The tenth chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita contains a treatise on how to see Krsna everywhere. The Gita Mahatmya Study Guide says: “All wondrous phenomena showing power, beauty, grandeur or sublimity, either in the material world or in the spiritual, are but partial manifestations of Krsna’s divine energies and opulence. As the supreme cause of all causes and the support and essence of everything, Krsna is the supreme object of worship for all beings.”

In the tenth chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Krishna establishes that light originates in Him. “O son of Kunti, I AM the taste of water, THE LIGHT OF THE SUN AND THE MOON, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man”. (emphasis mine, from Bhagavad-gita As It Is, 7.8)

The sudden death of nearly 200,000 people has made a lot of earth’s human inhabitants think “why?” But the tragedy is likely to become just another road sign on a freeway. People forget things like earthquakes, terrorist attacks, tidal waves, tornadoes, and floods and – unfortunately — God.

Of the many exalted Vaisnavas who have shuffled off this mortal coil, Bhakti-tirtha Swami was, and still is, known and greatly appreciated for emphasizing the importance of deepening relationships between devotees.

But there is an effulgence that doesn’t depend on the sun, and that is Krishna Himself. Call it a halo or whatever, it is Krishna’s light. In Bhagavad-gita As It Is, He says that His “supreme abode is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by fire or electricity.”

It’s been said that no two people have the same taste: I’ve noticed how this particularly applies in the realms of music and humor. It’s also been said that one man’s nectar is another’s poison. These kinds of sayings support the uniqueness of each individual jiva, the singularity of snowflake patterns, DNA structure, fingerprints and voiceprints.

On February 27, 1976 on a morning walk in Mayapur Srila Prabhupada said, “Bengali culture was very much adored all over India. Even one big politician, Gandhi’s guru, Goke, Gokule, he remarked, ‘What Bengal thinks today, other provinces will think tomorrow.'”

Sometimes Srila Prabhupada contrasted the God-as-order- supplier, or “God please give us our daily bread” rasa with wanting to be Krishna’s mother of father. He often told us that the vatsalya rasa, the parental rasa is superior. In Mumbai on December 7, 1974, he said, “And mother Yasoda is always thinking that `If I do not feed Krsna nicely, He’ll die.’ This is love. This is love. Therefore it is said that yesam aham priya atma sutas ca. The devotee accept Krsna as suta, as son, not as father.”

Sometimes people say their lives changed because of a book. But it must be remembered that a book has an author, that those people are generated from other people, and that ultimately Krishna generates all the manifested jivas. Also books are made from paper: paper is made from trees, and trees are living entities that grow from the earth, and the the earth is produced by Visnu.

In November 1972, Srila Prabhupada said there was no shortage of space to grow food for the entire planet. Here’s what he said: “We are creating disturbances. By God’s creation, everything is nice. Everything is fine. Take, for example, within this planet, there is sufficient place to grow food for all the population. Not only all the population at the present moment, but if the population increases ten times, twenty times, still, there is sufficient place to produce food for them. We are traveling all over the world three times a year, and we see in Australia and Africa and other countries, there are so much vacant places. And food can be produced, enough food can be produced. Enough milk can be available for feeding all this population. That is God’s arrangement. But the difficulty is that we are quarreling amongst ourself. I am thinking Indian. Somebody’s thinking “I am an American.” Somebody’s thinking “I’m Australian.” “You cannot come here. You, I cannot allow you to come to my country.” The immigration department. Therefore, the difficulty. By God’s arrangement, there is everything complete. But I am disturbing. I am encroaching upon God’s property: “This is mine.” Therefore there is disturbance. Therefore the only solution of the whole world problem is Krsna consciousness. There is no other solution. The only solution. Krsna consciousness means when people will be educated to understand that this planet does not belong to America or India and Africa. Everything belongs… Sarva-loka-mahesvaram. As Krsna says, `I am the proprietor of all the planets.’ When you understand this, that is Krsna consciousness. Then there will be peace.”