Ultimate Self Realization

Recently in Lithuania a sincere young lady asked me, "When does one require a guru?" I explained to her that one requires a guru when one comes to the human form of life, because the human form of life is meant for self-realization, not for sense gratification. A guru is required to teach you how to become self-realized. Therefore as soon as you understand what is the purpose of the human form of life you should immediately take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master to guide you how to attain life's ultimate goal. Then she asked me, "How does one recognize who is a bona fide spiritual master?" I explained to her that the bona fide spiritual master is that person who purely presents the teachings spoken by Lord Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita without any adulteration. By carefully reading the Bhagavad-gita to see what are its teachings, one can then clearly discern who is a bona fide spiritual master that one should take shelter of and who is a charlatan that

There is no greater happiness than fully surrendering yourself at the lotus feet of Guru and Krishna for all of eternity because such surrender immediately liberates you from the countless eons that you have been suffering in the cycle of birth and death. Not only is there no greater happiness than this. There is indeed absolutely no genuine happiness except for this anywhere in any planet or in any universe. Therefore do not foolishly punish yourself a moment longer. Immediately take complete shelter of Guru and Krishna and make your life perfect. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Srila Prabhupada Enlivens His Disciples in Germany Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: What Makes a Person Foolish? What makes a person foolish? Can you please explain? Your servant, Shivashankar Answer: If He Is Not Krishna Conscious If a person is not Krishna conscious, he is fool number one. Sankarshan Das Adhikari

The ultimate destination is Goloka Vrindavana. There is no place like it anywhere in all of existence because everyone there is an eternal youth relishing an adventure of unlimited love and bliss in the direct personal association of Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of God. So how do you get there? You fly the best airline in all the three worlds: Hare Krishna Airlines. There are regular daily flights every day from hundreds of airports all over the world. Where do you find those airports? They are the ISKCON centers. The fare is not exorbitant or unreasonable. For the mere price of faith you get your first class ticket to Goloka Vrindavan. The meals are the greatest: Krishna prasadam. And the in-flight movies put Hollywood and Bollywood to shame: the transcendental pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna. So take your seat, buckle up, put your full faith in the holy names of God, and get ready for take off. Chant with love and soon you will come in for the most amazing landing in all o

On 26 October 2013 in Kaunas, Lithuania I gave first initiation to eight devotees and 2nd initiation to four devotees. The eight first initiates are: Lilasuka Das, Vyasadeva Das, Arjuna Das, Sudama Das, Amalatma Das, Aniruddha Das, Annapurna Devi Dasi, and Gaurangi Devi Dasi. There is nothing more satisfying that seeing sincere souls solemnly commit themselves to an eternal life of Krishna consciousness in submissive service to Guru and Krishna. This means that their suffering in this material world is now finished and they have now entered into immortality. The four second initiates are Mahabhagavat Das, Rabindra Das, Vraja Kishore Das, and Ekayani Devi Dasi. These devotee have accepted their first initiation vows very seriously and are now designated as brahmanas. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Initiation Ceremony--Kaunas, Lithuania--26 October 2013 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: How to Be Sinless? My dear Gurudeva, The four regulative principles doesn't seems t

Real happiness is ever-expanding. Therefore if the happiness you are experiencing is not ever-expanding, it is only pseudo happiness. It is not real happiness. Real happiness begins from the liberated platform of realizing that you are not your body and engaging your senses in the service of the master of the senses, Lord Sri Krishna. Sankarshan Das Adhikari The Bliss Just Keeps On Expanding ISKCON Center--Kaunas, Lithuania--25 October 2013 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: How Can You Have Disciples? Only Jesus is Guru. Hare Krishna. You mentioned that you have disciples. A lot of people seem to think that a person like Jesus Christ, is the only person on this planet whom is worthy of having spiritual disciples. Every other self proclaimed Godman is simply material and without any real observable power. Other Godmen have only knowledge handed done word for word and repetitive mantras that seem material in comparison to Jesus and his immortality. Thank you for re

To be sick is actually a great blessing because it is a poignant reminder that we are not meant to be the enjoyers of this material body. Our real happiness is to engage everything--body, mind, and words--in the service of Krishna. Sickness is wonderful because it is a training for death. And death is even more wonderful because for the Lord's devotees it is the gateway to Goloka Vrindavana. So the next time you get sick, don't lament. Take it as a golden opportunity to dive deeper and deeper into the sweet nectarean ocean of Krishna consciousness. If you train yourself in this way, when death comes it will be like popping a gulabjamun (a juicy incredibly delicious sweet) into your mouth at the end of the meal. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Sharing the Secrets of a Blissful Bhakti Life ISKCON Center--Vilnius, Lithuania--24 October 2013 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: Difference Between Krishna and Vishnu? Why do we find so may forms and avatars of Lord Krishna?

As long as we continue to serve our senses we must remain entangled in the cycle of birth and death perpetually suffering in one material body after another until we finally wake up and realize what fools we have been to accept the covering of the self to be the actual self. Therefore instead of foolishly torturing ourselves for a moment longer we should take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master who can liberate us from this material existence and take us back to our original position as pure spirit-soul servitors of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, in His most amazingly sweet transcendental abode, Goloka Vrindavana, the topmost planet in the unlimited spiritual sky. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Teaching the Amazing Science of Krishna Bhakti Samosa Preaching Center--Kaunas, Lithuania--23 October 2013 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: How Can I Regain My Lost Faith in Chanting? I don't feel anything when I chant the Hare Krishna mahamantra. I

Our mission is to conquer the entire world, not by guns and bombs, but by cultural conquest, enlightening everyone in the science of Krishna. How it possible to accomplish such a seemingly impossible task? Actually it is not at all difficult. By the power of two in 32 steps it can be accomplished. Simply one person has to be so well trained that he fully embraces the world deliverance mission as his life and soul. Such as person is then empowered to enlighten someone else in the same way, who is in turn empowered to enlighten someone else in the same way. If each such empowered person can bring only two people to Krishna consciousness and inspire them to also be so dedicated, the entire world can easily be inundated with Krishna bhakti. Here's how it would work: The one preacher makes two devotees. Now there are three devotees. The two new devotees each convince two others to take up the path of bhakti. Now the world is blessed with seven devotees. The four new devotees each mak

The evening of Monday 21 October 2013 in Kaunas, Lithuania was cold and nasty, not the kind of weather in which you would feel like venturing out of home to go anywhere. But by the sweet power of Krishna's holy names and devotee association those who attended the lecture/kirtan program at the Vedic Culture Center experienced great transcendental bliss. For those of you who don't know what is transcendental bliss, all we can say is that you have to try it, you have to taste it, if you want to know what it is. Find out where is your nearest ISKCON center. Go there and join with them in kirtan. And then stick around for the lecture so that you can dive deeply into the understanding of the transcendental science of God (Krishna). You'll love it! Sankarshan Das Adhikari Evening of Bliss at the Vedic Culture Center Kaunas, Lithuania--21 October 2013 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Plea For Help: I Am Losing All Hopes in My Life I need your guidance. I am losing all h

After wrapping up the ecstatic Holy Name Retreat on Sunday afternoon we then were driven 217 kilometers to Klaipeda on Lithuania's west coast where we were greeted by the devotees with an absolutely ecstatic kirtan. The devotees in Klaipeda really get into kirtan with unbounded enthusiasm. They are also very eager to hear and inquire about the science of Krishna consciousness. I spoke on the science of Krishna for about an hour. Then my wife and I answered many questions posed by these sincere souls. We could have gone on much longer. But we had to get back to Kaunas to take rest for another ecstatic day of Krishna bhakti beginning for us the next morning at 2:30am. And the nectar just keeps on coming. What a life! Sankarshan Das Adhikari Explaining the Nectarean Teachings of Krishna Klaipeda, Lithuania--20 October 2013 Questions and Answers--Klaipeda, Lithuania--20 October 2013 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: How to Know the Will of Krishna? Respected Guru

20 October 2013--1:19pm--After finishing six lectures and many ecstatic kirtans at the Holy Name Retreat, now it's time to head out to the west coast of Lithuania on the Baltic Sea to give an evening lecture at the Sunday Feast program of the Hare Krishna group in Klaipeda, Lithuania. I cannot imagine a life any more ecstatic than this of being fully absorbed 24 hours a day in hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord. I was a lost soul totally blinded by material senses gratification. But then Srila Prabhupada with the help of Vishnujana Swami saved me from this material existence. I am eternally indebted to both of them. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Relishing and Sharing the Nectar of Krishna Bhakti Holy Name Retreat--Ezerelis, Lithuania --19 October 2013 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: I Was Advised Not to Chant Hare Krishna We chant the Hare Krishna mahamantra regularly, but after our son's departure from this material world many people say that we sho

19 October 2013--We are now here at the Holy Name Retreat in a rural retreat center near Ezerelis, Lithuania. About 50 devotees have gathered here for an ecstatic bhakti-surcharged weekend of diving deeper and deeper into the ocean of Krishna's holy names. The more we chant Hare Krishna and enter into the unlimitedly sublime glories of Krishna, the more the atmosphere becomes surcharged with sweetness. It's an intense day for me giving four lectures. But it is an incredible elixir for the soul. With each lecture I am feeling more and more spiritual bliss and spiritual energy. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Ecstatic Holy Name Retreat--Ezerelis, Lithuania --19 October 2013 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: By Eating Vegetarian Food Do We Incur Sin? Guru Maharaja, Please accept my humble obeisances. Please solve my doubt: Recently I come across a question regarding vegetarian food that we eat after offering it to the Lord. Vegetables and plants are also living bei

18 October 2013--After a physically taxing two solid days of traveling from Pune to Mumbai, Mumbai to London, London to Helsinki, Helsinki to Vilnius, and Vilnius to Kaunas, we finally arrived last night in Kaunas. It is indeed wonderful to be back in the association of devotees. They are like an oasis within the vast desert of material existence. After distributing mahaprasadam sweets from ISKCON Pune I gave a very short arrival lecture glorifying the sublime process of Krishna consciousness. This is the only solution for all the problems of the Lord. If we could just somehow get everyone to heed the message of Krishna, this entire planet will be transformed into a paradise. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Arrival in Kaunas, Lithuania--17 October 2013 Arrival Lecture--Kaunas, Lithuania--17 October 2013 Distributing Prasadam--Kaunas, Lithuania--17 October 2013 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: Can One Become Perfect Without Initiation? Dear Gurudeva, Please accept my

16 October 2013--After leaving early this morning from Pune, India we are now in London for an overnight halt. Early tomorrow morning we will catch a flight to Helsinki, Finland and from there a flight to Vilnius, Lithuania. I am looking forward to the upcoming Holy Name Retreat this weekend in Lithuania. It is a wonderful opportunity to dive deeper and deeper into the sweet nectarean mellows of Lord Sri Krishna's transcendental holy names. There is indeed nothing as sweet and relishable as Lord Sri Krishna's holy names. To chant them with love is the ultimate bliss. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Diving Deep into Krishna's Holy Names New Vedic Culture Center--Pune, India--15 October 2013 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: How to Know the Will of Krishna? How does one judge whether a negative situation requires active effort to mitigate the situation or whether it requires acceptance as the will of the Lord? I have read and heard equivocal solutions. Thank yo

16 October 2013--We got a wonderful surprise a few minutes ago as we were clearing customs at the Mumbai airport. The customs official chanted Hare Rama, Hare Krishna when I approached him with my passport. Then he asked me if I knew a bhajan. So I immediately started loudly singing Jaya Radha Madhava with great enthusiasm. He and other customs officials at other desks were delighted to hear the glories of Lord Sri Krishna. They all smiled very nicely with great appreciation. Even though modern India is too much covered by sense gratification and so-called material advancement it is wonderful that there is still so much Krishna consciousness here. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Srimad Bhagavatam Class New Vedic Culture Center--Pune, India--15 October 2013 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: Do You Chant Hare Krishna Japa? After five months of continuous japa chanting, I've had problems in my life now since I stopped. Do you chant? Maybe you don't have time.

It has truly been a most exciting and uplifting experience to be here in the holy land of India for an entire month. The kirtans have been phenomenal. My lectures were received with great enthusiasm and were always followed by stimulating question and answer sessions. Everyone here has Krishna consciousness in their blood. When we were greeted by a kirtan upon our arrival at the Pune airport I noticed that even some Muslims were appreciating the Hare Krishna kirtan. It is amazing to see a place were so many people even with just a little encouragement can seriously take up the practice of Krishna bhakti. And then there is Vrindavan where Krishna is still manifesting His pastimes for those who have the eye to see them. While there is a natural lamentation in leaving such a spiritual wonderland, there is the joy of knowing that soon we will be coming back. Until then we will continue to dive deeply into the sweet ocean of Krishna prema and to carry on with our program of trying to attra

When we present the absolute standard of right and wrong as given by the supreme authority, Lord Sri Krishna, some people tell us that because there is no such thing as an absolute standard of right and wrong it is wrong to make such distinctions. If we see one persona as good because he has surrendered to Krishna and another one as bad because he has not surrendered to Krishna, they tell us that we are guilty of being judgmental. But what they fail to recognize is that they are being judgmental when they accuse us of being judgmental. If their philosophy is that one should not judge good and bad, we request them that they should follow their own philosophy and not be hypocrites by judging us as bad. Our philosophy is that there is an absolute standard of right and wrong given by God and that He has ordered us to analyze everything in this world according to that standard. We have a philosophy and we stick to it undeviatingly. Our request is that if others are not prepared to surrende

At the present moment the entire world is in an extremely chaotic condition due to one thing and one thing only, a chronic lack of Krishna consciousness. Therefore because we want everyone to be happy our mission is to attract the entire world to Krishna. We cannot tolerate seeing them in such a miserable situation. Therefore we have fully dedicated our lives for bringing about a complete re-spiritualization of the entire human society and are therefore diligently seeking the ways and means of attracting the whole world to Krishna. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Training the Youth in the Science of Krishna New Vedic Culture Center--Pune, India--12 October 2013 Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: Was Gita Given Mentally to Arjuna, Not Orally? I have a doubt. Bhagavad-gita was spoken by Lord Sri Krishna to Arjuna on a battlefield after all the warriors blew their respective conch shells, signaling the start of war. Wouldn't Duryodhana, being so cruel minded, have attacke

Here in our present conditioned state within this material existence we have so many demons of material contaminations lurking within the closets of our hearts. There we find lust, anger, greed, madness, illusion, and envy. What to do? How can we drive these demons out of our hearts? The easy solution is to replace them with Krishna consciousness. In other words, replace lust with love. Replace anger with forgiveness. Replace greed with an intense desire to please the Lord. In the place of madness cultivate sanity based on a deep understanding of the Vedic wisdom. Drive away the darkness of illusion and confusion with the torchlight of transcendental knowledge. And replace envy with a deep appreciation of the unlimited kindness of Krishna and the amazing transcendental qualities of His devotees. By filling the closet completely in this way the demons will be forced to go somewhere else to find a home. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Sri Sri Radha Kunjabihari--Pune, India Hare Krishna Kirt

In this material everyone is ultimately a failure. No matter how apparently well situated someone may be, in the end they will meet exactly the same defeat that is meted out to everyone else: death. Therefore the only real formula for success is to become deathless, no more death. To attain this position you must revive your original, eternal identity beyond your material mind and body. You must revive your identity as the eternal servant of Krishna. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Srila Prabhupada Teaches Deathlessness in Vrindavana, India Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: How to Increase Self Esteem? Modern psychotherapy aims to address many of the human beings' more negative mind states: Self esteem, anxiety disorders, lack of confidence, depression etc. 1.Does psychotherapy have a place in aiding one to become more Krishna conscious? 2.Simply what is self esteem? 3.What is the way to increase self esteem? 4.Why do humans suffer with low self esteem? Thank you

Today we are leaving Vrindavana. There is always a sense of melancholy in my heart upon departing from this place where the Lord's transcendental pastimes are going on even to this very day. But there is a sweetness to this melancholy because the feeling of being separated from the Lord and His abode brings us even closer to the Lord. Therefore in great joy I am heading out for spreading the glories of Lord Sri Krishna in various places around the world. Srila Prabhupada says that Vrindavana is in our heart. So there is no reason to ever be outside of this holiest of all abodes. We can remain eternally in Vrindavana by always diving deeper and deeper into the sweet nectarean mellows of Krishna consciousness and fully dedicating our lives to spreading the glories of Lord Sri Krishna all over the world. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Radha and Krishna's Pastimes Are the Epitome of Sweetness Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: Material Success Or Noble Deeds Is More Imp

Don't try to lord it over anything in this material world except for your senses, because as soon as you try to lord it over you are competing with Krishna trying to take His position as the Supreme. This puts you immediately into anxiety because like a fish who is out of the water, it is not your natural position. The lording-it-over mentality is criminal. Just as criminals cannot have any peace of mind because they are always in anxiety about being apprehended by the government authorities, similarly one who defies the authority of the Supreme must necessarily always be in a state of anxiety. So why suffer in this nonsense lording-it-over mood for even a minute longer. Give up this vain attempt to try to compete with Krishna and fully surrender yourself at His lotus feet. This will satisfy fully all of your desires. You'll have an amazingly sublime and wonderful eternity. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Enjoy an Amazingly Sublime and Wonderful Eternity with Krishna Answers by Ci

An uncontrolled tongue is the worst enemy of anyone who wants to achieve genuine happiness. Overeating causes one to become lazy and sleepy. It causes one to get sick. It makes one fat and unhealthy and shortens one's duration of life. Therefore instead of living to eat, we should eat to live. If we take as our food only Krishna prasadam, the remnants of vegetarian foodstuffs which have been offered to Lord Sri Krishna with love and devotion, we will be totally satisfied with just that quantity of food which is necessary to keep us healthy and fit. We will become free from the desire to overindulge the tongue, and by engaging our tongues nicely in Krishna's service in this way the dormant love of God sleeping within our hearts will become awakened. This is why Srila Prabhupada has introduced us to the wonderful glories of Krishna prasadam. He has taught us a wonderful song which we sing every morning called Gurvastakam (Eight Prayers Glorifying the Spiritual Master). The fourt

There is nothing sweeter than residing in the wonderful realm of Sri Vrindavana-dhama. Indeed, it is the ultimate experience. In this connection Srila Prabhupada explains as follows in his introduction to the Srimad-Bhagavatam: "Vrindavana-dhama is nondifferent from the Lord because the name, fame, form and place where the Lord manifests Himself are all identical with the Lord as absolute knowledge. Therefore Vrindavana-dhama is as worshipable as the Lord." So how can one tolerate giving up residence in Vrindavan when he has to leave and go somewhere else for preaching or for earning his livelihood? Actually it is not tolerable. Therefore the devotee always dwells in Sri Vrindavana-dhama within his heart by constantly remembering and serving the transcendental name, fame, forms, pastimes, entourage, teachings, dhama, and paraphernalia (such as Krishna's flute) of that most sublime of al personalities, Lord Sri Krishna. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Krishna and Balarama in

The way the world is heading is such a disgrace. There's nothing left to do now but to revolutionize this place. That revolution is the wide scale distribution of the teachings of Lord Sri Krishna. His teachings will be effective in revolutionizing the entire universe because every living entity in this material world is actually a servant of Krishna. Simply they have forgotten it. That's all. And when they remember it they will be restored to their original state of harmony with God, the very source of their existence, and with all other living beings. And then as more and more people realize who they actually are, the eternal servants of Krishna, this material world will be completely transcendentalized. It will become as good as the kingdom of God. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Offering the Solution for All of the World's Problems 22 September 2013--New Delhi, India Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: Why Vedas Are Projected Only As Karma-Kanda? Why are t

On Saturday 5 October 2013 twenty of us headed out on an ecstatic excursion to Rajasthan to see the three principle deities of Vrindavan: Madana Mohan, Govinda, and Gopinatha. Madana Mohan establishes us as Krishna's servants. Govinda engages us in practical service. And Gopinatha delivers us to highest perfectional stage of pure love of God. In the 18th century when the Muslim tyrant Aurangzeb resolved to destroy Vrindavana'a temples and deities, most of the deities of Vrindavana were secretly transferred to Rajasthan for being protected by the pious king, Maharaja Jai Singh. Desiring to get darshan of these wonderful deities we headed out in a convoy of taxis at 5am on the 160 kilometers journey to Kauroli for our first darshan, Radha Madana Mohan. From there it was 157 kilometers to Jaipur to see Radha-Govinda and Radha-Gopinatha. On the way we stopped for a joyous roadside picnic feasting on the delicious prasadam prepared by my wife, Vishnupriya Devi Dasi, affectionatel

Being here in the transcendental abode of Lord Krishna is an unparalled blessing. It is confirmed in the scriptures that Lord Sri Krishna never steps even one foot outside of Vrindavana. Therefore while we are here must try to feel the presence of Krishna by sincerely going deep, deep into the mood of pure devotional service. Even if due to our impurities we are not able to feel His presence, at least we will strengthen our eternal connection with him. This connection with Krishna is the only thing that gives real meaning to our existence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari No One is More Beautiful Than Krishna Answers by Citing the Vedic Version: Question: Did Lord Rama Act Immorally by Killing Vali? Gurudeva, I would feel blessed if you answered my question, which someone asked with me: When Lord Ramacandra met Sugriva and his monkey soldiers, at first Lord Ram solved the problem of Sugriva, which was related with his brother Vali. The Lord suggested to Sugriva to fight with Vali and i