Reflections May13

7/28/2019 Reflections May13

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A Newsletter from His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swam

The Supreme Personality o

Godhead, Krishna, advises,

sarva-dharman parityajya mam

ekam saranam vraja: Give up

all other varieties o religion and

just surrender unto Me. The

common man does not appreciate

such a statement by the Supreme

Personality o Godhead because hehinks that during his lietime his amily, society, country,

body and relatives are everything. Why should one give up

ny one o them and take shelter o the Supreme Personality

o Godhead? But rom the behavior o great personalities

ike Prahlada Maharaja and Bali Maharaja we understand

hat surrendering to the Lord is the right action or an

ntelligent person. Prahlada Maharaja took shelter o Visnu

gainst the will o his ather. Similarly, Bali Maharaja took

helter o Vamanadeva against the will o his spiritual

master, Sukracarya, and all the leading demons. People

may be surprised that devotees like Prahlada Maharaja and

Bali Maharaja could seek shelter o the side o the ene

giving up the natural anity or amily, hearth and ho

In this connection, Bali Maharaja explains that the b

which is the center o all material activities, is also a or

element. Even though we want to keep the body t helpul to our activities, the body cannot continue etern

Although I am the soul, which is eternal, ater using

body or some time I have to accept another body (t

dehantara-praptih), according to the laws o nature, un

I render some service with the body or advancemen

devotional service. One should not use the body or

other purpose. One must know that i he uses the body

any other purpose he is simply wasting time, or as soo

the time is ripe, the soul will automatically leave the bo

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Bali Maharaja Surrenders to Lord Vamanadeva

We Must Take Shelter

by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.22.9 purp

uly 2013


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When we hear the word evil, many

images come to our minds. For instance,

we might think o the terrorist attacks in

America on September 11th that took

almost 3,000 lives. We might thinko a serial killer who very heinously

kills dozens o people, sometimes

indiscriminately. Sometimes we think

o a child abuser preying on innocent

children, or the death camps in ormer

Yugoslavia. We think about the tremendous impoverishment

nd war in Sudan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Somalia. Perhaps

we think about the starvation in Ethiopia and the events

ausing young children and elderly women to meet their

deaths by the millions. We think o people such as Suddam

Hussein, who used torture reely, or Adol Hitler, who was

esponsible or the genocide o millions o Jews. We think

o Idi Amin, who killed delightully, sometimes eating the

organs o his enemies, or Emperor Nero, who killed countless

numbers o his own citizens including his wie and mother.

We think o Joseph Stalin, who probably killed more o his

own countrymen than any other leader in history. We think o

he massive murder o millions o American Indians by the

ettlers. We think o the millions o Arican slaves brought to

he West rom their native land, most o whom did not even

urvive the passage across the sea. As we think o the many

urrent holocausts, we may think o the major companies and

orporations polluting cities and countries without considering

he long-term eects o their actions. We might even think o

he satanic rituals perormed by so-called elite and powerul

personalities in various countries. As we think o evil, we

might wonder how God can be all-merciul when we see such

devastating events.

Is there a devil who makes people commit these

vicious acts o violence? Are people just trying to nd some

capegoat as they express their animalistic tendencies? Is

he demonic superior to the divine? We now see more sinul

ctivities becoming a part o the normative structure o

ociety and people are accepting them. I we examine most

ommunities in the world, we will nd that the negative is

ncreasingly dominating over the activities o liberation. Have

he soldiers o righteousness lost the battle, and should they

urrender to more kinds o incarceration? We want to address

he phenomena o evil because we can then understand more

bout the phenomena o goodness, righteousness, and divinity

by recognizing its opposite. This understanding will also

help us recognize how evil creeps in and contaminates our

onsciousness.

We all have a lower sel and a higher sel. The

Vedic scriptures tell us that there was a time when evil and

righteousness could not rmly co-exist within the s

universe. Later, there came a time when evil and righteous

not only existed within the same universe but within

same planet. As humankind moved arther away rom

original spiritual culture created by God and moved clos

excessive pursuits o commodities and materialism, then

and righteousness began to co-exist very powerully wi

the same individual. This means that there is a godly an

demonic side to all o us at this state o evolution. When

nd one polarity in the material world, we will always n

opposite since we reside in the realm o relativity and dua

The Native American Indians believe that we all have

dogs ghting inside o usone bad and one good. When a

which one wins the ght, they arm that the one who get

the most wins. The aspect o ourselves to which we give

most energy will dominate and deeat the other aspect.

Dont think that there is just a devil outside bec

the propensity or evil is within. It is not that there is only

devil; there are many devils. It is not that there is one typ

sin; there are many types o sin and dierent combinat

o sinul activities. There are divine, pious entities as we

highly empowered negative beings. There are extraterres

beings rom other realms who are godly and others who

devilish. I we read the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, or

Vedas, we will nd that all o these scriptures tell us a

extraordinary personalities and demonic entities o die

calibers.

Disembodied thought orms can also enter in

persons consciousness and infuence him or her. Thought

sources o energy, which, once released into the atmosph

can have a lie o their own and seriously impact upon

environment. However, they primarily infuence pewho are receptive. For this reason, mind control is on

the biggest problems in the 21st century. As techno

and science become subtler, there are more ways to har

peoples mental energy without their awareness. Many pe

would be completely devastated to nd out how much m

control, or instance, is being used by the CIA, FBI, KGB

in the militaries. It is especially being used in all the m

advertisements. As we build up our spiritual strength

understand more about our real identity, we will have gre

protection rom those infuences that are negative.

There are even some people who talk about the din terms o race and gender. For instance, there are th

who say that white people are devils, and others who say

black people are devils. There are people who say all men

devils, and there are men who say that all women are wit

and devils. For people to even utter such conceptions sh

that they have already been devilishly aected. People sh

be evaluated not just by race or gender, but by consciousn

understanding, and perception. Racism and sexism pits

against woman, race against race, nation against nation

tribe against tribe, which will continue to bring increa

ragmentation, conficts, and suerings.

Beyond Fanatacism, Terrorism, and Warby His Holiness B.T. Swami

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There are even some people who talk about the devil in

erms o race and gender. For instance, there are those who

ay that white people are devils, and others who say that

black people are devils. There are people who say all men

re devils, and there are men who say that all women are

witches and devils. For people to even utter such conceptions

hows that they have already been devilishly aected.

People should be evaluated not just by race or gender, but by

onsciousness, understanding, and perception. Racism andexism pits man against woman, race against race, nation

gainst nation, or tribe against tribe, which will continue to

bring increasing ragmentation, conficts, and suering.

I was ortunate enough to have a lot o

personal association with Gurudeva

as his secretary when he would stayat Gita-nagari (rom about 1997

2002). One time I remember driving

Gurudeva around Juniata County to

various greenhouses/nurseries. He

was looking or the perect plants to

add to his collection at the Institute

House. As we were driving to one nursery we were talking

bout his upcoming world tour. I think he had been

mentioning how on those tours he would barely eat and

barely sleep. We pulled into the parking lot and were getting

out o the car. I remember saying to him, Gurudeva, how

do you never get tired? or Gurudeva, how do you do it?

omething to that eect. Ill never orget that big grin that

ame across his ace as he replied, Jayadeva, you think

bout yoursel too much! We both chuckled and headed

nto the store.

This was the secret to Gurudevas success in Krishna

Consciousness. He was genuinely selfess, not in a orced

or articial way, but it was in the core o his being. Many

imes I would do my service to him grudgingly or out o

duty and he was completely aware o this. One time while Iwas his personal servant in New Vrindavan he called me out

on this very point. His exact words were, Youre so damn

elsh! I remember eeling embarrassed and ashamed. He

knew my heart inside and out.

Every chastisement that Gurudeva gave to me was

n act o selfessness. He had no motive or personal gain

rom chastising me. He just wanted me to stop suering

due to my crazy mind. There was always love and concern

behind his actions with others, whether they were disciples

or acquaintances. I know some disciples had a hard time

with Gurudevas strong personality and misunderstood his

actions as heavy-handed or coming rom a place o

ego. It took a lot o humility to be in Gurudevas prese

because he wasnt araid to call you out on your nonsen

I know these arent very exciting or entertain

stories about Gurudeva. Please orgive me. All o

experiences with him were more about internal connect

with Paramatma and the personal lessons they entai

They dont translate so well as stories.

For me this refection is more about meditatingGurudevas quality o selfessness. This has been and

is the theme o my current devotional lie: how to bec

genuinely selfess. Gurudeva even wrote in my copy

Spiritual Warrior 2: Lust attacks us on the gross and su

levels. We will constantly be deeated unless we bec

truly selfess. Yours in the struggle or unconditional lo

Out o all the lessons that Gurudeva imparted in his

personal lie its his selfessness that shines the brigh

and speaks the loudest. One time I asked him, How c

become completely and truly selfess? He quickly rep

with another question, Do you realize you keep askingthe same question? Maybe you should take a look at th

He then went on to respond to the question, but his p

was that he had already given me the answer. The prob

was that I wasnt hearing it or applying it to my own

I wasnt becoming selfess simply because I didnt wan

be selfess.

I wanted to end this refection with a personal email

Gurudeva sent me in November o 2003:

Dear Jayadeva,

Please accept my blessings. All glories to ISKCON

ounder-acarya Srila Prabhupada.

Im glad to hear rom you. I was just thinking

deeply o you in the last two days, so I was

expecting to get a letter rom you soon. Let me

simply give you my example. I nd nothing in

this material world to be attractive. Everythingthat anyone does in the material world turns into

some kind o disappointment. What makes me

somewhat satised is that I am 1) still trying to be

loyal to my spiritual master, and 2) almost every

day I am able to do something or say something

that helps someone else in their spiritual journey.

How satisying it is to constantly try to see how to

touch someone elses lie in an auspicious way. As

a matter o act this is one o the biggest joys o

lie, to be able to live a lie where you are somehow

adding value to someone elses lie.3

Memories of His Holiness B.T. Swamiby Jayadeva dasa


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Who are the people who are normally the happiest?

Those who are intelligently selfess. Those who

are constantly experiencing anxiety in success or

ailure are generally those who are more selsh.

Who are those who make themselves suer so

much? Again, those who are more selsh. However,

being selfess is not just a mechanical act. This is

why you have so much trouble when you try to be

selfess. When you try to be selfess you simply tryto deny your eelings. Being genuinely selfess is

not a matter o denial, but it is simply a matter o

appreciating others more, and not just appreciating

those who t into our desires or plans.

Yours in Srila Prabhupadas service,

With Love,

Bhakti Tirtha Swami

Again, I see Gurudevas success on the path

bhakti-yoga as being due to his intense, genuine selfessn

We all know his history and all o the stories that

evidence to this act. The blessing he received rom S

Prabhupada was the git o selfess, unconditional

and devotion. That is guru-tattva. That is the mercy o

Nityananda Prabhu. Without selfessness and disintere

sense gratication there is no advancement and no suc

in devotional service.I pray to Gurudeva to give me that blessing so

I too may one day be eligible to run with him in the or

o Sri Vrindavan.

Copyright 2011 Hari-Nama Press

All rights reserved. No part o this newsletter may be reproduced, stored

in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any orm, by any means, including

mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or other wise, without

prior written consent o the publisher.

Hari-Nama Press grateully acknowledges the BBT or the use o verses,

purports and photos rom Srila Prabhupadas books. All such material are

Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.

Designed by Tamal Krsna dasa

Edited by Lila Katha devi dasi

Photo o Bhakti Tirtha Swami: 2005 Lawson Knight/Laksmivan dasa

ACBSP

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Reflections May13