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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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Tuesday 31 July 2007 from Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Time to Revolutionize Planet Earth... Things have gotten too far out of hand. Madness now reigns supreme in every sphere. The time has come now more than ever for a spiritual revolution to uplift the global consciousness, to deliver the masses who are suffering the disease known as bodily consciousness. People are foolishly trying to base their happiness on the interaction between the senses and the objects of the senses. But this is a losing proposition. They can never have happiness in this way. If we want actual peace and happiness throughout the world, there must now become fully manifest a global spiritual awakening. The purpose of my life is to play some role in helping to bring it about. I am requesting that you should also fully dedicate your life for this effort. There is no greater, more exciting, more fulfilling life than this--to dedicate yourself fully to reviving your dormant Krishna consciousness and trying to inspire everyone else to do the same. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Social Divisions in the Bhagavad-gita One's occupational duty is prescribed in Bhagavad-gita, i.e., duties of brahmana (priestly-intellectual class), kshatriya (warrior-administrator class), vaishya (farmer-mercantile class) and sudra (worker class). In the present day scenario is it possible to allot duties like that? If not, how it will the Vedic teachings be applicable? This is one side. Also in present days though everybody says that there should not be any caste or creed, at the same time violence breaks out because of caste conflicts. How does the Bhagavad-gita explain this? Subbiah -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: According to Natural Inclination... Occupational duties are understood in the Bhagavad-gita according to one's natural qualities. It is not that one's occupational duties are dictated by one's birth. One who has the natural qualities of a brahmana (priestly-intellectual class) is meant to act in that capacity. And the same thing holds true for those who are inclined to act as military men, businessmen, farmers, or workers. There should be no caste/class distinction on the basis of birth. Such artificial caste consciousness is not in accordance with the Vedic scriptures. The Vedic wisdom analyzes one's social position according to his qualities and his activities, not according to his birth or a label placed on him by society. When people artificially try to base social position on birth there will be naturally be so much fighting and class struggle. But if everyone is engaged according to their natural tendencies and talents everyone will be happy with their position within the social structure. This is the real meaning the Vedic varnashram system. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Monday 30 July 2007 from Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Transcendental Existence... Why rot in this material existence when you can live in transcendental existence at every minute? In transcendental existence all material miseries are conspicuous by their absence. In other words, there is no birth, no death, no old age, and no disease. There is simply an eternal existence full of knowledge and full of bliss in the association of the Supreme Lord and His eternal associates. Some people such as atheists and skeptics object to the idea of transcendental existence. They say that it is not possible to experience bliss unless you also experience misery. But they are thinking in a very limited way in terms of relative happiness. They do not understand what is transcendental happiness. In this regard they are like the fox who after repeatedly and unsuccessfully trying to jump high enough to taste the grapes concluded that they must be sour. There is no need for sour grapes philosophy. The bona fide spiritual master teaches his disciples how to taste the sweet nectar of transcendental existence at every minute. One simply has to attentively hear and submissively follow the instructions of the spiritual master. By doing so, one becomes gradually solidly situated in transcendental existence and remains there forever. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Rooting Out Sinful Desire... On one of your websites I read the following instruction: "Root out the desire to commit sins. A sin is an action that is not connected to the Supreme Lord; something done for the gratification of the senses. Acting only for the pleasure of the material body brings you further from practical realization of your factual identity as an eternal spirit soul (separate from the temporary material body)." But how do I root out that desire? Thanks already and may God bless you, Ludo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Fully Occupied Heart... You have to completely fill your heart with spiritual desires in the service of the Lord. If the hotel of your heart is fully occupied with hearing, chanting, remembering and serving the Lord, when material lusty and greedy desires come looking for a place to stay they will find that there is "no room at the inn". They will find instead a big sign that says, "No Vacancy" and will have to go somewhere else looking for a place to reside. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Sunday 29 July 2007 from Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The Brightest of all Futures.. There is no brighter future than an eternal existence in the spiritual world with Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In that abode there is no birth, no death, no old age, no disease, no taxes, and no terrorism. We are all actually eternal citizens of that transcendental abode who somehow or other got sidetracked somewhere along the line. If we take full advantage of Krishna's most merciful manifestation in the form of His holy names, we can easily qualify ourselves to re-enter our eternal home. Simply utter these names with love and devotion as much as possible on a regular daily basis. Your life will never the be the same: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Overcoming Boredom... I want to know how to overcome boredom. Thanks in advance John -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Through Delightful Bhakti... If you want to overcome boredom, all you have to do is absorb yourself in Krishna consciousness twenty-four hours daily. If you do so, I can assure you that you will never ever ever be bored because there is nothing more enlivening and exciting than Krishna consciousness. This is confirmed as follows in the Srimad Bhagavatam: ato vai kavayo nityam bhaktim paramaya muda vasudeve bhagavati kurvanty atma-prasadanim "Certainly, therefore, since time immemorial, all transcendentalists have been rendering devotional service to Lord Krishna, the Personality of Godhead, with great delight, because such devotional service is enlivening to the self." --Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.22 Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Saturday 28 July 2007 from Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Beyond Time and Space... The empiricists doubt or deny the existence of the transcendental dimension which exists beyond time and space. In this connection they are like the owl philosopher who closes his eyes in the daylight and denies the existence of the sun. Anyone who is brave enough to expand their consciousness beyond the limitations of time and space can take to the process of Krishna consciousness and positively experience the awakening of their original divine consciousness beyond the confines of time and space. This is confirmed in the Narada Pancaratna as follows: dik-kalady-anavacchinne krsne ceto vidhaya ca tan-mayo bhavati ksipram jivo brahmani yojayet "By concentrating one's attention on the transcendental form of Krishna, who is all-pervading and beyond time and space, one becomes absorbed in thinking of Krishna and then attains the happy state of transcendental association with Him." In other words, through the ultimate self realization process, Krishna consciousness, one constantly associates with the supreme person, in the transcendental dimension which lies far, far beyond the confines of time and space. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Avoid Bigotry? The "solution for terrorism" topic you discussed in yesterday's "Thought for the Day" is an exciting proposition, but for whatever reason I have a hesitancy and fear that whatever ideology is preached will ultimately end in sectarianism and terrorism of some kind. Most of us cannot rise beyond the designations of even an organization that says, "Don't have any designations!" Christianity is the perfect example. What is your insight on how to avoid bigotry and religious fanaticism on the part of those of us neophytes who may in the future become over zealous to spread our own "absolute truth?" Aaron -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Perfectly Realize the Absolute Truth... I appreciate very much the deep thoughtfulness of your question. This is always a danger we face in ISKCON of turning our position of rejecting all material designations into another type of material designation. This is why we carefully train our students to understand that love of God knows no boundaries. Whether someone worships Allah, Krishna, or Christ, if they do it perfectly, they are properly situated on the transcendental platform. We are teaching the science of bhakti which is equally applicable to any and all religious traditions. By perfecting the science of bhakti within any tradition one will achieve the perfection of that tradition by becoming a perfect Muslim, a perfect Krishnite, or a perfect Christian, etc. There is no such thing as "our own" Absolute Truth. As soon as we think "our own" we descend to the realm of relative truth. There can only be one Absolute Truth, and a person is spiritually perfect to the degree that he has realized that one Absolute Truth. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Friday 27 July 2007 from Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Is Terrorism Inevitable? It is sad to see that terrorism is becoming more and more loosed upon the world. But this is not at all surprising. Given that the human society is training everyone to live on the animalistic platform of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending--it is inevitable that, just like in the jungle some of the animals will be ferocious, some human beings will naturally come out as terrorists. There is really no way around it. It cannot be prevented through military readiness. Terrorists will always find a way to beat the system. However, if the human society can be elevated beyond the animalistic platform of sense gratification to the enlightened platform of Krishna consciousness, terrorism will be relegated to a page in the history books because no one will desire to be a terrorist in the first place. The problem with accomplishing this is that the current leaders of the human society are themselves terrorists. They are terrorizing the babies in the abortion clinics and they are terrorizing the cows in the slaughterhouses. They simply utilize the citizens to further their own selfish aims. As you sow, so shall you reap. As long as the leaders continue their terrorizing agenda, the citizens will continue to pay the price of being terrorized. There is nothing else to do except to expand the Krishna consciousness movement more and more until that day comes when the citizens demand Krishna conscious leaders. Then we will see a terror free world. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Realize the Truth? I have been following your course. And yes it's very comforting when you give some advice and guidance. But does there really exist a road, a path to reality? Can a disciplined, goal oriented mind ever be free to come face to face with Reality? Shouldn't freedom of the mind be at the beginning and not at the end of the journey? But then why do we search? What are we looking for? If we have an idea of it, then there will be no research. If we can recognize it, means we have seen it before. So what we will find will be a projection, the will, the desire of the mind and not the truth. Can there be a middle man between you and the truth? Can God be found through someone else? Is it not the understanding of oneself the "road" to God? The Ego cannot be suppressed and substituted with Spirituality. It is only through the understanding of the Self that we will let go, without any preconceived ideas. I feel that the Gita can only be understood by a mind that has rid itself of all that it has accumulated. We have to go beyond the mind, and this can only come about through understanding and passive observation. The Gita cannot be interpreted by a thinking mind, as all knowledge no matter how vast will always be limited. Thoughts come from memory, from all that we have accumulated. So will chanting Krishna's name suppressing all other thoughts liberate me? Surendra -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Dovetail Through Chanting... Here are your questions with answers: Question: But does there really exist a road, a path to reality? Answer: Yes, why not? Answer: Yes, why not? Answer: Yes, but you have to understand what is actual freedom of the mind, not the so-called freedom of a wild, uncontrolled mind. Answer: If you have lost something, you need to search for it. You have lost your original enlightened state of consciousness, therefore you must search for it. But if you meet someone who can tell you precisely how to revive it, there is no need for further searching. You simply have to follow his instructions. That's all. You will quickly attain enlightenment. |
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Thursday 26 July 2007 from Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: What Am I Doing? Sometimes I wonder, "What am I doing with my life? Am I really doing the right thing?" But if I carefully and thoughtfully consider the options, it is again reconfirmed that there is no other meaningful course of action than the one I am taking. Why should I dedicate my entire life to only serving a rotting material body and to a culture which enslaves people in such a meaningless existence? This does not make sense at all. Serving the needs of the actual self, the eternal spiritual being who resides within the body is what makes real sense to me and nothing else. The atheists will criticize me for being a stupid person of faith, but I clearly see that they are the ones who are guilty of blind faith, not me. I can easily understand the scientific proof for the existence of the soul and the Supreme Soul. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Does God Desire? I have heard many people say, "God wants this" or "God wants that." Does God actually have desires at all? I would rather hear from a Vedic authority and I believe you are one of those. Please dispel my doubt. Thank you. Love always... Tommi -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: God Desires Unlimitedly... Since everything originates in God, and since desire is the one of the factors of existence, we can understand that desire must exist within God. And since He is the Supreme and surpasses all others we can understand that His ability to desire is unlimited. He desires unlimitedly. We can hear directly in the Bhagavad-gita from Krishna Himself where He describes clearly so many desires that He has for us to engage in His service. Of course, it is not that He needs our service. He desires for us to serve Him so that we become benefited. Here is an example: 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." --Bg 9.34 And this is just one of the many, many verses in Krishna expresses His desires. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Wednesday 25 July 2007 from the Atlanta, Georgia airport -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The Same Old Wine in a New Bottle... We've just arrived a few minutes ago in the USA. Even though materially speaking there is a gulf of difference between Peru and the USA, spiritually speaking both countries are in the same category. So what we are seeing is nothing but the same old wine in a new bottle. The citizens of both countries are deeply engrossed in bodily consciousness considering themselves to be male, female, American, or Peruvian. The actual reality is that we are eternal spiritual beings in quality one with God, and are therefore naturally meant to serve Him eternally with love and devotion. Any nation which can fully adopt the principles of God consciousness or Krishna consciousness will become a paradise on earth. It does not matter whether they are rich, poor, or in the middle. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Can the Absolute Vibrate? Recently, I posted Srila Prabhupada's purport on the Maha Mantra to one of David Icke's message boards in an effort to encourage others to chant "Hare Krishna". As you know, Srila Prabhupada's purport begins with the statement, "The transcendental vibration established by the chanting of Hare Krishna...is the sublime method for reviving our transcendental consciousness." Someone replied with an objection to the idea of "transcendental vibration", quoting David Icke as follows: "This entire reality is based on polarity. When we accept this as real, and who we are, we disconnect from the consciousness of the One in awareness of itself. There are no polarities in Oneness and so no vibration. There is only one One and it has nothing with which to resonate." Perhaps I should provide you with the entire quote the person who objected: "Yes this world is made up of different energy fields vibrating amongst each other. Yes those energy fields affect us all, but I know also that all of this is an illusion and if it vibrates it's not Oneness including those energy fields. I can't recall anything specific David said about the Vedic mantra chant. But you need only read "The Biggest Secret" up to his latest book "Infinite Love is the Only Truth Everything Else is Illusion" to see how he explains how religions were created to enslave your mind. Speaking of which I hold in my hand "Infinite Love is the Only Truth and Everything Else is Illusion" page 190 and I quote, 'This entire reality is based on polarity. When we accept this as real, and who we are, we disconnect from the consciousness of the One in awareness of itself. There are no polarities in Oneness and so no vibration. There is only one One and it has nothing with which to resonate.' You Are Infinite Love. So the Absolute, by definition, does not and can not vibrate." How to respond to this? I will be most happy to post your response, naming you as the source and posting a link to your website, if you give me permission. Karl -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Reality With Love... To say that only Love exists all by itself is an absurdity. Love is a relationship between two beings. Even the title of his book indicates how much he is in illusion. If they want a reality of undifferentiated oneness, they must be prepared to live in a reality completely devoid of love. They can have it. I will take a reality with love. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Tuesday 24 July 2007 From Lima, Peru -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: New Chapter for the Human Race... At 7:00am on 24 July 2007 morning we are scheduled to fly out of Lima and return via Atlanta, Georgia to our headquarters in Austin, Texas. This week in Peru has truly been another one of those amazing unforgettable experiences that I have tasted on the pathway of Krishna consciousness. As soon as we connect with Krishna we enter into the dimension of transcendental bliss far, far beyond the miseries of material existence. I pray for the day when the leading people on this planet all realize how auspicious it is to be Krishna conscious. That day will mark the beginning of a glorious new chapter for the human race. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Evening Lecture at Lima's Wilson Avenue Temple -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Monday 23 July 2007 from Chosika, Peru -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Wealthy Peruvian Devotees... 22 July 2007--I'm here for the day in Chosika, Peru where I gave the morning Srimad Bhagavatam class to the assembled devotees at the local ISKCON temple. The second part of the class was a lively question and answer session with a stream of questions that kept coming like a flowing river. At ten a.m. when I arbitrarily called the class to a halt many devotees came forward and continued asking questions. This enthusiasm to hear about Krishna consciousness is the wonderful quality of the devotees here in Peru. Materially they do not have much. Peru is a very poor country. But spiritually they are some of wealthiest people in the whole world because they are so eager to hear about the science of Krishna consciousness and put what they hear into practice. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Questions and Answers in Chosika, Peru -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Sunday 22 July 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Transcendental Bliss in Lima In spite of my being very sick and staying in a cold, damp but rainless and heavily polluted place, Lima, Peru, where the sun and sky is never visible and the surrounding mountains hidden in smog are completely desolate devoid of vegetation, and in spite my room being next door to a construction site which exposes me to constant barrage of machine noise throughout the day, by the mercy of my beloved spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, I am tasting transcendental bliss because I have so much facility for teaching the local people how to be truly happy by reviving their dormant Krishna consciousness. This brings the greatest joy to my heart. My main concern along with keeping up with my daily lecture assignments is how I can catch up on my email correspondence so that my sincere students and disciples throughout the world can as soon as possible get the guidance they seek for their spiritual advancement. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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Saturday 21 July 2007 from Lima, Peru -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Is the Highest Truth Personal or Impersonal? Sometimes some of my readers put forward the argument to me that the highest conception of the supreme is formless and impersonal. They argue that the personal conception of God is a mental crutch to help the neophyte transcendentalist fix his mind on the supreme until he is advanced enough to keep his mind fixed on the impersonal, formless supreme. However, these sort of arguments do not hold any weight at all if we consider the words of Krishna as spoken in the Bhagavad-gita 7.7: mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya mayi sarvam idam protam sutre mani-gana iva "O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread." If we try to present a truth higher than the person Krishna, we are speaking against the authority of Bhagavad-gita. If we try this, we are foolishly presenting ourselves as someone who thinks they know more than God Himself. This is philosophically a very dangerous position to take considering how much we are ignorant of even those things that are going on around us here in this material world. Therefore it is best that instead of speculating that we know something more than God, we should take advantage of the knowledge Krishna has revealed to us in the Bhagavad-gita and thus immediately come to the platform of spiritual enlightenment. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Destruction of Criminal Tendencies... Is there any research institution to reduce and eventually achieve the destruction of all criminal tendencies in human beings? Sevak, Damodar -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: ISKCON... Yes. There is an institution dedicated to the eradication of all criminal tendencies in human beings. That institution is known as ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. However, it should be noted that no research is required. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna appearing as His own devotee has already revealed the method. This is a verse composed by Him, which describes the cleansing effect of chanting the holy names of God: ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam "Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Krishna, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Krishna expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step." Simply by spreading the chanting of the holy names of God all over the world we can put a complete stop to crime and terrorism. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Friday 20 July 2007 from Lima, Peru -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: What You Meditate On... Some .people are like honey bees always looking for the honey. They always try to find the good in a thing. Others are like flies, always looking for the sores. They want to find what is wrong with something. Those who always absorb their thoughts in what is bad tend to manifest bad qualities in their own character because that is what they are always thinking about. Conversely those who always absorb their thoughts in what is good tend to manifest good qualities. In other words, you become like that upon which you meditate. This is why the devotees always choose to absorb their minds on Krishna, the Supreme Good and develop all saintly qualities. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Continuing to Sin and Feeling Ashamed... I was following the regulations of the Vedic lifestyle but recently I started smoking again and having occasional drinks. I still don't eat meat. There have been occasions in the past few years that I've had illicit sex but not nearly the way I used to. I was just wondering if I continue to the best of my ability will there come a time when I no longer will want these things. I feel very scared that because I make these mistakes that I'll never be able to have peace and to have a relationship with Krishna. I'm sorry if I've offended you. Please give me any guidance you can. Your student -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Pick Yourself Up... When you fall down, pick yourself up and keep practicing Krishna consciousness. Eventually you will become so strong that you will never fall down. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Thursday 19 July 2007 from Lima, Peru -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Executing Acharya's Duties My spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, has very nicely described that the characteristics of an acharya, a bona fide spiritual master are as follows: 1. He knows the conclusions of the shastras (revealed scriptures). 2. He follows in the footsteps of his predecessor acharyas. 3. He endeavors to preach the ultimate self-realization science (Krishna consciousness) all over the world. And then after enlightening us as to what is a acharya he ordered us, his disciples, that we must become acharyas. So now on his order I am endeavoring by his mercy to do just that. It is not always easy to preach the science of Krishna consciousness all over the world. Just like I am now in Lima, Peru. Upon arriving here I immediately fell very sick. This makes it very difficult for me to do my duties of giving two lectures daily and keeping up with my correspondence. But yet I must carry on in my sincere endeavor to obey the instructions I have received from my spiritual master. I know that by his mercy it is possible for me to successfully execute my duties. So now, falling at his feet and begging for his mercy, I carry on with my work. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Krishna Equal to Everyone? Thank you for answering my questions the last time. I have been so fascinated by Srila Prabhupada's books and now your good job that I have taken to Krishna Consciousness. But my husband doesn't seem to like it. He is so engrossed in material things that he says he doesn't believe in Krishna Consciousness. I do my japa and go to the temple, but he doesn't like it. My question is I am here today in this Krishna consciousness because of Krishna's mercy so why is my husband an obstacle? If Krishna made me Krishna conscious why not my husband? Please help me. Your student -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Some Take His Mercy, Some Don't.... Krishna is equally bestowing His mercy upon everyone so that they can all take to Krishna consciousness and return home, back to Godhead. This is compared to the rainfall, which comes down everywhere without discrimination. But when the rain falls on a large hard rock it simply rolls off and does not penetrate that rock. And when the rain falls on the soft soil it enters into that soil, thus enriching and nourishing it. In the same way while those who are soft hearted allow the mercy of Krishna to enter into their hearts, those who are hard-hearted do not. What makes one hard hearted? Indulgence in sinful activities. Then what can be done to soften the hearts of those who are hard-hearted to give them a higher taste so they will give up sinful activities and chant the holy names? We must be soft-hearted towards them by giving them our loving kindness in the form of feeding them Krishna prasadam (vegetarian food offered to Lord Krishna with love and devotion) and telling them about their beautiful Lord Krishna who will save them from all of their miseries. It is a special benediction of Lord Krishna that the mercy of His devotee can act even more powerfully than His mercy alone. So you should always be very, very merciful to your husband and save him from his entanglement within the cycle of birth and death. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Wednesday 18 July 2007 from Lima, Peru -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Blissfully Dealing with Obstacles In material consciousness, problems can be devastating and overwhelming to such an extent that people sometimes have nervous breakdowns and even go so far as to commit suicide. But for those who are fixed in Krishna consciousness there is no such thing. Why is that? Because for one who is fixed in Krishna consciousness, the topmost platform of spiritual realization, every problem, no matter how great, is an interesting, exciting challenge, another obstacle to successfully deal with in the Lord's service. Just as some people solve puzzles as a recreational sport, the Lord's devotees take relish in dealing successfully with the problems and obstacles of material life because when anything material is engaged in the Lord's service it regains its original spiritual nature. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why is there Stress? Why do people experience stress? Anil -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Environment is Unnatural... People experience stress because they are trying to be happy in an unnatural environment. Just as a fish out of water is naturally stressful because he is in an unnatural environment, similarly the eternal spirit-soul, who is part and parcel of God, is in an unnatural environment here in this material world and therefore experiences so many types of stress. But just as soon as the fish is placed back in the water he becomes instantly enlivened and energized. And in the same way as soon as the living being is reconnected with his eternal spiritual nature by the mercy of guru and Krishna becomes immediately energized and freed from stress. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Tuesday 17 July 2007 from Atlanta, Georgia, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Sharing the Ultimate Bliss in Atlanta There is nothing sweeter than the bliss of Krishna consciousness except for sharing the bliss of Krishna consciousness, because when you share the bliss of Krishna consciousness that bliss becomes magnified millions and billions of times. Lord Sri Krishna has blessed me with such an opportunity here in Atlanta. I flew in on Friday afternoon and shortly thereafter went to give a lecture. On Saturday I gave three lectures. On Sunday I gave two lectures plus I met with a group of individuals to explain further the techniques of this supreme self-realization science. Now it's Monday at noon. I gave a lecture this morning and now I am trying to catch up on my writing before catching an 11:30pm overnight flight from Atlanta to Lima, Peru for another nectarean week of sharing the supreme bliss with those who are eager to hear it. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sharing the Ultimate Bliss at
I have been reading your answers, since a long time and I am satisfied with them. My question is: It is said whatever you do, do it for the Lord and completely depend upon the Lord for its results. But my father says this will decrease your self-confidence level. Is this correct? Please help me in solving my question. |
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Monday 16 July 2007 from Atlanta, Georgia, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Transforming Your Home into the Spiritual World One of the essential items for advancing in Krishna consciousness is that one should live in a holy place like Vrindavan or Dvaraka. For most people it is not practical for various reasons to pick up everything and relocate to India to reside in Vrindavan or Dvaraka. So how will the sincere practitioner of the bhakti yoga system fulfill this requirement to live in a holy place? He can do this by transforming his home into a holy place. How to do this? Here are some pointers: The home should be full of things that remind one of Krishna. The bookshelves can be filled with the most potent transcendental literatures, the writings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The walls can be adorned with transcendental paintings and posters so wherever you walk you are reminded of Krishna. A room or a corner of the house can be set aside as the temple room. In that room or area exclusively set aside for Krishna, you can make a Krishna altar on which all of one's food is offered to Lord Krishna before being eaten. The altar can be regularly decorated with fresh flowers. You can chant one's daily quota of Hare Krishna japa while sitting peacefully in front of the altar. If you get sleepy you can stand up or pace back and forth. The next step is to invite's your friends over for kirtan, philosophy, and prasadam. Cook a wonderful vegetarian feast and offer it to Lord Krishna with love and devotion. After your guests arrive, teach them how to chant the mahamantra and hold kirtan. Explain to them the wonderful transforming knowledge of Krishna consciousness and then lovingly serve them the prasadam (food that was offered to Krishna) to their full satisfaction. In this way make your home a place of transcendental activities where people gather regularly to uplift their consciousness to the transcendental platform. In this way, even in your own home, you will not feel that you are living in this material world. You will feel that you are living in the spiritual world. You will not only feel that you are in the spiritual world. You will be in the spiritual world. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Recognize a Guru? You have thoroughly explained the qualities of a bona fide guru. But how to recognize them and surrender our self to that person who will ultimately lead us to Lotus Feet of Krishna? Regards: H S Mishra -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: He Only Repeats Krishna's Words... The spiritual master can be easily be recognized by seeing that person whose only business is to repeat the words of Krishna without any addition or subtraction to everyone that he meets. Surrendering to him can also easily be accomplished. All you have to do is inform the spiritual master that you want to be his disciple and then ask him what he wants you to do. Disciple means one who disciplines himself by always meditating upon and following the instructions that he receives from his spiritual master. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Sunday 15 July 2007 from Atlanta, Georgia, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The Science of Self-Discovery There is nothing more important than self-discovery. If we do not even know who we are, how can we make a meaningful utilization of our existence? It will not be possible. Because the modern day civilization is based on mere guesswork regarding the nature of the self, therefore we see that everywhere throughout the world there is chaos and uncertainty. Even though we hanker for eternity, in a state of ignorance we base our sense of identity on a temporary bag of material elements. Therefore in spite of so much technological advancement in regards to the manipulation of material elements, we are still very much dissatisfied. The solution for this quagmire is that we must now focus our energies on the ultimate science, the science of self-discovery. So how do we begin? We begin from the simple point of our own awareness of our existence. You know that you exist because you are aware of your existence. The next step is to analyze what is the nature of your existence. We see that in spite of so many transformations of the material elements which constitute the material body, there is a constancy of consciousness. In other words you can remember experiences you had when you were a small child even though the cells which constitute your present body are different from the cells which constituted your small child's body. The body is a constantly changing factor while simultaneously the consciousness is a constant factor. This simple observation immediately indicates to the thoughtful observer that he and his body are different. He is not the body. Understanding that you are not your body is a negation of the false conception of the self, but it still does not tell you who you are. Try to understand yourself as consciousness, or more precisely as a consciousness-possessing being. The science of self-discovery is a process of fully awakening the dormant enlightened consciousness. In other words, at the present moment in this human form of life we are only approximately 10% awakened. The science of self-discovery teaches us how to awaken the other 90%. So how do we do that? This is accomplished through a process of dovetailing the individual consciousness with the superconsciousness or God. By connecting our individual consciousness with the superconsciousness we gain our own empirical verification of the existence of the superconsciousness. The techniques of how to do that have been carefully handed to us through the ages by saintly enlightened teachers who have perfectly dovetailed their individual consciousness with Krishna or God, the superconsciousness. This process is known as yoga, the science of linking or yoking with the superconsciousness. Of all the various yoga systems described by great realized souls of the past the most highly recommended yoga system for this age is bhakti yoga, the yoga of divine love consciousness. Why is that? When you fall in love with someone, you can do nothing but think of them 24 hours day. So if we can develop a loving relationship with Krishna, the superconsciousness, this will be the quickest and easiest way to always remain in an enlightened state fully connected with the Supreme 24 hours a day. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Meaning of Birth and Death... Can you explain what is the real meaning of death and also what is the meaning of birth? Anil -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Like Trading in an Old Car for a New Car... Krishna explains birth and death in the Bhagavad-gita: na jayate mriyate va kadacin nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah ajo nityah sasvato 'yam purano na hanyate hanyamane sarire "For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain."--Bhagavad-gita 2.20 From this we can understand that birth and death are something external to the living being. Just like one trades in an old car and buys a new car, he gives up one body (death) and takes on a new one (birth). At the time of conception the soul enters into the mother's womb by means of the semen injected by the father. Then within the womb his body gradually develops and after nine months he comes out at the time of birth. After some time when the body becomes old, worn out, and useless he leaves the body to take on another one according to his karma. If, however, one becomes enlightened in the science of Krishna consciousness, he does not take birth again. He revives his original spiritual body, which is eternal, ever youthful, full of bliss, and full of knowledge. He thus no longer suffers the miseries of material existence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Saturday 14 July 2007 from Atlanta, Georgia, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: When All Hell Breaks Loose Things do not always go on pleasantly in this material world. Sometimes all hell breaks loose. Just imagine if you were in the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001. Or just imagine if you were in an automobile going into a head-on collision. Like it or not, we all live in a world of calamities. So what are we supposed to do when we find ourselves in a calamitous situation? The starting point for dealing with calamities is to always remember that you are not your material body. Like a garment that you can wear today and discard tomorrow, this body is simply a covering of the actual self, the eternal spirit soul. What this means is that these nightmarish situations are going on in a dream state only. Your factual existence is somewhere else. Spiritual enlightenment or Krishna consciousness is the process of waking up from the bad dream. You simply have to remember that you are the eternal servant of Krishna and stay factually tuned into that reality by always remaining absorbed in Krishna conscious thoughts, words, and deeds twenty-four hours daily. This art can be learned and mastered in the association of devotees under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master. If you have seriously cultivated enlightened consciousness in this way, the next time all hell breaks loose, you will see it for what it is, a movie on the screen of material existence. And you will be able to flip the channel to the other program (an eternal life full of bliss and knowledge in the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead), even while at the same time you deal expertly with the calamity that is at hand. This is the amazing nature of Krishna consciousness. If you would like to taste it, you can. You simply have to adopt the path of devotional service with full earnestness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Chanting for Material Success... Guru Maharaja, Please accept my humble obeisances! I've heard that the spiritual energy from chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra can be utilized in a materialistic way. Does it mean that someone can repeat "Hare Krishna" in order to reach his own material goals and be successful? Your servant, Anja -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Not Good, Not Necessary... The Hare Krishna maha-mantra is undoubtedly the most powerful method of approaching and connecting with God. Any method of approaching God can be properly utilized for reviving our dormant enlightened consciousness, our Krishna consciousness. Or it can be improperly utilized by petitioning the Lord to give us better facility for sense gratification. Unfortunately nowadays mostly we see that people are approaching God to improve their material facilities. This is less intelligent because God is going to give us our material facilities anyway. Because He is our loving father He will make sure that our material needs are met. Therefore the intelligent person petitions the Lord for the revival of his Krishna consciousness. This is the best benediction to seek. Instead of begging for better facilities in a disaster zone, why not beg for that pure consciousness that qualifies one to be liberated from the disaster zone by being transferred to that place which is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss, where there is never any shortage of facilities? This is real intelligence. This is Krishna consciousness. To use the holy names for material advancement is a nama-aparadha, an offense against the holy name. Our success or failure is going to come to us anyway as a result of our past pious and impious activities. So there is no sense in try to manipulate our karma by chanting the names of God. The smart thing to do is elevate your consciousness beyond the success/failure karmic dimension by pure chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. This is the ultimate and eternal success. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Friday 13 July 2007 from Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Beyond Sex Pleasure In this material world sex is undoubtedly the number one rated pleasure. People go mad over satisfying their sexual desires. But for a realized transcendentalist, sex pleasure is not of much interest. It is not very important because he is enjoying pleasure on a much higher level. He has fully realized that he is not his body and is relishing the sweetest nectar of a loving relationship with the supreme person, the source of all existence, at every minute. Because his pleasure is completely transcendental to his material body and because sex is a pleasurable sensation which is experienced in the body, the transcendentalist prefers not to be brought back down to the lower level of bodily sense pleasure by sex indulgence. In other words, because sex brings him down to a lower level where the pleasure is of an inferior quality, he naturally avoids it. It is not that he is feeling frustrated from abstinence. He enjoys abstinence because it frees up his consciousness to absorb himself more deeply in Krishna consciousness, the reservoir of all pleasure. Of course, when such a transcendentalist wants to produce offspring he joyfully utilizes sex for its original natural purpose, procreation. Such procreational sex is a holy sacrament as confirmed by Lord Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Worshipping Lord Shiva... Respected Sir, I have met you in Sofia, Bulgaria and have registered for self realization course after the meeting. I am reading emails received everyday on Self Realization and Krishna Consciousness which are very helpful in clearing the ignorance of my mind. Now I eagerly wait everyday for new email which makes me more conscious towards Krishna. I have one humble query : I am a firm believer in God and God is helping me whenever I require help. Before meeting you I was worshipping Lord Shiva as the supreme God and Ma Durga. I was having respect for Krishna also and Ram Avatar also. It is also emphasized that God is one and names are different. But for worshipping and concentrating on becoming conscious I was adopting Shiva as supreme God and worshipping Shiva. Now also I worship Shiva. After reading your emails regularly, I am finding that Krishna is Supreme God , may be Shiva is also one form of Krishna. In Hindu mythology, there is concept of Brahma, Vishnu , Mahesh where Vishnu has taken avatar as Krishna. In Ramayana when Lord Rama (Avatar of Vishnu) was starting to conquer Ravana, He worshipped Lord Shiva at seashore. Because my knowledge is not complete , I am getting confused and would request you to clear my ignorance and so that I can concentrate on God for Self Realization and can make progress on this way. Best Regards, Sanjiv -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: As the Greatest Devotee... I am very happy to hear from you after having had the pleasure of meeting you at our ISKCON center in Sofia, Bulgaria. I look forward to seeing you again on my next visit there at the end of October. I appreciate very much the sincerity and genuineness of your inquiry. According to the Vedic wisdom whenever we are confused about matters of spiritual truth and our ultimate duty, we must approach the spiritual master. This point is substantiated by the statement and example of Sri Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita: karpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah prcchami tvam dharma-sammudha-cetah yac chreyah syan niscitam bruhi tan me sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam "Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me." --Bhagavad-gita 2.7 Kindly note that we are not concerned with Hindu mythology. We are concerned with the authoritative knowledge given in the Vedic scriptures. In those literatures we learn the following: Lord Shiva is one of the great Vedic authorities and is no doubt therefore worshipable. We are not only meant to worship such great personalities. We are also meant to learn from and follow their instructions. This is the highest form of honoring and worshipping them. When Lord Shiva was asked by his wife what is the highest form of worship, he replied that the worship of Lord Vishnu is the highest. (Lord Vishnu is Krishna's expanded form Who engages in affairs of the universal management.) So according to Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu or Lord Krishna is the Supreme. This was also confirmed by Lord Shiva when he appeared as Shankaracharya. At that time he taught the people to worship Krishna. That Krishna or Vishnu is the Supreme is confirmed throughout the Vedic literatures. Therefore although we should certainly worship and adore Lord Shiva, we should do so in the mood of worshipping him as the greatest devotee of Lord Krishna, not considering that Shiva is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This proper worship of Lord Shiva as the greatest of all of Krishna's devotees is more pleasing to Lord Shiva than mistakenly worshipping Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I hope that this cleared this confusion up for you. If things are still unclear to you, kindly let me know. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Thursday 12 July 2007 from Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Revving Up the Spiritual Energy If you want to be situated on the transcendental platform relishing the sweet bliss of eternal cognizant bhakti existence at every moment, you've got to devote some quality time every morning to revving up the spiritual energy within you. The reason this is of the utmost importance is that when we sleep at night we go deep into the mode of ignorance. Therefore the first thing to do upon rising is to get situated on the transcendental platform. The easiest, quickest way to do that is as soon as that alarm clock goes off utter a transcendental sound vibration such as, "Hare Krishna." Then take your morning bath, purify your body and consciousness by marking your body with tilak (sacred clay), and sit down in front of your altar absorbing yourself deeply for one-and-a-half to two hours in chanting the holy names of God on japa beads. If you get sleepy, you can chant while standing or even while pacing back and forth. It is also recommended that you should sing the beautiful Gurvastakam prayers (see footnote) every morning before the sunrise. If you will faithfully do this every morning, you will feel spiritually revved up and ready to ecstatically and confidently face whatever obstacles the material energy may throw at you throughout the day. Plus you will become qualified to attain the transcendental service of Lord Sri Krishna in Vrindavan at the time when you permanently leave this body at death. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Footnote: You can hear and read the Gurvastakam at: http://www.backtohome.com/Gurvastakam -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Wednesday 11 July 2007 from Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Reviving the Real Self There is nothing sweeter and more sublime than reviving one's original divine consciousness. Why suffer unnecessarily in the nightmare of material existence? We are not these material bodies, but yet we dream that we are. Therefore we think ourselves subject to birth, death, old age, and disease. If we can awaken our sense of spiritual identity by realizing who we actually are, the eternal servants of Krishna or God, and acting on that platform, we then enter into that sublime transcendental dimension far, far beyond the suffering conditions of this material existence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Regarding Skepticism... Since we are all skeptical on some certain things, how can you say that we cannot be skeptical? Thanks Hayden -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Handy and Impediment... Skepticism is handy when dealing with the material energy, but it is an impediment when we are dealing with Krishna. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Tuesday 10 July 2007 from Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Revival of Vedic Culture In the last 5,000 years since the beginning of the Kali Yuga (the Age of Quarrel and Hypocrisy) many, many civilizations have come and gone. Before that there was a period of 3,772,000 years during which one civilization, the Vedic civilization, flourished throughout the earth bestowing peace and prosperity upon all. Now, by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Who advented Himself in 1486, and by the divine mercy of His most empowered representative, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, that Vedic civilization is being revived all of the world. You are welcome to join us in this most ecstatic spiritual revolution for the benefit of all living beings on this planet. Your first step is to revolutionize your own consciousness by awakening your dormant Krishna consciousness. The next step is to spread Krishna consciousness to others as far as possible. In this way you will be doing the greatest good for yourself and the highest welfare work for all others. You will experience unlimited happiness, and you will be empowered to give unlimited happiness to everyone else also. There is no greeting feeling than this. Why not join us today? Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Religion and Faith... I think you are doing a very good work just like Srila Prabhupada. Somebody asked me some questions and I was unable to answer them. Could you please help me? My questions are: 1) What is religion and what is faith? 2) Is Krishna Consciousness a faith or a religion? 3) How many forms of religion exist? Your humble servant -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Real Religion is Beyond this Faith or that Faith... It is nice that you are appreciating my humble attempt to push forward Krishna consciousness all over the world. But please try to understand in this connection that I can take no credit for what I am doing. Whatever I am accomplishing is all by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada. If I have any credit, it is simply that I am faithfully carrying out the instructions I received from Srila Prabhupada. Religion is generally taken to be a kind of faith that develops according to time and circumstances. Just like someone may I say that I am member of the Christian religion, the Islamic religion, etc. But that is not the real meaning of religion. The English word "religion" comes from the Latin word "religio", which means "reverence." Religio is a combination of the Latin "re", which means "again" and "ligare", which means to reconnect (as in the English word "ligament). So the actual meaning of "religion" is to reconnect with God, the source of our existence. Just as we reconnect with another human being through love, the reconnecting process with God is through loving service to Him. This reconnecting process is completely transcendental to any conception of this religion or that religion. Thus, real religion is to completely surrender ourselves unto the Supreme Person. It is completely transcendental to this faith or that faith. Therefore Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gita: sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear." --Bhagavad-gita 18.66 Krishna is not telling us to abandon religion. He is telling us how we can fully embrace real religion by rejecting all pseudo-religion that is masquerading as religion and fully surrendering ourselves to Him. Krishna consciousness is actual religion because it is teaching us simply to surrender to the Supreme Person. It is not a kind of faith. A Krishna conscious person recognizes the validity of all the different names for God. He does not say that the Supreme Being can only be known as Krishna. Just as there is only one sun in the sky although it has hundreds of different names according to different languages, actual religion is one, to become a lover of God, whether this universal science is taught in Vedic terms, Christian terms, or Islamic terms. The final test if someone is actually religious is that they are no longer attracted by any type of material sense gratification and that they have become completely endowed with all saintly qualities. One does not become religious by adopting this label or that label and condemning all those who have not accepted the same label. One becomes actually religious by abandoning the labels and fully giving oneself to the Supreme Person, Krishna, or whatever authorized scriptural name one chooses to address Him. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Monday 9 July 2007 from Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Solution for all Problems The basic underlying problem of life is death. If this one problem can be solved, immediately all other problems become automatically solved. One may have so many financial problems: a hundred dollar problem, a thousand dollar problem, and a ten thousand dollar problem. But if he has a billion dollars, all of his financial problems are immediately solved. Therefore the intelligent person seeks first the solution to life's underlying problem, the problem of death. After attaining deathlessness by the complete revival of his eternal, blissful, knowledge-full existence, he then glides effortlessly through every one of the so-called problems of life. They all become a piece of cake. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: In Defense of Skepticism... Without a bit of skepticism how would you find the truth in things? After all one should not be to gullible, as there are a lot of bogus things. Science is not like the dogma of most religions, which is defined as (1) a doctrine or system of doctrines proclaimed true by a religious sect or (2) a principle, belief, or statement of an idea or opinion, especially one that is authoritatively, sometimes arrogantly, asserted as Absolute Truth. So I like to try and keep a balance, if you know what I mean, and not to be too gullible. Skepticism is very helpful in understanding things better, as you get both sides of the story. What do you think of the saying, "A lot of good can come out of bad."? For instance some bad things that have happened in my life have pointed me in the right direction. Skepticism is like that in a way. Without bad how would you understand the purity of good or the spirit, so without skepticism it would be a lot more difficult to find the truth. Hayden. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Skeptical of Skepticism... Skepticism is the philosophical position of doubting everything. In terms of not being duped by false teachings it is certainly helpful to a certain point. But just as the existence of counterfeit money indicates the existence of real money, falsity indicate that somewhere there is actual truth. If one is overly skeptical regarding money, he will never be able to accept money from anyone due his paranoia that all money is counterfeit. This is a highly unrealistic impractical position. Similarly if is one is overly skeptical regarding knowledge, he will never be able to accept anything as truth. But since truth exists, to take the philosophical position of the skeptics, to never accept anything as truth, would be ridiculous. Science proposes to give us truth. But yet we do not see a consensus of opinion among scientists. What one scientists says is true, is said by another scientist to not be true. So how we will arrive at the truth? This is the most important question we can ask in this human form of life. Therefore the Vedanta Sutra enjoins: athato brahma jijnasa "The purpose of the human form of life is to understand what is the Absolute Truth." So how will we arrive at the Absolute Truth? We are living within it at every minute. Therefore the Absolute Truth of existence can never be extinguished although it may be temporarily covered by ignorance. If we are very sincere to reconnect ourselves with that Absolute Truth, the Supreme Absolute Truth, dwelling within us, it will bring us in contact with a bona fide spiritual master who will then fully reveal that Absolute Truth to us. When it comes to a direct experience of the Absolute Truth, skepticism would be a great hindrance for the progressive development of our intelligence. Therefore under such a circumstance it would be extremely foolish to hold on to our skepticism. Under such a circumstance skepticism must be abandoned. The philosophy of skepticism dictates in the ultimate end that one must also doubt the validity of skepticism. When one reaches the precincts of the Absolute Truth to hold onto the crutch of skepticism is a gross violation of the principle of skepticism. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
