Gaudiya Touchstone | Issue 7 by Gaudiya Touchstone

Gaudiya

touchstone

The Magazine of Sri Narasingha Chaitanya Ashram Issue No.7

To order your copy, click here

Senior Editor

Swami B.G. Narasingha

Assistant Editors

Swami B.B. Vishnu Swami B.V. Giri Swami Srirupa Madhava

Copy Editor

Priyanana

Science Editor

Swami B.B. Vishnu

Translators

Swami B.V. Giri Sanatana

Layout and Design

Rasikananda Gaura-Gopala

Art Department

Dominique Amendola

Photography

Rammohan Nila Newsom Swami B.V. Giri Satyaraja

Webmaster

Advaita Acharya

Contents 01 03

Editorial

Agun Jalbe

Dharma & The Modern World

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Swami B.R. Sridhara

Gaura-Gopala Prashati

Sri Sri Saraswati Samlapa

Jnana-vijnana Yoga

Rasaraja Mahabhava

Mayapura & The Adbhuta Mandira

The Adbhuta Mandira

Himalayan Pilgrimage - Part 2

Swami B.P. Puri

Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Swami B.G. Narasingha Swami B.G. Narasingha Swami B.G. Narasingha Swami B.G. Narasingha Swami B.V. Giri & Gaura Gopala

123

Kedarnath and Badarinath - Photospread

135

Temples of Karnataka

145

From Mythology to History

161

What is it like after you die?

164 169

Who is Robert Lanza

179 181

Words of Wisdom - In Praise of Virtue

Swami B.V. Giri & Gaura Gopala Rasikananda Swami B.B. Vishnu Dr. Robert Lanza M.D.

Traces of Vaishnavism in Early Art Dominique Amendola

Culinary Magic Rasikananda

Editorial Welcome to the seventh issue of Gaudiya Touchstone. This issue commemorates the advent of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, which falls this year on March 16th 2014, so in this edition we have many articles glorifying Mahaprabhu and the sankirtana movement. We have two unique articles translated for the first time in English – Dharma and the Modern World by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and Agun Jalbe by Swami B.R. Sridhara Maharaja. We also have GauraGopala Prashasti, a Bengali composition by Swami B.P. Puri Maharaja glorifying the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya and Lord Krishna. Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura explains to us what is the true nature of the worship of Mahaprabhu in Saraswati Samlapa, an article originally published in The Gaudiya magazine in 1929. Our excerpt from Bhagavad-gita, Jnana-Vijnana Yoga deals particularly with the elusive Dark Matter that modern science is currently searching for, and RasarajaMahabhava explains the ontological meaning of the title ‘Mahaprabhu’. Our cover story is Mayapur and the Adbhuta-Mandir – a controversial topic that details with the history of the whereabouts of Mahaprabhu’s birthplace and the prediction of the construction of an adbhuta-mandir (wonderful temple). This is followed by another article, The Adbhuta Mandir that goes into more detail about this topic. In Himalayan Pilgrimage Part 2, Swami Giri and Gaura Gopala conclude their journey to the sacred temples of the Himalayas, which ends in the tragic floods that killed thousands of people a week later. The article is followed by a photo spread of stunning pictures of the Garhwal region.

Temples of Karnataka by Rasikananda focuses on the 12th Century LakshmiNarayana Temple in Hosaholalu, and Swami Vishnu gives an overview of the achievements of Ancient India and explains the true history of India in From Mythology to History. Robert Lanza asks the poignant question, What is it Like After You Die? – an article that postulates that death ultimately doesn’t exist. We then raise the question in the next article, Who is Robert Lanza? and give a brief biography of this famous scientist who has coined the phrase and concept of ‘biocentrism.’ In Traces of Vaishnavism in Early Art, artist Dominique Amendola takes us through Indian history and around the Subcontinent tracing the very beginnings of Vaishnava iconography and art. This issue’s Words of Wisdom is taken from the famous epic, The Mahabharata, and stresses the importance of virtue. Apart from designing Gaudiya Touchstone, our designer, Rasikananda, is also an accomplished cook. He tells us the secret how to make one of the tastiest sweets in India, the Manohar laddu. So there you have it for Issue 7. Have a happy and auspicious Gaura Purnima festival! OM TAT SAT Swami Narasingha

Dharma

The Modern world

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

n relation to dharma, the Vaishnava acharya Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Mahashaya, has written in his book Sri Chaitanya-Shikshamrita as follows – Upon examining the historical records of all types of people around the world, it becomes obvious that faith in God is man’s common and constant characteristic. Uncivilised forest tribals survive, like animals, on animal flesh, but they also worship the sun, the moon, huge mountains, large rivers and tall trees as their benefactors and controllers. Why do they do this? Though the soul is extremely bound up, his faith in the Lord, his natural quality as a spirit soul, will gradually manifest to the degree that the material covering is weakened. However, when man becomes civilised and takes to various types of knowledge and education, his faith becomes more covered due to materialistic logic. Then atheism, or worse, voidism, takes hold of his mind.

Of the various kinds of dharma existing in this world, almost all of them aim to preach and establish belief in God. Varying endeavors of acharyas depending on time, place and circumstances, can be observed, but it can be ascertained that all of them preach dharma with the main aim of establishing a connection with the Lord. When we speak of the modern world we mean the progressive scientific world. In that modern scientific world, educated people are taking great care to come to a common understanding about the origins of dharma. To begin to understand dharma scientifically we must first look at our scripture, the Gita. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna has specially discussed the three fundamental principles of tattva in the second chapter of the Gita, namely body, mind and consciousness. Earth, air, fire, ether and water – these are the five gross elements, and mind, intelligence, and false-ego – these are the three subtle elements and altogether these eight elements are considered as inferior material nature. The conscious element

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

is the living entity which is indestructible, inexhaustible, eternal, permanent and even when the aged body and mind gets destroyed it continues to exist – this topic has been discussed in the Gita. Before we discuss the development of various types of sadhana for aspirants such as karma, jnana, yoga, bhakti etc. it is especially important to discuss the process mentioned in Gita in relation to consciousness. Without doing so, it is not possible to come to any scientific understanding or conclusion on dharma. In this world, whatever dead matter or living characteristics are present in different elements such as that which is conscious and unconscious, beasts and birds, human beings or demons, each one of them has a unique dharma. To discuss this in detail will require a great deal of time. But whatever we generally understand about theism or the ‘belief in God’ found within dharma, is the final word in the evolution of consciousness. Covered, shrunken, budding, blooming and fully bloomed – among the observed progressive evolution of consciousness, the last three stages (namely budding, blooming and fully bloomed) are only observed in human beings. At the fully bloomed stage of consciousness, belief in God observed at that stage is to be regarded as dharma. The gist of such types of discussion regarding our relation with the Lord has been told in a very universal language in Srimad Bhagavad-gita. Every living entity is connected to God on the platform of consciousness. That is clearly spelled out by the Lord in the Gita: mama yonir mahad brahma tasmin garbham dadhamyaham sambhavah sarva-bhutanam tato bhavati bharata sarva-yonishu kaunteya murtayah sambhavanti yah tasam brahma mahad yonir aham bija-pradah pita O Bharata, the vast expanse of material nature is My womb which I impregnate and wherefrom all living beings manifest. O son of Kunti, all forms of life that are born in this world are ultimately born from the great womb of material nature, and I am the seed-giving father. (Gita 14.3-4) The foundational reality of material nature is the womb of the mother of the universe. The entire creation comes into existence when the seed of consciousness fertilises the womb of material nature. If material nature could have given birth to consciousness by herself, then the seed-giving father, the Supreme Lord, could have been dispensed with.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

But that is not possible. Consciousness is beyond the realm of the eight mundane elements of material nature, namely earth, air, ether, fire, water, mind, intelligence and false ego. Therefore there is no way that the paternal relationship of the Lord with consciousness can be discarded. From this angle the Lord is the Primeval Father of all living entities and material nature is the mother. This is the original purpose of dharma. In the Gita, Bhagavan Sri Krishna has clearly stated this point in another place. mamaivamsha jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah manah-sashthanindriyani prakriti-sthani karshati The living beings of this world are My eternal particles. These living beings struggle with the five senses and the mind, which is the sixth sense within. (Gita 15.7) Therefore, in spite of the living beings being part and parcel of the Lord and being of the same spiritual nature, the fact is that they have fallen into the misery of birth, death, old age, and disease within material nature and have been struggling intensely from time immemorial, transmigrating from one body to another, tightly bonded by the mind and six material senses which is the very cause of the living being’s aversion to dharma. To deliver the living beings from such a miserable state and establish their constitutional position of being eternally liberated, the Lord descends in every age to reestablish the path of dharma (dharma-samsthapanarthaya). Sometimes He personally comes and sometimes His shaktyavesha-avatara comes. Therefore we should understand the term ‘real dharma’ to refer to the path of re-establishing the eternal relation of the living being with the Lord by delivering him from his previous condition of irreligiosity when he was entangled in material nature. The manner in which civilisation has advanced in the modern world means that whatever dharma was established during the Middle Ages or before that – although being suitable for that particular time and

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

place â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they cannot attract the people of the modern scientific world with their expertise pertaining to the dharma of the body and mind. The people of the scientific world are all enthusiastic to understand what is the mulatattva (the primary principal). Therefore it is necessary to discuss the fact that consciousness is the main principal of dharma.

The conception that after death or upon leaving the body, the living entityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bondage comes to an end is not true. Depending on his karma the living being again gets a gross body and after due course of time, he again gives up that material body. When one travels from one body to another, the material desires and habits developed in relation to that particular body are carried to the next body. When the gross body is given up, the living entity travels after taking shelter of the subtle body in the form of mind, intelligence and false-ego, and during the time of death, that particular subtle body carries the key to receiving a good or a bad body just

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

like the wind carries a good smell or a bad smell. According to ones particular desire, again one receives another gross body. In relation to this there are various considerations pertaining to the mode of goodness, passion and ignorance which are present. According to the particular gross body one receives â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for example, a human body, a tigerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body or a demigod body, the suitable external sense organs of hearing, sight, touch, taste, smell, etc. are given on the basis of that particular form. On the basis of previous conditioning, the mind again starts serving those things pertaining to matter and forgets its connection to the Supreme Lord. Those who are dedicated to pure knowledge understand this predicament and come to the conclusion that the entangled position of the living entity is very miserable, thus they endeavor to establish the dharma of consciousness in order that the living beings of this world are again

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

established on the path of dharma. In spite of being expert in material knowledge, scholars whose minds are not purified, or who are attached to bodily dharma or mental dharma, fail to understand the real misery of the living entities due to a lack of sufficient experience in spiritual subject matter. The dharma they try to establish does not diagnose the root cause, hence it is affected by material degradation and becomes useless rubbish in this world. In this way dharma decreases and materialistic scholars cannot properly understand topics related to eternal dharma. If we continue to remain busy with dharma pertaining to the body and mind in the company of the progressive civilised people of this modern world, we will never be able to achieve equality. When we come under the spell of bodily dharma, some of us think ourselves to be Hindus, some as Muslims, some as brahmanas, some as shudras, some as Bengalis, some as Biharis, some as Indians, some as English, some as men, some as women, some as humans, some as animals, etc. and thus differences arise. Under the spell of mental dharma people have formed many sectarian groups, some claiming themselves to be Congress members, some as belonging to a league, some as socialists etc. But Bhagavad-gita says that those who are true scholars are all samadarshi (having equal spiritual vision). For example: vidya-vinaya-sampanne brahmane gavi hastini shuni chaiva shva-pake cha panditah sama-darshinah A wise man sees a learned and humble brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog, a lowborn person and all other living beings as equal. (Gita 5.18) The very last instruction of the Gita is to accept bhagavata-dharma and abandon dharma based on the platform of the body and mind. That type of bhagavata-dharma is meant for jnanis who have developed transcendental qualities. It rejects any form of discrimination on the basis of gross bodily differences of superior, medium and inferior forms and embraces an equal vision, irrespective of different bodies such as that of an elevated brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog or a chandala (outcaste). Therefore, establishing proper dharma and bringing about universal equality, which modern progressive cultured society is endeavoring to establish, is never under the

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

purview of bodily dharma or mental dharma. That is the dharma of the soul, or the dharma of consciousness. In order to establish that dharma of consciousness in the modern world Srimad Bhagavad-gita has given ample instructions about what needs to be done. Nowadays in many conferences and meetings, many respectable and highly educated people assemble together and cultivate hopes of establishing an egalitarian and universal dharma which is in synchrony with the modern world. This can be solved very effectively mostly through the Srimad Bhagavad-gita and especially the Srimad Bhagavata. The dharma instructed in Srimad Bhagavata is meant for people who are free from envy (nirmatsara). People who are engaged in bodily and mental dharma can never be non-envious. In their case, it should be understood that envy itself is their dharma. Thus, when envy is present, there is no question of establishing equality. There is always the presence of envy in the sub-religious goals of dharma, artha, kama and moksha. Therefore, these four paths of dharma will never be able to provide any real solution. If one does not develop compassion upon seeing the sorrows of others, without understanding the root cause of the living entityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s misery, one will never be able to properly estimate the value of eternal dharma. That which delivers us from the threefold miseries and shows us the ultimate reality is the ultimate dharma of the living entity. That is why Suta Gosvami has said in the Srimad Bhagavata: sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokshaje ahaituky apratihata yayatma suprasidati The supreme dharma for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self. (Bhag. 1.2.6) dharmah svanusthitah pumsam vishvaksena-kathasu yah notpadayed yadi ratim shrama eva hi kevalam Dharma, executed by men, regardless of occupation, is only so much useless labor if it does not provoke attraction for the message of the Supreme Lord. (Bhag. 1.2.8)

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Therefore, in order to establish the non-envious causeless bhagavata-dharma, it is essential that the intelligent people of this world endeavor to analyse and discover a new approach to present that eternal ancient method of preaching sanatana-dharma. Within the entire world Bharata-varsha is the greatest place of dharma. and within India Bengal is the best. Sri Chaitanya-deva, the deliverer in Kali-yuga, appeared within the Bengali community. It is essential that we analyse how He preached Srimad Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavata in a very pristine and transcendental method in order to preach Bhagavata-dharma in a non-envious fashion. sri-krishna-chaitanya-daya karaha vichara vichara karite chitte pabe chamatkara Please take into consideration the mercy of Sri Krishna Chaitanya. If you do so, you will find it to be most wonderful. (Cc. Adi 8.15) (First published in The Gaudiya, November 11th, 1949)

Light t The Wi

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Light the asiddhah k to others?â&#x20AC;?

Whoe spiritu

Those who Sriman M what will still preach the qualifi

During th Thakura) b going to ta fear itself f

To offer o and every along with birthright revive our

gun Jalbe

the Fire – ind Will Come On Its Own to Fan It! S wa m i B . R . S r idh a r a

e fire – the wind will come on its own to fan it!” Far greater than the statement, svayam katham anyan sadhayet (“If you have not achieved perfection yourself, how can you give it ”) is the following – yare dekha tare kaha krishna upadesha amara ajnaya guru haiya tara ei desha

ever you see, tell them about the instructions of Krishna. In this way become a ual master and try to liberate everyone in this land. (Cc. Madhya 7.128)

o are gosthyanandi-sadhakas are oblivious to how much they may be benefitted or harmed. Mahaprabhu has assured them by this instruction. By this instruction they understand benefit them and others. Even if you have not become a perfected sadhaka, you should h about the Holy Name of Krishna. Through this very instruction, Mahaprabhu has given fication of preaching to the sadhaka.

he time of Sri Yayavara Maharaja’s sannyasa, Srila Prabhupada (Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati bestowed fearlessness upon him by saying, “Are you fearful? Why do you fear? You are ake shelter of He whose feet bestow fearlessness – yad bibheti svayam bhayam (‘That which fears’ –Bhag.1.1.14).”

ourselves in the sankirtana-yajna of Sriman Mahaprabhu is the only way in which each one of us can be protected. That which we are practicing will cure all of our own diseases h curing the material disease of materialistic persons. “Die to live!” The right to live is our and we need to live with all the dignity a life should have. Only the fire of sankirtana can very essence. bhasmi bhavanti rajendra mahapataka-kotayah

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

The chanting of the Holy Name destroys millions of great sins (Vishnu-dharma Purana) If you perform real krishna-kirtana then you will have nothing to fear. The true necessity is the fire of spirituality. In order to benefit ones self and other living entities – amara ajnaya guru haiya tara ei desha (“accept my instruction and become a spiritual master to try to liberate everyone in this land”). Those that will listen to you will fan the fire of your sankirtana. Once, Sripada Bhakti Hridaya Vana Maharaja accidently entered a prostitute’s house when he went out for bhiksha. After Prabhupada heard about this, he referred to the incident when he was speaking hari-katha – “Did I make a mistake in this regard? These are boys who left material things, just as one rejects one’s own stool; they left their homes to join me – and again I am sending them to the doors of materialists. Why am I sending them? I have not committed any mistake!” In this respect he told the story of two sadhus in Haridwar. The two sadhus saw a black blanket floating in the waters of the Ganga. Seeing this, when one of them went to take the blanket out of the water, he was immediately embraced by it. The blanket was actually a bear. When the bear was floating in water, he was thinking that the sadhu was his protector and embraced him. The other sadhu saw that he was not coming out of the water with the blanket. Then he said, “Arey bhai! Just leave the blanket and come out!” The one in the water replied, “Bhai, I am leaving the blanket, but the blanket is not leaving me !” Similarly, even if you want to stay far away from the material world, the material world will not leave you. You have been intimate with it for such a long time – why will it leave you today when you want to dissociate yourself from it? For millions of births you have been entangled in it. It has entered every part of your existence and has dethroned your very self. Therefore, simply asking it to leave will not make it leave. This is a blatant truth. Thus, to remove it you will also have to take a very effective and real course of action. indriyani mano-buddhir asyadhisthanam uchyate

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

The senses, the mind and the intelligence are considered to be the residence of lust. (Gita 3.40) Your mind, your intelligence, your senses etc. – all these bases have been occupied by it. Hence it is natural that it will be more powerful. Still, your very endeavor should be to regain control of these lost bases. The science of your relationship with Krishna – that is your only brahmastra. tavad-bhayasya bhetavyam yavad-bhayam-anagatam agatantu bhayam viksya pratikuryat yathochitam One should be apprehensive of the cause of fear when it is far away. But upon seeing the cause of fear getting closer, one should fight it without a doubt. (Chanakya-niti 236) When you have declared a revolution, you should also be ready for retaliation. You have to work hard. There is evidence of this in the kamadinam shloka*. Therefore simply pushing back a material object will not make it leave. Yukta-vairagya is the only effective way of renouncing material objects. You have no other way but to adopt nirbandhah krishna sambandhe (using everything in relation to Krishna). In Prabhupada’s logo in The Gaudiya there are two Bengali stanzas in his own handwriting –

*kamadinam kati na katidha palita durnidesas tesham jata mayi na karuna na trapa nopasantih utsrijyaitan atha yadu-pate sampratam labdha-buddhis tvam ayatah saranam abhayam mam niyunkshvatma-dasye O my Lord, there is no limit to the unwanted orders of lusty desires. Although I have rendered these desires so much service, they have not shown any mercy to me. I have not been ashamed to serve them, nor have I even desired to give them up. O my Lord, O head of the Yadu Dynasty, recently, however, my intelligence has been awakened, and now I am giving them up. Due to transcendental intelligence, I now refuse to obey the unwanted orders of these desires, and I now come to You to surrender myself at Your fearless lotus feet. Kindly engage me in Your personal service and save me. (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 3.2.35)

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

sri hari-seva, yaha anukula vishaya baliya tyage haya bhula asakti rahita, sambandha sahita vishaya samuha sakali madhava It is a mistake to renounce whatever is favourable to the service of Sri Hari, thinking it to be a material object. Without attachment, in its proper relation, all matter should be viewed as belonging to Madhava. This is Prabhupada’s formula. Create your own neighbors and relationships. Yare dekha tare kaha krishna upadesha (“Whoever you see, tell them about the instructions of Krishna”). Kabhu na badhibe tomara vishaya taranga (“The waves of materialism will not obstruct you at any time” – Cc. Madhya 7.129). Be desperate for it! Totalitarian war! Whatever your position is, remember that it is the only way to survive. Sri Mahaprabhu has said, “Do not think that after making you come forward, I will not make any endeavour Myself. Punarapi ei thani pabe mora sanga (“Again you will attain shelter in My association” – Cc. Madhya 7.129). You are a soldier. I am carrying all of your responsibility upon Me. In this very work you will find Me.”

GLOSSARY Gosthyanandi-sadhakas – Devotees of Krishna who preaches the glories of Sri Krishna Sadhaka – A practicing devotee Bhiksha – Begging on behalf of the spiritual master. Brahmastra – A powerful sonic weapon used in Vedic times. Yukta-vairagya – Using everything in the service of Krishna. The Gaudiya – A monthly magazine published by the Gaudiya Matha during the time of Srila Sarasvati Thakura.

(1) vrajendra-nandana hari, radha-bhava ka mayapure janama labhila antah-krishna bahir-gaura, nama laila â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;vi prema diya bhuvana bharila

Lord Hari, the son of the king of Vraja, a mood and beauty of Radharani, took birth i Inside He was Krishna (black) and outside H (golden). Taking the name Visvambhara, universe with love of God.

(2) vraja-parikara yei, gaura-parikara age pache saba prakatila ta sabare sange kari, bhakti-bhava an vraja-prema-rasa-asvadila

anti dhari

ishvambharaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

accepting the in Mayapura. He was Gaura He filled the

a sei

ngi kari

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Those who are the associates of Krishna in Vraja are also the associates of Gaura, and they all manifested themselves before and after His advent. In the company of all of them, accepting the mood of a devotee, He tasted the nectarean love which belongs to Vraja. (3) sri nanda yashoda yena, shachi jagannatha tena mata-pita tahara ha-ila rohini-nandana balai, dharilena nama nitai jyeshtha bhrata rarhe janamila Shachi and Jagannatha, who are non-different from Yashoda and Sri Nanda, became His mother and father. Balarama, the son of Rohini, accepting the name Nitai, took birth in the country of Rarha as His elder brother. (4) gauragraja-vishvarupa, nityananda-amsha-rupa griha-tyagi sannyasi haila pandharapurete giya, shankaranya nama lana yathakale siddhi labha kaila Gaurangaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s elder brother, Vishvarupa, Who was a plenary portion of Lord Nityananda, renounced his home and became a sannyasi. He went to Pandharapura and accepted the name Shankaranya. In due course of time He attained perfection and left the world. (5) (nitai) avadhuta vesha dhari, deshe deshe ghuri ghuri sheshe asilena vrindavana yamunara kule kule, bhratara virahe bule kotha bhai dake anukshana

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Nitai put on the dress of an avadhuta and, travelling throughout the land, finally arrived in Vrindavana, Crying in separation from His brother, He wandered along the bank of the Yamuna, and day and night called out, “Where are You, My brother?” (6) navadvipe ‘chadma’ haye, ache bhai lukaiye bujhi tare milibare chaya shighra asi mayapure, nandana-acharya-ghare lukaila nityananda-raya Then He realised that His brother was hiding in Navadvipa, in disguise, and wanted to be united with Him. So immediately Nityananda came to Mayapura and hid in the house of Nandanacharya. (7) edike agraja mane, milite satrishna mane pathapane cheye ache gora du’nayane vahe dhara, hayeche pagala-para bhai bhai bali atmahara In the meantime, Gauranga was watching the road, waiting for His elder brother, hankering greatly to meet Him. Tears were flowing from His eyes, and He became almost mad in separation. Thinking of His brother He was beside Himself.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

(8) sahasanubhave jani, agrajera agamani chute chale nandanera ghare duâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;bhaye milana haâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;la, ki ananda uchalila nade-vasi nache premabhare Suddenly realising that His brother had arrived, He ran to the house of Nandanacharya. The two brothers were united and there were feelings of great joy all around. The residents of Nadiya began dancing in loving ecstasy. (9) namacharya haridasa, mili avadhuta pasha mahanande kirtanarambhila sri-advaita gadadhara, srivasadi bhakti-bara se kirtane sabe yoga dila Namacharya Sri Haridasa came and joined Nityananda, and the two of them began kirtana with great joy. Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasa and all the other devotees also joined in that kirtana. (10) aha se namera dhvani, ki madhu barashe mani golokera prema-sudha-sara apamare kare dana, bhagyavan-kare pana pipasha barhaye anibara O, the sound of that Holy Name! What sweetness it showered, bringing the essence of the sweet love of Goloka! Such sweet love was distributed to everyone, even to sinful people. Those who were fortunate drank it to the fullest, but their thirst kept on increasing.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

(11) sri advaita nityananda, srivasadi bhakti-vrinda gadadhara haridasa sange suradhuni-tire gora, sankirtane matoyara â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bali nache prema range On the banks of the Ganga, in the association of Advaita, Nityananda, Gadadhara, Haridasa, Srivasa and others, Lord Gauranga, being intoxicated in the mood of sankirtana, danced in great joy calling out the name of Hari. (12) srivasa-angana hala, sankirtana-yajna-sthala sapta-jihva uthe yajnanala tahe atma-purnahuti, deha bhakti mahamati nama-rase halena vihvala

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

The courtyard of Srivasa became the site of the sankirtana-yajna, and it seemed that the fire of this yajna was burning all the time with its seven tongues. The great devotees completely sacrificed their souls in that fire of the Holy Name, and became overwhelmed by its nectarean influence. (13) uchalila premavanya, dharitri halena dhanya anandera ara sima nai gaurahari hari bali, nache bhakti bahu tuli duhkha-shoka bhulila sabai There was a flood of love everywhere and the planet earth became very satisfied, and it seemed that there was no bound to its joy. All the devotees danced with uplifted arms taking Lord Gaurangaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Name, knowing Him to be Lord Hari. Everyone forgot all the grief and miseries.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

(14) chabhisha batsara-dhari, grihashrame vasa kari dharma-marma shikhalena gora pare halena sannyasi, kadalena nade-vasi radha-bhave halena vibhora For twenty-four years Lord Gauranga lived in His house and taught the essence of dharma. Then He made the residents of Nadiya cry when He became a sannyasi, being immersed in the mood of Radharani. (15) kadilena shachi-mata, vishnu-priya jagan-mata bhakti-vrinda kadiya vikala shire buke hani kare, dhairaya dharite nare nidrahara saba teyagila

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Mother Shachi cried and so did Vishnupriya, the mother of the universe. The devotees cried as their hearts were crushed by grief. They could not tolerate this pain and they beat their foreheads and chests in intense misery, giving up food and sleep. (16) purve yena vraja-vasi, haraye kala-shashi viraha-sayare nimajila ebe tena nade vasi, haraiye gaura-shashi prana-tyage sankalpa karila Just as before the residents of Vraja, losing their Black Moon (Krishna) were immersed in an ocean of separation, similarly now the residents of Nadiya, losing their Golden Moon (Gaura), were ready to give up their lives.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

(17) gaura-shiksha smari pare, ati-kashte dhairya dhare phukari yukari nama kare smariya gauranga-nama, netre ashru avirama svapne gaura prabodhena tare Later they remembered the teachings of Lord Gauranga, and tried with great difficulty to tolerate their pain. They kept taking the Holy Name even though the Name hardly came out of their mouths as they were heartbroken. As they were remembering the Name of Gauranga, tears flowed incessantly from their eyes, and the Lord consoled them in all their dreams. (18) gauranga prakata-kale, chabhisha-varsha nilachale prati-varsha dekhibare yaya bhakta-prati kripa kari, bhakta-vatsala hari bhakti-vancha sakali puraya The Lord manifested Himself for twenty-four years in Nilachala and the devotees went to see Him every year. The Lord, who is very affectionate to His devotees, being very merciful to them, fulfilled all their desires. (19) gaura-shiksha-krishna-nama, sankirtana avishrama sarva-shreshtha tahai bhajana bala krishna bhaja krishna, kare shiksha bhajana krishna sambandhabhidheya prayojana The instruction of Lord Gauranga is that one should engage in sankirtana, taking the Name of Lord Krishna without interruption. This is the best

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

worship. “Take the Name of Krishna, worship Krishna, learn how to worship Krishna in the three stages of sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana.” (20) vraje yare kadaiye, antarale lukaiye prema-rasa kaila asvadana ebe tara bhava laye, phire krishna anveshiye vipralambha-rase nimagana Hiding from Her, He made Her cry in Vraja and thus tasted the sweet nectar of love; now accepting Her mood, He is searching for Krishna, being engulfed in the grief of separation. (21) nilambudhi-tate gaura, kede kede hana sara radha-bhava sada vibhavita kaha krishna prana-dhana, bale jhare du-nayana muhuhmurhu hana murachita Lord Gauranga was crying incessantly as He was wandering along the shore of the blue ocean, being immersed in the mood of Radharani. His eyes were shedding tears and saying, “Where are You, Krishna, the treasure of My life?” He fainted now and then. (22) gambhiraye ratri dine, svarupa ramananda sane mahabhave chitta gara gara prabodhena tara yata, vyatha bare dvigunita dhairya nahi manaye antara

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Day and night, staying in the room called Gambhira, He shared with Svarupa-Damodara and Ramananda Raya His feelings of intense love, which made His heart ache. The more they consoled Him, the more His pain increased. He found little patience in His heart. (23) krishna priyatama radha, tara preme krishna badha sei prema karite prachara svayam krishna dayamaya, gaura-lila prakataya dhanya kali sarva-yuga-sara Radharani is the Supreme Beloved of Krishna, and Krishna is bound by Her love. To preach about that love, merciful Krishna Himself manifested the pastimes of Lord Gauranga. Therefore all glories to this age of Kali, which is the best of all ages. (24) sei prema labhopaya, nama-sankirtana haya sri-mukhe kahena goramani svarupa rama-rayera kantha, dhari ka’na gaura-krishna nirashaya ashvasera vani It came from our beloved Lord Gauranga’s own sweet lips – the only way to attain that love is to engage in the chanting of the Holy Name. Embracing SvarupaDamodara and Ramananda Raya, the Golden Krishna delivered the most encouraging message to all the hopeless souls.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

(25) dina hina prati ara, eta daya kotha kara asadhane dena cintamani ayacake prema yache, uccha nicha nahi kache bhaja gaura-charana du-khani Who else has so much mercy for the fallen and the insignificant? He gives us the cintamani jewel without any austerity on our part. He gives love to one who does not ask for it; He does not discriminate between the high and the low. Therefore lets us worship the lotus feet of Lord Gauranga.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

(26) sri-nama bhajane haya, gaura-kripa atishaya aparadha shighra dure yaya krishna-prema upajaya, jivana sarthaka haya lila-rase adhikara paya One attains Lord Gaurangaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great mercy by chanting and worshipping the Holy Name, and all His offences are quickly erased. He attains love of Krishna and his life becomes successful. He gains entrance into Krishnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nectarean pastimes.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

(27) puraite manaskama, sarva-shakti-dhara nama aghatana ghataite pare vishvasa kariya tare, ye-vashraya nite pare nama-prabhu uddharaye tare To fulfill oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desire the Holy Name is all-powerful, and it can make the impossible happen. If one takes shelter of the Holy Name with great faith, then the Lord, Who is non-different from His Holy Name, delivers him. (28) avatara-shiromani, sri-gauranga guna-mani kara mana gorapada sara bhajana sadhana hine, ke taribe gora vine kshama-guna eta ache kara Sri Gauranga, the reservoir of transcendental qualities, is the essence of all avataras. Therefore, O mind, make His lotus feet the only object of your worship. Who else but Lord Gauranga will deliver someone bereft of devotional practice? Who else has the quality of forgiveness in such great quantity? (29) kata janmera aparadhi, papi-tapi murhamati maya-moha-mugdha jivadhama hena apadartha jane, raksha gaura nija-gune hao gati charama parama I am an ignorant, fallen, suffering soul who has been an offender for many lifetimes. I am a very inferior living entity enchanted by the illusory energy. O Lord Gauranga, please protect an insignificant person like me by dint of Your own mercy, and become my supreme destiny.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

(30) sri-guru vaishnave mati, na janmila eka rati aparadha kari kata shata amara ki habe gati, bhaviya na pai sthiti kise habe aparadha hata I have not acquired any love for Sri Guru and the Vaishnavas, and I am committing hundreds of offences. I become very restless when I cannot even imagine what will be my future, and how my offences will be erased. (31) sri-gauranga dayamaya, kripa-drishti yadi haya tabe asha haya taribara sri-guru vaishnava more, prasanna ha-ite pare dite pare seva adhikara If the merciful Sri Gauranga will glance at me with kindness, then there is some hope of my being delivered. It is possible that Sri Guru and the Vaishnavas will be pleased with me and will grant me the privilege of serving them. (32) guru-kripa nahi hale, (gaura) krishna-kripa nahe-mile bhajana sadhana vritha haya antaraya nahi yaya, pade pade badha paya keha nahi tare sambhashaya Without the mercy of Gurudeva, one does not attain the mercy of Gaura or Krishna, and all his devotional practices become useless. He cannot get rid of his obstacles. In fact, he meets obstacles at every step. No one wants to be his friend.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

He gets chastised and p envy) never leave him al have peace for one mom

The divine illusory ener Who has the strength to illusory potency. The me

O Lord Gauranga! Pleas at Your lotus feet. Please intoxicate me with the n

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

(33) lanchana ganjana bare, shar-ripu nahi nahi chare vritha vahi mare deha-bhara shanti nahi eka-kshane, krishna-chinta nahi mane diva-nishi kare hahakara

persecuted all the time. His own six enemies (lust, anger, greed, illusion, pride and lone. Carrying the burden of his body, one day he will just die uselessly. He does not ment. There is no thought of Krishna in his mind. He simply laments day and night. (34) daivi-gunamayi maya, atishaya duratyaya kara shakti tare jinibara sri-krishna prapanna hale, maya jaya avahele krishna-kripa sarva-baladhara

rgy, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is very difficult to overcome. o conquer her? But if one is surrendered to Sri Krishna, he can very easily conquer the ercy of Krishna possesses all potency. (35) gaura-kripa kara more, rakhsa e vipada ghore sthana dao charane tomara tava nija jana sange, rakha more seva range nama rase kara matoyara

se be merciful to me. Please rescue me from this great danger. Please give me shelter e sustain me in the joy of devotional service in the company of Your associates. Please nectar of the Holy Name. (36) gahite gahite nama, ghuche yabe jata kama aparadha chale yabe dure

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

ha nitai bale kede, katare janaba pade nitaiyera daya habe more By singing the Holy Name continuously, I will wipe out my material desires and my offenses will be erased. Crying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;O Nitai!â&#x20AC;? I shall earnestly submit my prayer at His lotus feet. Then Nitai will be merciful to me. (37) (jata) vishaya-vasana yabe, hridaya nirmala habe (chinmaya) vrindavana darashana paba sri-guru-vaishnava-kripa, habe more nishi diva yugala piriti upajaba When material desires are wiped out from my heart, it will become pure and clean. I will see the transcendental Vrindavana. Day and night I will receive the mercy of Sri Guru and the Vaishnavas. Thus I will appreciate the conjugal love of the Divine Couple. (38) svarupa rupa raghunatha, karibena atma-sat nija yutha sange milaibe yugala bhajana riti, janabena kari priti ashta-yama seva shikhaibe Svarupa, Rupa and Raghunatha will capture me and make me join their camp. Being affectionate to me, they will teach me how to worship the Divine Couple. They will teach me the different kinds of service to be done during the eight periods of the day.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

(39) rupanuga-bhakta-sange, krishna-katha rasa range krishna-lila-sthana nirakhiba dvadasha-vana upavane, ye ye lila yei sthane sei sthane garagari diba In the company of the devotees following Sri Rupa, I will spend my time very joyfully, hearing topics of Krishna and visiting different places of His pastimes. I will go and roll on the ground of the twelve forests and groves of Vrindavana where various pastimes occurred. (40) shuniba sadhura mukhe, se sthana mahima sukhe vraja-bhumi nitya-lila sthana adyapi se saba lila, hateche rakhala mela hariteche gopi-manah-prana With great happiness I will hear the glories of Vraja-bhumi, where Krishnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pastimes eternally take place, from the lips of saintly devotees. Even today the cowherd boys gather there. Those pastimes, which steal the hearts of the gopis, are still going on there. (41) nitya-dhama vrindavana, parikara nitya hana rasadi-anvayi nitya-lila asura-marana adi, naimittika lila-riti vyatireke lila-pushti kaila

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Vrindavana i with the gopis of demons de

With materia of Krishnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tr vision, so tha

Even today th animated. Ev around Him

Even today H be seen there the hearts of

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

is the Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eternal abode. His associates are eternally present there. His pastimes s such as the rasa-dance, are among His eternal pastimes. Such pastimes as the killing epend on time and circumstances. They are occasional additions to His pastimes. (42) (jada) vishayandha cakshu bale, darashana nahi mile aprakrita se lila vilasa gurudeva kripa kaile, divya-netra tabe khule nitya-lila haâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;na sva-prakasha

al eyes, which are blinded with worldly desires, it is not possible to see the opulence ranscendental pastimes. Only by the mercy of Gurudeva does one get transcendental at the eternal pastimes of the Lord manifest themselves to him. (43) ajio vashira gana, yamuna bahaya ujana sthavara jangama-dharma paya bhakta-preme badha kanu, bajaye mohana venu dhenu laye ajo gothe yaya

he melody of the flute causes the river Yamuna to swell. Inanimate nature becomes ven today, Krishna, who is bound by the love of His devotees, gathers His cows to take them to pasture, playing His enchanting flute. (44) (aja-o se) tribhanga bhangima thama, pita-vasa anupama shire shikhi pincha shobha paya adhare murali shobhe, vraja-gopi mana lobhe vamshi-gane gopire mataya

His charming form, curving in three places and clothed in splendid yellow cloth, can e, and the peacock feather looks very beautiful on His head. The flute which steals the gopis is on His lips and He intoxicates the gopis with its music.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

(45 nava-ghana-shyama kant vamshi-bata mul karshiya vashira gane, gopinatha gopi-

With the vaijayanti garland made of forest flowers on His neck and Shyama is standing under the bamboo grove. He attracts the gopis to t for their association.

(46 sri-rasa-rasika bara, rad yugala-kishora sri-radha-vallabha-shyama, vraja-vadhu-gan

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

5) ti, galadeshe vaijayanti le shyama-raya gopi-gane vane tane -sanga chaya

d His dark complexion resembling a new monsoon cloud, beloved the forest with the sound of His flute. The Lord of the gopis hankers

6) dha-prana manohara ra giridhari , sri radha-ramana-rama na-chittahari

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

The young cowherd boy who lifted Govardhana Hill charms the heart of Radharani, and along with His consort He enjoys the ecstasy of the rasa dance. Beautiful Shyama, who is the Lord of Radharani, and who is the enjoyer of the beauty of Radha, steals the hearts of the damsels of Vraja. (47) (ha ha) dina-bandhu dina-natha, srimati radhika satha e dasere uru kripa kari ayogya yogyata diya, aparadha ghuchaiya nitya sevaya kara adhikari O Lord of the fallen, friend of the fallen, please come along with Srimati Radharani and bestow Your unlimited mercy on this fallen servant of Yours. Removing my offenses, please bestow some qualification on my unqualified self and please give me entrance to Your divine service. (48) gaurabhinna vraje heri, gaura-guna-lila smari vraje krishna-lila asvadiba sri-gaura karuna habe, radha-krishna seva dibe yathakale deha teyagiba Seeing Vraja-bhumi as non-different from Gauda-desha and remembering the qualities and pastimes of Lord Gauranga, I will taste the joy of Krishnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pastimes in Vraja. Sri Gaura will be merciful to me and will grant me devotional service to Radha-Krishna, and in due time, I will give up my material body.

Sri S

(While Om Vishnupa Station Road on 7th came to meet Srila P Raya Bahadur Maho devotee of Mahaprab and night, “Gaura! G Babu started to devel to his Gurudeva’s hou spite of performing su till about nine o’clock Some days later, Raya R.’s love and steadfas Raya Bahadur, “There so much! If He was r know of their anguis preached much more of times! The devotees Faith and devotion to once more, the girl wo nature, people believ practical and profitab

In answer to these word

“That Mahaprabhu that his hired gardener. We h impressed with the love

Sri Saraswati Samlapa A Discourse with Srila Saraswati Thakura - Part 1

ada Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Prabhupada was residing in Lucknow at 19, November 1929, the retired District Sessions Judge of Una, Raya Bahadur Basu directly Prabhupada. Seeing how Srila Prabhupada was exclusively devoted to Sri Gaurasundara, odaya told that his friend Mr. R. (the superintendent engineer) was a fully dedicated bhu. When Mr. R’s only daughter became extremely ill, R. began to chant incessantly day Gaura!” As his daughter’s condition further deteriorated, his chanting also increased. R. lop more affinity towards making more elaborate offerings and the frequency of his visits use increased – so much so that everyone was astounded at his amazing guru-bhakti. Yet, in uch devotion his only daughter died. On the day that she died, from early in the morning k at night, his daughter suffered acute breathing problems until she finally gave up her life. a Bahadur Basu went to meet his friend R. Babu. Raya Bahadur Basu Mahashaya saw that st devotion for Mahaprabhu and his faithful devotion had completely gone. Mr. R. told e is no ‘Mahaprabhu’! If Bhagavan truly exists, he would never cause His devotee to suffer really antaryami and actually resided in the heart of His devotee, then He would surely sh and He would have saved my daughter! His greatness as Bhagavan would have been e in this world! The faith and devotion of Bhagavan’s devotees would have soared millions s of Bhagavan would have preached about His glories and brought others to worship Him! o Mahaprabhu in all members of the family would have increased! And, regaining her life ould have more love and attraction towards Bhagavan. Therefore due to their superstitious ve in the existence of God and recite the Name of Mahaprabhu. Thus it is much more ble to do any work pertaining to this world than simply chanting, “Gaura, Gaura!”)

ds, Srila Prabhupada spoke thus –

we have taken shelter of is not the Mahaprabhu of R. Babu, whom he considers to be like have taken shelter of the Mahaprabhu of Srivasa Pandita. That Mahaprabhu, who was so of Srivasa, said– putra-shoka na janila ye mora preme hena saba sanga muni cchadiba kemane

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

How could I ever give up the association of one who did not lament for his son due to his love for Me?” (Chaitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda.25.52) We worship the Mahaprabhu of that Srivasa Pandita who said – kalarava shuni’ yadi prabhu bahya paya tabe aji ganga praveshimu sarvathaya If the Lord regains his external consciousness by hearing your commotion, I will drown myself in the Ganga. (Chaitanya-bhagavata, Madhya-khanda.25.36) We worship Sri Rupa’s Mahaprabhu. It is Sri Rupa who says – virachaya mayi dandam dina-bandho dayam va gatir iha na bhavattah kachid anya mamasti nipatatu shata-kotir nirmalam va navambhas tad api kila payodah stuyate chatakena O friend of the poor, do what You like with me, give me either mercy or punishment, but in this world I have none to look to except for You, just as the chataka bird always prays for the cloud, regardless of whether it brings rains or hurls a thunderbolt. (Stavamala) We worship that Mahaprabhu who manifested the lila of being the jagad-guru in order to instruct us –

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

aslishya va pada-ratam pinashtu mam adarshanan marma-hatam karotu va yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparah Krishna may embrace me in love or trample me under His feet. He may break my heart by hiding Himself from me. Let that debauchee do whatever He likes, but He will always be the only Lord of my life. (Siksastakam 8) na gani apana-duhkha, sabe vanchi tanra sukha tanra sukha – amara tatparya more yadi diya duhkha, tanra haila maha-sukha sei duhkha – mora sukha-varya I do not mind My personal distress. I only wish for the happiness of Krishna, for His happiness is the goal of My life. However, if He feels great happiness in giving Me distress, that distress is the best of My happiness. (Chaitanya-charitamrita, Antya-lila 20.52) In order to perform bhajana of this Mahaprabhu, if I need to reject the detrimental things of this world millions of times, I am ready to do that wholeheartedly with all my senses, I am prepared for that. Taking shelter of His feet I accept those misfortunes with the understanding that He is protecting me and dragging me towards His feet – He is supremely merciful to expose my duplicity. He is not allowing me to add more fuel to my material senses. He is making me understand this – that there is no eternal object in this world to take shelter of other than His feet. We are

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

bearing the heavy burden of our karmic reactions upon our shoulders due to our own previous activities. If I am able to tolerate these with a little endeavour, taking shelter at the lotus feet of the eternal Lord, then only will I attain some real auspiciousness. If we belong to the school of material enjoyment, then when some obstacle hinders our enjoyment, we become angry. The school of renunciation says we should give up material enjoyment. Sri Gauranga’s devotees do not prescribe to any sort of enjoyment, nor do they prescribe to any sort of renunciation. They say, “It should be towards real objects – let the natural propensity of the jivatma be focused upon true transcendental knowledge of the non-dual Absolute.” Even if one accepts the three types of sufferings that continuously immerse us, it is of no advantage, and if one desires to artificially renounce, he cannot. Only one who offers his namaskara to Bhagavan’s feet with his mind, body and words is the rightful heir to liberation. Whatever be the inconveniences one may have to face, he accepts them wholeheartedly as the Bhagavan’s kripa-avatara (the descent of His mercy). It is not possible to estimate all the auspiciousness that Sri Chaitanyadeva has bestowed upon all of us. We are on the path of pleasure (preya), and in order to open our eyes He has meticulously arranged various problems amongst the objects of our material pleasure. He gave us poor health and, step-by-step, He also sent various dangers and gave a specific temporary nature to everything of this world in order that we would eventually tread the path of the highest benefit. I remember one incident that happened many days before. Mr. Datta, a high court advocate, seeing his son lying on his deathbed, one day told to me, “You are a sadhu. Kindly restore my son’s life!” I told him, “I am not the master of bestowing life. But I can try to change the way that you think.” This person was a staunch follower of Comte. He said, “If your God really exists, then you should make Him cure my son.” I told him frankly, “I will not make a campaign against the desire of Bhagavan. I cannot support the philosophy of the Shaktas. Sri Gaurasundara is most merciful, and this is shown by His decorating this world with hundred and hundreds of problems – that is His mercy!” sri chaitanya-chandrera daya karaha vichara vichara karila chinte pare chamatkara

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

If you consider the mercy of Sri Chaitanya-chandra, by meditating on such deliberations you will find it most amazing. (Chaitanya-charitamrta, Adi-lila, 8.15) It is not the duty of the jiva to live in this world in forgetfulness of Bhagavan. This place is not our eternal residence. In order to remind us of this, at every moment, He creates problems in our pursuit of material happiness. Sri Kulashekhara says – nastha dharme na vasu-nichaye naiva kamopabhoge yad bhavyam tad bhavatu bhagavan purva-karmanurupam etat prarthyam mama bahu matam janma-janmantare ‘pi tvat-padambhoruha-yuga-gata nischala bhaktir astu O my Lord! I have no attachment for religiosity, or for accumulating wealth, or for enjoying sense gratification. Let these come as they inevitably must, in accordance with my past deeds. But I do pray for this most cherished boon: birth after birth, let me render unflinching devotional service unto your two lotus feet. (Mukunda-Mala Stotram 5) naham vande pada-kamalayor dvandvam advandva-hetoh kumbhi-pakam gurum api hare narakam napanetum ramya-rama-mridu-tanu-lata-nandane nabhirantum bhave bhave hridaya-bhavane bhavayeyam bhavantam O Lord Hari, it is not to be saved from the dualities of material existence or the grim tribulations of the Kumbhipaka hell that I pray to your lotus feet. Nor is my purpose to enjoy the soft-skinned beautiful women who reside in the gardens of heaven. I pray to Your lotus feet only so that I may remember You alone in the core of my heart, birth after birth. (Mukunda-Mala Stotram 4) A similar shloka has been recited by Sri Gaurasundara – na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagad-isha kamaye mama janmani janmanishvare bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

O Lord, I have no desires to accumulate wealth, followers, beautiful women, or salvation. My only prayer is for Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth. (Siksastakam 4)

O Lord, I have no desires to accumulate wealth, followers, beautiful women, or salvation. My only prayer is for Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth. (Siksastakam 4) I will not fall into deception. Birth after birth I have sunk into duplicity, I will not do so again. I will not involve you in the karmic reactions of my previous birth; that is because I have heard the instructions of the Srimad Bhagavata at the lotus feet of Sri Guru – dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ‘tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam vedyam vastavam atra vastu shivadam tapa-trayonmulanam shrimad-bhagavate maha-muni-krite kim va parair ishvarah sadyo hridy avarudhyate ‘tra kritibhih shushrushubhis tat-kshanat

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

In this Bhagavata Purana, where fraudulent religiosity and all other mundane goals of humankind have been utterly forsaken, the supreme spiritual duty (parama-dharma) has been expounded. That parama-dharma is pure bhaktiyoga, exemplified by those saints who are absolutely free from envy and full of compassion for all living beings. The Supreme Truth within uproots the three forms of misery and grants the highest form of bliss. When those with ample spiritual merit desire to listen to the message of this beautiful Bhagavatam, which was authored by Maha-muni Sri Narayana Himself, then the Supreme Lord Sri Hari is immediately and permanently captured within their hearts. What is the need of any other message? (Bhag. 1.1.2) My Sri Gurudeva never accepted service from other people. When someone came to serve him he would curse that fourteen generations of that person’s family would be destroyed. He would tell them, “You want me to become your servant in your next life. You will make me your servant to repay your debt. But I will only become the servant of those who are devotees of Krishna and no one else. Birth after birth I do not wish to be the servant of anyone apart from Sri Radha Thakurani, because She does the maximum service to Krishna.” He used to tell us, “Aspire only for things that are spiritual. You do not need to do anything else.” He could not write anything and was not a scholar of anusvara or visarga. Tears would pour from both his eyes and he would cry out loudly, ”By taking the Names of Gaura-Nityananda I pray that we should not bring disgrace to their Names. Let us not desire such useless trash as dharma, artha, kama and moksha from Gaura-Nitai. Many times he would ask us, “Please tell me what is written in Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita and Srimad Bhagavata. I do not understand Sanskrit. I do not even know how to write.” We would reply, “What can we say? In your very character we are directly able to see whatever is written in Sri Chaitanyacharitamrita and Srimad Bhagavata?” R. Babu took ‘shelter’ of Mahaprabhu as if to enrich Mahaprabhu. It is as if Mahaprabhu would be delivered by his mercy. He had complete attachment to matter, but not to Sri Chaitanya. Mahaprabhu revealed his duplicity. He did not examine the matter from the very beginning and could not come to the right conclusion anywhere. Not even for a moment did he deliberate upon the true form of Mahaprabhu. He considered the lotus feet of Sri Gauranga as nature’s product, or

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

as some type of special medicine. To him, the material object which is medicine that will cure his daughter’s disease, is ‘Mahaprabhu’. The divine lotus feet of GauraNitai remove all anarthas and award krishna-prema. They can give us Sri Radha-Krishna and They are non-different from Their Names. That Gaura-Nitai are not like some pir-fakir (magicians) or some good luck charm of this world. If he had actually received instructions from the lotus feet of a guru who was a genuine devotee of Gaura, then the Holy Name Himself would have shown mercy to him and his heart would have been elevated. vaikuntha-nama-grahanam asheshagha haram vidhuh One who chants the Name of the Lord is liberated from unlimited sins. (Bhag. 6.2.14) However, taking the Name with a mood of materialism produces unlimited sins. He was committing namaparadha, and due to this he faced misfortune. The result of committing namaparadha is attaining dharma, artha and kama or it may also be adharma, anartha and the non-attainment of kama. He faced the result of non-attainment of his desire. When he genuinely and sincerely accepts shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Gauranga, then only will his namaparadha be nullified. Then gaura-nama will melt his heart and tears will pour from his eyes, then he will understand the words of jagad-guru Sridhara Swamipada – pra-shabdena mokshabhisandhirapi nirantarah The word pra refers to the immediate rejection of the desire for liberation.

O most munificent incar Himself appearing as Sri K prabhu. You have assumed Radharani, and You are w of Krishna. We offer our res (Chaitanya-charitamrita M

rnation! You are Krishna Krishna Chaitanya Mahathe golden color of Srimati idely distributing pure love spectful obeisances unto You. Madhya-lila 19.53)

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Jnani means a salvationist, or cinmatravadi, and karmi means elevationist, or jadavadi. Both are misguided. The Srimad Bhagavata has uprooted all types of deception. If one takes shelter of that Mahaprabhu, who continuously stated that the Srimad Bhagavata was the crest-jewel of pramanas, then no kind of cheating or detrimental desire can remain. Shreyah (the highest benefit) tastes bitter like haritaki, and preya (temporary pleasure) tastes sweet. If a patient requests the doctor to make arrangements for him to consume lots of jaggery instead of haritaki, then the patient’s taking shelter of the doctor is simply a show. Similarly, it is the road to inauspiciousness if, in the name of taking shelter of Bhagavan, we endeavor to increase our disease by using Bhagavan. If we remain apathetic to the teachings of Sri Chaitanya, then we will enthrone a Satan as a devotee of Chaitanya or even as Chaitanya Himself. When we do not endeavor for material benefits, then our false gaura-bhajana will also retire! We worship that Mahaprabhu who was propitiated by Sri Rupa in the following mood – namo maha-vadanyaya krishna-prema-pradayate krishnaya krishna-chaitanya namne gaura-tvishe namah O most munificent incarnation! You are Krishna Himself appearing as Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Srimati Radharani, and You are widely distributing pure love of Krishna. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You. (Chaitanyacharitamrita Madhya-lila 19.53)

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

We worship that Mahaprabhu who was prayed to by Srila Svarupa-damodara Goswami –

heloddhunita-khedaya vishadaya pronmilad-amodaya samyac-chastra-vivadaya rasa-daya chittarpitonmadaya sasvad-bhakti-vinodaya sa-madaya madhurya-maryadaya sri-chaitanya daya-nidhe tava daya bhuyad-amandodaya O ocean of mercy, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu! Let there be an awakening of Your auspicious mercy, which easily drives away all kinds of material lamentation. By Your mercy, everything is made pure and blissful. It awakens transcendental bliss and covers all gross material pleasures. By Your auspicious mercy, quarrels and disagreements arising among different scriptures are vanquished. Your auspicious mercy causes the heart to jubilate by pouring forth transcendental mellows. Your mercy always stimulates devotional service, which is full of joy. You are always glorifying the conjugal love of God. May transcendental bliss be awakened within my heart by Your causeless mercy. (Chaitanya-chandrodaya-nataka 8.10)

That Mahaprabhu that was prayed to by Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati Prabhu – kaivalyam narakayate tridasha-purakasha-pushpayate durdantendriya-kala-sarpa-patali protkhata-damshtrayate vishvam purna-sukhayate vidhi-mahendradish cha kitayate yat karunya kataksha vaibhavavatam tam gauram eva stumah For those who have attained the merciful sidelong glance of Lord Chaitanya, impersonal liberation becomes as palatable as going to hell, the heavenly cities of the demigods become as enticing as flowers imagined to be floating in the sky, the poisonous fangs of the untameable black snakes of the senses are broken, the whole world becomes full of joy, and Brahma, Indra, and all the other great demigods become as insignificant as tiny insects. Let us glorify that golden-complexioned Lord Chaitanya. (Chaitanya-chandramrita 5)

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

stri-putradi-katham jahur vivashayinah shastra-pravadam budha yogindra vijahur marun-niyama-ja-klesham tapas tapasah jnanabhyasa-vidhim jahush cha yatayas chaitanya-chandre param avishkurvati bhakti-yoga-padavim naivanya asid rasah Now that the moon of Sri Chaitanya-chandra has revealed the path of pure devotional service, the materialists have given up talking about their wives, children, and material affairs, the scholars have given up debating the scriptures, the yogis have given up the trouble to control the breath, the ascetics have given up their austerity, and the impersonalists have given up impersonalism. Now there is only the sweetness of pure devotional service. Now nothing else is sweet. (Chaitanya-chandramrita 113) Even after the teachings of Sri Chaitanya are preached, those that still do not delineate on those teachings are most unfortunate. Sri Gaurasundara is not the object of our enjoyment. In spite of remaining amongst millions and millions of dangers and disasters, one must hear the words pertaining to Sri Gaurasundara, perform kirtana about Him, and preach about Him. All thoughts existing in this world, which existed in the past and will exist in the future, are all blind and bankrupt. We will be able to realize it only when we take shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Gaurasundara without any deceit. R. could not understand that Gaurasundara is fundamentally spiritual in nature, and only exhibited false bhakti through lip-service â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Â he took shelter of Satan. anarpita-charim chirat karunayavatirnah kalau samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-shriyam harih purata-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandipitah sada hridaya-kandare sphuratu vah shachi-nandanah May that Lord who is known as the son of Srimati Shachi-devi be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation ever offered

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

before: the most sublime and radiant spiritual knowledge of the mellow taste of His service. (Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila 1.4) Gaurasundara came to the world to propagate unnata-ujjvala-rasa, the highest thing that has never been given before – and I will pray for stool, urine, bones, flesh, blood and pus! Those that consider Mahaprabhu to be Satan will pray to him for all these things. radha krishna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini shaktir asmad ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau chaitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam chaikyam aptam radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krishna-svarupam The loving affairs of Sri Radha and Krishna are transcendental manifestations of the Lord’s internal pleasure-giving potency. Although Radha and Krishna are one in Their identity, They separated Themselves eternally. Now these two transcendental identities have again united, in the form of Sri Krishna Chaitanya. I bow down to Him, who has manifested Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Srimati Radharani although He is Krishna Himself. (Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila 1.5) Srimati Vrishabhanu-nandini is Krishna’s counter-whole, not His counter-part. Srimati Radhika’s external bodily effulgence has completely surrounded the beauty of Shyama; it has also covered His mind. Such is the intensity of Their embrace. They Both become inseparable. Sri Gaurasundara is not simply Radhika, nor is He simply Krishna – He is the intense embrace of Sri Radha and Sri Krishna, prasarita-maha-prema piyusha-rasa-sagare chaitanya-chandre prakate yo dino dina eva sah Now that Sri Chaitanya-chandra – the unlimitedly expansive ocean of the joy of divine love supreme – has made His gracious advent, anyone who remains destitute is surely a genuine pauper. (Chaitanya-chandramrita 36)

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Ray Bahadur Basu: Please give me one or two practical suggestions. There are many theoretical statements. How can one be protected from namaparadha? Prabhupada: Kindly study Hari-nama Chintamani. Ray Bahadur: But Mahaprabhu said that one should give the Holy Name even to a chandala. Prabhupada: Only one who is a namacharya can give the Name. Only a person who is free from namaparadha and namabhasa, by the mercy of Mahaprabhu, can give the Holy Name to others. Ray Bahadur: Then what is the significance of the words, helaya shraddhaya va (the Holy Name may be chanted with faith or inattention)? Prabhupada: It does not say that namaparadha should be chanted. Will namaparadha bestow auspiciousness on us? Ray Bahadur: Mahaprabhu does not say that there is something called ‘namaparadha’. Prabhupada: You should study the Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita and the Sandarbhas – the topic of namaparadha is mentioned throughout. Niraparadhe nama laile paya prema-dhana (‘by chanting the Holy Name without any offence, one attains the treasure of prema’). One cannot receive the Holy Name from a pseudo-guru who is a nama-aparadhi. He must accept the shelter of a pure namacharya. Such a guru will bestow auspiciousness on the disciple. He will not think that he has achieved success by lording over his disciple. He will not be able to actually chant the Names of GauraNityananda while simultaneously taking shelter of the path of material sense pleasure. Those sections that are enjoyers of Gaura or inimical towards Gaura, are offenders to the Holy Name, thus we should be cautious in dealing with them. Ray Bahadur: If we just follow all these strict rules, will that be enough to properly chant the Holy Name? Prabhupada: Imitation chanting will not produce the Holy Name. The true Name will manifest Himself. He Himself will grant His mercy. Those that do not consider such things will commit aparadha. Chanting the Holy Name even once can produce auspiciousness. Ray Bahadur: How can I purely chant that Name at least once?

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Prabhupada: Adau guru-padashraya (‘first take shelter at the feet of a genuine guru)’. Ray Bahadur: The guru in human shape is very much limited. Even if I am able to accept someone as guru, what about those who are residing in Africa, America or from New Zealand or adhivasis (aborigines) – how will they be able to get such a namacharya? Prabhupada: They will also receive a guru according to their adhikara, just as they received Christ. When their good fortune arises, and they sincerely search for a genuine guru (sad-guru), then after some births they will eventually receive one. For the time being, stop and lend your submissive and regardful ear. I say to everyone in this world – leaving aside all your talks, kindly listen a little to the words descending from above. I always favour transcendental sound, I am not in favour of aparadha. I am not prepared to commit aparadha, neither am I prepared to make others commit aparadha. If I continue to carry in my head all the rubbish things that I have collected from here, then I cannot progress even an inch on the path towards Vraja. Those who are famous as the ‘giant-intellects ‘of this world should refrain from speaking anything for some time and submit to the aural reception of transcendental sound. Empiricism must never be the medium. Bhakti is not a suggestive thing. It is not guesswork. It is a positive and clear understanding of reality. Bhakti is understood as submission to the Personal Godhead. avismritih krishna-padaravindayoh kshinoty abhadrani cha sham tanoti sattvasya-shuddhim paramatma-bhaktim jnanam cha vijnana-viraga-yuktam For one who remembers the lotus feet of Krishna, all inauspiciousness soon disappears, and one’s good fortune expands. In other words, one becomes free from all material contamination, one attains liberation from repeated birth and death, and one’s real spiritual life begins. As one’s heart becomes gradually purified, one’s devotion for the Lord within the heart awakens, and one realizes the Paramatma. Thus one gradually develops knowledge, realization and renunciation (Bhag. 12.12.55)

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Thakura Bilvamangala has said – bhaktis tvayi sthiratara bhagavan yadi syad daivena nah phalati divya kishora murtih muktih svayam mukulitanjali sevate’sman dharmartha-kama-gatayah samaya-pratikhsah O my Lord, if one engages in Your pure devotional service with determination, You become visible in Your original transcendental youthful form as the Supreme Lord. As far as liberation is concerned, she stands before the devotee with folded hands waiting to render service. Religion, economic development and sense gratification are all automatically attained without separate endeavor. (Krishna-karnamrita 107) At the beginning there was no need for us to form our mission. Only because people have gone the wrong way are we using the mission to render service to Bhagavan – to deliver human society from the wrong direction. In this manner even if we attain supremacy over this world crores of times, still we would discard it like stool and urine. May the human race be delivered from their wrong direction and be established at the lotus feet of Gaurasundara, who is the root of all auspiciousness. Our little endeavour is only for this purpose. If anyone deviates even minutely from the teachings of Sri Chaitanya Deva, whether he be Brahma, Shiva, Vayu, Varuna, a great religious preacher or a religious leader, he will encounter great difficulties.

Jnana~Vijnana Yoga

The Yoga of Knowledge & Realization

Excerpt from Chapter Seven of Bhagavad gita, with the Anuvrtti Commentary of Swami Narasingha

VERSE 1 sri bhagavan uvacha – mayy-asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan mad-ashrayahasamshayam samagram mam yatha jnasyasi tac chrinu Bhagavan Sri Krishna said: O Partha, please listen – when the mind is attached to Me and one practices yoga and takes full shelter of Me, then you will certainly be able to know Me. VERSE 2 jnanam te’ham sa-vijnanam idam vakshyamy-asheshatahyajjnatva neha bhuyo’nyaj jnatavyam avashishyate I will explain to you this knowledge and it’s realization. Once you understand this, there is nothing else in this world that remains to be known.

VERSE 3 manushyanam sahasreshu kashcid yatati siddhaye yatatamapi siddhanam kashcin mam vetti tattvatah Amongst thousands of men, one may try to achieve perfection. Amongst those rare persons that endeavor for perfection, one may actually know Me.

Anuvritti This chapter of Bhagavad-gita is entitled Jnana-Vijnana Yoga. Jnana means knowledge of self as distinguished from non-self, or knowledge that the self is not the body. Vijnana means realized knowledge or realization of ones intrinsic relationship with Krishna. Srimad Bhagavatam also mentions jnana and vijnana as follows: jnanam parama guhyam me yad vijnana-samanvitam sa-rahasyam tad angam ca grihana gaditam maya Knowledge (jnanam) about Krishna as described in the Vedic literatures is very confidential, and it has to be realized (vijnanam) in conjunction with the secrets of devotion. (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.31)

When we speak of knowledge, modern man immediately thinks of scientific knowledge which he deems to be most perfect. However, jnana in Bhagavad-gita refers to that knowledge of the self as distinguished from the knowledge of matter or scientific knowledge. Knowledge of matter is called apara-vidya and it is quite distinct from the knowledge of the self in that it never leads to self-realization. Since the beginning of the Rationalist Movement, some five centuries ago, science has completely rejected the idea of consciousness as independent of matter. Many scientific theories have been presented to explain the origin of the universe and the origin of life such as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Big Bangâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and Darwinian Evolution, but these explanations remain mere theories, lacking conclusive evidence. For centuries the scientific community and the theistic community have been at odds with each other, but recently it appears that the two may finally be drawing closer. At last, leading persons in the scientific community are willing to accept consciousness as a scientific fact. Indeed, biologist and stem-cell therapist, Dr. Robert Lanza has of late rocked the scientific world with his book, Biocentrism â&#x20AC;&#x201C; How Life Creates the Universe, in which he postulates that consciousness has evolved matter and not that matter has evolved consciousness. If this current trend continues then indeed science may very well be on the path of jnana. The worldview of consciousness being the origin of matter has taken a long time to manifest. But as Krishna says in verse three, those who endeavor for perfection are very rare, and rarer still are those who actually understand Krishna. To this end, all learned and educated people in the world should take lessons from Bhagavad-gita.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

VERSE 4 bhumir apo’nalo vayuh kham mano buddhireva ca ahankara itiyam me bhinna prakritir ashtadha Earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intelligence and false-ego – these are the eight different elements of My material nature. VERSE 5 apareyam itas tvanyam prakritim viddhi me param jiva-bhutam maha-baho yayedam dharyate jagat However, should know that there is another, superior to this inferior nature. It is a conscious potency that consists of the living beings and maintains the universe. VERSE 6 etad yonini bhutani sarvanity-upadharaya aham kritsnasya jagatah prabhavah pralayas tatha Try to understand that all beings are manifest from these two sources and that I am the cause of the creation and annihilation of the entire universe.

Anuvritti The basic material elements that comprise the universe have been mentioned here. Earth (bhumi), water (apa), fire (anala) and air (vayu) are, for the most part, easy to grasp – whereas kham, the invisible element, is rather more difficult. Kham is defined as accommodating space for existence. For a long time, modern science has rejected the Bhagavad-gita’s concept of space as an element. However, once again the scientific community finds itself facing serious problems wherein an illusive element must be present in the universe in order for them to explain how the universe works. This element, physicists say, may comprise up to 80% or more of the universe, but is unknown to them and is thus far undetectable. They have called this ‘Dark Matter’. The first person to provide evidence and infer the existence of the phenomenon of

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Dark Matter was the Swiss astrophysicist Fritz Zwicky, of the California Institute of Technology in 1933. Zwicky applied the viral theorem to the Coma cluster of galaxies and obtained evidence of unseen mass. Zwicky estimated the cluster’s total mass based on the motions of galaxies near its edge and compared that estimate to one based on the number of galaxies and total brightness of the cluster. He found that there was about four-hundred times more estimated mass than was visually observable. The gravity of the visible galaxies in the cluster would be far too small for such fast orbits, so something extra was required. This is known as the ‘Missing Mass Problem’. Based on these conclusions, Zwicky inferred that there must be some non-visible form of matter that would provide enough of the mass and gravity to hold the cluster together. That was the beginning of the search for Dark Matter. Seventy-eight years later, science is still looking for Dark Matter. They know it is literally everywhere, but it escapes detection and thus they are unable to observe it. Millions of taxpayer’s dollars are spent every year by western superpowers in the search for Dark Matter. Nothing has turned up yet. On a parallel platform, Srimad Bhagavatam identifies a material element that among its other qualities is, for the most part, elusive. It is all-pervading, but simultaneously it is undetectable. That element according to Bhagavatam is called nabhas, or as mentioned here in Bhagavad-gita, kham. The activities, qualities and characteristics of the kham element can be observed as accommodating space/room for existence. Space itself, both internal and external, is the element kham. This then, if taken notice of by physicists, may very well fit nicely into the ‘Missing Mass Problem’. Kham, being a material element, could theoretically be assigned a numerical code – then they might find what they are looking for. In the Vedic way of thinking, the physical element is secondary to its qualities – when the qualities of a particular thing are understood, it is as good as or better than having the grosser subject at hand. In that sense, modern science has already discovered Dark Matter, because they have understood something of its qualities…they just haven’t realized it yet. In the Srimad Bhagavatam we find the following verse:

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

bhutanam chidra-datrtvam bahir antaram eva ca pranendriyatma-dhisnyatvam nabhaso vrtti-laksanam The activities and characteristics of nabhas can be observed as accommodation for external and internal existences of all living beings, namely the field of activities of the vital air, the senses and the mind. (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.26.34) This verse is the potential basis of great scientific research work, for it explains how subtle forms are generated from nabhas, what their characteristics and actions are, and how the tangible elements, namely air, fire, water and earth, are manifested from the subtle form. Bhagavatam does not simply list the basic material elements, but it explains quite scientifically how those elements evolve from the subtlest plane of existence up to the divisions of the universe – this is quite elaborate and scientific indeed. Yet for science to take full advantage of this understanding of matter and to discover how the universe came into being, they will have to do more than just add kham – they will have to add ahankara (false-ego), mana (the mind) and buddhi (intelligence) to their table of elements. For indeed, Bhagavad-gita lists these as material elements. Furthermore, these elements, ahankara, mana and buddhi are categorized as even more subtle than kham, because they are closer in character to atma, consciousness. Beyond the gross and subtle material elements being added to the scientific table, Bhagavad-gita says that a complete understanding of existence, of reality, is not possible without adding two transcendental, anti-material concepts – namely atma and Paramatma (consciousness and super-consciousness). This, it seems, science struggles with even more than Dark Matter. We have dubbed these ‘Light Matter’. Mind and intelligence should not be confused with the self or atma. Mind and intelligence have not arisen out of matter as some philosophers or scientists has suggested. Last in the list is ahankara or false-ego. All these are material elements which manifest from the apara-prakriti or the inferior energy of Krishna. These material elements comprise the gross and subtle elements that make up the material body and cover the self within.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Those conditioned by material elements consider the body as the self. But Krishna says that there is another energy of His â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a superior energy, which is a conscious potency and consists of all living beings. Bhagavad-gita explains the gross and subtle material elements as well as consciousness and Super Consciousness and any theory that is not all inclusive of these is surely inadequate.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Try to understand that all beings are manifest from these two sources and that I am the cause of the creation and annihilation of the entire universe.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Rasaraja Mahabhava Swami

B.G.

Narasingha

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

The general meaning of Mahaprabhu is given as ‘G Mahaprabhu is the ‘Great Master.’ Maha means gre

Unfortunately it is sometimes the tendency of the co the title ‘Mahaprabhu’ on a particular spiritual mas

Vallabhacharya was closely associated with Sri Chai disciple of Gadadhara Pandita. Later on, after the de could not tolerate that their father had become a hu of the fame and glory of the Lord, they decided Vallabhacharya. They successfully propagated their where the pious souls had not yet heard of Sri Krish sons of Vallabhacharya popularized their father as uninformed.

It has long since been a sensitive issue between the Ga Should Sri Chaitanya alone be called ‘Mahaprabh ‘Great Masters’?

On the basis of the identity if Sri Krishna Chaitany (mahaprabhu sri chaitanya, radha-krishna nahe an known as ‘Mahaprabhu.’ It is our humble opinion Bhagavan Sri Krishna of Goloka can be known as ‘

It is the words of Srila Krishna Dasa Kaviraja Gosvam Thakura, mahaprabhu sri chaitanya, radha-krishna n ‘Mahaprabhu.’

Radha and Krishna have appeared as one in the t Here ‘maha’ means Radharani who is also known or Krishna. Mahaprabhu means Rasaraja-Mahabha emporium of rasa, Sri Krishna. And Srimati Radha have appeared as one ‘Maha-Prabhu’ as Sri Krishna

It is not possible for a jiva soul belonging to the mar to the position of the Supreme Lord, nor is it possi ecstatic platform of maha-bhava. This alone is the p

Thus, Sri Krishnachandra has accepted the color a and appeared as Sri Krishna Chaitanya to taste t Therefore, Sri Krishna Chaitanya is alone ‘Mahapra

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Great Master.’ No doubt Sri Krishna Chaitanya eat and prabhu means ‘Lord’ or ‘Master’.

onditioned souls in material existence to bestow ster. This is the case of Sri Vallabhacharya.

itanya and by the grace of the Lord he became a eath of their father, the sons of Vallabhacharya umble follower of Sri Chaitanya. Being envious to attribute the pastimes of Sri Chaitanya to r cult in a remote area of Southern Rajasthan hna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. At that time, the ‘Mahaprabhu,’ the ‘Great Master’ among the

audiya sampradaya and the Vallabha sampradaya. hu’ or is it a generic term befitting any and all

ya given in the sastra and sung by the acharyas nya) it is Sri Chaitanya alone who is properly that not even vishnu-avataras or even Svayam‘Mahaprabhu’.

mi as echoed by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasavati nahe anya, that gives us the hidden meaning of

transcendental eternal form of Sri Chaitanya. n as Mahabhava, and ‘prabhu’ means Rasaraja, ava. Rasaraja, the Supreme Enjoyer of rasa, the arani, Mahabhava – the essence of hladini-sakti a Chaitanya.

rginal potency of Godhead at any time to attain ible for the marginal potency to ever attain the position of Srimati Radharani.

and mood (maha-bhava) of Srimati Radharani the sweet mellow of Her confidential service. abhu’ and there can be no other.

E V O

T S R

Y R O

Swami B.G. Narasingha

Devotee: There is a doubt circulating among some devotees about the authentic location of ‘Mayapur,’ the birth site of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. There is also a controversy among some devotees about the Adbhuta Mandir. Will you please say something to clarify these issues? Swami Narasingha: Some sahajiyas and mundane academics claim that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s birth site is in Ramachandrapur (a suburb of modern Navadvipa town). However, according to the text of Bhakti-ratnakara Mayapur (Yogapitha) is located in Antardvipa, on the eastern bank of the Ganga. Ramachandrapur in modern Navadvipa is located in Modrumadvipa on the western bank of the Ganga. Thus the site claimed by the sahajiyas as the birth site of Mahaprabhu could not be the original location. As for the Adbhuta Mandir - Iskcon has recently claimed that they are building the Adbhuta Mandir predicted by Sri Nityananda Prabhu. However, the skyscraper temple constructed at Yogapitha (Mayapur) by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in 1935 has been accepted by paramahamsa Vaishnavas for the past 74 years as the Adbhuta Mandir. Thus Iskcon could not be building what has already been built. When we speak of Mayapur we do not mean any temporal or mundane location in this material world. Mayapur is the epicenter of the Lord’s pastimes in eternity. This Mayapur manifested at the time of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance in 1407 Sakabda (1486 CE) and has since sometimes been manifest and sometimes not manifest. This is the nature of eternal truth. It is sometimes appearing and sometimes disappearing. This is called prakata and aprakata-lila.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

The name of ‘Mayapur’ is found in Bhakti-ratnakara, Urdhvamnaya-tantra, Brahmayamala, Ananta-samhita, Krishna-yamala and Kapila-tantra, although it is not mentioned in either Chaitanya-charitamrita or Chaitanya-bhagavata. Chaitanya-charitamrita and Chaitanya-bhagavata make specific mention of ‘Navadvipa’ meaning ‘nine islands’. At the time of Mahaprabhu’s appearance Navadvipa was known as ‘Nadia’, which is the corrupted form of the name ‘Naudiya’, meaning ‘new place’. The ‘new place’ was originally established by King Lakshmana Sena of Vikrampur on the eastern side of the Ganga. Only after Mahaprabhu performed His pastimes in various places in ‘Nadia’ did the area become known among the Vaishnavas as Navadvipa. The area ‘Navadvipa’ encompasses all the places of the Lord’s pastimes including Antardvipa the place of His appearance or Mayapur. In modern day Navadvipa there is a place referred to by some sections of the sahajiya community as Prachina Mayapur or ‘old Mayapur’. This name Prachina Mayapur only came into use in 1928 nearly 41 years after Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji discovered the location of Mayapur, the birth site of Mahaprabhu, on Antardvipa. It is mentioned in Bhakti-ratnakara that Mayapur is located in Antardvipa (on the eastern bank of the Ganga), which was sometimes known as ‘Atopura’. This is described in detail by Narahari Chakravarti Thakura. According to the sahajiya account, Mahaprabhu’s birth-site is in Ramachandrapur where it is alleged that the dacoit-king Vira Hamvira (who ruled Vishnupura from 1586-1621) had built a temple. According to reliable records Vira Hamvira was a disciple of Srinivasa Acharya but there are no records of his ever having built a temple at Navadvipa to celebrate the appearance place of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus the account of the temple allegedly constructed by him is only hearsay. The sahajiyas further contend that when the alleged temple built by Vira Hamvira was destroyed by the movement of the River Ganga, that later on, the chief adviser to Lord Hastings, Divan Ganga-govinda Singh, rebuilt it on the same spot with red sandstone in 1792. Floods from the Ganga claimed this temple in 1876. It is well known that the temple built by Divan Ganga-govinda Singh housed Deities of Sita-Rama and

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

not a Deity of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Indeed this is unusual if we are to accept that the temple built by Ganga-govinda Singh was constructed to celebrate the birth site of Sri Chaitanya! When Bhaktivinoda Thakura visited Navadvipa town he wrote that he was very unhappy with what he found. Every Saturday, I went to Navadvipa to search out the places of the lila of the Lord, but I did not find many and I was very unhappy. At the present time the people of Navadvipa only pay heed to their stomach etc. They do not make even a little effort in relation to the places of the lila of the Lord. Bhaktivinoda continued his search and after years of research, earnest prayer and at last a divine revelation, the site of Mahaprabhu’s appearance place was revealed to him in a vision. Bhaktivinoda spoke of this as follows: One night, Kamala and a clerk and I went up on the roof in order to look around. It was 10 o’clock, and was very dark and cloudy. Across the Ganga, in a northerly direction, I saw a large building flooded with light. I asked Kamala (if he saw it) and he said he had. I asked the clerk and he said, “I did not see anything.” Because

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

of that I was utterly amazed. In the morning I looked carefully at the place (where I saw the building) from the roof of Rani dharmashala, and I observed that there was one Tal tree in that location. When I asked others about this place they said that this distant place was known as Ballal-dighi and that the remains of the fort etc. of Lakshmana Sena were close by. That Monday I returned to Krishnanagar and the following Saturday I went back to Ballal-dighi. I saw that wonderful phenomenon in that place again at night, and the next day I went to see the area on foot. Upon inquiring with the elderly people of that place (Muslims), I was informed that this was the birthplace of Sriman Mahaprabhu. I gradually saw everything [in the area] and ascertained where all the small villages mentioned in the Chaitanya-bhagavata and in Narahari Thakuraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bhakti-ratnakara and Parikrama-paddhati were. (Svalikhita Jivani by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura) Professor Nishikantha Sanyal, a disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, has written in this connection as follows: To the person with any antiquarian sense the difficulty is all but solved by the traditions that linger still in the village itself. We know from the villagers that the present Mohammedan inhabitants, who are in occupation of part of Mayapur, are the descendants of recent immigrants. The village was in a depopulated condition before the coming of the Mohammedans. That it was at one time a place of residence of Vaishnavas is also known to these Mohammedans. They also know that it is the Birth-place of Sri Chaitanya. They have inherited some names of the different parts of the village such as Vairagi-danga (Vairagiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mound), Kholbhangar-danga (mound where the khol was broken), Barajpota (Brajapattan), Shiva-doba (Shivaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pool), etc. These names refer to famous incidents in the career of Sri Chaitanya and the Vaishnava tradition. There are also current in the village highly significant superstitions. The Tulasi plant grew perennially all over one of these un-occupied homestead lands. Those who had attempted to occupy the land for purpose of habitation or even for cultivation, found that all crops are inevitably destroyed by the irrepressible Tulasi plants and some terrible harm befalls the occupant. Everyone is also cautioned against disturbing any portion of that particular mound in any way. Many had suffered terribly for trying to do so. That mound is sacred ground, because Nimai was born there. The Mohammedan inhabitants make offerings to the shrine that was subsequently erected on the spot. They

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

firmly believe that the place possesses supernatural qualities. It would be worthwhile to collect all the current-stories which are fast becoming mythology as the villagers are becoming irreverent and partisan by outside influence. That these traditions were naturally taken to be genuine is proved by the fact that when the site was identified forty three years ago by Thakura Bhaktivinoda as the village Mayapur where Sri Chaitanya was born, no person belonging to the locality disbelieved him. As a matter of fact there was no opposition from any quarter at that time and for a long period afterwards. (The Harmonist, Vol-28, January 1931) Bhaktivinoda Thakura confirmed the location of Mahaprabhuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birth site with the help of Jagannatha Dasa Babaji, the most respected and senior Vaishnava of the times. This incident occurred in 1887. Bihari Dasa Babaji, the servant of Jagannatha Dasa Babaji, remembers this occasion: Once Bhaktivinoda Thakura arrived at the residence of Jagannatha Dasa Babaji with a kirtana party. The party, accompanied by Babaji Maharaja then quickly advanced towards Sri Mayapur. During this time another kirtana group was approaching from the Vamana-pukura side. The two parties chanting the glories of Sri Chaitanya assembled together at the place of the present day Yogapitha. Over the age of 130 years, Jagannatha Dasa Babaji, being humpbacked, normally could not sit in an erect position. But when he would perform the congregational

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

chanting of the Lord’s holy name he would extend his body by the distance of five hand lengths and spring upward a distance of over one meter! How wonderful it was when he pointed out the location of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance site. It is also still fresh within my mind the way he struck his stick on the ground with a resounding “crack”. He pointed out some distance away, a well that contained the broken hull of a mrdanga. Sometimes Jagannatha Dasa Babaji would chastise persons who were opposed to the authenticity of Sri Mayapur. (Interview, The Gaudiya -1928) The Yogapitha at Mayapur was also accepted as the birth site of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu by such great Vaishnava personalities as Gaura-kishora Dasa Babaji and Vamshi Dasa Babaji. Once a charlatan devotee claimed he had a dream that Yogapitha was in modern Navadvipa but this was sharply contested by Gaura-kishora Dasa Babaji and Vamshi Dasa Babaji. Gaura-kishora dasa Babaji said, “Those great personalities who have discovered the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu are to be followed. Simply because this person has had a dream that this is the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya is not proof in itself. Those persons to whom holy places of pilgrimage are manifested never collect money with the intention of finding other holy places. Those persons who are actually followers of Sri Chaitanya are able to find the place where Sri Chaitanya was born. The way in which Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Jagannatha Dasa Babaji Maharaja discovered Mahaprabhu’s birthplace must be taken as a real fact. Then on the following day Vamshi Dasa Babaji, taking one small shovel in his hand, went to the place where that person was preaching that he was representing the original birthplace of Sri Chaitanya. Vamshi Dasa gradually began to cut down the fence in front of that place. He showed the people how it was improper that this person was imitating that which had already been discovered by previous acharyas. (From An Era Not to be Forgotten printed in The Gaudiya)

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

After Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Jagannatha Dasa Babaji had established Mayapur as Mahaprabhuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthplace, one Sashibhushana Bandyopadyaya wrote in a periodical called Pallavasi Patrika that the real Yogapitha was somewhere in the district of Ramachandrapur. Although his statements were only based on hearsay there was a protest by the sahajiyas followed by a court case. There was no evidence to prove that the previous site where Ganga-govinda Singh had built a sandstone temple had ever been recognized as the birth site of Mahaprabhu. There were hundreds of elderly people living in Navadvipa at that time who had visited the sandstone temple dedicated to Sita-Rama, before its being claimed by the flood water of the Ganga, but none of them could come forward to the courts to say that they remember that temple commemorating the birth site of Sri Chaitanya. The court ruled in favor of Bhaktivinoda and stated that further evidence was needed in order to establish any claim of Mahaprabhuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birthplace being in the modern town of Navadvipa. The sahajiyas began to take other steps to disprove the authenticity of the Mayapur birth-site on Antardvipa but to no avail. Then in 1916 (two year after the disappearance of Bhaktivinoda), one Vraja-mohana Dasa Babaji tried to find archeological evidence to disprove Bhaktivinodaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claims. It is said that he dug more that 700 holes in the modern Navadvipa area along the Ganga until at last he finally found a piece of red sandstone - which in the end did not verify anything. It is mentioned in the book Sarasvati-jayasri that Vraja Mohana soon after approached the Gaudiya Matha and agreed to publish his findings in favor of the Mayapur discovered by Bhaktivinoda if they would bear the financial expenses for publishing his maps and book. When the Gaudiya Matha refused, Vraja Mohana became angry and swore to wreak havoc. Eventually the dubious findings of Vraja Mohana were published in a book entitled Navadvipa-darpana with the help of the famous map publisher, Sri Dvijendranath Dhara. Later however, Dvijendranath Dhara admitted that he was sad that such an erroneous book had been published with his help because the contents of the book and its maps were full of fallacious additions and mistakes. The courts never accepted the findings of Vraja Mohana as evidence in the case - thus in 1934 the government of India represented by the Honorable Governor Anderson

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

of Bengal (the third most politically influential person in the British Empire) made an official proclamation that the birth site of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was none other than the Yogapitha in Sridhama Mayapur established by Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Jagannatha Dasa Babaji and their followers. “The Devils work is never done” -- still the ishtaka-vadis (followers of Vraja Mohana’s brick) and other sahajiyas continue to beg the question and attempt to dispute the actual birth site of Mahaprabhu, but this is of little consequence in the face of Sri Chaitanya’s eternal service being spread throughout the world from Yogapitha at Sridhama Mayapur. It has been predicted by Sri Nityananda Prabhu that the eternal service (nitya-seva) will manifest (vikasha) from a wonderful temple (adbhuta-mandir) constructed on the birth site of Sri Chaitanya. adbhuta-mandir ei haibe prakasha gauranga nitya-seva haibe vikasha A wonderful temple will appear, from where Lord Gauranga’s eternal service will manifest. (Sri Navadvipa-dhama Mahatmya, ch-5) After establishing the place of Sri Chaitanya’s birth Bhaktivinoda Thakura set out to fulfill Sri Nityananda Prabhu’s prediction of the Adbhuta Mandir at Mayapur and this was later taken up by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura who completed the Adbhuta Mandir in 1935. That the temple at Yogapitha build by Sarasvati Thakura is the Adbhuta Mandir predicted by Sri Nityananda Prabhu is confirmed in the following excerpt from an article Opening Ceremony of the Lord’s Temple – When Sriman Jiva Gosvami Prabhu was performing Navadvipa parikrama, Nityananda Prabhu told him about Sri Mayapur: chari-shata-varsha gaura-jana dhari haile sri murti seva habe sarvopari

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Four hundred years after Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance, the worship of His Deity will manifest and He will be worshipped in a magnificent manner. This prophecy of Sri Nityananda Prabhu was fulfilled. We hear even more from the mouth of Sri Nityananda: punah kabhu prabhu techa habe balavan habe mayapure ei rupa vasasthana adbhuta mandir ei haibe prakasa gauranga nitya-seva haibe vikasa By the Lord’s desire, this place will become prominent again and people will live in Mayapur as before. A wonderful temple (Adbhuta Mandir) will appear, from where Lord Gauranga’s eternal service will manifest. Then, in 448 Gaurabda, in order to fulfill Sri Nityananda’s prediction, the great soul Bhakti Vijaya (disciple of Sarasvati Thakura) dug the foundation for the great temple (Adbhuta Mandir) at Yogapitha. Following the desire of Sri Gaura’s associate, the Deity of Adhokshaja Visnu, Who was worshipped in the house of Sriman Mahaprabhu, manifested Himself from the earth in the presence of a large number of people on Wednesday 15th June 1934. Let the inhabitants of the world see with their own eyes and feel within the core of their hearts how these statements of Sri Nityananda Prabhu have been fulfilled by one who is non-different from Nityananda Himself. Today, by the grace of Sri Nityananda’s manifestation of Sri Gurudeva, the bhaktivijaya-pataka (the flag of pure devotion) flies over the sky-scraping Adbhuta Mandir (at Yogapitha Sridhama Mayapur). (The Gaudiya, March 16th 1935) Since the building of the Adbhuta Mandir by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in 1935 the eternal service of Sri Chaitanya has indeed manifest not only in Bengal and India but also throughout the world.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

It is not stated anywhere that Krishna consciousness will first be preached globally and thereafter the followers of Sri Chaitanya will come to Mayapur to do the Lord a favor by honoring His birth site with a temple. This is a gross misconception. Unfortunately, the members of modern day Iskcon think that their ‘plan’ to build a very large temple in Mayapur will be the fulfillment of the Adbhuta Mandir prediction. They unwittingly undermine the position and achievements of Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. The expertise of the ‘propaganda machine’ sometimes gets carried away in the ‘selfadoration’ society and arrives at erroneous conclusions. It should be pointed out however that all the disciples of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura (including A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Swami B.R. Sridhara Maharaja, Swami B.P. Kesava Maharaja, Swami B.P. Puri Maharaja and all others) accepted the temple constructed at Yogapitha as the Adbhuta Mandir predicted by Sri Nityananda Prabhu. In light of that, in the years that followed the opening of the Adbhuta Mandir there were many articles and essays that appeared in The Gaudiya, The Harmonist, and other publications of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura where it was mentioned that the construction of the temple at Yogapitha was the fulfillment of Sri Nityananda Prabhu’s prediction. In light of the fact that Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura is the parama-guru of every devotee in Iskcon one would think that Iskcon devotees would be sensitive and eager to understand Sarasvati Thakura’s desires and contributions to the sampradaya, but surprisingly they show little or no interest. Other than maintaining a minimal regard for Sarasvati Thakura and the previous acharyas in our line – for all practical purposes Iskcon leaders have ‘divorced’ Srila Prabhupada from the rest of the sampradaya by preaching apa-siddhanta everywhere and imitating achievements of previous acharyas in his name. Many Iskcon leaders have said that they accept Srila B.P. Puri Gosvami Maharaja of Sri Gopinatha Gaudiya Matha in Mayapur as their shiksha-guru, but at the same time they do not seem to care for his opinions on any topics other than shalagrama and Deity worship. However, for their benefit Puri Gosvami Maharaja has spoken about the Adbhuta Mandir as follows:

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

With the help of a wealthy disciple, the late Sakhi-charana Bhakti-vijaya, Srila Prabhupada fulfilled Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s prediction of an extraordinary temple (Adbhuta Mandir) being built at Sri Yogapitha. When the foundation of the skyscraper temple was being dug, on June 13, 1934, a four-armed Deity of Vishnu was discovered in the ground. Srila Prabhupada studied the Siddhartha-samhita and, according to the positioning of the weapons and symbols in the Deity’s hands, identified it as Adhokshaja Vishnu accompanied by His Sri, Bhu and Nila potencies. Several expert archeologists, including Sri Ramaprasad Chandra, attested to the Deity’s antiquity. Srila Prabhupada commented later that this was the Deity formerly worshiped by Sri Jagannatha Misra himself. This beautiful Deity is currently being worshiped at the Yogapitha temple in Mayapur. (Of Love and Separation - A few Glimpses at the Lotus Feet of Srila Prabhupada) The members of Iskcon have conveniently forgotten that the idea to construct the ‘Planetarium’ or “TheTemple of Understanding”, as it was called by Srila Prabhupada, was originally the idea, conception and desire of Srila B.R. Sridhara Maharaja of Sri Chaitanya Sarasvata Matha. Sridhara Maharaja wanted to build such a temple in Koladvipa but found the project too ambitious for his means. He then decided to share his idea with an old admirable friend, Srila Prabhupada (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja). Sridhara Maharaja remembers as follows:

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

I asked Swami Maharaja (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada) to construct a temple where the whole Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy will be demonstrated. I had a mind to construct such a temple here, but that was too ambitious and I could not do it. When I was told that he would build a temple there (in Mayapur), I humbly put forward my desire. I wanted a temple to be built according to the BrihadBhagavatamritam of Srila Sanatana Goswami. The whole structure of Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy will be represented there in that temple. Bhur, Bhuvar, Svar, Mahar, Janar, Tapo and Satyaloka will be shown in a spiral way, and then Viraja, Brahma-loka, Para-vyoma, Goloka-Vrndavana. The idea is to demonstrate the structural position of Gaudiya Vaishnava theology, and from where Krsna has come down to this world to very kindly give us the clue to how we can be uplifted there, to the highest place. That should be dealt with in a scientific way. Whoever comes to have the darshan of the temple will leave with an idea of the whole structure of all the religious conceptions to ever come into the world. The development is in a scientific basis. What is Bhur-loka? The land of experience of the five senses. Bhuvar-loka? Without this body, the mental experience world, and there are further gradations Svar, Mahar, Janar, Tapa. Bhu-loka is somewhat Prithvi-loka (Earth); there is also Preta-loka, the world of the dead; there is Devaloka or Svar-loka, heaven; above Deva-loka is Mahar-loka where resides Bhrigu and other rishis. Then there is Tapo-loka where the Chatuh-sana reside, and then Satya-loka of Lord Brahma. Then Viraja, the highest position aspired for by the Buddhists, prakritilaya. And above that, brahmalaya, the end aspired for by the Shankarites; then Siva-loka, Bhakta-Shiva, and Vaikuntha, the Land discovered and made known to the world by Sri Ramanujacharya. In that area of Para-vyoma, there are so many Vaikunthas in so many different phases of the pastimes of Lord Narayana who resides in the centre. Then above is Ayodhya with Ramachandra and the first introduction of vatsalya-rasa (Divine Parenthood). Then there is Krishna with many Queens in Dvaraka, and Krishna in Mathura. Again, in the Mathura sphere is Vrindavana, Govardhana, and Radha-kunda. From what standpoint does the theistic conception develop higher and higher - this is to be depicted. He (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada) accepted this plan and asked his followers to construct such a temple. But I am too old. He could not see it fulfilled, and perhaps I too may not see it. (Taped discourse, 1981)

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Srila Prabhupada also confirms this in the following conversation: Srila Prabhupada: I do not know for how long I will be able to carry on. So, I came to see Sridhara Maharaja. Devotee: If you all go away, then the world will become dark. Srila Sridhara Maharaja: (to Prabhupada) It is so wonderful that the will of the Lord becomes manifest through someone. Srila Prabhupada: I want very much, Maharaja, that you come and stay at Mayapur. Because Prabhupada (Bhaktisiddhanta) always desired that you preach. He told me quite a few times, “Why don’t you pull him out?” (They both laugh.) You know, I also tried to some extent before, but somehow or other it did not work out. Now, why don’t you come and stay at Mayapur? Srila Prabhupada told me also, “Sridhara Maharaja is one of the finest preachers.” I want to take you everywhere. At least at the place we have in Mayapur, people are coming from all over the world. If you

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

just agree, the house for me.

Srila Sridhara

Srila Prabhup least stay there helpful to me I can consult w

Devotee: If he

Srila Prabhup

Srila Sridhara

Srila Prabhup an elevator so wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even hav are telling me time I am trav me the order a That Planetari combine the I them also that Sarasvata Mat

For decades Iskco being referred to to humbly appro conception of su

Of course that is a now being called they were in the t gurus and project

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

en whatever kind of building you want, I will arrange it for you. They are trying to build a So both of us will stay there. And whenever you want, you can come here to your matha.

a Maharaja: Yes, as long as I am alive to fulfill (Bhaktisiddhanta) Prabhupada’s desire.

pada: This is my earnest desire. Since you could not go around the world and preach, at e and people will come to you. I shall make that arrangement. If you stay, then it will be also. Sometimes I need to consult with someone and there is no one. There is no one that with. I feel this deficiency very greatly.

e (Srila Sridhara Maharaja) stays in Mayapur, all kinds of people will get to hear from him.

pada: Yes, that’s right.

a Maharaja: Yes, people from all kinds of cultural backgrounds will come there.

pada: Yes, and they are already coming. And in that house I will make arrangements for o that you won’t have to go through the difficulty of walking up and down the stairs. You ve to move a step yourself. I’ll make arrangements for a car and an elevator. My disciples e that they will build a house for me. So, both of us will stay in that house. Most of the veling around, so if you are there, they can get some guidance. So, Maharaja, please, give and I will make all the arrangements for you. ium (The Temple of Understanding) also will be built under your direction. My idea is to Indian culture and the American money--the lame man and the blind man policy. I tell t this will be very beneficial for the world.” (Excerpt of 1977 conversation at Sri Chaitanya tha, transcription by Bhakti Charu Swami)

on leaders have struggled with the concept of what ‘The Temple of Understanding,’ now o by them as the ‘Adbhuta Mandir’, will represent. This is due to their having neglected oach the original architect of “The Temple of Understanding” to find out what was his uch a grand temple.

all in the past and the original plans for the Iskcon “Temple of Understanding” (sometimes d “The temple of Misunderstanding”) have now been reduced in size by 70% from what time of Srila Prabhupada. This has come about due to the fall downs of numerous Iskcon t financiers.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

“Self-adoration dictates to them that their plan is the ‘Adbhuta Mandir’ (ignoring the Yogapitha).” Such are the effects of false pride. It is improper or offensive, as Vamshi Dasa that which has already been done by previous acharyas. But as already mentioned, the pro originally conceived of by Srila Prabhupada and it unfortunately bears none of the origin Maharaja. Even the Deity conception at Iskcon Mayapur is no longer the same as origin

The onus is now on Iskcon leaders to either accept that the Adbhuta Mandir as predicted b Sarasvati Thakura at Yogapitha or it is up to them to prove via guru, sadhu, and shastra th The latter would not be advisable, for as Professor Sanyal has cautioned in his article abo the risk of meeting with “terrible suffering”.

If Iskcon wants to remain connected to the Gaura-sarasvata parampara (rupanuga-sam conclusions or they are destined to continue on the path of becoming an apa-sampradaya

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

e glory of the Adbhuta Mandir already constructed at a Babaji has demonstrated above, for devotees to imitate oposed Iskcon temple is now 70% less â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;adbhutaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; than as nal theistic conception outlined above by Srila Sridhara nally given by Srila Prabhupada.

by Sri Nityananda Prabhu was built by Bhaktisiddhanta hat the temple at Yogapitha is not the Adbhuta Mandir. ove -- anyone who tries to bear harm to Yogapitha runs

mpradaya) then they would do well to accept the above a (pseudo-disciplic succession).

The Adbhuta Mandir Swami B.G. Narasingha Question: I have read your articles about the Adbhuta Mandir being built at Yogapitha but I have also seen a video, The New World of Hare Krishna, wherein a sannyasi is standing on the roof of Bhaktivinoda’s house in Godrumadvipa and he is pointing in the direction of Mayapura and saying that from there on the roof Bhaktivinoda had a vision of the Adbhuta Mandir. The sannyasi is indicating that since the ISKCON project is in between Bhaktivinoda’s house and Mayapura that it must be ISKCON that is going to build the Adbhuta Mandir. Do you have any comment of this? Swami Narasingha: That is of course ISKCON’s misunderstanding, a novel idea, but such thinking was not present in the time of Srila Prabhupada (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami) nor is it a fact. In the first place Bhaktivinoda Thakura was not staying in Godrumadvipa when he had his vision of the Adbhuta Mandir. In fact Bhaktivinoda’s house at Godruma was not built until two years later. Bhaktivinoda’s house, Svananda Sukhada Kunja, was constructed in 1889 whereas his vision of the Adbhuta Mandir occurred in 1887

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

when he was staying at the Rani Dharmashala across the Ganga in Navadvipa town. Rani Dharmashala is the same place where Gaura-kishora Dasa Babaji used to spend much of his time doing bhajana. Bhaktivinoda was living and working in government service at Krishnanagara during those days. He used to come to Navadvipa on the weekends to try to find out the places of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pastimes. Bhaktivinoda has mentioned that he was especially disappointed in that the residents of Navadvipa were not very interested in such things (he has specifically mentioned that they only pay heed to their stomach). It was on one such visit to Navadvipa when he was staying at the Rani Dharmashala that Bhaktivinoda had the vision of the Adbhuta Mandir. One Saturday evening Bhaktivinoda was standing on the roof of the dharmasala with his son, Kamala Prasada, and a clerk from his office. He was looking in a northerly direction when a brilliant light appeared on the horizon across the Ganga. Within that effulgence appeared the Adbhuta Mandir.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

When looking in the northerly direction from the place where Bhaktivinoda was standing the present day ISKCON project does not come into view and even if it did the point to remember is that the vision of the Adbhuta Mandir was specifically revealing the birth site of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, therefore the Adbhuta Mandir must be built at Yogapitha and not just anywhere in Mayapura. Bhaktivinoda had the vision of the Adbhuta Mandir on two consecutive occasions. Some years later in a letter to one of his sons Bhaktivinoda detailed the experience of his vision of the Adbhuta Mandir nd the events that led to the discovery of Mahaprabhu’s birth site (Yogapitha) in Mayapura. That segment of Bhaktivinoda’s letter follows: During the Christmas break I took a train to Navadvipa with my wife. Arriving there and seeing the land in all four directions the hair on my body stood on end. Upon crossing the Ganga, I went to Rani Dharmashala and I made arrangements to cook for Sriman Mahaprabhu. Having taken darshan of the Lord with difficultly I honored prasada at around 1 o’clock. After 45 days (of dieting), I took grains, jackfruit dahl, banana-flour sabji, and soup etc., which were like nectar. Since my very birth I had not eaten such nectarine food. Even Bimal ate everything on his plate, and with great devotion.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

We had to go to the house at Krishnanagar before evening and thus, buying some cooking to Krishnanagar. The next day I went to Boro Goswami’s house in Shantipura, took prasa to become strong. Every Saturday, I went to Navadvipa to search out the places of the lila present time the people of Navadvipa only pay heed to their stomach etc. They do not make night, Kamala and a clerk and I went up on the roof in order to look around.

It was 10 o’clock, and was very dark and cloudy. Across the Ganga, in a northerly direction it) and he said he had. I asked the clerk and he said, “I did not see anything.” Because of th (where I saw the building) from the roof of the Rani Dharmashala, and I observed that th place they said that this distant place was known as Ballaldighi and that the remains of th to Krishnanagar and the following Saturday I went back to Ballaldighi. I saw that wonder to see the area on foot. Upon inquiring of the elderly people of that place, I was informed everything (in the area) and ascertained where all the small villages mentioned in the Cha Parikrama Paddhati were.

While staying in Krishnanagar I wrote Sri Navadvipa-Dhama Mahatmya and sent it to an engineer from Krishnanagar, and through the strength of his intellect understood everyth was printed in a reduced form in Dhama Mahatmya. While I travelled around Navadvip was very little opportunity to do more. (Bhaktivinoda’s letter to Lalita Prasad, written 18

We have been criticized by some of our friends for making too much of the issue of the Ad such distortions to flourish or in denying the reality that Bhaktivinoda’s vision was fulfill Yogapitha in 1933 - which is indeed a most wonderful temple.

One devotee from ISKCON has written to suggest that “Couldn’t there be two Adbhuta tantamount to saying, “Couldn’t there be two founder-acharyas of ISKCON?” - obviously

Of course there can be many wonderful temples at Mayapur and indeed there are, but we also wonderful. In spiritual life proper conception is everything and the vision of Bhaktivi dhama Mahatmya, is that the Adbhuta Mandir is located at the birth site of Sri Chaitanya

The ISKCON project of late that is being referred to as the Adbhuta Mandir, was origin Prabhupada. Prabhupada, laid the cornerstone of the temple in 1977. Prabhupada howev Adbhuta Mandir. In fact Srila Prabhupada distinctly referred to his project as the Temple decade or so, that some energetic disciples of Prabhupada have hyped up the ISKCON Pla Mandir. This however has no basis. It is indisputable—the Adbhuta Mandir was construct

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

g pots and utensils, and quickly crossing (the river), we took the train ada, and before evening returned home. At that time I was beginning of the Lord, but I did not find many and I was very unhappy. At the e even a little effort in relation to the places of the lila of the Lord. One

n, I saw a large building flooded with light. I asked Kamala (if he saw hat I was utterly amazed. In the morning I looked carefully at the place here was one Tal tree in that location. When I asked others about this he fort etc. of Lakshmana Sena were close by. That Monday I returned rful phenomenon in that place again at night, and the next day I went that this was the birthplace of Sriman Mahaprabhu. I gradually saw aitanya-bhagavata and in Narahari Thakura’s Bhakti-ratnakara and

Calcutta to be printed. I explained all these matters to Dvarik Babu, hing. He made a map of the area around Navadvipa for me. That also pa Dhama and wrote Navadvipa-dhama Mahatmya I saw that there 896)

dbhuta Mandir but we see no advantage in distorting the facts, allowing led by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta who constructed the Adbhuta Mandir at

Mandirs, one at Yogapitha and one at ISKCON?” But that would be y unacceptable!

should remember that ‘big isn’t always best’- small is beautiful, small is inoda and the conception of Lord Nityananda, as given in Navadvipaa Mahaprabhu.

nally started by our spiritual master, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ver never made any reference to his ambitious temple project being the e of Understanding or the Planetarium. It is only now, within the past anetarium project (for fund raising purposes) by calling it the Adbhuta ted at Yogapitha in 1933.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

ith Yamunotri and Gangotri behind us, half of our char-dham pilgrimage was over. O away. The trek up to Gaumukh and back to Gangotri had left us both exhausted and

Leaving Gangotri by bus, we returned to Uttarkashi in the afternoon only to discover that eve a couple of hours with our heavy backpacks and camera gear in tow, poking our heads in eve hours, we finally found one room in a dingy guesthouse. It was obvious that seeing our pligh was next to a warehouse that had people coming and going all day and night. By evening, an pipe in the corner. We ascertained that this pipe came from upstairs and was a sewage pipe th were fortunate enough to find another hotel with good accommodation down the road. This peak seasons. After two days in Uttarkashi, we felt strong enough to continue our journey to Kedarnath.

On a map, the actual distance in kilometres between Uttarkashi and Kedarnath doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem at a decent speed should take no more than 7 hours. However, it took us two days on two bu Srinagar and continued the next morning by shared jeep.

As we neared Gauri-kunda, the traffic got worse and worse until there was a line of vehicles were locals going up and down the line of cars desperately trying to sell faux-saffron, tea bisc

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Our next stop was the temple of Kedarnath many bus rides and several hundred kilometres d we both decided to stay in Uttarkashi for a few days to recuperate.

very decent guesthouse and hotel in town was fully booked. We trudged around the town for ery hotel reception room only to be told that there was no rooms available. After about two ht, the manager overcharged us. The room we acquired had no windows, no ventilation and n unbearable smell began to permeate the room and we finally tracked the odour down to a hat was leaking. Needless to say on first light the next morning, we abandoned the room and s overcrowding has become a common occurrence in these Himalayan hub towns during the

m so far. Apaprently the base camp of Kedarnath (Gauri-kunda) is only 339 kilometres and uses and two jeeps to reach our Gauri-kunda. Before getting there we stopped the night in

s that were going nowhere very fast. The jam continued for hours, during which time there cuits and dusty slices of watermelon.

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

GAURI~KUNDA -Â Where Parvati Did Penance (6496ft /1980m) 101

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

When we did finally arrive at the bus stand at Gauri-kunda, we were shocked to see just how many buses and cars there were. Amidst the vehicles it was a sea of people â&#x20AC;&#x201C;pilgrims carrying luggage on their heads, porters haggling with visitors, policemen struggling to control the crowds, crouching beggars calling out for a few rupees. Added to this were the deafening sounds of buses blaring their horns constantly, children crying, mules braying, tourists loudly arguing over prices and devotional music screeching from temples at full volume. We got down from the jeep and edged our way towards a narrow winding street behind the bus stand. We were convinced that, given the throngs of people here in this small temple-town, we were certain to encounter the same problem that we had in Uttarkashi in regards to accommodation. Imagine our surprise when, after half an hour, we came across a decent guesthouse with an available room. Naturally, it came as no surprise to us that we had to pay an unreasonable price for our 10ft by 10ft room, but since we were in no mood to roam around the town for hours again, we simply paid the money and moved ourselves in. After an hour or so, we went out to explore the town and to figure out how to get to Kedarnath the next morning. During our walk, we came across the main temple and sacred pond where Gauri-kunda gets its name. We spoke with one of the priests and he narrated the story of the temple to us. Haridwar is where Sati, the wife of Shiva, immolated herself when her father Daksha insulted her husband. When she was reborn as Parvati, she came to Gauri-kunda and performed severe austerities until Shiva himself came there and declared his love for her. They then travelled to a spot called Triyuginarayan, near Rudraprayag, where they were married. Gauri-kunda is the pond that Goddess Parvati would bathe every day. It is also said to be the spot where Ganesh acquired his elephant head, after Shiva decapitated him. After visiting the temple, we walked a few minutes till we found the main pony stand. It was a chaos of hundreds of milling ponies and literally thousands of pilgrims trying to get rides up the path to Kedarnath. We got some idea of where to go for hiring ponies and promptly retreated back to our guesthouse.

102

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

KEDARNATH – The Abode of Shiva (11758ft / 3584m)

103

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Early the next morning we left our guesthouse and walked towards the pony stand, half expecting that at such an early hour, we would be the only ones there. We weren’t… There were more people than the day before and even more chaos. We finally found two young men with ponies who agreed to take us up to Kedarnath for 900 Rupees a piece. All the ponies were scrawny beasts and looking at the state most of them were in, one could not help feeling pity for them. Their owners dressed them up in chintzy finery, but it didn’t disguise the fact that these nags were all undernourished and mistreated. I saw one angry young man punching his pony in the belly with full force, resulting in the poor creature buckling at the blow. We were never going to make it up the 14km to Kedarnath with our camera gear and back down in the same day without ponies. I was happy to see at least that the boys we hired treated their own mounts quite well. As we ascended the mountain trail on our steeds, the first thing that we observed was the amount of pilgrims on the road. There was hardly any room to move if one was not on a pony. The second thing that we noticed was the acrid odour of pony urine and dung.

104

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Every so often on our jo allow the pony to defeca

We came up to the shrin long line of eager devote be an all day affair to tak

105

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

ourney, our guide would pull the ponies to the side and say, “Toilet!” and ate at the side where a dark pool of excreta lay. The halfway point was a place called Rambara. It was a series of shanties made of corrugated iron and plastic sheets where pilgrims and guides would stop to rest and eat the usual fare of ‘Maggi-noodles’ (instant noodles – just add water!) and parathas. Rambara reminded us of an old village in medieval Europe – dark, dirty, wet, muddy, smelly and overcrowded. We were cold and the air was damp and we were very eager to leave this place as soon as possible and get to our destination. After a solid 6 hour journey up the steep valley slope, we finally came to Kedarnath. As we came up the path the temple town of Kedarnath and the towering mountain backdrop came into view. It was an amazing scene. It was such a surreal spectacle to observe the height of the mountains in contrast to this small town. We got off our ponies, bid farewell to our guides and walked towards the main temple. The narrow streets were full of stalls selling trinkets, photos, beads and other devotional paraphernalia, as well as snacks and other items. In the hustle and bustle, you could make out a few ‘sadhus’ dressed elaborately and giving blessings to the pilgrims for a few rupees. Some were dressed in fake tiger skins, some wearing necklaces of rudraksha beads, some anointed from head to toe in grey ashes and others with long dreadlocks and beards. They were only camera-friendly if one was willing to pay them some money, otherwise they were extremely ill tempered.

ne of Kedarnath which was buzzing with Hindu pilgrims. Looking at the ees waiting to take darshan of Kedarnath, we quickly realized that it would ke even a glimpse of the deity.

106

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

In Garhwal there are five main temples of Shiva – Kedarnath, Tungnath, Rudranath, Madhyamaheshvara and Kalpeshvara. Collectively they are known as the ‘PanchaKedar’. The most important of these is the Kedarnath temple. Tradition says that after they won the battle at Kurukshetra, the Pandavas felt remorse for the deaths of so many of their kinsfolk. In order to achieve some relief from such a sin they asked Krishna what they should do. Krishna replied that they should show honour to Lord Shiva and worship him in the Himalayas. The Pandavas travelled to the north and while there, Shiva took the form of a bull and led them to the Shivalik mountain range. Realizing that this bull was Shiva himself, the Pandavas devised a plan to find him. The bull hid amongst a herd of grazing cattle and at dusk, when the cattle began returning to their shelters, Bhima climbed up a narrow pass, and as he stretched his legs across, the cattle passed under his legs. Shiva however refused to go under him and began to sink into the ground. When Bhima saw this he immediately jumped down and caught the bull’s hump before it disappeared into the earth. Shiva was pleased with Bhima’s determination and blessed the Pandava brothers. The hump of the bull that Shiva appeared as is worshipped as the lingam at the shrine of Kedarnath. Behind the temple is a hall wherein lies the samadhi of the founder of Advaita philosophy, Adi Shankara. The hall was totally empty and in one corner there was a deity of Shankara and a large crystal lingam on a pedestal where the actual samadhi of Shankara lies. Taking advantage of the peace and quiet, we chanted some Sanskrit prayers and japa for an hour before heading back to the main temple of Kedarnath. We took another look at the beauty of the temple, with its Himalayan background and the Mandakini River flowing close by. We were none the wiser that a week after our visit, this peaceful vista would be replaced by a scene of death and devastation. Considering that the weather seemed to be good, we decided to walk back down to Gauri-kunda. However our estimation was wrong and as we approached Rambara, the weather suddenly changed and we were in the midst of heavy freezing rains. By the time we had arrived in Gauri-kunda we were soaked to the skin and shivering with cold. After returning to the hotel, we took a hot bath, ate some noodles and rested.

107

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

108

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

JOSHIMATH – The Monastery of Light (6150ft / 1800m)

109

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Leaving Gauri-kunda was a little easier than getting there. We had already booked seats on a bus to Joshimath (our next destination before Badarinath) and by 5:30am we were on our way. The bus ride itself was, as usual, difficult. Altogether, including the stops for breakfast, post-breakfast, pre-lunch, lunch, post-lunch and a myriad other stops for tea and biscuits, it took us about 12 hours to get from Kedarnath to Joshimath (nearly 200 kilometres) When we arrived in Joshimath in the evening it was already dark. Fortunately, Joshimath had many hotels and guesthouses and we found a good clean room for a good price to sleep that night. 110

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

111

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

The next day we went out to explore the town. The name ‘Joshimath’ is derived from the Sanskrit ‘jyotir-matha’ meaning ‘the monastery of light’. This was the northern headquarters of Adi Shankara who established his disciple Totakacharya as the first pontiff of this monastery. The people there were quite friendly and allowed us to take photos of anything we liked in the compound including the deities of Shankara, Totakacharya, the crystal lingam and the deity of Goddess Rajarajesvari. Next to the monastery was an ancient shrine under a banyan tree where it is said Shankara established a self-manifested lingam and lit a lamp that has been burning ever since. Later in the afternoon, we visited the famous Narasingha temple – another self-manifested Deity established by Shankara. When we arrived at the temple it was almost empty. Photos were strictly forbidden and to actually see the Deity was very difficult due to the amount of flowers and decoration surrounding Him. We could barely make out a smooth black stone in the middle, resembling a shalagrama-shila. Apparently the Deity has four arms and one of them is very thin. When the arm breaks at the end of Kali-yuga, legend has it that the two mountains on the way to Badarinath will collapse and the Deity of Badarinarayana will be moved to another temple known as Bhavishya-Badari (‘Badari of the future’). However, as I mentioned, due to the abundance of flowers and cloths around the Deity, we could not see the fabled arm. The next morning we found a shared jeep going to Badarinath. We climbed in the back and for the next couple of hours saw some of the most beautiful scenery of the Indian Himalayas and experienced some of the most perilous roads in India.

112

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Arriving in Badarinath at midday we performed our usual ritual of searching for a hotel room. Our hunt for a residence in Badarinath was exceptionally difficult – three hours of going from hotel to hotel without success. We eventually found one room that was so dirty that even the cockroaches wouldn’t stay there. We could literally see the bedbugs jumping on the mattresses. To add insult to injury the owner was overcharging us. We both decided that rather than catch a terminal disease, we would keep looking till we found something. Eventually we found a room at one hotel – another 10ft square room. The bed took up most of the space in the room, but we figured that beggars can’t be choosers, so we paid the exorbitant amount and put our things inside. We asked the hotel owner why were things so expensive? Considering the size of our room we should have only been paying 400 Rupees instead of 1500. He smiled and simply said, “Main season!” It was sad to see such extreme opportunism going on at every one of the holy places. We walked around the town for a while and saw across the Alakananda River the brightly coloured temple of Badari-narayana. In Sanskrit, the word badari refers to the jujube berry that used to grow here in abundance in ancient times. It is said that Lord Vishnu sat here and performed meditation while His consort, Lakshmi, appeared as a badari tree to shelter Him from the heat of the sun. It is for this reason that the Deity in the temple is found sitting cross-legged. The Deity is said to be selfmanifested and appeared nearby under the rock known as the Narada-shila in the Alakananada River. The demigods established the Deity and Narada was the first to offer worship. Later, when Buddhism became prominent in the region, the Buddhists began to worship Badari-Narayana as Lord Buddha. Later, in the 9tth Century, when Adi Shankara defeated the Buddhists, they desecrated the temple, threw the Deity into the Alakananda and fled to Tibet. Shankara retrieved the Deity and re-installed Him again. The present temple was built by the king of Garhwal and dates back to around the 16th Century. After seeing the temple, we decided to walk 3km to the village of Mana, where the cave of the great sage Vyasadeva is situated.

113

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

BADARINATH – The Abode of Lord Vishnu (10, 279ft / 3,133m)

114

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

MANA – The Cave of Vyasa (10, 498ft / 3,200m)

Mana is the last village in India as it is only 24km from the Tibetan border. We had a utop by solitude and hardly visited by anyone. We thought it would be a perfect place to sit and

Our idyllic notions were dashed when we arrived there only to find hordes of Indian touri Himalayan clothes sat on stone walls, knitting brightly coloured scarfs and jumpers. Whene purchase something. However, they would become intensely angry if anyone tried to take

The courtyard of the cave and inside the cave itself was well tended. We were able to sit i great sages was present.

115

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

pian idea that the cave of the great sage Vyasa would be atop a high mountain, surrounded d peacefully meditate for an hour or so.

ists walking up towards the famed spot. The old ladies of the village, dressed in traditional ever a tourist would walk past, they would hold up some of their wares, hoping they would photos of them, and demand money from them if they took one.

inside and chant a few prayers where a black deity of Vyasadeva himself and several other

116

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

The next morning we woke up at 3:00am hoping to get darshan at the temple. We were quite surprised when we arrived to see quite a long queue of pilgrims already standing in line, shivering with the cold, all holding offerings of flowers, incense and tulasi garlands. We bought one garland from a vendor and stood in line with everyone else. After about 40 minutes, the line started moving very slowly and we finally arrived at the temple door. As we entered, we could see hundreds of pilgrims and priests, busily going from shrine to shrine, making offerings and chanting prayers. Along with the main Deity of Badari-Narayana, there are deities of Kuvera, Nara and Narayana, Sridevi, Bhudevi and Narada. Our darshan was so quick we hardly got a glimpse of the Deity of Badari-Narayana. We were quickly herded past the altar by the priests at the front and pushed from behind by eager pilgrims. The next day, early in the morning we offered our respects to Lord Badari-Narayana and took a long17-hour bus ride back to Rishikesh. Our Char-dham pilgrimage was finally over.

117

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Badarinatha Darshan

118

119

EPILOGUE We felt very blessed to take darshan of the Char-dhams in Garhwal. However, we felt even more blessed when we returned from our pilgrimage a week later when we heard that there had been flash floods in the Himalayas and thousands had lost their lives. We looked at the photos and coverage of the disaster – gazing at photos and footage of places where only a week ago we had stood. Kedarnath was the worst affected – what was once a thriving pilgrimage town was now a scene of utter devastation. The major cause was the crumbling of the Kedar Dome glacier. When this huge glacier collapsed during heavy rains, it caused huge landslides and a major rupture in the Charbari Lake which is 5km from Kedarnath. By the time the flood were over, nothing stood except the temple. The shops were all gone; the buildings around them had been destroyed; even the samadhi of Shankara with its deity and huge crystal lingam had all vanished. Rambara, the halfway point up that we had passed through on the way to Kedarnath, simply did not exist anymore. The temple town of Gauri-kunda was annihilated. In Badarinath, five thousand people were stranded and were eventually rescued by the Indian army and air force. They were the fortunate ones. Those that were stranded for longer in other places and were cut off from any help had to deal with starvation, contaminated drinking water and disease.

120

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

121

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Nobody fully knows the death toll of what the media called ‘The Himalayan Tsunami.’ Some say it was 5000 people, others say 10,000. Others say that such estimates are too generous. Eight months later, corpses are still being discovered. The holy places of Garhwal were never meant to accommodate so many people. Its roads were never meant for so much traffic. The Char-dhams were originally constructed in inaccessible places for a reason – so that only those who were serious about spiritual advancement would access them. They were not meant to be popular tourist destinations. The increase of visitors to the area has brought pollution in abundance – in particular, the holy Ganga and Yamuna rivers are full of plastic at their very sources. Furthermore, investors have exploited the ecology of the area for decades, leading to deforestation, soil erosion and receding glaciers. The fact is that the catastrophe in Garhwal was not a natural disaster that can be blamed on Mother Nature – it is a consequence of mankind’s ignorance and neglect in dealing with the environment, and in particular with sacred space.

122

ÂŠ Swami

B . V. G i r i

Kedarnath & Badarinath

Garhwal, in the Indian state of Uttarkand, has some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. It is a land of snowcapped Himalayan mountains, pristine forests, scenic valleys and famous temples. Due to the religious and cultural importance of Garhwal, thousands of pilgrims throng to this region each year - some come seeking divine blessings and others to imbibe the salubrious atmosphere of this unique place. During their visit, Swami Giri and Gaura-Gopala took the opportunity to visually record some of the sights that they encountered there.

Gopala

ÂŠ Swami

B . V. G i r i

ÂŠ Swami

B . V. G i r i

ÂŠ Swami

B . V. G i r i

Gopala

B . V. G i r i

ÂŠ Swami

B . V. G i r i

Gopala

ÂŠ Gaura

Gopala

B . V. G i r i

ÂŠ Swami

B . V. G i r i

Gopala

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

137

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Hoysala temples are known for their intricate carvings and magnificent architecture. Some of the most noted temples of Hoysala architecture are Somanathapura, Belur and Halebidu. However, there are many beautiful temples all-over Karnataka and one such beautiful temple is the Lakshmi-Narayana temple at Hosaholalu near Krishnarajapet. Krishnarajapet has a number of temples that were built under the rule of the Hoysala Empire between the 11th and 14th Century, and it is referred to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mother of Hoysala temples.â&#x20AC;? Considering how well they were known for their architectural masterpieces, this Lakshmi-Narayana temple does complete justice to their glory.

Overview of the Temple This is a three-celled temple (trikuta-chala) and so it has three garbha-grihas (rooms housing the Deities). The main east-facing garbha-griha contains the Deity of LakshmiNarayana and the garbha-grihas facing North and South house the Deities of Sri VenuGopala and Sri Lakshmi-Narasimha respectively. This temple was built in 1250 A.D by King Vira Someshwara. At this point in time, Hoysala architecture was at its peak. The worship of the Deities still goes on and many festivasl are celebrated with a large gathering of devotees from the surrounding villages.

Architecture This temple has beautiful and intricate carvings. The trikuta-chala is built on a platform shaped like a star. This platform is raised with a nava-ranga (hall in front of the shrine) in the centre and the three shrines around it. The main shrine with Lakshmi-Narayana has a tower decorated with intricate interiors. The temple is built out of soapstone and has a typical Hoysala jagati (platform) which elevates the temple off the ground by a metre. The shrines inside the temple are also beautifully carved. The nava-ranga is the the first thing one will notice. It has four beautiful lathe turned pillars dividing the hall into nine cells. The pillars are carved with the sculptures of young dancing girls in

138

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Venu-Gopala

139

Lakshmi-Narasimha

Lakshmi-Narayana

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

different graceful and elegant poses. Each shrine has a very unique design on the ceiling portraying the great talent of the sculptors. The outside walls of the temple depict the pastimes of Rama and Krishna. Many wonderful carvings depicting stories from the Mahabharata, Krishna-lila and Ramayana adorn the outer walls. The base of the temple has the six layers of decorative pattikas (friezes) that comprises of swans, horse riders, elephants, various gods and goddesses and leafy scrolls.

The mid-section of the wall is again decorated with sculptures of various gods. More prominence is given to Shiva, but it also has carvings of Saraswati, Lakshmi, Durga, Brahma, Krishna, Vishnu and may other deities. Fortunately, all the carvings in this temple are still preserved and fairly intact.

The Deities Initially, all the Deities in this temple were installed by Sri Ramanujacharya. However, the Deity of Venu-Gopala was moved out of the temple and new ones were made sometime in the 1950â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. The Deities are well decorated and worshipped regularly. Many festivals including an elaborate chariot festival is held here and many devotees from the surrounding villages come and offer their services to the temple.

140

Prasanna Narasimha

Ganesha

Narayana

Lakshmi-Narasimha on the outer walls of the Temple

Venu-Gopala

Lakshmi Narayana

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

In conclusion, this is a very beautiful temple that is definitely worth a visit. Photographs and text can do only so much justice to the true glory that lies within great temples such as these.

143

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

144

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

vast quantit processes, is at the evidence i

People largely tr from many varie recent multi-dis verification and

What we have i is that the mos along with thei factual accounts

In this introduc evidence now av facts stated in th substantiation b of historical fact

Undoubtedly th and to this end in the face of co

INDIA’S ‘

Much of India’s in distorting the stifled reform — around the worl

This so-called h well as Christian by implementin

147

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

ty of evidence of many types, new as well as old, analysed by widely accepted scientific s rewriting the history of the world, starting with India. Real science requires us to look in spite of our prejudices and accept its conclusions no matter our agenda.

ust science and trust scientific evidence implicitly, what to speak of corroborating evidence egated scientifically recorded sources which cross correlate and support each other. Many sciplinary scientific developments provide the capacity for scientific measurement, dating, irrefutable establishment of historical points of Vedic interest from antiquity as factual.

is st ir s,

state of the art scientific evidence as historical proof of Vedic narrations. Our thesis voluminous body of literature in existence, the ancient Vedic literatures of India, vast and deep culture, religion and traditions are now scientifically proven to be in as far as they have been investigated, which is ongoing and to date, conclusive.

ction to a subsequent more in-depth article, we provide a brief overview of the substantial vailable which corroborates Vedic statements, timelines, history and innumerable other he vast Vedic literatures — much of which were previously regarded as mythology. Strong by scientific investigation now moves these narrations from the realm of mythology to that ts.

here are many scholars who will object to such statements without verifying every last one, a subsequent article will be thoroughly substantiated and annotated. Endless quibbling onsistent strong evidence is ultimately pointless.

‘HISTORY’

history has been written by outsiders (principally British colonialists) with vested interests e truth with insubstantial evidence. Since then, the politics of power and control have — leaving an incorrect and outdated model of Indian history being taught in schoolrooms ld.

history bears remnants of the influence of British imperialistic dominion over India, as n and Islamic influences. The British subjugation and exploitation of India was facilitated ng various ploys, starting with infiltrating and taking over the economy of India by the

148

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

(British) Eas literature cam vast wealth o origin (steali superior, wh

Consider the the top stude of Silicon Va of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anc other science although the discerning re

*A few of th The decimal theorem, a co to speak of cu yoga, and a h

*Abraham S all the math Schopenhaue superior wisd

THE VE

Unfortunate found in the and beliefs as well before th In these Chri before their s

References : * History of Nu

149

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

st India Company, inventing the Aryan Invasion Theory (the Vedic culture, people and me from outside India, artificially adding credibility to foreign control), discrediting the of information and history found in the Vedic literatures as mythology and of foreign ing Indian pride in their culture), and introducing the Christian educational system as hile simultaneously propagating an attitude of inferiority amongst the Indian population.

en, if Indians are really an inferior race as the British so eagerly claimed, then why are Indians ents at so many western Engineering schools? Why do they dominate a substantial portion alley and why is Bangalore the IT capital of the world? How is it that the contributions cient Vedic civilization to the modern world in the fields of mathematics, cosmology and es is much greater and superior to any other countries’ contributions? We suggest that ese facts are not widely known, they are nevertheless true and are recorded carefully for the eader who wishes to verify them for themselves.

he many significant contributions of the Vedic system to humanity are: and binary number systems, the concept of zero and infinity, Pythagorus’ osmology lauded by Carl Sagan in agreement with modern astronomy, what ultural contributions such as Indian dance, music, medicines, architecture, host of further significant additions.

Seidenberg, in his authoritative History of Mathematics, credits the Vedas as inspiring hematics of the ancient world. Renowned thinkers such as Emerson, Thoreau, Voltaire, er, Whitehead, Hegel and a host of others revered the Vedas as great sources of vastly dom and knowledge.

EDAS MALIGNED

ely not everyone glorified the Vedic epics. The British refused to believe the fantastic descriptions Vedic Literatures of India — these ancient scriptures describing in great detail India’s history s well as the codes for its religion. The Vedas provide many dates from antiquity which occur he date of creation believed by the Christian tradition to be the 23rd October 4004 BCE. istian’s minds (who were at the time outsiders to India, i.e., foreigners), anything occurring supposed date of creation must be mythology. This, along with the unbelievable nature of

umbers, * Scientific Verification of Vedic Knowledge

150

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

many Vedic narrations, gave early indologists and other foreigners sufficient cause to write off the vast Vedic literatures as simply mythology — a phantasmagoria. A close look reveals that even their own Bible contains equally fantastic and unbelievable stories, what to speak of the scriptures of other religious belief systems or even cultural traditions such as the Koran, the Torah as well as many historical works. The early British indologist Sir Thomas Jones, in his Sanskrit studies, found that the Latin based languages of Europe had common roots with the Sanskrit language. Although Jones was enthralled by the Vedas, his strong Christian beliefs along with the eurocentric mentality of racial superiority felt by Jones and his comrades dictated that this was proof that the Vedic culture had come into India from Europe or Asia. It certainly wouldn’t do for their culture to have originated in India — that was simply unacceptable to their pride.

THE ARYAN INVASION THEORY These were the building blocks for the Aryan Invasion Theory (AIT), with its supposition that the Proto-European-Sanskrit language at the common root of Sanskrit and such European languages as German and English, originated somewhere outside of India. It was originally proposed that the origin of Sanskrit and the culture it is deeply embedded within was most probably in middle Europe. Max Muller’s arbitrary dating of the origin of the Vedas as only as far back as 1,500 BCE and the Rig Veda as 1,200 BCE was another cornerstone of the AIT. Later Muller retracted his dating and stated that it was indeed not factual. No evidence whatsoever, other than some linguistic guesswork and insubstantial analysis of data, has ever been found to support the AIT. The AIT also raises an interesting paradox, called Frawley’s Paradox. That is, if the Vedas are not of indigenous origin then the vast, highly developed Harappan civilisation dated in its maturity to the 3rd millennium BCE and uncovered in thousands of archaeological sites, has no literature and the voluminous Vedic literatures have an as yet undiscovered origin — i.e., there is then no evidence of a civilisation from which these highly evolved epics have sprung. Dismissing the now soundly defeated AIT, it makes perfect sense to credit India’s indigenous civilisation with the Vedas and is

151

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

totally in concert with all known evidence. A somewhat similar theory called the “Borrowing Theory” was devised by Christians early on to show the many similarities between Christianity and the Vedic systems of religion — its conclusion was that Hinduism had borrowed much of its religion from Christianity. Unfortunately for these proponents, dating of archaeological discoveries and other evidence like Megasthenes 3rd Century BCE work Indica, the Mora Well inscription and the Ghosundi inscriptions of the first two centuries BCE, the Heliodorus Column of 113 BCE and the 2nd Century BCE coins of Agathocles conclusively prove that the Vedic system predates Christianity by far. With the emergence of this substantial evidence, the Borrowing Theory was conveniently forgotten by its formerly ardent fans. The obvious flipside of the borrowing argument is that its substantial evidence proves that Christianity must have been borrowed from the Vedic system — a worthy quest to document further. More recent rigorous scientific analysis of similar evidence pushes the Vedic civilisation’s origin even further back many more millennia.

152

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

153

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

GENETICS In the field of anthropology, recent human genome studies of DNA in all parts of the Indian subcontinent – whether it be North, South, East or West – prove common, continuous and indigenous inhabitants. DNA dating for Paleolithic continuity starts from 60,000 BCE. These studies reflect in situ development signatures for the Indian population as well as founder nodes or roots of Eurasian lineages within native Indians. This highly reliable genetic evidence proves that the Aryan Invasion Theory happened the other way round — if at all. That is, some small cultural dispersion occurred from India outwards, NOT that some superior [foreign] Aryan race invaded, nor even migrated INTO India. Additionally, this genetic evidence proves that both the Northern Indians and the Dravidians of South India have common origins, common ancestors and are not so different. The so-called division of Northern and Southern Indians is an artificial edifice designed as part of the strategy for dominion over the original Indians. The wonder of modern science is that such dating can be confirmed by multiple disciplines of scientific techniques. For example, this genetic evidence for the indigenous origin of all Indians is corroborated by numerous archaeological evidence (cited below), is consistent with evidence from other methodologies and shows a continuity of culture with no external disruptions, i.e., no foreign invasions other than the well known British and Islamic influences.

154

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

155

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

ASTRONOMY Numerous astronomical references to constellation and planetary configurations within the Vedic literatures, when input into planetarium software, produce precise dating of the events described within the Vedic scriptures. These precise astronomical observances and calculations were developed and recorded by the indigenous population because the natural cycles of nature, such as the alternation of day and night and the phases of the moon, directly affect the conditions of human life. A reliable calendar was necessary to regulate agricultural activities as well as social and civic activities. The antiquity of the earliest Vedic calendar has been calculated as 7,000 BCE based on references to solstices and equinoxes within the Vedic literatures. The Rig Veda gives references to astronomically related dates from 7,000 BCE to 2,000 BCE while the Ramayana refers to astronomical configurations which correspond to exclusive sequential dates around 5,100 BCE. When Valmiki composed the Ramayana, he filled it with so much information about the “planetary positions of those days, the geography of the areas mentioned in the epic, the seasonal events and about the genealogy of various kings, that it is virtually a no-brainer to establish the dates on which those events occurred.” Valmiki recorded the planetary configurations at the time of important events of the Ramayana. These configurations, entered into the latest up to date planetarium software, provide precise datings of these events. They fit together chronologically and are corroborated by other scientific methodologies. These events narrated in Valmiki’s Ramayana therefore occurred some 7,000 years BP (Before Present). To think, as the British colonialists proposed in the 1800’s at the height of their imperialism, that all these astronomical observances were concocted, is certainly absurd when one realises the complexity of such an undertaking. For Indians to fabricate hundreds of such references, which are now known to be factual and consistent chronologically, would be an even greater achievement than the incredible truth itself.

156

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

THE R

An early ref Rig Veda Â 5occur on the Veda as prio

Even the da BCE based consistent w dating origi most subseq dating later dating as fac

For example agricultural Vedic Sarasw by planetary scientific en

REMO

SRS has reve great power changes. Th

This great riv the Rig Veda dates the Rig in full majes

157

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

RIG VEDA

ference to a Vedic calendar with the year beginning at the winter solstice is found in the -77-1/2; 1-46-14; 7-69-3/2. The heliacal rising of Ashvini Nakshatra (Aries) can be seen to e 5th January, 7000 BCE, marking the year’s beginning – thus dating the origin of the Rig or to 9,013 BP.

ate of the Mahabharata war at Kurukshetra has been calculated by Achar (2003) as 3067 on astronomical references in the Mahabharata. This dating of some 5,000 years BP is with Vedic tradition and other Vedic references, but in disagreement with the hypothetical inally proposed by Max Muller and other early indologists as part of the AIT. Although quent scholars have accepted this later dating, Max Muller personally refuted his own in life. A plethora of more recent scientific evidence of many types re-establishes the earlier ctual.

e, there is agreement amongst the carbon dating of archaeological remnants and dating of and food remnants of this early civilisation, the precise dating of the drying up to the Rig wati River by Satellite Remote Sensing (SRS), the exact dating of Vedic astronomical references y software as cited above, in addition to scientific evidence from other multidisciplinary ndeavors, all support this thesis.

OTE SENSING

ealed the signatures of a significant Paleo Rivers Network in north-west India flowing with around 6000 BCE and drying up around 2000 BCE due to tectonic and palaeo-climatic This conclusion is supported by sedimentology, hydrology and drilling data.

ver system, identified as the mighty Saraswati River, is mentioned in numerous places throughout a as part of the Sapta Sindhu or Seven Rivers of importance. This discovery very significantly g Veda’s origin as prior to 2,000 BCE because the Saraswati River is described therein as flowing sty from the mountains to the sea, so it had not yet dried up at the time the Rig Veda appeared.

158

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

159

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

ARCHAEOLOGY Over 2,500 archaeological sites have been found in northern India, two thirds of which are along the banks of the grand Saraswati River basin. These numerous remnants of the developing Indian civilisation, dated by radiocarbon and the utilization of other scientific methodologies, also prove the indigenous origin and development of this civilisation since 7000 BCE. The important archaeological site at Mehrgahr has revealed seven levels of civilisation from the 7th millennium BCE, showing a continuity of civilisation from the 7th to 2nd millennium BCE unmatched elsewhere in the world. Volumes of archaeological data support the astronomical, ecological and anthropological conclusions that the highly advanced civilisation of the Aryans were originals of India largely unchanged for the last 10,000 years. Innumerable descriptions of geology, agriculture, cultural/religious rituals and customs, architecture, etc. are in concert with present day observations of the same activities and support the continuity of this civilisation. Furthermore, they refute the AIT. As a concluding remark we paraphrase the writings of B. R. Haran, that in no other nation and no other religion in the world has true history been so meticulously documented and supported by so many evidences.

160

WHAT IS IT LIKE AFTER YOU DIE?

Robert Lanza M.D.

he question, “What is it like after you die?” can make you wonder about taking the time to ponder such philosophical babble. You might reply, “The only way to know is when you die.” Not so. You won‘t know any more than you do now. Increasingly, scientists are beginning to realize that an infinite number of realities may exist outside our old classical way of thinking. Our instinctual understanding of reality is the same as most other animals. This came into focus the other day as I strolled though a nearby field, stirring up butterflies and creatures of all shapes and colors. There were wildflowers that were brilliant yellow, some that were red and others that were iridescent purple. This colorful world of upand-down was the extent of my reality. Of course, to a mouse or a dog, that world of reds, greens and blues didn‘t exist anymore than the ultraviolet and infrared world (experienced by bees and snakes) did for me. In fact, some animals, including birds, possess magnetoreceptors that allow them to perceive information on the quantum level (indeed, some have even speculated that bees perceive a 6-dimensional reality to encode location information). But regardless of these differences, we genome-based creatures all share a common biological (spatio-temporal) information-processing ability. I‘ve previously written how reality isn‘t a hard, cold thing, but rather an active process that involves our consciousness. According to biocentrism, space and time are simply the tools our mind uses to weave information together into a coherent experience — they are the language of consciousness (in fact, in dreams your mind uses the same algorithms to create a spatio-temporal reality that is as real, 3-D and flesh-and-blood as the one you‘re experiencing now). “It will remain remarkable,” said Nobel physicist Eugene Wigner, referring to a long list of scientific experiments, “that the very study of the external world led to the conclusion that the content of the consciousness is an ultimate reality.” At death there‘s a break in our linear stream of consciousness, and thus a break in the linear connection of times and places. Indeed, biocentrism suggests it‘s a manifold that leads to all physical possibilities. More and more physicists are beginning to accept the “many-worlds” interpretation of quantum physics, which states that there are an infinite number of universes. Everything that can possibly happen occurs in some universe. Death doesn‘t exist in these scenarios, since all of them exist simultaneously

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

regardless of what happens in any of them. The “me” feeling is just energy operating in the brain. But energy never dies; it cannot be destroyed. So what‘s it like when you die? Of course, during our lives we all grow attached to the people we know and love and can never image a time without them. I subscribe to Netflix and recently went through all nine seasons of the TV series “Smallville.” I watched two or three episodes every night, day after day, for months. I watched Clark Kent (Tom Welling) grow up and go through all the normal growing pains of adolescence, young love and family dramas. He, Martha Kent (his adoptive mother) and all the other characters became part of my life. Night after night I watched him use his emerging superpowers to fight crime as he matured, first attending high school and then college. I watched him fall in love with Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk), and then become enemies with his former friend Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum). When I finished the last disk, it was like they had all died — it was all over. Despite my sense of loss, I reluctantly tried a few other TV series, eventually stumbling upon “Grey‘s Anatomy.” The cycle started over again with completely different people. By the time I had finished all seven seasons, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and her fellow doctors at Seattle Grace Hospital had replaced Clark Kent, et. al as the center of my world. I became completely caught up in the swirl of their personal and professional passions. In a very real sense, death is much like finishing a good TV series, whether “Grey‘s Anatomy,” “Smallville” or “Dallas,” except the multiverse has a much bigger collection of DVDs than Netflix. Just like at death, you change reference points. It‘s still you, but you experience different lives, different friends and even different worlds. Think of a football field full of stacks of DVDs piled up to the sky. At death, you‘ll even get to watch some re-makes — perhaps in one, you‘ll get that dream wedding dress you always wanted, or a doctor cures the disease that caused your loved one to die. The story goes on even after J.R. gets shot. Our linear concept of time means nothing to nature. As for me, I still have Season Eight of “Grey‘s Anatomy” to look forward to.

163

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Who is Robert Lanza? Robert Lanza, M. D. is considered one of the leading scientists in the world. He is currently Chief Scientific Officer at Advanced Cell Technology, and Adjunct Professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He has hundreds of publications and inventions, and over 30 scientific books: among them, “Principles of Tissue Engineering,” which is recognized as the definitive reference in the field. Others include One World: The Health & Survival of the Human Species in the 21st Century (Foreword by former President and Nobel laureate Jimmy Carter), and the “Handbook of Stem Cells” and “Essentials of Stem Cell Biology,” which are considered the definitive references in stem cell research. Dr. Lanza received his BA and MD degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was both a University Scholar and Benjamin Franklin Scholar. He was also a Fulbright Scholar, and was part of the team that cloned the world’s first human embryo for the purpose of generating pluripotent stem cells. Dr. Lanza’s work has been crucial to our understanding nuclear transfer and stem cell biology. In 2001 he was also the first to clone an endangered species (a Gaur), and in 2003, he cloned an endangered wild ox (a Banteng) from the frozen skin cells of an animal that had died at the San Diego Zoo nearly a quarter-of-a-century earlier. Lanza and his colleagues were also the first to demonstrate that nuclear transplantation could be used to reverse the aging process and to generate immune-compatible tissues, including the first organ tissue-engineered from cloned cells. One of his greatest early achievements came from his demonstration that techniques used in preimplantation genetic diagnosis could be used to generate human embryonic stem (hES) cells without embryonic destruction. He and colleagues have also succeeded in differentiating human pluripotent stem cells into retinal (RPE) cells, and has shown that they provide long-term benefit in animal models of vision loss. Using this technology some forms

164

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

of blindness may be curable, including macular degeneration and Stargardt disease, a currently untreatable form eye disease that causes blindness in teenagers and young adults. Lanza’s company (ACT) received FDA approval to begin clinical trials using them to treat degenerative eye diseases. These two clinical trials began in July 2011. Recently, ACT received similar approval for the first human embryonic stem cell trial in Europe. Surgeons at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London will inject healthy retinal cells into the eyes of patients with Stargardt’s macular dystrophy, hoping to slow, halt or even reverse the effects of the disease. The first person received the embryonic stem cell treatment earlier this year. The patient reports improved vision in the eye treated with the cells, which The Guardian said “represents a huge scientific achievement.” Dr. Lanza and his colleagues published the first-ever report of human embryonic stem cells transplanted into human patients. Two clinical studies were initiated to establish the safety and tolerability of subretinal transplantation of hESC-derived RPE in patients with Stargardt’s macular dystrophy and dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). After surgery, evidence confirmed cells had attached and continued to persist during the study. There were no signs of tumorigenicity or rejection in either patient. The patients who received the stem cell transplants say their lives have been transformed by the experimental procedure. During the observation period visual acuity improved from hand motions to 20/800 (and improved from 0 to 5 letters on the standard visual acuity chart) in the study eye of the patient with Stargardt’s disease, and vision also seemed to improve in the patient with dry AMD. One of the patients no longer needs a large magnifying glass to read and can reportedly thread a needle and has begun to go shopping on her own. The future therapeutic goal will of these studies will be to treat patients earlier in the disease processes, potentially increasing the likelihood of visual rescue. Lanza has been a major player in the scientific revolution that has led to the documentation that nuclear transfer/transcription factors can restore developmental potential in a differentiated cell. One of his recent successes was showing that it is feasible to generate functional oxygen-carrying red blood cells from human pluripotent stem cells. The blood cells were comparable to normal transfusable blood and could serve as a potentially inexhaustible source of “universal” blood. His team also discovered how to generate functional hemangioblasts – a population of “ambulance” cells – from hES

165

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

cells. In animals, these cells quickly repaired vascular damage, cutting the death rate after a heart attack in half and restoring the blood flow to ischemic limbs that might otherwise have to be amputated. Recently, Lanza and a team lead by Kwang-Soo Kim at Harvard University reported a safe method for generating induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Human iPS cells were created from skin cells by direct delivery of proteins, thus eliminating the harmful risks associated with genetic manipulation. This new method provides a potentially safe and non-controversial source of patient-specific stem cells for translation into the clinic. The Editors of the prestigious journal Nature selected Lanza and Kim’s paper on protein reprogramming as one of five “Research Highlights” of 2009. Discover magazine stated, “Lanza’s single-minded quest to usher in this new age has paid dividends in scientific insights and groundbreaking discoveries.” Dr. Lanza has been called the “Bill Gates of Science.” Dr. Lanza has received numerous awards, including the 2013 Il Leone di San Marco award in Medicine (The Italian Heritage and Culture Committee, along with Regis Philbin [in Entertainment]); an NIH Director’s Award (2010) for “Translating Basic Science Discoveries into New and Better Treatments”; the 2013 “TOP 50 Global Stem Cell Influencers” (Terrapinn; the global stem cell community voted him Top 4 “Most Influential People on Stem Cells” along with James Thomson and Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka); the 2010 “Movers and Shakers” Who Will Shape Biotech Over the Next 20 Years (BioWorld, along with Craig Venter and President Barack Obama); the 2007 100 Most Inspiring People in the Life-Sciences Industry (PharmaVOICE, “For his discoveries ‘behind the medicines making a significant impact on the pipelines of today and of the future’”; the 2007 Outstanding Contribution in Contemporary Biology Award (Brown University, “For his groundbreaking research and contributions in stem cell science and biology”; the 2006 All-Star Award for Biotechnology (MA High Tech, for “pushing stem cells’ future”); the 2005 Rave Award for Medicine (Wired magazine, “For eye-opening work on embryonic stem cells”); Massachusetts Medical Society award; and The Boston Globe’s William O. Taylor award. Lanza is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, Who’s Who

166

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

in American Education, and Who’s Who in Technology, among others. Dr. Lanza has served in numerous national and international leadership capacities, including Conference Co-Chairman, International Symposium on Stem Cells (Tianjin, China 2008); Stem Cell Advisory Committee, International Stem Cell Registry; He has given keynote addresses at dozens of national and international societies, including ASAIO (2001), Annual Molecular & Cellular Biology Symposium (2002), Biotechniques Live/ Drug Discovery Technology & Development World Congress (2005), International Stem Cell Conference (2007), Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS)(2007), Translational Regenerative Medicine Forum (2010), among others. Dr. Lanza and his research have been featured in almost every media outlet in the world, including CNN, TIME, Newsweek, People, as well as the front pages of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, among others. Lanza has worked with some of the greatest thinkers of our time, including Nobel laureates Gerald Edelman and Rodney Porter, renowned Harvard psychologist B.F. Skinner (the “Father of modern behaviorism”), Jonas Salk (discoverer of the Polio vaccine), and heart transplant pioneer Christiaan Barnard. His current research and work at Advanced Cell Technology focuses on stem cells and regenerative medicine and their potential to provide therapies for some of the world’s most deadly and debilitating conditions. In 2007, Lanza published a feature article, “A New Theory of the Universe” in The American Scholar, a leading intellectual journal which has previously published works by Albert Einstein, Margaret Mead, and Carl Sagan, among others. His theory places biology above the other sciences in an attempt to solve one of nature’s biggest puzzles, the theory of everything that other disciplines have been pursuing for the last century. This new view has become known as Biocentrism. In 2009, he co-authored a book “Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness are the Keys to Understanding the True Nature of the Universe” with leading astronomer Bob Berman. In biocentrism, space and time are forms of animal sense perception, rather than external physical objects. Understanding this more fully yields answers to several major puzzles of mainstream science, and offers a new way of understanding everything from the microworld (for instance, the reason for Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle and the double-slit

167

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

experiment) to the forces, constants, and laws that shape the universe. Nobel laureate E. Donnall Thomas stated “Any short statement does not do justice to such a scholarly work. The work is a scholarly consideration of science and philosophy that brings biology into the central role in unifying the whole.” “Robert Lanza is the living embodiment of the character played by Matt Damon in the movie “Good Will Hunting.” Growing up underprivileged in Stoughton, Mass., south of Boston, the young preteen caught the attention of Harvard Medical School researchers when he showed up on the university steps having successfully altered the genetics of chickens in his basement. Over the next decade, he was “discovered” and taken under the wing of scientific giants such as psychologist B.F. Skinner, immunologist Jonas Salk, and heart transplant pioneer Christiaan Barnard. His mentors described him as a “genius,” a “renegade thinker,” even likening him to Einstein.” – U.S.News & World Report, cover story.

168

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

ime is never kind to sculptures, inscriptions or to paintings and frescos, not even to temples or forts. Paintings fade with light or the material on which they are painted disintegrates. However inscriptions or stone carvings remain a little longer. The earliest records of traces of Vaishnavism in art are not much older than 2000 years. Earlier signs than this have mostly been erased. However, in the recent years there has been more and more archeological digs in India. There we find traces of Vaishnava art, but most often than art itself, we find inscriptions and sometimes caves where such traces are preserved. Traces of prehistoric Vaishnavism have also been erased by the passage of different religious eras, such as the Buddhist era, Jain era, the Persian era etc. Rajasthan Rajasthan is one of the earliest centers of the Krishna-Vasudeva cult. One of the oldest records was found in the Jaipur state by example, a Yupa inscription, dated CE. 279, which ends with the expression: May Vishnu be pleased: may dharma increase.

171

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

The deity of Shrinathji is said to be a self-manifested stone deity that emerged from Govardhana Hill in Vrindavana. In the medieval times the deity was transferred to Nathdwara from Govardhana for protection from the fanatical Muslim ruler Aurangzeb who had Hindu temples systematically destroyed. The iconography of Shrinathji is connected to the narrative found in the Srimad Bhagavatam (also called the Bhagavat Purana) wherein Krishna lifts Govardhana Hill to protect the inhabitants of Vrindavana from a downpour of rain sent by Lord Indra, the King of the demigods. Early references to Shrinathji are found in ancient religious texts and literature long before the Christian era. Bengal Bengal is one of the most important strongholds of Vaishnavism and the cult of Lord Krishna. It is however difficult to ascertain when Vaishnava art was introduced to this region. Unfortunately our knowledge of Bengali life in this ancient period is fragmentary. A four-armed Vishnu deity was discovered in the village of Hankrail of the Malda district dated from the third century CE.

172

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Bihar During the Pala-Sena period (11th-12th century CE.) Vaishnavism was widely flourishing and was found in different parts of Bihar. Many stone images of Vishnu from this period were found there. Gaya seems to have been an important centre for Vaishnavism mostly in the medieval period. Manipur The documented history of Manipur begins with the reign of Meetei or Meitei, the King of the Ningthouja clan (33-154 CE), who unified the seven clans of Meetei society. The introduction of the Vaishnava school brought about significant changes in the history of the state. Vaishnavism came to Manipur during the 18th Century and caused a significant change in its history. The Meitei script was replaced with Bengali. Assam In Assam, Krishnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name is closely associated with the early history of this region as well as the region of Manipur. It is recounted in the Puranas that in this region a demon king imprisoned 16,000 princesses that Krishna rescued in Pragjyotishapura. He released them all and married them. Again, His grandson Aniruddha came to Sonitapura in response to a love message from Usha. Coming down through the ages there are archeological records where it appears that Vaishnavism was firmly established in Assam during the Fifth Century CE. According to a stone inscription near Umachala Ashrama on the Northern-eastern slope of the Kamakya, Maharaja Surendra Varman excavated a cave-temple dedicated to Balabhadra Swamin. Scholars have identified this temple as being established by Mahendra Varman belonging to the Bhauma dynasty of Pragjyotisha (late 5th Century - early 6th century CE.) 173

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Orissa As in Bengal, Bihar and other parts of eastern India, Vaishnavism seems to have been prevalent in Orissa quite early. The sculptures of Ananta-gumpha point to the prevalence of Vaishnavism in Orissa. It belongs to a date around the first century BCE. The doorway of this cave contains ornamental arches, one of which has a sculpted figure of Lakshmi supported by elephants on lotus flowers – elements recognized as Vaishnava motiffs. A stone inscription belonging to the 12th year of the reign of king Skanda Varman, a ruler from the Pallava Dynasty (around 345–355 AD), was found at Podagadth. It mentions the foundation of a pada-mula or footprint of Vishnu. The inscription says: Hari was victorious and is victorious and will be victorious, this is not important in itself, for verily the Divine Hari is the conquest and the conqueror. Madhya Pradesh The area of Madhya Pradesh, as the archeological evidence shows, was one of the most ancient centres of the Krishna-Vasudeva cult. One of the earliest monuments recorded there is the inscribed Garuda column erected in Besnagar in the Second Century BCE. in honor of Vasudeva, by a Greek ambassador. The inscription is divided in two parts. One part mentions that the column is erected by Heliodorus, son of Dion, and the second part refers to three precepts – self-restraint, charity and consciousness. This inscription expresses the essence of the Bhagavata religion based on the Vedic scriptures. Near this Garuda pillar the remains of a temple have been excavated.

174

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Andhra Pradesh In Andhra Pradesh our attention can be directed to the Chinna Prasasti from the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh dated around the Second Century CE. An interesting Vaishnavite plaque was recently discovered in Konda-mottu. It depicts the Pancha-viras of the Vrishni clan, including Krishna, along with a sited figure of Narasimha. This seems to be the earliest representation of Lord Narasimha discovered to date. Tamil Nadu In Tamil Nadu, a considerable number of verses extol Lord Vishnu as the chief deity among many gods mentioned in the Sangam literature. He has been described under various names such as Malor, Deivamal, Mayon and Nediyon. It is interesting to note that these epithets also apply to Krishna. This was an accepted fact in Tamil literature. Mayon is dark and Valiyon white which helps us to further understand that those names apply to Krishna and Balarama. The Pundarikaksha temple near Trichy has inscriptions which point to significant contributions of Pallava, Hoysala and Vijayanagara kings. It belongs to the 8th â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9th Century. On the base of the vimana and in the svastika tank, we find a series of sculptures showing representational scenes with Krishnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dance, and the subjugation of the serpent Kaliya. Kerala In Kerala, the tradition of Krishna worship seems to be very old. An inscription was found at Pagan, which contains a verse from the Mukunda-mala in Grantha alphabet and a prose passage in Tamil characters of the 13th Century. This inscription probably formed part of the Vishnu temple in Pagan. It shows the popularity of the Mukundamala as a devotional poem written by Kulashekara, a competent ruler founder of the Chera Dynasty, around 800 CE. Maharashtra The Bhagavata cult seems to have been well known in Maharashtra, West India, as early as the 2nd Century BCE. Several inscriptions have been found such as the Nanaghat inscription of Queen Nayanika, which opens with an invocation to Sankarshana,

175

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

Vasudeva and other divinities. Cave inscriptions can be found containing Vaishnava appellations, such as a Nasik Cave inscription ascribable to the reign of Gautami-putra which mentions Prince Vishnu-Palita who was an officer in charge of Govardhana. Paunar, in the Wardha district of Maharashtra, seem to have been an important center of Vaishnavism. “There was found a Vaishnavite sealing ascribed to the Shaka-Satavahana times (2nd Century A.D.) It contains a short inscription reading: nama purushottama ittamamya. It is quite possible that a devotee at a Vaishnava shrine at Paunar offered this sealing.” (Journal, Numismatic Society of India, No. XXX. 1968, pp. 215 ff) Another discovery is some interesting sculptured panels from the 4th or 5th Century, representing King Bharata meeting Lord Rama at Chitrakuta. It shows Sita clasping Rama’s arm and Bharatha holding the left hand of Rama. Lakshmana on the other hand has turned his face away appears disconsolate. The figures have characteristics of the Gupta-Vataka art. Chhattisgarh At the ancient town of Malhar, a four-armed Vishnu deity was discovered here in 1960, bearing a Prakrit inscription in Brahmi script which is assignable to 200 BCE. This is one of the oldest representations of Vishnu. Gujarat In Gujarat, the major part of Krishna’s life was spent in Dvaraka in Saurashtra. It is modern Dvaraka that makes the best claim of representing the ancient site. In and around Dvaraka are numerous places and temples. Here it is where the Gomati River meets the sea and where temples to Indra, Varuna and Surya-Narayana were built on the ancient rock. Later, the temple of Krishna as Lord of Dvaraka (Dvarkadisha) was built. They stand there admittedly of a later date, but were very likely built on the ruins of older temples, probably of identical deities. Vaishnavism had a great influence, not only on the literature of Gujarat during the

176

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

15th to 18th Century periods, but also on the pictorial art of that period. The earliest paper manuscript of that time is from the Gita-Govinda with illustrations in Gujarati style from the 15th century. Kashmir Vaishnavism flourished in Kashmir side by side with Shaivism and Buddhism. The main source of the history of Kashmiri Vaishnavism is the Nilamata Purana and the archeological relics. There is, however, not much material to throw light on the history of Vaishnavism in Kashmir till the 6th century CE. Punjab Some Vaishnavite finds in the Medieval period have been reported from Punjab which was considered part of the Indus Valley Civilisation along with Kashmir in ancient times. A four-armed figure of Vishnu was discovered in Janer in the Forozepur district and a similar figure was found in Mandian in the Kapurthala district. Those figures belong to the 11th-12th Century. There was another discovery of a Vishnu head and a bas-relief of Vishnu from Dholbaha in the Hosiapur dated from the 11th-12th Century. In conclusion, India, as well as surrounding countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and all other countries that were part of greater India in the past, have many undiscovered archeological treasures and traces of Vaishnavism. News is floating about of more and more archeological discoveries and wonders, such as the discovery of ancient Dvaraka under the ocean with stone structures and stone anchors dating back over 3000 years BCE. Vaishnavism and Vaishnava art is older than the recent discoveries mentioned above and many more finds are resurfacing with more archeological research. However, it is difficult to trace any art 177

G a u d i y a To u c h s t o n e

before the Christian era since time erases everything and most of the greater Indian subcontinent was conquered by the Mauryan Empire during the 3rd Century BCE. whose rulers took advantage of the disruption created in the wake of the departure of the Greeks. Yet the most reliable traces before that time are the Vaishnava literatures such as the Bhagavata Purana, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and other great Vaishnava scriptures.

178

In Praise of Virtue 179

Gaudiya Touchstone

here was once a king of the Kuru dynasty named Suhotra who went to visit some renowned rishis. While returning home, he happened to meet another king named Shibi, traveling on the road in the opposite direction. Because the road was very narrow, both chariots could not pass by. Since they were both equal in terms of age and royal qualifications etc. neither Shibi nor Suhotra would move. At that point, the great saint Narada appeared and asked the kings what was the matter. The monarchs to him, “O best of sages, it is only proper that one should give way to superiors. However because we are equal to one another in all respects, neither of us are willing to let the other pass.” Narada then recited some verses from the shastra – 1) Evil minded people behave severely even towards their superiors, but those who are exalted behave properly, even while dealing with the sinful. Because one who is noble behaves with virtue, even toward those who are corrupt, why would he not do so to those who are good? 2) A great person considers another person’s qualities and the services they have performed to be a hundred times greater than they actually are. Thus he perceives only good in others. 3) The way to defeat an evil person is to give him charity. A liar is defeated by truth, a sinner is defeated by forgiveness, and the heart of a man who is dishonest is softened by honesty. Narada continued, addressing King Suhotra, “My dear king, apart from this, you should know that Maharaja Shibi’s virtue exceeds yours. Since you are both broadhearted, I request that one of you should voluntarily move aside, and relinquish all sense of false pride.” Maharaja Suhotra then moved his chariot off the road and allowed Shibi to pass by and while doing so, he praised Shibi highly. (Mahabharata, Vana-parva, Chapter 213)

180

In this issue, Rasikananda shows us how to prepare one of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most celebrated sweets. Manohar Laddu is a special offering in many temples in India. As well as being very delicious, it is also very simple to prepare. 181

Ingredients Maida (All purpose flour)-1 cup Rice flour 1tablespoon Ghee 2 teaspoon Salt 1 pinch Icing sugar 1 cup Cardommom powder 1 pinch Dry coconut powdered ¼ cup Fried cashew 2 teaspoon Oil for frying Milk 1/8 cup Kesar (Saffron) - 5 or 6 strands

Method • • • • •

Mix maida, rice flour, ghee, and salt and make a fine dough Make small balls and flatten them into puris to be fried in oil Crush the puris by hand into a powder. Fry coconut powder in a pan. Mix powdered puris, fried cashew, elaichi powder, powdered sugar with it. • Soak kesar (Saffron) in milk • Sprinkle this onto the powder mixture and make them into balls, spread on a sheet and cool to harden.

182

Connecting People with Ideas, Knowledge, Information and Better Choices. Think about it, share it â&#x20AC;&#x201D; you can make a difference.