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An Appeal for Your Help On the order of his spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, Sankarshan Prabhu has dedicated his life for the most urgent work of spreading Krishna consciousness all over the world. The more that Krishna consciousness spreads, the more that the suffering, scarcity, and hate on this planet will be replaced with bliss, abundance and love. This is a golden opportunity for us to do the highest good for all living beings and receive the special blessings of the Lord. Therefore we should, as much as possible, sacrifice our time, energy, and resources to assist Sankarshan Prabhu in his most important work. If you would like to help out to any extent, little or big, kindly inform Sankarshan Prabhu of your desire. |
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Sunday 31 December 2006 from Melbourne, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Playing the Ultimate Sport Just as the taste of a small child who loves playing marbles gradually transforms as he grows older into a taste for playing other sports such as baseball or basketball, similarly those who take to the transcendental self-realization pathway will find that their sporting propensity gradually and naturally evolves into a taste for what can be described as the ultimate sport. So, what is that ultimate sport? Most sports involve one party competing with an opposing party to try to exert the most control over a ball. Whichever party can succeed at doing that emerges from the game as a winner. In this regard the ultimate sport is no exception. At the present moment the gigantic ball, planet earth, is being controlled by those who are in the darkness of ignorance. Because of this the present world society has been plunged into a very, very precarious situation. Therefore, the ultimate sport is to enlighten the world with transcendental knowledge. The Vedic injunction in this connection is "tamasi ma jyotir gama--Come out of the darkness into the light." Those who embrace spiritual perfection as their life's goal and fully dedicate themselves to the enlightenment of the world society experience a thrill at every moment as they engage in the ultimate sport of battling it out with the forces of darkness to firmly establish spiritual enlightenment as the guiding principle for human existence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Anyone who would like to meet with me in Melbourne, Australia should send me an email as soon as possible to see if a meeting can be arranged. sda@backtohome.com
Sankarshan Das Adhikari playing the ultimate sport of pushing forward the self-realization science while flying from Sydney to Melbourne on 30 December 2006. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Saturday 30 December 2006 from Sydney, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Tasting the Nectar in Sydney These past few days of associating with the devotees of Krishna in Sydney have been some of the sweetest and happiest days of my entire life. There is such a wonderful devotee community here. Simply by associating with the devotees here one dives into an ocean of unlimited nectar that keeps expanding more and more ad infinitum. This same mood can be created anywhere in the world where there is the congregational chanting of the holy names. If you do not have such a community in your area to plug into, you can create one by inviting everyone to join with you in the sweet kirtan: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Anyone who would like to meet with me in Melbourne, Australia should send me an email as soon as possible to see if a meeting can be arranged. sda@backtohome.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Brain Audit? I am very grateful to you that because of your order I am getting up in the morning and chanting the rounds now at 4:00am. But when I chant I remember my previous day activities and what wrong thoughts I had thought in the previous day. It looks as if I am auditing my brain software and reviewing it. Is this all right? Your humble servant -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: First Japa and Then Brain Audit... It is nice that you are spontaneously auditing your brain to see if it is functioning in a Krishna conscious way. But you should bring your mind back to focus 100% on the sound of the names and do your brain audit after you finish your rounds. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Friday 29 December 2006 from Sydney, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: They Must Become Eager to Hear. The modern day society has made tremendous advancement in so many fields of technological knowledge. But in spite of so much impressive progress there is one area in which it is completely in the dark ages. In spite of so many rapidly advancing fields of knowledge, we still do not know who we are. The most basic foundational understanding of reality on which everything else is based is nothing but a big question mark. Who am I? I don't know. When a student enrolls in the university he is asked what he wants to major in. But if he doesn't even know who he is, how can he possibly make a meaningful decision of what he wants to do with his life? No wonder people are so frustrated and confused. The time has come now for the world population to become educated in the science of the self. We have the knowledge and are prepared to teach them. Now it is up to them to become eager to hear. Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Anyone who would like to meet with me in Australia should send me an email as soon as possible to see if a meeting can be arranged. sda@backtohome.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Attain Transcendental Bliss? What kind of bliss is experienced by one who is situated on the transcendental platform? How can one be situated on that platform in all times, places and circumstances. Aspiring to be Your eternal insignificant servant, Kunal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Chant Hare Krishna and Taste Krishna Prasadam... On the transcendental platform the devotee experiences unlimited bliss which goes on increasing exponentially forever. Such bliss vanquishes all material attachments and nullifies all the miseries of material existence. The pure devotee of Krishna tastes the sweetest ecstasy at every minute by constantly remembering the name, fame, form, pastimes, entourage, teachings, and paraphernalia of that wonderful Lord, Who possesses unlimited power, beauty, renunciation, knowledge, wealth, and fame. For such a devotee there is no such thing as material existence, and the so-called bliss of merging with and becoming one with God is like a fig compared to the vast ocean of transcendental bliss in which he is constantly sporting. To achieve this exalted state of perfect consciousness one must seriously execute the bhakti-yoga system under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master beginning with regularly chanting the holy names of God: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare and tasting Krishna prasadam, vegetarian foodstuffs offered to Lord Sri Krishna with love and devotion. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Thursday 28 December 2006 from Sydney, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The Bliss Just Keeps on Coming If one seriously takes up Krishna consciousness as his only business, he will taste the sweetest nectar at every minute. Not only will the nectar be sweet. It will be ever-increasingly sweet for all of eternity. So how do we do that? How do we enter into the state of complete, total absorption in Krishna consciousness? The key is the association of the Lord's devotees. The more we associate with the Lord's devotees, the more we will experience the sweet taste of Krishna consciousness. This means that we have to arrange our lives in such a way that we can associate with the Lord's devotees as much as possible. If we do this, the bliss will just keep on coming wave after wave after wave. Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Anyone who would like to meet with me in Australia should send me an email as soon as possible to see if a meeting can be arranged. sda@backtohome.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Please Krishna? My dear Prabhuji, you always tell that one must always act for Krishna's pleasure. Could you kindly tell us how to act for Krishna's pleasure? With all respects, Kishan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Follow His Instructions... If you obey Krishna's instructions in the Bhagavad-gita He will be very pleased with you. For example, in Chapter 9, verse 34 Lord Sri Krishna states: man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru mam evaisyasi yuktvaivam atmanam mat-parayanah "Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me." So if you want to please Krishna, you simply must always think about Him in the mood of being His devotee. You must bow down offering your respectful obeisances to Him, and fully absorb yourself in Him. In this way, if you will take the Lord's teachings of the Bhagavad-gita and apply them practically in all times, places, and circumstances, the Lord will be very, very pleased with you and He will take you back to His eternal abode in the Spiritual Sky. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Wednesday 27 December 2006 from Sydney, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Sufficient Supply of Devotional Service Srila Prabhupada one time stated that the ISKCON centers are not in this material world. They are not in Los Angeles, New York, etc. They are in Vaikuntha, the spiritual world. We are experiencing this practically here in Sydney where we are presently intensely engaged 24 hours daily in the service of the Lord. Even while living in the material world the devotee experiences living in the spiritual world at every moment because devotional service and the spiritual world are non-different. One of the wonderful qualities of devotional service is that there is no shortage of its supply. There is plenty of it to go around. If every man, woman, and child on the planet Earth decided to immediately absorb themselves 24 hours daily in devotional service, we could supply them enough of it to completely fulfill their desires. Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Anyone who would like to meet with me in Australia should send me an email as soon as possible to see if a meeting can be arranged. sda@backtohome.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: What Should I Believe about God? I am a believer in God. I believe that there is a power that is controlling this world. But I do not know what I should believe and how I should show that belief. Is it in the form of a human being or something else? For showing my belief towards that power am I offering a lamp in the morning and evening. Thanking you, Bhavani -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: You Must Go Beyond Belief... Your relationship with the Supreme Controller must go beyond the level of believing to the level of knowing. We can know that Supreme Controller because He reveals Himself fully in the Bhagavad-gita as the Supreme Person, Lord Sri Krishna, with His all-attractive personal form. The best way to show Him our love is to constantly chant His holy names: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Tuesday 26 December 2006 from Sydney, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: A Perfect Situation Here in Sydney Mataji and I are being driven from one preaching engagement to another day after day. This is the greatest opportunity to share the mercy of Krishna with many, many souls. Lord Krishna is desiring very strongly that all the living beings who are trapped here in this material world should come back to Him as soon as possible. Therefore there is no easier way to please Him than to enlighten these trapped souls in the science of Krishna. This is the greatest service that can be rendered to the fallen souls, the greatest service that can be rendered to the Lord, and the greatest good we can do for ourselves.. What a perfect situation! Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Anyone who would like to meet with me in Australia should send me an email as soon as possible to see if a meeting can be arranged. sda@backtohome.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Can't We Simply Rely on the Direction of God Within? If you say that God exists within all of us, then we can take guidance from Him at any moment. So isn't it true that we don't need a guru? How do we explain that study of the Vedas is not for armchair speculators, that it is instead for the formation of character? Veda -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: God Within Directs Us to Guru... The Lord who is residing within our hearts is speaking to us in the Bhagavad-gita. He is telling us that we must approach the guru, who is externally manifested. Therefore we cannot claim to be following the internal guru if we are neglecting to follow the external guru. The guru within is externally manifested as the guru without to teach how to perfect our relationship with the guru within. Vedic wisdom is not simply some interesting philosophical concepts. It details a practical system which must be put into action in order to be fully realized. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Monday 25 December 2006 from Govinda Valley, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The Epitome of Sweetness The epitome of sweetness is to reconnect with our original pure spiritual nature. Here at Govinda valley during our weekend Soul Revival Retreat from 22-24 December we have had a fabulous opportunity to dive deep into the nectarean ocean of transcendental bliss. What a wonderful feeling to rise early in the morning, take bath, and fully absorb ourselves on the absolute platform of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. By chanting and hearing of the unlimited names, fame, forms, and pastimes of the inconceivably beautiful Lord in the association of devotees we experience the choicest, most pristine nectar. This stimulates the revival of our original spiritual identities. In such a state of mind stress and anxiety become conspicuous by their absence. Here's a video clip from the last session of our ecstatic Soul Revival Retreat: http://www.backtohome.com/video/retreat.wmv Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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Sunday 24 December 2006 from Govinda Valley, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Soul Revival Retreat 23 December 2006--This weekend I am here in serene Govinda Valley in a beautiful forest near the ocean south of Sydney at a wonderful retreat center where I am taking 25 young people on a spiritual journey to revive the dormant enlightened consciousness within their hearts. This event has been advertised as a soul revival retreat. We arrived here yesterday by car and after a comfortable night's rest began a rigorous day of seminars, classes, workshops, and personal meetings. This morning I presented a japa meditation workshop followed by a class on how one can practically apply the principles of the Bhagavad-gita in one's daily life. Then after breakfast we had another session in which I described what kind of bliss is experienced by one who is situated on the transcendental platform and how to be situated on that platform in all times, places and circumstances. Whenever there was a break between sessions I would met with persons who wanted to meet with me personally. Then after lunch I gave the students an inside look at "Thought for the Day", its history, how it is composed, and some of its highlights over the years. Our last session today was a question and answer session. The participants came up with the toughest possible questions that negatively minded outsiders such as reporters might ask a devotee of Krishna. This Krishna consciousness philosophy is so perfect that I was able to deal with every possible objection against Krishna consciousness and solidly establish it as the topmost knowledge within existence. Here at Govinda Valley there is a beautiful river flowing through a natural forest teeming with varieties of wildlife including exotic birds:
Whenever I could squeeze in few minutes I would work on my correspondence or "Thought for the Day":
The participants in the retreat were a delight to be with. There is nothing like the association of those who are sincerely traversing the pathway of spiritual perfection:
Here is an aerial view of the lodges and meeting hall at Govinda Valley:
Tomorrow we wrap up our soul revival retreat with a half day of transcendental activities including a class and question and answer session as well as a kirtan and prasadam picnic on the Pacific Ocean beach. |
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Saturday 23 December 2006 from Sydney, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Diving Deep in the Ocean of Bliss 22 December 2006--We are now in Sydney's ISKCON center, having just spent the night here. Just as I described yesterday, we are now in a sublime transcendental atmosphere of pure goodness staying in a wonderful ashram full of devotees who are 24 hours daily engaged in the service of the Lord. There is wonderful kirtan (congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra) happening regularly here, uniting everyone in ecstatic celebrations of transcendental bliss. Gorgeous deity worship of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna is being conducted around the clock to inspire the mood of bhakti within the heart. Delicious vegetarian foods are prepared with love and devotion and then offered first to Radha and Krishna. Because they are offered to the Lord, by His mercy the foodstuffs are transformed from material energy into spiritual energy and then distributed to the devotees and guests to nourish the body and revive the spiritual consciousness of the soul. There are classes twice daily also. Since arriving here yesterday afternoon I have already given two lectures. This is Krishna consciousness in action. How sweet it is! Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Anyone who would like to meet with me in Australia should send me an email as soon as possible to see if a meeting can be arranged. sda@backtohome.com
Devotees and guests taste the ultimate bliss -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Friday 22 December 2006
Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers Emails While Relishing the Sublime Atmosphere of New Govardhan, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Thursday 21 December 2006 from New Govardhan, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Last Day in New Govardhan 20 December 2006--Every day spent in this sweet transcendental abode, New Govardhan, becomes more and more relishable. Therefore it is with pangs of sadness that we will be leaving here tomorrow for our flight to Sydney. Of course an endless road of transcendental adventure awaits us. But still who would want to leave behind such a wonderful place as New Govardhan--a place of saintly devotees, stunning deities, a beautiful temple room, cows, peacocks, flowers everywhere, gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, rainbows, a river, and much much more? Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Anyone who would like to meet with me in Australia should send me an email as soon as possible to see if a meeting can be arranged. sda@backtohome.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scenes from New Govardhan, Australia
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Wednesday 20 December 2006 from New Govardhan, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The Secret of Pure Chanting Krishna kindly appears as Nama Avatar, the name incarnation. He fully manifests Himself in the form of His names to enable the lost souls of this age of Kali to easily attain spiritual perfection by chanting His names with love. We become realized in the Absolute Truth to the extent that we are able to chant His names with purity. Therefore the most essential aspect of the self-realization process is to be able to perfect our chanting of the holy names. This is easy to say but not always so easy to do. So how can it be made easy? What is the secret of success in regards to chanting purely the holy names of the Lord? In this regard Srila Prabhupada would often quote the English maxim, "If you love me, love my dog." Srila Prabhupada explains that the devotee of the Lord is like the dog of God. The Lord is more interested to see how much we are loving His devotee than He is to see how much we are loving Him. Therefore the insiders' secret in regards to perfecting the holy names is to cultivate sweet loving relationships with the Lord's devotees. To the extent that we love the devotees of the Lord, to that extent we will be able to absorb ourselves in the pure chanting of Krishna's holy names, and to that extent He will personally reveal Himself to us. Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Anyone who would like to meet with me in Australia should send me an email as soon as possible to see if a meeting can be arranged. sda@backtohome.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Know there is God? Just by observing things carefully around me, how can i or anyone know that there is God, that His presence can not be denied, and that He is constantly watching me? Your student -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: By Observation and Analysis... You can observe that every machine requires an operator in order to function. From this you can surmise the gigantic universal machine also requires an operator. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Tuesday 19 December 2006 from New Govardhan, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Entering the State of Pure Bliss There is one thing that nobody likes. That is suffering. So how to get out of the suffering conditions that are being constantly hurled at us by the material energy? How can we enter into the state of pure bliss free of any inebriety? This requires a purification of consciousness. Just as water in is original state is pure but becomes contaminated by coming in touch with a contaminated atmosphere, the original pure consciousness of the living being becomes contaminated by coming into contact with the material atmosphere. It is this contamination which is the actual cause of whatever sufferings or miseries we undergo in this material existence. Hence all we have to do to get free of the suffering is to be from free contamination. This is why it is so important to regularly chant the Holy Names of God: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Anyone who would like to meet with me in Australia should send me an email as soon as possible to see if a meeting can be arranged. sda@backtohome.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Connecting with You... How do I connect to you? Poonam -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Submissive Inquiries and Service... Connecting with me is not difficult. If you will follow my simple instructions to always chant the holy names and follow the regulative principles of freedom according to the bhakti yoga system (Krishna consciousness) you will always be connected with me in all times, places, and circumstances. It is very nice that you are inquiring in this way. Krishna emphasize in the Bhagavad-gita the benefit of being connected with the spiritual master through submissive inquiry and service. The benefit is that the spiritual master will bless you with transcendental knowledge and realization. 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 Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Monday 18 December 2006 from New Govardhan, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Sweet Transcendental Atmosphere of New Govardhan 17 December 2006--One of my readers objected that I sometimes describe what I am doing in "Thought for the Day". But Krishna consciousness is not dry philosophy. It is wisdom, practical application of the topmost knowledge. In a chemistry course we go to the lecture and learn that H2O equals water. And then we go the laboratory and in a test tube we actually do it. We combine 2 parts of hydrogen with one part of oxygen and sure enough we get water in our test tube. So when I describe practical activities in Krishna consciousness this is simply to demonstrate its sweet transcendental nature in action. This is the proof of its authenticity. Yesterday we were blessed with the sublime opportunity of coming to New Govardhan in the beautiful mountains near the Australian coast south of Brisbane.
Here there is a wonderful community of devotees who come together every day to chant the Hare Krishna mantra, to worship the beautiful deities Sri Sri Radha Govardhandhari,
to read and the discuss the sublime Srimad Bhagavatam, and to take together Krishna prasadam. Krishna prasadam is not ordinary food. It is vegetarian foodstuffs which have been cooked and offered to Lord Sri Krishna with love and devotion.
And then when we went to temple for darshan we were enlivened to see the beautiful peacocks who regularly stroll about the temple grounds. Lord Krishna is especially fond of the peacocks and always wears a peacock feather in His hair.
When we make Krishna the center of our lives everything becomes sublime, peaceful, and happy. This is what the whole world needs to do now. They need to the follow the example of the New Govardhan community and make their lives perfect.
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Sunday 17 December 2006 from Brisbane, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The Ultimate Experience Why live an ordinary bland existence full of so many anxieties, when we can live on the cutting edge of adventure at every minute? We are not meant to suffer. Suffering is an artificial imposition on the all-blissful consciousness of the living being. It is simply due to the ignorance of bodily identification. Simply by realizing that we are not these bodies and by engaging in the activities of our actual selves as eternal spiritual beings we will taste the true ananda or bliss of spiritual existence at every minute. Of course, it is not always as easy as it sounds. This is because we have become very much accustomed to being in illusion. For millions of lifetimes we have identified ourselves as being the particular material body that we were inhabiting in that particular lifetime. So it takes time to come out of the illusion. We have to be patient. However if we are determined and always remain enthusiastic, then our perfection is guaranteed to manifest in due course of time. For those who persist on this pathway the reward is unlimitedly great. Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Anyone who would like to meet with me in Australia should send me an email as soon as possible to see if a meeting can be arranged. sda@backtohome.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to See Krishna... I'm from a brahmin family that belongs to Brij. We have a temple of Shri Radha Krishna in our home to which we worshipped very carefully as best as possible. I already follow all these rules. Sometimes I feel Krishna everywhere with me. I feel a small boy whose face is filled with Makhan (butter) and He is laughing playing with friends everywhere He is. But it is not always. I want to feel this all the time. I want to see Krishna. I want to talk with him personally. This is my life's motive. Please tell me the best way to get this. Hare Krishna Sharvan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Take Shelter of Guru... The best way to make your spiritual life complete is take complete shelter of the bona fide spiritual master. Then by his mercy you can perfect your existence and see Lord Krishna within and without at every minute. This is confirmed in the Srimad Bhagavatam as follows: tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh sreya uttamam sabde pare ca nisnatam brahmany upasamasrayam "Therefore any person who seriously desires the ultimate spiritual perfection 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 Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Saturday 16 December 2006 from Kuala Lumpur Airport, Malaysia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Hare Krishna at 30,000 Feet 15 December 2006, 8am -- This morning when I arose in the early predawn I was on a flight from Mumbai, India to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The stewardess noted the Vaisnava tilak on my forehead and said, "Hare Krishna." This is what I like to hear. She told me that she sometimes visits ISKCON temples in India as well as in Malaysia. As soon as we utter this great chant for deliverance the atmosphere becomes transformed from material into spiritual. Therefore we should always be chanting these holy names of God: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Anyone who would like to meet with me in Australia should send me an email as soon as possible to see if a meeting can be arranged. sda@backtohome.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Crossing Over to Different Religions... I am a humble devotee of Lord Sri Krishna by the grace of our Acharya Sri Madvacharya, and I have been receiving your course Ultimate Self Realization for the past few days. I feel very happy that your path of devotion also matches with the Dvaita(duality) principle which is the practical way of today's life. It is heartening to see that ISKCON has active members of different races and cultures and that it spreads the message of our Krishna all over the globe. But it is disheartening to note that some people who have been born and brought up in the disciplined way (Brahminical way) in India get lured by the materialistic so-called ecstasy and forget God and sometimes get converted to other religions. I would like to know your perceptions about this cross over. With lots of respects, Sudha Jagannathan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Crossing Over to Irreligion... Actually there is no question of crossing over to different religions. Why is that? Because religion is One, to love God. If you truly love God, you are truly religious. It does not matter how you designate yourself. And if you love material sense gratification more than God, you are irreligious no matter what label you may give yourself. For one who realizes the true essence of religion there is no such thing as crossing over from one religion to another. Such a concept has no meaning. It is an absurdity for one who actually attained the true platform of religion. Those who have crossed over from one religion to another were not on the platform of true religion. They were already crossed over to irreligion and have simply crossed over from one version of irreligion to another version of irreligion. Such poor souls need to be brought back to the actual position of religion so that they can escape the cycle of birth and death and regain their original, though now lost position, in the eternal pastimes of the Lord. We have to bring all those who have crossed over to irreligion back to their original position of Krishna bhakti. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Friday 15 December 2006 from ISKCON Juhu, Mumbai, India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The Most Wonderful Lifestyle 14 December 2006, 3pm -- Last minute packing and meetings are going on. We leave for the Mumbai airport at 8pm for a late night flight to Kuala Lumpur followed by a second flight to Brisbane, Australia. What a golden opportunity I've been given! The whole world is a chaotic mess without enlightened consciousness, and I am so fortunate that I have been blessed with the knowledge than can liberate everyone from their suffering condition. Plus I have been given the opportunity to travel and spread this science all over the world for the ultimate benefit of all living beings. This is the great kindness of my spiritual master upon me. I cannot imagine any lifestyle more wonderful than this! Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Anyone who would like to meet with me in Australia should send me an email as soon as possible to see if a meeting can be arranged. sda@backtohome.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Difference Between Vishnu & Krishna... Explain in detail difference between Lord Vishnu & Lord Krishna. Abhijit -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Krishna is the Original Vishnu... Vishnu is the "Personality of Godhead" category. All forms of God are Vishnu, i.e. They are in the Vishnu category. The original fountainhead of all incarnations is Krishna. He is therefore the original Vishnu. In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Sri Krishna states: atha va bahunaitena kim jnatena tavarjuna vistabhyaham idam krtsnam ekamsena sthito jagat "But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe." Bhagavad-gita 10.42 Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Thursday 14 December 2006 from ISKCON Juhu, Mumbai, India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Departing India Late this evening we are flying from Mumbai to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a a brief transit stop and then on to Brisbane, Australia. India has, as usual, been a very enriching and enlivening experience for us. Here in the land of Krishna, even though rampant materialism is manifesting more and more everywhere, there is still a deep seated all-pervading presence of Krishna consciousness, like an underground river, flowing very strongly. One simply has to tap into it by seeking out and taking shelter of the association of realized transcendentalists. Then one can experience that beautiful, timeless culture that is India. Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Anyone who would like to meet with me before I fly out this evening can do so. To make an appointment you may call 2620-6860 and ask for room #119. If no one answers you can call my mobile phone instead: 932-270-5677 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Does Spiritual Master Have Free Will? I have read that the Spiritual Master waits in the universe, till the last disciple is delivered and he also states that only if the disciple is following the regulative principles seriously, he will remain as spiritual master for him, otherwise the disciple will not get any protection. So, how do we understand that Spiritual Master will have to take birth again in this material world? And if it is so, then is it not that the Spiritual Master is bound to our wishes and aspirations without having a free will of his own? Arun Ramakrishnan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Free Will Fully Absorbed in Bhakti... That the spiritual master remains in the material universe until all of his disciples are delivered is confirmed in a letter that Srila Prabhupada wrote to Jayapataka Maharaja in 1969. This special kindness of the spiritual master is reserved for those of his disciples who are strictly following the regulative principles, not for those who have given up following his instructions. We are to understand his taking birth again as an act of great mercy upon his sincere disciples who are having a hard time. This does not mean the spiritual master no longer has a free will. Any jiva soul has the free will to choose Krishna or Maya at any time. The spiritual master is also a jiva soul, but he is a jiva soul who has fully absorbed himself in devotional service. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Wednesday 13 December 2006 from ISKCON Juhu, Mumbai, India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The Ever-Dancing Credit The humble disciple never thinks himself the doer of whatever wonderful things he has accomplished in the service of the Lord. He always gives all credit to his spiritual master for his spiritual success. In transcendental circles credit is something that never stays in one place. The disciple gives all credit to his spiritual master. But his spiritual master also does not want the credit. He gives the credit to his spiritual master, who then gives it to his spiritual master, who then in turn gives it to his spiritual master, etc, etc. In this way the credit finally ends up being offered to Krishna. But Krishna also does not like to keep the credit. He gives the credit back to His devotees. In this way the credit never stays in one place. It always keeps dancing from one to another to another. Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Anyone who would like to meet with me while I am in Mumbai is welcome. I will be here until tomorrow (14 December). Check the schedule below to see where and when I will be lecturing. You can also make an appointment to meet with me privately. To make an appointment you may call 2620-6860 and ask for room #119. If no one answers you can call my mobile phone instead: 932-270-5677 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Vedic Evidence for Cycle of Birth and Death? I was listening to one scholar's lecture about comparative religion and some points he mentioned need your authentic clarification. They are: There is nowhere in Vedas mention of the cycle of birth and death. The only mentioned is that there is birth after death (only once), but not a cycle of birth and death. What is the time given in the scriptures about the time of the advent of Kalki Avatar? I would really appreciate your answers based on the scriptures. Hare Krishna Murali Doha, Qatar -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: It is Clearly Given... Scholars are not qualified to understand the Vedic wisdom. The Vedic wisdom can only be understood by someone who is in a mood of devotion. The scholar wants to establish himself as a scholar by squeezing out some new conclusion, which he will then try to defend by his concocted arguments. The devotee has no such agenda to try to gain some reputation for himself by establishing a new conclusion. He simply wants that the conclusions given directly by Lord Sri Krishna are honored and worshipped throughout the world for the deliverance of the suffering humanity from the jaws of repeated birth and death. It is clearly stated in the Srimad Bhagavatam that there is a cycle of birth and death. In the following verse the cycle of repeated birth and death (samsrti-cakravalam) is explicitly mentioned: tasmad rajo-raga-visada-manyu- mana-sprha-bhayadainyadhimulam hitva grham samsrti-cakravalam nrsimha-padam bhajatakutobhayam iti "Therefore, O demons, give up the so-called happiness of family life and simply take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Nrsimhadeva, which are the actual shelter of fearlessness. Entanglement in family life is the root cause of material attachment, indefatigable desires, moroseness, anger, despair, fear and the desire for false prestige, all of which result in the repetition of birth and death." ----Srimad Bhagavatam 5.18.14 Kalki Avatar will appear just before the end of the Kali Yuga 427,000 years from now. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Tuesday 12 December 2006 from ISKCON Juhu, Mumbai, India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Going through Hell for the Nectar This material world is a place of unlimited difficulties. Therefore whether we pursue a life of material advancement or a life of spiritual advancement, we will be forced to deal with so many hellish situations. So what is the difference between material life and spiritual life? The difference is that while on the material path the difficulties never go away, not even after millions and billions of lifetimes, on the spiritual path this is our last lifetime to face these difficulties. The spiritual path takes us completely beyond the confines of this rotten material world. In spite of all the difficulties a devotee undergoes trying to serve Krishna in this material world, he has one heck of a good time trying to revolutionize this misguided material world with the pure teachings of the Bhagavad-gita as long as he is here. Coming from the USA, I thought I knew what was the meaning of traffic jam until I experienced an "endless-nightmare" Mumbai traffic jam (as seen below) to get to a preaching program. One has to allow plenty of time to get where one wants to go.
But once you get there, you realize that there is nothing more sublime than sharing this ultimate nectar with those who are eager to receive it. In the photo below I am explaining Bhagavad-gita philosophy at one of the many student centers located throughout Mumbai.
On Sunday I spoke Bhagavad-gita to a capacity audience of many hundreds at our Mira Road temple, pictured in the two photos below.
I could never stomach my previous irrelevant existence. How much I am indebted to my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, for blessing me with this life of unlimited nectar. |
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Monday 11 December 2006 ISKCON Mira Road, Mumbai, India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: A Gold Mine of Nectar Here in Mumbai ISKCON's world-transforming activities are flourishing so much that there are 25 different ISKCON centers scattered throughout the Mumbai area. No other city in the world can boast so many ISKCON centers. It is not surprising then that I am experiencing Mumbai as a gold mine of unlimited opportunities for sharing the ecstatic nectar of Krishna consciousness. Since we have arrived we have simply been going from preaching program to another preaching program to another preaching program. And we are only visiting a small percentage of the centers. I am simply thinking how wonderful it is that so many people here are so seriously taking this process of reviving their dormant Krishna consciousness. Every city of the world should be like this. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Overpopulation and What to Do? Do the scriptures tell us why there is overpopulation? And what we are to do about it? John -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: How to Relieve the Earth's Burden... According to the conclusions derived from the Vedic scriptures even if the entire population of planet earth was only 1 person, if that person were not Krishna conscious, that would be overpopulation. And conversely, even it we had ten times the present world population, but all those persons were purely Krishna conscious, there would be no overpopulation. Someone may try to write off this analysis as religious fanaticism, but to the contrary, factually speaking, this is most scientific. When a person is in state of perfect harmony with God and the universe his presence has an uplifting, purifying effect on the entire universe. There is no question of him having a polluting effect on the universe. All we have to do to relieve the earth from her tortuous burden is to become pure devotees of Krishna and teach everyone else how to do the same. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Sunday 10 December 2006 from ISKCON Juhu, Mumbai, India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: At the Right Place at the Right Time with the Right Attitude Somehow or other after suffering in the cycle of repeated birth, death, old age, and disease for countless billions of lifetimes I found myself at the right place, at the right time, with the right attitude. I was standing there in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California, USA on Sunday 27 June 1971 hearing a public lecture given by the most empowered spiritual master in the history of the universe, His Divine Grace Om Vishnupada Paramahansa Parivrajakacharya Astotttara Sata Sri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Since the beginning of my freshman year at college in the fall of 1965 I had been very seriously seeking spiritual enlightenment. However, for over five years I had been repeatedly disappointed in my quest because I had encountered so many false teachings and so many false masters, one after another. How did I know they were false? Because they did not give me any relief from my suffering condition. But still I had not given up my faith that there was a discoverable meaning to my existence, a way to pull out of the depressing, dark quagmire of delusion. So I continued searching and searching and searching for the light of spiritual realization, which I was sure must be there somewhere. The Lord did not ignore this intense conviction burning in my heart. He arranged everything for me perfectly on that day when I had finally learned sufficiently to approach the spiritual master with humility by bowing down at his feet and offering myself as his servant. When I finally understood the proper mood, Krishna rewarded me that I could finally meet my eternal master, Srila Prabhupada. His words of wisdom deeply penetrated my heart and pulled me out of this material existence. They inspired to fully dedicate myself to serving him and Lord Sri Krishna. His instructions continue to bless, protect, and guide me to this very day and shall continue to do so for all of eternity. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why a Person Feels Helpless? 1) Why a person feel helpless in front of God's decisions? 2) Why is it very difficult for a person to forgive that human being who hurts his/her inner soul? Chhavi Sharma -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Such Feelings are Born Out of Ignorance Only... If one feels helpless, this is ignorance. The Lord's pure devotees never feel themselves helpless. They are always feel how they are under the full protection of the Lord even in the most dangerous circumstances. If we feel helpless it means we do not trust the Lord to take care of us. God helps those who help themselves. The best help we can give ourselves is to develop full faith and trust in the Lord. Persons who cannot forgive are infected by pride. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Saturday 9 December 2006 from ISKCON Juhu, Mumbai, India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Completely Revolutionizing the Planet Earth In the ancient Vedic wisdom, especially the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam, we have the seeds for bringing about the complete respiritualization of planet earth. This is not at all astonishing or extraordinary because these texts of revealed spiritual knowledge come to us from a previous time when the entire earth planet lived in peace and harmony as one nation. Nothing new has to be invented. All we have to do is learn from the lessons of the past when the earth was like a paradise compared to what it is now.
Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam
My world-wide preaching activities are headquartered at the ISKCON center in Austin, Texas. |
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Friday 8 December 2006 from ISKCON Juhu, Mumbai, India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Hare Krishna Land--Heaven on Earth After an ecstatic week of tasting the sweet nectar in Sri Vrindavan Dham now we are relishing the sublime heaven-on-earth flavor of Hare Krishna Land at Juhu, Mumbai, India. This temple was personally established by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada after a great struggle with a business man who sold us the land and through clever cheating tactics tried to take it away from us. It is a thriving temple with spectacular deity worship, an auditorium for performing devotional arts, a popular restaurant, a guest house, and large number of resident brahmacaris (monks) who are very, very saintly in their behavior and very enthusiastic for sharing the supreme benediction, Krishna consciousness, with everyone.
A pujari offers arati to Sri Sri Radha-Rasabihari
Original twin tower guesthouse.
New guesthouse. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Thursday 7 December 2006 from Sri Vrindavan Dham -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Farewell to Vrindavan With a natural transcendental melancholy in the heart, today I leave the Lord's transcendental abode, Sri Vrindavan Dham at 5:30am. We are catching a flight to Mumbai to spend a wonderful week with the devotees of Lord Krishna there. Of course, I am very happy for the wonderful Krishna conscious adventures that lie ahead. But there is always that desire in a corner of the heart to remain forever in Vrindavan. Even though Lord Krishna left Vrindavan to go to Mathura, it is described that He never sets food outside of Vrindavan because His heart is always in Vrindavan. I am praying for the unlimited mercy of Lord Sri Krishna, Vrindavan-natha (the Lord of Vrindavan) that He will grant me eternal residence as the servant of the servant of His servants in His supreme pleasure grove. Even if He desires for me to serve Him in separation by always traveling and preaching throughout the world, I pray that my heart may always be totally absorbed in Vrindavan consciousness, Krishna consciousness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Guru Suffers for Disciples' Karma? I have a question I have been needing to ask you for a long time. I have a response to around 50% from you to the e-mails I have sent you. I need to know why that is. Forgive me for asking such questions. Is it because some of my e-mails are not getting through, or is it because you are overloaded with so many e-mails you can not possibly respond to all of them, or is it because my questions are too foolish to warrant a reply? If this is the case, it does not offend me, only I would like to know so I can refrain from asking such questions in the future. However I am extremely grateful that I have receive a 50% response from you, that you would ever respond to an illusioned soul such as myself at all is on the highest scale of compassion. I take every word you give me as nectar as I know it as come down from your spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, which has come down from the disciplic succession from Krishna. I have a couple of questions if you wish to answer: Can the spiritual master suffer physically because of the Karma he takes on from his disciples? Is the Spiritual master still affected by the actions and karma of his disciples once he leaves the material world? Thank you for your rare kindness, Sincerely Your student -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Guru's Body Does Suffer... I answer every single email I receive from you. If you are not getting an answer, I did not receive your email, so kindly send it to me again. Yes, the spiritual master can be afflicted with suffering to his material body from the karma of his disciples. This is why the disciples must strictly follow the vows they have taken at the time of initiation so that they will not put their spiritual master into difficulty. The spiritual master's connection and responsibility for his disciples does not end when he leaves this material world. If the disciple falls into spiritual difficulty, the spiritual master has to take birth again in this material world to deliver his disciple. This is all the more reason why the disciple must strictly follow the vows taken at the time of initiation. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Wednesday 6 December 2006 from Sri Vrindavan Dham -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Relishing the Supreme Nectar of Govardhan Parikrama 5 December 2006, 7:26pm--We have just returned to our quarters at Vrindavan's Bhaktivedanta Ashram after having completed Govardhan Parikrama. It was an amazing transcendental experience. It's a 14 mile sacred walk around Govardhan Hill, which we did barefoot out of respect for the sanctity of every square inch of the holy soil. Govardhan is glorified as follows in the sacred writings of Srila Raghunatha Das Goswami: O Govardhan, O king of mountains, O hill whose nectarean name-the best of Hari's servants flows from the moonlike mouth of Sri Radha, O hill that the Vedas declare to be the tilaka marking of Vraja, please grant me a residence near to you.
Above is Govardhan Hill.
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Tuesday 5 December 2006 from Sri Vrindavan Dham -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The Sublime Glories of Sri Vrindavan Dham Sri Vrindavan Dham is a very special place to engage in hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord. Here in this location where every square inch is permeated with the nectarean flavor of the Lord's transcendental pastimes all devotional activities take on deeper and richer dimensions of sweetness. Everything becomes enhanced. Sitting here in my quarters writing "Thought for the Day" I am thinking how fortunate I am to be staying in the exact location of the Lord's loving pastimes with His most intimate devotees. Every particle of dust in this most holy abode is more valuable than than all the wealth of the entire universe multiplied billions, trillions, and quadrillions of times. Srila Prabhupada expounds the glories of Sri Vrindavan Dham as follows: "Vrindavan-dham is nondifferent from the Lord because the name, fame, form and place where the Lord manifests Himself are all identical with the Lord as absolute knowledge. Therefore Vrindavan-dham is as worshipable as the Lord. " There is nothing more wonderful than to wake up every morning and realize, "I'm in Vrindavan!" This is the epitome of all places of residence throughout the entire totality of existence.
Were it not for this urgent mission of awakening the dormant Krishna consciousness within the hearts of all, I could simply remain comfortably here in this abode which is non-different from the spiritual world. But because of this mission to bless everyone with the topmost spiritual perfection I am always traveling and spreading this sublime Krishna consciousness all over the world. |
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Monday 4 December 2006 from Sri Vrindavan Dham -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Krishna and Balarama Temple in Raman Reti To be staying here in Sri Vrindavan Dham where Lord Sri Krishna enacted His unlimitedly sweet transcendental pastimes 5,000 years ago is the greatest blessing. This place is a transcendental abode, an embassy of the spiritual world, existing right here on the planet earth. Srila Prabhupada explains that this place is so special that even the dust of Vrindavan is Krishna. Srila Prabhupada established a beautiful temple here in the Raman Reti area of Vrindavan where Krishna and Balarama would play as cowherd boys with their friends. Raman Reti means "enjoyable sands." Because of the location Srila Prabhupada decided to feature Krishna and Balarama as the predominating deities of the temple and named it the Krishna Balarama Temple (pictured below.)
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Sunday 3 December 2006 aina from Sri Vrindavan Dham -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Under the Weather in Vrindavan 2 December 2006--Today I am very sick. It was something I ate. In Vrindavan we take everything as the mercy of Krishna. It does not matter if it is good, bad, beautiful, or ugly from the material point of view. We understand that Krishna has a purpose for everything He does. Whatever Krishna does is all right. We simply must utilize every circumstance we find ourselves in to surrender more and more at His lotus feet. We must absorb ourselves 100% in doing everything for His pleasure, His satisfaction. This and only this will make us happy and satisfied. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Origin of Living Being... I have a question. I am confused about it. I heard that we are part and parcel of Krishna, but that still we and Krishna are different, that we (the atmas) and Krishna (the Paramatma) cannot be of the same identity. Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita that there is no time when we do not exist, nor is there a time when He does not exist. But the atma should also have a source from where he comes. So why we are different from our source? Actually I want to know about the origin of the jiva, the individual living being. Vijay Sharma Delhi, India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Simultaneously One and Different... Even though the complete whole and its part are one, there is a difference. Just like you are part of India, therefore you are one with India. However there is vast difference in the population of you, namely one, and the population of India, many, many millions. The jiva is eternally being emanated from Lord Sri Krishna. Therefore Krishna is his source. But there is no time when he did not exist because Krishna has always been emanating the jiva and He will eternally continue to do so. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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Saturday 2 December 2006 from Sri Vrindavan Dham -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Vrindavan Parikrama 1 December 2006--Today I circumambulated the sacred town of Vrindavan. This town of 5,000 temples is the site of many of the most intimate pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna. Five hundred years ago this area was a forest on the bank on the sacred river Yamuna. Lord Caitanya visited here in 1515 with the purpose of locating the lost holy places associated with Lord Sri Krishna's transcendental pastimes. Lord Caitanya wandered through the different sacred forests of Vrindavan in a spiritual trance of divine love, sometimes laughing, sometimes crying, sometimes dancing in ecstasy, and constantly chanting the holy names of Krishna. By His divine spiritual power, He was able to locate all the important places of Lord Krishna's pastimes in and around the present town of Vrindavan. The path around the town is called in Hindi "Parikrama Marga", which means "circumambulation path".
I both begin and end my parikrama by offering full dandavats (falling flat like a stick on the ground) in the sacred dust on the side of Parikrama Marga. The first major holy site along the trail is Kaliya Ghat. Here there is a kadamba tree that is over 5,000 years old. During Krishna's presence here this kadamba tree was standing on the bank of the Yamuna River. Krishna jumped from this tree into the Yamuna to subdue the gigantic Kaliya serpent who was polluting the Yamuna with his poison.
The next major holy site is the Madan Mohan Temple. This famous temple was the first temple to be built in Vrindavan. It was constructed under the direction of Sanatana Goswami on the hill known as Dvadasaditya Hill. It was on this hill that Krishna came to warm up in the sunshine. He was feeling chilled after having spent so much time in the water with Kaliya serpent. At that time twelve forms of the Aditya (Surya, the sun god) appeared here as twelve blazing suns in order to prevent the Lord from catching a cold. "Dvadasaditya" means "twelve Adityas."
After stopping off at Imli Tala, the remnants of an over 5,000 year-old tamarind tree associated with Lord Krishna's and Lord Caitanya's pastimes, we came to Kesi Ghat.
This is the place where Krishna killed the Kesi demon, who appeared in the form of gigantic horse. This is also the most famous bathing ghat in Vrindavan. An arati to Yamuna Devi is held here every evening. This Kesi demon was a friend of the evil king Kamsa, who was trying by so many means to kill Krishna. By this demon's mystic powers he assumed the form of a giant horse, and in wild and angry mood, entered Vrindavan where he found Lord Krishna playing by the bank of the Yamuna river with His cowherd boyfriends. He attacked the Lord to kill Him but ended up instead receiving the great benediction of being directly killed by the Lord.
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Friday 1 December 2006 from Sri Vrindavan Dham -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Special Mercy at Srila Prabhupada's Samadhi 30 November 2006--Today I rose before 3am to take bath, chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra on my japa beads and attend the Arati at 4:10am at Srila Prabhupada's samadhi. Srila Prabhupada's samadhi is the beautiful marble temple where Srila Prabhupada's transcendental body was laid to rest after his departure from this world in 1977. At this place, the holiest spot in the entire universe, one can very strongly feel the presence of Srila Prabhupada. So when I was requested by the senior devotee present to lead the kirtan, the congregational chanting, of the Gurvastakam (eight prayers glorifying the spiritual master), I took it as the greatest blessing. I poured my heart and soul into that kirtan trying to fully express to Srila Prabhupada my loving devotion to him and to beg his blessings that I can powerfully spread this Krishna consciousness movement all over the world. The feelings were so sweet and wonderful.
There is truly nothing more wonderful than to be here in Sri Vrindavan surrounded by loving devotees and the sweet transcendental abode of Lord Sri Krishna's pastimes. Just by breathing in the air of Vrindavan one becomes purified of millions of sinful activities accumulated over millions of lifetimes. Just by touching the dust of this holy land one becomes blessed with Krishna prema, love of Krishna. |
