Ultimate Self Realization

Every time we return to ISKCON Helsinki we feel like we are returning to our home. The devotees here are so nicely absorbed in hearing, chanting, and remembering the Lord that as soon as one comes into their presence one feels as if he has re-entered his eternal home. Such places as this where the Lord is always being glorified are described as follows in the Srimad Bhagavatam: na yatra sravanadini rakso-ghnani sva-karmasu kurvanti satvatam bhartur yatudhanyas ca tatra hi "My dear King, wherever people in any position perform their occupational duties of devotional service by chanting and hearing, there cannot be any danger from bad elements. Therefore there was no need for anxiety about Gokula while the Supreme Personality of Godhead was personally present. This same principle of auspiciousness can be expanded to cover the entire world. Therefore our mission is to absorb the entire world in hearing and chanting the Lord's sweet transcendental glories. Answers According t

If you throw your rock into a pond and I throw my rock into a pond, the waves of your rock will clash with the waves of my rock. However, if we both throw our rocks into exactly the same place, there will be no clash. This is what we now need in our modern day society. We need to find out what is the common central point that we all can rally around. There is a source for all that exists. We are all emanations from that original source. Therefore the original source of all energies is the common central point for everyone and everything. If we can simply re-harmonize ourselves with that source, we will all become peaceful and happy. It is therefore up to the world leaders to find out what is that original source and connect themselves and their followers with that original source. In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Sri Krishna reveals that He is that original source for all that exists. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Why Krishna Has Pastimes?... Krishna is atmar

Today it is onward from Sofia, Bulgaria to Helsinki, Finland. The nectar we've tasted here in Sofia in the association of the devotees has truly been beyond this world. All we can do is thank Lord Krishna for so kindly giving us this opportunity to travel and preach on his behalf. There is truly no taste like Krishna consciousness anywhere in the three worlds. When the world finally wakes up and discovers this, it will the dawning of a new age of peace and prosperity for all. May that day come soon. May that day come soon. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Self Realization and Self Knowledge... What is the Difference Between Self Realization & Self Knowledge? Your aspiring humble servant, (Bhakta) Rajesh Narayana Dubai, U.A.E Answer: Knowledge in Action... Knowledge of the self means to know that the self is pure spirit-soul and is the eternal servant of God. Realization of the self is to be practically engaged in devotional service under the expert

The association of a pure devotee of Krishna is indeed very rare. If we are somehow or other fortunate enough to receive such transcendental mercy, it is the greatest boon. How do we recognize such a great personality in a world that is so full of sophisticated cheaters and con men? By carefully studying the twenty-six qualities of the pure devotee given in the Sri Caitanya Caritamrita we can understand who is a pure devotee and thus know from whom we should learn the transcendental science of self-realization. The twenty-six qualities of the pure devotee are as follows: (1) He is very kind to everyone. (2) He does not make anyone his enemy. (3) He is truthful. (4) He is equal to everyone. (5) No one can find any fault in him. (6) He is magnanimous. (7) He is mild. (8) He is always clean. (9) He is without possessions. (10) He works for everyone's benefit. (11) He is very peaceful. (12) He is always surrendered to Krishna. (13) He has no material desires. (14) He is very meek.

It is very common for people to try to escape reality because they consider it to be cruel and inauspicious. They would rather close their eyes to the obvious miseries of birth, death, old age, and disease and live in a concocted dream world built upon the unstable platform of material society, friendship and love. They feel very safe and secure in their sand castle existence until the tide finally comes in and washes it away into the sea of the birth and death. Those who are brave enough and intelligent enough to reject the so-called security of the mass psychosis are candidates for realizing truth in its original pure form. This highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth annihilates all the miseries of material existence and enables one to enter into reality as it is, a reality which is eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: How is Devotion Different from Love?... You al

This material world always presents us with all kinds of experiences. Some are pleasant. Some are mediocre. And some some are just down right horrible. The wonderful thing about Krishna consciousness is that you can be happy in all circumstances, no matter what. To achieve this state of transcendental consciousness one has to always think, speak, and act in a way that is fully pleasing to the Lord. By practicing this art one will learn to appreciate everything one experiences as the special mercy of Lord Sri Krishna and thus never be disturbed in any situation. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Can Our Relationship with Krishna Be Changed?... Does the devotional relationship each living entity has with Krishna ever change - e.g. can the living entity change from loving and serving him as a mother to that of a friend or conjugal lover? Is there any degree of difference in the sound omkara and the Hare Krishna Mahamantra? Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Kris

The perfection of the ears and the tongue is to engage them in the topics of the Lord, Krishna katha. There is truly nothing sweeter or more relishable than this. It is so sweet that one can continue in this way for hours and hours without feeling tired. That day when the world wakes up to the nectar of Krishna katha will be the beginning of a golden era of peace and prosperity for all. The wonderful glories of Krishna katha are described by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gita as follows: mac-citta mad-gata-prana bodhayantah parasparam kathayantas ca mam nityam tusyanti ca ramanti ca "The thoughts of My pure devotees dwell in Me, their lives are fully devoted to My service, and they derive great satisfaction and bliss from always enlightening one another and conversing about Me." Bhagavad-gita 10.9 Do yourself a favor. Find someone who is willing to engage with you in Krishna katha and start churning that ocean of unlimited nectar today! Relishing the topics of Krish

Yesterday here in Sofia, upon the recommendation of the president of ISKCON's Sofia temple I accepted four new disciples. The new disciples are as follows: Nitaicandra das, Gauracandra das, Guru Nistha devi dasi, and Prema Manjari devi dasi. Initiation is the most auspicious step that one can take in one's life. It is the moment that the aspiring devotee fully enters into transcendental existence. If the disciple takes their initiation vows and always executes them seriously, their spiritual perfection is guaranteed. Initiation Ceremony in Sofia, Bulgaria 22 September 2006  Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Help Me Get Out of Maya... I am facing one major problem for the last one week. I need your help. I beg to you to help me out of this mess. I feel like i am getting into the clutches of maya (illusion) again and again. I beg to you, please help me out please give me a good concrete solution. If Krishna says that if there is Godhead then there

It's foolish and completely unnecessary to suffer in this material existence. All you have to do is reconnect yourself with your original spiritual nature. The easiest way to do that is by chanting the holy names of God with love and devotion. The holy names of the Lord are so wonderful that the mere sound of the holy name--Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare---everlastingly increases the enthusiasm of the chanter. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Do You Sightsee?...  I was wondering: do you ever get to sightsee the places that you travel to preach? Nisha Bhatt  Answer: We Are the Ultimate Sightseers...  We certainly naturally see whatever sights are along the way wherever we go for preaching work. And we appreciate the amazing wonder of Krishna's material creation. When there are so many amazing sights in this material world, we can hardly begin to imagine how amazing must be the spi

Have you had enough of this material existence? Do you dread getting sick, getting old, and dying? Are you intensely yearning for an alternative, another system of existence, a way out of this inauspicious situation? If so, the good news is that there is way of out of here. There is a pathway of unlimited devotion available to you right now that will quickly and easily take you out of this distressful place. But you must be willing to carefully follow the directions that we will give you. This pathway will take you quickly and easily out of the dense forest of delusion. That one should follow this pathway is confirmed as follows in the Mahabharata: mahajano yena gatah sa panthah "One should traverse that trail blazed by the great spiritually enlightened souls." Mahabharata, Vana-parva (313.117) You must be prepared to courageously give up all of your pre-conceived ideas and put your faith in those who have higher knowledge. When you are ready to follow, we are ready to

The material nature, Maya, is there to test our determination for becoming Krishna conscious. Just as we have to be vigilant to protect our belongings from being stolen by thieves, we must also be very careful to not let Maya steal our minds. Last Monday when we were passing through the Brussels airport on our way to Bulgaria, a thief made two attempts to steal our luggage. He casually approached our luggage as if it were his own with the intention of walking away with it, if we did not notice him. By Krishna's grace he was unsuccessful in both of his attempts because each time he was noticed. In this same way we must always be vigilant for the attack of the illusory energy, Maya. We must be aware of when we are being attacked by non-Krishna conscious thoughts so we can take immediate action to protect ourselves by chanting the holy names of the Lord: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare Answers According

Just as water falling from the rain clouds is pure but becomes muddied after contacting the earth, similarly our original state of consciousness is pure. It is simply due to contact with the material nature that we have become illusioned and distressed. And just as water through a process of purification can be returned to its original pure state, our consciousness can also become purified through the authorized system of bhakti yoga as described by Lord Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita. Anyone who takes this purification process very seriously will find a tremendous improvement in their consciousness and will achieve the ultimate benefit of going back to home, back to Godhead upon leaving their present body. If you have not already seriously committed yourself to the process of bhakti yoga, kindly do so today. You will attain the supreme success! Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: When Did Lord Rama Appear?... Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared 5 centuries ago, Lord K

After an ecstatic week of spreading Krishna consciousness in Germany and several days in Belgium, we are flying from Brussels, with a stopover in Budapest, down to Sofia, Bulgaria for ten more days of spreading the waves of Lord Caitanya's benediction moon, this time in Bulgaria. There is surely no greater pleasure than spreading this Krishna consciousness movement all over the world. It is the ultimate taste. It is so enlivening that we are willing to accept all varieties of difficulties and great expense also for the privilege of being able to do so. Why is it so enlivening? This is explained as follows by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the first verse of His famous Siksastaka prayers: ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam "Glory to the Sri Krishna sankirtan, which cleanses the heart of all the dust acc

Some people consider it selfish or self-indulgent to take up the pathway of Krishna consciousness. But this is not a fact. Why is this accusation not a fact? This point we need to carefully consider. We have a natural tendency to serve. It is our intrinsic, inseparable nature. In Sanskrit this intrinsic nature is called dharma. Since our nature is to serve we need to see how we can serve in the most perfect and complete way. When we water the root of a tree all the leaves and branches are nourished. This is the perfection of watering a tree. In the same way we need to find a way of rendering service that will automatically distribute our loving service to everyone and everything. That way of rendering service is known as God consciousness or Krishna consciousness. When we serve Krishna or God our service is automatically distributed to everyone throughout the vast entirety of existence. This devotional service does not neglect anyone or anything. Therefore it is the perfec

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur used to say that this material world is not a fit place of residence for a gentleman. That the world is becoming increasingly populated with rogues and rascals is becoming more and more blatantly obvious even to the most casual observer. This is why we really do not see any other option except for dedicating our entire life's energy up until our last dying breath to the revolutionization of this place. If the people can somehow or other become Krishna conscious, all the problems of the world will be solved. But this work cannot be done alone. We very, very much need your help. Kindly join with us. Fully dedicate your life now for perfecting your consciousness and for the spiritual revolutionization of the entire planet earth. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: When Will I Become Free from Difficulties?... I so much would like to have a friend. This never-fulfilled desire always makes me lament. I am so lonely. If I cou

Yesterday, before heading to the airport in Berlin, I took a short nap to refresh myself. Just before waking up I was dreaming that if Krishna wants to protect me, nobody can kill me; and if Krishna wants to kill me, nobody can protect me. Then as soon as I woke up, I prayed to Krishna that He can kill me or protect me as He likes, that I am fully and completely under His protection and direction. This mood of complete dependence on the Lord is the simple and easy way to always be peaceful and happy. The trick is that we have to train ourselves how to always remain in this consciousness by being nicely engaged 24 hours a day in devotional service. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Shouldn't Vacancies of the Material World Be Filled?... When a person crosses from the material world to the spiritual sky a vacancy is created in this material world. Shouldn't somebody fill the vacancy in order to keep this material world in the right form? Will everybody

By fully dedicating my life to spreading Krishna consciousness all over the world, there is no question of idle time or a dull moment. There is so much work to do to awaken the dormant Krishna consciousness within the hearts of all that 24 hours a day is just not enough time to get the work done. In Krishna consciousness life easily becomes transformed into an endless, ever-increasingly thrilling adventure. Why only read about, hear about, or watch movies about the real and imaginary adventures of others? By taking up the life of propagating Krishna consciousness to everyone we meet, we can live inside our own exciting adventure movie at every second. In this supreme lifestyle sleeping, although necessary to keep up the health, becomes a source of frustration as we see how much time is being wasted every day. Eating Krishna prasadam (vegetarian foodstuffs offered with love and devotion to Lord Sri Krishna), although a source of great spiritual enlivenment and energy, also becomes

We are seeing first hand what a vast desolate wasteland is this material existence. Where is that place where you can connect with your actual eternal nature? Everywhere the illusion of material existence is being reinforced. All the thoughts, words, and deeds of the people are simply reinforcing the false notion, "I am this body." Therefore no one is actually happy. Sometimes people imagine that they are happy. They foolishly take the illusion of happiness to be real happiness. We want to wake them up to give them the real happiness, but they are so much enamored by the illusory happiness that they cannot hear our message. What to do? We must simply keep trying to wake them up, hoping and praying that someday they will heed our message and thus be delivered from the cycle of birth and death. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Are Sinful Activities from Krishna?... Since Krishna is the cause of all causes, is He the cause of all sinful activ

10 September 2006--1:40pm We are now traveling by train across Germany from Leipzig to Hamburg. The trip is for over three hours, so I am happy to have to some precious quality time for Krishna conscious writing. Looking out on a world that is completely enwrapped in illusion I am thinking deeply and praying to Krishna to please bless me with the proper words to attract the people to take complete total shelter at His lotus feet. I am also begging Him to bless me with the means of attracting them to read the words. Of course, it is not that my words can save anyone. It is because I am honestly without any adulteration conveying the teachings of Lord Krishna as I have heard them from my spiritual master, that I have great hope that I may be able to do something to push forward this Krishna consciousness movement begun 500 years ago by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: The Origin of the Jiva... There are some questions that have always b

Give up all notions of trying to enjoy this material world. Any attempt to do so is guaranteed to be a failure. Why waste your time uselessly beating your head against the rock of the material energy when you can instead easily enter an eternal existence of bliss and knowledge right now by sincerely chanting the holy names of God? Understanding this simple truth does not require a doctorate degree. It simply requires s little common sense. The difficulty is that in today's modern so-called sophisticated society everyone considers themselves to be very intelligent when the real fact is that they are lacking even basic common sense. Therefore they foolishly and fruitlessly waste their entire lives in serving the senses of their temporary material bodies. At the end, when their body is finished by death, they have nothing to show for their lifetime of dedicated service to their senses. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Can a Person Start a New Religion?...

The austerities of living on the road are more than compensated by the sweet nectar of sadhu sanga (devotee association) that we taste every day. Traveling from one ISKCON temple to another ISKCON temple all over the world, we are swimming in an ocean of the most merciful devotees of the Lord. Even Krishna, the Supreme Lord of all exists, finds that there is nothing more desirable than the association of His devotees. This is confirmed His statement given in the Srimad Bhagavatam as follows: sadhavo hrdayam mahyam sadhunam hrdayam tv aham mad-anyat te na jananti naham tebhyo manag api "The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart, and I am always in the heart of the pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I do not know anyone else but them." ---SB 9.4.68 Many of our readers live in isolated places, far from the nearest ISKCON center. They often times wonder how they can taste the sweet nectar of devotee association as much as possible.

Today is the Ratha Yatra festival in Leipzeg, Germany. There is no more merciful happening than Lord Jagannatha's Ratha Yatra festival. On this day Lord Krishna (Jagannatha) along with His brother (Baladeva) and sister (Subhadra) appear in the public so that anyone and everyone can get their darshan. Srila Prabhupada told us in 1970 that anyone who gets Their darshan will not take birth again in this material world. So just see how powerful is Their darshan! Of course the attainment of this boon depends upon the quality of how one takes their darshan. But we know one thing for sure. Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra are unlimitedly powerful and merciful. And we try to conduct the Ratha Yatra Festival in such a way to try to inspire everyone who is fortunate enough to see Their Lordships to see them with love and thus qualify themselves to go back to home, back to Godhead at the end of their present incarnation in this material world. Answers According to the Vedic Versi

Sept 7th, 2006--Berlin, Germany By Krishna's grace I have finally been reunited with my luggage after many days of austerity. The fact is that if we always take complete shelter of Krishna that He will always take good care of us. Sometimes Krishna puts His devotees into apparent difficulty to enable them to increase their feelings of dependence upon Him. In Krishna's Vrindavan lila we see again and again how Krishna plunged the Brijabasis (the inhabitants of Vrindavan) into an intense ocean of anxiety just to increase the intensity of their love for Him and feelings of dependence upon Him. The pastime of Krishna saving the Brijabasis from an all-devouring forest fire is narrated in brief by Srila Prabhupada as follows: "Since it was almost night and all the inhabitants of Vrindavan, including the cows and calves, were very tired, they decided to take their rest on the riverbank. In the middle of the night, while they were taking rest, there was suddenly a great forest

Sept 6th, 2006--Berlin, Germany Humility is the most important quality we need to develop if we are going to attain spiritual perfection. Lord Krishna has kindly put me in a very humbling position. My clothes were lost by the airline when flying to Europe on September 2nd. Now for many days I have practically no clothes and as the type of clothing I wear is not readily available at stores in the western world. I am having to beg and borrow clothing from other devotees. Not only has my clothing been lost. My chargers for my mobile phone, digital camera, and mp3 recorder for recording my lectures have also been lost. I was able to record my first two lectures here in Berlin, but now my mp3 recorder's battery has gone dead, and I cannot record any more lectures. My mobile phone is dead and nowhere here in Europe have we been able to find a store that carries the proper charger. I accept this as the mercy of Krishna, as it very easy to become proud when I am so much revered, ho

September 5th, 2006--Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Maya, the material energy, has really tested our determination to engage in a five month around-the-world lecture tour. We could, after all, simply live peacefully and comfortably at our ashram in Austin, Texas, USA. Due to one complication after another it took us two days of living in airports and airplanes to finally arrive tired and dirty in Amsterdam. After we arrived we discovered that all of my luggage had been lost. I would have nothing to wear except the clothes on my back. We went to the ticketing office to pick up our around-the-tickets and were informed that because ticketing rules the around-the-world ticket I had reserved could only be purchased in London. Therefore we had to immediately fly to London on the next available flight to purchase our tickets there. By Krishna's grace once we got to the KLM ticketing desk in London there was no problem. As soon as the agent swiped our credit card immediately two set

September 3rd, 2006--Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA: We certainly tasted the hasslesque nature of material existence on our flight (Northwest Airlines 44) from the USA (Minneapolis) to Europe. After we had been airborne for several hours the aircraft did a 180 degree turn and headed back to Minneapolis because of mechanical difficulty. Instead of returning to the main airport in Minneapolis, we landed around midnight at a small airport in Duluth, Minnesota where we were greeted by a half a dozen emergency vehicles with their red-lights blinking. Fireman appeared outside the plane with special suits to protect themselves in case our plane erupted into flames. Once a portable staircase was wheeled up to the aircraft the firemen entered our cabin. There did not appear to be a terminal at this remote airstrip. We spent the entire night on the plane. We were informed after the problem was solved that we would continue now on to Europe. We taxied to end of the runway readying for take

My dear Srila Prabhupada, now that I have embarked on another global preaching tour, I am begging your mercy that I may be able to serve you very nicely in all times, all places, and all circumstances wherever I may travel all over the world during the next five months. By your mercy I have understood that there is nothing more vital for the well-being of the world population than Krishna consciousness. I personally have no qualifications to be your and Krishna's representative. But yet by your causeless mercy you have engaged me in this service. In spite of my innumerable disqualifications, it is my duty to depend fully on your mercy and do my level best to be a first class devotee and first class preacher. Therefore I am simply falling down flat on the ground at your feet and begging your blessings that I can successfully manifest pure Krishna bhakti in my heart at every minute and spread the science of Krishna bhakti all over the world. Answers According to the Vedic Vers

Having slept a scant 3 hours the night before our first flight from Austin to Minneapolis, I began the flight with a nap. I awoke to find that we were cruising at 35,000 feet looking down on a spectacular panorama of clouds that stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions. It was such a solid structured plane of clouds that it appeared as if we were flying over a land of ice such as Antarctica. It immediately struck me that Krishna consciousness is like this. By the mercy of guru and Krishna the devotee is situated far, far above the clouds of illusion. What are the clouds of illusion? They are described by Lord Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita in three categories: goodness, passion, and ignorance. tribhir guna-mayair bhavair ebhih sarvam idam jagat mohitam nabhijanati mam ebhyah param avyayam "Deluded by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance], the whole world does not know Me, who am above the modes and inexhaustible." Bhagavad-gita 7.13 By car

This morning we are heading out before dawn on our world tour for the re-spiritualization of the human society. I am praying to Lord Krishna that He will kindly make my consciousness perfectly pure and clean so that I may peacefully worship Him and successfully spread the ultimate peace, Krishna consciousness, all over the world. In this connection my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, has given us the perfect instructions: "Srimad-Bhagavatam and bhagavata-dharma are meant for persons who are completely free of envy (parama-nirmatsaranam). Therefore Prahlada Maharaja prays in this verse, khalah prasidatam: 'May all the envious persons be pacified.' The material world is full of envious persons, but if one frees himself of envy, he becomes liberal in his social dealings and can think of others' welfare. Anyone who takes up Krishna consciousness and engages himself completely in the service of the Lord cleanses his mind of all envy (manas ca bhadram bhajatad adhoksaj

Tomorrow we are heading out on our 2006-2007 World Lecture Tour. Because this is such a major assault against the material energy, that highly deceptive inferior energy has placed many obstacles in our path. We have had to systematically deal with one impediment after another, patiently but determinedly and enthusiastically working our way through the quagmire. Still we do not know what further obstacles we will face once we embark early tomorrow morning. There is one thing though that we do know for sure. That is if we take complete shelter of Krishna, He will surely protect us in all circumstances. This is confirmed in the Srimad Bhagavatam as follows: samasrita ye pada-pallava-plavam mahat-padam punya-yaso murareh bhavambudhir vatsa-padam param padam padam padam yad vipadam na tesam "For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murari, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the materi