Once Yamuna-devi, in the temple, in the presence of Prabhupada and the devotees, who were chanting japa, stopped her japa to write down some realizations. Seeing her Prabhupada asked, “Yamuna, have you finished your rounds?” She replied, “No, Srila Prabhupada. I have two rounds to go.” Prabhupada said, “First finish your rounds before you write."
-Satsvarupa das Goswami

SLOKA OF THE DAY:

Bhagavad Gita As It Is -
Chapter 10 Text 35
brhat-sama tatha samnam
gayatri chandasam aham
masanam marga-sirso 'ham
rtunam kusumakarah

brhat-sama--the Krhat-sama; tatha--also; samnam--of the Sama Veda songs; gayatri--the Gayatri hymns; chandasam--of all poetry; aham--I am; masanam--of months; marga-sirsah--the month of November-December; aham--I am; rtunam--of all seasons; kusuma-akarah--spring.

TRANSLATION

Of the hymns in the Sama Veda I am the Brhat-sama, and of poetry I am the Gayatri. Of months I am Margasirsa [November-December], and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring.

JOURNAL:

In his purport, Srila prabhupada speaks briefly about poetry; In Sanskrit, there are definite rules that regulate poetry; rhyme and meter are not written whimsically, as in much modern poetry. Amongst the regulated poetry, the Gayatri mantra, which is chanted by the duly qualified brahmanas, is the most prominent. The Gayatri mantra is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Because the Gayatri mantra is especially meant for God realization, it represents the Supreme Lord.

SLOKA OF THE DAY:

Bhagavad Gita As It Is -
Chapter 10 Text 33
aksaranam a-karo 'smi
dvandvah samasikasya ca
aham evaksayah kalo
dhataham visvato-mukhah

aksaranam--of letters; a-karah--the first letter; asmi--I am; dvandvah--the dual; samasikasya--of compounds; ca--and; aham--I am; eva--certainly; aksayah--eternal; kalah--time; dhata--the creator; aham--I am; visvatah-mukhah--Brahma.

TRANSLATION

Of letters I am the letter A, and among compound words I am the dual compound. I am also inexhaustible time, and of creators I am Brahma.

JOURNAL;

Srila Prabhupada begins his purport; A-kara, the first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, is the beginning of the Vedic literature. Without a-kara, nothing can be sounded; therefore it is the beginning of sound. In Sanskrit there are also many compound words, of which the dual word, like rama-krsna, is called dvandva. In this compound, the words rama and krsna have the same form, and therefore the compound is called dual.

my favorite names

all my favorite authors

H.G. & L. Frank
C.S. & T.S.
J.D. & F. Scott
A.C. Bhaktivedanta

have no names

Sanatorium by SDG

Swami Syama said he was honored to serve at the sanatorium, and he considered it the cutting edge of preaching in the Krsna consciousness movement. When devotees who were sidelined with injuries proved that they could continue their sadhana, or just continue to try, they were setting the best example.

Satsvarupa das Goswami - Sanatorium


JOURNAL:

I have finished reading Sanatorium and personally found it to be well worth the time. The flow between prose and poetry can be seamless at times; a wonderful technique that I have not seen used in any other novel.

My copy was censored twice by using cartoons to block the offensive paragraphs. The second of these cartoons depicted the censor as an Arab terrorist. How this is less offensive then the mention of male genitalia I'm not sure. I did a little research and have read the "bad parts" on-line. The book would certainly not be censored by the secular world.

Overall I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it. It could be a great preaching tool for approaching a non-devotee. If any of my readers have read it I am curious to hear your reactions to this controversial piece of literature.

Sanatorium by SDG

Swami Swims medicates, I mean meditates, and all the subpersons slowly move on a muddy river. They come from his heart. They are different parts of himself.

. . .

There's my story, how I jumped out the window of a four-story building. I broke both my heels. The left ankle is still a cause of great dismay. Unfortunately, that's not a spiritual story, because all I had done before jumping out the window was read a karmi edition of the Isopanisad. It did give me the impression that there was no difference between matter and space, and so I could jump out the window and not be hurt. I also thought the afterlife was blue.

Satsvarupa das Goswami - Sanatorium

JOURNAL:

Ahh, fiction. We never know if the character is speaking or if the author is speaking through the character. Are the above sections a form of self confession? Is the first how our author feels about his writing? Is the second true, just a bad rumour, or made up out of whole cloth? We the reader will probably never know.

I do find it entertaining writing and that is the point of writing fiction; to entertain.

Sanatorium by SDG

Tim: "Yeah, but you weren't told you had a short lifeline."

Swami Swims: "Even if he told me I had a shorty, Prabhupada said that if you clapped your hands while chanting, all the lines can get rearranged."

Satsvarupa das Goswami - Sanatorium


JOURNAL:

The problem with fiction is that you never know if what you read is true or not. I have even read fiction that listed the author's qualifications after the story was over - and these were fictional too. So, take the above quote with a grain of salt. I would like to think Srila Prabhupada said something like that but I don't really know. What I do know is that I am enjoying Sanatorium very much.

I Read Banned Books

In the dream he fought hard against the mob. Always outwitting them as Billy the Kid in the Old West. Finally he was trapped by the biggest one with the knife. In desperation and sharp thinking he said, "If you come a step closer I'll wake up from this dream."

Satsvarupa das Goswami - Sanatorium



JOURNAL:

Growing up it was fashionable to read "banned books". Recently I ran across a copy of Satsvarupa das Goswami's book, Sanatorium, which was banned by ISKCON. Naturally, I have started reading it. I read his book of poetry, When the Saints Go Marching In, which is frowned on, if not banned itself, and enjoyed it very much. So now I have started Sanatorium.

S.D.G.'s writing has always been important me. I read the Japa Reform Notebook and discovered his journals early in life. He was the official biographer of Srila Prabhupada and an editor and contributing writer of Narada-Bhakti-Sutra. His textbook, Readings in Vedic Literature, is the best of its kind. I have read a lot of his work, be it poetry, instructional or fiction. I have also read his critics' complaints about him.

I myself will not judge a devotee of Lord Krishna. I know that his writing connects me to Prabhupada and Krishna, helps me with my japa and entertains me with its earthy connections. I can relate to the struggles he writes about and I don't mind him being human. In fact, it helps me.

SLOKA OF THE DAY:

Bhagavad Gita As It Is -
Chapter 18 Text 68
ya idam paramam guhyam
mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati
bhaktim mayi param krtva
mam evaisyaty asamsayah

yah--anyone who; idam--this; paramam--most; guhyam--confidential secret; mat--of Mine; bhaktesu--amongst devotees; abhidhasyati--explains; bhaktim--devotional service; mayi--unto Me; param--transcendental; krtva--doing; mam--unto Me; eva--certainly; esyati--comes; asamsayah--without doubt.

TRANSLATION

For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.

JOURNAL:

Srila Prabhupada lays out the standard in his purport that I try to follow when writing in this blog.

PURPORT

Generally it is advised that Bhagavad-gita be discussed amongst the devotees only, for those who are not devotees will understand neither Krsna nor Bhagavad-gita. Those who do not accept Krsna as He is and Bhagavad-gita as it is should not try to explain Bhagavad-gita whimsically and become offenders. Bhagavad-gita should be explained to persons who are ready to accept Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is a subject matter for the devotees only and not for philosophical speculators. Anyone, however, who tries sincerely to present Bhagavad-gita as it is will advance in devotional activities and reach the pure devotional state of life. As a result of such pure devotion, he is sure to go back home, back to Godhead.

SLOKA OF THE WEEK:

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta
Ādi 8.78
ei grantha lekhāya more 'madana-mohana'
āmāra likhana yena śukera paṭhana

ei — this; grantha — great literature; lekhāya — causes me to write; more — unto me; madana-mohana — the Deity; āmāra — my; likhana — writing; yena — like; śukera — of the parrot; paṭhana — responding.

TRANSLATION

Actually Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta is not my writing but the dictation of Śrī Madana-mohana. My writing is like the repetition of a parrot.

JOURNAL:

Srila Prabhupada writes at the begining of his purport; This should be the attitude of all devotees. When the Supreme Personality of Godhead recognizes a devotee, He gives him intelligence and dictates how he may go back home, back to Godhead. This is confirmed in Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā (10.10):

teṣāḿ satata-yuktānāḿ bhajatāḿ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaḿ taḿ yena mām upayānti te

"To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me."

He has also told us many times that to be a guru one must always repeat the words of the spiritual master and not interpet. I myself always pray that what I write here follows the "dictation" of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Sri Krishna.

SLOKA OF THE WEEK:

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.12.45-47
tasyoṣṇig āsīl lomabhyo
gāyatrī ca tvaco vibhoḥ
triṣṭum māḿsāt snuto 'nuṣṭub
jagaty asthnaḥ prajāpateḥ

majjāyāḥ pańktir utpannā
bṛhatī prāṇato 'bhavat


sparśas tasyābhavaj jīvaḥ
svaro deha udāhṛta
ūṣmāṇam indriyāṇy āhur
antaḥ-sthā balam ātmanaḥ
svarāḥ sapta vihāreṇa
bhavanti sma prajāpateḥ

TRANSLATION

Thereafter the art of literary expression, uṣṇik, was generated from the hairs on the body of the almighty Prajāpati. The principal Vedic hymn, gāyatrī, was generated from the skin, triṣṭup from the flesh, anuṣṭup from the veins, and jagatī from the bones of the lord of the living entities.

The art of writing verse, pańkti, became manifested from the bone marrow, and that of bṛhatī, another type of verse, was generated from the life-breath of the Lord of the living entities.

Brahmā's soul was manifested as the touch alphabets, his body as the vowels, his senses as the sibilant alphabets, his strength as the intermediate alphabets and his sensual activities as the seven notes of music.

PURPORT (SB 3.12.47)

In Sanskrit there are thirteen vowels and thirty-five consonants. The vowels are a, ā, i, ī, u, ū, ṛ, ṝ, ḷ, e, ai, o, au, and the consonants are ka, kha, ga, gha, etc. Amongst the consonants, the first twenty-five letters are called the sparśas. There are also four antaḥ-sthas. Of the ūṣmas there are three s's, called tālavya, mūrdhanya and dantya. The musical notes are ṣa, ṛ, gā, ma, dha, and ni. All these sound vibrations are originally called śabda-brahma, or spiritual sound. It is said, therefore, that Brahmā was created in the Mahā-kalpa as the incarnation of spiritual sound. The Vedas are spiritual sound, and therefore there is no need of material interpretation as they are, although they are symbolically represented with letters which are known to us materially. In the ultimate issue there is nothing material because everything has its origin in the spiritual world. The material manifestation is therefore called illusion in the proper sense of the term. For those who are realized souls there is nothing but spirit.

SLOKA OF THE WEEK:

Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta
Ādi 7.106
prabhu kahe, vedānta-sūtra īśvara-vacana
vyāsa-rūpe kaila yāhā śrī-nārāyaṇa

prabhu kahe — the Lord began to speak; vedānta-sūtra — the philosophy of Vedanta-sūtra; īśvara-vacana — spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vyāsa-rūpe — in the form of Vyāsadeva; kaila — He has made; yāhā — whatever; śrī-nārāyaṇa — the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

TRANSLATION

The Lord said, "Vedānta philosophy consists of words spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Nārāyaṇa in the form of Vyāsadeva.

JOURNAL:

I just finished reading "Inside the Hare Krishna Movement", by Mukunda Goswami. In this book he points out this sloka, and Srila Prabhupada's purport, as important instructions for would be writers.

"A sūtra is a compilation of aphorisms that expresses the essence of all knowledge in a minimum of words. It must be universally applicable and faultless in its linguistic presentation." Anyone familiar with such sūtras must be aware of the Vedānta-sūtra, which is well known among scholars by the following additional names: (1) Brahma-sūtra, (2) Śārīraka, (3) Vyāsa-sūtra, (4) Bādarāyaṇa-sūtra, (5) Uttara mīmāḿsā and (6) Vedānta-darśana.

There are four chapters (adhyāyas) in the Vedānta-sūtra, and there are four divisions (pādas) in each chapter. Therefore the Vedānta-sūtra may be referred to as ṣoḍaśa-pāda, or sixteen divisions of aphorisms. The theme of each and every division is fully described in terms of five different subject matters (adhikaraṇas), which are technically called pratijñā, hetu, udāharaṇa, upanaya and nigamana. Every theme must necessarily be explained with reference to pratijñā, or a solemn declaration of the purpose of the treatise. The solemn declaration given in the beginning of the Vedānta-sūtra is athāto brahma jijñāsā, which indicates that this book was written with the solemn declaration to inquire about the Absolute Truth. Similarly, reasons must be expressed (hetu), examples must be given in terms of various facts (udāharaṇa), the theme must gradually be brought nearer for understanding (upanaya), and finally it must be supported by authoritative quotations from the Vedic śāstras (nigamana).

As I understand the above purport, when writing on spiritual themes I should 1) tell the audience what I am going to write about, 2) tell them why the subject is important, 3) give pratical examples, 4) develope my theme, and 5) support the theme with quotes from scripture. I find this good advice and will try to follow these instructions in future articles that I may write.

C.S. Lewis - Apologist

"You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."

"Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable."

"God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."
-C. S. Lewis

Clive Staples Lewis is known these days for his children's stories, The Chronicles of Narnia. People seem to have forgotten that he was one of the greatest Christian Apologists of the modern era. He taught at Oxford University and, for many years, had a radio show on the B.B.C. that was very popular. Most of the episodes are now collected in small books that can be hard to find although some, like his famous Mere Christianity, are still in print and selling very well.

Mr. Lewis had a huge impact on me as a young man. I own many of his books and always wished that I could hear some of those old radio shows. One day I sat down to search for them and found out that only one episode had survived. In fact, there are only two recordings of his voice that I could find.

So, in tribute to the only other philosopher besides Srila Prabhupada whose books I have collected, here is the only surviving episode of Beyond Personality. It originally aired on March 21, 1944. The talks in this series were collected in a small book by the same name and published in 1945.