Ultimate Self Realization

For those who have taken complete shelter of Sri Guru and Sri Krishna there is no question of every being baffled or defeated by anything in this material world. Because they are fully connected with Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He always provides a wonderful solution for each and every difficulty or dilemma that they face in the inevitable turbulencies of this material existence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Meaning of Full Surrender I want to know what is meant by fully surrender to Krishna? Your humble servant, Geetha Answer: Serve Only Krishna's Demands Full surrender means that we do not demand anything from the Lord, that we instead completely depend on His mercy in all times, places, and circumstances. If Krishna likes, He may keep us in a poverty-stricken condition, or if He likes He may keep us in an opulent position. We should not be concerned in either case. We should simply be very serious about always...

What does a devotee do when all hell breaks loose in his life and things become completely haywire, completely unmanageable? Such times when the soul is on trial are the most opportune times for making spiritual advancement. Therefore those who are learned in transcendental knowledge do not become devastated in such calamitous circumstances. Rather they become enlivened by the increased facility such circumstances offer for taking complete shelter of the Lord. In this way those who are wise survive and thrive even in the most hellish of circumstances. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question:No Obstacles Greater That We Can Handle? Dear Gurudeva, In the 29 January 2011 message you said that Krishna "will never give us an obstacle which is greater than what we can handle". Please help me understand this, as I often find my current troubles to be quite overwhelming. Also could you please direct me to any scripture where this is confirme...

As long as we are in this material world we are going to be besieged by so many obstacles or stumbling blocks, because this material world by its very nature is problematic. Therefore in order to successfully navigate the path of bhakti we have to tolerantly persevere through so many difficulties. We will never be overwhelmed or psychologically devastated by these obstacles if we always take shelter of Krishna, remembering that He will never give us an obstacle which is greater than what we can handle. Therefore we should always see the stumbling blocks or obstacles as Krishna's special blessings to help us advance nicely and rapidly along the path of bhakti. In this way, if in the face of so many obstacles we always remain Krishna conscious, the stumbling blocks will all be transformed into stepping stones for our conveniently attaining the ultimate goal of pure devotion, pure Krishna bhakti. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Purity Requ...

A Krishna conscious person always remains cool-headed or equipoised in all circumstances. He is not carried away by victory or defeat, or by gain and loss. In this way his mind is always peaceful, and he is always able to take shelter of Krishna and therefore experience the ultimate happiness, no matter what may be going on around him here in this material world. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Measure One's Purity? I have been practicing Krishna consciousness for two years now, chanting 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra on japa beads every day and following the four regulative principles: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat eating, and no gambling. I see a huge change in myself. Most of the time I am not distracted by material desires. My query is how to check to one's purity? And how to find out how more pure we have become? What are the symptoms of 100% purity? Vikram Answer: Detachment from Sense Gratifica...

What could be more ecstatic than diving deeply every day in the ocean of bhakti for the ultimate pearl of Krishna prema (pure love of Krishna)? The real purpose of our existence is to become more and more realized in our eternal loving relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of everything. We are not meant to remain selfish egotists forever battling it out in this material world on the conveyor belt of birth, death, old age, and disease. We are meant instead to be pure lovers of the Personality of Godhead relishing ever-increasingly ambrosial nectar in His ever-enlivening divine association. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Who Pleases Lord Krishna the Most? Our total existence consists of soul-spirit, intellect, mind (conscious and sub-conscious mind) and body. We also have money and materials. Let us see five types of mutually exclusive devotees as under: 1. He chants at least 64 rounds of mahamantra, which is bas...

We are back for an eight weeks break at our home base in Austin, Texas. There will be a Srimad Bhagavatam class every day from 7 am until 8 am. Plus there is a wonderful Sunday Love Feast program every Sunday afternoon starting at 4:30 pm, which includes ecstatic kirtan (congregational mantra meditation), a traditional arati worship ceremony, a Bhagavad-gita lecture, and delicious vegetarian feast of Krishna prasadam. Everyone is invited to attend our programs at 10700 Jonwood Way in Austin, Texas. Those outside of Austin can hear our lectures at: Link to High Definition Videos Link to Over 1,000 Lecture Audios We will be here until just after Gaura Purnima, the appearance day of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, departing on 26 March for Vrindavan, India. Our full schedule for 2011 is now posted at: http://www.ultimateselfrealization.com/schedule We hope to meet you personally in 2011! Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question:How to Make Guru's Order On...

Srila Prabhupada explains in his purport to Sri Caitanya Caritamrita Adi Lila, Chapter 7, text 83: "A sincere student aurally receives the holy name from the spiritual master, and after being initiated he follows the regulative principles given by the spiritual master. When the holy name is properly served in this way, automatically the spiritual nature of the holy name spreads; in other words, the devotee becomes qualified in offenselessly chanting the holy name. When one is completely fit to chant the holy name in this way, he is eligible to make disciples all over the world, and he actually becomes jagad-guru. Then the entire world, under his influence, begins to chant the holy names of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra." From these wonderful words of Srila Prabhupada we can see the amazing potency of Krishna's holy name. Simply by properly serving the holy name according to the instructions of the spiritual master, by the power of the holy name the sincere student becomes...

Our daily japa meditation, in which we chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra, is the most auspicious opportunity to directly and intimately commune with God every day. If the rounds are uttered sincerely and attentively with love and devotion, the chanting becomes an experience of great spiritual depth and intensity in which one awakens profound feelings of appreciation, connection, and submission to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The chanting of these rounds every day is the most important practical activity for awakening the love of God within one's heart. Therefore when we accept someone as a disciple, the first requirement is that they must vow to chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day without fail as a lifetime vow. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Srila Prabhupada Chanting Japa Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Accept Krishna as the Supreme? I humbly request your good self to please tell me on what basis one can a...

There are many billions of people throughout the world who consider themselves religious. Generally each of them adheres to a particular religious tradition, which is in many ways similar and also in many ways different from other religious traditions. Often, they consider that their tradition is the only valid tradition, and that others who are not participants in their tradition are lost souls condemned to be denied access to the kingdom of God. In this way, they fail to see the true universal nature of religion. Unfortunately this exclusivist mentality leads to increasing chaos and conflict in a world that is already too much overburdened by chaos and conflict. Religion is supposed to be God's gift to man so that he can have a heaven on earth and qualify to return to God's kingdom upon leaving his current body. So what is going wrong? And what can be done to change it? What's going wrong is that we approach God to fulfill our desires instead of His desires. In other wor...

Last Thursday night in Lima, Peru as we were departing from our temporary residence for the Lima airport a large throng of devotees had assembled to give us a resounding, loving Hare Krishna send-off kirtan. There happened a tall husky fellow standing nearby smoking a cigarette. Instead of being enlivened he was very much disturbed by the enthusiastic, joyful kirtan, so much so that he started yelling at the devotees to stop chanting. When they did not give in to his demand he approached the kirtan party in a threatening manner and continued his yelling. It was really absurd. Here is a group of people happily singing a beautiful song, and here is miserable guy puffing on a cigarette yelling and creating a disturbance. To calm him down the devotees stopped the kirtan and he retreated to the place where he had originally been standing and continued in his misery puffing on his cigarette. Then my wife instructed the devotees to resume the kirtan, which they did will great enthusiasm. Thi...

If you want to be who you really are, you can only do so if you will reconnect with Krishna, because Krishna is the source of your existence, the very ground of your being, and the absolute foundation of all existence. Just as we connect with any person through love, also with the Supreme Person we can only connect with Him through pure love. Any tinge of selfishness in our relationship with Him will simply block our access to Him. Therefore we should diligently uproot any and all of our selfish tendencies so we can experience the full nectar of being reinstated in our original identity as an intimate associate of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Delineating the Science of Bhakti Lima, Peru--19 January 2011 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Go Deeper into the Holy Name? I was attending one of your lectures at your recent retreat in Govinda Valley, Australia, and you said to go deeper into the holy name while chanting. Ho...

By fully absorbing your life in devotional service under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master you have already regained your eternal identity in the spiritual world. Of course, it will take time to become fully awakened and matured in your identity. But as soon as you begin to conduct your life's activities under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master you have already regained your real identity as Krishna's eternal servant. You have already regained your constitutional position of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Explaining Eternal Blissful Existence Lima, Peru--18 January 2011 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Krishna Consciousness Without Knowledge of My Last Life? If one is not able to see his past life and relate to the consequences of karma in the past or the current life, how would someone be inclined to become God fearing or Krishna conscious? I don’t know what I did in my past life except believe that if t...

A devotee of the Lord does not base his bliss on his material circumstances. The basis of his bliss is to be fully absorbed in Krishna consciousness by always endeavoring at every minute to successfully carry out the orders he has received from his spiritual master. He is not elated by success because he never thinks it is his success. He only sees it as the mercy of the Lord. And he is never depressed or discouraged by failure because he simply sees as the merciful arrangement of the Lord to help His devotee feel more and more dependent on the mercy of the Lord. In other words, in all situations his happiness is simply to understand and feel how the Lord is being merciful to him. Thus he is always blissful in all situations. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Inviting the People Back to the Spiritual World Valparaiso, Chile--17 January 2011 Transcendental Chilean Farewell Santiago, Chile--18 January 2011 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: What is Your Stage of Advancement?...

On Sunday 16 January 2011 the city of Santiago, Chile exploded in transcendental bliss. Lord Jagannatha along with His brother and sister, Balarama and Subhadra, came of out seclusion in the temple to grace the streets of Santiago with their divine presence. Hundreds of devotees and guests chanted and danced in ecstasy in the streets of Santiago along with the help of the Santiago police department, who blocked off the streets from all traffic. The parade ended in a park in Santiago's prestigious Ñuñoa district where I gave a lecture, there was transcendental musical entertainment from the stage, and Krishna prasadam was served freely to all. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Super Ecstatic Ratha Yatra Festival Santiago, Chile--16 January 2011 Introducing the People to Krishna Consciousness Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: What is Bhakti? Thank you for your illuminating words. Just one question for now: What is bhakti? Anna Answer: Pure Devotion for the Supr...

If you want to realize your full human potential, the first step is that you have to understand that you are not your body. If you continue to misidentify yourself with your material body thinking that it is you, you are doing nothing but holding up your progress. Therefore the first step for you to make in realizing your full potential is to solidly assert your eternal spiritual identity as a servant of God. And if you will then base all of your life's decisions on this platform of understanding, you will be able to actualize your full potential as a powerful, effective human being. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Teaching Full Realization of Human Potential Santiago, Chile--14 January 2011 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Not Take Birth as a Demigod? It is said that if one is successful in his devotional life he will go back to Godhead and that if he is not able to fully perfect his spiritual life he will either take birth again and continue his devotion fr...

The entire world population is dying for, hankering for the most sublime nectar of Krishna consciousness, but due to ignorance everyone is looking for this nectar in the wrong places. Instead of tasting the unlimited nectar to be had in Krishna's supremely holy name, they try to squeeze nectar from sex life, intoxication, meat eating, gambling and other such useless pursuits. In this way, just like a man dying from thirst who crawls futilely after a mirage in the desert, they completely spoil their energy in mundane pursuits, which take them nowhere except to increased frustration. Therefore the greatest need for the suffering humanity is the wide scale introduction of the sublime process of Krishna consciousness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Sharing Sublime Krishna Consciousness Nectar Santiago, Chile--14 January 2011 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why Am I Not Tasting the Ecstasy? I am chanting, reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam, the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, ...

Every day is an exciting adventure in a life dedicated to pulling off a world revolution for the complete respiritualization of the human society. Our agenda is not political. We do not aspire for any sort of political power. Simply we want that all the world leaders should now become very serious about the science of self-realization. It is not due to a shortage of material resources that the human civilization is become more and more devastated by difficulties. It is rather simply due to gross ignorance of the relationship between the individual self and the Supreme Self that pandemonium is more and more breaking loose on this planet. Therefore our revolutionary attempt is to enlighten everyone in every, town, village, hamlet, and settlement in the sublime science of the self, atma tattva. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Teaching Pure Bhakti Mendoza, Argentina--13 January 2011 View of the Andes Mountains From New Gundica Dham Farm: Our Residence in Mendoza, Argentina Delectable New...

Every position in this material world is last class. Everyone here is struggling hard to be in the best possible position, but they do not realize that even the topmost positions in this material world are last class because at the time of death everyone has to die, just like a dog has to die. So why struggle so hard to achieve a false first class position? It is better to get upgraded from last class to the real and perpetual first class position of pure devotional service. There is no position like pure devotional service because in this position of pure bhakti, Krishna or God--the supreme owner, controller, and enjoyer of everything--becomes your personal property. No one has better facility for living life to its fullest than Krishna's pure devotee. Even Krishna Himself becomes His own devotee in order the taste the first class pleasure. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Introducing the Vegetarians to Krishnaterianism Govinda's Restaurant--Mendoza, Argentina 12 Janury 2011 Answer...

Our goal is to revolutionize this planet by the wide scale introduction of the science of Krishna consciousness, because we cannot tolerate to see the human population so much unnecessarily tortured by so many varieties of suffering conditions. There is no reason for the world society to be in such a miserable condition, because all they have to do to achieve unlimited happiness is awaken their dormant Krishna consciousness. In this way, the entire world society can become peaceful, prosperous, and happy. Therefore we members of the Krishna consciousness movement have as our goal to as soon as possible awaken the entire human society to the sublime truth that they are not their material bodies, that they are instead the eternal spirit-soul servants of Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Pushing Forward the Krishna Consciousness Movement Along with Prahladananda Swami Auckland, New Zealand--10 January 2011 Answers According to the Vedic...

11 January 2011--After a wonderful month of Krishna conscious caring and sharing in Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, we are heading out today for a three nation lecture tour in South America: Argentina, Chile, and Peru. After that we will be going up to Los Angeles, for a three lecture series, and then back to our home base, Bhaktivedanta Ashram in Austin, Texas, where we will remain up until Gaura Purnima, the transcendental appearance day of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Travelling all over the world for spreading Krishna consciousness is unlimitedly rewarding because the more we give Krishna, the more we get Krishna. Sankarshan Das Adhikari South America--Our Next Stop Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Eternal Relationships? My Dear Gurudeva, Humble obeisances to you. I want to know whether the father–son relationship and husband-wife relationship are eternal. I mean, in the next life also will I be the son of my father, and my wife will be same...

This material world is a vast impossible-to-cross ocean of space. Even if you were to travel at the speed of light or even at the speed of the mind for millions and billions of years, you would not be able to cross over this material existence and enter into three-fourths portion of reality, the transcendental spiritual sky, which exists far beyond time and space. However, if you will take complete shelter of the boat of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna, that Supreme Person, who is the source of all existence, that vast insurmountable ocean of material existence will shrink down to the amount of water contained within the hoof print of a calf, and you will easily be able to cross beyond it and enter as a participant into inconceivably sublime pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna in that wondrous spiritual sky. Sankarshan Das Adhikari "Shrink Material World to Calf's Hoof Print Size" Auckland, New Zealand--7 January 2011 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Ho...

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna Himself. Thus He has the full potency to do anything possible or impossible. He inaugurated the sankirtana movement, the chanting the holy names of God, 500 years ago for the purpose of delivering the suffering souls in this material world back to home, back to Godhead. Anyone who takes advantage of this chanting process will quickly make progress on the pathway of spiritual emancipation and become supremely happy. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Expounding Lord Caitanya's Teachings Auckland, New Zealand--6 January 2011 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Will Jesus Save Us? When this material world is created who is the first person born in this world? And, who is Jesus? Christians say that if we pray to Jesus, he will save us. Please clarify my doubt. Sairam Answer: Not If We Crave Sense Gratification The first person who takes birth in the universe is Lord Brahma. He is born from the lotus flower which grows from the abdomen of ...

Regarding his spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada writes, "He lives forever by his divine instructions and the follower lives with him." This is a fact for the bona fide spiritual master. He lives forever by his divine instructions and his followers live with him. He serves his spiritual master faithfully in this lifetime both by rendering him loving personal service as well as by following his instructions. And upon returning back to home, back to Godhead he eternally serves his spiritual in that wondrous transcendental abode. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Chanting, But Not Following Rules Your Grace, I am thoroughly confused. The first Krishna consciousness book I read, "Chant and Be Happy," simply said to chant the maha-mantra, which I began doing. But then, the more I read (and heard), the more rules and regulations got added. I wish to God I could meet all these many requirements, but, at this point, I don't s...

6 January 2011--After an evening preaching engagement in Hamilton, New Zealand on a two hour drive back to Auckland our van broke down in the middle of nowhere and we were stuck for over an hour in the pitch black before devotees from Hamilton arrived to drive us on to Auckland. Since our van was dangerously situated on the edge of the dark highway, we relocated ourselves on the top of a small hill overlooking the highway. Being very backlogged on answering my emails I did not want to waste any time. So I took out my laptop computer for answering the questions from my devoted and sometime challenging readers from all over the world. For those of who are awaiting answers to your questions, please be patient, because I am currently about two weeks behind on my correspondence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Roadside Emails in the Dark (Unknown Location) New Zealand-6 January 2011 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Scientific Proof of Krishna's Creation Please give me on...

It is enjoined in the Srimad Bhagavatam that one should not become a guru, a father, a mother, or any kind of leader unless he can deliver his dependents from the cycle of birth and death. To take any kind of leadership position is only allowed for those who can give Krishna consciousness to their dependents. This means that it is now time for all the world leaders to either become trained up in Krishna consciousness or to step down from their positions. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Calling for a Krishna Conscious World Auckland, New Zealand--5 January 2011 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Develop Faith? I do not believe in blind faith. I would like to know how should I develop faith? Pradnya Answer: Empirical Faith from Experience Before you get on an elevator you may be skeptical that the cable will break if you get on it. But after entering the elevator and being successfully lifted to a higher floor without the cable breaking you now have faith in that e...

A devotee of the Lord is always happy because he always sees the loving hand of the Lord operating in all times, places, and circumstances. He never feels lonely because He knows that Krishna is with him always, blessing him and guiding him in all circumstances. After all, who could ever feel lonely when he has the constant association of the most beautiful, powerful, renounced, knowledgeable, wealthy, and famous person in all of existence? Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Non-Existent Material Body? In Bhagavad-Gita 2.16, Lord Krishna describes the material body as non-existent. I can understand that the material body is slowly changing at every moment (a change we thermodynamists called quasi-steady in many studies). But the body does exist. Just as the world does. Can you please put in simple worlds what Lord Krishna means when He says that the material body is non-existent? Deodat Answer: No Permanent Existence When the material body...

A person who has gotten the higher taste for Krishna consciousness is no longer interested in any form of material sense gratification because he is constantly relishing the unlimitedly sweet mellows of Krishna consciousness within his heart. Even the most alluring pleasure of this material world, sex pleasure, is no longer of interest to him. If somehow or other the thought of sex pleasure enters his brain, he spits at the thought and drives it out of his brain because he would rather go deeper and deeper into his loving relationship with Krishna than give his senses some temporary cheap pleasure which distracts him from life's goal. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Who is God? Can We See Him? I would like to ask you:Who is God? As fallen souls, since we have immature senses, is it possible to see God? As per my knowledge, we can see goodness, but we cannot see God. Is this true? Avula Answer: Krishna Can Be Seen When He Reveals Hims...

Do not remain a slave of your senses, a dancing dog of their constant dictates. Become instead a master of your senses by intelligently managing your senses in all times places and circumstances by engaging them in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such a person who always vigilantly and diligently manages his senses is called a goswami, a master of the senses. That person who becomes 100% qualified as a goswami is fully competent to lead the entire world out of its present chaotic condition. The world at present desperately needs such genuine goswamis. Therefore, the mission of the Krishna consciousness movement is to create goswamis all over the world, who can usher in a new age of peace and prosperity for the entire human civilization. We are thus requesting all thoughtful men and women of all nations to come forward now and take the training for becoming competent to lead the world. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Is Go...

Every day I remember the awesome world-deliverance mission given to us by our beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, that we must deliver the entire world from ignorance and suffering, and I pray for his mercy that I can be fully absorbed 24 hours a day with all of my thoughts, words, and deeds in serving this mission to the very best of my capacities. Is it possible that we can be successful? Just as materially speaking it would be impossible to build a bridge of floating boulders between India and Sri Lanka for Lord Rama and His monkey army to cross the ocean and defeat Ravana, similarly from a material point of view, it would be impossible for a small band of devotees to deliver the entire material civilization from it chaotic condition. And just as Lord Rama and His army were successful, it is possible, by the inconceivable potency of Lord Caitanya, that we can be successful too. Therefore we must make an all-out herculean effort to pull of...

The pure devotee of Krishna truly cares for those persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in this age of Kali. Because he cares so much for them he fully dedicates his entire life for sharing with them the sublime science of reviving their lost consciousness by reconnecting with the original person through loving service. That original person, known by hundreds and millions of names, is called Vishnu or Krishna by the students of the Bhagavad-gita. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Srila Prabhupada Mercifully Brings Krishna Consciousness to the West San Francisco, Golden Gate Park--1967 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Spirituality and Religion What is the difference between spirituality and religion? Salil Agarwal Answer: Real Religion Breeds Spirituality Real religion breeds spirituality. In other words, through genuine religion we attain the exalted state known as spirituality, pure love for God. Any religious system which does not b...

Just as water that does not flow becomes stagnant, our Krishna consciousness becomes stagnant if we are not always trying to advance ourselves more and more along the path of bhakti. Therefore in order to taste the sweetest, ever-increasing happiness, peace, and satisfaction we should always be making an ongoing effort to advance ourselves more and more in Krishna consciousness. If we do so, our every day will be a great celebration of transcendental bliss. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Sharing the Celebration Govinda Valley, Australia--26 December 2010 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Is the Guru Krishna? Dear Gurudeva, According to Bhagavad-Gita 7.18, Lord Krishna considers the spiritual master just as His own self: udārāḥ sarva evaite jñānī tv ātmaiva me matam "All these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous souls, but he who is situated in knowledge of Me I consider to be just like My own self."--Bhagavad-gita 7.18 Therefore, is it my duty to see you, tr...