Eternal Youthfulness
I was a little surprised the other day when I had to book a hotel for our forced stopover in Amsterdam on our way from Latvia to the USA. What surprised me was that we qualified to get a big discount on our hotel bill because of being senior citizens. This is amazing to me because I still feel like that 22 year old youth who joined the Hare Krishna movement in 1971 with a burning desire to save the world. How is it that I have been able to retain that youthful optimism and idealism all the way into my sixties? All I can say is that all credit goes to my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who clearly reveals the highest level of understanding of the Absolute Truth in his extensive writings. Even though the counter-cultural youth of my generation had a saying, "Don't trust anyone over thirty", thousands of us put our full faith and trust in Srila Prabhupada. We could see that even though he was in his seventies, he was more youthful than us. Srila Prabhupada revealed to us how to be eternally youthful by regaining our original positions as associates of the supreme ever-fresh youth, Lord Sri Krishna, in His eternal pastimes in that wondrous spiritual sky.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Regain Your Eternal Youth With Krishna
I have a few questions regarding Krishna Consciousness. I hope you will find time to answer them as I'm most eager to learn more!
The spiritual energy is always present, but it is covered by the material energy. Is this material energy maya, or are maya and material energy two different things?
How can we as fallen souls learn to discriminate between the soul and the Supersoul? When do we know that the soul or the Supersoul is taking action?
Our mind, intelligence and ego are inferior material energies. Since we, the living entity are superior energies, does this mean that we're not our mind, intelligence and ego? We're not this body, we are spirit soul. Does this also exclude the three mentioned items? Or are they something else? If we're not these inferior energies, why do they feel so real? Is it our job to control these in favor to our path to Krishna?
My life took a new birth when I came to Krishna consciousness. I was never really happy before I tried to live my life for Him, realizing that He's everything and the controller of everything. I came to Krishna consciousness about a year ago, I have not realized or fully applied the spiritual knowledge to my life due to lack in knowledge etc, but I would very much like to!
My question is, when you meet non-devotees in the material world who are acting as if they were the "supreme controllers" of your life, how should we as servants of Krishna react upon it? In my case, this is experienced in terms of material things such as education, money, invitations to mundane parties etc. This is especially related to friends and family. How can we act without making the "illusioned controllers" angry? Because it seems like they don't understand and don't want to understand Krishna consciousness and why it is so important for us. And I feel that I don't have the intelligence to handle such pressure-filled situations.
Please, dear, dear, Gurudeva, guide me on these matters.
Thank you very, very, very much in advance!
Hare Krishna
I.K.
In conditioned consciousness the soul acts, but in disharmony with the Supersoul. In liberated consciousness or Krishna consciousness the soul acts in perfect harmony with the Supersoul. To achieve this state of harmony we require the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, that person who is a master of the art of how to live in perfect harmony with the Supersoul.
The real ego is spiritual energy. It is the false ego only that is material energy. False ego is the sense of being the lord of all that one surveys. Real ego is the sense of being the eternal servant of God. We are not the mind, intelligence, or the false ego. It is only due to the influence of the material energy that the mind, intelligence, and false ego feel so real. By seriously cultivating Krishna consciousness, we will gradually feel more and more how the spiritual reality of being the eternal-spirit-soul servant of Krishna is far more real than the so-called reality of this world.
A devotee is naturally more friendly than a non-devotee because the devotee is a representative of the Supreme Friend, Lord Sri Krishna. In this way by loving friendship he charms everyone with his graciousness and compassionate behavior. When people like him for his amazing friendly, saintly qualities, they won't mind the ideological differences. In fact they may become so intrigued by the devotee's overflowingly blissful nature that they may want to try practicing Krishna consciousness also so they can taste the supreme bliss too.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Regain Your Eternal Youth With Krishna
The Ever-Fresh Youth
Answers According to the Vedic Version:
Question: How to Share Krishna With Others?
Hare Krishna, dear Maharaja,I have a few questions regarding Krishna Consciousness. I hope you will find time to answer them as I'm most eager to learn more!
The spiritual energy is always present, but it is covered by the material energy. Is this material energy maya, or are maya and material energy two different things?
How can we as fallen souls learn to discriminate between the soul and the Supersoul? When do we know that the soul or the Supersoul is taking action?
Our mind, intelligence and ego are inferior material energies. Since we, the living entity are superior energies, does this mean that we're not our mind, intelligence and ego? We're not this body, we are spirit soul. Does this also exclude the three mentioned items? Or are they something else? If we're not these inferior energies, why do they feel so real? Is it our job to control these in favor to our path to Krishna?
My life took a new birth when I came to Krishna consciousness. I was never really happy before I tried to live my life for Him, realizing that He's everything and the controller of everything. I came to Krishna consciousness about a year ago, I have not realized or fully applied the spiritual knowledge to my life due to lack in knowledge etc, but I would very much like to!
My question is, when you meet non-devotees in the material world who are acting as if they were the "supreme controllers" of your life, how should we as servants of Krishna react upon it? In my case, this is experienced in terms of material things such as education, money, invitations to mundane parties etc. This is especially related to friends and family. How can we act without making the "illusioned controllers" angry? Because it seems like they don't understand and don't want to understand Krishna consciousness and why it is so important for us. And I feel that I don't have the intelligence to handle such pressure-filled situations.
Please, dear, dear, Gurudeva, guide me on these matters.
Thank you very, very, very much in advance!
Hare Krishna
I.K.
Answer: Give Them Your Love
Maya and the material energy are the same thing.In conditioned consciousness the soul acts, but in disharmony with the Supersoul. In liberated consciousness or Krishna consciousness the soul acts in perfect harmony with the Supersoul. To achieve this state of harmony we require the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, that person who is a master of the art of how to live in perfect harmony with the Supersoul.
The real ego is spiritual energy. It is the false ego only that is material energy. False ego is the sense of being the lord of all that one surveys. Real ego is the sense of being the eternal servant of God. We are not the mind, intelligence, or the false ego. It is only due to the influence of the material energy that the mind, intelligence, and false ego feel so real. By seriously cultivating Krishna consciousness, we will gradually feel more and more how the spiritual reality of being the eternal-spirit-soul servant of Krishna is far more real than the so-called reality of this world.
A devotee is naturally more friendly than a non-devotee because the devotee is a representative of the Supreme Friend, Lord Sri Krishna. In this way by loving friendship he charms everyone with his graciousness and compassionate behavior. When people like him for his amazing friendly, saintly qualities, they won't mind the ideological differences. In fact they may become so intrigued by the devotee's overflowingly blissful nature that they may want to try practicing Krishna consciousness also so they can taste the supreme bliss too.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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