Madhu Pandit - Krishna voice 2009 03(mar)

Mar 2009Vol 10, No. 3

Rs.15

Krishna Voice, Mar 2009 3

His Divine Grace A. C. BhaktivedantaSwami Prabhupada, founder- acharyaof the International Society forKrishna Consciousness, came toAmerica in 1965, at age 69, to fulfillhis spiritual master’s request that heteach the science of Krishnaconsciousness throughout the English-speaking world. In a dozen years hepublished some seventy volumes oftranslation and commentary on India’sVedic literature, and these are nowstandard in universities worldwide.Meanwhile, travelling almost nonstop,Srila Prabhupada moulded hisinternational society into a world wideconfederation of ashramas, schools,temples and farm communities. Hepassed away in 1977, in Vrindavana,the place most sacred to Lord Krishna.His disciples and followers are carryingforward the movement he started.

Published and owned by Sankirtana SevaTrust, editing by 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. © 2009 SankirtanaSeva Trust, Bangalore. All Krishna art andthe works of Srila Prabhupada are © BBTInternational. All rights reserved throughoutthe world. Reproduction in any manner isstrictly prohibited. Printed for ISKCON,Bangalore, at Manipal Printers (P) Ltd.,Manipal

Mar 2009Vol 10, No.3

CONTENTS

Knowledge for the Serious 4

Srila Prabhupada Speaks Out 7

Water: A Meditation 10

Krishna as King 12

Musings of an Aspiring Spiritualist 18

Cover pages-4 Text pages-20


Knowledge for the SeriousThe Krishna consciousness movement gives essential knowledge for

fulfilling the mission of human life.

A lecture given in Paris on June 26, 1971 byBy His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for your interest in the Krishna consciousness movement. Thismovement is especially meant for those in human society who are serious about fulfilling the mission of life. Thereis a distinction between human life and animal life. Animal life means one does not know the proprietor of the body.Those who are under the conception that the material body is the self are as good as animals. But in the humanform of life one can understand that one is not the material body but a separate identity, spiritual in value.

We can understand this fact if we give little attention to it. We have been changing bodies since the beginning ofour life. We learn from Vedic literature that after sexual intercourse of the male and female, if it is fruitful then theliving entity is injected into the emulsion of the two secretions, and on the first night the body takes the shape ofa pea. And because the living entity is there, the body grows gradually, and then nine holes evolve, which laterdevelop into two eyes, two ears, two nostri ls, one mouth, one rectum, and one genital.

When the body is complete, the living entity becomes conscious. As long as the body is not complete, theconsciousness is almost dead. That state is called susupti, or sound sleeping. Then gradually, when consciousnesscomes, the child within the womb feels uncomfortable and wants to come out. Therefore at the seventh month ofpregnancy sometimes the child moves.

That is the process of growing. And after coming out of the womb the body continues to grow. But if the childcomes out dead, the body does not grow. Therefore it is to be understood that due to the presence of the spiritsoul the body grows, or changes from one form to another. Learned scholars have concluded that the change ofbody is taking place every moment. But the soul is there from the beginning of the life, and when the body nolonger persists, the soul changes to another body. That is called transmigration of the soul.

Transmigration is a fact, but the modern civilization does not deal with the subject. People are under the wrongimpression that the body is the self. I have talked with many scholars, and they are also under the same impressionthat with the end of the body everything is finished. But the fact is different. We can remember our childhood body.We can remember our boyhood body. Although those bodies are not present, I, the spirit soul, the occupier of thebody or the proprietor of the body—I am present.

Transmigration of the soul is the most important factor for human society to understand. Unfortunately there isno university, no department of knowledge, to understand this important factor. That lacking is very risky.

The soul is transmigrating from one body to another, and there are 8,400,000 species of life. After leaving thisbody we may accept any one of those species. We do not know which one. That will depend on our action at thepresent moment. Practically we are preparing our future body. According to our work and mentality, we get aparticular body. Therefore we should be very cautious. Any intelligent man can understand that the future life isprepared at present. Just as a boy goes to school and college to prepare his future life, the human form of life isa preparation ground for our future life.

According to Bhagavad-gita we can transfer to other planets also. That is explained in our book Easy Journey toOther Planets. Man is now trying to go to the moon planet. But we get information from the Vedic literature thatwe cannot transfer ourself by mechanical arrangement to the moon planet. That is a futile attempt. Every planethas a different atmosphere. So to enter into a particular planet, we have to prepare ourself. Even if we go to aforeign country, we have to prepare by getting a visa and a passport. If on this planet we are so restricted, howfoolishly we are to attempt to go to another planet without being prepared for entering that planet.

A sane man, an intelligent man, does not wish to enter any of the material planets, because wherever we go inthe material world the four miserable conditions of existence are there: birth, death, old age, and disease. Fromthe Bhagavad-gita we understand that even if we enter Brahmaloka, the highest planetary system of the universe,these four principles are there.

We learn from Bhagavad-gita that one day in Brahmaloka is millions of years of our calculation. The scientistssay it would take forty thousand years to go there. Who is going to travel for forty thousand years? But from the

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Vedic literature we can understand that we can enter any planet, provided we prepare for that purpose. The exactwords in the Bhagavad-gita are

yanti deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti pitr-vratahbhutani yanti bhutejya yanti mad-yajino 'pi mam

If anyone prepares to enter into the higher planetary systems, said to be inhabited by demigods, he can go there.Similarly, we can go to Pitrloka, the planet of the forefathers, or we can stay on this planet. And at last, if we desirewe can enter into the planet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So it is all a matter of preparation.

But we must consider that any planetary system within the material universe is temporary. Even though the durationof higher planetary systems is very, very long, they will be annihilated, just as our body will be annihilated. Thereare different types of body. A human body may exist for a hundred years, but an insect's body may exist for twelvehours. So different bodies exist a relatively long or short duration, but they will be annihilated. But whoever entersVaikunthaloka, the spiritual planets, gets eternal blissful life full of knowledge.

A human being, if he tries, can attain that perfection. It is very simple. In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says,

janma karma me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatahtyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so 'rjuna

"One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, takehis birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna." People say, "God is great." But ifwe want to know how God is great, that can be known from authorized scriptures. In the Bhagavad-gita GodHimself describes Himself. So we can know from Him. He says, "My appearance, or My taking birth just like ahuman being, is transcendental." God's body is not exactly like the human body, but God is so kind that He comesbefore us as an ordinary human being. Unfortunately, one who does not know about Krishna, or God, thinks thatHe is like one of us. That point is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Avajananti mam mudhah: "Those who are mudhas,rascals, think Me as one of the human beings." Actually Krishna is not a human being.

We have the chance to know about God, provided we read the right literature under the right direction. And simplyby understanding the nature of God, or Krishna, one becomes liberated. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita.

With our human intelligence we cannot completely understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But with thehelp of Bhagavad-gita, the statements of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the spiritual master, we canknow God to the best of our capacity. And if we know Him, then immediately after leaving our present body weenter into the kingdom of God.

The Krishna consciousness movement is meant to propagate this higher scientific idea to the people in general.And the process is very simple. Simply by chanting the holy name of God—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, KrishnaKrishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—one cleanses the dirty things in the heartand can understand that he is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord and that his duty is to serve Him. And theprocess is also very pleasant. We chant the Hare Krishna mantra, dance rhythmically, and eat nice prasadam,food offered to Krishna. We enjoy this life and prepare to enter the kingdom of God for the next life.

These discussions are not made-up stories. They are all facts, although to the layman they may appears likestories. But if one is serious, then Krishna, or God, from within helps one understand. And the spiritual master alsohelps. The spiritual master is called the external manifestation of God. God is situated in everyone's heart asParamatma, Supersoul. And the spiritual master helps those who are very serious about understanding the SupremePersonality of Godhead by showing them a bona fide spiritual master. In that way a candidate will be helped frominside and outside on how to approach God.

The Krishna consciousness movement is meant for that purpose. The spiritual master, or the living representativeof Krishna, helps from outside, and Krishna as Paramatma helps from inside. In both ways the living entity cantake advantage and make his life successful. We have many books in this connection. The Krishna consciousnessmovement is based on the authority of the Vedas, summarized in the Bhagavad-gita and many other books. Wehave published Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, Easy Journey to Other Planets, The Nectarof Devotion, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Krishna. And we publish our magazine, Back to Godhead. We requesteveryone to understand this movement by reading this authoritative literature.

Our program is to serve human society, to save people from the pitfall of entering again into the cycle of birth anddeath. That is our great mission.

Thank you very much.


SRILA PRABHUPADA SPEAKS OUT

Srila Prabhupada: We are preaching Godconsciousness. God is God. God is neitherChristian, nor Hindu, nor Muslim. In ourmovement we are preaching love of Godhead.So it doesn't matter what type of religion oneis following. We simply want to see that hehas love for God.Our bhagavata-dharma gives this definition:sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktiradhoksaje. The first-class religion is that whichby following one becomes a lover of God. Itdoesn't matter which religion one follows, butthe test will be whether one hasbecome a lover of God.

Who Loves God?The following conversation took place in London on August 14, 1971.

Guest: So you don't try to convert people from otherreligions?Srila Prabhupada: No. We are teaching how to loveGod. That's all.Guest: So we're doing the same thing.Srila Prabhupada: Yes. But the test is there whetherone has become a lover of God or a lover of dog. If youfind that one has become a lover of dog, then his religionis useless.Guest: How does one know?Srila Prabhupada: You can see whether he's lovingGod or dog. That's all. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says:

yugayitam nimesena caksusa pravrsayitamsunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda-virahena me

Yugayitam nimesena: "Every moment is just like twelveyears." Caksusa pravrsayitam: "I am crying torrents ofrain." Sunyaytam jagat sarvam: "Oh, I find everythingvacant." Govinda-virahena me: "Without God." This isan ideal picture.Another test: bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatraca. If one has become a lover of God, naturally he willbe detached from material enjoyment. Love of God andlove of the material world cannot go together. Lord JesusChrist never advised going for economic development,for industrial development. He sacrificed everything forGod. That is one test. Here is a lover of God." LordJesus Christ was punished. He was ordered, "Stop thispreaching." But he did not. So that is love of God. Hesacrificed everything.The idea is that Lord Jesus Christ and his followersmust both be, at least to some extent, at that point. Thatis the test. So we say that you follow any religious path.Which one doesn't matter. We want to see whether youare a lover of God. That is our propaganda.And if one is serious about loving God, it doesn't matterwhich way he'll develop that dormant love. If a personwants to be a very nice student of mathematics, it doesn'tmatter from which university he takes the degree.Students sometimes go to other countries for education.So if one is serious about loving God, then it doesn'tmatter in which way he learns that art. He won'tdiscriminate, "Oh, I must learn this art from this university."No. Any university. It doesn't matter.So our principle is that we are teaching love of God.Those who are after God are coming to us. It does notmatter whether they are in America, in Russia, in Africa,or Canada. They are coming. And the method is simple.Chant the holy name of God. If you have a name forGod, chant it. We preach this. We don't say that youmust chant "Krishna." If you know any name for God,then chant that. If you haven't got any name of God,then chant our conception of the name of God Krishna."

Lord Chaitanya says that there are many names of Godand in each name the full potency of God is there. Andthere are no hard and fast rules for chanting the holyname of God. Anyone can chant anywhere, at anytime,in any circumstances.Lord Chaitanya says, "My Lord, You are so merciful thatI can associate with You simply by chanting Your holyname. But I am so unfortunate that I have no attractionfor that."We are teaching our students to chant. They alwayscarry a bead bag, and they chant: Hare Krishna, HareKrishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, HareRama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Now, where is theloss? Where is the want of time? While walking in thestreet they are chanting. I am sitting here talking withyou. As soon as I finish I shall chant Hare Krishna.Where is the difficulty?But ask people to chant the holy name of God, and theywon't accept. That is unfortunate. Chanting is such asimple thing. You don't have to go to the church or thetemple or hell or heaven in any condition you can chantthe holy name of God. But people are so unfortunatethey won't accept this theory. There is no charge, thereis no loss. If there is some gain, why not try for it?


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Water: A MeditationBy Urmila Devi Dasi

Remembering water’s relation to Krishna can increase our devotion to Him.In Hawaii, clear turquoise waves lapped at my kneeswhile a multicolored sea turtle gently fed near my feet.It’s the allure of water that draws people to that peaceful,beautiful spot, like so many places people go to relaxand rejuvenate. Several months later in London, acrosstwo oceans from Hawaii, friends took me for exercisein an indoor heated pool. Although the sports club lackedbeauty and the water was full of chemicals, my time inthe water was still refreshing.

Water is one of the categories of Krishna’s energy, as

described in scripture such as Bhagavad-gita andBrahma-samhita. Krishna always exists as atranscendent person apart from His energy, while at thesame time He is present in that energy. Therefore, whilewater is not Krishna, Krishna is water.

In what ways can we appreciate Krishna in water? Heis the taste or the essence of water, the quality thatquenches our thirst and brings satisfaction. As I swamin the London pool, I thought of the softness or liquidityof water. One of Krishna’s qualities is His softness. His


Mar 22 EkadashiMar 23 break fast

Apr 5 EkadashiApr 6 break fast

Fasting FestivalsApr 3 Rama Navami

Appearance of Lord Sri RamachandraFasting till noon

Apr 8-19 Sri Bramotsava

spiritual body is so soft that it changes color where ithas been brushed by a leaf. His soft body is a stimulusfor His devotees’ love for Him.

The scriptures describe that the Lord and His form arethe same. So both His body and His sentiments aresoft. Especially when Krishna takes the mood of Hischief devotee and appears as Lord Chaitanya, His heartmelts with compassion for all living beings, and He freelygives love of God without considering the merit of thecandidate. His heart is, therefore, like melted butter, softand fluid. The liquidity of water shows us this flowingand melting quality of the Lord’s love and kindness.

Water is also powerful, so much so that its swift flowcan provide all the electricity for a city, or one hugewave can create tremendous destruction in a moment.The power of water reminds us that one of Krishna’sopulences is unlimited strength. He creates, maintains,and destroys countless universes effortlessly. He carriesplanets on His head with such nonchalance that He ishardly aware of their weight. If all the potential andkinetic power of the entire world’s water were combinedinto one gigantic wave, it would not equal the tiniestfraction of Krishna’s strength.

This dual nature of water—soft yet powerful—remindsus of how Krishna, whose eternal spiritual form is thatof a delicate sixteen-year-old boy, easily fought withand killed huge, muscular demons who were tormentinginnocent citizens.

Water Pastimes

Many of the Lord’s transcendental, spiritual activitiesrelate to water. When Krishna creates the material world,He assumes a form beyond measure lying in a yogicsleeplike trance on His incarnation the serpent Shesha,who floats on the causal ocean, which is alive andspiritual. Uncountable universes, one of which we nowinhabit, come out of the Lord’s body when He exhales.

Then the Lord enters each universe and creates fromHis perspiration an ocean that fills half the universalshell. He lies down in that water, and His consort thegoddess of fortune massages His feet.

The Lord enjoys floating on this cosmic ocean with Hisconsort. Because each of us is a small part of the Lord,we have His propensities to a minute degree. So thecommon human desire to float on a boat, raft, or otherdevice with one’s beloved comes from the Supreme,the source of everything.

Another example of Krishna’s pastimes involving wateroccurred early in universal history. In Vedic cosmology,planets are conscious persons. The planet Earth oncefell into the universal water when demonic personsdisturbed her orbit by drilling for oil and upsetting herbalance. Celestial beings, called devas, who control theuniverse in service to Krishna, wanted Earth to berescued. Responding to their desire, the Lord came tosave her. He assumed the form of a splendid, giganticboar (Varaha), dove to the bottom of the universal ocean,picked up Earth, and gently carried her on His tusks tothe water’s surface. As He did so, a great demonchallenged them. Lord Varaha then carefully placedfearful Earth on the water and gave her the ability tofloat. A fight between the Lord and the demon ensuedwithin the great ocean. After defeating the demon, LordVaraha returned to the spiritual sky.

Sometimes a flood devastates the universe, and Krishnaassumes the form of a golden fish to play in the water.Tied to a horn on His head is a boat carrying sages,Vedic knowledge, and seeds to replenish the world afterthe flood. During this pastime, Krishna enjoys His playwithin the water as well as His loving relationship withthe great sages.

Krishna in His original form often sports in water withHis friends and beloveds. For His water pastimes Hechooses rivers such as the Ganges and Yamuna, whoare also goddesses pure in love for Him. Krishna alsoplays in lakes and ponds filled with lotuses and swansand surrounded by jeweled pavilions. These bodies ofwater are persons, devotees of His, alive with love andbliss.

Watering Our Devotion

Besides meditating on how water reminds us of Krishna’squalities and pastimes, we can increase our awarenessof Him when we use water in our everyday lives. Forexample, for basic health we need clean water fordrinking and bathing, and we need it to cook and toclean our clothes and homes. We need the systemKrishna has set up for supplying clean water throughevaporation and rain. At the very least, we shouldregularly thank the Lord for these gifts, which keep ourbodies alive. Beyond that, we should be thankful forwater as an impetus to remember Krishna, becausethat remembrance will increase our service and love forHim, watering the plant of our devotion.

The Krishna deity worshiped at the Hare Krishna temple in LosAngeles, where I live, is named Dwarakadhisha, “the Lord of Dwaraka.”Dwaraka is the pristine island Lord Krishna rules in His adult years.(Although Krishna lived in Dwaraka when He was present on earthfive thousand years ago, Dwaraka exists eternally in the spiritualworld. Therefore, in this article I’ll sometimes use the present tensewhen referring to Dwaraka and Krishna’s activities there.) Generallydevotees of Krishna think of Him primarily as the Supreme Personalityof Godhead who speaks the Bhagavad-gita and performs wonderfulspiritual pastimes in the cowherd village of Vrindavana. In that ruralsetting, He plays and enjoys life among many relatives and friends.Gaudiya Vaishnavas, or followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu,know that Krishna as a cowherd boy exchanges the most intimatefeelings with His devotees. Still, Krishna is always Krishna, anddevotees love Him when He displays Himself in other ways as well.For example, He is also endearing in His role as Dwarakadhisha.

Krishna is no ordinary ruler. Kings or presidents represent what isgrand and powerful in this world. Yet even the finest and mostawesome personality is only a small indication of the opulence ofthe Supreme Personality of Godhead. His very body is constitutedof eternity, knowledge, and bliss.

Though Krishna as Dwarakadhisha enjoys many sporting battles,He has no one to conquer and nothing to achieve, being alwayscomplete in Himself. He always knows exactly what to do in Hisregal duties in relationship to His citizens, ministers, and soldiers.His brows are never furrowed with the anxiety of diplomaticresponsibilities.

Though Krishna rules as an adult, He is in fact nava yauvanam,eternally youthful. According to Brihad-bhagavatamrita, by SanatanaGoswami, the king of Dwaraka has “all of the beauty of youth madeeven sweeter by traces of childlike innocence.”

As a ruler, Dwarakadhisha has only the best of motives. His onlyobjective is to defeat demoniac influences and protect His surrendered,pure devotees. His authority is original and inexhaustible. To obeyHis authority is the primary nature of every living being.

An Extraordinary Kingdom

Srila Prabhupada’s book Krishna: The Supreme Personality ofGodhead describes Dwaraka as the most superb and beautiful cityin the history of the world. The island of Dwaraka is decorated with900,000 extraordinary mansions built of first-class marble, with gatesand doors made of silver and jewels. The clear blue-green oceanlies on all sides. The residents of the mansions, all pure devoteesof Krishna, are of very fine beauty.

Dwaraka’s innumerable gardens and parks are full of a variety ofsweet, colourful flowers, and orchards abound with an array of fruit.Beautiful chirping birds, intoxicated peacocks, and ponds filled withlilies and lotuses delight the senses. The residents decorate everylane and walkway with water pots, festoons, banana trees, andfragrant flowers, just in anticipation of Krishna’s strolling there.

Srila Rupa Goswami’s Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu describes, “Theservitors in the abode of Dwaraka always worship Krishna as themost respectable and revered Personality of Godhead. They arecaptivated by Krishna because of His superexcellent opulences.”

From Brihad-bhagavatamrita we learn that although Dwarakadhisha is truly the absolutelypowerful king of kings, enjoying in all opulence, He is also humble, friendly, and full of unlimitedlove. His devotees, in a mood of ecstatic servitude, awe, and reverence, are absorbed in lovingsentiments for their Lord.

One such devotee is Sri Rukmini, the single most exalted feminine personality, the Lord’sprincipal queen. She is an expansion of God’s pleasure potency, so she is God incarnate infemale form, full of every feminine grace and virtue possible. She exhibits exquisite beauty

specially designed to please the Lord of Dwaraka.

Sri Rukmini is always fully satisfied with Her Lord and submissiveto Him. She understands His every mood and keeps within her heartthe details of His childhood and youth. Although hundreds of qualifiedmaidservants attend to His every need, She fans Him Herself, holdingthe snow-white chamara in her young bejeweled hand. Jealousyand anger never beset her.

An Extraordinary King

In His youth, Krishna left Vrindavana and traveled to the city ofMathura, where He assumed His leadership role in the Yadavadynasty. He fought with and killed the most feared despot of Histime, Kamsa, and released His parents from Kamsa’s prison. Hethen built a fort on the island of Dwaraka and transferred all of thecitizens of Mathura there to protect them from the attacks of Kamsa’sruthless relatives who sought revenge.

Shortly thereafter Lord Krishna kidnapped His queen, the youngprincess Rukmini. Her brother had arranged a marriage for her aspart of a political alliance. But she only wanted Krishna as herhusband, so she requested Him, through a messenger, to come toher aid. Kidnapping a princess was common for kings in those days,but Krishna did this single-handedly against an army of angry, heroicprinces. Krishna took the hand of many other superbly beautiful,opulent princesses in various daring ways. He rescued 16,000princesses being held captive by the cruel king Bhaumasura. Hemarried every one of them and provided each a royal palace on theisland of Dwaraka. For many hopeful lifetimes of penance andausterity they had prayed for Krishna’s favour upon them.

The Nectar of Devotion states, “While Krishna was living in Dwaraka,He expanded Himself into 16,108 forms, and each and everyexpansion resided in a palace with a queen. Not only was Krishnahappily living with His queens in those palaces, but He gave in charityfrom each palace an aggregate number of 13,054 cows completelydecorated with nice clothing and ornaments daily. This means that13,054 multiplied by 16,108 cows were being given in charity byKrishna every day. That was the system of Krishna’s daily affairswhile He was living in Dwaraka.”

Many amazing battles took place between Krishna and a variety ofrival demoniac kings. King Jarasandha, Kamsa’s father-in-law,attacked Dwaraka with numerous military phalanxes consisting oftens of thousands of chariots, horses, elephants, and soldiers. Krishnaobserved the immense strength of Jarasandha, which looked likean ocean about to cover a beach at any moment. He thought aboutthe situation and His mission to rid the world of demoniac influences,so He took this opportunity to face and destroy the military phalanxes.

Subsequently Lord Balarama, Krishna’s brother, arrested Jarasandha.Krishna feigned compassion for Jarasandha and had him released,but He had a plan: Jarasandha would in the future besiege the cityof Mathura seventeen times, and each time Krishna and Balaramawould be able to destroy hundreds of thousands of demoniac soldiers.Jarasandha himself was eventually defeated in a fight with Krishna’scousin Bhimasena.

The Syamantaka Jewel and Other Episodes

Because of intrigue involving a jewel known as Syamantaka, Krishna

Krishna Voice, Mar 2009 13Krishna Voice, Mar 200912

KRISHNA AS KINGBy Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi

When Krishna leaves Vrindavana to become the ruler of a great kingdom, He remains the sameKrishna, the treasure of His devotees’ hearts.


was once wrongly defamed. The Syamantaka couldproduce gold by its mystic power. Many people covetedthe jewel, and when it went missing, some peopleaccused Krishna of stealing it. The jewel was actuallyin the hands of persons who could not properly takecare of it and were almost driven mad by its potency.One citizen finally surrendered both the jewel and hisdaughter to Krishna, having come to realize that allvaluable things are the measure of Krishna’sbenevolence and should be offered in His service.

One crazy rival named Paundraka was so jealous ofthe superexcellent qualities of Krishna that he becameconvinced that he himself was Krishna. He set out todefeat Dwarakadhisha by donning an extra set of armsand carrying imitation weapons only wielded by VishnuHimself. Declaring himself to be God, he set out to killthe Lord. Eventually Krishna beheaded Paundraka, whoachieved liberation for having meditated so intenselyon the Personality of Godhead in his meager attemptto be Him.

Lord Dwarakadhisha’s fellow king and cousin MaharajaYudhishthira once held a great sacrifice, which includeda ceremony to honor the best person in attendance.Although Krishna was posing as an ordinary king,Yudhishthira adored Him as none other than the SupremePersonality of Godhead, and so he selected Him to behonored and worshiped in the ceremony. But Krishna’senvious cousin Sishupala disagreed with Yudhishthira’sdecision and berated Krishna, who eventually cut offSishupala’s head with His disc and allowed Sishupala’ssoul to merge into His own body.

During Dwarakadhisha’s reign, part of His mission wasto enthrone His great devotee Yudhishthira, religionincarnate, as emperor of the world. The Lord of Dwarakaacted as a peace messenger on Yudhishthira’s behalfto try to prevent the war with the ill-motivated Kurus.When negotiations failed, Yudhishthira’s brother Arjunaemployed the Lord as his chariot driver in the battle. Atthat time, Lord Krishna, His head adorned with a goldenhelmet, spoke the Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna to enlightenhim (and us) and encourage him in the fight. The Lordwas fully capable of fighting the battle and winning it atonce for Arjuna. But He wanted to serve and glorify Hisdevotee Arjuna by engaging him to fight as a matter ofKrishna conscious duty.

Most Amazing Events

If Krishna’s reign as a king seems full of amazing events,just consider how amazing He seems to His reverent,respectful servants at Dwaraka. They are often surprisedby His unpredictability. They remember when Sudama,Krishna’s friend from His school days, came to visit.Krishna’s guards and wives witnessed what looked likea homeless person going into the Lord’s roomsunchecked. To their wonder they saw how Krishnareacted with spontaneous love at the sight of His dear

old friend.

Though Sudama was very thin and dressed in shabbycloth, Dwarakadhisha embraced him, sat him down onHis own bed, and bathed his feet while Rukmini fannedhim. When Sudama shyly offered Krishna his onlypossession, a bag of plain dried rice, Dwaraka’s queensobserved with amazement the way the Lord took therice as though it was the most irresistible gift.

More cause for surprise is found in Uddhava-sandesha,where Rupa Goswami says that Dwarakadhishabecomes emotional by remembering His family andfriends in His old cowherd village home. He missesthem too much. He asks Uddhava, His cousin andclosest friend, to deliver a message to them from Him.Though a king with many wives and a great kingdomto govern, to Uddhava’s amazement the Lord remembersevery person and detail that Uddhava will encounterwhen he tours the cowherd village.

Perhaps the most surprising event occurred at a greatfestival held at Kurukshetra during a solar eclipse, whenthe residents of Dwaraka met the residents ofVrindavana. The simple Vrindavana cowherds feltextremely fortunate to see Krishna again. From withintheir hearts they spontaneously recalled all of Krishna’schildhood pastimes. Though unhappy seeing Himdressed as a king, they could not think of going back toVrindavana without Him, so Krishna stayed inKurukshetra longer than He had planned. Upon seeingthe simple villagers’ love for Krishna, the residents ofDwaraka felt great ecstasy. The Jagannatha Rathayatrafestival commemorates this pastime. In Krishna, SrilaPrabhupada writes, “The Rathayatra festival observedby Lord Chaitanya is the emotional process of takingKrishna back to Vrindavana.”

The King of Kings

Krishna is not a material person, and His actions arenot the activities of this world. His unique, unrestrictedpastime of rejoicing in the association of His simplecowherd family and friends is at the heart of GaudiyaVaishnavism. Lord Chaitanya teaches that abovereverential worship of God is pure love in the mostintimate relationships, such as friend, son, or lover. Ifthe Lord sets aside His kingly worship in awe andreverence for the sake of Vrindavana’s sweet, familiar,and spontaneous love, it is only another example of Histranscendent love as the God who is the loyal devoteeof His devotees.

Krishna is the original supreme enjoyer. To meditate onHim as the king of kings is solid spiritual nourishment.It helps us understand the unlimited dimensions of purepower and pure love in their original spiritual forms.Dwarakadhisha’s pastimes give us transcendental insightinto the love, potency, and compassion of the greatestspiritual hero and leader of all eternity.

When my mother-in-law cameto visit us for the first time in ournew mountain home, she noted ourpersimmon tree standing in its two- gallonpot, waiting to be planted. Over our heads,the tree's leaves and branches swayed in thebreeze.

"This poor tree is so root-bound," she remarked,"I don't know if it'll ever recover."

Two weeks later, when my husband and I finallyplanted it, I saw its roots—hopelessly tangled inan unnatural maze, desperately searching for newsoil, for freedom.

And here I am, I thought, in this time-bound world,pointlessly searching and researching for happinesswithin the confines of my small pot, going round andround, seeking something new where there is only theold, ignoring the need to plant myself in my true habitat,the spiritual world, where I can spread my roots andthrive.

Fortunately, our persimmon tree did recover, and bythe grace of my spiritual master I may also.

“According to their karma, all living entities arewandering throughout the entire universe. Some ofthem are being elevated to the upper planetarysystems, and some are going down into the lowerplanetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering

living entities, one whois very fortunate gets an

opportunity to associate with a bonafide spiritual master by the grace of

Krishna. By the mercy of both Krishna and thespiritual master, such a person receives the

seed of the creeper of devotional service.”—Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya-lila 19.151

As a novice gardener one of my first lessonswas on seeds: they may look insignificant,but if you treat them as such you'll get

disappointing results. Broccoli seeds, forexample, look like tiny black dots. Eachtime I tried to pick up one of them I gotat least four. "And I'm supposed to plantthese twelve inches apart?" I thought.In frustration I tossed the whole packetinto the garden—and got dozens ofplants so crowded they couldn't giveany broccoli. So, seeds must berespected.

Infinitely more respect is due for the seedof the creeper of devotion.

“When a person receives the seed ofdevotional service, he should take care ofit by becoming a gardener and sowing theseed in his heart. If he waters the seed

gradually by the process of hearing and

Musings of an Aspiring SpiritualistIf tended with care, the creeper of devotional

service will one day reach the abode of Radha-Krishna.By Visakha Devi Dasi



chanting, the seed will begin to sprout.”—Cc. Madhya19.152

As a gardener recognizes and responds to the needsof his seedlings, so a devotee recognizes the need tospiritualize his life and responds by hearing and chantingabout and responds by hearing and chanting about theLord, nurturing his devotional creeper. Water is free andwatering is easy. All that's needed is to steadily andpatiently do it.

“As one waters the bhakti-lata-bija [the seed of thecreeper of devotion], the seed sprouts, and the creepergradually increases to the point where it penetrates thewalls of this universe and goes beyond the Viraja Riverbetween the spiritual world and the material world. Itattains brahma-loka, the Brahman effulgence, and,penetrating through that stratum, it reaches the spiritualsky and the spiritual planet Goloka Vrindavana.”—Cc.Madhya 19.153

Although this creeper is so powerful it can transcendthe material realm, it is not without powerful enemies.

“If the devotee commits an offense at the feet of aVaishnava while cultivating the creeper of devotionalservice in the material world, his offense is comparedto a mad elephant that uproots the creeper and breaksit. In this way the leaves of the creeper are dried up.”—Cc. Madhya 19.156

Around my home there are no elephants, mad orotherwise, but there are enough deer, gophers, andrabbits to cause the same amount of destruction. Thesafeguard is fencing, both below and above ground.

Spiritual fencing consists of following the instructions ofthe spiritual master and associating favorably withdevotees of the Lord, giving up the company ofnondevotees. ("The gardener must defend the creeperby fencing it all around so that the powerful elephant ofoffenses may not enter." Cc. Madhya 19.157)

But impenetrable fencing only protects; it does notensure a plant's growth. Weeds, insects, diseases, anderratic weather make growth tricky. And when a plantstops growing, it's in trouble.

Similarly, if my spiritual growth ends, then, like a stagnantvegetable, I'm in trouble. And, unfortunately, spiritualgrowth can be choked:

“Sometimes unwanted creepers, such as the creepersof desires for material enjoyment and liberation fromthe material world, grow along with the creeper ofdevotional service. The varieties of such unwantedcreepers are unlimited. Some unnecessary creepersgrowing with the bhakti creeper are the creepers ofbehavior unacceptable for those trying to attain perfection,diplomatic behavior, animal killing, mundane profiteering,mundane adoration, and mundane importance. All theseare unwanted creepers.”—Cc. Madhya 19.158, 159

For proper growth we need death—to the weeds thatsap the water and nutrients meant for the plant, to theunwanted habits, thoughts, and characteristics that keepconsciousness rooted in matter.

Mysteriously, growth seems effortless for weeds. Theyflourish everywhere without watering, fencing, or controlof disease and insects. But for my fruits and vegetables,growth is effortful. Lust, greed, anger, envy, andfaultfinding thrive easily, and so do desires for profit,honor, and adoration. Uprooting these to help thedevotional creeper grow takes humility and a concerted,determined, enthusiastic effort.

The best way to get rid of both material and spiritualweeds is diligent weeding. Ease off and the small,delicate plants are smothered. (If a weed is especiallyhard to pull, all the more need to get it up—deep rootsdraw more strength from the plant. Hint: Weeds comeout readily after thorough watering.)

Neglect weeds too long and they'll go to seed. And theproblems they create then multiply geometrically—justas my material desires, left uncountered by spiritual life,bring about more material desires that implicate memore in material life.

To uproot these insidious weeds, I have to bend downand grasp them by the stem at ground level—a humbleposition. Without humility I won't be able to uproot theweeds that choke my devot ional creeper.

But, novice that I am, I can't tell which seedlings areweeds and which are my plantings. So I wait and watch,and one morning after two days of rain it becomesobvious: each carefully planted seedling is unique andemerges looking fresh, in the pattern of my planting.

The bhakti-lata, the creeper of devotion, is supremelyunique. Where this divine plant flourishes, materialdesires die out, and unmotivated, uninterrupted serviceto Krishna blossoms.

“If one does not distinguish between the bhakti-latacreeper and the other creepers, the sprinkling of wateris misused because the other creepers are nourishedwhile the bhakti-lata creeper is curtailed. As soon as anintelligent devotee sees an unwanted creeper growingbeside the original creeper, he must cut it down instantly.Then the real creeper of bhakti-lata-bija grows nicely,returns home, back to Godhead, and seeks shelterunder the lotus feet of Krishna.”—Cc. Madhya 19.160-161

A promise to Gaura NitaiTo think of Them

As the garden progresses.A promise to thank Them

For kindly allowing it to grow.A promise to share Their bounty

With whoever comes nearby.


Vocal Music (group)

Mono Acting

Cooking


Mrs.Anita Kalsi, C.S.R of Waves Industriesvisited the Akshaya Patra premises andserved food for the school children. TheWaves Industry donated Rs. 2.5 lakhs forsponsoring 1 lakh meals in Vrindavana.

News from Akshaya Patra Vrindavana

News from Mangalore

Abhisheka was offered to theSri Sri Nitai Gauranga deitieson the occasion of SriNityananda’s appearance day.

Devotees participate in SriSri Krishna Balarama Ratha

Yatra in Mangalore


News from Mysore

VAIKUNTHAEKADASHI

Sri Krishna BalaramaRATHA YATRA

GITA FEST


Distinguished Visitors

Ratha Yatra in Hubli and Dharwad

Dharwad

Hubli

My country, El Salvador, is one of the sixcountries in Central America. The mainobjective of our government is to attaingrowth in order to fight poverty. Our effortsover the last twenty years have allowed usto reduce poverty from 60% to 34% of thepopulation.

In order for our programmes to be successfulwe need awareness from as many sectorsand institutions in El Salvador.

I must say your programme is absolutelyimpressive because I fully understand howcomplex your job is.

May I congratulate you for your efforts forthe children of India. I am sure it is a mostspi r i tua l ly rewarding exper ience.

Ana Vilma Albanz de EscobarVice PresidentRepublic of El Salvador

Krishna Voice Monthly Magazine, March 2009 Vol10, No.1 Price Rs 15/-Posted on 5th or 10th of the Month at MBC, Manipal, License to post without prepayment No. WPP(CO-8), Reg No. KA/BGGPO2521/ 2009-11, Registered with Registrar of Newspapers for India under No. RNI 71022/99, Posted at MBC, Manipal, 576104.

Date Time Event AlankaraWed, Apr 8 8:00 AM Dhvaja Arohana

6:00 PM Ananta Sesha Vahana Ananta ShayanaThu, Apr 9 6:00 PM Ashva Vahana KalkiFri, Apr 10 6:00 PM Surya Prabha Vahana Navneet Nartana KrishnaSat, Apr 11 6:00 PM Hanumad Vahana Seeta Rama PattabhishekaSun, Apr 12 10:30 AM Kalyanotsava

6:00 PM Garuda Vahana Ashtabhuja NarayanaMon, Apr 13 6:00 PM Hamsa Vahana MohiniTue, Apr 14 6:00 PM Kalpa Vriksha Vahana Venu Gopala KrishnaWeb, Apr 15 6:00 PM Gaja Vahana Raja RaniThu, Apr 16 6:00 PM Maha Pallaki Radha Raja GopalFri, Apr 17 6:00 PM Brahma Ratha Vrindavan Krishna VisheshaSat, Apr 18 6:00 PM Churna abhishekaSun, Apr 19 10:30 AM Kalyanotsava

6:00 PM Pushpa Pallakki RKC VenulolaTheppotsava

8:00 PM Dhvaja AvarohanaAll vahana utsavas followed by dolotsava at 8 pm. Nitya Puja, Brahmotsava Yajna

from 9th April to 19th April at 8:15 am

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

If you wish to sponsor any of the events,please call: 080-2347 1956, 93791 56083

24

Education

Madhu Pandit - Krishna voice 2009 03(mar)