Ultimate Self Realization

Today is the most auspicious appearance day of my most beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace Om Vishnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Astotara-sata Sri Srimad Abhaya Caranaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja Prabhupada. It was on this unlimitedly blessed day 125 years ago that by the all-merciful arrangement of Lord Sri Krishna he appeared in this world in Calcutta, India to expand Lord Caitanya's sankirtan movement exponentially for flooding this entire universe with Krishna consciousness. His preaching was so successful that he made "Hare Krishna" a household word all over the world. Can you imagine how much love for and faith in his spiritual master, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, he had that at the age of 70 with only 40 rupees (the equivalent of only ten US dollars) in 1965 he came to America on the order of his spiritual master for establishing the Hare Krishna Movement? He had no money to travel, but got a free passage on the Jaladuta, a ship of Scindi...

On this most auspicious day of Janmastami, the Appearance Day of Lord Krishna, who appeared 5,000 years ago on this planet the devotees fast all day (water is allowed) up until midnight, which is the time that Lord Krishna appeared. Then after the midnight arati ceremony feast prasadam is served. Here in Austin the festivities begin at 730pm (US Central Time). The bathing of the Lord (Abhisheka) will begin around 930pm. So please do join us for the festivities by going to www.LiveLectures.net Sankarshan Das Adhikari P.S. My disciple Ananda Vardhan Das has made the following additional arrangements for you to join our celebration: Youtube/Facebook https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2DdFLzV09cJa1vFc6cljtA or https://www.facebook.com/spsdaavd/ Zoom Meeting Topic: ISKCON-Austin-Sri-Krishna-Janmastami-2021 Time: Monday 30 August 9.15 PM Austin Texas USA Central Time Everyone can click the below link to join the Zoom Webinar https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82548744318?pwd=M0lxUHcyNzlxdXBVN...

At approximately 10pm in Austin, Texas (US Central Time) on Monday 30 August there will be the most auspicious public abhisheka, the bathing ceremony for Sri Sri Radha Damodar as part of our celebration of Janmastami, the Appearance Day of Lord Sri Krishna at ISKCON Austin. It can be seen online at www.LiveLectures.net as well as by everyone who physically attends the ceremony at 10700 Jonwood Way here in Austin. We are offering you, our dear readers, the blessed opportunity to participate in this bathing ceremony as a sponsor. All sponsors will have their names read out loud before Sri Sri Radha and Damodar as part of the bathing ceremony. All those who contribute US$500 of more will participate as sponsors. Devotees who are physically present will be allowed to directly bathe Sri Sri Radha Damodar if they have contributed US$1,000 or more. The proceeds from this will go to building a multi-million dollar ISKCON temple in Austin. (We have already purchased the land). So kindly cont...

Below you will find one of my greatest treasures, a letter that Srila Prabhupada wrote me from London on 7 September 1971 shortly after accepting me as his disciple on 12 August 1971. After my initiation I had written to Srila Prabhupada sending him my guru daksina (donation given at the time of initiation) and expressing my desire to spread the Krishna consciousness movement. He so much appreciated my mood that he wrote me, "I can see also that you are a very sincere and enthusiastic boy and are anxious for spreading this movement. Those are first class qualifications for making advancement in Krishna Consciousness. So continue enthusiastically as you are doing and Krishna will surely bless you." Now a half a century I am still enthusiastic to make the whole world Krishna conscious and, just as Srila Prabhupada said, Krishna is blessing me because of this desire. And what was especially touching for me was Srila Prabhupada's P.S. at the end, "P.S. On Friday nig...

Our Krishna consciousness movement is not some kind of bogus fly-by-night operation. We are a 100% bonafide movement started by God Himself. The knowledge that we are giving you has been very carefully handed down from spiritual master to disciple from the time at which our universe began some 155 trillion years ago when Lord Sri Krishna enlightened Lord Brahma with this knowledge. Krishna described 5,000 years ago in Bhagavad-gita that this knowledge has been received through the system of disciplic succession, which is as follows: 1. Krishna 2. Brahmā 3. Nārada 4. Vyāsa 5. Madhva 6. Padmanābha 7. Nṛhari 8. Mādhava 9. Akṣobhya 10. Jaya Tīrtha 11. Jñānasindhu 12. Dayānidhi 13. Vidyānidhi 14. Rājendra 15. Jayadharma 16. Puruṣottama 17. Brahmaṇya Tīrtha 18. Vyāsa Tīrtha 19. Lakṣmīpati 20. Mādhavendra Purī 21. Īśvara Purī, (Nityānanda, Advaita) 22. Lord Caitanya 23. Rūpa, (Svarūpa, Sanātana) 24. Raghunātha, Jīva 25. Kṛṣṇadāsa 26. Narottama 27. Viśvanātha 28. (Baladeva) Jagannātha 29. Bhak...

There is no reason be bounced up and down on the waves of material happiness and distress always feeling that there is something lacking in your life. Follow this simple instruction from Lord Sri Krishna and your life will be unlimitedly, ever-increasingly sublime: na prahṛṣyet priyaṁ prāpya nodvijet prāpya cāpriyam sthira-buddhir asammūḍho brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ "A person who neither rejoices upon achieving something pleasant nor laments upon obtaining something unpleasant, who is self-intelligent, who is unbewildered, and who knows the science of God, is already situated in transcendence." (Bhagavad-gita Chapter 5, Text 20) Just try for one day to put this into practice, and your life will be completely, wonderfully transformed. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Krishna Consciousness is Unlimitedly Blissful Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Hope for the Mentally Ill? I offer my respectful obeisances to you. All glories to Sri Prabhupada. I suffer from menta...

Because our modern day global civilization is based on material sense gratification instead of pleasing God it is simply in a state of ever-increasing pandemonium, a total, complete nightmarish mess. The modern day politicians are of zero help. They are simply clinging to their offices for their own personal sense and have not a clue as to how to reverse the rapidly deteriorating so called civilization into total complete quagmire. This is where our Krishna consciousness movement comes in. We have the perfect, total solution for all of the world's problems. When we put Krishna or God in the center and make pleasing Him the goal of the entire global civilization peace, happiness, and prosperity will be the immediate world wide result. So what are they waiting for? May the entire global civilization now become awakened in Krishna consciousness. When they finally come to their senses and do so this will be noted as one of the greatest eras in the history of the entire universe. Sank...

You are eternal spiritual being qualitatively one with the Supreme Person, the source of all existence. As He is eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss, you are also eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss. So do not cheat yourself casting yourself into the pit of birth, death, old age, and disease by misidentification with your temporary, rotting material body. Take advantage of mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His authorized representative, the bona fide spiritual master to revive your original, all-blissful, eternal spiritual identity. You will glad that you did. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Regain Now Your Original Lost Relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: If I Don't Remember Krishna at Death? Srila Gurudeva, I have a worrisome doubt. I am following only about 85% of the guidelines even though I want to follow all the guidelines. Therefore it is unlikely that I will be able to remember Lord ...

Krishna's devotee cannot stand to see a world around him in which everyone is suffering in the cycle of birth, death, old age, and disease. Therefore he prays that all the spirit-souls who entangled in this material existence can now be delivered back to home, back to Godhead. And he does everything possible to enlighten them in the science of Krishna consciousness so that they will give up their foolish nonsense and come back to the original constitutional position of pure devotional service to Lord Sri Krishna. Sankarshan Das Adhikari BThe Topmost Welfare: Distributing Srila Prabhupada's Books Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Problem: Unhappy Med Student I feel trapped in the world although I am doing well in my career and I enjoying the process. I worked so hard to be a med student and now that I am it seems this is not what makes me happy. Pragati Dubey Solution: Surrender to Krishna From: ISKCON Austin, Texas USA My Dear Pragati, Please accept my blessings. All glo...

Just as the little sparrow whose eggs were stolen by the ocean became staunchly determined to get her eggs back and was successful, because in our preaching activities we face many obstacles we must be similarly determined if we are to be successful. For example, several days ago here in Austin Bhakta Blaise was doing book distribution in a parking lot when a rascal gave him a very hard punch on the side of his head. By Krishna's grace Bhakta Blaise was not injured by this attack. In spite of this attack Bhakta Blaise is so determined to push forward the Krishna consciousness movement that he is still going out daily to distribute Srila Prabhupada's books and is quite successful in doing so. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Bhakta Blaise is Determined to Preach Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Spiritual Awakening Symptoms? What symptoms could be experienced during spiritual awakening? L.S. Answer: Realizing that You Are Not Your Body Dear L.S., Please accept my blessing...

ISKCON Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, wrote to one of his disciples on 27 March 1972, "If we simply repeat this philosophy exactly as it is, without any misrepresentation of adulteration, then this movement will never be checked, and we will conquer the world." So can you imagine anything more thrilling and exciting than in successfully pulling off a global spiritual revolution for putting Krishna or God factually back into the center of every sphere of human activity and consciousness on this planet? So now it is your choice. Do you want to watch things happen or make things happen? I hope you make the right choice. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Revolutionize the World Right Now Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Can I Watch a Movie? I know watching TV is maya. I hear ISKCON lectures for an hour, read Prabhupada's books and also chant. Can I also watch a movie or TV series for entertainment everyday for a limited time ...

Are you living in a hellish nightmare experiencing illusion and confusion in profusion? If so, don't feel all alone because we are all living in a hellish nightmare right now called the material world. The good news is that we can all wake up from this nightmare right now by chanting: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare But when advise them "Chant, chant, chant," they say "Can't, can't can't." That is the difficulty. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Chant Hare Krishna and Be Happy Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Is Karma Real? What is your take on karma? Does it really exist? Eluwa Matthew Answer: Everything Bounces Back Dear Eluwa, Yes, according to Newton's Third Law of Motion, "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction," karma does exist. The Bible also confirms it. “As you sow, so shall you reap.” If you don't belief it, throw a ball against a wa...

Human life is meant for self-realization. It is not meant for unrestricted sex pleasure. Sex is only for procreation. It is not meant for recreation. Those who are unrestricted in their sex life will take their next births in the animal kingdom. In this regards in the Srimad Bhagavatam (5.5.1) Lord Ṛṣabhadeva warns his sons as follows: "My dear boys, of all the living entities who have accepted material bodies in this world, one who has been awarded this human form should not work hard day and night simply for sense gratification, which is available even for dogs and hogs that eat stool. One should engage in penance and austerity to attain the divine position of devotional service. By such activity, one's heart is purified, and when one attains this position, he attains eternal, blissful life, which is transcendental to material happiness and which continues forever." Krishna's devotees can easily give up sex pleasure because the pleasure of preaching Krishna consci...

This material world is the world of dualities: pain and pleasure, happiness and distress, gain and loss, victory and defeat, honor and dishonor, etc. So as long as we misidentify with our material bodies and our material situation we will never find lasting peace and satisfaction. However if we will always remember the transcendental name, fame, forms, pastimes, and paraphernalia of that inconceivably sweet person named Krishna Who is standing on the bank of Yamuna River at Kesi Ghat playing the fifth note on His flute in the full moon night of the sharat season, we will empowered to properly identify as the eternal all-blissful spiritual beings, servants of Krishna, that we factually are. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Krishna Sweetly Playing His Flute at Kesi Ghat Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Guru/Disciple Relationship is Eternal? Hare Krishna, Srila Gurudeva. Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Your Divine Grace and Srimati Gurumataji. All Glories to Srila...

There is no reason for us to ever suffer again. We can kick away all miseries immediately by fully taking complete shelter of Lord Sri Krisna right now. The difficulty is that we still think that we can enjoy separately from Krishna in this material existence. That's why we don't do this. Therefore we are again and again and again being dragged through the sufferings of birth, death, old age, and disease. Isn't a pity? Sankarshan Das Adhikari Let's Kick Away All Misery Once and For All Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Doe Nirvana Exist? If life keeps going on and on and on, will it ever stop? Will the samsara ever stop? When will I finally be happy and free? Life is supposed to be beautiful, but we're stuck in a never ending cycle of suffering. It is all so confusing. Does Nirvana exist? Timothy Villegas Answer: Yes, and Here's How to Attain It My Dear Timothy, Please accept my blessings. The good news is that even though since time immemorial...

If you will follow this instruction to always remember Krishna and never forget Him, you will achieve unlimited peace and happiness in your life, Are you ready? Sankarshan Das Adhikari Unlimited Happiness in Krishna Consciousness Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Appreciation: You Are So Lucky Hare Krishna 🙏🙏🙏 You are so lucky, Prabhu ji, that you found Srila Prabhupada as your spiritual master. Pompy Shil Reply: I Want to Make You Unlimitedly Fortunate From: ISKCON Austin, Texas USA My Dear Pompy, Please accept my blessings. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. It was certainly my unlimited good fortune. Now I want to make you unlimitedly fortunate also. Are you ready? I hope this meets you in the best of health. Your ever well-wisher, 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 bona fide spiritual master with tens of thousands of students and disciples all over...

Do not cheat yourself by continuing to misidentify with your material body, which is simply a costume that you are wearing. It is not your actual, factual self. You are an eternal spiritual being qualitatively one with the Supreme Person, Who is the source of all existence. You are constitutionally situated as His eternal servant. Instead of suffering by not knowing you are, become super ecstatic by knowing who you are and being who you are. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Do Not Misidentify with Your Body Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: How to Stop Masturbating? How to get rid of masturbation? I'm a 23 years old student. Anonymous Answer: Spit at the Thought From: ISKCON Austin, Texas USA My Dear Anonymous, Please accept my blessings. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Let your semen rise to your brain to give you more intelligence and a longer life span. When you feel like passing semen spit at the thought. There is a nice verse in this connection from Yamuncarya Alband...

Srila Prabhupada writes the following very enlightening words how the spiritual master is always present with his dedicated disciples: "Although according to material vision His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda passed away from this material world on the last day of December, 1936, I still consider His Divine Grace to be always present with me by his vāṇī, his words. There are two ways of association-by vāṇī and by vapuḥ. Vāṇī means words, and vapuḥ means physical presence. Physical presence is sometimes appreciable and sometimes not, but vāṇī continues to exist eternally. Therefore we must take advantage of the vāṇī, not the physical presence. Bhagavad-gītā, for example, is the vāṇī of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Although Kṛṣṇa was personally present five thousand years ago and is no longer physically present from the materialistic point of view, Bhagavad-gītā continues." So let us always remember this and constantly remain in the divine presence of our spir...

Here is a recent lecture on the importance of determination. https://youtu.be/jVplyRm3G AU Sankarshan Das Adhikari The Little Sparrow Was Determined to Dry Up the Ocean Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: How To Always Have Good Thoughts? What is the verse for letting good thoughts come to me from all directions? Ashok Patel Answer: Always Think of Krishna Dear Ashok, Please accept my blessings. All glories to Lord Sri Krishna. Here is the ultimate verse for the universe to be full of beautiful thoughts. This is Srimad Bhagavatam, Fifth Canto, Chapter 18, Text 9: svasty astu viśvasya khalaḥ prasīdatāṁ dhyāyantu bhūtāni śivaṁ mitho dhiyā manaś ca bhadraṁ bhajatād adhokṣaje āveśyatāṁ no matir apy ahaitukī “May there be good fortune throughout the universe, and may all envious persons be pacified. May all living entities become calm by practicing bhakti-yoga, for by accepting devotional service they will think of each other's welfare. Therefore let us all engage in the s...

Today is the most auspicious 50th anniversary of the day when Srila Prabhupada accepted me as his disciple on a letter that he wrote to me and two other boys from London on 12 August 1971. Here is what he wrote us: London 12 August, 1971 My Dear Sons, Please accept my blessings. Upon the recommendation of His Grace Visnujana Maharaja I have gladly consented to accept you three as my duly initiated disciples. Your beads are duly chanted on by me and are enclosed herewith. I have given the spiritual names as follows: Sankarsana Das (Stephen Bridge): Sankarsana is another name for Visnu. Parasara Das (Ron): Parasara was the father of Vyasadeva. Pulasta Das (Chris Pinkard): Pulasta means name of a great sage. Visnujana Maharaja tells me that in his absence, while he is opening one center in San Antonio, you three boys are maintaining nicely there in Austin. So you are all very qualified and you have been trained up under the expert guidance of Visnujana Swami. So you should all work ...

Today's Thought for the Day is my being recently interviewed by Kimberly Chapman who appreciates that I have been teaching the science of realization for over 50 years. You can tune into this interview right now by clicking here: https://youtu.be/0BDEelHudMY Sankarshan Das Adhikari Interviewed by Kimberly Chapman Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: How To See Krishna? Hare Krishna Dandavat pranam, Srila Gurudeva You wrote, "Don't try to see God, but try to do something so that God can see you." What should we do? I really want to see Krishna and serve Krishna. I don't have any interest in this material world. So please tell me how to serve Krishna? How to please Krishna? Is chanting Hare Krishna mantra 16 rounds per day and reading Bhagavad-gita enough to get us out of maya, to get us out of this material world.? Aparna Chilumuni Answer: Here's How From: ISKCON Austin, Texas USA My Dear Aparna, Please accept my blessings. All glories to Srila ...

Srila Prabhupada explained as follows in a Srimad Bhagavatam lecture he gave in Los Angeles, USA on 28 December 1973: My Guru Mahārāja used to say that, that "Don't try to see God, but try to do something so that God can see you." This is the philosophy. And whom God will see? As soon as... Just like any business firm, any man who is working very sincerely, it comes to the notice of the master, "Oh, this man is doing very nice." That is wanted. That is wanted. So a devotee is not very much anxious to see God. God is there. Simply... And one who has become devotee, he always sees God. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva [Bs. 5.38]. Sadaiva, twenty-four hours he sees. That is not very difficult job. But do something so that God will see you, "Oh, here is... here is My devotee." Thank you, Srila Prabhupada for this sublime teaching! This is truly the most wonderful thing to aspire for, that let me now always act in such a way that Krish...

Srila Prabhupada writes as follows in his wonderful book, The Nectar of Devotion: In the Tenth Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, verse 7, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Lord Brahmā says, "My dear Lord, the inconceivable qualities, beauties and activities which You have revealed by Your presence on this planet cannot be calculated by any material measurement. If one even tries to imagine, 'Kṛṣṇa may be like this,' that is also impossible. The day may come when the material scientist, after many, many births or after many, many years, will be able to estimate the atomic constitution of the whole world, or he may be able to count the atomic fragments that permeate the sky, or he may even give an estimate of all the atoms within the universe, but still he will never be able to count the transcendental qualities in Your reservoir of transcendental bliss. After reading these words of Srila Prabhupada we may then wonder how much we can understand about Krishna with our tiny, little brains. But...

Here is a wonderful verse that was very much relished by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It can be found in the Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, Antya Lila, Chapter 1, Text 99: tuṇḍe tāṇḍavinī ratiṁ vitanute tuṇḍāvalī-labdhaye karṇa-kroḍa-kaḍambinī ghaṭayate karṇārbudebhyaḥ spṛhām cetaḥ-prāṅgaṇa-saṅginī vijayate sarvendriyāṇāṁ kṛtiṁ no jāne janitā kiyadbhir amṛtaiḥ kṛṣṇeti varṇa-dvayī “I do not know how much nectar the two syllables ‘Kṛṣ-ṇa’ have produced. When the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is chanted, it appears to dance within the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert." If we dive deeply into chanting the Hare Krishna mantra with pure love, we can experience this same nectar. Let us pray for that day when we can chant like this. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Lord Caitanya Unlimitedly ...