There's No Place Like Braj

22 March 2009--To be here in that place where 5,000 years ago Lord Sri Krishna displayed His most intimate and amazing pastimes is a truly remarkable experience. There is no place like Braj, Sri Vrindavan Dhama in this entire universe. It is non-different from the spiritual world. Today in the early morning I headed out with my wife, Vishnupriya devi dasi, and group of my disciples on Vrindavan Parikrama, a circumambulation of the town of Vrindavan. It's a three hour sacred trek generally taken with bare feet out of respect for this holiest of all places. There are 3,000 temples of Krishna in this town and so many places of Lord Sri Krishna's pastimes. So by doing the parikrama one automatically offers his respects to and receives the blessings of all these thousands of holy places. It was an amazing, sublime experience to be treading on the same sacred land that Krishna blessed with His lotus feet so many thousands of years ago. Our first stop was the sacred Kadamba tree that Krishna jumped from to subdue the Kaliya serpent. Then we experienced the awesome transcendental beauty of Vrindavan's original temple, the Madan Mohan temple at sunrise where I bowed down in the sacred dirt to beg Madan Mohan's blessings for being a pure devotee and inundating the entire world with pure bhakti. I was happy to see the River Yamuna, the site of many of Lord Sri Krishna's transcendental pastimes. I felt like I was being carried to an ancient time 5,000 years ago when Krishna was personally present on this planet. We proceeded onwards step by step until we completed our three hour parikrama, with each step purifying our hearts from the sins accumulated over many millions of lifetimes. There is truly no place like Braj. May my heart always remain in this holiest of all places.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Sacred Ancient Kadamba Tree: Krishna Jumped Off of this Tree to Subdue the Kaliya Serpent.

Madan Mohan Temple Vrindavan's First

Peacock by the Parikrama Path

Yamuna River in the Early Morning

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Shouldn't We Tolerate Other Religions

Regarding your "Thought for the Day" entitled "Tolerance", I would like to ask you a question.

Is not accepting and appreciating other faiths and religions tolerance? We need not necessarily follow it, but should we not appreciate the good things in others and their faiths and beliefs?

Many a times in ISKCON, any other faith and belief even amongst those following the Sanatana Dharma is summarily rejected by those people who don't even have a clue of what other sects or faiths are teaching. Even if one is well versed in various paths of sanatana dharma, what right do we have to reject and ridicule the other beliefs? Is it necessary? I hear some Maharajas and senior devotees regularly at the drop of a hat start criticizing the Mayavadis and followers of Advaita philosophy. Lord Sri Krishna has told us in Bhagavad-gita that both personalists and impersonalists at last achieve me. And He has authorized both the paths. Of course He has laid much emphasis on the personal form of worship. Some even go on to say that those who worship demigods will go to hell. Isn't it wrong?

Finally, I am convinced that Lord Sri Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But I believe that even those who are traversing the other paths, such as impersonal worship, astanga yoga and karma yoga also will ultimately reach the highest perfection. I find it very difficult to reject and ridicule the other paths and faiths.

Is the way I am thinking correct? Is it an offence to think like this?

Please pardon me if I have committed any offence.

Your servant

Raganuga Bhaktiman Dasa

Answer: The One True Universal Religion

While it is true that every system of spiritual elevation will eventually bring one to the supreme perfection, it is not that that by each system one will progress at the same pace. For example, Krishna describes that those who take the path of jnana will only reach Him after many, many births and deaths.

If we have an appointment on the 100th floor of a building, it is better to take the stairs or to take the elevator? If we take the stairs, by the time we reach the office of our appointment the office will be closed for the day and we will miss our appointment. So it is more intelligent if we take the stairs. Why should I take a 1,000 mile journey across the desert by foot risking my life when I can reach the destination in two hours by airplane?

In this Kali yuga our life span is very short. We can die at any time. Therefore the intelligent thing to do is to accept that pathway which will immediately elevate us to the transcendental platform so that we can go back to home, back to Godhead in this lifetime. As devotees of Krishna we offer all respects to everyone seeing them all as part of parcel of our beloved Lord Sri Krishna. And we can also appreciate the good in their each and every system of spiritual progress. But this does not mean that all paths are the same. If I take the highway to New York, I will end up in New York. It is not that I will end up in London.

Therefore out of compassion we encourage everyone to expand on the good things that they are already doing in their present systems and make their present systems perfect by coming to the platform of Krishna consciousness. On this transcendental platform one becomes the perfect yogi, the perfect philosopher, the perfect Christian, the perfect Jew, the perfect Muslim, the perfect Buddhist, the perfect Hindu, etc. Why should we flatter people that whatever they are doing is alright when the planet earth has been transformed into a veritable hell? Something is terribly wrong on this planet. People have forgotten how to purely, selflessly surrender to that Supreme Person, Who is the source of all existence, by whatever name they may address Him. This is the one true universal religion for all.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari