The Real Goal of Yoga
Krishna continues His description of the yoga system to his friend Arjuna:
Thus practicing control of the body, mind and activities, the mystic transcendentalist attains to the kingdom of God [or the abode of Krsna] by cessation of material existence. (Bhagavad-gita 6.15)
There are eight different material perfections that a yogi can attain as by-products of the practice of yoga. These yogic perfections or siddhis include: the power to become smaller than the smallest, the power to become greater than the greatest, the ability to fetch anything from anywhere in the universe and bring it to him, the ability to perform all sorts of apparently impossible activities like walking on water and flying in the air and making things appear out of nowhere and also the power to control the minds of others. So generally speaking most yogis are trying to achieve some or all of these yoga siddhis or perfections which are all material in nature because they all involve the manipulation of the material energy of the Lord and have no connection at all with the spiritual energy. The tendency is if a yogi is able to achieve some mystic perfection or yogic siddhi then he takes advantage of this. He goes out into the public and performs some wonderful activities and collects money from the people and he thinks this is the perfection of his yoga practice…
To refute this incorrect idea Krishna now explains the ultimate goal in practicing yoga very clearly in this verse from the Bhagavad-gita. Yoga practice is not meant for attaining any kind of material benefit or siddhi (perfection). Yoga is not for improving one’s health and the ultimate goal is not to make the mind peaceful.
These yogic perfections and peace of mind are by-products of the yogic process but are not the actual purpose or the final goal of yoga. The real purpose of yoga is to enable one to end his material existence and then attain the kingdom of God.
One who seeks an improvement in health or who wants any other material perfection or benefit is not a yogi according to Bhagavad-gita. “Cessation of material existence” does not mean one enters into “the void,” [a theory that some transcendentalists promote]. This “void” is only a myth. There is no void anywhere within the creation of the Lord.
Rather, the cessation of material existence enables one to enter into the spiritual sky, the abode of the Lord. The abode of the Lord is also clearly described in the Bhagavad-gita as that place where there is no need of sun, moon or electricity. All the planets in the spiritual kingdom are self-illuminated like the sun in the material sky.
The kingdom of God is everywhere, but the spiritual sky and the planets thereof are called param dhama, or superior abodes.
A successful yogi, who is perfect in understanding Lord Krishna, as is clearly stated herein by the Lord Himself, can attain real peace and can ultimately reach His supreme abode, the planet of Krishna in the spiritual world known as Goloka Vrndavana. In the Brahma-samhita it is clearly stated, that the Lord, although residing always in His abode called Goloka, is the all-pervading Brahman and the localized Paramatma as well by dint of His superior spiritual energies.
No one can reach the spiritual sky or enter into the kingdom of God without the proper understanding of Krishna and His plenary expansion Vishnu. Therefore a person working in Krishna consciousness is the perfect yogi, because his mind is always absorbed in Krishna’s activities. In the Vedas also we learn, “One can overcome the path of birth and death only by understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna.” In other words, perfection of the yoga system is the attainment of freedom from material existence and not some magical jugglery or gymnastic feats to befool innocent people.
So it is a very simple point and another short — but important — email. This simple point, that the purpose of yoga is to enable one to end his material existence and enter into the kingdom of God, is something that almost all the modern so-called yogis are completely ignorant of. So if we can understand this one very important point from this very short email that will be valuable for us.
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!
Related Posts
Lord Chaitanya Defeats the Buddhists →
Prabhupada’s Vrndavana Krishna-Balarama Temple–How It All Began →
Questions From A Muslim With Answers From Khan →
hare krishna
Dandwat pranam, This kali yug is the only only only way to serve krishna is mahamantra .all glories to srila prabhupada ! all glories to Gaur Nitai! now days Generally people only advancement in mystic yoga using modernity. oh prabhupada you are so merciful to deliver me (most fallen soul). and oh My so kindly heart Devotee you are so great soul to increasing Caitanya Mahaprabhu mission.
I have heard that we can achieve many miracles by practising Yoga and it is not advisable to use them for our selfishness. But I am not able to understand the real meaning of that. From this newsletter I understood the real meaning of that.
Thanking you and awaiting for your e-mails
Hare Krishna!
I offer hear from the teachings of prabhupada that chanting is the only way for liberation in this kali yuga .I believe that there are any ways for liberation and chanting is one such way.He never mentions that there are other ways too. How far is that right.
Yes. There are other ways but in Kali yuga we can not follow those other ways. So in Kali-yuga chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is the only way for spiritual advancement. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way. You have to get this into your head and take chanting Hare Krishna seriously.
Is the attainment of the real goal of yoga possible to be attained by the efforts of the yogi alone or does he need special/unmerited favour from Lord Krishna to attain it?
One can not get Krishna directly. The only way one can get the mercy of Krishna is by serving and pleasing the pure devotees of Krishna. That is why Krishna stresses the necessisity of accepting a pure devotee, a liberated soul as one’s spiritual master. It is only by pleasing the bona fide spiritual master that one can get the mercy of Krishna. Without pleasing the bona fide spiritual master one can not make any advancement in spiritual life.
Hare Krishna Prahuji.
Yes. This is the right and perfect benefit of yoga. Understand the god and always think about god.
But in this stage kaliuga many spiritual yogis they are only teach to people how become healthy and wealthy, this not real teaching and purpose of the yogas. if they bogus leader die, then which kind of body they will get it ? or what is the result of his (bogus sadhu) soul. where he goes?
Thank you very much Prabhuji.
Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna Girija
This situation of the impersonalists, cheating guru or yogi is described in Sri Isopanisad verse 12: (http://prabhupadabooks.com/iso/iso_12) They go to the worst hellish planets and suffer terribly because they have cheated so many people.
Those who are engaged in the worship of demigods enter into the darkest region of ignorance, and still more so do the worshipers of the impersonal Absolute.
The ignorant pseudo religionists and the manufacturers of so-called incarnations who directly violate the Vedic injunctions are liable to enter into the darkest region of the universe because they mislead those who follow them. These impersonalists generally pose themselves as incarnations of God to foolish persons who have no knowledge of Vedic wisdom. If such foolish men have any knowledge at all, it is more dangerous in their hands than ignorance itself. Such impersonalists do not even worship the demigods according to the scriptural recommendations. In the scriptures there are recommendations for worshiping demigods under certain circumstances, but at the same time these scriptures state that there is normally no need for this. In the Bhagavad-gītā (7.23) it is clearly stated that the results derived from worshiping the demigods are not permanent. Since the entire material universe is impermanent, whatever is achieved within the darkness of material existence is also impermanent. The question is how to obtain real and permanent life.
The Lord states that as soon as one reaches Him by devotional service-which is the one and only way to approach the Personality of Godhead-one attains complete freedom from the bondage of birth and death. In other words, the path of salvation from the material clutches fully depends on the principles of knowledge and detachment gained from serving the Lord. The pseudo religionists have neither knowledge nor detachment from material affairs, for most of them want to live in the golden shackles of material bondage under the shadow of philanthropic activities disguised as religious principles. By a false display of religious sentiments, they present a show of devotional service while indulging in all sorts of immoral activities. In this way they pass as spiritual masters and devotees of God. Such violators of religious principles have no respect for the authoritative ācāryas, the holy teachers in the strict disciplic succession. They ignore the Vedic injunction ācāryopāsana-“One must worship the ācārya”-and Kṛṣṇa’s statement in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.2) evaṁ paramparā-prāptam, “This supreme science of God is received through the disciplic succession.” Instead, to mislead the people in general they themselves become so-called ācāryas, but they do not even follow the principles of the ācāryas.
These rogues are the most dangerous elements in human society. Because there is no religious government, they escape punishment by the law of the state. They cannot, however, escape the law of the Supreme, who has clearly declared in the Bhagavad-gītā that envious demons in the garb of religious propagandists shall be thrown into the darkest regions of hell (Bg. 16.19-20). Śrī Īśopaniṣad confirms that these pseudo religionists are heading toward the most obnoxious place in the universe after the completion of their spiritual master business, which they conduct simply for sense gratification.
Hare Krishna,
I am new to learning about Krishna consciousness. I very much enjoy all the email newsletters that I receive from you. I keep them all in a file on my Gmail. I have also downloaded the Bhagavad-Gita as it is from your website. Thank you for making it available for people to learn and read or to listen, too.
I look forward to learning and understanding more about Lord Krishna and his teachings.
Thank you,
Miki
Hare Krishna Prabhu ji
all glories to lord Krishna ji
all glories to srila prabhupad
all deep respect for you
i understood what Krishna, prabhupad and you are trying to explain in your article that the main purpose of yoga is not to attain any material happiness but the supreme.The real purpose of yoga is to enable one to end his material existence and then attain the kingdom of God is correctly in my mind now.
Thank you
Hare Krishna Prabhu ji
Dear Prabhu,
Reading these emails and the following comments are a wonderful way to always be in the association of Devotees.
I thank you for the time and energy that you spend on these email lessons and comment replies everyday. I am still working and living in the heart of the material world in the middle of USA. I cannot go to Temple everyday and having these lessons helps me to remain focused on the Lotus Feet of Lord Krishna.
His humble servant Bhakti Si
Is doing marriage bad is bad prabhu?
Hare Krishna Abhi
No. Marriage is necessary for most. It is called vivaha-samskara. So religious marriage is actually one of the purifying samskaras. But you should marry a girl who is at least favorable towards Krishna consciousness so that you can both together serve Krishna in your married life. So many of the great devotees were married, Lord Caitanya was married, Srila Prabhupada was married, so it is not bad. But family life is not forever, still for most men it is a stage they have to go through. And there is the chance that you can have children and educate them in Krishna consciousness and make some nice devotees to serve Srila Prabhupada and Krishna…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Dear Madhudvisa,
Connection topics are very interestind and thrilling.Thank you for future email letter library, but all this takes a bit “mayavadi mood”(my opinion). Sorry.
It will be very nice if in https://www.krishna.org could find rubric: For Those Who are in The Temple and beneath can see Arjuna s life story.When he was born?
hare krishna madhudvisa ji…
presently i have so much of free time in office, i guess by lord krishna’s arrangment,that whole day in office i utilise my time reading bhagawat gita and now finished 1st canto of srimad-bhagwatam from your website only.
madhudvisa ji after reading 1st canto few questions had arisen in my mind which is not relevant to this article.
when narada ji was explaining to vyasa deva about his previous birth and activities, was it during last kaliyuga (i.e, before satya yuga). as he told after the death of his mother, he roamed whole world, crossed metropolis, towns, mining lands etc. also he told after getting spiritual body, during annihilation he with other sages along with brahma and whole creation entered into garbodhakasyi visnu and all slept for some years and again menifested. I wonder when narada was the son of maid servant, was that yuga kali yuga? as cycle of yuga repeats. this is not first kali yuga right?
hare krishna….
Hare Krishna Sonika
It is wonderful that you have the time to read Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is. Please keep reading it.
I am not sure what yuga it was when Narada Muni was wandering around in his previous birth. But this is not the first Kali-yuga, so it could have been a previous Kali-yuga.
The catur-yuga cycle of the four yugas repeats over and over again. It is just like every year we have summer, autumn, winter and spring and then it repeats and we have summer again. There are 1000 catur-yuga cycles in one day of Lord Brahma and he lives for 100 years of 360 days each. So you can see there are so many cycles of the four yugas going on and on and on. It is endless because even at the end of Lord Brahma’s life, although the whole universe is unmanifest for some time, Lord Brahma takes birth again and the whole thing starts again. So it is an eternal cycle. So there are unlimited Kali-yugas.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
I own my own business, a small janitorial company, I do all the work myself. In some ways it is really great because I earn more than minimum wage, can listen to Krishna conscious music and lectures while working and don’t have to associate with women or undesirable people. The down side is that I often don’t finish and get home until 2:00-3:00 am. What I am wondering is when I get home that late is it better to do aarti and devotions before I sleep or how should I work out the sleep time?
Thank you
Haribol
Matthew
Hare Krishna Matthew
Yes. It is a very nice arrangement. You can do some work and not have to overly mix with non-devotees and you can listen to Srila Prabhupada as you work, it is very good.
If you are getting home at 2:00-3:00 it is better to chant Hare Krishna and do aroti in those early morning hours rather than immediately go to sleep.
Of course your program is a bit strange but we have to adjust according to the time and circumstances. You can chant Hare Krishna and and offer Aroti at any time but the Brahma-Muhurta which starts approximately 1.5 hours before sunrise, is the most auspicious time of the day and devotional service and chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is very powerful in these early morning hours. So if the sun rises at 6 the Brahma-muhurta would be starting at 4:30 so if you take bath after your work and start chanting at 3:00Am and then offer aroti at 4:30 AM and then maybe read something from Nectar of Devotion and Srimad-Bhagavtam then take some rest then you will have been able to take full advantage of the Brahma-muhurta.
Of course we have to make Krishna consciousness a full time activity so it is not that just because we have chanted Hare Krishna and offered aroti in the morning that everything is finished for the day. No. So after you take rest and get up again you should continue your activities in devotional service by chanting, reading Prabhupada’s books, cooking for Srila Prabhupada and Krishna and offering this and honoring prasadam, etc, etc. We have to arrange our schedule so we can be engaged in Krishna conscious activities 24 hours a day. There is a English saying: “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop” and it is very true. As soon as we stop chanting and let our minds wander back onto material subjects we can be very quickly back in the material concept of life, completely on the mental platform, completely in maya… So we have to try to always engaged in Krishna consciousness. And it is very nice to be always engaged in Krishna consciousness, so it is not difficult, but we have to be careful to control the mind. The mind is always trying to drag us away from Krishna consciousness.
Being in Krishna consciousness is very nice and being in maya is horrible. So it is worth making a bit of an effort to remain always in Krishna consciousness…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna -brother
its very nice and exciting to read your mail but please tell us that there are so many incarnation of Vishnu appeared in past before lord Krishna and after the lord Krishna too then why we consider Krishna as the original one and rest other his plenary expansion and as per your guidance I am chanting the mahamantra too along with gita as its is reading even then I am unable to develop pure love for him and commits so many mistake which I knew myself in my hearts but I do have serious quest for spirituallity
Hare Krishna Kapil
Ultimately we have to find someone who knows the truth and hear from him and believe him. That is the way to get real perfect knowledge. We may not always be able to conceive of it in our tiny brains but if we hear the perfect knowledge from a perfect person then we are in the right position.
So Srila Prabhupada is a pure devotee of Krishna, he is a perfect person, and he tells us that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that all the other Visnu forms are expansions of Krishna and that Krishna is the original source of everything, even the Visnu forms.
Of course Krishna Himself states in the Bhagavad-gita that He is the cause of all causes, the root of both the material and spiritual worlds, etc. And in the first canto of the Bhagavatam a list of many of the Visnu forms is given and at the end the statement is there it stated that Krishna is the source of all these incarnations and that Krishna is ‘syam bhagavan’, the original Bhagavan. All the other Visnu forms are Bhagavan for sure, but Krishna is the original Bhagavan.
Also if one makes a study of Krishna he will find within Krishna all the qualities and potencies which are present in any of the Visnu forms. But in Krishna you will find at least five special qualities that are only present in Krishna and not at all present in any of the other Visnu forms. I do not remember the list at the moment but you can find it in Prabhupada’s books. Some of them are Krishna’s exquisite flute playing and His extraordinary pastimes with His devotees. You know that for every other Visnu form there is only one method of worship, awe and reverence, dasya-rasa, worshiping the Lord as a servant. But Krishna is much more than that. With Krishna we can also worship Him as the Supreme Lord, but we can become His friends, we can become His parents, we can even become His lovers. So Krishna is so much more than any of the Visnu incarnations, if He is more than Them then They must come from Him, He can not come from Them…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Dear madhudvisa
Is their a Scriptual guidance or Prabhupada Guidance on how one’s mindset should focus on Krsna when preparing food? This I feel will be of enormous benefit to me as it is at these times Greed overtakes my sense’s, If their was a passage you could refer me to, Krsna consciousness would embedd itself further into my heart. I recieved the entire back-catalogue of Prabhupada work for a heart breaking low price. I would have been prepared to have paid more such is the Quality.
Yours Sincerely
Spencer
Hare Krishna Spencer
We have to prepare meals for Krishna with love. You can understand it from a mundane example. If there was a person you loved very deeply, that you cared about very much, and you had invited that person to your house to offer them a meal then you would prepare that meal very carefully, thinking lovingly of that person and being careful to prepare everything in a way that they would like.
So when you are preparing and offering for Krishna you have to feel like this. That you are inviting Krishna to come to your house and accept your offering. Actually what Krishna accepts is the love that you put into preparing the offering. He is not actually hungry, He does not need your food, but He does very much appreciate your love.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Dear Madhudvisa
Hare Krishna
Thank you for your reply, Yes, This is very much the Quality I want to Nurture,
Ive been reading the Teaching’s of Lord Chaitanya, And this is the first time ive heard a Physical description of the Soul, Fascinating Stuff.
Hare Krishna
Spencer
hare krishna.
thank’s.
I’m happy to preach.
hari bol.
Hare krishna.
during meditation my mind initially concentrate but after some time, it is diminish.
please tell me its solution.
Chant Hare Krishna…
All glories to srila prabhupad , all glories to gurudev,
Hare krisna, I want to know what is the three reasons that Sri krisna came to material world as chaitania maha prabhu ?
Would you please inform me? Radhe Radhe.
Bhaktin. Noushin
Why not read “Teachings of Lord Caitanya” yourself and find out?
http://teachingsoflordcaitanya.com
Param Shradhey SRILA PRABHUPADJI,
Hare KRISHN Hare Hare,
I am feeling magnificent attainment after gone through your every preaches by this email which are divine truth ! Certainly, Bhagwan Krishn a blissful existence of BRAMHA preached lesson in depth of Yoga to Arjun by His Own Divine Voice in the battlefield of kurukshetra when Arjun was in illusion of material worldliness.
It is a raison d’etre that the both RAM AND KRISHN incarnated for a purpose to eliminate all ills and evils from the planetary life_beings. It is also a strong belief that each and every incarnation of BRAMH has taken place at the pious and punya bhumi of BHARAT alone ; but every time of ages a painful life of all miseries, poverty, ignorance, cruelties etc. overcome again and again here itself alone and the people pre-empt for any ultimate Freedom. Whereas this is also a fact that the priest, monk, saint and sages are born always to cautioned for worldly and devil doing since ages and ages, but are still to succeed the purposeful life-cycle of human being.
Secondly, the painful circulation in my conscience that what are the causes behind my life onto the earth and what are my duties to finish ?
May I blessed with the divine teaching of The LORD for which I borne with !
In the feet of the KRISHN !
I ANIL am.
hare krishna.
sorry I’just want to know how could I’do to get into retired kind of life.
hari bol.
Better not to retire. Better to preach…
Hare Krishna!
I know that chanting the name of the lord is the most appropriate system of yoga of this age, the Age of Kali. However, I read from His Divine Grace Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupad that is method is valid for all ages. In fact, our original state of our soul is to be a loving servant of the lord, only the maya, blinds us from our real nature. So I think that devotional service is valid in all ages, even in satya yuga.
Thank you for having taken the time to read me.
Haribol!
bhakta Patrick.
Hare Krishna Patrick
Yes. Chanting Hare Krishna is valid in every age. It has been there all along. But in the Kali-yuga it is the Yuga-dharma, the recommended system of spiritual advancement for this age and the only practical way. That is mentioned in Brhad-Narayana Purana and quoted often by Lord Caitanya: hari nam hari nam hari nam eva kevalam kalu nasti kalu nasti eva nasti anyatha: “In this age of Kali the only way, the only way, the only way of making spiritual advancement is to chant Hare Krishna, chant Hare Krishna, chant Hare Krishna.
So yes the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra is there in every yuga but in the Kali-yuga it is the only practical way for making spiritual advancement.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna!
I agree with your comments about the real goal of Yoga. I’ll try to do my best to achieve that, despite the fact that I don’t know if everything I do is right or enough.
I read everyNews Letter and parts of the books your offer and I bought. All of them are really jewella for me.
I want to make a question. why if it’s so clear the goal of Yoga in the Bagavad Gita there are so many theories, proposals, etc etc about the differents tipes of Yoga: hatha, raya, kriya, etc etc.? what did it happen with that writtings? Where do they come from? When did the confussion appear?
Thnks for each word, for everything.
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna
Krisha Krishna
Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama
Hare Hare
Nora
Hare Krishna Nora
Thank you very much for reading the emails.
It is a good question, where did all these different types of yoga come from and what is the real goal of yoga.
The goal of yoga is really agreed on by any real yogi. The goal of yoga is to realize the Supresoul within the heart. Krishna is seated in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul and we are there in our hearts also. So the goal of yoga is to realize the Supersoul who is Krishna, so a successful meditational yogi will then become a devotee of Krishna. Of course today we see so many rascals have invented so many bogus so-called yoga systems that have no connection with the Supreme at all. Yoga means “to link with the Supreme” — but these modern yoga systems never even mention the Supreme…
But there are different types of real yoga. There is hatha-yoga or astanga-yoga, this is a real and bona fide system of yoga and the initial step in this yoga system is breath control and by the breath control one makes the mind peaceful and ultimately comes to realize the Supersoul. If you read the Bhagavad-gita you will see that Krishna instructs this system of hatha-yoga to Arjuna and requests him to follow it. And in that sixth chapter you will see some of the strict prerequisites of this system of yoga. Like you have to live alone in a secluded and sanctified place for example. After hearing Krishna’s description of hatha-yoga Arjuna told Krishna that for him to practice this sort of yoga would not be possible. Then Krishna told Arjuna, “Don’t worry, the best of all yogis is he who is always thinking of Me and always serving Me…”
You need to understand that the universe goes through cycles and there are four ages: satya, treta, dvarpa and kali yugas. In each age there is a particular process of yoga or spiritual activities that is practical for practicing in that age. So this meditational yoga, like hatha-yoga and astanga-yoga was practical in the satya-yuga. In those days the atmosphere was very peaceful and spiritual and people lived for up to 100,000 years so they had plenty of time to meditate and a very conducive atmosphere to meditate in. But things are very different now in Kal-yuga and in this age the system of meditaitonal yoga is not at all practical and people who are teaching this are really just cheating the people. They can not actually practice the real hatha-yoga in this Kali-yuga. For the Kali-yuga the only practical method of yoga and meditation if the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Of course others will speak so much nonsense but don’t bother listening to them, just chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Namasthe..
Some times the understanding seems to be good but the words like brahman, parabrahman, consciousness, really confuse a bit and prevent complete understanding. Is there a way to understand relation between these words?
Thank you,
nagesh
Hare Krishna Nagesh
These are simple words and simple concepts and they are fully explained in great detail by Srila Prabhupada in his books. If you were chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra and 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 then you will very easily know the relationship between these words and completely understand and realize the concepts behind them.
We can not become Krishna conscious without following the process as Srila Prabhupada instructs us. So please follow all these things and the answers to all your questions will be automatically there in Prabhupada’s books.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Prabhu Ji,
i’ve a doubt but not pertaining to the above post. Krishna says v can realize HIM once v practice to stop identifying ourself with our material body. But if v are feeling bad because some one insulted my father then wat should be my reaction? shall i react or leave it unto Krishna. i’m perplexed what should i do?? I’ve one more question. how can i surrender all my actions to Krishna? i’m a dentist by profession. what should be my state of mind when i’m working on patients?or
hare Krishna.
Hare Krishan Mona
We have to get off the bodily conception of life and stop thinking that we are the controller. This family attachment we have to give up. If we are attached to the family then we will not be able to be attached to Krishna. We have to put Krishna in the center and become attached to Krishna. Of course family duties will still be there but an actual devotee is not attached to his family, he is attached to Krishna and his interest with the family is to educate them and engage them in the service of Krishna. But if the family is not interested in Krishna and he can not make them interested in Krishna then he is not interested in the family. He is only interested in Krishna and engaging the family in the service of Krishna.
As far as working as a doctor again whatever work we are doing we should be working for Krishna. So any work when you are seeing people and talking to people then you can talk to them about Krishna, you can give them Srila Prabhupada’s books to read, you can give them Krishna prasadam, and of course you do your medical thing as well. But really you are only interested in working as a doctor to get money so you can use that money in the service of Krishna and your real interest in meeting people is actually to administer to their spiritual health. We are not really very concerned about the material body. Of course we have the material body and it actually belongs to Krishna, he has given it to us and our purpose is to use the material body in the service of Krishna. So we want to keep the body healthy so we can use it to serve Krishna, so sometimes the doctor is required. But we are not very concerned. We do not mind ‘dying’ because we know that we are not this material body but we are actually the spirit soul within and as the spirit soul we do not die, we simply change from one body to another…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna
This conversation is regarding the emails that I have been getting from Esteemed Shri Madhuvisa Dasa.
They have been very good and impactful. I read them, though never felt to give any comment since everything was clearly explained.
Somehow, they have not been regular since few months…..I request you sincerely to kindly email me every week so that I can read those descriptions every week.
Hare Krishna
Neha
Hare Krishna..Missing your Email for last few days,… your each and every mail is like a chapter of light for me ..Hare krishna
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
Are you the same the Madhudvisa Dasa who accept sannyasa from Prabhupada and travel with him all over the world? Please reple me Prabhu.
Your Servant
Bhakta Naveen
Hare Krishna Naveen
No, I am not that Madhudvisa Prabhu.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hare krishna.
thank´s
haribol.
Hare Krishna Robyn
There is a common misconception that the things we find in the material world should not exist in the spiritual world. So we have form here therefore some suggest that there should not be any forms in the spiritual world. This is not the actual fact. This conclusion jnanis, thinkers, have come to by mental speculation. They analyze the material world and come to the conclusion that everything in the material world is a cause of suffering so they speculate that the things that cause suffering in the material word must not exist in the spiritual world. So they come up with the idea that here individuality and form are ultimately cause pain so they speculate that individuality and form must not exist in the spiritual world….
But this idea is wrong, speculation only. They actual situation is that this material world is a perverted reflection of the spiritual world. The perversion is it is reflected on our desire. In the spiritual world everyone is serving God, Krishna. So there is no desire there except the desire to serve Krishna. And of course withing that desire to serve Krishna there are so many varieties. Everyone is serving Krishna in a different way. Everyone is an individual in the spiritual world. So this material world is a reflection of the spiritual world but it is perverted by our desire to enjoy separately from Krishna. So everything that we see here in the material world exists in the spiritual world in its original, pure and eternal form. So everything is there in the spiritual world. There are trees, birds, the sky, flowers, fruits, vegetables, everything is there in all the varieties we find here in the material world and more….
To get a better description of these things please read Srila Prabhupada’s books.
http://krishnastore.com/prabhupada-library-h-krishna-1734.html
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hare krisna.
pleas accept my respectful obeisance to your lotus feets.
all glories to srila prabhupada
all glories to all the vaishnava
pleas my dear swami,i want to ask some caution,if you have gaura-nitai deities at home and you stay just alone no wife no friend,when you want to do some bajan can you pot some BAJAN CD and fallow the CD SING together?
ys dwarkadish das ex(kasongo kalando)
pleas can i gete the hanswer trout my email?
thank you so much
Hare Krishna Dwarkadish Prabhu
You asked if when you are alone you can put on some bhajan CD and sing along with it in front of your Gaura Nitai Deities and the answer is YES. You certainly can and for this purpose we have the ‘Traveling Hare Krishna Temple Morning Program CDs’:
http://krishnastore.com/traveling-hare-krishna-temple-morning-program-cds-h-krishna-485.html
at KrishnaStore.com
That includes a morning program CD which has all the morning program bhajans and kirtans by Srila Prabhupada where possible and you can just play that CD and sing along….
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Which is better ? Bhakti Yoga with a goal to reach god or be ready to take any number of births to serve people?
Hare Krishna Raja
The only valuable service you can give to people is to give them Krishna consciousness. All living entities are trapped in this material world and are constantly suffering the miseries of birth, old age, disease and death. Generally speaking for the conditioned souls there is no possibility of ever escaping from this constant suffering eternally life after life. The only way out is by Krishna consciousness and the only way to become Krishna conscious is by getting the mercy of a pure devotee of Krishna by having the great fortune of getting his association. So therefore the only real thing you can do to serve and help the conditioned souls in the material world is to become a pure devotee of Krishna and give them Krishna consciousness. And to become a pure devotee of Krishna you have to practice bhakti yoga. There is no other service to people that has any value at all…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
I find chanting soothing . My daughter chants too.
I just had a query regarding yogic practice ,people have been practicing yoga for ages even before Krishna coming to earth.They have used to teleport them self to other planets.Yoga has been practiced by Lord Shiva himself.Through yoga we can get the ultimate bliss which is not possible in this material world.Every veda stresses the importance of yoga. My ultimate aim is to follow yoga and keep praising God. I would request you to please explain why shouldn’t yoga be though and practiced everywhere.I am referring to the actual Yoga practiced by yogis and rishis.(1000 years back)
Hare Krishna Amit
The ‘actual yoga’ you are speaking of is probably hatha-yoga or astanga-yoga. This is the meditational system of yoga which starts with sitting in particular postures and practicing breathing exercises. As I have discussed in detail in many, many places this type of yoga was possible in the Satya-yuga, which was a lot more than 1000 years ago, but it is no longer practical for us now. In satya-yuga the whole atmosphere of the world was in the mode of goodness and people were able to live for up to 100,000 years. So they had plenty of time to practice yoga and the atmosphere was very peaceful and conducive to meditation. There are examples of great sages who meditated for 60,000 years for example and become self-realized. But now we can not even live for one hundred years. How are we going to meditate for 60,000 years? It is just not possible. There are so many prerequisites for practicing this sort of yoga which are summarized by Krishna to Arjuna in the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. And most of these things are not practical for us today.
For example if you want to practice this type of yoga you have to do it alone. You can not do it in society or in your family. You have to find a sacred, secluded place there and make a suitable sitting place and sit down there and practice yoga for tens of thousands of years alone…. You just can not do this today… It is not possible.
So in this age Krishna is very merciful and He has appeared as Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and given us the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-matra:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
The chanting of this mantra is the yuga-dharma, or the recommended spiritual process for this age of Kali. There is no other way of making spiritual advancement in this Kali yuga than chanting the names of God. There is no other way, there is no other way, there is no other way.
So don’t bother with trying to practice hatha or astanga yoga. It is not possible in this age.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Pranams Madhudvisa dasa prabhu,
All glories to Prabhupad. My question is not contradicting the ideas expressed herein.Is it not necessary to keep ones’ physical body fit to engage in the service of Krishna?To that end only can we not adopt Yoga sutras?
My next doubt is about nine principles of BhaktiYoga.I am given to understand that any one of the nine principles is equally effective.Yes all of the nine principles like Sravana Kitana etc.. are essential.The great Acharyas are also of this view.Is there no benefit to all such unintiated devotees?
I am speaking as a neophyte and not a serious intiated devotee.Forgive my ignorance.I am also not an emotionally charged person or one with a poetic bent of mind.
Hare Krishna Tiru
There is no need to adopt the yoga sutras. That is not possible in this age. The purpose of the yoga sutras is NOT to keep the body fit…
Yoga means to link with the Supreme or Krishna and the only practical yoga system in this Kali-yuga is Bhakti-yoga or Krishna consciousness and the primary way this Krishna consciousness can be awakened is the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
If you go out on the street daily and chant and dance in Krishna sankirtan and distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books to the general public you will keep your body as healthy as possible. You have to realize that ultimately you can not keep your body healthy. Your body is dying and deteriorating at every moment. You can not keep it healthy. It is dying and it will die at some point. There is noting you can do about that. But if you practice Krishna consciousness sincerely and really engage in practical devotional service under the direction of a pure devotee of Krishna then your body will be kept as healthy as possible. But it will still get old and die… But you, the soul, the spiritual entity entrapped withing that dying material body will be able to uncover and release your original eternal spiritual body by the process of Krishna consciousness. And when you revive your spiritual body that will be eternally healthy, that will never die, that will be full of bliss and knowledge. So it is not important to try and save the dying material body. All attempts to do this will fail. It is important to make sure that we are Krishna conscious, remembering Krishna, at the time of death. For Krishna promises that one who remembers Him at the time of death will go back home back to Godhead…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Yes, This article truly sings in Truth. Yoga is to unite with the God head, to be One with our Creator. That is our whole purpose to this life, to remember who we are. Thank you.
In Oneness and Peace, Marc
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
This post could not be come at a more timely fashion. I decide last week to concentrate my effort on Krisha and thus cease other yoga practice. To stop doing hata yoga was a hard decision, I was an avid yogi, I was able to do difficult asanas, and I was enlisted in a teacher training program. Needless to say that I will leave people behind me, people that I respect. It is hard. But Krishna has already made it easy. I started to attend to evening program at my local temple and I forget all about hata yoga. This is millions fold best to spiritual progress to chant, darshan the deities and listening to the class than doing asanas. My doubts was cleared. It is like if I shift gear toward self-realization. I read today that a sign of progress in the spiritual life is when you let go some activities that don’t fit with Krishna Consciousness. I am suggesting that I reach this point and I am moving forward. Chanting my sixteen rounds are sweeter than ever, and I feel that since hata yoga has left the building, there is no more interference between Krishna and me. There are some voices, and I was one of them in my local community, that advocate that hata yoga can be mix with bhakti yoga. That is not true, hata yoga is too bodily oriented that in the long run, the yogi’s soul doesn’t want anymore depart from the body. Hata yoga can be good for the body, but can also be terrible for the body. Few yogi never experience injuries, most deals with some kind of pain when practicing. Yoga asanas are powerful in the material realms, they are addictive, so addictive that yogi continue to do them even if it compromise their health. Hata yoga is an intoxicant and so it is not compatible with the regulatory princples.
This letter is longer than intended, I just want to warns other of the trap that hata yoga is.
Haribol.
Hare Krisna prabhu this and all your articles are enjoyable reading I do my chanting every day and thank you for all your encouragement
Thank you for this wonderful essay Madhuvisa Dasa. I have a question. Where does the concept of doing god deeds, kindness , acts of charity, ‘being one’s brother’s keeper’ come into play? I am Jewish, & am studying the Bhagavad Gita. In Judaism , the point is to bring Heaven down to Earth in all our daily activities, from eating to bathing to praying, helping thers etc. Our concept is that ultimatley The Creator is Love, & these are the lessons we must bring to our lives in this role we have been given to play out, in these 3 dimensional bodies on a planet call Earth.
To Serve the Creator is to Serve his creation.
I would be interested in your thoughts on this .
Hare-Krishna & Shalom!
Amalia
Hare Krishna Amalia
Most religions of the world encompass these ideas of doing good deeds, kindness, acts of charity, etc. But these things are also material. But good. There is good and bad in the material world and these ‘good’ things are the opposite to the ‘bad’ things in the material world. Doing good deeds for others for example is the opposite of doing harm to others, giving charity to others is the opposite to stealing from others… So these are actually mundane moral principles that are taught by religions to encourage the people to ‘do the right thing…’
But Krishna consciousness is transcendental to these mundane ideas of good and bad. We need to understand what is the result of these good deeds. If you do a good deed for someone else then that is good for you in the material sense. It is ‘good karma’, which means as a result of you doing this good deed something good will happen to you in the future. And it also creates a debt from the person you do the good deed for, and that person will have to repay you in the future, with interest, for your good deed. So it all sounds very good… But the catch is that if you spend a whole lifetime of doing good deeds then at the time of death you will still have so much ‘good karma’ in stock and you will still have so many good deeds owed to you by the people that you helped that you will have to take birth in the material world again and all the people you helped will also have to take birth in the material world again and they will have to pay you back for your good deeds and you will have to receive all the ‘good karma’ back… And this will go on, and on, and on, eternally. You will never be able to break this cycle of birth and death in the material world because every time you do a ‘good deed’ it binds both yourself and the person you are helping to the material world more tightly and forces both of you to take birth and die over and over and over again.
So with this knowledge you can see that actually ‘good deeds’ are not good. Because they bind you to the material world perpetually. Just like sinful deeds do. Both good deeds and bad deeds are equally effective at chaining us to the material world perpetually… So they are both actually very bad if one is interested in escaping from the cycle of birth and death and going back home back to Godhead.
So a devotee does not perform good deeds or bad deeds. He only performs actions that do not generate any karma because as soon as we generate karma that means we will be forced to take birth in the material world and suffer again. Even if it is so-called ‘good karma’. There is nothing good in the material world actually. In the ‘big picture’ we are all getting old, getting sick and dying. That is not good. If one does ‘good deeds’ then his life will be somewhat more pleasant than one who does ‘bad deeds’. But if one is a bit intelligent he can understand that there is nothing pleasant about taking birth, getting sick, getting old and dying over and over and over again, forever…
So how to live in such a way that we do not do any ‘good deeds’ and we do not do any ‘bad deeds…’ That is the science of Krishna consciousness and to find out the details it is best to thoroughly study Srila Prabhupada’s books.
Very briefly devotees only serve Krishna and Krishna’s pure devotees. They do not directly do any ‘good deeds’ for the conditioned souls for example. They will never open hospitals for the poor or run programs for feeding the poor for example. But they are not hard-hearted, rather actually they feel the suffering of the conditioned souls very deeply and they actually do the best ‘good work’ for everyone and that is to distribute Krishna consciousness. The only ‘good work’ that really has any benefit for the conditioned souls, the only thing that can actually help them to get out of the cycle of samsara, the cycle of birth and death in the material world, is Krishna consciousness. So the devotees only distribute Krishna consciousness and that actually is really the only valuable ‘good work…’
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Madhudvisa dasa,
Thank you for this post.Could you give me any advice on blocking out the outside world during Meditation i’ts something that I have a problem doing?
This is the first E-mail I’ve had from from you for a while and they are much appreciated so it’s great to hear from you again.
Hare Krishna Andrew
The idea of ‘blocking out the outside world’ is not really the right idea. That is a negative idea, not a positive idea. Actually we have to become completely immersed in Krishna consciousness. We have to engage all our senses in the service of Krishna. We can engage our tongue in the service of Krishna by tasting the prasadam, the remnants of the foodstuffs offered to Krishna, we can engage our sense of smell in the service of Krishna by smelling the tulsi and flowers and incense offered to Krishna, we can engage our legs in walking to the temple of Krishna, we can engage our hands in cleaning the temple or cooking for Krishna, we can engage our minds in thinking how to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world. So in this way more and more and more we become totally immersed in Krishna consciousness and soon there is no thought in our mind except Krishna and how to serve Krishna… This is the only way. And actually this will change the outside world. It will make it Krishna conscious… Otherwise we will never be able to block out the ‘outside world’.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
how can one survive in this tricky and manipulative world and do one’s duties towards one’s family?
Read Srila Prabhupada’s books and put his instructions into practice in your life. Then all your questions will be answered…
Ultimately we only have duties towards Krishna, we have no duties towards our family unless we can engage them in Krishna consciousness. So as far as the family is concerned we can either make them Krishna conscious or if they are not interested in Krishna consciousness we are not interested in them…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Can one attain the kingdom of God in this life without the transition of death? And if so, how do you attain such condition of enlightment? Thanks and blessings.
You have missed the point completely. You are not this lump of dead rotten stinking blood and bone and flesh that you look at in the mirror every morning. Who would want to keep that???
You want to go to the Kingdom of God with an old and invalid body?
The idea is that we are all eternally servants of Krishna. And we already have an eternal spiritual body which is currently covered by this material body and by our subtle body composed of mind, intelligence and false ego. So we have to get rid of completely the material body and the subtle body and we are left with our spiritual body. Which is also an individual and personal body and which also has all the same features as our current material body. So it is the same except it is not made of matter. it is completely spiritual and it is eternally youthful, full of knowledge and full of bliss… But we will still be the same person and we will still have a head and arms and legs and still have friends and still have activities. But it will all be spiritual.
Some great souls have been able to completely spiritualize their material bodies and enter the spiritual world in those same, already spiritual, bodies. But you can not enter the spiritual world in a material body.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
thank¨s for all the messages you send me before about lord krishna.
I¨try to reach all the knowledge about it´s trascendental way of life
to prepare my mind to leave this material world went my moment come´s
and feel not pain for leave this material world. thank¨s.
ͨm mexican but I¨try to learn inglish too send me all the messages in inglish like alway’s thank´s for receive my petitio¨n.
I¨really want¨s to become one¨s with krishna and that krishna becames one¨s
with me thank¨s
respected Guruji,
As you have said:- No one can reach the spiritual sky or enter into the kingdom of God without the proper understanding of Krishna and His plenary expansion Vishnu.
so, I humbly request you to please tell me all about it.
regards,
DEV
Please read Prabhupada’s books. I am just here to point you in the right direction. All the answers to your questions are in Prabhupada’s books…
Hare Krishna,
Take my hearty PRONAM.I have been fighting against all the sorrows and sufferings since my childhood and attained in a in-depth belief in the age 0f 54 that nothing can be attained without discipline, dedication and determination. The Gita which I read almost everyday has taught that you must balance with material life with spiritual life.
My question is “Can you show me the way extracting the lines from the Gita that one can enjoy both the material and spiritual bliss and peace following the doctrine of MAMEKAM SARANAM BRAJA’.
Pronam,
KAMAL
Hare Krishna Kamal
Everyone is WRONG. There is no question of ‘material bliss’. That is a contradiction. There is no such thing as ‘material bliss’. There is only suffering in the material wold ultimately. Bhagavad-gita teaches that the purpose of life is to surrender to Krishna and serve Krishna and in that way to enjoy spiritual bliss. That is all. There is no ‘material bliss…’
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
pamho madhudvisa prabhu agtACBSP, thank you for posting this inspiring article on the real yoga process,i all the time been attracted by the yoga practice since my young age,of course everything got more clear after i came in contact with SRILA PRABHUPADA divine books,now at half age of my full cycle i realized by keeping meditating on the instructions of our beloved acharya that we are just pass through this material journey because we are still trying to go beyond the physical body machine make by gunas and karma by the daily service and association of guru sadhu and sastra but we are sure to get a better destination by keeping going serving guru sadhu sastra because we feel enlightenment in our spiritual advancement by following the instruction of our guru maharaj HDG ACBSP, HE gave us the best yoga process the sublime yuga dharma of the sankirtana yajna of SRI CAITANYA MAHAPRABHU,hopefully any genuine sincere sadhaka bhakta can become a krpa siddhi perfect by the causeless mercy of the holy name in this age by keeping chanting in spiritual greediness loulyam kalatvam all life long by increasing the desire to keep serving as the best way to achieve the same liberation of a real yogi on himalayas the only difference is that our practice is susukam kartum avyayam blissful while the ascetic yogi practice is very austere for a ordinary living citizen of this age everything is small in this age even the duration of a lifetime therefore it’s very good to make a good business of a bad bargain by understanding that we do not lose nothing in this most polluted sinful and shortest age by awaking the real bhakti yogi mood which is the best as SRILA PRABHUPADA taught us therefore we will never leave HIS service because HE is our best friend well wisher and jagat guru eternally, jai prabhu thank you for your sat-sanga and blessing agtys ys a.c seva das haribol
How can i faith on presence of abode of god..scintist said that there is no any planet where human will live..its just imagination …although i faith on it ..that will be lead me in dark …due to blind faith. it will just waste my time and diversion of life.
Krishna consciousness is not blind faith. You can practically experience it. If you follow the process you will come to know that what Krishna says is correct. Not have faith in Krishna, you will know that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead… But you have to have faith and follow the process. If you don’t have faith and can not develop faith in Krishna and Srila Prabhupada, Krishna’s pure devotee, then you are lost unfortunately. For one who has no faith there is no happiness in this life or in the next…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hare krishna prabhu
i had purchased successful the 30 volume srimad bhagavatam from your site payment by credit card. the order status is processing.you told me that this is the limited edition of the 30 volume srimad bhagavatam.
prabhuji the emailwas timely and it has given the meaning of existence. My question with a diseased body how to concentrate on the LOrd when the pain is taking the mind to the body as we have to eat drink etc is it material activity i am in family lot of noise hence materialisitically no money to go anywhere for doing meditation even ISKCON temple we haveto be fit to haveasociation.I cancahnt i want to haveLOrd Mercy to get rid of my pain to concentrate on HIM is this right desire.
i want assoication and constant guidanceof some master daily to ensure i am on the path but should i not take care of my body bydoing y oga meditation and also attain Krishna since only thorugh body i can attainthe LOrd
as per my feelings correct me prabhuji
Hare Krishna
Prabhupada is prepared to be with you and guide you as much as you are prepared to listen to him. He will be with you and guide you 24 hours a day if you actually want him to guide you. Please read all of Srila Prabhupada’s books and become totally immersed in his teachings and your bodily pains will become insignificant in the ocean of transcendental bliss that is Krishna consciousness…
There are no material impediments in the practice of Krishna consciousness. No bodily pains or pleasures can deter a really sincere devotee from serving Krishna… So we just have to become really sincere devotees of Krishna and transcend the material bodily concept of life.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hareKrishna prabhu ji,
only yoga is chanting
hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare
hare ram hare ram ram ram hare hare
dasanudas
pradeep vaish
OM, Hare Krishna,
This is an excellent meaning for a yoga
Thanks
Hare Krishna…. Jayaraman
Hare Krishna
Send me more frequent emails
Asim