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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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Friday 30 November 2007 from the Krishna Balarama Temple in Sri Vrindavan Dham, India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Govardhan Parikrama Bliss What trip to Vraja Mandal, Sri Vrindavan Dham, would be complete without doing Govardhan Parikrama, the circumambulation of Govardhan Hill? We don't have to worry about the answer to this question because today we are doing it. We are out on Govardhan Parikrama, a pilgrimage that is so powerful that it can deliver one from material existence, the wheel of repeated birth and death. The great spiritual potency of Govardhan is confirmed in the Adi-varaha Purana as follows: "Two yojanas [sixteen miles], west of Mathura, is the very rare place named Govardhan. A person who circumambulates this place named Annakuta-tirtha does not return to this world." Of course we should not take this boon cheaply and think that we can do all nonsense and then circumambulate Govardhan for deliverance. We should live a pure life of bhakti under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master and also circumambulate Govardhan Hill for the special blessings it bestows. Govardhan is the hill that was lifted by Lord Krishna 5,000 years ago to protect the Vraja-vasis, the inhabitants of Vrindavan, from the devastation unleashed upon them by angry Indra, the king of heaven, who was uncontrollably furious when, on the order of Krishna, they neglected Indra's worship and worshipped Govardhan Hill instead. When in great fear for their lives the Vraja-vasis approached Krishna for shelter, He lifted Govardhan holding it over them as an umbrella as effortlessly as a child holds a mushroom and held it on the little finger of His left hand until the devastation ended after seven days.
The parikrama is about fourteen miles (23 kilometers) and takes about five or six hours to complete if one walks at a brisk pace. It's a quite a trek so we start out in the early morning before sunrise. Because every particle of Govardhan dust is non-different from Krishna most pilgrims respectfully make their parikrama barefooted. In this same mood of respect we also follow suit by leaving our sandals behind. Govardhana Hill gives unlimited pleasure to Krishna, who lifted the hill with His left hand to curb the pride of Indra and protect the Vraja-vasis, the inhabitants of Vrindavan.
The Bliss-Bestowing Govardhan Hill -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Thursday 29 November 2007 from the Krishna Balrama Temple in Sri Vrindavan Dham, India ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Krishna Balarama Bliss What could be more ecstatic than to be at the very spot where God Himself, Lord Sri Krishna, 5,000 years compassionately displayed His transcendental pastimes for the benefit of the suffering souls of this world? Just being here is a thrill! How much God is kind upon us that He descended to this realm in His original form and brought along His associates from the spiritual world to display to us His inconceivable, unlimitedly variegated pastimes for the purpose of attracting us to come back to our original home with Him in that wondrous Spiritual Sky. Every particle of dust in this holy land has been blessed by the touch of His lotus feet. And for those who have the eyes to see, He is still enacting His transcendental lila (pastimes) here at this very minute. That inconceivable Master of All Mystics, Lord Sri Krishna, expanded from Himself an incarnation of Himself known as Balarama just so He could enjoy having a big brother Who is also God. These two brothers then, accompanied by Their cowherd boyfriends, engaged in daily adventures throughout the many forests of Vrindavan. Simply by wandering through these forests the devotees become surcharged with spiritual bliss. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Krishna and Balarama, the Original Cowboys
Here are Their Deity Forms
Here at the Krishna Balarama Temple, the above deities of Krishna and Balarama -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Wednesday 28 November 2007 from Sri Vrindavan Dham, India ------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Ticket to Sri Vrindavan Dham One cannot enter into Sri Vrindavan Dham by purchasing an airline ticket or by hiring a taxi from the Delhi airport. One can only enter into the holy abode of Sri Vrindavan by the mercy of the Lord's pure devotee. Therefore we humbly bow down at the lotus feet of our spiritual master and beg him to engage us eternally in his service. It is this humble submission and service at the lotus feet of one's guru which enables one to enter directly into the kingdom of God. Therefore we always begin our day by worshiping our spiritual master with a beautiful ceremony known as Mangala Arati, which is centered around the singing of the sublime Gurvastakam Prayers, the Eight Prayers Glorifying the Spiritual Master. You can hear and read the Gurvastakam prayers at: http://backtohome.com/Gurvastakam/ Here in Vrindavan Dham, Mangala Arati is especially sweet. Devotees from all over the world gather at 4:10 A.M. in Srila Prabhupada's Samadhi, the beautiful marble temple built on the spot where Srila Prabhupada's remains were placed when he left this world in 1977. They gather to worship this greatest of all spiritual masters and thus be blessed with a ticket to the Lord's eternal Vrindavan Dham in the spiritual sky.
Deity of Srila Prabhupada in Prabhupada's Samadhi
4:10 AM--Mangala Arati in the Srila Prabhupada Samadhi -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Tuesday 27 November 2007 from Sri Vrindavan Dham, India -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Relishing the Supreme Nectar There is truly nothing sweeter than being here in Lord Sri Krishna's transcendental abode, Sri Vrindavan Dham. This magical realm, although manifested visibly on this earthly plane, exists eternally far beyond the confines of time and space in that unlimitedly sweet Spiritual Sky. Simply by coming here for a few minutes the sincere pilgrim can be infused with transcendental emotions of loving sentiments for the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus be blessed with the key for entering and remaining in an eternal existence, full of knowledge and full of bliss. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: What are the Fourteen Worlds? You mention in one of your "Thought for the Day"s that there are fourteen worlds. What are those? Can you please enumerate? Your humble student, Nithin -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Fourteen Planetary Systems Within this Material Universe The fourteen worlds are as explained as follows by Srila Prabhupada: The upper planetary systems are: (1) Bhu (2) Bhuvar (3) Svar (4) Mahar (5) Janas (6) Tapas (7) Satya. The seven lower planetary systems are: (1) Tala (2) Atala (3) Vitala (4) Nitala (5) Talatala (6) Mahatala (7) Sutala. The lower planets as a whole are called Patala. Among the upper planetary systems, Bhu, Bhuvar and Svar constitute Svargaloka, and the rest are called Martya. The entire universe is thus known as Triloka. (from Srila Prabhupada's purport to CC Adi 5.98) Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Monday 26 November 2007 from Doha, Qatar -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Back to Sri Vrindavan Dham 25 November 2007. This afternoon we will fly out from Doha. After a five hour transit stop in Dubai we will take an overnight flight to Delhi where our driver will be waiting to take us on a three hour drive to the most sacred ground in the entire universe, Sri Vrindavan Dham, the holy land of Lord Sri Krishna. It was in Vrindavan Dham 5,000 years ago that Krishna exhibited for the benefit all of the conditioned souls in this universe His sweetest and most intimate childhood pastimes. By His inconceivable charms He completely captured the hearts of the residents of Vrindavan so much so that all they could do was think about Krishna, talk about Krishna, and relish participating in the pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna 24 hours a day. Visiting Krishna's holy land and associating constantly with its holy dust naturally awakens in one's heart the innate tendency to be constantly dovetailed with the supreme source of all existence, Lord Sri Krishna, by always chanting, hearing, and remembering His transcendental name, fame, form, pastimes, entourage, philosophy, and paraphernalia. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
The Holy Land of Sri Vrindavan Dham -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- mac-citta mad-gata-prana |
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Sunday 25 November 2007 from Doha, Qatar -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Oasis in the Desolate Wasteland This material existence is a vast, desolate wasteland. Even though the living beings are hankering like anything to find satisfaction here, they fail miserably in their attempt to do so in spite of endeavoring for it with great determination. They want to be happy all the time, but yet they are dragged against their will through so many varieties of suffering situations. And even if they do find satisfaction, it is only a few drops. It is not enough to completely satisfy them. A few drops of water cannot sustain one who is dying of thirst in the desert. But there is an oasis available for all, a place where everyone can find complete, total ever-increasing satisfaction at every minute. That oasis is Krishna consciousness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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Saturday 24 November 2007 from Doha, Qatar -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Saintly Association There is nothing more important for the aspiring transcendentalist than to get the association of advanced devotees. Mere intellectualization of the science of bhakti is not sufficient to bring one to the perfectional stage of spiritual realization. To go beyond the theoretical stage to the stage of practical realization of the Absolute Truth Personality of Godhead requires the contact of realized devotees. This principle cannot be neglected because there is no substitute for this. There is such great potency in this advanced association that even a slight contact with a realized soul can bestow spiritual perfection upon that soul who is so fortunate as to be blessed by that association. This point is confirmed as follows in the Sri Caitanya Caritamrta: 'sadhu-sanga', 'sadhu-sanga' -- sarva-sastre kaya lava-matra sadhu-sange sarva-siddhi haya "The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment's association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success."--Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 22.54 So if you are looking for the unlimited bliss of becoming a fully enlightened spiritual being you need to seek out and take shelter of the association of great saintly teachers of the science of bhakti. They can easily liberate you from all of your anxieties. We simply must approach them with all humility, hear from them, and serve them. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why No Intoxication? I was speaking with one person over the weekend who claimed to be a Rastafarian. He asked me a question that I could not answer: Where in our scriptures does it say intoxication is forbidden? What is the reasoning behind it? The best answer I had was, "If you spend your time getting intoxicated, then you are not spending your time meditating on God." His reply was, "Why not use your intoxication to change your consciousness and meditate on God in this way?" For the most part we were discussing marijuana, which he uses in his spiritual practice. It was a pleasant conversation, nothing arose from it, but I could not call up scripture that says "no intoxication." I just know it as one of the most dear regulated principles for achieving the Supreme. In your loving service, surrendered completely at your lotus feet, Scott. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Stay High Forever The simple counter argument is that as long as you rely on a chemical to alter your consciousness you are still on the material plane. By buying into the idea of altering the consciousness by injecting a chemical, one is buying into a bodily conception of the self. Such a bodily conception of the self binds one to a state of illusion. The method for attaining and maintaining a genuine state of divine intoxication is to totally reject any sort of physical or material conception of the self by reviving one's original pure state of divine intoxication. This method is known as Krishna consciousness. According to the Svetasvatara Upanisad one is to have full faith in the words of the spiritual master. Hundreds and hundreds of times Srila Prabhupada told us to strictly avoid any form of intoxication. These words coming from the mouth of the greatest spiritual master in the history of the universe are in themselves scripture. Besides that there are many scriptural statements indicating that intoxication should be given up. For example: "Theft, violence, speaking lies, duplicity, lust, anger, perplexity, pride, quarreling, enmity, faithlessness, envy and the dangers caused by women, gambling and intoxication are the fifteen undesirable qualities that contaminate men because of greed for wealth. Although these qualities are undesirable, men falsely ascribe value to them. One desiring to achieve the real benefit of life should therefore remain aloof from undesirable material wealth." --Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.23.18-19 So you may inform such persons that if they think being intoxicated is a desirable state of consciousness, they should give the supreme intoxicant known as Krishna consciousness a serious try. Stay high forever. No more coming down. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Friday 23 November 2007 from Doha, Qatar -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Why Do I Have to Hide? If the Qataris can openly and freely wear their traditional dress, why do I have to hide mine when I am visiting their country? Here in Qatar even while working their ordinary jobs at the airport I see so many Qatari men and women dressing in their traditional garb. But yet Hare Krishna devotees are advised here not to openly show anything publicly of their culture even tilak, what to speak of wearing a dhoti. (Editor' note: Tilak is the marking worn on the forehead by devotees of Krishna. And a dhoti is the traditional robe worn by male Hare Krishna devotees.) This all stems from a sectarian conception of religion in which one thinks that his way to God is the only way to God. Such a sectarian conception is killing actual religion. It's time the world wakes up and realizes that religion is the science of re-connecting with God. It is not a sect. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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Thursday 22 November 2007 from Doha, Qatar --------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Beyond the Dualities of Material Existence 21 November 2007. Now after a grueling day of travel we are here in the desert in Qatar. What a contrast! It was snowing like anything in Sofia and now the very next day we are in the desert. This is typical of the dualistic nature of this material world. Sometimes it is hot. Sometimes it is cold. Sometimes we are happy. Sometimes we are sad. Sometimes we are honored. Sometimes we are dishonored. Sometimes we are rich. Sometimes we are poor. The Bible also confirms this, "To everything there is a season." What to do? We have to learn how to be tolerant. This is confirmed as follows in the Bhagavad-gita: matra-sparshas tu kaunteya sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah agamapayino ’nityas tams titiksasva bharatam "O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed." --Bhagavad-gita 2.14 By applying the above principle our minds will become very steady and we will able to peacefully absorb ourselves in Krishna consciousness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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Wednesday 21 November 2007 from the Amsterdam, Netherlands Airport -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The Bliss is Everything 20 November 2007. Today is a full day of traveling. We departed ISKCON's Sofia, Bulgaria temple this morning at 4:00 am. It's now 9:00am and we are here in Budapest. In a few minutes we will board a flight to Amsterdam, where we will catch a flight to Dubai and from there a flight to Doha, Qatar where I will be lecturing on the supreme self-realization science for several days. We will finally arrive in Doha at 2:30 am tomorrow morning having spent a full day in airports and on airplanes. I try to utilize my travel time to the max by staying fully absorbed as much as possible in studying the Bhagavad-gita, chanting the Hare Krishna mantra on my japa beads, and keeping up with "Thought for the Day" and my e-mail correspondence. It's a lot of work, but I love every minute of it. We are getting so much positive feedback from the people we are reaching out to all over the word. It is immensely gratifying. The austerities are nothing. The bliss is everything. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why Did God Create the Universe and the Human Beings At times the following question comes to my mind, probably due to limited knowledge. Please enlighten me on this: If in the beginning there was only Lord Krishna, why did He create the universe and the human beings? He advises everyone to follow the Gita by surrendering to Him, but at the same time He creates His inferior, illusory energy known as Maya that deludes everyone. Is this considered to be a testing phase for human beings? If yes, then what is the need of doing all these things if finally everything is going back to Him? Please pardon me if I am asking silly questions. Neel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: For His Enjoyment Your questions are very nice. They are not silly. The first thing you should try to understand there was never a time when there was only Krishna and no one else. Krishna is eternally emanating the living beings from Himself in order to enjoy loving relationships with each and every one of them. But since love by its very nature must be voluntary, Krishna gives each living being the freedom to choose whether to love and serve Him as the Supreme Person or whether to try to imitate Him by foolishly considering himself to be the Supreme Person. If the living being chooses to try to imitate the Lord, he cannot try to do so unless he is the under the illusion that he is the supreme. Therefore for a such a fool the Lord provides His Maya, His illusory energy, which enables the living being to actually think that he is the center of the universe. It is wrong to think that everyone is deluded by Maya. The vast majority of the living beings remain eternally absorbed in the Lord's service in His eternal kingdom. It is only an infinitesimal fraction of the innumerable living beings in the spiritual world who opt out of an eternal life full of knowledge and bliss because of a foolish desire to be the center of existence. Everyone has a choice of one of two destinies. One can choose to think that he is the center of enjoyment and thus try to be an enjoyer of this material world. Such an unfortunate soul will be caught up in the cycle of birth and death living one temporary existence full of ignorance and misery birth after birth until he finally wises up and comes back to the Lord's service. Or one can choose to be an eternal servant of God in His transcendental kingdom and live an eternal life full of knowledge and bliss. Everybody gets to make this choice. This material world is the place for those who make the wrong choice. The living beings who choose not to serve the Lord will remain eternally in this material existence but they can rectify themselves whenever they want to. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Tuesday 20 November 2007 from ISKCON Center--Sofia, Bulgaria -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Our Attempt to Transform the World After two super ecstatic months of planting the spiritual enlightenment seeds of bhakti in Europe, we are heading out today for the middle east and India. There's a whole world out there drowning in ignorance desperately in need of being rescued. Since I've been blessed by my beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, with the knowledge that can set the entire world free, it is my duty to try to spread it like anything as far and as wide as possible until my last dying breath. I am praying to my most dear Lord Krishna that somehow or other the entire world can take interest in this most sublime message, the Srimad Bhagavad-gita, and take it so seriously that it becomes the guiding principle for the entire human society. The entire world will be transformed into a paradise. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
"Taste the Nectar" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Monday 19 November 2007 from ISKCON Center--Timisoara, Romania -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: How to Always Taste Transcendental Nectar Everyone is hankering to taste the sweetest nectar at every minute, but hardly anyone knows the secret of how to do that. Therefore I am constantly traveling all over the world to reveal to as many people as possible the secret knowledge of how to do just that. There is nothing more enlivening and rewarding for me than when an entire hall full of people becomes electrified and transported into transcendental bliss by the sweet, nectarean waves of mercy emanating from the Hare Krishna mantra and the liberating philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita. Such a thing happened last Saturday night (17 November 2007) in Timisoara, Romania. As soon as I entered the room I could immediately feel the magic in the air. I knew right away that it was going to be another one of those unforgettable evenings. And sure enough, my premonition proved to be true. The Hare Krishna mantra took on new meaning as I experienced it in ways that I have never experienced it before. And my audience was right there with me diving deeper and deeper into the sweet, nectarean ocean of Lord Sri Krishna's names. The deeper I went, the deeper they went. This is what kirtan is all about. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Ecstatic Kirtan in Timisoara, Romania
Revealing the Supreme Secret -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Sunday 18 November 2007 from ISKCON Center--Timisoara, Romania -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Immortality through Nanobots? Award winning inventor and computer scientist Ray Kurzweil is convinced that modern science will give us immortality within the next 20 years. In his recent book, "Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever" he writes about millions of blood cell-sized robots, which he calls "nanobots," that will keep us forever young by swarming through the body, repairing bones, muscles, arteries and brain cells. He envisions that improvements to our genetic coding will be downloaded via the Internet and that we won't even need a heart. He does not understand the subtle laws of nature that according to our karma we are allotted a specific amount of time in a particular body. Even if we can create such nanobots which swarm through our bodies as Mr. Kurzweil envisions, we cannot extend the lifespan of our material body even one nanosecond beyond its allotted time. Our actual existence is eternal. It does not depend upon nanobots or any other material thing. This body is an illusory conception of the self. It is a mirage-like phenomenon which, although having reality, is not what it appears to be. It is simply a covering of the self, a "costume". It is not the real self. One who transfers his consciousness back to its original pure form, as a spirit-soul eternal servant of Krishna or God, does not have to wait around for the scientists to figure out a way to make him immortal. Why is that? Because he has already achieved it. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Free to Choose Our Relationship with Krishna? Namaste. Is it true that we are completely free to choose what manner of relationship we want to have with Krishna; devotee, friend, parent, etc.? That is my current understanding. If I am wrong, please correct my thinking on this point. Thank you. Love always...Tommi -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Only on the Perfectional Stage When one attains the perfectional stage of pure Krishna bhakti and thus becomes qualified to serve the Lord in one's eternal form, one re-enters the Lord's eternal pastimes in the spiritual world and serves the Lord according to one's natural desire and inclination. However, such a position is only available after one becomes completely perfect, free from all material desires. This perfectional stage cannot be imitated by someone who is still under the influence of material desires. If the neophyte tries to jump artificially to this stage he will be greatly hindered in his spiritual progress. The method for attaining this state of pure desirelessness, in which one has no other desire except for serving the Lord, is to take complete shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and under his guidance strictly follow the rules and regulations of the bhakti yoga system. Then one gradually becomes completely pure and qualified to be fully reinstated into one's original, eternal identity, in which one has full freedom to serve the Lord according to one's natural inclination. Even after attaining this perfectional stage one still remains the humble servant of his spiritual master because the guru/disciple relationship is an eternal relationship. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Saturday 17 November 2007 from ISKCON Center--Timisoara, Romania -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Goat-like Leaders My spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, often quoted the Bengali saying, "pāgale ki nā bole, chāgale ki nā khāya--There is nothing that a goat will not eat, and nothing that a madman will not speak." He used this to point a finger at the modern day thinkers and leaders of the world society who often speak all varieties of nonsensical speculations in defiance of the source of all existence, the Supreme Person. This is our present dilemma on this planet. We are stuck with goat-like leaders who do not understand the relationship between the individual self and the Supreme Self. Because we are currently being led by such non-leaders, the entire planet earth is in an ever increasingly chaotic condition. Therefore there is nothing more urgently required at the present moment than the emergence of enlightened leaders on this planet. This is the only hope for the suffering humanity. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Photos in Transit from Sofia to Timisoara:
Answering Emails in the Milan, Italy Airport
Krishna's Beautiful Creation Seen -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Friday 16 November 2007 from ISKCON Center--Sofia, Bulgaria -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Back to Romania Today After a 16 day sojourn here in Sofia, we head out early this morning to Timisoara, Romania. It is a great adventure, traveling and spreading the ultimate self-realization science all over the world. Wherever we go we are able, by the mercy of our spiritual master, to dovetail the individual consciousness with the Supreme Source of all Consciousness, Lord Sri Krishna. If we travel the world for our enjoyment, eventually such travel become hackneyed and dry because by nature we are not meant to be independent enjoyers. Since the part is always meant to serve the whole, and because we are constitutionally parts of the Complete Whole, we are therefore meant to be servants. But if we travel the world for the topmost service of connecting ourselves and all others with the Supreme through the ultimate self-realization technique known as bhakti or devotion, we are reconnecting with our eternal enlightened natures, and thus we can enjoy unlimited, ever-increasing bliss by such travel. We will never get tired of it. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Modern and Vedic Culture What are the differences and similarities between Vedic culture and contemporary culture? Your eternal servant, Narada Muni Das -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Different Approach to Science The modern day culture and the Vedic culture are similar because both of them are scientifically oriented. Both of these cultures are trying to solve all the problems of life through the advancement of knowledge. The difference is in how each of them goes about trying to realize the knowledge. In Sanskrit language there are described two approaches to knowledge: 1. aroha pantha, the path of ascending knowledge, and 2. avaroha pantha, the path of descending knowledge. The contemporary society is following the way of ascending knowledge, aroha pantha, and the Vedic culture follows the way of descending knowledge, avaroha pantha. So what is the difference between theses two paths? Through aroha pantha we rely exclusively on what we perceive with our senses and the mental speculations based upon such perceptions. The difficulty is that our senses including the mind are imperfect. Even if we extend their reach with microscopes, telescopes, and other such instruments, we are still perceiving through our imperfect senses and we can thus never gain conclusive knowledge. This is why the scientific text books are constantly being updated and why the contemporary society still remains chaotic in spite of so-much so-called scientific advancement. The avaroha pantha is quite different. On this pathway one purifies one consciousness and senses through the yoga system, especially the bhakti yoga system. Since each of us originate from the source of all existence, each one of us has our own innate personal connection with God, the source of all existence. By purifying the senses through the bhakti yoga system, and thus developing pure love for God, one gradually attains direct perception of the source of all existence, the Supreme Person. By thus knowing Him one then gains perfect scientific knowledge of everything. This is confirmed by Lord Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita: jñanena tu tad ajñanam yesam nasitam atmanah tesam aditya-vaj jñanam prakasayati tat param "When, however, one is enlightened with the knowledge by which nescience is destroyed, then his knowledge reveals everything, as the sun lights up everything in the daytime." --Bhagavad-gita 5.16 Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Thursday 15 November 2007 from ISKCON Center--Sofia, Bulgaria -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The Sublime Spiritual Sofia Of course, the mundane Sofia, Bulgaria is anything but sublime. The general population here, as everywhere else in this material world, is deeply engrossed in the material modes of nature. They are not acting in accordance with the higher laws of nature and thus they relegate themselves to a miserable, illusioned, lower state of semi-consciousness. There is however a higher plane of consciousness available to all, if they only knew about it. Hence, my life's mission is to do everything I possibly can to introduce the entire world to the sublime teachings of the Bhagavad-gita. If you feel that you can trust me, kindly study very carefully what I am teaching in the light of thoughtful intelligence. I can assure you that if you do so, you will find it to be strikingly wonderful. Here in Sofia, Bulgaria there is a wonderful community of Hare Krishna people. Ten of them are my initiated disciples. The Bulgarian devotees have so nicely facilitated our visit here with the sweetest hospitality--a comfortable room at the local Hare Krishna ashram replete with a snow-capped mountain view, the most delicious variety of lovingly cooked meals of Krishna prasadam, and a enlivening schedule of lecturing on Krishna bhakti and leading Hare Krishna chanting twice daily. This is the sublime spiritual Sofia that I come back to twice a year as a regular stop on my ongoing world-wide lecture series tours year after year after year. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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Wednesday 14 November 2007
Our Beloved Spiritual Master: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Tuesday 13 November 2007 from ISKCON Center--Sofia, Bulgaria -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Praying the Impossible Prayer Although I am 60 years old, there is an unstoppable spirit within me that I have had ever since I was a youth. Even though it could be said that my mood is completely foolish and utopian, still nevertheless it still remains as an irremovable deeply ingrained part of my psyche. I want to be a part of bringing about a spiritual revolution that will completely save the suffering humanity from its innumerable woes. I want to see that the entire world is transformed into a paradise where everyone lives together in perfect peace and harmony by always keeping God in the center of their consciousness and as the basis of all their relationships. In this mood, my constant prayer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna is that if He so desires He may bless me that I will not die until the entire world become completely transformed by a spiritual renaissance which unites all peoples into one peaceful, loving spiritual family. Whether Krishna answers my impossible prayer or not is up to Him. But my prayer remains constant. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Near Death Experiences Scientists say that near-death experiences are the result of dying brain cells in a body. Christians believe that they are real experiences that occur because the soul leaves the body. What are your thoughts/beliefs on this subject, and does your literature make any mention of this subject? Thank you in advance for your enlightenment, an American -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Because of the Soul's Departure The Vedas give us precise scientific information regarding death and near-death. It is a fact that death and near-death experiences occur because the soul leaves the body. In death, the soul leaves the body for good, never to return. In near-death, the soul leaves temporarily and then returns. Since the soul is the powerhouse which energizes the body, when it leaves the body, the body loses its energy source. This causes the brain cells and the other cells to start dying. So dying brain cells are not the cause of death. They are a symptom of death. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Monday 12 November 2007 from ISKCON Center--Sofia, Bulgaria -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Transcendental Community Building The greatest need in the world right now is transcendental community building. Such community building must start at the individual level with individuals interacting with individuals purely on the basis of pleasing God without any tinge of selfishness or egotism. As long as we act on a self-centered platform we will never be able to build genuine community. It is only when we act on the basis of the God-centered conception that we can begin to build actual community. All we really have to do to save the world is to build individual relationships with each other purely on the basis of pleasing God without any tinge of self-centeredness. If such pure relationships can be established, they will naturally attract more and more individuals. Genuine spiritual community will be established and such a community will expand like wildfire quickly spreading to engulf the entire human society. The key to making this happen is the purity of the individual relationships. If such community can be thus established, a new era of peace and prosperity will quickly engulf the entire globe. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Technical Terms It's wonderful to read your nectar everyday. I have a question regarding the actual meaning behind primary manifestation, secondary manifestation, expansion, incarnation, plenary portion etc. For example in the following sloka or verse: pañca-tattvātmakam krsnam bhakta-rūpa-svarūpakam bhaktāvatāram bhaktākhyam namāmi bhakta-śaktikam "I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Krishna, who is nondifferent from His features as a devotee, devotional incarnation, devotional manifestation, pure devotee and devotional energy." Similarly in many other places I encounter these technical terms but not able to comprehend what are the similarities or differences between them. Kindly please enlighten me in this regards. Hariharan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Features of the Lord The different features of the Lord are as follows: 1. Devotee-- bhakta-rūpa: Krishna Himself in the form of a devotee, i.e. Lord Caitanya, the original Personality of Godhead 2. Devotional incarnation-- svarūpakam: Lord Caitanya's first expansion, Lord Nityananda 3. Devotional manifestation-- bhakta-avatāram: Lord Caitanya's incarnation, Sri Advaita Acarya 4. Pure Devotee-- bhakta-ākhyam: the Lord's pure devotee, Srivasa 5. Devotional Energy-- bhakta-śaktikam: Śrī Gadādhara, who represents the internal energy of the Lord for the advancement of pure devotion. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Sunday 11 November 2007 from ISKCON Center--Sofia, Bulgaria -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Why Read Bhagavad-gita As It Is? There is no book throughout world history like the Bhagavad-gita. The great American transcendentalist philosopher, Henry David Thoreau, had this to say about the Bhagavad-gita: "In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita, in comparison with which our modern world and it's literature seem puny and trivial." Seeing as how there are many hundreds of editions of Bhagavad-gita available, how does one go about choosing which edition to read? One school of thought is to choose the edition which moves our heart the most. But how do we know if our heart is being moved in the right direction? If ones reads Sanskrit, the original language in which the Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Krishna to Arjuna, there is no difficulty in deciding which edition to read, because in Sanskrit there is only one edition. So when it comes to deciding which translation to read, the decision is also very simple. One simply has to find out which edition most accurately translates the Sanskrit into English. Of course if you don't know Sanskrit how can you tell which edition is most accurately translated? Luckily in my case I have studied Sanskrit. I took formal training in Sanskrit from the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. From the standpoint of Sanskrit scholarship, it is very clear that Bhagavad-gita As It Is is the edition to read. I have noted that while in practically every other edition the original meaning has been tampered with, the Bhagavad-gita As It Is comes shining through with the original clear meaning like the sun cutting through the fog. And if you think I am biased, it is not only me. The world's leading Sanskrit authorities all agree that Bhagavad-gita As It Is is the edition which most accurately presents the sublime instructions of Absolute Truth imparted by Lord Krishna to his disciple Arjuna 5,000 years ago on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra. Let all those who want to know what was really spoken in that ultimate psychotherapy session take advantage of Bhagavad-gita As It Is. Not only is this edition of the Gita the most authoritative. It is also the most widely distributed edition. It is currently available in 54 different languages. Check it out! You can get a free download at:
Sankarshan Das Adhikari http://hgssda.krishnahosting.com/Lectures.aspx?country=mexico Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Saturday 10 November 2007
I was astounded to read in the Bhagavad-gita that I could directly offer my vegetarian foods to Krishna and that He would accept them. So when I got home every evening from my job in downtown Denver I would offer my vegetarian food to my beautiful Lord, then sit and meditate on His mystical transcendental form, and chant Hare Krishna. I did not know who that girl was who was with Him. But it was obvious by the sweet love in her eyes that she was totally dedicated to Him. |
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Friday 9 November 2007 from ISKCON Center--Sofia, Bulgaria -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Beyond the Mirage of Material Existence A mirage in the desert gives the appearance of being a body of water. But it contains no water at all. It is simply an image of the sky which is being reflected from the warm air lying over the sand. In a similar way, although this material world appears to be a comfortable, sheltering place, there factually is no shelter for us here. It is simply a reflection within the material energy of the spiritual world, the factual abode of eternity, knowledge, and bliss, which lies far beyond the temporary, illusory, miserable material existence. Just as the desert mirage appears very nice to a thirsty man who is desperately searching for water in the desert, this material existence appears very nice to those persons who are in illusion. But that mirage cannot and will not give that thirsty man the water he needs to survive. It does not contain any water. In the same way this material abode of birth and death can never give real happiness to the living beings who are struggling like anything to find it here. It's time we stop running after the mirage and find out how to go to that place where we can get factual shelter and happiness, the transcendental abode of that Supreme Person from Whom all of existence is emanating, Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Contact your friendly travel agent today. Tickets are on sale right now. The spiritual master is selling us tickets to that amazingly sweet transcendental abode for the mere price of faith. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Mirage in the Desert Vyas Puja Poem My Dear Srila Gurudeva, |
