Granthraj%20200609

Glories of Srimati Radharani
Date: 01 Sep 2006 Author: Rangarajan
Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev.
Today is Radhashtami, the appearance day of Srimati Radharani, the pleasure potency of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead Sri Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada says in his purport to SB 2.2.23, "In the Brahma Samhita it is said that the Lord is never to be found
by becoming a great scholar of the Vedic literatures, but He is very easily approachable through His pure devotee. In
Vrindavana all the pure devotees pray for the mercy of Srimati Radharani, the pleasure potency of Lord Krsna. Srimati
Radharani is a tenderhearted feminine counterpart of the supreme whole, resembling the perfectional stage of the
worldly feminine nature. Therefore, the mercy of Radharani is available very readily to the sincere devotees, and once
She recommends such a devotee to Lord Krishna, the Lord at once accepts the devotee's admittance into His
association. The conclusion is, therefore, that one should be more serious about seeking the mercy of the devotee than
that of the Lord directly, and by one's doing so (by the good will of the devotee) the natural attraction for the service of
the Lord will be revived."
All the vaishnavas who live in Vrindavana are absorbed in singing the glories of the all-auspicious couple Sri Radha and
Krishna. These vaishnavas are so fortunate souls who know nothing but the eternal service of Srimati Radharani and
Lord Krishna. They know that Krishna can be influenced only through Srimati Radharani and genuinely feel that they
are not qualified enough to approach Krishna directly. They know that She is so compassionate enough to bring them
close to Krishna, and is easily approachable than trying to reach Krishna directly.
The very name Radharani comes from the Sanskrit word "Aradhana" which means intense worship because she excels
in worshiping Lord Krishna. It is not enough to sing the names of Radharani superficially without absorbing her pure
devotional mood in our own hearts. Srimati Radharani is Jagan-mata, the spiritual mother of all souls, personification of
purity, selflessness, caring, sharing, nurturing and love. We should beg for a drop of mercy from Her on this auspicious
day so that we can also develop these qualities in our hearts in this lifetime.
Though Lord Krishna is supreme controller, He is controlled by the pure devotion of Radharani. In fact Srimati
Radharani has perfectly internalized the devotional mood of always remembering Krishna and as the mother of the
entire universe She cares for each and everyone of us and recommends us to the Lord. As Srila Prabhupada says in the
above purport, by seeking the mercy of Srimati Radharani, the natural attraction for the service of the Lord will be
revived.
We always sing in our Mangalacarana prayers,
tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgi rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari

vṛṣabhānu-sute devi praṇamāmi hari-priye
I offer my respects to Rādhārāṇī, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of
Vṛndāvana. You are the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, and You are very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
So, let us all worship Srimati Radharani as the bestower of pure devotional service to Lord Krishna, by actively chanting
Her name on the maha-mantra and by following in the footsteps of the eternal servants of the Supreme Goddess.
Srimati Radharani ki Jai! Sri Radhashtami mahotsav ki Jai!!
Thank you very much.

Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev,
Rangarajan
Abu Dhabi.
Conditions for Speaking and Hearing Bhagavatam
Date: 02 Sep 2006 Author: Rasamrta das

While reading, I came across a brilliant verse in Srimad Bhagavatam (SB 1.1.13),
tan naḥ śuśrūṣamāṇānām arhasy aṅgānuvarṇitum

yasyāvatāro bhūtānāṁ kṣemāya ca bhavāya ca
O Sūta Gosvāmī, we are eager to learn about the Personality of Godhead and His incarnations. Please
explain to us those teachings imparted by previous masters [ācāryas], for one is uplifted both by
speaking them and by hearing them.
Srila Prabhupada explains in his purport, "The conditions for hearing the transcendental message of the Absolute Truth
are set forth herein. The first condition is that the audience must be very sincere and eager to hear. And the speaker
must be in the line of disciplic succession from the recognized acarya. Under the direction of a bona fide spiritual
master, one becomes gradually purified. Therefore, one must be in the chain of disciplic succession and learn the
spiritual art of submissive hearing."
The serious student of Bhagavatam must be sincere and must have eagerness to hear the message of Godhead.
This reminds me of a story. There was one speaker, who had a long beard and used to give Bhagavat discourses. One
he found that when he is giving class, there is one old lady who comes to his discourse and cries continuously. She
would cry very intensely. He was thinking that may be his discourses are so powerful that is the reason she is crying so
much. So at the end of the discourse he asked that lady, "Mother, I am seeing that you are continuously crying during
my discourse. It seems you have such devotion. Now please tell me which prasanga (pastime) did you like the most.
You liked cursing of Parikshit maharaj, or Krsna protecting His devotees. Which prasanga you liked the most". That lady
said, "What prasanga? I do not understand". "Then why were you crying during the class?", asked the speaker.
"Oh! That! I was crying since I had a goat and he had a nice long beard like you. My goat has recently died. When you
were speaking and your beard was moving to and fro due to wind, it reminded me of my dear goat. And therefore I was
crying." There are so many discourses like this happening today in the name of Bhagavat katha where the speaker is
in his own world and the hearer is in his own world. No body is interested or eager to learn about the Personality of
Godhead and His glories.
But we see here in Bhagavatam that the rsis were so much eager to hear about the Personality of Godhead and His
incarnations, so much so that they did not eat or drink for the entire discussion. Nobody thought that we have so many
other work to do. Why to waste our time in this boring topic. Nobody was thinking what kind of prasadam we would get
after the class is over? Let me just take a small nap as I am felling too tired. Let me just wander in jungle for sometime
and come back as my back and legs are getting stiff by sitting so long. No!!! They were very very eager to hear about
the pastimes of the Lord. So that is the qualification of the hearer who is a serious student of Bhagavatam.
The qualifications of the speaker are
1. They should come in the bona fide line of disciplic succession and have full faith in the previous acharyas.
2. They should be genuinely compassionate to save the suffering mass of people by spreading Krsna-katha.
3. They should have unflinching faith in the power of the names and glories of the Supreme Lord Sri Hari.
4. They should be always eager and enthusiastic to speak about the pastimes of the Lord.
But we find that in this age of kali, there are various professional Bhagavatam reciters, who recite the Bhagavatam
either to earn money or for some social prestige or for entertainment. Bhagavatam discourse should not be a
show for entertainment; it is meant for purification.
As Srila Prabhupada explains, "The transcendental message of the Absolute is not understandable by those who are
materially absorbed. In the case of Suta Goswami and the sages of Naimisaranya, all these conditions are fulfilled
because Srila Suta Goswami is in the line of Srila Vyasadeva, and the sages of Naimisharanya are all sincere souls who
are anxious to learn the truth. Thus the transcendental topics of Lord Sri Krsna's superhuman activities, His
incarnations, His birth, appearance or disappearance, His forms, His names and so on are all easily understandable
because all requirements are fulfilled. Such discourses help all men on the path of spiritual realization.
I pray at the lotus feet of Vaishnavas, Srila Gurudev and Their Lordships to please bless me to develop some taste for
hearing Krsna katha so that by Their grace, I may someday have unflinching attraction towards hearing the sublime
message of Godhead.

Rasamrta das
Abu Dhabi.
Penance is the Lord's Heart and Soul
Date: 03 Sep 2006 Author: Vaijayantimala devi dasi

The following is a story from Mahabharata:
Once there was a sage named Ayodadhaumya, who was teaching three disciples, Upamanyu, Aruni, and Veda. The
teacher called upon one of his students, Aruni of Panchala, and instructed him, "My dear boy, there is a breach in the
dike. Go and close it."
So ordered by his guru, Aruni went to the dike but could not close the breach. Anxiously pondering over the problem,
he finally thought of a solution. "So be it!" He said to himself. "I will do it!" And he at once climbed unto the dike, lay
down in the breach, and held back the water with his own body.
The whole night passed and when the teacher saw that Aruni had not yet returned, he asked his other disciples,
"Where is Aruni? Why has he not returned yet?" The students replied, "We do not know! He has gone to close the
breach in the dike but did not return till now." The sage then replied, "Then all of us will go there to find him." When
the teacher arrived in the general area of the dike, he called out to his disciple, "O Aruni, where are you? Come here,
my son!" Hearing his teacher ordering him to come, without hesitating, Aruni whose whole body was shivering because
of being in the water all through the night, at once got up from the dike, ran to his teacher, and stood before him,
saying, "Here I am! I couldn't stop the water from coming over the dike, so I closed the breach with my own body. Then
when I heard my master's voice, I came immediately, and the water again burst through the dike. Yet I am here my
lord, ready to serve you. Please instruct me."
The sage then blessed the disciple, saying, "Because you always obey my instructions you will achieve great fortune in
life. You shall understand all the Vedas and all the Dharmashastras, the great books of knowledge."
Thus Aruni earned all good fortune and success because of strict adherence to the order of the spiritual master
undergoing all the austerities involved in that process. Such austerities and penance for higher purposes is superbly
glorified by the Lord Himself in Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.23 as follows:
pratyādiṣṭaṁ mayā tatra tvayi karma-vimohite

tapo me hṛdayaṁ sākṣād ātmāhaṁ tapaso ’nagha
O sinless Brahmā, you may know from Me that it was I who first ordered you to undergo penance when
you were perplexed in your duty. Such penance is My heart and soul, and therefore penance and I are
non-different.
Srila Prabhupada in his purport to SB 2.9.24 states very clearly: "The Lord is more clever than any living entity;
therefore He wants to see how painstaking the devotee is in devotional service. The order is received from the Lord,
either directly or through the bona fide spiritual master, and to execute that order, however painstaking, is the severe
type of penance. One who follows the principle rigidly is sure to achieve success in attaining the Lord's
mercy."
Srila Prabhupada is giving the most important instruction through these few lines in a very assertive manner. This is
especially meant for a fool like me who desires to enjoy this temporary material happiness along with the process of so-
called devotional service. I bow at the feet of all the devotees who painstakingly execute the orders of the spiritual
master and seek all their blessings. The Granthraj mails which reach us everyday without fail is an example of this
penance and I take this opportunity to place my sincere appreciation on record. Srila Prabhupada gives me a strong
punch by stating that "An easy going life and attainment of perfection in transcendental realization cannot
go together." Once we are faithful and sincere to attain the Lord's mercy, the austerity becomes relishable and the
penance is executed lovingly. This pleases the Lord very much and as a result we also become pleased.

Vaijayantimala devi dasi
Abu Dhabi.
(Air)Condition to Sadhana Bhakti
Date: 04 Sep 2006 Author: Sri Ramachandra das

Can you imagine that there was a power failure in our building? This is a rare occurrence in this part of the world (Gulf
countries). It happened 10 days back, the power went off in our building around 6:30 PM and it was restored only the
next day around 12:30 PM. This being peak summer the temperatures reaching upto 48 degrees with humidity level of
around 90% one can visualize the scenario. No lights, refrigerator, air-condition!!! Everyone of us in the building were
running hither and thither to somehow get the electricity restored. Some of them went to their friends place for the
night, some went on a ride on their air-conditioned cars, some stayed back.
What I could learn from this episode is how much conditioned we are to the material comforts. The moment it is
taken away how we struggle and make all efforts to get it back. This shows how, all through we have endeavoured
ourselves to be conditioned in this manner. Thanks to the advancement in technology.
Srila Prabhupada has described in the purport of this verse BG 4.24, how a conditioned soul can get out of the
material atmosphere.
brahmārpaṇaṁ brahma havir brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam

brahmaiva tena gantavyaṁ brahma-karma-samādhinā
A person who is fully absorbed in Krsna consciousness is sure to attain the spiritual kingdom because of
his full contribution to spiritual activities, in which the consummation is absolute and that which is
offered is of the same spiritual nature.
In the purport, His Divine Grace says,
"A conditioned soul, entangled in material contamination, is sure to act in the material atmosphere, and yet he has to
get out of such an environment. The process by which the conditioned soul can get out of the material atmosphere is
Krsna consciousness. For example, a patient who is suffering from a disorder of the bowels due to overindulgence in
milk products is cured by another milk product, namely curds. The materially absorbed conditioned soul can be cured
by Krsna consciousness as set forth here in the Gita."
Just like we condition ourselves to so many material entanglements, similarly we can also condition ourselves to
chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, reading Srimad Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagavad Gita, performing Mangala
arati, Sandhya aarti, offering bhoga, associating with devotees, serving the devotees, contributing to Granthraj,
following the instructions of the spiritual master.....to name a few in our Sadhana bhakti. How much we are
conditioned to sadhana bhakti will be revealed when absence of devotional service will make us run
hither and thither to somehow restore the association of devotees, hearing Krsna-katha, rendering
service and so on, just as we saw earlier how we were running to get the electricity restored so that air-condition
will run. I remember that sometime back H H Maha Vishnu Goswami Maharaj in his lecture in Dubai told that he will
give them the real AC instead of this false AC. Everyone were stunned and for a moment thought what it could be!!
Then he said, "I will give you Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupada."
In fact Srila Prabhupada's books will be more cooling than the air-conditioners. Moreover his books will never falter like
the air-conditioners. Prabhupada's books create an everlasting impact on those who make the slightest effort to read
them.
The above mentioned episode has revealed to me that it is not the absence of air condition that makes us suffer the
heat but the restlessness within us that makes us boil. The only way we can keep ourselves cool in all circumstances is
by doing our sadhana bhakti sincerely by chanting the holy names and reading Srila Prabhupada's books.

Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
Sri Ramachandra das
Abu Dhabi.
Serving our Parents
Date: 05 Sep 2006 Author: Sudarshana devi dasi

While reading through the chapters in Tenth Canto, especially the ones after Krishna leaves for Vrindhavan, we can
see how Krishna lovingly and affectionately takes care of each one of His devotees. He sends Uddhava to console
Nanda-Maharaj and Mother Yasodha. When his parents Devaki and Vasudeva realize that He is Supreme Personality of
Godhead and feel apprehensive to embrace Him as their son, by His kind words and Yogamaya he makes them forget
the truth and glorifies them through the following verse (10.45.5) in Srimad Bhagavatam
sarvārtha-sambhavo deho janitaḥ poṣito yataḥ

na tayor yāti nirveśaṁ pitror martyaḥ śatāyuṣā
With one's body one can acquire all goals of life, and it is one's parents who give the body birth and
sustenance. Therefore no mortal man can repay his debt to his parents, even if he serves them for a full
lifetime of a hundred years.
SB 10.45.6
yas tayor ātmajaḥ kalpaātmanā ca dh anena ca
vṛttiṁ na dadyāt taṁ pretya sva-māṁsaṁ khādayanti hi
A son who, though able to do so, fails to provide for his parents with his physical resources and wealth is
forced after his death to eat his own flesh.
In the above verses, Lord Krishna has very nicely stressed the importance of serving parents.We must never forget the
pains which they have undergone in giving birth to us and the struggles which they faced in bringing us up, providing
us education and taking care of us when we fall sick. Now when we are grown up and well-off it is our primary duty to
serve them. We should not be under the false impression that serving parents is less important than performing
devotional service. As our Spiritual master, H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj always emphasizes, bhakti does not
imply neglecting our family duties. Detachment from worldly activities only means performing our family duties with
more care and attention. In fact the Lord is very pleased with those who serve their parents with dedication and He
personally comes to see such devotees. Once there lived a devotee called Pundarika who served his parents with
utmost care. Pleased with his service Lord Krishna appeared in front of his house and called him. Since Pundarika was
very much engrossed in serving his parents, he did not hear. Lord called him again and this time, Pundarika, not
realising that the guest was Lord Krishna, threw a brick(vittal) and asked Him to wait. After finishing his service when
he came out he was astonished to see the Lord standing on the brick, with the hand on His hips. He apologised for
making the Lord wait. But the Lord said that He was pleased by the devotion with which he served His parents and
blessed Him and since then, Lord Krishna is also lovingly called as Vittal Panduranga by His devotees.
Serving the Lord does not mean renouncing one's family responsibilities. Through the above verses we see, that when
we fail to execute our duties, we only accumulate sin. Whereas when we serve our parents sincerely as responsible
children, the Supreme Father Krishna lovingly approaches us.

Sudarshana devi dasi.
Becoming Oblivious to the Material Modes of Nature
Date: 06 Sep 2006 Author: Krishnapriya das

I would like to humbly submit about Murlidhar's plight in nineties and the way he dealt with formidably having
complete faith in Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He had been endowed with the Special Mercy, Bliss
and Protection by H H Mahavishnu Goswami, Srila Prabhupad, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
During the critical years of civil War H G Murlidhar Prabhu had to risk real persecution from home and firing lines from
waring factions just to do his daily chanting rounds of the Holy Name of The Lord 'Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna
Krishna Hare Hare Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare'. With extra determination he never failed to execute what was
expected of Srila Prabhupada. With no real devotee sanga and staying so far away from his spiritual master, he
survived just on phone calls with his spiritual master for so many years. All glories to such an exalted magnanimous
disciple and the spiritual master.
This reminds me of Srimad Bhagavad Gita 9.13,
mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ

bhajanty ananya-manaso jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam
O son of Prtha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature.
They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, original and inexhaustible.
Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport,
"In this verse the description of the mahatma is clearly given. The first sign of the mahatma is that he is already
situated in the divine nature. He is not under the control of material nature. And how is this effected? That is explained
in the Seventh Chapter: one who surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, at once
becomes freed from the control of material nature. That is the qualification. One can become free from the
control of material nature as soon as he surrenders his soul to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the
preliminary formula."
The important point here is that A devotee is free from the control of material nature as soon as he surrenders
completely unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When two factions are fighting, they do not see who is innocent
or who is harmful. They just kill anybody and everybody. In such a precarious condition, if one has to chant and
perform his devotional service, he should be completely oblivious to what is going on around him and fully focus on his
service to the Lord. This is possible only when one has "ananya manasa - without deviation of the mind" from the
lotus feet of the Supreme Lord.
Srila Prabhupada further writes in his purport, "The mahatma does not divert his attention to anything outside Krishna,
because he knows perfectly well that Krishna is the original Supreme Person, the cause of all causes. There is no doubt
about it. Such a mahatma, or great soul, develops through association with other mahatmas, pure
devotees...They are always engaged in the unswerving service of the Lord in Krishna consciousness."
An iron rod kept in the fire for a long time becomes as good as the fire itself. Similarly, when a sincere soul is in touch
with mahatmas, pure exalted devotees like Srila Prabhupada, H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj and many other
sincere followers of Srila Prabhupada, then they also catch their devotional traits and develops further in Krishna
consciousness.
I pray for the mercy of all vaishnavas so that I can intensify devotional service to the Supreme Personality of the
Godhead.

Krishnapriya das
Bhaktivedanta Manor.
Moderator's Note: This message was sent as a response to the recent mail H G Murlidhara Prabhu wrote to
Granthraj, "The Benefits of Rising Early in the Morning".
Blame Ourselves
Date: 07 Sep 2006 Author: Abhira kanya devi dasi

Last month we had the mercy to be with our Guru Maharaj H H Mahavishnu Goswami in Rajkot for 4 days. On the very
first day he gave a class on Bhagavad Gita 7.1,
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Now hear, O son of Prtha, how by practicing yoga in full
consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt.
Maharaj said "If you are against your nature you will invite trouble. You cannot transcend. We should not be
abnormal after reading this knowledge of the absolute. The more we try the more we change. With Krishna the pain
is absent and there is a change. To reduce anguish from our life we must reduce our attachments. In detachment you
chant and be satisfied. And there is no one to give miseries. It is all because of our own karma. So we must
BLAME OURSELVES. A Real person will not leave Mad-āshraya [Krishna Consciousness]."
He also mentioned the following verse from Subhashita,
sukhasya duḥkhasya na kopidātā parodadātīti kubuddhireṣā

purākṛtam karma sadaiva bhujyate dehin kvacin nistara yat tvayā kṛtaṁ
No other person is responsible for our happiness or pain, but us. Man is free to perform his duties, to act,
hence the responsibility for his fate also is of his alone.
And the very next day there was a water problem in our room so we were asked to use another room. Since it was
raining I switched on the immersion rod for hot water to bath my son. And due to power surge, the electricity was out. I
felt very guilty for my act. I am still sorry for the trouble caused. But Maharaj simply told, "It's not your fault, it
shouldn't have been kept there."
This is how practically he showed how to blame ourselves. We still have to learn so many things from him. At this
age he is so active and busy with the schools and temple programmes.
I sincerely pray unto the lotus feet of Lord Krishna and Gurudev to guide me in everything I do.

Abhira Kanya devi dasi
Abu Dhabi.
UnInterrupted Bhakti

Few weeks back, by the grace of Gurudev and Krishna, we had the wonderful opportunity to meet simple and sincere
devotees of Kerala. Krishna has amazing and inconceivable potency and so are His devotees. He has all varieties of
wonderful qualities and similar way we could see so many varieties of devotees and one such amazing devotee we met
there was H G Lakshmipriya Mathaji.
Her family is not so favorable to her practising Krishna consciousness and she has very little chances to attend
satsangas or visit devotees. Such situations did not make her morose and dull. Inspite of these oppositions, mathaji
cheerfully performs her sadhana uninterrupted due to her intense faith in Gurudev and Krishna. By doing so she is
even inspiring so many other Mathajis who are facing similar situations at home.
She regularly chants 32 rounds daily. Our spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj used to say - "If you
chant your rounds sincerely, your face will automatically glow" and mathaji is a living example for this.
Staying at home, mathaji nicely serves her Laddoo-Gopal by stitching wonderful dresses for Him and by offering
delicious bhoga. Mathaji also reads Srimad Bhagavatam at home and whenever she gets a chance to meet other
Mathajis in her neighbourhood she discusses Krishna-katha with them and thereby inspires them also to read. This
reminds us of the below verse from Krishna Karnamrta
gṛhe gṛhe gopa vadhū kadamba sarve militvā sama vappya yogaṁ
punyaani namaani patanti nithyam govinda dāmodara mādhaveti
When the gopis of Vrindhavan, meet each other in their homes, they sit together and engage themselves
in the eternal, transcendental gossip about the names and glories of Lord Govinda, Damodara and
Madhava
We were able to meet mathaji only for a short period - but could learn very valuable lessons from her.
1) To remain cheerful always

2) Never complain about others
3) Make best use of whatever time we get to meet people by engaging ourselves in Krishna-katha and not in
unnecessary gossips.
4) To be satisfied in all circumstances
Such qualities definitely pleases the Supreme Lord as He says in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12 verse 14,
santuṣṭaḥ satataṁ yogī yatātmā dṛḍha-niścayaḥ

mayy arpita-mano-buddhir yo mad-bhaktaḥ sa me priyaḥ
One who is always satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in devotional service with determination, his
mind and intelligence fixed on Me such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.
By her personal example, mathaji has shown that devotional service to Lord cannot be interrupted by others. Those
who are completely surrendered to Krishna and their spiritual master, can perform bhakti in whatever conditions they
are placed.
I pray at the lotus feet of Gurudev and Krishna that I don't merely stop by observing these good qualities, but also
practise the same in this lifetime.

Instant Purification

The hearts of saintly people are non-different from holy-dhams as both are special abodes where the Supreme Lord
loves to stay. Saintly people are equi-poised, friendly to all living entities, merciful, tolerant. They are aware of the
truth that all the riches in this world are temporary and they don't hanker for wealth. They lead a simple, straight
forward life, engaging their body, mind and soul completely in service of Supreme Lord. Akrura, the paternal uncle of
Lord Krishna was one such saintly person. When Krishna went to his house, Akrura humbly received him and prayed to
the Lord, thanking him for visiting his house. The Lord glorified his saintly uncle, through the following verse in Srimad
Bhagavatam 10.48.31,
na hy am-mayāni tīrthāni na devā mṛc-chilā-mayāḥ

te punanty uru-kālena darśanād eva sādhavaḥ
No one can deny that there are holy places with sacred rivers, or that the demigods appear in deity forms
made of earth and stone. But these purify the soul only after a long time, whereas saintly persons purify
just by being seen.
We all know how Narada Muni was able to change the barbaric Mrgari to sincere devotee just by associating with him
for few moments.The following story very nicely illustrates how sadhu's association purifies the heart immediately.
There was one thief, one robber. He was robbing businessmen and murdering people, and then one day he heard that
the king of the country had invited all the sannyasis, sadhus and ascetics for a big meeting. The thief was thinking,
"Maybe the king will be giving help to them, so I will see if I can rob someone and get some money." So he went to the
meeting and hid himself away. The king then came out onto his balcony, and he began to speak. "O great sadhus, I
have a daughter and she is very inclined to marry a saintly person. So I am offering half of my kingdom with this girl,
so someone please marry my daughter." As soon as he said this, fifteen people in the front row got up and left. They
were sannyasis, they were not interested. They came because they thought, "The king has called for a saintly
meeting, so maybe there will be an opportunity to preach." But when they heard the king 's proposal, they left.
And then the other row came forward next. The king said, "Look, I will give 75% of my kingdom. I will only keep a
little part for myself. Please accept my daughter." The first person said, "My dear sir, the thing is that we are saintly
persons. And we are not sannyasis, we are married persons. I have my wife and I have my ashram. I do not want to
marry your daughter. Since you are the king, in order to respect you I have attended your meeting. So please give
me permission and I am going." And he left. Hoping to make best use of this opportunity, the thief disguised himself
like a saint and went and sat with the others. He was sitting in a very uncomfortable position with his eyes half-
closed. All the 5 sadhus present there refused the king's riches saying that their purpose of life is fulfilled only by
constantly engaging their minds on the lotus feet pf Supreme Lord and they neither need the kingdom nor the princess
for the same.
Then the king came to the sixth person, who was the robber, and said to him, "O great saintly person..." "You are
wrong, " the thief interrupted. The king was surprised. "What? To address you as a saintly person is wrong?" "Yes,
because I am a robber, not a saintly person. But I ask you, who wants your country? Who wants your kingdom? If it
has got any value, why is it that these people got up and left? So I would rather pursue on this path. I will neither rob
any more, nor will I marry your daughter. I am sorry but I am going."
In the above story, we can see that he had accrued the nature of a thief by his previous activities, but by association
he developed the nature of a sadhu, in just a very short time. "lava matra sadhu sanga sarva siddhi haya."
Just a moment's association brings all perfection. When he was physically present in this planet, Srila
Prabhupada by his merciful glance, and oceanic smile had purified so many souls and gave them the gift of Krishna-
bhakti. After leaving this planet, he still continues to give his merciful association through his books and lectures and
so it is upto us to take advantage of the same and purify our existence.

Be the Change you Want to See in this World
Date: 10 Sep 2006 Author: Murlidhara Krsna das

Our Spiritual master, H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj always says - "Good is good, there is no Christian good,
Muslim good or Hindu good, anywhere we see good we should take it and try to incorporate it in our life". Recently I
came across a poem which was inscribed on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop in Westminster on the year 1100 AD. As it
goes very much in the line with our shastras, I would like to share it with all of you.
When I was young and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world.
As I grew older and wiser I discovered the world would not change..
so I shortened my aim and decided to change my country.
But even my country proved unchangeable.
As I got even older, in one last desperate attempt, I tried to change my family,
but even my family would not listen.
And now as I get closer to death, I realize: If I had only change MYSELF,
then by my example I would have inspired my family to change.
And from their collective inspiration I might have improved my community.
and even my country,
and who knows: I might have change the world.
Many a times we waste our time in finding faults with others. Though it is not bad to "call a spade, a spade", we should
remember that if the other person is not ready to listen or change, then there is no point in wasting our time in
pointing out the mistakes. Rather we should learn from other's mistakes and ensure that we never slip from our
sadhana, but engage ourselves in service of the Lord to the best of our capacity. In his morning-walk conversations at
Mayapur on Feb 6 1976, Srila Prabhupada nicely explains about this "fault-finding" attitude as follows - "Fault-finding,
that is another fault, that.. 'vraṇam icchanti, makṣikā vraṇam icchanti, madhum icchanti' Just like the flies, they
are finding out where is sore, and the bees, they are finding out where there is honey. So two animals, they have got
two business: fault-finding and collecting the good things. They are two classes. Similarly, there are many rascals who
are simply fault-finding." The saintly person tends to overlook the bad qualities and see the good ones and by their
own example inspire others to take to the right path.
The below verse from Padma Purana 19.333:
shruyataam dharma sarvasvam srutvaa ca eva avadhaaryataam

aatmanah pratikulaani pareshaam na samaacaret
After hearing all the instructions and realizations from the shastras, one can arrive at the conclusion that
you should do unto others what you want others to do unto you.
I hope that someday I will also follow this example and change myself from maha murak to a servant of devotee.

Murlidhara Krsna das
Yugoslavia.
Carrying the Lord's Message

Once, the Lord asked His intimate friend Uddhava to take news of Him to Vraja and thus relieve His parents and the
Gopis of the miseries caused by their separation from Him. There are several reasons why Krishna selected Uddhava
as the right person to take His message to the Gopis. Sri Sukha dev Goswami speaks in SB 10.46.1,
śrī-śuka uvāca
vṛṣṇīnāṁ pravaro mantrī kṛṣṇasya dayitaḥ sakhā
śiṣyo bṛhaspateḥ sākṣād uddhavo buddhi-sattamaḥ
Sukadeva Goswami said: The supremely intelligent Uddhava was the best counselor of the Vrsni dynasty, a
beloved friend of Lord Sri Krishna and a direct disciple of Brhaspathi.
Just as Uddhava was carrying the message of the Lord, the preachers in the Krishna conscious movement also carry
the message of the Lord to the people of the world. From the qualities of Uddhava which are described here, all of us
can learn and try to develop all the desirable qualities so that we will also become the right persons to carry the Lord's
message to the world. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wanted everyone to preach the message of the Lord and hence the
importance of becoming the right and qualified messengers need not be overstressed. In the verse quoted above, we
find the following qualities.
1. Vṛṣṇīnāṁ pravaro: This means that Uddhava was respected by all the members of the Vrsni clan for his exemplary
words and deeds. One must become a respected person by virtue of one's exemplary words and deeds so that his
words carry authority and it will be accepted by one and all. Hence we should make every effort to improve the
way we speak and most important of all, people not only hear us, but they also see us. Hence all our
activities and behaviour should be exemplary and that way we command respect.
2. Mantrī: This means that Uddhava was an expert counselor, and therefore he can skilfully console the feelings of the
Vrajavasis. As preachers, our prime objective should be to alleviate the pains of the living entities by listening to their
problems and giving them practical solutions through the process of devotional service. For this we have to first of all
convince and console our own mind and intelligence of the perfection of this process.
3. Kṛṣṇasya dayitaḥ: Uddhava was a beloved of Krishna. In the twelfth chapter of Srimad Bhagavad Gita Sri Krishna
gives a list of various qualities and makes it clear that anyone who has developed these qualities is extremely dear to
Him (sa ca me priyah). We should make a sincere effort to develop these qualities so that we become very dear to
Krishna. Once we become dear to Him, He will select us to carry His message.
4. Sakhā: Uddhava was a very friendly person. To preach the message and to bring about positive transformation in
the lives of people, we should become very friendly in all our dealings with others. This way everyone is attracted and
respond positively.
5. Śiṣyo bṛhaspateḥ: Uddhava is the direct disciple of Brhaspati. We should become disciples of a bonafide spiritual
master and learn the process of bhakti very nicely and this way we can become very nice preachers with the blessings
of the spiritual master.
6. Buddhi-sattamaḥ: Uddhava is extremely intelligent. Srila Prabhupada wanted all his followers to become very
intelligent by scrutinizingly studying his books and applying them in our practical day-day life. Our
intelligence in Krishna consciousness is tested by how we utilize our knowledge and understanding of the philosophy to
solve our day-day problems and not by memorising some slokas.
7. Sākṣād uddhavo: This means that Uddhava was actually festivity personified. The word Uddhava literally means a
festival of joy. Thus Uddhava was chosen so that when the Vrajavasis see him they will become blissful.
The preachers should thus become personifications of festivity and joy that just by seeing them, everyone
becomes blissful.
In order to save ourselves and the whole world from all kinds of disastrous confusion and misery, let us follow the
instructions of sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who said, janma sārthaka kari’ kara para-upakāra let us make our life
successful and work for the benefit of others.

Abu Dhabi.
Have you seen God?
Date: 12 Sep 2006 Author: Dinavatsala Krishna das

Here is a nice point on how we should work in such a way in which Krishna will see us and not that we want to see
Krishna.
Many people inquire, "Have you seen God?".The real fact is fully surrendering oneself unto the Lord is more important
than trying to see Him. The soul who is fully surrendered unto the Lord is that person who would be able to direct us to
Him. Not necessarily that person who has seen God.
Once there was an old woman carrying a bundle of sticks through the forest. She became become very fatigued on
holding such a burden on her shoulder and dropped the sticks. She called out to Krishna for help. He then appeared
before her. She could have at that time begged for any benediction, but instead she asked the Lord to pick up the
sticks and put them back on her shoulder. So, this old woman saw the Lord, but she did not take proper advantage of
that opportunity.
If you are working at the Ford Motor Company can your status within the company be judged by whether you have
seen Mr. Ford or not? No. Even an ordinary worker who is on the verge of losing his job might happen to see Mr. Ford
as he walks by on the way to his office. That person who has the highest degree of status with the company is that
person whose service is most appreciated by Mr. Ford, not necessarily those who have seen Him.
So instead of being so much concerned about who has seen God and who has not, we should try to act in such a way
that God will see us, how nicely we are serving Him. This is real advancement on the path of spiritual perfection.
In Srimad Bhagavatam, the demigods while offering their prayers to Supreme Personality of Godhead explains in verse
6.9.25 the reason why we fail to see the Lord
ya eka īśo nija-māyayā naḥ

sasarja yenānusṛjāma viśvam
vayaṁ na yasyāpi puraḥ samīhataḥ
paśyāma liṅgaṁ pṛthag īśa-māninaḥ
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who created us by His external potency and by whose mercy we
expand the creation of the universe, is always situated before us as the supersoul, but we cannot see his
form. We are unable to see Him because all of us think that we are separate and independent gods
Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport that even though Lord Krishna or Lord Ram appeared in the earthly planet,
the conditioned souls could not recognise Him as the supreme lord. This is due to our thinking that we are gods (or
being able to enjoy separately from Krishna). The phrase "pṛthag īśa-māninaḥ" means - "When He is controlling we are
wrongly thinking that we are the controllers" . This phrase is not only mentioned by the demigods, but also by exalted
devotees like Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva in their prayers to Supreme Lord. Therefore it is very important for us to
remember that He is the Supreme controller and our duty is to surrender unt Him completely. When we render service
to Lord in this mood He would definitely bestow His merciful glance on us.
Dinavatsala Krishna das
Singapore.
Habits Continue Life After Life
Date: 13 Sep 2006 Author: Lakshmipriya devi dasi

In Bhagavad Gita 3.42, Lord Krishna states,
indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ

manasas tu parā buddhir yo buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ
The senses are superior to dull matter. The mind is superior to the senses. The intelligence is superior to
mind and he the soul is superior to the intelligence.
Recently I saw in the news about a 5 year old girl named Vaishalini who is studying in 1st Standard, but is capable of
doing 9th std maths.She is able to answer many questions in general knowledge. Doctors certified that her IQ level is
225.They also certified that she can complete M.B.B.S by the age of 13. Her parents are from very normal background
and not very learned also.I was astonished if her parents and ancestors are also of normal IQ how is that her IQ is so
high ?
My question was answered by a very exalted devotee, in his lecture. He explained how the soul is covered by mind,
intelligence and ego. We are getting our habits and talents from the mind and intelligence which stores it from birth
after birth. Our intelligence also gets carried over life after life.
As confirmed by Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita 7.28,
yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām

te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ
Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely
eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with
determination.
We would not know how much of pious/sinful activities we would have performed in our previous lives. So we should at
least make sincere efforts to make the best use of this birth by fully engaging our body, mind and soul in service of
Lord. We should cultivate good habits at least in this birth. Good habits are those which are good for body mind and
soul. If we give garbage as inputs to our mind we will get the garbage output. When the mind, intelligence and ego are
dissolved the soul exhibits its pure nature. This purification of soul can be done concentrating on the Supreme Soul Sri
Krishna and by sincerely and repeatedly chanting his holyname.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
I pray at the lotus feet of Gurudeva and all devotees to bless me in chanting the holy names sincerely.
Lakshmipriya devi dasi
Chennai.
Moderator's note : H G Lakshmipriya Mathaji is a humble devotee from Chennai who along with her husband Nara Hari
Krishna Das Prabhu is bringing up their kid Vishnupriya in a nice Krishna-Conscious environment. Their daughter is just
3 years old and she sings Tulsi-prayers, Narasingha prayers and few more Krishna bhajans. By regular hearing of
Krishna-katha from her parents, she very nicely narrates the stories of various avatars of Lord with full enthusiasm.
Our spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Maharaj used to say, that for Mathajis - "Bringing up their children in Krishna
bhakti - is devotional service". That is the measure of their sadhana and Mathaji has sincerely dedicated her life for
the same.
Serving with our Body, Mind and Words
Date: 14 Sep 2006 Author: Tushta Krishna das

When Uddhava was returning from Vrindavan to Mathura after meeting Nanda Maharaj, Yoshoda mata, Gopas and
Gopis. Nanda Maharaj requested Udhhava to convey his heart-rendering message to Lord Krsna in SB 10.47.66,
manaso vṛttayo naḥ syuḥ kṛṣṇa pādāmbujāśrayāḥ

vāco ’bhidhāyinīr nāmnāṁ kāyas tat-prahvaṇādiṣu
[Nanda and the other cowherds said:] May our mental functions always take shelter of Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet,
may our words always chant His names, and may our bodies always bow down to Him and serve Him.
The residents of Vrndavana were firmly convinced that even if they could not have direct association with their
beloved Krsna, they would never be indifferent to Him and they would always associate with Him by constant
remembrance.
This is the example of the highest form of devotional service. Whatever we may do with our body, mind and words, we
have to do it for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord. Nanda Maharaj and the other Gopas and Gopis practically showed
us through their normal behaviour. A very wonderful verse we can find in the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2.36,
kāyena vācā manasendriyair vā

buddhyātmanā vānusṛta-svabhāvāt
karoti yad yat sakalaṁ parasmai
nārāyaṇāyeti samarpayet tat
Whatever I do through my body, mind, senses, intellect, soul, or natural impulses - all that I dedicate as
an offering unto the Supreme Lord Sri Narayana.
Our body, minds and words are meant to be used for the Lord's service. And we have instructions from the shastras,
sadhus and our guru as to how we should use them in His service. Their instructions are like the doctor's prescription.
They are meant to treat and cure our material diseases like attachment, anger, envy, greed etc. If we do not apply
them according to the prescription, then we will end up in a mess.
Once upon a time, there was lived a person who was suffering from fever. He decided to go to the doctor but on his
way there, fell down and injured his leg. Finally when he reached the doctor and narrated his happening, the doctor
gave him some medicine. One of the medicines was to drink to cure the fever and the other was to apply on his injured
leg. However, the patient forgot the instructions and was confused. Ultimately he ended up drinking the medicine
meant to be applied on the leg and applied the medicine that was to be drunk to help him with his fever. So, a week
later, he goes back to the doctor and protests that both of the medicines prescribed to him do not work!
The same is our problem! We do not follow the sincere instructions of Srila Prabhupada and our Guru Maharaj and
knowingly we have made our life complicated. The first step in devotional service is to take the instructions of our
spiritual masters into our hearts and start following them. If we do not even do that properly, then the rest of the
things are definitely not going to fall in place.
I sincerely pray at the lotus feet of my spiritual master that I may have sense of self-realization and do not lose focus in
my devotional service.
Srila Prabhupada ki jai! Srila Guru Dev ki jai!!

Tushta Krishna das
Abu Dhabi.
Teaching by Example
Date: 15 Sep 2006 Author: Jyeshta devi dasi

Two weeks back I was attending a lecture by one of the devotees and he gave a lecture on Bhagavad Gita 3.21:
yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ

sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate
Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by
exemplary acts, all the world pursues.
In the purport, Srila Prabhupada quotes Lord Chaitanya's famous words that a teacher should himself behave properly
before he begins teaching (āpani ācāre prabhu jīvera sikhaya). One who teaches in that way is called acharya or the
ideal teacher. Therefore, a teacher must first follow the principles of shastras himself to teach the common man. The
Srimad Bhagavatam also affirms that one should follow in the footsteps of great devotees (mahājano yena gataḥ sa
panthāḥ) and that is the way of progress on the path of spiritual realization.
In the lecture, the devotee quoted a very instructive verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam SB 1.6.26 wherein Sri Narada
muni,
nāmāny anantasya hata-trapaḥ paṭhan

guhyāni bhadrāṇi kṛtāni ca smaran
gāṁ paryaṭaṁs tuṣṭa-manā gata-spṛhaḥ
kālaṁ pratīkṣan vimado vimatsaraḥ
Thus I began chanting the holy name and fame of the Lord by repeated recitation, ignoring all the
formalities of the material world. Such chanting and remembering of the transcendental pastimes of the
Lord are benedictory. So doing, I traveled all over the earth, fully satisfied, humble and unenvious.
Srila Prabhupada says in the purport that the life of a sincere devotee of the Lord is thus explained in a nutshell by
Narada Muni by his personal example. Such a devotee, after his initiation by the Lord or His bonafide representative,
takes very seriously the chanting of the glories of the Lord and traveling all over the world so that others may also
hear the glories of the Lord.
If we carefully pick out all the qualities of a devotee mentioned in this verse, we can find that it perfectly fits in Srila
Prabhupada's personality as well. Such a wonderful acharya to walk on this earth and spread the holy names of the
Lord without expecting anything from others (tuṣṭa-manā). He was completely oblivious to the mundane formalities (
hata-trapaḥ) and purely compassionate to the fallen souls, he went all around the world several times (gāṁ paryaṭaṁ)
and preached them by his personal example, how to perform sincere service to the Lord. He was able to do this
because he was totally freed of material desires (gata-spṛhaḥ) and completely free of false pride (vimadaḥ) and totally
non-envious (vimatsaraḥ).
During the time of my initiation, I remember vividly the words of my spiritual master, H.H. Maha Vishnu Goswami
Maharaj. He said, "I'm not doing anything, I'm just taking you to Srila Prabhupada". I feel so grateful to Lord Krishna
and my spiritual master for giving me shelter under such a great acharya.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev!!

Jyeshta devi dasi
Chennai.
Moderator's Note: H G Jyeshta Mataji is a very sincere and humble devotee living in the South Indian city of Chennai
with her two grown up sons Kailash and Bharadwaj. Her husband H G Purna Prajna Prabhu is a very simple-minded,
active and enthusiastic devotee and he works out of Abu Dhabi. Mataji is very inquisitive and sincere in the study of
shastras and organizes weekly satsang programs in her local area very enthusiastically. Kailash and Bharadwaj are
also taking Krishna consciousness very seriously in their young age (inspite of all the attractions the material world is
offering to them) and at the same time perform their material duties immaculately well. They perform wonderful
kirtans and are very eager to render service to everyone.
Happiness and Peace
Date: 16 Sep 2006 Author: Kalacakra Krsna das

Last week when I was talking to my spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj, he made a very profound
remark. He said, "Somehow even during my young age and grhastha ashram also, I always maintained a happy
disposition even while faced with so many difficulties. There were several trying circumstances in our life, but
we always were prepared to face it and always had full faith that Krishna is the supreme controller and He
knows what is best for us."
Continuing further, he then made another punching remark, "Worst comes worst, if not anything else, keeping our
mood always happy and peaceful gives us a sound and healthy body."
So many devotees have made this comment on seeing Maharaja and spending even a few moments with him, that he
was one of the most peaceful and happiest person they have seen in their life.
This is a very simple and practical instruction which we can all practice in our own life. It doesn't need so much
philosophy or any special ability. All we need is a simple and straight-forward attitude with no malice towards other
living entities. We can see very positive results in no time if we simply practice this attitude in our life as well.
But to practice this attitude we have to first of all have firm faith Lord Krsna ultimately control everything. Then
automatically simple and straight-forward nature follows. As Lord Krsna says in a very powerful verse in BG 2.66,
nāsti buddhir ayuktasya na cāyuktasya bhāvanā

na cābhāvayataḥ śāntir aśāntasya kutaḥ sukham
One who is not connected with the Supreme [in Krsna Consciousness] can have neither transcendental
intelligence nor a steady mind, without which there is no possibility of peace. And how can there be any
happiness without peace?
In the first line of the purport Srila Prabhupada makes a punching statement, "Unless one is in Krsna
Consciousness there is no possibility of peace."
Being in Krsna consciousness means, accepting Krsna's supreme authority. As soon as we accept this, then we
have no reason to become unnecessarily agitated over anything that may come our way. Then automatically peace
and happiness enter our life.
Maharaj then ended with some more words to meditate upon. He said, "The nature of this material world is to
drag us down. We should not give in to the tricks of material nature. Our only shelter is Krsna (
kṛṣṇaṁ vinā kā gatiḥ) and we should have complete faith that He will do what is best for us. What He gives, we
accept and what He doesn't give, we do not accept."
My sincere prayers unto the Supreme Lord and my Guru Maharaj that I shall realize these golden words at least before
I leave this body and be ready to accept whatever Krsna provides me according to what I deserve.
Kalacakra Krsna das.
Performing Devotion With Determination
Date: 17 Sep 2006 Author: Suniti devi dasi

In the material world there is always a clash between different individual beings because here the proper center of
enjoyment is missed. The real center of enjoyment is the Supreme Lord, who is the center of the sublime and spiritual
rasa dance. We are all meant to join Him and enjoy life with one transcendental interest and without any clash. That is
the highest platform of spiritual interest, and as soon as one realizes this perfect form of oneness, there can be no
question of illusion (moha) or lamentation (shoka).
The results of our activities must be used to serve the interest of the Lord, and not for any other purpose. Bhakti must
be performed with great determination. Lord Krsna terms this word in the Gita in many places as 'dṛḍha-vratāḥ',
means one who is staunchly fixed in his vow to serve Him. In our day to day life we face so many obstructions to
performing our devotional service. Many things like responsibilities at work, responsibilities at home, lack of proper
time management, attractions to so many mundane distractions, unforeseen circumstances and so on. But inspite of
all these challenges if one can chant their prescribed number of rounds, read their regular quota of Srila Prabhupada's
vani, regularly perform Mangala arati then that itself is a great achievement. But to do this we need intense
determination, otherwise everything fades away slowly and gradually into oblivion and before even we could realize
that we are getting weak in our sadhana and seva, we become weak.
In this regard we should always get inspired from the example of the small boy of 5 years old - Sri Dhruva Maharaj,
who performed severe austerities at such a tender age inspite of so many disturbances created by the demigods and
material nature. As we can see from the pages of Bhagavatam, Dhruva Maharaj increased his level of austerity slowly
and gradually without losing the intensity of his bhakti. This is the key to our success as well. When we chant our
rounds, we may start with 2 or 4, but we should not become stagnant at any point thinking that whatever bhakti that
we are doing is more than enough and there is no need to increase our austerity level. As our Guru Maharaj, H H
Mahavishnu Goswami would always says, "Performing bhakti in this world is like swimming in the river
against the current. It is definitely very difficult to swim against the current because even after
swimming for so long we would have moved only a little bit. But we cannot give up thinking that, Oh, I
have swimmed for so long, let me take some rest. The moment we think like that, immediately we start
sinking down."
Such sincere devotional service with determination like Dhruva Maharaj will move the Lord's heart. Not only that but
the entire process becomes increasing joyful every time we increase our austerity. And we do not need to worry about
the success. Just like Dhruva Maharaj was already blessed by his spiritual master Srila Narada Muni, we are also
already blessed by our spiritual master and Srila Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada explains that the practice of Bhakti-yoga in Krsna consciousness, may appear to be a very difficult
job. But if anyone follows the principles with great determination, the Lord will surely help, for God helps those who
help themselves. SB 4.30.20 states,
navyavad dhṛdaye yaj jño brahmaitad brahma-vādibhiḥ

na muhyanti na śocanti na hṛṣyanti yato gatāḥ
Always engaging in the activities of devotional service, devotees feel ever-increasingly fresh and new in
all their activities. The all-knower, the Supersoul within the heart of the devotee, makes everything
increasingly fresh. This is known as the Brahman position by the advocates of the Absolute Truth. In such
a liberated stage [brahma-bhūta], one is never bewildered. Nor does one lament or become unnecessarily
jubilant. This is due to the brahma-bhūta situation.
Let me therefore sincerely pray to the Supreme Lord and my spiritual master that I may have little sense of
determination in my devotional service.

Suniti devi dasi
Abu Dhabi.
Time Pass

Once when a plane was in flight, the co-pilot made an announcement, "I have good news and bad news. The good
news is that we are cruising along at 500 miles per hour and the bad news is that we don't know where we are going!"
For most people, life is like a 100 meter (or rather 100 year) sprint. No time for thinking. But it's a strange sprint.
Everyone - the gold medalist, the silver medalist,.. the last runner gets the same prize - death.
If someone still insists that he just wants to come first in such a sprint and that he doesn't care for anything else, what
can be said? "Where ignorance is bliss, it is foolish to be wise."
Take one day at a time. We all have to start somewhere. But it's far more important to know where we are going than
where we are or where we have been.
If you are You've spent Before Age 70, you have
20 years 7,300 days 18,250 days left

70 years 25,550 days Are you spending them wisely?
All along we have been planning one thing or the other, thinking that at some point of time we will be settled. Frankly
speaking we have been unable to even think of our goals which we would have planned in the beginning. This is due to
our being busy day in and day out with our material plans. All our planning will be thwarted if Krishna is not in the
centre.
Lord Siva offers very nice prayers to the Lord in SB 4.24.66,
pramattam uccair iti kṛtya-cintayā

pravṛddha-lobhaṁ viṣayeṣu lālasam
tvam apramattaḥ sahasābhipadyase
kṣul-lelihāno ’hir ivākhum antakaḥ
My dear Lord, all living entities within this material world are mad after planning for things, and they are
always busy with a desire to do this or that. This is due to uncontrollable greed. The greed for material
enjoyment is always existing in the living entity, but Your Lordship is always alert, and in due course of
time You strike him, just as a snake seizes a mouse and very easily swallows him.
His Divine Grace writes wonderfully in his purport,
"Without taking to God consciousness and accepting the authority of the Lord, the living entities become ultimately
confused and frustrated in their plan-making attempts. Due to their unauthorized plans for economic development, the
price of commodities is rising daily all over the world, so much so that is has become difficult for the poorer classes,
and they are suffering the consequences. And due to lack of Krishna consciousness, people are being fooled by so-
called leaders and plan-makers. Consequently, the sufferings of the people are increasing. According to the laws of
nature, which are backed by the Lord, nothing can be permanent within this material world; therefore everyone
should be allowed to take shelter of the Absolute in order to be saved."
Sometimes we hear people say, "We do it for time pass". One does not realize that ultimately time will overtake him
and there will be no time for "Time Pass". Only we will "Pass" on.
If we look at the days spent, how many days we have lost in not chanting and glorifying the Lord? As soon as one
understands the urgency of this message and develops the desire to serve the Lord, He will make the necessary
arrangement for spiritual progress.
I pray at the lotus feet of Guru Maharaj that I be able to do my sadhana better and better with consistency and
intensity.

Sri Ramachandra das
Abu Dhabi.
Association

Few days back, we were listening to a lecture by our spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj wherein
during the Question & Answer session, one mathaji was enquiring about how to overcome lack of association. Maharaj
gave a wonderful, thought provoking, instructive reply which we would like to share with all of you.
Maharaj said, "Association is needed. But we are not children. Once spiritual master guides you, you must show your
progress. Spiritual master cannot be always with you physically. You can associate with devotees near you. Even if
there are no devotees, what stops you from sincerely reading Bhagavad Gita? As Srila Prabhupada has said,
there is vapu (body) and vani. Vapu cannot be with us all the time. But spiritual master's instructions are always with
us in the form of vani."
When that mathaji continued to say that her regular household chores were not allowing her to do her sadhana,
Maharaj replied - "We have our own family, children and duties to take care of them. It is said in the shastras -"
striyāḥ kaṣṭodhikāra" - Hardwork is a monopoly of Mathajis. Even in my childhood, I remember how hard my mother
and sister used to work. There were no modern facilities like tap or shower at home. Early morning they had to go and
draw water from wells, fill up the pots and carry it on their heads to our home for the whole family to bathe. Even
cooking rotis required lot of effort. There was no readymade atta those days. They had to buy the wheat from the
shops, clean them, grind them into flour and then prepare the rotis. In spite of all these work, they still did their
prayers, chanting and bhajans. Never did they complain that they had lot of work or about lack of association
. Sincerity is required. If you are sincerely following the instructions of spiritual master then in spite of all the
household duties you can elevate yourself."
While concluding the conversation, Maharaj told a very powerful statement - "We should be creating our own
association. Instructions are there and your sincerity is there. If you sincerely desire for association then you give
your association to others. Just like Srila Prabhupada, when he was in NewYork for first time, he didn't know
whether to go left or right. He was all alone. But still he gave his association to others. This was possible because he
was sincere in his sadhana and following the instructions of his spiritual master. Similarly, if you are sincere nobody
can stop!"
As mentioned in Caitanya Caritamrta, Madhya Lila, Chapter 22 verse 54,
‘sādhu-saṅga’, ‘sādhu-saṅga’ — sarva-śāstre kaya

lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya
The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment's association with a pure devotee, one can
attain all success.
The word lava means one eleventh of a second. Srila Prabhupada has provided his merciful association eternally
through his books and lectures to all of us. So how fortunate we are? The more we associate with him, the more we will
be able to progress in our devotional service.

We are Responsible for our Sins

We can find some very instructive verses in SB 10.49.20-21, wherein Sri Akrura who was sent as a messenger to
Hastinapura, speaks words of wisdom to Dhrtarashtra.
neha cātyanta-saṁvāsaḥ kasyacit kenacit saha

rājan svenāpi dehena kim u jāyātmajādibhiḥ
In this world no one has any permanent relationship with anyone else, O King. We cannot stay forever
even with our own body, what to speak of our wife, children and the rest.
ekaḥ prasūyate jantur eka eva pralīyate

eko ’nubhuṅkte sukṛtam eka eva ca duṣkṛtam
Every creature is born alone and dies alone, and alone one experiences the just rewards of his good and
evil deeds.
Sri Akrura gives these instructions to Dhrtarashtra to remind him of the excessive attachment he had for his sons. The
irony is that these instructions are so obvious as black and white and Dhrtarashtra was even able to appreciate it very
much. He thanks Akrura for these valuable instructions but in the same breath reveals his inability to follow them as he
is unable to forsake his attachments for his sons. In fact he even foretells that Lord Krsna will annihilate all his sons as
part of relieving the earth of its burden. But even then, he says he cannot give up the attachment for his children.
His idea is very interesting. He says that "Everything is ordained by the Lord. So I cannot do anything." In other words,
he says that his affection for his children and the inability to give it up is also pre-arranged by Krsna. In other words, he
is trying to put the entire blame on Krsna, even for his sinful activities.
In Bhagavad-gita 5.15, Lord Krsna clarifies this point very clearly,
nādatte kasyacit pāpaṁ na caiva sukṛtaṁ vibhuḥ

ajñānenāvṛtaṁ jñānaṁ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ
Nor does the Supreme Lord assumes anyone's sinful or pious activities. Embodied beings, however, are
bewildered because of the ignorance which covers their real knowledge.
Actually most of us can identify ourselves with the character of Dhrtarashtra. We all attend so many satsang programs,
listen to kirtans, lectures on Bhagavad-gita and Bhagavatam and we feel very enlivened. But as soon as we get out of
the association, all our attachments are back in their own places. We know very well that Krishna as 'Time' is going to
take everything away from us, we were born alone and we have to die alone. Since the day we were born, alone we
were chewing our food, alone we were digesting the food, alone we were sleeping. But still we maintain our
proprietorship over everything that belongs to us. And sometimes foolishly some of us argue that since Krsna is the
cause of everything, he should be the cause of our attachment also.
This is where we have to realize that we are human beings and we are endowed with the capacity to think objectively -
"what is right" and "what is wrong". Krsna has very clearly given us the codes of conduct for our human life. No other
species is given a code of conduct. There is no shastra for a dog to control his barking nor there is any injunction for a
tiger to abstain from killing other species. So we have to understand that the standards of living for humans and other
living beings are different and we should use our thinking capacity to realize the instructions of the shastras and our
acharyas.
Let us pray to the Lord to give us the intelligence to act like Akrura and Vidura and not like Dhrtarashtra and
Duryodhana.

Remembering the Lord

There is a very instructive story in 10th Canto 64th chapter titled, "The Deliverance of King Nrga".
King Nrga, was a pious and charitable king. He was so magnanimous that he gave in charity as many cows as there are
grains of sand on the earth, stars in the heavens, or drops in a rain shower. He respected the brahmanas and gave
them cows, land, gold and houses, along with horses, elephants and marriageable girls with maidservants, as well as
sesame, silver, fine beds, clothing, jewels, furniture and chariots. In addition, he performed Vedic sacrifices and
executed various pious welfare activities. One day a cow belonging to a first-class brahmana wandered into his herd.
Unaware of this, he gave this cow in charity to a different brahmana. When the cow's previous owner saw the second
brahmana taking this cow away, the first brahmana claimed the cow as his and began arguing with the second
brahmana. After quarrelling for some time they approached the king, and he implored them to each take one hundred
thousand cows in exchange for that one cow, and to please forgive him for the offense he had unknowingly committed.
But neither brahmana would accept his proposal, and the matter remained unsettled. Shortly thereafter he died and
was taken by the Yamadutas to the court of Yamaraja. Yamaraja asked him which he preferred to do first: suffer the
results of his sins or enjoy the results of his pious acts.
King Nrga's reply is very astonishing. Even if we have done so many sinful actions, we would first prefer to enjoy the
results of pious activities. Also we would never be ready to accept an offense when we are not directly responsible for
it. But being a pious devotee of the Lord, King Nrga, not only accepts the offense which he unknowingly committed,
but also willing to accept the punishment for the same first. In fact Yamaraj himself says that he could see a endless
list of pious act in King Nrga's account. It is because of these wonderful qualities, Lord had bestowed him the
benediction of remembering Lord and his past life, even when he had to take the form of a giant lizard
and reside in a deep well. Not only was he able to remember Krishna, but he was also blessed by the Lord's touch.
As soon as Krishna lifted the lizard out of the well, King Nrga regained his original human body.
A real devotee is not worried about the material conditions or circumstances he may be forced to experience.
Whatever species he may be born in, his only desire is that he should always remember (śravaṇaṁ) the Lord.
The unique quality of smaraṇaṁ is that it is the only form of devotional service which can be performed
in all forms of life. In a human body, we may be able to do the other forms of devotional service like śravaṇaṁ,
kīrtanaṁ, vandanaṁ etc, but it may not be possible in other types of bodies. But smaraṇaṁ is universal and based on
our intensity of bhakti, sometimes even if one accidentally falls down into other forms of living entities, by Krishna's
grace they may remember their previous lives and also the Supreme Lord. We have numerous examples in the
shastras like Gajendra, Bharata Maharaj etc.
Finally before taking leave to enjoy the results of his pious deeds, King Nrga offers wonderful prayers to Krsna
signifying the importance of remembering the Lord in 10.64.27-28,
deva-deva jagan-nātha govinda puruṣottama

nārāyaṇa hṛṣīkeśa puṇya-ślokācyutāvyaya
anujānīhi māṁ kṛṣṇa yāntaṁ deva-gatiṁ prabho

yatra kvāpi sataś ceto bhūyān me tvat-padāspadam
O Devadeva, Jagannātha, Govinda, Puruṣottama, Nārāyaṇa, Hṛṣīkeśa, Puṇyaśloka, Acyuta, Avyaya! O
Kṛṣṇa, please permit me to depart for the world of the demigods. Wherever I live, O master, may my
mind always take shelter of Your feet.
A very punching statement from Srila Prabhupada's purport for SB 3.1.32 sums it up all for us thus:
"Constant thought of the Lord is the antiseptic method for keeping oneself free from the infectious
contamination of the material qualities."
Let us pray to the Supreme Lord to bestow upon us the benediction of remembering Him under all circumstances birth
after birth.

Knee - Mail

Nowadays almost everyone is accessible on email. What about God? He is available on a very special type of email,
which is as old as the human race and which requires no internet. It is knee-mail : mailing prayers from our heart
to God while standing on our knees.
Most people pray to God when they want something which is beyond their human ability to get. While praying, we
often intuitively try to feel and express humility, knowing we depend on divine grace. To receive God's answers to our
knee-mails, we need humility. Many people lose faith in God when their prayers are apparently unanswered; they feel
that either God doesn't exist or that He can't fulfill their prayers - or doesn't care to. But are we not presuming that we
know better than God what is best for us? This presumption is rooted in a fundamental philosophical misconception
that we can enjoy life in this world and that the main purpose of God's existence is to provide and protect our material
enjoyment. Of course we do need basic material resources for our existence. But as souls we are essentially spiritual
and eternal; whereas everything in this world is material and temporary. Due to this inescapable incompatibility,
nothing material can make us truly happy. We forget this basic fact, but thankfully God doesn't. One must not lose
faith under any circumstances.
In the purport of Bhagavad Gita 2.41
vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana

bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca buddhayo ’vyavasāyinām
Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus,
the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.
Srila Prabhupada states what "Faith" is:
"A strong faith in Krsna consciousness that one should be elevated to the highest perfection of life is
called vyavasayatmika intelligence..Faith means unflinching trust in something sublime."
A mother sometimes withdraws or withholds toys from her child to ensure he doesn't neglect his studies and miss out
on a bright career. Similarly God sometimes withdraws or withholds our cherished toys wealth, love, positions,
possessions to ensure we don't neglect our spiritual growth and miss out on a bright spiritual career in the hereafter.
God wants us to be happy in this world too, but not at the cost of our eternal happiness in the next world. A lost child
feels so happy when at last he returns home. Then how much more happy will we the lost children of God - be when
God takes us back to our eternal home? God is constantly planning and endeavoring to provide us this supreme
happiness. All we need to do is cooperate with His plan by serving Him, come what may. Therefore when our prayers
appear to be unanswered, we can pray to God for the wisdom to accept His plan and the determination to participate
in that divine plan.
Srila Prabhupada would say that the best prayer - the one prayer that will never fail is the prayer asking for strength to
serve God in every situation. When a child calls the name of his parent, a responsible parent immediately provides his
real needs. Similarly when we chant the Holy Names
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
He will immediately provide our real need - the strength to serve Him. When we humbly chant and pray for this inner
strength, we will find that Krishna will never disappoint us.
I humbly pray to our beloved Guru Maharaj to provide me the real need - the strength to serve Krishna.

Sri Ramachandra das
Abu Dhabi.
Attention to Spiritual Activities
Date: 23 Sep 2006 Author: Nayana Priya devi dasi

I came across a very beautiful verse, from SB 1.2.14,
tasmād ekena manasā bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ

śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca dhyeyaḥ pūjyaś ca nityadā
Therefore, with one-pointed attention, one should constantly hear about, glorify, remember and worship
the Personality of Godhead, who is the protector of the devotees.
Srila Prabhupada strongly alerts in the purport, "If realization of the Absolute Truth is the ultimate aim of life,
it must be carried out by all means...namely glorifying, hearing, remembering and worshiping. Without these
principles of life, no one can exist". He further adds on that, "In this modern society, all activities are more or less
dependent on hearing and glorifying. Any man from any social status becomes a well-known man in human society
within a very short time if he is simply glorified truly or falsely in the daily newspapers but the actual object of
glorification is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has created everything manifested before us".
In our daily life, we give so much attention to material activities..., Just like when we count bundle of money, we feel so
blissful, for every next note coming, similarly, we have to feel the joy within us during chanting and reciting
Bhagavatam, when we approach each and every bead or each and every verse which is more precious than a diamond.
Recently, H G Devakinandan Prabhu enlightened us saying that we have to be attentive in both Chanting and
Bhagavatam, if our chanting improves, simultaneously our reading will improve and vice versa.. Chanting and reading
goes hand in hand. Just like we cannot come close to a person, unless we know about that person, similarly, if we want
to come close to Krishna, then we have to know about Him. If we have to know about Him we have to read more and
more about Him. If we want to improve our reading, we have to improve our chanting and vice-versa.
We have to gear up ourselves and welcome Krishna whole-heartedly, in our Satsangs. Those who have developed a
taste for understanding the transcendental subject matter are never tired of hearing such narrations. Hence, we should
be so blissful to hear about Krishna that the speaker also gets more energized to deliver the hidden treasures of Lords
pastimes.
Maharaja Parikshit had no more than seven days to live, but for fallen souls like me Maharaja Parikshit personally
recommends that we hear Bhagavatam regularly, śṛṇvataḥ śraddhayā nityaṁ, always by one's own effort and with
serious devotion also. That will help us to see the Lord Krishna manifested in our heart within no time.
We can have perfect rapt attention by having purity in mind, action and eating, sleeping, defending and mating. But by
Krishnas mercy, if we have rapt attention for Lord Krishna then automatically all the impurities in us vanishes. If we are
attentive now, then only we can successfully pass the final exam of death chanting the Lord's name.
Hence, I pray unto the lotus feet of Lord Krishna and Gurudev to give me the strength for having rapt attention always
for the Lord's name and His glories.

Nayana Priya devi dasi
Abu Dhabi.
Eternal Journey

We came across a wonderful verse today in the Srimad Bhagavatam 10th Canto 69th Chapter titled, "Narada Muni
Visits Lord Krishna's Palaces in Dwaraka"
Srila Narada Muni who is aptly referred to as the Transcendental Spaceman, once traveled to Dwaraka to meet Lord
Krishna. There he was astonished to see Lord Krishna maintaining 16108 queens in 16108 astounding palaces. But the
best part is that the Lord was present simultaneously in each of those palaces with each of His queens and was
performing various household activities.
As soon as He saw Narada muni, He immediately rose from His seat and welcomed the sage with very pleasing words.
He then respectfully washed the feet of Narada muni and then sprinkled the water on His head. All these acts of the
Lord were astonishing to Narada muni who understood the Lord's intentions of teaching the common men how to
respect saintly personalities.
Finally, when the Lord asks Narada muni how He could serve him, Narada muni replies wonderfully as follows (SB
10.69.18):
dṛṣṭaṁ tavāṅghri-yugalaṁ janatāpavargaṁ

brahmādibhir hṛdi vicintyam agādha-bodhaiḥ
saṁsāra-kūpa-patitottaraṇāvalambaṁ
dhyāyaṁś carāmy anugṛhāṇa yathā smṛtiḥ syāt
Now I have seen Your feet, which grant liberation to Your devotees, which even Lord Brahmā and other
great personalities of unfathomable intelligence can only meditate upon within their hearts, and which
those who have fallen into the well of material existence resort to for deliverance. Please favor me so
that I may constantly think of You as I travel about. Please grant Me the power to remember You.
Usually when we travel to different places, there is a lot of chances for distraction. We tend to meditate on the new
place, the different people we meet, the different situation we encounter and so on. Being allured or distracted by
these things the intensity with which we may remember the Lord tend to decrease. In the above verse, we can see
how the transcendental traveller Narada Muni, seeks the benediction of constantly remembering the Lord as He travels
about. Following his footsteps, we should offer this prayer daily as this life itself is a journey and this prayer is indeed
very essential for our journey to next life.

Real Value of Bhagavatam Study

Today when I called my Guru Maharaj H H Mahavishnu Goswami, he gave me a phone number and asked me to
contact that devotee who is my god-brother. He said that this prabhu has some bodily suffering recently. He also
asked me to meet with another devotee who is also suffering from some disease. I assured Maharaj that I will definitely
do so. He told me a punching remark then, "Everybody is suffering in this world. It is our duty to spend some time
talking to them and consoling them. This is the secret of entering into other's life favorably."
It really made a deep mark inside my heart because we are doing so much reading, writing, speaking about Krishna
and so on but if we do not have that basic attitude of compassion for others, everything is just śrama eva hi kevalam.
As a result, we have very few favorable relationships in this world.
Then I was talking to the devotee who Maharaj asked me to speak to. He was telling that he went some surgery
recently and his mother also suffered a stroke and is paralysed. So they are taking care of her since she is completely
bed-ridden. I really felt bad for this devotee, but he was very much interested in enquiring about Maharaj's health.
Then he said that Maharaj tolerates any kind of pain and referred to an incident when he was acting as Maharaj's
personal servant. He said that once Maharaj was having so much severe pain in his knees that every 5 mins there was
intense pain continuously all through the day. Because of the pain, Maharaj could not sleep all night. The devotees
requested him to take some tablets and rest. But he flatly refused to budge. He just said that Bhagavatam will cure all
pains and kept reading Bhagavatam all night enduring that severe pain.
Then it occurred to me what Maharaj meant in the remark I mentioned above. It was because Maharaj is personally
caring for other's well-being, and showing how to tolerate our own pains through loving association with Bhagavatam,
that devotees who are in his shade tend to forget their own pains and remember his uncommon activities.
Our attachment to Bhagavatam and the Lord can be measured through three factors:
1. We become callous to our own pains (both bodily and mental)
2. We become sensitive to other's pains and put our legs in their shoes
3. We sincerely try to mitigate other's pains by sharing the message of Bhagavatam with them.
Indeed the very root of the narration of Srimad Bhagavatam by Srila Vyasadev lies in this instruction given by his
spiritual master Srila Narada Muni in SB 1.5.40:
tvam apy adabhra-śruta viśrutaṁ vibhoḥ

samāpyate yena vidāṁ bubhutsitam
prākhyāhi duḥkhair muhur arditātmanāṁ
saṅkleśa-nirvāṇam uśanti nānyathā
Please, therefore, describe the Almighty Lord's activities which you have learned by your vast knowledge
of the Vedas, for that will satisfy the hankerings of great learned men and at the same time mitigate the
miseries of the masses of common people who are always suffering from material pangs. Indeed, there is
no other way to get out of such miseries.
Unless we follow the ways of the acharyas in the disciplic succession of Srila Narada Muni in genuinely trying to solve
the miseries of the suffering mass, our study of Bhagavatam and Bhagavatam is not of any real value.

Preparing for the End

Today I was going through a particular chapter in Bhagavatam titled, "Description of Adverse Fruitive Activities"
in the 3rd canto. This chapter simply caught my attention very much because it was revealing to me some parts of our
life which we do not care much to think about - Old Age.
The description of the old age and its related difficulties in this chapter is absolutely astounding, more so with the
inconceivable purports of Srila Prabhupada.
Old age is one of the most unavoidable thing in our life but it rarely troubles our thoughts when we are young and
healthy. When we are active in our young age even upto our forties and fifties, we are mostly productive. We earn and
maintain families and are not so much dependent on others for doing our basic activities. This is the time we will be
liked and welcomed by our family, friends and society. We might be under the impression that they respect our
qualifications, name, fame etc, but in reality they love and respect us because they can get more from us than
giving us.
As soon as we attain old age, it turns the other way around because in old age, we become so invalid that we are
dependent on others for even our basic activities and on the other hand, we cannot be of any help to others around us.
We really become a botheration for them.
Srimad Bhagavatam depicts this situation wonderfully in a sequence of 6 verses starting from SB 3.30.13,
evaṁ sva-bharaṇākalpaṁ tat-kalatrādayas tathā

nādriyante yathā pūrvaṁ kīnāśā iva go-jaram
Seeing him unable to support them, his wife and others do not treat him with the same respect as before,
even as miserly farmers do not accord the same treatment to their old and worn-out oxen.
It is really a pathetic and painful situation that the same persons for whom he had spent every drop of his blood in his
life, neglect him as soon as he becomes a burden. Srila Prabhupada's states wonderfully in his purport,
"When an attached person in family life becomes old and is unable to earn, he is no longer liked by his wife, sons,
daughters and other kinsmen, and he is consequently neglected, what to speak of not being given respect."
I am reminded of my Guru Maharaj's statement filled with deep realization,"

We should leave our home when everyone questions us 'Why you are going?'. Otherwise very soon the
time will come when the same people will ask us, 'When are you going?' "
What are we supposed to do after we leave our home?
Srila Prabhupada gives the one and only answer subsequently in his purport, "It is judicious, therefore, to give up
family attachment before one attains old age and take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should
employ himself in the Lord's service so that the Supreme Lord can take charge of him, and he will not be
neglected by his so-called kinsmen."
The sooner we realize these facts, the better prepared we will be for our unavoidable exit.

Simply Perfect

Srimad Bhagavatam while describing the people of kali yuga, mentions that we are all upadrutah which means we are
all always disturbed. The main reason for all our disturbance is that we have complicated our life so much with so
many so called innovations like cell phones, digital diaries, air conditioners, microwave ovens etc., We have become so
much conditioned to this kind of complicated life, that anything simple does not appeal to us at all. We apply the
same mentality to our spiritual pursuit also. When the sastras tell us the simplest way of deliverance in kaliyuga, we
tend not to put our faith on the process. We wonder as to how such a simple process as chanting the holy names of the
Lord can be so sublime. In this way we complicate our devotional service also. The following incident from Srimad
Bhagavatam reveals to us that everything becomes perfect by simply chanting the holyname of the Lord.
Dhruva Maharaj, after ruling the kingdom for 36000 years, left it and retired to Badarikasrama and engaged himself in
loving devotional service. At that time, he saw that a very beautiful airplane descended from the sky and he could see
two very beautiful associates of Lord Visnu in the plane. They were of the same bodily feature as Lord Vishnu. The
reaction of Dhruva Maharaj on seeing these uncommon personalities is described in Srimad Bhagavatam 4.12.21 as
follows:
vijñāya tāv uttamagāya-kiṅkarāv

abhyutthitaḥ sādhvasa-vismṛta-kramaḥ
nanāma nāmāni gṛṇan madhudviṣaḥ
pārṣat-pradhānāv iti saṁhatāñjaliḥ
Dhruva Maharaja, seeing that these uncommon personalities were direct servants of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, immediately stood up. But, being puzzled, in hastiness he forgot how to receive
them in the proper way. Therefore he simply offered obeisances with folded hands and chanted and
glorified the holy name of the Lord.
When we have a great personality as a guest in our place, we also become greatly puzzled and we forget the proper
formalities to be observed for receiving them. Dhruva Maharaj was in a similar situation and he did one simple thing
and that is, with folded hands he chanted and glorified the holy name of the Lord. Srila Prabhupada writes that
simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Krishna mantra, he could satisfy the uncommon
guests who had all of a sudden arrived before him. The chanting of the holy name of the Lord is perfect;
even though one does not know how to please Lord Vishnu or His associates, simply by sincerely
chanting the holy name of the Lord, everything becomes perfect.
We may not be ready with the required paraphernalia to receive a great guest, or we may not know the vedic mantras,
but by the simple process of chanting the holy name, we can create a perfect and pleasing atmosphere. Srila
Prabhupada remarks that either in danger or in happiness, the holy name can be chanted without limitation.
That the chanting of the holyname perfectly fits in any situation is so nicely described in the following prayer from
Krishna Karnamrt:
sukhavasane tv idaṁ eva sāram
dukhavasane tv idaṁ eva geyam
dehavasane tv idaṁ eva japyaṁ
govinda dāmodara mādhaveti
This indeed is the essence found upon ceasing the affairs of mundane happiness. And this too is to be
sung after the cessation of all sufferings. This alone is to be chanted at the time of death of one's
material body. Govinda, Damodara, Madhava!
Let me make a prayer to my tongue that it should always worship and chant the holy name of the lord.

Abu Dhabi.
Importance of REPETETION
Date: 28 Sep 2006 Author: Rasamrta das

While going through Srimad Bhagavatam, I came across a fantastic verse. I can appreciate the glories of our divine
movement through this sloka. Parampara means 'repetition'.
Srila Maitreya says; (SB 3.6.36)
tathāpi kīrtayāmy aṅga yathā-mati yathā-śrutam

kīrtiṁ hareḥ svāṁ sat-kartuṁ giram anyābhidhāsatīm
In spite of my inability, whatever I have been able to hear [from the spiritual master] and whatever I
could assimilate I am now describing in glorification of the Lord by pure speech, for otherwise my power
of speaking would remain unchaste.
Srila Prabhupada has given us the basic principles in simple ways.
Books are the Basis,

Purity is the Force
Utility is the Principle
Preaching is the Essence
Under the kind guidance of the spiritual master and the Vaishnavas, we should take the shelter of the books given by
Srila Prabhupada, remaining pure all the time in thoughts, words and actions; thereby utilising everything in Lord's
service, we are supposed to glorify the Lord; to preach. Ours is a preaching movement. Srila Prabhupada has said, "we
are not bhajananandis, we are kirtananandis". Lord Chaitanya has also ordered us, "yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-
upadeśa".
I heard in one lecture of Srila Prabhupada where he says, "Preaching is very simple; just repeat what you have
heard". Here Maitreya rishi is telling Vidura that whatever he has heard from spiritual master and whatever he could
assimilate, he is going to speak, he is going to repeat to him. It is not our own qualification to speak on this sublime
subject matter. So (yathā-mati yathā-śrutam) he is saying that he is just repeating whatever he has heard and
whatever he could assimilate or remember in this regard. The important point to note here is, whatever we may be
speaking anytime (as a matter of our duty) is not based on our own qualification but due to the mercy of
spiritual master, vaishnavas and the Lord. We have to be simply like a postman. REPEAT. So when I came across
this verse and read the fantastic purport by Srila Prabhupada, I realised the importance of repetition.
In general in this world where advertisements are most prominent, everyone wants to do and have something new.
People feel bored by old or the same things. "Change" is the modern mantra for them. People do not like old tradition,
old culture, old civilisation, old fashion etc. They are fed up with everything that is repetitive in nature. They want new.
That is their modern idea. But here, in our case, we have something that is the same from time immemorial. Same
Bhagavatam, same Bhagavad Gita and the same Hare Krsna mantra. Sometime devotees sing new new tunes but the
maha-mantra is the same. We are not producing anything new. But in this maha-mantra and in these scriptures, we
find newer and newer taste over and over again (svādu svādu pade pade). That is the beauty of it. Once Srila
Prabhupada was asked, "Swamiji what do you desire (get) by this chanting?" and Srila Prabhupada replied, "more
chanting".
Srila Prabhupada says, "Maitreya's statement is that in order to avoid unchaste conscious activities, he was trying to
describe the unlimited glories of the Lord, although he did not have the ability to describe them perfectly. This
glorification of the Lord is not a product of research, but the result of hearing submissively from the authority of the
spiritual master". So we must first hear submissively from spiritual master and Vaishnavas and then the same thing we
can repeat. Srila Prabhupada further says, "It is also not possible to repeat all that one has heard from his spiritual
master, but one can narrate as far as possible by one's honest endeavour. It does not matter whether the Lord's
glories are fully explained or not. One must attempt to engage one's bodily, mental and verbal activities in the
transcendental glorification of the Lord; otherwise such activities will remain unchaste and impure. The existence of
the conditioned soul can be purified only by the method of engaging mind and speech in the service of the Lord". Since
we are in the conditioned stage, it is not possible to repeat all what we have heard and so Srila Prabhupada advises us
to make our honest attempt to repeat whatever we can in this respect - evaṁ paramparā-prāptam.
The purity of the speech is engaging the tongue in glorification of the Lord (His name, form, qualities, pastimes, etc)
and glorifying His devotees.
Let us pray for the blessings of Vaishnavas, Gurudev and Srila Prabhupada that we, by their mercy and blessings;
purify our speech by repeating their words.

Rasamrta das
Abu Dhabi.
Moment of Transcendence
Date: 29 Sep 2006 Author: Sajjana Priya Krishna das

Everyone of us is always craving for the highest benediction by which we can become happy and live a comfortable life
in this world because we are basically ānanda-mayo ’bhyāsāt (hankering for pleasure). But we think that material
assets, wealth, position are all the real benediction and even though we know they are temporary we do not want to
leave them because we are so much conditioned and attached and we think with our puny mind that they are eternal
and ever lasting. We therefore do not know what is the highest benediction for us in this age of kali and we go
searching for it all over the world and also in various species of life.
Srimad Bhagavatam is enlightening us about the highest benediction.
SB 4.30.35
yatreḍyante kathā mṛṣṭās tṛṣṇāyāḥ praśamo yataḥ
nirvairaṁ yatra bhūteṣu nodvego yatra kaścana
Whenever pure topics of the transcendental world are discussed, the members of the audience forget all
kinds of material hankerings, at least for the time being. Not only that, but they are no longer envious of
one another, nor do they suffer from anxiety or fear.
The three things happens while reciting SB:

1) No Fear
2) No Envy
3) No Dissatisfaction
H G Devakinandan Prabhuji gave a nectarean class in Abu Dhabi and was emphasising a very important point during
the Srimad Bhagavatam class that we are all very fortunate to Partake in the wonderful moment of
transcendence. The presence of the above three things denote it is Vaikunta atmosphere and therefore it is the
highest benediction given to us inspite of our unqualified position. This is possible only by the mercy of Srila
Prabhupada and therefore we should sincerely surrender to Srila Prabhupada and scrutinisingly study his literatures to
make wonderful moments into hours and days and thereby purify our existence. Our Mangala arati and Srimad
Bhagavatam spreads vibrations that purifies the whole world (jagat pavitram).
I therefore pray sincerely to Gurudev and Lord Sri Krishna to shower their mercy for an errant soul like me to take
advantage of this highest benediction and participate continuously in the wonderful moment of transcendence.

Sajjana Priya Krishna das
Abu Dhabi.
Never Ever Get Fed up in Krishna Conciousness!
Date: 30 Sep 2006 Author: Ajita Krishna das
Dear Devotees,
Hare Krishna. Please accept my most humble obeisances! Al glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev!
Dear devotees! I thought I would like to share an important instruction with all of you!
Some 3 years ago while I was in London visiting my Guru Maharaja, H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaja, he gave me a
very important and helpful instruction that has saved me from a lot of trouble in my devotional life. Me and a
Godbrother was about to leave London for Denmark, and Maharaja left the lecture, given by H H Jayadvaita Maharaja,
in the Manor, which he had especially come to hear, to give us some final instructions and his mercy.
I still remember Maharaja standing there in the Manor lifting his transcendental finger and looking very grave while
instructing us to "...never ever get fed up in Krishna Consciousness."
It might seem like a no-brainer (Something that is absurdly simple or easy and requires little thought) - of course we
should never get fed up. I was thinking something like that then. But later I realised how valuable this instruction
actually is. We might not expect it but some day Krishna will most probably test us. Maybe we will feel that the whole
world is falling apart because we don't like our service or because of disagreements with devotees, with our family,
with our place of work etc. - so many things can happen that will gradually kill our devotional service if we are not very
careful. But if we just sincerely remember that it is our duty to mould our life so that we will never get fed up with
Krishna Consciousness even though we have difficulties with ISKCON, with devotees, with our family or work situation
then we stand much stronger when maya comes to attack. Actually we alone are to blame for our presents situation.
We can't point fingers and blame other devotees. We have to remember to be more humble than a blade of grass and
more tolerant than a tree, no matter what happens. Just like Prahlada Maharaja, he never got fed up even though there
was so much opposition from his father.
If Maharaja hadn't warned us like that I most likely would have pushed myself over the limit. I'm eternally grateful for
that instruction, because it helps me to remember that I have the sole responsibility to take care of my own spiritual
life no matter what happens with me or around me.
A very striking purport from the Srimad Bhagavatam 1.15.50 by His Divine Grace reminds us of this point thus:
"When flying an airplane, one cannot take care of other planes. Everyone has to take care of his own plane, and if
there is any danger, no other plane can help another in that condition. Similarly, at the end of life, when one has to go
back home, back to Godhead, everyone has to take care of himself without help rendered by another. The help is,
however, offered on the ground before flying in space. Similarly, the spiritual master, the father, the mother, the
relatives, the husband and others can all render help during one's lifetime, but while crossing the sea one has to take
care of himself and utilize the instructions formerly received."
When Lord Brahma was extremely perplexed to go on with his task of creation, he performed austerities and prayed to
the Lord for thousand years and finally when the Lord appeared before him, this is what the Lord says in SB 3.9.29,
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
mā veda-garbha gās tandrīṁ sarga udyamam āvaha
tan mayāpāditaṁ hy agre yan māṁ prārthayate bhavān
The Supreme Personality of Godhead then said: O Brahma, O depth of Vedic wisdom, be neither
depressed nor anxious about the execution of creation. What you are begging from Me has already been
granted before.
It is very important to remind ourselves time and again that we cannot point to anyone for our lack of sincerity in our
devotion nor should we become depressed or fed up with whatever service we might be performing. We should always
try to be enthusiastic in our service and consciousness irrespective of whether the world around us is treating us
alright or not.
I hope that this instruction from H H Mahavishnu Maharaja will also help you in your struggle towards becoming a pure
servant of Krishna.

Ajita Krishna das
Denmark.
Moderator's Note: H G Ajita Krishna prabhu is a very sincere and dedicated devotee living in Denmark. He is a school
teacher by profession and performs his duty very sincerely, at the same time practices his Krishna consciousness with
complete dedication. He spends whatever extra time he has apart from his material duty and sadhana in presenting
Krishna conscious philosophy on the internet. One unique thing he has done is that he has advertised himself as a
meditation-teacher on a Danish youth web-forum and has instructed over 500 persons in chanting Hare Krishna.
Note 2: We are in traveling mode for the next few days and tomorrow being Saraswathy pooja in India, most of the
shops will be closed. We will try our best to send a mail tomorrow, Krishna willing. If we cannot, we will send out
tomorrow's mail on the following day.

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Glories of Srimati Radharani

Date: 01 Sep 2006 Author: Rangarajan

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

We always sing in our Mangalacarana prayers,

tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgi rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari

Thank you very much.

Date: 02 Sep 2006 Author: Rasamrta das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

tan naḥ śuśrūṣamāṇānām arhasy aṅgānuvarṇitum

The qualifications of the speaker are

Thank you very much.

Date: 03 Sep 2006 Author: Vaijayantimala devi dasi

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

The following is a story from Mahabharata:

pratyādiṣṭaṁ mayā tatra tvayi karma-vimohite

Thank you very much.

Date: 04 Sep 2006 Author: Sri Ramachandra das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

brahmārpaṇaṁ brahma havir brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam

In the purport, His Divine Grace says,

Thank you very much.

Date: 05 Sep 2006 Author: Sudarshana devi dasi

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

sarvārtha-sambhavo deho janitaḥ poṣito yataḥ

Thank you very much.

Date: 06 Sep 2006 Author: Krishnapriya das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

This reminds me of Srimad Bhagavad Gita 9.13,

mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ

Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport,

Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev,

Date: 07 Sep 2006 Author: Abhira kanya devi dasi

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

He also mentioned the following verse from Subhashita,

sukhasya duḥkhasya na kopidātā parodadātīti kubuddhireṣā

Thank you very much.

Date: 08 Sep 2006 Author: Sudarshana devi dasi

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

1) To remain cheerful always

santuṣṭaḥ satataṁ yogī yatātmā dṛḍha-niścayaḥ

Thank you very much.

Date: 09 Sep 2006 Author: Sudarshana devi dasi

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

na hy am-mayāni tīrthāni na devā mṛc-chilā-mayāḥ

Thank you very much.

Date: 10 Sep 2006 Author: Murlidhara Krsna das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

The below verse from Padma Purana 19.333:

shruyataam dharma sarvasvam srutvaa ca eva avadhaaryataam

Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev,

Date: 11 Sep 2006 Author: Vaijayantimala devi dasi

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

Thank you very much.

Date: 12 Sep 2006 Author: Dinavatsala Krishna das

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

ya eka īśo nija-māyayā naḥ

Date: 13 Sep 2006 Author: Lakshmipriya devi dasi

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

In Bhagavad Gita 3.42, Lord Krishna states,