Last Full Day In Vrindavana
Duty calls. Srila Prabhupada was called to depart from the sublime Krishna conscious atmosphere of Vrindavan to spread Krishna consciousness to every nook and corner of the world. Now I am also obliged to follow his order to give Krishna consciousness to the suffering people of this world. He instructed, "Become guru and deliver the whole world." Therefore I must leave Vrindavana for spreading this amazing science of Krishna bhakti all over the world. I must leave Vrindavan for the higher purpose of transforming the entire world into Vrindavana. This is a shared duty for all the members of the Krishna consciousness movement. If we are always in the mood of transforming the whole world into Vrindavana, we are always living in Vrindavana at every minute with no separation. This is the secret of how to always be happy in full Krishna consciousness.
Because of the recent rains the Yamuna river is currently very wide and clean. I could not resist taking advantage of this auspicious opportunity to bathe in her sacred waters. Today (12 October 2010) being our last full day in Vrindavana I resolved that I must take full advantage of Yamuna devi's sweet mercy. We hired a boat to take us on a wonderful boat ride across the Yamuna. While traversing her sacred waters we dove deep into the nectarean river of Krishna kirtan. Upon reaching the opposite shore I changed into my gamsha and submerged myself in her sacred water.
Srila Prabhupada says that bathing in the Yamuna cleanses away all the contamination of the material world. So I was feeling pretty good when I came out. Srila Prabhupada states that by chanting Hare Krishna and bathing in the Yamuna one becomes perfect and returns back to home, back to Godhead. The process of bathing in the Ganges or the Yamuna falls within the category of one the seven items of bhakti known as pada-sevanam, serving the lotus feet of the Lord.
According to the Varaha Purana, as quoted by Srila Jiva Gosvami, there is no difference between the water of the Ganges and the Yamuna, but when the water of the Ganges is sanctified one hundred times, it is called the Yamuna.
So I am very thankful to Srila Prabhupada and Lord Sri Krishna that on this, my last full day in Vrindavana, I was blessed with the sublime opportunity to bathe in the Yamuna. This will strengthen me now to carry with the mission entrusted to me by my most beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Yamuna Devi Attracts Us to Bathe in Her Sacred Water.
"My dear friend, if you are indeed attached to your worldly friends, do not look at the smiling face of Lord Govinda as He stands on the bank of the Yamuna at Kesi Ghata. Casting sidelong glances, He places His flute to His lips, which seem like newly blossomed twigs. His transcendental body, bending in three places, appears very bright in the moonlight."
--Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.239)
Kirtan While Crossing the Yamuna--12 October 2010
I have a question that is keeping me terrified day and night and would like to ask your wisdom on this matter. I used to be a Christian here in the UK but became disillusioned over their dogmatic and literal interpretation of the Bible. They preached heaven or hell with eternal fire for non-believers. Unless we accept that Christ died for us on the cross to save us from our sins, we will burn in hell for eternity. This has caused much anguish and pain as I am not sure what I believe and am open minded at this point. I am frightened of going to hell.
My question is: Is it your belief that I will go to hell if I don't accept the Christian concept of Christ dying on the cross for us? And is there a hell where certain people will go for all eternity, separated from God?
Please explain. I am so frightened.
T.D.
Regarding the matter of hell, we are already in hell because we presently trapped in the cycle of birth and death so far away from the kingdom of God. Of course there are worse hells than this where sinful people are literally being burned. This is confirmed in all of the revealed scriptures.
Our destination after leaving this body is determined by our state of consciousness at the time of death, when we depart from our present body. If our hearts are still longing for material pleasures, we will take birth again in this material world in a suitable body to fulfill our desires in any one of the 8,400,000 species of life such as a type of human being, animal, plant, or fish. And if our hearts are completely free from all material desires with our only desire to serve God, we will enter the spiritual world and manifest an eternal spiritual body which never gets sick, never gets old, and never dies.
There is no such thing as eternal damnation. This is a ridiculous concept. If one fails a course, the university will let him take it over again so that he can get credit for obtaining his degree. So how can think that a university could be more merciful than God? This is a very immature, sentimental understanding of God.
If we want to understood the highest subject matter, the science of God, we must be very thoughtful and intelligent. The fact is that if we are sincerely endeavoring to achieve spiritual perfection in this lifetime and somehow or other fail to make the grade, the Lord will mercifully allow us to take birth again picking up our spiritual progress from we left off in our previous lifetime, so that we can finish up our business in this material world and go back to home, back to Godhead. In this way he will give another chance in our next lifetime, if we fail to become perfect in this lifetime. So, no one is eternally damned unless they voluntary choose to always remain rebellious toward the Lord lifetime after lifetime.
But even the most stubborn hearts will gradually melt the ultimate destiny of every single living being is to return to his original home in the spiritual world. In this connection my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta has written in his book, the Teachings of Lord Caitanya:
"'Actually every living entity is destined to reach the Supreme Lord."
So there is no need to be terrified any longer. If you will chant the names of God on a regular daily basis:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
or any names of God from the revealed scriptures, you will experience an awakening of love of God within your heart and your life will become completely free from all troubles.
I sincerely hope that meets you in a fearless, ecstatic mood and that you can take the proper all-merciful pathway of self-realization as described by Krishna, God the Father, in the Bhagavad-gita.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Because of the recent rains the Yamuna river is currently very wide and clean. I could not resist taking advantage of this auspicious opportunity to bathe in her sacred waters. Today (12 October 2010) being our last full day in Vrindavana I resolved that I must take full advantage of Yamuna devi's sweet mercy. We hired a boat to take us on a wonderful boat ride across the Yamuna. While traversing her sacred waters we dove deep into the nectarean river of Krishna kirtan. Upon reaching the opposite shore I changed into my gamsha and submerged myself in her sacred water.
Srila Prabhupada says that bathing in the Yamuna cleanses away all the contamination of the material world. So I was feeling pretty good when I came out. Srila Prabhupada states that by chanting Hare Krishna and bathing in the Yamuna one becomes perfect and returns back to home, back to Godhead. The process of bathing in the Ganges or the Yamuna falls within the category of one the seven items of bhakti known as pada-sevanam, serving the lotus feet of the Lord.
According to the Varaha Purana, as quoted by Srila Jiva Gosvami, there is no difference between the water of the Ganges and the Yamuna, but when the water of the Ganges is sanctified one hundred times, it is called the Yamuna.
So I am very thankful to Srila Prabhupada and Lord Sri Krishna that on this, my last full day in Vrindavana, I was blessed with the sublime opportunity to bathe in the Yamuna. This will strengthen me now to carry with the mission entrusted to me by my most beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Yamuna Devi Attracts Us to Bathe in Her Sacred Water.
River Yamuna with Kesi Ghat in the Background.
"My dear friend, if you are indeed attached to your worldly friends, do not look at the smiling face of Lord Govinda as He stands on the bank of the Yamuna at Kesi Ghata. Casting sidelong glances, He places His flute to His lips, which seem like newly blossomed twigs. His transcendental body, bending in three places, appears very bright in the moonlight."--Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.239)
Kirtan While Crossing the Yamuna--12 October 2010
Answers According to the Vedic Version:
Question: Will I Go to Hell?
Please accept my thanks for your reply. I am so pleased that you took the time to write to me. In Great Britain there are few spiritual teachers, and I would have to travel a long way and pay lots of money to find someone. Unfortunately I do not have the ability to find a master, and that is why I write to you, I am so happy about this.I have a question that is keeping me terrified day and night and would like to ask your wisdom on this matter. I used to be a Christian here in the UK but became disillusioned over their dogmatic and literal interpretation of the Bible. They preached heaven or hell with eternal fire for non-believers. Unless we accept that Christ died for us on the cross to save us from our sins, we will burn in hell for eternity. This has caused much anguish and pain as I am not sure what I believe and am open minded at this point. I am frightened of going to hell.
My question is: Is it your belief that I will go to hell if I don't accept the Christian concept of Christ dying on the cross for us? And is there a hell where certain people will go for all eternity, separated from God?
Please explain. I am so frightened.
T.D.
Answer: We're Already There. Chant and Get Out.
When it comes to factual, scientific knowledge of reality, there is no question of belief. It is something is true, it's true. And if something is not true, it's not true. Belief has nothing to do with what is real and what is not real. Therefore scientific understanding is required.Regarding the matter of hell, we are already in hell because we presently trapped in the cycle of birth and death so far away from the kingdom of God. Of course there are worse hells than this where sinful people are literally being burned. This is confirmed in all of the revealed scriptures.
Our destination after leaving this body is determined by our state of consciousness at the time of death, when we depart from our present body. If our hearts are still longing for material pleasures, we will take birth again in this material world in a suitable body to fulfill our desires in any one of the 8,400,000 species of life such as a type of human being, animal, plant, or fish. And if our hearts are completely free from all material desires with our only desire to serve God, we will enter the spiritual world and manifest an eternal spiritual body which never gets sick, never gets old, and never dies.
There is no such thing as eternal damnation. This is a ridiculous concept. If one fails a course, the university will let him take it over again so that he can get credit for obtaining his degree. So how can think that a university could be more merciful than God? This is a very immature, sentimental understanding of God.
If we want to understood the highest subject matter, the science of God, we must be very thoughtful and intelligent. The fact is that if we are sincerely endeavoring to achieve spiritual perfection in this lifetime and somehow or other fail to make the grade, the Lord will mercifully allow us to take birth again picking up our spiritual progress from we left off in our previous lifetime, so that we can finish up our business in this material world and go back to home, back to Godhead. In this way he will give another chance in our next lifetime, if we fail to become perfect in this lifetime. So, no one is eternally damned unless they voluntary choose to always remain rebellious toward the Lord lifetime after lifetime.
But even the most stubborn hearts will gradually melt the ultimate destiny of every single living being is to return to his original home in the spiritual world. In this connection my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta has written in his book, the Teachings of Lord Caitanya:
"'Actually every living entity is destined to reach the Supreme Lord."
So there is no need to be terrified any longer. If you will chant the names of God on a regular daily basis:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
or any names of God from the revealed scriptures, you will experience an awakening of love of God within your heart and your life will become completely free from all troubles.
I sincerely hope that meets you in a fearless, ecstatic mood and that you can take the proper all-merciful pathway of self-realization as described by Krishna, God the Father, in the Bhagavad-gita.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Comments
Post a Comment