“You are the origin without beginning, middle or end. You have numberless arms, and the sun and moon are among Your great unlimited eyes. By Your own radiance You are heating this entire universe.” (Arjuna, Bhagavad-gita, 11.19)

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You’re open to the idea. It’s not like you are strongly against the concept that the majority of the population subscribes to. The issue is that you prefer empirical evidence. This is the way to avoid fanaticism. Observation and experiment. That is the foundation of true science. Not mere consensus. Not bullying by some political faction. A real test that can repeatedly produce the same result.

To satisfy your requirement someone proposes the following. Suppose that God appears before you. The identification is through self-proclamation, i.e. the person tells you they are the Almighty. The first step to your empirical proof is right in front of…

“Prahlada was developed simply by the mercy of Narada. When Prahlada Maharaj was within the womb of his mother, she was being sympathetically instructed by Narada about the science of devotional service, and at the same time Narada was wishing that the child within the womb could also take advantage of the instructions. Because Narada, an authorized devotee and great associate of the Personality of Godhead, was desiring auspiciousness for Prahlada Maharaj, he developed all the characteristics of a high-grade devotee.” (The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 17)

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Such a fine young man. Of good qualities, inside and out. From top to bottom, this is an ideal saint, but not in the typical presentation. Cool, calm, collected, without prejudice, exhibiting model behavior. The parents must be proud.

Ironically, with Prahlada Maharaja, the father was fiercely upset upon witnessing the character in the person who…

“The Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, seated beside the individual soul, is the witness of the individual soul’s activities and is the source of consciousness. The Supersoul gives the jiva an opportunity to act freely, and He witnesses his activities. The functions of all these different manifestations of the Supreme Lord automatically become clarified for the pure Krishna conscious devotee engaged in transcendental service of the Lord.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 8.4 Purport)

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Is there a chance they can get it wrong? You know, mess up in the assessment. There is the idea of a judgment day, where a person of authority makes the determination of where the soul ends up next. They read through the list of both pious and sinful deeds.

Is there a chance they miss something? If God Himself is the arbiter, does He ever get it wrong? Was…

“Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets; and those in the mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 14.18)

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Endowed with choice, the human birth sets itself apart from others. The Vedas cap the number of species off at 8,400,000. Some are able to move. Others don’t move at all, like the trees. There are creatures with two legs, while some might have eight. There is the tiny ant and there is also the large elephant.

In every one of the species the guiding principle is sense gratification. These senses cover up the spotless spirit soul. Like the clouds that block the sunshine, the body has no influence on the soul itself. That is to say the soul cannot be…

“The shyama color is not exactly blackish. Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura compares it to the color of the atasi flower. It is not that Lord Krishna Himself appears in a blackish color in all the Dvapara-yugas. In other Dvapara-yugas, previous to Lord Krishna’s appearance, the Supreme Lord appeared in a greenish body by His own personal expansion. This is mentioned in the Vishnu Purana, Hari-vamsha and Mahabharata.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 20.337, Purport)

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Certainly seems odd. There is a God; otherwise how to explain so many amazing things that happen on a daily basis? What person would still be an atheist after witnessing the miracle of childbirth from within a hospital room, standing inches away? How to explain the perfect intelligence embedded within so many aspects of nature, intelligence so predictable and reliable that fields of study result, known as science?

The…

“All of them-as they surrender unto Me-I reward accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pritha.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.11)

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Shri Krishna reveals the truth in the Bhagavad-gita. Regardless of the mindset, whether they know Him perfectly or not, every person follows Him. In that regard even ignorance is a kind of theism. There is no such thing as complete disassociation from the Almighty.

As each person surrenders, they are rewarded accordingly. Evidence is there in the spiritual land of Vrindavana. After liberation things do not come to a complete stop. Nirvana is cessation of material suffering, but on the other side is variety and nuance, to an endless factor.

1. Mothers

There are the foster parents, mother Yashoda and King Nanda. They receive the blessing of child Krishna in their home through a series of connected events…

“To remember Krishna one should chant the mahamantra, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, incessantly, following in the footsteps of Lord Chaitanya, being more tolerant than the tree, humbler than the grass and offering all respect to others without requiring respect in return. In such a way one will be able to depart from the body successfully remembering Krishna and so attain the supreme goal.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 8.5 Purport)

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Genuine spiritual life is about changing consciousness. An institution might help. Wearing a certain dress, acting a certain way, reading specific books, memorizing beautifully composed verses in the Sanskrit language – the sadhana, or regulative practice, is beneficial, but the objective is always superior to the means.

The consciousness should change from material to spiritual. Essentially, what is it that we think…

“According to Vedic injunctions there are six kinds of aggressors: 1) a poison giver, 2) one who sets fire to the house, 3) one who attacks with deadly weapons, 4) one who plunders riches, 5) one who occupies another’s land, and 6) one who kidnaps a wife. Such aggressors are at once to be killed, and no sin is incurred by killing such aggressors.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 1.36 Purport)

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Friend1: I understand that sometimes violence is necessary.

Friend2: Sure. It’s common sense. Otherwise rogues and thieves would have a field day. They could take whatever they wanted from others without facing repercussions. Armies and police forces wouldn’t exist. There would be no meaning to the word “law.” You can write as much legislation as you want, but unless there is enforcement they are just words. And enforcement means the use of violence when…

“When Krishna, the supreme joker, planted the parijata tree in the courtyard of Satyabhama, Rukmini, the daughter of King Vidarbha, became very angry, but due to her natural gentle behavior, she did not express anything. No one could understand Rukmini’s real mental condition.” (The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 30)

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Friend1: Bhakti-yoga is love and devotion, the pure kind. It is not tainted with personal desires.

Friend2: That is why you often see the qualification of “pure” devotee. There are people devoted to God. One of four categories approaches Him at first, and in every case there is some personal interest.

“O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.16)

Friend1: Among the groups, the

“Once the Bakasura demon assumed the shape of a very big duck and opened his mouth in order to swallow Krishna and all the cowherd boys. When Krishna was entering into the demon’s mouth, Balarama and the other cowherd boys almost fainted and appeared as though they had no life. Even if they are illusioned by some ghastly scene or by any accidental occurrence, devotees never forget Krishna. Even in the greatest danger they can remember Krishna.” (The Nectar of Devotion, Ch 30)

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The aim is to remember Krishna. Be conscious of Him. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Divine beyond the abstract. More than the product of a theoretical exercise, more than someone to latch onto out of blind faith, He is the complete manifestation of the sum total of all energies. In fact, He is the source of both…