Srila Prabhupada remarked how colourful and fragrant were God-made flowers like lotuses, gardenias, orchids and roses. No human could produce anything so perfect and so pleasing.

Enjoying the intimate rasa of chivalry, Krsna enjoyed the wounds Bhisma inflicted on him. Srila Prabhupada writes about Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura’s explanation of this phenomenon as follows: “…the wounds created on the body of the Lord by the sharpened arrows of Bhismadeva were as pleasing to the Lord as the biting of a fiancee who bites the body of the Lord directed by a strong sense of sex desire. Such biting by the opposite sex is never taken as a sign of enmity, even if there is a wound on the body. Therefore, the fighting as an exchange of transcendental pleasure between the Lord and His pure devotee, Sri Bhismadeva, was not at all mundane (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.34)

In the Third Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Kapila states, “My dear mother, it is sometimes said that we experience hell or heaven on this planet, for hellish punishments are sometimes visible on this planet also.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.20.29) It’s interesting that Aldous Huxley is reputed to have said, “Maybe this world is another planet’s Hell.”

Syamasundar tells us that in Mexico City Srila Prabhupada had a crucifix removed from the wall in his temporary residence. He said words to the effect that they have killed their spiritual master, and now they think they can sin like anything.

Listening to Srila Prabhupada’s lectures carries an advantage over reading them. Certain nuances, emphases, and pauses – rarely captured in the written word – make a huge difference when it comes to understanding exactly what Srila Prabhupada was saying.

Krsna states in BGAII, “of the Vasus I am fire.” (10.23)

Before mass communication, marketing and billion dollar annual advertising revenues, nationalism was THE brand. And yes, even Srila Prabhupada quoted the famous British statement, “England, with all thy faults, I love you.” (Boston lecture in May 1968, and Mumbai in 1974. This was attributed to ? among others – Charles Churchill in the 18th century).

(The following article was posted in the “Meditations” column of the Hindustan Times, one of India’s largest English language daily newspapers, on 26 April 2004.) LIKE IT or not, we’re controlled by governments, money, politics and intellectuals — mostly scientists — of our time. But a far more pervasive, irresistible and, at times, subtle force governs us: the entertainment industry. ‘Good Clean Fun’ is how Walt Disneyites might characterise it. Theme parks, cute animation, live comedy, movie stars’ lives, and television form part of the mix. This captures the minds and bodies of people of all ages, determining thought and action. The industry has created millions of zombified spectators checking out movies, sports, weather patterns, and minute-by-minute movements of Bollywood celebrities. Billions digest the constant music that feeds our voracious noiseaphilia, holding boredom at bay. Shopping malls, fast food and fashion are also part of the piped-in fIlet of philistine vulgarity. In the rush to inhale such products, the spiritual side of life has been shunted aside, eclipsed. TV and fIlms portray religion as old-fashioned and irrevalent. Themes are processed to make us feel good, rather than think. Transcendental pleasure, on the other hand is within reach, and those fortunate enough to grasp it, are continuously content — internally. Sustained happiness is available with an attitude of prayer, surrender and what the Gita calls sukham, sometimes translated as ‘boundless transcendental happiness’. If we wrench our heads from the TV, we might appreciate our own unique dramas or just be happy being who and where we are. (The writer is emeritus member of the ISKCON governing body commission)

To ask what is life, who is God, and who am I is a form of lateral thinking. Here’s a quote which I think helps people further understand the nature of “lateral thought.” “The pursuit of truth is like picking raspberries. You miss a lot if you approach it from only one angle.” Randal Marlin, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada

Published 23 October 2001 SERVICE IS a tricky word. It is our nature to serve something or someone – a child, a parent, a grandparent, a pet, a manager, a teacher, or an elder. Selfless service, one with no expectation of immediate return, is something that every parent experiences. But even parents expect or at least hope that when they are old and feeble, their offspring will look after them. These days, service with no thought of return is indeed rare. Service may be a popular topic, but ‘devotional service’ is a sure conversation stopper. The tendency to exploit is so prominent, and so much is based on the unspoken assumption that ‘might makes right’, that it?s considered downright stupid to be selfless. But there are signs of change. Why did so many affluent Westerners flock to Kolkata – sometimes referred to as the derriere of the world – to be part of Mother Teresa’s mission? The tendency toward charity is still alive. But charity without God is missing. Religion has become increasingly social, a stepping-stone to and a part of material success. The trivada principle of artha, kama and dharma – without moksha – has become a way of life. It’s fair to say that spiritualism is dead or dying. Religion has become a no-no and the G-word (God) is pretty much taboo, just as the S – and F ? words were a few decades ago. When it comes to God, the public square is naked. Our democracy is increasingly secular. In the minds of many, service to humanity is service to God. But for the aspiring spiritualist, the reverse is what counts. Agni Purana states that “One who builds or helps build a temple for Lord Vishnu becomes liberated along with eight forefathers”. At least in this country, there is a strain of God consciousness in people’s blood. The unprecedented popularity of the Ramayana telecast is testimony enough. What we lack as a society is spiritual purity ? giving with no expectation of return. The problem is that too many of our godmen, rishis and gurus are counterfeits. The Fourth Tempter in T. S. Eliot’s play Murder in the Cathedral refers to the arrogance of martyrdom. The pride of the archbishop leads to his downfall. We live in a world where there are a thousand charlatans for every genuine person of God. Even among the ‘holy’ there is pride; pride that generates the pollution of consciousness and a hypocrisy that thinking people simply cannot tolerate. True saintliness is marked by genuine humility, and humility is based on the principle that everything belongs to God, including all the ‘good’ qualities of the sadhu.