Regarding the questions he asked let us deal with them point by point
why we are here ?
Ans: The right enquiry would be what Srila Sanatana Goswami ( One of the foremost preacher of KC) asked Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu during his first meeting with him. The questions asked by him were:
a) Who Am I ?
b) Why threefold miseries are always troubling me ?
If we are not aware who we are then whatever we do will be fruitless labour only. The ignorance of self is the greatest misery a living entity or jivatma is suffering. We do not know actually who we are and are existing in false misconception that we are this body & everything connected with this body as ours ( Aham Mameti). Although we can see that ones body is temporary and everything produced by the body is also temporary but because of illusory energy ( Maya) of Sri Krishna the real knowledge of self eludes us all the time. Therefore, our entire existence consists of nothing but struggle to preserve ourselves and our bye products in which we fail miserably. This failure that we are experiencing in life after life is the cause of our fear, we are always trying to search outside reason for the cause of our fear but actually the fear is within us as subtle conditioning. To understand it better let us consider example of impersonation, suppose we are impersonating a very powerful personality and are trying to falsely enjoy his riches glories etc. then we will always be in fear. Similar way we are stealing from Sri Krishna and want to take is position therefore we are always punished.
The most astonishing thing about this fact is that no living entity in history of mankind has been able to preserve material body eternally yet they all chasing mirage of happiness seated on a temporary vehicle called body. Happiness is there just as for a mirage to exist real water has to be present elsewhere, but the real happiness is somewhere else. Therefore if we want to get into the atmosphere of real happiness then we must stop chasing the mirage of temporary or illusory happiness of this temporary world and enquire from a self realised person the path to go towards permanent and unchecked happiness. Such a self realised person is called Guru, who shows us the path towards Krishna who is reservoir of unlimited happiness. Thus when a jivatma gets mercy of Guru & Krishna he understands his real position and performs Sadhana Bhakti under guidance of Guru he goes back to his real position of Sat Cit Ananda at the Lotus Feet of Sri Krishna.
Nobody wants misery, yet misery comes upon us in various ways. Something which we dislike is continously happening to us yet we like fools are trying to solve it by our limited power for example
a. I don't want to get bitten by a mosquito yet it happens
b. I dont want fall sick yet it happens
c. I don't want earthquake to happen yet it happens
d. I don't want Mumbai to get flooded yet it happens
Therefore if we analyse a little it will be clear that most of our life we are struggling against miseries or preparing ourselves to face known, unknown or whatever it might be type of misery that is going happen in the future. With all the complex arrangement of so called modern & advanced human civilisation the threefold miseries have not left the any of the living entities. The modern method of solution to miseries is just like shifting the burden from one shoulder to another but the burden still remains. These miseries are summarised in the sastras as birth, death, old age, disease, troubles( Dukha), shortcomings(dosha). Therefore Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that this material world is Dukhalayam Asashvatam means place of miseries and temporary. Then How can one be happy in this place ?
but dear sir i always want to happy where should i go if i want permanent happiness?
Sri Krishna says come to my place Goloka Vrindavana in the spiritual realm which is absolute, complete in Sat Cit Ananda means
Eternal, Fully cognisant, Happiness.
Therefore it is not important to know why we are here it is most important to get out of here and that is the real purpose of life. This human life Srila Prabhupad says is the only loophole through which we can escape this miserable existence. The escape route is catch the Lotus Feet of Sri Hari, therefore remember and remember it well that Krishna Consciousness is the only way out no other method of Spiritual realistion will work in this Kaliyuga.
I think it sufficient to start with, digest all the information given above then prepare the next set of questions.
Your Servant
Prasanna Caitanya Das
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Few questions-Krsna Conciousness
1) What shall be ones response when someone in Krishna Conciousness discusses the principles with arrogance.Or when someone not in KC says something wrong about it.
Usually when we say someone is in KC we judge by the dress he is wearing or the temple he is associating with etc. etc i.e.externals. Actually when somene is in KC one of the first sign you can observe in him is that the false ego ( I and Mine) is almost nil as a result he is gentle, respectful and not at all arrogant. If one has understood KC then there is no question of his being arrogant for whatsoever reason, his attitude would be as Caitanya Mahaprabhu has ordered devotees to be: more humble than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree. Therefore last thing a devotee would be is to be arrogant, one can get angry, one can get sad, one can become happy, but one cannot be arrogant. When a devotee is preaching KC actually it is not his philosophy or his thoughts, it belongs to Krishna, a preacher devotee is merely a messenger or a postman as told by Srila Prabhupada, where is the question of being arrogant ?. When nothing belongs to you how can one be arrogant therefore if a person is arrogant and claims that he is devotee of Krishna then we should understand that he is a neophyte and avoid discussing KC philosophy with him. The sign of advancement in KC is that a devotee always feels within himself that he is not at all fit to speak about Krishna or become devotee but because of the mercy of Guru and Krishna he is able to do so. One must hear KC from a devotee who is at least a Madhyama Adhikari (real preacher) not from a Kanistha Adhikari (neophyte). The problem is that without understanding KC and there individual standing in KC many people start speaking about KC principles desiring to get some cheap publicity such people are more dangerous than ignorant people. For example someone finds out that being a doctor is very profitable and respectable and starts a clinic without undergoing the rigorous and bonafide training to become a doctor. He will only create a havoc in the society tarnishing image of whole community.
If someone is not KC and speaks bad about it, this is a possibilty in India only. In India it very easy to come in contact with Krishna than any other place in the world. Almost 99% people in India who have heard about Krishna are misled by the kind of people mentioned above it is a sad situation but we must try to fight it out and defeat such people. This kind of people have presented a very distorted account of who really Krishna is, therefore the confusion in the Indian spiritual scene is becoming more rampant and pronounced. That is the reason why preaching in India is a challenging task because everybody thinks he is the greatest spiritual authority alive, he is a fool number one but he thinks otherwise ( signs of extreme madness). Don't worry about such people they will be given shock treatment in due course of time by Lords arrangement. Your attitude should that of a sincere seeker who really wants to know about Krishna as The Supreme Personality of Godhead and the Parmatma seated your heart will guide you to the right authority. Please understand Krishna Consciousness may sound easy but it is very sublime and takes a lot of sadhana & association to get into the groove.
2) What does one do when he knows he is falling down to the same level from where he had come up .Means back to the mode of passion or ignorance.
Immediately buckle up, Mrs Mayadevi has noticed you and might be suggesting that without KC you were better situated. Its her job to test your resolve to be a pure devotee of Krishna and she does it perfectly. In due course of time with continous chanting and reading Srila Prabhupad's books you shall be able overcome the challenge. Practice to remember Krishna always and never forget him. Learn to support yourself in KC on the basis of philosphical strength provided by associating with Srila Prabhupad's books. In one of the songs written by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur he says that other than the Holy Name of Krishna there is nothing worth mentioning in the 14 planetary system of this Brhamanda. Therefore you must convince yourself by knowledge, by analysis of our existence in the material world and by applying principles of KC in a real life to find out how truthful they are.
3) How important is it to go to the temple ?
If you have the facility to go and would get meaningful association you must go regularly.
The above answers where given by
Prasanna Caitanya Das
All Glories to Guru and gaurang
Usually when we say someone is in KC we judge by the dress he is wearing or the temple he is associating with etc. etc i.e.externals. Actually when somene is in KC one of the first sign you can observe in him is that the false ego ( I and Mine) is almost nil as a result he is gentle, respectful and not at all arrogant. If one has understood KC then there is no question of his being arrogant for whatsoever reason, his attitude would be as Caitanya Mahaprabhu has ordered devotees to be: more humble than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree. Therefore last thing a devotee would be is to be arrogant, one can get angry, one can get sad, one can become happy, but one cannot be arrogant. When a devotee is preaching KC actually it is not his philosophy or his thoughts, it belongs to Krishna, a preacher devotee is merely a messenger or a postman as told by Srila Prabhupada, where is the question of being arrogant ?. When nothing belongs to you how can one be arrogant therefore if a person is arrogant and claims that he is devotee of Krishna then we should understand that he is a neophyte and avoid discussing KC philosophy with him. The sign of advancement in KC is that a devotee always feels within himself that he is not at all fit to speak about Krishna or become devotee but because of the mercy of Guru and Krishna he is able to do so. One must hear KC from a devotee who is at least a Madhyama Adhikari (real preacher) not from a Kanistha Adhikari (neophyte). The problem is that without understanding KC and there individual standing in KC many people start speaking about KC principles desiring to get some cheap publicity such people are more dangerous than ignorant people. For example someone finds out that being a doctor is very profitable and respectable and starts a clinic without undergoing the rigorous and bonafide training to become a doctor. He will only create a havoc in the society tarnishing image of whole community.
If someone is not KC and speaks bad about it, this is a possibilty in India only. In India it very easy to come in contact with Krishna than any other place in the world. Almost 99% people in India who have heard about Krishna are misled by the kind of people mentioned above it is a sad situation but we must try to fight it out and defeat such people. This kind of people have presented a very distorted account of who really Krishna is, therefore the confusion in the Indian spiritual scene is becoming more rampant and pronounced. That is the reason why preaching in India is a challenging task because everybody thinks he is the greatest spiritual authority alive, he is a fool number one but he thinks otherwise ( signs of extreme madness). Don't worry about such people they will be given shock treatment in due course of time by Lords arrangement. Your attitude should that of a sincere seeker who really wants to know about Krishna as The Supreme Personality of Godhead and the Parmatma seated your heart will guide you to the right authority. Please understand Krishna Consciousness may sound easy but it is very sublime and takes a lot of sadhana & association to get into the groove.
2) What does one do when he knows he is falling down to the same level from where he had come up .Means back to the mode of passion or ignorance.
Immediately buckle up, Mrs Mayadevi has noticed you and might be suggesting that without KC you were better situated. Its her job to test your resolve to be a pure devotee of Krishna and she does it perfectly. In due course of time with continous chanting and reading Srila Prabhupad's books you shall be able overcome the challenge. Practice to remember Krishna always and never forget him. Learn to support yourself in KC on the basis of philosphical strength provided by associating with Srila Prabhupad's books. In one of the songs written by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur he says that other than the Holy Name of Krishna there is nothing worth mentioning in the 14 planetary system of this Brhamanda. Therefore you must convince yourself by knowledge, by analysis of our existence in the material world and by applying principles of KC in a real life to find out how truthful they are.
3) How important is it to go to the temple ?
If you have the facility to go and would get meaningful association you must go regularly.
The above answers where given by
Prasanna Caitanya Das
All Glories to Guru and gaurang
"Why cannot a jivatma remember the history of the past life? if he
Hare Krishna!
Following is the answer for the Question "Why cannot a jivatma remember the history of past life? If he had remembered then he wouldn't have committed mistakes and easily got into devotional service?"
We have two types of forgetfullness.
1. Forgetfullness of our original form2. Forgetfullness of past lifes.
The main reason we have been put into material world is "we have desired to enjoy independently from Krishna." When we desire something it has to be fullfilled by Lord Krishna irrespective of whether it is good or bad. So Krishna created this material world and made all the arrangements. If we remember our original form as eternal servants of the Lord, we cannot enjoy independently from Krishna, certainly we cannot enjoy as we desired. So Krishna gives forgetfullness only to fulfill our desire because of which we will forget our original form.
As jivatma enters this material world he comes under trigunas and acts according to that. As we cannot get satisfaction without Krishna, we keep on adding new desire seeds and pray to Lord Krishna while leaving our body each time. Krishna grants all our desires and allows all the jivatmas to fullfill his desire by giving the forgetfullness of his past life. For example if I am in the Dog's body and desire for human body at the time of death, Krishna gives the forgetfullness of the dog's body and allows us to live like a human being. If I remember dog's life and behave according to that in human body certainly I cannot enjoy my desire as human being. So Lord Krishna gives us forgetfulness.
Also, As Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, He remembers everything because He doesnt change His body and as we are changing our body each and every moment we are forgetting our past gradually. Just to fullifll the above explained process.
If we think more broadly, if we see the result itself one should be able to understand the actions behind that. One should be able to understand the reason by seeing the effect or the result itself. For example if we see an accident that has taken place, we can easily understand the actions that tookplace which led to this accident. Similarly our present body is the result and we should be able to understand our past mistakes which led to sat-cit-ananda jivatma to live like an animal, bird, human being etc.
In this Kaliyuga only by the mercy of Lord Krishna and His devotees one can get the rememberance of his original form and get back to his original home.
Further discussion on this topic is also welcome. Please send me any further comments if you have. I will consult it with Prabhuji and other devotees and get back to you.
Haribhol
Jagannath
Following is the answer for the Question "Why cannot a jivatma remember the history of past life? If he had remembered then he wouldn't have committed mistakes and easily got into devotional service?"
We have two types of forgetfullness.
1. Forgetfullness of our original form2. Forgetfullness of past lifes.
The main reason we have been put into material world is "we have desired to enjoy independently from Krishna." When we desire something it has to be fullfilled by Lord Krishna irrespective of whether it is good or bad. So Krishna created this material world and made all the arrangements. If we remember our original form as eternal servants of the Lord, we cannot enjoy independently from Krishna, certainly we cannot enjoy as we desired. So Krishna gives forgetfullness only to fulfill our desire because of which we will forget our original form.
As jivatma enters this material world he comes under trigunas and acts according to that. As we cannot get satisfaction without Krishna, we keep on adding new desire seeds and pray to Lord Krishna while leaving our body each time. Krishna grants all our desires and allows all the jivatmas to fullfill his desire by giving the forgetfullness of his past life. For example if I am in the Dog's body and desire for human body at the time of death, Krishna gives the forgetfullness of the dog's body and allows us to live like a human being. If I remember dog's life and behave according to that in human body certainly I cannot enjoy my desire as human being. So Lord Krishna gives us forgetfulness.
Also, As Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, He remembers everything because He doesnt change His body and as we are changing our body each and every moment we are forgetting our past gradually. Just to fullifll the above explained process.
If we think more broadly, if we see the result itself one should be able to understand the actions behind that. One should be able to understand the reason by seeing the effect or the result itself. For example if we see an accident that has taken place, we can easily understand the actions that tookplace which led to this accident. Similarly our present body is the result and we should be able to understand our past mistakes which led to sat-cit-ananda jivatma to live like an animal, bird, human being etc.
In this Kaliyuga only by the mercy of Lord Krishna and His devotees one can get the rememberance of his original form and get back to his original home.
Further discussion on this topic is also welcome. Please send me any further comments if you have. I will consult it with Prabhuji and other devotees and get back to you.
Haribhol
Jagannath
Monday, February 12, 2007
List of items for Vridavadham trip
LIST OF ITEMS FOR VRINDAVAN TOUR
1. Heating Rod (not more than 1000 watts)
2. Mosquito repellent (preferably electric one or coils)
3. Medicines (fever, cold, cough, painkiller) Pudin Hara etc.
4. Personal medicines if using regularly.
5. Vapo rub (vicks) and Pain relief ointment.
6. Disposable plates, glasses etc.
7. Spoons knife.
8. Non leather footwear which are extremely comfortable and room slipper.
9. Wollen clothes (Jacket, shawls, socks, cap, muffler, and gloves etc.)Cotton to be used as earplugs.
10. Small plastic carry bags for collecting prasadam from different temples.
11. Nylon rope for drying clothes, clips, and hangers.
12. Washing powder, washing soap, and brush for scrubbing clothes.
13. Cold cream, vaseline etc.
14. Alarm clock.
15. Candle, match box, and torch.
16. Small pair of scissors.
17. Dettol (transfer it in small plastic bottles).
18. Bed sheet, blankets, and air pillows.
19. Gopichandan ---- Dhoti kurta (males) Sari (females)
20. Carry enough change and cash or ATM card.
21. Waist pouch or purse must for gents.
22. Ladies should carry a nonleather bag or purse with enough pockets.
23. Chanting bag and beads.
24. A small note pad and pen.
25. Sunglasses if required.
26. Water container.
27. Home made less oily snacks and sweets.
28. Newspaper and rough cloth.
29. A small plastic mug.
30. Lock and key (a good one) and baggage chain and lock
31. A small folding mirror, other toiletries and other personal things.
32. Thread-needle, handkerchief, and safety pins.
33. Wash and wear clothes.
34. Rubber bands.
35. Empty plastic clean bottle for collecting Radha-kund, Shyam kund, andYamuna water.
36. Camera (if possible)37. Binoculars (if possible).
These are the necessary things for the Tour
Have a nice time....
All Glories to Guru and Gaurang....Haribol
Your servant
santosh
1. Heating Rod (not more than 1000 watts)
2. Mosquito repellent (preferably electric one or coils)
3. Medicines (fever, cold, cough, painkiller) Pudin Hara etc.
4. Personal medicines if using regularly.
5. Vapo rub (vicks) and Pain relief ointment.
6. Disposable plates, glasses etc.
7. Spoons knife.
8. Non leather footwear which are extremely comfortable and room slipper.
9. Wollen clothes (Jacket, shawls, socks, cap, muffler, and gloves etc.)Cotton to be used as earplugs.
10. Small plastic carry bags for collecting prasadam from different temples.
11. Nylon rope for drying clothes, clips, and hangers.
12. Washing powder, washing soap, and brush for scrubbing clothes.
13. Cold cream, vaseline etc.
14. Alarm clock.
15. Candle, match box, and torch.
16. Small pair of scissors.
17. Dettol (transfer it in small plastic bottles).
18. Bed sheet, blankets, and air pillows.
19. Gopichandan ---- Dhoti kurta (males) Sari (females)
20. Carry enough change and cash or ATM card.
21. Waist pouch or purse must for gents.
22. Ladies should carry a nonleather bag or purse with enough pockets.
23. Chanting bag and beads.
24. A small note pad and pen.
25. Sunglasses if required.
26. Water container.
27. Home made less oily snacks and sweets.
28. Newspaper and rough cloth.
29. A small plastic mug.
30. Lock and key (a good one) and baggage chain and lock
31. A small folding mirror, other toiletries and other personal things.
32. Thread-needle, handkerchief, and safety pins.
33. Wash and wear clothes.
34. Rubber bands.
35. Empty plastic clean bottle for collecting Radha-kund, Shyam kund, andYamuna water.
36. Camera (if possible)37. Binoculars (if possible).
These are the necessary things for the Tour
Have a nice time....
All Glories to Guru and Gaurang....Haribol
Your servant
santosh
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