Bhakti Bliss in Hamilton

There's no bliss like bhakti bliss. Other kinds of bliss fade in and out. They are not steady. But the bliss of bhakti goes on increasing unlimitedly for all of eternity. So if you really want to enjoy life to the fullest extent, you've got no choice except to take to the path of bhakti. Any other path that you take will leave you ultimately disappointed. If you want to keep searching on your own for the best path, the ideal path, you are welcome to do that. But if you do not feel like wasting your time and you want to taste the full nectar of immortality immediately, here's a word to the wise. Forget everything else and fully absorb yourself in bhakti right now. You will unlimitedly glad that you did!

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Blissful Devotees in Hamilton, New Zealand

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Conflict Between Christ and Krishna

Respected Teacher,

I have one really very painful question for me. Some years ago I belonged to the Christian church and used mostly Christian prayers in my life. But the Hare Krishna mantra helped me a lot, especially when I got some kind of psychiatric illness and was allergic to almost all of the medicines which the doctors gave me. So I even don't know how it happened, but I just started chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, and it really helped me. I use this mantra a lot for my healing, and it can do real miracles.

The problem is that I have lost many good friends. My parents also can not understand me. I never talk to them about Krishna. Christians have told me that I have given my soul to the devil because I left the Christian church. Sometimes I feel guilty because I can not be a Christian any more while chanting Hare Krishna mantra. But I can not stop using the Hare Krishna mantra because it helps me without any medication. It gives happiness. It is a miracle. But I really do not know how to solve this inner conflict between Christianity (the religion of my childhood) and the Hare Krishna mantra (my everyday healer ). I would be so much grateful if you could help me a little.

Thank You very much in advance!
Kind regards
C. R.

Answer: No Conflict--Like Father, Like Son

There is no reason for you to despair because Jesus Christ is a pure devotee of Krishna. When he speaks in the Bible about his heavenly father. he is referring to Lord Krishna. In fact the name "Christ" is an etymological derivation from the word "Krishna." In the Bible Jesus says that he is God, the Son. And the Bhagavad-gita Krishna says that He is God, the Father. So as it is said "Like father, like son," there is no conflict of interest between Krishna, the father, and Christ, the son. Both of them are in perfect agreement with each other. Both of them are teaching the science of pure love of God. It is only the rascal so-called followers who have made this artificial division between Krishna and Jesus. Kindly understand that both of them are teaching exactly the same thing, that we should fully surrender ourselves unto God.

The major difference between Christianity and Krishna consciousness is that while the Bible gives only introductory information of the science of God, the Vedas go very deeply into this subject matter. So in this regard the Bible can be compared to a pocket dictionary, and the Vedas can be compared to a big unabridged dictionary. Both of them are correctly defining the words, but one of them is going into great detail while the other one only gives a brief introduction. I know a Christian minister who has secretly become a devotee of Krishna. He studies the Bhagavad-gita and the presents the philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita to his Christian congregation couching it in Christian terminology which they can understand.

So there is no reason for you to despair. By chanting Hare Krishna you are giving the greatest happiness to Lord Jesus because he is also Krishna's devotee. He did not reveal this to the people of Israel because as he states in the Bible, "I have more to tell you, but you are not ready for it yet." For even the introductory level presentation of the science of bhakti, which he presented, they nailed him to a cross. So he did not reveal to them everything he knew about God.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari