Welcome to the KrishnaSoft's Electronic Newsletter.
This is the November 1999 issue entitled: "Liberated Souls Never Make Mistakes!"
WEB: http://www.krishnasoft.com; EMAIL: krishna@krishnasoft.com or vdayal@castle.net
This newsletter goes to over 1100 people who either have an interest in Vedic science and/or spiritually entertaining multimedia technology.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
(1) Liberated Souls Never Make Mistakes!
(2) Multimedia Srimad-Bhagavatam CDROM Now Available!
(3) Feedback: Miscellaneous
(4) Editorial Policy and Product List
1. LIBERATED SOULS NEVER MAKE MISTAKES!
In various parts of the Bhagavatam we find statements about how the liberated souls are free from the four defects of the conditioned living entities:
"They will indicate the positive standing of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is without trace of mistake, illusion, cheating and imperfection, which are the four flaws of all conditioned souls. THE LIBERATED SOULS ARE ABOVE THESE FLAWS; therefore they can see and foretell things which are to take place on distant future dates." (Bhag. 1.3.24)
"The Srimad-Bhagavatam is the literary incarnation of God, and it is compiled by Srila Vyasadeva, the incarnation of God. It is meant for the ultimate good of all people, and it is all-successful, all-blissful and ALL-PERFECT." (Bhag. 1.3.40)
The word "perfect" should be properly understood. Some mental speculators confuse this with so-called "perfection" as perceived by mundane authorities. It does not refer to perfection of spelling, grammar, logic, etc. which a liberated soul may or may not possess. It refers to perfection of complying to Lord Krsna's wishes:
"An action is thus judged by the Lord's pleasure or displeasure. There is no room for personal whims; we must always be guided by the pleasure of the Lord. Such action is called yogah karmasu kausalam, or actions performed which are linked with the Supreme Lord. THAT IS THE ART OF DOING A THING *PERFECTLY*." (Bhag. 1.15.24)
So if one is pleasing Lord Krsna by his actions, words, thinking, etc. he is acting perfectly. The words may not be so-called "perfect" with respect to the standards of mundane authorities:
"On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, EVEN THOUGH IMPERFECTLY COMPOSED, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest." (Bhag. 1.5.11)
Some mental speculators try to find faults with the all-perfect texts such as the Srimad-Bhagavatam by pointing out spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes, or other apparent mistakes from the literary point of view. However, anyone who has scrutinizingly read the Bhagavatam will see no faults! In the feedback of the October 1999 newsletter, we quoted someone trying to find faults with the text 8.10.38 of the Bhagavatam in regard to reference of the sun and moon distances. We pointed out how Lord Krsna makes up for any lack of material standards (i.e., since Lord Krsna is nondifferent from His devotional service, the unbiased reader will not miss out on anything by Krsna's mercy). Material speculations and standards are different from Krsna's standards. Krsna accepts the loving devotional service and declares such service as PERFECT whereas material standards means conforming to a set of arbitrary and ever-changing speculative conclusions defined or derived by some imperfect body of people. For example, Krsna accepts the misspelling of a word like "oxygen" (i.e., "oyxgen") as long as the loving devotion is present. On the other hand, he will not accept some nondevotional literary work although it may be perfect from the viewpoint of mundane authorities. [This point was discussed in the September 1999 newsletter.] One should always accept the works of the liberated souls although they may be imperfect with respect to the literary standards and speculations of mundane authorities. This is because the works of liberated souls comply to Krsna's standards who is more than all the mundane authorities combined. While we hope that mundane authorities are also pleased in our attempt to please Lord Krsna, one should not sacrifice his attempt to please Lord Krsna to conform to some mundane speculative standards:
"O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the HIGHEST PERFECTION one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one's own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead." (Bhag. 1.2.13)
The spirit soul in its PERFECT condition is always acting for the pleasure of Lord Krsna. The easiest way to please Lord Krsna is to just do what He wants us to do and this devotional service is given by the spiritual master:
"It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that no one is barred from rendering service to the Lord . Whether one is a woman or a laborer or a merchant, if he engages himself in the devotional service of the Lord he is promoted to the highest perfectional state and goes back home, back to Godhead . The devotional service most suitable for different types of devotees is determined and fixed by the mercy of the spiritual master." (Bhag. 3.25.28)
If one acts under the guidance of the bona-fide spiritual master, he is acting under the guidance of Lord Krsna:
"The devotees of the Lord, while delivering speeches and describing the transcendental attributes of the Lord, do not think that they can do anything independently. They think that they can speak only what they are induced to speak by the Supreme Lord, the master of the senses. The senses of the individual being are not his own; the devotee knows that such senses belong to the Supreme Lord and that they can be properly used when they are employed for the service of the Lord. The senses are instruments, and elements are ingredients, all endowed by the Lord; therefore whatever an individual can do, speak, see, etc., is under the direction of the Lord only. The Bhagavad-gita (15.15) confirms this: sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca. No one is free to act freely and independently, and as such, one should always seek the permission of the Lord to act or eat or speak, and BY THE BLESSING OF THE LORD, EVERYTHING DONE BY A DEVOTEE IS BEYOND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE FOUR DEFECTS TYPICAL OF THE CONDITIONED SOUL." (Bhag. 2.4.11)
So one who is acting for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord is beyond the four defects. However, one should be wary of imposters posing themselves as acting in loving service of Lord Krsna. One can rely on the Srimad-Bhagavatam and other Vedic literatures to confirm whether someone is properly situated in the devotional service of Lord Krsna or just concocting his own theories. The principles of the Srimad-Bhagavatam are always in agreement with what a liberated soul says and both are all-perfect:
"Lord Brahmaa, as the first living entity within the universe, is supposed to be the spiritual master of everyone, and he is also the father, the creator, of all beings . Kardama Muni is one of the Prajaapatis, or creators of the living entities, and he is also a son of Brahmaa. Brahmaa praises Kardama because he carried out the ORDERS OF THE SPIRITUAL MASTER IN TOTO AND WITHOUT CHEATING. A conditioned soul in the material world has the disqualification of cheating. He has four disqualifications: he is sure to commit mistakes, he is sure to be illusioned, he is prone to cheat others, and his senses are imperfect . But if one carries out the order of the spiritual master by disciplic succession, or the paramparaa system, he overcomes the four defects . Therefore, knowledge received from the bona fide spiritual master is not cheating. Any other knowledge which is manufactured by the conditioned soul is cheating only. Brahmaa knew well that Kardama Muni exactly carried out the instructions received from him and that he actually honored his spiritual master . To honor the spiritual master means to carry out his instructions word for word ." (Bhag. 3.24.12)
Srila Prabhupada, like all acaryas, also set the perfect example of carrying out the order of his spiritual master to present the message of Krsna consciousness by transcendental book distribution. So by purely (100%) following the order of the spiritual master, one also transcends the four defects and becomes a qualified spiritual master:
"At the present moment it has become fashionable to disobey the unimpeachable directions given by the aacaaryas and liberated souls of the past . Presently people are so fallen that they cannot distinguish between a liberated soul and a conditioned soul . A conditioned soul is hampered by four defects: he is sure to commit mistakes, he is sure to become illusioned, he has a tendency to cheat others, and his senses are imperfect . Consequently we have to take direction from liberated persons . This Kr.s.n.a consciousness movement directly receives instructions from the Supreme personality of Godhead via persons who are strictly following His instructions . Although a follower may not be a liberated person, if he follows the supreme, liberated Personality of Godhead, his actions are naturally liberated from the contamination of the material nature. Lord Caitanya therefore says: "By My order you may become a spiritual master ." ONE CAN IMMEDIATELY BECOME A SPIRITUAL MASTER by having full faith in the transcendental words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and by following His instructions . Materialistic men are not interested in taking directions from a liberated person, but they are very much interested in their own concocted ideas, which make them repeatedly fail in their attempts . Because the entire world is now following the imperfect directions of conditioned souls, humanity is completely bewildered ." (Bhag. 4.18.5)
It should be noted that conditioned souls are always following the directions of some authority; there is no escape. Some people listen to the scientists, some people rely on their own mental speculations, some people rely on imperfect empirical observations, some people trust some bogus leaders, etc. However, the reason the conditioned living entity is roaming within the material world is because he is opposed to following the authority of Lord Krsna. Following a liberated soul is the same as following the authority of Lord Krsna. If one does not follow Krsna's advice, one is bound to follow some imperfect authority.
"Therefore a devotee of Lord Kr.s.n.a is actually a perfect braahmana. His situation is transcendental, for he is free from the four defects of conditional life, which are the tendencies to commit mistakes, to be illusioned, to cheat and to possess imperfect senses . A perfect Vaisnava, or Kr.s.n.a conscious person, is always in this transcendental position because he speaks according to Kr.s.n.a and His representative. Because Vaisnavas speak exactly according to the tune of Kr.s.n.a, whatever they say is free from these four defects . For example, Kr.s.n.a says in Bhagavad-giitaa that everyone should always think of Him, everyone should become His devotee, offer Him obeisances and worship Him, and ultimately everyone should surrender unto Him. These devotional activities are transcendental and free from mistakes, illusion, cheating and imperfection . Therefore anyone who is a sincere devotee of Lord Kr.s.n.a and who preaches this cult, speaking only on the basis of Kr.s.n.a's instructions, is understood to be virajam, or free from the defects of material contamination ." (Bhag. 4.21.42)
Since conditioned souls have imperfect senses, tendency to cheat, tendency to make mistakes, and tendency to be illusioned, the only way for them to understand the science of Krsna consciousness is to meet someone who is above the four-defects. This means meeting a liberated soul, for a liberated soul is above the four-defects:
"The scientists are cheaters because they present so many bogus things in the name of science. They propose going to the moon, but actually they end up cheating the entire public of large sums of money for their experiments . They cannot do anything useful . Unless one can find a person transcendental to the four basic defects, one should not accept advice and become a victim of the material condition . The best process is to take the advice and instructions of S'rii Kr.s.n.a or His bona fide representative. In this way one can be happy in this life and the next ." (Bhag. 5.14.26)
2. MULTIMEDIA SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM CDROM NOW AVAILABLE!
The Multimedia Srimad-Bhagavatam CDROM is now available. We have already received some nice reviews from devotees and congregational members like "It's great!", "It's very good!", "Srila Prabhupada would be ecstatic to see his books presented in such a way.", etc. We gave the general outline of what's on the CDROM in the October 1999 issue. Herein we give some description of enhanced features and useful information on the Srimad-Bhagavatam CDROM:
(a) In the search section, one need not worry about the diacritic marks anymore as the software automatically searches both versions of the word. The search is also case-insensitive like the previous CDROMS. For example, typing "Krsna", "Kr.s.n.a", or "KRSNA" will still find the word Krsna.
(b) The prayers of Sukadeva Gosvami as sung by Srila Prabhupada are from Bhagavatam 2.4.12 thru 2.4.23. The prayers of Queen Kunti (also sung by Srila Prabhupada) are from Bhagavatam 1.8.18 thru 1.8.43.
(c) When you exit out of the main menu (item #9 or pressing the ESCAPE key), the GUI mode contains a preview of the latest verse you entered. This makes it easier for printing/extracting purposes since now you can see exactly what the verse is while printing it. You can also select a new verse from the GUI by clicking on the verse button at the top.
(d) In the GUI mode, you can select "Preferences" and set your resolution to 640*480, 800*600, or 1024*768. The software runs best in 640*480 but your laptop may shrink the image size; if you are using an analog monitor or slow machine, you should leave the setting to 640*480. The analog monitors automatically stretch the image to fill the screen. Under Windows NT, you have to set the resolution from the control panel/display section and not from the Preferences. In this case, make sure you select 16-bit color (65536 colors) or 24-bit color (16,777,216 colors).
(e) To hear and view the lectures on the Bhagavatam by Srila Prabhupada, you first should select the chapter and the Canto where the lecture is and then hit the "present" button. The table of contents (menu item #3) gives a list of all the chapters, Cantos and lectures/presentations available on the CDROM.
(f) You can use the number keys (i.e., 1, 2, ...) to select between different songs within the Biography of Srila Prabhupada, Selected Prayers, and Chanting section. This is also selectable with the mouse by first doing a right click (to change the screen layout) and then clicking on the number.
The Srimad-Bhagavatam is a very great contribution to the humanity at large that can save mankind from the cycle of birth, death, old age and disease and restore him to his constitutional original position as an eternal loving servant of the Supreme Lord. By taking to the Srimad-Bhagavatam, mankind can end all quarrels and wars and become happy. The Bhagavatam is priceless, but by the mercy of Lord Krsna and Srila Prabhupada, it is now available in book and multimedia CDROM format and affordable, presentable, and easily understandable. Please look into getting one for the upcoming holidays for yourself or for a friend. All the latest ordering information is at: http://www.krishnasoft.com. To receive the specifications by email or regular mail, write to: krishna@krishnasoft.com.
3. FEEDBACK: HOW DOES ONE BECOME A PURE DEVOTEE?
The point is that in the material world the conditioned living entities act under the authority of their imperfect mind and senses or some other imperfect authority, but if they act 100% under Lord Krsna's authority or a pure devotee's authority, they also become transcendental pure devotees. This is our original constitutional position-- to act 100% for the satisfaction of Lord Krsna and this is accomplished by taking shelter of the bona-fide representative of Lord Krsna, who is already acting 100% for the satisfaction of Lord Krsna. One cannot just make up some activity and ASSUME or SPECULATE that this is for Krsna's pleasure. Although this may be how beginners start off in Krsna consciousness, that's not the way of full surrender. Surrender means doing exactly what will be pleasing for Lord Krsna, and this can be known from Krsna Himself or from His bona-fide representative.
Srila Prabhupada engaged 100% in carrying out the order of his spiritual master and by Krsna's mercy an entire Krsna conscious society became manifested. Of course, Srila Prabhupada is a nitya-siddha (thus, already a pure devotee) yet he still set the example of how to become a pure devotee (sadhana-siddha):
"Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu has given considerable discussion about nitya-siddha and sadhana-siddha devotees. Nitya-siddha devotees come from Vaikuntha to this material world to teach, by their personal example, how to become a devotee. The living entities in this material world can take lessons from such nitya-siddha devotees and thus become inclined to return home, back to Godhead. A nitya-siddha devotee comes from Vaikuntha upon the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and shows by his example how to become a pure devotee (anyabhilasita-sunyam). In spite of coming to this material world, the nitya-siddha devotee is never attracted by the allurements of material enjoyment... Similarly, a devotee who comes here in accordance with the order of the Supreme Lord shows by his personal behavior how to become a pure devotee. A pure devotee, therefore, is a practical example for all living entities, including Lord Brahma." (Bhag. 7.10.3)
4. EDITORIAL POLICY AND PRODUCT LIST
"One should engage in practical service to the Lord. In our Krsna consciousness movement, *ALL* our activities are concentrated upon distributing Krsna literature. This is very important. One may approach any person and induce him to read Krsna literature so that in the future he also may become a devotee.... By fully concentrating on distributing books for Krsna, one is fully absorbed in Krsna."
Our newsletters are geared to show you the benefits of the instructions contained in the transcendental books of Srila Prabhupada so you can judge for yourself the value of these books and obtain them in book or CDROM format.
Krishna Software Inc. has produced some multimedia CDROMs and all the details of these CDROMs can be found at our website http://www.krishnasoft.com. Here is our current list of products:
(a) Multimedia Bhagavad-gita As It Is CD: Lord Krsna's eternal instructions to Arjuna and the rest of the world about Isvara (Supreme Lord), jiva (the soul), karma (activities), kala (time), and prakrti (nature). This is a 30-hour audio-visual CDROM. Also available on CD-R in Hindi version.
(b) Multimedia Srimad-Bhagavatam CD: An encyclopedia on the science of Krsna consciousness. This CDROM deals in detail with bhakti-yoga and covers various subjects-- the creation of the universe, Vedic astronomy, transmigration, birth-death, etc. This is about 35 hours of audio-visual presentations.
(c) Multimedia Krsna CD w/Vedic Astronomy game: This is a 51-hour audio-visual presentation of the Krsna book and a Vedic Astronomy game based on the Fifth Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. All on a single CDROM. Free sample demo downloadable.
(d) Multilingual Word Processor CD [version 4.00]: Type in diacritics, Hindi, Sanskrit, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, and Assamese without knowing the alphabet. This is for those who want to write articles using multiple languages. Free demo downloadable.
All of the above software was tested on various Intel 486 and Pentium processors running Windows 3.1, Windows '95, Windows '98, and Windows NT (client and server).
Latest information and secure ordering is available at our web site: http://www.krishnasoft.com.
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End of Newsletter- written and edited by KSI staff; (c) 1998-1999 Krishna Software Inc.
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All glories to Lord Sri Krsna and His transcendental potencies! All glories to the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the literary incarnation of Lord Sri Krsna!