Why Doesn’t God Just Appear so we Can See Him?
Why is it that God does not just manifest Himself? Wouldn’t that end all the disbelief in the Lord?
Wouldn’t that end atheism completely? I am trying to comprehend this matter Wouldn’t it be a billion times easier for everyone from devotee to doubter if the Lord just manifested himself today before us all? I am very confused on this matter. I am a believer from faith but am still confused. Your friend, Tom
Dear Tom
Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I have been well. Thanks for asking.
Your question is a very good one. Why does Krishna not just appear before us.
The thing is we do not have the eyes to see Krishna. Krishna does sometimes appear before us in the material world but only the devotees recognize Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You may think it strange but when Krishna was present on this planet 5000 years ago in India very few people recognized Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He displayed so many pastimes impossible for any human to display. He lifted a great mountain when he was only 5 years old. He fought with and killed so many powerful demons, he was so amazingly beautiful that everyone was attracted by Him. But still most were thinking He was some extraordinarily powerful man, perhaps a demigod.
When Lord Caitanya appeared 500 years ago in India also He was not recognized by many as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He purposely did not manifest the opulence’s of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and acted as a pure devotee of Krishna, not as Krishna Himself.
The problem is that if people see Krishna appear in this world they will imitate and claim to be Krishna also and mislead so many people into worshipping them as Krishna. So Lord Caitanya, although Krishna Himself, was acting as a devotee of Krishna and showing by His personal example that we should serve Krishna, not try to become Krishna ourselves.
Basically we are here in this material world because of our desire to imitate Krishna. Krishna has all opulence’s in full. Krishna has all knowledge, all wealth, all strength, all fame, all beauty and at the same time, even though He possesses everything in full, He is completely detached. We are here trying to imitate Krishna, trying to get all the wealth, all the knowledge, etc. But it is not possible, Krishna is unlimited in every respect and we are limited in every respect. We will never be equal with Krishna, we will always be less than Krishna and our natural position is to serve Krishna.
Krishna is here, if you have the eyes to see Him. He is present in the form of the Holy Name, the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, and if you can chant that purely you will experience Krishna dancing on your tongue. He is present in the form of the Deity in the Temple. He is present within all our hearts as the supersoul. His energy is causing everything to happen in the material world. Anything beautiful, anything powerful, anything extraordinary in this world is showing us a small hint of the opulence’s of Krishna.
So a devotee when he makes some advancement starts seeing Krishna everywhere. He experiences Krishna in the taste of water, he sees Krishna in the light of the Sun and the Moon, he sees Krishna when he hears any sound. Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita that “I am the ability in man,” so when a devotee sees someone with a very special ability in any field he sees Krishna.
The bottom line is that to see Krishna one’s eyes have to be purified.
We can not see Krishna with impure eyes. And the process to purify our heart and our eyes is to chant the Hare Krishna mantra and to engage in the service of Krishna. Even if Krishna did appear personally before us today in the United States most would not accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even if He performed activities that were not humanly possible. Still those whose eyes are not purified can not see Krishna. Even if He is standing right there in front of them in person.
It is not that they can not see Him actually, they see Him, but do not recognize Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Even Lord Brahma, when Krishna was on the Earth 5000 years ago playing as a cowherd boy in Vrindavana, became bewildered. He did not recognize Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His lord and master, so what to speak of ordinary people?
It is great to hear from you again. If you have more questions please write.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
About the Author
Madhudvisa dasa My first contact with a Hare Krishna was a most merciful Mataji in Oxford Street, London who sold me a "Higher Taste" cook book in 1984 while I was on holidays there. I started seriously reading Srila Prabhupada's books in Australia 1985 and by 1986 Srila Prabhupada had convinced me "Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead" and "we should surrender to Krishna." I joined the Hare Krishnas in Perth, Western Australia in 1986. Since then I have been chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, reading and distributing Srila Prabhupada's books and preaching as much as I can. That's my life and full-time occupation now really. I like it more than anything I've ever experienced before. Srila Prabhupada's books are so amazing... Even after reading them all many times they're still fresh and new. They are truly transcendental! That's it really. Now I'm just hankering to once again see the world chant Hare Krishna, dance and feast and float away in the ecstasy of Lord Caitanya's Sankirtana movement as it did in Srila Prabhupada's physical presence. Let the whole world drown in the ecstatic flood of love of Krishna!
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Hare Krishna Prabhuji
Kindly accept my humble obeisance
I’ve a question which is not related to this article but related to devotion regardless.
Srila Prabhupada said no idle/ frivolous like football, badminton etc. I understand his instructions that human life is meant for serving & remembering Krishna BUT he also said we’ve to adjust to time, place & circumstances. So we being in this Kali Yug where the rule of the earth currently is “Might is Right” we (devotees) have to make our bodies fit, vigour & vitaliy we’ve to play sports this is in accordance to the Vedic culture where sports like Wrestling, horse ridding, Archery, swimming etc were played & encouraged.
I look forward to your guidance.
Thanks
Hare Krishna Rohan
Yes. Of course. Prabhupada was trying for developing some brahmins. Some ideal men who could set the example. So for the brahmins they are not interested in sports of course. They are too busy in the important activities of advancing in spiritual life to waste time in frivolous sports.
There is plenty of physical activity in Krishna consciousness. You can go out on the streets and dance and chant Hare Krishna 8 or 10 hours a day. That is very vigorous physical activity and you will be completely fit and healthy.
So it depends really if you want to be a materialist or a devotee. So if you want to be a materialist then spend your time wrestling, horse riding, swimming, etc, and sure, you might get a very nice big strong body to attract lots of girls…
But that is not Krishna consciousness. Krishna consciousness is a different thing altogether. So you have to decide what you want, a big strong body and lots of girls, or Krishna consciousness.
You know, materialism and spiritual life, they are opposites. Not that we can have both. But of course if we take the path of Krishna consciousness automatically our material bodies will be as fit and healthy as they possibly can.
Krishna consciosuness also includes the best diet and so much opportunity for exercise. You go out on the streets selling Prabhupada’s books every day running after the karmis and selling them Prabhupada’s books. Fabulous physical exercise. And your body will end up very fit and healthy, and at the same time you are working for Prabhupada and Krishna. So that is the sort of physical exercise that devotees are engaged in…
Thanks to Srila Prabhupada for giving me some attachment to Krishna 🙏🙏🙏🙏 I don’t forget Krishna in any circumstances.
That was a viviod description.Hare Krsna
when I see poor creatures are killed for meat I really wonder what they have done to deserve so?In the Satya yuga were there deadly creatures like tigers or wild dogs who prey for meat?
In the material world everyone gets the suffering they deserve. This material world is like a prison house, we are all criminals here, so we are dealt out the suffering we deserve in various bodies selected from the 8,400,000 species of life.
This material world is a miserable place full of suffering and death. That is confirmed by Krishna in Bhagavad-gita, He calls this material world dukalayam asasvatam, a temporary place full of miseries. So that is what the material world is. A place where criminals are sent to suffer. We should not expect anything else here.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Some times. the devotee even though pray to Lord Krishna with great devotion and sincerity, at certain point of time he is engulfed with life threatening problems, sorrows and sufferings, when he may be unable to concentrate his devotion towards Lord Krishna due to the situation beyond his control due to distraction of the vexing mind’s nature.. Does it means Lord Krishna wants to test his sincere devotee with all sorts of sufferings to put pressure on the devotee to surrender to this totally in respect of all the unfavourable life situations.
I do understand Prahalada, Pandavas,Bakta Ramadas, saintThiyagaraja and many devotees continued their unflinching faith on Lord Krishna. My question is that how many devotees will be able to sustain continued sufferings particularly in this Kali Yog.
I am personally facing multiple problems in life all have surfaced at the age of 70 but reading many ancient scriptures and Lord Krishna’s glories I still continue to pray for his mercy. Nevertheless, I am getting immense mental strength to face the adverse situations and continue to increase my devotional attachments towards Lord Narayana ( Lord Krishna) each passing days. But I a bit afraid, will I be able to do my prayer with all sincerity if things blows out of proportion. I seek your valuable guidance and spiritual advice in the matter to float me alive with Lord Krishna’s devotion.
Regards,
N.K. Ramani
As we get old of course there are so many problems coming but as you say you are getting great strength from Krishna. So devotee is like that, the problems come, but he is not affected by the problems, he is fixed on Krishna in spite of all material problems. So we have to practice like that. At end of life we have to increase our devotion, increase our reading of Srila Prabhupada’s books, increase our chanting of Hare Krishna. At this time nothing else is important except that we always remember Krishna and never forget Krishna because death can come at any moment and we have to force ourselves to be always remembering Krishna so we will go back home back to Godhead after this life. We have a great opportunity given to us by Srila Prabhupada. By his mercy we can go back to Godhead after this one life, so we should make a very sincere effort to follow all of Prabhupada’s instructions. So many material difficulties will come but we just have to somehow adjust, and Krishna will help us, and continue our devotional service of chanting Hare Krishna and reading Srila Prabhupada’s books.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
i see many people practicing krishna consciousness very cheaply ,not seriously
and not under your guidance
so i thought, to advance in krishna consciousness i will only associate with instructions of srila prabhupada and yours(madhudvisa dasa prabhu) only.
will this be correct?i had this in mind for a long time but i wanted your permission to go with this thought.
You are correct. If we want to actually become Krishna conscious we have to practice it seriously. But not by following me. I am saying ‘Follow Prabhupada’. So you have to follow Prabhupada. Not me. Read Prabhupada’s books, chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day, strictly follow the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication]. These are the very basic points. Without these very basic points there is no spiritual life, only imagination.
Hare krishna,
I am wishing to ask that I am not able to control my senses. I don’t have any teacher for true knowledge so I accept Lord Krishna as my real teacher. I decide to do my things but I am not able to do so due to lack of control over my senses. So please help me.
Yes. Of course sense control is difficult. We have to learn it. And the best way is to read Srila Prabhupada’s books. There is a way of doing it. Chant Hare Krishna and read Srila Prabhupada’s books and try to follow the things, no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication, and the more you chant Hare Krishna and read Srila Prabhupada’s books you will find it becomes easier to control your senses.
It is always a battle but we have to fight the battle and win.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
how can i really reach god krishna and experience him how?
Chant Hare Krishna…
Why does God see all the suffering in the world but not end it?
We create the suffering in the world. God gives us the information how we can be free from suffering, if we surrender to Him and serve Him we will be free from suffering. But we reject these orders of God. That why we are here in the material world. This material world is like a prison. Prison is for pain and suffering. Because the suffering helps to rectify us. So the suffering is good for us in our current rebellious position. When we realize that without serving Krishna there is only pain and suffering then we will surrender to Krishna and serve Him, that is if we have any intelligence at all…
So material world is for pain and suffering. You have to expect that here.
Material world is a horrible place, a miserable place full of death. We can not be happy here. We have to go back home back to Godhead, back to Krishna. We can only be happy with Krishna in our eternal constitutional position serving Krishna there.
So the suffering will never end in the material world. Material world is for suffering. That is its purpose.
Why krishna is so popular where as bramha is there ,shiv is there,
Krishna is most popular because Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everyone else, including Brahma and Shiva are servants of Krishna, Krishna is Paramisvara, the Supreme Controller, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So naturally Krishna is the most popular person.
Jai Shri Krishna. Very nicely explained by you. i read all. My colleagues here they do not praise krushna, ram n other gods….i really feel bad….i feel bad for them too thinking that they are so far from god. ..but i cant explain them….if you chant if you praise lord it will be saved in your account same as how u save money in bank for your future…..
but i cant control my anger…they say what not about krushna.
Hare Krishna Rajshree
Best thing is not to worry about other people for the time being. We have to worry about ourselves. We have to become devotees of Krishna ourselves, then, when we ourselves are somewhat fixed up in Krishna consciousness, then we will be in a position to help other people.
So to begin the process of advancing in Krishna consciousness we need to chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day, read Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day and strictly follow the four regulative principles: no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication. This is the beginning. So we have to come to the standard of doing these things at least, to being on the path of Krishna consciousness.
Then you will gradually develop the strength, knowledge and realization to explain to others and convince them of the real position of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and why we need to serve Him and worship Him.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Thank you so much for your prompt reply. I really appreciate. You are right..first I myself should be perfect in it…then only i can make others understand.
Noted what you said.
Thank you.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare.
hare Krishna
my question is if imagine Krishna is foolishness then how remember Krishna..?.if we do not access in Krishna consciousness without pure devotees mercy then what is the use of artificial chanting of the matra…dear sir pls do not mind..I have really a serious question.. if Krishna consciousness is really difficult to follow the rules and all ..then why mahaprabhu comes and give Krishna’s name to such foolish people of this age….suppose I only know the kc is the only saviour of my soul..so I try to chant 16 round daily but I do not have taste in chanting(oh its really difficult to explain) OK in one line if only some rare person understand the kc (Krishna consciousness) then why everybody should try it..what is the use of mixed devotional service.. one hand we r doing offense & other hand we r chanting does it beneficial or not..? I heard some where when shri Krishna chaitanya mahaprabhu does kirtan the animal also dance…peoples only once hear the name of Krishna from mahaprabhu and they dance in ecstasy.. but we do not have anything magic like this..I think iam the most currpted & unfortunate soul who never understand Krishna….
Hare Krishna Ashish
The magic of Krishna consciousness is in Prabhupada’s books and it is available to us and it is very easy and very joyfully performed. So if we are not experiencing this then we are not following the process. We have to be serious and at least follow the basic things: chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day, strictly 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. This is the beginning point. Unless we are prepared to at least come to the beginning point then how will we ever hope to become Krishna conscious?
Yes. Of course Caitanya Mahaprabhu could make the jungle animals chant and dance simply on hearing the holy name chanted by Him. But we are not Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But Srila Prabhupada went to the USA in 1965 and chanted Hare Krishna to the hippies and they danced in ecstasy and became Krishna conscious very quickly. So the potency of the Hare Krishna mantra is there still. It is up to the purity of the chanter. If the chanter is not pure then the potency will not be there.
So the point is we have to become pure devotees of Krishna and then at least the people will dance and chant in ecstasy when we chant Hare Krishna, and they will rapidly advance in Krishna consciousness. But if we are not pure then we will not have any potency…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
One question has boggee me for many years:- since Hare Krishna Mantra is the most potent and pure in the universe, why does its potency gets amplified or decreased per chanter Basis. Whether a pure devotee or Sinner like me chants, should it not exhibit the same effect as the mantra is Krishna himself? Water quenches the thrist of rich and poor alike, irrespective of position, Creed and age. It never looses its potency. Is the maha mantra same functionally? Kindly fill the gap in my understanding. Arun
Hare Krishna Arun
Hare Krishna mantra may or may not appear. And there are levels in the quality of chanting. It is a complex subject and you should read Prabhupada’s books to understand it. If you read Nectar of Devotion it is all explained in there very well. There are different types of chanting and it will be surprising to you. For example namabhas, that is chanting Hare Krishna without knowing it, in joke, or accidentally, is very powerful. Almost like pure chanting. But if one is undergoing great austerities to put on a show of chanting Hare Krishna, getting up early in the morning, etc, but doing it with offenses, it is not so powerful.
So it is a science, and if you want to understand the science you have to study the books. So why not spend some time and READ SRILA PRABHUPADA’S BOOKS???
If you read Prabhupada’s books you will understand all these things perfectly well. That is why Prabhupada spent so much time writing his books. So please read Prabhupada’s books…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hare Krishna
dear sir I have a question..how to remember Krishna..? I mean when i remember Krishna i always imagine his painting his temple form which made by wood metal or I mean I never saw him then how I remember …If u want to remember someone u have to see him first but I never saw krishna…when I chant the mantra its OK iam chanting but it feels strange..very awkward… I am going to remember someone but I donot know how he look like..
pls guide me
thank you hare krishna
Chant:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
While you are chanting Hare Krishna you can not forget Krishna…
Oh thanks. I am already reading his ‘bhagvad gita’. Its very nice.
I am really tired of the cycle of birth and death. I want to get ‘moksh’ and get free from this cycle. So how can i fulfill my desire and get free from this cycle of birth and death.
Read Srila Prabhupada’s books and chant Hare Krishna. If you want to become free from the cycle of birth and death that means you have to become Krishna conscious. Krishna consciousness is a science and like any other science you have to learn it and you have to actually follow the process. So if you read Srila Prabhupada’s books and surrender to the instructions you find Srila Prabhupada giving you as you read his books then you will very quickly become Krishna conscious, which is a position far, far great than moksha.
Krishna is supreme.I have a question why he made me?I don’t want life in which he is not there in its complete form.I can’t forget him …he can’t fulfill my desire …may be due to my karma …but atleast he can vanish me…I don’t wanna life or death or anything without him….
We are here in the material world because we wanted to forget Krishna, we have to accept that. We are not very good people. Because we are in the prison. This material world is like the prison house. Only criminals get sent to the prison. So we are in the prison, we must be criminals. We do not worship Krishna to fulfill our desires. That is mistaken thinking. We are servants of Krishna, we are meant for fulfilling the desires of Krishna, Krishna is not meant for fulfilling our desires. This is the criminal mentality, trying to use Krishna to fulfill our desires. We should only have on desire, to serve Krishna, to please Krishna. If by the result of my service Krishna becomes happy then that is my happiness…
Why lord Krishna help me..
And full fill my desire and wish ? Pkese
Help me…
Hare Krishna Rakesh
Krishna is helping all of us at every moment. We depend on Krishna for everything. Without Krishna we have no air to breathe, no water to drink, no food to eat, etc, etc.
But Krishna responds according to our surrender. And we get what we deserve to get according to our good and bad activities in this life and our previous lives.
We are all destined to have a certain material situation due to our karma, due to the activities we have performed in the past. So as devotees of Krishna we do not care about our material situation. In fact if we are in a difficult situation materially that will help us remember Krishna even more.
But if we have a great deal of material opulence and sense gratification we may well forget Krishna altogether.
So Krishna will not give us anything that will not be good for us.
The point is that we do not need anything to serve Krishna. And the idea of Krishna consciousness, devotional service, is not to ask Krishna for things. That is begging Krishna to serve us. And that is not the right idea. The idea is that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and we are His servants. So our only prayer should be “Please Krishna engage me in Your service.” That is all we care about. How to serve Krishna, how to please Krishna.
Many very great devotees of Krishna have been very poor materially. It does not matter. Whatever we have then we can use that to serve Krishna.
We should not be trying very hard to change our material situation. We can not change our material situation. We will get whatever material situation we are destined to get because of our Karma.
Krishna can change it but we are not going to ask Him for that. We are simply going to use whatever we have to serve Krishna. That’s all.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
I love this answer. It just answered a question I didn’t even know I had.
Why any body trying to imitate Lord Krishna will do wrong?
Reaction of good will always be good and not bad.
Any person imitating Lord Krishna will never walk on wrong path hence imitate Lord Krishna should be the aim of life.
Hare Krishna Milind
You are not Krishna. Krishna is different from you. You can not imitate Krishna. Even Lord Shiva, he drank an ocean of poison, you can’t even drink a drop of poison without that killing you. You can non imitate Lord Krishna, you have to follow his orders, not imitate His actions.
Krishna married 16,108 wives and built every one of them a separate palace and had ten children with each wife and was simultaneously present with all His wives in all His palaces. You can not imitate this. It is impossible. Krishna is great and you are small. The small can not imitate the great. A drop of water can not imitate an ocean. It is not possible.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Respected sir, I am college student , so I rarely have time for my lord Shree Krishna but I adore , respect , and love Shree Krishna from the bottom of my heart. How should i devote my time to my lord shree Krishna while being attached to this world simultaneously.
Hare Krishna Lavish
If you have no time for Krishna you do not love Him. You can not be attached to Krishna and the world at the same time. You have to choose one or the other. You of course have to perform your duties in the material world, but not that you are attached to the material world. A devotee is attached only to Krishna and whatever actions he performs he is doing that for Krishna.
So if you want to be attached to the world you will not be able to be attached to Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
why did Arjun take so much time to realise who krishna was where as Karna ,Kunthi,Gandhari Bheeshma Dronachari and Sanjay believed that he was Supreme Personality of Godhead?
Arjuna knew also but Krishna put Arjuna into bewilderment for two reasons:
1 – So the friendly relationship of Arjuna with Krishna would be possible. This is called yoga-maya. There are two mayas. The one we know well is maha-maya, that is the maya that puts us into illusion and makes us forget Krishna, but there is yoga-maya who causes the devotees in Vrindavan for example, to not realize that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but rather they are thinking, “Krishna is my son,” “Krishna is my friend,” or “Krishna is a beautiful young boy that I love.” So this is possible by the potency of yoga-maya.
2 – If Arjuna was not bewildered then there would be no chance for Krishna to speak Bhagavad-gita to clear up his bewilderment. And Krishna wanted to speak Bhagavad-gita, not just for Arjuna’s benefit, but for everyone’s benefit.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hora krishna, i want to control my mind and to push it toward the loard but some time i loose my control. I also practice puja regularly but i am not setisfied. Help me to control my self and to get “paramanand”
Hare Krishna Himadri
If we want to control our minds we just have to follow the simple process that Srila Prabhupada is instructing us to follow in his books. And the beginning of that process is to chant the Hare Krishna mantra at least 16 rounds a day. That is the primary way of controlling the mind. The chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra forces our mind on Krishna. And we need to strictly follow the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication] If we break any of these regulative principles it will not be possible to control the mind.
The key to controlling the mind is to control the tongue. The tongue has two businesses. One is tasting and the other is vibrating. So we have to engage the tongue in always vibrating the Hare Krishna mantra and also engage the tongue in only tasting Krishna prasadam.
So we need to only chant Hare Krishna and speak Krishna katha, talks about Krishna, and only let the tongue taste Krishna prasadam, food that has been offered to Krishna with love by the devotees.
This is the way to control the tongue. There is no other way to control the tongue.
Which one is supreme- lord krishna or lord shiva.
I worshipped both but now I think if I go for krishna then lord shiva will leave me and vice versa. I am very much confused. Please give me direction.
Lord Shiva worships Lord Visnu / Krishna. Krsihna does not worship anyone. So it is obvious that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Shiva is a servant of Lord Krishna. Lord Shiva is a great devotee of Lord Krishna. So there is no harm in worshiping Lord Shiva as
I see The Gita working everytime … but sorry to say I cant see Krishna though! Krishna advised in geeta everything but it would be better if he could have suggested some rational way to see him !
You can see Krishna in the temple. If you can not see Krishna everywhere you can see Him in the temple. You can see Him in the pictures in the Bhagavad-gita, you can see Him through the descriptions of Him in Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. And if you can not see like this Krishna says in the Gita, “I am the taste of water.” So whenever you drink water and feel your thirst is quenched then you know that taste is Krishna. Krishna says He is the light of the sun and the moon. So whenever you see the sunlight or the moonlight you are seeing Krishna. So in this way and so many other ways Krishna is teaching us in Bhagavad-gita how we can live in such a way that we are seeing Him constantly, 24 hours a day…
Lord Krishna is everywhere. He is in everything around us. All the universes are his manifestations. Let’s want to see Him. We will be able to see him based on the intensity of our desire to see Him. A pure mind and a pure heart will definitely help us see Him. There is nothing around us that is not Krishna. Hare Krishna!
May be people say we can’t see krishna but if you truly worship him u can able to feel him he wil around u assuring u am ter tat feel wil surround u I felt tat
Can anyone see krishna in dream or it is illusion of fatigue mind
Hare Krishna
Sleep, dream, it is the mode of ignorance. So generally what we see in dreams is not spiritual. But of course a pure devotee is always seeing Krishna. Still if we see Krishna in our dreams or the devotees or Srimati Tulsi Devi or anything that reminds us of Krishna in our dreams that is very good. We are remembering Krishna even in our dreams. So this is the idea of Krishna consciousness. To always remember Krishna and never forget Krishna. So if you can see Krishna in your dreams that is very wonderful.
But really the main thing is to make sure you are always chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day, reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and strictly following the four regulative principles and engaging in practical service under the direction of a pure devotee of Krishna. That is the path to Krishna consciousness. Not dreaming about Krishna. Still dreaming about Krishna is nice.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Last year ,in my free time I use to read lots of articles on shre krishna and few of his teaching etc . Showly I found that I have started searching and doing more reseach of krishna which was very fascinating and interesting . I learned few mantra on vasudev and use to repeat them. I search almost all sites, book and read all posSible source on krishna . One night I had a dream . I saw the face so beautiful so beautiful eyes and skin colour was so attractive. I have never seen such beauty in my life . So much of light and so much joy and that blue face with eye’s and lotus .
why does god have made women and men so different. is there any reason of so. why only women tolerate the adharm of men since mahabharat time.
Women are made to serve their husbands. Men are made to protect and provide for women. It is a very nice arrangement. Unfortunately now the women refuse to serve the men. So the whole social system of the world is now completely dysfunctional. Men have no interest in today’s ‘liberated’ women. So the whole world has gone to Hell. And this is because the women refuse to serve their husbands.
Once a time i went to mathura vrindavan there just after reaching i had breathing problem in day i managed somehow but at night the problem get worse and i feared my body parts get numb and i get hospitalized and as the problem start just after reaching vrindavan i was thinking that krishna is punishing me. So bow from that time i get afraid to go anywhere outside city. Please help me out
Yes. Sometimes we get some heavy reactions while visiting Vrindavan. The thing is to become Krishna conscious and all problems will be corrected. So just concentrate on chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day, strictly 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. All our problems come from lack of surrender to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna and all our problems will be solved when we fully surrender to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna.
Great summary: “All our problems come from lack of surrender to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna”
Hare Krishna!
Dear Madhudvisa Dasa Prabhu,
You’re doing an amazing service by being what seems like a lonely voice in support of Srila Prabhupada’s mission. I’ve been associated with ISCKON for nearly 23 years now and always had a problem with the guru system that existed in this society – mainly not recognizing anyone to be qualified to serve as a guru – especially when the motivation is for personal fame and wealth gain. It is encouraging to hear from you that we can associate with Srila Prabhupada through his books and accept him as the bona fide spiritual master as referred to in Bhagavad Gita.
I’m curious Prabhu were you initiated by a disciple in the ISKCON movement also? In your narrative it states you came in contact with ISKCON in 1984 so I’m curious who gave you your spiritual name? The reason I ask is because I’ve struggled with the concept of guru – mainly the imbalance that occurs between what is described in Gita vs. options available in ISKCON. I almost gave up on my advancement because there was no one on the caliber of Srila Prabhupada to take shelter of, at least in ISKCON and if real progress can’t be made without serving a guru then is our endeavor in a post Srila Prabhupad world in vain? I’m slowing understanding from your words that we simply accept Srila Prabhupad as our guru and take instruction from his books and lectures – is this adequate to full fill the requirement as stated in Gita of approaching a bona fide spiritual master? I suppose its up to Krishna to arrange a living person if such is our need.
thank you again for all you do,
Jai Sita Ram,
-Tom
Hare Krishna Tom
Yes. Srila Prabhupada is living in his books and you can personally associate with Srila Prabhupada and receive direct and personal instructions and get all the answers to your questions directly from Srila Prabhupada if you just surrender to him and serve him. Make the orders of Srila Prabhupada the mission of your life. It requires real and actual surrender and dedication and we have to really actually chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day and really strictly follow the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication] and really read Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day…
If we really do these things then we will actually realize that Srila Prabhupada is living in his books and we will be able to have direct and personal association with Srila Prabhupada!
My story is long and not important.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Mid afternoon I was washing dishes after cooking. Kids were playing. Right in front of me at the sink is a window sill w a pic of Jesus. So am washing dishes and listening to Radhanath Swami (he makes me feel better) and all of a sudden something appears to me right next to Jesus\’s pic. A blue man w a flute. He appears then disappears! Krishna! Why did He appear to me? I am w Christian! what does that mean. He was the most glorious vision, illuminating brilliantly, his color blue so radiant and glowing. He was playing the flute. God IS with us. No doubt. I just wish I knew why He came to me.
Chant the Hare Krishna mantra and ask Krishna yourself.
Pamho, agtSP! Thanks for replying, and please excuse my poorly-worded question, let me try that again… I really wanted to ask about having “the eyes to see”.
I have heard that the Radha-Krishna Deities appear without colour, black and white, to the mundane eyes of ordinary people with no spiritual vision; but devotees who are advanced to a certain level can see Their true colours of blue and gold.
Is this an example of having (or not having) “the eyes to see”? Are Their Lordship’s true hues hidden from plain sight? I always took it as proof of my lack of advancement when I would visit the Temple and They appeared (as splendid as always) in Their black and white forms.
You have to become a pure devotee to see as pure devotees see. So these questions are useless. You should be concentrating on becoming a devotee and understand that patience and determination are very important qualities that you have to cultivate if you want to become a pure devotee of Krishna. We can not force Krishna to appear before us. If Krishna wants to appear before us He will. But if Krishna does not appear to us that does not in any way decrease our enthusiasm and determination in devotional service.
So stop wondering what a pure devotee sees and become a pure devotee yourself and see for yourself. That is the actually the only way. You can not understand what a pure devotee experiences without becoming a pure devotee yourself. That is the way.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
PAMHO, all glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I have a question on the topic of material vs spiritual vision. Sometime back in the 70’s a friend of mine who lived and trained at Melbourne Mahaprabhu Mandir for a few months swears that one morning at mangala-arati, the Radha-Ballabha deities appeared to him as gold and blue respectively. Ordinarily, to our material eyes (and in photographs) Srimati Radharani appears white and Sri Ballabha appears black.
Is this a good example of Krsna revealing himself to his devotee? I can’t seem to find any written reference to this change of colour and I’ve often thought he might’ve been pulling my leg (he blooped before being initiated). Just wondering…
Devotees imagine so many things and consider them spiritual vision. But this is not real spiritual vision. It is there imagination only. That he blooped shows the depth of his spiritual realization. Krishna consciousness is not such a cheap thing. Of course Krishna may reveal something of Himself to a new devotee to inspire him. Why not? Krishna is a person, the Supreme Person, He can do anything He wants to. We can not say what Krishna is doing or not doing. That is up to Him.
So the main point is the science of Krishna consciousness is fully described in Srila Prabhupada’s books and we need to study and follow the instructions in these books.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
How do I serve Krishna?
Read Srila Prabhupada’s books and find out…
I want to know that what is the process to take help from shri krishna if a life is full of problems and how do we know that shri krishna is helping us
The process is to read Srila Prabhupada’s books, to chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra daily, to strictly follow the four regulative principles: no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication. It is very simple. Associating with Srila Prabhupada, chanting Hare Krishna, following the regulative principles, reading Srila Prabhupada’s books. This is the way. But most people won’t do it. But if you do actually surrender to these things and do actually surrender to Srila Prabhupada and do actually follow the instructions Srila Prabhupada gives you as you read his books you will become a pure devotee of Krishna and your life will then be full of Krishna and service to Krishna and all the problems will be how to execute your service to Krishna. Then your problems will take on a spiritual nature and they will become a source of transcendental bliss, not anxiety…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hi,
I have seen both Vishnu and Shiva in my dream state several times. A lot of times and they keep showing themselves. Krishna does communicate with me every hour at a specific time and I do see Krishna through colors and numbers everywhere. However, I CANNOT see his true form as we know it like I see in my dreams. He sometimes appears in the moon. I see Krishna everywhere through signs but NOT the image we have always seen him in images and the same as in my dreams. PLEASE HELP ME. I want to see Krishna.
Read Srila Prabhupada’s books and chant Hare Krishna. You will see Krishna but only if you purify your eyes so you have the spiritual vision to see Krishna. Krishna does not reveal Himself to everyone. Krishna only reveals Himself to His devotees. So if we want to see Krishna then we have to become a devotee of Krishna.
I was reading the 2nd Canto.
Are Maha Vishnu and the universal form the same?There are a number of universes in the material world and in each of them there are a number of Brahmas and Shivas- it was given something like that. What does it mean? Only one Brahma is born on the lotus stem and he creates the innumerable material universes right? Then where does the number of Brahmas and Shivas come from?
Lord Krishna’s smile is really beautiful right? But is it that we should not be enchanted by Maha -Vishnu’s smile only- which is a material trap. It is said that the smile is Maya. I didn’t understand that concept.
Hare Krishna Rukmini
No, Maha-Visnu and the Universal Form are not the same. They are both expansions of Krishna. But Maha-Visnu is four armed form and the Universal Form is imagining the universe as a form of Lord Visnu. So it is two different manifestations of the form of Krishna.
There is only one Brahma in each universe, but there are many universes, so there are many Brahma’s, but only one in each universe.
Similarly with Shiva, but there are also different expansions of Shiva. So sometimes one can see more than one Shiva in one universe. But that would be expansions of the same Shiva. Shiva is in a special position. But the thing is you will not be able to understand every find detail on your first reading of Srila Prabhupada’s books. But simply by reading the books you are becoming Krishna conscious. And the more you read the more you will find everything falls into place and you will begin to understand everything, so just keep reading even if sometimes you do not fully comprehend what you are reading.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hello madhudvisa-dasa, i have a mediating question. When one says “meditate upon God”, how should this be done? do we see a picture of Lord Krishna and try to mediate with that image constantly in our head with closed eyes? or should we just clear our minds and meditate that way? i want to see Krisna with my own eyes, so please help.
Meditating on God means chanting:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
We make spiritual advancement through hearing much more than by seeing or thinking in our minds. So you simply need to concentrate on pronouncing all of the words of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra clearly and on hearing all the words clearly. That is the only type of meditation that will be effective in this age, Kali-yuga.
You can have the picture of Krishna there, that is OK, but that is secondary, the main thing is chanting and hearing the Hare Krishna mantra.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Did Krishna go on other planets than earth in our solar system?
Hare Krishna Rukmini
Krishna is everywhere, Krishna is within all of our hearts, Krishna is also within the atoms. So Krishna goes everywhere.
But Vrindavan is only here on this planet in our universe. So in that sense this Earth planet is a very special place in this universe. And this time now is also a very special time as Krishna only appears once in one day of Lord Brahma, and the day of Lord Brahma is thousands of millions of years long. So we happen to have taken birth here on the planet where Krishna has just appeared here in Vrindavan only 5000 years ago, and where Krishna as Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has appeared again only 500 years ago and where Srila Prabhupada has made this Krishna consciousness so easily accessible through his transcendental books and spread this knowledge all over the world only 50 years ago. So this Earth planet at this time is a very special place in this universe. They do not have Vrindavan on any other planet in this universe, however there are different incarnations of Visnu and different empowered representatives of Krishna on every planet.
But Krishna, as the cowherd boy of Vrindavan, does not go out of Vrindavan, and that Vrindavan is only in the spiritual world and in this universe it is only on this Earth planet in the Mathura district of India…
So we are in a very special place on this planet at this time. We should take full advantage of all these favorable circumstances and become pure devotees of Krishna in this one life.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
If don’t want maya to attack us and don’t want repeated birth and death and the bad karmas why don’t we pray to Durga with devotion to leave us?
Hare Krishna Rukmini
There is no need to pray to the demigods like Durga. There is no point in asking Mother Durga for freedom from birth and death because she herself is also within the material world and she is herself not free from the repetition of birth and death.
The demigods, like Mother Durga, are living entities like us who have been elevated to positions of high responsibility in the material world as a result of their great penances and austerities. They are devotees of Krishna, Visnu, but materialistic devotees, not pure devotees. They still have some desire to ‘enjoy’ in the material world. So they are not themselves free from the modes of material nature and they are not free from the cycle of birth and death.
The only person who has the power to free us from the cycle of birth and death is Krishna, Visnu. And we can only get the mercy of Krishna by pleasing His pure devotees like Srila Prabhupada. So the secret for getting out of the cycle of birth and death is pleasing Srila Prabhupada and to know how to please Srila Prabhupada we need to read his books so we can understand what he wants us to do for him…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
We can express our love for Krishna as friend, conjugal lover, parent, etc right? Should we consider that relation before our devotional service to Krishna and go according to that relation or it automatically develops when we love Him without our knowledge of that relation with Him.
My mother always wastes her time- chatting nonsense, complaining, sitting silently and thinking whatever happened in our neighborhood, etc. So I thought to tell her to read Bhagvad Geeta with full mind which we already had and told her that all the gods that you pray are only demigods and part and parcels of Krishna. She got angry and told that there is no such thing. It is what Iskcon thinks- Prabhupada thinks. I was deeply hurt. I could not speak any further and indirectly forced me to believe what she told to some extent. She reads Bhagvad Geeta rarely and that too with no mind just for passing time with her mind elsewhere. I will never tell her because she will also make me believe that all this is not true. She told that thousands of people worship Ganesha and what I told was totally false. Please comment.
Hare Krishna Rukmini
We all have an eternal relationship with Krishna but that will be revealed in due course automatically. That is an advanced stage of devotional service, far above the platform we are currently on. So we should not artificially imagine about these things. We need to simply engage in devotional service and hearing and chanting about Krishna and these things will develop automatically of their own accord in the future when we are more advanced in spritual life. It can not be falsely imitated.
As far as your mother, it is very difficult for older people to change their ways. They have accepted things in a certain way for their whole life, and even though it may be a completely wrong idea, they are very accustomed to that, and they can not give it up. The advantage of being young is that your mind is still somewhat open and you can consider different things and different angles of vision. So it is probably better not to try and change your mother too much. As you become more and more a devotee of Krishna she will benefit automatically by your association and by hearing you chant Hare Krishna and by accepting the Krishna prasadam you cook, etc…
So just try to encourage whatever little devotional service she may be inclined to perform and try not to disturb her ideas too much even if they are wrong.
It is true of course that thousands of people worship Ganesh. Mostly they worship Ganesh of course asking for some material benefits, for getting money. Any worship that the materialists do is generally like this. They want to get some material benefit. This is not pure devotional service, but still it is pious activity. So it is also not bad. It is not the best and it is not what pure devotees do, still it is pious activity.
The demigods are real of course and we as Vaisnavas also offer full respects to the demigods and accept them as devotees of Krishna. So we do not disrespect the demigods in any way. But at the same time we clearly differentiate between the demigods, who are generally living entities just like us, only they have become elevated to positions of power and influence in the material universe as a result of their austerities and pious activities, and Krishna or Visnu. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And the demigods are all devotees of Krishna. So this idea that Hindus generally have that all the gods are the same, it is completely wrong. But for someone like your mother, it may be difficult for her to understand this after a lifetime of hearing that all the gods are the same…
Anyhow, I hope it is a little useful for you.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Can we sing songs in praise of other incarnations of Krishna like ‘Namaste Narasimhaya’? And could you also tell me a website where I could get drawings of Young Krishna in his past times.
Yes. We have many songs.
https://krishna.org/original-songs-of-the-vaisnava-acaryas-pdf-download/
It is best to sing the songs in this book.
If you look at Krsna Book at:
http://prabhupadabooks.com/kb
You will find many pictures of Krishna if you go through each chapter.
Also at:
http://krishnastore.com/krishna-art-krishna-art-prints-paper-canvas-om-22_24.html
You can see many pictures of Krishna. If you click on the image you will go to a page with a bigger picture.
That is something for a start..
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Thanks for the websites. They are really good.
Could you tell me another thing.
1) What is the main reason that we should not eat onion and garlic?
2) Why is the number of times we should chant our rounds exactly 16 times?
Hare Krishna Rukmini
We do not eat onion and garlic because these foods are in the mode of passion and to develop Krishna consciousness we have to be in the mode of goodness. So eating foods in the mode of passion will cause us to be in the mode of passion which makes it very difficult to become Krishna conscious.
And of course the real reason is that Krishna only accepts offerings in the mode of goodness. So we can not offer onions or garlic to Krishna. He does not accept them. And as devotees only accept Krishna prasadam then naturally we never accept anything cooked with onion and garlic because Krishna does not accept onion and garlic…
As far as chanting, it is not ‘exactly 16 rounds’ it is ‘at least 16 rounds’. We can chant more than 16 rounds, it is that 16 rounds is the minimum number of rounds, we have to chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra every day. Because becoming Krishna consciousness is a very serious thing. It can not be attained without a very serious commitment to chanting Hare Krishna. So this minimum number of rounds is there. It is a minimum only. We have to chant at least 16 rounds every day, but you do not have to stop at 16 rounds. You can keep on chanting and chant 32 rounds, 64 rounds, 128 rounds or even more. Haridas Thakura used to chant 192 rounds every day. So really 16 rounds is not very much…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
I love to read the books like Bhagvatam and now since I have my summer holidays I will spend all my time for it. However the exams were really tough and frustrating. Should we go to the slaughterhouses(schools) ? Is there no alternative? Once we start getting a rank in class we have to maintain it and even if we do not want to maintain our parents do not allow us to fall down. Due to this all the time we have to study, study and study the nonsense which I do not see having applications in our life at all. Ever since I started getting rank I feel sad even if I lose 1 mark. These studies are really frustrating. They do not allow us to read wonderful books like Bhagvatam since there is so much to read in our school syllabus itself. Our parents will of course scold if we fall down in rank. What to do? I don’t want to study this way . I don’t want this type of studies.
Hare Krishna Rukmini
You need to simply chant Hare Krishna and study all of Srila Prabhupada’s books. If you simply do this you will come out to be greater than any Ph.D. “educated” in this slaughterhouse system.
So somehow you can try to divert your time and energy from studying nonsense to studying Krishna in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, etc. This is the proper use of your time, and through this you will get the best education in all ways. You will not be seen as being lacking in education in any company at all if you simply dedicate your life to seriously studying Srila Prabhupada’s books and applying what you read in your practical life.
Actually how to execute this in your life, Krishna will give you the inspiration from within your heart. Just keep chanting Hare Krishna, 16 rounds a day and follow the four regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication] and keep reading Srila Prabhupada’s books. Be very determined but at the same time we have to be very patient. You may just have to tolerate a certain amount of this slaughterhouse nonsense. But you can take advantage of it, like Prahlada Maharaja did, and convert all your fellow students into devotees of Krishna. That will be very nice.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
1)If anything bad happens to us is it because of carelessness or karma? In my accident was it my karma or carelessness that it took place? I had read somewhere , probably in the Bhagvad Geeta , that these material bodies are just machines to carry out the karmas. However if we do something carelessly, for instance if we get hurt because of our carelessness, we can’t say it is our karma,right? On the other hand it is said this body only carries out Karmas. So what exactly is the concept?
2)I had recently lost my textbook- maybe someone stole it or I misplaced it. Of course as it is natural I had attachment for my book since I had written a lot in it. I tried to search a lot for it. I didn’t find it. Even out of suspicion I checked one of my friend’s bag which was indeed a shameful deed. I desperately searched for it. Unfortunately I did not get it. My brother told me that it is no use searching for it. It is your karma. Don’t waste time on it and arrange for a new book.
I was a type of happy on listening that it was my karma-don’t know why. However if that was my karma what about the person who stole it. I got my result back; but he being used as an agent to carry out this wrong deed in his side doesn’t he get anything bad? It is really confusing. I had read an article in this website before on Karma in which you explained to another person telling the concept of Karma giving the example of killing and being killed as a cow, etc. But I did not understand it as it was confusing.
Could you kindly explain the Karma concept to me in the context of my textbook. And thanks for the previous reply.
Hare Krishna Rukmini
For a materialist, he has no freedom at all, he is simply acting under the direction of the three modes of material nature. He thinks he is the doer of his activities but his activities are actually being carried out by the three modes of material nature. And karma is a very important part of this. The whole material world is organized in such a way that everyone’s karma is simultaneously fulfilled. So you did something bad to cause that person to steal your textbook and now he has done something bad by stealing your textbook and he will have to suffer for that. So this karma creates a huge entangling web. And we are struggling in this web of karma and just becoming more and more entangled in it.
We are not so concerned about understanding all the minute details of karma, we are concerned about how to become free from karma and that science Srila Prabhupada is teaching us in his books.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Sir,
Today India is 3rd most unsafe country in the world. Our leaders are corrupt. Dishonesty in society. Rvery person is selfish. We are not ashamed of deceiving anybody,braking rules.We are uneducated. We donate to obtain seat in school. We bribe to get job. There is no country like India.
I am the same Rukmini who had asked you the previous questions .Actually I an thirteen years old. Today while going to school to write my annual exam I was in hurry as there were only 5 minutes left. While I reached the end of the street and was crossing the door something really ,really terrible happened. A scooter knocked me down all of a sudden. I fell to the ground and so did the person on scooter. I became mad. I stood up and went to the other side of the road still not understanding what had happened. I shouted and cried to my brother who was standing on the other side of the road seeing this whole incident. I was crying out. People came and consoled me. But I was desperate shouting- don’t know what happened to me! I told them I had exam ,told them I was fine ,Shouted at my brother to come, hopelessly thinking what had happened. After a few minutes I got to know that I had actually met with an accident. I was anxious still shocked still horrified. My shoes had flown somewhere away.
My brother consoled me and took me back home and I argued that I had an exam to write even though he actually had the board exam. While going back home he told me that I had only been saved due to my starting chanting Hare Krishna Mantra otherwise I would have been killed on the spot. But I felt my Karma was only to that extent so I didn’t die.
Please tell me whether it was my Karma’s extent or Krishna’s mercy that nothing very severe happened to me
Hare Krishna Rukmini
I am sorry to hear of your accident. We should not be very surprised about such accidents. This is the nature of the material world. Padam Padam yad vipadam. “At every step there is danger.” So yes, certainly the accident was your bad karma from this or previous lives. But as your brother has correctly said, it is Krishna’s mercy for His devotees that He will minimize these karmic reactions so that instead of being killed or very seriously injured we may only be slightly hurt.
So a devotee understands the nature of the material world and is not very surprised by these things. A devotee is surrendered to Krishna and accepts everything as Krishna’s mercy, even though it may seem that it is a very bad thing happening to us, still the devotee accepts it as Krishna’s mercy.
We do not know Krishna’s plan. We simply want to serve Krishna, and if Krishna wants to kill us also we do not mind. We know that we are not this material body and that we are never killed actually. What we call death is simply the soul changing from one body to another. So a devotee is not afraid of death. Whatever advancement we have made in Krishna consciousness is permanent, our advancement in Krishna consciousness will never be lost. So even if we are forced to leave this body, if we die, then we will either go back home back to Godhead if we have attained the platform of Krishna consciousness or we will take birth again in a situation where we will be able to continue our Krishna consciousness.
So of course you should be a little careful and look outside the door before stepping out on the street… We have to see it like that this body is Krishna’s and that we should protect this body and look after it so we can use it to serve Krishna with. So we have to be careful, but ultimately these things happen, and ultimately for a devotee it is all Krishna’s arrangement. Sometimes we may not understand Krishna’s arrangement but we know that it is all Krishna’s mercy.
To the extent we are pure devotees then Krishna may adjust our karma, but because we have this material body the karma is there. It is not that because we are devotees of Krishna that our material bodies will not get old, get sick and die. No. Our bodies are going to get old, sick and die like the bodies of the materialists. But the difference is that we, as devotees of Krishna, realize that we are not these material bodies so we are not at all disturbed by our material bodies getting old, sick and dying. We know we are not the material body, we are the spirit soul within the body, and we are eternal servants of Krishna…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
So does it mean that actually Krishna taken mercy upon me? But how could it be when I have not engaged in His devotional service except for reading the sacred books . Does it mean that if someone else was in my place who did not read such books might have met with an accident?
To tell the truth , my mind is so polluted that I am not able to believe that Krishna exists. I feel all the past times are only creations for our enjoyment. I have read Bhagavad Geeta and now I am reading Srimad Bhagvatam 1st part. Yet sometimes doubt arises. Sometimes (I regret telling and say with utmost politeness) I feel that this website is also false. I love reading the books but my mind does not allow to believe them. Is this maya? If so please do tell me what to do. Please tell me some things or some phenomena that takes place in nature to doubtlessly proves that Krishna does exist.
Could you also give me any website in which I will get Young Krishna’s drawings because I love drawing Them.
Hare Krishna Rukmini
Krishna is very real and this website is also very real. You may have doubts but that is maya, illusion. You can get rid of maya, get rid of the illusion by chanting:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Sir
It should be Lord Krishna’s duty to eliminate foolishness n blindness from common man so that he leads path to moksha.It can not be agreed that man takes birth in material world without Lord Krishna’ s wish..
You need to rethink basis of phelosophy.
Hare Krishna
You are wrong. Krishna has given us limited independence. So we have the independence. We can serve Krishna or we can reject Krishna. That is our personal decision. It has nothing to do with Krishna. That we can decide on our own.
You have to understand that we, the living entities, are the same as Krishna, the Supreme living entity, in terms of qualities. Of course Krishna is unlimited in every respect while we are tiny in every way. So we share the same qualities as Krishna, although in us we have these qualities in a very small quantity. So as Krishna is supremely independent, we also have independence, although our independence is very limited. Still we can choose to use our independence to surrender to Krishna and serve Him or we can use our independence to reject Krishna and we can desire to try to enjoy ourselves, just like Krishna. So Krishna has created this material world complete with the illusion, maya, that we can be happy separately from Krishna, and if we misuse our independence then that is the cause of us taking birth in the material world.
So us taking birth in the material world is our fault. It is not Krishna’s wish that we misuse our independence. It is Krishna’s wish that we be happy and if we misuse our independence we will not be happy. But that is the meaning of independence. We can use it properly or we can misuse it.
If Krishna “eliminated the foolishness and blindness of the common man” then that would mean Krishna would have to eliminate our independence. Because we become foolish and blind due to the misuse of our independence.
So you have to understand that we are the cause of our own suffering. Krishna does not want us to suffer, but we do suffer because we have misused our independence. That is our fault. It is not Krishna’s fault.
Actually Krishna is always helping us in so many ways to rectify us and bring us back into our normal happy situation. He has provided all the knowledge in the Vedas and spritual literatures all over the world. He has Himself incarnated into the material world to guide us and to give us a glimpse into the spiritual world, our real home. And He has sent so many saints, prophets, gurus and guides to help men back onto the spiritual path.
So Krishna is trying in every way to help us. Still ultimately we have a little independence and we have to choose ourselves to surrender to and serve Krishna. He is not going to take that independence away from us. Because our relationship with Krishna is one of love. Voluntary selfless love. So there is no meaning to love if there is force. So if Krishna was to force us to serve Him that would not be love. So Krishna will not force. We have to decide to serve Krishna or to reject Krishna. And if we decide to reject Krishna then that is the cause of us taking birth in this material world.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Actually first when I didn’t know that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead I believed in the existence of God( including demigods) and I always thought of no chance of God not existing. Ever since I have started reading Bhagavad Geeta I have gained a lot of interest in it. However I don’t know why but sometimes I feel that all this is false and God does not exist. I have now finished readind Bhagavad Geeta with full interest and have moved on to Srimad Bhagvatam and am reading Part 1. I feel good reading it but at times when I am not reading it I feel it is all false and all the stories are just falsely made .I feel really mad about myself. Is this the attack of Maaya or anything else.
Please, kindly give me a remedy to this.
Hare Krishna Rukmini
These doubts in your mind are maya. That is how maya works. You have to know it for an absolute fact that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that the Bhagavad-gita is a real actual conversation that took place between Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield of Kuruksettra just before one of the greatest battles this planet has ever seen. And you have to know that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the actual description of the activities of Krishna and his devotees and their interactions with the demons also sometimes, and that it is the paramahamsa-samhita. Srimad-Bhagavtam is the cream or the essence of all the Vedas. It was written by Srila Vyasadeva as his final and supreme literary contribution.
You can read about it in the Bhagavatam itself but Srila Vyasadeva had already written all the other Vedic books, but even after writing so much literature he was still not satisfied. So his spiritual master Narada Muni visited him and inquired why he was not happy. And Srila Vyasadeva lamented to Narada Muni that even after writing so many literatures he was not satisfied. So Narada Muni let Srila Vyasadeva know that the reason for his despondency was that in all his Vedic literatures he had not elaborately described Krishna and the pastimes of Krishna. Of course there is some mention of Krishna, but it is included with so much materialistic religiosity and so many things that are not actually pure devotional service. So Narada-Muni told Srila Vyasadeva to write the Srimad-Bhagavatam simply describing the pastimes of Krishna and His incarnations.
So Srimad-Bhagavatam is real and all the personalities you read about in Srimad-Bhagavatam are real. And you know this when you are reading it. Because you can feel it when you are reading it. But once you stop reading and after some time maya is trying to tell you that this Bhagavatam is all nonsense and you should not read it. That is what maya does. So we have to become strong and fight maya and just keep chanting Hare Krishna and reading Srimad-Bhagavatam 24 hours a day. Kirtanya sada hari and nityam bhagavata sevaya. That will be very nice.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
1st question- What does eternal exactly mean? I am not understanding the concept of eternal. There must have been something that created…. I know Krishna is eternal but how can it be? How can anyone come out of nothing.
2nd question- In many scriptures they have given that you will progress very well only under a bonafide spiritual master. But are we to considers the books themselves as the representstive of Srila Prabhupada?
Hare Krishna Rukmini
Yes. Because we only have experience of the material world where everything has a beginning we can not understand the concept of eternity. That is because of our material contamination. But you should be able to understand the concept that we are eternal, Krishna is eternal. It means Krishna and ourselves have no beginning an no end. We are never born and we never die. We are eternal. You should be able to theologically understand this at least. We were never born, we were never created, we have always existed in the past and we will always exist with Krishna in the future also. There is no possibility of us or Krishna ever not existing.
Yes. Srila Prabhupada himself instructs us that “I am living in my books and you will utilize.” That was even the case in Prabhupada’s physical presence. Prabhupada had 10,000 devotees and a very large percentage of these devotees had very little or no opportunity to associate with Srila Prabhupada physically. They only associated with Srila Prabhupada through reading his books and hearing his classes. Even when Prabhupada was physically present. So now we can still associate with Srila Prabhupada by reading his books and by hearing his classes. If you surrender to Srila Prabhupada in this way you will come to realize that Srila Prabhupada is actually living in his books and in the form of his transcendental books he can guide us and answer any question we may have.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
I hope this email finds you well. So…on February 13 (last week), Mid afternoon I was washing dishes after cooking. Right in front of me at the sink is a window sill is a 4X6 picture of Jesus. So am washing dishes and listening to Radhanath Swami (he makes me feel better) and all of a sudden my eyes catch this blaring glowing bright light, and a man appears to me right next to Jesus’s pic. A blue man w a flute. He was glowing, radiant, majestic, magnificent and very very elegant in his poise with the flute. He appears then disappears! Krishna! Why did He appear to me? I’m a devout Christian and non believer. So why on earth did Krishna come to me???
Not sure if this is related but 2 months back a grandma passed. I’m sitting at the wake and prayers are going on in this orthodox Christian church and all of a sudden I feel like someone put a crown on my head. It hurt…like a crown of pressure. I just don’t understand any of this. I beg of you, plz shed some light on this for me. I don’t know who to ask. Two ppl said I’ll find the answer from within but honesty this is all a little too much!!! I’m just a simple person living an ordinary life. Plz tell me what you think! Thank you!!
If Krishna is appearing to you then you need to find out more about Krishna. Please read the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. You will find everything you are looking for there.
You can purchase them at http://www.KrishnaStore.com, you can read them online at http://www.PrabhupadaBooks.com and you can download them as PDF files from http://www.Krishna.org
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
We, Hindus worship Sun as God. It is a star and every man can see it whether he has pure or impure eye sight or even the soul. Science accepts existence of such billions of stars.Science has so far not succeeded proving that God does exist.
I do believe in God which is present in universe as supreme energy. but, i do not know how it does affect my day to day life.Can I get answers for following,
1. Why Lord krushna was ruling only small area like Mathura, Vrindavan, Sorti Somnath etc.Who was ruling other part of the earth ?( Leave about other part of Universe)
2. Could our God like Krishna travel other parts of universe which are many many Light years away from earth?
Hindus do not know what they are worshiping or why unfortunately. If you ask any Hindu to explain why he is worshiping or to explain the philosophy behind it he will be unable to. They do not know. The knowledge has been lost due to it not being properly taught or carried down through the generations.
Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The ‘sun god’, currently of the name Vivasvan, is a devotee of Krishna. So the sun god is a very great and powerful personality in the universe of course. And we are completely dependent upon the sun god to supply us with heat and light, without which we can not exist in this material world. But the sun god is a living entity just like you or me. He is a very elevated soul, who has reached this high platform because of his penances and austerity and service. But you could also become the sun god, you could become Lord Brahma or you could become any one of the thousands and thousands of demigods.
A demigod is a man who has godly qualities. So the sun god is like this. He is a man but he has some godly qualities. But you will know it very clearly that the sun is within this material world. Therefore the sun god is also within this material world. So because the sun god himself is within the material world he can not help us to get out of the material world. So the sun god, and the other demigods, can only help us with some benedictions within the material world. And benedictions within the material world are temporary, and temporary benefits can not help the eternal soul in the long run.
So the ‘sun god’ is not god. He is an ordinary living entity like you or me who has been elevated to high position of responsibility in the universal management. So the sun god is very respectable to us and we offer him all respects and glorify him in his relationship as a devotee of Krishna. All the demigods, including the sun god, are devotees of Krishna. But they are not pure devotees of Krishna. They still have some material desires so they are promoted to big powerful posts within the material world. But a pure devotee does not have any interest in a big post in the material world. He simply wants to serve Krishna. That is his purpose in life.
So the real point is Hindus are totally confused and the only way out of this mess is if you can try to forget everything you have learned and study Srila Prabhupada’s books. The way to approach a spiritual master is to first make our minds a ‘blank slate’. We have to forget all the nonsense we have learned in the past and simply surrender to Srila Prabhupada and hear everything from him. It is only in this way that you will be able to understand and realize the true nature of Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the sun god and other demigods.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
I read your reponse to this question but does not feel quiet comfortable accepting what you have said. You have mentioned that hindus don’t know anything… this can’t be a correct statement… it means people who have no knowledge does not know anything because they have no knowledge so saying hindus do not know anything is not appropriate.
Second you mentioned to forget everything you learnt before…. and surrender to Prabhupad… why one should surrender to a person who is matter… Why somebody should surrender to body/matter which at the end of the day dies…..I think One should surrender only to GOD/Krishna.
God is everywhere … to some people Krishna’s form… what about others….. I think God loves everybody and different parts of the world may have different form…. In our Scripture we have Ram as well… different age, and time different form comes…….
Yes. You have to surrender to Krishna. But surrendering to Krishna means surrendering to Krishna’s instructions. So what does Krishna order you:
Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth. (Bhagavad-gita 4.34)
So Krishna is ordering you to surrender to a bona fide spiritual master because he can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth. So this is what Krishna orders. It is not possible for us to understand Krishna, to see Krishna, to surrender to Krishna, without the blessings and mercy of a pure devotee of Krishna. Krishna is not available directly like this.
The only way that Krishna can become accessible to us, understandable by us, available to us, is via the mercy of His pure devotees. So the path to Krishna is only open to those who are prepared to surrender to a pure devotee of Krishna. It is not possible for anyone else to understand Krishna.
The bona fide spiritual master is not matter. In fact no person is matter. Every person is a spirit soul. So everyone is spiritual in nature but that spiritual nature is covered by the material body. So in this covered position we identify with the material body and think, “I am an Indian,” “I am a Hindu,” “I am an Australian,” etc. But we are none of these things. We have nothing to do with these material bodies actually. We are constantly changing, life after life, from one type of material body to another. We are not the material body. We are the soul who is transmigrating through so many different material bodies. It is like a person can drive many different motor cars but the person is not the motor cars. And he does not change when he drives a different motor car. So we are like that. We are the driver within the material body and we are constantly changing into different material bodies. But we, as the driver, remain the same person.
Even in this life we change into so many different material bodies. We start with a child’s body, then we get a boy’s body, a man’s body, an old man’s body and then death comes and death is simply another change of body…
So the point is a liberated soul, a pure devotee, a bona fide spiritual master, is not on the bodily concept of life. He is constantly in touch with Krishna and actually he does not speak on his own behalf. He is constantly in communication with Krishna so he speaks for Krishna. So the disciples of the bona fide spiritual master see him as being ‘saksad hari’, which means ‘directly Krishna’.
So the bona fide spiritual master is not Krishna but because he is completely surrendered to Krishna and is speaking for Krishna, he is just saying what Krishna tells him to say, then hearing from the bona fide spiritual master is not different from hearing from Krishna directly.
And this is the system Krishna orders us to follow. We have to find a bona fide spiritual master and hear from him about Krishna. It is not that we can access Krishna directly while we are in the material concept of life.
Of course later on, when we also become free from the bodily concept of life, when we become liberated, when we become advanced in Krishna consciousness, and this is only possible by the mercy of the bona fide spiritual master, then we will also be able to directly communicate with Krishna. But this is not possible without surrender, submission and service to the bona fide spiritual master.
So surrendering to Krishna means surrendering to Srila Prabhupada, a pure devotee of Krishna. That is what Krishna orders you to do. So if you do not do this, if you try to surrender to Krishna directly, not via the bona fide spiritual master, then you are disobeying the orders of Krishna and you will never be able to understand Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
To be a sun god must be boring, being stuck in one position for billions of years to serve mother earth, similary to Moksa, complete merging with the brahman effulgence, you are just stuck in one position, a constant, without time and movements. Even you happliy feel that you have everything and understand everything, you’re still stuck in one position and can’t move or be creative in any way – except to fall down to the material world again, that’s the only move one can make – if God doesn’t bring you to Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrndavana, though.
Poor sun 😉
Hare Krishna Jim
Impersonal liberation is boring, merging into the brahman effulgence. Becoming ‘one’ with the universe… Of course it is not actually possible to become one. Because we are all eternally individual spirit souls. But we, as a bright shiny spirit soul, can enter the brahmajoti and shine there with all the other bright spirit souls. There is no ability to express our individuality in such impersonal ‘liberation’, there is no opportunity for us to perform any activities, and there is no opportunity for us to associate with anyone else. So this impersonal liberation is very boring. And that is the reason that these so-called liberated souls fall down again to the material world, because they get totally bored with no identity, no individuality, no activities and no one to associate with.
The sun god, however, is in a different position. He is in a far grater position than we are here on earth. He has a very long duration of life and on the sun planet, which is a heavenly planet, all the facilities for material enjoyment are unlimited better than what we have to ‘enjoy’ here on earth. So, from the material point of view, the sun god is in a far better position than us. His life is not boring like those who get impersonal liberation. He has so many activities, he has so many relationships with the other living entities there on the sun planet and he has his individuality and personality. And of course the sun god is also a devotee of Krishna. So he is not in a very bad position, in comparison with us on earth, but you are correct of course, that he is stuck there on the sun for the duration of his life and even the sun god has to get old, sick and ultimately die. But he is in a far, far better position than us on earth from the material point of view and he is a devotee, although not a pure devotee. He still has material desires to fulfill, so instead of going back home back to Godhead, he has been promoted to a big powerful position in the material universe.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krsna Madhudvisa dasa. Is not Bhagavad Gita spoken to sun-god millions of years ago by Krsna. i mean the Sun-God of our universe. And a while back also i heard that they are different brahmas for every universe. All of them are devotees but not pure devotee like the Brahma of our universe. I know Brahma is a pure devotee as Srila Prabhupada is from the Brahma Sampradaya and we follow and obey him. But the sun god is also of our universe right.
Hare Krishna Harischandra
You are correct, there are many universes. The example is given that there are as many universes as in a big bag of mustard seeds. So you can just imagine how many tiny mustard seeds there are in one of those big bags that the spice merchants purchase the bulk mustard seeds in. So there are many, many universes and each universe has it’s own separate Lord Brahma, Sun God, and all the other demigods. These things like Lord Brahma, sun god, etc, are posts. And every universe has these posts, but there are different devotees in each universe in these posts. So every universe has a sun god and a Lord Brahma but they are different devotees in each universe. All of the demigods are more-or-less not pure devotees because if they were pure devotees they would not be in the material world, they would be in the spiritual world. Our Lord Brahma of course you can read about in Krsna Book, he was bewildered by Krishna, he tried to use his mystic power to trick Krishna, but Krishna tricked Brahma with His greater mystic power. So since then, 5000 years ago, certainly our Lord Brahma is a pure devotee of Krishna. But the demigods are generally materialistic devotees. They believe in Krishna and worship Krishna are are serving Krishna by carrying out their various responsibilities in the management of the universe, but at the same time they are still attached to opulence and power and other material attachments…
So yes, the sun god that Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita that he spoke it to millions of years ago is our sun god.
Everything we experience is within this one universe. Each universe is covered by seven layers of coverings. It is like a shell. So each universe is enclosed in a shell. And we can not see out of that shell… So everything we know is within our one tiny universe. But beyond the shell of our universe there are unlimited other universes…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
There is no answer on my second message? Maybe I was to honest? I have to be honest so you guys can understand my position quickly. Please don’t prejudge me because of that. I’ve attained Moksa, before reading or practicing any religion in this matter, and I got that experience 11 years ago. I can teach everyone to attain Moksa, explain in a very deep detail, and everyone who follow my example will be liberated from this material world, into this bright spiritual formless light.
I have been searching for someone who had exact experience with mine for 11 years, and I found noone. A few one who clamid that they have been liberated, being one with Brahman, but those was just a bunch of liers when I anylized them into the deepth. So I feel very alone with my experience, only the Vedas can tell about it in a very detailed way that is exactly the same with mine. If something is true about the Vedas, then the stories of mergin with Brahman effulgence is true, becaue I have verified it and it is 100% proof correct. All the rest I have no idea if its true or not, because I didn’t have any experience about it yet, like paramatma which sound like a mix of material and spirituality, because you are able to be in your material body when you achieve paramatma. And then about God’s personality – no experience about it and I can’t say if the vedas tells the truth or not, because I have no experince about it.
I had a guru before, ex ISKCON member who was a diciple and was serving Prabhupada in that time, but got crazy and lost his believes in the vedas and turned to a buddhist monk.
Acctually I have been fighting in life all alone without any gurus most of my life. As I said, my Moksa liberation I got by seeking deeply inside me, beyond the senses and words without knowing what I would find, and this with noones instructions. So I am an explorer in life, not only in outside life also in inside life, veeeery deep inside, it is so subtle that no machine or tool can mesure the life in there.
So what I told you in my previous message was just the obstacles I encountred and don’t know how to get across it. So I was honest I told how it is, so someone can easily find my mistakes or direct me in a more precise way.
My english is not the best so feel free to ask me questions about the things I couldn’t explain very well, then I can try to focusing more on the grammer, the choise of meaningas or to explain in a more detail way. I suck in language and I will always be, that’s my personality. I don’t give much attention to the language, my brain feels dizzy and are distracting my pure feelings from heart.
Hare Krsna!
Jim
Hare Krishna Jim
You boast that you have got moksha, you are liberated, and you can teach others also how to become liberated. But then later on you write that you are lonely. So what is the point of teaching others your moksha. They will only become lonely like you are. If you are interested in bright, spiritual formless light you have come to the wrong website. We are interested in Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead here. And when you reestablish your loving relationship with Krishna you will realize that your ‘bright spiritual formless light’ is just a slight glimmer of the effulgence of Krishna…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy! [forget about the bright formless impersonal light… There is no future for you there. Only more loneliness.]
Madhudvisa dasa
Thank you for your reply. I guess you missunderstood me a bit. I’m searching for God’s personallity, and so far I have only experienced his impersonal aspect, brahman.
One message is gone. I wrote about how it is possible to enter and visit God in person in Vaikuntha. As I know the Vaikuntha is inside this effulgence, but I don’t know why I’m just stuck in the light. But 11 years ago when I had my liberation I had no God in my heart, and that’s why I couldn’t get futher than to lose my indivituallity in this spiritual light. Awesome experience when first feeling of seperating and mergin completely with this light, thought I became God, but I just got tricked to believe in that, so later I understood I just became one with one of his qualities. Anyways. I reached Moksha without any mantras, and when I chant Hare Krsna, how can I leave my body and brain to enter the brahman effulgence and from there enter Vaikuntha. To be completely spiritualisted I need to leave my thoughts, because the thoughts is one of the attachments to materialism.
And I can teach the way to the people how to, step by step, be liberated to Moksha. I could write a book, but how many would follow my example? People are more into playing playstaion or xbox than to sit down and draw back all the material attachments. My method is no mystic, it is about how you are, how you works, so the method works on everybody because we are built in the same way.
As I said, I can teach it to everyone, but I’m not that interested to do it because if everyone would be libirated they would encounter the same problem – they would get bored of it. So that’s why I’m trying to find Vaikuntha and God’s personality. I have seeking it for many years without any experience about it. Sometimes my brain is tricking me as long as I am attached to my brain. I don’t know if I experience something mixed spirituality and material. I just want 100% spiritual experience as I had in the brahman experience, but instead of Brahman I want to experience Vaikuntha, how is it possible for me to do that without to grow old and die first?
It’s hard to tell about my liberation, because people is just leaving me when I seek futher help. I don’t know why. This is me and I just told about what happend in my life and I just want to tell about my todays position so someone can easily understand where I stand. But ofcourse, I can lie about my experience and act like someone who never attained any spiritual at all, but that would be to cheat myself and others that are trying to help me. How can someone help me if I’m not honest to them?
I’m not thinking I am someone more than others. Through my experience I see every soul equal to mine, the only difference is that they don’t know about the hidden spiritual spark where you find in Moksha.
I’m a good guy. And all my life I have been struggling to find out the meaning of life. And my wish is to teach people how to find God’s personality, not how to become one with one of his impersonal spiritual qualities. But sometimes I believe it can be good to know about your root position, that you’re not stuck in believing that you are just the body and brain.
But about Veda, even I had my liberation and Vedas comfuse me a lot, but that’s maya I believe. I want real expeirences.
How is it to meet with God in person? Have you trancended to Vaikuntha, how is it? My ex ISKCON guru claimed to have been visiting Vaikuntha, but never got any instructions how to go there. But I believe later that must been som illusion only, because he disbelived in the Vedas and turned to a boring buddhist monk later.
So still, everything about Brahman is true in the Vedas and all other stuff is just hidden for me and I want to reveal everything else that is written in the Vedas. And after that I would be happy to teach everyone about God 🙂 Through my words and expeirnces.
Hare Krishna.
Hare Krishna Jim
Why don’t you read Srila Prabhupada’s books?
You have an ex-ISKCON guru but you do not exhibit any signs that you have ever seriously studied Srila Prabhupada’s books.
Of course we can meet Krishna in person but that is not the process. The process is to find a pure devotee of Krishna, to surrender to him and to serve him. It is only by the mercy of a pure devotee of Krishna that we can meet Krishna. If we want to meet Krishna then we have to be introduced to Krishna by one of His confidential devotees. Otherwise there is no possibility of meeting Krishna.
So your concern should not be how to meet Krishna. Your concern should be how to meet Srila Prabhupada, a pure devotee of Krishna, how to surrender to Srila Prabhupada, how to serve Srila Prabhupada. Because it is only by the mercy of a pure devotee of Krishna that you will ever be able to meet Krishna.
ISKCON is doing so much harm to people like yourself by presenting demons as pure devotees of Krishna and once you have surrendered to a demon and accepted him as your spiritual master it is very difficult to ever surrender again. This creates a huge crack in the heart which is very difficult to repair. But Krishna consciousness is only available by surrender. So ISKCON is destroying the chance of so many from practically ever becoming Krishna conscious by forcing them to accept bogus gurus.
So you have gone through a very bad experience and to recover from this is not an easy thing. It is very dangerous to one’s spiritual life to accept someone who is not a pure devotee of Krishna as one’s spiritual master. There is nothing so effective in destroying Krishna consciousness as this. Even if the guru is ‘sincere’ it does not matter. If he is not a pure devotee of Krishna he is incapable of guiding you to Krishna. He is a cheater, he is a demon. He is presenting himself as something which he is not. He is claiming to give something that he does not himself posses.
Your questions do not have one line answers.
Srila Prabhupada has written dozens of books simply because to explain these things requires dozens of books. So if you want to understand Krishna consciousness then you have to surrender and read all of Srila Prabhupada’s books.
Krishna consciousness is a great science but if you are not prepared to study the books then how can you expect that you will ever understand it?
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Sir
Shirsaahtang Namaskar.
Kinsly explain, The Sun as you claim the sun i originaly a man and is been given reaponaibilty.It meance he is from earth. Does it mean earth is oldee than sun. Science qill not agrwe yo that.
Why Lord Krishna n Ram rulled only small area of olden India when they atw controller of whole universe
You misunderstand. The sun is not a man. The sun is a planet. The sun-god is a man, actually not a man as we know, he is a demigod, which is a body far superior to a man’s body as we know it. The sun-god is the principal person on the sun planet. The leader of all the other people on the sun planet. The sunshine is the shining effulgence of the bodies of the sun god and of all the other people on the sun planet.
So there are many people on the sun planet and they all have very brilliantly effulgent bodies. The sun god is the principal person on the sun planet, the leader of the sun planet. But the sun is a planet, not a person.
It is not that the earth is the only place where there are men, persons. No. There are people everywhere throughout the universe. So you do not have a very complete understanding of these things. I suggest you read the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and automatically you will come to understand so many things. Reading Srila Prabhupada’s books is very satisfying and a great source of knowledge and inspiration.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Namaskar,
If, Sungod is a demigod and entity like us, with godly characteristics. How will you define the `Big Bang` theory wherein many many Galaxies and Stars (like our own sun) were born,
Which theory is correct?
I have not heard answers to many of my questions asked earlier
Best Regards
‘big bang theory’ is total nonsense. If you want to understand these things scientifically you have to read Srila Prabhupada’s books. Everything about the creation is completely and scientifically explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam. If you want the knowledge then you have to study the books. That is the only way.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Sir,
I agree, I have not read or studied any of the books you suggested but I will surely buy and read.I would like to know on what scientific basis you claim `Big bang` theory to be Nonsense.
Scientists have studied after effects of Big explosion. We can also see process of dyeing and birth taking process of Galaxies , stars far away from our own Galaxy. And we know that, this process is following the path of science that we know. Theory of Big Bang has sense.
Regards
Theory of big bang is only a guess with no actual knowledge of what is going on at all in the universe.
What they are noticing is the universe is expanding, and the universe is expanding, but they do not know how it started or why it is expanding, nor do they know what it will do in the future.
However, because we get this information from the Vedic knowledge we know everything.
We know that there are many, many universes, not just one. We know that the universes all emanate from the pores of the body of Maha-Visnu lying on the causal ocean every time He breathes out. The come out very small, in seed form and as they move further away from the body of Maha-Visnu they expand. But when Maha-Visnu starts to breate in then the process is reversed. All the universes start to shrink back to the seed form again and again enter into the body of Maha-Visnu. They remain within His body until He breathes out again and then the same process repeats.
So that is what is actually happening. That is the real science. You will not know how wrong the modern science is until you know really what is happening.
They have just made up this ‘big bang’ theory. But it is stupid. They say there was a big bang, which came out of nothing and which was caused by nothing and from this nothingness immediately the whole universe was created. So this is the insane rantings of crazy men and you like it? So I think you have not actually thought about this crazy, insane, childish ‘big bang theory…’
Read Prabhupada’s books. If you don’t read the books how will you understand the science?
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Shir Sashtang Namaskar,
Kindly answer why Lord Krishna ruled very very small area like Mathura when he was controller of universe.
You say,India is the holiest place that is why Rama, Krishna appeared 5000years before, but today.. there is no other place on earth like Hindustan,
Our temples are dirty,. We bribe God.
We lie to God.We fight within ourselves on Jati, Dharma. Most are illiterate, stay in slums drink alcohol play jugar, Look at our Political scenario. Most of them are corrupt, illiterate,Gundas.
Look at other places where Gods did not appear, they are (mostly Western and far Eastern) countries technologically developed,their standard of living. Quality of life they are living.
Hare Krishna
Yes. India and Indians are being punished for rejecting Krishna consciousness. India is punya-bhumi, the land of pious activities. But they have turned it into the land of sinful activities, the land of sinners. It is difficult to find a more sinful place than today’s India. You have the most abortions, rape, child sex, etc, etc, etc. Now in every family there is alcohol drinking and every sinful activity and everyone is just concerned about money. Success = money in today’s India. India is not meant for this materialistic society full of sin and corruption and cheating. So India and Indians are suffering. India is not meant for this.
The Western countries are meant for technological and materialistic advancement and India is meant for spritual advancement. Unfortunately Indians have given up spiritual life and are hankering after becoming materially advanced like the Western countries. But this material advancement is not for India. India is punya-bhumi, the land of pious activities. But they have made it the land of sinners. It is a very sad state indeed.
I think the only real hope for India is if we can convince the Western countries to take to Krishna consciousness and I think if the whole world takes to Krishna consciousness then finally India will be forced to rediscover her original culture. The Westerners will have to bring Krishna consciousness back to India…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Shir Sashtang Namaskar,
Why have we turned into sinners,what made us to reject Krishna`s services? No, Most Indians are Paapbhiru, they are afraid of making sin.Our leaders are are wrong. They have spoiled every thing over a period. But our Lord Krishna is waiting for the pot of sin to overflow, he is not bothered, not concerned about sufferings of common man. Common man is always rejected even by the God.
Situation has made common man sinful. God should take note of this.
Person advocating God for this situation is equally responsible to the suffering in common man`s life.
This is the God`s sin.
Thanks
Milind
Hare Krishna
It is true that the Indian leaders, and leaders everywhere at the moment, are bad. And the common people follow the leaders. So the bad leaders have made the general people bad.
The common man in India used to be afraid of sin. But I think they are not any more. At least not the younger people. They have embraced sinful life so fully and so completely I think generally Indians are no longer afraid of committing sinful activities. It is a great loss for India.
God is always there to help. But we need to turn to Him for help. He will help us if we want His help…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Rama Hare Krushna,
Leaders in Punyabhumi are bad .They have spoiled generation , made it sinful.
Please note, common man can not identify what is bad or what is good as he has been kept illiterate.
So, whatever sin he does is because he is blind.
But Leaders and also common people in other countries( mostly developed) are loyal to their country, society. They do hard work, study hard develop technology and lead happy life. They do not find need to commit sin in day to day life ( like what we Indians do).
Does it mean Materialism is better than Spiritualism?
.It is difficult to digest that India will have to depend on Western world for first they come under Krushna`s consciousness and then lead India back to spiritualism.
Sir,
If we ask Western Countries to take spirituality and leave Materiology.
Very soon the whole world will be in Dark. There will be no technological development. No work No study just chanting.
We will go into 13 th century.
Is that not true?
Kindly answer.
Thanks,
Milind
15/04/14
Hare Krishna Milind
No, you are wrong here. If the whole world takes to Krishna consciousness the world will not be dark. Far from that! It will be very bright, flooded with the spiritual effulgence of Lord Caitanya’s sankirtan movement. Not at all dark. Exactly the opposite to dark!!!
And you misunderstand Krishna consciousness. Our philosophy is not to reject material things. We know everything belongs to Krishna, everything is the energy of Krishna and the proper use of Krishna’s energy is to engage it in Krishna’s service.
So whatever technological advances are there we will use them in Krishna’s service. If you look at the history of the Krishna consciousness movement you will see that we are always utilizing the most modern technology to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world. We are preaching on the internet. We are using it. We are using everything for spreading Krishna consciousness.
This is the philosophy of ‘yukta vairagya’ enunciated by Srila Rupa Goswami. This is practical renunciation. The Mayavadis try to give up everything material with their slogan ‘brahma satyam jagat mithya’ “brahman is truth and the material world is false.” But this is an incorrect idea. The material energy, although inferior, is also Krishna’s energy. So it is not false. It is true. So the perfection of the material energy is to engaged it in the service of Krishna.
And you know I think that devotees do not just chant. They work in so many ways.
And the other thing is not everyone is going to become a devotee. Krishna consciousness can only be accepted by intelligent persons and most people are not intelligent. A materialist is not going to surrender to Krishna. So we are not expecting that everyone will become Krishna conscious. But if we can get even a small percentage, say 5% of the population of the world, to become serious devotees, then the whole world will change.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
The real reason why Bhagavan Shri Krishna cannot be seen or appear in our time is the proper time for establishing dharma or righteousness has not yet come, and he can be known and be seen in his form through simple Bhakti (devotion). He can be seen if one practice Bhakti and follow dharma, for I know a person who saw him in person through divine vision. Yes you may think I’m talking utter foolishness when I say this, but I want humanity to know he can be seen in these times. That person who saw him was bless by him and he dedicated his life in serving humanity. People like him are very rare.
I encourage everyone who seek him to read the Gita and understand it. Have faith and yes they will be tests from the Lord to see if you are worthy of seeing him. Beware of ego, lust anger, pride, doubts, falsehood and malice. Forgive those who hurt you, Bear no malice towards no one, see Shri Krishna present in all, and think of him at all times. Offer your actions to him and depend on him with no fear and doubt like Arjuna did and surely you will attain him. This is the message of the Bhagavad Gita.
May Shri Krishna dispel everyone ignorance and instill wisdom. Happy Krishna Janamashtami to everyone.
thanks a lot ,but i am a bit disappointed that it is not possible to see my god directly and quickly as i thought,but i am sure that one day the supreme godhead will come for me or show me the way to see him.
please tell me : I Heared from one of the devotee that once someone from Iskcon told her that “you should be happy that the lord is coming in your dreams and it shows that he is near you”.
so please tell me that is this sentence of word possible? because you told me that dreams are not very important and generally we can not take them too seriously.
so ,please tell me more about this dream coming about lord Krishna in devotees mind…… please i will be waiting for your truthful reply. can dreams of lord Krishna be believed?
Hare Krishna Harini
I already told you. It is very nice that you are dreaming about Krishna, but dreaming is not very important. What is important is practical service. We have to do something practically for Krishna. Of course even dreaming about serving Krishna is good and that is also sometimes counted as good as actual service. But you know Krishna consciousness is not really about dreaming about Krishna, it is about surrendering to Krishna and serving Krishna and this can only be done if you have a bona fide spiritual master, and he will guide you how to serve Krishna.
Dreaming about Krishna is nice. It is so much better than dreaming about maya… But still dreams are not very important and we do not take them very seriously.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
thanks you so much for your reply.
hare krsna…
i am just 14, and my question now is what can i do to serve my krsna so that he can be happy?
i will surely follow your instruction .please kindly tell me what i should do at this age,because i am not a free bird in this material world . please help me;( . my parents never encourage me in this. i dont know why……
so now i have found a right person to ask me …so pls kindly give me a good reply about how can i over come my parents interference in my prayers.
i always say hare krishna 108 times a day.
Hare Krishna Harini
It is not that we can directly serve Krishna. Krishna is not so easily available as that. We have to follow Krishna’s instructions in the Bhagavad-gita. So certainly if you read Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is then Krishna will be please that you are doing that. But the point is that Krishna instructs in the Gita that if one wants to become Krishna conscious he has to approach a bona fide spiritual master, offer obeisances to him, surrender to him, serve him, Krishna says that such a self-realized bona fide spiritual master can give you real knowledge because he has seen the truth. This is Bhagagavad-gita 4.34. And this is really the secret to advancement in Krishna consciousness. You have to have a bona-fide spiritual master, you have to surrender to him, you have to offer obeisances to him, you have to serve him…
It is only through the blessings of the bona fide spiritual master that we can get Krishna.
So at this point you need to develop a relationship with Srila Prabhupada because by his blessings you will be able to develop a real and direct and personal relationship with Krishna. But this is only possible by pleasing Krishna’s pure devotee. That is the way it works. Krishna is not available directly. And you can develop a relationship with Srila Prabhupada by reading his books. Prabhupada is living in his books and if you surrender to reading Prabhupada’s books then he will tell you what to do.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
hi everyone.
hare krsna….
i am really facing a hard time in this material world. i always have my devotion for sree krsna.as he always comes in my dream especially the days i visit the iskcon temple. i really surrendered me to krsna .please someone helpme understand this , that is about the dreams of krsna i get.
so my question is will lord krsna come for me and his devotees. will my dreams about krsna come true?
Hare Krishna Harini
It is very good that you are thinking about Krishna and therefore dreaming about Krishna. Actually dreams are not very important and generally we can not take them too seriously. Everyone is having a hard time in the material world but when we actually become devotees we will realize that we are not these material bodies but that we are spirit souls, eternal servants of Krishna, and we will engage ourselves in the service of Krishna by surrendering to a pure devotee and serving him, following his directions.
The most important think is that you chant the Hare Krishna mantra at least 16 rounds a day, that you strictly follow the four regulative principles: no illicit sex, no meat eating, no gambling and no intoxication, and that you read Srila Prabhupada’s books at least 1-2 hours a day. This is the beginning of Krishna consciousness.
Krishna consciousness is about practical activity, engaging our senses in the service of Krishna, and there is a process to awaken our Krishna consciousness and if we want to become actually Krishna conscious we have to follow this process.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Why did Krishna create marginal energies or souls? Why does he need so many souls to love him? Your views seem to suggest an egoistic Krishna and I know that’s not what you mean for us to understand. Please clarify. Hare Krishna
Of course these things are a bit hard to understand for us because we have no conception of spiritual. It is different to material. It is not really that Krishna created he marginal energies although on the other hand we understand the living entities are all expansions of Krishna and then the question comes as to when did the Krishna expand the jiva souls. But this is a problem with us trying to superimpose our material experience as to how things are created in the material world on Krishna in the spiritual world but it is different and we have no way of actually understanding and conceiving of this. There are many things like that in Krishna consciousness, that are avan manasa gochara, beyond the ability of our minds to conceive of and beyond the power of our senses to perceive. So what I am basically saying is that you will not be able to understand the answer to this question until you become Krishna conscious…
So become Krishna conscious.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
This is Dasha of Russia, Just see the occult phenomena of God, Meteriods collapsed on that country where the Bagvad Gita was banned and this is the reternal truth of God’s existance. As I saw in OMG Film in our country but we saw the justice of GOD in truth. So, Truth is Truth !.
Hare Krishna Madhudvisa dasa,
I have realized the power of Krishna in the past 4 years. I simply have to chant his name to feel complete bliss. I can’t explain how I feel. However, my understanding is still very limited. Which is why your teachings are so important to people like me. Please answer one question I had. If the soul is Nirguna, it can have no desires and wants. Then why do you say that the soul desires to imitate Krishna and hence Krishna lets us enter the material world?
Vivek
Hare Krishna Vivek
Your ideas are contaminated by the impersonal and mayavadi philosophies that are so prevalent in India and now all over the world. The idea that the soul can ‘have no desires and wants’ is completely false, completely incorrect. Actually the soul is eternally existing and eternally has desires and wants. These desires and wants, however, can be of two very different types. A materialist has material desires and a transcendentalist has spiritual desires.
These impersonalists that you have obviously been hearing from of course are transcendentalists. But they have no knowledge of Krishna and the spiritual world. They have no spiritual conception so they can not imagine spiritual desires. They have, through jnana [knowledge], come to the realization that all desires and wants in the material world ultimately end in frustration and suffering only. So, having no knowledge of the spiritual world or Krishna or devotional service, the only thing they can think of doing is to try and give up desires and wants. But this is an artificial position for the living entity. The living entity is eternally active and these impersonalists are falsely trying to become inactive, inert, desireless…
This is an artificial position that can not be maintained. That is why even if the impersonalists manage to become liberated from the material concept of life and even experience brahmanananda, because there are no spiritual activities for them there is really no transcendental pleasure for them. And we, the living entities are anandamayabasat, it means our constitutional position is to enjoy ever-increasing transcendental pleasure. The impersonalists can not experience this pleasure. There bliss is simply a relief from the sufferings of the material world but they have no positive spiritual engagement and no real transcendental pleasure and no spiritual activities to engage in. So they fall down. The impersonalists always fall down and come back in the material world again, which previously they renounced as false, brahma satyam jagat mithya, but they come back in this so-called false world and start opening hospitals and doing other philanthropic work. So why do they do they bother if this world is false? It is because they have no activities or pleasure in their brahman ‘liberation’ so they have to come back to the material world and engage in some sort of activity.
So this is proof that the soul is eternally active and eternally has desires and wants.
Krishna consciousness is the science of transforming those material desires and activities into spiritual desires and transcendental activities. There are activities in spiritual life. Devotional service means using our intelligence, our energy, our time, our money, everything, in the service of Krishna under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master. And this service and activity and desire is eternal and we will continue serving Krishna and being active and having desires even after going back home back to Godhead.
The word nirguna in the sastra does not mean that the living entity has no form, no desires, no activities, no wants. NO. It means he has no material form. Actually we do not have any material form. This material form, our material body is not us, it has nothing to do with us. It is a temporary outer covering. So this is what nirguna means. We have no material form. But we have a spiritual form. And we have a spiritual body which engages in spiritual activities in the service of Krishna in the Spritual world.
And even in the spiritual world we still have a small amount of independence. In the spiritual world everyone is engaged in the service of Krishna, but they are not forced to serve Krishna, they are serving Him out of love. So this mood of voluntary loving service to Krishna requires that the servants of Krishna must have the independence to not serve Krishna if they do not want to serve Krishna. That is our minute independence and that is the quality of the jiva-tattva living entities. We are tatastha. It means marginal. It is like the area of the beach which is sometimes covered by the water of the ocean and sometimes not. We are like that. We eternally have the tendency to fall down into the material world. So the residents of Vaikuntha can fall down if they want to. Of course we have the statement of Krishna that upon reaching the spiritual world they never come back to the material world again. And of course this is true, because they can remember their activities in the material word when they go back to the spiritual world. So why would they want to come back. But still they have their independence. That is eternal. And if they want to misuse their independence they can come back again to the material world. That is the independence of the jiva-tattvas and Krishna will never take this little independence away from us…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
I believe in Lord Krishna as a supreme God and do not worship other demigods of Hindu religion, I am spiritual not a religious hindu person, I believe in chanting the names Lord krishna as the only worship in kaliyuga.
But I was thinking of the below questions which came into my mind.
Why does Lord Krishna choose India as his home. why not other parts of the world. How will some one in other continent at that time know that God is living in India 5000 years ago.
Why are all holy places and temples of Vedic religion like vrindavan Dwarka Puri only in India. Why not in Australia or Chile or Japan or Alaska.
Why did Mahabharata war happened only India, what was happening in other parts of the world in other continents during lord Krishna’s time on the earth.
Were the whole continents joined during the time of Mahabharata War.
Hare Krishna Abhijit
Krishna and His empowered representatives appear all over the world, all over the universe, in every society, to reestablish the principles of religion when they are not being properly followed. But India is special of course. It is punya-bhumi, and there is only one place like India in the whole universe. There is only one Vrindavan in the universe and it is India. And when Krishna appears He appears in Vrindavan, in India. So we are very fortunate to have the great opportunity of taking birth on this planet and those who are born in India are extremely fortunate to have taken birth there. It is said that the demigods are queuing up to take birth in India while the pastimes of Lord Caitanya are going on.
So India is a very special place, not just on this planet, but in the whole universe, and Vrindavan and Mayapur and the many other holy dharms in India are there particularly in India because India is meant for that, punya-bhumi, it is supposed to be a pious land where they people are all practicing Krishna consciousness. Of course now they are programming computers and running call centers for the Americans. It has gone off track somewhat. But still the holy dharmas are there and the place itself has that spiritual atmosphere.
The other parts of the world are for different purposes but still it is not that Krishna and his representatives do not appear outside India. He appears everywhere, but in India, because it is punya-bhumi, He appears and presents the absolute truth, but of course even in India Vedavayasa has written a lot of politics and demigod worship and ultimately became unsatisfied with this and got the message from his spiritual master Narada Muni to simply write about Krishna and that is how we have Srimad-Bhagavatam, the ripened fruit of the desire tree of Vedic knowledge.
So India is special but any bona fide religious process is a part of the Vedas. So Christianity, Muslims, etc., are also supposed to be following the devotional principles and worshiping the Supreme Lord to the extent that it is possible for them to do it in their culture. So in the ‘big picture’ they are not outside the Vedic religion.
Back in the time of Maharaja Yudhisthara, he was the king of the whole world. So at that time the whole world was following the Vedic principles. Over time it has deteriorated, so much so that now even in India they are not following the Vedic principles.
So anyhow I hope that helps.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
I AM 12 YEARS OLD.WELL I AM REALLY INTRESTED IN MAHABHARAT. BUT I DONT UNDERSTAND MEANING OF DHARMA. IS IT A DHARMA TO KILL OUR SIBLINGS OR RELATIVES?I AM A DEVOTEE OF KRISHNA HOW TO FIND HIM?
Hare Krishna Aura
Dharma means that thing which can not be separated from us. It is easier to understand with some examples. For example sugar. Sugar has to be sweet, if I give you something that is not sweet and tell you that it is sugar then will reject it. You will immediately say “this is not sugar” because the sweetness can not be taken away from sugar. If I give you something that is not sweet it is not sugar. So sweetness is the dharma of sugar. Water is wet. You can not take the wetness away from water. So it is like that. Therefore to discover what is our dharma we have find that thing which is our very existence, which can not be separated from us. After some contemplation you will come to understand that every living entity is engaged in service. He can not avoid serving. On a personal level he is trying to satisfy or serve his senses, and to serve his senses he needs to get some money so to get the money he has to find a job and serve the boss and serve the customers. Then if he finds a nice lady he gets married and he has to serve her by supporting her. And when children come he has to serve the children.
You can not find anyone in the world who is not engaged in this business of service. Even the most powerful person, even the President of India or the President of the United States, they are only elected to their positions because they promise to serve the people and if they do not serve the people the will be thrown out of their big position.
So the thing that can not be changed, the thing that is always present with us is that we are servants. That is our dharma. So there are many things we can serve in the material world, but this sort of service is not our eternal dharma, or sanatana dharma. Sanatana Dharma means engaging in the service of Krishna. So that is what Krishna is teaching Arjuna in the Bhagavad-gita. He is teaching Arjuna that his business is to surrender to Krishna and do what Krishna wants him to do. The political situation was such that Arjuna had to kill his relatives and friends in the Battle of Kuruksettera because Krishna wanted him to. That is the real reason. Krishna wanted it. So from the Bhagavad-gita Arjuna understood that he should do what Krishna wants and Krishna wanted him to fight with his relatives and family members so he fought the battle.
As far as finding Krishna we can not find Krishna on our own strength. We can only find Krishna by the mercy of Krishna’s pure devotees. So we have to please Krishna’s pure devotees by surrender and service and by their mercy we will find Krishna for sure.
So there is not much point looking for Krishna because He will not reveal Himself directly like that. He is in our hearts but He has given us the process of approaching Him in the Gita and that is not directly approaching but via the spiritual master. So you can find Krishna by the mercy and blessings of Srila Prabhupada. If you takes seriously to reading Srila Prabhupada’s books the more you become purified the more you will see Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
There are only “Three” entities in this countless universes.
1. “Jeev”
2. Maaya
3. Bhagwaan (Shree Krsna)
We all living entities including Ant to Elephant, Trees and Plants, all are “Jeev”.
Definition of “Jeev”: “One who lives and help others to live”.
“Jeev” has limited energy. A “Jeev” is always under “Maaya”. A “Jeev” was under the influence of “Maaya” from minus infinity.
It is not that, one day it was been thrown under “Maaya”.
There are also some “Jeev”, who are not under “Maaya”. (Sanakaadi Saints).
All “Jeev” longs for “Aananda”. “Aananda” is nothing but “Being Unlimitedly Happy, At All The Time, Forever”.
Definition of “Aananda”: “Get Increasing Unlimited Happiness Forever”.
“Aananda” is the name of Shree Krishna. Krishna himself is “Aananda”, Its not that, there is Aananda in Krishna.
Its like to say “An Ocean is huge mass of water”, Its not that there is water in ocean.
Since all “Jeev” longs for Aananda, all “Jeev” are theist. But “Jeev” is confused that “Aananda” exists in wealth, sex and power.
An alcoholic feels that “Aananda” is in drinking “Alcohol”. A Bad leader feels that “Aananda” is in ruling others by odd means.
Like wise a Saatwik “Jeev” feels “Aananda” is in helping others. A Taamasi “Jeev” feels that Aananda is in sex, Alcohol, Drugs, degrading, Harassing others.
Bhagawaan or Shree Krishna is the controller of “Maaya”. It is obvious that Krishna wants each and every “Jeev” to come to his abode and live happily with him.
When Krishna himself is the controller of “Maaya”, he can even lift off “Maaya” covered upon “Jeev”. But it is not happened till now. Why?
Because there is one condition put by Krishna in Bhagawad Geeta: That is unless and until “Jeev” surrenders himself completely cent per cent, Krishna wont remove his “Maaya” which is covered upon the “Jeev”. “Sarva Dharmaat Parityaag Maam Ekam Sharanam Brij”. – Geeta.
“hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare,hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare” i chant this mantra and everybody should do this.
Hare Krishna…
Dear Madhudvisa dasaji,
My warm regards to you.
I have a doubt in my mind about karma. If I do something bad to someone, it gets returned to me through someone else in this birth or in the next births. So that person who is giving back my bad karma will be affected by its fruits? If so why and how? Because he is only punishing me. Please throw some light into this.
Thank you.
Deepti Kumaresh
Hare Krishna Deepti
It is a very nice question. Karma is very intricate. If we take the example of money. If you take some money in the form of a loan from someone and do not pay it back then die and the other person whom you borrowed the money from also dies you will both have to take birth again in the material world. Because you still owe him that money. So you will have to take birth and he will have to take birth and you will have to pay your debt to him. So the karma is a great entanglement that effects everyone involved and causes everyone involved to take birth in the material world over and over again to get what they deserve and pay to others what they owe them.
It is said that a woman who has an abortion for example after she dies will be placed in a mother’s womb again and will be killed by that mother. She will not be able to take birth. She will be put in the womb of another mother and be killed again by that mother. But still the mother is going to suffer the same reaction for killing the child. But the child she is killing is being killed because that child killed her child in her previous life.
So it works like this. If one kills a cow then he has to take birth and be killed as many times as there are hairs on the cow. So you can see how we can create so many lives of suffering from this one human birth.
As far as your example, if you do something bad to someone in this life then you have to suffer someone else doing something bad to you in the next life. He may also come back in the next life and do something bad to you, but if it is not him then the other person will get also a reaction to this and will have to come back again. This is the way karma works. It is endless. No matter what you do you become more and more entangled and have to come back for an unlimited number of births. That is why in the material world we are called “nitya-baddha,” it means eternally conditioned. It is practically impossible to get out of the material world. It is impossible to get out of the material world.
The only hope is brahmananda brahmate kona bhagavayan jiva guru krsna prasade paya bhakti lata bija: “We are wandering life after life from one universe to another and occasionally one fortunate living entity gets a chance to associate with a bona fide spiritual master and he can get the ‘bhakti lata bija,’ the seed of the tree or creeper of bhakti.” So this is the secret. The only way of getting out of this endless tangle of karmic reactions is by getting this seed of bhakti from the pure devotee spiritual master. We have this very rare chance now. Srila Prabhuapda is distributing these seeds to us very freely. But it is not just enough to get the seed. If you get the seed of a very valuable plant then you have to cultivate it, you have to plant it and supply it with water and protect it and it will gradually grow into a very strong plant. So what is that cultivation? Sravan kirtan jal. The water for the bhakti-lata-bija is hearing and chanting the name and glories and the pastimes of Krishna.
The thing is we have to stop performing activities that generate karma. Otherwise we will be forced to come back again and again and again because of those karmic reactions. How is that possible?
For a devotee if he lives in such a way that he never does anything for his personal benefit, if he does everything as service to Krishna, then there is no karma from that. For example we are vegetarian and even in vegetarian cooking still sometimes we are going out into the garden and taking a cabbage and chopping off its head and cooking it. Now if we do that for ourselves then that will be a sin because we are killing that cabbage for our own purposes. But if we are cooking for Krishna, and we are offering the meal to Krishna, then it is for Krishna and there is no sin or reaction. Because we are doing it for Krishna.
So we need to transform our lives so everything we do is for Krishna…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Prabhu
PAMHO
AGTSP
Very interesting Q&A session you have on this site.
Prabhu a quick question in regards to what you mentioned in one of the answers
“sometimes we are going out into the garden and taking a cabbage and chopping off its head and cooking it. Now if we do that for ourselves then that will be a sin because we are killing that cabbage for our own purposes. But if we are cooking for Krishna, and we are offering the meal to Krishna”
Does that mean even saintly people who always remember Krishna and keep Krishna in their heart also incur sin if they do not offer it to Krishna?
My apology in advance as my knowledge is very limited and I know I may commit offense in asking this question but the query I have here is, when Pandavas lived in the forest after escaping from Varnavat, were they also offering food to Krishna before eating? I have no doubt that in their minds they must have but still the thought was lingering in my mind and wanted to clarify doubts.
Hari Bol
YHS
Even vegetarian food is sinful if it is not offered to Krishna.
We cook for Krishna, we offer it to Krishna, and after Krishna has enjoyed the offering we accept the remnants of Krishna’s food, Krishna prasadam. Devotees will never accept anything except Krishna prasadam. Accepting anything else is sinful.
Hello.
Thank you for this wonderful website.
Actually I am 17 years old. Sincerely, ever since I’ve been discovering Lord Krishna’s splendor, I have been taking less and less interest in the material world. I am kind of tired with this world of sufferings and injustice.Yet, at school I need to work hard for my parents who have had to endure a lot for me. Besides, people have always laughed at our family since we were relatively poor. My parents have a lot of faith in me.
I’ve then taken shelter in Lord’s refuge. I’ve become vegetarian and given up my bad habits to please Him. It was a very long struggle as neither my parents nor my friends are vegetarians. Also, at my age I have been lured on unadventured territories, just like any other adolescent. I’ve always had to figure things by myself. Many a times, I went on the wrong path. I used to cry silently to the Lord and sought His help. My parents cannot even imagine through what ordeals I went through.Although most adolescents find their newly found source of pleasure entertaining and continue with it, I gave up for the sake of Kanha.
I’ve grew to love my kanha murti deeply, more than myself.I fought with Him, laughed with Him, cried with Him. I could not stay away from Him. By showing me various hints, He even guaranteed me that I would get the results which I wanted. I’ve suffered too much to get it anyway.
However there are times where I think that He does not appreciate my love for Him. I’ve told Him to manifest Himself, He didn’t. I desperately want to see Him. I cry for hours for Him to give me as much as a glimpse from him. He does not respond.He does not even come in my dreams. The next morning when I wake up disillusioned, I get fed up with everything. I then feel stupid because it seems as though I do not exist for Him, when he knows perfectly that I would die without him.
My question is: why does Kanha play with my feelings like this?
I am faithful to Him. I perpetually think about Him, sing His melodies. Yet, why does He behave as such?
Thank you in advance. It’s something I would have never asked anyone because nobody would have the answer except God but through you, it seems that I will get my answer
Krishna IS manifesting himself all around you all in front of you its just that He wants you to identify Him in every being every flower every leaf every material molecules atoms.. all this scientific masterpiece called world is Krishna Himself
He becomes a flower to see a smile on your face,He becomes a song to say his heart He is the sun and also the sunshine He is the cloud and also the rain He is the river and also the sea
we all are living with Him in Him and our unconditional love will make us identify Him
Hare Krishna
Dear Dona
Its unbelievable that you’ve felt the grace of Lord. As I read your letter I fixed up my mind to say you something.
its my story, I was also 17 three years ago, I was in high school where every one else was used to laugh at me and I had no friends. It became the situation that I was the only one who was alone and had nobody to talk to him. At that time Our religious Teacher told us to buy SreemadVhagabadGeeta,the words of Lord SreeKrishna. Every evening of my lonely days I read that Holy Words by the Lord. It took two Years to finish reading The Geeta.
So My condition of heart and Mind became fused with Lord Krishna. I used to cry seeking his help when I felt hopeless in those days. I used to chant his name throughout the whole day, It gave me faith, hope and strenght to fight the odds. And Yes, I saw him.
So after years, this morning in Bangladesh, when I read your letter, I thought of those days I seen him.
Now I’m not a man who knows much about The Lord like Madhudvisa Dasa and Pravupada Swami, but I want to let you know what I did, and by which means I could see Him in my ways. Its not difficult to see Him or Feel him. All you need to do is ask forgiveness of the sins if you have sins. Thats what I did, I confess that I havent seen him physically in my room, but truly speaking, I could literally feel his existance around me. And I believe I felt His touch as he forgave my sins and gave me strength to live and Study.
Its really feels good now when I remember that how I passed those days, without my parents and family in that school away from home and holding the blessings of God.
So thats how I find my way to tell you: The only thing we need to do is keep the faith,don’t let your love turn to hate. I dont know it will be published or not but I hope you’ll read this letter.
sanat
Bangladesh
From Where does Krisna get these three energies (immaterial/ material and Marginal)? Where does these energies come from?
Thanks.
Hare Krishna John
Krishna is eternal. It means He does not come from anywhere. He has always existed and He will also always exist in the future.
And Krishna’s energies are always there with Krishna. They have also always existed in the past and will continue to always exist in the future.
So Krishna’s energies come from Krishna. They are always there with Krishna. As Krishna is eternal, His energies are also eternal.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
We all r souls,parts of GOD.God wants we all live cheerfuly.Then why did he sent us to earth to obtain so many pain & pressure?Can we nt stay near by HIM?
Why HE did so?
This question I have answered many, many, many times…
We came here to the material world not because God wanted us to come here, but because we wanted to come here. God advised us against coming here but we came here anyhow. Why?
Because we have the disease that we want to be God. We want to be the controller. Because of this disease we can not stay in the spiritual world where everyone is engaged in serving God.
It is not our constitutional position to be the controller, to be God, we are all servants of God. So when we come here to the material world and try to be the controller, try to be god, naturally we will suffer in so many ways.
As a result of this suffering for many, many births some thoughtful souls will wake up and realize that they do not belong here and will surrender to Krishna and go back home, back to Godhead. But while we keep the mentality of trying to be the controller, trying to be the enjoyer we will be born in this material world again and again to suffer more and more.
That is not God’s doing, it is our doing. We are the cause of our own suffering.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
I’m here because my mother and father made me and brought me here. I did not have any choice in the matter of my life. My Priest said that my father and mother gave me the gift of life………it is no gift……….when I look at all the suffering………..its a curse……..not a gift………Thank you
Hare Krishna
No, this human form of life is a very great gift. The human form of life is a great boat that can be used to cross over this ocean of necience. But you have to learn how do properly utilize this human form of life and you can learn that by READING SRILA PRABHUPADA’S BOOKS.
It is so fortunate to have the human form of life. Do not miss this great opportunity.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
In Brahma-saṃhitā, it is clearly stated that Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all and the prime cause of all causes. This implies that He is the origin and cause of our desires as well, which indirectly makes Him the cause of our situation here in the material world (since you yourself said that we are here because of our desires). Thus, the question of why did he put us in this situation still stands.
Hare Krishna Lukas
You don’t understand…
We are just like Krishna. But Krishna is great and we are small. It is like the ocean and the drop of ocean water. The drop of ocean water has all the same qualities as the ocean. Only in a tiny quantity.
If you analyze the ocean you will find salt, and if you analyze the drop of ocean water you will also find salt. It is the same.
So everything Krishna has we have also. But we have it in a tiny quantity and Krishna has it in an unlimited quantity.
So Krishna is not the cause of our desires. We are individuals and Krishna is also an individual. The difference is Krishna is the individual who is providing for and maintaining all the other individuals. We are also eternal like Krishna. We are like Krishna in that we have desires and Krishna has desires. So we desire interdependently from Krishna. Krishna is not causing our desires.
Of course we are VERY limited in what we can do. There are only two possibilities. We can serve Krishna or we can serve maya. But we can choose between these two options. That is our limited independence. Krishna does not want us to come the the material world and when we come to the material world Krishna does everything He can to help us come back home back to Godhead. But we are individuals and we have limited independence. So Krishna does not force us to come back home, back to Godhead.
Our relationship with Krishna is one of love. So love requires independence. So we are in the material world because we do not want to surrender to, to love and serve Krishna. That is our independence, that is our desire, not Krishna’s desire.
So you are confused therefore you need to actually surrender to the basic things. You need to chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day and strictly 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. If you do this and if you actually surrender to Srila Prabhupada then everything will become clear to you very quickly.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Why doesnt Krsna just give us the ability to SEE him EASILY in all his POWER then?
This is a simply question that is often side-stepped.
Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita that “I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My eternal creative potency [yoga-māyā]; and so the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible.”
http://prabhupadabooks.com/?g=2685
So Krishna can not be seen by the non-devotees. Seeing Krishna is not so easy.
Even if Krishna did appear personally in front of the non-devotees they would not believe He was God… That is their nature…
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Hare Krishna !
Prabhu i want to just one genuine question …..
please forgive me if anything wrong in my verbal.
From the date when parbupada dead to Today date(I think 35-40 year gone out) so many peoples become devotees of krishana and still its going on but can you please give me single person name that accept i see God or Lord Krishan…………….?
And please not put temple analogy like we see god everyday in temple
i want that some devotee chant from last 50 -60 year sofar what about them can anyone see krishana………?
Hare Krishna Vinod
Yes. Many devotees can see Krishna. You can also see Krishna. It is not difficult. Read Srila Prabhupada’s books. Surrender to Srila Prabhupada. Follow his instructions. You will see Krishna too.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hello.
I have a question for you, Madhudvisa, if I may.
Vinod asked you if people see Krishna. He specifically asked you not to use “temple analogy”, so I think we both understand that he asked whether Krishna is seen in the “same” manner as you see another person (so, not “seeing Krishna” in the sense of seeing his picture or reading about him etc. etc.). You answered that people see Krishna and that it is not difficult.
So, my question is… Do you yourself see Krishna in this specific sense, or is what you say based just on others who told you that they have seen Krishna? If it is your personal experience, would you please describe it a bit more in detail, like for example how often do you see him, where do you see him, how does he look like when you see him, what does he do or say, etc.?
Just to clarify, your claim that people see Krishna seems IN-credible to me, but I am open-minded and curious, so I am asking these questions to determine how credible it is
Hare Krishna Lukas
Of course Krishna conscious may seem incredible to you. But it is something that you have to experience yourself to understand. I can not explain to you what Krishna consciousness is like because you can not understand it without experiencing it. But I can let you know the process how you can awaken your dormant Krishna consciousness and how you can see Krishna yourself. It starts with chanting at least 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna mantra every day, 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.
So just surrender to the process, follow it, and gradually you will be able to see Krishna also. But if you are not prepared to become Krishna conscious yourself you will never be able to see Krishna and it will always remain incredible to you.
The example that is given is it is not possible to taste the honey without opening the jar. You can write to me asking me to explain to you what honey tastes like and I can write back and say it is sweet. But you will never really know what honey tastes like until you open the jar and taste it for yourself.
Krishna consciousness is only available to those who are prepared to surrender to a bona fide spiritual master and serve him. The only way we can get the mercy of Krishna is by pleasing a pure devotee of Krishna. So read Srila Prabhupada’s books and understand from Srila Prabhupada what he wants you to do and do it. And if you are successful at pleasing Srila Prabhupada you will be able to see Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!