“When Krishna killed Arishtasura, some of the gopis said, ‘My dear friends, just see how Krishna has killed Arishtasura! Although he was stronger than a mountain, Krishna plucked him up just like a piece of cotton and threw him away without any difficulty!’ There is another passage wherein it is said: ‘O my dear devotees of Lord Krishna, may the left hand of Lord Krishna, which has lifted Govardhana Hill like a ball, save you from all dangers.’” (The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 21)

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The Sanskrit word Bhagavan refers to someone who possesses fortunes, or bhaga. This word appropriately affixes to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Almighty, God, Ishvara, or whatever the otherwise preferred form of address. If there is a supreme being, He must hold all fortunes. He must have them to the highest degree and simultaneously.

The venerable Parashara…

“As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna always tries to please His devotees, and the devotees try to please Krishna. As the devotees always think of Krishna within their hearts, so Krishna also thinks of His devotees within Himself. When Kubja was converted into a beautiful society girl, she wanted Krishna to come to her place so that she could try to receive and worship Him in her own way.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 47)

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Friend1: Bhakti-yoga is about pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I get that.

Friend2: Remember, it’s more than just speculating on what to do.

Friend1: What do you mean?

Friend2: Well, suppose a person wants to please God. They believe in Him, but they want to progress further. They’ll think up of ways to do that.

Friend1: Sure. Understandable.

Friend2: They might decide to…

“Nondevotees cannot give any nomenclature for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, yet the Lord is known as Shyamasundara and Giridhari. Similarly, the Lord is known as Devaki-nandana and Yashoda-nandana because He accepted the role of son for mother Devaki and mother Yashoda, and He is known as Gopala because He enjoyed the sport of maintaining the cows and calves.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.2.36 Purport)

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One of the countless names for Bhagavan is Gopala. This name is especially relevant in certain sections of the Shrimad Bhagavatam, also known as the Bhagavata Purana. Bhagavan is the highly fortunate one, and the work that best describes Him is Bhagavata. Devotees are also known as bhagavata since they are always connected to Him in yoga.

The beautiful name of Gopala has several meanings, and they each fit the Supreme Lord. Proof is there in…

“I shall go with you today to the forest. There is no doubt about it. I cannot be prevented, O greatly fortunate one. I am ready to go.” (Sita Devi speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 27.15)

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In Sanskrit the prefix of “a” is used for negating a word. This usage is prominent in words describing that person who is beyond description. The Almighty, God, the Deity, the Divinity – these help to distinguish a person from the population of mortals, but there are further ways to describe, which glorify at the same time.

One name for Him is Ajita. This means “never conquered.” It makes sense, since a person being conquered reveals a flaw, a blemish, a vulnerability. Even if an athlete, warrior, politician, ruler, or other person in a position of prominence has a one hundred percent success record…

“Sometimes people ask us, ‘Why are you utilizing material products if you condemn the advancement of material civilization?’ But actually we do not condemn. We simply ask people to do whatever they are doing in Krishna consciousness. This is the same principle on which, in the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna advised Arjuna to utilize his fighting abilities in devotional service.” (Shrila Prabhupada, The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 14)

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His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada advises against suddenly changing occupations. No need to quit the home, leave the family, and retreat to the forest. No need to stop talking to every single person you speak to on a regular basis. No need to shave the head right away, wear different clothes, and live in a new place.

At the same time, there aren’t any absolute rules for progressing in the path of self-realization. This is…

“There is a statement in the Skanda Purana wherein Parvata Muni tells Narada, ‘My dear Narada, of all saintly persons you are so great and glorious that simply by your good wishes a lowborn hunter also has become a great, elevated devotee of Lord Krishna.’” (The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 17)

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God is so great that in Sanskrit there are much more descriptive names for Him. In fact, one of the most commonly used words is not even equivalent with the term “God.” The more generic is Ishvara, which means a great controller. Everyone is trying their hardest to effect outcomes at both the micro and macro level, but there is something more powerful controlling them.

“The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried…

“One day will come when death will finish everything, and the living entity will have to enter another body to begin another chapter of life and again begin the cycle of material sense gratification. Prahlada Maharaja describes this process as punah punash charvita-charvananam (SB 7.5.30). Materialistic life means chewing the chewed again and again.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.27.14)

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His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada says that if you were to attempt to count the number of amshas, or expansions emanating from the source of spirit, a majority number would belong to the spiritual world in terms of residence. That is to say by comparison a small number of conditioned spirit souls, jivas, are spinning on the wheel of suffering, the samsara-chakra.

The cycle manifests as birth and death. Not as the same external identification. Not exactly like living…

“O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.14)

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These things don’t usually happen to you. “I’m the most unlucky person” has always been your response to anyone who asked what you would do if something like this were to occur.

It happened, though, to everyone’s surprise. Of course, it is easy to lose perspective. One person lives well enough to find shelter in the cold, have air conditioning in the heat, and put plenty of food on the table. Others around the world are not so fortunate.

Even still, there is something of value God has already given. If a…

“I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.15)

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“I very well know the verse from the Bhagavad-gita explaining the source of remembrance, forgetfulness and the like. I understand that the verse is most often used to explain how the different species inherently know how to do things, like the animals being able to walk immediately after birth, and the infant going through an expected cycle of development.

Yes, yes, Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead intentionally allows for forgetfulness in order to fulfill the flawed desire of wanting to enjoy without Him. With my situation, I want to remember. I’m trying bhakti-yoga in earnest. I just seem to…