Ultimate Self Realization

Sometimes in material life it is thought that the more you are serious, the less you are happy. But in spiritual life it is just the opposite. The more you are serious about becoming solidly fixed up in Krishna consciousness, the more bliss you will taste. Therefore it behooves one to be as serious as possible about awakening his dormant Krishna consciousness. This is accomplished by focused Hare Krishna mantra meditation, regularly reading Srila Prabhupada's books, and by learning from and serving those devotees who are absolutely serious about Krishna consciousness. Bhagavad-gita Lecture at Home Program Route Bois Cherie Moka, Mauritius-29 May 2012 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Desire to Be Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise? Dear Srila Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Is it good to desire to be healthy, wealthy and wise? Your servant, Sarvabhauma das Answer: Good to Desire Them in this Way It is very good to

On 29 May 2012 I was the guest speaker at the Enterprise Mauritius agency of the Mauritian government. This is the agency responsible for encouraging other countries to import goods from Mauritius and thus stimulate the Mauritian economy. I spoke for one hour to the entire staff of Enterprise Mauritius with the exception of those who were out travelling. I was asked to speak on the topic "Peace in the Office," and I explained to them Krishna's formula for peace as given in the Bhagavad-gita 5.29: bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati "A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries. My presentation was very much appreciated. They asked many nice questions. Krishna consciousness is

Now with the advent and wide scale implementation of the internet it has become a very common phenomenon that people want to be online (i.e., connected to the internet) as much as possible. This makes them feel more in touch with what is going on in the world. Although the internet has expanded the outreach of their imperfect senses, because it is also a product imperfect senses, even when they are online they still remain a highly limited and restricted captive of imperfect senses. However, there is another internet which gives one a pure and perfect connection with everything that is going on in all times and all places. That supreme internet is the "Krishnanet". Because Krishna is the original fountainhead of all energies, when you are connected with Krishna you are connected with everything. Here's the password for logging onto the Krishnanet: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare So anytime you feel disc

Srila Prabhupada explains in his purport to Mantra 10 of the Sri Isopanisad: "One should develop a liking for residence in a secluded place with a calm and quiet atmosphere favorable for spiritual culture, and one should avoid congested places where nondevotees congregate." Mauritius is such a suitable atmosphere for practicing Krishna consciousness. The clean, refreshing ocean breezes invigorate the health, and the natural beauty helps the mind to become peaceful for deeply meditating on the Hare Krishna mahamantra. Also because there is predominantly Hindu population practically everyone has a natural respect for Lord Krishna. Therefore in Mauritius it is quite easy to attract an audience who would like to chant Hare Krishna and hear about Lord Krishna and His teachings. Mauritius out of all the countries on this planet is unique in that it is the only country in the world where the government invited Srila Prabhupada to come to their country. Also it is Mauritius that ha

Upon my arrival in Mauritius I received the good news that my exalted Godbrother, His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami, was also present in Mauritius. After taking darshan of the beautiful Sri Sri Radha Golokananda deities at our temple in Phoenix I was then blessed with the opportunity to meet with Gopal Krishna Maharaja. It is always a great joy for me when I am able to associate with devotees like His Holiness who have absorbed themselves 100% in spreading the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world. Such Godbrothers are a great inspiration for me in my humble attempt to solidly establish the teachings of Lord Sri Krishna as the guiding principle for the human society. His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: I'll Be Devotee Only When It Is My Destiny When I encourage others to become Krishna conscious, quite often they say that they will only do so when it is their destiny to do so. They say that Krishna consciousness is no

24 May 2012--We are now at London's Gatwick airport waiting for our overnight 6,000 miles flight to Mauritius. I found a chair in a quiet corner where I can peacefully compose another "Thought for the Day" before boarding our flight. Why am I regularly traveling and preaching all over the world like this when it is such a great strain on my old man's body? I don't feel that I am an old man. I feel like I am young man in my twenties, and I absolutely love and savor the adventure of serving Srila Prabhupada's order to become guru and deliver the world. I experience it as the most exciting challenge. In the material world some people are motivated to accomplish difficult tasks such as climbing Mt. Everest. For me the challenge of solidly establishing a spiritual movement in a totally materialistic society is something thrilling like that. I wouldn't trade this lifestyle for anything in the world. Prabhupada Deeply Meditates on Krishna's Name Answers b

24 May 2012--Today by the sublime arrangement of my aspiring disciple, Bhakta Robin, we are greatly blessed with being here at the beautiful Bhaktivedanta Manor, ISKCON's UK headquarters and one of its leading temples in the world. It was donated to ISKCON by former Beatle George Harrison and is very dear to Srila Prabhupada. This inspiring, sacred abode is the home of many wonderful devotees. We were truly honored and privileged to be able to be stay here. Chanting and dancing with the devotees here and sharing my realizations with them in my Srimad Bhagavatam lecture as well as in one-on-one meetings were indeed the sweetest nectar. The Sublime Bhaktivedanta Manor Temple A Wonderful, Inspiring Place of Pilgrimage Srila Prabhupada at Bhaktivedanta Manor with (left to right) Patti Boyd, George Harrison, and Dhananjaya Das Srimad Bhagavatam Lecture Bhaktivedanta Manor-24 May 2012 | Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Are Krishna's Qualities Real? This h

22 May 2012--After a successful public hall program last night in Burgas, Bulgaria, today we drove 440 kilometers across Bulgaria from my disciples' farm and temple in Aheloy on the Black Sea to Sofia on the other end of the country. Seeing as how I am seriously backlogged on my emails I took it as a grand opportunity to try to reduce the backlog as much as possible. After arriving in Sofia, where we just missed an earthquake, I checked the numbers, and it was 44 emails and 440 kilometers. That is an average of one email for every 10 kilometers travelled. I am still behind but hoping to catch up as soon as possible. We've got to help as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, to become solidly fixed in Krishna consciousness for becoming free from all the anxieties of material existence. This is our mission. Revealing True Success at a Public Hall Program- Burgas, Bulgaria-21 May 2012 Email Marathon Across Bulgaria-22 May 2012 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version

There's nothing sweeter than the Hare Krishna mantra anywhere within the three worlds: the upper, middle, and lower planetary systems. Therefore it does make any sense for anyone to look anywhere else for happiness, peace, satisfaction, and success. Let the entire world population now become happy, peaceful, and prosperous by chanting the Hare Krishna mahamantra. Kirtan Bliss-Sveti Vlas, Bulgaria-21 May 2012 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: If Initiates Break Their Vows? What happens to initiates if they do not fulfill the promises they made to their spiritual master? And how by brahminical initiation does one advance in spiritual life compared to the first initiation? I seek your enlightening guidance. Thank you very much. Your servant, Mohish Answer: They Fall Down into Birth and Death If an initiated disciple does not fulfill his initiation vows, he falls back into the cycle of birth and death. Brahminical initiation means that the devotee is now recog

In the present extremely materialistic age of Kali the actual process of self-realization is practically completely forgotten being buried in an avalanche of bogus philosophies and bogus systems that do absolutely nothing to deliver their adherents from the repetition of birth and death. Everybody wants to be a teacher of their own concocted philosophy, and nobody wants to be a student. One cannot manufacture their own system of self-realization. Only God and those who purely represent God through the parampara system, the ancient system of disciplic succession, can teach the bona fide self-realization system. Teaching the Genuine Self-Realization System 20 May 2012-Aheloy, Bulgaria Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Responsible Householders Suffer Karma? Dear Srila Gurudeva, We had the following Thought for the Day on May 20th, 2012: "Karma yoga means that one does his duty and offers the fruit of his work to Krishna. One who keeps the fruits of his work for

On Saturday 19 May 2012 here in Sofia, Bulgaria I initiated two new disciples into Lord Caitanya's transcendental spiritual family and gave 2nd initiation (Brahminical initiation) to three devotees. It is most auspicious when someone accepts the initiation vows because by doing so they attain deathlessness. The initiates vow to obey the spiritual master's order to always 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. Such a vow of surrender to the bona fide spiritual bestows immediate immortality upon the initiate who, if he strictly follows his vow, will permanently enter into his eternal identify as Lord Sri Krishna's servant. Initiation Ceremony-19 May 2012-Sofia, Bulgaria: Initiation Lecture Bhaktin Maria Becomes Madhavi devi dasi Bhaktin Stefani Becomes Sumitra devi dasi Initiation Fire Sacrifice Ceremony Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Quest

It is a common misconception, especially in India, that if one executes his material duties very nicely he is a karma yogi and will thus derive great spiritual benefit from his activities. This misconception shows how much people have misunderstood the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita. Karma yoga means that one does his duty and offers the fruit of his work to Krishna. One who keeps the fruits of his work for himself and his family is a karmi, not a karmi yogi. He will have to take karmic reactions for all of his activities by taking birth again here in this material world. On the other hand, he who engages the fruits of his activities in the service of Krishna is a karma yogi. He is free from all karmic reactions and will not take birth again here in this material world. He will attain the supreme perfection of going back to home, back to Godhead upon leaving his present material body. Revealing the True Path of Liberation Bhagavad-gita Lecture-18 May 2012-Sofia, Bulgaria Answer

At the present moment there is a burning need to revolutionize the world society. We need enlightened, qualified leaders to solve the onslaught of highly complex problems that are now besieging us. Our current slate of leaders in every sphere of human activity is completely incompetent. Factually they are nothing more that cartoon characters, who cannot control their senses and cannot do anything except lead us down the perilous road of the destruction of the human civilization. Because they are not enlightened with transcendental knowledge they are not even qualified to lead themselves, what to speak of leading others. It's time for people to wake up and stop electing such incompetent monkeys to lead us. We need real human beings as leaders. Human being means one who properly understands what is the self and what is the supreme self. Teaching the Transcendental Science Bhagavad-gita Lecture-17 May 2012-Sofia, Bulgaria Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How to S

To become Krishna conscious is not difficult. You simply have to properly utilize your tongue. The tongue has two activities: tasting and vibrating. So instead of tasting and vibrating some nonsense, if you will taste Krishna prasadam and vibrate the Hare Krishna mahamantra, you will become a fully spiritually saturated self-realized soul qualified to meet the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, the source of all existence.. Lecture at ISKCON London on Soho Street 16 May 2012-London, England Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Soul Doesn't Die. Why Killer Gets Karma? One question arose in my mind on the explanation that we are in a dream like situation. If we are just imagining birth and death, why does a murderer get a bad karmic reaction? Your eternal servant, Girish Answer: We Suffer for Inflicting Suffering on Others Kindly try to understand that the conditioned soul is only imagining himself to be the material body. He is not the material body.

One of the most poignant spiritual instructions I have ever received was from His Holiness Vishnujana Swami sometime in spring of 1971 in Austin, Texas USA. I was a young spiritual seeker attending an evening program that he was conducting at the home of Robin Ferris. In the middle of the program I left the living room to get a drink of water in the kitchen. Somehow or other he was in the kitchen too. Krishna arranged that it was just the two of us there standing by the sink. He told me very soberly and compassionately, "You have to become sober." That instruction has reverberated n my heart now for forty-one years as I realize more and more over these years the unlimitedly deep significance of this instruction. Sober means not to be carried away by the dualities: either good or bad. It means to always remain staunchly fixed in Krishna consciousness. Thank you, Vishnujana Swami, for being so kind and merciful to me. It is because of your loving kindness that I was able to jo

Without Krishna consciousness life can be very dreary, meaningless and monotonous. After all, what is the use of working so hard for things which are fleeting or non-permanent? Castles made of sand are washed into the sea. This entire global material civilization is like that. They have labored so strenuously to make a transitory civilization. If one wants genuine happiness, he must focus his energies on that which is permanent: his eternal relationship as a servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is not that they have to stop their material civilization. They simply need to give primary importance to their Krishna consciousness and secondary importance to their material civilization. Then everything will be very nice. The Material Civilization is Like a Sand Castle Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: What is the Secret of the Gita? All glories unto the devotees of the devotees, etc, of Krishna. There is a feeling of great curiosity about the text in Bhagavad

Today we are on the road again on another circle-the-globe lecture tour. Our first stop will be in London where I will be giving a Bhagavad-gita class in the presence of Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara. While such travels in the service of Krishna certainly are ecstatic, meaningful, and significant, even more ecstatic, meaningful, and significant is the inward journey of the soul on the pathway back to home, back to Godhead. This is the journey that each of us should be making at every moment. Every day we should see how we can make progress on the ultimate journey, the inward journey. Every day we should endeavor to go deeper into transcendental meditation on the holy names of Krishna. We should strive for better, more loving relationships with our spiritual master and the devotees. We should try to improve our understanding of Lord Sri Krishna's transcendental teachings. And above all, each day we must strive to become more and more surrendered to Krishna. Srila Prabhupada Takes Dar

After a brief hiatus here at Bhaktivedanta Ashram in Austin, Texas my wife, Vishnupriya devi dasi, and I are now preparing to hit the road again for spreading the wonderful teachings of Krishna all over the world. On this round-the-world trip I will be lecturing in the UK, Bulgaria, Mauritius, South Africa, Malaysia, Australia, and Los Angeles before returning to Austin at the end of next month. In regards to my preaching activities, the blessings of my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, and the loving assistance of my wife are my greatest assets. We always hear how important is the spiritual master. But we rarely hear how important is a Krishna conscious wife. Therefore in this regard my wife is truly an unsung hero. She always makes sure that I have the proper diet and living facilities, and she always gives me very pertinent and practical advice from her advanced Krishna conscious perspective on the best way to present these profound teachings to my audiences around the globe. My

If you want to taste the bliss, you must dovetail your consciousness with the supreme person, who is the source of everything. It is absolutely impossible that you will ever find permanent happiness if you are not connected with Him. So why waste time looking for happiness in this material world through so many millions of varieties of avenues, which are nothing but dead end streets because they do not connect to Krishna? The smart thing to do is to immediately come to the plane of transcendental bliss beyond all the miseries of material existence through the simple act of surrendering to Krishna. Srila Prabhupada Relishing the Bliss of Krishna Consciousness Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Why this Opinion Circulating in ISKCON? My humble obeisances to Your Grace, All glories to Srila Prabhupada, Dear Gurudeva, I was delighted to read the contents under the heading, "We were originally in Krishna’s pastimes". This is because, a few weeks back, a visiti

A devotee does not want to be carried away by attraction to any personality of this material world because he prefers to be absorbed in the all-attractive Krishna. Just as the Ganges river naturally flows to the sea, the devotee wants to be only attracted to that incredibly amazing supreme person, Lord Sri Krishna, who is the source of all existence. This desire of the devotee is wonderfully expressed by Queen Kunti as follows: tvayi me 'nanya-viṣayā matir madhu-pate 'sakṛt ratim udvahatād addhā gaṅgevaugham udanvati “O Lord of Madhu, as the Ganges forever flows to the sea without hindrance, let my attraction be constantly drawn unto You without being diverted to anyone else.” Srimad Bhagavatam 1.8.42 Queen Kunti Prays to Krishna Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Can Envy Exist in Spiritual World? Dear Srila Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances. Someone from the Gaudiya Sampradaya was discussing with me on the original position of the jiva s

Some say that the soul did not originate in the pastimes of Krishna in the spiritual world. They say that the soul has originally come from the tatastha shakti which is neither in the spiritual world or the material world, and that the soul then had a choice of entering the spiritual world or the material world. They say that we here in this material world chose it instead of the spiritual world. This philosophy is not in line with teachings of Srila Prabhupada who has written in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 4.28.54 as follows: "The original home of the living entity and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the spiritual world. In the spiritual world both the Lord and the living entities live together very peacefully. Since the living entity remains engaged in the service of the Lord, they both share a blissful life in the spiritual world. However, when the living entity wants to enjoy himself, he falls down into the material world. Even while he is in that position, the Lo

In this material world we take anxiety as our enemy doing everything we can to always be free from it. But in spite of all of our attempts to be free from anxiety, it still hounds us like an incurable disease. The greatest good news is that spiritual life or Krishna consciousness it is just the opposite. Anxiety becomes our best friend. When a devotee is in anxiety he takes it as the greatest blessing because it facilitates his taking complete shelter of Lord Sri Krishna, where the devotee experiences an ocean of unlimited, unadulterated, ever-increasing bliss. Srila Prabhupada Reveals Ocean of Unlimited Bliss Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Is Unmotivated Bhakti Possible? Dandavat Gurudeva, It is true that you have to reach the platform of pure selflessness by serving Lord Krishna. But since most people are inclined to fruitive activities (and even those who have come to Krishna consciousness were inclined to fruitive activities earlier), won't serving Lord

In times of trouble a devotee who has taken complete shelter of Krishna has nothing to fear because he knows that there is only one real danger in this world, and that is to forget Krishna. Therefore always taking shelter of Krishna by remaining in constant remembrance of Him the devotee is always fully protected, fully enlightened, and fully happy. Srila Prabhupada Takes Shelter of Krishna by Offering Arati Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Is a Guru Required? Are you saying that you can wake up out of the cycle of birth and death purely by direct transmission alone? Or are you saying it is a spiritual master who leads the way? Roland Answer: Guru Transmits the Mercy of the Supremee Just as we receive the direct transmission of a radio broadcast through a radio, in a similar way the direct transmission of enlightening mercy coming through from the Supreme is delivered through transparent medium of the bona fide spiritual master. This is confirmed as follows in t

To the extent that we absorb ourselves in devotional service, to that extent we will realize God. In other words, God is not realized academically. He is realized experientially. One understands God by experiencing God. If one tries to understand academically what is the experience of eating pudding, he will never get a complete, perfect understanding. But if he simply tastes the pudding, he will get immediate perfect comprehension. So, if you want to know God, you have to taste God. In this way, and only in this way can you fully comprehend what is God. The tasting process is devotional service, serving the Lord with love, not begrudgingly or mechanically, but with warmth, with love and affection. Experience this Beautiful Person through Love Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Difference Between Soul and Spirit? What is the soul? what is the difference between soul and spirit? Johanna Answer: They are One and the Same The soul and the spirit are synonyms. Therefo

Everybody wants to be happy. Nobody wants anxiety. Therefore everyone is living their life in such as way as to be completely free from anxiety. The difficulty is that hardly anyone knows the secret of how to become completely happy. Practically everyone settles for a mixture of happiness and distress. This mixture is problematic because as long as we are experiencing even a slight tinge of anxiety we cannot be happy. Therefore in this world almost everyone is in anxiety, and practically no one is happy. To become completely happy in such a world requires the guidance and blessings of a bona fide spiritual master. If we are willing to surrender ourselves to such a bona fide spiritual master, inquire submissively from him, and render him service--we can then by his grace achieve pure adulterated happiness. Otherwise we are hopelessly lost in the quagmire of material misery birth after birth. Srila Prabhupada Gives Us Unlimited Bliss Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question:

Why does one accept a job at a company and start working for it even before he receives his first paycheck? Because by seeing the other employees who work there and get paid regularly he has faith that he will also be paid for working there. Why does one take up the pathway of Krishna consciousness even before he tastes the sweet fruit of spiritual advancement? He has faith by seeing others who have advanced in Krishna consciousness and are constantly relishing its bliss that he will also make spiritual advancement and relish the supreme bliss of Krishna consciousness. If we can put our faith in a paltry paycheck of a few dollars, how much more faith should we have in the ultimate paycheck of pure Krishna bhakti? Explaining the Ultimate Reward, Krishna Bhakti 23 April 2012-Kaunas, Lithuania Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How is There Free Will to Love Krishna? I don't understand how our love for Krishna is free willed. It seems that our two main choices are e

While on the neophyte stage, as we gradually develop our taste for Krishna consciousness and lose our taste for material sense gratification, spiritual life can sometimes be a little difficult, it is absolutely impossible to get any true happiness from material life because the all-devouring wheel of death is crushing everyone in its path and thus denying everyone the chance to find any real shelter here in this material world. Distributing the Ultimate Mercy-Prabhupada's Books 29 April 2012-Kaunas, Lithuania Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Ways of Devotional Service for Students Gurudeva, what are the ways of following devotional services on a daily basis for a student? Amritha Answer: Rise Early, Chant, and Preach The key for being Krishna conscious in student life is to rise early, take bath, and complete at least 16 rounds of Hare Krishna japa mala before you begin your studies. Plus you must strictly avoid illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, and gam

Our recent visit to Lithuania was the sweetest we have ever experienced. We gave our love to the Lithuanian devotees by trying to do everything we could to help them enter into the mood of pure devotional service. And the joyful loving way in which they reciprocated with us was absolutely phenomenal. We were often awestruck by their unbounded enthusiasm for kirtan and devotional service. I lectured and led kirtan in five different cities, and everywhere we went the people opened their hearts to us and received us in such a way that our hearts were melted. Relishing the Sweet Bliss of Krishna's Names 23 April 2012-Kaunas, Lithuania Departing from an Evening Bhagavad-gita Class 24 April 2012-Vilnius, Lithuania Devotees Give Us a Loving Send Off from Kaunas 1 May 2012-Kaunas, Lithuania Final Bhagavatam Class in the Airport 2 May 2012-Vilnius, Lithuania Blissful Devotees See us Off at the Airport 2 May 2012-Vilnius, Lithuania Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Ques