Q. Why is it called ‘Krishna consciousness?’ Why not ‘Rama consciousness’ or ‘Narasimha consciousness?’ Aren’t all incarnations of God one?
A. All of the Visnu tattva are one in terms of tattva. That is, they are all God and in this sense one. However, when we examine them in consideration of their potential for rasa (rasa vicara), we find that in Rama there is greater possibility of intimate loving exchange than there is in Visnu, etc. In Krishna there is even greater possibility, he is Rasaraja, the manifestation of God where all possibility for loving exchange is found. Thus we conclude from this angle that Krishna is the supreme or most lovable form of God. We want to love God and thus the form of God that is most lovable is the best. So we are for this, Krishna consciousness. Rama consciousness is there in him as well, but Krishna consciousness in not in Rama.
Q. What is your opinion of having a picture of the living Guru on the altar?
A. I think it is fine for those who are inspired by this, but not essential. The primary concern is to create an atmosphere within which the guru is given the highest regard. There are different ways to accomplish this, but the principle way is for the guru to be abundantly qualified and to naturally draw this kind of respect.
Q. Recently I was asked this question and I would like to get your help on it. The question is: “When true Krishna bhaktas like yourself carry out devotional service to Krishna, who are you referring to? The Krishna who was killed by a vyadha’s (hunter’s) arrow? The body standing before Arjuna when the Gita was spoken or something else? Is the statue of Krishna that bhaktas worship an end in itself or something else?”
A. This question is really a challenge regarding the eternal/temporary nature of Krishna’s form. The questioner seems to think that Krishna’s form is not eternal and there is really something beyond it (Brahman) that is the true object of meditation. He thinks Krishna’s form is saguna. Thus he makes reference to the mausala lila in which it appears that Krishna’s form is temporary, and to the Deity which also appears to be temporal.
Your questioner seems unaware of the Vaisnava theology on the eternal nature of God’s form. This subject has been dealt with at great length in our sampradaya by Sri Jiva Goswami in Sat-sandarbha, as well as in the Bhagavatam commentaries of our acaryas. It is also discussed to some extent in their Gita commentaries. Please refer to a brief excerpt on this topic from my introduction to the book Form of Beauty, which I adapted from an earlier book, Aesthetic Vedanta: The Sacred Path of Passionate Love. You can view it here.
Q. It is said that not only is Krishna lila ‘nitya,’ but every part of his lila is also nitya, or eternally unfolding. Could it be the pastimes of nitya siddha paramhamsas are also nitya lila, as well as our relationship to them?
A. This is an interesting conjecture, but defective in some respects. From the highest angle of vision, we are taught to conceive of the mission of a rare nitya siddha acarya as ‘lila’. The adverse elements are there to teach us. Some demons are present to bring out the highest good, but they too are devotees. All are devotees, the outer enmity is only an appearance. On the inside, love prevails. Just as we find the opposite in material life, where the outer appearance of love comes from an inner selfish heart.
However, if we conceive of the mission of the nitya siddha acarya as lila, this is only an occasional lila, like those of Krishna such as his killing of demons, etc. The nature of the nitya siddha acarya’s occasional lila is that it is manifest only once, and it teaches us to enter another lila. So we should follow the teachings of the acarya and try to enter Gaura lila and Krishna lila thereby. Even the acarya lila of Mahaprabhu, his sannyasa, teaches us to enter Gaura lila in Navadwip in eternal kirtana with Nimai Pandita.
Q. According to Sanskrit, anything starting with the letters ‘du’ means inauspicious or unfavorable (referring to work, name etc.). Why would Dhrtarastra, who had such blind love for his sons, name them ‘Duryodhana,’ ‘Dushashan.’ etc.?
A. The Sanskrit prefix ‘dur’ also means difficult. Yodhana means to be conquered. Thus Duryodhana means both ‘difficult to fight with’ and also ‘dirty fighter’. Sometimes inauspicious names are given for positive reasons. For example, Sri Visvambhara Misra was nicknamed Nimai by Sita Thakurani because she thought, as was common at the time in Bengal, that an inauspicious name would make evil spirits think the child was not worth bothering with. The name Nimai means “bitter,” or “insignificant.” The bitter neem tree under which Nimai Pandita was born is actually auspicious, and so much more so on account of his being named after it.
Q. What is the standard in the Gaudiya lineage regarding prostration before the spiritual master in front of the deity?
A. Generally it is not appropriate, but Prabhupada allowed it. He mentions in his discussion of the Gundica marjanam that it is inappropriate for one to worship the guru before the Deity, yet he allowed himself to be worshipped before the Deity. I once asked him about this. He just looked at me amused and chuckled. He holds a special position. As far as I know this does not go on in branches of the Gaudiya Math.
Q. Is there an overall sympathy among the various branches of Vaisnavism, e.g., between the Gaudiya Math, Iskcon, Ramanuja and Sri Sampradayas, etc.?
A. Yes, however, there are always those whose devotion to their particular sect is superficial, and weak faith requires an enemy. Thus we also find a lack of sympathy in some quarters as well.
Q. Is it appropriate to offer a tulasi garland to Lord Caitanya? I have heard different opinions.
A. Prabhupada offered a tulasi garland to Mahaprabhu. It is not wrong to do so. Mahaprabhu is svayam bhagavan, and at times he acknowledged this and accepted appropriate offerings. At other times he denied his divinity and of course exhibited the bhava of Radha. When you yourself develop bhava, or serve under the guidance of a bhava bhakta who instructs you in seva puja in terms of his own bhava, then it may or may not be appropriate relative to that bhava. Otherwise, if you are instructed to worship Mahaprabhu as God in general it would be appropriate to offer the tulasi garland, and later, when you develop bhava your worship will be adjusted accordingly if necessary.
Q. What is the meaning of ‘sva-bhakti-sriyam’ given in Caitanya-caritamrta, verse 1.4?
A. This means “his own beautiful service”—the service of Gauranga, by which we can access Krishna lila. It means that by service to Gauranga it is possible to attain manjari bhava, the “treasure of his own bhakti.” Mahaprabhu’s own bhakti (sva) is the treasure (sriyam) of manjari bhava in Radha dasyam. From this vantage point Krishna has a chance of experiencing the bhava of Radha and in his madness to taste this, jivas also get the opportunity to know about it and, if they have the adhikara (eligibility), to taste it themselves. Sva-bhakti-sriyam does not imply any form of gaura nagara bhava, as some have conjectured.
Q. During the battle of Kuruksetra, Lord Balarama was not present. What is the significance of his absence?
A. Balarama went south to deal with Balvala and Romaharsana, while Krishna and Arjuna dealt with the remaining demoniac elements in the north. Thus with the consummation of the war and Balarama’s tour of the south, the mission of the avatar was complete. Balarama’s tour also helped to pave the way for Arjuna’s rise to immortal glory. Had Rama been present in the north, we would not have the Bhagavad gita, and because he went south, we have the Srimad Bhagavatam from Suta Goswami in eighteen thousand slokas. Jai Rama Krishna!
A recent Q & A discussion, “Japa-Yoga Vs. Other Forms of Practice,” can be viewed here.
