Hare Krsna! All glories to Prabhupada! I was wondering. Krsna says to abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto me. Does that mean we shouldnt learn other religions and not really be part of them? Or does it mean we should stop learning them and only be part of Krsna consciousness? Is there anywhere else in scripture that talks about that cause I really want to please Krsna and not offend but I don't know if I can at least learn about them..? Hare Krsna!
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Hare KRsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
To add to what the others have already mentioned. Krsna Consciousness is also vaaaast. Why not learn about Krsna Consciousness and add your realisations to learnings to enrich it further. This way, your journey towards Krsna will be full of joy, learning and eternal (sat, cit anand mentioned in reverse order).
You could start with reading and understanding Bhagavad Gita, graduate to Srimad Bhagawatam and then Chaitanya Caritamrta. Keep reading, contemplating and realising. If you do this, there will be automatically changes in your own lifestyle. Then you will get up early and do deity worship at normal hours, and not think of 8 pm to 12 midnignt for this. Suppose you have already done these, there is a lot more literature to dig into and relish. Once you are through with this, more will be revealed to you.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Haribol,
Yes, I am aware this is ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada is our everything. Just wanted to point out the title of the question;"Abandon all varieties of religion"
First of all ; you all are very good in quoting scriptures, whilst I just read them and (of lack of braincells) can't memorize them, but enchew them long enough to place the puzzle together to get the knowledge wich is meant. No offence, defenitly, certainly NOT want to make devotees angry, just I wonder how much one knows about the things reading or one just like to memorize it and quote, but does not understand it. Reading, memorizing is different then understanding it. Fact. ( met several people who yell at me with BG and other quotes and I asked them what they realized and how they apply it in life, some were really astonished and kept quoting things, but did not take it to action in daily life at all...sad)
According to what I so far read in so many purana's and vedic scriptures etc etc.. religion definition os is; One's occupation of ones daily buisness to live it's life according to the rules and regulations set up for the person following. So... religion is technically not always 'God' in the center if you talk about the 'normal/meleccha's'-non God people' work as it is to maintain your body in non God's perspective is also a religion, everything which is 'holy' to your occupation of ongoing doing of the day and or life is kida a religion. Aka the way you do things wich you are attached to and want to conserve to keep doing because it feels good to you or if not do it that way you feel destressed/confioused or not well.
So the religion Krishna talks about and Srila Prabhupada is; chant, chant, chant...4 principles and bhakti yoga. To stay on the path of the spiritual succesors to gain devotional service and groom your love for God. to go back to Godhead. In fact all material creation is so called female, God is only male there is, our seed giving Father. So all we do is (definitly NOT sexistic/antifeministic meaningbut) act like a woman do; please her husband and give him love by all means so he will take you colse to hearth...a bit creepy if you say it like this,...grooming... but that is the core of the matter!
We al render devotional service, chant 1,4,16,64,128 rounds a day and offer all we can work/find for to please His lotusfeet to beg more devotional service to finally go back to godhead. We are the yelling kids who , are very naughty from time to time... and not listen to Father, yell HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA, KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE/ HARE RAMA, HARE RAMA, RAMA RAMA HARE HARE! Than He hears us and well, by His mercy (not calculation , that is impersionalism/or karma kanda or karmic-devotional whishfulthinking)we are allowed to come back home. That is fact! One if sencire chant only 1, 1 time His name could enter His home (not fair in the eye's of one who chant 128 rounds a day for 60 years, but yes, it is mercy, not a stockmarket, casino or penny shop to buy a ticket to Vaikuntha! Than you do not understan His ways)
Ayways, the question is very good!
So leave your daily buisness (think of all occupation/work/hobby/all you do wich is not pleasing The Lord or is just leisure fill-up-time nonsence like surf the internet because you are borde or watch movies because you do not know what to do or think of gatherings wich you only get more entangled by maya /aka stress and missery of others, skip social things if they make your money flow away and you get trouble to keep up be in contact with them etc etc, thoose kind of religions is meant) only do what is nescecery to maintain your body (irony, you are not this body you are the soul! But you need body to get your soul move around to get items to please His Lotusfeets)and do chant, do service to Him (direct or indirect, by following your guru/or take Prabhupada's books as guru)follow the 4 principles and you might be seen by Him and He will deffinitly will take care of you. That's all.
I hope no one feels offended, this is just how I am and how I react, may Krishna understand my brain that's what matters
Hare Krishna!
Hare Krishna Damen Prabhu,
Look at the purport and read first few lines you will understand what Srila Prabhupada ment about religion. I am pasting the exact lines
Purport 18.66--
Purport
The Lord has described various kinds of knowledge and processes of religion – knowledge of the Supreme Brahman, knowledge of the Supersoul, knowledge of the different types of orders and statuses of social life, knowledge of the renounced order of life, knowledge of nonattachment, sense and mind control, meditation, etc. He has described in so many ways different types of religion. Now, in summarizing Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that Arjuna should give up all the processes that have been explained to him; he should simply surrender to Kṛṣṇa.
There are many ways to reach God. but the shortest and surest way is to hold the feet of Sri Krishna.
the ways which are mentioned in whole BG thru all the chapters are GYAN YOG ( understand the Supreme Brahman thru intellect) and distinguishing between real and unreal.
RAJ Yoga/Dhyan yoga-- thru meditation and yogic practices, Karma Yoga ( performing duties without getting attached to to the results of the karma).. and many other things Lord has told Arjuna in the previous chapters about astang yoga sadhana, how to control mind, breathing control that this..
Finally Lord said one line.. Just surrender to me .".you need not do anything much I will take care of you "
Here even Lord mentions to Arjuna- you need not even do your material duties ( like duties of a grandson, or duties of a disciple to his guru( Drona) , all duties of being a relative to every person whom he was feeling sad that he might kill them in the war)..
Just surrender to ME, forget about everything else.
Every religion teaches only to Surrender to higher power that is " GOD" ..isn't it.
Names of the God are many. But God cannot be hindu God, muslim God. Christian God. God is God only one. Rest all are prophets or messengers who came from time to time to spread awareness about God and make people follow the righteous path.
God made all people with same body patterns... everybody has the same flesh same blood .. the types may be different. Basically physcically all are made up of same components or ingredients.
There is nothing called Christian blood being different from Hindu blood. isn't it?
Then God must be only one. YES. God is Only SRI KRISHNA
Rest all who came from time to time to spread awareness about God and make people follow righteous path were only messengers of God.
So take good things from all scriputres and understand that God is one. And Surrendering to HIM is what is needed, nothing else is needed. As simple as that.
Hare Krishna.
Thanks Gayatri! You give me things to think about! Thank you! All glories to Prabhupada! Hare Krsna!
Hare Krsna
Does that mean we shouldnt learn other religions and not really be part of them? Or does it mean we should stop learning them and only be part of Krsna consciousness? Is there anywhere else in scripture that talks about that cause I really want to please Krsna and not offend but I don't know if I can at least learn about them..?
It means that after surrendering to Sri Krsna there is no need to do all these things. Should a student not learn Class 2 subjects after passing Class 10 ? - This question is meaningless because a person who has passed class 10 is expected to have already have learnt lessons from Class 2.
Similarly a person who is fully surrendered to Sri Krsna completely does not need to learn anything else. The goal of every authentic religion is to surrender to Krsna's supremacy at the least. After surrendering to Sri Krsna a devotee will be fully absorbed in Krsna consciousness irrespective of what he does externally.
Hare Krsna
Thanks Bharat! You have some good points! All glories to Prabhupada! Hare Krsna!
Thanks Gaur Nitai! All glories to Prabhupada! Gives me stuff to think about.. Hare Krsna!