Ultimate Self Realization

To have the association of devotees is the greatest good fortune that we can achieve in millions and billions of lifetimes because it is through the association of devotees and by the mercy of devotees that we get the ultimate perfection of Krishna consciousness. Therefore we must always be very appreciative of devotee association and always try to pleasing the devotees in all of our dealings with them. Devotee Association in Kirtan Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Understand Supreme Through Reasoning? Dear Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances. This is a question of faith. In this world we tend to try to apply critical reasoning to most aspects of our life, our family, our job, our education, etc. How can I, someone who strives to apply such reasoning throughout my life, discard this and believe all that is said by scripture and a spiritual master when sometimes what is said is rather fantastical, beyond reason. The mere existence of a Supreme defies scien

Why stress out when you can bliss out? All you to do is put yourself completely in the hands of Krishna at every moment and do everything for His pleasure. This is the topmost secret of success. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Do Non-Hindus Believe in Law of Karma? My dearest Mahaguru, I have some questions to you as follows: 1. Is it true that non-Hindus like Christian and Islam do not believe in the concept of karma? 2. But my friends told me that from the Bible they come across a sentence, "As you sow so shall you you reap," which basically states the law of karma. How do you explain this? 3. If human suffering and happiness are entirely due to the will of God without any room for human's will? If so, does not it mean that God is quite unfair or unjust? On what basis does He elect a person to suffer for all his lifetime, for example since his birth to be crippled and blind, while the other person born in a rich and abundance family? I think the e

Habits can be our best friend or our worst enemy. If we are habituated to always thinking, speaking, and acting in a Krishna conscious way, our habits are our best friend. And if we are habituated to always engaging in material sense gratification, our habits are our worst enemy. So how do we transition from being habituated to sense gratification to being habituated to Krishna consciousness? This is done gradually by engaging ourselves according the instructions of guru, scriptures, and the saintly devotees of the Lord. Old habits die hard. So we have to be patient while the old inauspicious habits gradually go away and the new super auspicious habits take their place. Srila Prabhupada Guiding His Disciples Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Why Did Krishna Create Maya? Hare Krishna. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada. Dear Gurudeva, Who is Maya? Why Krishna create her? Your Servant, Sutha Answer: Maya--Warden of Material World Prison Maya is a pure devotee of Kr

There are no material solutions for the multitudinous problems that are presently plaguing the human society. Just as chopping a weed off at the surface may seem to have gotten rid of the weed but actually has not, material solutions for what is ultimately a spiritual problem will never be effective. The problems of the modern world have to be completely uprooted if there is ever going to be any lasting global peace and prosperity. The fundamental, foundational problem, the source of all the problems, is the false bodily conception of existence. As long as people continue to think that they are their bodies, they will naturally continue to maintain an exploitative, abusive relationship with their environment. It is only when people wake up and realize that they are eternal spiritual beings and that their only happiness is to render loving service to the Supreme Being that we will see the diminishment and gradual elimination of the global madness. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version

Time is more valuable than money. Money can be lost and gained, but any time lost is gone forever. It can never be reclaimed. Therefore we should not waste even a single moment in unnecessary material pursuits. We should instead absorb ourselves as much as possible in constantly hearing, chanting, and remembering the transcendental name, fame, forms, qualities, and pastimes of the unlimitedly sublime Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known primarily as Krishna and also by millions of other names. Constantly Meditate on this Most Sublime Person Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Reply from Christian: Jesus is the Only Way Hello Sir , Thank you very much for taking your time and replying me. Regarding the explanation you have given below, I think you have to be informed that Jesus says in John 14.6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me". Hinduism is all about idol worship and since millenniums they were into dowry

In this material world we suffer a lot more than we would like to. In fact, we don't want to suffer at all, not even for a minute. The problem is that because this material world is a place of misery, suffering is unavoidable. Even though suffering is totally undesirable, we are forced by the laws of nature to repeatedly and perpetually undergo it birth after birth. However when one is truly Krishna conscious his perspective is completely different. He sees suffering as his good friend instead of his enemy. He capitalizes on his suffering, using it as a springboard to situate himself in sobriety, a state of not being carried away by the false glitter of material happiness. And from this sober state he then connects himself with the real, unlimitedly blissful happiness of Krishna consciousness which goes on increasing forever. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Inquiry from Christian: Who to You Is the Real God? Thanks for replying to my mail out of the work and busy schedule

In this material world everyone is suffering from the effects of the four-fold miseries of birth, death, old age, and disease. Even those who are most powerful, wealthy and successful must also suffer in the grip of these inescapable agonies. Therefore those who are actually compassionate fully dedicate their lives for awakening the dormant Krishna consciousness that is sleeping in the hearts of all human beings, because it is only through this Krishnaization of consciousness that the people can become free from the grip of these otherwise unavoidable four-fold miseries. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Challenge from Christian: You're a Satan Worshipper I didn't know anything about you until I watched your video program. I am a Christian with my roots in Hinduism. I found your video and felt very bad and embarrassing to know that you ideally being a Christian by birth have adopted to Hinduism. I can really bet you that you are just fooling yourself by practicing Hindui

The secret for being constantly enlivened in Krishna consciousness is very, very simple. Always remember Krishna and never forget Him. Be always vigilant to see that you are keeping Krishna in your thoughts in all times, places, and circumstances. If you offer the results of everything you do to Krishna, it is not at all difficult to always remember Him. Just as a hard working employee remains enthused in his job by always thinking that he is working to support his wife and children, in a similar way the devotee always remains enlivened by constantly remembering the supreme lovable person for whom he is working. Krishna, the Supreme Lovable Person Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Guilt From Only Doing Bhakti for Myself Dear Guru, I have some doubts about my honesty. My way to Krishna consciousness has started only few months ago, though my heart feels that I have made the right decision. I am chanting sixteen rounds, offering food to Krishna, going to the temple, s

When we chant Hare Krishna we are invoking the presence of the supreme all-powerful, all-merciful Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna. In the presence of the Lord, the protector of His devotees, there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of in any circumstance. Therefore, if one ever becomes afraid of anything, all he has to do is chant Hare Krishna with faith and he will become completely peaceful and fearless. Fearless Prabhupada Always Takes Krishna's Shelter Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Guru Needed When Chanting Alone Saves? Dear Guru Maharaja, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you! All glories to your transcendental preaching! In his purport to Bhagavad-gita 9.25 Srila Prabhupada writes, "The Krishna consciousness movement is therefore distributing sublime information to the entire human society to the effect that by simply chanting the Hare Krishna mantra one can become perfect in this life and go back home, back to Godhead.&

In this material world people are regularly glorified in the news media and in so many other ways. But what is their actual glory? Everyone is simply acting selfishly and ingloriously for their own sense gratification. Some are acting in goodness, some in passion, and some in ignorance according to the dictates of karma. Therefore the pure selfless glory of Lord Sri Krishna stands unequalled and supreme far, far beyond the glory of anyone else. This is confirmed as follows in Brahma-samhita Text 5.42 ānanda-cinmaya-rasātmatayā manaḥsu yaḥ prāṇināṁ pratiphalan smaratām upetya līlāyitena bhuvanāni jayaty ajasraṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi "I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose glory ever triumphantly dominates the mundane world by the activity of His own pastimes, being reflected in the mind of recollecting souls as the transcendental entity of ever-blissful cognitive rasa." Transcendental Entity of Ever-Blissful Cognitive Rasa Answers by Citin

The more you share the bliss of Krishna consciousness with others, the more you will taste it yourself. Therefore for those who like to enjoy life to the fullest extent the smartest thing to do is to push forward the Krishna consciousness movement as far and as wide as possible during one's limited lifetime on this earth. Such an inconceivably sweet missionary lifestyle, which can be executed by anyone in any occupation, catapults one into his or her eternal existence far, far beyond the pinching stringent laws of birth, death, old age, and disease. Anyone in any part of the world can relish at every moment this most ecstatic super bliss if they will simply connect with Lord Krishna and share His sublime teachings with everyone that they meet. Try it today. You'll love it! Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How to Become Fearless in Daily Life? Honorable Guru Maharaja, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I have the following q

Just as birds have the natural psychological tendency to flock together, we humans also have the same tendency. In this regard Lord Krishna confirms in the Bhagavad-gita that we develop our consciousness according to the type of company we keep. If we associate with materialists, we become materialists. And if we associate with devotees, we become Krishna conscious. Therefore if we want to be successful in our spiritual lives, we must cultivate loving relationships with devotees and always remain absorbed in those relationships. This will save us from gliding down to the animal kingdom in our next births. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How to Deal With Physical Cravings? Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. I am not sure if this is an appropriate question to ask you. But since I am overwhelmed by it, I thought to share with you. I have an intense longing for sex pleasure. I am aware that this craving will not help me to advance in Kr

As I write this "Thought for the Day" Israel and Gaza and embroiled in rocket warfare killing each other's citizens with missiles from the sky. And there are many such places in the world where fighting is going on right now. There is no reason for all of this animosity, fighting, and bloodshed in the world. It is due to ignorance only that the human society has descended to the level of cats and dogs fighting with each other on the slightest provocation. The difficulty is that the human society is not really a human society. Without spiritual awakening they remain on the animal platform where it is inevitable that they will fight, torture, and kill each other. If the world society will come to the actual human platform by realizing that they are not their bodies, that they are instead eternal spiritual beings, servants of the Supreme Absolute Truth, peace and prosperity will be the immediate worldwide result. To bring this about is our mission. Rocket Launched from Raf

Due to the lack of a common central point, the world situation is becoming increasing more and more hellish and chaotic. Embroiled in a constant struggle of lording it over people are abusing each in ways that are becoming more and more grotesque and degraded. Therefore we are reaching out to the world's people and asking them to take the Krishna consciousness movement now for the sake of solving all of the world's problems.. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Chanting Alone Can Deliver One? Dear Guru Maharaja, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you! All glories to your transcendental preaching! In his purport to Bhagavad-gita 9.25 Srila Prabhupada writes, "The Krishna consciousness movement is therefore distributing sublime information to the entire human society to the effect that by simply chanting the Hare Krishna mantra one can become perfect in this life and go back home, back to Godhead." If one can go back home simply by cha

Today is the disappearance day of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, my beloved spiritual master and the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON, the International Society of Krishna Consciousness. It is a day of great sadness for us that we no longer have Srila Prabhupada physically with us here on this planet to show us the perfect example of pure Krishna bhakti, inspire us with Krishna conscious lectures, and mercifully answer our many questions. It was such an enlivening and exciting time for us when Srila Prabhupada was physically present on this planet traveling from one ISKCON temple to another, repeatedly circling the globe. Now in his absence we are forced to become more strongly connected with him by fully embracing his instructions within our hearts as our very life and soul. By tightly connecting ourselves with him in the form of his instructions we feel great ecstasy, which is so sweet that it soothes the pain we feel in his separation and thus allows to tolerate the

The Srimad Bhagavatam is so wonderful that wherever it is spoken, read, or heard ithat place becomes transcendentalized. The speaker is purified. The hearers are purified. The inquirers are purified. Everything becomes auspicious. It is not that it can only be spoken in a temple. It was originally spoken 5,000 years ago on the bank of the Yamuna river. We can speak it or read it anywhere. Several days ago on 12 November 2012 we had a Srimad Bhagavatam class in the Vilnius, Lithuania airport. Even though I had to pause the class each time an announcement came blaring over the speakers, by the sublime potency of the Srimad Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada, and the previous acharyas the class was super-enlivening for everyone. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: I'm Confused. Can You Enlighten Me? I am so confused, that I do not know any more, what is the difference between left and right, good and bad, up and down, male and female, etc. Can you enlighten me? Greetings an

Today is the most auspicious day that Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill to protect the residents of Vrindavana from the devastating rainstorm sent by angry Indradeva, the king of heaven. Krishna is so kind upon His devotees that He gives them all protection in all circumstances. Therefore if one takes complete shelter of Krishna, he has nothing at all to be afraid of in this dangerous jungle known as material existence. Krishna Bestows His Mercy on the Brijabasis Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Short Mantra or Long Mantra is Better? Dear Gurudeva, Namaste. I would like to ask following question: Which mahamantra, a short one i.e. "om itiaksharam brahma" or a long one "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare" is better for meditation leading to awakening of original Krishna consciousness? Why? Yours in Yoga Janardan Mali Answer: Vedic Prescribed Mantra is the Best The Vedic injunction i

As we prepare now to leave the Baltic states to head back to the USA for some more ecstatic preaching, I am reflecting on the many simply wonderful experiences we had sharing Krishna consciousness with so many saintly devotees here in these nations situated by the Baltic sea. When I consider what was the essence of this experience "overflowing with love" comes to mind. We were treated with so much love that it becomes inconceivable how to ever adequately reply this love. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Why Did I Fall from the Spiritual World? I have had this question hitting me again and again. The question is: "Why did I fall down to this material world from spiritual world?" When I asked this question to some senior devotees they told me that we misused our free will. But this is not satisfying me. Krishna is so beautiful that even after seeing Him how could we misuse our free will? After seeing Krishna what desire would there be to fulfill? Ra

At last Saturday's Holy Name Retreat in Ziezmariai, Lithuania one of the young brahmacari monks asked me what is my prediction for Lithuania. I informed him that Lithuania will eventually become a completely Krishna conscious nation with a full slate of Krishna conscious leaders. I made this prediction, not whimsically, but on the basis of authoritative Vedic wisdom given by Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami as follows: saj-jana, durjana, paṅgu, jaḍa, andha-gaṇa prema-vanyāya ḍubāila jagatera jana “The Krishna consciousness movement will inundate the entire world and drown everyone, whether one be a gentleman, a rogue or even lame, invalid or blind.”-- Caitanya Caritamrita Adi 7.26 This prediction will be manifested through the medium of devotees who are dedicated to preaching Krishna consciousness to the suffering souls of this world to help them out of their pitiable situation within the cycle of birth and death. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Doesn't Lov

The chanting of the Hare Krishna mahamantra is so nice that it evaporates all of your problems. The more you dive into this nectarean ocean of Krishna's names you will experience an ever deepening awakening of your transcendental identity far, far beyond this ocean of material miseries. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Is Hare Krishna Mantra the Only Way? Please pardon my ignorance and incorrect utterings if any and kindly help clear my doubt. I understand that the chanting of Hare Krishna mahamantra is prescribed as the only way to reach the highest of all planets, Krishnaloka. I wonder how people born before Hare Krishna mantra was popularized by saints and incarnations in the last 1000 years, were expected to find their way to Krishnaloka! True, the Hare Krishna mahamantra is mentioned in Padma Puarana, but so are several other mantras in various other Puranas and scriptures! To my limited knowledge, there never was an expressed prominence of the mahamantra

Instead of letting your heart become carried away by a pretty girl or a handsome guy, just let your heart be carried away by Krishna. Any object of attraction within this material world will not remain attractive for long because that is the nature of this material world, the world of dualities. Today's object of attraction becomes tomorrow's object of repulsion. Therefore those who are wise do not allow themselves to become attracted to anything within this temporary material world. They instead focus there tendency for loving affection upon the Supreme All-Attractive Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, and thus derive ever-increasing pleasure in the mellows of that most sublime loving relationship, which never ends and which becomes more and more relishable for all of eternity. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Think of Liberation or Think of Krishna? Should one should think about going back to Vaikuntha (the spiritual world) or just keep thinking to se

When one desires the satisfaction of eating ice cream does he stick his shirt sleeve in the ice cream, or does he put the ice cream into his mouth? The answer is obvious. To enjoy ice cream one does not feed the ice cream to the garment which covers him. Rather, he feeds the ice cream to himself. In a similar way, try to understand that your body is not you. It is simply a covering, a garment that you, the spiritual being within, is temporarily wearing. In other words, gratifying your material senses does not really satisfy you because it is not you. So, if you seek genuine happiness, you should focus your energies on serving your actual self, the eternal spirit-soul temporarily residing in the perishable material body. The service to the spiritual self is to reconnect it with the supreme spiritual self who has unlimited names, forms, pastimes, and qualities, who is known to His most intimate devotees as Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When you do this you will finally f

The entire planet earth is now in a most perilous suffering condition simply due to the incompetency of its leaders, who are nothing more than two-legged animals. If we elevate animalistic men to be our leaders, we can expect nothing but ever-increasing chaos on this planet. And this is exactly what is happening now. It is getting worse and worse every day. What is the solution? We have to stop following the fools and rascals and follow the principles of the sublime God-centered Vedic culture, which in former times united the entire world society in a golden era of peace and prosperity for all. This is the only program which will bring the much desired happiness back to the human society. Therefore we must now educate the entire society to follow the enlightened Vedic teachings, not the dictates of the rascal so-called leaders who are currently ruining this planet. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Why Krishna Lets Me Suffer? Does Krishna love me? If yes, then why do

I am now 65 years old and legally considered to be a senior citizen by the US government. Of course I am referring to the body, not the actual self who is residing within the city of nine gates known as the material body. One of the many things that amazes about the sublime process of Krishna consciousness is that it enables me to completely detach myself from the bodily conception of who I am. Even though I am sitting inside the body of a 65 year old senior citizen I still feel myself to be that 23 year old youth who joined the Hare Krishna movement in the spring of 1971. In fact I feel even more youthful now than I did then because in the last 41 years I have discarded so much psychological garbage that was unnecessarily weighing me down. So if I am to consider whether I am a youth or a senior citizen, the conclusion is that I am an eternal youth inhabitant of the spiritual world presently residing within the body of a senior citizen within this material world. Answers by Citing th

My spiritual master, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, has blessed me with so many wonderful disciples from all other the world who genuinely love me and are prepared to do whatever I ask them to do in the service of the Lord. It never ceases to amaze me how they can give me so much loving affection. Sometimes it is so strong that I feel that I am being inundated with an ocean of loving affection. How am I to take this outpouring of love from their hearts for me? It is truly not something that I deserve. This sweet loving affection that they give me is what my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, deserves instead. Therefore, just as a tax collector collects funds on behalf of the government, my duty as their spiritual master is to be a love collector, collecting their love on behalf of my most beloved Srila Prabhupada. The love that I receive from them is all transferred to Srila Prabhupada. I am sure that he most pleased to see the sublime loving mood of these sincere devotees. Ans

Back in 1971 I was holding back from completely surrendering myself to the process of Krishna consciousness. Being then a singer/songwriter, who was attracted to Krishna consciousness, I thought I would spread Krishna consciousness in my own way by writing and singing Krishna conscious songs for the spiritual elevation of my audiences. But the devotees were demanding more. They wanted me to adopt the lifestyle of a brahmacari monk living full time in the ashram as a surrendered disciple of ISKCON's spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. I was not ready to give up my cherished so-called freedom (It was more like slavery to my senses.) to live the highly regulated life of a monk. But one morning while I was relishing the sweet sounds of the newly released Radha Krishna Temple album from George Harrison and the London Hare Krishna devotees, just by hearing the love in the devotees' voices expressed for Srila Prabhupada I could understand that they were a tasting a sweetness that wa

November 3 2012 was a most auspicious day in Kaunas, Lithuania because I conducted an initiation ceremony for ten of my new disciples. Spiritual initiation is an absolutely necessary step on the pathway to self realization because Krishna says that it is only by becoming a devotee of the Lord's devotee the Lord will accept us as His devotee. The ten new disciples are as follows: Rabindra das (from the UK) Jagadananda das (from Lithuania) Baladeva das(from Hungary) Acintyalila devi dasi (from Lithuania) Laksmipriya devi dasi (from Lithuania) Satyavati devi dasi (from Bulgaria) Hemamukhi devi dasi (from Estonia) Madanasundari devi dasi (from Latvia) Gita Govinda devi dasi (from Latvia) Saranagata devi dasi (from Lithuania) May Krishna bless all of them in their lives as my disciples, followers of Srila Prabhupada, and devotees of Krishna. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How to Quickly Become Impurity Free? How does one quickly get out of anartha stage, t

Why settle for lifestyle that is anything less than the very best? You can relish the ultimate nectar at every minute simply by connecting with Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the very source of your existence. All you have to do to connect with Him is to chant His holy names with love: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama Rama Rama, Hare Hare Who could have imagined that tasting unlimited bliss could be so simple? Srila Prabhupada Chanting in San Francisco Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: What Does Devotee Association Mean? Dear Guru Maharaja Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you! All glories to your perfect reply! In the 1 November 2012 "Thought for the Day" you wrote "When you associate with devotees it does not matter where you are in the material world because when you associate with devotees you are in the spiritual world." Can I know what is the definition of "

The secret of success in spiritual life is that one must have a bona fide master, receive instructions, from him, and faithfully follow those instructions. If one does this, his happiness and success in life are assured. How do I know this? I have been doing this for the past 41 years, and it works. Srila Prabhupada-My Glorious Spiritual Master Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Request: Bless Me with Clear Understanding Please accept my millions of humble obeisances! I felt ecstatic reading your question and answer today. I humbly request you to please bless me that may I also develop such clear understanding of Krishna consciousness philosophy one day. It is really amazing to see that by Krishna's special mercy no one can defeat you in arguments. Your aspiring servant Devesh Answer: Surrender Fully to the Bona Fide Guru If you want to become a strong preacher like me, do what I have done. Surrender yourself fully at the lotus feet of the bona fide spiritual master

After relishing a week of the sweetest bliss in Riga, Latvia we are now moving on to our next transcendental destination, Lithuania. How can I say "transcendental"" when Latvia and Lithuania are both mundane, bodily conscious, greed oriented countries in this temporary material world? I say "transcendental" because here we are associating with Krishna's devotees. When you associate with devotees it does not matter where you are in the material world because when you associate with devotees you are in the spiritual world. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Should I Force Myself to Chant? I just met you in Riga today. But there's a question I didn't ask. You always talk about chanting Hare Krishna. But to be honest, I never liked chanting. It just feels artificial and alien to me, and those words mean nothing. Should I force myself? I generally prefer my meditation to be more of a quiet sort. Maybe combined with some good reading. Tha