Lord Balarama

On the evening of August 1, 2012 we witnessed a spectacular full moon. The day was celebrated as the appearance day of Lord Balarama. Lord Balarama the brother of Sri Krsna assisted him in the Gokula Vraja leela (pastimes)on planet Bhoomi (earth\bharat varsa) 5000 years ago.

The root of all jivas (individual souls), the cause of all jivas, is Lord Balarama. In Goloka Vraja, the jivas have manifested from the original Balarama and are recognized as Nitya Siddha.. They have never come to this world. They have always served Radha and Krsna in madhurya rasa or sakya rasa. From Balarama comes Mula Sankarsana in Dvaraka. Asanka, innumerable, jivas come from Balarama in His form as Mula Sankarsana, and they serve Dvarkadhisa and Mathuresa Krsna in so many ways. From Mula Sankarsana comes Maha Sankarsana in Vaikuntha. He manifests the mukta-jivas there, and they eternally serve Rama, Nrsmha, Kalki, Vamana, Narayana and all other svamsa incarnations. From Maha Sankarsana comes Karanodakasayi Visnu in the tatastha region, and He manifests the tatastha-jivas. Among them, some become free from maya and some become baddha jivas, conditioned souls. In this way, we see that all kinds of jivas have come from Lord Balarama. It is told like this in the scriptures, but actually there is no birth of the jivas. They are all eternal like Lord Balarama Himself. This is only said to convince the sadharana, ordinary, jivas, or conditioned souls. There are so many things that sastra has told us, whereas in reality, in Goloka Vrndavana dhama, these things will be seen in another way.

The concept of matter and antimatter

The following is from the book Easy journey to other planets

 by A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami

The most widely recognized scriptures in the world are the Vedas. The Vedas have been divided into four parts: Sāma, Yajur, Ṛg and Atharva. The subject matter of the Vedas is very difficult for a man of ordinary understanding. For elucidation, the four Vedas are explained in the historical epic called the Mahābhārata and in eighteen Purāṇas.The Rāmāyaṇa is also a historical epic which contains all the necessary information from theVedas. So the four Vedas, the original Rāmāyaṇa by Vālmīki, the Mahābhārata and the Purāṇas are classified as Vedic literatures. The Upaniṣads are parts of the four Vedas, and the Vedānta-sūtras represent the cream of the Vedas. To summarize all these Vedic literatures, the Bhagavad-gītā is accepted as the essence of all Upaniṣads and the preliminary explanation of the Vedānta-sūtras. One may then conclude that from the Bhagavad-gītā alone one can have the essence of the Vedas, for it is spoken by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who descends upon this material world from the anti-material world in order to give complete information of the superior form of energy.

The superior form of energy of the Personality of Godhead is described in the Bhagavad-gītā as parā prakṛti. The scientists have recently discovered that there are two forms of perishable matter, but the Bhagavad-gītā describes most perfectly the concept of matter and antimatter in terms of two forms of energy. Matter is an energy which creates the material world, and the same energy, in its superior form, also creates the anti-material (transcendental) world. The living entities belong to the category of superior energy. The inferior energy, or material energy, is called aparā prakṛti. In the Bhagavad-gītā the creative energy is thus presented in two forms, namely aparā and parā prakṛti.

Matter itself has no creative power. When it is manipulated by the living energy, material things are produced. Matter in its crude form is therefore the latent energy of the Supreme Being. Whenever we think of energy, it is natural that we think of the source of energy. For example, when we think of electrical energy, we simultaneously think of the powerhouse where it is generated. Energy is not self-sufficient. It is under the control of a superior living being. For example, fire is the source of two other energies, namely light and heat. Light and heat have no independent existence outside of fire. Similarly, the inferior and superior energies are derived from a source, which one may call by any name. That source of energy must be a living being with full sense of everything. That supreme living being is the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, or the all-attractive living being.

Intense Devotion

One can see enlightenment among the elderly at pilgrimage sites in India, especially in Vṛndāvana. There one sees many old people visiting temples with intense devotion early in the morning. Hundreds of old people walk the circumambulation (parikrama) paths despite physical debilities. Some are bent nearly double! Someone might criticize that these people are not being provided with the Western medical treatment that could add a few years to their lives or ease their pain. But the sincere bābājīs and widows of Vṛndāvana who somehow make their way every morning to see Kṛṣṇa in the temples and who call out "Jaya Rādhe!" are actually fortunate and most intelligent. They are taking the kṛṣṇa-rasāyana, the elixir that will grant them eternal life in Kṛṣṇa's spiritual abode. The Vedic śāstras recommend that one drink this elixir from the beginning of life, but even if one neglects to do so earlier, one should by all means drink it during the waning days of life and thus cure the disease of repeated birth and death.

Puzzled

Historians and philosophers have long puzzled over the meaning of life to no avail. But we have nothing to profit from their imaginary explanations which cannot give us any relief from the miseries of the world. The self-realized soul can understand how conditional life is non-cooperation with Krishna.

Some good Souls

Our Guru Maharaja injected his Spiritual Vision in some of us, and the work is continuing in different branches, as fast as possible by Bon Maharaja, Tirtha Maharaja, my humble self and others. Similarly in the Western world, Krishna has sent me some good souls like you, and I hope, even in my absence, that the spirit of Krishna Consciousness will be spread

Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Bitten by the snake

Be kind, O blissful one. Be kind, O Supreme Lord. O Lord, please rescue me, bitten by the snake of physical and mental pain. O Krishna, O husband of Rukmini, O enchanter of the gopis, O master of the universe, please rescue me, drowning in the ocean of repeated birth and death. O Kesava, O Narayana, O Govinda, O Janardana, O source of all transcendental happiness, O Lord who rescues your devotees from distress, O Madhava, please rescue me.

Brahma said: As I worship Him, so should you. Chanting this five-word mantra ("klim krishnaya govindaya gopijanavallabhaya svaha") , and meditating on Lord Krishna, you will transcend the world of birth and death. One who chants this five-word mantra easily attains His transcendental abode. Although fixed in His abode, the Personality of Godhead is swifter than the mind and can overcome all others running. Even the powerful demigods cannot approach Him. Therefore, Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should meditate upon Him, glorify Him, serve Him and Adore Him with a devoted heart.

Commentary by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana:

Vyadhi, or physical pain, inevitably comes when one fulfils his material desires. When material desires remain unfulfilled, however, the conditioned soul experiences mental pain, or adhi. Either condition is inauspicious for the conditioned soul.

In the Hari-vamsa, Lord Shiva explains the meaning of the name Kesava: "Both Brahma (ka) and I (isa), the master of all living entities, were born from You, and for this reason, O Lord, You are known as Kesava."

Sri Gopal Tapani upanishad

Happy father's day

Then again, it was confirmed by Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva. Because a king is representative of God. King is not ordinary person. Just like spiritual master is representative of God, similarly, king is also representative of God. The father is also representative of God. These are the statements of the śāstras. Because they will guide. The king will guide. The spiritual master will guide. The father will guide. What is that guidance? That guidance is how one can become Kṛṣṇa conscious by education, by culture. This is guidance, not that to guide them how to become hippies. This is not guidance. This is misguidance. Guidance means... The whole system of human civilization is guide the people to become God conscious. This is the Vedic civilization, not to make them dog conscious, cat conscious, animal conscious. No.  

Srimad bhagavatam 1.9.49