These trees were planted in 1936, so shortly before the Second World War commencing in 1939, and aged 89. They are about 1 meter in diameter. They are huge trees and the one on this picture was the tallest of them all. I just happen to noticed visually how they were hanging to a side and upon enquiry I was told that the winds of cyclone Alfred pounded them so much that the roots were starting to detach from the ground and consequently the trees represented a danger for the public and were doomed to fall. The bigger wood will go to the nearby Mullumbimby sawmill. Whereas the smaller wood is mulched on the spot with the big, loud and yellow machine behind the truck. As can be seen in the picture, one single lamp pole was destroyed in the felling. I have a video of the felling but I don’t seem to be able to load it onto this WordPress platform. These trees form a landmark in the Byron Bay beach set up being situated just between Byron Bay Hotel and the Pacific Ocean and can be seen from a distance.

Byron Bay is the most easterly point in Australia and a very popular tourist destination, especially for young international backpackers. There is an excellent Hare Krishna restaurant in Byron Bay as well as in neighbouring Mullumbimby. The Cardamom Pod, 8/7 LAWSON ST, BYRON BAY NSW 2481. Lord Jaganath, Baladeva and Subhadra have often in the past displayed Their Ratha Yatra pastimes in this holy place. And we are confident They will return again in the future. Many people here not only remember these pastimes but look forward to participate again in Lord Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra’s Ratha Yatra.

The Brisbane City Ratha Yatra will be held on Saturday the 26th of April 2025, just about seven weeks away. Please do to miss this historic event. This will be a special occasion, marking the festival’s 10th anniversary.

There are still seventeen tall trees left out of nineteen in front of Byron Bay Hotel. This is the progressive and inexorable passage of time, “the destroyer of the worlds” BGAII 11.32. We also note the bold dexterity of these men (no women seen here, sometimes there are) who cut the trees. This is truly a dangerous job and Krishna says in The Challenge Bhagavad Gita As It Is 7.8:

“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 humankind.”

This very precise, dangerous and bold art to fell such huge trees exactly as desired and needed without causing too much damage, possibly none at all, is KRISHNA, as He confirms in The Challenge Bhagavad Gita As It Is 7.8 with the words: “I am …….ability in humankind.”

Full verse 7.8 again: “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 humankind.” 

These men sometimes climb closer to the very top of the trees as a matter of routine, with the latest safety equipment of course and in cyclone-storm condition, as can be seen on the picture below:

In this particular BHAGAVAD GITA As It Is verse 7.8 again, we note how outrageously and disgustingly sexist The Illusory, Travesty and Fake Bhagavad Gita As It Is NOT by departed homosexual and misogynistic Professor Howard Wheeler of State University of Ohio aka Hayagriva and The Illusory, Travesty and Fake Bhagavad Gita As It Is NOT by Jayadvaita aka Jay Israel both are.

They both dared purposefully to replace Srila Prabhupada’s expression “ability in humankind” by their own outrageously and disgustingly sexist “ability in man”, thus excluding women or over half of humankind from all abilities at all. Is that not a crime against women??? Is this not a crime by the stronger against the weaker??? It certainly is!!! It represents also an expression of envy against women and their good qualities. These two renditions of Bhagavad Gita As It Is truly represent a quiet, insidious and powerful plot to silence and suppress women and must be countered by all means!

Additionally, they try to shamelessly shift the sexism unto Srila Prabhupada. What offensive rascaldom! Srila Prabhupada is a perfect gentleman and stands for equal opportunity.

The first sentence of purport BGAII 8.2, version one, “The Lord of sacrifice accepts Indra and Visnu.”also shows that Professor Wheeler is completely dull and stupid as well and does not have the least clue of what’s happening here, as this sentence is totally nonsensical and irrelevant. To his credit, Jayadvaita picked up the matter here.

So the materialist may question: ” What’s the fuss about some old trees.”

The Challenge Bhagavad Gita As It Is 5.18 says:

“5.18 On account of his true knowledge and humble nature, one who is thus situated in Krishna consciousness, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog eater (outcast).”

This means that a Brahmin, a cow, an elephant a dog and a dog eater are all spirit souls, part and parcels of God, Krishna. And so are the plants, even though this verse stops short of mentioning them. So the tree is a spirit soul as is every other living entity.  

The person in the mode of passion will differentiate between the many external bodies. This is a human being, this is a cockroach and this a tree. The person whose intelligence is in the mode of goodness, however, will see the oneness of the spirit soul present in all living bodies. That is the difference.

Souvenirs from the 2025 Cyclone Alfred in South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales. Australia. These exclusion tapes were collected in Byron Bay, NSW. The top tape is used by SES or State Emergency Services.

Srila Prabhupada and His disciple Hridayananda Das Goswami Acarya Deva also tell that humans that like to practice nakedness will inherit a tree body in their next live(s).

Srimad Bhagavatam 10.10.20-22

yad imau loka-palasya
putrau bhutva tamah-plutau
na vivasasam atmanam
vijanitah sudurmadau

ato ‘rhatah sthavaratam
syatam naivam yatha punah
smrtih syan mat-prasadena
tatrapi mad-anugrahat

vasudevasya sannidhyam
labdhva divya-sarac-chate
vrtte svarlokatam bhuyo
labdha-bhakti bhavisyatah

Word for word rendition.
yat — because; imau — these two young demigods; loka-palasya — of the great demigod Kuvera; putrau — born as sons; bhutva — being so (they should not have become like that); tamah-plutau — so absorbed in the mode of darkness; na — not; vivasasam — without any dress, completely naked; atmanam — their personal bodies; vijanitah — could understand that they were naked; su-durmadau — because they were very much fallen due to false pride; atah — therefore; arhatah — they deserve; sthavaratam — immobility like that of a tree; syatam — they may become; na — not; evam — in this way; yatha — as; punah — again; smrtih — remembrance; syat — may continue; mat-prasadena — by my mercy; tatra api — over and above that; mat-anugrahat — by my special favor; vasudevasya — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sannidhyam — the personal association, face to face; labdhva — obtaining; divya-sarat-sate vrtte — after the expiry of one hundred years by the measurement of the demigods; svarlokatam — the desire to live in the celestial world; bhuyah — again; labdha-bhakti — having revived their natural condition of devotional service; bhavisyatah — will become.

TRANSLATION
These two young men, Nalakuvara and Manigriva, are by fortune the sons of the great demigod Kuvera, but because of false prestige and madness after drinking liquor, they are so fallen that they are naked but cannot understand that they are. Therefore, because they are living like trees (for trees are naked ……….), these two young men should receive the bodies of trees. This will be proper punishment. Nonetheless, after they become trees and until they are released, by my mercy they will have remembrance of their past sinful activities. Moreover, by my special favor, after the expiry of one hundred years by the measurement of the demigods, they will be able to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, face to face, and thus revive their real position as devotees.

PURPORT
……………………..But Narada Muni wanted the consciousness of Nalakuvara and Manigriva to continue, so that even after being released from the life of trees, they would not forget the circumstances under which they had been punished. Therefore, to bestow upon them special favor, Narada Muni arranged things in such a way that after being released, they would be able to see Krsna in Vrndavana and thus revive their dormant bhakti.

Each day of the demigods in the upper planetary system equals six months of our measurement. Although the demigods in the upper planetary system are attached to material enjoyment, they are all devotees, and therefore they are called demigods. There are two kinds of persons, namely the devas and the asuras. Asuras forget their relationship with Krsna (asuram bhavam asritah), whereas the devas do not forget.

dvau bhuta-sargau loke ‘smin
daiva asura eva ca
visnu-bhaktah smrto daiva
asuras tad-viparyayah
[Bg. 16.6]
(Padma Purana)

The distinction between a pure devotee and a karma-misra devotee is this: a pure devotee does not desire anything for material enjoyment, whereas a mixed devotee becomes a devotee to become a first-class enjoyer of this material world. One who is in direct touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in devotional service remains pure, uncontaminated by material desires (anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11]).

By karma-misra-bhakti one is elevated to the celestial kingdom, by jnana-misra-bhakti one is able to merge in the Brahman effulgence, and by yoga-misra-bhakti one is able to realize the omnipotency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But pure bhakti does not depend on karma, jnana or yoga, for it simply consists of loving affairs. The liberation of the bhakta, therefore, which is called not just mukti but vimukti, surpasses the five other kinds of liberation — sayujya, sarupya, salokya, sarsti and samipya. A pure devotee always engages in pure service (anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama [Cc. Madhya 19.167]). Taking birth in the upper planetary system as a demigod is a chance to become a further purified devotee and go back home, back to Godhead. Narada Muni indirectly gave Manigriva and Nalakuvara the greatest opportunity by his so-called curse.

The Krishna Conscious Observer or TKCO

tkco16108@gmail.com