Complacency is a dangerous element in the progress of Spiritual Life. It is very essential for an endeavoring spiritualist to always remember that the material world is not a place of comfort. It has been certified by the Creator, Lord Sri Krsna himself as dukhalayam and asasvatam, which means it, is full of misery and temporary

With the advancement of the ages, human consciousness had changed too. It is believed that today modern society has advanced far more than the ancient civilization. With more technology and equipments available at disposal, everything has become fast paced and instant. Material science has achieved a lot of progress than the yester years. This progress is thought of as an advancement in Civilization and is looked upon as a great achievement by the society

Panihati Chida-dahi Mahotsav, also known as the Chipped Rice Festival, is a yearly celebration of the pastimes of Srila Raghnnatha dasa Gosvami and Lord Nityananda Prabhu. This astonishing pastime took place on the banks of the Ganges at Panihati, which is about 1 hour drive from Kolkata airport. (Ask for ‘Panihati Boat Ghat’, Sodepur.) Lord Caitanya and His associates enjoyed many transcendental pastimes here. Chida-Dahi Mahotsav remembers how Lord mercifully reciprocated with His devotees by arranging, through Nityananda Prabhu and Raghunatha dasa, to provide an ec...

At the junction of two ages, amidst two immense armies arrayed on the battlefield at Kurukshetra, Arjuna scans his foes and becomes confused. When Krishna expounds eternal dharma to enlighten him, Arjuna addresses Krishna as pavitram paramam: "the purest of the pure." (Bhagavad-gita 10.12) Arjuna adds, "All the great sages . . . confirm this about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me." Apart from the Bhagavad-gita, other books of wisdom are the Upanishads, essential Vedic texts t...

Madhu means sweet. It means honey. Krishna is also called Madhu. In this material world there is one type of honey and in the spiritual world there is also a type of honey. The sweet honey in the spiritual realm is the real honey which we should hanker for. In this material world there is Kandarpa (Cupid) but in the eternal world, Madan (Cupid) is Krishna and everyone is attracted by Him. The holy name and Krishna are non different. Even great personalities such as Brahma chant the holy name in ecstasy with his four mouths. Narada Muni joyfully plays his vina melodiously ...

With spiritual fasting, you may not make headlines, but you'll make headway on the path back to Godhead. What do Mahatma Gandhi, Dick Gregory, Jane Fonda, Norman Mailer, Bolivian dissidents, British suffragettes, and Irish revolutionaries have in common? Well, for one thing, at one time or another and for one reason or another, they've all fasted. Materially their fasting was somewhat successful, whether it was undertaken to free India from British domination, turn public opinion against the Vietnam War, lose weight, win amnesty for political prisoners, get the right to v...

This goal of life, to see the Lord everywhere and in this way be absorbed in Him, was also specifically described by Prahlada Maharaja when he was trying to convince his materialistic and demoniac friends about what is the purpose of life when he said, "O sons of demons, in the same favorable way that one sees himself and takes care of himself, take to devotional service to satisfy Bhagavan Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present everywhere as the Supersoul of all living beings. Everyone... can revive his original, eternal spiritual life and...

You have to tear yourself between what you think is real life and your spiritual application.  But that’s only because you’re in the illusion that whatever you’re doing is real because you feel you need to do it, not because it’s connected to Krishna.  And this is an illusion because that’s not true – it’s that simple.  So if you want to progress, it means that whatever you’re doing now – it doesn’t matter what it is – you have to see Krishna in it. That’s ...

Indra once became captivated by the superior facilities for sense gratification available on his heavenly planet, and therefore when his spiritual master, Brhaspati, the guru of the demigods, scolded him, Indra acted offensively toward him. Brhaspati then decided to teach his student a lesson. He cursed him to take birth on a lower planet as a pig. Sloshing around in mud and stool, Lord Indra as a pig felt that he was enjoying life very much. He thought to himself, "I ...

Sri Ganga-puja, also known as Sri Ganga-dushara (she who removes inauspiciousness), appears in the month of Jyestha (May/June) on the 10th day of Sukla-paksa, or the waxing fortnight of the full moon.

As devotees, we talk a lot about getting free from the material energy, free from the influence of maya, free from our attachments to material sense pleasures and their objects. Why do we want to do that? What would be the reason? Sometimes it can be confusing. It may seem like we're taking all this too seriously, when really it's all Krishna's creation and life in this world can have so many pleasures to offer us. Here is an example that perhaps will illustrate the reasons. Suppose you are in a relationship with someone. You think you love them, and they love you. You ha...

An answer to the question: "Why is a good Christian like you worshiping a Hindu god?" People often ask me why I changed my faith from Christianity to worship of Krsna. They ask what made me give up Christianity. I am always quick to answer that I never "gave up" Christianity. The principal instruction Jesus gave was to love God, and I believe I can best do that by worshiping and serving Krsna. The Whole World in Krsna's Mouth What is it that makes Krsna more attractive or meaningful to me than t...

NARADA MUNI is exalted in Vedic texts as one of the twelve mahajanas, or great authorities on eternal truth. Details of his life and teachings are recounted in the Narada Purana, the Padma Purana, and throughout Srimad-Bhagavatam. So advanced is his level of spirituality that in these texts he is even sometimes called "Bhagavan," a term usually reserved for the Supreme Lord, and in the Bhagavad-gita (10.26) Lord Krsna Himself says, "Of the sages among the demigods, I am Narada."

“The great delusion of modernity is that the laws of nature explain the universe for us. The laws of nature describe the universe, they describe the regularities. But they explain nothing.” That’s why the truth-claim that evolution is a grand non-theistic alternative for explaining everything goes beyond the range of valid science. It becomes scientism, the ideological imperialism of science extended into all domains of knowledge. Allowing such scientism...

One of my devotee friends shared his realization that Krishna takes the risk of being blamed: "Oh! I am trying to serve You, Krishna, and You are giving me problems. What kind of God are You?" But as a true well-wisher, Krishna is concerned not about being blamed but about ending our material existence as soon as possible. of course, during difficulties He also provides the strength we need to endure. Like a doctor intent on healing a patient, Krishna works hard...

Sri Vrindavan Das Thakura’s mother's name was Sri Narayani Devi. She was the daughter of Srivasa Thakura's brother. Narayani devi was only a 4 year old girl when Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu revealed His divinity in the house of Srivasa, showing His true self to the assembled devotees there. In the Sri Caitanya Bhagavata it is written: "The golden moon, Sri Gauranga, revealed Himself as the soul of all souls. At that time He ordered Narayani to chant the name of Krishna. Although she was only 4 years old, she became mad with love of Supreme Lord. And crying, "O Krishna!" she swooned in e...

If I truly want to be satisfied, and thus stress-free, I need to truly understand who "I" am. Stress, according to The World Health Organization, is the “health epidemic of the 21st century.” Demanding circumstances make us tense mentally, emotionally, and physically, and over time that tension takes a serious toll on our wellbeing. While there are many ways to deal with stress, one often overlooked and highly effective way is to cultivate a state of inner satisfaction. The word satisfaction, meaning the pleasure derived from the fulfillment of one’s wishes, expectations, or needs,...

From this, we can understand that consciousness merely reflects the experience of whatever it is directed towards, just as the space capsule reflects information from wherever it is directed. If you walk into a store, you can purchase whatever you like some ice cream, some fruit, or some milk. You make the choice. And according to whatever you select, you will have a certain taste experience. Similarly, in our lives and with our consciousness, we can be aware and hav...

Shivananda Sen, he was taking all the 200-300 devotees from Bengal to Puri. They were walking so many days. And a little dog just started following. And that dog… he wasn’t a kind of pedigree, beautiful kind of dog. He was just the kind of dogs that you find in the streets of India. He followed. He followed. And Shivananda Sen just saw with such compassion – “If this spirit soul in this dog, if he sees Lord Chaitanya, how much he will benefit! I must serve him nicely.”

In 1971 Prabhupada was having big public programs in India, and one evening an Arya Samajist challenged Prabhupada. He said, "Oh, Swamiji, you have come to India with your western chelas, but we know all these things. This is our culture. Better you go to the other places and do your work there. All right, you have been to the West, but what about the Muslim countries? What about Pakistan? You should go to Pakistan and preach there. Make them devotees." This was in a public pandal with thousands of people. Prabhupada said, "You are chal...

Srila Prabhupada’s purports (commentaries) illuminate for us the verses spoken by Krishna and Arjuna. The following condensed version of their historic conversation combines key points from the verses and purports in the same sequence as the original. These are not direct quotes and thus cannot replace the complete Bhagavad-gita As It Is. Instead, this version provides an overview of the philosophical thread of the Gita. It is consistent with Srila Prabhupada’s comprehensive edition and can...

It is said that the higher authorities are always observing us. The sun, moon, air, fire and the ten directions, they are noting our actions. We cannot escape this. A sadhu, who by dint of his spiritual advancement can perceive this, refrains from committing sinful activity, even though apparently no one is watching. Even after knowing about all of this, sometimes we get carried away. Why? Because of kama (lust). Therefore Krishna instructs us that we should first curb this lust. Because of this we are forced to act in such a way, even th...

Until people gain the spiritual inspiration that underlies truly good behavior, attempts to legislate morality will inevitably fail. Daily news reports of things like corruption, nepotism, favoritism, and infidelity have us fed up. Politicians say, “Education in ethics and values is the solution. ” But don’t most people already know right from wrong? I think so. They just feel they’ll fare better in life without following moral codes. And exhortation by moralists or legislation by...