Resuming Our World Lecture Tour

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 to the path of salvation. My question is: In this selfish more materialistic artificial world how do I find such a master? What is the qualifying criteria for such master by which we can be sure that he is the right master? Please clear my confusion. I am seeing in India so many shops of so-called gurus.

Thanks,

Jai Krishna!

Kirti

Answer: See Who Krishna Has Sent You

It's quite confusing nowadays to find a spiritual master when so many people are advertising themselves as gurus. What makes it even more confusing is the lack of qualifications of these self-proclaimed gurus. But if one is equipped with the proper understanding based on the Vedic scriptures, it is not difficult to find one's spiritual master.

Actually it is not even necessary to find the bona fide spiritual master because as soon as you are sincere to realize the highest truth Lord Sri Krishna, who is situated within your heart as the Supersoul, will manifest Himself externally for you in the form of the bona fide spiritual master. So all you really have to do is become very serious about becoming self-realized and then be observant to see who Krishna has brought into your life.

How to recognize the bona fide spiritual master is described as
follows in the Mundaka Upanisad:

tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet
samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham

"In order to learn the transcendental science, one must approach the bona fide spiritual master, who is coming in the line of disciplic succession and is solidly fixed in Krishna consciousness."
--Mundaka Upanisad 1.2.12

So you simply must now become completely serious about the science of self-realization and see who is that bona fide spiritual master who has now appeared in your life by the arrangement of the Lord. Inquire from the spiritual master submissively and render service unto him. Such a perfectly realized soul can impart transcendental knowledge unto
you because he has seen the truth.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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