From Back to Godhead
Sri Brahma-samhita is one of the oldest Vedic scriptures, and it is accepted by Lord Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu (an incarnation of Krsna Himself who appeared 484 years ago) as the essence of Vaisnava (Krsna conscious) philosophy. The first verse of the Fifth Chapter of Sri Brahma-samhita reads: “Krsna, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal, blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin, and He is the Prime Cause of
THE NEED TO SUBLIMATE INDIVIDUAL WORK FOR ULTIMATE PERSONAL SATISFACTION AND HAPPINESS
Many a times, we wonder “what bit of good have I done today ?” After all, everything said and done, life is pretty mechanical and also largely material. We follow the same working routines day after day, year in and year out, in whatever profession or calling we have chosen for ourselves, or had been pushed into or drifted into by the compulsions of need, convenience, location, education, ambition, or just in
By Vikramini devi dasi
Looking at the ruins of what we’ve been calling until recently Western civilization, I can say that the mankind is illogical and irrational. Led by misguided and selfish leaders, people themselves planned and led their existence to its end, such as we knew it. How come we got here? Couldn’t the ruination of our world be prevented? Couldn’t any of the world leaders remember the bitter lessons of the millenary bloody history of mankind? And why the progress of material sc
As long as we are in this world, we have to work and interact with it. It’s hardly practical, or desirable, to ignore the world or the loving relationships we have with the people in it. Nor is it possible to completely avoid environments fraught with negativity and lower vibrations. So how does one fortify oneself from being influenced by these energies?
Those who daily engage in spiritual practice are content because they enjoy pleasure from within. They understand that everything has a r
As long as we are in this world, we have to work and interact with it. It’s hardly practical, or desirable, to ignore the world or the loving relationships we have with the people in it. Nor is it possible to completely avoid environments fraught with negativity and lower vibrations. So how does one fortify oneself from being influenced by these energies?
Those who daily engage in spiritual practice are content because they enjoy pleasure from within. They understand that everything has a rela
Our drive for significance in this world reveals our ignorance of the basis a true significance.
Srila Prabhupada has written: “Sometimes penance and austerity are executed to attract people and receive honor, respect, and worship from others. Persons in the mode of passion arrange to be worshiped by subordinates and let them wash their feet and offer riches.” (Bhagavad-gita 17.18, Purport)
False Significance
Why do we crave to be known, respected, and honored-to be significant? Because we are
There is an animation that really exposes the material happiness very nicely, it shows first on the picture some rats they are running then more rats are running, and at one point you see a whole group of rats running and gradually some of them start to wear clothes, tie and a suit but still running, and then they run on a railway platform and that train is just arriving and it’s full of rats. One come out and one squeezes in and they go to the city, and in the city there are many signs like fo
It is that pure devotional service that can completely satisfy the heart. Therefore, it is attractive. And therefore, the sankirtana devotee has absorbed himself in drinking this transcendental nectar. He is relishing it and then whatever is overflowing from his genuine enthusiasm, he is trying to hear about Krsna, to glorify Krsna, to serve Krsna – bhaje Krsna bolo Krsna kore Krsna sikha! Chant the Holy Name of Krsna and follow the teachings of Krsna. And when all that absorption if there, the
Everyone is trying to be happy in the material world. Real happiness however is found on a deeper level. Now, the art is to develop a bigger vision. The Bhagavad-gita, in the beginning, talks about Arjuna, who is a member of a royal family, and has found himself in a difficult situation, a war situation which made him depressed. But then Krsna explained to Arjuna na jayate mriyate va kadacin nayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah (Bhagavad-gita 2.20). He explained that the soul never takes birth, th
Prabhupada told us the story of the old Bengali lady, who while on her death bed, is being forced by her son to chant ‘Hare Krsna!’
The son says to his mother, ‘chant! chant! Hare Krsna bolo!’ but the mother is simply not chanting. The son then pushes her a little stronger and finally the lady says a full sentence, “I am dying, can’t you see? What more do you want me to say?” The lady says this whole sentence but still she could not say Hare Krsna! Why?
This is because the lady has not seen how
By Devamrita Swami
The following is the preface to the author’s new book Hiding in Unnatural Happiness, soon to be released.
Some people seem hard-wired for material success. Apparently on an endless winning streak, often since birth, their life a continual bubble-bath of comfort, convenience, and gratification, they glory in wealth and acclaim.
Their polar opposites, at the dark end of the street, are the legions of the hard up and badly off. Born to lose, many would say, pinned under massive
Unless we are on a total media fast, we have likely heard of the notion of tidying our home with the KonMari method of asking the question of our belongings – ‘does this spark joy for me?’. If not, we thank it for being in our life and bid it farewell.
What’s powerful about this is the experience of personalism. When we are more conscious about the things in our life and how they affect us, we value them more and treat them better. This will spill out into how we treat ‘living things’ – the ali
Giriraj Swami read and spoke from Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.17.1-22.
“A devotee’s conclusion is that no one is directly responsible for being a benefactor or mischief-monger without the sanction of the Lord; therefore he does not consider anyone to be directly responsible for such action. But in both the cases he takes it for granted that either benefit or loss is God-sent, and thus it is His grace. In case of benefit, no one will deny that it is God-sent, but in case of loss or reverses one becomes
Full happiness means full freedom. As long as we are not fully happy, we are chained, we are trapped and we are not free. Only in full happiness are we actually free. Therefore, only in Krsna consciousness we can be really free, because nowhere else are we able to be fully happy.
So this is nice to remember that devotional service is voluntarily performed. It is performed out of free choice and no one is forced in this way. Service can be our life, but this is our choice because Krsna does not
