Tag: pure

What is “reflective” chanting?

What are the stages in chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra? Especially, what is reflecting chanting? What are the benefits experienced by someone at the various levels of chanting?

Madumitha, 11 November 2014

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

All glories to Guru and Gauranga!

Could you please elaborate on what is meant by ‘reflective chanting’. I understand that the offensive chanting stage is when a neophyte devotee commits offenses while chanting and the offenseless chanting stage is when one does not commit any offenses towards the Holy Name, but I am unable to understand what happens in this intermediate stage. It is also mentioned that it is in the reflective chanting stage that one attains a stage of emancipation. What does this mean? Doesn’t one become liberated at the offenseless chanting stage?  

Thanks, 

Madumitha

Srivatsa Das, 13 November 2014

Hare Krishna

Please accept my humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Gurudeva

 In previous yugas, the devotees attained purified goodness mode by training of yoga by a Brahmana or a bona fide spiritual master away from the devotee’s home under brahmacharya asrama.  In the present age,  it is not possible to have this,  but still, we can attain the same purified goodness or Vasudeva sattva stage by the easy process of chanting the mahamantra offencelessly and reading regularly Srimad Bhagavad gita and Srimad Bhagavatam along with other devotees. In both the cases we can see that the seed of bhakti has to be planted into the heart of the devotee by a bonafide spiritual master.

As the chanting continues along with other devotional services, purification starts.  The three stages of chanting as I understood are as follows:

1. offensive chanting –  In this stage purification starts

2.  intermediate stage of chanting – Attains liberation

3. in the offence-less chanting – in this stage one attains Vasudeva sattva stage by real love and devotion towards the Lord.  In this stage, the devotee might be present in this material world physically, but he is already in the Goloka Vrindavana serving the Lord at His lotus feet.

Waiting to read others understanding about the question

your servant

Srivatsa Das

Bhakta Sunil, 13 November 2014

Hare Krishna

Please accept my humble obeisances

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

All Glories to the assembled devotees , in this group

Regarding your query about “Thought For the Day” of 10th November 2014 : 

—————————

Today’s Thought–Broadcast daily to over 16,000 subscriber in over 100 countries listed at: http://www.backtohome.com/countries 

The Offenseless Chanter Lives in God’s Kingdom

uploaded from ISKCON Austin, Texas USA

We read in Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 2.2.30:

“There are three stages in chanting the holy name of the Lord. The first stage is the offensive chanting of the holy name, and the second is the reflective stage of chanting the holy name. The third stage is the offenseless chanting of the holy name of the Lord. In the second stage only, the stage of reflection, between the offensive and offenseless stages, one automatically attains the stage of emancipation. And in the offenseless stage, one actually enters into the kingdom of God, although physically he may apparently be within the material world.”

This is truly amazing! Even while apparently being situated in his material body the offenseless chanter of Krishna’s holy names is actually situated in Krishna’s pastimes in the spiritual world. What this means is that the devotee does not have to wait for the demise of his material body to go back to Godhead. He can gradually attain the perfection of going back to Godhead even while he is in his present body simply by becoming an offenseless chanter of the Hare Krishna mahamantra. At this perfectional stage while associating within his heart with Krishna, he will be externally engaged on this planet for bringing about a spiritual revolution and thus the influence of the age of Kali to go into remission.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

www.joincourse.com

———————– 

On researching for your query , I understand that reflective chanting refers to the ‘clearing of offenses leading to liberation’. At this stage of chanting , one gets taste of the Holy Names or ‘namabhasa’

The following references ( courtesy webpage )  may help further clarify your doubts :

The three stages of chanting the holy name:

The simple process of offenselessly chanting and hearing the holy name of the Lord will gradually promote one very soon to the stage of emancipation. There are three stages in chanting the holy name of the Lord. The first stage is the offensive chanting of the holy name, and the second is the reflective stage of chanting the holy name. The third stage is the offenseless chanting of the holy name of the Lord. In the second stage only, the stage of reflection, between the offensive and offenseless stages, one automatically attains the stage of emancipation. And in the offenseless stage, one actually enters into the kingdom of God, although physically he may apparently be within the material world.

– Srimad Bhagavatam 2.2.30

There are three stages in chanting the holy name of the Lord−the offensive stage, the stage of lessening offenses, and the pure stage. When a neophyte takes to the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, he generally commits many offenses. There are ten basic offenses, and if the devotee avoids these, he can glimpse the next stage, which is situated between offensive chanting and pure chanting. When one attains the pure stage, he is immediately liberated. This is called bhava−mahadavagni−nirvapanam. As soon as one is liberated from the blazing fire of material existence, he can relish the taste of transcendental life.

– The Nectar of Instruction Text 7

There are three stages in chanting the holy name of the Lord. In the first stage, one commits ten kinds of offenses while chanting. In the next stage, namabhasa, the offenses have almost stopped, and one is coming to the platform of pure chanting. In the third stage, when one chants the Hare Krsna mantra without offenses, his dormant love for Krsna immediately awakens. This is the perfection.

– Srimad Bhagavatam 5.24.20

________________________________

The namabhasa stage of chanting elevates one to the position of offenseless chanting:

[Chand Kazi to his orderlies]: “‘The Hindus chant the name Hari because that is the name of their God. But you are Muhammadan meat−eaters. Why do you chant the name of the Hindus’ God?’ The meat−eater replied, ‘Sometimes I joke with the Hindus. Some of them are called Krsnadasa, and some are called Ramadasa. Some of them are called Haridasa. They always chant “Hari, Hari,” and thus I thought they would steal the riches from someone’s house. Since that time, my tongue always vibrates the sound “Hari, Hari.” I have no desire to say it, but still my tongue says it. I do not know what to do.’ Another meat−eater said, ‘Sir, please hear me. Since the day I joked with some Hindus in this way, my tongue chants the Hare Krsna hymn and cannot give it up. I do not know what mystic hymns and herbal potions these Hindus know.'”

Sometimes demoniac nonbelievers, not understanding the potency of the holy name, make fun of the Vaisnavas when the Vaisnavas chant the Hare Krsna maha−mantra. This joking is also beneficial for such persons. Srimad−Bhagavatam, Sixth Canto, Second Chapter, verse 14, indicates that the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha−mantra, even in joking, in the course of ordinary discussion, in indicating something extraneous, or in negligence, is called namabhasa, which is chanting that is almost on the transcendental stage. This namabhasa stage is better than namaparadha. Namabhasa awakens the supreme remembrance of Lord Visnu. When one remembers Lord Visnu, he becomes free from material enjoyment. Thus he gradually comes forward toward the transcendental service of the Lord and becomes eligible to chant the holy name of the Lord in the transcendental position.

– Sri Caitanya caritamrta Adi−lila 17.197−202

__

Hope this helps,

Sincerely,

Bhakta Sunil

Guru Vandana devi dasi, 13 November 2014

Hare Krishna!

When the mirror is covered by dust it does not reflect our image clearly. But when it is polished a clear picture is reflected from the impressions on it.Similarly when our minds are covered with material contamination our reflections on holy name are not clear.

Gradually as the transcendental sound of the holy names cleanses the dust of our heart and leads to the reflective stage where one is able to reflect the names or remember the Lord.The stage is when one is free from material anxieties, lamentation, hankering and is elevated to brahma bhutah stage.

your servant

Guru Vandana devi dasi

Sulakshana devi dasi, 14 November 2014

Hare Krishna

Please accept my humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Gurudeva and Smt Gurumataji!

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Thank you Guru Vandana mataji for such a nice explanation.

Your humble servant,

Sulakshana devi dasi

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 22 November 2014

Hare Krishna!

Answer from Srila Gurudeva below. Note the specific meaning of the word “reflective/reflection” in this context coming to us from Srila Prabhupada. I hope this clears all doubts.

Sincerely,

Mahabhagavat Das

———- Forwarded message ———-

From: Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Date: Fri, Nov 14, 2014 at 7:41 AM

Subject: Re: [sda_students:4624] Question regarding thought for the day Nov 10,2014

To: Mahabhagavat Das SDA

From: ISKCON Austin, Texas USA

My Dear Mahabhagavat,  

Please accept my blessings.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada has used this term for the clearing stage:

The first stage is the offensive chanting of the holy name, and the second is the reflective stage of chanting the holy name. The third stage is the offenseless chanting of the holy name of the Lord. In the second stage only, the stage of reflection, between the offensive and offenseless stages, one automatically attains the stage of emancipation. And in the offenseless stage, one actually enters into the kingdom of God, although physically he may apparently be within the material world. 

—purport to  SB 2.2.30

Reflection means  serious thought or consideration.  So in the clearing stage one is deeply thoughtful about his chanting.  In other words, he is carefully chanting and trying to avoid all of the offenses. 

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”).

—

From: Mahabhagavata Das <mahabhag…@gmail.com>

Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 3:55 PM

To: Sankarshan Das Adhikari <s…@backtohome.com>

Subject: Fwd: [sda_students:4624] Question regarding thought for the day Nov 10,2014

Dear Srila Gurudeva,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories unto your divine grace.

The following question was asked on your students’ group. I cannot understand exactly why you used the specific word “reflective” to mention the intermediate “clearing” stage. Instead of speculating, it is better you answer the question, will post it to the entire group.

your servant,

Mahabhagavat Das

Madhumitha, 22 November 2014

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

All glories to Guru and Gauranga!

Thank you very much Prabhus and Matajis for clarifying this for me. I understand it now.

Thanks,

Madumitha

Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari ( Writings and lectures archived at www.ecstaticmedia.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

Why does Maya try so hard to take us away from Krsna?

Maya, the illusory energy, is also an energy of God. So then, why does Maya test us so hard? Why does the illusory energy try so hard take us away from God, even if we are trying to get closer to God? This doesn’t seem to make sense! Please explain!

Priya Sundari Devi Dasi, 12 Dec 2014

Hare Krsna Prabhus

Please accept my humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

All glories to Gurudev

All glories to Vaishnavas

I was listening to some lectures by HH Radhanath Maharaj and the importance of relishing the holy name and fighting against Maya to ensure we don’t fall prey and continue to increase our love and taste for the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra. 

I understand that Maya is the Lord’s external energy, so when she is a part of the Lord himself, why does she try so hard to take us away from Krsna? Is it purely because we’re in the material world? 

But it makes me think, do we not have enough miseries in this material world? Birth, Disease, Old Age and Death… so why then does Maya try so hard to take us away from the Lord even when we take shelter of his pure devotees? 

Apologies if my question has many parts to it and/or if I have misunderstood Maharaj’s lecture. 

Haribol 

your servant 

Priya Sundari Devi Dasi. 

*Krsne matir astu*

Jagannatha Dasa, 12 Dec 2014

to Satsang

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to our beloved spiritual masters.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Thank you for the inspiring question.  I hope this reply will begin a chain of others sharing also!

Maya simply does quality control to make sure only pure lovers of the Lord and His devotees are in the spiritual world.  Others are filtered out into various regions of this material world to enact our selfish dreams, which are more like nightmares.  This can be gross as in the case of the animal forms, or subtle like humans or superhuman beings such as upadevas, demigods etc.  The pure devotees act for Krishna’s pleasure only, manifesting that determination according to their situation.  This is where duty comes in.  

For most of us, duty seems like a burdensome chore.  But for the mature devotees, duty is seen as with the eye of knowledge as the dependable means to get a good result for Krishna’s pleasure.  

saktāḥ karmaṇy avidvāṁso yathā kurvanti bhārata

kuryād vidvāṁs tathāsaktaś cikīrṣur loka-saṅgraham

As the ignorant perform their duties with attachment to results, the learned may similarly act, but without attachment, for the sake of leading people on the right path. (https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/3/25/)

Srila Prabhupada explains that the right path, mentioned here is Krishna consciousness.  Maya is what we make of her.  If we have the eyes of selfishness, greed and false ego, Maya acts as the three modes of nature to drive us circling about this karma chakra to get humiliated into humility.  From there we can chant the holy names and get purified.

tṛṇād api su-nīcena taror iva sahiṣṇunā

amāninā māna-dena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord. (https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/antya/6/239/)

With the eyes of love of Krishna, Maya acts as the “three modes” of spiritual nature:

ānandāṁśe hlādinī, sad-aṁśe sandhinī

cid-aṁśe samvit — yāre jñāna kari’ māni

Hlādinī is His aspect of bliss; sandhinī, of eternal existence; and samvit, of cognizance, which is also accepted as knowledge. (https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/madhya/6/159/)

In the final paragraph concluding the lengthy purport to this verse (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 4.62), Srila Prabhupada explains that these three modes are the internal energy of the Lord, and they manifest as the external energy in the forms goodness, passion and ignorance.  From the highest angle of vision, everything is coming to help us, even maya, but we need proper vision.  The devotees bless us with this vision.  These are great treasures, and like any treasure they take time to accumulate.  

your servant,

Jagannatha Dasa

Harihara Hota, 12 Dec 2014

Please accept my humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

All glories to Gurudev

All glories to Vaishnava Haribol 

The question regarding maya is most important to manage life in a spiritual way which has been idealized  by the revered Srila Prabhupada Maharaj.

Thank you for question

your servant

Harihara Hota

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 13 Dec 2014

Dear Mother Priya Sundari,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Thank you for bringing this up. You may have heard answers to this and related questions, the answer by Jagannatha Prabhu is quite deep too.

Even thought birth, death, old age and disease affect 100% of the population, what percentage of the population even perceives them as evils? Even among devotees, how easy is it to slip into material consciousness? The pure devotee is giving us shelter, but are we really taking their shelter, or are we turning to our false ego and Maya for false shelter and temporary gratification?

I was scouring Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is yesterday looking for what Krishna says and what Srila Prabhupada says:

1. Krishna mentions Maya in BG 7.14, where He simultaneously calls her “daivi” or divine and “duratyaya”, translated as very difficult to overcome, understand, to follow, or unavoidable, insurmountable, impossible to transcend, etc., except to those who surrender to Him.

2. We are in the material world because of one primary fault is us – we are “unsurrendered to Krishna”. In fact, we are envious of Krishna. The difference between jealousy and envy is that when I am jealous of you, I don’t like that you have what you have, or that you are what you are… but envy is more sinister. Envy means, I don’t like what you have, I don’t like who you are, I want you to not have it, I want it instead, and I don’t want you to be who you are, I want to be who you are instead. In other words, envy of Krishna means that the conditioned living entity wants to BE Krishna, kick Him out, and be Him instead. Seems very drastic, but that is why anyone is here, except of course the pure devotee, who has come here on a transcendental rescue mission. Our understanding is that this is the concept called “the original sin” by the Christians, “the forbidden fruit” is to partake of that envy of God.

3. Srila Prabhupada mentions in several one of his purports, but specifically one of them BG 3.17, that “By such clearing of consciousness, one becomes fully confident of his eternal position in relationship with the Supreme.”

4. So, in other words, the purpose of this “divine difficult” energy of Krishna is to clear the consciousness… so therefore, Maya’s purpose is to purify everyone of that terrible envy of Krishna… So, she promises everyone this land where they can think they are #1, but the problem is, she didn’t tell them there are countless such persons who want to be #1, and they are all fighting each other to be #1, case in point, our world. While they are here, she repeatedly pokes, prods, and gives correction to everyone who is here… Ultimately one among millions finally gets it and begins one’s journey back home, but it is Maya’s thankless job to purify that person also… she keeps poking and prodding to test if the person is “done”. When “done”, the person experiences Maya as “Yogamaya” as described in Jagannatha Prabhu’s email. To do her job effectively, she has to be terrible, scary etc… Vaisesika Prabhu says that Kali devi will not think twice about tearing out someone’s entrails and wearing it as a garland, that’s how “heartless” of a witch she is, as described in the songs of the Acharyas – but it is not that she is not doing her job or that she is not dear to Krishna!

I hope this helps?

your servant,

Mahabhagavat Das

Madumitha, 13 Dec 2014

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

All glories to Guru and Gauranga!

I came across a weekly lesson pertaining to this question. I hope this helps a little.

Here’s an excerpt from it:

I was there in New Vrindavan, West Virginia in the summer of 1972 when a young hippy asked Srila Prabhupada, “If our purpose is to go back to Godhead, why is Maya so strong?” Without the slightest hesitation Srila Prabhupada profoundly and poetically answered, “Because your purpose is not strong.”

In other words Maya, the Lord’s illusory energy, only has power over us to the extent that we are not determined to go back to home, back to Godhead. If we are determined to become fully Krishna conscious and not take birth here again in this material world, the material energy will be powerless to do anything to stop us from achieving our goal.

So instead of being weak in our determination, we must become powerful in our determination.

His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari, Weekly Lesson from the Ultimate Self Realization Course

The whole lesson is very enlightening. Here’s the link to read the entire lesson: http://www.sda-archives.com/tftd/course/C/C68.html

Thanks,

Madumitha

Gabrielė. 15 Dec 2014

Hare Krishna,

Please, accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Gurudeva and His students.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Could you please kindly answer to me, such a neophyte? 

If Maya tests if a person is “done”, so she is terrible, scary, etc. – does this process stop when one becomes a pure devotee or only at the moment of death?

Thank You,

your servant,

Gabriele

Shahvir Balaporia, 15 Dec 2014

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Isn’t Yogmaya akin to the Kundalini shakti (force) which the yogis practicing chakra meditation frequently refer to? It is said that once the Kundalini shakti is awakened & starts rising through the chakra system one attains all kinds of superhuman powers (siddhis) eventually culminating into the final stage of self-realization. I think this is Yogmaya at work. Kindly correct me if i am wrong.

your humble servant,

Shahvir

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 15 Dec 2014

Dear Mother Gabriele,

Hare Krishna!

Please kindly accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Gurudeva.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

There is a gradual transformation in the experience of a person as they get gradually purified of material propensities… Srila Prabhupada gives the example of the jaws of a cat… to the mouse, they are the jaws of death, but to the kitten, they are the safest place in the world. In this case, the materialist is compared to the mouse, and the pure devotee is compared to a kitten. The process is very gradual, it is subtle – the individual who is trying notices that they are being tested even though others may not notice… if they don’t clear the hurdle with help of what they have learned so far, then other devotees also notice – a gradually widening circle of devotees, so that the aspiring devotee can get help. This happens to me all the time, I do get help from my friends and mentors if I cannot manage to resolve something by myself, it is a really wonderful process, I can vouch for that.

Sincerely,

Mahabhagavat Das

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 15 Dec 2014

Dear Sriman Shahvir,

Hare Krishna!

Anyone who is not connected with Krishna has no experience or knowledge or understanding of Yogamaya. By observing the process of kundalini yoga as described by Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita starting with the verse 6.11 through 6.32, there are no kundalini yogis in modern-day society, in fact, a kundalini yogi cannot have cannot have a home, a family, any money, no phone, no job, no arrangements for food and sustenance, no contact with society whatsoever. Anyone who is claiming to practice kundalini yoga in modern day society is, for want of a better word, a fraudster, or cheater.

Sincerely,

Mahabhagavat Das

Shahvir Balaporia, 15 Dec 2014

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Dear Mahabhagavat Prabhuji,

Thank you very much for your guidance.

your humble servant,

Shahvir

Priya Sundari Devi Dasi, 16 Dec 2014

Hare Krsna Prabhus 

Please accept my humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

All glories to Guru and Gauranga

All glories to Vaishnavas

My humble heartfelt thanks to all the devotees that have responded. Thank you Jagannatha Das Prabhu for the elaborate reply. It is my Guru Maharaj’s favorite verses, trinad api sunicena, taror api sahishnuna, amanina manadena, kirtaniya sada harih. 

All glories to all your service. 

Haribol 

your servant

Priya Sundari Devi Dasi

*Krsne matir astu*

lease subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at www.ecstaticmedia.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

How do I become pure and sinless?

How do I become pure and sinless? Do I fear God? What do I do to be pure and sinless? How do I avoid doing things that are sinful?

Deepak A, 25th March 2016

Hare Krishna devotees

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

Am not a devotee! But i believe god is there in all things.I fear for him.

I always will be correct to my conscience and do things right.

But i have did some things wrong suddenly i feel like am away from god and he is angry on me for deeds i did.

Please tell me what Lord Krishna say about committing sin and how to come out from that.

I want to be pure as god both in deeds and heart .

Please help me!!!

your humble servant
Deepak Appu

Sridhar Das, 25th March 2016

Hare Krishna Deepak!

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

Many answers that shall fully clarify all your doubts are coming up. I however just wanted to state:

I’m sure our understanding of God is that Krishna is the Supreme Person–ality of Godhead, who is one without a second, the rest being his servants/representatives.

We must try to confirm our understanding/sentiments from Vedas to assure we’re understanding correct which you’ve done sincerely.

When we read Bhagavad Gita with the mood of a devoted learner, an aspiring devotee, we will understand what is right, what is wrong, what Krishna wants, what pleases Him, what displeases Him.

When you feel Lord’s anger for you, I wish to correct that this is Krishna’s actual nature confirmed from His statements:

samo ‘haḿ sarva-bhūteṣu

na me dveṣyo ‘sti na priyaḥ

ye bhajanti tu māḿ 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.(BG 9.29).

The solution to sins is:

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaḿ śaraṇaḿ vraja

ahaḿ tvāḿ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear. (18.66)

And if one simply accepts that I’m a servant of God or Krishna and I must obediently serve Him then whether one be the most sinful person addicted to most sinful activities but if He accepts this truth, Krishna guarantees to not only forgive their sins but even remove them and liberate the person like a caring father. For such a soul Krishna says:

api cet su-durācāro

bhajate mām ananya-bhāk

sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ

samyag vyavasito hi saḥ

“Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination.” (BG 9.30)

When we serve the Lord and His devotees, automatically their godly qualities descend upon us if they’re pleased.

So the conclusion is to engage in some devotional service to Krishna in association of His devotees and all your problems (not current but complete lifetime) shall be solved.

Thank you for the nice question.

your servant
Shridhar Das

Bhakta Sunil, 27th March 2016

Hare Krishna Deepak bhai,

Please accept my humble respects,
All Glories to Vaishnavas,

If one does something wrong and feel away from God, it indicates that one has to purify oneself to prevent mistakes and misdeeds which can prick the conscience,

As long one has impurities in heart, one is forced to act in a way depending on the modes of material nature which one has acquired from one’s past desires and actions,

“Bhagavad Gita As It Is” Chapter 3 Verse 5 helps us to understand this point, as follows :

Translation :

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.

Purport :

It is not a question of embodied life, but it is the nature of the soul to be always active. Without the presence of the spirit soul, the material body cannot move. The body is only a dead vehicle to be worked by the spirit soul, which is always active and cannot stop even for a moment. As such, the spirit soul has to be engaged in the good work of Krishna consciousness, otherwise it will be engaged in occupations dictated by the illusory energy. In contact with material energy, the spirit soul acquires material modes, and to purify the soul from such affinities it is necessary to engage in the prescribed duties enjoined in the sastras. But if the soul is engaged in his natural function of Krishna consciousness, whatever he is able to do is good for him. The Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.5.17) affirms this:

tyaktva sva-dharmam caranambujam harer
bhajann apakvo ’tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva vabhadram abhud amusya kim
ko vartha apto ’bhajatam sva-dharmatah

“If someone takes to Krishna consciousness, even though he may not follow the prescribed duties in the sastras or execute the devotional service properly, and even though he may fall down from the standard, there is no loss or evil for him. But if he carries out all the injunctions for purification in the sastras, what does it avail him if he is not Krishna conscious?” So the purificatory process is necessary for reaching this point of Krishna consciousness. Therefore, sannyasa, or any purificatory process, is to help reach the ultimate goal of becoming Krishna conscious, without which everything is considered a failure.

Regarding your asking about freedom from sins, please read the Question-Answer taken from daily “Thought for the Day” emails , dated 7th June 2015 :

Question: Freedom from My Many Sins?

I am 23 years old. Now when I look back I can recollect many sins which I have done. The reason that I was not aware until now that this was sinful is due to my own karma from my previous birth. So even though I did not have the knowledge of right and wrong, I am solely responsible for this because it was my choice to be in ignorance. If in this birth I do good, is it possible that I may get spiritual knowledge in my next birth?

What is initiation? What is the complete process for getting initiated?

Can we live a grihastha (married) life after getting initiated?

Your reader

Answer: Surrender to Krishna Frees You from All Karma

There is no need to wait until your next birth to get spiritual knowledge and live a pure life. You can be born again right through the process known as initiation. In this way you will qualify to enter the eternal abode of Lord Sri Krishna at the time of death.

Initiation is when you take a vow to strictly follow the principles of Krishna consciousness for your entire life. This means that you agree to chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day on japa mala beads and that you also agree to strictly avoid illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling for your entire life. At the time of initiation you also accept a highly advanced devotee who is fixed in Krishna consciousness as your spiritual master and you agree to always abide by whatever instructions he gives you. By becoming initiated and keeping your vow, you are a fully surrendered devotee of Krishna. The spiritual master and Krishna free you from the reactions from all of your previous sinful activities for millions of lifetimes in this material world. Initiation is essential for one who wants to attain genuine happiness.

Srila Prabhupada emphasizes the importance of initiation in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 10.2.18:

“Unless one is initiated by the right person, who always carries within his heart the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot acquire the power to carry the Supreme Godhead within the core of one’s own heart.”

He also writes in his purport to Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya Lila, 24. 331:

“As far as the time of diksha (initiation) is concerned, everything depends on the position of the guru. As soon as a bonafide guru is received by chance or by a program, one should immediately take the opportunity to receive initiation.”

Regarding your question about married (grihastha) life, many of our disciples are married and are progressing very nicely in Krishna consciousness. This option remains open to you. If you like, you can marry a nice Krishna conscious girl who is already a dedicated member our Krishna consciousness movement and raise children in Krishna consciousness.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari
www.joincourse.com

Hope this helps,

Sincerely,

Bhakta Sunil

Shyamapriya devi dasi, 30th March 2016

Hare Krishna

Actually, you are a devotee! We all are devotees. Even the trees, animals, birds, every living entity. However, we all are in a state of forgetfulness, just like a man who has lost his memory has difficulty to identify himself and where he belongs to. Then with the help of a doctor the patient is made to remember his past life (i.e. his real life) with the help of pictures, videos,etc. Slowly the patient recovers. But this is a very crude example to make us understand of our actual position.

A mango will be called a mango, whether it is at an unriped stage or at a completely ripened, sweet nectarean stage. Just like an unriped mango also has to work its way towards that ripened stage, we all devotees, slowly and slowly have to work on removing those layers and layers, heaps and heaps of dust (ignorance) covering our hearts under the expert guidance of a doctor i.e. a spiritual master to come to that mature, pure devotee stage. So if you haven’t found a doctor yet, this is a very good time to find one (from the wonderful list of spiritual masters in ISKCON and one of them, as you know, is our Srila Gurudeva) and start working your way to becoming completely pure as your wonderful desire is to be.

Sridhar Prabhu has already given well researched answer to your question.

But if you still feel to enquire further, our many experts on board are always there to help you.

Thankyou
Sincerely,
Shyamapriya devi dasi

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Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 01st April 2016

Dear Deepak,

Hare Krishna!

The scriptural references you have, and also encouragement from the devotees.

Krishna is not some mean-bully-in-the-sky type personality.
Krishna is your best friend and supreme well-wisher.

If Krishna gives you correction, it will be in the mood of a loving parent who gives some punishment to a child, not some vindictive revenge-seeker-mentality.

Anyways, you know that what you did was not right, so you are feeling some remorse and guilt, but use this to go closer to Krishna by taking up some activity that will reduce the chance of you performing similar actions again.
Guilt is useless, but if we leverage remorse to lead us in the right direction, then that is ideal. Doing something practical that uplifts our consciousness is the key:

kecit kevalayā bhaktyā
 vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ
aghaṁ dhunvanti kārtsnyena
 nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ

Only a rare person who has adopted complete, unalloyed devotional service to Kṛṣṇa can uproot the weeds of sinful actions with no possibility that they will revive. He can do this simply by discharging devotional service, just as the sun can immediately dissipate fog by its rays. SB 6.1.15

This is the final answer of Sukadeva Goswami to the question of Maharaja Parikshit which was as follows:

kvacin nivartate ’bhadrāt
 kvacic carati tat punaḥ
prāyaścittam atho ’pārthaṁ
 manye kuñjara-śaucavat

Sometimes one who is very alert so as not to commit sinful acts is victimized by sinful life again. I therefore consider this process of repeated sinning and atoning to be useless. It is like the bathing of an elephant, for an elephant cleanses itself by taking a full bath, but then throws dust over its head and body as soon as it returns to the land. SB 6.1.10.

The verses from SB 6.1.10 to SB 6.1.15 are a wonderful exchange. Please consider reading at http://www.vedabase.com/sb/6/1/10

Have you carefully read any of the books of Srila Prabhupada, even if it is a small book? Have you tried chanting Hare Krishna? Have you rendered any practical devotional service to the devotees?

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

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

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