Ultimate Self Realization

Srila Prabhupada defines truthfulness as follows in his purport to Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 10, Verse 4 and 5: "Satyam, truthfulness, means that facts should be presented as they are, for the benefit of others. Facts should not be misrepresented. According to social conventions, it is said that one can speak the truth only when it is palatable to others. But that is not truthfulness. The truth should be spoken in a straightforward way, so that others will understand actually what the facts are. If a man is a thief and if people are warned that he is a thief, that is truth. Although sometimes the truth is unpalatable, one should not refrain from speaking it. Truthfulness demands that the facts be presented as they are for the benefit of others. That is the definition of truth." If we can fearlessly present to the world population, especially its leaders, the truth of Srila Prabhupada's teachings, it will create a new era of peace and prosperity for the entire human race.

In this world people are inspired by trying to accomplish the impossible. They relish the greatest satisfaction in trying to conquer over that which is impossible and making it possible. This kills boredom and makes life exciting. In the Krishna consciousness movement we are blessed with the greatest seemingly impossible challenge of all: to make the entire world Krishna conscious. We joyfully accept this ultimate challenge and live the most exciting life on the cutting edge of world history trying awaken the dormant Krishna consciousness in the hearts of all. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Why Does Each Yuga Degenerate? My beloved master, Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances. My question to you today is: Why does each yuga degenerate? Satya yuga is the most pious and God conscious period, and all other yugas gradually experience a decrease in the level of piety and God consciousness, Kali yuga being the most devoid of piety. Also the cycle of these y

One who has fully dedicated his life in the service of the Lord has nothing to fear in any circumstance. Because he has fully surrendered himself unto the Lord, the Lord will protect him in all situations. This is confirmed as follows by Srila Prabhupada in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam, 6th Canto, Chapter 3, Text 18 as follows: "Material danger is not meant for devotees. This is also confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Padam padam yad vipadām na tesām: [SB 10.14.58] in this material world there are dangers at every step, but they are not meant for devotees who have fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord. The pure devotees of Lord Vishnu may rest assured of the Lord's protection, and as long as they are in this material world they should fully engage in devotional service by preaching the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Krishna, namely the Hare Krishna movement of Krishna consciousness." Therefore in all circumstances the Lord's devotee should

Srila Prabhupada describes that a brahmacari is someone who has sex only for producing Krishna conscious children. Therefore whether one is single or married in either case one can be a brahmacari. The life of a brahmacari is a life of liberation because one is no longer a slave of lust. Lust is a cruel master because no matter how much one gratifies it, it is never satisfied and one becomes more and more miserable in his bondage to lust. Brahmacari life comes naturally for one who is absorbed in Krishna consciousness because contact with Krishna is thousands and millions of times more relishable than sex enjoyment.. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Why is Krishna Called Supreme Enjoyer? Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and to you Why is Krishna called the supreme enjoyer? Regards, Saswata Answer: Because Everything is For His Enjoyment Krishna is called the Supreme Enjoyer because everything exists for no other purpose than to

If you want to transcend the miseries of material existence, you simply must deeply absorb yourself in the meditation of hearing and chanting the holy names of the Lord. For this purpose the Hare Krishna mahamantra is especially powerful and potent: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare Rise early in the morning before sunrise. Take your bath and dive deeply into the ocean of Krishna's unlimitedly nectarean holy names. All the miseries of this material world will disappear from your heart. Srila Prabhupada Deeply Chanting Japa Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Pure Devotees of Christ and Allah Hare Krishna, Srila Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you and Srimati Gurumata. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Gurudeva, my questions are: Does a pure devotee of Jesus or Allah obtain the same result of their pure devotional service as obtained by the pure devotee of Lord Krishna?

The great Vaisnava acharyas are not aloof from the sufferings of the conditioned souls of this material world.To the contrary, their hearts bleed to see how miserable the conditioned souls are in this one fourth portion of the Lord's creation. Therefore they fully dedicate their lives for awakening the dormant Krishna consciousness in the hearts of all living beings. In this connection Srila Prabhupada has written wonderfully in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 6, Chapter 1, Verse 6 as follows: "A Vaisnava is para-duhkha-duhkhi; in other words, he has no personal troubles, but he is very unhappy to see others in trouble. Prahlada Maharaja said, 'My Lord, I have no personal problems, for I have learned how to glorify Your transcendental qualities and thus enter a trance of ecstasy. I do have a problem, however, for I am simply thinking of these rascals and fools who are busy with maya-sukha, temporary happiness, without knowledge of devotional service unto You.&#

In this material world everyone is sooner or later defeated by the cruel laws of the material nature except for those fortunate souls who have taken complete shelter of the Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore those who want to always be victorious accept Lord Sri Krishna are their only shelter remembering the wonderful final verse of the Bhagavad-gita: yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtir dhruvā nītir matir mama "Wherever there is Krishna, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality. That is my opinion."--Bhagavad-gita 18.78 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Deterioration of Society is God's Will? Dear Sir, Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! It is said in the scriptures that everything in the world happens according to the supreme will

On the order of Srila Prabhupada we are dedicated to bringing about a spiritual renaissance, a reawakening of pure spirituality on this planet. At the present moment the world society is completely lost in the dense, deep forest of sense gratification delusion with no understanding of the transcendental nature of the self. Therefore in spite of so much material advancement people are more miserable than ever. It is only when people realize the true non-material nature of the self that they will begin to experience genuine peace, happiness, and love. And it is only then that the world society will experience lasting harmony and prosperity. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Measure of Success in Preaching? Dear Guru Maharaja, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you! All glories to your perfect replies! What is the measure of one's success in preaching? Begging your mercy Virendra Answer: Delivering Others from Birth and Death One can measure his

In the Vedic culture the mother is most sacred. The original mother is Srimati Radharani, the hladini shakti or ecstatic potency of Krishna. Mother Radharani is so worshipable that before we chant Krishna's name we call out first to Mother Radharani by uttering "Hare." Not only is Radharani sacred. All women are considered sacred and are thus given the highest respect by being addressed as "Mataji" or "Mother." Nowadays in the material society women are encouraged to go half-naked on the streets so that men can lust over their bodies. But in the Vedic culture all women except one's wife are addressed as mother, thus placing them off limits as objects of sense gratification. After all, no decent human being would even entertain the thought of having sex with his mother. Such a practice may be considered archaic or draconian by a society where woman are treated as prostitutes and killing babies is considered as inconsequential as blowing mucus out o

When we approach the teachings of Srila Prabhupada, if we want to fully understand and comprehend them, we must lay aside all prejudices and stereotypes. The modern day society is now legitimatizing more and more sinful activities which are against the progress of the human being towards self-realization and thus rejected by the Vedic culture. With these sinful activities becoming more and more accepted as proper human behavior it is natural that it will be harder for people to accept Srila Prabhupada's teachings in full. Therefore as Srila Prabhupada's representatives we must be prepared to defend the authenticity of his teachings against all the attacks of the materialists. Lord Gopinath-the Master of the Gopis ISKCON North Sydney, Australia Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Why Shiva Purana Says Shiva is Supreme? Dear Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I have not read any Puranas but I do hear from questions

19 December 2012--After eight days of lecturing on the sublime science of Krishna consciousness in Mauritius and four days of the same in South Africa, now we are on the road again, this time to Australia for a series of lectures in Sydney, Govinda Valley, and Melbourne. It is such a sweet, wonderful life to share the wonderful teachings and mercy of Srila Prabhupada with so many souls around the world who are very eager to get it. Tasting this bliss of traveling for spreading Krishna consciousness reminds me of the great sage Sri Narada Muni, who constantly travels in the spiritual world and the material world to teach the sublime process of Krishna bhakti. Narada Muni has full facility for traveling to spread the Lord's glories. He does not need airline tickets, a passport, or visas. He just appears wherever he wants to bestow mercy upon the souls who have forgotten the Lord. Narada Muni, the Liberated Space Man Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Is Good Karma Re

In this material world we are being regularly bombarded by many varieties of tribulations. These multifarious tribulations can be sub-divided into three categories: those caused by the mind and body, those caused by other living beings, and those caused by natural disasters. But we do not have to continue being tortured by these tribulations when we can gain relief simply by purifying or transcendentalizing our vision. When one comes to plane of Krishna consciousness he sees the loving hand of Krishna at every step both in happiness and distress. He realizes that everything which he previously considered to be a tribulation is actually a special benediction from the Lord to help him re-establish his lost loving relationship with the Lord. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Do Enlightened Souls See Krishna? Respected Gurudeva, Dandvat pranam, While doing Hare Krishna chanting on japa beads, I feel immersed in the name of Lord Krishna and become oblivious to my surround

By our pious and impious deeds we create for ourselves a karmic footprint, which binds us perpetually to the cycle of birth of death. For our impious deeds we take birth again to be punished. And for our pious deeds we take birth again to be rewarded. However, by engaging in the liberating process of Krishna consciousness that karmic footprint is offset 100%. It is completely eliminated. We then become free from the cycle of birth and death and enter into the transcendental kingdom of God to enjoy an eternal life, full of bliss and knowledge in the intimate association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna. Eating only Krishna Prasadam Offsets Your Karmic Footprint Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Vegetarians Also Kill? Hare Krishna Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances. I would like to have a proper answer to counteract this argument by non-vegetarians. I tell them that you kill innocent souls to satisfy your senses, though your scriptures

The whole world is in shock at the senseless massacre of 20 young children several days ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut USA. To cruelly end a young child's life is an act of the most heinous brutality. How has human society stooped so low that such things can occur? It staggers the imagination to consider how degraded we have become. What is even more shocking is that 1.4 million innocent children are murdered every year by abortion in the USA and that most people, the US government, and the US president think it is okay. It's time that all citizens receive the equal protection of the law, including those who are still living within their mother's womb. Srila Prabhupada Blesses a Child in Dallas, Texas Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Does Krishna Will that Children Be Killed? You are currently travelling so I am not sure if You have heard of the sad news of the Newtown, Connecticut elementary school shooting that killed 26 peo

Always be prepared for death because it can come at any moment, even when you least expect it. The preparation for death is to always be absorbed in loving remembrance of the most beautiful, powerful, renounced, wealthy, famous, and wise all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna. There is factually nothing in this material world that we need. All we need is Krishna. This conviction is called Krishna consciousness. If we can always maintain this conviction, we will never be bewildered, and we will be perfectly situated at the time of death to enter into Krishna's transcendental kingdom. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: If God is Everywhere, Why Go to Temple? As you told us that God is in one place but is present everywhere in the form of His expanded energy. With reference to your above statement, why do we need to go temple if God is everywhere? Thanks and Regards, Your humble servant, Rohan Answer: Because We Cannot See Him Everywhere Al

This was a wonderful 8 days in Mauritius: super clean air off of the ocean, open spaces, sunshine, a healthy Krishna prasadam diet, and lots of hearing and chanting the glories of Krishna. It was very uplifting for my consciousness and my health. This country was very much appreciated by Srila Prabhupada who wrote in a letter to one of his disciples: "Here in Mauritius there is a very good potency for introducing Krishna consciousness on a wide scale. The government is not opposed to our movement. Yesterday we had one meeting and all big government officers, ministers, ambassadors came to hear me speak. And they appreciated." My disciples kept me busy giving two or three lectures every day. The audiences were very receptive and many purchased Bhagavad-gitas after hearing my lectures. There is nothing sweeter than sharing the mercy of Krishna. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: A Verse for Times of Distress? Thank you for your email. Is there any verse I can

On 13 December 2012 I was the guest speaker at Enterprise Mauritius, a Mauritius government agency responsible for facilitating and increasing the nation's export business. I was received very nicely with a first class flower garland as an honored speaker who could provide valuable insights on individual and departmental improvement. This is quite auspicious if any representative of the Krishna consciousness movement can be received in this way because this is our actual role as brahmanas, to guide everyone in every facet of the society how to be peaceful, prosperous, and make their lives perfect. In a non-sectarian way I explained how serving the Supreme Person bestows the highest benefit upon everyone. I quoted the concluding verse of the Bhagavad-gita to point out how by putting God in the center everything comes out wonderfully: yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtir dhruvā nītir matir mama "Wherever there is Krishna, the master

Anxiety is caused by a false sense of proprietorship. Factually, nothing is mine because everything is the property of Krishna. If I try to claim proprietorship over the property of the Lord I must necessarily be in anxiety because this is an artificial, dishonest position. So the secret to complete freedom from anxiety is to see everything as the property of the Lord and engage everything in His service. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How Krishna's Aspects Are Non-Different Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and to you What is the meaning of that Krishna's name, His form, His body, His pastimes and He Himself are non different ? Regards, Saswata Adhikari Answer: They All Connect Us With Krishna Srila Prabhupada has very nicely answered your question when he was speaking on the Nectar of Devotion in Vrindavana, India on 18 October 1972 as follows: "Anything about Krishna is non-different. Krishna and Krishna's

Those who are fully surrendered unto Krishna have nothing to fear in this material world because the Lord will always protect them in all circumstances. When one dedicates his life for spreading the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world it is natural that he will face so many opposing elements. But he has nothing to fear from these opposing elements because he is under Krishna's full protection at every minute. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Are You God? Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you, Srila Gurudeva. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. In the Nectar of Devotion Srila Prabhupada quotes from the Srimad Bhagavatam as follows: Sage Prabuddha continued to speak to the King as follows: "My dear King, a disciple has to accept the spiritual master not only as spiritual master, but also as the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the Supersoul. In other words, the disciple should accept the spiritual master as

We cannot stand to see a world which is degrading more and more every day into a condition which is lower than the animals. It breaks our hearts to see how much the people have become confused and misguided. The current world situation is a poignant reconfirmation of the famous saying of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur: "This material world is a not fit place for a gentleman's residence." We are not content to sit idly by while the entire human society becomes more and more corrupted and exploited. Therefore we have dedicated our lives to the non-sectarian mission of reviving the dormant love of Godhead that is currently sleeping in the hearts of all living beings. It is only through this spiritual awakening that people can become truly happy and the world situation can be turned around for the better. The lying, cheating politicians can do nothing to help the people. This Krishna consciousness movement can truly save the world. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Qu

Today one of our readers dropped out of our e-course because she thought that it is something sectarian. This was her misunderstanding. Our philosophy is purely non-sectarian because we acknowledge that pure devotional service can arise with the heart of anyone. It does not matter whether one is a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a Sikh, a Buddhist, or a Krishnite. If one develops pure love of God within their heart, they are accepted as a first class transcendentalist. The symptom of such self-realized souls is that because they are pure lovers of God they manifest pure love for all of God's creatures in all species of life. Therefore, they do not kill and eat innocent animals; nor do they murder innocent babies within the womb. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: What is Devotional Dress? Please accept my obeisances. I have been studying the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness for a while now and have even began to practice it in the form of gradually following the pri

The spiritual potency of the guru parampara system, the age old system of disciplic succession, only remains intact as long as the teachings of the previous acharyas, the predecessor spiritual masters, are passed on without any addition or subtraction. If the teachings are changed to make them more acceptable to the materialists, those teachings become cut off from the disciplic succession and become completely useless. Therefore we must keep Prabhupada's teachings as they are. So, it is not that we should change Prabhupada's teachings to suit the world. Rather we should change the world to suit Prabhupada's teachings. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: What Does Krishna Mean by Surrender? Dear Sir, Please accept my respectful obeisances! In the 18th chapter of the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna says, "Abandon all varieties of religion and simply surrender unto me. I shall save you from all sinful reactions. Do not worry." This verse has been declare

Even though Srila Prabhupada's Krishna consciousness movement is non-sectarian, sometime those with incomplete understanding describe it as being sectarian. They think that we are introducing another sect of religion to a world that is already grossly overloaded with hundreds and thousands of religious sects, which conflict with and fight with each other. Just as the sun is one but has hundreds of different names according to the different languages of the world, in the same way God is one but has different names according to the different languages and traditions of the world. To love that one Supreme Person is the one world religion. This is what is being introduced by the non-sectarian Krishna consciousness movement. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Can We Know Our Past Births? Dear Gurudeva Is it possible to know about our past births? Balaji Answer: Why Look Back to Countless Lives of Hell? You have had millions of past births. Why look back to all of the

Today is the 7th of December 2012. We are flying over Africa on a 6,000 miles, twelve hours overnight flight from London to Mauritius. We will be in this island nation for eight days to speak in various locations on the science of Krishna consciousness. After catching some sleep I decide to get up and do some writing. Around me everyone else is still sleeping. I am feeling very grateful to my beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, for enlightening me in this most sublime science of Krishna consciousness. Even after everyone else wakes up they will still be sleeping, caught up in the lower dimensional dream of material consciousness. How fortunate I am that by the grace of my spiritual master I can be awake, living in the higher dimensional realm of Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada in Mauritius Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Does the Soul Ever Lost Its Existence? Dear Sir, Thank you very much for your genuine repl

On 5 December 2012 we transited through London on the way to Mauritius where I am give a series of lectures. I was also booked to do an evening lecture at ISKCON's downtown London temple. Travelling between the temple and the airport, we got a huge dose of how London celebrates Christmas. It was, to put it mildly, quite disappointing. One tavern's tribute to Lord Jesus was the words "Ho! Ho! Ho!" painted on its window. Everywhere we saw a fabulous display of lights and glitter, but nowhere did we see Lord Jesus Christ being glorified. Christmas is simply taken as a time for sense gratification. Gone is the mood of worshipping this great pure devotee of the Lord. In all of this glaring garishness there was one place of respite, the Hare Krishna temple on Soho street, a true oasis in the desert. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: What is Mayavadi Philosophy? Dear Sir, What is Mayavadi philosophy? What does it suggest? Is the philosophy correct? Please

Those who are actually intelligent do not remain slaves of their senses and thus continue as prisoners of the lower dimensional reality, which obliges one to repeatedly, unendingly suffer birth, death, old age, and disease. Those with higher intelligence take advantage of the most amazing technology that can found anywhere in the universe, the Hare Krishna mahamantra. When one faithfully chants this most potent of all mantras, one is transported immediately into the higher dimensional reality where life is eternal, full of bliss, and full of knowledge. Prabhupada Chants on Hippy Hill San Francisco, USA-1967 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How to Master Our Senses? Dear Gurudeva, Namaste. I would like to ask the following questions: How to master our senses? Is it by abstaining them from feeding? Why is abstinence from sense enjoyment alone not enough to bring one to spiritual perfection? Why is that even while abstaining from the sense of enjoyment, attachment

No one wants to live a drab, boring existence. Everyone would prefer an exciting, thrilling life which is an adventure at every moment. In this regard the fantastic news is that one who awakens his dormant Krishna consciousness lives at every second in the greatest moment in history. This is so because each of Krishna's unlimited, eternally-happening pastimes is truly the greatest moment in history, and Krishna's pure devotees are participating along with Him in these amazingly sublime pastimes. How this is so cannot be understood by mundane logic, even if one goes on speculating or performing mystic yoga for thousands and millions of years. But it is deeply experienced and relished at every nanosecond by those who have become fully realized in their eternal identities as Krishna's servants. Krishna's Lila: Eternally History's Greatest Moment Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Is it Wrong to Work for Results? In one of the most famous verses of t

On Saturday 1 December 2012 devotees from ISKCON Austin took the holy names and holy books of Srila Prabhupada out to the Austin public. They set up a book display rack and sang Hare Krishna kirtan at the downtown Austin famer's market. Their kirtan attracted the people to come and see the display of Srila Prabhupada's beautifully books displayed in a very first class way. And then the devotees would convince them to take a book give a donation. Many books were distributed. There is no greater bliss than giving Krishna consciousness to others because the more you give Krishna, the more you get Krishna. Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How to Attain Equanimity? Dear Gurudeva, Namaste. I would like to ask the following questions: Why does our mind get caught between the dichotomy of dualities? Why do we hear throughout our lives conflicting conclusions and adhere to false conceptions? How to make the mind steadfast when one has little or no knowledge of the u

In this material world everyone is afraid of death. But for a person who dedicates his life fully to Krishna there is nothing at all to be feared from death. For the devotee death is rejuvenation. Even if he has a slight tinge of material desire, he will get a brand new material body to serve Krishna with better facility in this world in his next life, or if he has become 100% pure, he will get an eternally youthful spiritual body with unlimited facility for serving Krishna in the spiritual world. Prabhupada Bestows Deathlessness by Initiation Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Does Prabhupada Criticize Gay Marriage? You recently addressed the question of why do we not support gay marriage by answering that gay marriage promotes illicit sex. You have routinely said that as a "bona fide spiritual master" you neither embellish nor add to nor subtract from the Vedic teachings as you were guided through them by your guru. You have routinely said that your opinio

The more that one becomes absorbed in serving the Vaisnavas, the more he makes advancement in Krishna consciousness. A devotee who does not serve Vaisnavas is called a kanistha adhikari or a materialistic devotee. Loving and serving Vaisnavas is the quickest and easiest way to make advancement on the golden road of unlimited devotion. Devotee Serving Prasadam to Other Devotees Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Why Not Gay Marriage? Dear Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances. Another question I have is about gay marriage. One of the struggles I have with most major religions is that they teach that gay people are demonic. I know many gay people and they are people just like us. Many of them hurt a great deal by the oppression and discrimination they face in society. I understand that any illicit sex is wrong, but does this not also apply to a heterosexual couple not trying to have children? Why should we limit marriage to straight couples? God makes all crea

The knowledge in Srila Prabhupada's books is exactly what everyone needs in order to become happy. Therefore the wide scale distribution of Srila Prabhupada's books is the most important welfare work for the deliverance of the human from the miseries of material existence. Thus, if we truly care about our friends, neighbors, family members, and fellow citizens of planet earth, we must induce them read and follow Srila Prabhupada's books. These sublime spiritual masterpiece books of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada will bring in a new age of peace, prosperity, and happiness for the entire world population, but only if we massively distribute them. Every year at this time the ISKCON devotees all over the world engage in a book distribution marathon for distributing as many of Srila Prabhupada's books as possible. Contact your nearest ISKCON center to see what you can do to participate in this wonderful act of mercy for saving the lost souls of this age. Distributing P