The Boatman & The Technology Student

The Boatman

One student of technology was going home, and he was on the boat. So the student was asking the boatman, “Do you know what are the stars?” The boatman said, “Sir, we are ordinary boatman. What do we know about these stars?” “Oh. Then your fifty percent of life is wasted, useless.” Then he was asking, “Do you know what are these trees?

Lecture to Technology Students (M.I.T.) — Boston, May 5, 1968

Prabhupada:

om ajnana-timirandhasyajnananjana-salakayacaksur unmilitam yenatasmai sri-gurave namah

This prayer is offering respectful obeisances to the spiritual master. Why? Because the spiritual master is the person who opens our eyes, complicated in ignorance, with the torch of transcendental knowledge. Timirandhasya. Every one of us born ignorant, and we require specific education and training for seeing things as they are. Today I am very glad to meet you. You are all students of technology. This Krsna consciousness movement is also another technology. Unfortunately, in the modern state of civilization there are different department of knowledge. There is department of teaching medical science, there is department of teaching engineering, there is department of educating:so many other departments of knowledge. Unfortunately, there is no department for distributing knowledge in the science of the soul. But that is the important, most important thing, because the soul is the mainstay, is the background of all our movements.
In the Bhagavad-gita there is a nice verse:

indriyani parany ahurindriyebhyah param manahmanasas tu para buddhiryo buddheh paratas tu sah[Bg. 3.42]

The idea is that in the present consciousness I am thinking that I am this body, although actually I am not this body. This is ignorance. And body means the senses. I am acting means… Just like I am talking. That means I am using my tongue for vibration. So these bodily activities means sensual activities. But if you go deep into the matter, the senses can only act when the mind is sound. If the mind is not sound, a crazy man or a madman cannot use his senses properly. Therefore higher science.

First of all technology of the senses, and then, next higher technology is of the mind, which is known as psychology. Thinking, feeling, willing. They are trying to understand how they are working. And above this mind, mental science, there is the science of intelligence. And above the science of intelligence, the background is the soul. Unfortunately, we have got technology for the bodily senses, we have got technology for psychology, but we have neither any technology for intelligence nor for any technology in the science of the soul. The Krsna consciousness movement is the technology of the science of soul.

[The Story of the Boatman & The Technology Student]

There is a nice story. You’ll appreciate it. In India, especially in Bengal, there are many rivers. The land is full of rivers. Because it is on the bank of the Bay of Bengal, all rivers are falling. Therefore Bengal, the land of, especially the east Bengal, is full of rivers. One student of technology was going home, and he was on the boat. So the student was asking the boatman, “Do you know what are the stars?” The boatman said, “Sir, we are ordinary boatman. What do we know about these stars?” “Oh. Then your fifty percent of life is wasted, useless.” Then he was asking, “Do you know what are these trees? Do you know any science of botany?” He said, “Sir, we are ordinary laborer. What do we know about botany?” “Oh. Then seventy-five percent of your life is useless.” In this way the student of technology was asking the boatman, “Do you know this? Do you know that?” And he said that “I am ordinary man. What do I know all these things?” Then all of a sudden there was a black cloud, and there was storm, and the river began to be inflated, and the boatman said, “My dear sir, do you know swimming?” “Oh,” he said, “no.” Then he said, “Then your cent percent knowledge is spoiled. Now you have to go down to the river. Your life is finished.” In this way they dropped in the river, and the technological student, because he did not know how to swim, so the storm and the waves grabbed him.

The idea is that we are making progress, certainly, in technology, in economics, in so many other departments of human necessities. But Bhagavad-gita says that real problem of this world, or real problem of our life, it is said in the Bhagavad-gita, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsan am. If you are intelligent enough, then you should see the real problem is birth, death, old age and disease. Janma means birth, and mrtyu means death. Janma-mrtyu-jara. Jara means old age, and vyadhi means disease. So actual material problem is this, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi. We have forgotten that “In the abdomen of my mother, how precarious condition I was living in.” Of course, we can know from the description of medical science or any other science how the child is packed up there and how much suffering is there. The worms bite the child and he cannot express; he suffers the suffering. Similarly, the mother eats something and the pungent taste also gives him suffering.

So these descriptions are there in the sastras, in the scriptures and authentic Vedic literature, how the child suffers within the abdomen of mother. So these are the sufferings of birth. At least, one child has to remain in that air-packed condition at least for ten months. Now just imagine if you are put into that air-packed condition for three minutes now, you will immediately die. But actually, we had that experience to remain in the mother’s womb in that air-packed condition for ten months. So suffering was there, but because the child was incapable of expressing, therefore… Or his consciousness was not so elevated. He could not cry, but the suffering was there. Similarly, at the time of death there is suffering. Similarly, old man. Just like us, we have got so many complaints, bodily complaints. Because now everything, the anatomical or physiological condition, is deteriorating. The stomach is not digesting foodstuff so nicely as when I was young I could digest. So the sufferings are there. Similarly, disease. Who wants disease? So modern technology, they have advanced undoubtedly, but there is no remedy for, I mean to say, to stop birth, death, old age and disease. This is real problem. But because these problems cannot be solved by the modern scientific advancement of knowledge, they have practically set aside or neglected because they cannot solve it.
But there is a solution. There is a solution. That solution of this problem is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, that,

mam upetya kaunteyaduhkhalayam asasvatamnapnuvanti mahatmanahsamsiddhim paramam gatah[Bg. 8.15]

“My dear Arjuna, if somebody comes to Me…” “Me” means here the Supreme Personality of Godhead is saying, Krsna. “If somebody comes to Me, then he hasn’t got to take birth again in this miserable material condition.” Duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. Duhkhalayam means the place of miseries. We are thinking that we have made a paradise, but actually the place is miserable, because the threefold miseries, they are there. Either in America or in India or in any other country, China, or any other planet, the material miseries which are three kinds, adhyatmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika… Adhyatmika means miseries pertaining to the body and the mind. Sometimes we are feeling headaches, sometimes we are feeling some other pains. Any things which are pertaining to the body and mind, there is some pain. These are called adhyatmika. Similarly, there are other pains, inflicted by other living entities. They are called adhibhautika. Similarly, other pains also, which is offered by the nature, by the laws of nature. All of a sudden there is earthquake, all of a sudden there is famine, or similar other which we have no control over. So these three kinds of miseries are always there. But under the spell of illusion we are thinking that we are happy. And the illusion means that the material energy is so illusory that however a living entity may be in abominable condition, he thinks that he is happy. You take any animal, just like take the hog:that life is most filthy life. Of course, you have no experience to see in your city, hogs. In India there are many hogs in the city, and they are living in filthy place:they are eating stool, and most abominable life. But even you ask a hog that “You are living in such abominable condition. Let me do you something good,” he’ll refuse to accept. If you give him something, nice preparation, as we have got in India, halava, he’ll not accept it. He will accept stool, because his body is meant for that purpose and he will not like any palatable foodstuff. He will like that stool. This is the spell of maya.

So Krishna consciousness means that if we want, if we are actually educated, then we must try to question that “Why I am suffering?” This is called brahma-jijnasa. In the Vedanta-sutra the first aphorism is athato brahma jijnasa. One should inquire about his existence as soul, not as body or as mind. Because he is neither body nor mind. So this Vedanta-sutra says that athato brahma jijnasa. Atha atah means this is the time, this human form of life, developed consciousness, with greater intelligence than the animals, one should inquire about his spiritual existence. That is real technology. And Srimad-Bhagavata says that parabhavas tavad abodha-jato yavan na jijnasata atma-tattvam. So long one does not inquire about his spiritual existence… Every one of us is born ignorant because we do not know what is our real identity. Generally, we accept that “I am this body,” but actually I am not this body. These things can be understood very easily. Suppose you are seeing all along a friend. All of a sudden he dies and you say, “My friend is gone.” Well, your friend is lying there with all the body, hands, legs, everything. He’s lying there. Why do you say that your friend is gone? Then you have never seen your friend. You have seen only his bodily structure. That’s all. Similarly, at the present moment the humanitarian work is going on, but we do not know what is the basic principle of humanitarian work. The Bhagavata answers this: yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. A person who is in the knowledge that “I am this body and…,” sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma-ijya-dhih, and if one thinks that “In relations with this body, my kinsmen, they will protect me,” and if he thinks that “The land where the body is grown, that is the worshipable land,” then he is, I mean to say, accepted like animal. Sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13].

So these instructions are there. Unfortunately, we have no time, neither we have desire to understand actually what I am, why I am suffering, what is this world, what is my relationship with this world, what is God, what is my relationship with God. These questions are very important questions, and there is technology to understand these questions. And the Srimad Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam, Vedanta-sutra, all these literatures are there. If you kindly, of course, see to these literatures, you’ll find the solution of the problems of life. But we are not interested. That is the difficulty. We are thinking that we are happy, we have no problem, although there are so many problems and we are not happy. This is called maya. Maya means what is not. Ma means not. Ya means this. This is called maya. We are thinking that we are happy, but actually we are not happy. And even if we are happy, how long we are happy? Suppose, taking for example you Americans, you are the richest nation of the world. Your material comforts and everything is greater than other countries, standard of living. But just try to think how long you can remain as American. Say, for fifty years or hundred years, at most. Then… But we do not know what is going to happen in my next life because we do not believe in the next life. But actually there is next life. So if you don’t take care of my next life and if we irresponsibly waste our valuable human form of life like ordinary animals… The ordinary animals, they demand something for eating, they want to sleep, they want to defend, and they want to mate. So similarly, if human being is also busy with the four principles of bodily demands, namely eating, sleeping, mating and defending, then, according to Vedic literature, it is said that he is not human being. Dharmena hina pasubhih samanah. If the human being does not understand his real spiritual identity and simply busy with the four demands of bodily necessities, then pasubhih samanah:he’s as equal as with lower animals, cats and dogs.

So Bhagavad-gita gives you clue. It is not very difficult to understand this science. The Bhagavad-gita gives you the information of the spirit soul very simply. The Bhagavad-gita says,

dehino ‘smin yatha dehekaumaram yauvanam jaratatha dehantara-praptirdhiras tatra na muhyati[Bg. 2.13]

Just like within this body, when you were a child you were within this body:not exactly this body, but another body, which was so small. Now where is that body? That body is gone. You have got another body. So Bhagavad-gita says, as we are changing body moment to moment, dehino ‘smin yatha dehe… [Bg. 2.13]. Dehinah means the soul, the spirit soul, who is embodied within this body, as he is changing body from moment to moment. This is a fact, a medical fact, that you are changing body every moment. Similarly, the last change is called death. But we have to take…, we have to accept another body. But we do not know what sort of body we are going to accept. That technology is wanting in the modern civilization. But there are 8,400,000′s of different bodies, and after leaving this body you may enter any of such bodies. You may become, after leaving this body, you can become American or you can become Indian or you can become Chinaman or you can become god in the moon planet or some other planet, or you can become dog, you can become hog, you can become serpent:anything. That requires… That is under the control of the material nature. That is not under your control. But if you take to this Krsna consciousness, it will be under your control. How it is possible? The Bhagavad-gita answers this:

yanti deva-vrata devanpitrn yanti pitr-vratahbhutejya yanti bhutanimad-yajino ‘pi yanti mam[Bg. 9.25]

If you want to enter into another planet, say moon planet or sun planet or Venus planet… There are innumerable planets. The ultimate, highest planet is called Brahmaloka. And the advantage of going to Brahmaloka is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita, that you can get a life, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmano viduh [Bg. 8.17]. You can get there life for millions and millions of years. But still, there is death and there is birth and there is that old age and there is that disease. But mad-dhama gatva punar janma na vidyate. But if somebody is transferred to that planet which is called Krsnaloka, Goloka Vrndavana, or Vaikuntha, then one hasn’t got to come back to this material, I mean to say, temporary existence. So these informations are there, and they are very scientific. They are not dogmatic. If you accept them with reason and argument and with human consciousness, the solutions are there.

So Krsna consciousness is the movement. It is not new movement. This movement is at least, current, since five hundred years before. Lord Caitanya, He started this movement in the fifteenth century. So this movement is current everywhere in India, but in your country, of course, it is new. But our request is that you kindly take this movement little seriously. We do not ask you to stop your technological advance. You do it. There is a nice proverb in Bengal that a woman who is busy in household work is also…, she also takes care for dressing herself nicely. It is the nature of women. When they go out they dress very nicely. So similarly, you may be busy with all kinds of technology. That, that is not forbidden. But at the same time, you try to understand this technology, the science of soul. That is there. It is not a bogus propaganda. It is factual. It is science. As science is not bogus propaganda, similarly this Krsna consciousness is also not bogus propaganda. As science means two plus two equal to four, similarly Krsna consciousness means mitigating the all problems of life. So… And the process is very easy. We are… Not we are. It is recommended by Lord Caitanya that in this age, for self-realization it is this process:

harer nama harer nama harer nama iva kevalamkalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha[Adi 17.21]

Lord Caitanya says that in this age, when our life is very short, we are not very much enlightened in spiritual matters and we are very lazy at the same time, and at the same time we are unfortunate, so under these conditions the people are recommended simply to chant Hare Krsna. Harer nama harer nama harer nama iva kevalam. Now this Hare Krsna movement, you may say that “This ‘Krsna’ is Indian name or Hindu name. Why shall we chant ‘Krsna’?” But if you have got any name of God, you can chant that also. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that God has millions and billions of names. So any name is as good as “Krsna.” It doesn’t matter. Then why we chant Hare Krsna? Because we are following the footprints of Lord Caitanya, and He chanted this holy name, we are chanting. So we shall request you most humbly that it is…, there is no loss on your part, but the gain is immense. If you take to this chanting Hare Krsna, then gradually your misconception of this life will be cleared off. You will understand your real identity and you will act in that way. And the technology is so nice that you may remain in your business, that doesn’t matter. Simply you have to chant Hare Krsna. Suppose you are walking on the street. If you chant Hare Krsna, nobody is taxing you, nobody is bothering you. But if by chanting Hare Krsna, if you derive some benefit, why do you neglect it? That is our submission. So this movement is for making solution of the problems of life, and it can be easily done. And anyone can accept it. It doesn’t matter whether he is Indian or American or Hindu or Muslim or Christian. It doesn’t matter. Simply this vibration: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

So I shall thank you if you join us with this kirtana and at least for few minutes you chant this Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna. Thank you very much. Any question you can put. Yes?
Student (1): If I understood you, I think you said that this approach, that you feel that it’s appropriate to you because people are lax in their approach to spiritual problems.
Prabhupada: It is not Hindu approach. It is… We are recommending that you chant the holy name of God.
Student (1): But as I understood you, I thought you said that this was appropriate here because people aren’t terribly interested, therefore are lax in spiritual matters, which I feel is true. But if this is true, is there something that would follow? In other words, could you progress to some other form of this more…?
Prabhupada: There are many other forms, of course, but this form is the easiest, and just suitable for the people of this age. Just like you gather together and chant Hare Krsna. Anyone can. Actually we are doing that. In your country, wherever I go I chant this, and the American boys and girls, they take part in it in parks, in our class. So there is no difficulty. And this is the easiest. Simply we do not ask that you must be very highly educated, you must be philosopher, you must be expert in breathing exercise or this way or that way. No. We don’t require any qualification. Simply come and sit with us and chant Hare Krsna and see the result.
Student (1): Do you imagine in this life an attainment of a follower…?
Prabhupada: Oh, yes. There are many followers. You can ask how they have changed. We have got many letters. And here there are my students. You can ask directly how they have changed. This is practical. Yes.
Student (2): I want to make sure I understood:that chanting this over a long time will also help affect where our body will go after we die, what form we’ll come back in?
Prabhupada: First thing is by chanting your misconception of life will be cleared. At the present moment I am thinking that “I am this body,” and therefore, because my body is born in this land, therefore I am thinking, “I am American.” And because I happened to take my birth in a certain family, so I am thinking, “I am Christian” or “Hindu.” But all these things are designations. When we clear the misconception of my life, then I can understand that I am pure soul, aham brahmasmi. The Vedic language says that “I am spirit soul.” And as soon as you understand, then brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati [Bg. 18.54]. As soon as you realize yourself as soul, then you become immediately free from all anxieties, prasannatma. Prasannatma means jolly. Spiritual life means natural joyful. Anandamayo ‘bhyasat. The Vedanta-sutra says that spirit is by nature joyful. So because we are spirit, we are always hankering after joyous life. But because our expression is through this material mind and body, it is not being fulfilled. So as soon as you stand on the spiritual platform, you actually stand on the platform of joyous life. That is the immediate gain. Ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. Immediately. Yes?
Student (3): What is the meaning of the sign at your back?
Prabhupada: What is the meaning of your sign in the neck? What is the meaning of your sign in the neck? Oh, this? I do not know. (laughter) That is not my sign. That is technological sign. (laughter)
Student (4): Your Holiness?
Prabhupada: Yes.
Student (4): Could you estimate how many people in India have found true spirituality through Indian religion?
Prabhupada: What do you mean by Indian religion?
Student (4): By any of the true religions which are offered in India. Not only yours, but…
Prabhupada: You do not know what is Indian religion. The Indian religion is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Have you read Bhagavad-gita? Then you do not know what is Indian religion. Indian religion is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. The Bhagavad-gita, Krsna says, there is no greater higher authority than Krsna. You can accept it. At least, the Indians, they accept. So in the Bhagavad-gita it is said in the beginning that yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati: [Bg. 4.7] “Whenever there is discrepancy in the matter of discharging religious principles, I appear.” Now, if you accept this religion means the Hindu religion or Muslim religion or Christian religion or Buddhist religion, Krsna does not propose such religion. He, at the end of Bhagavad-gita, He says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] “You give up all other religious principles. You simply surrender unto Me.” So religion, either you take it Hindu religion or Muslim religion or Christian religion, religion means to surrender unto God. And the Bhagavata explains, sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje [SB 1.2.6]. That is the perfect type of religion which teaches surrendering unto the Supreme Lord. That is religion. Either you take it Hindu religion or Christian religion or Muslim religion or any religion, real religion means surrendering unto God. If there is no surrender unto God, that is no religion.
Student (4): Well, in India how many followers do you feel…
Prabhupada: Why do you ask for India? I am talking of religious principle. How many of you Christian, you surrender unto God? First answer this. Then you go to India. Anyone, Christian or Muslim or Hindu, it doesn’t matter. The conception of God is there. If you do not surrender unto God, you have no religion. Yes?
Student (5): In the Bhagavad-gita, when Krsna asks Arjuna to go forth in the battle and not to, to slay his relatives and not to be caught in the material world and see that the slayer and the slain are one, should the young American faced with the war in Vietnam go forth to Vietnam realizing that the slayer and the slain are one and that all this slaughter, just slaughter karma, and follow the way of the sage.
Prabhupada: In the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna, he was a devotee of Krsna, a friend of Krsna. Perhaps you know it. So in the beginning he did not like to fight. He denied. So any devotee of God or Krsna is not fond of war or fighting with any others. But if there is necessity, if Krsna wants that fight, a devotee of Krsna will accept such fight. If you think that your Vietnam fighting is ordered by Krsna, then it is all right. If it is not, then it is not. That is Krsna consciousness. We act in Krsna consciousness. If Krsna says, if God says, “This is right,” we accept it right. If God says it is wrong, we accept it wrong. Because we think, we have poor fund of knowledge. We do not know what is right and wrong. Therefore if God says or Krsna says this is right, we accept it right. If God says or Krsna says it is wrong, we accept it wrong. Yes?
Student (6): In order for one body to perceive another body, you need your eye. You have to look and see the other person and another person… In order for a body to perceive itself, it needs a mirror. But how does one body perceive its soul?
Prabhupada: Yes. When you see your body you think that “This is my finger, this is my hand, this is my head, this is my chest, this is my leg.” You see simply you will find, “This is my, this is my, this is my.” But if you try to find out “Then what is I?” then you will find out. That is called self-realization. We are simply now engrossed with things “my,” but we do not know what is “I.” The identification of myself or I with this body is wrong. The identification of I with the mind is also wrong. The identification of I with intelligence is also wrong. When you actually come to the platform of spiritual understanding, then you understand that “I am neither this body, neither the senses, neither this mind, nor intelligence, but I am spirit soul.” That is called brahma-jnana, or Brahman realization. And the symptom will be, as soon as you are actually in self-realization, you will feel happy. You will have no anxiety. That is the test. Just like when you’re free from disease, then there is no pain. Similarly, when you actually realize that you are spirit soul, aham brahmasmi, then the symptom will be that there will be no anxiety and no lamentation and no bereavement or no so-called, I mean to say, happiness.
Student (7): How can you be sure?
Prabhupada: Here is the surety. As soon as you see that you’re free from all anxiety, then it is sure that you have realized yourself.
Student (7): Well how can you be sure you’re free from all anxiety if you’re incapable of perceiving happiness? And to perceive happiness, you…
Prabhupada: Well, you have to follow the process. Then you will feel. Just like if you are diseased, if you have to be under the treatment of the physician and you have to take medicine, and when you’re actually free, you will yourself feel, “Yes, I am free.” But without going under treatment of an expert physician, or taking the medicine, how you can be free from disease? Yes?
Student (8): I don’t understand exactly how Krsna consciousness is different than the other religions. Like in Christianity, Judaism and Moslem they have the idea that a person can pray and sometimes chant, communicate with God, understand His way. And all religions seem to have this. So I don’t see how it’s different.
Prabhupada: There is no difference. I have already explained that we are recommending that you chant the holy name of God. If you have got any holy name of God in your religion, you can chant that. We don’t say that you chant Krsna. Just like you are thirsty, you want water. Somebody may call “water,” somebody may call “pani,” somebody may call “jala.” That doesn’t matter. But you want water. Similarly, if you have got any name for calling the Supreme Lord, you call in that name. It doesn’t matter. That is our recommendation. When we say, harer nama. Harer nama means the holy name of the Supreme Lord. Yes?
Student (9): There are different techniques for reaching Christ consciousness or God consciousness or self-realization. What test do you recommend for finding out which technique is the best?
Prabhupada: Yes. That I have already explained. That technique is best by which you develop your love of God. That is the test. If by following Christian religion or Muhammadan religion or Hindu religion you actually develop your transcendental love for God, that is the best technique. If you have no love for God, simply you follow the technique, then it is simply laboring. That’s all.
Student (9): I mean especially the variations of Indian technique.
Prabhupada: I don’t say any variation. I say that is the best technique by which you develop love of God. Now you find out what is that best technique. If you find that in your technique you are developing love of God, it is best. We don’t say that you accept this technique or that technique. Any technique by which… Just like a man is diseased. Any medicine by which he is cured, that is best medicine for him. Similarly, the criterion is whether you have developed love for God or you are still in love for the matter. That is the test. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje [SB 1.2.6]. This is the definition of technique in Srimad-Bhagavatam. That technique is the best form of technique of religious activity by which you can develop your service attitude towards the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The service attitude is there. You are serving. Either you are serving your family or you are serving your body or you are serving your society or serving your country, or if you have no engagement to service, you are serving some dog, you are serving some cat, you are serving some animal. So serving spirit is there, but we do not know where to place our service and become actually benefited by that service. Therefore you have to develop that spirit of service attitude toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When you develop that consciousness, that is called Krsna consciousness or God consciousness or whatever technical name you may give. Yes?
Student (10): According to the belief, how many… Is there a fixed number of souls or fixed number of spirits in the universe?
Prabhupada: No. The souls are innumerable. Asankhyaya. It is stated in the Vedic literature, asankhyaya. You cannot count. Asankhyaya. And in the Upanisad it is said, nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam eko bahunam vidadhati kaman. God is also a living entity. As we are living entity, He is also living entity. But He is the chief living entity. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. He’s the leader of all living entities. Eko bahunam vidadhati kaman. That one Supreme is supplying all the necessities of these many. So living entities… Just like sparks of the fire. The fire is…, big fire is one, but the sparks, there are millions. Similarly, we are all qualitatively one with God. Just like fire and fire sparks. Qualitatively all of them are fire, but the big fire and small fire is different. Similarly, we are also of the same quality as God, but we are very minute and God is great.
Student (4): When some new animal or person is born, is the soul always a reincarnation of some previous soul, or can it be that a new soul has…
Prabhupada: No. The same soul is changing, just like you are changing your dress. Now you are in some colored dress. You may have some white dress or some red dress. Similarly, vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya [Bg. 2.22]. As soon as your dress is old enough, you cannot use it any more, you have to change the dress. Similarly, the present body, as soon as it is no more workable, you have to accept another body. Now, taking it accepted as dress, that the next body means next dress, so that dress will be offered according to the payment, or according to your work. If you have worked just like a god, then you get the dress of a god, and if you have worked like a dog, then you’ll get the dress of a dog.
Student (4): Then how can the dog then become a higher soul, a higher form after the dog?
Prabhupada: Yes, there is gradual evolution. From dog life, from animal life, again by evolutionary process… That is accepted by anthropo… What is called? Anthropology. That they come to the human being, again there is a chance to get out of this bodily embodiment, and you can get yourself free life in the spiritual world. So if you lose this chance, then you again go to the cycle of birth and death in so many forms of bodies. Therefore we should utilize this enlightened body, the human form of body, the civilized form of life, for our next eternal life. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. We should prepare ourself to go to that form of life which has no more birth, death, or disease or old age. Eternal life. Yes.
Student (11): Does it do atheists any good to chant your verses if they only want to be happy through chanting them?
Prabhupada: Certainly. You may be atheist or theist. The chanting is so powerful, the atheist will be theist. If you are atheist, you can try it. Yes?
Student (12): Is this continual reincarnation only occurring on this earth, or does it occur on other planets?
Prabhupada: Oh, other planets. All throughout the whole material world.
Student (12): Is there interchange between the planets?
Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. You can go in another planet also. Because it is said in the Bhagavad-gita, sarva-ga. Sarva-ga means the soul can be transferred to any place. It may be in America, it may be India, in moon planet, sun planet, or any…, anywhere.
Student (13): Has the universe existed forever, or does soul have a beginning?
Prabhupada: No. This material universe is created and dissolved. Bhutva bhutva praliyate. Just like this body: it is born for some time, it will stay for some time, it will go for some time, then it will become old, and it will vanish. Similarly, the whole universe is like that. It has its creation, it stays for some time, a long duration of time, and it creates so many other things, by-products, and there will be time when everything will be vanquished.
Student (13): And where were the souls before the universe began?
Prabhupada: That is called spiritual kingdom. In the spirit.
Student (13): And is that where they will all end up again when the universe comes to an end?
Prabhupada: Yes. If you are not liberated, then you have to come to this material world and change one body after another. That will be your business. But if you get yourself transferred to the spiritual world, then there is no more coming back to this material world, and you get your eternal, blissful life of knowledge.
Student (13): What happens if the universe ends and there are some souls that have not yet transferred themselves to the other universe?
Prabhupada: The same thing. What happens when your body will be vanquished? Nothing happens. The same thing will go on. There are many bodies, there are many universes. It is coming and going and vanquished. It is the law of nature.
Student (13): Do you mean the universe is likely to go on forever?
Prabhupada: No. It is created. As your body is created, similarly anything material, it has got a life. It has got a period of creation, it stays for some time, then it is finished.
Devotee: Uh, I think questions…
Prabhupada: Yes. Very nice. Thank you. Yes. So you can all chant. Come on. (kirtana) (end)

The Old Woman in the Woods

The Old Woman in the Woods

There is that story that one old woman, she was suffering. And she had to collect woods from the forest and sell in the market. So one day, how do you say, she was praying to Krsna, or God, that “Kindly help me. I am in very poverty-stricken.” So one day, she was carrying that load of fuel. It fell down. . .

[Selected excerpt from a morning walk with AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada March 6, 1974, Mayapura]

Prabhupada: . . .But everyone thinking that “If I could become like this, I would have been happy.” So Krsna gives all chance. “All right, you become this.” This is transmigration. This is transmigration. [break] …yathandhair upa… We are thinking something like that, and Krsna is giving us chance, ‘All right, you take this chance; you become like this.” Ye yatha mam prapadyante. But it will not make you happy. Therefore ultimately says, sarva-dharman. ‘You give up all this rascaldom. What I speak, you can accept. That is your dharma.” Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam… [Bg. 18.66]. That will be beneficial for you, the most confidential instruction.

There is that story that one old woman, she was suffering. And she had to collect woods from the forest and sell in the market. So one day, how do you say, she was praying to Krsna, or God, that ‘Kindly help me. I am in very poverty-stricken.” So one day, she was carrying that load of fuel. It fell down. So nobody was there to help her. So she began to cry, ‘Who will help me?” So she began to pray to God ‘Kindly help me.” And God came: ‘What do you want?” ‘Who are you, Sir?” ‘I am God.” ‘Kindly help me to take this burden on my head.” Yes. ‘All right.” From God, she’s asking, ‘Please help me to get this burden on my head.” That’s all.

So everyone is going on, ‘Let family be very happy, my son be married. He may… Let him pass MA examination.” But it is the same thing, ‘Give me the burden on my head.” This is the prayer. Mudhah. Na mam prapadyante mudhah [Bg. 7.15]. The life was meant for understanding Krsna and worship Him, and she’s asking, ‘Give me the burden on my head.” Therefore mudha, rascal, fool. She’s asking something which will never make her happy, even by merging into the effulgence, Brahman effulgence. It will never make her happy. But she does not know. Therefore she’s mudha, rascal.

Siddha-svarupananda: That’s a very clear example.
Prabhupada: Yes.
Siddha-svarupananda: Very clear.
Prabhupada: Yes. Everyone is asking, ‘Please help me to get this burden on my head.” Everyone is asking. [break] Krsna mantra means asking nothing from Krsna, but only praying, ‘Please engage me in Your service.” This is Hare Krsna. Now let him engage, whatever service He likes. I don’t dictate that ‘Give me this service.” That is also sense gratification. As soon as I’ll say that ‘Engage me in this type of service,” that is also sense gratification. When one surrenders fully that ‘Engage me in Your service in whatever way You like,” that is pure devotion. You cannot dictate Krsna. Because He wants, sarva-dharman… ‘First of all surrender, then I will give you. I will allot what kind of service you can do.” Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam, aham tvam sarva… [Bg. 18.66].

But if I dictate, then Krsna will be…, ‘All right, you take this.” Then you again become unhappy. Don’t dictate Krsna. Be dictated. That is happiness. But everyone is dictating, ‘Please give me this. Give me this. Give me that. Give me that. Give me this.” Why should you dictate Krsna? As soon as I dictate, that is my sense gratification. That is not pure devotion. Anyabhilasita-sunyam. Anyabhilasita-sunyam [BRS 1.1.11]. Make zero all your desires. It doesn’t matter, this desire or that desire. Any kind of desire. Whatever you desire, that is material. Anyabhilasita-sunyam [Madhya 19.167]. That is pure devotee.
Devotee: That takes practice.
Prabhupada: Eh?
Devotee: That takes practice, to stop desiring for oneself.
Prabhupada: Yes. And therefore…
Devotee: You have to practice…
Prabhupada: …the practice is that you should simply desire what your spiritual master says. Don’t desire yourself. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah **. If you fulfill the desires of your spiritual master, then Krsna will be pleased.” Because he’s the representative, the immediate representative, boss, if you satisfy him, the master, supreme master, is also satisfied. If he gives report, ‘This clerk is doing nice,” that is sufficient. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah **. This is the injunction.
Jayapataka: So human life was no advantage. Only because you have come, now it can be advantage.
Prabhupada: Eh?
Jayapataka: Human life is no special advantage. Only if you come, the spiritual master comes, then it can be some advantage.
Prabhupada: Yes. Therefore Vedic injunction is gurum eva abhigacchet: ‘You must go to a bona fide spiritual master if you want to make your life perfect.” There is no question whether I shall go or not. ‘You must!” That is the beginning of human life. Otherwise animal life. He has no spiritual master. He’s not going to obey anyone. He’s working in his own whims. That is animal life. Real life here begins.
tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet
samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham
[MU 1.2.12]

This is the Vedic injunction. You cannot do anything without abiding the orders of spiritual master. That is surrender. How nice water it is. [break] And there are many thousands, you’ll find. And we are thinking, ‘Oh, if I go away, who will feed my son? Who will feed my daughter?” He’ll never think that ‘If so many animals are fed by the Supreme,” eko yo bahunam vidadhati kaman, ‘He’s supplying all the necessity why not for me or for my other children?” It is maya that one thinks that ‘Without me…,” Just like Gandhi was thinking. Unless he was killed… He was always thinking, ‘Without me, India will be spoiled.” India will be spoiled. It was spoiled. Therefore you wanted sva-rajya… And after his death, it is also spoiled. So India’s karma will have to suffer, either Gandhi’s there or not there. Prakrteh kriya… Prakrteh: Everything is being done by the material nature. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih, by, dictated by different modes of nature. Ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate: [Bg. 3.27] The rascal, being bewildered by, he’s thinking, ‘Without me, everything will be spoiled. I am the director. I am the director!” So I requested Gandhi, ‘Now you come out of this turmoil, politics. Just preach Bhagavad-gita.” No. He’ll be killed. That’s all. This is the way. Going on. Even a Gandhi commits mistake, what to speak of others. What is the effect of this sva-rajya. The effect of sva-rajya is that people are starving. That’s all. At least, British government would not allow like this. That’s a fact.

SCIENTIFIC PROOF OF JESUS CHRIST BECOMING HINDU AND HIS DEATH IN KASHMIR !

JESUS MEDITATING AFTER CONVERSION TO HINDUISM

Why 'DA VINCI CODE' movie was BANNED in India ? It was biggest blockbuster success movie in rest of the world..just because the Evangelist Christian missionaries in India feared the Christians will lose faith and convert back to Hinduism,,.the movie showed Jesus Christ MARRIED had children and came to India ...can u tell me y the BBC WORLD documentary (short film) endorsed by the Vatican Titled 'lost years of Jesus’ showing the "tomb of the Jesus in Kashmir " and the places he visited in India was BANNED in India ..I can give u a link for that if u want..Only the Indian Christians are hidden from this truth (f JESUS CONVERSION TO HINDUISM)..This Truth is whispered among the elite Christian Scholars and Theologists in rest of the world..This truth is hidden and dusting somewhere in the old Vatican Libraries.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aauXxuLHnQ  THIS IS THE VIDEO CLEARLY SHOWING THE TOMB OF

JESUS IN KASHMIR
do u know a fact that all the Indian Christians are converted ones ..i.e. they were HINDUS before father or grandfather or great GF ..
it is our responsibility of younger generation to enlighten every Christian to convert back to their default religion of Hinduism this is the ultimate weapon to convert back the Christians to main stream Hinduism.

JESUS CAVE IN RISHIKESH HARIDWAR

This is the cave north of Rishikesh in which Sri Isha(Jesus) lived for some time. In the last century both Swami Rama Tirtha and Swami (Papa) Ramdas lived there (at separate times), and had visions of Isha meditating there, though they had no prior knowledge of His having lived there. Another Kashmiri history, the Rajatarangini, written in 1148 A.D., says that a great saint named Issana lived at Issabar on the bank of Dal Lake

Khanyar Rozabal, Srinagar, India the TOMB OF JESUS CHRIST

Khanyar Rozabal, Srinagar, India the TOMB OF JESUS CHRIST
The Bengali educator and patriot, Bipin Chandra Pal, published an autobiographical sketch in which he revealed that Vijay Krishna Goswami, a renowned saint of Bengal and a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, told him about spending time in the Aravalli mountains with a group of extraordinary ascetic monk-yogis known as Nath Yogis.

Khanyar Rozabal, Srinagar, India the TOMB OF JESUS CHRIST 2

The monks spoke to him about Isha Nath, whom they looked upon as one of the great teachers of their order. When Vijay Krishna expressed interest in this venerable guru, they read his life as recorded in one of their sacred books, the Nathanamavali.36 It was the life of Him Whom the Goswami knew as Jesus the Christ! Here is the relevant portion of that book:

"Isha Natha came to India at the age of fourteen. After this he returned to his own country and began preaching. Soon after, his brutish and materialistic countrymen conspired against him and had him crucified. After crucifixion, or perhaps even before it, Isha Natha entered samadhi by means of yoga.Jesus travelled to India also in his teens & youth to acquaint himself with Indian wisdom in Puri, Varanasi, Rajgriha etc. He also interacted closely with the Shiva-worshipping Nath sect. He is still revered as one of the ancient Nath-Yogis. He was highly supported by King Shalivahan & King Gopananda. Ancient inscriptions in Srinagar have revealed that Jesus was requested by King Gopananda to guide repair of the ancient Shiva Temple atop Gopadri Hill in the city.  Vedic thought subscribes to the view that Advents ( Messengers of God) keep appearing from time to time to re-establish the principles of life & growth.

JESUS FEET BELOW THE TOMB NOTE THE CRUCIFICATION SCARS

THE ORIGINAL GRAVE OF
 JESUS IN SRINIGAR KASHMIR

MORE SCIENTIFIC PROOF...PLEASE SHARE
Jesus never died on the cross. It takes at least forty-eight hours for a person to die on the Jewish cross; and there have been known cases where people have existed almost six days on the cross without dying. Because Jesus was taken down from the cross after only six hours, there is no possibility of his dying on the cross.

It was a conspiracy between a rich sympathizer of Jesus and Pontius Pilate to crucify Jesus as late as possible on Friday -- because on Saturday, Jews stop everything; their Sabbath does not allow any act. By the evening of Friday everything stops.

The arrangement was that Jesus would be crucified late in the afternoon, so before sunset he would be brought down. He might have been unconscious because so much blood had flowed out of the body, but he was not dead. Then he would be kept in a cave, and before the Sabbath ended and the Jews hung him again, his body would be stolen by his followers. The tomb was found empty, and Jesus was removed from Judea as quickly as possible. As he again became healthy and healed, he moved to India and he lived a long life- in Kashmir.

It is a coincidence, but a beautiful coincidence, that Moses died in Kashmir and Jesus also died in Kashmir.  The graves are ample proof, because those are the only two graves that are not pointing towards Mecca. Mohammedans make their graves with the head pointing towards Mecca, so in the whole world all the graves of Mohammedans point towards Mecca, and Kashmir is Mohammedan.

These two graves don't point towards Mecca, and the writing on the graves is in Hebrew, which is impossible on a Mohammedan grave -- Hebrew is not their language. The name of Jesus is written exactly as it was pronounced by the Jews, "Joshua." "Jesus" is a Christian conversion of the Jewish name. The grave is certainly of Jesus.

A family has been taking care of both the graves -- they are very close together in one place, Pahalgam -- and only one family has been taking care of them down the centuries. They are Jews -- they are still Jews .

Moses had come to Kashmir to find a tribe of Jews who were lost on the way from Egypt to Jerusalem. When he reached Jerusalem his deep concern was the whole tribe that had got lost somewhere in the desert. When his people were established in Jerusalem, he went in search of the lost tribe, and he found the lost tribe established in Kashmir. Kashmiris are basically Jewish -- later on Mohammedans forcibly converted them -- and Moses lived with them and died there.

Jesus also went to Kashmir, because then it was known that Moses had found the lost tribe there. The doors of Judea were closed -- he would be hanged again -- and the only place where he would find the people who speak the same language, the people who have a same kind of mind, where he would not be a foreigner, was Kashmir. So it was natural for him to go to Kashmir.

But he had learned his lesson. He had dropped the idea of being the only begotten son of God; otherwise these Jews would crucify him too. He dropped the idea of being a messiah. He lived with his few intimate friends and followers in Pahalgam.

Pahalgam is named after Jesus, because he used to call himself "the shepherd" -- Pahalgam means "the town of the shepherd." So it was a small colony of Jesus and his friends, surrounding the grave of their forefather and the founder of Judaic tradition.

But the followers who were left in Judea managed to create the story of resurrection. And there was no way to prove it this way or that. Neither could they produce Jesus -- if he was resurrected then where was he? Nor could the other party prove what had happened. They had put such a big rock on the mouth of the cave that it was impossible for Jesus to have removed it, and there was a Roman soldier on duty twenty-four hours, so there was no possibility of anybody else removing the rock and taking the body.

But because Pontius Pilate was from the very beginning against crucifying Jesus.... He could see the man was absolutely innocent. He has some crazy ideas, but they are not criminal. And what harm does it do to somebody? If someone thinks he is the only begotten son of God, let him enjoy it. Why disturb him, and why get disturbed? If somebody thinks he is the messiah and he has brought the message of God... if you want to listen, listen; if you don't want to listen, don't listen. But there is no need to crucify the man.

But Jesus learned his lesson -- learned the hard way. In Kashmir he lived very silently with his group, praying, living peacefully, no longer trying to change the world. And Kashmir was so far away from Judea that in Judea the story of resurrection, amongst the followers of Jesus, became significant.

So I say a kind of resurrection certainly happened -- it was a conspiracy more than a resurrection. But certainly Jesus did not die on the cross, he did not die in the cave where he was put; he lived long enough.

कश्मीर के खानयार मौहल्ले में स्थित रोजाबल ही हिन्दू धर्म में परिवर्तित ईसा मसीह की समाधि है । आज - कल कश्मीर की सरकारों ने अरबपंथी कट्टर मजहबी दरिंदों की मांग के आगे झुककर उस समाधि को एक मुस्लिम फकीर की कब्र घोषित कर दिया है तथा वहाँ पर गैर मुस्लिमों के प्रवेश करने एवं फोटोग्राफी करने पर प्रतिबंध लगा दिया है ।
मुझे यकीन है इसे पढ़ कर सारे ईसाइयों का दिल बदल जायगा क्योकि यही सत्य है और सत्य की हमेशा जीत होती है ..जिस प्रकार छल कपट से ईसाई मिशिनारियों ने असाम मणिपुर नागालैंड को ईसाई बनाया ..इस सत्य को उन भोले परिवर्तित ईसाइयों को समझाकर उन्हें पुनः हिंदू बनाया जा सकता है ..यह एक बहुत बड़ा अस्त्र है हमारे लिए ईसाइयों को वापस हिंदू धर्म में परिवर्तित करने के लिए ..जय श्री राम
आप सभी से अनुरोध है की इसे ज्यादा से ज्यादा शेयर करे ताकि भारत के और विश्व के सभी ईसाई अपने मूल हिंदू धर्म में वापिस आ जाए
I REQUEST ALL MY FRIENDS TO SHARE IT WITH YOUR CHRISTIAN FRIENDS AND SPREAD IT LIKE WILD FIRE SO THAT ALL THE CHRISTIANS IN INDIA AND THE WORLD CONVERT BACK TO THEIR DEFAULT RELIGION OF HINDUISM

FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE THE VIDEOS

________________________________________________________________________________
SOME OF THE MATTER AND COMMENTS ARE DELETED BY SOME UNKNOWN FACEBOOK SUPER ADMIN SO I REQUEST U ALL TO COPY FREELY AND SHARE IT IN ALL BLOGS AND SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES..THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT .YOURS TRUELY
KOTI MADHAV BALU CHOWDARY

From Sadist to Saint

He enjoyed half-killing animals and watching them writhe in pain.
But before long he wouldn’t harm and ant…

Once, as the holy sage Narada was making his way to Allahabad, India, he came upon a deer writhing in pain on the forest floor. It was pierced with an arrow, and its legs were broken. Farther along, Narada saw a boar twisting in agony—it, too, pierced with an arrow, its legs broken. Still farther, a rabbit was going through the same torment. All this suffering pained Narada’s heart, for devotees of the Lord always feel sympathy for others. So Narada wondered, “What fool has done such gruesome things to all these helpless creatures?” Deeper into the forest, Narada saw the culprit—a hunter, lurking behind a tree. With his reddish eyes, dingy complexion, and dangerous expression, he looked like the lord of death, Yamaraja, standing with a bow and arrows in his hands. Seeing the hunter bracing to kill more animals, Narada approached him. As Narada brushed through the foliage, all the animals fled. Enraged, the hunter was about to attack Narada with foul language. But the saint radiated such goodness and kindness that the hunter’s temper cooled. Amazingly meek, he put a question to Narada.

“O great saint, why have you strayed from the common path through the forest to come here? Just by seeing you, all the animals I was stalking have gotten away.”

“Yes,” Narada replied, “please forgive me. I have come here to ask you about something that’s troubling me. I’ve seen many boars, deer, and rabbits on the path—half-killed and writhing in agony—and I suspect you have done this.”

“Yes, that’s a fact,” the hunter said.

“But you are committing great sins!” Narada protested. “If you must kill animals for a living, why not kill them and be done with it? Why do you leave them half-killed and dying in anguish?”

“My dear sir,” replied the hunter, “my father named me Mrgari, ‘the enemy of the animals.’ He taught me to half-kill animals and leave them flopping around in pain. When I see half-killed animals suffer, I feel great pleasure.”

“Please grant me one thing,” implored Narada.

“Of course, my dear sage. Take whatever animals or anything else you’d like. If you want some animal skins, come to my house. I’ll give you either a deerskin or a tiger skin.”

As the animals fled, the enraged
hunter was about to
attack Narada with foul language.

“I do not want any animal skins, but I do want something else. Just promise me one thing—that from now on, whenever you kill an animal, you will kill it completely—you will not leave it half-killed.”

“My dear sir,” said the hunter, “what kind of request is that? What’s the difference between half-killing animals and completely killing them? What’s wrong with leaving the animals lying half-killed?”

Narada explained, “If you leave the animals half-killed, you are purposely giving them pain. And by the law of God and nature, whatever pain you give to others you must suffer in return. My dear Mrgari, you kill animals for your living. Now, when you kill animals you certainly commit horrible sins, but when you half-kill them, your sins are much worse. All the animals you have tortured and killed will return the pain to you. One after another, they will torture and kill you—in your next life and in life after life.”

Although he was grossly sinful, by associating with the saintly Narada Muni Mrgari realized his sins, repented, and became purified. “My dear sir,” the hunter pleaded, “when I was very little my father taught me to half-kill animals. Please tell me how I can get rid of all the sinful reactions I’ve been piling up over the years. Now I give myself up to you and fall down at your holy feet. Please save me from my sinful reactions. Please show me the path to freedom.”

Narada told the hunter, “If you actually hear and follow my instructions, I can show you the real path to freedom.”

“My dear sir, I’ll do whatever you say. “

“All right…First of all, break your bow. Then I will show you how you can be free.”

“What? Break my bow? But if I break it, how will I make a living?”

Narada assured the hunter, “There is no need to worry. Just follow my instructions. You won’t have to kill animals. I’ll send you enough food to feed both you and your wife. I’ll make sure you have all you need. When you surrender to the Lord, He takes special care of you.”

Trusting the saintly Narada, the hunter broke his bow and fell at his feet, and he surrendered himself totally. With a kind hand Narada raised the hunter and began instructing him.

“Just go back to your home and give away whatever you have to the Lord’s devotees. Then, wearing only simple clothing, you and your wife should leave home. On the riverbank build a small thatched house, and in front of it grow the sacred tulasi plant on a raised platform. The tulasi plant is a pure devotee of the Lord and adorns His lotuslike feet. The Lord will be very pleased with you if you always serve His pure devotee with water and other things, and if you always chant His holy names—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. As for your living, perform your daily duties, and every day I’ll send enough food for both of you. You can take as much as you need.”

Then Narada restored the half-dead animals. Saved from their ordeal, the animals fled. When he saw the pure devotee Narada work this miracle, Mrgari marveled. Humbly he bowed to Narada. At last, Mrgari returned home to carry out Narada’s instructions, and Narada himself proceeded to Allahabad.

Once we understand the dangers of sinful life, we should give it up with sincerity and sorrow—just as Mrgari did. We should surrender to the Supreme Lord—that is, we should follow the instructions of His pure devotee. Only then can we be free from our sinful reactions and start to serve the Lord. Sometimes people make some atonement and then knowingly commit the same sins again. The scriptures compare such atonement to an elephant’s bathing. An elephant takes a thorough bath, but as soon as it comes out of the water, it throws dirt all over its body. To become free from all sinful reactions, we must follow the instructions of an authentic spiritual master. As Jesus Christ said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” The Supreme Lord gives His pure devotee the power to deliver anyone who follows the principles of devotional service—avoid intoxication, gambling, illicit sex, and meat-eating; and chant the holy names of the Lord.

Slowly and gently, the hunter cleared
 the ants away with a cloth.

So Mrgari exactly followed the instructions of Narada, his spiritual master. The news spread that the pure devotee Narada had changed Mrgari from sadist to saint. The villagers were astonished when they came to see the new devotee. According to spiritual custom, whenever people go to see a saintly person they should bring grains and fruit. And since all the villagers saw that Mrgari had turned into a great devotee, they brought such eatables with them. Each day the people brought the former hunter so much grains and fruit that ten or twenty people could have eaten their fill. Yet, following Narada’s instructions, Mrgari took only what he and his wife needed.

After some days had passed, Narada was talking with his friend, the sage Parvata. Narada told him, “I have a disciple who was formerly a hunter. Let’s go to see him.” The two sages journeyed to the hunter’s home. When Mrgari saw his spiritual master coming in the distance, he began running quickly toward him. On the way the hunter caught sight of many ants scurrying around his own feet. He wanted to bow down before Narada and Parvata, but he saw that if he did so he would crush some of the ants. So, slowly and gently, Mrgari cleared the ants away with a cloth. At last he fell down flat to honor his spiritual master.

“My dear hunter,” Narada beamed, “your new-found nonviolence doesn’t surprise me. People who perform devotional service to the Blessed Lord are naturally nonviolent. They see the Lord living within the heart of everyone—even the tiny ant—so they never hurt any living being out of envy.”

Mrgari received both great sages in the courtyard of his home. He spread out a straw mat for them to sit on, and with great devotion he made them comfortable. Then he fetched water, and with deep affection he washed the sages’ feet. Both the hunter and his wife sprinkled the wash water over their heads. Filled with love for the Lord, Mrgari began chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. His body trembled, and tears welled in his eyes. He raised his hands and danced in ecstasy.

After seeing the hunter’s ecstasy, Parvata told Narada, “You are a touchstone—you have turned iron into gold. My dear Narada, you are really glorious. How pleased Krishna must be with you! By following your instructions, even the lowest person—a hunter of animals—can quickly come to the path of devotion to the Blessed Lord.”

Narada then asked the hunter, “My dear Mrgari, are you getting enough food every day?”

The hunter replied, “My dear teacher, everyone you send gives me something when he comes to see me. You send many people, and they bring so much that we don’t know what to do with all the food. Do you think you could tell the people to bring enough only for two?”

The hunter was following his spiritual master’s instructions with utter sincerity, and Narada showered him with well-wishes.

“May Krishna always bless you. And may you always please the Lord with your sincere devotional service.”

Special Mantra Saves Men Trapped up Tree by Hungry Tigers

A holy man uttering a special chant succeeded today in calming a group of snarling tigers that had chased five men up a tree, leaving them trapped there for nearly five days.As the holy man uttered his mantra – a mind-calming chant that originates in ancient India – the tigers turned tail and slipped back into the Indonesian jungle, allowing the desperate men to come down from their precarious perch in the branches.

During the long days and nights they had been trapped there, the tigers, which had already killed and eaten a sixth member of their group, prowled around the base of the tree waiting for a chance to grab one or more of the men.

A Sumatran tiger attacked and killed a sixth member of the party after they accidentally killed a cub .While tigers can climb trees, it is believed the terrified men, from a village in Aceh province on the island of Sumatra, had lodged themselves onto slender branches that would not have borne the wait of a tiger. But as the hours and the days went by they became weak from hunger and lack of sleep, each of them fearing they would fall and become another victim of the tigers.

The animals had chased the men – who had gone into the jungle in the Mount Leuser National Park early last week to look for a special wood that is used to make incense – after they had unwittingly killed a tiger cub in a trap that had been set to catch deer.Finding the cub dying from its injuries, the pack of tigers gave chase after the men and caught one, named only as David. He was quickly torn apart and half his body consumed.

They are trapped up a tree in Gunung Leuser National Park, north Sumatra, Indonesia
The men, from Simpang Kiri village in Aceh, northern Sumatra, had gone into the dense forest in search of agar wood, which is very rare, expensive and used in the production of incense and aromatic oils. Just 1lb of agar wood can fetch up to £175, resulting in villagers risking their lives to enter the jungles of the Gunung Leuser National Park where tigers and dangerous elephants roam.

Yesterday Police Chief Dicky Sondani explained why officers had been powerless to intervene.

‘We can’t go rushing in to rescue the men in the tree because of the remoteness and because of the tigers still being there at the base of the tree,’ he said. He told the Jakarta Globe that villagers enter the jungle to look for the pricey wood but they were risking their lives doing so. The group were attacked by tigers on Thursday after they caught and killed a tiger cub in a snare meant to catch a deer.

‘Nearby tigers drawn to the scene of the fatally injured cub pounced on the men and killed 28-year-old David as the five others climbed a tree to safety.’

Just 1lb of agar wood can fetch up to £175, resulting in villagers risking their lives to enter the jungles of the Gunung Leuser National Park where tigers and dangerous elephants roam (stock image)
Resident of Simpang Kiri village learned of the men’s fate because not only were they carrying mobile phones, they had also managed to get a signal, enabling them to call for help. But as rescuers from the village neared the tree they saw David’s partially eaten remains and four large tigers – and fled.
But police said they had little choice but to plan the rescue carefully and that would take some time. The tigers would have to be shot with anaesthetising darts due to their endangered numbers. Conservationists said they had no doubt that the tigers chased the men seeking revenge for killing the cub.

More than 100 Sumatran tigers are believed to roam the forests of the Gunung Leuser National Park. But there are fears their numbers will dramatically drop as the rainforest shrinks and palm oil plantations take their place. Looking for food, tigers are more frequently entering villages and there have been a number of attacks on humans.

Rama Sethu : Burning our Bridges with the Sacred Environment

Lord Rama

                                                                                                                                                                          In Hindu tradition, our entire environment is regarded as sacred and there are specific

 instances which provide important symbols for this. Witness the reverence Hinduism has for the great rivers – for example the sacred Ganga river – for their life giving and life sustaining qualities, the mountains which source these life giving forces and provide protection and indeed the whole land which is regarded as the Mother in addition to the regard for the millions of plants and animals.




The Rama Sethu land formation (also known as Adam’s Bridge), linking southern India to northern Sri Lanka, is an example of such a sacred symbol which is revered in Hindu tradition as the bridge constructed by Lord Rama and his army to cross into Lanka and defeat the demon Ravana.

India in the recent years has revived the idea of having the Sethusamudram canal built between itself and Sri Lanka. This means digging a big hole through the Rama Sethu Bridge and effectively destroying it.

The economic benefits are said to be enormous as it will allow maritime vessels to no longer be compelled to circumnavigate Sri Lanka, but sail directly between the two countries, thus boosting trade. In practice it will save at most just a day in travel time. There are also high economic costs – estimated at hundreds of millions of Rupees which will probably escalate into billions by the time the project is completed.
But there are non-economic costs too, the first of which is the offence caused to Hindus for destroying a traditional place of pilgrimage and worship. This is comparable to the on going protests  over a sacred mountain used as a place of worship and pilgrimage by the Native American people in the US .

In this day and age we are becoming increasingly aware of the damage being done to our environment through mass industrialisation, increasingly pollution and harmful emissions, the rise of international travel, exploitation of natural resources and destruction of natural habitats and ecosystems.
With this increasing awareness is also the recognition that we must do more to protect our environment and change our behaviour to encourage the renewal of our planet rather than its exploitation and destruction.

Of course once upon a time Hinduism was ridiculed for her worship of nature and the sacred environment but today it is clear that a more ecological approach is needed across the world if we are to save our planet for future generations.


The canal construction project is being marketed as something that will be beneficial to the poor fishing communities. Although it is not exactly clear how the tickle down effect from a big construction project helps the village economy. If anything, the destruction and disturbance of the natural habitat is only going to lead to the extinction of this ancient way of life and pave the way for the takeover by big business.

While the aim of the project is to open a canal for shipping lanes it will also lead to more industrial scale commercial fishing which serve to drive out the local fishing communities or make them instruments of corporate slavery. The marine environment is already being wreaked in many places by the use of “bottom trawling” fishing methods which destroy the sediment and disrupt floor dwelling organisms. Both the construction of this canal and subsequent fishing patterns will likewise prove to be an ecological disaster for the environment.

The region of the Palk Strait and Mannar Gulf has coral reefs with some of the richest biodiversity and is the home to about 400 endangered marine species including turtles, dolphins, and many fish.


Like many other coral reefs that have disappeared it would be a loss to future generations if this one too was to suffer the same fate.

Arguments that the canal will not cause ecological fallout are unconvincing when one considers that coral takes many years to regenerate and are some of the most fragile systems where any change to the balance can be hugely damaging. Once the coral goes the marine life that depends upon it is also wiped out. Again regeneration will take many years to take effect, and may not happen at all.

All of this is before we even think about what happens when one of these huge cargo ships or oil tankers has an accident and releases toxic waste into the sea. What happens to the more than 4000 species that exist along the Rama Sethu and the local shoreline and communities that depend on the seas for their existence? What happens to the area used for dumping the estimated 62 millions tonnes of silt that need to be excavated for this project? Unfortunately this time round, the ecological and Green lobby seem to have averted their gaze, in stark contrast to other parallel cases.

However, Hindus should not be surprised at the apathy of political groups and governments which are more interested in votes and commercial interests in their typical Ravan mentality. While it is the Congress and Communists overseeing the current destruction of the Rama Sethu, we should not forget that it was the BJP who began the project in their last term in power.

So this is something which goes across the political spectrum. It’s time for the people to stand up and let the politicians and big business know that we will not let our heritage, religious beliefs and environment be trampled over like this.

This episode is in stark contrast to the morals and symbolism provided by the Ramayana which tells the story of how divinity, humanity and the animal kingdom combined forces in natural harmony to build the Rama Sethu bridge at a time of crisis .

In the modern world it is this recognition of the symbiotic and inter-connected nature of everything as taught by science and Hinduism that is needed to rescue us from the environmental crisis we have created, not more canals for huge ships!