It has been opined that ISKCON is currently (as of November 2005) undergoing “institutional adolescence.” That is, ISKCON is in an awkward state of growth where although the majority of initiates live outside the temples, many are thought to be persona non grata.

Krishna is everything – even the moisture in the air.

About three months after the city of Darwin (Northern Territory, Australia) was hit by a fierce storm, Srila Prabhupada spoke of “buses flying in the sky.” The Darwin cyclone (Cyclone Tracy) took place in the early hours of Christmas Day, 1974, and ravaged the entire city, which had approximately 70 million inhabitants. Seventy per cent of homes were destroyed or suffered severe structural damage, 49 people were killed and about 19 lost at sea.

Atomic energy is able to produce immense power from very tiny materials, but the minute soul is even more “amazing,” as Krsna explains to Arjuna in the 29th text of the Gita’s 2nd chapter.

Sometimes the following Srimad Bhagavatam verse is emphasised. Lord Caitanya in particular glorified it. It reads: “The nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those suffering in this material world. These narrations, transmitted by learned sages, eradicate one’s sinful reactions and bestow good fortune upon whoever hears them. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Certainly those who spread the message of Godhead are most munificent.” (From the gopis’ songs of separation:10.31.9)

At least to my recollection, this was the verse Srila Prabhupada quoted the most in 1966 and 1967. It was Srimad Bhagavatam 10.84.13: “yasyatma- buddhi kuape tri-dhatuke, sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih, yat- tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij, janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah TRANSLATION: One who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and air, who assumes his wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the land of his birth is worshipable, or who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never identifies himself with, feels kinship with, worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth, such a person is no better than a cow or an ass.” The part that got me was identifying with the land of birth and thinking that land is worshipable. Isn’t that what nationalism is all about? Isn’t that why people are keen to fight wars and die for their country? Isn’t it absurd? Indigenous People’s Conferences take place in different parts of the world. But are there any indigenous peoples? Don’t most anthropologists think that there’s an earlier race to every race’s claim that THEY [emphasis mine] are the original race? Does America belong to the native Americans, are the Japanese the original race of their islands, are the Aboriginals and Fijians the original peoples of their countries?

Deterministic chaos is a physics concept that says the flutter of a butterfly wing can change the course of a hurricane by hundreds of miles. Like the weather, especially in maritime (seagoing vehicle) and high altitude (airplane flying) situations, life is wholly unpredictable. In this age in particular, asteroid showers, el-nino currents, and other increasingly frequent freak happenings like tornadoes, earthquakes, flash floods, hurricanes, storms and tidal waves, underscore the fact that we live in unpredictable and dangerous times. And sudden human upheavals including terrorism, political violence, warfare, terrorism and tribal hostilities, make this world a perilous place to be.

Markandeya Rsi was curious to know exactly how Maya worked. He asked the Lord to show him. Almost at once there was a great downpour, and waves began to flood his hermitage. Soon they completely enveloped his home and he entire planet. Long-living Markendeya struggled for eons in giant waves and severe winds, but miraculously stayed afloat and alive for millions of years. Finally, when he thought his exhaustion might spell death, he encountered an island oasis. There, Krsna, as an infant on a huge leaf of a banyan tree, inhaled him into His body. Markendeya saw the entire universe before Krsna exhaled him back out onto the ocean. Shortly thereafter, the waters of devastation subsided entirely, and Markandeya found himself sitting peacefully in his asrama just as when he first asked about Maya. This was the lesson he learned about the Lord’s illusory energy.

What do we think of when hear of or see pebbles — babbling brooks, graveled roads, playgrounds, mountainous trekking paths? Ideally they will send our thoughts to Krishna, thinking like the gopis, who thought: ““Oh, Krsna’s feet are so soft! Now He’s walking on the rough ground, and the sharp pebbles are pricking His soles. So He must be feeling some pain.” (Teachings of Queen Kunti, Ch 7)

Because this little-known, formerly Japanese word seems to be on everyone’s lips these days, ISKCON is probably jostling for (a) position (statement). The tragedy raises the question of how a kind, loving God can allow so many apparently innocent people to die in such a gruesome way. The event – like atomic war – is probably going to raise more questions than it answers. If it’s karmic reaction, what about para-dukha-dukhi and this BGAII verse: “Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up; they must be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls.” (18.5)