Krishna Voice - August 2018 by ISKCON Bangalore

Vol 19, No.8

August 2018

CONTENTS Love and Its Reflection

His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder- Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, came to America in 1965, at age 69, to fulfill his spiritual master’s request that he teach the science of Krishna consciousness throughout the English-speaking world. In a dozen years he published some seventy volumes of translation and commentary on India’s Vedic literature, and these are now standard in universities worldwide. Meanwhile, travelling almost nonstop, Srila Prabhupada moulded his international society into a world wide confederation of ashramas, schools, temples and farm communities. He passed away in 1977, in Vrindavana, the place most sacred to Lord Krishna. His disciples and followers are carrying forward the movement he started. To know more about Srila Prabhupada visit www.iskconbangalore.org/srila-prabhupada

Srila Prabhupada Speaks Out

Abandon all Varieties of Religion —KRISHNA (Gita 18.66)

Thiruputkuzhi Sri Vijaya Raghava Perumal Temple

In Praise of Srila Prabhupada

Cover pages-4 Text pages-32 Published and owned by Sankirtana Seva Trust. Editor: Chamari Devi Dasi. Layout, design and graphics by ISKCON Design Group, Bangalore. For all information contact: Editor, Krishna Voice, SST, Hare Krishna Hill, Chord Road, Bangalore - 560 010 INDIA Phone: 91-80-2347 1956, 91-80-2357 8346 Fax: 91-80-2357 8625. © 2018 Sankirtana Seva Trust, Bangalore. All Krishna art and the works of Srila Prabhupada are © Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction in any manner is strictly prohibited. Printed at Manipal Technologies Limited, Manipal. Disclaimer: We neither represent nor endorse the accuracy or reliability or the quality of any products, information, or other materials displayed, purchased, or obtained by you as a result of an offer in connection with any of the advertisements published in our magazine. We strongly encourage you to do your own due diligence before responding to any offer. Attention Subscribers: This magazine is mailed from a post office in Manipal, Dakshina Kannada District on the 5th of every month. If you do not receive the magazine or it is delayed we request you to contact your nearest post office and file a written complaint. Please send us an acknowledged copy of the same. This will help us in taking needful action at our end.

Krishna Voice, August 2018

Love and Its Reflection The loving affairs of Radha and Krishna are on the highest spiritual platform. Our attempts to imitate them are on the lowest material one. A lecture in Mayapur, India, on March 29, 1975 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness radha krishna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir asmad ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau chaitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krishna-svarupam "The loving affairs of Sri Radha and Krishna are transcendental manifestations of the Lord's internal pleasuregiving 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 1.5) Here Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, the author of Chaitanya-charitamrita, is describing another feature of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Previously, Lord Chaitanya has been described as the ultimate Absolute Truth, Bhagavan. The Absolute Truth is realized in three phases, and the ultimate phase is Bhagavan, who is sad-aisvaryaih purnah, "full in six opulences." Nowadays there are so many "Bhagavans," but they have no opulence. But the actual Bhagavan is full in six kinds of opulence—beauty, wealth, strength, fame, knowledge, and renunciation. So, Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has descended as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu just to bestow the topmost understanding of loving affairs with Krishna (samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasam sva-bhakti-sriyam [Cc. Adi 1.4]). In devotional service there are different stages, although spiritually there is no difference among them. There is ultimately no difference between a devotee in the mood of servitude (dasya-rasa) and one in the mood of conjugal love (madhurya-rasa). But each devotee likes to serve the Supreme Lord according to his particular inclination. Someone wants to love Him in a neutral mood (santa-rasa), someone wants to love Him in the mood of a servant, someone wants to love Him as a friend, another as a parent, and another as a conjugal lover. While there is no spiritual difference between these phases of loving affairs, great devotees and learned scholars have given their decision that the loving affairs with Krishna in the conjugal mood—like those between husband and wife or, above those, between lover and beloved—are on the highest platform. In the Western countries these affairs between boyfriend and girlfriend are very prominent, and in the spiritual world this relationship of lover and beloved, without marriage, is considered the highest. Whatever so-called loving affairs we see here are a perverted reflection of the loving affairs between Radha and Krishna. In the Bhagavad-gita this perverted reflection is described as urdhva-mulam adhah-sakham: a tree with its roots up and its branches down. In other words, the material world is a reflection of the real, spiritual world. Unless this material world is a reflection, how could the roots be upward? There is a tree like this: a tree on the bank of a pond will be reflected with its roots upwards and its branches down. This world is a reflection only, a shadow. The reality is in the spiritual world. There the topmost thing is the conjugal love between Radha and Krishna, and here the same thing, when pervertedly reflected as sexual affairs between a girl and a boy, is the lowest abomination. We should know this: In the spiritual world, for Radha and Krishna to remain as girlfriend and boyfriend is the topmost pleasure, while in the material world this same thing is most abominable. We cannot imitate the loving affairs of Krishna and Radharani. We have to understand the facts of Their relationship, as described here: radha krishna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir. "The loving affairs of Radha and Krishna are transcendental manifestations of the Lord's internal pleasure-giving potency." The word shakti means "energy." From the Vedas we understand that the Lord, the Supreme Person, has many energies: parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. When Arjuna requested Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita "Kindly explain some of the energies You display," Krishna listed His different energies, and at last He concluded, Krishna Voice, August 2018

athava bahunaitena kim jnatena tavarjuna vistabhyaham idam krtsnam ekamsena sthito jagat The words idam krtsnam ... jagat mean "the entire material manifestation." There are many universes in the material manifestation. We see only one universe, but there are many millions of universes (yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti). So, Krishna says that all these universes in the material world display only one-fourth of His energy (ekamsena). Just imagine what Krishna's energy is! And we are trying to imitate Him. So many rascals declare they are Bhagavan, but they have no idea what Bhagavan is. Innumerable universes are coming out from the breathing of MahaVishnu, who is just a part of a plenary part of Bhagavan, Lord Krishna. When Maha-Vishnu exhales, the universes come out, and when He inhales, everything goes within Him. This is Bhagavan. This material creation is a partial exhibition of the energy of the Lord, one fourth of His energy. This material world is made of His material energy, and we are His marginal energy. But the other three-fourths of His energies are in the spiritual world, where Krishna exhibits only His spiritual energies. And when Krishna wants to enjoy, He enjoys loving affairs like those between a man and a woman. Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura explains that the mellow of the loving affairs between a man and a woman comes from the Supreme Person. Unless the loving propensity is there in the Supreme, how can it be reflected here? This material world is only a perverted reflection of the spiritual world, so the origin of the loving propensity must be there. The impersonalistic, Mayavadi philosophers cannot understand the spiritual loving affairs of Radha and Krishna. Because they have bitter experience of the so-called loving affairs in this material world, they think the ultimate goal must be without personality or varieties (nirvishesha). Impersonalism and voidism are of the same nature. The voidists, the Buddhist philosophers, say that ultimately everything is zero, and the Mayavadi philosophers say, "No, not zero but impersonal." Both of them are wrong. The Absolute Truth is actually personal and full of variety, but because the philosophers with a poor fund of knowledge cannot understand, they make it out to be zero or variety-less. To clear away these false ideas, Kaviraja Gosvami says that while radha-krishna prema, the loving affairs between Radha and Krishna, are factualâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;they are not imaginationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;these affairs are different from the so-called loving affairs we experience in this world. That is to be understood. Don't be like the sahajiyas, who take radha-krishna prema to be just like ordinary lusty affairs in this material world. A verse in the Srimad-Bhagavatam states that the loving affairs of the gopis and Krishna in the rasa-lila are not an ordinary thing, and that if one can hear of them from the proper source and understand the real facts of the rasa-lila, then all the lusty desires in one's heart will vanish. There will be no more lusty desires. In other words, one will become dhira, calm and sober-minded. Here in this material world everyone is adhira, agitated by lusty desires. But in the spiritual world everyone is dhira. They are not agitated by lusty desires. As long as we are agitated by lusty desires, we are in the material world. That is the test. As Yamunacharya says, yad-avadhi mama cetah krishna-padaravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhamany udyatam rantum asit tad-avadhi bata nari-sangame smaryamane bhavati mukha-vikarah susthu nisthivanam ca "Since I've been engaged in rendering more and more service to Krishna and getting spiritual pleasure, as soon as I think of sex life with a woman I immediately spit. I hate to think of it." This is the result of understanding the loving affairs between Radha and Krishna. Kaviraja Gosvami explains that these affairs are a transformation of Krishna's hladini sakti, His pleasure potency. The Supreme Lord has three primary spiritual potencies: sandhini, His existence potency; samvit, His knowledge potency; and hladini, His pleasure potency. The loving affairs of Radha and Krishna are a transformation of His pleasure potency. These loving affairs have nothing to do with the so-called loving affairs of this material world, because Krishna is Parabrahman. In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna is described as Parabrahman. Arjuna says to Krishna, param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan: "You are the Supreme Brahman, the supreme abode and purifier." That is the declaration of Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita, and we should accept it. This is the parampara system, the system of disciplic succession. The Mayavadi philosophers are after brahma-sukha, the happiness of merging with Brahman. The source of 6

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brahmasukha is Krishna, but the Mayavadis cannot reach up to that point. There are two kinds of transcendentalists: one is the Brahmavadi, or Mayavadi impersonalist, and the other is the Vaishnava, or devotee. The Vaishnavas accept the philosophy that we are servants of Krishna: jivera 'svarupa' hayaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;krsnera 'nitya-dasa.' And the Mayavadi philosophers falsely think that they have become one with the Supreme, that they have become Narayana. That's a misleading philosophy, and we should not accept it. Now, Krishna being Parabrahman, what will be the platform of His loving affairs? This is to be considered. To attain brahma-sukha, spiritual happiness, many saintly persons give up everything of this material world and take sannyasa. Sannyasa means giving up everything for the Supreme. So, simply to relish a little bit of brahma-sukha, great, great saintly persons give up everything and try to purify their existence. They try to find real happiness. Every one of us is after happiness, but we are seeking happiness in the perverted reflection, where it is not possible to find it. Therefore one has to give up this perverted happiness and come to the real fact. Our point is that since great saintly persons give up all pleasures in this material world to find pleasure in Brahman, why should Krishna, who is the Supreme Brahman, take pleasure in this material world? This is the argument. Therefore those who are thinking that Krishna enjoyed with the gopis as we enjoy in the company of many girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; such people are great fools. They have no knowledge. They're misled. Our affairs, being a perverted reflection, appear like the loving affairs of Radha and Krishna, but the reflection is different from the reality. So we should not be misled; we should follow the teachings of Chaitanya-charitamrita. We should understand that the loving affairs between Radha and Krishna are not like those between an ordinary boy and girl. And if we take Radha's and Krishna's loving affairs to be ordinary, we will be misled. Therefore the sahajiyas, those who believe that Krishna enjoys with ordinary girls, are very, very much misled. We shouldn't be so foolish as to think we can be equal to Krishna. There is no competition for Krishna: na tatsamas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate. Nobody can be equal with Him, nobody can be greater than Him. That is Parabrahman; that is Krishna. In the Bhagavad-gita also, Krishna says, mattah parataram nanyat. "There is no entity superior to Me." We have to very carefully study Krishna. The Krishna consciousness movement is meant to give everyone a chance to understand Krishna very scientifically. Krishna consciousness is not sentimentality. One must be very philosophically advanced to understand this scientific knowledge, or vijnana. Without understanding the science and philosophy of Krishna consciousness, it is not possible to understand Krishna. You may ask, "Do you think all the devotees are scientists and philosophers?" The answer is yes. They may not have degrees in science or philosophy, but they have been taught by Krishna from within. If you want to learn science and philosophy, you have to approach some person who knows the subject. But the greatest scientist, the greatest philosopher, is Krishna, who is within your heart: isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati. And He says, tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam dadami buddhi-yogam tam. "To anyone who is a sincere devotee of Mine and always engages in My service, I give education and intelligence. I make him a scientist and a philosopher." That is the way of receiving vijnana, scientific understanding of Krishna. You may ask, "Why does Krishna reveal this knowledge only to His devotees and not to all? If the Supreme Lord is sitting in everyone's heart, why is He especially inclined toward those who engage twenty-four hours a day in His service? Why not to others?" That is His special mercy for the devotees: tesam evanukampartham aham ajnana-jam tamah

Fasting Aug 22 Ekadashi Aug 23 break fast Sep 6 Sep 7

Ekadashi break fast

Festivals Aug 16 Garuda Panchami (at ISKCON Bangalore) Aug 22-26 Jhulan Yatra Aug 26 Balarama Jayanthi: Appearance of Lord Balarama Fasting till noon Second month of Chaturmasya begins Fasting from yogurt for one month Sep 2-3 Sri Krishna Janmashtami Fasting till midnight on Sep 3 Sep 4 Sri Vyasa Puja: Appearance of Srila Prabhupada Fasting till noon Krishna Voice, August 2018

nasayamy atma-bhava stho jnana-dipena bhasvata "I live in everyone's heart, but out of special mercy for My devotees I destroy their ignorance with the lamp of transcendental knowledge." This is the process of understanding God. You cannot understand God, or Krishna, without being His faithful servant. This is the secret. If we become His faithful servant under the guidance of a proper spiritual master, we can understand Krishna and His loving affairs with Radharani, and we can understand Lord Chaitanya. These things will all be revealed. This knowledge is not acquired by mundane efforts. That is not possible. Svayam eva sphuraty adah: Krishna will reveal Himself when He is pleased with your service. Suppose it is dark outside and you want the sunshine. That is not possible. But in the morning, when the sun comes out automatically, the darkness is dissipated. Similarly, knowledge of Krishna will automatically be revealed to us if we serve Him faithfully. So we should always remain faithful servants of Krishna, and when He is pleased by our service He will reveal Himself to us. Otherwise, it is not possible to understand Him. Thank you very much. Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of ISKCON, has delivered more than 1500 lectures on Vedic scriptures like Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam and Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita. The audio recording of his lectures are available in ISKCON centers. You can also hear some of these lectures in www.iskconbangalore.org/srila-prabhupada-lectures Krishna Voice, August 2018

SRILA PRABHUPADA SPEAKS OUT Going to God

This is a continuation of a conversation between His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and reporters in Melbourne, Australia, on June 29, 1974. Reporter 3: Your Divine Grace, in your books you talk about Brahmaloka, which, I suppose, is heaven, where we will at last see God. Srila Prabhupada: No. First of all, heaven is simply a higher material planetary system, where you cannot directly see God. There are many material lokas, or planetary systems, and heaven is one of them, and of course Brahmaloka is one. Don't you see? There are so many material planetary systems, with innumerable planets. The planetary systems include Brahmaloka, Chandraloka, Varunaloka, Suryaloka, and so many others. Reporter 3: So when we speak of heaven, are we speaking of a physical place? Would one be on a physical planet? Srila Prabhupada: Just consider the planets in this universe that you see each day and night. Are they physical or not?

Take the sun. The sun is not a physical planet? Reporter 3: It is. Srila Prabhupada: What do you mean by "physical." Reporter 3: Well, actually existing on a material... Srila Prabhupada: At night don't you see existing so many planets—innumerable planets? Are they physical or not? Reporter 3: Stars and planets. They are physical, yes. Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Consider this example. When you say "United States of America," you are talking about an actual place. There are living entities—men and mountains and rivers. Everything is there. Similarly, all these other planets in this universe—they are inhabited by living entities. There are similarly cities and towns and mountains and rivers and oceans. Everything is there—though of a unique pattern on each planet.

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So in heaven, everything is of a superior quality, a superior pattern. As a result, in your present body you are not able to go and live there. Even on this single planet, there are widely varying climatic conditions. In the Arctic region some living entities can live, but for us it is very difficult to live there. One place is suitable for one kind of man; another place is suitable for another. So from planet to planet, and from place to place on each planet, you'll find living entities. And these living entities have received various kinds of material bodies just suitable to various conditions. For instance, you cannot live within the ocean, but just for that reason you cannot say that nobody can live within the ocean. That would be foolishness. Simply you must admit you cannot live there. But there are so many varieties of fish, and they are living within the ocean very comfortably. So don't try to transfer your present experience to other living entities. That is not a very good argument. Now, here on this planet many of the so-called scientists— they are saying that on other planets there are no living entities. Why? These so-called scientists are putting forth so many reasons: "This element is lacking." "That element is lacking." But what, Mr. Scientist, do you know of how this or that condition may affect beings with bodies vastly different from anything you have experienced? You know virtually nothing about the other planets. Then how can you say there are no living entities there? Reporter 3: I quite agree. Very often these scientists make grand statements without a clue as to whereof they speak. So in fact, there is a heavenly planetary system, with real living entities, and it is in this material universe? Srila Prabhupada: Yes. In this material universe you'll find a place for souls who have lived virtuously, but who have not become unalloyed devotees of the Lord. That is called heaven, a place of great material opulence. But heaven is not in the spiritual universe. No, the spiritual universe is reserved for those souls who have developed unalloyed devotion to the Lord. Therefore in heaven you'll not see the Lord. And even though you

may enjoy a life of many thousands of years, at last you must undergo death and accept another birth on an earthly planet. Reporter 3: Your Divine Grace, do you see a time coming when all mankind will be united? Srila Prabhupada: That is very difficult to say, but we can be united on the spiritual platform, not on the material platform. Reporter 3: Well, then, would you say that this spiritual unity of all mankind is possible within this generation? Srila Prabhupada: It is possible at any time—provided people take to the actual principles of spiritual life. But they'll not take to these principles. For example, one of the basic principles of spiritual life is no meat-eating. Now, do you think this principle will be embraced by everyone? And yet this is one of the fundamental principles of spiritual life—no meat-eating. Reporter 3: Is that a necessary... Srila Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Without this—if you don't stop meat-eating—you cannot understand what spiritual life is. One who is mired in sinful life cannot understand what God is, or what devotion to God is. That is not possible. Reporter 3: And would it be the same for the rest of what you call the principles of spiritual life? Srila Prabhupada: Yes. People who are sinful, who do not follow the spiritual principles, cannot understand God or devotion to God. The basic spiritual principles include four prohibitions. We instruct our students not to indulge in gambling, illicit sex, meat- or fish- or eggeating, or intoxication, including cigarettes, tea, and coffee.Reporter 3: Drinking coffee and tea is also prohibited? Srila Prabhupada: Oh, yes. It is also a form of intoxication. Gambling, illicit sex, flesh-eating, intoxication—these are the four pillars of sinful life. So unless one gives up these four things, he cannot understand what God is, what God's kingdom is, what our real business here in this material world is—namely preparing to go to God. (To be continued.)

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Abandon all Varieties of Religion —KRISHNA (Gita 18.66) The eternal function of the soul is not to be a Christian, Hindu, Muslim, or Jew, but to serve God. By Drutakarma Dasa Recently a college student told me, "I don't believe in organized religion." "Good," I said, "neither does God." In Bhagavad-gita, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, tells Arjuna, "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me." One might wonder why God, of all persons, would tell anyone to abandon religion. The reason is this: religion, as commonly understood, gets in the way of the unique and direct personal relationship each soul can enjoy with God. People usually accept religion because they want something from God, or because they want to avoid getting something from God—such as hellfire and brimstone. Thus religion is commonly motivated by selfishness in the form of material hope or fear. According to the Vedic literature, religion based on material motives is not very pleasing to God, who is, after all, a person. He enjoys through personal relationships and doesn't so much like people approaching Him with ulterior motives. Even the desire to attain the promised land—though it may be in heaven instead of on earth—is based on ulterior motives: satisfaction of material desires. One might imagine God asking the selfishly motivated worshiper a question like the one we used to hear in old movies: "Do you love me for myself or for my money?" So when Krishna tells us to abandon religion and surrender to Him, He means we must abandon all the artificial business dealings between the soul and Himself. Real spiritual life, therefore, according to Bhagavadgita, has very little to do with what usually goes on under the name of religion. And the Srimad-Bhagavatam begins with this blunt statement: "Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhagavata Purana propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart." The perfection of religion is serving God with devotion. But Krishna says in the Gita: "In the minds of those who Krishna Voice, August 2018

are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service does not take place." In devotional service, which awakens love of God, one gets pleasure from one's relationship with God, rather than from any material or spiritual benefit one can extract from God by good behaviour or prayer. Therefore Srila Prabhupada states, "Devotional service to the Lord has nothing to do with the material conception of bodily comfort." Of course, religion as commonly understood does have its place in human life. In most cases praying to God for material benefits is certainly a step up from dog-eatdog competition for material gratification. Unfortunately, because such religion is motivated by the desire to satisfy the senses, when the senses are satisfied religion is rejected, as history has shown us. When I was in high school, I lived in Europe with my military family. During vacations I would travel, and I noticed that in many famous European towns the dominant building is the medieval cathedral, a reminder of a more religious age. Now I live in southern California, and the biggest buildings in the new metropolitan skylines are the impersonal, glass-surfaced bank buildings. As Srila Prabhupada states, "Man is thriving economically, so at present he is not very interested in religion. Churches, mosques, or temples are now practically vacant... This practically 13

proves that religion is performed for some economic gains" (Bhag. 1.1.2, purport). This is not real religion. In The Science of SelfRealization, Srila Prabhupada states, “Primarily, religion means to know God and to love Him. That is religion. Nowadays, because of a lack of training, nobody knows God, what to speak of loving Him. People are satisfied simply going to church and praying, "O God, give us our daily bread." In the Srimad-Bhagavatam this is called a cheating religion, because the aim is not to know and love God but to gain some personal profit... The title "Hindu," "Muslim," or "Christian" is simply a rubber stamp. None of them knows who God is and how to love Him.” If God is worshiped at all, it is generally only as the invisible cosmic order-supplier for human demands in this world or the next. Until I learned about devotional service by reading Srila Prabhupada's books, I had a similar understanding of God—the unknown person to whom I sometimes prayed for the satisfaction of my material desires. The cure for this misconception lies in coming to a proper understanding of our own identity and God's. As for our identity, the Bhagavad-gita teaches that we are not our temporary, material bodies; the real self is the soul within the body. The soul is by nature eternal, blissful, and full of knowledge and is meant to enjoy a direct, personal relationship with God, Krishna, who perfectly reciprocates the spiritual loving feelings of each soul. Krishna, who has a transcendental personal form, is continuously visible to perfectly self-realized souls. In pure consciousness there is no question of being Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or Buddhist. Krishna and the lover of Krishna simply exist for each other, each constantly appearing in the other's heart. In SrimadBhagavatam (9.4.68) Krishna says: sadhavo hrdayam mahyam sadhunam hrdayam tv aham mad-anyat te na jananti naham tebhyo manag api "The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart, and I am always in the heart of the pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I do not know anyone else but them." In Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna states, sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistah: He is situated in the hearts of all living beings as the Paramatma, or Supersoul. He also states, mamaivamso jiva-loke: all souls are part of Him. When one correctly understands these facts, one can relate equally with all living things. Srila Prabhupada states, “Since the individual soul is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, in that sense the Lord is living in every 14

body, and, as Supersoul, the Lord is also present as a witness. In both cases the presence of God in every living entity is essential. Therefore persons who profess to belong to some religious sect but who do not feel the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in every living entity, and everywhere else, are in the mode of ignorance.”—Bhag. 3.29.22. purport. Herein lies the key to solving the ever-present problem of interreligious strife. In ignorance one thinks in terms of "my religion" and "your religion." But persons on higher levels of spiritual realization make no such distinctions. When the soul is stripped of all designations and coverings, it displays its fundamental nature as a loving servant of God. Srila Prabhupada once said: “We are spirit souls—we are pure. But as soon as we leave the spiritual world and come in contact with these material bodies, our consciousness becomes covered... And this is why people are fighting. They are wrongly identifying with the body and thinking, "I am German," "I am English," "I am black," "I am white," "I am this." "I am that"—so many bodily designations. These bodily designations are impurities. And so we see that sometimes artists make statues that are naked. In France, for example, they regard nakedness as pure art. Similarly, when you come to the "nakedness" of the spirit soul—without these bodily designations—that is purity. ... "I am a spirit soul part and parcel of God." And as part and parcel of God, our business is to love Him.” So the essence of religion has little to do with ritual and reward, repentance and salvation—it has to do with the "naked soul" experiencing direct and personal love for God, without desiring anything in return. The process for entering into a direct loving relationship with God is called bhakti-yoga, the yoga of devotion. The principle of bhakti-yoga is not faith or belief but actual experience. The soul engaged in bhakti-yoga can come into full and direct contact with Krishna. This is the ultimate purpose of yoga—to link the individual soul with Krishna in a relationship of pure devotional service. Srila Prabhupada states, "The common religion of all classes of human beings, regardless of whosoever... one may be, is devotional service. Religious affiliation in terms of different countries and cultural circumstances is obviously not the common religion of the human being; rather, the basic principle is devotional service." (Bhag. 2.8.18, purport). Devotional service is the characteristic function of the naked soul. In Srila Prabhupada's introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is, he describes devotional service as sanatana-dharma, the eternal occupation of the self: The English word religion is a little different from Krishna Voice, August 2018

sanatana-dharma. Religion conveys the idea of faith, and faith may change. One may have faith in a particular process, and he may change this faith and adopt another, but sanatana-dharma refers to that activity which cannot be changed. For instance, liquidity cannot be taken from water, nor can heat be taken from fire. Similarly, the eternal function of the eternal living entity cannot be taken from the living entity. Sanatana-dharma is eternally integral with the living entity... When Sanatana Gosvami asked Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu about the svarupa of every living being, the Lord replied that the svarupa, or constitutional position, of the living being is the rendering of service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Devotional service means using one's senses to please the Supreme Lord, instead of praying to the Lord to satisfy one's senses. The focus is on God's desires instead of one's own self-centered desires. Srila Prabhupada writes, Therefore, from all the evidence the conclusion is that without bhakti, devotional service, there is no question of religious principles. God is the central figure in the performance of religious principles. Almost everything going on in this world as religion is devoid of any idea of devotional service and is therefore condemned by the verdict of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Without devotional service, so-called religious principles are only cheating.”—Bhag. 7.11.7, purport In this unfortunate situation, we have, as Jonathan Swift wrote in his Thoughts on Various Subjects, "just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another." On the highest platform, religion is one, because it focuses on the one Personality of Godhead. If one pure soul is experiencing a direct, personal, loving relationship with Krishna, and another soul is also experiencing a direct, personal, loving relationship with Krishna, these souls will certainly have no grounds for dispute, for they will recognize their common center in the same Personality of Godhead. It is only when there is a lack of direct experience of God that problems arise. When there is a lack of information and experience about who God is and how to love Him, then sectarian faith and belief come into play. Such faith and belief arise from each individual's mental condition. And since mental conditions vary, there will certainly be varieties of faith and belief. Human nature being what it is, people generally become very much attached to their particular faith or belief, so much so that they become hostile to those with different faiths and beliefs. This kind of blind faith, which arises from incomplete, theoretical imaginations about God, is the root cause of the various religious conflicts that now rend the world. It may come as a surprise to many that a Krishna 16

conscious person does not see himself as Hindu. A Hindu sees himself as different from the Muslims, Sikhs, or Buddhists, and therefore we see in India a constant strain between Hindus and Muslims, and in recent years between Hindus and Sikhs. Of course, religious strife is not confined to India. In Sri Lanka the tension is between Hindu Tamil separatists and the Buddhist majority. In the Middle East the Shiite Muslims are engaged in bitter conflict with the Sunni Muslims, and the Sunni and Shiite Muslims with the Israeli Jews. In Lebanon various Islamic, Christian, and Jewish forces are entangled in a bloody, never-ending network of conflict. And lest we think that religious violence is a third-world phenomenon, the ongoing conflict between Protestants and Catholics continues to rage in Northern Ireland. Srila Prabhupada states, "In Calcutta during the 1947 Hindu-Muslim riots, there was more suffering because everyone was thinking, 'I am a Hindu' or 'I am a Muslim.' But if one is advanced in Krishna consciousness, he will not fight according to such conceptions. A Krishna conscious person knows that he is neither Hindu nor Muslim but the eternal servant of Krishna." Further analysing sectarian religion and distinguishing it from universal spiritual principles, Srila Prabhupada has stated: “When we are on the material platform, there are different types of religions—Hinduism, Christianity, Mohammedanism, Buddhism, and so on. These are instituted for a particular time, a particular country or a particular person. Consequently there are differences... The world is anxious for religious unity, and that common platform can be achieved in transcendental devotional service. The devotional activities of the Krishna consciousness movement are completely transcendental to material considerations.”—CC. Madhya 25.121, purport I've never felt that being in the Krishna consciousness movement is like belonging to a typical religious organization, because my vital connection is not with some bureaucratic entity but with my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, who serves as a transparent medium connecting me with the Supreme Lord, Krishna, and as a lifelong confidential adviser and instructor. The bona fide spiritual master comes in a line of disciplic succession, or sampradaya, that descends through time from Krishna Himself, and typically a practitioner of bhakti-yoga will identify himself as a member of an authorized sampradaya. Of course, it's natural that persons cultivating love of God should associate with each other and cooperate to systematically communicate the techniques of bhaktiyoga to others. Srila Prabhupada has created the International Society for Krishna consciousness to Krishna Voice, August 2018

To advertise in this magazine Contact: 99012 55593 90600 97735 93421 47291 96069 16203 93433 90001 provide opportunity for its members' spiritual growth and cooperation in the service of the Supreme Lord, Krishna.

birthplace of Lord Chaitanya, and set the movement's course for the coming year during a few days of discussion.

Srila Prabhupada preferred to think of his International Society for Krishna Consciousness as "a cultural movement for the respiritualisation of human society" rather than as a religion. One of his disciples once suggested having gold trim on the pages of his books, but Srila Prabhupada rejected the idea, fearing that people would take his transcendental teachings as sectarian religious literature.

All in all, Srila Prabhupada preferred a minimum of the centralized administration that people associate with "organized religion," while at the same time he wanted the members of ISKCON to hold a unified vision of a mission for spreading Krishna consciousness all over the world.

Although Srila Prabhupada founded many temples, he was not very attached to having buildings. Like his own spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada stated that he was prepared to sell the marble from the temples to print books explaining the philosophy of Krishna consciousness. When temples were established in different cities around the world, each one was, on Prabhupada's instruction, financially independent. He did not want to create an overly centralized organization, preferring instead to emphasize individual effort and local self-reliance. To coordinate some of the worldwide activities of the Krishna consciousness movement, he created a Governing Body Commission, but its members were ideally to meet only once a year in Mayapur, India, the Krishna Voice, August 2018

More than anything else, Srila Prabhupada wanted people to chant the holy names of the Lord anywhere and everywhere and engage in devotional service to Krishna, because this would lead to the desired result. In this regard Srila Prabhupada writes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;After chanting the holy name of the Lord and dancing in ecstasy, one gradually sees the form of the Lord, the pastimes of the Lord, and the transcendental qualities of the Lord. ... As stated in Bhagavad-gita, bhaktya mam abhijanati: simply by devotional service one can understand everything about the Supreme Lord. If one fortunately understands the Supreme Lord in this way, the result is tyaktva deham punar janma naiti: after giving up his material body, he no longer has to take birth in this material world. Instead, he returns home, back to Godhead. That is the ultimate perfection.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Bhag. 6.3.22, purport 17

Lord Sri Ramachandra of Jatayu

Thiruputkuzhi Sri Vijaya Raghava Perumal Temple by Sampatkumara Ramanuja Dasan (Adv. Ashwin.S) Located about 7 miles west of Kanchipuram and half a kilometre from Baluchetti Chattiram which lies on the Chennai - Vellore highway, is the wonderful temple of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Thiruputkuzhi Sri Vijaya Raghava Perumal temple. The Legend Garuda’s elder brother Aruna had two sons, Jatayu and Sampathi. Like their father and uncle, they were blessed with bird forms. But unlike their father and uncle, they were mortals. The fact that their father was the sun god’s charioteer and the personification of the first rays of the dawn made them very lustrous and fearsome. This caused them to be named Basa, or the shiny ones. Jatayu and Sampathi were better than average birds: they had larger wingspans and unparalleled digestive powers, the latter being a special gift from Sage Agastya who was known to have similar powers. But it was their unprecedented wingspan that brought upon them both curse and blessing. With wings as huge as theirs, they invented a method of flight that required very little effort on their part, yet allowed them to scale heights which no mortal bird could reach. One day the young brothers decided to race each other to the boundaries of the sky. Up and up they flew, heeding not the warnings of the other bird demigods. Up and up

they flew, till they neared the realm of their father, the realm of the sun. Being mortal birds, the sun’s scorching rays soon started affecting their wings. In his youthful overconfidence, Jatayu continued to rise, while the elder and wiser Sampathi suddenly realized the consequences of their mistake. Sampathi: Fall back, brother! I lose, you win. Just don’t go any higher up near the sun god. Jatayu: Fear not, brother, but rise with me. Soon Jatayu’s wings started fuming and he was unable to fold them to be able to descend. Seeing this, Sampathi rose higher than his brother and shielded Jatayu’s wings till he was able to make a safe descent. Mistaking this act of fraternal love to be one of arrogance, the sun god cursed Sampathi, though he protected his brother at the cost of his own wings. Grieved by the condition that he had caused his brother, Jatayu decided immediately to be a part of his brother’s suffering. Jatayu: We were fated to share every curse and every blessing bestowed upon us, brother. Therefore I too shall become flightless. Sampathi: Be not enslaved by the boundaries of fate; there are things you can do, glories you can achieve before the same curse overtakes you. The temple tank: Jatayu Pushkarani

Krishna Voice, August 2018

Vijaya Raghava Perumal with Maragathavalli Thayar

Jatayu: But how can I leave you in the quest for glory? How will you sustain yourself in your present condition? The people of the three worlds know us as the Grdhra, the perpetually hungry. How will you satisfy your hunger? Sampathi: The earth has bounties to feed every kind of creature. If I can no longer hunt the living, I shall hunt the dead. Blessed as I am, with a digestion comparable to the honourable son of the Kumbha, I am sure I can partake of dead meat without any ill-effects. Jatayu: Then I too shall do the same! Thus the highly able birds of the Grdhra clan renounced their diet of fresh meat and became the scourge of the earth, creatures that are known as vultures. Years after this incident, the brothers became vassals of the human Ikshvaku rulers of the kingdom of Kosala, forging a special friendship with King Dundubhinada, more famously known as Dasharatha. There is another story behind this friendship. Once, during Dasharatha's early days as king of Ayodhya, the kingdom suffered a terrible drought. Dasharatha Krishna Voice, August 2018

consulted his priests, who informed him that the kingdom was suffering the ill-effects of Shani (god of the planet Saturn). So Dasharatha took off in a flying chariot to find Shani and persuade him to have mercy on Ayodhya. When Shani saw Dasharatha approaching, he feared that his gaze might kill Dasharatha, so he directed his gaze at Dasharatha's chariot which was burnt to ashes. Dasharatha started falling to the Earth but he was caught by Jatayu who had been watching the whole scene. In any case, Shani was pleased by all the trials Dasharatha had gone through, so he agreed to stop Ayodhya's drought. Jatayu flew Dasharatha back to Ayodhya and they were friends ever since. Sampathi had settled himself on the southern shores of the subcontinent, while Jatayu roamed the skies between Kosala and his brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s abode. It is on one of these rounds that he spotted an airborne chariot drawn by donkeys with pisacha (ghoul) faces, occupied by a very handsome half-demon and an equally effulgent, screaming woman. He soon knew the woman to be the exiled daughter-in-law of Kosala, for she wore the clothes of an 19

Thiruputkuzhi Sri Vijaya Raghava Perumal Temple

ascetic, made of tree bark, and was calling out to Ramachandra. He guessed from his brotherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s descriptions that the half-demon was the king of Lanka, Ravana. Jatayu had no idea what was happening. Jatayu: My body is of no value if it is not used in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Ramachandra. His most precious consort, Mother Sita, is being kidnapped. It is my duty to stop this. So Jatayu fought with Ravana with all his might. He made it very difficult for Ravana for a while and thought that Mother Sita would soon be out of the grips of the demon king. But Ravana regained his strength. He chopped and somehow severed the wings and limbs of Jatayu. Jatayu fell to the ground and his life was slowly ebbing away.

The sacrifice of Jatayu: the famous painting of Raja Ravi Varma 20

When he was about to leave his mortal coils, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Ramachandra and his brother Lakshmana appeared there, on their search for Sita. Seeing Jatayu, they thought that he must be the demon who was trying to catch Sita. So they approached with caution. When He saw that Jatayu was dying because of Ravana, Sri Ramachandra was greatly pained. Krishna Voice, August 2018

Vijaya Raghava Perumal during Brahmotsavam

Jatayu: My beloved Lord Ramachandra, please forgive me that I could not execute my service to the best of my ability. I failed in my service. But I tried and I could tell you from my knowledge of shastra, the time in which She is leaving now is an auspicious time. Whatever you have lost in this time, you will regain. Even in that condition, Jatayu tried to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Ramachandra by uttering sweet words to pacify Him. He was not filled with bitterness that the Lord was allowing him to die. He did not desire to barter his devotional service for personal gain. It is stated in the Ramayana that the Lord recognized Jatayu’s selfless service and therefore performed his funeral just like he would, his father’s. Lord Ramachandra declared that Jatayu’s death was more painful to Him that day, than Sita’s absence. This episode of Jatayu’s passing and subsequent funeral by Sri Ramachandra took place in Thiruputkuzhi and a temple was later built in memory of Jatayu, a selfless devotee.

Vijaya Raghava Perumal during abhiseka

The Temple The temple is very modest, with 3 prakaras. At the entrance is the three-tiered rajagopuram. The presiding Deity is Lord Vijaya Raghava Perumal (Lord Vishnu). The temple houses a separate shrine for Mahalakshmi, who is known here as Maragathavalli Thayar. This temple has a separate sannidhi for Jatayu. The pushkarani (temple tank) dates back to the time of Lord Ramachandra. Lord Rama shot an arrow and created a spring when He performed the funeral rites of Jatayu, and this is now called Jatayu Pushkarini. The vimanam (the tower above the sanctum sanctorum) of this temple is called Vijaya Koti Vimanam. Vijaya Raghava Perumal is seen in a sitting posture, having Jatayu on His thigh, flanked by Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi. Festivals Brahmotsava and Rama Navami are the major festivals. The temple celebrates Theppotsava in March. Thirumangai Alwar has sung two songs in praise of the Lord of Thiruputkuzhi. Photo courtesy: Santhanakrishnan, Srirangam

To read online visit: www.goo.gl/M5GiVK Krishna Voice, August 2018

In Praise of Srila Prabhupada In today's world of hypocrisy and scandal, we remember Srila Prabhupada's pure qualities and his example of genuine spiritual leadership. by Ajitananda Dasa His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who successfully distributed the message of Lord Krishna throughout the world, was not an ordinary conditioned soul, governed by the harsh laws of material nature. Although he may have apparently exhibited commonplace characteristics, it is evident through careful study of his life that Srila Prabhupada perfectly displayed the qualities of a pure devotee of Lord Krishna. The Vedic literature states that only one who is free

from material bondage can possess these qualities in full. Such a great soul is rarely found within this material realm, and owing to his unparalleled purity and exalted status as an intimate associate of the Supreme Lord, he is worshipable by the entire world. Following are some of the qualities of a pure devotee so eminently exemplified by Srila Prabhupada. Merciful The ultimate expression of mercy is to freely afford

Krishna Voice, August 2018

everyone the opportunity to develop pure love of Godhead. This Srila Prabhupada did by opening over one hundred temples, printing millions of books, and sending his disciples all over the world to teach the science of Krishna consciousness. His distribution of mercy manifested naturally as a result of his heartfelt compassion for the long-suffering conditioned souls. His mercy fell everywhere, like pleasing rain upon the burning hearts of this age. When Srila Prabhupada lectured during the early days of the Krishna consciousness movement, he would often tell his listeners, "I have come to your country not to take anything, but simply to give." Those who were honest and sincere were able to sense Srila Prabhupada's unalloyed desire to bestow upon them the highest form of mercy, and directed by Krishna within their hearts, they voluntarily placed themselves under

Krishna Voice, August 2018

his guidance and protection. Although Srila Prabhupada is now gone from our material vision, his mercy is still available. A liberated soul is not bound by time and space, and neither is his mercy. One only has to open up one's heart to receive this benediction, which is being distributed freely to everyone. Truthful During the late 1960's, a generation of young men and women took part in a mass rebellion against the untruths that had been perpetrated upon them by governments, schools, media, and big business. At that time Srila Prabhupada arrived on the scene, boldly preaching the message of Lord Krishna. He spoke truthfully, never altering the pure message in deference to the time and circumstance to attract followers, fame, and money. In an atmosphere seething with the fumes of unrestricted

sense gratification, Srila Prabhupada presented a process of spiritual life based on personal sacrifice and purification of the senses. In those days, with the peace movement in vogue, it was extremely unpopular to speak out on behalf of any form of military activity. But rather than cater to public opinion, Srila Prabhupada spoke the truth about the Bhagavad-gita, explaining to his youthful audience that Arjuna attained spiritual perfection by fighting a war under the order of Lord Krishna. Because of Srila Prabhupada's own spiritual qualities and his straightforward presentation of Lord Krishna's message, people gradually began to understand the message and received it with great delight. Such was the powerful effect of Srila Prabhupada's truthfulness. Magnanimous Srila Prabhupada's gifts to the world were filled with tremendous spiritual value. He gave us a wonderful philosophy to live by, knowledge of our true spiritual identities, beautiful Deities of Krishna to worship, the all-auspicious holy name of Krishna, and delicious krishna-prasadam (sanctified food offered to Krishna). Srila Prabhupada also gave us the spiritually enlivening association of devotees and the opportunity to develop pure love of Godhead and return to a life of eternity, bliss, and knowledge in the spiritual world. In return for all these blessings, Srila Prabhupada asked nothing for himself. He simply asked that we refrain from sinful activities, chant Hare Krishna, and give Krishna consciousness to others. In this way, selflessly giving of himself at every step, Srila Prabhupada perfectly exhibited the magnanimous nature of a pure devotee of Lord Krishna. Without Material Possessions A pure devotee of Lord Krishna is always diving and surfacing in the ocean of spiritual happiness. The Vedas explain that one drop of this happiness is millions of times greater than the paltry relish afforded by material sense gratification or even the pleasure derived from liberation from material existence. A pure devotee never depends on the accumulation of material possessions for his happiness. He accepts only what is necessary to perform devotional service and maintains full awareness that these facilities are actually the property of the Lord. During Srila Prabhupada's years spent in Vrindavana preparing for his eventual journey to the West, he lived very simply in a tiny room in the courtyard of the RadhaDamodara temple. Alter preaching vigorously in the West for a number of years, Srila Prabhupada had access to much opulence, yet he never claimed any of it as his own and used every penny in the service of Krishna. 24

Desireless One is said to be desireless when his only interest lies in satisfying the transcendental senses of Lord Krishna. Desires are eternally flowing like a river from the heart of the living entity, and the process of Krishna consciousness can change the quality of those desires from material to spiritual. Although Srila Prabhupada began his preaching work very humbly, his mission became enormously successful, and Krishna blessed him with great opulence. When a person acquires great amounts of wealth and power, he usually becomes thoroughly attached and polluted due to the strong force of his material desires. Srila Prabhupada, however, remained aloof from this contamination because of his complete absorption in the desire to please Krishna. Indifferent to Material Acquisition Because a pure devotee of Lord Krishna is desireless, he is naturally indifferent to material acquisition. Material facilities may come and go, but that does not concern him in the least. Srila Prabhupada once pointed out that if he had simply sat beneath a tree and preached, very few people would have come to listen. Therefore, to effectively deliver the message of Lord Krishna, he constructed beautifully ornate temples. At no time, however, was he desirous of settling in comfortably to enjoy these facilities, choosing instead to follow a rigorous schedule of traveling and preaching that even the youngest and healthiest of his disciples could not keep pace with. Fixed When Srila Prabhupada was instructed by his spiritual master to preach Krishna consciousness in English, he took his order as his life and soul and fixed his determination upon carrying it out diligently. Founding the Back to Godhead magazine in 1944, Srila Prabhupada single-handedly attended to its publication and distribution for many years, never once deviating from his sincere effort to please his spiritual master. As a result of Srila Prabhupada's fixed determination, all of his preaching activities were crowned with glorious success, and even now, in his physical absence, his followers carry on his work all over the world. Without False Prestige Srila Prabhupada's humility was inconceivably deep and heartfelt, and it inspired a generation of young men and women, who had based their lives on the rejection of authority, to willingly accept his authority. Srila Prabhupada never took credit for his many successes, always preferring to acknowledge his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and the assistance given to him by his disciples. Krishna Voice, August 2018

consciousness. It has nothing to do with artificially repressing one's individuality. Srila Prabhupada himself was a most vibrant personality. His life abounded with laughter and spiritual enjoyment, yet he was always serious about Krishna consciousness. He never forgot Lord Krishna, not even for a moment, and in this way displayed perfect gravity. A Friend In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna states that He is the friend of all living beings. As the Lord's intimate associate, Srila Prabhupada also displayed friendship to all by dint of his constant engagement in spiritual welfare activities. In the material world friendships are formed on the basis of mutual sense gratification, and when sense gratification is disturbed, the relationship is either damaged or discontinued. During one lecture, Srila Prabhupada touched the hearts of his disciples when he stated that he considered them to be representatives of his spiritual master, sent to assist him in his preaching mission. By this expression of sincere gratitude, Srila Prabhupada displayed his mood of devout humility. Anyone pursuing the spiritual path should aspire to follow in his footsteps in this regard.

Srila Prabhupada was a true friend to all, however, because he formed relationships with others motivated by his unalloyed desire to assist everyone in achieving the highest goal of life. He never desired to exploit anyone, and if there was ever an offense committed against him or some difficulty caused by others, he never took it seriously.

Grave

The scriptures state that if a disciple commits a sinful activity, the spiritual master suffers. Srila Prabhupada, out of his causeless mercy, accepted thousands of disciples, and because of their inevitable transgressions he had to undergo what appeared to be suffering. In spite of this, he never withdrew his mercy and friendship. Significantly, he always closed his letters to his disciples with the words "Your ever well-wisher."

Srila Prabhupada once explained to a group of his disciples that a devotee of Lord Krishna is always grave. Upon hearing this, one devotee, a very colourful and effusive person, decided to tone down his disposition and became straight-faced in an attempt to please his spiritual master. After a few days of this behaviour by his disciple, Srila Prabhupada looked at him quizzically and asked what was the matter. The disciple replied that he was trying to be grave. At that, Srila Prabhupada laughed and explained to him that being grave means to be serious about Krishna Krishna Voice, August 2018

The spiritual friendship of a pure devotee like Srila Prabhupada is the rarest of gems, and it behooves us all appreciate, revere, and guard it as our life's dearest treasure. 25

Ratha Yatra

Sri Jagannatha Baladeva Subhadra Ratha Yatra at Vaikuntha Hill, Bangalore

Ratha Yatra celebrations at Hare Krishna Movement - Ahmedabad 26

Krishna Voice, August 2018

Krishna Voice Monthly Magazine, August 2018 Vol.19, No.8 Price `30/Posted on August 10, 2018 at MBC, Manipal, License to post without prepayment No. WPP-08, Reg No. KA/BGGPO/2521/ 2018-2020, Registered with Registrar of Newspapers for India under No. RNI 71022/99, Posted at MBC, Manipal, 576104.