Lectures An Interfaith Message

[Guest guest]

Lectures An Interfaith Message

 

(A lecture given at Birmingham's famous Custard

Factory) Birmingham, UK, June 14, 2003

 

Tridandisvami Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana

Maharaja

 

Several distinguished guests, including the Lord

Mayor, attended Srila Narayana Maharaja's program to

honor his visit to Birmingham. The Lord Mayor, Mr.

John Alden, was the first of the dignitaries to

welcome Srila Narayana Maharaja. After thanking Srila

Maharaja for returning to Birmingham, he said that he

believed that Birmingham was the premier city of

England and therefore deserved to have Srila

Maharaja's presence in it's midst. He concluded his

speech by saying, " Birmingham is a great cultural and

diverse city, especially when people like you grace us

with your presence. Thank you for coming and thank you

for inviting me here today. "

 

The next speaker was the Indian Consulate General, Mr.

Sapra, who meets Srila Maharaja at the Ratha Yatra

festival in Birmingham every year. He stated that he

is always charged with peace and happiness whenever

Srila Maharaja visits Birmingham. He said that he was

happy that there was a large gathering to hear the

message of such peace and happiness that Srila

Maharaja is spreading all over the world, and he

concluded his speech by thanking Srila Maharaja for

coming each year to bless everyone.

 

 

This world is the Lord's creation, and that we are one

world, one family.

 

Mr. O.P Sharma, MBE, President of Hindu Counsel of

Temples, UK

Mr. O.P Sharma, MBE, President of Hindu Counsel of

Temples, UK. and chairperson of the National

Interfaith Conference was next to welcome Srila

Maharaja. Being familiar with Vedic philosophy, Mr.

Sharma began by giving a brief history of

sanatana-dharma. He said that the word 'Hindu' was a

name that foreigners had given to the devotees of

sanatana-dharma who lived on the other side of the

river Indus, and that their religious practices then

came to be known as Hinduism. He said that

sanatana-dharma is not a religion or a sect, but

rather, a way of life meant for the well-being of the

whole universe, and therefore it does not conflict

with any religion. He concluded his speech by saying

that this world is the Lord's creation, and that we

are one world, one family. He then expressed his

gratitude to Srila Maharaja for coming to Birmingham

to bless everyone, adding that it was a great pleasure

and privilege to be among those in the divine

gathering.

 

The Bishop of Birmingham, Dr. Chris Hewer, Theologian

of the Church of England, was the next speaker. After

welcoming Srila Maharaja, he said that both England

and Europe were in need of the wisdom of how to live

with diversity. He said that history demonstrated that

the dealings of Christianity with different religions,

and different religions with each other, had been far

from the ideal of creating a harmonious humanity. He

added, " Ultimately there is only one humanity and

therefore we have much to learn from one another. " He

concluded by thanking Srila Maharaja for coming to

share his spiritual wisdom, and he prayed that all

would learn from him how we can better live in unity

with respect for our diversity.

 

 

 

 

Ultimately there is only one humanity and therefore we

have much to learn from one another .

 

Dr. Chris Hewer, Theologian of the Church of England

After welcoming Srila Maharaja, the spokesman for the

Muslim community, Mr Ahmed, said that these meetings

were very important to learn about different peoples

customs as it helped to break down barriers. Barriers

create hatred, and in the Muslim community there is a

saying, " Love for all, hatred for none. " He concluded

by saying that the best way to attain peace is to

learn about one another, and he thanked Srila Maharaja

for inviting them on that occasion.

 

Elder Hunter was next to speak. He said that he was

the representing the leader of the Western European

Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints, in his

welcome to Srila Maharaja. He said that his community

had always appreciated the courtesies that it had

received from the Gaudiya Matha's Hare Krsna community

over the years. He then said that although his

community does not totally understand the Vaisnava

culture and the methods of worship, it does understand

the universal language of love, peace, devotion and

respect. He concluded by saying that he felt these

qualities were in Srila Maharaja, and that he was

sitting at the feet of a great leader in his presence.

 

 

Lastly, Susan Haliday, Interfaith Peace Worker and

intermediator between Palestine and Israelites in

Jerusalem, thanked Srila Maharaja for coming and said

that she is always happy to be with gatherings of

people of different faiths, because that is where

peace starts, " With us, in our hearts, today. "

 

[After the guests made their presentations, Srila

Narayana Maharaja began his talk:]

 

I am very happy that the organizers of this festival

have invited the representatives of Birmingham City

here today. I am especially happy that the Lord Mayor

is here. He represents all of the citizens of

Birmingham, from top to bottom, and therefore I think

that all are here. The same is true regarding the

representative of India, the Counselor General, our

Sanatana-dharmist. Because he is here, I feel that all

those who are originally from India are also here. I

am also happy that the representatives of

Christianity, my brother Muslims, Sikhs, and other

representatives are here today.

 

 

 

There are not many gods; there is only one, the

Supreme Lord. Allah, Brahma, Bhagavan, Yahweh and the

many other names are names for the same, one God, but

according to differences in language and culture, He

is known by these different names.

 

Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

Hearing them speak about 'Universal Unity in

Diversity' has made me very happy, and I especially

appreciate the words of my Om Prakashji, O.P. Sharma.

He has studied the Indian scriptures and is a learned

person. I am especially happy that he quoted our Vedas

and Upanisads, and said that the word " Hindu " has not

been used anywhere in Vedas. The word used is

" Sanatana " , referring to that eternal religion which

is one without a second. Another word is Aryan, which

means one who knows the goal of life and strives for

that goal. Some of you may think that we are a

sectarian religion, but this is not so. We believe

that all are in the family of the one God. Some think

that only humans are members of God's family, but this

is also not true. All creatures: plants, creepers,

grasses, fish and animals are also created by God.

They are all children of the same, one God. Therefore,

why should we not have love for all – creepers, cows,

elephants, pigs and all other varieties of animals. We

should not only love humans.

 

There are good instructions in the Vedas of India, the

Koran of Islam, and also in the Bible, but we disobey

their advice to some extent. We wrongly think that

animals and birds exist only for us to eat, and that

we should not feel love and affection for them.

Earlier, the Counselor General said that " God is Love

and Love is God. " Similarly, in Indian Vedic culture

it is said, " Sarve sukhino bhavantu " – everyone should

be happy; not only humans, but creepers and other

plant life, as well as pigs, birds and all other

animals and all types of aquatics. They are also in

the family of the same God.

 

There are not many gods; there is only one, the

Supreme Lord. Allah, Brahma, Bhagavan, Yahweh and the

many other names are names for the same, one God, but

according to differences in language and culture, He

is known by these different names.

 

Allah means " the greatest " . All universes and all

creation are within Him. Millions upon millions of

universes are present within every pore of His skin.

He can destroy all universes in a moment, and in a

moment He can create millions of new universes.

 

If we have love for the Supreme Lord, why do we

quarrel amongst ourselves? He is the same one God, and

yet we are quarreling. This is because we don’t know

what actual love and affection is. If there is real

love and affection for the one God, we would naturally

have love and affection for each other. That is why it

is said in Indian Vedic culture, " Sarve sukhino

bhavantu. All should be happy. "

 

 

" Veda " means knowledge. What is knowledge? Who we are,

who is the Supersoul, the Supreme Soul, and what is

our relationship with Him.

 

Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

 

Our Scriptures are called Vedas. Do not think that the

Vedas are a sectarian Hindu set of scriptures. " Veda "

means knowledge. What is knowledge? Who we are, who is

the Supersoul, the Supreme Soul, and what is our

relationship with Him. What is this mortal body? It is

a bag of urine, blood and many other unclean

substances. This body is not the soul. We, the soul,

are not this body. We are all part and parcel of the

same Supreme Lord. All species, from top to bottom,

such as animals, plants, humans, and demigods, are

part and parcel of Him. The Vedas say, " Ekam eva

advitiya, God is one. Everything in this world is only

an expansion of His power or energy "

 

We must know what is happiness, and therefore we must

try to follow the instructions of the Vedas, Bible,

Koran, and other bona fide holy scriptures. The

teachings of all scriptures are basically the same,

with some small differences due to the different

languages.

 

It has been said in the Veda: " Na alpam sukham asti,

bhuma eva sukham -worldly things cannot give us

happiness. " It is said in the Sanskrit language that

the Supreme Lord is both ananda and anandamaya. This

means that He Himself is unlimited happiness, and He

is also the container and sum total of happiness. He

is happiness personified, the reservoir or abode of

all happiness. We are all children of the same God,

and we are also therefore the same in essence. We are

part and parcel of that happiness – embodiments of His

qualities. The only difference between us, the living

beings, and the Supreme Lord is that He is great

(vibhu), whereas the living entity is small (anu). We

are minute, whereas He is akhanda-tattva, unlimited.

 

We are all part and parcel of the same Supreme Lord,

yet we have divided up this earth, saying, " This is my

country, this is your country. " The sun is one, the

air is one, and we should therefore also be as one.

This is unity in diversity. We are like the Supreme

Lord, created in His image, but unfortunately we have

deviated from the Him and have forgotten who we are.

We think of these material bodies as the self. We

spend our days in collecting money and gold, and in

securing positions, thinking that these things will

make us happy. But this conception is totally wrong.

These bodies are mortal, and all the doctors and

scientists in the entire universe cannot stop old age

from approaching. You should always remember that one

day, after 20, 30, or 50 years, you will become old.

Your beauty and power will disappear, you won't be

able to walk without the help of a stick, and after

some time you will die. You will have to give up

everything you have accumulated in this world. Nothing

can save you; only God can save you – if you are

really serving Him.

 

If God were formless (nirakara), without a

transcendental form, and if He were without

transcendental qualities such as the quality of mercy,

then what would be the use of worshipping such a bogus

God?

 

Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

 

God is all attractive; He is very beautiful. The Bible

states, " God created man after His own image. " What

does this statement mean? If God has no image, or

form, then why is this written in the Bible? His body

is transcendental; it is not mortal. God means: G –

generator; the generator of this world; O – operator;

the operator of this world, and D – destroyer; the

destroyer of this world. God nourishes and supports

everything in the universe. If God were formless

(nirakara), without a transcendental form, and if He

were without transcendental qualities such as the

quality of mercy, then what would be the use of

worshipping such a bogus God? God is all powerful; He

has the power to have a form. He is also very

merciful. He has created this entire world for us,

because we deviated from Him. His illusory energy,

called maya, has kept us in the prison-house of this

body and mind. We should always remember this.

 

In the Upanisads (part of the Vedas) there is a

history. There was once a self-realized soul, named

Yajnavalkya, who served in the council of the great

and celebrated king, Janaka Maharaja. He was very

learned and expert in the Vedas, and he had two wives,

Maitreyi and Katyayani. When Yajnavalkya reached old

age he called his two wives and said to them: " For a

long time we have lived in the grhasta asrama. I have

amassed so much gold and so many cows, and have also

given each of you several children. I now want to

divide all my property between you two so that you can

be happy for the rest of your life. After this, please

permit me to go to the forest to meditate deeply on

Para-brahma the Supreme Absolute Truth, Personality of

Godhead. "

 

Hearing this, Katyayani became happy and said: " Oh

yes, you can go. You want to meditate on the Supreme

Lord, and this is a good aim. You are my husband, and

I should try to help you. "

 

But Maitreyi said: " Please allow me to ask you a

question. Why is it that you are going to the forest?

Are you not satisfied with the gold and property you

have collected during your life and with your wives,

children and friends? Do you have no faith that these

things will make you happy? "

 

Yajnavalkya replied: " By asking this question you have

made me very happy. You are truly a chaste wife. This

question is the topic discussed in all the Vedas and

Upanisads.

 

 

We are parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord and He is

anandamaya, the reservoir of all happiness. Therefore,

we can find happiness only in Him. The Supreme Lord

alone can satisfy us.

 

Spoken by Yajnavalkya Rsi to Maitreyi Brihad-Aranyaka

Upanishad

 

" Gold and property cannot give real happiness.

Position in society, learning, reputation, friendship

and family can never make one truly happy. Money and

whatever may be bought in this world with money cannot

give us what we are hankering for. We are parts and

parcels of the Supreme Lord and He is anandamaya, the

reservoir of all happiness. Therefore, we can find

happiness only in Him. The Supreme Lord alone can

satisfy us. So I wish to go now to the forest to

attain Him. "

 

Yajnavalkya also told her: " The service of brahma is

actually real happiness. Therefore the Vedas state,

" Na alpam sukham, bhuma eva sukham. The happiness we

taste in this world is very minute (alpa). It is also

perishable. " Also, " Raso vai sah. Para-brahma – that

is to say, the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna – is an ocean of

rasa and the embodiment of supreme happiness. So I am

going away to endeavor for that. "

 

It is written in the Koran, " Inallah kalaka mein

suratihi " [Allah or Kudda has shape, and from that

shape He fashioned man.] Surht means " form " . We find

the same truth in our Indian scriptures:

 

 

How greatly fortunate are Nanda Maharaja, the cowherd

men and all the other inhabitants of Vrajabhumi! There

is no limit to their good fortune, because the

Absolute Truth, the source of transcendental bliss,

the eternal Supreme Brahman, has become their friend.

 

Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 10 Ch. 14. Text 32

 

aho bhagyam aho bhagyam

nanda-gopa-vrajaukasam

yan-mitram paramanandam

purnam brahma sanatanam

 

[ " How greatly fortunate are Nanda Maharaja, the

cowherd men and all the other inhabitants of

Vrajabhumi! There is no limit to their good fortune,

because the Absolute Truth, the source of

transcendental bliss, the eternal Supreme Brahman, has

become their friend. " (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.14.32)]

 

In the Vedas and Upanisads it is written that we are

all children of that " Happiness " , the Supreme Lord. We

should try to realize this truth. My request is that

you should not quarrel with other religious parties.

As the Counselor General said earlier, this is the way

to live happily in this world. Our religion is one

without a second, and that religion is love. We should

love each other.

 

How can we do so? The Supreme Lord has created cows,

and those cows give milk to all, without distinction

or discrimination. They don't consider caste or creed.

In the Vedas, the cow is referred to as go – go mata –

mother cow. As far as I have read, nowhere in the

translations of the Bible is it written that you

should kill cows, or any animal. I think that after

some time the Roman Catholics added something and

changed the meaning of the Bible's original texts, and

I think that in the original Old Testament it is not

written like that.

 

This is also true of the Koran. Some modern Muslims

think that if one is Kafir, a non-believer, he should

be killed. If one thinks " Everyone outside of Islam is

a non-believer, that we are the only religious

persons, the only sons of Allah " , this thinking is

quite wrong. Everyone should act according to his

scriptures. He should follow according to his

religion, and he should not have any objection to the

religion of others. Only then can there be unity in

diversity.

 

What is the meaning of unity in diversity, or

diversity in unity, if there is no faith or love and

affection for God and for all living entities? One can

call the Lord by different names, in any language, but

God is one without a second. We should try to realize

this fact, and try to have love and affection for all

humans, all animals, trees, plants, creepers, and so

on. Indian Vedic culture states that if a field has

been plowed, you should not walk on it. A seed has

been planted in that field, and if you walk there the

seed will die. Don’t cause pain and suffering to

anyone. Our mission is the same as that of the

respected Mayor and other honored guests present.

 

[At this time the Mayor and a few other dignitaries

had to leave for their previously made appointments.

Before they left, however, Srila Maharaja formally

presented each of them with gifts of his own books and

those of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. After

their departure Srila Maharaja called for bhajans to

be sung, and after that he continued speaking:]

 

I am very happy to see that so many devotees have come

from the many European countries, from America, and

also from several other parts of the world. My heartly

blessings to you all. I have come here to inspire you,

to give you krsna-tattva, bhakti-tattva and all of

other tattvas (established truths). Try to put them in

your pocket; don’t return to your homes empty-handed.

Don't be weak; try to develop faith in our

guru-parampara, in our scriptures like Bhagavad-gita,

Sri Caitanya Caritamrta and Srimad-Bhagavatam, and

thus you will become strong. You should preach the

mission of love and affection that I have explained.

 

We should try to help all others. We should not fight

amongst ourselves. If we are fighting amongst

ourselves and maintaining differences of opinion, how

can others learn anything from us? My desire is that

you love one another – love other Vaisnavas according

to their gradation of devotion. I have been to

America, to European countries like Holland, and next

we will go to Spain and then onto Germany. All our

festivals have been very successful, and several

hundred devotees came to each festival and became very

inspired.

 

You should attend our classes; don’t miss this

opportunity. You should distribute our books, like

Bhagavad-gita, Jaiva Dharma and others. This will be a

very great help and a high class of service. I am very

happy; my heartly blessings to you all.

 

[The day before this Interfaith Gathering speech,

Srila Narayana Maharaja dictated a similar speech to

his assistant, Sundar Gopal dasa, and requested him to

transcribe it, edit it, and print it out so that Srila

Maharaja could use it as notes for his Interfaith

speech. Outwardly, Srila Maharaja thought his speech

would be given after two days. Since it later turned

out that he would be giving the speech the next day,

the transcription was not ready to print out. Thus,

although Srila Maharaja spoke some of the points from

the previous day's dictation, many points were

different. So now there are two very nice classes.

Where there were exact repetitions, as in the story of

Yajnavalkya and his two wives, we took it out from the

transcription that follows:]

 

[Previous day's dictation:]

In this world, all living beings are searching for

happiness. Why? Because we are all parts and parcels

of the same origin, Para-brahma It is written in our

Vedas and Upanisads that the Supreme Personality of

Godhead is called Brahma. He is both ananda

(happiness) and anandamaya (the abode or embodiment of

all happiness). Therefore, we are all children of

ananda, or pure happiness. We come from that

ananda-brahma, and it is therefore in our nature to

enjoy happiness. In the Vedas it is stated, " Raso vai

sah. God, the Supreme Person, is an ocean of rasa, or

mellows. "

In Taittiriya Upanisad it is also said: Yato va imani

bhutani jayante yena jatani jivanti yat prayanty

abhisam-visanti tad brahma tad vijijnasasa. That

entity from whom this whole universe has come, by whom

it is supported and nourished, and in whom it returns

once again, is known as Brahma. "

Because we are all children or parts and parcels of

that anandamaya brahma, it is natural that we also

want happiness. That is why in the Vedas it has been

written, " Sukham me bhuyat. I should always be happy. "

and " Dukham me ma bhut. Misery should not come to me. "

All living beings want to be happy.

 

The Vedas also say, " Ma tamasah jyotir gamaya – Don’t

go towards darkness; go towards light " What is meant

by darkness here? It means ignorance. And what is

meant by light? It means our true spiritual form, the

Supreme Entity of whom we are atomic parts and

parcels, and the eternal relationship of service we

have with that Para-brahma Sri Krsna. This is jyoti,

or light. By this light we can attain happiness.

Otherwise, we can never attain it.

 

Attachment to this body and to objects related to this

body is nothing but tamah, or darkness. The sense of

possessiveness, or " my-ness " , which we have towards

the things of this world, is also tamah. On the other

hand, to serve Krsna in our constitutional form is

light, and it brings complete and eternal happiness.

Why? Because that Para-brahma is ananda and anandamaya

– He is an endless ocean of happiness. In Sri

Brahma-sutra it is stated, " Anandamayo ’bhyasat. If

you practise bhakti-yoga to attain anandamaya, the

embodiment of all happiness, then you can have real

happiness. "

 

Why is it that we are struggling so hard to find

happiness? We are all suffering in this world. Every

person, in whatever position he may be, is

unfulfilled. Even if one is wealthy, young, beautiful,

educated, famous and influential, he will still be

looking for something more to make him happy. Even the

presidents and prime ministers of great nations remain

unfulfilled. Rich and powerful persons throughout

history, like Ravana, Hiranyakasipu, Napoleon

Bonaparte and the kings and queens of England, France

and Germany were deeply unhappy.

 

There is some happiness in this world, but it is

momentary and mixed with suffering. The happiness here

is not continuous. It is not complete or pure. From

the lowest planet to the highest, there are so many

types of miseries and no eternal happiness.

 

Nowhere has Brahma or Para-brahma been described using

the word sukha, meaning material happiness. Rather, He

has been described as ananda (meaning transcendental

happinness) and anandamaya. He has also been described

as rasa-svarupa, the embodiment of sweet mellows. Why

is this? We should know what sukha is. Sukha does not

have both an asraya (repository) and a visaya (object

or recipient). It has only an asraya. A person wants

sukha for himself alone. But ananda has both an asraya

and a visaya – the jiva is the asraya and God, the

Supreme Lord, is the visaya. When one serves the

Supreme Lord he experiences ananda, and through this

he also experiences sukha. By pleasing Krsna we can be

happy; otherwise we cannot.

 

Our scriptures state that the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna

is the embodiment of love and affection. In the Bible

too it has perhaps been written that " God is love, and

love is God. " Ananda comes from love. If there is no

pure love and affection, there can be no ananda; and

if there is no ananda there can be no sukha. So we

will have to direct our love and affection towards the

Supreme Lord, and then ananda and sukha will

automatically come to us.

 

At the present time we are in an age called Kali-yuga,

the Iron Age, and now we are in the " Age of the

Machine " . Today we are making many inventions and

discoveries in such areas as transportation and

communication. Now we can easily cross the world in

just a few hours. Astronauts are trying to travel to

other planets, like the Moon, Mars and Jupiter. By

sitting in our living room, we can see what is

happening on the other side of the world – from

Birmingham we can watch cricket being played in

Australia or India and we can see the President of

America speaking from the White House in Washington.

If a person’s eyes are defective, surgeons can replace

them with the eyes taken from a dead body. Despite

these and other advances, however, people are

suffering more than ever before. They have become more

materialistic and greedy. They still cannot check old

age and death. They cannot prevent war and terrorism,

or the spread of illness and disease. New diseases

continue to appear, like SARS, which has killed many

people in China and other countries. Everyone has

become very fearful now.

 

Why is our modern science failing us? This is because

it is not in fact very developed. Scientists cannot

see the atma, the soul, which has a body that is

transcendental. This present science cannot realize

this. It cannot even see the mind. We think we are

very advanced nowadays, but the needs of this body

have greatly increased while the needs of the soul are

being neglected completely. Why? Because people no

longer have love for the Supreme Lord, and so they no

longer have any real love and affection for each

other. They are only interested in their own

selfishness.

 

These days husbands and wives don’t remain together.

Divorce has become like a fashion. Parents reject

their children and children reject their parents.

People have more trust in their dogs and cats than in

their family and friends. Everyone is engrossed in

lust and engaged in different kinds of sense

gratification. No soul can be happy while being in

this body. This human life is meant for finding a way

out of the prison of this body, which is destined to

grow old and die. But the soul is eternal. People

don’t understand this, and they spend their time

eating meat, fish and eggs; drinking alcohol; and

trying to satisfy their lust. In this way they want to

be happy, but very soon old age will come running to

embrace them and they will lament. They are receiving

some sukha, or happiness, but really it is not sukha;

it is condensed misery.

 

When the vijnana, or scientific knowledge, of today

will develop to a much more sophisticated level, then

people may finally be able to control old age and the

endless chain of birth and death; otherwise not. To

attain this vijnana, modern society must learn from

our ancient Vedic culture. It is written in many

places in the Vedas and Upanisads that we come from

the Supreme Lord – we are His parts and parcels.

Mamaivamsa jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah. Now a

question arises. Who is God? Who is this Supreme Lord?

 

The word " God " has three letters – G-O-D. " G " stands

for Generator, " O " for Operator and " D " for Destroyer.

This same conclusion is found in the Hindu scriptures:

atato brahma jijnasa and janma adi yasya yatah. It is

the same teaching.

 

We should know that the Supreme Lord has a body, or

form, and qualities. He is sarva-saktiman, endowed

with all potency, and akhanda, indivisible. He is ekam

eva advitiyam, one without a second. Thus, there are

not many Brahmas – one here, one in America, one in

India. The God of the Christians, Muslims and Hindus

are not different from each other. God is one. He has

many names according to different languages, cultures

and societies. Nastikas, or atheists, don’t believe in

God, but they believe in prakrti, Nature. They believe

that everything has come from Nature and will return

to Nature. In any case, the Nature they have faith in

is the energy of the Supreme Lord. And the nirakara

brahma of the mayavadis, or impersonalists, is also a

shadow of that Supreme Lord. Thus, God is one.

 

In the Bible too, it has been written that God has a

transcendental form: " God created man in His own

image. " God’s image is transcendental; He has a

spiritual body, and from this form, He created man. It

is also said that Jesus Christ is the son of God. If

the son has shape, then His father must have shape

too. Thus, God has form, He has all good qualities,

and He has all potencies.

 

The same teaching is to be found in the Koran:

" Inallah kalaka mein suratihi. Allah or Kudda has

shape, and from that shape He fashioned man. " Allah

means brhat, " the greatest " . There is nothing equal to

Allah in greatness. Moreover, our conception of God is

still higher than this. Krsna is both the greatest of

the great and the smallest of the small, and therefore

it is said in sastra:

 

om purnam adah purnam idam

purnat purnam udacyate

purnasya purnam adaya

purnam evavasisyate

 

[The Supreme Lord is full and complete, and if a part

emanates from Him, that part is also perfect and

complete. Even after so many parts have emanated from

Him, He remains undiminished. Brahma is always full

and complete. (Sri Isopanisad invocation)]

 

This is known as akhanda-tattva.

 

The jiva, however, is not full. This is because he is

not coming directly from the Supreme Lord, but from

His energy. The jiva is anu, atomic. He is a minute

part of God. As a part and parcel of that Supreme

Lord, he also has a transcendental form and qualities,

and he has eternal existence. But he has now forgotten

the Supreme Lord and therefore he is suffering in this

world. If he realises this and engages in God’s

service, then he may be happy.

 

Words in sastra like arupa (formless), nirguna

(without qualities) and nirakara (without features)

have come from the words rupa (form), guna (qualities)

and akara (features) These words are not root words.

Arupa has come from rupa. Without the concept of

something having form, there can be no concept of

something having no form. Thus, it must be concluded

that the Supreme Lord, the Original Entity, has rupa

(form), guna (qualities) and akara (features).

In the Vedas it has occasionally been said that God is

nirguna and arupa. Why? The meaning is that God has no

material form, no material qualities and no material

features. His shape and features are spiritual.

 

In one sense it may be said that we Vaisnavas are pure

Christians, because we follow the teachings of the

original Bible. We are pure Muslims, because we follow

the Koran too. In his young age, Jesus went to India.

He traveled to Vrndavana, Puri and other places, and

was very attracted to the deities of Krsna. In north

India, Krsna is called Krsna, but in Puri and the

south He is called Krusna. From Krusna came Krista and

then Kristus, and from Kristus came the name Christ.

Thus, the term Christian actually means " devotee of

Krsna " . Jesus had taken that word Krista and brought

it with him to Palestine.

 

If the Supreme Lord has no form, no qualities, no

attributes, no power and no mercy, then what need is

there of such a God? He would be like zero; He would

be unable to help us or hear our prayers, what to

speak of give us eternal bliss. We don’t believe in a

God devoid of mercy, power and qualities. The Bible

and the Koran state that God has a form. Christians

and Muslims cannot deny this.

 

Also, the Bible does not say that we can eat meat and

eggs and drink alcohol. Similarly, the Koran does not

sanction the slaughtering of cows and the eating of

beef. A cow gives milk to everyone, including Muslims.

She is therefore like our mother. God will not be

happy if we harm any of His children, what to speak of

killing our own mother. The Old Testament clearly

states, " Thou shall not kill " . This means we should

not kill humans or animals.

 

God has not created animals for us to eat. He has

created fruits, roots, milk, butter, grains and

vegetables for this. In the original Aramaic language

of the Bible, the word brosimus has been used more

than twenty times. Brosimus means " food " , but it has

been translated as " meat " . This is because in Old

English " meat " did not mean " flesh " ; it meant " food " .

But the English language has changed, and today most

people wrongly believe that the Holy Bible supports

meat eating.

 

I think that the Roman Catholic Church has changed the

original teachings of the Bible. By vote they have

changed the meaning of Jesus Christ’s message. In the

Vatican, the Pope and bishops have made all these

changes. But if someone is eating meat and causing

innocent animals to suffer, he will have to suffer the

reactions of his cruelty. Meat means " Me eat " . If you

eat an animal, that animal will return to eat you.

This is called the law of karma. You will eat, and you

will be eaten.

 

In this way, Vaisnavas, who are naturally peaceful and

non-violent, are pure Christians. They are also pure

Muslims, pure Jews and pure Hindus.

 

If you want to be happy, then please take up the

practice of bhakti-yoga (uniting with the Supreme Lord

by means of devotional service). This bhakti is

divided into sadhana (the stage of practice), bhava

(the stage of spiritual emotion) and prema (the stage

of pure love). To achieve prema, you should begin with

sadhana. And in sadhana, the most powerful method is

the chanting of God’s name:

 

harer nama harer nama

harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva

nasty eva gatir anyatha

 

[ " In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means

of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord.

There is no other way. There is no other way. There is

no other way. " ] It has been declared in the

Kali-santaran Upanisad (as mentioned above) that in

this Kali-yuga, the Age of Quarrel, the best method to

find happiness is to chant the Hare Krsna mantra:

 

hare krsna hare krsna

krsna krsna hare hare

hare rama hare rama

rama rama hare hare

 

So you should all chant this mantra and be happy.

 

 

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http://www.bhaktistudies.com

 

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http://www.purebhakti.com

 

Visit our Bangalore Sanctuary

 

http://www.rangagaudiya.com

 

 

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