Srimad-Bhagavatam Meditation: 2:6:40-41

It is once again time for a guided meditation on the ripened fruit of the tree of Vedic knowledge, the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

I humbly ask you to read first the translation and Bhaktivedanta purport to today's verse, the 40 and 41st verses from the Sixth Chapter of the Second Canto.

viśuddhaḿ kevalaḿ jñānaḿ
pratyak samyag avasthitam
satyaḿ pūrṇam anādy-antaḿ
nirguṇaḿ nityam advayam
ṛṣe vidanti munayaḥ
praśāntātmendriyāśayāḥ
yadā tad evāsat-tarkais
tirodhīyeta viplutam

The Personality of Godhead is pure, being free from all contaminations of material tinges. He is the Absolute Truth and the embodiment of full and perfect knowledge. He is all-pervading, without beginning or end, and without rival. O Nārada, O great sage, the great thinkers can know Him when completely freed from all material hankerings and when sheltered under undisturbed conditions of the senses. Otherwise, by untenable arguments, all is distorted, and the Lord disappears from our sight

One of the main frames of the foundation of our experience as conscious entities is our personal relationships with other conscious entities-with all the resultant emotions, actions, reactions, joys, sorrows, momentum, memories, connections, separations, etc. More and more, in subtle ways, as I read the Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-Gita with a little more concentration, I begin to understand that Krsna is not some abstract concept, some unattainable overmind. I begin to realize He is a Person, a conscious entity with emotions, likes, and dislikes. I begin to realize that He is the Best Person, and that as I read about his awesome qualities, I really really want to get to know this Person with all my heart and soul.

Who wouldn't want to know and love such a Person? We all admire incredible personalities with incredible talents and achievements-leaders, athletes, musicians, educators, heroes. It is a natural tendency and desire of the heart to look up to personalities whose greatness defines our own morals, aspirations, and actions. There is no one better than Krsna in this regard.

Prabhupada writes in the purport "But here it is said that the Lord is eternally the symbol of full and perfect knowledge. This is His speciality: perpetual freedom from all material contaminations....In the Vedas it is said that the Lord is vijñānam ānandam, full of bliss and knowledge." No earthly person, no matter how money or missiles they may have at their control, is free from material contaminations and is certainly not full of bliss and knowledge. We should want to know Krsna more than anybody else, so that everybody else we know can also benefit to the highest degree.

Prabhupada continues his description of Krsna by writing "similarly, the Lord is never contaminated by sins; on the contrary, the sinful living entities become sterilized by contact with the Lord." Sin, or whatever term one wants to use, is not usually something we strive to attain, although in this post-modern age there are many who indeed strive to wallow in the pits of vikarma. But to those right-thinking people, by knowing this person Krsna, we become sterilized, cleansed, of our misguided actions and beliefs. Krsna has appeared for us in the form of the Holy Name and in the hearts of his pure devotees. We should stop our nonsense and meet Him right now in these places for a bath of pure nectar that will restore us to our natural happiness.

There are so many accomplishments we see, hear about, speak about, taste, touch, and feel. What does Krsna accomplish that makes Him the greatest? Krsna says in the Gita (4:8) To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium. So many efforts in the annals of history have been made individually and collectively to slay the impious forces oppressing the various peoples of the world, but no human effort has ever been completely responsible for the death of the demons. It is only by the mercy of the Lord, sometimes appearing personally as the Greatest Hero, that we become free from such aggressive efforts to enslave and destroy us.

Prabhupada writes further of Krsna that "He is the generating reservoir for everyone's existential capacity; He is the Supreme Truth of all other categorical truths. He is the source of everyone's opulence, and therefore no one can equal Him in opulence. Being full of all opulences, namely wealth, fame, strength, beauty, knowledge and renunciation, certainly He is the Supreme Person. And because He is a person, He has many personal qualities, although He is transcendental to the material modes." All that we desire of our own personal self, all great and positive qualities we want to reflect in our own words and actions come from this Person, this Krsna. He has everything we want and need, and He is very willing and happy to give it to us. This is a true friend suhrdam sarva-bhutanam. And with this, he is beyond the material modes. Who would not want to know and love such a Person who will not burden you with unwanted lusty advances, greedy demands, envious back-talk, or uncontrolled anger?

Prabhupada concludes his purport by saying that one who is pure in devotion can know and love Krsna, the Supreme Person, in the most sublime of personal exchanges. One who is too much attached to dry speculation cannot know Krsna. For him, as stated in the translation, Krsna disappears from his sight. Many a time I encounter college students in our programs who go around in endless circles trying to define reality. Is this a dream? Is the dream actually real? Who defines knowledge? What is consciousness? Too often it is just speculative poking at the minute aspects of the Supreme, meant just to show off that one thinks "deeply", and Krsna does not appear in these spaced-out salons. If we can re-direct these genuine sentiments towards a more complete understanding of reality, and the Awesome Person, Krsna, who has created it, then we will be doing real good for these wonderful and intelligent spirit-souls.

If we can develop this understanding more and more of Krsna as a personality with whom we share all needs of love and affection with, and if we can meditate upon His awesome qualities, increasing our desire to fully meet and reciprocate with such an amazing Person, then all spiritual advancement and enlightenment is guaranteed.

What's In Your Milk Label?

I recently had a chance to watch the film The Corporation, a documentary examining the nature of the corporation as a physical, individual entity living and acting in our post-modern world, with all the various and disturbing side-effects.

Good ol' Monsanto and its prize product Posilac, or recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH), used to increase milk production in dairy cows for "maximum profit potential", was prominently featured. I shuddered at the images of the cows suffering from mastitis and other various side effects from this wonder drug, and I wonder what special hellish planet awaits those who think the use of rGBH is worth the pain brought about.

In related news, the Indiana State Legislature is about to pass a bill which "would prevent dairy labels that contain a 'compositional or production-related claim that is supported solely by sworn statements, affidavits, or testimonials." In other words, anything related to the moral or ethical dimensions of the product would be off-limits."

In other other words, if you want to know whether your milk contains this hybrid chemical holocaust, too bad. It's not worth your time or health, according to the politicians and their attached lobbyists in Indiana. Check out the full article here for more info.

Solutions as always: Go vegan, buy local (non-corporate, and that includes corporate "organic"), and support cow protection programs.

Pearls and Stones from the Dust of New Vrindaban Dham

Listening, not sleeping in Bhagavatam class, I hear....

HG Nityodita Prabhu say that we are not chanting Hare Krsna. We are practicing to chant Hare Krsna. The more we trudge through the inattentiveness, the external distractions, our sloppy sadhana, our plans and schemes, etc, the sooner we'll reach that actual platform of hearing and chanting, from which all other processes of devotional service can then be dutifully performed with love.

He also said the less you try to control a situation, the less anxiety you'll have. I have a sticky-note with this on it, and I'm putting it on my forehead, or better yet this computer screen.

***
HG Janak Mahajana Prabhu says that as long as we are in our material bodies, we will have to suffer with lusty thoughts. The best things we can do is chant, serve, feast on prasad, and detach, and understand that these thoughts are simply like the wind. They'll soon blow away.

***
I had to explain to HG Yugal Kishore Prabhu what the term "gosh" meant, since he had heard it a few times, and didn't know what the heck it meant. I explained to him that people use that term if they don't want to take the Lord's name in vain, or just feel that saying God is too strong for the given situation. He nodded and understood, and then asked me to drive him to Detroit.

So remember, if you don't follow the ways of Gosh, you'll end up in the heckish planets.

The Wonder Worker

While in Chowpatty, I asked HG Govinda Prabhu a question about my feelings of inadequacy in coming up to the platform of brahmacarya, of a renounced life devoted to God, because I had been raised in a secular Western atmosphere, born with a Western body that has all kinds of desires. He very kindly and firmly told me to never think I am disqualified from a renounced life because of my background, and if I do think so, I am instantly disqualifying myself.

He also pointed out that numerous individuals in a Western body have lived a renounced life devoted to giving God to all. One such example that I have been reading about is The Venerable Father Solanus Casey (1870-1957), a Capuchin friar and monk who is currently being considered for sainthood by the Vatican.

My personal connection to him is that, amongst my immediate family in Detroit, he is still a household name. He spent nearly 20 years in Detroit working in St. Bonaventure Monastery, with an all-day open-door policy that allowed each and everyone, espiecally the sick and poor, to come to him for deep wisdom, practical advice, and miraculous blessings. He also helped to open one of the city's first soup kitchens that is still feeding the hungry in Detroit today.

I took a lot of inspiration from reading about Father Solanus, from seeing my own struggles in his struggles, and in aspiring to imbibe some of his humility, surrender, and simplicity, universal to all faiths, in my own practice. His presence deeply exists for all those he has touched and still touches today. In a world devoid of so many spiritual examples of proper life and action, Father Solanus stands tall for many hearts to have and hold.

His words....

"Man's purpose as a rational creature is to recognize and to know His Creator, so as to be able intelligently to love Him, confidently to hope in Him, and gratefully to serve Him."

"We must be faithful to the present moment, or we will frustrate the plan of God for our lives."

"Be as blind as possible to the faults of your neighbors, trying at least to attribute a good intention to their actions."

"God is constantly planning wonders for the patient and humble."

"Let us not worry about past stupidities and sins, but rather thank God for having rescued us from hell and from the jaws of our unruly passions."

"Jesus is no crank! He knows we are not angels but poor sinners, and He understands when we fail."

"We should be ever grateful for and love the vocation to which God has called us. This applies to every vocation because, after all, what a privilege it is to serve God, even in the least capacity!"

"Confidence is the very soul of prayer."

"Confidence in God-the very soul of courage-is victory assured."

"We worry and fret about tomorrow as though our dear Lord had never spoken a word about His divine providence, or proved His loving solicitude for each of us a thousand times a day."

"God loves to load confidently loving souls with supernatural divine generosity."

"The thing the world calls 'life' is short after all, and the hereafter so eternal, that nothing here ought to really disturb us."

"Shake off anxiety. Last year it was something that you smile about now. Tomorrow it's something that will not be serious if you raise your heart to God and thank Him for whatever comes."

"How merciful the good God is in letting us now and then run up against a snag of some kind, that halts us for at least a moment of reflection on the real purpose of our existence as rational creatures: eternity in God."

"There is nothing in nature or visible creation, however sublime, but what is simply a shadow, a counterpart, of the supernatural."

"Courage, therefore, and with the soul's eye fixed on the goal of eternity, struggle on."

"To know is to appreciate. God Himself can be appreciated and loved only inasmuch as He is known."

"Be sure, if the enemy of our soul is pleased at anything in us, it is ingratitude of whatever kind. Why? Ingratitude leads to so many breaks with God and our neighbor."

"Humanity's outstanding weakness seems to be a thoughtless want of appreciation for the uncountable blessings by which Almighty God is always surrounding it."

"I'm alright jack keep your hands off of my stack"

I've been glancing at some of the headlines over the past few days as the world's various stock markets have taken quite a tumble. The science of all this I do not know, but you can smell the fear. It's quite a fragile house of cards that has been built on some pretty flimsy paper, and the dead presidents (and Gandhi) on the front of the bills can't do much to help.

I was listening to a lecture from the 16th Chapter of the Gita given by Prabhupada way back in the day in 1976 in New Vrindaban. Here's a few excerpts of some good-old fashioned smashing related to the subject of the futility of economic development in this Kali-Yuga.

"Formerly in the currency, when you go to take some exchange, it was the etiquette of the teller to ask you, "What you want, silver money, gold money or paper money?" It was their duty. If you say "I want gold money," they will pay in gold money. Not only it is written in the paper, "I promise to pay," but the promise was kept. If he wants, "Give me payment in gold," they will pay. And now, to keep gold, hoarding gold, is illegal. So you cannot ask. This is going on, legalized cheating. You have to accept this paper money. That's all. Don't ask for gold. And there is no honesty at all. I can take paper money for my convenience sake, but how you can force me to take paper money? That is not honesty. So dishonesty begins from the government. You cannot keep gold. If you have kept gold, there will be searching, and if it is found that you have gold, you'll be punished. In India it is now being done. There is no freedom even at your home, in your private life. Formerly, any common man could keep gold according to his desire. There was no such thing. Sometimes he would hide it even within the ground, because there was no bank. At least in India this was the practice. If you have got some gold, you keep it somewhere confidential within the ground so that it may not be stolen. So everyone should have right to keep his money as he likes. Why government should interfere? Therefore you see the Bhagavatam, rajanya-dasyu-dharmah.(?) The government men will be like rogues and thieves. By law they will take away. It is now going on in India. I think here it is also? You cannot keep gold. Why I cannot keep gold? If I have secured gold, I can keep it. I want gold. You write, "I promise to pay," so there must be gold coins. I must have. So many difficulties will come in the kingdom of maya gradually. It is already come."

"Dhana means money. So if you have got money, then everyone will respect you. Personally you may be less than a dog, but because you have got money, people will respect you. Is it not? (laughs)....Especially in the Western countries this is very prominent. If you have got money, then you have got everything. Therefore they are after money only, that "If some way or other, if I get money, then I get everything. I get respect, I get honor. I get everything. Bring money somehow or other." This is the attempt. Therefore there is so much hard struggle. From early in the morning, four o'clock, they are going to the office to get money. To get more money, more money, that is the Western civilization. Now in India they have also learned. And our philosophy is "Don't try to get money." Tasyaiva hetoh prayeteta. "You should simply engage your life for advancing your Krsna consciousness." So who will hear us? We say, "There is no need of working so hard for money." Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. This kind of working hard is done by the hogs and dogs, so why a human being should work so hard simply to get the necessities of life? [break] ...and dogs, they are getting necessities of life in that way. [break] This association, this meeting, this talking, is meant for the human body; it is not for the cats and dogs. This is human civilization. Naimisaranya meeting going on, all the big, big learned brahmanas, sages, they are talking how to do welfare activities to the human society. What is this civilization? Simply money, money, money, money, money. And as soon as you get money, then you begin all nonsense, illicit sex, meat-eating, drinking, gambling. What you will do with the money? You do not know how to spend it. "