Ultimate Self Realization

Do not cheat by remaining in bodily consciousness. You are an eternal spiritual being, full of knowledge, and full of bliss. Come back to your original identity as an eternal spiritual being--servant of Krishna and you will relish unlimited bliss at every minute. So do not cheat yourself for another minute. Know who are and be who you are. Your heart will be overflowing with bliss. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Do Not Misidentify Yourself With Your Body Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: How You Became Your True Self? How did you become your true self? Laura Potter Answer: I Have Always Been My True Self Dear Laura, I never "became" my true self because I have always been my true self, a spiritual being qualitatively one with God. I was awakened to this realization by hearing from a bona spiritual master. Sankarshan Das Adhikari By the blessings and the order of his spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Sankarshan Das Adhikari is a

The whole world population is suffering like anything due to their lack of Krishna consciousness and is therefore simply awaiting that most glorious day when they will be awakened to their original, natural consciousness, their Krishna consciousness, which is lying dormant in a sleeping state within them. This means that those persons who dedicate their lives for awakening these sleeping souls are engaged in the ultimate welfare activity and will go down in history as the saviors of the world. So, do you, my dear reader, prefer to be a mundane sense gratifier who vanishes into oblivion or one of the servants of the Lord who goes down in history as having lived for the deliverance of the suffering souls of this world back to home, back to Godhead? Sankarshan Das Adhikari One of the Great Heroes of World History Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Stop Chanting When Relative Dies? Hare Krishna All glories to Sri Radha Krishna All glories to Srila Prabhupada All glories to Y

You can see and hear the interview by clicking on this link: https://youtu.be/CPeDRrEibeM Sankarshan Das Adhikari Interviewed by Dylan Thomas Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Why Did You Become a Devotee? Why did you decide to become a Lord Krishna devotee? Fender Vaiveerapol Answer: I Did Not Become a Devotee I did not decide to be a devotee of Lord Krishna. It is confirmed in the Vedic scriptures ((jīvera svarūpa haya—kṛṣṇera nitya-dāsa) that the constitutional position of every living being is that he is the eternal servant of Lord Krishna. So this is everyone’s original identity before they misidentified themselves with a material body. Practically no one knows this. Only an insignificant fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the world’s population realizes it. Those who do are the most fortunate people in the entire universe. Sankarshan Das Adhikari By the blessings and the order of his spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, San

Rupa Goswami has written very nicely how one gopī is advising another gopī, smerān bhaṅgī-traya-paricitāṁ sāci-vistīrṇa-dṛṣṭiṁ vaṁśīnyastādhara-kiśalayām ujjvalāṁ candrakeṇa govindākhyāṁ haritanumitaḥ keśi-tīrthopakaṇṭhe mā prekṣiṣṭhāstava yadi sakhe! bandhu-saṅge 'sti raṅgaḥ "My dear friend, if you still have any desire to enjoy the company of your friends within this material world, then don't look upon the form of Kṛṣṇa, who is standing on the bank of Keśī-ghāṭa [a bathing place in Vṛndāvana]. He is known as Govinda, and His eyes are very enchanting. He is playing upon His flute, and on His head there is a peacock feather. And His whole body is illuminated by the moonlight in the sky." Regarding this verse Srila Prabhupada explained to us in a Srimad Bhagavatam class given in Los Angeles on 15 August 1972 as follows: "The idea is that one gopī is advising another gopī, 'My dear friend, there is one boy. His name is Govinda. He is standing on the bank of

In the Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 2, Text 14 Lord Sri Krishna mercifully instructs us to tolerate all the dualities of material existence: mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata "O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed." This means that we should not base our happiness on the material situation that we find ourselves in because to do so guarantees that we will be unhappy. We should instead base our happiness on having a loving relationship with Lord Sri Krishna and His devotees. In this way we will able to weather all of the storms of this material existence and be fully qualified to enter into the spiritual world at the time of our deaths. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Fo

Lord Sri Krishna very wonderfully reveals in Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 3, Text 21 the great glories of His pure devotees. One such devotee can attract the whole world to take up Krishna consciousness. yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate "Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues." So let us all now become such exemplary devotees who can lead the whole world out of chaos by acting perfectly in Krishna consciousness in all times, places, and circumstances. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Srila Prabhupada is the Real World Leader Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: How to Be Krishna Conscious Farmer? I'm a farmer and I would like to know how I can dedicate my life towards Krishnas consciousness without my life as a farmer being interfered. Rajagopal Reddy Aalla Answer: Chant, Milk, and Harvest From: ISKCON Austin, Texas USA My De

If you ever find yourself so depressed that you  wish you were dead, kindly remember that your mental anguish is not due to the external situation that you find yourself in. Your anxiety is simply due to your lack of Krishna consciousness. So all you have to kick your depression to the other side the universe is to chant or sing the Hare Krishna mantra.  What could be easier or more sublime that this?  Try it if you ever get depressed. You will love it!   Sankarshan Das Adhikari Does This Ever Happen to You? This Is What You Need to Do Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Future of Our Planet? Immeasurable pranams to you.   Do you think the people on the earth will survive even more than next 100 years where air & water both have reached the fatal zone because of the incessant evil desires of the lusty human beings?    Hare Krishna   Yogesh Kumar        Answer: Very Bleak If They Do Not Accept Krishna My Dear Yogesh,   Please accept my blessings. All glories to Srila Pra

In 1967 Srila Prabhupada wrote to one his disciples, "I think some of you like yourself, Satsvarupa, Brahmananda and Mukunda and Gargamuni, Acyutananda and all of you had already cultivated this Krishna Consciousness in your past lives, now Lord Caitanya wants that this movement should be spread in the western countries, so most probably in your previous births you were all Indians and cultivated this Krishna Consciousness. Now Lord Caitanya has placed you in the western part of the world so that you can now combine together and broadcast the holy message all over the world." I feel that I was also in this category of being an Indian in my previous birth because I found the Western culture to be a vast philosophical wasteland and also because the first time I went to India as a young brahmacari I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I had returned to my home. So now I must take my life's mission very soberly and seriously to work co-operatively with the glorious ISKCON d

Lord Sri Krishna very nicely explains in the Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 2, Text 14: mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata "O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed." The way to easily do this is to see everything that happens to you (the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly) as the loving mercy of Krishna to help you become step by step closer and closer to Him until finally you regain His transcendental association in Goloka Vrindavan. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Krishna is Inviting You to Come Back Home Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Which Mantra to Chant for Moksha? Which mantra should I chant to be granted moksha, and to be happy until I am grante

You are not a creature of this material world. You are one of the inhabitants of the spiritual world. Krishna has come to invite us back to His eternal abode. In acceptance of His invitation, that's where we are heading. And we invite you to come with us on our journey back to our original home. There is no reason at all to remain here suffering in this disgusting material world, which is not a fit place for a gentleman's residence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Come With Us Back to Home, Back to Godhead Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Why Demonize Recreational Sex? Humans unlike other animals are the only species who can have sex only for recreational purposes. Why should there be a demonizing of this in your recent Thought for the Day? Even modern research has shown that couples who have good sex with eachother and who are happy with thier sex lives live longer happier lives. I do not understand. Can you please clarify? A.S. Answer: Live Longer by Retaining Semen My

Srila Prabhupada has given us the simple formula how make Krishna consciousness universally recognized as the world religion: "As much as possible read, chant, and preach. This is our life and soul. If we keep to this simple formula then there is no doubt that we will be victorious wherever we go and very soon we shall become the only religion in the world." So let's do it. Let us work together now as a team to make the whole world free from the miseries of material existence by teaching everyone how to get out of this material world, which is not a fit place for a gentleman's residence, and return to their original home in the spiritual world. This is ultimate welfare mission. All other forms of welfare and incomplete and imperfect. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Whole World is Simply Waiting to Be Awakened Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Why is World Peace Necessary? Jaya Prabhupada. Jaya Gurudeva. Hare Krishna, Srila Gurudeva, Why is world peace necessar

You are not a creature of this material world. You are one of the inhabitants of the spiritual world. Krishna has come to invite us back to His eternal abode. In acceptance of His invitation, that's where we are heading. And we invite you to come with us on our journey back to our original home. There is no reason at all to remain here suffering in this disgusting material world, which is not a fit place for a gentleman's residence. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Come With Us Back to Home, Back to Godhead Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Why Demonize Recreational Sex? Humans unlike other animals are the only species who can have sex only for recreational purposes. Why should there be a demonizing of this in your recent Thought for the Day? Even modern research has shown that couples who have good sex with eachother and who are happy with thier sex lives live longer happier lives. I do not understand. Can you please clarify? A.S. Answer: Live Longer by Retaining Semen M

If a poor man is informed of a treasure chest containing millions of dollars worth of gold coins buried in his back, all he has to do is dig it up to become unlimitedly wealthy. Similarly, we all the unlimited treasure of pure love of God sleeping within our hearts. All we have to do to attain the unlimited wealth of pure love of God is dig it up by sincere, regular chanting. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Devotees Ecstatically Chant Japa (This is Bhakti Caru Maharaja.) Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Why at Least 16 Rounds of Japa Mala? Hare Krishna, Guruji Maharaj, Please accept my humble obeisances, Could you please clarify that why at-least 16 rounds of Hare Krishna mantra are required? Also please advise in which scripture it has been mentioned? Note, there are other 9 ways of bhakti (devotion), and if a person is engaged in other way of bhakti, then how he can follow 16 rounds, like for example, Gopi's, they used to keep thinking of their association / love of Krish

Throughout the entire world everyone is sleeping in the lap of the witch named "Maya." Therefore Lord Caitanya is calling: jīv jāgo, jīv jāgo, gauracānda bole kota nidrā jāo māyā-piśācīra kole Lord Gaurāṅga is calling, "Wake up, sleeping souls! Wake up, sleeping souls! How long will you sleep in the lap of the witch called Māyā? bhajibo boliyā ese saṁsāra-bhitare bhuliyā rohile tumi avidyāra bhare You have forgotten the way of devotional service and are lost in the world of birth and death. tomāre loite āmi hoinu avatāra āmi binā bandhu āra ke āche tomāra I have descended just to save you; other than Myself you have no friend in this world. enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro lāgi' hari-nāma mahā-mantra lao tumi māgi' I have brought the medicine that will wipe out the disease of illusion from which you are suffering. Take this mahā-mantra—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare." Let us now take full advantage of Lor

I have shared this with you all before. But it is so wonderful, indeed so simply wonderful, that I had to share it with you all again. At the end of a lecture at ISKCON Los Angeles on 20 July 1972 Nanda-Kiśora Prabhu asked Srila Prabhupada a wonderful question. Here is what ensued: Nanda-Kiśora: What happens to a person if we just give him out on the street one Simply Wonderful or some prasādam, one piece of prasādam? Prabhupāda: That is wonderful, simply wonderful. (laughter) He has not tasted such wonderful sweet in his life. Therefore you give him wonderful, and because he's eating that wonderful sweet, one day he'll come to your temple and become wonderful. Devotees: Jaya! Prabhupāda: Therefore it is simply wonderful. So go on distributing this Simply Wonderful. Your philosophy is simply wonderful. Your prasādam is simply wonderful. You are simply wonderful. And your Kṛṣṇa is simply wonderful. The whole process of simply wonderful. And He acts wonderfully, and it is acting

Sex is for procreation. It is not for recreation. There is a big understanding going around ISKCON nowadays that recreational sex is okay as long as you don't use contraception and don't abort any babies that come. Foolish commentators call this the "broader definition" of no illicit sex. They say that because Srila Prabhupada usually simply says that illicit sex is sex outside of marriage therefore all sex within marriage is okay. This is like saying that since Srila Prabhupada usually says "No Meat eating" without mentioning fish and eggs that the broader" definition of "no meat eating" allows eating fish and eggs. Just as Srila Prabhupada told us that "no meat eating" includes not eating fish and eggs he also told us that illicit sex must also be avoided even within marriage. In this regared he told us in lecture on 4 December 1975 in Vrindavan: "The śāstra gives you permission for sex life only for begetting nice children. N

Do not cheat yourself by misidentifying yourself with your material body, which is temporary, full of ignorance, and full of misery. Your actual identity is that you are an eternal spiritual being full of knowledge, and full of bliss. You can revive your actual identity by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra under the guidance of the bona fide spiritual master. So instead of cheating yourself, reward yourself. Sankarshan Das Adhikari You Are Not That Body Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: The Japa of Haridas Thakur Dandavat pranam, Guru Maharaj, Please accept my humble obeisances. I read that Namacharya Haridas Thakur was chanting 300,000 of Hare Krishna mantra daily. So there are 864,00 Seconds in a day. Even if I consider if he were chanting without any break then he must be chanting at speed of 3.5 mantra per second. How is this possible? Is there is any method to chant at this astronomical speed? Please guide me how because it takes me good 3 seconds per mantra chant.

Those who deny the existence of God, the atheists, are all forced by God, whether they like it or not, to bow down to Him. Krishna declares in Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 10, Text 34 how He is. manifest for the atheists. He says, "mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham--I am all-devouring death." For the devotees there is no fear of death. For them death simply means that I go to sleep and wake up with Krishna in the spiritual world. But for atheists death is hell. They are dragged down by their sinful karma to be punished in the lower species of life. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Death is Hell for the Atheists Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: How Can Atheist Do Bhakti? I don't believe in God. Not because I have anything against the idea of God but because I am from a science background. But I like what you do and the positivity that you spread. How to follow the path of devotion if you don't believe in God? Aadityakirans Answer: By Realizing that You Are Actually a Theist My

In the introduction to his book, The Nectar of Devotion, Srila Prabhupada has written as follows regarding the necessity of initiation: "The connection with the spiritual master is called initiation. From the date of initiation by the spiritual master, the connection between Kṛṣṇa and a person cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness is established. Without initiation by a bona fide spiritual master, the actual connection with Kṛṣṇa consciousness is never performed." While giving a lecture on 29 October 1972 in Vrindavan, India on this portion of the Nectar of Devotion Srila Prabhupada explained more regarding this point: "Yes. We must connect with the current. Just like you have heated your room with electrical wires, but if you do not touch it with the current going on, then simply electrical heating with not help you. Similarly, initiation is essential. Ādau gurvāśrayam. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī recommends in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu for executing proper spiritual life, one must t

Instead of celebrating what you have here in this material world, which is here today and gone tomorrow, and which will do nothing more that set you up for ultimately being very, very disappointed, you should instead celebrate and relish your eternal identity as the servant of Lord Sri Krishna. This celebration will take you into the dimension of eternity and ever-increasing knowledge and bliss. Now that I have thus advised you can do what you choose to do. I hope you make the right choice. I don't like to see anybody suffering. Sankarshan Das Adhikari It's Time to Chant and Dance in Ecstasy Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: What If There Will Be No More Gurus? There is not so many gurus, except from Srila Prabhupada's disciples. What if there will be no more new gurus. Annja Biogradlija Answer: There Will Be Many Gurus My Dear Annja, Please accept my blessings. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. The etiquette is that when one's spiritual master is still

One who tastes the nectar of Krishna consciousness finds so much pleasure in remembering His most beloved Lord that if the thought of having sex happens to come to his mind he will immediately become disgusted. In this connection Śrī Yāmunācārya, a great saint and devotee, has said: yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-pādāravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭhu niṣṭhīvanaṁ ca "Since my mind has been engaged in the service of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and I have been enjoying an ever new transcendental humor, whenever I think of sex life with a woman, my face at once turns from it, and I spit at the thought." So we must learn from his sterling example and become good spitters like him. Sankarshan Das Adhikari There is No One More Beautiful than Krishna Spitting With Disgust at the Thought of Sex Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: How to Give Up Masturbation? Hare Krishna. All glories to Sr