bulbs are displayed, it does not mean that the electric powerhouse is limited by the small bulbs. The same powerhouse can supply power to operate large-scale industrial dynamos with greater volts. Similarly, the incarnations of the Lord display limited powers because so much power is needed at that particular time.For example, Lord Parasurama and Lord Nrsimha displayed unusual opulence by killing the disobedient ksatriyas twenty-one times and killing the greatly powerful atheist Hiranyakasipu. Hiranyakasipu was so powerful that even the demigods in other planets would tremble simply by the unfavorable raising of his eyebrow. The demigods in the higher level of material existence many, many times excel the most well-to-do human beings in longevity, beauty, wealth, paraphernalia and all other respects. Still they were afraid of Hiranyakasipu. Thus we can simply imagine how powerful Hiranyakasipu was in this material world. But even Hiranyakasipu was cut into small pieces by the nails of Lord Nrsimha. This means that anyone materially powerful cannot stand the strength of the Lord's nails. Similarly, Jamadagnya displayed the Lord's power to kill all the disobedient kings powerfully situated in their respective states. The Lord's empowered incarnation Narada and plenary incarnation Varaha, as well as indirectly empowered Lord Buddha, created faith in the mass of people. The incarnations of Rama and Dhanvantari displayed His fame, and Balarama, Mohini and Vamana exhibited His beauty. Dattatreya, Matsya, Kumara and Kapila exhibited His transcendental knowledge. Nara and Narayana Rsis exhibited His renunciation. So all the different indirectly or directly empowered incarnations of the Lord manifested different features, but Lord Krsna, the primeval Lord, exhibited the complete features of Godhead, and thus it is confirmed that He is the source of all other incarnations. And the most extraordinary feature exhibited by Lord Sri Krsna was His internal energetic manifestation of His pastimes with the cowherd girls. His pastimes with the gopis are all displays of transcendental existence, bliss and knowledge, although these are manifested apparently as sex love. The specific attraction of His pastimes with the gopis should never be misunderstood. The Bhagavatam relates these transcendental pastimes in the Tenth Canto. And in order to reach the position to understand the transcendental nature of Lord Krsna's pastimes with the gopis, the Bhagavatam promotes the student gradually in nine other cantos. According to Srila Jiva Gosvami's statement, in accordance with authoritative sources, Lord Krsna is the source of all other incarnations. It is not that Lord Krsna has any source of incarnation. All the symptoms of the Supreme Truth are present in full are present in the person of Lord Sri Krsna, and in the Bhagavad-gita the Lord emphatically declares that there is no truth greater than or equal to Himself...Learned scholars in transcendental subjects have carefully analyzed the summum bonum Krsna to have sixty-four principal attributes. All the expansions or categories of the Lord possess only some percentages of these attributes. But Sri Krsna is the possessor of the attributes cent per cent. And His personal expansions such as svayam-prakasa and tad-ekatma, up to the categories of the avataras who are visnu-tattva, possess up to ninety-three percent of these transcendental attributes. (SB 1.3.28 purport) These qualities are stated by Srila Rupa Goswami in the Nectar of Devotion as follows: 61. Performer of Wonderful Activities In the Brhad-vamana Purana, the Lord says, "Although I have many fascinating pastimes, whenever I think of the rasa-lila, which I perform with the gopis, I become eager to have it again." One devotee has said, "I know about Narayana, the husband of the goddess of fortune, and I also know about many other incarnations of the Lord. Certainly all the pastimes of such incarnations are exciting to my mind, but still the pastimes of the rasa-lila performed by Lord Krsna Himself are wonderfully increasing my transcendental pleasure." 62. Krsna Is Surrounded by Loving Devotees When we speak of Krsna, Krsna is not alone. "Krsna" means His name, His qualities, His fame, His friends, His paraphernalia, His entourage -- all of these are included. When we speak of a king, it is to be understood that he is surrounded by ministers, secretaries, military commanders and many other people. Similarly, Krsna is not impersonal. In His Vrndavana lila especially, He is surrounded by the gopis, the cowherd boys, His father, His mother and all the inhabitants of Vrndavana. In the Tenth Canto, Thirty-first Chapter, verse 15, of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the gopis lament, "My dear Krsna, during the daytime when You go out into the forest of Vrndavana with Your cows, we consider one moment to be twelve years, and it is very difficult for us to pass the time. And again when You come back at the end of the day, by seeing Your beautiful face we are so much attracted that we are unable to stop looking upon You constantly. At these times, when there is occasional blinking of our eyelids, we condemn the creator, Lord Brahma, as a dunce, because he does not know how to make perfect eyes!" In other words, the gopis were disturbed by the blinking of their eyes, because for the moment that their eyes were closed they could not see Krsna. This means that the gopis' love for Krsna was so great and ecstatic that they were disturbed by even His momentary absence. And when they saw Krsna, they were also disturbed. This is a paradox. One gopi, expressing herself to Krsna, says, "When we meet You at night, we consider the duration of night to be very small. And why speak of only this night? Even if we had a night of Brahma we would consider it a very short time!" We get an idea of Brahma's day from the following statement of Bhagavad-gita (8.17): "By human calculation, a thousand yuga cycles taken together is Brahma's one day. And such also is the duration of his night." The gopis said that even if they could have that duration of night, it would still not be sufficient for their meeting with Krsna. 63. Krsna's Attractive Flute In the Tenth Canto, Thirty-fifth Chapter, verses 14-15, of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the gopis tell Mother Yasoda, "When your son plays on His flute, Lord Siva, Lord Brahma and Indra -- although they are supposed to be the greatest learned scholars and personalities -- all become bewildered. Although they are all very great personalities, by hearing the sound of Krsna's flute they humbly bow down and become grave from studying the sound vibrated." In his book Vidagdha-madhava, Sri Rupa Gosvami thus describes the vibration of Krsna's flute: "The sound vibration created by the flute of Krsna wonderfully stopped Lord Siva from playing his dindima drum, and the same flute has caused great sages like the four Kumaras to become disturbed in their meditation. It has caused Lord Brahma, who was sitting on the lotus flower for the creative function, to become astonished. And Anantadeva, who was calmly holding all the planets on His hoods, was moving in this way and that due to the transcendental vibration from Krsna's flute, which penetrated through the covering of this universe and reached to the spiritual sky." 64. Krsna's Exquisite Beauty In the Third Canto, Second Chapter, verse 12, of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Uddhava tells Vidura, "My dear sir, Krsna's form was most wonderful when He appeared on this planet and exhibited the potency of His internal energy. His wonderfully attractive form was present during His pastimes on this planet, and by His internal potency He exhibited His opulences, which are striking to everyone. His personal beauty was so great that there was no necessity for His wearing ornaments on His body. In fact, instead of the ornaments' beautifying Krsna, Krsna's beauty enhanced the ornaments." Regarding the attractiveness of Krsna's bodily beauty and the sound vibration of His flute, in the Tenth Canto, Twenty-ninth Chapter, verse 40, of Srimad-Bhagavatam, the gopis address Krsna as follows: "Although our attitude toward You resembles loving affairs with a paramour, we cannot but wonder at how no woman can maintain her chastity upon hearing the vibration from Your flute. And not only women, but even stronghearted men are subject to falling down from their position at the sound of Your flute. In fact, we have seen that in Vrndavana even the cows, the deer, the birds, the trees -- everyone -- has been enchanted by the sweet vibration of Your flute and the fascinating beauty of Your person." In Rupa Gosvami's Lalita-madhava, it is said, "One day Krsna happened to see the shadow of His beautiful form reflected on the jeweled foreground. Upon seeing this bodily reflection, He expressed His feelings: 'How wonderful it is that I have never seen such a beautiful form! Although it is My own form, still, like Radharani, I am trying to embrace this form and enjoy celestial bliss.'" This statement shows how Krsna and His shadow reflection are one and the same. There is no difference between Krsna and His shadow reflection, nor between Krsna and His picture. That is the transcendental position of Krsna. The above statements describe some of the wonderful reservoirs of pleasure within Krsna, as well as the transcendental qualities of His personality. The transcendental qualities of Krsna are compared to the ocean: no one can estimate the length and breadth of the ocean. But as one can understand the ocean's contents simply by testing one drop of it, so these statements will give us some understanding of Krsna's transcendental position and qualities. In the Tenth Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, verse 7, of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Lord Brahma says, "My dear Lord, the inconceivable qualities, beauties and activities which You have revealed by Your presence on this planet cannot be calculated by any material measurement. If one even tries to imagine, 'Krsna may be like this,' that is also impossible. The day may come when the material scientist, after many, many births or after many, many years, will be able to estimate the atomic constitution of the whole world, or he may be able to count the atomic fragments that permeate the sky, or he may even give an estimate of all the atoms within the universe, but still he will never be able to count the transcendental qualities in Your reservoir of transcendental bliss." (Nectar of Devotion : Qualities of Sri Krsna. ) Maha-Visnu lying on the causal ocean KRISHNA ENTERS THE MATERIAL WORLD THROUGH VISHNU Srila Prabhupada also reveals wherefrom this idea that Krishna is coming from Vishnu came from.In the Caitanya Caritamrta it is stated: ataeva caitanya gosani paratattva-sima tanre ksiroda-sayi kahi, ki tanra mahima sei ta' bhaktera vakya nahe vyabhicari sakala sambhave tante, yate avatari (Adi. 2.110-111) "Therefore Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Absolute Truth. To call Him Ksirodakasayi Visnu does not add to His glory.But such words from the lips of a sincere devotee cannot be false. All possibilities abide in Him, for He is the primeval Lord." Furthermore it is stated: avatarira dehe saba avatarera sthiti keho kona-mate kahe, yemana yara mati (Adi. 2.112) All other incarnations are situated in potential form in the original body of the primeval Lord. Thus according to one's opinion, one may address Him as any one of the incarnations. Srila Prabhupada explains: "It is not contradictory for a devotee to call the Supreme Lord by any one of the various names of His plenary expansions, because the original Personality of Godhead includes all such categories. Since the plenary expansions exist within the original person, one may call Him by any of these names. In Sri Caitanya-bhagavata (CB Madhya-khanda 6.95) Lord Caitanya says, "I was lying asleep in the ocean of milk, but I was awakened by the call of Nada, Sri Advaita Prabhu." Here the Lord refers to His form as Ksirodakasayi Visnu. The text continues as follows: krsnake kahaye keha -- nara-narayana keho kahe, krsna haya saksat vamana keho kahe, krsna ksiroda-sayi avatara asambhava nahe, satya vacana sabara (Adi. 2.113-114) Some say that Sri Krsna is directly Nara-Narayana. Others say that He is directly Vamana.Some say that Krsna is the incarnation of Ksirodakasayi Visnu. None of these statements is impossible; each is as correct as the others. Srila Prabhupada explains: "The Laghu-bhagavatamrta (5.383) states: ata eva puranadau kecin nara-sakhatmatam mahendranujatam kecit kecit ksirabdhi-sayitam sahasra-sirsatam kecit kecid vaikuntha-nathatam bruyuh krsnasya munayas tat-tad-vrtty-anugaminah "According to the intimate relationships between Sri Krsna, the primeval Lord, and His devotees, the Puranas describe Him by various names. Sometimes He is called Narayana; sometimes Upendra (Vamana), the younger brother of Indra, king of heaven; and sometimes Ksirodakasayi Visnu. Sometimes He is called the thousand-hooded Sesa Naga, and sometimes the Lord of Vaikuntha." The text continues: keho kahe, para-vyome narayana hari sakala sambhave krsne, yate avatari (Adi 2.115) Some call Him Hari, or the Narayana of the transcendental world. Everything is possible in Krsna, for He is the primeval Lord. Srila Prabhupada mentions this point in his conversations as well: And when any incarnation comes within this world, He comes through Ksirodakasayi-Visnu. In that way, Krsna comes through Ksirodakasayi-Visnu. But this Ksirodakasayi-Visnu is the expansion of the expansion of Krsna. Room Conversation with Prof. Regamay – June 4, 1974, Geneva Indian man: Personally there is only one question I have, and that is, throughout all the Srimad-Bhagavatams that you have translated so far, I see all the time any, like Kardama Muni or other, all other great sages, whenever they do tapasya, every time Maha-Visnu comes down. Now I know that throughout other, even Back to Godhead, you have considered Maha-Visnu as an expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, yet Maha-Visnu is coming every time as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So what is the subtle position here? Prabhupada: There is no difference between... Just like... It has been explained in the Brahma-samhita. Just like one candle, then you kindle another candle, then you kindle another, another, another, another. So you say, "This is first, this is second, this is third, this is fourth..." But so far candle power is concerned, they are all the same. Either you take first or the second or the third, so far the candle power is concerned, that is all the same. Still, you have to say, "This is first, this is second, that is third, this is fourth..." Indian man: I was trying to... I was trying... Prabhupada: So God and His different expansions, they are of same power. Ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan nanavataram akarod bhuvanesu kintu, krsnah svayam samabhavat paramah puman yo... [Bs. 5.39]. Indian man: Govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami **. Prabhupada: So He is existing with all the incarnations, ramadi-murtisu. So Rama is not less than Krsna, but He is incarnation. This is the conclusion. Indian man: Because I was trying to refer to Govindastakam, Where it says, (sings) sri krsna radha ara gokulesa gopala govardhana-natha visnu, jiveti amrtamedhadevo govindam damodaram ada vetti(?). He's saying, sri krsna radha ara gokulesa gopala govardhana-natha visnu. That is what I was trying to see that is really... I know that say Krsna's expansion is Maha-Visnu, but still, why do they say govardhana-natha visnu? That I was trying to understand. Please don't misunderstand me. Prabhupada: No, no, Govardhana... Every one is visnu-tattva. Visnu-tattva, jiva-tattva, sakti-tattva, like that. So all of them on the Visnu category. That's all. Visnu-taya vibhati. Visnu-taya vibhati. Diparcir eva hi dasantaram abhyupetya dipayate visnu-taya vibhati [Bs. 5.46]. These things are there. So Godhead is visnu-tattva. So sometimes Visnu, sometimes Narayana, sometimes Govinda, sometimes Krsna, like that. Indian man: That's very nice, because one can understand very well. Because I always took Maha-Visnu as the expansion of Krsna, but still, when I went to Govindastakam and then also like Brahma-samhita says, yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya jivanti loma-vilaja... [Bs. 5.48]. Prabhupada: Loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah. Indian man: ...jagad-anda-nathah, visnur mahan sa iha yasya (Prabhupada quotes same verse simultaneously) kala-viseso govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami. So he says Maha-Visnu is even one expansion of Krsna, yet in Govindastakam they say, govardhana, gopala govardhana-natha visnu, sri krsna radha gokulesa, gopala govardhana-natha visnu. Prabhupada: They're all visnu-tattva. Visnu-sahasra-nama-stotra. Indian man: Because many people... At least among the Indians I get very big argument about it, that it is Maha-Visnu who is Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Krsna is only one avatara of His. And I try to... Prabhupada: That argument is discussed in the Caitanya-caritamrta. Hari-sauri: First volume? Prabhupada: Yes, first volume you see. You see. See the contents. You can't find it? When he is discussing somebody, says Visnu is the origin? So children, how many? Indian man: No children. Prabhupada: No children. Indian man: No children Prabhupada: That is good than another. (laughs) No responsibility. Indian man: I have decided that in about five, ten years, I'll work that much only. Afterwards I'm going to go to work for you. Prabhupada: Thank you. Indian man: Because I don't find any more pleasures, you know, in anything. As I go on chanting and chanting and chanting, sometime, Prabhupada... Oh, my first dream that came when I joined your movement... First dream that I came... And I told my wife about it in the morning. I said, first I saw a moon, and then I saw another large planet coming up, and then on the top of it I saw the lotus feet of the Lord. And when I saw the lotus feet of the Lord, I saw you coming on a swan and doing His puja. And I kept on shouting to my wife that "Please see Prabhupada is here. Please see. He is doing puja of lotus feet of the Lord." And that was my first dream that came. Sometimes after chanting all the time I feel as if He is walking next to me. I can feel as if His bluish body is right next to me, and all the time I have a feeling that somebody is next to me, you know. I don't know whether I'm going crazy or I'm... Prabhupada: Krsna is already there. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. So? Tamala Krsna: So I asked, I took a poll, census poll of about six or seven GBC men, including Kirtanananda, Ramesvara, Bali-mardana, so many men who know New York, and they all thought that if you join the parade at Twenty-third Street... Prabhupada: Twenty-third. At what time? Tamala Krsna: Ah, it'll be... It should be at about 3:15, like that. Prabhupada: That's all right. Tamala Krsna: Then it will be nice. Because the whole parade is about fifty-four blocks, and you'll be riding for about nineteen blocks. It means your ride will take about forty-five minutes. Prabhupada: So what time I'll going to start? Tamala Krsna: From here? Prabhupada: Somebody will come? Tamala Krsna: Yes, I think I will probably come. Kirtanananda will also... Prabhupada: At what time? Tamala Krsna: I think, say, it's going to be either 2:45 or 3:00. Tomorrow morning I'll let you know. Prabhupada: So at 3:00 I shall be ready. You can come and take me. That's all. Tamala Krsna: Well, I think at 3:00... But then by the time we get in the car... I think it will work, 3:00 o'clock. Prabhupada: That's all right. 3:00 o'clock, I'll be ready. You come and take. In the meantime, I shall finish my... Tamala Krsna: Yes, that will leave a little time for resting. The whole program should be over by about... Prabhupada: So tomorrow I shall take lunch at 1:00. That's all. Then, by 3:00 o'clock, I shall be ready. (to Indian man:) (Hindi?) Krsna is preparing you to join this movement wholeheartedly. It is very nice. Now you have got it? Jayadvaita: Yes. Krsnadasa Kaviraja quotes, ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. "All these incarnations of Godhead are either plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions of the purusa-avataras, but Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself." Then he says, "The Bhagavatam describes the symptoms and deeds of the incarnations in general and counts Sri Krsna among them. This made Suta Gosvami greatly apprehensive. Therefore he distinguished each incarnation by its specific symptoms. All the incarnations of Godhead are plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions of the purusa-avataras, but the primeval Lord is Sri Krsna. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the fountainhead of all incarnations. An opponent may say, 'This is your interpretation, but actually the Supreme Lord is Narayana, who is in the transcendental realm. He, Narayana, incarnates as Lord Krsna. This is the meaning of the verse as I see it. There is no need for further consideration.' To such a misguided interpreter we may reply, 'Why should you suggest such fallacious logic? An interpretation is never accepted as evidence if it opposes the principles of scripture. One should not state a predicate before its subject, for it cannot thus stand without proper support.' If I do not state a subject, I do not state a predicate. First I speak the former and then the latter. The predicate of a sentence is what is unknown to the reader, whereas the subject is what is known to him. For example, we may say, 'This vipra is a greatly learned man.' In this sentence, the vipra is the subject, and the predicate is his erudition. The man's being a vipra is known, but his erudition is unknown. Therefore the person is identified first and his erudition later. In the same way all these incarnations were known, but whose incarnations they are was unknown. First the word ete, 'these,' establishes the subject, the incarnation. Then 'plenary portions of the purusa-avataras' follows as the predicate. In the same way, when Krsna was first counted among the incarnations, specific knowledge about Him was still unknown. Therefore the word Krsna appears as the subject followed by the predicate, describing Him as the original Personality of Godhead. This establishes that Sri Krsna is the original Personality of Godhead. The original Personality of Godhead is therefore necessarily Krsna. Had Krsna been the plenary portion and Narayana the primeval Lord, the statement of Suta Gosvami would have been reversed. Thus he would have said, 'Narayana, the source of all incarnations, is the original Personality of Godhead. He has appeared as Sri Krsna.' " Prabhupada: So everything is given with logic and argument. Ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. First of all He's grouped among the incarnations, but Krsna is not incarnation. He's bhagavan svayam. Indian man: He comes original. Prabhupada: Yes. So if you argue against the authority of Bhagavatam, then that argument has no value. Indian man: That's where the problem in India is. Everyone is saying God is Maha-Visnu, and Krsna and Rama are only avataras, and that's where the big argument came in. In fact, I talked to so many... Prabhupada: Otherwise why Suta Gosvami, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]? And Krsna says, mattah parataram nanyat [Bg. 7.7]. So how one can say like that? That means less intelligent. If Krsna... If one accepts the authority of Bhagavad-gita, Krsna says, mattah parataram nanyat [Bg. 7.7]. Aham adir hi devanam [Bg 10.2]. Then how they falsely say? Aham adir hi devanam. Find out this verse. Hari-sauri: na me viduh sura-ganah prabhavam na maharsayah aham adir hi devanam maharsinam ca sarvasah [Bg 10.2] Prabhupada: Sarvasah. (Hindi) Indian man: No. Never. He has no reason to cheat us. He has no reason to lie. Hari-sauri: Shall I read the...? Prabhupada: Umhm. Hari-sauri: "Neither the hosts of demigods nor the great sages know My origin, for, in every respect, I am the source of the demigods and the sages." Purport? Prabhupada: Yes. Hari-sauri: "As stated in Brahma-samhita, Lord Krsna is the Supreme Lord. No one is greater than Him; He is the cause of all causes. Here it is also stated by the Lord personally that He is the cause of all the demigods and the sages. Even the demigods and great sages cannot understand Krsna. They can neither understand His name nor His personality, so what is the position of the so-called scholars of this tiny planet? No one can understand why the Supreme God comes to earth as an ordinary human being and executes such commonplace and yet wonderful activities. One should know, then, that scholarship is not the qualification necessary to understand Krsna. Even the demigods and the great sages have tried to understand Krsna by their mental speculation, and they have failed to do so. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam also it is stated clearly that even the great demigods are not able to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They can speculate to the limits of their imperfect senses and can reach the opposite conclusion of impersonalism, of something not manifested by the three qualities of material nature. Or they can imagine something by mental speculation. But it is not possible to understand Krsna by such foolish speculation. Here the Lord indirectly says that if anyone wants to know the Absolute Truth, 'Here I am, present as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I am the Supreme.' One should know this. Although one cannot understand the inconceivable Lord who is personally present, He nonetheless exists. We can actually understand Krsna who is eternal, full of bliss and knowledge, simply by studying His words in Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. The impersonal Brahman can be conceived by persons who are already in the inferior energy of the Lord, but the Personality of Godhead cannot be conceived unless one is in the transcendental position. Because most men cannot understand Krsna in His actual situation, out of His causeless mercy He descends to show favor to such speculators. Yet despite the Supreme Lord's uncommon activities, these speculators, due to contamination in the material energy, still think that the impersonal Brahman is the Supreme. Only the devotees who are fully surrendered unto the Supreme Lord can understand, by the grace of the Lord, that He is Krsna. The devotees of the Lord do not bother about the impersonal Brahman conception of God. Their faith and devotion bring them to surrender immediately unto the Supreme Lord, and out of the causeless mercy of Krsna, they can understand Krsna. No one else can understand Him. So even great sages agree, 'What is atma? What is the Supreme? It is He whom we have to worship.' " Indian man: In my class I run into lot of arguments, especially from our Indian people, and this is one of the biggest arguments people pose. They say, "Why are you calling yourselves Vaisnavas and not Krsnayas?" Prabhupada: Hm? Indian man: If I call Krsna, I accept Krsna as Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then the question comes to me, "Why are you calling yourself Vaisnavas? Why not Krsnayas?" Prabhupada: That already is explained, that Krsna or Rama, Visnu, Narayana, They are all visnu-tattva. Therefore Visnu is the common word for everyone. Just like candle. Everyone is candle, but still, this is first candle, this is second candle, this is third candle, like that. So Godhead means all visnu-tattva. They are not jiva-tattva. So therefore those who are devotee of God, they are called Vaisnava. Hari-sauri: This specific Vaisnava, that refers to Visnu? Worshipers of Visnu? Prabhupada: Yes. Visnu asyra devatah iti vaisnavah.(?) Indian man: Throughout Vedas also, Visnu is the yajnesvara. Prabhupada: The supreme, yes. Indian man: Yajno vai visnuh. Prabhupada: Visnur aradhyate. Visnur aradhyate, nanyat tat-tosa-karanam. Varnasramacaravata purusena parah puman visnur aradhyate [Cc. Madhya 8.58]. Visnor aradhanam. Aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param **. These are the sastric..., that visnor aradhana. Krsna-aradhana is also visnu-aradhana. Indian man: In fact, even Brahma-samhita, Brahmaji says, yah karanarnava-jale bhajati sma yoga- nidram ananta-jagad-anda-saroma-kupah adhara-saktim avalambya param sva-murtim govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami [Bs. 5.47] "So Visnu is creating all the planetary systems. He's in His yoga-nidra, He is the original Govinda, and I worship Him." So that is why both names are used so synonymously. And that is why people are questioning me, and I have difficulty to answer them. Although I accept Krsna as original Personality of Godhead, but how to explain to them? Prabhupada: No, these are the references. Jayadvaita: In here also. Should I read the verse? "All other incarnations are potentially situated in the original body of the primeval Lord. Thus, according to one's opinion, one may address Him as any one of the incarnations." Purport: "It is not contradictory for a devotee to call the Supreme Lord by any one of the various names of His plenary expansions, because the original Personality of Godhead includes all such categories. Since the plenary expansions exist within the original person, one may call Him by any of these names. In Sri Caitanya-bhagavata Lord Caitanya says, 'I was lying asleep in the ocean of milk, but I was wakened by the call of Nada, Sri Advaita Prabhu.' Here the Lord refers to His form as Ksirodakasayi Visnu." Translation: "Some say that Sri Krsna is directly Nara-Narayana, others say that He is directly Vamana. Some say that Krsna is the incarnation of Ksirodakasayi Visnu. None of these statements is impossible. Each of them is as correct as the others." Purport: "Laghu-bhagavatamrta states, ataeva puranadau kecin nara-sakhatmatam mahendranujatam kecit kecit ksirabdhi-sayitam sahasra-sirsatam kecit kecid vaikuntha-nathatam bruyuh krsnasya munayas tat-tad-vrtty-anugaminah 'According to the intimate relationships between Sri Krsna, the primeval Lord, and His devotees, the Puranas describe Him by various names. Sometimes He is called Narayana; sometimes Upendra (Vamana), the younger brother of Indra, King of heaven; and sometimes Ksirodakasayi Visnu...' " Prabhupada: They are all visnu-tattva. Indian man: In fact, I remember very vividly that in Srimad-Bhagavatam you wrote that it was Ksirodakasayi Visnu who came down to bless Dhruva Maharaja when the planetary system started trembling due to his tapasya here. Ksirodakasayi Visnu. This is why people are questioning me continuously that "How can you call Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and not Visnu?" And I say "All are visnu-tattva." But it is very difficult to explain to them the actual position of Krsna, because only through chanting... Prabhupada: That is decided by Bhagavatam, ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28], that tu, the name Krsna, in the incarnation of God, Krsna is also included, but this Krsna is the origin. Indian man: isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam [Bs. 5.1] Prabhupada: So we have to take the direction. So that is also explained. Even if you say, "Krsna is Vamana," there is nothing wrong. If you believe that Krsna is incarnation of Visnu, there is nothing wrong. Indian man: I don't believe that. Prabhupada: No, no, others. Others... Indian man: I believe Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Prabhupada: Others. We simply accept, "Yes it is all right." That's all. So that's a fact, because when Krsna comes, He comes through Ksirodakasayi Visnu. Indian man: I ask them then that "Explain the three Visnus-Maha Visnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu and Ksirodakasayi Visnu. Even Visnu Himself has expanded, what to talk of Krsna." And then I ask them that "Krsna came from which Visnu? You tell me. If you can tell me that, then I will accept that Krsna came from Visnu. But if not, you have to accept my statement that Krsna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead. And you will not know Him unless you chant. Unless you chant." Prabhupada: Sometimes Maha-Visnu wanted to see Krsna. That is mentioned in the Bhagavata, and He took Arjuna with Him. (Room Conversation -- July 17, 1976, New York)

The May edition of in-house BLISS magazine, Matchless Gift, is out now. Scroll on to see the front cover, and for insights into this month's issue. With free shipping worldwide, don't delay in subscribing to Matchless Gift and getting your copy in the post, every month. Matchless Gift #23, May 2025 What's Inside? Matchless Gift  is our official BLISS magazine  offering original Krishna conscious content inspired by the teachings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.  This issue features insightful articles, including:  Matchless Gift Magazine Who's behind it all?  – Warning, the answer might shock you! How to Find Balance  – Practical solutions for everyone, a class given by His Grace Purujit Dasa Scientific Evidence for the Soul Pt. 4  - Hard evidence by His Grace Makhancora Dasa What Happens at Death?  – The great beyond, experienced by Her Grace Subhangī Devī Dās A Joyous Union  – The beauty of Krishna Conscious marriage!

Krishna and Arjuna on the battle of Kuruksetra People are very eager to have a peaceful situation in their minds and in the world. Despite many endeavors, peace is always a very rare commodity. So how to achieve peace according to Krishna consciousness philosophy? That is explained in the following article. In order to understand what is peace, we can start by studying the opposite. Just like by studying a shadow we may get an idea about a substance. The opposite of peace is conflict. How does a conflict arise? People try to serve their senses: their eyes, tongues, ears, touch, noses. It is foolish to try to serve our senses, because we are not the senses. We are the consciousness that perceives the enjoyment of the senses. By trying to satisfy our senses, we come into conflict with other people who also try to satisfy their senses and there is competition. Everyone is trying to compete about who satisfy his or her senses the most. This is called ignorance. Instead of trying to satisfy ourselves, we are trying to satisfy our senses. It can be compared to a driver in a car. Ihe driver may put gas in the car and the car may function very nicely, but if the driver does not take food, he dies. Similarly, we may satisfy our bodily needs, but if we do not satisfy our spiritual thirst, we will not be happy. Since people are not happy by serving their senses, they try to serve senses of others. In this way their circle of serving expands from their individual bodies to bodies of their families, communities, states and international organizations. But since the original desire to satisfy one's individual senses and mind is always there, the conflict simply expands, and we see that one family fights with another family, one community is fighting another community, and one country is preparing bombs to destroy other countries. Therefore if we change our activity from satisfying the senses to satisfying the senses of krishna, there will be peace. Who is krishna? Krishna is the supreme personality of Godhead. He is an individual person with his senses but at the same time he is all-pervading. He has many names, but his original name is Krishna- which means all-attractive. He is attractive to everyone, not just humans but also animals and plants. His all-pervasivness can be compared to sun. The sun being situated at the specific spot in the universe pervades all the planets through its sunshine. Similarly, although Krishna is one, He pervades all the universe through his energy. Everything we see around us is his energy. We ourselves and all the living entities are His superior energy. Therefore if we try to satisfy Krsna's senses instead of our senses, we become truly satisfied and peaceful. This satisfaction is not selfish as in the case when we try to satisfy our senses separately. By satisfying Krsna, all living entities become satisfied since they are his parts and parcels. In this way, all families, communities, countries will be peaceful and there will be no conflict. It is just like if one throws a stone in a lake, the ripples from the stone expand but never clash with one another since they have a common center. But if we throw many stones at the same time, there will be many clashes. Similarly, if all our energy is invested in serving the Supreme Godhead and we make this the center of our activities, there will be no clash nor conflict amongst us. But if we all try to individually serve our personal interests, it is unavoidable that we will clash and fight. Therefore to find real peace is to satisfy Krsna, the supreme center of all energies.

The spiritual master of the Hare Krishna movement, His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, is not an ordinary man. According to the verdict of the revealed scriptures and by the nature of his glorious activities, he is an eternally perfectly realized soul who has come for the deliverance of the conditioned souls living in this material world. Unlike many other so called incarnations, Srila Prabhupada's appearance is supported by the evidence of Vedic sastra and he is widely accepted as such by the entire Vaishnava community. Srila Prabhupada at the B.L.I.S.S London temple The great politician Canakya said that if there is a good tree within a garden or forest, its flowers will fill the forest with their fragrance. Similarly, a good son within a family makes the whole family famous all over the world. But the family in which a maha-bhagavata takes his birth is especially fortunate, because on account of the birth of a first grade-devotee, the members of the family; past, present and future up to 100 generations, become liberated by the grace of the Lord in respect of His beloved devotee. The Personality of Godhead and His liberated devotees appear in the material world by the same process. The Bhagavad-gita says that the birth and activities of the Lord are all transcendental. Therefore, according to authorized opinion, the birth of a liberated devotee is also a transcendental pastime of the devotee. His appearance and disappearance are practically on the same level as that of the Lord. The Lord and His devotees are therefore simultaneously one and different as spiritual entities. They belong to the same category of transcendence. Just as Krsna is never born and never dies, His devotees who return to Godhead never die and never take birth within the material world. The Lord comes to this material world through the agency of His internal potency, and similarly, when a devotee or associate of the Lord descends to this material world, he does so through the action of the spiritual energy. Although Krsna appears in the same transcendental body, it still appears that He takes His birth like an ordinary living entity, although in fact He is Lord of the universe. Factually, His appearance and disappearance are like the sun moving before us and then disappearing from our eyesight. When the sun is out of sight, we think that the sun has set, and when the sun is before our eyes, we think that the sun is on the horizon, but actually, the sun is always there, but owing to our defective, insufficient senses, we calculate the appearance and disappearance of the sun in the sky. And, because the Lord’s appearance and disappearance are completely different from that of any ordinary, common living entity, it is evident that He is eternal, blissful knowledge by His internal potency and that He is never contaminated by material nature. The Vedas also confirm that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is unborn yet still appears to take His birth in multi-manifestations. The Vedic supplementary literatures also confirm that even though the Lord appears to be taking His birth, He is still without change of body. Similarly, although appearing in this world, a devotee is not under the condition of the material laws. Others, however, see that he has appeared like an ordinary man. As the Lord is not affected by the modes of material nature, so a pure devotee of the Lord is also not affected by the modes of nature. That is the primary qualification for being one with the Lord. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada appeared in this world on Tuesday, September 1st 1896, at about 4:00 in the afternoon in the Tollygunge suburb of Calcutta as the third son of his father, the late Gaura Mohon Dev, and mother, the late Rajani Devi. One of Prabhupada’s uncles gave him the name Nandadulal (shortly Nandu) since Prabhupada appeared on the auspicious day of Nandotsava, one day after Janmastami, the birthday of Lord Krsna. As the Western countries celebrate the birthday of Lord Christ on the Christmas day, the birth day of Krsna in India is observed by cent percent of the population. However, the annual festival of Nandotsava is a little less known. The origin of this celebration can be explained as follows. Although Krsna was the real son of Vasudeva and Devaki, Vasudeva could not enjoy the birth ceremony of his son Krsna on account of the various atrocious activities of the demon Kamsa. Vasudeva wanted to save the Lord, and that is why he brought Him from Mathura to Vrndavana (Gokula) to the care of Nanda Maharaja. Nanda Maharaja, the foster father of Krsna, then enjoyed the birth ceremony of Krsna very joyfully the next day. He immediately called for learned astrologer brahmanas to perform the birth ceremony exactly as it suits the Vedic custom, and this day is since then known as Nandotsava. Besides the birth ceremony, there is another function held after the birth of a child according to the customs of Vedic civilization called the name-giving ceremony. The name of the child is calculated astrologically, since the name should carry a meaning that describes the activities of the child’s future life. An astrologer of this type was also called at the occasion of the divine appearance of Srila Prabhupada and prophetically remarked: "For executing his purpose, this boy can enter fire." Srila Prabhupada was thus given the name Abhay Caran. Abhaya means “no more fear,” and carana means “lotus feet.” This name thus designates a person who is fearless, having taken shelter of the lotus feet of Krsna. In India there is a great tradition of astrology. The astrologers will say what one was in his last birth, what he is now, and what he will be in his next birth. That is the real meaning of astrology. Scriptures like Bhrgu-samhita are still available to the people for this purpose. The moment the child is born, the position is immediately calculated by the astrologers who then can predict the child’s future. Srila Prabhupada’s horoscope was also made in that way, and it was clearly written that after reaching the age of seventy, he would travel to foreign countries, become a great religious propagator and establish many temples throughout the whole world. In later years, some of Srila Prabhupada’s students have been shown this horoscope while helping in the preaching activities in India. Such an astronomical calculation of stellar influence upon a born living being is therefore not supposition but fact, as confirmed in the text of authoritative literatures like Srimad Bhagwatam. Every living being is controlled by the laws of nature at every moment, as much as a citizen is controlled by the influence of the state. Obligation of the state laws is grossly observed, but the laws of material nature, being very particularly subtle to our gross understanding cannot be experienced grossly. As stated in the Bhagavad Gita (Bg. 3.9): every action of life is at once producing another reaction, which is another bind upon us, and only those who are acting on behalf of Yajna (Vishnu) are not bound up by the reactions. Our actions are judged by the higher authorities, the agents of the Lord, and thus we are awarded a body according to our own activities. The law of nature is so subtle that every part of our body is influenced by the respective stars, and such a living being obtains his working body to fulfill his terms of imprisonment by the manipulation of such astronomical influence. A man's destiny is therefore ascertained by the birth-time constellation of stars, and the factual horoscope is made by a learned astrologer. It is a great science, and misuse of a science does not render it useless. A pure devotee of the Lord, or even the Personality of Godhead Himself, appears at a certain particular constellation of good stars, and thus the influence is exerted upon the body thus born in that auspicious moment. The laws of appearance and disappearance of the almighty Lord or that of His bonafide servants are, however, different from the laws of nature, and both of them are free to make their choice as to where and how they should appear and where and how they should not. Srila Prabhupada, in a letter to a disciple, speaks of an astrologer who remarked about his previous life: “So far I am concerned, I cannot say what I was in my previous life, but one great astrologer calculated that I was previously a physician and that my life was sinless.” Srila Prabhupada further elaborates on this point on a different occasion: “From Bhrgu-samhita it was ascertained, they said—I do not know—that I was a big physician in my last life, very spotless character, without any sin, like that. The only sin, if it is taken as a sin, was that I killed some snakes for medicinal purpose. Ayurvedic physicians know how to capture snakes and take away their fangs to make a medicine. Otherwise I did not commit any sin. He said like that. [laughing] And it is right, because I had a tendency in my childhood play to imitate the physician. I would keep some medicine, and my playmates would come and I would feel their pulse and give some medicine. This was my play, I remember. Yes. Some powders. I was a very small child at the time. So I would play that my playmates would come as patient, they would stand and I would give them some medicine. [chuckles] And I was giving medicine in business also later on. I was appointed to be Dr. Bose’s laboratory manager. I still know how to prepare so many medicines. Practically I can prepare all allopathic medicines and some Ayurvedic also. What is written in the book, I can prepare. So that confirms my previous life also.” Perfection in Krsna consciousness means one is free from material desires; one desires only Krsna and nothing else. So long one has a pinch of material desire, he has to take birth. If Srila Prabhupada in fact had a previous life, a question may be therefore raised whether he was formerly a conditioned soul. When a disciple asked Srila Prabhupada a question pertaining to this subject matter, Srila Prabhupada responded: “The position of a spiritual master is achieved by three processes. The first is sadhana-siddha, who is liberated by executing the regulative principle of devotional service. Another is krpa-siddha, one who is liberated by the mercy of Krsna or His devotee. And the third is nitya-siddha, who is never forgetful of Krsna throughout his whole life. So far my present life is concerned, I do not remember any part of my life when I was forgetful of Krsna.” In addition, Srila Prabhupada hints of his nitya siddha status in several informal exchanges with his disciples and guests: Pancadravida: The nitya-mukta devotees, Prabhupada, they are always engaged in the service of the Lord, and every thought of theirs is engaged at the lotus feet of Krsna, of serving Him completely. And when they appear on this earth, persons like yourself, they only come here for the purpose of reclaiming the fallen conditioned souls. They have no reason to come to this material world for their own enjoyment. That is never on their mind. But the nitya-bandhas, they are here simply to try and manipulate this material nature so that they can engage their own senses in gratification either of themselves or their extended self like their family. So the difference between the two is one is serving Krsna, the other is simply serving his senses. Prabhupada: Is that all right? Satsvarupa: Eternally liberated and eternally conditioned. Prabhupada: Eternally liberated, they never forget Krsna. There is no period throughout the existence... There is no question of existence. It is their all existence. Never touched by maya, forgetfulness. That is nitya-mukta. (Morning Walk -- April 20, 1974, Hyderabad) Guest (1): I thought that you personally must have come back here because you wanted to. Because you had a job to do perhaps. Well, obviously—not perhaps. Prabhupada: Come back? Pradyumna: He said that you must have come back here because you had a job to do. Guest (1): You see you, if you were freed in your previous time and did not have to come back, it does occur to me that you have come back because you have a job to do. Prabhupada: Yes, that is also, just like, Krsna comes. Similarly Krsna's son, God's son, sometimes He comes. Sometimes Krsna's great devotee, servant, he comes because the spiritual enlightenment to the fallen souls, that is required. So in the human society, when the living entity gets the chance of having this human form of life, he has got the facility to understand his position, how to go back to home, back to Godhead. So that facility is offered by God, by Krsna. Therefore, we have got these books. We have got spiritual master, we have got acaryas. Just to enlighten these fallen souls to go back to home, back to Godhead. (Room Conversation with British Man August 31, 1973, London) We should always keep in mind that it is a characteristic of advanced Vaisnavas following the principles of bhakti that they think themselves ordinary human beings. This is not an artificial exhibition of humility; a Vaisnava sincerely thinks this way and therefore never admits his exalted position. In fact, Srila Prabhupada writes: “Even though one may be an incarnation of Krsna, or especially empowered by Him, he should not advertise that he is an incarnation. People will automatically accept the real truth in due course of time.” (SB 4.22.5) The Lord and the devotee may appear in this material world birth after birth, and yet such births are transcendental. Srila Prabhupada writes: “The Lord and His confidential devotees appear many times to fulfill the Lord's mission, but since such births are transcendental, they are not accompanied by the miserable conditions of material birth, and they are therefore called divya, transcendental. One must understand the transcendental birth of the Lord and the devotee. The purpose of the Lord's taking birth is to establish devotional service, which is the perfect system of religion, and the purpose of the birth of a devotee is to broadcast the same system of religion, or the bhakti cult, all over the world.” Exalted devotees, although eternally residing in the spiritual world, simultaneously appear in the material world birth after birth to fulfill the mission of the Lord. This is possible. An example of an eternally liberated associate is Arjuna, to whom Lord Krsna spoke the Bhagavad-gita. From one of the verses of this great literature it is understood that some millions of years ago when Lord Krsna spoke the Bhagavad-gita to the sun-god Vivasvan, Arjuna, in a different capacity, was also present. But the difference between the Lord and Arjuna was that the Lord remembered the incident, whereas Arjuna could not. That is the difference between the part and parcel living entity and the Supreme Lord. Srila Prabhupada writes: “Although Arjuna is addressed as the mighty hero who could subdue the enemies, he was unable to recall what had happened in his various past births. Therefore, a living entity, however great he may be in the material estimation, can never equal the Supreme Lord. Anyone who is a constant companion of the Lord is certainly a liberated person, but he cannot be equal to the Lord. The Lord is described in the Brahma-samhita as infallible (acyuta), which means that He never forgets Himself, even though He is in material contact. Therefore, the Lord and the living entity can never be equal in all respects, even if the living entity is as liberated as Arjuna.” That is the difference between Krsna and Arjuna. Although Arjuna is a friend of Krsna birth after birth and a nitya-siddha, he still forgets, so what to speak of others? Such forgetfulness on the part of Arjuna, however, is the working of yoga-maya. It should never be considered to be the arrangement of maha-maya. There is a difference between yoga-maya and maha-maya. Yoga-maya means the mercy of the Supreme Lord which connects a devotee to the transcendental loving service of the Lord, and maha-maya means the external potency of the Lord which puts a conditioned soul into the illusion that he will be happy by material adjustment. The glories of Lord Krsna and his associates are always sanctified by the action of yoga-maya or the internal potency of the Lord, and sometimes, by the influence of such yoga-maya, Krsna forgets that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the devotee forgets that he is eternal servant of Krsna. Therefore although the Supreme Godhead, His incarnations or His devotees may pose themselves as ordinary men, they are never to be considered as such. Nor should an ordinary man not supported by authorized statements of the sastras and acaryas be accepted as an incarnation or a devotee. By the evidence of sastra, Sanatana Gosvami detected Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be a direct incarnation of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although Lord Caitanya never disclosed the fact. It is therefore generally recommended that the acarya, or guru, should not be accepted as an ordinary man.

The following is an article comparing the modern media and all of it's advertising strategy with the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. Ever felt like you are bombarded with a bunch of rubbish each moment you exist in present day life, especially in the city? Well, we have something much for delightful to bombard yourself with. It paints a deeper understanding of the reality in which we live and the alternative lifestyle and cleansing process offered by the Krishna consciousness movement. Visnujana Maharaj chants with the harmonium Joseph Goebbels, the chief of propaganda in the Nazi Germany for Adolf Hitler supposedly stated: “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.” Curiously enough, the last century has been a witness to a new phenomenon in the history of mankind -the emergence of mass consumerism and a mass advertising that accompanies it. Some say that an average person is exposed to over 500 ads daily in different forms and shapes. The various ads repeat to us a slogan, or a name of a brand, or even present a certain lifestyle or a medical procedure we should undertake over and over again. Being exposed to such advertisment, people gradually develop a desire to follow and desire the dictation of such advertisment. This mechanism of desire-creation through association is described by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita: "While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops." (Bg 2.62) People's senses are bombarded by advertising messages and by constant association with them, a person develops attachment to the objects of advertising and later on lusts for them. Therefore those who control the advertisement, control the people's minds. The advertising experts have developed over the years various means to make the advertisement as smooth and almost invisible and with the development of the modern technology, social media are literally harvesting people's personal date to tailor to their exact needs and thus create a tailored brainwashing according to individuals they target. Not only is the living being already entrapped by the layers of matter that make it very difficult for him to come back to his original pure eternal consciousness, but with the present advertising society we live in, he is doubly illusioned. The sublime method of chanting the great mantra of deliverance from this mess, brought to us from the transcendental realm by the self-realized souls established by the names of the Lord, namely Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare is a perfect mental detox from the influence of both the material nature and the advertising we are exposed to. We should vibrate the Hare Krishna mantra and its purports in the exact same way, the advertisers are vibrating the slogans to propagate their products and thus create a desire in people to become attached to the lotus feet of the Lord. The significant difference in these two processes is that while the mundane advertisement simply creates more lust and no satisfaction since any of the material products cannot satisfy the hankering of the eternal spirit soul, the Hare Krishna mantra mental detoxification uncovers our natural state of ecstatic and never-ending ever-expanding love for our original friend Lord Krishna and by glorifying our eternal Lord, the soul also becomes glorified.

The following is an article from the 12th edition of the Matchless Gift magazine, written by Her Grace Pallika Vrajagopi Devi Dasi. The goals in life are near-one and the same for everyone: a hefty bank balance, marriage, and a white picket fence. …#liveyourbestlife, #couplegoals, #success are the running slogans in social media, where pleasure and achievement are emboldened to grow anew. The desires are never-ending.  Job opportunities, shiny cars, a house by the beach, traveling the world; an endless carousel of hopes and dreams! But life isn’t all sunshine and roses, is it? Old age and the trauma of sickness looms large in all our lives. The recent Covid debacle didn’t just leave deep scars on the economy, but death and destruction in its wake. I know of an elderly gentleman who lost both his son and son-in-law to this deadly virus. A daughter who lost a loving father and is now battling with depression. Death of near and dear ones can push anyone over the edge, but we tend to repress the painful reality while the demands of our senses tug at us like a centrifugal force, inadvertently losing ourselves in the chase. We’ve somehow adjusted to the fact that life has good and bad, ups and downs, positive and negative. People tend to view life as a game of snakes and ladders. Standing at the periphery of possibilities, just vying for the farthest jump. All this while tacking the ravages of time, war, pestilence, the apocalyptic impact of global warming, and the self-degrading characteristics of mankind that leaves us all hanging by a thread. We’re still, and desperately so, trying to squeeze every last drop of enjoyment. A little insight into the Vedic scriptures revealed to me that there are literally millions of planets out there! Extra-terrestrials from higher and lower planets such as Gandharvas, Apsaras, Daityas, and Nagas, whose level of sense enjoyment far outweighs the lifestyle we’ve envisaged for ourselves. Unlike us, they are not limited by physical corporeality. These beings live for thousands of years, unaffected by old age or fatigue; sporting in picturesque landscapes with beautiful women while sipping on soma-rasa (a celestial beverage). Their bodies are full of vigor and vitality, their cities built with valuable jewels. While we move to the ebb and flow of negative emotions every single day, fear and anxiety are unknown in their realm. Those who are considered paragons of virtue and amassed copious amounts of piety ascend to these regions. When I first became privy to this knowledge, I felt rather foolish. Like betrayal smacked me in the face. I mean, here we are oohing and aahing to foreign vacays and Louis Vuitton handbags while there are whole planets out there that encapsulate pleasure and grandeur at a scale that is unprecedented. The most enviable quality is that while we suffer from sporadic bouts of pain coupled with the trauma of everyday sufferings, these superhuman beings are sitting on the crest of a wave. All-day. Everyday. As the Bhagavatam offered a bird’s eye view of the thought-provoking insight into our cosmos, I realized that we got the short end of the stick. We imagine that wealthy celebrities in our world have perfect lives, but even they are no exception to the rule. An article I read about Hollywood A-listers haunted by demons of their past was proof beyond a reasonable doubt that we grapple with a world brimming with chaos and evil. However, we’re trained to see the glass half full instead of half empty, to shoot for the stars. But knowing what I know of these subterranean and heavenly planets, I became aware that we’ve barely scratched the surface of material enjoyment. But… there’s a catch. Even the residents of these heavenly planets eventually die, albeit living long and great quality lives. It has an expiry date, so to speak. Once your sukriti (pious credit) fizzles out, you’re bound to come tumbling down. As the Bhagavatam describes, conditioned souls in the material world traverse through various planets like unintelligent children on a merry go round. But beyond the Earth, and the lower and higher planets of the material universe, lies the spiritual world. As Christian theology would have us believe, God is not an old bearded man in the sky, passing judgment like a rigid dictator. It’s this very notion that’s made people keep God at arm’s length. God/Krishna is youthful, beautiful; the very name “Krishna” translates to being all attractive. In that eternal realm replete with bliss and knowledge, where water is nectar and land is touchstone, where the trees are wish-fulfilling and the homes are bejeweled; Krishna plays with His friends, tends the cows, hold rendezvous meetings with His girlfriends, and dances away to glory. A place where exultant devotees are joyfully engaged in service of the Lord, the one true and dear friend of all living entities. The air is laden with the sweet fragrance of flowers and the forest reverberates with the sounds of birds and bumblebees. So profuse is the opulence of this fabulous realm that the transcendental airplanes here are made of lapus lazuli and emerald, while the grounds are inlaid with jewels that shine like a million suns ablaze! Untouched by time, every moment is new and ever-exhilarating. There is no birth, death, old age, and disease. Its residents are the proverbial cream of the crop with men and women endowed with exceptional beauty beyond compare. Seeing which, no person would want to touch the material world with a bargepole. This is our real home. A flash of envy and the desire to enjoy independently got us plummeting down to Earth. While it may be too late to put that genie back in the bottle, there’s still a way to set it right. Thanks to Shrila Prabhupada, who so graciously handed us the key to the spiritual world in the form of the Maha-mantra. We still have hope. There is light at the end of this tunnel. We can either choose to rot in this cesspool of misery or make the best use of a bad bargain by chanting the holy name of Krishna. What’s it going to be? Masquerading as a man with a reason My charade is the event of the season And if I claim to be a wise man Well, it surely means that I don’t know On a stormy sea of moving emotion Tossed about, I’m like a ship on the ocean I set a course for winds of fortune But I hear the voices say Carry on my wayward son There’ll be peace when you are done Lay your weary head to rest Don’t you cry no more                                                                                                                       –Kansas  If you're interested, you can find the 12th edition of the Matchless Gift below.

The following is an article by Daivi Sakti Devi Dasi from a previous issue of the Matchless Gift Magazine. If you're interested, you can see the latest edition of the magazine here! The 22nd edition of the Matchless Gift magazine Hare Krishna, Whether you have been with us for a long time or have only just discovered the Matchless Gift magazine—either through a devotee who handed it to you or via our social media channels—I sincerely hope you will enjoy this new series of articles, which will cover “the enemies of bhakti”. If you are a devotee, you may already have some understanding of what bhakti is, but if you’re unfamiliar with the term, this article will be very beneficial to you, regardless of your background. First and foremost, please know that you are very special. If you have purchased a Matchless Gift magazine—whether in the street or via our social media, if you’ve taken the time to talk to the devotees, or if you’ve contributed a portion of the fruits of your daily hard work—I urge you to stay with us. You are truly special. Indeed, the transcendental literature you are holding is no ordinary publication. The information you have read and will continue to read transcends human and material understanding. As mentioned earlier, if someone takes the time to read, obtain, or discuss with Krishna’s devotees, it means their devotional service to God and transcendence has either begun or is continuing. Krishna is God, the one who contains and is the Absolute Truth, and we, as infinitely subordinate eternal beings, are connected to Him by an eternal, strong, and transcendental bond known as Bhakti. Let’s begin exploring the most important subject of our spiritual life—I continuously declare that every topic in our spiritual life is the most important—and it’s true; everything is important when it comes to finally knowing the Truth: who we are, who God is, and how to love Him purely. All topics are absolute, and the more energy we invest in understanding these transcendental and eternal subjects, the more their depth will be revealed to us, and the more attractive they will become to our minds, which are otherwise contaminated and drawn only to sense gratification. Before we begin analyzing the first enemy of bhakti, let’s briefly touch upon and explain this essential term in our yoga practice—bhakti yoga, or the yoga of devotion. First of all, bhakti is not merely a feeling or emotion but involves actively engaging in service to Krishna with love and devotion. We share a personal and loving relationship with Him. Krishna is a person—He is never abstract or impersonal; He always reciprocates with His devotees, whether we are aware of it or not. In the material world, there are only two types of actions: either we act materially or we act spiritually. Actions are considered spiritual or pure, or marked by bhakti, if they are directed toward the desire of the Supreme Controller, Isvara, Krishna. This is, in fact, our only means of achieving true happiness. I’ve decided to write this first article on one of the greatest enemies to our bhakti, our spiritual evolution, the development of our love for God, and the realization of our identity as Krishna’s eternal servants. We should avoid it as much as possible, for it is indeed one of the greatest enemies of our bhakti or devotion. In fact, Shrila Prabhupada often expressed that our devotional service begins when we control the tongue. The tongue desires to taste delicious foods in restaurants or to devour corpses (disgusting!). This is why one is considered a devotee only when they offer their food to Krishna, as a sacrifice, recognizing that Krishna is the possessor of all energies, both material and spiritual. It is the least we can do to remember Him every time we nourish this temporary material body. The perfect realization would be to offer every part of our body—our mind, our intelligence, our speech—to Krishna. We arrive here with nothing, and for a limited time, we borrow a vehicle that will either elevate or degrade us into different bodies. But who provides this body? It is Krishna who gives us the opportunity, either to gratify our senses, leading to infernal lives in lower species, or, if we decide to use our intelligence and human consciousness, to engage every organ and sense in Krishna’s devotional service. The conditioned soul desires to gratify its senses as much as possible, and the tongue is part of this. We desire to express ourselves, to be heard, to impose our opinions, and to contribute our ideas to the world. Some people love to tell fictional stories, while others are passionate about current events. But note this: all of it is useless. Every living entity in this material world desires to be God. What does it mean to be God? God is the supreme controller and the supreme enjoyer. These are two qualities we deeply desire, but thankfully, we are neither the controller nor the enjoyer. We are always subordinate. Even if you manage to express yourself as eloquently as Molière, you are still subordinate to Krishna. In fact, He is the perfect speaker. Srila Prabhupada expressed this in a lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.6 on 18th August: “Krishna is speaking. He does not speak any nonsense. He does not speak anything which is not possible to be carried out. That is the difference between Krishna’s speech and others’ speech.” Indeed, this material world functions by one thing, and that is sound. Sound can be spiritual or material. When the world follows the sound of the Shrutis, the Vedic scriptures, everything unfolds for the best. The more we surrender to Vedic instructions, the more Krishna helps us serve Him and thus love Him. However, if we follow material sounds and, ultimately, material authorities, a life of misery and suffering awaits us. Whatever you find attractive in this material world is merely a temporary illusion, including philosophy, worldly news, and literature. When we are conditioned in this material body, we want everything immediately. And this is particularly true when the mode of material nature dominating us is passion. Thus, these temporary teachings and flowery literature are very pleasing because they bring immediate pleasure, but just as this pleasure is immediate, it is also fleeting. The pleasure derived from these temporary sounds is swift and unsatisfying. Do I really need to explain this? If we observe our existence even a little, we are simply rushing about like madmen in pursuit of illusory and temporary pleasures. None of your senses will ever be satisfied by anything material. We are spiritual beings, and Krishna is the reservoir of spirituality—only Krishna will satisfy your senses. However, if they are contaminated by countless material desires, only material things will attract you. But if you manage to purify them by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra—Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare—and by tasting delicious prasadam (food offered as a sacrifice to Krishna), your senses will gradually be drawn more and more to spiritual subjects and sounds. We have a terrible disease in the material world. The first is that we want to take Krishna’s place as God by becoming the controller and the enjoyer. And since the person closest to Krishna is the spiritual master, the guru, we have an intense desire to take his place too, to give instructions or our mental speculations. But this will not help us free ourselves from the cycle of birth and death. We will never be God, and we will never be the guru. However, each of us can become a representative of Shrila Prabhupada and Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu by simply repeating their pure and transcendental message. It is unnecessary to address any topic other than Krishna, His service, and His pure devotee. By adopting this simple process, we purify the sense of hearing and the person we are speaking to. What a benefit! Both our elevation and that of the person with us. Krishna is very kind, and so is Prabhupada, as he is the one who delivered this pure message. Artificially, it is very difficult to control the tongue. In reality, whatever we do artificially will not last. In Krishna consciousness, we don’t give up anything artificially, but instead, we replace it with something purer, more spiritual, and higher. So, if you want to reduce your quantity of prajalpa—useless talk that degrades more than it elevates—you must absorb your mind (which is the center of all the senses) in literature that refers to Krishna. For billions of lives, we have been hearing the croaking of frogs and worldly news. So naturally, when we begin Krishna consciousness, it may feel like austerity to only discuss things related to Krishna. But with purified senses and sufficient knowledge of Krishna, His pure devotees, and their devotional service, it is the prajalpa—this useless talk—that becomes less pleasing. Krishna and everything related to Him is all-attractive. The only thing we need to develop is our attraction to Him. Then, an ocean of unceasing pleasure awaits. So, what are you waiting for? Start chanting Hare Krishna! Here, I would like to include quotes I have found in the various books of Shrila Prabhupada. In fact, Shrila Prabhupada instructed his disciples to write every day. It is an excellent way to meditate on the philosophy, as smaranam (remembrance) is essential for progressing in Krishna consciousness. However, it is always advised to support the philosophical points we make with scriptural evidence. “One should avoid prajalpa, or whimsical conversations unrelated to devotional service. Merely restraining the senses artificially without chanting and hearing the glories of the Supreme Lord cannot be considered spiritual perfection. The example is given that although many domestic animals in the barnyard are sometimes forced to practice celibacy when isolated from one another, such animals cannot be considered brahmacaris, or spiritual students. Similarly, one is not considered spiritually advanced simply because of dry speculative arguments or temporary austerities. One must submissively hear the message of the Vedic sound vibration, especially as it is summarized in Bhagavad-gita by the Lord Himself. Vedaish cha sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15].” Shrila Prabhupada uses an analogy here that is remarkably fitting to explain this point: indeed, anything done artificially will not yield the desired results. For some time, we may control our senses—avoiding speech, as many pseudo-spiritualists do; abstaining from eating, as is recommended in certain dubious yogic practices; not sleeping; or refraining from sexual activity. Of course, this last point can indeed benefit one’s advancement, whether spiritual or material. However, these austerities should not be performed artificially. If you stop speaking, it may seem beneficial, but if your mind remains absorbed in trivial matters unrelated to your spiritual evolution, you are still in illusion. The same applies to the restriction of food, sleep, or sex. If you completely cease these activities, one might say, “Wonderful! You have attained perfection in this human life.” The soul requires neither sex, nor sleep, nor food, nor defense. However, you cannot stop these activities artificially. You need a higher, spiritual engagement that will gradually lead you to not only think but also feel that these activities are of a lower class and that they will never satisfy the eternal soul. Only Krishna and His devotional service can provide true satisfaction. “Another impediment is prajalpa, unnecessary talking. When we mix with a few friends, we immediately begin unnecessary talking, sounding just like croaking toads. If we must talk, we should talk about the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Those outside of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are interested in reading heaps of newspapers, magazines, and novels, solving crossword puzzles, and doing many other nonsensical things. In this fashion, people simply waste their valuable time and energy. In the Western countries, old men, retired from active life, play cards, fish, watch television, and debate about useless socio-political schemes. All these and other frivolous activities are included in the prajalpa category. Intelligent persons interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness should never take part in such activities.” If we are even a little intelligent, we will understand that engaging the sense of hearing—so crucial to our evolution—should never be misused. Previously, I established that the tongue is the most important organ, but the ear is also essential for our purification. In truth, if we are serious, we should be fearful of hearing anything that is not related to Krishna. Furthermore, I find it hard to understand how some devotees, after reading about Krishna, the spiritual world, and devotional service, are still drawn to topics related to the temporary material body, which simply causes suffering in this existence. Why do we even derive pleasure from hearing such things? From magazines, mundane facts, or indulging in sinful activities? Seriously, compare that to the various symptoms of love one can feel for Krishna, the descriptions of His infinitely attractive and beautiful form, or the complexities of the creation of the material world. If you are still attracted to mundane subjects, this attraction should diminish as much as possible. And this will only happen when we become absorbed in Shrila Prabhupada’s books. There is no other solution, no other remedy. “The next impediment to devotional service is prajalpa, talking of mundane subject matter. Many people unnecessarily talk of the daily happenings in the newspapers and pass the time without any profit. A devotee, however, does not indulge in unnecessary talks of politics or economics. Nor is a devotee very strict in following ritualistic rules and regulations mentioned in the Vedas. Becoming enamored of these rituals is the next impediment, called niyamāgraha. Because a devotee fully engages in the supreme service of the Lord, he automatically fulfills all other obligations and doesn't have to execute all the details of Vedic rituals.” “Mundane talks are also known as prajalpa. In his Upadeshamṛta, Shrila Rupa Gosvami mentions prajalpa as one of the main impediments to devotional service. And Lord Chaitanya instructed Sanatana Gosvami, ‘A devotee should avoid reading or hearing newspapers or mundane books that contain stories of love affairs between men and women or subjects palatable to the senses’ (Cc. Madhya 22.120). In the modern age, these injunctions have become more difficult than ever to follow. The airwaves are filled with prajalpa, and by pressing a button, we can turn on a television set and plunge ourselves into a visual and aural phantasmagoria. While writing his purports on the Bhagavatam verses describing the life of Ajamila, Srila Prabhupada responded to our predicament. When we read Shrila Prabhupada’s teachings, it becomes very easy to understand the various bondages that trap us in material existence. There are many, but one force or attraction is stronger than the rest and is the primary cause of our fall from the spiritual world—lust, the greatest impediment to our spiritual elevation and our biggest enemy. Shrila Prabhupada explains on numerous occasions that the attraction between the sexes is not conducive to our spiritual growth. When men and women unite, they create more attachments to material existence, expanding their identification with the body, which grows stronger as the senses become increasingly aroused. Not only Shrila Prabhupada, but also many sages in our tradition, as well as Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself, have advised that close association with the opposite sex should be avoided. In this context, even hearing about romantic or “loving” affairs between men and women contaminates our consciousness, leading our minds far from steadiness and determination in the ultimate goal of this human life. When people are unable to enjoy gross sensual pleasures, they often turn to hearing or meditating on them, which further pollutes their senses. This indulgence is highly degrading, and it should be given up. Purujit Prabhu once told me that grihastha (householder) conversations are simply mundane, and he was right. Think of how much time and energy could be saved if we focused on how to please Krishna, instead of trying to solve the inevitable problems of temporary material relationships! “Our weapons in the campaign against prajalpa and mind pollution may include novels, dramas, paintings, films, musical recordings, festivals, formal lectures, seminars, and casual meetings—all centered on Krishna. Why should the forces of illusion possess all the weapons, and not the devotees? Narada previously said that bhakti was easy. It is certainly not easy to avoid all mundane sound vibrations. But under the guidance of the pure devotee, we may create a pleasant, easy-to-take atmosphere of krishna-katha in the home and with friends—even when driving a car or at work—and this hearing will lead to vishnu-smaranam, or remembrance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” There is something incredibly pleasant and attractive in Krishna consciousness, and do you know what it is? It’s the voice and the vibration of Shrila Prabhupada. There may be many things we feel inclined to listen to that have no connection with Krishna consciousness. However, if we make the conscious decision to truly listen to his wonderful classes, we will no longer desire to hear anything else. Krishna is supremely sublime and attractive, and everything connected to Him shares that same quality. This means that we can and should spiritualize all forms of literature, films, and music. In this way, because Krishna is all-attractive, these vibrations will become transcendent and purifying. “Prajalpa means for nothing talking nonsense. People are accustomed to talking so many things unnecessarily just in clubs, amongst friends' circles, which has no benefit either spiritually or materially. So that sort of talking should be avoided.” (From a letter Shrila Prabhupada wrote to Bhagavan Dasa on December 7, 1974) “We should not take great risk so that we have to work for it very seriously. We must accept something which can be easily done. Atyaharah prayasah, prajalpa. And prajalpa means talking nonsense. As soon as ... This is the nature of the living entity in conditioned state. Just like as soon as the crows, they gather together, caw caw caw caw ... (Laughter) The frogs ... Any living entity, as soon as they will gather, they will talk all nonsense.”

Narada Dasa of The Hare Krishna Project The latest edition of the BLISS Podcast has been released, starring His Grace Narada Prabhu. Check it out here !

Dhananjaya Prabhu is stuck in the middle of the materialistic cult This human form of life is very precious. People do not understand the value of the human body. They think 'Oh, this life is all-in-all and after I'm dead, everything is finished, so let me enjoy as much as possible, as much sense gratification as possible before it's too late and I have to finish my existence'. So, this kind of conception of life is a very dark, very fallen, a very degraded conception. Because of this sort of thinking people have lost all kinds of consideration for other living entities, they inflict violence without any restriction on poor animals in the slaughterhouses. Daily millions and millions are suffering, being treated in a very bad way. But people do not even consider, 'Oh, perhaps I should think about what the animal, that living being, sentient being is going through. Because everyone is busy with sense gratification, no one has the time to consider what the other living being is feeling. 'I am the most important personality in the whole universe. My family is very important, my society, my nation. I am the centre of everything that is going on, so if you're outside of my family, if you're outside of my nation, if you're outside of my religious community or whatever, then you become my enemy.' There are so many circles, different sects and cults and they fight with one another. People think that this Hare Krishna is a cult, something weird, but they're all a cult. They're a cult. What is a cult? A cult is a limited circle of people with a common interest. Everyone has some kind of interest. 'Let's fight for Christianity. Let's fight for Islam. Let's fight for America. Let's fight for blacks, let's fight for women, for women's rights'. This is very prominent, that women should be given independence. So they fight. But if we are all like that, locked up in our limited circles, limited communities where sense gratification is going on... Because that's what it is, it is sense gratification. If I simply think of my family and I don't ever consider the family of a cow... They also have a family. Right? They also have a mother and a father and so on, and when the calf is taken from the mother, the mother cries. Isn't it? These rascals, they say that an animal has no soul. How cruel that is? This Krishna consciousness movement is started by our Srila Prabhupada, our great spiritual master. Srila Prabhupada is not an ordinary man. He's a very, very exalted devotee. He should be given respect as good as God. This is the proper treatment for the Spiritual Master. Saksad-dharitvena samasta sastrair (Guruvastakam verse 7) He's the Supreme Lord manifested to our eyes. Krishna manifests Himself through the spiritual master. The spiritual master is not God Himself, but because he's so surrendered, completely surrendered to Krishna, Krishna acts through him, so we can understand. We are covered in ignorance, we can't understand what is actually the aim of human life. People challenge us, that 'You're escapists, you're escaping reality. You're not dealing with the real problems. Simply chanting and dancing and taking prasadam, living nicely, no problem, this is naive. This is some kind of a utopia'. Of course, they don't understand that Krishna consciousness is not just chanting and dancing and feasting, it's way beyond that. Arjuna was not chanting, dancing and feasting. If they had the patience to actually understand our philosophy and if they took the time to read this Bhagavad-gita... Why are you expressing any sort of opinion about our movement if you have not read even the basic scripture, which our movement is based upon? Arjuna wasn't chanting and dancing, he was fighting. He was fully immersed in a very responsible duty. He was actually considering, 'If I go and fight, kill the other party, then the women will be unprotected and there will be varna-sankara, unwanted population, unwanted children and that will create a disturbance. Just like now, in Kali-yuga, there is unwanted population, a man and woman, they get together, they have sex life and there is unwanted population. 'Oh, an accident'. Then these unwanted children come up with all these bogus theories, 'Ah, everything is coming by accident', because that's how they came about, by accident. Little sex desire, 'Okay let's go'. And then there is a child, by accident. So he's an accident, and then he comes out with the accidental view, everything is an accident, 'There's no God, there is nothing, no sense, no order. Everything is chaos, just enjoy'. It is very difficult to preach in this society of varna-sankaras. But Arjuna was responsible, he had a way much more responsible position than you could ever have. The battle of Kuruksetra was actually a World War. There were 640 million soldiers killed in this war. All the kings came there, from all the different parts of the world. We should not be foolish. The Vedas actually explain about all the seven continents, do not think that you've discovered America. Five thousand years ago all these informations were already explained by Srila Vyasadeva. The information is there. They knew about America. They knew about all these things and all the kings from all over the world assembled together in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra to fight a World War. Bhagavad-gita is not a joke, Arjuna is not some tribal king fighting another tribal king. The whole world came together to fight this war. So, he was considering because he understood, 'Well, my decision will influence the course of happening in the whole world'. So, Krishna says yoginam api sarvesam (Bg.6.47), you're the greatest of all yogis, the greatest devotee, bhakto si me priyo si me (Bg.4.3). He says 'I have explained to you this confidential knowledge of Bhagavad-gita because you're my dear friend and you're My devotee'. This is also Hare Krishna movement, Arjuna, the Raja-rishis. This Bhagavad-gita wasn't explained to low-class men. It was meant for Raja-rishis, the saintly kings. These saintly things were ruling over the whole world. Where is that politician who can rule over the whole world? He can't even rule over his own senses, over his own mind. So much greedy, the politician, money, power and simply stealing and taxing the citizens and enjoying lavish luxury at the expense of poor people. And then the next politician comes and he steals, then the next one comes. This is the democracy, or as our spiritual master says, 'Demon-crazy'. People have no understanding that this planet Earth is simply an insignificant tiny little nothing in the whole unlimited spiritual sky. This universe is a dark universe. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). The spiritual master is delivering me from darkness, this great, transcendental knowledge of the Bhagavad-gita can take me out of this dark worlds and situate me on my original platform in the spiritual sky of Krishna. Beyond this dark universe, there's the unlimited spiritual sky and in that spiritual sky, in Goloka and Vaikuntha, there is no need of the sun, there is no need of moon because everything is self-effulgent. Just imagine what kind of spiritual world it is. Everything is self-effulgent, quite the opposite of this material world. Here everything is dark and everything is limited. Whatever you want to enjoy, there is a limitation. Whatever relationship you want to establish, there is a limitation. If you want to go beyond this planet or some other universe, some other planet, just like they want to go to the moon planet, these fools and rascals. They don't understand that they cannot. It's not possible because everything is a limitation. prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate (Bg 3.27) They think, 'Oh, I can do anything I want', but he's checked by the material nature at every step. So, there are limitations, but because we're conscious because we're free because we're living entities, we understand. Where is this idea coming from? 'Oh, I feel limited. This is something unnatural. I want to be free, I want to go beyond limitations'. Where is this coming from, unless in our original state we belong to the unlimited world? Therefore, there must be an unlimited world. There must be an unlimited spiritual sky, there must be. The proof is that this material world is here, this limited world is here. It's not difficult to understand. It's not a faith, it's not a religion, it's not some sentimentalism. It is a plain fact. So, those who challenge, 'Oh, you Hare Krishnas, you're escapists', they do not understand that we're actually living in that unlimited consciousness with Krishna in an unlimited universe. We understand that 'Oh, this planet Earth is simply a prison house. It is not all in all'. But they don't understand. They're escaping Krishna. They're escaping in their little limited societies and limited conceptions and limited consciousness, they're escaping from Krishna. So it's the other way around, don't be misguided by these rascals. 'What is night for all beings, is the time of awakening for the self controlled, and the time of awakening for all beings is night for the introspective sage' (Bg.2.69). People are pretty much objecting to any sort of spiritual cultivation or practice. They think that's a waste of time. 'Oh, you're escaping'. But, our Srila Prabhupada says, 'Yes, we're escaping. Because, what are you doing? You're simply running like dogs after sense gratification. The dog is running after a bone and you're running after money, you're running after power, running after jobs and simply getting smashed by the material energy. mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram (Bg. 9.10) Krishna is chastising you for your rebellion, for your foolishness, for your closed-mindedness, 'Oh, let me hide in darkness, let me hide from Krishna. I do not want to be Krishna conscious because then I will have to finish my illusion that I am God, I am the Purusha'. So, Krishna is chastising you, He sends the material energy to chastise you, to make you intelligent, to wake you up. He sends you a bonafide spiritual master, He sends the bonafide saints, just like Lord Jesus Christ, prophet Mohammed, Buddha and so on. These great souls, they've come here to bring the light, to bring you from that dark corner in the universe, to bring you back home, back to Godhead. 'Come on sir. Come on, enough of this rubbish. Come back home, where you belong'. So we should also go and bring that light to the people, we should not be afraid. They will thank us in the end, 'Oh, Prabhu, thank you so much that you brought me to Krishna consciousness, I was such a fool. I was trying to escape this wonderful blissfulness'. What is the difficulty? Come and chant Hare Krishna with devotees, nice people. As soon as you come to devotee association, you feel so nice, everyone is nice to you. Because no one is motivated, no one is playing any agenda, 'Oh I want this, I want that, sense gratification'. Everyone is serving Krishna in unity. So, that is the secret of why everyone is blissed out, everything is nice. Taking nice prasadam, hearing this wonderful philosophy. Is there anyone pushing anyone? 'Come on, join us, here, pay some fees...' No, there is no such a thing. Quite the opposite. Wherever you go, you go and enjoy this sort of pleasure. You go into a club where there are some music and dancing and some food and immediately they're gonna charge you, 'Ah, you give us some money'. And there are so many people, they dance, 'Oh, look at me, I'm the best. I'm Krishna, the best dancer', a competition. 'I have to impress the Mataji, oh, look, I have the muscle'. And the Matajis also, the girls also, 'Oh, look, look, my body's the most sexy. Look at this, look at that'. So, quite the opposite. See, this is the foolishness. That boy, he doesn't understand that in Krishna consciousness he becomes free. He's being smashed at every corner, at every step of his life he's being pressured. 'You have to do this, you have to pay, you have to...' The material association, the materialists, they're simply pushing, 'Come with us, come, do this, do that, sign up...' And when you come to Krishna? Nothing. Simply if you want, we ask humbly, you chant this Hare Krishna maha-mantra, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare and you go back home, back to Godhead.

Although we are not these bodies, we base our whole life on bodily relationships centered around sex attractions. Srila Prabhupada comments: "Attachment to women is so contaminating that one becomes attached to the condition of material life not only by the association of women but by the contaminated association of persons who are too attached to them. There are many reasons for our conditional life in the material world, but the topmost of all such causes is the association of women, as will be confirmed in the following stanzas. In Kali-yuga, association with women is very strong. In every step of life, there is association with women. If a person goes to purchase something, the advertisements are full of pictures of women. The physiological attraction for women is very great, and therefore people are very slack in spiritual understanding. The Vedic civilization, being based on spiritual understanding, arranges association with women very cautiously. Out of the four social divisions, the members of the first order (namely brahmacarya), the third order (vanaprastha) and the fourth order (sannyasa) are strictly prohibited from female association. Only in one order, the householder, is there license to mix with women under restricted conditions. In other words, attraction for woman's association is the cause of the material conditional life, and anyone interested in being freed from this conditional life must detach himself from the association of women." SB 3.31.36 purport

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. Vedic Prostitutes 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.