Ultimate Self Realization

We would like to extend our appreciation to you, our subscribers. You have all contributed to making this course an enlivening and uplifting experience for our over 10,000 subscribers around the globe in over 100 different nations. And we thought you might be interested to see which are the top ten nations for the total number of subscribers. In the first list the top ten nations are ranked according to number of subscribers. In the second list they are ranked on a per capita basis by how many subscribers there are for each one million people. Top ten nations-total subscribers: 1. India--3617 subscribers 2. USA--1559 subscribers 3. United Arab Emirates--369 subscribers 4. Australia--309 subscribers 5. United Kingdom--247 subscribers 6. Malaysia--235 subscribers 7. Canada--193 subscribers 8. South Africa--141 subscribers 9. Oman--106 subscribers 10. Mauritius--91 subscribers Top ten nations-total subscribers per million: 1. United Arab Emirates--80 subscribers per million 2. Mauritius-

After over seventeen hours of travel time we have arrived now in Kuala Lumpur. We were in chilly South Africa, and now we are in hot and humid Malaysia. Next week we will back in the cold again in Australia. Thus we have a golden opportunity to apply the teachings of Lord Krishna, who has so mercifully stated: mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāṁs 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 them without being disturbed." --Bhagavad-gita 2.14 Whatever we have to tolerate while traveling and preaching is well worth it because there is nothing more enlivening than serving the order of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, to spread the Krishna consciousnes

Last night we arrived here in Johannesburg, South Africa for an overnight stop in transit from Mauritius to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Some South African devotees who are subscribers to our e-course had expressed via email a desire to meet us. So I expected to meet one or two devotees here. Much to my amazement when we came through customs we were greeted by a party of ten devotees who then offered both Mataji and me beautiful, fresh, fragrant flower garlands. They were holding kirtan for our arrival, but the airport police ordered them to stop the kirtan. So we invited them to our hotel room where we had ecstatic kirtan and a Bhagavad-gita class. They had brought us some prasadam for our ongoing flights, but since it was enough for twenty devotees we distributed most of it back to them keeping a little bit for ourselves. They so much opened their hearts to us in such a sweet loving way that we promised them that we would come back to South Africa and spend few a days with them. Sankarsh

26 May 2009--After attending the mangal arati at 4:30 am in the Phoenix ISKCON temple we traveled to ISKCON's farm temple where I gave the morning Srimad Bhagavatam class and took breakfast. From there we traveled across the island of Mauritius where I took advantage of the peaceful atmosphere of a mountain creek to work on my emails and take lunch prasadam. From there it was back down into the hustle and bustle of the city where I appeared on a Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation radio show giving a presentation on how to save the Mauritian society from social degeneration by basing it on love of God. In this connection Srila Prabhupada stated when he was in Mauritius: "Vedic society is based on the principle of love - between husband and wife, father and son, the king and the citizens, and so on. Civilization must be founded on love, not law. Modern civilization lacks this basis of love, so everything is superficial and false. But if devotion to Krishna, God, is made the bas

Our first birth is from our mother and father, and our second birth is by the spiritual master and the Vedas. The spiritual master is the father. And the Vedas are the mother. First birth is automatically attained by everyone. Even the animals get their first birth. The distinguishing factor of the human form is that we can utilize this golden opportunity to get our second birth. If we fail to take advantage of this facility, we remain on the platform of the animals. This second birth or spiritual rebirth is the greatest blessing because it enables us to taste the unlimited happiness that we are always hankering after. It enables to get out of the cycle of birth and death an attain an eternal spiritual form, which is full of knowledge and full of bliss. There is no greater good fortune, no greater blessing than this. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Arcanasiddhi devi dasi Receives Second Birth (Diksha) at Hare Krishna Land, Phoenix, Mauritius 24 May 2009 Answers According to the Vedic Versi

Where is the happiness in this material world? There isn't any? The only happiness is getting out of this place and rescuing as many others as possible from this place. However, in spite of this we foolishly continue try to enjoy this material thinking that is a pleasurable place. This is our illusion. Of course, many will object to such strong statements because they base their sense of happiness on material enjoyment. But the fact remains that in spite of their dedication to the idea that they can enjoy this material world, in the end they will be left feeling miserable. So what is the use of their pretension. It it is better that they honestly admit the futility of material enjoyment and take seriously to the process of Krishna consciousness to experience tangible happiness on the spiritual plane. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Sri Sri Radha Golokananda Presiding Deities at Hare Krishna Land Phoenix, Mauritius Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Who Feeds the Bird o

What do we do when we are completely overwhelmed by the quagmire of material existence and it appears completely hopeless that there is no way out of our dilemma? Sometimes all of our best efforts are insufficient to resolve our predicament. All we can do in such a situation is put ourselves completely at the mercy of Lord Krishna and let Him do whatever He wants to with us. What power do we have against the insurmountable material energy? None. All we can do is place ourselves at the mercy of Krishna and beg for His help to keep us always steadfast in His devotional service through all circumstances both happy and miserable. This complete surrender to His desire elevate us beyond the plane of happiness and distress onto the plane of unshakable transcendental bliss. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Sri Sri Radha Golokananda Presiding Deities at Hare Krishna Land Phoenix, Mauritius Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why No Eggs? Please accept my most humble obeisances. I am

After a long overnight flight from London we have arrived on the tropical island nation of Mauritius 560 miles east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It was very auspicious that upon landing we were greeted by a government official who said, "Hare Krishna." He then whisked us through the immigration procedures without our having to stand in a line and escorted us all the way out of the airport to the ecstatic kirtan party awaiting our arrival. Here our movement is very popular even with the leading government officials. I was told that one time some devotees were stopped on the highway by the police for speeding. When the police saw that they were ISKCON devotees they did not give them a ticket. They instead gave them a police escort to get to their destination in a timely manner. So there is great scope for establishing the Krishna consciousness movement very solidly in this country. If we can make Mauritius an ideal state based on the Bhagavad-gita, all the world leaders

Our Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta. has stated that the entire world will become Krishna conscious, and he has also stated that it is impossible for this to happen. So how are we to relate to this apparent contradiction? From a material point of view it is indeed unthinkable that in the midst of the Kali Yuga the entire world can become Krishna conscious because Krishna always honors the free will of the living beings. So there would have to be a massive spiritual awakening with millions and billions of people deciding on their own volition to take to Krishna consciousness. Is it possible for there to be such a massive paradigm shift? If it did happen, it would be the most massive spiritual revolution in the history of the world. In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna states that even one devotee who becomes a powerful acharya can attract the entire world to Krishna consciousness. So according to Krishna, it is possible. Therefore we can conclude that the only way that it

It's 7:58 am on 21 May, 2009. We are in Sofia, Bulgaria getting reading for our departure to London, where I will giving a lecture tonight, and then onwards tomorrow to Mauritius, where I am slated to give a series of lectures over several days. It is extremely rewarding to live a life of complete dedication to the Krishna consciousness movement because it is the prime benediction for the humanity at large. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss and gives everyone an opportunity to taste the full nectar for which they are hankering at every moment. May the Krishna consciousness movement be successful in completely inundating planet earth in a tidal wave of Krishna bhakti. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Hare Krishna Tidal Wave of Bliss Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Is "Chant and Be Happy" a Contradiction ISKCON has a book called "Chant and Be Happy". And Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport to Bhagavad-gita 2.38, "There is no co

A Christian fundamentalist named Bart Ehrman became an agnostic, one who maintains a continuing doubt about the existence of God, when he could not answer this question: How could there be a God when there is so much suffering in the world? It's too bad that he has not studied the Vedic wisdom because if he had, he could have easily answered this question. If someone challenges, "How can there be a government when there is so much suffering in the prison?", will we accept his line of reasoning? No, we will not. Even a benevolent government is obliged to provide a prison for those citizens who choose by their own free will to live as outlaws. So it is not that God is the cause of our suffering. He has made a perfect plan for everyone to live a happy eternal existence completely free from all types of suffering. It is rather we who through misuse of our free will have cast ourselves into the prison of this world of suffering. And it is we who can choose to engage our free

Krishna consciousness is not a religion. Rather it is religion in its original pure form before it was "sectarianized" by imperfect men who are motivated by material desires. Anyone who becomes a pure lover of God has attained the perfection of consciousness. Although this perfection of consciousness is known as Krishna consciousness, it can also be designated as Christ consciousness, Buddha consciousness, or Allah consciousness. It does not matter whether one is a Christian, a Hindu, a Jew, or a Muslim. Pure love of God is pure love of God. But those who approach God to fulfill their material desires are imperfect. The point is no one becomes perfect simply be embracing a designation, that I am a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, etc. We only become perfect when we are 100% surrendered to the will of God. The Krishna consciousness movement is not introducing another sect of religion. Rather we are here to teach all religious men how to become perfect in their religion and to indu

As I sit here on 18 May 2009 writing "Thought the for the Day" in Skopje, I am seeing from out of my window what you can see in the first picture below. This cross, called the Millennium Cross, is one of the nicest features of Skopje, Macedonia and is situated just south of the city on top of Vodno mountain. It is 66 meters high and is visible for a distance of 50 kilometers (31 miles). At night it is even more prominent because it is fully illuminated with lights that are situated all over it. When we remember Lord Krishna's dear devotees such as Jesus Christ it is easy to remember Krishna also. So it is always a special treat when I come to Skopje, Macedonia. It is very rare to find any city in the world that has such a prominent God conscious landmark. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Skopje, Macedonia Millennium Cross Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why Do You Ignore the Swine Flu? With all respect and humility I address you. I am surprised that you wh

This entire planet is God's country, and we are all God's children. So why we should be restricted from traveling? This is due to man's false sense of being the lord of all he surveys. Because of these artificial boundaries instead of it being easy for us to travel from Sofia, Bulgaria to Skopje, Macedonia, we have to arrange for the devotees from Bulgaria to drive us to the border with Macedonia where after walking a considerable distance with our luggage we are then met on the other side of the border by the devotees from Macedonia. We have to make this arrangement in both directions. Of course, for the sake of spreading Krishna consciousness we joyfully accept whatever austerities we may have to perform. But still the governments of the world should not be placing these sort of impediments on those who are traveling all over the world to free the people of all nations from their suffering. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Macedonia/Bulgaria Border Answers According to the Ved

If we try to do something that we do not know how to do, we will find it to be very difficult. But when we know precisely what we are doing, it is easy to accomplish even the most difficult task. In a similar way life does not have to be difficult. We simply have to know what we are doing, and then it becomes very easy and sublime. The sad reality is that most people do not even have the slightest clue as to why they exist. Therefore life is a real struggle for them. If someone does not know why they exist, they will have no conception as to how to properly fulfill their function. But if someone can enlighten them their hard struggle for existence will be over. This is the why the members of the Krishna consciousness movement have dedicated their lives for enlightening the general population revealing to them the innermost secrets of why they exist. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Revealing the Innermost Secrets of Existence in Sofia, Bulgaria Answers According to the Vedic Version: Ques

We shouldn't be miserly about our Krishna consciousness. Because somebody else took the time and trouble to give Krishna consciousness to us we are now tasting the highest happiness. Remembering this we should pay our dues by doing the same for others as much as possible. In this regard the insider's secret is that the more you share the bless, the more you get the bliss. So those who are greedy to taste unlimited bliss dedicate their lives fully for inundating this entire planet in a tidal wave of Krishna bhakti bliss. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Sharing the Bliss in Burgas, Bulgaria Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Can We Pray to the Demigods for Our Material Needs? If all the demigods are appointed by Krishna for maintaining this world order, then what is the harm in praying to Lord Mahamritunjya and Krishna simultaneously for curing disease? Can't I pray to Lord Mahamritunjya keeping this thing in mind that he has been appointed by Krishna to look ov

In this material world we face all kinds of situations. Sometimes things are going great. Sometimes things are disastrous. Krishna consciousness means to be equipoised in all sorts of variegated situations. It means not to be carried away by these dualities. It takes time and training to come to this stage. But it is well worth the endeavor of reaching this stage because it allows one to always be peaceful and happy no matter what the external circumstances may be. The easy way to reach this stage is to give up the idea of being the enjoyer. Always try to think, speak, and act for the pleasure of Krishna under all circumstances. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why Try for Impossible Peace? Why should we attempt to stop evils, when they are inevitable? Evils occur due to effect of past actions. That is Karma phala of the subject. Don't we stay calm and strong even when we ourselves or others around is subject to some kind of trouble

When one's vision is out of focus he cannot see things as they are. His vision is distorted. Such distorted vision can be fixed by the use of corrective lenses. Similarly, when one's mind is out of focus, he will have a distorted conception of reality. Such a distorted conception of reality can be remedied by the art of transcendental meditation, fixing one's mind on the Supreme. Such a meditative state is the original, natural consciousness of the living beings. Therefore to revive it is not an artificial imposition on the mind. Rather it is a process of freeing the mind of all the artificialities which have imposed upon it by the distorted consciousness of our modern day out of focus society. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Out of Focus Society Destroys the Environment Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Since Truth Is Beyond Words, How Can We Understand It Through Philosophy? In today's question (13 May 2009) regarding the convincing of an atheist of the

As we were flying high in the sky over snow capped mountains in southern Europe on Monday 11 May 2009 on our way from Paris to Sofia, Bulgaria I looked out the window and noticed that another jet plane has just crossed not too far under us at a ninety degree angle. Although I have been doing a lot of flying for many years I have never seen one airplane coming so close to another airplane in the sky. My immediate reaction was to thank Krishna that He has protected from sudden death and has extended my contract to preach at least a little bit longer in this material world. Although I am not one of most influential people on this planet, with what little influence I may have an as instrument in the hands of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, I am hoping and praying that I may be able to do something with my life that will have a solid re-spiritualizing effect on this planet. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Arrival in Sofia, Bulgaria--11 May 2009 Here is

In this material world we are all forced by the stringent laws of nature to undergo so many varieties of suffering conditions. No matter how hard we struggle to counteract these miseries we still remain subject to them. Like it or not we have to suffer birth, death, old age, disease. So instead of becoming frustrated the best thing is to be tolerant of these miseries and fully absorb ourselves in the service of the Lord, because that service will bring us immediately out of the world of miseries into the transcendental existence where life is eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How Can There Be Free Will? Can I know from where are you borrowing this concept of free will ? Any scriptures? Let us assume this free will exists... Who grants the free will to the Jivas? Who creates the desire? As the Bhagavad-gita says: "Deluded by ego (ahankara) a person thinks, 'I am the doer.'" (3:

It is now 2:47 am on Sunday 10 May. We are heading out this morning to resume our around-the-world preaching tour. We will be on the road for the next two months. I'll be lecturing in Bulgaria, Macedonia, London, Mauritius, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Canada. Sometimes I wonder why I am taking so much trouble to do these lecture tours. And then I remember how my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, circled the globe and again and again for the sake of sharing the mercy of Krishna with his disciples all over the world. This was his compassion to bring encouragement to his disciples to persevere in their practice of Krishna consciousness. He instructed us that we should become gurus and deliver the world. So I although I consider myself to be completely unfit to do so, on his order I am trying to do whatever I can to assist him in spreading this Krishna consciousness movement all over the world. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Srila Prabhupada on a World Preaching Tour Answ

The pure devotee makes no claim of proprietorship over anything in this material world because he understands fully that everything is the property of Krishna. And because he knows that Krishna is the ever merciful protector of and provider for His devotees, the pure devotee has no anxiety how he will maintain himself, how he will cover his expenses here in this material world. He knows fully well that his original father, Lord Sri Krishna, will always provide with whatever he needs to be happily engaged in Krishna consciousness in this lifetime and for all of eternity. It should be carefully noted that such an anxiety-free situation requires that one is completely free from all material desires, that one's only desire is to think, speak, and act for the pleasure of guru and Krishna in all times, places, and circumstances. To whatever extent we hold onto our material desires, to that extent we will be subject to material anxieties. But if we are staunchly determined to free our he

There is nothing more wonderful than Krishna consciousness. While everything in this world will eventually fail to protect us, the one thing that we can always rely on is our Krishna consciousness. Therefore the wisest thing to do is to always be increasing our Krishna consciousness. It's the little things that add up to make the ultimate difference in the end. For example, when you to the doctor's office or you are waiting to catch a flight instead of reading a mundane magazine you can bring with you some Krishna conscious literature and read that instead. Instead of checking out the latest blockbuster movie at your local cinema you can go the nearest Hare Krishna temple and attend the evening program. Each and every moment of our lives is a chance to invest our consciousness in Krishna. Why should we invest any of our consciousness energy anywhere else, when those other investments are guaranteed to fail? Every second that is spent focusing our mind on Krishna means a sure a

The earth civilization has degraded to its lowest ebb in eons. Whatever degree of piety was previously holding it together is now being degraded more and more by atheistic philosophy and gross hedonism. This is evidenced by innumerable symptoms such as the wanton slaughter of innocent animals and babies all over the world and by the ever-increasing popularity of gross bodily sense gratification. The qualities of mercy, truthfulness, cleanliness, and austerity are every day becoming more and more conspicuous by their absence in the human society. In seems impossible under such circumstances that anything wonderful could come out of this quagmire. But it is not at all hopeless. If we can simply become completely pure by strictly following the path of Krishna consciousness and spread it more and more to the suffering people of this planet, there can beat total, complete turnaround, the dawning of a new enlightened spiritual age bringing paradise on earth. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Where K

When it comes to matters of what is true and what is not true, we have got to be strong. We should not be weak and compromising. When maya or illusion is presented as the truth we have to get tough on maya and defeat it. One of the most dangerous illusions floating around is the idea that God is impersonal. But this idea does not make any sense. How can the ultimate source from which all persons have emanated be devoid of personality? For a spring to gush forth thousands of gallons of water the spring must have water. Similarly if the supreme source of all existence is gushing forth millions and billions of persons, it must possess personality. And if it possesses personality, it is not an it. It is a person. The perfection of our existence is to re-establish our lost loving relationship with that supreme person. The science known as Krishna consciousness teaches us precisely how to do that. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Krishna, the Source of all Existence Answers According to the Vedic

When a devotee finds himself in a suffering condition he never thinks, "What is wrong with Krishna? I have surrendered to Him and now He has put me into this suffering condition?" No. A devotee will never think that like. He thinks that if I am now in a state of suffering, there must be some benevolent purpose of the Lord. He understands that Krishna must have a reason for putting into a suffering condition, that Krishna is favoring him by putting him into that suffering. Thus in spite of all sorts of suffering conditions in this material world the devotee is always swimming in an ocean of transcendental bliss feeling how Lord Krishna is showering mercy upon him at every moment. Sankarshan Das Adhikari The All-Benevolent Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why Should You Deliver the World? I read your "Thought for the Day," (Become a Guru).... In the Bhagavad-gita it is mentioned that not even a blade of grass can move w

Krishna consciousness is not static. It is ever-increasingly ecstatic. By absorbing himself in the remembrance of the Lord the devotee goes deeper and deeper into devotional ecstasy. Krishna's remembrance is ever-increasingly nectarean because it is absolute. Absolute means that there is no difference between His remembrance and His personal presence. Just as a loving relationship with a friend or lover becomes deeper, sweeter, and richer due to ongoing loving reciprocation, over time the devotee's absorption in Krishna, i.e. his Krishna consciousness, becomes deeper, sweeter, and richer. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Srila Prabhupada Chanting In Deep Spiritual Ecstasy Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Most Important in Krishna's Service? What is the most important in Krishna's service: to engage the senses, the mind or the intelligence? Indu Pati Answer: The Intelligence The intelligence. Intelligence means that you must understand why to engage your