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What is Sadhana

“My dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without deviation, then follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga. In this way develop a desire to attain Me.” (Bg. 12.9)

Good sadhana is the basis of steady advancement in Krishna consciousness. Brahmacari life is traditionally centered around sadhana: chanting mantras, studying the scriptures, and worship.

Shrila Prabhupada gave us a standard morning program of mangala-arati, tulasi-arati, Deity greeting, guru-puja, a

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This material world in which we live is too strong to deal with. As a soul we have a unique ability to adapt ourselves to any situation, however unpleasant it might be. Once Indra, the king of heaven, committed some grievous mistake and as a result he was cursed by sage Narada to take birth on earthly planet as a hog. So, Indra became a hog and started living on earth. In due course of time he grew, got married and became the proud father of dozens of piglets. He even became the leader of the ho

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Two Wolves Within Us

Hare Krsna

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Two Wolves Within Us

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all."

"One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego."

"The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolen

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Criticism is something all of us must face

Hare Krsna

Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Criticism is something all of us must face

The truth is, critics are a fact of life, and criticism is something all of us must face. In fact, the only way to avoid criticism is to live an isolated life where people aren’t exposed to your work, personality, or behavior. Sometimes the criticism we receive is valuable, even helpful. 

If you think about it, a landslide political victory would be one where the winner received 6

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Attitude in Devotional Service

One of the most important statements about Krishna consciousness is in Shrila Prabhupada’s Preface to the Nectar of Instruction: “Advancement in Krishna consciousness depends on the attitude of the follower.” Shrila Prabhupada has stated that anyone can become a pure devotee of Krishna immediately, if he simply desires to. Advancement in devotional service means to purify our desires, and pure devotional service means to be fully absorbed in serving Krishna without even the subtlest desire for a

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Sex - The cause of Unlimited Suffering

“Of all kinds of suffering and bondage arising from various attachments, none is greater than the suffering and bondage arising from attachment to women and intimate contact with those attached to women.” (SB 11.14.30)

Because the experience and urges of sex are so intense, and the syndrome of man/woman relationships surrounding it is so complex, it diverts the conditioned soul’s attention away from Krishna and deludes him more than any other trick of maya. Sometimes the foolish conditioned soul

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Mundane sex desires

The conditioned soul in the material world is in a state of madness. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma. (SB 5.5.4) Forgetting his eternal, blissful relationship with Krishna, he is suffering life after life, being kicked and spat upon by maya. But he is smiling, taking it as enjoyment. Why? Because he is charmed by the glitter of false happiness, beginning with sex pleasure. Sex desire is the main symptom of insanity exhibited by the conditioned soul.

Such foolish beings are always intrigued and cha

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Brahmachari is also a designation

Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu declared: “I am not a brahmana, a kshatriya, a vaishya, or a shudra. I am not a brahmacari, a grihastha, a vanaprastha, or a sannyasi. I identify myself only as the servant of the servant of Krishna, the maintainer of the gopis.”(Cc. Madhya 13.80) The goal of life is not to be a brahmacari, nor a grihastha, nor even a sannyasi. It is to be a pure devotee of Krishna. Shrila Prabhupada often quoted from the Narada-pancaratra:

sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hri

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In any building, at the beginning of the construction, the foundation is the only visible thing that is, but in due course of time everything is seen except the foundation. But it is the foundation that supports the growth, the expansion & the sustenance of a structure. So this ashram began with certain foundational principles and upon that foundation so much has been built. Expansion of the temple, building itself, expansion of the number of deities, expansion of the Brahmachari ashram, congreg

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Association with a Sadhu

SB Canto 3

If we want to associate with a sādhu, we cannot expect him to give us instructions on how to improve our material condition, but he will give us instructions on how to cut the knot of the contamination of material attraction and how to elevate ourselves in devotional service. That is the result of associating with a sādhu.
SB 3.25.20, Translation and Purport

Every learned man knows very well that attachment for the material is the greatest entanglement of the spirit soul. But that same

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Srila Rupa Gosvami on Material Attraction

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī indirectly instructs that one who has been captivated by the beautiful smiling face of Kṛṣṇa has lost all attraction for material enjoyments. This is the test of advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness: a person advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness must lose interest in material activities and personal sense gratification.

Krsna Book 29:

While all the gopīs were hurriedly leaving their respective places, their husbands, brothers and fathers were all struck with wonder to know where they

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Light of the Bhagavata

This false identification and attraction for matter gradually dry up and fade away by success in the cultivation of the human spirit. That is the effect of such higher cultivation. Progress in spiritual culture brings about the disintegration of false ego and material attraction.
Light of the Bhagavata 36, Translation and Purport:
36. With the progress of the autumn season the moist earth and muddy places begin to dry up, and the green vegetation begins to fade. This drying u
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Teaching of Lord Caitanya on Chanting

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

By developing chanting and hearing, one can advance further and further in regulative devotional service to the Supreme Lord. As one so advances, his misgivings about devotional service and his attraction for the material world proportionately diminish.
Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 13:

If, due to some righteous activities which provoke devotional service, one is influenced by the service attitude and takes shelter of the good association of pure devotees, he develo

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The story of Srutadeva

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

There was a householder brāhmaṇa in the city of Mithilā, the capital of the kingdom of Videha. This brāhmaṇa, whose name was Śrutadeva, was a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Because he was fully Kṛṣṇa conscious and always engaged in the service of the Lord, he was completely peaceful in mind and detached from all material attraction.
Krsna Book 86:

There was a householder brāhmaṇa in the city of Mithilā, the capital of the kingdom of Videha. This brāhmaṇa, who

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What is Material Attraction Part 02

SB Canto 8

SB 8.1.15, Purport

The living entities are actually minute forms who are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is full in everything, and the small particles of the Lord are also originally qualified like Him, but because of their minute existence, they are infected by material attraction and thus entangled. We must therefore follow the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and then, like Kṛṣṇa, who is never entangled by His material activities of creatio

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What is Material Attraction Part 01

Bhagavad-gita As It Is

BG Chapters 13 - 18

BG 15.6, Purport

For one who is too much attached to this material world, it is very difficult to cut that attachment, but if he takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness there is a chance of gradually becoming detached. One has to associate himself with devotees, those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One should search out a society dedicated to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and learn how to discharge devotional service. In this way he can cut off his attachment to the materia

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Why detachment from sex life is required

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 2

The highest benefit that can be awarded to a human being is to train him to be detached from sex life, particularly because it is only due to sex indulgence that the conditioned life of material existence continues birth after birth.
SB 2.6.20, Purport: The climax of the system of varṇāśrama-dharma, or sanātana-dharma, is clearly expressed here in this particular verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The highest benefit that can be awarded to a human being is to train him to be d
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Why controlled sex life is so important

Bhagavad-gita As It Is

BG Chapters 1 - 6

In the bhakti school, a householder brahmacārī is allowed controlled sex life because the cult of bhakti-yoga is so powerful that one automatically loses sexual attraction, being engaged in the superior service of the Lord.
BG 6.13-14, Purport: No one can perform correct yoga practice through sex indulgence. Brahmacarya is taught, therefore, from childhood, when one has no knowledge of sex life. Children at the age of five are sent to the guru-kula, or the p
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Grace of Lord Caitanya in Lectures Part 02

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 11, 1975:

So that bhakti-yoga—Kṛṣṇa consciousness means bhakti-yoga—by the grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu we are distributing. We are distributing not whimsically, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted it.

bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
(CC Adi 9.41)

This is injunction. This is also injunction of Kṛṣṇa. What Kṛṣṇa said, Caitanya Mahāprabhu said the same thing. The difference is that Kṛṣṇa commanded as the Supreme Pers

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Sex Life is the cause

SB Canto 2

n the material world, sex life is the cause of many distresses on account of material contact.
SB 2.6.8, Purport: The genitals and the pleasure of begetting counteract the distresses of family encumbrances. One would cease to generate altogether if there were not, by the grace of the Lord, a coating, a pleasure-giving substance, on the surface of the generative organs. This substance gives a pleasure so intense that it counteracts fully the distress of family encumbrances. A person is s
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