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Tuesday 31 October 2006 from Riga, Latvia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Last Day in the Blissful Baltics Tomorrow after a month of sharing the ultimate nectar in the Baltic States we are continuing on with our world lecture series tour with a brief lecture stint in the USA and Mexico before we move on to the Middle East, India, Australia, and the Fiji Islands. It's amazing how the unlimited nectarean ocean of Krishna consciousness continues to expand more and more. Some people argue that it is not possible for the unlimited to become even more unlimited. Such people are bewildered in their understanding because they are trying to understand the unlimited by mental speculation. They have not personally tasted or experienced the unlimited. If you would like to experience a sweet sample taste of the unlimited ever-expanding nectarean of ocean of Krishna consciousness, check out this loving farewell we received here in the Baltic states: http://www.backtohome.com/video/farewell.wmv Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: If Chanting Were Meaningless... I would just wonder. I mean, if your message was all wrong. If chanting were meaningless. Minc -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Chanting Cannot Be Meaningless... Chanting is obeying the order of the Source of existence, so it cannot be meaningless. But of course if existence itself were meaningless that would be another matter. But existence itself cannot be meaningless, it must be meaningful, otherwise it cannot exist. So there is no question of existence being meaningless. Nor is there, therefore, any question of chanting as per the Source's order being meaningless. In other words it is meaningless to speculate that chanting might be meaningless. So instead of meaninglessly wasting your time with meaninglessness, you should better spend your time meaningfully by chanting Hare Krishna as much as possible. If you do so, you will fully realize the meaning of existence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Monday 30 October 2006 from Riga, Latvia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The ISKCON House |
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Sunday 29 October 2006 from Kaunas, Lithuania -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Departing from Kaunas It's 6:23 am on Saturday the 28th of October 2006. This morning after I give the Srimad Bhagavatam class and we take breakfast, we are being driven north to Riga, Latvia where I will spend several days giving lectures before proceeding on to Amsterdam, the USA, and Mexico for more speaking engagements. For the last week and a half we have been traveling and preaching in Lithuania and in Russia. It has really been super sweet and exciting. There is no greater adventure than this. The quality and quantity of loving appreciation we have received from the Russian and Lithuanian devotees is enough to make even the most stone like heart melt in transcendental bliss. Srila Prabhupada told us that the whole world could become Krishna conscious within five days. So with great hope I carry on traveling and preaching trying to serve as a catalyst to help bring about the direly needed global respiritualization. May that day come soon. May that day come soon. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why Krishna Came as a Fish? Please accept my humble obeisances. What has me curious is why Krishna came to earth as a fish? Was there a specific reason? Thanks, Matthew -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: To Protect the Vedas Your question is answered in the first verse of the Dasavatar Stotra as follows: pralaya-payodhi-jale dhrtavan asi vedam vihita-vahitra-caritram akhedam kesava dhrta-mina-sarira jaya jagadisa hare "O Keshava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of a fish! All glories to You! You easily acted as a boat in the form of a giant fish just to give protection to the Vedas, which had become immersed in the turbulent sea of devastation." Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Saturday 28 October 2006 from Kaunas, Lithuania -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Breaking through the Veil of Illusion into the Realm of Eternal Truth
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Friday 27 October 2006 from Kaunas, Lithuania -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The Rigors and Rewards of Life on the Road Life on the road has its austerities. For example, one can get sick and with constant moving with no fixed habitat, it is very difficult to recover. There are so many varieties of unforeseen circumstances that are sometimes difficult to deal with. Such things as travel arrangements, accommodations, meals, internet connections, and laundry can easily become a problem. We simply have to tolerate whatever difficulties that arise without being disturbed. But the pay off is having enhanced facility for spreading the science of Krishna. Wherever I go I am given honor and respect as a preacher of the science of Krishna consciousness. My lectures are advertised in advance by the local devotees and are well attended sometimes to over-capacity audiences. Out of the many sincere souls who hear me speak, some become so inspired by my humble attempt to serve the mission of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, that they request if they can become my disciples. If they are recommended as qualified by their local ISKCON authorities I will then accept them as my spiritual son or daughter for achieving the supreme perfection of going back to home, back to Godhead. There is no more satisfying feeling than helping a sincere soul achieve the topmost destination. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How Many Have You Initiated? Can I ask you among the many students you write to, how many devotees have been initiated by you? Do you ever feel that there will come a time when you will not be able to write personally because of overwork? Also, can you tell me what is the significance of fire during the initiation ceremony? Just to let you know, I appreciate your correspondence. Kind regards, Your student -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: I Do Not Give Cheap Initiation... I do not give initiation cheaply. To receive initiation one must be highly qualified. Therefore, I have only so far initiated 31 of my students. I may reach a point of overwork. It does not appear that it is going to happen any time soon. Lord Vishnu appears in the form of the initiation fire to burn up the sins of the new initiate. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Thursday 26 October 2006 from Vilnius, Lithuania -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Greatest Service to the Suffering Humanity The root cause of all suffering is a lack of Krishna consciousness. Every single living being throughout the vast totality of existence is part and parcel of the supreme person, Lord Sri Krishna. In this material world 99.999% of the living beings are in complete ignorance of their factual identities and are thus unnecessarily suffering in the cycle of ever-repeating birth, death, old age, and disease. If they can simply come to their senses by remembering who they actually are and thinking, speaking, and acting always in harmony with their actual true nature, they will be unlimitedly happy in all times, places, and circumstances. Therefore there is no greater service that one can render to the suffering human than to dedicate one's life to reawakening the dormant Krishna consciousness that is sleeping in the hearts of all. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: What Did God Look Like? What did God look like the very first time he incarnated himself on earth? Was it his two armed version with skin like the color of clouds? Why is it still so difficult to break free from maya even when a strong attempt is being made? What do you think Krishna would say if you asked him what you should do if you are struggling with depression and anger? Erin -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: He Was a Gigantic Fish The first incarnation of Krishna within this universe is described as follows in the Srimad Bhagavatam: om namo bhagavate mukhyatamaya namah sattvaya pranayaujase sahase balaya maha-matsyaya nama iti. "I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is pure transcendence. He is the origin of all life, bodily strength, mental power and sensory ability. Known as Matsyavatara, the gigantic fish incarnation, He appears first among all the incarnations. Again I offer my obeisances unto Him." SB 5.18.25 It is difficult to break free from maya because we have been conditioned to be her slave for millions and millions of lifetimes. Becoming Krishna consciousness is to declare war against maya, the illusory energy. If your endeavor to break free from maya is not successful even when a strong attempt is made, you must make even a stronger attempt. And if that is not successful, you must make even a stronger attempt. In this way you must make your attempt stronger, stronger, stronger, stronger, until finally you break free from the clutches of the material energy. Depression and anger are the symptoms of a person who is under the influence of the material modes of passion and ignorance. In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna orders us to be transcendental to the influence of the three modes of material nature. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Wednesday 25 October 2006 from Kaunas, Lithuania --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kaunas Send-off Photos:
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Tuesday 24 October 2006 from Kaunas, Lithuania -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Initiation: Formally Entering the Path If we are at all serious about attaining spiritual perfection and returning to our original home in the spiritual world, we need to become masters in the science of bhakti. Our formal entrance to the path of bhakti is the moment we take initiation from a bona fide spiritual master. Just as someone who wants to earn a college degree solidly dedicates himself to the process when he formally registers in the university, the person who is fully committed to achieving spiritual perfection takes initiation from a bona fide spiritual master and under his expert guidance makes solid spiritual process through the various stages leading up to full spiritual perfection. On Sunday October 22, 2006 in Kaunas, Lithuania it was my great pleasure to accept as my new disciple, Andriejus Radčenkowe, a Lithuanian college student, who is working on a masters degree. At the time of initiation, it is the system that the initiate is awarded with a new name, a spiritual name, to remind him of his eternal spiritual identity as a servant of Krishna and of Lord Krishna's devotees. I have named Andriejus as Abhinanda Das. Abhinanda is the elder brother of Nanda Maharaja, the foster father of Lord Krishna. And Das means servant. The name Das or Dasi (the feminine version) is added to the end of the spiritual name so that the disciple is always reminded that he is the servant of God and His devotees. This is an auspicious new beginning for Abhinanda Das. I am reminded of that most auspicious day of 12 August 1971 when I was accepted as the disciple of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. I encourage all of my students to become very serious about attaining spiritual perfection and to qualify themselves for and accept initiation. This will enable them to quickly advance on the path of bhakti for attaining the ultimate perfection of going back to home, back to Godhead. The qualifications are as follows: You must be strictly fixed in chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day on japa beads, and you must strictly avoid illicit sex life, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling. Sankarshan Das Adhikari --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sankarshan Das Adhikari (at far left) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Monday 23 October 2006 from Kaunas, Lithuania -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Video Clip: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We will fulfill their desire. |
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Sunday 22 October 2006 from Kaliningrad, Russia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Sharing the Ultimate Nectar in Russia For a long time I have had the desire to spread the science of Krishna consciousness in Russia. Even without my actively pursuing the fulfillment of this desire, it came to me automatically by the arrangement of the Lord. Last spring when I was in Lithuania I was invited to preach in Russia by Vishvavasu Prabhu, a devotee who often teaches the bhakti yoga science in Russia. I immediately accepted his invitation. This nice devotee made all arrangements of transportation, meals, accommodations, laundry service, internet connection, and preaching engagements for me. All I have to do is chant Hare Krishna and talk about Krishna. What could be more enlivening? The people here in Kaliningrad, Russia are in desperate need of Krishna consciousness. Without knowledge of the soul they are lost, completely drowned in the whirlpool of repeated birth and death. I am noticing on the streets the very common sight of people, even young girls, walking down the street with bottles of beer in their hands. They intoxicate themselves in order to try to find some happiness, but still they remain miserable. If they would just try the ultimate nectar, the supreme intoxicant, Krishna consciousness, they would become fully satisfied. Sankarshan Das Adhikari --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sharing the ultimate nectar in Kaliningrad, Russia
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Saturday 21 October 2006 from Kaliningrad, Russia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Detained at the Russian Border 20 October 2006--11:30 am. My premonitions of trouble at the Russian border turned out to be well warranted. Even though we had bona fide double entry visas issued by the Russian embassy in Washington, DC USA, the border officials did not want to let us enter Russia. They took our passports away from us and kept Mataji and I standing for over an hour on the sidewalk in the cold without even a place to sit down. I knew we were in a battle with the material energy, and I started chanting prayers to Lord Nrisimhadeva, the protector of the devotees from the harassment of the non-devotees.
Finally they called us into an office to interrogate us. The uniformed official wanted to know why we wanted to enter Russia. He wanted to know where we were staying and how long we would stay. I gave him all the information he requested. |
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Friday 20 October 2006 from Kaunas, Lithuania -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Preaching Krishna Consciousness in Russia 19 October 2006--4 am. Srila Prabhupada stated that preaching in the snows of Russia is sweeter than mangos. Having tasted the nectar of preaching Krishna consciousness all over the world, I've always wanted to preach in Russia. Today we are getting the chance. Today we going to Russia. My host, a Russian citizen, a devotee named Vishvavasu, has warned me about possible difficulties while crossing the border as we are leaving Russia. The border guards are known to apply the rules and regulations inconsistently utilizing their position to harass people and even extort bribes. Out of precaution against harassment we are leaving Sri Sri Radha Damodar behind to be worshipped for several days at our Kaunas temple where they will share the altar with Sri Sri Nitai Gauracandra and be fed very nicely. I do not know what kind of difficulties I will face leaving Russia with my laptop computer, camera, and MP3 recorder. I am simply taking what I need for preaching and depending on Krishna to protect me from the harassment of non-devotees. If I was to always live comfortably avoiding all difficult situations, I would miss out on so much transcendental excitement and adventure. Srila Prabhupada taught us to be daring and active for spreading this Krishna consciousness all over the world, and I am trying my best to obey him. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How Will Following Krishna Affect my Life? I am a south Indian, who is a Lord Shiva follower. How will following Lord Krishna affect my life? Kalai -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Marvelously... It will effect your life marvelously. By worshipping Lord Krishna you will give the greatest pleasure to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is a devotee of Krishna. Therefore nothing gives him greater pleasure than to see that you are devotee of Krishna. In the Srimad Bhagavatam we find the following statement by Lord Siva: yah param ramhasah saksat tri-gunaj jiva-samjnitat bhagavantam vasudevam prapannah sa priyo hi me "Any person who is surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, the controller of everything -- material nature as well as the living entity -- is actually very dear to me." --Srimad Bhagavatam 4.24.28 Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Thursday 19 October 2006 from Kaunas, Lithuania -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Back to Home, Back to Kaunas There is no one more dear to the Lord than His devotees who have dedicated their lives for spreading His glories all over the world. Nor will there even be anyone more dear. Therefore there is no sweeter taste than the association of Lord Krishna's devotees. This is the benefit of traveling to meet with the saintly people at holy places of pilgrimage scattered across the globe. At each stop we get to plug into the sweet, sweet ocean of sadhu sanga (devotee association) and become unlimitedly surcharged with transcendental bliss. Especially here in Kaunas, Lithuania we are relishing the greatest happiness in the association of the Lithuanian devotees.
In this enlivening association we feel that now we have returned to our eternal home. This is the nature of devotee association. It takes us back to home, back to Godhead. |
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Wednesday 18 October 2006 from Kaunas, Lithuania Last Monday, 16 October 2006 was Read homages written for this occasion at the following: Watch a video clip from the celebration: Today's Thought: |
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Tuesday 17 October 2006 from Riga, Latvia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Back on the Road of Adventure to Kaunas, Lithuania After an ecstatic nectar-surcharged week of Krishna katha (hearing and chanting the glories of Krishna) in Riga, Latvia, Mataji and I are now heading out on the road of adventure once more. This time our destination is Kaunas, Lithuania. Wherever we go our business is the same, to dive deeply into that sublime, soothing, enlivening ocean of absorption in the name, fame, forms, pastimes, entourage, abode, teachings, and paraphernalia of that inconceivably sweet and wonderful Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna. The entire world is suffering because of one scarcity only. What is that scarcity? They are unnecessarily suffering in so many, many varieties of ways simply because they are lacking in Krishna consciousness. This does not have to be a problem because we have an ample supply of Krishna consciousness to completely fulfill the Krishna conscious needs of all living beings throughout the entire universe. Simply they must lend us their ears. Then we shall be able to deliver them from all of their unlimited anxieties. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How Can I See Krishna? I want to see Krishna and talk to him. How can I see Krishna? Siva -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Anoint Your Eyes with the Salve of Love... If you want to see Krishna you must fully surrender unto Him. Then that day will surely come when you will see Him face to face, eye to eye. This is described in the Brahma Samhita as follows: premanjana cchurita bhakti vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti yam syamasundaram acintya-guna-svarupam govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami "I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Syamasundara, Krishna Himself with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love." --Brahma Samhita 5.38 You must anoint your eyes with salve of love. That salve is obtained by submissively hearing the topics of the Lord and rendering humble service to the Lord's servants. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Monday 16 October 2006 from Riga, Latvia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Pure Love is the Real Happiness The real and natural position of complete happiness is pure love. That pure love means pure absorption in the loving service of the Supreme Person. When we exclusively channel all of our love to that Supreme Person, it is automatically and perfectly distributed to all living entities throughout the vast span of the total existence. The difficulty we have, which keeps us bound up in the cycle of repeated birth and death, is that we pursue loving relationships which are tainted with selfishness. We enter into what we call loving relationships for the sake of getting something for ourselves. Such greedy consciousness leaves us tinged with a miserable feeling of dirtiness. Even though widely touted in this world as love, such a mentality is nothing more than covered lust. Through the bona fide bhakti yoga system one can gradually purify one's consciousness transforming it from a self-centered consciousness to a God-centered consciousness. The perfection of such consciousness is to reach a point where every thought, word, and deed in all times, places, and circumstances is 100% dedicated to pleasing the Lord, even if the devotee must suffer so many personal difficulties to serve his Lord. This enlightened consciousness of pure love enriches us with a happiness that is thrilling beyond all description. It lies within the reach of everyone. But if we want it, we have to dedicatedly work for it. We must sincerely make the endeavor under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master. By his blessings we will then achieve the supreme perfection of existence, pure Krishna prema. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why Doesn't Krishna Appear? There is a lot of discussion about when Krishna's incarnation of Kalki Avatar will make His appearance on earth. We see now that after Lord Krishna made his appearance and then departed 5,000 years ago that mankind has gone from bad to worse with no apparent limit to how much injustice and immorality can become manifested around us. Why doesn't Krishna make an appearance now to put an end to all this? I know that it has already been stated in the Vedas that the age of Kali yuga is going to last for another 427,000 years and this is bound to happen. But isn't all this going beyond tolerance? Isn't there a need for God to intervene to make man realize his purpose for being here and how misguided he is? Please do let me know. Nehal Mumbai, India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: He Has Appeared... You are absolutely correct in understanding the dire need for the Lord to appear. He has mercifully done so at the present time by manifesting Himself in the form of the Hare Krishna Movement. Kindly take advantage of this by fully dedicating your life to this movement. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Sunday 15 October 2006 from Riga, Latvia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Conquer Envy and Taste the Supreme Nectar Our most dangerous enemy is envy. Envy is when we cannot tolerate someone else being ahead of us. Our original envy is to be envious of God. It is that envy of God that originally brought us into this rotten material existence, and it is that envy, which if not conquered, which can keep us here suffering forever. So if we are at all intelligent, we will do whatever it takes to completely free ourselves from the influence of envy. We really do not have any choice if we want to ever taste genuine happiness. Envy is based on foolishness, the foolishness that the way to be happy is to be in a superior position. We do not realize that our greatest happiness is to be a subordinate position. This fact is demonstrated practically by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is situated in the topmost position in all of existence, the position of supreme enjoyment. But He is amazed to see that His devotee, Srimati Radharani, His subordinate, is relishing more pleasure in her subordinate position than He is in His superior position. Not to be outdone, that Supreme Lord, then assumes the mode and complexion of Srimati Radharani by taking the subordinate position of being a devotee of Krishna, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So to increase His supreme enjoyment the Supreme Personality of Godhead assumes the subordinate position. We should take lesson from this and adopt the non-envious mood of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Our happiness will expand exponentially. Just see the divine rapture of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the painting below:
If you want to taste the supreme nectar, take hint from the sublime example of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and give up your envy to become a fully surrendered devotee of Lord. You've got nothing to lose except for your temporality, your ignorance, and your misery. Try it. You'll absolutely love it! We guarantee it 100%! |
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Saturday 14 October 2006 from Riga, Latvia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Serving the Supreme Love Affair The most popular subject matter in this world is the love between a man and woman. Everyone is attracted by a good love song or love story. The Beatles became rich and famous by expertly catering to this attraction. From where do we get this tendency? Since God is the origin of everything, we can reason that this male/female attraction must also be there in God. And by studying the authoritative Vedic literatures we discover that this is indeed a fact. The original boy/girl relationship is between Lord Sri Krishna and Srimati Radharani. In this connection the great Vaisnava acharya, Srila Visvanath Cakravarti Thakur, describes that adi-rasa, the original taste, is the love between a man and a woman and that this adi-rasa originates in Krishna. Back in 1968 I was a 21-year-old college student living in Denver, Colorado seriously seeking spiritual enlightenment. I had been misguided and frustrated by so many bogus so-called teachers, thinkers, and gurus. But when Bob Dylan wrote that there must some kind of way to get out of this place of confusion and no relief, I was convinced that it must be true. Therefore I was searching, searching, searching for the ultimate answer. Then one day I discovered and purchased a poster of this image of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna:
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Friday 13 October 2006 from Riga, Latvia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Enlightened Global Leadership At the present moment our world society is suffering from a devastating vacuum in global leadership. Today's typical leader is more interested in what he can take than in what he can give. This creates a very unbalanced situation which then filters down through all the levels of our global village creating unnecessary misery and anxiety for everyone. Even those who have managed to manipulate themselves to the top, and who are exploiting the system for their own aggrandizement, are not satisfied. So what can be done to rectify a situation that has gotten so far out of hand? We need ideal men and women of character who can provide global leadership by their mere example, whether or not they hold a big title or a big position. Such leaders are described as follows in the Bhagavad-gita: yad yad acarati sresthas tat tad evetaro janah sa yat pramanam kurute lokas tad anuvartate "Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues." Bhagavad-gita 3.21 If such a class of saintly persons can now emerge on this planet, they will naturally provide the new standard of enlightened global leadership that our ever-increasingly fractured world needs now more than ever. You, my dear reader, are invited to join the ranks of those who pursue pure God-centeredness as the ultimate goal of their existence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Become an Initiated Disciple? How do I become initiated by a bona fide spiritual master? Respectively yours, Andrew Tullett-Court -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Inquire From and Serve the Spiritual Master... Your question, "How do I become initiated by a bona fide spiritual master?" is glorious because it is enjoined in the Srimad Bhagavatam as follows: tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam "Any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation." Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3.21 Our first birth is from our mother and father, and our second birth is from our spiritual mother, the Vedas, and our spiritual father, the spiritual master. The method for becoming initiated is described by Lord Krishna as follows in the Bhagavad-gita: tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya upadeksyanti te jnanam jnaninas tattva-darsinah "Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth." Bhagavad-gita 4.34 We simply have to approach the spiritual master with submissive inquiries and a humble service attitude and reveal to him that we would like to take shelter of him by initiation. He will then guide us exactly what we need to do to become his fully surrendered disciple. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Thursday 12 October 2006 from Riga, Latvia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Taking Shelter of the Internal Energy At the present moment we are very much entangled in the external energy. The nature of the external energy is that it is temporary, full of ignorance, and full of misery. There is another energy of an entirely different nature. That energy is known as the internal energy. By proper training from a bona fide spiritual master anyone can master the science of how to situate themselves in the internal energy, which is eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss. Such withdrawing from the external energy to the internal energy is described by Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita as follows: yada samharate cayam kurmo 'nganiva sarvasah indriyanindriyarthebhyas tasya prajna pratisthita "One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise draws its limbs within the shell, is firmly fixed in perfect consciousness." Bhagavad-gita 2.58 The human life is meant for such perfection of consciousness because no matter how expertly we may situated ourselves in the external energy, we can never be satisfied. All attempts to achieve complete happiness within the external will be a miserable failure. This is a fact because we are qualitatively one with the internal energy. of the same nature as the internal energy, not the external energy. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Can You Give a Glimpse of the Spiritual Realm? |
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Wednesday 11 October 2006 from Riga, Latvia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Revolutionary Realizations on the Road to Riga What a mess this world is! It's a jungle which is becoming more and more dangerous with every passing year. Insanity is becoming more and more of an everyday affair. We see leaders who are not even qualified as human beings, what to speak of being qualified to lead us. And we are expected to work hard to maintain the crazy status quo. What could be more ridiculous? Therefore we are now calling for a worldwide spiritual revolution to completely reform the entire human society. Kindly join with us now to uplift the global consciousness. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. We are not speaking of revolution of guns and bullets. We are speaking of a revolution of enlightened consciousness which now must sweep the earth. We really don't have any other choice. We must now establish the common spiritual center for all living beings or witness the complete gradual disintegration of the human civilization. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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Tuesday 10 October 2006 from Riga, Latvia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The Ultimate Secret of Success Last Sunday, the 8th of October 2006, I was requested in Tallinn, Estonia to speak on a verse of the Srimad Bhagavatam, which contains the most important point of instruction, the essential formula for achieving success. In this world 99.99% of the population end their lives in failure instead of success. Why is that? No one would opt for failure. So why is it that practically everyone is a failure? This is due to ignorance only. Therefore there is no greater welfare work than the dissemination of transcendental knowledge to the unknowing souls of this age. By the grace of my beloved spiritual master I have been blessed with this sublime transcendental knowledge and with the order to spread it all over the world. It is because of his order that I am making it available to you through our weekly lessons and "Thought for the Day." Here is an mp3 recording of the lecture: http://www.backtohome.com/audio/success.mp3 Hear it carefully and implement the instructions given. We gaurantee that your life will be a 100% success. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Can We Be Purely Krishna Conscious in Our Present Body? Srila Prabhupada says, we should pray to Krishna this way, "Dear Lord, please come quickly and bring me to your place." How are we to understand, "your place"? Can we be purely Krishna conscious without leaving the body? Or must we be transferred to Goloka Vrindavan (the topmost planet in the spiritual world) to fully associate with Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Thank you. Bruce Gatten -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Yes. You Can See Krishna Face to Face... When we pray to Lord Krishna to take us back to His place, we are asking Him to take us back to the spiritual world. But it is also a fact that if we become purely Krishna conscious even within this body, Lord Krishna will personally reveal Himself to us. We will be able to see Him face to face. This is described as follows by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 1.11.10: "Similarly, the living entities, who are molecular parts of the whole spirit, are separated from the Lord by the artificial covering of maya, illusory energy. This illusory energy, or the curtain of maya, has to be removed, and when it is so done, the living entity can see the Lord face to face, and all his miseries are at once removed." Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Monday 9 October 2006 from Tallinn, Estonia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Back to Riga, Latvia Today we hit the preaching trail for Riga, Latvia. It's so amazing how the activity of hearing and chanting about Krishna elevates our consciousness beyond this bleak material existence. I remember how much I was suffering before I was blessed with Krishna consciousness. It was a horrible, intolerable existence. Now by the grace of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, I have uninterrupted access to a reservoir of unlimited bliss and knowledge forever. How much I am indebted to him for saving me from this rotten material existence? I don't think it is possible that I can ever possibly pay him back. But still I must try by dedicating my entire existence to sharing this mercy I have received from him with all of the fallen, suffering souls of this age. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Can You Detail the Serene Scenery? I was wondering if you could go into detail about the things you see while you are on the road. I was reading "Thought for the Day" and found myself wondering what the landscape was like where you are. It would be nice to ponder some of the serene scenery that you describe as a road to meditation. My thoughts and prayers are with you in your travels and please take care. Laura -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Unsurpassable Internal Scenery... Thank you very much for your kind, loving sentiments. I appreciate very much your suggestion how to make our daily thoughts more interesting. You would like for me to describe the scenery along the way. What's happening is that the internal scenery is so much more beautiful than the external scenery that I naturally gravitate towards that which is more beautiful and that is what you end up hearing about in "Thought for the Day." Just like here in post Soviet-era Estonia the external scenery is rather bleak, but the sweet nectar we are tasting here in the association of the Estonian devotees is unlimited. Here's a couple of shots taken on 7 October 2006 as we were departing from Sillamae, Estonia on our way to Tallinn:
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Sunday 8 October 2006 from Tallinn, Estonia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: We Want to Take You Home There is no need for you to rot any longer in the cycle of birth and death. You are an eternal spiritual being, full of knowledge, and full of bliss. Currently you are misidentifying yourself with your material body, which is temporary, full of ignorance, and full of misery. For you to remain in this deluded condition is an unnecessary waste of your time and energy taking you nowhere. We would like to get you out of this material existence. If you will agree to come with us, we will take you back to home, back to Godhead, back to your original home in the eternal spiritual sky. You will regain your original identity and relationship with the Supreme Person. And you will taste unlimited happiness for all of eternity in unlimited varieties of loving pastimes with God and His eternal devotees. Does this sound too good to be true? You may find it unbelievable because you have been so much conditioned by this material existence for so many millions of lifetimes. But I can assure you that it is absolutely true. Do not doubt it for a minute. We will take you home, if you are willing to go. Of course, we are not going to pressure you. We are simply giving you the invitation. Now you can do what you like. We hope you make the right decision. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Self-Realization Without a Guru? I have already started chanting mantra to fix myself on transcendental platform without obtaining it from a bona fide spiritual master only by reading from your web site. Does this qualify me to get self realization? Your student from India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Without Guru Mantra is Impotent... If you are taking instructions from me, you are already connected with a bona fide spiritual master. Because I am connected with a bona fide spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and I am purely passing on to you whatever he has given me, I am also a bona fide spiritual master. If you are serious about self-realization, you must now follow the standard pathway as described by the great acharyas (spiritual masters who teach by example.) You cannot concoct your own path. Just as I have been blessed with self-realization by fully surrendering myself unto the bona fide spiritual master, now you must also fully surrender yourself unto the bona fide spiritual master, if you want to attain the self-realization platform. You cannot become self-realized without taking shelter of the bona fide spiritual master, even if you are chanting a bona fide mantra. This is confirmed as follows in the Padma Purana: sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te nisphala matah "Unless you are initiated by a bona fide spiritual master in the disciplic succession, the mantra that you might have received is without any effect." Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Saturday 7 October 2006 from Sillamae, Estonia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Living the Ultimate Adventure at Every Minute We are not meant to live a drab, fearful existence. We are meant to live the ultimate adventure at every minute. This does not have to remain a mere dream. This can be an ongoing practical reality. All we have to do is tap into the unlimited reservoir of Krishna bhakti (devotion to Lord Krishna.) The thoughtful observer may ask, "Why devotion to Lord Krishna? Why not devotion to Lord Jesus or Lord Shiva?" The answer is that according to the authoritative Vedic wisdom, Lord Sri Krishna is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all that exists. Just as by watering the root of the tree all the leaves and branches are nourished, by giving our love to Krishna it is perfectly distributed to everyone and everything throughout the vastness of existence. Simply by fully dedicating our lives to the pure chanting of Krishna's holy names, we will taste the sweetest nectar at every minute and will thus with one simple stroke transcend all the miseries of material existence for all of eternity. There's no better deal than this. This is truly the ultimate adventure. You can take it or leave it. If you are smart, you will take it. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Is Devotional Service Destined? The life of each and everybody is destined. How he lives and what sufferings he is supposed to face, everything is destined. In this regard my questions are: 1) Is the devotional service also destined to the soul? And is his spiritual master also destined when he takes birth? 2) Is it possible to render more service to the spiritual master than what he was destined to render in this lifetime? your servant Rama Rupa Chaitanya das -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Devotional Service is Beyond Destiny... In this material world we are all very much restricted by destiny. According to our karma we must suffer or enjoy within our allotted quota and cannot go beyond that. However, if one surrenders himself fully unto Lord Sri Krishna, he comes out of the constraints of destiny and enters into a life of full freedom in which he is completely free from any sort |
