Jadi dengan kata lain dalam mengembangkan Sains dan Teknologi perlu sebuah tuntunan etis dari jalan Spirituality, karena tak cukup mengandalkan rational thinking, seperti yang ditambahkan oleh Peraih Nobel jenius ini, “I am convinced that by purely rational thinking, based on the value-free laws of science, we cannot find ultimate solutions and we cannot create a lasting global order that prevents violents conficts.”

Olehkarena itu, sebagai usahan untuk memahami makna (values) yang lebih mendalam hubungan antara Science dan Spirituality, maka UNUD berkerja sama dengan YIBI mengadakan International Seminar on Science and Spirituality, dengan mengambil tema:

“Values of Science And Spiritual in 21st Century “

Pada : 3 September 2011

Gedung FK UNUD Jalan PB SUDIRMAN, Denpasar,

Dengan aneka TOPIK menarik:

—Titik Temu antara Science dan Spirituality

—Makna dan Misteri kehidupan Manusia

—Misteri Ruang dan Waktu

—Misteri Kesadaran (Conciousness)

—Meditasi dan Penyembuhan

—Relevansi Bhagavad gita dalam pengobatan modern

—Medhicotheology

—God and Science

Banyak Hal yang akan dijawab dalam seminar ini dengan menggunakan pendekatan gabungan (Synthesis) Science and Spirituality:

— Apa itu “Waktu” ?

— Apakah Time Travel itu mungkin?

— Bisakah kita kembali ke masa lalu?

— Apa itu “Kesadaran” ?

— Cukupkah hanya dengan Science (misal: Fisika Kuantum) untuk menguak misteri “Kesadaran”?

— Adakah Hubungan Meditasi dgn Penyembuhan?

— Apa Kaitan Doa, Spirituality dengan Kesehatan?

— Adakah Landasan Ilmiah untuk mengakui keberadaan Tuhan ?

— Bisakah Ajaran Spiritual disajikan dengan Bahasa Ilmiah?

Tunggu apa lagi makanya buruan daftar:

Investasi Cuma Rp 150.000

Pelajar dan Mahasiswa (diskon 50 %)

Tiket dapat dibeli di Gramedia Denpasar

Atau hubungi:

Suastawa : 08980717379

Gung De: 081916101691

made_wardhana@yahoo.com

dvibhuja.bsds@gmail.com

Values of Science And Spiritual in 21st Century

Gedung Pascasarjana Universitas Udayana, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

3 September 2011

Sains dan Spiritualitas adalah dua kekuatan utama (yang sangat dominan pengaruhnya pada umat manusa di muka bumi ini) yang melibatkan pendekatan intelektual, filosofis dan psikologis bagi kesejahteraan umat manusia. Namun, pendidikan modern saat ini lebih menekankan akan pengembangan Sains dan Teknologi tanpa mengindahkan dimensi Spiritual kehidupan, telah menyebabkan berbagai ketidakseimbangan; baik di dalam diri, di dalam masyarakat, bangsa dan dunia. Oleh karena itu, tampaknya ada kebutuhan untuk meningkatkan kesadaran terhadap sintesis Sains modern dan Spiritualitas untuk memperluas perspektif intelektual, dan akhrinya dapat lebih mengharmoniskan kehidupan masyarakat manusia.

Untuk ikut mewujudkan tujuan diatas dan Dalam Rangka Dies Natalis Universitas Udayana yang ke 49, Universitas Udayana bekerja sama dengan Yayasan Institut Bhaktivedanta Indonesia (YIBI) sebagai pusat kajian Vedanta dan Sains secara berkelanjutan mengadakan seminar maupun diskusi tingkat lokal, nasional maupun internasional dengan tujuan untuk menjembatani pandangan sains dan spiritualitas dalam mencapai pemahaman yang lebih mendalam akan tujuan dan makna kehidupan manusia. Berbagai macam isu pada abad 21 telah berkembang dalam dinamika kehidupan dan fenomena alam dan sebagai pertanyaan besar yang perlu dijawab “Apakah spiritualitas masih relevan di zaman kemajuan sains? Sehingga tujuan seminar ini adalah untuk lebih memahami lebih dalam tentang nilai-nilai kehidupan, tujuan serta makna yang terkandung di dalamnya dari pandangan sains dan spiritualitas.

YIBI International Seminar on Science and Spirituality 2009

Jadual kegiatan

Adapun kegiatan ini akan dilaksanakan pada

Hari                  : Sabtu

Tanggal            : 3 September 2011

Tempat             : Gedung Pascasarjana Universitas Udayana, Jl. P.B. Jendral Sudirman

Denpasar, Bali.

Susunan acara seminar sebagai berikut:

07.30 – 08.30

Registrasi

08.30 – 09.30

Sesi 1: Pembukaan

08.30 – 08.40

Doa dan pembukaan – siswa Bhaktivedanta Darma School

8.40 – 08.50

Sambutan ketua panitia: Dr. Made Wardhana

08.50 – 09.00

Sambutan H.H. Kavicandra Swami (USA)

09.00 – 09.10

Sambutan Rektor UNUD: Prof. DR. I Made Bhakta, SpPD.KHOM

09.10 – 09.30

Plenary Lecture; HH Subhaga Swami (India)

Meaning & Purposes of Life

09.30 – 09.40

09.40—12.00

Break

Sesi II: Simposium I

Moderator

Prof. DR. Wijaya Kusuma

09.40 – 10.10

The Science of Consciousness and Matter as Given by Bhagavata Shankya

Prof. Dr. Sudipto Gosh – Indian Institute Technology Karaghpur

10.10 – 10.40

Time Dimensions; Scientific & Vedantic Perspectives

DR. Nikhil Jagdish Bhath – Singapore University

10.40 – 11.00

Titik Temu Spiritual dengan Sains di Era Peradaban Modern.

Prof. DR. Ketut Widnya – Institut Hindu Dharma, Mataram:

11.00 – 11.30

DR. Sapam Nabakisore Singh: Consciousness Studies Within Scientific Materialism.

11.30 – 12.00

Diskusi

12.00 – 14.00

Sesi 3: Simposium 2

Moderator

DR. Wayan Suena

12.00 – 12.30

Meditation & Medication

Prof. DR. Ramgopal Upalluri – Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India

12.30 – 13.00

Relevancy of Bhagavad-gita in Modern Medicine & Alleviation of Suffering

Prof. DR. Gouri Sankar Patnaik – Dept. of Orthopaedy Manipal University, Malaysia

13.00 – 13.20

Medicotheology

DR. Made Wardhana – Bhaktivedanta Institute & Udayana University Bali

13.20 – 14.00

Diskusi

14.00– 14.50

Closing & Conclusion Remark by HH Atmanivedana Swami Maharaja (London, Inggris)

14.50 – 15.00

Makan siang dan doorprize

Investasi : Rp.150.000 untuk umum, Rp 75.000 untuk pelajar dan mahasiswa, sudah termasuk buku seminar, buku sains dan spirituality, snack, makan siang dan sertifikat kredit partisipasi.

Untuk informasi lebih lanjut bisa menghubungi:

• Dr. Made Wardhana, melalui email: made_wardhana@yahoo.com atau HP:  +62 85 637 045 91.
• Suastawa: 08980717379, Alex: 087860209229
• Gung De: 081916101691,  Nariata: 081999805458

Atau kunjungi web kami di: www.bvinstitute.org,

Foto-foto seminar internasional sebelumnya dapat dilihat di:

www.BaliSankirtanFestival.com

email: bsfestival@yahoo.com

1. Dewata TV

2. RRI Denpasar

Devotee: So as we announced, Nashringa Chatur  Dasi, His Holiness Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaj has come from afar. He is traveling all over the world, particularly; he is preaching the glories of Lord Krishna on behalf of Srila Prabhupada to the scientific and educated class of men. He is in the process, working very hard organizing the Second World Conference on Consciousness – The Synthesis of Science and Religion. So, we’re very fortunate to have him speaking tonight, Srila Sripada, as he is affectionately known to many of his friends and disciples. And he will be speaking on Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, and I hope that you all attentively listen. If you have some questions afterwards, he will be here this evening and I want to thank everyone for coming, and without further ado…

Srila Sripada: Jai Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai! Jai New Navadwip Dham Ki Jai! Is this working? Oh, [inaudible words], we’ll have some kirtan. We’ll chant parama koruna

[sings Parama Koruna and recites invocation prayers]

So I would like to welcome everyone to New Navadwip Dham. Dham means a holy place. By coming to the Dham, one gets inspiration about learning what will be the ultimate destination of life’s journey. Seeking knowledge and seeking spiritual enlightenment. So this, all these things can be obtained in the Dham. Therefore it is called the Dham. Navadwip, New Navadwip Dham. Navadwip is the place where Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in this planet a little more than five hundred years ago in India. His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada brought the teachings and the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Therefore this island, this Hawaii Island , is called New Navadwip Dham. So anyone who comes, visits Navadwip Dham, they will get enlightenment, spiritual enlightenment. So that one will be free from all difficulties in life. So after that center, that place, Dham had that potency to give that knowledge and education and the culture so by practicing that, then one will be free from all anxieties in this material world.

So I’ll speak some aspects of Krsna Consciousness. Krsna Consciousness means one who is trying to understand what is the nature of the Supreme Being, Supreme Personality under whose arrangement this whole cosmic world is functioning. And also, what is the nature of the living entity. They are called atma. Atma means the self, the eternal self. In Sanskrit language it is called atma, or the jiva. It means the living entity, the jivatma. So what is the duty, what is the function, what is the nature of life? Just like in science, in biology, we like to understand what is life. Therefore, biology has a lot of theories about life. But we have the Krsna Consciousness principles about what is the nature of life. The nature of life therefore is described, in our text called the Bhagavad-Gita – the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita as well as  Srimad Bhagavatam. I’ll just touch very briefly just to give you a little background about the science and the philosophy of Krsna Consciousness.

Actually, this is a center for education. But education on what? Education on understanding what is the ultimate duty of life. What is the ultimate function of life? What is the duty to be performed by each one of us? So that center of education and  learning, so that place is called Krsna Consciousness. We have many centers like this around the world. So we invite the many sincere friends and people who are interested, people who are searching for spiritual knowledge.  It is for them to  cultivate knowledge. Therefore everyone is welcome – everyone! From every planet, every part of the planet, from any, let’s say background. There is no restriction. We welcome everyone. Because this is the platform for gathering knowledge, for the cultivation of knowledge, for the cultivation of culture. Knowledge means knowledge t knowledge of the each individual life. And also, what is the science of God, and how to realize about the existence of God. So these are the topics discussed in Krsna Conscious centers. And so Hawaii, it is a beautiful island. So here, people come from various parts of the planet, in order to see a lot of nice things here.  Therefore, by Prabhupada’s mercy, this cultural center is also available for people to visit and also to honor very nice food, maha prasadam, so that the people will get enlightenment.  Before I do that,  I’ll repeat this Sanskrit mantra, many of you might already know, but please kindly repeat after me. It is very simple:

Om namo Bhagavate Vasudeva (3 times)

So this is from Bhagavad-Gita, this is the main text of this knowledge. Trying to understand what is the duty, what is the function of the living entity. So many of you might already know, so I will not go into the history. I will just go directly to the text. so I will just read this Sanskrit and then the translation.

väsäàsi jérëäni yathä vihäya

naväni gåhëäti naro ‘paräëi

tathä çaréräëi vihäya jérëäny

anyäni saàyäti naväni dehé

(Bg 2.22)

So this is Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personsality of Godhead, speaking to Arjuna, who is a friend and as well as disciple. This is a dialogue about spiritual knowledge. So the Supreme Personality of Godhead is speaking to His  most beloved student, as well as friend, Arjuna. So the translation says, As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.

nainaà chindanti çasträëi

nainaà dahati pävakaù

na cainaà kledayanty äpo

na çoñayati märutaù

(Bg 2.23)

The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.

So this is very significant. What happens  is that in modern science, not only in modern science, in  modern philosophy. Actually this say modern science started, if we remember the history of science, that around the sixteenth century, when the Galileo, you’ll remember, when Galileo was trying to support the Copernican theory, about this heliocentric, about the cosmology, thats how the revolution, the  scientific revolution started. They’ve got the  church, especially in Christianity, the church and this scientific knowledge, just the opposite. So therefore, there was a great revolution. But however, the momentum of what is called empirical knowledge, meaning we like to acquire that knowledge, or we only want to honor that type of knowledge, which we can perceive through our senses, sense experiences. you want to make an experiment, and you want to observe and then you want to extend the result of your observation in the form of data, and then in the form of mathematical equations. So in this way, you could predict  that the certain causes of let’s say, certain events in this material world. So that became, called scientific knowledge or scientific revolution. Generally this is called empirical knowledge, or empiricism. So therefore, the empiricism means that you have to rationalize the data of your experiments and then you have to get yourself convinced about this data to your sense experiences. But other than that, unless something can be proven by your sense experiences or certain experiments, then that type of knowledge is not regarded as very significant. So therefore, scientific revolution started from around 16^th Century. That interestingly, this scientific knowledge became so prominent, so prominent, that as you move on in the history of science, let’s say when from Galileo, the French philosopher  called Descarte, Renee Descarte. He  was a very famous scientist as well as a philosopher.  He was actually a mathematician. In fact this year, he was born four hundred years ago. This year is celebrated as the Descarte’s four hundredth anniversary throughout the world, as a very well known philosopher. This is a Cartesian philosophy. It became so prominent that the people are still honoring his four hundredth, even in India, just recently when I was in India, in Bombay, there was this big conference on observing Descarte’s four hundredth anniversary year in Pune. Pune is a very important seat of learning in India . So in this way, Descartes as always tried to predict the same thing, he wanted to give complete emphasis on only material knowledge. In other words, they did not so much,  were not willing to accept any knowledge beyond sense experiences. So that was  the driving force creating this modern scientific revolution. Then Newton came. So Newton was the one who synthesized all this, let’s say materialistic, let’s say philosophy and science. So therefore he, Newton is regarded as one of the, very, very, important, let’s say historical figure in the history of science, because he synthesized this Cartesian conception about nature, as well as this motion, terrestrial motion introduced by Galileo and also the conception created by Copernicus. So all these things were synthesized by Newton. So therefore, the victory of modern scientific revolution became very much appreciated, in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. But as science moves on we are more and more interested in knowing what is life. What is the nature of life. And what is the fundamental component that life is made up of. That became also, an important part of this journey. So looking for knowledge, searching for knowledge. Now we are, let’s see at the  nineteenth century, the twentieth century, actually we are almost at the tail end of the twentieth century. Now around the nineteenth century, actually what happened is that around the beginning of the nineteenth century, and almost toward the end of the nineteenth century, the beginning of the twentieth century this quantum physics came. This is because of the appearance of quantum principles, then the seed of confusion became very prominent. So in this process, what happen is that today we are, just like Einstein, and Max Planck and Max Borne, Schrodinger, these are regarded as pioneers in the field of quantum physics. So they all said something about God. They started to say, that we don’t know actually  nature, it is very confusing. We don’t know actually what is right and what is wrong. So therefore that that became even now, now we are at the twilight of the twentieth century, now the dawn of the twentieth-first century, let’s say is very near. So people are beginning to realize that the scientific knowledge, scientific revolution, is not going to give us all the answers. Now all the prominent scientists today, although they may be atheists, they may be materialists, they may be depending on the mechanistic conception of nature but they are beginning to realize we are not going to solve the hidden principles of nature, by this so called mechanistic conception of nature from scientific principles.

So therefore, now it is beginning to open up a vast field of knowledge, that is called –  the higher knowledge, the higher principles of knowledge, that in other words, this material knowledge is not going to give all the answers that we are looking for. Rather, we should look for another form of knowledge. So therefore, what’s going to happen is that now, we are going to have new science. And we’re going to have new philosophy. But  the new science and a new philosophy is going to incorporate the spiritual knowledge. The spiritual frontiers of knowledge. So this, everyone is accepting now, even the atheists, the atheistic people just like this morning, I gave a narration about Carl Sagan and the well known atheistic cosmologist and how a large number of scientists, Nobel Laureates, they are making an appeal to the religious leaders that now we made a mistake. We thought we would able to find everything through our scientific process, but now it’s not working. So therefore we must appreciate the religious wisdom. So this is said by an atheistic person, just recently. So this is a landmark in the history of science. And all these things are happening by Krsna’s arrangement, by Krsna’s mercy, and by Prabhupada’s mercy. So everybody can accept that. So therefore, what here, I wanted to just bring up this point is that in the Krsna Consciousness the foundation of knowledge is based on the teachings in the Vedic literatures. So in the Upanishad, in the Mundaka Upanishad, the foundation of knowledge is very clearly defined. That there are two categories of knowledge.

dve vidye veditavya iti.[1] There are two kinds of knowledge. So that knowledge, one is called material knowledge , it’s called aparavidya. Aparavidya means lower knowledge or material knowledge. What the scientists are trying to study, so this is called the aparavidya. It is a form of knowledge, it is not useless but it is called aparavidya. Aparavidya means inferior or  ordinary knowledge. Say for an example I can calculate the behavior of a ball. Suppose if I throw a ball, then if I know the time, the initial time and the motion, then I can calculate say in such and such in five minutes where the ball will be. So this is called mechanics. This is what Newton was trying to – the laws of motion. So they think this is great (laughs). But the sastra says, scripture says that this type of knowledge is called ordinary knowledge. It is useful, it is not useless, but this is the ordinary knowledge. So this is called aparavidya. But then the scripture says, especially Mundaka Upanishad says that the higher form of knowledge is called paravidya. Paravidya means the spiritual knowledge, or the transcendental knowledge, or trans-phenomenal knowledge. In other words, something beyond phenomenology, there is also a branch of philosophy they do call phenomenology, but this knowledge, paravidya is beyond that, trans means beyond. Transcendental means beyond this ordinary knowledge. So that, beyond ordinary knowledge, so that form of knowledge is actually dealt in Krsna Consciousness. In other words, the science of the soul, the science of life, belongs to that realm of knowledge. So therefore it will be a mistake thinking that life could be a product of this combinations of atoms and molecules. That’s why that the biologists make the mistake, the modern, let’s say cellular biologists or molecular biologists or molecular evolutionists. They made this mistake. So now they are beginning to realize that by their hard work. Its not working that according to the conception that they were planning. So they were forced to accept. Just like Carl Sagan is supposed to accept, that there must be religious wisdom. So that paravidya, paravidya deals with transcendental knowledge. In other words, spiritual knowledge. So in order to have that knowledge of paravidya, therefore Bhagavad-Gita it is said that paradvidya or the science of spirit, or that the transcendental knowledge of life, is that life or the atma, jiva atma, is actually such that, that it can never be cut into pieces, or it cannot be burned by fire, nor it can be moistened by water, nor withered by the wind, and so in this way, this is the just the description, a very preliminary description about the science of the soul, about the science of the self. But however we experience that in regular, if you study, let’s say, how the living entities in this planet, how you see that someone is born and then someone dies. So that way it goes on all the time. Always we are seeing these experiences. But here Krsna says that the symptoms are indicating that as a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and the useless ones. In other words, according to the mental, let’s say make-up of this individual jiva, person, according to the desire of this individual person. So this is called the karma, the karmic activity of this individual person. So a certain person develops a certain type of desire and activity. So accordingly, the components are called  the subtle  material elements. So those subtle material elements, in the scriptures it is said that the ‘mana’. Mana means mind, mind and the buddhi, the intelligence, and the ahankara means false ego. So these three  are the called the subtle cosmic ingredients, cosmic components. Mind, intelligence and the false ego, they are also, they play a very important role, in carrying the message, the information of each individual person’s mind and also activity. So this is called  the subtle carriers of the desires and the feelings of each individual person. So these are subtle cosmic components of this universe, so this carry the desires of each individual person and so at the time of death, death  means the separation of this body and the soul, jiva, jivatma. So that is called death. And at the time of death, so that memory and the information will not be lost, it will not be lost, it will be stored. It will be stored within these three material elements called the manas, buddhi and ahankara. In other words, mind, intelligence, and this ahankahra, that a false ego. So these three material elements will carry the information of each person and so then it get transferred to another, to another form of life, according to  the destination that he or she is supposed to reach. So that way it will manifest again. So this is called the cycles of birth and death. So therefore, in according to Krsna Consciousness, life is a eternal entity. So in other words, it will never be lost, it will always be there, but according to your karma, or to the desire that this individual

Then why, one is supposed to, come to the temple. Why one has to take this austerity, called tapasya. So the explanation is given here, in the Srimad Bhagavatam. This is a very, very important chapter here, in the third Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam. Here, it is actually described very elaborately, the science and the philosophy, that one has to acquire in order to understand the real function of each  individual person. What am I supposed to do.  And what is beneficial, and what is not beneficial. What is good, and what is right, and what is wrong. So, all these things are actually explained here, the Srimad Bhagavatam. So I’ll just touch very briefly. Let me see,  so you can, I think, if someone’s coming for the first time, he should get this book, or the whole Srimad Bhagavatam, but especially the Third Canto, of this Srimad Bhagavatam. It’s called Teachings of Kapila. Here, it contains the whole thing, the science and the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness. So once you study this very thoroughly, then you get all the knowledge. That is called the Säìkhya philosophy. And as I said, the modern science, the confusion of modern scientists is because of a lack of Sankhya Philosophy. Now they are beginning to realize that  they have to accept this Sankhya Philosophy. So in the Sankhya Philosophy it is told  what is mind? How to train the mind, how to control the mind? Unless your mind is trained properly, the mind will be wandering in all directions of this planet. Sometimes you may like to go to, let’s say to a movie. Sometimes you might like to go swimming,  especially in Hawaii.  And sometimes you like to do this and that. Unlimited desires will come to the mind. So if you train the mind, and to give proper direction to the mind, it is very, very vital. It is a vital principle, in order to understand the ultimate meaning of life. So these things are dealt with.  Then what are the function of the senses, then why the senses are dragging me in so many sense objects, so I want this, I want that. Sometimes people say I want this beautiful car. And I want this beautiful house, this beautiful property. Sometimes we focus on many sense objects unnecessarily.

So then the Sankhya philosophy tells us that, how to organize my sense perceptions. So these things are dealt very elaborately. And then what is the brain? What is the function of the brain? Today many scientists say, neuro-scientists say that the consciousness is the function of the brain. But what does that mean? The brain is made up of  neurons. There’s the brain cells and these brain cells they are studying in so many ways, that they are trying to show that the consciousness is a function of  the brain.

But the Bhagavat says that’s wrong, that the consciousness, is completely separate from the brain. Say for example there are many, many microbes , unicellular organisms that they don’t have any brain, but they have the mind. So in other words the scientists like to say that consciousness is a function of the brain, but there are so many organisms, they don’t have any brain, but they are conscious, they have the mind. But Sankhya philosophy says that the, that consciousness is a completely independent entity, and has nothing to do with the brain.

So all these things are very elaborately described in the Sankhya philosophy. So therefore, the modern scientists are beginning to seek for this knowledge. In fact, very recently some very well-known scientists came and to study Srimad Bhagavatam in Bhaktivedanta Institute in Bombay . There is one very brilliant scientist called Henry Stapp from University of California, Berkeley, Quantum physicist, he’s working very much on the nature of the mind, from physics, quantum physics. So like that, there are many important scientists. They are beginning to look for these alternative models from any source. So therefore Bhagavat paradigm, or this paradigm of  Krsna Consciousness gives that alternative as a principle. So therefore, many, many scientists are beginning to take this very seriously. So therefore it says in the Srimad Bhagavatam that  a very important principle is…I’ll just  read

jïäna-vairägya-yuktena

bhakti-yuktena cätmanä

paripaçyaty udäsénaà

prakåtià ca hataujasam[2]

(SB 3.25.18)

So this is about the process of Krsna Consciousness. So Krsna Consciousness is a process to realize what is the nature of the self. What is the function of the jivatma? Searching for the science of self realization about understanding what is the ultimate meaning of this life and also, what is the ultimate duty of life. So this is called searching for the science of self realization.

So here Kapila Dev , actually instructing to his mother, Devahuti, ‘in that postion of self realization. Jnana vairagya yuktena means by practice of knowledge and renunciation. Renunciation in devotional service, one sees everything in the right perspective and he becomes indifferent to material existence and the material influence acts less  powerfully upon him. So the, some very important words here, jnana vairagya yuktena. Jnana means knowledge. So knowledge means what? Knowledge about the science of the self. So that is actually real knowledge. The science of the self. The self is different from matter. In other words, this is a non-material entity, so that knowledge, and also is different from matter. So this knowledge is very, very vital. So by knowing that knowledge, and then renunciation. Renunciation means one is being been freed from the influence of this ups and the downs of material life. Being influenced by material happiness and desires that a person is dragged away, in so many different aspects of activity. But how to, how to stream line that, how to control that, how to be free, from the entanglement in this ups and the downs of material association. So that freeing from all anxieties and the difficulties that can be obtained by practicing jnana and vairagya. Jnana means knowledge, vairagya means freeing or renunciation from this ups and the downs of material life’s activities. So unless one has knowledge, then it will be difficult to be free from entanglement. So in that state, when one has developed  this knowledge by the practice of Krsna Consciousness, then one will have a desire to actually develop the real function of the living entity. So the real function is actually called Bhakti marga, in other words the science of devotion of the self, towards the Supreme Being, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna. So that desire will be become manifest  in the life of a person, in the life of a sincere person. So this wanting to serve the Lord, wanting to become a sincere servant of the Lord, so this desire will become manifest automatically by this process of jnana and vairagya, by knowledge as well as by the process of renunciation. Renunciation means freeing from material desires. Renounce. So in this way, that natural symptom of the living entity will become manifest.

It is also called purification. The purification process means, we are contaminated by the different modes of material nature. But then by practicing this Krsna Consciousness, then one will become purified and then one will be situated properly. So when one becomes situated properly, then automatically one becomes, one becomes very enthusiastic about wanting to find out that the proper process. So that process is obtained.

jïäna-vairägya-yuktena

bhakti-yuktena cätmanä

paripaçyaty udäsénaà

prakåtià ca hataujasam

So in that state of existence, it is when a person is able to see things properly. In other words, a person will be enlightened. A person will get the real knowledge, and you’ll see things, what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad, and what is the real process to be done, and what is the process to be abandoned. So this real and scientific knowledge, will become manifest in the life of a person. So that when knowledge becomes available in that way, then a person will become very serious in his or her journey through life. In other words, he or she will be very careful that because the time factor. You don’t have so much time in this world. So therefore, a person becomes extremely careful about utilizing the time, and so things which would not be productive, things which would not be very useful, that person would not be very interested in spending time there. So in this way, the science of self-realization, the science of self-knowledge, when one becomes enlightened, automatically one becomes extremely enthusiastic, in doing only the best, the best in life’s journey. That way, he or she will attain ultimate destination in life’s journey. Life is a journey, that we all have to accept that. Life is a journey, so in this journey, we have to encounter ups and downs. Sometimes you have to cross a big forest. Sometimes you have to cross water. Sometimes you have to climb a big mountain, but if you’re clear, the destination, if the destination is very clear and if you are very determined, then depending on the mercy of the Lord, then  you get the strength, and then deep commitment to reach that destination. So that way your journey will become – you will be able to reach that destination. In other words, you will be able to fulfill life’s mission. Krsna Consciousness therefore, gives a person this type of commitment and also direction so if one follows very properly and one is bound to obtain all this intricate aspects of knowledge. So that way, life’s journey will become meaningful, and you’ll find, you will feel very happy, and then you will begin to, actually also take this life’s journey in a much more, enthusiastically and then you’ll not like to waste, unnecessary to unwanted activities. Therefore Krsna Consciousness gives the proper, the guideline and direction, in order to reach the goal of life, life’s destination and it is applicable to everyone, to anyone, who is searching for that knowledge and it is a completely non sectarian. The only thing is that one has to have the desire and sincerity in order to practice this fundamental principle of life. So any questions?

[Some asks a question (inaudible)]

So this empirical knowledge is due to lack of training. In other words, unfortunately such people do not have the facility to learn the higher form of knowledge. So this way, they need to find a proper teacher, proper source, so that he has to get the transcendental knowledge. So in this way, if the education is directed, and a person is given facility, then he or she will be  able to gather this important form of knowledge, and so therefore Krsna Consciousness, let’s say, let us practice Krsna Consciousness. That empirical knowledge, to some degree, also empirical knowledge is also actually useful. It is not completely useless.

But it is useful, if one can use it properly. But, without that knowledge, without using whether this is right or wrong, without that background, then one will be mislead. Therefore, just like Max Borne,  you know, a well known quantum physicist. Max Borne says that ‘by the knowledge I gather from the study of atoms’, because he was a quantum physicist, ‘so by studying the fundamental principles of the atoms, so that that led me to appreciate about the existence of the Creator.’ So in this way, because he saw the very orderly nature within the atoms. So he could not conceive that, it could happen at random or without any, let us say, creator, without any higher source. So therefore he was saying that by knowledge, in other words from apara vidya , empirical knowledge is apara vidya, the lower knowledge now, if the source is known properly, that lower knowledge also can be used for appreciating the higher knowledge. So in this way it is useful. So in other words, a person has to have some training, has been exposed to the different categories of knowledge. In other words, a person should in his or her  search for knowledge, they should look for  the real knowledge. So in this way, one will be able to apply the proper form of knowledge, to appreciate the Supreme Personality.

[Someone asks a question (inaudible)]

Sankhya . no this is not Sankara Acarya, that is very recent. This is Sankhya philosophy. Sankhya means counting actually and this Sankhya philosophy is by Lord Kapila. Lord Kapiladev is the, actually incarnation of Krsna. Lord Kapila and here, this is the son of Mother Devahuti and so the son of Devahuti and Kardama Muni. So that Kardama Muni and mother Devahuti had somehow were blessed by the mercy of the Lord because of their great devotion. So they got Kapila as their son. And Lord Kapila is actually the incarnation of Krsna, and so Kapila gave this  Sankhya philosophy, on the science and the philosophy of understanding everything including devotional service, that Sankhya philosophy is a – even now, and is much more relevant to modern scientific knowledge. So that is the Sankhya philosophy, given by Lord Kapila. And actually here it is in this volume and I didn’t touch the Sankhya philosophy, but useless part of the, it’s called the fundamental principles of the material – in chapter twenty-six. Fundamental principles of material nature. Here, Kapila instructed to his mother Devahuti about what is the most scientific knowledge of the nature of the self. This is being explained in a very wonderful way. This is a little bit intricate but it contains the whole spectrum of knowledge.

[Someone asks a question (inaudible)]

Yeah, No, they didn’t specifically, I was talking in general, that Carl Sagan and more than thirty-one very brilliant scientists around the world including several Nobel Laureates, so they made a strong – it was published actually in the Journal of American Physics. You’ll find that appeal also, there’s a long appeal. Basically, you know because they find that the ecological problem today, in the world, is becoming very, very difficult. So the mainly the pollution of the environment,  then causing different diseases, and in the name of scientific and technological, industrial, let’s say advancement and so much disturbing in the ecological system of the planet, so in this way, they are convinced that unless some religious principles, wisdom, also is incorporated, then it’s going to be very, very harmful for the planet. So knowing that, they made this appeal So the appeal was in a very moving, you should read that, it is a long appeal pure and it was very much appreciating about we must accept the ancient wisdom given by the, you know these religious leaders and it was a kind of appeal in a very you know, it was very submissive, with humility. Yeah, I can give you the reference – it was not very old. This was submitted in – there was a Moscow there was a Moscow global forum. That was in 1992. It was submitted there and in fact there were about 200, 280, more than 280 religious leaders signed that, said, we must join hands together in order to protect this problem of our planet. So in this way, actually it is very interesting now. We are moving to another era, I think, coming to another this state of civilization. I know many scientists who are supposed to be atheists but, they becoming very open minded and opened to religious dialogue. It is very, very interesting, just like you see the union for concerned scientists, they have more than one hundred thousand people, members, practically all the Nobel Laureates joined that, this union of concerned scientists. Their headquarters is in Massachusetts, also they have in Washington, and their concern is very, very important. And so all this is opening up and then you can see, there is interface between science and religion, science and the Theology is becoming very, very prominent, in every part of the world, especially in the United States as well as in Europe. So people are beginning to open up, especially the scientists. The scientists are taking the leading role in this thing,  even in theology. So this is a very good sign, very good sign. And so definitely you’ll see something very soon. In the early part of the next century, I think we are going to see new science and new philosophy and new understanding about cosmology, but it seems to be in the right direction. Therefore Krsna Consciousness  very handy and so, I am organizing a conference, give me that.  So this conference this is called, The Second World Congress for the Synthesis of Science and Religion. This is going to be held in Calcutta , next year, January nine to twelve, and there will be about 3,600 well-known scientists and philosophers, and we’ll gather together. But this done in honor of Srila Prabhupada’s centennial appearance celebration. And so there will be many religious leaders like the Dalai Lama and many Nobel Laureates, scientists, and philosophers will gather together and if you want to attend this congress then you can actually write to us or participate. This is January , nine to twelve, 1997, next year, and so actually I am going around the world just to invite many scholars and I brought some pamphlets. Anyone is interested, later on after prasadam maybe you can see me and I can give you the details. If anyone of you would like papers for this program, please we can do that. So it’s for everyone (laughs). So many important people and these topics that we will be discussed. Ecology, consciousness, then world peace, then origin of life, and the origin of the universe, and bio-medical ethics.  All these things should be discussed.

[Someone asks a question (inaudible)]

Yeah, population control. Population control means, except that they have their own way of saying.  But I think, you know when one begins to practice Krsna Consciousness, that it could be understood properly and even the scientists, they say, well this is another area that  one has to (laughs) propose some very meaningful, some very practical solution. So practical solution is that if one is Krsna Conscious, that solution is there. But if one is not Krsna Conscious, then one may try so many this and that. It may not be so practical. So therefore, we have to find ways and means to how to bring up a practical solution from Krsna Conscious viewpoint. And it is possible, this is possible to do, we have not focused much around that line but it is definitely possible. So I have been given a signal that now the prasadam time is coming and so we like to thank you for coming. Please come regularly and also bring your friends, and  also you should get some of these books regularly because that way it will be easier and then you can study and read at home and somehow these are our library materials. And so if you study that, then you will have this science and the philosophy very quickly and it will be very useful. And  so please come more often. Don’t hide only at home (laughter). Please come, please come more often, and please bring friends and other people who are interested and definitely interested to have a dialogue with many, many, many, many people and so this is open for everyone. And actually everyday it is open, but on Sundays it is very convenient because since you are all working, it’s Sunday, come early, and try to learn this chanting process, and if you have any questions, then you can you knw either after prasadam or anytime also we can discuss these  points. Jai srila Prabhupada Ki Jai! Jai Pancha Tattva Ki Jai!

“There are two kinds of educational systems. One deals with transcendental knowledge [parä vidyä] and the other with material knowledge [aparä vidyä]. All the Vedas—the Åg Veda, Yajur Veda, Säma Veda and Atharva Veda, along with their corollaries, known as çikñä, kalpa, vyäkaraëa, nirukta, chanda and jyotiña—belong to the inferior system of material knowledge [aparä vidyä]. By parä vidyä one can understand the akñara—Brahman or the Absolute Truth.” Muëòaka Upaniñad (1.1.4–5)

[2] jïäna-vairägya-yuktena

bhakti-yuktena cätmanä

paripaçyaty udäsénaà

prakåtià ca hataujasam[2]

In that position of self-realization, by practice of knowledge and renunciation in devotional service, one sees everything in the right perspective; he becomes indifferent to material existence, and the material influence acts less powerfully upon him.

(SB 3.25.18)

jalaja nav ìaksàni
sthavara laksa-vimsati
krmayo rudra-sankhyakah
paksinam dasa-laksanam
trimsal-laksàni pasavah
catur-laksani mànusàh

“There are 900,000 species living in the water. There are 2,00,000 non-moving living entities [sthavara] such as trees and plants. There are 1,100,000 species of insects and reptiles, and 1,000,000 species of birds. As far as quadrupeds are concerned there are 3,000,000 varieties, and there are 400,000 human species”.
[Padma Purana].

The Padma Purana very nicely gives the full description of the different species of living entities. The total species are 8,400,000 and out of this 400,000 are human species. The sastras enjoin that the human form of life is the most precious among all the forms of life. In the human form, because of its developed consciousness, one can end the miseries of material life. After an evolutionary process of transmigration of the soul under the influence and supervision of the material modes of nature, a living entity is awarded the human formof life, as a chance of getting out from the cycle of birth and death. These divisions are made on the level of consciousness developed through the association of the modes of material nature.
This description of the different species and the importance of human form of life amongst the living entities have also been confirmed by the Brahma Vaivarta Purana in the following verses:

asitim caturas caiva
laksàms tan jìva-jatisu
bhramadbhih purusaih prapyam
mànusyam janma-paryayat
tad apy abhalatam jatah
tesam àtmàbhimaninam
varakanam anastritya
govinda-carana-dvayam

“One attains the human form of life after transmigrating through 8,400,000 species by the process of gradual conscious evolution. That human life is spoiled for those conceited fools who do not take shelter of thè lotus feet of Govinda.”

In the footnote of the purport of Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 2, Chapter 3, Text 19, regarding the importance of human form of life Srila Prabhupada says, “The human life is so important that even the demigods in the higher planets sometimes aspire for a human body on this earth because in the human body only can one easily go back to Godhead. In spite of having obtained such an important body, if one does not re-establish his lost eternal relation with Govinda, Lord Krishna, he is certainly a fool who has forgotten his self-interest“.

There are two kinds of living entities – the eternally liberated and the eternally conditioned. The eternally conditioned living entities can be divided into two types: moving and non-moving (sthavara and jangama). The living entities who can move can be further divided into three categories: those that fly in the sky, those that swim in the water and those that walk on the land. Out of the millions and trillions of living entities on land, human beings comprise only a small portion. Out of that small number of human beings, most are totally ignorant of spiritual life, are unclean in their habits and have no faith in the existence of the Supreme Lord. In short, most human beings live like animals and always engage in the animal propensities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. As they are completely under the control of the modes of material nature, all their endeavours in any fìeld of activities will always end in frustration thus missing the real goal of life.
Human civilization begins when one accepts the principles of varnasrama dharma as enshrined in the Vedic literatures like Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. Lord Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita – càtur-varnyam mayà srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah. The four divisions of human society namely, brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas and sudras are made by the Lord according to the quality and the nature of work performed. Moreover, there are four divisions of spiritual life namely, brahmachari, grihastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. The primary aim of the division of these four varnas and asramas is to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Hari as confirmed in the Srimad Bhagavatam (S.B. 1.2.13):

atah pumbhir dvija-sresthà
varnasrama-vibhagasah
svanusthitasya dharmasya
samsiddhir hari-tosanam

“The highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one’s own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please Sri Hari the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

Pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the sole aim of human life. In order to please Him we have to know who He is. Therefore, the primary duty of a man is to enquire about the nature of the Absolute Truth – athàto brahma jijnasa. Human life is wasted if we don’t enquire about this most important question.
The nature of the Absolute Truth is very difficult to understand. It is so difficult that even Lord Brahma, the engineer of the universe who is the first created living being in this creation has to learn this science from Lord Sri Krishna – tene brahma hrda ya adi-kavaye. By the grace of Lord Sri Krishna, Brahma was able to receive the knowledge of the Absolute. So in order to learn such a difficult transcendental subject matter we have to take shelter at the lotus feet of a bonafide Spiritual Master. It is only through the grace of the spiritual master that one can learn about the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The process of acquiring transcendental knowledge is explained by Lord Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita:

tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti te jnanam
jnaninas tattva-darsinah

“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realised soul can impart knowledge to you because he has seen the truth.”
(Bg. 4.34)

Without surrendering to the lotus feet of a bonafide Spiritual Master no one can get the confidential knowledge of transcendence. If the disciple, with a sincere heart, approaches the Spiritual Master humbly and surrenders to him, inquires from him submissively and renders service to him, the master being pleased with him showers his blessings upon him. If the Spiritual Master is kind enough to the disciple, however unintelligent the disciple may be, then by the divine grace of the Spiritual Master everything is revealed. Yasya deve parà bhaktir yathà deve tathà gurau. When the disciple pleases the Spiritual Master, he can please the Supreme Lord. Yasya prasadad bhagavat prasado. By the blessing of the spiritual master even the lame man can cross over the mountain and a dumb man can speak nicely. mukam karoti vàcàlam pangur langhayate girim. Therefore, accepting a spiritual master and surrendering to him by taking initiation, inquiring from him how to progress on the path of self realization are very, very important to understand thè mission of life.
There are innumerable slokas which stress the importance of accepting and surrendering to the spiritual master for learning about the Supreme Personality of Godhead through submissive inquiry and service. Transcendental knowledge can be acquired only by those who have satisfied the Spiritual Master by rendering devotional services sincerely with dedication. By pleasing the Spiritual Master one gets the blessings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one displeases the Spiritual Master there is no question of advancing on the path of Krishna Consciousness.
Srila Prabhupada has written very clearly about the prime duty of a disciple in the purport of Srimad Bhagavatam:

“After being initiated and receiving the order of the spiritual master, the disciple should unhesitatingly think about the instructions or orders of the spiritual master and should not allow himself to be disturbed by anything else. This is also the verdict of Srila Visvanatha Cakravarty Thakura, who, while explaining a verse of Bhagavad Gita (vyavasàyatmikà buddhir ekeha kuru nandana – Bg.2.4l), points out that the order of the spiritual master is the life substance of  the disciple. The disciple should not consider whether he is going back home, back to Godhead; his first business should be to execute the order of the spiritual master.”
(S.B.4.24.15 purport)

The order of the Spiritual Master is the life and soul of a disciple. As a man cannot separate his life from his body, a disciple cannot separate the order of the spiritual master from his life. While executing the order of the spiritual master, whatever he has in his possession, pranair dhanair dhiya vaca – his life, his wealth, his intelligence and his words, – should be offered heart and soul to the Spiritual Master as a matter of duty. While doing this, he should not do anything artificially to gain material prestige. If the disciple executes the order of the Spiritual Master with this spirit, he is sure to gain perfection in life.
Therefore, the primary duty of a real disciple is to take the order of his Spiritual Master as his very life and soul. In this connection His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada can be cited as a concrete example of one who has accepted the order of his Spiritual Master as his life and soul. On the very first day of his meeting with his Spiritual Master in the year 1922, he received the order of his Spiritual Master Om Vishnupada Paramhamsa Parivrajakacharya Astottara-sata Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura Gosvami Maharaja to preach the teachings of Bhagavata Dharma to the english speaking people of the west. He always remained concerned how to accomplish it and sought means to translate it into action. He took this instruction most seriously. Therefore even at an advanced age of 70 years Srila Prabhupada sailed to America in order to begin his life’s mission – fulfilling the order of the spiritual master. He established the historic International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON for distributing the message of Bhagavata Dharma in order to enlighten all the human beings on this planet. Thus Srila Prabhupada fulfilled the prediction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, prthivite ache yata nagaràdi-gràma sarvatra pracàra haibe mora nàma: “In as many towns and villages as there are on thè surface of thè earth, My Holy Name will be preached”.
ISKCON is a spiritual society in which every person in this planet regardless of religion, community, nationality and so on, can participate. It is a universal platform wherein people are to be educated in the science of the soul, consciousness and life’s mission. For the first time in the cultural and spiritual history of the world, everyone can be united under the banner of ISKCON. This is the greatest gift given by a saintly person in the twentieth century for the well being of everyone on this planet. Though Srila Prabhupada had accomplished so much within a short period, he always gave credit to his Spiritual Master and he never claimed any credit for what he had done. His inspiration came from reading the comments made by Srila Vishwanatha Chakravarti Thakur in connection with the explanation of the verse – vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana -  wherein he described the importance of taking the order of the Spiritual Master as one’s life and soul. Hence in order to fulfill the mission of one’s life one has to follow the order of the Spiritual Master, thus realizing the essence of Bhagavata Culture.

THE MEANING OF BHAGAVATA SEVARPANAM

Bhagavata Sevarpanam means an offering of service unto a Bhagavata. The Vedic literatures explain that there are two kinds of Bhagavatas, the book Bhagavata (Srimad-Bhagavatam) and the person Bhagavata (a pure devotee of God). They are both representatives of Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Srimad-Bhagavatam, the ripened fruit of the tree of all Vedic knowledge, states in verse 1.2.18:

nasta-pràyesv abhadresu
nityam bhàgavata-sevayà
bhagavaty uttama-sloke
bhaktir bhavati naisthiki
“By regalar hearing of the Srimad-Bhagavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, Who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact”.

Rendering service to the person Bhagavata, or the pure servant of God is described throughout the Vedic literatures as being more effective and more pleasing to the Lord than rendering service to the Supreme Lord directly. God is so merciful upon His pure servant that He presents His beloved servant as more powerful than Himself. In the Adi Purana the Supreme Lord has Himself stated,

“Those who are my direct devotees are actually not my devotees, but those who are the devotees of my servants are factually my devotees.”
The person Bhagavata will always come in the line of a genuine disciplic succession from the Lord. It is through this disciplic succession that the divine principle is transmitted to the humble spiritual aspirant. Sripada Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja, by rendering his sincere and loving service to his spiritual master Srila Prabhupada, who comes through the spiritual lineage of the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya, is a perfect example of Bhagavata Sevarpanam.

SRILA PRABHUPADA

Srila Prabhupada appeared in this world to fulfill the prophecies of Srila Vyasadeva, Lord Chaitanya and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur by laying the foundation for the revitalization of Bhagavata Culture. Srila Vyasadeva wrote in the Padma Purana that Bhaktidevi after being rejuvenated in Vrindavan would be carried to the Western countries. In Chaitanya Mangala, it is stated that Lord Chaitanya while speaking to Narada Muni said: “Even if a sinful person tries to hide by going to a far off country, My devotee-general will go to that distant place, find him, and distribute love of God to him”. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, in the latter part of thè 19th century, in his book Navadwipa
Dham Mahatmya, also indicated that a great acharya (spiritual preceptor), who was going to appear very soon, would spread the chanting of the holy name all over the world. Fulfilling the prophecies of Srila Vyasadeva, Lord Chaitanya and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Srila Prabhupada appeared in this world on Nandotsava day, September Ist, 1896. He appeared at 151 Harrison Road (now known as Mahatma Gandhi Road) in Calcutta, India. His father, Sri Gour Mohan De, a pure devotee of the Lord, and his mother, Srimati Rajani Devi, named him Abhayacharan and raised him in the tradition of Bhagavata Culture.
Srila Prabhupada first met his spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, in Calcutta in 1922. At their very first meeting, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta asked Abhayacharan, “You are an educated young man, why don’t you present Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s message throughout the whole world? “Abhayacharan replied, “Who will hear your Chaitanya’s message? We are a dependent country. First, India must become independent. How can we spread Indian culture if we are under British rule?” Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur replied, in a very grave voice, that Krishna Consciousness did not have to wait for a change in Indian politics. Krishna Consciousness was so important, so exclusively important, that it could not wait for a political change. Whether one power or another ruled India was a temporary situation. However, the eternal reality of the true self, the spirit soul, was Krishna Consciousness and that shoutd be the ultimate goal of life. Therefore, no man-made political system could actually help humanity, only Krishna Consciousness could help. Abhayacharan was very impressed with these words. From that day he accepted Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur as his spiritual master. He was formally initiated by him eleven years later in Allahabad, and was given the name Abhayacharanaravinda Dasa.
Abhayacharanaravinda Dasa was very dear to his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, who could foresee his bright spiritual future. On one occasion, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur was so impressed by an article and poem written by Abhayacharanaravinda Dasa that he instructed the editor of The Harmonist (the Journal started by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur), “Whatever he (Abhayacharanaravinda Dasa) writes, publish it!”
On another occasion, when the disciples of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur suggested that Abhayacharanaravinda Dasa move into the ashram in order to assist the Gaudiya Math’s preaching, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur commented: “Don’t worry about him, when the time Comes, he will do everything by himse” By studying the manifestation of  ISKCON and its worldwide activities one can realize how this prophecy of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur has come true.
In December 1936 Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur wrote a letter to Abhayacharanaravinda Dasa stating: “I am fully confident that you can explain in English our thoughts and arguments to people who are not conversant with the languages Bengali and Hindi… This will do much good to yourself as well as to your audience. I have every hope that you can turn yourself into a very good English preacher if you serve the mission to inculcate the novel impressions of Lord Chaitanya’s teachings in the people in general as well as philosophers and religionists.” (compiled from Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita]
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur left this world on January Ist/ 1937.
To honor his spiritual master for all the mercy and affection shown to him, Srila Prabhupada, the personification of Bhagavata Sevarpanam, took Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur’s instructions as his very life and soul. He meditated constantly on how to fulfill the instructions of his spiritual master. In fact, from his very first meeting with his spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada always remembered the instruction to present Bhagavata Culture to the English-speaking people of the West. He always remained concerned how to fulfill this instruction and took it as his life’s mission. He sought every possible way to translate it into action. After numerous attempts and after overcoming many difficulties, at the advanced age of 70 years with a trunk full of books and only a few dollars to his name, Srila Prabhupada sailed to the United States aboard the ‘Jaladuta’ to begin his life’s mission – fulfilling the instruction of his spiritual master. In this regard Srila Prabhupada wrote: “After being initiated and receiving the orders of the spiritual master, the disciple should unhesitatingly think about the instructions or orders of the spiritual master and should not allow himself to be disturbed by anything else”. This is also the verdict of Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura, who, while explaining verse 2.41 of the Bhagavad-gita (vyavasàyàtmikà buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana), points out that the order of the spiritual master is the life substance of the disciple. In the purport of Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.24.15 Srila Prabhupada further asserts that the disciple should not consider whether he is going back home, back to Godhead; his first business should be to execute thE order of his spiritual master.
Srila Prabhupada traveled extensively from 1965 to 1977, meeting and inspiring many scientists, religious leaders, educationists, intellectuals and youths around the world. He presented the science of spirituality based on the conclusions of the Vedic teachings, specifically the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam and Chaitanya Charitamrita. He wrote over sixty volumes of scholarly books and established a worldwide spiritual organization known as ‘The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)’-
ISKCON is unique in the history of civilization, especially due to the fact that it has manifested in the present age of quarrel and hypocrisy known as Kali Yuga. Its platform of unity, harmony and peaceful coexistence among all, irrespective of caste, creed, color, position or nationality is its uniqueness. This platform of commonality is only possible when everyone is educated to understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna is the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities as well as the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities.
Srila Prabhupada’s position is unparalleled in the history of spiritual traditions. Sripada Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja expressed the view that Srila Prabhupada is the representative of Vyasadeva, messenger of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and representative of Narada Muni in the 20th century. In his 1981 Vyasa Puja offering to Sri la Prabhupada, he wrote, “He was a champion in every aspect of transcendental activities. It was Srila Rupa Gosvami who said about Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: ‘namo maha vadanyaya krishna prema pradaya te krishnaya. krishna chaitanya namne, gauratvise namah’ – Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya is more magnanimous than any other avatara, even Krishna Himself, because He is bestowing freely what no one else has ever given – pure love of Krishna. I can very boldly proclaim that Srila Prabhupada is even more magnanimous than Lord Chaitanya because he was the one who picked up even the most rotten souls, like myself, and freely gave us golokera premadhana, which no one had done before. He gave us Krishna consciousness, the most sublime and confidential knowledge. It was he who crossed the oceans and mountains sacrificing all personal comforts at such an advanced age to distribute freely this golokera premadhana to everyone all over the globe for the welfare of all. He was compassion personified. It was he who followed in the footsteps of Narada Muni; it was he who followed in the footprints of Prahlada Maharaja; it was he who fulfilled the prophecies of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu; it was he who followed in the footsteps of the Six Gosvamis of Vrindavan; it was he who fulfilled the desires of Bhaktivinoda Thakura; it was he who held as his life and soul the orders of his Guru Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, and carried them out without the slightest tinge of personal motivation. His unlimited courage and glories cannot be described fully by any form of expression. By his own life, Srila Prabhupada demonstrated a perfect example of Bhagavata Sevarpanam in fulfilling the order of his spiritual master.

“Today the Bhagavad-gita is printed in millions copies in scores of languages and distributed in all nooks and corners of the world. The credit for this great, sacred service goes chiefly to ISKCON… For this one accomplishment alone, Indians should be eternally grateful
to the devoted spiritual army of Srila Prabhupada’s followers… Bhaktivedanta Swami went to the United States in 1965, The respect and popularity his movement gained in a very short span of 12 years must be regarded as one of the greatest spiritual events of the century.”
- Atal BihariVajpayee, Honorable Prime minister of India

“In the period from October 1968 to November 1975, His Divine Grace Abhayacharanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, astonished academic and literary communities worldwide by writing and publishing 52 books on the ancient Vedic culture… His philosophical journal ‘Back to Godhead’ had attained a monthly circulation of three million copies. These and other of his writings were being published throughout the world in 22 languages.”.
-  Encyclopedia Britannica, 1976

Can we make a living being by assembling some chemical ingredient?

My personal relationship with Prabhupada was based on preaching. Prabhupada’s thesis was life comes from life, and it remained so from the moment I met him to the day he passed away in Vrindavan. In that last onemonth, Prabhupada was generally awake from midnight on. At thosetimes, he spoke mostly in the Bengali language. He often discussed the conceptthat life comes from life, because it is the foundation of Krishna consciousness,whether one takes the philosophical, theological, or scientific viewpoint.

Life comes from life means we all come from Krishna. Krishna is the originof everything. That was Prabhupada’s very strong instruction. In May 1977, Prabhupada’s secretary, Tamal Krishna Goswami, ordered all GBC members to come to Vrindavan, because Prabhupada was ill. In May of that year the first gathering of all the leaders of our society was held in Vrindavan. By Krishna’s arrangement, I was in Vrindavan at that time. With so many devotees gathered there, we conceived the idea of organizing a conference to discuss the science of

Krishna consciousness. I suggested to Prabhupada that we call it the Bhaktivedanta Conference and that we hold it regularly for generations

to come. Prabhupada said, “If we call it the Bhaktivedanta Conference, scientists may not take it very seriously. It is better to call it the First International

Conference on Life Comes from Life.” That was Prabhupada’s position.

We organized the conference very hurriedly, and within one month the

plans were finalized. The conference would be held in Vrindavan, October 14-16, 1977. After the dates were set, I went to Boston where the other Bhaktivedanta Institute scientists were preparing monographs and booklets for presentation

at the conference. When I returned to Vrindavan in August, Prabhupada was on his way to the United States. He was supposed to go to Gita-nagari farm, in Pennsylvania, but his health was failing and from London he returnedto Vrindavan. Realizing he hadn’t much time remaining, Prabhupada said again and again, “Do something before I depart. I want to see that conference.”

The conference started on October 14, exactly one month before Prabhupada departed this life. I wasn’t so experienced, and the time we had to organize the conference was very short. I mostly invited scientists from Delhi, Agra, and Mathura. Some U.N. representatives, medical scientists, and philosophers attended, and our Bhaktivedanta Institute scientists, six of us at that time, conducted the program.

During the presentations, Prabhupada called for me almost every hour to ask, “How is the conference going? Who is speaking?” I appeared before Prabhupada in a suit and tie to report to him. Then at the end of the day, when the conference was over, he wanted to see all the Bhaktivedanta Institute scientists. Because we were in civilian dress, Prabhupada asked devotees to bring us chairs. I said, “Prabhupada, we are fine.” “No, no,” he said, “sit on the chairs.” As he requested, we sat around him on chairs, and he asked us who spoke what, and how we felt about it. That was the First International Conference on Life Comes from Life. And Prabhupada was extremely pleased. He said we should have conferences presenting the scientific aspects of Krishna consciousness in every city around the world.!

Scientists are truly and sincerely seeking knowledge. They seek empirical knowledge, which is based on experimentation. Scientists are not easily convinced by spiritual precepts, because they are satisfied only by rational thinking. Therefore, it is useful to use scientific knowledge to connect such persons to spiritual life. Scientists may come to spiritual life through their scientific study. By collecting information and drawing conclusions from their observations, they may gradually come to appreciate that there is a supreme brain behind the complex processes present in nature. For a scientist to come to such a conclusion indicates he is making spiritual progress.

For that reason scientific knowledge is not useless. It is useful for those whose minds are directed in that way. Some observe that among scientists there are many atheists, but atheists are always present. There are two types of people, suras and asuras. Sura means devotee of the Lord, and asura means atheist. These two classes of men are found in every age. At certain times the atheists are more prominent, at other times the theists are more prominent. The prominence of each may fluctuate, but both types are always present. I am hopeful that in the twenty-first century theists will become more prominent, even among scientists. By some indications it appears that scientists are becoming more interested in spiritual matters. For instance, two weeks ago there was a very important conference in Paris funded by UNESCO. Six Nobel laureate physicists and biologists participated. By the mercy of Prabhupada I was invited to attend but could not make it. The conference explored how scientists can appreciate spiritual matters. In recent years, many institutions have emerged in the United States and Europe to address matters of scientific and spiritual knowledge. This is very encouraging. As time passes, I think we will see science and spirituality increasingly tied together. Personally, I feel Krishna consciousness gives a profound explanation of what life is. Thirteen chapters of Bhagavad-gita are about life. In the second chapter, Krishna’s instruction to Arjuna is solely about the science of life.

Knowledge of what is life is the foundation of Krishna consciousness.

In modern biology and even cosmology, scientists are trying to understand the origin of life. Many books are written on the subject.

From the Krishna conscious point of view, life has a nonphysical, nonchemical origin. From the scientific viewpoint, life is an outcome of complex chemical reactions. As more scientists become interested in spiritual matters, we can anticipate interesting developments in the views of the origin of life. In the Vedic understanding of cosmology, there are four yuga cycles: Satya, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali. These four cycles are going on continuously in an eternal process. Three qualities–goodness, passion, and ignorance– are the binding forces that keep the living entity in the material world. But the Lord has given prescriptions for each yuga, and by following these prescriptions one is able to free oneself

from the bondage of material influence. In chemistry we say we recover or isolate the pure form of a substance. Similarly, by following the

Lord’s prescription for each age we can isolate the pure jivatma, the soul, from the influence of material nature. In this yuga, the prescribed process is sankirtana.

Sankirtana means chanting the glories of the Lord all the time. Kirtaniya sada hari. What we are doing right now is called the sankirtana

process. Simply by chanting this Hare Krishna mahamantra one can attain the perfection of life very quickly.

My experience is that scientists are very interested in the mahamantra and the slokas we chant. Generally, we start each scientific and inter-religious meeting with prayer and mantras. We typically chant slokas from Bhagavatam and

Brahma-samhita, and afterwards scientists ask, “Where can I find the mantras?”

Because the chanting is spiritual sound vibration, sincere souls somehow, by the blessings of paramatma, get some kind of happiness from it. The importance of chanting is already there. It is the prescribed process for this age. All we need do is to create the proper environment to allow people to hear it. By hearing the mahamantra and by hearing scientific arguments in support of spiritual knowledge, more and more scientists will become favorable to spiritual ideas. If brilliant scientists turn toward Krishna consciousness, they can do much good for the welfare of humanity. This is the purpose in organizing conferences on life comes from life. To organize conferences, however, takes a lot of time, a lot of thinking, and a lot of financial support. So far, we have held three conferences. The last conference was called Synthesis of Science and Religion and took place in Calcutta in January 1997 in honor of Prabhupada’s centennial festival. About 2,000 scientists and philosophers attended. The next conference is scheduled for Rome, Italy, in 2004 and will be called the International Congress on Life Comes from Life. I have already spoken with biologists and Nobel laureates, and many are very interested. For example, I invited the editor of a wellknown statistical journal to write a paper. In response, he wrote a challenging paper arguing from the basis of mathematics that life comes from life. We can likewise develop arguments using principles of chemistry and biology to support spiritual precepts. If a few prominent scientists become interested in spiritual knowledge, their scientific arguments will prompt other scientists to examine spiritual precepts of the origin of life. I consider the precept that life comes from life the most important preaching field that Prabhupada gave us. But the sankirtana movement takes many forms. If we can greatly increase Krishna conscious activities throughout the world, whether through scientific conferences or other projects, the entire planet will feel the pulse of sankirtana vibration, and every living being, not only human beings but all forms of life–plants, animals, birds, microbes–will benefit.

Source: “MATCHLESS GIFTS” newsletter edisi agustus /September 2002

by Radha-Govinda Mandir, SA, NYC, USA

for mor on ORigin of life based on The Scientific Vedanta Please read theese books:

1. Life Come From Life (kehidupan berasal dari kehidupan)

2. Life, matter and their interactions

3. Life and Spiritual Evolution (english and indonesian available)

4. VEdanta and Science: Life and origin of universe

5. Bhagavad Gita: the science of life (khususnya chapter 2 and 13)

for order the books please send sms to putu: 081805681672 or wayan: 081237592245

Perdamaian merupakan hak asasi setiap makhluk hidup, tidak hanya bagi manusia tetapi juga bagi hewan dan tumbuh-tumbuhan, dan semua makhluk hidup.

—-Dr. Singh

Ada dua komponen pengetahuan yang harus dimengerti agar perdamaian dalam masyarakat manusia dapat dicapai yaitu:

1. 1. Mengetahui Makna Sejati Kehidupan?

Apakah sebenarnya kehidupan itu? pertama-tama kita harus mengerti apa itu kehidupan ‘What is life?”. Keseluruhan peradaban atau kultur Kesadaran Krishna atau Kesadaran akan Tuhan Yang Maha Esa adalah untuk mengetahui ilmu pengetahuan tentang kehidupan. Ilmu pengetahuan (sains) modern yang bersifat Reduksionisme[*] telah mengantarkan kita ke arah pemahaman akan kehidupan yang bersifat materialistis. Setelah tragedi WTC tanggal 9 November 2001, perubahan drastis terjadi dalam paradigma (kehidupan). Para ilmuwan sekarang ingin mengetahui tentang Tuhan dan mengapa orang-orang religius bisa bertindak seperti itu (menteror/jadi teroris). Oleh karena itu, saya katakan, banyak hal baik sedang terjadi sebagai akibat tragedi WTC itu. Kejadian itu bagaikan membawa sesuatu yang bagus, membawa angin segar, karena ada perubahan dalam sikap para ilmuwan benar-benar drastis berdasarkan pengamatan saya. Oleh karena itu, sekarang adalah kesempatan bagus bagi kita membawa/memasukkan tentang bahasan/pengetahuan. Ultimate nature of reality (sifat sejati realitas tertinggi), yang sering dibicarakan, ke dalam paradigma spiritual. Kesadaran Krishna (pengetahuan spritual Veda) ini menyediakan interface, penghubung antara sains dan spritualitas. Usaha gabungan antara sains dengan spritualitas akan menghantarkan sebuah perdamaian baru bagi dunia.

Definisi pengetahuan

Definisi pengetahuan ‘knowledge’ diberikan (ada) dalam Bab 13 Bhagawad Gita- yaitu Kshetra dan Kshetra jna- seseorang harus menginsyafi perbedaan antara lapangan kegiatan (badan) dan Dia yang mengetahui lapangan kegiatan itu (sang roh). Hal ini bagaikan mengetahui perbedaan antara mobil dan sopirnya. Mengetahui perbedaan ini (yaitu perbedaan antara badan materiil yang bersifat sementara dengan sang roh yang bersifat kekal) merupakan definisi pengetahuan. Roh atau partikel kehidupan ini, kami menyebutnya dengan istilah Spiriton-yang merupakan partikel paling mendasar dari kehidupan. Kita harus mengetahui bagaimanakah sifat-sifat partikel-kehidupan ini dan kemampuan yang dimilikinya (propertinya). Pada tahun 1944, Schrodinger menerbitkan sebuah booklet ” What is life” dan di dalam bukunya itu ia mengutip  kata-kata bijak dari kitab Upanisad dan Vedanta. Dengan cara demikian, dia dapat melihat sisi spiritual kehidupan. Di dalam sistem pendidikan dunia hal inilah yang saya ajukan sebagai Sains-Baru (new science). Srla Prabhupada melatih saya selama delapan tahun dimana pada saat itu saya mendapat pergaulan pribadinya yang luar biasa, yaitu untuk menyelenggarakan konferensi tentang Life Come From Life (Kehidupan berasal dari Kehidupan). Ribuan mahasiswa di berbagai universitas di seluruh dunia sedang salah dibimbing (salah arah) dan maka sehingga tidak akan ada kemajuan sejati dalam peradaban dunia (jika tidak diajarkan tentang New Science ini-ed).

2. Mengetahui Tujuan dibalik Penciptaan Alam Semesta? (Big Bang Vs Big Vision)

Mengapa dunia materiil ini diciptakan?, dalam Sains modern, ilmu yang membahas alam semesta ini disebut dengan Kosmologi. Dan pemahaman yang paling popular yang banyak disebarkan para ilmuwan adalah teori Big Bang. Teori ini sepenuhnya salah/tidak benar. Jika kita berpikir bahwa (Jagatraya)  kita  seketika tercipta setelah/karena ledakan kasar/materi keras. Bagaimana mungkin kita mencari perdamaian/kedamaian dan sifat-sifat halus yang dapat mengangkat seorang makhluk hidup dan menyelamatkan dari penderitaan lama (enternaly) di dalam samudra kelahiran dan kematian?. Berlawanan dengan model teori Big bang, kami memiliki ”Paradigma Kosmologi Bhagavata” (kosmologi berdasarkan kitab-kitab Veda dan VEdanta). Teori kosmologi ini berdasarkan percakapan antara Maitreya Muni dan Vidura Agung termuat dalam kitab Srimad Bhagawatam. Tujuan dan makna kehidupan adalah sesuatu apa yang kami sebut sebagai “Big Vision”. Sains (modern) hanya berhubungan dengan apa dan mengapa. Ringkasnya, tujuan kehidupan, sesuai dengan teori Big Vision adalah: bentuk/spesies kehidupan manusia merupakan suatu yang paling penting dalam ciptaan ini, dan dengan usaha tulus, bentuk kehidupan manusia, dapat menginsyafi mengapa ia berada dalam dunia materiil ini. “Bahunuam janmahuam ante”- Gita menyatakan pencapaian tertinggi ilmu pengetahuan mengantarkan seseorang ke titik dimana dia bisa menyerahkan dirinya sepenuhnya kepada pribadi Tuhan Yang Maha Esa; roh yang demikian itu tidak akan pernah lahir lagi di dunia materiil ini karena ia telah mencapai kehidupan kekal. Itulah maksud akan terciptanya alam semesta ini, yaitu untuk memfasilitasi para jiwa yang terikat di sini untuk akhirnya mencapai kehidupan kekal. Jadi dua komponen di atas merupakan pengetahuan dasar yang paling penting bagi segala jenis umat manusia, apakah mereka spiritualist, agamais atau materialis atau orang-orang professional atau bahkan manusia-siapa saja tidak peduli. Adalah di atas dasar pengertian/pemahaman kita, realitas keadaan kita yaitu semua pikiran dan tindakan di dalam hidup kita terencana dan dimainkan, diwujudkan, didirikan. Selama delapan tahun, saya beruntung, secara teratur mendapatkan pergaulan pribadi Srila Prabhupada, dimana beliau selalu bicara tentang satu hal utama kepada saya-yaitu tentang tesis LCFL. Ya, para ilmuwan telah melakukan hal-hal yang mengagumkan dan kita telah melihat banyak hal baik yang dihasilkan dari usaha penelitian mereka, tetapi mereka juga bertanggung- jawab atas banyak kejahatan yang terjadi di dunia ini seperti bom, obat-obatan, aborsi, senjata, senjata nuklir, dan lain-lain. Oleh Karena itu, saya katakan setiap usaha serius untuk mewujudkan perdamaian di dunia ini, haruslah melibatkan para ilmuwan. Jika berbagai usaha perdamaian itu tidak melibatkan para ilmuwan, maka usaha itu tidak akan pernah berhasil. Para ilmuwan itu harus dilibatkan dalam membantu menghilangkan kegiatan-kegiatan yang tidak diinginkan yang sekarang sedang mengganggu masyarakat manusia (Dunia). Untuk itu, kami, Bhaktivedanta Institute, sedang mengorganisir sebuah Konferensi International di Roma bertajuk “Kehidupan dan asal-usulny:a menggali dari berbagai tradisi religius dan pengetahuan ilmiah”. Konferensi ini akan diadakan di Roma dari tanggal 11-15 November 2004. Saya memilih Roma sebagai tempat untuk congress yang penting ini karena Roma merupakan kota yang sangat penting, baik di Eropa maupun di dunia. Saya memilih karena unsur spiritualnya sangat menonjol di Roma, terima kasih atas kehadiran Vatikan. Diskusi-diskusi pada konferensi akan difokuskan pada interface (menjembatani) antara sains dan agama. Sebuah konsep baru yang sedang saya usahakan untuk diperkenalkan adalah mari kita coba menjelaskan data ilmiah yang ada yang telah diteliti dan dicatat oleh para ilmuwan, dan menjelaskannya dari persepektif spiritual. Dengan cara demikian demikian kita akan melihat bagaimana satu set data-data dapat menciptakan hasil-hasil yang sepenuhnya berbeda jika paradigma yang menganalisis (penafsir) berbeda. Topik lain yang akan didiskusikan adalah apa yang saya namakan New Biology, satu pelajaran yang dimasukkan atau disisipkan  sains tentang roh dan Tuhan dalam studi Biologi, tentang kehidupan dan tentang keagungan Tuhan sesi ini akan dinamakan Tuhan dan Biologi Baru. Bersama dengan konferensi ini akan menghadirkan 40-45 pembicara terkemuka dunia, jadi mohon datang ke Roma dan jadi salah satu delegasi kita. Konferensi ini berbeda dengan konferensi kita sebelumnya. Karena konferensi ini merupakan konferensi yang pertama yang secara langsung akan mendiskusikan sifat-sifat kehidupan (nature of life), sebagian besar dari poin pandangan spiritual. Pada hari pertama akan diselenggarakan sebuah program untuk orang umum yang bebas untuk semua orang menghadiri yang akan diadakan di Grand Hall Universitas Angelica. Hasil ini akan diumumkan setelah Paus yang sekarang karena dia/beliau lulus dari universitas lain. Jadi saya berharap kami akan melibatkan banyak diantara kalian akan hadir di Roma.

Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam 3.25.16-18/Teachings of Lord Kapila, the son of Devahuti

by Sri Srimad Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami

on Oct.28, 1988 in San Francisco, CA

“So these verses are extremely important for making a deeper understanding and also commitment to our even day to day activity of devotional life. It is said that unless one is freed from, it’s called, kama and lobha, kama means this lusty desire, lobha means greedy, greedy desire, so unless these are purified from the mind it will be extremely difficult to be engaged in any steady type of devotional service. So this is the background of Krsna conscious activity. You can say that I’m trying to become a devotee but this is the foundation where to start with, where to start that devotional activity. So this kama/lobha, the root cause of being attracted to kama and lobha is that the living entity is somehow so much under the influence of the modes of material nature, especially raja guna and tamo guna, the passion and ignorance. When passion and ignorance dominate a person then he is generally, the symptoms are like this kama and lobha, attraction to kama and lobha, kama means lusty desires and lobha means greedy desires. So these are very strongly mentioned here. So, by practice of devotional process, devotional service, one must try to be purified of these attractions. That is actually the background. One’s mind must become purified. In that pure state, when the mind becomes purified from kama and lobha, then what happens is that then he transcends all these material hankerings and he’ll be situated properly.  So he’s no more influenced by either happiness or distress, in other words he’s becoming equipoised. The mind becomes very steady. That is the beginning platform of Krsna consciousness. So unless we can’t even do that then we are far, far, far and long, long, we are long, long behind or far, far behind our practice of Krsna consciousness. Then what is the result? It says, once one begins that as the basic foundation. Tada purusam atmanam. At that time the soul can see himself to be transcendental to material existence. In other words the quality of atma is called svayam-jotir. Svayam jotir means self-effulgent. He’s shining. The self is shining. This atma, the nature of atma is shining with this transcendental consciousness. But the pure nature of the atma can only be visible, can only be understood, can only realized when you are completely free from kama and lobha, these lusty desires and greedy desires. When we are free from the influence of the lower modes of material nature then one can see the self, that means when one is becoming self-realized and becomes liberated. At that time he sees that the soul is transcendental to material existence and always self-effulgent and never fragmented. Never fragmented means akhanditam.  Akhanditam means never fragmented. Animanam means he’s very infinitesimal. He’s very small. Although he’s very small but at the same time it is also very very self-effulgent. So that is the nature of the spirit. About the nature of the spiritual element called the atma. The symptoms of the atma. The symptoms of the atma, each one of them, svayam jotir, self-effulgent and also it has free will, consciousness. It wants to be completely independent, free will. So these are some of the properties of the atma. So when the soul sees that way, that he’s self-effulgent, he’s pure, completely free from any type of material contamination then he will be able to see things proper. When the atma sees, when the self sees that way it’s called self-knowledge then at that time jnana vairagya yuktena, bhakti yuktena catmana. Jnana vairagya yuktena, then by the practice of knowledge and renunciation in devotional service so one will see things, everything, in the right perspective and also he becomes indifferent to material existence. So this is how we control the material desires, how we transcend the influence of these material desires. Then the material influence acts less powerfully upon him; in other words, when one is practicing Krsna consciousness with knowledge and bhakti, jnana vairagya yuktena , bhakti yuktena catmana.  So, we have to practice devotional with knowledge. We cannot blindly practice Krsna consciousness. When we practice blindly Krsna consciousness it has some benefit but it is not very lasting. So in order to have a lasting benefit of Krsna consciousness we must have some knowledge. So what is that knowledge? That knowledge is about the science of the self, atma jnana. Knowledge of the spiritual element, the spiritual being, what is the function of the self and why I’m suppose to practice Krsna consciousness. I have to ask that, what is the necessity of becoming a devotee of Krsna, what is the use of it? The answer will be that by knowledge, by having knowledge about the nature of atma then you will be convinced that the nature of the atma is to be an unalloyed servant, an unalloyed servant of the Supreme. Jivera svarupa hoya, Krsnera nitya dasa. We must be convinced that we are an eternal servant of Krsna. When we become completely convinced with that principal, with that maxim, or with that axiom, then you can see things properly so that the other, many other factors in this world will not be able to influence, in other words you’ll be able to overcome this influence of material nature. So, in other words, here Lord Kapila is instructing to His mother Devahuti about the science of devotion, what is the meaning of devotional life, what is the purpose of devotional science, what is the purpose of being engaged as a servant of God, Krsna. So this is it. When one becomes freed from the influence of this kama and lobha, lusty desires and greedy desires, then one will be situated properly. At that time one can see one’s nature properly. This is svayam jotir, self-effulgent. Also at that time he’ll know that my duty is to serve Krsna. He’ll be convinced, yes, my actual function, the function of the soul is to actually completely surrender to Krsna, to serve Krsna, under all circumstances. That knowledge comes, jnana vairagya yuktena, bhakti yuktena catmana. Then we practice Krsna consciousness with knowledge, this bhakti, bhakti yoga with knowledge and then you can transcend these influences of material nature and be situated properly. We have to come at least to that platform and try to at least, somehow or other, try to get a glimpse of that nature , the nature of the self, because otherwise becoming Krsna conscious and remaining for 15 years, 20 years may not give much understanding. That’s why blindly working running here and there, that is not the solution because we can see so many devotees come and go. How many devotees come? At least maybe 90% gone or maybe 98%. Hardly 2% left is the remnants. That’s because we are not practicing this understanding. We are not trying to have at least the basic background. We must practice this Krsna consciousness with some knowledge. Jnana vairagya yuktena, bhakti yuktena catmana.  If we have at least this basic, this fundamental knowledge of Krsna consciousness then no matter what happens to you you’ll be always engaged in devotional service and you’ll not run away, you’ll not go away from the Krsna consciousness movement.  You’ll not be again no more attracted to any type of material this so-called happiness because you know that actually the nature of the self is to experience this called sat-cit-ananda state of consciousness, this eternity, knowledge and happiness. That you can only get by this jnana vairagya yuktena, bhakti yuktena catmana. When you practice devotional service with knowledge and renunciation then you’ll be able to experience that supreme happiness, that complete ananda, that happiness you’ll experience but the moment we again are attracted to material nature means that I don’t have the proper understanding. In order to have a lasting understanding of Krsna consciousness we have to mold our activity in such a way that whatever we are doing should be a way to increase our understanding of Krsna consciousness. Application, practical application of Krsna consciousness.  In order to do that Krsna has given us our propensity. Our propensity to do some service. So that is why guna karma, guna means quality, karma means activity, so that guna karma actually is a way to increase our knowledge of jnana vairagya yuktena, bhakti yuktena catmana. But that guna karma must be engaged in Krsna’s service. So suppose, for example, if someone is very good in collecting Laksmi, or in gathering Laksmi, so of course if that collection is a way to increase sense gratification then it should be abandoned. Why should you collect/gathering because that will make you more entangled in material life. But if we turn it around and if we engage that in Krsna’s service then it becomes – why should I be affected just by collecting money? You have the propensity, because that propensity is given by Krsna, everyone is given some propensity.  For example, I like writing or I like reading and so writing and reading then we can write about Krsna, we can read about Krsna and in that way that guna karma that Krsna has given me I can use and engage that properly. But if I read something nonsense or I write something nonsense simply because I can write some nice English then it’s not engaged properly. Everything can be engaged in Krsna’s service if it is understood. The purpose of Krsna consciousness. Then what is more important is that we should also know the schedule of our work since we live in a missionary society. Our society is strictly based on the propagation of Krsna conscious activities and since we live in a community then I also must be disciplined. I just cannot do anything that I want. In that way we all must be disciplined, we all must behave properly. Simply because you have a certain propensity you can’t be indifferent to anything else. So that is also required because we live in a community. In other words, engaging our propensity in Krsna’s service and knowing the time and circumstances then we all become happy in our Krsna conscious activity. We can all help each other that way. But if you are just indifferent and do some other projects or when you are living together then it becomes somehow– it doesn’t enthuse others. We have to be a little sensitive of the feelings of each other and also try to schedule our activities in such a way that I do not become a disturbance to others. So that way we can all help each other and increase our Krsna conscious activities so that the mission will become successful.

This is our thesis. This is actually the thesis given from here. The teaching of Lord Kapila about how we should become fixed up in our duty, this is our duty. There’s no reason why one should be completely like in anxiety. When we learn how to become a little sober there’s no need to be overwhelmed by or worried about, too much worried about certain things or too much in anxiety. That is not in line with Krsna consciousness. That we have to learn by practice. Jnana vairagya yuktena, bhakti yuktena catmana.

In summary then, we have come to the Krsna consciousness movement, so once you have come to the Krsna consciousness movement it is almost essential, it is a necessity that we try to understand the fundamental background of Krsna consciousness. We are given certain duties, Deity worship or cooking or even collecting, these things. These are all actually, if we can analyze very properly, these are nothing but applications of Krsna consciousness. Whatever the instructions are given in the Gita and Bhagavatam we are trying to apply it in our day to day activity. It is a practical application of Krsna consciousness. If this becomes a burden, if we think that this type of application is becoming a burden, if we are thinking like that, that means that we are not able to understand Krsna consciousness to a significant degree. Of course that doesn’t mean that one must…let’s say collecting money, that one must always collect, collect, collect without doing anything else. It’s not like that like. It’s just part of it. Part of the daytime, that according to my propensity I do my basic – we have to finish our basic morning duty and everything and only after that, after finishing all the basic things then we try to apply our Krsna conscious understanding. It’s not that, oh, here our Malati is collecting; it’s not that you have to give up everything including mangal arati simply because I’m collecting, no! We have to do everything, the basic foundations. Going out and collecting is just nothing but application of Krsna consciousness what they have learned. So that could be 2 hours, 3 hours, 5 hours, according to time and circumstances. That is just practice of Krsna consciousness, application. Even in the process of doing that if there doesn’t come enough, then there’s no need to be in anxiety because you’ve tried your best, that is more important. You have surrendered to Krsna, you have given everything to Krsna so that mood- but in the process of, for example, one day you are not able to gather much according to your expectation but that doesn’t mean you have to be completely upset and the whole next day completely worried and in anxiety. It should not be like that. Rather, we should pray to Krsna, yes, my dear Lord you kindly guide me and give me the strength and understanding so that maybe in the next day I can do a little better, like that. So that way the mind should become very sober and it should become very controlled and very regulated. It’s not that you go for today and hammer away for 5 hours, tomorrow 0 hours or the next day sleep 24 hours. It’s not like that. But rather, we do it in a regulated way, a routine way.  It’s called tapasya. Some discipline. So we schedule in such a way that the basic Krsna conscious background is not hampered.  My practice is not hampered by any other type of activity and then application of Krsna consciousness could be applied without any difficulty. That’s why let us schedule in such a way that everything goes on properly. That understanding comes from these 3 verses. Three verses read every day. These 3 verses and it will give you….This is given by Lord Kapila to Mother Devahuti. Just by understanding this basic principle, jnana-vairagya yuktena, bhakti yuktena catmana, a very important verse. That means we have to practice Krsna consciousness with knowledge. It is not only collecting, it is like going to the university, just like we are doing a program on Sunday, this is also a Krsna conscious program. Who can tell that this is something (?) like outside? We can explain how this book on science and religion will be a very important catalyst to start thinking about Krsna or to think about spiritual life. Scientific knowledge can be engaged in trying to find the higher principles, the higher goal in life. So that way, we are inviting these important people to spread the consciousness that we must be engaged in such activities. Like these important people are coming and we are cooking nice prasadam so that they can be influenced by our prasadam at least and even if they can’t appreciate the book in the beginning but they can appreciate nice prasadam. So that way it’s a variety. The prasadam program is there, somebody will speak and books will be there and various types of people from various backgrounds i.e.; some devotees, some scientists, some scholars, some friends so we gather together. It is an important function of our mission spreading Krsna consciousness. So like that, things should be arranged in such a way, timely arranged, in such a way that the message is received well by those people who are coming there. So all these things are required. If we organize, or if we conduct our program, or engage in our activity in that way then everything will become successful. In other words, there’s no need to be in anxiety. Why should one be so much worried about it?

It is very important that we learn the very basic fundamental background of Krsna consciousness. You should not be angry about anything else and should not be in so much anxiety about things that might not happen according to your wish. It is bound to happen, we live in this material world, you can see these ups and downs. We should be able to take it in such a way that we don’t lose our Krsna conscious understanding. In that way we learn very carefully because everybody is an important member of our society. It’s not that one member is more important than another. Everyone is important. Even a child who comes to the Krsna consciousness movement is very important. We don’t say that he’s a better devotee than me, no, everyone is important, everyone is the best devotee. Once one comes to the movement and engages his or her activities in Krsna consciousness then that’s the best people we have. Throughout the world people are very expert in finding faults and criticizing others. Everybody is expert. But how many people are actually very saintly minded, sober minded?  Saintly means people who are sober minded. There aren’t very many. Very few.  Krsna consciousness is a program for being educated in that way. We have to become educated to become saintly. At the same time, we also try to imbibe those qualities. We have to acquire those qualities. Those qualities are this: jnana-vairagya yuktena, bhakti  yuktena catmana. Otherwise it’s very easy to speak, to talk. Oh, you must no become angry, oh, you must not be in anxiety. But Malati will be immediately in anxiety as soon as something doesn’t happen, completely in a second. As soon as something like that happens then someone should remind you, what are you doing? The Bhagavat says don’t do like that. Otherwise even if somebody doesn’t tell you then you should try to remember to control these activities. Then it will become a lot better. Then you won’t get upset and then things will become very very sober and natural. Then you will experience great happiness in Krsna consciousness, you’ll begin to experience how nice of a thing it is, a wonderful thing. To become a Krsna conscious person, to become a devotee of Krsna.

So this is very nice. These verses…Actually this whole chapter is very, very important for all of us. We can learn so much. This third canto contains everything that needs to be understood. All the materials for our preaching. Everything is here in the third canto. First canto, second canto, third canto that’s enough. Once we have the very good material of these 3 cantos, we can conquer the world because no one can defeat you. Even the Bhagavad Gita. So this very important. You read every day at least this “Devotional Service” and try to apply this either while going out or staying here and then your mind will become very sober. You can control things. Your senses can be controlled. Then everything will be alright. There will no problem.

My time is very limited here this time. But at the same time the important timing has come. Unless things are done according to time and circumstances, even if we do something it doesn’t have much effect. Knowing that, we have to utilize our time in such a way that there’s maximum utility of activity. Now we are in a state of transition here since we are planning to go to Berkeley, at least the BI part, so our minds should become much more vigilant and see things from the other side also.

Prabhupada’s Centenial Festival I think from the BI point of view, we are very few in number in the movement. BI devotees are very few. But then our project is very big. Our project is very big. Conferences of this nature. It involves a lot of actions. We can’t afford to lose time in worrying about it. Whether things don’t come out, that doesn’t bother me so much but we must try our best, we must try our best. Whether it comes out good or bad, that’s up to Krsna. Our part, we should try our best. This is the motto. We should work for the next 8 years. This is ’86, no sorry, this is now ’88, so in ’96, only 8 years more. Let’s work hard. After 8 years we’ll become very old. That’s sufficient! If we can live for 8 years, that’s more than sufficient. Do our duty for Prabhupada. So far as I’m concerned these 8 years are very, very significant. Try your best. If one can remain without getting married it is much better today. Never think about getting married, again. It is much better because when one gets married, especially in our society today, they can get divorced in one year, this and that, and get so much in anxiety. So why do you put that again in that type of idea?

(Question) Even for a woman? The same thing?

(Sripada) For everyone! (laughs)  (Another devotee answers) It has to be, because a woman requires a man.

(Sripada) There’s so much trouble. Why give yourself trouble? There are so many Christians that are called nuns. Mother Teresa has a lot of nuns who’s doing a lot of nice service. We also have many nice devotees. But sometimes they change these things and become completely bewildered. Especially if the husband becomes good then that’s one thing but hardly there’s any good husband either so everybody is in great anxiety. Instead of putting yourself in anxiety just remain fixed up in your service and do a little service. Do nice cooking and give a lot of prasadam to so many living entities and in that way life can be much more meaningful as well as more enthusiastic. Let’s make very nice plans for doing nice service.

Now in India I saw that in Vrndavana…Vrndavana is actually very nice during the Kartika because everything is sober because all the (?) pilgrims come there. It is very nice. And if our devotees, even if we can’t go every year, but we should make some plan that…we should not be so miser about money. To think that we have no money, no money like that, but we should make some plan for making money so that we can go to Vrndavana and spend at least some time. In that way we have to re-charged with spiritual enthusiasm because there are certain places that give special enthusiasm. Just like re-charging a battery. When you charge a battery when it is too much used then you dry up so you need to be re-charged. That you can get. If we plan in such a way, a nice way, that even if you cannot go every year at least in a reasonable time scale you should be able to. In that way you are looking forward, yes, I’m going to Vrndavana in 2 years, like that, in that way you become always enthusiastic. Similarly, putting on any preaching program, we should have some nice plan. That in about a month I’m going to invite about 5 people for a very nice program, slide show, chanting , bhajans, very important guests, friends like that. Not day to day but some plan. That way you’re looking forward. Just like I’m planning to have a temple, building a temple and looking forward that someday, I don’t know if I will be able to do it but at least I’m planning. That makes one enthusiastic. Either trying to gather some Laksmi or intelligence, like that. But at least you’re thinking is that I’m going to do this as my duty. We should be always planning something. Planning is as important as execution. Your mind should always be engaged properly. Planning makes you engaged. Suppose we are going to have a preaching program in Sonoma County. What is it? Is there a county called Sonoma? In a month or something like that. And we make plans. And then we are going to do a program in somebody’s house …Just like our Malati, you don’t have to collect every day. Someday there might be some friends you meet there in that collection. Take her name and address and say that we are a spiritual group and someday we would like to come to your house. Maybe a little chanting and bring some prasadam for you because you have given such a nice donation today. Like that, it can become a very nice preaching program and then make an engagement and in a month or so make a telephone call and then she will be so happy that, “Oh,yes this is that nice lady that I gave about $10. she has come now with this bhajan group. Prasadam.” So like that. You don’t have to tell a lie all the time.  END

Bedugul, Bali, Indonesia, Dec 28, 2005

Hare Krsna, I d like to thanks all of you for your coming from different great planets…

So, Bhaktivonoda Thakur says, that in most people sleeping, so therefore it is good to understand that we are waking up from deep slumber…slumber mean sleep. So by the blessing of Prabhupada that so…we given this wonderful understanding that we have to get up from this deep sleep. To wake up means…what do we do when we wake up? just like the sun rising in early in the morning and then …we see everything is look up a beautiful life and we can see around, also we can remember the beautiful  birds and so many wonderful things happening when we wake up in the morning. So this understanding of waking up of from deep sleep, deep sleep means one completely in the mood of ignorance, darkness, tamoguna.  When tamoguna is influenced the individual, we just like in a deep slumber or deep sleep. But only go to the Vaikuntha planet by we leave this body, and we  go to Vaikuntha planet…in Vaikuntha planet all living entities never sleeps. So therefore  is hours in the morning, always likes a morning-morning hours. When I came to Bali, in the morning I always  heard a beautiful music from a little birds that always come near me and sing a beautiful song that reminds me the Vaikuntha planet. In another day when we  working a whole night…we re left  after four o’clock in the morning, and when I come out from the door I saw a beautiful bird singing  little far and he was singing; “Swamiji….in the birds song but the song says in English that, “Krsna is The Supreme Personality of Godhead”. So, I heard the same song, the same music about 10 years ago when I had a little operation a removement of stone and I spend some days in Bombay. But in Bombay by next of my room there’s was a coconut tree, Bombay is also like Bali. And in that coconut tree, this little bird come every day, every day early in the morning I heard the same song, “Swamiji…Krsna is The Supreme Personality  of Godhead”. So what I heard the same song another day in Bali, o…this is a message…massage, a bird from Vaikunta planet. Therefore, that Krsna Consciousness is the culture of Vaikuntha, people in Vaikunthaloka.

There is also a beautiful song, I will sing a song. The song called arunodaya kirtan, actually sung when the sun is coming… rising…the rising sun. So the meaning is ..very beautiful (Guru Maharaja read song’s the translation);

“As the rising sun colored the eastern horizon. Lord Gaurasundara, the jewel of twice born woke up. Gathering his devotees around him, he went to walk in the town of Nadia. The mrdangga made tathai…tathai sounds…tathai is the name of the language of mrdanga ..and the cymbals played along rhythmically. The lord’s golden limbs tremble with ecstasy  of divine love and his ankle bell jingle.

And the lord explained to his followers, just chant the name of Krsna, Mukunda, Madhava, Yadava and Hari. Your night has wasted in useless sleep and your day is lost in decorating your body. Then He says, having received this human body that we so difficult to attain, why do u still remain unconscious of this value. If you do not worship the son of Mother Yasoda now, then you regretted in the time of death.

When the rising sun sets u become anxious because another day has in lost, why then do you remain idol and lordships the lord of your heart. The essentials thing to know is that life is temporary and full of dangerous. Therefore, take shelter of the holy name with great care, while continuing  to do your own occupation or duty.

Then He says, desiring to bring auspiciousness to all souls, the holy name has descended into this material world to remove darkness and ignorance and to shine in the sky of heart. And Bhaktivinod says, please give Bhaktivinoda life by drinking the pure nectar of holy name. There is nothing more value in this fourteen worlds other than holy name”.

Jai jai harinama mahasankirtana ki..jai…

Hare krsna…hare krsna…hare krsna…jai..jai harinama mahasankirtana ki…jai..

Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam, kalau nastyeva nastyeva nastyeva gathir anyatha. Jai Srila Prabhupada ki..,Jai Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu ki..jai..jai Vaikuntha Bhakta Vaishnava Vrnda ki jai…Gaura Premanande…

Udilo aruna purabe-bhage (Maharaja singing arunodaya kirtana song with devotees)

Hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare

Prema dhavani…then Guru Maharaja speaks again;

“Hare krsna, somehow the sun also coming, the lakes on the right side and the trees also enjoying. Vaikuntha is like that…very peaceful, Vaikuntha mean peace, Vaikuntha means place there is anxiety and no worry. So Krsna consciousness is a training how to enter Vaikuntha world. So therefore this is the most, highest, the most important culture. Therefore we have to learn how to remain very steady, steady means dhira, dhira means very very peaceful in ourselves and peaceful with everyone…So the culture of how became dhira, dhira means very stable, very balance, balance life, and also always taking the blessing the higher authorities is the essence of Krsna Consciousness.

So I m very happy to see devotees from Singaraja…some devotees come from Singaraja right? Can you rise your hand? Id like to thank all of u for coming, by your sincere prayer there is good day today, and no rain this time. Yesterday we have in Klungkung but the rain was very very strong. So we have a special blessing today from…because the authority of Vaikuntha, so therefore the lord blessing us. Very nice.

So I m leaving actually the day after tomorrow morning. This trip is unplanned trip. Then the messages came that I must go for doing some duties, an important duties. I just leave  even I leave my luggage in Calcutta, but  I only came by my dhoti. So this duty was to do something, to organize some program, a more  important preaching, preaching duty in Bali. It s takes two more day to complete. And our…some of our devotees working hard so they don’t sleep for last three or four day, and they only take one glass water every day. They working very hard, but they doing well, finished. So, many of you also contributed something because it is required. I d like thanks all of u for your contribution because contribution is required for completing this work. So please stay well, I intend to return maybe in summer time, summer means around July and I will stay in longer time..will do a lot of programs.

And I want to make announcement that this year from April, I m touring with cultural group from Manipur, I taking more than 20 artist to around USA, drumming, martial arts. Anybody who doesn’t agree I also have martial arts groups…so this is martial arts function (laughter). I will stay about three month until May-June, July I will come and we also plans to invite many artist from all around the world…this is due to invite for opening festival in  Manipur, 2007.  I like to request all of you, to come in Manipur temple opening, 2007 in month of October.

So I suggested to by one boat. You can from here come to harbour in Calcutta, Calcutta is  nearby. It takes about 25 days by boat (laughter). And when u came to Calcutta you said that you are from Manipur, Manipuris. So there is no visa required. They will very happy, then you said that you coming from Bombay for special picnic and now coming in Calcutta. So in this way  please plans. If you don’t find a boat, you can take helicopter…and there will be a very big  festivals…very nice festivals.

Our four devotees from Bali that already in Manipur trying to finished, and they said not to leave Manipur until the temple finished. So by this preparation  pursuing, so please plans from now. But there are also cheap flight if you go by the other way. There are flight…we have like Asia Air, Jet Star…is Dhira Kesava here? Dhira Kesava at this year in Vrndavan recently going by that flight. Also Malaysia airline…very cheap. Many ways  to going there. So Please plans. It will be very cold at this time, Manipur is like this…like this cold. This invitation you keep in mind and you save one rupiah (Indonesian Currency) every day…(laughter), by that way there’s no many problem.

I’m very happy that to see, and also able to come for few days and see all of you. So in Vrndavan a few days ago many devotees gather together and had a very nice program. About many devotees said that they want to do again in Bali, they wants to come to Bali. And also the other group also said, “maharaja we want to go to Bali”, URI also said “maharaja arrange something that we all want to going to Bali”. And our science group from around the world, they call me “Dr Singh you arrange program in Bali, we wants to come to Bali”. Bali is very…I always ask everyone, you come to Bali than you get peace. So, therefore many important program make on, and this program that we are trying to completed is just to facilitate that…we can do some nice program. Because you have so many young devotees, we want to engage all of you very nicely so that you always remain busy. And also we will begin a very nice school for the children. I look so many children, but the school  will be  an English medium school. So that, not only school but we will have all the activities of  Vaikuntha. That means Vedic culture, Vedic culture activities…there will be art and culture, Balinese is very nice in art. And a very important music, musical courses, and philosophy abut Krsna Consciousness. And even prasadam…international prasadam. We will bring recipes from Vaikuntha, Vaikuntha recipes. Vaikuntha recipes was…you know  there is a very nice big…big red gulab jamun, and we will have a nice preparation from black rice, palm sugar…that’s all Vaikunta items. So therefore we plan …if you have some government friend, we need at least 50 acre of lands. So We will have a very nice campus and will have a wonderful program, and all the scientist around the world will come and join the program. This is our prayer and by Prabhupada blessing, please pray so that you remain healthy and strong, become remain  strong Krsna Conscious following the principles, and in this way we can gone nicely in Krsna Consciousness.

I think we should walk now for a little right? Make little…I saw the gate was quiet nice, I want to take a picture there because I taking some sample here to finish  our temple in Manipur. Because when we  sitting, it is good to do some exercise. In Vaikuntha…all the inhabitants of Vaikuntha always do some spiritual exercise…(laughter)

Jai Srila Prabhupada ki..jai..

Jai Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodar Svami Maharaja ki…jai..

End.

Bedugul, Bali, Indonesia, 28 Des 2005, sore

Hare Krsna, saya ingin mengucapkan terima kasih atas kedatangan anda semua dari berbagai planet yang hebat…

Bhaktivinoda Thakura mengatakan bahwa hampir semua masyarakat sedang dalam keadaan tertidur, oleh karena itu sangatlah baik bagi kita karena kita diberikan pengertian bagaimana seharusnya terbangun dari tidur ini. Jadi atas karunia Prabhupada kita diberikan pengertian bahwa seharusnya kita terbangun dari tidur yang dalam ini. Bangun berarti…apa yang terjadi ketika kita bangun? Seperti halnya matahari terbit di pagi hari…dan kita bisa melihat sebuah kehidupan yang indah disekeliling dan kita juga bisa mengingat burung-burung dan banyak hal yang indah lainnya terjadi ketika kita bangun pagi.

Jadi pengertian bagaimana kita terbangun dari tidur yang dalam…tidur yang dalam berarti seseorang sepenuhnya dalam sifat kebodohan, kegelapan, tamoguna. Ketika tamoguna mempengaruhi seseorang maka kita akan berada dalam kondisi tertidur pulas. Tetapi hanya dengan kembali ke Vaikuntha, dengan meninggalkan badan material ini, dan kita pergi ke Vaikuntha…di planet Vaikuntha seluruh entitas hidup tidak pernah tertidur. Jadi suasana disana selalu pagi…seperti pagi hari. Ketika saya datang ke Bali, di pagi hari saya selalu mendengar nyanyian merdu yang dilantunkan seekor burung kecil yang selalu datang mendekati saya dan menyanyikan lagu yang mengingatkan saya akan planet Vaikuntha.

Suatu hari, beberapa hari yang lalu ketika kami bekerja semalaman…kami baru selesai setelah lewat jam empat pagi, dan ketika keluar dari pintu saya kembali melihat burung tersebut datang dan menyanyikan lagu yang indah, ia menyanyikan: “Swamiji”…dalam bahasa burung tetapi lagu itu dalam bahasa Inggeris berarti, “Krsna adalah Personalitas Tuhan Yang Maha Esa”.

Saya mendengar lagu yang sama, irama yang sama kira-kira 10 tahun yang lalu ketika saya menjalani operasi kecil untuk mengeluarkan batu. Dan saya tinggal beberapa hari di Bombay. Di Bombay, didekat kamar saya ada sebatang pohon kelapa, Bombay juga seperti Bali. Dan di atas pohon kelapa itu, burung kecil itu datang setiap hari, setiap hari  pagi-pagi sekali saya mendengar nyanyian yang sama, “Swamiji…Krsna adalah Personalitas Tuhan Yang  Maha Esa”, jadi lagu yang sama yang saya dengar di Bali, Oh.. itu adalah pesan…pesan, burung yang berasal dari planet Vaikuntha. Oleh karena itu Kesadaran Krsna ini merupakan kebudayaan Vaikuntha, masyarakat di Vaikunthaloka.

Planet-planet Vaikuntha

Ini adalah sebuah lagu yang indah…saya akan menyanyikan sebuah lagu. Lagu ini berjudul arunodaya kirtana, nyanyian yang dinyanyikan dalam suasana ketika matahari datang…terbit…matahari terbit. Artinya sangat indah…

“Ketika matahari terbit mewarnai horizon di ufuk tinur, Tuhan Gaurasundara, permata di kalangan kaum Brahmana terbangun. Dikelilingi oleh para penyembahnya, beliau berjalan melalui jalan-jalan di kota Nadia. Mrdanga menciptakan suara..tathai..tathai…(tathai adalah salah satu istilah dalam bahasa Mrdanga)…dan kartal dimainkan mengiringi irama tersebut dengan teratur. Anggota badan Sri Gauranga bergetar dalam kebahagian cinta kasih rohani, dan gelang kakiNya menimbulkan suara gemerincing.

Kemudian Sri Gaurangga Mahaprabhu menjelaskan kepada para pengikutNya, nyanyikanlah hanya nama Krsna, Mukunda, Yadava dan Hari. Malammu telah dilewatkan dalam tidur yang sia-sia dan har- harimu telah disia-siakan dengan hanya menghias badanmu. Kemudian Beliau mengatakan, setelah menerima kehidupan manusia yang sangat sulit untuk dicapai, kenapa engkau tetap tidak menyadari besarnya karunia ini? Jika engkau tidak memuja putra Ibu Yasoda sekarang, maka engkau akan menyesal saat kematian tiba.

Krishna Putra Ibu yasoda

Ketika matahari terbenam engkau menjadi cemas karena satu hari telah hilang, kenapa engkau tetap malas dan tidak mengabdi kepada Tuhan yang bersemayam dalam hatimu. Hal yang terpenting yang harus diketahui adalah bahwa hidup sangat sementara dan penuh dengan bahaya. Karenanya berlindunglah kepada nama suci dengan sunguh-sungguh sambil tetap melakukan segala kewajibanmu.

Kemudian Beliau berkata, karena ingin memberikan kemujuran kepada setiap jiwa, nama suci telah turun ke dunia material ini untuk menghilangkan kegelapan dan kebodohan serta untuk memberikan penerangan di langit  hati. Dan Bhaktivinoda berkata, mohon berikan Bhaktivinoda kehidupan dengan meminum nektar yang murni dari nama suci. Tiada sesuatupun di keempat belas dunia yang lebih berharga dari nama suci”.

Sri sri Radha Rasesvara

Kemudian Guru Maharaja bernyanyi…TEXT ARUNODAYA KIRTANA

Setelah bernynyi Beliau melanjutkan:

Hare Krsna…

Entah bagaimana matahari telah datang, di sebelah kanan kita terdapat danau dan pohon-pohon juga ikut menikmati. Vaikuntha adalah seperti ini…sangat damai, Vaikuntha berarti damai…Vaikuntha berarti tempat dimana tidak ada kecemasan dan tidak ada kekhawatiran. Jadi Kesadaran Krsna adalah suatu proses latihan bagaimana memasuki dunia Vaikuntha.

Jadi ini adalah kebudayaan yang tertinggi, kebudayaan yang paling penting. Oleh karena itu kita harus belajar bagaimana supaya bisa tetap mantap, mantap artinya dhira, dhira berarti sangat berbahagia baik dalam diri sendiri maupun bersama orang lain…jadi kebudayaan untuk bisa menjadi dhira, stabil, sangat seimbang…kehidupan yang seimbang dan selalu mengikuti karunia otoritas yang lebih tinggi adalah esensi Kesadaran Krsna.

Saya sangat senang untuk bisa bertemu para penyembah dari Singaraja…bisakah anda angkat tangan? Saya berterima kasih atas kedatangannya…dengan ketulusan doa kalian maka hari ini sangat indah dan tidak ada hujan saat ini. Kemarin kita mengadakan program di Klungkung dan hujan turun dengan lebatnya. Jadi kita memperoleh karunia khusus pada hari ini…karena utusan otoritas yang spesial dari Vaikuntha, sehingga Tuhan memberkati kita semua. Sangat indah….

Saya akan meninggalkan Bali lusa pada pagi hari. Kunjungan ini adalah kunjungan yang tidak direncanakan sebelumnya. Oleh karena ada pesan datang dan saya harus segera datang kesini untuk mengerjakan beberapa tugas, sebuah tugas penting. Saya pergi begitu saja bahkan meninggalkan barang-barang bawaan saya di Calcutta dan hanya membawa dhoti saja. Dan tugas ini adalah untuk mengerjakan sesuatu, untuk mengorganisir sebuah program…sebuah program pengajaran yang sangat penting di Bali. Ini masih memerlukan dua hari lagi untuk menyelesaikannya. Dan beberapa penyembah kita bekerja keras sampai-sampai tidak tidur dalam 3 atau 4 hari ini dan hanya meminum segelas air saja dalam sehari. Mereka bekerja dengan sangat keras, tetapi semuanya dikerjakan dan diselesaikan dengan baik. Banyak diantara kalian juga ikut berkontribusi karena kontribusi ini sangat diperlukan untuk menyelesaikan pekerjaan ini. Saya mengucapkan terima kasih atas semua itu. Jadi tetaplah tinggal dengan baik, saya berencana untuk datang kembali pada musim panas. Musim panas berarti sekitar bulan Juli dan akan tinggal lebih lama untuk membuat beberapa program.

Dan saya juga ingin memberitahukan bahwa tahun ini mulai bulan April, saya akan berkeliling dengan kelompok kesenian dari Manipur. Saya membawa lebih dari 20 seniman ke seluruh Amerika Serikat, seperti pemain kendang, juga seni bela diri. Siapapun yang tidak suka saya juga membawa kelompok seni bela diri…jadi disinilah fungsi bela diri yang benar…(tertawa)…saya akan melakukannya selama sekitar tiga bulan sampai Mei-Juni, Juli saya akan datang ke sini. Dan kita juga berencana untuk mengundang banyak seniman dari seluruh dunia dalam rangka festival pembukaan di Manipur bulan Oktober 2007.

Jadi saya sarankan kalian membeli sebuah boat. Kalian bisa berlayar dari sini menuju pelabuha Calcutta, Calcutta cukup dekat…hanya memerlukan sekitar 25 hari dengan kapal (tertawa). Dan saat kalian tiba di Calcuta katakanlah bahwa kalian berasal dari Manipur, Manipuri. Sehingga tidak diperlukan Visa. Mereka akan sangat senang, lalu katakan bahwa kalian baru saja datang dari Bombay dalam rangka piknik spesial dan sekarang tiba di Calcutta. Dengan demikian mohon ini direncanakan. Jika tidak bisa membeli kapal boat, kalian bisa menggunakan Helikopter…dan disana akan ada festival yang sangat meriah…sangat besar.

Keempat penyembah dari Bali yang sudah berada di Manipur sedang berusaha menyelesaikan pekerjaannya, bahkan mereka mengatakan tidak akan meninggalkan Manipur sebelum Kuil selesai. Dengan persiapan ini, silahkan direncanakan dari sekarang. Sekarang juga ada penerbangan murah…seperti Jet Star, Asia Air…seperti Dhira Kesava yang baru-baru ini ke Vrndavan menggunakan penerbangan ini. Ada juga Malaysia Airline…sangat murah. Banyak cara untuk pergi kesana. Jadi tolong rencanakan dengan baik. Saat itu disana akan sangat dingin, Manipur seperti  suasana disini…seperti dinginnya disini. Jadi undangan ini mohon kalian ingat dengan baik dan mulai sekarang simpanlah satu rupiah setiap hari…(tertawa)…dengan cara itu tidak akan ada banyak masalah.

Saya sangat senang bisa datang dan bertemu semuanya selama beberapa hari. Di Vrndavan beberapa hari yang lalu para penyembah hadir bersama-sama dan mengadakan program yang bagus sekali. Banyak penyembah yang mengatakan bahwa mereka ingin kembali datang ke Bali. Juga ada kelompk-kelompok lainnya yang mengatakan, “Maharaja kami ingin pergi ke Bali, URI juga mengatakan, “Maharaja mohon susun acara sehingga kami semua bisa datang ke Bali” dan kelompok ilmuwan dari seluruh dunia juga menelpon saya, mnereka mengatakan; “Dr. Singh anda susunlah program di Bali, kami akan datang ke sana”. Bali sangatlah…saya selalu mengatakan kepada setiap orang, anda datanglah ke Bali dan anda akan mendapatklan kedamaian.

Jadi banyak program yang bisa dibuat dan program yang sedang kita selesaikan sekarang adalah bertujuan untuk memfasilitasi itu…kita bisa melakukan banyak program yang bagus. Oleh karena kalian memiliki sangat banyak penyembah muda yang antusias, kami ingin menyibukkan anda semua dengan benar sehingga kalian selalu sibuk. Dan juga kita akan memulai sekolah yang bagus untuk anak-anak. Saya melihat sangat banyak ada anak-anak…tetapi sekolah ini akan merupakan sekolah menengah berbahasa Inggeris. Jadi tidak semata-mata sekolah tetapi kita akan mengajarkan segala aktivitas Vaikuntha. Itu berarti kebudayaan Veda, aktivitas kebudayaan Veda…disana akan ada seni dan budaya, masyarakat Bali ahli dalam bidang seni. Dan juga musik, pelatihan musik dan filsafat tentang Kesadaran Krsna. Bahkan juga prasadam…prasadam internasional. Kita akan membawa resep-resep dari Vaikuntha, resep Vaikuntha. Dalam resep Vaikuntha ada…kalian tahu… disana ada gulab jamun merah yang sangat…sangat besar dan kita bisa membuat menu yang enak dari beras hitam, gula merah…semua itu adalah bahan-bahan yang ada di Vaikuntha. Oleh karena itu kita merencanakannya…jika kalian memiliki kenalan dari kalangan pemerintahan…kita membutuhkan paling tidak sekitar 50 acre tanah. Sehingga kita akan memiliki kampus dan bisa mengadakan program-program yang bagus dan seluruh ilmuwan dari seluruh dunia akan datang mengikuti program kita. Ini adalah harapan kita bersama dan atas karunia Srila Prabhupada…mohon berdoa sehingga kalian tetap sehat dan kuat, tetap teguh dalam Kesadaran Krsna  mengikuti semua prinsip dan dengan demikian kita bisa berjalan dengan baik dalam Kesadaran Krsna.

Sekarang saya kira saatnya untuk sedikit berjalan-jalan bukan? Membuat beberapa…saya melihat kalau pintu gerbang disana sangat indah. Saya ingin mengambil beberapa gambar sebagai sampel untuk menyelesaikan Kuil kita di Manipur. Karena kita telah cukup duduk, maka sangat baik kalau kita melakukan sedikit olah raga. Di Vaikuntha…seluruh penghuni Vaikuntha juga senang melakukan olah raga rohani….

Jai Srila Prabhupada ki..jai..

Jai Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Svami Maharaja ki…jai..

Selesai

Transcribe dan terjemahan Nityananda Rama das

In order to accommodate the different desires of living entities, material nature manifests in variegated qualities by the will of the Lord.  This material nature is broadly divided into three categories called three modes of nature (gunas) – sattvam (goodness), rajah (passion) and tamah (ignorance).  The living entities behave differently when they interact with these modes.  The mode of goodness is purer than the other two modes and all living beings are influenced to different degrees by the different modes of nature.

Any activity that the living entity performs is called karma.  The cosmic manifestation is full of different activities.  All living entities are engaged in different activities.  These activities are being carried out from time immemorial and the living entities are enjoying or suffering the fruits of these activities.  Based on these different activities of living beings, there is a natural law called the Law of karma in Vedantic tradition.  The law of karma states that every living entity has a predestined happiness and distress in his/her present body according to the actions performed by the living entity in his/her previous and present life.  The concept of karma is similar to that of action and reaction in Newton’s Law.

Karma has a close link with the free will of the individual.  According to the Law of karma, free will is a property of fundamental life particle spiriton and by exercising free will a person performs various actions and is implicated in various reactions.  The use of free will rightly or wrongly will decide the course of life.  When the living being reaches the human form of life, the free will is fully manifest and from human life the chain of karma can be cut off by choosing the right action, the spiritual action.
Thus karma is not eternal.  We can change the results of karma by using the free will rightly.  This change depends on the perfection of our knowledge.  Hence, in Vedanta, the importance of human form of life is emphasized.

Source:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Forum_For_Vedanta_And_Science/message/40

Jay Bali Bhakta Vaishnava Vrinda ki

Nitai Gaura Premananda ki

Devotees: Jai Sripad Maharaj ki

BSDS: So understanding the distinction between matter and spirit as well as devotional service, so this is called raja vidya, means the king of education. And also not only the king of education, it is the most confidential. Confidential means, in our case means open confidential, you keep things very carefully. So we have to keep this in mind. So when you practice our devotional life with, then you will become very strong internally. So we have deep internal spiritual strength and then you depend on the blessings of the acharya and vaishnavas and then our devotional life will become –  protected by the blessings of guru and Krishna. So this is very simple, here in this book the distinction between matter and life, so very simply, we give the example that matter – the particle of matter is called electron, right? You have all heard electron? So what is meant by email? Electronic mail, right? That electronic is the same as this electron. Electronic mail, right? But then what is the example of life? So the example of life is called spiriton. Electron and spiriton. So therefore Krishna says the distinction, to understand the distinction, what is the distinction between the electron and the spiriton? What is the distinction?

Devotee: Electron is unconscious, but spiriton is conscious, chetana.

BSDS: Yes, so electron has no consciousness. But the spiriton has consciousness. But how electron can be studied? How do you study electron? How do you detect? So anybody knows how to study electron? Because you cannot see it, you cannot see electron. So electron can be studied by called – anuman, what is anuman?

Devotee: anuman pramana

BSDS: Anuman means inference, in English its called inference. So like in places, I don’t know in Asia, in the tropical climate you don’t see, but in places like America and Europe, when aeroplane flies, you may not see the aeroplane but you can see a trail of fog, from that you know that the aeroplane has gone this way.  So similarly the electron, when they studied, called Wilson’s cloud chamber, that the electron passes through a chamber of this gases but when electron passes the gases are ionized. Ionized means one electron is knocked out and then you have charged particles inside the chamber. So just like a trail that you see in the sky, similarly trail you can see in the chamber. And that can be photographed. So in this way you can say that electron is real, electron exists. Similarly how do you know the spiriton exists? Any answer? How do you know?

Devotee: By consciousness

BSDS: But consciousness is a little subtle, what about  easier one? So what is the difference between life and death? So just like when Prabhupada in the early 70’s there was a correspondence with Prabhupada, our Guru Maharaj, and with a surgeon in Toronto, in Canada. His name is Dr. Bigelow. Bigelow said, “Every day in the operating theatre some people die” he was experienced, he wanted to know what is the weight of the soul which has gone from this body. So Prabhupada wrote, he was very interested, Dr. Bigelow. Prabhupada  [indistinct words] correspondence.But you see it is not possible to take the weight because our modern equipment are very limited. But the very fact that when a dead body cannot be brought back to life again, when its dead, that shows that something is gone. So therefore we call spiriton. Its called a fundamental particle of  [indistinct word]. So like that these are mentioned briefly here. The technique of study of spiriton here is called the dynamics.  Dynamics of nine processes of bhakti. This is the dynamics by shravana, kirtanam, Vishnu smaranam…

Devotee: Vishnu smaranam, vandanam, dasyam, archanam, sakhyam, atma-nivedanam

BSDS: So atma-nivedanam means total surrender to the Lord. By these nine. process of spiritual dynamics one can understand the process of the engagement and activity of the spiriton. Therefore, this is for everyone, especially for the medical doctors. Therefore I have put a Kreb’s cycle.  So therefore this is for you to read. So that it will be useful for -. And then begging for the blessings of the spiritual teachers and Prabhupada, unless we know about the distinction between life and matter then one will be very proud. Because on the bodily platform you can be proud, and one will become very angry quickly. So we have to, unless you understand this basic background you cannot have anger control and what does Krishna- Gita says? Kama, krodha, lobha. So these are three gates to what?

Devotee: Naraka. To Denpas station (laughter)

BSDS:l. To the lower planetary system. And therefore, krodha is very very, we have to be extremely cautious that . . .  if we can learn how to manage our anger -. And so when one is able to even try it and think about it, that means you are making progress. That is very background, so when Gauranga Mahaprabhu says (sings) “trinad api sunicena, taror eva sahisnuna, amanina mana dena, kirtaniya sada harih[1]” Beautiful, Gauranga mahaprabhu. This is called scientific, scientific means something if you practice you get the results. So when Gauranga Mahaprabhu says amanina manadena, manadena means devoid of all desire for false prestige. False prestige means want to be glorified want to have name and fame. So this is the conception of mine and my property, my land so all these instructions are called –  amanina – devoid of all sense of false prestige. So Gauranga mahaprabhu says this false prestige, we have to give up. So when we are able to realize that at the point that we can chant the glories of the lord, kirtaniya sadah harih so therefore this is very important. Once we develop this culture, this beautiful culture, then we will be able to proceed in our devotional journey properly. So this is what, basic devotional program. In this way one can build one’s foundation. So therefore we have to learn how to relate as brothers and sisters. Helping spirit, helping mind, if someone is weak. Vaishnava is called para duhkha dukhi. Always is concerned when someone is not doing well, always worried about. So in this way Vaishnava is always concerned for the welfare of all living beings. In this way if we maintain this culture, this simple culture, everybody will remain strong in the journey. You see, life is a journey, journey is very long. So we have to pass through all these coconut forests and [indistinct word], so life is a journey. This is natural, it is natural that we will encounter ups and downs, but when there is a danger, when there is some difficulty, sometimes there are challenges in life, but you will have enough strength how to face those challenges. And if you overcome that difficulty, then you will get more strength, because spiritual strength is unlimited. Because the Lord gives, the Lord provides then you get confidence, self confidence. And by that confidence you will become very enthusiastic. Then you don’t get angry when someone says something. You appreciate everything, “Oh he is saying because he has something.” But you do not get upset. So in this way you can remain balanced. So this is very required in our devotional journey. So in this way devotional life is called the summum bonum-everything, it will solve all the –  problems are only material. You can always solve by spiritual knowledge. This understanding is very essential.

So we are happy to see all of you.

Devotees: Sripad Maharaj ki jai, jaya

BSDS: So please stay strong. I was in Orissa before I came here. Orissa, lot of nice things will happen in Orissa now. So there is one university near Jagannath Puri coming, its called the Vedanta University.

Devotees: Jaya!

BSDS: There are 10000 acres of land. And the budget is 15  thousand million dollars. (laughter) That is one thing, this is headed by a person called Anil Agarwal. The title is called Vedanta but there will be all subjects. There is a company coming for construction, he is spending 4 thousand million dollars. I am doing a small project, my small project is on the bank of Mahanadi river. so this is – , when you come to Orissa I will take you there. It has not started yet but I got a piece of land, so we are planning to do a very small and nice project on the banks of Mahanadi, a very auspicious river in Sambalpur.  I just came from there. It will be our writing for Vedanta, Science and Vedanta. So you can visit when you visit India next year. We will start from this year, the month of November and December we are starting. So there are many nice projects coming in India.

I told last time we wanted to start one school in Bali but the school has to come from Yayasan Bhaktivedanta Institute. Because in Bali the grihastha ashram is very strong. (laughter) That is a special blessings of –  . I see so many nice children, little children so many in the last few years (laughter). We need a very nice school. This school will be very high class. Devotionally it should be very nicely prepared. Plus other education. so I thought the time has come we have to start a school soon, almost immediately. Our Ramavallabha, others you know that,  who will be leading these schools, I just said that it requires some land, maybe small, in the beginning you can start in a small way, but it’s a very nice plan. That will be a very nice service for the children. Then they will be in the future pillars of devotional life in Bali. See our Lilavati when she came from the United States, you do not know, they are coming for the first time, I have not introduced to all of you, Lilavati and her husband Padmalochan. Padmalochan is from Italy, Lilavati is from America. Lilavati is a teacher, she is teaching in some very important schools in America. So when our school starts here, they can come as visiting professors. Then we will have within the campus, Vedic Cultural Training Center. That way the campus, we need a very, at least 5-6 acres of land. And then we will make some very nice teachers, we have so many educated people and we can invite some very qualified pandits from India to teach the children Vedic chanting and quotes. And we will include many cultural Vaishnava items from Bali. And our Manipuri sankirtana drummers from Manipur, teachers will come from Manipur. And from all over, wherever the Vaishnava culture is there we will take Odyssey dance from Orissa. Plus we will teach science, philosophy, and language and Sanskrit and English and many other world languages. And many, like painting, very nice and shloka memorization, all the Vedas. So in this way it will be wonderful centre of Vaishnava training and culture and education. In this way our little children will be trained properly. So this is very important education. I think the time has come that this has to be done as soon as possible.

Devotee: We plan, Maharaj, to start next year, we will start from the Kindergarten Maharaj.

BSDS: Yesterday one Parishad leader was  talking with Maharaj, how to strengthen this Vaishnava culture in Bali, also in a correct way. So about the Vaishnavas, 10-20 people come to India for a few years, get trained up nicely and come back and teach here. Exchange programs, in India and Bali. So I think it will be very important and we can have higher education, up to university, just like I said last time, University of Bhagavata Culture. So therefore this whole Bali can be spiritualized with Vaishnava culture and education (applause). In this way our Prabhupada will be extremely happy. Basically, these things you have to think about it very seriously and all the leaders should combine together. You should take it up as one of your very important projects, for all the devotees. This will be a very wonderful contribution to the world of culture. So lets see. I brought some prasadam from Jagannath Puri.

Devotees: jaya!

BSDS: Please take some prasada, and After that we will take bath and see, Maharaj, they are coming at 7 o’clock. Maybe you have to prepare for your cultural program?

(applause) You see, I tell many important people “You must go to Bali”. I talk a lot about Bali, Bali is a .-

Devotees: jaya!

BSDS: Many people want, the other day there was a telephone call came from the United States, conference telephone call, URI. Everyone remembers what happened a few years ago, they said “Dr. Singh, can we come again to Bali” (applause) I said “if all our Balinese friends invite me, I will definitely invite you.” So they are very happy, they want to come again. So if we have a very nice program, many important people will come. Bali and -  So therefore we have to work very nicely so that we can present the devotional culture very properly. You know better than me in doing these things so I pray that by the blessings of Prabhupada and Lord Sri Krishna you all remain very healthy and strong and proceed in devotional life joyfully, with great joy and enthusiasm. Then the whole world will be happy.

Jay Srila Prabhupada ki!

Jaya Bali Bhakta Vaishnava Vrinda ki!

Jaya Indonesia Bhakta Vaishnava Vrinda ki!

Jaya Gaura Premanande!

Devotees: Haribol!

Devotee: Shripad Guru Maharaj ki

BSDS: Jaya Shri Jagannath Mahaprasadam ki

Devotee: Ramavallabha prabhu has birthday today, there is a birthday cake there Maharaj. Amala also and Premadhana,

BSDS: Ramavallabha is 21? You are 21 year old today? (laughter). We need 3 flower garlands then. We have 3 flower garlands?

Devotee: I put on the table there from Gajapati Maharaj.

BSDS: Bring that. Very nice, Amala and Premadhana. These are three layers of cake?

Devotee: One layer (laughter).

BSDS: Where is the knife to cut?

Devotee: Another boy tomorrow.

BSDS: We’ll make one day ahead. There is a change of tithi (laughter).

<End>

Recorded by: Balinese Devotee

Transcribed by: Amala Gaura Das

Edited by: Rupachandra Das

BSDS: Very good. So what does Krishna say in Bhagavad Gita? Man mana bhava mad bhakto, mad yaji namaskuru[ii], so Krishna says, our Vaishnavas say, Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita bhaktya mam abhijanati[iii], when the scientists, most of the scientists do not come to the understanding of the personal form of the Lord because they are still not having bhakti, bhaktya mam, means He can only be understood by devotion. So this Professor Townes and William Phillips, although they don’t have formal practice in the pure bhakti program, by their previous karma, so they are intuitively understanding the devotional principles. So therefore they say ‘God is a person.” So Phillips said “I do not understand why Einstein could not recognize that God is a person. Why was he so much attracted in the glamours of this universe. But why couldn’t he recognize that God is a person.” He says in this interview, you open it, you can see. But then he says that, but intuitively he had personal ideas, Einstein also had personal ideas of God. In a metaphor, Einstein said, I do not understand why the old man, he called God as an old man, why the old man is making everything hidden. So he said that is a very personal thing, otherwise how could he say “the old man.” So intuitively he had these personal ideas , but somehow he was externally behaving like he was only talking about impersonal. He said he had personal ideas also. So this is very interesting that they argue that God is a Person. Here we say subtitle “Reflections of two Nobel Laureates.” Reflections means they are thinking along that line, that is their realization, understanding. There are some very nice quotes from well known scientists in the history of science. You see Copernicus, he says “The universe has been brought for us by a supremely good and orderly creator.” Creator means a person. That means God is a person.

Now, Keppeler- Keppeler is a very famous cosmologist. He says, “I endeavour to gain for human reason.” By his geometrical system. An insight into   understanding  how does He create this universe. Then he makes a prayer like this: “May the creator of the heavens themselves, the Father of all reason to whom our mortal senses owe their existence. May He who is Himself immortal keep me in His grace”, means we seek blessings from the Lord and he says, look at that, this is very important. “Guard me from reporting anything about His work that cannot be justified before His magnificence.” So this means we pray that we do not make mistakes which may misguide. If I make a wrong report that will misguide our powers of reason and “May he cause us to aspire to the perfection of his works of creation by the dedication of our lives.” So that means he is addressing God as a person. So he calls the Lord “He”, the person.

Then what did Newton say? Newton said “This most beautiful system of the sun” Because of sun we can see each other, we can see you are all smiling, we can see the very happy faces. From the sun. We also see the planets and sometimes we also  see comets. “All these things could only proceed from the council and dominion of an intelligent and powerful being.” So that means Newton is addressing God as a person.

Then lets go to the  beginning of  18^th century and 19^th century. This was addressed by Faraday. You know Faraday? You know what did he do?  Faraday do anything with electricity? So Faraday said “We owe to value the privilege of knowing God’s truth so far beyond anything we can have in this world.” So this can mean God in various aspects. Similarly this James Clark Maxwell, he said also “God is a person” James Maxwell, with a long beard, see this is Maxwell.

Let me see, ok, what did Einstein say? He says, Einstein says, “My religion consists of a humble admiration for this inimitable superior spirit that reveals itself in the slight details that we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds.” In other words we can have very slight understanding, very slight understanding. He says “God is unlimitied.” So that’s what he is saying. “But that deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power which is revealed in the comprehensible universe forms my idea of God.” This is what Einstein said. You can understand. “That deeply emotional conviction.” That means the feeling that you have. . . about the presence of a superior reasoning power. That superior reasoning power that you have. Like that you can have some sense from the comprehensible universe,.like we know a little bit about [indistinct words]. So then he said ““This idea forms my idea of God.” That’s what Einstein said. So sometimes therefore we say, “Einstein had a very impersonal conception of God.” He said “The universe is very orderly.” Order. Like always the river is flowing from the uphill to the downstream. Unless you have a tsunami. (laughter) Tsunami is not natural thing. So therefore, but naturally it will flow from the higher to the lower plane. So therefore the idea of order is good. But then when one understands God as a person, there must be a person behind that order. So that’s what Einstein said. This is Einstein and this is Max Born. These are called Fathers of Quantum Physics. So I am going to make all of you scientists today (laughter). So Einstein said at the turn of the century when there was a poll, the most famous scientist or individuals of the world, so Einstein was selected by the Times as number one. He was the most famous person in the 20^th century. And Einstein is more famous today. After his death he has become more famous. Now people are working on “Einstein’s God.” Einstein’s cosmic religion [inaudible words] And therefore said Prabhupada said to present Krishna Consciousness in a scientific way. So he said “This is the most important preaching arm of ISKCON.” Because of science and technology we are able to come and sit down here together.

Devotees: Jaya

BSDS: Otherwise I was just there a few days ago. Then if I had to come by swimming it would be very difficult. (laughter) Because of science and technology we have all these mobile, cell phones are singing in the pockets. So even our Dina, see who is standing there, is Dina from Malaysia. He is originally from Singapore, so we just had a talk day before yesterday. I requested that Dina, please why don’t you come to Bali, but now he just appeared yesterday, because of science and technology (laughter). So I understand that he has a nice program with all of you on Gita Jayanti, that was what last year?

Devotee: Last two months Maharaj, three months back.

BSDS: Oh three months back. So therefore you must all be familiar. He is doing wonderful preaching service. So someday I will join him, we will do a very nice Gita Jayanti

Devotees: Jaya

BSDS: In Singapore actually he started and that was a few years ago, nine years, that was the first time? And that was not last year, before last year it was in Malaysia right?

Devotee: Four years now Maharaj

BSDS:  Then he asked me “Maharaj please come to Malaysia”, Oh that was the tsunami time right? I was in Penang during the tsunami, after the jayanti. I came from the United States but in Singapore my ticket was there from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur but I didn’t have any visa so then they said visa can be arranged.  I had a ticket but then the passport, in the counter they said, “no you cannot go to Malaysia”

But that day was the Gita Jayanti day, I was planning to go from Singapore, but I was in Singapore then I telephoned that I cannot come because my visa is not ready, I had to miss. But then from the Malaysia side so they went to the Prime Ministers Office. It was already closed, 3 or 4 oclock in the afternoon. So one person came flying with a letter from the Prime Minister’s office, Prime Minister of Malaysia for my visa because in Singapore it was already closed. That Malaysian embassy in Singapore, but this letter from the Prime Minister, they ran and knocked the door.  And it was already 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon and the embassy is already closed, but they knocked the door and they said there is a very important word from the Prime Minister’s office. They opened immediately and my visa was given immediately (laughter). But my ticket was already another airline, so then the fellow from Malaysia he managed a ticket from Japan airlines, Japan airlines was flying and I so I took the flight immediately so that fellow and me we flew together directly to Kuala Lumpur and joined the Gita Jayanti, they were halfway, I was joining after, when they already went to halfway. From there I went to Penang and in Penang the next day when I was giving a class in that new center of Penang around 8 o’clock in the morning, in the Bhagavata class, then my chair was rocking like this. Tsunami –  that was the tsunami. Then we did not know that was the tsunami because we thought there was a mild earthquake, it was not so strong but the wave was very, you know, moving like this. There was a Jagannath temple there, after that program I went to Jagannath temple and I did a little program. And after coming back I had to take a flight from Penang to Johore Bahru, and so there our devotees were saying that, “Maharaj, we heard that there is a big wave coming. And so we have to cross, you know there is a some kind of a bridge there, also you can cross by ferry, but if it is done by ferry it is a little bit faster. But the wave, they said if you go by the bridge, it may take longer, then I said please do whatever because I do not know. So then the driver said maybe it is better to go by bridge because we heard some big wave is coming somewhere. And so we did that by the bridge, we went up to the airport. So in this way there was a very experience that we had was [indistinct word]. So in a way Dina is doing all kinds of very mystical things (laughs) but for preaching, for preaching Krishna consciousness. Oh prasadam is ready? This time we only brought prasadam and some friends and like that. This is the lightest flight that I had in this part of the country.

Devotees: Jaya.

BSDS: I also sent some prasadam to Singapore yesterday.
So yeah, this is a little bit about our preaching work.  See, I like this Max Born, as, he is a very nice person. His writings are, the quote that I have is not very representative, but Max Born is a devotee of the Lord, called Max Born.  He said “I saw within the atom the key” In the Vatican if you go, in Rome, their symbol is also the key. They open the door to the Vaikuntha planets by this key (laughter). So he said “I saw within the atom the key to the deepest secret of nature.” And he said “It revealed to me the greatness of the creation and the Creator.” He has written some wonderful books. So this is very nice and so therefore I tried to find one Indian, lets say, well known Indian scientist and he is called Srinivas Ramanujan, well-known mathematician. He was born in 1897 and he passed away in 1920. So He says “any mathematical equation, any equation,” you know equation means E is equal to, Einstein’s equation, E is equal to mc squared. That we all know right? That is called an equation, means the left side is equal to the right side. Just like 10 dollars or one thousand rupiah is equal to? One dollar. This is an equation. So that is the definition of equation. One thousand rupiah is equal to one US dollar. So he said “An equation for me has no meaning unless it represents a thought of God.” In other words God is behind all the modes of nature. Similarly, people like Heisenburg in Quantum, these are the leaders in Quantum physics. Therefore this is very important to read, so you translate. What is our boy here, and translator, our scientist, medical scientist doctors and – So this is, I have given one copy here and I have three, four copies left.

There is another book, this is a book for the medical doctors. You can see a child is doing some experiment. Prabhupada said ‘Life comes from Life”. And this child is  doing some experiment, “where do I really come from?”. You see that, child is a very nice scientist.

Devotee: Looks like Maharaj when he was a child

BSDS: Yes, My color has been changed

(Laughter)
BSDS: So it is “life, matter and interaction”. So this is very important and it is very simple. Here there is Darwin, whether Darwin was crazy or he was a good man. This is also said there.  Darwin was worried , see look at this (laughter). So Darwin said when he was young, when he was young and growing up, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, because his father was a priest, so he used to learn choir singing, in the church, you know where the children go and they have the beautiful singing. And he said in growing up he used to read the works of Shakespeare. He was very interested in the poems by Wordsworth, Byron. These are British poets, Keats, Some of you might have studied in English right? These are very famous poets. So he used to enjoy reading and he was very much afraid but when he started thinking about this evolutionary conception that -so there was an experiment that he did called “The Voyage of the Beagle”.

Devotee: What is the name?

BSDS: It’s called the name of the ship he was touring in South America to explore all the wonders of, Galapogas.

Devotee: Africa

BSDS: No no South America. So he collected all these information, he studied all the informations for fifty years and then after that when he published his book called “The Origin of Species” So that is called “Darwin’s Evolutionary Theory.” So after that he said, he was getting old. He lost all the taste of beauty, love, feelings and he was very sad, because he didn’t see any meaning in life, lost all. And he was lamenting greatly, “Why? What happened?” Because he removed God from his theory. So therefore we say Darwin’s mistake was that he could not understand about the difference between life and matter. So therefore this book is a short presentation about how to correct Darwin’s mistake. So therefore this is a very interesting thought. This is for all of you. And Prabhupada instructed us to distinguish what is life and what is matter. These are some of the wonders of life. Actually a male crocodile, when the male crocodile is in the Nile river in Egypt – what happens is there is a crocodile there and the crocodile lays eggs and when the eggs hatched, see this male crocodile how does it do is that the egg is taken between the two jaws and then he rubs very gently so the young one is not hurt, called hatchling, or young one, this, at the same time crocodile is so powerful that he can crush the leg of a an elephant just like you see with Gajendra. Like that but he is very gentle, very loving because there is a child there. So therefore these are called the wonders of life. Therefore, we have given some example.  So these are wonders, now in science there is a very wonderful thing here. This molecule is called C60 molecule, there are 60 carbon atoms in this molecule. Its like, exactly like a football, soccer. This is available in nature. This is so strong it cuts diamonds. So these are some of the wonders by which you can distinguish, but this is only matter. But behind this matter, what exists, you can [indistinct words]. . .

So there are distinctions therefore between life and matter, these are the tables that you have to memorize, you have to read. Distinction between life and matter, then what is the property of matter and life. You can have a look at it. So then you know that the Upanishad says “aham brahmasmi” What does that mean? Aham brahmasmi means you are jivatma. You are jivatma, you are beyond atoms and molecules. So that means you are spiriton. You know spiriton? Spiriton means “aham brahmasmi” Now, so spiriton, so these are the properties, we have two different colors but it came to one color here. Then we are interacting with the matter and the spirit, our body, there is spirit there and also matter there. So we are products of interaction. But how does it interact? How to get out of this material interactions? All filled up with devotion, devotional science begins.

So this is the preliminary study of how to become a devotee of Krishna. So without understanding the distinction between life and matter you become angry very quickly. So in this way, but once you understand the distinction and you develop all the good qualities. Therefore Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, what does Krishna say? Krishna says raja vidya raja guhyam pavitram idam uttamam, pratakshyagamaman dharmam su-sukham kartam avyayam[iv], .  So this knowledge, understanding the distinction between life and matter, also the devotional service, so this knowledge is called the king of education. Raja vidya and also such knowledge, Krishna says raja guhyam, confidential, this means most important. Most important. When he says confidential it means you have to treat very very carefully and you have to keep it intact. Say for example I have 1 kg of gold, from Bali. All the Bali devotees have donated 1 kg of gold for finishing Manipur temple for next year, I will keep it very carefully, I will make sure that nobody sees it and I will keep it very very carefully. So I will make sure that the devotees will not tell to the airport people that this Swamiji has got 1 kg of gold, (laughter) so please, so he said, you said please give your blessings so that Maharaj can take this to India to finish the temple. So in this way you will be very careful whether I am carrying this is ok or not, so in this way.

[Gajapathi Maharaj  comes ]

BSDS: Hare Krishna, (laughs).

Devotee: Have a nice stay Maharaj

Gajapati Maharaj: Take rest

BSDS: I am resting by talking. To Kuta beach? Make sure that he goes before sunset. Jai Gajapati Maharaj ki

Devotees: Jaya!

[i] tad viddhi praṇipātena,paripraśnena sevayā , upadekṣyanti te jñānaḿ, jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ (BG 4.34)

Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.

[ii] man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yājī māḿ namaskuru, mām evaiṣyasi satyaḿ te, pratijāne priyo ‘si me (BG 18.65)

Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

[iii] bhaktyā mām abhijānāti,yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ, tato māḿ tattvato jñātvā, viśate tad-anantaram (BG 18.55)

One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.

[iv] rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaḿ, pavitram idam uttamam, pratyakṣāvagamaḿ dharmyaḿ, su-sukhaḿ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2)

This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.

Recorded by: Balinese Devotee

Transcribed by: Amala Gaura Das

Edited by: Rupachandra Das

(The Following Lecture is an informal lecture given by Srila Sripada Maharaj at the gardens of Sri Sri Radha Rasesvara Asram. this is the last lecture of Srila Sripada Maharaj in Bali. Sripada Maharaj accompanied by King of Puri and Rajguru of Jagannath Puri on this last Visit to Bali. Sripada Maharaj affectionately called all the devotees-at that afternon-ti sit near his lotus feet as if he want to tell this is my last visit here in Bali and then speak as follows)

Bali (August 2006)

BSDS: So everybody is well?

Devotees: Yes!

BSDS: I wanted to come earlier around June, July then my program changed.  But I was told that we had a very nice festival of Jagannath. So your son, he is a son? Your son is very nice. What is the name?

Devotee: Guru Maharaj give name “Guru Das”

BSDS: Oh acha, that is not too long ago right?. Haribol Guru Dasa <laughter>

Devotee: you slept there, in Krishna Balaram mandir?

BSDS: Yeah. It is very peaceful in the forest. Maybe we should all have ashrams in the forest

Devotee: Now winter is nice here Maharaj

BSDS: Yes.  You come in large numbers next year. You come in many numbers I will come very often.

(Devotees cheer and clap loudly)

BSDS: I will put in my notebook who all comes. (laughter). Our Gajapati Maharaj is telling to our Damodar Pandit today “you come to Jagannath Puri but if they say anything you say you are all from Manipur.” He was telling in the car, right Damodar Pandit? Then what about the language? You speak your language, they don’t know Manipuri, you say this is Manipuri (laughter).  You can have a tour of India, Mayapur, Vrindavan, Jagannath Puri, and our Maharaj will welcome you. We will go to his house, he has a very nice restaurant just in front of the Jagannath Puri, no onion. no garlic. and have nice darshan and from there go to the south, see Tirupati and Rameshvaram and you can make a tour of Andhra and some ashrams like Shri Rangam Ashram and you come but November you cannot go to Badrinath but you can go Madhvacharya’s ashram and so there you have a good tour of India. It will be a very nice program. November is a good season for traveling in all parts of India including South, it won’t be hot. Of course if you like the hot climate then but still you know it is very good. So make some effort, you see, practically if you have about one thousand five hundred dollars that will be quite sufficient for [traveling]. You won’t spend much money in the train. That you can manage, one thousand five hundred and you can live for about one month. This includes the ticket, ticket included.

Devotee: One month, maybe not enough for one month.

BSDS: One month means there will be some help from buying tickets.  Tickets from , we came for $600. $600 is round trip ticket from Kolkata to Bali. From Kolkata to Imphal nowadays there are many cheap flights and it is not very expensive.

Devotee: How much is the ticket from Kolkata to Imphal?

BSDS: Kolkata to Imphal, see sometimes we have these new flights now, so that is about 4000 to 5000 rupees and if you go by train it will be about Rs. 3000. You can also go by train.

Devotee: How long it takes Maharaj, Kolkata to Assam

BSDS: By flight, one hour

Devotee: If we go by train?

BSDS: By train it will be one and half days. You go through the mountains. Yeah, if you do not fight with the wild elephant (phone given to Maharaj) Oh, acha acha.  This is voice from the spiritual world. (Laughter)

BSDS on phone: Haribol, so when are you coming? When are you coming to America. Yes I wanted to see you in America and our Gadadhara told me that he has brought some prasadam for you. Oh acha acha.  My health? My health, I was up and down and now I am ok. In Bali I am always alright. Yes. Oh I see, where is it available? I see, ok. I will try, you send me some. Oh, now the line is cut.

BSDS: This for you? So what I was talking?

Devotee: About the time for travelling Maharaja.

BSDS: If you try then the Lord will bless you and Lakshmi Maharani  will come

Devotees:  Jaya!

BSDS: We have to be sincere in prayer. You can try this time, you pray from today. Maharaj is requesting to come to Manipur.  My dear Lord please bless me, then everybody will get.  Also you have to work, not just pray (laughter). So that power of prayer. You see the scientists today, many scientists are studying about the power of prayer. Just a few years ago, twenty Nobel laureates prayed about the healing process. If a person is sick, how the person can be healed by prayer. Twenty Nobel laureates did experiment

BSDS on phone: So Dinanath, ok so are you coming next year? I am talking to our devotees here so that they come to Manipur for temple opening on November 21 next year. Yes, it may be possible. You can make some prayer and its possible. Right and you earn some money and if our devotees don’t have enough money, you can supply them (laughter). Is that ok? Yeah. Ok ok, thank you.

Devotee: Because his name is Dinanatha, the master of the poor

BSDS (still on the phone): Yes that is fine for this time, but for next year our devotees in Bali, some poor brahmacharis they might not have enough laxmi to come to Manipur so you make some special arrangement. I am going to request a few of you to arrange like that. You are one of them ok?. Ok very good, very good. The rest maybe Gunavatar, [indistinct] I want many to come next year. And whatever balance left over in India, I will take care (laughs).  So yeah, that will be nice. So your tour in America was useful? Ok, ok. You come next year again. I also wanted to see you but you are very tight and my program was already fixed. Yeah yeah, ok now I am with our devotees, very happy. I was busy for the last 2-3 days.  Alright stay well,  give our blessings, begging Prabhupada’s blessings for the devotees there, ok. So alright, day after tomorrow, yes I will stay one night in Singapore with our Maharaj, (Jagannath) Puri Maharaj and two days our Singapore devotees are taking care of them and so they are very happy to be here in this part, the first time they came to this part of the world and they liked the prasadam, they liked the culture. They say there is a lot of similarity between Bali and Orissa. Yeah, so Maharaj is inviting all of you to Jagannath Puri. Yeah and also Maharaj will be there in Manipur next year for the temple opening. If you come this year in Puri, I am doing program in Puri, our birthday program is there and followed by two days conference in Puri, the hall and everything is hired. Its called Town Hall in Puri and we expect many students and scholars from India and abroad on December 9 and 10. Oh, you got it from Internet? Ok, I see.  Maybe if you have, anyone of you, because its far away and also its – Many of you may not be able to come this year but those who have some energy to go then you can go, otherwise if you save for next year that is also fine. Ok, you save, that’s fine. So ok, you take care. Yeah (puts phone down) Priyasakhi is here?

Devotee: Yes

BDDS: Yes she is sitting here.

Devotee: She is not lost yet.

BSDS: OK, yes, you take care, ok, you take care, Hare Krishna (puts phone down)

BSDS: This is yours? This is different color, it looks darker,

Devotee: New one

BSDS: Oh new one? Gunavatar gave me one of these last year and my boys, my boys are very expert in computer, on the internet they do everything and so its useful.  Actually I also brought it here. From here I didn’t change the SIM card, its very expensive, I just.

Devotee: If you do phone by internet it’s very cheap Maharaj

BSDS: I see

Devotee: Have to have the same address like Yahoo

BSDS (to all devotees): So now I should hear from you.  I’d like to hear from you, your story, I haven’t heard for some time. How many times you are talking to Krishna? (laughter) Before I hear from you, this is a book “God is a Person” So during my conversation with Prabhpuada, Prabhupada always told me “What is good is your PhD as a scientist if you cannot prove about the existence of God from the scientific background. So he said “Write book, prove that God is a person.” So therefore this is a small humble offering to Prabhupada. This is a dialogue, means discussion, these are two Nobel laureates, Charles Townes, he is 90 years old, he is the one who discovered laser, just like we have laser photography, laser eye surgery, and laser printing and all these things, laser oven. He was the one who invented, for this he got Nobel prize, from Berkeley California. Last year his birthday was celebrated in October. I was invited as one of his friends. There were twenty nobel laureates, the most well known nobel laureates in physics from all over the world for this conference. So for the first time in history in a scientific conference, to honor his 90^th birthday, a three day conference by 20 nobel laureates and about thousands of people discussed about the importance of spirituality in our life. For the first time in history. The next one is Phillips, William Phillips. And he got Nobel prize, he is also Physics. He got Nobel Prize for discovering the cooling down of atoms. It is called laser cooling of atoms. So cooling is done like this. Suppose I have a box, this box is filled with gases, gases means atoms and molecules. So then you bring a laser beam and shine it on this box and the motion, you see the atoms and molecules are all moving, they slow down, they cool. When you shine by laser, the atom, the molecules cool down, and from that cooling you can say that a very useful product can be formed. The cooling down, from that you can make, its called atomic clock.

Atomic clock is much more accurate than this watch. So in a few years all our watches will be replaced by atomic clock, these will be thrown away. Just like all the IBM typewriters are thrown away, by small small computers, replaced. For that discovery he got Nobel Prize. And he was one of the organizing secretaries of Charles’ 90^th birthday last year. This Phillips is younger than me by about 2-3 years. But he is a very nice person. And he used this technique in the Srimad Bhagavatam, you see there is a chapter called calculation of time from the movement of the atoms. Calculation of time from the movement of atoms, so this is exactly what he is using to make this atomic clock.  So this is very interesting work, even for the devotees, for all of us it is something very very wonderful. So lets see what they say.  Charles Townes says, “God is very personal,” like our boys are very personal, our friend is very personal, our photographer is very personal. The foundation of our Vaishnava philosophy is based on personhood, everything is a person. So behind this wind blowing there is a person. What is the name of the person?

Devotees: Varun?   Marut. Vayu

BSDS: What is the name of the person behind the wind?

Devotees: Vayu

BSDS: Ok, so you do your research (laughter). Scientific research. So Charles says “God is very personal. He has very personal interactions with us.” Because of that interaction he could make this type of discovery – scientific discovery.  He says “I think there is continuous interaction between God and this universe, the universe and God.”  Just like Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita “aham sarvasya prabhava[i] – He is the source of everything.” So especially with us personally. With us means we are living entities, God is there and so we have personal interactions. So where is that person whom you can interact with (God)? Where is that person?

Devotees: Bhakta, Premi Bhakti

BSDS: Bhakta? No suppose you can have interaction with God, but where is He? Where does He stay?

Devotee: In our heart

BSDS: In the heart. How does he stay in the heart?

Devotee: (laughter)

BSDS: So who said Parmatma? He stays as Paramatma. What is another name of

Paramatma?

Devotee: Spiriton

BSDS: Spiriton? (laughs), No, Spiriton is the Jivatma (laughs)

Devotee: Kshirodakashay..

BSDS: Kshirodakashayi Vishnu, right? Vishnu has three expansions called Purusha Avatar, So in this way Charles Towne says we have personal relationship, but he doesn’t say Kshirodakashayi Vishnu. He said “I have direct personal connection.”  He said this understanding is very important to our lives. Then we say according to the Bhagavata culture there are three categories of God realization. So what are those three aspects of God?

Devotee: Brahman

BSDS: Brahman, what is the Brahman? What is Brahman realization?

Devotees: Impersonal

BSDS: Can you talk to Brahman? Accha, so the Brahman is impersonal, right? That is correct, Brahman means you cannot talk. So if you cannot talk then what will you do?

Devotees: Silence

BSDS: So you do further research, this is topic for all of you. Brahman. What is the next realization?

Devotees: Paramatma

BSDS: Paramatma, we said before, what does Paramatma do with you? If you are hungry do you talk to Paramatma, “My dear Paramatma, please bless me to get some prasadam?” (laughter) Because Paramatma is the closest that you have. Actually you don’t have to talk to Paramatma like that. Paramatma knows what you have. Immediately He knows what you are thinking, what you have in your mind and  therefore Paramatma is called the caitya-guru. In dwelling spiritual teacher. He knows immediately this boy is very hungry so I will give him prasadam. In this way all the living entities, they don’t even know what paramatma is, like the birds and the [animals?]. They all have something because Paramatma is providing. And what is the next stage? What is the third stage of God realization?

Devotees: Bhagavan, personal God.

BSDS: Bhagavan, right? So therefore this Bhagavan is not so easy to realize. But Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, in order to realize Him, what does Krishna say in Bhagavad Gita? Anybody can say what does Krishna say in Bhagavad Gita?

to be continued in Part 2

[i] ahaḿ sarvasya prabhavo , mattaḥ sarvaḿ pravartate, iti matvā bhajante māḿ, budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ (BG 10.8)

I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds.  Everything emanates from Me.  The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.

Recorded by: Balinese Devotee

Transcribed by: Amala Gaura Das

Edited by: Rupachandra Das

By Sri Srimad Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami Srila Sripada

(DR. T.D. Singh, Ph.D)

(Sent by Rupachandra Das Of Singapore)

We are reading from Srimad Bhagavad gita as it is, Chapter 9, the most confidential knowledge, Text 27.

Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya

Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya

Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya

(BG 9.27):

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi

yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat

yat tapasyasi kaunteya

tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

Translation by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada: Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away and whatever austerities you perform, do that O son of Kunti as on offering to Me.

So this is a very wonderful verse of Bhagavad-gītā. Here Lord Krishna is explaining in a very simple way what is Krishna Consciousness. So Krishna Consciousness in a way is very simple. But then we have to be very anxious how to be Krishna Conscious. And this knowledge – the knowledge of Krishna Consciousness- you can get in the human form of life. Because in the human form of life, you can inquire what is right and what is wrong, and what is good and what is bad. And you can also inquire about many deeper meanings of life. For example why we are born in this world? Why we suffer in this material life? And why we die? Also we can further inquire when we die where the soul will go. So in this way, these many different questions we can inquire in the human form. But other forms of life, for example the animals, the birds and all other forms of life below the human platform cannot inquire those deeper questions. In this way the scriptures say the human form of life must be utilised very very properly. Otherwise if it is not used properly this wonderful gift of God, of Krishna, in the form of human beings will be wasted. Therefore we have to be extremely careful.

So in order to do this, Lord Krishna says, yat karoṣi means whatever you do, because since we are all living beings, we have always to do something. For example we work and we sing, then we travel, and we have a family, and then we are concerned about the well being of our children, we are concerned about the well being of our parents, and we are worried about our society. So in this way we are very busy in so many different ways. So therefore Krishna says here ‘whatever you do’. Say in our professional life, we work as professors and we work as artists and we work as monks. So Krishna says, all this, whatever you do, Krishna says tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam. Tat kuruṣva means he’s calling, he’s instructing Arjuna, “My dear Arjuna, you do that as an offering to the Lord, the supreme Lord Sri Krishna”. So, that point here is very simple. Simple in the sense that we have to learn this culture. This culture to offer and to learn how to offer this culture for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. This everybody can do. Everybody can do this. Tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam, Krishna says “do that as an offering to me”, to me means to Krishna. As an offering to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna.

And Krishna says also, yad aśnāsi, whatever you eat. Say we have to take mahaprasadam to sustain – to maintain our body. Every day we have to take mahaprasdam but Krishna says, whatever you eat. Sometimes we eat halva, sometimes we eat gauranga potato, sometimes we have nice pakoras, sometimes we have chappati and nice bread and sometimes we have to drink lassi, mango lassi. But Krishna says whatever you eat yes you do that as an offering to the Lord to remember Him.  So we have to orient our mind thinking like this, “My dear Lord, You are very merciful. So you have kindly sent this nice mahaprasadam”. So in this way whatever we take is mahaprasadam, whatever we eat is mahaprasdam, we have to remember the mercy of Lord Krishna. And therefore we have to always thank the Lord. Just like we have this wonderful prayer, “

śarīra abidyā-jāl, jodendriya tāhe kāl,

jīve phele visaya-sāgore tā’ra madhya jihwā ati,

lobhamoy sudurmati, tā’ke jetā kaţhina samsāre

kŗsņa baŕo doyāmoy, koribāre jihwā jay,

swa-prasād-anna dilo bhāi sei annāmŗta pāo,

rādhā- kŗsņa -guņa gāo, preme dāko caitanya nitāi…

Jai Mahaprasadam Ki..Jai! Gaura premanande..Haribol![i]

So this is the meaning of saying, “ Radha krishna guna gau”,  we have to sing the glories of Radha Krishna for sending this mahaprasadam so mercifully. So therefore Krishna says whatever you eat, do that as an offering to the Supreme Lord.

And the next Krishna says, yaj juhoṣi. Juhoṣi is actually, also offer, whatever you offer, and dadāsi whatever you give away. Krishna says yaj juhoși dadāsi yat. Dadāsi mean offering, offering means out of love, as a service to please the Supreme Lord. Then we offer the flower, we offer so many wonderful preparations, we offer the temple for the Lord, for the pleasure of the Lord. So in this way there are so many activities we can render. Yaj juhoṣi – whatever you offer and dadāsi yat means give away. Just like sometimes we give dhāna. Dhāna means we offer donations or we give as gifts to the different friends, to different people. So therefore Krishna says that you do this as an offering to Him, to the Supreme Lord.

So similarly, yad tapasyasi.  Tapasyasi is we do taspasya. Tapasya means discipline, austerity.  We perform a certain tapasya, austerity. Yad tapasyasi, we do tapasya say for example in trying to understand Krishna consciousness we perform as a tapasya – no meat eating. This is a form of tapasya. And then we perform no intoxicants, and no gambling and also we have see no improper relations between the boys and girls beyond the marriage circle. So this is some kind of tapasya that we have to perform. And also we have to chant our Hare Krishna Mahamantra all the time. It is called śravaṇaḿ, kirtanam, smaranam[ii].śravaṇaḿ means we have to hear, chanting this Hare Krishna mahamantra. We should also hear. And kirtanam means we have to chant so that we can hear it. And smaranam means we also have to remember always. So in this way we have to practice all these things. And then we have to remain very steady in our attempt to understand Krishna. We have to learn how to control anger, and so this is also tapasya. And we have to learn how not to find fault with other, this is also tapasya. And we have to learn to be tolerant because we have to realise that in this life, in this material world sometimes there will be ups and a downs in life’s journey. But then we have to be tolerant like the tree, like the tree is growing there but the tree never complains. So this is called to become tolerant. And this is some kind of a tapasya. And because we have to take tapasya so that we make progress in our spiritual knowledge. By following all the rules and the regulations and by keeping ourselves neat and clean. Neat and clean not only physically but also mentally. Mentally we should be clean. So this is also some kind of a tapasya. So therefore Krishna says all this things that we do, this tapasya, that we should do as an offering to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. Yat tapasyasi kaunteya. Kaunteya is Arjuna, O Arjuna.  So if you do all these things as an offering to Lord Krishna, that will be called Krishna Consciousness.

That verse is very important.

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi

yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat

yat tapasyasi kaunteya

tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

So arpaņam means as an offering, mad-arpaņam. Tat kuruṣva means do it. Do it as an offering to Me, to the supreme Lord Sri Krishna. So in this way Krishna Consciousness is very easy, very simple. Krishna says whatever you eat, whatever you want to do, do it as an offering to Me, So therefore, I can become a business man but then if I offer whatever result is coming, for the service of the Lord, the Lord is pleased. And if I am a student then I study so many things but if I orient my life that you know that this knowledge that I will be acquiring will be used to serve the Lord, so that is an offering. And if you are a housewife then you do the household duties. But those househld duties will be arranged in such a way that whatever you are doing is an offering to Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. That means the house is made like a temple. The house will be clean, you keep everything neat and clean. Because, you know, this is the house of the Lord. You have a small little altar in the house, in some part of the house and then the housewife cooks the very nice offering for the Lord. And you offer that whatever you prepared to the Lord. And in this way the kitchen is kept neat and clean. Only fresh vegetables are bought and because (it is done) for the pleasure of Krishna you make everything wonderful. And in this way, but Krishna is so merciful that Krishna will give everything  to his devotees back. And you honour it as mahaprasadam. So if the housewife is like that, then there will be a lot of Lakshmi Maharani coming to the house. So in this way the house, housewife can maintain very nice activity in the house. And the children in the house they will also be trained very nicely so that they will become good children. So therefore it is simple in the sense that everyone can be engaged in the service of the Lord. So tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam, do that as an offering to Me, to the Supreme Lord. So therefore we have to imbibe this culture that everything belongs to the Supreme Lord. In the Upanisad, we always chant, Isa vasam idam sarvam, everything belongs to the supreme Lord.

Isa vasam idam sarvam.
yat kim ca jagatyam jagat.
tena tyaktena bhunjitha
ma grdhah kasya svid dhanam

So Upanisad says that everything belongs to the supreme Lord. So since everything belongs to the supreme Lord, that a whole, everything means the whole thing, the whole world, my family, my own world, all whatever you have,  belongs to the Lord. Your family, your bank balance, your property, your car, your house, everything belongs to Krishna. Because when we leave this body we cannot take anything. So everything belongs to the Lord. Also the Lord is very merciful that he gives everyone the share, the enough share so that the individual can sustain his or her life. Therefore instruction says we should not encroach any other’s property. In other words we should be satisfied with whatever we have. We should not hanker after something which I cannot have. So whatever the Lord has given according to my karma so I should learn to remain satisfied. So in this way, one can develop his Krishna Consciousnes and life will become very happy. And we will not be influenced by the ups and downs of material world. And we can remain very peaceful. Very shanti – that is peaceful calm in life. So that’s what we all want, we want to be happy, all of us. But there can be no happiness without Shanti, without peace. Therefore we have to be peaceful within ourselves, and also have to be peaceful in relationships with others, with the environment, with nature, and so therefore we should not give trouble to anyone. So in this way we can remain happy and make progress in our spiritual life.

Jāi Krishna Bhagawān Ki….Jāi!

Nitai Gaura premanande ….Hari Haribol!

śarīra abidyā-jāl, jodendriya tāhe kāl,

jīve phele visaya-sāgore tā’ra madhya jihwā ati,

lobhamoy sudurmati, tā’ke jetā kaţhina samsāre

kŗsņa baŕo doyāmoy, koribāre jihwā jay,

swa-prasād-anna dilo bhāi sei annāmŗta pāo,

rādhā- kŗsņa -guņa gāo, preme dāko caitanya nitāi…

Jai Mahaprasadam Ki..Jai! Gaura premanande..Haribol!

O brothers!  This material body is a place of ignorance, and the senses are a network of paths to death.  The senses throw the soul into this ocean of material sense enjoyment and, of all the senses, the tongue is most voracious and uncontrol-lable; it is very difficult to conquer the tongue in this world.  O brothers!  Lord Krsna is very kind to us and has given us such nice prasada, just to control the tongue.  Now let us take this prasada to our full satisfaction and glorify Their Lordships, Sri Sri Radha and Krsna and, in love, call for the help of Lord Caitanya and Prabhu Nityananda.

[ii]

śrī-prahrāda uvāca

śravaṇaḿ kīrtanaḿ viṣṇoḥ

smaraṇaḿ pāda-sevanam

arcanaḿ vandanaḿ dāsyaḿ

sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

iti puḿsārpitā viṣṇau

bhaktiś cen nava-lakṣaṇā

kriyeta bhagavaty addhā

tan manye ‘dhītam uttamam

Prahlāda Mahārāja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṇu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one’s best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words) — these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṇa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.5.23-24)

[1]

śarīra abidyā-jāl, jodendriya tāhe kāl,

jīve phele visaya-sāgore tā’ra madhya jihwā ati,

lobhamoy sudurmati, tā’ke jetā kaţhina samsāre

kŗsņa baŕo doyāmoy, koribāre jihwā jay,

swa-prasād-anna dilo bhāi sei annāmŗta pāo,

rādhā- kŗsņa -guņa gāo, preme dāko caitanya nitāi…

Jai Mahaprasadam Ki..Jai! Gaura premanande..Haribol!

O brothers!  This material body is a place of ignorance, and the senses are a network of paths to death.  The senses throw the soul into this ocean of material sense enjoyment and, of all the senses, the tongue is most voracious and uncontrol-lable; it is very difficult to conquer the tongue in this world.  O brothers!  Lord Krsna is very kind to us and has given us such nice prasada, just to control the tongue.  Now let us take this prasada to our full satisfaction and glorify Their Lordships, Sri Sri Radha and Krsna and, in love, call for the help of Lord Caitanya and Prabhu Nityananda.

[1]

śrī-prahrāda uvāca

śravaṇaḿ kīrtanaḿ viṣṇoḥ

smaraṇaḿ pāda-sevanam

arcanaḿ vandanaḿ dāsyaḿ

sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

iti puḿsārpitā viṣṇau

bhaktiś cen nava-lakṣaṇā

kriyeta bhagavaty addhā

tan manye ‘dhītam uttamam

Prahlāda Mahārāja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṇu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one’s best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words) — these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṇa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge. (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 7.5.23-24)

Srila Sripada february 2006, pelajaran  diksa,  Sri Navadvipa

Ini adalah rahasia sukses: jika seseorang mengikuti perintah-perintah guru kerohanian dengan sangat tulus, maka segala sesuatunya akan menjadi datang atu teratur dengan sendirinya. Jika seseorang tidak melaksanakannya maka akan ada banyak masalah yang akan datang.

Srila Sripada

Februari 2006. pelajaran diksa di Sri Navadvipa Dham

The  order of the spiritual master is the active principle in spiritula life. Anyone who disobeys the order of the spiritual master immediately becomes useless

(Cc Adi 12.10)

Perintah sang guru kerohanian merupakan suatu prinsip yang aktif dalam kehidupan spiritual. Siapa pun yang tidak menaati perintah guru kerohanian maka segera itu ia menjadi (murid) yang tidak berguna.

(Cc Adi 12.10)

Ketika kita merasakan perpisahan dari Krishna atau Guru Kerohanian, sebaiknya kita hanya mencoba mengingat kata-kata yang menjadi perintahnya dan kita tak lai merasakan perpisahan itu.

(Namamrita 2b.15)

Guru kerohanian hidup selamanya dengan perintah-perintah sucinya dan para pengikut hidup bersamanya

(surat Srila Prabhupad kepada Citrananda 11/15/73)

at Radha Rasesvara Mandir, Bali. Sekitar Bulan Juli 2005

Sripad Maharaj Menyanyikan Lagu Ohe Vaisnava Thakur karya Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur dan membaca terjemahannya dan memberikan ulasan tentang makna lagu itu.

(1)   ohe! Vaisnava thakura,  doyara sagara,

e dase karuna kori’

diya pada-chaya, sodho he amaya,

tomara carana dhori

(2)   chaya bega domi’,  chaya dosa sodhi’

chaya guna deho’ dase

chaya sat-sanga, deho’ he amare

boshechi sangera ase

(3)   ekaki amara, nahi paya bala,

hari-nama-sankirtane

tumi krpa kori’,  sraddha-bindu diya,

deho’ krsna-nama-dhane

(4) krsna se tomara,   krsna dite para,

tomara sakati ache

ami to’ kangala,   ‘krsna’ ‘krsna’ boli’,

dhai tava pache pache

Sripad Maharaj membaca terjemahan :

(1)

Oh Vaishnava Thakura, Oh Lautan Karunia,

tolong memberi karunia kepada hambamu ini,

sucikan diriku,dengan perlindungan kaki-padmamu.

Aku memegang kaki-padmamu dengan rendah-hati.

(2)

Kendalikanlah enam dorongan ini

sucikanlah diriku dari enam kesalahan.

Berilah hambamu ini enam sifat baik.

Berilah hamba enam jenis pergaulan suci.

Aku duduk disini mengharapkan pergaulanmu.

(3)

Sendirian hambamu ini tidak mempunyai kekuatan,

untuk mengucapkan Nama Suci Sri Hari, Nama Suci Tuhan.

maka itu, tolonglah bermurah hati, dengan sebutir keyakinan,

berikan aku harta-karun-besar berupa Nama suci Krishna.

(4)

Wahai Vaisnava thakura, Krishna adalah milikmu.

Engkau mampu memberikan Krishna kepada-ku.

Begitulah kekuatanmu. Dan aku memang hina !

hanya mengejarmu, seraya berseru, “Krishna! Krishna!”

Penjelasan Oleh Srila Sripada

Para penyembah harus mampu mengendalikan enam jenis nafsu ‘passion’. Diantara semua indera yang paling penting adalah pikiran, sang raja indera, yang juga sering disebut dengan indera ke-enam. Segala sesuatu yang datang ke dalam diri kita, pertama-tama ia akan melewati atau masuk ke dalam pikiran (kemudian pikiran akan memerintahkan indera kita untuk melakukan sesuatu-ed). Jika pikiran dapat diatur dengan baik, maka indera yang lain akan menjadi baik pula (atau dengan kata lain berbagai dorongan atau nafsu lebih mudah dikendalikan).

Bagaimanakah cara melatih pikiran?

Bhaja hure mana sri nanda nandandana abhaya caranaravinda…pikiran harus selalu diarahkan untuk melayani Krishna, jika tidak demikian maka (setiap ada celah) dia akan selalu mengarahkan kita ke hal-hal yang tidak-tidak (kearah hal-hal yang negatif). Pikiran akan memberitahumu berbagai macam hal seperti:

“Ayo pergi ke bioskop!, ayo pergi jalan-jalan ke kota, Ayo kita nonton, Ayo kita ke night club!, Ayo mabuk-mabukkan! Ayo merokok atau ngisap ganja! dan lain sebagainya. Banyak sekali permintaan pikiran. Inilah gejala-gejala peradaban modern (peradaban kali-yuga). Banyak hal yang menjauhkan diri kita dari Pribadi Tuhan Yang Maha Esa, Krishna dan membuat kita berpaling dari Tuhan.

Seperti halnya di dunia ini, ada suatu game atau suatu perlombaan, dimana para pemenangnya minum minuman yang bernama sampaign, yang mana minum sampaign ini mereka anggap sebagai simbol kebahagiaan, tetapi mereka tidak menyadari ada bahaya dibaliknya, yaitu alkohol itu bisa merusak pikiran.

Lain halnya dengan para penyembah, para bhakta Tuhan mereka lebih suka minum minuman yang bersifat alami yang sangat membantu membuat pikiran fresh, seperti: lassi (semacam minuman india atau vedic), jus buah, air kelapa dan lain lain.

Yang kedua adalah kata-kata (pertama pikiran).

Bagaimana cara mengendalikan kata-kata ?

Jangan mengeluarkan kata-kata yang tidak diperlukan. seperti yang pernah dianjurkan oleh  Canakya pandit “Bahkan ketika kita bicara tentang kebenaran pun, jangan sampai menyinggung atau menyakiti hati atau perasaan orang lain, maka itu ketika para pengajar Kesadaran Krishna harus memiliki seni dalam menggunakan kata-kata yang halus dan tepat dalam menyampaikan tentang Kesadaran Krishna dan tidak membuat orang-orang baru menjadi bingung, melainkan mereka harus mampu membuat orang-orang yang baru dalam Kesadaran Krishna ini merasa semakin tertarik dengan Kesadaran Krishna.

Dalam mengeluarkan kata-kata, jangan sampai membuat orang tersinggung.

(Memelihara) Badan

Sebaiknya kita menjaga badan kita agar selalu fit dan fresh – segar & bugar– agar selalu bisa dipakai dalam pelayanan kepada Krishna. Untuk menjaga kesehatan, seorang bhakta harus menjaga atau mengendalikan lidah, perut dan kemaluannya. Tiga garis lurus ini (lidah, perut dan kemaluan harus dijaga karena saling mempengaruhi satu sama lain.)

Lidah sangat memegang peranan penting (dalam pengendalian diri). Jika lidah dapat diatur dengan baik, maka perut dan kemaluan dapat diatur atau dikendalikan dengan baik pula (ketiga hal ini berada dalam satu garis lurus).

Bhaktivinoda Thakur telah mengajarkan :

Sarira avidya-jal,   jodendriya tahe kal

Jive phele  visaya sagore

Ta’ra madhye jihva ati,     Lobhamoy sudhurmait,

Ta’ke jeta kathina samsare

Krsna bara doyamoy,    koribare jihva jay,

Sva-prasad-anna dilo bhai

Sei annamrta pao,         radha-krsna-guna gao,

Preme dako caitanya-nitai

Artinya:

Wahai saudara-saudara! Badan materiil ini adalah jala atau jejaring kebodohan, dan indera-indera merupakan musuh yang dapat membunuh kita, karena indera melemparkan sang roh ke dalam lautan kenikmatan indera duniawi. Diantara semua indera, lidahlah yang paling rakus dan sulit dikendalikan. Sangat sulit menaklukkan lidah di dunia ini

Wahai saudara-saudara! Sri Krishna sangat penuh karunia dan Dia telah memberikan kita sisa makanan-Nya Sendiri, hanya agar kita dapat mengendalikan lidah kita. Sekarang, terimalah Krsihna-prasada ini, yang bagaikan nektar (minuman kekekalan) itu dan nyanyikanlah tentang kebesaran Sri Sri Radha-Krishna dan Teriakkanlah Nama Suci “Chaitanya! Nitai!” dalam cinta-bhakti

Ini adalah doa untuk mengendalikan lidah.

Jadi Kesadaran Krishna adalah pengetahuan yang sangat ilmiah. Segala petunjuk sastra ini sangat ilmiah. Ilmiah berarti sangat sistematis, dapat dipraktekkan atau dilakukan dengan teratur.

Karena itu kita memiliki empat prinsip dasar, yang merupakan sistem pertapaan, pertapaan minimum yang harus kita lakukan di zaman kali ini.

Apa saja  Empat Prinsip Dasar Itu?

1.  Tidak mabuk-mabukan

Dengan menerapkan prinsip ini maka kita tidak mencemari badan kita dengan hal–hal yang tidak perlu. Ini adalah cara hidup sehat dan hiegenis. Minumlah minuman yang alamiah seperti air kelapa, yang membuat pikiran kita menjadi sehat.  Kita sebaiknya tidak minum minuman yang kurang sehat seperti coca-cola, pepsi-kola, dan lain sebagainya.

2.  Vegetarian

Prinsip yang kedua adalah Vegetarian. Menjadi vegetarian tidak menyakiti makhluk hidup lainnya (mengembangkan rasa kasih sayang). Ketika kita mengajarkan kepada orang-orang tentang vegetarian maka banyak orang yang berargumen  “Bukankah semua makhluk hidup dimaksudkan untuk dijadikan makanan?” kita bervegetarian  berarti atau dimakdsudkan untuk membawa kedamaian di dunia. Orang-orang sangat kejam sekali menyiksa makhluk-hidup lain (untuk dijadikan makanan) kita sebaiknya tidak menyakiti makhluk hidup mana pun, oleh karena itu kita harus menjadi vegetarian, pure vegetarian (tidak makan segala jenis daging, ikan, telor, bawang, kopi, teh dan jamur).

Sebenarnya banyak orang telah mengetahui bervegetarian ini sangat menguntungkan, seperti di Assisi, Italia pada tahun 2001, diadakan suatu ‘hari doa’, dimana dihadiri sekitar 14.000 orang, semuanya hidup dengan bervegetarian (pada hari itu), yaitu hanya dengan minum jus. Mereka melakukan ini karena ini merupakan sesuatu yang praktis, dengan landasan jika semua orang bisa bervegetarian maka akan ada suasana yang baik dan cuaca yang baik, hal ini harus dikumandangkan ke seluruh dunia.

Mungkin ada pertanyaan, mengapa tidak makan jamur, bawang putih, bawang merah. Maka kamu harus menjawab, “Di alam material ini ada tiga jenis mood of nature, tiga sifat alam. Seperti halnya cendawan atau jamur itu bersifat tamasik. Tamasik artinya dengan memasukkan makanan yang tamasik yang tersusun atas zat-zat kimia yang bersifat tamasik (tamasic chemicals) maka akan menghasilkan berbagai kegiatan yang bersifat tamasik pula, seperti halnya males-malesan. Dan kita juga harus menghindari pergaulan orang-orang yang bersifat tamasik. Karena pergaulan berarti mempengaruhi kita. Semakin keras pengaruh tamasik maka pikiran kita juga akan semakin beku, bisa-bisa kita tidur 23 (dua puluh tiga) jam sehari, karena pengaruh sifat ini.

3. Tidak main judi

Apakah dasar ilmiah tidak main judi? Ada berbagai jawaban. Judi merupakan bukti bahwa kamu sedang dipengaruhi oleh tamasic-thinking, cara berpikir yang bersifat tamas, suatu gaya berpikir males-malesan. Dengan kata lain orang yang suka berjudi adalah orang yang suka males-malesan, tidak mau bekerja atau berusaha.

4  Tidak berzinah

Pemuda pemudi hidup bersama. apa sulitnya untuk tidak melakukan hal ini, zinah? ada yang bisa jawab? Mengapa kita harus melakukan prinsip tidak berzinah ?

(Srila Sripada Mengajak para penyembah berdiskusi)

Pr. Haladhara: Karena zinah dapat merusak kesucian dan juga merupakan gaya hidup binatang!

Sripad Maharaj: Semisal kita masuk suatu kampus, bagaimanakah cara kita menyampaikan pemikiran ini agar bisa diterima oleh para mahasiswa?

Pr Haladhara: Saya akan menjelaskan kepada para mahasiswa “Anda mengatakan diri anda orang yang berperadaban maju, maka itu adalah tidak pantas meniru gaya hidup binatang. Saya akan meyakinkan mereka dengan mengatakan hal ini. Saya rasa ini jawaban yang cukup logis.

Sripad Maharaj: Haladhara sangat bijaksana, tetapi mahasiswa ini akan marah mendengarnya.

(tertawa).

Sripad Maharaj: Kita dapat menjelaskan menjadi bahagia merupakan sesuatu yang fundamental, mendasar, bagi setiap orang. Belakangan ini ada riset ilmiah “Syarat minimim untuk mendapatkan kebahagian“…Berikan mereka penjelasan bahwa kepuasan atau kebahagiaan itu ada dua jenis yaitu kepuasan yang bersifat sementara dan kepuasan yang bersifat kekal. Untuk menjelaskan hal ini tidak cukup dengan sekali pelajaran. Lalu jelaskan apakah  kebahagian sementara itu, dan apa itu kebahagian yang bersifat kekal. Perlu waktu dan terus menerus untuk melakukannya….

Jadi sangat penting untuk mengendalikan enam jenis nafsu atau dorongan ini (dengan 4 prinsip), seperti yang dijelaskan dalam lagu bhaktivinoda ini. Dan sebaliknya sangat penting pula untuk mengembangkan enam jenis sifat baik ini yaitu: semangat, sabar, keyakinan, ketabahan hati, meninggalkan pergaulan jelek, dan disiplin mengikuti jejak para acharya.

Salah satu yang penting adalah memelihara semangat

Kita kadang semangat dan kadang tidak. Kuncinya adalah di dunia ini pasti ada sukha-dukha, sadarilah ini agar tetap dapat memelihatra semangat.

Resep “Tetap Semangat”

Mungkin kita bisa mendiskusikan sebentar tentang formula “Tetap Semangat”

Bagaimana kita mengelola pengaruh pengaruh negatif yang dapat membuat kita menjadi lemah semangat?

P. Guna Avatar: Setiap hari melakukan pelayanan, baca Bhagavad-Gita, pergaulan makan persad dan lain-lain. Sadhu sanga dan bergaul dengan penyembah.

Sripada Maharaj: Ada yang Lain ?

P. Ananta Wijaya: ini adalah masalah karunia guru, kalo kita tekun memuja guru, maka kita akan selalu dalam perlindungan guru.

Sripad Maharaj: Ada yang lain, Semangat itu penting Lho!

Pr Sudhira Krishna das : Mencari ide-ide baru

Sripad Maharaj: Maksudmu mengembangkan Kreativitas?

Pr Sudhir : Ya.

Pr Agus: Bekerja keras tanpa memikirkan hasil

Unknown1: melakukan sesuatu sebagai kebutuhaan dan tidak melakukan sesuatu sebagai kewajiban

Sripada Maharaj: Very Comlicated Answer! Mungkin kamu bisa bikin tesis atau disertasi dengan ide  ini dan dapatkan gelar doktor!

(tertawa)

Unknown2: Mengikuti acarya pendahulu, berjapa lebih banyak mengunjungi tempat-tempat suci

Sripada Maharaj: semua jawaban kalian benar. cuman saya mau menambahkan sesuatu sedikit yaitu sebuah rumus (semangat):

‘’To genuinely develop culture of humility”

‘’Mengembangkan rasa rendah hati yang sejati, tanpa kepura-puraan”

Ini adalah ajaran Gaurangga Mahaprabhu dalam Siksaastakam dan dalam siksastakam instisarinya adalah sloka:

Trnad api suicena

taror iva sahiuna

Amanina manadena

Kirtaniyah sada hari

“Orang hendaknya mengucapkan Nama Suci Tuhan dengan sikap rendah hati, dengan berpikir dirinya lebih rendah daripada rumput di jalan. Hendaknya ia lebih toleransi daripada sebatang pohon, bebas dari segala rasa bangga palsu dan bersedia memberi segala hormat kepada orang lain. Dengan sikap seperti inilah, ia dapat senantiasa mengucapkan Nama Suci Tuhan.”

Ini merupakan kunci untuk lebih maju dalam mengucapkan nama suci Tuhan. Jadi kita perlu  sifat-sifat ini, yaitu:

1. trnad api sunicena: memikirkan dirinya lebih rendah daripada sebilah rumput di jalan.
2. taror iva sahisnuna: lebih toleran daripada sebatang pohon.
3. amanina: tidak mengharapkan penghormatan pribadi.
4. manadena: selalu siap memberikan segala penghormatan kepada orang lain.

Amanina manadena artinya kita harus selalu ingin menghormati orang lain dengan cara mengembangkan kerendahan hati yang sebenarnya, kerendahan hati yang sungguh-sungguh (tanpa rasa kepura-puraan).

Menurut Bhagavad.Gita  ada 3 (tiga) jenis musuh yaitu kamah krodhas tatha lobha. kama artinya nafsu, krodha artinya marah dan lobha artinya kelobaan atau kerakusan. Jika pikiran tidak terkendali maka secara otomatis pikiran akan terfokus pada objek-objek indera. Jika pikiran sudah terfokus pada objek indera dan tidak memeroleh apa yang diinginkannya maka kita akan menjadi krodha atau marah.

Kemarahan dan lobha—jika dua sifat negatif ini bekerja sama tidak terkendali maka dapat terjadi atau menimbulkan tindakan-tindakan kriminal seperti perampokan, dan lain sebagainnya.

Jika kama dan pikiran terarah dengan baik maka indera yang lain dengan mudah dapat dikendalikan. Semua hal baik akan pergi jika kamu hanya marah-marah saja.Oleh karena itu kita harus berdoa, agar selalu terbebas dari sifat-sifat jahat ini, karena di dalam komunitas Kesadaran Krsna, dalam ISKCON tidak tempat untuk marah-marah.

Kemudian lobha berarti menginginkan sesuatu di luar kemampuan kita. Maka itu untuk mengatasi semua ini kita harus selalu berdoa, memohon berkat sri guruparampara, para acharya pendahulu kita.

Seperti anjuran dalam sastra:

Yasya deve para bhaktir

Yatha dehe tatha gurau

Tasyaite katha hy arthah

Prakasante mahatmanah

“Hanya kepada mereka yang memiliki keyakinan yang teguh kepada guru kerohanian, maka segala pengetahuan suci veda akan terungkap secara otomatis dalam hati roh agung seperti itu.”

Hanya dengan berkat mereka, berkat para acharya terdahulu (para otoritas) kita dapat maju lebih lanjut dalam Kesadaran Krishna ini. Ini merupakan suatu proses yang sederhana.

Maka Kesadaran Krishna Sesunguhnya sangat Simple-sederhana bagi orang yang simple-minded, orang yang berpikiran sederhana dan akan menjadi ruwet (complex) bagi orang yang berpikiran ruwet (complex-minded).

Jadi berdoalah agar selalu atau dapat mengembangkan kesederhanaan hati dengan mengucapkan nama suci Tuhan:

Harer nam harer nam harer namaiva kevala

Kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gathir anyatha

“Untuk Mencapai Keinsyafan diri di zaman kali ini, tidak ada cara lain ,tak ada cara lain, tak ada cara lain, selain pengucapan Nama-Suci, Nama-Suci, Nama-Suci Sri Hari , Tuhan Yang Maha Esa

Maka dengan mempraktekkan semua rumus diatas, kita akan mampu Kirtaniyah sada harih—Selalulah mengucapkan nama suci (tanpa kesalahan):

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Jadi dengan cara demikian, kembangkanlah sifat-sifat baik, dan juga hindarilah pembicaraan yang tidak perlu, dengan cara mengembangkan pergaulan yang baik, sadhu-sanga. Seperti yang tercantum dalam ajaran lagu karya Bhaktivinoda diatas, Chaya sat-sanga, selalulah mencari pergaulan yang baik. Ada berbagai cara untuk melaksanakan pergaulan baik ini (sadhu sanga), Seperti sekarang yang kita lakukan ini, disamping itu kita juga dapat mengundang para penyembah datang ke rumah kita untuk mendiskusikan ajaran-ajaran bhakti, menerima dan memberi prasadam, dan lain sebagainya.

Kesimpulan.

Dengan mengikuti semua aturan sastra ini, semua peraturan yang bersifat sistematis dan ilmiah ini, maka secara berangsur-angsur kamu/kita akan menjadi penyembah murni Tuhan.

(hari ini adalah hari baik untuk berdoa, karena hari ini adalah srila Bhaktivinoda tithi)

(sent by Pranavallabha Prabhu)
---------------------------------------------------------------

Maharaj recites invocation prayers melodiously and then begins to
speak:

Peace is the birthright of every living entity, not only humans but
also animals and trees, all livng entities.

There are two components of knowledge that must be understood in
order for peace to be possible in human society.

1.

What really is LIFE itself? First of all we have to know what is
life.  The whole culture of Krishna Consciousness is to know what is
the science of life.  Modern science (reductionism) has taken to the
materialistic conception of the origin of life.  This is the
fundamental mistake in modern civilization.  After 9/11, drastic
change in paradigm has taken place.  Scientists now want to know
about God & why religious people behave in this way.  Therefore I
say, a lot of good things are happening as a consequence of the 9/11
tragedy.  It has brought about something good, because the change in
the attitude of scientists has been drastic in my observation.
Therefore now is the opportune moment for us to bring in the
spiritual paradigm about the ultimate nature of reality, the
ultimate spiritual reality behind material nature.  Krishna
consciousness provides the interface between science and
spirituality.  A combined effort of Science and Spirituality will
bring about a new peace to the world.  The definition of knowledge
is given in Ch13 of the Gita – kshetra and kshetra-jna – one must
realize the difference between the field of activites (the body) and
the knower of that field (the soul).  Just like knowing the
difference between a car and a driver.  To know this difference is
the definition of knowledge.  This life particle we shall call a
spiriton – it is the fundamental particle of life.  We have to learn
what are its qualities and properties etc.  In 1944 Schroedinger
pubished a booklet "What is life" and in this book he quoted
profusely from the Upanishads & Vedanta.  In this way, he could see
the importance of VVedic culture/ knowledge.  We have to bring in
the spiritual nature of life within the education systems of the
world.  This is what I propose be called NEW SCIENCE.  Srila
Prabhupada's order to me over the eight years that I had his
wonderful personal association was to hold conferences on Life Comes
From Life.  Thousands of students in universities all over the world
are being misled and therefore there is no real progress of
civilization in the world.

2.

Why has this universe been created?  In modern science, this is
called cosmology, and the most popular idea they have propagated is
the Big Bang theory.  This is absolutely wrong.  If we think we are
just created by a violent explosion of matter, how can we search for
peace and the finer qualities that can elevate a living being and
save him from suffering eternally in the ocean of birth and death?
In opposition to that Big Bang model, we have our "Bhagavata
Paradigm of Cosmology".  It is based on the discussion in the SB
between Maitreya Muni and Vidura.  The Purpose &  Meaning of life is
what we call the `Big Vision'.  Science only deals with `why &
what'.  Briefly, the purpose of life, according to the Big Vision is
this:  The human form of life is the most important thing in
creation, and, by sincere endeavour, the human form of life, by
sincere endeavour, can realize why he is here.  `Bahunaam janmanaam
ante'  - gita says the highest attainment of knowledge brings one to
the point where he can surrender himself fully unto the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; such a soul will never have to be born again
here for he would have thus attained eternal life.  It is for
facilitating this end that the entire creation takes place

So these two items constitute the most important foundational
knowledge for all types of human beings, be they spiritualists, or
religionists or materialists, or professionals or students –
anyone.  It is upon the basis of our understanding the reality of
our condition that all other thoughts and actions in our lives are
planned and enacted.

For 8 years I was fortunate to have the regular personal association
of Srila Prabhupada, be he always spoke mainly about 1 thing to me –
LCFL.  Yes, scientists do wonderful things, and we have seen many
good things their research has produced, but they have also been
responsible for much evil in the world – bombs, drugs, abortion,
weapons, nuclear missiles etc.  Therefore I say that any serious
endeavour to bring peace to the world must involve the scientists.
If it does not involve them, it will never work.  They must be
involved in helping to remove the unwanted activities that are now
plaguing human society.

Towards that end, we, the Bhaktivedanta Institute, are organizing an
International Conference in Rome styled `Life & Its Origin –
Exploration from Scientific and Various Religious/Spiritual
Traditions'.  It will be held in Rome from the 11th till the 15th of
November, 2004.  I selected Rome as the venue for this important
Congress because it is a very important city, both in Europe and in
the world.  I selected it because the spiritual element is very
prominent in Rome, thanks to the presence of the Vatican.  The
discussions at the conference will be focused on the interface
between science & religion.  A new concept I am trying to introduce
is this - Let us try to explain the existing scientific data which
the scientists have observed and recorded, and interpret it from the
spiritual perspective.  In this way we will see how the same set of
data can produce totally different results if the paradigm of the
interpreter is different.  Another topic we will be discussing is
what I like to call the New Biology, one that incorporates the
science of the soul, of life and of the glorification of God.  This
session will be called God and the New Biology.  Altogether this
conference will have 40 – 45 learned speakers, so pls come to Rome
and be one of our delegates.  This conference is different from our
earlier ones, for this will be the first time that we are going to
directly discuss the nature of life mostly from the spiritual point
of view.  On the first day is a public program that is free for all
to attend – it will be in the grand hall of the Angelicum
University.  This hall has been named after the current Pope John
Paul because he was a graduate from this university.  So I hope we
will see many of you in Rome.

Thank you very much.  Hare Krishna.

(notes jotted down by D. A. Das, Zurich, Switzerland)

(The Following writing of Srila Sripada was originally a Vyasa-puja offering  to Srila Prabhupada Offered on his 97^th appearance anniversary. Here we post as lecture, because Srila Sripada always instruct that we should now how to preach the message of the Vedas, the messages of  Krishna Conciousness according to time, place and circumstances. he said that we should learn The Art of Preaching. we also heard that Srila Sripada Maharaj has written a paper with the same title “The Art of Preaching”. Anybody who knows that paper please share with us-dbd)

Om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya

Caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah

Nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale

Srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine

Namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine

Nirvisesa-sunyavadi pascatya-desa-tarine

My dear respected Vaisnavas,

On this most auspicious day of the glorious Vyasa-puja celebration of His Divine Grace  Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, let me speak something about the art and science of preaching Krishna Consciousness to the public at large-scientists, scholars, everyone in the light of the teachings and examples set forth by Srila Prabhupada and parampara.

The goal of preaching is to bring everyone to Krsna consciousness. From the accounts of the preaching encounter of Lourd Caitanya Mahaprabhu with Prakasananda Sarasvati and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, we can learn a great deal about how to preach:

prabhura mista-vakya suni sannyasira gana

citta phiri gela, kahe madhura vacana

“After hearing Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the mayavadi sannyasis were moved. Their minds changed, and thus they spoke with pleasing words” (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 7.99)

In this purport Srila Prabhupada writes:

“The Mayavadi sannyasis met Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Varanasi to criticize the Lord regarding His participation in sankirtana movement, which they did not like. This demoniac nature opposition to the sankirtana movement perpetually exists. As it existed in the time of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, similarly it existed long before that, even in the time of Prahlada Maharaja…..”

“Impersonalist Mayavadis always try to defy Vaisnavas because Vaisnavas accept the Supreme Personality as the Supreme cause and want to serve Him, talk with Him and see Him, just as the Lord is also eager to see Him devotees and talk, eat and dance with them. This personal exchanges of love do not appeal to the Mayavadi sannyasis. Therefore the original purpose of the Mayavadi sannyasis of Banares in meeting Caitanya Mahaprabhu was to defeat His personal conception of God. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, as a preacher, turned the minds of the Mayavadi sannyasis. They were melted by the sweet words of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and thus became friendly and spoke to Him also in sweet words. Similarly, all preachers will have to meet opponents, but they should not make them more inimical. They are already enemies, and if we talk with them harshly or impolitely their enmity will merely increase. We should therefore follow in the footstep of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu as far as possible and try to convince the opposition by quoting from the sastras and presenting the conclution of the acaryas. It is in this way that we should try to defeat all the the enemies of the Lord.”

In the Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Six, starting with verse 123, this is a long discussion between Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya that runs as follows:

Trus for seven days continuously, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu listened to the Vadanta philosophy expounded by Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya. However, Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not say anything and did not indicate whether it was right or wrong. He simply sat there and listened to the Bhattacarya.

On the eighth day, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya said to Caitanya Mahaprabhu: “You have been listening to the Vedanta philosophy from me continuously for seven days. You have simply been listening, fixed in Your silence. Since you do not say whether you thing it is right or wrong, I cannot know whether you are actually understanding Vedanta philosophy or not.”

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied: “I am a fool, and consequently I do not study Vedanta-sutra. I am just trying to hear it from your because you have ordered Me. Only for the sake of executing the duties of the renounced order of sannyasa do I listen. Unfortunately, I cannot in the least understand the meaning you are presenting.”

Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya replied: “I accept that You do not understand, yet even one who does not understand  inquer about the subject matter. You are hearing again and again, yet You keep silent. I cannot understand what is actually within You mind.”

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then revealed His mind, saying: “I can understand the meaning of each sutra very cleanly, butyour explanation have simply agitated My mind.’ Thus Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu critized Sankaracarya’s Sarirakabhasya as imaginary, and he pointed out hundreds of faults in it.  To defend Sankaracarya, however, Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya presented unlimited opposition. The Bhattacarya presentsd various types of false arguments with pseudologic and tried to defeat his opponent in many ways. However, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu refuted all these arguments and established His own conviction.”

Thus we can see that the dealings are in friendly manner filled with mutual respect. When this relationship of mutual respect is established, the philosophy can be presented  with full force and without any compromise.

If the preacher has the opportunity to present humbly the science and philosophy of Krsna consciousness, this is the most preferable avenue of approach. This is visible in Prabhupada’s own instructions in the morning walk conversation that follows, which took place in Nairobi, Kenya, on October 28, 1975:

Prabhupada: Wherever you go, you gather people and induce them by flattering them, by falling on their leg-some way or other, induce them, dante nidhay trnakam padayor nipatya [Sri Caitanya-candramrta 8.90]. this is the process shown by Prabhodananda Sarasvati, “Taking a straw in my mouth and falling down on your lotus feet.” kaku-satam krtva: “And I am trying to please you by so many flattering words.” Krtva aham bravimi: “I have got some submission….” This is the process…

So now, when he will say, “All right, you can say what you want to say,” then, he sadhava: “you are a great personality, nobleman.” He may be a loafer class [laughter], but give him all honor: “you are so great and so exalted,” he sadhava, “and so honest…My only submission is that whatever you have learned, you forget. Whatever nonsense you have  learned…” Don’t say “nonsense” [laughter]. But we must know that he is pakka rascal, nonsense. [laughter] So don’t say directly, “nonsense”. Say, “You are the great personality. So kindly, whatever you have learned, forget”

“Then what shall I do?”

He sadhavah sakalam eva vihaya durat: “Kick out whatever nonsense you learned.”

“Then what shall I do?”

Now, caitanya-candra-carane kurutanuragam: “kindly be submissive to Lord Caitanya, and chant Hare Krsna”

This is our program. No argument. Because this is a rascal, what is the use of arguing whit him? He’s a rascal number one. You know that. You cannot expect any good argument from the rascal and fools. Where is the logic? Their logic is to beat them with shoes. That is the only logic. But that, if you do that, then you’ll not be able to preach. But otherwise that is the only logic, to beat them with shoes. Argumentum vaculum. You know the logic?

Cyavana: This is Latin.

Prabhupada: Yes. You know? What is that? Argumentum vaculum? With fools and rascal, with animal, there is no logic. Take the stick and beat them. The dog, if he is a dog, what is the argument with him? Take the stick and beat him; then he will go away. That is called Argumentum vaculum. That is, Sanskrit logic, also said, murkhasya latau sadhi [?], “One who is a fool, his only remedy is beating him with stick.”

This is material. But we are not doing anything material. It is all spiritual. Therefore, especially in this age, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih. So we should preach like this, any rascal, because anyone who has no information of Krsna he’s a rascal. That’s all. That we must know. But if you say that-“You are rascal…”- than you cannot preach. If you directly call a rascal, he’ll be angry. murkhayopadeso hi prakopaya na santa… In this way preaching is practical. Otherwise it is not possible. Everyone is thinking he is the most exalted personality, scientist, philosopher, great man. That is the material disease… You are dealing with a rascal. So if we call them directly [rascal] they will be angry. your preaching will no be successful. So follow the principles enunciated by Prabodhananda Sarasvati and Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Since ours is a preaching movement, it is of vital importance that we understand the proper methodology  and spirit of presenting Krsna consciousness to the public at large. My own personal understanding in this area is to evaluate the time and circumstances, then act accordingly. Occasions may arise that we have to fight, but the situation may also dictate that we exercise the utmost patience and tolerance.

In the intimate atmosphere of the morning walk on Venice Beach, in Los Angeles, Prabhupada gave many instructions in this manner, such as the conversation quoted below, recorded on May 3, 1973:

Prabhupada: So you protest, write in books. You are scientist, prove scientifically. That will be your laurel of talking the doctorate degree. If you also became one of these rascal doctors, then what is the use of your Krsna consciousness, that whatever they say you silently accept? No. just became Babhruvahana, Manipura Babhruvahana, that the fighting is faced. Take assistance, you have got. Ask Dr. Rao to come, join. Make plan. Go from town to town, all over the world. This has to be done… If you are mischievous, you are criminal. But if you tolerate mischievous activities, that is also criminal. Challenge these rascal. Stop their rascal theories.

These are strong signals implying that with the utmost seriousness we have to face the scientists, scholars, everyone who is against the science and philosophy of Krsna. This can only be achieved by the blessings of Srila Prabhupada.

In Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.22.7 in the purport, Srila Prabhupada summarizes all these considerations beyond any shadow of a doubt:

This combination, the instruction of the spiritual master and the faithful execution of the instruction by the disciple, makes the entire process perfect. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura describes in his explanation of the verses in Bhagavad-gita, vyavasayatmika buddhih, that one wants to be certain to achieve spiritual success must take instruction from the spiritual master as to what his particular function is. He should faithfully try to execute that particular instruction and should consider that his life and soul. The faithful execution of the instruction which he receive from the spiritual master in the only duty of a disciple, and that will bring him perfection. One should be very careful to receive the message from the spiritual master through the ears and execute it faithfully. The

On this most ouspicious day I humbly pray for Srila Prabhupada’s blessing so that I can be of some small help to his divine mission.

His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada’s most insignificant servant,

Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami

MAY 1^ST, 1993, NEW DVARAKA DHAMA, LOS ANGELES

send Sripada Lecture, memories, instructions, nectar, etc to sripada.nectar@gmail.com

Padang galak, Krishna Balaram Mandir

Setelah bhajan, Srila Sripada Maharaj berbicara singkat sebagai berikut (ringkasan):

Kita semua baru di dalam Kesadaran Krishna. Dengan karunia Srila Prabhupada kita bisa belajar di dalam Kesadaran ini, tetapi misi kita sudah jelas yaitu “Mengerti tujuan kehidupan Manusia” “Seperti Narottam das thakur dalam lagunya sering menjelaskan dirinya  seolah-olah sudah kehilangan jalan hidup dan menginsyafi dirinya bahwa ia belum melayani Tuhan (sebenarnya Narotam das Thakur bukan orang biasa. Begitulah orang maju memposisikan dirinya sebagai seorang jatuh)

Jangan menyia-nyiakan diri.

Jadi buatlkah usaha keras, extra effort, usaha tambahan, jangan hanya santai-santai untuk maju dalam petualangan spiritual ini.

Apakah kesulitannya?

Kesulitannya, kita masih hidup di dunia material ini, alam material ini sulit diatur. Alam materiil ini tersusun atas tiga komponen, kadang-kadang kita masih melakukan banyak kesalahan karena sifat alam ini begitu kuat bagaikan teroris  yang selalu siap menteror setiap saat. Kadang-kadang kita larut dalam berbagai sifat ini, kebaikan, kadang kebodohan kadang dalam sifat nafsu.  Inilah kesulitan yang sedang kita alami dan mesti kita atasi untuk bisa maju lebih lanjut.

Jadi di dalam Kesadaran ini, kita harus mengembangkan vairagya-vidya, yang berarti mengembangkan kesadaran bahwa segala sesuatu adalah milik krishna.

Seperti dalam sloka Isa upanisad

isaväsyam idam sarvam

yat kinca jagatyäm jagat

tena tyaktena bhunjéthä

mä gådhaù kasya svid dhanam

Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.

Segala sesuatu yang bergerak maupun tidak bergerak di dalam semesta ini dikendalikan dan dimiliki oleh TUhan. Olehkarena itu seseorang hendaknya hanya menerima segala hal yang benar-benar ia butuhkan, yang memang dijatahkan untuk dirinya, dan seseorang hendaknya tidak menerima hal-hal lain, yang merupakan milik atau hak orang lain.

Sarvam berarti segala sesuatu, tetapi karena keslahpahaman kita, kita sering mengatakan ”ini milik saya, Ini negara Saya,” ini adalah konsep Aku dan Milikku. Ini adalah konsep materiil yang menjadi hambatan maka itu kita harus belajar pelepasan ikatan.

Dalam sistem Varna-ashrama-dharma, yang akhirnya memuncak pada pelepasan ikatan juga, Grihasta-brahmacari juga (melaksanakan) vairagya-vidya, topik ini bisa dijelaskan lebih terperinci pada lain kesempatan.

Saya mencoba untuk melatih berbagai penyembah muda, temple saya yang di Manipur saya sebut sebagai Universitty (University Of Bhagavata Culture) yang direncanakan selesai pada tahun 2007.

Jadi kalian semua bekerja samalah di dalam harmony and trust, tidak masalah ada banyak tempat atau temple, yang penting adalah kerja-sama dan cinta kasih diantara sesama.

Seperti di tempel Krishna Balaram ini, sudah memiliki taman yang bagus. Ada burung berkicaun, mungkin bisa kita tambahkan burung beo, agar bisa diajak ikut manggala arati.

Bayangkan kalau semua orang Bali jadi penyembah (Tuhan). Apa yang akan terjadi? Semua ini hanya dimungkinkan atas kerjasama yang baik. Saya berdoa agar kita semua serius dan memberikan kontribusi pada misi Srila Prabhupada!!

Reported by DBD

Edited by www.Sripadanectar.com

(Berikut adalah kutipan pelajaran yang disampaikan oleh Maharaj di Nitai Gaurangga Ashram, Baha-Badung, pada 06 Juli 2005. Maharaj memulai dengan bhajan “bhuliya tomare”. Kemudian memberikan pelajaran dari lagu yang sama. (Maharaj mengatakan lagu ini penuh dengan makna dan pelajaran Hidup. Maharaj Mengatakan lagu karya Bhaktivinoda Thakur ini adalah lagu Lamentation. Maharaj mengingatkan kita agar akhir hidup kita tidak penuh dengan lamentation ‘penyesalan’ maka itu kita harus mengingat Janji kita, janji yang pernah kita ucapkan ketika dalam kandungan ibu kita. agar tidak menjadi Janji Yang Terlupakan. ceramah berikut saya tulis ulang dari buku catatan saya-dbd)

Maharaj Mengartikan dan menjelaskan ajaran dari lagu berikut:

(1)
bhuliyā tomāre, saḿsāre āsiyā,
peye nānā-vidha byathā
tomāra caraṇe, āsiyāchi āmi,
bolibo duḥkhera kathā

1) I forsook You, O Lord, and came to this world of pain and sorrow. Now I submit my tale of woe at Your lotus feet.

Oh Tuhan hamba telah mengabaikan DiriMu dan hamba lebih memilih untuk datang ke dunia yang penuh penderitaan dan kesedihan ini. Sekarang hamba memasrahkan kisah duka hamba pada Kaki-Padma-Mu.

(2)
jananī jaṭhare, chilāma jakhona,
biṣama bandhana-pāśe
eka-bāra prabhu! dekhā diyā more,
vañcile e dīna dāse

2) While still in the unbearable fetters of my mother’s womb, I saw You before me You revealed Yourself but briefly and then abandoned this poor servant of Yours.

Ketika masih berada dalam belenggu kandungan ibu hamba, yang perihnya tak tertahankan, hamba melihat DiriMu menampakkan DiriMu namun cuma sekejap dan Engkau menghilang lagi dari pandangan pelayanmu yang remeh ini.

(3)
takhona bhāvinu, janama pāiyā,
koribo bhajana tava
janama hoilo, paḍi’ māyā-jāle,
nā hoilo jñāna-lava

3) At that moment I swore to worship You after taking birth; but birth came, and with it the network of wordly illusion which robbed me of all good sense.

(4)
ādarera chele, sva-janera kole,
hāsiyā kāṭānu kāla
janaka jananī-snehete bhuliyā,
saḿsāra

4) As a fondled son in the lap of relatives, I passed my time smiling and laughing. My parents’ affection helped me to forget the pangs of birth, and I thought the world was very nice.lāgilo bhālo

Karena terbuai dalam pangkuan sanak famili, hamba melewati hari-hari hamba dengan senyum dan tawa. Kasih-sayang orang tua hamba membantu hamba untuk melupakan berbagai penderitaan hidup, dan hamba menganggap dunia ini adalah tempat yang sangat menyenangkan.

(5)
krame dina dina, bālaka hoiyā,
bhelinu bālaka-saha
āra kichu dine, jnāna upajilo,
pāṭha poḍi ahar-ahaḥ

5) Day by day I grew and soon began playing with other boys. Shortly my powers of understanding emerged. I read and studied my lessons incessantly.

Hari demi hari hamba tumbuh dan bermain-main bersama bocah-bocah lainnya. Segera kemampuan memahami muncul dalam diri hamba. Saya tak henti-hentiya membaca dan belajar.

(6)
vidyāra gaurave, bhrami’ deśe deśe,
dhana uparjana kori
sva-jana pālana, kori eka-mane,
bhulinu tomāre, hari!

6) Travelling from place to place, proud of my education, I grew wealthy and maintained my family with undivided attention. O Lord Hari, I forgot You!

Mengembara dari satu tempat ke tempat lainnya, hamba sangat membanggakan pendidikan hamba, hamba tumbuh menjadi orang kaya dan memelihara keluarga hamba dengan perhatian penuh. Oh Tuhan, Sri Hari, hamna melupakan-Mu!

(7)
bārdhakye ekhona, bhakativinoda,
kāṇdiyā kātara ati
nā bhajiyā tore, dina bṛthā gelo,
ekhona ki have gati?

7) Now in old age, Bhaktivinoda is sad. He weeps. I failed to worship You, O Lord, and instead passed my life in vain. What will be my fate now.

Sekarang di dalam usia tua, Bhaktivinoda sedih. Dia menangis, “Oh Tuhan, hamba gagal memuja-Mu, hamba lebih memilih melewati hidup hamba dalam duka dan derita. Sekarang apakah yang menjadi takdir hamba.”

Pelajaran yang bisa kita petik dari lagu ini adalah kehidupan manusia ini hendaknya dimanfaatkan sebaik-baiknya. Lagu bhajan ini penuh dengan makna. Begitu juga dengan lagu-lagu para acharya yang lain, juga penuh akan makna spiritual. Oleh karena itu para pujangga Kesadaran Krishna  menulis lagu sebagai sarana pengajaran.

Dalam budaya Kesadaran Krishna, kita meyakini ada tiga aspek Tuhan:

Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam Tam jnanam advayam

brahmati paratnatmeti bhagavan iti sadyate

“Para rohaniawan terpelajar yang mengetahui Kebenaran Mutlak menyebut Dzat yang tunggal itu dengan sebutan-sebutan berikut: (i) Brahman (The Attributeless Absolute), (ii) Paramatma (Aspek Tuhan yang hadir dalam setiap hati makhluk hidup) dan (iii) Bhagavan (Pribadi Tuhan Sendiri)

Jadi dalam Peradaban Veda, kita mengenal tiga aspek Tuhan yaitu, Brahman, Paramatma dan Bhagavan. Brahman merupakan aspek Impersonal Tuhan, Paramatma merupakan aspek Tuhan pada suatu tempat, yang bersemayam  dalam setiap hati makhluk hidup dan bahkan  dalam setiap atom, dan Aspek tertinggi adalah Bhagavan, Pribadi Tuhan Yang Maha Esa, Sumber semua aspek yang lain.

Paramatma: Sumber Inspirasi

Aspek kedua Tuhan, Paramatma, Roh Yang Utama. Paramatma inilah yang membimbing setiap makhluk hidup. Semua inspirasi datang dari Paramatma, yang berada di dalam hati setiap makhluk hidup. Seperti ajaran-ajaran yang ada dalam lagu ini, inspirasinya berasal dari Paramatma, aspek Tuhan Yang bersemayam dalam hati setiap makhluk hidup. Begitu juga di dalam berbagai penemuan ilmiah (scientific discovery), juga berasal dari tuntunan sang Paramatma. Oleh karena itu, baik karya seni seperti syair dalam bentuk lagu  maupun berbagai penemuan ilmiah semua dihasilkan atau dikerjakan atas karunia Tuhan.

Janji Dalam Kandungan

Tokoh-tokoh agung seperti Bhaktivinoda Thakur (penulis lagu ini) memiliki visi dan inspirasi yang luar biasa. Di dalam lagu Bhaktivinoda Thakura menguraikan: ketika berada di dalam kandungan, ia melihat sang bayi, dimana sang bayi berpikir atau berdoa “Hamba berjanji bahwa hamba akan memujamu setelah hamba lahir nanti, Oh TuhanKu”

Kandungan ibu itu tidak begitu besar. Sang bayi tidak bisa jalan-jalan, sang bayi sangat menderita. Ketika berada dalam penderitaan luar biasa, maka kita mencari perlindungan Tuhan. Hal ini adalah sesuatu yang alamiah atau ilmiah? Jadi penderitaan itu tidaklah begitu jelek.

Orang bijaksana tidak mengeluh pada penderitaan. Mungkin kadang-kadang tidak ada persad atau makanan yang cukup. Namun orang itu atau penyembah yang bijaksana itu tidak mengeluh. Dia melihat segala sesuatu adalah karunia Tuhan.

Bhaktivinoda menjelaskan dalam lagu diatas dalam kandungan sang bayi berdoa kepada Tuhan, ”Hamba akan menjadi pelayan-Mu” Namun segera setelah sang bayi keluar dari kandungan ibunya. Ia melupakan semua penderitaan itu karena pengaruh dan pergaulan alam materiil (dalam bentuk keluarga, kawan dan lain sebagainya)

Samsare lagi lobhare. Ketika semua orang menyayanginya, memberi senyum dan lain sebagainya, maka ia berpikir “Wah ternyata dunia ini menyenangkan.” Dia menjadi lupa akan janjinya, lupa akan tujuan kelahirannya. Inilah keadaan yang membuat kita lupa pada janji kita untuk melayani Tuhan.

Karena itu praktek Kesadaran Krishna, adalah solusi untuk kita bisa keluar dari semua penderitaan ini’, inilah yang dikatakan oleh Bhagavad Gita,”

Bahunama janmanan ante

jnänavän mäm prapadyate

väsudevah sarvam iti

sa mahätmä su-durlabhah

“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is Such a great soul is very rare.”

“Setelah banyak kelahiran dan kematian, dia yang benar-benar memiliki pengetahuan berserah-diri pada-Ku, karena dia mengetahui Aku sebagai penyebab dari segala sebab dan orang agung seperti itu sangatlah jarang.”

Ada 8.400.000 jenis kehidupan seperti, mikroba, serangga, burung, reptil, dan lain-lain. Semua kehidupan ini telah kita lewati! Bayangkan kita telah melihat banyak penderitaan seperti ini. Kata Srila Bhaktivinoda, ketika kita keluar kita melupakan janji itu namun ada beberapa beruntung, jnanavan, roh yang sunggguh-sungguh berpengetahuan.

Vasudeva sarvam iti. Orang-orang cerdas, dia mengerti Vasudeva adalah segala-galanya. Tetapi orang ini, seorang Mahatma. Semua penyembah adalah Mahatma, karena dia datang untuk berserah diri dan memuja Tuhan. Setiap hari kita harus ingat bahwa Tuhan telah berkarunia memberi kehidupan manusia (Kepada kita), yang dimaksudkan untuk melayani Tuhan.

Dewasa ini, di berbagai belahan dunia, sudah mulai merebak diskusi hangat akan makna dan tujuan kehidupan manusia. Di dalam kitab Vedanta-Sutra dinyatakan:

Sastrayonitvat

“Sastra adalah bukti kehadiran atau keberadaan Tuhan”

Dengan cara lain-lain seseorang harus menerima proses kita…Sastra (kitab suci-ed) adalah pengetahuan untuk memberikan keinsyafan diri. Sastra merupakan Sabda-pramana. Sabda-pramana merupakan alat untuk mendapatkan pengetahuan tanpa cacat (sempurna), karena direct perception (pratyaksa), pada umumnnya tidak gampang. Tetapi direct-perception (melihat langusng-ed) bisa dilakukan bagi rohaniawan yang sudah indrianya tersucikan sepenuhnya. Direct perception memiliki kekurangan karena indria kita tidak sempurna, namun bagi penyembah murni pengetahuan itu langsung terungkap di dalam hatinya.

Raja vidya raja guhyam

pavitramidam utamanam

pratyaksavagam dharmyam

su-sukhaà kartum avyayam

“This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.”

“Pengetahuan ini (Kesadaran Tuhan, ed) adalah Raja segala pendidikan, yang paling rahasia diantara rahasia. Pengetahuan ini adalah pengetahuan yang paling murni, dank arena pengetahuan ini dapat memberikan penglihatan langsung akan sang diri dengan keinsyafan diri, maka pengetahuan ini merupakan kesempurnaan agama. Pengetahuan ini bersifat kekal, dan pengetahuan Kesadaran Tuhan ini dilaksanakan dengan penuh rasa riang.”

Pengetahuan rohani terungkap langsung kepada para penyembah murni, maka dengan cara melayani Tuhan, secara otomatis pengetahuan akan terungkap. Dengan melakukan sadhana atau praktik sehari-hari berbagai peraturan pelayanan suci, maka berangsur-angsur kita akan disucikan.

(kerjasama Radhe Syam Center dan KMHDI dengan Bhaktivendata Institute Indonesia)

Oleh

T.D. Singh Ph.D[1]

(Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami Srila Sripada)

(Berikut adalah rekaman dari seminar tentang Prinsip Ilmiah reinkarnasi. Dalam seminar berikut DR TD SINGH membicarakan perluya perpaduan antara sains dan agama untuk mendapatkan pemahaman yang lebih mendalam akan makna hidup dan makna akan alam semesta ini. Beliau juga membicarakan berbagai hal seperti Asal-usul kehidupan, apakah sebenarnya kehidupan itu? Apakah DNA sudah dapat dikatakan suatu kehidupan? Apakah perbedaan antara Matter dan Life? Pemahaman akan kehidupan sangat penting untuk mendapatkan makna hidup yang lebih mendalam. Pemahaman makan kehidupan ini sangat penting sebagai salah satu landasan untuk mencapai perdamaian dan kedamaian dunia. Selama ini terjadi banyak terjadi kejahatan oleh teknologi dan juga kekerasan atas nama agama, salah satunya disebabkan oleh pemahanan hidup yang materialistik maupun terlalu fanatik buta terhadap agama tertentu, oleh karena itu DR TD Singh selalu menganjurkan Dialog antar agama dan juga Dialog antara Sains dan Agama, Dialog antara Ilmuwan dan Agamawan. Mengapa ? karena Sains dan Agama merupakan dua kekuatan yang sangat dominan memengaruhi umat manusia di muka bumi ini. Jadi dialog-dialog Sains dan Agama mutlak diperlukan untuk mencapai perdamaian dunia. Nah bagiamana detail pemaparan Beliau dapat disima dalam Seminar berikut:–ed)

Namaskara, Swastyastu

Saya sangat senang sekali bisa hadir di tengah–tengah bapak–bapak dan ibu– ibu di Bandung, Jawa Barat. Kemarin saya mengadakan seminar di Jakarta. Saya secara teratur datang ke Bali dan baru kali ini mendapatkan kesempatan untuk hadir di Jawa Barat, khususnya di kota Bandung ini. Saya sangat terkesan dengan semangat bapak– bapak dan ibu–ibu serta adik–adik sekalian untuk menyelenggarakan seminar ini. Saya terus menerus bekerja keras untuk mensintesa (memadukan-ed) antara agama dan ilmu pengetahuan (sains). Dan topik yang akan dibicarakan malam ini adalah Prinsip– Prinsip Reinkarnasi dan (Reinkarnasi) ini merupakan salah satu point (titik temu) antara spiritualitas dan sains.

Sains dan Agama: Dua kekuatan yang sangat berpengaruh

Pada zaman modern ini, kehidupan manusia sangat didominasi oleh ilmu pengetahuan (Sains) dan ilmuwan (Saintist). Dan dalam kehidupan kita juga, sains dan agama sangat mendominasi kehidupan manusia. Dan semua agama dan tradisi keagamaan yang ada baik Hindu, Islam, Kristen dan lain-lain setuju bahwa ada suatu realitas yang disebut realitas tertinggi (Ultimate Reality), yang tidak bisa tercapai dengan persepsi indria–indria material. Karena itu, sains tentang kehidupan adalah ilmu pengetahuan yang sangat penting dan sangat mendasar dalam kehidupan manusia. Dan karena itu kita tertarik untuk mengetahui apa awal dari kehidupan itu sendiri (Life’s Origin). Hal lainnya yang menarik adalah kemajuan bioteknologi dan juga banyak sekali orang yang bertanya mengenai kloning[2] dan tujuannya. Inilah konsep–konsep yang selalu ada di benak manusia untuk mengerti tentang rahasia dan mencari jawaban atas rahasia–rahasia tersebut. Dan ini merupakan suatu bukti bahwa pikiran itu ada walaupun kita tidak bisa melihatnya. Tetapi, sains modern sekarang ini hanya tertarik kepada bidang physic atau penampakan luar saja. Seperti dalam fisika atau kimia, dengan memberikan rumus–rumus tentang gerak dan memberikan kontribusi yang besar terhadap kehidupan manusia. Dan Newton memberikan tentang hukum gravitasi. Kita juga mengenal adanya partikel–partikel kecil yang selama ini kita kenal sebagai proton, elektron, neutron dan sebagainya. Sebagai contohnya, gelas ini terbuat dari partikel–partikel alam. Dan gelas ini merupakan suatu senyawa kimia yang bahannya beranama silikon. Gelas ini sebenarnya terbuat dari pasir, seperti pasir yang ada di pantai. Tetapi para ilmuwan, para ahli kimia dan fisika dapat memberi uraian mengenai apa saja yang terkandung dalam pasir. Dan kalau diteliti lebih lanjut lagi, maka kita dapat menemukan bahwa unsur–unsur itu seperti silikon adalah unsur–unsur yang fundamental yang menyusun alam ini. Dan bagaimana tentang kehidupan itu sendiri?

The Scince Of Life Origin

Dalam Sains ada yang disebut dengan sains biologi. Sukses yang dicapai oleh sains seperti fisika dan kimia membuat para ilmuwan dalam bidang biologi juga ingin mencapai sukses yang sama dengan memanfaatkan teori-teori yang sudah ada baik dalam bidang kimia ataupun fisika. Kalau kita menganalisa badan kita sebagai manusia ini, atom–atom dari badan kita terdiri dari 4 unsur (atom) utama, seperti unsur oksigen, karbon, hidrogen dan nitrogen. Jika unsur–unsur ini dikombinasikan akan membentuk molekul-molekul. Dalam molekul-molekul ini ada protein, karbohidrat, lypid. Dan kalau diselidiki, mereka (para ilmuwan) hanya akan menemukan unsur–unsur ini saja (O2, C, H2, N) yang membentuk badan ini. Mereka tidak akan menemukan jawaban tentang roh (jiwa) yang memberikan kehidupan pada badan itu sendiri. Jadi, ini merupakan lapangan pengetahuan yang sangat besar sekali. Dan ini yang disebut sebagai ilmu pengetahuan tentang asal mula kehidupan (The Sceince Of Life’s Origin). Jadi, tanpa mengetahui keberadaan tentang sang roh, para ilmuwan menyimpulkan bahwa badan ini hanyalah merupakan suatu campuran zat-zat kimia/ molekul-molekul saja. Karena itu, anak–anak di sekolah diberikan pelajaran bahwa badan ini hanyalah campuran zat-zat kimia/molekul -molekul saja.

Dalam Veda tidak ada pertentangan antara Sains dan Agama

Dan di Amerika, sekarang terjadi dialog-dialog spiritualitas, mereka membuat group studi evolusi untuk mendiskusikan tentang masalah ini. Jadi, kesimpulan tentang proses ini adalah: kesalahan terbesar yang dilakukan oleh Darwin adalah dia tidak mengenali keberadaan sang roh yang ada pada badan ini. Seperti sedari awal sudah dikatakan bahwa ilmu pengetahuan itu sangat terbatas. Karena itu, prinsip spiritual dalam kehidupan harus diterima apa adanya. Dan prinsip–prinsip spiritual ini sudah diberikan secara jelas sekali dalam kitab suci Hindu yang disebut dengan Bhagavad Gita. Dalam bab 2 dan 17 sudah dijelaskan secara mendetail tentang prinsip–prinsip kehidupan ini. Hal ini juga terdapat dalam buku Kehidupan dan Evolusi Spiritual yang saya tulis. Jadi dalam buku-buku tersebut, terdapat system yang berbeda tentang materi dan keagamaan. Di Amerika terjadi pertentangan yang keras antara tokoh–tokoh ilmuwan dengan tokoh–tokoh rohaniawan, karena itu Amerika merupakan lapangan pertempuran yang besar sekali. Tetapi, dalam kesusastraan Veda kita tidak mengenal pertentangan antara tokoh spiritual dan ilmuwan ini.

Elektron: Sang Partikel Material

Dalam seminar 2 hari yang lalu di Jakarta, sudah dijelaskan tentang perbedaan alam (material) dan spiritual. Dan untuk mengerti tentang prinsip–prinsip reinkarnasi, kita harus mengerti perbedaan antara spirit dan matter (perbedaan antara ruh/atma dengan benda mati/materi—ed). Jadi, kita dapat mengerti dan ini sudah diterima oleh orang banyak, bahwa hal yang fundamental dari alam (matter) ini adalah elektron. Dan ini juga harus kita mengerti, karena jika tidak kita tidak akan mengerti apa itu ilmuwan (saintis) atau ilmu pengetahuan (science) itu. Dalam kehidupan kita sejak dahulu kita dan ilmuwan sudah menggunakan elektron, tetapi kita tidak menyadarinya. Kita sudah mempunyai istilah tentang elektron yang dalam Bahasa Sanskrta disebut sebagai anumana. Seperti contohnya di negara–negara dingin, seperti Amerika dan Eropa, ketika ada pesawat yang terbang tinggi sampai kita tidak bisa melihatnya, tetapi dari asap yang membentuk garis lintasan kita dapat menyimpulkan bahwa itu ada suatu pesawat yang terbang. Ini adalah titik ion yang dilewati oleh elektron. Dijelaskan bahwa elektron didesak oleh ion sehingga membentuk  sehingga dia akan terkondensasi menjadi garis mendung. Kita melihat pergerakan itu, tapi kita tidak bisa melihat elektron.

Spiriton: Sang Partikel Spiritual

Begitu juga keberadaan tentang sang jiwa/ruh yang terdapat dalam setiap badan makhluk hidup. Dia tidak dapat dilihat tapi dia ada. Saya menggunakan istilah spiriton[3] untuk sang jiwa berdasarkan pandangan–pandangan seperti elektron.  Dan spiriton yang sangat penting ini ada pada setiap kehidupan, mulai dari makhluk sekecil mikro-organisme, sampai manusia.

Dijelaskan bahwa DNA bukanlah suatu bentuk kehidupan. DNA adalah molekul yang penting sekali dalam pembentukan kehidupan. Walaupun DNA tidak bisa hidup dan bagian darinya juga tidak hidup. Jadi apa itu kehidupan? Tanpa mengerti istilah tentang kehidupan ini, kita tidak akan mengerti apa itu kehidupan. Seperti contohnya: orang tua memiliki ikatan yang sangat kuat terhadap anak–anak, suami isteri juga saling mencintai satu sama lain dan semua orang di dunia ini memberikan perhatian yang sangat besar sekali untuk kesejahteraan seluruh umat manusia.

Ketika orang yang sangat kita cintai seperti suami, isteri, anak, orang tua, jika spiriton-nya meninggalkan badannya, kita tidak lagi mencintai badannya yang sudah mati. Kita  pasti akan memroses badan tersebut karena kalau dibiarkan dia akan bau dsb. Ini merupakan bukti bahwa kita tidak mencintai badannya, tetapi kita mencintai unsur kehidupan yang ada di dalam badan ini.

Mengapa terjadi kekerasan atas nama agama?

Kita berbicara tentang kualitas atau sifat-sifat dari moralitas kehidupan. Kita memberikan perhatian pada terorisme yang terjadi berulang kali seperti contohnya yang baru saja terjadi di Inggris. Ini disebabkan karena kita tidak tahu tentang kualitas kehidupan, tidak tahu apa yang boleh dan yang tidak boleh dilakukan. Semua agama menyangkut peraturan tentang prinsip kehidupan, tetapi dalam penerapannya tidak ada penjelasan secara mendetail. Sedangkan di dalam Veda semua prinsip tersebut dijelaskan secara mendetail dan saya menjelaskannya secara ilmiah agar dapat berkomunikasi dengan kita. Hal ini sangat perlu untuk kita mengerti yaitu perbedaan antara spirit dan matter atau perbedaan antara jiva yang mengandung unsur–unsur kehidupan dengan alam yang tidak hidup. Tanpa mempelajari prinsip–prinsip kehidupan ini, maka kita tidak akan dapat memehami makna kehidupan, dan kita tidak akan mampu menerapkan hal ini untuk memecahkan masalah dalam kehidupan ini. Misalnya ketika siswa tidak lulus banyak siswa yang bunuh diri. Kenapa demikian? Karena pemahamannya akan kehidupan yang sangat sempit. Mereka menganggap bahwa jika mereka tidak dapat mencapai tujuannya maka hidup mereka tidak berarti lagi. Karena pemahaman seperti ini, di kota–kota besar seperti Amerika setelah pengumuman kelulusan banyak yang bunuh diri karena tidak lulus.

Memahami spiriton salah satu kunci perdamaian atas kekerasan atas nama agama

Pada saat ini seluruh dunia mendambakan perdamaian yang kekal. Ini dapat terwujud jika kita menyadari bahwa kita adalah makhluk yang bersifat rohani. Banyak terdapat agama tetapi kita salah memahami dan mengerti konsepsi agama sehingga agama dipakai alat untuk saling bertentangan dan saling membunuh. Ini adalah salah pengertian yang besar terhadap agama. Karena itu jika kita sungguh–sungguh memahami perbedaan antara alam dan spirit dan memahami bahwa kita adalah makhluk rohani maka kita akan memahami bahwa semua makhluk adalah saudara kita. Senua agama menyatakan bahwa kita adalah saudara, kita adalah anak dari Tuhan yang sama. Tujuan tertinggi dari kehidupan adalah untuk mengerti tentang apa itu kehidupan. Karena itu, ini merupakan jalan keluar dari masalah–masalah kehidupan.

Perlunya sintesis antara agama dan sains

Kadang kita satu sama lain berkelahi atas dasar politik, gender, agama dan kadang kita berkelahi di kalangan masyarakat karena hal tersebut.semua ini terjadi karena kita salah mengidentifikasikan diri kita sendiri. Jika kita benar–benar telah memahami perbedaan antara alam dan roh, semua masalah akan terpecahkan. Ada satu anjuran yang sangat penting yaitu para rohaniawan harus mengetahui ilmu pengetahuan modern dan para ilmuwan harus mempelajari filsafat–filsafat rohani karena para ilmuwan yang tidak mengerti tentang filsafat rohani akan disalahgunakan. Perdamaian tidak akan pernah terwujud bila para ilmuwan dan para rohaniawan berjalan di jalannya masing–masing dan tidak ada yang mempertemukan mereka.

Toward Culture of Peace and Harmony

Saya telah menyusun sebuah buku yang berjudul Jalan menuju Kehidupan yang damai dan harmonis. Di dalam buku ini terdapat uraian pendapat dari 9 peraih nobel baik dari kalangan ilmuwan maupun rohaniawan seperti ulama dsb. Semua ini bisa dilakukan karena kalangan ilmuwan dan rohaiawan saling berinteraksi satu sama lain untuk mencari tahu tentang nilai–nilai kehidupan dan bagaimana mencapai kehidupan yang damai dan harmonis. Mereka memberikan latar belakang betapa pentingnya ilmu pengetahuan tentang reinkarnasi ini. Sekarang marilah kita melihat apa yang ada di slide/.

Ini adalah pernyataan proses pembelajaran dari prinsip–prinsip reinkarnasi. memelajari prinsip–prinsip reinkarnasi secara ilmiah akan memberikan kita semangat/ sinar pencerahan tentang fenomena–fenomena yang ada dengan menerima teori–teori. Dan fenomena yang ada memiliki banyak variabel dalam bentuk–bentuk kehidupan dengan kemampuan yang sangat jelas dan tidak dapat diperoleh dari alam ataupun lingkungan dan pengalaman menjelang kematian.

Bio-varieties artinya bermacam–macam jenis kehidupan. Ada banyak bentuk kehidupan. Kenapa ada  begitu banyak jenis kehidupan seperti binatang, burung, pohon, serangga, kehidupan dalam air dan makhluk yang tidak dapat dilihat dengan mata telanjang seperti organisme mikroba. Di dalam kitab suci disebutkan bahwa terdapat 8.400.000 jenis kehidupan. Ketika saya berdiskusi dengan para ilmuwan, saya mengatakan bahwa ada 8.400.000 jenis kehidupan. Mereka sependapat bahwa terdapat begitu banyak jenis kehidupan. Tetapi mereka heran bagaimana Veda sudah bisa mampu menjelaskan dan memberikan informasi tentang  jumlah kehidupan tersebut. Dalam sastra mana hal itu dijelaskan.

Di dalam satra dijelaskan bahwa setelah berulang kali mengalami berbagai jenis kehidupan kita berevolusi dan akhirnya mendapatkan badan manusia ini. Jadi dapat kita simpulkan berdasarkan informasi sastra bahwa setelah kita mengalami 8.400.000 jenis kehidupan barulah kita mencapai kehidupan sebagai manusia ini yang dianggap sebagai kehidupan tertinggi. Karena itulah semua kitab suci dan orang bijaksana menerima bahwa kehidupan sebagai manusia sebagai kehidupan yang paling utama dan paling penting untuk mengerti masalah evolusi kehidupan. Bagaimana kita dapat mengerti kehidupan ini dengan menggunakan argumen ilmiah?

Kesalahan Darwin: tidak mengetahuan keberadaan Spiriton

Darwin membuat teorinya berdasarkan fosil–fosil yang dia temukan dan mungkin berumur ribuan atau jutaan tahun. Berdasarkan penemuan fosil inilah dia membuat teorinya. Dia menyatakan bahwa badan ini yang berevolusi menurut pengaruh waktu, keadaan dsb. Badan ini yang berevolusi dari bentuk kehidupan yang paling rendah sampai kehidupan yang paling tinggi. Badan inilah yang mengalami evolusi bukan sang jiva atau spiritonnya.

Interpretasi Darwin yang berdasarkan fosil ini salah karena dia dia tidak menyertakan keberadaan sang roh. Jika Darwin mengerti perbedaan antara spiriton dan matter dia tidak akan keliru menyusun teorinya. Veda menjelaskan bahwa sang rohlah yang berevolusi dari tingkat kesadaran yang paling rendah kemudian naik sampai tingkat kesadaran yang paling tinggi dan saya telah berulang kali memberikan perbedaan yang jelas antara spiriton dan elektron tersebut. Yang pertama yaitu spiriton memiliki kesadaran sedangkan elektron tidak memiliki kesadaran. Inilah perbedaan yang paling mendasar. Karena itu spiriton/ jiva inilah yang berpindah dari satu jenis kehidupan ke kehidupan yang lain berdasarkan hukum karma. Karma adalah suatu jenis kegiatan yang menimbulkan reaksi sesuai dengan apa yang dilakukannya. Karena itu ilmu pengetahuan biologi yang menganggap dirinya mempelajari tentang kehidupan tetapi faktanya mereka tidak mempelajari kehidupan karena mereka hanya mempelajari badan material saja.

Logika Renkarnasi

Saya ingin memberikan penjelasan singkat mengapa terdapat berbagai macam jenis kehidupan di dunia ini. Seperti di daerah Bandung terdapat banyak bangunan yang besar dan rumah yang mahal. Tetapi gubug yang kecil pun ada. Ada beberapa rumah yang memiliki rumah dengan kebun yang indah sedangkan rumah yang lain tidak memiliki kebun. Orang yang membuat rumah ini akan membangun rumah sesuai dengan keinginan pemilik rumah. Demikian juga jenis–jenis kehidupan ini diciptakan sesuai dengan maksud dan tujuannya. Pada saat kita akan membangun rumah, jika kita memiliki kapasitas dan kemampuan atau uang yang banyak jumlahnya maka kita dapat membangun rumah yang besar dan bagus, tetapi jika kita hanya memiliki kemampuan yang kecil yaitu kita cukup membanggun rumah yang kecil saja. Yang disebut sebagai kapasitas yang diibaratkan sebagai uang adalah karma yang sangat dikenal oleh Filosofi Hindu dan Budha. Karma sangat fundamental dalam Kitab Suci Veda. Perjalanan spiriton dari suatu bentuk kehidupan ke bentuk kehidupan yang lain sesuai dengan kapasitas karma yang mereka perbuat yang akan mengantar spiriton dari suatu bentuk kehidupan ke bentuk kehidupan yang lain sampai pada bentuk kehidupan manusia. Jika anda bercita–cita untuk memiliki mercedes tetapi uang anda tidak cukup untuk membelinya maka anda cukup membeli sebuah toyota yang kecil. Jika keinginan anda terlalu besar untuk memiliki mobil mercedes ini mungkin anda akan merampok bank. Jika anda tertangkap maka anda akan mengatakan bahwa anda ingin memiliki sebuah mercedes tetapi uang anda tidak cukup sedangkan mercedes tersebut sangat penting untuk anda. Tetapi apa yang anda dapatkan bukanlah mobil mercedes yang anda inginkan, anda akan dimasukkan ke penjara. Jika kita mengerti secara jelas tentang spiriton dan karma, maka kita akan berpuas hati dengan apa yang kita miliki sekarang ini.

Dua Jenis Reinkarnasi

Dalam kehidupan yang kita jalani ini kita telah menjalani berbagai reinkarnasi. Ada dua jenis reinkarnasi. ada seorang dokter dari Amerika yang mengadakan riset tentang reinkarnasi. Dia datang ke India (Bangalore) dimana lahir seorang anak yang menyatakan bahwa dirinya dapat mengingat kehidupannya yang lalu. Sekarang pengetahuan tentang reinkarnasi ini telah diselidiki berdasarkan informasi–informasi yang telah diteliti kebenarannya mengenai hal ini.

Seperti contohnya migren, ilmu kedokteran mungkin mempunyai obatnya. Tetapi migren dapat dengan mudah disembuhkan dengan mempelajari kehidupannya yang lampau. Ini disebut dengan terapi regresing untuk mengerti apa yang terjadi pada kehidupan sebelumnya. Regresing mempelajari kehidupan yang lampau. Untuk mengerti tentang prinsip–prinsip reinkarnasi, kita hendaknya memahami dengan baik ”Apakah kehidupan kita sekarang ini adalah kehidupan yang kekal/ transedental? Ataukah kehidupan kita sekarang ini adalah kehidupan yang bersifat sementara? Ataukah kehidupan merupakan kombinasi molekul–molekul yang bergerak berdasarkan hukum fisika atau kimia?

Saat ini pandangan ilmiah menyatakan bahwa hukum–hukum alam yang buta dan perubahan alamlah yang mengatur kosmos ini. Mereka menyatakan bahwa tidak ada pencipta/ pendesain kosmos ini, tidak ada Tuhan, tidak ada kekuatan, tidak ada kecerdasan yang melatarbelakangi seluruh fenomena alam. Karena itu, para ilmuwan hanya mempelajari tentang fisik saja. Mereka tidak mengerti tentang spiriton sama sekali, mereka tidak membuat kemajuan sama sekali. Jadi yang disebut dengan chemistry mereka hanya mengerti bahwa kehidupan berasal dari percampuran–percampuran kimia dan alam saja. Seorang ahli kimia-biologi yang menemukan vitamin c menyatakan bahwa kehidupan tidak hanya berasal dari percampuran–percampuran kimia dan alam saja tetapi juga ada hal lain diluar percampuran tersebut.

Slide berikutnya adalah mengenai paradigma baru tentang unsur kehidupan dan kebenaran yang mutlak. Untuk mempelajari reinkarnasi sacara ilmiah kita memerlukan ilmu baru yang mampu menjelaskan asal mula dari kehidupan, ciri–cirinya, dan bagaimana dia bertindak di alam ini. Ciri–ciri dari kebenaran mutlak di luar ciri fisik artinya kita harus mempelajari unsur spirit dari kebenaran mutlak ini.

Dalam Veda dijelaskan bahwa terdapat dua jenis pengetahuan. Yang pertama adalah Paravidya-pengetahuan spiritual yang mempelajari kehidupan—masuk dalam tataran ini. Yang kedua adalah Aparavidya yang berhubungan dengan fisik/alam material ini. Tetapi dalam kehidupan kita ada interaksi antara fisik dengan spiritual. Dijelaskan bahwa kehidupan ini berada di dalam fisik. Karena itu, dalam interaksi antara spiriton dengan badan material ini ada campur tangan Tuhan yang berupa kecerdasan dalam kehidupan ini. Dalam bagian akhir slide dijelaskan tentang Superior Power Tuhan/ Sakti (tenaga yang lebih tinggi) yang berupa atma/ Entitas hidup/ Spiriton. Tenaga yang lebih rendah disebut dalam Veda sebagai prakrti. Semua ilmu pengetahuan seperti kimia dan fisika merupakan kelompok prakrti. Karena itu elektron merupakan bagian dari prakrti, sedangkan spiriton adalah bagian dari Paravidya. Itulah perbedaan antara spiriton dengan elektron. Yang membentuk makhluk hidup adalah yang mempunyai kesadaran yang membedakannya dengan alam material.

Jadi definisi kehidupan adalah mengatasi hukum–hukum alam material, dan dapat disimpulkan bahwa spiriton tidak bersifat fisik dan merupakan partikel yang memliki kesadaran. Kehadiran dari atma dapatdilihat dri adanya kesadaran. Kekayaan dalam hidup adalah adanya atma yang berada didalam badan material. Atma bersemayam di dalam badan material yang bercirikan kesadaran, baik itu badan manusia, burung dsb. Terdapat dua jenis badan. Yang pertama adalah badan kasar yang terdiri dari unsur fisika dan kimia yang merupakan percampuran lima jenis unsur. Yang kedua adalah badan halus yang terdiri dari tiga unsur yaitu pikiran, kecerdasan, dan keakuan palsu. Dari unsur–unsur ini yang berkombinasi dengan unsur material dan bersama–sama spiriton membentuk kehidupan. Jadi unsur inilah yang membentuk kehidupan.

Slide berikutnya adalah bentuk–bentuk badan biologi. Aneka jenis kombinasiunsur kehidupandengan tiga sifat alam material yaitu kebaikan, keagresifan dan kemalasan membentuk kehidupan. kita dapat mengamati dalam kehidupan manusia kita ini, ada orang yang sangat baik, mereka tidak gampang marah dan mereka selalu mengharapkan kesejahteraan orng lain. Orang–orang seperti ini ada di seluruh dunia. Ada juga orang yang sangat agresif dan sangat gampang marah. Bahkan anak-anak dari orang tua yang sama sekalipun memiliki sifat yang berbeda-beda. Ada anak yang kalem, baik, tetapi ada juga anak yang sngat agresif, sangat senang berkelahi. Kelompok manusia yang lain sangat malas, hanya senang tidur dan cenderung melakukan kejahatan. Tiga kelompok orang ini adalah kelompok orang yang dipengaruhi oleh tiga sifat alam. Tiga sifat alam ini adalah Sattwam (sifat kebaikan), rajas (sifat agresif), dan tamas (sifat malas). Pengaruh tiga sifat alam ini tidak hanya berlaku pada manusia tetapi juga pada hewan dan tumbuhan. Pada binatang contohnya harimau dipengaruhi oleh sifat rajas dan tamas,sapi dan kerbau dipengaruhi oleh sifat sattvam, babi dipengaruhi oleh sifat tamas yang dapat kita lihat dari sifatnya yang malas dan tempat hidupnya yang kotor. Sifat alam ini ada dialam material,tetapi kita tidak dapat melihatnya.

Reinkarnasi adalah perubahan pada badan. Dalam buku Human Brain dijelaskan bahwa semua molekul tubuh akan berubah dalam waktu tujuh tahun. Jadi badan kita berubah setiap tujuh tahun. Pada umur kita yang sekarang ini sudah berapa kali kita berganti badan? Perubahan yang terjadi pada badan kita dalam kehidupan ini disebut dengan Reinkarnasi Internal. Roh yang ada di dalam badan kita bahkan sudah mengalami reinkarnasi dalam kehidupan yang sekarang ini. Reinkarnasi internal merupakan pergantian badan. Seperti pada masa anak–anak dari bayi sampai umur tujuh tahun dia sudah memiliki badan yang baru. Seperti yang dikatakan dalam Bhagavad Gita:

”dehino ‘smin yathä dehe, kaumäraà yauvanaà jarä

tathä dehäntara-präptir, dhéras tatra na muhyati”

artinya, ”Seperti halnya sang roh yang berpindah dari satu badan ke badan yang lain yaitu dari badan bayi, anak–anak, dewasa, tua dan akhirnya mati. Orang yang bijaksana hendaknya tidak bingung oleh keadaan ini.

inilah yang disebut sebagai reinkarnasi internal.”

Yang kedua adalah eksternal reinkarnasi yaitu sang roh akan mendapatkan jenis badan yang baru sesuai dengan kesadarannya pada saat kematian. Kesadaran apapun yang dia capai saat meninggalkan badan itu, jenis badan itulah yang akan dia dapatkan dalam kelahirannya. Ini sangat penting dalam menyiapkan perjalanan hidup kita. Dalam Bhagavad Gita bab 8 sloka 6 disebutkan:

” yad yad väpi smaran bhävaà, tyajaty ante kalevaram

taà tam evaiti kaunteya, sadä tad-bhäva-bhävitaù”

artinya ”Kesadaran hidup mana pun yang dia ingat pada saat ia meninggalkan badannya, badan itulah yang akan dia dapatkan pada kehidupannya selanjutnya.”

Slide berikutnya tentang perubahan badan yang ketiga. Bhagavan Sri Krishna dalam Bhagavad Gita Bab 2.22 menyatakan:

” väsäàsi jérëäni yathä vihäya,

naväni gåhëäti naro ‘paräëi

tathä çaréräëi vihäya jérëäny,

anyäni saàyäti naväni dehé”

artinya, ”Seperti halnya seseorang mengenakan pakaian yang baru, dan membuka pakaian yang lama, begitu pula sang roh menerima badan–badan jasmani yang baru, dengan meninggalkan badan jasmani yang lama yang tidak berguna.”

Slide berikutnya adalah tentang evolusi kesadaran. Kesalahan Darwin yang lain adalah dia tidak mengerti eksistensi kesadaran itu sendiri. Ketika dia menulis riwayat hidupnya, dia menulis ketika kecil dia suka sekali pergi ke gereja dan mendengarkan orang menyanyi dan berdoa di gereja. Dalam masa itu dia sangat menikmati mendengarkan puisi-puisi yang indah. Pericelli juga merupakan pembaca puisi yang terkenal di kotanya. Ada juga drama Shakespare. Darwin memiliki keinginan/ cinta kasih yang mendalam terhadap seni–seni ini. Ketika dia menulis buku ”The Origin Spesies” dengan berjalan keliling di Amerika Selatan, dia menyatakan bahwa hari–harinya ketika kecil adalah hari yang berkesan. Dalam usia tua dia merasa kecewa. Dia kehilangan segala rasa dari kehidupannya. Dia merasa teorinya tidak mampu menjelaskan bulatan–bulatan seperti mata yang ada pada ekor burung merak. Hal ini membuat dia merasa sangat sedih. Darwin yang malang bersedih. Kenapa hal ini terjadi? Evolusi merupakan peningkatan kesadaran, lalu mengapa Darwin bersedih hati? Ini terjadi karena kesadaran Darwin mulai merosot. Dia mengalami devolusi kesadaran (kesadaran yang semakin merosot).

Devolusi Kesadaran

Ini juga dapat terjadi pada kita, jika kita tidak mampu memanfaatkan kehidupan kita sebagai manusia ini dengan cara yang benar untuk mengerti kehidupan. Kita tidak mempergunakan kebebasan kita dengan cara yang benar maka kita juga mungkin mengalami devolusi kesadaran ini. Walaupun kita mendapatkan kehidupan sebagai manusia tetapi jika kita mengembangkan keinginan seperti binatang atau burung maka kita juga akan mendapatkan kesempatan sebagai binatang atau burung. Karena kehidupan sebagai manusia adalah persimpangan jalan. Di persimpangan ini kita bebas memilih jalan yang akan kita tempuh. Dalam kehidupan manusia kita juga mempunyai kebebasan untuk memilih jalan yang benar atau jalan yang salah sebagai jalan kita. Karena itu, jika di persimpangan jalan dan kita tidak tahu jalan yang di tempuh maka kita harus bertanya pada orang yang tahu, karena kalau kita berjalan begitu saja, kita bisa sampai pada tujuan yang salah pula. Karena itu dalam kehidupan kita sebagai manusia sangat penting bagi kita untuk bertanya pada seseorang yang tahu tentang makna kehidupan agar kita tidak salah arah dalam kehidupan ini.

Reinkarnasi adalah tentang keinsyafan diri dan ini merupakan kebenaran tentang betapa pentingnya kehidupan sebagai manusia. Tidak seorang pun yang hadir disini yang ingin menderita, semua orang ingin berbahagia. Untuk mencari kebahagiaan ini ada juga pengetahuan ilmiah tentang bagaimana caranya mencari kebahagiaan itu. Dan semua ahli psikologi berusaha mencari tahu bagaimana kita mencari kesenangan yang kekal ini. Ada beberapa orang yang menyatakan bahwa dalam bekerja, berfikir atau beraktifitas kita harus bertindak positif. Untuk bertindak positif kita harus mengerti apa itu kehidupan.

Vedanta Sutra-Vedanta berarti akhir dari segala pengetahuan-dalam sutra pertamanya menyatakan ”Athato Brahma Jijnasa” yang artinya sekarang kita telah mendapat kehidupan sebagai manusia, sudah merupakan kewajiban kita untuk bertanya tentang realitas yang utama (Ultimate Reality-Tuhan).

New Science: Science yang telah disuntikan dengan Spiritualitas

Dalam buku ”Science, Spirituality and Nature of Reality” yang berisi  percakapan saya dengan Roger Penrose, seorang ilmuwan dari Oxford University, Inggris, didiskusikan tentang sains, spiritualitas dan sifat–sifat realitas utama, sifat–sifat rahasia dari realitas yang utama. Roger Penrose juga menulis buku yang berjudul Jalan Menuju Realita (Road to Reality) dan Pengejawantahan dari Pikiran (The Shadows of Mind) Ada sebuah buku yang lain karya seseorang yang memeroleh nobel. Buku ini juga merupakan referensi. Pemenang nobel ini menulis tentang Sains dan Spiritualitas. Karena itu saya ingin memberikan kesimpulan bahwa reinkarnasi bukan semata-mata keagamaan tetapi ilmu pengetahuan yang sangat ilmiah. Pengetahuan ini sangat memerlukan ilmu dan paradigma yang baru (New Science). Ilmuwan  bidang biologi, kimia dan fisika tidak akan mampu memberikan jawaban ataupun penjelasan tentang reinkarnasi ini. Apa yang disebut dengan ilmu pengetahuan yang baru (New Science) ini?

New Paradigm in Science (Paradigma baru dalam Sains) ini artinya kita ikut berusaha untuk membahas masalah ini dengan para rohaniawan atau tokoh agama bersama dengan para ilmuwan. Dalam ilmu pengetahuan yang baru ini kita akan mengerti apa itu hidup dan kehidupan itu sendiri, apa peranan hidup sebagai manusia. Dan anda akan mampu mengerti apakah suatu hal itu baik atau buruk, apakah pengaruh teknologi, dapat dimanfaatkan atau malah disalahgunakan, dan anda akan dapat menentukan dalam kasus kejahatan apakah DNA itu tepat atau tidak. Dan anda akan dapat menentukan apakah kloning itu baik atau buruk. Dan akhirnya kita akan dapat menyimpulkan apakah teroris itu baik atau buruk. Dan banyak masalah yang dapat dipecahkan dengan mempelajari ilmu yang fundamental tentang matter dan spiritual ini.

Saya sangat senang sekali dapat bertemu dengan bapak, ibu dan hadirin disini. Presentasi akan saya akhiri sampai disini. Saya ucapkan terima kasih sekali lagi.

Trancribe by : Bandung Radhe Syama Center

Edited by        : www.sripadanectar.com

[2] DR. TD SINGH juga pernah memberikan seminar Human Cloning dari Perspektif Vedanta di Unud.

[3] Penjelasan Lebih lanjut tentang Spiriton dapat dilihat dalam buku-buku karya DR TD Singh Seperti, “Kehidupan dan Evolusi Spiritual”,  “Life, Matter and Their Interation” dan lain sebagainya.

Short Speech by Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami *

(place : Bhakti-Yoga Ashram, Yogyakarta)

(Pada Kesempatan Kali ini, Srila Bhaktisvarup Damodar Maharaj alias Dr. Singh, berbicara kepada penghuni asram dan beberapa tamu dari Interfidei, beberapa aktivitis muda Dialog Lintas Agama. Maharaj menyemangatkan anak-anak muda ini agar semakin menggalang dialog antar agama, demi semakin mendorong adanya kerharmonisan dan kedamaian dalam pluralisme agama)

Saya baru datang dari Korea dalam rangka pertemuan Global URI (United Religion Initiative), dimana saya adalah salah satu pendiri & Koordinatornya. Ada banyak tokoh dari berbagai kalangan dan agama yang datang ke pertemuan tersebut. Ada dari kalangan kristen, buddha, dan lain sebagainya termasuk agama islam, seperti beberapa delegasi dari negera Malaysia, Indonesia. Mungkin Anda juga pernah mendengar tentang parlemen agama-agama dunia? Tahun lalu parlemen ini mengadakan konferensi di Spanyol. Selama ini saya aktif dalam mengadakan  interreligious/interfaith dialogue, pertemuan & dialog antar berbagai agama dan kelompok-kelompok relijius, demi atau dalam rangka mewujudkan ‘world peace and harmony’ Kedamaian dan keharmonisan masyarakat dunia.

Perdamaian Dunia tidak mungkin terwujud tanpa adanya perdamaian antar-agama, perdamaian antar agama tak akan ada tanpa diawali dengan dialog. Dialog berarti berkumpul, duduk bersama, saling mengemukan masalah secara bersama, sehingga tidak ada saling salah paham. Lalu bagaimanakah caranya agar ada suatu dialog ? Tidak mungkin ada dialog  tanpa ada Global Ethics (Etika Global). Maka itu adalah tanggung-jawab kita bersama untuk mengembangkan dialog.

Hampir dalam setiap agama mengatakan atau menjelaskan bahwa kita semua adalah “Anak-anak” Tuhan, Anak yang memiliki persamaan derajat dimata Tuhan. Tuhan memiliki banyak nama, seperti halnya Anda berbicara dalam berbagai bahasa yang berbeda-beda. (begitu juga Tuhan dipanggil dengan berbagai Nama dalam bahasa yang berbeda, namun ia mengacu pada satu Tuhan, Tuhan yang sama-ed)

Konsep dalam dialog ini adalah bagaimana mendekatkan antara kita (antara umat beragama), bahwa kita adalah Saudara. Dan konsep ini harus dipraktekkan dalam kehidupan sehari-hari, di dalam masyarakat, bukan hanya sekedar teori di mulut saja.

Di dalam tradisi Hindu, Tuhan Yang Maha Esa, disebut atau dikenal denan banyak Nama-nama sanskerta seperti Krishna (Dia Yang Maha Menarik). demikian juga di kalangan Kristen Tuhan disebut dengan Kristus (atau Bapa di Surga), dalam agama Islam Tuhan disebut dengan Alloh, sedang dikalangan agama Yahudi, Tuhan dipanggil dengan nama Jehovah. Jadi Tuhan itu adalah satu dan semua kitab suci mengatakan bahwa kita adalah “Anak-anak” Tuhan yang sama, Tuhan yang satu itu. Walau Tuhan satu tetapi Dia dipanggil dengan nama yang berbeda-beda. Seperti halnya di India ada sistem penamaan (orang) tersendiri, begitu juga di ndonesia juga memiliki sistem penamaan yang berbeda. Jadi walau kita memangil Tuhan yang sama itu dengan berbagai nama yang berbeda, namun kita tetap adalah “anak-anak”-Nya.

Dalam Bhagavad- Gita, Tuhan, Sri Krishna menyatakan :

mamaivamso jiva-loke       jiva-bhutah sanatanah

manah-sasthanindriyani       prakrti sthani karsati

Mahluk-mahluk atau entitas hidup di dunia yang terikat ini adalah bagian & percikan yang kekal dari-Ku, mereka berjuang keras melawan 6 (enama) indera termasuk pikiran. (Bg. 15.7)

We are all Chilldren of the same Father!!!

Seluruh dunia sekarang sedang berpikir bagaimana cara mencari atau mewujudkan Peace and Harmony! Memang secara teori mudah mengatakan bahwa kita adalah “anak-anak” Tuhan, bahwa kita semua adalah Saudara, namun masih susah untuk mempraktekknya dan masih banyak terjadi pertikain dan peperangan atas nama agama, perbedaan suku dan ras, di berbagai belahan dunia.

Memang dalam kenyataan sehari-hari anak-anak yang lahir dari ayah (dan ibu)  yang sama pun bertengkar satu sama lain, yang mana pertengkaran itu biasanya terjadi dalam perebutan warisan, bisnis, dan lain sebagainya. Maka itu kalau kita sungguh-sungguh ingin mewujudkan peace and harmony, maka  kita harus belajar berdialog (dengan saudara-saudara kita yang lain).

Karena itu dialog antar umat beragama adalah mutlak diperlukan untuk menghindari berbagai masalah  seperti terorisme dan lain – lain.

Dialog ini juga sangat penting digalakkan dikalangan mahasiswa, karena mayoritas masyarakat dunia adalah anak muda dan mahasiswa merupakan bagian anak muda yang cukup besar dalam penduduk dunia, yang sekarang juga sedang mulai berminat dalam interreligious dialogue ini, sehingga kehidupan umat manusia yang harmonis (dan damai) akan lebih mudah untuk diwujudkan.

(Maharaj menunjukan sebuah buku baru yang berjudul “Toward world peace and harmony”)

Dan buku ini adalah merupakan kontribusi dari beberapa peraih hadiah nobel dalam rangka konferensi pendahuluan yang diadakan di New Delhi, sebelum menuju World Congress, yang diselenggarakan oleh world relgious parilament (Parlemen Agama-agama Dunia) pada tahun 2004 di Spanyol. Buku ini saya edit sendiri dan kata pengantarnya ditulis oleh Desmond Tutu (peraih Nobel dari Afrika Selatan). Para Penulis yang ada di dalam buku ini, datang dari berbagai kalangan (termasuk DR Singh) seperti ada juga seorang penulis muslim, peraih Nobel dalam Sains (Ilmu pengetahuna Eksak), Ada juga seorang peraih nobel dari Irlandia dan lain sebagainya.

(Maharaj mengutip kata-kata salah satu penulis dalam buku itu) :

“Saya sadar sepenuhnya kehadiran Tuhan dalam hati saya, dan dalam    setiap hati makhluk hidup lainnya. dan setiap kehidupan manusia adalah rahasia, lalu bagaimana saya dapat membunuh makhluk  atau umat lainnya.”

Kemudian Maharaj (Dr.singh) membacakan kutipan dari penulis yang lain , yaitu Desmond Tutu, dia mengatakan :

“Tidak akan ada masa depan tanpa rasa memaafkan tanpa kehadiran rasa pemaafan ini semua akan hancur”

“Tidak akan pernah ada Stabilitas jika ada dendam “

“Perdamaian bukan mimpi, namun melain kan adalah suatu kerja keras “Hard Work”, bukan pula sesuatu yang glamor, naif dan lain- lain.

Inti interreligious dialogue

Dan di dalam dialog antara agama, (sebaiknya) ada dialog science dan religon (dialog antara Ilmu pengetahuan ilmiah dan ilmu agama). Sains dapat menghasilkan bom, yaitu senjata untuk membunuh. Jika disalahgunakan maka akan berdampak sangat fatal. Namun disisi lain tak dapat dipungkiri sains sangat membantu kehidupan manusia seperti halnya mikropon ini, dapat memperkeras suara. Ini merupakan contoh produk sains yang bermanfaat bagi umat manusia. Demikian juga dengan produk-produk yang dihasilkan sains lainnya seperti pesawat terbang dan lain sebagainya, sangat banyak membantu kehidupan manusia.

Maka itu, karena hasil-hasil sains sangat penting, seperti juga di  dalam medical science (Ilmu pengetahuan medis atau kedokteran), Sains Pertanian dan lain-lain. Karena itu Sains sangat menguntungkan tetapi juga dapat menghancurkan seperti dapat kita lihat dengan adanya bom-atom. Betapa dahsyat juga, efek negetif yang pernah dihasilkan oleh sains ini (yaitu hancurnya dua kota besar di Jepang akibat bom atom).

Maka itu adalah sangat mendasar, ilmuwan itu diajak untuk berdialog (dalam rangka mewujudkan perdamaian dan keharmonisan dunia). Siapakah yang dapat menginspiraksikan atau mengarahkan para ilmuwan ini?, hanyalah seorang rohaniawan!! Karena konsep-konsep religi memberikan suatu konsep benar-salah. Agama yang benar atau agama yang benar-benar bona fide, dapat menjelaskan mana kegiatan yang benar mana kegiatan yang salah, karena itu dalam interreligious dialogue harus ada ruang bagi dialog antara sains dan agama, dialog  ini merupakan suatu gerakan dan proyek besar di masa mendatang bagi masyarakat manusia.

Saya juga kenal dengan beberapa groups atau kelompok yang sedang mengumandangkan dialog antar sains dan agama ini, seperti di Amerika Serikat ada Metanexus Institute dan lain-lain. Dan ada lokal group seperti di Yogyakarta atau UGM ini (di Yogya, kalo ga salah ada Interfidei!). Ceramah singkat ini akan saya akhiri dengan sebuah doa dan saya akan menjelaskan arti doa  itu.

Hindu Adalah Monoteisme.

(Setelah DR. Singh Memimpin hadirin dengan mengucapkan berbagai doa dalam bahasa sanskerta, lalu beliau berbicara tentang doa dan kegiatan asram setempat sebagai berikut: )

Dalam kehidupan keseharian kita dalam tradisi Hindu seperti yang dilakukan oleh anak-anak di Asrham ini, ketika bangun pagi-pagi sekali. Kita mulai dengan sembahyang (yang mulai sekitar jam 4 30 am). Hinduisme juga menganut keyakinan Monoteisme seperti halnya agama-agama besar lainnya. Namun terjadi salah paham selama ini yang menganggap Hindu adalah memuja banyak dewa. Kesalahan ini terjadi karena kurang ada dialog, kurangnya ada komunikasi dengan sikap open-minded. Seperti halnya kelompok abhrahamic, kelompok Kristen, Islam, maka dalam Hindu juga dikenal satu Tuhan.  Di dalam keyakinan Hindu, sedikit ada ekstranya (dengan adanya keyakinan akan mahkluk–makhluk surgawi yang sering disebut dengan para dewa, semacam malaikat di agama lain) dan kita (keyakinan Hindu atau Veda), menerima Tuhan itu adalah satu, namun saat yang sama juga Dia Dapat memperbanyak diri menjadi banyak, Dia dapat ber-ekspansi atau memperbanyak diri mejadi Avatar.

(Ekspansi Tuhan ini disebut dengan Avatar dalam sanskerta, Avatar berbeda dengan para dewa; Avatar adalah Ekspansi atau Inkarnasi Tuhan, sedangkan para dewa adalah makhluk-makhluk surga, merupakan makhluk pelayan-pelayan Tuhan).

(Kemudian Maharaj memperkenal nama-nama ekspansi Tuhan dan nama namanya, yang di puja diasrham.)

Arca ini kelihatannya saja seperti terbuat darri metal atau kayu, namun semua ini adalah berdasarkan kitab suci, sudah dihidupkan secara prana pratistha. Prinsip pentingnya adalah Tuhan itu satu kita punya hubungan yang pribadi dengan-Nya karena itu diantara semua agama dan persamaan,

Maka itu perlu adanya dialog untuk menghindari adanya kesalahpahaman.

By Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami+

Saudara-saudari dan para peserta Parlemen Agama-Agama Dunia!

Tidak lama lagi kita akan memasuki sebuah era baru, dengan harapan baru akan sebuah dunia yang penuh makna, dimana segala (lapisan) umat manusia dapat hidup dengan damai. Modal besar untuk mencapai harapan ini berada dalam benak setiap orang yang tulus menginginkannya. Salah satu hal yang harus dipelajari adalah cara untuk saling menghormati satu sama lain, dengan setulus hati, meskipun kita berbeda dalam hal; budaya, tradisi, bahasa, warna kulit dan lain-lain atau dengan kata lain menyadari bahwa kita semua adalah “Anak-anak” Tuhan yang sama. Parlemen agama-agama dunia merupakan sebuah wadah yang sempurna untuk menciptakan dialog-dialog penting diantara semua komunitas religius yang ada di muka bumi ini, dan kami ingin menyampaikan rasa terima kasih kepada para pelopor organisasi ini.

Agama merupakan bagian yang tak terpisahkan dalam kehidupan manusia sejak awal peradaban. Memang nyatanya agama dan budayalah yang membuat manusia berbeda dengan bentuk-bentuk kehidupan lainnya (seperti kehidupan hewan, tumbuhan dan lain sebagainya.) Dalam berbagai waktu atau zaman yang berbeda, sepanjang sejarah peradaban manusia, terjadi banyak kesalahpahaman yang serius diantara berbagai kelompok-kelompok religius baik dalam satu agama, maupun antar-agama, yang berdampak timbulnya perang dan perpecahan, yang akhirnya berujung pada merosot dan hilangnya makna dan tujuan religius yang sebenarnya. Kita hanya dapat menyarankan bahwa sebab utama semua ini adalah kurangnya pendidikan spiritual & budaya dan juga kurang atau tidak adanya prinsip-prinsip pengetahuan dan aplikasi atau penerapan suatu agama yang sejati!

Kita para peserta parlemen agama atau biasa dikatakan sebagai para peziarah perdamaian (Pilgrame of Peace) telah datang kemari untuk belajar dari satu sama lain untuk mendapatkan kebijaksanaan dan pengetahuan dari berbagai tradisi (yang ada di dunia) untuk sebuah pengalaman yang memuaskan (fullfilling experience). Saya sangat senang bahwa para panitia parlemen agama-agama dunia mengundang saya sebagai salah seorang pembicara di dalam pertemuan ini. Saya akan menyajikan sebuah tema “Vedanta and Peranan Umat Manusia di Jagat Raya”

Beberapa hadirin mungkin sudah familiar dengan kata Vedanta. Namun untuk keuntungan hadirin yang lain, yang belum mengenal kata ini, saya akan menjelaskan artinya secara ringkas. Vedanta merupakan sebuah kata Sanskerta yang berasal dari dua kata “Veda” dan “Anta” Veda berarti “Pengetahuan,” anta berarti “akhir atau puncak.” Jadi Vedanta berarti puncak segala pengetahuan. Mungkin akan ada pertanyaan “Apakah puncak atau akhir segala pengetahuan itu?” Bhagavata Purana dalam tradisi Veda menjawabnya:

Vasudeva para veda/ vasudeva para makha

Vasudeva para yoga/ vasudeva para kriya

Vasudeva param jnanam/ vasudeva para tapah

Vasudeva paro dharmo/ vasudeva para gatih

Artinya :

“Obyek pengetahuan tertinggi adalah Vasudeva, Krishna, Pribadi Tuhan Yang Maha Esa. Tujuan melaksanakan korban suci adalah untuk memuaskan-Nya. Yoga adalah untuk menginsyafi Diri-Nya. Segala hasil karma (pahala) sebenarnya hanya dianugerahkan oleh-Nya. Dia adalah pengetahuan tertinggi dan segala pertapaan keras seharusnya dilakukan hanya untuk mengenal Diri-Nya. Agama (Dharma) adalah pelayanan suci kepada-Nya. Dia adalah tujuan tertinggi hidup kita.

Didalam Bhagavad gita, Nyanyian Tuhan, Bhagavan Sri Krishna, bersabda:

Vedais cat sarvair aham eva vedyo

Vedanta krd veda vid eva caham

(Bhagavad Gita 15,15)

“Tujuan mempelajari segala kitab Veda adalah untuk mengetahui Aku. Bahkan, Aku-lah penyusun Vedanta dan Aku-lah yang mengetahui Veda.”

Tujuan empat Veda, semua Upanisad, Vedanta–Sutra, Purana dan segala literatur Veda adalah untuk mengerti tentang Tuhan, Sri Krsihna.

Vedanta-Sutra (1:1:4) menegaskan : tat su samanvayet, yang berarti “Seseorang dapat mencapai kesempurnaan dengan mengerti kitab suci Veda”

Srila Vyasadeva adalah penyusun Vedanta dan semua kitab-kitab suci Veda. Beliau merupakan inkarnasi Tuhan sebagai penyusun Veda (Literary Inkarnasi of Krishna). Ilmu pengetahuan dan filosofi Vedanta bersifat universal dan merupakan mahkotanya kitab suci Hindu dan tradisi spiritual. Vedanta menjelaskan tentang realitas yang utama “Ultimate Reality”

Vedanta merupakan pengetahuan yang lengkap tentang Tuhan dalam agama Hindu. Vedanta–Sutra ditulis dalam ungkapan-ungkapan sangat ringkas (yang disebut Sutra). Sutra berasal dari bahasa Sanskerta yang berarti ayat/sloka yang sangat pendek. Setiap Sutra mengandung pengetahuan ilmiah dan spiritual yang mendalam dan setiap kata di dalam setiap Sutra memerlukan penjelasan yang benar-benar mendalam. Sutra pertama dalam Vedanta-Sutra menjelaskan atau berkenaan dengan peranan umat manusia di alam semesta atau dunia ini.

Sutra pertama ini mengandung makna yang paling mendalam akan pengetahuan dan filosofi kehidupan manusia. Sutra pertama itu berbunyi :

“Athato Brahma Jijnasa”

“Oleh karena itu, sekarang orang harus bertanya tentang Brahman, kebenaran Mutlak yaitu Tuhan”

Kata-kata “Oleh karena itu, sekarang” memiliki makna yang mendalam.Banyak sarjana terkenal menjelaskan bahwa dua kata ini menerangkan bahwa sekarang engkau telah mendapatkan wujud kehidpan manusia ini dan oleh karena itu bertanyalah tentang Brahman, Kebenaran Mutlak (Tuhan-ed). Orang bijaksana, setelah mengalami segala jenis yang namanya saja kebahagiaan dan kemewahan material, akan segera atau akhirnya melihat bahwa dunia materiil ini merupakan sebuah tempat penderitaan yang tak akan pernah berakhir, bukannya tempat kebahagiaan atau pemenuhan segala keinginan. Bahkan orang yang paling kaya dan dokter yang paling ahli pun, tidak bisa terhindar dari penyakit, usia tua dan kematian. Dewasa ini, setelah mencapai kemajuan pesat dalam sains dan teknologi, kita semakin merasakan alam dimensi baru, alam bahaya yang lebih besar didalam wujud terorisme, perang nuklir, perang kuman atau Virus (germ warfare) dan dipertaruhkannya kelanggengan peradaban manusia.

Vedanta Menjawab tantangnan ini

Vedanta menjelaskan penyebab segala bahaya ini adalah kurangnya pengetahuan akan kehidupan dan pengetahuan yang sebenarnya tentang Tuhan, Sang Kebenaran Mutlak. Jadi, dalam wujud kehidupan sebagai manusia, seorang bijaksana seharusnya mampu menginsafi bahwa tidak ada hal yang lebih penting daripada mengerti atau mengetahui realitas tertinggi itu, yaitu Brahma/Tuhan.

Berdasarkan Vedanta, kita mendapatkan badan manusia setelah melewati 8 (delapan) juta badan atau bentuk kehidupan dibawah manusia (seperti amuba, hewan, tumbuhan dan lain sebagainya) Kehidupan dalam badan manusia merupakan bentuk kehidupan paling mulia, berharga dan tidak ada jaminan setiap orang apakah dia mendapatkan kesempatan memperoleh kehidupan sebagai manusia lagi atau tidak, pada kelahiran berikutnya. Badan manusia merupakan satu-satunya kesempatan dengan mana kita dapat keluar dari lingkaran kelahiran dan kematian di dunia materiil ini dengan cara memotong sepenuhnya rantai karma. Hal ini dapat dicapai dengan jalan spiritual Bhakti-Yoga yaitu sravanam (mendengar), kirtanam (memuji), Smaranam (mengingat) keagungan Tuhan dan llain sebagainya. Seseorang yang serius tidak akan melewatkan kesempatan emas ini (kesempatan keluar dari lingkaran penderitaan kelahiran dan kematian).

Karena alasan ini maka filosofi Vedanta tidak mengijinkan atau menganjurkan segala tindakan yang tidak alamiah seperti euthanasia, pembunuhan atau bunuh diri yang dianjurkan bahkan bagi orang-orang yang memiliki penyakit kronis (terminal disease) atau memperpanjang hidup secara tiruan. Jadi, Vedanta juga mengajarkan banyak tentang etika biomedis. Oleh karena itu, kata-kata “Oleh karena itu, Sekarang juga”, mengandung makna yang dalam mengenai betapa pentingnya bentuk kehidupan manusia dan manusia memiliki peranan yang penting di Jagat Raya ini (untuk menciptakan kedamaian-ed).

Catatan:

*    Rangkuman Ceramah. Ceramah ini disampaikan oleh Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami di depan berbagai tokoh lintas agama, anggota Parlemen Agama-agama dunia, pada salah satu pertemuannya di Cape Town, Afrika Selatan

+  Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami, merupakan salah satu anggota pendiri URI (United Religion Initiative), Organisasi terbesar di dunia dalam bidang menggalakana Dialog Lintas agama dalam rangka mewujudkan perdamaian dunia dan menghindari kekerasan yang mengatasnamakan agama. (lihat juga ceramah beliau tentang pentingnya dialog antar agama.

H.H. Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami visited Mumbai during the period 14th June night to 18th June evening and left behind lot of instructions and wonderful memories for his disciples at Mumbai.

Verse from SB 3.25.36

TRANSLATION

Upon seeing the charming forms of the Lord, smiling and attractive, and hearing His very pleasing words, the pure devotee almost loses all other consciousness. His senses are freed from all other engagements, and he becomes absorbed in devotional service. Thus in spite of his unwillingness, he attains liberation without separate endeavor.

PURPORT:

There are three divisions of devotees—first-class, second-class and third-class. Even the third-class devotees are liberated souls. It is explained in this verse that although they do not have knowledge, simply by seeing the beautiful decoration of the Deity in the temple, the devotee is absorbed in thought of Him and loses all other consciousness. Simply by fixing oneself in Krishna consciousness, engaging the senses in the service of the Lord, one is imperceptibly liberated. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita. Simply by discharging uncontaminated devotional service as prescribed in the scriptures, one becomes equal to Brahman. In Bhagavad-gitä it is said, brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg. 14.26] This means that the living entity in his original state is Brahman because he is part and parcel of the Supreme Brahman. But simply because of his forgetfulness of his real nature as an eternal servitor of the Lord, he is overwhelmed and captured by maya. His forgetfulness of his real constitutional position is maya. Otherwise he is eternally Brahman.

When one is trained to become conscious of his position, he understands that he is the servitor of the Lord. “Brahman” refers to a state of self-realization. Even the third-class devotee—who is not advanced in knowledge of the Absolute Truth but simply offers obeisances with great devotion, thinks of the Lord, sees the Lord in the temple and brings forth flowers and fruits to offer to the Deity—becomes imperceptibly liberated. Sraddhayanvitah: with great devotion the devotees offer worshipful respects and paraphernalia to the Deity. The Deities of Radha and Krishna, Lakshmi and Narayana, and Rama and Sita are very attractive to devotees, so much so that when they see the statue decorated in the temple of the Lord they become fully absorbed in thought of the Lord. That is the state of liberation. In other words, it is confirmed herewith that even a third-class devotee is in the transcendental position, above those who are trying for liberation by speculation or by other methods. Even great impersonalists like Sukadeva Gosvami and the four Kumaras were attracted by the beauty of the Deities in the temple, by the decorations and by the aroma of tulasi offered to the Lord, and they became devotees. Even though they were in the liberated state, instead of remaining impersonalists they were attracted by the beauty of the Lord and became devotees.

Here the word vilasa is very important. Vilasa refers to the activities or pastimes of the Lord. It is a prescribed duty in temple worship that not only should one visit the temple to see the Deity nicely decorated, but at the same time he should hear the recitation of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita or some similar literature, which is regularly recited in the temple. It is the system in Vrndavana that in every temple there is recitation of the sastras. Even third-class devotees who have no literary knowledge or no time to read Srimad-Bhagavatam or Bhagavad-gitä get the opportunity to hear about the pastimes of the Lord. In this way their minds may remain always absorbed in the thought of the Lord—His form, His activities and His transcendental nature. This state of Krishna consciousness is a liberated stage. Lord Caitanya, therefore, recommended five important processes in the discharge of devotional service: (1) to chant the holy names of the Lord, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare, (2) to associate with devotees and serve them as far as possible, (3) to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, (4) to see the decorated temple and the Deity and, if possible, (5) to live in a place like Vrndävana or Mathurä. These five items alone can help a devotee achieve the highest perfectional stage. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gitä and here in the Srimad-Bhägavatam. That third-class devotees can also imperceptibly achieve liberation is accepted in all Vedic literatures.

Lecture by H.H. Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami:

Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami: Jai Sri Guru Maharaj Srila Prabhupada.

Reads Verse, Translation and purport.

“Jai Sri Guru Maharaj Prabhupada ki jai” So this verse is very important. Now talking about the devotional service you see, first of all we have to enquire ourselves that why do I come to join the Hare Krishna movement? We all come to the Hare Krishna Movement to join Srila Prabhupada’s mission because somehow or the other we have done some, in our past lives some karma some good karma some good activities. The result of that is the Lord is so merciful, that He has brought us to Srila Prabhupad.’s movement. So therefore we are talking about 1st class, 2nd class and 3rd class devotees. See the devotees are vaisnava, as vaisnavas of the Lord, we are all servants, and we are always servants of servants of the Lord. So this is our mood. In the vaisnava culture we feel that I am the most fallen. I am even below the 3rd class devotees and the lowest. So this mood, this is the culture of devotional life. So once we have developed this culture then automatically by the blessings of the Lord and blessings of the spiritual master, we can understand what is the ultimate duty that we have to perform. This is very important and useful in devotional life. So in the worship of the Deities in this form we have to go very deeply. Lots of people say that we are worshipping the Deities made of stone and other materials and sometimes it is said that nature of Supreme Lord is called nirguna Brahman. Nirguna means without attributes but actually in our understanding it is the transcendental attributes. Similarly, Deity worship of the Deity forms… Guru Maharaj Srila Prabhupad explains is Saguna Brahman. Saguna means, there are several definitions of Saguna Brahman. That in the sense, the Brahman or transcendental nature is some how mixed with the modes of material nature. That sometimes is called Saguna Brahman. But in this particular case it is transcendental because of the presence of The Lord. Just like the body of a pure devotee is called transcendental. Just like Prabhupada’s transcendental body. A pure devotee of the Lord, because although his body is made of chemicals,… chemistry ordinarily the scientists will say this body is made of chemicals but when one becomes a pure devotee of the Lord, one who is advanced in Krishna Consciousness then the body has nothing to do with the material aspect. Therefore it is transcendental, Saguna Brahman, in the vaisnava understanding it is transcendental. So sometimes in the Deity worship the Lord is made up of materials, but then when it is stone, we do prana prathista and install the Deity properly by following proper authorized process according to the authorized instructions given in the scriptures. Therefore it is not an ordinary thing. It is The Lord Himself, manifest in this way so that simple devotees like us, ordinary devotees like us can identify Him easily. We are used to dealing with each other as individuals in our daily life. So, similarly when we see the Lord like that we can identify Him more easily. Therefore the Lord is so merciful, so in order to inspire the sincere devotee of the Lord, the Lord has appeared in this form. But that is transcendental. In order to be understood this way.

Therefore we have to study ourselves internally that, by asking who am I? What is my duty? Why I came to Krishna Consciousness? And this we have to ask regularly. Everyday to enquire then we will be able to go beyond the modes of nature, Ahankar. In other words, unless one is situated properly in this understanding in this culture, why am I infected by external modes of nature? It is very powerful. It is very powerful. You see these 3 modes Sattva, Raja and Tama, 3 gunas of this prakriti are so powerful that even the most advanced great soul is liable to be affected. So therefore we have to be extremely careful that the devotional path is not blocked by this great wall of material nature. So once we come to the platform then it is very natural that one will make progress. Now we heard in this purport Srila Prabhupada mentions here and also there in the Nector of Devotion that there are five important processes in the discharge of devotional service. First of all we must always chant the Mahamantra, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare(gurumaharaj chants and responded by audience), and also it is called Yuga dharma. In the age of kali…. we live in the age of Kali. So the modern terminology of Kali Yuga is the age of Science and technology. You see we live in the age of Science and technology right? So this is the modern translation of Kali Yuga. In this age what happens is that the quarrelling mentality becomes very prominent. We have to live with this. There is no complaint, because the Kali Yuga is supposed to be the age of Science and technology. We have to fight; otherwise we are not worthy of living in this age of kali. So, because it is the symptom. The symptom of age of kali is that people are very prominent in fighting in outdoing each other. Iran-Iraq war, terrorism all this bomb blasts all these things will not be reduced. It will only increase. So therefore this is called reality.

Nature of reality in the age of kali.

So in the age of kali, Science and Technology, also we have to be very practical in our devotional service. So you, we should practice Krishna Consciousness in scientific way. So scientific is the term Srila Prabhupada has used in a very important way.
Scientific … what do you mean by scientific? So is there anyone who has an answer. (gurumaharaj laughs)…. It is not very easy, but I will explain. Scientific means something that theoretical knowledge is put into practice. For example people say “smoking is not good” we have heard cigarette smoking causes cancer. There is dangerous. Even on the label on the cigarette box. So therefore people know it. There are many people who do not follow. They buy and they smoke. That means such persons although theoretical knowledge is available but he is not practicing. Therefore he is not a scientist. Scientific means what is stated or what is truth what is useful that we apply in our practical life. Moment to moment in practical life. So, there we say don’t use cigarette and if we follow it then it is called scientific. Similarly Krishna consciousness that if we chant the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra daily we have heard this from so many devotees, but when we meet new person we say my dear so and so please chant, it will give you wonderful feeling. You will feel happy and you will develop all the wonderful qualities. But if he doesn’t chant, then he is not able to understand it scientifically. In other words he is not a scientist. He is not able to use it in daily life therefore he will not get the result. So, therefore he will only get attracted to Maya, because he is not able to use it. So, he cannot be scientifically understood. In other words practical application of the scriptures in daily life is called scientific in a simple way. If you use it in your daily life and apply it in your daily life then you get the result. So, therefore Science means you get the result but if we do not do it, it is not scientific and you are not a scientist. You don’t understand it is not at all difficult. Therefore Srila Prabhupada used to say many many times. Prabhupada told me many many times to make Manipur a scientific Vaishnava culture. Srila Prabhupada told me make Manipur the first scientific vaisnava state means people should follow the 4 regulative principles then they become scientists. When you follow the 4 regulative principles you will become a scientist. Scientist does not necessarily mean that you go to the college and get some degree in some subject or in Science, not necessarily you are a scientist. People say that you are a scientist we have to study physics or chemistry but that is one thing. But if you do not apply what is being taught in your daily subject matter, you don’t really know, because the result is not there. So similarly in the devotional life it is very important to realize the terminologies today, what the word scientific means in our devotional practice. Whatever stated in the scriptures is being applied in our daily life. You use it in your daily life, then the result will be there. Practical result, then it becomes scientific. You become scientist so this is a very .. you can have many different discussions. But this is the proper understanding according to Prabhupada’s instruction. So therefore it is very very important to realize in the matter of spiritual life in this age . The process and knowledge is given. Knowledge is given by the continued blessing of spiritual master and Lord Sri Krishna …

Yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha guru………

So this is the principle of the scriptures. So by the combined blessings of Spiritual Master and Lord Sri Krishna, the knowledge will be revealed. Krishna Consciousness is called revealed knowledge, where the knowledge is given through the parampara process. So in Krishna Consciousness we follow this principle.
Evam parampara praptam…..

The knowledge has to be received by the process of parampara. So if in devotional service this is not practiced in our daily life, then I am not understanding the proper duty in devotional service.
So, Gauranga Mahaprabhu says in Sikshashtakam. What does Gauranga Mahaprabhu say? The qualification of a devotee is that
Trinad api sunicena tarorapi sahisnuna….
This is the qualification one has to recognize that one must be humble, humble means one must be very very respectful to every living living being. To be respectful to mosquito, to be respectful to any living form of life, to the plant, to the trees to the dolphins and to everyone. This is the qualification of a vaisnava and vaisnavi. But the example mentioned by Gauranga Mahaprabhu … trinad api sunicena…. That one must be humbler than the grass. The unique quality of the grass, the grass never complains, we go over the grass by the road but the grass never complains. So the spirit of humility is very interesting. Now today that is called the Science of humility. ..Scientific study of humility. Very important field of our study today in Science and spirituality dialogue. Humility, how do you understand that it is scientific process of humility? There are institutions around the world spending billions of dollars to study about the Science of Humility. This is there. It is recognized by Science today that without humility it is never possible to understand the nature of reality. Reality of nature means the Science of God. About Science of life. About the Science of Jivatma. Without this it is not possible to understand the intricate deeper knowledge of subject matters. So this is one of qualification, means one must be very humble. It is not enough to say, everybody says. we have to practice.
We have to naturally manifest. Everybody say that “you are humble”, “you are arrogant”or “you are this and that” but how to practice humility? How does it come through? How does it manifest. Gauranga Mahaprabhu says in order to practice to develop pure devotional service this is one of the requirements. Even in chanting Mahamantra, without this we cannot chant properly. This is one of the requirements. Trinad api sunicena…. He says this all the time but then how do we practice? How many of us are practicing ? trinad api…The opposite is that we become proud and angry. Instead of becoming humble we become very proud this is the natural thing. It comes with out … it doesn’t require any training. Is there any university to teach us how to become very angry. Because it comes automatically we don’t see any institution to teach how to become angry(gurumaharaj laughs)…. But Gauranga Mahaprabhu says we have to be humble.. right?.
The second point Gauranga Mahaprabhu says is that tarorapi sahisnuna…. That one must be tolerant, titikshava… qualities of a sadhu. In Bhagavatam the qualities of a person practicing the devotional service, saintly person, a sadhu… Titiskhava…. Karunika very tolerant one must be very compassionate, without having this humility how can you develop these qualities. So here Gauranga Mahaprabhu says .. Gives the example that one must be more tolerant than a tree. Is it always? Sometime ago we had a champa tree a flowering champa tree.. there was a champa tree here. I Remember it in the premises(Refers to Juhu ISKCON premises). In the previous life there was a champa tree but we see that the tree was standing there for a long time. It is a bel tree, always, whenever we come here we see the beautiful trees there in different weather situations. But it is always there. No complaints. So this is the example of tolerance. Extreme tolerance. So we say this all the time but if we practice at every stage it becomes scientific / you are using devotional life in a scientific way. Doesn’t mean you go to the lab and carryout this experiment. It is already done. You practice, practicing means you are putting into experiment. Experimenting . So this way one becomes more tolerant than a tree. So this is the very important qualification on how to practice in devotional service.

So, the third thing is. Amanina manadena….
Amaninamadena… means one should be free from arrogance. One should not be puffed up by the ahankar mentality because of the Rajasic and tamari gunas….lower modes of material nature . so we have to be free from that. …Amanina…. So once we are free from the influence of the lower modes of material nature, that this Gauranga Mahaprabhu says, “kirtaniya sada hari. …so then one can actually chant the Mahamantra ……………Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
This chanting is very scientific. Prabhupada used to say it is very scientific. Scientific means we are doing it, practicing it. Srila Prabhupada says if we chant 16 rounds. Srila Prabhupada says all the Hare Krishna people are the best scientists. All scientists, we are millions of scientists(gurumaharaj laughs…) this is the Prabhupada’s very practical explanation. Not to confuse people in general. Practical application of teaching of the scriptures in a practical daily way, the scriptures now in our case Bhagavad-Gita, Bhagavatam all these wonderful scriptures of Krishna Consciousness movement should be applied in our daily life and this is called practical application of Krishna Consciousness. Sometimes we say while speaking among scientists, we say that Krishna consciousness is called spiritual technology. Now we have this IT right? Information technology, IIT-Indian institute of Technology, we have Universal Institute of Technology what is that spiritual Technology called? That is Krishna Consciousness.

In IIT in scientific theory they put the engg work in technological application. So this becomes technology. Similarly what is this spiritual technology? It is practical application of spiritual knowledge into the real practical utility. Similarly, when scriptures are the source of information , it becomes spiritual technology. Scientific application of spiritual knowledge in our daily life. Then it becomes practical and we get the result. You see our devotees some of them had very bad habits, there is sometimes, someone comes with a look of a drunkard, you see on the road you see some drunkard you can easily see that this fellow must have done something wrong. But when he comes to Krishna Consciousness… Prabhupada say 4 regulative principles…otherwise you cannot stay in the temple…follow and he gets the shelter immediately the next day and in 1 week their eyes become very shining the face becomes brilliant and he become smiling. Prabhupada says they all look like people from Vaikunta planet. It is a transform, practical application. It is scientific you see the result. Result of practicing Krishna Consciousness. So therefore Prabhupada uses the word scientific in that conception in that category.

Scientific Krishna Consciousness , it is therefore very important for all of us to actually try to understand properly different conceptions. So that, without that….. and this comes only by quality of humility. This is the foundation without that nothing is possible. Nothing is ……(indistinct) nothing is possible because there is no room for ahankar in devotional service. Therefore this is the requirement and this the qualification . this way one will make progress in spiritual journey. Journey will be very simple. Today around the world this devotional service is being discussed among the scientists. They are not ordinary scientists. They are topmost scientists of today. They often discuss about prayer, effects of prayer right? 20 Nobel laureates came together to discuss about the prayer, the effect of prayer in the life of a person. Prayer is scientific. Scientists are praying, different types of prayers. But they are also saying praying is scientific. We apply and many reports about prayer. So today in the scientific world you see … Prabhupada said 20 to 30 years ago it is not so easy to speak to the scientists. Especially high caliber scientists, Nobel laureates, when we talk about God or about spiritual thing they would not listen to you. They won’t even welcome you. They won’t even allow you to enter into the room and because this fellow is doing something strange he has got some message from forest,….but today you see now all this big big scientists have become very much interested . My experience in the last 10 years or so recent times this actually happened after the 9/11, the tragedy the terror attack on two towers in New York City. From that one good thing happened, all the scientists want to become devotees of Krishna. (Laughter..) So from that tragedy something become ok. It is all real fact, they are looking… that they all want to become devotees. So then we will have very powerful devotees –scientists very soon. Somehow or the other(gurumaharaj laughs…)
in that connection Prabhupada says, often many times he said scientific preaching. What good is your PhD? When I saw Prabhupada he told me what good is your PhD unless you can prove that God is a Person? This was Prabhupada’s number 1 program in scientific preaching. Scientific preaching is to show that God exists. Also to transform the hearts of the scientists. Therefore his first program is called Life Comes from Life. So we have to prove Life comes from Life. So, in other words in scientific community must be convinced about the existence of God and the Origin of Life is Krishna and they have to accept about the existence of God. Therefore I wrote the scientific basis of Krishna Consciousness in 1973 as my Vyasa Puja offering to Prabhupada and I actually I wrote these little few pages but Prabhupada said it will be published as a book and I put some illustrations and published. But it was a small little sketch but Prabhupada said is very scientific and so therefore this principle is very important today the scientists are interested. So I want to show you the book “God is a Person”(this book released recently by BI) this title came from Prabhupada to me he said you can prove God is a Person. Laurel of getting the PhD is to prove that God is a person. So this… Prabhupada says many times about scientific preaching that from this we can prove that life come from life. And these two scientists(referring to two scientists interviewed by gurumaharaj in his book ‘God is a person’) I spoke only last year you see. I have met practically many of the scientists we have today around the world and this is called Prof. Charles Towns and he gave the keynote address when we organized a conference for syntheses of Science and Religion for Prabhupada’s Centennial program. He came and gave the keynote address and he is the one who got the Nobel Prize for LASER. Today for many eye operations, surgeries anything major we have contributions of anything Laser, Printing etc and all these things are his contributions. Townes is 90 yrs old and he discussed directly about God. We did not discuss much about material Science. Both are physicists both are Nobel laureates and both are I could say most prominent Nobel laureates of our times. So both somehow by blessings of Prabhupada I got little tied up with them, became friends and now we can discuss directly about God. So now you can see all these discussion are about God. Scientific understanding about God. Both of them say God is a Person. They had personal relationship. Einstein also had the conception of God but that was Mayavadi but we don’t want mayavadi philosophy. Therefore these are exceptional scientists and so they are very very…… please read this(referring to book ‘God is a person’ .) some copies are available here … everyone will get a copy of this you see and then we can discuss and see what is their discussion. I think you can see some very interesting connections with the scriptures and from their scriptures. They also mentioned from Bible, and I myself, our target is the Bhagavatam. From Bhagavatam .. brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabyate. So this was written inside but the way they expressed in their own point of view, so I wanted to pursue that this is a good material to go through it. And if you have some comments like that please send me. send it to me . some criticism something to improve. This is the first production . I am very much focusing on scientific preaching. My whole life Prabhupada trained me how to do scientific preaching. How to do scientific preaching- kind of Prabhupada set aside for me. So therefore this my prime duty in the service of Prabhupada. Second book also came a few weeks ago. This is called “Life, matter and its interactions” … the distinction between spirit and matter is required in order to become a pure devotee of the Lord. We have to understand the distinction between what is the atma and the matter. We have to understand what is the difference between the particles of electron and transcendental particles of life. What is called the transcendental particles of life? What is it called ? Krishna says is Bhagavad-Gita “mamaivamsa jivaloke jiva bhuta Santana…” what does that mean? Mamaivamsa means particles “ansh” means particles mamaivamsa means My particles. The transcendental particles of Krishna is called the “atma’. Atma . so this is correct . Krishna says “mamaivamsa jivaloke…. So in out modern terminology we call it “spiriton”(word coined by gurumaharaj and used among his scientific circles) the fundamental particles of God. The spiritual particles of God is called spiriton. You understand ? Krishna says the fundamental particles of supreme spirit and if you say supreme spirit is Krishna then the fundamental particle of Krishna is called “spiriton”. Spiritual particles. The scientists they heard about spiriton. What is the difference from matter? So they began to enquire. So this is called the distinction between life and matter. In Life and Matter it is called “spiriton” what is the distinction between electron and proton, particles of matter, and spiriton. The fundamental particles of supreme spirit particles of Krishna. so this is supreme spirit. The distinction is that the electron has no consciousness . it is dead. It has no consciousness. The spiriton has consciousness and has a personality. It has a free will. And this spiriton wants to take maha prasadam you see. The electron doesn’t want that . so in this way it is very simple. So this is another area about different qualities. Distinction between life and matter Bhagavad-Gita also says 5 gross elements 3 subtle elements; they are called the separated energy. Besides that there is a spiritual that is jivatma. So transcendental… to make it into scientific understanding this is called scientific. This is called scientific presentation of Krishna Consciousness. Spirit and Matter. Once we have this we can answer who am I? aham brahmasmi. Scriptures say ‘aham brahmasmi’. I am the fundamental particle of Krishna. Brahmasmi means I am fundamental particle of Krishna . I am the spirit soul. I am the particle of life. So this is it. So it becomes natural . So the scientists can understand this if they have some little background. “Aham brahmasmi” so in this way it will be quite useful and also this knowledge. If we go further in Bhagavad-Gita Krishna says “Raja vidya raja guhyam….” So this knowledge once we know the difference between matter and spirit this comes within the confidential knowledge.

Raja vidya raja guhyam
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……………………….
su-sukham kartum avyayam…B.G. 9.2
So therefore this knowledge is called the devotional Science. It is called raja vidya raja guhyam pavitram idam uttamam…………………………………susukam
This knowledge is the raja vidya, king of education. What is that knowledge? The knowledge about the Science of soul and also includes the knowledge about the Science of understanding the difference between spirit and the matter…. life and matter and applying that. So at once we know how to engage in devotional service, pure devotional service. So this knowledge is called king of education and also it is raja guhyam that is actually confidential. King of all confidential knowledge and it is also pavitram idam uttamam. It is very pure. Uttamam – It is the highest. So this knowledge, it order to practice the most highest knowledge one has to build the foundation properly. Otherwise the background has to be understood. But if we don’t have any knowledge about devotional life unless I get mercy from Krishna or from spiritual master that cannot be developed. so easily to carry on. So it is very important . rajya vidya raja guhyam…………………….
There is one very important word here “pratiksha” sense perception but actually in senses there are 4 defects. Because of that it is not possible to know how to understand the knowledge properly. But when senses are purified completely, senses are transformed into spiritual senses, and then it becomes completely pure. In that pure state of mind you can have direct perception. It is called revelation. The revelations are called shabda praman in our Vedantic epistemology. So this direct perception that is, when the senses are completely spiritualized we can see with divine eyes and when there is no defect at that time the senses it is possible, can receive the knowledge directly. Pratiksha……….. this.. you are in the transcendental mode of happiness, then it becomes “ sat cit ananda” i.e. ananda sagaram…in the ocean of happiness understanding developing pure devotional service. Become very enjoyable. It is the natural function of the jiva we realize ………………jivera svarupa hoi………………
……………….nitya Krishna das…………..

So this we can realize and practice in our daily life. To recognize that the fundamental particles of Krishna is the eternal servant of Krishna. So this is actually the goal of our devotional practice. To realize these things and practice it in our day-to-day life. So this way it is possible to develop these pure devotional qualities and that way our journey in devotional life will only be a journey of happiness and free from all difficulties and troubles, a journey will become simply joyful.
Jai Srila Prabhupad ki jai.
Gaura Premanande. Hari Hari Bol.

 Sri Srimad Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami Srila Sripada Maharaja

New Varshana, Prancis, 15 April 2005

Jadi lagu ini: " Suddha-bhakata-carana renu, bhajana-anukula, bhakata-seva,
parama-siddhi prema-latikara mula". “Debu kaki padma penyembah murni sangat
berharga bagi pelayanan bhakti, karena pelayanan kepada Vaishnava merupakan
kesempurnaan tertinggi dan akar dari tumbuhan cinta kasih rohani.” Lagu yang
indah ini digubah oleh Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur. Kalian bisa melihat…bahwa
untuk mengerti Krsna sangatlah sulit. Satu-satunya cara bagi kita untuk
memiliki pengetahuan tentang Krishna adalah dengan cara melayani penyembah
murni Tuhan Yang Maha Esa. Jadi, disini Bhaktivinoda Thakur mengatakan
dengan jelas, sudha bhakata, berarti penyembah murni Tuhan, renu artinya debu, 
carana berarti kaki-padma. Dengan cara melayani kaki-padma penyembah murni
seseorang dapat memperoleh karunia berupa pelayanan bhakti.

Dan juga dikatakan bhakata-seva, parama siddhi, prema latika mula, pelayanan
kepada Vaishnava itu sendiri merupakan kesempurnaan tertinggi, parama siddhi,
siddhi berarti kesempurnaan. Parama berarti tertinggi, jadi melayani Vaishnava
sebenarnya adalah kesempurnaan tertinggi serta merupakan akar tumbuhan cinta-
kasih rohani dan cinta kasih kepada Tuhan, yang kalian hanya dapatkan melalui
pelayanan kepada para Vaishnava. Dengan kata lain, kita harus bergaul dengan
penyembah-murni Tuhan dan melayani beliau dengan antusisas, sehingga beliau
dapat memberikan karunia tak terbatas kepada kita semua. Seperti halnya kita
berada dalam misi kesadaran Krishna (Kesadaran Tuhan-ed), oleh karena keinginan
untuk melayani misi Srila Prabhupada.

Dan pengertian ini-bagaimana melayani, seperti halnya melayani misi Srila Prabhupada,
bagaimana seseorang tetap berada dalam misi ini, adalah sangat, sangatlah vital,
sangat penting. Karena dalam seluruh kitab suci..kalian tahu, instruksi ini, kita
diperintahkan bahwa dengan melayani penyembah-murni Tuhan seseorang memeroleh
kesempurnaan tertinggi. Dan pengertian ini ..sangatlah penting untuk kehidupan para
penyembah Tuhan. Tanpa mengerti hal ini dengan baik, pikiran seseorang akan menjadi
lemah…gelisah..!

Oleh karena itu pengertian ini sangatlah penting dalam kehidupan bhakti kita. Karenanya
Doa siksastakam kita ucapkan setiap hari di saat pagi dan juga Doa kehadapan Guru Spiritual
karya Srila Visvanath Cakravarti Thakura berbunyi, samsara-davanala-lidha-loka, tranaya
karunya-ghanaghanatvam, praptasya kalyana-gunarnavasya vande guroh sri-caranaravindam. 
Jadi sri guroh sri-caranaravindam, (Dalam Doa ini) kita memohon karunia kaki-padma
penyembah-murni Tuhan. Dengan cara ini kita memulai kehidupan atau hari-hari kita dengan
apa yang di sebut guru vandana, vandana berarti berdoa, memohon karunia Guru Kerohanian.

Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto pi

dhyayan stuvams tasya yasas tri-sandhyam, vande guroh sri-caranaravindam, dengan memuaskan
Guru Kerohanian, kita bisa memuaskan Tuhan Yang Utama. Dengan cara ini…dengan memiliki
pengertian bagaimana bergaul dengan para penyembah murni, bagaimana bekerja dengan tuntunannya,
dengan komitmen, persiapan, persiapan mental ini...tidak hanya persiapan semata-mata, tetapi
bertindak atas dasar pemahaman ini, merupakan hal yang terpenting dalam kehidupan seorang
penyembah Tuhan. Jadi seseorang harus memiliki pemahaman seperti ini sehingga kehidupan bhakti
akan terwujud dan berjalan dengan baik.

Jadi kita harus melatih pikiran dengan cara ini, dengan demikian kita tidak akan salah mengerti.
Kehidupan bhakti, seperti kalian tahu, terkadang begitu sederhana tetapi terkadang kelihatan
begitu kompleks. Kehiduoan Bhakti akan sangat sederhana bagi jiva yang berhati murni, tetapi
ketika hati tidak cukup bersih, tidak cukup murni, maka ini akan menjadi kompleks-rumit.
Tetapi kita juga harus belajar bagaimana berhubungan dengan para Vaishnava. Kita telah memahami
bahwa dengan melayani para Vaishnava seseorang akan mendapatkan karunia, bagaimana memperoleh
kekuatan dalam kehidupan bhakti. Dengan melayani Vaishnava seseorang memperoleh kekuatan.
Jadi para Vaishnava, kita harus menghormatinya, kita harus memiliki rasa hormat kepadanya,
kita harus memohon karunia dari para Vaishnava.

Dan haruslah tidak ada motif politik di dalamnya, bahwa dalam proses ini, tidak ada motivasi 
politik, tidak ada keinginan yang menyimpang dan haruslah dengan hati yang murni dari dalam hati.
Dengan demikian, ketika hati menjadi bersih, kemudian Tuhan dengan karunia-Nya, pengetahuan akan
datang kepada penyembah Tuhan yang tulus. Seperti kitab suci mengatakan: yasya deve para bhaktir
yatha-deve tatha gurau  tasyaite kathita hy arthah prakasante mahatmanah. Sloka ini mengatakan
bahwa seseorang yang mempunyai ikatan yang kuat terhadap Guru Kerohanian dan juga keterikatan
yang kuat kepada Tuhan, maka pengetahuan akan terungkap atas karunia dari…gabungan antara karunia
Guru Kerohanian dan Tuhan Sri Krishna…kemudian seluruh pengetahuan akan diberikan kepadanya.
Demikianlah, ini merupakan perintah sastra, kita harus mengikuti instruksi ini, dan kehidupan
kita akan menjadi sangat…kehidupan bhakti kita menjadi sangat membahagiakan, petualangan yang
sangat membahagiakan!

Tanpa seseorang berbahagia, bagaimana ia bisa menjalani kehidupan bhakti? Jadi ini adalah rahasia,
rahasia sukses dalam kehidupan rohani. Oleh karena itu seseorang harus senantiasa memohon karunia
Guru Kerohanian. Dan juga bertindak dalam pengertian ini. Jadi kita harus memperoleh karunia dan
harus melaksanakan kewajiban kita. Jika kita tidak melaksanakan kewajiban kita dan hanya menginginkan
karunia…tidak! kalian juga harus bertindak, dan kalian akan sukses. Dengan karunia, tindakan akan
dilakukan dengan baik.

Jadi bisa dikatakan bahwa..kalian tahu..seperti dalam misi kita..dalam kesadaran Krishna, dalam ISKCON..
lihatlah setelah berpulangnya Srila Prabhupada, walaupun kita menghadapi banyak, banyak..katakanlah
bab-bab, cabang-cabang yang berbeda yang berlalu, tetapi tetap atas karunia Srila Prabhupada, seorang
penyembah murni, dengan ketulusan menjalankan perintah dan tuntunannya, mengikuti garis tuntunannya,
walaupun banyak kesulitan semuanya berjalan dengan baik, berjalan dengan sangat baik.

Jadi dengan begitu, kalian lihat gerakan ini..akan selalu berlanjut dengan baik, tetapi itu bergantung
pada bagaimana kita menjaga pemahaman bahwa seseorang harus mengikuti tuntunan Guru Kerohanian seratus
persen. Jadi, itu berarti kalian selalu dapat memohon..memohon berkat dari Guru Kerohanian, dari para
Vaishnava lainnya yang maju yang bisa dijadikan sebagai Siksa, instruksi dari seorang Vaishnava yang
sudah maju. Tetapi tujuan utamanya adalah bagaimana melayani perintah Guru Kerohanian. Itu adalah hal
yang terpenting. Apabila semua berlanjut seperti itu, maka disana akan ada harmoni, akan selalu ada
kedamaian dan kebahagiaan dalam kehidupan seorang penyembah. Dan seseorang akan mampu menyelesaikan
semua masalah yang sulit sekali pun.

Kita harus menyadari bahwa dunia material ini selalu merupakan tempat yang berbahaya.
Jadi kita harus tidak pernah menganggap enteng. Akhirnya, apabila seseorang mengerti
hal yang mendasar dan sederhana ini, maka kehidupan bhakti akan tumbuh dengan subur
dalam kehidupannya.***

Sumber: BSDS@yahoogroups.com.

Alih Bahasa: dr. Nityananda Rama das.

Editor         :  www.sripadanectar.com