Ultimate Self Realization

What trip to Vraja Mandal, Sri Vrindavan Dham, would be complete without doing Govardhan Parikrama, the circumambulation of Govardhan Hill? We don't have to worry about the answer to this question because today we are doing it. We are out on Govardhan Parikrama, a pilgrimage that is so powerful that it can deliver one from material existence, the wheel of repeated birth and death. The great spiritual potency of Govardhan is confirmed in the Adi-varaha Purana as follows: "Two yojanas [sixteen miles], west of Mathura, is the very rare place named Govardhan. A person who circumambulates this place named Annakuta-tirtha does not return to this world." Of course we should not take this boon cheaply and think that we can do all nonsense and then circumambulate Govardhan for deliverance. We should live a pure life of bhakti under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master and also circumambulate Govardhan Hill for the special blessings it bestows. Govardhan is the hill that w

What could be more ecstatic than to be at the very spot where God Himself, Lord Sri Krishna, 5,000 years compassionately displayed His transcendental pastimes for the benefit of the suffering souls of this world? Just being here is a thrill! How much God is kind upon us that He descended to this realm in His original form and brought along His associates from the spiritual world to display to us His inconceivable, unlimitedly variegated pastimes for the purpose of attracting us to come back to our original home with Him in that wondrous Spiritual Sky. Every particle of dust in this holy land has been blessed by the touch of His lotus feet. And for those who have the eyes to see, He is still enacting His transcendental lila (pastimes) here at this very minute. That inconceivable Master of All Mystics, Lord Sri Krishna, expanded from Himself an incarnation of Himself known as Balarama just so He could enjoy having a big brother Who is also God. These two brothers then, accompanied by Th

One cannot enter into Sri Vrindavan Dham by purchasing an airline ticket or by hiring a taxi from the Delhi airport. One can only enter into the holy abode of Sri Vrindavan by the mercy of the Lord's pure devotee. Therefore we humbly down at the lotus feet of our spiritual master and beg him to engage us eternally in his service. It is this humble submission and service at the lotus feet of one's guru which enables one to enter directly into the kingdom of God. Therefore we always begin our day by worshiping our spiritual master with a beautiful ceremony known as Mangala Arati, which is centered around the singing of the sublime Gurvastakam Prayers, the Eight Prayers Glorifying the Spiritual Master. You can hear and read the Gurvastakam prayers at: http://backtohome.com/Gurvastakam/ Here in Vrindavan Dham, Mangala Arati is especially sweet. Devotees from all over the world gather at 4:10 A.M. in Srila Prabhupada's Samadhi, the beautiful marble temple built on the spot wher

There is truly nothing sweeter than being here in Lord Sri Krishna's transcendental abode, Sri Vrindavan Dham. This magical realm, although manifested visibly on this earthly plane, exists eternally far beyond the confines of time and space in that unlimitedly sweet Spiritual Sky. Simply by coming here for a few minutes the sincere pilgrim can be infused with transcendental emotions of loving sentiments for the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus be blessed with the key for entering and remaining in an eternal existence, full of knowledge and full of bliss. Sankarshan Das Adhikari The Holy Land of Sri Vrindavan Dham Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: What are the Fourteen Worlds? You mention in one of your "Thought for the Day"s that there are fourteen worlds. What are those? Can you please enumerate? Your humble student, Nithin Answer: Fourteen Planetary Systems Within this Material Universe The fourteen worlds are as explained as follows by

25 November 2007. This afternoon we will fly out from Doha. After a five hour transit stop in Dubai we will take an overnight flight to Delhi where our driver will be waiting to take us on a three hour drive to the most sacred ground in the entire universe, Sri Vrindavan Dham, the holy land of Lord Sri Krishna. It was in Vrindavan Dham 5,000 years ago that Krishna exhibited for the benefit all of the conditioned souls in this universe His sweetest and most intimate childhood pastimes. By His inconceivable charms He completely captured the hearts of the residents of Vrindavan so much so that all they could do was think about Krishna, talk about Krishna, and relish participating in the pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna 24 hours a day. Visiting Krishna's holy land and associating constantly with its holy dustnaturally awakens in one's heart the innate tendency to be constantly dovetailed with the supreme source of all existence, Lord Sri Krishna, by always chanting, hearing, and remem

This material existence is a vast, desolate wasteland. Even though the living beings are hankering like anything to find satisfaction here, they fail miserably in their attempt to do so in spite of endeavoring for it with great determination. They want to be happy all the time, but yet they are dragged against their will through so many varieties of suffering situations. And even if they do find satisfaction, it is only a few drops. It is not enough to completely satisfy them. A few drops of water cannot sustain one who is dying of thirst in the desert. But there is an oasis available for all, a place where everyone can find complete, total ever-increasing satisfaction at every minute. That oasis is Krishna consciousness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Qatari Wasteland Revealing the Supreme Oasis in Qatar Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Hellish Planets Your Grace, Please accept my humble obeisances. If the spirit soul transmigrates from one body to another at the ti

There is nothing more important for the aspiring transcendentalist than to get the association of advanced devotees. Mere intellectualization of the science of bhakti is not sufficient to bring one to the perfectional stage of spiritual realization. To go beyond the theoretical stage to the stage of practical realization of the Absolute Truth Personality of Godhead requires the contact of realized devotees. This principle cannot be neglected because there is no substitute for this. There is such great potency in this advanced association that even a slight contact with a realized soul can bestow spiritual perfection upon that soul who is so fortunate as to be blessed by that association. This point is confirmed as follows in the Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta: 'sādhu-sańga', 'sādhu-sańga' -- sarva-śāstre kaya lava-mātra sādhu-sańge sarva-siddhi haya "The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment's association with a pure devotee, one can attain all

If the Qataris can openly and freely wear their traditional dress, why do I have to hide mine when I am visiting their country? Here in Qatar even while working their ordinary jobs at the airport I see so many Qatari men and women dressing in their traditional garb. But yet Hare Krishna devotees are advised here not to openly show anything publicly of their culture even tilak, what to speak of wearing a dhoti. (Editor' note: Tilak is the marking worn on the forehead by devotees of Krishna. And a dhoti is the traditional robe worn by male Hare Krishna devotees.) This all stems from a sectarian conception of religion in which one thinks that his way to God is the only way to God. Such a sectarian conception is killing actual religion. It's time the world wakes up and realizes that religion is the science of re-connecting with God. It is not a sect. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Qatari Dress Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Pure Vs. Pseudo Surrender When can some

21 November 2007. Now after a grueling day of travel we are here in the desert in Qatar. What a contrast! It was snowing like anything in Sofia and now the very next day we are in the desert. This is typical of the dualistic nature of this material world. Sometimes it is hot. Sometimes it is cold. Sometimes we are happy. Sometimes we are sad. Sometimes we are honored. Sometimes we are dishonored. Sometimes we are rich. Sometimes we are poor. The Bible also confirms this, "To everything there is a season." What to do? We have to learn how to be tolerant. This is confirmed as follows in the Bhagavad-gita: mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāḿs titikṣasva bhārata "O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate

20 November 2007. Today is a full day of traveling. We departed ISKCON's Sofia, Bulgaria temple this morning at 4:00 am. It's now 9:00am and we are here in Budapest. In a few minutes we will board a flight to Amsterdam, where we will catch a flight to Dubai and from there a flight to Doha, Qatar where I will lecturing on the supreme self-realization science for several days. We will finally arrive in Doha at 2:30 am tomorrow morning having spent a full day in airports and on airplanes. I try to utilize my travel time to the max by staying fully absorbed as much as possible in studying the Bhagavad-gita, chanting the Hare Krishna mantra on my japa beads, and keeping up with "Thought for the Day" and my e-mail correspondence. It's a lot of work, but I love every minute of it. We are getting so much positive feedback from the people we are reaching out to all over the world. It is immensely gratifying. The austerities are nothing. The bliss is everything. Sankarshan

After two super ecstatic months of planting the spiritual enlightenment seeds of bhakti in Europe, we are heading out today for the middle east and India. There's a whole world out there drowning in ignorance desperately in need of being rescued. Since I've been blessed by my beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, with the knowledge that can set the entire world free, it is my duty to try to spread it like anything as far and as wide as possible until my last dying breath. I am praying to my most dear Lord Krishna that somehow or other the entire world can take interest in this most sublime message, the Srimad Bhagavad-gita, and take it so seriously that it becomes the guiding principle for the entire human society. The entire world will be transformed into a paradise. Sankarshan Das Adhikari "Taste the Nectar" Ecstatic Public Lecture in Timisoara, Romania 17 November 2007 Link below is for hearing the lecture: http://www.backtohome.com/Lectur

Everyone is hankering to taste the sweetest nectar at every minute, but hardly anyone knows the secret of how to do that. Therefore I am constantly traveling all over the world to reveal to as many people as possible the secret knowledge of how to do just that. There is nothing more enlivening and rewarding for me than when an entire hall full of people becomes electrified and transported into transcendental bliss by the sweet, nectarean waves of mercy emanating from the Hare Krishna mantra and the liberating philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita. Such a thing happened last Saturday night (17 November 2007) in Timisoara, Romania. As soon as I entered the room I could immediately feel the magic in the air. I knew right away that it was going to be another one of those unforgettable evenings. And sure enough, my premonition proved to be true. The Hare Krishna mantra took on new meaning as I experienced it in ways that I have never experienced it before. And my audience was right there with me

Award winning inventor and computer scientist Ray Kurzweil is convinced that modern science will give us immortality within the next 20 years. In his recent book, "Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever" he writes about millions of blood cell-sized robots, which he calls "nanobots," that will keep us forever young by swarming through the body, repairing bones, muscles, arteries and brain cells. He envisions that improvements to our genetic coding will be downloaded via the Internet and that we won't even need a heart. He does not understand the subtle laws of nature that according to our karma we are allotted a specific amount of time in a particular body. Even if we can create such nanobots which swarm through our bodies as Mr. Kurzweil envisions, we cannot extend the lifespan of our material body even one nanosecond beyond its allotted time. Our actual existence is eternal. It does not depend upon nanobots or any other material thing. This body is

My spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, often quoted the Bengali saying, "pāgale ki nā bole, chāgale ki nā khāya--There is nothing that a goat will not eat, and nothing that a madman will not speak." He used this to point a finger at the modern day thinkers and leaders of the world society who often speak all varieties of nonsensical speculations in defiance of the source of all existence, the Supreme Person. This is our present dilemma on this planet. We are stuck with goat-like leaders who do not understand the relationship between the individual self and the Supreme Self. Because we are currently being led by such non-leaders, the entire planet earth is in an ever increasingly chaotic condition. Therefore there is nothing more urgently required at the present moment than the emergence of enlightened leaders on this planet. This is the only hope for the suffering humanity. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Photos in Transit from Sofia to Timisoara

After a 16 day sojourn here in Sofia, we head out early this morning to Timisoara, Romania. It is a great adventure, traveling and spreading the ultimate self-realization science all over the world. Wherever we go we are able, by the mercy of our spiritual master, to dovetail the individual consciousness with the Supreme Source of all Consciousness, Lord Sri Krishna. If we travel the world for our enjoyment, eventually such travel become hackneyed and dry because by nature we are not meant to be independent enjoyers. Since the part is always meant to serve the whole, and because we are constitutionally parts of the Complete Whole, we are therefore meant to be servants. But if we travel the world for the topmost service of connecting ourselves and all others with the Supreme through the ultimate self-realization technique known as bhakti or devotion, we are reconnecting with our eternal enlightened natures, and thus we can enjoy unlimited, ever-increasing bliss by such travel. We

Of course, the mundane Sofia, Bulgaria is anything but sublime. The general population here, as everywhere else in this material world, is deeply engrossed in the material modes of nature. They are not acting in accordance with the higher laws of nature and thus they relegate themselves to a miserable, illusioned, lower state of semi-consciousness. There is however a higher plane of consciousness available to all, if they only knew about it. Hence, my life's mission is to do everything I possibly can to introduce the entire world to the sublime teachings of the Bhagavad-gita. If you feel that you can trust me, kindly study very carefully what I am teaching in the light of thoughtful intelligence. I can assure you that if you do so, you will find it to be strikingly wonderful. Here in Sofia, Bulgaria there is a wonderful community of Hare Krishna people. Ten of them are my initiated disciples. The Bulgarian devotees have so nicely facilitated our visit here with the sweetest hospit

Today is the disappearance day of my most beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He disappeared by natural causes from this mortal world thirty years ago today on 14 November 1977 in Vrindavan . Of course it is not that he is dead and gone. The spiritual master lives forever by his divine instructions and the disciple lives with him. Srila Prabhupada accomplished what no other spiritual master in the history of the world has ever been able to accomplish. In a brief time span of eleven years from 1966 to 1977 he successfully established the culture of Krishna consciousness all over the world. It was by his divine potency that the Hare Krishna mantra became known all over the world. And it is by his divine potency only that Krishna consciousness is becoming ever-increasingly more popular with each passing day. For example, this meager attempt to serve his mission, our daily e-newsletter "Thought for the Day", now has over 7,100 subscrib

Although I am 60 years old, there is an unstoppable spirit within me that I have had ever since I was a youth. Even though it could be said that my mood is completely foolish and utopian, still nevertheless it still remains as an irremovable deeply ingrained part of my psyche. I want to be a part of bringing about a spiritual revolution that will completely save the suffering humanity from its innumerable woes. I want to see that the entire world is transformed into a paradise where everyone lives together in perfect peace and harmony by always keeping God in the center of their consciousness and as the basis of all their relationships. In this mood my constant prayer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna is that if He so desires He may bless me that I will not die until the entire world become completely transformed by a spiritual renaissance which unites all peoples into one peaceful, loving spiritual family. Whether Krishna answers my impossible prayer or not is

The greatest need in the world right now is transcendental community building. Such community building must start at the individual level with individuals interacting with individuals purely on the basis of pleasing God without any tinge of selfishness or egotism. As long as we act on a self-centered platform we will never be able to build genuine community. It is only when we act on the basis of the God-centered conception that we can begin to build actual community. All we really have to do to save the world is to build individual relationships with each other purely on the basis of pleasing God without any tinge of self-centeredness. If such pure relationships can be established, they will naturally attract more and more individuals. Genuine spiritual community will be established and such a community will expand like wildfire quickly spreading to engulf the entire human society. The key to making this happen is the purity of the individual relationships. If such community

There is no book throughout world history like the Bhagavad-gita. The great American transcendentalist philosopher, Henry David Thoreau, had this to say about the Bhagavad-gita: "In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita, in comparison with which our modern world and it's literature seem puny and trivial." Seeing as how there are many hundreds of editions of Bhagavad-gita available, how does one go about choosing which edition to read? One school of thought is to choose the edition which moves our heart the most. But how do we know if our heart is being moved in the right direction? If ones reads Sanskrit, the original language in which the Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Krishna to Arjuna, there is no difficulty in deciding which edition to read, because in Sanskrit there is only one edition. So when it comes to deciding which translation to read, the decision is also very simple. One simply has to find out wh

One of the things I love the most about our ISKCON center in Sofia, Bulgaria is the beautiful poster of Radha and Krishna, which so sweetly and stunningly graces the wall in the temple room. When I see this poster I am wonderfully reminded of that time of great exhilaration and adventure when I first discovered Krishna in Denver, Colorado in 1968. I was living in a small one-room efficiency apartment at 1271 Lafayette Street. Browsing at an imports store I found an amazing poster. It was Krishna! It was God! I had read His words in the Bhagavad-gita and now here was His picture! Excited by my discovery I bought it, brought it home, and made an altar on which to place the Supreme Lord, prominently situated beneath my apartment's bay window. I was astounded to read in the Bhagavad-gita that I could directly offer my vegetarian foods to Krishna and that He would accept them. So when I got home every evening from my job in downtown Denver I would offer my vegetarian food to m

A mirage in the desert gives the appearance of being a body of water. But it contains no water at all. It is simply an image of the sky which is being reflected from the warm air lying over the sand. In a similar way, although this material world appears to be a comfortable, sheltering place, there factually is no shelter for us here. It is simply a reflection within the material energy of the spiritual world, the factual abode of eternity, knowledge, and bliss, which lies far beyond the temporary, illusory, miserable material existence. Just as the desert mirage appears very nice to a thirsty man who is desperately searching for water in the desert, this material existence appears very nice to those persons who are in illusion. But that mirage cannot and will not give that thirsty man the water he needs to survive. It does not contain any water. In the same way this material abode of birth and death can never give real happiness to the living beings who are struggling like anything t

This is the sacred month of Damodar (also known as Kartik) on the Vaisnava lunar calendar. It comes every year in October-November. It is a very spiritual month when devotees are encouraged to go to Vrindavan, India to spend the entire month engaged in devotional service in Lord Sri Krishna's sweet transcendental abode. For those who cannot go to Sri Vrindavan Dham it is advised to create a very spiritual, Vrindavan-like atmosphere in their place of residence. They should try to attend their nearest ISKCON temple as much as possible where the singing of the Damodarastakam prayers are sung every evening along with a ceremony of everyone offering a small candle or ghee wick before the Deity. If one cannot get to the evening program at the temple one can sing Damodarastakam and offer a candle at home. The Damodarastakam is as follows: Śrī Dāmodarāsṭaka Text One namāmīśvaraṁ sac-cid-ānanda-rūpaṁ lasat-kuṇḍalaṁ gokule bhrājamanam yaśodā-bhiyolūkhalād dhāvamānaṁ parāmṛsṭam atyanta