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Love what we do? Why not support us by purchasing the newest edition of our in-house Krishna conscious magazine, MATCHLESS GIFT This is a composition I came across one day while searching through Your books on an old dusty shelf in a neglected corner of a temple room, and I felt that it contained everything I could possibly say about You, Srila Prabhupada, in the most simple way. My love for You is simple, my faith in You is simple, and You've reciprocated with me by making my whole life, my whole heart, and my whole purpose equally as simple. Drowning in an ocean of confusion and contradiction, I desired to just become simple. You represent real simplicity, and taught us by practical example that within that simplicity... rests all the imports of the Vedic literature. You are the most beautiful, and all my senses have become perfect by associating with You. You fulfill the desires of everyone and are full of compassion for the fallen, conditioned souls. vyasa puja 1. All I know about Srila Prabhupada, I know just by His mercy. 2. All I know about Srila Prabhupada is His mercy. 3. All there is to know about Srila Prabhupada is that He is mercy. 4. All I can ever know about mercy is known when I know Srila Prabhupada. 5. I can never know anything other than by Srila Prabhupada's mercy. 6. I can never know anything other than Srila Prabhupada's mercy. 7. Srila Prabhupada's mercy is all there is to be known. 8. Everything is included in Srila Prabhupada's mercy. 9. Krsna is included in Srila Prabhupada's mercy.

This is an article from the Matchless Gift magazine. Please support us by purchasing the latest edition, or becoming our Patreon. By Nityananda Dasa Prabhu The war between two neighboring countries, Russia and Ukraine is still raging in full swing. With many thousands of men losing their lives on the line and many more being wounded or suffering from frostbite and limb loss, the tensions are steadily escalating. hanas attacks israel As Russian troops pushed forward on the offensive, they have captured a small village by the name of Andriivka, boldly claiming it belongs to Russia from now on. As the tide of battle kept flowing, the outcome changed and the Ukrainian forces were able to re-capture the same land, again claiming it to be a part of Ukraine. As a sign of victory they have very happily raised a Ukrainian flag over the village. How many more times will the land be reclaimed in the name of nationalism? What does Srila Prabhupada say on the topic of nationalism? Hamas attacks Israel. Srila Prabhupada: "Yes. Wrong civilization, rascal civilization. And this is due to this rascaldom called nationalism – “This is my land.” At any moment a person will be kicked out by death, but still he claims, “It is my land.” Janasya moho ’yam aham mameti. This is the illusion. Nothing belongs to him; still he is fighting, “This is mine. This is mine.” “I” and “mine” – identifying oneself with the body and wrongly conceiving that “This is mine.” This is the basic principle of a wrong civilization. Nothing belongs to us. I have come here to Switzerland. Suppose I remain here for one month and I claim, “Oh, this is mine.” What is this?" Srila Prabhupada's words always put everything into perspective. If I came to your house as a visitor and started claiming that your possessions belong to me now, you would surely have me punished by law for stealing. You may even show me all hospitality and may even say "make yourself feel at home" but that does not mean I can literally feel myself at home and think, "now everything belongs to me", I am still a guest. Srila Prabhupada continues the conversation: "So, similarly, we come to this world as guests. We come to the womb of a mother and live here for seventy years or so. And we claim, “This is my land.” But when did it become yours? The land was there long, long before your birth. How has it become yours? But people have no sense. “It is mine – my land, my nation, my family, my society.” In this way they are wasting time. These things have been introduced by Western civilization. In the Vedic civilization there is no such thing as nationalism. You won’t find it there. Have you seen the word “nationalism” in the Bhagavad-gita? No such thing. Nationalism is the idea of tribes. In Africa there are still groups of tribes. Nationalism is the most crude idea of civilization. It is nothing but developed tribalism. Modern man is not advanced in civilization. This nationalism is another form of tribalism, that’s all." Now we can understand the problem. Me and mine, and if you want what is mine then I fight and go to war with you. As we all know, in every war there are casualties. But why must there be all this bloodshed and killing of seemingly innocent people? This will be very clearly explained in the next portion of this conversation: "Disciple: Today, so-called civilized people are actually just cannibals because they maintain themselves on eating the cow. Srila Prabhupada: Yes. And they are suffering. Therefore you’ll find that in recent history, every twenty-five years there is a big war with mass slaughter of people. Nature does not tolerate animal slaughter. Now India has learned to slaughter animals, imitating the Western countries. And now there is war between India and Pakistan. During two wars between Pakistan and Hindustan, millions of people were killed unnecessarily, without any gain." It seems we have come to the root of the problems; the merciless slaughtering of animals. Nature does not tolerate animal slaughter, that is a fact. In nature everything is already perfectly arranged for complete sustenance of all beings. However, when we foolishly claim ownership of something that doesn't belong to us, this disrupts the natural balance and we must suffer the consequences. If I claim your house now belongs to me just because I have come for a visit, you will immediately be disturbed and probably call the police. Similarly, Krsna, who is the real controller of nature has already arranged the punishment with the laws of nature that demand balance for anything we have done against them. For killing, we must also be killed in return. For this purpose, the scientists, being forgetful of Krsna have created a very effective nuclear bomb, making killing very easy. Everyone will be killed by the arrangement of nature. The Russian people will be killed and the Ukrainian people will also be killed. And the nuclear bomb will turn everything into rubble. The land that both parties are fighting over has been rubble at one point, then it has been built up for some time, and now it has again been demolished into rubble. Ukrainian soldiers have very proudly erected their flag over these pieces of rubble, but there is no benefit over this endeavor. They may even re-build the village, but in due course of time, it will again be demolished into rubble. Not just the village, but the whole Earth and also the whole Universe. Krsna explains how it works: "O son of Kunti, at the end of the millennium all material manifestations enter into My nature, and at the beginning of another millennium, by My potency, I create them again." (BG 9.7) Therefore, in one sense, everything in this world was rubble and it's going to return back to rubble. From this perspective, we are literally just fighting over dust and pieces of rock, which make the whole fighting endeavor look very silly. When we realize the impermanence of this world, only then will we be able to redirect our attention to the permanent world of Krsna. And then, instead of aimlessly fighting, we will co-operate and help each other in going back Home back to Godhead. hamas attacks israel Get the Matchless Gift magazine issue 4, OUT NOW!

Matchless Gift magazine #4 Matchless Gift is our official BLISS e-magazine. 120 pages of original Krishna conscious content inspired by the teachings of His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. This issue contains the following articles: 1. Danger of Mental Speculation by Purujit Dasa 2. Sankirtana Stories 3. Sri Radha by Red Willow 4. Biography of Srila Prabhupada 5. Ricky Tricky Comics 6. World News: Russell Brand Accused of Rape 7. World News: Fighting For Rubble 8. The Art of Transcendental Book Distribution by Bhaktin Dora 9. Srivas Thakura Unjustly Defamed by Purujit Dasa 10. Enchanted Forest Poem by Red Willow 11. Krishna Is The Greatest Scientist by Mark Gerard Keenan 12. Prabhupada's Health Remedies 13. Undying Eternal Spirit Soul lecture by Purujit Dasa and many more... All accompanied by colourful AI illustrations, high-quality photographs of our preaching in BLISS. Don't miss out on this wonderful issue!

In each issue of the Matchless Gift magazine, the BLISS devotees write articles. Please support us by purchasing the latest edition of the magazine, or become our Patreon! Our Most Important Business By Red Willow mataji Within our daily practice, we may find ourselves going through the motions, hoping that one day we will wake up with a taste for the holy name, or that we will spontaneously experience ecstatic emotions, maybe even get a glimpse of the spiritual world. After understanding so many ins and outs of the philosophy… even after following the process very strictly, or at least to the best of our ability. Certainly, just as any other activity we perform, there is a tendency to settle into complacency, and such is also the case with our devotional service in practice. It is not that we are purely practicing, we are practicing contaminated Bhakti, mixed devotional service, it is not pure. If it were completely pure, para bhakti, then this tendency for complacency, idleness, and moroseness would not be present. "The word paraya is very significant. Para bhakti, or spontaneous love of God, is the basis of an intimate relationship with the Lord. This highest stage of relationship with the Lord can be attained simply by hearing about Him (His name, form, qualities, etc.) from authentic sources like the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, recited by pure, unalloyed devotees of the Lord." (SB 3.9.5, Purport) So, para bhakti, unmixed, spontaneous devotional service, is the BASIS of an intimate relationship with Krishna. We have not yet approached the base-line of our real relationship with the Lord. We are simply following mechanically, hoping that by these various practices, some significant feeling will arise. After all, we are promised by our Spiritual Master that simply by hearing about Krishna from authentic sources and from a pure, unalloyed devotee (such as Himself) we can attain the highest stage of relationship. So, what is this hearing? Does it mean that we read, and listen to the sastra as much as possible? Do we simply play a YouTube video of Prabhupada's lectures and wait for our real identity and activity to become revealed to us? Or, do we read Prabhupada's books, letters, and conversations.... And then, we have attained the highest stage of relationship with the Lord? It is simple, right? Prabhupada says it is simple, so is this our idea of simplicity? Does simple mean that it is really that easy? Let's try to understand what real hearing is first. business To hear is different from listening. "Activities such as seeing and hearing are actions of the senses meant for receiving knowledge, whereas moving, speaking, evacuating, etc., are actions of the senses meant for work." (Bg 5.8, Bg 5.9, Bg 5.8–9) Hearing involves being "receptive," and being receptive indicates that one must be submissive, open to assimilating possibly unpalatable information, yet willing to accept and apply what is presented. "Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in propagating the bhagavata-dharma, or activities of the devotees, has recommended that people submissively hear the message of the Personality of Godhead. The essence of this message is Bhagavad-gita. The lowest amongst human beings can be delivered by this submissive hearing process only, but unfortunately they even refuse to give an aural reception to these messages, and what to speak of surrendering to the will of the Supreme Lord?" (Bg 7.15, Purport) To listen is not the same as to hear… hearing involves a submissive attitude, listening is more passive and impersonal, and ultimately, hearing denotes surrender. Therefore, Arjuna addresses Krishna, "Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me." (Bg 2.7) We can learn about how to properly hear by taking the example of Arjuna. Only once he fully surrenders, and accepts Krishna as the Supreme Brahman, and as his Spiritual Master, does Krishna begin to instruct Arjuna and thus Krishna speaks the Bhagavad Gita. Arjuna begins to actually hear from this point; after total surrender, which is his conscious choice, it does not happen by chance, or accidentally, it also does not happen blindly, Arjuna makes an intelligent, informed choice to surrender, and at once he is eligible to receive the knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita. "Arjuna has now turned his face towards his eternal friend, Krsna, and is understanding the Bhagavad-gita from Him. And thus, hearing from Krsna, he can understand the supreme glories of the Lord and be free from lamentation." (Bg 2.22, Purport) Hearing begins when we accept a Spiritual Master and take direction from Him. Not simply by listening, nor simply by chanting can we attain the highest stage of relationship with the Lord; He is not so cheap. "When one accepts Krsna as an ordinary man, the Gita loses all importance." (Bg 2.12) It's significant to note that the Spiritual Master, if considered to be an ordinary man, will not yield the same results as are guaranteed to one who takes shelter of Krishna and the Spiritual Master in full knowledge of their superior position. Neither Krishna, nor the Spiritual Master are to be considered as ordinary human beings. This offensive approach will not help us on the path towards pure, unalloyed devotional service. "By execution of devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master, one becomes free from all material attachment, attains steadiness in self-realization, and acquires a taste for hearing about the Absolute Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna." (Bg 4.10) So, to be “under the guidance of the Spiritual Master” means to understand that He is not an ordinary man, He is to be considered as good as God. To be under His guidance means that we must properly hear from Him, and that hearing entails a few things… a submissive and receptive attitude, surrender to a Spiritual Master as the ultimate authority, acceptance of the Spiritual Master and His instructions as being as good as instructions delivered directly by Krishna Himself and practical application of those instructions. Not so easy, this hearing process, eh? "The Lord therefore says to Arjuna, tac chrnu, or "Hear from Me." No one can be a greater authority than Krsna, and therefore by hearing from Him one receives the greatest opportunity to become a perfectly Krsna conscious person. One has therefore to learn from Krsna directly or from a pure devotee ––– and not from a non-devotee upstart, puffed up with academic education." (Bg 7.1, Purport) Okay, so hearing is a much more dynamic activity than it is commonly taken to be. Such also is acceptance of a Spiritual Master. To accept a Spiritual Master means that we must hear from Him. And this means that we must not only accept that He is not an ordinary man, or that He is as good as God, or even that what He speaks is completely perfect and for our very best interest. We can understand these things theoretically, and think that we, therefore, have accepted a Spiritual Master. But, unless we properly hear from Him, then we cannot consider ourselves disciples. To hear means more than to comprehend His message. It means to surrender to His instructions and fully apply them, despite all challenges. We must take His instructions as our very life and soul. That is real acceptance...that is actual initiation; the awakening of transcendental knowledge. "This unmixed devotional service is transcendental and is called para bhakti. It alone can promote a person to the transcendental kingdom of God. Such a transcendental kingdom is not a myth, but is as factual as the moon. One must have transcendental qualities to understand the kingdom of God and God Himself." (SB 2.8.14, Purport) How serious are we about reviving our transcendental qualities? "The word parena is very significant. Para means "transcendental, untinged by material contamination." Full consciousness that one is an eternal servant of the Lord is called para bhakti. If one has any identification with material things and executes devotional service for attainment of some material gain, that is viddha bhakti, contaminated bhakti. One can actually become liberated by execution of para bhakti." (SB 3.24.45, Purport) How serious are we about returning to our original, pure condition, about liberation from the bodily conception of life, about entering into an eternal relationship with Krishna? This requires total and complete surrender. Only this surrender can move us from our stagnation, our complacent condition, our moroseness, and our idle disposition. There is a good reason why Srila Prabhupada coined this as the Krishna Consciousness MOVEment. We must allow ourselves to be moved by the mercy of the Spiritual Master, and we must make moves towards receiving that mercy, otherwise we may forever fool ourselves into believing that we are progressing on the path, when in fact, we have not even come to the baseline from which spontaneous loving devotion can blossom. We could very well spend millions of lifetimes stuck in this lingo. To hear about the glories of the Lord under the guidance of a bona fide Spiritual Master is such a multi-layered process and although it may be simple, that simplicity is so completely full of depth and we should familiarize ourselves with its intricacies so that we may be able to one day truly taste the bliss of pure devotional service. Read more in issue 3 of the Matchless Gift magazine

This is an article from the Matchless Gift magazine. Please support us by purchasing the latest edition, or becoming our Patreon. What is the difficulty? Just surrender already! By Red Willow mataji Since we were small children, we have been forced to surrender in so many ways, by our parents, our siblings, and by nature's laws. Our whole lives have been spent in practicing this intrinsic process, whether we are consciously aware of it, or not. We have come into this world with a strong desire to control, to be the Lord of all we survey. We want to control outcomes, other people, our direct environment, the natural cycles of time and weather, the economic and climatic situation, hunger, pain, the aging process... and ultimately we want to control death (or better yet, do away with it all together). We all want to have some semblance of control over these aspects of our lives, isn't it true? So much time and money are wasted in this pursuit–the entire world economy is banking on this human tendency continuing, unimpeded! The majority of us are thinking only of ourselves and our own comfort–that is how we were conditioned to perceive this human experience, by our relatives and by the larger society, after all. What will it take for us to unlearn this toxic behavior? Why are we like this anyways? "Everyone is trying to lord it over the material nature. That is lust. Now, the ant is trying to lord it over the material nature in his own way, and the big politician, he is trying to lord it over the material nature in a different way. Everyone is trying. So that lording it over the material nature is the sign of lust. So you can take it for granted that anyone who is within this material world, he has got that contamination of lust, maybe manifested in different degrees." (Lecture by Srila Prabhupada, BG 3.31-43, Jan 1, 1969, Los Angeles). So, what is the difficulty? Srila Prabhupada says it is lust only. We are in this material world because we are lusty, we hanker after that which is not ours to enjoy; Krishna's property, Krishna's energy, Krishna's superior position. In short, we want to become Krishna, but because we can never become Krishna, because we are eternally servant of Krishna, we are given the facility by Krishna to play out these desires here in the material world. It is almost laughingly childish. Surrender seems so risky to us, it means that we must give up our need to control... everything! Give up the possibility that we may...this time...actually....be able to enjoy fully and without consequence. Our family life, our individual lives, our travels, our retreats, our relationships, our many adventures. Human life is all about enjoying as much as possible, (at the expense of others) right? Truthfully, we are in control of nothing, we are absolutely helpless and, deep down, everyone knows this, but most never start to investigate the nature of this helplessness. Although it may sound drab, this is actually the shining beginning of our spiritual life. So, we must come to this point where we ask, 'why? Why am I suffering in this material world, why am I in so much pain, why do I have to die, why is it so difficult just to be alive?' And then, 'who am I?' And, 'what am I supposed to do to address this helpless condition I find myself in?' "The devotee who becomes helpless by the will of the Lord is more fortunate than those who are born in good families. The fallen devotees born in a good family may forget the lotus feet of the Lord because they are less fortunate, but the devotee who is put into a forlorn condition is more fortunate because he swiftly returns to the lotus feet of the Lord, thinking himself helpless all around." (SB, Purport, 1.5.19). Our helplessness is our great fortune! We are simply incapable of controlling everything, just like a child is taken charge of by his parents, because they know that, 'this child is completely helpless.' So, also, Krishna is full of compassion and He sends his very dear friend, the bonafide Spiritual Master, to take us by the hand and guide us back to safety. He is the only one we can fully trust. He is like our Mother or Father...as a small and helpless child, what other choice do we have? There is no alternative, we must accept His shelter if we want to solve the problems that we are all plagued by. If everyone in this material world is contaminated by varying degrees of lust, how can we ever really trust any other conditioned living entity? They are bound to disappoint us, hurt us, mislead us, or exploit us, in one way or another. And if we cannot trust, then there is no question of surrender. To give up everything, including our very selves, requires a foundation of trust. This is precisely why Krishna sends his representative in the form of the Spiritual Master. Because without this manifestation of divine mercy, we have no real chance of approaching the platform of surrender. The bonafide Spiritual Master is not a conditioned living entity, he is eternally liberated, eternally absorbed in Krishna Consciousness. The Spiritual Master is never forgetful of Krishna or his relationship with Krishna, nor is He touched by lust, not even in the slightest. For an authentic process of surrender to initiate, we need to become related with the bonafide Spiritual Master, such as Srila Prabhupada, by the means of hearing. We must hear from Him with a submissive attitude, an open heart and mind, a willingness to apply His instructions. But, over time, many lifetimes, we have built up these automatic defenses that react quite cunningly to the threat of total annihilation of our false ego. Surrender means: the annihilation of our false bodily-identity. It does not mean to lose anything of value, it means to do away with what is not and to welcome what actually is. We have identified with so many illusory manifestations of the material energy since time immemorial, becoming entangled in this temporal dream-land, orchestrated by maya. But this is not who we really are! When our survival-mode kicks in, we scarcely even notice it... it is such a familiar old friend. There is only one way to override this automatic response, and that is by begging. Begging the mercy of the Spiritual Master, sincerely crying out for help. Only then can we begin to restore our lost memory of our true identity, of what actually IS. Śrī Īśopanisad declares, om pūrnam adah pūrnam idam pūrnat pūrnam udacyate pūrnasya pūrnam ādayā pūrnam evāvaśisyate "The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the Complete Whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the Complete Whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance." So, everything is provided, there is no lack. The whole process from start to finish is available to us through the agency of the Spiritual Master who is dispatched by Krishna Himself to deliver the fallen souls. Whatever we may have, Krishna preserves, and whatever we think we lack, Krishna is providing that, "But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have." (BG 9.22) There is a complete and perfect answer for solving our most fundamental dilemma, that 'I am trying to enjoy as God, but my attempts are all being frustrated by the hand of Maya.' The Spiritual Master gives us instructions that can realistically be followed by us, for the particular time, place, and circumstance. It's not as if we have been left to fend for ourselves here in this world of temporality. Krishna is always thinking how to get us back Home. He is a person with feelings after all, He is not some heartless, vindictive... jerk. Krishna wants us to have the opportunity to surrender, and so, although we may reject that opportunity again and again, it will continuously present itself. Krishna is supremely compassionate... we cannot even understand. This is the kind of person that we want to surrender unto, and the Spiritual Master makes it simple and clear.... 'Just follow me and I will take you to Krishna. You have forgotten the way, but I have not forgotten.' He does not manufacture anything new, he simply is repeating what he has heard from his Spiritual Master, all the way up to Krishna Himself. "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear." (BG 18.66) This is our guarantee from Krishna Himself. We have more to gain than we could ever lose through the process of surrender. And although it may not seem that way to us at first, the more we practice this begging process, the more we align ourselves with Krishna in the center, the more it becomes clear that this is the only way for us. Surrender is essentially an intrinsic aspect of our lives because this is the natural position of the individual spirit soul, we are designed to serve. Designed to submit to Krishna's will, designed to surrender to this eternal dance. Once you taste a morsel of the bliss derived from the awakening of Krishna Consciousness, nothing artificial will ever satisfy you again. And if we want to go on increasing this taste, there is only one method– just surrender! Matchless Gift issue 3, OUT NOW!

This is an article from the Matchless Gift magazine, where in each issue, the BLISS devotees write articles on world news. Please support us by purchasing the latest edition of the magazine, or become our Patreon. Do you think that you could maybe take some rest? Come and lie down, take a listen in my chest? Because Vishnu lives at the core of my heart. Vishnu is and Vishnu starts. Oh Vishnu, I sing to you. Just to say, oh Lord, thank you. These are the lyrics from Sinead O' Connor's, song, "The Vishnu Room" from the album, I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss. Sinead O'Connor, a celebrated and beloved singer, famous for her song, "Nothing Compares 2 U" and for tearing up a picture of the Pope on the Saturday Night Live show, recently left her body. Thousands of people gathered at her funeral to honor the singer for her musical talent and personality. Wikipedia gives the following summary of her achievements: "Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023), known professionally as Sinéad O'Connor, was an Irish singer, songwriter, and activist. Her debut studio album, The Lion and the Cobra, was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her 1990 album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, was her biggest success, selling more than seven million copies worldwide. Its lead single, "Nothing Compares 2 U" was named the year's top world single at the Billboard Music Awards. O'Connor had chart success with Am I Not Your Girl? (1992) and Universal Mother (1994), both certified gold in the UK, Faith and Courage (2000) certified gold in Australia, and Throw Down Your Arms (2005) went gold in Ireland. Her career included songs for films, collaborations with many other artists, and appearances at charity fundraising concerts. O'Connor's 2021 memoir, Rememberings, was a bestseller." Carrie Brownstein, Sleater-Kinney guitarist, and fan, said about her: "I knew I’d never be as brave as Sinéad O’Connor, I would never defy a TV network, a country, a religion. Her boldness was not merely performative, nor was it costume or cultural currency. Most of us couldn’t sacrifice like she did, at the expense of careers and livelihoods, our own hearts. O’Connor had guts and grit and a voice rooted in a deep ache, her singing winged and weighted, a bird clutching a stone. Fierce fragility. No one sounded like Sinéad O’Connor – and no one ever will." What is interesting for us, the devotees, is that Sinead at one point showed her appreciation for the Krishna consciousness movement. Besides the Vishnu room song, she writes the following on her online blog: "I loved Hinduism (I can’t bear ‘isms’ though) since I was in London.. and always had earmarked it for study but not got around to it. " This echoes the words of Srila Prabhupada, who, on countless occasions made it very clear that Krishna consciousness cannot be confined to any sectarian religion. For example, he writes: "...a living entity develops a sort of complexity by material association, and the illusory encagement of the material body is accepted as an actual fact. Under such false complexity, the living beings under different categories of life become illusioned in different ways. Even in the most developed stage of human life, the same illusion prevails in the form of many isms and divides the loving relation with the Lord and thereby divides the loving relation between man and man." (SB 1.7.7 purport) Actually, as admitted by many scholars and historians, the word "Hindu" came about when the inhabitants of Afghanistan could not pronounce the name of the river Sindhus. They used to address the people on the other side as "Hindu," and the term was never meant to designate anyone based on religious consideration. In fact, all religious denominations are just names. The true religion is one—to love God, to love Krishna. However, people have created so many isms just so they don't have to love God. Srila Prabhupada says here that such a narrow-minded understanding of religion simply divides the love people have for God with the increase of subsequent quarrels amongst men themselves. In her post, Sinead expresses her dislike of such a sectarian vision of religion and regrets not studying Krishna consciousness in more depth. She continues: "If it was good enough for the Beatles too… it must be good enough for anyone else. Like.. George Harrison was not a stupid man." Here, she refers to another singer, George Harrison, who happened to be a personal friend of Srila Prabhupada and who helped to print Srila Prabhupada's "Krsna Book" (a book named Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead). Srila Prabhupada, at one point, wrote that although George is not initiated formally, he considers him to be more than his disciple. George, due to his sincerity and influence, helped Srila Prabhupada in the propagation of his movement in its early stages. He donated his house in London to the devotees (Bhaktivedanta Manor nowadays hosts thousands of people every year), produced the famous Radha Krishna album by recording classic Vaisnava prayers, and implemented the Krishna-conscious message that Srila Prabhupada shared with him into his music. Here, we see that the influence of George rubbed off on Sinead as well. She says George was not a stupid man, and Srila Prabhupada also at one point appreciated George's intelligence: "One intelligent boy -- you have heard his name, George Harrison -- he's one of the greatest musicians at the present moment, of the world...So he's becoming -- he's very intelligent -- so he's becoming interested. Now recently he has given us a house in London which is fifty-five lakhs." (Conversation with Sridhara Maharaja – June 27, 1973, Navadvipa) Sinead then continues: "Ah no but.. then last year I started reading a book about The Bhagavad Gita which is one Hindu sacred text. It's a section, I think… from a larger text called The Mahabharata. It's the coolest take ever on life and death there is. And on being whom you were born to be. (within the boundaries of human decency). Transcendence is the thing that helps you manage the fear of life and death.. is what I picked up.. transcendence in the Gita fashion.. from what I can glean.. is always living in every moment the certainty that you are in ‘the heavens’ or whatever you might call it.. and the earth at the same time. that the largest part of you. Your everliving soul.. lives constantly there and here so that almost. There is no such thing as death. Death is just taking your clothes off..." Sinead is using here the analogy of seeing the body as mere clothing for the soul. This same analogy is used by Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita: vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya navani grhnati naro 'parani tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany anyani samyati navani dehi As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones. (Bg 2.22) Srila Prabhupada comments on this verse as follows: "Change of body by the atomic individual soul is an accepted fact. Even modern scientists who do not believe in the existence of the soul, but at the same time cannot explain the source of energy from the heart, have to accept continuous changes in the body that appear from childhood to boyhood and from boyhood to youth and again from youth to old age. From old age, the change is transferred to another body." (Bg 2.22 purport) Although we see people simply on the bodily platform as men, women, Hindus, Muslims, blacks, and whites, the body is a mere instrument used by the soul. So long as the soul is "wearing" the body, the body is considered very important in human society, but as soon as the soul leaves, the body has no value, and it is either burned or thrown into the grave. Sinead then mentions that this is a similar teaching to what Lord Jesus was teaching. She writes: "..Thats kind of what Jesus was saying I guess, but from a different angle.. " Srila Prabhupada also connects the teachings about the eternality of the soul and about the non-permanence of the material body found in the Bible with the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita: "Just like the flavor, the aroma, of a rose flower is carried by the air, and if the air passes through us we also experience the rose flavor. Similarly, when we die, this material body is finished. "Dust thou art, dust thou beist." This is made of five elements: earth, water, air, fire, ether. So the..., so far earthly materials are concerned, that is mixed up. Somebody burns this body, somebody buries or somebody throws it for being eaten by the animals. The three systems in the human society... Just like in India, Hindus, they burn the body. So the body comes transformed into ashes -- means earth. Ash means earth. Those who are burying the bodies of their forefathers, the body turns into dust, as the Christian Bible says, "Dust thou art." (Bhagavad-gita 6.35–45 – February 20, 1969, Los Angeles) Sinead then compares the name of Krishna to the name of Christ. She writes: "...even Krishna is just the same name as Christ." Srila Prabhupada, in a conversation with a Christian priest, explained that "Christ" is another way of saying Krsta, and "Krsta" is another way of pronouncing Krsna. He says: "Jesus said that one should glorify the name of God, but yesterday I heard one theologian say that God has no name -- that we can call Him only "Father." A son may call his father "Father," but the father also has a specific name. Similarly, "God" is the general name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose specific name is Krsna. Therefore whether you call God "Christ," "Krsta," or "Krsna," ultimately you are addressing the same Supreme Personality of Godhead. (SSR 4a: Krsna or Christ -- The Name Is the Same) Sinead continues: "Anyway.. the Hindu music.. oh my God… it can do strange and wonderful things to you… Karnamritia Desi’s Devaki is a piece from the Gita. I think. Certainly from Hindu scripture about the conception and birth of Krishna. Wait till you hear the words… " Sinead shares her impressions and appreciation after hearing a song by Karnamrita Dasi (a devotee and a successful professional singer, who implements Krishna-conscious themes into her music). Certainly, hearing Krishna conscious music can do strange and wonderful things to you. Namely, it can immediately lift you on the transcendental plane and liberate you from material existence. What could be more wonderful than that? Sinead then again draws parallels with the Christian teachings: "...their equivalent of the Holy Spirit is the gorgeous Vishnu guy you see in the background of the photo of me with guitar on site .. Guess what??? They say he lives in the core of all people’s hearts. How cool is that??? And… he’s blue! and he has four arms! and wears tons of makeup.. and has a wife who is also a goddess!" This is yet again the correct understanding from Sinead's side, which resonates with the explanation Srila Prabhupada himself gives: "The Absolute Truth is manifested in three features: Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan. Bhagavan is the personal feature, and the Paramatma, situated in everyone's heart, may be compared to the Holy Spirit." (TQE 6c: Origen: The Original Christian Mystic) Sinead writes: "So much more cheerful than Christianity can sometimes be. They say if when you’re dying you focus on Krishna you will end up with him.. thats why I got Vishnu painted on my wall, because I wanna end up with him, and I figure its a bit of a stress prolly when you’re dying, trying to remember what to focus on... so when I’m an old lady and it’s time to go I’ll be pointing my bed at my Vishnu mural, which was Painted by a wonderful young man by the name of Shane Berkery, and telling everyone to stop crying and let me enjoy the journey. I think Devaki is Krishna’s mum but I dunno… tellin you this so you know who the words are talkin about… But go to YouTube. and watch it. Someone’s put beautiful images to it. So much more uplifting than crucified horribly murdered poor men. I promise you. The song will change your life when you see the images too." Indeed, the paintings of Krishna and His incarnations and His devotees were masterfully crafted by the early disciple of Srila Prabhupada and they are considered to be the "windows to the spiritual sky." Sinead is also telling us about her room, where her friend Shane painted the famous picture from the cover of Srila Prabhupada's, Sri Isopanisad. She hopes to look at this picture at the time of death since being absorbed in the thoughts of the Lord at the time of death guarantees liberation and attainment of His eternal company in the spiritual world. This, yet again echoes the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita: am yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram tam tam evaiti kaunteya sada tad-bhava-bhavitah tasmat sarvesu kalesu mam anusmara yudhya ca mayy arpita-mano-buddhir mam evaisyasy asamsayah "Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kunti, that state he will attain without fail. Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt." (Bg 8.6-7) Srila Prabhupada comments on these verses as follows: "The process of changing one's nature at the critical moment of death is here explained. A person who at the end of his life quits his body thinking of Krsna attains the transcendental nature of the Supreme Lord, but it is not true that a person who thinks of something other than Krsna attains the same transcendental state. This is a point we should note very carefully. How can one die in the proper state of mind? Maharaja Bharata, although a great personality, thought of a deer at the end of his life, and so in his next life he was transferred into the body of a deer. Although as a deer he remembered his past activities, he had to accept that animal body. Of course, one's thoughts during the course of one's life accumulate to influence one's thoughts at the moment of death, so this life creates one's next life. If in one's present life one lives in the mode of goodness and always thinks of Krsna, it is possible for one to remember Krsna at the end of one's life. That will help one be transferred to the transcendental nature of Krsna. If one is transcendentally absorbed in Krsna's service, then his next body will be transcendental (spiritual), not material. Therefore the chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is the best process for successfully changing one's state of being at the end of one's life. (Bg 8.6 purport) At the moment, it is not clear how Sinead departed. Perhaps we will never find out. Was she looking at the picture of Vishnu as she described in her blog a few years ago, or was she diverted by the material energy to think of something else? It is difficult to say, but as a general principle, Srila Prabhupada emphasizes the fact that one's thoughts at the time of death are the accumulation of thoughts one has during his or her lifetime. We must therefore strive to be Krishna conscious as much as possible while our body is healthy. Death can come at any point and take us by surprise. At the time of death all the bodily functions are disrupted, and the mind is not in a proper condition. Thus disturbed by the bodily situation, one may not be able to remember the Supreme Lord. Maharaja Kulasekhara, a great devotee, therefore prays, "My dear Lord, just now I am quite healthy, and it is better that I die immediately so that the swan of my mind can seek entrance at the stem of Your lotus feet." He uses this particular metaphor because the swan, a bird of the water, takes pleasure in digging into the lotus flowers; its sporting proclivity is to enter the lotus flower. Maharaja Kulasekhara says to the Lord, "Now my mind is undisturbed, and I am quite healthy. If I die immediately, thinking of Your lotus feet, then I am sure that my performance of Your devotional service will become perfect. But if I have to wait for my natural death, then I do not know what will happen, because at that time the bodily functions will be disrupted, my throat will be choked up, and I do not know whether I shall be able to chant Your name. Better let me die immediately." Another point Sinead raises is her disenchantment with some of the Christians' obsession with the gruesome torture of Lord Jesus. Srila Prabhupada several times stated that this is not a pastime to be meditated upon. No one meditates on the death of one's beloved. In a letter to a disciple, Srila Prabhupada notes: "Generally the Roman Catholic religion depends on this Crucifixion incident in the life of Lord Jesus Christ, but I think depiction of this incident simply stimulates the tensions of difference of opinion, and difference of religious principles, between the Jews and the Christians. My idea is that if simply by narrating the Crucifixion incident of Lord Jesus Christ, the Roman Catholic Religion can spread to such a wide area of the world, how much there is great potency of spreading our Krishna Consciousness by depicting hundreds of thousands of such incidents like Rathayatra. There is not one incident like Rathayatra, but there are many hundreds of thousands of incidents in different appearances of the incarnations of Lord Krishna. In different cities and different centers we can introduce such multi-pastimes ceremonies of Lord Krishna. And certainly people will be engladdened to observe such transcendental and happy ceremonies. So in Los Angeles, as promised by Mukunda, you try to construct a grand temple and then we shall introduce gradually many ceremonial functions, which the people will be so glad to enjoy. (Letter to: Aniruddha -- Montreal 7 July, 1968) We are confident in saying, based on Sinead's own statements in her blog, that she would surely enjoy the observance of happy Krishna conscious ceremonies such as Ratha Yatra, Janmastami, Govardhana Puja, etc. Unfortunately we were not able to reach her to invite her. We pray that her appreciation and desire for such devotional service will be further increased by the Lord in whatever position she is at the moment. Sinead concludes her blog post by inviting everyone to listen to Karnamrita's song, and not only that, she posts Srila Prabhupada's translation of the verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam that Karnamrita expertly turned into a song: "...so here’s the words… in english.. but on the track its Sanskrit.. Blow you away…so while we miserable sinners catholics get born in all horror and sin and how bad we are etc… this is how Hindus see conception and birth of souls. “The demigods and great saintly persons showered flowers in a joyous mood, and clouds gathered in the sky and very mildly thundered, making sounds like those of the ocean’s waves. Then the Supreme Personality Of The Godhead, Vishnu, who is situated in the core of everyone’s heart, appeared from the heart of Devaki in the dense darkness of night, like the full moon rising on the eastern horizon, because Devaki was of the same category as Sri Krishna.” Of course, Krishna is not just an ordinary soul, nor is His birth controlled by the material nature like ours is. Nor is the eternal soul ever born. Krishna appeared from the heart of Devaki, because Devaki was a pure devotee of the Lord. Srila Prabhupada comments on this verse as follows: "As stated in the Brahma-samhita (5.37): ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis tabhir ya eva nija-rupataya kalabhih goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhuto govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami. This verse indicates that Krsna and His entourage are of the same spiritual potency (ananda-cinmaya-rasa). Krsna's father, His mother, His friends the cowherd boys, and the cows are all expansions of Krsna, as will be explained in the brahma-vimohana-lila. When Brahma took away Krsna's associates to test the supremacy of Lord Krsna, the Lord expanded Himself again in the forms of the many cowherd boys and calves, all of whom, as Brahma saw, were visnu-murtis. Devaki is also an expansion of Krsna, and therefore this verse says, devakyam deva-rupinyam visnuh sarva-guha-sayah. At the time for the Lord's appearance, the great sages and the demigods, being pleased, began to shower flowers. At the seashore, there was the sound of mild waves, and above the sea there were clouds in the sky which began to thunder very pleasingly. When things were adjusted like this, Lord Visnu, who is residing within the heart of every living entity, appeared in the darkness of night as the Supreme Personality of Godhead before Devaki, who appeared as one of the demigoddesses. The appearance of Lord Visnu at that time could be compared to the rising of the full moon in the sky on the eastern horizon. The objection may be raised that since Lord Krsna appeared on the eighth day of the waning moon, there could be no rising of the full moon. In answer to this, it may be said that Lord Krsna appeared in the dynasty which is in the hierarchy of the moon; therefore, although the moon was incomplete on that night, because of the Lord's appearance in the dynasty wherein the moon is himself the original person, the moon was in an overjoyous condition, so by the grace of Krsna, he could appear as a full moon. To welcome the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the waning moon became a full moon in jubilation. Instead of deva-rupinyam, some texts of Srimad-Bhagavatam clearly say visnu-rupinyam. In either case, the meaning is that Devaki has the same spiritual form as the Lord. The Lord is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], and Devaki is also sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. Therefore no one can find any fault in the way the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, appeared from the womb of Devaki. Those who are not in full knowledge that the appearance and disappearance of the Lord are transcendental (janma karma ca me divyam [Bg. 4.9]) are sometimes surprised that the Supreme Personality of Godhead can take birth like an ordinary child. Actually, however, the Lord's birth is never ordinary. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is already situated within the core of everyone's heart as antaryami, the Supersoul. Thus because He was present in full potency in Devaki's heart, He was also able to appear outside her body. One of the twelve great personalities is Bhismadeva (svayambhur naradah sambhuh kumarah kapilo manuh / prahlada, janako bhismah [SB 6.3.20]). In Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.9.42), Bhisma, a great authority to be followed by devotees, says that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in the core of everyone's heart, just as the sun may be on everyone's head. Yet although the sun may be on the heads of millions and millions of people, this does not mean that the sun is variously situated. Similarly, because the Supreme Personality of Godhead has inconceivable potencies, He can be within everyone's heart and yet not be situated variously. Ekatvam anupasyatah (Isopanisad 7). The Lord is one, but He can appear in everyone's heart by His inconceivable potency. Thus, although the Lord was within the heart of Devaki, He appeared as her child. According to the Visnu Purana, therefore, as quoted in the Vaisnava-tosani, the Lord appeared like the sun (anugrahasaya). The Brahma-samhita (5.35) confirms that the Lord is situated even within the atom (andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham). He is situated in Mathura, in Vaikuntha, and in the core of the heart. Therefore one should clearly understand that He did not live like an ordinary child in the heart or the womb of Devaki. Nor did He appear like an ordinary human child, although He seemed to do so in order to bewilder asuras like Kamsa. The asuras wrongly think that Krsna took birth like an ordinary child and passed away from this world like an ordinary man. Such asuric conceptions are rejected by persons in knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ajo 'pi sann avyayatma bhutanam isvaro 'pi san (Bg. 4.6). As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, the Lord is aja, unborn, and He is the supreme controller of everything. Nonetheless, He appeared as the child of Devaki. This verse describes the inconceivable potency of the Lord, who appeared like the full moon. Understanding the special significance of the appearance of the Supreme Godhead, one should never regard Him as having taken birth like an ordinary child. (SB 10.3.9-10 purport) Sinead O' Connor's life seemed to be full of challenges and upheavals. She has criticized the spread of child abuse in a major religious institution in front of millions of TV viewers and was thus ostracized and criticized by the followers of the Catholic Church. Abusing innocent children in the name of religion is indeed the greatest possible abuse of power and we stand by Sinead and agree that such a corrupted religious institution should be criticized. People who raise objections to such vicious crimes should never be ostracized. It is said that the backlash that followed her expressed statements influenced Sinead's life negatively and she suffered mental health problems. Furthermore, her teenage son committed suicide, and this has further made her life extremely difficult to cope with. At any rate, her glorification of Krishna consciousness in this blog that we have analyzed here will not go in vain. Reading Srimad-Bhagavatam and sharing the verse with the public and her fans will go a long way. Even reading one line from these transcendental books brings so much benefit for the casual reader. Srila Prabhupada says: "If one reads one line of this literature, although it is presented in broken language, but if he simply hears there is "Krsna," then his sinful activities immediately vanquish." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.9–11 – June 6, 1969, New Vrindavan) He also emphasizes the need for the devotees to distribute books widely: "We are printing so many books. For spreading this knowledge, that must be distributed. Home to home, place to place, man to man, this literature must go there. If he... If one takes one book, at least one day he'll read it: "Let me see what is this book I have purchased the other day." And if he reads one line his life will be successful -- if he reads one line only, carefully. This is such literature. Therefore book distribution I am giving so much stress. (Bhagavad-gita 16.9 – February 5, 1975, Honolulu) It is especially noteworthy that Sinead, following in the footsteps of George Harrison, shared with others the glorification of Krishna. Even though she might have not been a devotee or could not make more spiritual progress, the very act of sharing Krishna consciousness will make her pure and perfect. Srila Prabhupada explains: "...if one engages not only in hearing but in trying to broadcast the message of devotional activities as well, or if he engages himself in helping the missionary activities of Krsna consciousness, he gradually feels spiritual progress. This advancement in spiritual life does not depend on any kind of previous education or qualification. The method itself is so pure that by simply engaging in it one becomes pure." (Bg 9.2 purport) Let us wish this nice soul all the best on her way to meet her beloved Vishnu. Buy the Matchless Gift magazine for more Krishna conscious content

In each issue of the Matchless Gift magazine, the BLISS devotees write articles on world news. Please support us by purchasing the latest edition of the magazine, or become our Patreon. She's a Barbie Girl in a Barbie world by Nityananda Dasa Everybody, at least in the West, knows the famous Barbie Doll. Gaining immense popularity with the children, the cute and always pretty doll called Barbie is a go-to toy for many young girls all around the world. Young girls and boys like to play with the dolls, dressing them with all kinds of clothing, decorating them with makeup, brushing their hair, washing them and creating imaginary scenarios that can keep a child entertained for hours on end. Over the six decades of being on the global market, the Barbie doll has sold over one billion times and just recently the "Barbie Movie" has come to the theaters, instantly becoming a hit success all around the world. How is it possible that such a simple thing as a doll can be so popular with so many millions of children all around the world? What is the secret behind everyone's obsession with Barbie? Srila Prabhupada says that the propensity to worship dolls is also shared in greatly elevated souls, nitya siddhas. He writes: "From his very birth, Uddhava was a natural devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, or a nitya-siddha, a liberated soul. From natural instinct he used to serve Lord Krsna, even in his childhood. He used to play with dolls in the form of Krsna, he would serve the dolls by dressing, feeding and worshiping them, and thus he was constantly absorbed in the play of transcendental realization. These are the signs of an eternally liberated soul. An eternally liberated soul is a devotee of the Lord who never forgets Him. Human life is meant for reviving one’s eternal relation with the Lord, and all religious injunctions are meant for awakening this dormant instinct of the living entity. The sooner this awakening is brought about, the quicker the mission of human life is fulfilled." (SB 3.2.2. Purport) Of course, the deity of Krsna is not a normal doll, but the child can awaken his dormant Krsna consciousness by simply playing with such a doll, since he is meditating on the transcendental form of Krsna. In this way, the fortunate child will awaken his natural love of God from within the heart. In the same purport, Srila Prabhupada continues: "In India the children in good families are still given dolls of the Lord like Rama and Krsna, or sometimes the demigods, so that they may develop the aptitude of service to the Lord. By the grace of the Lord we were given the same opportunity by our parents, and the beginning of our life was based on this principle." Everything material and spiritual is emanating from Krsna! According to this purport we can understand the real, pure activity of playing with "dolls." The children in India would be given a replica of deities and they would be tasked to take nice care of them. That includes bathing, dressing, worshiping etc. With this activity, even a child can engage in Krsna consciousness, although he may not have any philosophical knowledge at all. Since Krsna consciousness is the natural consciousness within everyone's soul, there is no previous material requirement, such as age, for example, to start the process of worshiping Krsna and awakening our dormant Krsna consciousness; the pure state of every living being. Unfortunately, because the general public is blind to self realization, aka Krsna consciousness, they are now very much attracted to short-term sense gratificatory pleasures such as watching cinema. In the past, the general public would wake up very early and visit the temple every morning simply to see the beautiful transcendental forms of the Supreme Lord Krsna and His divine consort, Srimati Radharani. Today however, the same people will instead visit the cinema in order to see the material, temporary form of Barbie and her consort Ken, being broadcast on a big screen. This is, however, just a perverted reflection of our true desire, to see and worship the beautiful transcendental form of Lord Krsna. In the Srimad Bhagavatam it is stated: “Only attention engaged in the service of the Lord, especially in dressing and decorating the temple, accompanied by musical kirtana and spiritual instructions from scriptures, can save the common man from the hellish cinema attractions and rubbish sex-songs broadcast everywhere by radios. If one is unable to maintain a temple at home, he should go to another’s temple where all the above performances are regularly executed. Visiting the temple of a devotee and looking at the profusely decorated forms of the Lord well dressed in a well-decorated, sanctified temple naturally infuse the mundane mind with spiritual inspiration.” (SB 2.3.22 Purport) Instead of looking at the profusely decorated forms of God, people are engaged in looking at the decorated material forms of men and women. We are always attracted to some opulence, be it either wealth, fame, power, knowledge, renunciation or beauty. In this case, one is attracted by the opulence of beauty. One is attracted either by beauty of the spiritual transcendental form, which is eternally fresh and always increasing in beauty, or he must be attracted by the temporary beauty of the material body, which is destined to fade with the influence of time and end up as a pile of dirt buried six feet deep underground. One who is attracted to the spiritual beauty of the Lord will experience purification of the senses and the mind. Since Krsna is supremely pure, those who associate with Him will also become supremely pure. The unfortunate person who is not at all attracted to the infinite spiritual beauty of the Lord however is bound to be attracted to the limited beauty of the material body, and as the body eventually degrades into stool, blood and bones, similarly the consciousness of such an unfortunate person will degrade into only disgusting things such as lust, anger, greed, envy etc. Since meditation on temporary subject matters is not at all purifying but actually degrading to one's consciousness, it is a very dangerous engagement. This is especially lamentable in spiritual practice. When devotional service is not performed under the expert guidance of a bone fide spiritual master, it can only nourish our materialistic desires, which are the perverted form of our real, spiritual desires. In this case, as the materialist goes to the cinema to see the beautiful form of Barbie for his sense enjoyment and exploitation, similarly, the so-called spiritualist will see the beautiful spiritual form of Krsna and Radharani for his own enjoyment and exploitation. Such a class of degraded persons is called sahajiya. They take devotional service very cheaply and foolishly disregard the injunctions of the scriptures and the spiritual master. Generally, such people are engaged in fake displays of emotion towards God and may bewilder an innocent and foolish person. It is especially common for the sahajiya class to foolishly attempt to enjoy the spiritual energy of Krsna, Srimati Radharani. But to their great misfortune, when one tries to enjoy Krsna's spiritual energy for himself, she immediately transforms into material energy, and with this, the pretender devotee is tricked by Krsna, therefore his consciousness degrades to the material level and because of his offenses to Krsna, he forges his path to the hellish planets, becoming next door neighbors to the materialistic person who was engaged in "hellish cinema attractions." Buy the Matchless Gift magazine for more Krishna conscious content

This Summer, some of the BLISS devotees travelled to Germany to attend a festival celebrating His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Prabhus Purujit and Maitreya stayed with devotees in Germany, where His Grace Purujit prabhu gave multiple classes and inspired two devotees to come and visit us here in London. Check out some photos from the trip: Plus a harinama video... Discover more pictures and videos from the Germany trip on our Facebook page - make sure to like the page and invite your friends!

This article is from volume 2 of the Krishna conscious magazine, Matchless Gift: a beautiful, original e-magazine designed, written and created by Expand the Bliss devotees. To purchase a copy, click here. How I Came to Krishna Consciousness by Bhaktin Love In this thought piece, Love explores why it is so hard for humans to change for the better, and how Krishna consciousness is offering a simple and sustainable way out of deeply ingrained habitual behaviours. Ask anyone – humans find it hard to change. To ask someone to give up an ingrained habit is like asking them to jump in front of a train. Especially when it comes to addictions to sense gratification. We like our vices, it seems, and we attach to them so that when someone utters a mere suggestion of our being without said vice, we go into attack mode. 'I like my vices,' some freely admit. No amount of documentaries about the dangers of meat eating for humans and the planet, nor graphic images on cigarette packs, nor warnings about gambling are strong enough deterrents to make one change for the better. The cognitive dissonance is too strong. An intelligent part of us can know this all to be true, that what we are doing is wrong, that we are under the spell of an addictive tendency; one may, at best, be able to admit that one is struggling to change; and yet, the practical agreement to conclusively stop for the better can rarely be found. Even so, admitting, as they say, is the first step. What happens afterwards? The innocent addict is then bombarded with numerous 'hacks' for instant addiction cures. A whole lot of noise in the form of self-help books, articles and millions of 30-second videos claiming success (success that is relative to them, I might add) that someone struggling has to sift through in the hopes of finding their next quick fix in the form of a miracle, instantaneous cure, without any healing work whatsoever, no acknowledgement of the core wound from which addiction stems. There's a storm of information out there. What we all need, is an absolute Truth. A one-size-fits all approach to curing addiction, to being unresistant to positive personal change. If the struggle for change is a collective issue, surely we can agree upon a collective cure? Enter, Krishna consciousness. The root cause What is the first teaching of Krishna consciousness? Say it with me now: I AM NOT MY BODY. Let that settle for a moment. Consider it, speak it out loud if you will: 'I am not this body.' Huh. What's that you feel? A certain spaciousness? If you are not this body, then what are you? The one observing the movements of the body, mind, ego, intelligence? The quietly smiling internal observer? As Purujit Prabhu puts it, “you are a part of the whole, of something beautiful and Divine.” Yes indeed, you are a spark of the eternal life force energy source that powers all. You are a child of God, a part and parcel of Krishna, the Supreme Creator, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that we at BLISS are loving getting to know through our spiritual study. This understanding elevates you, the real, eternal you, above the temporary you that is addicted to something. With this understanding, suddenly there is a gap – a space between the eternally fulfilled part of you (the Soul) that requires no such temporary vices to fill a void - and the temporary you (the material body, mind, ego etc). With this understanding, can't you see that the root cause of all addiction is the craving to be fulfilled? And can you let it relieve you for just this moment, that there is a part of you, the real, eternal you, that is eternally fulfilled when in connection with God? So in fact, all these material addictions are giving you minute experiences of what fulfillment looks like. But in the end, nothing material can fulfill, because our true selves are not material, not even a little bit. We are spirit souls. This is the real identity. The real identity is like the root of the tree, and the temporary dresses that we wear (man, woman, black, white, fat, thin, european, asian etc) are like leaves. When the leaf is ready to fall away, it will, and a new one will grow. Such is the lifecycle. The answer to fulfillment then, clearly lies in the watering of the root, the choice to satisfy the feeling of separation from source. How do we do this? By connecting directly to the source using the directions given by the representative of God. That is His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He teaches us how to connect with Krishna directly, thus all feeble attempts to fill the void of disconnect from our source drop away. Being conscious in this way, being Krishna conscious (God conscious, conscious of Truth and not being entangled in the illusion that you are this body and everything that goes with it) is a beeline to fulfillment, and no such temporary highs, so-called pleasures, will even come close to being satisfactory, after you experience the exquisite, long lasting high of being conscious of what we are all here to learn – being conscious of our true identity and Universal purpose in life – being conscious of (and thus being in service to) God, who is Krishna. Make it simple: we are eternal spirit souls moving around in physical bodies. The purpose of human life is to realise this fact, and to work towards reconnecting with our source. That source is God. The Supreme Personality of God, God Himself, and all His aspects (including Brahman (impersonal) and Paramatma (Supersoul/intuition within the heart)), is Krishna. Krishna is not a sectarian God. Krishna means all-attractive (read Bhagavad Gita for more on the identity of God). Let go and let God Why is it so hard to change? Ask anyone who has faced addictive behaviours, who has struggled to leave a toxic relationship, be that friend, family or lover, to change jobs even though they were unhappy, or even give up clothes that have many tears and rips in, and they will most likely shrug in contempt of this seemingly demonic aspect of human nature, the one which makes it so hard for us to change. What’s even harder is sustainable change. On our recent BLISS retreat in Portugal (check out the Matchless Gift 3 for the whole story), I heard of Kambo, a plant medicine made of the poison of a certain frog which, when injected via burn through human skin, 'eradicates addictions completely.' As someone who spends two hours every day chanting the Holy names as their medicine, I felt an immediate contraction, a wave of cynical disbelief wash over me at the idea of such a simple quick fix. As someone who has worked very hard to remove layers of the onion that is my ego, my false self, to try and understand why I have addictive tendencies, why I must be subjected to this imperfection even though I have long known deep down that I am a pure and perfect part and parcel of God, hearing of this froggy method was quite agitating. I then relaxed when I realised that my version of frog poison is a simple three word mantra which is completely free and is available to everyone. So I don't have to burn myself and be injected with frog poison? Phew! The inability to change against our own will to good is something common to all humans. Granted, there are some 'lucky' ones who do not have addictive personalities, but they have their own demons to conquer. For those of us who have taken our sweet time to give up an addiction that feels good in the moment but not good afterwards, who have lusted to hold onto that particular vice for fear of boredom and even greater fear of what might lie in wait underneath the suppression of Self, there are many books to read, hypnosis to meditate on, patches to stick, diets to follow, therapies to be had and enquiries to explore with oneself. Though each self-help vice has its quality, none can identify the root of the problem, nor can they explain it in clear, non-speculative ways. None can answer with pure authority the deeply philosophical questions an intelligent human may pose, all are passing on incomplete knowledge, evading the seeker (and they themselves are evaded) from the source of absolute and universal knowledge. I got a lot of doors in the face in the form of the disappointing, “you have to find the answer for yourself, I can't tell you the answer.” It was only until I started chanting Hare Krishna that I found a sustainable, by which I mean long-term, deeply excavating solution to the part of myself that would take over and exhibit the addictive behaviours against my own well-wishes, against what the more pure or innocent part of myself would want. "I need not agree with myself that on this day I’m not going to smoke, I’m not going to drink, I’m not going to cheat, etc. The change simply happens. Ask any of the devotees. The chanting, paired with reading and hearing from the spiritual master, adds up to spontaneous change." To crisp, or not to crisp Two weeks after chanting 16 rounds of the maha mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, addictions that I had struggled to loosen myself from the tentacle-like grip of for over a decade, simply left. It continues to amaze me how this works, even to this day. Just the other day, I experienced very invasive thoughts of a need to consume crisps. In that moment, I was able to identify a part of me that was having these thoughts that I would like a bag of crisps. As soon as I had this thought, other parts of me came in to assess the situation. One part said, okay, if the bus is more than five minutes away, I can get some crisps. Another part said, that’s fine, I can still offer them to Prabhupada. They’re just potatoes. And, (this train of thought smugly continued), I remember that one time he was on an airplane and drunk Sprite, the karmi-made drink. So clearly he is not a fanatic. Other parts, other thought processes more logical and less passionate, noted then that it’s past nine at night, and there is no need for food. That actually, these crisps have been prepared without love for Krishna, and therefore I cannot. It’s plastic, it’s wasted Lakshmi, it’s not right. All this was going on. When I arrived at the bus stop and saw that my ride was just two minutes away, I experienced, one of many times, the magic of the mantra in practical day-to-day issues; how it can facilitate the total removal of personality defects without much more effort required than a simple sincere intention to chant attentively. Even if I had wanted to go to get the crisps, I found that my feet were planted firmly on the ground. Filled with uncertainty about why my usual addictive nature was not automatically taking over my body and already buying the crisps, I simply started to chant. All uncertainty then went away. What then came in was a deep appreciation for the long-awaited internal changes that Krishna consciousness has allowed me. Suffice to say, I did not get the crisps, and I went to bed feeling completely grateful and excited to continue chanting my rounds the next day, as well as I could. Saying goodbye to my favourite high A similar realisation came to me in a similar situation, months before, when usually, I would have gone straight to the kitchen having arrived back home late, to make something nice to eat. Even I might have offered it to Prabhupada. But for some reason, unknown to me and completely unplanned and uncontrolled, I just went up to bed. Reading in disbelief? I was too. What you have to understand about the maha mantra is that, when you're chanting the prescribed 16 rounds, you are praying, chanting, affirming: 'Dear Lord, dear energy of the Lord, please kindly engage me in your service'. Prabhupada called this movement the 'Science of Self-Realization' for a reason. Science means tried and tested with a Universal outcome. Make it simple. If you say, thousands of times a day, 'I am thirsty,' you will manifest that affirmation. Similarly, if someone tells you as a young child that you are unworthy, a neural pathway will be formed and that negative belief will manifest into being your own belief, and you will perceive that belief, manifesting, unbeknown to you, situations that affirm the reality of that thought, to match the initial thought that is etched into the brain. This is a Universal law. What we think, we believe, therefore we perceive it, it becomes our reality. So, this chanting works. Without my deciding to change, I have changed. This is the answer to all addictions! No mental exertion is required. I need not agree with myself that on this day I’m not going to smoke, I’m not going to drink, I’m not going to cheat, etc. The change simply happens. Ask any of the devotees. The chanting, paired with reading and hearing from the spiritual master, adds up to spontaneous change. For a long time I was smoking marijuana. It allowed me to feel, for an hour or so, how my soul feels in the spiritual world: sac-cid-ananda-vigraha: eternal, full of knowledge, full of bliss. When the question of how long it had been since I had last smoked came up in conversation the other day, I could not give a clear answer. I realised that I didn’t know. Because, I never made the decision to stop smoking. It simply happened. The urge, modestly and straightforwardly, just went away. The appetite to put myself in situations where there would be temptation, weaned. All this chanting, for Krishna to kindly engage me in His service, rather than in the service of my imperfect senses, imperfect self and fragile ego, is working. I am being engaged in a different way of life, and though there remain parts of me that rebel against this, the eternal part, which is substantially stronger in its foundation rooted in God's superior (personal, transcendental) energy, seems to be very pleased. "The chanting, the devotee association, the kirtan, the books, the prasadam, the whole way of life that is Krishna consciousness, is uprooting those parts of me that find it hard to change, without me even asking it to. All I do is chant, and it works. " Long term change The body keeps the score, the body holds the memories. When I first came to the BLISS temple, there was a particular kirtan that I very much did not enjoy, which now happens to be my favourite. But I have noticed that even though I now agree that it is my favourite prayer, I still observe some resistance. Because the first few times I felt so out of place during this purifying kirtan, my body experienced that trauma of feeling scared and alone, etc, and held onto that. Like a line etched into rock, the negative association stuck. Even now at the time of writing, when I finish my japa in the morning, I sometimes experience mental dread towards this kirtan. However, when I enter the temple room and it starts, I’m completely excited. Such a curious phenomenon to notice and regard. So it is clear to me that every action we do creates some sort of imprint on our psyches, on our consciousness. Action enacted many times ends up making very deep imprints, very strong habitual thoughts and behaviours, hard to undo or override. But there is a way to smooth over these harsh imprints – sticking to the path of Krishna consciousness. Perseverance and patience is needed. Srila Prabhupada says in a class on the Srimad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.44, “Just like in jaundice disease, if you... Because the doctors, the medical practitioners, they give sugar candy. The physician gives sugar candy. The sugar candy, to the person suffering from jaundice, tastes bitter = "Oh, it is bitter." But actually sugar candy is not bitter. Similarly, to the sinful man the krsna-katha, discussion about Krsna, does not appear to be very palatable. They do not like to hear. They think it is waste of time. But that, as the sugar candy is the only medicine for jaundice disease, similarly, the hari-katha, or krsna-katha, is the only medicine for our material disease. If we take it... Just like the jaundiced patient = if he takes sugar candy, then gradually he becomes free from the diseased condition, and at that time, the same sugar candy which he tasted in the beginning as bitter, it appears to be very, very sweet. Then he cannot live without. This is the process.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.44) When I first came to the temple and stayed overnight, the next day I told the monks, “thank you, but temple life is not for me!” Now, I find myself again and again, despite the voice that says not to, making my way to the temple any time I’m away from it. It is no longer a conscious choice. The chanting, the devotee association, the kirtan, the books, the prasadam, the whole way of life that is Krishna consciousness, is uprooting those parts of me that find it hard to change, without me even asking it to. All I do is chant, and it works. Sometimes, when I’m doing something healthy, selfless and good, like being extra mindful when mopping the temple or taking less milk for myself so other devotees can have, I observe a sensation of watching myself do it. Whenever I check in with these parts of me, these voices, these mind patterns that err on the negative side, all are, generally and genuinely, really happy to surrender. All parts of the self want to heal, to become whole, to reunite with Krishna. No single aspect of self is truly resisting it. Because this reunion is natural. It is the goal of life for all humans. Of all the things I tried before meeting the devotees, none offered such a sustainable, natural change of incentive, change of habit, I say again, without me even trying, than engaging in Krishna consciousness has. This Hare Krishna mantra is the mantra that contains all mantras, it is the affirmation that contains all affirmations, it is the multivitamin to cure all diseases and re-write all personality defects. I invite those reading who have suffered or do suffer from addictive tendencies to take up this very simple method of chanting this very simple mantra, whenever you’re waiting for a bus, whenever you find yourself lusting after some sense object, whenever you’re unsure about whether you should eat that fast food or smoke that dope, just try chanting and see what happens. Please, engage in your spiritual life: all problems melt away in the presence of perfection. Matchless Gift Magazine volume 3 OUT NOW!

This article is from volume 2 of the Krishna conscious magazine, Matchless Gift: a beautiful, original e-magazine designed, written and created by Expand the Bliss devotees. To purchase a copy, click here. Mass Psychosis: The Global Epidemic of The Mind By Nityananda Dasa For Matchless Gift volume 2 "The masses have never thirsted after truth. They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste, preferring to deify error if error seduces them. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master. Whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim." - Gustave Le Bon, a French social psychologist. A French philosopher, author and man of knowledge named Gustave Le Bon in his most popular work titled "The Crowd”, argued that the conscious personality of the individual in a crowd is submerged into the group mentality, and that the collective crowd mind dominates; crowd behavior is more unanimous, emotional, and intellectually weaker. Le Bon argues that when people come together as a crowd, their individual intelligence and character are compromised. Instead, they form a collective mind that influences thought and action. Crowd members can acquire a feeling of invincibility that allows them to do things they otherwise would not do. He believes that the collective crowd mind has a difficult time discriminating right from wrong and is easily influenced by extreme ideas due to its emotional and intellectually weak nature. While analyzing how the beliefs of the collective crowd manifest and spread, Le Bon provides the following three key points by which group consciousness is influenced. 1. Affirmation: pure and simple messages that are free of reasoning and proof. 2. Repetition: incessant repetition of the affirmation makes the inconceivable eventually facts in the crowd's mind. 3. Contagion: once an affirmation message establishes its ground, the message will spread like a virus among the public. These three key points shed light on the mechanisms through which collective consciousness is influenced within a crowd. Affirmation, repetition, and contagion play crucial roles in shaping the beliefs and actions of individuals, even when such beliefs have no reasonable grounds, leading to what can be described as mass psychosis. Affirmation is a powerful tool that reinforces our desire for certainty and simplicity. Because of this, when presented with simple messages without reasoning, it becomes easier for people to accept them without critical evaluation. Repetition further solidifies these affirmations within the group. The constant reinforcement of a particular message, even if it lacks factual basis, gradually transforms it into an accepted truth in the minds of the crowd. Repetition exploits the psychological phenomenon known as the illusory truth effect, which suggests that people tend to perceive repeated information as more valid or accurate, regardless of whether it makes sense or not. Once the affirmation has been reinforced through repetition, it spreads like a virus among the public. The contagious nature of ideas within a crowd setting is fueled by the human tendency to conform to prevailing opinions. With more individuals adopting the repeated message, it gains momentum and popularity, often reaching a tipping point where the message becomes a part of everyday life and is accepted as a fundamental belief for everyone, despite the lack of evidence or logic. By distancing oneself from society through the use of intelligence, an individual can observe a multitude of these preconceived ideas that are widely accepted without any questioning. The main idea currently infecting the global crowd is the false notion to believe that we are just the combination of chemicals, forming the body and mind. Even though there are no factual grounds for one to believe this nor is there any clear proof to confirm this idea, yet it is still accepted as a fact from one’s very birth. One may wonder why this is so? Affirmation, Repetition, Contagion. The affirmation of this false idea starts with a simple proposition; “What we are is simply a combination of chemicals that form our body and mind, and the way these chemicals then choose to interact with the environment shapes our individual character.” This false, illusory idea is engrained in one’s mind by repetition at every step in one’s life, starting from the moment of birth, as stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam (3.31.20 purport) by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: "As long as the child is within the womb of its mother, it is in a very precarious and horrible condition of life. But the benefit is that it revives pure consciousness of its relationship with the Supreme Lord and prays for deliverance. However, once it is outside the abdomen, when a child is born, maya, or the illusory energy, is so strong that it immediately overpowers it into considering its body to be itself. Maya means 'illusion' or that which is actually not. In the material world, everyone is identifying with their body. This false egoistic consciousness of 'I am this body' develops after the child comes out of the womb. The mother and other relatives are awaiting the child, and as soon as it is born, the mother feeds it, and everyone takes care of it. The living entity soon forgets its position and becomes entangled in bodily relationships. The entire material existence is entanglement in this bodily conception of life. Real knowledge means to develop the consciousness of 'I am not this body. I am a spirit soul, an eternal part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.' Real knowledge entails renunciation or non-acceptance of this body as the self." Once ensnared with the ropes of maya or illusion, taking the body as the self, the last part of the infectious disease, is easily spread due to its contagious nature. It runs rampant, infecting the entire population not only on planet Earth but all planets in all material existence. Whether individuals or grouped in a big crowd, no one is safe from the tight grip of maya. Society is plagued with this infectious disease today more than ever, aimlessly satisfying the senses and the temporary body by chasing the fleeting pleasures, making this the end goal of life while forgetting to satisfy the eternal soul. Sometimes, however, an individual may, with sufficient use of intelligence, theoretically understand the fault in chasing ever-fading temporary sense pleasure. Such a person may understand the dangers of the widespread, globally accepted epidemic of the mind, where everyone around him accepts the body as the self and works aimlessly for it’s satisfaction. He may question the very essence of these activities and their necessity, but the material illusory energy of Krsna, also called Maya, is so strong that this individual will nonetheless continue in his nonsensical activities, not wanting to upset the collective group mentality of the crowd, therefore conforming to the crowd and eventually accepting illusion as his master. Such a person is tightly bound by ropes, and for them, there is no escape, either by logic, understanding, or intelligence. There is only one way out for such a conditioned soul. “It is to be understood that the conditioned soul is tightly tied by the ropes of illusion. A man bound by the hands and feet cannot free himself – he must be helped by a person who is unbound. Because the bound cannot help the bound, the rescuer must be liberated. Therefore, only Lord Kṛṣṇa or His bona fide representative, the spiritual master, can release the conditioned soul. Without such superior help, one cannot be freed from the bondage of material nature. Devotional service, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, can help one gain such release. Kṛṣṇa, being the Lord of the illusory energy, can order this insurmountable energy to release the conditioned soul. He orders this release out of His causeless mercy on the surrendered soul and out of His paternal affection for the living entity, who is originally a beloved son of the Lord. Therefore, surrendering unto the lotus feet of the Lord is the only means to get free from the clutches of the stringent material nature.” (Bg 7.14 Purport) Matchless Gift Magazine volume 3 OUT NOW!

On the appearance day of our spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, we celebrate and glorify his wonders. Join us live on Facebook and participate in the festivities! Honour the day yourself by writing an offering to Prabhupada, glorifying him, and sharing your love for him, from your heart. Read it to him, and use this auspicious opportunity to give thanks. vyasa puja Click here to hear a lecture by His Divine Grace on the occasion. Jaya Srila Prabhupada!

Today is Janmashtami, Lord Krishna's appearance day! We at the BLISS temple are celebrating by reading of Krishna's pastimes, decorating the temple room, preparing a huge prasadam feast and inviting guests to join us in glorifying our sweet Lord, Sri Krishna. In the spirit of the occasion, here's a nice lecture by His Divine Grace on Janmashtami...