There is only one Religion

There is only one religion - to love God.

Different denominations like Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, etc. and even denominations within these denominations present this one religion in different ways and to different degrees. Since people of this world are more or less selfishly (materially) inclined, every denomination presents its teachings considering the material conditioning of the people it is talking to. What's more, new denominations arise when new ways of materialism get mixed with existing denominations.

The fight among various denominations is always about these material differences. These fights are incited either by proponents who are lost to the fact that love of God is the true definition of religion, or by vested interests who want to leverage the differences to grab power.

Some denominations, being fed up by religious fighting, preach morality, good conduct, etc. without reference to God. Such denominations go under the name of religion, but they do not really represent the true definition of religion - to love God.

Everyone has the right to choose the denomination he or she wants to follow. One should carefully consider all denominations available and choose the one that most powerfully and practically teaches one to love God and to spiritualize all aspects of life. One should also encourage others to do such introspection. At the same time, one should be caring and kind to those who have not yet awakened to the highest spiritual aspect of life. Hopefully good examples of sincere spiritualists will inspire them to take to true religion.

It is important for the leaders of the society to follow the highest degree of religion personally while protecting and encouraging those who are on the lower (or more materialistic) levels of religion. Once the general public sees spiritually elevated and compassionate leaders, it will also get inclined to follow religion for its true purpose - to love God.

Conversion Concerns

Even though typical conversions have no spiritual aspect, they can harm genuine spiritual causes if they take people away from genuine spiritual paths. For this reason, due to their compassion, genuine spiritual organizations are pained by seeing forced conversions that make it more difficult for the converts to take to genuine spirituality.

The Fuss over Conversions

The term conversion is typically used in the context of people changing or forced to change their allegiance from one religion to another. Religion in this context is one of Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and so on. The reason for such conversions is always material.

Some forceful converters consider it their right and duty to convert others by force to their religion because they have dogmatically decided that all other religions are demoniac. Others who share such beliefs try to convert not by force, but by alluring the backward classes by providing material relief. Some try to convert by blaspheming other religions. Other converters want to reconvert those who were forcefully converted in the past. Of course there is a lot of political strategy behind the conversions too.

Some people convert to another religion by choice. In some cases, this is in order to escape the oppression that the current religious system inflicts upon them. Some convert because they find another religion more amenable to their personal world view.

Thus, whether forced or voluntary, no one seems to convert to another religion because of spiritual reasons. No one seems to convert because the other religion provides a higher spiritual goal, a deeper understanding of life, a more scientific and systematic way of life, a richer canon of spiritual literature, a more refined set of spiritual principles, a more powerful explanatory power, and so on.

Real conversion is from materialism to spiritualism. Changing one's religion while still holding fast to the material conception of life is like changing the outer dress; it is superficial and useless. As long as one does not realize that within each body is the spiritual living spark, the soul, which is different from the body, which is eternal and does not die with the body, one's activities will continue to hover on the material plane. Both the converters and the converted need to understand this fundamental spiritual principle. Once the soul is acknowledged, the futility of materialistic conversion will become apparent and the need for uplifting the soul will become self evident.

To uplift the soul means to reestablish its relationship of love and service to God - the Absolute Truth. This is the very essence of religion. Bereft of this essence, a religion becomes lifeless, and converting from one such religion to another is inconsequential. A sincere seeker of any religion will seek spiritual perfection - love for God, and all its concomitant virtues. If the seeker is convinced that the opportunities for spiritual perfection are better in another religion, and if the seeker is courageous enough, the seeker will willingly take up the practices of another religion. But such a decision must not be looked upon as a conversion; it's just a continuation of the seeker's spiritual journey.

Forced conversions do create unnecessary turmoils in society; they are undesirable and should be discouraged. But conversion, either forced or voluntary, if characterized by a disregard for the eternal soul's loving relationship with God, is merely yet another product of materialistic life - mundane and of limited value. Real conversion is from materialism to spiritualism.

Contentment, Compassion, and the God Connection

True spirituality teaches one how to live a dutiful life of contentment and true compassion.

Contentment comes from sincere service to God and all living beings. True compassion is to engage a living being in the service of the Lord so that that living being can find contentment.

Contentment is the foundation of real happiness and since the Lord is eternal, contentment in His service leads to everlasting happiness. Contentment does not mean passivity; it means to be happy with one's sincere efforts to serve, knowing well that the results are not determined by one's efforts alone.

Compassion without connection to God is incomplete and one-sided, and hence it's ineffectual in the ultimate analysis. Godless material well-being alone cannot lead to contentment and happiness, nor can it naturally lead to spiritual sentiments. On the other hand, spirituality does not preclude material well-being at all; in fact most material activities, including compassion in terms of material well-being, can be spiritualized easily. Spiritualized welfare activities are in fact spiritual activities of true compassion since they use material situations to connect people to God; such service leads to contentment and happiness for both the servers and the served.

May all social workers, who really want to do all-round good to all, provide the God-connection to all whom they serve.

Yes, You Are Special!

Yes, You are Special!

Monday April 7, 2014

Mountain View California

BTG India, May 2014

Are you special?

Every conditioned soul wants to be special. Most souls in this world realize sooner or later that they are just one amongst millions and with no special attributes. They want to be heroes but are in fact quite ordinary. They rejoice in others’ heroic deeds secretly hoping to be in the heroes’ shoes someday. If the hero happens to be an acquaintance, their mind squirms in unexpressed envy. Even if a soul is relatively well-placed materially, he is painfully aware of others who are better placed. And those few who are indeed specially placed are acutely aware that their glory will be short lived. Craving for specialty is the cause of suffering.

The conditioned soul’s desire to be special and envy for those who are special is explained by Krishna (BG 7.27) thus:

icchä-dveña-samutthena dvandva-mohena bhärata

sarva-bhütäni sammohaà sarge yänti parantapa

O scion of Bharata, O conqueror of the foe, all living entities are born into delusion, bewildered by dualities arisen from desire and hate.

The soul’s home is the spiritual world where he blissfully serves Lord Krishna. But when the soul chooses to experience an independent existence, Krishna places him in the material world. This choice comprises the soul’s misuse of his Krishna-given minute free will. In such an independent existence the soul forgets his constitutional position of being a loving servant of Krishna. Furthermore, in the material world, the illusory energy of the Lord, Maya, rules. Maya causes the soul to experience the duality of desire and envy.

Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport: “The real constitutional position of the living entity is that of subordination to the Supreme Lord, who is pure knowledge. When one is deluded into separation from this pure knowledge, he becomes controlled by the illusory energy and cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The illusory energy is manifested in the duality of desire and hate. Due to desire and hate, the ignorant person wants to become one with the Supreme Lord and envies Kåñëa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

The soul’s only fountainhead of happiness and satisfaction is service to Krishna. In the material world Krishna is lost to him and so the soul turns his attention toward himself. Earlier he was immersed in the ecstasy of loving Krishna, oblivious of himself; now, instead of Krishna, he himself becomes the center of his existence. Being special becomes his source of happiness and satisfaction. He desires to be special and envies those who are. This desire and envy culminate in the soul’s desire to become one with Lord and in envy for Him.

From Special to Sensual

A conditioned soul is sad when he thinks he is not special enough in terms of material distinction or influence. And when he starts thinking he is special due to his position in society, he soon realizes that many others are better placed. A thoughtful man realizes that to live a life of such perennial dissatisfaction is foolish. He seeks a way out in sense gratification. If I cannot have the egotistic satisfaction of being able to control people and things (siddhi), let me have the sensual satisfaction of enjoying life to the full (bhukti). He works hard, piously or otherwise, to earn means of sense gratification. Such fruitive work awards him only free passes to roam all over the universe. He keeps wandering all over the universe, sometimes in higher forms of life sometimes in lower, enjoying and suffering different grades of sense gratification and material tribulations based on the law of karma. A life of indulgence does not quench the wandering soul’s thirst for eternal happiness and satisfaction. Bhagavad Gita 13.22 says:

puruñaù prakåti-stho hi bhuìkte prakåti-jän guëän

käraëaà guëa-saìgo 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu

The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature. This is due to his association with that material nature. Thus he meets with good and evil among various species.

Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport: “… Due to his [the conditioned soul’s] desire to lord it over material nature [i.e. seek sense gratification], he is put into such undesirable circumstances. Under the influence of material desire, the entity is born sometimes as a demigod, sometimes as a man, sometimes as a beast, as a bird, as a worm, as an aquatic, as a saintly man, as a bug. This is going on. And in all cases the living entity thinks himself to be the master of his circumstances, yet he is under the influence of material nature.”

From Sensual to Non-Dual

The frustration arising from not being able to find satisfaction in the pursuit of material distinction and sense gratification makes the inquisitive soul look for spiritual alternatives. Krishna has designed the material world with exactly this outcome in mind. The material world is a playground for souls to enjoy the fulfilment of their material desires. At the same time, it presents enough tribulations for them to desire a way out (mukti). The frustrated soul reads that he is indeed an eternal spiritual soul and not the temporary material body he presently occupies. He reads that since matter and soul are mutually incompatible, seeking happiness in material sense enjoyment is the very source of his misery. Bhagavad Gita 5.22:

ye hi saàsparça-jä bhogä duùkha-yonaya eva te

ädy-antavantaù kaunteya na teñu ramate budhaù

An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kunté, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them.

Starting with this spiritual fundamental, the soul then starts training his mind in the doctrine of equanimity. He gives up all desire for sense gratification and tries to find satisfaction in the self alone (BG 2.55). In order to realize the soul, he trains himself to be equally disposed to all material varieties and dualities (BG 2.56). He acts with his senses only as much as needed to execute his obligatory duties, and not for sense gratification (BG 2.58). He sees all matter with an equal vision, and then sees all other souls with an equal vision too. (BG 14.24-25).

Such equanimity is the result of transcending the duality of material existence by realizing one’s identity as a spiritual spark having nothing to do with matter. An equipoised soul carries out his material duties without worrying about the results of his activities. He understands that his high and low position in the material world is merely a result of his past karma and that as such he is not the true cause of his high or low material position. His desire to be materially special disappears; he finds peace. Bhagavad Gita 2.71:

vihäya kämän yaù sarvän pumäàç carati niùspåhaù

nirmamo nirahaìkäraù sa çäntim adhigacchati

A person who has given up all desires for sense gratification, who lives free from desires, who has given up all sense of proprietorship and is devoid of false ego—he alone can attain real peace.

From Non-Dual to Special

The cessation of material desires in the state of equanimity is not end of the spiritual journey; in fact it’s the beginning. Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport of the above Bhagavad Gita verse: “To become desireless means not to desire anything for sense gratification. In other words, desire for becoming Kåñëa conscious is actually desirelessness. To understand one's actual position as the eternal servitor of Kåñëa, without falsely claiming this material body to be oneself and without falsely claiming proprietorship over anything in the world, is the perfect stage of Kåñëa consciousness. One who is situated in this perfect stage knows that because Kåñëa is the proprietor of everything, everything must be used for the satisfaction of Kåñëa.”

While equanimity solves the problem of material duality, it might not solve the problem of false ego. The equipoised soul doesn’t care for material distinction. But if he’s not yet purified of the desire to be independent of Krishna, such a soul seeks to become one with Him. Thus he continues to envy the Lord by adamantly refusing to serve Him as a subordinate servant. He continues to want to be spiritually special and thinks he is already perfect. Not having taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, he continues his wanderings in the material world. Srimad Bhagavatam 10.2.32:

ye 'nye 'ravindäkña vimukta-mäninas

tvayy asta-bhäväd aviçuddha-buddhayaù

äruhya kåcchreëa paraà padaà tataù

patanty adho 'nädåta-yuñmad-aìghrayaù

[Someone may say that aside from devotees, who always seek shelter at the Lord's lotus feet, there are those who are not devotees but who have accepted different processes for attaining salvation. What happens to them? In answer to this question, Lord Brahmä and the other demigods said:] O lotus-eyed Lord, although nondevotees who accept severe austerities and penances to achieve the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure. They fall down from their position of imagined superiority because they have no regard for Your lotus feet.

The soul wants to be special because that is his natural state. Every soul has a unique, and thus special, relationship with the Supreme Lord. In the spiritual world he serves the Lord in his own unique way, like no one else does, and feels ecstatically special all the while. Even in the conditioned state, every soul’s disposition to serve is unique, and thus special.

Even if one is not extraordinary, loving friends and relatives make one feel special. What then to speak of a soul knotted with the Lord in an eternal bond of ever increasing love? To reciprocate with a devotee’s love, Krishna makes that devotee feel most special. For example, when Krsna has food in the midst of his cowherd friends who sit all around him in circles, every cowherd boy thinks Krishna is looking only at him. Although each soul is constitutionally exactly same (a part and parcel of Krishna), and in that sense not unique or extraordinary, his existence is super-excellently special when united with the Lord.

The Bhagavad Gita takes the soul from equanimity to ecstasy in verse 18.54:

brahma-bhütaù prasannätmä na çocati na käìkñati

samaù sarveñu bhüteñu mad-bhaktià labhate paräm

One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.

When one is situated in material equanimity, it’s time to start rendering pure devotional service to Krishna understanding that the soul is fragmental part and parcel of the Supreme Lord and therefore eternally a servant.

The stage of equanimity (brahma bhuta) takes one beyond material duality but only the path of pure devotional service cures the notion of the false ego that one can become as good as the Lord by becoming one with Him. Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport: “To the impersonalist, achieving the brahma-bhüta stage, becoming one with the Absolute, is the last word. But for the personalist, or pure devotee, one has to go still further, to become engaged in pure devotional service. This means that one who is engaged in pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord is already in a state of liberation, called brahma-bhüta [SB 4.30.20], oneness with the Absolute. Without being one with the Supreme, the Absolute, one cannot render service unto Him. In the absolute conception, there is no difference between the served and the servitor; yet the distinction is there, in a higher spiritual sense. … In that stage of existence [pure devotional service], the idea of becoming one with the Supreme Brahman and annihilating one's individuality becomes hellish, the idea of attaining the heavenly kingdom becomes phantasmagoria, and the senses are like serpents' teeth that are broken.”

The false ego is the rope which binds the conditioned soul to the material world. It makes the soul think himself as the center of his existence. Pure devotional service eradicates the false ego and thus truly stops the soul’s material existence. A pure devotee saturated with love for Krishna is so focused on service to Krishna that he becomes oblivious of himself; in other words, his false ego truly disappears. For him the problems arising from trying to be special, either materially or spiritually, don’t exist because he doesn’t want to be special; he is already brimming with spiritual joy. What’s more, he everlastingly experiences the most special existence of unadulterated love for Krishna - Krishna prem.

Yes, You are Special!

The conditioned soul’s quest for being special is a result of his original super-special position in the spiritual word. In the material world he seeks to be special at the egoistic level by trying to be materially distinct and influential - siddhi. Siddhi is difficult to obtain and so he immerses himself in sensual indulgence instead - bhukti. When even bhukti eludes him, he seems spiritual salvation – mukti. Mukti does not necessarily rectify the egoistic misconception of thinking oneself as being as good as the Lord. Thus he still continues his material wanderings.

Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu instructs Srila Rupa Goswami thus (CC Madhya 19.149):

kåñëa-bhakta—niñkäma, ataeva ‘çänta’

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kämé—sakali ‘açänta’

“Because a devotee of Lord Kåñëa is desireless, he is peaceful. Fruitive workers desire material enjoyment, jïänés desire liberation, and yogés desire material opulence; therefore they are all lusty and cannot be peaceful.

Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport: “The devotee of Lord Kåñëa has no desire other than serving Kåñëa. Even so-called liberated people are full of desires. Fruitive actors desire better living accommodations, and jïänés want to be one with the Supreme. Yogés desire material opulence, yogic perfections and magic. All of these nondevotees are lusty (kämé). Because they desire something, they cannot have peace.”

Pure devotional alone reestablishes the soul in his true identity of being an eternal intensely loving servant of Krishna. That special existence is beyond words to describe; suffice it to say that the Supreme Lord personally goes out of His way to make the soul feel special – every moment. Need we say more?

Yes, you are special.

ToVP – Future in the Making

http://tovp.org/media-gallery/videos/

The construction of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (ToVP) – the biggest Vedic temple in the world - is well underway in the holy town of Mayapur in the east-Indian state of West Bengal. Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Sri Krishna Himself in the role of His own devotee, appeared in Mayapur in A.D. 1486. He inaugurated the sankirtan movement. This movement has since spread all over the world due to the unyielding dedication of His devotees. The most recent and notable of His stalwart devotees was His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Prabhupada, between 1966 and 1977, singlehandedly established ISKCON – an international organization meant to carry Lord Chaitanya’s mission all over planet earth. While ISKCON continues to expand the sankirtan movement’s enlightening influence in various ways, construction of the ToVP is certainly its biggest project today. Once the ToVP starts functioning, the roaring and benevolent waters of Krishna’s Holy Names will quickly inundate the world.

Future Rests on the Past

The ToVP construction is far from complete and so can be said about the astronomical mission of the sankirtan movement. But from their current state we can say with certainty that the future of both is magnificent. Future rests on the past. Just like tall buildings owe their height to deep underground foundations, deep appreciation of the past inspires a stupendous future.

The Vedic culture is the oldest spiritual tradition known to man. In fact, the Vedic literature itself asserts that its tradition is timeless. In His introduction to transcendental knowledge, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna (BG 4.1):

çré-bhagavän uväca

imaà vivasvate yogaà

proktavän aham avyayam

vivasvän manave präha

manur ikñväkave 'bravét

The Personality of Godhead, Lord Çré Kåñëa, said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvän, and Vivasvän instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikñväku.

Srila Prabhupada infers in his purport that this knowledge has been extant in the human society for at least two million years. The sacred parampara (disciplic succession) system keeps the knowledge flowing from one generation to the next. But this current of spirituality cannot be taken for granted. The carriers of this system at any time in history are always up against the ever present opposing undercurrent of materialism that characterizes this material world. Time and again this untiring and sinister current sidelines the spiritual current and becomes prominent in the world. These are the toughest times for the bearers of the parampara system.

To set things right sometimes Krishna personally reveals true spiritual knowledge. About 5000 years ago he spoke the Gita to Arjuna in the dramatic setting of an all-encompassing world war.

sa eväyaà mayä te 'dya

yogaù proktaù purätanaù

bhakto 'si me sakhä ceti

rahasyaà hy etad uttamam

[Because it has been lost in the course of time …] I will tell you this very ancient science of one’s relationship with the Supreme. You will be able to understand the transcendental mystery of this science because you are My devotee as well as My friend. (BG 4.3)

And then 500 years ago Lord Chaitanya revealed the Gita once again by spectacularly living and emphatically teaching its practical message of devotion. But at other times it’s up to the acaryas - the extraordinary links in the parampara chain - to keep the message alive and distribute it profusely in society. The TOVP is a tribute to the glorious acaryas of Lord Chaitanya's super-excellent Gaudiya Vaishnav parampara.

It’s not easy to keep a flame burning amidst turbulent winds. It's tougher still to light more lamps in the process. While all links in the parampara are great, those who operate in turbulent anti-spiritual times and in the process create a blazing spiritual movement are definitely extra-special. We hail them as our acaryas, to glorify whom no words are enough.

After Lord Chaitanya and the six goswamis of Vrindavan left this world, by an inconceivable arrangement of the Lord the movement gradually disintegrated. By the 1700s, the ruling Moghul invaders had wantonly destroyed many temples in Vrindavan. Devotees were living under the constant threat of Moghul cruelty. During these oppressive times, Srila Vishwanath Charavarty Thakur single-handedly held fort for Gaudiya Vaishnavism in Vrindavan. His literary work, full of esoteric realizations about Vrindavan, was produced despite the times. His ardent follower, Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana, when the very authenticity of Gaudiya Vishnavism was at stake, produced his landmark commentary on the Vedanata Sutra – the Govinda Bhashya. Despite strangling opposition these acaryas not only kept the tradition alive but also produced literature which is today the signature of Gaudiya Vaishnavism.

By the 1800s, the British were ruling India. Their goal was to obliterate Vedic literature and culture. The British run education taught that the Vedic literature is full of fantastic mythological narrations with no connection to reality. This education influenced many young Indian intellectuals and made them reject Vedic schools of thought; the youth could hardly appreciate Gaudiya Vaishnavism. Most significantly, the state of Gaudiya Vaishnavism itself was pathetic. Many groups proclaiming to be Gaudiya Vishnavas had cropped up. But their behavior and philosophical understanding was far removed from the pure teachings of Lord Chaitanya. In fact they were known for indulging in obnoxious activities including illicit sexual relationships. Amidst such harsh and filthy anti-spiritual circumstances appeared the lotus - Srila Sacchidananda Bhaktivinod Thakur. Against these strong opposing currents, he struggled hard to establish the pure and original teachings of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. He wrote extensively, preached door-to-door in villages, and published authentic philosophical works of the six goswamis. His son, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur carried forward his father’s mission with fiery zeal. Against all odds, he established the Gaudiya Math and its 64 branches all over India. His foremost disciple Srila A. C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada established ISKCON. Volumes of literature are available describing his monumental life and spectacular success. But we must not forget the unimaginable hardships that he underwent all his life just to serve his spiritual master and Lord Chaitanya. We must also never forget the driving force behind his struggles – his compassion for us.

If we deeply appreciate what these exalted acaryas have done for Krishna, the world, and us, we will always worship them within our hearts with intense gratitude and warm affection. The TOVP will express these highly elevated spiritual feelings by placing fifteen acaryas on the main altar. This will be the first time in Gaudiya Vaishnav history that so many past acaryas – from the six goswamis to Srila Prabhupada - will permanently reside on the main altar of a temple. Work on the deities of the acaryas has commenced. Dedicated artists are working hard using latest technology and a lot of research to create life-like deities. The fine details of each deity will portray the mood, personality, and if possible the prominent teachings of the acarya. Unlike the Lord, who can accomplish everything effortlessly, these acaryas toiled unimaginably hard. They used their spiritual acumen while depending on the Lord’s mercy alone. They accomplished what is ordinarily impossible. The TOVP is a salute to their sacrifice and contribution. Indeed, the sankirtan mission is growing all over the world on the philosophical, institutional, literary, and cultural foundation that they have laid. The ToVP is also rising on this foundation.

Taking Shape

Phase One of the TOVP construction is near completion. It consists of the RCC framework of columns, the brickwork, and the massive domes that will be the most striking feature of the temple. The RCC framework is complete. The spaces are now well-defined. The hugeness is now apparent. The brickwork has started defining the building’s edges. It has started looking more like a temple now than a mere construction site. The domes are growing. The central and the largest dome is being built in terms of rings of steel and concrete. As I write, the third ring is under construction. The domes will be ready by the first quarter of 2015. Apart from this, the best waterproofing company in the world is using the best technology to protect the superstructure against cracks and water seepage. The goal is to construct a building that will last for at least 1000 years without needing renovation. The massive structure of the TOVP is already visible from miles away. The residents there could already see Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi, now they can also see his gift to Lord Chaitanya.

Phase Two will be all about the finishing – both interior and exterior. There will be at least 22 packages of finishing work including carpentry, woodwork, flooring, doors, and windows. Also included are the astonishing gold work, marble cladding, and the kalash on top of each of the three domes. Apart from the gold inlays inside the temple, the domes will themselves be decorated by a mesh of gold work on the outside. Spotless white marble has started arriving from Vietnam. It will be used both for the interiors and the exteriors of the temple. Exquisite and rare dark blue marble has arrived from Bhutan for embellishing the gorgeous altar in the central dome. Work on the kalash design has started. Kalash is the Sanskrit word for a pitcher. It symbolizes abundance, new life, and growth. The kalash on top of TOVP’s central dome will be four storeys (68 feet) tall. It will be coated with the extremely hard ceramic material known as titanium nitride (TiN). TiN looks like gold and lasts very long. Using TiN will make the kalash maintenance free.

The team of artists working on the ToVP is considering every minute detail of the various aspects of its design. Each component, no matter how minute or how large, gets painstaking attention before getting finalized. The temple site is clean. The construction work is of the highest quality. This high quality is ensured not only by strict monitoring of the work but also by inspiring the workers. Recently all the workers attended a class on the importance and significance of the project.

As is widely known, from the top of the central dome will hang the world’s largest and the one-of-its-kind chandelier. The chandelier will depict the structure of the universe as described by the Srimad Bhagavatam. It will also depict the spiritual world beyond the universe leading up to the highest spiritual planet – Goloka Vrindavan. Visitors will be able to study the universe from multiple levels. At each level will be galleries and exhibits to explain the various aspects of the universe along with its purpose. The highest level will take visitors on a tour of the spiritual world. Detailed design discussions for the chandelier are underway. This chandelier was one of Srila Prabhupada’s most dear ideas.

It’s only a matter of time before the magnificent, exquisite, and sparkling TOVP will adorn the bank of the Ganges right where Lord Chaitanya inaugurated the sankirtan movement.

Srila Prabhupada’s Desire

Srila Prabhupada used to say that he works in Bombay, stays in Vrindavan, and worships the Lord in Mayapur. On Lord Chaitanya’s order, the six goswamis discovered and excavated many holy places in Vrindavan. Vrindavan is Krishna’s town. Similarly, recent Gaudiya acaryas have contributed immensely to Mayapur – Lord Chaitanya’s town. Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur discovered Lord Chaitanya’s birthplace. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur discovered many other pastime places of Lord Chaitanya and founded the Gaudiya Math with one of it’s prominent branches - the Sri Chaitanya Math - in Mayapur. Similarly, the ToVP will be Srila Prabhupada’s most striking contribution to Mayapur. It’s Srila Prabhupada’s most ambitious project. It’s at Srila Prabhupada’s place of worship. It will be Mahaprabhu’s home.

Centuries ago, grand temples were constructed by devoted kings. For example, the massive Ranganath Swamy (a reclining form of Lord Vishnu) Temple in Trichy in the south-Indian state of Tamil Nadu was built between the 11^th and the 17^th century A.D. During this period, the rulers of the region changed, but all of them gave paramount importance to the temple construction. Times have changed. The rulers of the India don’t build temples anymore. Temples are now built by raising funds from the general public. Mayapur is the international headquarters of ISKCON. Consequently, the TOVP is not a local temple of Mayapur. It’s not even an Indian temple. Due the interconnected nature of the modern times, and the international outreach of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON, the TOVP is an international temple. The general public for the TOVP is the entire population of earth.

Srila Prabhupada taught his followers to desire big for the service of Krishna. In the same spirit, the TOVP was one of Srila Prabhupada’s grandest desires. It is yet unfulfilled. Desires of pure devotees are fulfilled by the Lord Himself. For example, years before Srila Prabhupada started ISKCON, he had a desire to build a grand temple in Juhu, Mumbai. Years later the landmark Sri Sri Radha Raasbihari Temple manifested. Similarly, “when” is the only question to ask about the TOVP, not “if”. The TOVP team would like to relocate the deities - the Pancha Tattva, Sri Sri Radha Madhav and the asta sakhis, and Lord Nrsimhadeva - into the TOVP by 2022. When devotees of the Lord come together and cooperate in the spirit of gratitude and love, anything is possible.

Future in the Making

Today, the most prominent and powerful stream of the Gaudiya Vaishnava Pramapara is represented by Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON. The TOVP will be its dam. From this dam, innumerable streams will burst forth in various directions. They will irrigate the whole world with the nourishing waters of the Holy Names. Apart from redirecting waters to otherwise arid places, a typical dam also prevents floods. The TOVP will cause floods – roaring and benevolent floods of the Holy Name sankirtan:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare.

With TOVP, Mayapur will soon become the spiritual capital of the world. Its towering domes will not only be visible from miles away to the naked eye, but also all over the world via mass media. Its spectacular construction, vibrant culture, scientific education, and breathtaking beauty will attract millions. Even today Mayapur sees four million annual visitors. This number will shoot up exponentially. The number of devotees of Lord Krishna will thus shoot up proportionally. Mayapur will become the new Mecca and Vatican of the world. The acaryas who sacrificed their lives for the welfare of the world will see the fruits of their sacrifice. It will bring joy to their hearts, and tears to their eyes. Can there be a greater gain?

The inauguration of the TOVP will open a new chapter in history. It will partition the history of the world into two – history before the TOVP, and history after it.

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http://tovp.org/media-gallery/

This article appeared in the Nov/Dec 2014 issue of the Back To Godhead International

The Lamp of Devotion

In whose home is the Lamp of Devotion more likely to burn, the rich or the poor?

Actually, most people are averse to true devotion because they are engulfed in materialistic conceptions. The poor or unhappy are too occupied with their woes to think about finer truths, and the rich or happy don't see why they should change their lifestyle at all. Those who are partly happy and partly unhappy are engrossed in thoughts of maximizing the happiness percentage in their life. Whatever be the tilt of the happy-sad balance in their life, it's pivot is invariably the material conception of happiness; broadly, wealth and health.

In the soul's journey in the material world in many different bodies, at some point in time the soul becomes aware of the spiritual aspect of life. This is typically a result of some hint of a realization that life doesnt have any meaning if it's going to end with the end of his current body. This small spark of enlightenment, aided by more life experiences and exposure to various spiritual teachings, gradually grows into a flame; this might take lifetimes, or can happen in a flash. But only careful protection and systematic fuelling grows the flame into a blazing fire of complete spiritual enlightenment culminating in pure unmotivated uninterrupted devotion to the Supremely Lovable Lord Sri Krishna.

Thus, it is not happiness or distress, wealth or poverty, but realization of the futility of unspiritual life that makes one inclined to become a devotee of Krishna. The flame of enlightenment is founded on the sturdy wick of this realization. And the systematic practice of a devotional lifestyle fuels the flame. Without the wick, devotional lifestyle will become mere ritual, and without the fuel, the realization will burn to ashes.

A luxurious life full of comforts harms both the realization and the devotional lifestyle of the seeker. He starts thinking material life as not so bad afterall; his realization erodes. And his easy access to comforts discourages him from a life of spiritual discipline. In this sense, material opulence becomes an obstacle to sustained and progressive spiritual life. A sincere seeker is thus weary of opulence and seeks a simple life. On the other hand, the materially afflicted don't have easy access to distractions, and the pangs of distress keep them spiritually alert; certainly an advantage.

This is not to say that a seeker must renounce his opulence; he just needs to be always alert. In fact, by engaging his opulence, both wealth and health, for furthering spiritual causes in the mood of a servant of the Lord, knowing full well that everything belongs to the Lord, the seeker can make rapid progress.

In the human form of life only can one contemplate about spiritual truths and lead a devotional life. The flame of devotion starts burning after merely simmering for many lifetimes. It's a pity if one let's this flame extinguish by neglecting to protect the wick and to fuel it.

May this Diwali light up the flame of devotion in your life and inspire you to convert it into a blazing fire of pure devotion to Lord Krishna.

Abhijit

Goalful Fortunates

Those are most unfortunate who spend most of their spare time in entertainment. No higher goal defines their life.

You don't need to be intellectually or skillfully special to have a goal. Material goals do require such qualifications, but not spiritual goals. Everyone can strive for personal spiritual upliftment irrespective of social, monetary, intellectual, or skill  status. Spiritual goals add meaning to living, and to life itself.

Entertainment centered life is meaningless, hence unfortunate. Goal centered life is purposeful, hence fortunate.

Every Teacher is Not a Guru

Teachers help one learn or hone a skill. Of course, as one becomes more proficient, other variants of teachers like mentors, coaches, and counselors become more relevant. Teachers are often indispensable if one wishes to perfect a skill in the least possible time with the most efficient use of time and energy.

A spiritual master - Guru - helps one make spiritual advancement and is absolutely indispensable if one wants to attain spiritial perfection - pure love for the Supreme Lord.

In modern times any expert or popular teacher is refered to as a Guru. This equation leads to the undesirable watering down of the position of the spiritual master or Guru. Dedication to a teacher is not absolutely indispensable for mastering a skill. No doubt teachers are invaluable, but there are many notable skillsmen who are self-taught to a large extent. These include singers, actors, dancers, writers, sportsmen, and so on. But a Guru - spiritual master - is indispensible; because he doesn't teach skills, he changes hearts.

A Guru guides his disciple in developing the disciple's relationship with the Supreme Lord. This relationship deepens as the disciple's heart becomes cleansed of selfish desires for godless enjoyment. And the heart is cleansed by submissive service to and sincere inquiry from the Guru. In fact, one's relationship with the Guru naturally extends into one's relationship with the Supreme Lord. The Guru is a very intimate dear devotee of the Lord and the Lord accepts one's relationship with Him to the degree one develops his relationship with the Guru.

A teacher, no matter how kind, learned, or austere, is not a Guru if he is not intentionally taking his disciple closer to the Supreme Lord by his teachings. But every genuine Guru is the best teacher because his very existence is to guide his disciples to an eternal ever joyful relationship of love with Sri Krishna!

The Social Gathering

Social get-togethers are memorable and warmer when in the presence of widely and genuinely respected loving elders. They are even more enchanting when people express their gratitude openly and downplay their mutual differences of opinions.

Otherwise social events are typically shallow formalities attended out of social pressure. Even if attended willingly, if devoid of the warmth of loving elders and heartfelt gratitude, social functions are like any other means of popular entertainment meant for passing (i.e. wasting, killing) time. Most of the times they degrade into gossip parties where nothing more enlightening than relatives, politics, sports, television, and economics is discussed. Despite coming together physically, people attending these gossip parties hardly feel the bond of togetherness - because there is no strong common ideal that binds them together. The ideal of "let's enjoy together" focuses not on togetherness, but on enjoyment.

There are a few occasions where social events are enlivening due to the warmth of relationships and the open expression of gratitude. Typically on these occasions the heart is overjoyed seeing the mutual affection flowing all around. These are the real social gatherings.

This principle applies at an even deeper level. Such gatherings are even more meaningful if centered around not just family relationships, but on our relationship with the supreme lord. If we accept the lord as the most loving and respectable person in our life and family, then no social gathering is warm enough without him. If we don't accept the Lord as such, any social gathering, no matter how pleasing to the heart, is merely a polished version of the shallow formal gathering. It might enliven us, but will do nothing to enlighten us.

From today, let's accept the supreme lord as our most respectable dearest relative and our best and most loving friend.


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The Independence Way

Happy people make a progressive nation.

Unhappy people are seldom willing to contribute to make other things better. They are too concerned about finding happiness in their personal lives. Ironically, most leaders pretend to believe that things make people happy. So a lot of energy goes in making unwilling unhappy people work hard to make things. But things don't make people happy. So the dreary hard work continues endlessly with happiness nowhere in sight.

Contentment brings happiness, not things. Content happy people are more inclined to contribute to bigger causes, are more charitable, are more willing to make sacrifices for others, are more willing to help the needy, are honest leaders, are less demanding, are more accommodative, and so on.

Contentment comes from systematic cultivation of spiritual life. A devotional spiritual life fosters service attitude and a genuine desire to make people happy. This dynamic contentment derives its power from a deep relationship of love and service towards the Supreme Lord.

The cherished goal of all nation-lovers should be to increase the happiness quotient of their fellow countrymen. Things play their part, but contentment is the very foundation of happiness.

This Independence Day let's start our freedom struggle against unhappiness by beginning our spiritual journey - a journey down the independence way.

The Tool of Laws

Another angle to the notion that "things just exist" is to say that "laws just exist" and that laws explain the order and intricacy found in nature.

When we pluck a stretched wire, it produces a sound. The pitch of the sound depends on the length of the wire. All this is governed by laws. But to say that laws explain rhythmic melodious music is naive. And to say that chance brings together laws to create music is a humongous leap of faith unacceptable to a logical and honest mind.

It requires intelligence to pluck the strings at the correct places at the correct moments to create well-designed music. Similarly merely laws do not explain the order and intricacy found in nature; intelligence does.

The universe is not governed by the rule of laws brought together by chance; it's governed by an intelligent being expertly wielding the tool of laws.

The Basis of all Existence

Creation, with all its orderly systems and intriguing intricacies reasonably points to an intelligent creator. To avoid acknowledging an intelligent creator, some scientists, philosophers, and even spiritualists propagate many imaginative theories. One of them states that nothing was created, everything just exists.

Even this attempt of keeping intelligence at bay fails. Because intelligence is a prominent feature of existence. Intelligence exists, and it controls other features of existence. For example, a dog is intelligent enough to circumvent uintelligent physical obstacles to  find the source of a scent. Similarly humans are intelligent enough to pick up an unintelligent instrument to pen down imaginative theories about how the pen originally came about.

If everything just exists, then intelligence also just exists; it's not a product of chance. Intelligence is a personality trait. If intelligence just exists, so does personality; personality is not a product of chance.

Personality is a manifestation of consciousness. Thus consciousness just exists. It's a fundamental feature of existence, not a product of chance. Since the posessor of consciousnesses can control unconscious objects and even other less powerful conscious elements, it's highly reasonable to argue that one supreme person exists who controls all else.

Yes, the Supreme Person exists without requiring anything else to explain his existence. The process of spiritual life is to discover that supreme person who, being most powerful, is the very basis of all existence.

Intelligence is a personality trait

Intelligence is a personality trait.

There are two ways to look at things. One is to say that there are no signs of intelligence in what we see; any indication of intelligence, no matter how strong, is merely coincidental - by chance. Another way is to acknowledge that chance cannot explain the indications of intelligence we see.

Energy does not have intelligence; energy in itself cannot create sustained order in a system. Intelligence controls energy. Chance cannot create laws, only intelligence can. Chance cannot even break laws; then how can it be a force superior to the intelligence that can create laws?

Intelligence is a personality trait. A person has intelligence.

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