“I am not this Body.” Easy to say…
December 31, 2008 by admin
Filed under Krishna Connect
The body is a machine, like a motor car is a machine. I am within this body as the driver is within the motor car.
Now the motor car has many needs. It needs gas, it needs oil, it needs to have it’s tires pumped up and so on. But if one forgets the driver in the car and simply concentrates on the machine and the needs of the machine the driver will not be satisfied.
He will be sitting in the car starving. Because the food of the driver is different from the food of the car. You can not feed the driver gas. His food is different.
So we are the driver of this body. This body has so many needs, but these bodily needs are different from our needs, we are the driver of the body, the soul within the body, “the ghost in the machine…”
So our idea is to satisfy the bodily needs only as much as necessary to maintain the body in a healthy condition and spend the rest of our time and energy in spiritual activities which help us to reawaken our original spiritual consciousness, these are our real needs, the needs of the soul.
It is not that we do not eat, or sleep, or have sex or defend, but these things are done in a regulated way to maintain the body in a healthy condition. But as the motor car is simply a vehicle which is meant to transport the driver to his destination, we see this material body as a vehicle which can be used to transport the driver–the soul–to his ultimate destination: back home, back to Godhead.
If we spend all our time trying to satisfy the senses of our body we will waste all our time and energy in this way and become completely distracted from the real purpose of life which is to get out of this material world and get back home to the spiritual world where we will get an eternally youthful spiritual body full of knowledge and full of pleasure… Then we will really be happy…
Please let me know what you think.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Loved the analogy. Thanks.
Hare krishna .
prabhu g…..
thanx for enlightning me. you are absolutely right , we
are waisting our energy to maintain our body . we r just maintaing the car but not the driver..
thank you very much…
Hare Krishna
Hare Krsna
It is abstract though the end is justified. what do you advice those who have committed mistakes when they fail to check the doings related to the body? i have read that maya is strong. how is one suppose to move on when all he thinks is guilt
thank you
If one is able to realize that one has committed mistakes that realization will prevent him or her from committing those mistakes again .Look forward to life and think of making our self strong enough to get over the feeling of guilt.If we cannot take care of our body and ourselves then ask yourself, who you can take care of .
Hi JAIGURUDEVA(HARE KRISHNA).Forget all the mistakes which u have made before.U came to know that I had done a mistake.At that time u dont know that u r doing the mistakes,that means u have mixed up with it.But now u came to know that this is a mistake.So by this u can understand that u are differenr from it.So from now onwords forget all the things which u have done and be sharanam(surrender)to one and only god.It is really true which has been told by Lord SRI KRISHNA in “bagavat-gita-18th adyayam,66th slokam” “sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja aham tvam sarva papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah”.This is the true words told by Lord Krishna.So we should not fear for the things which happened sofar.From now onwards we should not do such things and always we should surrender(saranam) to god.
Right you are as usual. If you look at all the worldly books out there, you will see the tendency to force the body to give you as much pleasure as you can squeeze out. There are many books out there on improving sex life, seduction, etc. Even the “good” self improvement books, though they may contain some gold, have this general tendency and don’t include God in the process of self improvement.
I think that the main key to success is, of course, Lord Krishna. We must endeavor to practice Brahmacharya in our personal lives and become examples to society. This can be done if we regulate our lives around Krishna by chanting His name, reading His words, and serving Him.
well.
We first need to recognize and realize by continuously practicing the truth in our life.
The truth is “I am the Spirit-Soul and not this body”.
Also the Spirit is self contained and has no need. If we start living with the self instead of the body we will really experience this truth.
If we can realize this truth we will never follow the body nor the world.
When you look at a dish you liked so much, you will not be attracted since you will be aware of the truth that you are not the body but you are the spirit soul.
You are completely filled. There is no want or desire for the spirit soul since you are unlimited just as god.
You are entire and part of the GOD.
You will truly live with the self if you start practicing this.
Hare Krishna Prabhu
You have made some very nice points in your article and in principle I agree with you to a certain point.
However, your description is not complete. You are saying that if we are aware we are not the body, but we are actually the soul, that will be sufficient to free us from all wants and desires since we will be “completely filled.”
Actually if we are siimply aware that we are not the body, but that we are the soul, we will not be satisfied, we will not be completely filled, and we will not be able to rid ourselves of our material attachments.
We are all persons eternally and we need to have relationships and activities. In the material world these relationships and activities are a source of so many problems and troubles for us. Therefore there are many philosophers who suggest, like yourself, that if we give up these attachments and relationships, with the understanding that we are not the body but the spirit soul, then we will be completely filled and have no want or desire.
This simply does not work in practice. We, as spirit souls, will always have want and desire. This can not be eliminated, it is an integral part of our existence. You may be able to supress it for some time by performing austerity, the the want and desire will remain.
In Krishna consciousness we accept that this want and desire and our relationships with others will continue, and the process of Krishna consciousness is to transform everything so it is connected to Krishna. You mentioned a nice dish, some tasty food. You can not avoid food. The body needs it for it’s maintenance. But the philosophers with the idea you have presented try to avoid eating tasty food and try to minimize their eating, but they still have the desire to enjoy the tasty dish…
The real solution to this is to cook the tasty dish not for ourselves, but for Krishna. Then we can offer Krishna the tasty dish, and after He enjoys it we can take prasadam.
So our eating can not be eliminated actually, but our eating can be spiritualized if we cook for Krishna and only eat the prasadam of Krishna.
Relationships will continue, but as devotees we develop relationships with Krishna and Krshna’s devotees.
We can never be impersonal, we can never be desireless, we can never be free from wanting something. So in Krishna consciousness we have relationships with Krishna and Krishna’s devotees, we are always desiring to serve Krishna by serving Krishna’s pure devote, Srila Prabhupada, and we want to see this Krishna consciousnes movement spread all over the world because this is the only thing that will make people happy.
So as devotees we have relationships, we have desires, and we want things, we even enjoy the nice foodstuffs after they have been offered to Krishna. So for us everything is there and this is the real state of being completely filled.
As for your last point, that we are unlimited like God. That is insanity.
We are limited in so many ways. You get a toothache and have to run off to the dentist to get it fixed. But you are claiming that you are unlimited like God? God has to run off to the dentist to get his toothache fixed? I don’t think so.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Hi,
I completely believed in the analogy so far. However we also have to understand and accept what we experience because what we experience is the real teacher and cant be wrong.
My personal experience has disappointed me and actually says there is nothing like spiritual world. The reason……I prayed a lot to GOD everyday for my mother who was only a little ill. She was just 47 and suddenly passed away in Dec’08 when no one was expecting this to happen. I had earlier gone to Shirdi (I believed in Sai Baba and Hanuman also). As such I have been praying to GOD for last 10-12 years and always believed in what you are saying.
Even my mother did but what result. She couldn’t even see her grand daughter who was also born 20 days before she passed away.
I have some questions: Why did GOD didnt even give her some time to enjoy when it was her time to enjoy especially after my father abandoned us some years back? Why doesnt GOD help people who beg for crust of bread everyday? If duration of life is fixed why do we go to doctors? If we are incarnations why have we forgotten our previous lives? Where are souls and GOD, who has seen them?
I am unable to accept that there is no GOD but this incident actually says that there is nothing as such.
Please help me with above questions.
Thanks and Regards,
Anurag
Dear Anurag,
Indeed it is sad that your mother passed away at a very young age.Kindly note one thing very clearly that this life is very temporary and when death comes nobody will be knowing.In Mahabharath we see the episode of Abhimanu, who is closely related to Krishna, dying at such a young age and in such adharma way.The destinies are fixed we can’t help.
So for everyone death is a thing which cannot be avoided .
This life is meant for realizing that we are not body but “Athma”, the spirit and the body is a means to realize the God, who has created this universe, whole universe.
Krishna says in the Bhaghavat Gita, You surrender to me, I will take care of you. Taking care includes evrything. We should have undeterred faith in Him.While praying if we keep on asking for fulfillment of desires, for satisfying our senses, there is no end to our miseries because desires do keep on increasing.
Leave everything to God and we should come to stage when we say we live for Krishna and our life is to get His mercy, then automatically all miseries even if are present, they will not bother us. Practically we will not care for the materialistic things in such conditioned minds. Because we take everything as the mercy shown by God.
Pl start to realize why God has given this body to us? Is it for eating, drinking and enjoying? or something else.
Hare Krishna,
Your Servant
Athidena Krishna Dasa
How effective is chanting the Mahamanthra in the fast approaching Golden Age ?Is it as effective as silent meditation ,the awakening of the third eye ?
Dear Sir
The example you have given about the soul and the body is fantastic. It makes me understand precisely about my functions in this world. It is amusing to know that we are not these bodeis. I have come to realize this fact through reading “Bhagavadgita as it is”, also through the teachings of my spiritual teacher. I hope by reading your newsletter I can have more pracatical ways to remember god in all moments of my daily life.
Thank you
I have been reading the newsletters sent by you regularly that too not once but two-three times. However, I need to know one thing. Can’t the explanation in the article be accompanied with the chapter number and the paragraph/verse number, so that I can also ready that part from the Bagwad Gita that I have with me. I have told you earlier that I have the copy of ‘Bagwat Gita as it is’ both in English and Hindi. It will be of great help. Please do let me know on this.
It is a very good idea, I will do it in the future. So far all the newsletters are just based on the Introduction to the Bhagavad Gita As It Is by Srila Prabhupada. I think there will be one or two more from the introduction and then I will start going through the Gita systematically from the first chapter to the eighteenth chapter. I will make sure to note the verse numbers as you suggest.
I liked the way you make me understand with a very simple yet very powerful example. I am chanting Mantra not every day on the beads, but almost every day while taking bath and driving my bike towards the office and while coming back from office. It gives me confidence and peace to chant the mantra and what I have felt once I start chanting the name I enjoy it too much. I just cannot stop it, it keeps repeating in my mind and keeps coming back on my Tung. I want to progress more in this direction I please keep guiding me through your newsletters
Hare Krsna
Abhishek bhardwaj
very nice explanation about the soul and the body.As you explained, one must feed food to the body to keep healthy,so that we can think about the lord by chanting his nama without thinking about the body needs.In my opinion before we do anything like taking food or even when we start anything in this material world, offer that to the lord and start.
HARE KRSNA prabhuji.
Thank u so much for sending me mails about BHAGAVAT-GITA.
They r really very interesting and inspiring.
I know abt KC and im trying to follow it.
I came to know abt KC with the help one pure devotee by name vamshi prabhuji who stays at ISKCON temple in Abids.
Im feeling very happy that LORD is showing so much mercy on me.
I will definitely read ur mails daily so that i can advance quickly in KC
JAI SHRI KRISHNA
Thanks for sending me mails Madhudvisa Dasa JI… Pls sending me mails…
JAI SHRI KRISHNA…….
I have actually realize this after analyzing very objectively.Thank you very much for reminding me.Hari om tat sat.
hare krishna Madhudvisa dasaji, thanks for the third letter wherein stress has been laid on satisfaction of the soul by being a servitor to lord rather than gratifying our senses.jai shri krishna.
hare om everyboby and everysoul special tanks to Madhudvisa for find time to interact with our soul and to send me back this message which make me think about us body”a car”, and our soul”the driver”livin together on the same planet sharing the same time.We need to callout the driver is in all of us before we can disinstall the autopilot we all equiped with. we all got one driver even if they all come from different position on the universe.i feel the key of success is to reconize us driver and let workout together in armony for all of us.tanks to all yours driver,is very good feeling to drive together.hari om Krishna
Its very useful prabhu.. thank you prabhuji.. hare krishna
Dear Prabhu Madhudvisa Ji,
Hare Krsna!
Many thanks for your wonderful emails regarding B.Gita. May Lord Krsna Always Bless and Guide you to help people at large become Krsna Conscious. I know ISKCON since 11 years but I’m still facing obstacles regarding Bhakti Life because my husband is not 100% Krsna Conscious. I feel happy only in the Loving Service of the Supreme. Sometimes I feel like giving up family life and serve only Krishna. What will you advise me Prabhuji?
Thanks a lot for your help.
God Bless You!
Best & Kind Regards,
Aruna
100% Krishna conscious is not so easy. You should stay with your husband and family and serve Krishna like that, with your family. There will always be obstacles in the path of devotional service. Don’t think that if you leave your family magically all obstacles will disappear. No. It is not like that. By your nice service to Krishna, by you cooking nice foodstuffs and offering them to Krishna and then distributing to your family, your family will make spiritual advancement. Woman needs to be with her husband. And no husband is perfect. Of course Krishna is perfect husband, but for the time being you have your duty with your family and you should become Krishna consciousness in the position that you are in. There is no need for us to change our position to become Krishna conscious.
What if your family is divided? if the wife is a christian and she hates every thing about Krishna, then WHAT the husband should do?
Hare Krishna Vivek.
We are in Kali Yuga. Kali Yuga means “the age of quarrel and hypocrisy.” So we have to expect that if we want to take to Krishna consciousness seriously there will be so many objections even by the family members. The answer to all these problems of what to do is always the same. We have to become Krishna conscious. So in any condition of life, inspite of all opposition and difficulties from many sources, we have to go on with our regular business of serving Krishna by chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krsihna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, and by reading Srila Prabhuapda’s books and by following the regulative principles. Krishna consciousness is very powerful and if we actually do this chanting and follow the regulative principles and read Srila Prabhupada’s books gradually we will see Krishna working wonderfully in our lives to adjust everything so we can serve Him very nicely.
We have nothing against Christ or Christians, so you can also encourage your wife in serving God in the way she understands Him, and she will gradually realize that the “God” who the Christians speak of but have no actual idea about who He is or where He lives or what He looks like is actually Krishna. There is no harm that she is praying to Jesus and to God in the Christian way and you should encourage her also in this way, and simply remain firm and fixed up in your chanting of Hare Krishna and reading Prabhuapda’s books. And by the power of Krishna through your chanting your wife will also benefit and she will gradually relize that it is Krishna that Jesus is speaking about when he talks of his father in heaven…
Thanks for your reply.
hari krishna
i read of your mail i am very thanking you
soory my engish is very poor
Hare Krishna Prabhuji
Thanks you for sending mail again
I read it and enjoyed
I waiting next letter
please don’t stop for sending mail
Thanks you very much
Dear Prabhu,
Many thanks for your e-mails. Most of us live in christian countries, wherein preaching the message of Srila Prabhupada becomes a little difficult specially with fundamentalists. Their argument is basically based in many passages of the Bible (New Testament) in which Jesus’ sacrifice is described as the only way to God, or “only Jesus saves”, “Jesus is the way”, “Jesus died for our sins”,etc. He commanded also to spread his message to the whole world (Matt.28:19,20), and that includes of course India.
Srila Prabhupada and some devotees have written more or less on the subject. We can not deny the historical and spiritual influence of Jesus in the whole world even 2009 years after he came to this planet, so I think these are the main reasons why most people do not get interested in “other gospel”.
Anyway, I would like to hear your opinion specifically on the bible passages which claim exclusiveness for Jesus.
Haribol,
Alex.
Hare Krishna Alex Prabhu
Preaching to the fundemental Christians is not very important and not a very good idea. There is no point in preaching to someone who is not interested in what you have to say and will not accept anything you say. You have to find people who are at least a little bit interested in understanding something about Krishna and who are prepared to consider what you have to say.
These fanatical Christians have reduced a great deal over the years. I joined ISKCON in 1986 and back then there were a lot more than there are now. So they are dwindling, dying out, because for all their talk about Jesus, they are not actually serious about following the instructions of Jesus in the Bible.
We do not preach on the Bible. The Bible is written 2,000 years ago, the Vedas are written down 5,000 years ago but have existed since the beginning of time. Whatever is in the Bible we have it in far more detail in Bhagavad Gita and in Srimad Bhagavatam. And any thoughtful person will realize this if they simply read the Bhagavad Gita. That is why Srila Prabhuapda stressed this book distribution so much. So there is no point talking about the Bible, rather we should spend our time introducing people to the Bhagavad Gita.
Any sincere Christian, upon reading the Bhagavad Gita, will see that this it the original pure message that Jesus Christ was presenting. In reality the message of Jesus Christ is lost in the Christian world, but thoughtful Christians can have access to the real message of Jesus Christ in the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam.
Fanatical Christians we simply ignore. They will not listen when they are fanatical like that. So give them some prasadam, you can say “Dear Sir, it is a pleasure to meet you and I am so inspired you are so dedicated to Jesus Christ, have one of these sweet balls and chant Hare Krishna,” and let them go on their way and talk to someone else about Krishna who is actually interested in hearing about Krishna.
There are no “Christian countries,” there is no country that is following the teachings of Jesus Christ at all. And the people in general are not very fanatical about Christianity any more, any thoughtful person, even in these so-called “Christian countries” is prepared to consider what Krishna has to say in the Bhagavad Gita if it is presented to him nicely.
So yes, we have all respect for Lord Jesus Christ, but his “followers” are not following him actually. That is the problem with Christianity, and also any thoughtful Christian can see this.
Overall there is so much potential for preaching Krishna consciousness in these “Christian countries” particularly when they Christrians realise we are not preaching another gospel. What Lord Jesus Christ preached was Krishna consciousness, presented in a way the people of his time could understand and appreciate. But over time Christrians have lost the plot.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Thank you for such a thoughful reply! It’s so refreshing to hear the truth that so many Christians have lost the essence of Christ’s message. I also love the way the Krisna movement accepts the teachings of Christ and equates him with Krishna. Jesus was just another incarnation of the divine, wether it be Brahman, God as the christians depict him, or Krisna as his father and the source of his divinity is really not important. What matters is that the origins of these avatars is the Godhead itself and the Godhead can be celibrated in any form.
Thank you.
Dear Madhudvisa,
Many thanks for your response on christianity. I see that devotees of Krishna do not consider the whole Bible as revealed scripture, perhaps only parts of it.
Regarding some devotees who live with people who hate everything about Krishna, I think this situation causes anxiety or difficulty on each other and it reminds me what Srila Prabhupada said in the purport for Chapter 12 verse 15 in the Gita that ” no one is put into difficulty, anxiety, fearfulness or disatisfaction by such a devotee”.
Don’t you think that the safer course is to separate if a husband, mother, father, or wife, etc. hates everything about Krishna????
Hare Krishna,
Alex.
Dear Alex
Hare Krishna! We have nothing against the Bible, but the Vedic scriptures do give a more comprehensive description of the science of God for sure.
You know in the material world most people are trying for sense gratification. So when a devotee tries to serve Krishna these people who are working for sense gratification may become a little disturbed. What can be done about that? But someone who is a family man, he has his wife and his children, he has his responsibilities. It is not good for him to just leave his responsibilities like that.
Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is very merciful. He is called “Patita Pavana,” it means the deliverer of the most fallen. So everyone is eligable for the mercy of Lord Caitanya. So if one has family members who are against Krishna, then over time that can change also. By the power of sankirtan, by the power of prasadam, by the power of good association, by the power of Krishna, anything is possible.
So we should not be to anxious to leave an apparently difficult situation. Most probably Krishna has put us into that position for a reason and we have some service to do there.
This idea that the material world can be a happy, comfortable, peaceful place is not really a realistic understanding of the nature of the material world.
Actually everywhere we go we will find difficulties. So there is no guarantee that on leaving this situation he may not find himself in an even more difficult situation.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Haribol ,Prabhu.
In my younger days when I was fit and healthy and going out on the sankirtana book distribution carrying a bag of Shastras on my shoulder and a pile of books in my hands(I found that carrying a big pile was very effective to impress the public people so they’ll take some books), I took to exercise my inner belly muscles with situps and a method called Pilates. Then an older sankirtan devotee told me to stop and do that as to not get too attach to my body. I did follow his advise. I stopped doing all exersice. So after some years my back and left knee started to hurt a bit.Later after some more years one day my back just gave in and got what the doctors call a prolaps in the lower spine. My left knee got all stiff too. A very painfull and slow healig condition that I still struggle with. I know this is my own karma from the past coming back to me. As it is today,I cannot walk around with anything heavy in my hands, nor can I walk for long on flat roads. I get a bit sad about it sometimes and thinking I should not have listened to that devotee and what he told me even when he was only wishing me well. Than still my muscles would have been strong enough to carry a full grown fat man, not to speak of a pile of books. I have accepted my condition and I am not complaining about it, but I do think about this devotee sometimes and I feel I am making offence when I think like that. Anyway I do regret that I didn’t close my ears only for that certain moment and kept on doing my training thing. So it is important to think for oneself sometimes and not only follow blindly the advice of wellwishers. Krishna has special lessons for everyone in person, no doubt.
Ki Jay . All Glories to Srila Prabhupad.
Jarle
Hare Krishna Jarle Prabhu. All glories to Srila Prabhuapda! All glories to your service!
It is not that stopping the pilates caused your problems. Your body is getting old. It happens to every body. We like to imagine that we can stay young forever in this material body but it is not possible. I guarantee that if you had kept up the pilates that would not have stopped your body from gettting old. You would still be having so many problems with your body. So please do not blame your old age on your fellow devotee.
Krishna consciousness is full of very good exercise but it should be done also not recklessly. We have to consider that our bodies are not ours actually, they are Krishna’s and they have been given to us by Krishna to serve Krishna, so we do need to look after them. So it is better on sankirtan to be practical about these things and organize it so we don’t have to carry around huge weights all day that may in the long run cause problems with our bodies. But still our bodies will get old. There is no stopping that.
But you are very correct that “It is important to think for oneself sometimes.” Actually we should not blindly accept anything. We should always be checking with Srila Prabhuapda and checking with Krishna if this is actually the right thing. Of course if we find actually a pure devotee of Krishna it is safe to accept whatever he says as the absolute truth, even then we have to think about it and try to understand it and put forward intelligent questions to help clear our doubts.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
I liked to hear and be reminded of that we aren’t our bodies because as a woman we are trained to believe that only our bodies really matter. I feel accepted or rejected at the slightest weight gain or loss and that is really sad. Sometimes I forget that there is more to me than how I appear to others. I make it a goal to read the Bhagavad Gita every day to nourish my soul.
Thanks for reminding me how important that really is.
Are doing poojas and keeping food in front of krishna’s statue are spiritual progress?
very true!
Hare Krishna Prabhuji,
Your message gives a core idea of the human life and the very purpose of our existence and i do agree with whatever you have said in this article.Its so easy to say, i am not this body. It is also a fact that one has to realize in this birth. But, do we really accept it?? is my question.
The other day, one of my relative passed away.. In a spiritual way, i know that she is no more because the sole has gone out of her body and it takes birth somewhere else as something or somebody else, i mean its the time for the spirit sole to shift itself from the old body to the new one, just like how we change our clothes…is my understanding as i have understood the same from the reading of bhagwad gita…
But, the impact of material entanglement is so much on our life that we just don’t want to accept the reality and keep doing many things recklessly..
Rather than accepting the fact that the sole is eternal, we keep crying in front of the dead… why do we do so, why are we so attached, Is there a way to come out of this? If there, what is that and how one can control the thoughts.. please let me know..
Awaiting for your spiritual support!
Vedavathy..
Yes. It is difficult. It takes time to get over these things, even we know it philosophically, when it actually happens naturally we feel distressed. But we can take comfort in the fact that the soul is eternal and she is not dead… This is the nature of the material world, we come together with a group of other people and become attached to them and then by the force of time we are separated and that is very painful. But this is the reality of the material world. Painful. So it also should be an impetus for us to take to the spiritual part seriously so we do not have to return back to the material world after the death of our body.
Pranams Madhuvisa prabhu,
Very nice explanation prabhu of the teachings of Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita. You nicely explain how Krishna consciousness is a most practical way to take care of our body and soul. We don’t have to neglect our bodily needs niether can we. We need to gradually cultivate the knowledge from the Bhagavad-gita that our soul is us and therefor more important than our body so we must do what we can to keep our soul progressing back to Godhead. And Krishna definitely gives us practical instructions how to do that. Ultimately Prabhupada said the only hope for society as a whole is to be guided by a Krishna conscious national leader, in this way even very foolish people who just don’t care for spiritual life would also make agyata sukrti simply by cooperating with the Krishna conscious king or president. No one would be able to help but make very positive progress back to home back to Godhead.
This is part of the reason Prabhupada stressed mass book distribution and prasadam distribution. Because just a small part of the population becoming Krishna conscious could save the whole future of a nation.
So we desperately need such potent preachers that can convince very influencial people in society to become Krishna consciouse. Because people tend to follow such people like George Harrison did so much even though he wasn’t the strictness model of a ideal vaishnava.
So the power of Krishna conscious propaganda is like this when practiced in the form of public broadcasting of the philosophy and holy names of the Lord. When it is by a very famous person in society. So nothing we do in Krishna consciousness ever goes invane. So in this way we need to study the Bhagavad-gita to understand very scrutinisingly what progresses us on the spiritual path. Ultimately nothing is more potent than just repeating what Prabhupada preached to us. Most importantly the chanting should never stop for ourselves and others on the streets. And distributing Prabhupada’s books is the most powerful way of spreading Krishna’s names and Krishna consciousness.
your eternal servant,
Anubhavananda dasa
Dear sir,
There are many people around us who make fun of the 80,000 wives of srikrishna and write him opff asa womanizer. There are siddha doctors, who read verses from ancient siddha texts to prove that krishna himself prepared potions called manmada rasayaman to retain his youthfulness and couple with many women on the same day. Out of our inability to retaliate, we keep quiet and listen to all this. What answer do u have for such people?
Hare Krishna Sri Vidya. It is very difficult to understand Krishna. These pastimes of Krishna in the Tenth Canto are very confidential. And mundane men will misunderstand them. The only way they can be understood is by being heard submissively from the lips of a pure devotee. There is really no way these people can understand Krishna. It is not so easy to understand Krishna. When they hear that Krishna had 16,108 wives they will naturally be surprised. But Krishna built each wife a separate palace and in the evening time He entered into each wife’s palace simultaneously. We need to become pure devotees of Krishna and actually not discuss the confidential pastimes of Krishna with these people who can not appreciate them. India is full of “Swamis” discussing Krishna confidential pastimes and turning them into sex literature. So all meaning of spiritual life and Krishna consciousness is lost to these people. It isa gradual process to become Krishna consciousness and if people are to understand Krishna they have to accept the process of saddhana bhakti and follow it. Otherwise you can not convince them by some argument of the true nature of Krishna.
I have been aware of Krishna consciousness since 1967. Srila Prabhupada came to Rochester NY and I met him and some of the Krishnas at that time. I became very serious about it. I was 17. An attempt was made to force me apart from it by school and mom but came back to realizatrion in 1997. No one will ever take away Krishna once he has presented to you. He claims his own. I know about “I am not this body”. I have most of the literature. I have Bhagavad Gita and have read the life of Lord Caitanya and Srimad Bhagvatam. I have read many of the other works of Srila Prabhupada.I have been aware of Krishna since childhood but Maya’s veil is thick and obstructive. It is too much to say. It can only be lived and experienced.
Hari Krishna!
I HAV JUST COME BACK FROM A CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE VICAR SAID THAT IF A MAN IS A DRUNKURD HE SHOULD BE PUT TO DEATH,,,SO WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE AND SELL ALCHAHOL,SHOULDNT THEY BE PUT TO DEATH ALSO,,,?…NOW, I AM AN ALCHAHOLIC AND ONE OF GODS CHILDREN,,SO SHOULD I BE PUT TO DEATH? I HAVE HAD BOOZE IN MY LIFE FOR MOST OF MY LIFE THANX TO MY FAMILY AND FREINDS AND THE SOCIETY I HAVE LIVED IN,SO IS THAT MY FAULT? I HAVE TRYED TO STOP BUT I AM PHYSICALY DEPENDANT ON IT:::::::I HATE THIS WORLD SO MUCH THAT I DRINK TO NUMB THE PAIN…IS THAT A CRIME? AND EVEN IF I AM PUT TO DEATH FOR SWALLOWING SOME LIQIUD WELL HEY THEN I WILL BE FREE FROM THE DEVILS WORLD….AND IF IF IS GOOD TO KILL ONE OF GODS CHILDREN FOR DRINKING ALCHAHOL WHEN JEHOVAH HIMSELF SAID IT ISNT A CRIME THEN SO BE IT….HOW CAN A VICAR HAVE MORE POWER THAN GOD?
Hare Krishna William. Yes. Drinking is a sin certainly. But really what would be the point of putting drunks to death? That is not the solution to anything. If your child is very sick and suffering and you take him to the doctor and doctor says, “I can immediately stop his suffering by killing him,” then what sort of a doctor is he. He is not a doctor at all, he is murderer. The same goes for your priest. The real business of a priest is to give the people who come to him good advice and guide them in such a way that they become purified and are able to give up all their bad habits like drinking. We all have bad habits, we all perform sinful activities, so if we are to take this philosophy of killing sinners then practically we will have to kill everyone. And what would that achieve? So this idea that your priest is speaking about is complete nonsense.
These days there are a lot of priests and gurus who are completely bogus. They are speaking on their own authority, not simply repeating the messages coming from God. But they do not realise they have no authority to speak like this.
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Krishna Himself, in a different mood, appeared in India 500 years ago. Lord Caitanya is described as patita pavana gaura hari, it means He is the friend of the most fallen, the friend of the most sinful. So really, now, to become a devotee, a follower of Lord Caitanya even the biggest sinners are qualified. But on the condition that they agree to give up their sinful ways and engage in the service of Krishna.
There are two things here. One is giving up the sinful activity. But it is not possible to give up these things unless we have something better to take their place. So we need to become attached to Krishna, become attached to chanting Hare Krishna, become attached to serving Krishna, become attached to eating Krishna prasadam. This is the positive side. The more we become attached to Krishna the less we will be attached to maya. So even if we are the most fallen if we simply try to become attached to Krishna under the direction of Krishna’s pure devotee, then automatically we will become detached from all sinful things. This is really the only way to give up completely these addictions like drinking alcohol. We need a higher taste, we have to experience something better, and really the spiritual taste you can experience from serving Krishna is truly amazing. There is no comparison to it in any activity at all in the material world. So we need to get that spiritual taste, and automatically our taste for material things will disappear..
dear sir
the example of car and driver is apt but to my mind appears an over simplification.
the car & the driver can easily be seen with our own eyes as two seperate identities with differing needs etc.
but the body & soul , for a lay man , is one & the same . Even though numerous examples are traditionally given to prove the point that body & soul are different, to realise this and practise it on a day-to-day basis appears daunting. SriKrishna, has perhaps , intentionally kept this shrouded in Maya. But why has He done this ? What is the joy He gets by keeping people hopelessly under the influence of His own Maya. Is this called His Leela ?
Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna Chandrasekhar. It is not Krishna who is keeping us covered by maya. We are covering ourselves by maya. We are covered over because of the unlimited sinful activities we have performed life after life. Krishna is giving us the process, in the form of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, how we can get uncovered very simply just by chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. But generally we are not really very interested in chanting Hare Krishna. So Krishna is being very merciful. He is giving us a very simple way to become free from maya, but we refuse to accept this way and continue with our sinful ways. This is not Krishna’s lila. It is nothing to do with Krishna. It a result of us misusing our independence and coming to the material world to try and enjoy separately from Krishna. So please do not blame Krishna for our mistakes. Krishna is always trying to help us. But that help is giving us information that we all have an eternal loving relationship with Krishna, and Krishna is asking us to surrender to Him, to serve Him, but He is not forcing us to do it. He has given us limited independence. So we are covered and suffering in maya not because Krishna wants us to be, but because we have turned our backs on Krsihna and do not want to listen to His advice…
Hare Krishna Madhuvisa-dasa,
I have recently signed up for this newsletter and it is such a pleasure to read your letters. I have read Sri Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita and immensely enjoyed it. I like your simple analogy of body with car and soul with the driver.
Hare Krishna,
Giri.
thank you maharaj for your wonderful letters. you said we are spirit soul wth spiritual bodyn we have came in this material worl with material body. so matrrial body as a car n soul as driver car has diffrent food driver has different food. whats food require for spiritual soul n how do we attain our spiritual body how bdoes spiritual body look like waiting for your reply
HARE KRISHNA
I READ MAIL SEND BY PRABHU THROUGH YOU .GOD KNOWS SOMETHING ENTERED IN MY MIND IT IS OPENENIG OF SEARHING GOOD THINGS .ONE THING I WANT TO KNOW HOW WE CAN DO EVERY THING IN FAMILY LIFE COMPARING OUR PERENTS DID TIME HAS CHANGED TOO MUCH SEEING NECESSTIES OF LIFE NOW GENERATION IS COMPLETLY DIFFERENT THEN OUR TIME HOW TO PERFORM DUTIES
RADHET RADHEY
RAKESH YOUR DAS
Hare Krishna Madhuvisa-dasaji,
A very simple & easy to remember points to observe ourselves by moving apart from our body whenever our mind starts thinking of the body.
Thank you so much
Hare Krishna
Meenakshi
car is non living object and I feel that to move a non living object we need a living thing otherwise it cannot move .Same is with human body without soul it cannot move .what happens to human body when soul leaves the body it cannot move .So soul helps to move human body .
HARE KRISHNA
SUMIT
Sri Madhudvisa Dasa Prabhuji, Namaskar.
You are absolutely right that the body is like a machine and I also believe on that. The body is changing every second i.e. the body before a second is not exactly what is it right now. There is no doubt that it is perishable. But to maintain it we have to give some fuel for it. But more importantly, as you have said, we have to feed our mind too. The real food for the mind is nothing other than the spirituality. Our sacred scriptures also declare that the mind is the cuase of salvation and bondage. So untill and unless we do not purify our mind we will not get salvation from the cycle of birth and death which is the cause of suffering.I strongly believe in the life after death and that is determined by our actions (Karmas). Therefor we are responsible for our next birth. Hare Krishna.
Hare Krishna
What u r saying Sir I m not understanding. What is the real purpose of our life tell I dont know & which home u r asking to go & how do u say that there is more happiness than there What thing u want to tell pls. reply clearly & pls also give me the re[ply of my previous question why is Arjuna so dear to Krishna
Hare Ram
hare krishna
i hav understood so far and its really interestin to learn all this to stop oneself distracting from the world of demands…car and body is good example but still v being a living object,that is obvious k lookin at any things we are bound to attract to taht thing..so how can v stop ourself from that…
Yes. I have been looking at my own life, my motives, actions, inner feelings, thoughts, in fact all aspects of my life, and looking at myself I can agree completely with the analogy given. If ‘feels’ right.
I have been facing lots of problems in my life and happiness also. There was a time when I was not a believer in God at all. But do not how I started believing in God and became his devotee? Actually I had looked upon my life very annalyticaly. I found when I was happy I did not care about anything having not thought for a moment that this happyness is temporary and will vanish all of a sudden. It has been happening always with me and it happens with every living being also. It was then I realized when my girlfriend left me alone and unhappy. I wondered I love her very much why did she leave me? Then I started reading Bhagavat Gita and I am getting the answers. As I am finishing the chapters one by one I am getting all the answers easily and now I am getting relief from my pains gradually. Whenever I am free I am chanting his name. Almost most of the day I pass chanting or reading about him and I am trying earnestly to practise the Bhavagvat Gita in my personal life. I believe everything whatever has been said in Gita to be absoutely true without any doubt at all. This is the very right fact that we are not this body but we are the spirit souls. Though knowing all these things I get entangled in this material world and sometimes think why my most beloved person my girlfriend left me. But whenever it happens I chant his name, turn the pages of Bhagavat Gita and it gives me peace.
DEAREST MADHUDVISA DAS
U write and explain so well. I will definitely use this piece in future lectures as all the academics in our Namahatta are responsible for discourses given. pse send me more. I am from South Africa, Kwazulu Natal, Newcastle.
Krsna be with u always.
hare krsna.
bhaktin julie
Thanks for the message. Do you have any advice for how to change some of the habits we should avoid?
Hare Krishna I agree that it is easy to say that we are not the body. I recall reading a quote that education starts when we realise that we are not the body. Where do we go from here when this age of Kali is full of so much faults and most of our universities are catered towards materialism? We need to critically look at developing a balance between that which is Spiritual and that which is Material.Ultimately based on the instruction of Sri Krishna we must give up all kinds of engagements and surrender unto Him. In addition we should remember that being expert in material propensities only is not enough. It ends with our departure from this material world. Thanks for the ability to comment. Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna !
Thanks for all the efforts you are taking to send me the mails. It is really fantastic to know about Bhagvat Gita.
It is really fantastic. Do keep on sending your valuable mails.
Thanks again
Madhusudan R. Pillai
Dear Madhudvisa dasa,
Just wanted to let you know that I have been reading all of the newsletters you have sent out thus far and are finding them very informative and helpful, thank you very much for your important service.
i suggest we should give more graphic examples of how body is different from soul.
Hare Krishna prabhuji,
First of all I am very thankful to you for sending me the news letter regularliy. Two three points I want to know about Bhagvat Gita. As it was written in Gita that this spritual knowledge was first given to Brahma by Lord Krishna and then its passes through discipleic successions. Then where it became lost during this process, so that Lord Krishna came himself to gave this knowledge again to the people? And why he choose only arjuna instead of his other devotee. I am fully conviced that we are not the body, but even than we have material desires, we suffer, why?
Please clarify me these doubts.
Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna Prabhu
These are nice questions.
Krishna spoke to Arjuna instead of speaking the Bhagavad Gita to other, seemingly more qualified persons, because Arjuna was Krishna’s friend and dear devotee. It is because of this friendship that Krishna choose Arjuna to be the receiver of the Bhagavad Gita.
As far as being convinced that we are not the body. I am also convinced that I am not the body. But I am still not out of the bodily concept of life. To know theoretically and to be convinced that we are not the body is a very simple thing. To practically realize that we are not the body, that is another thing altogether.
There is a scientific process to actually realize that we are not the body and that is saddhana bhakti. It means strictly following the rules and regulations under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. That means a pure devotee of Krishna. So we can not actually realize we are not the body unless we follow Krishna’s instructions in the Bhagavad Gita:
tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.
The path of spiritual realization is undoubtedly difficult. The Lord therefore advises us to approach a bona fide spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession from the Lord Himself. No one can be a bona fide spiritual master without following this principle of disciplic succession. The Lord is the original spiritual master, and a person in the disciplic succession can convey the message of the Lord as it is to his disciple. No one can be spiritually realized by manufacturing his own process, as is the fashion of the foolish pretenders. The Bhāgavatam says: dharmaṁ hi sākṣād-bhagavat-praṇītam-the path of religion is directly enunciated by the Lord. Therefore, mental speculation or dry arguments cannot help one progress in spiritual life. One has to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge. Such a spiritual master should be accepted in full surrender, and one should serve the spiritual master like a menial servant, without false prestige. Satisfaction of the self-realized spiritual master is the secret of advancement in spiritual life. Inquiries and submission constitute the proper combination for spiritual understanding. Unless there is submission and service, inquiries from the learned spiritual master will not be effective. One must be able to pass the test of the spiritual master, and when he sees the genuine desire of the disciple, he automatically blesses the disciple with genuine spiritual understanding. In this verse, both blind following and absurd inquiries are condemned. One should not only hear submissively from the spiritual master; but one must also get a clear understanding from him, in submission and service and inquiries. A bona fide 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 inquiries becomes perfect.
hi tahnks for sending me so nice emails as i need it now as i m pregnent i use to read it bhagwad gita also at home and in ur mails i receive more knowledge so plz keep on sending me thank you very much.
HH Swami Madhudvisa dasa,
That ‘Parabrahma Prapthi’ or attainment of unity with the Parabrahma is the ultimate goal of our life in this earth is well understood.
Being aware of this ultimate aim in life itself is a blessing.
In Srimad Bhagavad Gita - Bhagavan Sri Krishna advises us to look for the path of life which will free us from the cycle of repeated births and deaths.
This is possible only by taking to the spiritual path early in life and continuing till the very end. This way the distance to be covered before Parabrahma Prapthi is reduced and we humans get a more suitable birth the next time around so that we may pursue our ultimate goal with renewed vigor in the new birth.
Your analogical illustration of the car and its driver brings out the needs of the human body as different from the human mind excellently.
I prostrate in front of you,
Hare Krishna Subramanian.
if soul is the driver and the ultimate owner of the body then every action of the body is worked under its supervision. in your article of car food and the food of soul is differnt it is known to us by the soul then soul should know and able to find its own food . if soul is the ultimate in human body who control us and responcible for every actevites during our presence in the materialistic world . so how soul is not able to feed itself by its own giving instruction to this body whome it can instruct and control for car driving.prabhuji this is the only answer i personaly wondering till date.simply if soul is the part of god and present in our materialistic body so it is the soul is ultimate enjoyer of the materialistic world and definately know and collect its food.
your das
krishna
The problem is the soul is bewildered. It is misidentifying with the body and it is thinking the food of the body is his food. That is the problem. The answer is Krishna consciousness…
I understand you are saying that we need to concentrate on the spiritualities and spend only those time and energy only to make vehicle drive… agreed… but the world is full of illusions and temptations…how to divert our path and aims from these illusions and concentrate on spiritualities???
It is a very nice question. How to divert our path and aims from these illusions and concentrate on spiritualities? Actually this is the whole subject matter of the process of Saddhana Bhakti. If we want to actually divert our minds away from materialism then we must attach our minds to something positive. There is no possiblility of our minds becoming void or empty. We have to fill our minds and our life with Krishna. And the way to do that is to engage all our senses in the service of Krishna under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master. Srila Prabhuapda has written over 80 big books, and much of what is written in these books is the science of how we can concentrate on Krishna. It is not some impersonal thing. We need to develop a personal relationship with Krishna. This is a big subject and it has to be studied in the mood of submission and service from a bona fide spiritual master and one must be prepared to use his or her energy in the service of Krishna. This Krishna consciousness is devotional service. It means because we love Srila Prabhuapda and Krishna we are prepared to give up our time and energy and serve them instead of serving maya…
There are only two things. Serving Krishna and serving Maya. So if we want to become Krishna conscious we have to stop serving maya and start serving Krishna…
We must look into the nature of our mind, in relation with the activities we perform for Krishna, on one hand, and for the worldly affairs, on the other hand.
Around 40% of our mind is always engaged outside (eyes and ears) and that leaves 60% idle(smell, touch and taste). We must also draw back the 40% inwards, and it is possible by serving Krishna (by seeing the deity always, lovingly, and by hearing Kirtans always, with concentration). We can eat prasadam, we can smell flowers offered to the Lord, we can smell the incense, the chandan oil offered to Lord, we can taste the prasadam and we can touch the feet of the Lord. Thus our entire senses are engaged 100% in Krishna’s service.
Once I lived for a month in a Temple. It was a beautiful experience, and I will always cherish the memories of rising early at 3:30 AM, cleaning up by 4 AM,then offering Mangal Arati, Morning Japa,reading Gita,then Darshan of deity (Lord Lakshmi Narayan, in Pune’s famous Temple). After deity darshan we would have prasadam, and then go out for preaching. We would return, have Darshan,perform afternoon Pooja,go for prasadam again-lunch, continue Japa, and then rest a couple of hours, and then we would offer evening Pooja, then go for kirtan, and then read Gita, have night darshan, and wind up with Japa. Sleep early after prasadam dinner. This life style for more than a month was so inspiring,I want to go back to it again, when I am retired from office work. With some variations, this lifestyle is followed by almost all members of ISKCON. I wish at that time there were cameras, O would have recorded the daily schedule. I think a devotee can do that today, and post such a video on the youtube.
All glories to Lord Sri Krishna!
DANDAVATS
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR REMINDING ME OF THE MISSION WE HAVE TO COMPLETE.
I´LL TRY TO REMEMBER THAT THE SOUL IS WHAT MATTERS AND THAT EVERITHING I DO HAS TO BE FOR KRISNA AND BEACUSE OF HIM AND THAT I HAVE TO RETURN HOME.
HARIBOL!!!
hare krishna,
hari bol, thans for given a very nice topic i would like to send this message to maximum people. yes this a very good example, if we can follow it we can closed your god krishna & we got our mission of born as a human out of 48 lackh generation, i will request to you please menssion relation& responsbility between got & human beacause who is not connescted to any organsion or krisna connection. then some new devotee will understand mission of guru parbhupad.
thanks.
daso ka das
ajay
Hare Krishna
Dandavat pranam
This newsletter is really wonderful. It has put light on the most vital question of our life. The Question is: What is our ultimate destination in our life? No, doubt those who are spiritually inclined or have received mercy from Lord Krishna must be aware about the Ultimate destination in their life. But many a time these bodily requirements act as an hindrance in our way to spiritual progress.
I have myself experienced this hindrance many a times in my life. At times I really feel very bad when I see myself moving downwards from my spiritual progress. Because I know what Krishna has told all of us. He has said: “Ever strive to elevate, not lower yourself. Thus be your own friend and not your own enemy.”
Your newletters on Krishna Connect help me to elevate in my spiritual progress. Thankyou so much for being so kind towards me. Request you to continue with such good work.
Hari Bole.
Why is it that I can remember what I have read in a karmi book years ago, but when I read a KC book it is so difficult to remember what I have just read. Are there any special excises to help remember what I have read?
Hare Krishna Mataji
Yes. Special exercise is chanting “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare” and engaging in practical service under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master. I remember feeling exactly this way when I joined the Hare Krishna movement in 1986. Our Bhakta leader was telling me I should learn Bhagavad-gita verses but I thought it was impossible. And he just told me that if I chant Hare Krishna and sincerely engage in service and just simply read the books I will remember the verses. Of course I did not believe him. But I tried it and it does work. Now I know a lot of verses and I know a lot of the things that are in Srila Prabhuapda’s books.
It is not simply studying the books. This is realized knowledge. So we need to read the books and then put what we read in Srila Prabhupada’s books into practice in our lives.
And the realization of the knowledge in the books actually comes from service. Not scholarship. The best service, most pleasing service to Srila Prabhuapda is to distribute his books to others. And the best way to remember the philosophy is to read it and then preach what you have read to others. So if we read it and then speak it that will solidify the knowledge and we will get a lot of practical realizations from this.
So basically please make a serious plan how you can read all of Srila Prabhuapda’s books. And if you read them aloud that will be much more powerful than reading them in your mind. Because Krishna consciousness is more about hearing than anything else. So if you hear yourself reading the books that will be much more powerful than just reading…
So it is a few ideas, hope it is helpful. I wish you all success in understanding the teachings of Srila Prabhuapda and please speak about whatever your read to others and that will be very good for you and very good for whoever you meet.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
i am very much enjoying these essays, a good refresher of philosophy, and concisely written.
Hare Krsna Hare krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare !
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama rama hare hare !!!!1
Really nice topi prabhu ji….& very thoughtful.It answers lots of queries about life .Life is full of myth & rumours & Bhagvad darshna is real mantra to get rid of these dellimas.
only just have faith….can not just have a faith has to be proof too…rite…we talking a lot how is it about body,soul etc…the question,where is that come from?
its true the body requires meditation more than food to sustain it even medical experts say that meditation is better than medicatiion. so 16 rounds of chanting the holy name keeps the body and mind healthy and wise, and keeps the doctor away.
how can a common people indulge in daily routine can change into devotee of shrikrishna
hare krishna, very perfect example is given to make the difference of this body and the sprit.read you more in near future.thanks hare krishna.
We believe in one God……no one can deny it…if it coming to U soon…Hope everybody find their way…but believe me,God is not the one U can described it, we can even face it…we just receive it to understand His Power….find one..but please not human act as to be our God….
I have always tried to make this body into a perfect machine, realising that I am not this body helps me a lot in acheiving this goal.The are where I need to focus is to use this machine in the service of Krishna, somehow.
HARE KRISHNA
I am highly inspired by these lines.
“Therefore Krishna recommends in the Bhagavad Gita that we satisfy the bodily needs only as much as necessary to maintain the body in a healthy condition and spend the rest of our time and energy in spiritual activities which help us to reawaken our original spiritual consciousness. It is this spiritual consciousness which is a our real need, the needs of the soul.”
Sir,
I feel very happy to go through the subject as well as the comments by the devotees.
Thanks for giving this opportunity to Hare Krishna.
hare krishna Madhuvisa dasa,
Your analogy to the car is truly excellent. Many thanks. Like many people I find that balancing the needs of the body and the soul is difficult…especially in these economic times where most of my time goes to just trying to earn enough to pay all the bills….But just by your clarification of needs, I have a better understanding of where I need to go.
om shanti
Adrian
Namah Shivay !!!
Very illumining explaination from Bhagavad Gita indeed , really boosting my faith , that repeating our Ishta Devata’s Mantram , given by our Sadguru , abiding by the simple spiritual discipline , will make us more nearer to our Real Goal !!
Hare Krishna everyone. I totally agree with the above article. We all have to remember that we are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey and we need find our way back home. The truth and the knowledge is within us, we just have to concentrate in the right direction in order for all the knowledge to reveal itself. And for sure Bhagavad Gita is a really good start. Bhagavad Gita gives us the chance for all this knowledge to come back to us(to be awaken within us) and to start practicing all this wisdom and knowledge in our everyday lifes.
Thank you for giving us this opportunity to learn and grow.
Hare Krishna Madhuvisa dasa.
I thought mind was the driver, body the vehicle and soul the engine.
Will sim;ly chanting the mahamantra feed the soul? Are there no preparations needed ?such as conditioning the mind to concentrte on the Paramathma ?
Hare Krishna,
Dearest Madhudvisa-Dasa ji
I am sure enough that you are very very dear and loving to Shri Krishna and I consider myself fortunate to get your mails for Krishna Consciousness.
i will read your messages regularly.
i feel that even trying to remember Krishna makes me absolutely peaceful. I feel that he is my parent, my mother, my father, and He is the one I am missing in my life, he is the essence and he is the one to be worshipped and to be love. very recently i lost my mother, who is my first Guru. she has handed me over to Lord Shri Hari because she loved me and she knew that He will save everyone who remembers him all the time, she herself was taken care of by Shri Krishna at the end.
i think Prabhu also loves me that has given me various oppurtunities like your newsletters to know him & his love for all creatures in this universe
I am not the body nor am I the mind.Who is this I?
Ask whom? who is asking?silence answers.Am I Silence?
I am spirit soul,says a voice.who hears?Have I seen myself?
Who knows?Krishna knows.I therefore surrender to the guru
who brought me closer to Krishna.I humbly bow down this mortal
body at His Lotus Feet
Hare Krishna Sanjeev
Guru has to be qualified and disciple has to be qualified. Guru needs to be a pure devotee of Krishna. He has to be free from the clutches of maya, a liberated soul. If he is then he can guide you to the correct path so you can also achieve the same result. And the qualification of the disciple is that he must surrender to the bona fide spiritual master and accept the order of the spiritual master as his life and soul.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Gita teaches us to be bold in our karamkshetra. but as a management student, it is taught to play different tactics to achieve so called success in career. such success life is ostensible for all and the person is termed as a good person for the achievements he made in one’s career.
complying with Gita Gyan, if one does not compromise with ethics or does not play foul or work as a simple fellow, without desire for fruit, and he does not reaches to the higher posts for one’s such behaviour, then such persons fall in what category….failure, satisfied, attained or nincompoop..
i am waiting for your reply impatiently..
Hare Krishna.
I understand in India Ganja has been made illegal,I am wondering is Ganja maya & is India subjecting herself to maya by allowing western alcohol saturation policy?
ji.
Hare Krishna.
Yes. Any type of intoxication is maya and will prevent us from making advancement in spritual life. So both ganja and alcohol are maya and both will fustrate any attempts we may make to advance in Krishna consciousness. That is why one of the regulative principles is “No intoxication.” This principle bans all types of intoxication even cigarettes, tea and coffee.
Hare Krushna
Our Soul is perfact driver of our body. But body’s demands never completed, one demand we fulfill and many more are waiting. Soul has no connection with body’s demands. Soul always stand as vitnees of all the things which happning with us.
My question is I want forget my body and I’m hungry to satisfy my soul, a drop of god which go left in us.
Hare Krishna
Internally I feel total sanyasi, but as u say need of body I’m living in society
I’m computer lecturer. My soul always wants krushna and coz of this my hungerness i’m thinking I devote my rest of life with is iscon but how it’s possible please guide me.
Hari Bol!
Thanks for the explanation and analogy of the body to car and different types of fuel. I needed that. I don’t have much to say other than that is beautiful and I try to better myself everyday but it is very difficult. Read the Srimad Bhagvag Gita many times and really trying to apply it to myself is not easy…buy trying and will continue to do so.
Jai Sri Radhe Krishna!
Love,
Miky.
Haei bol,Madhudvisa.
You say,”Any type of intoxication is maya and will prevent us from making advancement”,is not Krishna the supreme intoxication,& if Krishna is absolute how then can we make advancement?
Hare Krishna Prabhu
There is no problem if you are intoxicated by Krishna… I think you know we are talking about material intoxication here. The regulative 4 principles are: “No illicit sex, no meat eating, no intoxication and no gambling.” When we say “no intoxication” it means no intoxicating substances like alcohol, cigerattes, ganja, other drugs, even up to coffee and tea. These are all addictions and if we are addicted to these things there is no chance of becoming addicted to Krishna, which is the ultimate goal.
So yes, the goal is to become addicted to Krishna and to become intoxicated in Krishna consciousness. And this is not possible if we are addicted to any form of material intoxication.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna , Swamiji
I went through your latest newsletter about the body being a machine and I completely agree with it . Its absolutely upto us, how to carry this machine by controlling its senses. And as Shrila Prabhupad says that the body is also God’s energy, and the God’s energy should be utilised for God and his service.
Please do keep on sending me more installments and I will be surely responding them as soon as I read them.
Thanking you
Yours unfeigned servant
Gaurang Patil
Our human body is totally different with machine, I agree that machines need fuel, water, oil, air and other inputs for operation. but you know that that machine size is constant in size, constant in working operation. finally it’s man-made.
when we talk about our body, we have physical and soul, without physical only soul cannot be called body, and only soul without body is like a material as a stone.
Machine is only the material, this is only man-made. you cannot compare with your body. Our body is not made by you and me,not made by human being. we are the products of God. Don’t look so insight as micro-thinking, look to the universe, look to the other planets, looks to the Suns, there are so many Suns in our universe. and what about glaxies who made it, who create it. So wonder.
You can examine just only what you are, but you cannot able to do as in single atom. Who decided you. Who create you. you are not a motor car. your life span is total different with motor car’s lifespan.
If you say that you are like a machine, who create you? Very wonder who is your Creator, who is the Greatest Creator of Heaven and Earth and Universe?
My Friend, your are not a machine, you are Human. Your value is more than a machine. Machines are made by Human, but you are created by Greatest Creator, You know that Who is the Greatest Creator of everlasting?
Some people say that we are the greatest of this world, if we use the “we” than you cannot be the greatest, only one will be the Greatest, not We
even God is the greatest of this world, who is the greatest of this UNIVERSE.
Behold that, you are NOT A MACHINE
Hare Krishna Doctor,
The human body is a machine. It is made of the material elements. The soul, however, the driver of the bodily machine, is not material. We are the spirit soul and the spirit soul is for some time trapped in this body which is like a machine. When this bodily machine is old and useless the soul will be forced to change into another bodily machine.
You are right, we are not the motor car, we are the driver of the motor car. That is the exact point. This body is like the motor car. A motor car is useless without a driver. It will never go anywhere or do anything without a driver. Similarly this bodily machine is useless unless the driver, I, the soul, is present within it to control it and direct it.
So the body is like the motor car and the soul is like the driver.
You are also completely correct when you say “you are not a machine.” We are not the body, the body is a machine, we are the spirit soul, the driver, who is present within the bodily machine “driving” it.
Hope this clears up the point.
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare krishna prabhu dandavat pranam
I want to ask that in prabhupadas book it si wriiten to adhire to 3 things
1. no illicit sex
2. no gambling
3.no meat eating
how pandavas did gambling in mahabharata and lost. All of them were krishna conscious but how can they do that. Is there any learning from that or it was lesson for generation to come.
I am a sudra please forgive me for such question.
Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna Subrajeet
In Kali-yuga everyone is born as a sudra. But if we want to make a success of this human form of life we can not remain sudra’s. We need to elevate ourselves to the brahminical platform. So Srila Prabhuapda is training us to come to the mode of pure goodness, suddha-sattva, that is even transcendental to the Brahmanical platform.
Pandavas were devotees, friends of Krishna, and they were acting as ksatriyas. So a ksatriya is required to fight when challenged and also if he is challenged to a gambling match he has to accept this challenge. So for a ksatriya this gambling and fighting is part of their duty.
But gambling will not help us advance in spiritual life. To advance in spiritual life you need to accept and surrender to a bona fide spiritual master and surrender to his instructions. So Srila Prabhupada is instructing us to follow the four regulative principles [you missed out "no intoxication" in your list] and chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily.
If we want to make spiritual advancement we must follow these instructions.
We can only make advancement by pleasing a pure devotee of Krishna. And Srila Prabhuapda will not be pleased if we do not even follow his very basic instructions [follow the four regulative principles and chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily]
Madhudvisa dasa
LOve
I agree for sure that we are not a body. Yes we are not
We are the tiny light in chest inside : )
To be honest I do realize that, but i still got the doubt. What part of one do not want to accept that?
LOve Love Love
Richard
Dear Richard,
The one who do not want to accept that, is the ‘lust’ residing in our mind, senses and intelligence.The soul although a spiritual body is attracted by the intelligence next door which is acting as a servant to lust.Lust any how wants material enjoyment.’Lust’ is the illusionary energy of God Krishna and the soul is trapped in it.{soul once resided in heaven,
[goloka vrindavan]was thrown out because of its desire to enjoy seperated from Krishna}
Body does everything with the help of the soul but can’t see the prisoner and doesn’t know his struggle to reach its true home.The soul on the other hand can do this only with the help of mind, senses and intelligence which is now captured by the lust. So,the soul wants to purify them with Krishna consciousness and obtain a visa to re-enter the heaven with the qualities Krishna demands.
Yes I accept it.We are not body.And all the things what we are seeing is not right.What is right is our self.And what is right is our soul?Actually the soul is the only thing in this universe.By wearing the dress or mask of human body,we forget ourselves and we think that we are humans and the things around
us are real.Am i right sir?
jai guru datta
jai shri krishna
jai shri man narayan
i deeply express my gratitude for expalining in simple words about the car and motor concept relating it to body and soul.
i have a doubt if so plz reply to it!!
Q, How can one differentiate between soul and man?
are they different in many aspects?
kindly clear the above doubt?
jai guru datta
jai shri krishna
jai shri mannarayan
We are the soul.
I am the soul.
So the man is the soul…
I have come to know one important secret that if we want to control our mind we first need to control our breath as both are interconnected. Our thoughts depends on what we eat and it is essential to eat the right food satvic food and how we breath as most of people are breathing in wrong way thats why they are suspicious and unsatisfied with everything in life. The best and correct way to breath is when one inhales one should chant radhe e y (inhale breath in 3seconds and while inhaling chest and abs should come out in equal proportion and while exhaling one should chant krishna (exhale in 2 seconds where chest and abs come back to natural position) In this way one can chant as well as do his daily activites as we breath in for 24hrs and 365 days till we are alive and easiest and best way to get connected to lord krishna. As this is rhythm is of nature, start with 5mins and go increasing every week by 5mins.
vipul
Respected Sir,
last few years, i am going through meditation and concentrating breath as instrcuted by yoga guru, thoughts never coming to an end throut the meditation time, started meditation to my soul and ultimate satya, till the date I am unable to achieve my goal, please guide me in this regard.
Thanking you
Yours faithfully
visweshwar rao potula
Hey,madhudvisa.
If alcohol & ganga are maya does that mean jesus & shiva are really satanists
thanks.
Greetings;
Several years ago I was going thru a spiritual crisis (another one!) in my Christian faith. I was a “born-again” Christian and loved our Lord dearly. I was led to the Catholic Catechism and began to take lessons to be baptized into the church. I had a mentor and had shared some questions I had about some of the practices. She told me I was listening to Satan; thus ended my look into the Catholic church. I was very disheartened and got down on my knees in prayer. I was led to a scripture in the old testament that told me to “seek the ancient of days”, and so I prayerfully did. A few nights later I began to dream of a Blue Being who was teaching me and driving me in my car.
I did not know who this was, but my mom and sister are devotees of Sathya Sai Baba. They told me they were sure it was Lord Krishna. HE took all fear and gave me love!! May HE be forever loved! He turned my life around and has been my Beloved Lord since that day.
Thank you for your devotion to the truth and your message relating our path and our vehicles to cars.
I still do not have all the correct words; just Bless you all on your journey.
hi,madhudvisa.
If alcohol & ganga are maya does it mean Jesus who apparently enjoyed a glass of wine & shiva who apparently enjoyed a spot of ganga are mayavadis?
thanks
Hare Krishna Shanel
You have not quite grasped what a “mayavadi” is. A mayavadi is one who thinks that when Krishna appears in the material world His pastimes are an exhibition of the external material energy. A mayavadi does not accept the personal form of Krishna. He thinks this personal form of Krishna is simply a temporary manifestation of the material energy covering the supreme eternal formless brahman enengy. And he is thinking after Krishna’s pastimes are finished in the material world the Krishna form no longer exists. Because of this the mayavadi thinks all of Krishna’s pastimes are simply exhibitions of maya.
So a mayavadi is envious of Krishna and Krishna’s devotees.
Shiva may or may not smoke ganja but Shiva also drank an ocean of poison and if you tried to drink even one drop of that ocean you would be killed. So the instruction is not to imitate the isvaras, or great controllers, but to follow their example. You can not do what the great can do. For example the sun has the power to evaporate or “drink” water from any filthy place, and in the process the sun will purify that place. If you go to some filthy place and drink the water there you will get very sick and the place will not be purified. So you can not imitate the powerful.
As far as Jesus he was preaching in a different society where all sorts of sinful activities like drinking alcohol and eating meat were performed by the people as a regular daily thing. It is not possible to change the habits of the people overnight. But that does not mean that eating meat and drinking alcohol are good. These are sinful activities and are obstacles on the path of spiritual advancement that will be given up by any sincere seekers of the truth.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hi madhudvisa. once again thankyou for the studys you send. in my intellect i can understand i am not this body.it is indeed very easy to say.for myself however life is often the opposite.each day i pray and try to do service to god.i try to remember him but endlessly it seems get distracted by worldly things.though i want to be perfect and make god happy im in the habit of forgetting him and remembering what is in comparison unimportant.if god loves us then why did he send us here?
Hare Krishna Garry
Thanks for the nice question.
God did not send us here to the material world. God loves us and does not want us to come here to this miserable place full of suffering and death.
We have a certain degree of independence. And we have misused that independence. Originally we were in the spiritual world with God. In that place God is supreme and everyone there is serving God in some way or other. We were also there but somehow we thought that it would be nice if we could also become god, if we could also get others to serve us.
That is not possible in the spiritual world, because there God is the center of attention and everyone is serving God. But because we also have all the same qualities as God, even though we have them in a very small quantity whereas God has them in an unlimited quantity, and God is the supreme controller, we sometimes to become the controller also.
But constitutionally we are servants, not controllers. So Krishna has very mercifully created this material world where we can be deceived by maya (the material energy) into thinking that we can become the controller. If you look around in this would you will see that basically everyone is trying to become the controller, everyone is trying to become God.
This desire to become God is the material disease and Krishna has created the material world to cure us of this disease. To a certain extent you can fulfill the desire of becoming the controller here. But this material world is constructed in such a way that everything you do will ultimately end in frustration.
So a thoughtful person, after many births in this material world, will come to the conclusion that there is no point in trying to become the enjoyer and controller, and he will understand that the best course of action is to surrender to Krishna and to go back home, back to Godhead.
So you see all the problems and suffering we endure in this material world are actually the mercy of Krishna, reminding us that this material world is not a nice place, and inviting us to go back home, back to Godhead.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa das
hi. i have posted three questions to you .one on each of the first three studys. i assume you are very busy.are you unable to answer all questions due to your workload. i have today ordered the gita offer.thanks.gary
Hare Krishna Garry
I did get behind on these postings over the past few weeks. I have answered a lot of questions today. Hopefully yours are among them. If not please post again. I receive so many emails and questions and can not reply to them all. I do try to answer all serious questions posted in this forum.
Madhudvisa dasa
Hi
I get that we must nourish the operator but how much nourishment is required? I need to work to make a living and obviously there are different standards of living I can acquire.
What is deemed a suitable standard of living to pursue? Then do I only pursue this standard of living for the now or do I plan for the future? Ultimately they both have a bearing on the facilities available to me to engage with the operator. For example…. I rent an apartment now, if I work harder I can save money and maybe buy a house. In the short term my ability to pursue god is diminished but in the long term it is increased, so what to do?
Outside of work then there is all the other stuff that comes with living in a society. Do I give up hobbies, interests and socialising to just pursue spiritual matters? Are not all of these a part of the creator?
Thanks
Pete
Hare Krishna Pete
Thanks for the nice questions.
We should live as simply as possible. Simply supplying the body with the minimum bare necessities so it is healthy and strong and able to serve Krishna nicely.
Of course if you are married and with family then that is a different situation and you will need to supply a reasonably comfortable arrangement for your wife and family. If you can not make your wife a little comfortable and provide here with a nice place to stay and nice clothes and jewelry she will not be happy and if she is not happy you will not be happy also. This is the problem of married life. To satisfy the wife you have to work so hard and spend so much time and energy and this distracts you from the spiritual path. Still marriage is a valuable and necessary experience for most men.
There is some “fairy story” out there that a lot of young men believe. They think there is some beautiful women out there, their “soul mate,” and they are thinking, “When I meet her we will be so happy…” But the reality is even if you marry the most beautiful girl will all good qualities then the result will be so much work and so much suffering. But generally one has to experience this to believe it. A beautiful women is such an attractive thing…
So the idea in the Vedas is marriage is one of the Samskaras, or purificatory processes. So by responsibly going through married life and looking after a wife and some children the man becomes purified of the desire for family life and at some point when the family is grown up he can then seriously take to spiritual life.
So my point is that in family life you will need to have money to support the wife and the family so then you need to work… But still you and your wife should be determined to live as simply as possible. The reality is that the higher standard of life you live the harder you have to work to maintain it. So what is the point of having a very nice house if both you and your wife have to work two jobs, putting the children in the child care centers, and you only come to the house at 10:00 pm in the evening to sleep and leave the house at 5:00 am to go to work?
It would be better if you had a simple, inexpensive house and you could work one job and the wife can stay home and look after the family and you can come home at a reasonable time and spend time with your wife and children…
So the idea is to keep everything as simple as possible.
As far as all the other stuff that comes with living in society like hobbies, interests and socializing, these things should all be transformed so the central point is Krishna. You should take up worshipping Krishna as your hobby, you can become interested in studying the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam, you can socialize with other devotees of Krishna…
It is not actually possible to become a devotee of Krishna and have one’s life go on exactly the same as it was before. Some things will change…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvsia dasa
Dear Gurudeva,
The analogy is absolutely true.
Waiting for more truths.
your servant
sudheer
Madhudvisa dasa ji, Hare Krishna!
I can intellectually grasp to some extent that this body is machine & I am the driver and in reality also I would like to have this much dispassion & discrimination so that I can experience that my body is different from me.
But in present reality & experience this concept does not appeal to be true 100%. When my body is hurt, I don’t feel that a machine which I am driving has been damaged but I & in fact everybody feels the pain of that injury. Sometimes the gravity of pain overwhelms us. Why would it be so if we are just drivers of our bodies.
Take an example. I see a beautiful girl & I want to become her friend. Is it a requirement of my body or is it my own need & desire. I would say that it is my desire because I myself feel it. We can say that we are different from our bodies only if we can differentiate where the boundary of our bodies end & domain of our real self begin but in experience I find that body is nothing but an extension of my soul & all the needs of my body are in some way or the other related to my very personal needs which I can’t say are my body’s exclusive needs.
How to differentiate between my real self & my body? Isn’t my mind also a part of my body because a person because of a bodily defect becomes mentally retarted. Then in that case what I am if not this body(which includes mind).
Please enlighten me with some insight which can make things very clear & bright.
Anyway I like Krishna very much & I like Hare Krishna mantra too. It is so soothing.
regards
Hare Krishna!!!!
Haribol Thanks for your wonderful newsletter on body and soul. I have a question Can you give ma a graphic example of Bhagvad-Gita verse 2.13 other than given by Srila Prabhupad. I will be very grateful to you if you replLY. Hare Krsna.
Srila Prabhuapda’s explanation is fine. If you can let me know which part you do not understand I can try to expand on it. But there is no need for a different example. I am not sure what you mean “Graphic example…’
As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.
Since every living entity is an individual soul, each is changing his body every moment, manifesting sometimes as a child, sometimes as a youth, and sometimes as an old man. Yet the same spirit soul is there and does not undergo any change. This individual soul finally changes the body at death and transmigrates to another body; and since it is sure to have another body in the next birth-either material or spiritual-there was no cause for lamentation by Arjuna on account of death, neither for Bhīṣma nor for Droṇa, for whom he was so much concerned. Rather, he should rejoice for their changing bodies from old to new ones, thereby rejuvenating their energy. Such changes of body account for varieties of enjoyment or suffering, according to one’s work in life. So Bhīṣma and Droṇa, being noble souls, were surely going to have either spiritual bodies in the next life, or at least life in heavenly bodies for superior enjoyment of material existence. So, in either case, there was no cause of lamentation.
Any man who has perfect knowledge of the constitution of the individual soul, the Supersoul, and nature-both material and spiritual-is called a dhīra or a most sober man. Such a man is never deluded by the change of bodies. The Māyāvādī theory of oneness of the spirit soul cannot be entertained on the ground that spirit soul cannot be cut into pieces as a fragmental portion. Such cutting into different individual souls would make the Supreme cleavable or changeable, against the principle of the Supreme Soul being unchangeable.
As confirmed in the Gītā, the fragmental portions of the Supreme exist eternally (sanātana) and are called kṣara; that is, they have a tendency to fall down into material nature. These fragmental portions are eternally so, and even after liberation, the individual soul remains the same-fragmental. But once liberated, he lives an eternal life in bliss and knowledge with the Personality of Godhead. The theory of reflection can be applied to the Supersoul who is present in each and every individual body and is known as the Paramātmā, who is different from the individual living entity. When the sky is reflected in water, the reflections represent both the sun and the moon and the stars also. The stars can be compared to the living entities and the sun or the moon to the Supreme Lord. The individual fragmental spirit soul is represented by Arjuna, and the Supreme Soul is the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa. They are not on the same level, as it will be apparent in the beginning of the Fourth Chapter. If Arjuna is on the same level with Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is not superior to Arjuna, then their relationship of instructor and instructed becomes meaningless. If both of them are deluded by the illusory energy (māyā), then there is no need of one being the instructor and the other the instructed. Such instruction would be useless because, in the clutches of māyā, no one can be an authoritative instructor. Under the circumstances, it is admitted that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, superior in position to the living entity, Arjuna, who is a forgotten soul deluded by māyā.
Prabhupada’s example is fine. If you do not understand it let me know exactly what you do not understand and I can try and expand on this.
Thank you very much for reminding me.Hari om tat sat.
Sir (Madhuvisa Dasa),
I have a question for you: In one of your subscription: “”I am not this body” Easy to say….,” you have said like “the soul within the body, the ghost in the machine”. Why do you say ‘ghost’ in the machine(Why not- “soul in the machine”. When we say the word ‘ghost’ usually we don’t mean it positive.). I can’t understand; please answer me Sir.
Thank you.
Pamindha Harikrishnan
what can one do when spreaded by friends who are in reality enemies, and such people act in such evil ways that are not imaginable to a simple person, how to protect oneself and overcome such people?
Hare Krishna Nat
We are very much influenced by the people we are always associating with.
The best thing is to live in the association of devotees of Krishna. But that is somewhat difficult to find now. But you can personally associate with Srila Prabhupada by reading his books. That is what you need to do. The knowledge of Krishna consciousness will protect you and the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra will protect you:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
So in this way please take advantage of the protection of Krishna and Srila Prabhupada.
Madhudvisa dasa
Pranam,
It is a fact that we are not this body. And although I have not completely realized this fact I believe this fact. But I want to convert this belief into a clearity. That is I would like to see (may not be necessarily with eyes but with whatever senses that are capable of seeing this truth). How?
Hare Krishna Respected Prabhuji,
It is really wonderful. You have explained so nicely. I am awaiting eagerly for more messages from you. I humbly request you to enlighten me why the driver of the body i.e. the soul within the body does not protest when we try to engage ourselves in all sorts of worldly acts which are not required? Does the soul have the power to protest when soul is not satisfied? What is the science?
With regards,
Subir Das
Hare Krishna Subir
Ultimately the soul is the cause of the performance of all these worldly acts. It is only because the soul wanted to misuse his independence that we are here in the material world. The soul is me. I am the soul. I have come here to enjoy separately from Krishna. And that is my mistake. Actually it is not possible to enjoy separately from Krishna. That is why this material world is a world of suffering.
The soul will never be satisfied here and the soul can always decide to serve Krishna instead of serving maya and get out of here and go back home back to Godhead…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krsna,
Gurudev
I found this newsletter very interesting. I want to learn more of SLOKAS of bhagvad gita. How do I start? Please guide.
HARE KRSNA HARE KRSNA KRSNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE
Read the book aloud… Get it from http://www.KrishnaStore.com
If you are chanting Hare Krishna at least 16 rounds a day and strictly following the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication] and you read Bhagavad-gita As It Is aloud on a regular basis you will automatically learn so many slokas. It is done by hearing. We learn by hearing. You have to chant Hare Krishna and hear it and you need to read the Bhagavad Gita aloud and hear it.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Dear madhudvisa-dasa,
Greetings To you.
Earlier You said, That one cannot give up the desire to eat tasty food, But one can purify the desire by offering the food to Lord Krishna.
I have Two Questions.
1. If I want to taste a palpable dish, that desire first originates in my mind. But i then realize, the only way it would be right, is to offer that food first to Lord krishna. So, whilst i prepare the food I SO DESIRE to eat , my mind laments that i am indulging in a hogwash self deluding exercise; that IT IS ME WHO WANTS TO EAT IT AT FIRST PLACE, i am actually at the end of it preparing the food for myself since the ORIGINAL DESIRE AROSE IN MY MIND, I AM WAITING when it will touch my tongue, all i care is WHEN will i have it; Krishna is just a ’sanctifying excuse’ to saTisfy the spirtual in me. Though, it is said, one should do for ‘krishna’s pleasure’, here, i know i am ultimately preparing this food, because I WANT TO EAT IT, and Krishna is a stop-over.
What is your view on this? I hope, i have been able to portray it correctly. I mean, It is ultimately MY DESIRE to have that food, and i just cannot wait its preparation and its aroma, and it touching my tastebuds. Lord krishna is a ‘purity seal’ to satisfy my spiritual side and obligations. I am making the dish at the FIRST PLACE, BECAUSE I NEED IT because i cannot live without it, and Offering to krishna comes as a COSNEQUENCE of it, as routine secondary. This makes me feel guilty, and not genuine in my endeavours in offering the food.
2. What prayers are to be said while offering food to Lord Krishna. What is the way, to offer the food to Lord krishna. Is there a mantra, or special prayer?
Please do reply and Help,
Appreciate much your time and Guidance,
Thankfully,
Dwayne
Hare Krishna Dwayne
In the beginning it may be as you say, a little false. You are really cooking for yourself. And just offering it to Krishna.
But as a devotee makes spiritual advancement he develops a real loving relationship with Krishna and he really cooks for Krishna. When he goes out shopping there is no consideration of what he likes or what he wants to eat. He is thinking of getting some fruits and vegetables and grains and milk products with the idea of making a nice offering to please Krishna.
In the beginning Deity worship is important. The Deity gives us the idea that Krishna is a person and if we serve the Deity as a person, waking Him in the morning, bathing, dressing, offering Him food at regular times, performing kirtan in front of Him, etc, then gradually we will realize Krishna is a person and He is accepting our offerings and we will begin to actually cook for Krishna’s pleasure and just take some remnants of Krishna’s prasadam to maintain our bodies.
Of course there are food offering mantras but you can say all the matras in the world, but what really matters is that we are cooking it for Krishna and not for ourselves. You can simply chant the Srila Prabhupada pranam prayers [both 3 times], the Panca Tattva maha-mantra [sri krishna caitanya prabhu nityananda...] three times and the Hare Krishna maha mantra three times.
The consciousness is the most important thing to work on. We have to try and not be cooking for ourselves but to be cooking for Krishna. Really you have to learn all these things from a devotee in person. It is a whole process, cooking for Krishna, and if you follow the process you will end up actually cooking for Krishna…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
PAMHO
prabhu jee! I wany to know one thing for my mother. She tells me to worship Lord Ganesha before I start praying to LORD. Is it really a condition. Should we pray t Lord Ganesha before praying LORD KRISHNA
Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna Ashish
The instruction from your mother to worship Lord Ganesha before praying to Krishna is very common practice among Hindus and it is not a bad thing. The understanding is that Lord Ganesha takes away any obstacles in approaching Krishna. So if you pray to Lord Ganesha “Please take away any obsticles that may be there in my worshiping Lord Krishna,” that is OK.
It is not that we are against the demigods. But we understand that they are not on the same level as Krishna or his Visnu-tattva expansions like Rama, Nrsimha, etc.
If you read Brahma Samhita you will see many prayers there by Lord Brahma mentioning the different demigods, but in their relationship with Krishna. So it is not bad to go to a demigod temple and pray to the demigod appreciating his relationship with Krishna.
Although it is not necessary to worship the demigods that does not mean we have anything against the demigods and does not mean that we should not offer them respects. Demigods are all devotees of Krishna and deserve our respect and if they can give us some blessing that will help us to approach Krishna then that is very good.
So I do not think there is any problem in accepting your mother’s advice, but you have to be careful not to worship Ganesh thinking that He is God. He is not God, he is a servant of God. But he may be able to assist you or give you some blessings in approaching Krishna.
It is not necessary, but also it is not bad.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
that is true but this is the real challange of life.senses are very powerful and once you give them fuel they it starts controlling you and your mind,therfore it is imperative on our part not to forget the real purpose.we all are in a state of forgetfullness that is why we all behave like ordinary mortals therfore chanting hare rame hare krishna mahamantra keeps us immune from maya and help us to realise ourself,our potential as well as give us the sense of well-being and most important fill our heart with Love (Bhagti is the most pure form of love , make no mistake)
Hello, My Name is James. Well I am a cross-roads of my Life.
I have successfully stopped eating meat. My Brain feels a bit odd, however,
I notice my body odor smells good. I have also successfully stopped eating
Sugar too. That seems to have something to do with how often I become angry.
I find myself full of smiles and happy and eveything seems to be funny now.
I am distrube about why so much death in this universe. Whats all the
Transending is about. Question, where are we going. Is there more to life.
Is the Spirit life better? My self knowledge has grown to the point where I do not fear death. I wonder why does God keep us so far apart in this univese.
And I wonder why does Humans appear to continue life passed death. Why we all continue to live life on and on, whats that all about. The human spirit appears to be something like pure energy. With the same laws of nature, “Energy is never distroyed just changed from one form to another”.
Well in a nutshell thats what on my Mind, that how I think, with a bit of science and fact finding, looking for the truth.
Since I have started reading your writing I have come to understand, that, “The Supreme Personality Of Godhead” in the “One and Only God”!
In my belief I call this Power, “Jehovah”!
Wanting to be your Brother “James”. With love and understanding.
My dear prabhu
Hare Krishna
i Had enjoyed reading your letter, i have few questions regarding the eternal spiritual body or we can say the eternal soal,
1) our body is a machine like thing which is very materialistic, like your example of the car driver, when driver gets out of the car before he reaches its destination, the car crashes, when the soal comes out of the body through the way of meditation (samadhi), what will be the condition of the body? did the soal can again be returned by its own desire?
2) our body is materialistic, and we too think materialistically, how to think spiritually? anyhow we read a book which is again a material, how to get that krishna conciousness without involving in the material world? is there any other media to reach god greater then a information of books?
is there any secret knowledge to get that conciousness? please tell me, if you want it as confidential i can meet you too, i will not use that in any unfair means!!!
3) if we get a spiritual body, do you know how it should be? no desire nothing! how it will be? is that body be more stronger than the body we presently have?
4) why body were made?
5) why body is full of desires?
overall i enjoyed it, and i m curious about your reply, please reply me as soon as possible, you can mail me the secret knowledge to my mail ID:
thank you alot
Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna Dip
There is no secret. And it takes some work, tapasya, austerity, to make spiritual advancement. There is a process one has to follow and that process requires surrender and actually requires a complete transformation of the way one thinks and lives.
Generally in the material world everyone is working for their own personal or extended sense gratification. But a Krishna conscious person never does anything for his own personal or extended satisfaction. A Krishna conscious person only works for the pleasure of Krishna. His concept of happiness is pleasing Krishna. If he has something that is very nice for his sense gratification but that thing is not pleasing to Krishna he will reject it, but if there is something that is pleasing to Krishna but very distressing for him he will immediately accept that and when Krishna is pleased he will be happy. He does not care for his own so-called happiness or distress. His happiness is seeing Krishna happy.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare krishna, Madhudwisa dasa
I have just started reading your mails which i find very illuminating. I would separately respond to the recent mail about body being a car and the soul being the driver and the need to realize this concept.
Confining to this response, Could you kindly clarify whether the Bhagwat Gita explains in details what things please Krishna such that day to day activities could be brought in line. I am quite sure the Bhagwat Gita cannot possibly cover all that one has to face and act. Surely, there would be some broad guide lines. In that case, the individual would have to judge for himself, according to his own understanding level, what pleases Krishna and that may end up in tricky situations. I would rather not use the CLOAK of Krishna’s pleasure to hide my own weaknesses
Could you kindly guide me on this point
Thanks
Mahesh
Many thanks for your great and wonderful Mail. I will continue to read your mails.
Thanks
Hare Krishna Madhudvisa Sir,
I dont know from where I feel like writing something to you .I have no
words .And neither i want to get into “web of words” .
I just want to say “A SIMPLE THANK YOU”
and wish that you become witness to my message to krishna and an oath in his
name
“Krishna ,You be my inspiration .Now I will defend my existence and thats the only way . And u will see that I will fight with all my force .You be my teacher, my guide, my friend.Those all are my problems and so they need to be solved by me . Till now the question “why” was there.Now thats diminished . All is for you as you are for me .Next few years wont be easy but they wont remain tough either .This is my reality and I will defend it .I know you see everything
but I promise that everyday I will write digit 1 or 0 on a paper . And
1 SIGNIFYING that I could do what I wanted to do for you .
0 SIGNIFYING that I couldnt .”
Thanks Sir . I am sorry if this isnt a good place to take my oath .
But I wasnt able to find a better place.I have many questions to ask .But none of them are in concrete form for now.
Harey Krishna,
Anshul
Hare krishna,
I have read that article. it is true, yes, we have to concentrate on krishna concisiousness. I have some doubt about the food habit. To maintain healthy body, we need to eat vitamin rich foods,I mean balanced food, to take balanced food doctor’s are advising for egg, fish oil, fish etc., I belive that according to food habit, gunas (three gunas ) also change, In that case what can we do? Please clarify
Servant of krishna,
S.Ravichandran
Dear Ravichandran
We’d better take Krishna’s advice. Then we won’t go wrong. Krishna recommends a diet from these four food groups:
Grains
Milk Products
Vegetables
Fruits
So many delicious and nutritious preparations can be made from these four food groups.
Ultimately we have to develop some faith in Krishna and believe that what He recommends for us is good for us.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Sir,
I am very greatful to you for sending me these mails which teach us so many important things.
Madhudvisa Ji I just want to know what are the spiritual activities and how can we connect with Krishna? Is Spirituality just Meditation?
And if this material world is not important then why is everybody going after money and fame?
And if Spirituality is more important then why do we have all these relations with our friends, relatives, and why do we work if death has to come any way? I think all the work that we do is waste.
Sir I also want to know that did Krishna tell Arjuna in the end to forget all that Krishna told Arjuna in the Bhagwat Gita and just come to HIM.
I hope you will clear my doubts sir.
Jai Shri KRISHNA !!!
This was a great metaphor and really put things into perspective for me. Things such as not only my needs, but the things I want as well. It is very easy in a materialistic society to get confused that which one desires with that which one needs. “I need steak,” or “I need a new car…” Steak can easily be replaced with something more nutritionally and spiritually healthy, and investing in a new car when the current one runs fine is simply foolish.
This article has a very good message.
Hare Krishna!
Only by serving self-realized souls and their mercy, the realization that I am not this body can be felt. Also, it can only be given by guru and Krishna. Getting and maintaining this realization is a basic and very important step in self-realization. Doing our duty nicely and as long as we are in the material world, remaining in association of vaishnavas is equally important. That is the only hope.
Hari bol!
What connection does my future “eternally youthful spiritual body” have with my present personality?
HARE KRISHANA
Please accept my humble obeisances……
thank you so much for sending the articles. i have just started the chanting & try to understand the lord krishana. i am realy very serious about krishana. i have recently signed up for newsletter n it is great….
HARE KRISHANA PR, I AGREED WITH U OK, I CAN’T MAKE ANY COMMENTS ON THIS ISSUES, CHATN HARE KRISHAN MAHA MANTRA AND ALWAYS HAPPY, HARI BOL, PLZ ACCEPT MY RESPECTFUL OBEISANCES AT UR LOTUS FEET AND OTHER VAISHANAVAS IN UR TEMPLE AND CONVEY THIS , VANCHA KALPA TARU BHASCHA KRIPA SIDHU BHAY EVACHA PATI TAANAM PAVANEBHYEO VAISHANAV VEBHYO NAMO NAMAH
Hare Krishna
Does the Bhagavad Gita tell us when the Kali Yoga ends and when the era of enlightenment begins.I once dreamed of a little blue skinned kid with little curls and he told me that the world is a living entity and our souls form its nervous system.So our souls are essentially one.A year ago I came across pictures of Lord Krishna as a and was pleasantly surprised to have recalled the dream from a time when are new barely nothing of him .
I also need to find out if meditation is as effective as chanting the Maha -Mantra?
May the love of Lord Krishna
Light up your lives forever,
hare krishna prabhu, all glories to srila prabhupada. please accept my humble obeiscences. I completely agree with what you said prabhu.That we need to focus on going back to godhead. we all need a spiritual master , parampara system to try to achieve the higher goal.what about us who do not have a guru and are aspiring to reach our destinations?
We all have a guru Prabhu.
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
We are all reading his books and listening to his classes. Our relationship with Srila Prabhupada is very real and it is based on submissive hearing and service. So please do not feel like this, that you are without a guru.
This is a very dangerous position to be in. Some bogus person will come and take advantage of you claiming to be a guru and will simply mislead you.
Do not be fooled.
Prabhuapda is your guru. You can not find a guru qualified like Srila Prabhupada anywhere else. So please do not reject Prabhupada thinking he is not your guru. Prabhupada is your guru. Please take full advantage of his instructions by reading all his books and try to put what you read into practice in your life and your life will be very successful.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Jai shri Krishna
I am reading Bhagwad Gita nowadays and I am fully convinced to whatever is published. But I have a Question please clear it to me. After reafing Bhagwad Gita I left eating non-veg so my friends use to ask me why did you left eating non-veg I say them one should not kill any one and eat it. But then they reply that whatever vegitable we are eating they are also living things,are we not killing them and eating?.So what should be the exact convincing answer.
Hare Krishna Bidya
Thank you very much for becoming vegetarian after reading Bhagavad-gita.
This is the right thing to do and please do not let your friends convince you otherwise.
The point is not that we become vegetarian because of not killing actually. We become vegetarian because we want to eat Krishna prasadam only. Krishna prasadam means the remnants of the foodstuffs that have been offered to Krishna.
Devotees do not want to eat anything that has not first been enjoyed by Krishna.
Krishna states in the Gita “patram,pushpam plalam…” That you can offer Me with love and devotion some fruits, flowers, vegetables, milk products, grains, and I will accept such an offering made with love.
So Krishna is clearly telling us what He likes to eat. So the consciousness of a devotee when he is cooking is to make a nice offering for Krishna. Not that he is cooking something for his own enjoyment. So if you are having an important guest coming to your house and you know that he does not eat non-veg then you are not going to cook non-veg food and offer it to him are you? That would be a great insult.
So the point is as devotees of Krishna we are vegetarian because Krishna is vegetarian. And we are cooking for Krishna, not for ourselves. So if we want to please Krishna we can not offer Him non-veg food.
So really the idea of not killing is not why we are vegetarians. In the Vedas there is the verse “jivo jivasya jivanam…” that one living entity is living by eating another living entity. So we are also eating vegetables and vegetables also have life. That is true.
The point is we are cooking for Krishna and Krishna only accepts offerings from the four food groups: grains, milk products, vegetables and fruits…
It does not matter so much about convincing your friends. If they are in maya and attached to eating meat they can not think very clearly and will not be convinced. They are attached to eating meat out of lust and that clouds their intelligence. So an intellectual argument with them will not be very successful. Rather if you can get them to read Bhagavad-gita As It is, chant Hare Krishna and eat Krishna prasadam that will purify their hearts and naturally, as you have, they will also decide to give up the non-veg diet.
You can not force people or convince them on the basis of logic. There has to be some lover for Krishna awakening in their hearts. And if that love for Krishna is there then naturally they will develop all good habits including accepting a diet of only Krishna prasadam.
Hope this is of some help. Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Dear Sri Madhudvisa Dasa,
Thank you very much for the message I AM NOT THIS BODY. I am the Atman occupied in this body similar to a driver occupying the car. Just like the driver wouldn’t feel that he is the car,but clearly knows that he is separate from the car,I too should know that I am not this body,but separate from this body.
But how to approach it practically? The driver of the car is able to come out of the car whenever he wishes,knowing this fact confirms him that he is separate from the car.Whereas I am always seated inside this body and I can not come out of this body. When this be the case how to practically experience that I AM NOT THIS BODY?
Regards,
Ranganatha.Rao.
Hare Krishna,
What an enlightening article, it has really helped me to understand the position that we all have found ourselves in.
Thank you very much for the article, i look forward to the next one.
Hare Krishna..
Prabhu Ji,
Thanks a lot for your kind mails & knowledge about Geeta.
Prabhu ji I want to know that how to do togather, keep happy Krishna along with family & society.
You are therefore requested to please give your opinion.
Thanks & Regards.
Ashok Goel
hare krishna ,Dandvat pramnam, iwill always remember ur instruction & try to preach people by giving the example of car & driver.
your servent
haresh
‘
wonderful,amazing and very clear thannks hari bol
Is chanting the Hare krishna manthra as effective as third eye meditation in the fast approaching Golden Age?How does Krishna consciousness address the changing vibrational frequency within sacred geometry ,the merkerba around the earth and around every living being.Surely the changes around the earths magnetic field effects changes in our aura.Is chantinting effective for our ascension?
Hare Krishna Yanushka
All these new age nonsense ideas are hopless. They will not help you.
The only thing that will help you in the Kali-yuga is chanting the Hare Krishna Maha mantra.
The things you have mentioned are all infulences on the material body. They may be there of course. But the solution is to chant Hare Krishna mantra. Chanting the Hare Krishna mantra will gradually take us out of the material bodily concept of life and when we are no longer in the bodily concept of life the infulences on the body no longer infulence us, the atma, the soul.
So the earths magnetic field, our aura and all the other stuff are irrelevant. They can all be transcended by chanting the Hare Krishna maha mantra.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna.
AGTSP.
PAMHO.
All this is corroborated by scriptures as follow:
“The individual is the passenger in the car of the material body, and intelligence is the driver. Mind is the driving instrument, and the senses are the horses. The self is thus the enjoyer or sufferer in the association of the mind and senses. So it is understood by great thinkers.” (Katha Upanisad 1.3.3–4)
“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.” (Bhagavad-Gita 18-61)
“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.” (Bhagavad-Gita 2- 22)
Accordingly whit the teachings of Srila Prabhupada: “This is the basic problem of human society. I am not this body but a spiritual soul in the body. The body is a dress for the soul, but people are too much worried about the dress and don’t feed the spirit. If I have a very elegant dress but if I don’t eat, I die. Basically we are spiritual souls but we are very concerned in the body and not in ourselves. So the whole world is identified with the body, no one is identified with the spiritual soul.
This is a wrong sense of ego. There are two kinds of ego; aham-mameti I am the body, and aham-brahmasmi I am spirit. False ego is the sense of identify the self with what we are not; a body that is temporary, illusory. The body is made of five inert material elements (earth, water, fire, air and ether.) That has no life or consciousness. The spirit is sensitive, while the mater is insensitive, so the body never is really alive, because matter is inert by nature; it is only because of the spiritual soul that the body apparently lives.
In addition to the gross material body, we also have a subtle energy body that consists of three elements: Mind, intelligence and false ego. The subtle body is like a mask for the soul, which takes the soul form one body to another while inside the material world.
The true ego, the soul, is made of three elements: eternity, knowledge and bliss. The soul is spiritual, its nature is contrary to the matter, and matter is always changing is temporary while the soul is unborn eternal. In its natural position the soul is the consciousness of eternal life filled with happiness. Happiness means reality, but the soul because of illusion is identified with the suffering, the ignorance and the temporality, so that today we are like a fish out of water.
The mind is enjoying the senses of the body. When the senses are uncontrolled, drag the soul into the well of material conditions. All our wishes to control material nature are not more than the product of our false ego that wants to be the centre.
The Lord is covered by the curtain of illusion; therefore, one should by all means tolerate the duality of happiness and sorrow, leaving the body identification or occupation in the complacency of senses, as a turtle retracts its senses into the shell. This will elevated one to the platform of knowledge and eliminate the false ego, free from ignorance forever.
Similarly as the man who runs the car when the car is stationary or going well, he is disinterested because he knows he is not the car. When someone who is intelligent and wise understands that the body is a machine, so no doubts at any stage of the body.
Every seven years all the cells in our body change, but consciousness, which is the symptom of the soul, is something permanent that never changes. A material body without conscience is a dead body and nobody can revive this awareness with any amount of chemical combinations; thus, consciousness is only because the presence of the spiritual soul. The spiritual soul is situated in the area of the heart and its atomic dimension is beyond the power of appreciation of materialistic scientists who claim that there is not soul: but although they admit that the heart is the source of all energies of the body, do not know where that energy comes from.
Consciousness of being is different from the body, when I say: “I have a body” there are two aspects: the –self- which is the subject, and the –body- which is the object, I do not say: “I arm” but: “I have an arm” “I have a mind, “I have an intelligence” then the person is the consciousness that is beyond what he has. That is the cause of the dissatisfaction. That nobody has spiritual practices, we are only concerned by the external costume of the soul by the crust: pure form, as mannequins, or ceramic pieces, empty by inside, because nobody has a moral principle whereby live or some spiritual value that makes you feel that you are not a zero to the left.
He who has no information about the bliss obtained from association with the Supreme Lord will not do any penance, but will remain absorbed in the animalistic tendencies of eating, sleeping, mate and defence, caged in material conditioning, looking for a pleasure which is affordable to dogs and pigs that eat excrement. Addressing only in economic development for complacency of the senses is a loss of time, as walk behind ghost or decorating dead bodies. Due to the ignorance nobody knows what is the own interest, the true profit or what is right for you, and are only dedicated to chew the masticated. Your constitutional position is that you are a pure living soul. You must not identify this body or mind as your true self. Your true identity is not your body, your mind, your intelligence, nor your false ego. Your position is that you are transcendental and you have the power to get rid of the material energy and avail you of spiritual energy. Currently identify the body with the self, this false identification is called “false ego”. The living being enchanted by this false ego changes his different bodies and is subject to the miseries of the material world.”
One must be identified as an eternal servant of Lord Krishna. Bhaktivinoda Says: “When someone is considered guilty of aversion in service to Krishna, God, then Maya, the illusory material energy, condemns you to pursue mundane happiness and find misery as punishment.”
Dear Madhudvisa prabhu.
Pamho. AgtSP.
I would like to humbly ask you for help. I heard two different info regarding wearing Tulsi neck beads. Someone says that non devotees can wear them and they get benefit (agyata sukrti). The other opinion is that only Vaisnavas who follow 4 regs are allowed to wear Tulsi. Therefore non devotees who wear Tulsi and do not follow 4 regs create offenses towards Tulsi devi and have to suffer future reactions.
Has Srila Prabhupada mentioned anything on that matter? Or is that any sastric evidence that proves what is correct?
I have lots of respect towards you and am grateful for your advice.
Hare Krsna
ys Harinama
Hare Krishna Prabhu
Tulsi beads are only for devotees. Non-devotees will just think they are beads and will have no respect for Srimati Tulsi Devi and will create many offenses which will be bad for them.
This is a very basic point that was once known by all devotees in ISKCON. Now “modern” devotees are confused and incorrect on so many points.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
HARE KRISHNA
This article gave me a chance clarify my …may be a silly doubt.If body is a car and soul is the driver, that means all mistakes are executed by soul ie drivingover the people,animals,breaking traffic rules etc.So punishment will be given to body or soul?If soul has taken all decisions using brain..intelligence…five senses etc.., how can soul can be punished?bcase it is immortal.I can understand soul carries the penalties/punishments from one body to other body.
Can clarify …please
Thanks
Happy Day Hare Krsna!
With many gracious thank yous Hare Krsna! In the NOW I will meditate upon the needs of my soul and the needs of my body will be met in my food, thought and action with love,peace,joy,abundance & smiles to share
;-) 
Hare Krsna!
Hare Rama!
Hare Hare!
Dear Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna,
I am very much thankful to loard krishna for enlighting me through you. I am enjoing reading ur mails.
Just as anything which come in the vicinity of black hole, it attracts them, I am feeling that The loard Krishna(which means Black)is attracking me towards him.
Thank you for sending me a divine knowledge.
Hare Krishna Prabhu Ji
Thank Prabhu Ji for sending these Divine Words to us, i always wait for your mails and whenever i read them they gives me real happiness & also advancement to my spiritual knowledge and also helps me to get rid off from matrialistic problem that how to handle them; to ignore them so that they we can make them more & more effectable to us.
I feel really very happy whenever i recevied anything related to Lord Krishna & us.
Hare Krishna
what is the theory to remian in this state always ?