stages

Tamala Krsna: They think I'm an Indian. " 'If anyone comes around to our prasadam distribution program, that means he is hungry. If he is hungry, that means he cannot listen to our philosophy. If his hunger is not satisfied, he'll never become Krsna conscious. That is the point. If we just went around with a program of speaking and kirtana, they would come once or twice but they wouldn't see its practical value. But if you give them prasadam daily with kirtana and speaking, eventually you can convince them, "Look, this is our most practical way of life. Why don't you come and live with us completely and work with us?" ' " That's a quote from an article in Back to Godhead. "Though food is far more plentiful in the United States than in India, prasadam appeal seems to work its magic here just as well. The entire movement began only ten years ago in a storefront temple in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Today it owns the largest publishing house of Hindu classics, many in demand for leading university courses. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust in Los Angeles, the world's largest, last year's gross of one million dollars; incense-producing Spiritual Sky Scented Products Company; and Krsna Fashions Incorporated, a wholesale clothing manufacturer. An important portion of the movement's income comes from the contributions of lay devotees, who are successful businessmen. More comes from street-corner solicitation of alms by devotees during kirtana. How significant the last is was shown recently by the closing down of elevator service in the New York center. 'A lot of us are going on pilgrimage to India,' said Alahkara dasa. 'There won't be many around to beg. These elevators cost us $2,200 a month to run. So we're cutting down except for essential services.' " We don't do that anymore. That was the previous mismanagement. Someone had the idea that if you turn off the elevator, that's very good. But I told him if you're not going to run the elevator, then why did you move here? They had people walking up eleven stories, and it was crazy, just to save... Anyway, "These include moving foodstuffs and milk into the building. Much of the food comes from a 350-acre ISKCON-owned dairy farm in Academia, Pennsylvania, one of the six similar facilities in this country and Canada." They show pictures of devotees in the temple, devotees taking prasadam and two lady devotees. "The yoga," it says under the captions, "monks take breakfast by hand in rows on the dining area floor." Here it says, "Saried women devotees dwell in cloister atmosphere of the center." Then "The yoga of devotion: Tilaka of clay paste marks the devotee as a member of ISKCON sect. Central shrine in the temple is the focal point of twice a day services." A picture of Radha-Govinda. " 'Our life is our meditation' said a sikha-ed, saffron-clad monk in the Hare Krsna center. 'Everything we do is offered to Sri Krsna, but in addition to that there is the personal chanting, most...' " [break] "...slung from the devotee's neck. He often counts the beads without taking his hand from the pouch. In the early hours the Hare Krsna center buzzes with a droning sound, difficult to identify by the stranger who does not know that it comes from the monks, who are beginning their required sixteen rounds." They have given everything very detailed. "The personal chanting sometimes occurs in unusual situations-while escorting a visitor to the center, while waiting to complete a phone call, or even during pauses in a conversation." [laughter] Devotees are always chanting. " 'The mahamantra is the only mantra needed' the devotee says. Besides the sixteen rounds, devotees are expected to observe four rules. They must abstain from meat-eating, intoxication, gambling and illicit sex. Illicit sex is defined as any sexual act other than that intended for procreation. Sex outside of marriage is forbidden. Married, full-time devotees may have sexual relationship once a month at a time propitious for procreation. All the devotee's activities are regarded as bhakti-yoga, the yoga of devotion. He regards everything he does as service to God. The name he is given at initiation is followed by the word dasa, 'a servant.' Full-time ISKCON devotees adopt Vedic dress, one objective being to keep others aware of Krsna. Women wear saris, the men dhotis; both may wear shawls. The men shave their heads except for a single lock of hair at the back. [See the article 'The Krsna Cut.'] The lock, called a sikha, identifies the followers of Krsna." Actually, no one can imitate us because no one wants to give up their hair, so no one will try to make believe they are devotees. "Shaving the head announces renunciation of material pleasures. The tilaka is a mark made with clay-two narrow vertical stripes on the forehead meeting in a triangular swatch on the bridge of the nose. It identifies the body as a temple to be used only in the service of God. Full-time students follow a rigorously monastic life. They arise at four a.m. in the morning, begin four hours of prayer and chanting. At nine o'clock they have breakfast, seated cross-legged on mats on the floor. The men eat apart from the women. During the day devotees work at various preaching programs or at regular jobs. At seven p.m. devotional services are held in the center's temple. In Manhattan this features an ornate shrine including representations of Krsna and His consort, Radhe. Both are costumed sumptuously with elaborate care; both wear festoons of flowers. Visitors are cautioned, 'When you go in the temple remember that these statues you see are not representations of the Deities, they are the Deities. Krsna is in everything. Krsna is everywhere.' Temple kirtana." There's a picture. "Eleven-story New York sect's center is former Carmelite Baird home." Picture of the temple. "Services in the temple are attended by about five hundred every Sunday. Many of these are from New York's Hindu population. Frequently husbands bring their pregnant wives, dedicating their unborn child to Krsna. The kirtana begins with the chanting of the maha-mantra, slowly at first and melodiously. Later the chant will speed up as the spirit of the devotion spreads. Often the most rapid and intense chanting is done by a hard-core knot of dhoti-ed men before the curtains of the shrine." The devotees get in one group and start... [laughter] Hard-core devotees. "The rhythm approaches that of an express train, and the atmosphere is apt to remind a lay visitor of an old-fashioned football rally. Some of the onlookers try to keep up with the central group, clapping their hands, swaying their bodies, throwing arms upwards and, among the younger, adapting modern dance steps to the rhythm. When the shrine curtains are drawn back, devotees kneel and press their foreheads..."    (More...)

So adhok... We have to approach that Adhoksaja. There are different stages of knowledge: pratyaksa, paroksa, aparoksa, adhoksaja, aprakrta. So we have to approach the aprakrta, transcendental, above the material nature. Adhoksaja is almost nearer than the lower grade of knowledge, pratyaksa, paroksaparoksa. They are in the kanistha-adhikara.    (More...)

So prakrta stage is pratyaksa knowledge, direct perception; and knowledge received from parampara... Pratyaksa, paroksa, then aparoksa, self-realization, then adhoksaja, aprakrta. So Krsna consciousness is aprakrta knowledge. It is the topmost platform of knowing Krsna, aprakrta knowledge. So, so long we are up to the adhoksaja knowledge, that is regulative principles. We have to follow the regulative principles strictly. And aprakrta knowledge is for the paramahamsa. There is... That is called raga-bhakti. In these stages, pratyaksa, paroksa, they are called vidhi-bhakti. But without vidhi-bhakti you cannot reach to the platform of raga-bhakti, although that is our aim. Raganuga, raga-bhakti is executed following the footprints of the devotees in Vrndavana. That is called raga-bhakti. Krsna's personal associates. Not to become directly Krsna's personal associate, but following the footprints of Krsna's eternal associates we can come to the stage of raga-bhakti. That is called para-bhakti. That para-bhakti is required.    (More...)

So this Krsna consciousness movement is gradually developing up to the stage of raga-bhakti or para-bhakti. Then life is successful. In that way we should not be disturbed by these ethereal interactions. As it is stated here, mrdutvam kathinatvam ca saityam usnatvam eva ca. We are disturbed by these things. Suppose we are lying on the floor. It is kathinatvam: it is very hard. But if we given a cushion or a nice mattress, that is mrdutvam. Similarly, sitosna. Water, sometimes it is felt very chilly, cold, and sometimes it is very hot. The water is the same; according to the change of ethereal arrangement, it is becoming in different position, different condition. And it is the source of pains and pleasure on account of this touch, the skin. The skin is touch. So if we understand fully that "I am not this body," that requires realization, atmanubhūti.    (More...)

So the path of devotional service, sruti-smrti, according to the scriptural injunctions we should engage in devotional service. That is why to guide us Srila Rūpa Gosvami has written the book, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. This we have translated into English, Nectar of Devotion. This Nectar of Devotion is a textbook in many of the western universities. So sa-vijnanam, vijnanam [scientific] you understand. So this devotional service is not a sentiment, it is scientific. It is accepted by saintly persons, by the acaryas. Acarya-upasana, [Bg 13.9] without worshipping the acaryas, it is difficult to understand the process of devotional service. That is why Narottama Das Thakura says, ei chaya gosani yahra mui tahra dasa, tah-sabara pada-renu mora panca-grasa [Sri Nama sahkirtana Text 6] We are Rūpanugas. When we follow in the footsteps of the six Gosvamis Sri Rūpa, Sanatana, Bhatta Raghunatha, Sri Jiva, Gopala Bhatta, Dasa Raghunatha, [Sri Nama-sahkirtana Text 4] tahdera carana sevi bhakta-sane vasa, [Sri Nama-Sahkirtana Text 7] to follow in the footsteps of the those who discovered Vrndavana, the six Gosvamis [coughs], we should serve them [coughs] and bhakta-sane vasa, we should live in the association of the devotees, only then can we understand this science. Just like there is a society for the business, similarly for engaging in devotional service we should definitely associate with the saintly persons. Adau sraddha tataḥ sadhu-sahgo [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.4.15] Who is a sadhu? Bhajate mam ananya-bhak [Bg 9.30] one who knows nothing other than to be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, he is a sadhu. So this is called sa-vijnanam.    (More...)