“Don’t Drink and Drive” is a well known caption that government puts on the roads as posters. The meaning of it is obvious, that is one should not be intoxicated while driving the vehicles. But what a foolishness, if a person misunderstood the above caption by taking the literal meaning of it and is not drinking any water or any required liquid substance. It is clear that, to understand the meaning of the above one line, one should know the intention of government or the consequences of driving while being intoxicated..Similarly, to understand the statements in scriptures one should know their purpose and intentions. When the scriptures say that we should not talk or we should not do anything, it means that we should not talk nonsense or we should not do any unnecessary work. The authors of the authorized scriptures know very well the reactions and sufferings that we will undergo if we spend our time in talking something useless and are working for something which will not solve the purpose of soul. But if we misunderstood the scriptures and decided not to talk anything about Krishna or is not willing to render any service unto Krishna; what a great loss for soul it is…Drinking water is essential for a person to maintain his body, similarly talking about Krishna and rendering service unto Him is an essential activity of the soul. When a person is thirsty, only water can satisfy him and nothing else. Similarly only Holy Names of Lord Govinda and service unto Him can only satisfy a person who is suffering in this material world. A athlete requires and drinks more water than a normal person does, similarly if a devotee advances in spiritual life, he takes more shelter of Holy Name and will be rendering more Service to Krishna; this is natural.All the four Vedas are meant to take us back to Supreme Personality of Godhead step by step. If one knows the essence of Vedas and follows a bonafide authority, he will be soon situated in his eternal constitutional position of serving Krishna. By the blessings of the Bonafide authorities we can understand the scriptures properly and thereby we can satisfy Krishna in a proper manner.Hare Krishna.
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As long as we are in the material world our mind will be showing alternatives for us to have sense gratification. To engage in un-deviated and un-motivated devotional service, we should be capable of saying no to these material impulses.At the initial stages of devotional service, we may say no to these impulses externally. But to say no these impulses whole heartedly, our desires has to be nullified or changed or in other words change of heart is required.By regular attendance in classes on the Bhagavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact (Naistiki-Bhakti).(SriMad Bhag 1.2.18).
The remedy for eliminating all in auspicious things with in the heart is the association of Bhagavatas. There are two types of Bhagavatas, namely the book Bhagavata and the devotee Bhagavata. The devotee Bhagavata is a direct representative of Bhagavan, the Personality of Godhead. So by pleasing the devotee Bhagavata one can receive the benefit of the book Bhagavata. Human reasoning fails to understand how by serving the devotee Bhagavata or the book Bhagavata one gets gradual promotion on the path of devotion.As soon as Naistiki-Bhakti or irrevocable/fixed loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature's modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy.According to Vishvanatha Cakravarthi Thakura's Bhagvatam commentary, the goodness wherein the devotee is eastablished due to immovable loving devotional service (Naistiki-Bhakti) is not material sattva Guna, rather it is Suddha-Satva.Sources: 1) Srimad Bhagavatham (Translation and commentary by Srila Prabhupad)2) Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu (Translation by H.H.Bhanu Swami Maharaj)Hare Krishna.
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All scriptures stress the importance of Guru (a Spiritual Master) for our spiritual advancement. This is an humble attempt to present the importance of Spiritual Master.In our daily life we will come across many things and incidences, some things we are aware of it and some we will learn from others depending on our interest and from what they know. When we come to spiritual scenario, the perspective seems to be complicated even though it is not. Spiritual Master is the one who gives us the perception or understanding of Spiritual world.Look at the following diagram which shows different scenarios about the perception that we have in our daily life...Here we have four scenarios:Scenario 1: This scenario talks about general behavior in the society or our habits that we know and people around us also knows.Scenario 2: This scenario talks about our personal things. Everyone will have some personal things that others don't know, so obviously we only know about it but not others.Scenario 3: As we will think that we know everything about us, we don't want to think about this scenario, but people who are observing us may have different perception on us and on our actions. We may think that we are doing it right but others may perceive it as a mistake. If we took their view in a positive and proper manner, our dealings with them will be better; this needs the mentality of learning from others.The above scenario's 1,2 and 3 describe our daily acitivities. The next scenario is quite surprising, but it is very important than any other scenario that we observed so far...Scenario 4:This scenario is the most difficult to understant, as we can't expect that something exists that we don't know and the surrounding people also don't know about us. It seems to be very complicated but the answer is simple but sticks with the basic knowledge i.e., our real identity.We may say that I know my identity saying that I am this body, but it will lead to many basic unanswerable questions like why i am subjected to so many miseries, who am i, why i am here and why should i die. Answers for these questions, nor we know nor the people surrounding us knows. But there's a person who knows the answers for these questions, He knows why we are here and he knows why we should die , He is none other than Krishna, The Supreme Personality of GodHead. He knows everything about us, He knows what we know about us, He knows what others know about us and He also knows what we don't know about us and what others don't know about us. He knows our real identity, He is the Master of all masters and He is the cause of all causes. There's nothing unknown to Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead.In a company generally a boss will give instructions to his fellow beings through his representatives. Similarly Krishna also sends his instructions through his representative, and this representative is considered as Spiritual Master. Krishna through His representative or Spiritual Master will guide us or He will mentor us to know about our real identity and He will help is to work at the level of our real identity.To work in a firm, we should know what we are in the firm; similarly to work at the level of our real identity we should know what our real identity is. When we start working at the level of our real identity, it will solve all the problems that we are facing and also the problems that we are going to face.As the scriptures mentions that to find a Spiritual Master who is representative of Krishna is very difficult.In Bhagavad-gita:4-34 Krishna says " Just try to learn the truth by approaching a Spritual Master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto Him. The self realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth."A bonafide Spiritual Master is by nature very kind toward the disciple. Therefore when the student is submissive and is always ready to render service, the reciprocation of knowledge and inquires becomes perfect.Knowing our real identiy is not something mundane. All glories to Srila Prabhupad, who has given the chance for all the people in this world to think about our real identiy in a structured way, All glories to Guru and Gouranga.I will humbly offer this little article as a flower unto the Lotus Feet of my Spiritual Master (H.H Lokanath Swami Maharaj)Hare Krishna.
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Big Bang a scientific theory, developed from observations of the structure of universe and from theoretical considerations. Everybody knows that the theory of big-bang generally refers to the idea that the "universe has expanded from a primordial hot and dense initial condition at some finite time in the past, and continues to expand to this day.”..If we closely observe the theory of big bang there are certain things which remain unexplained or certain things that are not considered while postulating Big-Bang theory. For instance there’s no explanation why and from where this dense matter came from. It also fails to explain why this dense matter should start expanding at a one time without any cause. This theory clearly states that it is based on some baseless assumptions.The big-bang theory came into picture while performing astronomical research with Hubble telescope to analyze the structure of universe. They would have analyzed the universe to some extent using this theory but the basic theory implicitly holds the hidden fact that “there’s no cause for big-bang” (or) to be specific “there’s no cause for the creation of universe”(As there's no cause why does that lump of matter exists and why it expanded).Some scientists may argue that ‘as they could able to explain the structure of universe with the big-bang theory the conclusion they arrived in the origin of universe is also correct’. May be their analysis is correct up to some extent, it does not mean that their conclusion about the origin of universe should be correct. It is as good as blind people coming to their own conclusions by analyzing the elephant with their limited knowledge.Blind people cannot understand elephant with their limited understanding and analysis; they require proper guidance or source through which they can find out the real nature of elephant without much difficulty.The formation of universe is best explained by the “Vedas” which is present at the time of universe creation. “Vedas” is like a manual for universe, just like their will be manual for the mobile when mobile comes into market, in which the manual explains the entire functionality of mobiles. Similarly the “Vedas” explains the functionality and formation of universe.It’s not true that all the scientists will come to the conclusion that there’s no creator for the universe. There are scientists who confirm the existence of creator behind the universe.Some of the statements of popular scientists in their words…"Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe - a spirit vastly superior to that of man...” - Albert Einstein“It is the perfection of God's works that they are all done with the greatest simplicity” - Isaac NewtonSir Isaac Newton further continues to say that “Can it be by accident that all birds beasts & men have their right side & left side alike shaped (except in their bowels) & just two eyes & no more on either side the face & just two ears on either side the head & a nose with two holes & no more between the eyes & one mouth under the nose & either two four legs or two wings or two arms on the shoulders & two legs on the hips one on either side & no more?. Did blind chance know that there was light & what was its refraction & fit the eyes of all creatures after the most curious manner to make use of it? These & such like considerations always have & ever will prevail with man kind to believe that there is a being who made all things & has all things in his power”.According to Vedic studies which came by discipline succession; Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is the creator of the entire cosmic manifestation. Srila Prabhupad who is in the line of authorized discipline succession and founder ‘acharya’ of “ISKCON” says that if a person is really inquisitive and little bit intelligent he will understand that there is a creator behind the universe.Srila Prabhupad often quotes that “Krishna Consciousness is for intelligent class of people. If a person is really intelligent, he will take up Krishna Consciousness”. In fact Prabhupad challenges that “why don’t you try and see whether Krishna Consciousness fits your life or not" while addressing the general in public.This is an open invitation for all to take up the Krishna Consciousness seriously to know the truth about universe and also our personal life.|| Hare Krishna||
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