Back on the Road
Life is great when you are Krishna conscious. That's why I want to see the entire world become Krishna conscious, so everyone can become happy. It's 6:31 am on 29 October 2007. I'm here at the airport in San Antonio, Texas waiting for my flight to Minneapolis from where I will catch a flight to Amsterdam. After a twelve day layover at our headquarters in Austin, Texas it's back on the road again, this time for three months to finish up my round-the-world lecture tour, sharing the secrets of unlimited happiness in seventeen different countries.
With sincere thanks I offer my humble obeisances at the lotus feet of my eternal spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who has so kindly saved me from the repetition of birth and death and blessed with the order of doing the same for as many as possible of the souls who are suffering in this material existence just like I was.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Are we realizing our true self as we gain more knowledge and accept Krishna as the Supreme Controller? When we take a step closer to Krishna acknowledging that He is the Master Controller of the soul, is the soul awakened? Does the thus-awakened soul then begin to guide our intellect and in turn, our actions toward the direction of the soul (atma) i.e. preparing the soul for our new bodies? Or are Krishna and the soul different? Please help.
Discovering myself,
Veeren Rampersad
The true self is realized when you understand that you are not your gross or subtle body and that you are an eternal spirit-soul, servant of Krishna. The awakening of your actual self is experienced according to your degree of surrender at the lotus feet of the Lord. Once you are fully awakened, you are completely freed from the chains of the material nature--birth, death, old age, and disease. Krishna then guides you at every step how to safely return to your original, eternal identity as a participant in His transcendental pastimes in the spiritual world.
For such an awakened soul there is no question of taking another material body. His eternal spiritual body becomes revived and he enjoys an eternal life, full of bliss, and knowledge in the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
It is very, very important to note in this connection that Krishna and the soul are different. Although qualitatively one, they are quantitatively different. In other words they are not one and the same; they are one and different. It they were one and the same it would not be possible to render loving service to the supreme person as was done by Arjuna and Hanuman. Loving service means that three things must exist: the servitor, the served, and the service.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
With sincere thanks I offer my humble obeisances at the lotus feet of my eternal spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who has so kindly saved me from the repetition of birth and death and blessed with the order of doing the same for as many as possible of the souls who are suffering in this material existence just like I was.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Answers According to the Vedic Version:
Question: Changing Bodies and the Soul
If the soul remains unchanged but only the body changes, please explain to me how understanding, knowledge and wisdom come into this equation. When I was a child I had a different body, different mind, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding etc. compared to the body I have now. Along with my mind, understanding and wisdom that I have now, are not all these things, i.e. mind, wisdom, knowledge, etc, making up the soul?Are we realizing our true self as we gain more knowledge and accept Krishna as the Supreme Controller? When we take a step closer to Krishna acknowledging that He is the Master Controller of the soul, is the soul awakened? Does the thus-awakened soul then begin to guide our intellect and in turn, our actions toward the direction of the soul (atma) i.e. preparing the soul for our new bodies? Or are Krishna and the soul different? Please help.
Discovering myself,
Veeren Rampersad
Answer: Regaining Your Original Spiritual Body
It is a fact that the soul remains unchanged and that only the body changes. The intellectual faculties are part of the subtle body. The soul is covered by the both the subtle body--composed of mind, intelligence, and false ego--and the gross body--composed of earth, water, fire, air, and ether. The gross body changes, and the subtle body also changes. Meanwhile throughout all these changes, the soul remains unchanged.The true self is realized when you understand that you are not your gross or subtle body and that you are an eternal spirit-soul, servant of Krishna. The awakening of your actual self is experienced according to your degree of surrender at the lotus feet of the Lord. Once you are fully awakened, you are completely freed from the chains of the material nature--birth, death, old age, and disease. Krishna then guides you at every step how to safely return to your original, eternal identity as a participant in His transcendental pastimes in the spiritual world.
For such an awakened soul there is no question of taking another material body. His eternal spiritual body becomes revived and he enjoys an eternal life, full of bliss, and knowledge in the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
It is very, very important to note in this connection that Krishna and the soul are different. Although qualitatively one, they are quantitatively different. In other words they are not one and the same; they are one and different. It they were one and the same it would not be possible to render loving service to the supreme person as was done by Arjuna and Hanuman. Loving service means that three things must exist: the servitor, the served, and the service.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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