July 2013

A Newsletter from His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami

1 We Must Take Shelter by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada 2 Beyond Fanaticism, Terrorism, and War by His Holiness B.T. Swami 3 Memories of His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami by Jayadeva dasa

We Must Take Shelter

by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Bali Maharaja could seek shelter of the side of the enemy, giving up the natural affinity for family, hearth and home. In this connection, Bali Maharaja explains that the body, which is the center of all material activities, is also a foreign element. Even though we want to keep the body fit and helpful to our activities, the body cannot continue eternally. Although I am the soul, which is eternal, after using the body for some time I have to accept another body (tatha dehantara-praptih), according to the laws of nature, unless I render some service with the body for advancement in devotional service. One should not use the body for any other purpose. One must know that if he uses the body for any other purpose he is simply wasting time, for as soon as the time is ripe, the soul will automatically leave the body.
Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.22.9 purport

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, advises, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: Give up all other varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. The common man does not appreciate such a statement by the Supreme Personality of Godhead because he thinks that during his lifetime his family, society, country, body and relatives are everything. Why should one give up any one of them and take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? But from the behavior of great personalities like Prahlada Maharaja and Bali Maharaja we understand that surrendering to the Lord is the right action for an intelligent person. Prahlada Maharaja took shelter of Visnu against the will of his father. Similarly, Bali Maharaja took shelter of Vamanadeva against the will of his spiritual master, Sukracarya, and all the leading demons. People may be surprised that devotees like Prahlada Maharaja and
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Bali Maharaja Surrenders to Lord Vamanadeva

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Beyond Fanatacism, Terrorism, and War

by His Holiness B.T. Swami
When we hear the word evil, many images come to our minds. For instance, we might think of the terrorist attacks in America on September 11th that took almost 3,000 lives. We might think of a serial killer who very heinously kills dozens of people, sometimes indiscriminately. Sometimes we think of a child abuser preying on innocent children, or the death camps in former Yugoslavia. We think about the tremendous impoverishment and war in Sudan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Somalia. Perhaps we think about the starvation in Ethiopia and the events causing young children and elderly women to meet their deaths by the millions. We think of people such as Suddam Hussein, who used torture freely, or Adolf Hitler, who was responsible for the genocide of millions of Jews. We think of Idi Amin, who killed delightfully, sometimes eating the organs of his enemies, or Emperor Nero, who killed countless numbers of his own citizens including his wife and mother. We think of Joseph Stalin, who probably killed more of his own countrymen than any other leader in history. We think of the massive murder of millions of American Indians by the settlers. We think of the millions of African slaves brought to the West from their native land, most of whom did not even survive the passage across the sea. As we think of the many current holocausts, we may think of the major companies and corporations polluting cities and countries without considering the long-term effects of their actions. We might even think of the satanic rituals performed by so-called elite and powerful personalities in various countries. As we think of evil, we might wonder how God can be all-merciful when we see such devastating events. Is there a devil who makes people commit these vicious acts of violence? Are people just trying to find some scapegoat as they express their animalistic tendencies? Is the demonic superior to the divine? We now see more sinful activities becoming a part of the normative structure of society and people are accepting them. If we examine most communities in the world, we will find that the negative is increasingly dominating over the activities of liberation. Have the soldiers of righteousness lost the battle, and should they surrender to more kinds of incarceration? We want to address the phenomena of evil because we can then understand more about the phenomena of goodness, righteousness, and divinity by recognizing its opposite. This understanding will also help us recognize how evil creeps in and contaminates our consciousness. We all have a lower self and a higher self. The Vedic scriptures tell us that there was a time when evil and
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righteousness could not firmly co-exist within the same universe. Later, there came a time when evil and righteousness not only existed within the same universe but within the same planet. As humankind moved farther away from the original spiritual culture created by God and moved closer to excessive pursuits of commodities and materialism, then evil and righteousness began to co-exist very powerfully within the same individual. This means that there is a godly and a demonic side to all of us at this state of evolution. When we find one polarity in the material world, we will always find its opposite since we reside in the realm of relativity and duality. The Native American Indians believe that we all have two dogs fighting inside of usone bad and one good. When asked which one wins the fight, they affirm that the one who gets fed the most wins. The aspect of ourselves to which we give the most energy will dominate and defeat the other aspect. Dont think that there is just a devil outside because the propensity for evil is within. It is not that there is only one devil; there are many devils. It is not that there is one type of sin; there are many types of sin and different combinations of sinful activities. There are divine, pious entities as well as highly empowered negative beings. There are extraterrestrial beings from other realms who are godly and others who are devilish. If we read the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, or the Vedas, we will find that all of these scriptures tell us about extraordinary personalities and demonic entities of different calibers. Disembodied thought forms can also enter into a persons consciousness and influence him or her. Thoughts are sources of energy, which, once released into the atmosphere, can have a life of their own and seriously impact upon the environment. However, they primarily influence people who are receptive. For this reason, mind control is one of the biggest problems in the 21st century. As technology and science become subtler, there are more ways to harness peoples mental energy without their awareness. Many people would be completely devastated to find out how much mind control, for instance, is being used by the CIA, FBI, KGB, and in the militaries. It is especially being used in all the major advertisements. As we build up our spiritual strength and understand more about our real identity, we will have greater protection from those influences that are negative. There are even some people who talk about the devil in terms of race and gender. For instance, there are those who say that white people are devils, and others who say that black people are devils. There are people who say all men are devils, and there are men who say that all women are witches and devils. For people to even utter such conceptions shows that they have already been devilishly affected. People should be evaluated not just by race or gender, but by consciousness, understanding, and perception. Racism and sexism pits man against woman, race against race, nation against nation, or tribe against tribe, which will continue to bring increasing fragmentation, conflicts, and sufferings.
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There are even some people who talk about the devil in terms of race and gender. For instance, there are those who say that white people are devils, and others who say that black people are devils. There are people who say all men are devils, and there are men who say that all women are witches and devils. For people to even utter such conceptions shows that they have already been devilishly affected. People should be evaluated not just by race or gender, but by consciousness, understanding, and perception. Racism and sexism pits man against woman, race against race, nation against nation, or tribe against tribe, which will continue to bring increasing fragmentation, conflicts, and suffering.

Memories of His Holiness B.T. Swami

by Jayadeva dasa

I was fortunate enough to have a lot of personal association with Gurudeva as his secretary when he would stay at Gita-nagari (from about 1997 2002). One time I remember driving Gurudeva around Juniata County to various greenhouses/nurseries. He was looking for the perfect plants to add to his collection at the Institute House. As we were driving to one nursery we were talking about his upcoming world tour. I think he had been mentioning how on those tours he would barely eat and I wanted to end this reflection with a personal email that barely sleep. We pulled into the parking lot and were getting Gurudeva sent me in November of 2003: out of the car. I remember saying to him, Gurudeva, how do you never get tired? or Gurudeva, how do you do it? something to that effect. Ill never forget that big grin that Dear Jayadeva, came across his face as he replied, Jayadeva, you think about yourself too much! We both chuckled and headed Please accept my blessings. All glories to ISKCON into the store. founder-acarya Srila Prabhupada. This was the secret to Gurudevas success in Krishna Im glad to hear from you. I was just thinking Consciousness. He was genuinely selfless, not in a forced deeply of you in the last two days, so I was or artificial way, but it was in the core of his being. Many expecting to get a letter from you soon. Let me times I would do my service to him grudgingly or out of simply give you my example. I find nothing in duty and he was completely aware of this. One time while I this material world to be attractive. Everything was his personal servant in New Vrindavan he called me out that anyone does in the material world turns into on this very point. His exact words were, Youre so damn some kind of disappointment. What makes me selfish! I remember feeling embarrassed and ashamed. He somewhat satisfied is that I am 1) still trying to be knew my heart inside and out. loyal to my spiritual master, and 2) almost every Every chastisement that Gurudeva gave to me was day I am able to do something or say something an act of selflessness. He had no motive or personal gain that helps someone else in their spiritual journey. from chastising me. He just wanted me to stop suffering How satisfying it is to constantly try to see how to due to my crazy mind. There was always love and concern touch someone elses life in an auspicious way. As behind his actions with others, whether they were disciples a matter of fact this is one of the biggest joys of or acquaintances. I know some disciples had a hard time life, to be able to live a life where you are somehow with Gurudevas strong personality and misunderstood his adding value to someone elses life.
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actions as heavy-handed or coming from a place of false ego. It took a lot of humility to be in Gurudevas presence, because he wasnt afraid to call you out on your nonsense. I know these arent very exciting or entertaining stories about Gurudeva. Please forgive me. All of my experiences with him were more about internal connections with Paramatma and the personal lessons they entailed. They dont translate so well as stories. For me this reflection is more about meditating on Gurudevas quality of selflessness. This has been and still is the theme of my current devotional life: how to become genuinely selfless. Gurudeva even wrote in my copy of Spiritual Warrior 2: Lust attacks us on the gross and subtle levels. We will constantly be defeated unless we become truly selfless. Yours in the struggle for unconditional love. Out of all the lessons that Gurudeva imparted in his own personal life its his selflessness that shines the brightest and speaks the loudest. One time I asked him, How can I become completely and truly selfless? He quickly replied with another question, Do you realize you keep asking me the same question? Maybe you should take a look at that. He then went on to respond to the question, but his point was that he had already given me the answer. The problem was that I wasnt hearing it or applying it to my own life. I wasnt becoming selfless simply because I didnt want to be selfless.

Who are the people who are normally the happiest? Those who are intelligently selfless. Those who are constantly experiencing anxiety in success or failure are generally those who are more selfish. Who are those who make themselves suffer so much? Again, those who are more selfish. However, being selfless is not just a mechanical act. This is why you have so much trouble when you try to be selfless. When you try to be selfless you simply try to deny your feelings. Being genuinely selfless is not a matter of denial, but it is simply a matter of appreciating others more, and not just appreciating those who fit into our desires or plans. Yours in Srila Prabhupadas service, With Love, Bhakti Tirtha Swami

Again, I see Gurudevas success on the path of bhakti-yoga as being due to his intense, genuine selflessness. We all know his history and all of the stories that give evidence to this fact. The blessing he received from Srila Prabhupada was the gift of selfless, unconditional love and devotion. That is guru-tattva. That is the mercy of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Without selflessness and disinterest in sense gratification there is no advancement and no success in devotional service. I pray to Gurudeva to give me that blessing so that I too may one day be eligible to run with him in the forests of Sri Vrindavan.

Copyright 2011 Hari-Nama Press All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or other wise, without prior written consent of the publisher. Hari-Nama Press gratefully acknowledges the BBT for the use of verses, purports and photos from Srila Prabhupadas books. All such material are Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc. Designed by Tamal Krsna dasa Edited by Lila Katha devi dasi Photo of Bhakti Tirtha Swami: 2005 Lawson Knight/Laksmivan dasa ACBSP