Akshaya Patra Organization a Rear View

Article from an author who had sent a mail to us and he didn't wish to disclose his name or any other factor and requested us to publish the article.

We Intend to mention to the viewers or readers not to take the bellow article in bad manner hurting any one including the author himself.
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PLEASE NOTE: THESE ARE MY PERSONAL WORDS AND ARE NOT RELATED IN ANY WAY TO AKSHAYA PATRA OR ANYBODY.

In a Rear view one can say that India has the most number of NGO's that any other part of the world. As such its really a weird move by Indian's that they are claiming meaninglessly in every Social Media about Akshaya Patra Samsthan or Organization. What I mean is that When there are so many Organizations feeding food to mass of people in comparison to a organization which feeds hungry children who are deprived of education so that they can also go to school and become a good citizen than become a Stray dog.
Alas how can I forget when we can see so many Stray Dogs fighting simply with abusive words, hitting each other with weapons and killing others, simply chastising women on roads, Loafing on the streets without any work, smoking so many unwanted things, drinking abusive drinks which shuts a person's mind and opens their mouth????
 

Human Life is meant to understand higher truth and act like a civilized person (in layman terms) and not act like a stray dog which has got no care, all to do is simply just eat, defend, mate and then go to sleep where ever possible...

I have seen so many NGO's claiming to distribute food and finally low quality, unhygienic, unmaintained, filled with tamasic and Rajasic Qualities just filled with taste. Aw how can I forget when I saw Rice when seen and served looks exactly like a thing glued with Gum, Is that the quality of food? Vegetables added to Sambar or Raitha is out dated and just when kids ask they scold bitter, is that what a person calls a NGO Serving?

People just act so weird even though not knowing any truth, aww,.. How can any so called learned man who proclaims to be at least Graduate and above education and working in so called good organization listen to some foolish media news which again is scorched by a Brat be it a corrupt person or who ever..

Isn't it that a civilized man who has spent so many years of his life time in so called education and earning a so called living do a thorough research before believing what a media is simply propagating?

Here I will unveil some of the factors what Akshaya Parta Samsthan  or Organization in difference with others.

• Akshaya Patra Kitchen follows highly hygiene patron while preparing food
• Akshaya Patra Kitchen has got modern technology inhibited in it so that food which is prepared can be avoided than making by hand.
• Cleanliness is next to Godliness, a proverb which Akshaya Patra Samsthan Follows to the Core.
• Food is prepared under the the great care of Specialists and each and every step in preparing food is done in utmost care.
• Food Quality is Highly Graded not just one day you grade and then you pose....
• People who prepare food use Food Protection Stuffs on their body be it a hand gloves, head cover or more so that they personally do not indulge in physical contact while preparing food, I mean bare Hands or Hair falls in foods.
• Food when prepared is first tested for quality, tasted by specialists and then packaged and sent for distribution.
• Kitchen in Akshaya Patra is kept always clean, Super Clean free from all sorts of disturbances be it what ever.
• From the preparation time till the food is distributed and again utensils are back from distribution everything is taken care in utmost care.
• Food Quality is the Best and it is the most tastiest on the earth. Yes When I say it is the Tastiest and the Best in the Quality free from all sorts of contamination.

 Many People may claim now after reading the about simple points that they have also seen such a thing...


Here, my Question to you>>>>>

• Have You ever Seen a Food free from contamination which clogs a person's minds and body??
• Have you seen a food that doesn't agitates a persons senses after the food is consumed?
• Have you ever seen a food free from Tamasic [Ignorance and Stale Items], Rajasic [Too much Chilly, Oily, Churned, Black Black Food/ Over Roasted, Agitative in Bodily Glands]?
• Have you ever seen a food prepared from highly Specialists and under special Care and Concern and not some low born person?
• Have You ever seen a food coming from Highly Hygienic, Fully Technologically enabled updated to the latest available kitchen?
• Have you ever a food leading a person towards the Secrets of Success of life?
• Have you seen the Food which is coming from a kitchen where the food is always Graded to the highest and updated with Grades and following and keeping the Grade Value to its core.
• Have you seen a Kitchen So Clean as Glittering uncontaminated White Pearl?
• Have you seen a  food which is prepared from people whose consciousness is Good and not contaminated by material things and using abusive words?

What I Have seen in other so called NGO's and food caterers apart from Akshaya Patra:

• Kitchens are Always Smoky...
• Kitchens are Glittering with Blacky and Greasy Color. Aouch... You touch you feel and get it impressed on your body part.
• People Preparing food are always in Superb, what I mean is that their consciousness so good that you will see them only using their family fairy tales, using abusive words, food prepared in urgency [Who knows what they do in urgency and what they mix with it?], people generally with untidy hands, unprotected modes and styles of preparing food, Awww. Envy, Greed Lust UWww, that is what they say..

             First Instance: That  Principal, He is So ..... that he.. How dare he says... No to Me ???
            Today I will see him...?
O Lord What a Good Consciousness, that a person who is preparing the food is thinking, and what he is imbibing in the food?

           Second Instance: A Lady Using Abusive Words starting from A to Z and 0 to 9 in their native language while preparing food.

            Third Instance: A Person who is preparing food got Mucus in his nose and now its gliding down, You know what he does...? Use his hands to wipe it and his senior sees it so he is under trouble so he wipes that mucus to his clothes and then puts the same hands and goes on preparing Food?

OooLALA... How obnoxious and contaminated food would that be?

            Fourth Instance: In a Kitchen they have 50 KG of Rice Bag and then in it 10 KG of Rice is Stale, I mean affected by rice worms and that too 20 KG of Rice is of Lower Quality. Now Can you imagine what will they do here?

Conscious One: Food is served for Free right?
Conscious Two: Even paid a very little
Conscious Three: Who Cares
Conscious Four: Money Mindedness, Profit Man that is what is it...

Now They will mix everything 10 KG of Stale Rice + 20 KG of Low Grade Rice + 20 KG of normal rice, and the outcome is Alas, Who ever eats will got to ICU Ward and trips to Wash Room for Sure!!!

Rice will just be clogged just like a Ball cause its glued, each bit of rice is as if it is dipped in glue....

Fifth Instance: Women Man, they just don't care, and if you take against them you had it.... You know what?
I have seen it. A Man asked a women about her Low Born activities since preparing food till the end of serving, You know what happened?

Uhhhhh.....? That Man Got nicely banged from her husband, from her, her Sandals torn and imprinted on that man's face, his face was covered by spit of that women and imprinted not just with sandals but with her fists and palms as well.....

It was as ghastly and fiery scene as if though that lady was Dancing in rage by Using Abusive Words..... Can't Hear, Can't See, Can't speak Situation and when Police Came to that scenario I thought that man is now saved but you know what happened?

Police instead of stopping the fight and taking full control of the scenario and checking the real instance, they too sprang on the man unconditionally and then he was shifted to a low class hospital...
Now I am not sure what happened with that man.

This is not a story what I am writing, but its a fact.... Try it out and check what will happen to you....


People take simply against Akshaya Patra for no reason...
Akshaya Patra is really doing a great work for saving the humanity from the wrath of modern age...

If you Say modern age is developing consciousness of people and is continuously evolving, I Straighforwarly Say, You are nothing but a Dumb Ass number one!!!
Ass works unconditionally for no profit and is kicked simply by its fair Sex when it approaches for it.

If you say Modern World Saves or is saving people and helping them to grow, then why is there so much poverty existing?

Do you mean, one rich and another poor, is that what is your so called modern Growth?

What Has Modern society done for saving people other than taking care of their own needs and Whims?

Just because one is seeing the immense growth of a NGO like Akshaya Patra and unconditionally unable to compete with them, doesn't mean that one goes on spamming badly about that organization everywhere like a school kid or a low born women or a man fit for nothing....

I have seen media publishing simply a fake any wrong matter about Akshaya Patra and people speaking Silly about them, Have you ever made up your mind to test the reality or Have you ever approached the Authorities behind such a immense growth?


A Dumb Ass person can speak any thing and everything what ever comes to him from so called society but a educated man must know whats the reality of it...

TEST...TEST...TEST...IF YOU CANNOT SEE THE TRUTH...APPROACH THE AUTHORITY IF YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE MATTER...SEEK THE TRUTH... Not just believe what local speaks man.... USE your knuckle head.


For an instance: If you have fever the best thing to do is approach an authority, and the authority is none other that a physician not a common man or a local. SELF MEDICATION IS always Dangerous.

Another Instance: If a child wants to know who is his father? then the best authority is to approach its mother and not go on doing survey or so called modern DNA analysis and other tests which does nothing but takes a topsy turvy.



Politicians today are nothing but low glow worms, spamming Vote me , vote me and nothing more. they will do anything even obnoxious thing for gaining a seat which is again not permanent, one kick from a issue or senior the seat goes empty or some one takes over.

POLITICIANS ARE GLOW WORMS, I REPEAT THEY ARE FIT FOR NOTHING!!! THEY HAVE A CAGE OF STRAY DOGS WHO ASSIST THEM IN ANY THING<> BE IT KILLING< > TO RAPE TO WHAT EVER SINFULLLLLLLL>>>> THEY THEMSELVES CANNOT PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM THE CLUTCHES OF DEATH AND DISPOSITION, HOW ELSE CAN THEY BE AUTHORITY????

AUTHORITY IS ONE WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING IN PERFECT SENSE, NOT THAT HALF KNOWLEDGE LEADING TO NO WHERE... YOU CAN MAKE OUT AN AUTHORITY EASILY AS HE IS NO ACTOR ACTING SIMPLY GRAVE, HE CAN GIVE PERFECT I REPEAT PERFECT SOLUTIONS AND ANSWERS BE IT WHAT EVER IS THE PROBLEM OR THE ISSUE.

AUTHORITY IS ONE WHO IS ALWAYS FREE FROM:

• ENVY
• GREED
• LUST
• ANGER
• PROPENSITY TO ACQUIRE, OCCUPY, ENJOY BE IT SENSE OR SENSE PLEASURES
• PUSHING OR THROWING ONE TO TROUBLE
• GIVING WRONG INFORMATION BE IT WHAT EVER THE MATTER IS.
• ABOVE THE MODES OF MATERIAL NATURE
• ABUSIVES, ABUSES, ABUSIVE WORDS AND ABUSIVE ACTING
• HURTING OTHERS AND GETTING HURT INCLUDING KILLING OR GETTING OTHERS KILLED
• SHOWING ONE AS A PURE DEVOTEE AND CLAIMING ONE AS INCARNATION OF GOD
• MISLEADING OTHERS IN WHAT EVER THE SCENARIO IS.
• SEX DESIRE AND SEX DRIVE
• MEAT EATING AND MAKING OTHERS EAT IT
• INTOXICATION
• GAMBLING
• SPEAKING LIES
• POISONING OTHERS EVEN BY VERBAL OR PHYSICAL

AN AUTHORITY LEADS OTHERS IN RIGHTFUL MANNER IN THE WAY GOD LOVES THEM AND HIM.
ONE CAN FIND A RIGHTFUL AUTHORITY EASILY BY THE THE LOOK.

HOW IN THE WORLD CAN YOU PEOPLE CLAIM SUCH A WELL KNOWN ORGANIZATION AS A WRONG ONE?

JUST BECAUSE ITS THE BEST TODAY I REPEAT ITS HE BEST IN ALL THE WAY DOESN'T MEAN THAT ONE GOES ON SPAMMING ABUSIVE VERBALLY AGAINST THEM OR WRITING AGAINST THEM..

WHY THEY PROGRESS? BECAUSE THE SUPREME LORD IS WITH THEM AND HIS BEST PEOPLE ARE SUPPORTING THE MISSION AND THEY ARE NOT I MEAN THEY ARE NOT ACTING FOR THEIR WIMS AND SELF PLEASURE AS PUBLIC AND MEDIA CLAIMS IT TO BE AND IS LEAD BY A PURE DEVOTEE OF THE SUPREME LORD WHO IS IN THE DISCPLINIC SUCCESSION OF THE LORD HIM SELF.

PEOPLE IN GENERAL CLAIM TO BE INTELLIGENT BY UNFORTUNATELY THAT'S NOT THE CASE ITS THE WAY AROUND...
AN INTELLIGENT PERSON KNOWS WHATS THE TRUTH AND WHAT'S NOT AND IS NEVER MISLEAD BY A COMMON, EVEN IF HE IS MISLEAD HE KNOWS HOW TO AND WHOM TO APPROACH.

TODAY EVEN THE COURT SEEMS TO BE MISLEAD BY DUPLICATE PEOPLE I MEAN YES IT IS MISLEAD AND HOW???? MONEY MAN MONEY... MONEY MAKES A PERSON  MONKEY ON THE STICK AND NOTHING MORE.... THAT'S THE VERY REASON TRUTH ALWAYS FAILS IN THE COURT IN FRONT OF UNJUST MISERABLY AND NOTHING MORE AND MEDIA ELONGATES IT JUST FILL THEIR TUMMY OF NEWS AND FILL IN THE GAP AND JOKE AROUND FOR NOTHING....

AOUCH....... I FEEL PAIN TO WRITE MORE.....BECAUSE MORONS CANNOT BE MADE UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE TRUTH NEITHER ABOUT THE LIFE NOR ANYTHING<>YOU TEACH THEM AND YET AGAIN LIKE THE DOGS TAIL WILL BE BACK TO THE COURT YARD....


AGAIN I REPEAT WHAT I MENTIONED BEFORE THE STARTING OF THE ARTICLE:  
THESE ARE MY PERSONAL WORDS AND ARE NOT RELATED IN ANY WAY TO AKSHAYA PATRA OR ANYBODY.






THANK YOU.
[Name not Disclosed as per the author's request]

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Surrender to Krishna

Posted: 22 Aug 2012 05:57 AM  by Amit Teli “Four kinds of pious men surrender to Krishna, and four kinds of impious men do not” …It is said in Bhagavad-gītā that simply by surrendering oneself unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality Kṛṣṇa, one can surmount the stringent laws of material nature. At this point a question arises: How is it that educated philosophers, scientists, businessmen, administrators and all the leaders of ordinary men do not surrender to the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the all-powerful Personality of Godhead? Mukti, or liberation from the laws of material nature, is sought by the leaders of mankind in different ways and with great plans and perseverance for a great many years and births. But if that liberation is possible by simply surrendering unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then why don't these intelligent and hard-working leaders adopt this simple method? Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me. O best among the Bhāratas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute. Of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge in union with Me through pure devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and he is dear to Me. For full verse and purport Bhagavad-gita As It Is 1972 Edition By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Chapter 7, Text 15-17 Knowledge of the Absolute TEXT 15 na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ na—not; mām—unto Me; duṣkṛtinaḥ—miscreants; mūḍhāḥ—foolish; prapadyante—surrender; narādhamāḥ—lowest among mankind; māyayā—by the illusory energy; apahṛta—stolen by illusion; jñānāḥ—knowledge; asuram—demonic; bhāvam—nature; āśritāḥ—accepting. TRANSLATION Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me. PURPORT It is said in Bhagavad-gītā that simply by surrendering oneself unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality Kṛṣṇa, one can surmount the stringent laws of material nature. At this point a question arises: How is it that educated philosophers, scientists, businessmen, administrators and all the leaders of ordinary men do not surrender to the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the all-powerful Personality of Godhead? Mukti, or liberation from the laws of material nature, is sought by the leaders of mankind in different ways and with great plans and perseverance for a great many years and births. But if that liberation is possible by simply surrendering unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then why don't these intelligent and hard-working leaders adopt this simple method? The Gītā answers this question very frankly. Those really learned leaders of society like Brahmā, Śiva, Kapila, the Kumāras, Manu, Vyāsa, Devala, Asita, Janaka, Prahlāda, Bali, and later on Madhvācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Śrī Caitanya and many others—who are faithful philosophers, politicians, educators, scientists, etc.—surrender to the lotus feet of the Supreme Person, the all-powerful authority. Those who are not actually philosophers, scientists, educators, administrators, etc., but who pose themselves as such for material gain, do not accept the plan or path of the Supreme Lord. They have no idea of God; they simply manufacture their own worldly plans and consequently complicate the problems of material existence in their vain attempts to solve them. Because material energy (nature) is so powerful, it can resist the unauthorized plans of the atheists and baffle the knowledge of "planning commissions." The atheistic plan-makers are described herein by the word duṣkṛtina, or "miscreants." Kṛtina means one who has performed meritorious work. The atheist planmaker is sometimes very intelligent and meritorious also, because any gigantic plan, good or bad, must take intelligence to execute. But because the atheist's brain is improperly utilized in opposing the plan of the Supreme Lord, the atheistic planmaker is called duṣkṛtina, which indicates that his intelligence and efforts are misdirected. In the Gītā it is clearly mentioned that material energy works fully under the direction of the Supreme Lord. It has no independant authority. It works as the shadow moves, in accordance with the movements of the object. But still material energy is very powerful, and the atheist, due to his godless temperament, cannot know how it works; nor can he know the plan of the Supreme Lord. Under illusion and the modes of passion and ignorance, all his plans are baffled, as in the case of Hiraṇyakaśipu and Rāvaṇa, whose plans were smashed to dust although they were both materially learned as scientists, philosophers, administrators and educators. These duṣkṛtinas, or miscreants, are of four different patterns, as outlined below: (1) The mūḍhas are those who are grossly foolish, like hard-working beasts of burden. They want to enjoy the fruits of their labor by themselves, and so do not want to part with them for the Supreme. The typical example of the beast of burden is the ass. This humble beast is made to work very hard by his master. The ass does not really know for whom he works so hard day and night. He remains satisfied by filling his stomach with a bundle of grass, sleeping for a while under fear of being beaten by his master, and satisfying his sex appetite at the risk of being repeatedly kicked by the opposite party. The ass sings poetry and philosophy sometimes, but this braying only disturbs others. This is the position of the foolish fruitive worker who does not know for whom he should work. He does not know that karma (action) is meant for yajña (sacrifice). Most often, those who work very hard day and night to clear the burden of self-created duties say that they have no time to hear of the immortality of the living being. To such mūḍhas, material gains, which are destructible, are life's all in all—despite the fact that the mūḍhas enjoy only a very small fraction of the fruit of labor. Sometimes they spend sleepless days and nights for fruitive gain, and although they may have ulcers or indigestion, they are satisfied with practically no food; they are simply absorbed in working hard day and night for the benefit of illusory masters. Ignorant of their real master, the foolish workers waste their valuable time serving mammon. Unfortunately, they never surrender to the supreme master of all masters, nor do they take time to hear of Him from the proper sources. The swine who eat the soil do not care to accept sweetmeats made of sugar and ghee. Similarly, the foolish worker will untiringly continue to hear of the sense-enjoyable tidings of the flickering mundane force that moves the material world. (2) Another class of duṣkṛtina, or miscreant, is called the narādhama, or the lowest of mankind. Nara means human being, and adhama means the lowest. Out of the 8,400,000 different species of living beings, there are 400,000 human species. Out of these there are numerous lower forms of human life that are mostly uncivilized. The civilized human beings are those who have regulated principles of social, political and religious life. Those who are socially and politically developed, but who have no religious principles, must be considered narādhamas. Nor is religion without God religion, because the purpose of following religious principles is to know the Supreme Truth and man's relation with Him. In the Gītā the Personality of Godhead clearly states that there is no authority above Him and that He is the Supreme Truth. The civilized form of human life is meant for man's reviving the lost consciousness of his eternal relation with the Supreme Truth, the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is all-powerful. Whoever loses this chance is classified as a narādhama. We get information from revealed scriptures that when the baby is in the mother's womb (an extremely uncomfortable situation) he prays to God for deliverance and promises to worship Him alone as soon as he gets out. To pray to God when he is in difficulty is a natural instinct in every living being because he is eternally related with God. But after his deliverance, the child forgets the difficulties of birth and forgets his deliverer also, being influenced by māyā, the illusory energy. It is the duty of the guardians of children to revive the divine consciousness dormant in them. The ten processes of reformatory ceremonies, as enjoined in the Manu-smṛti, which is the guide to religious principles, are meant for reviving God consciousness in the system of varṇāśrama. However, no process is strictly followed now in any part of the world, and therefore 99.9 percent of the population is narādhama. When the whole population becomes narādhama, naturally all their so-called education is made null and void by the all-powerful energy of physical nature. According to the standard of the Gītā, a learned man is he who sees on equal terms the learned brāhmaṇa, the dog, the cow, the elephant and the dog-eater. That is the vision of a true devotee. Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, who is the incarnation of Godhead as divine master, delivered the typical narādhamas, the brothers Jagai and Madhai, and showed how the mercy of a real devotee is bestowed upon the lowest of mankind. So the narādhama who is condemned by the Personality of Godhead can again revive his spiritual consciousness only by the mercy of a devotee. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in propagating the bhāgavata-dharma or activities of the devotees, has recommended that people submissively hear the message of the Personality of Godhead. The essence of this message is Bhagavad-gītā. The lowest amongst human beings can be delivered by this submissive hearing process only, but unfortunately they even deny giving an aural reception to these messages, and what to speak of surrendering to the will of the Supreme Lord? Narādhamas, or the lowest of mankind, will fully neglect the prime duty of the human being. (3) The next class of duṣkṛtina is called māyayāpahṛta-jñāna, or those persons whose erudite knowledge has been nullified by the influence of illusory material energy. They are mostly very learned fellows—great philosophers, poets, literati, scientists, etc.—but the illusory energy misguides them, and therefore they disobey the Supreme Lord. There are a great number of māyayāpahṛta-jñānas at the present moment, even amongst the scholars of the Gītā. In the Gītā, in plain and simple language, it is stated that Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is none equal to or greater than Him. He is mentioned as the father of Brahmā, the original father of all human beings. In fact, Śrī Kṛṣṇa is said to be not only the father of Brahmā but also the father of all species of life. He is the root of the impersonal Brahman and Paramātmā; the Supersoul in every entity is His plenary portion. He is the fountainhead of everything, and everyone is advised to surrender unto His lotus feet. Despite all these clear statements, the māyayāpahṛta-jñāna deride the Personality of the Supreme Lord and consider Him merely another human being. They do not know that the blessed form of human life is designed after the eternal and transcendental feature of the Supreme Lord. All the unauthorized interpretations of the Gītā by the class of māyayāpahṛta-jñāna, outside the purview of the paramparā system, are so many stumbling blocks in the path of spiritual understanding. The deluded interpreters do not surrender unto the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, nor do they teach others to follow this principle. (4) The last class of duṣkṛtina is called āsuraṁ bhāvam āśrita, or those of demonic principles. This class is openly atheistic. Some of them argue that the Supreme Lord can never descend upon this material world, but they are unable to give any tangible reasons as to why not. There are others who make Him subordinate to the impersonal feature, although the opposite is declared in the Gītā. Envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the atheist will present a number of illicit incarnations manufactured in the factory of his brain. Such persons whose very principle of life is to decry the Personality of Godhead cannot surrender unto the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Śrī Yāmunācārya Albandru of South India said, "O my Lord! You are unknowable to persons involved with atheistic principles despite Your uncommon qualities, features, and activities and despite Your personality being confirmed by all the revealed scriptures in the quality of goodness, and despite Your being acknowledged by the famous authorities renowned for their depth of knowledge in the transcendental science and situated in the godly qualities." Therefore, (1) grossly foolish persons, (2) the lowest of mankind, (3) the deluded speculators, and (4) the professed atheists, as above mentioned, never surrender unto the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead in spite of all scriptural and authoritative advice. TEXT 16 catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ janāḥ sukṛtino 'rjuna ārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī ca bharatarṣabha catur-vidhāḥ—four kinds of; bhajante—render services; mām—unto Me; janāḥ—persons; sukṛtinaḥ—those who are pious; arjuna—O Arjuna; ārtaḥ—the distressed; jijñāsuḥ—the inquisitive; artha-arthī—one who desires material gain; jñānī—one who knows things as they are; ca—also; bharatarṣabha—O great one amongst the descendants of Bharata. TRANSLATION O best among the Bhāratas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute. PURPORT Unlike the miscreants, these are adherents of the regulative principles of the scriptures, and they are called sukṛtina, or those who obey the rules and regulations of scriptures, the moral and social laws, and are, more or less, devoted to the Supreme Lord. Out of these there are four classes of men—those who are sometimes distressed, those who are in need of money, those who are sometimes inquisitive, and those who are sometimes searching after knowledge of the Absolute Truth. These persons come to the Supreme Lord for devotional service under different conditions. These are not pure devotees because they have some aspiration to fulfill in exchange for devotional service. Pure devotional service is without aspiration and without desire for material profit. The Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu defines pure devotion thus: anyābhilāṣitāśūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā. "One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service." When these four kinds of persons come to the Supreme Lord for devotional service and are completely purified by the association of a pure devotee, they also become pure devotees. As far as the miscreants are concerned, for them devotional service is very difficult because their lives are selfish, irregular and without spiritual goals. But even some of them, by chance, when they come in contact with a pure devotee, also become pure devotees. Those who are always busy with fruitive activities come to the Lord in material distress and at that time associate with pure devotees and become, in their distress, devotees of the Lord. Those who are simply frustrated also come sometimes to associate with the pure devotees and become inquisitive to know about God. Similarly, when the dry philosophers are frustrated in every field of knowledge, they sometimes want to learn of God, and they come to the Supreme Lord to render devotional service and thus transcend knowledge of the impersonal Brahman and the localized Paramātmā and come to the personal conception of Godhead by the grace of the Supreme Lord or His pure devotee. On the whole, when the distressed, the inquisitive, the seekers of knowledge, and those who are in need of money are free from all material desires, and when they fully understand that material remuneration has nothing to do with spiritual improvement, they become pure devotees. As long as such a purified stage is not attained, devotees in transcendental service to the Lord are tainted with fruitive activities, and they search after mundane knowledge, etc. So one has to transcend all this before one can come to the stage of pure devotional service. TEXT 17 teṣāṁ jñānī nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir viśiṣyate priyo hi jñānino 'tyartham ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ teṣām—out of them; jñānī—one in full knowledge; nitya-yuktaḥ—always engaged; eka—only one; bhaktiḥ—devotional service; viśiṣyate—especially; priyaḥ—very dear; hi—certainly; jñāninaḥ—person in knowledge; atyartham highly; aham—I am; saḥ—he; ca—also; mama—Mine; priyaḥ—dear. TRANSLATION Of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge in union with Me through pure devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and he is dear to Me. PURPORT Free from all contaminations of material desires, the distressed, the inquisitive, the penniless, and the seeker after supreme knowledge can all become pure devotees. But out of them, he who is in knowledge of the Absolute Truth and free from all material desires becomes a really pure devotee of the Lord. And of the four orders, the devotee who is in full knowledge and is at the same time engaged in devotional service is, the Lord says, the best. By searching after knowledge one realizes that his self is different from his material body, and when further advanced he comes to the knowledge of impersonal Brahman and Paramātmā. When one is fully purified, he realizes that his constitutional position is to be the eternal servant of God. So by association with pure devotees, the inquisitive, the distressed, the seeker after material amelioration and the man in knowledge all become themselves pure. But in the preparatory stage, the man who is in full knowledge of the Supreme Lord and is at the same time executing devotional service is very dear to the Lord. He who is situated in pure knowledge of the transcendence of the Supreme Personality of God is so protected in devotional service that material contaminations cannot touch him. Image from; As It Is

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Spiritual Knowledge Through Kṛṣṇa, ISKCON

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Posted: 16 Aug 2012 01:28 PM PDT …The best and ultimate authority is Kṛṣṇa, for He is our eternal well-wisher, and He always speaks for our benefit. Since we have to accept some authority, why not accept His? Simply by hearing of His glories from Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and by chanting His names: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, we can swiftly perfect our lives. Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, the Matchless Gift By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Chapter One Spiritual Knowledge Through Kṛṣṇa The aim of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to bring all living entities back to their original consciousness. All living entities within the material world are, to varying degrees, afflicted with a type of madness. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement aims at curing man of his material disease and reestablishing his original consciousness. In a Bengali poem a great Vaiṣṇava poet has written, "When a man is haunted by ghosts, he can only speak nonsense. Similarly, anyone who is under the influence of material nature should be considered haunted, and whatever he speaks should be considered nonsense." One may be considered a great philosopher or great scientist, but if he is haunted by the ghost of māyā, illusion, whatever he theorizes and whatever he speaks is more or less nonsensical. Today we are given the example of a psychiatrist who, when requested to examine a murderer, proclaimed that since all the patients with whom he had come in contact were more or less crazy, the court could excuse the murderer on those grounds if it so desired. The point is that in the material world it is very difficult to find a sane living entity. The prevailing atmosphere of insanity in this world is all caused by the infection of material consciousness. The purpose of this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is to bring man back to his original consciousness, which is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, clear consciousness. When water falls from the clouds, it is uncontaminated like distilled water, but as soon as it touches the ground it becomes muddy and discolored. Similarly, we are originally pure spirit soul, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore our original constitutional position is as pure as God's. In Bhagavad-gītā Sri Kṛṣṇa says: mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati "The living entities in this conditional world are My fragmental parts, and they are eternal. But due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind." (Bg. 15.7) Thus all living entities are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. By Kṛṣṇa it should always be remembered that we are speaking of God, Kṛṣṇa denoting the all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. As a fragment of gold is qualitatively the same as a gold reservoir, so the minute particles of Kṛṣṇa's body are therefore qualitatively as good as Kṛṣṇa. The chemical composition of God's body and the eternal spiritual body of the living entity is the same—spiritual. Thus originally, in our uncontaminated condition, we possessed a form as good as God's, but just as rain falls to the ground, so we come in contact with this material world, which is manipulated by the external material energy of Kṛṣṇa. When we speak of external energy or material nature, the question may be raised, "Whose energy? Whose nature?" Material energy or nature is not active independently. Such a concept is foolish. In Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly stated that material nature does not work independently. When a foolish man sees a machine he may think that it is working automatically, but actually it is not—there is a driver, someone in control, although we sometimes cannot see the controller behind the machine due to our defective vision. There are many electronic mechanisms which work very wonderfully, but behind these intricate systems there is a scientist who pushes the button. This is very simple to understand: since a machine is matter, it cannot work on its own accord but must work under spiritual direction. A tape recorder works, but it works according to the plans and under the direction of a living entity, a human being. The machine is complete, but unless it is manipulated by a spirit soul, it cannot work. Similarly, we should understand that this cosmic manifestation which we call nature is a great machine and that behind this machine there is God, Kṛṣṇa. This is also affirmed in Bhagavad-gītā where Kṛṣṇa says: mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram hetunānena kaunteya jagad viparivartate "This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, producing all the moving and unmoving beings, and by its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again." (Bg. 9.10) There are two kinds of entities—the moving (such as human beings, animals and insects) and nonmoving (such as trees and mountains). Kṛṣṇa says that material nature, which controls both kinds of entities, is acting under His direction. Thus behind everything there is a supreme controller. Modern civilization does not understand this due to lack of knowledge; it is the purpose of this Society for Kṛṣṇa consciousness therefore to enlighten all people who have been maddened by the influence of the three modes of material nature. In other words, our aim is to awaken mankind to its normal condition. There are many universities, especially in the United States, and many departments of knowledge, but they are not discussing these points. Where is the department for this knowledge that we find given by Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā? When I spoke before students and some faculty members at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the first question raised was: "Where is the technological department which is investigating the difference between a dead man and a living man?" When a man dies, something is lost. Where is the technology to replace it? Why don't scientists try to solve this problem? Because this is a very difficult subject matter, they set it aside and busily engage in the technology of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. However, Vedic literatures inform us that this is animal technology. Animals are also trying their best to eat well, to have an enjoyable sex life, to sleep peacefully, and to defend themselves. What then is the difference between man's knowledge and animal's knowledge? The fact is that man's knowledge should be developed to explore that difference between a living man and a dead man, a living body and a dead body. That spiritual knowledge was imparted by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna in the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. Being a friend of Kṛṣṇa's, Arjuna was a very intelligent man, but his knowledge, as all men's, was limited. Kṛṣṇa spoke, however, of subject matters which were beyond Arjuna's finite knowledge. These subjects are called adhokṣaja because our direct perception by which we acquire material knowledge fails to approach them. For example, we have many powerful microscopes to see what we cannot see with our limited vision, but there is no microscope that can show us the soul within the body. Nevertheless, the soul is there. Bhagavad-gītā informs us that in this body there is a proprietor. I am the proprietor, and others are the proprietors of their bodies. I say, "My hand," but not "I hand." Since it is "my hand," I am different from the hand, being its owner. Similarly, we speak of "My eye," "My leg," "My this," "My that." In the midst of all of these objects which belong to me, where am I? The search for the answer to this question is the process of meditation. In real meditation, we ask, "Where am I? What am I?" We cannot find the answers to these questions by any material effort, and because of this all the universities are setting these questions aside. They say, "It is too difficult a subject." Or they brush it aside: "It is irrelevant." Thus engineers direct their attention to creating and attempting to perfect the horseless carriage and wingless bird. Formerly, horses were drawing carriages and there was no air pollution, but now there are cars and rockets, and the scientists are very proud. "We have invented horseless carriages and wingless birds," they boast. Although they invent imitation wings for the airplane or rocket, they cannot invent a soulless body. When they are able to actually do this, they will deserve credit. But such an attempt would necessarily be frustrated, for we know that there is no machine that can work without a spirit soul behind it. Even the most complicated computers need trained men to handle them. Similarly, we should know that this great machine, which is known as the cosmic manifestation, is manipulated by a supreme spirit. That is Kṛṣṇa. Scientists are searching for the ultimate cause or the ultimate controller of this material universe and are postulating different theories and proposals, but the real means for knowledge is very easy and perfect: we need only hear from the perfect person, Kṛṣṇa. By accepting the knowledge imparted in Bhagavad-gītā, anyone can immediately know that this great cosmic machine, of which the earth is a part, is working so wonderfully because there is a driver behind it—Kṛṣṇa. Our process of knowledge is very easy. Kṛṣṇa's instruction, Bhagavad-gītā, is the principal book of knowledge given by the ādi-puruṣa Himself, the Supreme primeval person, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is indeed the perfect person. It may be argued that although we have accepted Him as a perfect person, there are many others who do not. Rut one should not think that this acceptance is whimsical; He is accepted as the perfect person on the evidence of many authorities. We do not accept Kṛṣṇa as perfect simply on the basis of our whims or sentiments. No—Kṛṣṇa is accepted as God by many Vedic authorities like Vyāsadeva, the author of all Vedic literatures. The treasure house of knowledge is contained in the Vedas, and their author, Vyāsadeva, accepts Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Vyāsadeva's spiritual master, Nārada, also accepts Kṛṣṇa as such. Nārada's spiritual master, Brahmā, accepts Kṛṣṇa not only as the Supreme person but the supreme controller as well—īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ: [Bs. 5.1] "The supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa." There is no one in the creation who can claim that he is not controlled. Everyone, regardless of how important or powerful, has a controller over his head. Kṛṣṇa, however, has no controller; therefore He is God. He is the controller of everyone, but there is no one superior to Him, no one to control Him; nor is there anyone equal to Him, no one to share His platform of absolute control. This may sound very strange, for there are many so-called gods nowadays. Indeed, gods have become very cheap, being especially imported from India. people in other countries are fortunate that gods are not manufactured there, but in India gods are manufactured practically every day. We often hear that God is coming to Los Angeles or New York and that people are gathering to receive Him, etc. But Kṛṣṇa is not the type of God manufactured in a mystic factory. No. He was not made God, but He is God. We should know then on the basis of authority that behind this gigantic material nature, the cosmic manifestation, there is God—Kṛṣṇa—and that He is accepted by all Vedic authorities. Acceptance of authority is not new for us; everyone accepts authority in some form or another. For education we go to a teacher or to a school or simply learn from our father and mother. They are all authorities, and our nature is to learn from them. In our childhood we asked, "Father, what is this?" and father would say, "This is a pen," "These are spectacles," or "This is a table." In this way from the very beginnings of life a child learns from his father and mother. He learns the names of things and the basic relations of one thing to another by questioning his parents. A good father and mother never cheat when their son inquires from them; they give exact and correct information. Similarly, if we get spiritual information from an authority and if the authority is not a cheater, then our knowledge is perfect. If we attempt to reach conclusions by dint of our own speculative powers, however, we are subject to fall into error. The process of induction, by which, reasoning from particular facts or individual cases, one can arrive at a general conclusion, is never a perfect process. Because we are limited and our experience is limited, it will always remain imperfect. If we receive information from the perfect source, Kṛṣṇa, and if we repeat that information, then what we are speaking can also be accepted as perfect and authoritative. The process of paramparā or disciplic succession is this very process of hearing from Kṛṣṇa or from authorities who have accepted Kṛṣṇa and repeating exactly what they have said. In Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa recommends this process of knowledge: evam paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ "This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way." (Bg. 4.2) Formerly knowledge was passed down by great saintly kings who were the authorities. In previous ages, however, these kings were ṛṣis— great learned scholars and devotees—and because they were not ordinary men the government which they headed worked very nicely. There are many instances in Vedic civilization of kings who attained perfection as devotees of God. For example, Dhruva Mahārāja went to the forest to search out God and by practice of severe penance and austerity found God within six months. Although he was only a five-year-old prince with a very delicate body, he was successful because he followed the directions of his spiritual master, Nārada. The first month Dhruva Mahārāja was in the forest, he simply ate some fruits and vegetables once every three days and drank a little water every six days. He finally restricted his inhalation of air and stood for six months on one leg only. After he executed these severe austerities for half a year, God became manifest before him, eye to eye. It is not necessary for us to practice such severe austerities, but simply by following in the footsteps of Vedic authorities we also can see God eye to eye. This vision of God is the perfection of life. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness process is based on austerity, but it is not very difficult. There are restrictions governing eating and sex life (only prasādam, food first offered to Kṛṣṇa, is taken, and sex is restricted to married life), and there are other regulations which facilitate and foster spiritual realization. It is not possible in these days to imitate Dhruva Mahārāja, but by following certain basic Vedic principles, we can make advancement in spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As we advance, we become perfect in knowledge. What is the use in becoming a scientist or a philosopher if we cannot say what our next life will be? A realized student of Kṛṣṇa consciousness can very easily say what his next life is, what God is, what the living entity is and what his relationship with God is. His knowledge is perfect because it is coming from perfect books of knowledge such as Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This then is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is very easy, and anyone can adopt it and make his life perfect. If someone says, "I'm not educated at all, and I cannot read books," he is still not disqualified. He can still perfect his life by simply chanting the mahā-mantra: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Kṛṣṇa has given us a tongue and two ears, and we may be surprised to know that Kṛṣṇa is realized through the ears and tongue, not through the eyes. By hearing His message, we learn to control the tongue, and after the tongue is controlled, the other senses follow. Of all the senses, the tongue is the most voracious and difficult to control, but it can be controlled simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and tasting Kṛṣṇa prasādam, food offered to Kṛṣṇa. We cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by sensual perception or by speculation. It is not possible, for Kṛṣṇa is so great that He is beyond our sensual range. But He can be understood by surrender. Kṛṣṇa therefore recommends this process: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ "Give up all varieties of religiousness, and just surrender unto Me; and in return I shall protect you from all sinful reactions. Therefore, you have nothing to fear." (Bg. 18.66) Unfortunately, our disease is that we are rebellious—we automatically resist authority. Yet although we say that we don't want authority, nature is so strong that it forces authority upon us. We are forced to accept the authority of nature. What can be more pathetic than a man who claims to answer to no authority but who follows his senses blindly wherever they lead him? Our false claim to independence is simply foolishness. We are all under authority, yet we say that we don't want authority. This is called māyā, illusion. We do, however, have a certain independence—we can choose to be under the authority of our senses or the authority of Kṛṣṇa. The best and ultimate authority is Kṛṣṇa, for He is our eternal well-wisher, and He always speaks for our benefit. Since we have to accept some authority, why not accept His? Simply by hearing of His glories from Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and by chanting His names—Hare Kṛṣṇa—we can swiftly perfect our lives.

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The Akshaya Patra Foundation

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An Interwoven story of Madrassa’s Growth and the Mid-Day Meal Program Posted: 16 Aug 2012 05:00 PM PDT Salman is seated on a woven cloth mat along with his 30 other classmates, the four-year-old eagerly waits for his teacher's approval to begin the lunch. It's only when all the children have washed their hands and are seated comfortably, the teacher gives her approval to begin the prayer thanking almighty for the goodness of the day. read more

Our children are the biggest strength of our country. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, India Posted: 16 Aug 2012 05:00 PM PDT Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh in his Independence speech remarked that as a nation we have achieved a lot during the 65 years introspecting about what remains to be done. In his speech he said "Our children are the biggest strength of our country. If our children are provided with good education and are healthy, then our future would be bright." read more

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Sri Sri Radha Vrindavana-chandra, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh India

Darshan of August 17, 2012 Posted: 18 Aug 2012 03:51 AM PDT

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Transcendental Pastimes of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna

Posted: 18 Aug 2012 07:32 AM PDT Who is there, desiring deliverance from the vices of the age of quarrel, who is not willing to hear the virtuous glories of the Lord? His transcendental acts are magnificent and gracious, and great learned sages like Nārada sing of them. Please, therefore, speak to us, who are eager to hear about the adventures He performs in His various incarnations. O wise Sūta, please narrate to us the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Godhead’s multi-incarnations. Such auspicious adventures and pastimes of the Lord, the supreme controller, are performed by His internal powers. We never tire of hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Personality of Godhead, who is glorified by hymns and prayers. Those who have developed a taste for transcendental relationships with Him relish hearing of His pastimes at every moment. ..There is a great difference between mundane stories, fiction, or history and the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. The histories of the whole universe contain references to the pastimes of the incarnations of the Lord. The Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata, and the Purāṇas are histories of bygone ages recorded in connection with the pastimes of the incarnations of the Lord and therefore remain fresh even after repeated readings. For example, anyone may read Bhagavad-gītā or the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam repeatedly throughout his whole life and yet find in them new light of information. Mundane news is static whereas transcendental news is dynamic, inasmuch as the spirit is dynamic and matter is static. Those who have developed a taste for understanding the transcendental subject matter are never tired of hearing such narrations. (From Purport to SB 1.1.19) Srimad Bhagavatam By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Canto 1, Chapter 1, Text 16-19 Full Text and Purport Text 16 ko vā bhagavatas tasya puṇya-ślokeḍya-karmaṇaḥ śuddhi-kāmo na śṛṇuyād yaśaḥ kali-malāpaham kaḥ—who; vā—rather; bhagavataḥ—of the Lord; tasya—His; puṇya—virtuous; śloka-īḍya—worshipable by prayers; karmaṇaḥ—deeds; śuddhi-kāmaḥ—desiring deliverance from all sins; na—not; śṛṇuyāt—does hear; yaśaḥ—glories; kali—of the age of quarrel; mala-apaham—the agent for sanctification. Who is there, desiring deliverance from the vices of the age of quarrel, who is not willing to hear the virtuous glories of the Lord? The age of Kali is the most condemned age due to its quarrelsome features. Kali-yuga is so saturated with vicious habits that there is a great fight at the slightest misunderstanding. Those who are engaged in the pure devotional service of the Lord, who are without any desire for self-aggrandizement and who are freed from the effects of fruitive actions and dry philosophical speculations are capable of getting out of the estrangements of this complicated age. The leaders of the people are very much anxious to live in peace and friendship, but they have no information of the simple method of hearing the glories of the Lord. On the contrary, such leaders are opposed to the propagation of the glories of the Lord. In other words, the foolish leaders want to completely deny the existence of the Lord. In the name of secular state, such leaders are enacting various plans every year. But by the insurmountable intricacies of the material nature of the Lord, all these plans for progress are being constantly frustrated. They have no eyes to see that their attempts at peace and friendship are failing. But here is the hint to get over the hurdle. If we want actual peace, we must open the road to understanding of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa and glorify Him for His virtuous activities as they are depicted in the pages of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Text 17 tasya karmāṇy udārāṇi parigītāni sūribhiḥ brūhi naḥ śraddadhānānāṁ līlayā dadhataḥ kalāḥ tasya—His; karmāṇi—transcendental acts; udārāṇi—magnanimous; parigītāni—broadcast; sūribhiḥ—by the great souls; brūhi—please speak; naḥ—unto us; śraddadhānānām—ready to receive with respect; līlayā—pastimes; dadhataḥ—advented; kalāḥ—incarnations. His transcendental acts are magnificent and gracious, and great learned sages like Nārada sing of them. Please, therefore, speak to us, who are eager to hear about the adventures He performs in His various incarnations. The Personality of Godhead is never inactive as some less intelligent persons suggest. His works are magnificent and magnanimous. His creations both material and spiritual are all wonderful and contain all variegatedness. They are described nicely by such liberated souls as Śrīla Nārada, Vyāsa, Vālmīki, Devala, Asita, Madhva, Śrī Caitanya, Rāmānuja, Viṣṇusvāmī, Nimbārka, Śrīdhara, Viśvanātha, Baladeva, Bhaktivinoda, Siddhānta Sarasvatī and many other learned and self-realized souls. These creations, both material and spiritual, are full of opulence, beauty and knowledge, but the spiritual realm is more magnificent due to its being full of knowledge, bliss and eternity. The material creations are manifested for some time as perverted shadows of the spiritual kingdom and can be likened to cinemas. They attract people of less intelligent caliber who are attracted by false things. Such foolish men have no information of the reality, and they take it for granted that the false material manifestation is the all in all. But more intelligent men guided by sages like Vyāsa and Nārada know that the eternal kingdom of God is more delightful, larger, and eternally full of bliss and knowledge. Those who are not conversant with the activities of the Lord and His transcendental realm are sometimes favored by the Lord in His adventures as incarnations wherein He displays the eternal bliss of His association in the transcendental realm. By such activities He attracts the conditioned souls of the material world. Some of these conditioned souls are engaged in the false enjoyment of material senses and others in simply negating their real life in the spiritual world. These less intelligent persons are known as karmīs, or fruitive workers, and jñānīs, or dry mental speculators. But above these two classes of men is the transcendentalist known as sātvata, or the devotee, who is busy neither with rampant material activity nor with material speculation. He is engaged in the positive service of the Lord, and thereby he derives the highest spiritual benefit unknown to the karmīs and jñānīs. As the supreme controller of both the material and spiritual worlds, the Lord has different incarnations of unlimited categories. Incarnations like Brahmā, Rudra, Manu, Pṛthu and Vyāsa are His material qualitative incarnations, but His incarnations like Rāma, Narasiṁha, Varāha and Vāmana are His transcendental incarnations. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the fountainhead of all incarnations, and He is therefore the cause of all causes. Text 18 athākhyāhi harer dhīmann avatāra-kathāḥ śubhāḥ līlā vidadhataḥ svairam īśvarasyātma-māyayā atha—therefore; ākhyāhi—describe; hareḥ—of the Lord; dhīman—O sagacious one; avatāra—incarnations; kathāḥ—narratives; śubhāḥ—auspicious; līlā—adventures; vidadhataḥ—performed; svairam—pastimes; īśvarasya—of the supreme controller; ātma—personal; māyayā—energies. O wise Sūta, please narrate to us the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Godhead’s multi-incarnations. Such auspicious adventures and pastimes of the Lord, the supreme controller, are performed by His internal powers. For the creation, maintenance and destruction of the material worlds, the Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead Himself appears in many thousands of forms of incarnations, and the specific adventures found in those transcendental forms are all auspicious. Both those who are present during such activities and those who hear the transcendental narrations of such activities are benefited. Text 19 vayaṁ tu na vitṛpyāma uttama-śloka-vikrame yac-chṛṇvatāṁ rasa-jñānāṁ svādu svādu pade pade vayam—we; tu—but; na—not; vitṛpyāmaḥ—shall be at rest; uttama-śloka—the Personality of Godhead, who is glorified by transcendental prayers; vikrame—adventures; yat—which; śṛṇvatām—by continuous hearing; rasa—humor; jñānām—those who are conversant with; svādu—relishing; svādu—palatable; pade pade—at every step. We never tire of hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Personality of Godhead, who is glorified by hymns and prayers. Those who have developed a taste for transcendental relationships with Him relish hearing of His pastimes at every moment. There is a great difference between mundane stories, fiction, or history and the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. The histories of the whole universe contain references to the pastimes of the incarnations of the Lord. The Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata, and the Purāṇas are histories of bygone ages recorded in connection with the pastimes of the incarnations of the Lord and therefore remain fresh even after repeated readings. For example, anyone may read Bhagavad-gītā or the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam repeatedly throughout his whole life and yet find in them new light of information. Mundane news is static whereas transcendental news is dynamic, inasmuch as the spirit is dynamic and matter is static. Those who have developed a taste for understanding the transcendental subject matter are never tired of hearing such narrations. One is quickly satiated by mundane activities, but no one is satiated by transcendental or devotional activities. Uttama-śloka indicates that literature which is not meant for nescience. Mundane literature is in the mode of darkness or ignorance, whereas transcendental literature is quite different. Transcendental literature is above the mode of darkness, and its light becomes more luminous with progressive reading and realization of the transcendental subject matter. The so-called liberated persons are never satisfied by the repetition of the words ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Such artificial realization of Brahman becomes hackneyed, and so to relish real pleasure they turn to the narrations of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Those who are not so fortunate turn to altruism and worldly philanthropy. This means the Māyāvāda philosophy is mundane, whereas the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is transcendental.

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