Ultimate Self Realization

My very first Radha and Krishna are very, very dear to me. It was 1968. I was a young 21 years old spiritual seeker living at 1271 Lafayette Street in Denver, Colorado USA. A friend of mine, named Patrick Dolan, had introduced me to the Hare Krishna mahamantra. I had purchased a magnificently splendorous poster of Sri Sri Radha Krishna (pictured below) at a local gift shop and I had checked out a Bhagavad-gita from the local library. I was amazed to read in the Gita that I could offer Krishna a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water and He would accept it. So before eating I started offering my food (I was a vegetarian) to Krishna. I would come home every evening and sit before my altar, which was set up inside the bay window (pictured below behind the bushes) and chant Hare Krishna in great ecstasy. I felt that Krishna has calling me, and I answered His call. This is how I got to be here today sharing this with you. (More will be told in my upcoming memoir/guidebook.) Sankarshan Das Adhikar

In the current November/December 2021 issue of Back to Godhead Magazine is published the detailed story of how I came to Krishna consciousness. I was a frustrated college student who wanted to know the meaning of my existence, who then dropped out of college in 1968 and become a popular hippy singer/songwriter, and who then seriously sought out how I could fully surrender to God. When the devotees showed me how I then surrendered and became a duly initiated disciple of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada on 12 August 1971. Click here to order that copy of Back to Godhead Magazine. Sankarshan Das Adhikari When I Was a Popular Hippy Singer/Songwriter Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Will You Accept Me as Your Disciple? Since for material advancements in games like tennis, cricket, soccer etc. one has to have a coach, then why not for spiritual advancement it should be compulsory? If you will accept me, I will be fortunate. I am currently practicing chanting 16 rounds of

In his purport to Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya Lila, Chapter 8, Text 246 Srila Prabhupada quotes from the Itihāsa-samuccaya the most amazing verse: In the Itihāsa-samuccaya, Nārada tells Puṇḍarīka: janmāntara-sahasreṣu yasya syād buddhir īdṛśī dāso ’haṁ vāsudevasya sarvāl lokān samuddharet “After many, many births, when a person realizes that he is the eternal servant of Vāsudeva, he can deliver all the worlds.” When I carefully consider the ramifications of this most amazing verse I beg my most beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, that I may now at this very moment become such a person who fully realizes that he is the eternal servant of Krishna so that I can now deliver all the poor souls who are suffering in this material existence back to Home, back to Godhead. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Srila Narada Muni, the Revealer of this Verse Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Is the Ritvik System Bonafide? Hare Krishna, I have some

At the end of lecture given by Srila Prabhupada in Los Angeles on July 20, 1971 my dear Godbrother, Nanda Kisora Prabhu. asked Srila Prabhupada what happens when we give someone the sweet known as Simply Wonderful: 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 wonderfully. Who can deny it? Devotee: Prabhupāda is simply wonderf

We all have the defect of making mistakes. For example, in India Mahatma Gandhi was considered to be a very great personality, but he committed many mistakes. Even at the last stage of his life, his assistant warned, "Mahatma Gandhi, don't go to the New Delhi meeting. I have some friends, and I have heard there is danger." But he did not hear. He persisted in going and was killed. Even great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, President Kennedy -- there are so many of them -- make mistakes. To err is human. This is one defect of the conditioned soul. This is why instead of speculating and basing our knowledge on information gleaned through our imperfect sense we have take knowledge from the authoritative source of Vedic wisdom so that we don't make the mistake of thinking, speaking, and acting in such a way that is not beneficial for our ultimate welfare. Sankarshan Das Adhikari The Bhagavad-Gita Properly Guides Us Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: How

We have practical experience that everything comes from something. This can be empirically, scientifically verified by thousands and millions of experiments. The atheists blinding assert that everything ultimately comes from nothing, and they accuse we theists of being blind faith fanatics. So I ask you, my dear reader, who are the real blind faith fanatics? Sankarshan Das Adhikari "There is no God." Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: When Krishna Left Vrindavan? What happened to the gopis (Krishna's milkmaids) once Krishna left Vrindavan? Lhaxshmi Kannan Answer: Devotees Associated with Him by Remembrance They simply cried lamenting their separation from Krishna and connected with Him by lovingly remembering the sublime pastimes they had had with Him. On one occasion there was a solar eclipse. At the same the devotees came from Vrindavan and Dvaraka (where Krishna had moved to) to Kurukshetra. So now they are seeing Krishna again. But this time He is diff

On Nṛsiṁha-caturdaśī, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva's Appearance Day in Los Angeles on May 27, 1972 Srila Prabhupada told us the most wonderful illustrative story, Punar mūṣiko bhava, "Again you become a mouse". You can hear Srila Prabhupada's wonderful, powerful delivery of this story by clicking here . Here is the transcript: This is animalistic civilization. Nature gave us the opportunity to realize God, but God-realization is meant for human being. The human being, if he does not realize God, he's simply engaged in animalistic way of life—eating, sleeping, mating—then nature will call, "All right, sir, again become animal." Punar mūṣiko bhava: "Again become a mouse." You know this story? Punar mūṣiko bhava. There is a story. There is a very nice story. One rat, mouse, he came to a saintly person. Everyone comes to saintly person for some blessing, you see. Real blessing they don't want. Some material blessing. Real blessing, Kṛṣṇa, they don't

Just consider how we normally intuitively think about and refer to our bodies. We never say, "I body" or "I am a body." We say instead, "I have a body." Just as we say, "my pants" we say, "my legs." We don't say "I legs." Even if our legs are amputated the "I" still remains intact. We speak of the "I" as something which is sitting inside the body. Although everyone in the world has this natural intuitive understanding of the non-material spirit self, yet due to an unrelenting barrage of propaganda promoting material sense gratification as the platform of real happiness the entire world is being misled. Just like I remember as a boy hearing the non-stop propaganda "Things go better with Coca-cola" I was very much misled. I felt myself to be deprived of happiness because my parents would not purchase Coca-cola due to its containing caffeine. This is why we need to regularly keep hearing

On 19 November 2021 United States President Biden proudly "pardoned" two turkeys that will not be slaughtered for the United States holiday Thanksgiving. In the United States having a turkey dinner every year on Thanksgiving is a favorite national pastime. Many millions of Americans will be having a dinner centered around a roasted turkey on that day, which falls on 25 November. What these poor souls do not realize is that if they eat a slaughtered turkey they will get the karmic reaction of becoming a turkey who is killed and eaten in a future lifetime. Eat a turkey now, and in the future you will be a turkey and that turkey will become human and he eat you. When oh when will the United States of America get a president who "pardons" all the animals 365 days a year? That will be the most glorious day. Sankarshan Das Adhikari If You Eat a Turkey, He Will Eat You Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Spiritually Become Rich? What is the spiritual way t

There is a great devotee named Vasudeva Datta who was a singer during the pastimes of Lord Caitanya. Vasudeva Datta, the nineteenth branch of the Sri Caitanya tree, was a great personality and a most confidential devotee of the Lord. One could not describe his qualities even with thousands of mouths. He is the reincarnation of a very nice singer in the pastimes of Krishna in Vrindavan known as Madhuvrata. Srila Vasudeva Datta Thakur felt so much compassion for all the suffering souls of this world that he wanted to suffer their sinful reactions so that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu might deliver them. Vāsudeva Datta told Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “My dear Lord, You incarnate just to deliver all conditioned souls. I now have one petition, which I wish You would accept. You are certainly able to do whatever You like, and You are indeed merciful. If You so desire, You can very easily do whatever You want. My heart breaks to see the sufferings of all the conditioned souls; therefore I request You t

The bona fide spiritual master is that person who presents the teachings of Krishna exactly as Lord Krishna speaks them in the Bhagavad-gita without any addition, subtraction, or interpretation. Others who present their own ideas that are not confirmed in scripture such as "I'm God, you're God, and we are all God," are not bona fide spiritual masters. In the scriptures it is clearly stated, "jīvera 'svarūpa' haya-kṛṣṇera 'nitya-dāsa'" that the constitutional position of the living being is that he is the eternal servant of Krishna. How it is possible that a living being who is the creation of God can become God, the Creator? It is not possible. That would be like saying that a baby who is born of a mother is actually his mother. Sankarshan Das Adhikari We Must Accept Scripture as Our Authority Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: What Does "Aham Brahmasmi" Mean? Dear Sir, I totally agree with you that everyone is not G

There was a huge wave of protest when yesterday when I objected to a famous person's declaration that everyone is God. It's not that we hate anyone. We have love and respect for everyone. But when someone preaches something which is untrue it is our duty to point it out so that people are not misled. The false idea that we are all God will keep us here in this material existence birth after birth because we are not God. Instead we are the eternal servants of God. This is why the Bhagavad-gita teaches us that we should fully surrender ourselves unto Krishna. It's only when we do this that we can become liberated from the cycle of birth and death and go back to our original home in the Spiritual Sky. Sankarshan Das Adhikari We Have All Aspect for the Man in the Street, But This Does Not Mean that He is God. Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Objection: Stop Calling People Rascals Stop calling people rascals. Only God says what is what. Kieran Flannery Answer: We Only

To say that everyone is God is rascaldom and completely foolish. Many so-called gurus such as Swami Vivekananda and others have presented this bogus philosophy. But just consider the absurdity of this proposition. God is the Supreme Being. If everyone is the Supreme Being, there is no Supreme Being. So declaring that everyone is God is the same thing as saying that there is no God. It is preaching atheism. Only fools and rascals would present or believe such a bogus philosophy. So don't you, my dear readers, fall into this trap. Let us work together to rid the world of this bogus, nonsense, "everyone is God" philosophy. Sankarshan Das Adhikari God is One Without a Second Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Is Everyone Really Mad? Thanks for your message Thanks for your course. I appreciate your effort actually very much. Is everyone mad really?? That's my question. Marc Steines Answer: Yes, Absolutely! From: ISKCON Austin, Texas USA My Dear Marc, Ple

That Krishna consciousness is much better than sex was realized by Śrī Yāmunācārya, a great saint and devotee, who says: 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." Yāmunācārya had formerly been a great king who enjoyed sexual happiness in various ways, but since he later engaged himself in the service of the Lord, he enjoyed spiritual bliss and hated to think of sex life. If sexual thoughts came to him, he would spit with disgust. We should learn from his perfect example how to become free from sex desire. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Relish the Higher Taste of Krishna Consciousness Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked Rūpa Gosvāmī, “My dear Rūpa, please recite that verse from your drama which, upon being heard, makes all people’s unhappiness and lamentation go away.” When the Lord persisted in asking this again and again, Rūpa Gosvāmī recited this verse: 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 TRANSLATION “‘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.’” So if we are ever feeling miserable, we can recite this verse to drive away all misery. San

Why suffer even one moment longer when there is a reservoir of unlimited spiritual bliss within you? All you have to do to tap into it is chant the holy names of God with love: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare In this way you can deep sea dive in this unlimited reservoir with ever-increasing ecstasy for all of eternity, Sankarshan Das Adhikari Krishna Consciousness is Like a Serene Reservoir Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Do You Get a Soul When You Are Born? What is a soul and how do you do you get one when you are born? Angela Ewulluh Answer: Soul Gets a Material Body at Birth We do not get a soul when we are born. Rather the eternal soul gets a material body each time he or she takes birth in the cycle of birth and death in any one of the 8,400,000 different species of life. In the human form, if we awaken love of God within our hearts when we leave our present body we will not take another mat

Do you know who are really are? Don't cheat yourself by misidentifying yourself with your temporary material body, which is simply a garment, a temporary covering that you are wearing. Your real identity is that you are an eternal spiritual being, an associate of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His eternal pastimes in the spiritual world. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Your Actual Identity Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: How to Get Connected? How can I get connected with you? Bikram Bez Answer: Here's How From: ISKCON Austin, Texas USA My Dear Bikram, Please accept my blessings. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. You are already connected by email. Now to perfect your connection follow these guidelines: https://krishnaconsciousness.com/at-home When you have proven your steadiness in following these guidelines you can become my initiated disciple and you will be solidly connected with me for all of eternity if you remain fixed in following these guidelines. I

Here is a wonderful lecture given recently by His Holiness Bhaktivikas Maharaja describing in the detail the amazing accomplishments of Srila Prabhupada. Watch it carefully, and you will derive great inspiration: https://youtu.be/E9UI-9Kbkqo Sankarshan Das Adhikari Bhakti Vikas Swami Glorifies Srila Prabhupada Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: What Can I Read? All glories to Sri Sri Radha Krishna, All glories to Gaura-Nitai, All glories to Srila Prabhupada, All glories you and Gurumataji, Hare Krishna, Dear Srila Gurudeva, I am interested in reading Shastras. So, Can I read Various shastras and Puranas along with Srila Prabhupada books? Your Servant, Rishabh. Answer: Read These Books First From: ISKCON Austin, Texas USA My Dear Rishabh, Please accept my blessings. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Ask me again once you have thoroughly read all of Srila Prabhupada books: Bhagavad-gita As It Is Srimad-Bhagavatam Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - Teachings of Lord Caitanya The

Considering the volume of sinful activities that is currently being committed on this planet World War Three can happen any time wreaking ghastly havoc everywhere. But if we powerfully, boldly introduce Lord Krishna's sublime teaching as far as possible to everyone we can have instead an auspicious Krishna conscious atmosphere in every town and village all over this planet. Sankarshan Das Adhikari World War Three Will Wreak Great Havoc Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: When Will World War Three Happen? Is there any specific time given in Vedic scriptures for World War 3? When will World War 3 happen? And what will happen after the war? How will the world be after the war ends? Sarita Arya Answer: It Can Happen At Any Time From: ISKCON Austin, Texas USA My Dear Sarita, Please accept my blessings. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. World War Three can happen at any time wreaking huge havoc on Planet Earth by the denotation of so many atomic weapons. But it can be prev

Always remember that whatever anxieties we experience in this material world are not due to the situations that we find ourselves in. Our anxieties are simply due to our lack of Krishna consciousness. Thus the only adjustment we ever have to make to defeat our anxieties and become happy is to bring our minds back to Krishna. This point is confirmed by Srila Prabhupada, who told us in Los Angeles on 15 November 1968, "This Krishna consciousness is simply full of bliss. Nobody should become morose. If he's feeling morose, then it is lack of Krishna consciousness." Thus we should always remember Krishna and never forget Him, not even for a nanosecond. Remembering Krishna defeats all anxiety. Sankarshan Das Adhikari Srila Prabhupada Class in Los Angeles in 1968 Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: Can You Talk to Our Class? I am Deepa Pandey. I met you couple years ago at the Krishna temple in Austin. I don’t know if you remember me. I wanted to ask you something

Since you've got nothing to lose except for your anxiety and everything to gain by surrendering fully to Lord Sri Krishna, why not do it immediately? Is there any valid reason not to? Sankarshan Das Adhikari Full Surrender to Krishna Brings Unlimited Bliss Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom Question: How to Become a Devotee? What qualification do I need to become an ISKCON devotee? Also, can I get a spiritual name from you? I am a Radha Sundar devotee greatly inspired by Srila Prabhupada! Rudra Pise Answer: Follow These Principles From: ISKCON Austin, Texas USA My Dear Rudra, Please accept my blessings. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. To become an initiated devotee in ISKCON you need to be chanting at least 16 rounds daily of the Hare Krishna mantra on japa mala beads along with the strict avoidance of ilicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling. After initiation you will be given a spiritual name. Until then you can be known as Bhakta Rudra. I hope this meets yo

Back in the 60’s and early 70’s when thousands of hippies in the US and Europe flocked to the Hare Krishna movement and were chanting and dancing every day on the streets of all major cities the Hare Krishnas become an instant news sensation and were very prevalent in the media. Gradually all those young people got married and had to get jobs to support their new families. So in one sense they merged into the general society. However, in spite of losing media prevalence they maintained their Krishna consciousness. Over the last 40 years the movement has now attracted millions of people all over the world who are of Indian origin to join its ranks. Thus the movement has become much bigger now all over the world than it was even in its days of media prevalence. Right now the Hare Krishna movement is poised for a new soon-to-come era of universal global prominence. As the global material society becomes more and more disintegrated, breaking down into ever-increasing chaos as we are seeing

Srila Prabhupada has greatly blessed us in unlimited ways. One example is the purport to Srimad Bhagavatam, First Canto, Chapter 15, Text 24 as follows: "According to the anthropologists, there is nature's law of struggle for existence and survival of the fittest. But they do not know that behind the law of nature is the supreme direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is confirmed that the law of nature is executed under the direction of the Lord. Whenever, therefore, there is peace in the world, it must be known that it is due to the good will of the Lord. And whenever there is upheaval in the world, it is also due to the supreme will of the Lord. Not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Lord. Whenever, therefore, there is disobedience of the established rules enacted by the Lord, there is war between men and nations. The surest way to the path of peace, therefore, is dovetailing everything to the established rule of the Lord. The