Real Meaning of Christmas
Today, 25 December, is celebrated as the appearance day of Lord Jesus Christ. Christians all over the world preach that if one does not accept Jesus, he goes to hell. So how do we devotees of Lord Krishna, relate to this concept? The fact of the matter is that we all accept Jesus as our savior because he is a saktyavesa avatar, a living entity who is especially empowered by Lord Krishna to deliver the fallen souls of this world back to home, back to Godhead.
It is interesting to note in this connection that it was Lord Jesus who brought me to the Krishna conscious movement. Here's how is happened:
As a young spiritual seeker back in 1971 I was trying to attain spiritual enlightenment. I had tried following various gurus, but their teachings and techniques proved to be absolutely worthless. So, what to do? I knew that Jesus Christ was a fully self-realized soul. Thus I was trying to figure out what was his secret, what made him a self-realized soul. For this purpose I would get up early every morning and read the Bible. One day an amazing realization dawned on when I read his prayer: "Father not my will, but Thy will be done." How wonderful! I knew that now I had found it, the secret of spiritual realization! You just have to do what God wants instead of what you want. In this way, you become spiritually perfect, a fully self-realized soul.
But I had a problem. I did not know what God wanted me to do. I was waiting, hoping for a divine revelation, but no voice from the sky came. But then a most amazing thing happened. Since I was a singer/songwriter I was singing one of my songs on the stage at a vegetarian co-op. It was tough on my musician's ego because there was only one little girl in the audience. It was quite depressing actually. But much to my surprise when I finished my song that astoundingly perceptive little girl knowing that I was depressed because she was the only one hearing me, approached the stage and said, "Don't worry. God can hear you." Just see how God used her as a messenger.
Wow! That went really deep into my heart. I pondered that here I am someone who is hoping day after day to hear God's revelation of His will to me, but with no result. I have not been able to hear God. But now through this little girl, God has most mercifully revealed that although I cannot hear Him, He can hear me. So now my daily early morning meditation has been by God's grace transformed into an intense prayer, "Dear God, please guide me how I can become your perfect servant."
Then only after a few days of sincerely begging God in this way a great saint from the Krishna consciousness movement, His Holiness Vishnujana Swami, arrives in Austin and from him, the perfect messenger of God, I receive the answer to my prayer that I can serve God by surrendering to the instructions of Lord Sri Krishna given in the Bhagavad-gita. This led to my joining the the Hare Krishna Movement, becoming an initiated disciple of ISKCON's Founder-Acharya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, to get the best possible training in this regard.
So now almost half a century later here I am finding great peace, happiness, and satisfaction in serving the will of God following in the footsteps of such great saintly teachers as Lord Jesus Christ and my beloved spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. If you all, my readers, will do the same, you will realize the same unlimitedly auspicious super-ecstatic results that I have realized. Therefore I invite you all to follow my example and regain your original full of bliss and full of knowledge eternal existence. This is real meaning of Christmas.
Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
25th December is Christmas day. How are Krishna and Christ related to each other?
Thanks and regards,
Amit Gupta
Dwarka, New Delhi
India
It is interesting to note in this connection that it was Lord Jesus who brought me to the Krishna conscious movement. Here's how is happened:
As a young spiritual seeker back in 1971 I was trying to attain spiritual enlightenment. I had tried following various gurus, but their teachings and techniques proved to be absolutely worthless. So, what to do? I knew that Jesus Christ was a fully self-realized soul. Thus I was trying to figure out what was his secret, what made him a self-realized soul. For this purpose I would get up early every morning and read the Bible. One day an amazing realization dawned on when I read his prayer: "Father not my will, but Thy will be done." How wonderful! I knew that now I had found it, the secret of spiritual realization! You just have to do what God wants instead of what you want. In this way, you become spiritually perfect, a fully self-realized soul.
But I had a problem. I did not know what God wanted me to do. I was waiting, hoping for a divine revelation, but no voice from the sky came. But then a most amazing thing happened. Since I was a singer/songwriter I was singing one of my songs on the stage at a vegetarian co-op. It was tough on my musician's ego because there was only one little girl in the audience. It was quite depressing actually. But much to my surprise when I finished my song that astoundingly perceptive little girl knowing that I was depressed because she was the only one hearing me, approached the stage and said, "Don't worry. God can hear you." Just see how God used her as a messenger.
Wow! That went really deep into my heart. I pondered that here I am someone who is hoping day after day to hear God's revelation of His will to me, but with no result. I have not been able to hear God. But now through this little girl, God has most mercifully revealed that although I cannot hear Him, He can hear me. So now my daily early morning meditation has been by God's grace transformed into an intense prayer, "Dear God, please guide me how I can become your perfect servant."
Then only after a few days of sincerely begging God in this way a great saint from the Krishna consciousness movement, His Holiness Vishnujana Swami, arrives in Austin and from him, the perfect messenger of God, I receive the answer to my prayer that I can serve God by surrendering to the instructions of Lord Sri Krishna given in the Bhagavad-gita. This led to my joining the the Hare Krishna Movement, becoming an initiated disciple of ISKCON's Founder-Acharya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, to get the best possible training in this regard.
So now almost half a century later here I am finding great peace, happiness, and satisfaction in serving the will of God following in the footsteps of such great saintly teachers as Lord Jesus Christ and my beloved spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. If you all, my readers, will do the same, you will realize the same unlimitedly auspicious super-ecstatic results that I have realized. Therefore I invite you all to follow my example and regain your original full of bliss and full of knowledge eternal existence. This is real meaning of Christmas.
Saktyavesh Avatar (Empowered Incarnation) Lord Jesus Christ
His Holiness Vishnujana Swami, Austin, Texas--Pease Park--1971
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Answers According to Vedic Wisdom
Question: Krishna and Christ Related?Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
25th December is Christmas day. How are Krishna and Christ related to each other?
Thanks and regards,
Amit Gupta
Dwarka, New Delhi
India
Answer: Father and Son
From: Mauritius Airport
My Dear Amit,
Please accept my blessings.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Krishna is God, the father of all living beings. He is the father that Christ prays to in his famous Lord's prayer.
I hope this meets you in the best of health and in an ecstatic mood.
Your ever well-wisher,
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
From: Mauritius Airport
My Dear Amit,
Please accept my blessings.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Krishna is God, the father of all living beings. He is the father that Christ prays to in his famous Lord's prayer.
I hope this meets you in the best of health and in an ecstatic mood.
Your ever well-wisher,
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
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