Mahabhagavat Das SDA

The Best Sacrifice / Yajna for this age

Deepak, 26th May 2015

Hare Krishna to all
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All Glories to GuruDev.
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

My question is :- which Yajnas should be perform in this Kaliyug and how to perform it

Hare Krishna

Rathin Mandal, 27th May 2015

Hare Krishna Deepak,

Please accept my humble obeisances,
All glories to Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Gurumataji,

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

For this age only Sankirtana Yajna is recommended. For doing the yajnas that were recommended in other ages, neither do we have that much of life span, nor physical strength and not enough resources. That is why other yajnas are not recommended.

your Servant
Rathin

Sridhar Das, 06th June 2015

Hare Krishna Deepak,

My humble obeisances to you,
All Glories to Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Gurumata!
All Glories to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada!

You have correctly read that Sankirtan Yajna is the recommended Yajna for this age as confirmed below:

kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ
tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ
dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ
kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt

“Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Viṣṇu, in Tretā-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in Dvāpara-yuga by serving the Lord’s lotus feet can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.” (SB 12.3.52)

It can be performed by anyone irrespective of any past qualifications, irrespective of family backgrounds and can be chanted anytime and any place (we don’t carry beads in the bathroom though).

your servant
Sridhar Das

Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at sda-archives.com), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.joincourse.com

Idol Worship? Or Deity Worship?

Often, I have come across a denigration of the Vedic Culture of Worship of God as “idol worship”. “Idolatry is a sin, you are going to hell”, I have heard very often.

And because the education system I was schooled in was western in its origin, there were many subtle and not-so-subtle references to this idea that somehow or other, this worship of Deities in the Vedic temples was deeply wrong.

And of course, this early conditioning gave me fodder for my atheism, my voidism, my impersonalism, my agnosticism, and essentially held me back from pursuing a spiritual path of any kind.

What is an idol? And how can a stone or metal or wooden image be God? Or how can a message written down in any language represent God?

It’s a fact that God is non-material, and therefore cannot be perceived by material senses. But the material senses are all I have, then how do I perceive God?

First of course, the perception of God is by hearing about Him. His name, His pastimes, and His qualities. In other words, the Name of God is the Form of God.

So, a name written down, is also God. Because God is Absolute, then God is fully present in His name.

But those scriptures which contain God’s name also contain descriptions of God’s qualities, of God’s interactions with others like myself, persons of the flesh. Jayadvaita Swami, born into Judaism, writes “Whose worship is Idol Worship”…

That very same God with the Names, is also described to have a form. Not a form like mine, which suffers birth, death, old age, and disease, but a form that is Eternal, Full of Joy, and Full of Knowledge.

How may I perceive that form with my two little material eyes?

As confirmed in the Padma Purana,

atah shri-krishna-namadi
na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau
svayam eva sphuraty adah
“No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, qualities and pastimes of the Lord through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, qualities and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.”
Padma Purana

Therefore, God, out of His kind mercy, appears before me in a form that I can very well perceive. But when He does, that form is non-material. That same old paint, wood, stone, and metal are transformed, just like an ordinary paper and ordinary ink are transformed with the name of God.

If worshipping a form of God according to the scriptures is wrong, then so is revering the name of the God written down or spoken even, because to utter a name in sound is to cause the form of the word to manifest.

Those who hate “idolatry” should then possess no Cross, no Qu’ran, no Wall, no Scripture, no Shrine, Nothing.

Idolatry is worship of the mundane, be it a car or a beautiful actor, be it a very knowledgeable professor of some mundane subject of the material world, or a great orator, or businessperson.

The supreme abode of the Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is described in the Brahma-samhita as chintamani-dhama, a place where all desires are fulfilled. The supreme abode of Lord Krishna, known as Goloka Vrindavana, is full of palaces made of touchstone. There are also trees called ‘desire trees,’ which supply any type of eatable upon demand, and there are cows known as surabhi, which supply a limitless supply of milk. In this abode, the Lord is served by hundreds of thousands of goddesses of fortune (lakshmis)and He is called Govinda, the primal Lord and the cause of all causes. The Lord is accustomed to blow His flute (venum kvanantam). His transcendental form is the most attractive in all the worlds—His eyes are like lotus petals and His bodily color like clouds. He is so attractive that His beauty excels that of thousands of cupids. He wears saffron cloth, a garland around His neck and a peacock feather in His hair.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, in the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Bhagavad Gita As It Is

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Eating Meat is not for Spiritualists

Many aspiring spiritualists, while trying to pursue a spiritual path, also consume meat, yes, from slaughtered creatures.

यातयामं गतरसं पूति पर्युषितं च यत् ।
उच्छिष्टमपि चामेध्यं भोजनं तामसप्रियम् ॥ १० ॥
yāta-yāmaṁ gata-rasaṁ
pūti paryuṣitaṁ ca yat
ucchiṣṭam api cāmedhyaṁ
bhojanaṁ tāmasa-priyam
Food prepared more than three hours before being eaten, food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid, and food consisting of remnants and untouchable things is dear to those in the mode of darkness. BG 17.10
https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/17/10/

Leaders of many spiritual traditions choose to turn a blind eye, giving in to “give them what they want”, instead of “teach them what they need”.

For example, one of the Commandments in the Bible states “Thou Shalt Not Kill”. It’s clear as daylight, “Not Kill”. But many church leaders, eager to fill up their churches and their coffers with the money of those addicted to meat and blood, interpret that as “Thou Shalt Not Murder”, in other words, it’s ok to slaughter those poor cows. We can’t blame business-people for wanting to maximize their profits at all costs, but are these religious leaders genuinely spiritual?

Whatever happened to “As you sow, so shall you reap”? Inflict all that horror and cruelty upon another sentient being and expect peace and enlightenment in return?

A good friend told me “its not what goes inside that defiles a man, but what comes out”. So, let’s think about that for a moment. One regulatory definition of meat is as follows ” the carcass of a food animal, the blood of a food animal, or a product or by-product of its carcass.”

Eating “carcass”, “blood”, or a product or by-product of “carcass and/or blood” makes you all spiritually surcharged does it?

It is only through brute mentality that this killing goes on. The civilized method of obtaining needed fat is by milk. Slaughter is the way of subhumans. Protein is amply available through split peas, dāl, whole wheat, etc.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada BG 17.10 Purport

Anyone who wants to pursue spiritual advancement, needs to stay away from this bloodthirsty behaviour. Regardless of which spiritual tradition someone follows, it is possible to follow that tradition without the consumption of meat.

It wasn’t long ago, that certain peoples, nations, races, were not seen as human, yes, even just a few decades ago. But today, that is seen as backward and barbaric. It is envy of others that causes such callousness. “Let him die so I may live”.

I look forward to the day when eating meat from slaughtered birds, animals, and insects is seen as something reserved for other carnivorous creatures who have no choice, no intelligence, and certainly no ability to progress spiritually.

In the meantime, I pray this prayer, following in the footsteps of the great boy saint Prahlada:

स्वस्त्यस्तु विश्वस्य खल: प्रसीदतां
ध्यायन्तु भूतानि शिवं मिथो धिया ।
मनश्च भद्रं भजतादधोक्षजे
आवेश्यतां नो मतिरप्यहैतुकी ॥ ९ ॥
svasty astu viśvasya khalaḥ prasīdatāṁ
dhyāyantu bhūtāni śivaṁ mitho dhiyā
manaś ca bhadraṁ bhajatād adhokṣaje
āveśyatāṁ no matir apy ahaitukī

May there be good fortune throughout the universe, and may all envious persons be pacified. May all living entities become calm by practicing bhakti-yoga, for by accepting devotional service they will think of each other’s welfare. Therefore let us all engage in the service of the supreme transcendence, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and always remain absorbed in thought of Him.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/5/18/9/

“all envious persons may undergo a change of heart and think of the welfare of others.”
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, SB 5.18.9 Purport

Check out this book, A Higher Taste. If you want to, then follow your own spiritual tradition, omit bloodthirst, feel your own advancement, help others advance too. Need resources? Contact me.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Chanting Consciously or Attentively

Vandana Neeraye, 28th May 2015

Hare Krishna

Please accept my humble obeisance

All Glories to Shrila Prabupada

All Glories to Shrila Gurudev and Guru mataji

Hare Krishna

i know that when we chat it has to be without any offenses. But what does it mean to chant attentively or consciously.

Thank you

your servant,
Vandana

Sacinandana Das, 28th May 2015

Hare Krishna Vandana Mataji,
Please accept my humble obeisances!
All Glories to Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Gurumataji!
All Glories to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada!

If your question is whether there is a difference between chanting attentively and consciously, I had the same question months back. Ultimately, I preached to the mind to keep things simpler – Just hear the Holy Names attentively.

In other words, I find both as the same thing. Consciously hearing each syllable in Mahamantra – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare also means chanting attentively. And chanting attentively means consciously hearing each syllable in the mantra.

Offenceless chanting means chanting while avoiding all the 10 offences. If we chant without offences, i.e. avoid all the ten offences, we will then automatically be able to chant attentively. This was told to me by Srila Gurudeva personally. Also that, sometimes, the last thing in the list is the most important thing (as found here).

So we must keep striving to chant attentively despite success or failures, which happens by determination, enthusiasm, patience and causeless mercy of Guru and Krishna. Attentive chanting in brahma-muhrat is the ideal-most start of the day.

I seek prayers of all the readers that I may be able to do so.

your servant
Sacinandana Das

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 28th September 2015

Dear Mother Vandana,

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Thank you for this question and Bhakta Shreyas’ nice answer which is complete.

I wanted to add a personal perspective.

As long as we remain alive in this body, it is impossible to chant “completely without consciousness”, because we know that dead bodies cannot chant Hare Krishna. However, it is possible for us to chant in a distracted or mechanical way, which is not fully effective, though any kind of chanting is always better than no chanting. The best thing to do is to notice when we are not paying attention to hearing our own chanting, and focus attention back to hearing the Mahamantra.

Srila Prabhupada once said, as recounted as “the shortest japa workshop” by one of his close disciples, when asked “what do with the distracted mind” that there is the mouth which chants, and the ears which hear, there is no question of the mind, in other words, chanting is as simple as chanting and hearing what one chants.

The example of mechanical chanting is Krishna has come to your door, knocking on your door, and you simply ignore Him. This is because the Hare Krishna Mahamantra is non-different from Sri Radha Krishna, as Krishna is non-different from His name “nama chintamani krishnas chaitanya rasa vigraha, purna shuddho nitya mukto abhinnatvam nama naminoh” – “abhinna’ = non-different, “nama” = name, and “naminoh” = owner of the name (Krishna).

When devotees say chant with attention, it means to recognize that Krishna is in His name and to pay attention to Hearing Him as He visits us out of His causeless mercy.

It is a daily and constant endeavor to anyone who is trying to chant.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

No eternal damnation

In many of the world’s religious traditions, there is the concept of eternal damnation… you know, do this, follow that, believe this, till the end of your life, or else, ETERNAL DAMNATION IN HELL FOR YOU!

That sort of fear mongering worked for some time… like with all things that are born in fear, they work on some people all the time, on all people for some time, but not on all people for all time.

People eventually tune that stuff out – with or without the help of the dogmatic religion called atheism.

The problem with eternal damnation is clear when we consider this…

Our legal and constitutional systems have pardons built into them.
Schools and Universities allow failed students to eventually pass.
Even humans, imperfect humans, forgive.

So, something that us fallible humans can construct, police forces, courts, schools, universities… can actually be more merciful, more tolerant, more forbearing than God?

So, does it mean that God, the source of all that be, the Alpha, the Omega, the Origin of the Universe, doesn’t possess the quality of tolerance or forgiveness?

Is God some angry old man sitting around passing judgement and taking delight in making someone suffer eternally in the hellish regions? Is God a sadist?

Having been introduced to such an idea of God, would you blame a reasonable person for turning to atheism?

Nonsense! Eternal Damnation is a myth.

Let me say that again – Eternal damnation does not exist.

Once more – Eternal damnation is a tall tale, told by insecure religious leaders looking to control their flock with fear and intimidation.

But Eternal Damnation? Doesn’t exist, not true, false.

In the Gita, we find this verse:

भोक्तारं यज्ञतपसां सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम् ।
सुहृदं सर्वभूतानां ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिमृच्छति ॥ ५.२९ ॥
bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.
Bhagavad Gita As It Is 5.29 https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/5/29/

Could a “benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities” ever institute a program of eternal damnation, where one can never be redeemed for whatever wrongs one may have committed? Not a chance!

In fact, knowing the material sojourn to be intensely painful, this “benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities” travels with each and every individual soul as the supersoul, till the completion of their material sojourn – whether it be in the body of a bird, a pig, a plant, an insect, a vulture, a tiger or any creature you can think of, God takes His place by the side of the spirit soul, little jiva…

ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ १८.६१ ॥
īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.
Bhagavad Gita As It Is 18.61 https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/61/

Yes, just see the immense kindness of God, to accompany a person who has rebelled, and left the association and service of God. How many persons even do that for one lifetime? Leave alone for millions and billions of lifetimes? No, only God is capable of that kind of infinite patience and love.

But what about damnation? There is none, there are simply correctional facilities…

तानहं द्विषतः क्रुरान्संसारेषु नराधमान् ।
क्षिपाम्यजस्रमशुभानासुरीष्वेव योनिषु ॥ १६.१९ ॥
tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān
saṁsāreṣu narādhamān
kṣipāmy ajasram aśubhān
āsurīṣv eva yoniṣu

Those who are envious and mischievous, who are the lowest among men, I perpetually cast into the ocean of material existence, into various demoniac species of life.
Bhagavad Gita As It Is 16.19 https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/16/19/

And what happens next?

आसुरीं योनिमापन्ना मूढा जन्मनि जन्मनि ।
मामप्राप्यैव कौन्तेय ततो यान्त्यधमां गतिम् ॥ १६.२० ॥
āsurīṁ yonim āpannā
mūḍhā janmani janmani
mām aprāpyaiva kaunteya
tato yānty adhamāṁ gatim

Attaining repeated birth amongst the species of demoniac life, O son of Kuntī, such persons can never approach Me. Gradually they sink down to the most abominable type of existence.
Bhagavad Gita As It Is 16.20 https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/16/20/

So how can God be advertised as the all-merciful?

This is what A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada says:

It is known that God is all-merciful, but here we find that God is never merciful to the demoniac. It is clearly stated that the demoniac people, life after life, are put into the wombs of similar demons, and, not achieving the mercy of the Supreme Lord, they go down and down, so that at last they achieve bodies like those of cats, dogs and hogs. It is clearly stated that such demons have practically no chance of receiving the mercy of God at any stage of later life. In the Vedas also it is stated that such persons gradually sink to become dogs and hogs. It may be then argued in this connection that God should not be advertised as all-merciful if He is not merciful to such demons. In answer to this question, in the Vedānta-sūtra we find that the Supreme Lord has no hatred for anyone. The placing of the asuras, the demons, in the lowest status of life is simply another feature of His mercy. Sometimes the asuras are killed by the Supreme Lord, but this killing is also good for them, for in Vedic literature we find that anyone who is killed by the Supreme Lord becomes liberated. There are instances in history of many asuras – Rāvaṇa, Kaṁsa, Hiraṇyakaśipu – to whom the Lord appeared in various incarnations just to kill them. Therefore God’s mercy is shown to the asuras if they are fortunate enough to be killed by Him.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, BG 16.19 Purport

But that is reserved for the really big demons, it takes a lot of effort to get there, none of the little ones make it past correction, and time in various insect, plant, animal, bird, fish lifetimes before coming back to another human life.

I’ve been told many times that because I am not following the Qu’ran according to someone’s interpretation, or because I haven’t accepted Jesus as my savior in someone’s view, I am going to hell. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I follow the principles of the Quran better than most people who claim to be Muslims, and it is a fact that Jesus Christ led me to where I am today.

God is a loving person, and I have a loving relationship with God. I will accept all the correction I deserve, seeing it coming from the loving hand of God. But this will remain my prayer…

तत्तेऽनुकम्पां सुसमीक्षमाणो भुञ्जान एवात्मकृतं विपाकम्
हृद्वाग्वपुर्भिर्विदधन्नमस्ते जीवेत यो मुक्तिपदे स दायभाक् ॥ १०.१४.८ ॥
tat te ’nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo
bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam
hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk
My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.
Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.8 https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/14/8/

So eternal damnation, it’s a myth, forget about it.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Atheism is a religion, the religion of the mind

A little ant wants to map the world… (no ants were hurt in the writing of this post)

There is an ant in a kitchen in my apartment, and he may want to map the city I live in.

Poor little ant! I like him, I gave him a grain of sugar to eat too. He might not live long enough to map out the cupboard he is moving around in, much less get out and map out the kitchen, the living room, the bedrooms, the bathrooms, much less the yard, the driveway, the street I live on, the sub-division. Dangers exist at every step, and the average ant might live for a few weeks or a few months, if he doesn’t get in the way of something bigger than him.

As we continually expand the scale of reference, the probability that an ant might pull it off decreases dramatically. The scale and complexity of our world far outstrip the faculties of an ant, or generations of ants, for millions and billions of years. Remember, change is constant.

Fortunately there is no ant foolish enough. But there are others…

Atheists are trying to map out all of reality based on the meager faculties they possess, a puny little mind, a short lifespan, the work of others similarly puny in their faculties. We do applaud them for their valiant effort, but there’s another way to learn about the complete reality, and that is to turn inwards.

Just like a small insect, he takes birth in the evening, and from evening to morning, his birth, his marriage, his begetting children, everything is done, and in the morning he dies. There are many insects. They are called diwali pokali. At night they will throng together, in India. So for this insect, it is very difficult to understand that there is another animal which is called man, who has got this duration of his lifetime period in only twelve hours of his life. But the insect cannot go beyond that. Just like when we hear from Bhagavad-gītā that Brahmā lives such-and-such, we disbelieve sometimes. But everything is relative. With your relative body, your duration of life, your knowledge, your perception, everything is relative. So you are teeny human being. What is impossible for you is not impossible for others.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

I should know. I was an atheist once. Well-educated at the altar of atheistic assumptions right from my childhood, I know these really well.

असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम् ।
अपरस्परसंभूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम् ॥ १६.८ ॥
asatyam apratiṣṭhaṁ te
jagad āhur anīśvaram
aparaspara-sambhūtaṁ
kim anyat kāma-haitukam

They say that this world is unreal, with no foundation, no God in control. They say it is produced of sex desire and has no cause other than lust.
Bhagavad Gita As It Is, 16.8 (The Divine and Demoniac Natures) https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/16/8/

There was nothing, and then suddenly the singularity / big bang happened and then the Universe came into being
Basic building blocks coalesced into elements, elements combined to form compounds, and basic compounds combined to form organic chemicals, which then somehow combined to form single-celled organisms, which gradually evolved into life as we know it
There’s no creator, no reason for anything at all except it is the way it is
All of the world’s spirituality is basically superstition, created by aboriginal tribal lore to explain phenomena that were beyond their understanding

But as I grew and studied more, I began to discover more about what we didn’t know – we don’t understand much about the Universe at all. Most of what passes for explanations is merely theory, unproven, couched in clever language that implies certainty.

There is no proof that something material can come from nothing.

I also learned that just because we can’t see something or prove its existence doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Feelings, emotions, thoughts, and the clear sense of consciousness cannot be proven to exist except to take someone’s testimony for them.

“I am feeling sad” said one. “What do you mean you are feeling sad, I can’t see your sadness, so your sadness is imaginary!” said the other.

Just because something is not observable by everyone is not proof for its nonexistence. And so is the reality of God.

God is not so cheap that He can be fully understood by just anyone!

नाहं प्रकाशः सर्वस्य योगमायासमावृतः ।
मूढोऽयं नाभिजानाति लोको मामजमव्ययम् ॥ ७.२५ ॥
nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya
yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ
mūḍho ’yaṁ nābhijānāti
loko mām ajam avyayam
I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible.
Bhagavad Gita As It Is, 7.25 https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/7/25/

It’s a laudable effort for someone to try and understand the world and its mysteries on their own. But the effort is doomed to failure, because Reality far outstrips anyone’s meager faculties. Reality is not so trivial that one can agitate one’s mind and conquer it – one cannot conquer something greater than oneself, and that which can be conquered cannot be said to be greater than oneself.

It’s much better to get a guided tour from The Creator.

The instrument with which we can perceive the spiritual side of reality is a finely honed instrument called “consciousness”. Presently, our consciousness may be covered, like a dust-encrusted mirror, or like that of a consciousness of someone who is drugged, drunk, or just asleep.

But when that consciousness is awake and purified, then such consciousness perceives a vast spectrum of reality untarnished by material crud.

श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
प्रजहाति यदा कामान्सर्वान्पार्थ मनोगतान्
आत्मन्येवात्मना तुष्टः स्थितप्रज्ञस्तदोच्यते ॥ २.५५ ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
prajahāti yadā kāmān
sarvān pārtha mano-gatān
ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ
sthita-prajñas tadocyate
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O Pārtha, when a man gives up all varieties of desire for sense gratification, which arise from mental concoction, and when his mind, thus purified, finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure transcendental consciousness.
Bhagavad Gita As It Is, 2.55 https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/2/55/

That complete reality is my journey, destination, and experience, so stand aside all you (well-meaning or otherwise) ants!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Love or Lust, take your pick

Radha Krishna, our Best Friend and Supreme Well-Wisher

Love, Love, Love!

Who doesn’t want to love and who doesn’t want to be loved!

Much desired, much discussed, fantasized about, hankered for, in songs, literature, poetry, even science.

Here is what a great saint says about Love:

ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā — tāre bali ‘kāma’
kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-icchā dhare ‘prema’ nāma

The desire to gratify one’s own senses is kāma [lust], but the desire to please the senses of Lord Kṛṣṇa is prema [love].https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/adi/4/165/

Looking at it deeper, it means that whenever one desires someone or something for one’s own pleasure, that is not Love, that is Lust.

When we reflect on everything that has been given to us, air, water, this body, the ability to reflect, consciousness, the freedom to act, sunshine, food, and relationships… everything under the sun and beyond, we see that the source of it all deserves gratitude, and Love.

Krishna is the name for that Supreme Source, and Allah, Jehovah, Buddha, Rama, Yahweh, all refer to that one Supreme Soul, the Source of Everything that exists.

It is alright if you take exception to the above statement and disagree with me there. No matter what your own nomenclature for the Single Supreme Source of All is, whether it be Allah, Christ, Jehovah, Buddha, or some other name… When you try to gratify that Supreme Being’s senses, that is Love, and everything else is merely Lust.

All those love songs, all of those poems and ballads, dramas and theatre, perfumes and fantasies, they are actually of Love only when directed to the Supreme Divine, and lust otherwise.

I had a wonderful experience of this, traveling once with a sincere, loving, generous and humble saint, His Holiness Amala Bhakta Swami, from Toronto to Los Angeles, and he was clearly in ecstasy about something he was listening to. When I looked at him inquiringly, he took out one of his ear buds connected to his phone, and gave it to me… and he pressed play, I heard this song for the very first time in my life…

Unforgettable, that’s what you are
Unforgettable though near or far
Like a song of love that clings to me
How the thought of you does things to me
Never before has someone been more

Unforgettable in every way
And forever more, that’s how you’ll stay
That’s why, darling, it’s incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am unforgettable too

Unforgettable in every way
And forever more, that’s how you’ll stay
That’s why, darling, it’s incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am unforgettable too

-Nat King Cole (also performed by Barbara Streisand and others)

Think about this. While one can be forgiven for being carried away by temporary waves of emotion for our “TSO” – “temporary significant other” (phrase courtesy His Holiness Devamrita Swami), that song only consistently and forever makes sense when in relation to God. Because God stays in our heart and keeps us alive, gives us consciousness, even if we may have chosen to forget. Even though we may forget God, God never ever forgets us. I will never forget Amala Bhakta Swami Maharaja’s gift to me, in being able to relate everything wonderful and unforgettable back to the Supreme Divine, Krishna.

In fact, life after life, God travels in our heart, in His expansion as “Super Soul” or “Paramatma”

ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति । भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ १८.६१ ॥ īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy. –https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/61/

No matter if a soul is in the body of a worm, an ant, a fish, a vulture, a hog, a dog, a camel, or an ass… or a human being, the Supreme Divine accompanies us all.

That is Love.

And to express affection back, and to render service to He who has never abandoned me, despicable me, who let my Best Friend and Well-Wisher down originally, and over and over again, but not again now, is worthy of my Love. Not “gimme this gimme that gimme gimme gimme” but “What can I do for you my dearest friend?”

Love or Lust, what will it be for you?

Love is what I seek to give, so please help me God.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Lottery Tickets, Lucky Draws, Gambling, Casinos, etc.

Jaanvi, 28th September 2014

Dear All,

Could you please tell me if buying Lottery ticket which is mostly available everywhere organized by charitable company considered suitable and acceptable to purchase?

The purpose may be as an activity, or desire of winning the draw so as to make money with luck.

Hare Krsna.
Srivatsa Das SDA, 29th September 2014

Hare Krishna Mataji,

Please accept my humble respects

All Glories to Srila Gurudeva

Though there is no guarantee of winning a lottery, a lot of people rely on lotteries to meet their urgent material needs. The sad point here is that if we are situated in material mode, whether we win the lottery or not, we cannot come out of the miseries. The fact is other way around, the life becomes more and more miserable, by winning the lottery.

The best thing is to come out of this miserable life forever. This is possible only when we lead our life Krishna Consciously.

When we follow Krishna Conscious life and when we surrender fully to the Lord Krishna, there is no more suffering. Srila Prabhupada explains the verse 18.66 in Bhagavad gita As it is – introduction.

sarva-dharmän parityajya mäm ekam saranam vraja

aham tväm sarva-päpebhyo mokshayisyämi mä sucaù

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.”

Thus the Lord takes all responsibility for one who surrenders unto Him, and He indemnifies such a person against all reactions of sins.

As per Srila Prabhupada, to fully surrender to Krishna we need to:

chant 16 rounds on japa beads daily without fail,

follow four regulative principles and

read Srila Prabhupada books.

Yesterday, I was listening to Srila Gurudeva’s recorded lecture, in that lecture, Srila Gurudeva was mentioning that we need not read so many books, (if we don’t have time) but by reading only Bhagavad gita As it is daily repeatedly, we can achieve perfection.

In short, instead of wasting our effort on accumulating material wealth and the associated miseries, just surrender to the Lord as early as possible by:

-Taking shelter of a bonafide spiritual master.

-chanting 16 rounds on japa beads

-strictly following 4 regulative principles and reading Bhagavad gita daily and understand how to surrender to the Lord and thus lead a perfect life.

Sincerely,
Srivatsa Das
Rathin Mandal, 29th September 2014

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeisances,
All Glories to Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Gurumataji,
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Very nice question Mataji, and Srivatsa Prabhu has beautiful explained it.

Today there are so many organization that run on lottery, by faking as they are doing it for charity. They try to present it as a win win situation for everybody.
They allure us by saying that guys, you can’t help everyone alone. So give me your Rs.50 or Rs. 100 and I will take it to the needy. And in return you may get some prize for your generous contribution. We fall into the trap, thinking that Ok I am getting to help someone and I may get something back too. They do same with thousands of other people.
There is no way for us to know properly what they are doing with the money. Also if someone wants to help someone. Then they will use every penny donated for helping. And not for any other thing. Their employees salary, transportation, presentation, everything is covered through those donation amount. Plus they take status of NGO and get so many government benefits.

So in reality there is no charity. It is just good business.

your Servant
Rathin
Bhakta Sunil, 30th September 2015

Mataji Hare Krishna All Glories to Srila Prabhupada Regarding gambling , please view few items:

“And no gambling or unnecessary sporting. People are wasting time. So many sportings they have invented–sporting balls, this ball, that ball. You see? Human life is very short. We do not know when we shall die. Before that, we must prepare ourself for the next life. Next life means directly going back to Krsna, highest perfection.”

Srila Prabhupada Interview, 12-19-68, Los Angeles :-

“Sometimes the living entity is interested in the yellow stool known as gold and runs after it. That gold is the source of material opulence and envy, and it can enable one to afford illicit sex, gambling, meat-eating and intoxication. Those whose minds are overcome by the mode of passion are attracted by the color of gold, just as a man suffering from cold in the forest runs after a phosphorescent light in a marshy land, considering it to be fire.”

Purport: Pariksit Maharaja told Kali-yuga to leave his kingdom immediately and reside in four places: brothels, liquor shops, slaughterhouses and gambling casinos. However, Kali-yuga requested him to give him only one place where these four places are included, and Pariksit Maharaja gave him the place where gold is stored. Gold encompasses the four principles of sin, and therefore, according to spiritual life, gold should be avoided as far as possible. If there is gold, there is certainly illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling and intoxication. Because people in the Western world have a great deal of gold, they are victims of these four sins. The color of gold is very glittering, and a materialistic person becomes very much attracted by its yellow color. However, this gold is actually a type of stool. A person with a bad liver generally passes yellow stool. The color of this stool attracts a materialistic person, just as the will-o’-the-wisp attracts one who needs heat.”

Srimad-Bhagavatam 5:14:7 Purport

“I am also the gambling of cheats, and of the splendid I am the splendor. I am victory, I am adventure, and I am the strength of the strong.

Purport: There are many kinds of cheaters all over the universe. Of all cheating processes, gambling stands supreme and therefore represents Krsna. As the Supreme, Krsna can be more deceitful than any mere man. If Krsna chooses to deceive a person, no one can surpass Him in His deceit. His greatness is not simply one-sided–it is all-sided.”

Bhagavad-gita 10:36

“Krsna says that “Amongst all kinds of cheating business, I am gambling.” Gambling… There is in gambling… It requires some expert brain, how to play gamble. So that expertness, that part of expert endeavor, is Krsna. So we should not think, “Oh, because Krsna is gambling also, so let us engage and devote in gambling.” No. Krsna is everything. Krsna is everything, but we have to select favorably, not unfavorably.”

Srila Prabhupada Lecture on Caitanya-caritamrta, 01-05-67, New York

“…Gambling of all description, even speculative business enterprise, is considered to be degrading, and when gambling is encouraged in the state, there is a complete disappearance of truthfulness.”

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1:17:38

“If one accepts a poverty-stricken position because of losing money in business, gambling, prostitution or intoxication, no one will praise him, but if one becomes poverty-stricken by giving all of his possessions in charity, he becomes adored all over the world. Aside from this, if a benevolent and merciful person exhibits his pride in becoming poverty-stricken by giving his possessions in charity for good causes, his poverty is a welcome and auspicious sign of a great personality.”

Srimad-Bhagavatam 8:20:10 Purport

“Every educational or progressive method has got do’s and do not’s. So the asuras, they do not know what they should do and what they should not do. That is asura. And a devotee, he knows what to do and what not to do. There is no illicit sex. That is “do not.” But there is “do” also, that “If you want sex life, then get yourself married according to religious principle and get a wife and beget nice children.” That is “do.” And “No illicit sex,” that is “do not.” Side by side. “You do not take intoxicants”–that is “do not.” But “You take Krsna prasadam and be intoxicated with Krsna’s love”–that is “do.” Similarly, “You do not indulge in gambling, but you indulge in gambling.” What is that gambling? That gambling is “Dedicate your life to Krsna and see the result.” That is also gambling. That is also gambling, because everyone is engaged in his own business, but if he’s advised, “You give up this business. You take to this Krsna business,” that is also gambling because he does not know what will happen.”

Srila Prabhupada Lecture on Bhagavad-Gita, 09-12-73, London

“Just like money. Money you can utilize for duskrtina and for sukrtina. You can utilize your money for drinking wine, illicit sex, meat-eating and gambling. And you can utilize your money for Krsna’s service, for offering yajnas, for constructing temple, sacrifices, push on the sankirtana movement, Krsna consciousness movement. So money is not good or bad. As you utilize it… Similarly, merit, merit also, there. You have got already merit better than the animals, but you have to utilize it for proper service. That is called Krsna consciousness. Consciousness we have got, merit we have got. Simply we have to utilize.”

Srila Prabhupada Lecture on Bhagavad-Gita, 10-10-73, Bombay

“Four kinds of sinful activities–associating with woman for illicit sex, eating meat, intoxication and gambling–are allowed for the ksatriyas. For political reasons, sometimes they have to take to these sinful activities. Ksatriyas do not refrain from gambling. One vivid example is the Pandavas. When the Pandavas were challenged by the opposite party, Duryodhana, to gamble and risk their kingdom, they could not refrain, and by that gambling they lost their kingdom, and their wife was insulted. Similarly, the ksatriyas cannot refrain from fighting if challenged by the opposite party. Therefore Prthu Maharaja, taking consideration of all these facts, inquired whether there is any auspicious path. Grhastha life is inauspicious because grhastha means consciousness for sense gratification, and as soon as there is sense gratification, one’s position is always full of dangers. This material world is said to be padam padam yad vipadam na tesam, dangerous in every step (Bhag. 10.14.58).”

Srimad-Bhagavatam 4:22:13 Purport

“Gambling is also an art. Ksatriyas are allowed to exhibit talent in this art of gambling. By the grace of Krsna, the Pandavas lost everything by gambling and were deprived of their kingdom, wife, family and home because they were not expert in the gambling art. In other words, a devotee may not be expert in materialistic activities. It is therefore advised in the sastra that materialistic activities are not at all suitable for the living entities, especially the devotees. A devotee should therefore be satisfied to eat whatever is sent as prasada by the Supreme Lord. A devotee remains pure because he does not take to sinful activities such as gambling, intoxication, meat-eating and illicit sex.”

Srimad-Bhagavatam 9:9:16-17

“Prabhupada: Yes, gambling means betting. That is gambling. People are betting. You put one dollar, and if you gain, you get ten dollars. Otherwise, you lose this one dollar. This is gambling. They’re gambling in Christian churches also, in the Western countries. So gambling is considered sinful activity. I do not know… One Mr. Bhattacarya, a barrister, he was educated in England. So he told there is some island, Monte Christo? There is gambling?
Devotee: Monte Carlo.
Prabhupada: Monte Carlo, yes. He said that there are gamblers, and one gambler loses everything, he commits suicide, immediately, and he’ll go on. That’s all. Nobody cares for him. He told me. It is a fact? So just see the gambling. They bring all their fortunes to stake and they lose everything. And then, out of frustration, takes revolver and shots himself, dies, and it is thrown on the street or in somewhere. Nobody cares. Just like cats and dogs. So there is free gambling in Monte Carlo?
Devotee: Very, very wealthy people, they (indistinct) there.
Devotee: There is free gambling in London.
Prabhupada: Oh, everywhere. Any big city. In Calcutta, Bombay, everyone gambling. When you get money, then gambling. The horse race is also gambling. Horse race. This gambling, drinking, meat-eating, these things were all unknown in India. They did not know how to drink. These Britishers introduced. There is still a lane, a street, Porterly Street. There was a woman of suspicious character. She was supplied big bottles of wine, and she used to canvass rich men’s son to take wine, and it was distributed free. In this way wine was distributed, and people began to drink, gradually. And I have seen a tea set committee. They… Advertising tea, preparing tea nicely. “You take this tea, you’ll not feel hungry, you’ll be cured from malaria…,” and so many things. And people come and take tea in this way. Now any man is taking tea. In the morning they’ll gather in the tea stall. You see. So people, they did not know what is gambling, what is drinking, what is meat-eating. So these things were introduced gradually. Still, no rigid Hindu house will allow meat cooking in the house, still. No. If you want to if you want to eat meat, you can go to hotel, but at home you cannot cook, meat-eating.
Yamuna: Guru Maharaja, in our missionary work, if we’re forced to live with (indistinct), should we just talk about that same topic or should we avoid the (indistinct) at all?
Prabhupada: No. If we can find out a suitable place; but it is difficult nowadays. That we have to tolerate. What can be done? Let others do whatever they like. We can preach that “Do not do it,” but you cannot force, because the whole world has gone in these four principles of life, this eating, meat-eating, drinking, gambling. And so our regulation is very strict. You see? If we say that “You do whatever you like,” then many people may come and join. (laughter) But we are not going to say that. We… Our principle is that better not to have any cow than to have a cow, disturb him. You see? Ekas candras tamo hanti. If one person can understand this Krsna consciousness science, in future there is hope that he can make many other persons to this knowledge of Krsna consciousness. Although it is very difficult. In Bhagavad-gita it is said, manusyanam sahasresu. But if you can deliver even one man in your life, then you’ll be doing a great service for Krsna. It is not required that you have to deliver hundreds and hundreds of men, so-called. No. If you can train only one man, that’s a great service to Krsna. You saved one man from the clutches of maya. It is so nice thing. So do it peacefully, and as far as possible. People may accept or not accept, but we shall do our duty. That’s all. But why will not accept? You have accepted it. You were also addicted to these habits, but you have accepted it. Similarly others may accept. We have to do it.”

Srila Prabhupada Lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam, 09-17-69, London

Sincerely,
Bhakta Sunil

Balaji Shanmugam, 30th September 2014

Hare Krishna everybody,

If I am correct real lottery system works like this. Collect money from 10 lakh people. Randomly select some 1 lakh people and pay them a prize and the lottery owner ( be it a government or a charity system ) takes the remaining cash and nobody knows what he will be doing with that money. Remaining 9 lakh people get cheated and go empty handed. For me it seems that it is not in accordance with Krishna consciousness.

If a devotee manufactures and sells comb it is a value adding activity. The person who gains money ( the seller – the devotee ) is maintaining his body by selling comb. The person who loses money ( the buyer ) actually gains something. He is able to clean up his hair with the comb.This type of work seems to be in accordance with Krishna consciousness. In the case of lottery system number of buyers lose money and doesn’t gain anything.

With best regards,
S.Balaji.
Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 03rd October 2014

Dear Mother Jaanvi,

I don’t participate in such things at all willingly. Sometimes they invite me to do surveys with a chance of winning this, that, or the other, they are using people’s greed and use the contact information to bombard them with advertisements etc. So I see that I don’t have to waste time on such things.

Sometimes it is unavoidable. Once at my workplace, unwillingly I was entered into some lottery and I won. I took the entire winnings and put it into the donation box at the temple, and washed my hands off the matter. I prayed to Sri Radha Kshir Chor Gopinath that whoever had contributed towards that donation should please get some spiritual benefit. Another time a similar thing happened, I gave the entire winning to a visiting preaching devotee who was in the renounced order of life, to fund his preaching activities.

By avoiding this, I am free of much anxiety.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das
Sulakshana devi dasi, 18th October 2014

Hare Krishna Sunil Prabhu!

please accept my humble obeisances!
All glories to Srila Gurudeva and Gurumataji!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Thank you for sharing all those excerpts from various lectures of Srila Prabhupada.

your servant,’
Sulakshana devi dasi
Bhakta Sunil, 20th October 2014

Mataji your sincere reading is of great value

All Glories and credit to Srila Prabhupada

Sincerely,
Bhakta Sunil
Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at sda-archives.com), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.joincourse.com

The mind is not the brain. You are not your mind. You are not your body.

The mind is a fascinating entity. Human society strives to define what is the mind, to understand it, to make sense of what is this thing.

The subject matter of “mind” is very deep and complex, no doubt, but there is one thing we need to understand…

The mind is not the brain.

Modern science has gone in the direction of equating the mind with the physical, chemical, and electrical features of what is observed in the brain. And there has been some apparent success too, stimulating a certain part of the brain causes certain emotions, cutting off a certain part of the brain causes certain memories or abilities to disappear, observing the electrical signals in the brain gives a sense that “this part of the brain is responsible for that type of thought or activity”.

So one may be forgive for thinking that the mind is the brain.

However, looking deep into the Vedic texts, one finds that the mind is described as a subtle material entity…

Bg. 7.4
भूमिरापोऽनलो वायुः खं मनो बुद्धिरेव च ।
अहंकार इतीयं मे भिन्ना प्रकृतिरष्टधा ॥ ७.४ ॥
bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me
bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā
Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego – all together these eight constitute My separated material energies.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/7/4/

Analyzing the body itself, including the brain, all the material elements of the brain fall into the “earth, water, fire, air, which all take ether (space) categories. The mind is distinct from these, and what is interesting, is that the mind is also distinct from intelligence and the sense of identity (ego).

So how do we understand the role of the brain in the manifestation of the mind?

We can turn to modern computer science. In a typical computer, we see the hardware, the wired up silicon wafers. By themselves, they are pretty much worthless, no more useful than beach sand.

There’s also something called the “software” which is also pretty useless until it actually runs on those silicon circuits. Software is written by conscious entities, and represents their thought process. It comes “alive” when it runs on the hardware.

Going one level deeper, there is something called the “firmware”, which is the first layer of basic software which allows the silicon circuits to be able to run the software. All these of course are useless unless there is an expert programmer who can combine the right hardware, firmware, and software together to create something useful.

In the context of the body, you, the spirit soul, atma, are the driver of both your body and your mind, that is, if you don’t let the machines randomly drive you here-and-there chasing after mirages.

To those in the know about the essence of spirituality, life comes form the spirit spark that inhabits the body, the ego represents the sense of identity of that spirit spark, intelligence represents the discrimination that comes from that sense of identity, and the mind represents the actualization of the intelligence into thinking, feeling, and willing.

This makes the brain merely the subtle hardware, where the mind manifests its own workings, which then manifests in the gross hardware, as words and deeds.

But this does not make the mind simply the brain just as an electrical wire delivering power to a lightbulb is not the power generation station.

This deserves some reflection… you are not this body, and you are certainly not your mind, and contrary to what is commonly understood today, your brain is not your mind. You carry your mind with you life after life after life, until of course, you are free of the material mind, being completely pure in your spiritual identity and consciousness.

Be pure. Be free.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

“I don’t have no time to meditate man”

Meditation? Don’t have the time? But do you realize you’re meditating all the time? What are you meditating on?

I am often out on the street, trying to engage souls in conversation about spirituality. Most ignore me, and I get, it, who wants to talk to a stranger in today’s paranoid times? Some even get angry with me, and make me stronger by trying to abuse me. But after years of practice, I don’t take this all personally.

As a messenger of God, my goal is to simply poll every soul I can to see if they are ready. One of my teachers, Vaisesika Dasa, taught me how to try my best to leave everyone with a good impression. So even though I have all sorts of stingers and retorts up my sleeve, I strive to practice humility instead.

But some souls do engage positively, some do take the message, they chant the mantra, or take a book, many even give me a heartfelt donation to help continue the work. It is another thing that we don’t need the money – I am a successful professional in the corporate world, I can afford to give out all those books, all my time and energy, for free… but we do take a donation to help the other soul begin / continue their service to the spiritual cause.

One of the most common responses I get to “Hey, have you ever tried meditation”, is “No time to meditate”, or “I’m too busy for that”, or “I have tried, but I just can’t meditate”. But what most fail to realize is that everyone meditates.

Everyone meditates all the time!

The question is, what do we meditate on? Some of us meditate on the past, some meditate on some imagined future, pleasant or otherwise. Some of us meditate on objects, and some of us on certain sensory experiences.

But meditation on these is pointless and does not give us much benefit. Any benefit, for example, from meditating on conquering the world is temporary because one’s present life is temporary. Meditation on sensory experiences is also futile because such meditation gives no satisfaction, but increases hankering. Meditating on objects is unsatisfying too.

In fact, this is what the Bhagavad Gita says about meditation on the non-spiritual…

ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते ।
सङ्गात्संजायते कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते ॥ २.६२ ॥
dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣūpajāyate
saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho ’bhijāyate
While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/2/62/

क्रोधाद्भवति संमोहः संमोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः ।
स्मृतिभ्रंशाद्बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति ॥ २.६३ ॥
krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ
sammohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥ
smṛti-bhraṁśād buddhi-nāśo
buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati
From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/2/63/

And, unfortunately, everyone who does not specifically, intentionally meditate on something non-material, something spiritual, ends up feeling increasingly dissatisfied, having to resort to wanton sense gratification, intoxication, and different forms of violence. And this is a cycle, which is how we see most souls in older bodies continually grumpy, continually snarky, perennially dissatisfied.

The mind is like a depression on the ground where there is a lot of water – the ditch collects water, and the mind collects thoughts, feelings, and the intents to act. Every single impression is stored somewhere in the mind. And by mind, I don’t mean the “brain” but something more subtle, that is manifested as those synapses and neurons and so on (more on this some other time).

But there is a mediation that takes us out of that negative cycle, that connects us to a source of sublime pleasure that is non-material, pleasure that ever-increases, pleasure that time, distance or anyone else can take away. Purely spiritual, and ever-increasing, this pleasure is endlessly deep, and endlessly delicious, with no sense of boredom and no lack of variety.

When I go out on the street, it is that pleasure that I wish to share with others, some are ready, some are not, and for everyone who is ready, it is a journey.

बाह्यस्पर्शेष्वसक्तात्मा विन्दत्यात्मनि यत् सुखम् ।
स ब्रह्मयोगयुक्तात्मा सुखमक्षयमश्नुते ॥ ५.२१ ॥
bāhya-sparśeṣv asaktātmā
vindaty ātmani yat sukham
sa brahma-yoga-yuktātmā
sukham akṣayam aśnute
Such a liberated person is not attracted to material sense pleasure but is always in trance, enjoying the pleasure within. In this way the self-realized person enjoys unlimited happiness, for he concentrates on the Supreme.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/5/21/

And this pleasure is available, here is a hint. 🙂

Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami chants the Hare Krishna Mahamantra in great ecstasy

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Beauty is not accidental or incidental. Beauty is Intentional.

The other day, in trying to help a friend, I met with Yolande Edwards, who definitely has an eye for spotting natural beauty. On the walls of her office were beautiful pictures she captured. Those pictures can transport one to natural serenity, even in the midst of the most chaos.

Looking at the pictures (all pictures in this blog post are by Yolande Edwards), I reflected on the phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, but actually there is no beauty to behold unless there is intrinsically some beauty to behold. So, Yolande definitely has the eyes to see that beauty.

Then, I started to reflect on how all that beauty came to be? A famous thought goes like this “If a tree crashes in the forest and there was no one to hear it crash, then did it make a sound?”, in other words, “if someone didn’t see beauty, then was there any beauty at all?”

But not to get sidetracked with pointless mental speculations… beauty is all around us, and talented poets, philosophers, artists, photographers, and other creative individuals give us access to that beauty that pervades the world, the universe, and is all around us.

Even if there is beauty to be perceived, without the right talent, without the right intent, that beauty may not be perceived. But we see that beauty is strewn all around almost carelessly, like a master artist whose every brush stroke is a masterpiece, or a musician who, even while tuning their instrument makes the most heavenly sounds.

I began to reflect that whether beauty was perceived or not, still, the creation of beauty, the perception of beauty, all of it is intentional, not incidental or accidental… it is not that somehow accidentally some leaves arranged themselves in some beautiful patterns, or the trees arranged themselves into some pretty scene… the clouds, the winds, the skies, the stars, didn’t accidentally show up as beautiful, but there is a grand master of beauty behind it all, as said in the Christian literature “The Lord God made them all”.

In giving thanks to talented souls like Yolande, we should not forget the Supreme Talented Super Soul, the source of all beauty.

Bg. 10.41
यद्यद्विभूतिमत्सत्त्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा ।
तत्तदेवावगच्छ त्वं मम तेजोंऽशसंभवम् ॥ १०.४१ ॥
yad yad vibhūtimat sattvaṁ
śrīmad ūrjitam eva vā
tat tad evāvagaccha tvaṁ
mama tejo-’ṁśa-sambhavam
Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/10/41/

Subscribe to Blog via Email

The mystery of Sri Hanuman

Premananda das, 30th September 2015

Hare Krishna Devotees
Please accept my humble obeisance
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

As Sri Hanuman served Lord Rama in treta yuga.Is he both a jiva and shiva tattva or only jiva tattva constitutionally?
Could we call Sri Hanuman as jiva tattva (living entity) and being son of Shiva also Shiva tattva?

your servant
Premananda das
Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 31st September 2015

Dear Premananda Prabhu,

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

This question is technical.

Only Lord Shiva and the 11 Rudras are in the Shiva Tattva. There are more intricacies here which will not really benefit our Krishna consciousness, as there is no limit to how much information we can try to gather, but knowing which will not necessarily make us Krishna conscious, nor is this necessary for Krishna consciousness.

Sri Hanuman is generally accepted as an expansion of Lord Shiva by some, and as an expansion of “Mukhya Prana – the primeval living force expansion of Krishna” by some. Many know him as the son of the wind god, “vayuputra”.

In any case, his position as a pure devotee of Lord Ramachandra is undeniable and our position should be to beg him for pure devotional service.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at sda-archives.com), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.backtohome.com

Time – Insurmountable time

In School, we studied this poem. It struck me then, and it strikes me now, and has ended up being among my all-time favourites…

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert… near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal these words appear:
‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings;
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
Ozymandias, by Percy Shelley

This is the fate of anyone trying to leave behind a material legacy. Time spares none, and no material result is more permanent than a sand-castle at the beach. Not any amount of money, not any building, not any organization.

Time is an impersonal expansion of God, and is thus insurmountable by anyone except the pure lover of God. Such a pure hearted soul, even if externally in the material realm, lives in the eternal ever-present, with no past, no future, simply the eternal ever-present. Such a person experiences no hankering, sorrow, no anxiety, and no despair whatsoever.

However, in the material realm, for those in material consciousness, time is insurmountable. All talk of transcending time is just childish babbling. Time, in the material realm can never be transcended.

What is it that makes time so powerful?

Bg. 11.32
श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
कालोऽस्मि लोकक्षयकृत्प्रवृद्धो
लोकान्समाहर्तुमिह प्रवृत्तः ।
ऋतेऽपि त्वां न भविष्यन्ति सर्वे
येऽवस्थिताः प्रत्यनीकेषु योधाः ॥ ११.३२ ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
kālo ’smi loka-kṣaya-kṛt pravṛddho
lokān samāhartum iha pravṛttaḥ
ṛte ’pi tvāṁ na bhaviṣyanti sarve
ye ’vasthitāḥ praty-anīkeṣu yodhāḥ
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.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/11/32/

Time is understood as an impersonal expansion of God.

No matter how powerful someone may be in the material realm, they cannot stand the test of time. In the material world, as I heard a wonderful devotee named Govind Dasa say recently, “even incarnations of God are forgotten with time, what to speak of us”. Time is the greatest of all subduers.

Bg. 10.30
प्रह्लादश्चास्मि दैत्यानां कालः कलयतामहम् ।
मृगाणां च मृगेन्द्रोऽहं वैनतेयश्च पक्षिणाम् ॥ १०.३० ॥
prahlādaś cāsmi daityānāṁ
kālaḥ kalayatām aham
mṛgāṇāṁ ca mṛgendro ’haṁ
vainateyaś ca pakṣiṇām
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.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/10/30/

And this is why we cannot understand time. We can only understand that which is inferior to us. In order to solve a problem, one has to be higher than that problem, whether it be with physical force, or mental ability.

Some intricate mathematical or philosophical concepts are beyond the grasp of untrained or incapable minds. Taxes are beyond the control of most humans. Death is beyond the control all living entities. And time, time is beyond all of us.

Is there anything at all that stands the test of time?

Bg. 14.2
इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागताः ।
सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च ॥ १४.२ ॥
By becoming fixed in this knowledge, one can attain to the transcendental nature like My own. Thus established, one is not born at the time of creation or disturbed at the time of dissolution.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/14/2/

And how can one do that?

After acquiring perfect transcendental knowledge, one acquires qualitative equality with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, becoming free from the repetition of birth and death.
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, BG 14.2 purport

Let’s aim for this perfect spiritual knowledge, and let us live it!

Subscribe to Blog via Email

What or Who is God?

What is this concept of God? Is God an impersonal force? Is God a person? Reminds me of Shakespeare’s “to be or not to be”. We know there are many myths about God.

My spiritual master writes…

Just as a goldless gold mine cannot produce gold, an impersonal existential mine cannot produce persons. Therefore since we exist as persons our original source must necessarily also possess personality. Some people have called that person God. There are many other names for that person as well. In Sanskrit He is also called Adi, which means the source.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari, 11th March 2014

In the Vedic tradition, a great sage named Parashara Muni, the father of the great Veda Vyasa, carefully analyzed this, and reached this conclusion…

Bhaga means opulence, and when the Sanskrit affix is there, vat-pratyaya, one who possesses opulence, he’s called bhagavān. So it is described by Parāśara Muni that
aiśvaryasya samagrasya
vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva
ṣaṇṇāṁ bhagam itīṅganā
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47)

“Bhagavān means who possesses these six opulences in full: all riches, all strength, all influence, all wisdom, all beauty, all renunciation.”
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, BG 4.5 lecture, Bombay Mar 25, 1974

In other words, this existential gold mine we call Gd is necessarily personal and must be full of the above six opulences. Anyone who claims to be God must demonstrate those opulences. Anyone who wants to find God must not stop until they find that Person who is full in all these six opulences.

Anything that is impersonal, such as time, or effulgence, must then necessarily be features of that personal source of all existence.

In this world, we can already see how people are mad after wealth, after strength, after influence, wisdom, beauty and especially among the spiritually advanced, the quality of being unattached is also greatly valued.

It stands to reason that the source of all existence, has, at minimum, all these in full.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Free Will, Love Me or Leave Me

Say you love me, tell me you love me, or I’ll blow your brains out
This is not love, these are words of a psychopath who is obsessed about someone and is distressed that the obsession is not mutual (example heard from my spiritual master Sankarshan Das Adhikari)

God is not a psychopath. In fact, one of God’s attributes is “Atmarama” or “fully satisfied within Himself”, not needing anything from anyone else to be fully complete.

So then, all living entities, parts-and-parcels of that Supreme, have the free will to either Love God or Leave God.

Those who choose to leave get God’s love, as do those who choose to stay.

In fact, the entire material realm, consisting of millions, billions, countless Universes, is a manifestation of God’s pure love. And within this material realm, God manifests Himself inside each atom, and in the space between the atoms, but also alongside every living entity, as the localized Supersoul, Paramatma.

But, but, but, the material realm is far from perfect, there is so much pain here, so much hatred, and imperfections of all kinds. How could this be a manifestation of God’s love?
says a person who doesn’t want to take responsibility for being in the material realm

Love doesn’t mean coddling. A parent loves their child. They don’t let the child do whatever, they discipline the child in different ways, sometimes lovingly, sometimes strictly, sometimes by bribing, sometimes by taking away a privilege. But the parent also makes great sacrifices for their child. Even though God is a loving parent to all of us, God is in no way imperfect like an ordinary parent. So God’s arrangement for love are also perfect.

So in this way, the pain and suffering we see in the material realm is simply and perfectly just, everyone gets exactly what they deserve through their past actions on the material plane “every action has an equal and opposite reaction”. Sometimes, the surf’s up, and sometimes not, but it is not at all accidental.

Atheists are not denied the basic necessities of life, air, water, food, health, opportunity, just because they are atheists… its all set up in a fair and equitable way according to past actions and their resultant reactions.

And that is why, “good things happen to bad people“, that is why “bad things happen to good people“. Because no one in material consciousness is a perfect saint, nor a perfect sinner. And God very kindly accommodates both and all shades of gray in between.

When, however, a soul becomes fully perfect in their spiritual consciousness, in full knowledge of their identity and is ready to “be who you are, be who you really are“, then that soul leaves the material realm and rejoins other perfect souls and the Supreme Perfect Soul in endless loving exchanges, the realm of the eternal ever-present, where every word is a song, and every word, a dance. Let’s go there!

Bg. 9.29
समोऽहं सर्वभूतेषु न मे द्वेष्योऽस्ति न प्रियः ।
ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या मयि ते तेषु चाप्यहम् ॥ ९.२९ ॥
samo ’haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu
na me dveṣyo ’sti na priyaḥ
ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā
mayi te teṣu cāpy aham
I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/9/29/

Bg. 18.61
ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ १८.६१ ॥
īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/61/

Bg. 18.63
इति ते ज्ञानमाख्यातं गुह्याद्‌गुह्यतरं मया ।
विमृश्यैतदशेषेण यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु ॥ १८.६३ ॥
iti te jñānam ākhyātaṁ
guhyād guhya-taraṁ mayā
vimṛśyaitad aśeṣeṇa
yathecchasi tathā kuru
Thus I have explained to you knowledge still more confidential. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.
https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/63/

Subscribe to Blog via Email

What are the Upanishads and the Puranas?

Premananda das, 25th September 2015

Hare Krishna Devotees
Please accept my humble obeisances
All Glories to Srila Gurudeva
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

While reading in Isopanishad introduction I came across 4 words namely Puranas , Mahabharata, 4 Vedas and Upanishads.
Could you please help understand what are Upanishads and Puranas?

your servant
Premananda das
Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 27th September 2015

Dear Premananda Prabhu,

“Veda” means knowledge. Initially, this knowledge was imparted through the sound of Krishna’s flute, to Lord Brahma, and delivered as the Gayatri mantras. These mantras, even though they may be known generally today, are secret in it that only by initiation by a duly initiated person can the true imports of these be revealed. In this way, they are a closely guarded secret, bestowed as a blessing to the disciple by the spiritual master. By carefully chanting these mantras, one can get access to all the knowledge needed to get out of material entanglement, and in fact, go all the way back to one’s eternal position in the spiritual sky.

Initially, there was only one Veda, which was divided into 4 by Sri Veda Vyasa to make it easier to understand. Vedas include other literatures composed by Veda Vyasa and his followers, for example, in due course of time, the writings of Srila Prabhupada will be accepted as “Veda” by all people, not just his disciples and grand-disciples, because they convey the meanings of the original Vedas perfectly.

The definition of Upanishad is “That which brings us close to God”, practically, like “nearer to God”. There are 108 main Upanishads, of which the Ishopanishad is key, because this gets to the heart of the heart of the matter.

To elaborate further, Veda Vyasa left for us the Sutras (like Narada Bhakti Sutra – see translation by BBT), Upanishads, the Samhitas, the Puranas and Mahabharata. Upanishads we have described, but they are quite terse and formula-like… most people understand a concept better when it is delivered as a commentary or a history that illustrates the concept. The Samhitas are commentaries by the various great sages, like Manu Samhita, Brahma Samhita, etc., and by reading them we get an understanding from their perspective. The Puranas are ancient histories, delivered not as a chronological history, but a set of historical topics grouped by concept, and recounted as a conversation, someone asking a question and the spiritual master giving the answer in theory and by recounting an example. Why not chronological history? Because this history spans across trillions of years on different planetary systems, it gets incredibly complex. Also, chronological history recognizes insignificance as much as significance… for example, what on earth does it matter when exactly Vasco Da Gama landed in India? Who cares? Who does it make a difference to, and why? But the fact that Lord Narasimhadeva appeared for the sake of Sri Prahlada is significant, but the actual specific how many years ago He appeared is not that significant. So, it does not matter the chronological order, but what matters is the knowledge to get out of material consciousness, and that is the thrust of all these literatures.

Among all the Puranas, the Bhagavata Purana is the summum bonum of ALL Vedic literature, and hence in our tradition we study the Srimad Bhagavatam very carefully.

I hope this helps!

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das
Premananda das, 29th September 2015

Thank you Mahabhagavat Prabhu it’s crystal clear.

your servant
Premananda das

God – Some Common Myths and Misconceptions

There are many misconceptions about God, many myths too! Looking into some of these…

Over several decades of pursuing deeper spiritual understanding, I have encountered several variations of these myths…

Myth #1: God does not exist, there is no plan, everything happens by accident

This is raw atheism, at its simplest, but randomness is a myth.

Myth #2: Actually nothing exists, you are imagining your existence, all is VOID

This is another form of slightly more subtle atheism, but nothingness is also a myth.

Myth #3: I don’t know if God exists, so I’m on the fence

This is a legitimate stance for someone starting out on their spiritual journey, but if one doesn’t go past this stage, then likely one is not too serious about the spiritual quest.
Myth #4: I know God exists, but God can’t possibly be a person, because persons have imperfections, so God is a “Perfect Impersonal Force”
Myth #5: God is “everything”, I am God, you are God, we are all God

These myths, #4 and #5 are complex and sophisticated, and deserve their own posts, though books upon books have been written on this subject.

Myth #6: I am God, so you all follow Me!

Beware of these charlatans. Stay away from them!

Myth #7: Your God is a false God, my God is the real One…

Yes, even though there have been and will be many many false gods (see myth #6 above), for the most part this is the cause of much strife in the world, with one sectarian religion fighting another sectarian religion. There are extremist Muslims, extremist Christians, Extremist Jews, Extremist Hindus, Extremist Bahai’s, Extremist Buddhists… and Extremist Sikhs… the list goes on and on. The unfortunate truth is that all these extremists are, even with the definitions of their own scriptures, atheists in disguise – materialism divides, spirituality unites. As long as we can’t rise to see the one grain of truth in other traditions, so long should we tolerate them. If my spiritual tradition doesn’t teach me that wherever there is life, there is the presence of God’s potency, and doesn’t teach me to see with equal vision all beings, it is likely I may be following one such sectarian religion!

All of these myths above are one form or another form of atheism. I have been at various times in my life, been tripped up with one or more of these myths. So now, I am very careful to avoid any variants of these.

असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम् ।

अपरस्परसंभूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम् ॥ १६.८ ॥

asatyam apratiṣṭhaṁ te
jagad āhur anīśvaram
aparaspara-sambhūtaṁ
kim anyat kāma-haitukam

They say that this world is unreal, with no foundation, no God in control. They say it is produced of sex desire and has no cause other than lust. BG 16.8 https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/16/8/

TEXT BG 16.9:

Following such conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to themselves and who have no intelligence, engage in unbeneficial, horrible works meant to destroy the world.

TEXT BG 16.10:

Taking shelter of insatiable lust and absorbed in the conceit of pride and false prestige, the demoniac, thus illusioned, are always sworn to unclean work, attracted by the impermanent.

TEXTS BG 16.11-12:

They believe that to gratify the senses is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus until the end of life their anxiety is immeasurable. Bound by a network of hundreds of thousands of desires and absorbed in lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification.

TEXTS BG 16.13-15:

The demoniac person thinks: “So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the future, more and more. He is my enemy, and I have killed him, and my other enemies will also be killed. I am the lord of everything. I am the enjoyer. I am perfect, powerful and happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives. There is none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall rejoice.” In this way, such persons are deluded by ignorance.

TEXT BG 9.11:

Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be.

TEXT BG 9.12:

Those who are thus bewildered are attracted by demonic and atheistic views. In that deluded condition, their hopes for liberation, their fruitive activities, and their culture of knowledge are all defeated.

वदन्ति तत्तत्त्वविदस्तत्त्वं यज्ज्ञानमद्वयम्

ब्रह्मेति परमात्मेति भगवानिति शब्द्यते ॥ १.२.११ ॥

vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
brahmeti paramātmeti
bhagavān iti śabdyate

Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān. https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/2/11/

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Randomness is a Myth

Randomness is a myth. Randomness does not exist. But we can learn to free ourselves from the complexities of what appears to be random

You heard that right! Yes. Randomness is another one of those things that doesn’t exist, just like nothingness. Nothing is ever random. Randomness is one of these (or a variant) in every single case:

A figment of imagination
A sign of ignorance
A device, tool, a starting point

Randomness as Imagination – it is very tempting, for someone who wants to pretend that their actions have no consequences, or someone who does not want to take responsibility for their actions, to pretend that the Universe is random. But of course, imagination goes only so far – it is not true.

Randomness as Ignorance – If I gave you an extremely complex mathematical formula, and asked you to show someone else the results of that formula with different hidden inputs, those results can very well appear to be random. But they are not random to someone who knows the equation and the inputs, in this case, you and me. So the outputs simply appear random, they are not so.

Randomness as a tool, a starting point – In many mathematical and scientific disciplines, just like the square root of -1, “i“, to pretend that the space is populated with random values helps to “seed” certain algorithms. This process implicitly acknowledges that randomness is simply a tool, a starting point to reach a model or understanding that is not random.

So if everything is not random, then why does it appear to be? Complexity. The laws of material nature, which are anything but random, are the creation of God, who is above the laws of material nature. The laws themselves are quite simple, but when the laws interact with themselves over and over again, the complexity they generate is mind-boggling.

Take a simple example of me planting one apple seed, just one seed. Not all seeds sprout but if/when this one does, it brings forth a seedling. Not all seedlings grow to be a tree, but if/when this one does, it bears flowers. Not all flowers turn to fruit, but some do. Not all fruits have seeds in them, but most of them do. When these seeds disperse, many sprout, give rise to trees, and this process endlessly continues, as long as the material circumstances are favourable.

After just a few decades, it will be impossible for a person who didn’t witness me planting the first apple seed to detect which apple tree was the first one. It will be impossible, even for me, to tell which tree an apple came from… or to tell for sure which specific seed caused which specific tree to grow.

Which brings us to the oft-heard saying, humans can count the fruits in a tree or the seeds in a fruit, but only God knows how many trees there are inside one seed. God is infinite, and therefore, it is possible for God to know all the permutations, with vision undisturbed by time.

Karma, the law of action and reaction has been described in the Vedic scriptures many millenia ago. A more recent rediscovery of the principles of Karma is by Isaac Newton “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction“. Sometimes, people say “what goes around, comes around“.

I heard that Lord Buddha said that if one were to stack the skeletons of all the bodies one soul has inhabited, those bones will block out the sun! Every soul inhabiting the material world has had many many actions (seeds), giving rise to many many beginning to sprout (seedlings), with many different resultant symptoms (flowers and fruits). It is hard to take one particular symptom of one’s life today and try to ascertain what specific action caused it. But just because it is hard doesn’t mean that randomness is the answer.

So what is the solution? How does one get out of the dense forest of karmic actions and reactions? The Bhagavad Gita defines a particular type of action and classifies it as “akarma” – “inaction”. This inaction is not some sort of inert “do nothing / sit still / renounce all action” practiced by the immature spiritualists or lazy materialists, but it is those actions that are spiritual in nature – that which serve to reconnect spirit to the Supreme Spirit, God.

“The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is and what inaction is.” BG 4.17

There is no randomness, everything is actually quite ordered and structured, it is simply a matter of the choices we have made in the past. And just as our present circumstances may appear complex, we can unravel and simplify just as someone pieces together a jumbled up jigsaw puzzle, with time, patience, and determination.

aprarabdha-phalam papam
kutam bijam phalonmukham
kramenaiva praliyeta
vishnu-bhakti-ratatmanam

Persons who are completely engaged in the devotional service of the Lord Vishnu the Personality of Godhead—becomes completely extinct from all sorts of vicious reactions which either potential, germinating, seedling or current by a gradual process. (from Padma Purana)

(See for more detail – http://www.kkswami.com/2013/03/a-miracle/)

असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम् ।

अपरस्परसंभूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम् ॥ १६.८ ॥

asatyam apratiṣṭhaṁ te
jagad āhur anīśvaram
aparaspara-sambhūtaṁ
kim anyat kāma-haitukam

They say that this world is unreal, with no foundation, no God in control. They say it is produced of sex desire and has no cause other than lust. BG 16.8 https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/16/8/

कर्मणो ह्यपि बोद्धव्यं बोद्धव्यं च विकर्मणः ।

अकर्मणश्च बोद्धव्यं गहना कर्मणो गतिः ॥ ४.१७ ॥

karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ
boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ
akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṁ
gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ

The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is and what inaction is. BG 4.17 https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/4/17/

BG 4.17:

The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is and what inaction is.

BG 4.18:

One who sees inaction in action and action in inaction is intelligent among men, and he is in the transcendental position, although engaged in all sorts of activities.

What could possibly be unknown to You, O master? With vision undisturbed by time, You witness the minds of all living beings. Nevertheless, on Your order I will speak. SB 10.64.11 https://www.vedabase.com/en/sb/10/64/11

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Which religion do you belong to?

We are not these bodies. To think we are these bodies, or to treat someone else as if they are a body is idiotic.

I often get asked that question, especially when dressed in traditional Vaishnava attire, the answer in the words of my spiritual master Sankarshan Das Adhikari, “Religion is one, to know yourself, and be yourself. To know God and to love God”, and he continues “Religion, singular, is one. Religions, plural, is politics.”.

Indeed, it is true that religion in its form as politics has been used for all sorts of terrible goals, subjugation, division, domination, control, politics, and so much more. But then, again, in the words of my spiritual master’s spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, “It is something like that, that a man in the market, he has been cheated simply by counterfeit currency. He is disappointed that there is no real money. But actually that is not a fact. The government is there, and the currency is there, the real currency.”

So yes, there is real religion, and that real religion is beyond all material designations.

I often say “I’m past the labels, I’m all about – Do you knwo who God is? Do you really love God, or do you just want God to be your order supplier? Do you serve God’s creation or do you hanker for the Universe to serve you?”

Religion, the word, comes from the Latin “re-ligio”, to reconnect. “re-connect”, that means we were once connected and are now disconnected. And for a connection, there must be two connection points and some sort of mechanism to connect. And this is the essence of religion, and these are some tests I use to determine if I am on the right path or if I got side-tracked…

Do I care about material sense gratification less or more than before?
Do I feel upset that someone doesn’t agree with me?
Am I equipoised in honour, dishonour, wealth, poverty, health, sickness, happiness, distress?
When I discuss God with someone, is it about serving them or is it about feeding my own ego?
Do I know better now than before who I am? Do I act accordingly?
Do I know more about the identity and nature of God than before?
Do I really love God? I mean, do I really LOVE God?
Am I serving more or better than before?

In the Bhagavad Gita, the divisions of faith are clearly discussed, and there are different means of attaining to pure Love of God according to one’s current position. But no matter which genuine tradition of religion you pursue, the effects of the Pure Love of God are the same.

From Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 12, Bhakti Yoga

TEXTS 6-7:

But those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, having fixed their minds upon Me, O son of Pṛthā – for them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.

TEXT 8:

Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt.

TEXT 9:

My dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without deviation, then follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga. In this way develop a desire to attain Me.

TEXT 10:

If you cannot practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga, then just try to work for Me, because by working for Me you will come to the perfect stage.

TEXT 11:

If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness of Me, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated.

TEXT 12:

If you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind.

TEXTS 13-14:

One who is not envious but is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor and is free from false ego, who is equal in both happiness and distress, who is tolerant, always satisfied, self-controlled, and engaged in devotional service with determination, his mind and intelligence fixed on Me – such a devotee of Mine is very dear to Me.

TEXT 15:

He by whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anyone, who is equipoised in happiness and distress, fear and anxiety, is very dear to Me.

TEXT 16:

My devotee who is not dependent on the ordinary course of activities, who is pure, expert, without cares, free from all pains, and not striving for some result, is very dear to Me.

TEXT 17:

One who neither rejoices nor grieves, who neither laments nor desires, and who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things – such a devotee is very dear to Me.

TEXTS 18-19:

One who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equipoised in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy, who is always free from contaminating association, always silent and satisfied with anything, who doesn’t care for any residence, who is fixed in knowledge and who is engaged in devotional service – such a person is very dear to Me.

TEXT 20:

Those who follow this imperishable path of devotional service and who completely engage themselves with faith, making Me the supreme goal, are very, very dear to Me.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Are you a man? Are you a woman? What are you?

We are not these bodies. To think we are these bodies, or to treat someone else as if they are a body is idiotic.

Recently I met a very intelligent lady on the street, who was very receptive to the spiritual message, but asked me “I am wary of religion, especially organized religion, because of the way they treat women. What is your view on women?”

I said to her that anyone who thinks they are a man or a woman is an idiot. We are all eternally spiritual beings, part-and-parcel of the Supreme. These temporary material identities are merely clothes we’re wearing, according to conditioning acquired over millions of lifetimes. A man today can be a woman tomorrow, and a woman today can be a man tomorrow, or for that matter, a dog, cat, or a worm or a tree.

To know and respect every living entity as a spirit soul, part-and-parcel of God, different only in the present quality of their covered consciousness, is the primary duty of a spiritualist. Anyone who does not do so is not really a spiritualist, but really a materialist in religious disguise.

In fact, this mistreatment of souls over hundreds and thousands of years has resulted in an exponential growth of the terrible, but fortunately curable disease known as atheism. Souls may not necessarily have anything against God to start with, but many can’t stand to be around self-absorbed holier-than-thou religious snobs.

In my journey as a recovering atheist, I am praying to be released of that kind of external material vision. I am praying to see every soul as a temple of God, where, the soul, and God in His expansion as the Supersoul or “Paramatma” reside. The tiny soul may or may not be directly feel connected to their Best Friend sitting next to them in their heart, but certainly the Supersoul, localized expansion of the Supreme Absolute Truth always sees the soul as His. Through sickness or health, through wealth or poverty, through atheism, materialistic religion, or true spirituality, the soul is always His.

If I am striving to purely love God, then I must also love the soul who is His. I am inviting spiritualists from all traditions to please recognize this “vector” of spreading either atheism or God consciousness – if you love me, love my dog. If you Love God, then Love His souls also. And no one can fake it. Every soul has an in-built lie-detector, a fakeness indicator. If a soul perceives that I do not appreciate them, then I can never be successful in reconnecting that soul to God.

विद्याविनयसंपन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि ।

शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः ॥ ५.१८ ॥

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ

The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste]. BG 5.18 https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/5/18/

ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः ।

मनःषष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति ॥ १५.७ ॥

mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke
jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi
prakṛti-sthāni karṣati

The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind. https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/15/7/

ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।

भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ १८.६१ ॥

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy. https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/61/

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Love and devotion!

Yamini Narang, 25/07/2015

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances
All glories to Srila prabhupada

What is difference between love and devotion?

your servant,
Yamuna dd
Bhakta Sunil, 27/07/2015

Hare Krishna

Please accept my humble respects
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

—
We all want love and to be loved. This is the most natural thing in the world. It is the purpose of our existence. Lets see what Srila Prabhupada has to say about what real love is and where we can find it. And then let us hear from a beautiful professional prostitute on true love (now that I got your attention read on).

Prabhupada: The…just the opposite word of kama is prema, love.

So in the material world there cannot be prema. Prema means love. The prema is only possible in the spiritual world. Here, what is going on as love, that is not love, that is lust. A boy loves a girl, a girl loves a boy. That is not love, that is lust. As soon as there is some disturbance in lusty affair, they divorce. So therefore that is not love. So we should note it, that so-called love is bogus in this material world. Love cannot be possible. This very word love, prema, is specially reserved for Krsna. Prema pum-artho mahan. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s preaching, that the highest perfection of life is to evoke one’s dormant love for Krsna.

The love is there. It is reserved for Krsna, but due to our foolishness, we are distributing that love in so many ways, up to the dog. This is called illusion. We do not know where to apply love. If you see, all these words is touched with the word kama, kama. Kama means lust. There is no question of love. And love … Prema and kama is described in Caitanya-caritamrta. What is prema and what is… prema and kama. Atmendriya-priti-vancha tara bali kama [Cc. Adi 4.165]. Kama. What is lust? Atmendriya-priti, to satisfy one’s own senses. That is kama. Here, a boy and girl love. They say “love,” but no, it is not love. The boy wants to satisfy his senses, and the girl wants to satisfy her senses. That’s all. Therefore, atmendriya-priti-vancha. Everyone is trying to satisfy her own senses. That is kama. Lust. And then, what is prema? Krsnendriya-priti-iccha dhare prema nama. When the same propensity is transferred for satisfying Krsna’s senses… just like gopis.

The superexcellence of gopis is due that they wanted to satisfy Krsna. They dressed very nicely because they thought that “Krsna become very pleased seeing us nicely dressed.” Not that … In this material world, a woman or a girl dress very nicely just to attract the opposite sex for his sense gratification. That’s all. So everyone, all this description is given there: brahma-varcasa-kama, virya-kama, then vasu-kama. Devim mayam tu sri-kamah. Sri. (aside) You can stand near the wall. Others may not… Sri means beauty. In the Durga-puja, Devi-puja, they ask… After offering Mother Durga all sorts of paraphernalia, then they puspanjali, they pray favor, dhanam dehi rupam dehi balam dehi. Dehi dehi. Dehi means “give me.” After puja… Therefore it is called puja. Puja, just like in business circle, if you want to take some business from a big merchant, so you satisfy him, flatter him, and sometimes invite him in hotel and give him nice dinner.

In this way, after he is satisfied, “Sir, if you kindly give me this contract.” (laughter)
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.1-3 – Los Angeles, May 22, 1972)

Srimati Pingala, from the Srimad Bhagavatam, an expert in the arts of so called “lovemaking” (who was once a prostitute and later became a fully self realized soul) very nicely elaborates on this point and reminds us where to repose our loving tendency so we may actually achieve the love of our hearts!

The prostitute Pingala said: I am such a fool that I have given up the service of that person who, being eternally situated within my heart, is actually most dear to me. That most dear one is the Lord of the universe, who is the bestower of real love and happiness and the source of all prosperity. Although He is in my own heart, I have completely neglected Him. Instead I have ignorantly served insignificant men who can never satisfy my real desires and who have simply brought me unhappiness, fear, anxiety, lamentation and illusion.
(SB 11.8.31)

— courtesy of Devotee Blog
—
Hope this helps,

Bhakta Sunil

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 27th July 2015

Dear Mother Yamuna,

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Congratulations on your spiritual initiation! All glories to your spiritual master!

There can be a big discussion about this, especially in the linguistic and semantic sense, in some cases they are synonyms, in some cases not.

Dut in short, devotion is the key symptom of love. Without devotion, any love professed, whether material or spiritual, is false.

Now, as per Sriman Sunil’s quotes of Srila Prabhupada – only that which seeks to satisfy Krishna is love, and the steps taken to serve Krishna and His devotees is ‘devotional’ service. Of course, devotional service can be performed without love also. For example I am chanting Hare Krishna every day but I have no love for Krishna. But it is impossible to actually love Krishna without also performing devotional service.

Anyone who claims to love Krishna but does not perform devotional service is not being truthful, but for someone who is performing devotional service, love for Krishna is guaranteed, in fact, it is actually love for Krishna, only the devotee does not perceive due to lingering material inebriation.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das
Yamini Narang, 31st July 2015

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Dear Mahabhagavat Prabhu,
Thank you very much for he best wishes and reply but I’m not yet initiated. You can a at it’s just that I’m renamed by senior devotees our of love. But yes, by all of your prayers and blessings I’m hopefully going to be initiated as my guru comes back to india in early October this year or around match next year!

Well, coming back.. Thank you very much for your reply. I had a doubt because I often heard “serve your guru and Krsna with love and devotion”.. So wanted to inquire what’s the difference between the two! And my doubt is pretty much cleared.

Thank you!
Please forgive for any offences committed!

yours in service to Srila prabhupada,
Yamuna dd

Nothingness does not exist

We’re supposed to believe that everything originally came from nothing. Nothing existed before, and suddenly for no reason whatsoever there was an explosion, or “singularity”, and out of this nothingness, all of everything came. In other words, we’re all just a “random” meaningless accident. BTW, randomness does not exist also, but that’s topic for another day.

As if this absurdity from the scientific community wasn’t enough, certain pseudo-spiritual traditions even attempt to focus their efforts on dissolving into nothingness.

But actually nothingness does not exist. Let’s say we had empty space with no molecules or light or radiation of any sort in it… what would we have, nothing, right? Wrong! Space still exists, and cannot be created by any material means. Space cannot be taken for granted. In space, everything material happens, physical phenomena, chemical reactions, biological interactions, electromagnetic radiation, everything happens in space, and no material scientist has ever created space or shown it being created materially. So where does space come from? No periodic table of elements even lists space as a material element! Actually the periodic table of material elements is sorely incomplete, but again, topic for another day.

Let’s examine “nothingness” as a concept. Yes, the concept of nothingness exists, it is something, but by its very existence, it negates the reality of nothingness. So even the existence of the concept of nothingness means that nothingness does not actually exist.

Nothingness has never existed, and never shall exist.

Let’s leave these absurdities like nothingness aside and focus on matters of substance, total substance, perfectly substantial, the Supreme Substantial Whole, showing nothingness as paltry, as it should be for all of us.

oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ
pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate
pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya
pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate

“The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the Complete Whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the Complete Whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance.” https://vedabase.io/en/library/iso/invocation/

…The completeness of human life can be realized only when one engages in the service of the Complete Whole. All services in this world – whether social, political, communal, international or even interplanetary – will remain incomplete until they are dovetailed with the Complete Whole. When everything is dovetailed with the Complete Whole, the attached parts and parcels also become complete in themselves.

eko ‘py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁ
yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ
aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham-
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

He is an undifferentiated entity as there is no distinction between potency and the possessor thereof. In His work of creation of millions of worlds, His potency remains inseparable. All the universes exist in Him and He is present in His fullness in every one of the atoms that are scattered throughout the universe, at one and the same time. Such is the primeval Lord whom I adore. https://www.vedabase.com/en/bs/5/35

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Surf’s Up!

In my recent travels, I’ve been to the coastal regions of Southern California quite a bit. There, I had a chance to witness surfers in action. My personal experience with them, (when they’re not far out on the water) is that they’re insightful. I feel a connection with surfer dudes and dudettes. They’re certainly out there seriously looking to catch the next big wave, and so are all of us.

There are different types of oceans to surf on. There are the traders who surf the waves of the markets, and the emergency medical staff who surf the waves of calm, accidents, and disasters, there are the surfers of corporate politics, and of course, among the most skillful surfers in the material world, politicians of various kinds… But all these oceans are material in nature.

Eventually one becomes too weak to be able to surf materially at all (old age, death, and disease), and then one has to eventually give up this body, and give up all the assets, relationships, privileges, and all identity associated with the present body left behind. The ocean of material existence is ultimately exhausting, all that effort and we go nowhere. And once all the waves I’ve earned are “caught”, there are no more left, until I strive hard to earn more, start from scratch. Such a waste. A bad deal.

I do have to surf a few different waves of material nature yet, but for the last couple of decades, had the great good fortune to first dip my toes, and then dive headlong into, the unlimited ocean of spiritual nectar. Those waves are sweet and refreshing, never-endingly adventurous, and one never tires of them. And one can go on surfing for all of eternity. These waves of spiritual bliss take one higher and higher, and there is no hankering, each wave is simply delicious!

It’s a matter of my previous actions and resulting reactions that I still have anything to do with the waves of material nature, but there will surely be a day when I will never leave the ocean of spiritual bliss.

While I do not yet have a personal experience of what Rupa Goswami writes below, I pray to never leave the waves of the oceans of nectar generated by the vibration of the syllables “krish-na”. Spiritual assets, relationships, privileges, and identity are guaranteed, I do take them all with me to any new destination.

tuṇḍe tāṇḍavinī ratiṁ vitanute tuṇḍāvalī-labdhaye
karṇa-kroḍa-kaḍambinī ghaṭayate karṇārbudebhyaḥ spṛhām
cetaḥ-prāṅgaṇa-saṅginī vijayate sarvendriyāṇāṁ kṛtiṁ
no jāne janitā kiyadbhir amṛtaiḥ kṛṣṇeti varṇa-dvayī

“I do not know how much nectar the two syllables ‘Kṛṣ-ṇa’ have produced. When the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is chanted, it appears to dance within the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert.” https://www.vedabase.com/cc/antya/1/99

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Guard of Honour

When a dignitary, such as a Prime Minister or President of a foreign nation visits, it is customary to offer them a “Guard of Honour”, a formation of military personnel in their ceremonial regalia, offering honour in the form of a salute or other such rituals meant to receive, with respect, the visiting dignitary.

The visitor, along with a suitable equal from the host country, reviews the Guard of Honour, and accepts their offerings of respects.

Just as no entity exists without a controller, whether it be a court, a corporation, or a government, and no machine operates without an operator, this Universal arrangement also has such an overseer.

Explosions don’t create order, and if they do, don’t show me a theoretical equation full of assumptions. I’d need to see something tangible, like this Universe, a nice house built with the construction mechanism of a random explosion that no one designed or set off. Innocent children can believe that a machine can operate “magically” or “by accident” or even in “random chance”, but as they grow up, they realize there is a mechanism, and someone made that mechanism, and it has been designed to operate in a certain way according to the designer and operator.

In this Universe, when the Supreme Controller appears, a similar guard of honour is offered by the presiding officials of various planets and planetary systems. This Universal Controller visits different Universes on His schedule.

In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that His appearance, birth and activities are all transcendental and that one who understands them factually becomes immediately eligible to be transferred to the spiritual world. The Lord’s appearance or birth is not like that of an ordinary man, who is forced to accept a material body according to his past deeds. The Lord’s appearance is explained in the Second Chapter: He appears out of His own sweet pleasure. When the time was mature for the appearance of the Lord, the constellations became very auspicious. The astrological influence of the star known as Rohiṇī was predominant. This star is considered to be very auspicious and is under the direct supervision of Brahmā. According to the astrological conclusion, besides the proper situation of the stars, there are auspicious and inauspicious moments due to the different situations of the different planetary systems. At the time of Kṛṣṇa’s birth, the planetary systems were automatically adjusted so that everything became auspicious.

At that time, in all directions—east, west, south, north, everywhere—there was an atmosphere of peace and prosperity. There were auspicious stars visible in the sky, and on the surface in all towns and villages and pasturing grounds and within the minds of everyone there were signs of good fortune. The rivers were flowing full of waters, and lakes were beautifully decorated with lotus flowers. The forests were full with beautiful birds and peacocks. All the birds within the forests began to sing with sweet voices, and the peacocks began to dance along with their consorts. The wind blew very pleasantly, carrying the aroma of different flowers, and the sensation of bodily touch was very pleasing. At home, the brāhmaṇas, who were accustomed to offering sacrifices in the fire, found their homes very pleasant for offerings. Due to disturbances created by the demoniac kings, the sacrificial fire had been almost stopped in the houses of brāhmaṇas, but now they could find the opportunity to start the fire peacefully. Being forbidden to offer sacrifices, the brāhmaṇas had been very much distressed in mind, intelligence and activities, but just on the point of Kṛṣṇa’s appearance, automatically their minds became full of joy because they could hear transcendental vibrations in the sky proclaiming the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. https://www.vedabase.com/en/kb/3

Subscribe to Blog via Email

About souls in the material realm

In the material realm, souls are here for various reasons. Some souls are here because they are atheists, competing against God, trying to kill God, trying to be God, or merge with God, or even dissolve into nothingness themselves. Some others, the spiritual guides, genuine gurus, great liberated teachers, are here to rescue those atheists from their own foolishness. And yet some others are in between, the recovering atheists. I am a recovering atheist myself. I know well that I am not God, will never be God.

I invite you to join me on a spiritual journey.

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings:

jīvera kalyāṇa-sādhana-kāma
jagate āsi’ e madhura nāma
avidyā-timira-tāpana-rūpe
hṛd-gagane virāje

“The holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa descends into the darkness of the material world just to benedict the conditioned souls. The holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa is just like the sun that rises in the clear sky of the heart of the devotees.” Such brilliant knowledge cannot be understood by those who are trying, in the name of either piety or atheism, to exploit the material creation of the Lord. One must become a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and then his knowledge will illuminate everything in all directions: kasmin nu bhagavo vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavatīti (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3). – from purport to SB 11.7.51

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Misery begins when we endeavor for happiness… How?

Rao, 31st August 2015

Hare Krishna Dear Devotees!

Please accept my humble obeisances!
All glories to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
All glories to your devotional service!

Please help me to understand this quote with examples: “misery begins when we endeavor for happiness” .

your servant,
Rao

nuria.k, 31st August 2015

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances,
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

Do you mean material happiness?
aruni

Shreyas, 03 September 2015

Hare Krishna revered K.V Rao ji,
Please accept my humble obeisances and consider the below answer,
All Glories to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada!

I am sharing what I recently heard while hearing a lecture from His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, delivered on 9th Oct ’76, Aligarh, India (SB 1.2.5):

Solution:
When mind is engaged at the lotus feet of the Lord… As it is stated in the Śrīmad-Bha…, sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor (SB 9.4.18). When the mind is fixed up in the lotus feet of the Lord, then the words are used, the vibration of the tongue used… Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. Then the words are utilized for describing about the spiritual world. (coughs) The spiritual world is called Vaikuṇṭha. There is no kuṇṭha, anxiety. That is spiritual world. When you become spiritualized, brahma-bhutaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), there is no more kuṇṭha. This is the sign of becoming brahma-bhūtaḥ. At the present moment we are jīva-bhūtaḥ. Manaḥ saṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). Therefore our struggle for existence is with the mind and the six senses. But when your existence is spiritualized, then brahma-bhūtaḥ, you have no more anxieties. That is the sign. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na… Prasannātmā means na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54).

Problem (here’s the answer):
We have got two diseases in the material world. One is śocati and the other is kāṅkṣati. The things which we haven’t got, we desire to possess, kāṅkṣati. And the things which we possess, it will be spoiled, it will be lost. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that everything in this material world is temporary: smaro nityam anityatam. So when we engage our mind in these temporary things, that is śocana and akāṅkṣa. And when we are elevated to the spiritual platform, then there is no more śocana and akāṅkṣa. This is the symptom. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). At that time it is possible to re-establish samatā. We are very much anxious to re-establish our universal brotherhood, but from the material platform it is not possible. Unless we come to the platform of brahma-bhūtaḥ, we cannot expect samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). These things are there in the Bhagavad-gītā.

So there’s no harm to endeavour for happiness, as long as the source and sink is Krishna Himself. Devotional Service is satisfying upto the degree it is selfless and uninterrupted. So if my happiness is based on something other than Krishna (selfish), then that means I am putting myself in the position of “I am the enjoyer”. This naturally isolates me from Krishna whereas the natural state is we are all parts and parcels of Krishna (mamaivamso jiva loke jiva bhutah sanatanah). Misery enters here and as my spiritual master states the word misery comes from the word miser. Examples are common. My phone gets lost or cracked I feel depressed and next day I blame Krishna for it and then I feel disinclined towards chanting my 16 rounds or instead of dancing with devotees in a kirtan or arati I remain spaced out. Or maybe skip the program too. This is because my happiness was based on that phone/car/person/job/glorification, etc. and whenever I wanted to feel happy, I depended on them.

And if Krishna is my source of happiness then I would have thanked that at least my bhakti is not lost or stolen.

Of course, it’s a matter of practice as we are daily doing but as we keep getting attached to derive happiness from Krishna, misery is reduced to that degree because we are being servants not misers. It’s all about channelizing our endeavours. We can rather hanker/lament for pushing forward the movement of Srila Prabhupada than for getting promoted in a job or getting a better salary, car or material circumstances.

However, the topmost state is when our only desire is to please guru, vaishnava and Krishna. Then our only misery is how can I please them and this misery is rather source of happiness at the same time, strengthening our Krishna Consciousness.

The Thought of the day at www.backtohome.com from Sept 1 2015, stating –

“If you are not tasting unlimited bliss at every moment, you are doing something wrong because to be constantly relishing unlimited nectar is your natural constitutional position”

helps a lot as a barometer.

Other thoughts at http://www.backtohome.com from Aug 28, Aug 22 2015 and other days are also good on misery/anxiety.

your servant
Bhakta Shreyas

Bhakta Sunil, 03 September 2015

Great answer Shreyas Prabhu

Shivani Saxena, 05th September, 2015

Very delightful representation Shreyas Prabhu.

Shivani

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 10th September 2015

Dear Bhakta Rao,

Hare Krishna!

Thank you for your really insightful questions. In addition to the delightful answer by Shreyas, here is something from Srimad Bhagavatam, part of several verses from Prahlada Maharaja, speaking directly to Sri Narasihmadeva, along with translation and very apt purport by Srila Prabhupada…

(BTW, that entire chapter, SB 7.9 is highly nectarean, among my favorite sections from the Bhagavatam)

SB 7.9.20: “O great one, O Supreme Lord, because of combination with pleasing and displeasing circumstances and because of separation from them, one is placed in a most regrettable position, within heavenly or hellish planets, as if burning in a fire of lamentation. Although there are many remedies by which to get out of miserable life, any such remedies in the material world are more miserable than the miseries themselves. Therefore I think that the only remedy is to engage in Your service. Kindly instruct me in such service. ”

SB 7.9.24 “My dear Lord, now I have complete experience concerning the worldly opulence, mystic power, longevity and other material pleasures enjoyed by all living entities, from Lord Brahmā down to the ant. As powerful time, You destroy them all. Therefore, because of my experience, I do not wish to possess them. My dear Lord, I request You to place me in touch with Your pure devotee and let me serve him as a sincere servant. ”

SB 7.9.25

kutrāśiṣaḥ śruti-sukhā mṛgatṛṣṇi-rūpāḥ
kvedaṁ kalevaram aśeṣa-rujāṁ virohaḥ
nirvidyate na tu jano yad apīti vidvān
kāmānalaṁ madhu-lavaiḥ śamayan durāpaiḥ

Translation:
In this material world, every living entity desires some future happiness, which is exactly like a mirage in the desert. Where is water in the desert, or, in other words, where is happiness in this material world? As for this body, what is its value? It is merely a source of various diseases. The so-called philosophers, scientists and politicians know this very well, but nonetheless they aspire for temporary happiness. Happiness is very difficult to obtain, but because they are unable to control their senses, they run after the so-called happiness of the material world and never come to the right conclusion.
Purport:
There is a song in the Bengali language which states, “I constructed this home for happiness, but unfortunately there was a fire, and everything has now been burnt to ashes.” This illustrates the nature of material happiness. Everyone knows it, but nonetheless one plans to hear or think something very pleasing. Unfortunately, all of one’s plans are annihilated in due course of time. There were many politicians who planned empires, supremacy and control of the world, but in due time all their plans and empires — and even the politicians themselves — were vanquished. Everyone should take lessons from Prahlāda Mahārāja about how we are engaged in so-called temporary happiness through bodily exercises for sense enjoyment. All of us repeatedly make plans, which are all repeatedly frustrated. Therefore one should stop such planmaking.

As one cannot stop a blazing fire by constantly pouring ghee upon it, one cannot satisfy oneself by increasing plans for sense enjoyment. The blazing fire is bhava-mahā-dāvāgni, the forest fire of material existence. This forest fire occurs automatically, without endeavor. We want to be happy in the material world, but this will never be possible; we shall simply increase the blazing fire of desires. Our desires cannot be satisfied by illusory thoughts and plans; rather, we have to follow the instructions of Lord Kṛṣṇa: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. Then we shall be happy. Otherwise, in the name of happiness, we shall continue to suffer miserable conditions.

I hope this helps!

your servant,
Mahabhagavat Das

How to Manage Work Life without compromising principles

Harish V Menon, 15th January 2015

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudev and Srimati Gurumata.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Request your guidance in managing work life. We work with various types of people with different mentalities. When working with colleagues who are having selfish intentions, back biting attitudes and doing politics, how should a person in KC react. I try to be good to everyone, but sometimes end up retaliating to their behaviors and I later repent

Please advise how to handle such type of situations

your Servant,
Harish V

Brhadnath dasa, 15th January 2015

Hare Krishna,
Please accept my humble obeisances

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

When I joined at a new place among unknown colleagues, I faced one typical problem, our incharge would thrust work related to other seats to me in addition to my own work. My feeble protests were brushed aside. I also approached devotees, most of them advised to refuse, but that was not my forte. One devotee told me to strengthen my sadhana, viz. attentive chanting in the early hours,devote more time to listen to lectures. I followed and also shared the nectar from the lectures with my colleagues. Within one month the whole scenario changed. Now the additional work load got offloaded, and person concerned would come to me for guidance and I started sharing Prabhupada with them, by gifting them Bhagavad Gita As It Is

I suggest, to share the concerns of your colleagues, (whatever it is), don’t go into the shell and share Prabhupada with them. their is too much scope to reform some persons. Moreover, this will help you to empower yourself to practice bhakti consistently, irrespective of circumstantial feelings

Hope I make some sense

your servant,
Brhad nath dasa

Sacinandana Das, 16th January 2015

Hare Krishna Dear Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All Glories to Srila Gurudev and Srimati Gurumata.
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

The more we give Krishna, the more we get Krishna. By giving Prasadam to our colleagues we are making them Krishna Conscious. We can ask them to chant Hare Krishna and taste the ultimate bliss. We also have to be careful to not let them know that Bhakti is more important to us than anything else.

your servant,
Sacinandana Das

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 16th January 2015

Dear Sriman Harish,

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Your question is very pertinent. Many of us face this same situation every single day.

It is important not to get too emotionally invested with materialistic persons either lovingly or in distaste, because if we do, we will be dragged into material consciousness one way or the other.

In my personal work life, I try to stick to business only, but strive to be very professional and friendly without getting involved in their activities, for example, if we have some celebration, I don’t go with the colleagues to the bar, though I will stay in the office and clap and pat people on the back for a job well done.

Not everyone is ready for spiritual advice either, in fact, you can jeopardize your broader Krishna conscious service if you endanger your job by preaching inappropriately.

So, look at this… stay away from the envious, try to gently preach to the innocent…

If we are always exemplary, people will naturally come to us when they need spiritual guidance. It is not easy to change from one day to the next, but I can say that the process of devotional service, rising early, chanting our rounds, Mangal Arati, reading Srila Prabhupada’s books, taking only Krishna Prasada as far as possible, following regulative principles, etc., purifies us gradually and almost imperceptibly, but I can see many differences from years ago and today.

If sometimes, we fail, we should pick ourselves and try again without getting discouraged either.

Hopefully this helps!

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Bhakta Sunil, 17th January 2015

Hare Krishna Harish Prabhu

Dandavat Pranams!

The earlier answers have provided best possible answers ,but to indulge in this topic i humbly put forth the answer in different words :

Dealing and associating are different. At work place you deal with non-devotees but do not take their association and where favorable , give your association

One point I remember about retaliating or not retaliating from Ultimate Self Realization emails , is that one choose one’s battles wisely ; if one can fight or correct then retaliate or else not to retaliate

If one is tolerant and could successfully ignore , then the back biters would get tired of the dirty politics and would soon stop. It is like test of getting agitated or not.

Regarding persons who are envious , backbiting , playing politics and blasphemous ; i remember a recent email from Ultimate Self Realization Emails as forwarded below , which I hope would help :

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:
________________________________

Question: How to Handle Blasphemers?

________________________________

What should a Krishna consciousness person do if someone blasphemes against Lord Krishna or His devotees? Please guide me on ways to handle this especially when the person is unavoidable, like at home or in the office.

There’s another religion where even the slightest blasphemy would mean ghastly acts of terror by its followers and all this killing is justified. Isn’t it wrong to resort to such violent acts if someone blasphemes God?

Regards,
Kaushik

________________________________

Answer: Defeat Them, Leave the Place, or Tune Them Out

________________________________

If someone blasphemes Krishna or His devotee the best thing to do is defeat them philosophically. Convince them they are completely wrong to say such nonsense so that they will feel remorse and apologize. If this is not possible, one should immediately leave that place, because by hearing blasphemy one’s devotion to Krishna will be destroyed. If you are stuck with them like at home or in the office and you cannot convince them that they are wrong, you should block your hears rather than be polluted by hearing blasphemy. For example you can get a headset for hearing Krishna conscious lectures and Hare Krishna kirtan. In this way by tuning into Krishna katha you can tune them out. If you cannot tune them out with a headset, you should tune them out simply by putting your mind somewhere else.

Committing blasphemy is certainly a greatly sinful act. Even though even our scriptures say that blasphemers should be killed, this should NOT be taken literally in this age. This is so because on the plea of Lord Nityananda Lord Caitanya forgave the blasphemers Jagai and Madhai rather than killing them. In this age of Kali because everyone is a blasphemer, if we were to kill the blasphemers, we would have to kill everyone. So the conclusion is that instead of killing the blasphemers, we should kill their blasphemous mentality by the wide scale distribution introduction of Hari nama sankirtan (the congregational chanting of they holy names of God) and the wide scale distribution of transcendental literatures such as the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. This will bring about the much desired peace and happiness for the world.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari
http://www.backtohome.com
———————————————-

Sincerely,
Sunil

Balaji Shanmugam, 19th January 2015

Hare Krishna everybody,

Please accept my humble respects.

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada and Our Gurudeva.

I to faced similar problem and in my case it happened to be bit intense. So I wrote our gurudeva. The instruction given by our Gurudeva is available in the following link.

http://sda-archives.com/tftd/tftd/2004/may/tftd_051204.html#W

Hari bol,

S.Balaji.

Acharya Das, 19th January 2015

Dear Harish Prabhu,

Please accept my humble obeiances.All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I have also faced myself such situations some suggestions from my side would be identify and be aware of these kind of people while working. Do your duty to the best of your ability and have a good relationship with your superior.Keep focusing on your task don’t react too much to there politics, back bitting etc but keep a watch on their activities. Distribute Prasad if possible but dont preach too much.

yours Sincerely,
Acharya Das.

Harish V Menon, 19th January 2015

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudev and Srimati Gurumata.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Thank you all for your wonderful guidance.

Haribol!

your Servant,
Harish V

Haladhar Das, 20th January 2015

Hare Krsna Harish ji,

Thank you for the nice question which definitely everyone goes through in his office life and beautiful answers given.

Just wanted to take the opportunity to add a little to already clarified discussion.

One thing is setbacks small or big, steadies or rather enhances one faith in sadhu, guru, shashtra like Lord Krsna already confirming this material world to be dukhalayam asasvatam temporary and full of miseries. And Srila Bhaktisidhanta Saraswati Thakur ji citing “This place is not fit for the gentleman”. So we should take all the negativity or unfavourable circumstances as sweet reminder to concentrate on the goal of human form of life, going back to Godhead.

e dhana, yaubana, putra, parijana
ithe ki ache paratiti re
kamala-dala-jala, jivana talamala
bhajahu hari-pada niti re

“What assurance of real happiness is there in all of one’s wealth, youthfulness, sons, and family members? This life is tottering like a drop of water on a lotus petal; therefore you should always serve and worship the divine feet of Lord Hari.”

Second thing is we have to understand and properly analyze through the eyes of scripture our favourable position vis-a-vis the position of non-devotees or materialists. We should have mercy on them and if feasible try to find out means to save them from their precarious position.

“Everyone is forced to act helplessly according to the qualities he has acquired from the modes of material nature, therefore no one can refrain from doing something, not even for a moment.” (BG 3.5)

So having mercy on the poor souls, trying to find out the means for utilizing a unfavourable circumstance in a favourable way. Like Srila Gurudeva HG Sankarshan Das Adhikari ji says a good sailor by adjusting his sails can sail against the wind also. Or a intelligent businessman makes profit in any circumstances, when the price is low, he buys and when the price is high, he sells.

Reading Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta helps a lot in keeping the devotional spirits high while dealing in such unfavourable or so called horrible situations, as after going through it (although its not mentioning every moment), we can know what a unfavourable situation means actually.

Hope it helps.

thank you.

your servant,
Haladhar Das

Why take shelter of a Spiritual Master

Jaanvi, 19th January 2015

Dear all,

Many people in this world have no spiritual master, but are following all the good qualities of human being, moreover, helping needy people, social service, etc. Also, visiting temple and listening to spiritual talks. Now, where will they go after leaving this material body?

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Priya Sutradhar, 19th January 2015

Dear Jaanvi mataji,

Hare Krsna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga! All glories to Prabhupad!
Gu means darkness and ru means brightness or knowledge.

The person who helps us to overcome the ignorance of darkness and bring us to the light of knowledge, he is called guru. It is said in Padma purana, that the guru by his power and devotion is capable of rendering a person absolute knowledge and purify him.

And lord Sri Krsna instructs in Bhagawad Gita, if you want to come to Me, if you want to know about Me, first of all go to a bonafide Guru. And if you don’t approach a spiritual master and try to learn scriptures like Gita own your own then all your efforts will prove to be futile.

HG Sriman Sankarshan Das Maharaj explains that “in Krishna consciousness we have a tripod, the three basic legs of bhakti that will solidly situate you on the spiritual platform. They are described as follow by Srila Prabhupada in Chapter Six of the Nectar of Devotion:
(1) Accepting the shelter of the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master.
(2) Becoming initiated by the spiritual master and learning how to discharge devotional service from him.
(3) Obeying the orders of the spiritual master with faith and devotion.

All the other items of bhakti are automatically included in these three principles. So if you will simply take shelter of the spiritual master, get initiated by him and always obey him, you will quickly and easily be elevated to the transcendental platform of pure devotional service. In other words, Lord Sri Krishna will become your property”

So dear mataji, in simple words we cannot be liberated from material bandage without the mercy of our spiritual master.

Even if you cannot undergo a formal ceremony, if the spiritual master accepts you and you follow his instructions, that’s initiation. Srila Prahbupada did not get formally initiated until after twelve years after accepting his spiritual master, yet he says from the first meeting, the actual initiation took place, as he accepted his spiritual master within his heart and his instructions as his life and soul.

And as far as the good deeds you mentioned are concerned,everyone is rewarded or punished according to his karma. And if the activities are in Krsna consciousness, Lord Sri Krsna says that anyone who renders even a small amount of service unto Him, it doesn’t go in vain. In this or next life Krsna blesses Him with sufficient intelligent and also makes situation favorable for Him by letting him take birth in a high or vaishnava family so that He can attain the Supreme.

I however have no knowledge. I just made an insignificant attempt to answer and shared what I have learnt from senior devotees. Forgive for any offense.

your servant,
Priya

Yamini Narang, 20th January 2015

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances at your feet.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Guru Mataji.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Dear HG Jaanvi Mataji,

First of all, I totally agree with what Priya said just except one thing that she mentioned.

She mentioned that we are rewarded or punished because of our karma. Actually prabhupada says that we are not rewarded or punished, we get reciprocation to our own deeds. Whatever we do, we get reciprocation of that.

And coming to your question, I know a prabhu he’s actually a very good human being, always eager to help others, social services, very positive, no grudges for anyone etc. In other words a very good person. He’s my uncle and his wife is a very good devotee so once we had a programme at some devotee’s place so she asked this question to the speaker “prabhuji, my husband is a very good person but not a krsna devotee so where will he go after leaving his body?”
And prabhuji said that if you’re having a very positive attitude, very down to earth attitude,you’re very good etc. But you are not serving the Lord then after some births you’ll get to know about the Supreme or as u have a very much service attitude so may be by Krsna’s arrangement you sometime may get a chance to serve a Vaishnava, a pure soul then by his blessings you’ll for sure become a good devotee someday may be in this birth or some other. Prabhuji mentioned a quote by HH Radhanath Swami in this regard “a devotee’s anger can turn all your good qualities bad” so prabhu said the same applies the other way.. If you can serve a Vaishnava and please him his blessings can turn all your bad qualities good. So we should grab any opportunity to serve devotees with both of our hands.

In the end we all have to return back home, Back to God head, we have to go into our original identity, the eternal one. So it depends on our karmas when we get that wonderful opportunity to be able to try to go back home. We are really blessed that we got Srila Prabhupada, the savior of this world. We should follow him very sincerely. He has put in a lot of effort to revolutionize this world and we all should assist him and his wonderful disciples in spreading Lord Chaitanya’s message to the fallen souls in this world and make this Hare Krishna Movement even more successful.

I’m the most fallen soul on this planet. Just tried to share a very little knowledge I had. Please forgive for any offenses committed.

your insignificant servant,
Yamini.

Sudarshan Das, 20th January 2015

Hare Krishna,

Such a wonderful question and such wonderful replies!!

Priya Mataji has very beautifully answered the question. I just wanted to mention that someone without a Spiritual Master is like a dog with no master. They do not have the care and protection that a dog with a master has. So getting initiate is a must have. However for those who were not able to attain the perfection stage they are not losers. This is the beauty of putting efforts into a Spiritual goal.

Please refer to the following verses from the 6th Chapter:

Question:
Bg 6.37 — Arjuna said: O Kṛṣṇa, what is the destination of the unsuccessful transcendentalist, who in the beginning takes to the process of self-realization with faith but who later desists due to worldly-mindedness and thus does not attain perfection in mysticism?
Bg 6.38 — O mighty-armed Kṛṣṇa, does not such a man, who is bewildered from the path of transcendence, fall away from both spiritual and material success and perish like a riven cloud, with no position in any sphere?
Bg 6.39 — This is my doubt, O Kṛṣṇa, and I ask You to dispel it completely. But for You, no one is to be found who can destroy this doubt.

Answer:
Bg 6.40 — The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Son of Pṛthā, a transcendentalist engaged in auspicious activities does not meet with destruction either in this world or in the spiritual world; one who does good, My friend, is never overcome by evil.
Bg 6.41 — The unsuccessful yogī, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.
Bg 6.42 — Or [if unsuccessful after long practice of yoga] he takes his birth in a family of transcendentalists who are surely great in wisdom. Certainly, such a birth is rare in this world.
Bg 6.43 — On taking such a birth, he revives the divine consciousness of his previous life, and he again tries to make further progress in order to achieve complete success, O son of Kuru.
Bg 6.44 — By virtue of the divine consciousness of his previous life, he automatically becomes attracted to the yogic principles – even without seeking them. Such an inquisitive transcendentalist stands always above the ritualistic principles of the scriptures.
Bg 6.45 — And when the yogī engages himself with sincere endeavor in making further progress, being washed of all contaminations, then ultimately, achieving perfection after many, many births of practice, he attains the supreme goal.

your Servant,
Sudarshan Das

Haldhar Das, 20th January 2015

Hare Krsna mataji,

Qs. Many people in this world have no spiritual master, but are following all the good qualities of human being, moreover, helping needy people, social service, etc. Also, visiting temple and listening to spiritual talks.

It’s a very nice question and personally I feel it’s relevant to everyone as everyone thinks himself the epitome of good qualities. Regarding visiting a temple actually and spiritual master importance, one can answer by pondering over what he was before coming in contact with Iskcon devotees and what he is now.

Some years before I got an acquaintance with such a person, who always used to talk of organizations doing social services etc. and he used to regularly donate there. I wanted to help him in diverting his energy to the source of every energy, so I became friendly with him, with time made him understand the real cause, the best welfare activity, that prevalent social service these days or such welfare activities targeting the body or the outer shirt only whereas our various welfare activities are for the eternal soul which by serving the suffering soul are serving the body automatically like Food For Life Program, Bhakti Vedanta Hospital, Gurukul Institutes etc. So gradually gradually he was convinced and somehow I get him enrolled to “Discover Yourself Course” and now he is not only a regular donor but also fortunately listens to spiritual talks from pure devotee only.

So only going to temple(which one? Following the path shown by acharyas?) does not make one devotee, it’s the motive what one has signifies his real position and regarding listening to spiritual talks Sanatana Goswami says hearing from a non-devotee is like drinking milk being touched by a serpent. So we have to see from the light of the scriptures what a good human being is. Scriptures says, human life starts from enquiring about one’s real position

By chance, I was today morning reading from Srimad Bhagvatam Canto 4th , chapter 25th and verse 5th is answering your question fully on the subject matter i.e. fruitve activities and spiritual master. So I am putting the same below for reference:

While the princes were undergoing severe austerities in the water, their father was performing different types of fruitive activities. At this time the great saint Narada, master and teacher of all spiritual life, became very compassionate upon the King and decided to instruct him about spiritual life. (So we should be compassionate also towards such people)

Narada Muni asked King Pracinabarhisat: My dear King, what do you desire to achieve by performing these fruitive activities? The chief aim of life is to get rid of all miseries and enjoy happiness, but these two things cannot be realized by fruitive activity. (we may too ask as per time , place & circumstances what do they desire to achieve by these fruitive activities)

“The King replied: O great soul, Nārada, my intelligence is entangled in fruitive activities; therefore I do not know the ultimate goal of life. Kindly instruct me in pure knowledge so that I can get out of the entanglement of fruitive activities.” (This shows that such people may be ripe for injecting Krsna consciousness in case they have not become too arrogant with doer mentality or they are doing the same in ignorance or without any ill motive etc.)

Sri Narottama dasa Thakura has sung:
sat-sanga chadi kainu asate vilasa
te-karane lagila ye karma-bandha-phansa

As long as a person is entangled in fruitive activities, he is bound to accept one body after another. This is called karma-banda-phansa, entanglement in fruitive activities. It does not matter whether one is engaged in pious or impious activities, for both are causes for further entanglement in material bodies. By pious activities one can take birth in a rich family and get a good education and a beautiful body, but this does not mean that the distresses of life are ultimately eliminated. In the Western countries it is not unusual for one to take birth in a rich aristocratic family, nor is it unusual for one to have a good education and a very beautiful body, but this does not mean that Westerners are free from the distresses of life. Although at the present moment the younger generation in Western countries has sufficient education, beauty and wealth, and although there is enough food, clothing, and facilities for sense gratification, they are in distress. Indeed, they are so distressed that they become hippies, and the laws of nature force them to accept a wretched life. Thus they go about unclean and without shelter or food, and they are forced to sleep in the street. It can be concluded that one cannot become happy by simply performing pious activities. It is not a fact that those who are born with a silver spoon in their mouth are free from the material miseries of birth, old age, disease and death. The conclusion is that one cannot be happy by simply executing pious or impious activities. Such activities simply cause entanglement and transmigration from one body to another. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura calls this karma-bandha-phansa.

King Pracinabarhisat admitted this fact and frankly asked Narada Muni how he could get out of this karma-bandha-phansa, entanglement in fruitive activities. This is actually the stage of knowledge indicated in the first verse of Vedanta-sutra: athāto brahma-jijnasa. When one actually reaches the platform of frustration in an attempt to discharge karma-bandha-phansa, he inquires about the real value of life, which is called brahma-jijnasa. In order to inquire about the ultimate goal of life, the Vedas (Mundaka Upaniṣad 11.2.12) enjoin, tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: “In order to understand the transcendental science, one must approach a bona fide spiritual master.”

King Pracinabarhisat found the best spiritual master, Narada Muni, and he therefore asked him about that knowledge by which one can get out of the entanglement of karma-bandha-phansa, fruitive activities. This is the actual business of human life. Jivasya tattva-jijnasa nartho yas ceha karmabhihḥ. As stated in the Second Chapter of the First Canto of Srimad Bhagvatam (1.2.10), a human being’s only business is inquiring from a bona fide spiritual master about extrication from the entanglement of karma-bandha-phansa.

Qs. Where will they go after leaving their material body?
It’s already answered above. But we may ask them, where are you heading to (in a mood to help them)? Like Narada Muni being compassionate asking above – “My dear King, what do you desire to achieve by performing these fruitive activities?”

Thank you.

your servant,
Haldhar Das

Jaanvi, 21st January 2015

Dear Matajis and Prabhujis,

Thanks for sharing all your answers, very enlightening and helpful.

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Sridhar Das, 22nd January 2015

Hare Krishna Mataji!
Please accept my humble obeisances!

The judging factor for whether an activity is spiritual or not, is:

dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ
notpādayed yadi ratiṁ
śrama eva hi kevalam

“The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.” (SB 1.2.8)

Social service, planting trees, feeding the poor, constructing hospitals, digging wells, etc. are great pious acts!

However, the Chaitanya Charitamrita states:

kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ
krīyatāṁ yadi kuto ’pi labhyate
tatra laulyam api mūlyam ekalaṁ
janma-koṭi-sukṛtair na labhyate

“Pure devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be had even by pious activity in hundreds and thousands of lives. It can be attained only by paying one price — that is, intense greed to obtain it. If it is available somewhere, one must purchase it without delay.” (CC Madhya 8/70)

On Jan 20th Srila Gurudeva clarified that if one accepts Srila Prabhupada’s teachings and neglects initiation, that’s committing the third offence: Disobeying the orders of the spiritual master. Initiation is must therefore!

In fact it has repeatedly been emphasized Srila Gurudeva, The tripod of bhakti from The Nectar of Devotion:

1) Taking shelter of a bonafide spiritual master
2) Getting initiated by the spiritual master
3) Following the instructions given by the spiritual master

It is IMPOSSIBLE to attain attraction for the message of Godhead without surrender to the instructions of a spiritual master. Any tasks therefore not directed towards surrender unto the lotus feet of Lord Krishna’s beloved devotee is srama eva hi kevalam, useless labor.

In fact Srila Gurudeva has repeatedly also emphasizes every now and then from the Adi Purana:

ye me bhakta-janah partha
na me bhaktas ca te janah
mad-bhaktanam ca ye bhaktas
te me bhakta-tama matah

“Those who are My devotees are not My devotees, but those who are the devotees of My devotees are My devotees.”

Reading with Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Gurumataji on 20th, we also read (from SB 2/4/10 purport):

“Therefore, not only is a devotee of the Lord more powerful than the Lord, but also worship of the devotee is considered more effective than direct worship of the Lord (mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā).”

Therefore, if one doesn’t consider it important to surrender to such a surrendered devotee of Krishna, how can he be Krishna’s devotee for he is neglecting Krishna’s most important instructions? To not surrender to bonafide guru means to surrender to maya.

“Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.” (CC Madhya 19/151)

Therefore any such person should be considered unfortunate and if favourable, must be approached and offered help, having taken residence at the lotus feet of guru ourself first.

YET, Krishna is tough to be understood. As it was once pointed by His Grace Mahabhagavat Prabhu, who knows how Krishna may promote during death. But this surely is rare.

your servant
Sridhar Das

Why do breakups happen?

Jaanvi, 12th January 2015

Dear All,

Hare Krsna

In the recent times, there have been many breaking up of family relationships, such as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, husband and wife, parent and children, etc. Now, are these happenings due to past karmic reactions, or other reasons??

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Lalit, 12th January 2015

Hare krishna!

I share my learning.

Relations are nothing more than karmic account settlement.

As long as we are attached to our karma the cycle continues.

Doing karma as in duty bound without any prejudice towards result may (as i am too in search) lead to the path inside.

Hare Krishna!

Sudeep Manchanda, 12th January 2015

Hare Krishna,

Unfortunately, breaking of relationships is becoming more and more common these days. We have a lot technology to connect to other but still being dragged away from each other. We strive to have ‘good’ company around us. But is our definition of ‘good’ correct?

In Kali-Yuga we do not have relationships. Forget about relationship with The Supreme Personality of Godhead, we do not even have relationships on a material platform. All we do is business. This is a bitter truth! The parent take care of their child so that he/she would take care of them when they grow up.. and similarly for any relationship. We like people who would praise us and not those who would tell us the truth. We all want to be independent and do not want to told what we should and should not do. We put out offers.. I will love you and marry you if you allow me to do something something or I will leave with my parents only if they pay my expense and allow me to do what “I”want to do.

The problem is not Karmas per say. I am married to a wonderfully understanding wife so does that mean my karmas were good? And if I did not have a good wife would that mean my karmas were bad? This may not may not be true but it does become an excuse for us to run away from trying to what we should be doing. We give excuses… What can I do I don’t have a good wife because of my karmas. And what about us?

The perfection of any household (Grahasta) is to have The Supreme Personality Of Godhead, Krishna in the center. It is the responsibility of every family member to contribute to it. If we keep doing business with our family, that is wrong! If we think that this is Krishna’s family and as a part of this family I have a role to play. I have some roles and responsibilities towards ensuring that the common goal of going back to Godhead is met for all; then that is the right consciousness. And with the consciousness there would never be any difference is opinion about what should be done, there may however be difference in the methods of doing it but that can be used constructively if we respect others as Vaishnavas and have an attitude to serve them.

An important point to be noted is that one need not bother about karmas if their actions are in Krishna Consciousness.

your Servant,
Sudeep Manchanda

Jaanvi, 13th January 2015

Dear Prabhujis,

Hare Krsna

Thanks for your replies with understanding.

Also, it is true everyone just accept whatever situation as their karma.

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Sacinandana Das, 13th January 2015

Hare Krishna Dear Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Gurudev and Srimati Gurumata.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

It happens because Krishna is not the center of their lives.

your servant,
Sacinandana Das

Lalit, 13th January 2015

Hare krishna!
Karmas with prejudice, attachment and expectations are root cause of misery.
“Karmaneyevadhikaerastu maa faleshun kadachana” summarizes everything.

Be here to make others happy and not in pursuit of happiness for self.

If you have a difficult partner and if you are truly searching for the path inside then you should be thankful to HIM for making arrangements leading to detachment.

Desire or expectation do not cause misery but if both are unfulfilled they cause havoc in one’ life.

Break ups are usually result of unfulfilled expectations, impatience, prejudice and ego.

A true seeker never gives up on any relation or duty despite all odds placed against him.

Hare Krishna!
Lalit

Haladhar Das, 13th January 2015

Hare Krsna!

No doubt it’s a fact that with the advancement of so called civilization, people are becoming more and more self centered resulting into broken relationships. This happens due to poor guidance or training from foolish representatives, more or less we ourselves are responsible for electing them. That’s why its necessary to preach Lord Caitanya message of Krsna consciousness far and wide. Until and unless people will know at least theoretically that not only them but every species is not a body but an eternal soul, part and parcel of Krsna, these clashes are bound to happen.

na te vidhu svartha gatim hi visnum
durasaya ye bahir artha maninah
andha yathandair upaniyamanas
te ‘apisa tantraym uru-damni baddhah

“Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a similar blind man attached to external sense objects, cannot understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and engage in the service of Lord Viṣṇu ; not engage in service of his uncontrolled senses & fighting like animals. As blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another materially attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labor, which are made of very strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life, suffering the threefold miseries.”

One cannot expect peace in an animalistic society. A bunch of animals will naturally and unnecessarily fight. But if one can understand his real position and the goal of life, then disputes can be easily avoided. One should understand anyone embodied (accepting a suitable body as per his desires from the material nature) is automatically under the modes of material nature and is forced to perform accordingly. That’s why Lord Krsna says to Arjuna to become transcendental to these 3 modes of material nature (BG 2.45 nistrai -gunyo bhava arjuna)

Due to past karma’s one may be put under such situations where there is chance of dispute but by properly utilizing one’s free will and in the light of the scriptures, one can refrain from acting unfavourably resulting into future karmic reactions. By thinking that everything happening due to karmic reactions and forgetting or taking it lightly will not help, one should be aware that the way he handles the situation will result into further results. Like one may have bought a ticket from India to Japan, but how he utilizes his brief stay on the plane depends upon him. Similarly by utilizing the temporary human body for eternal gain or by utilizing the senses in the service of the master of senses, we can make best use of a bad bargain and hence avoid family, social, national, international disputes.

Hope it may help.

Thank you.

Haladhar Das

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 14th January 2015

Dear Mother Jaanvi,

Hare Krishna!

Relationships are complex. Still, one who has a good relationship with Krishna has a good relationship with everyone else. Even if someone’s is a devotee’s enemy, the devotee does not become their enemy. To a nondevotee, yes, everything is karma. But to a devotee, everything is a facility to increase Krishna consciousness, just like the jaws of a cat, death to a mouse, but safe haven to the kitten. So a “bad” relationship is also good for a devotee, and a “good” relationship is equally good, a devotee does not get disturbed with all these things, or even if there is temporary disturbance, the devotee comes back to Krishna consciousness.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das
Priya Sutradhar, 14th January 2015

Hare Krsna dear Jaanvi mataji. Pranam

Srila Prabhupad said Love affairs in the material world are only shadows or reflections of the real love with Krishna. If you love Krishna in any capacity, you shall never be frustrated because everything in Krishna is perfect, eternal, blissful, and full of knowledge.

your servant,
Priya

Bhakta Sunil, 21st January 2015

Hare Krishna Mataji

In this context I found the following letter of Prabhupada which states any fight between husband and wife be not taken seriously
—–
“Don’t create some abnormal condition. Please go back to your husband and live peacefully and execute Krishna Consciousness together. He will also not take sannyasa order out of frustration. You are an intelligent girl and an advanced student. You should know that our main business is Krishna Consciousness. So fighting between husband and wife is not to be taken very seriously. So if you have any respect for me, I request you not to quarrel with your husband seriously. So if you have any respect for me, I request you not to quarrel with your husband. Live peacefully, chant Hare Krishna and try to serve the cause as best as possible. I am very glad that your mother is also taking interest in Krishna Consciousness. That is very good. As you have to leave Boston very soon it is better that you go immediately to N.Y. and live peacefully with your husband. That is my order. I hope you will not disobey me.” [Letter to Ekayani Aug. 31, 1971]
——-
Hope this helps,

Sincerely,
Bhakta Sunil

Yamini Narang, 21st January 2015

Hare Krishna!
Please accept my humble obeisances at your feet.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Dear HG Jaanvi Mataji,
All the previous replies are really wonderful and very helpful. I remember a few teachings by srila gurudeva in this context.

(Excerpt from Srimad Bhagavatam lecture by Srila Gurudeva at Denver, Colorado, 15 January, 2005)

I remember in my brahmacari days we had one temple commander, Madan Mohan Prabhu, in Gainesville. Some of the devotees came up to him and started glorifying him and he knew they had some motives. So he directly said, “OK. What do you want?” He knew there was something up their sleeves. They were not just glorifying him for the sake of glorifying him. This is demoniac mentality. I have some motive so I’m worshiping. In the material world someone gets a position in a corporation and they are always flattering their supervisor. They don’t really like the person. It is just some game to move up the corporate ladders. They might even hate his guts, but still, they play the game, to move up. This is demoniac mentality. It is all based on the desire of prominence. This desire for prominence is the greatest defect actually. It is this desire which brought us here to begin with. We were there in the spiritual world, serving Krishna in Goloka, or in the Vaikuntha world. In every world there, Krishna or Lord Vishnu is prominent. In Goloka Vrindavan everyone is talking about Krishna. The cow herd boys come home, all wide-eyed, they say Mata Mata! You know. What happened today in the forest? This big demon came, and Krishna. Killed him! Krishna did this, Krishna did that! Krishna Krishna!! Everything is Krishna Krishna Krishna.”

So my dear mataji, from this excerpt from Srila Gurudeva’s lecture we can see that people in this material world have demoniac mentality but as prabhupada says that the only motive of our birth is to become Krishna’s servant and go back home, to our real identity, the eternal one and go back to God head. Break up of family relations have even been very frequent in our family and even now many conflicts go on but there’s a change I’ve observed in my family that since a few years the members of our family who have taken up to KC are into family conflicts and fights. So mataji, unless the center of every relationship is Krishna, center every talk, every action, every word that we utter, anything and everything we do, its center is Krishna these kind of fights, conflicts will be there. In other words, suffering will be there.
A few days back I asked Srila Gurudeva about my family members that they keep on shouting on me for nothing and I’m so sensitive that I start crying and waste my time! So Gurudeva said to me that if you are not feeling love from material relations then it is Krsna’s special mercy upon you to become detached from material relations and become more and more attached and surrendered to Him.

And recently I got to know a very sincere and senior mataji who’s a disciple of HH Loknath Swami Maharaj, she loves me like her daughter. So once I told mataji that please don’t leave me, I love you very much. So in reply she said: My dear, till the time the center of our relationship is Krishna, we’ll be together like this and serve the Lord.

So from all these I just concluded one thing. “Keep Krishna in the center, keep your focus on Krishna and serving your Gurudev and you’ll be happy.”

I’m the most fallen soul so kindly forgive me for the offenses committed by me.

May Lord bless you with His pure devotion.

your servant,
Yamini

Lalit, 24th January 2015

Hare Krishna!

All break up moments give you an opportunity to dive inside.

Now it’s at one’s discretion how he uses this opportunity.

Playing blame game, fault finding or plunging inside.

Lalit

Why are Intoxicated People Happy?

Jaanvi, 06 February 2015

Dear all,

Hare Krsna

There are many people who like indulging in alcohol and have a very strong and healthy body as well as being happy. And then, there are those who do not consume alcohol and have a weak body. Now, could you tell me how to understand this difference?

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 06 February 2015

Hare Krishna!

Mother Jaanvi – our present health has many contributing factors. One of them is called “past karma”. A pious person today may have been impious before thus accruing negative karmic reactions, and an impious person today may have been pious before this accruing positive karmic reactions. It is something like a bank account… suppose two people keep spending money equally from their bank accounts, one person’s bank account suddenly becomes empty and the person has no more money, but the other person’s account has a lot more money… but if they keep spending, that account also will become empty.

It is like a Ferris wheel… some people are on top, some people are at the bottom, but the wheel of time turns and situations change.

A fool who keeps indulging in intoxication will eventually fall sick, grow old, and die, nothing is permanent in this material world.

But, Srila Gurudeva has explained that the pious person who is suffering should internally rejoice because their past reactions are getting finished and soon they will be closer to liberation. And the impious person should be gravely thinking that their stock of good karma is rapidly diminishing and some day soon they will have to face up to their current impiety.

The Krishna conscious person sees both with an equal vision, every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future, in this way both saints or sinners can be fully Krishna conscious. But neither the pious nor impious person are really fortunate, unless they are striving to be Krishna conscious.

Krishna consciousness is the only way by which one can get off this “samsara chakra”, the inescapable prison of complete entanglement.

Hope this helps! Other devotees, please do feel free to contribute.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Sacinandana Das, 07th February 2015

Hare Krishna Dear Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Gurudev.

We are not this body. This body is a temporary covering. Only foolish people drink alcohol as its written on the bottle that its injurious to health. Body is secondary. Consciousness is more important. Its better to be Krishna Conscious in a weak body and go Back to Godhead other than being a materialistic drunkard and taking birth as an animal. Only avoiding alcohol is not enough, we should eat and drink only Krishna Prasadam – sanctified vegetarian foodstuff. Generally devotees have a very strong and healthy body. Devotees are the most happy people on this planet. If a man is happy why does he need to drink alcohol?

your servant,
Sacinandana Das

Jaanvi, 8th February 2015

Dear Prabhujis,

Hare Krsna

Thanks for your clear explaination to this query.

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Saurov, 10th February 2015

Hare Krishna,
My feeling is that when Krishna wants us to come back home, he creates certain situations so that we do not wander. Problems, though we might feel punishing in the short run, is a blessing in the long run as this prevents us from indulging in vices. It is a form of Krishna’s love and mercy. I have seen healthy people so involved in indulging their senses that there is no chance for them to remember Krishna in the present condition.
I agree with all the points Mahabhagavat Prabhu has mentioned. This was my additional input from my own realisations.

Hari Bol,
Saurov

How to convince someone that materialistic life is futile

Jaanvi, 27th February 2015

Dear all,

Hare Krsna

How could one convince anyone who is materially involved and see materialistic lifestyle as very normal due to the external atmosphere where most people from all the culture are very material and living life to the fullest in the material sense?

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Premananda das, 28th February 2015

Hare Krishna

Please accept my humble obeisances
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

According to the Bhagavad Gita 16.11-12 the demoniac are always after sense gratification and have concept of after life.They believe only in this life and make plans to enjoy this life to the utmost.

Their belief is any activity can be done there is no sin accrued and their is no karma .

Even at the point of death these foolish people ask the physical to prolong life for another 4 to 5 years as their desires are not fulfilled but fail to recognize that as soon as the notice comes by the laws of nature or destiny the physician will be unable to help him.

According to the Upanishad there are 2 birds sitting on the same tree one is enjoying or suffering the fruits of his activities and the other is witnessing all the activities.Unfortunately they do not believe in the concept of soul and Supersoul .

Even if they heard about this concept they do not beleive and have no conception of God.Their only wish is to fulfill their hundreds and thousands of desires and will use all the illegal ways and means to accumulate wealth and gratify their senses .

Honestly rather than convincing the materially involved people who due to external or illusory energy want to live life to the fullest if they are known to you feed them prasadam and pray to Srila Prabhupada .

As in if you hit your head on the wall it will hurt your head.

Therefore it is said you can lead the horse to water but can’t make him drink .

your servant
Premal

Bhakta Sunil, 28th February 2015

Hare Krishna mataji

Hope you are doing well
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

Many of us are so accustomed or conditioned to lower tastes that it is not easy or quick for many of us to get convinced of taste higher than material pleasure which has become a culture as all in all meaning of living life to the fullest

It is a question of replacing low taste to high taste , for tasting cannot be stopped or renunciated , as Heart is by nature always pleasure seeking

You may try the following tips to convince of Higher Taste or the “Highest Pleasure” :

a) Establish your Divinity first and share as much as you know : For example you can cook and offer to Lord , then give them to “taste”. This is one of the easiest way to convince

b) You can show them transcendental art ( Photos from Iskcon Books ) and allow them to take Darshan from Iskcon Temple Direct broadcasts online

c) You can share poetic thoughts of Senior Devotees , which are easily imbibed or rhyming to the listener. For example “, quotes like “If you give mercy , you get mercy” , and “If you fail to plan , you plan to fail” , and many quotes and even understanding of Scriptures from Iskcon web-pages. Do research on Google

d) Play melodious kirtans and automatically they can listen

Depending on their reaction , you may down-titrate or up-titrate the transcendental prescription

Hope this helps,

your servant,
Bhakta sunil

Sacinandana Das, 28th February 2015

Hare Krsna Dear Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All Glories to Srila Gurudev and Srimati Gurumata ji.
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

By performing Kirtan and giving Prasadam.

your servant,
Sacinandana Das

Jaanvi, 13th March 2015

Dear Prabhujis,

Hare Krsna

Thanks for sharing all your advice.

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Why do Horrible Incidents happen?

Jaanvi, 15th January 2015

Dear All,

Hare Krsna

In this material world, there are so many horrible incidents happening everywhere such as innocent people being killed either by personal family or outside situation?

Now, since God is in every living being’s heart then how come he allows this to happen?

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Rupa Manjari devi dasi, 16th January 2015

Hare Krishna!

Dear Mataji,

This is a common question, often the answer is difficult to digest, if one does not have a grasp on the philosophy. Srila Prahbupada explains this clearly in his books as Krishna explains it in Bhagavad-Gita, where he talks about Karma.

The truth is no one is innocent apart from the few pure souls who have descended here to save us. The materiel world is a prision house for those who wish to leave the loving service of Krishna. Due to our envy we are here trying to Lord is over materiel nature. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, a man reaps what he sows.

The naked truth is everyone gets what they deserve.

However we must be careful not to judge, just because such terrible things have not happened to us yet. We have committed many sinful activities over many thousands of lives, and though all the reactions have not yet fruitified, they may later in life or next lives. Though of course for a devotee one is only getting a token reaction, and our past karma is burnt up during initiation(hour indebted we are to our spiritual master), however we have so much ugly Karma we should be suffering for it.

Rupa Goswami explains in Nectar of Devotion there are four kinds of effects due to sinful activities
1)The effect which is not yet fructified,( the reactions to our activities that are lying dormant) 2) the effect which is lying as a seed ( which are the sinful desires stored in the heart which is a result of past activities which give us inclination to perform more sinful activities),3) The effect that which is almost mature 4)) The effect which is already mature, (The suffering we are experiencing presently).

These four effects can be immediately vanquished by one who surrenders to the Supreme Personaility of Godhead. Some forms of atonement can vanquish those reactions that have not yet fructified but only Devotional service can vanquish the desire to commit the activity again. Therefore unless one adopts the path of devotional service to the Lord one will never be fully free from the reactions of his activites and thus one must continue to suffer birth after birth.

Why does the Lord allow this to happen? Because he loves us. If a child insists on touching fire he will get burnt. He is never likely to do the stupid thing again. But of course the father tries to instruct the child first. That is why the Vedas are there, vanasrama, instructions on our to live a pious life as to minimise one suffering in this materiel world, but ultimately, no one can truly be happy here, as it not one’s true home or nature as a fish can never be happy out of water. So the Lord wants us to be truly happy, eternally happy so that is why there is temporary suffering for sinful activities. There are four types of people who begin to take up devotional service. The distress is one of them.

So we should have compassion for those who are suffering, because they do not have Krishna consciousness. Whether it is the child who is brutally murdered or the lady that just inherited a million dollars and appears happy, as in reality they are both suffering for they have forgotten their constitutional postion as Krsna’s loving servant. The child who was murdered may of burnt of that reaction and in the next life getting some temporary enjoyment and the enjoying lady in this life may be manifesting some terrible kama in her next life, but without Krishna consciousness, apparent good or apparent bad is all misery, Thus as Krishna says in Bhagavd-gita one must become transcendental the dualities of materiel nature.

So in conclusion one must give everyone in some way, some how Krishna consciousness so they can permantely escape the miseries of materiel existence.

your servant
Rupa Manjari devi dasi

Priya Sutradhar, 16th January 2015

Hare Krsna
Dear Rupa Manjari Mataji, you have given a wonderful answer. Thank you so much for enlightening us.

ys,
Priya

Sridhar Das, 16th January 2015

Hare Krishna Mataji
Please accept my humble obeisances!

Your question actually best is answered in the lecture: Unflinching faith in guru, Arrival lecture, San Francisco, July 1975 by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. It should be around 39 minutes mataji, please hear! I will however paste the following:

Just coming here from Philadelphia we were talking with the aeroplane crews, the captain, the pilot. They (were) very patiently hearing us. The question was very intelligent, question pilot made, that “If everything is created by God…” Yes. That is a fact. Janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]. The Vedānta-sūtra says everything is emanated from God. Without a thing being present in God, there cannot be any existence of anything. That’s a fact. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1]. So his question was, “Then what is this evil?” The evil is also God’s creation.

So I explained like this, that for God there is no good or evil; everything is good. So I gave him this example that good, or piety, that is God’s frontage, and evil means God’s back side. So taking this example, the chest or the back of my body, they are equal. It is not that when there is some pain on the back side I don’t care for it; I simply take care of when there is pain in the chest. No. Although it is back side, it is as important as the front side. Then evil and good is also of the same importance? No. Evil… That I gave the example, that for God there is nothing evil. I gave another example. Just like the sun, there is no darkness. Anywhere of sun’s body, there is no darkness. But for us there is light and darkness. Just like if you keep the sun back side, you will find darkness, a very long darkness, your shadow. And if you keep yourself in front, sun, there is no darkness. So it is my business; I create darkness. As soon as I change my position—instead of remaining in front of God, I keep God back side—then there is darkness. Otherwise there is no question of darkness. But in the sun as it is, there is no such darkness. Therefore God is all good. And for us, when we forget God, that is evil. And when we are in God consciousness always, everything good. Is that example all right?
Devotees: Jaya!
Bahulāśva: Perfect.

It is untrue Mataji that Krishna is freely letting us suffer. If one accepts Krishna as Supreme then one must also accept His peace formula – BG 5.29? The reason why we are suffering is because this place is house of miseries. Question should be why are we here?
We actually wanted to be the centre of all enjoyment like Krishna, independently. Therefore Krishna gave us the independence even though we are constitutionally His dependent servants. This is His kindness
So the scenario is: We wanted to be independent enjoyers and Krishna despite being Supreme, acts as our servant, a loving Father by giving us this independence here, where we can enjoy freely. Now we are blaming Krishna that, why are you so loving? Isn’t this childish? Shouldn’t we understand that love is voluntary and not forceful? What is the use of our free will then?
On the other hand, is Krishna really so cruel? Hasn’t He provided us literatures and scriptures as instructions? Didn’t He Himself descend and instruct? Didn’t He recently send His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada and other acharyas? In fact He Himself descended again and again until He gave us the easiest process of Sankirtan yajna.
Yet if we block our eyes and ears, then where is the scope of peace? Suffering is inevitable. Suffering means we cannot be independent enjoyers, but are dependent enjoyers. Therefore we must re-accept our constitutional position of eternity, bliss and knowledge by re-accepting Krishna as Supreme as per BG 5.29. We were never related with suffering. But by blocking the sunlight, darkness arises and by accepting Krishna, the sun, darkness/suffering will automatically diminish.
The suggested lecture above by His Divine Grace also is also based on BG 5.29. Please hear it and it will solve your other past queries Mataji.

your servant
Sridhar Das

jaanvi, 16th January 2015

Dear Mataji,

Hare Krsna

Thanks for your reply with all the teachings.

It may take time to digest this unacceptable truth.

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Rupa Manjari devi dasi, 17th January 2015

Hare Krishna Mataji,

Please absorb yourself in reading Srila Prahbupada’ books, especially Bhagavad-Gita. Intially this conception may be difficult to digest but due to the pure potency of Srila Prahbupada one can easily realize this. When one can factually realize that one is not the body, the truth is liberating.

Sometimes quotes from Jesus come to my mind as I was raised a Christian, Jesus says, “Continue in my word and you shall no the truth and the truth will set you free,”, therefrore if one continues under the guidance of the spiritual master, continues to read Srila Prahbupada’s books and inquire from the pure devotees then very easily you will become fully realized and the truth will no longer be unacceptable to you.

I am not very advance, and perhaps my presentation of this truth is somewhat flawed. If there is still doubt in which it appears to be please inquire from His Grace Sriman Sankarshana das Adhikari, because of his purity he will be able to explains things clearly.

your servant

Rupa Manjari devi dasi

jaanvi, 18th January 2015

Dear Matajis,

Hare Krsna

Thanks for all your answers and explainations.

Could you tell me where can I find the. lecture of Srila Praphupada as per mentioned.

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Sridhar Das, 17th February 2015

Hare Krishna Mataji!

If you were referring to the lecture Unflinching faith in guru – San Francisco – 1975 based on Bhagavad GIta 5.29, the link is shared below. Both audio and transcripts are available.

http://vanisource.org/wiki/750715_-_Lecture_Arrival_-_San_Francisco

If you were asking for the same lecture, I beg forgiveness for not looking into it soon, being entangled in personal interests.

your servant
Shreyas

“Real Life” past the present one?

Jaanvi, 21st December 2014

Dear all,

Hare Krsna

What to tell to people who are living the present life with complete material enjoyment, and do not see the need to change to spiritual path?

They believe only in present life and even if after life all will be forgotten so they do not care?

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Jagannatha Dasa, 21st December 2014

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Thanks for the nice question! To begin our discussion on this important topic here are some ideas:

Establish a relationship of trust:
– Does this person know you, and vice versa? Are they a student, a professional. What are their interests? What are their fears?

Understand their interest:

– How many interests, hobbies or fields of knowledge are there in the world? There are countless ways to attract people to Krishna!

The easiest way for someone to begin Krishna consciousness is from the point that piques their interest the most. After establishing a friendly or polite relationship, gradually it becomes clear what level of interest a person lives on. Everyone has some burning interest, which is a strategy they employ in order to get a need met.

What few realize is that these needs are only actually met within the culture of Krishna consiousness, and its up to devotees to help people progressively realize this. (For a detailed analysis of levels of interest, see Krishna Book chapter 87, paragraphs 29-31 in the discussion of the four coverings of the materially conditioned living entity, and the fifth transcendent state where all one’s needs are fully met in devotional service of the Lord.)

Start the journey:

People are interested mainly in eating nicely and having some fun, so a nice foretaste of Krishna consciousness can be had by inviting them for prasadam and kirtan, (you might try “homemade dinner” and “musical meditation” if they aren’t from India). Drawing them in by the tongue can be a fun and non-confrontational way to break the ice.

Once they come over, test the waters, so to speak until they’re curious to get a book. It may not be the first day, but who knows? I had a friend who used to say “This is Krishna’s magic!”

Looking forward to hearing others’ thoughts.

your servant,
Jagannatha dasa

Shahvir Balaporia, 22nd December 2014

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva!
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Very resourceful reply. I believe the Lord chooses His devotees by inspiring them from within, we are just his instruments. Whoever the Lord chooses will automatically be attracted to Krishna consciousness just as bees are attracted to honey 🙂

your humble servant,
Shahvir

Lalit, 23rd December 2014

Hare krishna!

Let the love for krishna rise from within.

Without the hunger within even the tastiest food appears to be tasteless.

Let the hunger arise, let the desire to connect with the source arise and let the curiosity to know krishna arise.

Don’t get carried away to share your learning without the presence of a deserving patra, as this too is a dosha “maan”.

Because if one tries to explain krishna swaroop to one who is too busy with materialistic pleasures and not interested in knowing Krishna then the one sharing learning is responsible for the displeasure showered upon krishna.

He is known only by his kripa (blessings).

Hare krishna!

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 23rd December 2014

Hare Krishna!

Sorry, the hunger to be Krishna conscious is there in everyone, but it is manifesting as a desire for sense gratification… like the jaundiced man who tastes even sugar as bitter. Material desires are a perverted reflection of spiritual desires… no amount of sense gratification ever satisfies the spirit soul.

The devotee has been instructed by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to be humbler than a blade of grass, lower than a straw in the street. Once I asked Srila Gurudeva how to approach a person who was particularly argumentative, and practically offensive, Srila Gurudeva answered “with a straw in your teeth”, which is an expression that denotes deep humility… I did so and the mood of the conversation changed.

Of course, as Bhakta Lalit said, nothing can take place without Krishna’s mercy, so our business is to beg for His mercy, because Krishna does want everyone to be back in the spiritual world, that is why He comes, that is why He sends His representatives.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

ratika arora, 23rd December 2014

Hare Krishna.
Dandvat Pranam to all. My humble obeisances unto all the devotees.
All Glories to Srila Gurudeva.
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.
I just read the question and the wonderful answers given to this questions. Thank you so Matajis and Prabhujis. Even I had a same question to ask. For this I have got two point of views. The one presented here and the other is that a devotee must have lot of patience so he or she must keep on trying to convey this message of Krishna and one fine day they will definitely understand. I am a lecturer and my colleagues are very much into material entanglements they give such stupid comments when I speak to them about Krishna. So I was confused what should I do so I asked senior devotees and they told me to go for the second way which I just mentioned. And here I read this that we should see first if they are deserving or not. By asking this question I don’t mean to comment on these wonderful answers. I am asking this because now I am confused again because both the answers given to me are by such wonderful devotees. So kindly guide me what exactly I need to do. As of now I keep serving them little prasadam daily.
Pls forgive me if I said anything wrong. I am just an initial stage devotee and I am trying to do the best I can do. Hope so I represented my doubt in a correct way.

your servent
Ratika Arora

Nirmala Devaki Devi Dasi, 23rd December 2014

HARE KRISHNA
Please accept my humble obeisances..

Worship the Lord, whose name is like the sun, for (because) just as slight appearance of the sun dissipates the darkness of night, so a slight appearance of the holy name of Krishna can drive away all the darkness of ignorance that arises in the heart due to greatly sinful activities performed in previous lives.

Please tell me what is darkness of ignorance here??

your servant,
Nishima

Bhakta Sunil, 28th December 2014

Hare Krishna Nishima Mataji

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

Your query is important and shows you are trying to understand this ‘king of education’ which is purest of pure and most secret

I hope the following references help in answering your query :

From “Bhagavad Gita As It Is” 10.11 : Due to the contamination of material association, through many, many millions of births, one’s heart is always covered with the dust of materialism, but when one engages in devotional service and constantly chants Hare Kṛṣṇa, the dust quickly clears, and one is elevated to the platform of pure knowledge. The ultimate goal, Viṣṇu, can be attained only by this chant and by devotional service, and not by mental speculation or argument. The pure devotee does not have to worry about the material necessities of life; he need not be anxious, because when he removes the darkness from his heart, everything is provided automatically by the Supreme Lord, who is pleased by the loving devotional service of the devotee. This is the essence of the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā. By studying Bhagavad-gītā, one can become a soul completely surrendered to the Supreme Lord and engage himself in pure devotional service. As the Lord takes charge, one becomes completely free from all kinds of materialistic endeavors.

From Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.4 Purport : The external energy is compared to darkness because it keeps the living entities in the darkness of ignorance. The word apāśrayam suggests that this energy of the Lord is under full control. The internal potency or superior energy is also called māyā, but it is spiritual māyā, or energy exhibited in the absolute realm. When one is under the shelter of this internal potency, the darkness of material ignorance is at once dissipated.

One homework for you Mataji : Please read Gita As It Is Chapter 14 Verse 8

Hope this helps,

Sincerely,
Bhakta Sunil

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 28th December 2014

Mother Ratika,

Hare Krishna!

Your question is relevant.

To this, I can only say that we can answer in principle, but the practical application of the principles is dependent on the specific time, place, and circumstances.

In other words, your own intelligence comes into play in how to share Krishna consciousness others, there is no single hard-and-fast-rule for this, different approaches work in different circumstances. The principles remain the details vary.

Even if someone is unqualified, the devotee’s mercy can make them qualified, this is why the devotee is actually understood as more powerful than Krishna, because Krishna considers Himself the property of the sincere devotee.

Please keep trying your best in an intelligent way – in due course of time you will gain valuable experience and insights into the art of sharing Krishna consciousness with others.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Practise before you preach?

Jaanvi, 30th December 2014

Dear all,

Hare Krsna

Could you tell me if it is alright or correct to advise other people about spiritual path?

Even though, one may not be a pure or perfect devotee and may have many faults.

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Bhakta Sunil, 31st December 2014

Mataji Hare Krishna

You can tell them how much you know and realize about this sublime process

Even if you do not practise what you preach , you can tell them : that is what is correct according to Scripture

With regards to this point, hope the following Question-Answer from Ultimate Self Realization E-Course also helps :

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:
________________________________

Question: How to Develop a Desire for Chanting

________________________________

My Dear Guru Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to you and to your worldwide e-preaching!!!
All glories to our dearmost Gurumataji!!!

1. What is the best and the surest way of becoming determined for getting out of bodily identification?

2. How to win over internal laziness?

3. How to chant my rounds so that I feel like chanting? Not just an activity which I have to do, rather something which I want to do?

4. I have heard many times from many devotees: “First be strong in ecstatic in kirtan and japa. Then go out to preach others.” I am not at all strong in either of them. Does that mean I should not go out to preach?

Begging your mercy

Virendra

________________________________

Answer: Remember that You are Meeting Krishna

________________________________

To get out of bodily identification rise early every morning before sunrise, take bath, and deeply absorb yourself in chanting Hare Krishna.

Conquer internal and external laziness by love for Guru, Krishna, and Vaisnavas.

Chanting is enchanting. Even if you don’t taste the ecstasy yet, always remind yourself that chanting Hare Krishna japa is the sweetest, most relishable thing you do each day because it is that time every day when you get to have your own personal, intimate one-on-one private meeting with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna.

Those who only do bhajan but do not share the mercy of Krishna with those who are suffering due to a lack of Krishna consciousness are disobeying Lord Caitanya’s order that we must tell everyone about Krishna. Because of this neglect of Lord Caitanya’s order they will not be able to relish the full taste of Krishna consciousness.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

————–

Sincerely,

Bhakta Sunil

How can we be detached from the fruits of our actions

Vishal Puri, 13th March 2015

Hare Krishna Devotees,

Dandavats Pranam.

Can devotees help me explain the sloka 2.47 “You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.”

Before doing anything I think a lot about the results, that I become so lost and I don’t perform the my daily duties. So can you please help, how can I perform my daily duties without thinking to much.

Hare Krishna.

Premananda das, 13th March 2015

Hare krishna prabhu

If you analyse the verse 2.47 carefully .Krishna says to perform prescribed duty and not capricious or inaction.You can analyse yourself what activities you are performing .
Prescribed duties are of 3 types routine work ,emergency and desired work.

Routine work enjoined as per scriptures without desires in the mode of goodness should be performed as it will lead to liberation.
But work with desires will lead to bondage .
Following 2.48 verse Krishna tells Arjuna to be equiposed while performing prescribed duty and not be attached to success and failure.As it is Krishna’s concern what result to give you .
In fact Yoge means to concentrate the mind up in Supreme by controlling the ever disturbing senses.By krishna consciousness only one can give up the sense of proprietorship .
One has to become servant of Krishna or servant of servant of Krishna .
That is the right way of discharge duty in Krishna consciousness Which alone can help one in yoga.
If you can’ t beat them join them.
So rather than being attached to the results it’s better to follow Krishna’s instruction by being a servant of the servant of Krishna .Chanting the holy names and eating krishna prasadam are essential.
You can also pray to Krishna sincerely .

your servant
Premananda das

Bhakta Sunil, 13th March 2015

Hare Krishna dear Vishal ji

Hope you are in good mood and good health

One should do daily duties with a mindset of giving pleasure to the Lord , but not for personal selfish enjoyment

If duties are done with motive to give pleasure and not receive pleasure , then automatically one would not be anxious about results

Engage in duties which are favorable to Krishna Consciousness ( chanting , reading Prabhupada’s boolk , Darshan , Eating only Prasadam ) and avoid activities which are not favorable to Krishna Consciousness ( cinemas , mundane magazines , gossip about sports politics )

For example , if one is habituated to gossip about politics , this activity cannot be done for pleasure of Lord and so naturally one would be anxious about results to defeat one mundane argument with another mundane argument

Prescribed duties means work or occupation which suits your mode of nature or natural inclination. For example , the occupation or profession may be according to one’s abilities and talents or your hobbies. Such duties or activities are helpful to keep you fit enough to be engaged in devotional service.

One should not avoid duties due to laziness or artificialy renunciating

“Work with results becomes the cause of bondage; therefore such work is not auspicious” – Gita As It Is , 2.47 Purport

Non-participation or not doing work , is another side of attachment. Such attachment never leads one to the path of salvation. Any attachment, positive or negative, is cause for bondage. Inaction is sinful. Therefore, doing work as duty to keep fit and in activities to help serve the Lord is best , as fighting as a matter of duty was the only auspicious path of salvation for Arjuna.

Sincerely,
Bhakta Sunil

Nawneet Kumar, 13th March 2015

Hi Vishal,

As per our upbringing, this is a common way of thinking…We always are concerned about the results, we are motivated by results rather than the efforts …it is conditioned in that way. To come out of this pattern, need is to create a new pattern, which is more powerful. Try to find out what can be the first thing to create a new pattern, where putting efforts is more important, focus only to put our best effort and keep some rewards for doing the effort rather than the results. Hope this helps…

Chanting “Hare Krishna” mantra would definitely help.

Best regards,
Nawneet

Shreyas, 24th March 2015

Hare Krishna Vishal!

Reading all the answers above concludes the all perfection in essence. Before writing my conclusion I re-read all replies and its already stated by all together, just that Krishna has now blessed me to understand with what motive each has written each single line.

All have concluded to the same point at least – The problem why we are so attached is because since time immemorial we have been running after material pleasures and now our mind has been embossed with myriad material desires. This desire is a result of ” I am God” desire. So as long as we have this desire to – be the centre of all enjoyments – problem will remain.

Throwing up all garbage like newspapers, mundane movies, mundane gossips are surely cutting the source of nonsense but still within devotional service itself we will be troubled with the enjoying tendency due to attachment to results as long as we have to engage with material world. This will be manifested when we mess up in some service and our ego is bashed completely out of embarrassment. What is the solution?

As already concluded firstly by Bhakta Premal – a person who knows – “I am a complete basket case! Full of imperfections! Insignificant servant of Krishna! Immature neophyte, etc….” won’t be agitated by failures. Will he/she be? If one knows that it’s no big deal for me to commit mistakes and be offensive or egoistic or embarrassing because Srila Prabhupada and Vaishnavas already state what it means to be a conditioned soul, and I am being pointed here. If one knows that he/she is full of imperfections and immaturity and aspiring to improve sincerely, one won’t be embarrassed by failures or mistakes. Only those who are under illusion considering oneself to be a elevated God-like personality would be hurt upon failures.

So a genuine Vaishnava, the spiritual master, a pure devotee of Krishna will understand this and I must therefore take shelter of such Vaishnava, who will take compassion on my conditioned state of mind, my neophyte stage and help me rise by giving me love of Krishna. Let me search that Vaishnava and personally serve him and please him to his fullest and accept his corrections.

Of course by rising in perfection still makes one realize in reality and practicality how one is lower than even the stool on road although such devotees are worth having association of. So the ultimate question should be – “How shall I practically realize that I am servant of Krishna besides theoretical conclusion?” This inquiry will help one in ones journey towards Back to Godhead. It’s all centred on detaching mind from material sense enjoyment. This is possible only by voluntarily taking austerities in Krishna’s service under a constant senior supervision. Devotional Service is unlike ordinary service. Here Krishna corrects and guides as per our sincerity.

Lastly, the attitude of an imperfect conditioned soul has to be well applied in professional life. With constant engagement in Krishna’s service all intelligence is gradually provided as stated in BG 10.10. So the sum and substance, lets look out for constant engagement in Krishna’s service under a senior guidance and be sold to Krishna by body, mind and words.

And when we will succeed, we shall meditate not on how nicely we did but how without this Vaishnava’s mercy I would have kept weeping with my misdirected struggles due to material attachments.

All Glories to this Vaishnava! In this way in failure or success we can remain Krishna Conscious, in other words equipoised.

your servant
Bhakta Shreyas

How can we love someone we dislike?

Yamini Narang, 20 December 2014

Hare Krishna devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisances..
All glories to Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Mataji….
All glories to Srila Prabhupada..

How can we love or like someone we dislike?

your servant,
Yamini

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 24 December 2014

Dear Mother Yamini,

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

A pure devotee can do this perfectly. We cannot expect ourselves to be at that level from one moment to next, it is a process.

The process is following the principles of sadhana bhakti, chanting our minimum rounds, following the regulative principles, and trying to avoid offenses in chanting, deity worship, and our interactions with others, goes a long way.

Plus, as we study the scriptures, especially Bhagavad Gita, every day Krishna gives us an opportunity to practice the instructions of the Bhagavad Gita. I fall short every single day.

For example, Krishna explains that both like (raga) and dislike (dvesha) are on the platform of duality… when we say “I like”, that means that there is some corresponding “I dislike”. We ourselves can practice seeing this in our actions, and at least act in a fair manner, Srila Prabhupada quoted “satyam bravit priyam bravit”, or “speak the truth but do so in a palatable way”. In this way, even if we don’t like someone, we can act properly towards them, and in due course of time, this dislike will be replaced with a universal love as we begin to see everyone as “mamaiva amsha” or Krishna’s parts-and-parcel, we begin to see everyone in relation to Krishna. You love Krishna, and when you see everyone as Krishna’s, how can you not love them?

The entire process of devotional service, especially devotee association, helps a lot. Every day for example, I meet at least one devotee who is much better than me on a particular service, skill, task or Vaishnava attribute or quality.

These help us, I heard once that in the process of performing our service day after day after day, we may see ourselves full of faults, but others will notice how it is so much more pleasant to interact with us due to the purification we have acquired. This is one reason, for example, that why everyone wants to associate with and serve the spiritual masters, though the spiritual masters don’t see themselves as anything special.

In the meantime, have patience with yourself, trees of valuable fruits like cashew and mango take a long time to mature and yield fruit, but the wait is worth it.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Yamini Narang, 01 January 2015

Hare Krishna devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisances..
All glories to Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Mataji….
All glories to Srila Prabhupada..

thank you all of you for your wonderful replies.
i asked this question to gurudeva and i am sharing gurudeva’s answer here in this post..
—
From: ISKCON Adelaide, Australia

My Dear Yamini,

Please accept my blessings.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Feel sorry for them that they are not
Krishna conscious.

I hope this meets you in the best of health
and in an ecstatic mood.

Your ever well-wisher,

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

kṛṣṇe matir astu (“May you become Krishna conscious”).
—
this was Gurudeva’s reply

thanks
your servant,
yamini

What to do with money found

Jaanvi, 29th December 2014

Dear all,

HARE KRSNA

Could you tell me if someone finds a big sum of money on the road, he has no idea who it belongs to. Is it correct to keep it for own use. Will this create any karmic action? Or maybe, this could be due to his past karmic reaction that he found this money?

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Sridhar Das, 30th December 2014

Hare Krishna!
Please accept my humble obeisances!

Mataji, after understanding this basic principle of karma, you will be able to answer it:

yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra
loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ
tad-arthaṁ karma kaunteya
mukta-saṅgaḥ samācara

Work done as a sacriﬁce for Viṣṇu has to be performed; otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage. (BG 3.9)

Further understanding from Nectar of Instructions, Text 2:

“The wealth of the world actually belongs to Kṛṣṇa, and every living entity, man and animal, has the birthright to use God’s property for his maintenance. When one takes more than his maintenance requires – be he a capitalist or a communist – he is a thief, and as such he is liable to be punished by the laws of nature. The wealth of the world should be used for the welfare of all living entities, for that is the plan of Mother Nature. Everyone has the right to live by utilizing the wealth of the Lord. When people learn the art of scientiﬁcally utilizing the Lord’s property, they will no longer encroach upon one another’s rights. Then an ideal society can be formed.

The basic principle for such a spiritual society is stated in the ﬁrst mantra of Śrī Īśopaniṣad:

īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvaṁ
yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat
tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā
mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam

“Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.”

Therefore, its very important to learn this science in order to know what real welfare is. Only then can we utilize everything perfectly.

The ultimate understanding of this science is as Srila Prabhupada explained – Everything belongs to Krishna.

If I use it for my enjoyment, then I am a thief, meant to be punished (This is karma). If I think, “I am not the enjoyer, let me renounce the money!” that is also foolishness for how can one renounce that which never belonged to that person?

However, If used for Krishna’s enjoyment it’s akarma (boundless action). In fact not only me but the person to whom the money so-called belongs, will also benefit tremendously. Akarma or devotional service will rather destroy all the past karmic reactions!

Therefore, one should know the Original proprietor.

Then, next duty is to apply the knowledge and preach. I daily encounter people who think by working hard like asses honestly (honest asses), one will be liberated. While they are working hard for little grass thinking of liberation, its pitiable that they are indeed preparing themselves to become an ass or so in their next birth. This is the result of a spiritually illiterate society, with the wrong understanding of karma.

But in real world, I won’t steal and run away such money. I shall definitely seek out the person who may be in dire need of that money. If found then I shall request for some donation from him for his benefit. If not, then I shall see how I may ‘smartly’ do the right thing for the mass out of illiteracy may consider me a criminal.

Also, in one of the lectures Srila Gurudeva was giving an insider secret of a spiritual master, to a devotee who is a sales manager of a company with many karmis working under him: The spiritual master sees every one as a part and parcel of Krishna who are covered devotees now. The spiritual master sees, how shall I engage them in such a way that majority of their energy is transferred to Krishna. Therefore we must feed them prashadam. Or accept what they may offer and see how to donate it to Krishna. Accept their love or appreciation. When the boss appreciates the devotee for his work, that is also offered to Krishna!
For this one needs to be very strong in sadhana, for all the karmic reactions being directed to Krishna will be directed through him as the medium.

your servant
Sridhar Das

Sacinandana Prabhu, 30th December 2014

Hare Krishna Dear Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Gurudev and Srimati Gurumata.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

It would be good to donate the money to the local Iskcon Temple.

your servant,
Sacinandana das

Manian VB, 30th December 2014

hare krishna: the question is whether to return the money or use it for you. if you cannot find the owner, you have to use it for spreading krishna concisous as using for personal bnefits will create karmic reactions. your undeserving servant. manain

Rasika Krishna Das, 30th December 2014

Mother Jaanvi,

Hare Krishna!

From the book ‘Nectar of Instruction’:

If a hundred dollar bill is lying on the street, someone may pick it up and put it in his pocket. Such a man is not honest. Another man may see the money and decide to let it remain there, thinking that he should not touch another’s property. Although this second man does not steal the money for his own purposes, he is unaware of its proper use. The third man who sees the hundred-dollar bill may pick it up, find the man who lost it and deliver it to him. This man does not steal the money to spend for himself, nor does he neglect it and let it lie in the street. By taking it and delivering it to the man who has lost it, this man is both honest and wise.

Since the wealth of the world actually belongs to Krsna, so the money can be donated to nearest ISKCON so that it can be best used for the welfare of all living entities.

Sincerely,
Rasika Krishna Das

Gabrielė, 30th December 2014

Hare Krishna, my humble obeisances,

This happened to me too, found 100 EUR on the road. I offered those money to Srila Gurudeva on Vyasa Puja. I do not know if it was the perfect way to do…

your servant,
Gabriele

Rathin Mandal, 30th December 2014

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeisances,
All glories to Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Gurumataji,

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I had received a very nice teaching, regarding this from Her Grace Shyamamohini Mataji in Toronto. Everything belongs to Krishna.
We all went to book distribution once. On our way back, in one place we saw many coins lying on ground. We ask nearby people if it was their money. Everyone said NO. Then Mataji said that pick up the money. It is Krishna’s money, let us return it back to him. So we will picked up the coins and deposited in the temple.

The lesson I learned was that if I come across something that does not belong to me, then I should try to use it in service of Krishna or give it to someone who can use it for service, if I am not fully capable of doing that. Keeping something for myself, which is not mine, is certainly an attachment. That’s too a bad kind of attachment.

Also if we donate that in service of Sri Krishna, than we are also helping that person who lost something. As his earning has been used in service for Sri Krishna. That is good for him.

your Servant
Rathin

Jaanvi, 31st December 2014

Dear Matajis and Prabhujis,

Hare Krsna

Thanks so much for all your answers.

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Rahul Mangla, 31st December 2014

Hare Krishna!

Rathin prabhu, the last point you wrote is excellent. I never thought of it. Thank you 🙂

your servant,
Rasika Krishna Das

Jaanvi, 03rd January 2015

Dear Matajis and Prabhujis,

Hare Krsna

Thanks so much for all your answers.

Sincerely,
Jaanvi

Is Lord Jesus Christ an incarnation of Krishna?

Bhakta Sunil, 28th December 2014

Hare Krishna everyone

Please accept my humble respects
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Have a Krishna Conscious Christmas!

Please tell whether Lord Jesus Christ is an incarnation in the mood of Son of Lord Krishna? like Lord Gauranga is incarnation in mood of devotee

Is Lord Jesus Christ a confidential servant of Lord Krishna?

Sincerely,
Bhakta Sunil

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 28th December 2014

Dear Sriman Sunil,

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Lord Jesus Christ ki jaya! 🙂

The information about Lord Chaitanya is not a matter of opinion but statements of the scriptures. Lord Chaitanya is not an “incarnation” of Krishna, but directly Sri Krishna Himself in the mood of Srimati Radharani. This is confirmed in various scriptures including Chaitanya Charitamrita.

We are informed by our Acharyas that Lord Jesus Christ is a devotee in the mood of servitorship, worshipping God as His father with awe and reverence. It is certainly true that he is an empowered personality, who else in known modern history has had just 3 years to preach with such a massive effect on the global consciousness? Lord Jesus Christ, his preaching mission, from the time he started, to the time he was crucified, lasted approximately 3 years. Of course, it is superficial to understand that he was killed. First and foremost, it is understood that Lord Jesus Christ had attained many yogic perfections (such as being lighter than the lightest – to be able to walk on water, such as being smaller than the smallest, to be able to escape a cave covered with a massive rock, etc.). Plus, Lord Jesus Christ, like Haridas Thakura afterwards, had the power to feign death and make people believe that they were killed, whereas this was not true.

Anyway, to make it clear, Lord Jesus Christ is not a svamsha (direct expansion) or kala (indirect expansion) expansion of Krishna, but a vibhinnamsha (separated expansion) jiva (a living entity), a super pure devotee of God. Just as we worship the spiritual master to be as good as God, similarly, Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of such worship.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Bhakta Sunil, 29th December 2014

Hare Krishna Mahabhagavat Prabhu Dandavat Pranams Thank you The point in query is clear by your reply Jaya
Premananda das, 01st January 2015

What it means that Lord Jesus Christ and later Haridas Thakur could feign death ?

your servant
primal

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 03rd January 2015

Dear Premal,

Hare Krishna.

Approximately 2000 years ago, some envious fools were trying to kill Jesus Christ. So they crucified him, after forcing upon him torture after torture… They drove big sharp nails through hands and feet/ankles, and made the cross stand up. The plan was that this public “humiliating punishment” would cause Lord Jesus Christ to die of hunger, thirst, bleeding, and pain. So, to continue the divine pastimes, Lord Jesus Christ pretended to “die”, manifested the symptoms of dying. Then what the fools thought was his dead body was put into a cave and covered with a big rock. But in 3 days they found the “body” missing, even though the rock covering remained intact. But, being a greatly surrendered devotee of God, it is superficial to understand that he felt any pain or “died”. The “killers” of Jesus Christ, meanwhile, could not stop his mission, which continues (though most of Lord Jesus Christ’s followers are not really his followers) to this day.

Similarly, approximately 500 years ago, Haridas Thakur was punished by severe dragging/beating/whipping in 22 marketplaces. The intent of the Muslim kazi was that all Muslims and Hindus would see what a painful death awaits anyone who takes to Krishna consciousness after being born in a Muslim family. But Namacharya Srila Haridas Thakura who was in the deep ecstasy of Krishna consciousness, did not feel any pain, he went on chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Finally, the guards got afraid for their own lives, begged Haridas Thakura that if he did not die, the kazi would kill the guards as punishment for not doing their job. So Haridas Thakura, out of mercy for the guards, manifested the symptoms of death, was publicly pronounced dead, and his body was thrown in the Ganga (and not buried, because the Muslim kazi did not want him to “go to heaven”). Anyway, Haridas Thakura regained consciousness and continued his preaching a little downstream. After this incident, no one dared to interfere with Srila Haridas Thakura.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

premananda das, 03rd January 2015

Jai Srila Hari das Thakur! Jai lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you Mahabhagavat prabhuji for sharing this incident about feigning death by exalted devotees.

your servant
Premal

Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at sda-archives.com), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.backtohome.com

Why does talk about religion make some people uncomfortable

Bhakta Sunil, 14th April 2014

Hare Krishna everyone!

Please accept my humble obeisances
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

Why do some persons avoid talking about religion? or try to keep the topic ‘private’?

regards,
sunil

Sudeep Manchanda, 16th April 2014

Hare Krishna,

I feel that people in general have started relating ‘religion’ with a set of orthodox beliefs which do not align with today’s scientific world. I guess a lot of people shy away from talking about God or any other related topics because they fear being categorized as someone who would follow things without a logic or does not challenge it. This is mainly because the so called called ‘religious’ people find it difficult to explain to the world what they feel is correct.

What would be your reaction if one asks you “Does God exists?”.. answers can be yes, no or maybe but a lot of times this answer is not dependent on your belief but on the fact that would one be able to justify the answer or not. So to avoid any debate … a lot of people would say ‘maybe’.

That is where Srila Prabhupada has shown his mercy. He has provided us with the answers to all the questions so that we can with confidence say that yes God exists and yes I follow the process of bhakti.

Regards,
Sudeep Manchanda

Bhakta Sunil, 16th April 2014

Very nice points in your reply! An eye-opener , helpful to keep in mind while preaching Jaya! Thanks ys, sunil

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 18th April 2014

Nice question! Nice answer also! One can tell both Sunil and Sudeep are thinking about this and trying to share Krishna consciousness with others! 🙂

Here are some points which come out:

1. People really don’t know anything much about religion/God, and who wants to look foolish not knowing something, which, supposedly, internal desire, they feel they ought to know about.

2. They fear that if their understanding differs from yours, then the relationship they have is at stake – in other words, it may become an “irreconcilable difference”

3. They fear that the person who wants to talk about religion/God will bash them on the head with all sorts of dogma

4. They have been brainwashed by the atheists to believe that to be God conscious is to be foolish – it is some kind of peer pressure to look “cool”

5. They feel they already know better than you, and that you are too slow to understand what they know, and they cannot be bothered to take the trouble (but actually the more someone actually knows about God, the more they want to share, no matter how unqualified the other person appears to be)

6. They genuinely have *no* ability to show interest because they are so busy with the hard struggle for existence or satisfying the shrill demands of the senses

7. They don’t really care about anything at all, God consciousness included, and nothing (job etc.) is at stake so they don’t pretend to be interested in God consciousness as they would pretend to be interested in other things

8. They don’t trust me enough to be able to share such a deep personal thing with me.

There are many many more, the more we try to share Krishna consciousness, the more we get to know about all the blocks.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Bhakta Sunil, 18th April 2014

Jaya! thank you again and again to all the respondents with humble respects

your insignificant servant,
Bhakta Sunil

Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at sda-archives.com), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.backtohome.com

How to get free of miseries given by our own mind?

Bhakta Shashank, 10th May 2014

Hare Krishna Dear Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Gurudev and Srimati Gurumata.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
All glories to Devotees.

How to get rid of the miseries given by our own mind?

your servant,
Bhakta shashank.

Guru Vandana devi dasi, 12th May 2014

Hare Krishna!

Dear Shashank
Please accept my humble obeisances
All glories to Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Gurumata
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
As struggling neophytes, not fully absorbed in Krishna Consciousness we many times experience disturbances of mind. Srila Gurudeva says that we must understand that we are burning of our past sinful activities . Srila Gurudeva often quotes this verse from Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.8

tat te ‘nukampam su-samiksamano
bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam
hrd-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak

“My dear Lord, any person who is constantly awaiting Your causeless mercy to be bestowed upon him, and who goes on suffering the resultant actions of his past misdeeds, offering You respectful obeisances from the core of his heart, is surely eligible to become liberated, for it has become his rightful claim.”

So please be patient and consistent in your sadhana

your servant
Guru Vandana devi dasi

Lalit, 16th December 2014

Hare krishna
Become an innocent observer

Bhakta Sunil, 16th December 2014

Nice question Shashankbhai and very nice answers

To put in different words / to add :

Due to impurities and past sinful actions , miseries of mind arise
But by sticking to the Bhakti Yoga process of purification , as you experientially undergo purification and feel that your heart has become ‘soft’ and perceive the light of the Lord in your heart , and engage and beat your mind to engage in this process with determination , your sinful reactions would vanquish and the miseries of the mind would automatically get overcome. Perseverance furthers – even if you perceive miseries of mind , simply see to it that mind is engaged as much possible in the process of Bhakti. Do not give mind to be free , but please chant , read Prabhupada’s books , listen to Kirtana , engage mind in completing seva received from senior Vaishnavas , tax your brain how to preach and distribute books , honor Prasadam , or any activity connected to pleasing the Lord. And before sleeping read books or stories and pastimes of the Lord. Thus , if mind is engaged fully in the process , there would be less and lesser vacancy for miseries

To quote from Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur : Srila Bhaktisiddhanta In the morning our first business should be to beat the mind with shoes a hundred times, and, before going to bed, to beat the mind a hundred times with a broomstick.
—
To quote from Sankarshan Maharaj Adhikari :

This lesson was completed on 16 May 2007 in Vilnius, Lithuania
———————————————————————–

In this world everyone is suffering varying degrees of anxiety. No one is able to escape the stringent grip of the threefold miseries of material existence: miseries of the mindand body, miseries caused by other living beings, and miseries caused by natural disturbances. But there is an easy way out if we really want out. All we have to do is absorb ourselves in chanting the Mahamantra on a regular daily basis:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

Just as we eat every day without fail, we also must chant every day without fail to feed the soul the vital nourishment it requires to become fully awakened. But unfortunately we are not that attracted to the holy names. We are more attracted to the flickering pleasures enjoyed in the combination of the senses with the objects of the senses. This then makes it very difficult for us to reawaken our dormant enlightened consciousness.

Therefore even though we may have accepted that Krishna consciousness is the ultimate goal of our lives, we may still experience difficulty in fully focusing our minds on achieving this goal. Just like sometimes we see that someone enrolls in the university with every intention of getting a college degree, but then they have a difficult time keeping up with the assignments. They are lacking in the required self-discipline to carry through and get the job of their education properly done. If we not are properly focused, a similar thing can happen to us on the pathway of Krishna consciousness. We can know exactly what we are supposed but still not be able to do it.

So if we are in this situation how can we get and maintain the sufficient determination to remain steady on the pathway of spiritual perfection? The key is that we have to make a very solid vow, a firm commitment, and then stick to it without deviation. This is why it is very important that we take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master through the process known as initiation. Initiation means that we make a vow to follow the instructions of the teacher who is fully empowered and qualified to teach us how to become spiritually perfect.

The necessity of initiation is confirmed as follows in the Srimad Bhagavatam:

tasmad gurum prapadyeta
jijnasuh sreya uttamam
sabde pare ca nisnatam
brahmany upasamasrayam

“Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.”
Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3.21

If we agree to make such a commitment and remain firmly dedicated to honoring it, we will be very strong and chaste in our practice of Krishna consciousness, we will make solid steady advancement along the path of bhakti. We will easily able to absorb ourselves 24 hours a day in chanting, serving, and propagating the holy names of the Lord all over the world. In this way we will always be able to dive deeply into the unlimitedly sweet nectar of pure Krishna bhakti.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari
———–
Hope this helps,

Sincerely,
Sunil

Nashvin, 19th December 2014

Hare Krsna Shashank Prabhu

Looking at this from another perspective, we can appreciate that the miseries caused by our own mind help us not to identify with it…

Personally, when I initially discovered the difference between the body and the soul, it was easy to understand (because we can observe the gross body changing, while we, the soul, remain the same). However, as we learn about the gross body, subtle body (composed of mind, intelligence and false ego) and the soul, it becomes more difficult to understand the difference between the subtle body and the soul. The obstacles that the mind provide us in our (the soul) desires to practice devotional service enable us to see ourselves as distinct from the subtle body.

your servant,
Nashvin

Why did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu come as a Secret Incarnation of God?

Hemanga Das, 23rd March 2014

Hare Krishna Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances
All glories to Srila Gurudeva
All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came to spread the love of God to everyone irrespective of cast and religion. My question is why does he has to come as a secret avatar if he wants to give mercy to everyone?

your servant,
Hemanga Das

Srivatsa Das SDA, 28th March 2014

Hare Krishna Prabhuji
Please accept my humble obeisances
All glories to Srila Gurudeva

The three principal purposes of the appearance of Lord Caithanya were the following:
The first purpose was that Shri Krishna wanted to relish the objectivities of Shrimat Radharani Who is prime reciprocator of transcendental love of Shri Krishna. He wanted to relish the loving mellow in the position of Radharani.
Shri Krishna wanted to enjoy such ecstacy of loving service in the position of Radharani who enjoyed the transcendental beauty of Shri Krishna.
Shri Krishna wanted to know Himself as such why He was so enjoyable by Shrimati Radharani. He thought it wisely that there must be something in Him which was so much enjoyable by Shrimati Radharani and by which Radharani’s achievement of transcendental mellow, was far more greater than Shri Krishna. As Shri Krishna it was impossible for Him to enjoy in the position of Shrimati Radharani because it was completely foreign to Him.
Since the above three were the main objective of Lord Caithanya, The Lord came as a secret Avatar. The other purposes of the appearance were secondary.

This might be the reason of the Lord to appear secretly.

your servant
Srivatsa Das

Bhakta Sunil, 31st March 2014

Hare Krishna everyone

Please accept my humble obeisances
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

Respected Hemanga Prabhuji I understand that reason for secret incarnation is that if Lord would Himself say that He is Lord then many may not beleive and may therefore not accept the teaching and mercy

Also the reason for secret incarnation can be to teach that one is not His devotee , but the devotee of His devotee is His devotee

Thus it can become easier to give mercy as secret incarnation

humble regards from Bhakta Sunil

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 01st April 2014

Dear Hemanga Prabhu,

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

This is a very nice question, and nicer answers also.

The Chaitanya Charitamrita Adi Lila Chapters 3 (The External Reasons for the Appearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu) and 4 (The Confidential Reasons for the Appearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu) gives more detail about this.

One reason, after reading those chapters, appears to be that the more advanced a devotee is, the more confidential their service and activities are. Srimati Radharani is The Supremely Advanced Devotee, no one more advanced than Her. So therefore, as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in the mood of Srimati Radharani, He acted in very confidential ways befitting Srimati Radharani’s moods.

your servant,
Mahabhagavat Das

Bhakta Shashank, 01st May 2014

Hare Krishna Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All Glories to Srila Gurudev and Srimati Gurumata.

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.
All Glories to Devotees.

Krishna wanted to know how Radharani is enjoying more than Himself, so He came as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as a devotee of Himself.

your servant,
Bhakta shashank.

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 03rd May 2014

Dear Devotees,

I just read this thought for the day which I had before missed… where Srila Gurudeva His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari quotes very concisely and perfectly, from Srila Prabhupada’s purports “Lord Caitanya knew that in Kali-yuga there would be many bogus incarnations pretending to be God, and therefore He avoided asserting Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

This is from thought for the day dated 14th March 2014, copied below.

quote

Lord Caitanya is the hidden incarnation of Godhead described by the term channah, which means covered, in the Srimad Bhagavatam 7.9.38 as follows:

itthaṁ nṛ-tiryag-ṛṣi-deva-jhaṣāvatārair
lokān vibhāvayasi haṁsi jagat pratīpān
dharmaṁ mahā-puruṣa pāsi yugānuvṛttaṁ
channaḥ kalau yad abhavas tri-yugo ‘tha sa tvam

“In this way, my Lord, You appear in various incarnations as a human being, an animal, a great saint, a demigod, a fish or a tortoise, thus maintaining the entire creation in different planetary systems and killing the demoniac principles. According to the age, O my Lord, You protect the principles of religion. In the age of Kali, however, You do not assert Yourself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore You are known as Triyuga, or the Lord who appears in three yugas.”

Srila Prabhupada wonderfully explains the appearance of Lord Caitanya in his purport to this verse as follows:

“As the Lord appeared just to maintain Lord Brahma from the attack of Madhu and Kaitabha, He also appeared to protect the great devotee Prahlada Maharaja. Similarly, Lord Caitanya appeared in order to protect the fallen souls of Kali-yuga. There are four yugas, or millenniums–Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali. In all the yugas but Kali-yuga, the Lord appears in various incarnations and asserts Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but although Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who appears in Kali-yuga, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He never asserted Himself as such. On the contrary, whenever Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was addressed as being as good as Krishna, He blocked His ears with His hands, denying His identity with Krishna, because He was playing the part of a devotee. Lord Caitanya knew that in Kali-yuga there would be many bogus incarnations pretending to be God, and therefore He avoided asserting Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, in many Vedic literatures, especially in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.32):

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ
sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ

In Kali-yuga, intelligent men worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is always accompanied by His associates such as Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara and Srivasa. The entire Krishna consciousness movement is based on the principles of the sankirtana movement inaugurated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Therefore one who tries to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the medium of the sankirtana movement knows everything perfectly. He is sumedhas, a person with substantial intelligence.”

So if we are intelligent, we will take advantage of the most sublime process of self-realization given in this age by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the congregational chanting of the holy names of God.

unquote

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Nashvin, 04th May 2014

Hare Krsna!

I don’t know whether this a bona fide realization, but I think that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was also a secret incarnation because he wanted to promote the holy name of the Lord as the incarnation for this age:

http://vedabase.com/cc/adi/17/22/en
“kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra”
“In this Age of Kali, the Holy name of the Lord, the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, is the incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa.”

your servant,
Nashvin

Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at sda-archives.com), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.backtohome.com

Celestial years and Earthly years

Rahul Mangla, 29th January 2014

Dear devotees,

Hare Krishna!!

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All Glories to Srila Gurudev & Srimati Gurumata!
All Glories to Srila Prabhupad!

1. Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.6 purport:

It is stated in the Brahma-samhita that Lord Brahma was initiated into the eighteen-letter Krsna mantra, which is generally accepted by all the devotees of Lord Krsna.

Q: What is this eighteen-letter Krsna mantra?

2. Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.8 purport:

One celestial year is equal to 6 x 30 x 12 x 1000 of our years.

Q: How the first figure 6 is derived in above calculation?

=> I have read only upto 2.9.10, I may come across answers later but just curious to know the answers.

your servant,
Rahul

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 05th February 2014

Dear Bhakta Rahul,

Hare Krishna!

Short answers to your questions (others please kindly correct/elaborate if possible):

1. The 18 letter mantra is mentioned in the Brahma Samhita purport, but it is advisable not to discuss openly as this 18-letter mantra is part of the Gayatri mantras which are confidential and meant to be received in disciplic succession (even if known, they are not effective until received properly in disciplic succession) – in ISKCON, this is at the time of the second initiation, so please rest assured that in due course of time, as and when you get to the right stage, you will receive that mysterious magical 18-syllable mantra… 🙂

2. One celestial day is equal to 6 earthly months. But note that this celestial year mentioned is not Lord Brahma’s year but the years as calculated on heavenly planets… where one day is equal to 6 months of our time.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Rahul Mangla, 06th February 2014

Dear Prabhuji,

Hare Krishna!!

Thank you so much for the answers. But I still have doubt in second question.

It is actually the calculation for the duration which Lord Brahma engaged himself in meditation.

He engaged himself for 1000 Celestial Years. To convert it into earthly years it should be multiplied with (X x 30 x 12), where X should be the duration on earth IN YEARS and at the same time should be equal to 1 Celestial Day.

What I could conclude from various references is that one full day (12 hours day + 12 hours night) of heavenly planets is equal to one year on earth. I am including following references to support this:

1. Srimad Bhagavatam 2.10.27 purport: Six months on earth is equal to one day on the heavenly planets.

2. Srimad Bhagavatam 3.17.15 purport:
On the Brahmaloka planet the duration of one day is calculated to be 4,300,000 x 1,000 solar years. [and same is the duration of night which is not written in the purport]
Similarly, in other heavenly planets one day is calculated to be six months of this planet [and same must be the duration of night which is not written in the purport]

3.
24-Nov-2012 – Utthana Ekadashi
07-July-2013 – Sayana Ekadashi
13-Nov-2013 – Utthana Ekadashi

From above Ekadashi dates also, it appears that one heavenly day is equal to one earth year.

So from above references, value of X should be 1.

Therefore 1 Celestial Year = 1 x 30 x 12 Earthly Years

And Lord Brahma engaged in meditation for 1 x 30 x 12 x 1000 earthly years (1000 Celestial Years)

Please confirm if I am correct and forgive for offenses in seeking this clarification.

your servant,
Rahul

Rahul Mangla, 20th February 2014

Hare Krishna!!

I was reading Srimad Bhagavatam 2.10.46 purport, there also it is confirmed that one heavenly (upper planetary) day is equal to one earth year:

In the upper planetary system the duration of one complete day and night is equal to one complete year of this earth. This is accepted even by the modern scientist and attested by the astronauts.

your servant,
Rahul

Jagannatha Dasa, 15th March 2014

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All Glories to Srila Gurudeva!
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

One celestial year is equal to 6 x 30 x 12 x 1000 of our years. This is stated in Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 2.9.8. One celestial year is thus 2,160,000 (Two million, one hundred and sixty thousand) years. Since we know based on the same purport that Lord Brahma was in meditation for 1,000 years, therefore, if we want to understand how many years Lord Brahma was meditating, we have to multiply 2,160,000 by 1,000. The resulting number is the earth years he meditated, viz. 2,160,000,000 or Two billion, one hundred and sixty million years.

Hoping this meets you well.

your servant,
Jagannatha Dasa Brahmacari

Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at sda-archives.com), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.backtohome.com

The Absolute Truth – how simultaneously one and different

Geetha, 05 March 2013

Hare Krishna,
Please accept my humble obeisances,
All glories to Srila Prabhupad,

I am not able to understand clearly “The Absolute Truth” is one and different. Please help me to understand it better.

Thank you,

your servant,
Geetha

Rathin Mandal, 05 March 2013

Hare Krishna Mataji,

Please accept my humble obeisances,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada,
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.

I am not able to find the exact phrase ‘one and different’. But as I have read it before, so I am trying to describe it to you.
It means to say that everything that exists in the material world or the spiritual world are created by energies of Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna. Hence in a way there is no difference between any entity in either world with Sri Krishna, as it is part and parcel of Sri Krishna only. But at the same time that entity is not in equal position to Supreme Personality. This is explain in the following verse:
BG 9.5: And yet everything that is created does not rest in Me. Behold My mystic opulence! Although I am the maintainer of all living entities and although I am everywhere, I am not a part of this cosmic manifestation, for My Self is the very source of creation.

All the living entities are emanating from the body of Sri Krishna, hence we possess some qualities of Supreme Person, but being very very small particles of the Supreme Person, we cannot equal him quantitatively. When one is able to understand his true identity and his relationship to Supreme Person, he can understand these energies.
BG 10.8: I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.

The phrase ‘one and different’ is also emphasized in the following verse:
BG 9.7: O son of Kuntī, at the end of the millennium all material manifestations enter into My nature, and at the beginning of another millennium, by My potency, I create them again.

In this verse Sri Krishna has said that everything in the material world is created by his will and at the end they enter back into him. This means that during the existence of the material world we are existing differently from the Supreme Personality of Godhead but still we are part and parcel of him.

Hence we are one with Krishna and still different from him.

A common example is that, a tree carries so many leaves, fruits etc. From a distance they may look one with the tree but when we come closer we they see each leaf or fruit has its own identity. But there existence depends only on the tree.

your Servant
Rathin

Geetha, 06th March 2013

Hare Krishna,
Please accept my humble obeisances,
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada,

Thank you Rathin Mandal Prabhu for your reply.

Thank you,

your Servant,
Geetha

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 06 March 2013

Hare Krishna Geetha Mataji and Rathin Mandal Prabhu,

Very nice question, and very nice answer. A place where nice questions are being asked and nice answers are being given is a place of purification

The phrase can be written as “Inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference” from the cosmic manifestation/living entity/living entities/Supreme Absolute Truth.

So, whenever you hear this “The Supreme Absolute Truth is Inconceivably Simultaneously One and Different”, you should ask first “from what/who”? 🙂

This is a core of our philosophy, achintya (inconcievable) bheda (difference abheda (non-difference) tattva (principle/philosophy). Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has very elegantly explained this concept in such way that our Sampradaya includes the core essence of Advaita/Monism (Shankaracharya), Vishishta Advaita / Pure non-dualism, Dvaita/Dualism (Madhvacharya), Vishishta Advaita / non-duality but characterized by attributes (Ramanujacharya), and all bona fide philosophies of the Supreme Absolute Truth.

Some places where you can read more about this:

http://vedabase.com/bg/7/8
http://vedabase.com/sb/7/9/31
http://vedabase.com/cc/madhya/6/163

And Srila Prabhupada spoke this in Perfect Questions Perfect Answers, with Bob Cohen “Śrīla Prabhupāda: But you cannot say that sunshine is not the sun. Without the sun, where is the sunshine? So you cannot say that sunshine is not the sun. But at the same time, it is not the sun. It is the sun and not the sun—both. That is our philosophy. Acintya-bhedābheda—inconceivable. In the material sense, you cannot conceive that a thing is simultaneously positive and negative. That you cannot think of. That is inconceivable energy. And because everything is Kṛṣṇa’s energy, Kṛṣṇa can manifest Himself from any energy. Therefore, when we worship Kṛṣṇa in a form made of something—of earth, water or something like that—that is Kṛṣṇa. You cannot say that it is not Kṛṣṇa. When we worship this metal form of Kṛṣṇa [the Deity form in the temple], that is Kṛṣṇa. That’s a fact, because metal is an energy of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, it is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is so powerful that He can present Himself fully in His energy. So this Deity worship is not heathenism. It is actually worship of God, provided you know the process.” (hint, read full book, it is SO sublime!) http://vedabase.com/en/pqpa/

Please note I am not any expert in this. 🙂

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

About Lord Shiva

Manmohan, 06 March 2013

Hare Krsna
All glories to Srila Prabhupad
All glories to Srila Gurudev and Gurumata

I know that Lord Shiva is not an ordinary demigod but I want to know what is Shiva Tattva and whether Lord Shiva is also immortal….

ys,
Manmohan
SUPARTHA RUDRA, 07 March 2013

Hare Krishna,

Please find the following link regarding Lord Shiva :

Is Shiva the Supreme?

your servant,
Supartha

How did we fall into the material world?

Rathin Mandal, 14th May 2013

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeisances,
All glories to Srila Gurudeva and Gurumataji,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

We say that modes of material nature is there only in the material world,
But when we decided to enjoy separately from Krishna, look for our identity separate of Krishna and to lord the Manifestation ourself.
How should this nature of us be understood which is independent of modes of material nature?

your Servant
Rathin

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 15th May 2013

Dear Rathin Mandal,

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Yes, it is correct that the modes of material nature do not exist in the spiritual world.
But free will, that exists in the spiritual world. The desire to enjoy separately and independently from Krishna is the root cause of the living entity’s bondage in the material world. When the living entity desires to enjoy in this way, then the living entity then comes under the modes of material nature and is transferred to the material world.

In purport to SB 4.29.65, Srila Prabhuda wrote:

kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga-vāñchā kare

nikaṭa-stha māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare

(Prema-vivarta)

Actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is the supreme enjoyer. When a living entity wants to imitate Him, he is given a chance to satisfy his false desire to lord it over material nature. That is the beginning of his downfall. As long as he is within this material atmosphere, he has a subtle vehicle in the form of the mind, which is the stockpile of all kinds of material desires. Such desires become manifest in different bodily forms. Śrīla Nārada Muni requests the King to accept this fact from him because Nārada is an authority. The conclusion is that the mind is the storehouse of our past desires, and we have this present body due to our past desires. Similarly, whatever we desire in this present body will be expressed in a future body. Thus the mind is the source of different kinds of bodies.

If the mind is purified by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one will naturally in the future get a body that is spiritual and full of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Such a body is our original form, as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirms, jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’: [Cc. Madhya 20.108] “Every living entity is constitutionally an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.” If a person is engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, he is to be considered a liberated soul even in this life. This is confirmed by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī:

īhā yasya harer dāsye

karmaṇā manasā girā

nikhilāsv apy avasthāsu

jīvan-muktaḥ sa ucyate

“One who engages in the transcendental service of the Lord in body, mind and words is to be considered liberated in all conditions of material existence.” (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.187) The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based on this principle. We must teach people to absorb themselves always in the service of the Lord because that position is their natural position. One who is always serving the Lord is to be considered already liberated. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (14.26):

māḿ ca yo ‘vyabhicāreṇa

bhakti-yogena sevate

sa guṇān samatityaitān

brahma-bhuyāya kalpate

“One who always engages in the spiritual activities of unalloyed devotional service at once transcends the modes of material nature and is elevated to the spiritual platform.” The devotee is therefore above the three modes of material nature and is even transcendental to the brāhmaṇa platform. A brāhmaṇa may be infected by the two baser modes — namely rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. A pure devotee, who is free from all material desires experienced on the mental platform and who is also free from empiric philosophical speculation or fruitive activity, is always above material conditioning and is always liberated.

——end purport —-
Plus, Srila Gurudeva’s answer here is very instructive, worth meditating on.

This is from TTFD dated 4th Nov 2009.
Have the category of souls known as nitya-baddha always been in the material hemisphere, hence the term “eternally conditioned”?

According to the philosophy of some Gaudiya Vaisnava groups this is the case. They say that the nitya-baddhas have never ever been in the spiritual world, thus the term “eternally conditioned” and that the nitya-siddhas have never left Krishna’s association. They say that the nitya-baddhas have been in a place known as the tatashta-shakti from where they descended into the material world of their own free choice. However, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada states that we were once face to face with Sri Krishna in the spiritual planets, that we fell down to become little imitation lords here, and that we are then known as nitya-baddha, eternally conditioned. What is the exact situation of the living being?

Question No.2 : The jivatmas in the spiritual world decided by their own free will to depart. They were sac-cid-ananda vigraha: eternally in full knowledge and bliss. How and why could they they have decided by their own free will to leave Krishna’s association, since everything in the spiritual world is fully spiritual and the material influence of maya or illusion is conspicuous by her absence? Though he has a free choice to depart as he desires [Free-will always been the prerogative of the living being as well as his dharma- pure loving servants of the Supreme Person Krishna,], how could he have possibly been influenced to do so? For example, a split second second decision to leave due to temptation of being an enjoying over lord in the heavenly planets. Is this not some kind of material maya? Would he not have known the consequences due to his higher spiritual aware state of knowledge? Why would he have wanted to leave Krishna’s blissful association?

Answer:

The reason that many devotees get confused over the terms nitya siddha (eternally liberated) and nitya baddha (eternally conditioned) is that they consider them from within the context of time. In other words in material consciousness we are conditioned by kala or time into thinking that there are such things as past, present, and future. If we remember that in the liberated state there is no influence of time, that there is simply the eternal present with no past or future, then we can begin to understand how one can be eternally conditioned or eternally liberated and can switch from one status to the other.

To say that the conditioned souls have never been in the spiritual world with Krishna is anti-sastric and absurd when we consider that Lord Caitanya states that the constitutional nature of every living being is that he is the eternal servant of Krishna.

The eternally liberated souls in the spiritual existence have the independence to either love Krishna or leave Krishna. There has to be a choice. Otherwise love cannot exist, because love is voluntary. As long as the independence of free choice is there, there has to be a possibility of misusing that free choice. And possibility means that there must be certain degree of probability as well. Of course in this case the probability would be smallest possible percentage of 1 divided by infinity (1/?). But if we apply this infinitesimal percentage against the infinite number of living beings who inhabit the spiritual world, guess what we get. We get an infinite number of living beings who misuse their free will and give up the Lord’s association. (1/? x ? = ?)

At the boundary between the spiritual and material worlds time does not exist. Therefore the crossing of the living being over this boundary cannot be measured in time. This means that there is no moment in time when he entered the material world. In other words, if he is in the material world there is no moment in time when he entered it and he has therefore been there eternally. Hence, the term “eternally conditioned”. And when he chooses to surrender to Krishna and go back to Godhead he enters into that realm where there is no past or future. Therefore when he goes back to Godhead, he was always there. Hence the term “eternally liberated”.

Of course, as long as our thought patterns are conditioned by time we cannot fully comprehend these things. But if you will chant Hare Krishna regularly with love and devotion your consciousness will be liberated from the constraints of time, and you will be able to gradually realize these things in full.

And another answer from TTFD dated 29 July 2012:

“In this regard it is confirmed by Srila Prabhupada in a lecture he gave in Mayapur on 11 February 1976 that every living entity is originally nitya-siddha or eternally liberated. But sometimes just as a king may fall asleep and dream that he is a pauper, the eternally liberated soul, because of his marginal nature, may fall into the illusion that he can enjoy separately from Krishna or God. And just as a dream of only a few seconds can appear to be going on forever, when the soul forgets his identity, his illusioned dream-like state seemingly goes on forever and he is thus designated as nitya-baddha or eternally conditioned. Therefore when the living being does not misuse his free will he is known as nitya-siddha and when he misuses his free will he is known as nitya-baddha. “

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Rathin Mandal, 15th May 2013

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeisances,
All glories to Srila Gurudeva and Gurumataji,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Thank you very much for the answer Prabhuji. This helps me to understand the subject more clearly.

your Servant
Rathin

Update: Q&A from Thought for the Day Dated 09 Apr 2020

Question: Why Did We Leave the Spiritual World?

Dear Sankarshan Das Prabhu, Haribol. Why did we souls in the material universe leave the spiritual universe in the first place?

Mayur

Answer: We Wanted to Become God

From: ISKCON Austin, Texas USA
My Dear Mayur,

Please accept my blessings.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

In this connection Srila Prabhupada explains as follows in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto, Chapter 28, Text 54 as follows:

“The original home of the living entity and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the spiritual world. In the spiritual world both the Lord and the living entities live together very peacefully. Since the living entity remains engaged in the service of the Lord, they both share a blissful life in the spiritual world. However, when the living entity wants to enjoy himself, he falls down into the material world. ”

In conversation recorded in Washington, D.C. on 8 July 1976 Srila Prabhupada also explains: “So even in the Vaikuntha, if I desire that ‘Why shall I serve Krishna? Why not become Krishna?” I immediately fall down. That is natural. A servant is serving the master, sometimes he may think that ‘If I could become the master.’ They are thinking like that, they are trying to become God. That is delusion. You cannot become God. That is not possible.”

I hope this meets you in the best of health and in an ecstatic mood.

Your ever well-wisher,
Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Pray to Lord Krishna or others?

Meenakshi, 03 April 2013

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeisances
All glories to Sarila Prabhupada,

After reading Gita I came to know that Lord Krishna is Supreme. Prior to that i used to worship Lord Shiva and Maa Durga. Now I am confused, I feel guilty if I stop worshiping Lord Shiva and Maa Durga but at the same time feel very doubtful if I worship them knowing that Krishna is Supreme personality of Godhead. Please advice.

ys
Meenakshi

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 03 April 2013

Hare Krishna!

Meenakshi Mataji, please don’t worry… Lord Shiva and Mother Durga are father and mother of this material world. Loving parents are always happy to send their children to a good school, good college, good Guru, etc., in fact, parents who are in Krishna consciousness feel themselves successful if their children get the shelter of a pure devotee, and become initiated disciples of a Guru.

Similarly, it is not the purpose of Lord Shiva and Mother Durga to keep sincere devotees of Krishna in this material world. In fact, they have taken up this very difficult task of taking charge of Krishna’s foolish misguided children. Such misguided persons are kept in the material world so that they don’t cause any impediment in the service of the pure devotees in the spiritual worlds. So, those who get the real mercy (loving mercy or in the form of kicks of Maya) of Mother Durga and Lord Shiva, then they become devotees of Lord Krishna.

So, please kindly throw away this useless feeling of guilt, and make Lord Shiva and Mother Durga very very happy and proud of you by serving Krishna nicely and going back home to Godhead to Krishna – become discharged from this hospital called the material world 🙂

For your personal situation, you can get personal guidance of Srila Gurudeva by writing the specific personal situation to Srila Gurudeva, at sda@backtohome.com. We request that personal situations should not be discussed publicly in this group as personal situation requires specific personal advice and support, and this is not possible in a public forum. Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Gurumata will be in Vrindavan, you please make an attempt to meet them personally there.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Trivikrama Das, 03 April 2013

Hare Krishna!

Thank you for the wonderful explanation, Mahabhagavat Prabhu!

Actually, a devotee of Lord Shiva is not dear to him, but a devotee of Krishna is dear to him.

This is clearly given in the below purport.

quote
SB 4.24.28

yaḥ paraṁ raṁhasaḥ sākṣāt
tri-guṇāj jīva-saṁjñitāt
bhagavantaṁ vāsudevaṁ
prapannaḥ sa priyo hi me

Translation:
Lord Śiva continued: Any person who is surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, the controller of everything — material nature as well as the living entity — is actually very dear to me.

Purport:
Now Lord Śiva explains the reason he has personally come before the princes. It is because all the princes are devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.19):

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ

“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.”

Lord Śiva is rarely seen by common men, and similarly a person who is fully surrendered unto Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is also very rarely seen because a person who is fully surrendered unto the Supreme Lord is very rare (sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ). Consequently, Lord Śiva came especially to see the Pracetās because they were fully surrendered unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. Vāsudeva is also mentioned in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the mantra oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Since Vāsudeva is the ultimate truth, Lord Śiva openly proclaims that one who is a devotee of Lord Vāsudeva, who is surrendered to Lord Kṛṣṇa, is actually very dear to him. Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is worshipable not only by ordinary living entities but by demigods like Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā and others. Yaṁ brahmā-varuṇendra-rudra-marutaḥ stunvanti divyaiḥ stavaiḥ (Bhāg. 12.13.1): Kṛṣṇa is worshiped by Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Varuṇa, Indra, Candra and all other demigods. That is also the situation with a devotee. Indeed, one who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness immediately becomes very dear to anyone who is simply finding out and beginning to understand what Kṛṣṇa consciousness actually is. Similarly, all the demigods are also trying to find out who is actually surrendered to Lord Vāsudeva. Because the Pracetā princes were surrendered to Vāsudeva, Lord Śiva willingly came forth to see them.

Lord Vāsudeva, or Kṛṣṇa, is described in Bhagavad-gītā as Puruṣottama. Actually He is the enjoyer (puruṣa) and the Supreme (uttama) as well. He is the enjoyer of everything — the prakṛti and the puruṣa. Being influenced by the three modes of material nature, the living entity tries to dominate material nature, but actually he is not the puruṣa (enjoyer) but prakṛti, as described in Bhagavad-gītā (7.5): apareyam itas tv anyāṁ prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām. Thus the jīva, or living entity, is actually prakṛti, or the marginal energy of the Supreme Lord. Being associated with material energy, he tries to lord it over the material nature. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (15.7):

mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke
jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi
prakṛti-sthāni karṣati

“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.”

By endeavoring to dominate material nature, the living entity simply struggles hard for existence. Indeed, he struggles so hard to enjoy himself that he cannot even enjoy the material resources. Thus he is sometimes called prakṛti, or jīva, for he is situated in the marginal potency. When the living entity is covered with the three modes of material nature, he is called jīva-saṁjñita. There are two kinds of living entities: one is called kṣara, and the other is akṣara. Kṣara refers to those who have fallen down and become conditioned, and akṣara refers to those who are not conditioned. The vast majority of living entities live in the spiritual world and are called akṣara — they are in the position of Brahman, pure spiritual existence. They are different from those who have been conditioned by the three modes of material nature.

Being above both the kṣara and akṣara, Lord Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, is described in Bhagavad-gītā (15.18) as Puruṣottama. The impersonalists may say that Vāsudeva is the impersonal Brahman, but actually the impersonal Brahman is subordinate to Kṛṣṇa, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (14.27): brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham. That Kṛṣṇa is the source of the impersonal Brahman is also confirmed in Brahma-saṁhitā (5.40): yasya prabhā prabhavato jagadaṇḍa-koṭi. The impersonal Brahman is nothing but the effulgence or bodily rays of Kṛṣṇa, and in those bodily rays there are innumerable universes floating. Thus in all respects Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is the Supreme Lord, and Lord Śiva is very satisfied with those who are completely surrendered to Him. Complete surrender is desired by Kṛṣṇa, as He indicates in the last chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (18.66): sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja.

The word sākṣāt, meaning “directly,” is very significant. There are many so-called devotees, but actually they are only karmīs and jñānīs, for they are not directly devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The karmīs sometimes offer the results of their activities to Lord Vāsudeva, and this offering is called karmārpaṇam. These are considered to be fruitive activities, for the karmīs consider Lord Viṣṇu to be one of the demigods like Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā. Because they consider Lord Viṣṇu to be on the same level with the demigods, they contend that surrendering to the demigods is as good as surrendering unto Vāsudeva. This contention is denied herein because if it were true, Lord Śiva would have said that surrender unto him, Lord Vāsudeva, Viṣṇu or Brahmā is the same. However, Lord Śiva does not say this because he himself surrenders unto Vāsudeva, and whoever else surrenders unto Vāsudeva is very, very dear to him. This is expressed herein openly. The conclusion is that a devotee of Lord Śiva is not dear to Lord Śiva, but a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is very dear to Lord Śiva.
unquote

Hence, Meenakshi Mataji, Please rest assured that you have taken the best decision since The conclusion is that a devotee of Lord Śiva is not dear to Lord Śiva, but a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa is very dear to Lord Śiva.

your servant,
Trivikrama Das

Why Lord Shiva – Topmost Vaishnava – is not being worshiped by us?‏

Harish V Menon, 18th March 2013

Hare Krishna!

Please kindly accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
All glories to devotees.

I have a doubt which I wish to ask. Please forgive me if my question is inappropriate.

While we acknowledge Lord Shiva as a devotee of Lord Krishna or as the top most vaishnava, why are we not acknowledging Shiva by having his picture or deity in our temples. I have heard in many sathsangs, being said by our devotees that Lord Shiva is the top most vaishnava. Why do we ignore Shiva from being worshiped? Is there any specific reason in the shastras? Kindly enlighten.

Haribol !

Sincerely,
Harish V Menon

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 19th March 2013

Dear Harish,

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Gurudeva.

On the altar, we only have the specific Deity being worshiped along with that Deity’s associates and the disciplic succession, and that too, not the entire disciplic succession. The spiritual masters are usually on the altar of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai because we can approach Sri Sri Gaura Nitai only through our disciplic succession, and we can approach Krishna through Sri Sri Gaura Nitai.

Lord Shiva is not part of our direct disciplic succession. It is not possible to include every great personality on the altar, I mean, Lord Brahma is not on our altar even though he is the originator of our Sampradaya. Krishna alone has millions and billions of forms, those forms are not on the altar. Just because a personality is not on the altar does not mean we do not respect that personality. For example, one of our dearest Acharyas, Narottama Dasa Thakura is not on the altar, Baladeva Visyabhushana, to whom Srila Prabhupada dedicated his Bhagavad Gita As It Is, is not on the altar. Does that mean we do not consder them worshipable?

However, here is one interesting pastime which you should kindly take note of… there were some ecstatic Kirtanas going on in the ISKCON temple in London, England. Srila Prabhupada instructed his disciples to place 2 more Vyasasanas in the temple room, for Lord Shiva and Narada Muni, who were coming to attend the ecstatic Kirtanas. Srila Prabhupada could see who was coming for Kirtanas. Even today, it is said that at Brahma Muhurta, when the altar doors open, the demigods come to the temple room to take Darshan of Krishna, maybe we can have purified vision that we can perceive their presence. 🙂 Another thing is that in Kirtana, Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda and their associates are personally present. Krishna is personally present in His name… do all of us perceive His presence?

But you know, the spiritual master is very exalted, because the spiritual master is sum total of all the demigods, and the spiritual master is the external manifestation of Krishna in this material world. When can we have the eyes to see the glory of the spiritual master who is there on the altar and sometimes also in person, that we don’t see who is not present, but see actually who is present?

Ultimately, watering the root gives water to the entire tree, we do not have to water every single leaf and branch separately and this is the key reason why, even though we respect the demigods greatly, we do not worship them.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Srivatsa Das, 19th March 2013

Hare Krishna
Please accept my humble obeisances,
All glories to Srila Gurudeva

Though Mahabhagavat Das Prabhu has clearely explained, below is the quote from Bhagavatam (just for additional information):

quote

SB 1.2.26

mumukṣavo ghora-rūpān
hitvā bhūta-patīn atha
nārāyaṇa-kalāḥ śāntā
bhajanti hy anasūyavaḥ

mumukṣavaḥ — persons desiring liberation; ghora — horrible, ghastly; rūpān — forms like that; hitvā — rejecting; bhūta–patīn — demigods; atha — for this reason; nārāyaṇa — the Personality of Godhead; kalāḥ — plenary portions; śāntāḥ — all-blissful; bhajanti — do worship; hi — certainly; anasūyavaḥ — nonenvious.

Translation:

Those who are serious about liberation are certainly nonenvious, and they respect all. Yet they reject the horrible and ghastly forms of the demigods and worship only the all-blissful forms of Lord Viṣṇu and His plenary portions.

PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna, who is the original person of the Vishnu categories, expands Himself in two different categories, namely integrated plenary portions and separated parts and parcels. The separated parts and parcels are the servitors, and the integrated plenary portions of vishnu-tattvas are the worshipful objects of service.

All demigods who are empowered by the Supreme Lord are also separated parts and parcels. They do not belong to the categories of vishnu-tattva. The vishnu-tattvas are living beings equally as powerful as the original form of the Personality of Godhead, and They display different categories of power in consideration of different times and circumstances. The separated parts and parcels are powerful by limitation. They do not have unlimited power like the vishnu-tattvas. Therefore, one should never classify the vishnu-tattvas, or the plenary portions of Näräyana, the Personality of Godhead, in the same categories with the parts and parcels. If anyone does so he becomes at once an offender by the name päsandi. In the age of Kali many foolish persons commit such unlawful offenses and equalize the two categories.

The separated parts and parcels have different positions in the estimation of material powers, and some of them are like Käla-bhairava, Smasäna-bhairava, Sani, Mahäkäli and Candikä. These demigods are worshiped mostly by those who are in the lowest categories of the mode of darkness or ignorance. Other demigods, like Brahmä, Siva, Sürya, Ganesha and many similar deities, are worshiped by men in the mode of passion, urged on by the desire for material enjoyment. But those who are actually situated in the mode of goodness (sattva-guna) of material nature worship only vishnu-tattvas. Vishnu-tattvas are represented by various names and forms, such as Näräyana, Dämodara, Vämana, Govinda and Adhokshaja.

The qualified brähmanas worship the vishnu-tattvas represented by the sälagräma-silä, and some of the higher castes like the kshatriyas and vaisyas also generally worship the vishnu-tattvas.

Highly qualified brähmanas situated in the mode of goodness have no grudges against the mode of worship of others. They have all respect for other demigods, even though they may look ghastly, like Käla-bhairava or Mahäkäli. They know very well that those horrible features of the Supreme Lord are all different servitors of the Lord under different conditions, yet they reject the worship of both horrible and attractive features of the demigods, and they concentrate only on the forms of Vishnu because they are serious about liberation from the material conditions. The demigods, even to the stage of Brahmä, the supreme of all the demigods, cannot offer liberation to anyone. Hiranyakasipu underwent a severe type of penance to become eternal in life, but his worshipful deity, Brahmä, could not satisfy him with such blessings. Therefore Vishnu, and none else, is called mukti-päda, or the Personality of Godhead who can bestow upon us mukti, liberation. The demigods, being like other living entities in the material world, are all liquidated at the time of the annihilation of the material structure. They are themselves unable to get liberation, and what to speak of giving liberation to their devotees. The demigods can award the worshipers some temporary benefit only, and not the ultimate one.

It is for this reason only that candidates for liberation deliberately reject the worship of the demigods, although they have no disrespect for any one of them.

unquote

your servant
Srivatsa Das

Geetha, 19th March 2013

Hare Krishna

Thank you so much for enlightening me in this matter.

sincerely

Geetha Rao

Harish V Menon, 19th March 2013

Hare Krishna Prabhujis,

Please kindly accept my humble obeisances.

Thank you so much for enlightening me !

your servant,
Harish V Menon

Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at sda-archives.com), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.backtohome.com

Chanting mainly because of anxiety- reducing effect?

Bhakta Sunil, 14th March 2013

Hare Krishna

Please accept my humble obeisances
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

I have experienced that chanting on japa mala helps quieten mind and reduce anxieties and negative thoughts

I would like to know is it correct if one develops addiction to chanting mainly because of anxiety-reducing-effect of chanting

Regards,
Sunil

Rathin Mandal, 15th March 2013

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeisances,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada,
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.

I will agree with you that chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra reduces anxieties and help in keeping the negative thought away. That is also the power of the Holy Name. Even I experience it sometimes.
I heard it in one of the lecture, that this is the initial process of getting cleansed. The Holy Name first cleans the material covering around us that is in form of anxiety, anger, and envy. Anxiety arises from illusion and then the mind plays all kind of tricks upon us. So by chanting the material covering gets reduced and spiritual consciousness awakens, one experience the bliss of all merciful.
In another lecture, I have heard that in neophyte state whatever may be the reason, one should keep on chanting. By continuous chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra one is sure to get realization of Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality. Another reason is that by chanting one is associating with the Supreme Lord.

your Servant
Rathin

Bhakta Sunil, 15th March 2013

Wow! Very satisfying and nice answer Rathin prabhu

My repeated humble obeisances to you

Regards,
Sunil Vaswani
Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 15th March 2013

Dear Sunil, Why not? “yena kena prakaarena manah krishna niveshayet”, “some way or another, the mind should be invested in Krishna”. So by all means, be addicted to chanting Hare Krishna, but don’t neglect practical service to Guru, Krishna, family, community etc., we are in the business of serving others, we are transcendental paramedics in this battlefield of material nature. We need to maintain our own health, and then go go go out to serve those who need spiritual guidance in the darkness of material illusion.

Nikhil Mishra, 15th March 2013

Hare krsna devotees
My humble obeisances to all of you.
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

“Is it correct if one develops addiction to chanting mainly because of anxiety reducing effect of chanting “.
Sunil Prabhu this statement does not sound 100% convincing to me. I think it is OK to pray to God in a mood of complete surrender but this surrender is not anxiety but it comes after inquiring about the reality from a healthy mind .We can take the example of Srila Sanatan and Rupa Goswami who surrendered to Godhead after discussion with Mahaprabhu.So get my point. Just don’t take chanting as a means of overcoming anxiety. If you are habitually anxious then discuss things with senior devotees and Guru personally. May be you need some kind of counseling. Kindly understand the intention behind the words of Mahabhagvat Prabhu “don’t neglect practical service to Guru, Krishna, family, community etc.”…. ……“We need to maintain our own health, and then go out to serve those who need spiritual guidance”.

Sincerely
Nikhil

Bhakta Sunil, 15th March 2013

Respected Mahabhagavat Prabhu

I understand!

with regards,
Sunil

Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at sda-archives.com), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.backtohome.com

What is the significance of Diwali Festival in Devotional Practice?

Bhakta Sunil, 02 November 2013

Hare Krishna

Please accept my humble obeisances
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

Please tell , What is the significance of Diwali Festival in Devotional Practice?

I understand that Diwali Festival is celebrated as Lakshmi Puja. But is the festival a Vaisnava Festival?

Also the festival is Lord Rama’s pastimes , of returning to His Kingdom. Thus it is festival of Lights , to celebrate Lord Rama’s return to His Kingdom

Also please clarify about Dhan Teras
I read that Dhan Teras is celebrated to worship Lord Dhanvantari. Please tell about Lord Dhanvantari. And is Dhan Teras also a Vaisnava Festival?

I have these bewilderments regarding this festival. So I request to clarify

Regards,
Sunil

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 04th November 2013

Dear Sriman Sunil Vaswani,

Hare Krishna!

Diwali/Deepavali is in fact primarily a Vaishnava festival, but the way the materialists are celebrating the festival, that is not correct.

There are MANY occasions associated with Diwali, here are some I am aware of (there are many many more, we have a history of billions of years):

1. Damodar Leela
2. Govardhan Leela
3. The slaying of Narakasura by Krishna
4. The return of Lord Ramachandra

In all these celebrations, Krishna consciousness is increased. Celebrating any or all of the above is bona fide, and anything other than this is a waste of time meant to indirectly and directly prolong the suffering in the cycle of birth and death.

But, the modern-day materialists have turned Diwali into a gross abomination.

For example, the following activities are commonly performed during Diwali celebrations, which is a terrible nonsense:

1. The distribution of meat, fish, eggs and other unclean foods during “Diwali get-together/party/celebration”
2. The consumption of alcohol and intoxicants including tea, coffee, cigarettes during such celebrations
3. The indulgence in gambling
4. The indulgence in illicit sex in different forms, including dancing, movies, etc.
5. The large-scale excessive pollution of environment by using gunpowder-based fire-crackers, killing so many insects, birds, reptiles, etc., and causing trouble to the small children, elderly persons, sick persons, etc.
6. The increase in the general forgetfulness of Krishna
7. The flaunting (and thus disrespecting) of Lakshmidevi
8. Celebrating like followers of Ravana, not like the devotees of Rama

Lord Dhanvantari, this is who He is:
dhanvantariś ca bhagavān svayam eva kīrtir

nāmnā nṛṇāḿ puru-rujāḿ ruja āśu hanti

yajñe ca bhāgam amṛtāyur-avāvarundha

āyuṣya-vedam anuśāsty avatīrya loke

The Lord in His incarnation of Dhanvantari very quickly cures the diseases of the ever-diseased living entities simply by his fame personified, and only because of him do the demigods achieve long lives. Thus the Personality of Godhead becomes ever glorified. He also exacted a share from the sacrifices, and it is he only who inaugurated the medical science or the knowledge of medicine in the universe. SB 2.7.21

Purport:

As stated in the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, everything emanates from the ultimate source of the Personality of Godhead; it is therefore understood in this verse that medical science or knowledge in medicine was also inaugurated by the Personality of Godhead in His incarnation Dhanvantari, and thus the knowledge is recorded in the Vedas. The Vedas are the source of all knowledge, and thus knowledge in medical science is also there for the perfect cure of the diseases of the living entity. The embodied living entity is diseased by the very construction of his body. The body is the symbol of diseases. The disease may differ from one variety to another, but disease must be there just as there is birth and death for everyone. So, by the grace of the Personality of Godhead, not only are diseases of the body and mind cured, but also the soul is relieved of the constant repetition of birth and death. The name of the Lord is also called bhavauṣadhi, or the source of curing the disease of material existence.

Srila Prabhupada said this about Deepavali in a letter to one of his disciples:

“Diwali ceremony can be observed in the temple by illuminating 100’s of candles, in different parts of the temple, and offering special Prasad to the Deity. This ceremony was observed by the inhabitants of Ayodhya, the Kingdom of Lord Ramacandra, while Lord Ramacandra was out of His Kingdom due to His 14 years banishment by the order of His father. His younger step-brother Bharata, took charge of the Kingdom and the day on which Lord Ramacandra took back the charge again from His brother, and seated on the throne, this is observed as Diwali function. This is the original idea of Diwali, and Dipabali. Dipabali means the same thing—Dipa means candles, and bali means numerous. When numerous candles are lighted it is called Dipabali. In India, this Dipabali function is celebrated in a special auspicious occasion. This Dipabali function can be observed on 21st October, and Prasad can be distributed on the 22nd October, during daytime, which is known as Govardhana Puja and Annakuta Ceremony. In India, in all Vaisnava temples, this ceremony is observed and 100’s of people are given Prasad according to the capacity of the temple ”

He also wrote this: “Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, quoting from the Vaiṣṇava-toṣaṇī of Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, says that the incident of Kṛṣṇa’s breaking the pot of yogurt and being bound by mother Yaśodā took place on the Dīpāvalī Day, or Dīpa-mālikā. Even today in India, this festival is generally celebrated very gorgeously in the month of Kārtika by fireworks and lights, especially in Bombay.” (purport to SB 10.9.1-2)

“CC Madhya 15.36, Translation and Purport: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His devotees participated in all the festivals, including Rāsa-yātrā, Dīpāvalī and Utthāna-dvādaśī.
The Dīpāvalī festival takes place on the dark-moon night in the month of Kārtika (October-November). The Rāsa-yātrā, or rāsa dancing of Kṛṣṇa, takes place on the full-moon night of the same month. Utthāna-dvādaśī takes place the day after Ekādaśī in the waxing fortnight of the moon in the same month. All the devotees of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu participated in all these festivals.”

Our principles remain the same, in every festival, this is what we do:

1. Chant Hare Krishna more and more and more

2. Have large scale Harinam Sankirtan

3. Offer gorgeous clothing and ornaments to Krishna

4. Cook opulent offering for Krishna

5. Serve the spiritual master

6. Serve the devotees

7. Clean the home, temple, and decorate it nicely

8. Always remember Krishna, never forget Krishna

Sincerely,

Mahabhagavat Das

Bhakta Sunil, 05th November 2013

Hare Krishna everyone!

Mahabhagavat Prabhu Please accept my humble obeisances and gratitude for an excellent answer!

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

It was special to know about Lord Dhanvantari. This knowledge can make it easy for me to connect my colleagues with Krishna Consciousness

I very much agree with Diwali being celebrated in wrong way by many persons. I guess many persons do not really celebrate in the notion of Diwali being an ocassion to celebrate Lord Rama’s pastimes of returning to His Kingdom.

Reading your answer was like taking an adventurous dive into the nectarean ocean of transcendental knowledge

Regards,
Sunil

Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at sda-archives.com), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.backtohome.com

Is Krishna an expansion of Lord Vishnu?

B.shahvir balaporia, 12th November 2013

Hare Krishna!

Pardon me for my dearth of knowledge in putting forth this question.
I just needed to understand whether lord Vishnu is the plenary expansion of Lord Krishna or is it the other way round? I ask this since, as per popular Hindu belief, Lord Krishna is considered to be an avatar/expansion of Lord Vishnu. Hence, Lord Vishnu is considered as Supreme Personality of Godhead as per popular belief.

My apologies again if the context of my question is inappropriate.

regards,
Shahvir

Sudeep Manchanda, 13th November 2013

Hare Krishna,

We have had wonderful discussion on the topic in the past. Sharing a few answers:

By Harish Prabhu:

1) BG 10.21
adityanam aham visnur
jyotisam ravir amsuman
maricir marutam asmi
naksatranam aham sasi

“Of the Adityas I am Visnu, of lights I am the radiant sun, of the Maruts I am Marici, and among the stars I am the moon.”

2) Brahma Samhita 5.48:
yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya
jivanti loma-vila-ja jagad-anda-nathah
visnur mahan sa iha yasya kala-viseso
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

Brahma and other lords of the mundane worlds, appearing from the pores of hair of Maha-Visnu, remain alive as long as the duration of one exhalation of the latter (Maha-Visnu). I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whose subjective personality Maha-Visnu is the portion of portion.

3) In Srimad Bhagvatam, there is a list of many incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Krsna is described as the original Personality of Godhead, from whom many, many incarnations and Personalities of Godhead expand.

SB 1.3.28
ete camsa-kalah pumsah
Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam
Indrari-vyakulam lokam
mrdayanti yuge yuge

“All the lists of the incarnations of Godhead submitted herewith are either plenary expansions or parts of the plenary expansions of the Supreme Godhead, but Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.”

In many of his purports also, Srila Prabhupada has quoted Visnu or Lord Krsna as same:

(BG 1.14) – Victory is always with persons like the sons of Pandu because Lord Krsna is associated with them. And whenever and wherever the Lord is present, the goddess of fortune is also there because the goddess of fortune never lives alone without her husband. Therefore, victory and fortune were awaiting Arjuna, as indicated by the transcendental sound produced by the conchshell of Visnu, or Lord Krsna.

(BG 2.2) – Persons who are led by the material conception of life do not know that the aim of life is realization of the Absolute Truth, Visnu or Bhagavan (Krsna), and they are captivated by the external features of the material world, and therefore they do not know what liberation is.

(BG 9.13) – The mahatma or great souls does not divert his attention to anything outside Krsna, because he knows perfectly well that Krishna is the original Supreme Person, the cause of all causes. There is no doubt about it. Such a mahatma, or great soul, develops through association with other mahatmas, pure devotees. Pure devotees are not even attracted by Krsna’s other features, such as the four-armed Maha-Vishnu. They are simply attracted by the two-armed form of Krsna. They are not attracted to other features of Krsna, nor are they concerned with any form of a demigod or of a human being. They meditate only upon Krsna in Krsna consciousness. They are always engaged in the unswerving service of the Lord in Krsna consciousness.”

Even if we observe during the Tulasi aarti we perform every day morning and evening, both Lord Visnu and Krsna names are used. Moreover it is often observed that even during chanting the first mantra for offering obeisances while bowing down (pancanga pranam) some say Visnu bhakti prade devi and some say Krsna bhaktiprade devi but anyhow later on we only chant Krsna as given below :

vrindaai tulasi devyai priyaai kesavasya ca,
visnubhaktiprade / krsnabhaktiprade devi satyavatyai namo namah

namo namah tulasi krsna-preyasi namo namah
radha-krsna-seva pabo ei abilasi

ye tomara sarana loy, tara vancha purna hoy
krpa kori koro tare vrndavana-vasi

mora ei abhilasa, vilasa kunje dio vasa
nayana heribo sada yugala-rupa-rasi

ei nivedana dhara, sakhira anugata koro
seva-adhikara diye koro nija dasi

dina krsna-dase koy, ei yena mora hoy
sri-radha-govinda-preme sada yena bhasi

There must be much more verses or quotes too. But hope the above may help a bit.

By Jaya Krishna Prabhu:

Please refer previous lessons of our course.i remember once our gurudeva explained it like this,
‘vishnu is god in office and krishna is god in home’

By Sanil Prabhu:

The mentioned reply by Srila Gurudeva is pasted below:
—
Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:
Question: Difference Between Krishna and Narayana

Dear Gurudeva,

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

I read Lesson C9: Transcending the Dualities of Material Existence, which I received on Sunday 29th July 2012. Well, it is so beautifully explained and full of knowledge.

I have some questions where even devotees are quite confused at times. I have read that Krishna resides in Goloka as a cowherd boy while Narayana resides in Vaikuntha.

My questions:
1. Is Krishna different from Maha-Vishnu? How?
2. Who is Narayana? Is Narayana and Maha-Vishnu same?
3. Is Maha-Vishnu an incarnation or expansion of Krishna?

I understand that they are all one and the same, i.e. the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But, can you please tell how they (Krishna, Narayana, Maha-Vishnu) are different and at the same time the same Supreme Personality of Godhead?

Thanking you.
yours humbly

Kesaven

Answer: God at Home and God at the Office

The answer is very simple. In His original form the Supreme Lord is two-handed and is called Krishna. In His expanded four-armed forms, of which there are many, He is known as Narayana. All the forms are Krishna Himself. Simply He is acting in different capacities. When God is at home enjoying life with His intimate associates He is known as Krishna. When is at the office engaged in managing cosmic affairs He manifests form arms and is known as Narayana.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari
—
your Servant,
Sudeep Manchanda
B.shahvir balaporia, 13th November 2013

Hare Krishna,

Thank you

Regards,
Shahvir

Shreyas, 19th November 2013

Hare Krsna Prabhujis
Dandavat Pranam.

I hope this helps as well. Following is the conversation which is a part of the lecture Srila Gurudev delivered. I pray that this helps as well:

Q: I am still confused with Visnu and Krsna.

SDA: Visnu and Krsna. Of course we are called Vaisnavas. You know what Vaisnava mean? It means devotees of Visnu. Actually Prabhupada explained this with one gentleman he met him in NY. I have heard the tape conversation, so I am basing my answer what Prabhupada told this Indian gentleman who also had a similar confusion as you. Krsna is the original Visnu. Visnu is the category. There are thousands of millions of Visnus and most of them have four arms also. But Krsna is the original form of Lord Visnu. So Visnu and Krsna are same. But there is one Visnu from whom all the other Visnus have come and that is Krsna. Visnu is the Personality of the Godhead category. In other words Rama is Visnu, Nrsmhadeva is Visnu, Vamana is Visnu, all the avataras they are all Visnu. Sometimes the jiva is empowered to act as an incarnation but in most cases the incarnations of God, they are Visnus and it is mentioned in the Srimad Bhagvatam.

ete camsa-kalah pumsah
krishnas tu bhagavan svayam
(SB 1.3.28)

That all those Bhagawans, all those Visnus, the original one is Krsna. So Krsna is the original form of Lord Visnu. And the other Visnus are the emanations from Krsna. Just like I can have one candle flame burning very nicely I can have many other candles that are not lit. I can take that one original candle flame and I can transfer it to the second candle. The first candle is still just as powerful but now that flame is also in another candle which can be transferred to the third, fourth, the fifth candle, pretty soon there are hundreds of thousands of candles, all burning with equal power but one flame is different than the others and that is the original flame. The others are simply the expansions from that. So, all the different candles they are all Visnu but the one Visnu from which all the other candles has come, that Visnu is known as Krsna. He is the original Visnu.

your servant
Hare Krsna
B.shahvir balaporia, 19th November 2013

Hare Krishna,

Thank you… very informative!

regards,
Shahvir

Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at sda-archives.com), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.backtohome.comr>

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this:

Benefit others now. Share this: