What is devine?

In this material World and even in the spiritual sky where countless planets host countless souls performing plays born of piety, impiety, desire and freedom from desire, there are prescritions of duty, ways to behave in order to receive happiness, honour, and hope. n Sahaja Nagari Radha there is no such concern. She is lost in the wind of Love, flying wherever it takes her, into madness or hideous sanity, she cares not. She will act according to Loves whim. That gives her the key to the heart of the Supreme Lover and enables only Her to sit together with Him on His throne. Yet, it is not a throne where They choose to sit. It is on a flowerbed in the forest bowers of Vrindavan, a World of make-believe which has manifested out of their own audacity. The eternal spring told of in Srimad Bhagavatam, Govinda Lilamrata and other books which detail the accounts of Theır Love, is real. In fact it is the most real place in all the Three Worlds. For it never fades away. It is never replaced out of hope or desire for other types of pleasure. The Couple are satisfied here with their never-ending feeling of never-quite-satisfied. Every moment is fresh and they meet each time as if they had never met. Thus they come together a virgins in the dark of the night and the light of the day to romance like no-one anywhere else could care or dare to dream.

There are those reading this who have dedicated themselves to the service of these extraordinary lovers. They are the devotees, the Vaishnavas. And there are those who have not dedicated. For people who may read these words and think ı am talking of myth and legend let me say that actually…. we… the aforementioned category of men and women on this planet completely conceive our heroes to be factual personalities. Moreover, the process of surrender to these ever-existing personalities is the Supreme process and the meaning of life. There is nothing more beautiful than Their play and there is nothing more beautiful than joining that play.

That is the wonderful goal of those who have embraced the offer which comes from Krishna Himself. Join us He says. Become completely natural your self and end your samsara, your continuous cycle of birth and death in the flux of the material world. There is nothing more to eschew in this cycle of happiness and distress. The offer of entrance into the Supreme Lovers play of love stands forever and is echoed by the devotees. These words are that echo, that offer, and so they are another hand reaching out, a new flavour of request for all to hear and for those fortunate to accept. For there is no doubt that those accepting are the most fortunate souls in the World. We have found the truth and we want to share it. We are experiencing love and we want to share it. It feels like there is no need to resist. It occurs to us in our pu,re enthusiasm that everyone will surely take up the offer and ascend to our greatest goal.

Somehow there is work to be done. There are inner obstacles to remove so that the natural self can become a lover of the divine in its purest form. Once one has trust in the path then the cleaning of illusory concepts begins and it is with drops of pure energy coming from the Supreme Eternal World itself which eradicates the dark oil of ignorance.

The Supreme Couple are keen to see you with them and so they create many ways in which you come to them. They are felt in all religions. They are conceived of in all philosophies. This Supreme Love of Radha and Krishna is the love of Christ, the Love of Allah, the Love of Mother Earth, Jehovah, Jah and Jahweh. And more. Their story is all encompassing. To embrace it creates an understanding of religion itself so there is no more spiritual division. To embrace it creates an understanding that supercedes religion itself and leaves one naked, purified, sanctified and ready to be absorbed into the next world.

John Lennon sang Imagine there’s no heaven and no hell. Maybe he was inspired by the Bauls of Bengal who worship humanity itself and steer clear of escapist dreams of another world. The Bauls are a mix of Sufis and Vaishnavas who have found a common higher ground and unite beyond the boundaries of their apparent religions. On the top of the hill the muslims and hindus meet in the Baul to glorify Love Itself, whatever you may wish to call it. They are known as sahaja, following the natural path of love of man, glorifying the divinity within. However, it does not mean that there is no God outside that divine man. It does not mean that there is no heaven and no hell. The presence of the enlightened sahaja is so immaculate that the feeling is that there is nowhere else than here. Only with that presence is one able to go ‘there’! Only one denying there can go there. Everyone else striving for somewhere else stays put. In this world of striving for something else.

There is there and there is no there simultaneously. I disagree with the Bauls who say there is no there when they are speaking philosophically because there is. There are many other worlds and there is a Supreme World where we belong in our purest essence. Yet when one speaks from feeling and says there is no there that is different. That is the nature of ‘there’ coming inside the soul to give a feeling of the real world where there is no there, only here and now.

The enlightened soul in this world may understand both, the philosophical ontological reality and the experiential ecstatic reality. Philosophy is the bridge without which the soul would not be able to cross the divide between material and spiritual consciouness. The ecstatic world however is our goal which enters slowly but surely to completely change our scope of vision, and our entire motivation for existence and action within it.

Each one of us is sahaja nagari, a natural lover of the Natural Lovers, in our purest state. The word sahaja I chose purposefully because it has been used to mean ‘cheater’ in the Vaishnava community over the years. It actually means the opposite of cheater. It means absolutely honest and natural, intrinsic and inherent. Nagari too is linked with a group of devotees who call themselves gauranga nagaris, or lovers of Gauranga, the incarnation of the combined form of Radha and Krishna, known as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, or Gauranga. When sacred words are used in a negative way they frighten people from something which is ultimately pure love. This little paragraph is for those who are devotees who have heard of the sahaja but probably never even met one. Like a bogeyman, those who have enterened the path of devotion in the stages of vaidhi bhakti, following rules and regulations, have been warned about the natural lover of God, who is so oblivious to rules that he or she appears egoistic, materialistic, illusioned or even offensive.

Yet Krishna Himelf is the greatest Sahaja, the most natural man and Radha the most natural woman. And it is the natüre of the natural man and woman which are exemplified in their pastimes and which purifies all the living entities to become natural too.

The erotic nature of our heroes is the climax of our dreams. We are like we are because they are like they are. Take away our selfish motivation and everything becomes love. Our flesh and blood will become love. Our love will become flesh and blood.

The way of the natural lover is not a path. It is a nature. The way of the natural lover is as unique as every human. In recognition of that uniqueness we celebrate the unity of humankind, and eternity, knowledge and bliss which enters the allowing soul to become the absolute loving soul.

Chapter 1 – Give Up Religion

The Bhagavad-Gita was spoken on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, India more than five thousand years ago. A part of the Mahabharat, it is recognized as the most important message as it is the words of God to the inquisitive human. The meaning of life is disseminated in this short treaty on yoga, knowledge, nature and God.

Krishna speaks of the three major yoga processes of karma, jnana and bhakti. Karma yoga is dedicating the fruits of your actions to God. Jnana yoga is mediation on the supersoul. Bhakti yoga is devotional service to the personality of God, who is Krishna Himself.

At the end of the discussion Krishna says ‘Now I have spoken to you the secrets of perfection. Ponder to your hearts content then act at your discretion.’ Here Krishna is saying ı have given you the meaning of life and all the advice you need to achieve perfection yet still, you are free to do what you like because ultimately that is fundamental to humanity. Freedom. If you will love God you will do it of your own accord for love can never be an obligation. Though there are a lot of rules and regualtions in spiritual paths, they should be embraced from the platform of freedom. You may choose to adhere to the advice in the Vedas or you may do what you like. The warning is that because you are free you are also the creator of your own destiny. You create your own karma by your actions so ‘ponder then choose wisely’ your way and your actions.

Krishna goes on to say ‘Since you are my beloved friend I’ll speak these final words, bringing greater benefit than all as yet you’ve heard.’ He has just told Arjuna, who is the representative of the inquisitive human and a warrior on this battlefield, that ‘I have told you the secrets of perfection’ yet now he says…. ‘one more thing, whıch will bring greater benefıt to you’. The next two verses then are the secrets beyond the secrets of perfection. Perfection was given as devotion, the supreme yoga path being bhakt-yoga, so what is Krishna saying on top of this?

man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru

mam evaisyasi satyam te pratijane priyo si me

sarva-dharmam parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja

aham tvam sarva-papebhyo

oksayisyami ma sucah

‘Think about me always and become my devotee. Worship and give homage and you’ll return to Me. Giving up religious creeds submit yourself to Me. I accept your former sins have no anxiety.’

The words deserve to stand out. Let’s take them one line at a time.

‘Think about Me always.’ Is it possible to think about someone always? No. Not a mundane person. Only someone absolutely captivating, someone whose energy is manifest everywhere if you hae the eye. Krishna is that person who is absolutely captivating. Yet to become captivated there is a process. Bhakti-yoga is of two types. Vaidhi bhakti and raganuga bhaktı. Vaidhi means adhering to prohibitions and prescriptions set out in devotional literature. Raganuga is to follow the heart of those with raga, or divine loving attachment, so that your heart will be attached by love. That is how you will think always of Krishna.

Now Arjuna is standing next to Krishna so it is a little easier for Him to think always of Krishna. Yet Krishna is not a mortal. He is personally existing forever in a dimension which never ceases. Otherwise why would he give a message to mankind about thinking about Him when He knew that He wasn’t going to be around in his physical form on this planet. Krishna exists eternally. He has explained in Bhagavad-Gita that He is the sun and moon and everything in creation. But not just that everything in creation is His total but that everything in creation is his energy, everything expands from Him. The person is the point.

Bhagavan is the ultimate realization of the yogis. First we understand that brahman is God. Brahman is everything. Then we understand paramatma is God. is the supersoul, the divine spark within living things. So here there is a separation between living and non-living which we can experience. Everything is still brahman, yet living souls are part of paramatma, God who is the origin of life-force. Finally there is bhagavan, the personality of God, who exists separate from us. Though supersoul is part of us, bhagavan is separate from us (and part of us). The paradox is something that empirical philosophers don’t understand. How can something be one yet different. Yet simultaneous oneness and difference of the Absolute is the ultimate philosophy which defeats all philosophies as it embraces all philosophies. There is nothing one who understands God cannot agree with because all philosophies fit into the whole picture. But all philosophies are not the whole picture. One who understands brahman, paramatma and bhagavan understands the whole of God and in Bhagavad-gita Krishna recommends the process to understand Bhagavan as bhakti-yoga.

When it comes to the personality of God then there are further divisions of understanding, because there are innumerable manifestations of this original person. Beyond this material realm there are planets which host fortunate souls who live besides God in different guises. Studying the scriptures given by bhagavan Himself, especially the famously untainted Srimad Bhagavatam we come to understand that the most incredible, beautiful, magnanimous, attractive, blissful personality of God is Krishna.

The reason is sweetness and intimacy.

Siva, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Durga… there are many Gods in Vedic thought. And knowledge of them is something beyond what I want to get into. It is enough to know that Krishna supercedes these Gods, and is thus the original manifestation of all of them. He is the God of Sweet Love. What sets Krishna aside is the intimacy He shares with His female counterpart Radha and His marginal energy, the innumerable souls – us, and the bliss experienced by that intimacy.

Ultimately bliss is the mearuring rod for greatness and Krishna is thus the greatest. The soul strives for it’s ultimate experience. It doesn’t relax till it finds its zenith. That is how it comes home. And home is Krishna. That statement doesn’t disclude all those souls who have another name for God or who do other things in search for the ultimate bliss. The search is the same. The experiences are similar. Yet ultimately the bliss of love of Krishna reconciles as it embraces while it supercedes all other experiences.

This is the secret information given by Krishna here. Before this final statement Krishna had explained bhakti-yoga which leads to love of God in its magnificence, in His majesty. Vaidhi bhakti can take you to Vaikuntha, the majestic spiritual world of Krishna as Vishnu in His regal wonderland. Some souls may find absolution in this attainment. But then Krishna says because you are my friend. Here is the key. To enter the world of intimacy beyond the majesty you have to be a friend. There is no room for aisvarya, the awe and reverance due to the king of all kings, the God of all Gods. You have to drop that feeling or rather you have to attain the honest intimacy and love which Krishna so cherıshes and which is the most cherıshable attainment for all souls.

‘Become my devotee.’ Krishna had already talked about devotion earlier his speech so here there must be a difference between what he has said and what is instructed in his final words, otherwise he is merely repeating himself which would render the promise of further benefit useless. Here Krishna says become devoted to me intimately, and go beyond the awe and reverance, the aisvvarya pervading the universes He resides in majesty. Come to my garden within the palace where I wander with my shoes off, where I am relaxed, where I laugh, dance, get drunk with those who love me as I am.

Welcome to Vrindavan. Vrindavan is Krishna’s intimate wonderland, full of sweet love. Here the God of Sweet Love plays with His lovers the most wonderful play. Lila. It is eternally existing, sat, full of knowledge, cit, and full of bliss, ananda. Here the bliss of prema, premananda, embarrases the bliss of brahman or nirvana or even the love of God tinged with awe and reverance.

In Vrindavan Krishna behaves like an ordinary human yet a very extraordinary ordinary human. His powers of being God Show up sometimes yet they are covered by the sweetness of His love, the sweetness of His pastimes with His flute and His devotees. He is a simple cowherd, in love with simple village girls, playing in the forest with simple cowherd boy friends. The stories of Krishna are simple yet they are the excess of love-intoxication. From them all metaphors of love are strung like pearls on a thread yet the story is not mere metaphor, it is a real existence, more real than ours on Earth as it is eternal, beyond samsara, the cycle of birth and death. It is beyond karma, the action and reaction of the material world. Lila is home. Home is where the heart will be when it has found its zenith of bliss. And when the heart is home, in Vrindavan, there will never be a longing to go elsewhere or search for any other kind of happiness.

That feeling of home is not only experienced when you reach the final resting place of bliss, it is experienced on the way, in this life, on this planet. This bliss eradicates the desires to continue searching under the rocks of false promises born in this world of illusion, where happiness promotes itself in devious places. The path of raganuga bhakti is glorious for on the path you are already home. The way is blissful. The way is an increasing feeling of love for the object of love Sri Krishna. That feeling of love will become more and more intimate till it breaks through the boundaries of awe and reverance, till it breaks through the prohibitions and regulations of religion and into the heart of the Creator of Everything. Become the devotee of this person, Krishna is advising here in chapter 18, verse 65 of Bhagavad-Gita and you will attain a perfection beyond perfection.

‘Worship and give homage to me.’ Now if we have already surpassed awe and reverance then why is Krishna saying worship and bow down or fold your hands in namaskara, obeisance. Actually, he has said become my intimate devotee already so here worship means that natural worship of an adoring lover or friend. And in that way let your obeisance be with your whole being as you constantly think of me in intimate love. Again, these are the prescious words of intimacy so with that in mind Krishna is saying your devotion is your worship, your natural love is your obeisance. In a way he saying ‘don’t worship or bow down’ because you are doing that by surrendering your whole existence to me, and that is what raganuga bhakti is. It is dying to live. It is complete self sacrifice with no want of return. Then…

‘Certainly you will come to me.’ Krishna was stood next to Arjuna saying you will come to me. This is funny. It is Krishna’s way of saying that this whole war which you are fighting is actually on one level of reality and I exist forever on another reality. In that reality you will come when you completey dedicate yourself to me in intimate love. Krishna is promising something here. One must sacrifice without expectation but here, as a friend, with a whisper, Krishna is saying, look, I promise you, certainly you will come to me. With this instruction Krishna took Arjuna’s fear away letting Him know that the war in which He was fighting, despite being a war in which Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight, was something temporary yet the love in which He was offering is eternal.

‘I promise you this because you are my friend.’ That is why Krishna was breaking his own law by letting his friend in on the secret. Otherwise how can you act causelessly when given a cause. Krishna can do that. My guru, as the guru is also empowered to offer such promises, also told me once, ‘full surrender, full return.’ And he told me very personally, very intimately. Just follow, give everything and you will get everything back. Don’t worry. Don’t hold on to anything in this world. You will not lose anything by absolute surrender. The raganuga bhakti practitioner has no other purpose than to love. One may act in this world and be completely aloof from it simultaneously. We will see by Arjuna’s actions that though he accepted the offer he continued to fight. This is very deep. Before Krishna spoke Arjuna was saying let me go to the forest and meditate like a yogi. And Krishna was saying become my devotee and continue to fight. Embrace the paradox. I AM everything. You don’t need to go to a cave. I am available for worship in every action.

Verse 65 to 66 and Krishna continues the secret message, the crown jewel of spiritual instruction.

‘Giving up all religious creeds, surrender unto me.’ I am using a translation by Carl Woodham because I like the fact that he translates the whole of Bhagavad-gita into English poetry. The words sarva-dharman mean ‘all religion’. Abandon all religion and surrender to me. How beautiful. Bhagavad-gita is the Hindus religious scripture and what is the crux of advice – give up religion. Which can only be done by surrendering to Krishna. Otherwise there is reaction. Religion is good. We have heard Krishna speak so passionately about it. But friend, truth be told, give up even that and come with me into my secret playground where you won’t have to think about wrong and right ever again.

Here Krishna is saying give up vaidhi bhakti even because that is part of dharma. What is the dharma of raganuga bhakti? Surrender, remembrance, worship. Naturally. Let go. Let go of right and wrong and….

‘I will free you from sinful reaction. Do not fear.’

Krishna is the boss. He is the One who can offer the pardon. And he offers the pardon to those who surrender, whose motivation to surrender is entirely to please Krishna. Any other motivation will bring a reaction. But if the motivation is honestly to please Krishna, whatever action you do will not bring about a reaction. That is Krishna’s promise here. There are so many warning in the religious books about going to hell for this and that and yet Krishna says if you accept me as your intimate friend you are free. Totally. You can do what you like. Have no fear.

Have no fear. In Krishna consciousness there is no fear. If you see fear of sin in someone then they are not raganuga. Because a raganuga devotee of Krishna is not afraid. He might think ‘so I am going to hell, no problem, but even there let me continue to serve my Krishna. Don’t let me forget my Krishna. I don’t care where ı will go. I am His. He is mine.’ Krishna is saying ‘you will come to me’ but the devotee is not afraid he will not go because actually once he has surrendered he feels Krishna very close and he feels the truth of that promise. He knows he will be with Krishna in the spiritual realm one day yet already there is bliss, there is service, there is friendship, there is love. Sometimes we read passages and prayers of devotees wanting more but that is a part of the natural greed of love. There is also satisfaction. The desire is a part of love which gives a feeling of want for more ON TOP OF the feeling of complete satisfaction. That is prema, divine love.

What is interesting here is that Krishna is saying I will free you from sin. But that is not such a big deal as the vaidhi bhakta is also not worrying about sinful reaction. Krishna says earlier in Bhagavad-Gita that bhakti burns all sins. So why is Krishna repeating this here? What is the deeper meaning? It means that once you have surrendered and become the devotee, worshipıng wıth your complete being, then you may also enjoy as Krishna does and not suffer the reaction which acting like Krishna from an egoistic perspective.

We have learnt that we are servants of God who incorrectly behave like God, thinking ourselves to be the enjoyers when actually we are the enjoyed, we are servants of God. But what about when we come close to God, when we enter his offer by surrendering and devoting our existence to his service. Will we be engaged only internally, serving intimately inside and just eating a little food for sustenance to maintain the external frame. Maybe. That is one type of devotee. But devotion has many possibilities, supporting many types of people. I once stood on the banks of Radha Kund praying to Radha, asking Her if She wants me to live there forever and forget this material world. I have friends doing just that. But she told me no, go back to the west, make a bridge and bring more people.

Thus we come to the next line in the Bhagavad-gita where Krishna says the one who speaks this secret and makes the meaning clear is my most dear servant. Krishna wants to enlighten the souls of the world. He wants people to come to His intimate love. And therefore those who touch it he inspires to touch others.

There is a warning however. Krishna says ‘only speak these words of Mine to those who are austere. Don’t instruct those faithless souls too envious to hear.’ In this world where does that leave us? We cannot tell anyone!! Luckily Krishna returned 500 years ago in the form of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and simplified the process and eased off on the qualification. Actually, Mahaprabhu is the combined incarnation of Radha and Krishna. The feminine nature of compassion inspired Krishna now to say ‘ok, you’re all welcome’. Thus he gave the maha mantra and became patita pavana, saviour of the fallen, elevating and enlightening any simple person who merely accepted the name of Krishna. Those envious don’t accept, but all are welcome. There is no qualification anymore and I am pretty much a good example of that being true.

In Kali yuga, the age of hypocrisy, people are not even envious. They are more oblivious than envious, therefore you can tell everyone and the oblivious will not criticize because the offer will fly over their heads. The simple, the honest, the romantic, the truthful, the meek shall inherit. As Jesus promised. They shall inherit more than the Earth. The Earth means everything. And everything means love. And love is available inside and from inside we one day return to our home in the spiritual sky to play with Krishna without fear of sin, in complete ecstasy.

Chapter 2 – Bhakti - The Process of Transformation

I will free you from sin means that when you have love there can be no sin. We are warned not to sin and in devotional life we are warned not to offend the true devotee of Krishna. We are told that even if we see them acting irreligiously we should not crıticize. Why would we see someone who loves Krishna acting irreligiously? That is because he or she is not attached to religion anymore and may go transgress the boundaries of religious injunction freely. They may. They may not. It is not that the natural lover of God will always transgress the codes of dharma just because they can. They are not attached to breaking rules just as they are not attached to rules. In fact, in this world we need to live in a civilized culture fort he benefit of humanity and such a civilized culture as was ancient Vedic İndian culture has a lot to offer to today’s society whose culture is dwindling by the day. The culture of Vaishnavism is beautiful. The Vedas give information about every walk of life which aids the complete experience on Planet Earth. Why give up all of that just to be free? Freedom is not the goal of the Vaishnavas. In fact freedom is scoffed at. One dedicated to the loving service of Krishna is not an escapist. That is why Krishna was telling Arjuna that he needn’t run to the cave. Everything is possible by doing your duty, performing your dharma.

But Krishna also said give up all dharma. The action Arjuna took was to continue as a warrior and fight in the war against the enemy as he had planned before becoming overwhelmed with sentimentality about his relatives being on the opposite side. Arjuna accepts Krishna’s offer of eternal friendship. He says after Krishna’s speech that he understands and is now free from doubt. Then he fights in the battle. So he didn’t give up his dharma as such but he wasn’t attached to it either. He just became a natural lover. A natural lover will not be excessive. A natural lover acts according to his or her own heart inspiration now the heart is given to Krishna. The heart given over to Krishna is given over to love and there is the attachment. Most often one attached to love will continue to follow the codes of conduct prescribed in the local culture. Now we have Krishna consciousness around the world and people embracing this wisdom who are coming from different cultures. Srila Prabhupada when he came to the West saw to educate the westerners about Vedic culture for in the west ancient traditions have all but been replaced by the industrial and technological age.

However, varnashrama dharma, the culture of India which divides periods of one’s life into the ashrams of celibate student, married citizen, retiring citizen and sannyasa, renounced ascetic, is not a prerequisite for raganuga bhakti. Raganuga bhakti is beyond these ashrams but if we didn’t know anything of it we wouldn’t be able to understand Indian culture nor Krishna culture. If we read the Krishna books without understanding Krishna’s culture how would we be able to think of him and serve him internally. Not possible. Therefore Prabhupada is THE revolutionary of our times because he created an ancient international culture from nothing.

If however, we see that the culture is our goal and not relationship with Krishna then we are missing the point. It is true that Krishna says give up all dharma. Yet those who love Krishna obviously love the culture too. The true sahaja, or natural lover, will not behave ‘controversially’ to show off his freedom. He has nothing to prove to anyone. Yet he may embrace the tantric path of devotion and there are deep reasons for it (which I will elaborate on later.)

The natural lover of Krishna is free from fear. That feeling is a feeling that Krishna wishes upon the soul entering a relationship with him. It is something Krishna wants the soul to taste because it tastes good and also the soul knows how Krishna feels so that they are able to serve each other. Krishna is to be served but also Krishna enjoys serving everyone else. There can be no intimate service if one party is vibrating fear and the other absolute freedom. There has to be common ground for service, especially in the mystically sweet world of Vrindavan.

Earlier in Bhagavad-gita Krishna had spoken of the soul and it’s eternal nature, encouraging Arjuna and humanity to be free from fear of death because death was a myth. ‘Never was there a time when you did not exist Oh Arjuna, and never will there be a time when you cease to be. Just as you take off clothes and put on new ones, similarly at death, you take off one body and replace it with another.’ Then Krishna goes on to say that ‘even if’ you think the body is everything still you have no need to fear for why worry over something that will inevitably return to the Earth anyway.’ People fear because we do live forever but feel that we don’t. This misidentification is the root cause of our miseries so coming into Krishna consciousness eradicates those fundamental fears. Then, entering a culture of religion there is further fear of offending, or sinning and it is for this reason Krishna says go beyond even that by surrendering completely to me, then you can feel free from even that. People without knowledge of Krishna cannot feel free because there where there is a lack of knowledge there is naturally ignorance which brings fear. Knowledge of Krishna takes away all fears and Love of Krishna makes one absolutely free. There is no other way to freedom other than slavery to the Independent Master. Another paradox but this is so just because the Creator of Everything is a good guy. Satan and all the evil in the world will no longer worry you when you are absolutely sure of the Supreme Controller.

That is good news if you didn’t already know and there is a lot more good news to come. Because Krishna consciouness is step by step ever more ecstatic till you are swimming in the ocean with the God and Goddess of Love Themselves.

The process of vaidhi bhakti is continually offered thanks to the grace of Srila Prabhupada and other wonderful acharyas, teachers of bhakti. Not only vaidhi but the inspiration to follow raganuga they sewed inside the gardens of devoted hearts. All knowledge is there in the books of the acharyas. Yet there are many different conceptions inside Vaishnavism for there are many different stages of realization and there are also different ways to devote oneself according to those different stages.

Prabhupada always warned about sahajiyas, demonizing them. As a new western devotee I never even knew what a sahajiya was and actually it wasn’t till I became one did i meet another one! They are not common in the market place. I realize fully that this warning was a fence to protect the fledgling devotees and encouraging them with their celibacy which was relevant to their dharma. It remains relevant and that warning will always be there as will the understanding of why it is there inside the hearts of those who take to the sahajiya way.

There are also those that criticize Srila Prabhupada for emphasizing vaidhi bhakti yet I see that as an essential part of westerners understanding the whole culture of Krishna and without it there can not really be full understanding of the spectrum of bhakti. Besides, we have been given music, art, dress, tradition, mantras, a wealth of literature, and a respected connection to Vedic culture as a whole within India itself. All this in 12 late years of one man. If anyone considers that I offend Srila Prabhupada because of what I write please know that from my perspective I have nothing but admiration and adoration for him, and it is in the mood of service to him and the whole line of teachers with which I write. Though it is apparently against his desire I believe it IS his desire. Ultimately, when a pure devotee warns about something which is actually a reality then that warning is not only a fence but an instruction. One devotee once said to me that Prabhupada said that ‘sahajism would be all over the world one day’. He wanted to stop this in service to Prabhupada whereas I immediately thought of making that happen to please him! Watch out for the stones!!

Krishna Consciousness like Krishna Himself is not straightforward. This you are going to love. You. Because you are reading this book and not another. If this is your introductory book you are very lucky because you must be qualified to enter the game in its final stages. You may understand the character of Krishna and his natural lovers immediately. Many people are not attracted to Krishna because they cannot see the beautiful crookedness of it, they cannot see the wonderful mysterious cheek of it and the Absolute Freedom within it. So let me continue to reveal what has been revealed to me.

In vaidhi bhakti there certain actions which elevate one’s consciousness. The main action is mantra chanting. In this there is no difference between vaidhi and raganuga, only perhaps that in vaidhi one will chant beause he is following a vow to chant whereas in raganuga the chanting comes naturally as does the inspiration to do so. The chanting of the maha mantra is most powerful and the most effective tool for God Consciousness in this age. Chanting is performed alone or in groups. This is japa and kirtan. Sankirtan is the chanting together through the streets which was propagated by Sri Chaitanya in order to bring religion and yoga and meditation to the final experience of ecstatic public celebration.

Besides this, a devotee of Krishna will worship deities of Krishna, listen to stories of Krishna, eat food offered to Krishna, sing songs and prayers, visit or live at the holy places in India where Krishna resided in India and serve the Vaishnavas and take shelter of a guru who is your personal guide in Krishna Consciousness. Much has been written on all of these topics and I want to mention them so that new people can inquire further, while desiring to elaborate on information less well documented.

As devotion is all about consciousness you will not be able to tell apart the practitioners of vaidhi and raganuga for those practicing raganuga love the limbs of practice of vaidhi. So really the raganuga devotees are acting out of love whereas the vaidhi bhaktas are acting out of prescription. In this sense you will be able to see one from another, but not necessarily by external garb or action.

The chanting of the maha mantra (hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare\ hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare) is directly cleaning the heart so it is able to recognize the source of the mantra which is Krishna Himself. It is a wonder why people don’t chant when such a benediction is offered by that is the doubtful mind, the egoistic intelligence and the envious heart for you. Powerful beyond logic are the holy places in India where devotees gather to share their love for Krishna. Vrindavan is a place filled with the energy of Krishna and the more you become attracted to Krishna the more Vrindavan becomes a sanctuary of bliss, despite any external degradation which unfortunately occurs.