Waves of Devotion

Dhanurdhara Swami October 7th, 2024

In a recent post[1] I discussed the powerful use of upamān (analogies) as a pramāṇa (means of evidence) and offered a few original analogies that I composed. For this post, I will offer a few more analogies that I composed inspired by my attempt to explain the following section of the seventh chapter of the Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta and to show the power of this tool in elucidating difficult subjects.

 

Śrī Nārada is mortified because by entering Dvārakā in uncontrollable ecstasy he inadvertently instigates a scene that reminds Krishna of the gopīs. By doing so he sends his Lord into such a deep state of separation that it appears that the Lord has almost died. To pacify Nārada, who is devastated by what he had precipitated, Krishna explains that rather than being upset with Śrī Nārada, He was pleased. Although the pain of separation is apparently unbearable, it simultaneously causes such a state of unparalleled ecstasy that one actually hankers for it. Śrī Krishna thus shockingly tells Nārada:

 

“One may want to feel that separation again and may indeed feel distressed if one cannot.”

 

Gopīparāṇadhana dāsa’s commentary based on Sanātana Gosvāmī’s commentary elucidates the Lord’s point further:

 

“Judging from the strength of the devotee’s urge to continue suffering viraha-bhāva, that bhāva must in fact be the ultimate happiness.” (Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta 1.7.128, commentary)

 

I am presently teaching this section of Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta which describes how these seemingly mutually exclusive qualities of agony and ecstasy can exist simultaneously on the level of prema. It helped me to realize even further how helpful upamān (analogy) is in explaining very subtle and, in this case, almost inconceivable, concepts. In fact, an analogy is given in the commentary to help us reconcile this contradiction:

 

“A material example may help clarify this point: Although the coldness of ice is the opposite of the heat of fire, ice placed on one’s body may feel as hot as burning coal. In this example, the burning sensation from the ice is illusory, the numbing coldness real. Similarly, the pain of viraha-bhāva is a false appearance, disguising the reality of indescribable joy.” (Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta 1.7.128, commentary)

 

What follows are my own analogies to help communicate how we can understand this seemingly puzzling concept.

 

Analogy 1

 

A drama is successful when the audience feels the rasa it encapsulates, whether it’s romance, horror, chivalry or tragedy. Although the emotions can be negative like tragedy and horror, one can immensely enjoy the experience at the same time, as in enjoying a tragedy or a horror film. In the same way, the residents of Vrindavan experience deep separation from Krishna, an apparently negative emotion, but enjoy that emotion at the same time.

 

Analogy 2

 

In the last hundred yards of a marathon, when the victor is approaching the finish line, although the fatigue, exhaustion and pain may be increasing, the runner becomes so overwhelmed with a sense of accomplishment and joy that the main mood is one of great happiness. In the same way, one in deep separation from Krishna feels increasingly the pain of separation from Krishna, but it intensifies the love for Krishna. As this love is the essence of their happiness, their main mood is one of overwhelming ecstasy.

 

Finally, the ācāryas tell us that we should not be surprised that these concepts are confusing because they exist in a realm that is beyond this world and therefore require a certain level of personal experience and realization to comprehend.

 

“The ecstasy of separation is not the miserable experience it seems to outsiders; it is mano-rama, the cause of full satisfaction for the heart. If someone still asks how one can feel happy within misery, he should know that only the rasikas, those who have spontaneous eagerness to taste this prema, can understand it.” (Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta 1.7.126, commentary)

 

Let me end with another analogy I composed to help us comprehend that it is reasonable that there are certain understandings that take a certain level of experience or maturity to understand.

 

Just as a very young girl can’t appreciate a romance because she is so many years away from having the experience of love between adults, similarly those not very mature on the path of bhakti lack the experience to comprehend the higher sentiments of perfect devotion where great happiness can be felt within misery.

 

After studying and teaching this section, I am more convinced than ever that upamān (analogy) is one of the most effective pramāṇas (means of knowing) for subtle and challenging concepts.

 

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[1] https://wavesofdevotion.com/2024/06/10/swamis-analogies/

 

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Dhanurdhara Swami September 30th, 2024

The immigration officer looked up at me sternly, “Your student visa has expired June 10, 2024!”

 

What!? There must be some misunderstanding. I applied last October for a one-year extension. It has been granted. Look here under visa expiry date. It says 10/6/2024.

 

“In India, the month is the second digit. That’s June 10^th.

 

I then realized what happened. 10/6/2024 was the expiry date of my passport when I entered the country last year. When I applied for a year extension, they could only extend the visa until the validity of my passport, but because 10/6/2024 coincidentally would have been the date for the usual one-year extension, if the 10 stood for the month of October and the 6 stood for the date of the month, I mistakenly thought I was extended for one year. Evidently, American Airlines made the same mistake and allowed me to board my flight to India with an invalid visa. I pleaded my case to the immigration official who called his superiors. Soon two officials came, took my documents, ushered me into a waiting area for the deportation office and told me I should wait while they made further inquiries. A flood of realizations entered my mind.

 

Waiting is the Greatest Surrender

 

Surrender means accepting God’s will. When you are waiting for some crucial decision or information, there is nothing you can do about it. You’re left without even a crumb of the illusion of control or participation in the solution. All you are left with is prayer and God’s will. Waiting is therefore the greatest surrender.

 

You Can’t Buy a Ticket to Vrindavan

 

I have been coming to Vrindavan for forty-eight years. I travel economy, but this year I had an upgrade for the first time. I never traveled in such luxury. When things go your way, you tend to think you are controlling your destiny. Boy, was Krishna teaching me a lesson. You can only enter Sri Vrindavan by the mercy of Radha, no matter what class you travel and no matter how many years you have been effortlessly allowed entry.

 

Krishna is in Control

 

In one sense I passed the time peacefully. At least, I was determined to be equal-minded about my happiness or distress, confident that Krishna protects His devotee, which means that He does what is best. I didn’t know whether that meant granting me entry or deporting me, but I never felt helpless at the hands of the government. It was clear that it was all in Krishna’s hands and they were just pawns to execute Krishna’s will, which would soon be revealed. Of course, it would be painful never to be able to come to Vrindavan again, but that possibility didn’t seem to be on the table. It was only a matter of having this one entry denied.

 

Spiritual Life Becomes More Intense in Crisis

 

My chanting, however, was intense. There was a feeling of density in my meditation, in the sense that I couldn’t afford to be lax and leave space for other thoughts. Why does it take crisis to reveal the abject need to thicken our thoughts and feelings in devotion?

 

Everything is Krishna’s Mercy

 

After forty-five minutes, another official came, this one dressed in a suit instead of a uniform. I immediately pleaded my case. He looked bewildered and put me on hold and got on his phone. I just stood next to him waiting to see what came next. The original officials came with a well-dressed representative of American Airlines. They kept the documents and said, “Come with us.” Then one of the officials, the nicer one, said, “We granted you entry. You have a ten-year tourist visa in your passport which is still valid. We will let you in on that. But don’t study at any institution. If you want, while in the country, you can apply to switch it to a student visa, but it may not be accepted, and if it is you may have to pay a financial penalty.”

 

I decided to stay in India on a tourist visa and no longer be affiliated with the institution named on my student visa. I think it’s a much better situation. There were many rule changes I wasn’t aware of, and in the final analysis in many ways I ended up with a better visa than I had before. So, it’s all Krishna’s mercy.

 

Entry Granted!

 

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Dhanurdhara Swami September 23rd, 2024

I am fascinated with monastic communities. I recently watched a short documentary about one.[1] Mount Athos is a somewhat inaccessible mountain on the Athos peninsula in northeastern Greece governed as an autonomous region by a community of twenty monasteries and various small and single occupancy hermitages. The architecture of the monasteries is beautiful, and the art decorating them and stored there is priceless. They feature, however, a more traditional monastic life as compared to my more modern and social preaching life as a Hindu monk (sannyāsī). I was impressed and humbled in many ways as I learned about them. I thought it must be so peaceful to just completely leave everything of the world. Could I be so renounced? Maybe one day I can also chuck it all in and just retire completely to Govardhan. Would Śrīla Prabhupāda approve? I’m not sure. But certainly, I could do much better in my renunciation.

 

I remembered an interview in the documentary with one very educated American born monk, a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, who in his interview talked about how his loving father in the USA on his deathbed requested to see him for one last time. He hadn’t seen him in twenty-seven years. This monk never went, never even thought for a second of going, and was completely unmoved about it. It seemed to me so heartless. I felt for his father. He explained it, however, philosophically. His eternal relationship is with God, all others are temporary. Okay, he’s a traditional monk who left the world with faith in God. Isn’t that what traditional monks do?

 

What really hit me was another interview with a monk who revealed the “mantra” which all the two thousand monastics living there accept as their mission statement: “Embrace and love death.” They see death as their ticket to heaven and their lives as monks as paying the price of that ticket. That “mantra” really struck me.

 

When I heard that phrase, I felt some relief, but why? I don’t obsess excessively about death, and my vision is usually philosophical and optimistic. Maybe I still have some lingering fear of death, and the monk shared the phrase with such conviction that it gave me hope to transcend it.

 

A monk looks at death in a different way. For him real death is not the death of the body, but the death of the false ego, the illusory conception of enjoyer and controller. The consequent attachment with the body is the vehicle to fulfill one’s illusion. Monkhood therefore means practicing death by a fully renounced life. Therefore, instead of living according to the dictates of the body, the monk leaves the world to facilitate a life of the eternal soul fully surrendered to God’s will.

 

The bhaktas don’t have to leave the world to be renounced. Their renunciation is giving up those things that have no value in serving God. That doesn’t discount the benefit of living and striving for a life more unencumbered by social and economic restraints. And there  is a need for one in my order of monkhood (sannyāsa), to be an exemplar of a simple and renounced life. In that sense, I admire the monastics of Mount Athos and strive also to fully embrace and love death. Isn’t that our philosophy?

 

“My dear King, if you want to be fearless in meeting your death next week (for actually everyone is afraid at the point of death), then you must immediately begin the process of hearing and chanting and remembering God.” (Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 2)[2]

 

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[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mXl8C4-M_4

[2] This quote by Śukadeva Gosvāmī is paraphrased in the Nectar fo Devotion. If anyone knows where the verse from the Bhāgavatam is located please write us.

 

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Dhanurdhara Swami September 16th, 2024

As important as speaking the truth, is having the truth understood. To accomplish that you must understand the language of your audience. When I say the language of your audience, I am obviously not talking about the vernacular of a country or people, but how people according to their culture or experience understand different words and concepts within the same vernacular. In other words, the same word may be impregnated with different meanings according to that person or group’s culture and therefore when a preacher/teacher uses a word, it is necessary to understand what that word or concept means to that audience. The most difficult challenge in communicating therefore is when there is a mixed audience where the attendees understand the words and concepts in different ways. I discussed this challenge previously in terms of how various cultures react, some positively and some negatively, when they hear the word or concept “surrender.” As Śrīla Prabhupāda’s books were addressing a very mixed audience, I think communicating effectively to them was one of his greatest challenges.

 

And just consider how varied his audience was. His listeners were everyone from non-devotees to neophyte and advanced devotees, from progressives to conservatives, and from those foreign to Vedic culture to those immersed in it. We could go on and on.

 

His teachings also needed to be time tested, as he would be speaking to people through different epochs, and he wanted his books to be the standard books of knowledge for thousands of years in a rapidly changing world.

 

Another challenge exists because bringing the teachings of Sri Caitanya into modernity is not always popular, no matter how well you try to accommodate the frame of reference of your audience.  Although his aim was to reach everyone, he wasn’t going to water down his teachings like many who came from the East before him.

 

Was he successful? If so, how did he do it?

 

In terms of success, it is fact, and he would often point this out, that despite so many translations of the Gītā that came to the west before his own, no one fully imbibed its message and surrendered to Krishna. Thousands became devotees after reading Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. It’s hard to question his success.

 

My interest in this subject was sparked by preparing for my recent lectures about Sri Radha to honor Her appearance day. While conducting my research, the nature of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s challenge dawned on me. I envisioned his concern while writing his books. If he didn’t restrain immature readers from prematurely dwelling on the pastimes of the gopīs, his movement could be cheapened and lose its reputation. In fact, that had happened previously just a few generations after Sri Caitanya left the world. At the same time, I envisioned him being equally concerned that he offered his followers what Sri Caitanya came to give, “the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā 1.4). What did he do?

 

He chastely presented the main teachings of Sri Caitanya, by translating the two main foundational teachings of the tradition, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the Sri Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Everything is there from the beginning teachings to gopī-bhāva while through his purports the strong restraint from taking the more esoteric teachings cheaply is presented in no uncertain terms. In my preparation I especially marveled at the Kṛṣṇa Book which is basically a straightforward rendition of the verses and commentaries of the Tenth Canto presented in story form. Still, when it came to the five chapters describing the gopīs he added just enough of his own commentary to inoculate one from projecting their own mundane sense of eroticism onto the page. In that way those qualified to go deeper have the essence of Sri Caitanya’s teaching while those with less qualification are protected from abusing it. It looks so simple but that’s the point. That it was done so seamlessly shows Śrīla Prabhupāda’s genius in meeting one of his greatest challenges—to speak the truth to a mixed audience but have that the truth understood by all who are sincere.

 

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Dhanurdhara Swami September 9th, 2024

Sometimes my Monday Morning Greetings is inspired by a question that I was asked recently in class, such as one from last Sunday which sparked a discussion about envy and the path of devotion:

 

“Is there envy in the spiritual world?”

 

Of course, although there is the facsimile of jealousy in the drama of Radha and Krishna, all rasa (loving exchanges) in the spiritual world are born purely out of ecstatic love. Therefore nothing that happens there can be born of envy or hate. That, however, is not our story in this world.

 

“O scion of Bharata, O conqueror of the foe, all living entities are born into delusion, bewildered by dualities arisen from desire and hate.”

 

“…The illusory energy is manifested in the duality of desire and hate. Due to desire and hate, the ignorant person wants to become one with the Supreme Lord and envies Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead…” Bhagavad-gītā 7.27, verse and purport

 

There you have it, the foundation of the material world in a nutshell. We come to this world out of ego desiring superiority and thus we naturally hate or envy those who threaten that self-conception. We may think that as decent people this no longer refers to us, but before making that assessment we should at least reflect just how much the disease of envy is inherent within us once we have accepted a material body. Consider the following.

 

At the end of one’s life, in consideration of our past deeds and our present desires, God decides through his supporting agencies the appropriate body that will give us the best opportunity to evolve in consciousness in our next life, mostly by frustrating the desire to enjoy and control which the present body has afforded us. This identification with the material body is facilitated by the element of false ego which delimits our consciousness or awareness so that we fully relate to the specific body which we have received. In other words, our material identity is based on the false ego, which is primarily characterized by the desire for superiority, and thus our present body and its attachments are naturally imbued with the duality of desire and hate!

 

It should now be clear from this current exposition why the path of devotional surrender, or pure service, is the most direct and powerful process of liberation from material entanglement. Serving God and consciously cultivating the true ego as His servant is completely antithetical to the false ego, the cause of the bodily concept and its dualities.

 

In fact, the path of bhakti is so antithetical to the false ego, and its consequent dualities of desire and hate, that in the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.2), it is proclaimed that this book is for the devotees (satām) who are completely free from hate, (nirmatsarāṇām). Therefore even religious activity that offers reward for one’s sacrifice (which includes most of the Vedas) is adamantly rejected in the Bhāgavatam because it is also still infused with the dualities of desire and envy.

 

Does this mean that devotees are automatically free from envy? Obviously, not.

 

What it does mean is that the path of devotion is not for one with material aspirations connected to the false ego. Rather, its practice and goal is pure devotion:

 

“One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service.” Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11

 

And it means our exemplars are devotees like the Six Goswamis:

 

“…They are just like the ocean of love of God, and they are popular both with the gentle and with the ruffians, because they are not envious of anyone…” (emphasis mine) Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 1

 

And that was our brief discussion on envy and the path of devotion.

 

 

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Dhanurdhara Swami September 2nd, 2024

A Commentary on the Lakota Code of Ethics[1]

Recently Madhavananda dasa shared with me the Lakota Code of Ethics. Evidently, he saw some depth in it. I did also. The Code expertly provides the basic principles of behavior of this native North American native tribe. More than the clarity and force of its presentation, what struck me is how it demonstrates the universality of truth. We say truth is veda, which means knowledge, but we don’t limit truth to just what is found within a book, no matter how comprehensive the presentation. Truth is embodied in the world. It exists eternally and independently of human creation. A book just encapsulates it and communicates it appropriately to its intended audience. Throughout the ages, and even occasionally in modernity, great thinkers have seen and realized aspects of that truth and have communicated it according to the language and frame of reference of the people of their time.

 

After looking at the Lakota Code, I could write an article on each item listed, but that is far beyond a Monday Morning post. Therefore, I will briefly comment on the first one and then just list the rest. The main thrust of this entry, therefore, is to use the Lakota Code to show the universality of truth, which should become evident when you read it.

 

 

Lakota Code of Ethics

 

1. Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray often. The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak.

 

Commentary:

Rise with the sun to pray: According to Vedic calculations, the twenty-four-hour day is precisely divided into thirty muhūrtās, or forty-eight minute periods that reflect the different effects that different parts of the day have on one’s consciousness. The early morning around sunrise, especially the brahma-muhūrtā, the forty-eight minutes before sunrise, have by far the greatest impact on the mind for peace and concentration. Serious spiritual practitioners make good use of those hours to deepen their spiritual life.

 

Pray alone: For meditation we need a time and place reserved exclusively for Krishna where we sit alone separated from all of life’s other responsibilities. That place is called our āsana, literally a seat for exclusive concentration. When the mind becomes focused, āsana becomes upāsanā, which literally means “to sit near (upa).” This conventionally implies worshiping, or serving, as one must be present near the object of worship, not just physically, but in the mind. Without that type of regulation by which our worship can be exclusive and one-pointed, our mind will be divided between the object of worship and our responsibilities and attachments. Yoga or meditation will not take place.

 

Pray Often: To get true realization our thoughts need not only be concentrated and without interruption, but also prolonged. “Practice becomes firmly established when it has been cultivated uninterruptedly and with devotion over a prolonged period of time.” Yoga-sūtras 1.14

 

The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak: “Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Viṣṇu, such sinful persons may attract the attention of the Supreme Lord, who therefore considers, ‘Because this man has chanted My holy name, My duty is to give him protection.’” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.2.10

 

2. Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance.

 

3. Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.

 

4. Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best food, give them the best bed and treat them with respect and honor.

 

5. Do not take what is not yours whether from a person, a community, the wilderness or from a culture. It was not earned nor given. It is not yours.

 

6. Respect all things that are placed upon this earth — whether it be people or plants.

 

7. Honor other people’s thoughts, wishes and words. Never interrupt another or mock or rudely mimic them. Allow each person the right to personal expression.

 

8. Never speak of others in a bad way. The negative energy that you put out into the universe will multiply when it returns to you.

 

9. All persons make mistakes. And all mistakes can be forgiven.

 

10. Bad thoughts cause illness of the mind, body and spirit. Practice optimism.

 

11. Nature is not for us; it is a part of us. It is part of your worldly family.

 

12. Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom and life’s lessons. When they are grown, give them space to grow.

 

13. Avoid hurting the hearts of others. The poison of your pain will return to you.

 

14. Be truthful at all times. Honesty is the test of one’s will within this universe.

 

15. Keep yourself balanced. Your Mental self, Spiritual self, Emotional self, and Physical self — all need to be strong, pure and healthy. Work out the body to strengthen the mind. Grow rich in spirit to cure emotional ails.

 

16. Make conscious decisions as to who you will be and how you will react. Be responsible for your own actions.

 

17. Respect the privacy and personal space of others. Do not touch the personal property of others—especially sacred and religious objects. This is forbidden.

 

18. Be true to yourself first. You cannot nurture and help others if you cannot nurture and help yourself first.

 

19. Respect others’ religious beliefs. Do not force your belief on others.

 

20. Share your good fortune with others.

 

 

 

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[1] Reprinted, rewritten and edited from September 23, 2019. I am thinking that regularly, not more than once month I will include a reprint from not less than six years ago. There is some good stuff and after 2018 they have not yet been fully edited and refined.

 

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Dhanurdhara Swami August 26th, 2024

Suffering is when we either don’t have what we are attached to (hankering), or we lose that which we are attached to (lamenting). Therefore, the greatest suffering is death where our present life ends, and everything connected with it is taken away. Death, however, is the illusion of non-existence. Our greatest problem therefore doesn’t exist. Death and all material problems are thus ultimately perceptual and not actual.

 

All spiritual processes therefore deal with raising one’s awareness or perception with an understanding that the higher the level of our perception (the more we are free from illusion), the higher our contentment. We will discuss a few of those processes here.

 

Yoga: The purpose of yoga is to bring the mind to sattva, which literally means the nature of being or reality. The mind is a lens or mirror which in sattva, or its true nature, is not distorted or stained by frivolous thoughts. This is accomplished by meditation, or the focus on a single thought or object, which quells the other thoughts distorting the mirror of the mind and brings it to a higher level of perception and contentment.

 

Dharma: At any moment we are faced with a myriad of choices. Dharma is the science of correct or righteous action, the option we choose which elevates the mind to a higher level of perception and contentment.

 

Karma: Karma is God’s law that provides a destiny to give us realizations that elevate us to a higher level of perception and contentment. Reality is like an intricate crossword puzzle and realizations are the pieces of that puzzle. Karma gives us those realizations that help us fill in the picture of the ultimate truth.

 

Śāstra: Our mind is composed of two types of thoughts—kliṣṭa-vṛtti, bad or troubling thoughts and akliṣṭa-vṛtti, good or untroubling thoughts. Bad thoughts are attachments to those things degrading to our consciousness (lying, lust and so on), and aversion to those things that are elevating for consciousness (simplicity and sexual restraint and so on). Good thoughts are just the opposite—attachment to elevating thoughts and aversion to degrading ones. A good and peaceful mind is therefore one with elevated awareness due to a predominance of good thoughts. But how do we change the mind? We change the mind by good ideas which come from the śāstra. If śāstra is presented properly, it will inspire us to contemplate the benefit of good thoughts and then see the world through them. If this is done repeatedly, those thoughts become firmly embedded in our mind as akliṣṭa-vṛtti and we no longer see the world skewed by our selfish desires.

 

Bhakti: The first glory of chanting the holy name is ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ, it cleans the mirror of the mind.

 

One time a student was visiting me for a retreat in Colombia. It was a very challenging time in her life. She said she would just come to my class and that was it. Somehow, she decided to sit just for a few minutes for Jaya Jagannath’s class on the Yoga-sūtras which was directly after mine. It was so engaging that she stayed for the whole thing. Directly after class she came to see me and with fervor expressed her realization after hearing the morning classes, especially the Yoga-sūtras, reflecting on her own challenges, “It’s the mind!”

 

Conclusion, our problems are perceptual and not actual!

 

 

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Dhanurdhara Swami August 19th, 2024

I was recently asked, “When something happens to a devotee, is it karma or krishna-lila?” My response:

 

First, the question is phrased wrong. If something happens to a devotee, the cause can be Krishna, but it’s not krishna-lila, a pleasure pastime of God. The question is therefore better asked “Is it karma or Krishna?” Good question.

 

In the Brahma-saṁhitā we read:

 

“All fruitive actions and their reactions (karmāṇi) for a person engaged in devotional service (bhakti-bhājām) are destroyed (nirdahati).”

 

Well, there you have it. It’s Krishna. But wait a second! Why then do devotees get astrological readings, which chart one’s destiny, and which work reasonably well? Even at Śrīla Prabhupāda’s birth, it was predicted that he would open many temples at an advanced age. So, is it karma? How can it be?

 

When one surrenders to Krishna, one’s purification comes directly under His supervision. But as our karma is specifically Krishna’s law geared to purify us and bring us closer to God, especially if one responds appropriately to one’s fate, why then should Krishna not allow our fate to unfold? In other words, although a person engaged in devotional service is no longer directly under the law of karma, Krishna still sanctions our destiny to continue because our karma is uniquely geared to purify us. That’s certainly true, but if one’s karma is under Krishna’s direct control, can Krishna change our karma?

 

Yes. The purpose of “bad” karma is not to punish us, but to purify us. So if by spiritual education and the practice of devotion we are learning the lessons karma meant to give us, certainly Krishna can interfere and reduce our “bad” karma. But does he have to? Not necessarily, for a devotee sees everything as coming from Krishna and therefore is focused not on destiny (what comes to one), but how one reacts (one’s free will). Every situation, for a devotee, is therefore a unique opportunity to serve God. Do not the most challenging situations often offer the most opportunity to serve God, even if to set an example for others? Also, if we deserve to have our “bad” karma reduced, God doesn’t have to change what happens to us. By studying the Bhāgavatam and applying it in one’s life, one has already reduced the suffering caused by the events in our life by enabling one to see and digest things from a higher platform of understanding.

 

Is it karma or Krishna for a devotee? It is both. For even if one surrenders to Krishna, our destiny or karma has been designed by Krishna to move the world around us to bring us closer to Him. Would not our compassionate Lord still sanction our destiny, His own law, to continue to serve us to the extent we need lessons in life to purify our hearts?

 

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Dhanurdhara Swami August 12th, 2024

Peterhof and Donald Trump Today I will share two thoughts from my recent visit to Moscow:

 

Peterhof and Donald Trump

 

Peterhof is a series of stunning palaces and gardens located in St. Petersburg envisioned, commissioned and supervised by Peter the Great. Perhaps the greatest technological achievement of Peterhof, and one that especially impressed me while visiting, was the sixty-four exquisite and awe-inspiring fountains. What struck me about them is that they are driven entirely without the use of pumps, but just from the pressure collected in reservoirs from natural springs in the upper part of the property. It’s really something to see. Now what does this have to do with Donald Trump?

 

I am not much of a tourist. But my hosts were enthusiastic to show me the city, so I took the opportunity to broaden my perspective by some sight-seeing. I thought that might be something that could inspire my writing. Besides appreciating the splendor of Peterhof, I naturally looked at things through the eyes of the Bhāgavatam. In this case, I particularly recalled the monarchal rule in the Bhāgavatam where the king had the pedigree, training and power to be the proper leader. I didn’t know much about Peter the Great. But I saw the expertise and beauty of St. Petersburg, most of which was accomplished in his lifetime in what was previously mostly a swampy area. I assumed that here was someone who did the work and had the qualities to rule, although now there is some controversy about how noble he was. Anyway, walking through Peterhof and seeing its grandeur, and attributing that to a noble leader, I thought of Donald Trump in comparison, and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris also, and all the other clowns posing as world leaders today in contrast with the noble kings of the past, at least as they are found in the Bhāgavatam. The Bhāgavatam (SB 2.3.19) says in very strong language that we shouldn’t be surprised that democracy can often produce the kind of leaders we see today:

 

“Men who are like dogs, hogs, camels and asses praise those men who never listen to the transcendental pastimes of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the deliverer from evils.”

 

Sure, monarchy can produce tyranny, and democracy can provide guardrails against that, but something about the brilliance of this place, inspired by a king, made me hanker for rāma-rājya!, leadership that is competent with impeccable moral qualities.

 

 

The Danger of Luxury

 

I returned today from Russia. The trip was wonderful. Jagadish and I were treated as royalty. A few days ago, we went to St. Petersburg, a city of unparalleled beauty. Our sponsor sent us first class train tickets for the four-hour bullet train. You can’t imagine its luxury. She also owns an apartment exclusively for distinguished guests, and that is where we stayed. I think that facility was better than a five-star hotel. Evidently, our host owns a company and is very generous, but her focus seems to be devotion, which naturally means she thinks of others before herself. Although she seems to have the means for comfort, she even traversed the quite austere Vraja-maṇḍala parikramā fourteen times. Anyway, we certainly enjoyed our stay and in some ways the facility made it easy for us to put our energy into our service there. I also started to observe that if one is not careful, one can be conditioned and attached to a higher standard of material facility. It made me consider if this standard of living, so far beyond my means, could grow on me with a creeping sense attachment, and I began to reflect to what extent luxury in general was really happiness. My thoughts:

 

The key to happiness is internal satisfaction, not what you have, as long as your needs are met.

 

I wondered how much I will be conditioned by this standard and what would happen if I don’t get it next time I am traveling. I usually travel in coach or economy; will I experience a discontentment that I never had before? In other words, does being conditioned to a standard way above one’s needs counterintuitively create in the long run less contentment and happiness?

 

The pleasure which comes from the satisfaction of a material desire can be very vibrant, but it is very limited because it is so short in duration.

 

Even if I could afford that standard again, the satisfaction of one desire immediately impels another desire, so that type of happiness also ends in some form of dissatisfaction anyway.

 

Next year, I have already been promised the same facilities and pray I use them in the proper mood. I see deep down, however, that I can’t wait until I get to ride that luxury coach again. It was so much fun. Will I accept it with some sense of detachment, or have I been spoiled? Such is the nature of luxury beyond needs. If one is not thoughtful it can certainly lead to more discontentment and thus unhappiness. Don’t forget, the rich and famous are often the most miserable. Hare Krishna!

 

 

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Dhanurdhara Swami August 5th, 2024

Bhakti is the path of radical humility:

 

“One who thinks himself lower than grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor but is always prepared to give respect to others, can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.” Śikṣāṣṭakam 3

 

Although bhakti in many senses is easy in the sense that it is available for anyone without any material prerequisite, its application is still difficult because of its spiritual demands, specifically in the matters of humility and tolerance, as expressed in a Bengali saying about the path of Śrī Caitanya:

 

“I was attracted to the mission of Śrī Caitanya. It looked so inviting, but then I read the third verse of the Śikṣāṣṭakam.”[1]

 

But does humility on the path of bhakti have to be so extreme? It depends on what frame of reference you have when you make that consideration. From the standpoint of this world where each soul is embodied due to false ego and naturally strives for superiority and control, such levels of tolerance and humility as described by Śrī Caitanya certainly seem extraordinary.  If however we gauge such humility from the platform of the soul, which attains its fullness in unalloyed service to God, then such deep humility is just the natural condition of the soul. This becomes evident when we look at humility from the perspective of the two natural opulence’s of the soul—pure knowledge (awareness) and pure love (devotion).

 

Pure Awareness—when one attains transcendental knowledge, one is free of ignorance and can clearly perceive the truth. Such awareness of reality is called advayam-jñāna, non-dual consciousness. Advayam-jñāna means that one sees nothing as outside of God, the Supreme consciousness, and that one is simply an infinitesimal spark within God meant for His service. This is a vision which is certainly awe-inspiring and devotional. I remember thirty years ago traveling in the Himalayas. Before that I always somehow had the image of the Himalayas as being just a tall vertical mountain. I was so stunned to see the scope of not just a tall mountain, but of many vast, tall mountain ranges, that I stopped the bus party I was leading just to go outside to gaze and be humbled by the vastness of the Himalayan mountains. I remember being overcome with the sweet feeling of insignificance and reverence, which I coined as “happy small”, the definition I use now to explain humility. So just imagine the pure awareness of realizing God’s immanence, which is infinitely grander. Would not that state of pure awareness, the natural condition of the soul, invoke in one extreme humility and devotion?

 

Pure devotion: Love means that the happiness of the object of one’s love becomes one’s own happiness. In a sense, in true love we surrender our agency to the wishes of another. The greater the love, the more we become controlled by the object of our love. It’s the humblest position where our lives are ruled fully in love by the needs and pleasure of another. I suppose, especially, most mothers have realized this. But the highest form of love is universal love, where we love God and thus in a sense everything. The utter humility of this position is nicely described in a video conversation with ŚrīlaB. R. Sridhara Maharaja, where he describes the moment of enlightenment when out of intense devotion one’s consciousness is imbued with what he defines as transcendental knowledge (divya-jñāna). He describes a radical shift of consciousness, from seeing oneself as the subject having everything as the object of one’s will, to viewing oneself as the object of God’s will who is the real subject. He then dramatically describes how the soul is “captured,” in that it moves exclusively out of pure love. In other words, in pure devotion one’s false authority is completely relinquished by means of full surrender to the lotus feet of the Lord, which is the position of utter humility.

 

Thinking in this way, perhaps such humility is not so radical. After all, Śrī Caitanya, the most munificent avatar, is calling everyone to embrace it:

 

“Raising my hands, I declare, “’Everyone please hear me! String this verse [Śikṣāṣṭakam 3] on the thread of the holy name and wear it on your neck for continuous remembrance.” (Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā 17.32)

 

 

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[1] Sometimes I remember a quote but can’t locate it and have to paraphrase it. If any readers find the exact quote please send it to me.

 

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