A Newsletter from His

Holiness Bhakti Tirtha

Swami

person is said to be

still further advanced

when he regards all
the honest well-wisher, friends and
enemies, the envious, the pious, the
sinner and those who are indifferent
and impartialwith an equal mind.
(Bhagavad-gita 6.9) There are
different kinds of friends. There is suhrt, who is by nature a
well-wisher and is always desiring ones welfare. Mitra refers
to an ordinary friend, and udasina is one who is neutral. In
this material world someone may be my well-wisher, friend or
neither friend nor enemy but neutral. Someone else may serve
as a mediator between me and my enemies, and in this verse he
is called madhya-stha. One may also see someone as pious and
another as sinful according to his own calculations. But when
he is situated in transcendence, all of thesefriends,
enemies or whatevercease to exist. When one becomes
actually learned, he does not see any enemy or any friend
because in actuality no one is my enemy, no one is my friend,
no one is my father, no one is my mother, etc. We are all simply
living entities playing on a stage in the dress of father, mother,
children, friend, enemy, sinner and saint, etc.
It is like a great drama with so many characters playing
their parts. However, on the stage a person may be an enemy or
whatever, but off the stage all the actors are friends. Similarly,
with these bodies we are playing on the stage of material nature,
and we attach so many designations to one another. I may be
thinking, This is my son, but in actuality I cannot beget any
son. It is not possible. At the utmost I can only beget a body. It is
not within any mans power to beget a living entity. Merely by
sexual intercourse a living entity cannot be begotten. The living
entity must be placed in the emulsification of secretions. This
is the verdict of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Thus all the multifarious
relationships between bodies are just so much stage play. One
who is actually realized and has actually attained yoga no longer
sees these bodily distinctions.
-The Perfection of Yoga
1 The Great Drama
by

umility in devotional service

with determination is a powerful

combination. When we lack
humility, then we have the tendency to
only see someone elses faults rather
than our own. When someone tries to
show us our faults, we immediately see
it as the other persons issue. Therefore,
we conclude that we are okaybut we
are not okay because nobody in a material body is okay. If
we fully understood our faults, then we would not be in the
material world in the first place. Krishna, in the heart and
through sadhu, sastra, and guru, is constantly showing us.
Humility is so significant that it determines the degree of a
persons advancement. One who constantly looks to see what
has to be eliminated will quickly advance. Elimination comes
first because we are already eternally connected with Krishna
and we are pure, but this purity is covered over. Our spiritual
life basically involves uncovering. It is just that simple and
just that difficult. When some people are uncovered, what do
they do? Some people who are sleeping simply become angry
when you wake them up. They want to be left alone.
For this reason, when Krishna comes, most people do
not know His real identity. They miss out because they do not
accept how much they are prisoners and criminals who are in
illusion. The crazier a person, the more they see everyone else
as crazy rather than themselves. An insane person might roam
the streets, eating out of the garbage cans without proper clothes
on, but they notice other people, thinking how ridiculous they
are. They feel that they have a good situation since they can
sleep anywhere while other people have to work, take baths,
change clothes, etc. An insane person in such a situation really
cannot change their situation because they cannot hear. They
think they are completely sane.
The material world is just one big crazy house or prison
where the living entities are absorbed in the illusions while
simultaneously thinking of it as wonderful. For instance, when
Indra was cursed and became a pig, he thought of his situation
as wonderful. When Narada came to take him away, he thought
of the sage as a disturbance to his sense gratification. Srila
Prabhupada would sometimes tell the public, I have come to
remind you about what you have forgotten. And sometimes
it is painful to be reminded. Srila Prabhupada would explain
so much philosophy, which would disturb some people. The
deeper their illusion, the more it would disturb or even anger
them to hear the truth.
Of all the elements confining us to this material prison,
the false ego is the thickest. It is difficult because false ego is

one of the first things that Brahma created when he created

the material universes. He created the misconception of bodily
identificationahankara. The prison environment revolves so
much around false ego.
We can even evaluate our state of humility by watching
our minds in different situations. If one of our peers is glorified
in our presence, to what degree do our minds become envious?
If we feel such intense envy, we can understand that we have a
deep level of contamination. We should recognize that it is the
reason that we are in the material world. Attaining liberation
means becoming non-envious and not seeing ourselves as the
proprietors.
We can also evaluate ourselves by noticing the extent
to which we maintain the mindset of friends and enemies.
Krishna has said that one who is dear to Him does not have
enemies or friends. Even if someone acts as our enemy, we do
not have to accept it. It does not mean that we are in denial or
avoid addressing improper behavior. We address it out of love
with humility by speaking truthfully, but we should try not
to see others as enemies, whether they agree or disagree with
us.
We see the most exemplary humility in the behavior
of Lord Caitanya during his interaction with Ramacandra Puri.
Ramacandra Puri, who was extremely envious and devious,
challenged Lord Caitanya by attempting to point out His
improper behavior. At one point he saw ants and came to the
conclusion that Lord Caitanya was not controlling His senses.
Since they were eating sweets, according to Ramacandra
Puri, the ants came. Did Lord Caitanya respond by arguing or
criticizing as well? No, not only did He not defend Himself, but
He even changed and started to eat lessand He is the Supreme
Lord. Rather than arguing, He showed us the position of real
strength. When there is real strength, a person feels genuinely
humbled and always thinks, I want to know Krishna more; I
want to serve Krishna more; therefore, Krishna will help me in
so many ways. A person constantly looks for ways to be freed
of the illusion.
A devotee always feels very humble and is always
thinking that he or she is the worst of all and the most fallen.
We see this example in the writings of the acaryas. They think
that no one is more fallen than them, and they pray for help.
Conversely, the neophyte devotee not only does not accept,
but he sometimes even tries to blaspheme or attack someone
who tries to help him see his own suffering. When a persongets too
absorbed in their mindset and in the habit of acting on it, he or she will
just try to find faults as a way to not have to look at themselves and their
weaknesses. It is just false ego. But the mind could think, What if I know
I am right and the other person is just trying to put me down? Well, it is
even more of a reason to be humble and to be able to help the other
person understand what is proper by showing humility and letting the
bhakti prevail.

Lord Caitanya did just that when Ramacandra Puri attacked Him. In this
case, Ramacandra did not even have the Lords best interest in mind; he
was just trying to demise the devotees. However, Lord Caitanya just
accepted the so-called instructions and made the shift in His behavior. A
person who has great strength does not get so swayed by popular
sentiment, by fads, by friends and enemies. Rather, he or she is very
happy. Why? When someone is thinking that Krishna is everywhere, is in
the heart, and is calling us constantly, then the person is always
wondering why he or she hasnt gone back to Him yet. The devotee
wants to know what is blocking. From that position we are taking the
humble position, trying to see what is obfuscating our return home. We
are quick to look at whatever weaknesses we have, realizing that they
are responsible for our position in this material world.
One devotee approached me the other day with fear and concern
because he was seeing so many senior devotees all around the world
whose devotion is almost gone. New devotees observe this phenomenon
with fear and it should frighten a devotee. He or she should wonder how
such a thing happens. A devotee should also find ways to avoid that
same result. A devotee can think of ways to sympathize and the means
to help someone else come back into the fire of devotional service.
However, ego causes a person to think that such a situation will never
happen to him because he sees himself as different. He sees that other
people are a certain way but sees himself as strong and immune to such
consequences. However, the same maya is there, and she has different
tricks to bring people down in different ways. In most cases, the person
who got captured by maya was not thinking that they were in maya until
it became so dominant that they knew and everyone else knew.
Many times people are in maya and are thinking they are fine until they
are so devastated that there is no way to not see the reality of their
position. Therefore, if we dont have humility, we will simply be a
disturbance. Krishna will give us so much assistance, but if He sees that
we are not taking it, He will help us through tough love just as a parent
helps a child.
So, how powerful if we can even humbly accept and use the advice of a
person who might not have the best intentions. If we cannot do that,
then we know we are wrong. If we end up in such a situation and show
enviousness, then we immediately know that our creeper is still very
much in the neophyte stage. Krishna makes it very clear in Bhagavadgita 12.13-14, One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living
entities, who does not think himself a proprietor and is free from false
ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is tolerant, always
satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in devotional service with
determination, his mind and intelligence fixed on Mesuch a devotee of
Mine is very dear to Me.
How and where did you join the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness?
It was Feb. 92 and I was having a crisis. A relationship had ended and I
was losing the battle with depression. In counseling, I had been asked if I
had plans for the future - the words stuck in my head. By that time I had
been convinced about Krishna Consciousness for almost ten years. In the
back of my head it had been my plan for a long time. It was a plan that
always ran into the same brick wallfour regulative principles. So there I

wasnot doing very well and needing to come up with some real
direction to keep from sliding deeper into depression. Unfortunately the
only thing that inspired me seemed impossible. So I PRAYED. I got down
on my knees, closed my eyes, and kind of just let it all hang out. I told
Krishna that I knew that I hadnt done much with the mercy hed given to
me already so there wasnt good reason to give me more. But I told Him
that I was desperate and that I knew He could help me if He wanted. In
July I moved into the Detroit Temple full-time.
How did you meet your spiritual master?
Its funny. It was Srimad-Bhagavatam class and my expectations werent
so high because the previous week H.H. Hridayananda Goswami had
come through and had given some wonderful classes. Since Maharaja
had been an integral part of the project to complete the translation and
commentary of the Bhagavatam, I was thinking that no one else would
be able to present it so well. But when H.G. Ravindra Swarupa
next

Devotee Spotlight: Giri-govardhana dasa

Prabhu had finished his class, I was stunned by the insight and clarity of
his explanations. I was hooked!
What are your current services and what services enthuse you
the most in your spiritual life?
I recently had a big change in my service. After 15 yrs. in Detroit, I joined
the Bhagavat Life team. Bhagavat Life has been holding Japa Retreats
and Weekends around the country for the last couple of years. I went
from spending a lot of time on the altar serving the Deities to spending
an inordinate amount of time in front of a computer screen. While I do
miss the close connection with the Deities, I feel very happy to be a
(small) part of something which helps devotees to enrich their
relationship with the holy name.
Can you describe a time when you faced a significant obstacle in
your spiritual life and you overcame the obstacle? How?
Its an on-going obstacle reallyand I think it ultimately comes down to
pride. In the beginning it was crystal clear that it was only Krishnas
mercy that had allowed me to come to Krishna Consciousness and only
Krishnas mercy that was keeping me. Thats no less true today of
course, but I find myself trying to take some of the credit. Instead of
feeling helpless, I want to think that my service over the years has
somehow given me some standing in devotional service. I fear that I
have closed myself in many ways to Krishnas mercy and have made
offensesboth of which have drained some of my enthusiasm.
Unfortunately, like in the years before I joined, I havent taken advantage
of the mercy given. Thats my biggest struggle at the momentto soften
the hard heart and feel helpless again.
What are your short-term goals in Krishna consciousness? Longterm goals?
Taking goals to be something more realistic than hopes, and finding
myself closer to the end of life than to the beginning, I want to build a
foundation for Krishna Consciousness in this life that will allow me to
carry on in the next. While there is still life, there is still hope of
becoming a better recipient of mercy and making more substantial
progress, but if it turns out that I continue to muddle along in the

beginning stages of bhakti, then I just want to keep the faith and carry
on till the end.
If serious doubts have arisen during the course of your spiritual
life, how have you been able to combat them?
I think for me its less a question of doubt than of weakness of heart. In
the Bible there is the story where Jesus staunch disciple Peter is afraid
after Jesus is arrested and denies that he is his follower. He doesnt think
to stop being a disciple so its more weakness than doubt. In the
background at least, I feel confident in Krishna Consciousness and the
path given us by Srila Prabhupada. Ive experienced enough of a change
in my life to know that it works. In that way I dont worry that maybe Ive
made the wrong choice, or taken the wrong path or something. My
struggle lies more in bringing that faith to bear in day to day situations.
How does your association with devotees help maintain your
own spiritual life/sadhana?
There are philosophical explanations for how association does what it
does, but at the time it seems to just work as if by magic. Im fortunate
to have some excellent association right now and the effect is really
amazing. Its something weve really noticed in the Japa Retreats is how
powerful it is when devotees come together for a few days of focused
association.
What do you see as the most significant obstacle facing the
expansion of the Hare Krishna movement? How do you feel that
devotees can tackle this obstacle?
I think something we all can do is to step back and look at ourselves as
clearly and objectively as we can. Its human nature to be a little
generous with ourselvesto play up the positives and gloss over the
negatives. It makes it a lot harder for us to make real progress. Even if
the picture isnt so prettyif we can look at ourselves honestly, we have
the basis for moving forward.
envy envi, n. ill-will or hostility (obs); a feeling of discontent at the good
looks, qualities, fortune, etc. of another; an object or person
contemplated with grudging or envious feelings; to wish to have or to
covet someones property, good fortune, skills, etc.
4

Envy: The Orginal Sin

by Rupa-vilasa dasa (ACBSP)
next

Bhagavad-gita (7.27) states, iccha-dvesa-samutthena. Two kinds of

propensities arise in the living entity. One propensity is iccha, which
means desire to lord it over material nature or to be as great as the
Supreme Lord. Everyone desires to be the greatest personality in this
material world. Dvesa means envy. When one becomes envious of
Krsna, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one thinks, Why should
Krsna be the all and all? Im as good as Krsna. These two items, desire
to be the Lord and envy of the Lord, are the beginning cause of material
bondage(SB 3.27.20 purport)
Envy is the original cause of the living beings bondage to matter. The
living being is enslaved by the unfortunate emotion of envyenvy of the
Supreme Lord. As Srila Prabhupada points out above, These two items,
desire to be the Lord and envy of the Lord, are the beginning cause of
material bondage. As long as the competitive desire to be superior to

others remains, the cause of our enslavement to matter remains, and

from such consciousness there is no escape.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has explained in his Sri Caitanya-siksamrta
that the anarthas (unwanted things) which exist in our hearts are
personified by the demons whom Krsna and Balarama kill when such
asuras attempt to enter Vraja. The holy names of the Lord can swiftly
destroy our demon-like anarthas, but due to the strength of maya, our
material conditioning, and offenses to the holy name and Vaisnavas, the
struggle may be long and difficult unless we are very sincere and
determined.
The snake demonAghasurarepresents envy. The attitude of envy,
exhibited dramatically by Aghasura, is an offense against the chanting of
the holy names and to Vaisnavas, as envy is most commonly manifested
toward God and great devotees who have dedicated their lives to the
propagation of the holy names.
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura states: The devotee who worships the holy
name should first petition the Lord for the strength to cast out all these
unfavorable tendencies and should pray thus before Lord Hari on a
daily basis. By doing this regularly, the devotees heart will eventually
become purified. Krsna has killed a number of demons which may arise
in the kingdom of the heart so in order to destroy these problems, a
devotee must cry very humbly before the Lord and admit defeat then
the Lord will nullify all contaminations.
Envy is the original and most prominent anartha that blocks our
advancement on the path of Krsna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada has
described our existential situation as follows:
Since no one in this material world can tolerate anothers advancement,
everyone in the material world is called matsara, envious one who is
not free from the contamination of envy cannot advance in Krsna
consciousness. (SB 4.19.2 purport)
Important questions to be answered for the sincere practitioner are: how
can I be rid of the contamination of envy, how do I deal with those who
are envious, and, in the process of ridding myself of envy, how can I
avoid committing offenses while still in an impure state of consciousness.
Srila Prabhupada addresses these questions repeatedly in his books.
O King Pariksit, anyone who aurally receives the narrations concerning
the characteristics of Lord Ramacandras pastimes will ultimately be
freed from the disease of envy and thus be liberated from the bondage
of fruitive activities.
PURPORT
Here in this material world, everyone is envious of someone else. Even in
religious life, it is sometimes found that if one devotee has advanced in
spiritual activities, other devotees are envious of him. Such envious
devotees are not completely freed from the bondage of birth and death.
As long as one is not completely free from the cause of birth and death,
one cannot enter the sanatana-dhama or the eternal pastimes of the
LordBecause the devotee knows that the Lord is his supreme protector,
he thinks, What harm can the so-called enemy do? Thus a devotee is
confident about his protectionA devotee must therefore be completely
free from envy, especially of other devotees. To envy other devotees is a
great offense, a vaisnava-aparadha. A devotee who constantly engages
in hearing and chanting (sravana-kirtana) is certainly freed from the

disease of envy, and thus he becomes eligible to go back home, back to

Godhead. (SB 9.11.23 purport)
In this purport, Srila Prabhupada gives the solution to how to become
free of envy: to become absorbed in hearing and chanting. The obstacle
of the envious behavior of others is addressed below:
To act under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master with a motive to
satisfy the Supreme Personality of
5

next

Godhead is pure devotional service. But if one has a motive for personal
sense gratification, his devotional service is manifested differently. Such
a man may be violent, proud, envious and angry, and his interests are
separate from the Lords.
One who approaches the Supreme Lord to render devotional service, but
who is proud of his personality, envious of others or vengeful, is in the
mode of anger. He thinks that he is the best devotee. Devotional service
executed in this way is not pure; it is mixed and is of the lowest grade,
tamasah. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura advises that a Vaisnava
who is not of good character should be avoided. A Vaisnava is one who
has taken the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the ultimate goal of
life, but if one is not pure and still has motives, then he is not a Vaisnava
of the first order of good character. One may offer his respects to such a
Vaisnava because he has accepted the Supreme Lord as the ultimate
goal of life, but one should not keep company with a Vaisnava who is in
the mode of ignorance. (SB 3.29.8)
However, disagreements and envy between Vaisnavas can be resolved
by those devotees who sincerely desire to please the spiritual master
and Krsna. Srila Prabhupada explains:
Indra decided to fall down at the lotus feet of King Prthu, but the King
was so magnanimous a Vaisnava that he did not want Maharaja Indra to
fall down at his feet. Instead, King Prthu immediately picked him up and
embraced him, and both of them forgot all the past incidents. Both King
Indra and Maharaja Prthu were envious and angry with each other, but
since both of them were Vaisnavas, or servants of Lord Visnu, it was their
duty to adjust the cause of their envy. This is also a first-class example of
cooperative behavior between VaisnavasThere is a great need to
propagate the Krsna consciousness movement in the world so that even
though people sometimes become angry and malicious toward one
another, because of their being Krsna conscious such rivalry, competition
and envy can be adjusted without difficulty. (SB 4.20.18)
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura discusses dealing with envy and
other anarthas:
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has suggested how one can conquer
lusty desires for sense gratification...if one is determined not to live with
a woman, even while seeing a woman he will not become lusty...The
example given in this regard is that even if one is hungry, if on a
particular day he is determined to observe fasting, he can naturally
conquer the disturbances of hunger and thirst. If one is determined not
to be envious of anyone, he can naturally conquer anger. Similarly, one
can give up the desire to accumulate wealth simply by considering how
difficult it is to protect the money in ones possession. (SB 7.15.22 and
purport)

The indications in this purport are that it is not simply a matter of

passively waiting for purification to take place, but that there must be
active endeavor to control the lower self by the higher self, i.e. acting
with determination, according to scriptural injunctions. There are many
instructions about the proper behavior of a Vaisnava. Despite the
condition of our hearts, we can adopt the process of purification and
simultaneously change our modes of behavior. Mundane propensities
may dissolve slowly, but behavior can and must be altered. Otherwise,
we are pouring oil on the fire of materialistic propensities and will
continue to be governed by envy, lust, anger, etc.
Therefore, although envy is a pernicious problem, troubling to the heart,
it can be overcome. First, one must strictly apply the process of Krsna
consciousness as given by the spiritual master, and second, one must
alter his or her behavior to conform with the standards outlined in the
teachings of the acaryas, and third, one must beg for the mercy of the
Lord and the Vaisnavas. As outlined in the first instruction of the Nectar
of Instruction, one must learn to tolerate and neglect the unwanted
urges of the mind, anger, tongue, belly, and genitals. Without controlling
our materialistic urges with great determination, our envious nature will
manifest in behavior counter to our real self-interest, and, by offenses,
our progress in Krsna consciousness will be slowed or even halted. We
must furthermore beg the Lord to help us in this endeavor, and we must
be sincere. When once questioned how to become sincere, Srila
Prabhupada looked surprised and answered, Just be sincere. There is
no other formula. There is only sincere endeavor and begging for mercy.
There is no other way.
Copyright 2009 Hari-Nama Press
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Designed by Tamal Krsna dasa
Edited by Lila Katha devi dasi
Photo of Bhakti Tirtha Swami: 2005 Lawson Knight/Laksmivan dasa ACBSP