Ultimate Self Realization

Krishna states in the Adi Purana that unless we are the devotee of His devotee He will not accept us as His devotee. So who is this devotee that we should become a devotee of? This devotee is the spiritual master. We should seek out the association of a bona fide spiritual master and fully take shelter of him as Krishna's pure representative. This is how we our devotional service becomes fully accepted by Krishna and how we will able to gain admittance to the spiritual world at the time our passing out of our present body. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Moment of Enlightenment is Fixed? Please accept my sincere pranam. I have a little curiosity in continuation to the Question/Answer of 18 August 2009. The question was: "All scriptures state that God is omniscient and that He knows everything - past, present and future. Scriptures also state that humans have a certain element of free will. If God knows everything about our future

Some say that you can take any road and attain the supreme destination. While taking any road is a valid principle for those who do not care where they end up, it is not a viable means of attaining the supreme perfection. If I want to fly to New York, will any flight take me there? No. I must catch a flight which is going to New York in order to be able to reach New York. If I catch a flight to Miami, it will take me to Miami. It will not carry me to New York. So if you want to attain the supreme abode, you've got to take the path of bhakti. No other means will get you there. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Does Taking Credit Reduce Bhakti? Please accept my humble obeisances. May your blessings always be on me. Sir, is there a danger of a devotee's bhakti getting reduced if he takes credit for the fame of being a nice devotee. Warm regards, Sunil Answer: Credit Takers Have Zero Bhakti It is not that there is a danger of bh

The kirtan last Thursday night at ISKCON Sofia's Radhastami celebration was so super enlivening that it carried away everyone in an ocean of ecstasy. This reminded me of the great power of Krishna's holy names to uplift the entire cosmic manifestation. An entire temple room full of devotees sang and danced in intense bliss on and on and on in a kirtan that seemed like it could go on forever. Hare Krishna kirtan is not like some ordinary music which can be heard in one room or a little further. Indeed Hare Krishna kirtan is so powerful that it rocks the entire universe. Even the greatest rock musicians have derived great pleasure and satisfaction by chanting Hare Krishna. In this connection George Harrison described his experience with Hare Krishna chanting: "Before meeting Prabhupada and all of you, I had bought that album Prabhupada did in New York, and John and I listened to it. I remember we sang it for days, John and I, with ukulele banjos, sailing through the Greek I

While at the present moment we are ensnared in the dimension of time and space undergoing countless millions of births and deaths and separated from the Lord and His abode by countless millions of light years, Lord Sri Krishna, as described in the Narada Pancaratna, is situated beyond time and space. Because of our being conditioned by time and space our conception of returning to His transcendental abode to regain His association is that we must travel through time and space to go there. But actually all we have to do is free ourselves from the lording-it-over mentality and become purely fixed in the mood of loving service to the Lord. Then we will awaken in that sweet timeless abode tasting unlimited bliss in the association of the Lord and His pure devotees. We will realize that we were always serving the Lord there and that our painful, frightening sojourn in this material existence was just a temporary, momentary dip into the ocean of ignorance. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers A

In material life we must face so many dualities. Sometimes things are going really great. Sometimes they are not so great. And sometimes they are absolutely horrible. The idea is keep your consciousness on an even keel through all varieties of the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly. How to do that? You've got to keep your consciousness always focused on Krishna, the source of all existence, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If you do this, you will see how His loving mercy is always acting in all situations to bestow the highest benefit upon the living beings. And then your mind will naturally be equipoised, peaceful, and happy. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Can We Preach to the Envious? My humble obeisances. Lord Krishna says that one should not preach the message of Bhagavad-gita to those who are not austere, or devoted, or engaged in devotional service, nor to one who is envious of Him. But practically when senior devo

I am happy to be on the road again for preaching the science of Krishna consciousness all over the world. The entire world is suffering due to a lack of Krishna consciousness and by the grace of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, we have the medicine which will deliver the entire world from its precarious condition. Life is not meant for sense enjoyment. It is meant for engaging ourselves in the service of the Lord. And there is no greater service to the Lord than bringing his lost children back to Him. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Know One's Occupational Duty? When I was reading chapter three of the Bhagavad-gita I understood the importance of occupational duty and how lust is our enemy. But I failed to understand what is occupational duty and how one can identify his or her duty. In those days people followed the varnashrama system, but how is it applicable in today's life? Swathi Ans

The root cause of all of our suffering is selfishness. Each of us considers himself or herself to be the center of the universe. Krishna consciousness means to become purely selfless by serving the root cause of all existence, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Humanity has invented so many "isms" for becoming so-called selfless. But anything which falls short of serving the supreme source of all existence is still within the realm of selfishness, either concentrated or extended. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Is Everything Predestined? Please accept my humble obeisances. My question is: Is everything predestined? Hare Krishna Rahul Answer: Only Within the Material Energy As long as we remain within the material energy everything is predestined by the law of karma. But each of us has the power to opt out of karma chakra, the wheel of karma, at any time by taking shelter of the supreme person, the source of all existenc

The Krishna consciousness movement is bringing an auspicious 10,000 year golden era of spiritual enlightenment to this troubled planet. Everyone who joins the Krishna consciousness movement will feel immediate relief from the devastating effects of this ever-increasing problematic Kali Yuga (the age of quarrel and hypocrisy). Although the members of the Krishna consciousness movement presently constitute only a very small percentage of the world population, in due course of time this movement will expand its influence exponentially to such an extent that the science of Krishna consciousness will be a mandatory subject matter taught in all schools and colleges worldwide and the government leaders all over the world will rule their countries in accordance with the principles of Krishna consciousness as presented in the Bhagavad-gita. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: What's Wrong with Meat Eating? Please accept my most humble obeisances.

The modern day world situation has gotten so far out of hand that it is intolerable. Innocent cows and children are being murdered every day all over the world. In this connection Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, "This material world is not a fit place for a gentleman's living." A Krishna conscious devotee cannot stand to see all of the daily atrocities committed against animals and human beings. Therefore he fully dedicates his life for making a spiritual revolution on this planet to save the poor souls of this age from their ignorance and their misery. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: If a Devotee is Hit Please accept my humble respects. Sir, in the Bhagavad-gita I read Sri Krishna saying that lust is the root cause of anger. But I don't understand the relationship between anger and lust. Suppose, if a person gets hit by another, he might get angry. But how does lust become a cause for anger in this situatio

We have nothing to fear from non-existence because the living being has a factual existence which is completely transcendental to time and space. Although the philosophy of ultimate non-existence is popular with the atheists, non-existence is in fact non-existent. It only exists as a concept in the minds of the less intelligent. It appeals to those who are irresponsible because it offers them a future in which they do not have to fact the consequences for their misdeeds. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Is It Okay to Catch a Good Concert? Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada In the 18 August 2009 "Thought for the Day" you have written that knowing and forcing are different. I agree, but when Krishna knows what will happen to us in the future it is 100% sure to happen. It is just like everything is predestined, and we cannot act in different way. This is one of my questions that I got stuck in.

Krishna is all-powerful because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all existence. No one is as powerful or more powerful then He. But pure devotional service is so amazingly powerful that even though Krishna is the supreme power, He becomes completely conquered by pure devotional service. Therefore in a transcendental way Krishna's pure devotee becomes even more powerful than Krishna Himself because the pure devotee is able to control Krishna by his love. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: In a Panic Over the Age of the Universe You were saying that the universe is 155 trillion years old. I am in a total panic hearing this. Ideally there should be no beginning and end for the universe with it only perhaps going through changes. What do you think? Jayan Answer: Manifestation and Non-Manifestation Phases It is not a matter of my opinion. I am simply presenting what is coming down from the previous acharyas. The t

The modern day scientists calculate the age of the universe to be 14 billion years. Because to establish this claim they use techniques such as the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, which does not make any sense to the average person, most people do not question their claim and accept it as gospel. But we have seen throughout the history of modern science that one theory comes into popularity for some time until it is eventually displaced by another theory. We have never seen that they have a reached a permanent conclusion. So why should we blindly accept their current theory? Do we need to add even more dogma to our already overly dogmatized world? It is better to take the knowledge that is coming directly from the creator of the universe, who provides us the with scientific fact that the universe is 155 trillion years old. This is the real fact as confirmed in the Vedic wisdom, and it will never change. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question:

In Krishna consciousness you don't have to watch movies, travel to exotic places, or meet famous people to try to find adventure. Simply by connecting with Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all adventure, your life is immediately transformed into the most most amazing adventurous experience. In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna reveals that He is the source of all adventure and that he is adventure itself. Therefore when one is fully dovetailed with Krishna through loving devotional service he experiences life as the most invigorating and exciting adventure at every moment. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Variation of Dates Hare Krishna! Forgive my lack of knowledge or understanding. You wrote on the 14th of August 2009, that day is Srila Prabhupada's day of appearance into this world. But in 2008 you wrote the same thing, on the 24th of August. I am confused. Does this day refers to his birthday into th

If you want to become solidly fixed in Krishna consciousness, you've got to taste its nectar. You've got to somehow experience that sweet flavor of Krishna consciousness, which exceeds by millions and millions time any pleasure that can be squeezed out from the material energy. Once you've gotten this higher taste, no amount of allurement by the material energy will be able to sway your mind even one iota away from complete dedication to Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So how to get that taste? By serving those devotees whose hearts are completely free from all vice. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: If God Is Omniscient.. . All scriptures state that God is omniscient and that He knows everything - past, present and future. Scriptures also state that humans have a certain element of free will. If God knows everything about our future, how exactly are we free? Please clarify. Your humble servant, Naveen

The pathway back to home, back to Godhead is fraught with many dangers. Even a slight slip in one's practice can lead to complete, total fall down. So how carefully and conscientiously we must tread the path of bhakti? In this regard Lord Sri Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gita: indriyāṇāṁ hi caratāṁ yan mano 'nuvidhīyate tad asya harati prajñāṁ vāyur nāvam ivāmbhasi "As a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the water, even one of the roaming senses on which the mind focuses can carry away a man's intelligence." --BG 2.67 Just as a slight bit of inattention while driving a car can lead to a fatal automobile accident, in a similar way a slight bit of inattention on the path of bhakti can also be fatal. Therefore we must always pay close attention to what we are doing and make sure that it is pleasing to guru and Krishna, because it only by pleasing them that we can be successful in attaining the supreme destination of going back home, back to Godhead. Sankarsha

Our modern day global civilization is obsessed with an ever-increasing desire for material sense gratification on an earth planet with a rapidly depleting capacity to provide it. Unless we can put a brake on our lust for ever-increasing sense gratification we will reach the point of implosion where the entire modern civilization collapses under the weight of its own excesses and mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. The only solution for this impending global catastrophe is to educate the world population on how to become satisfied by connecting with the ocean of unlimited pleasure which is there within. If Krishna consciousness can be thus awakened in the hearts of men, people will be fully satisfied with plain living and high thinking and will no longer be bent like rapists on squeezing more and more sense gratification out of Mother Earth. So let's do it. Let's save the world by inundating it in a tidal wave of Krishna consciousness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers Accor

The spiritual master is present both in his physical form, which is known as vapuh, and in the form of his instructions, which is known as vani. Of these two presences the vani is more important because while vapuh can be present or not present, vani is eternally present for the obedient disciple. In other words, if one wants to always swim in the sweet, transcendental association of the spiritual master, all he has to do is became learned in the teachings of the spiritual master and always follow them as carefully as possible. Then he will not be living in this material world. He will always be living in the transcendental spiritual sky even while remaining externally situated in material body. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Significance of Chanting on Japa Beads? I have noticed that you mention chanting 16 rounds on japa beads. Nowadays we find some devotees using alternative counting methods. Is there any significance to chanting at le

Today is the most auspicious appearance day of my beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Because the spiritual master is a pure representative of Srila Vyasadeva, the literary incarnation of God, we celebrate the day that he appeared in this world as Vyasa Puja. In other words, because the spiritual master is a representative of Srila Vyasadeva, when we worship the spiritual master, through him by the system of disciplic succession, we are worshipping Srila Vyasadeva. It was Srila Prabhupada who so mercifully saved me from this hellish material existence by accepting me as his disciple on 12 August 1971. And it is he who resides within my heart at every minute mercifully guiding me and blessing me with his divine instructions to keep me eternally engaged in the loving service of Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Were it not for Srila Prabhupada's divine mercy I would still be caught up in the clutches of the material ene

Today in Austin we are celebrating Sri Krishna Janmastami, the transcendental appearance day of Lord Krishna. This day is the most wonderful opportunity to dive deeply into the transcendental ocean of Krishna consciousness by increasing our hearing, chanting, and serving along with decreasing our eating by fasting all day long up until after the midnight arati, which celebrates the moment of the Lord's appearance 5,000 years ago in Mathura, India. Krishna's appearing on this earth was the greatest blessing for the suffering humanity. He came to annihilate the demons and even more so for the protection of His devotees. Everyone is invited to visit their nearest ISKCON temple to participate in the wonderful festivities and to take advantage of this most auspicious day for becoming fully absorbed in Krishna consciousness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Chanting in the Mind? Although I am a beginner in chanting, I wanted to ask if is

There is no sense continuing on with this madness of the modern civilization. All we have to do is put God back in the center in all spheres of life and we can have the kingdom of God right here on the earth. What could be more wonderful? Everybody can be happy. Everyone can live in peace and prosperity. We simply have to stop putting ourselves forward as the center of universe. How can we claim to be the center? Did we create the cosmos, or are we products of something much greater than ourselves? Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Select a Guru? I wonder whom to make my spiritual master, as I have no perfect knowledge myself to test the person whether he is following the shastras (the scriptures) and his own spiritual master perfectly. I feel sometimes I should select my master fast. Please advise what is good for me whether to have patience and read thoroughly Prabhupada's books first and then select a master or something else?

Some who claim to be transcendentalists claim that the perfection of consciousness is to make your mind completely, totally free from any thoughts. They try to merge themselves into a state of perfect oneness or for some a state of perfect void. But such "no thoughts" states are not attainable. Why? Because the mind by its very nature is always active. So our perfection is not to make the mind blank. Our real perfection is to always engage in the mind in thinking about Krishna or God. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Acceptance without Understanding? Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Shri Guru and Gauranga. When we do not understand something we have to refer to the guru, the devotees, and the scriptures. But even if after consulting them we are still not convinced, do we have to accept or not? Would you please explain what is the difference between blind adherence and real realization? Thank you very much, Yo

Just as a fish is naturally inclined towards water, everyone, even the atheists, has love of God within them. With the exception of those who are spiritually awakened that love of God is presently asleep within them. It is currently in a dormant state like an inactive volcano lying deep within their hearts. So the fact is that everyone is a devotee, a lover of God. It's just that most people don't know it yet. Therefore the greatest welfare work is to awaken the dormant Krishna consciousness or love of God that everyone has but has currently simply forgotten. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Free the Mind from Material Thoughts? I try to chant the name of God in my mind with each of my breath, but sometimes I find that although I am chanting the name of God within myself my mind is also trying to think of worldly love, lust, pride and other attributes side by side. Is this a sin? Please show me the path. Your student A

Anyone who seriously takes up the wondrous pathway of Krishna consciousness will immediately enter into an auspicious life free from anxieties and will be blessed with a sublime transcendental existence which minimizes the value of liberation from the cycle of birth and death. In other words, by awakening one's dormant Krishna consciousness one is already liberated even though still situated within a material body here in this material world. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Where to Find a Perfect Master? Where do we find the perfect devotee or a perfect master? I understand that such people are rare and it is very difficult to approach them? Is it possible that one gets the knowledge on his own and advance on spiritual path? Are there any such sources of knowledge and how can we get access to them? Please forgive my ignorance. With Regards, Santosh Answer:A Perfect Follower/Teacher of the Bhagavad-Gita Finding a perfect devotee spi

The current slate of world leaders is incompetent. They are unqualified to give guidance to the people how to be happy. Someone who is illusioned cannot guide others how to become free from illusion. Therefore we are currently stuck with a fool's paradise in which the blind are leading the blind and everybody is stuck in the ditch of repeated birth and death. The only way out of this quagmire is if there now emerges a class of enlightened spiritual leaders who can show by example and teach by giving detailed instructions to the people in general how to become situated on the transcendental platform of self-realization beyond sense gratification. To become an enlightened leader requires that one becomes a follower of the great enlightened leaders of the past. One cannot become an enlightened leader simply by advertising oneself as such, as many such cheaters are doing nowadays. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Improve Japa? Sril

One of the symptoms of this godless age of Kali is scarcity of rain. At the present moment this shortage of rain is becoming more and more manifested on this planet. For example, a recent article in the Times of India reports that the monsoon winds that bring rain every year to north India's food bowl have this year been dry and desert-like. As this lack of water drags on over the years the amount of desert land on this planet will drastically increase while the land fit for crop production becomes more and more scarce. It will become increasingly problematic how to feed an ever more distressed human civilization. Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gita that rain comes as the result of sacrifice. The Brihad-Naradiya Purana states that the recommended sacrifice for this age is the congregational chanting of the holy names of God. And the Kali-Santarana Upanisad tells us that the Hare Krishna mantra is the most powerful, recommended mantra for this age of Kali: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishn

We want to introduce the entire human society to the most secret of all secrets. Since it is the highest knowledge, the perfection of wisdom, it's really uncanny that it should be so unknown. But when we consider that the nature of the material world is forgetfulness, we can understand why Krishna consciousness, even though the highest knowledge, is so unknown. In this connection there is a saying: 'Tis folly to be wise in that place where ignorance is bliss. We can see how true this is. Sometimes those who try to spread the secret wisdom of God are punished severely as in the case of Lord Jesus Christ and Haridas Thakur. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Turning the World On to Krishna in Russia--6 October 2007 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Purity Enhances Chanting or Chanting Enhances Purity? Does avoiding non-vegetarian food, intoxicants, gambling and illicit sex enhance chanting? Or is it that chanting enhances the avoidance of non-vegetarian food, intoxica

Anxiety is unnatural. It's the psychological disease that one naturally suffers from if he unnaturally misidentifies himself with the rotting material body. How could the eternal, all-knowing, all-blissful living being ever be satisfied by identifying himself with a bag of material elements which is temporary, full of ignorance, and full of misery? It is just not possible. So why should we continue endeavoring for satisfaction in this unnatural way? Such endeavor is the epitome of foolishness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Turning the World On to Krishna in Kaunas, Lithuania--15 May 2008 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Is Everything Predestined? Regarding "Thought for the day" for 4th August 2009, I was wondering that if everything is predestined and in control of God how does our having an independent choice make a difference? Isn't it that I'll make those choices that bring results that are predestined? I am at utter confusion at this topic. D

Let's do something really revolutionary! Let's turn the whole world onto Krishna! What could be more wonderful and exciting than this? And if even if we are not successful, we will give the greatest pleasure to Krishna by making this endeavor. He says that there is no servant in this world more dear to Him than the one who broadcasts His glories and that there will never be anyone more dear. So what do we have to lose for making this effort? Only millions of lifetimes of anxieties. I think I can spare that. And if we can save even one person from the ocean of birth and death, our endeavor will be more than worth it millions of times over. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Turning the World Onto Krishna in Riga, Latvia--October 2007 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Independence Under Krishna's Control? Hare Krishna Maharaja, Please accept my humble obeisances! All Glories to Srila Prabhupada! In continuation to August 3 2009's question in "Thought for

In this material world everyone is trying to enjoy as much as possible. But in spite of all their endeavors because they are trying to please the material body rather than the true self within they are still not very satisfied. We suggest that they should instead adopt the topmost lifestyle of Krishna consciousness, which focuses primarily on satisfying the self within and gives only secondary importance to the temporary material body. If they seriously do so, they will gradually learn the art of enjoying life like anything at every moment. Once they get a real taste of Krishna consciousness they will not want to revert to material sense gratification for any reason because they will be solidly situated on the transcendental platform. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Teaching the Topmost Lifestyle Riga, Latvia--October 2007 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Mahamaya in the Spiritual World? Dear Srila Gurudeva, Please accept my obeisance, and all glories to Srila Prabhupad

Whatever you do, do not waste your human life in the foolish pursuit of material sense gratification. Instead you should focus your energies for achieving the supreme perfection of existence by regaining your original, eternally blissful, fearless identity as a loving servant of the dazzlingly splendorous Supreme Personality of Godhead in His amazingly wondrous transcendental abode in the spiritual sky. That supramundane realm is complete devoid of anxiety and is full of unlimited varieties of pleasing, loving relationships. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Were All Souls Originally With Krishna? Were all we souls originally with Krishna in His highest abode? Say a devotee makes it back to Godhead, does he have a chance of falling down again? Or, were we never originally with Krishna in His highest abode and that's our final destination without the risk of falling down? Thank you for your time. R. Kings Answer: Yes All of us here i

You've got to know who you are, otherwise your entire life will be wasted. If you don't know who are, your energy will not be properly utilized. Instead of serving the needs of the self within, you will end up serving the temporary material body, which although here today will be gone tomorrow. This is the pathetic current condition of the human population. Therefore the entire society must now be educated in the science of self-realization so that everyone can know who they are and thus have the greatest opportunity to utilize their life's energy perfectly for attaining the supreme happiness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Is God a Human Being? When I was 19 years old, I had a question. I was captivated by that question: Is God a human being? Can you give an answer on that question? René Answer: The Supreme Super Human Although God is the Supreme Person and manifests a human-like form with two hands, two legs, etc. we sho