Ultimate Self Realization

On May 29 and 30 in Lenasia, South Africa on the invitation of the local devotees I conducted an 8 hour seminar on pure devotional service. It was divided into four 2 hour sessions, two on 29 May and two sessions of 30 May. One may wonder how much there is to say about devotional service that one could go on talking about for 8 hours without it becoming boring. But the fact of the matter is that when pure devotional service is discussed in an authorized way according the revealed scriptures and the great saintly teachers of the past, the speaker, the inquirers, and the hearers, and the place where the discussion is being held are all elevated into the transcendental dimension which exists beyond time and space. Once one enters into that realm eight hours is nothing. Sukadeva Goswami described pure devotional service for 168 hours straight with any break when he explained to Pariksit Maharaja. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Pure Devotional Service Seminar Lenasia, South Africa--29-30 May 2010

In Sanskrit this material world is called durasraya. Dur meals false, and asraya means shelter. So durasraya means false shelter. Therefore our idea that we can get shelter here is hope against hope. It is simply a foolish dream. It is futile because it will never be fulfilled. Sometimes in a state of illusion we think that we are actually being sheltered and protected by the material world. But then sooner or later something will come along to pop our bubble of illusion and we are left high and dry again feeling unsheltered and unprotected. In so many ways we take shelter of this material world and are again and again disappointed. Therefore the intelligent thing to do is to instead directly take shelter of Krishna instead of the material energy. When we face difficulties in material life we should see how Krishna is blessing us with the wonderful reminder that this material world offers us no real shelter, that only He offers us real shelter. Indeed, Krishna's shelter is perfect

After boarding our London-Johannesburg flight on 27 May 2010 I struck up a conversation with one of the flight attendants named Rod Culliford. I thanked him for not being on strike because this helped prevent our flight from being cancelled. (Many British Airways flight attendants are on strike now, causing many flights to be cancelled.) Although he is working in spite of the strike I could understand by his response that he was not that happy with his situation. And when I mentioned to him that the material world is a miserable place, I was surprised how he immediately agreed. I could understand that I was speaking with a deeply thoughtful person. So I took the opportunity to explain to him how all or our miseries are caused by misidentification with our temporary material bodies. The reality is that no matter how well situated someone may be in this material world they must ultimately succumb to the misery of having everything that they are attached to ripped away from them at the ti

The holy name of Krishna is so powerful that it can immediately solve all the problems of the world. Therefore it should widely and regularly broadcast so that as many people as possible can hear it as often as possible in every town and village throughout the entire world. There is no easier way to give pleasure to the Lord than by enthusiastically singing His transcendental names in public along with other devotees. This is known as sankirtana yajna, the transcendental sacrifice of congregationally chanting the holy name of God. This yajna bestows the highest benefit upon the chanters and upon the entire earth planet. Take advantage of every possible opportunity to engage in this public chanting. You'll be glad you did. You will reap unlimited benefits. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Chanting in the Park Sofia, Bulgaria 26 May 2010 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Questions: Is Krishna Hindu? Sometime back I had argument with my fellow mates in the office. They said Krish

The life of a traveling lecturer is not always trouble free. On this tour we've endured cancelled flights from a British Airways strike and Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano. Now my camera is broken, I have pneumonia, and I am extremely backlogged on emails. There is so much to do to get my health back, to find a new camera, to catch up on my emails, and to keep up with my around-the-world lecture schedule. (We leave Europe tomorrow for South Africa.) I have to always make sure that my disciples all over the world are all nicely situated on the pathway of progressive Krishna consciousness. And on top of all these duties our spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, has ordered us that we have to deliver the world. Sometimes it seems too much. It seems to be completely overwhelming. But I remember that my mother one time advised me to just take life one day at a time. If you do that, it becomes doable. Let me simply fully offer this day in Krishna

Today is Nrsimha Caturdasi, the appearance anniversary of Lord Nrsimhadeva, the half-man, half-lion incarnation of the Supreme Lord. On this day fasting is observed until dusk, and then followed by feasting. This is a most auspicious day to remember the great mercy the Lord has upon His pure devotees to protect them from all varieties of dangerous situations. Here are some beautiful prayers for worshipping Lord Nrsimhadeva: namas te narasiṁhāya prahlādāhlāda-dāyine hiraṇyakaśipor vakṣaḥ- śilā-ṭaṅka-nakhālaye I offer my obeisances to Lord Narasiṁha who gives joy to Prahlāda Mahārāja and whose nails are like chisels on the stonelike chest of the demon Hiraṇyakaśipu. ito nṛsiṁhaḥ parato nṛsiṁho yato yato yāmi tato nṛsiṁhaḥ bahir nṛsiṁho hṛdaye nṛsiṁho nṛsiṁham ādiṁ śaraṇaṁ prapadye Lord Nṛsiṁha is here and also there. Wherever I go Lord Nṛsiṁha is there. He is in the heart and is outside as well. I surrender to Lord Nṛsiṁha, the origin of all things and the

Although short, it was a wonderful visit to Arad and Timisoara, Romania where I lectured on the transcendental science of how to be situated at every minute in unlimited bliss by fully dovetailing ones consciousness in pure love the supreme conscious being. There's really no reason to ever be miserable. Misery is for fools only. Once you fully awaken your eternal transcendental nature in loving relationship with the Supreme Self, you will taste nothing but ever-increasing transcendental bliss for all of eternity. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Lecture: How to Attain Unlimited Bliss Arad, Romania--24 May 2010 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Questions: Did the Scientists Create Life? I am always skeptical, as one day humans may end up creating life forms by themselves, thereby denying the existence of 'God-almighty' altogether. The following article said something about creating a primitive life form called Syndi, a self replicating micro cell, using a synthesized

While staying in Arad, Romania from 21 to 23 May 2010 with my disciples, Mineketana Ramadasa and his wife, Anasini devi dasi and their two lovely daughers, Draupadi and Aruni, we got to experience the joy of being out in the fresh air, open spaces, and soothing morning sunshine picking strawberries in their bounteous garden for offering to our deities, Sri Sri Radha and Damodar. This is natural living, to produce one's own food with no anxiety about how much it costs in the grocery store. In the Vedic culture people produced their own food on their own family farms and didn't have to worry about getting a job to work in an unhealthy atmosphere to pay someone else to run an environmentally unsound agribusiness for producing huge quantities of artificially fertilized foods that are deficient in vitamin and mineral values. The Beatles' 1967 hit song "Strawberry Fields Forever" presented strawberry fields as a wonderful place where you would like to go. And we have fo

If science means to know things as they are, how can science purely be said to be scientific? Modern day science is based on theories which are conjectures or educated guesses based on data gathered through imperfect senses and analyzed by imperfect minds. Therefore it is not surprising when a scientist admits that his theory is not conclusive. In this connection, many years ago in the early 1970's I attended a large gathering of science students at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. A visiting scientist had come to give a lecture describing in detail his theory about black holes in outer space. After he finished his lecture there was an open question and answer session. So I asked if the existence of black holes in outer space was a theory or it was a fact. He answered, "I think it's a fact." Then I asked him, "Throughout the history of modern science we have seen that one theory has come into popularity for some time until it is eventually repla

Sometimes I wonder why I take so much time and trouble for repeatedly circling the globe for spreading Krishna consciousness. There are so many difficulties that I must regularly face in the course of traveling like this for Krishna. Sometimes I become sick, which is more difficult to deal with when traveling. Sometimes my travel plans are disrupted when flights get cancelled due to airline strikes or spewing volcanoes. Often time the rigors of traveling make it hard for me to get sufficient time for writing. And then there is always the concern of having sufficient funds to cover the travel expenses. I could just remain at our ashram in Austin, Texas USA and completely avoid the difficulties of spending so much time out of every year out on the road. But after reflecting why I do this, I remember how enlivened the people are all over the world to join me in kirtan, the congregational chanting of the holy names of God, and how blissful they become when they hear and inquire from me an

This weekend we are going to spread the amazing transcendental science of Krishna consciousness in Romania in the cities of Timisoara and Arad. You can find them on the map below on the western edge of Romania. Our first flight today will take us from Sofia to Romania's capital, Bucharest. From there we will fly across the Carpathian Mountains to Timisoara where Minaketana Ramadasa will drive us to Arad for a lecture program on Saturday. Then he will drive us to Timisoara, where I will be giving a lecture on Sunday. It's a wonderful, incomparably blissful feeling to be traveling all over the world for spreading this most mirific knowledge, which will solve all of the world's problems and make everyone happy. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Romania: Our Destination this Weekend For Sharing the Supreme Bliss Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Is There An Evolutionary Sequence? Is there any sequence of one's birth during the raising of oneself from the deepes

On 19 May 2010 I was interviewed by Krasi Prodanvo, the publisher of Sofia's Usuri Magazine, a spiritual alternatives publication. It was a pleasant interview. Mr. Pradanvo is a subscriber to our e-course and was very interested in Vedic culture and how it can have a positive uplifting effect on the modern day civilization. He appreciated the many faceted nature of Vedic culture, and when he inquired about how one can enter into Vedic culture I explained to him that the method is to accept a spiritual master. In the Vedic civilization all of the upper class members of the society accepted a spiritual master for guiding them on the pathway of spiritual perfection. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Interviewed by Sofia's Usuri Magazine Sofia, Bulgaria--19 May 2010 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Follow Krishna or Be Compassionate? A devotee is a person who follows and try to implement the orders of Lord Krishna. At times, it may look like as if he is being compass

You owe it to yourself to be happy. After all happiness is your original, natural consciousness. So why should you cheat yourself? This would not make any sense. Why suffer birth after birth when you can instead enjoy unlimited, ever-increasing bliss at every minute. This is called Krishna consciousness. This is real intelligence. Our spiritual master has mercifully given us this formula for unlimited bliss, and now we would like to share it with you. Kindly take it. You will never regret it. You got nothing to lose and absolutely everything to gain. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Krishna Consciousness Means Unlimited Bliss Blissful Devotees in Kaunas, Lithuania 19 April 2010 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: God is Formless? I am thankful to you for answering my queries whenever I post them in spite of lot of your busy schedule. Please answer my following doubt in full explanation. I read from your explanation in Brahma Samhita 5.38 wherein Lord Brahma sees inconceivab

There is truly nothing sweeter than the Bhagavad-gita. The transcendental sound vibrations of this ultimate of all conversations elevate anyone who hears them to the transcendental plane beyond the mundane world of birth and death. Just as Arjuna was liberated by hearing the Bhagavad-gita, we can also become liberated by hearing the Bhagavad-gita. The only condition is that we have to hear it in the same mood of humble submission as Arjuna. In the first chapter of the Bhagavad-gita Arjuna holds onto his material consciousness and remains in a state of misery. But in the second chapter he realizes his foolishness and humbly submits himself to Krishna as His disciple. In this way he becomes fully qualified to be liberated by the message of the Gita. And this way we will also. We simply must agree to become the surrendered disciples of Krishna, or in His absence to His representative, the bona fide spiritual master. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Bhagavad-gita Lecture 16 May 2010--Sofia, Bulgar

On 15 May 2010 a mundane conference hall in Sofia was turned into the spiritual world by the power of Lord Sri Krishna's transcendental holy names. Wherever the Lord's names are chanted with love, that place becomes magically transformed: whether a concert hall, a city street, or a park. This becomes especially obvious when a large group is chanting with great enthusiasm as was the case with this program. The experience is quite amazing, unlike anything one can experience any where else with this universe even on the higher planets of the demigods. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Kirtan Bliss Transforms Public Hall 15 May 2010--Sofia, Bulgaria Explaining the Magic of Kirtan The Hall Was Jam Packed. It Was Ecstatic to Share the Names with So Many. The Mirific Kirtan Airplane Takes Off And the Audience Dives Deep into Kirtan Bliss. Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: "Now" Consciousness and Devotional Service In my search for Absolute Truth, I came

When we landed in Sofia, Bulgaria on 14 May 2010 on a flight from London, UK we were greeted by a merry band of about 25 devotees singing and dancing in ecstasy in the airport's arrival area led in kirtan (group chanting) by Rupa Manohar Prabhu. He was sweetly singing and playing his accordion in his usual festive mood. It was the sweetest nectar to experience a mundane airport transformed into the spiritual world by the power of Krishna's holy names. Our jubilant kirtan attracted the attention of everyone in the airport terminal. No one could resist relishing the sweet nectar of Hare Krishna kirtan as the waves of ecstatic love of Godhead drowned the Sofia airport in an ocean transcendental bliss. We are inviting everyone to come and fly with us on Hare Krishna airlines back to our original home in that wondrous, mirific spiritual sky. Why suffer in this material world any longer when you can always taste the sweetest nectar at every minute? Sankarshan Das Adhikari Kirtan Bli

You've been shackled long enough in the chains of illusion. It's time to break free from your material conditioning, which has kept you entangled in the cycle of birth, death, old age, and disease since time immemorial. Now is the moment you've been awaiting for millions of lifetimes. So break free, break free, break free right now. Assert your true identity as Krishna's eternal servant and enter forever into the realm of eternity, knowledge, and bliss where nothing is amiss. You've got nothing to lose except your anxiety, nothing to lose except for your mortality. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Sri Sri Radha and Krishna Await Your Return to the Spiritual Sky Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Who is God, the Source of all Avatars? Swamiji, the Vedas declare "aham brahmasi." So then, who is God, who appears as avatars such as Rama and Krishna? Dinesh Answer: Krishna Aham Brahmasi means "I am spirit." It does not mean "I am

Since the devotee of Lord derives his happiness only from serving the Lord and does not depend on any form of pseudo happiness derived by lording it over others in this material world, he is able to purely love all beings through the process of purely loving the source of all existence, Lord Sri Krishna. Some may object, "Why are you promoting Krishna as the Supreme and not someone else?". The reason we do this is that this is the conclusion of the Vedic scriptures and of the great sages who guided the Vedic civilization for thousands of years. Our duty is to repeat honestly and accurately what we have heard from the great authorities. The result of our giving the highest, most complete knowledge of God is that those who hear it and understand it will be given the best possible opportunity for achieving spiritual perfection in this lifetime. So why shouldn't we give them the best help by supplying them with the most complete information? Any other course of action would b

We have been given the duty by our spiritual master to deliver the entire world from illusion. What could be a more gargantuan task? The entire human civilization is deeply enwrapped in the illusion of bodily consciousness, and we have been given the seemingly impossible duty of freeing them. How could this even remotely be possible? The only way is by the wide scale dissemination of the philosophy of the Srimad Bhagavatam. In the Srimad Bhagavatam it is stated: dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ vedyaṁ vāstavam atra vastu śivadaṁ tāpa-trayonmūlanam śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate 'tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhis tat-kṣaṇāt "Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṇa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of a

Tuesday 11 May 2010--As I write these words we are flying high above the clouds traveling from Austin to Detroit on the first leg of our journey to London to resume our around-the-world lecture tour. Instead of being covered by the clouds as are the people below us, we are situated far above those white fluffy balls enjoying the sunshine, which is not presently visible to those below. And in an even higher sense, by the unbounded mercy of our spiritual master, we are flying high in the spiritual sky situated far, far beyond the clouds of the material modes of nature, which are covering all the living beings within this material world. To be Krishna conscious does indeed give one a unique vantage point, which is known only to those who share it. It is so thrilling and wonderful to be Krishna conscious. This is why we are out traveling the globe trying to turn the entire world on to this most sublime state of enlightenment known as Krishna consciousness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Departi

If we tell someone that they should not try to be the enjoyer, they may object to this because the natural tendency of all living beings is to enjoy. So how can advise that one should not try to be the enjoyer? The answer is simple. The way to actually enjoy is to serve the enjoyment of the Supreme Enjoyer rather than trying to enjoy separately. If we try to enjoy separately we are like the hand trying to get nutritional value from the food without feeding it to the stomach. So when we advise people that they should not try to be enjoyer what we are really telling them is how to expand their enjoyment unlimitedly by always serving the Supreme Enjoyer rather than trying to be the separate enjoyer. The hand that feeds the stomach gets the full nutritional value of the food it gives the stomach. The living being who thinks, speaks, acts for the pleasure of the Supreme Enjoyer Personality of Godhead in all times, places, and circumstances enjoys on an equal level with God. Sankarshan Das A

Sunday 9 May 2010--We have just returned from an ecstatic retreat in the Lost Pines Forest of Central Texas. Now we have one day to get ready to head out again in resumption of our around-the-world lecture tour. It was really wonderful how all the participants in the retreat were able to connect with each other and with Krishna through kirtan, aratis, lectures, prasadam, and service. There needs to be more and more such retreats all over the world. By expanding the Krishna consciousness movement more and more all over the world, all of the modern day society's problems will be solved. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Vishnupriya Mataji Teaching Krishna Bhakti Lost Pine Forest Retreat-- 8 May 2010 Devotees Relishing Topics of Krishna in the Forest 8 May 2010 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Different Supreme Lords in Different Puranas According to the philosophy of ISKCON (the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) besides Krishna all other gods and god

Just as we are lost here in this material existence so far from our original home in the spiritual world, in Central Texas there is a pine forest separated by more than 125 miles from the expansive Piney Woods that permeate East Texas. Because this pine forest is so much cut off from the Piney Woods of East Texas it has been designated as the Lost Pines forest. In a higher sense these pine trees are lost because they are souls who were originally devotees of the Lord in the spiritual world. Due to somehow or other developing a mode of independence they have been separated just like we have from their original home in the spiritual sky and have taken birth here in the Lost Pines forest as pine trees. By our coming here and doing a weekend Krishna conscious retreat we are helping both the lost pines and our lost selves to get back to our original home in the spiritual sky. Even if a tree is exposed to Hare Krishna kirtan is spiritual progress back to home, back to Godhead is greatly ac

Knowledge of the self and its relationship with the Supreme Self is so fantastically enlivening that simply by always keeping this knowledge in mind one can perpetually relish the sweetest happiness within himself no matter what is happening in the external world. One who constantly sees reality through the eyes of this supreme knowledge lives always in the wonderful world of Krishna consciousness, relishing constant unlimited happiness in that most amazing of all abodes. He becomes completely liberated from the constant pinching of the external world, this material existence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How Can Fragments Come from the Uncuttable? In the Bhagavad-gita it is said categorically that no weapon can cut the soul, no one can burn it, and no one can dry it. But according to Srila Prabhupada, we all are fragmental part and parcels of the Supreme Being. These things are contradictory. If the soul can not be cut how can the in

After a refreshing two weeks sharing Krishna consciousness here at our home base at Bhaktivedanta Ashram in Austin, Texas we are heading out next Tuesday to resume our around-the-world lecture tour. Our first stop will be in London where I will giving a lecture at our Soho street temple on the evening of Thursday 13 April. Then it will be on to Bulgaria, Romania, South Africa, Mauritius, Malaysia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Australia before returning to the USA in July. The entire world civilization is gradually disintegrating due to a lack of Krishna consciousness. Therefore for the benefit of the suffering humanity it is our duty to try to awaken the people to their factual identities as the eternal servants of Krishna or God. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Finding a Bona Fide Spiritual Master Dear Sir, My humble respect to you. In your "Thought for the Day" for 5 May 2010 you advised to find a bona fide master who will lead us t

We have nothing to fear in any situation because Krishna is always present to protect us and guide us through this realm of death back to our original home, His eternal, all-blissful abode. The only time we become fearful is when we forget Krishna. Therefore it behooves us to always remember Krishna in all times, places, and circumstances. This is not difficult because there are so many ways that we can connect with Krishna For example Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita that He is the taste of water. Therefore all we have to do is every time we drink water remember that Krishna is the taste of water. He also says that He is the sunlight. So every time we see the sunlight we can remember Him. In these and in so many other ways, as described in the Bhagavad-gita, we can always be fully and fearlessly absorbed in Krishna consciousness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why Take Initiation? Please accept my humble obeisances. Guruji, Could you p