Padma Purana explains that in one kalpa during Krishna's Bhauma Vrndavana (earthly) pastimes, the Vraja-gopis went near Dvaraka to dance with their beloved in a secluded forest beside the sea. Krishna secretly left His palace, abandoned His royal insignias, robes, opulent crown and other trimmings of a King, and again adorned Himself in his gopa-vesh, simple dress of a Vrndavana cowherd boy, - with a red turban and peacock feather atop His head, a flowing lightning gold dhoti and diaphanous yellow chaddar, a yellow karnikara flower stuck above one ear, a gunja berry necklace swining from His neck, and of course that indomitable instrument of seduction and family destruction- His murali.

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was preaching Krsna consciousness around India and meeting different scholars and philosophers and nasthics and pasandis, mayawadi and tattva-vadis and ‘maya-bodies’ – people who are absorbed in the illusion of their body, ‘maya-body’ and mayawadi.

This is Tattva Darshan, February 2009. Srila Prabhupada gives a very nice explanation about simple living and high thinking. This is a room conversation in Bhubaneshwar, 31^st January 1977, about 32 years ago.

How is it that the soul is separated from the material body? The atma, the eternal spirit soul never actually comes in contact with matter. So how is it that this spiritual element, this anti-material particle, as Srila Prabhupada, how is it that this spiritual element, the soul is surrounded by matter, stuck in the middle of a material body?

The word ‘darshan’ means ‘to see’. But how to see? We actually have to learn how to see and what to see. We have to learn how to read and understand what is going on within me and outside. That needs proper education. That is why the vedic knowledge is called darshan or philosophy.