Continuing our discussion on the parallels and beyond from Harry Potter, we have
Ninth Parallel:
Dumbledore: I see that you, like many before you have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised. I trust by now you realize what it does. Let me give you a clue. The happiest man on earth would look in the mirror and see only himself exactly as he is.
Philosopher’s Stone
Harry Potter: So then, it shows us what we want. Whatever we want.
Dumbledore: Yes. And no. It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest and most desperate desires of our hearts. Now you, Harry, who have never known your family you see them standing beside you. But remember this, Harry. This mirror gives us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away in front of it. Even gone mad. That is why tomorrow it will be moved to a new home. And I must ask you not to go looking for it again. It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.
Here Dumbledore discusses about the Mirror of Erised. He says it doesn’t give us knowledge and truth. Our mind is very similar in function with respect to this mirror. Our mind keeps us tricked in Illusion to always dream about what we want to achieve rather than chase that dream to make it a Reality.
Another important point to note is that Dumbledore answers Yes and No. It is a nice example of understanding acintya bheda-abheda tattva as propounded by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu . It is inconceivability of simultaneity in oneness and difference. It is always to to do with the definitions we use to define stuff. Here Yes is correct for the mirror shows desires and No is correct because Mirror only shows deepest desire.
Tenth Parallel:
These are dark times, there is no denying. Our world has, perhaps, faced no greater threat than it does today. But I say this to our citizenry: We, ever your servants will continue to defend your liberty and repel the forces that seek to take it from you. Your Ministry remains strong.
Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic, Deathly Hallows 1
The whole government is the servant of Society, not the Master or Controller. In Fact, whatever position we take in this material world, we will still be servants and there is no denying this fact. One who does so dwells in illusion. That is, the Reality we have in this world as eternally we are servants of Supreme Lord Sri Krishna and our constitutional position is that. As we know that
jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya Lila 20.108
The eternal and constitutional position of the soul is to be the servant of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna.
Eleventh Parallel:
Mysterious thing, time. Powerful and when meddled with, dangerous.
Albus Dumbledore, Prisoner of Azkaban
As Dumbledore says, time is really mysterious and inconceivable. Even the Physicists are breaking their heads hard to get to understand what Time is. For now, all i can give is three references of what time is.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Time I am, the great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people. With the exception of you [the Pāṇḍavas], all the soldiers here on both sides will be slain.
BG 11.32
Of letters I am the letter A, and among compound words I am the dual compound. I am also inexhaustible time, and of creators I am Brahmā.
BG 10.33
Among the Daitya demons I am the devoted Prahlāda, among subduers I am time, among beasts I am the lion, and among birds I am Garuḍa.
BG 10.30
Lord Sri Krishna says in many countless occasions that he is time. Srila Prabhupada explains that Time is the cause of interaction of three modes in many of his purports. Yet I find myself baffled by this concept of time and find it mysterious and for the very same reason fascinating.
Twelfth Parallel:
When in doubt, I find retracing my steps to be a wise place to begin.
Albus Dumbledore, Prisoner of Azkaban
As Dumbledore says, he means to trace out the root cause or ultimate cause or the primeval cause of all causes to know the Absolute Truth. And to make things easier, Brahma reveals to us that Krishna is the cause of all causes. It is always wise to make the connection with all the activities we do to the Supreme Lord else there exist no reality beside it. Even if we don’t do the connection, the Lord’s servant Mahamaya will do it for us for the same above reason but then we are forced to dwell in illusions. So to connect our subjective reality to objective reality is very essential. Objective reality, according to me, is the reality connected with the Lord and Subjective Reality is the reality we perceive it.
Thirteenth Parallel:
For in dreams, we enter a world that’s entirely our own. Let them swim in the deepest ocean or glide over the highest cloud.
Albus Dumbledore, Prisoner of Azkaban
again, another reference like the one above, we have
Harry Potter: Professor? Is this all real? Or is it just happening inside my head?
Dumbledore: Of course it’s happening inside your head, Harry. Why should that mean, that it’s not real?
Deathly Hallows 2
Again Dumbledore speaks about the Dream in the Dream of Harry Potter after Voldemort tried to kill Harry Potter the second time in the Forbidden Forest.
According to the Vaiṣṇava philosophy, however, the present situation is not false but temporary. It is like a dream. A dream does not exist before one falls asleep, nor does it continue after one awakens. The period for dreaming exists only between these two, and therefore it is false in the sense that it is impermanent. Similarly, the entire material creation, including our own creation and those of others, is impermanent. We do not lament for the situation in a dream before the dream takes place or after it is over, and so during the dream, or during a dreamlike situation, one should not accept it as factual and lament about it. This is real knowledge.
SB 6.15.5 Purport
Dreams are temporary reality just like our life in this Material World. It is again a huge subject to discuss in length so, for this parallel and beyond discussion, we will limit to Srila Prabhupada’s Purport.
Fourteenth Parallel:
Words are, in my not so humble opinion are most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of inflicting injury and remedies.
Albus Dumbledore, Deathly Hallows 2
Words are representations of Sound, we can speak much about the glories and powers of Sound Vibrations but to keep it to minimum, let us look at an example:
The musical notes are sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, and ni. All these sound vibrations are originally called sabda-brahma, or spiritual sound. It is said, therefore, that Brahma was created in the Maha-kalpa as the incarnation of spiritual sound. The Vedas are spiritual sound, and therefore there is no need of material interpretation for the sound vibration of the Vedic literature.
SB 3.12.47 Purport
Sound has very distinctive place in Vaisnavism and it is the only means and hope for anyone and everyone hoping to get out of this Material World of Miseries.
Fifteenth Parallel:
But you know, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light.
Albus Dumbledore, Prisoner of Azkaban
Very true, devotees of the Lord are always happy even in the World only filled with miseries. Lord Sri Krishna himself has stamped these material world as a place for sufferings. But how come Devotees of the Lord are able to be Happy even in such a place of Miseries?
It is because they know how to turn on the light in these dark times. Being positioned is not to deal with physical presence but to deal with our Consciousness, how we are mindful and how we are Looking at this World as a Sastra Caksu – looking at the world through the lens of Sastra.
Sixteenth Parallel:
Do not pity the dead, Harry, Pity the living. And above all all those who live without love.
Albus Dumbledore, Deathly Hallows 2
Yes, Devotees of the Lord are so worried about the fallen souls because they search for Love in places which are temporary or don’t bother about it at all. The only way you can love everyone in the World is to Love the Supreme Lord, by reviving our forgotten Love for Godhead.
Concluding Remarks
That is it for the Parallels and Beyond from Harry Potter. I hope you liked it and I am happy to receive any critics or suggestions regarding the same so that I get a chance to improve myself to serve you all who read.
Insights into Infinite 
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