The Other Side of Reality

There is far more to reality than meets the eye. Beyond the screen of the material energy is a vast spiritual existence where life is eternal, full of bliss, and full of knowledge. In that abode there is no birth, no death, no old age, and no disease. There the Lord and His devotees are engaged in the sweetest, most nectarean activities for all of eternity free from any kind of disturbance. We are originally from that place, but we have fallen down into this world of birth, death, old age, and disease and have been entrapped here for so long that we have forgotten our original identity in that most amazing transcendental existence. Now all we have to do is reconnect with our original nature under the guidance of enlightened transcendentalists. By their mercy we will awaken.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Loving God...

How is it possible to have a relationship with God?

I do the chanting and read the books and associate with the devotees and follow the principles and offer my food, but I have no relationship with God, let alone a loving relationship.

Surely, to develop a relationship with someone there needs to be personal interaction and two-way communication. So, how is it possible to have a relationship if I cannot see any reciprocation from God?

Why do you love God? What is it about Him that you love? How do we know for sure that God loves us? (and how to see this in our lives not just some scriptural quote)

What do the intimate loving affairs of Radha and Krishna have to do with us?

How do I enjoy life?

Your servant,

Alex

Answer: By the Mercy of Guru and Krishna...

Here are your very nice questions with answers:

Question: How is it possible to have a relationship with God? I do the chanting and read the books and associate with the devotees and follow the principles and offer my food, but I have no relationship with God, let alone a loving relationship. Surely, to develop a relationship with someone there needs to be personal interaction and two-way communication. So, how is it possible to have a relationship if I cannot see any reciprocation from God?

Answer: When you offer your food you are directly offering it to God. When you chant Hare Krishna you are directly addressing the Lord and His energy to engage you in their service. In this way you should be developing a personal loving relationship with the Lord. You must always introspectively observe your thoughts, words, and deeds to make sure that they are pleasing to the Lord. Don't do these things impersonally. Do them for the pleasure of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna reciprocates by returning the offered foods back to us in the form of prasadam. He reciprocates with the chanting by showering us with transcendental bliss.

Question: Why do you love God? What is it about Him that you love?

Answer: I love Krishna because He is so beautiful and so wonderful and so absolutely amazing and because He bestows upon me the highest happiness.

Question: How do we know for sure that God loves us? And how to see this in our lives not just from some scriptural quote?

Answer: I can feel the bliss He is showering upon me at every minute.

Question: What do the intimate loving affairs of Radha and Krishna have to do with us?

Answer: They are an invitation for us to become intimately involved in those loving affairs.

Question: How do I enjoy life?

Answer: By adopting wholeheartedly basic principles of bhakti given by Srila Rupa Goswami (as listed in the Nectar of Devotion) as follows:

How to Discharge Devotional Service:

(1) Accept the shelter of the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master.
(2) Become initiated by the spiritual master and learn how to discharge devotional service from him.
(3) Obey the orders of the spiritual master with faith and devotion.
(4) Follow in the footsteps of great acharyas (teachers) under the direction of the spiritual master.
(5) Inquire from the spiritual master how to advance in Krishna consciousness.
(6) Be prepared to give up anything material for the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. (This means that when we are engaged in the devotional service of Krishna, we must be prepared to give up something which we may not like to give up, and also we have to accept something which we may not like to accept.)
(7) Reside in a sacred place of pilgrimage like Dvaraka or Vrindavana.
(8) Accept only what is necessary, or dealing with the material world only as far as necessary.
(9) Observe the fasting day on Ekadasi.
(10) Worship sacred trees like the banyan tree.

These ten items are preliminary necessities for beginning the discharge of devotional service in regulative principles. In the beginning, if a neophyte devotee observes the above-mentioned ten principles, surely he will quickly make good advancement in Krishna consciousness and enjoy life like anything.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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