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“UNPLANNED” MOVIE 10
FIXING RACISM AT THE ROOT 13
DISILLUSION, FAMILY STRUGGLES
AND KÅÑËA’S MERCY
16
DEPARTMENTS
OUR PURPOSES
• To help all people discern reality from illusion, spirit from matter, the eternal from the
temporary. • To expose the faults of materialism. • To offer guidance in the Vedic techniques
of spiritual life. • To preserve and spread the Vedic culture. • To celebrate the chanting of
the holy names of God as taught by Lord Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu • To help every living
being remember and serve Çré Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
lished for The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust by enjoyer, so naturally it will take just to feel some “high” of transcen-
Ujwal Jajoo , 33, Janki Kutir, Next to State
some time to rectify our polluted dence. The results will be a revival
Bank of Hyderabad, Juhu, Mumbai, printed
by him at SAP Print Solutions Pvt Ltd.. 128 , consciousness. As long as we are of our Kåñëa consciousness, which
Lakshmi Industrial Estate, Hanuman Galli,
sincere and determined to progress is granted when Kåñëa is pleased.
S. N. Path, Lower Parel (W), Mumbai- 400
013., India. Editor: Çyamänanda Däsa, Çré Çré in spiritual life and work toward that
Rädhä-Gopénätha Temple, Chowpatty,
Mumbai- 400 007, India.
The Test of
INTELLIGENCE
To understand spiritual life, the most important
subject, requires a special kind of intelligence.
T
sa vai puàsäà paro dharmo HE REAL AIM of life is to get full, complete
yato bhaktir adhokñaje satisfaction, and that can be achieved only by
ahaituky apratihatä prosecution of devotional service. There is no
yayätmä suprasédati other method. If you want to be happy, free from all
cares and anxieties, then you have to engage your-
“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all hu- self in the devotional service of the Lord. That will
manity is that by which men can attain to loving make you free from all material anxieties and all
devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such material miseries.
devotional service must be unmotivated and uninter- We are all seeking after that position, how to
rupted to completely satisfy the self.” become completely happy. That is our whole
– Çrémad-Bhägavatam1.2.6 struggle for existence. Anyone, in any place, any
R
ecently a movie about the
grotesque reality of
abortion, named
“Unplanned” has become a
surprise niche hit. It is the
conversion story of Abby Johnson
who was the Clinic Director of
the Planned Parenthood clinic at
Brian, Texas, America. What
makes this story especially
riveting is that it describes how a
person who had facilitated 22,000
abortions becomes an anti-
abortion activist and campaigner.
Abortion has been positioned
in today’s mainstream media as a
right of woman or an issue of
female reproductive health. In
today’s media, movies which give
a message opposite to the
dominant leftist narrative
centered on feminism are
systematically sidelined. This
movie, produced by the Christian
equivalent of Netflix called
“Pureflix,” was denied trailer
advertisements on all mainstream
networks except Fox News, and
it was banned by critics not so
much for its cinematic flaws as for
its core message.
To deny the ghastly reality of
abortion so that people can go
about uninhibitedly — and to
“Unplanned”
present it as a right of a woman
— is a great wrong. The very
name of the global organization
that propagates and facilitates
T
HERE’S A PERENNIAL deep-rooted phenomena that affects millions of people
worldwide. Historically, it has led to untold numbers of vicious hate crimes and
revolts. Even today, in some places children are afraid to go to school because of it. It
is racism. Discrimination against someone simply because of his or her race is unfortunately
not foreign to us in our current world. World leaders endorse it, millions practice it, and
millions suffer from it. It has been going on for so long that it seems there may not even be a
solution for it. The ancient tradition of bhakti-yoga, however, has answers to this enduring
problem.
Disillusion,
Family Struggles and
Kåñëa’s Mercy
Despite living in a traditional Indian family, a devotee had to
face challenges in order to practice Kåñëa consciousness.
I
’d been very naughty
in my childhood but, was made for it or not.
like most children, I Glamorous things captivated
was sincere and simple, me and I wanted to get all
true to my heart and of those things. Successful
without any complexities. people fascinated me and I
As I grew up, however, wanted to become like
circumstances started them. I remained unaware
affecting me, as it happens of my own talents and
with everybody. Perhaps abilities due to which I may
circumstances had so much have missed several
strength that I always got opportunities to grow in
carried away with them and life.
didn’t know how and when What I had failed to
an evil of instability realize was that I was
entered my life. At one supposed to be a teacher
time I was going to pursue — this was the skill I had
a career in medical science within me naturally. Until
but later I got ready to then I was unhappy and
pursue commerce along fed up. But everything
with some professional changed suddenly when I
qualifications. In the end I met with ISKCON
followed neither of the devotees, sometime in
two. I wanted to pursue April-May 2005.
Çrémad-
Bhägavatam
in the
Land of
Confucius
Two brothers present a unique
retelling, set in modern Beijing,
of India’s ancient Bhägavata Puräëa.
by Särvabhauma Däsa
I
n Çréla Prabhupäda’s compassionate desire to make the sublime
science of Kåñëa consciousness available to every soul in the
world, he didn’t forget China. In 1974 and 1977 he wrote to dis-
ciples, “Preach widely and enthusiastically to the Chinese population,
especially to the young people, and they may not respond quickly,
but they are very sober-minded; when they decide to join us that will
be a fixed decision . . . . After all, a large portion of the earth’s popula-
tion is of Chinese origin, so why should we neglect them?”
A
T THE BEGINNING of his first book, Easy Journey to Other
Planets, Çréla Prabhupäda writes, “Dedicated to the scientists
of the world.” Perhaps it was Lord Kåñëa’s special plan that
Çréla Prabhupäda’s first book be related to science, and space in
particular. By this dedication, Çréla Prabhupäda is inviting scientists
and any inquisitive thoughtful people to explore the science in the
Vedic literature.
One of Çréla Prabhupäda’s outstanding contributions to humanity
was to translate the Çrémad- Bhägavatam from Sanskrit into English,
In the course of one of His breaths, Lord Mahä- Viñëu creates, maintains, and
destroys innumerable universes, each lasting many trillions of years.
Harmony Regained
More than fourteen years have passed since I
started my Kåñëa consciousness. Although in the
A group of forty devotees have completed the Yamunä Boat Festival Captures
first one-year GBC College Course in Latin America, Sweetness of Vrindavan
which included online classes and two residential The Yamunä Boat Festival on March
courses, preparing them to become ISKCON’s future th
30 captured the sweetness of serving Sri Sri Radha
leaders. The program began in April last year, and Krishna in Vrindavan. The celebrations began at
T
he living entity comes into this material direct them towards the real goal of life. On the
world to fulfill his desires. By nature the pretext of helping these mendicants ignorant
living entity is wholly spiritual. Due to being people get real spiritual benefit. Pure spiritual
very minute in size he runs the risk of being knowledge has the potency to help people
captivated by the material energy. And thus he discover the key to get out of a life of association
loses his spiritual nature and instead accepts a with matter and reconnect to a life of spirit. Very
material nature. Just like a healthy person is rarely, the Supreme Lord Kåñëa comes down as His
sometimes overwhelmed by disease and then he very own devotee and spreads the process of pure
simply exhibits symptoms which have nothing to devotional service unto Himself. Five hundred
do with a normal healthy condition. The living years ago Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu appeared in
entity always has two options – whether to serve Bengal, India who began the preaching of the
Kåñëa or to serve his own material desires. The message of the Bhagavad-gétä and the Çrémad-
option of serving Kåñëa leads him to gradual Bhägavatam. Expert devotees like the six
complete freedom from all miseries of material life Gosvämés of Vrindavan, Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja
and the option of serving his own separate needs Gosvämé and many others like Çréla Bhaktivinode
entangles him more and more in material life. Thus Öhäkura, Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura
an eternal servant of Kåñëa takes on a disguise of and Çréla A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
being an imitation Kåñëa and continues this charade also detected Him to be none other than Kåñëa
of being a false enjoyer, proprietor and controller. Himself.
The living entity also notices that here in this But why would Kåñëa come as His own devotee?
material world everyone promises to be an obedient Well, five thousand years ago Lord Kåñëa
servant of the other. The massive service industry enlightened Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra
today comprising of the fast food industry, banking and Arjuna was fully convinced about the value of
industry, graphics and advertising industry, Kåñëa consciousness in his life. But in a span of just
Hollywood and Bollywood etc. and not to speak of five thousand years the message of the Gita was
the politicians everywhere – all promise pure again lost due to misinterpretation by unscrupulous
service to their constituents but in their heart of commentators and thus there was a need to rectify
hearts want to be served instead. So be careful, the situation. Thus this time the Lord descended not
appearances can be deceptive. as the Supreme Lord Himself but as a humble
Being a servant is therefore the most deplorable devotee of Kåñëa and taught the science of
situation anyone can imagine. Indeed this material devotional service. So be careful, appearances can
world resembles a lunatic asylum where everyone be deceptive.
lives in a make-believe world, where he or she is As I am compiling this editorial, I noticed that
in the center of it. In order to rectify this situation today is the appearance of Çréla Gadädhara Paëòita,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead Çré Kåñëa who was one of the principal associates of Lord
either comes here personally or sends his Caitanya Mahäprabhu. There is an amazing incident
authorized representatives who come disguised as involving Gadädhara Paëòita and one exalted
wandering, penniless beggars and thus give the devotee called Puëòaréka Vidyänidhi. Puëòaréka
living entities a chance to gain spiritual Vidyänidhi would wear costly garments and keep
knowledge. The Lord or His representatives thus valuable rings on all ten fingers. He would sit on an
gain the attention of the general masses and try to (Continued on page 29)