Hare Krishna at 30,000 Feet

15 December 2006, 8am -- This morning when I arose in the early predawn I was on a flight from Mumbai, India to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The stewardess noted the Vaisnava tilak on my forehead and said, "Hare Krishna." This is what I like to hear. She told me that she sometimes visits ISKCON temples in India as well as in Malaysia. As soon as we utter this great chant for deliverance the atmosphere becomes transformed from material into spiritual. Therefore we should always be chanting these holy names of God:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

Answers According to the Vedic Version

Question: Crossing Over to Different Religions...

I am a humble devotee of Lord Sri Krishna by the grace of our Acharya Sri Madvacharya, and I have been receiving your course Ultimate Self Realization for the past few days.

I feel very happy that your path of devotion also matches with the Dvaita(duality) principle which is the practical way of today's life. It is heartening to see that ISKCON has active members of different races and cultures and that it spreads the message of our Krishna all over the globe. But it is disheartening to note that some people who have been born and brought up in the disciplined way (Brahminical way) in India get lured by the materialistic so-called ecstasy and forget God and sometimes get converted to other religions. I would like to know your perceptions about this cross over.

With lots of respects,

Sudha Jagannathan

Answer: Crossing Over to Irreligion...

Actually there is no question of crossing over to different religions. Why is that? Because religion is One, to love God. If you truly love God, you are truly religious. It does not matter how you designate yourself. And if you love material sense gratification more than God, you are irreligious no matter what label you may give yourself.

For one who realizes the true essence of religion there is no such thing as crossing over from one religion to another. Such a concept has no meaning. It is an absurdity for one who actually attained the true platform of religion. Those who have crossed over from one religion to another were not on the platform of true religion. They were already crossed over to irreligion and have simply crossed over from one version of irreligion to another version of irreligion.

Such poor souls need to be brought back to the actual position of religion so that they can escape the cycle of birth and death and regain their original, though now lost position, in the eternal pastimes of the Lord. We have to bring all those who have crossed over to irreligion back to their original position of Krishna bhakti.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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