An age-old debate about how and why we fell from the spiritual world is a topic Srila Prabhupada dispenses with in this pithy remark from his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 3.16.23-24: “We cannot argue about why false ego arises from pure consciousness.”

We have heard how Srila Prabhupada was angry on hearing that devotees in Dallas had cut down a tree leaning against the gurukula building. In the seventh canto of Srimad Bhagavatam he writes: “The cutting of trees simply to manufacture paper for the publication of unwanted literature is the greatest sinful act.”

We don’t have to turn to Rupa Goswami to find the principle of yukta vairghya. We can find it right in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is in many places. For example 3.9 reads, “Work done as a sacrifice for Visnu has to be performed, otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage.” And what did Arjuna do? He used his military expertise in devotional service-killing people.

For one engaged in pure devotional service, such as core ISKCON activities, or being in the true spirit of core ISKCON activities, there is no need to engage in other forms of ritual, penance, meditation, or `spiritual strivings.’ A nice verse and purport in Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad Bhagavatam explains this nicely: It is in the 2nd Canto, Seventh Chapter. The text is number forty-eight. This is Srila Prabhupada’s translation: “In such a transcendental state there is no need of artificial control of the mind, mental speculation, or meditation, as performed by the jnanis and yogis. One gives up such processes, as the heavenly King, Indra, forgoes the trouble to dig a well.” And this is his purport: “King Indra of heaven is the controlling deity or demigod for arranging clouds supplying rains in the universe, and as such he does not have to take the trouble to dig a well for his personal water supply. For him, digging a well for a water supply is simply ludicrous. Similarly, those who are factually engaged in the loving service of the Lord have attained the ultimate goal of life, and for them, there is no need for mental speculation to find out the true nature of God or His activities. Nor do such devotees have to meditate upon the imaginary or real identity of the Lord. Because they are factually engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, the Lord’s pure devotees have already achieved the results of mental speculation and meditation. The real perfection of life is, therefore, to be engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.”

(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)

There are two well-known phrases said to have originated from Srila Prabhupada. One is “cultural conquest,” and the other is “Books are the Basis, Preaching is the Essence, Purity is the Force, and Utility is the Principle.” Although I have not been able to turn them up in the Bhaktivedanta VedaBase, I did find these two personal exchanges: 1. Room conversation excerpt on July 10, 1976, New York: Hari-sauri: This opening comment in this magazine is very good, it says, “What is surprising about the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is not its conquest of the West, the USA in particular. The cultural impact of this institution, borne on the shoulders of Westerners in the main, has already reached amazing proportions in India.” Prabhupada: That is my policy. 2. And this exchange, which took place on February 25th, 1977 in Mayapura: Tamala Krsna: It’s the same price here also, about a dollar a pound. Hari-sauri: That’s not pure ghee. That’s dalda. Prabhupada: That is not pure ghee? Hari-sauri: No. That’s dalda. Tamala Krsna: Pure ghee is… Prabhupada: Pure ghee is not available. So at least we can import pure ghee for our own use. If possible, we can sell also. At least for our own centers, food distribution. Pancadravida: Srila Prabhupada, when we first got to Argentina it used to be for three dollars you’d get five kilos of butter, or for a dollar you got, like, twenty-four quarts of milk. Prabhupada: Australia. Bali-mardana: No, Argentina. Prabhupada: Argentina, oh. Bali-mardana: There is also many cows… They produce many cows there. Ramesvara: They have the reputation in Argentina of killing more cows than any country in the world. Prabhupada: No, because they do not know what they will do except killing. Pancadravida: They have twenty million people, and they have sixty million cows. That’s the estimate I heard, three cows for every person. Trivikrama: He has brought you one Chinese script. Hari-sauri: What does it say? Devotee (3): This is Chinese character scroll. It says, “Books are the basis, preaching is the essence, utility is the principle, and purity is the force.” It was translated wholly by myself, and the characters were written by… Prabhupada: Is that all right? Devotee (5): I can read, but I don’t write. Ah… That’s not purity. It should be… It’s not so exact. Prabhupada: What did he say in the trans…? Devotee (5): It’s cleanliness rather than purity. Bali-mardana: He has translated purity as “cleanliness,” not quite exact.

A report in late 2000 in the Canadian Journal of Medicine finds that several A. A. Milne characters, such as Winnie the Pooh, suffer from various psychological ailments and disorders, such as gender misidentification, food fixation resulting in obesity, and many others. They intimate that the use of psychoanalysis and drugs like valium and prozac would ameliorate problems like this. Some psychologists think everyone should be ‘normal.’ Many times they assume themselves to be in the position of God in society, and recommend the use of psychotherapy and drugs to return people to ‘normal.’ Although these remedial measures undoubtedly have some utility, they are limited by whatever definition of normal is taken. Some professionals in the field carry the ‘cure’ idea too far, identifying religious zealotry as a sign of madness. Psychologists have even testified in courts of law against devotees, declaring them to be unfit and dangerous elements in society because of their ‘extreme’ religious convictions and activities. Not only Milne’s storybook characters for children, but those of “Alice in Wonderland,” “Lord of the Rings,” and the “Harry Potter” series (what to speak of William Shakespeare’s many ‘odd’ characters, and protagonists of hundreds of award-winning novels) could be perceived as ‘unstable’ and therefore dangerous models for readers to look up to. And closer to home, we see what a field day the psychologists would have with some personalities in the Srimad Bhagavatam! Devotees are considered ‘crazy’ at times, and even Srila Prabhupada himself implies this, tongue in cheek. This idea is based on the fact that devotees don’t accept death and suffering to be evil, or even ‘normal.’ They know there is another way of seeing things. One of Sanatana Goswami’s first representations to Lord Caitanya was that human life must be more than one lifetime of uncertainty and suffering. (Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 20.102)

In his purport to “nitai-pada-kamala” by Narottama Dasa Thakura, Srila Prabhupada tells us, “Without being eternal, nobody can serve the eternal. That is the Vedic injunction. Without becoming Brahman, one cannot approach the Supreme Brahman. Just like without being fire, nobody can enter into the fire. Without being water, nobody can enter into the water. Similarly, without being fully spiritualized, nobody can enter into the spiritual kingdom. If you catch the lotus feet of Nityananda, then you become immediately spiritualized. Just like if you touch electricity, immediately you become electrified.”

Although philologists have grandstanded Sanskrit, devotees have a different vision. The new Concise Oxford Dictionary is said to have over 900 entries that give Hindi or Sanskrit as the origin of an English word. Here’s a “Prabhupada said,” from the 10th of November, 1975 in Mumbai: [excerpt:] Dr. Patel: …that man, and then Krodha Maharaja knew that this man would be perhaps hanged by the officials. So the engineer… [break] He was smuggled into Africa. And there, in Africa, he learned Bengali by himself, reading book. And he was Bengali scholar. [break] Prabhupada: He was professor of Presidents’ College, Calcutta. Their opinion is Sanskrit is the mother of all languages.

Although situated millions of miles away from earth, the sun sometimes makes people miserable, due to its heat.