Ultimate Self Realization

We are on a marathon the save the world because our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, ordered us to deliver the entire the world. Whether this is possible or impossible is not an issue for us because by the grace of God even that which is impossible can easily become possible. Our duty is simply to always remember, worship, and try to successfully execute this and the other orders which we have received from our spiritual master. This is our perfection. Whether the world is saved or not, at least we will be saved. And those who follow us will also be saved. They will be delivered back to the transcendental kingdom of God where they will live an eternal existence, full of knowledge, and full of bliss. Explaining the Perfection of Relationships KOOP Radio-Austin, Texas USA-27 February 2012 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Why Count While Chanting? Maharaja, I've always been a traveling chanter and many questions are asked to me by my co-passengers. The one ask

Atheism is not scientific. Since there is no time in history that something came out of nothing, there has to be an original substance from which everything has come. The atheistic contention of a sourceless existence is a preposterous absurdity. We challenge the atheists to support their theory by performing a laboratory experiment in which something is produced out of nothing. They will never be able to do this. Therefore the atheistic theory that the universe came out of absolutely nothing cannot be proved either scientifically or logically. There is not one shred of evidence anywhere to support it. Therefore atheism is the playground of fools. Srila Prabhupada, the Great Defeater of Atheism Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How Long to Inquire from Sri Guru? My Dear Srila Gurudeva, Dandavats Pranam. In verse number 4:34 of the Bhagavad-gita, two things come; inquiring submissively and rendering service. I understand that rendering service goes on for eternity,

The greatest wealth of all is to be connected with God, the reservoir of all opulences. When we speak of God we are referring to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna. All you have to do to be connected with Him is to open your heart completely to Him and totally surrender yourself unto Him. If you will do so, He will immediately bestow His causeless mercy upon you and accept you as His dearmost devotee. When you give yourself fully to Him He will give Himself fully to you. There is no greater opulence than this! You will be the wealthiest person in the entire world, even if you are materially poor. Srila Prabhupada, Possessor of the Greatest Wealth at Radha Damodar Temple-Vrindavan Dhama, India Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Accepting and Rejecting Sri Guru Dear Gurudeva, How does one choose/judge the correct guru who can guide him properly on the pathway of Krishna consciousness? Also, when can we know that our guru is acting wrongly, like M

There is a way out of the dense, deep forest of delusion, in which we are presently so hopelessly lost. That way is to follow the pathway of the great acharyas, the great saintly teachers who give the highest knowledge and set the perfect examples. There is an unbroken succession of such acharyas beginning with Lord Krishna Himself coming down to the present day. If we take advantage of the trail that they have so mercifully blazed, we will easily find our way out of this forest of delusion and enter into the most sublime realm of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. Krishna, the Original Guru, Reveals the Science of God to His Dearmost Devotee and Friend, Arjuna Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Was Srila Prabhupada Poisoned? I note that in the 25 February 2012 "Thought for the Day" you were asked what happened to Srila Prabhupada, and you replied that he died of natural causes at the age of 81. But, is it not the fact that he was actually poisoned by jealous d

There is no reason to remain in illusion and anxiety any longer. All you have to do become full of knowledge and full of bliss is to revive your eternal identity as a servant of God. Why wallow for even another minute in the consciousness of "I am this body."? Reject this false concept and enter into the enlightened world of Krishna consciousness right now. Prabhupada Reveals Supreme Science to Professor Durkheim Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: What Happened to Srila Prabhupada? For the benefit of myself and many other Christians, whom I know look forward to receiving and reading your message each day, can you please tell us what happened to your spiritual leader, Srila Prabhupada? Thank you for your time. Andrew Answer: Although He Departed, He Remains with Us Due to natural causes, Srila Prabhupada departed peacefully from this world on 14 November 1977 at the age of 81 in his quarters at ISKCON's Krishna Balarama temple in Vrindavan, India surro

The ultimate adventure is to revive your original identity, which exists eternally beyond the precincts of time and space. And the ultimate compassion is to distribute transcendental knowledge to the suffering souls of this universe so that they can also revive their eternal identities as servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everyone is a compassionate adventurer at heart. So it's time now for everyone to give us their miserly misery and revive their loving, blissful natures. Srila Prabhupada Teaches Ultimate Compassion Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: What is the Need of the Human Society? Respected Sir, Hare Krishna. It is asked by Srila Prabhupada in his preface to the Srimad Bhagavatam: "We must know the present need of human society. And what is that need?" What according to you is the best answer for this question. Regards, Parag R. Answer: To Become One in Peace, Friendship, and Prosperity. If you had read a few lines later in the

Why drown in the ocean of birth and death when you can ride Lord Caitanya's tidal way of transcendental bliss and attain the supreme destination of going back to home, back to Godhead. If you want to catch Lord Caitanya's wave of transcendental mercy, all you have to do is chant the Hare Krishna mantra and give up sinful activities, such as illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling. Then by His grace you will enter a sublime transcendental existence beyond the miseries of this material existesnce. Lord Caitanya's Tidal Wave of Transcendental Bliss Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Should I Renounce My Material Duties? Prabhu, kindly accept my humble obeisances. Whenever I visit the ISKCON temple, I strongly feel that the temple is the right place for me to continue towards my ultimate goal of avoiding the rebirth again. Here I have two doubts: 1) Since God is the ultimate protector of this universe, I may be protecting my family out of pri

Fire is present in a dormant state within a match. When we strike the match on a proper striking surface, the fire then become manifested. In a similar way every living being has pure love for Krishna present within his heart. For him the proper striking surface is the association of Krishna's pure devotees. If he takes proper advantage of such association by submissive hearing, inquiry, and service, the dormant love of God within his heart will become fully awakened. Srila Prabhupada Ignites Our Fire of Bhakti Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Correlation of Chanting with Cleanliness Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja, Please accept my humble obeisances. How is chanting correlated with external and internal cleanliness? Your servant, Vikram Mutha Answer: Chant Hare Krishna for Internal Cleanliness By bathing we become clean externally, and by chanting Hare Krishna we become clean internally. Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Sickness is an unnatural state of the body, while good health is the body's natural state. In a similar way, to be Krishna conscious is the natural healthy state of our consciousness, while not being Krishna conscious is an abnormal, unnatural, artificial state of unconsciousness. So what this means is that being Krishna conscious simply means to be yourself, to not be what you are not. Srila Prabhupada Shows Us How to Be Ourselves By Cooking for Krishna Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Clear Philosophical Perspective My humble obeisances to your grace, dear Gurudeva, All glories to Srila Prabhupada, In the 20 February 2012 "Thought for the Day" your grace has mentioned that it is very important to always maintain a clear philosophical perspective while we are engaged in the practice of Krishna consciousness. What is meant by maintaining a clear philosophical perspective ? What is that perspective? Kindly enlighten me on this. Your humble servant,

To be strong and vibrant in spiritual life we need to regularly re-examine and re-affirm why we are giving our lives to Krishna. If we practice Krishna consciousness blindly simply out of habit, social pressure or sentiment, we can give it up at any time. Therefore we must regularly scrutinize why we are engaged in Krishna's service. In this connection Srila Prabhupada states in his purport to Bhagavad-gita 3.3: "Religion without philosophy is sentiment, or sometimes fanaticism, while philosophy without religion is mental speculation." So it is very important to always maintain a clear philosophical perspective while we are engaged in the practice of Krishna consciousness. Explaining the Basis of Krishna Consciousness Santiago, Chile-6 January 2012 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Serving Spiritual Master from a Distance Dear Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances. In the purport of Bhagavad-gita 9.14 Srila Prabhupada explains that anyone ca

We face many problems in life of all sizes, shapes, and colors. Due to the disrupting influence of modes of passion and ignorance we try to solve these problems in so many varieties of unnecessarily complicated ways. Our so-called solutions do not solve the problems at all. Rather they only increase the problems. Those who are intelligent always look for the simplest possible solution for the problems of life. That simple solution is to understand that all of our problems stem from our rebelliousness against God. If we will simply give up our nonsense so-called independence and surrender fully to the will of the Lord, all of our problems will immediately be solved. But as Srila Prabhupada so aptly pointed out in Boston in 1969 regarding this process of surrendering to the Lord: "It is simple for the simple, but very hard for the crooked. " So, we have to stop being crooked and become the simple, humble servants of the Lord. This will end all of our suffering for all of ete

The science of Krishna consciousness as presented in the Srimad Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad-gita is as brilliant as the sun. Just as the sun globe illuminates the entire universe, the science of Krishna consciousness illuminates the entire universe delivering all of the illusioned souls by the divine effulgence of transcendental knowledge with the exception of those who close their ears to it. Srila Prabhupada's Words Illuminate the Universe Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Why Chant with a Bead Bag? Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. It is a great privilege for us that because of you we have got such a forum where all our doubts get cleared. I know that my doubt is an insignificant one, but still I am haunted by this question whenever I sit for chanting. My question is: Why do we use a chanting bag? Cannot we chant only on beads without the bag? Is there any compulsion that chanting beads should always be in a chanting bag. I understand

Since Krishna and His name are one and the same, Krishna is personally present when we chant Hare Krishna. In this connection Srila Prabhupada has instructed that while chanting Hare Krishna we should always feel the personal presence of Krishna. This is so beautiful and wonderful to understand that Krishna Himself comes when we sincerely chant His name. Therefore let us execute our japa chanting with the utmost seriousness for having our own daily personal meeting with Krishna or God. Srila Prabhupada Meets Krishna in Chanting Japa Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How Can Muslims and Christians Adopt Krishna Consciousness? Hare Krishna, Your Grace, All glories to Srila Prabhupada. In a lecture I heard Srila Prabhupada say that our purpose is not to compete with other religions, rather that they all adopt Krishna Consciousness. How can people adopt Krishna Consciousness when they are Muslims and Christians? I hope to see you again some day. Jagat Pavitram

As long we see everything through the eyes of the scriptures the material energy will not be able to affect us. It is only when we ignore scriptural vision and try to understand things through our imperfect senses that we get into trouble. So we have a choice whether to be blind or enlightened. Those who are humble will go with the scriptures and become liberated. Those who are proud will be dragged down by their senses into the lower species of life. Great Sages See Everything through Scripture Sukadeva Goswami Enlightens Parikshit Maharaja Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How to Save a World Which is an Illusion? You mentioned that the Hare Krishna movement could save the world. But Advaita Vedanta depicts the world as an illusion. Where is the question of saving the world when it is an illusion? Venugopal Answer: The Reflection is Also Real You have not properly understood the Vedanta. According to Vedanta, this world, although illusory, is not false. It

There is no need for so much chaos and misery in the world as we see today. Lord Caitanya has descended 500 years ago for bestowing the topmost benediction upon the suffering humanity. That benediction is the Krishna consciousness movement, also known as the Hare Krishna movement. Anyone who takes this movement seriously will easily be liberated from the cycle of birth and death. And those who propagate it are immediately recognized by the Lord for doing the topmost welfare work for the suffering humanity. The Hare Krishna Movement Can Save the World Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Balance Between Material and Spiritual I was reading the Sri Isopanisad and I came across Verse 11: vidyāḿ cāvidyāḿ ca yas tad vedobhayaḿ saha avidyayā mṛtyuḿ tīrtvā vidyayāmṛtam aśnute "Only one who can learn the process of nescience and that of transcendental knowledge side by side can transcend the influence of repeated birth and death and enjoy the full blessings of imm

The spiritual master enlightens and enlivens his disciples. He does not leave them in a forlorn position caught up in the miseries of birth, death, old age, and disease. Instead he takes the time and trouble to answer all their doubts and engage them happily in the Lord's service. Thus he delivers them back to their original liberated identities in the transcendental pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna in His magnificent transcendental abode, Goloka Vrindavan. Srila Prabhupada Enlightens & Enlivens His Disciples Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How the Loveless Can Serve with Love? Dear Gurudeva, Please accept my obeisances You always says that we should chant with love and serve with love. But we will love God only when we reach the prema stage. Now we don't love God. So how can we do something with love if we don't have love? How to understand that? Your eternal servant, Raghavendra Das Answer: Try Your Best and Krishna Will Help You The principl

We all exist. We all know that we exist by dint of the mere fact that we can ponder our existence. But how and why we exist have remained the greatest of all enigmas throughout the entirety of human history. These unknowns have always baffled even the greatest of our philosophers. The reason they remain riddles is that the how and why of our existence cannot be understood through mere intellectualism. One must transcend the platform of the intelligence to finally awaken or reconnect with the real, existential self. This awakening is accomplished through the yoga system, the process of yoking or reconnecting with the original source of our existence. Of all the yoga systems the easiest and most effective is the bhakti yoga system, the yoga of divine love. This process consists of chanting the holy names of God on a regular daily basis and giving up sinful activities such as illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling. Through this bhakti yoga process one quickly and easily rea

Your only enemy is your mind, no one else and nothing else. As long as your mind is uncontrolled it will drag you through the cycle of birth, death, old age, and disease millions and billions of times ad infinitum. But if you will intelligently bring your mind under control by fixing in on the Supreme Personality of Godhead by regularly chanting His names, it will become your best friend and you will transcend this entire material existence regaining your original identity as a transcendental associate of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His marvelous, divine, eternal pastimes in the wondrous spiritual sky. Regain Your Position in Krishna's Amazing Pastimes Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Why Are Beads Necessary for Chanting? Hare Krishna All glories to Srila Prabhupada Gurudeva, please accept my humble respect. Why are beads necessary for chanting the Holy Name? If we chant His Holy Name without the beads, will it be less effective? Will it also be goo

Today is the most auspicious day. It was on this day 138 years ago that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur appeared in this world. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur is gaura-sakti. Gaura-sakti means that he is empowered with world-delivering potency by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who wanted His mission to be broadcast all over the world. Lord Caitanya stated: pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma "In as many towns and village as there are all over the world the Krishna consciousness movement will be spread." This prediction was made by Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally five hundred years ago. And it was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati who had the vision and potency to make it happen. He established the Krishna consciousness movement widely throughout India and fully empowered his topmost disciple, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, to solidly establish the Krishna consciousness in every corner of the world. We are therefore ete

Why live in the shadow of reality where life is fleeting, full of nescience and distress, when by the simple process of reconnecting with the divine you can celebrate an immortal life full of wisdom and divine ecstasy? This is the most practical, down-to-earth thing you can do with your life, especially when you take into account its utter simplicity. Why not take advantage of this sublime and easy process? All you have to do is chant the holy names of God with love, devotion, and attention. You will immediately feel how you are being wonderfully transformed. Devotees Reconnecting with the Divine by Chanting Vrindavan, India-5 February 2012 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Why the Material World is Needed? Dear Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet In the purport of Bhagavad-gita 7.4, it is stated, "Generally one who does not know the science of God (Krishna) assumes that this material world is for the enjoyment of the living entiti

If we claim to be followers of Krishna and His topmost pure devotee, Srila Prabhupada, we must take the time and trouble to carefully study the knowledge they are giving us in order to see what it actually means to follow them. Simply claiming to be their followers is not sufficient. Figurehead following will not save us at the time of death. Only genuine following will enable us to enter the spiritual world upon leaving our present bodies. Srila Prabhupada, the Greatest Spiritual Master, Reveals the Ultimate Science, Krishna Consciousness Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Why So Many Religions? Why did Krishna create so many religions like Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, etc. when He knew that it will create problem among His children? Why not only one God and one religion for the entire world?. Moli Answer: Man's Foolishness There in only God and one religion for all, pure love of God. This is what Krishna or God has so kindly given us. But foolish men have

Don't be a stupid fool who refuses to acknowledge that person who is providing all of our necessities. The key to being happy is to always have an attitude of gratitude towards the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Without being thankful to Him one can never be happy because the guaranteed result of miserliness is misery. Teaching the Science of Thankfulness Austin, Texas 5 February 2012 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Why So Much Chaos in the World? Respected Sir, Why are there atheists? Why did the holocaust happen? Why did the world wars happen? Why do so many, many unwanted incidents happen? Priya Answer: Because We are Forgetting Krishna Because we are forgetting Krishna, there is so much chaos in the world. If people would simply stop being so ungrateful and would instead show Krishna a little bit of gratitude for the unlimited bountiful gifts He bestows upon us, immediate peace and prosperity would be the result all over the world. Sankarshan Das

If you want to advance steadily on the pathway back to home, back to Godhead, the key is to always remain humble. In other words, you should always remember that you don't know everything, that you still have a lot to learn. In short, to be humble means that you are always teachable, that you are always open to being corrected and directed by someone who knows something that you do not know. Srila Prabhupada Teaches Us Perfect Humility Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Devotee Remembers Previous Lives? When a devotee achieves liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth, does he then regain the memories of all of his previous lives? George Answer: Why Remember a Nightmare? Just as when awakening from a nightmare one is not interested to remember his nightmare, when a devotee becomes liberated from the cycle of birth and death and goes back to home, back to Godhead he is not interested in remembering the countless hellish births and deaths he suffered whil

In this material world we are sometimes overwhelmed by reverse situations, which very much upset our mental equilibrium. When this happens the antidote is to immediately count your blessings. Instead of lamenting your misfortune, thoughtfully analyze and celebrate your good fortune. There will always be loss and gain in this material world. You can't do anything about that. But you can change your attitude and liberate yourself from a lifetime of anxiety. So instead of butting your head against the wall trying to alter the unalterable, open your eyes and see how Krishna is always blessing you in spite of the constant ups and downs of the material nature. Srila Prabhupada Teaches Us How to Always Be Free From Anxiety Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: What is Ritvik Philosophy? What is ritvik philosophy? Who practices it? Your unworthy servant, Padma Charana Das Answer: An Envious Denial of Disciplic Succession Ritvik philosophy is being currently propounde

Today is the appearance day of Lord Nityananda. Here is a wonderful song by Narottam das Thakur in which he describes the shade of the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda as being so nice and cooling that all materialists, who are always in the blazing fire of material activities, may come under the shade of His lotus feet and be fully relieved and satiated: nitāi-pada-kamala, koṭi-candra-suśītala, je chāyāy jagata jurāy heno nitāi bine bhāi, rādhā-kṛṣṇa pāite nāi, dṛḍha kori' dharo nitāir pāy se sambandha nāhi jā'r, bṛthā janma gelo tā'r, sei paśu boro durācār nitāi nā bolilo mukhe, majilo saṁsāra-sukhe, vidyā-kule ki koribe tār ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsariyā, asatyere satya kori māni nitāiyer koruṇā habe, braje rādhā-kṛṣṇa pābe, dharo nitāi-caraṇa du'khāni nitāiyer caraṇa satya, tāṅhāra sevaka nitya, nitāi-pada sadā koro āśā narotamma boro dukhī, nitāi more koro sukhī, rākho rāṅgā-caraṇera pāśa Nitāi-pada-kamala, koṭi-candra-s

In material life it is thought that the more you become proud, the more you become powerful. But actually, just the opposite is true. The reality is that the more you become humble, the more you become powerful. The reason this is true is that a proud person has no control over his senses, while a humble devotee of the Lord has fully conquered over his senses by engaging them 24 hours daily in the service of the Lord. This means that the proud person is not actually strong at all. He is simply burning off the reactions to his previous pious activities. Once these assets are exhausted he will be reduced to a very weak and powerless position. His strength is temporary and will be finished in due course of time. But the strength of the devotee is never destroyed. His strength is his total dependence on Krishna in all times, places, and circumstances. The more he advances in his dependence upon the Lord, the more His strength increases as more and more of the Lord's strength is manife

There is far more to existence than what meets the eye. At the present moment we are not able to perceive the full beautiful spectrum of reality because we are blinded by an exploitative I-am-the-center-of-the-universe mentality. To see things as they are we must develop a humble mood of service to the Supreme Person, the source of all existence, and to the countless living beings that are His emanated expansions. As soon as we agree to transform our attitude from the taking mood to the giving mood we will awaken to a splendorous vision of reality that progressively penetrates deeper and deeper into its innermost meanings. Srila Prabhupada Awakens His Disciples by Revealing the Absolute Truth on a Morning Walk Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Christ and Krishna Dear Srila Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I'm looking for some clarification after a brief discussion with my Christian friend. He wants to know whether

The entire human society is afflicted with existential nausea. They have not a clue as to why they exist and how they exist. Even though there is a clearly defined, beautiful, ecstatic meaning for their existence, they don't know what it is. Nor do they know how to go about discovering it. This is why they are sitting ducks for such ridiculous philosophical monstrosities as Darwin's theory and many other concoctions brewed in the imperfect brains of word jugglers. If these poor souls will take advantage of the bona fide spiritual master, they will be saved from the darkness of delusion and a new, beautiful, enlightened era will manifest on this planet. Lord Sri Krishna Invites You to Regain Your Original, Eternal Identity in the Spiritual World Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: What is the Devotee's Equanimity? Dear Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet In Bhagavad-gita 5.19, Lord Krishna says that equanimity is one of t

Don't make the foolish mistake of wasting your human form of life by dedicating it to the service of your temporary material senses. Why foolishly dedicate your entire life to serving something which is not you? The senses are not the self. They are simply coverings of the self. So come out of these coverings and be who you actually are. Serve your real self, the eternal spiritual being within. Give up your suffering and celebrate your eternal spiritual identity as the eternal servant of Krishna at every minute. Don't be a dead man. Become a fully enlightened being by regularly chanting Krishna's holy names with love. Celebrating Our Eternal Relationship with Krishna Kirtan at Bhaktivedanta Ashram-29 January 2012 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: What is Krishna Consciousness? Dear Srila Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances. When people ask what is Krishna consciousness, what should I answer in a simple and clear sentence? Your servant. Ya