Creation, with all its orderly systems and intriguing intricacies reasonably points to an intelligent creator. To avoid acknowledging an intelligent creator, some scientists, philosophers, and even spiritualists propagate many imaginative theories. One of them states that nothing was created, everything just exists.
Even this attempt of keeping intelligence at bay fails. Because intelligence is a prominent feature of existence. Intelligence exists, and it controls other features of existence. For example, a dog is intelligent enough to circumvent uintelligent physical obstacles to find the source of a scent. Similarly humans are intelligent enough to pick up an unintelligent instrument to pen down imaginative theories about how the pen originally came about.
If everything just exists, then intelligence also just exists; it's not a product of chance. Intelligence is a personality trait. If intelligence just exists, so does personality; personality is not a product of chance.
Personality is a manifestation of consciousness. Thus consciousness just exists. It's a fundamental feature of existence, not a product of chance. Since the posessor of consciousnesses can control unconscious objects and even other less powerful conscious elements, it's highly reasonable to argue that one supreme person exists who controls all else.
Yes, the Supreme Person exists without requiring anything else to explain his existence. The process of spiritual life is to discover that supreme person who, being most powerful, is the very basis of all existence.
There are two ways to look at things. One is to say that there are no signs of intelligence in what we see; any indication of intelligence, no matter how strong, is merely coincidental - by chance. Another way is to acknowledge that chance cannot explain the indications of intelligence we see.
Energy does not have intelligence; energy in itself cannot create sustained order in a system. Intelligence controls energy. Chance cannot create laws, only intelligence can. Chance cannot even break laws; then how can it be a force superior to the intelligence that can create laws?
Intelligence is a personality trait. A person has intelligence. --
The Hindi blockbuster movie "Oh My God" has left deep impressions on many. It concludes that God exists, but denounces all traditional means of attaining Him.
The traditional means of spiritualizing ones life have been misused throughout history by cheating opportunists who commercialize religion and rob all religious and spiritual practices of its essence. While the movie rightly bashes such cheating religionists, it fails to emphasize that selfless religionists and spiritualists exist. Although the movie proclaims the existence of God, due to this one-sided presentation the movie can have the following undesirable consequences:
1. Those who are already atheists, will find a glamorous reason for remaining so.
2. Those who have faith in God, but are not serious about going deeper into spirituality, will find a glamorous reason for stagnating on whatever spiritual platform they are on.
The spiritual practices like chanting the Holy Names of God, visiting and worshiping in temples, executing the Vedic rituals, donating for a spiritual cause, and so on, provide a variety of ways in which one can stay in touch with God and make steady progress in dedicating more and more to His service. Such spiritual contact, along with study of the scriptures and association of devotees, is a joyful way of making tangible spiritual advancement. By denouncing all these time tested means, the movie is drowning all means of spiritual salvation for the masses. This is a great disservice to God.
The take-home message demeaning "Idol Worship" is a blanket statement which is so naive that only a pitifully uninformed can make.The Vedic scripture is full of detailed and elaborate sections on worshiping the form of God with love and devotion. Such worship does not have any of the negativity that the phrase "idol worship" connotes. To equate the two is to equate the Vedic authority with fools. Lord Krishna Himself instructs the process of deity worship in many prominent Vedic scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam.
Overall, this is a very well made movie, and perhaps even with good godly intentions. It raises relevant and valid questions about the prevalant state of religious commercialization. But many of the answers it provides are based neither on sound logic nor on a reasonable understanding of religion and spirituality. It's a movie which seems to talk favorably about God, but makes it very hard for its viewers to turn to God in earnest.
Appeared as the Cover Story in the May 2013 issue of Back To Godhead (India)
Pune: ISKCON’s New Vedic Cultural Centre From
a Rented Bungalow to a Grand Palace
Throughout history, Pune
has been one of western India’s most important political centers. It’s the
cultural and spiritual capital of the state of Maharashtra. Thirty years ago
ISKCON had no presence in Pune, but on February 24, 2013, the honorable
President of India inaugurated a gorgeous new ISKCON temple, the New Vedic
Cultural Center (NVCC). It will propagate the timeless message of the ancient sacred
Vedic texts by providing the supporting culture and education using the newest
modern facilities; hence the name NVCC. It is one of the biggest ISKCON temples
in the world — the temple property sprawls over 6 acres, and the maximum
capacity of the temple hall is 3,000 people. ISKCON is a prominent feature of
Pune’s spiritual landscape, and the NVCC could soon become Pune’s most
prominent icon. The journey has been long and sometimes hard, but this is not
the end. The inauguration of the NVCC marks a new beginning in ISKCON Pune’s
history. Perhaps it is a historic moment even for ISKCON at large.
Space Crunch
Thirty years ago, a few
devotees from ISKCON’s Juhu temple started visiting Pune. At that time, someone
helped them to rent an army colonel’s bungalow at the heart of the city. Thus
the Çré Çré Rädhä-Kunjabihäré temple was established in 1982. The temple
activities really took off in 1993, when Gopäla Kåñëa Goswami requested Rädhänätha
Swami to send a team of devotees from Mumbai to Pune. One of these devotees was
Rädheçyäma Däsa, who started serving as the Pune temple president from 1997. He
compiled teachings from Çréla Prabhupada’s books into introductory courses on
the Bhagavad-gétä and gradually
started presenting those courses at colleges. A lot of young men were impressed
by his presentations and many joined the temple full time. This youth outreach
program has expanded manifold and to this day continues to attract intelligent
youth. Meanwhile, Jähnavä Devé Däsé, and later on Jayadeva Däsa and his wife Satyavaté
Devé Däsé, started weekly programs at their home. Many of the current leaders
in Pune are products of these two home programs. Today, the temple boasts a
staggering 150 resident monks. There are also over 4,000 congregation members
closely associated with the temple.
Eventually, a time
came when the space in the temple could no longer satisfy the needs of the
increasing number of devotees and well-wishers. Space was short for the
resident devotees; 150 people stayed in three rooms, many sleeping under the
sky at night. Space was short to serve the large crowds on festivals; the
congregation was growing in size. Space was short to hold grand satsaìga programs when senior devotees, sannyäsés, or disciples of Çréla Prabhupada
came; the temple management hired outside facilities. Most importantly, space
was short for holding cultural and educational outreach programs for newcomers;
the temple was steadily gaining popularity. To serve as the headquarters of the
dynamic and expanding activities of ISKCON Pune, a bigger temple was obviously
a dire necessity.
Fundraising
Dr. Baman Das
Banerjee, an eye surgeon, had been worshipping a gorgeous deity of Lord Bäläjé
at his home for 25 years. When he grew old, he wanted to offer this Deity to
someone who would worship Him properly. Impressed by its Deity worship
standards, he offered the Deity to ISKCON Pune on the condition that a
beautiful temple be built for Him. He also donated property worth Rs. 1.25 crore.
Devotees bought the first piece of land — 75,000 square feet — with the money
obtained by selling this property. Thus, the first funds for the NVCC came from
Lord Bäläjé Himself.
At one time Gopäla Kåñëa
Goswami noted that only a large temple attracts a large number of people. With
this in mind, he set the fundraising goal at Rs. 15 crore. The fundraising
committee mobilized the whole congregation to take part in a massive
fundraising drive. In 2007, even before the bhümi-püjä
(which traditionally marks the start of construction), devotees had raised
a whopping Rs. 4 crores. So much money had never ever been raised before for
any ISKCON project so early in the process. As time progressed, the vision for
the new temple expanded. More land was acquired. By the time of the opening
ceremony, the total expenditure for the temple was Rs. 40 crores.
"We had no previous
experience of fundraising. We are primarily into training and preaching.
However, after a lot of brainstorming we launched the Mark Your Square Feet
scheme,” explains Çré Guru Caraëa Däsa, who led the fundraising efforts. With
the initial 75,000 square foot property and an initial budget of about 15 crore,
the scheme encouraged donors to sponsor the construction of a few square feet
of the temple at the rate of Rs. 2,000 per square foot. Due to years of successful
outreach programs, the Pune temple had a huge number of devotees and well-wishers.
With this support, the Mark Your Square Feet scheme was a triumph.
Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura,
a great spiritual master in the Gauòéya Vaiñëava disciplic succession, had once
gone door to door to collect funds for constructing the beautiful Yogapéöha temple
at the birth place Lord Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu. He wanted as many people as
possible to get a chance to serve the Lord. Following in his footsteps, about a
thousand devotees actively participated in the fundraising activities for the NVCC.
It took them six years to raise the Rs. 40 crore. Along the way, about 40,000
Pune citizens got connected to the temple. Touched by the devotees’ sincerity
of purpose, many people opened their hearts and donated profusely — both in
kindness and in cash. As a result, many of them have also brought some of the principles
of Kåñëa consciousness into their lives. The fundraising drive added new
stories of heroism to the ISKCON Pune folklore — stories of selflessness, toil,
and accomplishment — to inspire devotees for generations to come.
Inauguration by the
President of India
The NVCC
construction progressed at a steady pace. In one special instance, even animals
did their part, undoubtedly inspired by the Lord. Without the devotees’
knowledge, one of the contractors had used substandard material for the false
ceiling inside the temple hall. Monkeys came and played on the temple roof. Their
running and jumping on the rooftop broke the false ceiling, exposing the
contractor’s error. No one had ever seen the monkeys before, and no has ever
seen them since. Perhaps they were sent by the Lord. Thus, by the combined
efforts of the fundraisers, the donors, the construction crew, the residents of
Pune (both human and animal), and the mercy of the Lord, the temple was ready
for inauguration on February 23–24, 2013, on the auspicious day of Nityänanda
Trayodaçé.
On Gopäla Kåñëa
Goswami’s request, the President of India, Çré Pranab Mukherjee, agreed to
inaugurate the NVCC. This raised the profile of the inauguration event to great
heights. It also added tremendous pressure on the NVCC team, since getting the
President to any event is full of uncertainties. But, by the Lord’s mercy, the
inauguration went well. The Governor of Maharashtra, K. Shankarnaraya, a
minister of Maharashtra, Harshawardhan Patil, the Mayor of Pune, Vaishali
Bankar, and Bollywood film star Hema Malini were also present.
In his speech, the
President spoke about ISKCON and Çréla Prabhupada in glowing words. His speech
was repeatedly broadcast on TV channels and must have increased many people’s
appreciation for ISKCON. He said, “...
If anyone notes the progress of the ISKCON movement, he will simply be struck
by the enormity of the velocity with which the movement has caught up. If time
is ripe for an idea, nothing can stop it. This principle can be applied to Çréla
Prabhupada’s movement. ... He dedicated his life to spreading the eternal
message of humanity — the teachings of the Bhagavad-gétä,
the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, and the Gauòéya
Vaiñëava-sampradäya. … We are deeply appreciative of the contributions made by
this great movement. This magnificent center in the city of culture will
dedicate itself to the cause of humanity not by increasing strife, confrontation, and conflict, but by increasing
peace, harmony, love, and compassion.”
Gopäla Kåñëa Goswami
reflects, “The President’s visit was a historic event in all of ISKCON and will
attract thousands of visitors to this temple. It will enhance preaching to a
great degree. Çréla Prabhupäda and Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura wanted
to invite such big prominent leaders in society to draw the attention of the
public.”
The previous day,
the gorgeous Deities of Their Lordships Çré Çré Rädhä-Våndävanacandra, Çré Çré
Gaura-Nitäi, and Çré Çré Jagannätha, Baladeva, and Subhadrä were installed by a
spiritually and emotionally surcharged präëa-pratiñöhä ceremony. In this
ceremony, senior devotees request Their Lordships to manifest Themselves
through the Deities. Accompanied by rousing kértanas and elaborate abhiñeka
ceremony (bathing the Lords by water and other auspicious liquids), devotees
welcomed the Lords into Their magnificent new home. Many senior devotees,
including the GBCs for ISKCON Pune, were present to provide their invaluable
association to all present.
Meanwhile, about 40,000
devotees from all over India, and some even from abroad, had come to enthusiastically
participate in the inauguration festivities. Also in attendance were a huge
number of Pune citizens, for whom a number of stalls were set up to present
various aspects of Kåñëa consciousness. The visitors also had the option of
hearing talks given by various senior devotees; these talks were aired live on
local television.
Wonderful NVCC
The campus of the NVCC
occupies 6 acres. As soon as one enters the complex, a wide expanse of green
lawn meets the eye. Beyond that rises the magnificent Çré Çré Rädhä-Våndävanacandra
temple, extending from right to left. The temple has three tall spires similar
to the spires of the Jagannätha temple in Puré. The outside walls of the temple,
marble and red sandstone, are white and pink. To the left of the lawn is a building
in modern style that holds the Brahmacari Ashram for the 150 resident devotees
and a prasäda hall for 3,000 people. In the future, this building will
also contain other facilities like seminar halls, classrooms, and so on. Also
planned for the NVCC complex are a guest house and a Govinda’s restaurant. To
the right of the lawn, on top of a hill behind the main temple, is the temple
of Lord Bäläjé, reminiscent of Lord Bäläjé’s residence on the Tirumala Hills in
Tirupati. It is in the traditional South Indian style, using unpolished gray
granite.
The
main temple hall is on the first floor. Upon entering, you’re spellbound by
beauty. The eyes dart from one feature to another, anxious to take everything
in and yet eager to see every tiny detail. The flooring is pure white marble,
the same as used in the Taj Mahal. The flooring has multiple inlays — marble
patterns using natural sandstone. The biggest inlay is 30 feet in diameter, one
of the biggest in all the ISKCON temples in the world. Each flower in those
inlays is specially designed. The walls are decorated with gorgeous paintings
and murals, one side from gaura-lélä
and the other from kåñëa-lélä. Balconies
run along both walls. The ceiling has 13 domes. The underside of the biggest
dome is painted with Rädhä, Kåñëa, and the añöa-sakhés, while the other 12 domes
are painted with images of the mahäjanas, one each. Several peacock-shaped
chandeliers from China are suspended from the ceiling. The huge altar area is
made using onyx marble, one of the best in the world. It’s known for its
delightful translucence and softness. The intricate woodwork near the altar
depicts the different incarnations of the Lord. Opposite the altar, at the
other end of the hall, is a mürti of Çréla
Prabhupäda.
All the lighting for
the temple hall, including the chandeliers, is provided by LEDs. This rare
setup saves a lot of power. The domes use color-changing LEDs so they can be lit
up in different colors to create a variety of moods. The marble keeps the
temperature cool inside. A sophisticated system of ventilators and wind
turbines installed in the big dome ensures that hot air is sucked out and
natural air circulates though the hall. The hall is equipped with the best
audio-visual setup, with four projection screens. Aesthetically pleasing
sound-diffusing and sound-absorbing material ensures great acoustics. These and
many more delightful features make the hall the most welcoming place on earth.
And yet all this
beauty cannot match the beauty of the masters of the temple — the Deities. Çré
Çré Rädhä-Våndävanacandra and Çré Çré Gaura-Nitäi were carved in Jaipur. The devotees
very carefully decided exactly how the Deities should look, researching the
prominent features of other ISKCON Deities. For Lord Våndävanacandra, they
wanted His face to resemble the face of Lord Mädhava in Mäyäpur and His hands
to resemble the hands of Lord Gopénätha at Chowpatty, Mumbai. They wanted Rädhäräëé’s
features to be a mix of the features of the Rädhäräëé Deities in ISKCON’s Mäyäpur
and Våndävana temples. They wanted Gaura-Nitäi’s hands to resemble those of the
Gaura-Nitäi Deities in South Africa. The Jagannätha-Baladeva-Sudhadrä Deities came
from Puré. The smiling face of Lord Våndävanacandra and the graceful pose and
merciful mood of Gaura-Nitai are enrapturing. The beauty of Their Lordships
can’t be described in words, but after seeing Them there is no doubt that
nothing and no one can be anywhere near as beautiful as They. The original
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Çré Çré Rädhä-Våndävanacandra, resides in the
NVCC, eager to bestow His unlimited blessings to the residents of Pune.
A New Beginning
The inauguration of the NVCC marks the
beginning of a new chapter in ISKCON Pune’s history. Rädheçyäma Däsa summarizes
his vision for the project: “The NVCC will be a flourishing project where
children, students, working people, families, senior citizens, all will have
friends. They will also have satisfyingcultural, educational, religious, and spiritual engagements. The
soothingspiritual
ambience with state-of-the-art interiors will bring great inner peace,homelike atmosphere, and ever-expanding
happiness to all visitors in such a way that nobody will feel like leaving.”
Not only will the NVCC continue to expand the current temple activities, it
will also venture into new and innovative ways of spreading Kåñëa consciousness.
For example, the multipurpose hall at NVCC will be used for dramas, art, music,
dance, debates, and so on, all to attract thousands to learn Kåñëa consciousness
through entertaining presentations. The NVCC will become a center for training
devotees from all parts of the world. It will also start rural outreach
programs to take the message to villages around Pune. This is but a glimpse
into the future of the NVCC.
The
NVCC is an offering of love from the devotees of Pune to Çréla Prabhupäda and
Çré Kåñëa. It’s a testament to how the temple residents and the congregation
worked together to achieve grand results for Kåñëa. It’s a story of
cooperation, perseverance, and faith. At this joyous juncture, pregnant with
grand possibilities, let’s all rejoice in this remarkable success story in the
glorious mission of Çréla Prabhupäda's ISKCON.
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.
This article appeared in the April 2012 issue of Back to Godhead (India Edition)
The Mango Reason
By Abhijit Toley
Yes,
it’s the mango season. No, that’s not a typo. While I nibble delicious pieces
of mango, let me write about the mango reason.
Having
“offended” the Lord, His Divine Grace Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura took
a vow. What was his offense? When not yet even four years old, he took a mango
before it had been offered to the family Deity. His father, the great Bhaktivinoda
Öhäkura, rebuked him: “All food is to be enjoyed by the Lord. Nothing should be
taken unless it is first offered to Kåñëa. You have committed a serious
offense.” The little boy took this to heart and was greatly pained for
committing this offense. So, instead of the mango, he took a vow—to never eat another
mango as long as he lived.
I feel
I can confidently say that to most who hear this for the first time, Çréla
Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté’s vow will strike them as extreme, to say the least.
But let this initial shock not keep us in ignorance of this great äcärya’s unprecedented glories. If
anything, his uncommon reaction to a seemingly insignificant mistake should
wake us up from the cozy bed of our concocted notions about right and wrong.
The
great äcäryas, empowered spiritual
leaders, are eternally liberated souls. That is, they have no attraction for
the things of this world, except when those things are used in the service of
the Lord. So situated, they exist solely to serve the Lord with their body,
mind, and words. Thus, for them to give up the things of this world, for which an
ordinary man would sacrifice his life, is of little consequence. On the other
hand, by sometimes exhibiting such startling behavior, the great äcäryas set the highest standards of spiritual
life. For instance, by setting this example, even at the tender age of four, Çréla
Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté stressed the importance of first offering everything
to Kåñëa before using it for oneself. This loving spiritual principle is not
very difficult to appreciate for one whose heart has even a little affection
for the Lord. But in the Age of Kali, in which all spiritual values are thoughtlessly
dispensed with, establishing even simple principles necessitates drastic
measures that will shake the spiritually bankrupt notions of society at large.
And to go against the overwhelming flow of social trends, it takes the power and
courage of the great äcäryas, who can
swim against the current and take many along in their wake.
Çréla Bhaktivinoda
Öhäkura had instructed his son verbally. But knowing well that most people in
this world are too spiritually dull to take heed of verbal instructions, Çréla
Sarasvaté Öhäkura gave us the same instruction by following it in its strictest
sense. An äcärya is one who preaches
by example, and this great äcärya set
an example that is to be glorified and worshipped by all sincere seekers of
devotional perfection. Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté did not later instruct any
of his disciples to follow this particular example, perhaps acknowledging that his
offense did not in all cases require a life sentence of mango-less-ness. And
yet, all throughout his life, whenever he was offered a mango, he would refuse
to accept it, saying that he was an offender. Why? What was the reason behind his
vow? What was the Mango Reason?
Çréla
Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura’s vow serves as an example of how the great äcäryas will go to extremes even at the
cost of suffering all kinds of inconveniences, including the scathing criticism
of a spiritually impoverished and yet bombastic society. The äcäryas do so not for egotistically
making a point, but for the spiritual welfare of the general mass of people,
who have been knocked out by the blows of Kali’s agents. In that unconscious
state they are now being carried away by a powerful current, tossed on ever-increasing
waves of godlessness both gross and subtle, with only the ocean of doom as
their final destination. The great äcäryas
execute unprecedented acts, and set extraordinary examples, all to awaken
such unfortunate and misguided children of God to the full consciousness of
spiritual existence so that they can swim back to the safety and joy of
spiritual life. This is the Mango Reason, the reason why Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta
Sarasvaté kept his uncommon lifelong vow.
This
mango season, let’s offer our heartfelt worship at the lotus feet of His Divine
Grace Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura, who not only took that Mango
Vow, but lived all his life for just one reason—the Mango Reason.
