Ultimate Self Realization

In this material world everyone is looking for prestige, but no matter how much prestige they may accrue, they will still be completely humiliated by unavoidable death. And in due course of time all the reputations of even history's most prestigious heroes will vanish into oblivion. The pure devotees, on the other hand, are not seeking personal prestige. They simply desire to spread the name and fame of Lord Sri Krishna all over the world. But because Krishna desires that His pure devotees should be more prestigious than Him, the pure devotees of Krishna automatically become the most famous, prestigious persons in the history of the universe. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Glorifying Krishna at a Home Program 28 June 2011--Sydney, Australia Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Be Aloof from Aloofness? Why are we trying to find happiness in the material world even if there isn't any? How can Krishna consciousness teach me how to remain aloof from aloofness?

The present world civilization is drowning in an ocean of nescience. People are so much deluded that they don't even realize that they are suffering. Even though they are in a miserable condition being dragged to old age and death by the insurmountable wheel of time, they imagine that they are happy by gratifying their senses. But since the happiness of the senses is only temporary and because it does not touch the actual self, no one is actually satisfied. What this means is that the whole world is waiting for the devotees of the Krishna consciousness movement to deliver them from the quagmire into which they have so deeply sunk. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Working for the Awakening of the World 19 June 2011--Klang, Malaysia Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: If Chanting Hare Krishna is the Only Way I have been wandering if chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra (among other things) is the only way back to Krishnaloka, the transcendental kingdom of God, in this Ka

In this world everyone talks of love, but yet they are too often tormented and brokenhearted because of love. Real love is never a cause of despondency. The love which causes disappointment is actually nothing but lust disguising itself as love. When we come to the platform of genuine love there is never any disappointment. On the platform of genuine love there is uninterrupted eternal happiness. That real love is experienced when we connect in love with that person who is the very source of love itself, Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Sharing Genuine Love 2 May 2011--Kaunas, Lithuania Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Experience During Krishna Consciousness Gurudeva, What are your experiences during Krishna consciousness? Aluru S. Answer: The Sweetest, Most Thrilling Happiness Krishna consciousness is the sweetest, most thrilling happiness, millions of times greater than anything that anyone can experience anywhe

My ongoing meditation is that we must either make the entire world Krishna conscious, or die trying to make the entire world Krishna conscious. These are the only two options. There is no third option because without Krishna consciousness nobody can be happy. Will we succeed? The odds are stacked heavily against us. But there is one thing we can sure of. Lord Krishna will be greatly pleased with our endeavor, and when Krishna is pleased with us our lives are perfect.Therefore let us strive with full determination, enthusiasm, patience, and intelligence to make the entire world Krishna up until our last dying breaths. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Krishna Conscious Expectations It is said that expectation leads to frustation. I want to know about expectation and hopes in the context of Krishna consciousness. What hopes and expectations should I keep with my practice of Krishna consciousness. Thanks, your servant, Nikhil S. Answer: A

The individual living being exists in a relationship between that which is him and that which is not him. Those who find this relationship painful and want to remove the pain sometimes deny this relationship by stating that the individual self is all that exists and therefore there is no such thing as relationship. They posit a self which exists in an impersonal, formless, relationshipless oneness and imagine that they have become liberated from all the pain of relationship. However, since our very nature is that we desire to live in a state of relationship, relationshiplessness will never satisfy the self. It something like cutting off one's head to cure a headache. So instead of deny relationship to become free from painful relationship, the living being must learn how to have a perfect relationship between himself and that which is not himself. The science of how do to this is called Krishna consciousness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Loving Relationships Seminar 25 June 2011--Syd

Always connect with the essence of existence. Otherwise you will be carried away by the externals and remain subjected to the miseries of this material world. The essence of existence is loving service to the original source of everything, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Once you are fully connected with Him, the seed-giving father of all, who reveals Himself in the Bhagavad-gita as Krishna, you will never be touched by the miseries of birth, death, old age, and disease ever again. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Which is Better: 16 Rounds or 64 Rounds? Dear Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances at your feet, Recently I was discussing with a devotee who said that chanting 64 rounds of japa mala every day is the highest service, even if it means compromising one's facility to perform devotional service. But, Gurudeva, isn't it better to do 16 rounds of chanting and utilize the remaining time for some sort of service

I am unlimitedly fortunate to be a part of the Krishna consciousness movement because it is bestowing the greatest benediction of pure love of Godhead upon the suffering humanity. Somehow or other, in spite of my innumerable disqualifications, by the mercy of His Holiness Vishnujana Swami and His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, I have been blessed with the most sublime opportunity to serve as a messenger of the Supreme Absolute Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna in His mission of reclaiming His lost children, who are presently entrapped in the cycle of birth and death, for delivering them back to His eternal, all blissful abode, the Vaikuntha world. My heart overflows with joy to be engaged in this way, and I fervently pray that everyone throughout the entire world can be awakened as soon as possible to their actual identities as eternal spirit-soul servants of the all-merciful Supreme Lord so that they can also happily swim in this sublime ocean of Krishna cons

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur has written the most inspiring devotional song, "Kabe Ha'be Bolo Se-Dina Amar--When, Oh When Will That Day Be Mine?" By hearing or singing this song with love, one will awaken the dormant feelings of love of God within the heart. For the easy understanding of those who do not understand the Bengali language I have sung it in English. The song can be heard and downloaded at the link given below. Everyone has permission to copy, distribute, and post it freely. (The song is presented with modern instrumentation; so if you find such music distasteful, kindly do not listen to the song.) www.ultimateselfrealization.com/Songs/andromeda.php The lyrics are as follows: kabe ha'be bolo se-dina amar aparādha ghuci', śuddha nāme ruci, kṛpā-bale ha'be hṛdoye sañcār When, oh when will that day be mine? When my offenses ceasing, taste for the name increasing, when in my heart will your mercy shine, when, oh when will that day be mine? Low

Krishna consciousness is not a sectarian religion. It is the universal science of the individual self in his relationship with the Supreme Self. Some people argue that Krishna consciousness is bogus because there is no such thing as the Supreme Self. But we see everywhere that people possess different quantities of power, beauty, renunciation, knowledge, wealth, and fame. Therefore, somewhere there must a be person who possesses a greater quantity of power, beautify, renunciation, knowledge, wealth, and fame than anyone else. That person is the Supreme Person. And to perfect our relationship with that Supreme Person is the universal science of the self. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Presenting the Universal Science Klang, Malaysia--19 June 2011 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Challenge: Your Materialistic Advertisement Your e-course is advertised as presenting the world's leading self-realization training system. This seems to be materialistic. What do you say? M.S. Ans

On 19 June 2011 in an initiation ceremony in Klang Malaysia I accepted four new disciples: Dayal Nitai das, Amala-Bhakta das, Parvati devi das, and Mitravinda devi dasi. The moment of initiation is the most auspicious moment in the history of the conditioned soul in his endless sojourn in this material existence, because it is at the moment of initiation that he leaves behind his so-called material identity and fully enters into his factual identity as the eternal servant of Krishna. If the new initiate remains faithful to the vows accepted at the time of initiation to chant at least 16 rounds daily of the Hare Krishna mahamantra on japa mala beads and to strictly avoid illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling, then from the very moment of initiation his or her eternal deathlessness has begun. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Initiation Ceremony Klang, Malaysia--19 June 2011 Dayal Nitai Das Receives His Name and Beads New Initiates with their Spiritual Master: Dayal Nitai D

The greatest, sweetest aspect of Krishna consciousness is its transcendental nature. It does not depend on any particular time, place, and circumstance. Through Krishna consciousness you can transform any situation you find yourself in to be the ultimate adventure. You can be in any part of the world and experience the sweetest transcendental bliss simply by remembering and glorifying Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Describing the Glories of Lord Sri Krishna Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia--19 June 2011 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Soul and Spirit--What's the Difference? Can you please explain for me the difference between the soul and the spirit? I understand that our physical body is but a vessel which houses these sacred entities, but I don't know where one starts and the other ends. Christian teachings say they are both different entities, but even Christians don't seem to be able to agree on where one

The pure devotees of Krishna, those devotees who are completely free from all material desires, very strongly desire that all the suffering souls in this material existence can become happy by being reinstated in their original constitutional positions as the eternal servants of Lord Krishna. Therefore they fully dedicate their lives for awakening the sleeping souls of this age, and they take all risks for this purpose, sometimes facing great difficulties such as being publicly beaten or crucified. Such dedicated pure devotees are known as the saviors of the world. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Srila Prabhupada Chants with the Hippies Golden Gate Park, San Francisco--1967 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How to Get the Normal People to Chant? Dear Srila Gurudeva, How can we get the normal people to chant Hare Krishna? L.I. Answer: They Already Are The normal people are already chanting Hare Krishna. It's the abnormal people who somehow or other need to be ind

As long as our world leaders strive through material means to solve the world's problems, they will utterly fail because the underlying, foundation of all problems is that we are identifying ourselves as matter instead of spirit. Our present human population is living in the illusion that the self is the body and is trying to be happy on this false platform. This will never bring true, lasting happiness, in spite of all the promises and attempts of our leaders. Unless the people can come to the spiritual platform, they must necessarily remain discontented and agitated because they are living in unreality. Sankarshan Das Adhikari The Krishna Consciousness Movement Provides Proper Leadership for the World. Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Humans in the Dinosaur Age? Dear Srila Gurudeva, I recently took my daughter to the Museum of Natural History and we saw a dinosaur exhibit. According to the exhibit, in the dinosaur age man was not present on earth as per

On 15 June 2011 it was reported in a headline article on CNN's internet news website: "Scientists say at least 30 million black holes had formed before the universe was 1 billion years old, which is quite early in the universe's 13.7 billion-year history." This time the scientists are very, very far off the mark. We get authoritative information from the Vedic literatures, which are coming from that very person who is the origin of the universe, that the universe is currently 155 trillion, 20 billion years old. This means the scientists are 155 trillion, 6.3 billion years wrong in their calculation. We can understand and accept a slight margin of error in their calculations. But to be this far off the mark makes us wonder if they have been indeed sucked into a black hole of their own making. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Are the Scientists in a Black Hole? Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Transfer by Chanting from Hell to Earth? It is a well-known

If you are always prepared for the unexpected, always seeing the all-perfect, all-merciful arrangement of the Lord in all circumstances, you will never be disappointed. In fact, by such vision you will live an eternal, ecstatic, enlightened existence which surpasses even the happiness experienced by the denizens of the heavenly planets. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Srila Prabhupada Deep in Meditation on Krishna Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: What is Spiritual Perfection? Gurudeva, What is the meaning of spiritual perfection? A.S. Answer: Stopping the Soul's Transmigration Spiritual perfection means to stop the transmigration of the soul from one body to another. That is real spiritual perfection. Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Krishna has so kindly blessed us with this opportunity for spreading His glories in so many countries by our travelling around the globe, and to even more countries through our e-course. But the most ecstatic thing of all is diving deeply into the sweet nectarean ocean of Krishna's holy names. The two syllables "krish" and "na" when combined together contain more nectar than the entire universe can contain. And when uttered purely without offense the chanter breaks through the modes of material nature and enters into the sublime atmosphere on the other side of existence, the spiritual plane. Therefore the devotees always like to be absorbed in chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare as far as possible twenty-four hours daily. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Entering the Spiritual Plane Lenasia, South Africa--13 June 2011 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Is It Possible to Be Desi

14 June 2011--Krishna has so kindly blessed us with this opportunity for spreading his glories in so many countries by our travelling around the globe and to even more countries through our e-course. But the most ecstatic thing of all is to dive deeply into the sweet nectarean ocean of Krishna's holy names. The two syllables "krish" and "na" when combined together contain more nectar than the universe can contain. When uttered purely without offense they break through the coverings of the universe and allow the chanter to enter into the sublime atmosphere of the spiritual world. Therefore the devotees always like to be absorbed in chanting: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare as far as Sankarshan Das Adhikari Farewell Flower Shower from Shyama Govinda Prabhu's Family Farewell Kirtan from the Pretoria Devotees Our Program Hosts: Prithesh and Premisha Sookraj (Prithesh with garland and Pre

11 June 2011--We are flying now on a 2,000 mile flight from Mauritius to Johannesburg, South Africa. After leaving a place I like to recall the wonderful and enlightening Krishna conscious experiences I had at that place. No matter how much one grows in Krishna consciousness, there is always room to grow unlimitedly more, realizing even more about the transcendental Krishna science and how to present it more effectively to the suffering, illusioned souls of this world. One nice realization was that while the natural beauty of Mauritius with its clean air, comfortable climate and beautiful scenery was certainly enlivening, it was even more enlivening to have the association of so many wonderful devotees of Krishna who reside there. We look forward to our return this coming December for another ecstatic week of Krishna consciousness in Mauritius. Sankarshan Das Adhikari The Beautiful Scenery of Mauritius is Enlivening... But the Devotees Are Even More Enlivening Answers According

After transmigrating again and again through the 8,400,000 species of life you are now once again in the human form of life. Kindly take advantage of this greatest of all opportunities to awaken the dormant love of Godhead that is currently sleeping very soundly within your heart. This will liberate you from all the miseries of material existence, even the ultimate misery known as death, and enable you to regain your original position as an intimate associate of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His eternal pastimes in that boundless spiritual sky. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Teaching the Art of Deathlessness Flac, Mauritius--10 June 2011 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How Can We Serve You? How can we serve you? I.L. Answer: Assist Us in Delivering the World Our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, ordered us, "Become guru and deliver the entire world." On our own it is not possible that we can successfully execute this order. But if many of you w

The key to getting out of the modes of material nature and coming to the transcendental platform where life is eternal, full of bliss and knowledge, is to fully absorb yourself in devotional service unfailingly in all circumstances. To do do one must be staunchly determined just as person who has fallen off of a cliff but has caught hold of a tree branch is staunchly determined not to let go. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Chant Gayatri Instead of Hare Krishna? Since Sri Krishna says that of mantras He is Gayatri shouldn't we chant the Gayatri mantra instead of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra? Can you please quote slokas where it is said that Hare Krishna maha-mantra is superior. My parents want me to chant Gayatri mantra, however, I tell them that since I chant Hare Krishna maha-mantra, it already includes all other mantras. But, they don't seem to be very happy with my argument. Thank you. A.N. Answer: Hare Krishna is Recommen

Why suffer when you can taste unlimited bliss at every minute by reconnecting yourself with the source of your existence? Just as an electrical appliance is useless when it is not connected with electricity, our lives are also useless when we are not connected with our source. Krishna consciousness is the process of reconnecting yourself with your source. Try it today by chanting Hare Krishna with love. You'll feel the difference in your consciousness. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Reconnecting with Krishna in Esperance Mauritius 8 June 2011 Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: How Many Students Do You Have? How many students do you have now? A.V. Answer: Millions I have millions of students all over the world, it's just that they have not realized it yet. Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Faith means unflinching trust in something sublime. That which is most sublime is to re-awaken your lost loving relationship with the Supreme Person, the source of all existence. You can easily measure your own degree of progress on this path of awakening your love for God by seeing how much your faith has developed. Some persons take the pathway of Krishna consciousness with some idea of benefitting themselves materially. They do not have faith in the process of reawakening their dormant love of God. These are known as third class persons in Krishna consciousness. Others, who have firm faith that surrender to Krishna is the goal of life and have thus seriously taken it up but are not very advanced in understanding the devotional scriptures, are known as second class persons in Krishna consciousness. And those who have unflinching faith in the process of Krishna consciousness and at the same time are very expert in the devotional scriptures and presenting the philosophical conclusion

I will forever, literally for all of eternity, remain the subordinate servant of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It is by his causeless mercy that I have been restored to my original pure identity as a servant of Krishna. For countless eons I was lost in the cycle of birth of death sometimes thinking myself to be a demigod, sometimes a human, sometimes a plant, and sometimes an animal. But now, by the pure loving kindness of Srila Prabhupada I have been freed from my prison sentence in this material existence and allowed to re-enter into the divine association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna. How can I ever repay the debt I owe to Srila Prabhupada? It is impossible. Therefore I must simply serve him for all of eternity as a small token of gratitude for his having saved me from the unlimited miseries of material existence by bringing me into the most blissful, ever-expandingly more exciting adventure of Krishna consciou

Sometimes one's circumstances become so overwhelming and bewildering that one goes into a a state of total, complete anxiety, which can even culminate in a nervous breakdown. This is what happened to Arjuna at the beginning of the battle of Kurukshetra. At such times one may feel himself to be the most cursed and unfortunate person in the whole world. However, those who are blessed with transcendental knowledge understand that such times are the greatest asset, the greatest blessing because they enable one to call out to the Lord with feelings of utter helplessness, like a child desperately crying for its mother. Such feelings of total dependence on the kindness of the Lord are most advantageous for one's spiritual advancement because they attract and capture the mercy of the Lord. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Why Not Directly Worship Krishna? You wrote "The spiritual master never accepts worship on his behalf. He only a

Upon our arrival in Mauritius on 4 June 2011 we were first driven by my disciple, Prahlada Das, to the Hare Krishna temple in Phoenix where we offered our respectful obeisances to Srila Prabhupada, who was fully present in his deity form and to the most beautiful deities, Sri Sri Radha Golokananda. After I feelingly prayed to Srila Prabhupada and Radha Golokananda for their merciful blessings the devotees requested if they could offer me guru puja, a traditional worship ceremony offered to the spiritual master. Of course, I do not consider myself to be qualified to accept such worship, but as a spiritual master it is my duty to accept such worship on behalf of my Guru Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada. As they began the arati ceremony I was most happy to see that my sitting place offered me an unobstructed view of Srila Prabhupada sitting regally on his Vyasasana. So as they worshipped me I mentally transferred all of their loving, affectionate worship to my spiritual master. It was such a p

4 June 2011--Upon landing in Mauritius this morning, just before entering the customs area, we were greeted by a large sign, "Welcome to Paradise." I chuckled upon seeing this because any place where there is birth, death, old age, and disease is certainly not paradise, no matter how paradisial it may be from the material point of view. But we can make Mauritius or any place in this material world into a real paradise by awakening the sleeping souls in that place to the underlying truth beyond this material existence: that we are all eternal spiritual beings, the servants of God. So this is our purpose for coming to Mauritius. You will not find us loitering on the beach here for so called "fun in the sun." We have come here to help the people become reconnected with Krishna. This is the real "fun in the sun." It's better than any beach. My activities here remain the same as they are everywhere else in the world: chanting, worshipping, lecturing, couns

Surrendering to Krishna is voluntary. Krishna has given everyone the free will to do what they would like to do. If someone wants to serve Krishna, that all-merciful Lord gives them full facility to do so. And if someone wants to defy Krishna's existence and try to imitate Him, Krishna will give them full facility as well. One therefore has to be intelligent to understand what is in his best self interest and act accordingly. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Free from Darkness by Chanting "Light"? Krishna means light, which is everywhere. Krishna consciousness means becoming light. So can a a person come out of darkness by simply sitting in a dark room and saying, "light, light, light"? Is chanting enough, or is there anything else? S.N. Answer: Free from Darkness by Chanting "Krishna." Krishna does not mean light. Krishna means that person who is the source of unlimited light. If we sit in a dark

2 June 2011--When one takes up the all-auspicious path of Krishna consciousness one should expect that there will sometimes be obstacles. The key to handling them properly is not to become discourage or bewildered, but to instead accept them as exciting opportunities to make progress in Krishna consciousness. I faced such a challenge as I was departing from Sofia this morning. Just before getting on the airplane for London my computer software crashed. All attempts to get it to boot up failed. Now I am staying up past 2:30 am, the time I normally rise, to completely reinstall the operating system from scratch and then write and upload "Thought for the Day." By Krishna's grace I did a back up this morning, so there was very little data loss. Only a few emails that I received this morning were lost. So if you emailed me recently and don't hear back from me within two days, you should send your email again. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Answers According to the Vedic V

After a wonderful week of sharing the nectar of Krishna consciousness here in Bulgaria, we are heading out today for Mauritius via an overnight stop in London to make our connecting flight. Considering that Krishna consciousness is best tasted in the association of Krishna's devotees, our visit here, packed up in small house full of devotees, has certainly been a sumptuous feast. The beauty of Krishna consciousness is that it connects us with our actual eternal identities, which exist forever far beyond the confines of time and space. Once one gets a taste of his real identity, he will never want to come back to his miserable false identity ever again. Sankarshan Das Feasting on the Holy Names at the Sofia Airport Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Did Prabhupada Name Next Acharya? Is Srila Prabhupada still the diksha (initiating) guru of ISKCON? During his presence on this planet did Srila Prabhupada announce anyone to be the next acharya (diksha guru)?

Since our spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, has ordered us to deliver the entire world, we are determined to achieve this goal. Although such a goal is, by reasonable analysis, impossible to attain, we remain undaunted in our determination to successfully carry out the sacred mission which has been mercifully entrusted to us by our beloved Srila Prabhupada. Because we accept Srila Prabhupada's order as our very life and soul, our prayer is that if we are not able to successfully carry out his order in this lifetime, that we may take birth after birth until the entire world has become Krishna conscious. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Prabhupada Ordered Us to Deliver the Entire World Answers According to the Vedic Version: Question: Formula for Going Back to Godhead When a devotee successfully goes back to Godhead, either Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana, what is the percentage of efforts put in for his deliverance by the Lord, the spiritual maste