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.

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!

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!

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.

The Ahobilam Adventure!

(On top of the Ugra Stambha!)

The Ahobilam Adventure
August 13-17, 2008

aho veeryam aho shouryam aho bahu parakrame
naarsimhah param devam ahobilam ahobalam

Let me first offer my obeisances unto Srila Prabhupada and all the Vaishnavas, by whose mercy I am presently following the sublime process of Krishna Consciousness. Let me also beg forgiveness from all the devotees who came along for this Ahobilam trip for all the offences I would have committed against them because of all my shortcomings. I also pray to Lord Narasimha Dev for His blessings before starting this article.

Contents

0. How to reach Ahobilam, Places to visit, Where to Stay, Contact Numbers, and Itinerary
1. Prelude
2. Glorifying the Organizers in Lord Chaitanya’s Sankirtan Movement
3. Day One-Two : The journey to Ahobilam, and Four temples
3.1. Bhargava Narasimha Swamy
3.2. Chatravata Narasimha Swamy
3.3. Yogananda Narasimha Swamy
3.4. HG Purushottam Murali Prabhu
3.5. Prahlad-Varada Narasimha Swamy
4. Day Three : Adventure Day! Five temples, Prahlad’s School, Ugra-Stambha!
4.1. The Morning Japa
4.2. Varaaha (or Krodha) Narasimha Swamy
4.3. Jwaalaa Narasimha Swamy
4.4. The Ugra-Stambha!
4.5. Malola Narasimha Swamy
4.6. Prahlad’s School and Cave
4.7. Ahobila Narasimha Swamy
4.8. Karanja Narasimha Swamy
4.9. HG Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu
5. Day Four : The Paavana Experience!
5.1. Paavana Narasimha Swamy
5.2. Mahanandi
5.3. Back to Cuddappah and Pune
6. Epilogue


0. How to reach Ahobilam, Places to visit, Where to stay, Contacts, and Itinerary

Nearest Railway station coming from Pune is Cuddappah in Andhra Pradesh. Its 125 Kms from Ahobilam. 3 hour car drive.

Places to visit

1. Nine self-manifest Narasimha deities (nava-Narasimha)
1.1. Bhargava Narasimha (Ahobilam)
1.2. Chatravata Narasimha (Ahobilam)
1.3. Yogananda Narasimha (Ahobilam)
1.4. Karanja Narasimha (Ahobilam)
1.5. Ahobila Narasimha (Lower Ahobilam)
1.6. Varaaha (Krodha) Narasimha (Lower Ahobilam)
1.7. Jwaalaa Narasimha (Upper Ahobilam, Vedadri hills)
1.8. Malola Narasimha (Upper Ahobilam, Vedadri hills)
1.9. Paavana Narasimha (Upper Ahobilam, Garudadri hills)
2. Prahlad’s school and cave (Upper Ahobilam, near Malola Narasimha)
3. Ugra-Stambha (Upper Ahobilam, Vedadri hills, via Jwaalaa Narasimha)
4. Prahlada-Varada Temple (Ahobilam)
5. Sri Ahobila Math (Ahobilam)



Place to stay and contact numbers

1. Sri Ahobila Math
1.1. 9490515284
1.2. 08519 252045

Itinerary

All the places can be visited in two days. But best is to give three days so that one can take darshan nicely and spend sufficient time at the various places. Roughly:
Half day for all places in Ahobilam
One day for all places on Vedadri hills
Half day for Paavana Narasimha (Garudadri hills)


1. Prelude

Ever since I heard that the pillar from which Lord Narasimha, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, had burst out exists on the surface of the earth, I was fascinated. HG Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu (whom I will henceforth refer to as SKCP in this writeup) first told me about that place. “Have you been to Ahobilam?” he asked. “Ahobilam? What’s that? Never even heard of it” I said. “What! You have not heard of Ahobilam? What are you doing?” He was quite shocked that I did not know about Ahobilam. But when I heard about it from SKCP, I had no doubt in my mind that I must go there. I repeatedly started expressing my desire to SKCP and he was so kind to me that he decided to gift me an Ahobilam trip! Thank you very much Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu. I will be ever grateful.

2. Glorifying the Organizers in Lord Chaitanya’s Sankirtan Movement

(Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu)

And so it began. One of the most memorable and unique experiences in my life. SKCP organized the whole trip from the very beginning. I was more of a spokesman. We reached out to about 40 devotees through email. But soon the whole of Pune congregation knew about it. We booked most of the tickets two and a half months in advance. As the trip grew closer, we had to finalize more and more things. Lodging, Prasadam (meals and snacks), road transport in and around Ahobilam, medical equipment, etc. I am mentioning this especially to bring out the point that even for arranging a 3-day trip for 20-odd devotees takes a lot of planning and efforts. When I experienced this for the first time in my life (typically I stay away from administrative tasks), I realized how much trouble the devotees of Lord Chaitanya take to propagate His mission. One can clearly see that organization is one of the most important limbs of Lord Gauranga’s mission and to organize things day-in-and-day-out surely puts a lot of strain on the body and mind. Suddenly I realized how important is this skill of organizing in Lord Chaitanya’s movement, and that therefore I should also try to become decently good at it in order to serve Srila Prabhupada effectively. Organizing, it seems to me, is not only one of the most challenging services, but since not all might know how tough it is, it is also one of the most thankless. I therefore pay my heartfelt obeisances to all devotees who serve the movement in the role of organizers. And SKCP is a brilliant organizer!

3. Day One-Two : The journey to Ahobilam, and Four temples

We started from Pune on the evening of August 13, and reached Cuddappah (Andhra Pradesh) around 1230 on the 14th. In the train we recited all the Mangal Arati prayers and kirtans. HG RamKrishna Prabhu then gave a short Bhagavatam class. In Cuppappah, four sumos were already waiting for us to take us to Ahobilam. We reached the holy dham of Ahobilam at around 1500. The lodging had already been arranged for us in the Sri Ahobila Math. After a quick shower and a quick lunch, all of us were ready for what we had come for! Darshan of the Lord! Ahobilam is the place where Lord Narasimha Dev has exhibited (and keeps exhibiting even to the day) numerous pastimes. The most famous of them is of course the protection of the pure devotee Prahlad by the destruction of the demon Hiranyakashipu. There are nine different self-manifest (svayambhu, or svayama-vyakta) deities of Lord Narasimha amidst the hills of the Ahobila Kshetra. Aho-bilam literally means “wonderful cave” referring to the caves in which some of the nine self-manifest deities appeared and/or stay. Ahobilam is also referred to as Aho-balam, referring to the wonderful strength of Lord Narasimhadev. These nine deities together form one Divya-Desham. There are 108 such Divya-Deshams all over India. All of these are temples of Lord Vishnu in His various forms. Apart from these nine deities there are other temples and spots which are all transcendental. Hold your breath, and read on, as I take you through all of them one-by-one.

3.1. Bhargava Narasimha Swamy

I have always liked to be in the middle of nature. And I love to travel too. Therefore, I reminded myself again and again, before and after reaching Ahobilam, that I am not here for a trekking picnic to have a nice time, but that I am here for the sacred task of taking the darshan of Lord Narasimha in His special abode. Ahobilam has three parts. Ahobilam, Lower Ahobilam, and Upper Ahobilam. That day we visited four temples in Ahobilam. This dham is considered next only to Tirupathi by the devotees of the glorious Sri Sampradaya.

We climbed into four four-wheel drive jeeps and started for Bhargava Narasimha. We took off from the main tarmac road onto a dirt road made slushy and uneven in a lot of places by the recent rains. Quite a roller-coaster experience. SKCP was in my jeep and was very excited. We sang the Narasimha Pranam while we jostled around in the jeep barely holding onto something so as not to fall off or hurt ourselves. It was quite an exciting experience. The jeeps reached a spot on the hills in the jungle from where we had to walk for 5 minutes or so to the stairs that led up to the temple of Bhargava Narasimha. I and SKCP were without any footwear and either the stones were pricking us now and then, or we were kicking the stones unintentionally now and then. The sole and the front part of the thumbs were most exposed to injury. But, with the knowledge that any trouble or pain one undergoes in the dham purifies one’s past sins, the occasional bursts of pain were blissful because they reminded me of Lord Narasimha even more intensely. We climbed up the stairs amidst lush green foliage. The kids were having a ball. I was just too happy to speak much. I was trying to immerse my consciousness into the dham. Just to take it all in as much as possible so that I can later meditate on it when I am actually out of the dham.

Bhargava Muni wanted to see the Lord in His form when He was just about to kill Hiranyakashipu. He performed tapasya here and pleased the Lord who appeared in front of him in the form where His two hands are just about to enter Hiranyakashipu’s belly. Both the Lord and Hiranyakashipu are looking in the direction of Bhargava Muni. Hence the name Bhargava Narasimha!

3.2. Chatravata Narasimha Swamy

(Chatravata Narasimha Swamy)

Still barefoot, I, along with the other devotees, walked back to the jeeps. After another roller-coaster ride, we were on the tarmac road once again. “Thank God” someone said, “Oh no!” I said. I was actually enjoying the ride. We swapped the jeeps with the sumos and now headed towards Chatravata Narasimha. The sumos stopped on the road far way from any visible temple. But I soon realized that this was because the road that led off to our right towards the temple was blocked by a fallen tree! Just part of the eternal Narasimha Lila! Lord Narasimha is not easily attained nor is He to be taken for granted. I and SKCP (and perhaps most others) were enjoying every moment of it. The plot thickened a bit though when we found that not only was the tree fallen, it was also on fire! Presumably the fire was due to a broken electric wire. Now I had to be really careful without my footwear. Dodging the smoldering embers, we crossed that hurdle without casualty. Some devotees took a little detour, and instead of coming through the blazing maze of the broken tree, they had to contend with a 5-6 feet deep ravine to cross. This way or that, Lord Narasimha was making sure that our remembrance of Him intensifies. This was His causeless mercy.

Chatravata Narasimha is smiling widely in this temple. He was very pleased to hear the musical performances of two Gandharvas, Haahaa and Hoohoo, and therefore personally appeared here to give them audience. While doing so, he started counting the musical beats on His left thigh with His left hand. It’s a beautiful deity and one is amazed how such a deity can be self-manifest. Laxmiji is seated on the right side of His chest on a lotus flower. The deity is the very emblem of peace and tranquility.

Just outside the temple we encountered saffron clad renunciates. Later I heard a devotee mention that these renunciates cant be bogus because Ahobilam is not really a commercial place. I immediately instructed my mind to be as non-judgmental as possible in the dham.

3.3. Yogananda Narasimha Swamy

We encountered the same obstacles while going back to our sumos. By Lord Narasimha’s mercy, no one was injured (as far as I know). Next we went to visit Yogananda Narasimha. Here is where the Lord taught Yoga to His most beloved Prahlad. The Lord Himself is sitting in a particular Yoga-asana which is impossible for anyone except Him to perform. There is also a Yoga belt around his knees. One time, somehow this deity got damaged and the then Jeeyar got very much disturbed. (Jeeyar is the term used to refer to the spiritual master of the Ahobilam Math.) His health went down, and so on. Therefore a new deity was installed in the same temple on a raised platform just behind the original self-manifest one. Thus, today there are two Yoganada Narasimha Swamy deities in that temple, the original self-manifest one, and the later installed one. Of course, Vaishnavas understand that both deities are as bona fide as the other.

3.4. HG Purushottam Murali Prabhu

(HG Purushottam Murali Prabhu on top of the Ugra Stambha)

With hearts full of deep satisfaction, we returned back in our sumos to the Sri Ahobila Math where we were staying. SKCP, UgraNarasimha Prabhu, and others were busy chalking out the next day’s plans. But I was still trying to get into the mood of the dham. I was trying to fix my consciousness on the significance of a dham. The dham is non-different from Vaikuntha, and I was trying to comprehend just how fortunate I was to be there, amongst devotees. While I was lost thus in my thoughts, I heard a booming “Hare Krishna Prahbu!” from SKCP. I was jolted out of my thoughts and it took me some moments to realize what was going on. Who is he to whom SKCP is calling out “Hare Krishna!” so happily and excitedly in Ahobilam? Must be an ISKCON devotee, and must be someone whom SKCP knows. And in another few moments even I wanted to start dancing of joy! I did not actually do so, but I remember telling one devotee that I really wanted to dance in happiness! Because we had just met HG Purushottam Murali Prabhu! A saffron-clad brahmachari (celibate) disciple of HH Bhakti Swarup Damodar Swami Maharaj.

So many thoughts erupted in my mind. But the essence of all of those was that just how much mercy were we getting! Because of Srila Prabhupada and his followers, its only a matter of time before Lord Chaitanya’s movement spreads in every town and village on the face of the earth. And those who are instrumental in this mission are glorious beyond description. HG Purushottam Murali Prabhu told us some things about himself. He has an engineering degree. After marrying off his sisters, he decided to dedicate his life fully to the service of the Lord. He told that he was always spiritually inclined and had decided to be a lifelong celibate even while he was in the 9th standard in school. He used to study a lot of Sri Sampradaya literature as well as Srila Prabhupada books. But finally he decided to join ISKCON, one of the main reasons being that Srila Prabhupada emphasizes clearly the process to be followed in this age of Kali. He has managed to acquire a 10acre land in Allacata (100 Kms from Ahobilam) and a 1acre land in Ahobilam. Soon Krishna Conscious centers will be developed on these lands. College preaching will also start soon in that region of India. Sometime later this year he will be presenting a paper in an international conference related to spirituality.

For us, his arrival was god-sent, literally. It was quite clear to us that Lord Narasimha had arranged this for us, His own children. Throughout our next two days’ excursions and adventures, PMP was with us as a loving and caring spiritual guide and inspiration. We did not have time to hear long lectures from him, but with his behavior he taught us the sublime Vaishnava qualities like humility and service attitude. With him around, we were feeling safe and secure and quite at home in the daunting hills of Ahobilam.

I will refer to Purushottam Murali Prabhu as PMP henceforth in this article.

3.5. Prahlad-Varada Narasimha Swamy

The Prahlad-Varada Narasimha Swamy Temple is just a one-two minute walking distance away from the Sri Ahobila Math. My heart swells in joy as I remember it. It is not one of the nava-Narasimhas (nine Narasimhas) and if PMP had not been with us, we would not have given too much attention to it. But PMP took us there. It’s a gorgeous temple, built by the famous king Krishna Dev Raya. All the sculptured pillars are carved out of single pieces of rock. The main deity is that of Sri Prahlad Varada Narasimha (It’s a Laxmi Narasimha Deity). Just outside the main temple hall, before taking darshan of the Lord, PMP narrated to us a most fascinating pastime. This deity was installed by none other than, hold your breath… none other than Lord Balaji! I was stunned. Lord Balaji married Padmavati, and for Padmavati Lord Balaji installed this deity of Lord Narasimha here. The pastimes of the Lord are sweeter than nectar. How can words capture the feelings of joy that I was experiencing that time, and even now, as I remember those golden moments from the unforgettable Ahobilam Yatra.

(Group photo on the steps of Balaji Temple in the Prahlad-Varada Temple complex)

The temple also has a deity of Amrutavalli Taayar. Taayar means Laxmiji. Just like Sri Radha has a special position in the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya, Taayar has similar significance in the Sri Samprdaya. There is also a temple of Lord Balaji in the temple premises along with other structures in the honor of the various acharyas. There is also a hall in which all nine Narasimha deities of the nava-Narasimhas are sculptured on pillars. Some of them have been partially broken by the Islamic invaders, but most of them are fine.

This temple is a classic Sri Sampradaya Temple and I was very much impressed. One can feel the strong vibrations of devotion all around and also sense the mood of joyfulness as well as seriousness in all the dealings of the Sri Vaishnavas. The guru-shishya disciplic succession is one of the most pleasing systems of the Vedic culture. The respect for the predecessor acharyas acts like a unifying bond and a soothing balm for the entangled souls of this world which is so prone to quarrel and disunity. The culture and lifestyle of the Vaishnava residents of Ahobilam reminds one of the Vedic times where the temple of the Lord was the center of all activities.

Just before entering the main temple, to the left, is a pond, typical of many old South Indian Temples. Every year, the festival of Brahmotsava is celebrated in South India. An important deity travels to all the major Sri Sampradaya temples and that journey ends at Ahobilam. At this end of the journey, the Sudarshan Chakra of the Lord bathes in this pond.

4. Day Three : Adventure Day! Five temples, Prahlad’s School, Ugra-Stambha!

Without PMP, we would have had to rely on the guide while trekking up and down the various places we had to visit. Not only that, the guide is definitely not the best person to hear Hari Katha from. But now, with PMP with us, I was bubbling with anticipation for the next day. We still took the guide with us, and he did prove to be very useful and helpful, but we now could hear the various pastimes of the Lord from the mouth of His devotee, and that was just too good. Before leaving for the trip, I had this one concern that we will not have association of a senior devotee who knows a lot about Ahobilam. But the presence of PMP solved all that. PMP and SKCP then finalized the plans for the next day and then we all slept, but not before a few managerial tasks for SKCP and me. Amongst them was the task of distributing snacks (which we had got along from Pune) to all devotees who would carry them with them while trekking the next day.

4.1. The Morning Japa

Piyush Prabhu, Manish Prabhu, SKCP, and I got up early in the morning at around 0300. At around 0400 we were all at the Prahlada-Varada Narasimha Temple. We found a nice spot facing the magnificent gopuram of the temple and sat there to chant. It was one of the best chanting I had ever done. The brahma muhurta hours, the strong spiritual vibrations of Ahobilam, the fresh morning air, and the seriously chanting devotees… all of it combined to form one of the best chanting spots one could dream of. When my mind wandered and I opened my eyes, I could see Piyush Prabhu chanting intensely. This inspired me to chant intensely as well. Time and again I was amazed at my great good fortune that I have landed up in this place, a place which was unheard of for me only a few months ago. I understood that the Lord does fulfill all desires of His devotees, and I was touched by these thoughts.

4.2. Varaaha (or Krodha) Narasimha Swamy

Almost all devotees were ready to go by 0630. Most of them jumped into three of the Sumos and started off for Lower Ahobilam, from where our trek would commence. SKCP and I stayed back for PMP to arrive. We gave ourselves the deadline of 0700 after which even we would have left off without PMP. Perhaps somehow he has got caught up in some work, perhaps he has forgotten, perhaps this, perhaps that… SKCP told me that each time he sets himself such deadlines, the expected event always occurs before it. It was time to see if that trend continues… Haribol! Sure enough, at the strike of the hour, PMP came marching along and SKCP looked at me and with a huge smile and his booming voice exclaimed, “I told you so! You see? He’s here just in time! Its 0700!”.

Lord Narasimha was bestowing His mercy in different ways. Putting us in little anxieties, and then taking us out of them as well. This way He was increasing our remembrance of Himself in His own abode. This is mercy! Fortunately, we reached Lower Ahobilam just a few minutes after the other Sumos. At Lower Ahobilam is another one of the nava-Narasimhas, but we decided to visit Him while returning. We collected a stick for each of us (for trekking) and started off. Soon we entered the jungle and the uphill climb started. We were walking along the Bhavanaashini River. It was a small but forceful stream with ponds in various places. The water was sparklingly clean and nectar to drink. Later in the trip we were fearlessly filling in our water bottles with the water from the flowing Bhavanashini river. It evaporated our fatigue and rejuvenated us for the trek ahead. Just the sight of it was soothing.

There are three hills in Ahobilam. Vedadri, Garudadri, and Achalachalam (need to confirm this name though). The personified Vedas had performed austerities to please the Lord on the Vedadri, and Garuda had done the same on the Garudadri. That day we were going to visit the temples on the Vedadri. The first temple we came across was the Varaaha Narasimha Swamy Temple. Just like all other deities of the nava-Narasimhas, this deity is also self manifest, and it resides in a cave. Lord Varaaha is facing upwards towards His left, and Laxmiji is sitting on His left shoulder holding one of His tusks. A beautiful deity and it evoked emotions of love and affection in my heart for the Lord. How beautiful, elegant, and magnificent is the Lord in everything He does.

4.3. Jwaalaa Narasimha Swamy

After about at least an hour of trekking we arrived at the cave temple of Jwaalaa Narasimha. The cave has a 3-4 deities. One of them is of Lord Narasimha coming out of the pillar. One of them is Lord Narasimha chasing after and catching Hiranyakashipu just before killing him. There is also a deity of the Lord holding Hiranyakashipu on His lap, two hands holding Hiranyakashipu down, and two hands just about to rip him apart! Surely awesome! It reminded me of the utter helplessness of every living entity in front of the might of the Lord. And yet, the Lord is so merciful that He lovingly takes care of us even though we are rebellious. Of course, Hiranyakashipu committed grave Vaishnava Aparadhs, and therefore the Lord gave a different kind of treatment to him. Jwaalaa Narasimha is the place where the Lord finally killed Hiranyakashipu.

The path leading to the Jwaalaa Narasimha goes under an overhanging rock. At the same time, the Bhavanashini river falls down from somewhere above this rock in the form of a waterfall. All of us had nice quick refreshing shower under this waterfall both while going towards and going away from the Jwaalaa Narasimha. And we also filled our water bottles with that water. We had to be careful though. Just beyond the not-so-tall railing was a deep vertical drop. In fact, the place we were standing at was a narrow ledge on the face of a vertical rock. Its quite amazing that we were all quite relaxed all this while. Near the temple, towards the right of the path (the left of the path was the vertical drop), is a small pond where Lord Narasimha washed the blood off His hands after killing the demon. Even today, the rocks around that pond are tinged with red. The water itself is crystal clear and nectarean.

4.4. The Ugra-Stambha!

All this while, I was sub-consciously aware of the Ugra-Stambha. I had heard from devotees that it was deadly dangerous to scale it, especially in the rains. Fortunately, the rains had stayed away apart from the occasional very light drizzle. But still, the general notion was that scaling the Ugra Stambha is something almost impossible. With these thoughts in mind, I was preparing my mind for an extremely dangerous experience. I had past experiences that I could imagine this one to be like. I remember once I was climbing down a vertical cliff without any cliff-hanging gear. It was an experience I will not forget for a long time. Death was one mistake away. I was thinking perhaps the Ugra Stambha would be something of that sort. In fact, not until we heard encouraging words from PMP were we certain about scaling the Stambha. But with PMP with us, encouraging, most of us were prepared to undertake that mission.

We had the first glimpse of the Ugra Stambha on the way to the Jwaalaa Narasimha. It was a majestic site. And from where we were, scaling it was seeming quite impossible. From there we could also see that what is left of the Ugra Stambha resembles the head of Garuda who is looking ahead majestically. There is one slot each on the two faces of the Ugra Stambha which resemble the eyes of Garuda. And the vertical walls of the hills on both sides of the Stambha resemble the wings of Garuda. Thus, we beheld the form of Garuda flying majestically! It was one of most magnificent sights I had ever seen in my life.

With so much uncertainty around the trek up the Ugra Stambha, everyone was praying to Lord Narasimha for protection. 3-4 elderly devotees had decided to stay back at the Jwaalaa Narasimha temple. It was a wise decision. The climb up was steep, but not unmanageable for young people. However, it was the first time in my life I was trekking with a dhoti instead of standard trekking gear. The idea of doing so had sounded quite ridiculous to me initially, but SKCP insisted that in the dham we should look like dham-vaasis. I was still unsure for some time, but eventually decided to go ahead with the dhoti plan. Hopefully SKCP was pleased with this decision of mine too.

We were climbing up the Stambha from the side opposite to what we had seen from below. On the way the guide pointed to me a grave of a person who fell from the top of the Ugra Stambha and died. I did not announce this to the rest, and asked the guide to also not mention these things right now. As HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami Maharaja (Spiritual Master of SKCP) says, “The mind is very powerful. Better not think of death or accidents especially while driving etc.” Without much difficulty we reached the very top. But that was not the final destination. The trickiest part came now. First, we had to cross over a small bridge-like natural structure. It was just 3-4 feet wide, and on both sides were steep drops. The left side drop was no so dangerous (at least that’s what it seemed to me), but the right side drop was sure-shot death. We removed our footwear so that we get a better grip. We crossed the bridge sitting down on the bridge. We couldn’t afford a slip. But after some time, the tension eased and everyone crossed eventlessly.

But again, there was more to come! We were at the highest point in that area. In all directions we could see deep valleys. There was no shelter but Lord Narasimhadev. After this point, we had to climb down at a very steep angle. While looking down, one could see the deep valley, and one wrong step would lead one to certain death. The climb down itself was not necessarily tough, but the margin for error was too small. Those with fear of heights were shivering. Just before starting this climb down, there was dead silence. It was as if no one else was there but you and Lord Narasimha. That time I took shelter of Lord Narasimha Dev by remembering Him intensely. I had no doubt that whether I come back or not is totally in His hands. One devotee decided to stay up there and not proceed.

After 10-15 minutes of tricky steep ups and downs, one reached the final destination. At that place, which is perhaps a rough circle of diameter 5-6 feet, are the lotus foot prints of Lord Narasimhadev. Everyone circumambulated those while SKCP and Manish Prabhu loudly recited the Narasimha Prayers for the others. SKCP and Manish Prabhu were also expertly helping other devotees come up to the final destination. When PMP found out that one devotee had not come, he personally went and got him. Mercy!!

The devotees then came back. The way back was tricky too but we all came back safely. Many devotees expressed later that at some point or the other they did think that Lord Narasimha was their only shelter. I was more relaxed while coming down. Looking at it objectively, I think the trek was not difficult for regular trekkers. But then, Ahobilam is a dham and therefore it is inconceivable and absolutely anything can happen here. I would say that the trek seemed easy to me for the sole reason that Lord Narasimha was merciful upon me. I have had enough experiences in my short Krishna Conscious life to know for certain that without the Lord’s mercy, I cannot do anything. I cant even chant my 16 rounds without His mercy, then what to speak of climbing up and down the Ugra Stambha safely.

4.5. Malola Narasimha Swamy

After safely negotiating the Ugra Stambha, which was possible only by Lord Narasimhadev’s mercy, the rest of the trek was relatively simple. The kids, Mumjal and Chaitali, were having a ball! It was Chaitali’s birthday that day, and climbing the Ugra Stambha was her birthday gift! On the way back and towards our next destination, we looked back at the Ugra Stambha again and again. It struck me that I had just been to places which I keep hearing about all the time! It took some time for the fact to sink in that I had just returned from the very pillar from where Lord Narasimha emerged! Perhaps my hair was standing at that time…

After about half an hour or so, we reached the temple of Malola Narasimha Swamy. “Ma” refers to Laxmiji, “Lola” means “dear to”. The Lord who is very dear to Laxmiji – Malola. Narasimhadev married Chenchu Laxmi, a tribal girl, and this angered Laxmiji. In this Malola Narasimha Temple, the Lord is trying to pacify Laxmiji. For me, and perhaps for all present, who are used to hearing about the destruction of Hiranyakashipu, these other sweet pastimes of Lord Narasimhadev are very very heart warming. That same Lord who was angry beyond description because His devotee was troubled, in this pastime is trying to pacify His another devotee Laxmiji. Not for nothing is the Lord known as Bhakta Vatsala. The Malola Narasimha deity is one of the sweetest deities I have ever seen. My heart is still stirred as I remember that awesome man-lion trying to somehow pacify Laxmiji who has become annoyed with Him. Oh, what a pastime!

PMP told us that this is one of the most powerful places and one can clearly feel the strong vibrations there. He also told us that each of the nava-Grahas (9 planets considered in astrological calculations) has one of these nava-Narasimhas as its Adhipati. Thus, anyone who takes darshan of these nine Narasimhas wont be affected by the bad effects of the nava grahas. He also explained that Vaishnavas are anyways exempt for any such planetary effects. But then, I cannot claim myself to be a Vaishnava, and therefore, at least because of taking the darshan of the nava-Narasimhas, I will be saved from the bad effects of the nava grahas.

4.6. Prahlad’s School and Cave

(Prahlad's School)

Around a 15 minute walk from the Malola Narasimha Temple is a mystic place, in the sense that once you go there, you wont feel like coming back. At least that was my experience. It’s the school where Prahlad studied. It’s a wide open space in the middle of all the rocky hills. Nowhere else did I see such open space in the Ahobilam hills. The surface of that open space is also made of rocks, but its more like a rock flooring than a rocky uneven surface. Not only that, the whole surface is checker-boarded with horizontal and vertical lines carved in that stone. One can also find some kind of script etched on that stone surface. But even without all this, the moment I saw that place, my heart was captured. How wonderful will it be to just be there and read and hear the Bhagavatam amongst exalted devotees? We chanted 1-2 rounds there. At the far end of the flat surface is a small cave where Lord Narasimha gives Yoga practical classes to Prahlad. The theory classes are held at the Yogananda Narasimha Temple which we visited the previous day. I did not want to leave that place, but of course I had to. PMP told us that many senior ISKCON devotees including HH Radhanath Swami Maharaja comes to this spot to chant. No wonder. Even an insignificant neophyte like me could experience the potency of the place, then what to speak of pure devotees.

4.7. Ahobila Narasimha Swamy

A 20minute walk took us back to Lower Ahobilam where we visited the Temple of Ahobila Narasimha Swamy. Fearing the invaders, the 6th Jeeyar of the Ahobila Math (the current Jeeyar is the 45th) hid the golden utsav deities of the Lord someplace in the temple and sealed that place. Its said that the 6th Jeeyar is still worshipping those deities in that sealed place. Few years ago the Chief Minister of the state started a project to unearth those golden deities. The contractor, his family, and the main engineer, all died. The project was scrapped. The deity in that temple is that of Ugra Narasimha. The cave also has in it a cot for the Lord, most probably for the times when He comes out of the temple for processions etc.

4.8. Karanja Narasimha Swamy

We returned the sticks, sat in our Sumos, and started off for Karanja Narasimha Swamy Temple, which is on the way back to the Sri Ahobila Math where we were put up. Lord Hanuman did a lot of tapasya in this place. Lord Narasimha appeared, but Hanuman refused to accept Him as his Lord. He longed for Lord Ramachandra. Lord Narasimha told Hanuman that He was indeed non-different from Lord Ramachandra. Still Hanuman did not accept. Then, the Lord showed Hanuman His form as Lord Ramachandra. Only then was Hanuman satisfied and started worshipping Him with folded palms. Due to this pastime, the Lord holds a bow in His left hand, like Lord Ramachandra, in this temple. The Lord appeared near a Karanja tree and hence the name Karanja Narasimha Swamy.

4.9. HG Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu

Needless to say, everyone was dead tired. We reached back to the Sri Ahobila Math at around 1630. Perfectly in time in order to get enough rest before the next day’s exertions start. I and Piyush Prabhu went with PMP to the place where he stays. It was a nice walk through the rural village of Ahobilam. PMP worships the deity of Sri Sri Radha Ahobileshwar in the place where he stays. I was barefoot again and was enjoying it. Sometime during this walk I think, one stone pierced my right foot near its base. After that walking barefoot was really some kind of austerity. But yet, I took it as mercy of the Lord.

Even as everyone was taking rest, SKCP was taking care of the organizational part of the trip. 6 new devotees had arrived from Hyderabad, and SKCP quickly arranged for their lodging, prasadam, guide, transport, etc. Without worrying about his own fatigue, he massaged the legs of the elderly devotees personally. Surely, he got a lot of blessings from all the devotees. Then we distributed the snacks to all devotees for the next day’s trek. Somewhere in between we also went out for a stroll. The weather was beautiful with a nice cool breeze. We had some lemon juice, bought some souvenirs, and so on. Then we settled most of the accounts with the Sri Ahobilam Math. And so many such things that kept us from going to bed. Finally, we slept at around 2300.

During the whole trip, there were so many organizational things to be done. That causes so much mental strain. But SKCP did all that without anyone else knowing anything about it. I was very impressed. SKCP is a great asset for Lord Chaitanya’s movement, and it was a privilege to assist him in serving the devotees.

Not only that, even while trekking, he kept encouraging everyone, especially the ones who were very tired. Someone told me that SKCP was the source of strength and inspiration for them. He was always jolly, always extending himself for helping out others, and always considering how to best serve the Vaishnavas. Hats off to SKCP! Three cheers for SKCP!!!

5. Day Four : The Paavana Experience!

After the hectic previous day, I did not wake up at 0300. But Piyush Prabhu did! Actually, at the end of the previous day’s exertions, Piyush Prabhu had developed severe pain in one of his knees. AvinashGovinda Prabhu (physiotherapist) told him that it was an internal ligament related pain and could get quite nasty. Despite all this, Piyush Prabhu still got up at 0300 and was ready by 0400 and set off to the Prahlada Varada Temple for chanting. I reached there at around 0530. I chanted most of my rounds before we left the Sri Ahobilam Math at around 0730. I also took quite a few snaps of the temple, and in particular of the magnificent gopuram.

5.1. Paavana Narasimha Swamy

It was Balaram Jayanti that day and most of the devotees were on a nirjal (without even water) fast till noon. The sumos took us to Lower Ahobilam. This time we trekked up the Garudadri. The previous day we had trekked up the Vedadri. The initial 1000-odd steps are followed by a 5km walk to the temple of Paavana Narasimha Swamy. Bharadwaj Muni had performed tapasya here to cleanse himself of all sins. Hence this deity is known as Paavana (purifying) Narasimha.

As soon as we started walking up the steps, we encountered the first signs of what was to follow. Blood! The Paavana Narasimha Swamy is associated with a most bewildering pastime. Lord Narasimha married a tribal girl Chenchu Laxmi (who appeared in the tribe called Chenchu) on the spot where the Paavana Narasimha Temple is situated. Now, these tribal people eat meat. In fact they sacrifice animals right in front of the temple and offer it to the Lord. Well, they don’t take the meat inside the temple, but they offer it to Him from outside. The temple is still a Sri Vaishnava Temple, and therefore, the pujaris wont allow any meat inside the temple.

As we climbed up, the surroundings became more and more pleasing. At one point, we could see the Malola Narasimha Temple as well as Prahlad’s school on the opposite hill. It was a beautiful sight. After the stairs finished, a beautiful slightly descending path weaved through the jungle as we steadily progressed to the Paavana Narasimha Temple. We offered some Prasadam to a person, but PMP warned us to not do so here. Who knows, these people could be naxalites too! I heard PMP chanting “Ugram Veeram, MahaVishnum, Jwalantam Sarvato Mukham; Narasimham Bheeshanam Bhadram, MrutyurMrutyu NamamiAham”. I also started chanting it.

On the way, at least 4 freshly sacrificed, freshly skinned, beheaded bodies of goats passed us. It was a gruesome sight. When we reached the temple after a one and a half hour walk, I was shocked even more. It was a Saturday, and PMP told me that the local tribesmen come here on Saturdays to sacrifice an animal whenever some of their material wishes get fulfilled. The place was full of tribesmen and tribeswomen. Though in saris, the women were shaven headed and reminded me of rakshasaas. The whole scene was more like a meat market than of a temple of Sri Vishnu. Dead cut-open carcasses hung upside down. Some people were even selling liquor. As we stood in line to take darshan of the Lord, we could see them skinning and cooking the heads of goats. All around were disturbing sights. I remember saying to Piyush Prabhu that this was as fearsome place.

But soon we got Darshan of the Lord and I relaxed a bit. Meanwhile, before standing in the line, PMP took a few of us to the house (cave) of Chenchu Laxmi. We climbed a small but steep hill barefoot. With some injury already to my foot, this was a challenge. But it was worth it. The cave has deities of Chenchu Laxmi, Hanuman, and Lord Narsimhadev. There also is a short tunnel through which we all went in order to perform a parikrama. It was frightening and exciting. The kids were jubilant! We spent quite some minutes up there. The stench of the dead meat below was repelling us and we preferred to be up here.

Soon we left the temple. On the way, the clock struck 12! There, right in the middle of the jungle, we all celebrated Balaram Jayanti! We placed small laminated photos of the Lord on the ground, resting against small rocks, and PMP led a kirtan. One of the most heart-touching moments of the trip, at least for me. This is the stuff the most cherished dreams are made of. After the kirtans we rested for 5-10 minutes, had some Prasadam and lots of water, and started walking again. In about an hour or so, we were back to Lower Ahobilam. Some devotees were really exhausted, but otherwise everyone was fine. We had our lunch Prasadam at the Math there (not the Sri Ahobila Math where we were put up). Nice and simple and soothing south Indian prasadam.

(SKCP and Me)

5.2. Mahanandi

After reaching back the Sri Ahobilam Math, we packed up quickly and left after paying obeisances to the holy dham of Ahobilam. The sumos then took us to a place called Mahanandi. It has a beautiful pond of crystal clear water whose source is unknown, and a temple of Lord Siva. Unfortunately, when we reached there, it was closed. We had our dinner Prasadam sitting on the earth there and then sat back in our sumos.

5.3. Back to Cuddappah and Pune

SKCP was with me in the sumo and we were very tired. PMP was also in the sumo as were Piyush Prabhu and his father. SKCP and I were having a nice time as if we had become kids once again. These are the moments I cherish most, and what’s more, these moments gives me a glimpse of what kind of joy awaits us in the spiritual world where we will be so close to Krishna. After about three hours, at around 2300, we reached the Cuddappah Railway Station. Everyone was very tired and very sticky with sweat. The waiting rooms of the station were very good and provided us good rest. Our hero, SKCP, boarded the 0030 train to Chennai, while the rest of us had to catch a morning train. We boarded the 0430 train. Quite some time we slept in the train. At other times, we talked about our trip very fondly. I spent a lot of time with AvinashGovind Prabhu and his wife, Piyush Prabhu and his father, and also Ugra Narasimha Prabhu, Nitin Prabhu and their wives. In the evening we had an hour or so of Bhajan Sandhya in which quite a few devotees sang various bhajans and kirtans. The whole atmosphere was surcharged with the holy name of Krishna! So many co-passengers would have surely benefited immensely. We reached Pune around 2330.


6. Epilogue

It was without question one of the most memorable experiences of my life. My heart was captured by the various places I visited and also by the inconceivable and sweet pastimes of the Lord. This is a long write-up, and yet I have surely missed so many things. But then, who has ever been able to capture the Lord? Days after I have returned from Ahobilam, some part of me still lingers on in Ahobilam, as if calling the rest of me back there again. Lord Narasimha was very merciful to all of us by letting us come to His abode and protecting us against all possible dangers. Devotees have been asking me for this article ever since I returned from Ahobilam. I hope that this article meets their expectations at least to some small degree. I pray that this article will inspire others to visit Ahobilam and get Lord Narasimha Dev’s mercy too.

aho veeryam aho shouryam aho bahu parakrame
naarsimhah param devam ahobilam ahobalam

Yours in the service of Krishna,
Abhijit.