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Drew Lawrence

How did we come to be in the material world if our original position was living with God in the spiritual world? Why would we come down here to a place where there is birth, suffering, old age disease and death? The answer is that God gives us independence and free will always. He does not force us to do anything. When a child says to the father that he wants to do such and such, the father says no, you shouldn’t do it. It is not a good idea. But the child insists and wants to do it anyway. So the father relents and says okay, you can do it but you do so at your own risk. He gives permission because he loves his child. It is similar with God and we, His children, when we want to come down here to the material world and enjoy separately from Him. We like to think we know better.

"Once there were three Yogis sitting by a nearby Lake. Two yogis were older and more experienced, but a third was younger and unsure of himself. The first older Yogi realized he forgot his meditation cushion. So he got up and walked across the lake to the Ashram across the shore, then walked backed, again upon the water, then sat back down and meditated. The second older Yogi realized that he forgot his mala beads, then did the same thing – walked on the water to the Ashram, then back, then sat down and resumed his meditation.

The third, younger yogi, then said “I am not going to just sit here watching you two show off. If you can walk on the water, so can I!
So, he jumped up and walked toward the lake, them promptly sank into the water, as the 2 older yogis watched. Undeterred, he then got a running start into the lake, but again promptly sank in the waves. After several more tries like this the first older yogi turned to the second one and said “Do you think we should tell him where t

"I CAME HERE TO TAKE THEIR SUFFERING", SAID PRABHUPADA

It was the beginning of 1977. Prabhupada was in Bombay temple. He was very sick. He had stopped all food intake – he was taking 1/4 a cup of orange juice per day. His body had only bones left – there was no flesh. And yet, he was insisting that he wanted to go to London. The doctors had given up responsibility. But as always, he was adamant

At this time, one Pancaratrika Pandit from Bangalore named Sampat Kumar Bhattacarya came to know about Srila Prabhupada’s situation. So, he took a flight from Bangalore to Bombay – which in those days was a huge thing for a Brahmin priest – and met Prabhupada, and asked for a private meeting. Generally, nobody was allowed a private meeting, but when he said that he specially came by flight from Bangalore to meet Srila Prabhupada, he was allowed a private meeting. So, everybody was asked to go out, and they talked.

The conversation was like this: Sampat Kumar: ‘Swamiji, I am feeling very pained