Published on July 2nd, 2024 | by Madhudvisa dasa
A fish is just a fish…
Many people write asking why there are so many problems in the world and why Krishna is making them suffer and why they are not happy here in the material world. People do not understand that this material world is a place of suffering and death and that we can not be happy here.
We are not meant to be happy here. The material world is not designed to make us happy, it is designed to frustrate us. This material world is like the prison house. If the criminals are sent to the prison they can not expect to be happy in the prison. The prison is for suffering.
No matter how advanced, educated or spiritual we consider ourselves we have to realize that we are in prison so we are criminals and because of that we are going to be forced to suffer.
To understand this we need to see the “bigger picture”.
This material world is only a small part of the creation of the Supreme Lord. The major portion of the creation is the spiritual world. This material world is not more than a quarter of the whole creation. We can live in either the spiritual world or the material world. And where we live depends on our consciousness. Everyone in the spiritual world realizes their eternal constitutional position is to serve Krishna. They know they are small and Krishna is great so they surrender to Krishna and serve him in many different ways.
So everything in the spiritual world is centered around serving Krishna. Everyone has a common goal, to please Krishna, and everyone can work together cooperatively with this one purpose, to please Krishna. The spritual world is our real home, that is where we belong and that is the only place we can be happy. We are spiritual by nature. The spiritual nature is sat-cit-ananda-vigraha, it means an eternally youthful spiritual form that is full of knowledge and ever increasing transcendental bliss. That is our real nature and that is the nature of the spiritual world so we can only be happy in the spiritual world. It is like if you take a fish out of water you can give him all sorts of gold coins and nice comfortable beds and beautiful women, but the fish will not be satisfied by any of these things. The fish can not be satisfied out of the water, because that is his nature similarly we can not be satisfied in the material world because we are spiritual by nature.
So it is completely pointless and an absolute waste of time to work very hard to try and be comfortable in the material world. It is not possible for us to be comfortable in the material world, no matter how hard we work, we will always be just like the fish out of water, gasping for air and suffocating.
Devotees know this an therefore they have no interest in the things that materialists are very much attracted to like family members and money and sex and everything that the material senses crave for. Devotees do not want any of this because they know it is all illusory and there is no pleasure, only suffering is the result of sense gratification.
If you find a beautiful women and fall in love with her then that will only be an unlimited source of suffering and pain for you. She is very expensive, so you have to work very, very hard to try and satisfy her with a nice house and jewelery made out of gold and diamonds. And no matter what you give he she will never be satisfied. And then one day, after you have completely exhausted yourself trying to satisfy her she will look over your shoulder and see a younger man and drop you and ‘fall in love’ with him. And of course you will be devastated, heart-broken. But you should not be surprised. That is what love is in the material world…
There is no love actually in the material world. The real love is between us and Krishna and that real love is displayed in the spiritual world between Krishna and His devotees. What we think of as love in the material world is nothing but a perverted reflection of the real love that is there in the spiritual world between Krishna and His devotees.
This material world in all respects is a perverted reflection of the spiritual world. When you look into a mirror you see a reflection of your face. So you can get the idea what your face looks like. But if you are shaving and you try to shave that face in the mirror then that is not possible. It is only a reflection, it is not real, it is not really there. Love in the material world is like that. It is a reflection of the real love between Krishna and His devotees that is there in the spiritual world. But all we have here is the reflection. There is no actual substance. We can get the idea about love, we can understand to some extent the feelings of love, but the actual love, that is not available here in the material world.
So the material world is intrinsically frustrating. We have a general idea of what is going on in the spiritual world because everything we see here is a reflection of the real thing in the spiritual world. But the reflection we see is perverted. It is like if there is a tree on the bank of a river you can see that tree reflected in the river but the reflection is distorted because of the movement of the water. So you can not really see the tree as it is. You see a perverted reflection of the tree. Similarly this material world is a reflection of the spiritual world and the substance which distorts that reflection is our desire.
In the spiritual world there is only one desire, the desire to serve Krishna, and everyone in the spiritual world is in love with Krishna. Krishna is the enjoyer in the spiritual world and there everyone else is enjoyed by Him, engaged in His service. There Krishna is the master and everyone else is serving Him. But Krishna does not force anyone to serve Him. We are all like Krishna in quality. The difference between us and Krishna is that Krishna is unlimitedly great and we are unlimitedly small. It is a question of magnitude. Krishna is unlimited and we are infinitesimal.
But we are made of exactly the same substance as Krishna, our spirit soul of course, not the material body. Krishna does not have a material body. We are brahman and Krishna is para-brahman. So in the sense of quality we are the same as Krishna but we are very limited in every respect and Krishna is unlimited in every respect.
So Krishna is supremely independent, therefore we, as parts and parcels of Krishna, are also independent, but not supremely independent, still we have a little independence. At least we can choose not to serve Krishna, not to love Krishna. That independence we have to have because our relationship with Krishna is one of voluntary service and voluntary surrender. So we have to be able to not surrender to Krishna, otherwise there would be no meaning to surrender to Krishna if Krishna forced us to serve Him.
So because some of the living entities see that everyone is serving Krishna and that Krishna is the master of everyone, they get the idea that they would like to be the master of everyone… They want to become Krishna…
Of course it is impossible for an infinitesimal living entity to become the whole as Krishna is the whole. Krishna is everything, everything is within Krishna. So these living entities who cultivate this desire to become the master, to become the enjoyer, to become like Krishna, are actually insane. Because it is not possible for one drop of ocean water to become the ocean. It is not possible for one photon of sunlight to become the sun.
But still from Krishna’s point of view what to do with these living entities who have misused their independence and turned against Him and who have become insane and want to become the master just like Krishna?
So Krishna’s solution to this problem is to create this material world that we are now in. So we have to know that we are those insane living entities who have rejected the service of Krishna, who do not want to serve but want to be the master. That is us. We are insane criminals and we have been sent here to the material world by Krishna on one hand so we can fulfill to some extent our perverted desires and on the other hand so we can suffer and become frustrated and hopefully eventually rectified to the position where we understand that we are servants of Krishna and that we can never be happy separately from Krishna and we can never become the master like Krishna…
It is sometimes said that we have created this material world because if we did not misuse our independence and desire to become like Krishna there would be no need for this material world. Basically everything in this material world is manifested in such a way that all the living entities can simultaneously fulfill their karma. There is no chance in the material world. If someone is suffering they deserve that suffering. It means in the past, either in this life or previous lives, they caused suffering to someone else, so now they are suffering the reaction to that.
Although we are not these material bodies when we take birth in the material world in a material body, although that body is not us, although the body is no more that a set of clothing covering the spirit soul, we identify with the body as ourselves. So I am thinking “I am an Australian man” because I was born in a male body in Australia. But I am not this body. I had many different bodies before in previous lives and when this Australian man’s body is completely old and useless I will leave it behind and take on another body…
It is this false identification of the self with the material body that is the source of all our suffering and troubles in the material world. We take on the interest of the senses of the body as our interest when in actuality we can never become satisfied by satisfying the senses of the body. This is the key illusion upon which everything in the material world is moving.
The solution to all of this is to become Krishna conscious. If we can actually become devotees of Krishna then we will no longer be in the material world, we will be in the spritual world, even though it appears that we still have a material body, it will act as spiritual and we will no longer be illusioned by the bodily concept of life and we will be in the spiritual world… To become a devotee of Krishna requires the blessings of a pure devotee of Krishna. We have to find a pure devotee of Krishna and surrender to him and serve him and if we can please him then by his mercy only it will be possible for us to embark on the path of bhakti.
Anyhow it is a very big subject that is much more eloquently covered by Srila Prabhupada in his books so please read Srila Prabhupada’s books and you will be able to understand these things much more clearly than I can explain them.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
About the Author
Madhudvisa dasa My first contact with a Hare Krishna was a most merciful Mataji in Oxford Street, London who sold me a "Higher Taste" cook book in 1984 while I was on holidays there. I started seriously reading Srila Prabhupada's books in Australia 1985 and by 1986 Srila Prabhupada had convinced me "Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead" and "we should surrender to Krishna." I joined the Hare Krishnas in Perth, Western Australia in 1986. Since then I have been chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, reading and distributing Srila Prabhupada's books and preaching as much as I can. That's my life and full-time occupation now really. I like it more than anything I've ever experienced before. Srila Prabhupada's books are so amazing... Even after reading them all many times they're still fresh and new. They are truly transcendental! That's it really. Now I'm just hankering to once again see the world chant Hare Krishna, dance and feast and float away in the ecstasy of Lord Caitanya's Sankirtana movement as it did in Srila Prabhupada's physical presence. Let the whole world drown in the ecstatic flood of love of Krishna!
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Dear Sir,
Hare Krishna.
Your messages are very knowledgeable. Thank for your inspirational thoughts.
Sir, i have a question.
Q. It is said that plants and trees etc. have souls. We see so much greenery, plants, trees and grasses so how many souls are there in this way. Like we see any human, animal and can count for a numbers to numbers. But how do we count the number of souls in vegetation etc. pl. advise.
Thanking you and with kind regards
Hari Bol !!
Dr. Pradeep Saxena
Hare Krishna
There are unlimited souls. Of course there are many plants. But there are souls even in the smallest bacteria. Even in apparently inert matter the souls are there in an manifest form. Krishna is within the atom, and where there is Krishna everything is there. So the number of souls is so great. From this we can understand how fortunate we are to be in the human form of life. It is only in the human form of life that we have the facility to ponder on the spiritual aspects of life. And this time is very auspicious. We are on this planet only a few years after the disappearance of Srila Prabhupada and we still have full access to his original unchanged teachings. It is only a few hundred years since Lord Caitanya appeared and we have full access to His unchanged teachings. And it is only a few thousand years since Krishna appeared on this planet and we still have His original Bhagavad-gita As It Is… So we need to take full advantage of all these great opportunities and become pure devotees of Krishna and help the others on this planet also to become pure devotees of Krishna so that at the time of death they can go back home back to Godhead.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
…there is an old Celtics saying goes: “Don’t step on that fish, big plans for that fish. ” And thanks for your most wonderful service with such great devotional movies for the masses and the classes!
He radhe, Radharani, he radhe!
Hare Krishna – How do you explain the growing population of the world if one believes in karma . How many souls are there ? please enlighten me on this.
Hare Krishna Kumar
There are practically unlimited souls. There are many souls at different levels of consciousness. That is why one soul is given the body of an ant and another soul is given the body of Lord Brahma. It is a question of the level of consciousness of that particular individual spirit soul. So there are also many souls with very low consciousness, practically no consciousness, and they can also take bodies gradually. So there is no shortage of souls. And souls are also always falling back down to earth. As a result of performing pious activities a soul can be elevated to the heavenly planets but when he has exhausted his pious credits he falls back down to earth again.
So there are enough souls to unlimitedly increase the population…
HARE KRISHNA !
It is a Kind of Awakening to me..
I Never Knew The Actual Meaning of Life..unless i read the Mail specially about The Need Of The Body And The Driver of the Body….
I am Very Happy and Hav Developed Very Much Interest in Knowing More About BhagwadGita …
i am a Devotee of Krishna..
I Can Feel His Presence around me..From The Day I Have Started Reading Bhagwad Gita….
He is The Saviour…he is Always with me…
your mail helps me to understand the Things better…
Moreover I Wanted to Know As to Which BhagwadGita Book need to be Read Every Day…What are The Benefits of Reading BhagwadGita EveryDay…
Thanks,
Thanks n Regards,
Paresh K Parmar
Hare krishna
Im hindu and a great devotee of krishna……
what you just said is not right ….you are telling us to hate this beautiful form of krishna,this nature,these birds,blue sky,the brightest sun,butterflies,this sweet breeze.
Krishna devotee sees krishna everywhere…this nature is krishna’s lila…he created this nature to teach us……and liberation only comes when you love every every thing…….when you say that this world is a suffering you are blaming the love , krishna is giving to us through this beautiful nature. ….if you love nature doesnt mean you will not get liberated……krishna consciousness is about total love not hatred …….i read a story in your website of narad ,brahman,cobbler..do not become that brahman ………………..whoever talked to prabhupada ..fall in love with his thoughts……………..this post ,for sure irritates people……..please become like prabhupada first then only you should give people guidance…..,
i see you do not display my replys on this website….this is a public forum ,right?
You are a kind human being….thank you
Hare Krishna Rishi
This is not a public forum. This is a place where followers of Srila Prabhupada can ask sincere questions and where I attempt to give answers from the teachings of Srila Prabhupada. That is all.
For transcendental knowledge to flow the questions have to be placed in a submissive spirit with faith that the person who is going to answer the question can give the right answer. If one wants to argue or disagree then it is not possible for spiritual knowledge to flow in that situation. So when people want to disagree or argue there is no point in trying to answer them. It does not work. It is actually an offense to try and preach to the faithless. There has to be a little faith and the questions have to be put in the mood of “I do not understand, please explain.”
Of course if you are actually a pure devotee of Krishna you will see the world as you mention, you will see Krishna in everything and you will see Krishna everywhere. That is the vision of a pure devotee. It is a question of consciousness. A pure devotee is not in material consciousness so he is not actually in the material world.
Actually the message that is presented in this film, “A fish is just a fish” is perfectly correct. And it is a fact that there is no happiness in the material world. Krishna describes this material world as dukalayam-asasvatam in the Gita, a temporary place of misery full of death and suffering. That is the material world. It is not our home. That is the main message of this film. The fish is a creature of the water. He can only be happy in the water. That is the atmosphere he has to live in. So our fish in the film is tempted by maya to come out of the water to try and enjoy on the land. But on the land the fish is out of his natural environment. He can never be happy out of the water. So no matter how hard our fish tries to be happy on the land he can never be happy. Because he belongs in the water.
Similarly we are all spiritual, we belong in the spiritual world, the Kingdom of God. Like the fish out of water, when we are here in the material world we are spirit souls out of the spiritual world… We can not be happy out of the spiritual world. Our nature is spiritual. That is sat, cit, ananda vigraha. It means we have an eternal spiritual form full of ever increasing transcendental knowledge and bliss. And the nature of the spiritual world is sat-cit-ananda, eternal, full of knowledge and full of transcendental bliss. But here in the material world the nature is different. Asat, acit and nirananda. It means here in the material world we are placed in an atmosphere that is temporary, full of ignorance and full of anxiety. That is the way of the material world. And it is totally opposite to our real spiritual nature. So we spirit souls can never be happy in the material world, it is totally opposite to our real spiritual nature. The only way we can be happy is by going back home back to Godhead. Like the fish can not be happy out of the water, we can never be happy out of the spiritual world.
So in the future try to ask your questions not in a challenging and disagreeing way, but in the mood that you do not understand what we are saying and you would like us to explain it more clearly. What I am saying is not wrong. Because I am not presenting my own opinion. All I am doing is repeating what I have heard from Srila Prabhupada and Krishna. So none of it is mine, it does not have anything to do with me. It is perfect knowledge. You may not understand it but that is a problem that can be resolved if you just put humble and submissive questions realizing that we do not fully understand it, that is why we seem to disagree with it…
So if you want to ask more questions in this humble and submissive spirit of trying to understand Krishna consciousness then I will be more than happy to answer your questions. But if you just disagree and have the idea that we are wrong then there is nothing I can do about that and there is no point in me trying to answer your questions.
You have to ask your questions to a person that you have some faith in and who you think can give you the answers to your questions. Otherwise there is no point in asking questions.
So this is not a public forum. It is a place for devotees and interested persons to place submissive questions about the philosophy of Krishna consciousness and the teachings of Srila Prabhupada and where they can receive the correct and authoritative answers from Srila Prabhupada’s books and from Krishna through your humble servant.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Yes. There is beauty in nature, there is the idea of love and happiness and friendship. But these attractive things are only perverted reflections of the real beauty, the real love, the real happiness and the real friendship that actually exists in the spiritual world.
I like what you are doing. Thank you srutadeva das
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Hare krishna Hare krishna krishna krishna Hare Hare
Hare Krishna
swami as you said this material world ismean for sufferings or like prison. But there is someting which I can’t understand why is it so?. There are people who are devotees of supreme lord and they are so kindful to all individual, they are living in a swathik way, without making harm to any one.But they are suffering a lot of problems. At the same time there are some other people, who leads a nasthik way of life, doing criminal activities and all, still they got all prosperity in their life.I really wonder why is it happend so?
Hare Krishna Ammu
Everyone suffers in the material world. Having a material body means suffering. The material body is the symbol of our sinful activities in the past. If we were not sinful then we would not be here in the material world. So becoming a devotee does not mean that our material bodies will stop suffering. The nature of the material body is to suffer. So devotee or non-devotee, there is no difference. A devotees body will suffer and a non-devotee’s body will suffer. The difference is a devotee knows that he is not his material body. A devotee knows that he is a spirit soul. He is the person who is within this material body. He is the person controlling or driving the body. A devotee knows that his material body is a machine only. And he is not very concerned with the so-called sufferings of the machine of the material body.
A devotee takes service from his material body and utilizes his material body in the service of Krishna. But he is not so foolish to think that his body will not suffer. But although his body is apparently suffering, he does not suffer. Because a devotee knows and has realized that he is not the material body.
The way that karma works is people perform pious activities in one life for the purpose of getting material advancement, money, fame, profit, beautiful women, etc, and they get the results of their pious activities and austerities in their next life. But the thing is they very often take advantage of this ‘good fortune’ to use their ‘good fortune’ to engage in all sorts of sinful activities. So they are burning up the good karma they have generated in their previous lives by performing materialistic pious activities and in the process they are generating so much bad karma they will have to suffer in the future. So it may appear that these people are in a very nice position. But because they are using their “nice” position for sense gratification and sinful activities they are creating a very hellish future for themselves.
So this is how the material world is working. You can understand this in full detail by reading Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It is.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna prabhu ji
all glories to srila prabhupad
all glories to madhusudhan
prabhu ji the upcoming ekadshi is on 27’march and as u know I have convinced my ma for it so I am first time fasting it please tell me the basic points of it. Its papmochni ekadshi and I know the story behind it which was told by Krishna ji to the eldest Pandav Yudhishthir. But prabhu ji fasting for lord means staying away from food and more near to lord so please elaborate the basic and important points I need to keep in my mind and the rules as well.
article is very nice but some lines are especially liked by me or I should say that they elaborate the truth that “If we can actually become devotees of Krishna then we will no longer be in the material world, we will be in the spritual world, even though it appears that we still have a material body, it will act as spiritual and we will no longer be illusioned by the bodily concept of life and we will be in the spiritual world…”.
need your reply soon
respecting and thanking u
Hare Krishna prabhu ji
Hare Krishna Vanshika
Ekadasi observing is simple. The idea of ekadasi is to minimize the bodily demands and to increase chanting Hare Krishna and reading Prabhupada’s books. So on ekadasi we need to chant Hare Krishna more and read Prabhupada’s books more. We fast from grains on ekadasi, so this is reducing eating and if we reduce eating then we sleep less and we can chant Hare Krishna more and read Prabhupada’s books more.
So that is all. You simply fast from grains and chant Hare Krishna more and read Prabhupada’s books more. If you want to you can also fast completely, but this is optional, but if you can do it then it is very good also.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare krishna
ya thanks u are right when we eat less we sleep less and through that we chant more. I did the same, woke up early; did a small aroti; read prabhupad’s book; and chanted more then I do daily. But i ate fruits (served to Krishna). I felt good actually near to Krishna.
thankyou for listening.
Hare Krishna prabhu ji
Thank you very much for sending me such a nice email, which is full of true knowledge. As more I read your letter, I am getting more eager to read your emails. I wait for your email daily as soon it comes, I read it immediately. There is an internal satisfaction, the message is like opening the truth of this world. the example you illustrated of prison is very nice. It gives the real picture to me that we can not be ever happy while living in this material world. I see as much I try to be happy more unhappy I become.I understood from your letter that actually same thing is happening to everyone, but no one know it. I am very grateful to you for opening my eyes.
Hare Krishna Prabhji,
We are from south India and living in New Zealand from last 10 years…only by the grace of Lord Krishna I and my family has been blessed to serve him… Krishna came into my life with a dramatic experience and from then I did not left him.. Parents, myself and my wife chant 16 rounds every day and my 6 year old son do few rounds..We been blessed with enough wealth and nice business.. My mum and dad left India to live with me.. from last 7 years.. and all family is in Krishna consciousness.. We are vegetarians from birth but now we stopped onion and gralic as we cannot offer to Krishna. If it is not offered to Krishna we are not taking that food.
Now the real problem is coming due to the health reasons, dad and mum decide to move back to India and we decided we will stay at tirupathi.. we all practicing Krishna consciousness… and I don’t have a living guru where i can talk and take his advice .. what to do… I only think Srila Prabhupada as my guru.. I am asking him the answer .. that is how i got opportunity to read this news letter.. we want to go back to India as my parents what to be in India.. please advice what to do.. I am reading so many bad things about ISKON in India and I personaly seen when I went to tirupathi everywhere they are interested in collecting donations. so please advice me what to do.. and my devotion to Krishna can me maintained in the same way what we are doing here? waiting for your reply..
Hare Krishna Kumar
Yes. Of course. You can maintain your Krishna consciousness anywhere. And you do not have to associate with ISKCON. You have your family and you can establish a small temple in your home as I think you probably already have done and with the family members you can all serve Krishna and Srila Prabhupada. So you can do that anywhere. And Srila Prabhupada is living in his books. All you have to do is read them an you have your living guru.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare krishna,
I am thankful to god that he had presented me this life with all the basic needs like food, shelter,clothes etc., So I have been expressing my gratitude in the form of helping the organisations who are serving the Homeless, helpless, hopeless people.Thing is I have been suffering a lot since my child hood with lot of worries. my Heart is crying like anything. As i believe in the concept of karma….i thought all these sufferings are because of the past deeds that I had done. But in this birth with in my knowledge till date i have not made any one to feel sorrow or I have not done any harmful deeds. But I do not know why I am suffering why is this misfortune to me. These sufferings might be because of the past deeds. but I do not even know what is the past deed that i had done. i do not know which deed is putting me into this trouble. Then in that case, is it fair to worry with out a reason???????
If I had known the fact or the deed then atleast i would have repented. But I do not even know that reason. how can I repent?????? I am becoming Frustrated of worrying with out knowing the reason…..How far this Logic is justified?????? If we had done any bad deed…then we have to suffer in that life itself. atleast we will get repented…… but why in the other life?????? there is no connection between the life that we are experiencing now and that we had experienced in the past….This life is completely different please answer to my questions.
I cant even commit suicide becasue of these problems…becasue you know that is a worst thing and according to KARMA logic I have to experience this suicide karma in the next life also…………Becasue of that fear I am experiencing all the worries………………………….I do not want to live on this planet……I just want to go back to krisha and want to cry by hugging him saying ” I AM VERY SORRY KRISHNA………..I WILL NEVER DO THIS MISTAKE AGAIN……PLEASE FORGIVE ME…………………”
THIS IS ALL FROM MY DEEP WORRIES AND TROUBLES…………
PLEASE DO NOT MIND………………….
Hare Krishna Rama Krishna
This material world is a miserable place and it is full of suffering and death. You have to get used to it. That is the way it is. It is not just you that is suffering, everyone in the material world is suffering.
The only solution to this is to become Krishna conscious. And that requires a very great deal of dedication and effort. But it is the only worthwhile thing in the material world, to use this material body in the service of Srila Prabhupada and Krishna.
So you just need to study Srila Prabhupada’s books and learn the science of Krishna consciousness and you will be able to put all this suffering behind you.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Madhudvisa Prabhu
Prabhu, I am of 23 and on the verge of my marriage but recently I heard Shrimad Bhagvatam updesh which transformed my mind completely. Is it necessary to become ascetic to get to God. I want guidance to start with spiritual life anew. I find Bhagvat Gita too comprehensive to parse by such a fool like me. Bhagwat Gita has great knowledge but I am unable to comprehend it completely, I am fool and a lowly creature. I need someone to guide me and enlighten me to differentiate between right and wrong. I am afraid to approach any Guru because I don’t want to fall into ruckuses by getting into some hoax. What would I do? From where do I start? I actually don’t even know how to chant or pronounce Prasadam Mantra I saw in one of your blog post. I have a list of questions to compile an encyclopedia from it. Please, reply my post I will wait eagerly for your reply. Give me some resources or updesh to start with or whatever you will find the needful. Will you help me?
Hare Krishna Sheetal
Read Srila Prabhupada’s books, read Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is, it contains both the original Sanskrit verses and Prabhupada’s clear purports which explain everything very nicely.
As far as getting married that is fine, as long as your wife is a little interested in Krishna consciousness and will support you in your attempts to make spiritual advancement then marriage is OK. One does not have to be an ascetic to make spiritual advancement.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
very thankyou Madhudvisa prabhu….
I am highly obliged to get reply from you. One thing still hinders me a lot that I want to clarify prabhu. If I got married then I could fall into sensual pleasures that is Maya. How could then I liberate myself from Maya. And if in future I get children then to manage their needs how could I carry on my spiritual journey towards Krishna. Can I still claim my valid candidature to Vaikundham after marriage if I like to attain that..
One more request Prabhu how could I be in contact with you. I need someone as my spiritual master but I can’t go out and find someone as my parents are highly against my actions. I want you as my spiritual master then how could I contact you. I want to learn from you I just want to get assimilated into Krishna but I can’t defy my parents that’s the delusion. please enlighten me on this.
Hare Krishna Sheetal
You can not select a spiritual master so blindly. You do not even know me. So obviously you do not know what a spiritual master is and how serious accepting a spiritual master is. So you have to get educated first. So you need to read Srila Prabhupada’s books. Everything is in Srila Prabhupada’s books and he will guide you perfectly in every way and he will be your spiritual master. That is if you are actually prepared to follow his instructions. Most people, even those who claim to be devotees, do not surrender to Srila Prabhupada and do not even follow his most basic instructions like chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily and strictly following the four regulative principles: no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication.
And as far as maya, maya is everywhere. Even if you don’t get married you will not escape from maya. And Krishna conscious marriage does not have to be maya. If you marry a devotee wife who is also interested in advancing in Krishna consciousness and if you agree with each other that the purpose of the marriage is not for sense gratification but it is to serve Krishna. So then together you and your wife can serve Krishna. She can cook nice offerings to Krishna and you can offer them to Krishna in your temple in your house and then you and your wife can have kirtan and read from Prabhupada’s books and honor prasadam together. And when the children come they can also be trained up by hearing the chanting of Hare Krishna from the time of their birth and from the nice example of you and your wife they will naturally become devotees by your good association and in this way you can increase the number of devotees and you will have an ashram with all the family members engaged in the service of Krishna, everyone will be working for Krishna, no one will be working for sense gratification.
So that is the ideal situation. Of course you know in the material world really there is no ideal situation and there are always problems. But this is the idea anyhow…
But don’t think that maya is only there in marriage and if you don’t get married you will be free from maya. That is wrong. Maya is everywhere and even if you are not married there is a very good chance you will get into maya anyhow.
Marriage is really necessary for most people, especially women. All women have to get married. As far as men, marriage is optional. But unless one is very strong and really free from the sex desire often the show of being a ‘pakka’ brahmacary is just that, a show, and internally the ‘brahmacary’ is actually thinking about sex. So this sort of show is artificial and that ‘brahmacary’ is not a brahmacary and he will fall down at some point. But if one can actually live as a brahmacary and be free from the desire for sex then he has no need to get married.
Of course Brahmacaris have to life in the house of the guru and surrender to the guru as a menial servant and unfortunately there does not appear to be any bona fide living gurus at the moment at least not very obviously visible, and Prabhupada’s ISKCON is no longer teaching Prabhupada’s teachings so that is useless. They will only mislead you. So really there is no place to be a bramacary at the moment…
As far as contacting me the only way is by posting a comment on https://www.krishna.org and if you want to accept me as your guru that is fine. You have to surrender to me and accept my orders. And my order is that you surrender to Srila Prabhupada and accept him as your guru by reading all of his books and following his instructions to chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily and strictly follow the four regulative principles: no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication. All the answers to all your questions are already there in Srila Prabhupada’s books. You just have to read Prabhupada’s books.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Very thankyou Madhudvisa Dasa Prabhu ji
I will follow your instructions and am to start reading A.C. Prabhupada books. I will educate myself first and follow the four principles strictly. Now I can get myself busy in reading and understanding my spritual journey.
Once again very thankyou. You are really doing the God service.
Kaliyuga is a oceaN of fault. So anybody chant 16round in his holy name a day despite missany of four regulativestrict principal.it will be work
Hare Krishna MadhudvisaPrabhu,
You said that if it is my destiny in this life to be a millionaire then I will become one without having to work very hard for it.
But my destiny in this life is shaped by the activities in the past of this life and past lives.So if I work very hard in this life then I might become a millionaire in the future life.Is that correct ?
What are the examples in material world of good activities and bad activities?
If a beggar is begging money and if I give him some then am I being a good person and is it a good act ?
I think the law of karma is very complex and sometimes it can be very bewildering to understand how it works ?
-Brijesh Dani
Hare Krishna Brijesh
Yes. This is the ‘logic’ behind the Hindu idea of doing pious activities, feeding children, opening hospitals, feeding the poor, etc. It is good karma and they know that because they have performed these pious activities in this life then in their future lives they will reap the results of this and they will be born in wealthy families and have good fortune, etc.
But a devotee is not interested in this Prabhu. For a devotee this is bondage because if you do this good work it means the people who you do it for become indebted to you and they have to pay that debt back to you. So it forces both them and you to come back again into the material world and they have to pay the debt and you have to receive it from them. So any type of work, good or bad, is actually bad because it forces us to continue in the endless cycle of samsara: birth, old-age, disease and death. Of course some may be born in some lives in a more fortunate position and some may be born in a less fortunate position, but it does not matter what position they are born in, they will all suffer from birth, old age, disease and death, they will all also equally suffer from all the other miseries in the material world.
It is not true that wealthy and famous people are happy and that poor people are sad. There is no correlation like this. In the material world everyone, rich or poor, is suffering and everyone is going to get old, sick and die…
There is no good position in the material world. So good karma, welfare work, etc, it is all bad for everyone concerned. It forces everyone connected to it to be chained eternally to the material world and forces them to perpetually take birth, get old, get sick and die here…
So good work, charity, etc, it is all bad.
The only truly good work is to spread Krishna consciousness.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Madhudvisa Prabhu,
I recently came across this on the Internet.
I request you to find some time to respond to this.
“””
I would like to narrate an incident that took place with me: I was reading the Gita in my college library in the evening hours when one of my professors noticed me and said to me, “People who are frustrated with life or who do not have the guts to face the cut throat competition in today’s world, only they go to the temple to beg for someone’s mercy. You won’t do well in academics if you start doing this stuff at this age.”
I was so astonished at his statement that I broke out in tears then and there. I know that the professor is certainly wrong, but his words disturbed me that whole night.
I need your review, Prabhu. Can’t we devotee children withstand and excel in today’s competitive world? Personally, I desire material gain because after all I am going to offer my results to Krishna. So, will Krishna help me?
I am desperately waiting for your reply.
“”””””
-Brijesh Dani
Hare Krishna Brijesh
Your professor is a great fool. If one does not understand Krishna consciousness, then he has wasted his whole life. Actually this material world is not very important and our material success or failure is also not very important. Of course we have to do our duty and work and maintain our families and so on. But a devotee is not overly absorbed in becoming a great success in the material world. Of course he may become a great success in the material world, or he may be considered a failure in the material world. That is not his goal or purpose in life. His purpose in life is to reestablish his lost relationship with Krishna. And he wants to absorb himself in Krishna consciousness so that in this life at every moment he is remembering Krishna so that when the time of death comes naturally he will think of Krishna and Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita that “whoever remembers Me at the time of death will surely come to Me.”
But devotees can also be very successful in the material world of course. We can see from the life of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, he was a very important and powerful person in Jagnnatha Puri, the Chief Magistrate, so he was doing a very responsible job and at the same time he was a pure devotee of Krishna.
But you have to really understand that no one succeeds in the material world. Everyone gets old, everyone gets sick and everyone is forced to die, and then they are forced to take birth again and suffer all these things over and over and over again. So there is no success in the material world, it is only repeated suffering. Everyone has to suffer from the adiatmaka, adibhutika and adidevka miseries,that is the miseries from the mind, our minds create so many problems for us, we are always worrying about something, the other living entities create so much misery for us, here your lecturer creating misery for you is an example of this, but there are so many examples, the mosquito is biting you, etc, then the demigods are creating us so many miseries in the form of floods and famine and too hot and too cold weather and hurricanes and earthquakes… So none of us in the material world can avoid any of these miseries, none of us can avoid birth, old age, disease and death, however if we take to Krishna consciousness then we can become free from the whole material world and go back home back to Godhead and live there with Krishna in our original eternally youthful spiritual body. That is the real success of the human form of life. To become Krishna conscious and to remember Krishna at the time of death and to go back home back to Godhead.
We need to realize that this life in this material world is only something like the time it takes you to blink your eyes. It is like every time you blink your eyes you are dying again and taking birth again in the material world and suffering more and more… And when you die you can not take any of your material achievements with you into your next material life. It is all lost at the time of death. So you have to consider if you are going to work very, very, very hard to become successful in the material world then all that work really is for nothing because in the next blink of your eye you will die and have to take birth in another body and everything that you worked so hard for will be completely lost…
On the other hand if you spend your time in devotional service, making advancement in Krishna consciousness, then nothing is lost. Any advancement we make in spiritual life is permanent. So you take your spiritual advancement with you into the next life, but you can not take anything material into your next life…
The reality about ‘success’ in the material world is that we become successful materially if we have good karma and we can’t be a success in the material world if we have bad karma. You know everyone is trying to become a millionaire but most of them will never be even slightly wealthy… And those that do successfully become millionaires are not usually the people who work very hard for it. So actually success in the material world does not come in proportion to how hard you work to get it. That is a myth. The reality is that success comes to the people who are destined by their karma to be successful. So if you have that destiny you will be materially successful without having to make a very extraordinary effort. Of course you have to do something. You have to make some plans and work towards some material goals if you are perusing this path. But you have to also know that it is not the main thing in your life. The main thing in your life is Krishna consciousness. And if you just go on like this, with your primary interest in Krishna consciousness and at the same time developing the material side of your life so you will be able to support your family and so on, then you will succeed or fail in the material world according to your karma for that, and you will not do any better or any worse than if you worked very, very, very hard and spent all your time and energy trying to be successful materially.
Some people will be successful materially and some will not. And really that can not be changed, it is predestined, it is karma. So if you just do your duty and go along with your responsibilities in the material world you will be as successful as you would be if you dedicated your whole life to it and worked very, very, very hard at it.
So the point is you don’t have to work very, very hard at trying to be a millionaire, because you are not going to be a millionaire unless that is your karma, and if that is your karma you will be a millionaire anyhow without having to work very hard for it…
So as devotees we go on in the material world and utilize everything in the service of Krishna and go on with the material side of our life as we are obligated to to fulfill our responsibilities to our family, etc. But we don’t take success or failure in this material world as being very important. What is very important to a devotee is that throughout all of his activities he always remembers Krishna and never forgets Krishna. That is the main thing…
If you are destined for material success it will come, whether you work very hard for it or not, and if you are destined to fail in the material world you will fail, even if you work very, very, very hard to become a millionaire… Actually we can not change our material success or failure. It is already predestined. So we need to ‘make the best use of a bad bargain’ and with whatever situations we face in the material world somehow we have to utilize our time and energy in serving Srila Prabhupada and Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hello sir,
Hare krishna
Am 18 yrs girl and I deeply love god krishna right from my childhood, unfortunately I discontinued degree course as I am so interested in living spirituality, I have read many books on that and I was in a confused state for like 3 years about my life as my parents always forced me to complete degree but am not interested, it does not mean that am scared, no well I was very good at studies.one thing I always think that nothing in this world is permanent, even if I study after studies, job then marriage then kids then oldage then finally what did I achieve great all of this, I feel nothing, but instead just an experience and thats just a temporary thing,
So finally after so much of thinking I decided to take sanyas becoz I need eternal bliss, I know youl say to serve krishna and be where you are thats the way to attain bliss,but I want to take sanyas as I read that girls too can take sanyas as god treats both men and woman as same and in earlier vedic period girls took and they got the same freedom as men got and anyone can take sanyas at any age. I want to clarify this thing.I got scared what will be my parents reaction and being a girl I just feel insecure, I dont know where to go and ask,
So please swamiji advice me what to do in a right way because am always 24hrs thinking how to take sanyas and be detached to this material world.
Am sensitive person and also sometimes I think to runaway from home and take sanyas, I know this kalyug, its not good to do., but what can I do?, am in a position that i cant even share my feelings and thoughts to my parents, oh my god, untill and unless I take sanyas am not satisfied with anything and am not happy with anything
I need your help .
Hare krishna!
Hare Krishna Jahnavi
Actually it is not really possible for a girl to take sannyasa. That is only possible for a man. Of course this is a material calculation, on the absolute platform we are all spirit souls and there is no difference actually between a spirit soul in a man’s body and a spirit soul in a woman’s body. But still practically we have to consider the body and a woman’s body is not suitable for taking sannyasa. Actually a woman needs to have a husband. So the ideal situation would be to find a Krishna conscious husband and live with him and together you can serve Krishna.
The reason it is not practical for a woman to take sannyasa is that a sannyasi has to live alone and simply depend on Krishna. It is very difficult for a woman to live alone because she will be attacked by and taken advantage of by men. Therefore a woman always needs to be protected. This is just a practical point to do with the woman’s body. So you realistically can not take sannyasa and live alone in a woman’s body in this world. You need protection. The vedic system is that in her childhood a woman is protected by her father, in her youth she is protected by her husband and in her old-age she is protected by her grown sons.
Also generally a woman wants to have children. That is the natural occupation for a woman, looking after the husband and looking after the children. So really if you can find a good devotee husband I think that is the best option for you.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Dear madhudvisa
Hare Krishna
This is a very Sharp and catagorical piece of writing, It is very inspiring, but also problomatic for me, Im trying very hard to connect with the Sweet Lord Krishna, But also obviously trying to maintain some sort of standard of living right here in the material world, Im not materialistic, I have no luxuries, a basic studio apt, No T.v or any electrical goods, savings of around £4000 which im trying very hard to keep, and im a very solitary figure with no friends or family, you might think it would be very easy for me to take the next step and become a monk, but thats not going to happen in the foreseeable future possibly not in this life-time, I would like a partner but iv decided that she has to be krishna-conciousness, otherwise there’s no point. so thats where im at and im hoping Im pleasing the lord with the pathetic devotional service that im offering.
Hare krishna
Spencer.
Hare Krishna Spencer
What I have written is correct and it is better to accept it and live one’s life according to that. You already have very few material attachments it seems so you have very little to give up. You do not have to become a ‘monk’. You can stay living where you are, you just become Krishna conscious, that’s all. By doing everything for Krishna under the direction of Krishna’s pure devotee, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It is very simple.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Respected swamiji
I agree with you that there are sufferings in material world due to greed and envy,but why there are super rich people with all comforts and joy while there are millions who toil for just food?Why honest and hard working person suffers while dishonest people enjoy all material comfort?Lord Krishna is father of all then why this differentiated treatment?
Hare Krishna Satyendra
Everyone gets exactly what they deserve in this world. That is karma, that is the way things work. The people who are rich are rich because they have performed pious activities in the past and the people who are poor are poor because they have performed sinful activities in the past. This means generally in previous lives. So you can not tell from what they are like now. Someone may have been very pious and performed many charitable and good acts in their previous lives and as a result they have amassed heaps of good karma so they are born in a wealthy family in this life and have plenty of money. But often when they are put in such a position they become spoiled by the money and opulence and may become sinful in this life. Which means they are enjoying the results of their past pious activities but because they are using the money and status they have attained from this to perform sinful activities it means they are generating bad karma and their future lives will be bad.
So the poor man may have been rich like this in his previous life and instead of using the money for serving Krishna he may have used it for his own sense gratification and in this way committed so many sins and generated so much bad karma. So now he is suffering as a poor man.
So this good karma and bad karma is all bad actually. Even good karma is bad because it forces you to take birth in the material world again. You have to take birth again to receive the ‘good’ karma. So if something forces you to take birth in the material world, which is only suffering, it is not good, it is bad. So ‘good’ karma is actually bad.
Devotees do not perform any actions except service to Krishna. When we serve Krishna that is transcendental activity which does not generate any karma, good or bad. Such transcendental activity frees us from the bonds of karma and opens up the doors to the spiritual world.
But if you are thinking that these super-rich people with all comforts have ‘joy’ you are very mistaken. The super-rich suffer in this world just as much as the supper-poor. They are not happy either. No one is happy in the material world. It is not possible to be happy in the material world. It is a miserable place full of suffering and death only.
Our business is to get out of the material world and to go back home back to Godhead. And it does not matter at all what is our position in the material world. We may be super-rich or we may be super-poor. A devotee does not care about this at all. His only interest is to see that every second of his time is spent in the service of Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Madhudvisa dasa
I don’t know how i found here but now know why.
I have been living this life terribly wrong in almost every way.
I now know why i live in constant pain from this spine.
Am i doomed to come back here because of ignorance?
I know you will reply to Chant Hare Krishna and be Happy, forget the past and look forward, and read the Prabhupada Books which I will and will.
Please tell me, is there anything for me to do so I can be with Krishna in The Kingdom for eternity. I don’t want to come back here, I thought I don’t deserve to come back here, I thought being honest, good, always praying never asking for material, give everything to others, and other good things would suffice. How could i be so wrong? Why now did I find here and not long ago? Why now do i feel so terrible?
I now Chant Hare Krishna and try to be Happy. I hope and pray for You also.
Thank You for the messages.
Hare Krishna!
Yes. Is is very good that you have found Krishna consciousness. That is the answer for everything. However it is a process and we have to follow the process to get the results. That is why I stress always on chanting the Hare Krishna mantra at least 16 rounds a day on japa beads, strictly following the four regulative principles: no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication, and reading Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day. This is the starting point. So we have to come to this platform at least if we expect to make any significant advancement in spiritual life.
We have to make some effort to become Krishna conscious, yet at the same time we can not become Krishna conscious simply by our own effort. Krishna consciousness is actually only possible by pleasing a pure devotee of Krishna and getting his mercy. So if we can read Srila Prabhupada’s books and in this way understand what he wants us to do and if we do that then we will please Srila Prabhupada and he will give us his mercy and by the mercy and blessings of Srila Prabhupada only will we be able to advance in spiritual life.
So I am very happy that you have found Krishna consciousness. Now you just need to follow the process sincerely and read Srila Prabhupada’s books and your success is sure.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
pranam prabhuji
please tell me whether reading religious books like bhagvata gita online effectiveat all or should i opt for buying the same
You can read at http://www.PrabhupadaBooks.com but I think if you are a little serious about Krishna consciousness you need to purchase the books from http://www.KrishnaStore.com
It is much better to have the actual printed books for reading. At least that is my personal experience and opinion.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
thank you prabhuji
Hare Krishna MadhudvisaPrabhu,
If Krishna is unlimted and infinite and we are limited and finite in every respect then how is it possible for us to conceive of Krishna ever ? We as jivas will always fall short of realizing HIM and since Krishna is ever expanding with HIS unlimited energies there will never be a time when we can know HIM fully.What I mean to say is that there will always be something about Krishna that we dont know and is this lack of knowledge termed “spiritual ignorance” ?
Why is it said that the jiva in its pure state is full of knowledge and bliss when it is finite in existence ?
In the spiritual world in association of Krishna is it possible for the jiva to become infinte if Krishna empowers the jivas ?
Brijesh
Hare Krishna Brijesh
The jivas can never fully understand Krishna. That is not possible. The jivas are eternally infinitesimal and Krishna is eternally unlimited. That will never change. The jivas can never become unlimited. They can surrender to and serve the unlimited, that is perfection.
The jiva being full of ever-increasing knowledge and bliss does not mean that he has all knowledge and bliss. That is not possible. He is full of ever-increasing knowledge and bliss.
The jiva can never become infinite, he is constitutionally tiny, small, infinitesimal..
That is the way it is. Krishna is the one unlimited living entity who supplies everything to the unlimited limited living entities.
We are tiny servants of Krishna eternally.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna, Prabhu. Thank you very much to reply instantly. Your newsletter is exalting. Even a blind person will be able to see clearly the great difference between the spiritual and the material world. And will prefer to be in the spiritual world. Once again, I heartily thank you. All your comments are helping me in Krishna consciousness.
Srila Prabhupada ki Jai. Hare Krishna. haribol.
Thank you for the nice article about why it is the way it is. Very good!
Aloha and haribol,
KK
Respected Blessed Soul
We have been told that human birth is the best ,what is good about this birth if there is suffering and suffering alone. then why life at all . The master creator has created us for a purpose and if suffering alone was the purpose so be it . I may be living it but what use is this life if I am not aware of it. As his child I am suppose to know everything , there are many who know it but I know anything.
I am struggling to understand even 1 % of the Divine song
what was before birth and what will happen after death no one knows and it is the life between that will go . But why life
He alone gives the intelligence to understand him .
He does everything through Prakriti- Satva, Rajas, Tamas .
Lord Krishna knows everything & he does what he wants to do through his chosen few . examples Karna was cheated in the battle no fault of his in this life except probably siding with Duryodhana who helped him in this world & Draupadi whom he liked . Eklavaya was robbed of his dues etc etc.
Then he says that surrender to Him. How do i do that when he is the doer.
The recent rape & humiliation cases in India, I wonder what karmas did they do to get this wrath. I wonder why I am born as a man & feel helpless when it comes to wife & children. Sex Impulses OMG — where did i go wrong -thrown in this world without knowledge , impulses making me act, even this I
For some time I am wondering now , what makes this I get up from sleep & all the Kam, krodh ,lobh come out just as the sun rises and acts good, bad, This I again goes to sleep day after day.
Thank God I can see the sun, moon, the plants work tirelessly serving us and salute them. What do I do with this I who has struggled to post this and fighting at the back of the mind thoughts did i do it correctly !!! and what feedback will i get, how will it impact life .
Death , life , creator , force, blessed soul what ever be it I need answers to the find whose desire is this to live this way through this I . Let God be straight forward and tell that this knowledge is only meant for Nachiket ,Manu, Arjun, & not for me with reasons as this is a democracy.
Thank You
Mahesh
Hare Krishna Manish
There can only be suffering when we are not surrendered to Krishna and serving Krishna. That is our natural constitutional position. Like the fish really can not be happy out of the water. We can not be happy out of Krishna consciousness.
So we have come to this material world to try and be happy without Krishna. But of course it will all end in frustration and suffering and failure. Maya gives us the illusion that we can become happy here, separately from Krishna. But that is not possible. What can I say, that is the way it is, you can believe it or not believe it, but that is the way the material world is and you can not change that.
We are not meant to be here, we are supposed to be serving Krishna in the spiritual world. We are the criminals, we are in prison, we can not expect anything except suffering here.
As far as India now India has almost completely given up all spiritual life and is completely 100% engaged in sense gratification, sex, meat eating and intoxication, so how can you expect anything to be auspicious there? How can you expect the people to behave in a civilized way?
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
what is bahkti?
Is Krishna the equivalent of Almighty Father in the christian religion?
If i got you right, your explanation of spiritual and material worlds is trying to discourage dependence in the things of this material world. But is it not a fact that spiritual world is pre-conditioned by the material world? In other words, the quality of the desired spiritual world is dependent on the quality of the material world because this material world is a preparatory place for entry to the spiritual world.
Hare Krishna
Yes, Krishna is something like the conception of the Almighty Father in the christian religion but they do not have a very clear conception of the Almighty Father… But yes, Krishna is the Almighty Father.
It is not a fact that the spiritual world is pre-conditioned by the material world. The material world is a perverted reflection of the spiritual world. So the spiritual world is the original and here we see the perverted reflection of the spiritual world. So nothing can exist here that does not have its origins in the spiritual world. But it manifests differently here because it is perverted. But the original for everything we see in the material world is the spiritual world.
So the spiritual world is the original thing, and the material world is fashioned after the spiritual world, not the other way around.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna
I want to know that even this is material world but we have a beautiful relation between mother and son.Also those who financially strong, I think they can do anything as they want but might be they were not satisfied by getting all this thing in material world.Then what will be the reason behind it.
Regards
Debasish Saha
Hare Krishna Debasish
Yes. The love between a mother and her child is considered to be the closest thing to real love. But it is not actually real love. Still it gives us the idea of real love. The material world is like that. We can get the idea of the real thing because it is a reflection of the spiritual world, a reflection of the real thing. In so many cases these days the mothers are killing their children by having abortions. India has one of the highest abortion rates in the world. So the Indian mothers are killing their children in such huge numbers. They are murdering millions and millions of their children every year. So this is not love. This is murder.
As far as rich people they can not do anything they want. Everyone is completely bound up and controlled by the three modes of material nature. Everyone is forced to act according to their interaction with the modes of material nature. No one is free to act as he chooses. He is forced to act by the modes of material nature.
Of course according to one’s karma his position in the world may be relatively better or worse. So it may appear that one person is in a better position than another. But all are under the control of the modes of material nature and none of them are free. And all have to suffer from birth, old age, disease and death and the different miseries that everyone suffers from universally. It does not matter if one is rich or poor, everyone is suffering in the material world.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! [of course devotees are not in the material world, they are happy…]
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna
Dear Prabhuji,
The article and comments related to it were really fantastic and awakening.Particularyl comment posted by Uma sridhar was really too heart touching.
Jai Prabhuji !!!
All facts delivered point blank and perfectly to the point . Ruthlessly truthful !!! Please accept my humble obeisances . All glories to Srila Prabhupada …
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare; Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare…
how i come to know that wich path is suitable for me for nirvana. Bhakti marg or karm marg or jyana marg.
“nirvana” is not the right world. That is an impossible concept. It is the Buddhist concept of entering the void or nothingness. So there is no void anywhere in the creation of the Supreme Lord, so there is no nirvana, no nothingness, so it is not possible.
We are all eternally servants of Krishna, we are all eternally persons and all eternally active. The only way we can be happy is by engaging ourselves in the service of Krishna, and that is only possible through bhakti-yoga. So nothing else will be suitable for anyone ultimately except bhakti-yoga. All other paths are only stepping-stones to the path of bhakti. Every transcendentalist ultimately has to come to the platform of bhakti-yoga and develop love for Krishna and engage in the service of Krishna. So why bother with the stepping-stones when you can directly take to Krishna consciousness?
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
HARE KRISHNA
Dear Prabhuji,
The article, A-fish-is-just-a-fish, was simply lovely!
Regards.
NEERAJ KAPOOR
Dear Swami Ji
Hare Krishna
Dear Lord Krishna will be pleased present continuously when His “Sat Chit Ananda” svarupa pass times in Goloka & Vaikuntha are not tainted by even the faintest thought of “dukhalayas”.
Bhagavan Ji Sankarshana will be pleased when He is devoid of the need for contaminated creation resulting in restraining His anger and tolerance due to design, deploying and micromanaging these “kunthalayas” (that too millions of shelled, pitch dark, vacuumed, air tight macrocosms floating on the Viraja).
The very thought of escaping from these material torments (instead of serving Him eternally and relentlessly) leaving behind our Lord Bhagavan Ji Sankarshana to keep on going through this ever expanding need for contaminated creations is I must say the heights of selfishness.
I feel miserable and sad to understand that my Dear Lord is having to drive millions of dukhalayam (oxymoronic platforms of severely powerful contradictions) only because of jivas emanating at the Tatastha while jivas emanating at Goloka and Vaikuntha for purpose of serving Lord Sri Sri Radhe Sri Krishna Chandra and Bhagavan Sriman Narayana are “nitya muktas” due to emanating by the agency of Lord Baladeva and Mula Sankarshana respectively
Technically it appears that in the purpose of Bhagavan Ji’s expansion, the 3rd phase has resulted in this condition due to His potency called “jiva sakti” being a developing potency. Hence the inherent deficiencies of indolence, laxity and ignorance in many of the emanated jivas. 25% of “n” is alarming as the size of the material creation.
I only humbly submit my “Expression of Interest” unto His Divine Lotus Feet to please accept my eternal relentless services and empower / enable me to serve Him with His desired levels of perfection.
The knowledge of what you have so kindly detailed should be available at secondary school through formal education.
Warm & Deep Regards
Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Sankarshanaya Pradhyumnalay Anirudhaya cha
naren
Hare Krishna Prabhuji,
From long time I was living a stressful life, somehow I managed till 10th May 2013. I have very bad past experiences which took everything out of me. On that very day I was so depressed that I had no interest of being on this earth anymore. I was begging Krishna to do something for me, guide me, answer me, anything, something. I didn’t wanted to be in that state of mind for a fraction of a second also.
At the same time, I had no hope of an answer, as I have pleaded and begged so many times to Him but He never replied. Out of depression, and continuous circling thoughts, I felt like I was completely numb, I was not feeling my body anymore. At that very point of time, I heard a “ding” from my phone which was lying there somewhere near my pillow. I was not in a state to check what mail or message I have got. I don’t know how that thought came in my mind, I had a hunch like Krishna trying to tell me something. And I just jumped onto Phone. I opened my gmail account, I saw a mail from you. I remember that I was subscribed at Krishna.org but I never bothered to read any mail from you but somehow I didn’t canceled the subscription also.
It’s a quite long article. I started reading it, by the time I finished with first paragraph I felt like “How they know that few minutes back I was asking question for that answer only?”. A small ray of light passed quickly through my mind, and I thought “Is really Krishna giving answers to all my questions?”. Then I can’t stop myself reading it.
By the end of the article, what I came to know that this article satisfied all my questions, which riddled my mind for a long time. I felt like that article was custom made for me only, it was dealing with the exact question that I have.
Few days back I had no answers to my questions , now I have but I don’t what to do now. I don’t know what, whether self created egoistic and arrogant image (not false ego, I am not egoistic of anything, but I act like that to deal with the harsh world outside) or anger built in me over the time (result of prolonged frustration) is pulling me back from goal shown by KRISHNA. Still that materialistic “fight back” attitude comes back and says lets try one more time materialistic way. I am no control over my mind, millions of thoughts just keep coming, sometimes senseless which not even related to me materialistically,plus I am lacking in patience also.
Please guide me on how to handle this. I could have asked one liner but I thought I should tell you what exactly happened, so that you will consider that situation and guide me accordingly.
Hare Krishna Sunil
Thank you very much for describing your experience with the krishna.org emails!
The answer to all your problems is really simple. Just realize that everything we have been taught to think is important and everything we have been taught will make us happy is not important and will not make us happy. It is all maya and it is all related to our material bodies but we are not these material bodies, we are the spirit soul within the body. So we need to feed the spirit soul and not worry so much about the material body. And the food for the spirit soul is chanting:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
and reading Srila Prabhupada’s books.
In the beginning we may not have much taste for it. It may not feel like it is working. But it is working. The example given to explain this is the man who has the disease jaundice. If one has this jaundice disease he looses his taste for sweet things. If he has this disease he can eat some sweet thing and it will taste bitter to him. Actually the sweet is not bitter, it is only tasting bitter to him because he is diseased. And actually the cure for this jaundice disease is eating sweet things, which the jaundice diseased person does not like to do because in his diseased condition the sweet things taste bad to him. But he has to eat them because they are the cure for his disease.
So we are also in a diseased condition. We have the material disease and the cure for this material disease is chanting Hare Krishna but because of the material disease this chanting of Hare Krishna does not taste very sweet to us, we do not like to chant Hare Krishna, because in our diseased condition we can not taste the sweetness of Hare Krishna. But if we simply force ourselves to chant Hare Krishna that will cure the material disease we are suffering from and then we will realize how sweet and how full of nectar and pleasure the Hare Krishna mantra is…
So we just have to chant Hare Krishna and read Srila Prabhupada’s books even if we don’t feel at all like chanting Hare Krishna and even if we don’t seem to be getting any benefit from it. It will work, it will purify our hearts, and we will then be able to taste the sweetness of Krishna consciousness, but it will taste bitter while we are still suffering from the material disease. But we have to keep chanting Hare Krishna to cure the material disease…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna! Swami Madhudivasaji.. I and my wife Krishna together chant “Hare Krishna” mantra & also read one sloka from the Bhagvad Gita everyday and find that our prayers are bearing fruit! :)))))
Hare Krishna Dillip
It is a very nice program that you and your wife are doing Prabhu. That is the best thing for the family members, to come together and chant Hare Krishna together and read from Srila Prabhupada’s books together. You can maintain this program and increase it as far as possible and that will make everything in your lives very auspicious.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
ONCE THERE IS NO HAPPYNESS IN MATERIAL WORLD THEN WHY LORD KRISHNA CREATED THIS MATERIAL WORLD.
Hare Krishna Vijay
I tried to explain why Krishna created the material world and why we can never be happy here in the article. Maybe you can read it again. Basically we are spiritual and we belong in the spiritual world and can only be happy in the spiritual world. Just like a fish is a creature of the water and can only be happy in the water and can never be happy on land. So we are spiritual not material, we belong in the spiritual world, we can only be happy in the spiritual world, so now we are in the material world we are just like a fish out of water. And a fish out of water can never be happy no matter how much money, gold and beautiful women you give to the fish. He will never be happy unless you put him back in the water. So we will never be happy in the material world, we will only be happy when we are back in the spiritual world…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare krishna.
Thank you prabhuji for a lovely newsletter.
Hare Krishna!
Pranam Swamiji,
Thanks a lot for your kind reply/encouragement. All my doubts got cleared; now I realised my thinking was wrong. Thanks for further elaborate explanation posted under the topic “A fish is just a fish”.
I humbly tell you that sincere prayers are always answered; that too instantly. This is my experience, after sent my frustrated mail to your website, after two days, I was casually surfing web, in one of Indian website, under Hindu religion, I saw an article posted along with Lord Krishna’s photo to my surprise, I firmly believe, Krishna made to go through, I got my reply; yes, my Krishna has answered my prayers. I got immediate relief from my grief sicken relief.
You will wonder, whatever you have written as a reply to me, its brief, and touched my heart and gave immense peace and happiness and I humbly present before you as follows;
“ You left me long ago, you forgot me, but I never forgot you. Lifetime after Lifetime you tried to enjoy material world; but I was always in your heart. Waiting for you to turn to me. You suffered storms, You suffered diseases, you suffered broken hearts, sometimes you enjoyed wealth, prosperity, high education. But eventually it was all taken away.
Didn’t you feel separation for me as I felt separation for you at every minute?? And then finally you turned to me and you gave your life to me and I saw how difficult it was in this material world for you to turn to me and to be faithful.. You were ridiculed, you were persecuted, you were criticized, sometimes you had to be. But I was always with you, I was there to protect you. And now finally, you have returned home. I WELCOME YOU.”
The above is really a booster for every devotee and “Awakening Call from our Dear Lord. I am really grateful to you Swamiji, slowly I saw my worries, start vanishing, I start concentrating in chanting, as you have written the world itself is a prison, you won’t find happiness, peace by running after material things.. We should become Krishna Conscious without fail.
Pranam.
Servant of Krishna
Uma Sridhar
Hare Krishna!
Though we take this as material world and our ultimate goal is to reach the Spiritual world, to live till we leave this body, in this material world, we have certain duties and basic necessities required, but when there is suffering even for that, the mind is disturbed totally. What do we do in this kind of situations? what is the solution for this?
Hare Krishna Kalpana
You don’t get it. We are here in the material world to suffer. You can not stop that. That is the purpose of the material world. To inflict suffering upon us. There are three types of miseries we are all always suffering from: adiatmaka–suffering caused by the mind, adibhoutik–suffering caused by other living entities and adidevac—suffering caused by the demigods. We are all always suffering from these three types of miseries. The mind is disturbed by so many things, the family members, the workers at the office and everyone else is causing us trouble and the insects are biting us, and the demigods are providing so many natural disturbances like excessive heat and excessive cold and floods and famines and so many other unavoidable miseries. In addition to this we all suffer greatly during birth, we suffer greatly due to disease, we suffer due to old age and death. As long as one is in the bodily concept of life he must suffer from all these things, there is no alternative.
The only solution is to become Krishna conscious and a devotee in Krishna consciousness actually realizes that he is not the material body, that he is the spirit soul within the material body, and that he is eternally as servant of Krishna, and he engages himself in the service of Krishna and through this simple process his consciousness is spiritualized and he becomes transcendental to the miseries and sufferings of the material world. He becomes like a lotus leaf in the water. The lotus leaf is growing in the water but it is not touched by the water. So a devotee can be in the material world and at the same time not be touched by the material world. This is the only way to be happy.
Of course to become a devotee that also requires suffering. That is called tapasya. Tapasya is voluntary suffering undertaken by the devotee for the purpose of spiritual advancement. Srila Prabhupada instructs that we must rise before 4:30 am in the morning and offer Mangal-Aroti, in the beginning we have no taste for Krishna consciousness and at 4:30 am in the morning we want to sleep, not get out of bed and offer Mangal Aroti. But if we want to become Krishna conscious we have to surrender to the order of Srila Prabhupada and set the alarm clock and get out of bed at 4:00 am even though we feel like staying in bed and sleeping. This is suffering also, in the beginning. Instead of sleeping we get up and offer Mangal Aroti. But this sort of suffering is required to become Krishna conscious. We have to surrender to following the four regulative principles: no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication. We will still have the desire to do these things and not having sex for example when we want to have sex is suffering. But this is tapasya. And voluntary accepting this sort of suffering is required if one wants to become Krishna conscious.
So you have to get used to it. This material world is a place of suffering and that suffering is not going to stop. But the suffering is only because we falsely identify with the material body that we are not. So as soon as we become Krishna conscious then we will realize we are not the material body and then even though the material body will still be subjected to the sufferings of the material world we will be detached from and indifferent to these sufferings.
Actually once one becomes Krishna conscious he is happy, su-su-kam-kartam-avavyam. Happiness is a symptom of Krishna consciousness. If one is not happy he is not in Krishna consciousness. But even though a devotee is happy in Krishna consciousness it does not mean that his material body is free from the so-called suffering conditions of the material world. But the devotee knows he is not the body, he is not in the bodily concept of life, so these material sufferings do not effect him…
So you have to give up this dream that you can become comfortable in the material world. It is not possible.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
How do i become a krishna monk?please
You should become Krishna conscious first by reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and chanting Hare Krishna…