Ultimate Self Realization

After many weeks of preparation for our fourth around-the-world-preaching tour we are finally down to the last hours before departure. There are so many minute details that must be attended to. If one of them is missed it can cause great havoc. Therefore it is with great sobriety that we are spending the final hours before departure carefully minding all of the details. All this trouble is definitely worth it. It is such a wonderful, fulfilling adventure to be spreading Krishna consciousness all over the world. My spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, said his disciples should do twice as much as he did. So since he traveled eleven times around the world for spreading the Krishna consciousness movement, my duty is circle the globe at least 22 times for the same purpose. I have my work cut out for me. After completing this fourth tour in July I will have to do at least 18 more. What could be more worthwhile? Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Questio

If we want to factually come out of the darkness of ignorance and misery into the full light of spiritual knowledge and bliss, we must be under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. I remember quite well the dark, dreary life I suffered through for so many long years before I was blessed with eternal shelter at the lotus feet of my beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It was really tough before I became his disciple. I wouldn't want to wish such a meaningless, confused existence upon anyone. But this is where the entire human society is situated at the present moment. They are not under a guru's shelter. Krishna was really kind to bring me in contact with Srila Prabhupada. I wish that everyone throughout the world can equally fortunate to be blessed with the shelter of a bona fide spiritual master. Therefore I now offer to Lord Krishna the following powerful mantra from the Srimad Bhagavatam for the deliverance of all the

A society that is not guided by a spiritually enlightened class of brahmanas is a headless society. How can we expect peace and prosperity in such a society? It is not possible. Sadly, this is the current state of affairs on this planet. We are a headless society. It is a society of the blind leading the blind. When a blind man leads another blind men, where do they both end up? In the ditch. Unless and until the human society takes advantage of the guidance of spiritually enlightened teachers it is doomed to failure. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Bathing Required Before Chanting and Reading? I enjoy reading the question and answer part of your daily email. Every time I open my email and see the subject "Ultimate Self Realization Course" I go into a meditative state and realize again that God is there. Your daily email has become an anchor in my life. Some religions like Islam require a special washing before praying.

We are in the last stages of preparing for over three months on the road traveling for spreading Krishna consciousness around the world. It is not easy to simultaneously tie up all the loose ends here at our headquarters and at the same time make sure everything is perfectly arranged for each stop along the way. But it is a wonderful opportunity to fully absorb myself 24 hours a day in Krishna consciousness. Who could ask for anything better than this? Being Krishna conscious is more valuable than being the wealthiest or most powerful person on this planet or in this universe. I would not trade it for anything! Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Life's Problems Solved? How will dedication and devotion solve all the problems of human life? Your student Answer: By Devotion to the Supreme Lord Devotion to the Supreme Lord solves all the problems of life because it reconnects us with our original all-blissful enlightened state of co

Unlimited happiness is there within you. You cannot find it in the external world of birth and death. So don't even bother trying. The science of self-realization is the process of arousing that unlimited happiness within you. This self-realization is gradually developed through different levels of awakening culminating in the highest stage known as Krishna consciousness. The beauty of the Krishna consciousness process, as we are teaching you according to the great acharyas, is that anyone at any level can adopt this process and quickly ascend to the highest level of spiritual perfection. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Guru Does Not Guide Me. I am Lost. I have a spiritual guru. I love him since childhood. When I was kid or in teenage he communicated to me and answered a few of my questions in my dreams. But now he doesn't contact me when I need him the most. I pray to him to contact me as contacting and talking to him physicall

Some people argue, "What is the necessity of having a spiritual master when God is there? Why can't I just have God directly as my guru just as Arjuna did?" The answer is that we are not standing face to face with God as Arjuna was. Of course since God is omnipresent, He is certainly present with us. That's a fact. But in our present state of conditioned consciousness we can neither hear Him nor see Him. So how we will receive instructions from Him for our deliverance from birth and death?'' To this question someone could answer, "Since God is present in the form of scriptures, if we simply follow the instructions in the scriptures, we will become delivered." This a valid principle. And in the scriptures we find that over and over again we are instructed to take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master. It is also enjoined in the scriptures that unless one has a spiritual master he is not qualified to study the scriptures. The scriptures guide

There are many, many obstacles we face on the pathway to perfection. One has to patiently and cool-headedly deal with them one at a time in a careful, qualitative manner. In this way one will gradually surmount all obstacles and obtain the supreme perfection, pure Krishna bhakti. However, if one becomes impatient and does not want to have to deal with the obstacles, he may become frustrated and give up the process altogether. Just like when we bake a cake we start off by combining all the ingredients. Then after placing it in the ocean we have to patiently wait while the cake gradually bakes. If we expect it to immediately bake and take it out of the oven after a few minutes, we will ruin the cake. Similarly in Krishna consciousness, the ultimate self-realization system, we must carefully apply the system to the best of our ability and patiently await the results. If the results are not what we were supposed to get, we did something wrong. We have to then re-examine our practice

In this world everyone is looking for pleasure, but due to ignorance 99.99% of the people try to derive their pleasure from the interaction between the senses and the objects of the senses. This is a false platform because the body is not the actual self. It is simply a covering of the self. They do not realize that the actual pleasure is experienced only in the relationship between the self and the Supreme Self. Thus they fruitlessly waste their entire lives investing their time, intelligence, and energy pursuing goals that are not worth pursuing. And they end up at the end with nothing except an increased karmic debt which obliges them to enter into hellish situations in the lower species to burn off their karmic reactions. Those who are fortunately enlightened in the Vedic wisdom are blessed with a vision that allows to see beyond the hype. Such liberated souls investe their consciousness in the self-realization process. They focus their energies on reawakening the dormant

In Los Angeles on December 18, 1973 my spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, ordered his disciples to become gurus and to deliver the whole world. With on order like this sitting on our heads how can we ever feel that we have fully carried out our duty? In other words, we cannot rest easy until every man, woman, and child on the face of this planet have seriously taken up the pathway of spiritual perfection. How is it possible that we can bring about such a seemingly impossible spiritual revolution on this planet? It can only happen by the inconceivable grace of Lord Sri Krishna. We certainly we do not have the potency for ushering in such an unparalleled transformation of world history. But we can pray and endeavor to be the fully surrendered servants in the hands of Sri Guru and Sri Krishna so that they may use us as their instruments for bringing about this greatest of all miracles. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Challenge: Hare

In this material world there is danger at every step. Even if we make all arrangements to be safe and happy here, there is no guarantee of our safety and permanent happiness. In this connection there is the famous example of the Titanic. On April 15, 1912 this luxurious ocean liner, which was said to be unsinkable, embarked upon her maiden voyage with 2228 passengers and crew members aboard. After hitting an ice berg in the northern Atlantic she completely sank in a matter of hours leaving only 705 survivors and 1523 dead. Everyone thought themselves safe and happy enjoying the Titanic's luxurious atmosphere. But then within a matter of seconds their floating paradise was transformed into a sinking hell. We are not saying that you should become pessimistic about life. That is not the point at all. What we are saying is that you should learn the science of how to solidly reside within the catastrophe-proof dimension, the transcendental platform where birth, death, old age and

This most auspicious of all days is known as Gaura Purnima, the appearance day of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It was on this day in 1486 in what is now Mayapur, West Bengal, India that the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Krishna appeared in the form of His own devotee, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Lord Caitanya is known as the Golden Avatar, and He inundated the Indian sub-continent with the transcendental sound vibration of the Hare Krishna mahamantra creating an unprecedented spiritual revolution which has now expanded beyond the borders of India in the form of ISKCON for inundating the entire world in a tidal wave of love of God. Srila Rupa Goswami, one of the Lord's most confidential devotees who was taught continually by Him for ten days, wrote this beautiful prayer in praise of Lord Caitanya: namo mahā - vadānyāya kṛṣṇa - prema - pradāya te kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa - caitanya - nāmne gaura - tviṣe namah "I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord Śrī Kr

You have a reservoir of unlimited bliss within you. All you have to to taste unlimited nectar at every minute is to tap into it. How? You can easily tap into it with the Hare Krishna mahamantra pipeline. You can chant Hare Krishna at any time, at any place, whenever you feel a need to reconnect with that all-auspicious reservoir. So there is no reason to ever feel miserable or confused. All you have to do is chant Hare Krishna, and you will be immediately reconnected with Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Who is a reservoir of unlimited pleasure. Chant these names often. Chant them regularly. Your life will be unlimitedly sublime. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare Try it now! Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: From a Pickled Student Oh Master, I wish I knew what to do! I wish I knew what God wants me to do. I am so bewildered at the moment, One day of

The rising moon of Lord Caitanya's mercy is now inundating the entire universe in a tidal wave of Krishna prema. If you want to be happy, if you want to be free, all you have to do is catch that wave of mercy and let it carry you all the way back to home, back to Godhead. I caught that wave in 1971 and I have been riding it ever since. If you have not yet caught that wave I am now inviting you to dive into the ocean of unlimited devotion and catch that wave of Lord Caitanya's rising moon mercy. You will experience so much joy you will feel like you heart is breaking into a million pieces. Would you like an easy way to catch that wave? Watch the following video: http://www.backtohome.com/video/Rising-Moon.wmv Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Understand the Gita? My questions are: 1.) How can we attain the depth of Bhagavad-gita? 2.) What are the methods to get the real meanings? I'll be grateful for the answers. Regar

How do we come off of the material plane and become solidly situated on the transcendental plane? This is essential if we want to become actually happy because the material plane, in spite of all its phantasmagorical propaganda, has nothing of any lasting value to offer us. In the ultimate analysis, although bottled in so many varieties of seemingly attractive ways the material nature boils down to nothing more than the same old wine of birth, death, old age, and diseases. The way to get off the material plane is simply to take shelter of Krishna. He will save us. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Attain Equanimity? I have a question. We know that Hare Krishna devotees chant a minimum of 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra every day. If we get really busy at work , how do we still do the chant for the prescribed rounds? Is it okay on those days to do less than 16 rounds and add the missed rounds to our backlog so we can make

As I sit here writing "Thought for the Day" in my room on Sunday afternoon 16 March 2008 at the Bhaktivedanta Ashram in Austin, Texas USA, I am looking out on a world that is completely absorbed in ignorance. No one knows where they are coming from, where they are meant to go, nor how they are to get there. Practically all the members of the human population are running around aimlessly like dogs chasing their tails going here, going there with no real purpose in life other than the gratification of the temporary senses. They are simply trying to keep themselves busy so they don't have to think about death. What the world needs now more than ever are heroes who are willing to sacrifice everything for realizing and spreading the Supreme Deathless Truth to a world that now desperately needs it more than ever at any other time in world history. Are you willing to live the heroic life of total dedication to the Supreme Absolute Truth? Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers Acc

Every minute is unlimitedly precious. We cannot buy back even one minute of lost time, even if we possess all the world's wealth. Therefore time should not be squandered in unnecessary sense gratification. We should instead fully dedicate our every thought, word, and deed in all times, places, and circumstances to awakening our dormant Krishna consciousness and the Krishna consciousness of others. This is the proper utilization of the human form of life, nothing else. This scrupulous use of our limited time in this body assures us of entrance into the transcendental kingdom of God at the time of our passing from our present body. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Become Attached to Krishna? In the 15 March 2008 "Thought for the Day" you wrote the following.. "The way to make sure that you will remember Krishna at the time of death is to train yourself to always remember Him at every moment as you go through your

The Vedic knowledge, Krishna consciousness, has been very carefully passed down in its original pure form from the very beginning of the universe 155 trillion years ago when Lord Krishna revealed it to Lord Brahma. Unlike modern science which is constantly being revised by scientists who are trying to perfect it, the Vedic science has always been perfect. For example, while the scientists are still in the process of trying to count all the species, the Padma Purana tells exactly how many species there are. jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati krmayo rudra-sankhyakah paksinam dasa-laksanam trimsal-laksani pasavah catur-laksani manusah "There are 900,000 species living in the water. There are 2,000,000 nonmoving living entities [sthavara] such as trees and plants. There are 1,100,000 species of insects and reptiles, and 1,000,000 species of birds. As far as quadrupeds are concerned, there are 3,000,000 varieties, and there are 400,000 human species." Therefore instead o

We're getting ready to head out on another around-the-world preaching tour on 31 March. We will be traveling by air, sea, car, and even by foot when we enter Russia. We need to do whatever it takes to spread the message of Krishna all over the world. The world population is suffering like anything without Krishna consciousness. If we have any compassion upon our fellow citizens of Planet Earth, we must get this message out to them loud and clear so that they can awaken from the slumber of material sense gratification and revive their eternal all-blissful identities as pure spirit-souls in quality one with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Get Training? Greeting of peace and love, In the spiritual thought of today, you mentioned that you can help those who are looking forward to change the world of today through training. I would like to be part of that training eagerly, however I am living i

This material world is heavily polluted by the three modes of material nature. At every step we are having to deal with a quagmire cocktail composed of varying mixtures of these three modes: goodness, passion, and ignorance. Under their influence we become carried away by passion for material sense enjoyment and thus completely ignore the needs of the real self, the spirit-soul who is within the body. Lord Krishna very expertly describes our predicament in the Bhagavad-gita while at the same time mercifully giving us the way out: tribhir guṇa -mayair bhāvair ebhiḥ sarvam idaḿ jagat mohitaḿ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam daivī hy eṣā guṇa - mayī mama māyā duratyayā mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāḿ taranti te "Deluded by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance], the whole world does not know Me, who am above the modes and inexhaustible. This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome

If we minimize our material sense gratification to the level of our need and not our greed, and if we then engage our senses in the service of the Hrishikesha, the master of the senses, Lord Sri Krishna, we will then enter into a sublime, divine state of consciousness known as Krishna consciousness. This enlightened state is the highest stage of perfected consciousness. In this purified state of consciousness one relishes unlimited happiness within himself at every minute. This state of being is available for anyone who would like to attain it and carefully and faithfully follows the instructions given in the Bhagavad-gita. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why are Eggs not Allowed? I have recently begun to practice the 4 regulative principles at home, as you suggested in your last email to me. My chanting is not yet up to 16 rounds. My question is, why are eggs considered a "no-no"? They are not alive, not even fertilized, so

How about pulling off the greatest coup in the history of the world? Would any of you like to a part of it? I am not speaking of a violent revolution. I am speaking of a cultural revolution in which the entire world becomes attracted to the enlightened lifestyle of pure love for the Supreme Person and all of His children. The world is dying for a such a revolution to take place. The only thing lacking are the qualified leaders to spearhead such a revolution. How about you? Would you like to be living at every minute on the cutting edge of the greatest paradigm shift that has ever manifested in the history of the universe? If you want it, you can have it. There's nothing stopping you. We'll train you how. You simply have to agree to take the training. That's all. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: What is Your Religious Belief? Dear teacher: I offer my respectful obeisances unto you. If someone ask you: "What is your

Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-gita that the saintly kings were educated in the science of the Bhagavad-gita. Because these leaders were properly trained in this way there was peace and prosperity throughout the entire human society. In fact their leadership was so powerful and sublime that nature reciprocated with them by providing their kingdom with pleasant climatic conditions, the proper amount of rainfall, absence of disease, etc. Such ideal leadership is inconceivable in these so-called advanced times. What are we advanced in? We are simply advanced in nescience because at the present time we are plagued with the leadership of selfish, greedy men who hang onto their posts as long as possible for the sake of their own personal sense gratification. Because of the improper leadership of such unenlightened men, the entire planet earth has been plunged into an ever-increasingly chaotic condition. The natural environment is disturbed by blizzards, drought, tornadoes, hurricanes

The Krishna consciousness movement is the global awakening inaugurated 500 years ago by Lord Sri Krishna Himself appearing in the form of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. After remaining in a seed-like state for many centuries this movement has now burst out of its covering and is spreading like anything all over the world in the form of ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna consciousness. To be part of this movement is the most stimulating and invigorating experience because such a life puts one at the vanguard, the forefront, of the most astounding paradigm shift the world has ever seen. The entire world civilization will be gradually transformed, uplifted, and enlightened by this Krishna consciousness movement. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Service Futile Without Guru? Dear Guru Maharaja, I read in one of the verses in the Gita that : "Out of the millions of people endeavoring for Krishna Consciousness only a few actually make

The beauty of the Vedic pathway is that by following it one gains a clearly discernable view of reality. While the scientists are dancing like dogs from one theory to another theory to another theory, those who are on the Vedic pathway, the pathway of the great acharyas, are seeing reality exactly as it is without any of the haziness which springs forth from imperfect senses or mental speculation. Because they are able to see the path clearly in front of them the followers of the Vedic system do not waste their time in stupid activities which distract them from attaining the ultimate perfection as soon as possible. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Real Love Between Devotees? Can there be real love (not material love) between devotees? Or is such pure love just between Krishna and His devotees? Do a husband and wife in Krishna consciousness love each other with real love or material love (kama)? Your aspiring servant, Urtė Answer: Yes, B

Our problem is that we have our priorities wrong. That which is most important, i.e. our spiritual perfection, we tend to postpone. And that which is less important, i.e. our bodily activities, we tend to give the first priority. Simply understanding that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that we should fully surrender to Him, is not in itself sufficient in itself for liberation. We have to practically engage our mind, body, and words in His service as our regular daily business. Otherwise Krishna consciousness will remain for us as a dream only that is never realized. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Become Free of False Ego? The first covering of soul is false ego. To remove it is very very difficult. Whenever we do some good work like preaching, immediately we think that I have done this i.e. we always try to give the credit to ourselves instead of giving to spiritual master or Lord Krishna. False ego is one

If something is wrong we should not ignore it or tolerate it. By doing so we become ourselves implicated in that injustice. As it is said, "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem." Therefore conscionable human existence necessitates that we must stand firmly in opposition to what is wrong, fully dedicating our mind, body, and words for rectifying it. Then the obvious question remains: What is the effective way to challenge and defeat the improprieties of the world? If we try to solve the world's problems one at a time in a piecemeal fashion, we will become very frustrated. But if we understand that the underlying cause of all problems is a lack of Krishna consciousness and dedicate our lives fully for pushing forward the Krishna consciousness movement, we will happy, fulfilling, adventurous lives doing the highest welfare work for all living beings. In this way each and every one of us can make a real difference on this planet. Sankarshan Das

Even though we may sometimes be inclined to gloss things over and think that this world is nothing but wonderful, the reality is that this is a world of danger where disaster can strike at any minute. Therefore those who are wise do not base their happiness on this material existence. They look beyond this material dimension to the transcendental existence far, far beyond the clutches of birth and death. There they find actual peace and satisfaction in the association of the Supreme Person and His eternal associates. Thus the perfection of positive vision is to see both the negative and positive aspects of reality so that one can solidly situate himself fully in the positive energy. Without the ability to distinguish between these two energies, one will not be able to situate himself solidly in the positive energy, the spiritual energy. This is confirmed in the Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 11 as follows: vidyāḿ cāvidyāḿ ca yas tad vedobhayaḿ saha avidyayā mṛtyuḿ tīrtvā vidy

Sometimes I am criticized harshly for accepting disciples. My critics say that I have no authority to do so. But such accusers are ignorant of the system by which one becomes authorized to become a spiritual master. The system is that one can become guru when he is ordered to do so by his spiritual master. And that order was indeed given by my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. His Divine Grace commanded me and my Godbrothers, "Become guru and deliver the whole world." Of course, I do not consider myself worthy of occupying such an exalted spiritual position as guru. But as a disciple I am duty bound to try to successfully carry out to the best of my ability whatever instructions I have received from my spiritual master. By faithfully acting on his order I become empowered to properly execute whatever service he has given me. So in this mood I humbly accept the duty he has given me and my Godbrothers, depending fully on his mercy and

Even though I am regularly traveling all over the world, I do not see that this material world is all that interesting. Wherever I go I see the thing old things happening to everyone: birth, death, old age, and disease. Whether someone is born, gets sick, gets old, and dies in Europe, America, or on a South Pacific island, the experience known as material existence is more or less the same. It's miserable. But what I do find extremely interesting is the process of traveling within to the realm of spiritual awakening. The inward journey is unlimitedly interesting because it is there that one can discover one's true self far, far beyond the temporary covering known as the material body and its concomitant miseries. Krishna describes the wonderful perks available to those who travel within in the Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 5, text 24 as follows: yo 'ntaḥ-sukho 'ntar-ārāmas tathāntar- jyotir eva yaḥ sa yogī brahma - nirvāṇaḿ brahma -bhūto 'dhigacchati "One

At the present moment there no is nothing more urgent for the ongoing welfare of planet earth than the introduction of Krishna consciousness in every town, village, city, and hamlet. Such an enlightened educational program will bring great relief to the suffering humanity from all types of distress. And there is no greater adventure than dedicating one's life for this mission. Indeed, it is the ultimate thrill. Whether one is tied down in one place with job and family or whether one is free to travel and preach Krishna consciousness all over the world, one can still dedicate one's life fully for inundating this planet with Krishna bhakti. The first step is to become solidly situated in Krishna consciousness yourself. Then start sharing your experience with everyone. The more you share the mercy of Krishna consciousness with others, the more you will taste it yourself. If you will as far as possible liberally distribute this mercy with everyone you meet, Krishna will sh

On the mundane plane we distinguish between science and religion taking science to be that which can be proved by observation and experiment and religion to be that which is accepted as a matter of faith. But when one comes to the transcendental plane and realizes the factual meaning of science and religion, he can clearly see that there is no difference between science and religion. Science means to know things as they are. And religion means to reconnect oneself with the absolute truth. The only way to completely know things as they are is to be reconnected with the absolute truth. And when you are fully reconnected with the absolute truth everything becomes completely lucid just as when the sun lights up everything in the daytime. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Find a Teacher? Peace and love! Please can you help me, how does one find their teacher? Is it just a case of turning up at an ashram and asking, or is it more subtle?