Ultimate Self Realization

Srila Prabhupada describes the most exalted devotee, Vasudeva Datta as follows in the Caitanya Caritamrita, Adi Lila, Chapter 10, Verse 41 purport as follows: Vāsudeva Datta, the brother of Mukunda Datta, was also a resident of Caṭṭagrāma. In the Caitanya-bhāgavata it is said, yāṅra sthāne kṛṣṇa haya āpane vikraya: Vāsudeva Datta was such a powerful devotee that Kṛṣṇa was purchased by him. Vāsudeva Datta stayed at Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita’s house, and in the Caitanya-bhāgavata it is described that Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so pleased with Vāsudeva Datta and so affectionate toward him that He used to say, “I am only Vāsudeva Datta’s man. My body is only meant to please Vāsudeva Datta, and he can sell Me anywhere.” Thrice He vowed that this was a fact and that no one should disbelieve these statements. “All My dear devotees,” He said, “I tell you the truth. My body is especially meant for Vāsudeva Datta.” Vāsudeva Datta initiated Śrī Yadunandana Ācārya, the spiritual master of Raghunātha dā

On 28 March 2018 in at the Krishna Balarama temple in Sri Vrindavan Dhama, where the benefit of all devotional activities is magnified 1,000 times, I was blessed with the most auspicious of all opportunities. I was so unlimitedly fortunate that I was gifted with the greatest privilege of being able to offer the arati to my beloved spiritual master during the guru puja ceremony.​​​​​​​ Here is the translation of the song that we sing when worshipping Srila Prabhupada: The lotus feet of our spiritual master are the only way by which we can attain pure devotional service. I bow to his lotus feet with great awe and reverence. By his grace one can cross the ocean of material suffering and obtain the mercy of Krsna. My only wish is to have my consciousness purified by the words emanating from his lotus mouth. Attachment to his lotus feet is the perfection that fulfills all desires. He opens my darkened eyes and fills my heart with transcendental knowledge. He is my Lord birth after

The cause of all miseries is unfulfilled material desires. But for one whose heart becomes completely filled up with spiritual desires there is nothing to be tasted except for ever-increasing spiritual bliss at every minute. Therefore the only intelligent thing to is fill our heart with spiritual desires. This means to have only one desire: the desire to please Krishna or God with our every thought, word, and deed in all times, places, and circumstances for all of eternity. When this one desire is there we will discover that there are unlimited ways to serve, see and please our beloved Lord. So how do we achieve this most rare perfection of consciousness? It's very simple. We simply have to beg for it and beg for it and beg for it until it is finally achieved. It's really just that simple. Krishna is God is ready and willing to fulfill our desire for pure love for Him. All we have to do is sincerely ask for it will all of our heart, and it will be ours. (Here's a lectu

At the present time in our modern day world depression is a leading cause of both physical and mental disorder. It is so bad that the World Health Organization has predicted that by 2030 depression will account for the highest level of disability accorded any physical or mental disorder in the world. Depression is not new. It was experienced in the ancient times as well. But the ancients knew how to conquer it. We don't. For example, once upon a time many thousands of years ago just prior to her marriage to Lord Krishna Princess Rukmini became exceedingly depressed. Out of compassion Lord Balarama instructed her, "With transcendental knowledge dispel the grief that is weakening and confounding your mind. Please resume your natural mood, O princess of the pristine smile." Balarama's advice was accepted by Rukmini. Thus enlightened by Lord Balarama, slender Rukmini forgot her depression and steadied her mind by spiritual intelligence. There are many such examples

A good student always remembers that at the end of the semester he must take a final exam for each course that he is taking. By remembering this he prepares himself well by dutifully studying, writing papers, and attending classes throughout the semester. In a similar way a thoughtful, conscientious devotee of Krishna always remember that his Krishna consciousness will be tested at the time of death. Therefore he carefully and thoughtfully practices Krishna consciousness throughout his entire life so that when life's final exam, i.e. death, comes he is fully prepared to pass the exam and go back to home, back to Godhead. Here's a lecture I gave on this topic on 26 March 2018 in Vrindavan, India: The Foolishness of Ignoring Impending Death (click on the link) Krishna Wants Us To Pass Life's Final Exam Video for the Day There is No Taste in Material Sense Gratification Answers According to Vedic Wisdom Question: What is My Next Step? Dear Gurudeva, Hare K

The Srimad Bhagavatam (9.10.53) states: "When Lord Rāmacandra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was the King of this world, all bodily and mental suffering, disease, old age, bereavement, lamentation, distress, fear and fatigue were completely absent. There was even no death for those who did not want it." Here is Srila Prabhupada's most amazing purport: "All these facilities existed because of Lord Rāmacandra's presence as the King of the entire world. A similar situation could be introduced immediately, even in this age called Kali, the worst of all ages. It is said, kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra: Kṛṣṇa descends in this Kali-yuga in the form of His holy name—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Rāma. If we chant offenselessly, Rāma and Kṛṣṇa are still present in this age. The kingdom of Rāma was immensely popular and beneficial, and the spreading of this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement can immediately introduce a similar situation, even in this Kali-yuga." This is truly

Today is the most auspicious appearance day of Lord Rama. In the Srimad Bhagavatam (9.10.53) we read as follows: "When Lord Ramacandra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was the King of this world, all bodily and mental suffering, disease, old age, bereavement, lamentation, distress, fear and fatigue were completely absent. There was even no death for those who did not want it." Srila Prabhupada has written the following purport for this verse: "All these facilities existed because of Lord Ramacandra's presence as the King of the entire world. A similar situation could be introduced immediately, even in this age called Kali, the worst of all ages. It is said, kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra: Krishna descends in this Kali-yuga in the form of His holy name -- Hare Krishna, Hare Rama. If we chant offenselessly, Rama and Krishna are still present in this age. The kingdom of Rama was immensely popular and beneficial, and the spreading of this Hare Krishna mov

There is no actual difficulty in becoming Krishna conscious. The only difficulty is that due to our less intelligence we manufacture difficulties. In this connection Srila Prabhupada explains as follows: "So everyone can practice bhakti-yoga under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, one who knows the science of Krishna. Don't lose this opportunity of human life. Practice bhakti-yoga, be Krishna conscious, and make your life successful. Our mission is to teach this science. It is not a business -- 'Give me some money, and I will teach you.' The knowledge is free. We are simply encouraging everyone, 'Chant the Hare Krishna mantra.' What is the difficulty? Simply chant Hare Krishna and dance. Why go to some club to dance? The whole family can chant and dance at home. You will be happy. Then you will understand your constitutional position as servants of Krishna." If we will simply our faith in and apply these wonderful words of Srila Prabhupada

Prahlada Maharaja teaches us to pray for our own personal purity and for making the entire world Krishna conscious. This is elaborately explained in Srimad Bhagavatam, Fifth Canto, Chapter 18, Text 9 in both the verse and purport. On 22 March 2018 I lectured on this verse to gurukula boys in Vrindavan You can hear the lecuter by clicking on this link: ​​​​​​​ Lecture to Gurukula Boys If devotees all over the world can seriously follow these guidelines, quickly we can make the entire world Krishna conscius. Lecturing to Gurukula Boys Vrindavana, India--22 March 2018 Video for the Day You Owe It to Yourself to Be Yourself Answers According to Vedic Wisdom Question: Chant Hare Krishna While Passing Stool? I am a bit embarrassed to ask this question, but if you can answer? Should I chant Hare Krishna even when I poop? V. Answer: While Only While Passing Stool? Why are you only asking about when you are passing stool? You should always be chanting Hare Krishna. Thi

The greatest enemy each of us has is our own mind. The good news is that once we conquer our mind it becomes our best friend. So how then to conquer the mind? We have to keep bringing it back to Krishna. No matter how many times it keeps running away from Krishna, we have to keep bringing it back to Krishna: His name, His fame, His qualities, His pastimes, His teachings, His entourage, His devotees, and His paraphernalia. In this way gradually the mind will become conquered by being habituated to always being Krishna conscious, and we will perpetually be in a state of unadulterated, ever-increasing transcendental bliss. The insider's secret is that the more we sincerely endeavor for this at every moment, the quicker it will come. So now let's get to work! Is Your Mind Bothering You? Video for the Day Getting Back to the Basics Answers According to Vedic Wisdom Question: How Do the Stars Shine? According to Vedic understanding all celestial bodies besides the su

It's a real struggle to become purely fixed in Krishna here in this material world in the age of Kali. At every step we are being distracted by so many different manifestations of the illusory energy. But here in Sri Vrindavan Dhama we get special mercy. This place is totally surcharged with Krishna consciousness. All we have to do is always be in the mood of a pilgrim. If we do so, we will be blessed with very rapid advancement on the pathway of spiritual perfection. Krishna and Balarama, the Lords of Vrindavan Video for the Day On the Road to Vrindavan Answers According to Vedic Wisdom Question: Attributes of a Demoniac Person? What are the attributes of a demonaic person? Gopal Misra Answer: They Do Not Know How to Act Properly In the Bhagavad-gita (16.7) Krishna describes the demoniac as follows: "Those who are demoniac do not know what is to be done and what is not to be done. Neither cleanliness nor proper behavior nor truth is found in them."

How will we make the whole world Krishna conscious? This is accomplished one person at time. So each time another sincere soul steps forward to seriously dedicate himself or herself to Guru and Krishna it is a most glorious victory for our Krishna consciousness movement. Thus I was most happy to initiate a new disciple, Madan Gopal Das, on my recent stopover in Denmark. The whole world is suffering like anything due to its lack of Krishna consciousness. But when I see sincere souls like Madan Gopal Das stepping forward to give their lives to this movement it gives me great hope about the future of our planet. Initiating Madan Gopal Das Video for the Day Back to Home, Back to Vrindavan Answers According to Vedic Wisdom Question: How to Develop a Taste for Pure Bhakti? Hare Krishna Srila Gurudeva. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace and Srimati Gurumataji. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to all wonderful Devotees. Dear S

Today we are flying from Europe to India to return to Sri Vrindavan Dhama, the transcendental abode of Lord Sri Krishna here in this material world. It is here in this special place, which is non-different from the spiritual world, that Krishna chose to display His most intimate transcendental pastimes on this planet. Srila Prabhupada wonderfully describes Vrindavaneein his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 3.1.24 as follows: "The tract of land comprising about one hundred square miles from modern Delhi to the Mathurā district in Uttar Pradesh, including a portion of the Gurgaon district in Punjab (East India), is considered to be the topmost place of pilgrimage in all of India. This land is sacred because Lord Kṛṣṇa traveled through it many times. From the very beginning of His appearance, He was at Mathurā in the house of His maternal uncle Kaṁsa, and He was reared by His foster father Mahārāja Nanda at Vṛndāvana. There are still many devotees of the Lord lingering there in ecst

Guru Nanak said, "Conquer your mind, conquer the world." This can be understood nicely in two ways. One way is that when you conquer over your mind by keeping it always fully absorbed in Krishna consciousness 24 hours a day you naturally conquer over the cycle of birth and death and become fully qualified to go back home, back to Godhead, back to your original home in the spiritual world. Another meaning is that when you fully conquer your mind you become empowered to make the whole world Krishna conscious. Regarding these two meanings, there is no controversy over which of them is correct because both of them are simultaneously true. By saving yourself you automatically become qualified to save the world. Krishna's Pure Devotee Can Conquer the World Video for the Day The Peace Formula Answers According to Vedic Wisdom Question: What Do You Want Me To Do?​​ Dear Srila Gurudeva, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you. Srila Gurudeva, du

Did you know that you are presently caught up in the cycle of repeated birth and death, that you have been transmigrating through 8,400,000 different species since time immemorial? Whether you know or it , this is a fact. The good news is that now there is something you can do about it. Here in this e-course we giving you the instruction and training that you need in order to successfully liberate yourself from the clutches of illusion in order to regain your original all-blissful nature. Why be constantly bounced up and down by happiness and distress when you can instead dive into an eternal ocean of ever-increasing bliss and knowledge? Transcend Your Body and Taste Unlimited Bliss Video for the Day Lord Caitanya's Movement Answers According to Vedic Wisdom Question: Why India Is Not World's Happiest Country?​​ Please accept my humble obeisances. Why is Finland the world's happiest country, while India ranks 133 out of 156 countries? What is the reason, Ma

Don't cheat yourself by remaining a slave of maya or illusion, feeling always duty bound to satisfy the illicit desires of your senses and your mind. Be intelligent by only thinking, speaking, and acting in all times, places, and circumstances in a way which is fully satisfying to guru and Krishna. This topmost of all arts is learned from the bona fide spiritual master. Those who teach us something different from the bona fide spiritual master should be avoided.​​​​​​​ You Can Constantly Experience Unlimited Bliss Video for the Day Fly Back Now to Goloka Vrindavan Answers According to Vedic Wisdom Question: Should Guru Initiate Unqualified Person?​​ Should a guru knowingly initiate someone who is not going to be able to follow the regulative principles, especially the rule, no illicit sex. Your student Answer: Such Initiation Has No Meaning Such an initiation is meaningless. It is not a real initiation. Such a so-called disciple will have to take birth again and

Bewilderment is the pastimes of fools, i.e. those who are not Krishna conscious. Devotees know and always remember the simple principle that if you always remember Krishna in all circumstances, you will never be bewildered. What could be more simple or more enlightening than this? Krishna Can Make the Whole World Happy Video for the Day Solution for a World in Chaos Answers According to Vedic Wisdom Question: What is Moksha?​​ What is moksha? Shyam Gumangir Giri Answer: Liberation from Birth and Death When you desire to become the master of the world, then you become bound up, entangled in the cycle of birth and death. But when you give up this artificial desire and realize that you are the eternal servant of Krishna, that is moksa or liberation. Sankarshan Das Adhikari

In his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam, 1st Canto, Chapter 6, Text 26 Srila Prabhupada writes: "The life of a sincere devotee of the Lord is thus explained in a nutshell by Narada Muni by his personal example. Such a devotee, after his initiation by the Lord or His bona fide representative, takes very seriously chanting of the glories of the Lord and traveling all over the world so that others may also hear the glories of the Lord. Such devotees have no desire for material gain. They are conducted by one single desire: to go back to Godhead. This awaits them in due course on quitting the material body. Because they have the highest aim of life, going back to Godhead, they are never envious of anyone, nor are they proud of being eligible to go back to Godhead. Their only business is to chant and remember the holy name, fame and pastimes of the Lord and, according to personal capacity, to distribute the message for others' welfare without motive of material gain." Even

Why embrace a lifestyle which is is ultimately dismal, depressing, and bewildering when instead one can experience a life which is unlimitedly thrilling, exciting and adventurous? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out which kind of life would be better. Yet practically the entire human society has opted for the undesirable life. Why is this so? It is due to the false information being universally propagated by the grossly materialistic propaganda mongers. In other words, the entire world population is being grossly misled. Therefore those of us who have realized what is the actual truth now have the duty to amp up our broadcasting as much as possible our message of truth for the liberation of the entire human civilization from its entanglement in gross ignorance. What could more thrilling, exciting, and adventurous than this? I sincerely hope than you have now properly understood this point. The Most Amazing Movement that Will Save the World Video for the Day C

When life becomes so exceedingly difficult, so perplexing that you don't have any idea how you can handle the situation for even one minute longer, this is the ideal time to call out to Krishna from your state of utter helplessness that He kindly bestow His causeless mercy upon you to rescue you from your delusion and bring you back to being fully absorbed in His all-blissful devotional service. Krishna Has Unlimited Love For Everyone Video for the Day How to Conquer Anxiety Answers According to Vedic Wisdom Question: How to Realize Presence of Soul in the Body? ​​​​​​Tribute to Srila Prabhupada, Respected Guru, How the presence of the soul in the body can be realized, as it is covered by flesh, mind, ego, intelligence and so on, while at the same time soul is beyond all the material properties of the body? Since we are all taught that a surrendered pure minded devotee of the Lord can realize his soul and the absolute presence of the Lord, how can this be achiev

In this material world everyone is running after money because they think that money will buy them happiness. In this connection there is a saying: Money, money, sweeter than honey. But nothing could be further from the truth. The real fact is that the more one becomes money-minded, the more he becomes miserable. In this regard, kindly note the connection between the more word "miser" and the word "miserable." In other words, the more you become a miser, the more you become miserable. There is also a popular saying: Money cannot buy you happiness. And this is certainly true. So what is the proper way to relate with money and utilize money? This is a most important thing to understand. If money is seen as the property of Krishna, which it most certainly is, and one always utilizes whatever money he has in a way that is pleasing to Krishna, he will always have whatever money he needs to live peacefully and happily pursuing a Krishna conscious lifestyle. On the other

The holy name of Krishna is more attractive than anything in this world. Thus all we have to do to achieve spiritual perfection is to develop a taste for His name by daily qualitative chanting. Then His holy name, which is non-different from Him, will carry us to the topmost perfection of existence, the full awakening of love of God within our hearts. Therefore we must always prioritize our chanting of qualitative Hare Krishna japa mala as the most important thing we do every day. If we neglect this, our spiritual life will definitely suffer. And if we focus on this, our spiritual life will flourish like anything. Srila Prabhupada Dives Deep into His Japa Video for the Day We Must Perfect Our Chanting Answers According to Vedic Wisdom Question: Why Do We Exist? ​​​​​​​Respected Sir, Hand folded salutations to Thee. Namaskar. My humble question is: For what purpose are humans created? And for what purpose has the Creator manifested the creation? I will be thankful to yo

My disciple, Amala Purana Das, is very aggressive for spreading Krishna consciousness. Even without my asking, just by his own inspiration he has placed advertisements for this self-realziation course on buses in Bangalore, India. He has also placed ads on trains on major routes in Delhi, India to bless the suffering souls of Delhi with the topmost bliss of Krishna consciousness. And now while I have been composing this Thought for the Day message he has just informed me that he is also running an ad on Google as follows: If all of our 26,000 subscribers can adopt this aggressive preaching mood of Amala Purana Das, we may very well be able to see the fulfillment of Srila Prabhupada's statement: "If all my disciples will fully cooperate with me, then we can take over the whole world in eighteen days." So I am requesting all you, my subscribers, to kindly assist us in our humble attempt to make the whole world Krishna. Your lives will be glorious, and you will be able