Entering the Spiritual Worlds

“Everything in the spiritual world is substantial and original. This material world is only an imitation…. It is just like a cinematographic picture, in which we see only the shadow of the real thing.” In this lecture, delivered in October 1966 in New York City, Śrīla Prabhupāda gives an amazing glimpse into the nature of the spiritual world and some positive instructions on how to arrive there at the end of life’s perilous journey.

The Journey of Self-Discovery
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

paras tasmāt tu bhāvo ’nyo
’vyakto ’vyaktāt sanātanaḥ
yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu
naśyatsu na vinaśyati

“Yet there is another unmanifest nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and is never annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is.” [Bhagavad-gītā 8.20]

We cannot calculate the length and breadth of even this universe, yet there are millions and millions of universes like this one within the material sky. And above this material sky there is another sky, which is called the spiritual sky. In that sky all the planets are eternal, and life is eternal, also. We cannot know these things by our material calculations, so we must take this information from the Bhagavad-gītā.

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There Will Always Be Difficulties

prabhupadawriting

Sometimes when people take to Krsna Consciousness, they think that automatically, all their problems and difficulties will be solved, but unfortunately this is not the immediate case, as the letters from Srila Prabhupada to his disciples so vividly indicate. I was listening to one lecture where Srila Prabhupada was saying “…in this material world there will always be difficulties. This material world was designed in such a way that there will always be difficulties.” I went through some of the letters and highlighted where Srila Prabhupada used the word difficulties. It was interesting to read how he explained about these difficulties.

“Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated December 27, 1973. I can understand that you are sometimes experiencing difficulties but that you are very sincerely trying to become Krsna Conscious and that you have a number of persons there who are interested in your presentation of Krsna Consciousness. Actually this material world is full of suffering conditions and the only way to become free from these sufferings which are due to past sinful activities is to chant Hare Krsna. In this age no other method of rectification is possible. Along with the chanting of Hare Krsna we have to rigidly observe the prohibition of four sinful activities. If only these things we can do our lives can become perfect. I think you have my books so please study them carefully.” (Letter to: Bhumata — Los Angeles 2 January, 1974)

And in this one famous letter he wrote to Gurudas Prabhu, Srila Prabhupada descrbes his own difficulties in starting this Hare Krishna Movement.

My dear Gurudasa,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 23, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. Do not be depressed. All along my godbrothers gave me only depression, repression, compression—but I continued strong in my duty. So never mind there is some discouragement, continue with your work in full enthusiastic Krishna Consciousness attitude of service…

Hoping this meets you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

The following are the letters that Srila Prabhupada wrote to his disciples wherein he uses the word difficulties. More

The Peace Formula

Raja-vidya

Today marks the end of 2019 and the beging of a New Year. I guess everyone hopes for peace in the coming year, and the actual formula for peace is explained by Srila Prabhupada in the Srimad Bhagavatam 1.11.33 and Bhagavad-gita 5.29, wherein Srila Prabhupada is describing the factual formula for peace in this material world. Very interesting.

…In the material world no one is permanently fortunate, however clever one may be. There have been so many big empires in different parts of the world, there have been so many powerful kings all over the world, and there have been so many fortunate men, but all of them have been liquidated gradually. This is the law of material nature. But spiritually it is different. The spiritual relation with the Lord is so enlivening and resourceful that no one can leave the company of the Lord, once having taken shelter of Him. (SB 1.11.33 purport)

…The conditioned souls within the clutches of illusory energy are all anxious to attain peace in the material world. But they do not know the formula for peace, which is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. The greatest peace formula is simply this: Lord Kṛṣṇa is the beneficiary in all human activities. Men should offer everything to the transcendental service of the Lord because He is the proprietor of all planets and the demigods thereon. No one is greater than He…Under the spell of illusion, living entities are trying to be lords of all they survey, but actually they are dominated by the material energy of the Lord. The Lord is the master of material nature, and the conditioned souls are under the stringent rules of material nature. Unless one understands these bare facts, it is not possible to achieve peace in the world either individually or collectively. This is the sense of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: Lord Kṛṣṇa is the supreme predominator, and all living entities, including the great demigods, are His subordinates. One can attain perfect peace only in complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (Bg 5.29 purport)

Full texts and purports More

Who Is Crazy?

crazy-world

It seems that the world has gone crazy. This last election cycle, and the aftermath has provoked fear and anxiety in millions of people around the world. Americans are rushing to buy land in Canada, there is talk about building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, thousands are in fear of being deported, there are demonstrations in the street, and we have a President elect who claims to know more than all the Generals.

Although I have posted this essay written by our Srila Prabhupada before, it seems an appropriate time to re-read this Original Manuscript, entitled “Who Is Crazy”.

…People are working hard, and earning enough to eat. Especially in your country, there are sufficient means for eating, and nobody is starving. That’s all right, but they are still not satisfied. I have studied this very carefully. The younger people all appear to be frustrated. It is not a very good condition, when the young generation, which is the future hope of the country, feels that there is no hope. Their future is dark. Why? Because they have no direction. What is the aim of life? What will they become? The philosophy is, work hard, get dollars, and enjoy as you like. This is misguidance. Therefore, the young are not happy. So, they take center of something which is objectionable for satisfaction. But that cannot give total satisfaction.

Full Essay More

Safety in a Dangerous World

1srila_prabhupada_extending_his_hand

This morning I awoke to the news that Donald Trump has been elected as President on the United States of America. For some Americans this is frightening news. Others are rejoicing. I think we can all agree that the world is a dangerous place. This post by Padmapani Prabhu is really quite timely.

Safety in a Dangerous World
by Padmapani das

Ever since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the world has been faced with unprecedented danger and uncertainty. Recent headlines suggest that the threat of terrorism has reached critical proportions. News of another possible attack in the U.S. has been circulating in the press and the rhetoric of war has dominated world politics for quite some time. Once again we are forced to contemplate our fragility and mortality in this material world. Anything can happen now and we know it.

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What is Hare Krishna All About?

166_-_btg_year-1981_volume-16_number-06_page_14b

This is an old post I saved many years ago in my files, which I found on The Bhaktivedantas website. After re-reading it, I realized why I saved it. It is good information.

Krishna Consciousness in a Nutshell
by Hansadutta das

Krishna consciousness is the original consciousness of every living being, and it is explained in different Vedic literatures. One of these literatures is the Chaitanya-charitamrita. Chaitanya-charitamrita means “characteristic of the eternal living force”. Every living being is eternal by nature, and because he is eternal, he cannot be happy in this material world, which is a temporary arrangement, however wonderful it may be.

…Every living creature is subjected to four basic miseries, beginning with birth, continuing into old age and disease, and ending in death. No one wants to be miserable–everyone wants to be happy–but material nature functions in such a way that no one can be happy.

What is the Hare Krishna Program for Self-Realization?

…This movement is primarily spreading the teachings of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam and the chanting of the holy names:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

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Be Patient and Return Home

srila-raghunath-das-goswami
Srila Raghunatha dasa Goswami

I have always liked the following verses from the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. They remind me to slow down, chant nicely, and don’t be attached.

Since Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was omniscient, He could understand Raghunātha dāsa’s mind. The Lord therefore instructed him with the following reassuring words.

“Be patient and return home. Don’t be a crazy fellow. By and by you will be able to cross the ocean of material existence.

“You should not make yourself a showbottle devotee and become a false renunciant. For the time being, enjoy the material world in a befitting way and do not become attached to it.”

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued: “Within your heart, you should keep yourself very faithful, but externally you may behave like an ordinary man. Thus Kṛṣṇa will soon be very pleased and deliver you from the clutches of māyā. (Cc. Madhya 16.236-239)

Full Text and Purport More

Picture of the Material World

tree

We will be away traveling for a short time and will be away from our computer, but we leave you with this nice image and a verse from Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita. Hare Krishna!

…In the Fifteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, the real picture of the material world is given. It is said there:

“The Supreme Lord said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down, and the Vedic hymns are its leaves. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.” (Bg. 15.1)

Here the material world is described as a tree whose roots are upwards and branches are below. We have experience of a tree whose roots are upward: if one stands on the bank of a river or any reservoir of water, he can see that the trees reflected in the water are upside down. The branches go downward and the roots upward. Similarly, this material world is a reflection of the spiritual world. The material world is but a shadow of reality. In the shadow there is no reality or substantiality, but from the shadow we can understand that there is substance and reality. In the desert there is no water, but the mirage suggests that there is such a thing as water. In the material world there is no water, there is no happiness, but the real water of actual happiness is there in the spiritual world. (from Introduction to the Bhagavad-gita As It Is)

Full Text and Purport to text 15.1 More

The Process of Creation

LordVishnu creator of the material world

click on image to enlarge

As we continue to update our (one of our other sites) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by posting a chapter at a time, of that great literary work by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, we will continue to share the progress with our readers here at The Hare Krishna Movement.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Canto Two, Chapter Four

The Process of Creation

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Param Padam; The Place Where There Are No Material Miseries

Radha Ramana Lotus feet

This morning, I stumbled upon the words; param padam, padam padam, when I was reading from the purport to Bhagavad-gita 2.51:

The liberated living entities seek that place where there are no material miseries. The Bhāgavatam says:

samāśritā ye padapallava-plavaṁ
mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ
bhāvambudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ
paraṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām

(Bhāg. 10.14.58)

“For one who has accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Mukunda or the giver of mukti, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s hoofprint. Param padam, or the place where there are no material miseries, or Vaikuṇṭha, is his goal, not the place where there is danger in every step of life.” (from purport to Bg 2.51)

I wanted to know the exact meaning of the words param padam, so I did a search and have included it here as a post and as another entry into our ‘Vaisnava Vocabulary’ category.

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Pure Devotional Service: The Change in Heart

Pure Devotional Service

click on image to enlarge

As we continue to update our (one of our other sites) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by posting a chapter at a time, of that great literary work by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, we will continue to share the progress with our readers here at The Hare Krishna Movement.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Canto 2, Chapter Three

Pure Devotional Service: The Change in Heart

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The Lord in the Heart

Visnu Form

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Canto Two, Chapter 2

The Lord in the Heart

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Ariṣṭāsura Demon

Aristasura

click on image to enlarge

…Vṛndāvana was always absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone remembered His pastimes and was constantly merged in the ocean of transcendental bliss. But the material world is so contaminated that even in Vṛndāvana the asuras or demons tried to disturb the peaceful situation.

One demon named Ariṣṭāsura entered the village like a great bull with a gigantic body and horns, digging up the earth with his hooves. When the demon entered Vṛndāvana, it appeared that the whole land trembled, as if there were an earthquake. He roared fiercely, and after digging up the earth on the riverside, he entered the village proper. The fearful roaring of the bull was so piercing that some of the pregnant cows and women had miscarriages. Its body was so big, stout and strong that a cloud hovered over its body just as clouds hover over mountains. Ariṣṭāsura entered Vṛndāvana with such a fearful appearance that just on seeing this great demon, all the men and women were afflicted with great fear, and the cows and other animals fled the village.

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Phantasmagoria

phantasmagoria

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One thing I have always marveled at, is Srila Prabhupada’s use of words, to describe transcendental topics to us in his books. The word phantasmagoria is one such example. Here it is being used to describe the temporary beauty of this material world…

By the mercy of the Lord, the pure devotee knows all this very well. Indeed, his whole philosophy of life is based on this understanding. Advancement of knowledge means to understand the naked truth of this world and to not be deluded by the temporary beauty of this phantasmagoria. (Mukunda-mālā-stotra #3)

The following is a definition of the word phantasmagoria and the full text and purport from the Mukunda-mala-stotra Sutra #3 More

The Spiritual Sky

Universe

click on image to enlarge

…In this material world we find that everything is temporary. It comes into being, stays for some time, produces some by-products, dwindles and then vanishes. That is the law of the material world, whether we use as an example this body, or a piece of fruit or anything. But beyond this temporary world there is another world of which we have information. This world consists of another nature which is sanātana, eternal. (from the Introduction to the Bhagavad-gita As It Is)

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The Yoga of the Supreme Person

Banyan tree  Plate35

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is Complete 1972 Edition
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Fiveteen

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The Spiritual Sky

Radha and Krishna  the Spiritual World

please click on image to enlarge!

The liberated living entities seek that place where there are no material miseries. The Bhāgavatam says:

samāśritā ye padapallava-plavaṁ
mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ
bhāvambudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ
paraṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām
(Bhāg. 10.14.58)

“For one who has accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Mukunda or the giver of mukti, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s hoofprint. Param padam, or the place where there are no material miseries, or Vaikuṇṭha, is his goal, not the place where there is danger in every step of life.” (From purport to Bg. 2.51)

Full verse and purport More

Our Real Position

Krsna in Vrindavan

Recently I celebrated another Birthday, and on one card there was this nice inscription; “we are meant for dancing and playing and walking and living with Krsna. That is our real position. That is Vrndavana.” So beautiful was this statement from one of Srila Prabhupada’s lectures, that I looked it up in Prabhupada Vani to read the entire lecture (you can click on underlined link).

…we are meant for dancing and playing and walking and living with Krsna. That is our real position. That is the Vrndavana. Everyone… Everyone is connected with Krsna. … the trees, the flowers, water, the cows, the calves, the cowherd boys, the elderly cowherd men, Nanda Maharaja, Yasodamayi, the gopis. Krsna comes with full Vrndavana picture, and He demonstrates His Vrndavana life, cintamani-prakara-sadmasu, just to attract us, that “You are trying to enjoy in this material world, but here you cannot enjoy because you are eternal. You cannot get eternal life here. So you come to Me. You come to Me.” Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. (Lecture given by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, 21 Feb 76, Mayapura)

Full text and purport to Bg. 4.9 More

The Living Entities (Prajā)

Prajah, living entities who take birth in the material universe

Here is a word for your vaisnava vocabulary; Prajah.

Prajā means the living being who has taken his birth in the material world. Actually the living being has no birth and no death, but because of his separation from the service of the Lord and due to his desire to lord it over material nature, he is offered a suitable body to satisfy his material desires. In doing so, one becomes conditioned by the laws of material nature, and the material body is changed in terms of his own work. The living entity thus transmigrates from one body to another in 8,400,000 species of life.

As Krishna points out in the Bhagavad-gita:

It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father. (Bg 14-4)

Full verse and purport More

The Formula for Peace

Raja-vidya

This is a combined post from my reading this morning, from the Srimad Bhagavatam 1.11.33 and Bhagavad-gita 5.29, wherein Srila Prabhupada is describing the factual formula for peace in this material world. Very interesting.

…In the material world no one is permanently fortunate, however clever one may be. There have been so many big empires in different parts of the world, there have been so many powerful kings all over the world, and there have been so many fortunate men, but all of them have been liquidated gradually. This is the law of material nature. But spiritually it is different. The spiritual relation with the Lord is so enlivening and resourceful that no one can leave the company of the Lord, once having taken shelter of Him. (SB 1.11.33 purport)

…The conditioned souls within the clutches of illusory energy are all anxious to attain peace in the material world. But they do not know the formula for peace, which is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. The greatest peace formula is simply this: Lord Kṛṣṇa is the beneficiary in all human activities. Men should offer everything to the transcendental service of the Lord because He is the proprietor of all planets and the demigods thereon. No one is greater than He…Under the spell of illusion, living entities are trying to be lords of all they survey, but actually they are dominated by the material energy of the Lord. The Lord is the master of material nature, and the conditioned souls are under the stringent rules of material nature. Unless one understands these bare facts, it is not possible to achieve peace in the world either individually or collectively. This is the sense of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: Lord Kṛṣṇa is the supreme predominator, and all living entities, including the great demigods, are His subordinates. One can attain perfect peace only in complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (Bg 5.29 purport)

Full texts and purports More

Previous Older Entries

108 Imporant Slokas from the 1972 Bhagavad-gita As It Is

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The Hare Krishna Cookbook

Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas

Bhagavad-gita As It Is 1972 Edition “Online”

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Srimad Bhagavatam Online

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Raja-Vidya the King of Knowledge

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Important Slokas from the Brahma-samhita

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Slokas from the Sri Isopanisad

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Prayers By Queen Kunti (Slokas)

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Gajendra’s Prayers of Surrender (Slokas)

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A Short Statement of the Philosophy of Krishna Consciousness

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July 9th Letter

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The Hare Krishna Explosion

Reference Material/Study Guide

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