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My plan is to have two versions of this book. This version is the book without the novel, and addition knowledge, which I feel, is relevant due to the principle of “time, place, and circumstance. When this version is completed, I will proceed to novelize it with a fascinating, captivating, charming, absorbing, and interesting novel. I am also considering a possible setting, which will have elements of a thriller, a mystery, with intrigue.
Now I would like to present, my authority, to present Jaiva-dharma, with the core knowledge intact, but with a novel, and stories that take into consideration the principle of,
“Desa-kala-patra. According to Time, Atmosphere, and the Performer”.
Current and future Modern Technology, and the Internet, will facilitate this preaching of Srila Prabhupada’ s Krishna-consciousness movement, and its dissemination all over the planet Earth.
Srila Prabhupada did say,
“Tax your brain and develop different ways of spreading Krishna consciousness”.
In this regard, “different ways” are unlimited. Because Krishna is unlimited.
Therefore, the principle of “desa kala patra” is essential to the reconstitution of Srila Prabhupada mission as he intendent it to be. “Desa” means situation, and “kala”, time, and “patra”, the subject/circumstance. Hence, “time-place-and-circumstance”, is very inherent to preaching Krishna-consciousness. We have to adept, according to time, according to place, and circumstance. But we must keep our principles as it is, while making arrangement according to the circumstances.
Let us see what Srila Prabhupada wrote or spoke in regards to this principle.
In “Eight Prayers in Separation From My Spiritual Master by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada December 1958”, Seventh Octet Distributing the Pure Devotional Process:
“Lord Gauranga (Caitanya Mahaprabhu), used many tricks just to engage the conditioned souls in devotional service, and you have also understood how to use all those tricks perfectly well.
You understood time, place, and circumstance, and utilized everything as a strategy for preaching. Although observing your activities with their very eyes. those who are blind like owls and other creatures of the night could not see your true purpose”.
Srimad-bhagavatam 1.5.16 Purport:
“The expert devotees also can discover novel ways and means to convert the nondevotees in terms of particular time and circumstance. Devotional service is dynamic activity, and the expert devotees can find out competent means to inject it into the dull brains of the materialistic population. Such transcendental activities of the devotees for the service of the Lord can bring a new order of life to the foolish society of materialistic men. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His subsequent followers exhibited expert dexterity in this connection. By following the same method, one can bring the materialistic men of this age of quarrel into order for peaceful life and transcendental realization”.
Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.49-51 — New York, April 5, 1966:
“Vedic philosophy means Krishna philosophy. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (Bhagavad-gita 15.15). The all-Vedic knowledge, all Vedic wisdom means to understand Krishna philosophy. That is all. Nothing else. The Krishna philosophy in different ways all over the world, thedy have been described according to the time, place and people, but you must know the whole thing is Krishna philosophy”.
Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 7.1 — Fiji-May 24, 1975:
“To surrender to God the great and to abide by His instruction, that is called religion. It may be that the Hindus may be following the same principle in a different way or the Christian may be following the same principle in different way. That is called desa-kala-patra. According to time, atmosphere, and the performer, there may be little difference. But real purpose of dharma is to surrender to God and try to love Him. That is religion”.
Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 9.3 — Toronto, June 20, 1976:
“And this human life is meant for inquiring about Brahman. … This is the first verse, aphorism, of the Vedanta-sutra. So, the whole Vedic literature, in a gist form, is described in the Bhagavad-gita. And it is being explained by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. So, it is a very important book, spoken by God Himself. And another system of religion… Sometimes the representative of God is speaking, the servant of God speaking.
They are also the same, but according to time and circumstances they are modified. But here in this Bhagavad-gita, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is speaking”.
Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 9.29-32 — New York, December 20, 1966:
“And one may say that,
‘Yes, because he is devotee of God, devotee of Krishna, we may call him sadhu, but not cent percent’.
But Krishna says,
‘No, cent percent sadhu. In spite of his bad character, he is cent percent sadhu’.
So, this is the recommendation. Why? Why is Krishna stressing on this point?
‘that whatever he may be, still he is honest, he is sadhu, he is religious, he is pious?
Why? That is to be understood in the next… So, this su-duracarah… Su-duracarah means that according to time, according to circumstances, according to so many… There are influences”.
Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 16.7 — Hawaii, February 3, 1975:
“So, Krishna says… This is called theism, believing in the sastra. Any sastra. It does not mean that simply… All sastras, according to time, circumstances, people, there are different sastras. The Bible is also sastra. Koran is also sastra as much as… They are spoken according to the time, according to the circumstances”.
Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 16.11-12 — Hawaii, February 7, 1975:
“So, Krishna spoke all these words five thousand years ago. Apart from taking account of millions of years, because nature’s law is the same, so even in those days, five thousand years ago, you will find the demonic people as they are now. These words about the demons…
There were demons like Ravana and Hiranyakasipu, Kamsa. So many demons there were, historical demons. But their process of life was the same as the modern demons. There is no change. Therefore, sastra means it is for all the time, not that sastra was meant in the past for something else, and now something else. That is not the fact. That is, means, sastra, that it does not change. The time, place, and atmosphere, according to that, everything is the same”.
Lecture on Srimad-bhagavatam 1.1.9 — Auckland, February 20, 1973:
“Now if in this age I advise you that you also live underneath a tree, then it will be difficult to preach. You, see? Nobody is accustomed in that way, such severe type of austerity. They must be given, as far as possible, comfortable accommodation otherwise they will not come. They will not take. Now this…. This is adjustment. The acarya knows how to adjust things. The real purpose is how one will take to spiritual consciousness, or Krishna consciousness. Keeping one’s aim to that point some concession may be given. As far as possible, keeping pace with the time, circumstances”.
We have created so many faiths within this world, according to time, circumstances, country, atmosphere, everything, we have got different faiths.
Lecture on Srimad-bhagavatam 1.2.6 — Delhi, November 12, 1973:
“Religious means to become devotee of God. That is religion, very simple thing. Religion does not mean the ritualistic ceremonies, that,
‘My religion, the ritualistic is this. In your religion the ritualistic is this’.
That may be different according to time, according to the men, according to the country, climate. That may be little different”.
Lecture on Srimad-bhagavatam 1.2.10 — Delhi, November 16, 1973:
“So, a brahmacari is strictly prohibited not to see even one young woman. But what can be done? In the Western countries, the boys, and girls, they mix very freely. And if I say, ‘My dear boys, you cannot see even a young girl’, then finished. My business there is finished. Therefore, I have to arrange according to the country, according to the circumstances, as far as possible.
So gradually, they are coming to the perfectional stage. So, we have to adopt desa-kala-patra, according to time, according to… But we are keeping our principles as it is, but making arrangement according to the circumstances. That is required”.