Chanting - The Only Means of Deliverance

Krsna-nama-maha-mantrera ei ta svabhava Yei jape, tara krsne upajaye bhava “It is the nature of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra (the great mantra of deliverance) that whoever chants it immediately develops loving ecstasy for krsna.” (Chaitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 7.83) Unadulterated love for Krsna is eternally present in dormant state in the hearts of all living entities. When hearing and chanting purify the heart, the living entity naturally awakens. The processes of hearing and chanting-sravanam kirtan purify the heart, and one’s original Krsna consciousness is immediately awakened. When one chants the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the heart is cleansed of all material contamination. In Brihanaradiya Purana... Read more »

Sex Life is Abominable

Sex is the driving mechanism of modern society. Godless life induces people into lustiness long after the high of youth has subsided, causing them to stay emotionally immature throughout their lives. Forgetting the eternal relationship with the supreme personality of godhead, lord Sri Krsna, they absorb media propaganda and remain perpetually indulgent in lust, having no knowledge of the necessity to resist the itch of this basal sexual urge. Rampant sensual titillation however, increasingly dulls the spirit and causes deprivation... Read more »

Srila Prabhupada’s Presentation of Sastras

Srila Prabhupada did not present Shastra as a dry academic subject to be theorized and armchair-philosophized about. Instead of giving abstruse explanations, he spoke and more importantly lived the essense of shastra. He repeatedly emphasized the point of all sastra: “You are not this body. Surrender to Krsna.” Srila Prabhupada repeatedly said that by reading his books we get in touch with the previous acaryas. Indeed, his purports to the sastra draw on the realization of the previous acaryas whose commentaries Prabhupada consulted before composing his own. A special feature of Srila Prabhupada’s purports, however, is that he was the first to show how the Srimad... Read more »

Reincarnation - Is It Credible?

To start with, let us assume that reincarnation indeed takes place. What do the Vedic literatures tell us as to why it does take place? Two reasons have been given: Firstly, we’re being given a chance to live out our desires. Secondly: We’re being given repeated opportunities to attain spiritual realization, break free from material entanglement, and resume our eternal nature in the spiritual world. The Vedic writings are meant to guide us in achieving this goal. However, if we do not accept that reincarnation indeed takes place, then we have to delve a little further and ascertain whether it makes sense for it not to take place. The concept of reincarnation will fall apart if one denies the existence of God. The goal of this article is not to... Read more »

Controlled Senses and A Krishna Conscious Diet

A devotee realizes that the source of his miseries in this world, the senses, can also be the cause of his liberation and perfection in Krishna consciousness. Generally it is thought that sense control means severe austerity or joyless puritanism, but there is no need to negate the senses or ignore the senses in Krishna consciousness. One simply has to engage the senses in Krishna’s service, recognizing that Krishna is the proprietor of the senses. The spiritual master and the Vedic literatures guide the devotee in engaging his senses in the Lord’s service. When the senses are thus utilized, they regain their... Read more »

What Might Make It Easier To Wake Up And Start Chanting

So, for example when we are absorbed in something, particularly at right before we go to sleep that very subject matter is processed during the night and affects our consciousness when we wake up in the morning. It is said that that half hour before sleep is critical and that whatever we are conscious of during that half hour will enter into our subconscious mind. I will give you one experience I had many years ago when I was a teenager. My father had bought me a manual shift car, but I did... Read more »

Grihasta Ashrama - A Platform for Renunciation?

Grihasta, or householder life is the second spiritual stage in the Varnasrama parampara. In this phase the grihasta lives along with his wife and children in their house and leads a religious (dharma) and productive (artha) life, which allows some resources of enjoyment (kama). This asrama is the only economically productive asrama and therefore the householders have to support other asramas by giving charity in exchange for spiritual knowledge. Srimad Bhagwatam (11.18.43) states “A householder may approach his wife... Read more »

Krishna is the Reservoir of all Beauty and Krishna’s Energies

Krishna, the Supreme Lord, has three types of energies: 1. Material, 2. Spiritual, and 3. Marginal. The material energy is the dull matter that has no consciousness. The spiritual energy is the conscious energy that is devoted to His service. The marginal energy consists of the living entities–individual souls, such as ourselves, that have the choice of either identifying with matter or spirit. In actuality, the marginal potency (individual spirit souls) is also spiritual. Because of his marginal position, the soul can be illusioned by the material energy, and completely forget his real nature. As soon as the soul associates with the material nature, he becomes conditioned. He tries to enjoy this material world, which is by nature different from him, and consequently... Read more »

Remembrance, Forgetfulness, Knowledge And The Perverted Material World

Remembrance, Forgetfulness and Knowledge are important and connected. Krishna, as the Supersoul in everyone’s heart, ‘helps one to fulfill one’s desires in this world. According to our aspirations, we require to forget some things (such as God if one is an atheist), we require to remember other things, and we need knowledge. Even the animals have instinctually based behavior that coincides with their desires. This so-called instinct is actually Krishna in the heart helping them to carry out their plans. Krishna knows the aspirations of all living entities. Krishna does this to give them facility to enjoy all of the varieties... Read more »

Letters From Prison Inmates About Bhagavad Gita As It Is

Two months prior to 2006 Gita Jayanti festival, I requested inmates, who regularly write to me, to write down a few lines about how they received the 1st copy of Bhagavad Gita As It Is and what they learned from the Gita and what are their favorite verses. I have tried to keep the inmates responses as it is in order to keep the originality of the text. The following is a compilation of inmate’s quotes: Supreme Knowledge: I got Bhagavad Gita As It is from the Vedic resources. I learned it is Divine instruction for the battlefield of one’s life to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead. My favorite verse is in chapter 9, This knowledge of Gita is king of education, the secret of all... Read more »