Whole Life Changed
I do not have the words to praise the work being done by ISKCON world-wide. In 1991, I attended one lecture and feast on Sunday in the Hare Krsna Temple in North Sydney in Australia. That lecture has changed my whole life. Ever since, my view towards so many things in the world has changed enormously. I have visited your temple at Vrndavana in India and also Govardhana Dhama at Millfield, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. God will bless you all with eternal bliss and happiness for what you are doing to uplift society and spread the message of the Supreme Lord and spirituality. Thank you very, very much indeed.
Kaushal Kishore
New South Wales, Australia
(via Internet)
Lord Krsna's Potency In Action
Back to Godhead magazine is all-attractive and ever-expanding, just as Lord Krsna is all-attractive and His beauty ever increasing. Thank you for your hard work and unceasing efforts to expand and improve BTG. It is simply amazing to see Lord Krsna's potency in action. A few humble souls, but sincerely surrendered, have regularly produced such a powerful preaching magazine.
Duhsala Devi Dasi
Alachua, Florida
Thank You to Srila Prabhupada's Disciples
Yamuna Devi has preserved Srila Prabhupada's devotion to Lord Krsna in the kitchen. That is why it is so satisfying to try all the different procedures she mentions and use just the right ingredients.
As Srila Prabhupada's grand-disciple, for his centennial I want to glorify him by glorifying all his wonderful disciples who are doing such valuable service for him in the Krsna consciousness movement. By working in this movement under the guidance of my spiritual master and with the help of so many other of Prabhupada's disciples, such as Yamuna with her cookbook, Satsvarupa Maharaja and hisSrila Prabhupada-lilamrta, the members of the governing body, and the staff of BTG, I and so many others who didn't have the chance before are able to come into contact with Srila Prabhupada. I offer my humble obeisances and gratitude to Yamuna Devi and to all of Srila Prabhupada's disciples.
Lalita Devi Dasi
New Goloka, Hillsborough, North Carolina
Wonderful Insights
My mind and heart go out to Dvarakadhisa Devi Dasi and her wonderful article "The Best and Worst of Japa." Her wonderful insights and her humor will encourage any soul who has occasionally wondered, "Why should I chant God's name?"
Srestha Dasa
San Francisco
A Scientist with Faith
The New York newspaper India Abroad published a letter from a reader who rejected the laws of karma explained by Krsna in Bhagavad-gita. The writer offered instead that a person's life is governed solely by chemistry and biology. A Back to Godhead reader wrote this reply.
I am one of many physicists and engineers who still hold firm faith in Gita, in Krishna, and in His words. The writer is one of many, particularly in this Kali Yuga [the dark age of illusion], who have lost faith in Gita and God, the Supreme Being.
A scientist is interested in understanding logically how nature works so that he can manipulate nature to satisfy his desires. The basic natural desires are to enjoy eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. All animals are engaged constantly in these four activities only.
Human life begins when one is curious to know much more than animals: Who am I? Who created this material world? Who created the laws of nature which the scientists are mad to know and engineers are mad to manipulate? Who digests the food in the stomach? Who causes the heart to beat, or to stop beating even when all the ingredients of body functioning seem in order? Who wakes one up even when there is no alarm?
All these and many more are human enquiries which animals or animalistic human beings cannot think of. When one inquires about things like this, he or she is human. Our scriptures say, athato brahma jijnasa: Spiritual life begins after such inquiry.
Mundane scientific inquiry depends solely upon logic and the five material senses, and it is successful mostly for the study of nature. When one comes to the study of self, it fails.
To get spiritual knowledge one can use the senses and logic, which will go a long way, but to get the fruit of spiritual knowledge one does better to trust an authority.
When I wanted to know who is my father, I asked my mother. She said, "This is your father," and I accepted. The writer of the referenced letter, it seems, would not believe his mother and would probably go to get blood tests and genetic tests of his parents to try to see the truth. And even then his evidence would be inconclusive. It is wise to take the word of recognized authorities.
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada gives us the spiritual knowledge and the ways to live as human beings that Krishna gave us originally, just like a postman who does not add, delete or modify the letters he delivers. Srila Prabhupada's book "Beyond Birth and Death" gives the understanding of karma as given by Krishna, the supreme authority.
Jai Sri Krishna!
Suresh Vyas
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Standing Up for the Truth
I refer to the resolution of the Federation of Hindu Associations and the brilliant reply given by Jayadvaita Swami. It is so funny that the president of the association calls himself the protector of Hindu interests but condemns the Puranas by calling them obscure. If the Puranas are obscure, why do he and others attend so many programmes directly based on Puranas? Without Puranas, Hindu society would have been left high and dry, as the Vedas are high and the Upanisads are dry for an ordinary Hindu. The Puranas are the basis for restoring faith, and the Srimad-Bhagavatam is the pinnacle of allPuranas.
Prabhupada's Krsna consciousness movement is not endangering Hinduism; it is the only organization which has brought out the true purpose of Hinduism, namely following the Sanatana Dharma. Since the movement is based on sastras [Vedic scriptures] and is highly convincing in logic and content, it is being accepted universally. The proof is the spreading of the Hare Krsna movement in every nook and corner of the world. I congratulate you for standing up for the truth, without any compromise to please a few self-declared leaders.
Subuddhi Krsna Dasa
Bangalore, India
BTG a Ray of Light
Back to Godhead never fails to inspire me during those trying times, when Maya seems to be on the attack and I seem to be groping in the darkness of ignorance. BTG always offers that ray of light, and for this I am so grateful.
As a university student, I find that BTG never fails to bring colour into our boring, routine lives.
Especially in the current South African context, where everything is so stressful, BTG gives us hope.
All through my academic career, I have been proud to show others copies of BTG, because I know that I will never be disappointed and always get positive results it's simply matchless, simply the best.
Thanks again for this wonderful magazine.
Bhakta Yashik
Durban, South Africa
(via Internet)
We'd like to hear from you. Please send correspondence to: The Editors, Back to Godhead, P. O. Box 430, Alachua, Florida 32616, USA. Fax: (904) 462-7893.
E-mail: editors@iskcon.com editors@iskcon.com