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03 Srila Prabhupada Speaks Out 04 Inquiries into the Absolute 04 Editor’s Jottings 06 Pearls of Wisdom 11 Lessons from the Gita 12 Veggie Corner 13 Newsmakers

Ap r i l /May / Ju n e 2 0 0 8

Advisor : His Holiness

Romapada Swami

Editor-in-chief : Aravind Mohanram

psuaravind@yahoo.com

Welcome

Team

Contact Us :

Dear Readers, In this issue, we focus on mind, mantra and gunas. Mind is our constant companion. And, whether we like it or not, it gives us trouble and drains our energy! Mantra meditation (Japa and kirtana forms) is an increasingly popular ho-listic therapy for mental illness and spiritual upliftment. Does it matter what mantra one chants? In “Prescription for This Age of Dis-tress”, Srila Prabhupada explains the unique spiritual potency of the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra and how to re-ceive it for best efficacy. Today, there is a growing concern about individual and collective psy-chological well-being. In “The Gunas and Human Behavior”, Vasudev das lucidly explains how the three gunas, sattva, rajas and tamas influence our consciousness and psychology in pro-found ways, providing insights into subtle origins of human behavior and how we may cultivate our own. Mental well-being is on the decline. In “Depression on College Cam-puses”, Swetha Ganeshan highlights a very disturbing trend: rapid increase in depression and other varieties of mental illness in today’s youth, and what can we do about it. There is no better way to nourish our body, mind and spirit than to create and be in an environment of pure, spiritual consciousness. Join us on a tour to the sacred abode of Tirupati, located in the beautiful hills of South India, and experience upliftment! Hare Krishna. - Aravind, Editor

Inside…

Editorial Assistant : Jayant Palkar Cover Page: Chanting and meditation on the transcendental sound

of Krishna's Names liberates one from the miseries of the mind (and its gunas), and awakens pure, spiritual consciousness.

Artwork courtesy of The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc. www.krishna.com. Used with permission.

(www.romapadaswami.com)

www.quintmag.com

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The Gunas

& Human Behaviour

Design & Layout : Smitha Murthy & Priya Aravind

Tirupati 09

Depression on College Campuses

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Yoko Ono: If Hare Kåñëa is such a strong, powerful mantra, is there any reason to chant anything else? For instance, you talked about songs and different mantras. Is there any point in the chanting of another song or mantra? Srila Prabhupada: There are other mantras, but the Hare Kåñëa mantra is especially recom-mended for this age. But other Vedic mantras are also chanted. But the chanting of the Hare Kåñëa mantra is especially recommended for this age. This is stated in many Vedic litera-tures…And, apart from the statements of the Vedic literature, Lord Kåñëa Himself, in the form of Lord Caitanya, preached that everyone should chant the Hare Kåñëa mantra. John Lennon: If all mantras are just the name of God, then whether it's a secret mantra or an open mantra it's all the name of God. So it doesn't really make much difference, does it, which one you sing? Srila Prabhupada: It does make a difference. For instance, in a drug shop they sell all types of medicines for curing different diseases. But still you have to get a doctor's prescription in order to get a particular type of medicine. Similarly, in this age of Kali the Hare Kåñëa mantra is prescribed in the çästras, or scrip-tures…So, our Kåñëa consciousness philosophi-cal method is to follow the great personalities, such as Lord Kåñëa, Lord Caitanya, and the great spiritual masters in disciplic succession…The Vedic injunction is sampradäya-vihinä ye manträs te niñphalä matäù. If your mantra does not come through the disciplic succession, it will not be effective. A mantra cannot be manufactured. Yoko Ono: If the mantra itself has such power, does it matter where you receive it, where you take it? Srila Prabhupada: Yes, it does matter. For instance, milk is nutritious. That's a fact; every-one knows. But if milk is touched by the lips of a serpent, it is no longer nutritious. It becomes poisonous. John Lennon: How would you know, anyway? How are you able to tell? I mean, for any of your disciples or us or anybody else who goes to any spiritual master how are we to tell if he's

for real or not? Srila Prabhupada: It is not that you can go to just any spiritual master. He must be a member of a recognized sampradaya, a particular line of disciplic succession. John Lennon: But what if one of these masters who's not in the line says exactly the same thing as one who is? What if he says his mantra is coming from the Vedas and he seems to speak with as much authority as you? He could probably be right. It's confusing like having too many fruits on a plate. Srila Prabhupada: If the mantra is actually coming through a bona fide disciplic succession, then it will have potency. John Lennon: But the Hare Kåñëa mantra is the best one? Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Yoko Ono: Well, if Hare Kåñëa is the best one, why should we bother to say anything else other than Hare Kåñëa? Srila Prabhupada: It's true. You don't have to bother with anything else. We say that the Hare Kåñëa mantra is sufficient for one's perfection, for liberation. George Harrison: Isn't it like flowers? Some-body may prefer roses, and somebody may like carnations better. Isn't it really a matter for the individual devotee to decide? Isn't it just a mat-ter of taste, like choosing a flower? Srila Prabhupada: But still there is a distinc-tion. A fragrant rose is considered better than a flower without any scent…You may be attracted by one flower, and I may be attracted by an-other flower. But among the flowers a distinc-tion can be made. There are many flowers that have no fragrance and many that have fra-grance. Yoko Ono: Is that flower that has fragrance better? Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Therefore, your attrac-tion for a particular flower is not the solution to the question of which is actually better. In the same way, personal attraction is not the solu-tion to choosing the best spiritual process. Quintessence 3

Excerpts from a conversation with the Beatles (John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and George Harrison) that took place on Sept 14, 1969 in London

Prescription for This Age of Distress

Srila Prabhupada Speaks Out

“You don't have to bother with anything else. We say that the Hare Kåñëa mantra is sufficient for one's

perfection, for liberation.”

“And, apart from the

statements of the Vedic literature,

Lord Kåñëa Himself, in the form of Lord Caitanya, preached

that everyone should chant the

Hare Kåñëa mantra.”

Thinking, feeling, and then willing are the sequential steps that lead connect thoughts to desires, and these are mani-fested as activities of the mind. In its pure state, thinking, feeling and willing are all centered on Krishna and His ser-vice. In the conditioned state, the mind is almost always thinking about objects of the senses. The conditioned mind is described as having a binary function - accepting and rejecting. Based on our likes and dislikes, we are always accepting some thoughts related to corresponding sense objects which we consider desirable and rejecting others as undesirable.

Bhagavad-Gita (2.62-63) describes that by contemplating sense objects, attachment and desires develop; when the willful attempts to fulfill those desires are hampered, it fur-ther leads to anger, bewilderment of memory, loss of intel-ligence etc. In turn, our thoughts reflect a composite of our most prominent desires and activities. The mind is the root cause of all of these phenomena.

We can have control over desires and thoughts, however it is also possible that our desires control us! Krishna ex-plains that intelligence is superior to the mind, intelligence is superior to the mind, and the soul is even higher. One can thus steady the mind's functions with the help of spiri-tually strengthened intelligence. (See BG 3.42-43) The whole yoga process - whether it is bhakti-yoga, dhyana-yoga or jnana-yoga - is aimed at controlling the mind. Throughout the Gita, Krishna often addresses this: Bg 2.58-64, 70, 6.5-6, 6.24-26, 8.6-8, 17.16 to name a few.

With practice, the mind can be trained to think only of beneficial thoughts and even better, Krishna-centered thoughts. The sublime and most effective process recom-mended in this age for training the mind is chanting of the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Similarly by developing, in good asso-ciation, attachment for Krishna and things related to Him effects detachment from lower desires.

You are welcome to send in your questions to HH Romapada Swami at iskcondc @gmail.com with the word "Question" included in the subject line.

Part 1: What is the correlation between desires and thoughts? How are one's desires manifest into thoughts?

Inquiries into the Absolute

His Holiness Romapada Swami is a disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. A Vaishnava monk for 35 years, His Holiness is a leader, scholar and an initiating spiritual master in the International society for Krishna consciousness.

(www.romapadaswami.com)

Answer by His Holiness Romapada Swami

Part 2: Also, do we have control over our desires and thoughts?

Quintessence 4

“You are limiting yourself to one choice, missing out on the variety and fun out there,” a friend of mine responded, when I encouraged her to consider spiritual life. As someone practicing Krishna con-sciousness, I recognized a huge difference between my approach to life and her’s. For her, the world of choices, from toothpaste to tourist spots is a blessing - it’s her passion, it’s her life. Reflecting on her words, I realized how easy it is to become enamored by the variety of living and non-living entities in this material world, generated by the permutations of the gunas. While it seems attractive, this variety is temporary and it is accompanied by a variety of sufferings, a fact that my friend is oblivious of. Let’s analyze my friend’s argument. Is it true that a spiritualist’s life is devoid of choice and variety? In one sense, it is. In spiritual life, from moment to moment, you have only one choice to make – take shelter of Krishna’s spiritual energy. However, the beauty of this one choice is that it opens a whole new world of unlimited variety and choices. And, this world, unlike the material world, is not plagued by suffering, it is not temporary, and in fact, it is our original home. Srila Prabhupada notes, “How have the varieties come about?" The Vedic conclusion is that variety is eternal, although the changing varieties the scientists study in the material world are temporary. These varieties are shadow varieties. Real variety exists eter-nally in the spiritual world.”

The next time when I met my friend, I asked her – “Do you want a life in this material world with its bewildering array of choices and temporary variety and happiness, or do you want a spiritual life with one choice and real variety and bliss? It’s your choice.”

Its Your Choice ! By Priya Aravind

The three gunas refers to the three modes or quali-ties of the material world. And they are sattva or goodness, rajas or passion, and tamas or ignorance. Guna also means rope. Every embodied soul is inherently imbued with these qualities in different permutations; and at any given time we are being acted upon by these gunas. These gunas are always vying for supremacy. By the influence of the gunas, even an apparently peaceful person sometimes acts pas-sionately.

Sattva or the material mode of goodness is charac-terized by illumination and free from sinful reactions. Persons under the influence of sattva or goodness are attracted to piety and are condi-tioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge. Control of the sensory modalities including the mind, toler-ance, discrimination, sticking to one's prescribed duty, truthfulness, mercy, careful study of the past and future, satisfaction in any condition, gener-osity, renunciation of sense gratifica-tion, faith in the spiritual master, be-

ing embarrassed at improper action, charity, simplicity, humbleness and satisfaction within oneself are qualities of the mode of goodness. Learned persons dedicated to Vedic culture are elevated by the mode of goodness to higher and higher positions.

Lord Krishna in instructing Uddhava posits, “When consciousness becomes clear and the senses are detached from matter, one experiences fearlessness within the mate-rial body and detachment from the material mind. You should understand this situation to be the predominance of the mode of goodness, in which one has the opportunity to realize Me.”

Rajas or the material mode of pas-sion is born of unlimited desires and longings or hankering and as a re-sult persons under the auspices of rajas are bound to material actions. Material desire, great endeavor, audacity, dissatisfaction even in gain, false pride, praying for mate-rial advancement, considering one-self different and better than oth-

ers, sense gratification, rash eagerness to fight, a fondness for hearing oneself praised, the tendency to ridicule others, advertising one's own prowess and justifying one's actions by one's strength are qualities of the mode of passion. By the influence of the mode of passion one continues transmi-grating through human bodies.

The mode of passion is discernible by its symp-toms—the distortion of the intelligence because of too much

activity, the inability of the perceiving senses to disentangle themselves from mundane objects, an unhealthy condition of the working physical organs, and the unsteady perplexity of the mind.

Tamas or the mode of darkness is born of ignorance, and it is the delusion of all embodied entities. The results of this mode are madness, indolence and sleep, which bind the conditioned soul.

Intolerant anger, stingi-ness, speaking without scriptural authority, violent hatred, living as a parasite, hypocrisy, chronic fa-tigue, quarrel, lamentation, delu-sion, unhappiness, depression, sleeping too much, false ex-pectations, fear and laziness constitute the major qualities of the mode of ignorance.

The definition of ignorance is given in the Vedic lit-erature, Vastu-yäthätmya jïänävarakaà viparyaya-jïäna-janakaà tamaù: under the spell of ignorance, one cannot understand a thing as it is. For example, everyone can see that death is inevitable still people are seriously committed to ugrakarmic or horrible works or wicked acts in a superla-tive degree in a bid to accumulating money more and more without preparing themselves to meet death. They do not care to figure out the objective criterion of human exis-tence, which is to attain Krishna prema or pure love of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. This is the inherent nature of tamas or mode of ignorance. The mode of ignorance degrades the conditioned soul in as much as it forces one to fall headfirst into lower and lower births.

When the living entity’s higher awareness fails and finally disappears and he/she is thus unable to concentrate his attention, his mind is ruined and manifests ignorance and depression. It should be understood that this is a situa-tion where the predominance of the mode of ignorance reigns.

Each of the three material modes (goodness, pas-sion and ignorance), acting separately, causes a conditioned soul to manifest a particular type of existence. In our pris-tine pure state we are transcendental to the gunas or modes of material nature, being part and parcel of Lord Krishna; nevertheless, in conditioned life we manifest mate-rial qualities as we are under the influence of the three gunas. In our pristine identity as pure spirit souls we have unalloyed love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. However, as we enter the cosmic manifestation or material creation, our original love for the Supreme Person-ality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, becomes transmuted into lust for matter, in association with the material mode of passion, just like milk in contact with sour tamarind is transformed into yoghurt.

Quintessence 5 Contd on Page 6

It could be asseverated therefore, that the material mode of passion is our primary behavior modification agent. What a powerful change agent! And keep in mind that lust is the all-devouring sinful enemy of this world which impels the living entity to act even against his/her better judg-ment. The interaction of the modes of material nature - goodness, passion and ignorance - facilitates our constant flux without them having to undergo any change. Çüdras, persons in the mode of ignorance, are generally in deep illusion about the purpose of life, accepting the gross material body as the self. Those in passion and ignorance are called vaiçyas and hanker intensely for wealth, whereas kñatriyas, who are in the mode of passion, are eager for prestige and power. Those in the mode of goodness, how-ever, hanker after perfect knowledge; they are therefore called brähmaëas. Such a person is promoted up to the su-preme material position of Brahmaloka, the planet of Lord Brahmä. One who is in the mode of ignorance gradually falls to the level of unmoving species, such as trees and stones, while one in the mode of passion, filled with material desire but satisfying it within Vedic culture, is allowed to remain in human society. (Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Srimad Bha-gavatam 11.25.22)

The admixture of all three modes is present in the aham mameti or "I" and "mine" mindset. The ordinary transactions of this world, be it economic, social, or political, which are carried out through the agency of the mind, the

objects of perception, the sensory modalities and the vital airs of the physi-cal body, are also based on the combination of the modes.

Applied Vedic science asserts that the state of con-sciousness of parents at the time of conceiving a child de-termines very much the type of mode the child would be born with. If the consciousness of the parents is over-whelmed by the modes of passion and ignorance, it is very likely that this will lead to a child with a bizarre mentality, irrespective of the socio economic and political strata of the parents. Obviously behavioral patterns or activities in the mundane realm are governed by the three modes of mate-rial nature. Lord Krishna advocates that His devotee must rise above the modes to be able to perform unalloyed devo-tional service unto Him unmotivatedly and uninterruptedly so as to ultimately have ingress into spiritual world charac-terized by bliss, knowledge and eternity. For full text with references, please click here…

Author : Vasudev das is a disciple of His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami and a fac-ulty at the Institute for Applied Spiritual Technology, Nigeria. He is the author of numerous academic publications focusing on Krishna conscious perspectives of socio-political issues.

I Mine

Since the present civilization is not very congenial to the living entities, Kåñëa conscious-ness is recommended. Through Kåñëa consciousness, society will develop the mode of goodness. When the mode of goodness is developed, people will see things as they are. In the mode of ignorance, people are just like animals and cannot see things clearly. In the mode of ignorance, for example, they do not see that by killing one animal they are taking the chance of being killed by the same animal in the next life. Because people have no education in actual knowledge, they become irresponsible. To stop this irresponsibility, education for developing the mode of goodness of the people in general must be there. When they are actually educated in the mode of goodness, they will become sober, in full knowledge of things as they are. Then people will be happy and prosperous. Even if the majority of the people aren't happy and prosperous, if a certain percentage of the popula-tion develops Kåñëa consciousness and becomes situated in the mode of goodness, then there is the possibility for peace and prosperity all over the world. Otherwise, if the world is devoted to the modes of passion and ignorance, there can be no peace or prosperity. In the mode of passion, people become greedy, and their hankering for sense enjoyment has no limit. One can see that even if one has enough money and adequate arrangements for sense gratification, there is neither happiness nor peace of mind. That is not possible, be-cause one is situated in the mode of passion.

If one wants happiness at all, his money will not help him; he has to elevate himself to the mode of goodness by practic-ing Kåñëa consciousness. When one is engaged in the mode of passion, not only is he mentally unhappy, but his profes-sion and occupation are also very troublesome. He has to devise so many plans and schemes to acquire enough money to maintain his status quo. This is all miserable. In the mode of ignorance, people become mad. Being distressed by their circumstances, they take shelter of intoxication, and thus they sink further into ignorance. Their future in life is very dark.

– Srila Prabhupada, Purport to Bhagavad-Gita 14.17

Quintessence 6

Quintessence 7

Inspired by a recent talk given by His Holiness Romapada Swami, a spiritual leader in the International Society of Krishna Consciousness, at Penn State on Spiritual Economics, I was eager to find out if so-called successful students were in fact plagued by ‘depression’, ‘anxiety’ and ‘emotional imbalances’. So, I logged on to the internet and Googled “Students and depression”. And, lo and behold! I was startled when I saw ~ 3 million hits (!) on the subject. The search results convinced me that what I had heard in the talk was 100% true. Through this article, I would like to achieve two things: ♦ Highlight the alarming statistics about mental illness on college campuses, and ♦ Suggest a course of action to alleviate the problem.

Contd on Page 8

These are phrases that the youth are taught today. So, what’s the effect?

“Dream Big, Think Big, Live a life to the fullest!”

Today’s youth who are “supposedly” tomorrow’s future leaders seem to be spending more time at the psychiatrists’ rather than in school. Prominent amongst them are university stu-dents who work hard day and night and chase after their big dreams (which, by the way, are not what they really want!), but end up ruining their lives.

Alarming statistics

According to a 2005 National College Health Assessment (NCHA), a survey of nearly 17,000 college students conducted by the American College Health Association, 25% reported that they “felt so depressed it was difficult to function” three to eight times during the past year and 21% reported they “seriously considered suicide” one or more times during the past year.

It is documented that there are 1,100 suicides on college campuses each year. Such incidents include the much-publicized case of a girl who killed herself a few years ago in a fire in her dorm room at the Massachusetts In-stitute of Technology.

"There's been a dramatic increase in the amount of serious mental health problems on campuses across the country," notes Dr. Richard Kadison, Chief of the Mental Health Service at Harvard University and author of Col-lege of the overwhelmed: The campus mental health crisis and what to do about it.

"Mental illness is absolutely going off the charts on college campuses," con-firms Hara Marano, an editor for Psychology Today. "College counseling centers used to be the backwaters of the mental health care system. Now they are the front line,” she says. “Depression has always been the No. 1 problem here,” says Tom Morson, a counselor at the University of Michigan.

Source: American College Health Association.

In sp i ra t i on

Author : Swetha Ganeshan is pursuing her Ph.D in Materials Science and Engg. at Penn State University.

Quintessence 8

In response to several suicides in recent years, many of the nation's top schools are now among the most pro-active regarding the mental well-being of their students. Harvard, M.I.T. and Dartmouth alone have spent hun-dreds of thousands of dollars to become more adept at handling students with mental illnesses. However, “mental health services are often underfinanced, understaffed, and generally unequipped to handle the number of students who desperately need help,” notes Kadison.

“I think this emphasis on self-perfection that our society has really contributes to depression in college students,” says Morson. “Many students have an ‘all-or-nothing’ mentality, not only about academics but also physical attractiveness and wealth,” he adds. Such perfectionist thinking, coupled with high expectations from parents, adds to the stress of college life.” While academic demands seem to be a major factor of depression in students, lack of genuine love and security in relationships is another one. Identity crisis, interper-sonal conflicts, competition, parental pressures and cultural expectations, economic and social anxieties in the post-9/11 culture of fear are some others that contribute to student illness, argues Kadison.

What can we do? Students who are expected to bring about a revolutionary change in the society today are indeed doing so, but not the beneficial one that was expected. Clearly, there is a pressing problem and something needs to be done urgently. Kadison writes, “No one will argue that the problems facing today’s college students are not enormous. The statis-tics, the news headlines, counseling center directors, and the students themselves all make it very clear that there is a crisis on our campuses. Depression, sleep disorders, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, impulsive behaviors (including sexual promiscuity and self-mutilation), and even suicide are no longer rare anomalies. They are part of college life…What should be done?” It is imperative that we, as students, take serious steps in order to prevent the world from becom-ing a habitat for depressed souls. We can’t bank on someone else to do the job for us.

While there is increasing awareness about this crisis, many proposed solutions, at best, offer only temporary relief, because they fail to address the spiritual needs of the individual. Understanding the spiritual identity and needs of an individual is the key to addressing the crisis on the campuses. One way, and a very effective one, is to create an environment in our Universities, which encourages students to explore spiritual dimensions of life, in the company of like-minded souls. I can speak about one such student group in my university Penn State, the Penn State Vedic Society. Through a combination of yoga, philosophical discussions, healthy vegetarian food and cultural events, and most importantly, spiritual relationships, Vedic So-ciety has brought a new meaning and purpose to my life and that of many others. Groups like Vedic Society pro-vide an opportunity for students to take a break from their stressful life and contemplate on what brings real happiness to them. Similar organizations in many other Universities (look in the Newsmakers section, for exam-ples) are actively laying the foundation for creating cultures of complete well-being – physical, emotional, intel-lectual and spiritual - in places and for people that seem to be in most desperate need.

What could possibly be the cause?

Holy means sacred, that which is dedicated to the service of God. Holy places are abodes that mark the appearance or performance of unique pastimes of God or a saintly person(s) who is a representative of God. There are numerous holy places in the world, each delivering the message of God in its own significant way. It is indeed unfortunate that, despite the presence of such places and attractive descriptions about their glories, people, in general are attracted to the tem-porary variegatedness of the modes of material nature. One such holy place up in the mountains of South India, is the temple of Lord Venkateshwara (Name of Lord Vishnu) that attracts pilgrims from all over the world. About Tirupati Tirupati means ‘Lord of Lakshmi’. It is also known as Tirumala or the ‘Lord of the sacred hill’. Amidst several ancient temples, the main temple of Sri Venkateshwara lies in the seven hills of Tirumala. The temple and the Deity are so attractive that, one does not care for the long line that goes winding around the tem-ple, from the front entrance and up into the sprawling Queue Complex, a covered stadium-like building that holds as many as ten thousand devotees at a time, sheltering them during the long wait to enter the temple. Fortunately, be-cause of the high altitude, the air in Tirumala is fresh, light, and cool. Even in the fierce South Indian summer the devo-tees are fairly comfortable while waiting to get darshana, the audience of the Lord. The magnificent architecture of the temple adds to the opulence of the place. From outside of the main temple, one can see the dome over the main entrance, teeming with depictions of demigods and various incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu. The dome over Lord Venkateshwara’s altar is thickly coated with pure gold, the dome glitters like the self-resplendent spiritual gem cintamani, of which all the buildings in the transcendental kingdom of God are made.

Contd on Page 10

Abode of

Spiritual Places of India

Quintessence 9

The Main Deity Lord Krishna has millions of names. Each name denotes one of His unlimited attributes. In this temple, He is called Venkateshwara, the “Lord of Venkatacala,” a chain of hills about one hundred fifty miles northwest of Madras, in South India. Of course Krishna, being God, is the Lord of all hills. “Venkatacala” refers to the hills where He appeared in a self-manifested Deity form of Lord Vishnu some five millennia ago. The same Deity, also known as Balaji, now resides in a temple in the town of Tirumala, nestled half a mile up in the Venkatacala Hills, known today as the Eastern Ghats. He is seen standing on a lo-tus with his conch and discus in his hands, and images of the goddesses Lakshmi & Pad-mavati upon his chest. The description of this Deity is found in many scriptures like Padma Purana and Skanda Purana.

That the Deity in Tirumala is a plenary form of Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was not always known. Traditionally, a Deity of Lord Vishnu will bear in His hands certain distinguishing symbols: a lotus, a conch-shell, a discus, and a club.

During the time of Ramanujacharya, a saint of great renown(1017-1137), Lord Venkateshwara’s two upper hands were empty. It was impossible to verify the true identity of the Deity. In the midst of this confusion, Ramanujacharya, came to Tirumala on pilgrimage and was requested to settle the dispute between warring factions. Sri Ramanujacharya locked a gold discus and conch, symbols of Lord Vishnu, in the Deity’s room overnight. Next morning, all were astonished to find the conch and discus in the Deity’s hands, and since that day Lord Venkateshwara’s identity as Lord Krishna has never been questioned.

Pure Goodness

Spiritual Places of India

Abode of Pure Goodness

Festivals The Lord gives various opportunities to conditioned souls for engaging in His service. Festivals in temples are such events where a mass of devotees will be engaged in organization, arrangements, priestly activities etc. Each year, dur-ing the month of September/October millions of devotees from all around the world gather at the temple to celebrate the nine-day festival called ‘Brahmotsavam’. The festival has its origin in connection with worshipping of Lord Venkateshwara at Tirupati by Lord Brahma (the creator of the universe).

Other Places of Interest After seeing the Deity one can tour the rest of the temple and the other buildings within the temple compound. One will find numerous statues (like, one in the picture of Garuda, the divine vehicle of Lord Vishnu) and reliefs depicting the Lord’s incarnations and pastimes. The Deity’s gold and silver palanquins and other sacred paraphernalia are also on dis-play. After seeing Tirumala, the devotees usually spend another day seeing the sacred sites in Tirupati. The principal temples there are the temple of Govindaraja Swami - a Vishnu Deity, Sri Varahaswami – the boar incarnation of Lord Krishna, and the temple of Padmavati, the eternal consort of Lord Venkateshwara.

ISKCON at Tirupati An added attraction is the newly constructed Sri Sri Radha Govinda Ashta Sakhi and Giriraj lotus temple. In 1974 when His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada was invited by the state government of Andhra Pradhesh, he envisioned a new ISKCON center in Tirupati. Having thus laid a foundation, Srila Prabhupada inspired his disciples to “get set and go”! The first Sri Sri Radha Govinda deities were installed in 1984 and the ground-blessing ceremony of the magnificent new temple was carried out in 1999.

The temple domes display sculptures of Krishna, Rama, Vishnu, and Nrsimha. The temple has one svagata-gopuram (welcome tower, representing the Lord’s feet), one raja-gopuram (grand tower, representing the Lord’s navel), one vimana-gopuram (tower above the deities’ chamber, representing the Lord’s head), and four corner domes representing the four yugas, or Vedic ages. Enamored by the forty-foot long gold plated altar presided by the most merciful Sri Radha-Govinda, Ashta Sakhi (the eight principal gopis), Lord Chaitanya, and Giriraja (Lord Krishna in the form of a stone from Govardhana Hill), devotees from all over the world visit the temple to worship the lord and experience transcendental bliss.

How to get there? Tirupati is 170km northwest of Chennai (Madras), in Andhra Pradesh near the Tamil Nadu border. The nearest town to reach by air is Renigunta or Gudur. From Renigunta/Gudur, you can reach Tirupati by train or bus. To get to Tirumala, you must go into the Venkatacala Hills from Tirupati. The primary function of Tirupati is to accommodate the tens of thousands of pilgrims traveling daily to and from Tirumala. Day and night a constant roar emanates from these hillsides, as bus after bus wends its way along the steep and winding mountain road.

Beyond this world Devotees travel hundreds, even thousands of miles to see Lord Venkateshwara and make their offerings of prayers and gifts; they are elated, but patient. Waiting to see the Deity, they read scripture, offer prayers to the Lord, or chant on their beads. Thus, even though the town appears crowded and hectic, because everyone’s mind is on Lord Venkateshwara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the atmosphere is always spiritual. Tirumala and the kingdom of God are identical in many ways. For example, the scriptures and great devotees teach that the chief distinction between the spiritual world and the material world is that in the material world everyone is forgetful of Krishna, whereas in the spiritual world everyone is fully conscious of Krishna. In Tirumala, everyone is absorbed in remembering Krishna in His four-handed form of Balaji. Certainly, such a place is not of this material world, but an abode of unalloyed goodness (suddha-sattva).

Bringing Goloka to Vaikuntha Tirupati is one of the holiest places of pilgrimage for the Sri Vaishnavas, who worship the Lord in a mood of awe and reverence, which is the predominant mood in the spiritual realm of Vaikuntha. Now by building this temple of Radha-Krishna, the Ashta Sakhis, and Lord Chaitanya, ISKCON has brought the intimate loving mood of Vrindavana to Tirupati. Thus not only has Srila Prabhupada’s cherished desire been fulfilled, but the doors of Goloka Vrindavana have been opened for the residents of Vaikuntha.

Quintessence 10 Source: Back to Godhead articles by Kundali dasa & Murari Gupta Dasa

caïcalam hi manah krs na pramāthi bal avad drd ham tasyāham nigraham manye

vāyor iva su-duskaram

LESSONS FROM THE GITA 6.34

From Bhagavad-Gita As it is By His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami

Prabhupada

SYNONYMS

caïcalam — flickering; hi — certainly; manah — mind; krs na — O Krs na; pramāthi — agitating; bala-vat —strong; drd ham — obstinate; tasya — its; aham — I; nigraham — subduing; manye — think; vāyoh — of the wind; iva —like; su-duskaram — difficult.

TRANSLATION

For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krs na, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind.

THE PURPORT

The mind is so strong and obstinate that it sometimes overcomes the intelligence, although the mind is supposed to be subservient to the intelligence. For a man in the practical world who has to fight so many opposing elements, it is certainly very difficult to control the mind. Artificially, one may establish a mental equilibrium toward both friend and enemy, but ultimately no worldly man can do so, for this is more difficult than controlling the raging wind. In the Vedic literature (Katha Upanisad 1.3.3-4) it is said:

ātmānam rathinam viddhi śarīram ratham eva ca

buddhim tu sārathim viddhi manah pragraham eva ca

indriyāni hayān āhur vis ayāms tes u gocarān

ātmendriya-mano-yuktam bhoktety āhur manīsinah

"The individual is the passenger in the car of the material body, and intelligence is the driver. Mind is the driving instrument, and the senses are the horses. The self is thus the enjoyer or sufferer in the association of the mind and senses. So it is un-derstood by great thinkers." Intelligence is supposed to direct the mind, but the mind is so strong and obstinate that it often overcomes even one's own intelli-gence, as an acute infection may surpass the efficacy of medicine. Such a strong mind is supposed to be controlled by the practice of yoga, but such practice is never practical for a worldly person like Arjuna. And what can we say of modern man? The simile used here is appropriate: one cannot capture the blowing wind. And it is even more difficult to capture the turbulent mind. The easiest way to con-trol the mind, as suggested by Lord Chaitanya, is chanting "Hare Krsna," the great mantra for deliverance, in all humility. The method prescribed is sa vai manah krs n a-pādāravindayoh: one must engage one's mind fully in Krs na. Only then will there remain no other engagements to agitate the mind.

Quintessence 11

Quintessence 12

Mangoes called the "King Of Fruits" have been one of the very favorite fruits in the Indian sub-continent .This delicious ice cream recipe uses a condensed milk and cream combination. It is best to make this ice cream when mangoes are in the peak of season, soft, ripe, and fragrant.

Mango smoothie recipes are better with real fruit. Powder mango flavor does not match the real taste of the fruit well. These recipes add other light flavors to mix well with the flavor of mangos.

Mango Ice Cream

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes FREEZING TIME: 10 to 12 hours YIELD: enough for 6 persons

Method ♦ Pour the cream into a bowl and beat it until

semi-whipped. ♦ Beat the milk and condensed milk together in

another bowl until well combined. ♦ Pour the milk and condensed milk mixture

into the semi-whipped cream and fold in the mango pulp. Mix well.

♦ Pour into a metal freezer tray and freeze for about 10 to 12 hours or until solid. About an hour before serving, place the ice cream in the refrigerator to soften slightly.

Ingredients 1 large mango diced and chilled 1 banana 1/2 cup of yogurt 1 cup of orange juice 6 ice cubes Offer these wonderful Mango Ice Cream & Smoothie

to Krishna and relish the delicious prasadam.

Ingredients Mango tins can be found in many Indian Grocery Stores. You may also use fresh ripe mangoes. Make sure that they are ripe and smell sweet. Remove the skin and scoop the fruit out. Make a pulp by putting it in a blender. Adjust the sweet-ness as desired. Make sure the mixture is a little on the sweeter side as the mixture will taste less sweet when cold. 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) heavy cream 1 cup (250 ml) cold milk 1 cup (250 ml) sweetened condensed milk 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) fresh mango pulp

Fresh Mango Smoothie

Method Blend the orange juice, yogurt and banana till well mixed. Next add the ice cubes and mango and continue blending till mango is mixed in. Enjoy or chill if desired.

BG 17.8: Foods dear to those in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one's existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart. BG 17.9: Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning are dear to those in the mode of passion. Such foods cause distress, misery and disease. BG 17.10: Food prepared more than three hours before being eaten, food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid, and food consisting of remnants and untouchable things is dear to those in the mode of darkness.

* Courtesy for recipe : Great Vegetarian Dishes by Kurma das.

*

Food in three modes

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Quintessence 13

In May, Penn State Vedic Society was fortunate to have the association of two advanced spiritu-alists, His Holiness Romapada Swami and His Holiness Indradyumna Swami. HH Romapada Swami delivered a talk on Spiritual Economics, which was very well received. His Holiness expertly presented a complex topic and captivated the audience by attractive visuals and pro-found messages. Challenging the foundational principles of materialistic economics, His Holiness called for a re-thinking of human progress with spiritual well-being as the basis. The festival of the appearance of Lord Rama (Ram Navami), funded by Penn State University, was celebrated in a grand manner. The celebrations attracted an audience of almost 250 students (!) from various cultures. HH Indradyumna Swami, the chief guest, enticed the audience through his soul-stirring kirtans and powerful speech. A fantastic Q&A session followed, which drew student attention and appreciation. The book table saw swift sales of Bhagavad Gita and Srila Prabhupada's books.

On June 21st, the students celebrated the Pani Hatti festival in a grand style by preparing a 56 item feast ('chappan bhog') for Their Lordships Nitai Gaurasundara (Manifestations of Lord Krishna) and having an awesome evening of kirtans (devotional chants). His Grace Achary-adas from Gita Nagari farm community explained the his-toric significance of Pani Hatti festival. It was a magnifi-cent spiritual experience and the students look forward to another such celebration.

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b In the month of April, the Tufts Bhakti Yoga Club hosted three special events in a series: free lunch prasadam (sanctified food) distribution, kirtan night and a special talk on "Spiritual Eco-nomics" by His Holiness Romapada Swami. The free lunch event attracted many students, who openly ex-pressed their gratitude for the unusual stroke of Krishna’s mercy. About 60 plates of sumptuous prasadam were distributed! Mother Chatamayi, a member of the Boston Hare Krishna Saranagati musical group, who is known for her dexterity in playing diverse mu-sical instruments, attracted the attention and praise of the students, by her melodious, heart-stirring kirtans. These events helped generate interest for the special talk. Talk at-tendees were captivated by His Holiness Romapada Swami’s eye-opening and impactful presentation, which inspired them to recon-sider their current style of living and strive for a purer outlook in life.

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Quintessence 14

VedaAnt, the congregational branch of ISKCON Laguna’s stu-dent outreach, sponsored a booth for the second year in a row at the UC Irvine Wayzgoose Festival. VedaAnt was lucky to have enough space to set up 3 different tables. One served halava samples and sold mango lassi; an-other featured Indian crafts and boutique items; the third in-vited folks to throw a dart and win a book. Passersby were also engaged by a set of original posters de-scribing how vegetarianism, mantra meditation and bhakti yoga can make one’s life more peaceful, as well as some hanging copies of the BBT “Cycle of Life” poster. Together, all these elements blended to manifest a transcendentally attrac-tive and provoking set-up. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, all the participating devotees enjoyed some of Pushpanjali’s veg-gie chili, served piping hot from a rice cooker.

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On March 24th, Bhakti Yoga Club organized a talk on "Spiritual Economics - A Radical Approach to a Modern Crisis" by His Holiness Romapada Swami.

After clearly pointing out the insufficiency of current environmental-based approaches (such as Green economy) to deal with the economic crisis, he elevated the discussion to drive home the punch line of his presentation: a spiritual solution is required - a fundamental change in human consciousness! The audience was absolutely awed by his astute and deep responses to some challenging questions on renunciation and the means to change one's consciousness.

His Holiness presented various astounding facts of the current rate of consumption and how mother earth is being exploited by modern man’s insatiable needs. Within a decade or two, it is pro-jected that TWO earth planets will be required to sustain our con-sumption patterns! Using modern terminology such as maximizers and satisfiers, coined by psychologists and economists, His Holiness pointed out how having more choices in consumption simply increases the degree of regret (and thus unhappiness) that the right choice was not made. Modern materialistic economics, with its emphasis on infinite choice is driving people to become maximizers, thus caus-ing irreversible psychological harm.

One highlight was when a female student and her mother played the dart game. Having scored in the middle ring, the girl was entitled to her choice of a small or medium paper-back. As she was about to grab The Higher Taste, she noticed The Science of Self Realization. “Look, mom!” she said, “Self-realization!” As both their eyes grew wide, the girl explained that she had opened a fortune cookie that morning and re-ceived the instruction to “Search for self-realization.” She eagerly took Srila Prabhupada’s book, and both mother and daughter began laughing heartily.

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Quintessence 15

In late Spring, the MIT Bhakti Yoga Club organized two spe-cial talks on the theme of natural living. The twin talks attracted many, not only from MIT, but nearby institutions. The first talk was on Spiritual Economics by His Holiness Romapada Swami. With the aid of an attractive audio-visual presentation, supported by compelling scientific evidence, His Holi-ness drew the attention of the audience to the irreversible damage caused by modern materialistic economics. He presented an alter-native vision for the society, based on the Vedic wisdom, and spe-cifically the philosophy of Srimad Bhagavatam—the crème le da crème of all books of wisdom, but hardly known to modern man. His Holiness Candramauli Swami spoke on A Spiritual Guide to Natural Living. Highlighting the detrimental effects of today’s artificial lifestyles, His Holiness encouraged the audience to consider a God-centered lifestyle. The following are some key messages: 1) Natural living means living according to God’s inten-tions. 2) Mankind’s lifestyle determines how nature reacts (according to subtle laws of karma) 3) Problems of the world are not due to mismanagement of material things, but lack of under-standing of spirit, 4) Polluted environment is a symptom of pol-luted consciousness, and 5) We have disconnected ourselves from God, from nature, and from happiness and the result is we have so many problems.

By HIS Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Available at www.krishna.com

Hardbound, 440 Pages

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Five hundred years ago, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave the gift of love of God to everyone He met. Lord Chaitanya spearheaded a spiritual renaissance in sixteenth-century India that had as its foundation the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, is a summary study of Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita, documents Chaitanya's conversations with the great scholars, kings, saints and mystics of His day.

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