Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare ...

Is there any specific reference in the Vedas as to when in this yuga, the Supreme Lord’s Avatar- Sri Krishna Chaitanya was scheduled to appear?

** In the Atharva-Veda; Purusa-Bodini-Upanisad, it is said:

saptame gaura-varna-visnor ity aena sva-saktya
caikyam etya pratar avatirya saha svaih sva-manum siksayati

"In the seventh manvantara, in the beginning of the Kali-Yuga, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will, accompanied by His own associates, descend in a golden form to the earth. He will teach the chanting of His own names."


When exactly does He come in the kali-yuga, and where does He specifically appear and what will He do?

** In the Atharva Veda, the Supreme Person says:

itotham krta sannyaso'vatarisyami sa-guno nirvedo
niskamo bhu-girvanas tira-atho' lakanandayah kalau
catuh-sahasrabdhopari panca-sahasrabhyantare
gaura-varno dirghangah sarva-laksana-yukta isvara
prarthito nija-rasasvado bhakta-rupo misrakhyo
vidita-yogah syam

I will descend on the earth after the passage of four thousand years in the Kali-Age, [kalau chatuh sahasrabdhopari] and before the passage of five thousand years [pancha sahasra abhyantare].

I will come on the earth on the bank of the Ganges, [tira-sthah alakanandayah]. I will be a tall and saintly Brahmana devotee. I will have all the auspicious symptoms of an exalted person [dirghangah sarva-laksana-yuktah].

I will exhibit renunciation. I will have all auspicious signs. I will be a devotee, practicing bhakti yoga. I will taste the rasa of My own devotional service.


** In the Sama Veda, the Supreme Lord says:

tathaham krta sannyaso bhu-girvano 'vatarisye
tire'lakanandayah punah punah isvara-prarthitah sa-
parivaro niralambo nirdhuteh kali-kalmasa-kavalita-
janavalambanaya

I shall come to the earth, accompanied by My associates, in a place by the bank of the Ganges. I will advent to save the people who are afflicted and devoured by the sins of the age of Kali. I will manifest as an Avadhut Brahman Sannyasi.


What is the name of the place where the Supreme Lord appears?

** The Chandogya Upanisad describes the place of advent of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya.

This is explained by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, in the Sabadvipa Dham Mahatmya (text 5):

tan-madhye daharam saksan
mayapuram itiryate
tatra vesma bhagavatas
chaitanyasya paratmanah
tasmin yas tv antarakaso
hy antardvipah sa ucyate

The spiritual city in the shape of a lotus has the abode of Sri Mayapur as its heart. Sridham Mayapur is the divine abode of Lord Chaitanya, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the middle of Mayapur is the place called Antardvip.

(ACBSPN Note: One needs to catch a local train to “Krishna Nagar” from “Sealdah Station” in Calcutta. After the 3 hour train journey, you got to catch a bus for Mayapur, which will take another hour or so. Alternatively, you could catch a local train from Howrah for Navadvip. These trains are very rare - about 4 or 5 a day, so its better to go thru Sealdah. From Navadvip station you got to take a cycle-rickshaw to the “Ghat” [Bank of Ganges]. Then you cross the Ganges and reach Mayapur. The half an hour motorized boat ride may cost you about 1 to 2 Rupees!)


Are there any other relevant scriptural references in the vedas describing the appearance or qualities of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?

** The Svetasvatara Upanisad (Ch. 6, text 7) describes the qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Chaitanya:

tam isvaranam paramam mahesvaram
tam devatanam paramam ca daivatam
patim patinam paramam parastad
vidama devam bhuvanesam idyam

"O Supreme Lord, you are the Supreme Mahesvara, the worshipable Deity of all the demigods and the Supreme Lord of all Lords. You are the controller of all controllers, the Personality of Godhead, the Lord of everything worshipable."


** Svetasvatara Upanisad Ch 3 text 12, 14

mahan prabhur vai purusah
sattvasyaisa pravartakah
sunirmalam imam praptim
isano jyotir avyayah

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Mahaprabhu, who disseminates transcendental enlightenment. Just to be in touch with Him is to be in contact with the indestructible brahmajyoti. "


** Sri Chaitanya Upanisad (Chaitanyopanisad), text 5:

jahnavi-tire navadvipe golokakhye dhamni govindo
dvi-bhujo gaurah sarvatma maha-puruso mahatma
maha-yogi tri-gunatitah sattva-rupo bhaktim loke
kasyatiti. tad ete sloka bhavanti

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda, the supreme enjoyer, whose form is transcendental, who is beyond the touch of the three modes of material nature, and who is all pervading Supersoul residing in the-hearts of all living entities, will appear again in the Kali-age. Appearing as the greatest devotee, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will assume a two-armed form of golden complexion in His abode of Goloka Vrindavan manifested on the bank of the Ganga at Navadvip. He will disseminate pure devotional service in the world. This incarnation of the Lord is described in the following verses."


In what color will the Lord appear in the Kali-yuga, and what will He do?

** Sri Chaitanya Upanisad text 6:

eko devah sarva-rupi mahatma
gauro rakta syamala-sveta-rupah
chaitanyatma sa vai chaitanya-saktir
bhaktakaro bhakti-do bhakh-vedyah

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of all transcendental potencies, and who may be known only by devotional service, [bhakti vedyah] appears in innumerable transcendental forms. He has appeared in red, white and black complexions, [gauro rakta syamala sveta rupah] and He will also appear in the golden form of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He will assume the role of a perfect devotee [bhakta akarah] and He will teach the conditioned souls the path of pure devotional service [bhakti dah].


What is the nature of the form of Lord Chaitanya and how is He understood?

** Chaitanya Upanisad. text 7:

namo vedanta vedyaya
krmaya paramatmane
sarva chaitanya rupaya
chaitanyaya namo namah

I offer my respectful obeisances unto Him, who is understood by Vedanta [namo vedanta vedyaya], who is Lord Krishna [Krishnaya], the Supersoul [paramatmane], whose form is fully transcendental and conscious of everything [sarva-chaitanya-rupaya]. We offer our humble obeisances again and again. [chaitanyaya namo namah]


What is the result of understanding the divine position of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu?

** Sri Chaitanya-Upanisad. text 8:

vedanta vedyam purusam puranam
chaitanyatmanam visva-yonim mahantam
tam eva viditva' mrtyum eti
nanyah pantha vidyatetyanaya

"Knowing Him who is the object of knowledge in the Upanisads, the oldest person, the embodiment of consciousness, the source of the universe and the greatest of all, one crosses over death. There is no other path for going there."


What will Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu do in this incarnation ?

** Sri Chaitanya-Upanisad. text 9:

sva-nama mula-mantrena sarvam hladayati vibhuh

The Supreme powerful [vibhuh] Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya appears in His golden form, and He will fill the universe with bliss [hladayati] by the chanting of His own holy names [sva-nama-mula-mantrena].


Which mantra will this yuga avatar chant?

** Sri Cartanya Upanisad text 10.

sa eva mula-mantra japati harir iti krishna iti rama iti

Sri Krishna Chaitanya will chant the maha-mantra comprised of the divine names of Hari, Krishna and Rama. i.e.,

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

(ACBSPN Note: the pronunciation of “Rama” is “rAma” or “rAm” and *not* "rAmA" as commonly misunderstood.)


Does Lord Chaitanya appear in every day of lord brahma? Just like the original Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna does appear once in every day of Lord Brahma.

** Answer: Srila Prabhupada once explained in Melbourne, Australia, in answer to the question of how long it would be before Lord Krishna would come to this planet again in His personal form: after 8 billion, 600 milion years.

Devotee: How long do you say it is before Krishna comes to this planet again in His physical form?

Srila Prabhupada: Now, calculate, I have already given the duration of one day, twelve hours, of Brahma means 4,300,000 years multiplied by one thousand....the eight billion.

Devotee (2): 600,000,000.

Srila Prabhupada: So Krishna comes after this period in one day, after one day of Brahma, He appears.

Devotee: Srila Prabhupada, does Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also appear every day of Brahma?

Srila Prabhupada: Yes, following Krishna. Krishna comes in the Dvapar-Yuga. There are four sets of yugas: Satva, Treta, Dvapar, Kali. So Krishna comes at the end of Dvapar-Yuga, and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu comes in the Kali-Yuga so almost the same year, same circulation... Similarly, Krishna appears in rotation in this universe after so many years, eight billion years. So next He goes to another universe....
[Melbourne Australia. 22nd May 1975.]


Did the Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavat-Puran), the foremost of all Vedic literatures predict the appearance of Lord Chaitanya Maraprabhu?

** In the seventh canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Prahlad Maharaj directly hints at the hidden nature of the Supreme Lord's appearance. Because the Supreme Lord is also called Tri-Yuga, or one who appears in only three yugas (satya, dvapara, treta), He is sometimes said to appear in a concealed form, in the age of Kali.

channah kalau yad abhavas tri-yugo'tha sa tvam

(Srimad Bhagavatam 7.9.38)


Are there any more direct references in the Simad Bhagavatam, than the above reference?

** In the Tenth Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, chapter eight, Gargamuni the family priest of Nanda Maharaja, explains that the young boy Sri Krishna has three colors - white, red and yellow - when He appears in His transcendental form in different ages. In the current incarnation of Krishna, He has appeared ...as black.

asan varnas trayo hy asya grhnatotnvyugam tanuh
suklo raktas tatha pita idanim krmatam gatah

(Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.8.13)

Srila Krishna das Kaviraj Goswami, the celebrated author of the Sri Chaitanya-charitamrta, explains that the three colors of white, red and yellow are the three bodily colors which the Supreme Lord assumes in the ages of Satya, Treta and Kali respectively.

sukla rakta pita-varna ei tina dyuti
satya-treta-kali-kale dharena sri-pati

The Bhagavatam explains in the conversation between Karabhajan Muni and King Nimi, that in the Dvapara-Yuga, the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead appears in a blackish form [dvapare bhagavan syamah]. He has a yellow dress and carries His own weapons [pita-vasa-nija-ayudhah]. He is beautified with the mark of Srivatsa and the Kaustubha jewel [sri vatsa-adibhih ankais ca laksanaih]. This is the actual description of His characteristics [upalaksitah].

The great sage continues his instruction to King Nimi by saying that people in general in the age of Dvapar-Yuga worshiped the Lord of the Universe [iti dvapara urvisam stuvanti jagad isvaram]. In the age of Kali, they worshipped the Supreme Person by the regulation of the scriptures [tantra vidhana].

krishna varnam tvisakrmam sangopangastra parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana prayair yajanti hi sumedhasah

(Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.5.32)

"In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead who constantly sings the holy name of Krishna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons and confidential companions."


How does this verse refer to the advent of Lord Chaitanya, since his name is not directly mentioned there?

** Just as the symptoms and characteristics of the various previous incarnations are mentioned in the scriptures, similarly the symptoms of the appearance of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu are described.

Krishna-varnam indicates that He belongs to the category of Krishna. Krishna varnam also means one who constantly repeats and sings the name of Krishna. The main business of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was the chanting of the holy name of Krishna. Thus the words Krishna varnam and Krishna Chaitanya are equivalent.

Srila Krishna das Kaviraj Goswami has elucidated the two meanings of the words Krishna varnam by stating:

krishna ei dui varna sadayanra mukhe
athava krmake h'nho varne nija sukhe

Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu always sings the two syllables Krish & na [Krishna ei dui varna sada yanra mukhe], or He always relishes great transcendental pleasure while describing Lord Krishna [athava krmake tinho varne nija-sukhe].


Is there any hint or explanation of His bodily characteristics?

His bodily complexion is not black [tvisa akrishnam]. Lord Chaitanya appeared in a very light, golden like complexion. His complexion was yellow [akrma-varane kahe pita-varana]. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is very beautiful.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is often described as Gaurasundara. Gaura means fair and Sundar means beautiful. Sometimes He is also called Gauranga or one who has a very fair complexion.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thus it is clearly established from the various Vedic Literatures and also by the various writings of the great Acaryas, that Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, whose appearance and birthplace were predicted and whose activities were also foretold.

Getting Free from Maya's Clutches by Mercy of the Pure Devotee

If we decide to become serious about becoming Krishna conscious, we will have to find the way to get free from the clutches of maya, the illusory energy. It is not at all an easy thing to do because we have been held tightly in maya's grip for countless lifetimes.

The secret of how to free ourselves from maya's influence is to engage in the service of the great devotees. This is absolutely essential because without worshiping the lotus feet of a great devotee, we cannot be freed from maya's influence. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura therefore says, chadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payeche keba: "Who has been freed from maya's clutches without serving the lotus feet of a Vaisnava?"

That maya and her influence is difficult to overcome is confirmed as follows in the Bhagavad-gita (7.14):

daivi hy esa guna-mayi
mama maya duratyaya

"This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome."

The only way we can surpass the great influence of maya is to become a devotee. We don't really have any choice. We can never conquer over the influence of the material energy by our own strength. This is not possible. And the easy way to become a devotee is to associate with devotees. There is great, great spiritual power in the association of the saintly devotees of the Lord. This is confirmed in the Caitanya-caritamrita as follows:

"sadhu-sanga", "sadhu-sanga" sarva-sastre kaya
lava-matra sadhu-sange sarva-siddhi haya

"It is declared in all the scriptures that by even one moment's association with a devotee of the Lord one can achieve all spiritual perfection." --CC Madhya 22.54

It is indeed amazing that even by the slight association of a devotee, one can be freed from the clutches of maya. Who can estimate the great value of a devotee's association? It is so essential. Without the mercy of the pure devotee, one cannot get freedom by any means. Certainly a pure devotee's association is necessary in order to obtain the loving service of the Lord. One cannot be freed from maya's clutches without sadhu-sanga, the benediction of a great devotee.

This point is further confirmed by Prahlada Maharaja in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.5.32) as follows:

naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim
sprsaty anarthapagamo yad arthah
mahiyasam pada-rajo-'bhisekam
niskincananam na vrnita yavat

"One cannot become the Lord's pure devotee without taking the dust of a great devotee on his head (pada-rajo-'bhisekam). A pure devotee is niskincana; he has no material desire to enjoy the material world. One has to take shelter of such a pure devotee in order to attain his qualities. The pure devotee is always free from the clutches of maya and her influence."

ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness was founded by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada for purpose of giving the entire world the opportunity to associate with sadhus and to thus perfect their lives. Kindly take advantage of this great opportunity and free yourself completely from the clutches of maya.

We are here to help you every step of the way!

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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Question: What Faith Do You Practice?

Just out of curiosity, what faith do you practice?

Hare Krishna

Answer: We Have Faith in the Source of All Existence

Krishna consciousness is not a particular religious faith such as Christianity, Judaism, or Islam. It is the original pure essence of religion before man in his materialistic way of thinking divided it into this religious faith and that religious faith. It is the science of developing pure love for God. The principles of Krishna consciousness are universal and are thus equally applicable to all persons.

For example, by practicing Krishna consciousness a Christian will become a perfect Christian, a Jew will become a perfect Jew, a Hindu will become a perfect Hindu, and so on. Because it is the pathway of pure and perfect knowledge, through the practice of Krishna consciousness a philosopher will become a perfect philosopher and a scientist will become a perfect scientist. Indeed, because it is the perfection of existence, one who practices Krishna consciousness will become perfect in whatever he does. A poet will become a perfect poet, a government leader will become a perfect government leader, a husband will become a perfect husband, a businessman will become a perfect businessman, etc, etc.

Thus, if the entire world will take advantage of this Krishna consciousness process as being taught by the Krishna consciousness movement it will become transformed into paradise, heaven on earth.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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Question: How to Become Initiated?

Please instruct me how I can become initiated. I know nothing. Please make me your disciple.

Hare Krishna

Answer: Are You Ready?

It is very nice that you want to be initiated. Initiation means that one enters into a new dimension of consciousness beyond birth, death, old age and disease. It means one has the ticket for regaining his original transcendental form in the spiritual world. But at the same it must be understood that initiation is not something cheap. It means that the initiate agrees to place himself completely under the discipline of the spiritual master. Whatever instruction the spiritual master gives, the disciple joyfully tries to carry it out to the best of his ability.

The disciple must give up the bad habits of illicit sex life, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling and take up the positive habits like chanting the holy names of the lord every day on japa mala beads.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare.
Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare

...Keep on chanting

Are you ready to put yourself completely under these instructions?

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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Cutting Through the Madness

If we want this world to be a better place we have to cut through the madness by speaking the truth. We have to tell the truth exactly as it is without glossing it over. Instead of striving for so-called political correctness, we should instead strive to simply be correct If something is true, it should be acknowledged and propagated. It's time we expose all the lying and cheating that is going on in the world and give everyone the opportunity to live an enlightened life full of knowledge and bliss by reconnecting them with the real truths of existence.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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Enemies are Natural

Because we are living in a materialistic atmosphere the person who has dedicated himself 100% for spreading the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world is bound to sooner or later attract enemies who are vehemently opposed to what he is doing. This is natural in a place where everyone is tinged with varying degrees of lust, greed, anger, illusion, madness, and envy. Such opposition does not dissuade or discourage the spiritual welfare worker. Rather it strengthens him in his resolve to push forward with his benevolent mission.

There are so many practical examples of such resistance. Jesus Christ was crucified because he was spreading the bhakti movement in Israel. Haridas Thakur was severely beaten in twenty-two market places for pushing forward Krishna consciousness in Bengal. The preacher of Krishna consciousness is not discouraged by such opposition. Rather he takes it as a positive sign that his preaching is potent, that it is having effect. Of course, by humble sweet dealings he does everything possible not to create enemies. Through love he tries to capture the hearts of all so that the entire world can benefit by advancing on the path of Krishna bhakti. But it is inevitable in a world based on desire and hate that he will face enemies who are opposed to him spreading the Krishna consciousness movement all over the world. This is something that naturally goes along with the job description of being a propagator of the highest truth.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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Question: Why Do We Get Reactions If We Are Not the Doers?

With reference to Bhagavad-gita 3.27:

"The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature. "

It is said that we are not the doer of activities. Then why do we have to suffer the reaction of our activities?

Hare Krishna

Answer: You Are Responsible for Surrendering to Maya

Thank you very much for your nice question. It is a fact as you have quoted from the Bhagavad-gita that the spirit-soul who is bewildered by the influence of the modes of nature considers himself to the doer of activities that are in actuality being carried out by material nature. You are wondering why we have to suffer the reactions of activities of which we are not the doer.

The answer is that even though the conditioned soul is not the doer of his activities in this material world, it was his conscious choice that placed him under the influence of the material energy. It is this conscious choice that makes him responsible. In other words, we choose whether we would like to be under the spiritual energy or the material energy, and then we reap the results of that choice by either going back to Godhead or remaining in the cycle of birth and death taking the reactions for everything that transpires as a result of our surrender to the material energy.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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Out to Save the World

Those who have become advanced in spiritual understanding by realizing and fully absorbing themselves in a state of perfect harmony with the Supreme Absolute Truth, cannot tolerate seeing a world society that is so deeply plunged into chaos and illusion. They deeply and intensely feel compassion for the 99.99% of the world population that is caught up in such a miserable existence. Even though so many people think they are enjoying life, their happiness is imaginary. It is not real because soon their bubble of false happiness will pop and their accumulated karma from heaps of impious activities will cast them into an ocean of devastating anxiety. Therefore those who have realized the underlying reality of this phenomenon that we call existence fully dedicate their lives for saving the suffering souls of this world from their gross illusion and its concomitant threefold miseries. They are out to save the world. This is the purpose of their lives. Whether they are successful or not, their perfection is guaranteed. And anyone who follows them will also become perfect.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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In 100% Compliance
An intelligent businessman manages his business in such a way that he is in 100% compliance with the laws of the state. While he may in the short run derive more profit by cheating on various laws, by operating illegally he always runs the risk of being caught and suffering a devastating and crippling loss to his business. In other words, although by operating his business illegally he may in the short run make more money, in the long run he will be more profitable by operating in 100% compliance with the state laws.

So you may be wondering what this has to do with the science of self-realization. The answer is that this is a highly relevant analogy. While in the short run we may derive more pleasure out of life by violating the laws of God, in the long run we will experience a far, far superior existence by living in 100% compliance with the laws of God. In other words, I may derive some quick cheap sensual thrills by illicit sexual indulgence, intoxication, meat eating, or gambling, but when my karma comes crashing down on my head I will be anything but happy when I am cast down into the lower species by the stringent laws of nature. But if I will take all help from the bona fide spiritual master and the authorized scriptures I can live a highly profitable satisfying existence in the constant association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna, the source of all existence. This is the goal of all those persons who are actually intelligent.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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Beyond Our Sand Castle Civilization

This material world can be a very confusing place. In fact, ultimately it is simply a place of illusion and confusion and nothing more. We make so many big, big plans for becoming successful and happy in this material but in due course of time all of our plans will be smashed by the stringent laws of material nature. Castles made of sand are washed into the sea. This entire material existence and its accompanying civilization is "sandish." It is just like sand because it will be very soon washed away by the waves of material nature.

This is nicely described in the Bhagavad-gita as follows:

moghasa mogha-karmano
mogha-jnana vicetasah
raksasim asurim caiva
prakrtim mohinim sritah

"Those who are thus bewildered are attracted by demonic and atheistic views. In that deluded condition, their hopes for liberation, their fruitive activities, and their culture of knowledge are all defeated."
--Bhagavad-gita 9.12

Everything here meets with defeat. So many civilizations have come and gone. The Greek empire, the Roman empire, the Spanish empire, the British empire, etc. All have come and gone. The present world order will also be defeated in due course of time and another world order will come along to take its place.

Although this modern world appears to give us security with its big skyscrapers and government institutions, actually it does not. At any moment we can be killed by a terrorist attack, an automobile accident, a heart attack, or any of thousands of other calamities. Such instability and uncertainly is uncongenial for the living being's happiness. He is meant to exist in an atmosphere of complete security and certainty.

If we want actual relief from the shaky situation of material existence, we must follow in the footsteps of Sri Arjuna, the great devotee of Lord Sri Krishna, the original recipient of the message of the Bhagavad-gita. Of course Krishna also spoke the Bhagavad-gita millions of years ago to the sun God, Vivasvan. But in at least in the recent times we can consider Arjuna as the original recipient of the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita.

In the following verse of the Bhagavad-gita we can see the mood of humble submission in which Arjuna, the prototype disciple, approached Sri Lord Krishna, the original guru. Arjuna said:

karpanya-dosopahata-svabhavah
prcchami tvam dharma-sammudha-cetah
yac chreyah syan niscitam bruhi tan me
sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam

"Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me."
---Bhagavad-gita 2.7

Lord Krishna is situated in the Spiritual World far, far beyond the confusion of this material existence. And we, the living beings, are His eternal children. We belong back in the Spiritual World with Him. Somehow or other we got sidetracked somewhere along the line, and now we find ourselves in this bewildering, confusing material existence. If we will simply take shelter of Lord Sri Krishna in the same mood of complete submission as exhibited by Arjuna, we will quickly and easily attain the supreme spiritual perfection, Krishna consciousness, just as Arjuna did. We will enter into a state of complete security and certainly under the absolute protection of Lord Sri Krishna far, far beyond our present day, shaky, sand castle civilization. And even while we remain here in this temporary realm, we will experience our eternal existence, full of knowledge and full of bliss.


Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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Feedback Request: Merging with Brahman

One who has achieved the highest level of conscious realization is said to realize and become one with Brahman. At this point, all individuality as we know it disappears. The individual jiva soul or atma returns to its source from which it will not return of its own volition.

Hare Krishna

Answer: This is Incorrect

Kindly note that this is incorrect. Krishna confirms in the Bhagavad-gita the eternal individuality of all living beings even after liberation. If the ultimate goal of every living being were to merge into God and lose his individual existence, there would be no reason for him to exist in the first place. Therefore this merging-into-Brahman philosophy is imperfect and useless. The actual fact is that the living beings are the eternal emanations of the Supreme Person. He emanates them from Himself for the purpose of enjoying an eternal loving relationship with each and every one of them.

Of course there is state of oneness, a state of perfect harmony which is realized on the perfectional stage. But it is not that in this state of oneness that one loses his individuality. Rather it is a state in which one becomes perfectly in harmony with God and resonates beautifully and wonderfully in full agreement with Him and loving service to Him at every minute.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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Subduing the Senses

At the present moment we are the slaves of our senses. When our senses dictate, "Give me this or give me that", we dutifully accommodate them. What we fail to realize is that the senses are not us and that satisfying them therefore does not satisfy us. If we want actual happiness, we should limit the senses to what they actually need not giving them everything for which they feel greed. In this way we can channel the major portion of our serving propensity towards the Supreme Person, the source of all existence. When we water the root of a tree all the leaves and branches become nourished. Similarly when we serve the Original Person we become fully satisfied and we give full satisfaction to all living beings.


Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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sri-bhagavan uvaca
prajahati yada kaman
sarvan partha mano-gatan
atmany evatmana tustah
sthita-prajnas tadocyate

SYNONYMS
sri-bhagavan uvaca--the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; prajahati-
-gives up; yada--when; kaman--desires for sense gratification; sarvan--
of all varieties; partha--O son of Prtha; manah-gatan--of mental
concoction; atmani--in the pure state of the soul; eva--certainly;
atmana--by the purified mind; tustah--satisfied; sthita-prajnah--
transcendentally situated; tada--at that time; ucyate--is said.

TRANSLATION

The Blessed Lord said: O Partha, when a man gives up all varieties of
sense desire which arise from mental concoction, and when his mind
finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure
transcendental consciousness.

THE PERVADING MEANING

The Bhagavatam affirms that any person who is fully in Krsna
consciousness, or devotional service of the Lord, has all the good
qualities of the great sages, whereas a person who is not so
transcendentally situated has no good qualifications, because he is
sure to be taking refuge in his own mental concoctions. Consequently,
it is rightly said herein that one has to give up all kinds of sense
desire manufactured by mental concoction. Artificially, such sense
desires cannot be stopped. But if one is engaged in Krsna
consciousness, then, automatically, sense desires subside without
extraneous efforts. Therefore, one has to engage himself in Krsna
consciousness without hesitation, for this devotional service will
instantly help one onto the platform of transcendental consciousness.
The highly developed soul always remains satisfied in himself by
realizing himself as the eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord. Such a
transcendentally situated person has no sense desires resulting from
petty materialism; rather, he remains always happy in his natural
position of eternally serving the Supreme Lord.

How to Realize the Highest Enlightenment

Recently one of my friend wrote me expressing his confusion over how it could be possible to live in a state of consciousness completely free from all anxiety. Because we are experiencing every day an unending stream of multi-varieties of anxieties we may naturally be doubtful about becoming 100% anxiety-free. But actually such a state does exist. If it did not exist, how could we hanker for it? Could we hanker for water if water did not exist? No. By nature's way we hanker for things which exist. Therefore our hankering for an anxiety-free state of consciousness proves that such a state does exist.

Now we simply have to find out how to attain it. This not difficult. All we have to do is find someone who has already achieved it and ask him how we can too. Such a person can easily be found provided we are unflinchingly determined to realize this perfection of consciousness, because if our desire is strong, the Lord within our hearts will manifest externally in the form of the bona fide spiritual master to expertly and compassionately guide us how to fully realize this highest state of enlightenment.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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Charles Darwin and the Monkeys

The inconceivably vast population of this material world is situated in 8,400,000 varieties of material forms. There are 900,000 types of aquatics, 2,000,000 kinds of trees and plants, 1,100,000 breeds of worms and reptiles, 1,000,000 classes of birds, 3,000,000 species of beasts and 400,000 different types of human beings. These 8,400,000 different types of forms have not evolved one from the other as foolishly proposed by Charles Darwin. They were all created at the very beginning of the universe by Lord Brahma, the engineer of the universe. So the real meaning of evolution is the gradual transmigration of the living being from lower forms to higher forms through the process known as transmigration of the soul. It is not a process of one species evolving into another species.

So the concept of evolution does not originate with Charles Darwin. He simply presented a concocted, distorted version of the original concept which is taught in the Vedas. According to the speculation of Mr. Darwin, he comes from a monkey-like ancestor. Considering the baselessness of his theory we may be inclined to agree with him and group him with the monkeys. But we know factually from the greatest scientists who have thousands of years ago perfectly unlocked all the secrets of the universe, that we come from the most highly intelligent and powerful living being in the entire universe, Lord Brahma, who was empowered by Lord Krishna to perform the task of creating the 8,400,000 species.


Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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Krishnize the World Right Now

When we speak of Krishna consciousness, we are not speaking of a sectarian religion. We are speaking of the original pure state of consciousness, which is the goal of all genuine religious/self-realization systems. When it comes to a discussion of religion in its original pure form we must describe it as non-different from the process of self-realization because they are completely one and the same. This is why Lord Sri Krishna describes Krishna consciousness as follows in the Bhagavad-gita:

raja-vidya raja-guhyam
pavitram idam uttamam
pratyaksavagamam dharmyam
su-sukham kartum avyayam

"This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed."
---Bhagavad-gita 9.2

Religion in its pure form means self-realization. It does not mean embracing a dogma that if you do not belong to my religion you are going to hell. The real meaning of religion is to re-link the individual self with the Supreme Self or God. Any other form of self-realization or religion is bogus. It is not a genuine religious system or a genuine self-realization system.

The most urgent need in the modern day society to introduce genuine religion or the self-realization science to the world leaders and to the population in general. It cannot be overstressed how much the current world order is in danger of complete break down if we do not as quickly as possible adopt Krishna consciousness as the foundation of the global society. There is no greater necessity in today's society than the wide scale introduction of the science of Krishna consciousness.

All I can do is fall down at your feet and humbly beg you to fully dedicate your life to awakening the dormant Krishna consciousness within your heart and to revolutionizing this planet by telling everyone you meet about this sublime science. There is no other life worth living. Please take my words and fully dedicate yourself to Lord Krishna right now.


Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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What to Do When Your Mind is Very Disturbed!

Krishna consciousness is that state of mind in which one is completely free from all disturbance. But a neophyte devotee who is still trying to develop his Krishna consciousness is not purely absorbed in Krishna consciousness yet and therefore sometimes experiences disturbances of mind as he struggles to advance himself along the path of bhakti.

What should he do when such disturbances arise? He should certainly not abandon the pathway of Krishna consciousness thinking that because he could not quickly achieve the supreme perfection that therefore the process of Krishna consciousness does not work.

Just as a woman who gets married cannot expect to have a baby immediately, the process of Krishna consciousness takes time. We must be patient while we confidently await the attainment of the desired result, pure love of God.

The main thing to do when your mind gets disturbed is to keep your spirit of dedication to Krishna 100% alive. Do not lose your faith in the process. Understand that the mental difficulties you are experiencing are merely the burning off of your past sinful activities. There is a wonderful verse in the Srimad Bhagavatam, which can be very helpful in times of distress:

tat te 'nukampam su-samiksamano
bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam
hrd-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak

"My dear Lord, any person who is constantly awaiting Your causeless mercy to be bestowed upon him, and who goes on suffering the resultant actions of his past misdeeds, offering You respectful obeisances from the core of his heart, is surely eligible to become liberated, for it has become his rightful claim."
--Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.8

If you can remain steadfast in spite of the difficulties, Lord Krishna will recognize your impeccable sincerity and will reward you with rapid advancement along the path of bhakti.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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Hare Krishna

In this material world devastating experiences can occur at any second without warning. Therefore we must cultivate resilience, the ability to handle shocking experiences without being overwhelmed. The transcendentalist, the person who is fixed in Krishna consciousness, is fully equipped in this regard. Armed with transcendental knowledge he sees through the eyes of the scriptures how everything is happening within the perfect arrangement of Lord Krishna for the deliverance of the fallen, conditioned souls of this world back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore he never becomes bewildered or confused in any circumstance. He puts his complete faith and trust in Lord Krishna and is thus always able to remain peaceful.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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Holistic Solution

While the human society is being besieged by an overwhelming plethora of woes, its leaders are naively trying to solve them one at a time in an atomistic fashion that does take into account the underlying principle which is the root cause of all the problems. Such an approach will never be successful because it does not recognize the cancer, which if left unchecked will gradually dismantle the modern civilization.

That cancer is the false sense of proprietorship. Even though we come to this world with nothing and leave this world with nothing, here we are in the middle claiming, "This is my property," and fighting over the stolen bread.

We have to realize that nothing is ours, that everything is the property of that supreme person Who is the source of all existence. If we recognize the supreme proprietor and engage everything in His service, immediate world wide peace and prosperity will be the wonderful result. Now we simply must realize this ourselves as reflected in our thoughts, words, and deeds and convince everyone else to see reality as it actually is. This is our duty and our mission. This holistic approach to all the world's problems will be highly effective and completely successful.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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Question: Is Krishna the Doer of Our Misdeeds?

You mention that not even a blade of grass moves without Krishna's will. Does this also mean that whatever bad we do or behave is because Krishna is doing it and not ourselves? Can we just blame Him and continue doing it? Please, explain it to me as I find it very difficult to understand.

Hare Krishna

Answer: We are the Doers of Our Misdeeds

What happens to you is under the sanction of Krishna. But what you do, whether you choose to obey the orders of Krishna or disobey those orders, is under your control. If you disobey His orders, you will suffer. And if you choose to obey His orders, you will reap the unlimited benefit of realizing and being fully reinstated in your eternal, full of knowledge, and full of bliss identity as His servant in that most wondrous spiritual sky.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

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