Hare Krishna to all
More often i Struggled with the intensity of Maya , on many occasions it tricked me into the pit of miseries , but i had never loosened my intensity of love for god , but still I'm neophyte to this process and i always feared not to fall back again , that fear sometimes take over my senses and then mind and then intelligence , i always ended up in performing subtle actions and my thoughts got disturbed and they tend to disturb other elements of my consciousness , i know that, deep devotion and pure consciousness will lead us to perfect stability , but still sometimes my consciousness didn't allow devotional consciousness to carry on , At that moment I'm aware of my acts and their consequences , and I'm fully aware about god's presence , but there were some elements which puts me into very deep disturbance, what is way through which i can truly revive my pure consciousness eternally , I only did aspire for this thing "TRUE CONSCIOUSNESS" , through which i can see the world and this whole cosmos , connected to Supreme personality of godhead "KRISHNA".
It's my first question on this Website , So I'an very grateful towards lord that he had given me this opportunity to ask about my intense doubt , it would be an uprising moment for me if all the vaishnava members get connected to my question and bless me with their pure devotional knowledge.
HARE KRISHNA
yours truly loving servant
Rijul
Replies
Dear Rijul,
You are not alone . Here are excerpts of letters from Krishna devotees inside prisons.
1)There are no insurmountable obstacles for devotee inmates to practice Krsna consciousness
“We welcome our time at the chapel on Friday mornings when we can take shelter of Krsna’s lotus feet and associate with one another; A little time for safe haven, encouragement, recharging, genuine friendship and fellowship.
A guy in the dorm this morning indicated an interest in reading the gita. Bhakta Robert informed him these are copies in the chapel library available for check out.
Yes, I chant at least 16 rounds daily. A minimum of 16 rounds, there is plenty of time! The distractions you mentioned certainly present obstacles, but it has been my experiences that any inmate devotee wishing to make Krsna consciousness a priority in life, there are no obstacles that cannot be successfully overcome. This is much easier said than done! But certainly done nevertheless!
And on remembering Krsna at the time of death, when will that moment be? We cannot know, therefore it behooves us to ALWAYS chant Hare Krsna, incessantly, 24 and 7, with a sense of urgency pleading for Krsna to engage us please in His service. It is the perfect option over being helplessly driven by the mind and senses.”
Gerald Niles
Daytona Beach, FL
2) I have a direction and purpose in my life
“For so many years I was strung out on different chemicals thinking it was the way to cope with life and that it would bring me peace and joy. But I found out that it only gave me peace and happiness on a temporary level and the more I used the more I wanted. I was never satisfied. I was always looking for that quick thrill thinking I could find it I booze, sleeping around, partying, doing risky behavior or whatever else would be a turn-on. I was happy on the outside, but deep down inside my inner soul something was missing. So I decided to try out different religions, but none brought me any peace of mind or comfort until I came into contact with the Hare Krsna movement and since then I have experienced true joy and peace. I have a direction and purpose in my life. Not only do I feel peace and happiness on the outside, but I also feel that peace and happiness on the inside. That only this K.C. movement has given me along with devotee association and the reading of Prabhupada’s books and the chanting of the mantra: HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE / HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE”
Bhakta Gordon Shaw
3) I never thought I’d find freedom in a prison cell
“Recently I acquired a copy of Bhagavad-Gita As It Is. I can assure you it is the only scripture on this unit. Sadly, it is the only piece of ancient wisdom that I have been able to find and I was very lucky to get it because it most truly has changed my life. I am 47 years old, and most of my life, starting when I was about 13 years of age, I have studied various yoga, methods, and beliefs of the sub-continent. I was, and am, at least somewhat acquainted with hatha yoga, meditation, pranayama, and japa. As a young man I read many of the most noble of works such as the Ramayana and the Dhammapada. But I was not introduced to bhakti until I read Prabhupada’s magnificent translation of the Gita. After reading it, what else could I do but surrender totally to Lord Sri Krishna?
Now, I am a newcomer to bhakti and Krsna consciousness. I have so many questions and am starved for information. But there is no scripture or anything here. The Lord has been very kind to me. I chant the maha-mantra and it creates freedom inside me that I never thought I’d find in a prison cell. Krishna is my Lord and he is my All and it has taken me many years to come face to face with him.
I am starving for information. I think that this is the most important thing there is, knowing Krishna.”
Mark Davis
Iowa Park, Texas
http://www.iskconprisonministry.us/node/118
Haribol always,
Krsnaraja Melvin
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
I cannot say I have understood your question fully. You have described your state of mind and desire for peace.
The fact is that as long as we are in the material world, we will be affected by the 3 modes of material nature. To overcome this, one has to do the ABCD of devotion - Association, Books, Chanting and Diet. This has to be done alongwith 16 rounds of chanting the mahamantra attentively and sincerely, every single day, without fail.
When we start doing devotional service, we start to get over our karma and anarthas of previous births. The more the pile of karma gets nullified, the more attracted we become to the name, qualifities, attributes and pastimes of the lord, the more we want to do devotional service.
There are always days when we may find it difficult to do our committed rounds or follow the 4 regulative principles. Those days we need to be careful and still follow everything as if its a prescribed medicine for us.
The way to control lust is to control the tongue - engage the tongue in chanting the mahamantra, in eating only Krsna prasadam and refraining from prajalpa (useless wordly talk).
This is the way to progress prabhuji.
Please remember that complete bliss is for a stone. There will always be upheavals - of happiness and distress, pain and pleasure. They are like waves on the shore of an ocean. What can you do to stop the waves at a sea shore. We have to understand that these onslaughts of postiive and negative thoughts are like waves and continue unabated with our devotion. That is progress. When the next time you feel the onslaught of maya, understand that "this too will pass" and be calm and wait for it to pass.
I hope I have addressed your issue.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
If some spiritual teacher encourage his students in economic developement, he for sure is not qualified Guru or teacher:
However, Yoga of all kinds does make a (great deal"to promote good karmic evolution.
"It's a goodThing, as is self control & joy/moral so,&so on &on-Krishna is safishent in joy strength knowing & generosity .
He wants (Us) to make (Him) our mission.
The (Yoga of attraction)"
Bhaktee simply keeps the karma strategy & Laws of (Recipracation into play.
It better to practice being endearing towards (His's creation & experiencing the integrated benefits of the instant Narvonnah of our exalted exposure to all the versatility of the dynamic identical energies of God's Hear.
God's proposes the Future!
Mistuef is futile happiness w/out Krishna is a nonThing'-FalseEgo+Karma= impersonal abandonment of all.
Salution; abandonment of the attachment to/kamaOf & attraction for diversity & play of natuer and study Krishna? Side-affects;
a higherTaste& a greater appreciation (mom.good Luck) forgive please all offences Krishna's the hearts of all!
Welcome to ISKCON.
Your struggle is the reason you are living in this world. If we were already perfectly situated in transcendental knowledge and blissful association with the Lord Krishna, then we wouldn't need to be here in this world of miseries. So our inability to fully serve Krishna to His ultimate satisfaction and our resultant suffering are just symptoms of living in this polluted material world; and the reason we are living in this material world is because we have desires for personal gratification other than serving Krishna.
We are all sinners and offenders unless we are the purest devotees, which, as Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, are very rare. But, he assures us that by only beginning the process of devotional service, we are saved from the most dangerous types of fear, and we will never fall down fully into the material pool again. If a yogi sincerely engages in making progress, after many births he will come to the stage of yogic perfection and reach Krishna.
Arjuna asked Krishna about how it is that a man who is endeavoring to control his senses can be carried away by the slightest temptation. Krishna says it is lust only, which is caused by contemplation on the objects of the senses. So our goal is to eventually form our life such that the only object of our contemplation is Krishna, by serving Him 24/7.
This is the goal. For now we have to work torwards it one step at a time because full Krishna consciousness doesn't come overnight. Keep chanting and slowly the material contamination will become apparent to you and it will begin to rot away.
This is my experience.
Hare Krishna
Peace and love