Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated July 2, 1968, describing very briefly and emotionally about the nice success of our Rathayatra festival. When Gargamuni came here the other day he also described it so nicely and now you can understand the specimen of transcendental pleasure in which the human society as a whole can take part and realize transcendental bliss. The Car Festival was very simple. After all, it is a car with 4 wheels, but it attracted the people so enthusiastically because there was His Lordship, the Jagannatha. Atheistic people may call it that the Jagannatha Murti was made of wood, and the car was also made of wood, but the spiritual bliss can be exacted from anything, simply in Krishna Consciousness. Even accepting the whole affair as wooden, a Krishna Consciousness person can understand that wood is nothing but display of Krishna's energy. So it is the Krishna Consciousness energy that gives us transcendental bliss, just like it is the electric energy passing through copper cable which gives us electric light and heat. Simply the Krishna Consciousness electric energy can immediately be attractive by developing our sense of Krishna Consciousness, which I am sure you are experiencing gradually how easily it can be done. Now, it may be mentioned in this connection that India's electric energy of Krishna Consciousness is gradually developing in your country, and prior to this movement, anyone who came to this country from India to give the American people spiritual enlightenment, simply speculated on the mental platform. In the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly said that devotional service which is called Rajayoga, or the king of all yoga systems, is transcendental and very pleasing to perform. (I have received one letter from Dayananda also, and the reply is sent herewith, about his improved realization of Krishna Consciousness.)
Mental platform (Letters)
Correspondence
1968 Correspondence
Regarding your question no. 4, Gayatri mantra means it is chanted by a qualified Brahmin. A devotee of Krishna is understood to have surpassed the stage of becoming qualified Brahmin, so Gayatri mantra can be chanted by qualified Brahmin, and the meaning of Gayatri mantra is Gayat—Gayat means sin, and tri means deliverance. Gayatri. And mantra, man—means mind, tra means deliverance. So the things chanting which one is delivered from the mental platform is called Gayatri mantra, or mantra. So all mantras are like that, but this is the meaning of Gayatri mantra.
1969 Correspondence
Recently when I was in Columbus there was a big meeting, and more than one thousand students attended. Poet Allan Ginsberg was there with me for chanting, and all the students were responsive immediately. Therefore I advise you that we are working on a different platform. We are working neither on the sensual platform, nor on the mental platform, nor on the intellectual platform. We are working completely on the spiritual platform. The concept of European, American, or Indian is based on the bodily platform. So long one is under the impression that he is this body, he cannot make much progress in this movement. Lord Caitanya says that factually all living entities are the servants of Krishna. This servitorship cannot be rendered from the material platform, because Krishna is not matter. He is Sat-Cit-Ananda Vigraha. Anyone trying to serve Krishna from the material platform of body, mind and intelligence cannot appreciate this fact. One has to become free from the contamination of matter, represented in gross and subtle forms as body, mind, intelligence and ego. Until then, one is not a pure devotee. In the Narada Pancaratra it is clearly stated that one has to become free from all material designations. So long as one is under the cover of material designations, he cannot serve Krishna. Therefore, we have to transcend this position by cleansing our hearts from such rubbish concept of life that I am American, I am European, I am Indian, I am this or that. Anyone keeping himself under such impression, but at the same time trying to get into Krishna Consciousness is called neophyte devotee, or prakrta. Lord Caitanya has given us a very nice method of chanting Hare Krishna, and if we execute this without any offense, we can transcend this prakrta platform and come to the spiritual platform of serving Krishna. And unless we serve Krishna there is no possibility of getting His Grace, and without His Grace it is not possible to preach Krishna Consciousness. Therefore, we should more depend to receive His Grace then to depend on mental or intellectual activities.
1971 Correspondence
Your idea to take German citizenship and organize the whole of Germany is the first class plan. If you can recruit many members there and get German language books published, that is the very best idea. When Mayapur place is organized you can come and see it, but your place is Germany. The German people are very intelligent and advanced in philosophy. Lately we have been discussing some of their philosophers like Kant, Hegel, Marx, and so on, so I can understand that there are many intellectual people in Germany who will appreciate our Krishna philosophy. They have got good respect for India's philosophy, so now we must take advantage and present it purely. Therefore the printing of so many books in German language is very necessary. I have heard that you may be going to Heidelberg, Germany, where there is a very large and important university. That is our best field. Become yourself very convinced and learned in our Krishna philosophy and take it into such university and contaminate everything with it. We are not afraid to challenge every mundane philosopher and defeat them, because they are simply operating on the mental platform which is constantly changing, so they cannot have any real authority. But because we are hearing from the Source of all knowledge, Krishna, through His representatives, the saints and acaryas in disciplic succession, we have got solid basis for understanding. If we are very much convinced to preach in this way, the intelligent class of men will respect and join us, and this will be your success in Germany. If a Marx can change so many men's minds to follow his imperfect philosophy, what can Krishna, the Supreme Perfect, accomplish! If we remain pure and teach others purely, then we will achieve all success and the whole world listen to us and be delivered from their very dangerous condition. Thank you very much for assisting me in this great endeavor, I think you are convinced that it is the highest and most exalted activity of all.
1972 Correspondence
Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter from Pittsburgh dated July 3, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. One thing is, our process of Krishna Consciousness, if it is followed with determination and enthusiasm, automatically it has the effect of fixing us, body, mind and soul, to the Lotus Feet of Lord Krishna, so that all sorts of fluctuations of the material nature, all sorts of difficulties and discrepancies of life are easily withstood. But first you have to agree to understand the process and follow it scrupulously. That is wanting. If I only think I know something, that is mental platform of accept/reject, and any knowledge gathered from the mental platform is like that, tottering and precarious, and it can be immediately rejected at any time.
1975 Correspondence
The idea is that local inhabitants will be satisfied with their bare necessities of life and their attention will be diverted towards spiritual development of life. That is the aim of human birth. We are trying this also in Africa, and it is partially successful. The whole scheme is that if a man becomes a devotee all good qualities inherent in him become manifest, whereas a person without being a devotee even though he has so-called academic qualifications, he will remain on the mental platform and will again be brought to the material field of activities which will always bring dissatisfaction. The total scheme is for simple life and high thinking and exalted character of the human society. As a matter of fact all of our members refrain from eating meat, gambling, intoxication, and illicit sex.
| Page Title: | Mental platform (Letters) |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika, Namrata |
| Created: | 03 of Sep, 2009 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=7 |
| No. of Quotes: | 7 |