Vedanta dan Sains No.1: Kehidupan dan Asal Mula Jagat Raya

by Dr. T. D. Singh (His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami)

pp. 84, Softbound

Rp. 50.000 (Yang English)

Rp. 38.000 (Yang Bahasa Indonesia)

ISBN: 81-901369-3-3

Vedanta merupakan kesimpulan atau kata akhir Literatur (Kitab-kitab) Veda. Vedanta- Sutra tersusun atas ayat-ayat pendek yang disebut dengan sutra. Setiap sutra memiliki kedalaman arti dan makna, maka itu orang biasa tidak mudah mengerti dengan membacanya begitu saja. sutra ibarat suatu rumus atau formula yang terdiri atas huruf atau kata yang singkat, harus diberi penjelasan agar orang umum bisa mengertinya. Maka itu sejak dahulu kala Para Acharya agung menyusun berbagai ulasan Vedanta Sutra secara panjang lebar. seperti yang dilakukan oleh Madhvacarya, Ramanuja Acharya, dan lain-lainnya. Kini di dunia modern ini, telah hadir seorang pengulas Vedanta Sutra, Sri Srimad Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami (TD Singh, Ph.D) seorang rohaniawan Hindu yang juga jebolan University Of California, USA.  Beliau Menyajikan dua sutra pertama VEdanta sutra dalam buku ini, tentunya disertai dengan ulasan, kali ini ulasan yang tidak seperti sebelumnya, melainkan Ulasan dari kacamata Ilmiah (Scientific Commentary). Walaupun TD Singh seorang DOktor, namun penyajiannya dalam buku ini sangat mudah dimengerti, penjelasannya sangat mengalir. bahasanya sederhana. penuh dengan kejutan dan membuka cakrawala.

So …. Dont Miss it. !

Karena di dalamnya Dibahas:

Ketidaksempurnaan Big Bang Theory, Big Vision: alternatif Vedanta. Asal-usul Jagat-raya. Apakah Jagat raya ini tertutup atau terbuka? Apakah alam-semesta itu cuma satu atau banyak? apakah penciptaan alam semesta itu cuma sekali? atau bersiklus? Apakah setelah kiamat tidak ada penciptaan lagi? dan tentunya Pembahasan tentang Jagat raya ini di dahului dengan uraian-uraian yang mendasar seperti What is Life? apa makna dan tujuah kehidupan itu? Banyak Lagi!

VEDANTA AND SCIENCE SERIES: LIFE AND ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE

Since the dawn of civilization, all philosophical, scientific, religious and even artistic works, in principle, have centered around the study of life, its meaning and the origin of the universe. What is life? What is the origin of the universe? Is there any meaning and purpose behind the manifestation of life and the universe? What is the unseen couse behind the manifestation of the percaivable universe? These questions have puzzled all the great thinkers around the world over the ages. Vedanta, the topmost scientific and philosophical treatise of  Indian spiritual and cultural heritage has a lot to contribute in this area and could provide a vital laep in expanding our knowledge of life and the origin of the universe. In this unique book, His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Svami (Dr. T. D. Singh) investigates life and the secrets of the origin of the universe and depicts the relevance of vedantic wisdom in the context of modern scientific and tecnological developments.

Kehidupan dan Evolusi Spiritual

Saat ini, konsep Evolusi telah memengaruhi seluruh dunia. Konsep ini diajarkan hampir di seluruh sekolah dan universitas di seluruh dunia dan memengaruhi ribuan siswa di muka bumi setiap saat. Kehidupan, menurut paradigma ini, merupakan hasil evolusi debu-partikel-kosmis yang tidak hidup (atom dan molekul), dimana paradigma evolusi ini kelihatannya tidak memiliki makna dan tujuan (dari suatu kehidupan). Meski demikian, semua tradisi agama dunia telah menyampaikan makna luhur dan tujuan tertinggi kehidupan. Vedanta sebagai risalat filosofis spiritual tertinggi serta warisan budaya India, memberikan uraian yang jelas tentang kehidupan, asal mula dan maknanya. Dengan mengambil intisari literatur Veda, penulis, Dr. T. D. Singh, mempresentasikan paradigma holistik kehidupan yang baru dengan menggabungkan dimensi spiritual kehidupan dan evolusi kesadaran. Paradigma Vedanta ini memiliki potensi untuk menyelami lebih dalam sifat-sifat kehidupan (the nature of life). DR. T. D. Singh-sang penulis buku ini merupakan gabungan unik antara ilmuwan dan rohaniawan- telah menulis dan mengedit sejumlah buku dalam usaha memahami realita termasuk ‘kehidupan’ dari pendekatan interdisipliner (sains dan agama/spiritualitas.)

Dr. T. D. Singh (His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami) adalah seorang ilmuwan bergelar Ph.D. dalam bidang Kimia Fisika Organik (Organic physical chemistry) dari University of California, Irvine, USA sekaligus seorang rohaniawan Hindu dari tradisi Bhakti-Vedanta India. Beliau adalah direktur Internasional Bhaktivedanta Institute dan salah satu pelopor dalam “Dialog antara sains dan agama.”

Harga Buku Rp. 25.000 (Bahasa Indonesia)

by Jaganmohini dd

A Publication by Institute of Science and Religion

All glories to Srila Sripada, All glories to Srila Prabhupada

During the 3^rd Tirobhav celebrations at Sri Radha Kund, a publication titled, “A voyage into Environmental Issues – Scientific, Ethical and Spiritual Perspectives” was released by Institute of Science and Religion, Navi Mumbai for the pleasure of Srila Sripada. This is the second publication from the Institute. One of the instructions we recd. from gurumaharaj was to publish books.

This publication is the proceedings of the symposium which was organized in the month of February 2009. The foreword for the publication has come from the Pro-Vice chancellor of the University of Mumbai. We also received permission to reproduce Nobel Laureate AL Gore’s Nobel lecture which he delivered while receiving the Nobel Prize during Dec. 2007. The pdf file of the content is enclosed with this letter. Few contributors who are in the Institute’s board couldn’t make it for the symposium but they volunteered to contribute for this educative publication.

Prior to offering to gurumaharaj, we offered the publication to Sri Giriraj, Sri Radha Kund and Sri Shyam Kund. I was keen to offer to Sri Radha Kund, but didn’t know how to go about. I thank our senior godbrother H.G. Dusarigopal prabhu for guiding us here. Later we also offered to Srila Prabhupada in our temple at Sri Radha Kund. And finally in the midst of gurudeva’s glorification, the book was released.

The following two instructions of gurumaharaj has guided us for the symposium as well as this proceedings

1. “At the dawn of the 21st century, in this important junction, it seems, quite timely to evaluate man’s progress in all frontiers of his activities. What are those fronties? The man’s relation with the nature and what is the role of man in nature, in this cosmos? we have to reexamine the epistemological and ontological criteria of the study of nature, that is what is the process by which we can actually find the knowledge.”

2. “It is worthwile to note that theistic and athesitic people are everywhere, all over the world. The human race is one, not Eastern or Western. The dawning of a new age will begin when both theists and atheists can sit together, exchange dialogues on matters of common concern and make sensible decisions for the global well-being of earth’s inhabitants. It is not that theists must fight against atheists. There is much common ground.”

The publication has 200 pages and it is soft bond.

If you are interested to buy a copy for yourself or copies for your friends, please write to inst.science.religion@gmail.com

Along with this publication even the DVD video a nrtya natyam(Feast for eyes and ears..ballet) held at Manipur based on the life sketch of Rajarshi Bhagyachandra was released. We felt the publication received the blessings of the Saintly King also. All must watch this dance drama!!! Very fine choreography…..Gurumaharaj as project director can be actually seen as art and culture personified.

Hare Krishna!

Your servant,

Jaganmohini dd

http://www.inst-scienceandreligion.org/

om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah

namah om vishnupadaya krishna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktisvarupa damodara svamin iti namine

namah sad-bhakta-manaye manipura-udbhavaya ca
prabhupada lasad-vani pracara niratayate

babhruvahana-vamsadbhi somaya subha drstye
sunyavadi madebhendra singhaya bhagavata namah

abhayadi gunadaya sad-vijnana ghanaya ca
navya vaijnana tamas suryaya te namah

hareh katha-yata-samasta-yamo
romanca-kampasru mudabhiramah
srimad-radha-kunda-vasa-yatnah
pasyema kim tam srimad sripada-padam?

Srila Sripada Maharaja
would spend all eightyamas (divisions of the day)
glorifying topics of Sri Hari,
and thus he would become overwhelmed
by the manifestation of asta-sattvika transformations
headed by hairs standing erect, trembling, and tears of joy.
He would become extremely happy
when he resided in the most beautiful Sri Radha Kunda.
Will I ever again have darsana
of the most beautiful lotus feet of that Srila Sripada Maharaja?

We always pray to Srimati Radhika’s lotus feet by chanting Sri Radha-kripa-kataksa Stavaraja, for Her Divine Glance upon us. But now we have to fully grateful since our prayers have been fulfilled by the auspicious presence of our beloved Om Vishnupad Ashtottara-sata Tridandi-yativara Parampujyapadapadma Paramahamsa Parivrajakacaryavarya Sri Srimad Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami Srila Sripada Maharaja in the midst of our lives. He is the crest-jewel of The Lord’s pure devotees (sad-bhakta siromani) descend to this planet out of his causeless mercy, took birth in The Land of Jewel, Manipura, for the welfare of the whole world. Therefore I pay my most respectful obeisance unto him, the nayantara, shining stars of the lotus eyes of Srimati Radha, who is everything for Lord Sri Krishna. Let me bow to him, which is a magnificent eternal intimate associate of Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu and Sri Sri Radha Krishna, and the only friend, shelter, and the life of the fallen souls. All glories to Srila Sripada Maharaja, our Gurudeva, adore eternally in our heart, as the only shelter of all suffering souls, the most graceful, the limitless ocean of love and compassion. All glories unto the very embodiment of wish-fulfilling gem that meet all the desires (cintamani svarupa), the intimate associate of Sri Radhika and Sri Gaura (gaura radhika nija-jana), which is decorated by all glorious spotless nature of a Vaishnava, never take into consideration any discrepancy in other (adosa -darsi), and the best friend of the fallen (dina-bandhu). May he bestow his merciful glance toward us. By greatness of his glorious nature, he was willingly gave atonement for so much sins of a degraded being such as myself, and allowed me to have some opportunity to take part in his eternal glorification. This is my only desire and prayer that I always submit unto his divine lotus feet.

I do not know, nor seek to know, whether the righteous and not righteous, auspicious and inauspicious. However, Srila Sripada Maharaja had come from Goloka to help me. His soft hearts moved by seeing the resistance of this jiva insamsaric world. He came to me, though I have abandoned his presence. Mercifully, he has lifted me up from the worst place, gave me shelter under his beloved companions, and then after that he returned to his divine eternal abode in The Kingdom of Love of Srimati Radhika. He is full of compassionate nature for making a hard-hearted person like me could humbly recognize that there is nothing that is worth more thansadhu-sanga throughout the universe. There is no way to get Sri Bhagavan’s prasada, and the loving devotional service other than through sadhu-seva andsadhu-kripa. His Divine Grace himself has also come and bestowed his most sweet association unto me, in very valuable times that physically ended so quickly.

Only that great personality who fully surrendered themselves to Sri Bhagavan (bhagavad-anugat) and serves Sri Krishna and His beloved Srimati Radhika is truly a sadhu. Association with such a sadhu is the only most desirable thing for us, because only by such a divine association we can attain our supreme wealth and goal (pum-artho mahan). This wealth of Divine Love is our very lives. So in other words, such a pure sadhu is the life for all. No well-wisher greater than sadhu-guru-vaishnava, or the beloved associate of Sri Gaurasundara. It is only out of Srila Sripada Maharaja’skrupai I could hear and understand the messages of greatest value such as this. I didn’t only get the opportunity to hear from His Divine Grace, but also get his personal sangam, rarely achieve even by the devas. Similarly, I have the opportunity to enter the close association of his companions, his nija-jana, who love and fully serve him. This untouchable considers his self very fortunate, for without any properadhikaras, still His Divine Grace bestowed such a great success. There is no other reason for this other than the greatness of hisnirhetuka-krupai, causeless mercy. If so, how could I find protection and support other than to pray to Srila Sripada Maharaja’s lotus feet? Now, let me humbled myself down before him, clasp my hands and pray, as Srila Das Gosvami prayed to Srila Rupa Gosvami, the same prayer also rendered by my heart before Srila Sripada Maharaja.

“adadanas trunam dantair idam yace punah punah srimad-rupa-padambhoja-dhulih syam janma janmani, This fallen jivatma, standing here with a sheet of grass on his teeth and praying again and again so he may be able to get a particle of dust from Srimad Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada’s lotus feet, in every birth.” (Dana-keli-cintamani 175)

As Sri Bhagavata (11.26.26) states that no other way for a fallen one that allows him to get welfare, than throughsadhu-sanga, “tato duhsangam utsrjya satsu sajjeta buddhiman santa evasya chindanti mano-vyasangam uktibhih, really intelligent person should reject all kind of bad association and should instead always in the association of pure devotee of the Lord, whose words are able to cut bondage of over attachment in his mind”. Someone should conduct sat-sanga, and reject all types of asat-sanga, in other words, by the sharp words emanating from the lips of pure devotee of Sri Govinda, delusive mind in the form of lusty desires for worldly enjoyment were destroyed from the heart, without any rest. Thus, it is not possible to have any way to get mangalatva and bhagavat-priti, when someone abandoned such sadhu-sanga and sadhu-seva. In spite it is true that suchsadhu-sanga is so extremely rare, but it may not be for someone who prays for it without hypocrisy, with full sincerity, and with the knowledge that it’s very difficult to accept the association of a pure sadhu in this world ofasadhu.

By His unlimited love and compassion, Sri Bhagavan came to this world in order to give Hissanga, and He also sends His beloved devotees into the world. As we see in Sri Caitanya-caritamrita. Knowing that is really difficult for a jiva could come across a sadhu, Krishna Himself appears as a sadhu and spiritual master in Nadiya. The presence of Sri Krishna Caitanya and Nityananda Prabhu has filled this world with the greatest bliss. This Two Brothers dispel the darkness in the depth of our hearts, and thus they help one to find two types of Bhagavata. One of the Bhagavata is the immaculate literature Srimad Bhagavatam, and the other is the Living Bhagavata, pure devotee absorbed entirely in loving devotional service. Through the magnificent activities of this Two Bhagavata, The Supreme Lord instill spiritual loving mood in the heart of a jiva, and so The Lord, resides in the heart of His devotees, being controlled by their love.” (See Cc. Adi 1.87, Cc. Adi 1.98-100)

There are two types of Bhagavata, Holy Scripture (shastra) and the bhakta (devotee). They do kirtana, both glorify and praise the topics about Sri Bhagavan and his bhakta. Bhakta and Shastra, both of them is the only dear friend who expects welfare of jiva, so they are truly our life and soul. Those really intelligent ones always in search of truth and pure way of eternal goodness will not be able to live without the association of literature and sadhu. By taking firm vow they execute sadacara, deeds that lead to the truth, in the form of a rejection of the asat-sanga and vigorously seeksat-sanga. They are truly excited to be able to get the direct associationbhakta-bhagavata. When suchsadhu-sanga is not available then they associate with literature, shastriya-sanga. Only Hari-katha emanates from the lips of sadhu, hisshastra-katha,was able to attach us to the divine lotus feet of Sri Hari, Guru and Vaishnava. His words, messages, and instructions, is the sacred literature itself.

The conscious jivatmas, living human beings, cannot live without association twenty-four hours a day. When someone does not getsadhu-sanga, both externally and internally, then surely he will be forced to accept asat-sanga. So whenever we couldn’t get personal or direct sadhu-sangawith the bhagavata, then we should accept the association through shastra,shastriya sadhu-sanga. Only with such thoughts we will continuously fixed in Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur had said, “You should learn spiritual magazines with full attention. Whenever you have time, you should discuss Kalyana Kalpataru, Prarthana, Caitanya-caritamrita, and so forth. You will be able to achieve all perfections by chanting the holy name of God without offences. Sri Nama Prabhu only revealed to them who listen, learn, and discuss scripture. Your presentanartha will not so strong when you are diligently performing sravana andkirtana.”

We are totally blind about Krishna. Therefore, at the ancient time Srila Vedavyasa compiled Srimad Bhagavatam out of His love and compassion to all beings, only for their welfare. By discussing thisparamahamsa-samhita, Sri Grantharaja Bhagavata, bhakti toward Purusottama Krishna will grow and soon will drive out all types of mourning, delusion, and fear. For all jivas’ well being, the noblebhakta bhagavata was struggling with the difficulties of writing a very large body of literatures. They who really havePrititoward Sri Hari, Guru, and Vaishnava, certainly also have Priti toward the Holy Scriptures; they must be automatically havePriti to shastras.

Our beloved Guru-pada-padma, Srila Sripada Maharaja has given these two types of sat-sangato all of us. We do not always get the association of the living Bhagavata. It is a very great fortune for us to get the sweet direct physical association of Srila Sripada Maharaja, in really very short period during his prakrutha-lila. Indeed, it is only his mercy that makes everything possible, even if we do not have the proper qualification to attain it. In so many ways His Divine Grace has brought much happiness for us living in darkness. Heard his sweet voice, saw his spiritual form, and thought about his visit to Bali and the joy when we wait him at the airport. So he also allowed us to do different types of services and listen to hiskirtana during the day he is still in our midst. Once again only out of his mercy alone, we can have that beautiful and blissful time together.

Many of us, charmed by his spiritual personality and spotlessvaishnavatva, finally came to him. Some officially get initiation and some still live as followers, who always enthrone him in the core of their heart as their eternal spiritual master, since he was leaving them to enter into hisaprakrutha-lila. There is no time the spiritual master doesn’t present for his dear disciples. Since our physical material eyes couldn’t get hisdarshan anymore, we shouldn’t think our beloved Srila Sripada Maharaja has left us abandoned. He is ever present. The Omnipresent Supreme Lord isananta-kalyanaika-gunanidhi. The same Supreme Personality of Godhead is taking His abode eternally in Srila Sripada Maharaja’s lotus heart. So, our beloved Srila Sripada Maharaja is the divine abode of The Absolute Divinity,ananta-kalyana-guna-sad-dhama. Our Srila Sripada Maharaja is also omnipresent. He renders all services in unlimited divine forms in limitless transcendental pastimes of Srimati Radhika and Sri Gopaladeva.

He bestowed his shortdarshanto our eyes only to enter and resides in our heart eternally. Streams of tear from our cry of separation will manifest as the river of our love. Then the boat of our praying words will sail in its water by the wind of his unlimited divine mercy and compassion. Undoubtedly, it will end its voyage at Srila Sripada Maharaja’s lotus feet and his beloved Srimati Radhika and Sri Gopaladeva. This is my sole prayer. May when these eyes closed forever and can’t see anything anymore, when these ears will become deaf, when time will pound over this worthless body and it can’t stand anymore. When the end of this wretch person approaching. There is still just one drop of grace upon him. May I could hear Srila Sripada Maharaja’s voice of sweet kirtana of the glories of Sri Gaurangadeva and Srimati Radhika. May I could feel on my skin, the soothing breeze of wind emanates from Srila Sripada Maharaja’s eternal abode on the bank of Sri Radhakunda. May I could shed tears of joy out of my remembrance to my dear most Guru-pada-padma for the last time.

ha kvasi mat-prana-prabho kva gupto
ati dina-dasas tava duhkha-taptah
prapanna-bhaktartti-haras tvam eva
draksyami kim candra-mukham sakrt te?

O master of my life, where are you?
Where have you suddenly hidden?
Your most fallen servant is afflicted
by pangs of separation from you.
Only you can remove the sufferings
of your surrendered devotees.
Will I ever be able to look upon
your moonlike face again?

he dina-bandho! karunaika-sindho!
kuru prasadam mayi manda-mudhe
laksaparadhe bahu-papa-gadhe
tat-pada-padme ‘stu matis ca krsne

O friend of the lowly, O Gurudeva,
you are the vast ocean of mercy.
I am a dull fool and have committed
hundreds of thousands of offenses.
I have fallen into a dense myriad of sins;
therefore grace me with your mercy
so that my mind may be fixed
on your lotus feet and on Sri Krishna.

sri-bhakti-svarupa-damodaraya pujitam sarvam

rangaraja-dasa-kulena ati-vilapatmika-gadyam

viraha-soka-samudram sloka-candra-avirbhavam
srimad sripadad carana-kamala-dvandvarpanam

These glorifying words in combination of extremely sorrowful prose and moonlike stanzas arises from the miserable ocean of separation, was spoken by a member of Rangarajadasakulan, family lineage of servants of The Lord of Enchanting Stage, King of Palatial Aranga-mandiram, dedicated unto His Divine Grace Parampujyapadapadma Om Vishnupad Ashtottara-sata Paramahamsa Parivrajakacaryavarya Sri Srimad Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Svami Srila Sripada Maharaja, as a humble offering to His Two Lotus like Divine Feet.
Even in his non-physical presence, he continued to bestow his mercy upon all of us. He still allows us to associate with his words, with the books he has written, his recorded voice of sweetkirtana and the mission he has left in this place for us to serve. He has given us everything. We inherit all these big things from him, and we are forever indebted to him. Thus, in this most blessed day of Srila Sripada Maharaja Vyasa Puja Mahotsava, we pray together in order to obtain his mercy again. May all of us, his disciples and his devotees, initiated or not, can be strengthened and made his instructions as our very life and soul and united together to serve his mission.

Om Vishnupad Paramahamsa Parivrajakacaryavarya Ashtottar-sata
Sri Srimad Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Svami Maharaja Srila Sripada ki Jay!
Sad-bhakta Siromani Srila Sripada Maharaja ki Jay!

Denpasar, Bali 2009
Viraha-aksepa satata-vilapam
para-dina-hina-dasanudasam
sri guru-vaishnava karunya-bhiksum
Bhakta P.B. Rangarajan

by ISKCON Manipur

INGA (June):

On the day of full moon of the month of Inga (June), the Vigrahas of Sri Sri Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra are taken out in the Prangal (verandah) of the Mandir. The brahmanas and pujaris of the temple will perform seva puja and snana of the Vigrahas. The day is called snana yatra day. Countless number of vaisnavas will attend the snana yatra festival and have darshana of Sri Sri Radha Govindaji.

INGEL (July):

On the second day of the bright fortnight of Ingel (July) Sri Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra will move out in a Ratha specially designed for the Ratha yatra festival. Before the Vigrahas are taken out of the temple, They will be properly decorated with beautiful garments. After that, the pujari will offer arati to the Vigrahas. Then the three Vigrahas will be shifted from the temple to the Ratha by using three well designed palanquins, to be carried by the selected pujaris and devotees involving the Gvala arati. Many sankirtana palas of Sri Govindaji will come in procession for offering devotional service while shifting the deities from the temple to the Ratha, kept ready for being pulled by the vaisnavas on the main road of the Govindaji palace complex. Seven groups (dals) of sankirtana palas will perform sankirtana during the Ratha yatra procession.
While taking the Vigrahas of Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra from the palanquins to the rotating Simhasana fixed on the wheel on the Ratha, the ceremony is accompanied by a musical band party followed by the sankirtana palas. Immediately after installation of the Vigrahas on the platform fixed on the Ratha, arati is being offered. The bhaktas and vaisnavas will start pulling the Ratha with band party in the front, followed by sankirtana palas, singing devotional songs and Harinama mahamantra. All the participants who come for darshana of the Ratha Yatra will chant loudly, in the same voice “Jaya Jagannatha, jaya Balabhadra and Jaya Subhadra” as they pull the Ratha by holding the ropes tied to the Ratha. All the fruits, flowers, etc., brought by the bhaktas and vaisnavas are put together in front of the Ratha displaying properly. Then arati puja is offered. After reaching the main gate of the palace complex, the Ratha will be pulled back along with the usual devotional services being offered. The platform on which the Vigrahas are placed will have a complete turn to face towards the returning direction. The band party followed by sankirtana palas will be in procession in front of the Lord. The Vigrahas will be taken back to the premises of the temple by using the palanquins used earlier. Thereafter an arati puja is offered and the Vigrahas are taken inside the temple on the simhasana and then arati puja is offered again.
A simple participation of the Ratha Yatra at the Govindaji’s temple complex cannot give complete satisfaction to the vaisnavas. On going back to their homes they take part again in the Ratha Yatra festival performed in every locality or Leikai where the Vigrahas of Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra are worshipped in the temples. Therefore, in Manipur the Ratha Yatra festival is observed in all the villages of the valley area of Manipur numbering more than 5000.
In the evening after the Sandhya arati, the devotional singers of the temple will sing the song composed by poet Jayadeva in a sweet rhythmic sound describing the ten avataras of Lord Sri Krishna. This singing with dancing joyfully is called by the Manipuri vaisnavas “Jayadeva Chongba”. The singing accompanied by dancing is unique that not only the elderly vaisnavas but also the young boys and girls alike take part in the singing and dancing of Jayadeva Chongba. On the ninth day, there will be observance of Punar yatra festival involving pulling of the Ratha as was done on the first day of the Ratha Yatra. Then on the day of dwadasi of Ingel, Hari Sayana is observed, after which Lord Jagannatha is believed to have taken a complete rest for a considerable period of time till the day of Hari Utthana.

THAWAN (August):

Beginning from the third day of the bright fortnight of the month of Thawan till the fullmoon day, the Jhulan Yatra is observed. During this period, many devotional services are offered to the Lord by having the sankirtana Nupapalas of two groups in succession without fail. A group of twentyfive male singers will perform sankirtana being offered to the Lord. Immediately after the Gvala arati, the Vigrahas of Sri Sri Radha Govinda will appear on the swing, specially prepared and decorated for the festival. After having Sri Sri Radha Govinda well decorated with beautiful dresses and ornaments, the brahmanas and pujaris offer arati puja. Such a devotional service will be continued till the end of the Jhulan festival. Countless number of bhaktas and vaisnavas will come to have the darshana of Sri Sri Radha Govindaji to their fullest satisfaction. All the fruits and flowers brought for offering to Sri Govindaji while corning for darshana will be displayed nicely on the plates kept on the floor properly cleansed in front of the swing. The idea behind the observance of full thirteen days Jhulan festival in the premises of Sri Govindaji temple is that Manipuri vaisnavas while celebrating it, remeber the pastimes of Sri Sri Radha Krishna on a swing hearing the scorching heat of the sun along with gopis and sakhis as the swing moves to and fro in the direction of the steadily moving breeze over of the Kunjas and Vanas (gardens) of creepers in Radhakunda and Vrindavana dhama.
On the eight day following the fullmoon the Janmastami festival is observed in memory of the advent of Lord Krishna on the earth as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki to protect the bhaktas, vaisnavas from the hands of the miscreants. On this occasion, several groups of female
On the first day of this month, the Manipuri vaisnavas worship the Govardhana hill by installing a model of Govardhana, made out of cowdung. The observance is meant for recalling of the performance of Govardhana puja by Lord Sri Krishna along with the elderly members, the gopas and gopis of Vrindavana Dhama instead of worshipping Indradeva, the king of heaven. On this day, the vaisnavas and vaisnavis of Manipur will bring their earliest yearly produce for offering to Lord Sri Govindaji. All the visiting vaisnavas and vaisnavis coming for darshana are served with Govindaji prasadam.
Starting from the fourth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Hiyangei (November) there will be some special changes of Vesa (dress) of Sri Sri Radha Govinda Vigrahas over and above the normal changes of Vesa as outlined earlier. The changes in the vesa day wise during the fortnight are briefly summarized as below :
Day Nature of dress Day Nature of dress
Caturthi – mala vesa Ekadasi – Raj vesa
Panchami – Napetali vesa Dwadasi:
Sasthi – Yogi vesa (Sri Govinda) - Dwari vesa
Saptami – Nauka Dharan vesa (Sri Radha) – Rairaj vesa
Astami - Natavara vesa Trayodashi – Malini vesa
Navami - Shyama vesa Caturdashi - Payjama vesa
Dasami – Subala vesa Purnima – Natavara vesa

At night, on the day of Hiyangei Purnima (full moon night of November) Rasa lila is offered to Sri Sri Radha Govindaji in the Rasamandal. This rasalila is taken by the Manipuri vaisnavas as the most sacred since it has been offered to the Lord in commemoration of the Rasa Lila elucidated in the Srimad Bhagavatam’s 10th Canto Chapter 29 Verse 1. On the day of Gopastami (Gosthastami) the pastime of herding the cattle by the gopas of Vrindavana, along with Sri Rama Krishna are reproduced every year in the temple complex of Sri Govindaji in the form of Sansenba Lila. The selected small children of vaisnavas of Manipur play the role of the gopas in the Lila. The Vigrahas of Sri Krishna and Sri Balarama are taken out from the Mandir to the playfield of the Sansenba Lila to witness it.
On the Sukla dwadasi day of Hiyangei (the 12th day of Hiyangei), the festival of Hari Utthana is observed annually in the Sri Govindaji temple. This festival is meant for reminding vaisnavas of the fact that Lord Sri Govindaji has got up from His long rest that was started from the day of the Sukla dwadasi of Ingel (July). Among the Manipuri vaisnavas there has been a long standing belief that Lord Sri Govinda has awaken from His deep slumber on the Sukla dwadasi of Hiyangei. Lord Sri Govinda will come out to give His unlimited blessings to the devotees. This is done by organising small Ratha festival of Hari Utthana. The background of this festival is that the vaisnavas of Manipur were very much impatient to have the darshana of Gopaldeva since (it was felt) they could not have it during the past four months. They could not bear this long separation and they stole the Vigraha of Gopaldeva from the nearby local Mandir one day prior to the day of Hari Utthana. The following day Gopaldeva was brought back to the Mandir in a small Ratha to the Mandir from where the Vigraha was stolen the previous night. This pulling of the small Ratha wherein Gopaldeva is graced on the small simhasana is called Hari Utthana Kang Chingba. The vaisnavas will offer fruits and flowers to the Gopaldeva in the Ratha with sankirtana chanting “Bola Jaya Radhe, Radhe Govinda” “Chant, Glory to Radharani, Glory of Radhe Govinda”.
On this day in the Govindaji temple, many groups of male singers perform sankirtana in front of the Vigrahas of Sri Sri Radha Govinda taken out from the mandir to the Mandapa. The Nupapala sankirtana is followed by the female singers, known as Rasheswari pala. Thereafter, the arati puja is offered before the Vigrahas are taken back to the Mandir.

POINU (December):

In the month of Poinu (December) there are no special festivals of Sri Govindaji except that of regular astakala seva puja.

WAKCHING (January):

In the month of Wakching (January) Tila Sankranti is observed indicating the approach of Uttarayana (the day when the sun crosses the Tropic of Capricorn and starts entering a space of a tila (sesame) towards the equator). On this day tila is offered to Lord Govindaji and it is taken as prasadam in every vaisnava family. There is a belief among the vaisnavas that if anyone who has not taken this tila prasadam on this day he is sure to take the form of an animal like dog instead of receiving human body in the next birth.

PHAIREL (February):

On the 5th day of Phairel a festival known as Phairel Panchami is observed to mark the beginning of spring season. From this day onwards, Sri Govindaji will be dressed in yellow colour including the crown (Kokthol) till the end of Lamda (March). On this day the spring fruits and flowers namely the mango blossom, the mustard plant flowers which are perfectly yellow in colour and the pea plant flowers are offered along with sankirtana.

LAMDA (March):

The Holi festival which is taken to be the most popular religious festival is observed annually from the Sukla Ekadasi day of Lamda (March) for full five days. During this period innumerable number of Holi palas including that of women will come to Sri Govindaji’s temple for Holiseva, specially on the second day of the festival that is called Peshakari, the spraying of colours among the devotees in a very ecstatic and joyful manner. This Holi festival is known in Manipuri language as Yaoshang.
In the beginning, the Holiseva to Sri Govindaji was performed by the Holiseva dals from the four panas (divisions) of Manipur namely Khurai, Wangkhei, Khwai, Yaiskul.
Due to the presence of the waisnavas groups of Holiseva dals from various parts of Manipur for offering Holiseva, the palas to Lord Sri Govindaji Holiseva could not be restritcted to the above mentioned four panas and as such the restriction was lifted and by now any Holiseva dal could offer Holiseva to Sri Govindaji. Further, in order to accommodate the offering of all devotees, the Holiseva was started from the Sukla astami day instead of from the Ekadasi day. This was made effective from the year 1982 by a joint decision of the devotees.
On the day of Halankar (on the fifth day after the purnima) all the Holi dals from Manipur gather in the premises of Sri Govindaji and from there starts a long procession of the Holi dals led by band party from Sri Govindaji temple towards Sri Vijaya Govindaji to perform the final Holiseva of the festival.

TRADITIONALLY ACCEPTED NORMS OF VAISNAVA CULTURE.
A brief description of thè daily life of Manipuri vaisnava:

At Brahma muhurta (early dawn) on getting up from sleep, the vaisnava before getting down from the bed, will touch the mother earth first with the right hand and again touch the forehead with the same hand three times and get down with the right foot first chanting ‘Hare Krishna.’ The philosophy behind this is that everybody is to treat the earth as his/her real mother in the sense that mother earth gives ample food grains and vegetable for the sustenance of all living beings on her lap, just like the mother feeds her baby with her breast milk.
Even a child of tender age is being guided to form a habit by following into what their parents do. Then the vaisnava while coming out of the house will offer obeisances to the Tulasi plant growing in the courtyard. The children of the vaisnava family are given the understanding that the Tulasi plant is very dear to Lord Sri Krishna and thus one should beg for blessings from Tulasi plant.
The first duty of a housewife in the early morning after fìnishing Pratar Kriya (morning duties for cleansing the body) is to keep the Tulasi area clean by sweeping and smearing of it with water along with cowdung. Thereafter the Tulasi plant will be worshipped by offering incense, light, and flower and pouring water and applying the mud from the foot of the Tulasi plant on the forehead. The elderly members of the family while coming out of their houses to perform their day-to-day earning activities will move out remembering Lord Sri Krishna. This is a continued process in the daily routine activities of all Manipuri vaisnavas.
Offering of anything to Lord Sri Krishna is made by a vaisnava in a state of sanctity after taking bath, by having tilaka on the forehead and wearing clothes properly washed and dried. The prepared food is always taken as Mahaprasadam after being offered to Lord Krishna. If it is not offered to the Lord, the vaisnava will not take it. The underlying meaning of this practice is that Lord Sri Krishna is supremely merciful and His pleasure is most important to the individual devotee.
The vaisnava, after taking bath either in a pond or river, should wear a clean and washed cloth. Then he will pour sacred water collected from the pond or river over the Tulasi plant and will collect a few drops of water drifting from the leaves of the Tulasi plant with the right hand. Then he sips a few drops of water thus collected and after sipping the water he will use the ring finger of the right hand to press on the wet soil at the foot of the Tulasi plant and then applies on the forehead to make a mark of Chandana in between the two eyebrows. The vaisnava will put a Tulasi leaf in the water pot and using the very water, a paste of Chandana is being made along with a piece of earth taken from the foot of the Tulasi plant on the palm of the left hand. With the paste of Chandana, a mark of Tilaka is put on the forehead first and then, to the twelve specified parts of the body. He will offer flowers and fruits or even water to Lord Sri Govinda by chanting some of the prayer slokas in front of the small murtis or pictures usually kept inside the Chandana box. After the puja is over, he will offer the cooked items to Lord Sri Govinda and prasadam will be given to the members of the family.
In the evening after the Sandhya prayer, the members of the vaisnava family will offer obeisances to the Tulasi plant and then enter the house. Even after returning home late at night from a far place, the vaisnava will never forget offering of obeisance to the Tulasi plant before entering the house. He will never violate the principle of honouring the Tulasi plant.
When the vaisnava hears any emotional burst of someone’s anger or unsocial behaviour, he will spontaneously utter words such as- Visnu ! Visnu ! Krishna ! Krishna! He will not make any comments. He will just submit to the Lord for His kind judgement. On the other hand when he sees another vaisnava in diffìculty, he will utter, “He Radhika” to console him praying to Srimati Radhika to shower Her mercy upon the vaisnava.
The tilaka mark on the forehead is so important to a Manipuri vaisnava that no one moves out of the house without a Chandana (tilaka) mark on the forehead after taking bath. It is also customary that every vaisnava should first take bath and move out of the house to attend to one’s day-to-day business. If there is no tilaka mark on the forehead, no adults including small children will not like to attend any religious ceremonies like marriage, shraddha and other pujas, etc. This shows that Krishna conscious people consider a very high spiritual value attached to the tilaka mark on the forehead.

VAISNAVA BIRTH CEREMONY:

The moment a child is born, the first sound the child is to receive is the transcendental sound of Hare Krishna Maha Mantra given by the father of the child or the male head of the family, or by a brahmana through the ears of the child. The purpose of this is to pray to Lord Sri Krishna to make the child Krishna conscious right from the moment of birth.
On the sixth day of the birth of a child a Puja is offered to Sri Krishna with fruits, flowers and other items seeking blessings from Lord Sri Krishna for the well being of the child. This is known as Swasthi Puja. The elderly persons who are well wishers of the parents of the child are invited to offer blessings to the child.
When the child is six months old a ceremony called Chaumba is performed on a very auspicious day. A puja will be offered to Lord Sri Krishna under the guidance of an experienced brahmana. After the puja, the baby will be given solid food for the first time in the form of Krishna prasadam. Thus from childhood, he/she is introduced to vaisnava culture.
It is customary on the part of the vaisnava family to observe annual disappearance day utsava of their forefathers accompanied by devotional sankirtana and many other formal offerings to Lord Sri Krishna inviting brahmanas, friends and relatives. Performance of such devotional activities are very important.
Among the Manipuri vaisnavas there is a common belief that the hair of the child that has been growing right from the mother’s womb is preserved till the completion of four or five years. After that an auspicious day is selected for shaving the hairs. On the day, a religious prayer is offered to Lord Sri Krishna begging His unlimited blessings upon the child for a happy, long and healthy life.
There has been a long standing traditional belief among the vaisnavas that there are marks of impression in each ear of the child called Nahutpham (a place meant for making a hole in it). The holes are made on the marks of impression of the ears. An auspicious day is selected for nahutpa (piercing of ears) utsava accompanied by sankirtana and fire sacrifìce.
The Manipuri vaisnavas strictly follow the vaisnava Dharma as enshrined in the Vedas. When a child is around eleven or twelve years old he is given initiation in a ceremony under a spiritual master which is called Nagun Thangba, wearing of sacred thread. The initiation gives an idea of the second birth of the child since he has become the child of the guru, having received the spiritual knowledge. It has been a belief among the vaisnavas that life without initiation under a bonafide guru is just like someone trying to cross the vast ocean of Samsara without a destination to reach. If the boy or girl could not have initiation at the age of 12/13 years, it is compulsory that he/she should get initiation, before entering a married life, from a qualified Guru following the Guru Parampara System.

VAISNAVA DEATH CEREMONY:

When a patient is seriously ill and no hope for survival is seen, a brahmano, is called to recite Bhagavatam along with the Harinama Sankirtana so that the patient may get the opportunity of listening to the pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna and the chanting of Harinama Mahamantra. At the time of death, having taken out of the bed, the dying patient is placed on the South east corner of the court yard, called “Khangembam”, in a small thatched house erected temporarily called Shang that will be burnt along with the dead body. After having been given the idea of the journey towards his destination by the vaidya (physician), the atma of the patient will take leave of the gross body. By this time the devotional singers will continue singing Harinama.
After completion of the preparation of theè fumeral pyre meant for performing Yajna of chita, the dead body is placed inside a coffin made of wood plank being covered with a white cloth along with a Namabali immediately above the head of the dead body.
Thereafter, four persons of his/her close relatives preferably the sons or brothers will carry the coffin to the funeral ground. The Harinama sankirtana party will lead the funeral march. On reaching the funeral ground the dead body is given bath, then dwadasa tilaka is applied. Thereafter, the four carriers circumbulate the pyre once or thrice carrying the dead body. After this the body is kept on the pyre in such a manner that the other end of the coffin is to reach the other end of the chita at three intervals. The body is covered with the big logs of firewood after removing the covering clothes.
After offering puja to the firegod, the next kin of the deceased will carry a pot of water on his shoulder and holding a piece of burning wood in his right hand will go round the funeral pyre five or seven times followed by his relatives and near and dear ones. While going around the pyre the carrier of the pot will pour out some water from the pot backwards at the four corners of the funeral pyre for every round. After this the next kin of the deceased will put the burning wood below the coffin and others will follow it. He will first fan the funeral pyre with “Yangkok. ”
After returning from the cremation ground all the persons involving in the cremation process will take bath and they will be received with fire outside the gate before entering the house. A water pot with tulasi leaf will be kept in the courtyard. After given reception with fire, they will use a few drops of Tulasi water for sipping and sprinkling over the head and the body. The returning journey from the cremation ground to the house is called “Mangarakpa” in Manipuri.
Before the body gets reduced completely to ashes a small piece of bone will be taken from the forehead which will be kept somewhere in a safe place inside the hole of a small bamboo piece or small bottle. For those persons who have taken the renounced order of life, on the sixth day after the cremation, the small piece of bone kept will be collected after being purified with Vedic mantra. The piece of bone thus collected is known as “Chintamani”. This process is called Asthi Sanchaya, which involves the cleaning of a part of the cremation ground. The person who is to take the Chintamani will take bath and sit beside the brahmana who will recite vedic mantra to purify the Chintamani by using Panchagavya (cow-dung, cow-urine, cow-milk, yogurt and clarified butter) and then finally dipped in thè Gangajala (Ganges water), Ratnodaka (Diamond /gold dipped water), Gandhodaka (water mixed with chandana), Puspodaka (flower dipped water) and Kevalajala (plain water) contained in the donas (cups made of banana leaf). After the purification process, Chintamani is wrapped in a cloth preferably silk tightly. The ends of the cloth are tied up and then placed around the neck of a person who is supposed to carry the Chintamani. During the purification process, there will be kirtana to fill up the surrounding with spiritual vibration. While coming along with the Chintamani someone will use an umbrella to keep the person carrying the Chintamani covered from the sun.
During the period of the observance of Ashthi sanchaya all the participants will come wearing clean clothes, white for the male and light orange (Pungou phanek) for the female and participate in making prayer to Lord Krishna for the departed soul. The person carrying the Chintamani, on reaching the residence will move round the Srimad Bhagavatam placed in the courtyard specially cleaned and decorated under a roof in a clockwise and prostrate before the Srimad Bhagavatam and singers. Then he offers obeisances to the assembled vaisnavas and vaisnavis. This process comes to an end after offering arati to Srimad Bhagavatam.
Shraddha ceremony is observed on the fourteenth day of the disappearance of the person. On this occasion the Hari sankirtana seva is performed along with the dakshina seva to all the assembled devotees and invitees.
After the shraddha ceremony, on completion of one full month from the disappearance day, an utsava is offered to please Lord Govindaji. This is done for every month. After the completion of one year, a big Mahotsava is performed along with Hari sankirtana. This is known as “Phiroi”. Brahmanas, vaisnavas, relatives and friends are invited on this occasion.
The above mentioned discussion on the line of the traditionally accepted features of the vaisanava culture in Manipur refers to the analysis of the vaisnavism in a nutshell, which was strictly followed by the vaisnavas of Manipur before the coming of the western influence in the daily life of the Manipuris. With the coming of the western system of education, the agelong vaisnava tradition of Manipur has been seriously affected specially to the younger generation of today’s Manipur. However, there are devout vaisnavas who are strictly following the vaisnava principles.

The spiritual master is always concerned about the wellbeing of the disciples. The affection and care of the spiritual master for his disciple are clearly visible in the relationship between Srila Prabhupada and Sripada Maharaja. Srila Prabhupada’s remarks about Sripada Maharaja made during the period from 1970 to 1977 collected from conversation volume and other volumes are a garland of blessings and confidence of the spiritual master to his disciple. Some selected remarks are listed here and we, the disciples of Sripada Maharaja feel very fortunate to bave these wonderful remarks.

“I think you should not think of relinquishing your job
without meeting me and
discussing the matter deeply.
Don’t do anything out of sentiment.
You must make the best use of a bad bargain.
Unless you keep your job,
you will not be considered an important man
in the material sense. And, if you are
not an important man, then who will listen to you?”
- Letter to Svarupa Damodara Dasa, Evanston, Illinois 75-08-23

Prabhupada: “Svampa Damodara must be the best
candidate. Others, what they’ll know about it? All other
Ph.D.s, they are simply rubber stamped. Actually they
have no knowledge. Svarupa Damodara has solid
knowledge. He has learned from us. Therefore he’s writing
all these books. He has rejected his so-called scientifìc
knowledge. He has completely understood that so called
scientifìc knowledge is bogus, it has no solid background.
Now, he’s writing books on this.”
- Room Conversation, Detroit, June 15, 1976

“Therefore, out of so many scientists in the country only you and a few others are understanding the importance of this subject matter – manusyanam sahasresu.
So please work very hard,
following our rules and regulations and you will always remain in the fìre of Krishna consciousness.”
- SPL to Svarupa Damodara, 23rd June 1975

“So we have got a great mission.
You are one of the strong pillars of the mission…
Be fully strong to push on this cult amongst
the educated scientifìc circle…
When you present more scientifically,
they will be convinced.”
- SPL to Svarupa Damodara Dasa, September 8, 1974

“… so aim yourself at the top-class of men
and give them every opportunity to
become convinced of our philosophy and
engage themselves to their satisfaction.
That will be the best contribution.”
- SPL to Svarupa Damodara Dasa, December 13, 1972.

“… appeal yourself to the high class of men,
not the mass. Mass, too, we do not eliminate anyone,
but if the best men are there to run on things,
mass will follow later.”
- SPL to Svarupa Damodara Dasa, December 13, 1972.

‘Therefore, I took it so seriously. Every morning walk, I was,
“Where is the scientist?”
I thought “Here I have got an opportunity to
impress that will fructify in fruition.”
That was my aim. Therefore, I was bothering you in so many ways.’
- Room Conversation, Bombay, March 27, 1977

“If one has got unflinching faith in Krishna and His
representative, guru, then all the knowledge
will be revealed to him automatically.
Just like yourself. You are a big scientist.
You have talked with me, you have studied with me,
and you have examined me in so many ways.
And I have also spoken whatever I had knowledge.
Unless you are convinced, how you can say that
‘You are my spiritual master?”
- Lecture, Srimad-Bhagavatam 1974

Prabhupada: “So life is the origin”.
Svarupa Damodara: “Life started from life.
It cannot start from matter”.
Prabhupada: “If you establish this theory,
you will get also Nobel Prize.
Yes, try for… Yes, do it.
And all these rascals will be defeated.
Do that… Do this by your education…
Simply we have to present it scientifically.
That’s all”.
- Morning walk, Los Angeles, May 2, 1973

“If these boys, in their scientific language,
they try to convince, that will be more effective,
We are generally speaking that
“Water has come from Krishna,” or
“The earth has come from Krishna.”
That may be blind.
But if it is scientifically presented,
how it has come from Krishna,
then they cannot refute so easily.
So that I am engaging this doctor of chemistry,
Svarupa Damodara and Raya Ramananda.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s two personal associates,
Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda.”
- Room Conversation Vrindavan, October 31, 1973

“…so if I would not have students like you,
they would have taken me as crazy man.
But now I have engaged you to prove them rascals.
That is my ambition.”
- Morning Walk Bhubaneswar, February 1, 1977

“This boy was stubborn athiest. …
And he was walking with me on the seaside,
and I was chastising him,
kicking him, and refuting. (laughs)
Now he has organized this Bhaktivedanta Institute.
- Room Conversation Vrindavan, July 26, 1977

Srila Prabhupada’s Instructions to Sripada Maharaja

The quality of a genuine disciple is always to beg for the instructions of the spiritual master. The instructions of the spiritual master are the life and soul of a genuine disciple. The instructions given by Srila Prabhupada to his beloved disciple Sripada Maharaja on Scientific presentation of Krishna Consciousness among the Scientists, Philosophers and Intellectuals of the world; on Manipur; on Education and Culture and on Bhaktivedanta Institute are the real indications of the ideal relationship that exists between a genuine disciple and his spiritual master. From these instructions we can see that Srila Prabhupada had showered immense blessings upon Sripada Maharaja. These are a great source of inspiration for us as well. The instructions listed herewith in the form of “qoutes” are mainly from the Conversation Volume and Letters and Lecture Volumes of Srila Prabhupada.

Scientific Preaching of Krishna Consciousness

“Advanced people are eager to understand
the Absolute Truth through the medium
of science, and therefore a great scientist should
endeavour to prove the existence of
the Lord on a scientifìc basis.”
- Srimad Bhagavatam, 1.5.22 purport.

“Although there are so many departments
of knowledge, medicine, astronomy, etc.,
the science of God is still to be introduced.
When the scientist philosopher medical man
will get the opportunity to study systematically
what is God, what are His energies,
what is my relationship, how to approach Him,
then only there will be paradise.”
- Letter, Calcutta, June 10,1970

“If we can convince the intelligent class of
men of our Krishna philosophy then o
ur success for changing the position of your
country and the rest of the world
from a very dangerous condition is assured”
- SPL to Svarupa Damodara Dasa, Mayapur, March 1, 1972.

“As there is need of medical man, engineer or lawyer or other, similarly,
there is need of expert who knows the science of soul… The
medical man, the engineer, the archaeologist
or this or that, they are all meant for the body.
Similarly, there must be one expert section
who are meant for the soul.”
- Room conversation, Caracas, February 22, 1975

“So by study of Srimad-Bhagavatam under
the bonafìde spiritual master, one becomes
aware of the full value of life,
and then he revives his original Krishna consciousness.
That is the perfection of life. The individual soul
is already under specific material nature,
and the process is going on in lower grades of life,
but in the human form of life by advancement of education,
one can become above the modes of material nature. The
chance is given to him. This is stated in Bhagavad-gita:
yanti devavrata devan. So if he likes he can go back to
Godhead: yanti mad yajino ‘pi mam, and stop this
transmigration process. Then he comes again perfect in
Krishna consciousness.”
- SPL to Svarupa Damodara, 31 August, 1975

“Unless there is a strong body to present
God Consciousness proposals to
the leaders of the world, there will be no hope.
We have taken Bhagavad-gita as
the standard of all human activities.
If the leaders of the human society take
it as standard, then all the problems will be solved.”
- SPL, Los Angeles, June 4, 1976.

“If the scientists, philosophers,
they take up seriously then it will be good
for the general mass of people.
yad yad acarati sresthas ”
- Room conversation, Los Angeles, June 22, 1975.

“If a scientist, if he proves Krishna’s
supremacy by scientifìc law, then his knowledge in science is perfect.”
- Prabhupada Lecture, Bhagavad-Gita, Bombay, April 4, 1971.

“First of all you have to establish that
life is not from matter. Matter is from life.
Then they (referring to scientists) will be
under your control …. First of all
you have to establish this.
Why don’t you write a theory and get Nobel Prize?
This is a fact.”
- Morning Walk, May 9, 1973

“If we can prove that life comes from life,
or the soul is from the Super soul,
then all other things can be brought into
serious consideration. So you try to prove that
chemical combination can never bring about life,
this is our main argument, if we can prove
this particular subject matter,
that the soul can’t be manufactured
by combination of chemical, then gradually
we can prove that vedic knowledge is perfect,
while other sources of knowledge by speculation and imagination are all wrong.”
- Letter Date Dec. 17, 1975

“…We are now sending our representatives
all over the world to the scientists.
Here is Dr. Svarupa Damodara, Ph.D… he
was invited by many universities, schools, colleges.
So this movement is not a sentimental movement.
It is the scientific movement. It is the most elevated, scientific movement.”
- Prabhupada Lectures, Bhagavad-Gita, 1974.

On Manipur

“So, fìrst thing make your headquarters in Bombay, and make Manipur a Vaisnava state.”
- Room conversation, Mayapur, February 18, 1977

“After the G.B.C, assembly in Vrindavana,
Svarupa Damodara had travelled to Manipur
and Calcutta and was now returning to
Vrindavana to see Srila Prabhupada.
As soon as Prabhupada heard Svarupa Damodara
had arrived he asked to see him.
As usual, Srila Prabhupada treated him very
specially and gave him much time and attention.
From Prabhupada’s first meeting with
Svarupa Damodara when Svarupa Damodara
had been Thoudam Singh, a Ph.D. candidate in Physical Organic
Chemistry at University of California, Irvine, Prabhupada had
taken great care to cultivate their relationship.”
- “Srila Prabhupada Lilamrita” Vol. 6, p.333

“So make Manipur a strong centre and preach. The other side, Manipur, next is Burma?”
- Room conversation, January, 30, 1977. Bhubaneswar

“So I could understand that Manipur has
got great potential of Bhakti marga.
They are born … Babhruvahana.
You descendant of Babhruvahana, Arjuna’s son.
So let there be at least one country- ideal brahmana,
ideal ksatriya. And people are submissive to
Krishna Consciousness. I have seen. In Vrindavana and Navadvipa
there are many Manipuris.”
- Srila Prabhupada, conversation-Extra.

“… make Manipur a big centre of Vaisnava.
You are descendants of Babhruvahana.
There is no doubt about it. Vaisnava rajya.
Make Manipur a strong centre of Krishna,
and it will be easily done, strong vaisnava center,
ksatriya, I would like to see this …The Manipur is already …
For the last fìve thousand years at least,
their name is in the Bhagavatam, Manipur.
And still they are Vaisnavas. They have got temples
in Navadvipa, in Vrindavana.”
- Room conversation, Bhubaneswar, January 30, 1977.

“Pandava Arjuna:
The great hero of the Bhagavad-gita. … He married four wives, Draupadi, Subhadra,
Citrangada and Ulupi. From whom he got
four sons of the names Srutakirti, Abhimanyu,
Babhruvahana and Iravan respectively…
Royal families at Manipur and Tripura are
descendants of Arjuna’s son Babhruvahana… Similarly, he met
Citrangada, a daughter of the King of Manipura, and thus
Babhruvahana was born.”
- Bhagavatam 1. 12. 21 (PURPORT)

“Now Manipur, make a very enlightened state.
I have got very good respect for your state because
Arjuna is there, Arjuna’s son.
So you make an ideal state, Indian culture.
I wanted to go only for this reason,
that you take it very seriously, make a centre of Scientifìc Vaisnava Culture.”
- Srila Prabhupada, conversation-Extra.

“Let us have a small ideal state. If respectable gentlemen take it,
oh, it will be a great success,
an ideal state throughout the whole world,
Vaisnava state. … Show their (Manipur) policemen,
all with tilaka, and marching,
“Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare,
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Hare…”
- Room Conversation, Mayapur, February, 20, 1977

“We shall train them. Military march, Manipur.
Slogan: “Jaya Radhe! Jaya Krishna!
Jaya Babhruvahana! Jaya Arjuna!”
And then let us go …Manipur Vaisnava state,
send missionary all over the world,
bonafìde, scientifìc System of religion, ideai character.”
- Room Conversation, Mayapur, February, 20, 1977

“So… make Manipur a Vaisanava State…
There must be some state, ideal state. Just like the Russia is Communist State,
and they’re making nice propaganda, similarly we must have a Krishna conscious state.”
- Room Conversation, Mayapur, February 28, 1977

“Let us cooperate. The Manipur is already…
For the last fìve thousand years at least,
their name is in the Bhagavatam, Manipur.
And still they are Vaisnavas.
They have got temples in Navadwipa, in Vrindavana.
So Manipur have cele…”
- Room conversation, Bhubaneswar, January, 30, 1977.

“Now arrange for big festival.
There is a program, Manipur.
I want to start in that small state varnasrama idea.
That is my dream. Small state it can be done,
brahmana, ksatriya ...”
- Room conversation, Mayapur, February 14, 1977.

“So Manipuri people are very nice,
So why not organize? Rejuvenate them.
So you are the Manipur’s son.
Now you are perfect Vaisnava.
Now let us make Manipur a Vaisnava
ksatriya centre, very nice. Then make relation with Nepal.
Nepal, they are ksatriyas also.”
- Room conversation, Bhubaneswar, January 30, 1977

Svarupa Damodara:
“Cause that’s the neighbour,
it’s only about ten miles from Manipur.
Its’s close to Mandalay. Used to be..
The kings of Manipur used to invade this Burma,
especially Mandalay, to fight.
So we can go to Burma from there.”
- Room conversation, April 18, 1977, Bombay

“It is to be understood that
Parvati is the daughter of the king of the
very, very old mountainous country
known as the Manipur state…
Five thousand years ago, therefore,
when the Pandavas ruled,
Manipur existed, as did its king.
Therefore this kingdom is a very old,
aristocratic vaisnava kingdom.
If this kingdom is organized as a Vaisnava state,
this revitalization will be a great success
because for five thousand years this state
has maintained its identity.
If the Vaisnava spirit is revived there,
it will be a wonderful place,
renowned throughout the entire world.
Manipuri Vaisnavas are very famous in Vaisnava society.
In Vrindavana and Navadwipa there are many temples
constructed by the kings of Manipur.
Some of our devotees belong to the Manipur state.
The Krishna consciousness movement, therefore,
can be well spread in the state of Manipur by the cooperative
efforts of the Krishna conscious devotees.
- Srimad Bhagavatam (Purport), 9.22.3

On Education

“There are hundreds and thousands of universities
all over the world… there is no department of
knowledge where the science of the soul is taught”.
- Lecture, Bhagavad-Gita, Los Angeles, August 7, 1969

“There should be school, college to understand what is God.”
- Morning Walk, Los Angeles, December 9, 1973.

“If you have got some knowledge,
you distribute the knowledge for Krishna’s.
How you can do that?
Whatever knowledge you have got,
you try to describe Krishna…
This is the first-class distribution of knowledge.
Whatever you know, you try to explain
Krishna by that knowledge.
Just like our Dr. Svarupa Damodara.
He’s a scientist, and now he is trying to
explain Krishna through his scientific knowledge”.
- Prabhupada Lectures, Srimad Bhagavatam, 1974

“The Krishna Consciousness Movement is trying to
educate people about this science, how to go back to home,
back to Godhead. It is not a so-called religious movement.
Of course, anything which has connection with God,
you can take it as religious movement.
But it is very scientific movement.
For the big scientists, philosophers, thinkers,
they should try to understand this movement”.
- General Lecture, 1975

“Now our Ph.D.’s must, collaborate and
study the fifth canto to make the model for
building the Vedic Planetarium.
My fìnal decision is that the universe
is just like a tree, with root upwards…
So now you all Ph.D.’s must carefully study
the details of the fifth canto and make
a working model of the universe.
If we can explain the passing seasons,
eclipses, phases of the moon, passing of day and night,
etc. then it will be very powerful propaganda.
I am sending this letter to you,
and you can make photocopies of it and
send to our other Ph.D.’s and begin serious
research into the matter in detail.”
- SPL, April 27, 1977.

On Culture

“We want a stronghold of this (vedic) culture,
and I think it will be possible in Manipur.
Daivi-Varnasrama. Make. There must be
first-class brahmanas, first-class ksatriyas,
first-class vaisyas and first-class sudras also.
Never mind. Ideal. The whole world will see that
here is the real culture, Vedic culture.”
- Srila Prabhupada, conversation-Extra.

“Because your wife is fully trained as classical dancer,
even she taught in such big university,
so she can organize classical dancing to portray
stories about Krishna and His pastimes and
that will be very nice proposal. Recently in Bombay
we have held a benefit charity performance called
“Hare Krishna Benefìt” performed by the Javeri Sisters,
a famous classical dancing group from Manipur.
These dancers were depicting stories from Krishna’s
Pastimes, and the dancing was very nice.
So this art of dancing, as any art, can be also
employed in the service of glorifying the Supreme Lord.
If she is expert dancer, your wife can organize
a dancing group to depict very exquisitely
stories from our Krishna Book.”
- SPL to Prajapati, Mayapur, 25 February, 1972

On Bhaktivedanta Institute

“The purpose of the Bhaktivedanta Institute
is to achieve the distinction of human life”
- Letter dated Sept. 30, 1975

“The Institute will be primarily for those
who have not entered our temples.”
“It will be a formal education and they will get degree.
It will be open for every one, including those
who have already entered our temples,
they may also participate. But, the subject matter
should not be different from what is in the temples.”
- Letter Sept. 30, 1975

“And this (BI preaching) is solid work, yes.
It must be done. Without any hesitation,
without any impediment.
That will increase our prestige of the movement.
In suit, yes.
You get fìrst dress, then address.”
- Srila Prabhupada, Room conversation, Bombay, March 31, 1977

“So that duty is now entrusted to you,
in your hands. Do it very nicely.
Krishna will help you.”
- Srila Prabhupada, Morning Walk, Bhubaneswar, February 1, 1977

“Turn the whole building into
Bhaktivedanta Institute.
And another building start.
Yes … I want that the intelligent man
should come and learn this science.”
- Room conversation, Bombay, March 26, 1977.

“You may be knowing that we nave formed
one party of scientists under the leadership of
Sriman Svarupa Damodara Prabhu.
Also we have formed the Bhaktivedanta Institute
for organizing scientific presentations
of Krishna Consciousness.
This party is our most important preaching arm
with which we will be able to destroy the bogus
speculation and cheating which goes under
the banner of scientific advancement.
Therefore, I have got great hope for
Svarupa Damodara and his colleagues.
I want them to travel vigorously throughout the world
to lecture in all universities and other institutions.
There is no lack of fìnancial resources and we shall spare
nothing to see to this party’s success.”
- SPL to Amarendra Das, April 2, 1977.

“Whenever you speak,
speak scientifìcally about Krishna’s existence.
Our mission is to turn the people to become devotees
so that they can see Krishna.”
- Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Svarupa Damodara, September 8, 1974

“So you make it a point, six months outside, six months here.
And all your expenditure
will be spent by the Society.
We shall beg and pay if there is no income.
But they must be allowed to go from
place to place. That is our real business.”
- Srila Prabhupada, Room Conversation with Svarupa Damodara, Bhubaneswar, February 3, 1977

“Make a strong party and you travel extensively
all over the world, amongst the scientists,
and whatever amount is required, I shall spend.”
- Srila Prabhupada, Room conversation, Bombay, March 31, 1977

“I want to give you the best place in Bombay.
Because you have to invite so many respectable,
big scientists.”
- Srila Prabhupada, Room conversation Vrindavana, June 21, 1977

“The whole human society
is affected by this misleading theory.
We have to make program,
go from place to place and invite all big men,
all scientists.”
- Srila Prabhupada, Morning Walk, Los Angeles, May 3, 1973

“This is the beginning.
And arrange for such conference
one after another, many…. Do something
for that before my departure.
I can see something.”

Svarupa Damodara: The question that I wrote to Srila Prabhupada, the answer that Srila Prabhupada gave me was that the cells in the body and the jivatma that resides in the heart, they are different living entities. But my understanding was directed to the relationship between the two, the jivatma in the cells and the jivatma in the heart, how they are related, how they…
Prabhupada: They are separate identity.
Svarupa Damodara: But it looks like, though, in the material body the one cannot exist without another. They look like interdependent.
Prabhupada: That may be, but still, they are individuals.
Ravindra Svarupa: When the jiva in the heart dies, then all the other cells in the body also have to die.

Morning Walk with Prabhupada

Prabhupada: No.
Ravindra Svarupa: No, they don’t. But when the body decays, doesn’t everything…
Prabhupada: No. Dead body so many germs come out.
Ravindra-svarupa: Oh.
Prabhupada: How it comes?
Svarupa Damodara: But that is different, though. When a body dies, then there are many germs from outside that…
Prabhupada: Living entities within the body, they come out, hundreds and thousands. They have not died. Suppose in this jungle there are so many living entities. If I die, what has got to do with them?
Svarupa Damodara: But science tries to understand what is life and in order to do that they just want to understand what is cell. Because science tries to understand what is life, and in order to do that they just want to study what is the cell because cells are the smallest living units of life. That is their understanding. So once they understand what a cell is, then they know what life is. That is their aim. So if the cells and the jivatma within the heart, they are different and they are independent, then they cannot conceive of just having a jivatma in the heart.
Prabhupada: That… The particular jivatma who has been given this body, he is living in the heart.
Ravindra Svarupa: But according to the scientists, our body is made up of little cells just like a brick wall is made up of so many individual bricks. Each… Like in one piece of skin there is…
Prabhupada: That’s all right. That is body. Just like I live in a house. The house is made of so many bricks. But I am not brick.
Ravindra Svarupa: But they say that…
Prabhupada: “They say!” They are foolish, we always say. Because I am living in a house consisting of so many bricks, it does not mean that I am brick.
Ravindra Svarupa: But is each cell an individual living entity?
Prabhupada: That I do not know. What do you mean by cell? But there are many living entities within this body. That we know.
Svarupa Damodara: That is different from the concept of cell. there are many living entities like germs…
Prabhupada: So concept of cell is the cell is just like bricks. Matter and spirit, two things are there. Either it must be matter or must be spirit.

DR TD Singh (Sripada M) Conversation With Prabhupada

Ravindra Svarupa: But it’s seen that the scientists, they can take some skin from your body and by putting in different solutions can keep that skin itself alive for such a long time. They have taken the heart of a chicken out of the chicken’s body and then kept it beating for so many hours even though that heart was away from the main chicken. Or they take some other tissue and keep it alive. So they say that each cell is an individual living being.
Prabhupada: So we have no objection.
Ravindra Svarupa: That is all right. So there is a spirit soul in every…
Prabhupada: No, no. All right or not all right I don’t say. But if they say like that, we have no objection
Svarupa Damodara: So the understanding to find out what life is is just to study what a cell is. That is their… They say that cells are composed of these molecules.
Prabhupada: What is the position of the cells when the man dies?
Svaupa Dämodara: The cells are dead. The cells that compose the body, they are dead. There are may be new living entities coming from different parts, but the cell that composed the human body is dead. They cannot reproduce anymore.
Prabhupada: So what is your proposal? That cell is life?
Svarupa Damodara: Yes.
Prabhupada: So can you develop life from the cells? As you said that you take the skin and you keep, so take the cells and develop into life.
Svarupa Damodara: That’s called culturing of the cells. They can culture it.
Prabhupada: That’s all right. Whether you have done it.
Ravindra Svarupa: Well, they have that process called cloning?
Svarupa Damodara: No, no, this is the culture. That means take a cell from a living tissue, and you culture it and you supply the sufficient nutrients. Then theoretically they will grow forever. They will divide. They will…
Prabhupada: So they will grow to a human being?
Svarupa Damodara: Not a human being, but the cells just divide.
Prabhupada: Then an ant, an ant?
Svarupa Damodara: No.
Prabhupada: Then what is this? (laughter)
Svarupa Damodara: (laughing) But the cell is still alive.
Prabhupada: But you said that as soon as the man dies, they also die.
Svarupa Damodara: That is what my question arose, how these, the relationship between the jivatma in cells and the jivatma in the heart.
Prabhupada: The jivatma… If the cells are living entities, then why do they not remain? Just like other living entities, they remain in the body and they come out. Even the man who has died, he is not there, but the other living entities are there.
Svarupa Damodara: So it seems that the cells are not independent. They are somehow controlled by the jivatma or the… Of course, Paramätmä is controlling everything. But I know sometimes the cells that compose the body of a living body, it seems that they are not independent; they are dependent.
Prabhupada: That may be. But what about your cultivating living entities from the cells?
Svarupa Damodara: Yes, that can be done. That they have already done.
Prabhupada: “That can be done,” you say everything. But you never done.
Ravindra Svarupa: They call it… You know that? They call it cloning?
Svarupa Damodara: Cloning is a different process, though. Cloning is just they take the life from the genes from different species and put this together and form a new species called hybrids of some living entity.

is a cell a life?

Ravindra Svarupa: The scientists say that the cells reproduce not by mating but by splitting in half…
Prabhupada: That is possible.
Svarupa Damodara: But once Srila Prabhupada told us, though, that I am in the heart and…
Prabhupada: I am an individual.
Svarupa Damodara: Yes.
Prabhupada: So that is my position. I live in the heart, and I go away. Other living entities may remain there.
Gurudäsa: When a heart is transplanted does the soul stay in the heart?
Prabhupada: Yes.
Svarupa Damodara: I want to clarify another that Prabhupada told us that compared with the cells, I am a little bigger god, but the cells are smaller. Just like we are serving spiritual master. Similarly, the cells are serving. They have no choice in the…
Prabhupada: Yes. That is good idea. Yes.
Svarupa Damodara: So similarly, we were discussing with the Balavanta Prabhu one day about the… He was giving a nice example that in a kingdom where the king stays… Just like Srila Prabhupada’s example: living in an apartment. Srila Prabhupada and disciples and many other living entities stay in the same apartment, but a person, an individual, who knows his position, is to serve the order of the head of the apartment. But somebody doesn’t follow. He just goes away from the apartment. So Balavanta was asking what is the use of that? So similarly, when the cells… We can take out from one part of the body and can culture it, but what is the use? It produces, but actually it’s not really behaving as it should. It has no value.
Prabhupada: Yes. They are just like machine parts. Parts and parcels, they are helping the whole machine work.
Svarupa Damodara: About Guru däsa prabhu’s point, when the heart transplant, the soul stays in the subtle body. Is that sound?
Prabhupada: Yes. Soul is always staying in the subtle body, and the subtle body is left when he goes to God or kingdom of God.

Kingdom Of God

Ravindra Svarupa: One thing I’m trying to understand is how is it that the soul wants different things and then the material body acts according to the desires of the soul? So there is a cause and thereis an effect. Normally all our cause and effect, we see one material thing causing another material thing to happen. But how is it the spirit causes? What is the connection that spirit causes matter to do so many things? The spirit is manipulating the matter, but how? How is that contact there?
Prabhupada: Contact? It is already in contact. You are in the material body. It is already in contact.
Ravindra Svarupa: But I don’t understand how that contact is working.
Prabhupada: Contact is working under the direction of God. The individual soul desires, and God arranges to fulfill his desire with the help of prakrti.
Ravindra Svarupa: So when I want to move my hand, when I want to move this hand and so I will to move my hand, actually there has to be God involved in that action. Otherwise the hand won’t move.
Prabhupada: Paralyzed.
Ravindra Svarupa: Paralyzed.
Prabhupada: When your hand is paralyzed what you can do?
Ravindra Svarupa: Do actually I don’t directly do anything with matter. It is all Krishna’s doing everything with the matter.
Devotee: “Man proposes, God disposes.”
Prabhupada: Yes.
Ravindra Svarupa: Also I heard that also in every act of…, like if I want to blink my eyelid, also there is a demigod. What is the necessity of so many demigods? Why can’t Krishna directly…
Prabhupada: That how you can know? You are not the director. Director knows how many assistants he requires. You cannot know… You are under the direction. You are not director. [break] …not a mechanic he cannot understand why there are so many parts in the motor car. He is a fool. He doesn’t know. But a mechanic knows that these things are required.
Guru däsa: If the soul cannot be burnt, why does the desire to be burnt in the material world there? Burnt, drowned…
Svarüpa-damodara: Destroyed.
Prabhupada: He is not destroyed. When this body cannot work any more… Because this body is a machine. So a machine, if he does not move, then you, have to change to another machine.
Svarupa Damodara: The desire is not… Actually it is not burned; it just changed. The desire is changed to for a higher purpose. We have a choice between the subtle desires. Just change is the there from one to another.
Prabhupada: No, the same example: just like in a motor car you desire to go this side, but the machine is stopped, so you have to accept another motor car. It is like that, to fulfill your desire. After all it is a machine. Machine is matter. So it has got a time to work. When it is not working, then you change to another machine to fulfill your desire.
Guru däsa: If God, Krishna, desires the motor car to turn right, what makes the car turn left?
Prabhupada: Not Krishna desires. You desire. Krishna helps you. Krishna desires you give up all this nonsense and surrender to Him. Only He desires that. But if you don’t do, you will desire so many things.
Svarupa Damodara: It remains a mystery to great thinkers that though the soul is pure by nature and transcendental, but somehow it is trapped in the subtle and gross body and…
Prabhupada: Because he desired. Krishna bhuliya jiva bhoga vaïchä kare. When he wants to enjoy this material world… In the spiritual world there is only one enjoyer. And in the material world everyone is a enjoyer. He is planning in his own way how to enjoy. That is material world. In the spiritual world the enj…, is Krishna, and all others is helping in His enjoyment. But in material world everyone is thinking, “I am enjoyer,” and he is planning in his own way.
Devotee (1): Srila Prabhupada, modern philosophy is teaching that the forces of greed and lust and these things are greater than man, that actually… This concept that we are eternal, full of knowledge and bliss, they cannot accept that or understand that. They’re thinking that the powers of evil are much greater, and we’re just controlled by these things.
Prabhupada: Therefore they are fools. When a man’s lusty desire is very strong, he commits, what is called, rape, and he becomes complicated in criminal activities. Käma esa krodha esa rajo-guna-samudbhavah. Why one is forced to do that? The cause is lusty desires, anger, greediness. So we are thinking we are master of this material world, but actually you are servant of these desires, käma, krodha, lobha, mohaù. And that is mäyä. He is acting as servant, but he’s thinking, “I am master.” That is mäyä, which is not the fact. Just like yesterday we were discussing that the women, they are acting as instrument of men, and they are thinking, “We have equal rights.” A man is utilizing her for his own purpose, and she is thinking “I am equal.”
Ravindra Svarupa: I think you really surprised them when you told them that this women’s liberation is just a trick by the men just to increase the class of prostitutes, available prostitutes.
Prabhupada: Free prostitutes. You go to a prostitute; you have to pay. Here they have arranged in such a way that free prostitute loitering on the street, and you can enjoy any one. This is their plan. They are rendered into beggar, and they are thinking equal rights.
Devotee (2): Srila Prabhupada, what does it mean that the soul is immovable?
Prabhupada: Immovable? Where it is?
Devotee (2): It states this in Bhagavad-gita.
Prabhupada: What is this? What is the verse?
Devotee (2): I don’t know exactly. It’s in the Second Chapter. Krishna’s describing the nature of the spirit soul to Arjuna. Does anyone know that verse?
Nitäi : Sthanur acalo ’yam…?
Prabhupada: Immovable in this sense: when he is fixed up in a certain body, then he is immovable from that body. Acalo ’yam sthanuù, sthanuù. Just like we’re speaking of transplanting the heart. That does not mean you move the soul. That is immovable.
Devotee (3): Srila Prabhupada, the pure devotee’s spirit soul is not trapped by the gross and subtle bodies?
Prabhupada: Yes, when he is liberated by devotional service. Sa guëän samatétyaitän brahma-bhüyäya kalpate [Bg. 14.26].
Devotee (4): Prabhupada, when we try to explain to people that our philosophy of Krishna consciousness is authoritative and is coming from undisturbed men, learned men, that our spiritual master is not an ordinary man, what does it mean that he is not an ordinary man?
Prabhupada: He is not moved by the rascal scientist. (laughter) All rascals are moved by the so-called scientists.
Svarupa Damodara: Srila Prabhupada… (laughter)
Prabhupada: (laughing) The scientist is angry.
Svarupa Damodara: The soul is trapped as well as untrapped in the material body…
Prabhupada: Because he wanted to be trapped.
Svarupa Damodara: But sometimes it is also untrapped. But sometimes he is also free.
Prabhupada: No, by nature, he is not mixed up with these material things, but he is entrapped by his free will. Just like we are staying here. We are not bound to stay here, but we have come here. Nobody has forced us to come here.
Svarupa Damodara: So is that philosophy, simultaneously one and different…
Prabhupada: Yes.
Svarupa Damodara: …that acintya-bhedäbheda is also applicable in the case of…
Prabhupada: No, soul never mixes with the matter. Now I have come here, I am not mixed up with this jungle.
Svarupa Damodara: But it looks like it…
Prabhupada: It looks like. That is another thing. Asaìgo ’yaà puruñaù. The Vedic injunction is” “The puruña, the soul, is never complicated or mixed up with this.” Because just like oil and water, it never mixes. The oil keeps its separate identity in water.
Svarupa Damodara: Yes. But if you put in a body, though they cannot be mixed, but they can stay together. Like in a chemical laboratory we take a test tube. In the test tube I can mix two solutions like, for example, mercury and water and oil. They will not mix, but they will stay in the same test tube. But a man who knows about the art of separating those three mixtures can do it very nicely.
Prabhupada: Yes. Similarly, soul does not mix with the matter and by this art, transcendental knowledge, you can become out of it.
Svarupa Damodara: So that’s why we need a process and someone who knows the process of.
Prabhupada: The process is bhakti-yoga. Sa guëän samatétyaitän: [Bg. 14.26] “Anyone who has taken to this bhakti-yoga,” mäà ca vyabhicariëi bhakti-yogena yaù sevate, “he immediately becomes free from the mixture of these three guëas.” Sa gunän samatétyaitän brahma-bhüyäya kalpate [Bg. 14.26]. “He again revives his Brahman nature.” Ahaà brahmäsmi. Brahma-bhütäh prasannätmä: [Bg. 18.54] Then he understands that ‘I have no connection with these all nonsense things. I am brahma-bhütäh.’ ”
Devotee (4): Prabhupada, we’re in this material world, in this human body, we’re having to work with this intelligence, with mind, material things. So there is a group of philosophers that say that actually because we’re a product, our mind, the way we’re thinking now is a product of our upbringing and our past, that actually we have no free will, but we’re forced to think and act in a certain way.
Prabhupada: Why you are forced?
Devotee (4): Because of conditioning.
Prabhupada: Then that you have to admit that you are conditioned by some authority. When you are put into jail, you cannot act independently. You have to act according to the jail superintendent’s order.
Devotee (3): Prabhupada, is our desire to be eternal, blissful and full of knowledge…
Prabhupada: Now let me finish. You will never be able to understand if you jump over like that. Let one thing be understood.
Devotee (4): So he admits he’s conditioned, but still, there’s no free will. He says, “Yeah, so I’m in the prison. I’m imprisoned. I’m conditioned.”
Prabhupada: No, no, no. Free will… Just like a man commits theft by his free will. But when he is put into jail, then no more free will. He has to act according to the jail superintendent. But his beginning of jail life is free will. Nobody asked him that “You go to jail.” But why he has come? He knows also that “When I am put into jail, I will lose all my freedom.” He knows that. Still, he comes. Why does he come? He knows that. That is called ajnäna. Müdha. That is called müdha. He knows; still, he does.
Svarupa Damodara: He is taking a chance.
Prabhupada: Yes, that means he is becoming implicated.
Svarupa Damodara: He thinks that maybe he will be free, that…, if sometimes there’s also a chance that he will be caught.
Prabhupada: That is ajïäna. As soon as he, “may be,” that means ajïäna.
Devotee (4): So that’s why we originally fell down?
Prabhupada: Knowledge must be solid. There is no question “of maybe,” no. Just like if you touch fire, there is no question of “maybe.” It must burn you. You may think, “It may not burn,” but that is your foolishness.
Ravindra Svarupa: So they think that they can enjoy material nature but not be implicated.
Prabhupada: Yes. Not implicated. He is already implicated. There is no question of maybe. Must.
Devotee (5): So when we fell down from the spiritual world…
Prabhupada: Then you must suffer. There is no question, “maybe.”
Devotee (5): When we fell down we were thinking, we could enjoy like that, in the same way?
Prabhupada: Yes, that is foolishness. And we are making our plan how to enjoy. That is our foolishness. And Krishna says “You give up all these nonsense plans. Come to Me.”
Devotee (5): Is this example proper, that a son is being well taken care of by the father, but sometimes he’s thinking, “I can enjoy more some other way?”
Prabhupada: Yes. Yes.
Svarupa Damodara: Srila Prabhupada, can I change the topic? Last, day before yesterday, morning, Prabhupada said that plants are more highly developed than the fish or the aquatics. But someone may ask what about the dolphins and the seals. They are regarded as very intelligent and highly developed.
Prabhupada: Every living entity has a particular type of intelligence which is greater than the other.
Svarupa Damodara: No, in the evolutionary cycle. Talking about the…
Prabhupada: No, evolutionary, cycle, the body may change, but every living entity has got a special advantage upon the others.
Ravindra Svarupa: What is the advantage of a tree, Srila Prabhupada?
Prabhupada: You see how they are standing there for five thousand years. You cannot do it. You cannot do it even for five minutes.
Svarupa Damodara: Actually the trees are absolutely necessary for the survival of animals.
Prabhupada: That is another thing. We say nothing is necessary, simply Krishna is necessary. That is material conception: “This is necessary. This is necessary.” But Krishna says, “Nothing is necessary.” Sarva-dharmän parityajya [Bg. 18.66]. You are simply planning and becoming entangled with so-called “necessary.”
Svarupa Damodara: But that is on the spiritual platform.
Prabhupada: You can create spiritual platform immediately. Sa guëän samatétyaitän [Bg. 14.26]. If you fully engage yourself in devotional service, immediately you are above this material conception.
Svarupa Damodara: So the concept that the three modes of material nature, they’re working all species, so it’s not the…
Prabhupada: They are directing. Just like in the jail there are different departmental management, similarly, this management is required because you are in the jail. If you don’t go to jail, the management may be closed. But you are thinking, “If I do not go to jail, how it will exist?” That is your business, say that “If we all become liberated, how this world will go on?” They say like that, as if it is very necessary.
Devotee (3): Srila Prabhupada, is the subtle bodies in the subtle world, are they made up of subtle atoms?
Prabhupada: Subtle body means subtle atoms. So if we are in subtle body, so whatever there is in the subtle body, everything is there.
Devotee (6): Prabhupada, sometimes on Sankirtana we say that the human form of life is the highest because in this form we can understand God, and they say, “Well, what about the dolphins? You know, they’ve been doing experiments with the dolphins, and they’ve been finding out that the dolphins have their own conversations and things like that.”
Prabhupada: So what they have done with the dolphins? They are talking only. What they have done? Simply theorizing. [break]
Prabhupada: (in car) …improved anything.
Ravindra Svarupa: No.
Prabhupada: They are going on ciraà vicinvan. Forever they are simply thinking, and no improvement has done.
Ravindra Svarupa: Of course, they promise that they will be able to do so many…
Prabhupada: That everyone can, a child can also promise. That is another thing.
Ravindra Svarupa: [break] …the cells because they say that the cells are the fundamental unit of life and if they can understand even a very simple cell, then they think perhaps they can find the principles to understand everything living.
Prabhupada: Well, this “perhaps…”
Ravindra Svarupa: But they can’t understand the cell.
Prabhupada: Yes. So their “perhaps,” “maybe,” is going on. And that will continue.
Ravindra Svarupa: Why does the living entity wish to speculate in this way?
Prabhupada: He has been given a special advantage to think of God, but instead of thinking God, he is thinking all these rubbish things, which he will never be able to fulfill. Misusing. The thinking power he is misusing.
Ravindra Svarupa: So this mental speculation or this “perhaps” and “maybe” is a misuse of his specific power to understand God.
Prabhupada: Yes, yes. Athäto brahma jijnasa. The life, human life, is meant for enquiring about God, and God is explaining Himself about God. Instead of studying Bhagavad-gita very scrutinizingly, they are wasting time. “The cells, this, that, atom.” That’s all, wasting time Just like we are driving this car. So we can utilize it for going from one place to another. So there is no need of studying how the car is moving, how many parts are there.
Ravindra Svarupa: But still, people seem to have always a curiosity about these things.
Prabhupada: Yes. That curiosity is explained in the Bhagavad-gita that it is a machine and there are many subtle parts of the machine. So you have been given this machine. You utilize it properly. Why you are busy in studying the different parts? The different parts are there undoubtedly. But you cannot actually understand.
Ravindra Svarupa: We’re going to take a picture, Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada: All right. (end)

(ACBSP. Morning Walk, July 14, 1975, Philadelphia.)

So in conclusion what we are engineering through the cloning process is a living being who would ordinarily by generative natural selection of proproirtership be of an inferior nature in the “pecking order” of domination over the person who pervades the body when cloning takes place. Under normal insemination that is attracted by the conglomerate consciousness of the mother and father of the issue, and the subsequent nurturing and growth, and bonding that takes place to enable the “human psyche” to delevop properly, enabling security, love, appreciation, gratitude etc to develop, some of the finer sentiments of human culture. Without which insensitive, impersonal, artificially conceived, laboritory harvested and grown, and then trained……. certainly leaves something of a vacuum, a vast lacking in what it takes to be a REAL and cultured member of the human race.

See my link here to reveal the technicalities of the nature of the Jivatma (soul). This page looks at the soul who inhabits a body, any body, every body, and reveals simply the cheating nature of the material scientists. You may remember in the days when they said they would create life in the test tube….. but then actually what they did was to replicate the conditions of the womb in a test tube and then follow the same process of insemination but in a lab’ in a test tube – simply trying to re-invent the wheel, and got paid millions of tax payer dollars for doing it.

BHAGAVAD-GITA 14:4

BHAGAVAD-GITA 16:9

BHAGAVAD-GITA 16:10

Source:

http://www.hknet.org.nz/cloning.htm

According to Vedanta [summative Vedic techings], the Supreme Lord expands and accompanies each and every living entity in order to guide his/her activities. This is seen in the form of inspiration or a sudden flash of insight experienced by scientists at the time of discovery, and by poets and artists in different circumstances.

Let us consider the example of a spaceship. We make these spaceships and send them out in space with astronauts with some specific plan and purpose. If we look inside the spaceship, we will find that each and every part will have a purpose in the overall working of the spaceship to achieve the objective for which it was designed. Such is the case with all the wonderful planets moving in this vast universe. According to Vedanta, all the different planets and luminaries moving at different speeds and with a variety of facilities and atmospheric conditions are created under the supervision of the Supreme Lord for a definite purpose. Observation of the wonderful intelligence and specialty in the laws of the universe has led many scientists to conceive the divine hand of God behind creation. Newton, whose laws of motion and gravitation gave birth to the age of science, said, “This most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.” Similarly, Nicholas Copernicus felt that “the universe has been brought for us by a supremely good and orderly Creator.”

Kepler, who gave three famous laws of planetary motion, felt God’s presence in His wondrous variety of creation. At the end of the fifth book on Cosmic Harmony Kepler writes, “I have endeavored to gain for human reason, aided by geometrical calculation, an insight into His way of creation; 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 and guard me from reporting anything about His work which cannot be justified before His magnificence or which may 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 … .” All these above statements of scientists support the role of the Paramatma feature of the Lord in the life of everyone.

Paramatma is the partial expansion of the Supreme Person. This feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is responsible for inspiration, discovery, creativity and movement of all living entities. As stated by the Lord in Bhagavad-gita, “I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness.”

The Theory of Big Vision can answer many of the questions of which one can find no solution in the Big Bang model. Why are there so many different planets and when and how will our universe end? According to Vedantic cosmology, these different planets are created to fulfill different desires of different living beings and our universe is a closed universe, which will end in 155.518 x 10 to the 12 power years. Based on Vedantic cosmology, the Theory of Big Vision further tells us that the present age of the universe is 155.522 x 10 to the 12 power years.

Please Explore more on this topics from TD Singh Book: “Vedanta and Science Series,”  “Life and Spiritual Evolution”, “Life Matter and Their Interactions”

(Sent By gopijana of www.Mayapur.com on Mon, 2009-09-28 17:33.

(Visuddha-sattva Prabhu who was working with Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja since about 1980 on the scientific preaching, particularly in pursuance of the instructions Prabhupada gave to Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja to gather up all our PhDs and present the Vedic Planetarium.)

Visuddha-sattva Prabhu: It is my honor to say a few words about my godbrother Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja, with whom I had to the work very closely in the last thirty years. I know that it is not possible to glorify Vaisnavas in a short time, eight-ten minutes. I will try to do my best to some glorification of His Holiness Sripad Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja because I have very few things to say that nobody knows about his pastimes, even some confidential things about his departure.

As were saying Jayapataka Maharaja, Hrdayananda Maharaja, Sesa Prabhu, the qualities of Svarupa Damodara Maharaja as Vaisnava are very wonderful. He was a very special disciple of Srila Prabhupada. of course, Prabhupada, like all fathers, eternal well-wishers, he likes every disciple, but there are some special disciples who are more surrendered.

So Prabhupada through his instrument Svarupa Damodara Maharaja made this specific task to preach to the academic community against the atheistic theory that life comes from matter. So there was this conversation in Venice Beach between Srila Prabhupada and Svarupa Damodara Maharaja in the form of a book, everyone knows that book, “Life Comes From Life”.

By the arrangement of Krsna, they met each other under very special circumstances. I want to explain to Vaisnavas what is not well-known: how Srila Prabhupada met Svarupa Damodara Maharaja. He was preparing his thesis in physical organic chemistry in University of California in Irvine. His very close friend was Dr. Rao, also a PhD student. He was Indian. Maharaja was also Indian, from Manipur.

In fact, Maharaja was naisthika-brahmacari from birth. This is another quality that should be mentioned. Along with his gentleness, he was a perfect gentleman, very charming, very humble, very simple, at the same time very learned. This is the quality of Vaisnava, to be humble. He was PhD, but he was always very aware of his mission entrusted by Srila Prabhupada.

Hrdayanada Maharaja said Prabhupada made him a perfect instrument to be an ambassador for preaching to the academic community because Prabhupada knew that if we can defeat this materialistic tendency, because the scientists are the leaders, then the International Society for Krishna Consciousness will have credit. So Maharaja was acting in tune with Prabhupada to be his perfect instrument to defeat these, as Bhagavad-gita says:

mayayapahrta-jnana asurah bhavam asritah.

So Maharaja met Srila Prabhupada when he was a PhD student at the insistence of his friend Dr. Rao. It was in Los Angeles, “I want to go to see Srila Prabhupada.”

He insisted at different times that he go to see Srila Prabhupada, but he [Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja] said, “No, because I am very busy with my thesis.”

For one month again and again he insisted, his friend Rao. Finally, he said, “If you are not coming today, I won’t be your friend anymore.”

So Maharaja, at that time, said, “OK, I will go with you.” So he met Prabhupada.

As soon as he met Prabhupada, he knew that they are both scientists from Manipur and India, he said, “You are both coming to USA to steal scientific knowledge and to get money, but I gave to give a very valuable thing through this Krsna consciousness.” Those are the words that very much impressed Svarupa Damodara Maharaja. He became convinced in his heart. The rest is history.

I want to say a few words about his departure. I had the honor to work with him very closely. He was superior to me in many ways, but by his compassion, his mercy, as his disciples were saying, he was always showing a lot of compassion to everybody. He was the perfect ambassador of how to deal with the scientists, especially Nobel laureates.

Prabhupada’s message came through him because Prabhupada told him to establish BI, Bhkativedanta Institute, for this specific purpose of preaching to the academic community. Otherwise, they may not accept this wonderful movement as strong and understand consciousness. Prabhupada wanted him to play that role. I think that he accomplished this task very wonderfully.

I remember that I was in Bombay. I came to India in 1979. I was sankirtana leader in Caracas. I was working under the GBC, Hrdayananda Maharaja, at that time. I went to the BBT in Los Angeles. I met Svarupa Damodara Maharaja for the first time there. Svarupa Damodara was brahmacari. He was staying in the BBT apartment. I was very impressed, as with Gaura Govinda Maharaja, when I met him for the first time, with his humility.

He told me, “I know that you are mathematician doing research on Fifth Canto, so please you join BI.”

So I went to Bombay and joined. I was in Bombay for many years with other scientists, Madhava Puri, who has a PhD in quantum physics. So we were with Maharaja very closely. We traveled together to different places all over the world, conferences in San Francisco, Los Angeles. Here in India we had a special alliance with Professor George ?, a Nobel laureate in Bombay, and Nobel laureates in Delhi. I remember one All-Indian Science Conference in Delhi, there were three Nobel laureates, and a Nobel laureate in quantum physics also.

Anyway, Maharaja was empowered by Srila Prabhupada as a special disciple. As Sesa Prabhu was saying, his determination, even in the time of obstacles and impediments and disagreement, he was fixed in the determination to follow the instruction of his spiritual master. This is a very nice quality to remember in this memorial about his character. His personality was fixed.

For the last few years, I also had the honor to be very close with him. He was very intensely preaching here in India. Maharaja told me . . . . Maybe I can tell you, even about his departure.

During the Manipur blast, I was supposed to come to India in July. Then by arrangement of Krsna, the ticket never came. I complained to Krsna, “Why, Krsna, why?” In fact, Krsna is unbelievable. His plan is acintya. He had some plan for my humble self. So I could not come to Manipur, it was that blast. Bhojadeva was there. He was severely injured during the rasa-lila. It is Vaisnava state. Some criminal activity threw some grenade. It was big blast. Five local Manipuri devotees died. Almost forty-fifty devotees were injured. Bhojadeva Prabhu was one of them. He protected Maharaja so that he did not die. All these were signs together.

Maharaja told me very confidentially, “Maybe I don’t have more time left in this world. I am already sixty-one.”

I said, “Maharaja, what will happen to the Bhaktivedanta Institute because the disciples . . . . Who is going to continue this mission, vision of Srila Prabhupada, this legacy?”

He was saying, “Let’s see. Everything is in the hands of the Lord. We are insignificant. He should carry on the mission of Srila Prabhupada.”

With this very intensity, even in year 2006, we did Govardhana Parikrama together. He never did Govardhana Parikrama, but he did parikrama naked feet. Brijabasis told me, I spent many years in Vrindavan, “We respect Svarupa Damodara Maharaja because he has the qualities of a sadhu, titiksava karunika. He is very compassionate, very merciful, very charming person, also his smile.”

He was empowered by Srila Prabhupada how to deliver Krsna consciousness to that difficult academic community. In fact, he was the only disciple of Srila Prabhupada who wrote a book during the presence of His Divine Grace, “Scientific Basis of Krsna consciousness”. Prabhupada was very pleased. At that time, ’76, ’77, we had a conference in Vrindavan. Prabhupada was very pleased with him giving reports every day.

In the departure of Prabhupada, the antya-lila, final pastimes of His Divine Grace in Vrindavan, he also had close association, Svarupa Damodara. In fact, from one o’clock to three o’clock, he was nearby the bed of Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada told to him in Bengali. He told to me, “Prabhupada, told me in Bengali.” Maybe when we are going to pass away, we talk in our mother tongue. Of course, Prabhupada was transcendental. He came from the spiritual world to save us. He was an emissary of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, parama karuna. He was nearby the bed of Srila Prabhupada.

He was speaking many, many things only about Bhaktivedanta Institute. Prabhupada said, “Bhaktivedanta Institute is a more prestigious branch of ISKCON. If we can convince the scientists that will be for the glory of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.”

I want to say to finalize, I have many, many things to say about him. I was fortunate to get close association, intimate relation. Prabhupada made him GBC for life. One thing I learned from him is tolerance and humility. It may be easy to be humble, but it is very difficult to be tolerant. So the last year, the last two years, he was very disgusted, very sour from many misunderstandings, circumstances from his Godbrothers. He told me, “Anyway, I will be obedient to Prabhupada and I will be fixed in my determination to carry on that mission that Prabhupada instructed to me.”

So he was worrying about that conference in Puri, Jagannath Puri. He was the chairman. We organized a Second All-Indian Student Conference for Science. The first was held in Vrindavan after his Vyasa-puja in 2005. So this past December 9-10, we held that conference. I made a presentation on Vedic Cosmology in his honor.

Before that, in Vrindavan, I’ll just take one minute more because it’s important, about his departure. We say that Svarupa Damodara Maharaja died because of a massive heart attack, but it was not so. I will reveal for the first time in the presence of Radha-Madhava, asta-sakhis, and Vaisnavas what was the real departure.

I called him two days before. From Vrindavan, I called Calcutta. Some disciple told me that Guru Maharaja has high fever. So he was last recorded, his last address to the disciples, “Thank you very much for all the service you are doing for me and Prabhupada, etc.” But some perception came to my heart by the mercy of Prabhupada and Radha-Krsna that said that Maharaja wants to leave.

So that night, about ten o’clock, he was in his apartment in Bhaktivedanta Institute in Calcutta, M.P. Road. Maharaja woke up and complained about some pain in his left shoulder. He asked a disciple taking care of his publications, to bring some ice because the pain was going from his left shoulder to his fingers. Then suddenly Maharaja started breathing heavily with difficulty.

He asked for some massage, but he was waiting for the maha-rasa because after the Manipur blast, he was complaining, “My mind came to new spiritual world.” He was revealing, very confidential, I can tell you, I have perception also about that. Maharaja left this world because Prabhupada wanted to take him back for his nitya-lila service and Radha-Krsnacandra also wanted to have him back in the spiritual world. I had this perception by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada. we said, for the practical sense, to the doctor, that he was passing away form a heart attack, to avoid making [unclear]. But in fact, by Krsna’s arrangement, he was waiting for the rasa-lila time, so he passed away at that moment.

Many things to say, but time is short. We don’t want to tie-up the Vaisnavas. We should take the wonderful example of this great disciple of Srila Prabhupada, scientist, Vaisnava from birth. He was in the line of Narottama dasa Thakura. He was Vaisnava from the very beginning. This is an example for all our ISKCON society, for disciples of [unclear], the wonderful qualities he had. We want to pray for his mercy.

We want to pray also to the lotus feet of the Vaisnavas and Srila Prabhupada to continue and put forward the legacy, the vision, the mission of Bhaktivedanta Institute that Srila Prabhupada entrusted to us.

Srila Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja ki jai!

Srila Prabhupada ki jai!

from

http://mayapurlectures.blogspot.com/2007/02/memorial-program-for-hh-bhaktisvarupa.html

Jayapataka Swami: Every year, at the New Panihati festival in Atlanta, we have a Prabhupada lila-smarana festival of his visit there. Svarupa Damodara Maharaja was there when Prabhupada was there and he would come to this lila-smarana festival. So we heard from different devotees also how much Prabhupada showered his mercy up on him. There are pictures of him receiving Prabhupada at his car.

He was a VIP devotee. His special service was cultivating VIP’s, especially the scientists. We showed a number of his disciples in Bali and different parts of the world some slides we have of him. He also was a wonderful sadhu. It is rare to find probably scientists who are sadhus, but he was a super-wonderful sadhu because he was very gentle, very kind.

Once we did a Panihati festival in Prabhupada Desh. His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja, I gave him the first pot of the cida-dadhi. He, normally you get a big pot of this cida-dadhi covered with rasagullas, sandesa, normally what you would do is eat it. But what did he do? He took it and offered it in the mouth of all the devotees. There are pictures of the devotees with their mouths open and he is like birds feeding their babies. He was putting the prasad in their mouth.

He had special tunes, maybe these are Manipuri melodies, he would sing. He reached a very high note. Sometimes we would raise his hand. He had a particular, I can’t imitate it, only he can do it. He would raise his hand and then reach this high note. Then he, changed the tune again sang a part of this particular tune.

Prabhupada, I remember that he said that, I heard, I didn’t see it in writing, but I heard that the Manipuris were somehow descended from the gandharavas. That is why they are such nice singers and dancers, very cultural. His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Maharaja was like that, he was a great kirtan leader, singer, wonderful Vaisnava.

Somehow he was very kind to me always. He invited me to his World Congress Conference for the Synthesis of Science and Religion, both the one in Bombay and the one in Calcutta. I was studying science when I was in university, but I dropped out and joined Prabhupada’s university. Prabhupada didn’t tell me to keep studying because I was only in my freshman year. So my sophomore year I spent in ISKCON, but Prabhupada had him finish his study and get his PhD and use it.

Somehow he brought me and I tried to do what service I could do discussing with the scientists. One of the Nobel prize scientists in Calcutta, he was the discoverer of the laser. This is how much influence Maharaja had on him, he said, “I came to this function where 20 years ago I would never come, I would never dream, I would say that someone is crazy that I would be sitting here, a scientist, physicist, with religionists discussing about science.”

But because the scientists, the physicists, at least, I can’t speak for the chemists, the physicist, he came, “As quantum mechanics, quantum theory, now we have gone beyond the classical physics. These little particles act like people. I was hearing from Maharaja how this is, the Vedas have knowledge about consciousness in a scientific way, so I’m here to hear about it, I’m here to discuss it.”

So in this way, Maharaja in his tenacious and humble way, he would go and discuss with different scientists and he would convince them to some degree, I don’t know how much, but they would definitely come to his conferences they were influenced. He would influence them to be open to read the Vedas, to read Prabhupada’s books, to come to the conferences. He was having a great impact.

He also was a member of the World Parliament of Religions. He never invited me for one of those, so I don’t know exactly what happened, maybe someone else could speak later. He was very versatile.

I remember one time I was walking with Prabhupada and Svarupa Damodara Maharaja, maybe it was in Bhubaneshwar somewhere, I can’t remember now, Svarupda Damodara Maharaja was saying, “If we can influence the scientists, they are the people who are most respected in the world day, everyone follows science.”

Prabhupada was saying, “Yes, if you can convince the scientists, we can change the world.”

I am a Namahatta preacher, I am trying to get to the masses, so I was saying, “Well, it is very hard to convince the scientists. If we can convince all the people, maybe they’ll be more selective about what they accept from the scientists.”

Prabhupada told me, “Yes, if you can get people to come up to the scientists and say, ‘I don’t believe your theory of Darwin,’ that will be a big thing.”

But then he would go and convince Svarupa Damodara. It was like some kind of a game Prabhupada was playing, but he won. Svarupa Damodara won. Convincing scientists was considered more. . . but I got some good encouragement also.

Svarupda Damodara Maharaja, we were together in many places, but he was able to do things pretty much on his own. Sometimes he would call for help, but generally that was just his mercy. He was a very capable person.

Prabhupada told him to make Manipur a Vaisnava state. It was already a Vaisnava state, but to revive it to its full glory. I had the opportunity to go to Manipur and see. They have what is called Vijaya Govinda deities.

Sometimes he would serve the GBC special Manipuri meals. It’s been a long time since that happened. But he would give this special, they have blue rice in Manipuri. Manipur is like seven mountain ranges. In the middle there are two big lakes. What are they called, the Duck Lake or something? The main flower of this lake is lotus, so lotus is one of the main dietary parts of Manipur. He would feed the GBC’s lotus stems and lotus preparations and this blue rice. Especially when you make the blue rice, it is a sweet rice. It tastes like blueberries. Like this, he was introducing so much culture.

He was so dedicated to Prabhupada. we were discussing that even in the last moments, he was just thinking, “How can I please Prabhupada?” He was completely dedicated to being in ISKCON and please Srila Prabhupada.

There is some, Prabhupada told him especially do this kind of cultivating of scientists. Svarupda Damodara told me how he had this program in Rome in some special hall where once a year all the top scientists get together and have some program. The mayor of Rome gave it to him to also have a program. They had a number of scientists and devotees speaking. It was so successful that the mayor said, “You can have it every year.” It is a very prestigious venue.

I think my time is up. I don’t know who is trained up to follow in his footsteps, who can do the wonderful service he was doing. We were all expecting him to be with us for twenty, thirty years more at least. It is a big loss for all of us. He was very dear to all the Vaisnavas.

His Divine Grace Svarupa Damodara Swami Maharaja ki jai!

taken from

http://mayapurlectures.blogspot.com/2007/02/memorial-program-for-hh-bhaktisvarupa.html

An interview recorded in Singapore on 7 January 1995

Devotee: This initiation was conducted with full fire sacrifice?

Srila Sripada: Yeah so we went upstairs and Ramananda introduced me to Prabhupada saying that I am such and such, come from Manipur, and I’m a student at the university, doing my PhD. in chemistry. When Prabhupada heard that I am from Manipur, then he started saying about the temples in Navadvipa by the kings of Manipur, Vrndavana, Jagannatha Puri, Radha Kunda, that are established by the kings of Manipur, and he started saying about BabHruvahana. Babhruvahana was the son of Arjuna. When Arjuna came to Manipur, he  married Citrangada, the Princess of Manipur. He said that Manipur had been a Vaisnava kingdom for thousands of years – more than 5000 years ago when the Pandavas ruled the planet, the Vaisnavas existed. He said that all Manipuris are descendents of Babhruvahana. Prabhupada knew about the temples in Navadvipa built by the Kings of Manipur. In the process of talking with Prabhupada, who was asking about my background, my family, who my parents were, devotees, he said, “why did you come here to the United States? A Vaisnava,” Prabhupada was humorously saying “A Vaisnava generally is not supposed to cross the ocean. Why did you come here?”

(Interruption).

So to wind my narration, I came up to, yeah, Prabhupada asked me, told me that that all the people in Manipur are descendants from Babhruvahana.

Devotee: How do you spell that name – Arjuna’s son?

Srila Sripada: B.a.b.h.r.u.v.a.h.a.n.a. It is there in the Srimad Bhagavatam in the 9^th canto, see the index for “Manipur”. There are about two slokas. Prabhupada also writes about Manipur in the Srimad Bhagavatam, in the 9^th canto.

Devotee: 9^th canto, Manipur. Srimad Bhagavatam?

Srila Sripada: Yes. In two slokas, Prabhupada explained about Manipur and also about Babhruvahana. What happened is that Arjuna came to Manipur…must be Mahabharat time…during the Asvamedha Yajna being performed by Yudhistira Maharaja. Arjuna was going that side, and when he reached Manipur, and the King of Manipur at that time he did not have any sons, but he had a daughter, this princess, that Citranganda. So the King of Manipur, since he was old, he could not combat with or challenge Arjuna. So he tried to surrender to Arjuna. But his daughter, Citrangada, wanted to fight with Arjuna (laughter). She wanted to challenge, she wanted to challenge. So Arjuna got very inspired. So somehow he got married to Citrangada (laughter). So this Babhruvahana was born between Citrangada and Arjuna. Prabhupada wrote in the Bhagavatam that when he was 15 or 16 years old, he became the King of Manipur. And later on when Arjuna again visited (Manipur), there was a challenge between his son Babhruvahana and Arjuna. When Babhruvahana was told that Arjuna was his father, he didn’t want to fight—didn’t want to challenge. Then Arjuna told him, “If you are the King of the country, and a ksatriya, .whether it’s your father or a relatve, if you don’t respond to the challenge of the other person, then you are not worth it.” So then Babhruvahana decided to fight. In fact Arjuna was defeated by his son in Manipur. He became unconscious. So Krishna had to come and revive Arjuna again…so that is Mahabharata. [inaudible] chapter. That’s how Babhruvahana became very famous. So Prabhupada was narrating that story from Mahabharat.

In the process of discussion he said all the Indian young scholars and students are coming to the United States for either begging money, dollars, or begging science and technology. Prabhupada was saying like that. “So you are all coming like that,” Prabhupada said, “But I did not come like that. I came here to give something. I came here to give, not to take. Why don’t you give something? Why are you simply taking? Why don’t you give something?” (laughter). This was his conclusion. Prabhupada was saying that we should give something. Why should we take? Just give something or do something like that, Prabhupada said…like preaching. And so I got very inspired by that…(Interruption). So basically that’s how I met Prabhupada.

Devotee: And he asked you to come?

Srila Sripada: Since then I had been going almost every day. Whenever Prabhupada comes, I used to go to Los Angeles. It was almost one hour’s drive.

Devotee: That was the time when the morning talks started? And…

Srila Sripada: Yes. That was in ’69, ’70. The talks were mostly, let’s see, around ’72, ’73.

Devotee: After initiation?

Srila Sripada: Yes, yes. Whenever I used to go, Prabhupada would always want to talk about something about different aspects of science.

Devotee: So when did you get your initiation? Which year was it that you got initiated by Prabhupada?

Srila Sripada: I got formal initiation in ’71. And I was just about to be initiated within one week after (first) meeting Prabhupada. But then Prabhupada was leaving for India and he gave me this mala, and he said it was as good as initiation…because that was a rush period, with Prabhupada’s plans for India. 1970, he came back. You see that year, 1969, yes 1970 there was a ratha yatra in San Francisco, and for the Ratha Yatra, Prabhupada invited me and Ramananda to come and participate in the festival in San Francisco. So we went. We were with Prabhupada in the ratha yatra in 1970 in San Francisco. Oh yes, after the ratha yatra, Prabhupada left for India. I was supposed to be initiated at that time. Then when he came back the next year, 1971, I think it was ’71, that’s correct, a proper initiation was done in Los Angeles temple. Whenever Prabhupada came to LA, I used to work in the university, trying to finish my Ph.D. and one time I told Prabhupada that this Ph.D. is taking too much time for me, and I should stop. But Prabhupada said, “No, no. you should finish it, and use that for preaching.”

~The End~

(Sent by Rupachandra das of Singapore)

Srila Sripada: ..try to use one’s intelligence properly. That’s the meaning of understanding one’s guna, karma and application. Its not only understanding one’s guna karma but how to apply that guna karma in Bhagavat seva, Krishna consciousness. Prabhupada used to quote that very nice sloka in the Bhagavatam:

idaḿ hi puḿsas tapasaḥ śrutasya vā

sviṣṭasya sūktasya ca buddhi-dattayoḥ

avicyuto ‘rthaḥ kavibhir nirūpito

yad-uttamaśloka-guṇānuvarṇanam¹

There was a narration by Narada Muni to Vyasadev. Vyasadev was feeling very unhappy inspite of his tremendous scholarly work, compiling all the Vedic literatures.  In that connection, Narada Muni was replying  to Vyasadev that the reason for his unhappiness in spite of so much achievement, scholarly work, compiling the Vedic literatures was that he hasn’t specifically glorified the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. So in that connection it is mentioned in the sloka, first canto. So every piece of ability that a person has, unless that ability is specifically utilized in glorifying or in seva, Bhagavata seva, promoting and glorifying the activities and pastimes of the Supreme Lord one cannot be happy. But when it is utilized properly in the service of the Lord, then it becomes glorifications, uttama sloka. uttma sloka gunanuvarnanam. When we use the choicest words to praise the Lord and His activities, then the intelligence, the ability and the service one is performing, that becomes properly engaged. So that way one will be happy.

That was the instruction given by Narada Muni to Vyasadev. Our Prabhupada quoted this verse many times, idam hi pumsas tapasash. When he saw any scholarly person who came to see him he used to say that you have to, if you are scientist, you have to prove about the existence of God by your scientific knowledge. If you are a lawyer, you have to show by your legal intelligence that Krishna is the Supreme lawyer. If you are businessman you have to show that Krishna is Lakshmipati so that whatever results are coming, you use in the service of the Lord. So you see, all aspects we have to show that Krishna is the supreme proprietor and by serving Him, by engaging all our senses and intelligence a person will be able to develop proper understanding of the [inaudible].

Prabhupada used to say like that especially when meeting scholarly group of people. You do not have to sacrifice anything. Sometimes people will wonder, suppose if I became a devotee, whether I should be able to continue my work and you know get in anxiety. Or whether I could go and stay in the temple or whether I (should) get my head shaved and some temporary anxiety comes in. If it is understood properly that the function of Krishna consciousness, is that we have to learn how to apply our ability and intelligence and [inaudible] work in the service of the Lord. So in that sense, everything has to be engaged in the service of the Lord. With the proper understanding we’ll be able to apply it properly then it becomes Bhagavata Seva. Otherwise it becomes sense gratification. If one is just trying to satisfy one’s senses, that’s a different thing. If the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord and all the activities that one is performing is engaged in how to please the Lord and His servants, then it becomes properly [inaudible].

So therefore one has to be able to see the broader, the wider perspective of Krishna consciousness. It is required especially in preaching to the scholars and scientists – this is a technique that can be applied. We cannot say immediately you have to shave off your head and you have to do such things immediately. That comes you know, slowly, slowly, certain places according to the nature of that person one will be able to give Krishna consciousness in doses. Maybe at the beginning small dose, then it becomes bigger dose, then later on full dose (laughter). So if it is done like that you’ll find that you can preach to everyone. Even the most uneducated [inaudible] people, let say so called [inaudible] people, all sections of society. So if we, by our preaching skill give some message of Krishna consciousness according to time and place, according to time and circumstances, and according to also the quality of the other person, his ability to take up some Krishna consciousness…[Inaudible]. This is the technique that we try to apply by Prabhupada’s mercy.

Devotee: When you first came to Krishna consciousness you met Prabhupada first or were you already a Vaishnava in your family in your young days?

Srila Sripada: Yes. My parents were already devotees of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Just like the king of Manipur is a devotee of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, so all the subjects, for generations were all in the Gaudiya Vaisnava line…my parents and their parents before. My father was a sankirtana singer.

Devotee: So that’s where you got your singing talents from (laughter).

Srila Sripada: When I met Prabhupada – that was in 1969. That was the period. Actually I met (Prabhupada) through one of my friends. My friend was also doing his work; he was also a scientist, a chemist.

Devotee: You had already obtained your Ph.D. then?

Srila Sripada: No, I was in the middle of my Ph.D. I haven’t finished my Ph.D. yet. I was just starting. I started taking some course. But my friend was already a Ph.D. He was a professor at (inaudible) University – a doctor of Chemistry- Ravindra Rao, and he was working on cancer – making medicine for cancer – and he was there. And it  so happened that I was at the university. Oh, the university mentioned as University of Southern California – actually it is called University of California, Irvine. The university in Southern California is a different university.

Devotee : So it should be University of California?

Srila Sripada: Yes, University of California, Irvine; Irvine is the name of the place. The name is correct, but the ‘USC’ should be ‘U Cal’- University of California. California has about 19 campuses. It is very interesting how I met Prabhupada. It so happened that I got a message when I was at the University. A telegram came saying that my mother had expired in India. So I got a little…I got some separation…and I was not feeling very enthusiastic about life, temporarily, momentarily. So because that summer I wanted to go to India and see the family members, like that.

Devotee: You knew she was not well?

Srila Sripada: I didn’t have that knowledge also. They did not send me that message. And so when the message came that she left her body, I was not very enthusiastic about my activities for some time. And I was planning to go to India to do the sraddha ceremony. Like that.

Devotee: You are the eldest?

Srila Sripada: Yeah, in fact I am the only son. And then I got a letter from one of my uncles saying that a – the letter says like this- that a Vaisnava is never lamenting about the living being leaving the body, and a Vaisnava is always thinking that when somebody leaves, then that is kind of arranged by the mercy of the Lord.  “So you should not come. You should not come just for that matter. You should finish your PhD as soon as possible and concentrate on your work. Don’t worry about the death.”  So I had already arranged for the ticket by borrowing some money from the university, because as a student, I had no money. The University loaned me some money for my round trip to India and back. And when I got that letter, I cancelled my trip. So I didn’t go.  In the process of doing that, I met this, Dr. Rao,  Ravindra Rao. He was brought by one of my friends, he’s also from Kerala. There was one doctor [inaudible name]  who was also doing his Ph.D. in the same department, chemistry department. He was from Kerala. There were only about two-three Indian students in that science department. So then he, this Dr. Ravindra Rao came one day and he said, “Lets go for a drive along the beach”. Laguna Beach is not very far. It is only about 15 minutes drive along the coast highway, you know, the Pacific Ocean, California.  He had a car. I didn’t have any car at that time. So I said “Let’s go”. So in the process, in the evening, we saw some devotees walking on the street chanting Harinama. About five-six of them. One was a black devotee. We were seeing for the first time in America, like that, especially in California. It was in the end of 1969. So this friend of mine, Dr. Ravindra Rao, was very enthusiastic. He said, “Let us see what these people are doing.” So we didn’t want to be very close to them, but we were following from a distance (inaudible). Then one devotee saw that we were following them.

Devotee: You were following in the car?

Srila Sripada: No, no. We had parked the car and we were walking slowly.

Devotee: Long distance…

Srila Sripada:  But making sure we didn’t lose them. We wanted to know what they were doing (laughter). So one black devotee, his name is actually Sukadev. He’s still there in Seattle, Los Angeles. So he stopped by and he was kind of waiting for us, to talk to us. So then he stopped and gave us cards and said they had a temple in Laguna Beach, and every Sunday they have this Love Feast, chanting and feasting with nice prasadam, taste, like that. So he said we should come the following Sunday to the temple and participate in the program. So when that Sunday came, this Dr. Rao said, “Let’s go and see the temple and see what they are doing.”  But I told Dr. Rao, “You see, I’m busy. I’m doing my PhD, and I really do not have the time.  So you go and let me know how or what you think about that.” So I didn’t go with him, I let him go alone. We were not staying together. I was staying at the university campus, and he was staying in an apartment.

So then he came, saying that it was a very nice program, lot of people came, they were chanting, and then (they) served nice halva (laughs). He was very enthusiastic, saying it was a nice program. Then he said that I should go. I should accompany him the following day, after work, in the evening, say at about 5 o’clock, and drive and go to the temple. So he started going every day, every evening, after the work. He was working nearby, at the Cancer Institute and I was in the university, and so every day he would say I should come  with him, and everyday I told him that I am not ready and I don’t have the time, and so I can’t go this time. So everytime  I could not accept his proposals. So, like that about four- five days passed by.

Then he asked where is Guru Maharaja from the devotees there in Laguna Beach, and he found out from them that their Guru Maharaja, Prabhupada was in LA, Los Angeles, where he was staying at that time. So he got the address for Los Angeles, Watseka and with that he came with the proposal: “Let us go and see Swami Maharaja. Let’s go and see Swamiji. He is in LA.” He was all set and he proposed that I should accompany him. Then I told him that, “I’m very busy, Dr. Rao, and not free. You go first and let us know how Swamiji looks like and what does he do.” Like that. So he kept quiet just like that (laughs). I let him go alone. So he went one day, actually in the evening, and then he came back and told me how he met Prabhupada.

He said when he went to the temple, the devotees didn’t allow him to see Prabhupada because he was a stranger and nobody knew him. So he told me in the beginning he was very upset when the devotees did not allow him to see Prabhupada. So he said he just decided to pray to Krishna that something happens. So was he was parking his car just infront of the temple and he was just sitting in the car, sitting and praying to Krishna  (laughs), so he can see Prabhupada. When he was sitting for a little while, one devotee came and he said “Prabhupada wants to see you” (laughter). So he was very happy and he went upstairs – you know Prabhupada stays in the first floor inside the temple. So Prabhupada told him that “in the past few years, I have always been praying to Krishna to kindly send me one Indian boy who can do the translation in Hindi. So I was praying to Krishna so He can send me some Indian boys because the American devotees did not know Hindi and other things.” Alot of letters came from India in Hindi, and required to be replied in Hindi but Prabhupada did not have the time to do that. “So I have been praying to Krishna to send me some nice Indian boys to help me.” So then Prabhupada told him that “You were just sent by Krishna.” (laughter). So this is how he narrated it to me. He added that Swamiji was wonderful and very nice and compassionate, with all the good qualities.

So he came with this story to me and he said the next day I should accompany him and see Swami Maharaj, Guru Maharaj. So I told him that “I’m not so prepared for these things and I’ve got all these assignments and projects. I’ve got to help the students…and I’ll be very busy, and so I can’t go at this time.” So that also I avoided, so I did not go. But then, he was going everyday for about five- six days, going alone. Everyday he will come back and give me a report, and everyday he will insist that I must come and see Prabhupada. Everyday I rejected saying I’m very busy…and all these things. But one day, one evening, he came with a very strong proposal, saying that the following morning, early morning, I should accompany him. He said we should get up at 3.30 in the morning, and after a shower, we can then go to the service, to see Swami Maharaja. And he said that if I did not agree this time, then he would never see me again in life and he will never come, and our friendship is finished (laughter). He would never see me in my life! (Laughs). He was saying it with seriousness…not joking or anything like that. Then I told him, “Why you make things so serious? What has happened with you?” He didn’t tell me what was going to happen, but he was telling me like that. Then I said  “Well, if you are really that serious, I will accompany you the following morning,”  (laughs). Then he said he’d like to stay in my apartment because we had to get up early in the morning, and he had the car, and he would drive. It was about one-hour-drive from our place to Los Angeles temple on the highway. So we got up early in the morning, took bath, then we were on the road- highway. In the car he told me that he would be initiated that morning from Prabhupada . He was going to take initiation.

Devotee: That morning?

Srila Sripada: Yes but he did not tell me that before (laughs). He was only telling me on the road. He was already prepared, but he did not tell me that. It was only about a week (since he met Prabhupada)..in a week’s time. I said, because I knew alittle bit about the background,  said, “Will you shave your head this morning?” I asked him.  (Because) he was working at this American Research Institute where there were lots of people, and I asked him, “Will you go like that to your office with your shaven head? (laughs)….This is in America.” He said, “Why not? It would be a pleasure, ” (laughs). He was very determined, and I said, “Will you also change your clothes and dress in saffron?”, because, at that time everybody was dressed in saffron.

Devotee: Immediately after initiation?

Srila Sripada: Yes, at the beginning stages. He said, “why not? It should be something that I like to do.” So he was kind of very enthusiastic. And I admired him because he was so enthusiastic, so determined, and he did not care for anything else.

So we reached Los Angeles, and we saw Prabhupada was coming out for the morning walk at 6 o’clock. He walks 6 to 7 in the morning. At the time when I saw, he had a car, a Maverick- a white-bodied Maverick. So we waited, when he comes back in one hour. And at the time of Prabhupada’s returning to the temple in those days, the devotees would line up on both sides and Prabhupada would get down to the roadside and then walk. And then, the exchange of flowers: Prabhupada give one flower, then the devotees would give him one flower, then Prabhupada would give flowers to the devotees. After finishing that, this is before entering the temple, just infront of the temple, everybody rushes into the temple. I was just observing that. I had the camera, taking some pictures. I had a regular [inaudible word].

Then everyone went in the temple and Prabhupada was having darshana of the deities and went to his vyasasana and Prabhupada started singing “Jay Sri Krishna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda..” and I heard for the first time. Prabhupada was singing. I was quite far, near the deities, and Prabhupada was on the opposite side. I felt that Prabhupada was in a devotional mood, and his voice was very sweet and inspiring, and it penetrates to your heart. I was very impressed just by his singing alone, without knowing much. So I felt very happy and comfortable. After that, the ceremony, initiation started.  Dr. Rao, Ravindra Rao, he was given “Ramananda Raya”- his name was given. The initiation was for one or two people only. It was specially done for Dr. Rao. And after that, Prabhupada went to his room…inside there is a small doorway. Then Ramananda said, “Lets go and see Prabhupada upstairs,” (laughs). And I became very enthusiastic (laughter) after this incident. He was very fond of having darsana of Prabhupada.

To be continued in Part 2.

SP: Therefore they are suffering only for the matter of knowing something, kevala krishanti.kevala [indistinct word]. Krishanti means taking trouble unnecessarily.  What do you gain by this knowledge? You cannot solve your problems.

BSDS: That is why the brains of the scientists are very busy in thinking all these things, how to try to understand this natural phenomena, all the time busy.

SP: Therefore Bhagavat says, idaḿ hi puḿsas tapasaḥ śrutasya vā[i] . Your education, brain should be uitlised how to know God. Not that how the chemical is deposited, you see.  avicyuto ‘rthaḥ kavibhir nirūpito, yad-uttamaśloka-guṇānuvarṇanam. Rather try to describe how Krsna, God, has made this arrangement. Then it will be kirtana. Simply add this verse that God has deposited this way, this way. That will be described in the Bhagavatam, one after another how creation is being made. But the original point is creator is God. How God is creating, if we describe scientifically, that means it is  kirtana, chanting the glories of the Lord. That they will not do…they’ll end.. “perhaps, maybe” that’s all. “Perhaps, maybe” that’s all. At least Einstein at last he admitted “maybe there is God” like that?

BSDS: Yes. He believes that the natural laws are governed by controllers, different controllers

SP: Oh he believes?

BSDS: Einstein believes. Like  Einstein’s- one of his -  like Fermi or Dirac-  there exists a very famous scientist, almost contemporary and he did not believe in the existence of God. When Einstein developed his theory of relativity, Heisenberg and  Fermi, and Max Planck in Germany. So they invited Einstein and so  Einstein was thinking that these laws are controlled by some unknown controller. He did not know but so Fermi and this Heisenberg -..

SP: Bhagavat avigyatha Everything is there ….‘avigyatha friend.’ I’ve got a friend but I do not know he’s helping behind. Avigyatha.

BSDS: Actually, we encounter everyday the existence of the supreme brain. Just for example, in the chemical laboratory, we make different crystals like different salts and they have very definite and complete organized crystalline structures, different from each type of crystal and these are made just automatically. No one – just mix some things, and then the crystal grows with a definite geometrical shape, beautiful arrangements all the crystals.

SP: What is that crystals?

BSDS: So for example, salts of chromium, magnesium and nickel, these they combine with different anionic radicals, and then, just keep together for a few days.

SP: Crystals…

BSDS: Yes, these are called crystals. Like quartz – quartz is a crystal. In a diamond for example. These are called crystals in chemical terms.

Devotee: Also snowflakes…

BSDS: Yes, snow also…

Devotee: Snowflakes, water…

BSDS: Yes, the water is a definite shaped crystal, it cannot be changed. It always remains the definite crystal structure.

SP: They are called molecules?

BSDS: Yes, these are  called molecules. They call the molecular framework. These are arranged by – it’s a beautiful, beautiful arrangement. Like for example, sodium chloride has hexagonal shape, and geometrical, and beautiful arrangement in the crystal structure. They’re studying by a technique called x-ray crystallography.   So they make a small crystal and put under the x-ray beam and then X-ray beam is photographed, and from the photograph, we can see where the

sodium atom is staying in the space and chlorine is staying in the space and they have a beautiful picture in the film.  From there, you can understand the arrangement of the atoms.

SP: And we understand within the atom there is God.  aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham[ii]

Devotee: The snow…

BSDS: Yes.

Devotee: When the snow falls each flake of snow is perfectly symmetrical. Different patterns and each pattern is different from every other pattern.

BSDS: Yes, for example, this coal tar, these are different arrangements of  so called molecules of benzene. These molecules are hexagonal, the six sides are completely all the same, symmetrical. What happens is, one after another, there are different layers of this six faced hexagonal molecules and so they combine together and form this coal tar. The same thing with diamond also.  The structure is very similar with coal tar.  But only the – layers are different…

SP:  [indistinct verse]

BSDS: These are all arranged by most powerful brain.

SP: As soon as you accept brain, He must be a person.

BSDS: Yes.

SP: So God is a person. (pause) God cannot be impersonal (pause). By this scientific explanation, come to the conclusion, “God is a person”.  And we accept Him as supreme, paramah…Ishvarah paramah krsna, supreme brain. Acintya medha, inconceivable brain. These are.descriptions. Jiva Goswami has said that unless you accept God having inconceivable brain, He cannot be God. (pause) Small teeny seed, there is a big banyan tree, whole potency is there [indistinct words]. Similarly the whole universe is also put in a small atomic grain, that is coming out from Vishnu’s body and they are developing this.

Devotee: Sometimes in the ancient Egyptian graves, they find grains. When they plant those grains, they again grow even after they’ve been in the graves 2000 years, dormant.

SP: seed is [indistinct]  Bijam mam sarva-bhutanam. What is the time?

Devotee: Seven o’clock.

SP: If we present scientifically about the existence of God, that will be a great service. Think over discuss, here’s a scientist and try to write articles. (pause) He’s not protesting, he’s supporting us, so this is a great chance.

Devotee: Last night I was listening to that tape made with that Indian scientist in your room. Such a rascal. His argument was so easily defeated. It all came down to he doesn’t believe and we believe. He doesn’t believe in Krishna and we believe in Krishna. That’s the ultimate conclusion.

BSDS:  His arguments were self defeating.

SP: eh?

BSDS: Self defeating. He says something and say again opposes .

SP: Self-contradictory.

Devotee: He had to admit that that there was some kind of intelligence behind [indistinct word]’

SP: (laughs) Then why not God?

Devotee: He makes a contradiction.

SP: Intelligence means person. Brain means person.

Devotee: He has to admit God. We asked him If  he thought everything just happened by chance, or random, he said  ‘ no, there’s some kind of plan, some kind of intelligence,  order.’ Then later on we asked him if the universe was perfect- if the complete the universe was perfect., He said ‘no’ –  contradiction.

SP: He said universe is not perfect?

Devotee: Yeah. That’s what we scientists work for – to make it perfect.

SP:  Yes.

(sound of car starting)

SP: Our knowledge is perfect because it is coming from Krishna.  The Supreme perfect. (pause)

What is this boat, shipping?

Devotee: Fishing.

(SP chanting Hare Krishna)

SP: [indistinct sloka] The greatest scientist is the Krsna conscious person.

BSDS: In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says to Arjuna ,17^th Chapter, up to 17^th chapter,  surrender unto Krishna and then in the end, in the 18^th Chapter, Krsna says, I’ve given you the full knowledge, now it is up to you to whether to accept or not to accept, so that all shows how merciful is Krishna..

SP: He has  given us full freedom.  Full freedom we cannot enjoy, that is not possible , but as far as the question of our constitution is concerned, there is  freedom. Just like the parents give the child freedom, that is not full freedom  but he does not feel.

Devotee: (while driving) Ooh, man almost got hit. Not very attentive (laughter).

SP: (chants for a while) The devotee of the Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu , what to speak of the scientists, even great demigods like Brahma, Indra ,they are also considered [indistinct words].

(chants)

SP: I think there’s a little garden in front of our house?

Devotee: small but..

SP: They are taking care?

Devotee: They started but its being neglected for now.

SP: They should take care.

(End)

sviṣṭasya sūktasya ca buddhi-dattayoḥ

avicyuto ‘rthaḥ kavibhir nirūpito

yad-uttamaśloka-guṇānuvarṇanam.

Learned circles have positively concluded that the infallible purpose of the advancement of knowledge, namely austerities, study of the Vedas, sacrifice, chanting of hymns and charity, culminates in the transcendental descriptions of the Lord, who is defined in choice poetry (SB 1.5.22)

[ii] eko ‘py asau racayituḿ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiḿ

yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ

aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham-

govindam ādi-puruṣaḿ tam ahaḿ bhajāmi

He is an undifferentiated entity as there is no distinction between potency and the possessor thereof. In His work of creation of millions of worlds, His potency remains inseparable. All the universes exist in Him and He is present in His fullness in every one of the atoms that are scattered throughout the universe, at one and the same time. Such is the primeval Lord whom I adore (Brahma Samhita 5.35)

Transcriber: Bhaktin Preetha

Editor: Rupachandra Das

Date: 16^th August 2007

]]> http://www.sripadanectar.com/%e2%80%9cif-we-describe-scientifically-that-means-it-is-kirtana%e2%80%9d.html/feed 0 http://www.sripadanectar.com/what-ever-you-do.html http://www.sripadanectar.com/what-ever-you-do.html#comments Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:58:22 +0000 Sripada http://www.sripadanectar.com/?p=94 Lecture on Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 9.27. France 2005

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)

Devotee: Like night is only night in relationship to day , big is only big in relationship to small.

SP: So they accept there is small and there is big?

Devotee: Relativity.

SP: Yes. Everything is relative.

BSDS:  Yes. It’s related by time and space. To call five seconds or ten seconds, it’s related, because nothing is absolute.

SP: Why they do not understand relativity of brain?

BSDS: Yes, they are also to understand that, but they haven’t proposed yet.

SP: Eh?

BSDS: They haven’t proposed, so far.

Devotee: The formula is, what is it? “Energy equals…”

BSDS:  e= mc squared?

Devotee: Time times?

BSDS: Mass times the square of velocity of light.

Devotee: the what?

BSDS: Of the velocity of light.

SP: In psychology, there is study –  brain substance. Brain substance of all men are not equal. Is it known to the scientist? Brain substance.

BSDS:  Yeah. I think it’s known because when Einstein died, they tried to preserve the brain of Einstein, thinking that his brain was different from others.

SP: If it was not different, then how you can distinguish.

BSDS: The brain substance is different, that’s you have the-  intelligence different.

SP:  According to brain substance, there is difference of  intelligence.

Devotee:  They attribute to a lot more factors too like environment, development -

SP: Anyway. So, relative brain, This is like night (inaudible) duration of life of Brahma is different from the duration of life of the ant So, relatively there are so many different species of life. Relatively. Do the scientists agree or not?

Devotee: Yes.

SP: Eh? Then why there shouldn’t be a perfect brain, which is God.

Devotee: The atheists they say that…

SP: It is not a question of atheist, it is question of science.

Devotee: They say the scientific conclusion is that relativity extends for infinity.

SP: Yes, that infinity, the infinite brain is God.

Devotee:  They say there is no need for a one infinite.

SP: No, there is need because you are operator in the laboratory. Hydrogen, oxygen, you can make one glass of water. So why not the biggest brain make the pacific ocean.  How can we deny it? If we accept the law of relativity, then just like a ant. It can bore holes , small in the drain. You can make a tunnel. Similarly one can make biggest tunnel.

Devotee: They say that you are just material energy and water is material energy.-

SP: Everyone is material energy.  It is working relatively  in accordance to relative brain and body. So ultimately, infinite brain is (inaudible).

BSDS: That infinite brain is absolute.

SP: Yes. He is not dependent on anyone.

Devotee: They say, they say that, small relativity, it’s like, we’re relative to our capacity, so everything is relative.

SP: Yes.

Devotee: God also has to be relative.

SP: Yes. God is relative, you are small, He is big. That’s all

BSDS: Yes.

SP: We are teeny and He’s infinite.

Devotee: So on that basis also we can say that you are God over the ant.

SP: Yes. That we have explained every time that we are not supreme but in comparison to the ant I am God. Similarly the ant is also God in comparison to the microbe.

Devotee: They say that relativity extends there is no supreme supreme.

SP: eh?

Devotee:  Just relative supreme.

SP: Relative supreme indeed. Just like you are God to the ant, similarly He is supreme God to everyone.

Devotee: That they won’t agree.

SP: Why they shall not agree? Eh, why they shall not agree.

BSDS: Because they do not have complete information.

SP:  There is no question of information, it is a question of knowledge and philosophy. As I see it, relative, this is small, this is big, this is bigger than this, this is bigger than this, bigger than this, bigger than this. Then, you find that no more bigger. Then that is God.

Devotee: They say that relative scale, that small and bigger that goes on forever. It never stops.

SP: Yes, that’s alright, that’s alright. But you have to accept somebody bigger that you.

BSDS: So, in the –in the material time scale, there is no absolute.

SP: That is explained in the Vedas, nitya nityanam. God means that means that He is also eternal, we are also eternal, everything is eternal. As they say, everything is existing, but the operation is different. Operation is relative. God means His operational activity is much more higher, important than yours. [Pause] You have a small body like this. If you are asked to pick up something from the midst of the ocean, you cannot do that. But if one can assume a very big body, in the midst of the ocean, the water is like this, up to this. How can you deny it?

Devotee: Well they don’t deny that. They simply deny the existence of an absolute supreme.

SP: There is no question of absolute. You have to accept bigger than you. [Pause] Just like this small bird, it is walking in the water with beach. The water may be up to this. Somebody may come (inaudile).

BSDS: Making a lot of noise.

Devotee: Well they wouldn’t deny that.

SP:  If you accept that, then it is alright, that is God.  He is greater than you, that’s all. Same example.  Hydrogen, oxygen. Hydrogen, oxygen is there. You make. You can make a glass of water in the laboratory. The hydrogen, oxygen is there, but you cannot mix, big quantity of hydrogen, oxygen and make a sea. But one who can do that is bigger than us.

Devotee: Because as relativity extends on, that discounts the importance of any one person.

SP: Yes, that’s important. You cannot make the sea. You can make a glass of water. Therefore one who has made the sea is much more important than yourself.  How can you deny it.

Devotee: They say that one’s made water is more important than one who has made the sea.

SP: Eh? That’s alright. As long as you accept that there is somebody bigger than you who can make the sea. That means somebody bigger than you, that’s alright. But you accept that you are small, he is big. [Pause] That we have explained in the Brahma Samhita, that the Maha Vishnu, from his breathing, millions of universes are coming. And again  - yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah visnur mahan sa iha yasya kala-viseso. This Mahavishnu is only a portion –  plenary expansion of Krishna. Maha Vishnu is also nothing. That we accept, relatively, more, more, more, more.

Devotee: Their point of argument is that they don’t accept that there is a transcendental energy that exists.

SP: Never mind that. But you have to accept that you are not even an insignificant ant before Him. That you accept. Then our proposition is finished.

Devotee: But they…

SP: You are nothing but an insignificant ant in comparison to His power.

Devotee: But they think, it’s like, the ant may have insignificant power, but the ant is not increasing its power, but human beings are increasing their power.

SP: Could be, but for the time being, you  are nothing but an insignificant creature.Just like anyone is trying to become a very big businessman. Not that before becoming a Rockefeller, he can claim that I am Rockefeller. That is nonsense. You become Rockefeller, then you say.

Devotee: Just the possibility of becoming one intoxicates them.

SP: The possibility is not fact. Everyone has got the possibility of becoming a Rockefeller. But that does not mean everyone is Rockefeller. That is another (?foolishness).

Devotee: But the possibility props them up, intoxicates them.

SP: Eh?

Devotee: The possibility intoxicates them.

SP: Then you can think that all the banks belong to me. That is another intoxication. If you want to be happy, then all the banks of Los Angeles, they belong to me.  I am the proprietor. The intoxication gives you some relief, then enjoy that, but actually you’re a madman, if you think like that.

Devotee: Some human beings have done that.

SP: Uh?

Devotee: Some human beings have done that.

SP: But you are not, first of all you accept. Some may have done, some may be done but you are not. First of all you accept that. (Inaudible).

BSDS: The-the problem of relativity is alright. So for example, I can make five bowls and one bowl would be smaller than others. So like that, I can make five different kinds of bowls, but these are related to the others but I am making these bowls you know. So there has to be a person who can make these related things.

SP: Yes.

BSDS: Otherwise there is no question of relativity, if there’s someone who is operating these relative things.

Devotee: They say that relative energy creates relative manifestations. The energy which is making the bowls is still relative.

BSDS: Yes, but there has to be a person who is engaged in making these related things, otherwise, there will be no relativity.

Devotee: That’s still relative energy.

SP: Whatever it may be. Somebody is operating this relative law. [Pause] We explain many times that everyone has got  [inaudible] relative.

BSDS: Yes.

Devotee: In modern-modern physics, [inaudible] personality, intelligence, everything is simply different combinations of material energy.

SP: That’s alright. That is relative.

Devotee: There is no necessary of question of a person being [inaudible] everything is simply atoms.

SP: Because you are person, therefore everything must be person. You are studying as a person. You are not a dead body.

Devotee: That person , that personality is also just atoms in different orbits.

SP:  That’s alright, we agree-we agree. Therefore we say see God, karuna.

BSDS: We are like atomic particles.

SP: We accept that. Everything person.

Devotee: Everything is atom and atoms are not persons.

SP: Why not? We say that within the atom, there is God.

Devotee: That they can’t see.

SP: Eh?

Devotee: That they can’t see.

SP: They cannot see so many things, rascals. What to speak of God (laughter). We cannot see what is there within the ocean. That does not mean, there is no living entity.   Your seeing power is defective. [Pause]  A small microbes [inaudible]  Within that micro-body, it is all physiological machine, but we cannot see.

Devotee: [inaudible]

SP: eh?

Devotee:  If a crazy man comes up and says…

SP: Practical means you have to accept, that you are a small insignificant and that is very very big. That is practical. How can you deny it? As you can create a glass of water by mixing hydrogen and oxygen, so another person who can create the sea by mixing hydrogen, oxygen, he must be greater than you, you have to accept.

Devotee:  [inaudible] its all the same energy anyway.

SP: That’s alright but you cannot operate it. Energy is there, material is there. [Pause] If you accept the law of relativity you have to accept God. What you think?

BSDS: There’s no question about it. [Pause] In other words, God is infinite and we are finite particles of small living ….

SP: Yes.

BSDS: ..fragments.

SP: Anor aniyan mahato mahiyan. Smaller than the smallest, bigger than the biggest.  [Pause] (inaudible verse). You are creating one glass of water by mixing hydrogen, oxygen. God is creating millions of billions of pacific ocean simultaneously. Just like seasonal changes, as soon as  the season changes, millions of trees immediately grows leaves. Immediately. When there is a change of season immediately millions of leaves (inaudible). This is God’s energy. The energy is working in the same way. You can also create one leaf. If you take the procedure, you can make artificially one leaf but that is also not perfect. But God has created millions of trees, and millions and trillions of leaves within a second. That you can see.

Devotee: They won’t credit that to a person.

SP: eh?

Devotee:  They won’t give any credit.

SP: But that is their foolishness. (laughter)  Therefore they are rascal. You kick him with shoe. (Inaudible) No, I’m alright. (laughter)

Devotee: They say, just like you build a big fire may, that produces 100 degrees, a small fire produces five degrees, its still fire.

SP: That’s alright. You are also living entity, he is also living entity, there is no change.  You also fire, he is also fire. But you are spark, he is big fire. That is difference.  A spark is also fire. Who denies it?

Devotee: They say it is all one.

SP: All one in quality, not in quantity. That is our philosophy.

Devotee: They say the whole material energy as being….

SP: That’s alright. Difference of quantity is there, that is relativity..And I’m trying to – You can make a glass of water. That quantity and if I can make a pacific ocean,  that quantity is not one, but the water is one, that’s all. And the process of manufacturing is also one. But the quantity is different.

Devotee: Because if the material energy is the same, then there is no need for a God.

SP:  No, there is need of God. You cannot make the Pacific Ocean. That God is needed.

BSDS: We simply say that God’s power is inconceivable.

SP: Yes. Inconceivable to you, but not inconceivable to Him

BSDS: Yes

SP: He knows His business.

BSDS: Because our brain is so teeny, compared with His, so we cannot conceive his power.

SP: Yes, Inconceivable.

[Pause]

SP:  Just like the contents of the sun, there is no [inaudible], so that at night, there is no need of .

BSDS: Electricity?

SP: Electricity light.

Devotee:  Assuming who has created the sun has created us

SP: That is one after another. If by creation of something, by that energy, another thing is created, another thing is created. That is the law of creation.

Devotee: They won’t see anyone behind that.

SP: What power of seeing. That is their foolishness. What they can see. How far they can see?  So called seeing disease is childish. What you can see?

Devotee: Dr. Frog’s philosophy.

SP: Yes, Dr. Frog’s .

BSDS: They say that, so called, discoveries by scientists are nothing but imitation just as

(New tape)

BSDS: Yes at the same time, for example discoveries like aeroplane. They discovered because they imitated the flying of birds. They saw how the birds are flying so they imitated two wings, like shape of a bird. This is not their creation. This is just imitation from nature. Similarly, all discoveries are just imitations.

SP: Still they cannot imitate. Just like a small bird  also flying. So what machinery is there? If they can invent that machinery, (inaudible) question is over. But he cannot see that. The bird is also flying, the aeroplane is also flying but you are flying the aeroplane on the strength of petroleum but in the bird there is no petroleum. The bird is creating its own energy from within. Machine is so made that it is flying without petroleum. Why don’t you do that?

BSDS: Because the living force. In a bird there is living force.

Devotee: They think they can.

SP: They have not done it. Again that same thing..

Devotee: In the future.

SP: In future. That is nonsense. (Laughter). When you do it, then you say.

BSDS: Say for example, computer. Computer is just like human brain. I mean its different to a degree but it works like a human brain. But of course there is a operator in the –

SP: The human brain is there. It is pushing the body. Without human brain you cannot work. The human brain is there. It is not human brain. The machine itself is not human brain. The human brain outside the machine works.

Devotee:  They are saying they will make a human brain.

SP: That’s alright, see again the future (laughter). This foolishness is there. But we don’t accept such foolishness – the future. Everyone can say in future I shall become like this.

BSDS: That is why in one branch of science, so called trying to solve in future, say for example, they already trying to tell what is going to happen in two thousand years. So they say in two thousand years for example what type of dinner is going to have today so –

SP: But he cannot say what is going to happen to him in two thousand years.

BSDS: He cannot say even I mean, tomorrow what is going to happen

Devotee: He will be existing as much as he is existing now because the energy will all be conserved.

SP: The energy is always existing. You don’t require to think of what will happen. The energy is existing. Why you bother yourself? Let the energy do its own (inaudible). Actually it is being done. Just like Mr. Johnson, he was president and he was always busy, what will happen, what will happen. Now the election is over and still the government is going on without him. The government is going on without him. But when he was in the government he was thinking, oh what will happen.

Devotee: I’d say the government is going on because he was conscientious like that when he was the president.

SP: Yes but without him, the government can go on. Why does he not think like that?

Devotee: (inaudible) we have to think like that. Just like if I thought I don’t have to do anything because it will go on anyway

SP:  No, if you accept that energies are already there then why should you bother. The energy is (inaudible).

Devotee: But I am also that energy. If I am acting –

SP: But when you are not acting the energy is going on. So your action or no action, it doesn’t matter.

Devotee: (Inaudible) we should say it doesn’t matter whether I chant Hare Krishna or not because the energy is the same.

SP: Yes, that right. But you do not belong to that. We belong to what you call discriminating human being. You want to create something for advancement, we are living entity, we want advancement. And advancement means I have to do that. If I want to go, advance, then I have to walk. Your walking will not do, my walking is required if I want to advance.

BSDS: So planning for something is necessary. Without planning thinking that the energy is everywhere we cannot just -

SP: Planning is necessary. That planning should be within the big planning. You cannot plan anything whimsically.

BSDS: Mmhmm.

(Pause).

SP: So prove existence of God by this law of relativity.

(Pause).

BSDS: Actually everything is working under the laws of nature. Nothing remains stopped. Everything works.

SP: (inaudible verse). That is the instruction in the Bhagavad Gita. When Arjuna was declining to fight , Krishna ultimately says don’t think that all these men who are gathered here will go on. It is already planned they should die. You fight or not fight, they will die. That plan is already there. (inaudible verse) We have to endeavour for Krishna consciousness and nothing else. Everything is there. That is the point. Because you are living entity, you’ve got little independence. By misuse of independence you become out of Krishna’s association. So we have to try for that to again go back to the association. Nothing else. Other things will go on. You don’t require to become a scientist or physicist or this or that. You don’t require. Simply required to chant Hare Krishna, that’s all. That is your only requirement. (inaudible) scientist . We are trying to please Krishna that’s all. But things are going on. (pause) Sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja , you simply surrender , that is your duty. No other duty. (verse).

(End)

Transcriber: Bhaktin Preetha

Editor: Rupachandra Das

Date: 10/05/2008