The Golden Promise

Appeared in the March 2013 issue of Back To Godhead (India).

The Golden Promise

During this festive season, let us make ourselves fortunate by becoming
a part of the glorious mission of the golden incarnation.

Around 5000 years ago, Lord Çré Kåñëa appeared in Våndävana, near Mathurä City. He established the principles of religion by killing great demons like Kaàsa and by speaking the superlative knowledge of the Bhagavad-gétä. That was in Dväpara-yuga, but the yuga has since changed; we are now in Kali-yuga – the age of rapid decline of spiritual standards. To re-establish the highest religious principles, just around 500 years ago, the Supreme Lord Çré Kåñëa once again descended to this world, this time appearing in Mäyäpur, West Bengal, in His eternal golden form of ÇréCaitanyaMahäprabhu. Çrémad-Bhägavatam(11.5.32) glorifies this most loving avatära of the Lord as follows:

kåñëa-varëaà tviñäkåñëaà

säìgopäìgästra-pärñadam

yajïaiù saìkértana-präyair

yajanti hi su-medhasaù

“In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Kåñëa. Although His complexion is not blackish[His complexion is the color of molten gold and therefore His name is Gauräìga], He is Kåñëa Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons, and confidential companions.”

The Absolute Truth – Subjects and Predicates

But who is Kåñëa? Without understanding this it is not possible to fully appreciate the significance of His descent in the form of Lord Caitanya. Kåñëa, His pastimes, and His teachings are so famous that we can take Him for granted. But Kåñëa is not just one part of our limited reality; He is the Absolute Truth.

The Vedic literature frequently mentions Brahman, Paramätmä, and Bhagavän. These three terms are widely known as the subjects of transcendental understanding. The ultimate aim of all Vedic literature is the Absolute Truth. The Çrémad-Bhägavatam(1.2.11) describes the Absolute Truth as follows:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaà yaj jïänamadvayam

brahmetiparamätmeti

bhagavän iti çabdyate

“Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth say that it is nondual knowledge and is called impersonal Brahman, the localized Paramätmä, and the Personality of Godhead.”

The beginning of spiritual enlightenment is realization of impersonal Brahman. Such realization is effected by gradual negation of material variegation. However, in this realization of the Absolute Truth, spiritual variegation is also absent. This experience is therefore called advaita-väda, or realization of the oneness of the Absolute. The Supersoul in everyone’s heart, which is called the Paramätmä, is the controller of all living entities. He is present everywhere, within the heart of every living entity and within each and every atom as well. Thus by this feature, the Supersoul, the Lord is all-pervading. Mystic yogis realize this feature of the Absolute truth by meditation. The personal aspect of the Absolute Truth, who is complete in every respect, full in all opulences, is known as Bhagavän. Pure devotees of the Lord realize Him to be the Absolute Truth. This realization of the Absolute Truth includes the other two as well. All incarnations of the Absolute Truth, commonly known as incarnations of Viñëu, are the various forms of Bhagavän.

The three subjects – Brahman, Paramätmä,and Bhagavän – are widely discussed in Vedic literature. What is less widely known is that impersonal Brahman is the effulgence of Çré Kåñëa’s transcendental body and that the Paramätmä is only a partial representation of Lord Kåñëa. It is even less widely known that Lord Caitanya is identical with Lord Kåñëa. In Çré Caitanya-caritämåta (Ädi-lélä,chapter 2), Çréla Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja Gosvämé cites conclusive evidence from authoritative Vedic sources to prove the above claims. The Gosvämé likens this analysis to the structure of a sentence. In a sentence, the subject is mentioned first because the reader already knows the subject. And then something pertaining to the subject – known as the predicate – is added to make an informative statement. Since Brahman, Paramätmä, or Bhagavän are well known to students of the Vedas, they are compared to the subject in this analysis. The less known facts mentioned above are compared to predicates.

Kaviräja Gosvämé uses the same logic to further analyze the position of Lord Kåñëa, based on the following verse from Çrémad-Bhägavatam (1.3.28):

ete cäàça-kaläù puàsaù

kåñëas tu bhagavän svayam

indräri-vyäkulaà lokaà

måòayanti yuge yuge

“All these incarnations of Godhead are either plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions of the puruña-avatäras. But Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. In every age He protects the world through His different features when the world is disturbed by the enemies of Indra.”

This verse comes at the end of a series of verses that describe the appearance and activities of various incarnations of Bhagavän. This list includes Kåñëa as an incarnation of Bhagavän. Citing the logic pertaining to a subject and its predicate, Kaviräja Gosvämé explains as follows:

“In the same way, all these incarnations were known, but whose incarnations they are was unknown. First the word ete [“these”] establishes the subject [the incarnations]. Then “plenary portions of the puruña-avatäras” follows as the predicate. In the same way, when Kåñëa was first counted among the incarnations, specific knowledge about Him was still unknown. Therefore first the word kåñëa appears as the subject, followed by the predicate, describing Him as the original Personality of Godhead.” (Caitanya-caritämåta, Ädi-lélä 2.80–83)

In this way Kaviräja Gosvämé proves Krishna’s supreme position as the original Personality of Godhead, the source of all incarnations of Bhagavän. Since Lord Chaitanya is directly Lord Krishna Himself, Lord Chaitanya is that same Absolute Truth. Who would not want to be part of His mission?

The Golden Mission

In this age of Kali there is no way of achieving spiritual perfection other than loudly chanting the holy names of Çré Kåñëa in saëkértana. Even though He is all powerful, as Gauräìga the Lord doesn’t kill the demons but rather kills the demonic tendencies present in their hearts by giving them the holy name. Lord Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, as the yuga-avatära, appeared in this world for the express purpose of spreading the harinäma-saìkértana movement far and wide, even outside the land of India. The following verse from one of the authoritative biographies of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, Çré Caitanya-bhägavata (Antya 4.126), reveals His golden promise in unambiguous words: påthivéte äche yata nagarädi gräma sarvatra pracära haibe mora näma. “In every town and village of the world, the chanting of My name will be heard.”

Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu persuaded the highly learned non-devotional scholars like the great Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya and Prakäçänanda Sarasvaté with His unparalleled scriptural and philosophical acumen. And he persuaded the masses with the all-conquering weapon of the sweet uproarious chanting of the holy name in saëkértana. Be it the philosophy or the holy name, by both methods hearts were transformed, and everyone who came in contact began chanting the holy names of Kåñëa and experienced the divine bliss of love of God. Even the most wretched and infamous evil brothers Jagäi and Mädhäi, who had left no sin uncommitted, weren’t spared by the all-merciful Çré Caitanya. Indeed, after converting even them to superlative Vaiñëavas, Lord Caitanya’s fame knew no bounds.

Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu appointed one of His most trusted servants to carry out the unprecedented and monumental task of spreading His mission all over the world. His prediction of such a personality is recorded in the Caitanya-maìgala as follows (paraphrased): If sinful people get away by being in distant countries where my personal preaching will not reach, I will send my devotee commander-in-chief (senäpati-bhakta) to deliver them.”

Carrying the divine grace of Lord Gauräìga, to execute His golden promise, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda – the senäpati-bhakta – ventured into uncharted territories, outside the safety of his peaceful dwelling in Våndävana, to carry out the mission of the Supreme Lord. In 1965, at the ripe old age of 70, Çréla Prabhupäda found himself alone on the streets of New York with unflinching faith in Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu’s mercy as his only shelter. But what is impossible for the Lord? In 1966, Çréla Prabhupäda founded the International Society for Kåñëa Consciousness (ISKCON) as the medium through which he would spread Lord Caitanya’s message. He expanded Lord Chiatanya’s mission by bringing harinäma-saìkértana to the streets all over the world. In the short span of twelve years “Hare Kåñëa” became a household word all over the world.Despite his busy schedule, which included opening temples, giving discourses, and managing the world wide movement single handedly, he wrote volumes of authoritative philosophical literature based on the teachings of Lord Chaitanya and His intimate associates.

Even today, as the number of Lord Caitanya’s devotees and well-wishers grows, the mercy of Mahäprabhu continues to reach thousands through the medium of Çréla Prabhupäda’s ISKCON. On this most auspicious occasion of Gaura-pürëimä, the appearance anniversary of Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu, we look back in amazement at the limitless mercy of Lord Gauräìga, the astounding accomplishments of Çréla Prabhupäda, and the unimaginable potential that this movement holds. The future is golden.

Lord Chaitanya and His Commander-in-Chief

February 28, 2010 is the appearance anniversary of the Supreme Personality of Godhead - Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu- who is none other than Sri Krishna Himself. This most auspicious day is celebrated all over the world, by those who are fortunate enough to know the the glories of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, as Sri Gour Pournima.

Around 5000 years ago, Sri Krishna appeared in Sri Vrindavan. He established the principles of religion by killing great demons like Kamsa, and by speaking the superlative knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita. That was the Dvaapaar Yuga. The yuga has since changed; we are now into the Kali Yuga – the age of rapid decline of spiritual standards. To reestablish the highest religious principles, just around 500 years ago, the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna once again descended into this world, this time appearing in Mayapur, West Bengal, in His eternal form of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The Srimad Bhagavatam glorifies this most loving avatar of the Lord as follows:

krishna varnam tvishaakrishnam
saangopaangaastra-paarshadam
yadnaih sankirtanam praayair
yajanti hi su-medhasah

In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the names of Krishna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions (Srimad Bhaagavatam 11.5.32).

Lord Chaitanya brings Sankirtan to the streets!

In this age of Kali there is no way of achieving spiritual perfection other than loudly chanting the holy names of Sri Krishna in sankirtan. In this avatar, the Lord doesn’t kill the demons, but kills the demonic tendencies present in their heart, by giving them the Holy Name. Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, as the yuga-avatar, incarnated for the express purpose of spreading the Holy Name Sankirtan movement far and wide, even outside the land of India. The following verse from one of the authoritative biographies of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu – Sri Chaitanya Bhagavat – reveals His mission in unambiguous words:

prithvith aachhe yata nagaraadi graama
sarvatra prachaara haibe mora naama

“In every town and village of the world, the chanting of My name will be heard.” (Caitanya-Bhaagavata, Antya 4.126)

Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu treated the highly learned non-devotional scholars like the great Sri Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya and Sri Prakashananda Saraswati by His unparalleled scriptural and philosophical acumen. And he treated the masses by the all-conquering weapon of the sweet uproarious chanting of the Holy Name in Sankirtan. Be it the philosophy or the Sankirtan, by both methods, hearts were transformed, and everyone who came in touch began chanting the holy names of Krishna and experienced the divine bliss of Love of God. Even the most wretched infamous evil brothers Jagai-Madhai, who had left no sin uncommitted, weren’t spared by the all merciful Sri Chaitanya. Indeed, after converting even them to superlative Vaishnavas, Lord Chaitanya’s fame knew no bounds.

Lord Chaitana delivers the sinful Jagai-Madhai

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appointed one of His most trusted servants to carry out the unprecedented and monumental task of spreading His mission all over the world. His prediction of such a personality is recorded in the Chaitanya Mangal as follows (paraphrased):

If sinful people get away by being in distant countries where my personal preaching will not reach, I will send my devotee commander in chief, senaapati-bhakta, to deliver them.

Carrying the divine grace of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, His Divine Grace AC Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada - the senaapati-bhakta - ventured into unchartered territories, outside the safety of his peaceful dwelling in Vrindavan, to carry out the mission of the Supreme Lord. In 1965, at the ripe old age of 70, Srila Prabhupada found himself alone on the streets of New York, with unflinching faith in Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy as his only shelter. But what is impossible for the Lord. In 1966, Srila Prabhupada founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) as the medium through which he would spread Lord Chaitanya’s message. In a short span of 12 years, the Hare Krishnas became a household name all over the world. Just like Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Prabhupada applied the two-pronged strategy by writing volumes of authoritative philosophical literature for the classes, and by bringing Sri Hari Naam Sankirtan to the streets all over the world for the masses.

Srila Prabhupada

Even today, as the number of devotees and well-wishers grows, the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu continues to reach thousands through the medium of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON. On this most auspicious occasion of Sri Gour Pournima, the appearance anniversary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, we look back in amazement at the limitless mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the astounding accomplishments of Srila Prabhupada, and the unimaginable potential that this movement holds for the future.

_

Waterful Nasik!

Waterful Nasik!
September 19-21, 2008.

I had no idea about the holiness of Nasik until recently. And until I went there, I had no idea about just how holy it is. And its only after coming back from there that I am beginning to realize just how fortunate I was to visit the holy dham of Nasik. Krishna willing, it will not be long before I visit it again, this time with a more proper consciousness, that of reverence, that comes along with more knowledge about the dham. That Lord Sri Gaura Sunder Himself visited all those places is more than enough for a Gaudia Vaishnava to visit them again and again.

Around 21 devotees, most of us counselees of H. G. Jai Narsimha Prabhu and H. G. Yashoda Rani Mataji, started off in a 25-seater at around 1800 from the Sri Sri Radha Kunjabihari Temple, Pune. It was raining quite a bit and incessantly for most of the journey. Along the way we got quite a few phone calls warning us that Nasik is under water! The news channels were flashing “Maha-pur (literally - huge flood) in Nasik!” along with graphic pictures. But a few devotees told me that they were quite unconcerned despite such usually disturbing news. Sometimes people tend to think that the bad things of life will not happen to them. In this ignorance, such people proclaim their fearlessness by doing dare-devil acts. However, sooner or later, typically after the youth has fled away, the false sense of fearlessness and invincibility evaporates, replaced by a nagging fear of death and misfortunes. On the other hand, the devotees are never under the illusion that this material world is safe. However, still, because of taking shelter of the Supreme Lord Krishna, the devotees experience true fearlessness. More than personal safety, devotees were praying that they get darshan of the various holy places.

Sri Sri Radha Gopinath and Sri Sri Gaur Nitai of Nasik Temple

We reached Nasik at around 0100 at night and checked into a hotel that we had booked before hand. At least there was no flooding in that area of Nasik. However, all night it was raining. A few of us attended the Mangal Arati in the Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple (ISKCON) which was a 5 minute walk from the hotel. It was still raining during the whole morning program. The ISKCON temple is almost a replica of the Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple of Chowpatty. The devotees are very simple and humble and they won over my heart. The deities, Sri Sri Radha Gopinath, are most beautiful, reminding one of their namesakes in Chowpatty. And so are the Sri Sri Gaur Nitai deities. The local Nasik devotees told us that it will be impossible for us to visit some of the holy places. But H. G. Jai Narsimha Prabhu and other devotees had a strong desire to be able to visit all the places. As if miraculously, the rain had stopped completely at the end of the morning program at around 0900. We all honored prasadam at 1000 and around 1100 we were off! Rohit Prabhu, a resident devotee of the Nasik temple, kindly accompanied us to guide us.

Raam Kunda, over flooded!

First of all we visited Raam Kunda. Its on the banks of the sacred Godavari River. I will not go into the details of all the many pastimes associated with that place. Actually the whole area in and around Nasik is the well-known Dandakaranya forest area where Lord Sri Ramachandra spent so much if His time while in exile. In fact, this place got its name Nasik because Lord Lakshman had cut off Shurpanakha’s nose (called nasika in Sanskrit) at this place. The previous day the Godavari had flooded over and its water level rose 10-15 feet above the road level! All the dwellings on the banks were deluged and quite a lot of property was damaged. I heard that around 10 people lost their lives too. Fortunately for us the water level had reduced and we could relatively safely take the darshan of the Ganges of the South, the Godavari, and bathe in its strong current. One could definitely feel the spiritual vibrations in that place even though the Raam Kunda, and the accompanying Lakshmana Kunda and Sita Kunda are all very much in the middle of the city. Due to the over flooded Godavari, all these Kundas and the river had become just one big body of water. We visited the nearby Kapaleshwar Lord Siva temple too and saw from outside (couldn’t go in due to the aftermath of the flooding) the Lord Balaji Temple which Lord Chaitanya Himself had paid a visit. Srila Prabhupada had also visited this place.

Nearby is the Sita Gufa (Sita Cave) where Lord Ramachandra had hid Mother Sita while He single handedly fought and destroyed 14,000 rakshasas. There are 5 banyan trees around there which are said to be existing since Lord Raam’s time, and which give this place the name Panchavati. Then, our bus took us to Tapowan whose strong spiritual vibrations were unmistakable. There is a temple of Lord Lakshman in that place, the only temple in the world where He is presiding without Lord Ramachandra being present. Nearby was the confluence of the Godavari and the Kapila Ganga, which we visited. On the way back to the hotel, we paid a running visit to the Sunder Narayan Temple which is on the bridge that runs over and across the Godavari. From that vantage point we were met with a sight that touched our hearts and filled it with love and affection for the Lord. We could see that the ghat on which we had bathed just a few hours ago was once again under 2-3feet of water. The first thought that struck us was that this was surely the mercy of the Lord! It was as if He had arranged that when we came to the river bank, the water level was low enough for us to have a proper bath, and as soon as we were done, the water level started rising again, so much so that it over flooded the ghats once again.

That evening we were invited by a glorious Krishna Conscious family, that of H. G. Jugal Kishore Prabhu. It was in his house that Krishna Consciousness took roots in Nasik. For the last 10 years, he and his family host a weekly program. Their deities are one of most gorgeous house deities I have ever seen. They resemble Sri Sri Radha Madhava of Mayapur, and to some they also resembled Sri Sri Radha Gopinath of Chowpatty. The next day morning a few of us attended the Mangal Arati in the Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple. After the morning program, we honored delicious prasadam. All our meals in the Nasik temple were sumptuous and delicious. Nasik devotees told us that none of them is an actual cook, but from the prasadam, it was not at all apparent.

Trayambakeshwar

Around 35kms from Nasik is a gorgeous temple of Lord Siva – Trayambakeshwar. It is one of the Jyotirlingas. Lord Chiatanya had visited this temple. Nestled amidst beautiful hills, with a huge courtyard, the temple is a pleasing sight to behold. We were standing in the queue for Darshan for about an hour and all the time we worshipped Lord Siva by loudly singing Hari Naam Sankirtan. Surely Lord Siva was pleased. A lot of other visitors were joining in the kirtans! We also managed to distribute 9 books. Nearby is the small pond which is the source of the Godavari. I will not go into the detailed pastime. After packing our luggage and checking out from the hotel, we visited Taket on the way back to Pune. This is the place where Lord Jatayu, the great devotee of Lord Raam, had given up his life fighting Ravana trying to release Mother Sita from the demon’s clutches. Lord Raam had performed his last rites personally at this place. Unfortunately, around 1 km from the actual temple, the road was submerged in 2-3 feet deep flowing water that flowed across the road. We decided not to cross it. Thus, we will have to visit this temple in our next trip. We heard that it’s a must-see temple! Apart from this temple, we could not visit the Brahmagiri hill, which also Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had personally visited, and we also could not visit the place where Lord Kapila, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, instructed His mother Devahuti in the devotional Sankhya philosophy. I did not know before going to Nasik that it is such a holy place. Next time, I will go with a better consciousness and try to soak in the dham as much as possible.

Pond which is the source of the Godavari

näsike tryambaka dekhi’ gelä brahmagiri

kushävarte äilä yähän janmilä godävari

Sri Caitanya Mahäprabhu then visited Näsika, where He saw the deity of Tryambaka [Lord Siva]. He then went to Brahma-giri and then to Kushävarta, the source of the river Godävari.

CC Madhya lila 9:317

Sunset at Taket

On the way back to Pune, in the bus, just like the journey from Pune to Nasik, we engaged ourselves in a lot of Krishna Conscious games. The devotees are so wonderful and sweet that despite being so senior they are eager to serve every other devotee. This is the proof of their advanced Krishna Consciousness. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to associate with such gems. Actually, I do not have any doubt that our Nasik trip was a success despite the heavy floods only because of the strong desires of the Vaishnavas. And I, just by the dint of being with them, obtained the same good fortune. This is the effect of Vaishnava association. I pray to Srila Prabhupada, Sri Sri Radha Gopinath, and Sri Sri Gaur Nitai that they always keep me in such exalted association so that one day even I may attain that supreme destination, Krishna Prem.

Your servant,
Abhijit.

Are we ready for the Challenge?

A lesson from a materialist

Hare Krishna!

Yesterday, I attended a social gathering on the occasion of the wedding of one of my acquaintances. He is part of an activist group (which I will not name for the sake of anonymity) which looks out for social problems and tries to activate the exploited to rise up and fight against the oppression. Even though the problems they try to solve are purely on the bodily plane, still their intention is noble, at least on the face of it. There are innumerable such organizations or activist groups. They have always been around and they will always be around in the future too. And of course, the problems they try to solve will also always be around. That is, they will never be solved, for the simple reason that the activists do not know the root cause of all the problems – lack of Krishna Consciousness. Lord Krishna confirms this in the Bhagavad Gita 17.28, “Anything done as sacrifice, charity or penance without faith in the Supreme, O son of Prtha, is impermanent. It is called asat and is useless both in this life and the next.”

But we will not go into that in this article. What I want to point out in this article is that even some of these people show a lot of dedication and determination to follow the way of life they believe is the best. This acquaintance of mine has married a spouse who is also a social worker. My acquaintance did not consider how physically attractive the spouse is, how educated, how much is the salary, and so on, but just considered that the two of them can together follow their chosen path. This was quite inspiring to me. We can learn so much from the lives of such determined people.

We, as Krishna Conscious people, have the highest goal in front of us. To become Krishna Conscious, and to make others Krishna Conscious. Do we know of a loftier ideal to follow in life? If not, then we must be prepared to sacrifice a lot of things in order to achieve our goal. We must be determined that no matter what, we will follow the path in the best possible way. This is what I learned yesterday from a materialist. Can we surrender ourselves to Krishna more than any materialist does to his/her ideal? Are we prepared to take on this challenge? Time will tell.

Your servant,
Abhijit.

Lord Chaitanya - The Most Munificent!

1530, March 22, 2008.
Mountain View, California, USA.

(Lord Gouranga during Abhishek on Gour Pournima - March 21, 2008, Sri Sri Radha Madanmohan Temple (ISV - ISKCON silicon Valley), San Jose.)

Hare Krishna!

Today is the last day of this US trip. And the Krishna Conscious activities are yet not over! I will shortly go to H. G. ShyamLila Prabhu's house for attending an "Essence of Bhagavad Gita" class. Such is the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and Lords Chaitanya-Nitai that wherever you go you will find devotees and Krishna Consciousness. Who can describe the glories of the Sankirtan movement? We keep hearing that Lord Goura Sunder is the most munificent incarnation of Godhead. In fact, He is Godhead Himself in His most munificent mood. But actually, as with so many other truths that we hear or read about in Srila Prabhupada's movement, we cannot really fathom the true magnitude of the significance of this truth.

Yesterday was the appearance day of Lord Nimai. The same darling of Yasoda Mai came again as the life and soul of Mother Shachi. What have we done to deserve being part of His Sankirtan movement? Are we spotlessly pure, are we severely austere, are we madly in Love of God? Then how is it that such ordinary persons like me are associating (through their teachings) with such Paramahamsas like Srila Prabhupada, Srila BhaktiSiddhanta, Srila BhaktiVinod, the six Goswamis, and so on ? How is it that I have got access to the Srimad Bhagavatam through a bonafide disciplic succession, whereas pure devotees in the past had to struggle so hard to get the same mercy?

The answer lies in understanding the significance of the phrase "the most munificent incarnation of Godhead". Lord Gour Hari is so merciful that he doesnt look for any qualifications while showering His mercy. He doesnt require that one be in the mode of goodness, or austere, or pure hearted, or scholarly, or already devoted, and other such qualifications. He doesnt look for a reason or a cause to bestow His divine mercy. That is the meaning of causeless mercy. Without such causeless mercy, what chance is there for the people of this age to get Love of God? Which other form of worship can the Kali Yuga residents perform? Can they do elaborate daily deity worship in their homes amidst their tight work schedules? Can they perform regular fire sacrifices in the cities that they live in where there is no place to even walk safely? Will they leave all their worldly activities and go to the Himalayas in search of perfection? These thoughts do not even cross their minds.

Even if someone develops a desire to take to spirituality, he/she finds that these authorised paths are not possible for him to practice. They are just too tough. Therefore, such an unfortunate person either gives up the idea of spirituality as impractical and too utopian, or he/she takes to other unauthorised practices that are typically mental concoctions of some imperfect human being. Thus, either they are frustrated, or they are cheated. In such an unfortunate state of affairs advents the Lord of Goloka - Goura Sunder. He rises as if millions of suns and dissipates the dense clouds of spiritual ignorance, spiritual laziness, frustrated material and so-called spiritual endeavours, and misdirected pursuits of happiness, by the brilliant rays of the sound vibrations of the infallible holy names of Himself! The Sankirtan Movement of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the only shelter for all souls in this dark age of Kali. No process can be as authorised as His Sankirtan movement, because He is the Supreme Lord, and this process is created by Him directly. And at the same time, it is so easy that a even a new born baby can take part in it. No qualifications are required. This is His munificence.

When it comes to preaching to the masses, to one and all, the teachings have to be simple and not esoteric. And yet, for the movement to serve its purpose, the message must be powerful enough to take one back to Godhead. Furthurmore, the philosophy has to be infallible for it to stand against the scores of mental speculators and armchair philosophers whose only aim tends to be the satisfaction of their puffed up egos and whose only occupation tends to be rejecting the conclusions of the standard authorities of the scriptures like Madhvacharya, Ramanujacharya, Lord Chaitanya, Narada, Vyasa, etc. This impossible combination of requirements are quite easily met by the teachings of His Divine Grace Srila Abhay Charanarvinda BhaktiVedanta Swami Prabhupada. And his advent on this earth is another example of the unfathomable munificence of Lord Gouranga.

(Lord Gouranga is Krishna Himself, in the mood of Srimati Radharani!)

In Pune, there are hundreds of devotees. But in San Jose, there are only about a hundred (at the moment). There is a different kind of charm in such a small congregation. I am always touched when I see the humble heartfelt attempts of the San Jose devotees to serve Srila Prabhupada by helping H. G. Vaisesika Prabhu (temple president and massive book distributor). Especially, I get a lot of inspiration here to go out and distribute Srila Prabhupada's books. I hope and pray that after reaching Pune, with the blessings of the Vaishnavas, I can add book distribution to my list of regular Krishna Conscious activities.

(H. G. Vaisesika Prabhu pointing at something during book distribution)

Yours in the service of Krishna,

Abhijit.

Lord Chaitanya Is Krishna Himself!

Hear is proof from the Vedas.