Krishna Can Do Anything
There is no limit to what Krishna can do or Krishna cannot do because He is the Supreme Controller. There is no one above Him or on an equal level with Him. Therefore we should never put limits on what can or cannot happen by His arrangement. It may appear that the material energy is all-powerful, but it is simply one of Krishna's insignificant energies. With full faith in the unlimited mercy of the Supreme Lord we should simply carry on with our life's activities fully dedicated to His service. This will bring us the most sublime peace and happiness. We have nothing to fear in this world. The only thing we are afraid of is forgetting Krishna. Therefore we always absorb ourselves in hearing about Him, chanting His glories, and remembering Him as much as possible 24 hours daily, and thereby always taste the sweetest nectar.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Hello. I'm somewhat new in my exposure to ISKCON and have a few questions on how to begin.
To give a little bit of information about me. I live in Tucson, Arizona. I've been a student of the Gita for sometime and I affirm a vast majority of the teachings I've encountered so far in the writings of Srila Prabhupada (and am willing to suspend judgment on the rest on account of my own lack of knowledge). I have seen the limits of contemplation alone, and have come to accept the essential message of the Gita - that love and devotion are the path back to God. I've started to chant, I've been offering meals to Lord Krishna, and I've been studying the Gita.
So here's what I'm trying to figure out. I've been interested in Vaishnavism and living my life the Vedic way for sometime (my father even insisted on taking my brother and I to the local Hindu temple when I was younger - my folks are pretty open), but only in the recent past have I started to apply any of it. I'm coming out of a mixed spiritual past, where I've spent time in a Catholic monastery (as I was raised Catholic) and with a Sufi order. While I see great beauty and merit in the guru/disciple (student/teacher) framework, I've also seen what it can do when it goes horribly wrong. It's continuing to go wrong in one of my friend's lives.
The dilemma then becomes what do you do when you have good reason to hesitate about teachers but see the teacher/student relationship as necessary?
I know that Krishna, the Gita, and the Vedas are where I want to be, but I'm going to take it very, very slowly.
One of the things that I wonder about is whether or not there is a way to take the step of entering into the Vedic path on the Vedas' terms. I want to learn what comes along with taking on the holistic culture of the Vedas, and I think I ought to begin on the right foot. If someone can't get onboard about initiation with a particular guru, is there some sort of way to convert (this is the best word I could come up with) to a broader Vaishnavism? I realize that these sorts of ceremonies can ring kind of hollow, especially when laid alongside the sheer devotion of kirtan, but if there is something that appropriately marks embracing devotion to the Lord and the Vedic way of life, I'd like to begin there. I've read of some groups recommending shuddhi or namakarana samskara. What would you recommend?
Joined to that is the matter of how I could begin to expand my worship of Krishna in my home? I have a little shrine going where I offer my chanting and food.
With all apologies for my lack of knowledge,
Your student
At the same time a spiritual master is necessary. So what to do? One has to be very careful and discriminative to find out a bona fide spiritual master, the master who is a living embodiment of the wisdom contained in the Vedic wisdom, especially Bhagavad-gita because it is the essence of all Vedic wisdom.
The key to recognizing such a master is that you should scrutinizingly study the Bhagavad-gita and become very well grounded in the teachings of Lord Sri Krishna. By doing this, it will then become clear to you who is a bona fide spiritual master and who is not.
Initiation is the third step in the Vedic way of spiritual progress. The first step is to have faith in the self-realization process. The second step is to associate with like-minded souls who are also on the pathway of self-realization or have perfected the pathway of self-realization. No ceremony is required. Your next step is simply to find out those persons who are following seriously the Bhagavad-gita and associate with them as much as possible. In the association of devotees you will naturally make spiritual progress by transcendental osmosis.
For such association you can visit our Caitanya Cultural Center in Tucson. It is at the same location as our award-winning vegetarian restaurant, Govinda's. For directions and timings consult the following:
http://www.govindasoftucson.com/
For Krishna consciousness at home kindly note the following article:
http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/articles.php?articleId=81
I lectured at the Caitanya Cultural Center several weeks ago and there is a strong likelihood that I will be doing so again in 2008. Keep checking my itinerary as posted in "Thought for the Day" for updates so you can make sure to be there the next time I come to Tucson.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Answers According to the Vedic Version:
Question: First Steps on the Path?...
Hello. I'm somewhat new in my exposure to ISKCON and have a few questions on how to begin.
To give a little bit of information about me. I live in Tucson, Arizona. I've been a student of the Gita for sometime and I affirm a vast majority of the teachings I've encountered so far in the writings of Srila Prabhupada (and am willing to suspend judgment on the rest on account of my own lack of knowledge). I have seen the limits of contemplation alone, and have come to accept the essential message of the Gita - that love and devotion are the path back to God. I've started to chant, I've been offering meals to Lord Krishna, and I've been studying the Gita.
So here's what I'm trying to figure out. I've been interested in Vaishnavism and living my life the Vedic way for sometime (my father even insisted on taking my brother and I to the local Hindu temple when I was younger - my folks are pretty open), but only in the recent past have I started to apply any of it. I'm coming out of a mixed spiritual past, where I've spent time in a Catholic monastery (as I was raised Catholic) and with a Sufi order. While I see great beauty and merit in the guru/disciple (student/teacher) framework, I've also seen what it can do when it goes horribly wrong. It's continuing to go wrong in one of my friend's lives.
The dilemma then becomes what do you do when you have good reason to hesitate about teachers but see the teacher/student relationship as necessary?
I know that Krishna, the Gita, and the Vedas are where I want to be, but I'm going to take it very, very slowly.
One of the things that I wonder about is whether or not there is a way to take the step of entering into the Vedic path on the Vedas' terms. I want to learn what comes along with taking on the holistic culture of the Vedas, and I think I ought to begin on the right foot. If someone can't get onboard about initiation with a particular guru, is there some sort of way to convert (this is the best word I could come up with) to a broader Vaishnavism? I realize that these sorts of ceremonies can ring kind of hollow, especially when laid alongside the sheer devotion of kirtan, but if there is something that appropriately marks embracing devotion to the Lord and the Vedic way of life, I'd like to begin there. I've read of some groups recommending shuddhi or namakarana samskara. What would you recommend?
Joined to that is the matter of how I could begin to expand my worship of Krishna in my home? I have a little shrine going where I offer my chanting and food.
With all apologies for my lack of knowledge,
Your student
Answer: Associate with Devotees...
I am very pleased to hear how you are making very nice spiritual progress. It is very good to be hesitant regarding accepting a spiritual master, because most of the spiritual masters nowadays are not actually qualified to be spiritual masters and do their students more harm than good.At the same time a spiritual master is necessary. So what to do? One has to be very careful and discriminative to find out a bona fide spiritual master, the master who is a living embodiment of the wisdom contained in the Vedic wisdom, especially Bhagavad-gita because it is the essence of all Vedic wisdom.
The key to recognizing such a master is that you should scrutinizingly study the Bhagavad-gita and become very well grounded in the teachings of Lord Sri Krishna. By doing this, it will then become clear to you who is a bona fide spiritual master and who is not.
Initiation is the third step in the Vedic way of spiritual progress. The first step is to have faith in the self-realization process. The second step is to associate with like-minded souls who are also on the pathway of self-realization or have perfected the pathway of self-realization. No ceremony is required. Your next step is simply to find out those persons who are following seriously the Bhagavad-gita and associate with them as much as possible. In the association of devotees you will naturally make spiritual progress by transcendental osmosis.
For such association you can visit our Caitanya Cultural Center in Tucson. It is at the same location as our award-winning vegetarian restaurant, Govinda's. For directions and timings consult the following:
http://www.govindasoftucson.com/
For Krishna consciousness at home kindly note the following article:
http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/articles.php?articleId=81
I lectured at the Caitanya Cultural Center several weeks ago and there is a strong likelihood that I will be doing so again in 2008. Keep checking my itinerary as posted in "Thought for the Day" for updates so you can make sure to be there the next time I come to Tucson.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Comments
Post a Comment