Thanks for allowing me to share this space with you all I hope to follow in your foot steps to escape this materialistic life. I want to 100% serve krishna can anyone give me some guidance on what I should be reading or what I can do it start on this journey the nearest temple near me is Houston but I do not have a car but I want to be fully involved. Hare krishna 🙏🏼
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Thank you all
Hare Krishna prabhu,
https://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/suggested-orderscheme-of
pls start reading category 1 books they are small books and easy to read and complete. They will provide you some background to take up next category books.
first slowly read and understand if you have any doubts you can ask here in forum.
Vedabase.com is a excellent website you can read from here.
Or if you like hard copy of books, and cannot read books online go ahead and buy books online. There are various places where you can purchase online.
https://krishnastore.com/prabhupada-library-h-krishna-1734.html
this is also nice website to purchase books to have a hard copy is always better. personally I feel touching and feeling the paper and reading from a book is far better then reading from online.
But if cannot afford and want to read online then go for --->> https://vedabase.io/en/
Happy reading. First you read nicely, will get totally involved automatically, by the divine grace of Lord Sri Krishna.
Take blessings of Srila Prabhupada the founder of ISKCON, and author of all the books, and proceed in Bhakti yoga.
All the best!!!
Hare Krishna.
Hare Krishna Prabhu ji!
PAMHO
I might not be the best person to answer for I'm not a good devotee myself, But I would just tell you what I have heard and read ...
You can start with reading the Bhagavad Gita... From that you'll understand the position of lord Krishna thus there would be no shortcomings to understanding his pastimes. After understanding Bhagavad Gita, the are many more nectarean scriptures like Shrimad Bhagavatam.
You should chant the lord's name wherever you are and whatever you are doing. an you should also keep count of how many times you chanted, so for that you can use the japa mala and to keep the japa mala clean, use the bead bag
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBqNUisRtmo
And since you can't go to the temple that often (it's okay! once you get a vehicle, you can go there everyday too!) You create a temple in your house! you serve your deities do kirtan for them and eat their prasadam. And for devotee association, you can have it on youtube and zoom (online association) and go to the temple once a week, maybe on sunday. I know it will be hard but I had heard- "the way, on valentine's day come what may, we take out time for our love (materialistic love) we should take out time for Krishna for he is our true love!"
and to do service to Krishna we should know that he accepts everything, big and small. So whatever our situation is, we can still love him and serve him. Here are the nine devotional services (the main ones)
HEARING (sravanam) Maharaja Pariksit(the last seven days of his life, he constantly heard the Srimad Bhagavatam).
2. CHANTING (kirtanam) Sukadeva Goswami(spoke the Bhagavatam to Maharaja Pariksit)
3. REMEMBERING( visnu smaranam) Prahlada Maharaja(never forgot Krsna despite constant tortures from his father- Hiranyakashipu)
4. SERVING THE LORD’S LOTUS FEET (pada sevanam) Laxmi, the Goddess of Fortune, is always engaged in serving the lotus feet of the Lord.
5. DEITY-WORSHIP (arcanam) Maharaja Prthu used all of his royal possessions in order to offer them in pure devotion to the Lord.
6.PRAYING (vandanam) Akura offered prayers to Krsna when he was traveling to Vrndavana in order to see Krsna.
7. EXECUTING ORDERS (dasyam) Hanuman, the intimate servant of Ramacandra executed all of Sri Ramacandra’s orders despite all kinds of difficulties.
8. SERVING AS A FRIEND (sakhyam) Arjuna was so close to Krsna, that the Lord offered Himself to become his chariot driver and serve Arjuna and his brothers in various ways.
9. COMPLETE SURRENDER (atma nivedanam) Bali Maharaja gave Sri Vamanadeva his entire kingdom, his possessions as well as his own body, although his own spiritual master was against it.
and just remember one more thing prabhu ji, Please accept a Bonafied spiritual master who is in complete surrender towards godhead. Without one, spiritual life can end very quickly, and never make any offences toward the holy name, the devotees, The Lord, Shrimati Radha Rani, Tulasi devi etc. you'll get to know the rest as you move forward in spiritual life
Good luck!
Hare Krishna!