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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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Thursday 31 January 2008 from Bhaktivedanta Ashram, Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Stay the Course Once you make a commitment to give your life to Krishna you must be completely unwavering in your determination. Don't let anything break your enthusiasm and your momentum. You must stay the course all the way up until the last moment at the time of death. Then you will be rewarded with entrance into the eternal kingdom of the Lord as a participant in His divine pastimes. There will be so many attempts coming through the agency of the material energy to divert you from the path. You must fight off all of them with great determination. In this way, if you always remain focused, your complete, total victory over the material energy will be assured. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Question: Doing Something Wrong and the Six Opulences I hope all is well with you and that God is lifting you above any troubles that you maybe encountering in your tremendous preaching work. If you could take a moment to help me understand a couple of points... On the 26/01/08 in the Question and Answer section of your "Thought for the Day" you wrote the following... "Another point is that if someone is not tasting the bliss of Krishna consciousness, they are doing something wrong." This seems to my understanding to 'apparently' contradict what Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita. Krishna says many times (2.14, 14.23, 6.7, 15.5, 12.13, 12.15, 12.18 etc.) that happiness and distress are dualities that should be tolerated. As far as I know, Krishna did not say "My dear Arjuna, if you are distressed you are doing something wrong". Please can you explain my error. On 28/01/08 in your "Thought for the Day" you said that we can understand Krishna as the Supreme by seeing that he posses the following opulences in full: 1. Power 2. Beauty 3. Renunciation 4. Knowledge 5. Wealth 6. Fame Well, going by this I'd say that Krishna is not the supreme because... Fame: Not many people know about Krishna, in fact more people know about Jesus than Krishna. Wealth: Krishna was a poor cowherd boy. Knowledge: How can I determine Krishna's knowledge? Renunciation: Krishna was not a renunciate he was a Ksatriya, Raghunath das Goswami was a lot more renounced than Krishna. Beauty: How can I determine Krishna's beauty? Power: How can I determine Krishna's power? So how is it possible for me to conclude that Krishna is the most full of these opulences? You said "If we study all the great personalities throughout all of existence we will see.." - but very quickly I find people that are more famous and more renounced. Thank you very much for your time, Alex -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Do It Correctly and Realize Krishna Thank you very much for your appreciation of my humble attempt to serve my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The distress that Krishna says we have to tolerate is what happens on the external plane. One who has fully absorbed himself on the internal, spiritual plane experiences unlimited happiness even while simultaneously tolerating the misery which is always happening out there in the external energy. In regards to the six qualities we have to consider from the perspective of the entire history of this universe. Krishna has been famous since the beginning of the universe 155 trillion years ago when the creator of the universe Lord Brahma glorified Him like anything in the Govinda prayers. In fact He is so famous that greatly famous persons such as Lord Jesus pray to Him as the Supreme Father. Krishna is certainly a cowherd boy, but He is also fabulously rich. He owns everything because everything that exists is an emanation from His transcendental body. Regarding knowledge, Krishna confirms in the Bhagavad-gita that He knows everything: vedaham samatitani vartamanani carjuna bhavisyani ca bhutani mam tu veda na kascana "O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows."--Bhagavad-gita 7.26 Regarding beauty, there is no one more attractive than Krishna. Who else in the history of the world has married 16,108 women? Has anyone else even come close to being that attractive? Regarding strength, not even a blade of grass can move without His sanction. There is nobody else with that much power. Regarding renunciation, that great personality Bhismadeva, who is widely celebrated for his renunciation, certified in the rajasuya sacrifice that Krishna is the greatest of all brahmacaris because even though he was a young boy with so many young girlfriends, He was never sexually agitated. If you want to understand these wonderful qualities of the Lord first hand, you must qualify yourself to meet him face to face through the wonderful process of devotional service. In this connection Srila Rupa Goswami has stated in the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu as follows: atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah "No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality and pastimes of Sri Krishna through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him." (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.234) Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Wednesday 30 January 2008 from Bhaktivedanta Ashram, Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: You've Discovered the Absolute Truth The key to happiness is to seriously adopt the path of Krishna bhakti without allowing yourself to waver under any circumstances. There are many tests for one who is seriously trying to escape the cycle of birth and death. One must patiently and conscientiously face them in a mood of complete dependency upon the Supreme Lord Krishna. The more we feel ourselves helpless and dependent upon that unlimitedly sweet all-attractive person, the more we become strong. Be enthusiastic. You've got every reason to be. You've discovered the Absolute Truth. Now you just have to fully realize it. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Karma and Destiny What is the difference between destiny and karma? Can Lord Krishna change the destiny of human beings? Humans can change their karma, but what about destiny? Your humble servant in the service of Lord Krishna. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Surrender to Krishna Our destiny is determined by our karma. But we can alter our destiny by surrendering unto Lord Krishna. How is this so? He says in the Bhagavad-gita that if we surrender to Him that He will free us from our karma. This means that as soon as we surrender to Krishna, immediately our destiny is changed. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Tuesday 29 January 2008 from Bhaktivedanta Ashram, Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Feed the Cars--Starve the People Facing an impending energy crisis because of a diminishing world supply of fossil fuel and an increasing dependence on foreign oil supplies, biofuels produced from crops such as corn and sugar cane have been touted by many as the solution. But as the conversion to biofuels is gradually being implemented a serious problem is manifesting. We are using more and more of our agricultural resources to feed cars and less to feed people. Regan Suzuki of the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that the production of biofuels could lead to food shortages in developing countries. She also has warned that China and India could face worsening water shortages because biofuels require large amounts of water. The point is that as long as we try to solve the world's problems with material solutions we will continue to create more and more problems. It is something like a bubble in a carpet. If you push it down in one place, it comes up again somewhere else. The leaders have failed to understand that the basic problem on this planet is a lack of Krishna consciousness, not a shortage of material resources such as oil. If the human society becomes Krishna conscious, the earth can supply unlimited facilities to take care of all our needs very nicely. It is because we are lacking in Krishna consciousness that the earth is presently withholding her supplies. So let there now be a global Krishna consciousness awakening. This will take care of everything. There will be a more than ample supply of energy and food and everyone will become peaceful and happy. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Christian Pastor/Vaishnava Guru Is a Christian spiritual director/advisor/teacher/pastor/priest the same as a Vaishnava guru in effect? If not, what is the difference? Thank you. Love always... Tommi -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Designations Don't Count/ Realizations Do Spiritual potency has nothing to do with someone's external designation as a Christian pastor or as a Vaishnava guru. His spiritual effectiveness depends 100% on his level of spiritual realization and purity. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Monday 28 January 2008 from Bhaktivedanta Ashram, Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Nothing So Sublime In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Sri Krishna declares that there is nothing so sublime and pure as transcendental knowledge, the mature fruit of all mysticism. He states that one who is accomplished in the practice of Krishna consciousness will enjoy this knowledge within himself in due course of time. What a wonderful thing is this! By advancing in Krishna consciousness one can be happy anywhere anytime without depending at all on the external circumstances. One who is highly advanced on this pathway of Krishna bhakti can be in a beautiful serene springtime forest or he can be in a nightmarish situation like Arjuna on a battlefield and be equally blissful in both circumstances. How is this possible? The advanced transcendentalist derives his happiness from within by seeing everything in relationship with Krishna no matter what the circumstance may be. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why is Krishna the Supreme? Why is Krishna out of all of the gods accepted to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead? This is not my question. Somebody was asking me, but I was unable to answer him. So what should be the answer to this question? Hare Krishna, Your most fallen student, Amit -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Because He Passes the Test Just like there can only be one supreme court, there can only be one supreme God. If all the gods are supreme, there is no supreme God. How do we understand that Krishna is the supreme? The test for deciding who is the supreme has been given by a great Vedic authority named Parasara Muni. His test was to find that person who is unequalled and unexcelled in the possession of these six opulences: 1. Power 2. Beauty 3. Renunciation 4. Knowledge 5. Wealth 6. Fame If we study all the great personalities throughout all of existence we will see that no one possesses power, beauty, renunciation, knowledge, wealth, and fame equal to or greater than Lord Sri Krishna. Therefore we understand that He is indeed the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Sunday 27 January 2008 from Bhaktivedanta Ashram, Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Prepare for Death/Eternal Life Even though our everyday activities of bodily maintenance are certainly important, they pale into insignificance when compared to the needs of our eternal soul. As long as we have this body we engage in so many activities for the purpose of keeping body and soul together. But eventually no matter we do, the soul and the body will go their separate ways. The body will vanish into oblivion and the soul will take another body in the cycle of birth and death. Or if we engage ourselves properly on the progressive path of spiritual enlightenment, this will be our last birth in this material world. We will go back to home, back to Godhead. The choice is yours. You can prepare yourself for the time of death by qualifying yourself for an eternal life full of knowledge and full of bliss. Or you can neglect to prepare for death and continue suffering term after term of imprisonment within the penitentiary of this material world, lifetime after lifetime. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: On Dying Why are we attached to people? The worst thing that can happen is when a relative is sick and dying from cancer. What can we do so that this person can enjoy the last days of life? Adrian Valdes B. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Conquer Death Attachment is natural because we all have a tendency to be attached to Krishna. This is our original nature. There is no question of enjoyment for someone who is dying of cancer. Simply teach them how to be Krishna conscious so they will conquer over death and not have to take another material body after their present body is finished. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Saturday 26 January 2008 from Bhaktivedanta Ashram, Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: A Life of Dedication Everybody is dedicated to something. What are you dedicated to? In this human form of life choosing the right object of dedication will either make you or break you. Those who are fortunate choose the Supreme Person as their object of dedication. Just as by watering the root of a tree all the leaves and branches are nourished, by dedicating ourselves to Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we are able to offer the best loving service to everything and everyone throughout all of existence. In this way we do the highest good to everyone, including ourselves. If, however, we choose other objects of dedication we will always feel unfulfilled, imperfect, and dissatisfied. Sankarshan Das Adhikari URGENT! Help Our World Wide Mission The entire world civilization is disintegrating due to material consciousness. We have the message that can lead the world out of chaos and usher in a golden age of peace and happiness for everyone, if only it can be widely spread. Please help us spread it by contributing towards Sankarshan Das Adhikari's travel expenses today!
Answers According to the Vedic Version: |
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Friday 25 January 2008 from Bhaktivedanta Ashram, Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: A Disciple's Prayer My disciple, Bhavani devi dasi, from Vancouver, Canada has written a very wonderful prayer that captures the essence of Krishna bhakti. It is the mood of complete absorption in serving and pleasing Sri Guru and Sri Krishna which fixes one solidly and completely in ecstatic Krishna bhakti twenty-four hours a day. Here is her prayer: A Disciple's Prayer "Lord Krishna, I surrender my self completely at your lotus feet, begging that by Your mercy I may be able to do everything in such a way that You are unlimitedly pleased with me and that, as far as it is possible, I can assist my beloved spiritual master in spreading Krishna consciousness all over the world." If we can adopt this mood very seriously within our hearts the illusory, miserable material nature will never be able to penetrate our hearts. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Dimensions and Time Travel I was wondering if you could answer this question for me: How many dimensions are there in the universe and is time travel possible? Thank you. Hare Krishna Your student, Annjelyn -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Beyond Time and Space This universe is three dimensional for those who are in material consciousness. But those who are liberated are not bound by the laws of time and space. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Thursday 24 January 2008 from Bhaktivedanta Ashram, Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Thinking Outside of the Box We are currently caught up in a suffering situation in the cycle of birth and death because we have been conditioned to always analyze things in a very rigid set pattern which is based on the false understanding of considering the body to be the self. If we want actual relief from our suffering condition, we must learn how to think outside of the box, i.e. to think outside our normal patterns of thought. We have to see everything as the property of Krishna and always try to utilize everything in a way that is most pleasing to Him. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Has Kalki Avatar Already Come? The Vedas describe that the 10th Avatar of the Supreme Lord will be in the Kali-yuga and will be known as Kalki Avatar. Some people say that Tirupati Balaji is the Kalki Avatar and some people say that the Kalki Avatar has yet to come. So my question is: Has the Kalki Avatar already come in the form of Tirupati Balaji or is He yet to appear? Amit -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: He's Not Coming For Another 427,000 Years According to the authoritative Vedic literatures Kalki Avatar will not come until the end of the Kali Yuga, which is 427,000 years from now. When He comes He will annihilate all the demons and thus usher in an age in which everyone is saintly. If Kalki had already appeared, we would not see around us a chaotic world so full of sinfulness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Wednesday 23 January 2008 from Bhaktivedanta Ashram, Austin, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Global Awakening The whole world is waiting for spiritually realized leadership to emerge on this planet for bringing about the desperately needed global awakening of enlightened consciousness. Since the underlying problem of the entire planet is ignorance of the self, wide scale dissemination of the science of self realization will bring about the most amazing paradigm shift ever seen in world history. Everyone must be enlightened with the knowledge of who they are. The material formulas proposed by the politicians, economists, sociologists, environmentalists, etc. can do nothing more than give us a false sense of hope for solving the myriad of dilemmas we are currently facing. Therefore we should seek the guidance of those who are factually enlightened with transcendental knowledge, because it is only such enlightened beings who can lead us out of the present ever-increasingly chaotic quagmire. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Connected Without Initiation? Initiation is required for those who want to advance in Krishna consciousness because without initiation one is not connected with Krishna. So my question is: As I am only chanting 8 rounds instead of the 16 rounds minimum required for initiation, am I not connected to Krishna? Please clear my confusion. Your student -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Partial Connection There is no doubt that you are connected with Krishna by chanting 8 rounds of the Hare Krishna mahamantra every day on japa beads. I am very happy to hear that you are doing this. You are to be greatly congratulated for your sincere efforts on the path of bhakti. If you continue in this way, naturally because of the wonderful all-attractive nature of Krishna's holy names your chanting will increase to at least 16 rounds daily and you will become qualified for initiation. Because Srila Prabhupada has stipulated we must chant at least 16 rounds daily for initiation and because Srila Rupa Goswami has stipulated we must initiated in order to achieve the perfectional stage of 100% connection with the Lord, as long as we are chanting less than 16 rounds daily we should understand that our connection will remain only a partial connection. But this should not a discouragement. This should give us the impetus to increase the chanting to at least 16 rounds daily so we progress through the higher levels and become 100% connected. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Tuesday 22 January 2008 from Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: How to Attain Deathlessness Scientists are hard at work trying to figure out how to make us deathless, but they will never be successful because birth, death, old age, and disease are built-in non-optional features of this material existence. However, in spite of deathlessness being completely beyond the reach of their empirical experiment and research, it is completely within the grip of those who fully surrender themselves unto Lord Sri Krishna. For those who seriously commit themselves to an eternal life of service to Krishna, the initiation ceremony marks the beginning of their deathlessness, their immortality. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Initiation Ceremony --20 January 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Monday 21 January 2008 hare krishna hare krishna "The sixteen words composed of thirty-two syllables-- Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare -- are the only means of counteracting the evil effects of the Kali-yuga. After searching through all the Vedic literature, one cannot find a method of religion for this age so sublime as the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra."
Attack on World Trade Center -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Sunday 20 January 2008 from the ISKCON Temple Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Tasting the Beauty of Krishna Even the most tantalizing, attractive tastes of this world pale into insignificance when they are compared to to flavor of Krishna consciousness. Even though Krishna consciousness is so scrumptiously sweet, the neophyte struggles to always keep his enthusiasm and determination strong because he is not fully tasting it sweetness. So how does one transition from being a struggling neophyte to being a fixed-up advanced devotee who can taste the beauty of Krishna at every second? The key is to be very surrendered to follow the instructions of the Lord. Taste or no taste, we must be very, very surrendered to doing whatever Krishna wants us to do. If we take this humble position of always serving Krishna in all conditions of happiness and distress, we will gradually become solidly situated on the transcendental platform beyond all the disturbances of this material existence tasting the beauty of Krishna at every minute with all of our senses. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: In Great Need of Your Guidance Please tell me, what is the best way to develop a strong sense of patience and tolerance in difficult times? How can I truly understand that Krishna is the controller and not I? How can I keep my recent loss of enthusiasm for Krishna Consciousness from making me fall down? Your servant in great need of your guidance. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Always Act for the Lord's Pleasure I am very sorry to hear that you are feeling a lack of enthusiasm for Krishna consciousness. Simply you should pick yourself up again from wherever you left off. The enthusiasm for Krishna consciousness is always existing within your heart. You simply must tap into it again by resuming the activities of Krishna consciousness. If you do so, your old enthusiasm will return in an even more powerful way than it was before. Regarding understanding that Krishna is the controller and not you, the first thing is that you should try to understand how it is that you are not the controller. Do you want to get sick, get old, and die? No. You do not. But yet by the laws of nature you are forced to get sick, get old, and die. Krishna, on the other hand, is never subjected to sickness, old age, and death because He is the supreme controller. Everything is acting under His direction. Regarding patience and tolerance, you must have firm faith that whatever situation you are in has been arranged under the direction of the Lord for your purification and upliftment. Not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Supreme Lord. So try to see everything in this light that everything has a purpose. Simply always try to think, speak, and act for the pleasure of the Lord in all times, places, and circumstances. You will be amazed how you will begin to see more and more the merciful hand of the Lord acting in all circumstances. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Saturday 19 January 2008 from the ISKCON Temple in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Higher Education at Simon Fraser University On Friday 18 January 2008 we brought factual higher education to Vancouver's Simon Fraser University. I began my presentation to the university students by recalling how in my college days I was asked to choose a major but was not told who I was. Even after two years of studying the greatest thinkers of the western society, I still did not have a clue as to what was my actual identity. This is the defect of the modern day educational system. There are so many departments of knowledge, this ology and that ology. But there is no department of knowledge to give factual knowledge of what is the self and its relationship with the supreme self. To give knowledge of the self is the real meaning of higher education. Without giving this the modern day educational system will always remain imperfect and incomplete. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
ISKCON Temple in Vancouver
Simon Fraser University
Poster Advertising the Lecture -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Friday 18 January 2008 from the ISKCON Temple in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Dive Deeply Daily After five months on the road, we are now en route to Vancouver for the last leg of our 2007-2008 around-the-world preaching tour. As our past tours, it has been absolutely ecstatic. Each tour seems to be more ecstatic than the previous ones. And as usual even before we finish this one we are already planning more. Three are in the works for 2008. We must do everything possible to encourage people all over the world to take up Krishna consciousness seriously as the prime duty of their existence. There is no greater priority because this Krishna consciousness can solve all the problems of the world. The more the Krishna consciousness movement spreads, the more the world will become peaceful and happy. So wherever you are in the world, dive deeply daily into the sublime ocean of Krishna consciousness and share this ultimate nectar with friends, strangers, relatives, and neighbors. And don't forget your prime minister or president. He or she needs it too. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Answering Emails at Los Angeles International Airport -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Thursday 17 January 2008 from Los Angeles, California, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Why Watch Cinemas? As I am staying today at ISKCON's center in Culver City, Los Angeles, California, the home of some of the world's leading movie studios, and as a movie actor (one of my e-students) is coming to meet me this afternoon, I am reminded of the great attraction that cinema has for millions and millions of people all over the world. In spite of their great popularity cinemas hold little interest for those who are Krishna conscious. Why is it that cinema does not appeal to those who are Krishna conscious? Krishna conscious persons are most enlivened and inspired to experience Krishna within everything and everything within Krishna. So if cinema can be utilized to increase one's Krishna consciousness, it is welcome. Therefore the Krishna consciousness movement has a branch called ISKCON Cinema, which is simply for the purpose of utilizing cinema for the purpose of elevating the consciousness. But why is it that those who are fixed in Krishna consciousness do not attend the popular cinemas shown in cinema houses and available on DVD's? If a devotee finds that by watching a cinema his mind is diverted from Krishna, he naturally loses all interest in that cinema. He does not need to experience the feeling of excitement and adventure that is available through watching a movie because he is experiencing a life which is more exciting and adventurous than anything being conjured up by the movie producers. Why absorb your consciousness in an imaginary hero when you can personally become a great hero in the greatest movie that has ever played in the universe--the inundation of the entire cosmos in a tidal wave of Krishna bhakti? Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Sony Pictures Studios Near ISKCON Temple -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Wednesday 16 January 2008 from Los Angeles, California, USA -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Heaven and Hell Krishna consciousness is so wonderful that no matter whether one is in an heavenly place like Fiji or in a hellish place like Los Angeles one derives unlimited pleasure by tasting the happiness within. One who is fixed in Krishna consciousness is neither attached to heavenly places nor averse to hellish places. He simply wants to go wherever he can be most effective for awakening the sleeping souls to their eternal blissful natures as devotees of Lord Sri Krishna. Because of his fixity in this mission he is always living in the spiritual world with Lord Sri Krishna at every minute, and he experiences the heavens and hells of this world as just so many passing images on the movie screen of the material energy. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Heavenly Fiji
Hellish Los Angeles -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Tuesday 15 January 2008 from Suva, Fiji -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Crossing the Date Line Tonight we are departing from Fiji on a non-stop flight that will take us to Los Angeles. One amazing thing about this flight is that departs Fiji at 10:50PM and arrives in Los Angeles on the same day at 1:05PM which is 9 hours and 45 minute BEFORE it leaves from Fiji. If I were noting down my activities in a diary, I would be describing what I was doing at 2:00PM on Tuesday January 15th having lunch at the home of a devotee named Vrajanath Das in Tavua, Fiji, and I would also be describing meeting Balarama Das 5,500 miles away in the Los Angeles airport at exactly the same time! If we consider that in this material world such inconceivable things can be true, then the inconceivable aspects of the spiritual world become more readily acceptable. For example, time as we know it does not exist in the spiritual world. This means that if someone falls from the spiritual world, there is no time when he did so. And when he returns to the spiritual world there will be no time when he re-entered. In other words, he will have never left. What this means is that at the present moment we are only imagining ourselves to be in this material world. Our present position of identifying ourselves with these material bodies subject to birth, death, old age, and disease caught up in the dimension of time and space is a dream state only. The actual reality is that we are eternal spirit-souls, servants of Krishna, full of bliss and full of knowledge. Now we simply have to wake up from this dream and engage once again in our normal activities in the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Where Do We Come From? As spirit souls, where do we come from? The insignificant Cit Ananda das Mexico -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: From Krishna According to Krishna's statement in the Bhagavad-gita and Lord Brahma's statement in the Brahma-samhita, and according to other authoritative scriptural references, we are all emanating from the transcendental body of Lord Sri Krishna. Just as the sun is emanating sunshine all over the universe, in a similar way, Krishna is emanating from his transcendental form innumerable living beings throughout the totality of existence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Monday 14 January 2008 from Suva, Fiji -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Everybody Loves God Just as everyone has a natural affection for their homeland, the place of their birth, everyone has a natural affection for God. This is so because He is our origin. Indeed it is from Him that we derive our very existence. Our identity depends on Him because we emanate from Him. It is only due to the deluding influence of maya or illusion that our affection is directed towards His inferior material nature. Of course, this is still Him. The Lord and His energy are non-different. So we are still loving Him. But it is just that we are going about loving Him in the wrong way, in the indirect way, and thus deriving unsatisfying results. If we can simply rechannel our love through His spiritual energy by adopting the process of devotional service, we will regain our original natural position of pure direct love of God and thus experience an eternal life, full of bliss, and full of knowledge. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
ISKCON Temple--Suva, Fiji -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Sunday 13 January 2008 from Suva, Fiji -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Going Through Hell for Krishna There is no doubt that the life of devotion to Krishna is a never ending exciting adventure. But that does not mean that it does not come without its challenges, just like, for example, my situation. Forty-four years ago when I was a young 16-year-old my ears were badly damaged by repeated exposure to the sound of loud rifle fire from a military training program offered by my high school. Ever since that time I have suffered greatly with constant ringing in both of my ears along with ear aches and deafness whenever I am exposed to loud noise. What makes the situation even more difficult is that now with a 60 year old body I am also suffering from a drastic hearing loss. When I give lectures it is very difficult for me to hear the questions that are being asked of me. The condition of my ears is such than even hearing aids do not bring proper relief. I understand from the Vedic teachings that I am simply burning off the reactions to bad sinful activities and that if I strictly avoid sinful activities and devote myself fully to Lord Krishna that I will achieve an eternal body, full of knowledge and bliss with perfect ears and perfect everything. But as a traveling preacher I am constantly being exposed to loud noises which threaten to take away even more of my hearing. I could just stop my lecture tours and take care of my health. But there is nothing that gives me greater happiness than traveling all over the world to share this incredible bhakti science with as many people as possible. So I push on with my preaching tours even at the risk of my health, begging Lord Krishna for His mercy that I can do everything in such a way that He is unlimitedly pleased with me and that as far as possible I can spread Krishna consciousness all over the world. From the standpoint of my health, these preaching tours are often a hell for me, but for the sake of inspiring others to surrender to Krishna I willingly accept this hell. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Multiplication of Souls? I first read very carefully your e-mails before starting my other official mails to get my day going better. I really enjoy reading your prompt and thought provoking answers to the questions based on Vedic scriptures mostly the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. May I have your answer for my doubt? In China, India and some countries we say that population is increasing and various population control methods are implemented by governments. Population increasing means number of souls are also increasing. My question is: Why are new souls created and how are the souls multiplied? Definitely there are so many good souls which remain with kingdom of God enjoying unlimited happiness without having any re-birth. My doubt is that population should come down and not to increase. With warm regards, T.V. Subbaraman -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Krishna Consciousness Instead of Baby Slaughter Population increase does not mean that more souls are being created. It means that more souls are coming up from the lower species being blessed with the opportunity of human birth, which if properly utilized gives them the opportunity to escape the cycle of birth and death. The only reason we are feeling burdened by population increase is that 99.99% of the world population is supporting grossly sinful activities such as cow slaughter and baby slaughter. If the entire human population were to become Krishna conscious, the earth planet could easily maintain ten times the present world population with all material comforts and peaceful, happy living. It is only because of sinfulness that the entire world has been plunged into a hellish condition. The foolish government leaders think that by killing unborn children they can solve the world's problems. They do not realize that by doing so, the karma thus generated is currently plunging the earth planet into a more and more precarious situation. Therefore to solve the problems of the world the government leaders should be promoting Krishna consciousness instead of baby slaughter. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Saturday 12 January 2008 from Taveuni, a remote Fijian Island -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Wake Up from Your Dream (Nightmare) Our material existence is actually a nightmare of birth, death, old age, and disease but because we have been dreaming it for so long and because our awakened state is unlimitedly blissful, we are now imagining this nightmare to be a something wonderful. If we want real happiness, all we have to do is wake up. The waking up process is known as the science of self-realization. And the topmost level of being awakened is known as Krishna consciousness Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Krishna Consciousness and Other Faiths My Dear Guruji, many thanks for your inspiration, I am returning to Krishna Consciousness after many years of being in the wilderness; indeed, I was one of only fourteen devotees at Bhaktivedanta Manor (UK) in the early seventies and later entered a Benedictine monastery. My question is: how can one be a follower of another religious faith ie. Judaism, Christianity or Islam when these faiths clearly advocate the eating of meat in the form of ritual slaughter and the drinking of wine and still be Krishna Conscious. Without wanting to get into a protracted theological debate the followers of these various faiths will not be able to offer food to Krishna as they clearly contain prohibited ingredients in the form of eggs, garlic etc. As I understand it Krishna Consciousness is an inclusive religion but adherents of various religious faiths have to adhere by certain basic principles and it seems that many other forms of religious expression are diametrically opposed to the regulative principles of the Bhagavad-gita. Hoping to find you in an ecstatic mood, your humble servant, Andrew Tullett-Court -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Taste for the Kingdom of God Even in the Vedas there are directions given for those who are very low class how they can sacrifice a goat to Goddess Kali. These sort of scriptural injunctions are given for those who are very low class and sinful to put some restriction on their sinful activities so that eventually they can give up their sinfulness and come to the transcendental platform. At the same time, for those who are serious about becoming spiritually perfect and attaining the kingdom of God, there are higher level instructions such as the Biblical commandment: Thou shalt not kill. The bottom line is that anyone who has a taste for eating meat will not be happy in the 100% vegetarian kingdom of God. Just imagine for an example if a meat eater was allowed entrance into God's kingdom. After settling into his new home he would ask God where is the nearest McDonalds's restaurant. When he discovers that his beloved McDonald's does not have any branches in God's kingdom, he will want to come back to the earth planet for his double cheese burger. In other words, because the meat eaters do not have a taste for the activities of the spiritual world, they will not be allowed to enter there. They will remain in the cycle of birth and death and will have to take an animal birth for each time they enjoyed eating the flesh of one of their four-legged brothers and sisters. If one wants to go back to home, back to Godhead he should adopt the mood and style of life as it goes on in the spiritual world even while he lives here within his earthly form. This sort of practice and cultivation will enable him to enter the kingdom of God at the time of death and happily remain there for all of eternity. In other words he should fully absorb himself in always remembering, glorifying, and serving that Supreme All-Attractive Personality of Godhead. To develop genuine loving sentiments for the Lord is his ticket to enter God's kingdom. Anyone who genuinely loves God will also naturally feel compassion upon God's creatures and will not want to unnecessarily cause them harm. A meat-eating diet is unnecessary, expensive, and unhealthy. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Friday 11 January 2008 from Taveuni, a remote Fijian Island New Video Release: Enlightenment by the Sea Today's Thought: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Chanting is best done in the early morning hours before sunrise when the external atmosphere is the most calm and peaceful. But it can be done at any time. Those who are initiated by the bona fide spiritual master have accepted the vow to chant at least 16 times around the 108 beads every day. This comes to a total of 1,728 utterances of the Hare Krishna mantra every day. By chanting every day and following basic moral principles, one makes rapid steady advancement along the pathway to spiritual perfection.
Tasting the Bliss of Hare Krishna Japa Chanting -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Thursday 10 January 2008 from Taveuni, a remote Fijian Island -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Transforming the World Enough is enough. Things have gotten way too far out of hand. It is time now to focus all of our energies for bringing about as soon as possible the complete, total re-spiritualization of the entire human society. Even though God has given us a paradise in which to happily live eternally, we have turned our existence into a hell by desiring to eat the forbidden apple of trying to be God. Instead of trying to God, we should try to serve God. This and only this will bring about the peace and happiness, which is so much desired by the modern day human society. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Srimad Bhagavatam Class in Taveuni -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Wednesday 9 January 2008 from Taveuni, a remote Fijian Island -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: The Online-Offline Duality If you are reading this on 9 January 2008, it is by Krishna's mercy. I am on a remote island where even through the telephone I am not able to get a dial-up connection to the internet. The only alternative we could find is a resort that has a satellite connection for which they charge $30 an hour. But even that is not very reliable. If there are heavy rain-filled clouds in the sky the satellite transmission is cut off. And it rains here a lot. So today I am writing "Thought for the Day" without knowing whether or not I will be able to send it to you. This situation immediately reminds me of Krishna's words in the Bhagavad-gita: matra-sparsas tu kaunteya sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah agamapayino 'nityas tams titiksasva bharata "O son of Kunti, 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 While traveling preachers certainly face the above dualities as they move across the face of the earth spreading the glories of Krishna, they also face the online-offline duality of sometimes being able to access the internet and sometimes not being able to. Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. The resort failed. We drove another hour past the resort on a bumpy dirt road to a town where we finally got an internet connection at no charge from one of our subscriber's, Mr. Mukesh Chottu.
Arriving at Taveuni's Organically-Air-Conditioned-by- South-Pacific-Breezes Open Air Airport
Our Remote Farmhouse Taveuni Residence
Sharing the Nectar of Krishna Bhakti in Tavenui -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Tuesday 8 January 2008 from the Fiji Islands -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: We Bring Our Own Even though we spend so much time flying all over the world, and even though the airlines offer us vegetarian meals, still we do not take their food. We bring our own food, Krishna prasadam, vegetarian eatables that have been prepared and cooked with love by Krishna's devotees and then first offered to the Lord before being eaten. Such sanctified foodstuffs are called prasadam, the mercy of the Lord. They are delicious, nutritious, and above all they free us from the reactions to our past sinful activities. By eating such sanctified foodstuffs one awakens the pure love of Godhead that is currently lying dormant within the heart. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Detachment from People Dear Gurudeva, I hope this email meets you well! I am very new to Krishna Consciousness. I stumbled upon Krishna Consciousness only a mere few months ago in June when a very dear friend of mine introduced me to it. I have been fortunate enough to stumble upon your website a few days ago and am very touched by your lectures and seminars to the point of tears. What you say really inspires me and makes me enthusiastic about Krishna and serving Him and His devotees. I would like to thank you very much for helping myself and others through your websites; it has already begun to help me with my many questions and concerns. I sincerely hope that in some way, no matter how small, I can be of service to you though I am a very lost soul, and have much difficulty in my life and in my heart. I have a couple of questions. [Only if it is not too much trouble...] 1. Many devotees that I have spoken with have talked about detachment from Maya. I think I understand how when you are attached to Krishna you become more and more detached from Maya but does that mean also detachment from people? I understand detachment as "indifference" so how would do that and still love their friends or family or spouse? 2. I go to a Catholic High school [I am only 16]. I wish to speak about Krishna and such related things with the people there that I have considered friends. Though, every time I try to speak to some of these people, they do not wish to hear or they find ways of putting me down and instead would rather speak of mundane things. Should I keep trying to talk to them about Krishna or not say anything more? It would be very hard for me to separate myself from these people and I know they would find it rather rude of me to do so, I wish not to disrespect them. Thank you again for your time and devoted service to the Lord. Your Humble Servant, -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Intense Compassion for People I will happily accept your service and provide you with guidance for attaining the supreme perfection. Regarding your questions: a devotee is not detached from people. The more he advances in Krishna consciousness, the more he feels compassion for the lost souls who are suffering in illusion. He fully dedicates his life for rendering the topmost welfare activity of delivering the poor lost souls from the cycle of repeated birth and death. If by your preaching attempts your friends become offensive, it is better not to talk them about Krishna. Better to bake some cookies and offer them to Krishna and then distribute to your friends without letting them know it is Krishna prasadam. In this way they will unknowingly make spiritual advancement and eventually be eager to hear from you about Krishna. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Monday 7 January 2008 from the Sydney, Australia Airport -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Another Adventurous Day We are living in a world of dualities. Therefore we face cold and heat, happiness and distress, honor and dishonor, etc. This morning when we checked in at Canberra for our flight to Sydney connecting with a flight a Suva, Fiji we got a stark reminder of the dualities. We were informed that that the flight from Sydney to Suva was cancelled. As I write this we are flying from Canberra to Sydney not knowing what will happen when we get to Sydney. Will we be able to get another flight to Fiji? Or will we be stuck in Sydney? When the situation was explained to us at the Canberra airport I knew that today was going to be another one of those adventurous days when you don't know what is going to unfold and you just have to completely depend on Krishna to take care of you. Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. Krishna covered for us. We got on another flight to Fiji. Krishna blessed with us with another opportunity to take shelter of Him.
Composing Thought for the Day -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Sunday 6 January 2008 from the Hare Krishna Ashram, Canberra, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Up Over in Down Under It has a been almost a month since we arrived here "down under." These weeks in Australia and New Zealand have been most spiritually uplifting because we have been in the constant association of so many sincere souls who are eager to do whatever it takes to make spiritual advancement. Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-gita how the devotees become enlivened and enlightened by gathering together to hear and discuss His transcendental name, fame, form, entourage, qualities, paraphernalia, and pastimes. From my personal experience I can certify that it is most certainly a fact. I have been every day engaged in transcendental enlivenment and enlightenment with the wonderful devotees here. And the more I do it, the more the transcendental ocean of knowledge and bliss expands and expands. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Qualities of a Real Disciple? Every day I read your messages. With your blessings I am learning how to advance my devotional life. You are giving a lot of mercy for all living souls. Thank you for your daily devotional messages. I have a question. What are the qualities of a real disciple? Your servant, R.A. Ramprakash -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Submissive Inquiries and Service The real disciple inquires submissively from the spiritual master and renders service unto him. He accepts the instructions he receives from his spiritual master as his very life and soul and always tries his level best to successfully carry them out. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Saturday 5 January 2008 from the Hare Krishna Ashram, Canberra, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Out to Save the World--Mission Impossible? My spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta, has bestowed upon his followers the most awesome and inconceivable mission. He has ordered us to lead the entire world out of chaos by inundating it in a tidal wave of love of Godhead. It seems like such an impossible task in this totally materialistic age. But yet within the order of the spiritual master is contained the potency to successfully carry out that order. So all the disciple has to do is always meditate upon and worship the orders he has received from his spiritual master and try his level best to execute them. If he does so, he will experience astounding results. And even if he is not fully successful in executing the spiritual master's orders, if he tries his level best, his spiritual perfection is guaranteed and anyone who follows him will also achieve spiritual perfection. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Hare Krishna Ashram, Canberra, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Friday 4 January 2008 from the Prabhupada House, Melbourne, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Fully Sheltered I rose this morning at 3:00 am, took my morning shower, and then entered into the most sacred precincts of Srila Prabhupada's personal quarters to chant the Hare Krishna mantra on my japa beads in his divine presence. (Even though my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, departed this mortal plane in 1977, he is still fully available to those who take complete shelter of him. And he is especially accessible in those places where he personally resided such as his quarters in the Prabhupada House in Melbourne.) I also took the opportunity to fully reveal my heart to him in prayer to beg his blessings that I can be fully absorbed in pure devotional service and that through my preaching I can have a powerful impact on a world which is so much entangled in illusion. It was a most wonderful experience because I could feel how Srila Prabhupada is present. The presence of the spiritual master can be felt by those who are fully surrendered to him. There is no more wonderful feeling in the entire world than this. Such full surrender places us in the position of being fully sheltered from the myriad of attacks that are constantly being hurled at us by the material energy. Under the shade of Sri Guru's lotus feet we can dive deeply into a reservoir of unlimited bliss and knowledge. This is the true position of fearlessness and immortality. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
His Divine Grace -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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Thursday 3 January 2008 from the Prabhupada House, Melbourne, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: Sublime Divine If you want to taste every minute as sublime, all you have to do is connect with the divine. In the authoritative Vedic literatures it is emphatically enjoined that in this materialistic age of Kali there is no more suitable method for connecting with the divine than chanting the holy names of God. Uttering any name of God with love and devotion catapults the sincere chanter into the transcendental dimension far beyond the confines of time and space. And it is especially recommended in the Kali Santarana Upanishad that there is no more suitable means for attaining spiritual realization than chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare So if you want the easiest, quickest way to connect with and stay connected with the sublime divine, simply center your entire life around the regular chanting of the Hare Krishna mahamantra.
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Wednesday 2 January 2008 from the Prabhupada House, Melbourne, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: How to Attain the Highest Perfection In the Bhagavad-gita Chapter 4, Text 34 Lord Sri Krishna instructs us how we can attain the highest perfection of the self-realization science. He tells us that we can realize the highest truth by approaching a bona fide spiritual master with submissive inquiries and by rendering of service. The Lord assures us that if we do this everything will become revealed to us just as the sun lights up everything in the daytime. In this regard I am often asked: How does one decide who to accept as their spiritual master? This question is easily answered when you understand what are the key essentials in the guru/disciple relationship. Since the guru/disciple relationship is based on inquiring and serving, you simply have to see with which guru you get the best opportunity for inquiry and the rendering of service to him. Once this is discerned, you should then approach that spiritual master either personally or through correspondence and inquire from him how you can take complete shelter at his lotus feet. He will then bestow his mercy upon you and expertly guide you along the pathway of self-realization. Sankarshan Das Adhikari -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Becoming a Self-Realized Soul Could you explain to me about becoming a self-realized soul? It sounds interesting and I would like to try it. Ruth -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Answer: Are You Ready to Begin? I am very happy to hear that you are interested in self-realization and that you would like to try to become a self-realized soul. Your interest is wonderful because the purpose of the human life is that we all should become self-realized. After wandering in the cycle of birth and death for hundreds and millions of lifetimes we have finally achieved the human form of life. If we become self-realized, we then escape the cycle of birth and death and return to our original home in the spiritual world. Self-realization means to fully realize who you actually are. It means to understand that you are not your body, that you are instead a spiritual being, a servant of God. And it means to be fully absorbed in the service of the Supreme Godhead under the expert guidance of the bona fide spiritual master. So now I urge you to practically adopt the pathway of self-realization. If you are you ready to begin, I am ready to give you specific instructions. Sankarshan Das Adhikari |
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Tuesday 1 January 2008 from the Prabhupada House, Melbourne, Australia -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Thought: New Year for a New World Let us dedicate this new year, 2008, for creating a new world, a new truly enlightened global society based on ishavasya, the God-centered conception. If we all work together co-operatively throughout this planet to create an ever-expanding network of sincere souls dedicated to being purely God-centered, we will experience a major transformation this year in the collective global consciousness. So why be a part of the problem when you can be part of the solution? Join the Krishna consciousness movement by dovetailing your energies with Krishna, the ultimate source of all energies. Sankarshan Das Adhikari
The Prabhupada House, Melbourne -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
One time a disciple looked at Srila Prabhupada's passport photo and commented to Srila Prabhupada that he looked very unhappy in the photograph. Srila Prabhupada's reply was that he was in a state of great transcendental bliss when that photograph was taken.
