March/April 2009

This issue contains three articles on the feminine aspect of God. Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy, following the teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, states that God and His feminine consort are two persons and one person simultaneously. Though this idea is said to be inconceivable, defying logic, it implies that our conceptions of Krishna, Rama, Vishnu, and other full manifestations of God are incomplete if we neglect to consider Radha, Sita, and Lakshmi as parts of their identity. As Srila Prabhupada would often point out, God is not Krishna alone but Radha-Krishna. The three Goddess articles in this issue focus on their unique identities as well as their relationships with their masculine counterparts.

This issue also contains a new centerfold painting of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself, and Nityananda is His brother, Balarama. They appeared in Bengal five hundred years ago to establish sankirtana-the congregational chanting of the names of God-as the prescribed religion for the current age.

Sankirtana is the heart of the Hare Krishna movement. That’s why you’ll find devotees chanting in public places around the world. Krishna-kripa Dasa’s “Chanting at the World’s Biggest Street Party” is a good example of sankirtana in action today.

Hare Krishna.-Nagaraja Dasa, Editor

Departments

Temple Websites

Letters

My Land, My People

Forced to Bow Down

Vedic Thoughts

Bollywood: Is the Reel Glamour for Real?

Stages of Consciousness