Danda 1995 - Suhotra Maharaja Archives

Comment by Vipramukhya SwamiI've met two devotees who have sworn to me that vampires exist, one of whomclaims to have personally seen one. I'll tell the story when I get a chance.Answer by Suhotra SwamiJanuary 24, 1995To my understanding, the creature referred to by the Sanskrit word "vetala" iswhat is known in Europe as a "vampire." Vetalas are mentioned in theBhagavatam, but Srila Prabhupada does not give an English definition of themeaning of the word. In Krsna book Chapter 62, Prabhupada lists vetalas as oneof many kinds of "powerful ghosts and denizens of the inferno."MATERIAL CONCEPTION OF EGOQuestion from Manupriya dasJanuary 25, 1995In Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.21 Srila Prabhupada explains about the Lord when Heexhibits Himself as chariot driver of Arjuna. Srila Prabhupada explains in theend of the purport that"The material conception of ego is equibalanced in Him."And he goes on to explain that the Lord does not feel inferior as the chariotdriver.Could you give me a hint how I should understand this explanation. I can notunderstand how material conception of ego can be equibalanced in the Lord.Answer by Suhotra SwamiJanuary 25, 1995Reading over this verse and purport, I conclude that the word "equibalanced"(which also appears in the verse translation, as well as in the sentence youcited from the purport) is linked to the Sanskrit word sama-drsah, which in theword-for-word meanings is translated as "of one who is equally kind to one andall." There is no word in the Sanskrit verse that is directly translated as"equibalanced." Yet it is there in the English verse.The quality of sama-drsah or sama-darsana is explained in the Bhagavad-gita,most notably in 5.18 and 9.29. In the latter verse Krsna says, na me dvesyo'sti na priyah, "I envy no one, and no one is dear to Me." The division ofliving entities into categories of dear and feared takes place on the platformof the false ego. So when the Lord says that He fears no one and holds no onedear, He is saying that this dualistic function of the ego is equibalanced inHim. That is spiritual ego. Therefore the Bhagavatam verse we are discussingsays Krsna is anahankrteh, "free from all material identity of false ego." Thereis a spiritual ego, just like there is a spiritual intellect and spiritual mind.And the difference between them and the material ego, intellect and mind is seenin the way they function. After all, these three are aspects of consciousness,and consciousness is the same "stuff" whether it is in the spiritual world ormaterial world. That which we know as material consciousness is ego, intellectand mind functioning differently from spiritual consciousness. And because ofthat different function, the original and pure ego, mind and intellect becomecovered by the modes of nature. How this happens is described in SB Canto 3Chapter 26, beginning with verse 21. In the Vasudeva- sattva state of puregoodness, consciousness is called citta. In the purport to verse 21, Srila