Lord Chaitanya- only shelter for the forlorn, for the most fallen

I was recently blessed with the opportunity to sit down and have a conversation with Dr. Cornel West -- a brilliant thinker and someone I have come to regard as a heartfelt friend and spiritual brother. Among the many profound things Dr. West spoke that evening at Princeton, one thing he said struck me deeply. "I am who I am," he said, "because someone loved me." As I reflected on his words, images of various mentors and teachers flashed in my mind. I thought of all the kind, loving souls who have reached out to me over the years. Some of them were world-famous spiritual leaders; others were recluses living in unknown caves and jungles; while still others were everyday people. But Dr. West's statement especially brought one face to my mind: that of my father, a humble and amazing man named Jerry Slavin. He is Jewish, but not particularly religious. Rather, he expressed his faith in God through his gratitude, kindness, and dedication to his family. He grew up du...

Sanatan Goswami, a seventeenth century saint, describes in his work, Brihat Bhagavatamrita, the reunion of a soul with the Supreme Lord Krishna in the spiritual world. He explains how one day Krishna with his cowherd boyfriends (gopas) and cows was returning from the forest of Vrindavana to his home. On the way a soul that has just attained the spiritual world appeared in the cowherd pasture as a beautiful little cowherd boy. When Krishna saw him, he ran to him and embraced him. And in the ecstasy of love, both Lord Krishna and the newly arrived cowherd boy fainted in ecstasy. All the gopas were very much astonished: who is this boy and why is Krishna laying in the ground in an unconscious state? So Balaram, Krishna’s brother, approached Krishna and brought him back to consciousness by singing sweet words and by fanning him. Then Krishna told that new cowherd boy, “You left me long, long ago. You forgot me. But I never forgot you. Lifetime after lifetime you tried to enjoy the ma...