The 8 films of Harry Potter has a lot of similarities in Philosophy of Vaisnavism. In a recent discussion with students, I felt the need to write these similarities down in an article so that it is useful for everyone to present Krishna Consciousness using the material i’m posting here. So, let’s start the Journey.
First Parallel:
Besides, the world isn’t split into good people and Death Eaters. We’ve all got both light and dark inside of us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.
Sirius Black, The Order of Phoenix
Another similar one by Brian Dumbledore,
It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices.
Albus Dumbledore, The Chamber of Secrets
Here both Sirius Black and Albus Dumbledore discuss about the concept of Free Will which everyone of us posses. Also, they discuss about the group perspective of how we are seen by others based on the Choices we wish to act upon!!
And in KC we speak about Free Will as our ability choose to act on External Potency or Internal Potency of Lord Sri Krishna which distinguishes us from the state of Illusion to Reality. A rather stronger one than discussed previously.
Second Parallel:
Yes. There can be no light without the dark. And so it is with magic. Myself, I always strive to live within the light. I suggest you do the same.
Horace Slughorn, Half-Blood Prince
This looks misleading on the first read since we all know that the absence of Light is characterized by darkness. Not the other way around. But this has some connections between Srimad Bhagavatam where Srila Prabhupada clearly explains about the Lord’s Desire to see the Universal Creation, there was light. Even in Christianity, they convey the same. It is because Lord Brahma has created the elements of nescience first in his creation of Universe, so the universe appeared Dark. Only after Lord’s desire did the Sun and Moon came into Existence. Now, let’s add one more and discuss the whole lot of it.
Soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy.
Albus Dumbledore, Goblet of Fire
Here both Horace and Dumbledore speaks about choices again. But with a tinge of characterization to it. Dumbledore says about the reality we face each and every day since we want to do what is right which is pretty difficult – like for example completing rounds early, following four regulative principles, not indulging in mundane talks etc. Horace says that it is better to live within light as it is not harmful to us and others. Again, choices play a key role and the only control which we have with us in the whole life.
Third Parallel:
Horace Slughorn: How sweet. I once had a fish. Francis. He was very dear to me. One afternoon I came downstairs, and he’d vanished. Poof.
Rubeus Hagrid: That’s very odd, isn’t it?
Horace Slughorn: It is, isn’t it? But that’s life, I suppose. You go along and then suddenly, poof!
Half-Blood Prince
Yes, life is very short as Horace shares his realisation to Hagrid and Potter. We need to prepare ourselves to go back home, back to godhead in this temporary time(note the etymology here) we have with us. See the magnificence of Lord Sri Krishna here. We can use something temporary to achieve something permanent! No wonder, we can never be able to progress like that, as we, most of the times, tend to use permanent(seemingly) things for temporary purposes!.
Fourth Parallel:
Tom Riddle: I was in the library the other night in the Restricted Section and I read something rather odd about a bit of rare magic. It’s called, as I understand it a Horcrux.
Half-Blood Prince
Horace Slughorn: I beg your pardon?
Tom Riddle: Horcrux. I came across the term while reading and I didn’t fully understand it.
Horace Slughorn: I’m not sure what you were reading, Tom but this is very dark stuff, very dark indeed.
Tom Riddle: Which is why I came to you.
Horace Slughorn: A Horcrux is an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul.
Tom Riddle: But I don’t understand how that works, sir.
Horace Slughorn: One splits one’s soul and hides part of it in an object. By doing so, you’re protected, should you be attacked and your body destroyed.
Tom Riddle: Protected?
Horace Slughorn: That part of your soul that is hidden lives on. In other words, you cannot die.
Tom Riddle: And how does one split his soul, sir?
Horace Slughorn: I think you already know the answer to that, Tom.
Tom Riddle: Murder.
Horace Slughorn: Yes. Killing rips the soul apart. It is a violation against nature.
Tom Riddle: Can you only split the soul once? For instance, isn’t seven…?
Horace Slughorn: Seven? Merlin’s beard, Tom. Isn’t it bad enough to consider killing one person? To rip the soul into seven pieces. This is all hypothetical, isn’t it, Tom? All academic?
Tom Riddle: Of course, sir. It’ll be our little secret.
This is rather very long but interesting conversation between Horace and Tom Riddle where they discuss about eternity and karma in a twisted fashion. We all have learnt from Lord Krishna’s instructions to Arjuna that
The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.
BG 2.23
The soul is one and it accepts many bodies made out of matter. The number seven is significant here because it is a common thought that all humans get to spend 7 lives in this mortal world. So, JK Rowling has used these and theorized that the soul is split into two each time you kill a person. Killing is a violation against nature so you are bound by karma! Since, you are bound by Karma, you are bound to be in this mortal world, but we can see they are not having the knowledge of why we need to be bound here and suffer. Isn’t there a place of no suffering, etc. Perfectly twisted and framed for a wonderful movie though!!!
Fifth Parallel:
The truth lies buried like a sentence deep within a book, waiting to be read. But first, you must broaden your minds. First, you must look beyond.
Professor Trelawney, Prisoner of Azkaban
True after all. we must be ready to unlearn what we have learnt wrong and to accept what is right. After all the whole of Scientific Research is about unlearning and learning new definitions for the same thing present before us. We have a lot of misunderstandings due to the past conditionings we have been through for millions of births. So, we need to cleanse ourselves of all those dirt which is the first teaching Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given us!!
ceto darpana marjanam – cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years
Sri Sikshastakam
And, we need to broaden ourselves to understand the truth deep within. Sri Krishna says to Arjuna
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you this most confidential knowledge and realization, knowing which you shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence.
BG 9.1
There are millions who read Gita daily, so where is the confidential knowledge? I is still buried deep and will be revealed to people who are dear to Lord by pleasing Lord’s Devotees.
Sixth Parallel:
There is no good and evil. There is only power and those too weak to seek it. Together, we’ll do extraordinary things.
Tom Riddle, Philosopher’s Stone
Again a twisted statement. Here, Tom means people who want to become masters, but the statement is true if understood in different perspective. The perspective is, who seek power – if meant who seek the powerful – Lord Sri Krishna – then we land up in the categorization of Demon and Devotee or asura and sura respectively. There is no good and evil in reality. They are all illusions in this world. But, the second statement taken in right way will help us out of the material world.
Seventh Parallel:
Harry Potter: You’re the weak one and you’ll never know love or friendship. And I feel sorry for you.
Order of Phoenix
Tom Riddle: You’re a fool, Harry Potter. And you will lose everything.
Here both are right and wrong. In terms of Harry, he is right in saying we need love and friendship but not with the temporary relationships we build in this world. It should be eternal relationships with devotees of Lord and Lord himself. And Tom has captured the temporary part and has been misled to take up power. This is how world works, all the deep realisations which people get will have half truth and half lie because they associate with Intelligence and Mind within themselves. This gives way to all this complications. As the saying goes:
Don’t try to fight Maya alone. She is very strong. Take the help of Guru, Sadhu and Sastra.
HH Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaj
Eighth Parallel:
But know this. The ones that love us never really leave us. And you can always find them here.
Sirius Black, Prisoner of Azkaban
Yes, Krishna loves us the most, that is why he never leaves us. He is always with us in our Hearts. All we need to do is realise him that he is in our heart ready to help us with the Struggle we face against Maya. As another saying goes,
The last Janmastami you’d celebrate is the Janmastami within your Heart
HH Bhakti Vinoda Swami
As he says, if we realize the presence of the Lord within our heart , then we must be self-realized by then, and eligible to get back to Godhead.
Let us continue the remaining in another continuation article.
Insights into Infinite 
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