Welcome

THIS ISSUE we visit the temple of Ranchor Rāya in western India, where Lord Kṛṣṅa is lovingly remembered for once having fled from battle, apparently out of fear. Of course, Lord Kṛṣṅa is never afraid of anything; His apparent desertion served several purposes, especially His desire to attend to a confidential letter from Rukmiṅī, His first wife.

Unlike Lord Kṛṣṅa, we’re subject to fear, especially today, in light of the recent terrorist attacks in the United States. In “How Scared Should You Be?” Arcana-siddhī Devī Dāsī writes about how she’s dealing with fear and how we can take help from the Vedic literature to feel safe in higher knowledge.

Overcoming fear of bodily harm through philosophy is one thing. But what about the fear of failure in spiritual life? With his characteristic insight, Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami takes on this topic in “Facing Our Reality, Living With Our Ideals.”

Generally, the ultimate thing we fear is death. But devotees of Kṛṣṅa, assured of a better destination, tend to approach death with calm. In “Where to Die?” Sārvabhauma Dāsa gives some examples of ISKCON devotees who passed away fearlessly in the loving company of fellow servants of the Lord.

Hare Kṛṣṅa.—Nāgarāja Dāsa, Editor

Our Purposes

• To help all people discern reality from illusion, spirit from matter, the eternal from the temporary. • To expose the faults of materialism. • To offer guidance in the Vedic techniques of spiritual life. • To preserve and spread the Vedic culture. • To celebrate the chanting of the holy names of God as taught by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. • To help every living being remember and serve Śrī Kṛṣṅa, the Personality of Godhead.