Ultimate Self Realization

Sense gratification is like salt. One should not take too much or too little. For example, we require a certain amount of eating to stay healthy. If we eat too much or too little, in either case it is not good for our health. In this materialistic age of Kali our tendency is to take too much. So we have to train ourselves to curb our sense gratification. We have to be sufficiently intelligent to recognize that enough is enough and to then curb down our overly voracious senses. We must train ourselves to s simply take what is required to keep good health. In this way our pathway to the spiritual world will be unobstructed. We'll be able to peacefully take shelter of the Lord's holy name. Overeating is the Gateway to Hell Video For the Day: Shun Sense Gratification Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How to Chant? I would like to thank you for replying my questions on a regular basis. I have a few more questions, if you could kill my doubts. a. What is

Always be respectful to Krishna's devotees, even if there some disagreement. Krishna does not want to see how devoted we are to Him. He wants to see how devoted we are to His devotees. So take advantage of this and become very, very dear to Krishna by loving His devotees. Ecstatic Devotees Chanting In New York City Video For the Day: Absolutely Amazing 2906 Dancy Pastimes Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Importance of Breath for Controlling Mind? Dear Guru, What is the importance of breath in controlling the mind? How can one control mind through breath? Shreyansh Answer: Breath Is Not Very Important Breath is not very important. Simply breathe naturally and carefully chant and hear the Hare Krishna. This is how you will conquer over your mind, not by breath. Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Janmastami 2016 at ISKCON Austin was a grand success due to the hard work and very dedicated loving service of my wife, Her Grace Srimati Vishnupriya devi dasi, (known affectionately to my disciples as "Gurumata" or "Gurumataji"). We had many ecstatic kirtans, a well-executed drama, an enchanting bathing ceremony for Sri Sri Radha Damodar, a lecture on Krishna's appearance, a super-enlivening midnight arati ceremony to celebrate the Lord's appearance at midnight some 5,000 years ago, and to top it all off we had the most amazing multi-course prasadam feast, which was better than anything you could ever imagine. Krishna is so kind to have appeared in this world and very, very merciful to give us this opportunity to do a special worship for Him every year on Janmastami, His transcendental appearance day. Ecstatic Lecture on Janmastami Super Enlivening Kirtan Bird in the Cage Drama Bathing Radha and Damodar Magnificently Beautiful Altar Video For th

We are out to save the world. This our mission. We find it intolerable that practically the entire present human population is descending to the animal kingdom in their next births. Therefore we are bending over backwards trying to find the various ways and means to bring the entire human civilization to the platform of Krishna consciousness. The ultimate program of all is the mass distribution of transcendental literature, especially the most sacred and realized writings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Tridandi Goswami Maharaja Prabhupada. Nothing More Revolutionary than Prabhupada's Books Video For the Day:  The More You Give Krishna, the More You Get Krishna Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Illicit Sex for Householders is Acceptable? I have heard one of ISKCON's preachers say that while householders not having illicit sex is ideal, it is acceptable for them to have illicit sex. Is this true? Your student Answer: Absolutely Not! Sex is for

I just received a three page hand written letter from a sincere soul named Anthony Jackson from Oklahoma asking me if I will repent of my sins and come to Jesus today. Of course, I appreciate any theistic person nowadays in this ever-increasingly atheistic world, even if their theism is tainted by the modes of material nature. Andrew lectures to me that God has given us the cow and all beasts as our food even though it is stated in the Bible: "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." I am pleased to note that this gentleman has read the Bhagavad. In his letter he quotes Bhagavad-gita 18.66 even writing out the verse in Roman transliteration form giving all of the proper diacritic marks. Anthony does not realize that religion is one. I was raised as Christian, and it was due to my study of the Bible and wanting to be

The most glorious day in modern history is 1 September 1896, the day that His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami appeared in this world in Calcutta, India. Since Vaisnava holidays are calculated according to the lunar calendar instead of the solar calendar, each year we celebrate Srila Prabhupada's appearance on a different solar calendar day. This year (2016) we celebrate it on 26 August. What makes it so glorious? Srila Prabhupada has answered this question in a statement he made to Guru Das in London in 1973: "One day scholars will note how this Krishna consciousness movement saved the world in its darkest hour." So Prabhupada's appearance is indeed is most auspicious, as indicated in this statement to Guru Das, because it marks the beginning of the most amazing paradigm shift in history. So recognize this day and celebrate this day. It's being observed at noon on 26 August this year in ISKCON centers all over the world. Take a day off from whatever you do

Thank you Lord Krishna, for so kindly appearing here in this material world to save us from our horrible suffering in the cycle of repeated birth, death, old age, and disease. You have so kindly appeared here along with your most intimate associates manifesting the most amazing, inconceivable pastimes for the purpose of attracting us back to our real home in the spiritual sky. Please bless us now that we can become fully absorbed in your devotional service without even the slightest tinge of material consciousness so that we are fully qualified to enter into your eternal abode at the time of leaving our present material bodies. And thank you, Lord Krishna, for so kindly sending us your most wonderful devotee, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, to save us from our suffering by guiding us how to serve and love your perfectly. The Transcendental Appearance of Lord Sri Krishna Video For the Day: Give Up the Madness Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How to Be A Genu

Dogmatism is the tendency to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true, without consideration of evidence. Therefore atheism is a graphic example of dogmatism. The basic tenet of atheism, if you boil it down to its finest essence, is that everything comes of nothing. But is there even one tiny shred of evidence which proves that anything can come out nothing? There is no such evidence, because nothing comes out of nothing. Everything comes out of something. That everything comes out of something is the basic tenet of theism. This understanding is supported by thousands and millions of empirically verifiable examples. So the next time you hear an atheist spouting out his fanatical dogma, you can set him straight. Dr. Stephen Hawking Declares Everything Comes From Nothing Krishna Declares Everything Comes from Him. So, Who is Right? Video For the Day: The Absurdity of Atheism Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How to Become Humble? Dear Gurudeva, I hav

If we want to become Krishna conscious and go back to home, back to Godhead, we must master the art of controlling our tongues because an uncontrolled tongue is the gateway to hell and a controlled tongue is the gateway to the spiritual world. Controlled tongue means to only vibrate the glories of the Lore and to not speak any nonsense. It also means to take only Krishna prasadam, foodstuffs offered first to Lord Sri Krishna with love and devotion before we eat them. It means as well to not overindulge in Krishna prasadam. We should take only as much prasadam as is required to maintain good health. It's not that we should eat ourselves sick in the name of prasadam. Uncontrolled tongue means to eat anything and everything without any consideration of right and wrong simply to gratify one's lusty tongue. An Uncontrolled Tongue is the Gateway to Hell A Controlled Tongue is the Gateway to the Spiritual World Video For the Day: Back to Your Original Position Answers

The present day human population is so deep in the darkness of delusion that even if they are offered the Krishna conscious leadership that will save the world civilization from complete, total collapse, they will deride and not take it. Instead of accepting to progressive path of spiritual leadership and spiritual awakening, they embrace the suicidal path of sense gratification, which will eventually lead to the complete destruction of the human civilization. This is how much they have become blinded by their over-absorption in bodily consciousness, which is nothing more than the royal road to hell. Therefore we are begging Lord Sri Krishna to please give them the special mercy of being released from their illusion so that this world can become a fit place for a gentleman's residence. Krishna Conscious Knowledge Will Save the World Video For the Day: How to See Krishna Everywhere Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Have You Ever Felt Sad? My Dear Gurudeva.

There is no one like Krishna in all of existence. No one even comes close because Krishna is the source, the origin, of absolutely everything and everyone that exist. The only things and persons that exist are those that Krishna chooses to manifest from Himself. Just as a particle of sunshine cannot take the position of the sun because it is nothing more than a tiny portion of the sun's expanded energy, nobody else can take Krishna's position because everyone else is simply a tiny portion of His expanded energy. If you can't beat Him, join Him. If you can't defeat Him, surrender unto Him. This is intelligence. There's No One More Amazing than Krishna Video For the Day: Why Suffer? Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Spiritual Masters Who Will Initiate Me? Respected Spiritual Master, I want to know the names of some spiritual masters where I can take initiation and learn the art of obedience. Narendra Answer: Regularly Attend Lectures at Your

We are being implored by the great acharyas to give up our nonsense and become the great saints that we actually are. Why should we continue to punish ourselves by continuing to cling tightly to the illusion of material enjoyment? It just does not make any sense. It's time we stop futilely trying to be what we are not, this material body, and start being who we actually are, pure devotees of the Lord. To make this transition we must take shelter of the bona fide spiritual master through the process known as initiation and obedience. Srila Prabhupada Initiates a Disciple Video For the Day: World Needs Krishna Conscious Leaders Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: If I Can't Get Up Early? I have a doubt. I am studying law in a university in Gujarat, India where the university programs many times go until eleven and twelve in the night. Therefore I am not able to wake up in the early morning. please help me to get out of this ignorance Eshwar Rao Javvadhi,

As I am writing this there is severe flooding in Louisiana and a devastating forest fire in California. In both places tens of thousands of people have been evacuated to save them from death. Some deaths have been reported also. In one place there is too much water, and in the other place there is not enough water. In other words, nature is out of balance. This imbalanced condition of nature is due the intense degree of sinfulness that is currently torturing this planet. Every day 66 thousand innocent babies are being murdered by abortion, and 156 million innocent animals are being brutally murdered in the slaughter houses. The law of karma cannot be avoided. Even the Bible teaches this principle by stating, "As you sow, so shall you reap." If we commit sinful activities, we will undoubtedly be punished in accordance with the strict laws of the material nature. There is, however, a simple remedy for this imbalance in nature. If only the people would take it, this planet woul

Render the highest service to the suffering humanity by fully dedicating your life for helping them awaken their dormant Krishna consciousness. Not only is this the highest welfare. It is also the only real welfare, because all other welfare activities simply prolong the entanglement of the conditioned souls in the cycle of repeated birth, death, old age, and disease. Our Real Home is With Krishna in the Spiritual World Video For the Day: Properly Utilize Your Human Birth Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How to Become a Dear Disciple? Dear Srila Gurudeva, what is meant by "dear disciple"? And how does one become "dear disciple"? Is it something like there can be only one dear most disciple? There are so many devotees. Lord Krishna says in Bhagavat Gita that He reciprocates as per our love and service unto Him. Is it so that becoming a "dear disciple" also means becoming "dear to Krishna"? How does one become dear to Kr

The entire human civilization is currently sleeping deep in the depths of ignorance completely enwrapped in maya or illusion. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur has wonderfully revealed to us how Lord Caitanya is mercifully trying to rescue the suffering humanity in his song called Arunodaya-kirtana II: jīv jāgo, jīv jāgo, gauracānda bole kota nidrā jāo māyā-piśācīra kole "Lord Gauranga is calling, 'Wake up, sleeping souls! Wake up, sleeping souls! How long will you sleep in the lap of the witch called Maya?'" The world needs to now heed the call of Lord Caitanya and come out of its present most pitiable condition. Lord Caitanya Implores Everyone to Wake Up Video For the Day: The World Desperately Needs Krishna Conscious Leaders Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Will Krishna Appear to Annihilate the Demons? Hare Krishna Srila Gurudeva, In the present age of Kali, we see chaos and trouble at the every part of the world. Demonic forces are on the rise.

Krishna is not afraid of the demons. When the demons came to Vrindavan to kill Him, He took the opportunity as a sporting pastime to have fun defeating them. It's not that He was in anxiety about being attacked. A nice example is the killing of the Aristasura demon described by Srila Prabhupada as follows in the Krishna Book: "Once a demon named Aristasura entered the village in the form of a great bull with a gigantic body and huge horns, digging up the earth with his hooves. When the demon entered Vrindavan, the whole land appeared to tremble, as if there were an earthquake. He roared fiercely, and after digging up the earth on the riverside, he entered the village proper. The fearful roaring of the bull was so piercing that some of the pregnant cows and women had miscarriages. Its body was so big, stout and strong that a cloud hovered over its body just as clouds hover over mountains. Aristasura entered Vrindavan with such a fearful appearance that just on seeing this grea

Unknown to most, the Bible acknowledges the validity of reincarnation. For example in John 9:1-2 the disciples show their acceptance of reincarnation when they ask Jesus about a man who was born blind. They wonder if this was due to his having been sinful in a previous birth or if it was due to his parent's sinfulness. They inquire from Jesus as follows: "As he went along he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?'" Here the disciples are clearly revealing their acceptance of reincarnation. When Christ answers their question (John 9:3) he does not dispute the concept of reincarnation. He answers, "It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins. This happened so the power of God could be seen in him." Reincarnation is a scientific fact. Because our bodies are constantly changing we are reincarnating at every second. At every second the old blood corpuscles are dyin

My dear Godbrother, Balabhadra Bhattacarya Prabhu, told me forty years ago when we were brahmacaris together in Atlanta that when he gets bewildered he reads Prabhupada's books. His advice was so wonderful that I have remembered it even after these many decades. The fact remains that there is no shelter anywhere in all of existence like Prabhupada's books. Sriman Balabhadra Bhattacarya Prabhu Preaching in Atlanta Video For the Day: Help Us Make a Revolution Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: Is No Desire for Wealth Practical? Dear Srila Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you. Why does Chaitanya Mahaprabhu say in Siksastaka Prayer 4, "I have no desire for wealth, women, or followers."? If we do not have money, how will we do bhakti? Similarly if we do not have relatives, friends etc then who will take care of us when we become ill or old? I always find it difficult to understand this prayer, especially the "na dh

We very much appreciate how the prime minister of India has so nicely glorified our ISKCON on the occasion our our 50th anniversary. His appreciation is posted below. We pray for that day when all of the political leaders all over the world will have this much appreciation of ISKCON. Message from the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi--Prime Minister of India Video For the Day: Living for the Welfare of All Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How to Understand the Three Gunas (Modes)? All glorification and obeisances are for you and your disciplic lineage. The subject matter of the three fundamental qualities, sattva, rajas and tamas, is an important element of Samkhya philosophy and it is one that the Bhagavad Gita makes extensive use of, particularly in its later chapters. Chapter 13 emphasizes the division between prakriti and purusha (matter and spirit), but it is in Chapter 14 that we find an extensive analysis of the way in which these three gunas (

Srila Prabhupada ordered us, his disciples, to become the leaders of the world. His mission was to create disciples who could lead the entire world out of chaos. He did not want us to simply chant Hare Krishna for our own liberation. He wanted us to actively preach for saving all the suffering souls from their entanglement in the cycle of birth. Therefore this is our mission. We must become the actual leaders of the world to save the people on this planet from pitiable plight. Srila Prabhupada Manifests an Ocean of Compassion Video For the Day: Deliver the Whole World Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How Can Allah, Krishna, and Jehovah Be the Same? You say that we can call God by any name: Krishna, Allah or Jehovah. But there is a mountain of difference between what the various scriptures say about each form of God. For example Allah and Jehovah say there is only one birth. Allah says follow the teachings of Mohammed the prophet, Jehovah says follow Jesus. F

The mainstream of modern day science as taught in universities and conveyed in the media presents a soul-less, atheistic world view. For example, one of the most currently prominent scientists, Dr. Stephen Hawking, denies God by saying that everything comes out of nothing. He presents religion as the foolish superstition of those who are less intelligent and uncivilized, comparing them to aborigines, natives living in the jungle. However among scientists there are exceptions to this. Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, a noted biologist, who is best known for his hypothesis of morphic fields and morphic resonance, has written a book called "The Science Delusion," in which he explains how modern day science has veered away from being actually scientific and has become dogmatic. In this book he writes: "The biggest scientific delusion of all is that science already knows the answers. The details still need working out but, in principle, the fundamental questions are settled. Contempor

In the human form of life we have advanced intelligence to cultivate higher level spiritual understanding. Unfortunately 99.99% of the human population uses their advanced intelligence to simply engage in eating sleeping, mating, and defending in a more polished way than the animals. The dog is running on four legs and the human being is running on four wheels in his automobile. In this way he considers himself to be superior to the animals. But what is his business? It is the same as that of the animals, material sense gratification, just like the animals. Real human life means to use our advanced intelligence to understand who we are beyond the constant changes of our bodies and to inquire why we are presently entangled in so many varieties of suffering conditions. Until we come to this point of seeking higher knowledge beyond our material situation, we are no better than a polished edition of the animals. Hear from the Bona Fide Spiritual Master Video For the Day: How to Reali

Because we have been enlightened by Srila Prabhupada with the perfect knowledge by which the entire human society can become peaceful, prosperous, and happy, we are simply awaiting that day when all the leaders of the world will come to us for guidance. It is a fact that by putting Krishna in the center of the human society all varieties of problems will be solved: sociological, ecological, economic, political, philosophical, psychological, etc. Absolutely all the problems of the human society will be on track for being rectified when that most glorious day comes when all the leaders of the world come to us for guidance. Therefore we are hoping and praying that the leaders of the world will heed this message now and come to us for guidance as soon as possible. If this happens, it will mark the beginning of a most amazing golden era of peace, prosperity, and happiness for all living beings, even the plants and animals. Krishna Consciousness Solves All Problems Video For the Day: P

When I was a small child there was a very popular song on the radio, which made it to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 lilst, called "Que Sera Sera", which means in Spanish, "Whatever will be will be." Now in my adult life after having been blessed with the supreme wealth of Vedic knowledge, I can appreciate the wisdom expressed in this song even more in this way: We can't change what is going to happen to us, but we can change how we perceive it and how we relate with it. It is an unalterable fact that by the influence of the material energy we will get sick, get old, and die. What will be, will be. But how we relate with it will be either our defeat or success. If we humbly accept whatever happens to us, whether it superficially appears to be good or bad, as the highest good, the special mercy of Krishna to help us come closer to Him, we will always be peaceful and happy no matter what happens. But on the other hand, if we proudly gloat over our successes

Don't waste your time futilely trying to be something that you are not, namely your material body. Instead you should just be who you actually are, the eternal spirit-soul servant of Krishna. Even though it's the easiest thing in the world to just be who you are, because we have been programmed for thousands and millions of lifetimes by the material energy to think that we are these bodies, it takes time and a solid program of training to bring us back to our original natural consciousness. This training program for rejuvenating our original identity can only be executed under the expert guidance of the bona fide spiritual master. Therefore all intelligent people seek out a bona fide spiritual master and strictly follow his guidelines for reviving their original eternal identities. Disciples Taking Training from Srila Prabhupada Video For the Day: How to Taste the Bliss Answers by Citing the Vedic Version Question: How to Look for a Spiritual Master? Dear Gurudeva