Bhakti Increases Your Life Span

In an article entitled, "Another possible benefit of going to church: A 33 percent chance of living longer." by Julie Zauzmer published on 16 May 2016 on the website of the Washington Post, the following was stated:

"A new study, released Monday in a journal published by the American Medical Association, says that those who attend church services more often actually have a better chance of staying alive in the long run.

"Over a 20-year span, the study surveyed a group of more than 76,000 female nurses, most of whom were Catholic and Protestant. At the end of 20 years, more than 13,000 of them had died. The women who went to religious services more than once a week, it turned out, were 33 percent less likely to be in that group who died, compared to those who never attended services.

"[Harvard medical school professor says ‘Miracles from Heaven’ and other remarkable cures could be real]

"Tyler VanderWeele, a researcher at Harvard’s school of public health who co-wrote the study, said the effect diminished as the study participants decreased their service attendance. Those who attended services once a week saw their odds of dying go down 26 percent. For those who attended less than weekly, the odds of dying decreased 13 percent, VanderWeele said."

This reminds us of Mantra 2 in the Sri Isopanisad:

"One may aspire to live for hundreds of years if he continuously goes on working in that way, for that sort of work will not bind him to the law of karma. There is no alternative to this way for man."

So our process gives you a dual benefit. By practicing Krishna consciousness seriously you will revive your original spiritual body, which lives forever. And also by practicing Krishna consciousness your present material body will live longer. You will increase your present material life span.

It should be noted in this connection that those who are purely absorbed in Krishna consciousness are detached from their life span. They are willing to die immediately, if that is what Krishna wants. Or they are also willing to live for hundreds of years, if that is that Krishna wants. Their only desire is to serve Krishna in whatever body Krishna wants them to serve Him in. This is their satisfaction, their perfect happiness. They are known as liberated souls because they are situated beyond the influence of the material energy.

Hare Krishna Chanters Live Longer
Vishnujana Swami Leads Kirtan in San Francisco in 1974

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Answers by Citing the Vedic Version

Question: What is the Self?

Respected Dear Gurudeva,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I just read Bhagavad-gita 6.26: "From wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the self."

What is the self? Is it jivatma, the individual soul, or is it Lord Krishna?

Also I have heard from my friend talking about the higher self. What is the higher self? Does this mean that the soul is higher than our mind, senses and intelligence. Or does this mean that we have to satisfy the higher self, Lord Sri Krishna and that only then we get real satisfaction?

Please open my eyes with the light of knowledge

Also, how to be Krishna conscious right now? Once at a home preaching program I purchased a Bhagavad-gita and you signed it with words, "Dear Kaspars, be Krishna conscious now!"

With love,
Kaspars

Answer: It's You.

In the Sanskrit the word atma is used for the self. Therefore here the word self refers to the individual living entity. This is means that you have to control your mind instead of letting your mind control you.

"Higher self" can be correctly understood either way according to the context in which it is used.

To be Krishna conscious right now chant “Hare Krishna."

Sankarshan Das Adhikari