Ecstatic Hamilton Program

We are at the Auckland Airport awaiting our flight to Melbourne. The program last night in Hamilton, New Zealand was simply wonderful. It was a great pleasure for me to meet our ISKCON temple president in Hamilton, Sriman Abhay Charan Prabhu, and so many wonderful devotees. Not knowing on what verse I should speak, I simply randomly opened the Bhagavad-gita to see which verse would appear. The verse was Chapter 4, Text 34:

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

"Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth."
---Bhagavad-gita 4.34

This divine instruction given by Lord Sri Krishna serves as a potent reminder how important it is that each of us has a spiritual master. Without a guru we are nowhere just like a homeless street dog. When we do have a spiritual master and we fully surrender ourselves unto him our pathway back to home, back to Godhead is sure and certain.

I lectured for about an hour on this key verse. Many of the members of the audience have not yet taken shelter of a spiritual master. I hope that my explanation of Lord Krishna's instructions has inspired and motivated them so that they will now make the most important step of their lives by taking shelter of a bona fide spiritual master.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Krishna's Offering in ISKCON Hamilton's Deity Kitchen

Hamilton's Deity Kitchen

ISKCON Hamilton Ecstatic Hari Nama Part

ISKCON Hamilton Ecstatic Hari Nama Part

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Don't Say "Follow the Path of Krishna"

Your good self always mentions the words Supreme Lord, Supreme Person, etc, etc. Have you experienced the extreme feeling of the Supreme Lord once? Have you ever got the darshan of Krishna? Just don't say, "Follow the path of Krishna and that is the darshan." I am talking about the perfection, as I believe in perfection. I am in search of a human being who has conversation or darshan or great feeling with Supreme Lord.

Dr. G.S. Narang

Answer: Don't Say "Don't" to Sri Guru

Krishna says that when we approach the spiritual master that we should inquire submissively. If the disciple tells the spiritual master not to answer his question in a particular way which is not to his liking, this is not a submissive inquiry, and it will not allow for the transmission of transcendental knowledge from the spiritual master to the disciple.

The bona fide spiritual master is always in direct contact with Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And he has the power to give Krishna to his submissive disciple, not to the demanding one. So my best advise to you is that you should learn how to approach Sri Guru in the mood of loving service and complete submission because it is only in this mood that the transmission of spiritual realization will take place.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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