Author Archives: Ananda Subramanian, Iowa, USA

this body is but a bio-chemical machine
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We always hear how the body is like a car and the soul its driver. In fact,there is a verse in the Gita that reflects this idea

The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy. – BG 18.61

I was reading a book on medical resuscitation and how they bring the dead back to life. The book, in one part, talks about the human body. Below is the excerpt;

The human body is an incredibly complex machine composed of different components, each with a specific role that enables this machine to function. Like all machines, the body needs fuel to produce energy, which it uses to sustain its biological activities, also known as metabolism. This fuel comes in the form of the foods we eat, but the food alone does not sustain us. Once consumed, these raw products must be burned and converted into energy. This combustion process requires a constant supply of oxygen, the same an engine needs a mixture of oxygen and fuel to combust. The fuel in the engine is supplied through a gas tank while the oxygen is injected through vents and in both cases, when they meet, combustion takes place. This creates the energy that enables the other components, such as the wheels, power steering, and lights, to function, but the combustion process also produces waste products. In a car, the waste products are pushed out the through the exhaust system; in the body the gastrointestinal track functions like the gas tank, taking in food that comes from the stomach, while oxygen is supplied through the lungs acting as massive vents. This entire process in both the car and our body is stimulated by the intake of oxygen. Thus, like a car,if our activity revs up as we run, we need far higher levels of oxygen in order to burn more fuel and keeps the cells and organs working .– By Dr. Sam Parnia, M.D. from the book Erasing Death, page 37-38

The author (lead of the AWARE study) categorically explains how the body is but a machine. The next natural question is – who drives the machine (the body), we get the answer in the Bhagavad Gita –the soul.

Hare Krishna

This is a simple method
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Image result for panihati festival nityananda

Krishna Consciousness is a simple method. All you have to do is bow down before Krishna with faith and say, ‘My Lord Krishna, I was forgetful of You for so long, for so many lives. Now I have come to my consciousness; please accept me.’ That’s all. If one simply learns this technique and sincerely surrenders himself to the Lord, his path is immediately open.

– Science of Self-Realization, Chapter 7

Hare Krishna

Instant connections
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“In physics class I learned how sound waves propagate into our ear. It was mind-blowing. Those waves create emotions that make us happy, that get us pumped up”

This is a quote from a student from a polytechnic college in the US doing research on helping endangered species using sound. His comment about sound creating emotions may sound correct to the untrained ear but actually sound in itself does not create emotions. If that were so, a dead body also has ears and if you play music to a dead man, he will not express any emotions. So why is that sound only creates emotions in a living person?

The soul seated inside the body is the actual sentient receiver of the sound (not the ear). The soul gives life to the body. This soul influenced heavily by the modes of nature (there are three – goodness, passion, ignorance) uses the mind and body to satisfy its desires. Because of the soul’s willingness to be influenced by material nature, the soul desires things connected to this world otherwise typically the soul’s desires’ are non-material.

The sound enters the ears and the signals are processed by the brain. The influenced soul activates the device called mind which is like the software. The mind reacts to the sound either favorably or unfavorably and sends the signals back to the hardware – the brain. The soul is the user (beneficiary) of the software and hardware.

The brain, influenced by the mind, releases chemicals according to the signals from the mind resulting in a positive or negative sensual feeling. Finally, these feelings are expressed as emotions through the face and or other gestures. All of this happens instantly as if there is no gap in time between the time you hear the music to the time you emote.

All of this mechanistic process is even possible because the Supersoul (Krishna) activates the tiny soul (just as the soul activates the body) to interact with material nature (three modes) , mind and body. As a result, the soul can continue its illusion of enjoyment in this world perpetually in different bodies!

The three modes, mind and and body is provided by Krishna to the soul and the soul is an amsa or a tiny separated expansion of Krishna. The soul is so tiny that on its own the soul cannot do anything so the Supersoul has to assist the soul to enjoy. What type of mind and body the soul gets and its interaction with the modes depends on the karma of the soul. Like this, Krishna forever in time continuously churns out different bodies and scenarios for the soul to enjoy!

Nothing is accidental or whimsical. Krishna is so perfect and precise that this material nature is a seamless process. Pretty deep if you ask me!

Hare Krishna

Work hard and be free from stress
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Householders engage with family and job and this can lead to stress and even depression. Bhagavad Gita recommends working in such way that we do not get consumed by our work but at the same time work hard.

Krishna speaks;

You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty. Perform your duty equipoised, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga. If a sincere person tries to control the active senses by the mind and begins karma-yoga [in Kṛṣṇa consciousness] without attachment, he is by far superior.

Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed; otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage. 

He who is satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord, who is free from duality and does not envy, who is steady in both success and failure, is never entangled, although performing actions. The steadily devoted soul attains unadulterated peace because he offers the result of all activities to Me; whereas a person who is not in union with the Divine, who is greedy for the fruits of his labor, becomes entangled.

Surrendering all your works unto Me, with full knowledge of Me, without desires for profit, with no claims to proprietorship, and free from lethargy, fight.

Ref. BG 2.47-48, 3.9, 4.22, 5.12, 3.30

Hare Krishna

Humility implies perfect submission
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In my previous post I spoke about the broad principal of preaching that somehow or other one should try to connect a soul to Krishna, all other considerations or rules are secondary. Sometimes, we may speak bluntly or sometimes we flatter.  Taken from an excerpt from HH Satsvarupa Goswami’s book ‘With Srila Prabhupada 1966-69; Srila Prabhupada writes that We can induce someone to take to Krsna consciousness, and that may sometimes include flattering that person’s false ego.

Once OBL Kapoor (godbrother of Prabhupada) was interviewed and he recalled his memory of Prabhupada when Prabhupada was still a householder. Prabhupada said ‘I know the method to spread the movement in English speaking countries’ and he continued by reciting – trnad api sunicena taror iva sahisnuna, amanina manadena kirtaniya sada hari.

So while Rupa Goswami’s instruction of somehow or other one must induce one to Krishna, the method according to Prabhupada is to take a humble position just as Lord Nityananda did in His earthly lila. Below is an excerpt from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Takur that capture this idea;

A chanter of Hari-kirtana is necessarily the uncompromising enemy of worldliness and hypocrisy. It is his constant function to dispel all misconceptions by preaching the truth in its most unambiguous form, without any consideration of person, place, or time. The form to be adopted is that which is least likely to be misunderstood. It is his bounden duty to clearly and frankly oppose any person who tries to deceive and harm himself and others by misrepresenting the truth, whether due to malice or genuine misunderstanding. 

This will be possible if the chanter of kirtana is always prepared to submit to being trodden upon by thoughtless people, if such discomfort will enable him to benefit his persecutors by chanting of the truth in the most unambiguous manner. 

If he is unwilling or afraid of considerations of self-respect or personal discomfort to chant kirtana under all circumstances, he is unfit to be a preacher of the absolute truth. 

Humility implies perfect submission to the truth and no sympathy for untruth. Those who entertain any partiality for untruth are unfit to chant Hari-kirtana. Any clinging to untruth is opposed to the principle of humility born of absolute submission to the truth.

-Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur “Harmonist 26.249-50 (Apr 1929)”

Hare Krishna

somehow or other
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I am not very advanced in terms of preaching but I have seen many others preach successfully. Of course, my main inspiration as always is His Divine Grace. If I have to take one fundamental value of preaching from Srila Prabhupada, it is this;

yena tena prakarena manah krsna nivesayet
sarve vidhi-nisedha syur etayor eva kinkarah

An acarya should devise a means by which people may somehow or other come to Krsna consciousness. All rules and regulations are subordinate to this principle.- BRS.1.2.4

To me, this is the founding principal upon which Prabhupada built his preaching ideas. To me this is the broadest definition (somehow or other inspire others to Krishna). Because it is so broad, no one idea or method can be delineated as gold standard. According to time and circumstances, this principal can be applied differently (albeit within the legal laws of the land).

I recall one conversation Srila Prabhupada had with his disciples in a car on his way to New Vrindavan farm where he said that he did not impose any rules in the beginning when people used to visit his storefront temple. Prabhupada then quoted the verse above and said that somehow or other he wanted the people who visited to take to Krishna. He said rules he introduced later once they had some attachment to him. I cannot recall the source but I think this is in one of Hari Sauri prabhu’s dairies.

In fact, in a lecture in December 1966 in New York (pretty much the beginning of ISKCON), Srila Prabhupada himself confirms the statement above. You can read the lecture transcript here.

This is my 2 cents on the technique to preach and I try this whenever I get chance!

Hare Krishna.

Path to Krishna is not that clean
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The process of Krishna Consciousness is a humbling process. No other spiritual path or method of worship (to other gods) is humbling. Only Krishna when approached first will purify us (which is humbling) and then accept our offering. Those willing to accept Krishna’s medicine (medicine will hurt our ego), tolerate the hurt, be humble transform the heart, and proceed on-wards in their service, to that person Krishna will show mercy. But if we do not accept Krishna’s humbling methods (even if  initiated) but be rigid on our path, then we will not make spiritual progress.

So if we want Krishna’s grace we have to be willing to go under the operating table to be cleansed before we can get accepted by Krishna. Other spiritual paths or Gods do not require this purification process hence even though there are exalted students in other paths’, still they are not completely pure.

Only those who aspire to serve Krishna and accept Krishna’s demands humbly will be able to proceed. The rest will not.

Hare Krishna

ISKCON has to be a friendly movement
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I am copying Maharaj words.

(HH.Kadamba Kanana Swami, 18 October 2017, Melbourne, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 4.3.17)

ISKCON has to be a very friendly movement. A very accommodating movement that is ready to give everyone a chance; ready to not find fault in others. To not find fault in others is hard. We may catch someone lying and say, “He is a liar! Shame! This person needs to be rejected!” Well, have we ever lied? Never, ever? That is a lie! So yes, even if we catch someone lying, it does not mean that that person has some weakness. It does not mean that we can say, “This person is a write-off! I do not want to deal with such people!” Because then, we cannot deal with ourselves either. We are all fallen. We are all simply here by the mercy of great devotees and by the mercy of Lord Krsna.

But then, “How do you correct someone?”

Chanakya Pandit has mentioned that you cannot correct anyone unless you are in a senior position to that person. And even when you are in a senior position to that person, you cannot correct them unless you have a heartfelt friendship with them. If you are not senior and do not have a heartfelt relationship, then you do not correct them. Instead, you go to someone who has that relationship and say, “Well, these things are going on. I do not know what to do, but if you think something should be done…  I just want you to know.” That is all!

It is not that we go around, “That is not really right, Prabhuji. That is not our standard… That is very offensive!” Through this, we just create a movement that nobody wants to be a part of it for a long time. If it is fine to tell everyone off then we cannot live in such a movement for a long time.

We need a movement which is based on deep friendship and deep appreciation. We do not need a boarding school. If we create a movement which is like a boarding school where everyone is looking at everyone else like, “Prabhuji, are you doing this correctly? That should go over there!” Then, in one’s mind, one may start to think, “I want to break loose. I want to run free. I want to go.”  

We become split personalities in such an environment. We have a façade and the façade is all external rules, regulations and standards. And behind the closed curtains, the real self comes out. No, we do not want that. We want a very mature movement. A movement with deep friendships amongst everyone. And then, we help each other and we realise, “Today I help you and tomorrow you help me.”

Hare Krishna

Who is awarded the title Mahā-Bhāgavata
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alabdhe vā vinaṣṭe vā
bhakṣyācchādana-sādhane
aviklava-matir bhūtvā
harim eva dhiyā smaret

Even if a devotee is frustrated in his attempt to eat properly or clothe himself properly, he should not allow this material failure to disturb his mind; rather, he should use his intelligence to remember his master, Lord Kṛṣṇa, and thus remain undisturbed. – Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.114). As one becomes mature in this process of remembering Kṛṣṇa in all circumstances, he is awarded the title Mahā-Bhāgavata. – SB 11.2.49 Purport

Certainly not easy in this day and age!

Hare Krishna

Heliocentricity
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The distance to the closest stars has been measured by astronomers using an effect called parallax (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallax). This measurement depends on the assumption of the heliocentric model because one measures the position of a star at two times while earth rotates around the sun. (Parallax can be observed with a simple example. One can see the position of one’s outstretched finger will appear to be different relative to the background when you look through your right or left eye.) For example, parallax measurements suggest that Sirius (Mrgavyadha) is about 8.6 light years away. If the stars are so far away, then they have to be irradiating light like our sun. A distance of 8.6 lights years is much larger than the diameter of the universe given in the Bhagavatam (i.e. 4 billion miles, equivalent to approx 8 light minutes).

Using parallax, one can measure the distance to only the nearby stars. For the more distant stars, astronomers have developed a scale using the “magnitude” (brightness) of the stars. But this scale depends on knowing the absolute magnitude of specific stars, whose distance has been measured by parallax. In summary, the astronomers have assumed the correctness of the heliocentric model in calculating the distances to all of the stars.

If the heliocentric model is wrong and the earth is stationary, then the parallax measurements are wrong, and the stars are much closer than the scientists think.

-Bhù-gola tattv- Science of the Round Earth – Introduction, edited by H.H.Danavir Goswami

Hare Krishna

It is a Voluntary Process
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The process of Krishna consciousness can seem complex with so many things going on throughout the year. However, I believe that we must keep things simple. For me, one of the simple things to keep in mind, that is not to forget, is that this Krishna Consciousness is a voluntary process. 

Yes, it is the summum bonum of all thoughts,most sublime philosophy and the cream of all knowledge. It talks about love of God and how this human life is so very rare that we must perfect it etc etc. No doubt when we contemplate or even reach out to others, we may stress, pause or in-between speak about this gem-like knowledge but we should never fail to understand that at the end-of-the-day this is a voluntary process. 
Even Krishna after speaking the entire Gita to Arjuna and after showing His Universal Form which was awe-inspiring and non-debatable as far as Supremacy goes, finally, concludes by saying “yathecchasi tathā kuru” or “do what you wish to do”. So this wish belongs to us. This freedom of choice that is given to us is always ours to hold. Krishna never interferes with it. 
Similarly, when we expect others to listen or follow or when we think such and such is wasting his or her life or when we imitate an acharya and feel sorry for the whole wide world, we have to remember that at the end of the day this is all voluntary and that voluntarism is also part of Krishna’s creation,Krishna’s plan!
Therefore, as a respect to Krishna, and the living being’s personal space, we have to let them be, let them decide and let them make a decision and after a certain-point stop preaching and just be a well-wisher!
Hare Krishna

The simple method to chant Hare Krishna
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Over the years, I have read and heard different devotees speak about different techniques to chant properly. Devotees also talk about crying out to Radha and Krishna during chanting for mercy for improving our chanting. This may be bonafide or not, I do not know. However, so far I have not read or heard anything like this from Srila Prabhupada. The only thing I have heard Prabhupada say is to hear the words of the Mahamantra distinctly with focus. Beyond that I have not heard him say or have not read anything related to the mercy of Radha and Krishna or other techniques about chanting. Anyways, I will stick to the simple method of trying to hear the words properly while chanting and not speculate much.

In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we have fixed sixteen rounds as the minimum so that the Westerners will not feel burdened. These sixteen rounds must be chanted, and chanted loudly, so that one can hear himself and others. – Cc Antya Purport 11.23

The first regulative principle is that one must chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra loudly enough so that he can hear himself, and one must vow to chant a fixed number of rounds. – Cc Antya Purport 11.24

Therefore this is the only method. That you chant loudly and hear. Hare Kṛṣṇa. If your mind is in other things it will be forced to concentrate on the sound vibration “Kṛṣṇa.” You haven’t got to withdraw your mind from other, automatically it will be withdrawn because the sound is there. – Lecture, Los Angeles Feb 18 1969

What is the question of controlling the mind? Just chant and hear and the mind will controlled automatically – Page 95, Begging for the Nectar of the Holy Name

Only thing is that we should chant very attentively, hearing the vibration very distinctly.- SP letter to Satsvarupa Das Goswami,March 8 1969

Hare Krishna

Peace is not possible in a sectarian world
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I was never optimistic of inter-faith conferences. To me, personally speaking, it does not yield any significant outcomes. Leaders from various faiths’ convene but we do not see anything tangible transpire from these meetings. No doubt, it is a good thing in that we can appreciate differences and have a conversation. However, mere tolerance and acknowledgement of differences will not solve serious systemic problems in the religious world. Religion today believed by many is the number one reason for sectarian violence. Certainly, the leaders of that religion have to take responsibility for such sectarianism. Despite, social media and globalization, we are divided than ever.

On the corporate front, technology has enabled us to put our differences aside and work together across different cultures and platforms. This is a big win at least from an external perspective. However, this is possible only if one is ready to work in a secular environment. Secularism,however, does not promote personal beliefs in the workplace. Therefore, in that sense we have not solved sectarianism but only created one more – a sect of people apathetic or introvertive to their personal beliefs. Sectarianism can be really solved only if we allow, express and embrace external differences but adhere to universal deeper spiritual values. If inter-faith conferences can help with that idea, then I think it is successful.

One such value is to accept that God (regardless of His name) is the Supreme creator and owner of all things, people and land. Therefore, every individual should give up their false sense of ownership and offer their resources/bounty/money to God. If the leaders of the respective religions can go back to their respective congregations and preach this one idea – to give up ownership and dedicate the ownership and results of work to God – I think there will certainly be progress in the form of global peace.

Real inter-faith begins and ends by putting God (regardless of name) in the center and giving God all credit and offering all fruits to God and in this way co-exist peacefully (without sectarianism) in God consciousness.

Hare Krishna

bhaki yoga in three steps
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Srila Prabhupada in simple English explains the process of Krishma Consciousness in three steps;

  1. In the beginning one must have a preliminary desire for self-realization. This will bring one to the stage of trying to associate with persons who are spiritually elevated. 
  2. In the next stage, one becomes initiated by an elevated spiritual master, and under his instruction the neophyte devotee begins the process of devotional service. 
  3. By execution of devotional service under the guidance of the spiritual master, one becomes freed from all material attachments, attains steadiness in self-realization and acquires a taste for hearing about the Absolute Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. 

 – purport Cc Antya 3.251

Hare Krishna

The Hard Problem does not have to remain hard
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According to modern psychology, the self is made of a combination of conscious and unconscious self. In the unconscious realm, there are collective and personal forgotten images. Images or memories that we collected from our culture, family and our own individual quarks over a period of time. We may not be aware of these intentionally but is a part of us. This is unconsciously present within us. The ego is a sum total of our conscious and unconscious self and this sum total (ego) is exhibited as our personality. Our likes and dislikes (personality) in daily life therefore are a reflection of our ego.

The model can explain many mundane attributes of a person,however, it does not answer what psychologists call the hard problem. Where does consciousness come in all of this? Scientists are not able to explain how a being experiences this phenomenal world. The quality of awareness (qualia) such as the redness in red or the sensation of taste or our passion for a particular work or person or love etc that which defines us is not quantifiable within the scientific community.

I am very astonished that the scientific picture of the real world around me is deficient. It gives a lot of factual information, puts all our experience in a magnificently consistent order, but it is ghastly silent about all and sundry that is really near to our heart, that really matters to us. It cannot tell us a word about red and blue, bitter and sweet, physical pain and physical delight; it knows nothing of beautiful and ugly, good or bad, God and eternity. Science sometimes pretends to answer questions in these domains, but the answers are very often so silly that we are not inclined to take them seriously. 
– Erwin Schrödinger – Nobel Prize Winning Physicist

In fact it is said that Schrödinger was so fed up with the mundanness of science that he gave up hard science in later stages of his life. This is a testimony to how science is good at collecting and interpreting data but falls way short on explaining what makes us human. Most scientists’ (my opinion) therefore cannot appreciate the simple things in life, unfortunately. What to speak of an unknown and unseen God!

Anyways, consciousness according to vedic theory is the symptom of the existence of an ethereal substance called soul. The soul is as real as matter (body) but only it does not hold material qualities such as decay or change. It is not affected by material elements of heat, cold, dryness, wetness etc. It is also not subjected to sensual and mental feelings of pain, pleasure, anger, depression etc. So if we remove the sensual, mental and material layers of our self, whatever is remaining is the subliminal soul.

The soul is experiencing this phenomenal world and the quality of awareness stems from the soul. The soul or the actual person is completely independent and in fact entire sense of being (consciousness) of thinking (brain functions), willing and feelings (from our heart) comes from the soul. The body and mind and the ego are windows for the soul to experience and relate with this world. Modern science says that the body+mind+ego=self or person. Vedic science says that soul=self or person and it uses the body+mind+ego as a vessel to experience this world.

Science cannot make any progress in this field of consciousness till they agree to the existence of a completely independent substance called the soul. If they do agree at some point in the future, then the entire field of science has to be re-written.

Hare Krishna

Krishna is great because He is a perfect gentleman!
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We all know and come to learn that this world and life is temporary. We may live at the most for hundred or so years. From a cosmic time scale, hundred years is practically negligible. Our gains and losses, pains and pleasures – all of it is practically negligible. We may glorify our accomplishments and feel sorry for our losses but great saintly people view life as a great leveler. In that sense, we are always advised to tolerate, as there will be good days as much as bad. Despite the utter insignificance of our human existence, still believe it or not, Krishna who is the all-knowing Being facilitates and sanctions our desires in this world.

A desire to see the sunset or speak to a girl or buy a toy or get a particular type of job or mow the lawn or express anger and hate or travel the world or buy a house or an ant collecting food or a bird building a nest or a plant blooming a flower or an amoeba trying to reproduce or Indra enjoying with celestial woman or myriad other desires which from the cosmic sense is utter meaninglessness. An atheist who denies the existence of God is also given all facilities to deny God. Krishna is so kind He also satisfies those who are utterly against Him. Krishna gives the atheists’ His own resources and the intelligence to voice their opinions against Him. Even though we exist amongst billions of species and our life span is practically negligible, still Krishna takes care of every single minute detail of our life of every single living being!

This shows His magnanimity and this shows to me His true greatness. He is a perfect gentleman who is truly liberal and who loves and cares for all the desires (even though insignificant) of all living beings of all times who are for or against Him!

Thank you Krishna!

Hare Krishna

Why should we hear Krishna Katha?
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Our very existence is in an atmosphere of non-existence. Why, especially when we are not supposed to be threatened by non-existence? To simply put, we should always exist, we are eternal beings.

Our spiral to non-existence begins by ‘misusing’ our minute free-will by using it independently of Krishna or God. This is what Bhagavad Gita says. This misuse of free-will is termed as kama or desires free of Krishna. Independent desires entangle and bind us in the three gunas (or ropes of nature). These ropes of nature create cyclical reality thus perpetually binding us.

How to get rid of this perpetual cycle of bondage?

The solution is to connect back to Krishna by always remembering Him and never forgetting Him. This is possible only through constant hearing about Krishna. By constant hearing we can successfully accomplish the following;

  1. Hearing cultivates knowledge, leads to vairagya (free from passion/ignorance) and fixes one in devotional service (BG 6.35 and 7.1 purport)
  2. Hearing attracts Krishna within one’s heart (Sri Isopanishad, mantra 13 purport)
  3. Hearing leads to Spiritual trance. (Nectar of Instruction, text 8 purport)
  4. Hearing cultivates love of God (CC Adi 7.141 purport, SB 4.12.42 purport)
The beginning of cutting the bondage begins by cultivation of knowledge through hearing. If we do enough hearing, it will eventually transpire into practice. As we practice gradually the ropes of guna associated with passion and ignorance loosens and we reach the rope of guna associated with goodness. 
Once there, Krishna shows His mercy and guides us from within. As the hearing intensifies, Krishna reveals more and as a result our remembrance and meditation becomes constant without break. This leads to a state of trance or bhava eventually invoking our love for Krishna. 
This final point of love will seal our case in the sense any remaining taste to misuse our free-will not be there and we will voluntarily use our free-will properly. In other words, our first problem of misuse is overridden by proper use. That proper use of free-will happens in an atmosphere of love and service. All of this begins with hearing!
Hare Krishna

Who is a pure devotee?
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anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ
jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā


When first-class devotional service develops, one must be devoid of all material desires, knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. The devotee must constantly serve Kṛṣṇa favorably, as Kṛṣṇa desires – CC Madhya Lila 19.167

The basic criterion to fulfill the above verse is that a devotee must know what Krishna wants Him to do. Krishna’s desires can be boiled down to three core points (vide Srila Prabhupada purport);

  1. One must take shelter of a spiritual master who comes in the disciplic succession from Kṛṣṇa – ādau gurv-āśrayam
  2. The first business of the serious and sincere disciple is to satisfy his spiritual master. The spiritual master’s only business is to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness.-yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ.
  3. The serious devotee will only be interested in satisfying Krishna. Krishna wants everyone to be His devotee and not the devotee of a demigod – Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru

These are the desires of the Supreme Lord, and one who fulfills His desires favorably is actually a pure devotee.

Hare Krishna

Progressive steps towards the Absolute Truth
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We live in a world of duality – good and bad. We do good and bad. Law of karma dictates that we get good if we do good and bad if we do bad. In the scriptures, in the karma kanda portion of it, there are atonement practices. Atonement is a fruitive practice countering another fruitive behavior. We atone for bad things we have done in the past so as to nullify our sinful reactions. 

In Canto 6 chapter 1, King Parikshit inquires about such atonement. His conclusion was that one fruitive act even though countering another act cannot provide relief because the person will again commit a bad act. In other words, externally countering the effects of a sin will not actually prevent future suffering. He says such atonement is futile and is like an elephant bath where the elephant after a bath comes out showers dust over himself.

Sukadev Goswami very expertly answers the futility of superficial atonement. He replies in a sequential order.
  1. A person who is bound by the actions within the three modes is acting due to lack of knowledge (ignorance). So the beginning is to engage in the culture of knowledge.
  2. Then he says that knowledge is not theoretical. It should culminate in practical work (niyamakrt).
  3. Then he qualifies the niyama by saying one should engage in tapasya (voluntarily giving up sense enjoyment). Other factors of tapasya are (1) celibacy (2) mind/sense control (3) sacrifice (4) truthfulness (5) clean/non-violent (6) follow rules and regulations like chanting etc. By doing such activities a person who is bound by the actions of the three-modes gets relief. However, even now just as dried leaves get burnt still the plant grows in the first opportunity.

So what is the method to uproot the plant of material desires even after tapasya?

Sukadev Goswami continues. He says;

  1. Rare people adopt complete and unalloyed devotional service to Vasudeva Krishna (Vasudeva Parayana). Doing so all the fog of sinful desires in the heart will dissipate like the rising sun dissipating fog.
  2. He qualifies this more by saying that actually more than serving Krishna, serving the pure representative (Krishnarpita prana tat-purusha) of Krishna will completely purify the soul and he also states clearly that mere austerity, penance, brahmacharya etc will not completely purify the soul.

We can see from Sage Sukadeva that there is a hierarchy of activities; it reads like this;

  1. To counter previous sins/suffering, atonement is recommended.
  2. That is not enough since we have desires for fruitive acts impelled by the three gunas. So to get out of the clutches of the three gunas, one must become enlightened in spiritual knowledge and consequently engage in tapasya (penance) as a result of the knowledge.
  3. Still there is a chance we can go back to materialism. Therefore we should become devotees of Krishna and engage in Krishna bhakti.
  4. Still, we may dabble with materialism, therefore to be completely free from any tinge of materialism, we should surrender to the spiritual master and dedicate our life to Krishna following in the footsteps of these great souls (mahajans).

These steps are progressive stages to realization of the Absolute Truth.

Hare Krishna

This world is like a classroom…
→ Servant of the Servant

In this world, we have to rub shoulders daily with people devoid of devotion to God. This is normal. So instead of criticizing their lack of devotion, we can learn from them. Now you may ask what can we possibly learn from them? After all, they are devoid of good character. Actually, that is not true. In the pursuit of their selfish goals, materialistic people have a passion and drive. They work hard and practice principles of cooperation to achieve their goals. They set targets, create plans, allocate resources and have implementation strategies. All of this requires discipline. We do not have to be like them but we can learn from them – this art of discipline. There is a general criticism that spiritual life means – to give up material life. Therefore, in fear, generally speaking, people shy away from spiritual life at least in the younger phases of their life. They wait until they retire to take to spiritual life. However, this notion of giving up material life is incorrect.

Arjuna was young and strong and was ready to fight a war. It takes mental and physical strength and discipline to wage a war for eighteen days straight. Imagine fighting from sunrise to sunset (some days they fought into the wee hours of the night) continuously for eighteen days straight with heavy armor. Arjuna was a maharathi, which means he engaged in battle with many people simultaneously. If Arjuna had a slight lapse in concentration, certainly he would die. That was the condition for eighteen days. Therefore, the only way he could fight successfully was if he had the strength and discipline to fight an arduous battle. Yet he was the greatest Vaishnav there is. He is famed and glorified as the friend of the Lotus Eyed One Pundarikaksha for all of eternity in all of the universes combined. We can only conclude that Arjuna possessed the extraordinary power to excel above his peers and had the discipline to become an expert in his art of warfare. In the Mahabharat, we learn that Arjuna was the best student in the Dronacharya school of Martial Arts. Whatever lesson he learnt during the day from his teacher, he practiced it to perfection at night and the next day displayed his perfection. None of the other brothers’ excelled as him.

Non-devotees in the pursuit to exploit have a similar eagle eye for perfection and pursuit of ruthlessness. Certainly, we can learn this art from them. However, we do so with compassion and tolerance – always careful not to step on others and hurt others. We practice a higher road to the top and not use the under-hand ways normally materialistic people do. Arjuna after all the humiliation to Draupadi and his mother and brothers decided to not fight the war. Despite being humiliated multiple times, he was willing to relinquish it for a higher cause of compassion. This was his inner mood. Similarly, as practicing devotees we also learn from our spiritual masters and scriptures to practice detachment internally and practice compassion/tolerance externally. This will help to take failure in our stride and not let success to our head.

We will remain in this world but not of this world. “In this world” part we learn from non-devotees, “not of this world” part we learn from saintly people.

Indeed, this world is like a classroom, life is our teacher, and I the student.

Hare Krishna