Krishna

Published on April 11th, 2023 | by Madhudvisa dasa

78

Arjuna is Krishna’s Friend Eternally

Krishna explains in the First Verse of the Forth Chapter of Bhagavad Gita:

“I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan, and Vivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Iksvaku.”

When Arjuna heard Krishna explain this he appeared to become bewildered. He was thinking that Krishna is his friend and they were both born around the same time so how is it possible that Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-gita to the sun-god some millions of years ago?

So Arjuna questioned Krishna: “The sun-god Vivasvan is senior by birth to You.

How an I to understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him?” (Bg. 4.4)

We may think that, “Arjuna is an accepted devotee of the Lord, so how could he not believe Krishna’s words?” In reality Arjuna does accept Krishna’s words and of course believes everything Krishna says without question, however this conversation of the Bhagavad Gita between Krishna and Arjuna was not only for the benefit of Arjuna. Arjuna is conscious of this so here he is not inquiring for himself. He is asking this question on behalf of the people who do not believe in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the demons who do not like the idea that Krishna should be accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So it is only for the benefit of the demons that Arjuna inquires on this point, as if he himself was not aware of the Personality of Godhead, Krishna. We will see in the Tenth Chapter that Arjuna knows perfectly well that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the source of everything and supreme authority of transcendental knowledge.

It is confusing for the general population because Krishna appeared on this earth as the son of Devaki. So the ordinary people find it very difficult to understand how Krishna could remain the original, eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead and still appear as a baby in the arms of His mother. So it is only to clarify this point for the general public that Arjuna is appearing to be bewildered on this point and asking Krishna the question: “Krishna we were both born around the same time so how is is possible that You spoke the Bhagavad Gita to the sun-god millions of years ago?” Krishna is the supreme authority accepted by all, only the demons reject Him, so by asking this question Arjuna is giving Krishna the opportunity to speak authoritatively on this point and record the answer for everyone’s benefit in the Bhagavad Gita. Arjuna’s purpose in putting this question to Krishna is an attempt by him to defy the atheistic attitude of persons who consider Krishna to be an ordinary human being subject to the modes of material nature.

Krishna answered Arjuna’s question by saying: “Many, many births both you and I have passed. I can remember all of them, but you cannot.” (Bg. 4.5) So this is a very important revelation by Krishna. Devotees like Arjuna are constant companions of the Lord, and whenever the Lord incarnates, the associate devotees also incarnate in order to serve the Lord in different capacities.

Arjuna is one of these devotees, and in this verse it is understood that some millions of years ago when Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to the sun-god Vivasvan, Arjuna, in a different capacity, was also present. But the difference between Krishna and Arjuna is that Krishna can remember speaking the Bhagavad Gita to the sun-god millions of years ago but Arjuna, although he was there with Krishna, can not remember anything about this incident or anything about any of his past births. This is one of the proofs that the living entities can never become equal to the Supreme Lord. Anyone who is a constant companion of Krishna like Arjuna is certainly a liberated person but even a liberated person can not be equal to the Lord. That is the difference between the part-and-parcel living entity and the Supreme Lord. In the Brahma-samhita Krishna is described as infallible (acyuta) which means that He never forgets Himself even though He is in the material contact. Therefore the Lord and the living entity can never be equal in all respects, even if the living entity is as liberated as Arjuna.

Although Arjuna is a devotee of the Lord sometimes he forgets the nature of the Lord, but by the divine grace a devotee can at once understand the infallible condition of the Lord whereas a nondevotee or a demon can not understand this transcendental nature. Consequently these explanations by Krishna to Arjuna can not be understood by demoniac brains. Krishna remembered acts that were performed by Him millions of years before, but Arjuna could not, despite the fact that both Krishna and Arjuna are eternal in nature.

We can note here that a living entity forgets everything due to his change of body, but Krishna remembers because He does not change His eternal body full of knowledge and ever-increasing bliss. For Krishna there is no distinction between His body and Himself. Everything related to Him is spiritual whereas the conditioned soul is different from his material body. But Krishna’s body and His self are identical therefore His position is always different from the position of the ordinary living entity, even when Krishna descends to this material world.

So we can understand that The pastimes of Krishna in Vrindavan are very relishable because Krishna is there with all the residents of Vrindadvan and from this example we can see what spiritual life actually is. Spiritual life is similar to material life. The only difference is that in spiritual life everyone is serving Krishna, in material life everyone is serving maya. So to transform our consciousness from material life to spiritual life simply requires transforming our consciousness from material consciousness to spiritual consciousness. And in this Kali-yuga the most powerful and the only practical way to do this is simply by chanting:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

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About the Author

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!



78 Responses to Arjuna is Krishna’s Friend Eternally

  1. Arun says:

    Thank you for your all news letter, about guru only His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Is real guru others are only respectable, not for worship .

  2. Astha Aggarwal says:

    Hare Krishna Sir…

    Thankyou so much for your newsletters… I have finally found peace and solace in the devotional service of my dear lord krishna. I know that eternally I belong only to him. He who is fully equipped with 16 kalaas and all rasas of bhakti, such is my lord. He is the supreme absolute truth, and entire creation rests upon him.

    I was an atheist since childhood, but just after reading bhagwad gita I transformed and now realized that there is nothing in this entire universe beyond Vasudeva. Its my only wish that he keep my devotional service intact , eternally…

    Hare Krishna!!!!

  3. Marie Ann Pemberton says:

    Gouranga Hare Krsna.

    Krsna draws me back to him after many years. I first remembered Him in 1996 after association with devotees in my home town who diseminated literature. I got lost in the world for a time.
    I read your emails and taste the familiar taste of Krsna again and how sweet is He. Thank you.
    I want to receive the gift of the Bhagavad Gita again but I am afraid. What is this fear?

    Marie Ann Pemberton

  4. kathy says:

    please can you unsubscribe me, I have been using my work email while I am waiting to fix my home computer, but it is becoming inconvenient for me to keep receiving emails at work, I will still keep in touch
    hare Krishna
    Kathy

  5. Vishal says:

    Hare Krishna Madhudvisa Das ji,
    Thank you for this wonderful mail,I wanted to ask a question not on this topic but on something else.
    Why doesn’t lord accept food with onions…i know that it is a food stuff of mode of passion but if lord krishna is supreme mode of passion also generated from him,then why can not we offer such food to him.

    Awaiting your answer,
    Vishal

    • Hare Krishna Vashal

      You have to accept the knowledge coming in the disciplic succession. You can not reject it like this. If you hear from the bona fide spiritual master that you can not offer onions and garlic to Krishna you have to accept it.

      Krishna consciousness begins with surrender. There are so many things in Krishna consciousness that are avan manasa gocara, beyond the ability of our minds to conceive and beyond the ability of our senses to perceive. So these things can only be understood by surrender and submission to the bona fide spiritual master.

      So this is the beginning of spiritual life. We have to surrender. So when bona fide spiritual master says we can not offer onions and garlic to Krishna then we have to accept that, not argue with it.

      And we can not think that we will be able to intellectually understand all the reasons about why Krishna says this and why Krishna says that. We just have to understand what Krishna says and follow it.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  6. Amer Sharif says:

    First of all, glory and victory be to Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Shree Krishna. After reading this explanation, I have come to conclude that nothing is better, in this material world, than to be true devotee of Vasydeva, Shree Krishna.

  7. Vara lakshmi.j says:

    Hare krushna madhudvisa ji.i cant speak english well.iam a telugu girl.dasa ji what shall i do to become the real worship of lord krushna

    • There is no secret. Just chant Hare Krishna mantra at least 16 rounds a day, follow the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication] and read Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day. Do these things sincerely and automatically Srila Prabhupada will instruct you through his books and Krishna will instruct you from within your heart and you will know what to do to serve Krishna, to please Krishna.

  8. sumithreddy says:

    Hare Krishna Prabhu
    All the Glories To Srila Prabhu pada

    My question is if Krishna explained geetha to Arjuna with in less than one hour of time . why we are taking so many days to read it and understand it .
    leave it about me like ordinary devotees but it takes more than an hour to the some pure devotees also.
    and the next question is, as you said that while preaching the geetha to arjuna all the people in battle field are listened it, why that war happened after listening the ultimate truth by all of them…

    • The war happened because Krishna wanted it. In the beginning Arjuna did not want to fight and kill all his friends and family members. But Krishna encouraged him to fight because Krishna wanted the fight. So Krishna was speaking to Arjuna to encourage him to fight. That is the point of Bhagavad-gita. Surrender to Krishna and do what Krishna wants. That is our purpose. That is our duty. That is the only reason for our existence.

      Of course Arjuna could understand the Bhagavad-gita in one hour but nowadays we read Bhagavad-gita and do not understand it in thousands of years. That is the problem. We need the guidance of a pure devotee like His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who guides us in our understanding of Bhagavavd-gita through his Bhaktivedanta purports. So when we read Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is including his transcendental Bhaktivedanta Purports then if we actually surrender to Srila Prabhupada and surrender to Krishna and actually follow the instructions we find Srila Prabhupada and Krishna giving us as we read Bhagavad-gita As It Is then we will understand Bhagavad-gita.

      Actually Bhagavad-gita can only be understood by the devotees like Arjuna. For non-devotees Bhagavad-gita will always remain a mystery, even if they read it ten times every day for their whole lives. No one can understand Bhagavad-gita unless they become a devotee of Krishna like Arjuna.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  9. ananya says:

    HARE KRISHNA prabhuji!
    Will you please give me answer to my question ,you say now a days the iskcon temples have deteoriated because of bogus gurus ,do you have the same opinion for iscon mayapur and semantadvip???please tell I am very worried.

    • Hare Krishna!

      Yes. ISKCON only has bogus gurus everywhere. Including Mayapur. They GBC have set up a system that means only bogus gurus can operate within ISKCON.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

      • Karthik says:

        So, how to get a guru if there is no benefit of joining ISKCON ?

        • Guru is not easily available. But Prabhupada is already there. I can not understand why you can not see you already have a guru. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. But to accept him as your guru you have to surrender to him and agree to do things that you probably don’t want to do. Like giving up sense gratification for example. To become a devotee of Krishna we have to give up this idea that we can be happy by trying to satisfy our senses by sex and nice food and by ‘partying’ and by falling in love and by relationships or by family or so many other material attachments we have. To follow Srila Prabhupada we have to give everything that we used to think is pleasurable up and instead spend all of our time and energy serving Srila Prabhupada and under his direction serving Krishna. This surrender most do not want to do… So they do not want Srila Prabhupada as their guru, because they do not want to surrender. But without surrender to a bona fide spiritual master you can not get any benefit.

          ISKCON will not encourage you to surrender to a a bona fide spiritual master. They will tell you that Srila Prabhupada is dead and gone and you can’t surrender to him. They will tell you that you need to surrender to a living guru, and they will tell you they have hundreds of living gurus and that they are all conditioned souls and there is no need for you to have a liberated soul as your guru. All you need is a GBC appointed and approved guru…

          Which is all lies…. And will not benefit you in any way whatsoever. Rather it will deviate you from the real spiritual path…

          So if you can just open your eyes and wake up and realized you already have a guru, the best guru, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, and simply take advantage of hearing from him. Listen to his classes, go with him on his morning walks, sit with him as he talks with his disciples and with famous people all over the world, and of course most importantly, read his books…

          A bona fide guru is a very, very, very rare thing and a ‘living’ guru is not always available. Brahmanadan brahmate kona bhagavan jiva guru krsna prasade paya bhakti lata bija. It means that one very fortunate living entity gets the opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master and by pleasing him, by getting his mercy he gets the ‘bhakti lata bija’ which is the seed of the plant of bhakti or devotion. We can never become devotees if we don’t get the seed of the plant of bhakti from an actual pure devotee of Krishna who has the bhakti plant flourishing in his hart which is fully grown and which has flowers and seeds that he can distribute. So this ‘bhakti lata bija’, the seed of devotional service, is only available from a pure devotee of Krishna, you can not get it from anywhere else. And it is only one fortunate soul who after wandering from planet to planet and universe to universe who gets this rare opportunity to associate with the bona fide spiritual master and gets the chance to get this seed to the plant of devotion.

          This Krishna consciousness is not something that is generally available. It is available by the mercy of a pure devotee of Krishna only. So we have the opportunity to associate with a pure devotee of Krishna. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. So if you have any brains at all between your ears take advantage of associating with Srila Prabhupada. Surrender to him, serve him, please him and if you are successful and actually are able to please Srila Prabhupada then by his mercy you will get this bhakti-lata-bija, the seed of devotional service and then if you cultivate that plant of bhakti nicely in your heart by chanting and hearing and by ripping out the weeds that grow in your heart along with the creeper of devotion then you will be able to become a devotee of Krishna, and ultimately a pure devotee of Krishna, by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada.

          Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

          Madhudvisa dasa

  10. Veerabhadra says:

    Hare krishna….guruji… Guruji i came to know about u from my
    brother i want to take suggestion from you im devotee of shiradi sai
    baba i belived that god is one and have different form whenever i hav
    any question in my mind i get answer for that in any form (like from
    somebady’s suggestion or in books of baba) but guruji from few days i
    feeling that baba is not theis with me i feeling something wrong
    happened from me so i not getting anything i begged baba to forgive
    my mistakes and give me a clue that u r their with me but baba not yet
    told anything in any form im feeling very bad &getting cry for that
    please guruji suggest me something. What u think for my asking i dont
    know guruji but i hope u will suggest me

    ASHWINI(Veerabhadra’s sister)
    )

    • Hare Krishna Veerabhadra

      If anyone tells you “god is one” you can know immediately that they are a fool.

      Of course Krishna’s impersonal energy is all-pervasive. So everything is Krishna’s energy. But Krishna’s energy emanates from Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just like the sunshine emanates from the sun. So if this baba is so blind that he can only see the sunshine and so foolish that he is ignorant of the existence of the sun you should abandon him and instead study the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. You can read them online at:

      http://www.PrabhupadaBooks.com

      and purchase then at:

      http://www.KrishnaStore.com

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  11. kapil saxena says:

    Dear brother
    hare krishana

    recently I was reading the bhagwad gita as it is by sir la prabhupad ji and in there it is mentioned the chain of disciplc succession which showing only 32 names starting from lord Krishna as we know that krishna hemself appeared 5000 year ago .is the aforely mentioned 32 name are not contradictory to the facts for ex if we divide 5000/32 its come arround 156 years pear contribution which is mere con fussing? please guide us

    • There is no need for physical presence. And you have to consider that 5000 years ago people could live longer than 100 years. So your calculations are quite meaningless. In some cases the spiritual master of disciple had already left his body before the disciple accepted the spiritual master. There is no problem with this. There is no need for physical presence. And some of the gurus lived more than 100 years…

      So do not worry about these insignificant details. Please read Srila Prabhupada’s books and understand the ideas and the principles that Srila Prabhupada and Krishna are explaining to you. That is the important thing.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  12. Nora Bakovich says:

    Hare Krishna!
    I read the Newsletters several times. I discovered that many questions I have about the articles had been answered in one future one. I think that one of the aspects to develope is to wait the Krishna’s time to understand everytihg.
    Despite of that, I have some questions which have ot been answered in the letters mup to now.
    When you say ‘Brahma? as the Supreme and First Manifestation and his Sons, means that BRAHMA as the emanation of the Oneness Himself, and Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as the tree aspects of the Divinity?

    I desireto find out the way to deeply learn the Gita and the Vedanta taexts, Thank You Very Much for giving this oppotunity.

    Hare Krishna!!!

    Nora

    • Hare Krishna Nora

      Lord Brahma is the first born person within this universe. Initially Lord Visnu enters the universe and from the perspiration of His body He creates an ocean in the bottom of the universe. He lies on Sesa-Naga, an incarnation of Balarama in the form of a giant serpent and rests there. From the navel of His transcendental body a lotus stem grows and on top of that a very large and beautiful lotus flower opens up and in the middle of that lotus flower Lord Brahma takes birth. Through austerities and meditation Lord Brahma comes to understand that it is his mission to take charge of the secondary creation of the material world.

      So that is Lord Brahma.

      You are confusing this with the Brahman effulgence. The Brahman energy is the all-pervasive form of the Supreme Lord that permeates everything, everywhere. There are three aspects of the Supreme Lord: His personal form, the impersonal energy that eminates from His personal form, [just like the sun plant is in a particular place and from the sun the sunlight spreads everywhere, similarly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna is situated in His Goloka Vrindavan and from His transcendental body the Brahman effulgence is emanating and that is spread all over… So as the sun is the source of the sunshine, Krishna is the source of the impersonal brahman.

      Similarly there is an expansion of Krishna present in the hearts of all living entities and also even withing the atoms. He is called the Paramatma and He is another manifestation of Krishna.

      So ultimately God is a person and His name is Krishna and many energies are emanating from Him and from these energies everything we see and experience is manifested. So in the ultimate issue there is nothing but Krishna. What we are experiencing is Krishna’s energies working in different wonderful ways…

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  13. Jerry Chetty says:

    Hare Krishna
    Please tell me -If Brahma was the first disciple of Lord Krishna according to parampara and Brahma was the first created being – how long ago was this? Also the Vyasa in the disciplic succesion,- Is that the same person who compiled ALL the Vedas ?Is Srimad Bhagavatam part of The Mahabarata ? Also about Maha Samadi – Can a healthy person choose the moment to leave his body? Did not Paramahansa Yogananda do that?

    • Hare Krishna Jerry

      Brahma is the first disciple of Krishna [Visnu]. Because in the beginning of the universe there was only Visnu and then a lotus flower grew from the navel of Lord Visnu and Lord Brahma was born on the top of that Lotus Flower. So Lord Brahma performed tapasya, austerity, and through that austerity he was instructed by Krishna from within his heart the seed verses of the Vedas. You can work out the exact age of Lord Brahma but very roughly he is about 50 and he lives also for about 100 years by his time scale and one day of Lord Brahma is 1000 catur-yuga cycles. That is the cycle of the four yugas [staya, tretya, dwarpa and kali] times a thousand. The total is 4,300,000 about, just the Kali-yuga is 432,000 years… So one day of Lord Brahma is around 4,300,000,000 and he has a night also of the same length and he has years with 360 days and lives for around 100 of these years so you can calculate it, you can work it out… It is a long time by our calculation, but for him it is just like our 100 years.

      Srila Vyasadeva is a contemporary of Lord Krishna from around 5000 years ago and he saw the necessity of recording the Vedic literature in written format because he could forsee that during the kali-yuga that we are currently in men would become very short living and have very bad memories due to performing so many sinful activities and would be unable to remember accurately the teachings of their spiritual master so he realized there was a need to write down the Vedic literature to preserve it. You could say he compiled it, but he did not write it, actually he recorded the existing Vedic knowledge that had been being passed down in the disciplic succession since the beginning of time, starting from Visnu then to Brahma, so Vyasadeva did not write anything really, he recorded the already existing Vedic knowledge in written form.

      Srimad-Bhagavatam is not part of the Mahabharata. Bhagavad-gita is a chapter of the Mahabharata. Mahabharata is an introductory book for the less intelligent generally speaking. Srimad-Bhagavatam starts where the Bhagavad-gita ends. The Bhagavad-gita ends with surrender to Krishna and the Bhagavatam starts with surrender to Krshna. So the Bhagavatam is a more advanced book.

      Choosing the moment to leave the body has nothing to do with ‘health’. That is an ability of an advanced yogi. And that sort of yoga is practically impossible to practice now. So the best thing is to be chanting Krishna at the time of death then no matter what that moment will be auspicious and you will go back home back to Godhead.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  14. nirmala devi says:

    HARE KRISHNA

    Six years ago I used to watch SHRI KRISHNA on my TV.I just cried and prayed Oh KRISHNA i want to see your childhood.At one night I dreamed of HIM.I saw only the face.Day and night I was fully carried away by the charming beauty.Recently i again experienced him around me.I want to know that why it happens only sometimes.I want to experience Him all the time.That sound of fluite,his prayers should always reverberate in my mind.

    • You have to follow the process of saddhana-bhakti now, following the regulative principles, chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily and engaging in practical devotional service with your mind, body and senses, and your possessions. In this way under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master and gradually Krishna will reveal Himself to you from within your heart and you will be able to see Him always. You have to remember we are here to serve Krishna, if we want to come to know Krishna then we have to serve Him, and to know how to serve Krishna we have to surrender to and serve a bona fide spiritual master who will engage us in the service of Krishna. That is the process.

      • Vicky Sharma says:

        Hare Krishna,

        Why Bangalore ISKCON (whole group) is still selling bbt’s changed shreemad bhagwatam and not asking for real shreemad bhagwatam 30 volume set that you have on your website.
        Still Bangalore ISKCON consider them self that they are following prabhupada .

        Your servant,
        Vicky Sharma

  15. mathi says:

    Hare krishna prabhu,

    Thanks for your email.please explain some Bhagavad-gita slogam with explaination in every mail with related to that content.

  16. Aayush khare says:

    Hare Krishna Madhudvisa dasa prabhu ji,
    I am a small devotee of Lord Krishna doing bsc. from India.
    I wish to love and serve Krishna more and more.
    O my dear-most Prabhu ji , please guide me how to serve and love Krishna in the authentic way.
    I am doing his service almost like a layman and I don’t know how to love and serve him as told by Srila Prabhupada ji.
    I cannot buy and act as in the manual as I also have to study.
    Please if you have some time then guide me as to how I serve and love Krishna basically and then slowly and slowly I will try to elevate myself by reading the manual.I will be very much happy if you just guide me.

    • Hare Krishna Prabhu

      The manual, the guide, is Srila Prabhupada’s books. All I can do is ask you to chant the Hare Krishna mantra at least 16 rounds a day and follow the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication] and read Prabhupada’s books. That is the manual. That is all I have the power to do. Whatever realizations I have, whatever knowledge I have, it is simply from chanting Hare Krishna and reading Srila Prabhupada’s books. So if it works for me it will work for you also. You just have to do it Prabhu.

      I am writing some emails and sending them out, that is the best I can do. But really I do not think anyone is going to become Krishna conscious by hearing what I have got to say. I am simply trying to encourage people to chant Hare Krishna and read Prabhupada’s books. This is there real answer.

      Of course in the beginning we have no taste for reading Prabhupada’s books and chanting Hare Krishna. We have to do it by force. And even though you are studying you have to still find time to read Prabhupada’s books. They are what you really need to study. So you have to find at least 2 hours a day to chant 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra and at least 1-2 hours a day to read Prabhupada’s books. And in the other time you can study.

      It is very easy, you can just get up early in the morning and chant Hare Krishna.

      The thing is if we want to become Krishna conscious then we have to follow the program that Srila Prabhupada gives us. He is like a very expert doctor and he knows our disease and he also knows the cure. So he has prescribed the suitable medicine and the suitable diet. So we have to take the medicine and accept the diet and live according to the instructions given by the greatest spiritual doctor, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. If we do not follow the program he gives us we can not expect to become well, to become spiritually healthy, to become Krishna conscious.

      So my guiding is to suggest that you chant Hare Krishna at least 16 rounds a day and read Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day and let him guide you…

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  17. sharmeni devi says:

    what is krshna’s oppulences?

    • Hare Krishna!

      Krishna possesses all opulences in full. So there are six kinds of opulences: beauty, strength, wealth, fame, knowledge and renunciation. And Krishna has all these opulences in full.

      Whatever opulences exist Krishna has them in full. You should read Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is. There is a whole chapter about the opulences of Krishna…

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

      • shuchi says:

        Radhy radhy prabhu ji..
        All glories to Srila Prabhupada, i really like him n miss him too, i wish i was born born when he was there but one releif is there as i read somewhere that He will there with us as long as we r not deleivered from this material wrold.
        And prabhu hearing n advices from u seems relevent too as you have the courage to tell the truth regarding ISKCON even if u were also part of it earlier as i also experianced the same of the voidness of this institution but i feel there must be some geneuine devotee too… but i really liked your e-mails. Radhy radhy..

        • Hare Krishna Shuchi

          Yes. Today’s ISKCON is void because they have gone against the instructions of Srila Prabhupada in so many ways. They think that now Prabhupada is dead and gone they no longer have to follow Prabhupada’s instructions and they are constantly changing everything. But this constant changing is not spiritual. It is material. There is no change in spiritual life. But as you have discovered Srila Prabhupada is still living with us in the form of his transcendental vani, his instruction. Prabhupada is living in his books and audio and video recordings and we can take full advantage of Srila Prabhupada’s personal association in this way. Prabhupada continues to live and continues to spread the holy name around!

          Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

          Madhudvisa dasa

  18. Deepak says:

    Thanks for the reply.

    Hare Krishna.

  19. Diwesh says:

    Hare Krishna Prabhu,
    PAMHO.AGTSP.Thank you very much for your reply.
    Please continue to send me your emails.I just love
    to read every word of it.
    Many many thanks Prabhu.

  20. seva das says:

    pamho madhudvisa prabhu agtACBSP UTTANA EKADASI KI JAYA SGKDBM KI JAYA BISHMA PANCAKA DIN KI JAYA i agreed about what you said above we got more now because there is not the danger to consider a great personality as a ordinary person i mean we got more enlightenment nowadays regarding SRILA PRABHUPADA books and divine personality but as you says the disease is taking time to be cured by the daily reading and chanting,no doubts that we can uproot all the sinful reactions of this age as soon as the fire of kc will act in burning all the anarthas in the heart of the sincere sadhaka, then everyone got his journey through his karma, i will become more clever in the way back home by keeping chanting and associate with SRILA PRABHUPADA wisdom through good devotees like you thank you very much for your sat sanga and blessing agtys ys seva das haribol

  21. seva das says:

    pamho madhudvisa prabhu agtACBSP thank you for all the download you sent me regarding SRILA PRABHUPADA transcendental treasure i agreed with you on the pure spiritual strength we get by hearing SRILA PRABHUPADA wisdom ,actually that’s what we got left but i considered you very lucky to have the chance to associate and hear from SRILA PRABHUPADA since the time HE were still physically present on this planet i believe you are never tired of listen SRILA PRABHUPADA i would like to be like you in that safe connection i mean i didn’t get the chance to serve SRILA PRABHUPADA closely like you therefore my tendency to hear is not just on SRILA PRABHUPADA unfortunately, i been serving HIM after HIS disappearance from this world i’m sure my desire to hear from HIM will increase by keep connected with your spiritual website because i don’t want get old anymore as you mentioned me in your newsletter SRI KRSNA never get old,i got full SRIMAD BHAGAVAD GITA sloka in 3 cd then i got the full original MAHABHARATA 19 dvd i’m trying all the time my best to not forget what i hear from SRILA PRABHUPADA by meditating on HIS enlighting words i remember HIM to say that the most important thing is how to become a good krsna friend like arjuna then all our problems will be sort out,this is what i’m doing at the moment by follow your precious spiritual advice in the long practice service you did to your beloved acharya, i will get there prabhu is just a question of time as you know because i’m properly situated now with SRILA PRABHUPADA free from the speculation of the guru hoaxers jai prabhu thank you very much for your sat sanga and blessing i don’t want wait anymore to become a good krsna friend by surrender to HIM as guru sadhu and sastra remind me through HIS tadiyanam samarcanam ki jaya agtys dandavats daso smi seva das haribol

    • Hare Krishna Seva Prabhu

      It makes no difference hearing from Srila Prabhupada when he was physically present or hearing from him now. We have everything that the devotees had in Prabhupada’s presence and more actually. Then they did not have access to his letters and they had access to a lot less classes and in the early years even they did not have many books.

      Prabhupada is living in his books. There is no difference between reading his books and talking with him personally.

      I did not join ISKCON until 1986 so I never had physical association with Srila Prabhupada but I never feel that I have missed out on anything at all because the association we get from Srila Prabhupada through reading his books is so tangible and real. Sometimes also physical association with a great personality can be dangerous because one may consider him an ordinary person.

      And it is not that even in Prabhupada’s physical presence devotees did not have problems. The problems will be there anyhow. Maya is very strong. So Prabhu don’t worry. You have not missed anything. Prabhupada did not leave us, he is still with us in his books and other transcendental vani.

      But we may have no taste for reading Prabhupada’s books and for chanting Hare Krishna. We have to know that is because we are diseased, we are contaminated by the material disease. And the cure for that disease is reading Prabhupada’s books and chanting Hare Krishna. So even if we have no taste for it this is the medicine that will cure our disease. So we have to force ourselves to read Prabhupada’s books and chant Hare Krishna even if we don’t want to do it and even if we do not seem to be enjoying it or getting any benefit from it. But it is like fire and it will act. Even if we can not feel it acting in the beginning…

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  22. Deepak says:

    Hare Krishna,

    Just being a curious soul, I would like to know about how actually chanting 16 rounds of

    Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
    Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

    would help transform our lives and make us more inclined towards the spiritualism. Is the the structure of the words ? or language ? or why did we come to a number 16 ?

    how and what kind of change it’ll bring to us gradually ?

    Sincerely,
    Deepak Arora

    • Hare Krishna Deepak

      It is a good question. These are not ordinary material words. They are the names of God. The Hare Krishna maha-mantra is a transcendental vibration descending from the spiritual world. It is not at all of this material world. That we can represent it by:

      Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
      Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

      is very fortunate, Krishna’s mercy, but these are not ordinary material vibrations. Sound is very powerful. It has a great effect on our consciousness. Even material sound really changes your consciousness. You see young people listening to very loud heavy music and that creates a particular mentality, you see people listening to nice classical music and that creates another mentality. But this is all material. But if we hear the transcendental sound vibrations of the Hare Krishna mantra that creates a spiritual mentality within us.

      But more that that Krishna’s names are not different from Krishna. All the energies, power and potency is present in full in the holy names of Krishna. So by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra you are directly and personally associating with Krishna. And the power of association is very strong. We develop the qualities of the people we associate with. So if we associate with Krishna through chanting His holy names then we will develop all the good qualities that are present within us.

      Krishna consciousness is not something artificial that we learn or something that is imposed upon us from outside. No. Krishna is present within our hearts and this chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra simply awakens our original spiritual consciousness.

      We are sleeping in the lap of maya at the moment and this chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra will wake us up and allow us to regain our original Krishna consciousness.

      But really you will not be about to understand or appreciate any of this unless you experience it for yourself. There is an example of the honey in a jar. Unless you open the jar you can not experience the taste of the honey. You can look at the honey through the jar, you can lick the jar but you will never be able to taste the honey unless you open the jar. So you need to try it seriously for yourself.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  23. logeswaran says:

    dear sir

    does Bg justify war? i want to know how the message preached in this book is relevant to the world we live in.

    • Hare Krishna

      Bhagavad Gita is not actually about war and it does not justify war. The actual point of Bhagavad Gita is that the purpose of life, the right thing to do, is to surrender to Krishna and follow His instructions. To do what Krishna wants us to do. It so happened at this time on the battlefield of Kuruksettra that Krishna wanted this war and during the conversation which is Bhagavad Gita Arjuna came to understand this and he surrendered to Krishna telling Him that “I am a soul surrendered unto you, I will do whatever you ask, please instruct me.” So this is the point of the Gita. To surrender to Krishna and follow the instructions of Krishna. In this case Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight so that is what he did. But it is not really about the fighting. It is about doing what Krishna wants us to do.

      So you can understand that the battlefield is just an example. If Krishna didn’t want Arjuna to fight then he wouldn’t have fought in the battle. But Krishna wanted him to fight so he surrendered to Krishna and did it.

      Before he surrendered to Krishna Arjuna put forward good arguments as to why they should not fight but his arguments were all based on the bodily concept of life. There is no point in arguing with Krishna. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is unlimited in every way, He has unlimited knowledge, unlimited strength, unlimited wisdom, so what is the point in arguing with Him? That is the point of the Gita. Surrender to Krishna.

      Everything in the Gita is timeless and it is just as relevant today as when Krishna spoke it 5000 years ago.

      Ultimately you need to realize this yourself by seriously studying the Gita yourself…

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  24. douglas says:

    Prabhu hare Krishna,
    I do enjoy the massages you send through emails.you little by little helps me to understand some portions in the Gita.you enlightens me any time i read your massages.
    thank you.
    may you get the mercy of our dear Shrila Prabhupada.Haribol.

  25. Hare krishna Madhudvisa dasa.

    I would like to ask a question which was risen by my uncle a month ago.

    ” Before lord krishna started his bhagvad gita, he had stopped the running of time. Everything was still and immobilized. Then how did the next person after arjuna in the new disciplic succession receive this knowledge? “

    • Hare Krishna Vinay

      Your uncle is wrong. Krishna did not stop the time. Krishna and Arjuna discussed the Bhagavad Gita in the middle of the Battlefield of Kuruksettra and they did this because the Gita was not really for the benefit of Arjuna. Arjuna is already Krishna’s eternal devotee and already a soul completely surrendered to Krishna. The conversation between Krishna and Arjuna was for the benefit of the whole world to hear. So why would Krishna stop time while He spoke the Gita? Then no one would be able to hear it except Arjuna and that is not the point at all. Everyone on the battlefield on both sides could hear this transcendental discussion between Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His bewildered friend Arjuna.

      As far as how the Gita was transferred though the disciplic succession it was put into the Mahabharata as one chapter by Veda Vayasa and that is how the Gita has been preserved and how the knowledge of the Gita has been handed down to the current generation.

      • nagarjuna says:

        if Lord Krishna didn’t stop time while preaching Gita to arjuna, if everyone could here the Lord’s preachings, then everyone in the battlefield would have come to know the essence of life and everyone would have surrendered to the Lord. so form my point of view, Lord Krishna did stop time to preach Gita to arjuna and Guru Vedavyasa being His incarnation would surely know the Gita, and so he compiled it in the Mahabharata.

        • Krishna did not stop time while discussing Bhagavad-gita with Arjuna. Where did you get this bogus idea. Everyone heard the discussion. That was the point. It did not take long. Maybe 1/2 hour to hour only. So everyone heard it.

          • Nagarjuna says:

            dear sir,
            then from this you are inferring that everyone saw the Vishwaroopa of Lord Sri Krishna? what would you say about this?

          • One needs the eyes to see it, one needs spiritual eyes to see spiritual things.

            Even when Krishna was personally present on the planet not everyone could appreciate that He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It was obvious that He was of course, but the demons are so blind that God can be personally present before them but they will be unable to recognize that it is God they are seeing…

          • Nagarjuna says:

            dear sir,
            ok, i agree with you that Krishna didn’t stop time while preaching the Mahabharata to Arjuna. But i have one doubt, can Krishna really stop time (scientifically speaking no one knows the exact definition of time, but what according to you is stopping time..but scientifically stopping time leads to nothing, there will be breakage in boson exchange and nothing is held together), indeed Brahma re winded time (when he stole cows of Krishna and all those) but is there any account of someone stopping time?

          • Hare Krishna Nagarjuna

            Krishna can do anything. He does start and stop time. Time, as we experience it, only exists in the material world. It is started up by Krishna with the manifestation of the material world and stopped again with the unmanifestation of the material world.

            But time is Krishna. So Krishna can control it of course. But we can not overcome the forces of time. That is impossible. These ideas of time travel, etc, it is just fantasy. We can not travel in time except forwards at the speed determined by Krishna. Time is Krishna and we are controlled by time. We can not control time.

            Except of course by becoming Krishna conscious, then we can transcend everything in the material world including time.

            Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

            Madhudvisa dasa

          • Nagarjuna says:

            thank you for taking all the hard work and replying for our comments !

  26. Ash Srivastava says:

    Dear Madhudvisa Dasa,

    I appreciate all your hard work and devotion in informing to us all about our father (Krishna); I love to learn as much as I can about our father in an attempt to better myself little by little. However, I find some of the language you use to refer to the ones who are not very familiar with Krishna or have doubts about his teachings to be offensive. For example, in your latest post you refer to nonbelievers as “demons”, and I absolutely condemn your choice of words because you forget to be compassionate and sensitive to others feelings. Krishna is the only entity I know of whose compassion and mercy is endless, and I believe we must use that to teach others, and not in a manner in which you and Prabhupada tend to do. Remember, love, compassion, and understanding conquers all. Being belligerent is what others do like the Muslims and Christians. I believe a devoted Hindu is a Hindu no matter whether they refer to our father as Krishna, Shiva, or any other name. So please try not to come across as a fanatic because it defeats the true purpose of what you are attempting to accomplish.

    Sincerely,

    Ash Srivastava

    • Hare Krishna Ash

      There are only two types of people, demons and devotees. So if one is not a devotee he is a demons. Krishna says that: duo buta ausar loka deva asura ca, that in this world there are two types of living entities: the devas and the asuras — the divine and the demonic — the devotees and the demons. This duality is always there in the material world.

      You have to understand that a devotee is a person who does everything for the pleasure of God and a demon is a person who does things for his own pleasure or for the pleasure of others with no connection to God. So practically everyone is a demon in this world.

      This world is the place for demons. If we were not demons we would no be here. The material world is something like a prison house. As with the prison only criminals are sent to the prison and if you go to the prison you will find practically everyone is a criminal. So it is the same here in the material world. We only come here if we misuse our independence and want to be the lord and master ourselves instead of accepting Krishna as the lord and master and surrendering to Him. So as with the prison you are going to find mostly criminals there, here in the material world you are going to find mostly demons.

      So better that we realize we are demons and do something to rectify ourselves…

      And the Hindu hodgepodge that you speak of is nonsense. You can not call anyone you want to your father. You have a father and you have to call him your father, otherwise you are a fool. Krishna is your father: aham bija prada pita: ‘I am the seed-giving father of all living entities.’ The Hindu idea of yato mat tato pat: “Whatever you believe, that is right…” is NONSENSE, RUBBISH. You should wake up and see that this thing called ‘Hinduism’ is full of so many non-bonafide, non-vedic rubbish ideas. There is no such thing as a ‘hindu’ mentioned anywhere in the Vedas. So you need to hear the Vedic knowledge from a bona fide source and I suggest you read Srila Prabhupada’s books and if you humbly submit to Srila Prabhupada and accept what he says you will be actually able to understand the Vedic knowledge.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  27. shrinivas says:

    Hare Krishna prabhu!!! I am very happy to inform you thank you very much prabhu for showing love in this unlucky person.I had taken prints of your email like 10 offences in chanting Hare Krishna mantra,4 philosophy etc. i am reading it carefully…i will try to read all emails.. and i must follow it. ALL GLORIES TO SRILA PRABHUPADA……hare krishna!

  28. seva das says:

    pamho madhudvisa prabhu agtACBSP thank you for blessing me with your param-para newsletter to become a krsna friend eternally like arjuna as i wish too that’s the real rasa taste that i’m trying to establish by the daily reading and chanting ,i’m getting a strong desire to go in kuruksetra battlefield to get that blessing faster to become a nitya sakha of sri krsna by reading all the 18 chapters daily in the place where the divine SRIMAD BHAGAVAD GITA is been spoken by SRI KRSNA personally, i don’t run to speedy i think but waiting for the right moment to do it by getting the proper mercy of SRI SRI GURU GAURANGA in following the regulative principles of sri krsna consciousness more seriously through the daily spiritual progress of the genuine sadhana bhakti of HDG ACBSP,i already feel transformation of consciousness by doing so is just a question of time the srimad bhagavad gita will reveal everything as soon as the sun of pure friendship with sri krsna arise in the heart of the sincere sadhaka then automatically i can see things as it is by the mercy of your spiritual website SRILA PRABHUPADA and the sastra thank you for your sat sanga and blessing agtys ys seva das haribol

    • Hare Krishna Seva Prabhu

      Don’t wait. You can read one chapter of the Bhagavad-gita every day easily. If you read the whole thing aloud so you can hear it yourself also chanting the Sanskrit of each verse three times and then read the English and Srila Prabhupada’s purport most chapters only take a couple of hours to read like this. And if you just do it and hear it like this every day automatically it will purify your heart and you will develop a taste for hearing Srila Prabhupada’s books and that is the most important thing that we must develop. A taste for hearing from Prabhupada and a taste for chanting Hare Krishna.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  29. Diwesh says:

    Hare Krishna Prabhu,
    Please accept my humble obeisances.All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
    Most people think Lord Shiva is the supreme personality of godhead.
    How can we tell them that its actually Krishna who is so.
    Can you please refer me to Bhagvatam quotes to prove that indeed Krishna is
    the Supreme lord.When we quote Gita,they say oh because its gita and naturally
    Gite will say Krishna is Supreme because gita does not speak of any other Gods only Krishna.

    • Hare Krishna Diwesh

      We don’t have to worry so much about convincing others in the beginning. We have to convince ourselves and become very fixed up in the philosophy ourselves and if we are reading Prabhupada’s books constantly and strictly following the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication] and chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily then Krishna will give us the intelligence from within to answer such questions and because of our spiritual potency our answers will have some effect on the people we are speaking to.

      Preaching Krishna consciousness is not possible by just learning some philosophy and repeating that to others. We have to live the philosophy and if we are actually personal examples of Krishna’s teachings to Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita then our speaking on the Gita will have some meaning and some potency. The whole point of the Gita was to get Arjuna to surrender to Him and to do what Krishna wanted Him to do even though that [killing his friends and family members] did not seem to be a very attractive or very good thing to do from Arjuna’s point of view. So as Arjuna surrendered to Krishna in the Gita we also have to surrender to Krishna by surrendering to Krishna’s pure devotee as Krishna directs in the Gita Himself: tad viddhi pranipatnena… “Just approach a bona fide spiritual master, surrender to him, offer obeisances to him, inquire from him submissively, such a pure devotee can give you real knowledge because he has seen the truth.”

      So Krishna consciousness is a process and if you accept the process as it is taught to us by Srila Prabhupada in his books and follow it strictly automatically in time you will understand everything very clearly by direct personal realization and the answers to such questions will come to you very naturally and you will be able to convince many that “Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Purity is the force!

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  30. Teri D. Covington (Aditi dd) says:

    Hare Krishna! I just wanted to thank you for your service of sending these very informative e-mails so that all (devotees and non-devotees alike) can see the wonderful knowledge contained in Srila Prabhupada’s books. Hari Bola!

  31. chandru vaswani says:

    does a liberated soul return bsck to the cycle of birth and deat and if yes then under what circumstances

    • Hare Krishna Chandru

      There are different types of liberated souls. If you are talking about the Mayavadis, the impersonalists, who do not know about the personal form of the Supreme Lord, they can become liberated by merging into the brahman effulgence. They still remain as individuals but in the brahmajoyti they have no way to express their individuality. There they are simply one shining spiritual atom among the unlimited number of shining spiritual atoms that make up the brahmajoti which is the effulgence of the Supreme Lord. Just like the sun has sunshine which is made up from an unlimited number of shining particles so this Brahmajoti is the ‘sunshine’ emanating from the Supreme Lord. This state is called ‘brahmananda’ and that means there is a sort of ananda or bliss in this type of liberation. But it is not complete. Compete is sat, cit, ananda — eternal, full knowledge and bliss. In the brahmajoti the spirit souls there can experience the eternal nature and knowledge but the ananda or bliss comes from relationships. If you think about pleasure in this world it is always connected with relationships with others. Because in the brahmajoti there is no possibility of relationships because there is no personality there the bliss experienced by the spirit souls there is incomplete. Therefore after some time they fall down again to this material world because of boredom basically. So this liberation of the mayavadis and impersonalists is not permanent. They will fall back down into the cycle of birth and death again after some time.

      As far as the devotees are concerned they have no desire actually to do anything except to serve Krishna. So they are souls surrender to the lotus feet of Krishna and they are happy to go anywhere Krishna wants them to go to and serve Krishna there. So a liberated devotee may take birth again in the material world if Krishna wants him to because Krishna may have some mission for him. He does not care actually: Heaven, Hell, the Spiritual World. As long as he can be engaged in Krishna’s service it is all spiritual to him.

      Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita that after one reaches His supreme Kingdom one does not return to the material world. So if one actually reaches the Vaikuntha planets he does not return to the material world. But that does not mean he can not return to the material world. If Krishna has some service for him in the material world obviously he is happy to go there. But a devotee never actually returns to the material world. He may come to the material world to do some service for Krishna there but a pure devotee brings the spiritual world with him, he transforms the material world into the spiritual world. So there is really no question of him going to the material world. Even if he seem to be in the material world he is actually in the spiritual world…

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

  32. Erick says:

    Hello,
    Somehow I did not receive yesterdays newsletter and I truly would appreciate the opportunity to read it.
    I thank you.

  33. karthik says:

    I also want to be a friend of Krishna. I read some stories from Brhad Bhagavadamrta written by Sanatana Goswami.

    Sometimes, I(as small child) imagine playing with Krishna and embracing Him. I don’t know If I am concocting or on the right path.

    I am chanting 16 rounds daily. Reading Prabhupad’s books and Listening to his lectures. I am planning to join ISKCON fulltime as brahmachari. I am 19 years old doing my B.tech in India. Do you think I am wrong about my imagining?

    Please let me know Prabhu.

    • Hare Krishna Karthik

      It is very good to be thinking of Krishna, even if it is imagination, thinking of Krishna is very powerful and very purifying. That is the success of life. To always remember Krishna and never forget Krishna. The best way is to hear the pastimes of Krishna from a bona fide source [like Srila Prabhuapda’s Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead] and then remember what you have read about Krishna. In this way you will know for sure you are not imagining but that it is real.

      It is very, very good Prabhu that you are chanting 16 rounds and listening to Srila Prabhupada’s lectures and reading his books. Please keep on doing this regularly throughout your whole life no matter what happens.

      Quite frankly I would not recommend you join ISKCON as a full-time devotee at this time because there are so many problems with ISKCON and they will immediately preach to you “Prabhupada is dead, you need a living guru…” So it is bizzare. You have experienced already that you have a very real transcendental and personal relationship with Prabhupada and if you want to advance in spiritual life you have to develop and nurture your relationship with Srila Prabhupada. But ISKCON will tell you that you can not have any relationship with Prabhupada and instead you should develop a relationship with one of their ‘GBC approved’ gurus who that will openly admit are not pure devotees but they claim that is not necessary. It is all nonsense. 100% nonsense and they can not help you advance in Krishna consciousness, rather they will drag you away from Prabhupada and away from Krishna. So my suggestion is to stay away from ISKCON as far as possible.

      But as I said never stop chanting Hare Krishna and reading Prabhupada’s books and listening to his lectures and Prabhupada will always answer all your questions and solve all your problems.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

      • Krishnangi says:

        Hare krishna prabhuji,
        I want to ask that isn’t ISKCON a perfect platform for spiritual progress of any person?

        • Hare Krishna Krishnangi

          Currently ISKCON is completely poisonous. It is surcharged with disobedience to and envy of Srila Prabhupada and full of ‘devotees’ who are trying to eclipse Srila Prabhupada [without any success…] Anyone who is a sincere follower of Srila Prabhupada is very quickly driven out of ISKCON.

          So if you want to make spiritual advancement you must stay away from ISKCON.

          Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

          Madhudvisa dasa

          • Krishnangi says:

            Prabhuji what about getting initiated from iskcon GBCs? The guru maharajs must be the true servent of srila prbhupada I think.

          • It is useless to get initiated from ISKCON gurus. Because they are ISKCON gurus it means they are surrendered to the GBC and have therefore agreed to go against the teachings of Srila Prabhupada in so many ways. So they are not surrendered to Srila Prabhupada, therefore they are not connected to the disciplic succession. They may be able to put on a good show and ‘look the part’ but in actualityh they are completely unable to connect you to Krishna and completely unable to take you back home back to Godhead. So my advice is to have nothing whatsoever to do with ISKCON. They can not help you in spiritual life but are very qualified to hinder your natural advancement in Krishna consciousness…

  34. Raakesh says:

    Hi Madhudvisa dasa, Our generation is a follower of Shri Madhwacharya and the doctrine of dualism. I liked this presentation except for the concern that you had mentioned about serving maya in the final phrase.

    We believe there is no such element called maya according to our founder’s philosophy. All that is must certainly be real for when the lord is real the creation cannot be unreal or false. It certainly is transient but true and this dynamics is permanent, real and distinct. Please speculate.

    Thank You
    Raakesh

    • Hare Krishna Rakesh

      We are the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Sampradaya so what we are teaching is coming through Madhavacharaya and his philosophy of dualism is not rejected by us but Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has extended this to acintya abeda beda tattva “Simultaneously one and different.” So Lord Caitanya has brought everything together. He accepts the dualism and at the same time accepts the oneness. Because actually everything is part and parcel of Krishna so in that sense the oneness is there but at the same time everyone has his identity or individuality.

      As far as maya there is certainly maya and if you accept the philosophy of dualism then there must be maya. Maya is simply forgetfulness of Krishna. Maybe you have misunderstood what is maya. Maya is illusion. The illusion that you can be happy by adjusting things in the material world for example. That is maya. An illusion. It does not mean that there are no things in the material world and that they are not real. No. The things are there and they are real, but temporary, as you note, but the idea that one can become happy by adjusting these things is illusion or maya.

      The only way to be happy actually is by serving Krishna, Krishna and Visnu are the same, although devotees of Visnu can only worship Him in awe and reverence, like one would worship a king, but with Krishna we can be His friend, His parents or His lover. So Krishna is the complete manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in full.

      So I think we have no disagreement with the teachings of Madhavacharaya. He is in our disciplic succession. So whatever apparent contradictions we see on further investigation we will find they come from our incomplete understanding.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

      • utkarsh says:

        atee sundar. this is the humility required in serving the lord. how come we can understand all the good lord has created and this things….let us just be happy in whatever we can contemplate and be happy and hope through his divine grace and his grace alone, we would be granted more insight…till then, let us all be happy in just chanting the name …. we hopeless beings really have this hope ultimately….

      • tejaswi says:

        Dear guru ji.. thank u so much for making me understand and for explaining deeply about the eternal divine and powerful god lord krishna..

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