Fascination without understanding

"The great danger of conversion in all ages has been that when the religion of the high mind is offered to the lower mind, the lower mind, feeling its fascination without understanding it, and being incapable of rising to it, drags it down to its level by degrading it." George Bernard Shaw

This is why H.D A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupad instructed his initiated disciples to read his books, avoid the ten offenses, follow strictly the four regulating principles, chant a prescribed number of holy names daily and to never forget Krishna.

It certainly true that the holy name alone can elevate one to the highest position of god realization but some regulation will help the aspirant to continue the purification process which will enable him to enter the transcendental realm of pure devotion.

"If with a pleasing attitude any person chants the holy name of Govinda, he is glorified and purified, and his chanting helps the whole world attain liberation." Laghu-bhagavatamrita

Just as watering the root of a tree nourishes the entire tree, in the same way by glorifying the supreme personality godhead the entire world is benefited. Chanting the holy name is devotional service !

"As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.5.23), there are nine kinds of devotional service: hearing (sravanam), chanting (kirtanam), remembering (visnoh smaranam), serving (pada-sevanam), worship of the Deity (arcanam), praying (vandanam), carrying out orders (dasyam), serving Him as a friend (sakhyam) and sacrificing everything for the Lord (atma-nivedanam). Although each process appears distinct, when one is situated on the absolute platform he can see that they are identical. For instance, hearing is as good as chanting, and remembering is as good as chanting or hearing. Similarly, engaging in Deity worship is as good as chanting, hearing or remembering. The devotee is expected to accept all nine processes of devotional service, but even if only one process is properly executed, he can still attain the highest position (pure devotion) and go back home, back to Godhead."

Character defect

“No change of circumstances can repair a defect of character.”

Emerson

****

There is some truth in everything but not much truth in allot of things.

****

The great thinkers of the past have explained in their teaching the importance of self discovery. The teachings of lord Caitanya describe the eternal constitution of the individual spirit soul in relation to the supreme personality of godhead. He also gives us a practical method of achieving self realization in the times in which we live. We can change our living environments but it will not be helpful unless we take Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instructions to heart. Our consciousness (Heart) needs to change. The Grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of the street. Begin by chanting the transcendental Maha Mantra.

Between knowledge and ignorance

Everyone has an opinion as to how the world was created, how humans evolved and even about the popular UFO phenomenon. Opinions are a dime a dozen and simply a waste of valuable time,especially if you sincerely want to know the truth.

Plato

Plato the famous Greek philosopher recognized this human flaw and has said: "Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance."

When it comes to understanding the Absolute Truth opinions will not help us, therefor Sri Krsna  has clearly given us direction. Below are his exact words.

Krsna and Arjuna

+++

"tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

upadekṣyanti te jñānaḿ

jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ"
++

SYNONYMS

tat — that knowledge of different sacrifices; viddhi — try to understand; praṇipātena — by approaching a spiritual master; paripraśnena — by submissive inquiries; sevayā — by the rendering of service; upadekṣyanti — he will initiate; te — you; jñānam — into knowledge; jñāninaḥ — the self-realized; tattva — of the truth; darśinaḥ — seer.

TRANSLATION

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.

PURPORT

The path of spiritual realization is undoubtedly difficult. The Lord therefore advises us to approach a bona fide spiritual master in the line of disciplic succession from the Lord Himself. No one can be a bona fide spiritual master without following this principle of disciplic succession. The Lord is the original spiritual master, and a person in the disciplic succession can convey the message of the Lord as it is to his disciple. No one can be spiritually realized by manufacturing his own process, as is the fashion of the foolish pretenders. The Bhāgavatam (6.3.19) says, dharmaḿ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam: the path of religion is directly enunciated by the Lord. Therefore, mental speculation or dry arguments cannot help lead one to the right path. Nor by independent study of books of knowledge can one progress in spiritual life. One has to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge. Such a spiritual master should be accepted in full surrender, and one should serve the spiritual master like a menial servant, without false prestige. Satisfaction of the self-realized spiritual master is the secret of advancement in spiritual life. Inquiries and submission constitute the proper combination for spiritual understanding. Unless there is submission and service, inquiries from the learned spiritual master will not be effective. One must be able to pass the test of the spiritual master, and when he sees the genuine desire of the disciple, he automatically blesses the disciple with genuine spiritual understanding. In this verse, both blind following and absurd inquiries are condemned. Not only should one hear submissively from the spiritual master, but one must also get a clear understanding from him, in submission and service and inquiries. A bona fide spiritual master is by nature very kind toward the disciple. Therefore when the student is submissive and is always ready to render service, the reciprocation of knowledge and inquiries becomes perfect. ---Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 4.34

Attributes of Haridasa Thakura

EXCERPTS FROM SRI CHAITANYA CHARITAMRITA 
ABOUT THE PASTIMES OF 
SRI CHAITANYA  MAHAPRABHU AND HARIDAS THAKURA
 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

haridasa-thakura sakhara adbhuta carita

tina laksa nama tenho layena apatita

The twentieth branch of the Chaitanya tree was Haridasa Thakura. His character was wonderful. He used to chant the holy name of Krsna 300,000 times a day without fail.

(Adi 10.43)

prabhu kahe,—'kon vyadhi, kaha ta' nirnaya?'

tenho kahe,—'sankhya-kirtana na puraya'

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu further inquired from Haridasa, "Can you ascertain what your disease is?" Haridasa Thakura replied, "My disease is that I cannot complete my rounds."

(Antya 11.23)

ebe alpa sankhya kari' kara sankirtana"

haridasa kahe,—"suna mora satya nivedana

The Lord concluded, "Now, therefore, please reduce the fixed number of times you chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra." Haridasa Thakura replied, "Kindly hear my real plea.

(Antya 11.26)

eka vancha haya mora bahu dina haite

lila samvaribe tumi—laya mora citte

"I have had one desire for a very long time. I think that quite soon, my Lord, You will bring to a close Your Pastimes within this material world.

sei lila prabhu more kabhu na dekhaiba

apanara age mora sarira padiba

"I wish that You not show me this closing chapter of Your Pastimes. Before that time comes, kindly let my body fall down in Your presence.

hrdaye dharimu tomara kamala carana

nayane dekhimu tomara canda vadana

"I wish to catch Your lotuslike feet upon my heart and see Your moonlike face.

jihvaya uccarimu tomara 'krsna-caitanya'-nama

ei-mata mora iccha,—chadimu parana

"With my tongue I shall chant Your holy name, 'Sri Krsna Chaitanya!' That is my desire. Kindly let me give up my body in this way.

mora ei iccha yadi tomara prasade haya

ei nivedana mora kara, dayamaya

"O most merciful Lord, if by Your mercy it is possible, kindly grant my desire.

ei nica deha mora paduka tava age

ei vancha-siddhi mora tomatei lage"

"Let this lowborn body fall down before You. You can make possible this perfection of all my desires."

prabhu kahe,—"haridasa, ye tumi magibe

krsna krpamaya taha avasya karibe

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, "My dear Haridasa, Krsna is so merciful that He must execute whatever you want.

(Antya 11.31-37)

ramananda, sarvabhauma, sabara agrete

haridasera guna prabhu lagila kahite

In front of all the great devotees like Ramananda Raya and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu began to describe the holy attributes of Haridasa Thakura.

haridasera guna kahite prabhu ha-ila panca-mukha

kahite kahite prabhura bade maha-sukha

As He described the transcendental attributes of Haridasa Thakura, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu seemed to possess five mouths. The more He described, the more His great happiness increased.

haridasera gune sabara vismita haya mana

sarva-bhakta vande haridasera carana

After hearing of the transcendental qualities of Haridasa Thakura, all the devotees present were struck with wonder. They all offered their respectful obeisances to the lotus feet of Haridasa Thakura.

haridasa nijagrete prabhure vasaila

nija-netra—dui bhrnga—mukha-padme dila

Haridasa Thakura made Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sit down in front of him, and then he fixed his eyes, like two bumblebees, on the lotus face of the Lord.

sva-hrdaye ani' dharila prabhura carana

sarva-bhakta-pada-renu mastaka-bhusana

He held the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu on his heart and then took the dust of the feet of all the devotees present and put it on his head.

'sri-krsna-caitanya' sabda balena bara bara

prabhu-mukha-madhuri piye, netre jala-dhara

He began to chant the holy name of Sri Krsna Chaitanya again and again. As he drank the sweetness of the face of the Lord, tears constantly glided down from his eyes.

'sri-krsna-caitanya' sabda karite uccarana

namera sahita prana kaila utkramana

While chanting the holy name of Sri Krsna Chaitanya, he gave up his air of life and left his body.

maha-yogesvara-praya dekhi' svacchande marana

'bhismera niryana' sabara ha-ila smarana

Seeing the wonderful death of Haridasa Thakura by his own will, which was just like a great mystic yogi's, everyone remembered the passing away of Bhisma.

'hari' 'krsna'-sabde sabe kare kolahala

premanande mahaprabhu ha-ila vihvala

There was a tumultuous noise as they all chanted the holy names "Hari" and "Krsna." Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu became overwhelmed with ecstatic love.

haridasera tanu prabhu kole laila uthana

angane nacena prabhu premavista hana

The Lord raised the body of Haridasa Thakura and placed it on His lap. Then He began to dance in the courtyard in great ecstatic love.

prabhura avese avasa sarva-bhakta-gana

premavese sabe nace, karena kirtana

Because of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's ecstatic love, all the devotees were helpless, and in ecstatic love they also began to dance and chant congregationally.

(Antya 11.50-60)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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.