Govinda Swami

23 января

The modern trend of human civilization is supposed to be a polished type of animal life. It has improved the method of eating by discovering varieties of palatable dishes. It has improved the method of sleeping by constructing massive and attractive palatial buildings and resting places, provided with well furnished coaches and sleeping bedsteads.
It has improved the quality of fearing by various defence measures which are exacting more than 50% of human energy with the ultimate result that it has invented the Atomic Bomb which facilitates the dying process of human being. None of the scientific discoveries can save the man from the cruel hands of death. It has improved the method of sense-gratification by inventing cinometographic pictures, phonographic sounds, wireless radios, horseless carriages and similar other illusory things on the one hand. On the other hand it has improved the dressing method of the fair sex which gratifies the sense enjoyment lust of human being. The market is full with the advertisements of pictures of beautiful women for selling such sense gratifying articles as varieties of Toilets, Jewelleries, Sarees, Medicines, contraceptives and similar other materials. And to maintain this animal type of civilization for the benefit of a handful men of demoniac principles, ninety-five percent people of the human race is chained up to become victims of this wrong type of civilization, devoid of spiritual value.
There is no peace even now in the villagers' life because the innocent villagers are also being attracted by the glamour of the polished type of animal civilization and that also for the benefit of 5 percent contending polished demons. As such 95% of the innocent human being is suffering from the pangs of this animal civilization.

Sitting on the Sapsan high speed train from Petersburg to Moscow.
A loving group of devotees met me at the train and wanted to associate till the train departed.
But at -20 degrees I had to insist that we part ways and they would head off to the warmth of home.
We are getting ready to blast off. We'll travel at 250 KPH and the journey will last three hours and forty minutes.
Hare Krishna!! On to Matuskva Moskva.Yesterday I mentioned Franz Liszt and there seemed to be many people fond of his compositions.
Having become an admirer of Russian culture I have listened to Peter Tchaikovsky's symphonies.
The way he blends emotional Russian ballads within the architecture of classical symphonic music is enchanting.
And I marvel at way he, as well as all the great composers,wrote their scores.
No computers. No programmes to help. They just heard an entire symphony and then wrote them down.
Going from one musical bar to the next its so amazing that I sometimes want to fall off my seat.
Well, today I experienced the spiritual transcendent equivalent.
Daily I listen to Srila Prabhupada as I do my puja. Now I am up to the famous "Nectar Of Devotion" series of lectures that he gave at Rupa Goswami's samadhi at Radha Damodar Temple in 1972.
As I listened to recording number five and I was in absolute awe and amazement.
Each sentence he spoke would be backed by a Sanskrit verse, and it literally one after the next.
His examples were so practical that it was mind boggling.
He explained how a person must have sukriti, or fortune, to come in contact with Krishna.
Then he explained ajnata sukriti. First he cited Sukadeva Goswami's description of the cowherd boys, who said they were all:
kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ,"
Meaning that the cowherd boys, having accumulated the results of pious activities for many lives, were able to associate in this way with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How can one explain their great fortune?
He said that this ajnata sukriti, was like the accumulation of fortune from many lifetimes.
It is like depositing 4 anna and then 2 anna in your bank account and one day it makes 100 Rupees.
And the accumulation of ajnata sukriti creates the fortune of a person to associate with guru and Krishna.
At one point he said, "Krishna then thinks.. now I must arrange for him to find his guru."
It was as if Prabhupada was surfing one of those big 50 foot super waves in Hawaii.
But he just stayed up there.. sailing at the very top.
I guess the main difference was that this wave was in the ocean of the Nectar of Devotion, the Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu.
His speaking was the most beautiful symphony of love for Krishna, full of all the thoughts and emotions that an individual expresses for his most dear and beloved person.. In very single note, bar, phrase, movement.
Jai Srila Prabhupada, the true lover of Sri Krishna, who always sings His glories.
I pray that one day I'll be able to surf a big wave along with you.
And also, thanks to Peter Tchaikovsky.
From the material perspective he's tragic mess and a great romanticist.
But, really a super composer and Russian genius.