Many of those who can’t appreciate unalloyed Bhakti and its certain outcome of going back to the eternal spiritual world discourage practicing devotees in many ways. One of them is to say, every time a devotee is glorifying the process of unalloyed Bhakti, that Bhakti is just one of the fads that the practitioner is presently going through. By trying to undermine the sublime position of Bhakti, these detractors try to bring Bhakti to the platform any of the innumerable mundane activities like watching movies or playing games which people tend to develop temporary fads of.
But, just how preposterous is this attempt of pulling down the most sublime eternal truth to the platform of insignificance! Are the serious seasoned spiritualists so dumb that they can’t distinguish between the eternal and the temporary? Isn’t the whole point of spiritual practices to attain an eternal spiritual position giving up the temporary ones of this material world?
The practicing devotees whose faith is yet a bit malleable must take heart in this contemplation. Bhakti is not something of this world. It is, in fact, the means to transcend this world of temporary fixations. It is the eternal constitutional (i.e. natural) activity of the eternal soul. The soul is eternal, and needs something to keep it eternally interested. And that activity is Bhakti.
It is the duty of all devotees to strongly refute such uninformed claims regarding Bhakti. Due to such off-hand careless remarks by so-called learned misguiders, many innocent people can remain bereft of their natural right to eternal happiness with Krishna in the spiritual world. How unfortunate is that? A devotee’s heart goes out for the suffering souls and thus he can’t tolerate when people get diverted from their real benefit to running after unreal expectations of happiness in this material world.
The preaching movement is so difficult. Its like a surgery performed without the sanction of the patient. Most in the material world are averse to Bhakti because they don’t know that their true self-interest lies therein. But as devotees of the Lord, it’s our duty and an expression of love for Krishna and all the suffering souls to preach boldly despite the odds.
All Glories to the Unlimited Vaishnavas! Ananta Koti Vaishnava Vrinda Ki Jai!!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Truth about the Absolute Truth
Today’s world is characterized by freedom of expression. Gradually all kind of censoring is going away, subtly at first, blatantly later. All notions of right and wrong are becoming personalized – What I like is good. Period. No other consideration. I don’t poke my nose in others’ life, so I expect that no one should poke theirs in mine. Such freedom of expression has also made its way into notions about spirituality. Spirituality is about the Absolute Truth, which does not depend on personal preferences. However, today, even spiritual conclusions have become a matter of choice, rather than a matter of fact.
In such a relativistic environment, when some spiritual organization asserts their path to be superior to that of others, it’s seen as a clear case of blatant fundamentalism. But, one would do well by taking a step back and evaluating a spiritual path on its profoundness rather than on how it fits into ones current lifestyle. Since spirituality talks about the unchanging Absolute Truth, it’s up to the human beings to align themselves to that unchangeable Absolute Truth, rather than making the foolish and imaginary attempt at changing the unchangeable.
The understanding that spirituality talks about an Absolute Truth which is independent of all personal preferences should make a sincere seeker seek out for that Truth, rather than trying to just reason about it. What’s the guarantee that whatever conclusion his reasoning takes him to is actually the Absolute Truth? Therefore, the scriptures tell about another procedure to approach the Absolute Truth. It does not preclude logic and reasoning, but gives it a particular direction. We will talk about that procedure a little later (look for *).
The scriptures of all wisdom-traditions point us to the Absolute Truth. Not all of them describe the Absolute Truth to the same degree. And sometimes, their conclusions seem to differ. The difference can be understood to be one of two types. Either one conclusion is higher than the lower, and therefore includes the lower one; or one conclusion is actually incompatible with other. Now, if we make a hierarchy of the various conclusions of the different spiritual paths, we must end up with one topmost path which includes the conclusions of all others in that hierarchy. The conclusion of this topmost path thus will most closely represent the Absolute Truth. However, it’s possible that there might still be some other paths whose conclusions are not compatible with the highest in the hierarchy we just described. This means that this left out path neither includes all the conclusions of the others, nor are all its conclusions included in any other.
Since the Absolute Truth must include all conclusions, if we have more than one conclusion claiming to be the Absolute Truth, then only one of them is actually the Absolute Truth, and all others are either bogus, or included in the actual Absolute Truth.
(*) The procedure talked about in the scriptures is one of sincerely following the instructions of the scriptures under the guidance of one who has realized their conclusions. Since the conclusions of any spiritual path are well-known before hand, a practitioner can clearly verify whether his practice is leading him to the same realizations as those claimed by the path.
Now, one may wonder, that by following any one of the scriptures, one can only reach up to the realizations mentioned by that particular scripture. What if there are even higher realizations than that offered by the particular path he is following? This natural question clearly supports the notion that there can be different scriptures which proffer different levels of spiritual realizations to the practitioner and that one path can definitely be higher than the other.
This discussion might prompt one to hastily declare that since there is a possibility of realizations higher than those offered by even the highest conclusions known yet, why not leave aside the scriptures and try one’s own way? This is certainly an intelligent enquiry, but one which is easily answered when one hears the nature of the Absolute Truth from highly elevated souls who have realized the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna.
The Absolute Truth is defined as the source of everything, and of whom there is no source. The Absolute Truth is the supremely independent entity who does not depend on anything else for His existence; on the contrary, everything else depends on Him for its existence. The Absolute Truth is the fountainhead and the supreme controller of everything, including the power of reasoning. No other definition of the Absolute Truth can better this one, and hence, any path that leads one to the realization of such an Absolute Truth can be considered the highest of all.
The Vaishnavas realize this Absolute Truth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna. The Vedic scriptures, especially the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam, declare Sri Krishna as the Absolute Truth (param satya). No other scripture of the world describes the Absolute Truth in such detail and clarity as do the Vedic scriptures. At the same time, the theistic conclusions of all theistic wisdom-traditions are included in the spiritual path of the Vaishnavas, known as the Bhagavat Dharma.
Even the conclusions of the impersonalist spiritual paths (who claim the Absolute Truth to be an undifferentiated entity with no attributes) are included in the Vaishnava conclusion of the Supreme Person as the Absolute Truth. This is because the Vaishnavas don’t deny the impersonal undifferentiated entity which is the goal of the impersonalist, but on the contrary describe it as an emanation from the Supreme Person, just like sunrays are an emanation of the sun. The sun is clearly superior to the sunrays, being their source.
But what about the non-theistic conclusions of some of the popular wisdom-traditions like Buddhism? The Buddhist conclusion is that ultimately there is nothing. Since the Absolute Truth is the source of everything, and surely something exists (at least the power of reasoning that “nothing exists” exists), and that nothing can come out of “nothing”, the Absolute Truth must surely not be “nothing”. Moreover, the Vaishnavas have positively realized the Absolute Truth as Sri Krishna, and they don’t have to go into a long philosophical debate to convince themselves of that. A man who can see does not have to prove to himself that the sun exists, and the blind man with his own ability can only reach up to the conclusion that there is no such thing as light. On the other hand, how can one realize that actually there is “nothing”? Similarly, some others might claim that actually there is no God. But again, on what grounds can one insist that an entity does not exist when someone else has actually realized the existence of that entity?
By exercising ones mental muscles, one can only reach up to the understanding of impersonalism. This is because material mind and senses cannot conceive of a personality as Supremely powerful as Sri Krishna. Impersonalism essentially boils down to saying that ultimately everything just exists and there is no one supreme entity independent and superior to all other existence. In other words, all entities that exist must just be manifestations and parts of the sum total of everything that exists. And this sum total of everything that exists is the Absolute Truth. Even though voidism (e.g. Buddhism) sounds a bit different in its conclusion, as far as comparison with Vaishnavism goes, for all practical purposes, it’s the same as impersonalism. This is because it doesn’t allow for the existence of a Supreme entity who is the source of everything, and of whom there is no source. In fact, voidism doesn’t allow for the existence of anything! Thus, both impersonalism and voidism are a result of not being able to reach the conclusion of a Supreme Person being the Absolute Truth. Since its not possible to reach the Vaishnav conclusion by one’s own mental speculation, what possibility is there of reaching a higher conclusion than Vaishnavism just by the power of logic and reasoning?
The Vaishnavas have realized the Absolute Truth to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna, and therefore, any other conclusion about the nature of the Absolute Truth must either include the Vaishnava conclusion, or be included by it. If not, we can safely reject it as bogus. One has no right (and means) to deny that the Vaishnavas have actually realized the Absolute Truth to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna. One can only judge one’s own conclusion against the Vaishnav one. And better still, one can give up ones mental speculation and accept the lofty Vaishnav conclusion and earn a chance to someday come face to face with the Absolute Truth, who is not an unreciprocating impersonal entity, nor is who “nothing”, but who is the supremely beautiful and loving Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna.
In such a relativistic environment, when some spiritual organization asserts their path to be superior to that of others, it’s seen as a clear case of blatant fundamentalism. But, one would do well by taking a step back and evaluating a spiritual path on its profoundness rather than on how it fits into ones current lifestyle. Since spirituality talks about the unchanging Absolute Truth, it’s up to the human beings to align themselves to that unchangeable Absolute Truth, rather than making the foolish and imaginary attempt at changing the unchangeable.
The understanding that spirituality talks about an Absolute Truth which is independent of all personal preferences should make a sincere seeker seek out for that Truth, rather than trying to just reason about it. What’s the guarantee that whatever conclusion his reasoning takes him to is actually the Absolute Truth? Therefore, the scriptures tell about another procedure to approach the Absolute Truth. It does not preclude logic and reasoning, but gives it a particular direction. We will talk about that procedure a little later (look for *).
The scriptures of all wisdom-traditions point us to the Absolute Truth. Not all of them describe the Absolute Truth to the same degree. And sometimes, their conclusions seem to differ. The difference can be understood to be one of two types. Either one conclusion is higher than the lower, and therefore includes the lower one; or one conclusion is actually incompatible with other. Now, if we make a hierarchy of the various conclusions of the different spiritual paths, we must end up with one topmost path which includes the conclusions of all others in that hierarchy. The conclusion of this topmost path thus will most closely represent the Absolute Truth. However, it’s possible that there might still be some other paths whose conclusions are not compatible with the highest in the hierarchy we just described. This means that this left out path neither includes all the conclusions of the others, nor are all its conclusions included in any other.
Since the Absolute Truth must include all conclusions, if we have more than one conclusion claiming to be the Absolute Truth, then only one of them is actually the Absolute Truth, and all others are either bogus, or included in the actual Absolute Truth.
(*) The procedure talked about in the scriptures is one of sincerely following the instructions of the scriptures under the guidance of one who has realized their conclusions. Since the conclusions of any spiritual path are well-known before hand, a practitioner can clearly verify whether his practice is leading him to the same realizations as those claimed by the path.
Now, one may wonder, that by following any one of the scriptures, one can only reach up to the realizations mentioned by that particular scripture. What if there are even higher realizations than that offered by the particular path he is following? This natural question clearly supports the notion that there can be different scriptures which proffer different levels of spiritual realizations to the practitioner and that one path can definitely be higher than the other.
This discussion might prompt one to hastily declare that since there is a possibility of realizations higher than those offered by even the highest conclusions known yet, why not leave aside the scriptures and try one’s own way? This is certainly an intelligent enquiry, but one which is easily answered when one hears the nature of the Absolute Truth from highly elevated souls who have realized the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna.
The Absolute Truth is defined as the source of everything, and of whom there is no source. The Absolute Truth is the supremely independent entity who does not depend on anything else for His existence; on the contrary, everything else depends on Him for its existence. The Absolute Truth is the fountainhead and the supreme controller of everything, including the power of reasoning. No other definition of the Absolute Truth can better this one, and hence, any path that leads one to the realization of such an Absolute Truth can be considered the highest of all.
The Vaishnavas realize this Absolute Truth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna. The Vedic scriptures, especially the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam, declare Sri Krishna as the Absolute Truth (param satya). No other scripture of the world describes the Absolute Truth in such detail and clarity as do the Vedic scriptures. At the same time, the theistic conclusions of all theistic wisdom-traditions are included in the spiritual path of the Vaishnavas, known as the Bhagavat Dharma.
Even the conclusions of the impersonalist spiritual paths (who claim the Absolute Truth to be an undifferentiated entity with no attributes) are included in the Vaishnava conclusion of the Supreme Person as the Absolute Truth. This is because the Vaishnavas don’t deny the impersonal undifferentiated entity which is the goal of the impersonalist, but on the contrary describe it as an emanation from the Supreme Person, just like sunrays are an emanation of the sun. The sun is clearly superior to the sunrays, being their source.
But what about the non-theistic conclusions of some of the popular wisdom-traditions like Buddhism? The Buddhist conclusion is that ultimately there is nothing. Since the Absolute Truth is the source of everything, and surely something exists (at least the power of reasoning that “nothing exists” exists), and that nothing can come out of “nothing”, the Absolute Truth must surely not be “nothing”. Moreover, the Vaishnavas have positively realized the Absolute Truth as Sri Krishna, and they don’t have to go into a long philosophical debate to convince themselves of that. A man who can see does not have to prove to himself that the sun exists, and the blind man with his own ability can only reach up to the conclusion that there is no such thing as light. On the other hand, how can one realize that actually there is “nothing”? Similarly, some others might claim that actually there is no God. But again, on what grounds can one insist that an entity does not exist when someone else has actually realized the existence of that entity?
By exercising ones mental muscles, one can only reach up to the understanding of impersonalism. This is because material mind and senses cannot conceive of a personality as Supremely powerful as Sri Krishna. Impersonalism essentially boils down to saying that ultimately everything just exists and there is no one supreme entity independent and superior to all other existence. In other words, all entities that exist must just be manifestations and parts of the sum total of everything that exists. And this sum total of everything that exists is the Absolute Truth. Even though voidism (e.g. Buddhism) sounds a bit different in its conclusion, as far as comparison with Vaishnavism goes, for all practical purposes, it’s the same as impersonalism. This is because it doesn’t allow for the existence of a Supreme entity who is the source of everything, and of whom there is no source. In fact, voidism doesn’t allow for the existence of anything! Thus, both impersonalism and voidism are a result of not being able to reach the conclusion of a Supreme Person being the Absolute Truth. Since its not possible to reach the Vaishnav conclusion by one’s own mental speculation, what possibility is there of reaching a higher conclusion than Vaishnavism just by the power of logic and reasoning?
The Vaishnavas have realized the Absolute Truth to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna, and therefore, any other conclusion about the nature of the Absolute Truth must either include the Vaishnava conclusion, or be included by it. If not, we can safely reject it as bogus. One has no right (and means) to deny that the Vaishnavas have actually realized the Absolute Truth to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna. One can only judge one’s own conclusion against the Vaishnav one. And better still, one can give up ones mental speculation and accept the lofty Vaishnav conclusion and earn a chance to someday come face to face with the Absolute Truth, who is not an unreciprocating impersonal entity, nor is who “nothing”, but who is the supremely beautiful and loving Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Janmashtami Realizations 2009
As I was finishing my 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra today, I was thinking about 12noon. That was the time I would break my fast. Today is Nandotsav, and also the appearance day of His Divine Grace Srila AC BhaktiVedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder Acharya of ISKCON, and the savior of the whole world. Yesterday was Sri Janmashtami, the appearance day of Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yesterday I fasted till midnight and also chanted 32 rounds of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Meanwhile, I have been reading the biography by HH BhaktiVikasa Swami Maharaj of His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada, the gurudev of Srila AC BhaktiVedanta Swami Prabhupada. All these spiritual activities in the last 48 hours have given me a few realizations. Here they are.
(1)
I chanted 32 rounds yesterday more easily than I chant my 16 rounds every day. Earlier this year on Gour Pournima I managed to chant 64 rounds despite not being fully fit. Again, quite miraculously, I could do so more easily than the daily 16 rounds. For me, this is quite solid proof that mercy plays a most important role in execution of our spiritual practices. And that on Madhava Tithis (special days related to Madhava, Krishna) the Lord is especially merciful on the prayerful devotee. How else can I explain the ease with which I chanted so many rounds on these days? Can anyone explain this mechanistically? Just for those who would start trying to do so, let me state clearly that it was not any special mental adjustment on my part. All I did was a brief prayer to the Lord that “let me chant these many rounds today”. I say this prayer almost daily, but the effect is never as it is on these Madhava Tithis.
(2)
Fasting reveals how much we are sense controlled, or how much we are not sense controlled. Yesterday, on Janmashtami, time and again, my mind went ahead to midnight, after which I would honor Ekadashi Prasadam. But, it was more about what I would honor than just the fact that I would honor some Prasadam item. This shows how my tongue is hankering for palatable dishes. If those dishes are easily available, we don’t consider how much we hanker for them. But when we fast, these things are revealed. So, I have a long way to go in controlling my tongue.
I read in the Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Vaibhav (the biography of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada) that during his vow of chanting one billion names of the Lord, he used to only eat plain rice cooked by his own hands once a day. No spices or anything else. Here was a real-life example of what a perfect transcendentalist is – one who has controlled the urges of his senses.
(3)
I replaced the newspaper from the hands of my grandmother with the Krishna Book. After some time she was very excited about what she had just read. She had already read the Krishna Book once, but she told me, “How beautifully Vasudev is explaining to Kamsa about things… I don’t remember reading all this the first time I read this book!” I told her that this is the way with all transcendental literature, and what to speak of the crest jewel of all of them, Grantha Raj Srimad Bhagavatam. And the Krishna Book is the 10th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, and its sweetest part. Sri Krishna thus showed special mercy on my grandmother this Janmashtami. And my Mom has started reading the Krishna Book too! Jai!
Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai!
Sri Krishna Janmashtami Ki Jai!
(1)
I chanted 32 rounds yesterday more easily than I chant my 16 rounds every day. Earlier this year on Gour Pournima I managed to chant 64 rounds despite not being fully fit. Again, quite miraculously, I could do so more easily than the daily 16 rounds. For me, this is quite solid proof that mercy plays a most important role in execution of our spiritual practices. And that on Madhava Tithis (special days related to Madhava, Krishna) the Lord is especially merciful on the prayerful devotee. How else can I explain the ease with which I chanted so many rounds on these days? Can anyone explain this mechanistically? Just for those who would start trying to do so, let me state clearly that it was not any special mental adjustment on my part. All I did was a brief prayer to the Lord that “let me chant these many rounds today”. I say this prayer almost daily, but the effect is never as it is on these Madhava Tithis.
(2)
Fasting reveals how much we are sense controlled, or how much we are not sense controlled. Yesterday, on Janmashtami, time and again, my mind went ahead to midnight, after which I would honor Ekadashi Prasadam. But, it was more about what I would honor than just the fact that I would honor some Prasadam item. This shows how my tongue is hankering for palatable dishes. If those dishes are easily available, we don’t consider how much we hanker for them. But when we fast, these things are revealed. So, I have a long way to go in controlling my tongue.
I read in the Sri Bhakti Siddhanta Vaibhav (the biography of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada) that during his vow of chanting one billion names of the Lord, he used to only eat plain rice cooked by his own hands once a day. No spices or anything else. Here was a real-life example of what a perfect transcendentalist is – one who has controlled the urges of his senses.
(3)
I replaced the newspaper from the hands of my grandmother with the Krishna Book. After some time she was very excited about what she had just read. She had already read the Krishna Book once, but she told me, “How beautifully Vasudev is explaining to Kamsa about things… I don’t remember reading all this the first time I read this book!” I told her that this is the way with all transcendental literature, and what to speak of the crest jewel of all of them, Grantha Raj Srimad Bhagavatam. And the Krishna Book is the 10th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, and its sweetest part. Sri Krishna thus showed special mercy on my grandmother this Janmashtami. And my Mom has started reading the Krishna Book too! Jai!
Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai!
Sri Krishna Janmashtami Ki Jai!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Yearning for Eagerness in Vrindavan
(Sri Sri Krishna Balaram)
November 01, 2008
The train chugged its way into the railway station. It was 0650. For those present outside the train on the railway station platform, this was not the most awaited moment of the century. For many who were inside the train, this was a long awaited moment, at least for those who considered the wait from the start of their train journey to its end a long wait. And for others like me, this was one of the most special moments in our lives. Around five thousand years ago, the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna chose to appear on this earth to relieve it off the burden of evil. And this was the place he chose to appear. Mathura.
It was my first visit to Mathura. As soon as I alighted from the train, I fell flat like a stick to offer my respects. I like to do this. I like to forget all concerns for petty things like keeping my clothes spotlessly clean when it comes to following my heart. While this is not always possible in the “civilized” society, who can blame me if I do this as an offering to the Lord, especially in His holy dham, especially when I have arrived there just to do that – to offer my heart to Krishna in the hope that He will steal it away and never return it back.
It’s difficult to describe what I was feeling, simply because I was myself not sure. Instead of theorizing what I should be feeling, I just decided to soak it all in. On the alert, I tried to devour by my eyes and ears as much as possible. The sun had just arisen on the horizon and was greeting us a warm welcome from across the vast fields. Men wearing saffron robes – sadhus – were very much part of the scene. On seeing them, I tightened my mental muscles and reminded myself not to offend, even mentally, the residents of the dham. They are all, sadhus or not, very dear to Krishna, and Krishna has granted them special residence in his own special home – Mathura.
But Mathura was not my final destination. Along with a few other devotees who had travelled in the same train, we sat in a sawari-rikshaw (in principle, a cab) and proceeded to the most holy place in the universe – Sri Vrindavan Dham. We rattled along through the city of Mathura. We passed by Krishna Janma Bhumi (birth place of Sri Krishna), which shares a common wall with a big mosque. I saw hoardings all over the place advertizing discourses on the Srimad Bhagavatam. I saw cows accepting eatables (most probably it was Krishna Prasad) at the doorsteps of small houses lining narrow streets. Everything reminded me of Krishna.
After a 15Km trip, we reached Sri Dham Vrindavan. The rikshaw stopped. I asked the devotees whether we are supposed to get down here. As soon as I got down, I offered my heartfelt dandavats to the Holy Dham and made sure I don’t brush off the dust from my clothes when I stood up. To be smeared by the dust of Sri Vrindavan Dham is a sure-shot way to attaining the most cherished spiritual goal - of unalloyed love for Krishna. At the beginning of each day of my trip, my kurta started off pristine white and at the end of the day the front was more or less brown. All day I was just looking for opportunities to fall flat on the ground in supplication.
The train chugged its way into the railway station. It was 0650. For those present outside the train on the railway station platform, this was not the most awaited moment of the century. For many who were inside the train, this was a long awaited moment, at least for those who considered the wait from the start of their train journey to its end a long wait. And for others like me, this was one of the most special moments in our lives. Around five thousand years ago, the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna chose to appear on this earth to relieve it off the burden of evil. And this was the place he chose to appear. Mathura.
It was my first visit to Mathura. As soon as I alighted from the train, I fell flat like a stick to offer my respects. I like to do this. I like to forget all concerns for petty things like keeping my clothes spotlessly clean when it comes to following my heart. While this is not always possible in the “civilized” society, who can blame me if I do this as an offering to the Lord, especially in His holy dham, especially when I have arrived there just to do that – to offer my heart to Krishna in the hope that He will steal it away and never return it back.
It’s difficult to describe what I was feeling, simply because I was myself not sure. Instead of theorizing what I should be feeling, I just decided to soak it all in. On the alert, I tried to devour by my eyes and ears as much as possible. The sun had just arisen on the horizon and was greeting us a warm welcome from across the vast fields. Men wearing saffron robes – sadhus – were very much part of the scene. On seeing them, I tightened my mental muscles and reminded myself not to offend, even mentally, the residents of the dham. They are all, sadhus or not, very dear to Krishna, and Krishna has granted them special residence in his own special home – Mathura.
But Mathura was not my final destination. Along with a few other devotees who had travelled in the same train, we sat in a sawari-rikshaw (in principle, a cab) and proceeded to the most holy place in the universe – Sri Vrindavan Dham. We rattled along through the city of Mathura. We passed by Krishna Janma Bhumi (birth place of Sri Krishna), which shares a common wall with a big mosque. I saw hoardings all over the place advertizing discourses on the Srimad Bhagavatam. I saw cows accepting eatables (most probably it was Krishna Prasad) at the doorsteps of small houses lining narrow streets. Everything reminded me of Krishna.
After a 15Km trip, we reached Sri Dham Vrindavan. The rikshaw stopped. I asked the devotees whether we are supposed to get down here. As soon as I got down, I offered my heartfelt dandavats to the Holy Dham and made sure I don’t brush off the dust from my clothes when I stood up. To be smeared by the dust of Sri Vrindavan Dham is a sure-shot way to attaining the most cherished spiritual goal - of unalloyed love for Krishna. At the beginning of each day of my trip, my kurta started off pristine white and at the end of the day the front was more or less brown. All day I was just looking for opportunities to fall flat on the ground in supplication.
(A view of Sri Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir)After getting up, I looked around trying to figure out exactly where I was. Bewildered, I asked a devotee and he replied “Krishna Balaram Mandir”. What? Where? My eyes frantically darted around trying to find the temple. About 25-30 yards ahead, on the left of the road, stood the beautiful Krishna Balaram Temple, also known as the “Angrezon Ka Mandir” (Foreigners’ Temple) in and around Vrindavan. Srila Prabhupada’s western disciples created quite a stir when they first came to Vrindavan with Prabhupada. Foreigners were not supposed to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna. He was exclusively the property of India, and even more exclusively, of Vrindavan. Well, all that changed when Krishna’s pure devotee Srila Prabhupada, on the order of his Gurudev, Srila Bhakti Siddhant Saraswati (another pure devotee), gave Krishna to the whole world in accordance with the desire of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who is none other than Sri Krishna.
As I entered the front gate, I crossed the Samadhi of Srila Prabhupada and offered dandavats. As I moved forward, I came to a big gate. On one side of it a doorman was pulling on a big rope to ring a big bell somewhere above. I asked him if I could ring it too. No, is what he replied, in such a tone that all further communication was impossible. As soon as I entered the gate, something happened. I just couldn’t keep ambling anymore. Something (someone?) within me impelled me to run. I ran. Down the steps, onto the courtyard, across the courtyard, up the steps, into the main temple room. There I was, my heart throbbing in anticipation, eyes searching for that sight, of Sri Sri Krishna Balaram! There I beheld, one at a time, Sri Sri Krishna Balaram, Sri Sri Gaur Nitai, and Sri Sri Radha Shyamsunder. I offered dandavats and prayers before each of them. I was so happy, and my trip was already a success. I had just tasted a drop of Krishna Prem.
Ever since, time and again, I remember those lovely moments. How I had run for taking darshan of Their Lordships. How eager was I to just behold them. My heart yearns for the time when my whole existence will be made up of only such moments - of intense eagerness for Sri Sri Radha Shyamsunder.
Monday, March 9, 2009
The God Logic
Based on observations made by our senses, existence or non-existence of God cannot be proven by logic and argument. If we stick to the principle of “seeing is believing”, or in more generalized terms, directly perceiving is believing, then we will reach to the conclusion that there exists no God, because a general person in this world cannot directly perceive the existence of God.
But if we accept that our powers of perception are limited, then we can at least come to the allowance that there might exist God, who is beyond the power of our direct perception. This is not a proof for the existence of God, but at least, by discarding the certainty about the non-existence of God, it lays the foundation for further enquiry into the topic of existence of God.
The holy scriptures of all major religions have asserted the existence of God. Along with the assertions are given the processes by following which one can perceive God in lesser or greater degrees. How can the senses which we have accepted to be powerless to perceive God suddenly gain the required power? God appreciates the sincerity of the seeker’s efforts, and to that degree empowers the senses of the seeker to perceive God. Therefore, all that is needed in perceiving God is sincere efforts along a well documented path as revealed in the holy scriptures.
The effects of following the holy scriptures, including the effect of being able to perceive God directly, depend a lot on the mood of the follower. God knows everything, including the seeker’s mood, the seeker’s motivations behind approaching God, the seeker’s past deeds, and many other factors. Based on all these, God reciprocates with the seeker. Based on the degree of reciprocation by God, the internal world (essentially the desires) of the seeker surely gets transformed, whether the seeker’s external circumstances do so or not. And perception of God no longer remains mere theory.
So, have we proved the existence of God? No. We have just stated what the holy scriptures state and what sincere devotees of God have been telling us all along. These statements cannot be proven unless one follows the process. But they can be proven to oneself, by direct perception, if one follows the process. Now, the only question is: are the devotees of God bluffing us? If we think so, then obviously we will continue to not accept the existence of God. And if we do believe the devotees of God, we will accept that God exists and can be perceived by following devotional practices and processes.
Well, there you go! The non-believers will jump on to this explanation saying that it relies on faith and not on hard evidence. That it depends on abstract things like perception, and that too on others’ perceptions. What is the proof that that perception is not a hallucination? But hallucinations are a characteristic of mentally deranged men, and devotees of God hardly show any symptoms of mental derangement. So, the question that remains, in its more refined form, is: should one believe the verifiably sane (and in a lot of cases verifiably very intelligent) devotees of God when they say that God can be perceived by following a certain process? For most neutral people, the reasonable answer is Yes.
Yes, initially a little bit of reasonable faith is required to start off on a path suggested by the scriptures and the devotees of God. But that faith is quite a reasonable one. Along with that is also needed a systematic understanding of the science of God. This understanding, along with the sincere practice, will fortify our faith when we see that the results of following the process match with what the science states. And the fortified faith, in turn, will inspire us to follow the process even more sincerely. This science is presented in the holy scriptures. As with any other form of learning, a teacher advanced in the practice of the science is a must; from whom one can take practical instructions, to whom one can ask deep questions, and under whose guidance one can study the scriptures. Quite naturally, such a teacher is himself a devotee of God, otherwise how can he guide his students towards a practical direct perception of God?
So, have we proved the existence of God? No. And we have already accepted at the very outset that God cannot be perceived with the limitedly powerful senses. But we have reasonably argued that sincere practitioners of the processes required to perceive God (which are documented in the holy scriptures) have stated that God can be perceived by following those processes. We have also stated that a systematic study of the science of God is required to help us sincerely follow the process and also to cross-check the theory of the science with its practical application.
Having reasonable faith does not fall out of the limits of the scientific method. The hypotheses of the scientific method are nothing but leaps of reasonable faith. These hypotheses act as guiding lights for the subsequent experiments. The results of those experiments give the hypotheses various degrees of truth. If the results of the experiment match with the predictions of the hypotheses, the hypotheses are declared as truths. Otherwise, the hypotheses are discarded.
Similarly, having reasonable faith in the words of the holy scriptures and of the sincere devotees of God is like accepting the existence of God as a hypothesis. Following the processes they recommend is like the experiments. The science of God is like the guiding principles based on which the hypothesis can be cross-checked with the practical experiences. If the scientific method of gaining knowledge is considered scientific, how then is following a spiritual process as described above not scientific?
The non-believers can choose not to take up any spiritual path. That is their choice. However, they cannot prove that God does not exist. There are a lot of things outside a general man’s power of perception and one cannot scientifically make conclusive statements about such things staying within those limiting boundaries of perceptionn. The non-believers generally tend to reject the instructions of the scriptures and the devotees of God, but put forward their own arguments about why God must not exist. In other words, they say that God does not exist because if he had existed he would have acted in such and such a way. And so on. But in making such statements, the non-believers propose their own idea of God. But God does not necessarily have to be like what people who deny God’s existence say. If on the other hand, one studies the science of God under proper guidance, one will get answers to a lot questions whose lack of satisfactory answers turn many people into non-believers. One cannot choose to deny God’s existence and at the same time propose how God should behave. And one who accepts God’s existence will naturally learn the science of God from the holy scriptures under the guidance of sincere devotees of God who have been applying the science in their lives for a lot of years.
The devotees of God encourage the general mass of people to take on devotional spiritual paths. This is out of their compassion. The devotees have experienced the grace of God and are eager to share it with others. They do not any vested interests in propagating the science of God. But what is the motive behind the non-believers’ vehement opposition to God-consciousness? Many non-believers say that God and science don’t go together. That God is fiction. But, we have already explained that in that sense, all hypotheses of the scientific method are fiction. They are not proved unless experiments are conducted to prove them. Some other non-believers point out that religion has been the cause of great violence all throughout history, and therefore one must just relegate God to being a non-entity. In other words, if God existed, He would not allow such violence in the name of religion. Therefore, God does not exist. Again, such an understanding reveals the lack of awareness about science of God. In fact, most of the arguments against the existence of God stem from a lack of even basic understanding of the science of God. The non-believers may retort with saying that they think the science of God is just a figment of someone’s imagination. But, we have already explained a few times that this science can be compared to an element in the scientific method, and only experimentation (actually following the spiritual devotional process) can prove it one way or the other.
Apart from these reasons, some non-believers just hate God. Most of their arguments are just to cover up this hatred. They don’t care whether God exists or not. They just hate Him. Why? Maybe life has not gone according to their plan and they see this as an evil act of God. There can be many other reasons. But all of this again point to a lack knowledge about the science of God. If God exists, why does He let me suffer? Unless one studies the science of God, how can one know the answer to this question?
So, have we proved the existence of God? Yes and No. We have definitely asserted that non-believers cannot make any conclusive statements about the non-existence of God. As for those who have at least a little faith that God exists, they can use the scientific method to verify their faith by following the devotional spiritual processes under the guidance of sincere and experienced devotees of God. Simultaneously, they can learn the science of God under the proper guidance so that they can verify the results of their practices against what the science states. If the practitioner can verify this, then he would have proved the existence of God to himself. For those who do not care to conduct the experiments, the existence of God still remains a mystery. They can not prove that God does not exist, and without following the devotional spiritual processes, they cannot prove that God exists. They are nowhere.
This, then, is the God Logic.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Stone-Alive
While I was zooming along on the beautiful tree-lined highway, suddenly I hit the brakes! Screeeech! Thud! Generally, when your car tire runs over a tiny little squirrel that chooses to scamper across the road just late enough so that you cant do much about what’s about to happen, you get that sinking feeling. And unless you are quite stone-hearted, the next few minutes are not so joyful. That guilty feeling lingers on for a while before it’s replaced by things more important than the life of an innocent squirrel that chose the wrong moment. But this time, I was not feeling any remorse. Because I had just overrun, not a tiny little squirrel, but a little boulder. It was just a stone, and by definition, it was already dead. Stone-dead.
Just suppose for a moment that this stone had life. It still has all the characteristics of a stone, but just that it knows that it exists. No matter how many trucks choose to trample it, since its after-all a stone, it does not feel any pain. And just as is fit for a stone, it cannot feel any joy when the spring is round the corner. Isn’t that the most coveted state of existence? Well, granted that there is no experience of the exhilaration before the promising spring, but then definitely that’s not a bad price to pay for escaping the agony of being crushed to pulp under the nonchalant tires of a nameless truck. Yes, the stone is so happy to be alive, as alive as a stone!
Wait a moment! This does not sound quite right. Are we saying that the life of a stone is better than our present lives? Suppose you go to someone and open up your heart to him: “I have such and such problem in life. What could be the reason? What is the remedy?”. And that person replies: “Because you are not yet dead, you are suffering.” Its not an answer that will fill you up with so much joy that your heart cant contain it. Such a stone-hearted reply will hardly help you. And yet, there are so many philosophers who will tell you just this. Not quite as bluntly, but that will pretty much be the essence of their philosophy. You are suffering, they will say. Suffering is because of your desires. Put an end to all your desires. Do not rejoice for anything, and do not lament for anything. And so on. That means one must eventually, not immediately, but eventually, try to become qualitatively just like a stone, or something equivalent that has the same qualities of lifelessness as does a stone!
The philosophy I am referring to is known as impersonalism. It has got many flavors, but all of them have one central theme. That ultimately, the highest truth, the source of everything, is an un-variegated oneness. And therefore, since the ultimate truth is that quality-less oneness, attaining the ultimate truth lies in merging oneself into that oneness. Once merged into that oneness, since its all oneness, there is no question of the dualities represented by happiness and sorrow, pain and pleasure, good and bad, and so on. Hmmm, sounds quite like our friend, Mr. Stone. And what’s more, in such a merged state, true to the definition of oneness, all individuality of the “merger” is lost.
Lets think for a moment or two about this. Who will get really hooked onto such a philosophy whose end goal is negation of all that characterizes life? The immediate response that pops up in our minds is: those who are so totally frustrated with their lives that life has become an unbearable burden for them. To them, the philosophical escape to featureless oneness gives relief from the pains of their routine lives. They do not mind the concomitant philosophical relinquishment of all pleasures either, since they don’t have much to rejoice in their lives anyway. The other category of people who would hook on to this philosophy is of those who have understood the miserable and temporary nature of this world. Since their understanding is based on sound philosophical understanding of the truth of the temporary nature of all things in this world, they choose to not be part of any of it. Due to this strong philosophical conviction, it is not so tough for them either to desire becoming desire-less.
So yes, people do have valid reasons for accepting the impersonalistic philosophy. But if I ask myself to write an essay on “The Happiest Day of My Life”, it will hardly glorify a day I spent in nothingness doing nothing thinking nothing feeling nothing with no one around. Instead it will perhaps glorify a day which I spent in a scenic natural place with a stream of crystal clear water flowing nearby, joking and playing around with my best friends, and feeling a strong current of joy surging through me. Someone else might have a different essay, but surely it will not describe a day full of nothings.
Why then is the impersonalistic philosophy so prominent? Because, most people of this world hardly ever actually live the “happiest day of their life” that they would describe in the essay. And even if they live some, the number is just too insignificant compared to the number of other days. In order to make all their days the “happiest days”, they redefine their happiness as oneness, or even nothingness. This way, their happiness means the absence of all sorrow. Since positive happiness of this world has the dual counterpart of unhappiness, to eradicate the unhappiness, they would go to the extent of eradicating the happiness too!
But what if one could live the happiest day of one’s life every day? For ever. Would you still like to take the other alternative of living days full of nothings? What if every day of your life is in a place where every step is a dance and every word is a song? A place where not only is there no sorrow, but where positive happiness abounds in boundless abundance? A place where happiness does not have the unhappy counterpart. Who in their right minds would reject such a destination and opt for a mindless existence devoid of anything at all!
The make-or-break question is whether such a place of boundless happiness really exists? The answer is that it does. This place is called the Spiritual World or the Kingdom of God. A place full of life and joy where all the inhabitants are always engaged in the loving service of God and as a result are completely blissful at all times. The essential difference between this world and that is that in the spiritual world every thing is spiritual, i.e. eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss. As opposed to that, in this world everything is material, i.e. temporary, devoid of knowledge, and devoid of any bliss. Further, the oneness that the impersonalists desire to become desire-less in, is just the spiritual sky in which the spiritual Kingdom of God exists. Any person who is convinced about the existence of the spiritual world will quite naturally make this choice. Because this is the place which more than fits the place we described in our “The Happiest Day of My Life” essay. Those philosophers who make this choice are known as devotees of God. By serving God, even in this world, the devotees experience spiritual bliss. They do not have to attempt desirelessness, because all their desires are centered around serving God. Such desires are all spiritual, and the happiness derived from them does not have the unhappy counterpart. Contrast this with the impersonalists’ understanding of desirelessnesss where it means no desires whatsoever. The impersonalists do not know that the spiritual kingdom of God exists beyond the oneness of the spiritual sky. Therefore they settle for the lower platform of happiness defined as “absence of sorrow”.
Our journey started with a dead stone. Then we wandered around for a while in nothingness with our imaginary not-quite-alive Mr. Stone. Eventually we crossed over the featureless oneness (or nothingness), and fortunately reached where we really wanted to be! The spiritual world. Since everything there is spiritual, even the stones there are spiritual, i.e. they are eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss! Stones that are truly alive - Stone-Alive!
The Mechanism of Faith
Introduction
Throughout history, faith has been the bedrock for all spiritual advancement. Indeed, it is said that faith is the most essential ingredient for success in spiritual matters. This article tries to put this statement into perspective. It is essentially for readers who have faith that faith (more particularly, faith in a higher and more powerful living being) works. Even for others, this article will have some good food for thought. It will discuss the origin and rationality of faith, its advantages and absolute necessity, and how it works. The article will then go one level deeper when it concludes with an analysis of the different kinds of faith and their respective gradations. This article should strengthen the faith of the faithful, and inspire the faithless to become faithful.
Faith refers to a strong belief in something that cannot be proven empirically. And advancement can be defined as the process of going to a state of existence which is better than the present one. Since spiritual matters are beyond the conception of the limited material senses, and hence cannot be perceived empirically with the use of the limited material senses, it is only with at least a little initial faith that one can endeavor for spiritual goals and make advancement in that direction.
Faith – Origin, Rationality, and Advantages
Faith in someone originates from past experiences or knowledge of wonderful acts performed by that person. If those acts were actually performed by that person, then how can one claim that faith in that person is irrational? However, blind faith is irrational. Blind faith is a perversion of reasonable faith. It is reasonable faith gone wrong. For example, suppose a medical doctor named John has accomplished some marvelous feats such as curing seemingly hopeless medical cases, then putting faith in him is reasonable faith. However, putting faith in every person named John is blind faith, and is clearly based on ignorance of the simple fact that all Johns are not the same.
Once one has logically and philosophically ascertained a particular personality as one’s object of worship, the real role of faith begins. Life is full of ups and downs. To follow a particular way of life according to the instructions of the object of worship, in all circumstances, requires unflinching faith in the instructions of that person. To attain any goal that requires a process to be followed, perseverance is most essential. And perseverance through all the reversals is not possible without such unflinching faith. Thus, not only is the initial faith required (along with sound philosophical understanding) to start off on a spiritual journey, faith is required even more for continuing on that journey so that with such perseverance the sought after spiritual goal is eventually attained. This is why faith is absolutely essential for spiritual progress.
Faith also plays an important role in keeping oneself calm even in the midst of upheavals. A faithful person, not only carries on with his/her chosen path, but he/she is also confident, by dint of his/her faith, that his/her chosen path will carry him/her through all these upheavals.
The Mechanism of Faith
Faithful people always find themselves amidst three kinds of people: 1) those who are totally faithless and have faith in no one, 2) those who have the same faith as themselves, and 3) those who have faith in someone else. Faithful people thus find themselves caught up between these two classes of people, the faithless and those with faith in someone else. We have already explained earlier in the article that having faith in someone who is quite evidently highly powerful cannot be termed as irrational, and therefore those who are faithless are actually irrationally dogmatic in rejecting faith as irrational. But what about the other class of people, those who have some other faith?
To answer this question, we need to understand the mechanism of faith. How faith works? When one worships a more powerful living being, that living being if pleased bestows benedictions on the worshipper. Thus, the results of a particular kind of faith depend on the power of the corresponding object of worship of bestowing benedictions. Thus, there can be as many kinds of faith as there are different objects of worship. All these faiths can be reasonable faiths because all these objects of worship might surely be powerful personalities. However, some of these personalities are more powerful than the others and therefore the kind of benedictions they can offer will differ. Thus, one can clearly grade the different kinds of faith according to the magnitude of benedictions that the various personalities can offer. Obviously, faith in the person who can offer the best benedictions can be considered as the best faith. To say that all kinds of faith are same is saying that all the different personalities have the same power, which is not the case.
This discussion naturally leads us on to the question: Who is the most powerful person in whom I should repose my faith and offer my worship? Srimad Bhagavad Gita deals with this subject matter in quite some depth. At the very beginning of the 7th chapter, Lord Sri Krishna instructs Arjuna as follows:
BG 7.7: O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.
And a little later, in the 7th chapter, Lord Krishna explains why. We will get the answer shortly. Also, if Sri Krishna is clearly the Supreme object of worship, why are so many other faiths prevalent all over the world?
BG BG 7.20 : Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures.
Who are these demigods mentioned by Lord Krishna in this verse? Just like a national government, which has a prime minister along with a cabinet of ministers each heading a particular administrative department, similarly, the universal government has one Supreme God, and a lot of subordinate gods. These subordinate gods are in charge of the various administrative affairs within the universe. For example, someone is in charge of the rainfall, someone is in charge of the sunlight, and so on. These subordinate gods are technically called demigods. And the one Supreme God is Krishna Himself as He has proclaimed in the Bhagavad Gita verse 7.7 that we cited earlier in the article.
And what are material desires? To answer this, one must first understand what is ‘material’ and what is ‘spiritual’. The Supreme Lord is the proprietor of all that exists. Thus, to put it simply, a thing is considered material when that thing is seen as being independent of the Supreme Lord. Since everything is owned by the Lord, everything is thus related to Him. Therefore, those desires which have no motive of serving the Supreme Lord are called material desires. In most cases, the corollary of this definition is that material desires are those desires whose sole motive is one’s own sense gratification. On the other hand, spiritual desires are those whose sole aim is to please the Lord by acting according to His instructions.
Because of material desires, one’s intelligence is covered up and one cannot understand that worship of Sri Krishna is the highest. This is so because the desired material results are quickly obtained by the worship of the demigods. On the other hand, even the material desires of one who worships Krishna are purified into spiritual desires. Less intelligent people, whose intelligence is lost due to material desires, cannot understand this as the greatest mercy of Sri Krishna, and therefore do not worship Him.
However, even if one wants to worship someone else, it is Krishna Himself who facilitates it, as stated in the following verse.
BG 7.21: I am in everyone's heart as the Supersoul. As soon as one desires to worship some demigod, I make his faith steady so that he can devote himself to that particular deity.
Further, even the results of such worship are actually given by Sri Krishna though it looks as if they have come from the other object that is being worshipped!
BG 7.22: Endowed with such a faith, he endeavors to worship a particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone.
However, even though the results are given by Sri Krishna, these results are of a different nature than the results obtained from Sri Krishna by His direct worship. How?
7.23 : Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet.
Even though all results are given by Sri Krishna, those obtained through the medium of others are temporary, and those obtained by direct worship of Sri Krishna are permanent.
A question may arise here that if the results of worshipping some one other than Sri Krishna are temporary, and that worship of someone else is also facilitated by Sri Krishna, then why does Krishna facilitate it at all? That is explained by Srila Prabhupada as follows: “The answer is that if the Supreme Lord as Supersoul does not give such facilities, then there is no meaning to independence. Therefore He gives everyone full independence — whatever one likes — but His ultimate instruction we find in the Bhagavad-Gita: one should give up all other engagements and fully surrender unto Him. (BG 18.66) That will make man happy.” (BG 7.21p)
At this point, we can briefly mention that if the worship of such authorized representatives of the Lord, the demigods, is not proper, then what to speak of worshipping some human beings as God? Unfortunately, especially in India, there are so many human beings who are either self-proclaimed Gods or who are Gods by popular opinion. In the light of the above discussion, it will suffice to say that if not even all persons mentioned in the authorized scriptures are the highest objects of worship, then how can those who have absolutely no mention in the scriptures be appropriate objects of worship? The scriptures are there to guide humanity, and it’s safest to follow the scriptural injunctions, especially in critical spiritual matters.
The Only Faith
Thus, even though we have earlier referred to faith in any powerful person as reasonable faith, in the light of this above knowledge from the Bhagavad Gita, in the strict sense, faith in anyone but Sri Krishna is blind faith because in actuality the others are not capable of giving any benedictions on their own. It is only due to lack of intelligence and due to ignorance about the supreme position of Sri Krishna and the subordinate position of all others, that people worship others instead of Sri Krishna. Just like not all Johns are as powerful as the one powerful John (in the example we cited earlier in this article), no one is even remotely as powerful as Sri Krishna. In fact, Sri Krishna is the only one powerful, and everyone else derives his/her power from Sri Krishna.
Conclusion
In summary, we have seen in this article that having faith in a more powerful personality is quite rational. Having faith has a lot of advantages including peace of mind and the ability to face daunting situations in life. However, its most important role is in keeping one going, even amidst reversals, on one’s chosen path. In the second half of the article, by citing from the Bhagavad Gita, we analyzed the different kinds of faith in terms of the results that they produce, as well in terms of the actual provider of those results. The clear conclusion that came out of that discussion was that Sri Krishna is the Supreme and the only object of worship in whom one should repose one’s faith.
From this article, the three kinds of people can derive their respective benefits as follows. Those who are already worshipping Lord Sri Krishna can strengthen their faith in Him by this empowering knowledge from the Bhagavad Gita, the universally acknowledged book of sublime knowledge. Those whose faith presently lies elsewhere may want to rethink and assess why they have put their faith in someone other than Sri Krishna. What final destination are they going to reach by continuing to practice their faith? Is the result of their worship going to be temporary or permanent? And those who presently claim that faith is irrational can surely start thinking why putting faith in an obviously powerful personality irrational? By this contemplation, they might soon change their mind and start worshipping the supreme object of worship, Lord Sri Krishna.
Hare Krishna!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Jayapataka Swami - Back in the Field!
January 25, 2009
Applause. The kind that bursts out from the hearts of the audience after a moment of stunned silence. The kind that seems to last forever. The kind that no one wants to ever end. The kind that follows a moment that everyone wants to etch into their memories for all time to come. The kind that typically follows an awesome performance that touches the hearts of the audience very deeply. Today, I was part of one such applause.
I am writing this while watching His Holiness Jayapataka Swami who is sitting in a wheelchair about twenty-five feet from me. It’s the 22nd annual Pune Yatra, in the bungalow of H. G. Krishna Chandra Prabhu in Pune, India. It’s as if the celestial giants have descended upon earth. What else would you say if you are amidst HH Radhanath Swami, HH Bhakticharu Swami, HH Jayapataka Swami, HH Chandramouli Swami, and HH Bhakti Vishwambhar Madhava Swami? A couple of days ago, on the first evening of this four-day Yatra, HH Radhanath Swami Maharaja indicated at the possibility that perhaps HH Bhakticharu Maharaja might join us all. This news was received very enthusiastically. But when he also told us that perhaps HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja might also join us, the cheers were uproarious.
And why not? HH Jayapataka Maharaj is a darling of all the Vaishnavas. Srila Prabhupada declared that he is an eternal associate of Lord Chaitanya. Prabhupada gave him Sanyaas when he was just 21. He took up, and continues to execute, major responsibilities in Srila Prabhupada’s mission, including the Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir and many others. He is pretty much the spiritual master of the whole Navadwip Dham! One can’t think of Sri Mayapur Dham without thinking of Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja. His glories are unlimited. Not for nothing did Srila Prabhupada give him the name Jayapataka – the victory flag – signifying the victory of Lord Chaitanya’s Sankirtan Movement. Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam.
But recently, by the inconceivable will of the Lord, this glorious and extraordinarily brave soldier of Lord Chaitanya was put into a precarious situation. In the Sri Sri Radha Rasabihari Temple of ISKCON Juhu, Maharaja had a severe stroke of brain hemorrhage. Doctors said he had no chance. And even if he did survive, he would be no better than a vegetable. Devotees all over the world were shocked! The whole Vaishnava community of ISKCON united in their prayers to the Lord to let Maharaja stay longer on this earth and shower upon everyone his matchless association and mercy. Kirtans roared all over the world. HH Radhanath Swami Maharaja dedicated the Karthik Vrindavan Yatra to HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja, where all devotees prayed fervently to the Lord for Jayapataka Swami Maharaja’s recovery. Thus there was hope, but the situation was still critical, and tense.
Over the next few weeks, I kept myself updated about Maharaja’s health by visiting http://www.jpsoffice.com/. His condition has been steadily improving. According to the doctors, that’s a miracle. But for Krishna nothing is impossible. And how could it be, because He is the cause of all causes. Just before the Pune Yatra, only once, this thought had struck my mind: How nice will it be to have HH Jayapataka Maharaja with us in the Yatra? Surely, due to these recent events, devotees all over the world remembered the glories of Maharaja and thus got purified.
Maharaja is still recuperating, but things look in control now. He traveled for around four hours in an ambulance from Bombay to Pune just to give us his divine association. This is an example of his unlimited mercy. He addressed us briefly yesterday evening. He told us how grateful he was for all the devotees for praying for him. We were all touched. And then again, today while HH Radhanath Maharaja was showering us with the lotus words from his lotus mouth during the Srimad Bhagavatam class, entered the scene HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja. As was planned, HH Radhanatha Swami Maharaja stopped his class and handed over the Vyasasana to HH Jayapataka Maharaja.
Maharaja’s speech is not completely back yet. So he had a devotee repeat his words, although one could understand quite a bit of what he spoke directly. Just his presence was electrifying. He spoke about his last year’s Bangladesh trip, his various helicopter rides, and also he spoke very fondly about his recent stay at the Bhakti Vedanta Hospital in Bombay. His every word was nectar for all the devotees. He informed us that every month around twenty-five patients become devotees in the Bhakti Vedanta Hospital. And then, out of his natural humility, he said that now that he had also been a patient in that hospital, he might also become a devotee.
More than once, my eyes were moistened by his words. He spoke for about an hour. The devotee who had made tens of thousands of devotees was all the while exhibiting his natural humility. Who can fathom the glories and sweetness of a true Vaishnava?
But what was it that was touching everyone’s heart? I had not been able to put it in words. That thought was there somewhere in my sub-consciousness, but I had not yet expressed it in words. HH Radhanath Maharaja had hinted at it more than once. This was a historic event, he said. But exactly what was historic? After enthralling the devotees by his humility, love, and humor, even in his far-from-perfect medical condition, he ended with: “It’s good to be back in the preaching field.”
That was it! That was the historic event. This great general of Lord Chaitanya’s army was back. Back from the dead. There was no chance for him, but here he was. Inspiring devotees, distributing Krishna Prem. Once again! “It’s good to be back in the preaching field”, he said.
Stunned silence. Applause!
Applause. The kind that bursts out from the hearts of the audience after a moment of stunned silence. The kind that seems to last forever. The kind that no one wants to ever end. The kind that follows a moment that everyone wants to etch into their memories for all time to come. The kind that typically follows an awesome performance that touches the hearts of the audience very deeply. Today, I was part of one such applause.
I am writing this while watching His Holiness Jayapataka Swami who is sitting in a wheelchair about twenty-five feet from me. It’s the 22nd annual Pune Yatra, in the bungalow of H. G. Krishna Chandra Prabhu in Pune, India. It’s as if the celestial giants have descended upon earth. What else would you say if you are amidst HH Radhanath Swami, HH Bhakticharu Swami, HH Jayapataka Swami, HH Chandramouli Swami, and HH Bhakti Vishwambhar Madhava Swami? A couple of days ago, on the first evening of this four-day Yatra, HH Radhanath Swami Maharaja indicated at the possibility that perhaps HH Bhakticharu Maharaja might join us all. This news was received very enthusiastically. But when he also told us that perhaps HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja might also join us, the cheers were uproarious.
And why not? HH Jayapataka Maharaj is a darling of all the Vaishnavas. Srila Prabhupada declared that he is an eternal associate of Lord Chaitanya. Prabhupada gave him Sanyaas when he was just 21. He took up, and continues to execute, major responsibilities in Srila Prabhupada’s mission, including the Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir and many others. He is pretty much the spiritual master of the whole Navadwip Dham! One can’t think of Sri Mayapur Dham without thinking of Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaja. His glories are unlimited. Not for nothing did Srila Prabhupada give him the name Jayapataka – the victory flag – signifying the victory of Lord Chaitanya’s Sankirtan Movement. Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam.
But recently, by the inconceivable will of the Lord, this glorious and extraordinarily brave soldier of Lord Chaitanya was put into a precarious situation. In the Sri Sri Radha Rasabihari Temple of ISKCON Juhu, Maharaja had a severe stroke of brain hemorrhage. Doctors said he had no chance. And even if he did survive, he would be no better than a vegetable. Devotees all over the world were shocked! The whole Vaishnava community of ISKCON united in their prayers to the Lord to let Maharaja stay longer on this earth and shower upon everyone his matchless association and mercy. Kirtans roared all over the world. HH Radhanath Swami Maharaja dedicated the Karthik Vrindavan Yatra to HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja, where all devotees prayed fervently to the Lord for Jayapataka Swami Maharaja’s recovery. Thus there was hope, but the situation was still critical, and tense.
Over the next few weeks, I kept myself updated about Maharaja’s health by visiting http://www.jpsoffice.com/. His condition has been steadily improving. According to the doctors, that’s a miracle. But for Krishna nothing is impossible. And how could it be, because He is the cause of all causes. Just before the Pune Yatra, only once, this thought had struck my mind: How nice will it be to have HH Jayapataka Maharaja with us in the Yatra? Surely, due to these recent events, devotees all over the world remembered the glories of Maharaja and thus got purified.
Maharaja is still recuperating, but things look in control now. He traveled for around four hours in an ambulance from Bombay to Pune just to give us his divine association. This is an example of his unlimited mercy. He addressed us briefly yesterday evening. He told us how grateful he was for all the devotees for praying for him. We were all touched. And then again, today while HH Radhanath Maharaja was showering us with the lotus words from his lotus mouth during the Srimad Bhagavatam class, entered the scene HH Jayapataka Swami Maharaja. As was planned, HH Radhanatha Swami Maharaja stopped his class and handed over the Vyasasana to HH Jayapataka Maharaja.
Maharaja’s speech is not completely back yet. So he had a devotee repeat his words, although one could understand quite a bit of what he spoke directly. Just his presence was electrifying. He spoke about his last year’s Bangladesh trip, his various helicopter rides, and also he spoke very fondly about his recent stay at the Bhakti Vedanta Hospital in Bombay. His every word was nectar for all the devotees. He informed us that every month around twenty-five patients become devotees in the Bhakti Vedanta Hospital. And then, out of his natural humility, he said that now that he had also been a patient in that hospital, he might also become a devotee.
More than once, my eyes were moistened by his words. He spoke for about an hour. The devotee who had made tens of thousands of devotees was all the while exhibiting his natural humility. Who can fathom the glories and sweetness of a true Vaishnava?
But what was it that was touching everyone’s heart? I had not been able to put it in words. That thought was there somewhere in my sub-consciousness, but I had not yet expressed it in words. HH Radhanath Maharaja had hinted at it more than once. This was a historic event, he said. But exactly what was historic? After enthralling the devotees by his humility, love, and humor, even in his far-from-perfect medical condition, he ended with: “It’s good to be back in the preaching field.”
That was it! That was the historic event. This great general of Lord Chaitanya’s army was back. Back from the dead. There was no chance for him, but here he was. Inspiring devotees, distributing Krishna Prem. Once again! “It’s good to be back in the preaching field”, he said.
Stunned silence. Applause!
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