The Mahamaya who is known as Durga, Kali, Candi, Bhadrakali, Mohalaksmi, etc is the embodiment of His external potency as described in the Candi and it is the thankless task of the Mahamaya to punish the asuras with Her all powerful weapons in the ten direction of the material world. She does not only create and maintain this material world but also she annihilates it according to the direction of the almighty God. In the Bhagavad-gita this Mahamaya has also been described as Daivi Maya and She is so powerful that the asuras cannot by-pass Her at any rate. The asura can get remission from the stroke of the trisula of Mohamaya when he the asura, surrenders surrenders himself to Sri Krishna the Personality of Godhead. As Superintendent of the material world the Mohamaya has been described Durga as the protectress of the great durga or fortress of the grand universes. She gives all the necessities for our existence but as soon as we become an asura like the Mohisasuras, Ravanas, Hiranyakasipus, and in later ages like the Mussolinis and such others for the exploitation of the material energy, the Durga Devi at once appears Herself with Her dreadful trident and begins to devastate the whole existence by such tribulations as war, famine, pestilence, or sometimes annihilation of a total existence. The methods of annihilation as are invented by the human brain such as the atomic bombs etc are also Her creations but the deluded asuras, who are caused to act by the modes of prakrti the material nature, do think themselves as the originator or inventor of such weapons. In that way a constant struggle is going on between the asuras and the prakrti and the asuras are thus being punished in different ways which the asuras cannot overcome by any method except by full surrender unto the almighty God.
Durga (Letters)
Correspondence
1947 to 1965 Correspondence
The Mother Nature is, as She should naturally be, the most faithful mistress of Godhead and She becomes angry for the behavior of the Asura and thus assume the role of Daivamaya (generally known as the Mohakali, Durga, Bhadrakali etc.) and take at once Her grim trident and inflicts the weapon in the heart of the asura who is also Her son. The asura thus becomes subject to threefold miseries and this is done according to the plan of Godhead as the mother has to chastise the disobedient son in order to make him alright. This process of chastisement is necessary for the benefit of both the asura and the daiva sons in order to stop disorder in the great plan of Godhead. As sons as the asura, however, surrenders unto Godhead as the obedient son and servitor of the plan of Godhead the asura is turned into a devata. The angry mode of Mother Nature at once subsides and she appears to such godly sons as the most affectionate Mother in the role of Yogamaya (commonly known as Laksmi, Sita and Radharani etc)
1967 Correspondence
I am very glad that your wife Mona is gradually understanding Krishna Consciousness. Women are generally less intelligent. Give her time & scope & she will turn out a very good assistant for your life. Convey my blessings for her.
Your ever well-wisher
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
*Send him this:
1. Copy of your speech and letter to me of 28 Aug. 1967.
2. Clippings of newspaper or hand bills announcing Miss Uma Sharmas' dance in the Temple.
3. Full name & designation of Mr. Dayala of EXPO.
4. List of people present. Addresses.
5. Copy of letter of regret by Miss Sharma.
6. Limited information on I.S.K.C.O.N.
7. Addresses & names of officers and temple members in Montreal.
Reply to this letter may be addressed to me in Calcutta.
ACB
Ramacandra's victory celebration is observed in the last day of Durga Puja. Vaisnavas are not concerned with Durga Puja. Dipavali or Devali is observed as new years day by certain mercantile community. The Vaisnavas have nothing to do with this ceremony but just on the last day after Devali the Vaisnavas observe Annakuta ceremony. This celebration is the day when Lord Krishna lifted the hill & Madhavendra Puri established the temple in Gopala.
1968 Correspondence
Please accept my blessings. I am in receipt of a copy of your last Istagosthi dated Jan. 27, and I am very much satisfied with your replies on the questions made in the Istagosthi. The meeting is called "Istagosthi" and not "Istagosthi". You may know also that Ramakrishna's worship of Kali makes him a third class man. In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that one who worships the demigods just like Brahma, Siva, Indra, Candra or demigoddesses like Kali, Durga, Sarasvati, etc., are described as persons who have lost their intelligence. One person who has lost his intelligence, how he can become an incarnation of God? A person who has lost his intelligence, is not even counted amongst the higher section of society. So, the Ramakrishna is a bogus man according to the statement of Bhagavad-gita. Vivekananda was also not even intelligent man because he accepted Ramakrsna as incarnation of God. This Ramakrsna, who is actually Gadadhara Chatterjee, declared himself as the same Rama and Krsna. If he is accepted as such by some person, is he very intelligent man? Suppose a man comes before somebody and says he is Pres. Johnson. and the foolish man accepts the pretender as Pres. Johnson, is that man to be accepted as very intelligent man? Vivekananda was not even an intelligent man because he accepted Gadhadhara Chatterjee as incarnation of God without any credentials. We accept Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead on the evidence of Vedic literature. There is no evidence in the Vedic literatures that a common unintelligent person by worshiping a demigoddess Kali can become an incarnation of Godhead. The goddess Kali is divine mother for the conditioned souls, not for the liberated souls. There is no direction in the Vedic literatures that one can become liberated even by worshiping the goddess Kali. She is superintendent of the prison house known as material world. One can derive some material facilities by worshiping Kali or Durga, but nobody can become liberated by worshiping such demigoddesses, so what to speak of becoming incarnation of Godhead. So the propaganda that Ramakrsna became incarnation of God by worshiping Kali is not accepted by any authorized acharya and therefore it is a bogus propaganda. One who follows therefore, such bogus propaganda is also misled as far as his spiritual advancement is concerned.
Regarding the Christian's Trinity, I believe it is called God, the Holy Ghost, and the son. Person in Krishna Consciousness accepts this by the name Visnu, Paramatma, and Jiva. God is a Person, the holy spirit or the supersoul is a person, and the living entity is also a person. Also, Mary is the representation of the energy of God. Either as internal energy Radharani or as external energy Durga, the energy of Godhead can be considered the mother of the living entities. But there is no clash between the Bible and the Vedas, simply some people formulate their personal ideas and cause quarrelings. Nobody can say the Bible was meant for the same class of men as the Bhagavad-gita. And Bhagavad-gita is the ABC's of spiritual knowledge. Beyond that is Srimad-Bhagavatam. How great Srimad-Bhagavatam is nobody can imagine. And beyond that is Caitanya Caritamrta. But beginning from the Bible or Koran, on up the principle remains the same.
Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter of May 24, 1968, and have noted the contents carefully. Sambhu is the principle by which the Lord impregnates the material Nature with the seeds of living entities. Durga is expansion of internal energy and Radharani is the quintessence of Internal Energy. In that sense Durga is expansion of Radharani. Brahma is the father of Rudra or Sambhu, therefore Brahma is the original creature for creation. Generally Sambhu is the creator of many many demons. Demons are therefore mostly worshippers of Lord Siva.
1969 Correspondence
Regarding your question about Subhadra and Durga, they are not at all the same. Durga's other name is Bhadra, not Subhadra, and Durga's activities are within the material world. Subhadra does not work as Durga. Subhadra is internal energy, and Durga is external energy. As energy, they have a relationship as much as we are energies of Krishna, but the energies are working in different capacities. Although originally the energy is one, by their expansion, the accents of the energies are different, and as we are not impersonalists, this variegatedness of actions are essential for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as much as the government is one but there are multi-departments for management of the government. The education department and the criminal department are all departments of the government. The government is connected with all parts and departments, but the education activities are different from the criminal activities. This is the philosophy of inconceivably simultaneously one and different manifestations of the Absolute Truth.
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 1, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am glad to inform you that I will be arriving in San Francisco around the 25th or 26th of July, and I will see you there during the Rathayatra Festival. Regarding your questions, "Is Subhadra, Lord Krishna's Sister, the same Durga or Maya?", the answer is that originally Krishna's energy is one: that is spiritual energy. But according to different functions, the Maya is represented differently. In the material world the energy is called Bhadra, and in the spiritual world the same Maya is called Subhadra. The only distinction is su and without su. Su means auspicious. So in the spiritual world, the same Maya works auspiciously, and in the material world the same Maya works inauspiciously. This auspiciousness and inauspiciousness is our own choice. The same example that jail life is inauspicious, and free life is auspicious, but it depends on the choice whether we prefer free life or jail life. The energy of the government works in the same way both in the jail department and the freedom department. It is the choice of the person who is relatively concerned with either jail or freedom.
Regarding Katyayani, it is decided that she will go to Buffalo on receipt of the passage money. Last night I was discussing this in the presence of Tamala Krishna, Katyayani and others. Probably they will talk with you and the necessary arrangements will be made. I think she should go before I go to New York. For the present my program to go to Germany is almost cancelled, but by the end of August I am sure I shall go to London, and at that time I shall go via New York. So all the marriages can be performed at that time, or if you can manage yourself, you can also do that. Please inform me where is your son. Is he in New York? One boy referred about him in a letter from New York.
Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated October 10, 1969. I have already informed Tamala Krishna in my letter dated 13rd October that I have sent Brahmananda a check for $4,000, as he wanted $5,000 and you have sent $1,000 and Subala has sent him also $500. So the extra money that you have got now you can deposit to my savings account. The book fund collection may be deposited in my savings account, and a monthly statement may be submitted how much is deposited in that account. When need be, I shall personally issue a check. That will keep the account clear. I am so much pleased to learn that you are collecting $200 per week from the book selling table. Thank you very much. I am also pleased to learn that the Spiritual Sky is making appreciable profit for expanding Krishna Consciousness and opening branches. I have given instruction to Tamala how to keep the branches going on simply on the strength of chanting the Mantra and following the rules and regulations. We shall always pray to Krishna that we are weak and Maya is very strong. So seek for His protection in every step so Maya may not inflict upon us her trident injuries. Perhaps you have seen the picture of Durga carrying the trident in her hand, which is a symbol of the 3-fold miseries of material existence. Maya's most attractive feature is women and money. We Krishna Conscious men have to deal with women and money in course of preaching work, and the only prophylactic measure to save us is not to accept them for our sense gratification. Then we shall remain strong enough. Materialistic people take everything for sense gratification and Krishna Conscious people take everything for Krishna's satisfaction. There is no fault in the thing as it is; namely women and money, but it becomes faulty by improper use. The improper use is to accept them for sense gratification. As it is stated in Bhagavad-gita, we can remain very strong from this by taking a firm shelter under the Lotus Feet of Krishna, by chanting His Holy Name incessantly, and praying always for being engaged in His service. In this way He will protect us from our weakness.
Sri Durga Prasadji Gupta, Asst. Manager
GITA PRESS
P.O. Gita Press, Gorakhpur
INDIA
Dear Sri Gupta,
Sri Jayadayal Dalmia has requested me to send you our edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is because you are collecting all different editions of the Gita. In this connection I beg to inform you that I have already sent one copy directly to Hanuman Prasadji Poddar, but have received no acknowledgement as yet, although the book was sent sometime at the beginning of this year. Please, therefore, inquire from Hanuman Prasadji if he has received the copy. If not, I shall send another copy to you.
1970 Correspondence
The personal form of Maya is Durga and her different extensions like Bhadra Kali, Chandica, etc. In the Brahma Samhita it is described that she is all powerful in this material world, but she acts as shadow of Govinda. In Bhagavad-gita also she is described as assistant in the material affairs. The direction is from the Lord, and she executes His will. As such, when a devotee is fully surrendered to Krsna, Maya does not disturb him anymore, under the direction of the Lord. So Krsna is always Supreme.
1971 Correspondence
Yes, Mr. Faramarz Attar will certainly be a great asset to our society and I am glad to accept him as my initiated disciple. His spiritual name is Atreya Rsi. Of the seven great Rsis, one of them is Atreya Rsi. And Concetta Bologna has also been accepted. Her name is Bhadra Devi Dasi. Bhadra means gentle and is another name for Durga, like Subhadra. I have received their money orders for beads and they will be arriving by separate post.
TO ISKCON PITTSBURGH:
My Dear Trivikrama Swami, Bibhu, Katyayani, etc.
Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you very much for your kind feelings of appreciation of my humble service unto you. You are all helping me in pushing forward this mission of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, coming down by disciplic succession to my Guru Maharaja. So whatever you have spoken, it is simply due to them. I am simply the via media to receive them, on behalf of my Guru Maharaja, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja Prabhupada.
To answer your other question, after Brahma was born He created some sons to increase the population. They were all created by Brahma and distributed. Prajapata means generator, Sambhu is Siva, Durga is the material energy. Just like in the Krishna Consciousness Movement, the boys are my sons and the girls are my daughters, and I say to them, take this boy, take this girl. So Brahma arranges like that.
1972 Correspondence
Please accept my blessings. Regarding the recommendation for Ambika dasi to take second initiation from me, yes, you may give her. Enclosed find one copy of Gayatri mantra. Now hold a yajna, teach her how to count on the finger divisions, then play the Gayatri mantra tape through the right ear. Have her repeat along with my vibration word by word and then give her Gayatri mantra as usual. This Gayatri mantra function should be held amongst the devotees only.
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated December 5, 1972, and I am greatly pleased to hear from you that you have increased the selling books five times more in Chicago centre. That is very good news to me. Yes, there must always be competition, that gives life, that cannot be separated from life. Sanatana dharma means the strong will utilize the energy of the weak, the weak must serve the strong, that we see everywhere, is it not? Who can deny? So that competitive spirit makes us strong, otherwise it is a society of weak men only, and what is the good of such society? But if you ask anyone are you weak or strong, he must answer that he is weak—he cannot control even his toothache, what to speak of his death. Therefore, in fact, it is a society of weak men—everyone is weak before Durga Devi or the material energy. If you see sometimes her picture, the foolish materialist is being held by the claws of her tiger-carrier, while she pierces him to death with her trident weapon. She has got ten arms, each with weapon, she is so strong, but we are so weak that simply by piercing with her trident, the three-fold miseries, adhibhautika, adhidaivika, and adhyatmika, the foolish materialists are all defeated! And before Krishna, Durga devi is very weak—Krishna is the controller of Durga. So Krishna is the strongest: sattyam sattvavatam aham, "I am the strength of the strong." Therefore, being weak, it is the eternal occupational duty of the living entity to surrender to Krishna, that's all. In the surrendering to Krishna, if everyone does it, still, the brahmanas will be served by the lower castes, the kings will be served by vaisyas and sudras, the vaisyas will be served by the sudras, and the sudras will serve all higher castes—there is still utilizing the weak by the strong—but feeling themselves always very much weak in comparison to Krishna, the whole society services the Strongest, therefore there will be no envy of the stronger by the weaker class of men. So perfect society, or Vedic society, does not eliminate competition—competition, stronger and weaker, must be there—but it eliminates envy, because everyone is weak before Krishna. Is that clear?
1974 Correspondence
My dear Parvati,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated nil and have noted the contents.
Thank you for your kind sentiments. You should try to become expert at making these nice milk products. The cow is the most wonderful animal and she is so beneficial for human society, giving so many gifts in the form of milk products. And you can turn all those milk products into wonderful preparations to offer to Radha-Krsna and thus your life will become perfect. Please continue advancing in Krsna Consciousness by this wonderful method; reading our books daily, chanting 16 rounds daily, following the regulative principles, rising early, etc. Thank you.
My dear Parvati,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Dec. 21, 1974 and have noted the contents carefully.
Thank you very much for trying so hard so many times to send me milk sweets, like sandesh, etc. Unfortunately this last time they went bad on the way here, therefore they were not in offerable condition. The fact that you have offered them to me is what counts. Not so much whether I have personally eaten them or not. So thank you for your sincere efforts in pleasing me. Under all circumstances you must remain in the association of devotees. Do not let yourself fall out of this association. Even if it is very difficult and there may be many problems or disagreements still simply by remaining in the association of devotees and follow our regulative principles, chanting 16 rounds, rising early etc., you will become purified. If you leave the association of devotees to follow these regulative principles will be very difficult. Therefore stay in the association of devotees and continue making nice milk preparations for the Deities. And when I come there this spring I will be glad to accept them three times a day.
1975 Correspondence
Nairobi temple is very nice, and there is great potency there. Now just cooperate with Shakti Mati and organize things nicely. This is wanted. Also you may thank Parvati for making the sandesh I took on the plane. She has made it very nicely. She learned the art.
1976 Correspondence
Please kindly come to see me here. I can provide all accommodations for you and your good wife, Uma and any others you wish to bring.
1977 Correspondence
My dear Parvati,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 25 December 1976 and have noted the contents.
So, Brahmananda should be changed. Yes, I have received other reports. The GBC will change the situation. Someone of the GBC will come there and Brahmananda will be transferred to somewhere else. Perhaps he can go to Europe.
If Brahmananda also falls then of course there will be trouble there. What can be done?
As far as your own position is concerned, that can be definitely decided during the Mayapur festival. In the meantime you can remain in Kenya.
| Page Title: | Durga (Letters) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, MadhuGopaldas |
| Created: | 17 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=24 |
| No. of Quotes: | 24 |