Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude

How we see your attitude determines your altitude:

After the great fire of 1666 that leveled London, the world’s most famous architect, Christopher Wren, was commissioned to rebuild St Paul’s Cathedral. One day in 1671, Christopher Wren observed three bricklayers on a scaffold, one crouched, one half-standing and one standing tall, working very hard and fast. To the first bricklayer, Christopher Wren asked the question, “What are you doing?” to which the bricklayer replied, “I’m a bricklayer. I’m working hard laying bricks to feed my family.” The second bricklayer, responded, “I’m a builder. I’m building a wall.” But the third brick layer, the most productive of the three and the future leader of the group, when asked the question, “What are you doing?” replied with a gleam in his eye, “I’m a cathedral builder. I’m building a great cathedral to The Almighty.”

Similarly, if we ask someone who is new to Krishna consciousness, "What are you doing?" when he is chanting japa, he will say, "I am chanting japa." If we ask an experienced chanter, "What are you doing?", he will say, "I am trying to awaken my dormant Krishna consciousness." And if we ask an advanced preacher, "What you are doing?" when he is chanting japa, he will say, "I am trying to push forward the Krishna consciousness movement."

So just see the difference in altitude that our attitude makes.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom

Question: Possible to Fall Down Twice?

Respected Guruji,

If a person reaches Vaikuntha (the spiritual world) after his life on earth, is there a chance that he can again becomes envious of Lord Krishna and come back to this material world?

Please don't feel offended if I am wrong to ask this question. Please be kind enough to reply to me.

Your servant,
Sanjay Babuck

Answer: Once Burned, Twice Shy

My Dear Sanjay,

Please accept my blessings.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Because the living being eternally has free will, if after returning to the spiritual world, he becomes again envious of the Lord, he would certainly fall back down into material existence again. But once burned, twice shy. Just as the child who foolishly sticks his hand in the fire and gets burned will never do it again, similarly, the living entity who goes back to home, back to Godhead will never make the mistake of being envious of the Lord again.

I hope this meets you in the best of health and in an ecstatic mood.

Your ever well-wisher,
Sankarshan Das Adhikari


Sankarshan Das Adhikari is one of the spiritual masters of the worldwide Hare Krishna Movement. He has dedicated the last 50 years of his life for bringing a spiritual revolution to planet earth by spreading the teachings of Lord Sri Krishna all over the world. He is based in Austin, Texas and when there is no pandemic he regularly travels all over the world teaching his audiences how to attain Krishna consciousness, the highest stage of spiritual awakening. He is available for media interviews and to speak to groups and organizations either in person or via the internet.