Super Ecstatic Prabhupada Night in Santiago
One of the super sweet highlights of my traveling and preaching the science of Krishna consciousness all over the world is that once a year I get to participate in Prabhupada Night at the ISKCON temple in Santiago, Chile. It is a most delightful program held here every Friday night when devotees come in large numbers to hear about and glorify ISKCON Founder-Acharya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Since I was the only Prabhupada disciple present I was asked to give my memories and appreciation of my most beloved Guru Maharaja.
I told the enthralled devotee audience the story of how I was rescued from material consciousness by Srila Prabhupada and his wonderful disciples. I was a Mayavadi singer/songwriter who foolishly thought that he could save the world by his music until I realized, "How can I save the world when I haven't even saved myself?" I understood that it was Srila Prabhupada and his Hare Krishna movement who were actually saving the world. I was blessed with the realization that my desire to bring a new era of spiritual bliss to this planet could only be satisfied by my joining the Hare Krishna Movement as an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada. So on 12 August 1971 I was accepted by Srila Prabhupada as his disciple and was given the spiritual name, "Sankarshan Das." Getting initiated by Srila Prabhupada was truly the greatest good fortune that I had ever received in my millions upon millions of lifetimes of sojourn in the cycle of repeated birth and death. Now forty four years later after my initiation I am celebrating that wisest of all decisions very, very grateful that I am now able to offer the suffering humanity Srila Prabhupada's perfect solution for the ocean of problems which are now plaguing them.
I have a question, which confuses my mind very often. I've read about the importance of having a spiritual teacher in a person's life, and I understand its importance very much. I have been thinking a lot about serving a teacher and have been feeling a little disappointed in my life because when I go to the temple and see how devotees are serving every day, I want to be like them. I always try to do something for them, but I am always thinking that I am only doing the minimum.
I have seen just a few spiritual teachers in my life, and I know that they all are very glorious. I am very lost in this choice of knowing which one I should accept. I just don't know what to do. Also it's hard me to see the spiritual master as God's representative on the earth.
I'm chanting 16 rounds of japa for about a year now. I'm vegetarian for about 2 years, I've never had a sexual relationship, and I don't play gambling games. Coffee and alcohol have never been in my life. I take a part in Bhakti Vriksha programs, listen to seminars sometimes, and read books. But I feel that I really don't do everything in the best way. And I'm afraid of getting lost from this way. I like this practice, and I want it to lead my life every day.
What should I do? I feel my life is really useless without serving to spiritual master.
Very respectfully and with love,
E.D.
ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān
navamanyeta karhicit
na martya-buddhyāsūyeta
sarva-deva-mayo guruḥ
"One should know the acarya as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is the representative of all the demigods."
SB 11.17.27
When you understand the spiritual master properly it will be easy for you to connect with Krishna within your heart to understand who your spiritual master should be. There is no reason for you to be in anxiety. You have with all sincerity turned to me for guidance. Rest assured. I can give you all good instructions regarding how you can become solid in your practice of the ultimate self realization system known as Krishna consciousness for achieving in this very lifetime the ultimate perfection of going back to home, back to Godhead.
To become solidly fixed now in your practice of Krishna there are three times you must do: (1) You must take shelter of the bona fide spiritual master. (2) You must get initiated by him learning from him how to become expert in your practice of Krishna consciousness. And (3) you must always be fully obedient to him accepting his instructions as your very life and soul.
The entire process of Krishna consciousness is based on these three principles. So now if you will seriously apply yourself to these three principles, I can assure you that all of your confusion will be gone, that you will become solidly situated in Krishna consciousness, and that you will attain the highest perfectional stage of pure love of God.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
I told the enthralled devotee audience the story of how I was rescued from material consciousness by Srila Prabhupada and his wonderful disciples. I was a Mayavadi singer/songwriter who foolishly thought that he could save the world by his music until I realized, "How can I save the world when I haven't even saved myself?" I understood that it was Srila Prabhupada and his Hare Krishna movement who were actually saving the world. I was blessed with the realization that my desire to bring a new era of spiritual bliss to this planet could only be satisfied by my joining the Hare Krishna Movement as an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada. So on 12 August 1971 I was accepted by Srila Prabhupada as his disciple and was given the spiritual name, "Sankarshan Das." Getting initiated by Srila Prabhupada was truly the greatest good fortune that I had ever received in my millions upon millions of lifetimes of sojourn in the cycle of repeated birth and death. Now forty four years later after my initiation I am celebrating that wisest of all decisions very, very grateful that I am now able to offer the suffering humanity Srila Prabhupada's perfect solution for the ocean of problems which are now plaguing them.
Srila Prabhupada Night in Santiago, Chile--2 January 2015
Srila Prabhupada Night Attracts Many Eager Hearers
Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:
Question: What To Do? My Life Is Useless Without a Guru.
Hare Krishna, dear teacher,I have a question, which confuses my mind very often. I've read about the importance of having a spiritual teacher in a person's life, and I understand its importance very much. I have been thinking a lot about serving a teacher and have been feeling a little disappointed in my life because when I go to the temple and see how devotees are serving every day, I want to be like them. I always try to do something for them, but I am always thinking that I am only doing the minimum.
I have seen just a few spiritual teachers in my life, and I know that they all are very glorious. I am very lost in this choice of knowing which one I should accept. I just don't know what to do. Also it's hard me to see the spiritual master as God's representative on the earth.
I'm chanting 16 rounds of japa for about a year now. I'm vegetarian for about 2 years, I've never had a sexual relationship, and I don't play gambling games. Coffee and alcohol have never been in my life. I take a part in Bhakti Vriksha programs, listen to seminars sometimes, and read books. But I feel that I really don't do everything in the best way. And I'm afraid of getting lost from this way. I like this practice, and I want it to lead my life every day.
What should I do? I feel my life is really useless without serving to spiritual master.
Very respectfully and with love,
E.D.
Answer: Accept Spiritual Master as God's Representative
I am very happy to hear how nicely you are following the regulative principles of freedom. You have rightly understood that you must now accept a spiritual master. The first thing is that you need to do to clear up your confusion is to see how the spiritual master is an empowered representative of God. If you see him only as an ordinary man, you will never be able to surrender unto Him. Krishna states in the Srimad Bhagavatam that you have to see the spiritual master as good as God:ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān
navamanyeta karhicit
na martya-buddhyāsūyeta
sarva-deva-mayo guruḥ
"One should know the acarya as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is the representative of all the demigods."
SB 11.17.27
When you understand the spiritual master properly it will be easy for you to connect with Krishna within your heart to understand who your spiritual master should be. There is no reason for you to be in anxiety. You have with all sincerity turned to me for guidance. Rest assured. I can give you all good instructions regarding how you can become solid in your practice of the ultimate self realization system known as Krishna consciousness for achieving in this very lifetime the ultimate perfection of going back to home, back to Godhead.
To become solidly fixed now in your practice of Krishna there are three times you must do: (1) You must take shelter of the bona fide spiritual master. (2) You must get initiated by him learning from him how to become expert in your practice of Krishna consciousness. And (3) you must always be fully obedient to him accepting his instructions as your very life and soul.
The entire process of Krishna consciousness is based on these three principles. So now if you will seriously apply yourself to these three principles, I can assure you that all of your confusion will be gone, that you will become solidly situated in Krishna consciousness, and that you will attain the highest perfectional stage of pure love of God.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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