Ultimate Self Realization

In this material world everyone is looking for sweetness, for happiness. They want some joy, some thrill, some adventure. But even though there are so many varieties of pleasures to be tasted here, no one is getting permanent satisfaction. People sometimes get temporary satisfaction, but then they have to endure suffering again waiting for the time when they can again enjoy. But life is not meant to be like that. It is meant to be sweet happiness at every minute. This permanent happiness can be only experienced when we reconnect ourselves with the epitome of sweetness, the ultimate source of all existence, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna, through loving service. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Ecstatic Send Off from Tallinn Devotees 30 March 2009 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: When Will the Kali Yuga End? In this Kali yuga material comfort is given the prime importance. If one has to survive in today's world, one has to take up a job or do busi

We are traveling all over the world simply for the purpose of helping others to become happy. By focusing our lives in this way, our own personal happiness is guaranteed. The entire world is suffering due to a lack of Krishna consciousness, and by the grace of the great saintly teachers of the past we have the formula by which anyone and everyone can become happy in any part of the world. This material world is ultimately a place of misery no matter what position we may hold here. Actual happiness can only by realized by reviving our eternal identities as eternal spirit-soul servitors of the Supreme All-Attractive Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna. Therefore we are traveling to so many places where I am giving so many lectures and am I meeting so many people simply to encourage them to revive their original spiritual identities and thus taste the sweet happiness of Krishna consciousness at every minute. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Estonian National Television Interview Tallinn, Es

Kirtan is so nice that it immediately connects everyone with the Supreme Personality in super ecstatic transcendental bliss. There is no reason for anyone in any part of the world to be miserable. All they have to do is join fully in the sweet Hari kirtan and feel themselves being carried away on a transcendental airplane to the transcendental plane beyond the realm of birth, death, old age, and disease. If you want to take off on this transcendental airplane, make sure to check your bodily conceptions of life at the door. You've got nothing to lose except your anxiety. Why not give Hare Krishna kirtan a try today? Sankarshan Das Adhikari Hare Krishna Kirtan Rocks the World Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Krishna, the Supreme Renunciate? In explaining the opulences of Krishna--how can it be understood that Krishna is supreme in the opulence of renunciation? Your eternal servant, Gayathri Answer: Yes, Confirmed by Bhismadeva When in the Rajasuya Yajna asse

The easiest way to be prepared for whatever reality dishes out is to be prepared for anything. We should not put any limits on what we will find to be acceptable. If we demand that our life's experiences be confined to certain parameters, we are setting ourselves up for certain disappointment. The fact is that according to our previous pious and impious activities each of us is slated to undergo a variety of good and bad reactions. Since we are presently caught up in the cycle of birth and death, we can understand that in our previous lifetimes we must have been engaged in sinful activities. Therefore it should not be surprising to us that that we have to undergo periodic reverse situations. The key is to take them in a positive spirit seeing them as our being cleansed of our past sinful activities and thus purified and facilitated in our attempt to go back to our original home in the spiritual sky. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Does

25 March 2009--Now we are departing from the holy land of India and heading out to the western part of the world in Europe. Even though we do not presently see Vedic culture in the western countries, formerly it was there in full force. In fact, before 5,000 years ago this entire planet was under the leadership of the Vedic kings of India. There was even a Vedic sage named Trita who lived in the west. He was one of the three sons of Prajapati Gautama and is described in Srila Prabhupada's Srimad Bhagavatam purport as coming from the western countries, most probably from Europe. By the influence of the Kali Yuga Vedic culture completely disappeared from the western countries and is now almost completely dead in India as well. Our mission to make the entire human civilization happy, peaceful, and prosperous by re-establishing its original Vedic culture everywhere. Kindly fully dedicate your life for helping us to be successful in this mission. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers Accord

Sometimes a reader misunderstands when I describe the wonderful transcendental experiences that are relished in Sri Vrindavan Dhama or while traveling and preaching all over the world. One reader complained that he only wants to hear philosophy, that he does not want to hear about travels. What is the proper understanding in this regard? Krishna consciousness is beyond philosophy and it is beyond travels. Krishna consciousness means to come into direct contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in all times, places, and circumstances. It is my duty as a spiritual master to always be connected with Krishna and to always connect my readers with Krishna. Krishna is manifested in many ways. He is not limited by our conceptions. He is fully present in the sound of His name. He is fully present in the form of His teachings. He is fully present in the form of His holy dhama. And He is fully present in the form of His service. So whether we describe His name, His teachings, His holy dham

Recently while here in Vrindavan I emailed one of my students in the USA. He wrote me back expressing how happy he was to be hearing from me while I am here in Vrindavan. While I expressed my appreciation for his sentiment very much, since indeed there is no place like Vrindavan in all the three worlds, it was also my duty to point out to him that by serving the order of the spiritual master we are always in Vrindavan, no matter where we may externally situated here in this material world. Anywhere that we are fully absorbed in Krishna consciousness that place becomes transformed into Vrindavan. Vrindavan is that deathless place where the eternal, unlimitedly sweet pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna are going on in an ever-expanding variety of mellows. Those who are fully surrendered to Lord Krishna are forever associating with Lord Sri Krishna in those wondrous adventures even while maintaining their existence here in this material world. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Sri Vrindavan Dhama The Sa

Why live an ordinary drab humdrum existence you can be relishing the supreme adventure at every minute living on the cutting edge of world history? By our constitutional nature we are meant to taste unlimited bliss at every minute. Unfortunately due to a misuse of our free will we have been dragged down by our foolishness into the repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease. But now by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu we have the golden opportunity to transform our destiny, to regain our original eternal position, full of bliss, and full of knowledge and to be instrumental in bringing about the greatest paradigm shift in history, the inundation of the entire universe with the tidal wave of Krishna bhakti. Dive into this ocean bliss today and say goodbye once and for all to a life full of anxiety. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Ecstatic Radha Syamasundar Boat Festival In Vrindavan at Kesi Ghat on the Yamuna River Devotees Relish the Colorful Festival Arati to the Sacred Yamuna R

22 March 2009--To be here in that place where 5,000 years ago Lord Sri Krishna displayed His most intimate and amazing pastimes is a truly remarkable experience. There is no place like Braj, Sri Vrindavan Dhama in this entire universe. It is non-different from the spiritual world. Today in the early morning I headed out with my wife, Vishnupriya devi dasi, and group of my disciples on Vrindavan Parikrama, a circumambulation of the town of Vrindavan. It's a three hour sacred trek generally taken with bare feet out of respect for this holiest of all places. There are 3,000 temples of Krishna in this town and so many places of Lord Sri Krishna's pastimes. So by doing the parikrama one automatically offers his respects to and receives the blessings of all these thousands of holy places. It was an amazing, sublime experience to be treading on the same sacred land that Krishna blessed with His lotus feet so many thousands of years ago. Our first stop was the sacred Kadamba tree that

The most important quality to develop for becoming successful on the path of Krishna bhakti is the quality of tolerance. In this material world there are unlimited disturbances one after another after another. If we allow ourselves to become disturbed by these disturbances, we will not be able to absorb our minds peacefully in chanting the Lord's holy names. Therefore we must actively cultivate the quality of tolerance based on the understanding that not a blade of grass can move without the sanction of the Lord. This means that every experience that we find ourselves in is ultimately custom designed by the Lord for helping us to get free from our entanglement in the cycle of birth and death and return home, back to Godhead. So why should be disturbed by anything when we can learn how to be grateful for everything and thus become fully joyful at every moment? Sankarshan Das Adhikari Sri Vrindavan Dhama The Sacred Land of Lord Sri Krishna Answers According to the Vedic Version:

20 March 2009--This morning at 4:10 a.m. on my first morning in Vrindavan I was blessed with the most sublime opportunity to lead over 100 devotees in the the chanting of the Gurvastakam prayers for Srila Prabhupada during the mangala arati kirtan in his samadhi mandir (pictured below). It was really a heart warming sublime experience. Such activities are the perfection of existence for a disciple--to be fully absorbed in glorifying his spiritual master and carrying out his orders. The reason such activities are so wonderful is that by the mercy of Lord Krishna the spiritual master is present wherever his disciples are glorifying him and serving his instructions. When the disciple feels the presence of his spiritual master he naturally becomes free from all anxiety because the spiritual master's presence elevates the consciousness of the disciple beyond this material world. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Srila Prabhupada's Samadhi Mandir Answers According to the Vedic Version: Q

19 March 2009--Early this morning when I awoke on our flight from London to Delhi and as we were preparing to land, a very nice gentleman named Mr. Agarwal, who was sitting across the aisle from me, wanted to a hear a Krishna conscious realization for the day. I explained to him how the entire world is suffering due to a lack of Krishna consciousness and how it is our duty to save them by enlightening them in this amazing all merciful process. I pointed out, "Why study history when you can make history?" and told him how the most exciting life that one can live is to be on the cutting edge of world history by spreading Krishna consciousness. I quoted a verse by Krishna Das Kaviraja in which he predicts that this entire world will be inundated by a tidal wave of Krishna prema. Those persons who fully dedicate themselves to pushing forward this Krishna consciousness movement are constantly surfing, riding the crest of, that wave of Krishna prema, which is inundating the entire

18 March 2009--After a super ecstatic stopover in London which afforded us the opportunity to associate with the wonderful devotees at our Radha-Londonisvara temple, we are once again in transit, this time to the most holy place in the entire universe, Sri Vrindavan Dhama. After an overnight flight from London and a taxi ride from Delhi we will be blessed with the sacred dust of Sri Vrindavan Dhama, of which one pinch is more valuable than all the wealth of the entire universe. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Sri Vrindavan Dhama The Sacred Land of Lord Sri Krishna Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why Temples Are Empty? I was travelling with the Festival of India for four years distributing Srila Prabhupada's books all over North America. Now I'm in Peru. I'm very frustrated to see how the temples in Peru are almost empty. What's the reason? I hope for your blessings to continue in devotional service. Your servant, Gunesvara Das Answer: Neglect of Srila

17 March 2009 was a one day nectarean stopover in the UK on our way to Vrindavan with a wonderful opportunity to give an evening lecture at ISKCON's central London temple and to get the darshan of Sri Sri Radha Londonisvara, the presiding deity of London. The installation of Radha-Londonisvara was personally done by Srila Prabhupada in the early days of our movement in London. This particular Krishna deity was very, very dear to him. In 1977 during his final days on this planet Srila Prabhupada fondly remembered Radha-Londonisvara. He said, "Radha-Londonisvara-so much smiling face; an innocent boy." Sankarshan Das Adhikari Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara The Presiding Deity of London Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Transcend the Intellect What does it mean to transcend the intellect? I recently ran across this term but could not find an explanation. Bhakta Ron Answer: Attain the Plane of Unlimited Bliss It was George Harrison of the Beatles who when

One of our readers was so disturbed when we presented Krishna consciousness as the cure for depression that she dropped out from our course. This reader felt that we were being irresponsible and that our advice would hurt our readers. She feared that our advice would make those who are already depressed even more depressed. One argument that supports this school of thought is that it is much more comfortable for a depressed person to think that his depression is due to a chemical imbalance in his brain rather than his having a wrong outlook on life. He may become more depressed if he thinks that his depression is his fault. And with increased depression he could even come to point of suicide. Of course, in one sense we are all victims of the materialistic society which has so much misguided us. Due to our ignorance of the actual all-blissful, eternal nature of the self we can easily become confused, frustrated, and depressed. So instead of blaming the individual for his depression we

Today is D-day. The world tour begins at 10:30am. We are launching another assault against the deeply entrenched material civilization. After many weeks of careful preparation we are finally heading out. In regards to traveling and preaching all over the world, Srila Prabhupada explains: "The life of a sincere devotee of the Lord is thus explained in a nutshell by Narada Muni by his personal example. Such a devotee, after his initiation by the Lord or His bona fide representative, takes very seriously chanting of the glories of the Lord and traveling all over the world so that others may also hear the glories of the Lord. Such devotees have no desire for material gain. They are conducted by one single desire: to go back to Godhead. This awaits them in due course on quitting the material body. Because they have the highest aim of life, going back to Godhead, they are never envious of anyone, nor are they proud of being eligible to go back to Godhead. Their only business is to chan

Tomorrow we embark on our spring 2009 around-the-world lecture tour. Again Krishna is blessing us with the opportunity to broadcast His glories around the world. There is nothing sweeter or more relishable than this because now more than ever this planet is desperately in need of Krishna consciousness. While others travel the world for making money and trying to enjoy their senses we are making our humble attempt on the order of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami to deliver the souls of this age from their ignorance of the self and its relationship with the Supreme Self. We are praying that if Lord Krishna is pleased with our endeavor that He kindly bless us with success in our mission. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why Preach? When Krishna is present in everyone's heart, omnipresent, what is the need to preach? Cannot we just realize Krishna by chanting? What should be the disposition and mood of a preacher? What is the pu

Krishna is always arranging everything perfectly for us to become 100% absorbed in serving Him and to go back to home, back to Godhead as soon as possible. The difficulty is that we are holding on to our own illusory ideas of how we can be happy in this material world and expecting Krishna to facilitate this for us. When He does not facilitate us we become disturbed and wonder why He is not being kind to us. This is our illusion. We do not realize how He is bestowing unlimited loving mercy upon us at every minute. This is why we need to hear from the revealed scriptures and a bona fide spiritual master so that we can see things as they are. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Srila Prabhupada Enlightens His Disciples Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Priority of Service My mother-in-law told me like this: First priority is given to Mother - Mata. Second priority is given to Father - Pita. Third priority is given to Guru, who taught the lesson at school. Fourth priority is g

When I was a youth growing up here in Houston, Texas back in the 1960's I was offered by my parents, teachers, and friends a life of happiness based on satisfying the urges of my material body. While it seemed promising, no matter how much material happiness I got I was still not satisfied. The idea was that you had to get more and more of it until you were finally satisfied. But the problem was that because it was illusory happiness based on a false conception of the self as being the material body, no matter how much I got of it I was still not satisfied. So what to do? I had to look somewhere else for the deeper purpose and meaning of my existence. My parents, teachers, and friends were not talking about this. So I had to branch out on my own into uncharted waters. Of course, this was not such a psychologically safe and secure to do, but still I had to do it because the alternative--bland, miserable mediocrity--was completely unacceptable. Luckily I had the help of my constant

Without a bona fide spiritual master we are nowhere. While we may be impressed by a spiritual master who has many followers or who can display mystic powers, it does not matter how powerful or famous he is. If the spiritual master is not presenting the Absolute Truth as it is, as confirmed by the authoritative Vedic wisdom, he is nowhere. If we become disciples of such a nowhere guru, we also become nowhere. Therefore we should take the time and trouble to seek out a spiritual master who accurately presents and is a living embodiment of the truths enshrined within the authoritative Vedic wisdom. This spiritual master is known as the bona fide spiritual master. And he is the only one who can save us from the repetition of birth and death. He possesses the greatest of all mystic powers: the ability to deliver his disciples back to the spiritual world. Sankarshan Das Adhikari My Bona Fide Spiritual Master: Srila Prabhupada Starts the Hare Krishna Movement in Tompkins Square Park, New Yo

There is a vast tidal wave of transcendental kirtan bliss which is currently sweeping the planet earth. The parched wasteland of this material existence is now being inundated by this amazing wave of bliss liberating fortunate souls from the distresses of mortal existence such as birth, death, old age, and disease. For those who are riding this ecstatic wave now is a time of great joy and great awakening. So, if you have not already caught the wave, why not jump on right now by joining with us in kirtan and bring an end to all of your suffering? You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. All you have to do is sing with us and feel the ecstasy. You can even dance too. You will be carried on the amazing kirtan wave back to your eternal, original existence in the transcendental dimension far, far beyond the realm of birth, death, old age, and disease. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Riding the Wave of Kirtan Bliss Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Which Form Dur

Today is Gaura Purnima, the most auspicious appearance day of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna Himself appearing in the form of His own devotee to freely bestow without any conditions what no other incarnation has ever freely bestowed before, pure devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When Krishna was present on this planet 5,000 He made a condition for those who wanted to get His mercy. He required that one first of all had to surrender to Him. But Lord Caitanya made not such condition. He simply bestowed the mercy of pure devotional service upon those who came into contact with him. That same mercy of Lord Caitanya is now available to everyone throughout the entire world in the form of ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. By associating with and serving this sublime movement one is causelessly blessed with the unlimited mercy of pure devotional service. Observe Gaura Purnima by fasting all day until moonrise,

A person can be tested how much they are advanced in Krishna consciousness by how much they are detached from material sense gratification. Just like someone who has eaten will not feel hungry, a person who is advanced in Krishna consciousness will not be attracted by material sense gratification. Even if you offer him some nice sumptuous food, he will not be interested in eating because he is already full. Similarly a person who is full in Krishna consciousness will not feel any appetite for material sense gratification because he is already fully satisfied. If someone is still attached to material sense enjoyment and at the same time poses himself as a great devotee, he is cheating. "Great devotee" means that one is no longer disturbed by material desires. We may put a dog on a throne and crown him as king. But when someone throws a bone he will jump off the throne and immediately run for the bone. Many a charlatan guru was exposed when they were found to be having illicit

This material world is a vast insurmountable ocean of material miseries. No matter how hard we may endeavor using our own strength to cross over it to reach the spiritual world on the other side, we will not be successful. It is far too vast. But if we will take shelter of the boat of Lord Sri Krishna's lotus feet, that vast insurmountable ocean will become reduced down to the amount of water contained in the hoof print of a calf and we will effortlessly cross over it. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Superbly Resplendent Lord Sri Krishna Answers According to the Vedic Version: Questions: Is Loving Krishna Imitation? My dear Guru, Hare Krishna! You are so merciful and wise. I would love to serve you with all my heart. Now I am in frustrated and have some questions to ask. I really need your shelter. Only by your mercy can I find the way out. 1. A few days ago, there was enough time for me to chant 26 rounds everyday. Right now as my curriculum is becoming more and more, I can't s

When crisis strikes don't lose control. Keep your cool. Everything here in this world is going on under the sublime orchestration of Lord Sri Krishna. If you keep your connection with Him, you will always be able to maintain psychological equilibrium even during the most traumatic of events. We simply have to always remember that everything going on here in this oftentimes crazy world is for the purpose of attracting all the living entities of this place back to Krishna's eternal kingdom. Indeed, not a blade of grass can move without His sanction. We only have difficulty handling things to the extent that we consider ourselves to be all-knowing and all-powerful. If we humbly recognize our limitations and are always in the mood of begging the Lord's merciful help manifested directly by Him and also through the medium of His devotees, there will be no obstacle too formidable for us to overcome. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Questions: Ho

We've been in maya or illusion, helplessly caught up in the cycle of birth and death, for countless aeons. But now by the inconceivably sweet mercy of Lord Caitanya we can get out of this quagmire once for all and be completely liberated forever from all the difficulties of this material existence. Lord Caitanya is Krishna Himself. He appeared 500 years ago in what is now West Bengal, India for the deliverance of all the suffering, fallen souls of this age. Those who are fortunate will take advantage of the mercy of Lord Caitanya and live ecstatic lives filled with transcendental bliss simply by follow His example of chanting "Hare Krishna" with love. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Lord Caitanya Floods the Universe with His Inconceivably Sweet Mercy Answers According to the Vedic Version: Questions: Regarding Vaisnavas I have few questions for which I need clarifications from you. Kindly answer and save me from ignorance. 1) Why do devotees have reservations when they rel