Krishna voice-november-2017

His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada, Founder- Acharya of the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness, came to America
in 1965, at age 69, to fulfill his spiritual master’s
request that he teach the science of Krishna
consciousness throughout the English-speaking world.
In a dozen years he published some seventy volumes
of translation and commentary on India’s Vedic
literature, and these are now standard in universities
worldwide. Meanwhile, travelling almost nonstop, Srila
Prabhupada moulded his international society into a
world wide confederation of ashramas, schools, temples
and farm communities. He passed away in 1977, in
Vrindavana, the place most sacred to Lord Krishna. His
disciples and followers are carrying forward the
movement he started.
To know more about Srila Prabhupada visit
www.iskconbangalore.org/srila-prabhupada
November 2017Vol 18, No.11
CONTENTS
Austerity and the Way to God 4
Srila Prabhupada Speaks Out 10
The Two Faces of Time 12
The Whole Truth 16
The Heliodorus Column 24
Thorny Pleasure 26
Published and owned by Sankirtana Seva Trust. Editor:
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© 2017 Sankirtana Seva Trust, Bangalore. All
Krishna art and the works of Srila Prabhupada are
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Cover pages-4 Text pages-32
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Krishna Voice, November 2017 3

Austerity and the Way to God
No matter what level of self-realization you choose,
one essential quality stands out as common to all.
A lecture given in Dallas in 1975
by His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
tapasaiva param jyotir
bhagavantam adhoksajam
sarva-bhuta-guhavasam
anjasa vindate puman
"By austerity only can one even approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is within the heart of every
living entity and at the same time beyond the reach of all senses." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.12.19)
From this verse we can understand that the Absolute Truth is realized in three features. The first realization is
param jyotih, the Brahman effulgence; the next realization is sarva-bhuta-guhavasam, the Supersoul in everyone's
heart; and the final realization is bhagavantam adhoksajam, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond
the range of material perception.
We can understand these three features by considering the example of the sun. Our first realization of the sun
occurs when we come in touch with the sunshine. That is very easy. Anyone can come into the light of the sunshine.
It is open to everyone. Then, the next feature of the sun is the sun globe. That is not so easily available. You cannot
go to the sun globe. According to the modern scientific conclusion, the sun is ninety-three million miles away from
us, and still we cannot tolerate the heat sometimes. And what will be our position if we go to the sun? Before
reaching it—even when we're still millions of miles away—the temperature will be so high that we'll be finished.
So we cannot even approach the sun globe, what to speak of entering into the sun. For that we require a different
body. Of course, there are living entities within the sun globe, and there is a predominating deity also—the
"president," you might say. There is a state, just as you have the United States, and there is also a president, and
the president's name is Vivasvan. This is all explained in the shastra [scripture]. In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna
says, "I spoke this science to Vivasvan, the president or predominating deity of the sun globe." This is all fact. It
is not fiction.
The inhabitants of the sun globe have different bodies than ours. This earth planet is made up mostly of earth,
so our bodies are earthy; similarly, the sun globe is mostly fire, so the bodies there are fiery. Five gross elements
exist—earth, water, fire, air, and ether—and here on this earth there is a mixture of all these, but the earth element
is prominent. Similarly, in the sun globe there is also a mixture of these elements, but the fire element is prominent.
In the material world there are varieties of planets, and they are all part of God's creation. This earth is God's
creation, and the sun is also God's creation. But we cannot go to the sun. Land is God's creation and water is
God's creation, but you cannot live in the water and the fish cannot live on the land. Similarly, although there are
millions and trillions of planets within this universe, you have to live on that particular planet where you are destined
to live. That is part of your conditioning. You cannot go to the sun planet or the moon planet. You are not free.
Now the scientists have attempted to go to the moon. We are doubtful whether they actually went, but in any case
no benefit has been derived by this effort. They have simply wasted their energy, time, and money, Conditioned
life means that you cannot violate the laws of nature. It is not possible. But the scientists are thinking they are free
to do whatever they like. That is ignorance.
They are falsely thinking that they are free. But where is that freedom? In the Bhagavad-gita [3.27] Krishna says,
prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah: "Everything is being carried out by the modes of material nature."
Yet this rascal civilization does not admit this. People are so foolish that although they are conditioned at every
step, they still think they are free. This is illusion.

Krishna Voice, November 20176
To get real freedom from conditioned life, you have to work for it. Freedom does not come automatically. Suppose
you are diseased—you are suffering from fever or some other painful condition. So, to get free of the disease you
have to undergo some austerity. If you are suffering from a painful boil on your body, you have to undergo a surgical
operation if you want to be cured.
Therefore tapasya, some painful austerity, is necessary to get free of the diseased condition of material life.
Formerly, the saintly persons or sages would practice many kinds of tapasya. In the scorching heat of summer
they would ignite fires all around and then sit down in meditation. Or they would go to the Himalaya Mountains,
and in the pinching, chilly cold they would stay under water up to their necks and meditate.
So, for God realization people formerly used to undergo such severe types of austerities, but at the present moment
we are so fallen that we cannot tolerate even these four principles: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating,
and no gambling. These are the items of tapasya for advancing in Krishna consciousness. Are they very difficult?
No. Is it more difficult to give up illicit sex and meat-eating and intoxication than to stay in water up to the neck in
chilly, pinching cold? We are not advising, "No sex," but "No illicit sex." Where is the difficulty?'
Still, this age is so fallen that even this primary tapasya we cannot execute. But as it is said here in this verse from
the Srimad-Bhagavatam, tapasaiva: only by austerity can one realize God. Otherwise it is not possible. Only by
tapasya! There is no other means. The word param means "the Supreme." If you want to realize the Supreme,
the Absolute Truth, then you must agree to certain types of tapasya.
There are preliminary, little tapasyas like Ekadashi. (The eleventh day after both the full and the new moon, on
which devotees of Krishna abstain from all grains and beans.) Actually, on the Ekadashi day we should not take
any food or even drink water. But in our Society we are not observing it so strictly. We say that on Ekadashi you
must not take any food grains but you may take a little fruit and milk. This is tapasya. So, we cannot execute this
tapasya? If we are not prepared to undertake even this very, very easily executable tapasya, then how can we
expect to go back home, back to Godhead? It will not be possible.
Now, by executing some tapasya, some austerities, do you become a loser? No, you are not a loser. When anyone
comes from outside and sees the boys and girls who are members of our Society, they say, "Oh, they have such
bright faces!" Once, when I was going from Los Angeles to Hawaii, a priest came up to me on the plane and asked,
"Can I ask you a question? I see your disciples are very bright-faced. How has this been done?"
So, by undergoing tapasya, by rejecting all these sinful activities, we can live a very simple and happy life. We
can sit down on the floor; we can lie down on the floor. We don't require much furniture. Nor do we need a large
amount of gorgeous clothes. No, if we are serious about God realization, then some minimum tapasya must be
there. That is wanted.
Then, the first realization is the brahmajyoti, the brilliant effulgence of Krishna's body. Generally, the Mayavadis,
the impersonalistic transcendentalists, think that the realization of the brahmajyoti is the all in all, while the yogis
think that the realization of God in the heart is the highest. God is in everyone's heart; that is accepted in all shastra.
In the Bhagavad-gita [18.61] Krishna says, isvarah sarva- bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati: "The Lord is in
everyone's heart." And here in this verse from the Srimad-Bhagavatam the same thing is said: sarva-bhuta-
guhavasam. (Guha means "the core of the heart.")
The Lord is everywhere, not only in your heart and my heart and the animal's heart, but also within the atom
(andantarastha-paramanu-chayantara-stham). This is the Paramatma feature, or the Supersoul feature, of the
Lord. As Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita, [13.3] kshetra-jnam capi mam viddhi sarva-kshetresu bharata: "I am
also the knower of the body; I am present in everyone's heart." In another place [Bg. 15.15] Krishna says the same
thing: sarvasya caham hrdi-sannivistah.
So, God is present everywhere. He is omnipotent and omnipresent. And in our temples He is manifest as the
archa-vigraha, the Deity form, by which He can accept our worship. It is not that the Deity is different from the
original Krishna. No. He is the same Krishna who is living in Goloka Vrindavana, the spiritual world (goloka eva
nivasati), but who is also present in everyone's heart (akhilatma-bhutah). To help His devotees realize Him He
can present Himself in innumerable forms and accept their service.
Krishna is also known as Adhokshaja, "He who is beyond material vision." We cannot see Krishna, but we can
see stone, we can see metal, we can see wood and other material elements. So Krishna has appeared as the
Deity of stone or wood or metal so that we can see Him. But the Deity is not a stone or wooden statue. That you
have to understand. The Deity is Krishna, and He is so kind that He has appeared before us so we can see Him
and serve Him. This is the philosophy—not that stone is Krishna.

7Krishna Voice, November 2017
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8 Krishna Voice, November 2017
Of course, in the ultimate sense stone is also Krishna, because stone is the expansion of Krishna's material energy
(bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca... me bhinna prakrtir astadha). This is the philosophy of
achintya-bhedabheda-tattva, that God is inconceivably one with and different from His energies. Again we can
give the example of the sun and the sunshine. In the sunshine there is heat and light, and this means that the sun
is also present there. When someone is in the bright sunshine in your room, do you not say, "Why are you standing
in the sun?" So, by the entrance of the sunshine within your room, the sun entered. This is the philosophy of
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna Himself in the role of His own devotee. He appeared
in India five hundred years ago to teach love of God through the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra.) This is
the philosophy of achintya-bhedabheda—simultaneous oneness and difference.
Normally we cannot understand how one thing can be another thing, and also not be that thing. We have no
experience of this because of our poor fund of knowledge. But in the case of Krishna, God, that is possible:
simultaneous oneness and difference.
Now, for the atheist, Krishna's Deity in the temple is just a form made of stone or wood. He thinks, "These crazy
fellows are worshiping a stone." And for them Krishna is not in the Deity. If a crazy man breaks the statue, he does
not break Krishna; he breaks the stone. This is what is meant by "simultaneously one and different."
But for the devotee the Deity is Krishna. He is Krishna all the time. Even if someone sees the Deity as stone, the
devotee knows that stone is also Krishna because it is an expansion of Krishna's energy, just as the sunshine is
an expansion of the sun's energy. Krishna is omniscient and omnipotent, and He can accept your service in any
way. Provided you want to render service, Krishna is ready to accept.
Therefore, we should never think of the Deity of Krishna, as something made of stone or wood or metal. We should
always think, "Here is Krishna personally present," and we should worship Him like that. We should offer all respect
to the Deity, thinking, "Here is Krishna; I cannot do anything wrong." In The Nectar of Devotion (A book by Srila
Prabhupada that is an English translation and summary study of Srila Rupa Gosvami's sixteenth-century Sanskrit
devotional classic Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu.) there is a list of sixty-four offenses in Deity worship, and we should
avoid committing these offenses. Not that we think, "Here is a stone statue; it is not going to see that I am committing
this offense." That is not very good. We should always feel, "Here is Krishna, personally present."
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Actually, He is personally present. Are we such fools that we are worshiping a stone? No. We have installed this
Deity exactly under the directions of previous spiritual authorities, so our worship is not whimsical. Krishna is
personally present in the Deity, as He is present everywhere (sarva-bhuta-guhavasam). Similarly, He can live in
many millions of temples simultaneously, and at the same time He can live in Goloka Vrindavana. That is Krishna's
omnipotency.
Being very kind, Krishna has appeared in our various temples; so we should be very careful to remember, "Here
is Krishna, personally present. Here is Srimati Radharani. Here is Lord Chaitanya and Lord Jagannatha." Even if
you commit some mistake, the Deity will not protest. But we should not commit any mistake. That is our duty. We
should not do anything offensive. The directions are there in the shastra: "Do like this, do like that. Don't do that."
And if you follow, there will be no offense, and offenseless service will make you more and more advanced in
spiritual life.
So, you have to follow the authoritative principles given in these scriptures and handed down by the disciplic
succession. Yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau. If you have faith in God—Krishna—and similar faith
in the spiritual master, and if you follow his instructions, then you will understand Krishna in His different features:
jyotih, bhagavan, and sarva-bhuta-guhavasam. He is the brahmajyoti, just like sunshine; He is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Krishna; and He is the Supersoul, the Paramatma, within everyone's heart. The process
for realizing these features of God involves tapasya—a little austerity. Whatever little tapasya we have prescribed
you should follow. Then you'll gradually understand Krishna. And if you understand Krishna, your life is successful.
Thank you very much.
Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of ISKCON, has delivered more than
1500 lectures on Vedic scriptures like Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam and
Sri Chaitanya-charitamrita. The audio recording of his lectures are available in
ISKCON centers. You can also hear some of these lectures in
www.iskconbangalore.org/srila-prabhupada-lectures

Darwin's Evolving Apartments
SRILA PRABHUPADA SPEAKS OUT
This is a continuation of a conversation between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and
a guest, Dr. Christian Hauser, a psychiatrist, that took place in Stockholm on September 1973.
Srila Prabhupada: Darwin theorized that these
material bodies' "evolve"—the fish body
changes into a reptile body, the ape body
changes into a human body, and so on.
This is nonsense.
Dr. Hauser: But somehow it is
persuasive.
Srila Prabhupada: No, not at all. Take
this apartment we are in now. In an hour
or so you may go across the city to
another apartment. So will it mean this
apartment has somehow "evolved" into
that apartment?
You, the spiritual person, the apartment
dweller, simply have chosen to go from one
material apartment to another. Not that this
material apartment has "evolved" into that
apartment.
Dr. Hauser: Yes, I can see what
you mean.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes.
Darwin's nonsense lies there.
He claimed one apartment was
changing into another
apartment—one apartment
becoming a different apartment.
Of course, that is not a fact. This
rascal has left the whole world in
spiritual confusion. Darkness.
Just try to understand how foolish
Darwin was. This room cannot
develop into another room.

I, the dweller in this room, can go from this room to
another room—but the rooms are there already. This,
in actuality, is the meaning of "evolution": from one
lifetime to the next, the living soul moves from one,
ready-made kind of material bodily dwelling to another.
All the different kinds of bodies are there already—
ready-made.
Dr. Hauser: So one goes to a bigger and better
apartment in the next lifetime,
Srila Prabhupada: Bigger and better or smaller and
worse—depending on his activities in this life. Not
necessarily bigger and better. This is just more of the
same nonsense.
Dr. Hauser: Well, through trial and error from one lifetime
to another, I may be able to enter a bigger and better
body on account of my increased intelligence.
Srila Prabhupada: Oh? For instance, you may have
intelligence to desire a nicer garment, but if you have
no money—that is to say, no credit with the garment
maker—how can you get that nicer garment? You will
have to accept something inferior.
So what we daily see in these various species—these
garments for the living soul—is the soul's "evolution"
from one kind of body to another according to his karma,
his past activity. According to his credit or lack of credit
with the garment maker, he may or may not get a bigger
and better body.
Karmana daiva netrena: The Vedic literature instructs
that if you want to go to a better condition of life, then
you'll have to pay for it with godly activity. But God has
already created that better condition of life—it is there
already. Not that this inferior condition somehow
mysteriously changes into that better condition. That is
merely Darwin's nonsense.
Take the condition of life on the moon. It is different from
the condition of life on this earth. But the condition of
life on the moon is already there. You simply have to
transfer yourself from this planet to that planet through
your activity. So Darwin's theory of evolution completely
misses the point.
Darwin says that the material body is evolving. Such
absolute nonsense. If the material body is evolving,
then why at the present moment are the monkeys not
producing human bodies? This nonsensical "evolution"—
where is the evidence? You have seen the monkeys in
the zoo. Where is the evidence in the zoo that a monkey
has produced a human being? Do you think this
Darwinian business is all right?
Dr. Hauser: Yes, that life might have evolved into various
forms—this I'm fairly sure of. And also that the human
being might not have existed about a hundred thousand
years ago.
Srila Prabhupada: No. These various material forms
have always existed, thanks to God's natural
arrangement. The human form did not have to "evolve."
It has always existed. Eternally. Thanks to God's natural
arrangement.
Disciple: Recently, in Africa some scientists discovered
skeletal remains that predated the "part-ape, part-man"
creature they like to picture in their textbooks—by
hundreds of thousands of years. And these skeletal
remains were completely human. They were the same
as the remains of any modern man. So even though
this information may never get into the textbooks, all
Darwin's theories of evolution are demolished.
Srila Prabhupada: By now Darwin's nonsense has
polluted everyone's thinking. So let us stay with this
simple examples When I go from this apartment to
another apartment, this apartment does not "evolve"
into the other apartment. I merely move from one
preexisting apartment to another.
The apartments are preexisting, and I, the living soul,
the apartment-dweller, am preexisting. The apartments
do not change; and I do not change. Only my location
changes.
So Darwin merged the "I"—the soul, the apartment-
dweller—with the body, the apartment. And he said the
apartment somehow changes. This is his nonsense.
Dr. Hauser: Yes, I think he's only talking about
apartments, not the apartment dwellers, and he's saying
the apartments are changing.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes, that is his rascaldom. On
account of Darwin and his modern disciples, people
have lost sight of the very aim of this human life—which
is to free the spirit self from these lifetimes in so many
tenth-class material apartments and to go back to the
spiritual world and live forever with the Lord in full,
everlasting happiness.
(To be continued)
Nov 14 Ekadashi
Nov 15 break fast
Nov 30 Ekadashi
Dec 1 break fast
Fasting
Nov 11 Srila Prabhupada Diksha Diwasa
Nov 30 Gita Jayanthi
Dec 7 Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura -
Disappearance
Fasting till noon
Festivals

What is time?
The question has perplexed philosophers throughout
the ages. If you wanted to give a quick answer, you
might say, "Time is what changes things." Or you might
want to go along with Albert Einstein, who said, in effect,
"Time is what a clock reads." Or maybe you consider
the question itself a waste of time.
In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, gives His own answer in a few
words. "Time I am," He says, "the great destroyer of
the worlds." Time, according to the Gita and other Vedic
literatures, is an inconceivable energy of the Supreme
Lord through which He ultimately destroys everything.
We measure time in terms of the movements of physical
objects. The time the earth takes to orbit the sun we
call a year. The time the moon takes to orbit the earth
we call a month. And the time the earth takes to revolve
on its axis we call a day. To further subdivide our days
into hours, minutes, and seconds we observe the
movements of other physical objects. Sand, water,
The Two Faces of TimeIn this world time and tide wait for no man. But beyond the walls of the universe,
time assumes a different feature.
by Mathuresha Dasa

pendulums, quartz crystals, and cesium atoms are a
few of the things man has used to make his timepieces.
By observing how many times these objects swing,
rotate, vibrate, and so on during the greater movements
of the planets, we can subdivide our days.
In fact, every physical object or mechanism is a clock
of sorts, because everything physical is affected by
time. Even the beating of our hearts and the gradual
decay of our bodies can serve to measure the passing
moments.
The Sanskrit word kala-chakra denotes time's control
of the cyclical movement of the physical world. Kala is
a name for the Supreme Person in His feature as time,
and chakra means "wheel." Each and every physical
thing, from the smallest atomic particle up to the complete
form of the universe, has a particular wheel of time that
it is obliged to follow. Kala-chakra therefore refers not
only to an object's movements but to its overall duration—
its life expectancy—as well. The earth, sun, moon, stars,
planets, our physical bodies, and so on disappear in
the course of time, and their particular durations are all
kala-chakras.
All our analysis and measurement, however, does not
make time any less perplexing or any more perceivable.
What we perceive in the movement and change of the
innumerable clocks—man-made and natural—that
surround us is not time, but time's effect on these objects.
And what we are measuring is also not time, but the
duration of these effects in relation to each other. Time
itself is immeasurable, having no beginning or end. It
stands above all relative effects, employing its various
chakras to shape the physical world according to the
Lord's will.
But although we cannot observe time directly, we can
learn much—with the help of the Vedic literature—by
observing time's effects. I have already mentioned time's
overall effect: destruction. Krishna says that as time He
is "the great destroyer of the worlds." And yet, as we
can understand from the Vedic texts as well as from
our own experience, time brings not only destruction
but creation and sustenance as well.
Within every kala-chakra there is a point of creation, a
point of sustenance, and a point of destruction. Everything
has its given schedule of creation, sustenance, and
destruction under the influence of time. The universe
itself, according to the Srimad-Bhagavatam, is created
at a certain time, sustained for the equivalent of 310
trillion solar years, and then destroyed.After destruction,
time brings about recreation, and the cycle begins again.
Thus, although the overall effect is destruction, the
physical world goes through repeated creations and

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annihilations.
Within these cycles of creation and annihilation, time
has many other manifestations. Time brings birth, death,
old age, and disease—the fourfold miseries of material
life mentioned in the Gita. It also brings on miseries
caused by natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes,
droughts, and so on, as well as miseries caused by the
attacks of other living creatures, like insects or our
human enemies.
All in all, therefore, time as we know it is a vehicle of
suffering. It surrounds us, imprisons us, and gradually
destroys everything we have. The pleasure we do
experience is sure to have an end and sure to be mixed
with suffering. This is like the pleasure of eating ice
cream mixed with sand: the overall effect is misery.
The Supreme Lord in His form of time is not, however,
directly responsible for our suffering, any more than a
government is responsible for the suffering of the inmates
in government prisons. To prevent criminals from creating
disturbances and to convince them to reform themselves,
the government locks them away. The government,
however, creates not only prisons but also parks, schools,
highways, and so on. The citizen decides whether he
will enjoy freedom as a law-abiding individual or suffer
as a prison inmate.
Similarly, those souls who do not want to serve Krishna
or obey His laws are thrown into the physical world,
where they are imprisoned in temporary bodies and are
made to suffer under the law of karma. In the Vedic
literatures the destructive, misery-laden nature of time
is represented by the goddess Kali. Kala—the Supreme
Lord as time—controls Kali, who inflicts various kinds
of suffering on the inmates of this universe. Kali is the
prison warden. She, and not God Himself, is directly in
charge of punishing the inmates according to their
particular criminal activities. Kali personifies the
devastating cycle of creation, sustenance, and
dissolution, and she wields the manifold miseries of
material life. The effects of time as we can observe and
experience them are Kali's doing.
But even Kali is not to be blamed for our suffering. She
is a pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Krishna, and her thankless duty is to remind
the rebellious souls of the futility of trying to enjoy life
without Him. Each of us is an eternal, fragmental part
of Krishna, and as such our eternal, blissful function is
to serve Him. Outside of Krishna's service and
association we wither and waste away, like leaves
separated from a tree. In the Gita, therefore, Lord
Krishna, with only our welfare in mind, requests us to
surrender fully to Him. Kali, or material nature, is trying
to convince us that to neglect this request is against our
own best interest.
In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna explains that beyond the
repeated creations and annihilations of this physical
universe exists a transcendental world, which is eternal
and is never destroyed. He also declares that those
who surrender to Him can easily enter that transcendental
world. Since Krishna is in charge of Kali, He can order
her to release His surrendered servants. By ourselves
we are helpless to escape Kali's grip, but she readily
obeys Krishna's commands.
Krishna's inconceivable time energy also exists in the
transcendental world, but Kali, time's devastating feature,
is absent there. Transcendental life, therefore, is not
marred by repeated creation, sustenance, and
annihilation. Instead, time only sustains, and therefore
the residents of the transcendental world are free to
eternally serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Krishna, without any hindrance. So, whereas Kali brings
birth, death, and other suffering, time's transcendental
feature supplies Krishna and His devotees with unending
and ever-increasing spiritual happiness.
That spiritual happiness is available, even in this
temporary world, for anyone who takes up devotional
service to Krishna. From the very start, a devotee begins
to realize that he is not the body but is a pure spiritual
soul situated within the body. He therefore tolerates the
body's inevitable decline, caring for his health only so
that he can enthusiastically render service to Krishna.
And as the devotee advances spiritually, the pleasures
of devotional life make bodily miseries appear
insignificant. Even death is of no consequence for the
pure devotee, since at death he enters the transcendental
world.
So, what is time? Time is a vehicle for suffering—or for
unending happiness. The choice is ours. Either way,
time is sure to always remain a source of perplexity,
because it is an inconceivable energy of the Supreme
Lord. Better to be perplexed by time's unlimited potential
to bring spiritual enjoyment, however, than by its power
to destroy.

Thank you for allowing me to speak at the 1985 Whole
Life Expo. I would like to ask you all to reflect for a
moment on the implications of the word whole. What
does it mean to be truly whole? That is what I propose
to discuss here today.
Everyone can appreciate "holistic life." Some may call
it that, and some may not. But everyone tries to make
his or her life as "whole" as possible. No one likes to
live in a fragmented way. Accordingly, we struggle to
keep a balance, making sure that there is no lack in our
life. We like to feel complete, or whole.
Somehow, we sense that a complete whole is more
complete than just the sum of its parts. Indeed, Webster's
unabridged dictionary defines holistic in much the same
way: "The view that an organic or integrated whole has
a reality independent of and greater than the sum of its
parts."
And so a thoughtful person is concerned with himself
as a whole, his physical, mental, intellectual, and spiritual
well-being. If one of these aspects of his personality is
out of kilter, it throws his whole system off. He does not
feel complete. The struggle for existence is thus largely
a struggle for keeping perfect equilibrium among the
different facets of ourselves as a whole.
The more subtle aspects of our being are generally
more essential to our wholeness. If we have a physical
problem—let's say we have a broken leg—that will
certainly affect us. But we can still function—and we
can function quite well for that matter. Now, if get more
subtle—off the physical platform—and we now get onto
the mental platform, a problem can get more serious.
Mental equilibrium can affect the whole body—what to
speak of the leg. Thus, although bodily maintenance is
important, mental and intellectual maintenance is more
important.
Subtler than body, mind, and intelligence is the spiritual
dimension, the soul. Logically, then, this must be most
important of all. And a holistic concept that neglects the
soul is thus not holistic in the true sense of the word. A
person who ignores his spiritual side is not whole.
Of course, the goal is to maintain all dimensions of our
existence in harmony. But the comparative importance
of the spiritual side cannot be denied. After all, we may
claim that we are a combination of body, mind,
intelligence, and soul—and this is certainly true to some
degree. But the body, mind, and intelligence are always
changing. We cannot claim to have the same body now
that we had when we were youngsters—yet we are the
same person. We do not have the same mind or
intelligence—yet, again, we are the same person. You
are always you. And that "you" must be the one thing
that doesn't change.Acknowledging that the body, mind,
and intellect are always changing, you are the soul.
This soul requires just as much nourishment as does
the body, mind, or intelligence. To give great amounts
of time to the maintenance of the material body—
especially to the exclusion of the soul—is a great waste.
One can never be happy like that. It's like cleaning a
bird cage and neglecting to feed the bird within. Of
course, the bird cage should be kept clean—but why
waste time if you're just going to let the bird die? Clean
the cage, but feed the bird. Take care of the body, mind,
and intelligence, but don't neglect the soul, the spiritual
dimension.
Such holistic truths were originally espoused by ancient
India's Vedic literature. In the invocation to the
Ishopanisad, the perfection of holistic life is enunciated,
as is its source:
om purnam adah purnam idam
purnat purnam udacyate
purnasya purnam adaya
purnam evavasisyate
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is perfect and
complete, and because He is completely perfect, all
emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world,
are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever
is produced of the complete whole is also complete in
itself. Because He is the complete whole, even though
so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains
the complete balance."
This profound verse clearly explains why we pursue
completeness, why we want to be whole. The reason,
very simply, is that we are constitutionally whole. It's
inherent.
As part of the Supreme Whole, God, we are whole in
and of ourselves. This is the nature of spiritual
wholeness—it is the exact opposite of so-called material
wholeness, which isn't really wholeness at all. For
instance, if you take a piece of paper and rip it into little
pieces and then throw all the pieces around the room,
you no longer have the original piece of paper. But
spiritually it is just the opposite. If you could rip a spiritual
piece of paper and throw the pieces all over, the original,
whole paper would still exist! This is the way it is with
God. Although He expands into the innumerable spirit
souls, He still remains complete. His original position is
not diminished. He remains whole.
And because the spirit souls emanate from the complete
The Whole TruthSatyaraja Dasa addresses a gathering at the Whole Life Expo in New York City

whole, they have a sort of wholeness themselves. Any
quality found in God can be found in the ordinary living
entity to some minute degree—hence the Biblical
statement that we are made in the image of God. But
our wholeness must be considered subordinate to God's.
He is infinite, and we are infinitesimal.
One manifestation that shows our wholeness as
subordinate to God's is our need to render service. God
is wholly independent. We are not. We are dependent
on Him for so many things: food, air, fire, rain—even
for our body, mind, and intelligence. Our perfect
wholeness is exhibited when we render service to that
which sustains us.
One hand washes the other, both hands wash the face,
and in this way we take care of the rest of the body,
knowing full well the importance of our body as a whole.
Thus, our hands "glorify" the body in that they work for
the benefit or well-being of the whole body. Similarly,
the living being begins to nourish himself spiritually
when he starts to glorify the Lord. When one takes the
time to vibrate praises of the Lord, one's overall physical,
mental, and intellectual well-being is augmented by
genuine spiritual well-being.
The world's original religious scriptures, the Vedic
literatures, specifically recommend the chanting of the
maha-mantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna
Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama
Rama, Hare Hare. This is the prayer par excellence,
because it asks nothing of God in return. It asks for
nothing more than to be engaged in the Lord's service:
"O Lord! O energy of the Lord! Please engage me in
Your service." This prayer contains every aspect of the
Absolute Truth and is thus the essence of holistic life in
the fullest sense of the term.

Located in Thirunangur, a village in the outskirts of Sirkazhi,
is the little serene temple of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead Sri Ranganatha, locally known as Thiru Thetri
Ambalam or Pallikonda Perumal temple.
The Legend
The legend of this temple has to do with the pastime of
Lord Shiva and Prajapati Daksha.
Daksha was one of the Prajapatis, sons of Lord Brahma,
and among his earliest creations. The name Daksha
means "skilled one.” Daksha had two wives: Prasoothi
who is the daughter of Prajapati Manu and Panchajani.
Sati (also known as Uma Devi) was his youngest daughter,
born from Prasoothi. She was the pet child of Daksha
and he always carried her with him. Sati (meaning truth
and honesty) is also called Dakshayani as she followed
Daksha’s path; this is derived from the Sanskrit words
daksha and ayana which means path.
On Shiva’s Request
Thiru Thetri Ambalam
Ranganatha Perumal Temple
by Sampatkumara Ramanuja Dasan (Adv. Ashwin.S)
Sati was deeply in love with Lord Shiva and wished to
become his wife. Her worship and devotion to Shiva
strengthened her immense desire to become his wife.
However, her father did not like his daughter’s yearning
for Shiva, mainly because Daksha was a Prajapati and
the son of Lord Brahma, very much like Shiva. Sati was
a royal princess. They were wealthy nobility and their
imperial lifestyle was entirely different from that of Shiva.
It can also be considered that both Shiva and Daksha
were born from Brahma and therefore Daksha considered
it inappropriate for his daughter to marry his ‘brother like’
Shiva. As an emperor, Daksha wanted to increase his
influence and power by making marriage alliances with
powerful empires and influential sages and demigods.
Shiva, on the other hand, led a very modest and austere
life. He lived among the downtrodden, wore no clothes
but a tiger skin, smeared ashes from the crematorium on
his body, had thick locks of matted hair, and begged with
a skull as his begging bowl. His abode was Mount Kailash.
He embraced all kinds of living beings and did not make
any distinction between good souls and bad souls. The
bhootaganas, his followers, consisted of all kinds of
ghosts, demons, ghouls and goblins. He wandered through
garden and graveyard alike, and never lived under a roof.
So practically he was leading a life of an ascetic.
As a consequence, Daksha had aversion towards Shiva
being his daughter’s companion. However unlike Daksha,
Sati loved Shiva and she won him as her husband by

undergoing severe austerities and penance, despite
Daksha's disappointment.
Once Brahma conducted a huge fire sacrifice, where all
the Prajapatis, demigods and kings of the world were
invited. Shiva and Sati were also called on to participate
in the fire sacrifice. All of them came for the fire sacrifice
and sat in the ceremonial place. Daksha came last. When
he arrived, everyone in the fire sacrifice, with the exception
of Brahma, Shiva and Sati, stood up to show reverence
for him. Brahma being Daksha's father and Shiva being
Daksha's son-in-law, were considered superior in stature
to Daksha. Daksha misunderstood Shiva’s gesture and
considered it as an insult. Daksha vowed to take revenge
in the same manner.
Daksha’s grudge towards Shiva grew after Brahma's fire
sacrifice. With the prime motive of insulting Shiva, Daksha
initiated a great fire sacrifice, similar to that of Brahma.
The fire sacrifice was to be presided over by Sage Bhrigu.
Daksha invited all the demigods, Prajapatis and kings to
attend the fire sacrifice, but intentionally avoided inviting
Shiva and Sati. Daksha decided even to avoid the
ceremonial havis (white rice) offering to Shiva as part of
fire sacrifice.
Dadhichi Maharshi and Daksha
The Kurma Purana discusses the dialogues between the
Sage Dadhichi and Daksha.After the sacrifice and hymns
where offered to the twelve Adityas, Dadhichi noticed that
there was no sacrificial portion (havis) allotted to Shiva
and his wife, and there were none of the usual Vedic
hymns used in the fire sacrifice addressing Shiva. He
warned Daksha that he should not alter the holy Vedas
for personal reasons; the priests and sages supported
this. Daksha replied to Dadhichi that he would not do so
and insulted Shiva. Dadhichi left the fire sacrifice because
of this argument. Daksha said that he would never offer
oblations to Shiva and was ready to take sin for this.
Sati came to know about the grand fire sacrifice organized
by her father and asked Shiva for his permission to attend
the fire sacrifice. Shiva refused her request, saying that
it was inappropriate to attend a function without being
invited. He reminded her that she was now his wife more
than Daksha’s daughter and, after marriage, was a
member of Shiva’s family rather than Daksha’s. The
feeling of her bond to her parents overpowered the social
etiquette she had to follow. She even had a notion that
there was no need to have received an invitation in order
to attend, as she was Daksha’s favourite daughter and
no formality existed between them. She repeatedly
pleaded and urged Shiva to let her attend the ceremony,
and became adamant in her demands without listening
to reason. Finally Shiva allowed Sati to go to her parents'
home, along with his followers including Nandi, to attend
the ceremony, but refused to accompany her.
Upon arriving, Sati tried to meet her parents and sisters;
Daksha was arrogant and avoided her. He repeatedly
Thirumangai Alwar and His consort Kumudavali arriving in Thiru Thetri Ambalam

snubbed her in front of all the dignitaries but Sati
maintained her composure. Because of Sati’s persistence
in trying to meet him, Daksha reacted vehemently,
insulting her in front of all the other guests at the
ceremony to which she had not been invited. He called
Shiva an atheist and cremation ground dweller. As
planned, he took advantage of the situation and
continued shouting repugnant words against Shiva. Sati
felt deep remorse for not listening to her beloved
husband. Daksha’s disdain towards her, and especially
her husband Shiva, in front of all the guests, was growing
each moment she stood there. The shameless insult
and humiliation of her and her beloved eventually
became too much to bear.
Sati cursed Daksha for acting so atrociously toward her
and Shiva, and reminded him that his haughty behaviour
had blinded his intellect. She cursed him and warned
that the wrath of Shiva would destroy him and his empire.
Unable to bear further humiliation, Sati committed suicide
by jumping into the sacrificial fire. The onlookers tried
to save her, but it was too late. They were only able to
retrieve the half burnt body of Sati. Daksha's pride in
being a Prajapati and his prejudice against his son-in-
law created a hatred within himself, which resulted in
the death of his daughter. Nandi and the accompanying
bhootaganas left the fire sacrifice place after the incident.
Nandi cursed the participants and Bhrigu reacted by
cursing the bhootaganas.
Shiva was deeply pained upon hearing of his wife's
death. His grief grew into a terrible anger when he
realized how Daksha had viciously plotted a treachery
against him; but it was his innocent wife who fell into
the trap rather than himself. Shiva learned of Daksha’s
callous behaviour towards Sati. His rage became so
intense that he plucked a lock of hair from his head and
smashed it on the ground, breaking it into two with his
leg. Armed and frightening, two fearsome beings
Virabhadra and Bhadrakali emerged. Shiva ordered
them to kill Daksha and destroy the fire sacrifice.
The ferocious Virabhadra and Bhadrakali, along with
the bhootaganas, reached the venue of the fire sacrifice.
The invitees ran away from the turmoil. Sage Bhrigu
created an army with his divine penance powers to
resist Shiva’s attack and protect the fire sacrifice. Bhrigu’s
army was destroyed and the entire premises was
ravaged. All those who participated, even the other
Prajapatis and the demigods, were mercilessly beaten,
wounded or even slaughtered. The Vayu Purana
mentions the attack of the bhootaganas: the nose of
some demigoddesses were cut off, Yama's staff bone
was broken, Mitra's eyes were pulled out, Indra was
trampled by Virabhadra and bhootaganas, Pushan's
teeth were knocked out, Chandra was beaten heavily,
all of the Prajapatis' were beaten, the hands of Vahini
The Supreme Lord of Thiru thetri ambalam

were cut off, and Bhrigu's beard was cut off.
Daksha was caught and decapitated. The attack
culminated when the bhootaganas started plucking out
Bhrigu’s white beard as a victory souvenir. Daksha was
killed and still Shiva’s anger was not subdued.
As the obstruction of the fire sacrifice would create
havoc and severe ill effects on Nature, Brahma and
Vishnu went to the grief-stricken Shiva. They comforted
him and showed their sympathy towards him. They
requested Shiva to come to the fire sacrifice location,
pacify the bhootaganas and allow the yaga to be
completed; Shiva agreed. Shiva found the burnt body
of Sati. He gave permission to continue the fire sacrifice.
Daksha was absolved by Shiva and the head of a ram
meant for the fire sacrifice was fixed on the decapitated
body of Daksha to give his life back. Thus the fire
sacrifice was completed successfully.
Shiva went into isolation and solitude for ages and
wandered all around until Sati reincarnated as Parvati,
the daughter of the King Himavana. Like Sati, Parvati
took severe austerities and gave away all her royal
privileges and went to forest. Shiva tested her affection
and devotion in disguise. He eventually realized Parvati
was Sati herself. Shiva later married Parvati.
Shiva entered into a fierce thandava dance in anger.
The whole material world started to tremble with fear.
The celestial deities were worried that if the dance
continued, it would result in decimation of entire creations.
They prayed to Vishnu for help, who appeared at this
place. On seeing Vishnu, Shiva's anger was reduced
and he requested Vishnu to appear in eleven forms like
he did. On his request, Vishnu appeared in eleven
different forms at Thirunangur. The eleven places where
Vishnu appeared are believed to be where the eleven
temples in Thirunangur are located. It is believed that
several sages like Agastya, Bharadhvaja, Gautama and
Varuna performed penance at this place and in this
temple Shiva specifically asked the Supreme Personality
of Godhead Lord Vishnu to appear as one sleeping on
Adishesha, as Lord Ranganatha, to which the Supreme
Lord readily agreed. He appeared as Pallikonda
Ranganatha Perumal or sleeping Vishnu on Adishesha
in shayana form.
Another legend states that the story is associated to the
great epic Mahabharata.Arjuna, one of the five Pandava
brothers, was thirsty and in search of water. He was
unable to find water in the place and was advised by
the sage Lord Agastya who was doing penance there,
to worship Lord Krishna. Arjuna then worshipped Lord
Krishna and as a result the Lord offered him a sword.
When Arjuna dug the ground with the sword, water
rushed out, resulting in a temple tank in that place called
Katka Pushkarani. It is also said that Lord Krishna
appeared in the form of Lord Parthasarathy and initiated
knowledge to Arjuna, to make him understand the glory
of Lord Krishna. This legend led to the name of this
temple as Thiru Thetri Ambalam (thetri refers to ‘initiate’
and ambalam refers to ‘temple’).
The Temple
The temple is of modest nature, devoid of any ornamental
pillars and gopurams. The location of the temple has to
do with the agrarian community living around it. The
presiding Deity of this temple is Lord Senkamala
Ranganatha Perumal, also called as Lord Pallikonda
Perumal, in the reclining form, facing the east. Bhoodevi
and Sridevi can be seen massaging the lotus feet of
the Supreme Lord. The temple complex has a single
prakaram (outer courtyard) and a separate shrine for
Thayar, Goddess Senkamalavalli (Goddess Lakshmi).
There is a shrine for the Alwars and Acharyas in the
temple.
Festivals
The annual Brahmotsavam festival is celebrated during
the new moon day of the Tamil month of Adi, when the
festival Deity of the temple is taken in a procession to
Lord Ranganatha in Surya Prabha Vahana Lord Ranganatha in Pallakki seva

the sea at Poompuhar beach for a holy dip on the last
day. During the new moon day of the Tamil month Thaai,
the festival deity of Thirumangai Alwar is brought to the
temple from Thiruvali-Thirunagari. The Thirumangai
Alwar Mangalasasana Utsavam is celebrated in the
Tamil month of Thaai (January–February). The highlight
of the festival is Garudasevai, an event in which the
festival deities of the eleven Thirunangur Thirupathi
temples are brought to Thirunangur on Garuda Vahana.
The festive deity of Thirumangai Alwar is also brought
on a Hamsa Vahana (palanquin) and his paasurams
(verses) dedicated to each of these eleven temples are
recited during the occasion. The festival deities of
Thirumangai Alwar and his consort Kumudavalli
Naachiyar are taken in a palanquin to each of the eleven
temples. The verses dedicated to each of the eleven
temples are chanted in the respective shrines. This is
one of the most important festivals in the region, which
draws thousands of visitors.
Thirumangai Alwar
In his Periya Thirumozhi, Thirumangai Alwar composed
beautiful songs in praise of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead:
Look at the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna
— who snatched away the crowns, might and glories
of the foes; made their wives lose their ear rings (made
them widows); loosened the iron chains on the legs of
Vasudeva Maharaja, His father (who was in prison) and
saved Gajendra who was caught by the crocodile. He
resides in Thiru Thetri Ambalam, where there are lotus
ponds with huge lotus flowers. The crab entered the
lotus flower. At that time pearl-like flowers fell from the
areca nut trees and blocked the mouth of the crab’s
house. The crab could not go into his hole and stayed
in the flower. Alwar says he saw this lotus flower or
senkamal in this temple.
Look at this boy who drank the poison and milk of the
wicked Pootana who came disguised as Yashoda to
feed Him with her milk and kill Him - which nobody
would dare do. He resides in Thiru Thetri Ambalam of
Thirunangur, where bees hover over the kadamba
flowers grown alongside the paddy crops, making a
buzzing sound; where women wearing jingling anklets
work in the fields.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna would
enter the huts where the cowherd women kept fresh
butter. He would eat from all the houses and pull their
sarees too. Thus would He roam in Vrajamandala. He
resides in Thiru Thetri Ambalam where there are tall
coconut trees, the fruits of which fall on the mango trees.
The fruits get carried by the river Kaveri along with
different kinds of flowers, levelling the ground as she
flows with force.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna is
like a dark cloud. He defeated the seven powerful bulls
with curved horns, and was dark and angry for the sake
of the gopis. Come out and see Him—who married
them—in Thiru Thetri Ambalam, where there are tall
mansions. The trees and creepers grown there, grow
so high as to touch the moon, tie him with their tendrils
Lord in Adisheha vahana Lord in Simha vahana

To read online visit: www.goo.gl/ui3i1D
and make him immobile. This static moon sheds his
beam on the gem-studded walls of the mansions, making
them very bright and brilliant.
Oh! Look at this ever-young moorti who has the
association of Mahalakshmi (wearing a golden belt over
Her hips) and the gopis (with shining white teeth and
dark long eyes), that the necklaces and chains worn by
them are crushed in the act. He resides in Thiru Thetri
Ambalam where there are beautiful women (with sweet
and soft speech) living in beautiful houses, who capture
and imprison the minds of young men with their bow-
like brows.
This Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna is
the one who cut off the mountain-like twenty arms of
Ravana who thought proudly, “Aha! This young human
being considers Himself as the sole monarch. Should
I tolerate Him and call myself as the king of demons!”
Ravana challenged Rama to war but was finally killed
by the ‘human being.’ The Lord resides in this divya
desam called Thiru Thetri Ambalam, where sweet and
beautiful doe-eyed damsels teach their pet parrots sweet
words.
Look at this mischievous Supreme Personality of
Godhead Sri Krishna, who took a Vamana incarnation,
entered the yagabhoomi of Mahabali and begged three
feet of land from him. Look at His rupa—a little brahmana
boy with sacred thread across His shoulders and a deer
skin round His waist. He resides in Thiru ThetriAmbalam
where the beautiful women take bath in the river. The
kumkum paste applied to their breasts dissolve in water
and settles on the white sand dunes.
Look at our Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna,
my swami who took the enormously huge Varaha
avatara, in whose hoof the Meru Mountain got stuck,
making a clinging sound like the small bells on anklets.
He lifted Mother Earth, Bhoomi Devi, from the deep
ocean, placed her on His tusk and walked briskly, shaking
His huge form and causing the trembling of Mahalakshmi
in His chest. He resides in Thirunangur, where there is
the combined sound of Vedic chanting, reading of six
Vedangas, discourse of itihasas and Puranas, chanting
of Vedic mantras in sacrifices, singing of hymns to Him—
heard at all times, that make the city of Thiru Thetri
Ambalam a wealthy city.
Look at our Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna,
who swallowed and kept inside His stomach, the seven
worlds, oceans, hills and mountains, eight directions,
andas and pervades all of them. The deluge water
flooded the entire region and the level of the sea rose.
He resides in Thiru Thetri Ambalam, where the Vaidikas
always chant four Vedas and where there are gem-
studded mansions adding to the spiritual and material
wealth of the city.
Thirumangai Alwar, the chief of Thirukkuraiyaloor, who
always bears a spear in his hand, has sung ten songs,
a garland of verses on the Supreme Personality of
Godhead Sri Krishna who resides in Thiru Thetri
Ambalam, which is a beautiful city with beautiful
mansions. Those who read them and enjoy the nectar
will rule over this earth while here and enjoy the pure
devotional service of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead Sri Krishna, like the eternal residents of
Vaikuntha.
Photo courtesy:
Santhanakrishnan, Srirangam
Shashradhara snananm with shanka nidhi and padma nidhi

Heliodorus was a Greek ambassador to India in the
second century B.C. Few details are known about the
diplomatic relations between the Greeks and the Indians
in those days, and still less is known about Heliodorus.
But the column he erected at Besnagar in central India
about 113 B.C.** (Suvira Jaiswal, The Origin and
Development of Vaishnavism (New Delhi: Munshiram
Manoharlal, 1980), p. 116.) is considered one of the
most important archeological finds on the Indian
subcontinent. The column's inscription has remarkable
historical value—for the Krishna consciousness
movement and for the world—because it stands as
irrefutable evidence that the philosophy of Krishna
consciousness had made an impact on Western minds
at least twenty-two hundred years ago.
Heliodorus was sent to the court of King Bhagabhadra
by Antialkidas, the Greek king of Taxila. The kingdom
of Taxila was part of the Bactrian region in northwest
India, conquered by Alexander the Great in 325 B.C.
By the time of Antialkidas, the area under Greek rule
included what is today Afghanistan, Pakistan, and
Punjab.** (A. L. Basham, ed., A Cultural History of India
(London: Clarendon Press, 1974), p. 431.)
The column erected by Heliodorus first came to the
attention of Western eyes in 1877, during an
archeological survey by GeneralAlexander Cunningham.
The inscription, however, went unnoticed, because of
the pillar's thick coating of red lead. It had been the
custom of pilgrims who had worshiped there to smear
the column with vermilion paint. The column,
Cunningham deduced from its shape, was from the
period of the Imperial Guptas** (Journal of the Royal
Asiatic Society (London: JRAS, Pub., 1909), pp. 1053-
54.) (a.d. 300-550). Thirty-two years later, however,
when the inscription was brought to light, it became
clear that the monument was several centuries older.**
(Ibid.)
In January 1901, a Mr. Lake discerned what he thought
was some lettering on the lower part of the column, and
removal of some paint proved him right. Dr. J. H. Marshall,
who accompanied Mr. Lake, described the discovery in
the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society in 1909.
Cunningham, Marshall explained, had been mistaken
about the age of the column and "could little have dreamt
of the value of the record which he just missed
discovering... A glance at the few letters exposed was
all that was needed to show that the column was many
centuries earlier than the Gupta era. This was, indeed,
a surprise to me, but a far greater one was in store
when the opening lines of the inscription came to be
read."** (Ibid., p. 1054)
A reproduction of the inscription, along with the
transliteration and translation of the ancient Brahmi text,
is given here as it appeared in the Journal of the Royal
Asiatic Society:
1) Devadevasa Va [sude]vasa Garudadhvajo ayam
2) karito i[a] Heliodorena bhaga-
3) vatena Diyasa putrena Takhasilakena
4) Yonadatena agatena maharajasa
5) Amtalikitasa upa[m]ta sariikasam-rano
6) Kasiput[r]asa [Bh]agabhadrasa tratarasa
7) vasena [chatu]dasena rajena vadhamanasa
"This Garuda-column of Vasudeva (Vishnu), the god of
gods, was erected here by Heliodorus, a worshipper of
Vishnu, the son of Dion, and an inhabitant of Taxila,
who came as Greek ambassador from the Great King
Antialkidas to King Kasiputra Bhagabhadra, the Saviour,
then reigning prosperously in the fourteenth year of his
kingship."
1) Trini amutapadani—[su] anuthitani
2) nayamti svaga damo chago apramado
"Three immortal precepts (footsteps)... when practised
lead to heaven—self-restraint, charity,
conscientiousness."
From the inscription it is clear Heliodorus was a
Vaishnava, a devotee of Vishnu. Vasudeva and Vishnu
are both popular names of Krishna—the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, and Heliodorus's endorsement
of self-restraint (damo), self-sacrifice (chago), and
alertness (apramado) further corroborates his status as
a devotee of Krishna. Professor Kunja Govinda Goswami
of Calcutta University concludes that Heliodorus "was
well acquainted with the texts dealing with the Bhagavat
[Vaishnava] religion."** (Kunja Govinda Goswami, A
Study of Vaishnavism (Calcutta: Oriental Book Agency,
i956), p. 6.)
To our knowledge, Heliodorus is the earliest Westerner
on record to convert to Vaishnavism. But some scholars,
most notablyA. L. Basham** (A. L. Basham, The Wonder
That Was India, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Taplinger Pub. Co.,
1967), p. 60.) and Thomas Hopkins, are of the opinion
that Heliodorus was not the only Greek to convert to
Krishna consciousness. Hopkins, chairman of the
department of religious studies at Franklin and Marshall
The Heliodorus ColumnAn archeological discovery proves that there were Western devotees of Krishna
twenty-two centuries ago.
by Jagatguru Swami and Satyaraja Dasa

College, has said, "Heliodorus was presumably not the
only foreigner who was converted to Vaishnava
devotional practices—although he might have been the
only one to erect a column, at least one that is still
extant. Certainly there must have been many others."
** (Steven J. Gelberg, ed.. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
(New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1983), p. 117.)
It is interesting to note that the column has other historical
merits. Around the turn of the century, a number of
Indologists (Weber, Macnicol, and others) had noted
"points of similarity" between the Vaishnava philosophy
of unalloyed devotion to Krishna and Christian doctrine.
They had argued that devotion to Krishna must have
been a perverted offshoot of Christianity, and cited the
similarity between stories about Krishna and about Christ
to further support their claim. **
(Jaiswal, Op. cit., p. 2.) But the
discovery of the inscription on the
Heliodorus column laid their
speculations to rest. Here was
conclusive archeological proof
that the Vaishnava tradition
antedated Christianity by at least
two hundred years.
The column also struck down
another erroneous notion. For
centuries it was the common
belief that India's orthodox
tradition did not accept converts.
An Islamic historian, Abu Raihan
Alberuni, who went to India in
A.D. 1017, tried to explain in his
book Indica why the Indian
orthodoxy did not admit
foreigners. Alberuni suggested
that the practice developed only
after the Moslem incursion into
India, sometime after A.D. 674.**
(Ahmad H. Dani, Alberuni's India
(Lexhore, India: Univ. of
Islamabad, 1973), p. 37.)
Antagonism between the
Moslems and Hindus seems to
be the main reason behind the
non-conversion practice. For
many centuries prior to the
Moslem presence, however,
there had been no bar to
conversion into the orthodox fold,
as attested by the Heliodorus
column.
Vaishnavism is the path being
followed by the members of the
International Society for Krishna
Consciousness. Western
converts are impressed, just as
Heliodorus must have been, by the philosophy and
practice of Vaishnavism. Ironically, however, misinformed
persons try to defame the Krishna consciousness
movement and the time-tested tradition that it represents.
They try to lump in members of ISKCON with the faddish
cults of the day, many of which are known to have
questionable practices and motives.
In the face of the historical precedent set by Heliodorus,
these accusations leveled against the modern
Vaishnavas are clearly unwarranted. The Heliodorus
column, erected in honour of Lord Sri Krishna, is proof
that the Vaishnava philosophy of devotion to Lord Krishna
was winning followers from the West long before its
recent inception as the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness.

Thorny Pleasure
We spend our lives working hard to secure
happiness. It doesn't have to be that way.
by Ajamidha Dasa
Today's consumer seems to be moving away from
accumulating things toward acquiring new experiences and
feelings, collecting mental images with which to fill his life.
Thus modern man has realized an age-old truth: enjoyment
is only in one's mind.
The spirit soul, the actual living entity, is captured within a
material body. He has at his disposal the intelligence, the
mind, and the senses. Because the spirit soul is acting under
false ego, which means he thinks himself to be the body,
he never gets enough satisfaction and pleasure, however
he tries. The example is given of a fish out of water—a
pathetic situation. The fish does not become satisfied even
if you give it the best food, the best cigar, or the softest bed.
Similarly, the spirit soul has a longing for eternity, bliss, and
knowledge, and his quest for these things is shown in his
construction of hospitals, research laboratories, amusement
parks, and so on. But eternity, full knowledge, and full bliss
can never be attained by these endeavours, because the body itself is temporary, full of miseries, and full of
ignorance. No one can deny that.
The solution lies in getting the fish back into the water—we have to find out the natural position of the soul. All
the hospitals, laboratories, amusement parks, and schools are just part of the search for water in the desert. The
living entity is by nature superior to matter and thus can never become satisfied with mere material pleasures.
One problem with material pleasure is that its opposite—distress—follows it. This world is full of dualities. No one
can say what is darkness without describing its opposite. Nor has "up" any meaning without "down." So also for
happiness and distress, pleasure and pain, love and hate. One follows the other. By embracing material joy, soon
enough sorrow will come.
Sense gratification can be compared to embracing a cactus in a desert. I may think. "Oh, here is a nice green
plant. It must be full of water!" Because I am very thirsty. I don't consider the thorns on the cactus. "Let me embrace
it! Let me get some juice, some nectar! Yes, I can feel the juice running down, cooling my body." I become so
overwhelmed that I don't realize that the juice is my own blood and sweat caused by the thorns and the heat.
Similarly, the living entity takes on so much trouble to reach his desired enjoyment. The student spends many
years in school to get a degree and a good job. The athlete tortures his body in many ways to become the champion,
and almost everyone accepts many mental and physical troubles to attract the opposite sex.
But too soon all one's hard labour for family, wealth, and fame will prove useless, as disease, old age, and death
come, bringing with them the reactions for all one's deeds in this life. And who knows what one's next birth will
be?
But do we have to meet such an end? Of course, if we seek solutions from those who are themselves entrapped,
if we rely on fallible friends and relatives, scientists and economists, then we shall also be eaten up by eternal
time. They can't give us what they themselves don't have. We have to gather information from transcendental
sources.
Bhagavad-gita, spoken by Lord Krishna, the Supreme Lord Himself, and Srimad-Bhagavatam, spoken by Sukadeva
Gosvami, a most confidential associate of Krishna, are the cream of Vedic literatures, an ocean of supramundane
knowledge and instructions. Their waves wash away all doubts concerning transcendental reality for the sincere
reader and seeker of the truth. The Krishna consciousness movement distributes these literatures, which are
specifically aimed at helping the bewildered people of today come to the shore of the ocean of transcendental
knowledge, where they can drink the nectar of eternity, bliss, and knowledge to their full satisfaction, thus allowing
them to end their miserable material existence and return home, back to Godhead.

AIKYA’ a youth initiative of Akshaya
Patra, organized ‘Swachh Vidyarthi
Swachh Vidyalaya’ on October 2nd,
to achieve Swachh Bharat, in
pursuance of the aspiration of
Mahatma Gandhi for a clean India
and in response to the call of the
Honourable Prime Minister of India,
Shri Narendra Modi.
The stage event was followed by
cleaning of various important locations
in Bengaluru. More than 1000
volunteers from reputed colleges and
educational institutions enthusiastically
participated in the cleanliness drive.
AIKYA invests in youth who show
potential to grow into leaders of
society, who will be committed to
tackling some of today’s greatest
social challenges and will deliver sustainable social impact. Training leaders is the best strategy to solve today’s
social problems and achieve meaningful results in community development.
AIKYA aims to create a pan India team of spirited young volunteers who love to serve society for it’s betterment
and make it a great place to live. If you would like to join us at AIKYA and be a youth social leader, then call us
on 8970000408.
Dignitaries on the dais: (from left) Ms Sushruthi Krishna, Femina Miss India
(Runner-up), Sri Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice Chairman, Akshaya Patra Foundation,
Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman, Akshaya Patra Foundation, Sri R Ashok, Former
Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, Ms Sanjjanaa Galrani, Renowned Actress
Cleaning items handed over to the volunteers by the dignitaries
Swachh Bharat - AIKYA’s cleanliness drive in progress
Swachh Vidyarthi Swachh Vidyalaya
Cleanliness is next to Godliness

Dasara Celebrations
Mysore
Ahmedabad

Deepotsava
Sri M Krishnappa
Honourable Minister for Housing
Government of Karnataka

Govardhana Puja
It was during the auspicious month of Karthika that Lord Krishna saved the Vrajavasis from the wrath of Indra.
The Vrajavasis were preparing to offer Indra his annual worship and sacrifice when Lord Krishna told them to direct
their offerings to Govardhana Hill instead, as the hill provided the villagers with all that they needed - fresh green
grasses for their cows, water from lakes and streams, fruits and flowers from the groves and forests that covered
the hill. While the Vrajavasis circumambulated the hill after their worship, keeping their cows in front of them in
procession, Lord Krishna appeared from the hill in a gigantic form to accept all the offerings, thus revealing that
Govardhana Hill is non-different from Himself. Soon after, when he heard the news of this worship of Govardhana
Hill, Indra was furious and sent torrential rainfall to inundate Vrindavana and destroy the villages and people. The
Vrajavasis sought Krishna’s protection and He saved them by easily lifting Govardhana Hill on the little finger of
His left hand, and holding it up as an umbrella from the storms. Indra’s pride was defeated and he surrendered
in submission to Lord Krishna, realizing that the little boy whose instructions the Vrajavasis had followed was none
other than his own Supreme Master.
Devotees celebrate Govardhana Puja every year to commemorate this amazing pastime of Lord Krishna. In
ISKCON temples around the world, devotees offer a mound of food stuffs or annakoota to the Lord and also
perform go-puja on this auspicious day. Here is a photo feature of the celebrations of Govardhana Puja in some
of the temples of the Hare Krishna Movement.
BANGALORE:
above: Annakoota
right: Go Puja

Ahmedabad
Mysore
Hubli

Krishna Voice Monthly Magazine, November 2017 Vol.18, No.11 Price `30/-
Posted on 10th of the every month at MBC, Manipal, License to post without prepayment No. WPP-08, Reg No. KA/BGGPO/2521/
2015-17, Registered with Registrar of Newspapers for India under No. RNI 71022/99, Posted at MBC, Manipal, 576104.
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