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Monday Morning Greetings 2025 #35 – Advaita Vedānta: A Philosophy That Is Just Illusion

August 25th, 2025

I got a message from an Indian friend who visits Vrindavan. He is a good devotee, and I was therefore surprised by his letter. He had gone to an Āyurvedic doctor who was also a learned Māyāvādī scholar, and the doctor had said something that affected him. “It has poisoned my heart and affected my chanting,” my friend said. “What should I do?”

 

“What was the reason it affected you?” I asked. “Did hearing it hurt your heart because it negated the personality of God, or has the hearing created doubts in you about God being a person?”

 

“He started to explain something about the Lord’s departure in the Rāmāyaa and Bhāgavatam, how they died, but that Brahman was supreme,” my friend said. “He was very erudite, and suddenly I started to question if what I am doing is wrong.

 

“It seems to me now that my whole spiritual life is at stake. Yes, when I was a new bhakta in the ashram, I had that super-sensuous experience, sphūrti, but how did that prove that God is a person?

 

“I am embarrassed to write this, but I want to be honest. I don’t know why I was so affected.”

 

“Advaita Vedānta is not reasonable,” I wrote. “Their philosophy says that all distinction is illusion. But illusion must have a subject, someone in illusion. They can’t say the living entities are the basis of illusion, for according to their philosophy the living entities themselves are just an illusion. And illusion can’t be the basis of illusion.

 

“Their only recourse is to say that Brahman is the basis, or subject, of illusion. But if Brahman is the subject of illusion, then it is neither Brahman, the greatest, nor nondual. Such a philosophy has no solid foundation.”

 

“Do you read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books?” I asked. “Here is a link to a post that I wrote that might help you—‘Is God a Person?’

 

https://wavesofdevotion.com/2016/06/27/is-god-a-person/

 

His response:

 

“Deep, deep gratitude! No, I don’t read Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books regularly, but I think now I should. And also hear his lectures. Thank you! Thank you!”

 

My conclusion:

 

Advaita Vedānta: a philosophy that is just Illusion.

 

 

Monday Morning Greetings 2025 #34 – Radha-Bhāva and Prabhupāda

August 18th, 2025

Radha-Bhāva and Prabhupāda[1]

 

This is not about Śrīla Prabhupāda’s eternal relationship with Krishna. I will leave that for other discussions. What I want to share with you is a realization I had recently in my reading of the last chapter of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja called The Śikṣāṣṭaka Prayers, a realization that highlights how Śrīla Prabhupāda gave us the most practical path in understanding our own relationship with Krishna.[2]

 

In that regard, I found particularly relevant the discussion of the last verse of the Śikṣāṣṭakam that describes the mood of Śrī Radha at that height of Her devotion:

 

“I know no one but Krishna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord unconditionally.” (v. 8)

 

Before I continue with my thesis, it is important to understand the context in which this verse is recited. According to Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, this verse is a paraphrase by Śrī Caitanya of what Śrī Radha told Her friends after they advised Her to disregard Krishna. He had apparently spurned her. In other words, She loved Krishna so much that just the suggestion to ignore Krishna, even when seemingly justified, ignited the depths of Her unconditional love.[3] In Śrī Caitanya’s ensuing explanation of this verse to His most confidential associates Svarūpa Dāmodara and Rāmānanda Rāya, He further elaborates on how this concluding verse expresses the nature of Śrī Radha’s love at its height.

 

“I do not mind my personal distress. I only wish for the happiness of Krishna, for His happiness is the goal of my life. However, if He feels great happiness in giving me distress, that distress is the best of my happiness.”[4] (Cc. Antya-līlā 20.52)

 

Now back to my original inspiration. After reading the eighth verse of the Śikṣāṣṭakam and its explanation by Śrī Caitanya Himself, it struck me how this final verse not only expresses the mood of Śrī Radha at the height of her devotion but accentuates the basic foundation of bhakti in a manner very reminiscent of the way Śrīla Prabhupāda and his own spiritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta, preached. This will be clearer when one recalls the history of their mission.

 

Without retreading a long and complex history, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta appeared at a time when the teachings of Śrī Caitanya had become very much degraded. The people who claimed to continue Śrī Caitanya’s lineage were mostly guided to higher and esoteric meditations in Krishna consciousness without the prerequisite foundational practices and rules of proper behavior. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta’s concern about this and how he called out those called prākṛta-sahajiyās who cheaply concentrated their meditation on Krishna’s intimate pastimes without the recommended step-by-step process to first purify their hearts.

 

“Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that a devotee does not care about his own happiness and distress; he is simply interested in seeing that Krishna is happy, and for that purpose he engages in various activities […] Those who are materialistic, […] like the prākṛta-sahajiyās, regard their own happiness as the aim of life. Some of them aspire to enjoy themselves by sharing the happiness of Krishna. This is the mentality of fruitive workers who want to enjoy sense gratification by making a show of service to Krishna.” (Cc. Antya-līlā 20.52, purport)

 

Seeing this tendency, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta, and Śrīla Prabhupāda after him, stressed unconditional surrender to the spiritual master and stringently warned of entering realms of esoteric bhakti prematurely. As a result they were often criticized for not giving what Śrī Caitanya came to give, rāgānugā-bhakti, a practice based very much on meditating on Krishna’s pastimes and visualizing one’s own spiritual identity within them.

 

The last verse of the Śikṣāṣṭakam, however, implies clearly that what Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta and Śrīla Prabhupāda stressed was not just for beginners, but also the essence of the highest attainment in Krishna consciousness, a practice that to achieve its fruition only needs to be ripened by the pure chanting of the name.

 

So that’s my realization today while reading the Caitanya-caritamrita – that if you want to awaken your eternal relationship with Krishna then faithfully follow the teachings of Śrīla Prabhupāda by unconditionally surrendering to Śrī Śrī Guru and Krishna in service of Śrī Caitanya’s saṅkīrtana mission. Certainly one who sincerely does this is embracing the essence of radha-bhāva as expressed in that ultimate verse:

 

“I know no one but Krishna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord unconditionally.”

 


[1] In honor of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Vyāsa-pūjā yesterday, a reprint from December 18, 2017.

[2] It is worthy to note here that the Śikṣāṣṭakam prayers are particularly significant because they are the only verses, eight in number, that Śrī Caitanya composed.

[3] Also significant is that this verse is the last verse of the Śikṣāṣṭakam and represents the fulfillment of the internal reason for Śrī Caitanya’s appearance, to experience the love of His topmost devotee at the height of Her love.

[4] Śrī Caitanya’s explanation of the Śikṣāṣṭakam comprises thirteen verses. I have chosen only one for the sake of the clarity and force of my post. That one captures the mood of them all.

 

Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Vyāsa-pūjā – Dhanurdhara Swami’s Offering to Śrīla Prabhupāda

August 17th, 2025

Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you!

 

I marvel at your genius. I had written an article about that for my weekly blog. Please accept this offering at your lotus feet on this glorious day.

 

Your servant,

Dhanurdhara Swami

 

 

The Genius of Śrīla Prabhupāda and the Principle of Intrapreneurship.

 

In my last article Build Devotees, Not Temples I opined that institutions like ISKCON need to spend more resources supporting and empowering its people, especially those that are creators and doers, to successfully carry its mission into the future. I shared this article with a friend who was a business consultant. He was intrigued by the article and shared with me something from his own experience in the business world that he thought was relevant to the topic at hand. He described the concept of intrapreneurship. In this post, I will briefly share his experience and show how it inspired me to even further realize Śrīla Prabhupāda’s genius.

 

My friend worked for Adobe as a consultant. They had basically one product, Photoshop, and the engineers who had developed the company had improved it as far as it could go. The CEO became concerned. He saw that this one-product company was gradually losing the culture of initiative that initially spurred its success. He knew the history of several successful companies developed by self-motivated and creative people who gradually ceded their authority to technicians and managers only to see the company become stagnant and fail. He became concerned.

 

He thought of Kodak, for example, who were pioneers in the technology of photography. It went from an established major company to bankruptcy. Led by bureaucrats resistant to internal change, they lost their inability to keep up with smaller, more nimble competitors that could innovate quickly and respond to changing market trends.

 

The CEO realized he needed to do something. He decided to apply the principle of Intrapreneurship.

 

Intrapreneurship refers to a system within an organization that enables creative and innovative people to take the initiative to develop pioneering products and services. And to encourage such creativity and risk-taking, the company not only empowers the employees to innovate but ensures the “intrapreneurs” that they will not be held accountable for any failures or losses as a result of their experiment. It’s called intrapreneurship because it gives the same creative freedom to people within a corporation or organization that independent entrepreneurs have.

 

It has been seen that companies who find ways to allow the self-motivated to leverage their creativity and ingenuity are more likely to survive and grow, especially in the rapidly changing modern world. One of many such examples of success include Google’s “20% time program” which allowed their employees to allot a fifth of their worktime to freely engage in intrapreneurship. The result: gmail. When listening to my friend’s experience of intrapreneurship I thought of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s genius in setting up ISKCON along similar principles by encouraging a system of management that would empower independently thoughtful and creative devotees. Śrīla Prabhupāda’s understanding of the principle of intrapreneurship is outlined in his famous letter to Karandhara dasa.[1] Below is a relevant excerpt:

 

“Regarding your points about taxation, corporate status, etc., I have heard from Jayatirtha you want to make big plan for centralisation of management, taxes, monies, corporate status, bookkeeping, credit, like that. I do not at all approve of such plan. Do not centralise anything. Each temple must remain independent and self-sufficient. That was my plan from the very beginning, why you are thinking otherwise? Once before you wanted to do something centralising with your GBC meeting, and if I did not interfere the whole thing would have been killed. Do not think in this way of big corporation, big credits, centralisation–these are all nonsense proposals. Only thing I wanted was that books printing and distribution should be centralised, therefore I appointed you and Bali Mardan to do it. Otherwise, management, everything, should be done locally by local men. Accounts must be kept, things must be in order and lawfully done, but that should be each temple’s concern, not yours. Krishna Consciousness Movement is for training men to be independently thoughtful and competent in all types of departments of knowledge and action, not for making bureaucracy. Once there is bureaucracy the whole thing will be spoiled. There must be always individual striving and work and responsibility, competitive spirit, not that one shall dominate and distribute benefits to the others and they do nothing but beg from you and you provide.”

 

Genius? At least, it’s quite remarkable that more than fifty years ago at the beginning of his fledgling movement he so clearly understood these principles of empowerment and tried to set up his movement on principles of intrapreneurship that only became prominent in modern corporate leadership over thirty years later. Let us all honor in our own capacity the genius of Śrīla Prabhupāda and the principle of intrapraneurship.

 


[1] https://vanisource.org/wiki/721222_-_Letter_to_Karandhara_written_from_Bombay?hl=thoughtful%7Cindependently

 

Monday Morning Greetings 2025 #33 – Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta and the Necessity of Rasa Geography

August 11th, 2025

In my daily studies of Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta a question arose.

 

First, some background on the section I was reading:

 

Mahārāja Parīkṣit had just summarized the Bhāgavatam for Uttarā devī, his mother, which fulfilled the specific request she made of her son. He did it through an intriguing story in which Śrī Nārada searches for the topmost recipient of Krishna’s mercy. In order of their level of devotion, he visits the main exemplars of bhakti. His journey ends in Dvārakā where Śrī Krishna emphatically declares that the gopīs of Vrindavan are the topmost recipients of Śrī Krishna’s mercy. This journey, which is the crux of the first book of Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta, parallels the Bhāgavatam in both its thematic development and conclusion. It thus expertly fulfills the mission Śrī Caitanya gave Śrī Sanātana for writing the book — to give the world the highest devotion exemplified by the residents of Vrindavan, as described in the Bhāgavatam.

 

I was surprised, therefore, that the book didn’t end there. Rather, Uttarā devī continued. She wanted to know about the place where the recipients of the highest devotion reside.

 

And that raised the question that intrigued me today.

 

If Śrī Caitanya’s mission has been so perfectly delineated through Śrī Nārada’s journey, what was the necessity of presenting a second part of the text with a completely new story in answer to Uttarā’s question, which is almost twice as long as part one?

 

This is what makes sense to me:

 

Sanātana Gosvāmī had a difficult mission which is described at the beginning of the Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta as giving the parama-daśāntaṁ — “the last extreme of transcendental experience.”[1] And who was he to give it to? To all those who somehow have sincerely come to the path of bhakti and who need to develop the appropriate frame of reference so they can understand such an exalted subject. And that means almost every one of us!

 

Śrī Krishna’s dancing with the gopīs? The last extreme of transcendental experience? Who could honestly hear those subjects without projecting on them something mundane or fantastical?

 

Therefore, although Sanātana Gosvāmī had presented the parama-daśāntaṁ in such a comprehensive and intriguing way, he still wasn’t convinced that we could hear that truth without filtering it through our prejudicial material lens. In other words, due to the nature of the subject matter, he wanted to make sure we didn’t misunderstand it as something mundane. He thus presented the same subject again from a different angle to emphasize his point.

 

Instead of just pointing to the supremacy of vraja-bhakti via a journey through different levels of devotees leading to Braja, he points to the preeminence of vraja-bhakti by describing a journey through progressive levels of spiritual places leading to Braja.

 

But how is knowing the place providing the same inspiration as knowing the people residing there?

 

A room is designed to facilitate the relationship one wants to enjoy there. For example, a living room aids intimacy and family life, and an office engenders authority and respect. In other words, there is an intrinsic relationship between how a room is set up and the relationships it fosters there. Knowing the place thus helps one understand the mood of the people who use it. This is especially true in the spiritual realm where the Lord’s abodes perfectly reflect the moods He shares there with His devotees.

 

And this answers our initial inquiry: why was there a necessity of presenting the story of Gopa-kumāra in the second book if the first book of Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta has so expertly fulfilled the objective of Sanātana Gosvāmī?

 

Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī wanted to ensure his reader properly understands the parama-daśāntaṁ — “the last extreme of transcendental experience.” He thus takes the reader on a second journey with Gopa-kumāra through a gradation of spiritual abodes just to further fortify a clear understanding of the primacy of Śrī Vrindavan and the spontaneous mood of devotion found there.

 

A question arose today. I tried my best to answer it. What do you think? [2]

 

 


[1] parama-daśāntaṁ — “the last extreme of transcendental experience” is the Sanskrit and its word for word translation of the term found in BBT’s Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta 1.1.1.

[2] There is another explanation of why the second book of Brhad Bhāgavatamrta is a perfect complement for the first book. The first book explains what the highest destination is (the siddhānta or philosophical conclusion), and the second book, through the journey of Gopa-kumāra and his chanting of the gopāla-manta, describes the method used to get there (the sadhana or spiritual practice).

Monday Morning Greetings 2025 #32 – Swan Lake, the Ugly Duckling, and Krishna Consciousness

August 4th, 2025

It was the first ballet I ever attended.

 

I had no choice, actually. My gracious hosts in St. Petersburg thought I would love it. They had set a full schedule before I came, but somehow I didn’t notice they arranged an evening at the ballet. The tickets were not cheap and were non-refundable.

 

In other words, they gave me an offer I could not refuse.

 

We had the best seats in the house. We sat in the front row, the middle seats right over the orchestra pit, the conductor’s head bobbing and his hands flailing a few feet away.

 

I had no idea what was going on. How would I? My idea of culture growing up? Bruno Sammartino and Gorilla Monsoon![1]

 

I thought I would be bored out of my mind.

 

I was wrong. It started out slow, but by the time it all ended, during the four curtain calls, we also stood up applauding. I was surprised at my reaction. We really enjoyed it.

 

What happened? What did I get out of it?

 

I have studied the ṭaka śastra, where drama theory is outlined. It’s the elaborate science of re-creating an overwhelming emotion found in the world so that a qualified audience experiences the same emotion, but in a cathartic or “spiritually” uplifting way.

 

Here at the Mariinsky Theater you have arguably the best ballet dancers in the world, a great orchestra, and probably one of the best conductors in the world. The audience seemed also quite qualified. They were therefore unified in relishing the ballet as if they were of a single mind. That’s a condition in rasa theory for the emotion portrayed to be relished at its height. Jagadish, who accompanied me, also hadn’t seen a ballet before, but we were able to appreciate the performance just enough as to not disturb the unified mind of the audience!

 

Bottom line, the performance was rasika. The ensemble and the person who directed it definitely knew the science of recreating an uplifting emotion through music and dance. I was swept away in the moment. At least, I enjoyed seeing in action what I studied in the ṭaka śastra.

 

Also, I realized what I saw could be used as a tool to remember Śrī Krishna. Śrī Krishna is naṭa-vara, the most excellent dancer. How would I even conceive what that meant, if I didn’t see the best dancing that could be found in this world?

 

Excellence reminds one of God. I remember when I was preparing a seminar on apologetics, the rational defense of the existence of God, finding a supporting quote by the famous American conductor, Leonard Bernstein. He said that in classical composition every note is so right that it points to a divine order. I can’t find that quote now, but I found another quote by him where he describes the same idea:

 

“In the beginning was the Note, and the Note was with God; and whosoever can reach for that Note, reach high, and bring it back to us on earth, to our earthly ears—he is a composer, and to the extent of his reach, partakes of the divine.”

 

As I left the theater, I thought of the verse in Gītā where Śrī Krishna says He is the ability in all men. As these performers were the best at what they are doing, it was therefore not difficult to see their reach to God bringing a divine “note” back to earth for us to experience.

 

Would I go again? I want to. Should I? Maybe just to an opera where there are not so many beautiful, skimpy dressed ladies dancing. That is certainly a better place for a monk, but is that OK? If this sannyāsi (monk) goes to the opera next year perhaps you may even read the following Monday post:

 

The Barber of Seville and Sannyāsa Oparadha![2]

 

 


[1] I don’t have access here to get something from YouTube, but when very young, our culture was watching the Worldwide Wrestling Federation. These two names stand out in my memory.

 

[2] Oparadha is a play on the Sanskrit word aparādha (offense) and opera suggested by Jayanta, my editor.

Monday Morning Greetings 2025 #31 – Rubies, Diamonds, Rings, and Pearls

July 28th, 2025

“Rubies, diamonds, rings, and pearls

Just to attract fools to the spiritual world

Dashing, handsome, and carefree

Bhavānanda Goswami”

 

Those days were wild!

 

Śrīla Prabhupāda had just left this world. Devotees, barely thirty years old, practically none with even ten years in the Hare Krishna Movement, had taken up the service of succeeding him. They were lavished with worship and opulence by their followers. I personally believe most were very sincere, but how was it possible for such young people, relatively inexperienced in Krishna consciousness, to digest the opulence and adoration that was bestowed upon them? It wasn’t. Except for very rare exceptions, they failed.

 

It was 1978, at Śrīla Prabhupda’s first disappearance festival. Haṁsadūta Swami, one of those devotees, made his homage to Śrīla Prabhupāda. He came with his guitar and strummed a folk song glorifying the new “ācāryas’’ with a stanza he composed for each. It seemed out of place, but I guess he saw it as a kind of offering to Śrīla Prabhupāda to tout the attainment of his followers. The above stanza dedicated to Bhavānanda particularly stuck in my mind. As a leader at the time, I found him very personal and empowering. He was, however, awash with cash from his new followers. His strategy to spread Krishna consciousness seemed to have as much to do with his attachments as his mood of service. He would attract people to the path of bhakti by making Krishna consciousness as luxurious as possible, including his own lifestyle. Unfortunately, like most in his situation, the opulence and worship eventually dragged him down from his position.

 

At around the same time, we especially became concerned with another one of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s “successors” who was buying huge castles in Europe. In the one castle I visited, his vyāsāsana, the guru’s traditional seat of authority, was over five feet high!

 

A group of us went to Śrīla Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja to express our concern:

 

“If he is attached to sitting on a big seat, will he fall?”

 

I loved his answer.

 

“He is already fallen!”

 

And soon he did.

 

Personal opulence therefore is usually seen as an obstacle in Krishna consciousness. It is often described as a fever, the outward symptom of an inner disease.

 

“The material covering of the pure spirit soul is an external feature, as much as fever is an external feature of the unhealthy body. The general process is to decrease the degree of the fever and not to aggravate it by maltreatment.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.26 purport

 

Conversely, material impoverishment is lauded on the path of bhakti.

 

“Sometimes it is seen that spiritually advanced persons become materially impoverished. This is no discouragement. On the other hand, such impoverishment is a good sign as much as the falling of temperature is a good sign.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.26 purport, continued

 

But does material opulence have to be a sign, or an external feature, of an unhealthy consciousness?

 

No. In fact, it could also be a sign of the opposite.

 

I am studying Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta every day with a friend. We noticed that as Gopa-kumāra ascends to higher and higher planets, not only does the spiritual attainment of its residents substantially increase, but so does their standard of material happiness and opulence. We reconciled the two ideas as follows:

 

Bhakti means to offer the best to Śrī Krishna. Therefore, while Śrī Krishna is often reluctant to lavish his devotees with opulence, he also may benedict them with opulence if they can offer it to Krishna in a mood of pure devotion. Śrīmatī Radhika is the perfect example of this. She is mahābhāva-svarūpā, the form (svarūpā) of the highest devotion (mahābhāva). Everything about her svarūpā therefore, from her beauty to her talents, is the best or most excellent as a pure offering of the highest devotion for the pleasure of Śrī Krishna.”

 

I recently heard that my Godbrother Ambarish dasa is in critical condition. We should all offer our prayers for him. He is a scion of the Ford family, the great grandson of Henry Ford. I am mentioning him here because he is a good example of Śrī Krishna trusting his devotee with His opulence. A substantial part of his wealth has therefore been used to serve Krishna in various ways. Years ago, he purchased the Fisher Mansion for ISKCON Detroit. Presently he serves as the chairman and financial backbone of the TOVP (the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium). Rather than becoming proud, however, he has always remained very humble.

 

Let me finish this post with a memory from one of my early visits to an ISKCON temple, an example that neatly illustrates this fine line between becoming distracted by and appropriately using opulence in the service of Śrī Krishna.

 

During lunch in 1971 at the Brooklyn ISKCON temple, I heard a class over the loudspeaker in which the teacher quoted Śrīla Prabhupāda:

 

“We can take over the world in eighteen days if all my devotees became Krishna conscious.”

 

I thought to myself, “If Krishna ever gave us that level of power, if He gave us the world, the fever of material life would certainly overcome us.” But as Śrīla Prabhupāda indicated, it doesn’t have to be that way. Perhaps we can mature and then sing a different tune:

 

Rubies, diamonds, rings, and pearls.

Just to serve Krishna in the material world!

 

 

Monday Morning Greetings 2025 #30 – From Drama to Meaning

July 21st, 2025

It’s time to begin writing my next Monday Morning Greetings. I have nothing to write. Realizations are a gift. To gain one I can chant, study, and look at the world through the eyes of sastra, but ultimately only God can give one a worthy inspiration. I was just about resigned to share a reprinted article this week, when a realization came.

 

I have been at the immigration holding room in a foreign country while the immigration officials are checking me out. I guess not many United States citizens come here and the relations with their country have suddenly taken a turn for the worse.[1] I haven’t heard from the officials since they sat me here. That was two hours ago! I am waiting for my fate, and waiting is the greatest surrender.

 

I am not fearful, however, of what will happen, although I was looking forward to the next three weeks. Many good programs have been set up and many good people to see. But not a blade of grass moves without God’s will. I recalled one of my favorite quotes that came from Epictetus, the great Greek stoic. It was sent to me by a friend when I became sick during Covid with a strange non-Covid related sickness that went on for months. It became my mantra:

 

“Happiness and distress, sickness and health, praise and slander. They all come from God. Why should one care?”

 

I try not to care. I’m resigned to whatever Krishna wants, but don’t keep me waiting!

 

But even that, if it is Your will, I know it is best. I feel at peace sitting here.

 

My theme for this week’s Monday Morning Greetings: From drama to meaning.

 

I was toying with that theme anyway. A lot of bad news fell into my lap this week. I heard too many personal stories of horrible illness and cruel personal betrayal, and the list goes on. Life just seems so unfair, and it seems increasingly so.

 

I don’t want to tell those suffering that it’s just Krishna’s mercy, for such counsel often lacks, or appears to lack, empathy. People above all need support. Still, ultimately traditions of wisdom advocate a change of vision for no matter how we cut it, this “temporary world is full of suffering.”

 

I call that change of vision “from drama to meaning.” I’m just tired of the drama for it never ends whether it’s relationship, health, slander, crisis of funds, and so on. And it is meant to be that way.

 

Does this mean we stop trying to improve the quality of our lives? No, we have duties to stabilize our life and the lives of our loved ones. But we never lose sight of the fact that ultimate fulfillment is an internal process. It’s developing a lens of wisdom that does not requires changing the world, but rather our opinion of it.

 

When talking about this subject a friend sent me a relevant talk by Śrīla Bhakti-rakṣaka Śrīdhara Mahārāja which discusses what that change of opinion is. All problems are solved when we transcend our illusory perception of the world in which we see and do everything in terms of our “local” or selfish interest and rise to an understanding of life’s real meaning. Everything moves for the satisfaction of God, which is in everyone’s interest.

 

The whole talk is pertinent to this discussion. I will share just an excerpt:

 

The absolute current goes towards the satisfaction of Ka, but this reading of the environment is not possible for the superficial soul. The soul cannot read, cannot conceive, of the real meaning of everything. The soul sees some meaning, but it is a different reading, a superficial reading, of things, and it is this reading that is māyā. We read in our own way. We read an earthquake or a storm or anything else from our local interest. This is māyā, and it is on this basis that we do so many things.[2]

 

It took me one hour waiting on the immigration line just to get to the immigration booth. After going through the routine check, they told me to just sit outside. “Where?” The official just waved his hand and in broken English indicated I should just go and wait. I waited outside the immigration booth without my passport for an hour. They came for me and a few others with our passports in hand and moved us to the immigration office waiting area. They then disappeared into the offices with our passports, and we waited there for some time. They took us to another place. We stood there for some time until they finally took us to another immigration both. There were about twenty of us.  Another wait. More drama. My patience was drawing thin, but I knew that God protects His devotee. Whatever He does is best.

 

Finally, our passports were stamped, and we left.

 

And that was the gift of realization today.

 

Our only solace is from drama to meaning!

 

 


[1] I prefer not to name the country in writing.

[2] https://nimaihuset.blogspot.com/2015/12/what-is-maya-srila-sridhar-maharaj.html

 

Monday Morning Greetings 2025 #29 – How Truth is Revealed

July 14th, 2025

For those serious about the study of sacred texts, the term sambandha-jñānā is significant. Commonly it is defined as a school’s conception of reality and its means or evidence of affirming its validity. Today, I heard it used in a slightly different way. It slightly re-oriented my approach to studying sacred texts, enough that I would like to share it with you.

 

I heard the term used in a somewhat new light in one lecture from a series of lectures by Śrīla Bhaktivijnana Goswami covering an overview of the Bhāgavatam. There he explained sambandha as one of the four basic prerequisites, anubandha catuṣṭaya, that must be fulfilled for any sacred text to be authorized, at least within a particular school.

 

I will briefly outline this classical description of anubandha catuṣṭaya and then focus on Śrī Jīva’s definition of sambandha as applied to the Bhāgavatam. I will then share what I see as its practical application.

 

Anubandha Catuṣṭaya:

 

Viṣaya—The topic, the subject of the book.

 

Sambandha—The way the subject is revealed to the listener or reader of the text.

 

Abhidhéya—The method or practice which is needed to realize the subject.

 

Prayojana—The result of realizing that subject.

 

Śrī Jīva describes sambandha in relation to the Bhāgavatam as vācya-vācaka sambandha: “Its sambandha (the way its subject is revealed) is that the words (vācaka) themself carry inherent power to reveal what they signify (vācya)”.

 

In other words, the words of the Bhāgavatam themselves are the main way the meaning of the text is revealed independent of an intellectual effort to understand them.

 

But what about our logical understanding of the meaning of the text? How can that be minimized?

 

The sambandha of the Bhāgavatam doesn’t mean that an intellectual comprehension of the text doesn’t help us understand something about the subject (viṣaya) of the text. Without knowledge it is doubtful that one would be inspired with the faith necessary to turn one’s consciousness in a concentrated way towards Bhagavān, which is the subject of the text. It simply means that the prime way in which the subject of the Bhāgavatam is revealed are the words of the text heard in a prayerful and focused way so that they directly enter the heart and reveal the truth.

 

I was still struggling with what seemed like the somewhat “anti-intellectual” approach to the text, until I found the same concept of sambandha described in my weekly group study of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta.

 

At the beginning of Chapter 14, “Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Feelings of Separation from Krishna,” we are warned by the author, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, that what he will attempt to describe is beyond the capacity of even the most intelligent person to comprehend. He practically leaves the reader hopeless.

 

“Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s emotion of transcendental madness in separation from Krishna is very deep and mysterious. Even though one is very advanced and learned, he cannot understand it.” Cc Antya 14.5 [emphasis mine]

 

He then quickly reminds us that if we faithfully take these words into our hearts the subject of the text will be revealed:

 

“Please hear faithfully this description of Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s ecstatic emotions. Thus you will come to know of His ecstatic love, and ultimately you will achieve love of Godhead.” Cc Antya 14.11 [emphasis mine]

 

Śrī Jīva’s explanation of the word sambandha was enlightening. Although I still deeply study the text, I am more vigilant to the importance of attentively hearing it. I also more deeply understand why Śrīla Prabhupāda gave so much space to the Sanskrit verses. Now first thing in the morning, I relish hearing the Sanskrit of one chapter praying that its words enter my heart and reveal their import. It should be understood, however, that hearing the message in any language from a qualified devotee, such as the commentaries of Śrīla Prabhupāda, are also śabda, transcendental sound. They also carry the potency of the message they represent into the heart when faithfully heard with the same mystical effect.

 

I think this understanding of sambandha also gives an important message to those who are not particularly scholarly. We need not overly worry about understanding the text in that way. Yes, we must study. That is important, but more important is to just hear prayerfully and faithfully with the understanding that vācya-vācaka sambandha: “the words (vācaka) themself carry inherent power to reveal what they signify (vācya ).” Thus the truth of the Bhāgavata is revealed!

 

Monday Morning Greetings 2025 #28 – The Potency that Removes All Contradictions

July 7th, 2025

I was driving my car in Manhattan and made a wrong turn and found myself on the 59th Street bridge heading to Queens. I needed to get to uptown Manhattan quickly for an appointment and I had no idea how to get back. I was concerned that I would be late. When I stopped at the end of the bridge, I therefore politely asked a worker standing there for help.

 

“Sir, I think I’m lost.”

 

The worker was a typically gruff, “what you see is what you get,” “just the facts” New Yorker. He looked at me with disgust.

 

“You’re either lost, or you are not lost!”

 

Brilliant!

 

I don’t think, however, my New Yorker friend’s cold logic would fare well in the spiritual world.

 

“The Supreme Lord walks and does not walk. He is far away, but He is very near as well. He is within everything, and yet He is outside of everything.”

 

“Ordinarily, if someone can walk, it is illogical to say he cannot walk. But in reference to God, such a contradiction simply serves to indicate His inconceivable power.” Śrī Īśopaniṣad Verse 5 and purport

 

Presently I am studying Ka-sagati by Sivarama Swami with a friend. Sivarama Swami provides a rendition of Krishna’s pastimes. His introduction is seventy pages long and is meant to prepare the reader to hear those pastimes properly. A lot of the introduction is an attempt to resolve, at least by referencing śāstra, how Krishna leaves Vrindavan at the age of eleven and simultaneously never leaves Vrindavan.

 

The śāstras often give descriptions like this of the spiritual realm that are full of contradictions, but that never bothers me. I think something like this.

 

God must exist beyond time and space. If He is subject to anything more powerful than His will and power, He is not God. Even time? Of course, but how can we logically conceive that there is something that is not limited by past, present and future? We can’t. Logic is based on the laws of cause and effect, including time and space, which are under God’s jurisdiction. So it is reasonable or logical that descriptions of God and his realm are not under the laws of ordinary reason or logic.

 

Since I have understood things in that way, I was thus quite pleased to read these same points in a short essay by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura titled “The Potency that Removes All Contradictions.”

 

“Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the embodiment of eternality, absolute knowledge, and unlimited bliss, possesses an inconceivable potency called virodha-bhanjika-śakti (removing all contradictions). By the influence of this potency, all apparently contrary principles and natures are unified and are eternally present. Form and formlessness; omnipresence and localised beautiful physical presence; equal disposition towards all and special favour of mercy towards devotees; birthlessness and taking birth; being the supreme object of everyone’s worship and accepting the position of a cowherd boy; omniscience and accepting the position of a human being; impersonalism and personalism; and many such unlimited contradictory characteristics are wonderfully harmonized and manifest in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s personality. And furthermore, they are engaged in assisting the activities of Śrīmati Rādhikā, the embodiment of the highest spiritual emotions and pleasure-giving potency. Those who doubt and contest this truth are truly deprived. Before one begins a debate, one must consider that human logic is very limited; hence, it has no jurisdiction in the realm of the unlimited, inconceivable principle. The fortunate soul discards dry rhetoric and cultivates faith in the evidence of the revealed scriptures—the Vedas. This seed of faith sprouts and gradually grows into a creeper of devotion to finally rest at Śri Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.”[1]

 

You are either lost or you are not lost!

 

True, but not in the realm of God, where everything is ruled by love.

 

For love He can be gone from Vrindavan and at the same time for love never leave. Everything is possible by His potency that removes all contradictions.

 


[1] This was forwarded to me by a friend. Despite research, I could not find the exact reference where this is found.

 

Monday Morning Greetings 2025 #27 – Seeing, But Not Seeing, and the Five Components of Perception

June 30th, 2025

Recently, someone shared with me “the gorilla on the screen” experiment.[1] In the experiment people watch a video of two groups passing a basketball. They are instructed to count the passes made by one of the teams to the other requiring them to be very focused. During the video, a person in a gorilla suit walked through the scene, even thumping its chest before walking away. Surprisingly, half the participants were so focused on the task of following the ball they did not see the gorilla, which demonstrates that perception requires attention, not just the senses.

 

After seeing this, it dawned on me how important this point is. In fact, when I thought about it more deeply, I realized that there are several factors required for perfect perception. I came up with five in total. Most importantly, I realized how important these components of perception are in the practice of bhakti. Before I get into that, let me describe what I came up with.

 

The Senses

The objects we perceive are composed of five sense attributes—sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. Our initial experience of the world is therefore through five knowledge-acquiring senses—the eyes, ears, nose, skin and tongue. Pratyakṣa, direct observation, is therefore one of the three most important pramāas, means of knowing.

 

Attentiveness

As our experiment showed, however, the senses alone are insufficient for good perception. The focus of the mind on the appropriate sense viewing that object is also required. Therefore, even if an object comes into the range of our view, we may not perceive it. Some of us may have had that experience in a conversation or a class. The mind wandered and we did not momentarily hear what was said, although the sound vibration we were listening to was still in the air.

 

Understanding

Even if we are attentive and perceive an object, if we lack a proper understanding of an object our perception may still be faulty. In other words, if you don’t understand what something is, you are not really perceiving it. For example, imagine you present an iPhone to a tribal person who never had contact with Western civilization. He picks it up and stares at it. Could you truly say he is perceiving an iPhone?

 

Attitude

Even if we are attentive and understand what we are seeing, our perception of that object is still questionable. We also need to have the proper attitude. For example, let’s say you meet with someone that you know, but you are envious of them. If out of envy you fail to recognize some of their good qualities, to what extent then are you fully perceiving them? Our attitude, especially when we hate or like, certainly skews our perception.

 

Revelation

Perception depends on the will of the object when that object is a person. People are, fundamentally, understood in terms of their nature as a servant, master, friend, parent or lover. That attitude can only be perceived if that person chooses to reveal it. For example, one may work with someone and know and respect them, but still not know their intimate side. As a result, one may never perceive that person’s nature as a friend, unless that person chooses to reveal himself as one’s friend.

 

Let’s end this post with just a few simple examples of how important understanding the complexity of perception is to the practice of bhakti.

 

Attentiveness and Bhakti

Whether we are chanting the mahā-mantra or hearing the Bhāgavatam, our perception and experience of Krishna depends on our attentiveness. Here’s a simple reference from Śrīla Prabhupāda about perceiving Śrī Krishna in the Bhāgavatam.

 

“One should hear with rapt attention from the real person, and then he can at once realize the presence of Lord Krsna in every page.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.3.44, purport

 

Understanding and Attitude

The goal of the Bhāgavatam is to understand and feel our relationship with Radha and Krishna. It is not presented until the Tenth Canto because without a proper understanding and a purity of heart, we will not perceive the Absolute Truth when we hear Their pastimes. Instead, we will perceive something phantasmagorical or mundane. Therefore, one must first study the first nine cantos to purify our understanding and heart (attitude). Only then when hearing about Radha and Krishna we will perceive and experience what They truly are, the highest reality.

 

Revelatory

“To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” Bhagavad-gītā 10.10

 

We should therefore understand that perception of Krishna in the form of His name, pastimes, deity, holy dhāma, and pure devotees is not possible without rapt attention, the proper understanding, a pure heart, and the mercy of God. In other words, all the components of perception must be operating.

 

Understanding that “seeing, is not seeing” is therefore especially relevant for one on the path of bhakti.

 

 


[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo

 

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