from Back to Godhead, January-February 1991 America and her allies have plunged into war with Iraq. As you read these words, the war may well be over, and the land of the Tigris and Euphrates, the ancient “cradle of civilization,” may by now be a bombed-out graveyard. In the newspapers, words blow around like sand in a Middle Eastern desert. Saddam Hussein is “a madman,” America “can’t tolerate aggression,” the “international community” demands that “the sovereignty of Kuwait” be restored. Meanwhile—more sand—Iraq calls for “peace, stability, and security in the … [Read more...] about History and the Machinery of War
Giving My Life for Noble Bilge
from Back to Godhead, May 1989 Lima, Peru: Several feet overhead against a gray-and-white marble wall on the departures side of the Jorge Chavez International Airport, foot-high black letters, all capitals, announce. “TENGO EL ORGULLO DE SER PERUANO.” That is, “I have the pride of being Peruvian.” Well, for crying out loud. what is there to be so proud of? I have the pride of belonging to a two-bit Latin American nation whose empire got wiped out four centuries ago. Now really! And why should I be so proud to be Peruvian rather than, say, Argentinean, or Chilean, or Colombian, … [Read more...] about Giving My Life for Noble Bilge
Fighting in the Smog
from Back to Godhead, August-September 1992 [On April 29, 1992, a mostly white jury acquitted four Los Angeles police officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King. Thousands of people in Los Angeles, mainly young black and Latino males, joined in a “race riot,” with mass law-breaking, including looting, arson and murder. Fifty to sixty people were killed during the riots.] I left Los Angeles early on the morning of the riots. My departure was coincidental. I’d stayed in L.A. for two days, and now I was off to a meeting in Denver. So I missed … [Read more...] about Fighting in the Smog
Toward an Enlightened New World Order
from Back to Godhead, May-June 1991 “We’ve got a real kshatriya for a president!” an American Krishna devotee said to me, his face beaming. The Allies were trouncing whatever was left of the Iraqi armies, and George Bush was making it clear the Allies would keep striking till the Iraqis utterly surrendered. My devotee friend knew, of course, that George Bush could hardly match the valor and nobility of true kshatriyas like King Yudhisthira and King Pariksit. Still, Bush and his allies had waged a splendid war. Power, skill, drive, heroism—these are attributes of the … [Read more...] about Toward an Enlightened New World Order
Do We Live More Than Once?
from Back to Godhead, 18/6, June 1983 The case history of a little girl from West Bengal suggests she remembered a life she had lived before The Story of Sukla The theory of reincarnation More about Minu Scientific inquiries Sukla visits her “former family” Fraud? Hidden memories? Not just information but behavior Super ESP? Reincarnation revisited: a puzzle for science A different way of understanding Changing from one body to the next Liberation from persistent lifetimes Before it all fades Suggested reading The Story of Sukla When Sukla Gupta was a year and a half old and barely able to … [Read more...] about Do We Live More Than Once?
Why Chant Hare Krishna?
from Back to Godhead, May-June 1994 Here's a page full of reasons. I'll spare you the footnotes, but each reason is fully upheld by evidence from Vedic writings like Bhagavad-gita, the Upanisads, and the Puranas. Chanting Hare Krishna awakens love of God. Chanting Hare Krishna brings liberation as a side benefit along the way. When you chant Hare Krishna, you automatically develop knowledge and detachment. Chanting Hare Krishna gets you out of the endless cycle of birth and death. It is the most effective means of self-realization in the present Age of Quarrel. … [Read more...] about Why Chant Hare Krishna?
Where Do the Fallen Souls Fall From?
On learning that the material world is not our real home, we naturally wonder, “How did we get here?” from Back to Godhead, May-June 1993 When we hear that we live in this material world because we are “fallen souls,” it’s natural for us to ask, “Where have we fallen from?” Srila Prabhupada says that as living souls we are all originally Krishna conscious. But what does that mean? Were we all originally with Krishna in the spiritual world? And if so, how could we ever have fallen? In Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna says, “Once you attain to that spiritual world, you … [Read more...] about Where Do the Fallen Souls Fall From?
From Master to Disciple
from Back to Godhead, July-August 1995 In the pages of Back to Godhead you may often come across the term "disciplic succession." It's an English rendering of the Sanskrit word parampara. The meaning of the word is simple yet important. The parampara is the chain of spiritual masters and disciples through which Krishna consciousness is taught and received. In Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna says, "I taught this ancient science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan. Vivasvan taught it to his son Manu. And Manu taught it to his son Iksvaku. In this way, through the system of parampara, … [Read more...] about From Master to Disciple
Mars Bars: Why Mars? Why Indeed?
from Back to Godhead, September-October 1997 So now we’re headed for Mars. Forget the moon. Mars is the place to go. But why? Hey, we’re exploring, we’re questing for knowledge, we’re searching for signs of life out there. It’s science—get it? So every twenty-six months between now and the year 2005 we’re going to send machines up there. And 2012 is the target date for landing the first man on Mars. But I have a question: What happened to the moon? When I was a kid, back in the sixties, the place to go was the moon. It was the same story: We were exploring, we … [Read more...] about Mars Bars: Why Mars? Why Indeed?
Arch Enemy: Mc-Cow-Killer Comes to India
from Back to Godhead, January-February 1997 The people who’ve served cow flesh to billions, beneath golden arches around the world, have now come to the land where the cow is sacred. And they’re being ever so careful to be Indian. No Big Macs here, no indeed. No cow flesh, no pig fat, lest Hindus or Muslims be offended. In India, it’s the Maharaja Mac. The menu is full of veggies spiced just for the Indian palate, and the slaughter of choice is chickens and sheep. And trendy Indians, it seems, are lining up to swallow it. When the doors opened in Delhi in early October, … [Read more...] about Arch Enemy: Mc-Cow-Killer Comes to India
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