Śāstrīya Śraddhā

Śrīla Prabhupāda

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Śrīla Prabhupāda

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Issues in 1997

6

Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 19971997 / #31-01 / 21 articles Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 19971997 / #31-02 / 21 articles Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 19971997 / #31-03 / 24 articles Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 19971997 / #31-04 / 20 articles Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 19971997 / #31-05 / 23 articles Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 19971997 / #31-06 / 21 articles

Articles

130

From the Editor1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997Arch Enemy: Mc-Cow-Killer Comes to India THE PEOPLE WHO’VE served cow flesh to billions, beneath golden arches around the world, have now come to the land where the cow is sacred. And they’re being ever so careful to be Letters1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997The Position of Lord Siva Jayādvaita Swami’s critique of Prithvi Raj Singh’s resolution [Is Back to Godhead an Offender?” January/February 1996] needs some in-depth comments. I consider myself lower than a servant of the The Soul of The Universe1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997How to understand the universe as the external body of God. A lecture given in Los Angeles, October 5, 1972 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Lessons from the Road1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997The Mysterious Incarnations By Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami THE OTHER DAY I was reading the Bhāgavatam and I came upon this verse: “Whoever carefully recites the mysterious appearances of the Lord with devotion in the morning Lord Kṛṣṅa's Cuisine1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997Cooking Class: Lesson 28 Chidwa Nibblers By Yamuna Devi In AMERICA, EUROPE, and elsewhere in the West, grocery shelves are loaded with varieties of potato chips, popcorn, pretzels, and tortilla chips, available plain, fl Bhakti-yoga at Home

1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997A Visit to a Hare Kṛṣṅa Temple By Rohiṅīnandana Dāsa MOST HARE KṚṢṄA temples have rooms where guests are welcome to stay for a few days. What lodgings are available will differ from temple to temple. To arrange for your

The Land, the Cows, and Kṛṣṅa1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 19971997—The Year of the Ox by Hare Kṛṣṅa Devī Dāsī ACCORDING TO the East Asian calendar, 1997 is the Year of the Ox. And as one devotee has put it, “Ox power is fifty percent of cow protection, because bulls are fifty perce

Tractor1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997TractorOx Power vs. Tractor PowerOxPLOWING SPEED• 1 tractor with a 5-bottom plow: 20 acres a day. • 1 super tractor with a 12-bottom plow: 80 acres a day. • 1 team of 2 oxen pulling a single-bottom plow: 1 acre a day. •

India’s Heritage1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997Fasting and Feasting for the Soul By Ravi Gupta FASTING IS AS POPULAR as feasting in India. Almost every day of the week is dedicated to a fast for some deity, generally for a material purpose—to get wealth, to cure a si

Schooling Kṛṣṅa's Children1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997Loving Our Children By Ūrmilā Devī Dāsī HERE IN THE material world it’s easy to become absorbed in attachment and love for our family, especially our children, and forget about loving God, Kṛṣṅa. We often see a child’s p

Celebrating Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997A 16th-Century Bengali Masterpiece By Kālakaṅṭha Dāsa BY ANY STANDARDS, Caitanya Mahāprabhu led a most remarkable life. As a child-scholar, He refuted the leading philosophers of His day. Later, as a young renunciant, He

Kṛṣṅadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī:1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997Empowered Biographer of the Lord THE AUTHOR OF Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Kṛṣṅadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, born around the beginning of the sixteenth century, was a disciple of Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī, a confidential follower o

Mahābhārata—The History of Greater India1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997Draupadī Marries The Five Pāṅḍavas “In order of age, and on successive days, each royal prince took the hand of that excellent woman, who had assumed a form of supreme beauty.” Translated from Sanskrit by Hridayānanda Dā

Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997“Science”: Dogmatic Foolishness From Advanced Demons This exchange between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and some of his disciples took place in Māyāpur, India, on January 16, 1976. Śrīla Prabhupād

Calendar Close-Up Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997Disappearance Day: February 11 Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura was born in 1674 in the Nadiyā district of West Bengal. He had two brothers: Śrī Rāmabhadra Cakravartī and Śrī Raghunātha Cakravartī. Viśvanātha received

Every Town & Village1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997The worldwide activities of the International Society for Krishna consciousness (ISKCON) Festivals For Śrīla Prabhupāda’s Appearance Day Devotees at ISKCON centers around the world held festivals on September 5–6 for the

Angels in Hell1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997A visit to the Hare Kṛṣṅa devotees in Sarajevo in the aftermath of the Bosnian war. By Indradyumna Swami APPROACHING Sarajevo from the west through the mountains, we first drove through the suburbs of the city. As in man

The Vedic Observer1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997Transcendental Commentary on the Issues of the Day News Flash: Intelligent Life Discovered On Earth Historical Developments 2nd Century—Ptolemy declares Earth and humanity the center of the universe. 1600—Galileo uses te

Lord Kṛṣṅa Is Above All Others1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997The heart of the idea that “all the gods are one” is impersonalism, not what Kṛṣṅa teaches. In 1995, Back to Godhead published a series of articles on the demigods. Last year, in our January/February issue, we printed an

Calendar Close-up1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997Śrīla Locana Dāsa Ṭhākura Appearance Day: January 10 Śrīla Locana Dāsa Ṭhākura was born in a brāhmaṅa family near Katwa, West Bengal, in 1520. Locana Dāsa’s father’s name was Śrī Kamalākāra Dāsa, and his mother’s name wa

Vedic Thoughts1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-01, 1997Sometimes during war, soldiers keep their enemies in concentration camps and kill them in very cruel ways. These are reactions brought about by unrestricted animal-killing in the slaughterhouse and by hunters in the fore

Statement of Purposes1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 19971. To help all people discern reality from illusion, spirit from matter, the eternal from the temporary. 2. To expose the faults of materialism. 3. To offer guidance in the Vedic techniques of spiritual life. 4. To prese

From the Editor1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997The Taj Mahal: Enduring Monument to Love IN MORE THAN twenty-five years of coming to India, I’d never seen the Taj Mahal—never had a desire to or a reason to. But when my mother came on her first-ever trip to India, how

Letters1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997Less Work for Doctors I am a regular reader of the magazine Back to Godhead. As a health person, I feel that at present human beings are going through the phase of Intense Turmoil. On one hand a small percentage of peopl

How to Approach a Spritiual Master1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997Lord Kṛṣṅa gives three requirements for one seeking enlightenment from a self-realized soul. A lecture given in New York on August 14, 1966 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Founder-Ācārya of the In

Remembering Śrīla Prabhupāda1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997By Śrutakīrti Dāsa September 8, 1972—ISKCON Pittsburgh This is my first full day as Śrīla Prabhupāda's personal servant. My total training consisted of getting to watch Sudāmā Mahārāja give one massage, and being told, “

Lessons from the Road1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997Accepting Suffering By Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami THOUGH THE Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam assures us that if we inquire into the Absolute Truth we will not suffer repeated birth and death, it does not guarantee that in this life we wi

Lord Kṛṣṅa's Cuisine1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997Cooking Class: Lesson 29 Indian Sweets and Words From a Vaiṣṅavī Halvai By Yamuna Devi THANKS TO Śrīla Prabhupāda, today we can sample sweets of the Vedic tradition mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta

Schooling Kṛṣṅa's Children1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997Why Children Misbehave By Ūrmilā Devī Dāsī WHY DO CHILDREN disobey or get into mischief? We might assume they’re simply rebellious, but that’s rarely the case. Let’s discuss some possible causes of misbehavior. The Lower

The Land, the Cows, and Kṛṣṅa1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997Growing Children in the Garden By Harakāntā Devī Dāsī FOR A DEVOTEE, gardening means raising crops to offer Kṛṣṅa. Of all the things we grow in the garden—fruits, flowers, vegetables—I think the best “crop” is our childr

India’s Heritage1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997Let Lord Rāma Reign Today By Ravi Gupta RĀMA-RĀJYA. The word strikes a note in almost every Indian’s heart. Rāma-rājya was the ideal kingdom of Lord Rāmacandra, Lord Kṛṣṅa's incarnation as the ideal king. Lord Rāma ruled

Book Distribution1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997Some Firsts in the Far East By Dhruvanātha Dāsa WHILE I AND OTHER devotees were spreading Kṛṣṅa consciousness in Nepal in the early 1980s, we decided that since the country was the world’s last surviving Hindu kingdom, t

Bhakti-yoga at Home1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997Please Accept My Obeisances By Rohiṅīnandana Dāsa WHEN I FIRST visited a Hare Kṛṣṅa temple, one of the first things to strike me was the word obeisance. I didn’t really understand the meaning of what sounded like a stran

With Kṛṣṅa Among the Arabs1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997In the 1980s, devotees of Kṛṣṅa in Israel were surprised to find many Arabs eager to learn about Kṛṣṅa consciousness. By Dhīra Govinda Dāsa THOUGH I’D BEEN SPREADING Kṛṣṅa consciousness in Israel for several years, I’d r

Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997Rascals Think, “I Can Deceive God.” Here we conclude an exchange between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and some disciples that took place in Māyāpur, India, on January 16, 1976. Śrīla Prabhupāda: T

Spiritual Places1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997A Prophecy Unfolds in Brazil Devotees at Nova Gokula are demonstrating how man can co-exist with nature and prosper while conserving natural resources. By Kālakaṅṭha Dāsa ACCEPTING KṚṢṄA consciousness as the goal of life

Living Off the Land in Kṛṣṅa Consciousness1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997Jīvoddhāraṅa Dāsa has a degree in sustainable farming methods. After joining Iskcon in 1980, he served in both city and farm temples for more than a decade before moving to Nova Gokula in 1993. Determined to farm in Kṛṣṅ

The City of Nine Gates1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997An allegory from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam sheds light on the mind/body connection. By Drutakarmā Dāsa This article was originally presented at “Toward a Science of Consciousness,” an international conference attended by lea

Mahābhārata—The History of Greater India1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997Karṅa Wants War Duryodhana and Karṅa advise Dhṛtarāṣṭra how to get rid of the Pāṅḍavas. Translated from Sanskrit by Hridayānanda Dāsa Goswami The sage Vaiśampāyana is telling the history of the Pāṅḍavas to their great-gr

Every Town & Village1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997The worldwide activities of the International Society for Krishna consciousness (ISKCON) North America An ISKCON leader presented two papers at the annual convention of the American Academy of Religion, the largest body

Calendar Close-up1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997Śrī Kṛṣṅa Vasanta Rāsa Lord Kṛṣṅa's Springtime Rāsa Dance: April 22 Lord Kṛṣṅa's dancing with his gopī (cowherd) girlfriends is probably the most misunderstood of all His transcendental pastimes. In Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Pe

Vedic Thoughts1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-02, 1997Whatever a person may be in the estimation of the social order of things, if a person tries to reciprocate a feeling of love towards the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is satisfied with the blessings of the Lord, he

Śrīla Prabhupāda in Jaipur1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997An excerpt from Śrīla Prabhupāda-līlāmṛta by Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami January 12, 1972 Some of Jaipur’s prominent citizens had devised a plan to share expenses and responsibilities in arranging a paṅḍāl* program . … At Śr

From the Editor1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997The Dolly Follies Questions and Answers about Human Cloning Can they clone a human being? They can. They will. They may already have. Does a clone have a soul? Yes. A clone has consciousness, and consciousness means soul

Letters1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997Cow-Killing and Karma I would just like to thank you for that wonderful article by Jayādvaita Swami “Mc–Cow-Killer Comes to India” (Jan./Feb. ’97). Clear and to the point. We hope BTG will print more articles in the futu

Carry Kṛṣṅa Within Your Heart1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997Pure devotees of the Lord can make any place pure, because they are always in His company. A lecture given in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 1, 1974 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Founder-Ācārya of

Lessons from the Road1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997Prabhupāda's Kṛṣṅa By Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami ALTHOUGH AGNOSTICS and atheists often speculate that God is dead, Śrīla Prabhupāda said the pure devotee can hand us Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is the property of the pure devotee, and if

Lord Kṛṣṅa's Cuisine1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997Cooking Class: Lesson 30 Quick and Easy Sweets By Yamuna Devi THIRTY YEARS AGO India’s classic sweets were unknown to most people in the world. Today, thanks to Śrīla Prabhupāda, millions have sampled them at ISKCON cent

Remembering Śrīla Prabhupāda1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997The Fragrance of Kṛṣṅa One evening while in his garden in New Dwarka (Los Angeles temple), Śrīla Prabhupāda looked into the sky and said, “So, is the sky the color of Kṛṣṅa?” A disciple said, “In your Kṛṣṅa book it says

Schooling Kṛṣṅa's Children1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997A Day in the Māyāpur Preschool. By Rādhā-priyā Devī Dāsī BEFORE I JOINED ISKCON I was a kindergarten teacher in Zurich. I vividly remember one boy who used to come to school with a red cape around his shoulders and proud

India’s Heritage1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997Not Religion But Sanātana-Dharma By Shrikumar Poddar SOMEONE ASKED ME, “Are you a Hindu?” I: Do you have some time? He: Why do you ask? I: If you are in a hurry I will say I am a Hindu. But if you have some time, then I

Śrīla Prabhupāda on Sanātana-Dharma1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997From Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Introduction THE ENGLISH WORD religion is a little different from sanātana-dharma. Religion conveys the idea of faith, and faith may change. One may have faith in a particular process, and he

Bhakti-yoga at Home1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997Words of Love By Rohiṅīnandana Dāsa AFTER PERFORMING kīrtana, the congregational chanting of the Lord’s holy names, devotees customarily bow their heads to the floor to offer obeisances to the Lord and His representative

Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997Avoiding Māyā’s Traps This exchange between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and some of his disciples took place in Seattle, Washington, on October 14, 1968, at the close of a lecture on Bhagavad-gīt

Spiritual Places1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997The Treasure of the City of Victory In Jaipur, the capital of “the Land of Kings,” Lord Kṛṣṅa is the center of devotion. By Viśākhā-priyā Devī Dāsī WHILE VISITING JAIPUR, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan (“th

Govindajī’s Original Home1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997Though now worshiped with great devotion in Jaipur, the Govindajī Deity appeared in Vṛndāvana, and His devotees there keep Him within their hearts. By Padma Nabha Goswami THE GOVINDAJĪ DEITY of Jaipur was originally inst

Mahābhārata—The History of Greater India1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997Wise Advice from the Kuru Elders Bhīṣma, Droṅa and Vidura advise Dhṛtarāṣṭra to make peace with the Pāṅḍavas. Translated from Sanskrit by Hridayānanda Dāsa Goswami The sage Vaiśampāyana is telling the history of the Pāṅḍ

Every Town & Village1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997The worldwide activities of the International Society for Krishna consciousness (ISKCON) North America ISKCON’s trekking swami completed his trans-Canada walk in December. Canadian-born Bhakti Mārga Swami started from Va

Time for Kṛṣṅa1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997In the use of our time —our life—we should give priority to the supreme cause, Kṛṣṅa. By Girirāja Swami TIME … “Time I am, the great destroyer of the worlds,” says Lord Kṛṣṅa, “and I have come here to destroy all people.

For Children: Easy Entrance into the Best of Books1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997Now young readers have a lavishly illustrated volume of “The Beautiful Bhāgavatam” just for them. Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation, with commentary, of the eighteen-thousand-verse Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is perhaps his greatest

Dhritarashtra’s Liberation1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997An excerpt from Illustrated Bhagavatam Stories, Chapter 4 When Dhritarashtra was conceived in the womb of Queen Ambalika by the sage Śrīla Vyasadeva, whose body was frightfully old, the terrified queen closed her eyes in

Over the Edge1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997A terrifying fall inspires renewed conviction in the real value of human life. By Sāmba Dāsa Varāhavana Āśrama, Western Ghats, South India Late monsoon season, 1996 IT WAS A DIM AND WET morning. I could make out the silh

Śikṣāṣṭaka 31997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu tṛṅād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṅunā amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ More humble than a blade of grass, as tolerant as a tree, To think, “All praise belongs to others, none belong

Book Distribution1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997Something Worth Hearing By Navīna Nīrada Dāsa HERE ARE SOME experiences and realizations of devotees who give people Kṛṣṅa consciousness by giving them books by Śrīla Prabhupāda and his followers. I start with an experie

The Land, the Cows, and Kṛṣṅa1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997The Vedic Solution to World Hunger By Hare Kṛṣṅa Devī Dāsī LAST NOVEMBER the World Food Summit in Rome tried to figure out how to feed the world’s 840 million chronically hungry people. The meeting’s secretary general, D

Vedic Thoughts1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-03, 1997At the present moment the human society teaches one to love his country or family or his personal self, but there is no information where to repose the loving propensity so that everyone can become happy. That missing po

Art Showcase—Windows to the Spiritual World1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997Ādi Śaṅkarācārya Meditates on the Spiritual World The Śiva Purāṅa and the Padma Purāṅa explain that Lord Śiva appeared as Ādi Śaṅkarācārya (A.D. 788–820) on the order of Lord Viṣṅu. Śaṅkarācārya’s mission was to bring pe

From the Editor1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997Predictions of the Next World War ASTROLOGERS, WE’VE HEARD, are predicting a forthcoming war. If we believe accounts passed on from a well-reputed star-reader in Jaipur, the next world war is on its way. Expect conflicts

Letters1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997How I Came to Kṛṣṅa Consciousness In 1978 my family attended a tent campaign conducted by the Hare Kṛṣṅa devotees. Our village was in a rural area. I was four years old. That night was very wonderful. The atmosphere was

Purify Your Existence1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997Lord Kṛṣṅa provides everything we need to bring the spiritual world into our lives. A lecture given in Mumbai, India, on September 25, 1973 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Founder-Ācārya of the In

Lessons from the Road1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997“Even at the Risk of Death” by Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami We Are Pleasure-Seeking beings. When a member of a Mexican metaphysical society asked Śrīla Prabhupāda, “Why is there anything?” Prabhupāda said, simply, that everyt

Lord Kṛṣṅa's Cuisine1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997Cooking Class: Lesson 31 Halavā Prasādam By Yamuna Devi INDIAN-STYLE halavā bears little resemblance to the Middle Eastern halavah confection made from honey and crushed sesame seeds. Indian halavā is sweet, succulent, a

India’s Heritage1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997Knowledge and Devotion By Ravi Gupta A NEW INDIAN GUEST at a recent Sunday feast at our center here in Boise, Idaho, remarked, “Oh yes, I know about the Hare Kṛṣṅa philosophy. It’s a simplified, sentimental process of ch

Schooling Kṛṣṅa's Children1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997Children and Pets By Ūrmilā Devī Dāsī A BOY AND HIS DOG, at least in America, is a symbol of friendship and of healthy psychological development. Śrīla Prabhupāda, however, said that keeping pet dogs is a symptom of how

Bhakti-yoga at Home1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997The Importance of Association By Rohiṅīnandana Dāsa TO ILLUSTRATE the supreme value of spiritual association, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes, “As fire is kindled from wood by another fire, the divine consciousness of man can si

The Land, the Cows, and Kṛṣṅa1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997An Ox? What’s That? By Hare Kṛṣṅa Devī Dāsī WE CAN LEARN A LOT about history and the people writing it by keeping tuned to what is not being said. Applying this principle, we can see why Westerners have such trouble unde

Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997“Since When Have You Westerners Accepted the Teachings of Christ?” This exchange between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and Carol Cameron, then a master’s candidate in anthropology, took place in Pe

The Sound of One Monk Walking1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997"Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare ..." by Bhaktimārga Swami ON APRIL 12, 1996, I touched the Pacific Ocean in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, turned around to

Mahābhārata—The History of Greater India1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997The Pāṅḍavas Get a Kingdom By the power of their virtue, the sons of Kuntī build a heavenly kingdom on earth. Translated from Sanskrit by Hridayānanda Dāsa Goswami The sage Vaiśampāyana is telling the history of the Pāṅḍ

Every Town & Village1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997The worldwide activities of the International Society for Krishna consciousness (ISKCON) United States BTG columnist Ravi Gupta received an honorable mention by the newspaper USA Today in its “All-USA ’97” college academ

Departures1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997The American poet Allen Ginsberg passed away last April in New York City at the age of seventy. By taking part in Śrīla Prabhupāda's early kīrtanas in New York, Mr. Ginsberg had helped draw attention to the fledgling Har

The Sense of Kindness1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997The Vedic king Rantideva showed what realization is required for true compassion. By Dvārakādhīśa Devī Dāsī WHAT WOULD modern-day social services make of a man who gives away the food meant for his own children to satisf

Science Exact Science In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997A unit of measure known as the yojana hints at advanced astronomical knowledge in the ancient Vedic civilization. By Sadāpūta Dāsa AN ENCYCLOPEDIA article states that in early times length was defined by the breadth of t

Coming to Kṛṣṅa1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997The Search for the Saintly Pilgrims “I felt as if those monks were kindred spirits, as if I had been there myself at some distant forgotten time.” By Phalinī Devī Dāsī ON A CRISP, sunny October morning in 1958 I sat in m

Calendar Close-up1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997Lokanātha Gosvāmī Disappearance Day: July 27 Lokanātha Gosvāmī was a direct associate and pure devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. From early childhood he had no interest in family life. One day, while still an adolescen

Vedic Thoughts1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-04, 1997According to our time scale, 4,320,000,000 years constitute only twelve hours of Brahmā, and Brahmā lives one hundred of his years. Yet the whole life of Brahmā is contained within one breath of Mahā-Viṣṅu. That Mahā-Viṣ

Statement of Purposes1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 19971. To help all people discern reality from illusion, spirit from matter, the eternal from the temporary. 2. To expose the faults of materialism. 3. To offer guidance in the Vedic techniques of spiritual life. 4. To prese

From the Editor1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997Mars Bars: Why Mars? Why indeed? SO NOW WE’RE HEADED for Mars. Forget the moon. Mars is the place to go. But why? Hey, we’re exploring, we’re questing for knowledge, we’re searching for signs of life out there. It’s scie

Bangalore1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997The President of India, Dr. Shanker Dayal Sharma, Opens New Cultural Center On May 31, the President of India gave this address at the Inauguration of the Centre for Advancement of Culture of the International Society fo

Letters1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997Keep Up the Standard Around June 1, 1974, I received a letter from Śrīla Prabhupāda in which he wrote, “I have just received a copy of BTG 62, and I wish to express to you how pleased I am with the layout and design of t

The Taste of Kṛṣṅa1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997The Supreme Lord reveals Himself to us through His countless energies. A lecture given in Mumbai, India, on February 23, 1974 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Founder-Ācārya of the International So

Remembering Śrīla Prabhupāda1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997A Beautiful Quality May 1975—Perth, Australia Śrīla Prabhupāda was meeting with a professor, speaking very strongly about different classes of human beings. Paramahaṁsa Mahārāja and I were sitting in the room relishing o

Lessons from the Road1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997Simplify, Simplify, Simplify By Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami IN THE SECOND CANTO of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śukadeva Gosvāmī criticizes those who pursue material life and have no desire to inquire into self-realization, and althou

Lord Kṛṣṅa's Cuisine1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997Yamuna’s Table on Fox Creek By Yamuna Devi I’M WRITING MY COLUMN from the same desk and computer, but in a new place. After ten years in Washington, D.C., I have moved to Washington state’s Skagit Valley, worlds away fro

India’s Heritage1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997Nowhere to Hide By Ravi Gupta ONE DAY A COLLEGE student came up to me and said, “You know, what I like about India and Indian culture is that they face the miseries of life head-on. While we in the West try to hide from

Schooling Kṛṣṅa's Children1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997The Parent-Teacher Partnership By Ūrmilā Devī Dāsī FOR MILLENNIA, parents sending their sons to school were also turning them over to a guru, not just to be a student but to be a disciple. The boy was expected not only t

The Vedic Observer1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997Transcendental Commentary on the Issues of the Day Frantic Antics by Dvārakādhīśa Devī Dāsī THEIR CIVILIZATION seemed to develop out of nothing; one could easily remember a time when the land was undistinguished by their

Euthanasia: Ending the Pain?1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997by Mukunda Goswami TODAY, traditional concepts of suicide and homicide have become blurred by phrases like “mercy killing” and “doctor-assisted suicide.” In 1996 Australia’s Northern Territory legalized voluntary euthana

The Art of Puṣkara Dāsa1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997A painter discovers that art finds its perfection in the glorification of the Supreme Lord. PUBLISHING and distributing Vedic literature was the foundation of Śrīla Prabhupāda's plan to spread Kṛṣṅa consciousness all ove

Coming to Kṛṣṅa1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997Memories and Reflections on The Power Of The Holy Name Though seemingly chance encounters, the holy name of the Lord gradually brings light to a struggling soul. By Viśākhā-priyā Devī Dāsī CAMBRIDGE MASSACHUSSETTS, USA.

Calendar Close-up1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura Appearance Day: September 15 Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, a great spiritual teacher and devotee in the disciplic line of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, was the father of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasva

The Land, the Cows, and Kṛṣṅa1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997Comfort for the Cows By Hare Kṛṣṅa Devī Dāsī ŚRĪLA PRABHUPĀDA writes in a purport to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.8.16), “[Kṛṣṅa's] first business is to give all comfort to the cows and the brāhmaṅas. In fact, comfort for t

Mahābhārata—The History of Greater India1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997Arjuna’s Exile Having overstepped an agreement among the Pāṅḍava brothers, Arjuna leaves for the forest. Translated from Sanskrit by Hridayānanda Dāsa Goswami The sage Vaiśampāyana is telling the history of the Pāṅḍavas

Every Town & Village1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997The worldwide activities of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) World News India Thousands of devotees from India, Russia, Europe, America, Australia, and South Africa took part, at the end of Ma

Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997“Blind Surrender to God Will Not Last” Here we continue an exchange that took place in Perth, Australia, on May 9, 1975, between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and Carol Cameron, then a doctoral can

Bhakti-yoga at Home1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997Caring for Guests By Rohiṅīnandana Dāsa SOMETIMES WHEN my family and I prepare for the arrival of guests, our home becomes a flurry of activity. We all like to take part in some way. As we clean, cook, decorate, put flow

A Glorious Day For Gujarat1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997ISKCON opens a grand new temple in Ahmedabad. By Yaśomatīnandana Dāsa BY THE PURE desire and blessings of Śrīla Prabhupāda, the Ahmedabad ISKCON center, which started in a humble rented space, now has one of the largest

Science1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997Divine Nature Practical application of Vedic ethical principles can solve the environmental crisis. By Drutakarmā Dāsa Presented at Synthesis of Science and Religion, a conference sponsored by the Bhaktivedanta Institute

Vedic Thoughts1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-05, 1997Anyone whose work is not meant to elevate him to religious life, anyone whose religious ritualistic performances do not raise him to renunciation, and anyone situated in renunciation that does not lead him to devotional

Statement of Purposes1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 19971. To help all people discern reality from illusion, spirit from matter, the eternal from the temporary. 2. To expose the faults of materialism. 3. To offer guidance in the Vedic techniques of spiritual life. 4. To prese

From the Editor1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997Who Is This Magazine For? WHO IS BACK TO GODHEAD meant for? Is it a magazine just for Kṛṣṅa devotees? Or for a broader Kṛṣṅa conscious congregation? Or is it for everbody? Or what? As the editor, here’s how I think of it

Letters1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997Good Reminder The article by Sāmba Dāsa [May/June] about his near-death experience is remarkable for its description of how he was able to remember Kṛṣṅa and how Kṛṣṅa responded by protecting him completely. It reminds u

Calendar Close-up1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997Gītā Jayanti December10—The anniversary of the day on which Lord Kṛṣṅa spoke the Bhagavad-gītā The following verses from the Bhagavad-gītā (10.8–11) are known as the “nutshell” verses of the Gītā, because they contain th

Activity in Liberation1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997Action takes on its true purpose for a person with realized knowledge. A lecture given in London on August 24, 1971 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for

Lessons from the Road1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997Two Energies, Two Choices By Satsvarūpa Dāsa Goswami LORD KṚṢṄA HAS two energies, material and spiritual, but they can be used interchangeably if one knows how. Just as the same electricity can be used to heat or cool a

Lord Kṛṣṅa's Cuisine1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997Cooking Class: Lesson 32 Sandeśa: King of Bengali Sweets By Yamuna Devi IN 1971, MY SECOND YEAR living in India, I chanced upon a small tan paperback entitled Bengal Sweets. The author, Mrs. J. Haldar, dedicates her work

Book Distribution1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997A Wonderful Service Compiled by Navīna Nīrada Dāsa HERE ARE SOME experiences and realizations of devotees who give people Kṛṣṅa consciousness by giving them books by Śrīla Prabhupāda and his followers. Staying Humble Dis

India’s Heritage1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997Good Names By Ravi Gupta WHEN MY FATHER showed me my genealogy table and I read over the names of my great-grandfathers and -grandmothers, I noticed a trend: they were all names of Lord Kṛṣṅa, His expansions, and His ass

Schooling Kṛṣṅa's Children1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997Nourishment for Parents and Teachers By Ūrmilā Devī Dāsī ONCE, SOME WEEKS went by when Śrīla Prabhupāda was not writing as much as usual. When a disciple asked him if something was wrong, Prabhupāda replied that every en

Śrīla Prabhupāda Speaks Out1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997“No one—Not Even Darwin—Can Be Independent” Here we continue an exchange that took place in Perth, Australia, on May 9, 1975, between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and Carol Cameron, then a doctora

Bangalore's New Beacon of Vedic Culture1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997ISKCON’s new temple in South India blends modern and traditional architecture, hinting at ISKCON’s aim of teaching eternal Vedic truths in the modern age. On May 31 this year, the Hare Kṛṣṅa movement opened a magnificent

Project Profile1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997Archiving ISKCON Films Here’s a Kṛṣṅa conscious project you might like to support or get involved in. Location Los Angeles Project Manager Yaduvara Dāsa The History From the time Śrīla Prabhupāda came to America, profess

Mahābhārata—The History of Greater India1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997The Kidnapping of Princess Subhadrā Encouraged by Lord Kṛṣṅa, Arjuna takes a bride in the chivalrous way of a warrior. Translated from Sanskrit by Hridayānanda Dāsa Goswami The sage Vaiśampāyana is telling the history of

Every Town & Village1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997The worldwide activities of the International Society for Krishna consciousness (ISKCON) Worldwide November 4 marks the twentieth anniversary of the departure of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, foun

Departures1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997VILĀSINĪ DEVĪ DĀSĪ, a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda's, passed away last July in London, of cancer. Vilāsinī joined ISKCON in 1970. She served as an indexer for the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust in New York in the early seventi

The Life of King Kulaśekhara1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997One of the chief saints of the Śrī Vaiṣṅava tradition of South India By Śyāmasundara Dāsa THE NAME OF King Kulaśekhara is well known to followers of Śrīla Prabhupāda. Prabhupāda used to relish the Mukunda-mālā-stotra, wr

Science1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997Advanced Astronomy In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam This ancient Vedic text gives an accurate map of the planetary orbits known to modern astronomy. By Sadāpūta Dāsa TODAY WE TAKE for granted that the earth is a sphere, but the

Bhakti-yoga at Home1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997Why and How to Pray By Rohiṅīnandana Dāsa I REMEMBER PEEPING as a small boy around the edge of the door to my father’s room. I would see him kneeling in front of a chair, his elbows resting on the seat, his hands clasped

The Land, the Cows, and Kṛṣṅa1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997Offerings from Mother Earth By Hare Kṛṣṅa Devī Dāsī IN THE Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (4.19.8) Śrīla Prabhupāda notes, “Although the earth’s ground is the same, different tastes arise due to different kinds of seeds.” What a mira

Vedic Thoughts1997 / Back to Godhead Magazine #31-06, 1997Kṛṣṅa is all-attractive, but pure devotional service attracts even Him. This means that pure devotional service is even transcendentally stronger than Kṛṣṅa Himself, because it is Kṛṣṅa's internal potency. His Divine Gra