Ultimate Self Realization

Since Krishna is the God of the demigods, who are the departmental heads within this universe, we worship only Krishna and do not worship the demigods. This is just like our paying of taxes to the central government without our having to separately pay tax to each governmental department. This is Krishna's instruction to us in the Bhagavad-gita that we should exclusively worship Him only and not worship the demigods or anyone else. Therefore on His order all of our devotion goes only the Krishna. In this connection sometimes people become confused when they see that we are worshipping the spiritual master. They find this to be a contradiction. But actually it is not a contradiction. Surrender to only Krishna means to follow the instructions of Krishna and not the instructions of anyone who instructs us differently than what Krishna instructs us. So when Krishna instructs us to become the devotees of the spiritual master by doing so we are doing nothing more than surrendering ours

Time is the most valuable of all commodities. While other things that are lost can be regained, whatever time is lost can never be recovered. Therefore one should spend one's time most judiciously and never waste a single moment. Even if I lose one million dollars, I can also gain one million dollars. But if one second of time is wasted, it is gone forever. The proper utilization of time is to engage it in the service of Krishna. Any time invested in this way will yield unlimited dividends. Therefore I should always remember Krishna at every moment and never forget Him. And I should offer Him all of my words and deeds in all times, places, and circumstances. This is the perfect utilization of time. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: How to Apply Isavasya, the God-Centered Conception? i have been reading Sri Isopanisad, and would like to ask how would a person apply the theory of Isavasya, the God-centered conception, which is given in Mantra 1, in ISKCON and in

The French Algerian philosopher, Albert Camus, expounded the philosophy known as absurdism. According to absurdism, although life is meaningless human beings are faced with the dilemma of hankering for meaning in a meaningless world. Camus says that there are three ways of resolving this dilemma: 1) Commit suicide. (Camus rejects this as cowardly.) 2) Believe in a transcendental reality beyond the absurd. (Camus rejects this as philosophical suicide because it amounts to the destruction of reason, which is just as fatal as the suicide of the body.) 3)Accept the Absurd. (According to Camus, this is the only real solution. One should continue living while accepting and even embracing life's absurdity. Life, according to Camus, can "be lived all the better if it has no meaning." ) In other words, according to Camus, man exists in an irrational and meaningless universe, and his search for order brings him into conflict with his universe. His view is that the absurdist, by

nitāi-pada-kamala, koṭi-candra-suśītala je chāyāy jagata jurāy heno nitāi bine bhāi, rādhā-kṛṣṇa pāite nāi dṛḍha kori' dharo nitāir pāy "The lotus feet of Lord Nityananda are a shelter where one will get the soothing moonlight not only of one, but of millions of moons. If the world wants to have real peace, it should take shelter of Lord Nityananda. Unless one takes shelter under the shade of the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, it will be very difficult for him to approach Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. If one actually wants to enter into the dancing party of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, he must firmly catch hold of the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda." Today is the most auspicious appearance day of Lord Nityananda. Lord Krishna has descended to this world 500 years ago in Bengal, India as Lord Caitanya. And His first expansion, Lord Balarama who played the role of being His brother, was present also at that time as Lord Nityananda. At that time these two brothers displayed the most inconceivabl

We are back now for six weeks at our home base, Bhaktivedanta Ashram, in Austin, Texas. Austin's official city slogan is "Live Music Capital of the World". The members of the Krishna consciousness movement are certainly no strangers when it comes to the concept of live music. We begin our day every day with a live kirtan at 4:30am, ecstatically singing and dancing the glories of the Supreme Lord and His pure devotee, Srila Prabhupada. And this is just the beginning. Then we have more two or three more kirtans before breakfast. And then whenever possible, not wanting to keep all of this ecstasy to ourselves we take it out on the streets by singing and dancing in the public. Everyone enjoys ecstatic singing and dancing. So we like to share this nectar with as many people as possible as often as possible. Bliss on the Street- Hare Krishna Live Music Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Vedic Reference Regarding Intoxication What is the Vedic referenc

Even if we are not fortunate enough to directly come into contact with the Supreme Lord, we can receive the same unlimited good fortune if we come into contact with the bona fide spiritual master. This is so because the bona fide spiritual master purely represents the Supreme Lord by not saying anything unless it is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The bona fide guru is he who has accepted Krishna as guru through the system of disciplic succession. One cannot become a guru if he does not purely present the teachings of the Personality of Godhead Krishna. Srila Prabhupada states, "The mission of the guru is the mission of the Supreme Personality of Godhead: to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world." Therefore it is the duty of all bona fide spiritual masters to fully dedicate themselves to spreading this Krishna consciousness all over the world for the deliverance of all living beings back to home, back to Godhead. Answers According to the Vedic Versio

If you want to taste some serious bliss, you've come to the right place. This Krishna consciousness movement is giving people the real thing. It is reconnecting them with their original, all blissful, all knowing eternal natures. Why would somebody want to suffer when they can instead experience unlimited happiness within their hearts in all times, places, and circumstances? When the people of this planet begin to wake up to who they really are, they will be joining this movement in droves. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: How to Be Sure a Devotee Went Back to Godhead? Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble obeisances. When a devotee departs, we say that he went back to Godhead. How sure are we that he really went back to Godhead? Is it true when a soul leaves his body he will be able to meet his close ones who have departed? Today a devotee said that Madhvacarya met Vyasadeva although they were from different yugas. Is it possible to meet great souls from dif

23 January 2010--This morning at 4:20am in the temple room of our ISKCON New Dwarka temple in Los Angeles while chanting Hare Krishna on my japa beads I was circumambulating Srimati Tulasi devi, Krishna's pure devotee, who has so mercifully appeared before us in the form of a plant. Then after watering her and offering her my respectful obeisances I begged that she kindly bestow upon me the ultimate boon of pure devotional service. I must beg Krishna's pure devotees in this way because, being such a spiritual misfit, this is my only hope for attaining spiritual perfection. And then after begging for pure bhakti I begged Tulasi devi that I can be a pure channel for distributing her ultimate boon of pure devotional service to the suffering souls of this planet so that they can also be swimming in this ocean of nectarean mercy millions and millions of light years away from the miseries of material existence. Beautiful, All-Merciful Pure Devotee, Srimati Tulasi devi Answers

It's really ecstatic to be back once again in New Dwarka, ISKCON Los Angeles, one of the most vibrant and enlivening centers of the worldwide Krishna consciousness movement. Here the worship of Rukmini and Dwarkadish is going on to the highest standard. Here also is the USA headquarters for the BBT, the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, the publisher of the writings of ISKCON's founder-acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It was here at this temple that Srila Prabhupada spent a lot of his time while in the USA lecturing, writing, and training his disciples in the science of bhakti. His personal quarters have been transformed into a wonderful museum consisting of transcendental artifacts of furniture and other paraphernalia that were personally used by Srila Prabhupada. In this holy place one can very easily feel the presence of Srila Prabhupada. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: How to Escape Astrological Influences? One astrologer told m

21 January 2010--After ten days of sharing the nectar of Krishna consciousness in Latin America we are flying out tonight to Los Angeles, which will be our last stop before returning next Monday to Bhaktivedanta Ashram, our home base in Austin, Texas. Krishna consciousness in Latin America has a very sweet flavor because the people here have a simple, easy-going, warm-hearted nature which makes them very open to receiving in a very loving way a traveling preacher of Krishna consciousness. My experience in lecturing all over the world is that my inspiration to speak comes to a great extent from enthusiasm of the listeners. When the hearers are full of gusto I naturally can speak with more inspiration. For this reason Latin America is one of my favorite preaching spots in the world. I will be returning here in January of 2011. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Eating During an Eclipse? It is said that during a lunar or solar eclipse, one should not eat or drink anyth

The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna has assured us in the Bhagavad-gita that when religion declines and irreligion becomes predominant He will appear to re-establish religious principles. The present chaotic, ever-increasingly godless world situation certainly qualifies this planet now more than ever for an appearance of the Lord. Therefore the supremely merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna has presently manifested Himself in the form of the Krishna consciousness movement to save the suffering humanity from its precarious situation. Thus there is no greater good that one can do for the world population than to fully dedicate one's life for spreading the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world. Although I am devoid of any good qualifications, I am making a humble attempt to do just that and by the mercy of my beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, I am experiencing amazing results far beyond anything that I would have

On 12 January 2010 at 4:43PM local time a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated the Caribbean country of Haiti killing an estimated over 200,000 people. When a devotee of the Lord sees such catastrophes he is greatly heartbroken by the sufferings experienced by so millions of people. Even though a devotee is always relishing the great happiness of Krishna consciousness within his heart, his heart is so broad that it also encompasses the suffering of all the living entities who are so miserably entangled in the cycle of birth death. His is therefore greatly devastated to see the sufferings of the poor souls in this material world. This is why he is described as para-duḥkha-duḥkhī, one who is aggrieved to see the sufferings of others. And this is why he fully dedicates his life for flooding the planet earth with Krishna consciousness to bring the ultimate and permanent happiness to all living beings. Heartbreaking Haiti Earthquake January 12, 2010 Answers According to the

We have now arrived back in Lima, Peru where we are in the association of wonderful devotees who are sincerely dedicated to serving the mission of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. It is truly sublime to be here in their transcendental association. Even though the city of Lima is hell, a place full of pollution and crazy sense gratification, because we are in the company of sincere devotees of the Lord we are experiencing this hell to be heaven. This is the amazing transcendental nature of Krishna consciousness, that wherever you are in this material world you can be in a state of transcendental bliss simply by remembering Lord Krishna. This is due to the fact that Krishna and the remembrance of Krishna are non-different. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: How to Transform Lust into the Greatest Love? Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. So, I like a girl. I like-like her. I feel intense emotions about her. I also feel intense emotio

Just as the Ford Motor Company does not have to re-invent the wheel every time it produces a new car, the bona fide spiritual master does not have engage in the tedious task of inventing a new teaching. He simply has to faithfully repeat the message exactly as he has received it from his spiritual master and thus be a perfectly transparent channel for his spiritual master's message and mercy. In this way the bona fide spiritual is able to channel his spiritual master and through him all the previous acharyas up to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Himself. To come into contact with and surrender to such a bona fide spiritual master brings one the perfection of his existence in a perfect, loving, fully cognizant, supremely blissful relationship with the Almighty God. There is no attainment greater than this. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Does This Course Relate to Jesus Christ? Does any of this relate to Jesus Christ? Part of the reason I enrolled was for spirit

Here in Santiago we are tasting the sweetest nectar in the association of a most wonderful community of ISKCON devotees. There is so much volume of love, sincerity, and bliss in the atmosphere here that it could fill up the entire Pacific Ocean. The devotees here have made us feel so much at home by lovingly seeing to all of our needs. And when I give classes they have unlimited questions about how to progress in the science of bhakti. The questions keep coming more and more in such an endless stream that we finally have to arbitrarily end the class and request the devotees to bring their unanswered questions to the next class or to ask me on the internet. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: How to Find a Spiritual Master? How do I find a bona fide spiritual master? Chandrashekhar Answer: See Who Best Connects You With Srila Prabhupada The first step is to read Srila Prabhupada's books and carefully follow his teachings. Then once you have a clear understan

Even though these around-the-world lecture tours can sometimes be an austerity in terms of getting proper rest and in keeping the best health, there is undoubtedly unlimited nectar that we taste on the road for Krishna. By helping people all over the globe to re-connect with their eternal Lord Sri Krishna we are feeling unlimitedly rewarded. In other words, the more we spread happiness, the more we experience happiness. And the more we feel pain in our hearts to see the sufferings of others, the more we are blessed by Krishna. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Why Not Go to a Strip Club? Hare Krishna All Glories to Srila Prabhupada. Please accept my humble obeisance's. A work colleague is soon leaving the company and my fellow work colleagues suggested taking him to a strip club to celebrate. I explained to them that I would not attend as I'm practicing Krishna Consciousness and we don't attend such things. My fellow work mates then made the argument

On 14 January 2010 I gave a lecture in the Mendoza Town Hall "Obtain Unlimited Happiness by Knowing Who You Are." It is only due to ignorance that anyone is suffering in this material world. Once we become enlightened with the knowledge of who we actually are, all forms of suffering vanish into oblivion. The lecture was was preceded by ecstatic kirtan and was well attended. At the end of the lecture there were many sincere questions, and then many people came to the book table to receive delicious Krishna prasadam free of charge and to purchase our transcendental literatures. Even after the program many persons remained in the lobby to continue relishing the ecstasy experienced in the program and were delighted to be part of the group photo which you can find below: Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Can One Leave the Body Permanently By Meditation? Dear Gurudeva, I have read that it is possible to transfer the life force to the crown of the head and leav

Although the naysayers sometimes criticize us for becoming gurus in our humble attempt to spread the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world, what can we do? This is the duty given to us by our spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. On the morning of 17 December 1973 during a Srimad Bhagavatam class given in Los Angeles, California, USA Srila Prabhupada ordered us, "Just become perfect in the understanding of this science and become guru and deliver the whole world." So even though we do not consider ourselves to be highly qualified it is our duty to try our level best to carry out the order given to us by our beloved spiritual master. Srila Prabhupada taught us that this is the secret of success in spiritual life, that one must embrace the order given to him by his spiritual master as his very life and soul and dedicate one's life fully to trying to successfully execute that order. Answers According to the Vedic Version Qu

12 January 2010--After being blessed with many weeks of sweet, enlivening Krishna consciousness in India, Australia, and New Zealand, we are heading out today for South America, where I will be lecturing in Argentina, Chile, and Peru and then wrapping up this tour by lecturing for a couple of days in Los Angeles and then returning to our home base at Bhaktivedanta Ashram in Austin, Texas, USA. We have been so wonderfully blessed by Srila Prabhupada with the mission of making the entire world Krishna consciousness. By fully embracing this mission as our life and soul, our lives become transformed into the most amazing exciting adventure. Instead of watching the news, we get to be the news. While on the one hand (the material hand) it is deemed utterly impossible that the entire human civilization could embrace the process of Krishna consciousness, on the other hand (the spiritual hand) by the blessings of the Supreme Personality of Godhead anything is possible. Therefore we continue u

Krishna and His holy name are one and the same. Therefore when we connect with Krishna's holy name at any time and especially while engaging in sankirtana (congregational chanting) we are factually connecting with that person who is the source of everything and whose divine potency is the energy that makes everything function throughout the entire universe. Therefore it is literally a fact that Hare Krishna rocks the universe. So what is the natural result when we dive into that ocean of unlimited holy name nectar? We will be amazed to see how we are dancing like madmen in the ecstasy of love of God. Srila Prabhupada and Disciples Ecstatically Dancing in Kirtan Bhaktivedanta Manor-London, England Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Essence of the Gita? Gurudeva, I am an admirer of the Teachings of Lord Krishna. Could you please help me understand better the essence of the teachings of Gita in few lines? I truly appreciate. Truly yours. Reny Answer:

Just as a mobile phone, which is locked into a particular mobile phone service, can be unlocked to allow the user to use a different mobile phone service, our consciousness at the present moment is locked into the material energy but can be unlocked for activating our spiritual mind, intelligence, and senses. The person who is empowered to unlock our consciousness is the bona fide spiritual master. With our present material eyes we cannot see God. But when our consciousness is unlocked we will be able see God face to face, eye and eye and become fully qualified to directly associate with him in an intimate loving relationship in any one five different types of rasas or relationship: neutrality, servitude, friendship, parenthood, or conjugal love. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Where Can We Find the Urgency to Chant Intensely? Dear teacher: Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. From my experience I have known that chanting with in

Srila Prabhupada has taught us that Krishna kirtana (the chanting of the Lord's holy names) is an ocean of transcendental sweetness or mellow. Can you taste it? If we are not tasting it, we need the guidance of someone who is tasting it. In other words we need the mercy of a bona fide spiritual master in order to submerge ourselves in that ambrosial ocean. In this connection Srila Prabhupada has very nicely stated, "We should always remember the danger of maya's influence and endeavor to save ourselves from her great power. We must therefore always merge in the transcendental mellow of kirtana-rasa, for kirtana-rasa is the safest situation within this material world." Kirtana-rasa is the sweet flavor of being merged in a transcendental loving relationship with Krishna's holy names. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: How is Our Philosophy the Best? Gurudeva, how is our philosophy the best? Dhaval Answer: There is No Question of Best Becau

Just as the Supreme Soul Lord Sri Krishna is splendorously beautiful, the individual spirit-soul being part and parcel of Him also possesses the qualify of amazing beauty. However, if the spirit-soul falls into material existence, his naturally beautiful divine effulgence becomes covered by the three modes of material nature. But when that spirit-soul chooses to revive his primordial Krishna conscious nature, he will be reinstated in his original beatific nature qualitatively one with Krishna Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of all beauty. This transition requires the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master, the saintly devotees of the Lord, and the authorized Vedic scriptures such as the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Why Worship God When We Should Be Serving Man? Respected Sir, As I know and as the world accepts that service to man is service to God I am getting doubt and thoughts will come in my mind freq

The human form of life offers us the rare opportunity of escaping the cycle of birth and death and regaining our original position as associates of the Supreme Lord in His eternal transcendental kingdom millions of light years beyond this material world, which is called Martyaloka, the abode of death. The key to attaining this ultimate perfection is to be blessed by the mercy of Krishna's pure devotee. And the way to get that mercy is to please Krishna's pure devotee by submissively inquiring from him and by rendering loving unto him. Although there are many systems of consciousness elevation mentioned in the Vedic literatures, none of them can bring one to the perfectional stage of returning to the Lord's abode unless and until one is blessed by the mercy of Lord Sri Krishna's pure devotee. Therefore we should aspire for those blessings as the most important attainment of our lives. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Is Being Gay a Sin? I am a gay,

Why be miserable when you can swim at every minute an ocean of transcendental bliss no matter where you are or what you are doing? You simply have to kick out from your consciousness the false ego of bodily identification with the understanding that you are an eternal spirit-soul servitor of the Supreme Person, and that your sojourn in the material existence is for one purpose and for one purpose only: to reconnect yourself with that all-beautiful, all-powerful, all-merciful, all-knowing Supreme Personality of Godhead. And then you must go beyond the platform of understanding to the platform of transcendental realization. This is accomplished through the regular daily practice of real transcendental meditation by chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra, "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare", under the expert guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: How to Get a

Every one of us exists. That's why we are here. This is common to all of us. But the quality of our existence varies according to the quality of our consciousness. The good news is that each one of us has complete control over the quality of our consciousness. We can exert our energies towards elevating our consciousness, or we can allow our consciousness to become more and more degraded. Those who choose to continually purify or elevate their consciousness until they attain the quintessence of existence, pure devotional service to the Supreme Person, are in for an exciting eternal existence of ever-increasing bliss and knowledge. Of course, no one can be forced to reject the regressive path and adopt the progressive path because choice of path is strictly a personal matter. But those who are advanced on the progressive path actively engage themselves in educating the general population so that at least everyone can understand that they have a choice of what sort of existence the

Krishna or God is equal to everyone. He declares this openly in the Bhagavad-gita where He also declares that He is the best friend of all living beings. Therefore we can understand that He is equally giving everyone the opportunity for happiness. After all, since He is our loving father, it is only natural that He wants each and every one of us is happy. So if God is equal to everyone, why are some people nicely, happily situated while others are in destitute, hellish conditions? This is due to our choice. We can choose to be obedient, law-abiding citizens of God's kingdom, or we can strike out on our own staking a claim to our own independent kingdom here in this material world. Just as the government will facilitate the advancement of both the students in the state university and the criminals in the state penitentiary, the Lord equally facilitates the progress of every living being in all of His creation. So which way would you prefer to be facilitated? In samsara, the wheel

We cannot stand to see the people destroying their chances for genuine happiness by being so deeply absorbing themselves in sense gratification activities. Even if someone wants to break out of serving their senses and wants to instead serve God, it is very difficult to do so because all around them is a human society that is deeply absorbed in sense gratification and is actively encouraging all of its members that sense gratification both subtle and gross is the pathway to happiness. Therefore we are calling for a world wide revolution of consciousness in all spheres of the human society, a revolution based on the concept of serving the Supreme Person who is the source of all existence instead of serving our voracious senses. Such divine service will bring peace and prosperity to the entire world and therefore should immediately be adopted by everyone, especially the leading members of the world society. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Recreational Sex Once in

If we continue serving our senses as we have always done for millions of lifetimes, we will continue to get what we've always gotten, namely the repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease. So if we want actual happiness, if we want to become truly alive and truly free, we must break out of the samsara syndrome by taking advantage of the mercy of the great mahajanas who have blazed the trail which leads us out of this dark wilderness of material existence. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: God is Controlling Everything. So How Am I Responsible? Respected Gurudeva, My sincere obeisances to you and Lord Krishna. I am confused a bit about my position vis-à-vis the Supreme Personality of Godhead, our own dear Lord Krishna. Since He is the Supreme Controller, how could anything be done by me? Why should not I consider that whatever is being done by me is because of His desire and direction? Under the circumstances where is the question of right or wrong being c

Another wonderful year now lies ahead of spreading the mercy of Krishna as much as possible all over the world for the benefit of those who are suffering in material existence due to a lack of Krishna consciousness. I don't receive a salary for doing this. This is done as a voluntary act of love. The pay, however, is awesome, because the more that one shares Krishna with others, the more he gets Krishna for himself. In material life it is not like this. The more you give something away, the less you have of it. But in spiritual life it is just the opposite. The more you give Krishna, the more you get Krishna. And the more you get Krishna, the more you become happy and satisfied. Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: How Can a Small Atomic Particle Have a Form? It is stated in the Vedas that the size of soul is 1/10,000 the tip of a hair. And we also understand that the soul has an eternal relation with Krishna, which we've now forgotten. Since the soul is much

In many parts of the world people are celebrating the new year, 2010. Once a year they get to celebrate the new year with parties, fireworks, loud music, liquor, etc. But a Krishna consciousness person being in constant touch with the Supreme Reality experiences a new year at every moment. Because Lord Krishna is ever-fresh, never hackneyed or old, every moment in His association is an exciting never-been-experienced-before adventure. But still the new year presents the devotee with a great opportunity to take the holy names of the Lord to the streets with jubilant celebration of the Lord's sweet, inconceivable tidal wave of mercy, which has come to sweep away the symptoms of the age of Kali and bring true, lasting happiness to every man, woman, and child on the face of the earth. ISKCON Devotees Street Celebration of the Lord's Holy Names New Year's Eve-Kowloon, Hong Kong Answers According to the Vedic Version Question: Serving Krishna with Animals in My Home?