What Could Be Better than This?

No matter how hard we try to enjoy this material world we can never be fully satisfied because we are in prison. How happy can you be when you are in prison? The only real happiness you can have while you are in prison is to be in process of getting out of prison. That's why if you want actual happiness, factual happiness, you must take seriously to the self-realization path. You do not really have any other choice. Anything besides that is simply a continuation of your prison existence. And that is not a very hopeful option.

The good news is that is you are at all serious about the self-realization path, the Lord within your heart will bring you into direct contact with a bona fide spiritual master who will then enlighten you with transcendental knowledge and show you the way out of this quagmire. You will be led by the spiritual master into higher and higher dimensions of transcendental bliss for all of eternity. What could be better than this?

Answers According to the Vedic Version

Question: What is Considered Chanting?...

Is saying the Hare Krishna maha-mantra while working or performing chores also considered chanting or is it only when using the beads?

Your humble servant

Jaya

Answer: Vibrating the Holy Names on Your Lips...

In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna says that we are to chant His names 24 hours a day. Whether we chant with beads or without beads it is still considered chanting. However, if we want to realize the full benefit of the holy names for completely freeing our hearts from all material desires, we must devote at least two hours daily to intensely chanting the holy names on japa beads without diverting our consciousness to anything else. In this connection Srila Prabhupada states in his Caitanya Caritamrita purport:

"Although Madhavendra Puri was not interested in eating and sleeping, his interest in chanting the maha-mantra was as acute as if he were an aspiring transcendentalist rather than a paramahamsa. This means that even in the paramahamsa stage, one cannot give up chanting. Haridasa Thakura and the Gosvamis were all engaged in chanting a fixed number of rounds; therefore chanting on beads is very important for everyone, even though one may become a paramahamsa. This chanting can be executed anywhere, either inside or outside the temple."
---from purport Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya 4.125

So whether one is a paramhamsa, a highly elevated transcendentalist or a beginner everyone is meant to take advantage of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra or any other bona fide names of God on chanting beads, japa beads.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Little Sparrow Who Conquered the Ocean

Image
In his purport to Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 6, Text 24 Srila Prabhupada wonderfully teaches us the power of determinations by telling us the story of the little sparrow who conquered the ocean: "As for determination, one should follow the example of the sparrow who lost her eggs in the waves of the ocean. A sparrow laid her eggs on the shore of the ocean, but the big ocean carried away the eggs on its waves. The sparrow became very upset and asked the ocean to return her eggs. The ocean did not even consider her appeal. So the sparrow decided to dry up the ocean. She began to pick out the water in her small beak, and everyone laughed at her for her impossible determination. The news of her activity spread, and at last Garuda, the gigantic bird carrier of Lord Visnu, heard it. He became compassionate toward his small sister bird, and so he came to see the sparrow. Garuda was very pleased by the determination of the small sparrow, and he promised to help. Thus Garuda at once asked t...
Read more

Heart Melting Reunion with Amarendra and Gayatri

Image
On Friday 26 June 2015 I was blessed with the greatest good fortune of meeting with two of the dearest devotees of my entire life, His Grace Amarendra Prabhu and his good wife, Srimati Gayatri devi dasi. I am eternally indebted to these great souls for how much they helped me in my spiritual life when I was a young devotee. When I was young brahmacari monk in 1973 I joined with the two of them in Gainesville, Florida. We were a three person preaching center, and they were just like a mother and father to me. I had so many wonderful Krishna conscious experiences in their association that I can hardly begin to describe them here. But at least may it suffice for me to say for now that Gayatri taught me what it means to be a soft-hearted devotee of the Lord and she gave me my first cooking lesson, teaching me how to make cauliflower pakoras, and Amarendra taught me the art of how to preach strongly, intelligently, and coolly to defeat opposing arguments. Recently Gayatri almost died. But ...
Read more

Misguided Fools Say that Masturbation is Healthy

Image
Foolish modern day materialists recommend masturbation as follows: "Masturbation is a common activity. It’s a natural and safe way to explore your body, feel pleasure, and release built-up sexual tension. It occurs among people of all backgrounds, genders, and races. Despite the myths, there are actually no physically harmful side effects of masturbation." They are wrong. To get a proper understanding on this this topic read the question and answer section below. Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: What are the Ill Effects of Masturbation? Since you answered questions related to understanding the real need of sex in a human being's life, so I also request you to please enlighten us with the knowledge about semen conservation, it's importance, and the consequences of frequently releasing it thorough sex or masturbation. Since today most of the youth are indulged in mansturbation and they think it to be good in comparison to doing sex with some female for ...
Read more