Ultimate Self Realization

A spiritual master who declares that he is God or allows his disciples to make propaganda that is he is God is a charlatan. He is not a bona fide spiritual master. Such so-called gurus will tell their disciples that they can also become God, that all they have to do is come out of illusion and realize that they are God. But God does not have to realize that he is God. God is always God with full realization. He is never covered by illusion. He cannot be covered by illusion because illusion is one of His energies. Such false gurus should be avoided because their association will create stumbling blocks on the pathway of self-realization. The bona fide spiritual master teaches us that we are the eternal servants of God, that we simply now have to revive our eternal loving relationship with our dearmost friend, the Supreme Lord. Sankarshan Das Adhikari His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Teaches Us

The modern day society is trying through the advancement of science to have the kingdom of God without God. This is the same attempt that was made long ago by the powerful demon, Ravana, who constructed a city made of gold in his capital of Lanka and who kidnapped Sita, the wife of the Supreme Lord Rama, to satisfy his lusty desires. But he was not able to satisfy his lusty desires and he was killed by Lord Rama. The present day society is of the same mentality. They want all enjoyment, but they do not want God. They want sex pleasure without any restriction. And if a baby comes, kill it glossing their heinous act of murder over with the term "removal of tissue." Such a society greatly suffers the karmic reactions for its flagrant violation of the laws of God. The bona fide spiritual master can guide such a society how to become completely free from all suffering and live in perfect peace, prosperity, and happiness, if they would only take his advice. But if they do not want

It is sometimes said that a transcendentalist should have no contact whatsoever with the material energy because if he does so he will be contaminated, that he must instead completely detach himself from the material world through the process of negating all material things. According to this view it would be completely wrong to have anything to do with the internet. Such a transcendentalist should totally cut off his contact with all material things and take up residence in a remote place such as a cave in the Himalayan mountains. But this point of view fails to take into account the fact that everything in existence is the energy of Krishna and is therefore meant to be utilized in His service. While there may some merit for one who is addicted to material sense gratification to disassociate from all material things, the highest form of renunciation is to utilize all material things in the Lord's service. If we find a missing wallet on the roadside, we can take the money out of it

Srila Prabhupada said that a devotee does not walk around with his head in the fog, that he instead works well with the touch of an expert. This will undoubtedly be surprising to those whose image of a transcendentalist is someone whose head is up in the clouds and is spaced out in material dealings. This image is not at all befitting a devotee because a devotee sees the entire world as being the energy of Krishna and because of his love for Krishna expertly tries to utilize it as much as possible in Krishna's service. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why Do I Need a Guru to Realize God? I was learning about the Conference of the Birds, a story in the Sikh religion. They were searching for their God, only to realize in the end that what they are searching for they already had and was nothing new. Is this what "self realization" is like with Vaisnavism? You mentioned in "Thought for the Day" that one needs a spiritua

The world situation is becoming more and more chaotic with each passing year because it has lost its connection with the very source of existence, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore it is the greatest good fortune that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has introduced the Krishna consciousness movement for the world's deliverance. If the human society can wake up and realize the futility of basing itself solely on material advancement and take advice from the bona fide spiritual master, the representative of Krishna, the world situation will be completely transformed, and the entire planet earth will become transformed into a paradise. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu The Inaugurator of the Krishna Consciousness Movement Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Meaning of "Life Comes from Life." What does "Life comes from life" mean? Your servant Chitra Krishna Das Answer: Life Cannot Come from Dead Matter "Life comes from l

I have now left behind paradisial Fiji to continue my lecture tour in the concrete jungles of a confused and polluted planet. There is no doubt about it. This transcendental self-realization science is absolutely essential for the future sanity and survival of the human civilization. Without it we will see a complete melt down of the present day society. Somehow this message of Krishna consciousness has to be broadcast to everyone in every part of the world. Lord Krishna, please bless us that we can be successful in awakening the entire world to your most sublime message. Only by Your mercy is it possible that the world can be delivered. Sankarshan Das Adhikari From Paradise to Hell The Beauty of Krishna's Creation--Viti Levu, Fiji The Horror of Man's Creation Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Recognize a Bona Fide Guru? You probably answered this thousand times before but I beg you to answer one more time. Several people claim to be spiritual

23 June 2010--As I write these words I have just finished my thee day lecture series in Suva, Fiji and we are on the road to Tavua where I will be meeting with some of the local devotees and having lunch at the home of Vrajanatha Prabhu before heading to Nadi, where we will catching our flight tomorrow to to to Auckland, New Zealand. We are traveling on the King's Road going around the remote side of Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji. Seeing the natural beauty and the simple villages along the river, I am reminded of a time on the planet earth when everyone lived much closer to nature and were much more attuned to the underlying divinity of existence. The beauty of Krishna consciousness is that allows you be fully connected 24 hours a day with the underlying divinity of existence, even if you happen to be living in a hellish, polluted, crowded, crime-ridden city. It's pretty amazing what the chanting of Hare Krishna can do to elevate your consciousness if you do it seriously

The perfection is happiness is to be fully absorbed 24 hours a day in the service of the Lord. To whatever extent we are able to engage our lives in this way, to that extent we will relish true happiness. This the universal, eternal principle of happiness. No matter now much we may try to beat the system through selfishness and greed, we will ultimately find ourselves in a miserable condition. Therefore completely rejecting the happiness derived from selfishness and greed the intelligent person dedicates his entire life to becoming perfect in the devotional service of the Lord. Sankarshan Das Adhikari ISKCON Temple--Suva, Fiji Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Can Man Become God? I know that we are small gods. But does ISKCON think man can be God? Is there a way that man can be a full representation of God by climbing? Or does God have to be represented strictly by a man who was appointed at a time and place? That might be full two questions! Thanks, Travis Answ

There is truly no lifestyle which comes even close to comparing with the adventurous cutting edge existence of someone who has fully realized and reconnected himself with the Absolute Truth, the source of all existence, and who then fully absorbs himself 24 hours a day in trying to completely transform this dark age of materialism into an all-auspicious, all-peaceful, all-prosperous age of happiness for all by sharing his realizations with the widest possible audience and by always being a perfect living example in all times, places, and circumstances of someone who is fully connected with the Absolute Truth. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Become Self Realized? For four years I have been sincerely practicing Krishna consciousness. But still I have not realized the self (soul). Please suggest me what further practice is needed for self realization. Chandra Answer: You Need A Guru. You need a spiritual master because self-realiza

With all the air and water pollution we experience while traveling the globe, coming to the Fiji islands for several days of lecturing on the ultimate self-realization science is certainly literally a breath of fresh air. But before getting too excited about being in a heavenly atmosphere, it is intelligent and expedient to note how much this place is polluted by the bodily conception of life, just like every place in this suffering world. Wherever the bodily concept of life is predominant, that place will be like hell even if in every other way it is heavenly. And even if we are in the most hellish material circumstances on this planet earth, if there is Krishna consciousness, we will be living in the supreme heaven untouched by the miseries of material existence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Where Do I Find A Spiritual Master? I need a guide, friend, philosopher, mentor, a spiritual master. Where do I find him? Ashwin Answer: Wake

Why drink poison when you can taste the sweetest nectar at every minute? All you have to do is reconnect with your eternal, fully realized, and fully blissful nature through the time tested, authorized self-realization process. This process cannot be understood through the process of mental speculation or by hearing from the mental speculators. It can only understand by hearing from those who have fully realized the self in its eternal relationship as a subordinate servant of the Supreme Self. Those who teach that the individual self and the Supreme Self are one and the same are themselves deluded and are deluding others. Love means two. The Supreme Self and you. If they are merged into one, love cannot exist. And where is the question of happiness in a world without love? Sankarshan Das Adhikari Distributing the Sweetest Nectar 18 June 2010--Hamilton, New Zealand Answers According to the Vedic Version: One of Our Readers Claims that We Cannot Know the Soul Salutations! Thanks f

For the most part in today's society the science of God is either completely rejected or grossly misunderstood. God is written off as a myth or taken as an order-supplier. Or sometimes the unenlightened even go so far as to imagine that they are God. Consequently practically no one realizes how to constantly relish 24/7 the epitome of sweetness, pure devotion to that all-attractive person who is the source of all existence. Thus there is no more important welfare work than to awaken the entire human society to the unlimitedly nectarean science of the relationship between the individual self and the Supreme Self. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Going Deep into the Epitome of Sweetness 17 June 2010--Auckland, New Zealand Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Krishna Consciousness and Other Religions I was corresponding with a member who surprisingly mentioned that he did not know much about anything regarding Christianity. Do you acknowledge other faiths and their methods

Srila Prabhupada states that if a devotee becomes completely pure in his chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, free from the ten offenses against the holy names, he becomes jagad-guru, the spiritual master of the entire universe and that under his influence the entire world will take up the wonderful enlightening process of Krishna consciousness. This means that you have a potential global spiritual revolution right there in your bead bag. All you have to do is become perfect in your chanting of the Hare Krishna mahamantra. By doing so you can save the entire world from its present darkness and misery. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Devotee Chanting Japa Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why is Krishna Superior to Impersonal Brahman? I hope I can present this question respectfully. On June 17th's post you say that it is more intelligent to know Krishna is the Parabrahman than to think that the impersonal form of the Brahman is. I don't understand why this is so,

The few days we spent in Malaysia were very blissful. The devotees took such nice loving care of us and arranged so many wonderful speaking engagements that it made our hearts melt. They have requested us to stay longer when we come back next year. Although the schedule on our around-the-world lecture tours is very tight, we will do our best to try to squeeze in some extra time for our Malaysia visit in 2011. It's the least we can do to try to reciprocate with the wonderful loving kindness of the devotees in Malaysia. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Final Questions and Answers at the Airport Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia--15 June 2010 Ecstatic Farewell at the Airport Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia--15 June 2010 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: A Fundamental Misconception I have spoken to many Hindus about the Gita. They all tell me that the Me or I in the Gita does not refer to Sri Krishna but only to the Parabrahman within Krishna. How do I refute this? First of all how did th

There is nothing sweeter than being reconnected with the source our existence except for reconnecting others with that source of existence. Why? Because when we connect others with the source of our existence, Lord Sri Krishna, we become even more connected with Krishna. In this way we become supremely blissed out. Recently one of our subscribers dropped out of our course complaining that I do nothing except serve my own purpose. After considering his complaint, I realized that I agree with him. It is a fact that I do nothing except serve my own purpose. And what is that purpose? I want to see that every man, woman, and child on the face of this planet can achieve the supreme happiness of being reconnected with the source of their existence, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I am hankering for that day when everybody on this planet will relish the supreme bliss at every moment. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Spreading the Supreme Bliss at Hari Dass Giri Seva Samajam Klang, Malaysia--14 Jun

The supreme nirvana, the ultimate state of spiritual perfection is immediately accessible to those who know the secret of how to connect with it. All you have to do is know and understand your actual identity as a pure spiritual-soul servitor of the Supreme Person and then always think, speak, and act in terms of that actual identity. By practicing the self-realization science in this way according to the directions of great self-realized spiritual masters you will gain factual realization, tangible experience of your eternal identity, which exists completely the confines the present prison of time and space. The result will that you will be completely ecstatic and never be bewildered ever again by the miseries of material existence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Opening the Door to Spiritual Emancipation Klang, Malaysia--13 June 2010 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why Call God "Krishna"? If God is God as you said, divine and beyond attributes and names, w

At the present moment the personality of Kali has taken charge of this planet in every nation around the globe. Therefore there is nothing more important for the welfare of the human society than to spread this Krishna consciousness movement all over the world so that Kali's influence can be counteracted and everyone can be happy. At the present moment we are very much blessed by the most auspicious opportunity to spread the Krishna consciousness movement in another one of Kali's capitals, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Sankarshan Das Adhikari We Are Presenting Bhakti in One of Kali's Capitals Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Should I Seek or Wait for a Guru? Dear Sir: I am sympathetic to the Krishna consciousness movement for about eight years, and though I have found some advanced devotees, I have been unable to find my spiritual master. How should I proceed? Should I actively seek a spiritual master or should I simply for ask Krishn

In spite of being a suppressed minority in a Muslim country the devotees in Malaysia are so blissful that simply by being in their association one become ecstatic. This is the nature of transcendental association. It uplifts the consciousness enabling one to taste divine happiness at every minute. This is the way life should always be and the way it can always be if we stick tightly to the association of advanced transcendentalists. Money, sex life, prestige, and power can never give this kind of satisfaction to the self. Therefore we encourage everyone to awaken their original divine consciousness by taking enthusiastically to the pathway of self-realization. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Kirtan at Devotee Relationship Seminar 12 June 2010--Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: When Is One Properly Set in Life? Please explain when can a person call himself well settled in life. I mean at what stage in life is a person properly set in life? Amit Gu

In horror we watch as now for 53 days millions of gallons of oil keep spewing out into the Gulf of Mexico making it more and more polluted by the hour. And still the gusher has not been stopped! Such outrageous anomalies are symptomatic of an age based on material sense gratification in which God is either denied or taken simply as our order-supplier. If we want to bring back balance and harmony to the human society, we must address the problems at the very root level instead of simply trying successfully or unsuccessfully to treat the symptoms. The root cause of all of difficulties is that we are trying to enjoy the property of our Father instead of doing our duty of engaging His property in His service. If we can simply start doing our duty, the anomalies will go away and we will have heaven on earth. Sankarshan Das Adhikari 2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Catastrophe Black Waves Every-Expanding Oil Slick Oil Soaked Bird Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Tru

In this material world sex is accepted universally as the ultimate pleasure. Sigmund Freud theorized that everything we do in this material world is based around sex and he was right So how is it that a Krishna conscious person can derive unlimited pleasure, energy, and satisfaction by completely focusing all of his energy on Krishna and totally giving up sex? The reason is that the pleasure of fully absorbing oneself in Krishna consciousness is millions and billions of times more enjoyable than any quality or quantity of sex pleasure. If one finds this difficult to believe, we encourage him to make the experiment of fully absorbing himself in Krishna consciousness and then judging from his own experience because as it is said the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: God Conscious Without Religious Dogma? Respected Sankarshan Das Adhikari, Can one be God conscious without being indoctrinated by any reli

A few sublime days in Mauritius of fresh air, sunshine, beautiful views, wonderful varieties of locally grown fruit and vegetable prasadam, combined with my normal ecstatic routine of chanting and describing the glories of Krishna consciousness in the association of souls eager to hear--was a wonderful boon for both my consciousness and my health. Now we have left behind heavenly Mauritius to continue chanting and teaching the ultimate self-realization science in the hellish cities of the modern day material civilization. Our first stop is Johannesburg where our hosts live in a neighborhood filled with barbed wire like a battle front and houses protected with bars like fortresses. While externally the atmosphere is hellish, warning us of the violent crime that goes on regularly in South Africa, once you are inside absorbed in chanting and hearing the glories of Krishna you are back again in the heavenly atmosphere of Krishna's transcendental abode which exceeds by millions of times

Whether the world takes to enlightened consciousness or not, that is up to them. But at least we can taste the nectar of the ultimate in enlightened consciousness, Krishna consciousness. Of course we want that everyone else can taste the ultimate happiness. We cannot stand to see the entire human society unnecessarily entangled in so many varieties of suffering conditions. That is why we have fully dedicated ours lives to making the entire world Krishna conscious. But what can we do if the people in general prefer to remain in ignorance and misery? We can lead a horse to the water, but we cannot force him to drink. So whether they take to Krishna consciousness or they do not take to Krishna consciousness, that is up to them. It is simply our duty to present it to them to in the most pleasing, pleasant, and intelligent way possible. But if they still refuse to take it, what can we do? We will go on drinking the nectar and continue making vigorous propaganda to induce them to also drin

'Sometimes I feel like I am crying in the wilderness because it seems so hopeless to get this message through to the grossly illusioned human population. I have dedicated my life to bringing a higher consciousness to this planet, but I see that it is still completely engrossed in the three modes of material nature. I am now 62 and I know that my departure from this planet is coming closer and closer every day. I want so much that the leaders will open their hearts to the message of the Bhagavad-gita, but no one is interested. Still I push on as a matter of duty. My only consolation is knowing that because I am speaking Krishna's teachings of Absolute Truth, the teachings I am leaving behind are powerful seeds of bhakti that will one day sprout and bring about the global spiritual revolution that I so ardently desire. Sankarshan Das Adhikari University of Mauritius Planting Bhakti Seeds at the University of Mauritius Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How

On Saturday 5 June 2010 I had the sublime opportunity to reach out to thousands of people all over Mauritius through appearing on the radio at Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation. There is truly nothing more satisfying than making this knowledge widely available because at the present moment the entire world is suffering due to a lack of this knowledge. The entire world population can live in perfect peace and harmony if the people can be educated to know who they are and are the taught the practical techniques of fully reviving their original, natural consciousness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation Broadcasting the Highest Truth to the Mauritians 5 June 2010 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Predestination, Doom, Fate... My Dear Srila Gurudeva. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and you, Srila Gurudeva. I have one question, where I am little bit confused. One devotee was telling me that everything is

Krishna has blessed me with a wonderful atmosphere for helping me to recover from pneumonia. We've left behind the winter of South Africa to spend a few days in Mauritius, a tropical island nation off of the east coast of Africa, where the warm climate, clean air, locally grown fruits and vegetables, and open spaces are all very beneficial for my health. Here I am giving a series of lectures, appearing on the radio, and initiating some new disciples. Krishna consciousness is very highly respected and successful here. In fact in 1975 the prime minister of Mauritius personally requested Srila Prabhupada to visit this country. So it is certainly not an ordinary place. And Mauritius has the highest per capita enrollment in our Ultimate Self Realization Course of any nation in the world. We'll be here until next Wednesday, when we will return to Johannesburg, South Africa for one day to do an evening program in the home of Shyam Govinda Prabhu and then head on the Malaysia for sever

In an article entitled "Are There Dangers in Being 'Spiritual' But Not Religious?" dated June 3, 2010 CNN correspondent John Blake writes: "I'm spiritual but not religious." It's a trendy phrase people often use to describe their belief that they don't need organized religion to live a life of faith. What Mr. Blake has written about above may be trendy nowadays, but it is nothing new. 5,000 years Lord Krishna was also encouraging spirituality without religious when he instructed Arjuna to abandon all varieties of religion and simply surrender unto the Supreme Lord. As soon as we forget the original pure essence of spiritual life, to become a lover of God, our tendency is to invent a system of rules of regulations for elevating ourselves into some kind of "holier than thou" consciousness. This is why none of the great saintly enlightened teachers throughout history have taught sectarianism. They have all simply taught their students the

Right now the entire world is focusing on South Africa because starting in one week it will be hosting the 2010 World Cup soccer games. Teams from all over the world will be competing to control the soccer ball better than the other teams. Millions and millions of dollars are being spent in appreciation of this sport. But what will be the final outcome of the games? For one year or so one team will be considered the world soccer champions until they are eventually displaced by another team. How will this have improved the condition of the human race? Will there will be less disease? Will people no longer get old and die? No. The wheel of material miseries will continue to roll on unabated with great force. Will there be no crime, poverty, injustice, or terrorism? No. These unwanted things will also continue. So if we enjoy playing a competitive sport, why not play that competitive sport in which the stakes are the highest and the end result is the most beneficial? This sport is the m