Ultimate Self Realization

On Thursday 29 March 2007 I gave a presentation on this sublime, ecstatic self-realization science to a classroom full of students at Sofia University. The students loved it and asked for further information. Many of them came out into the hallway after the lecture to inquire further about this liberating process. There was only one person who did not like it. This was the teacher. She was very disturbed that I made a presentation that was so appealing to the students. She told me, "You have made it too popular."  I have to admit that it is very difficult for me to present Krishna consciousness as some dry boring academic pabulam. Every word of this philosophy is overflowing with unlimited oceans of nectar. To package it as some insipid trivia tolerable to the envious would be very, very difficult. When I explained what had happened to Stanu Prabhu, one of our local devotees, he told me that during the communist era here in Bulgaria a group of devotees had gathe

In academic institutions all over the world it is now taboo to talk about God. You can deny His existence all day long. That is okay. But if the professor tries to glorify Him, he runs the risk of losing his teaching position. There is no mood of open-minded inquiry. There is a clear bias against God or anything spiritual. Spirituality is automatically assumed to be mythological. Such educational institutions cannot deliver their students from nescience. Rather they keep them in a state of ignorance. If the educational institutions want to actually provide their students with a true higher education they must give them the opportunity to hear and inquire about the self and the Supreme Self. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Innocence in the Material World?... I have a perplexing problem and cannot relate the two within my mind. In the secular church, all of my life I was taught that "God" / Krishna had no form but was this brilliant white light...

In this material world there is nothing more glorified and promoted than the sexual attraction felt between a man and woman. There are thousands of love songs, poems, and novels glorifying this attraction. We think that there is nothing that can satisfy us more than having an intimate and dedicated lover. But this is actually not the fact. We can never become fully satisfied in a conjugal relationship. That which will actually satisfy us is to re-establish our original loving relationship with Krishna or God. By serving the supreme conjugal lovers, Sri Sri Radha and Krishna, we will relish total complete satisfaction and no longer feel the need for our own conjugal relationship. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Innocence in the Material World?... I have a question concerning karma. Since everyone on the material platform is suffering the results of his activities, karma, how is it there can be innocence in the material world? What I am asking is, since the l

In this material world everyone is suffering in the ocean of birth and death. They are being constantly smashed by that ocean's waves upon the rocks of the threefold miseries. The devotees of the Lord are very much pained to see everyone in such a suffering condition. Therefore they fully dedicate their lives for spreading the science of Krishna consciousness all over the world. My spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, very much encouraged me to always be in this mood of compassion for those who are thus suffering. Lord Krishna and Balarama, in a mood of intense compassion, have appeared in this world as Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda to relieve the drowning souls from their misery by blessing them with the transcendental science of Krishna consciousness. In this connection it is stated: vande sri-krsna-caitanya- nityanandau sahoditau gaudodaye puspavantau citrau san-dau tamo-nudau "I offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Krishna Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, who are

Our clearing of passport control for departing yesterday from Romania took quite some the time because the official had a very difficult time locating our arrival stamps to verify that we had legally arrived in Romania. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Our passports are very fatty with extra pages added twice by the US government. There are over one hundred arrival and departure stamps from our practically constant travel all over the world. The advantage of the long delay was that one of other officials in the booth had the opportunity to strike up a conversation with me. She inquired, "What is that mark on your forehead?" I explained to her this is the marking of one who has conquered over death, and that if she likes I can teach her how to conquer over death. She was amazed by my statement. And then another border agent who was sitting beside her immediately spoke up asking if this is a religion. I explained that it is not a religion, that we are

Last Saturday afternoon (24 March 2007) the Timisoara devotees arranged a public lecture for me in a hall in downtown Timisoara. Flyers had been put up all over town advertising that I would be giving a presentation on Krishna consciousness. It was wonderful to see an entire hall filled up with people eager to learn about Krishna consciousness. When I led Hare Krishna kirtan, the people joined in, filling the hall with the sweet sounds of Krishna's names. After lecturing for almost an hour, I then opened the floor for questions. The questions kept coming non-stop for almost another hour until I brought the program to a close and invited everyone to go the book table. The book table became a crowded scene while the people patiently waited their turn to purchase the book or books of their choice. I then spent almost another hour signing books purchased by the guests. As soon as I get access to a broadband internet connection the lecture will be uploaded for all those who wo

There is nothing sweeter than hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord in the association of His devotees because this reconnects us with our real natures as the eternal servants of Krishna. Nothing artificial is required to experience this supreme happiness at every moment. You already have it there within you. Simply you must tap into that reservoir of bliss within. We have come here to Timisoara, Romania for this purpose and this purpose only, to dive into this sweet ocean of Krishna consciousness. Therefore we are relishing our short visit here like anything. Krishna confirms in the Bhagavad-gita the ecstatic nature of hearing and discussing topics regarding Him. He clearly describes in the tenth chapter 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 enli

We arrived here in Romania yesterday after flying in from Sofia, Bulgaria via Milan, Italy. We were greeted at the airport by the leader of the local ISKCON center, Sriman Murari Krishna Prabhu. While riding in the car from the airport I asked him how he joined the Krishna consciousness movement. He explained to me how he joined right here in Timisoara in 1990 just after communism loosened its grip on Romania. For the first time open religious meetings could be held. Devotees were traveling across Romania holding programs in many locations to openly present the ultimate self realization science, Krishna consciousness, to people who had for long been held under the totalitarian grip of Communism. He purchased an English Bhagavad-gita As It Is and was so impressed that here was spiritual knowledge being presented in a scientific way that he immediately joined the movement and has been active ever since. In addition to being the temple president of the ISKCON Timisoara temple he i

Early this morning we are heading out for Romania on Alitalia Airlines transiting through Milan, Italy. Still fresh in our minds is the wonderful visit we had to Skopje, Macedonia. Wherever we can taste the sweet nectar of devotee association we are empowered to enter into the spiritual world far, far beyond the miserable ocean of birth and death.  Although due to illness we made a last minute change to our plans, and although we came less conveniently for them on the week days instead of on the weekend, still the devotees went all out to make our visit as pleasant as possible. Upon arrival our hearts were warmed by the beautiful sign they made for us: It was very inspiring to see how nicely they were worshipping these beautiful deities of Sri Gaura-Nitai At the end of our all-too-brief visit they begged us to return again soon and gave us the sweetest transcendental send-off by serenading us with a Hare Krishna kirtan Inspired by the wonderful association I was very enliv

7:00PM-21 March 2007-Yesterday after riding in a tiny Russian-made car for what seemed forever we finally got out of Sofia into the mountains of Bulgaria. We were heading up, up to a mountain pass that marked the border between Bulgarian and Macedonia. There our ride stopped because our car did not have the proper papers to cross the border. The border station was the emptiest most isolated border station I've ever seen anywhere in the world. There was hardly anyone there. The duty shop with its duty-free liquor did nothing to dissipate the drabness. We walked with our luggage through the Bulgarian and Macedonia border control to the Macedonian side where the Macedonian devotees were waiting to drive us down to Skopje. When the Macedonian border authority saw that I had extra pages in my passport they examined it minutely as if it passports counterfeit. I explained that the US Government had twice added extra pages to my passport because I am traveling so much all ov

It's 5:25am on 20 March 2007. We were originally slated to travel to Macedonia last weekend, but due to my being very sick I could not travel. But today I am feeling much better, so we are heading out at 10am this morning by car to the Bulgaria/Macedonia border. We will cross the border on foot and the Macedonian devotees are supposed to be there with a car to drive us to Skopje. It is supposed to be 4 or 5 hours of total travel time. This is my first time to enter Macedonia. Srila Prabhupada has given us the mission to inundate the entire world with Krishna consciousness, so it's always enlivening to expand my preaching circuit to include more and more countries. Sometimes when I fall sick I wonder why I am taking so much trouble with this aging body to travel and preach Krishna consciousness all over the world. But as the ultimate goal of human life is to become Krishna conscious, and as the more one gives Krishna the more he gets Krishna, it is therefore quite fitting

Even though I've been very, very sick for the last several days I've been using it to my best advantage. Sickness is a natural time when one can become more introspective and deeply thoughtful. It is therefore a golden opportunity for those whose lives are fully dedicated to transcendental realization. Such days wonderfully serve as graphic reminders of the miserable nature of material existence and are golden opportunities to intensity one's mediation of on Lord Sri Krishna and the transcendental existence He is offering to all of us. That sweet transcendental realm is eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss. It is far, far removed from the cycle of birth, death, old age, and disease in which we are currently rotating lifetime after lifetime. If we can simply fully utilize this one lifetime in Krishna's service, we will easily enter into that sweet transcendental existence in which we never have to get sick again. Answers According to the Vedic Version Q

Wherever we travel around the planet earth, whenever we are in the association of the devotees (which is all the time except when we are in transit), there is always that most special and wonderful treat awaiting us, Krishna prasadam. Krishna prasadam means those foodstuffs that have been offered to Krishna with love and devotion.  If you love someone truly, you will not serve Him those things He refuses to eat. Since Krishna refuses to eat meat, fish, eggs, onions, and garlic, we do not offer Him these things. We instead offer Him multi-varieties of delicious foodstuffs prepared from fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and grains according to traditional Indian recipes as well as the recipes of the many countries and cultures scattered across the globe. When offered to the Lord with love and devotion the foodstuffs become transformed from matter into spirit and purify the souls of those who eat them. Such foods are called Krishna prasadam, the mercy of Krishna, because respectf

This material world is a world of dualities. Sometimes it is hot. Sometimes it is cold. Sometimes we are healthy. Sometime we are sick. Sometimes we are glorified. Sometimes we are criticized. A Krishna conscious person recognizes the seasonal nature of this material world and does not allow these dualities to disturb his mind. He sees the hand of Krishna at every step realizing how the Lord's mercy is always manifested through all varieties of circumstances. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Why is Krishna Pictured as Blue?... Why is it in all the pictures (that I've seen) of Krishna, He's blue in color? Chayse Answer: Because He is Blue... Krishna is depicted as blue because He is blue. Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Some people argue that we should simply love everyone, that there is no need to love God. We should love everyone except for God? Why should we leave Him out? How rude! He is the one Who is providing with all of our necessities since time immemorial. Why we should not love him also? His position as the maintainer is confirmed as follows in the Katha Upanishad: nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman "There is one supreme eternal amongst the plural eternals and one supreme conscious being amongst the plural conscious beings. The difference between the the singular and the plural is the the singular is maintaining the plural and the plural are being maintained by the singular." --Katha Upanishad 2.2.13 Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Chanting and Exams... What is the good time for chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. In time of student's examination, how many rounds is compulsory? My exam is very near. How should I a

Krishna consciousness is so wonderful that in spite of facing so many difficulties in this material world one can always remain in a jolly mood. This is because Krishna consciousness is completely beyond this material world. It does not matter what one's situation may be. Either in happiness or distress one can relish great transcendental happiness within one's heart. That day when the world wakes up and realizes what is this sublime process known as the Krishna consciousness, peace and prosperity will be enjoyed by everyone in all nations of the world. Even the animals will become jolly.. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Speed of Spiritual Progress... Dear teacher, I offer my respectful obeisances unto you. (1) Living in such a family, I can not live peacefully, the whole house is filled with TV noise and materialistic trifles. People are engaged in sinful actions. I feel upset sometimes. I hope I can be freed from the family bondage as quickly as poss

According to Newton's first law of motion, "An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion." If we apply Newton's law to our practice of Krishna consciousness we will make steady progress on our pathway to spiritual perfection. One of the most important keys to advancing steadily in Krishna consciousness is that we should always stay plugged into the process. As soon we disconnect ourselves from the process it becomes harder to pick it up again. In other words, Krishna consciousness generates more Krishna consciousness, and a lack of Krishna consciousness generates further ignorance of Krishna consciousness. We simply have to make a conscious effort to always keep ourselves on the path. If we do so, the momentum of our present and past Krishna consciousness will empower our spiritual progress. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: What is Genuine Religion?... Since many years I keep asking myself which re

I am tasting the real bliss here in Bulgaria. The nectar here is very, very sweet. I am leading Hare Krishna kirtan and lecturing twice daily on the ultimate self-realization science to a temple room full of eager hearers and inquirers. Not only that, posted on the wall beside me is the most sublime picture of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna, the same picture that originally attracted me to become a devotee of Krishna in the fall of 1968 when I was living in Denver, Colorado. Simply gazing at that picture I can feel how I am entering into timelessness. Here is a copy of the picture: Just see the love in Radharani's eyes for Sri Krishna. She is the living embodiment of the highest perfectional stage of pure love for Krishna. We can pray for her mercy that Krishna will bestow the supreme perfection of pure love for Krishna upon us also. This is the perfection of Krishna consciousness. There is no feeling more beautiful and wonderful than pure love for Krishna. Answers A

The platform of liberation from material existence is not difficult to achieve. All you really have to do is to find out what Krishna wants you to do and then do that. Finding out what Krishna wants is also not that difficult. All you have to do is to carefully study the Bhagavad-gita and inquire from Krishna's representative, the bona fide spiritual master. In this way if you constantly keep your mind focused in the midst of all activities on always thinking, speaking, and acting in that manner which is most pleasing to Krishna, you will be flying high in the spiritual sky at every minute. You will never again touch down in this temporary, miserable, illusory material existence. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Why Roam the World Seeking God?... If God is within us why roam around the world in search? Please explain. With Regards, Rishi Kumar Aggarwal, Chartered Engineer, Delhi Answer: Realize God at Home... It's a fact that God is within us. He

No matter how you cut it this material world is a bad bargain. We struggle like anything to serve the bodily demands throughout our entire lives only to be rewarded with old age, disease, and death. But the good news is that there is a precise scientific technique available to us to make the best use of this bad bargain. That technique is known as the science of Krishna consciousness. Those with higher level understanding, the enlightened sages, see this material existence as the greatest blessing because it is a wonderful facility for reviving our eternal all-blissful, all knowing identity in the spiritual sky. Who would not be attracted to such a utilization of the human form of life? Only those who are completely ignorant. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: How Could We Be Envious of Krishna?... I have read in your questions and answers that we were spirit souls and fell into the material world due to being envious of Lord Krishna. It is mentioned in Bhagava

After being cheated in London by Air France, being forced to pay an extra $250 for check-in luggage that my ticket allowed to check in at no charge, I was again reminded of the cheating nature of this material world. I even showed the Air France representative the printed terms and conditions of the ticket which explicitly stated that I was allowed to check in the 2nd piece of luggage at no charge, but it was to no avail. She staunchly would not budge. I had to pay up or not take my luggage on the airplane. The saddest thing about the modern day situation is that the injustice I endured is nothing compared to the inconceivably horrible injustice inflicted every day upon the cows and unborn children who are being mercilessly slaughtered. Therefore we have to revolutionize this place, by loudly broadcasting the liberating knowledge of the spirit-soul and its relationship with the Supreme widely throughout the entire world so that the people can become liberated from the illusion of b

The supreme excitement is making Krishna consciousness available to the non-Krishna conscious world. Of course, everyone already possesses Krishna consciousness because it is their innermost nature. But it is currently in a non-manifest state. In other words, the fortune of gold is buried within the pauper's back yard, but he does not know that it is there. He is currently suffering in poverty unnecessarily. Therefore, the greatest welfare work is to enlighten the mass of people regarding their unknown, un-tapped-into nature so they can fully unearth the divine treasure that is buried ever so deeply within them. This will enable them to become fully happy and excited about existence. That person who brings the supreme excitement to them will also naturally experience the supreme excitement at every minute. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: How Can We Do Something Wrong?... My question is: If everything what we do is as per the wish of God, then why is t

Even though in this material world we sometimes hear or sometimes think that certain things are first-class, the actual fact of the matter is that nothing here is first-class. Everything here is tenth-class at best. Even if we purchase that thing which is said to be first class, we will sooner or later experience its deficiencies. However the qualification of first-class is applicable in one instance. That instance is described as follows in the Srimad Bhagavatam: yah svakat parato veha jata-nirveda atmavan hrdi krtva harim gehat pravrajet sa narottamah "He is certainly a first-class man who awakens and understands, either by himself or from others, the falsity and misery of this material world and thus leaves home and depends fully on the Personality of Godhead residing within his heart." ---SB 1.13.27 Of course one can remain at home and still realize Krishna. But such staying at home requires the same spirit of renunciation as adopted by those who leave home. One mu

If we my wishes could be fulfilled, I would wish that every single living throughout the entire material existence may become a pure devotee of Krishna right now so that they regain their original and eternal identity and become forever free from illusion and anxiety. Someone may argue that I am cruelly trying to impose my religion on others who should be left along to be what they want to be. But this is not a fact. Every single living entity throughout the totality of existence is already a pure devotee of Krishna. It is just that they have forgotten it. Just as the moon is always full but sometimes to our vision is seen as full, sometimes only partially seen, and sometimes not seen at all---similarly all living beings eternally have a loving personal relationship with Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is just that they are not now realizing it or only partially realizing it. In other words spreading the Krishna consciousness movement for everyone's

If we humble ourselves before the Lord submitting fully unto Him that from now on we will simply do what He wants us to do, not what we want to do, the self-realization process will become as easy as anything. We will make very rapid process on the pathway of Krishna consciousness. In all aspects of our existence, we simply have to know whether or not the Lord is satisfied by our thoughts, words, and deeds. This is the only technique we need to learn. Once we have mastered this simple method will never any experience any more obstacles. We have to give up our own schemes and simply execute the will of the Lord as revealed to us in the Bhagavad-gita and by the Lord's representative, the bona fide spiritual master. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Qualification to Be Accepted as a Disciple... In your last letter you have requested me to develop pure unadulterated love of Lord Krishna. I am sincerely attempting to do this. I am chanting 16 rounds daily of t

Choosing a guru is the most important decision that one makes in one's entire life. The ramifications of selecting our guru are even more far reaching than the results of who we accept as our husband or wife, because our spouse is for only one lifetime while our guru is for all of eternity. So on what basis should we make our decision? This most important decision should not be made capriciously or whimsically. Armed with clear scriptural knowledge we should seek out that person who fully embodies the Vedic wisdom. The Mundaka Upanishad clearly enlightens us regarding the necessity of accepting a guru and who we should accept as our guru: tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham "If one is actually serious about understanding the supernatural, transcendental science of self-realization, one must approach and take complete shelter of the bona fide spiritual master. His qualifications are that he has complete knowledge of the Vedic wisdom

Why remain in the miserable cycle of birth and death when instead you can at every second be on an easy, ecstatic journey back to your original eternal identity in that wondrous Spiritual Sky? It is only out of ignorance that someone would opt for the cycle of birth and death. We struggle like anything with our space programs to put man into outer space at the expenditure of billions and billions of dollars. But what do we accomplish? How far are we able travel towards the ultimate destination. It is clearly a matter of going nowhere. In this connection my spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, stated that while the scientists go to the moon but are disappointed in their attempts to stay there and live, the devotees make an easy journey to other planets and ultimately reach the topmost planetary system, the Spiritual Sky. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Why Does Mankind Need a God?... Thank you for your answers! Especially the sentence "The