Vamanadeva

Caitanya Caritamtra

Adi Lila

TEXT 90

TEXT

asura-svabhave krsne kabhu nahi jane

lukaite nare krsna bhakta-jana-sthane

SYNONYMS

asura-svabhave--those whose nature is demoniac; krsne--Lord Krsna; kabhu--at any time; nahi--not; jane--know; lukaite--to hide; nare--is not able; krsna--Lord Krsna; bhakta-jana--of pure devotees; sthane--in a place.

TRANSLATION

Those whose nature is demoniac cannot know Krsna at any time, but He cannot hide Himself from His pure devotees.

PURPORT

People who develop the nature of asuras like Ravana and Hiranyakasipu can never know Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, by challenging the authority of Godhead. But Sri Krsna cannot hide Himself from His pure devotees.

TEXT 91

TEXT

dvau bhuta-sargau loke 'smin

daiva asura eva ca

visnu-bhaktah smrto daiva

asuras tad-viparyayah

SYNONYMS

dvau--two; bhuta--of the living beings; sargau--dispositions; loke--in the world; asmin--in this; daivah--godly; asurah--demoniac; eva--certainly; ca--and; visnu-bhaktah--a devotee of Lord Visnu; smrtah--remembered; daivah--godly; asurah--demoniac; tat-viparyayah--the opposite of that.

TRANSLATION

"There are two classes of men in the created world. One consists of the demoniac and the other of the godly. The devotees of Lord Visnu are the godly, whereas those who are just the opposite are called demons."

PURPORT

This is a verse from the Padma Purana. Visnu-bhaktas, or devotees in Krsna consciousness, are known as devas (demigods). Atheists, who do not believe in God or who declare themselves God, are asuras (demons). Asuras always engage in atheistic material activities, exploring ways to utilize the resources of matter to enjoy sense gratification. The visnu-bhaktas, Krsna conscious devotees, are also active, but their objective is to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead by devotional service. Superficially both classes may appear to work in the same way, but their purposes are completely opposite because of a difference in consciousness. Asuras work for personal sense gratification, whereas devotees work for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. Both work conscientiously, but their motives are different.

The Krsna consciousness movement is meant for devas, or devotees. Demons cannot take part in Krsna conscious activities, nor can devotees in Krsna consciousness take part in demoniac activities or work like cats and dogs simply for sense gratification. Such activity does not appeal to those in Krsna consciousness. Devotees accept only the bare necessities of life to keep themselves fit to act in Krsna consciousness. The balance of their energy is used for developing Krsna consciousness, through which one can be transferred to the abode of Krsna by always thinking of Him, even at the point of death.

BY: ISKCON KAZAKHSTAN

Sep 16, BANGALORE, INDIA (TIMES OF INDIA) — The Society for Krishna Consciousness has appealed to the Kazakhstan Government to keep their present property in Karasai District by RO Society for Krishna Consciousness in Kazakhstan On September 16, 2009 the Krishna Society appealed to the Almaty Oblast deputy Hakim, S. Mukanov to allot the Society the 15-hectare land plot that the society has occupied and developed for the past ten years.

The Kazakhstan government destroyed 26 homes of Hindu practitioners of the community. Their land plots were confiscated. The owners of the destroyed houses were left homeless and never offered compensation or humanitarian aid. All of the land plots have been resold by the Kazakh government.

The Kazakh government also confiscated the 47.7 hectares (116 acres) legally registered property of the Krishna Society. This is the property where the only Krishna Temple in Kazakhstan exists. The claim for the confiscation is forgery but this point has never been proved in court. In both cases there are more than 40 examples of violation of due process and rule of law.

The Kazakh government has been requested by numerous organizations to address the issue of the Krishna Society. In response the Krishna Society has been offered a garbage dump and other unusable land plots. The Society refused to accept these offers. As a result, in October 2008 the government began a case demanding the demolition of the Krishna Temple and the cowshed of the society. During the trial the Kazakh government failed to support it’s arguments and had to withdraw the claim.

In 2009 the Kazakh government instructed the Krishna Society to independently search for land plots with the assurance that district authorities would assist the Society in exchanging the suitable plots for the garbage dump. During the past 5 months the Krishna Society has located 13 suitable land plots but the Kazakh government has not approved any of these plots.

The government now demands the Krishna Society to accept 5-hectares of an abandoned agriculture field. The field has no access road, is on the other side of a creek, and has no public water or electrical supply. The Kazakh officials have suggested the Krishna Society build a bridge to access the property.

This particular plot was a portion of the original 47.7-hectare farm of the Krishna Society. The government is offering 5 hectares of inaccessible wasteland within one kilometer of the property that the society has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop over the past ten years.

The Kazakh authorities persist in their attempts to banish the Krishna Society from the property that it has occupied, cultivated, developed, and worshipped at, for the past ten years.

2010 is a notable year for the Republic of Kazakhstan. It commemorates acceptance of the chairmanship of OSCE. It also commemorates the sixth year since the Kazakh government began the campaign to destroy the farm community of the Society for Krishna Consciousness in Kazakhstan.

In light of the 2010 Kazakhstan Chairmanship of OSCE the resolve of the Krishna Society issue would be a practical step in demonstrating Kazakhstan's positive will in the human dimension.

IceRocket Tags: Nollmeyer,human rights,ethics,censorship,environment,political philosophy,political economy,iskcon,christianity,ritvik,law,powereality,homeland security,journalism,corporate history,university of california,kazakhstan

TRANSLATION

This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.

PURPORT

It is clearly stated that the Gita was especially meant for the saintly kings because they were to execute its purpose in ruling over the citizens. Certainly Bhagavad-gétä was never meant for the demonic persons, who would dissipate its value for no one’s benefit and would devise all types of interpretations according to personal whims. As soon as the original purpose was scattered by the motives of the unscrupulous commentators, there arose the need to reestablish the disciplic succession. Five thousand years ago it was detected by the Lord Himself that the disciplic succession was broken, and therefore He declared that the purpose of the Gétä appeared to be lost. In the same way, at the present moment also there are so many editions of the Gétä (especially in English), but almost all of them are not according to authorized disciplic succession. There are innumerable interpretations rendered by different mundane scholars, but almost all of them do not accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, although they make a good business on the words of Sri Krishna. This spirit is demonic, because demons do not believe in God but simply enjoy the property of the Supreme. Since there is a great need of an edition of the Gétä in English, as it is received by the paramparä (disciplic succession) system, an attempt is made herewith to fulfill this great want. Bhagavad-Gita—accepted as it is—is a great boon to humanity; but if it is accepted as a treatise of philosophical speculations, it is simply a waste of time.

sri-bhagavan uvaca
loke ’smin dvi-vidha nistha
pura prokta mayanagha
jnana-yogena sankhyanam
karma-yogena yoginam

sri bhagavan uvaca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; loke—in the world; asmin—this; dvi-vidha—two kinds of; nistha—faith; pura—formerly; prokta—was said; maya—by Me; anagha—O sinless one; jnana-yogena—by the linking process of knowledge; sankhyanam—of the empiric philosophers; karma-yogena—by the linking process of devotion; yoginam—of the devotees.

TRANSLATION

The Blessed Lord said: O sinless Arjuna, I have already explained that there are two classes of men who realize the Self. Some are inclined to understand Him by empirical, philosophical speculation, and others are inclined to know Him by devotional work.

PURPORT

In the Second Chapter, verse 39, the Lord explained two kinds of procedures—namely sankhya-yoga and karma-yoga, or buddhi-yoga. In this verse, the Lord explains the same more clearly. Sankhya-yoga, or the analytical study of the nature of spirit and matter, is the subject matter for persons who are inclined to speculate and understand things by experimental knowledge and philosophy. The other class of men work in Krsna consciousness, as it is explained in the 61st verse of the Second Chapter. The Lord has explained, also in the 39th verse, that by working by the principles of buddhi-yoga, or Krsna consciousness, one can be relieved from the bonds of action; and, furthermore, there is no flaw in the process. The same principle is more clearly explained in the 61st verse—that this buddhi-yoga is to depend entirely on the Supreme (or more specifically, on Krsna), and in this way all the senses can be brought under control very easily. Therefore, both the yogas are interdependant, as religion and philosophy. Religion without philosophy is sentiment, or sometimes fanaticism, while philosophy without religion is mental speculation. The ultimate goal is Krsna, because the philosophers who are also sincerely searching after the Absolute Truth come in the end to Krsna consciousness. This is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita. The whole process is to understand the real position of the self in relation to the Superself. The indirect process is philosophical speculation, by which, gradually, one may come to the point of Krsna consciousness; and the other process is directly connecting with everything in Krsna consciousness. Of these two, the path of Krsna consciousness is better because it does not depend on purifying the senses by a philosophical process. Krsna consciousness is itself the purifying process, and by the direct method of devotional service it is simultaneously easy and sublime.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Thakura published the book Vaishnava-Siddhanta-Mala in the year 1892 from Calcutta, West Bengal, India.

The Thakura cited the famous verse "Sri Madhvah praha vishnum paratamam akhila amnaya-vedyam ca visvam" on the cover of his book.

This famous verse appears in the Prameya-Ratnavali of Sripada Baladeva Vidyabhusana (Prameya-Ratnavali 1.8). This verse is a summary description of the ten fundamental truths of Vaishnavism as enunciated by Sripada Madhvacarya, the founder of the Brahma-Madhva-sampradaya.

This theological treatise of the Thakura presents the fundamental truths of Gaudiya Vaisnavism in a clear, concise format of questions and answers. This book was originally published as a philosophical introduction to the five sections of a book describing the method of spreading the Nama Hatta program or the market place of the Holy name of Krsna. We invite the readers to carefully read the Thakura's masterful and elegant presentation and appreciate the depth of His devotion and preaching spirit.
Translated from the original Bengali by Dasaratha Suta dasa
Copyright (c) 1994, Nectar Books

First Chapter

Nava-prameya-siddhanta (Nine Truths of Evidence)

Q. What command has the supremely worshipable Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu given to us?
A. His order is this: that we very carefully observe the nine instructions of truth that Sri Madhvacarya has given us through the guru-parampara (disciplic succession).

Q. Who forms the guru-parampara?
A. The adi-guru (original guru) of all the spiritual masters in the disciplic succession is Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Showing His great mercy, He gave instructions in the truth to Lord Brahma, the adi-kavi (original poet). These truths were in turn taught by Brahma to Sri Narada, by Narada to Vyasa, and successively from Vyasa to Sri Madhvacarya. Such instructions received through this disciplic succession are called Guru-Parampara-Upadesa.

Q. What are the names of these nine instructions given by Sri Madhvacarya?
A. Their names are thus:
1) Bhagavan alone is the Supreme truth, one without a second.
2) He is the object of knowledge in all the Vedas.
3) The universe is real [satya].
4) Differences [between Isvara, jiva and matter] are real.
5) Jiva souls are the servants of Lord Hari.
6) All souls are different according to their different situations.
7) Liberation [moksa] is the name of attainment of Bhagavan's feet.
8) Bhagavan's pure worship [amala bhajana] is the only way to attain liberation.
9) Pratyaksa [direct perception], anumana [logic], and sabda [spiritual sound] are the three types of evidence.

Second Chapter

Bhagavan Alone Is the Supreme Truth

Q. Who is Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
A. Bhagavan is the one Who expands all jivas and all matter by His own inconceivable energy (acintya-sakti), and then enters into these creations as the Supreme Lord (Isvara-svarupa). He also transcends all souls and matter as the impersonal Brahman effulgence (brahma-svarupa), which is far beyond all imagination; and moreover, it is He who manifests His divine potency (para-sakti) to reveal His form of eternity, knowledge and bliss (sac-cid-ananda svarupa), thereby becoming the object of devotion for all souls.

Q. What are the different types of the Lord's potencies?
A. We are unable to fully describe the Lord's potencies. The reason for this is His saktis have no boundaries, whereas we have boundaries; therefore, His energies are called para-sakti. These saktis are completely imperceptible to us, but on the other side of the matter, in the divine realm of His para-sakti, all things are accomplished effortlessly. Thus the para-sakti simultaneously conducts the opposing affairs of spirit and matter automatically.

Q. Then is Bhagavan subordinate to the sakti?
A. It is not that Bhagavan is one thing and the sakti is another, just as the burning power of the fire is inseparable from the fire, similarly Bhagavan's sakti is inseparable from Bhagavan.

Q. If Bhagavan is the one and only Supreme truth then why did Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu give His followers instructions about devotional service to Sri Krsna (Krsna Bhakti)?
A. Bhagavan has six eternal qualities — He possesses all wealth, strength, fame, beauty, knowledge and renunciation. Different forms of the Lord (Bhagavad-svarupa) manifest according to whether certain of these qualities are being expressed to greater or lesser degrees. For example, when His wealth feature is foremost, then He manifests as Narayana, the Lord of Vaikuntha; when His beauty and sweetness predominate, then He manifests as Vrindavana-Candra Sri Krsna. Therefore, only Sri Krsna is the topmost supreme manifestation of Bhagavan.

Q. How many types of forms does the Lord have?
A. All of His forms are fully conscious, supremely beautiful, overflowing with divine bliss, all attractive, vibrantly active, and perceivable by pure love. According to the different natures of different souls, the Lord's eternal form manifests in an infinite number of ways. Thus, according to these differences in the Lord's manifestation, different natured souls are eternally attached to Him in their own original forms. Only the form of Sri Krsna is the eternal blissful svarupa.

Q. What is Sri Krsna's lila?
A. Among the limitless variegated realms of the entire spiritual world, the most supremely charming portion is called Sri-Vrndavana. There, Sac-Cid-Ananda Sri Krsna is present in the form of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna for the purpose of performing eternal pastimes. When souls manifest their own form of divine bliss, then they live in Vrindavana in the mood of Sri Radhika's girlfriends (since She is the personification of supreme bliss), and thus they attain the qualification for participation in Sri Krsna's eternal pastimes.

Q. What are the obstacles to the attainment of Sri Krsna lila?
A. There are two types of obstacles: 1) material consciousness (jada-buddhi) and 2) beyond the conception of material consciousness, there is impersonal consciousness (nirvisesa-buddhi).

Q. What is material consciousness?
A. Material consciousness is an awareness that is limited to material time, place, objects, aspirations, thoughts and activities. According to material consciousness, one sees the realm of Vrindavana dhama to be a material place. Time is divided into three parts: past, present and future. Objects refer to all perishable things. Aspiration refers to the hopes for impermanent happiness, such as attaining the heavenly planets, etc. In this condition, the soul can think only in material thoughts. Such a soul imagines the following temporary activities to be worthwhile:
— the culture of civilization
— moral ethics
— scientific learning
— industrial development
— and the increase of domestic prosperity.

Q. What is impersonal consciousness?
A. First, the principle in the material world which separates all things is called visesa (distinction based upon material quality). By merely renouncing material thinking, one only gives up the conception of material distinction, and thereby one's consciousness falls into the realm of nirvisesa (non-distinction). In this condition, one is unable to perceive the differences between material objects, since the self is situated in nirvana or merging with the impersonal abode of Brahman. This state is not a happy one at all; being bereft of the natural bliss of the eternally conscious soul, the prema or ecstatic love for the Lord remains concealed. The eternal pastimes of Sri Krsna are certainly beyond matter; indeed, they are endowed with cin-maya-visesa, or divinely conscious distinction.

Q. If Sri Krsna's pastimes are beyond matter, then how does He enact His lila in the material world at the end of the Dvapara-Yuga?
A. Sri Krsna-Lila is certainly transcendental to matter, but by the power of His inconceivable potency (acintya-sakti) He manifests His sports within the material sphere. Even though manifested there, Sri Krsna's pastimes never blend with matter or become subject to the rules of matter. These pastimes of Sri Krsna have two phases: 1) Prakata (manifest in the material world), 2) Aprakata (manifest only in the spiritual world beyond matter) and both conditions are visuddha-cinmaya, or pervaded with the purest divine consciousness. His pastimes are performed only in the most purely sacred realm of Vaikuntha, and they are centered in the forest of Sri Vrindavana. Their manifestation in the material world and in the hearts of jivas is only due to His acintya-sakti as well as His causeless mercy. Even when Krsna's lila is performed in the world of matter, the conditioned souls who partake of the material consciousness (jada-buddhi) are unfortunately cheated; their contact with matter makes them see the lila with faulty vision. Whoever becomes freed from jada-buddhi, just like the two rascals Jagai and Madhai did during the pastimes of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, then they will also be able to understand these truths. Becoming relieved of faulty material vision, such fortunate souls are then attracted to the Lord's pastimes. As long as the jivas cannot understand Sri Krsna-Tattva (the truth about the Lord), then they cannot taste rasa or divine relishable mellows.

Q. These truths of Sri Krsna-tattva are the religious principles of the Vaishnava-dharma. What about people who are involved with other types of religion?
A. Different religions have different instructions for the worship of either Isvara (the personal God), Paramatma (the localized supersoul in the heart) or Brahma (His all-pervading impersonality) — but all three of these types of religions are ultimately pointing in the direction of Krsna-Tattva. After the jivas evolve upwards through their various courses of development, they eventually will attain Krsna Bhakti in the end. Even though they attain the incompleteness of their various religious paths, Sri Krsna Bhakti is still available to them. The awareness of the supreme nature of Sri Krsna-tattva is the ultimate knowledge inherent within each and every living entity.