@answ 494901

Hare Krishna Cyndi,

 > Thank you for your reply to my questions on Bhakti-Yoga.  Here is my
 > problem:  The server on this computer will not access any of those
 > files. I'm not sure why.
 >
 > I guess some of my main questions would be:

   Okay, I feel obliged to get some answers together to help you out.
Let's go through them one by one.

 > 1.  What does "the Path of Devotion" really mean?

   In the material world a living entity that has attained a human form of
life can traverse two paths, pravrtti-marga, the path of pursuing sense
gratification, and nivrtti-marga, the path of pursuing spiritual life.
The Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.15.47) explains it thus:

                           pravrttam ca nivrttam ca
                          dvi-vidham karma vaidikam
                             avartate pravrttena
                            nivrttenasnute 'mrtam

   "According to the Vedas, there are two kinds of activities -- pravrtti
   and nivrtti. Pravrtti activities involve raising oneself from a lower
   to a higher condition of materialistic life, whereas nivrtti means the
   cessation of material desire. Through pravrtti activities one suffers
   from material entanglement, but by nivrtti activities one is purified
   and becomes fit to enjoy eternal, blissful life."

In the purport to this verse Srila Prabhupada states:

   "As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (16.7), pravrttim ca nivrttim ca jana na
   vidur asurah: the asuras, nondevotees, cannot distinguish between
   pravrtti and nivrtti. Whatever they like they do. Such persons think
   themselves independent of the strong material nature, and therefore
   they are irresponsible and do not care to act piously. Indeed, they do
   not distinguish between pious and impious activity. Bhakti, of course,
   does not depend on pious or impious activity. As stated in
   Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.6):

                          sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
                            yato bhaktir adhoksaje
                             ahaituky apratihata
                             yayatma suprasidati

   "The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men
   can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord.
   Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted in order
   to completely satisfy the self." Nonetheless, those who act piously
   have a better chance to become devotees. As Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita
   (7.16), catur-vidha bhajante mam janah sukrtino 'rjuna: "O Arjuna, four
   kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me." One who takes to
   devotional service, even with some material motive, is considered
   pious, and because he has come to Krishna, he will gradually come to the
   stage of bhakti. Then, like Dhruva Maharaja, he will refuse to accept
   any material benediction from the Lord (svamin krtartho 'smi varam na
   yace). Therefore, even if one is materially inclined, one may take to
   the shelter of the lotus feet of Krishna and Balarama, or Gaura and
   Nitai, so that he will very soon be purified of all material desires
   (ksipram bhavati dharmatma sasvac chantim nigacchati). As soon as one
   is freed from inclinations toward pious and impious activities, he
   becomes a perfect candidate for returning home, back to Godhead."

 > 2.  Is Bhakti-Yoga a form of Yoga in itself- or is it part of a process
 >  of Yoga's?  I mean, do you have to have already done some Yoga to get
 >  involved with Bhakti-Yoga?

   The Sanskrit word yoga means "connecting" or "re-connecting." There are
four basic varieties of yoga systems explained in the Vedic literatures.
Lord Krishna speaks about all of them in the Bhagavad-gita. The different
systems are karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, astanga-yoga and bhakti-yoga. All
these types of yoga have as goal to reestablish one's lost relationship
with the Supreme Lord. In Western religion we find the same, as the Latin
word "religion" is derived from "religare," meaning "to connect."

   Karma-yoga refers to the process whereby one performs his work for God,
without the selfish desire for personal gain, and jnana-yoga is the
process of elevation to spiritual consciousness through the cultivation of
philosophical knowledge.

   The astanga-yoga system is an extremely difficult mechanical,
meditative practice meant to control the mind and senses and focus one's
concentration on the paramatma feature of the Supreme Lord in the heart.
This yoga-system is divided into eight stages (asta=eight, anga=limbs):
yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.

   To attain the result of this yoga-system one has to go through all
stages successively. One can NOT go to the next stage without having
mastered a previous stage, as all previous stages are needed throughout
the whole system. To give you some idea of the degree of difficulty, I'll
show you what these eight stages actually mean:

Yama       - restraints
             There are five that have to be practiced strictly:

             nonhurting (ahimsa)
             nonlying (satya)
             nonstealing (asteya)
             sensory control (brahmacarya)
             nonpossessiveness (aparigraha)

Niyama     - observances
             Also here there are five. From those austerity, study and
             surrender constitute kriya-yoga:

             purity (sauca)
             contentment (santosa)
             austerity (tapas)
             study (svadhyaya)
             surrender (isvara pranidhana)

Asana      - yoga postures
             There are many and they are meant to enable full control over
             the bodily functions. Most of the advanced postures are far
             beyond the capabilities of most people.

Pranayama  - control of the five vital forces, or life-airs -- prana,
             apana, samana, udana, vyana. The soul is suspended in these
             five forces. Control over these forces includes the ability
             to extend the life span of the practitioner, which is needed
             because this form of yoga takes a very long time to complete.

   The process from yama to pranayama is called hatha-yoga. But
puhleeeeez, NOT the hatha-yoga taught in modern yoga schools.... That type
of yoga completely ignores yama and niyama, which form the basis for the
higher stages. Modern Western yoga is a complete farce, a watered down
version of the real thing meant to make you "feel better." Regular
gymnastics would do the job just as well. There is absolutely nothing
spiritual about it.

   After having mastered these preliminary stages, the yogi has developed
certain siddhis (mystic powers, which are a by-product of the practice)
which enable him to merge the ingoing force with the outgoing. Then there
is no necessity for breathing any longer. The yogi is also capable of
controlling his body heat, so he is not disturbed by external weather
conditions. Thus he can continue his practice in an undisturbed places
where normal people do not come, like at the bottom of lakes and rivers or
in icy caves in the Himalayas.

   The next stages are:

Pratyahara - withdrawal of the senses from their sense objects

Dharana    - total concentration

Dhyana     - meditation

Samadhi    - spiritual absorption

   The first three of these four higher stages can be attained by
dedicated yogis who live in totally secluded areas and have had a practice
of over one or two hundred years... The last stage is very rarely attained,
and from those who attain it many fall down.

   When the astanga-yogi reaches samadhi he realizes the Paramatma
(Supersoul). This is an expansion of Krishna, present in the heart of
every living entity, who guides the living entity throughout his
wanderings in the material world. If the yogi is successful, he will
understand and recognize the Supreme Lord. Then the next step is that he
will render service unto the Lord in full devotion. If he is unfortunate,
he will think that he just realized himself, and that the Paramatma he
sees in the heart is him. Then he falls down.

   Dharana, dhyana, and samadhi are also referred to as samyama, the
fulfillment of yama, which confirms that without mastering the five yamas
there is no question of reaching these higher stages.

   Now, these three yoga systems -- karma, jnana and astanga -- culminate
in bhakti-yoga, the yoga of selfless, ecstatic, devotional love of God.
None of these three systems can be perfected in themselves without the
element of bhakti.

   Lord Krishna Himself states His conclusion on the yoga issue in the last
verse of the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita:

                             yoginam api sarvesam
                            mad-gatenantar-atmana
                          sraddhavan bhajate yo mam
                            sa me yuktatamo matah

   "And of all yogis, the one with great faith who always abides in Me,
   thinks of Me within himself, and renders transcendental loving service
   to Me--he is the most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the
   highest of all. That is My opinion."

   Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport:

   "The culmination of all kinds of yoga practices lies in bhakti-yoga.
   All other yogas are but means to come to the point of bhakti in
   bhakti-yoga. Yoga actually means bhakti-yoga; all other yogas are
   progressions toward the destination of bhakti-yoga. From the beginning
   of karma-yoga to the end of bhakti-yoga is a long way to
   self-realization. Karma-yoga, without fruitive results, is the
   beginning of this path. When karma-yoga increases in knowledge and
   renunciation, the stage is called jnana-yoga. When jnana-yoga increases
   in meditation on the Supersoul by different physical processes, and the
   mind is on Him, it is called astanga-yoga. And when one surpasses the
   astanga-yoga and comes to the point of the Supreme Personality of
   Godhead Krishna, it is called bhakti yoga, the culmination. Factually,
   bhakti-yoga is the ultimate goal, but to analyze bhakti-yoga minutely
   one has to understand these other yogas. The yogi who is progressive is
   therefore on the true path of eternal good fortune. One who sticks to a
   particular point and does not make further progress is called by that
   particular name: karma-yogi, jnana-yogi or dhyana-yogi, raja-yogi,
   hatha-yogi, etc. If one is fortunate enough to come to the point of
   bhakti-yoga, it is to be understood that he has surpassed all other
   yogas. Therefore, to become Krishna conscious is the highest stage of
   yoga, just as, when we speak of Himalayan, we refer to the world's
   highest mountains, of which the highest peak, Mount Everest, is
   considered to be the culmination."

   The goal of all yoga is to come to the platform of loving devotional
service unto the Supreme Lord. In karma-yoga, jnana-yoga and astanga-yoga
the goal and the means are different, whereas in bhakti-yoga the goal and
the means are the same. Thus the progressive yoga system is sometimes
compared to a staircase, and bhakti-yoga to an elevator. By immediately
adopting the path of devotion (bhakti-yoga) one saves oneself an enormous
amount of time.

 > 3.  Is Hare Krishna the only branch of Hinduism that uses Bhakti-Yoga?

   Important question.

   Krishna consciousness is not a branch of Hinduism. The following
paragraphs are quotations from Suhotra Swami's essay on Hinduism. If you
want I can send you the entire text (biiiiiig):

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   "A Christian, visiting India from the West, would surely think it
   strange if he or she was told by an Indian, "You are a follower of
   Jordanism." Christianity, along with Judaism and Islam, hails from the
   region of the Jordan river. But it is unlikely that Christians, Jews
   and Muslims would like their faiths being lumped together under such an
   artificial, unscriptural category as "Jordanism." Yet just this sort of
   thing was done to the followers of the indigenous religions of India.
   The word "Hinduism" is derived from the name of a river in present-day
   Pakistan, the Sindhu (also known as the Indus). Beginning around 1000
   AD, invading armies from the Middle East called the place beyond the
   Sindhu "Hindustan" and the people who lived there the "Hindus". (Due to
   the invaders' language, the "s" was change to "h".) In the centuries
   that followed, the term "Hindu" became acceptable even to the Indians
   themselves as a general designation for their different religious
   traditions. But since the word Hindu is not found in the scriptures
   upon which these traditions are based, it is quite inappropriate. The
   proper term is "Vedic dharma;" the next two paragraphs briefly explain
   each of these words."

   "The word Vedic refers to the teachings of the Vedic literatures. From
   these literatures we learn that this universe, along with countless
   others, was produced from the breath of Maha-Vishnu some
   155,250,000,000,000 years ago. The Lord's divine breath simultaneously
   transmitted all the knowledge humankind requires to meet the material
   needs and revive his dormant God consciousness of each person. This
   knowledge is called Veda. Caturmukha (four-faced) Brahma, the first
   created being within this universe, received Veda from Vishnu. Brahma,
   acting as an obedient servant of the Supreme Lord, populated the
   planetary systems with all species of life and imparted the Vedic
   scriptures as the guide for spiritual and material progress. Veda is
   thus traced to the very beginning of the cosmos."

   Some of the most basic Vedic teachings seen within modern Hinduism are:

    - Every living creature is an eternal soul covered by a material body.

    - The souls bewildered by <I>maya</I> (the illusion of identifying the
      self with the body) must reincarnate from body to body, life after
      life.

    - To accept a material body means to suffer the fourfold pangs of
      birth, old age, disease, and death.

    - Depending upon the quality of work (<I>karma</I>) in the human form,
      a soul may take its next birth in a subhuman species, the human
      species, a superhuman species, or may be freed from birth and death
      altogether.

    - Karma dedicated in sacrifice as directed by Vedic injunctions
      elevates and liberates the soul.

   "Dharma is the essential nature of the Veda. The term dharma is
   translated as "duty," "virtue," "morality," "righteousness," or
   "religion," but no single English word conveys the whole meaning of
   dharma. The Vedic sage Jaimini defined dharma as "a good the nature of
   a command that leads to the attainment of the highest good." Now, there
   are different opinions as to what the highest good is that the Veda
   commands mankind to attain. These different opinions are the basis of
   the multifarious kinds of religious worship seen today within so-called
   Hinduism. From out of the gamut of Hindu piety, three great religious
   traditions emerge: Smarta-brahmanism, Shiva-shaktaism, and Vaishnavism.
   Each tradition is associated with one of the tri-murtis, the three main
   deities of Vedic dharma: Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu."

   "The Smarta-brahmanas or hereditary priests preside over the religious
   affairs of millions of ordinary Hindus. These priests conduct the
   services for the different devatas (demigods) that bless common people
   with material benedictions (wealth, family happiness, good health and
   so on). The Smarta-brahmanas are grouped in gotras (families) that are
   said to descend from Caturmukha Brahma. They uphold and defend the
   caste system (jati-vyavastha) which determines a person's social
   position in Hindu society. For a Smarta-brahmana, the main
   qualification of brahmanism (priesthood) is birth in a brahmana-gotra."

   "The Saivites and the Shaktas worship Shiva and his feminine energy
   Shakti, who is addressed by names like Devi, Durga, Parvati and Kali.
   While Brahma is the lord of cosmic creation, Shiva is the lord of
   cosmic devastation. Shakti is the goddess of the total material nature,
   or prakriti. Because Shiva is very easily pleased, those who desire
   rapid material advancement for little effort are especially interested
   in worshiping him and Shakti. The worship of Ganesh and Muruga
   (Kartikeya) is associated with Saivism, because they are both sons of
   Shiva. Also associated with Saivism and Shaktaism are left-and
   right-hand tantra."

   "Vaishnavism is the worship of Vishnu, the controller of the
   sattva-guna, the mode of goodness, by which everything is maintained.
   Brahma controls rajo-guna, the mode of passion, and Shiva controls
   tamo-guna, the mode of ignorance. Of these three states of material
   existence, goodness is topmost. The universe is created and destroyed
   again and again. These cycles of work by Brahma and Shiva are
   maintained eternally by the goodness of Vishnu. The name Vishnu means
   "all-pervading." Lord Vishnu dwells in the hearts of all beings as the
   Supersoul, as well as within every atom. He is also the total form of
   the universe (visvarupa) and the origin of Brahma and Shiva. Beyond the
   universe, Vishnu has His own transcendental abode called Vaikuntha, the
   spiritual world. The original and most intimate form of Vishnu is the
   all-attractive, ever-youthful Sri Krishna. Lord Krishna, the eternal,
   omniscient, and incomparably blissful Supreme Personality of Godhead,
   is the speaker of the Bhagavad-gita, the most important text of the
   Hindu religion. The Bhagavad-gita rejects caste by birth and any form
   of worship motivated by material desire. Complete surrender to Krishna
   is said to surpass all other commands of dharma in the Vedas (see
   Bhagavad-gita 18.66). Surrender to Krishna delivers the soul from the
   cycle of repeated birth and death (samsara-cakra) and returns the soul
   back home, back to Godhead."

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   The following quotations represent ISKCON's conclusion on the
connection between vaishnavism and Hinduism:

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   "When attempting to place the Krishna consciousness movement within a
   convenient historical-cultural context, many people identify the
   movement with Hinduism. But this is misleading. Srila Prabhupada
   disavows connection with the pantheism, polytheism, and caste
   consciousness that pervades modern Hinduism. Although Krishna
   consciousness and modern Hinduism share a common historical root --
   India's ancient Vedic culture -- Hinduism has become, along with the
   other "great religions," a sectarian establishment, whereas Krishna
   consciousness is universal and transcends relative, sectarian
   designations."

   "There is a misconception that the Krishna consciousness movement
   represents the Hindu religion. In fact, however, Krishna consciousness
   is in no way a faith or religion that seeks to defeat other faiths or
   religions. Rather, it is an essential cultural movement for the entire
   human society and does not consider any particular sectarian faith.
   This cultural movement is especially meant to educate people in how
   they can love God."

   "Sometimes Indians both inside and outside of India think that we are
   preaching the Hindu religion, but actually we are not. One will not
   find the word Hindu in the Bhagavad-gita. Indeed, there is no such word
   as Hindu in the entire Vedic literature. This word has been introduced
   by the Muslims from provinces next to India, such as Afghanistan,
   Baluchistan, and Persia. There is a river called Sindhu bordering the
   north western provinces of India, and since the Muslims there could not
   pronounce Sindhu properly, they instead called the river Hindu, and the
   inhabitants of this tract of land they called Hindus. In India,
   according to the Vedic language, the Europeans are called mlecchas or
   yavanas. Similarly, Hindu is a name given by the Muslims."

   "India's actual culture is described in the Bhagavad-gita, where it is
   stated that according to the different qualities or modes of nature
   there are different types of men, who are generally classified into
   four social orders and four spiritual orders. This system of social and
   spiritual division is known as varnashrama-dharma. The four varnas, or
   social orders, are brahmana, ksatriya, vaishya, and sudra. The four
   ashramas, or spiritual orders, are brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha,
   and sannyasa. The varnashrama system is described in the Vedic
   scriptures known as the Puranas. The goal of this institution of Vedic
   culture is to educate every man for advancement in knowledge of
   Krishna, or God. That is the entire Vedic program."

   "When Lord Caitanya talked with the great devotee Ramananda Raya, the
   Lord asked him, "What is the basic principle of human life?" Ramananda
   Raya answered that human civilization begins when varnashrama-dharma is
   accepted. Before coming to the standard of varnashrama-dharma there is
   no question of human civilization. Therefore, the Krishna consciousness
   movement is trying to establish this right system of human
   civilization, which is known as Krishna consciousness, or
   daiva-varnashrama -- divine culture."

   "In India, the varnashrama system has now been taken in a perverted
   way, and thus a man born in the family of a brahmana (the highest
   social order) claims that he should be accepted as a brahmana. But this
   claim is not accepted by the sastra (scripture). One's forefather may
   have been a brahmana according to gotra, or the family hereditary
   order, but real varnashrama-dharma is based on the factual quality one
   has attained, regardless of birth or heredity. Therefore, we are not
   preaching the present-day system of the Hindus, especially those who
   are under the influence of Sankaracarya, for Sankaracarya taught that
   the Absolute Truth is impersonal, and thus he indirectly denied the
   existence of God."

   "Sankaracarya's mission was special; he appeared to reestablish the
   Vedic influence after the influence of Buddhism. Because Buddhism was
   patronized by Emperor Asoka, twenty-six hundred years ago the Buddhist
   religion practically pervaded all of India. According to the Vedic
   literature, Buddha was an incarnation of Krishna who had a special
   power and who appeared for a special purpose. His system of thought, or
   faith, was accepted widely, but Buddha rejected the authority of the
   Vedas. While Buddhism was spreading, the Vedic culture was stopped both
   in India and in other places. Therefore, since Sankaracarya's only aim
   was to drive away Buddha's system of philosophy, he introduced a system
   called mayavada."

   "Strictly speaking, mayavada philosophy is atheism, for it is a process
   in which one imagines that there is God. This mayavada system of
   philosophy has been existing since time immemorial. The present Indian
   system of religion or culture is based on the mayavada philosophy of
   Sankaracarya, which is a compromise with Buddhist philosophy. According
   to mayavada philosophy there actually is no God, or if God exists, He
   is impersonal and all-pervading and can therefore be imagined in any
   form. This conclusion is not in accord with the Vedic literature. That
   literature names many demigods, who are worshiped for different
   purposes, but in every case the Supreme Lord, the Personality of
   Godhead, Vishnu, is accepted as the supreme controller. That is real
   Vedic culture."

   "The philosophy of Krishna consciousness does not deny the existence of
   God and the demigods, but mayavada philosophy denies both; it maintains
   that neither the demigods nor God exists. For the Mayavadis, ultimately
   all is zero. They say that one may imagine any authority -- whether
   Vishnu, Durga, Lord Shiva, or the sun-god -- because these are the
   demigods generally worshiped in society. But the mayavada philosophy
   does not in fact accept the existence of any of them. The Mayavadis say
   that because one cannot concentrate one's mind on the impersonal
   Brahman, one may imagine any of these forms. This is a new system,
   called pancopasana. It was introduced by Sankaracarya, but the
   Bhagavad-gita does not teach any such doctrines, and therefore they are
   not authoritative."

   "The Bhagavad-gita accepts the existence of the demigods. The demigods
   are described in the Vedas, and one cannot deny their existence, but
   they are not to be understood or worshiped according to the way of
   Sankaracarya. The worship of demigods is rejected in the Bhagavad-gita.
   The Gita (7.20) clearly states:"


                     kamais tais tair hrta jnanah
                       prapadyante 'nya-devatah
                       tam tam niamam asthaya
                        prakrtya niatah svaya


   "Those whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender unto
   demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship
   according to their own natures."

   "Furthermore, in the Bhagavad-gita (2.44), Lord Krishna states:"

                       bhogaisvarya-prasaktanam
                          tayapahrta-cetasam
                        vyavasayatmika buddhih
                         samadhau na vidhiyate

   "In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and
   material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute
   determination for devotional service does not take place."

   "Those who are pursuing the various demigods have been described as
   hrta-jnanah, which means "those who have lost their sense." That is
   also further explained in the Bhagavad-gita (7.23):"

                        antavat tu phalam tesam
                      tad bha vaty aipa-medhasam
                         devan deva-yajo yanti
                       mad-bhakta yanti mam api

   "Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are
   limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets
   of the demigods, but My devotees reach My supreme abode."

   "The rewards given by the demigods are temporary, because any material
   facility must act in connection with the temporary body. Whatever
   material facilities one gets, whether by modern scientific methods or
   by deriving benedictions from the demigods, will be finished with the
   body. But spiritual advancement will never be finished."

   "People should not think that we are preaching a sectarian religion.
   No. We are simply preaching how to love God. There are many theories
   about the existence of God. The atheist, for example, will never
   believe in God. Atheists like Professor Jacques Monod, who won the
   Nobel prize, declare that everything is chance (a theory already put
   forward long ago by atheistic philosophers of India such as Carvaka).
   Then other philosophies, such as the karma-mimamsa philosophy, accept
   that if one goes on doing his work nicely and honestly, automatically
   the result will come, without need for one to refer to God. For
   evidence, the proponents of such theories cite the argument that if one
   is diseased with an infection and takes medicine to counteract it, the
   disease will be neutralized. But our argument in this connection is
   that even if one gives a man the best medicine, he still may die. The
   results are not always predictable. Therefore, there is a higher
   authority, daiva-netrena, a supreme director. Otherwise, how is it that
   the son of a rich and pious man becomes a hippie in the street or that
   a man who works very hard and becomes rich is told by his doctor, "Now
   you may not eat any food, but only barley water"?"

   "The karma-mimamsa theory holds that the world is going on without the
   supreme direction of God. Such philosophies say that everything takes
   place by lust (kama-haitukam). By lust a man becomes attracted to a
   woman, and by chance there is sex, and the woman becomes pregnant.
   There is actually no plan to make the woman pregnant, but by a natural
   sequence when a man and a woman unite, a result is produced. The
   atheistic theory, which is described in the Sixteenth Chapter of the
   Bhagavad-gita as asuric, or demoniac, is that actually everything is
   going on in this way, because of chance and resulting from natural
   attraction. This demoniac theory supports the idea that if one wants to
   avoid children, he may use a contraceptive method."

   "Actually, however, there is a great plan for everything -- the Vedic
   plan. The Vedic literature gives directions regarding how men and women
   should unite, how they should beget children, and what the purpose of
   sex life is. Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita that sex life sanctioned
   by the Vedic order, or sex life under the direction of the Vedic rules
   and regulations, is bona fide and is acceptable to Him. But chance sex
   life is not acceptable. If by chance one is sexually attracted and
   there are children, they are called varna-sankara, unwanted population.
   That is the way of the lower animals; it is not acceptable for humans.
   For humans, there is a plan. We cannot accept the theory that there is
   no plan for human life or that everything is born of chance and
   material necessity."

   "Sankaracarya's theory that there is no God and that one can go on with
   his work and imagine God in any form just to keep peace and
   tranquillity in society is also more or less based on this idea of
   chance and necessity. Our way, however, which is completely different,
   is based on authority. It is this divine varnashrama-dharma that
   Krishna recommends, not the caste system as it is understood today.
   This modern caste system is now condemned in India also, and it should
   be condemned, for the classification of different types of men
   according to birth is not the Vedic or divine caste system."

   "There are many classes of men in society -- some men are engineers,
   some are medical practitioners, some are chemists, tradesmen,
   businessmen, and so on. These varieties of classes are not to be
   determined by birth, however, but by quality. No such thing as the
   caste-by-birth system is sanctioned by the Vedic literature, nor do we
   accept it. We have nothing to do with the caste system, which is also
   at present being rejected by the public in India. Rather, we give
   everyone the chance to become a brahmana and thus attain the highest
   status of life."

   "Because at the present moment there is a scarcity of brahmanas,
   spiritual guides, and ksatriyas, administrative men, and because the
   entire world is being ruled by sudras, or men of the manual laborer
   class, there are many discrepancies in society. It is to mitigate all
   these discrepancies that we have taken to this Krishna consciousness
   movement. If the brahmana class is actually reestablished, the other
   orders of social well-being will automatically follow, just as when the
   brain is perfectly in order, the other parts of the body, such as the
   arms, the belly, and the legs, all act very nicely."

   "The ultimate goal of this movement is to educate people in how to love
   God. Caitanya Mahaprabhu approves the conclusion that the highest
   perfection of human life is to learn how to love God. The Krishna
   consciousness movement has nothing to do with the Hindu religion or any
   system of religion. No Christian gentleman will be interested in
   changing his faith from Christian to Hindu. Similarly, no Hindu
   gentleman of culture will be ready to change to the Christian faith.
   Such changing is for men who have no particular social status. But
   everyone will be interested in understanding the philosophy and science
   of God and taking it seriously. One should clearly understand that the
   Krishna consciousness movement is not preaching the so-called Hindu
   religion. We are giving a spiritual culture that can solve all the
   problems of life, and therefore it is being accepted all over the
   world."

   "The GBC (ISKCON's Governing Body Commission) therefore adopts the
   following official position statement on ISKCON's relationship with
   Hinduism:"

   "The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), also
   known as the Hare Krishna movement, was founded by His Divine Grace
   A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. ISKCON follows the teachings of
   the Vedas and the Vedic scriptures, including Bhagavad-gita and
   the Bhagavata Purana; it teaches and practices Vaishnavism, or
   devotion to God in the supreme personal aspect of Radha-Krishna."

   "ISKCON receives these teachings through the preceptorial line known as
   the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya. This well-established traditional
   line descends through the respected teacher Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (AD
   1486 - 1534), the full incarnation of Sri Krishna, whose philosophy and
   practices unify the teachings of all four major Vaishnava Acaryas: Sri
   Madhvacarya, Sri Ramanujacarya, Sri Vishnuswami, and Sri
   Nimbarkacarya."

   "ISKCON embraces the chanting of the holy name of Krishna as a primary
   practice and accepts the concepts of transmigration, karma,
   vegetarianism (ahimsa), worship of the Deity (vigraha), and the
   preceptor-disciple (guru-sishya) relationship. Initiated members vow to
   refrain from gambling, illicit sex, intoxicants (including coffee, tea,
   and cigarettes), and non-vegetarian food."

   "In this way ISKCON faithfully continues the core traditions of the
   Hindu faith. ISKCON's teachings are non-sectarian and
   non-denominational, for they are not limited to any particular
   historical religion. Vaishnavism inculcates the essential and universal
   principle of all religion. That principle, called sanatana-dharma in
   Sanskrit, denotes the natural and eternal activity of all living beings
   -- loving devotional service to the one Supreme Personality of
   Godhead."

************************************************************************
End of quotes
************************************************************************

   Nowadays most "branches" of "Hinduism" are concoctions, deviations or
mixtures of various interpretations of the Vedic scriptures. They may or
may not include bhakti. However, bhakti-yoga in its pure form is only
practiced by vaishnavas.

 > 4.  What do you believe about Jesus Christ?

   Well, I guess I should have expected this question... It is a topic
which is not of such great importance to us. We believe Jesus was a
spiritual master, a representative of the Supreme Lord, Krishna, who
preached the message of Godhead according to time, place and
circumstances. That means not God himself but a powerful soul who
descended from above to preach standard spiritual knowledge. Such
knowledge is eternal and not subject to interpretation at any time by
anyone and is spoken by either God himself or his bona fide
representatives, like Jesus. Religion is one. Therefore we also believe
that there is no essential difference in his original teachings and ours,
except that the Vedic teachings are more voluminous and more detailed.

   We do not accept the Christian Theology that Jesus died for our sins,
the resurrection of the flesh, the Trinity, Jesus being God, in fact the
total of the whole superstructure grafted on top of the original teachings
of Jesus. I other words, we recognize Jesus and his teachings as
authentic. Yet as far as the whole superstructure of Christianity,
beginning with Paul, we disagree. And we are not alone: 80% of the modern
Bible researchers agree that the tenants of Christianity as we know it
have been developed gradually as time went on and have changed the
teachings of Jesus substantially. Saint Paul actually invented modern
Christianity.

   I will not elaborate on the chapter of the Bhavisya Purana (the Purana
that contains prophecies) that deals with the story of Isa Messiha or the
research that was done on Jesus' lost years, which concludes that he spent
that time in India. This because ISKCON does not necessarily supports
these points of view.

 > 5.  Why does one use Bhakti-Yoga?

   I think this question is answered in the previous answers.

 > 6.  What are some of the rules of Bhakti-Yoga?

   There are nine processes of bhakti-yoga that devotees do:

                        sri-prahrada uvaca
                      sravanam kirtanm visnoh
                       smaranam pada-sevanam
                      arcanam vandanam dasyam
                       sakhyam atma-nivedanam

                       iti pumsarpita visnau
                      bhaktis cen nava-laksana
                       kriyeta bhagavaty addha
                      tan manye 'dhitam uttamam

   "Prahlada Maharaja said: 'Hearing and chanting about the transcendental
   holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of the Lord,
   remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord
   respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering
   prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one's
   best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words,
   serving Him with the body, mind and words) -- these nine processes are
   accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to
   the service of Krishna through these nine methods should be understood
   to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete
   knowledge.'" (Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.23-24)

   These processes are executed under the guidance of advanced devotees.
In the beginning they may be done out of a sense of duty. Later, as the
practitioner advances in his love for the Lord, these items of devotional
service are carried out spontaneously.

                          adau sraddha tatah sadhu-
                           sango 'tha bhajana-kriya
                          tato 'nartha-nivrttih syat
                           tato nistha rucis tatah

                            athasaktis tato bhavas
                            tatah premabhyudancati
                           sadhakanam ayam premnah
                          pradurbhave bhavet kramah

   "In the beginning one must have a preliminary desire for
   self-realization. This will bring one to the stage of trying to
   associate with persons who are spiritually elevated. In the next stage
   one becomes initiated by an elevated spiritual master, and under his
   instruction the neophyte devotee begins the process of devotional
   service. By execution of devotional service under the guidance of the
   spiritual master, one becomes free from all material attachment,
   attains steadiness in self-realization, and acquires a taste for
   hearing about the Absolute Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. This
   taste leads one further forward to attachment for Krishna consciousness,
   which is matured in bhava, or the preliminary stage of transcendental
   love of God. Real love for God is called prema, the highest
   perfectional stage of life."

   Vaishnavas follow sadhana-bhakti, a system of rules and regulations
that ensures the strength necessary for this progress in devotional life.
They also follow a basic set of rules and regulations called "the four
regulative principles" -- no eating of meat, fish or eggs, no illicit sex,
no gambling and no intoxication. They are no specific rules for spiritual
life, rather, they are meant to keep a person on the level of human life.

   The following is a closer explanation of these four regulative
principles:

************************************************************************
Beginning of quotes
************************************************************************

   With the fear of losing freedom, no one likes to be restricted. If we
   are confronted with rules and regulations stating that we shouldn't do
   this or that, we naturally keep our distance. Yet restriction doesn't
   necessarily mean loss of freedom. Restrictions for our own benefit are
   a requirement for freedom.

   According to the ancient Vedic teachings, the present age we live in,
   Kali-yuga, is the age of quarrel, hypocrisy, and degradation. We only
   have to open a newspaper or to look around us to realize the accuracy
   of this assertion. And things are bound to get worse as time goes by.


   The Four Pillars of Sinful Life

   Still, the effects of Kali-yuga can be avoided by rejecting certain
   activities. The  Srimad-Bhagavatam  mentions these activities as suna
   (meat-eating),  striyah  (illicit sex),  panam (intoxication), and
   dyutam  (gambling).

   To most modern people the ability to engage openly in these acts is a
   sign of freedom, but they are unaware of the bondage and karmic
   reactions involved. The freedom they speak of is the freedom of a
   football -- to be kicked from here to there.

   These so-called sense gratificatory acts are a sign of degradation
   below the human level. The scriptures therefore advise four regulative
   principles to keep us on the human level. They directly counteract the
   four pillars of sinful life and uplift us to the stage from which we
   can approach spiritual life.

   No Meat-eating

   To many people being a vegetarian means being a fruitcake, but reality
   shows that meat-eating has caused global problems that make one wonder
   whether those who favor it should not be considered nuts. For instance,
   research and comparative studies over the past twenty-five years show
   that a meat-based diet is the number one cause of heart disease and
   cancer.

   More than half the world's grain production (1 billion tons annually)
   is fed to livestock, returning only a seventh in consumable meat. The
   remaining 860 million tons become inaccessible for human consumption. A
   loss representing almost half a kilo of grains a day for every person
   on this planet. This kind of inefficiency is the chief cause of the
   present world hunger problem. Besides that, the production of meat is
   one of the main factors of the destruction of our environment.

   More than 25 billion animals and a much bigger amount of aquatics are
   mercilessly slaughtered for food yearly -- hardly a claim of civilized
   humanity. It makes us merciless and devoid of compassion for all that
   lives, humans included.

   Although these few points are topics on which volumes of books could be
   written, our main concern here is to show the usefulness of the
   principle of non-violence. Vegetarianism is not an end in itself, but a
   first step toward an individual's living in harmony with himself and
   the world.

   No Illicit Sex

   We seem to have liberated ourselves from the foolish and primitive
   shackles of sexual restraint. Yet serious problems have caught up with
   our progressive march toward newer and stranger sexual practices.

   A plague of sexually transmitted disease claims ever-increasing
   victims. Most prominent and difficult to handle, is AIDS. Now an
   estimated 12 million adults and 1 million infants are infected and the
   expectations for the year 2000 are an estimated total of 30-40 million.
   So far a steady 40% of the cases have proven fatal.

   Promiscuity also generates detrimental social effects. Unwanted
   children that have escaped the gauntlet of birth control and the annual
   50 million abortions are often raised with insufficient affection and
   guidance, and therefore easily fall prey to bad association. City
   streets and jails abound with these youngsters. And it all began with
   some sexually preoccupied parents.

   Why this nightmare? Why can't we just enjoy a full and healthy sex
   life? Perhaps we have the wrong idea about the purpose of sex. Sex is
   meant for having children -- the natural result of sexual union. But we
   try to avoid nature's arrangement with contraceptives and abortions and
   thus spoil society. Then if nature tries to tell us that unrestricted
   sexuality is unnatural, we complain or blame a merciless God. The idea
   is not to give up sex altogether but to follow its real purpose.

   But what about overpopulation? Overpopulation is a myth. The burden
   lies in the type of population. Therefore we advocate regulated sex and
   better children over unrestricted sex and unwanted progeny. Sexual
   pleasure should not be an excuse for a careless way of life full of
   disturbing side effects.

   Therefore we don't find unwanted children, abortion or contraception in
   ISKCON. We only indulge in sex within marriage, and then only to have
   children that will be raised in Krishna consciousness. By following the
   original purpose of sex, nature does not retaliate.

   Sex for any other purpose is the cause of bondage and will ultimately
   lead to disease or unwanted progeny. Sex, more than anything else,
   fixes our false identification of ourselves with the body, and sexual
   desire can never be satisfied, for it grows by what it feeds on. Yet
   this desire for sex can be purified, and once purified it turns to
   love. By the process of Krishna consciousness we awaken our eternal
   nature and natural love of God, of which sex is just a perverted
   reflection.

   No Intoxication

   Intoxication refers to taking into the body substances that are not
   required for bodily sustenance and have altering effects on the mind
   and body. Vedic scriptures therefore include as intoxication everything
   from tea, coffee and tobacco to liquor, heroine and other more powerful
   drugs.

   Nowadays countless people depend on these substances to stimulate their
   otherwise boring lives or relieve the many anxieties of urban life. But
   any objective observer will conclude that such enjoyment or relief is
   transitory and therefore insubstantial.

   Such habits have destructive results. Besides the huge cost and
   resultant crime, addiction and loss of bodily and mental health
   eventually ends in disease, premature aging, and the inability to fix
   the mind intelligently and steadily on any subject or problem. Thus
   such habits impede spiritual advancement. Beyond this, the use of
   stronger and stronger intoxicants gradually destroy austerity and
   cleanliness, which the living conditions of drug-dependent persons
   confirm.

   Drug abuse has penetrated all levels of society, from grade schools to
   the elite. The crave for artificial pleasure reveals that the average
   person's daily life lacks real satisfaction and pleasure. Yet after the
   effect of the drug wears off, the user must return to his usual
   unsatisfactory condition of consciousness.

   To those for whom intoxication has become an integral part of their
   daily lives, intoxicants may seem to be just another part of reality.
   But seeming real doesn't qualify something for being real. If we want
   to deal with reality, we should first of all stop stuffing our brains
   with unreality. Refraining from drugs helps one become eligible to
   understand actual reality, and the highest reality is God. One fixed in
   God consciousness stays high forever.

   No Gambling

   Five thousand years ago, when the personality of Kali asked Maharaja
   Pariksit to designate where he could live, the King gave Kali four
   places -- places of gambling, drinking, prostitution and meat-eating.
   Where there is gambling, the other prominent symptoms of this age of
   quarrel and hypocrisy automatically appear.

   They used to open treatment centers for heroin addicts, now they open
   them for the compulsive gamblers. Compulsive gamblers run into enormous
   financial difficulties -- borrowing or even stealing from others. Heavy
   debt is a constant factor of their lives. They sleep poorly, usually
   drink a lot, and are tense, irritable, and indifferent toward eating
   and affection. They often think of suicide, but  always  think of the
   next bet.

   Any gambler thinks that with his manipulative ways he can get rich and
   enjoy. But certain laws defy these dreams, like the laws of nature,
   which are controlled by the Supreme Lord. These laws are not subject to
   gambling.

   Can you bet against disease? Can you bet against old age? Can you bet
   against death? No. You will never be able to try your luck with the
   most stringent law of nature: karma. Therefore the term "chance" in
   gambling is a denial of the laws of God. One thinks that somewhere in
   the system is a loophole, a place to beat the odds, a chance to win --
   but there isn't.

   The soul is not independent but a servant of God. The gambler thinks,
   "I'm independent, I'm the controller, I can change the odds." In this
   way everyone caught in the material world is a gambler to one degree or
   another. If we decide to gamble with the laws of nature, we will be
   cheated. The Lord is described as the greatest of cheats, but His
   cheating is different. It is an act of mercy, for he cheats us out of
   the illusion of being enjoyers.

   In Russian roulette, you never know when the loaded chamber will come
   up and blow your brains out. The game is dangerous, yet men play it. By
   denying the supremacy of the Supreme Lord and our existence as His
   eternal servants, we are all playing Russian roulette.

   In time, we will again be blown away by death, again cheated by the
   laws of nature. Who knows when our number of human existence will come
   up again -- simply because we decided to gamble our lives away...

   Pleasure and Defeat

   The conditioned soul in this world mistakes temporary forgetfulness of
   misery for happiness. Thus in conditions that are miserable, we take
   relief to be pleasure. The same logic may be applied to the four
   pillars of sinful life.

   The so-called pleasure of the material realm is not pleasure at all. In
   our endeavors for material happiness, we either don't get what we want
   or we get what we want but it doesn't live up to our expectations, or
   we get what we want but we cannot keep it. Just by  trying  to enjoy,
   we are defeated. Material existence leads to misery, and even the
   temporary cessation of misery must end.

   Spiritual advancement, not material sense gratification, is the real
   necessity of our civilization. We have dealt here with four of the
   materialist's most cherished enjoyments, but we have seen the stark
   truth behind these heinous activities. The very thing embraced as the
   cure is the cause of disease.

   Therefore devotees in ISKCON take a vow during initiation to follow the
   four regulative principles for the rest of their lives. Although no vow
   is required before initiation, following the four regulative principles
   is mandatory for those who want to stay within ISKCON and want to
   seriously progress in spiritual life.

   The Krishna consciousness movement invites all the spirit souls of this
   world to recognize the importance of the four regulative principles
   outlined here and to engage in acts of devotional service to the
   Supreme Personality of Godhead, who alone promises to take the
   surrendered soul back home, back to Godhead.

************************************************************************
End of quotes
************************************************************************

 > Thank-you for your patience.  I am sorry that I cannot just access the
 > articles right here.
 >
 > I have visited a Hare Krishna center in St. Louis two times before
 > this. I tried to remember everything that they told us.  But, at the
 > time, I didn't expect to be doing a paper on their religion.  However,
 > the religion does really intrigue me.  I guess that I would just like
 > to know the why questions and the how questions, mostly.  I am
 > impressed with the devotion that a Hare Krishna has.  It is unusual.
 > Thank-you for everything. Cyndi Morris

   I hope this helps you on the way. Please keep visiting the Hare Krishna
temples. They are the embassies of the spiritual world. At least go there
on Sundays to attend the Sunday love feast and stuff yourself. =)

   Hoping this meets you well and in a blissful mood,

   Varnadi das
   Webmaster TCP

@answ 494902

 > I am sorry.  I have one more question.
 >
 > Where in the Bhagavad-Gita would it be best to research Bhakti-Yoga?

 Hello again Cyndi. =)

    Hmmmm.... the whole Gita is a work of devotion. Arjuna is a great
vaishnava devotee of the Lord. One should actually read the Gita from
beginning to end. The chapters are progressive. If you jump over certain
passages, you may not be able to understand further statements.

    Just like in math class. In the first grades you learn about exponents
and negative numbers. Without understanding those, what will you
understand of:

                           /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\
                  1       /   1       [       1  ](exp2)
                 --- =   / ------- +  [ wC - --- ]
                  Z    \/  R(exp2)    [       wL ]

              (R, L and C parallel calculus for AC currents)

    It is also not possible to understand the Gita without the help of a
spiritual master. One cannot understand sastra (scripture) without guru.
That is where many mundane religions fail. They interpret scripture as
they like. That doesn't work.

                            tad viddhi pranipatena
                             pariprasnena sevaya
                            upadeksyanti te jnanam
                          jnaninas tatt va-darsinah

   "Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire
from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls
can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth." (BG 4.34)

   The first six chapters are an explanation of what yoga is all about and
explains the bare basics of spiritual understanding -- the identity and
characteristics of the soul, karma-yoga, knowledge of the relationship
between the soul and God, etc.

   In the next six chapters Lord Krishna explains about Himself, who He
is, what He is and why He does things as He does. There is no more
detailed and authoritative account of God and His identity to be found
anywhere else. And this is spoken by God Himself. Especially these six
chapters deal with the principles of bhakti-yoga.

   The last six chapters deal with the conclusion of the first nine
chapters.

   Hoping this meets you well and ever-curious,

   Varnadi das
   Webmaster TCP

@answ 494964

 > Hi Varnadi das!
 > (I feel like we're getting to be friends!)
 > I do have some more specific questions for you.

 Friends? That would be nice, but let's see after your project is over. =)

 > 1.  Do you believe in Brahman?
 > 2.  Do you believe that the atman of every being in the universe is
 >     part of Brahman?

   I'll take these two questions together as they relate to the same
thing. Brahman can refer to two things. It can mean "the Absolute Truth"
or the brahmajyoti, the effulgence coming forth from the body of the Lord.

   Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.11 states:

                    vadanti tat tattva-vidas
                   tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
                      brahmeti paramatmeti
                     bhagavan iti sabdyate

   "Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this
nondual substance Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan."

   Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport:

   "The Absolute Truth is both subject and object, and there is no
   qualitative difference there. Therefore, Brahman, Paramatma and
   Bhagavan are qualitatively one and the same. The same substance is
   realized as impersonal Brahman by the students of the Upanisads, as
   localized Paramatma by the Hiranyagarbhas or the yogis, and as Bhagavan
   by the devotees. In other words, Bhagavan, or the Personality of
   Godhead, is the last word of the Absolute Truth. Paramatma is the
   partial representation of the Personality of Godhead, and impersonal
   Brahman is the glowing effulgence of the Personality of Godhead, as the
   sun rays are to the sun-god. Less intelligent students of either of the
   above schools sometimes argue in favor of their own respective
   realization, but those who are perfect seers of the Absolute Truth know
   well that the above three features of the one Absolute Truth are
   different perspective views seen from different angles of vision."

   "As it is explained in the first sloka of the First Chapter of the
   Bhagavatam, the Supreme Truth is self-sufficient, cognizant and free
   from the illusion of relativity. In the relative world the knower is
   different from the known, but in the Absolute Truth both the knower and
   the known are one and the same thing. In the relative world the knower
   is the living spirit or superior energy, whereas the known is inert
   matter or inferior energy. Therefore, there is a duality of inferior
   and superior energy, whereas in the absolute realm both the knower and
   the known are of the same superior energy. There are three kinds of
   energies of the supreme energetic. There is no difference between the
   energy and energetic, but there is a difference of quality of energies.
   The absolute realm and the living entities are of the same superior
   energy, but the material world is inferior energy. The living being in
   contact with the inferior energy is illusioned, thinking he belongs to
   the inferior energy. Therefore there is the sense of relativity in the
   material world. In the Absolute there is no such sense of difference
   between the knower and the known, and therefore everything there is
   absolute."

   The brahmajyoti *consists* of living entities, atmas or jivas, who are
eternal fragmental parts of the Supreme Lord. They are one with the Lord
in quality, not in quantity, and at no point in time are they totally one
with the Lord (in the sense of merged). The individual soul is eternally
an individual identity, as confirmed by the Lord in the Gita (2.12):

                           na tv evaham jatu nasam
                           na tvam neme janadhipah
                           na caiva na bhavisyamah
                            sarve vayam atah param

   "Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these
kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be."

 > 3.  Do you believe that Dharma governs a persons rebirth?

   The rebirth in the cycle of birth and death is governed by an expansion
of Krishna called Paramatma (the technical name of this expansion is
Ksirodakasayi-vishnu). The living entity in this material world is subject
to the laws of material nature. For every action that he performs there is
a reaction, either good or bad, depending on whether the action performed
was good (karma) or bad (vikarma). Good or bad here means in accordance
with the laws of God given in the Vedic scriptures or against them.

   Karma results in better births on higher planets, where the inhabitants
enjoy long life spans and better sense enjoyment. There is also an absence
of disease and old age. Vikarma results in lower births, among animal or
plant species, or in worse cases punishment on the planets situated near
the center of this universe, collectively referred to as hellish planets.

   The dharma you refer to is the dharma of modern day Hinduism. It is a
type of piety actually that strifes for attaining higher planets. One
performs and follows the Vedic prescriptions for pious life and so hopes
to attain a better birth so that one can enjoy better sense gratification.

   But it's not the dharma that determines one's next birth. It's the
actions. Modern dharma is simply a framework in which a certain type of
actions is performed. And nowadays the ideas about dharma are pretty
upside-down, to say the least. As usual, everyone has his own
interpretation of what dharma means. This includes the Western
speculations.

   The definition of real dharma, sanatana-dharma, is given by Srila
Prabhupada in his introduction to the Gita:

   "Sripada Ramanujacarya has explained the word sanatana as "that which
   has neither beginning nor end," so when we speak of sanatana-dharma, we
   must take it for granted on the authority of Sripada Ramanujacarya that
   it has neither beginning nor end.

   "The English world religion is a little different from sanatana-dharma.
   Religion conveys the idea of faith, and faith may change. One may have
   faith in a particular process, and he may change this faith and adopt
   another, but sanatana-dharma refers to that activity which cannot be
   changed. For instance, liquidity cannot be taken from water, nor can
   heat be taken from fire. Similarly, the eternal function of the eternal
   living entity cannot be taken from the living entity. Sanatana-dharma
   is eternally integral with the living entity. When we speak of
   sanatana-dharma, therefore, we must take it for granted on the
   authority of Sripada Ramanujacarya that it has neither beginning nor
   end. That which has neither end nor beginning must not be sectarian,
   for it cannot be limited by any boundaries. Those belonging to some
   sectarian faith will wrongly consider that sanatana-dharma is also
   sectarian, but if we go deeply into the matter and consider it in the
   light of modern science, it is possible for us to see that
   sanatana-dharma is the business of all the people of the world--nay, of
   all the living entities of the universe."

   "Non-sanatana religious faith may have some beginning in the annals of
   human history, but there is no beginning to the history of
   sanatana-dharma, because it remains eternally with the living entities.
   Insofar as the living entities are concerned, the authoritative sastras
   state that the living entity has neither birth nor death. In the Gita
   it is stated that the living entity is never born and he never dies. He
   is eternal and indestructible, and he continues to live after the
   destruction of his temporary material body. In reference to the concept
   of sanatana-dharma, we must try to understand the concept of religion
   from the Sanskrit root meaning of the word. Dharma refers to that which
   is constantly existing with a particular object. We conclude that there
   is heat and light along with the fire; without heat and light, there is
   no meaning to the word fire. Similarly, we must discover the essential
   part of the living being, that part which is his constant companion.
   That constant companion is his eternal quality, and that eternal
   quality is his eternal religion."

   "When Sanatana Gosvami asked Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu about the svarupa
   of every living being, the Lord replied that the svarupa, or
   constitutional position, of the living being is the rendering of
   service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we analyze this
   statement of Lord Caitanya's, we can easily see that every living being
   is constantly engaged in rendering service to another living being. A
   living being serves other living beings in various capacities. By doing
   so, the living entity enjoys life. The lower animals serve human beings
   as servants serve their master. A serves B master, B serves C master,
   and C serves D master and so on. Under these circumstances, we can see
   that one friend serves another friend, the mother serves the son, the
   wife serves the husband, the husband serves the wife and so on. If we
   go on searching in this spirit, it will be seen that there is no
   exception in the society of living beings to the activity of service.
   The politician presents his manifesto for the public to convince them
   of his capacity for service. The voters therefore give the politician
   their valuable votes, thinking that he will render valuable service to
   society. The shopkeeper serves the customer, and the artisan serves the
   capitalist. The capitalist serves the family, and the family serves the
   state in the terms of the eternal capacity of the eternal living being.
   In this way we can see that no living being is exempt from rendering
   service to other living beings, and therefore we can safely conclude
   that service is the constant companion of the living being and that the
   rendering of service is the eternal religion of the living being."

 > 4.  Are you concerned with moksha?

   Only so far:

                   tuste ca tatra kim alabhyam ananta adye
                 kim tair guna-vyatikarad iha ye sva-siddhah
                    dharmadayah kim agunena ca kanksitena
                     saram jusam caranayor upagayatam nah

   "Nothing is unobtainable for devotees who have satisfied the Supreme
   Personality of Godhead, who is the cause of all causes, the original
   source of everything. The Lord is the reservoir of unlimited spiritual
   qualities. For devotees, therefore, who are transcendental to the modes
   of material nature, what is the use of following the principles of
   religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation,
   which are all automatically obtainable under the influence of the modes
   of nature? We devotees always glorify the lotus feet of the Lord, and
   therefore we need not ask for anything in terms of dharma, kama, artha
   and moksa." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.6.25)

   Srila Prabhupada explains in the purport:

   "In an advanced civilization, people are eager to be religious, to be
   economically well situated, to satisfy their senses to the fullest
   extent, and at last to attain liberation. However, these are not to be
   magnified as desirable. Indeed, for a devotee these are all very easily
   available. Bilvamangala Thakura said, muktih svayam mukulitanjali
   sevate 'sman dharmartha-kama-gatayah samaya-pratiksah. Liberation
   always stands at the door of a devotee, ready to carry out his orders.
   Material advancement in religion, economic development, sense
   gratification and liberation simply wait to serve a devotee at the
   first opportunity. A devotee is already in a transcendental position;
   he does not need further qualifications to be liberated. As confirmed
   in Bhagavad-gita (14.26), sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya
   kalpate: a devotee is transcendental to the actions and reactions of
   the three modes of material nature because he is situated on the
   Brahman platform.

   "Prahlada Maharaja said, agunena ca kanksitena: if one is engaged in
   the transcendental loving service of the lotus feet of the Lord, he
   does not need anything in terms of dharma, artha, kama or moksa. In
   Srimad-Bhagavatam, therefore, in the beginning of the transcendental
   literature, it is said, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra. Dharma, artha,
   kama and moksa are kaitava--false and unnecessary. Nirmatsarana-m,
   persons who are completely transcendental to the material activities of
   separateness, who make no distinction between "mine" and "yours," but
   who simply engage in the devotional service of the Lord, are actually
   fit to accept bhagavata-dharma (dharman bhagavatan iha). Because they
   are nirmatsara, not jealous of anyone, they want to make others
   devotees, even their enemies. In this regard, Srila Madhvacarya
   remarks, kanksate moksa-gam api sukham nakanksato yatha. Devotees are
   not desirous of any material happiness, including the happiness derived
   from liberation. This is called anyabhilasita-sunyam
   jnana-karmady-anavrtam. Karmis desire material happiness, and jnanis
   desire liberation, but a devotee does not desire anything; he is simply
   satisfied by rendering transcendental loving service at the lotus feet
   of the Lord and glorifying Him everywhere by preaching, which is his
   life and soul."

 > Thank-you for taking the time to read yet another message of mine.

   It is my pleasure. Please ask further if so required.

 > Cyndi Morris

   Your servant,

   Varnadi das

