Lessons

"Highly Focused Intelligence."

In the Bhagavad-gita 2:41 Lord Sri Krishna states,

vyavasayatmika buddhir

ekeha kuru-nandana

bahu-sakha hy anantas ca

buddhayo 'vyavasayinam

"Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched."

In this verse two key words are "one" and "many". If we are Krishna conscious, we have one-pointed highly focused intelligence. Otherwise if we are not Krishna consciousness, our intelligence is splayed out all over the place. In such an unfocused state one is not able to successfully carry out the purpose of this human form, i.e. to realize the Absolute Truth.

Some people complain that we do not give any practical guidance on how to realize the Highest Truth. But then when we tell them the actual technique for attaining it, they again complain. What can be done? If we want to realize the Absolute Truth, we have to be willing to make some serious sacrifices of our time and energy. We should not think that the most valuable thing to be found anywhere in the universe comes cheaply. There has to be some serious expenditure of time and energy from our side.

When one of my students told me that he did not have sufficient time for chanting the Hare Krishna mantra daily on the japa beads because he was so busy with his job, I asked him to give a breakdown of his daily schedule. It turned out that he was spending two hours every evening watching mundane television with his relatives. If we are willing to cut the unnecessary time-wasters out of our schedules we can easily find sufficient time and energy for realizing the highest perfection of developing pure love for God. We have to simply realize that there is nothing more important than this and devote every spare minute of every day to this topmost of all activities, realizing the Absolute Truth.

"The Soul Cannot Be Killed."

Many years ago I was riding one night with some friends down a remote dark country highway in the hill country west of Austin, Texas. It appeared that another car was tailing us and it became fearful for us that perhaps the persons in the other car had some ill intentions towards us. But then one of my companions stated that he was not afraid because he has a bulletproof soul. His words were a wonderful reassurance to me that there is nothing at all to be feared in this world. I never forget his profound words. It is most comforting to know that the self can never be slain.

This knowledge of the imperishable nature of the self is coming originally from the Vedic wisdom, the ancient spiritual wisdom of India. This knowledge was spoken over 5,000 years ago by Lord Krishna to Arjuna as recorded in the Bhagavad-gita, Chapter 2, Text 19:

ya enam vetti hantaram

yas cainam manyate hatam

ubhau tau na vijanito

nayam hanti na hanyate

"Neither he who thinks the living entity the slayer nor he who thinks it slain is in knowledge, for the self slays not nor is slain."

Since the actual self, the soul, is indestructible, why have we built an entire civilization around the temporary material body? This is called ignorance. And because we have ignorantly constructed an entire world civilization, therefore no one is happy here. Everyone is anxiety. The rich are in anxiety. The poor are in anxiety. The middle class is in anxiety. Everyone is bewildered because they are basing their happiness on the satisfaction of the perishable material body.

There needs to be now a system in place all over the world to simply educate everyone to the understanding that we are all eternal spirit-souls, part and parcel servitors of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. This will bring about the desired peace and happiness in this world. We pray that this knowledge will now spread throughout the entire world.

"The Way Out of Illusion."

Mortality means anxiety. Nobody wants to die. This is why bodily consciousness, the false identity with the material body, is the root cause of all our suffering and anxiety. If we can simply rise beyond bodily consciousness to the spiritual platform, all of our anxieties will be finished. With proper training from the Bhagavad-gita, the devotees, and

the bona fide spiritual master, it is a simple thing to do. But we are so proud that we hesitate to place ourselves under proper guidance. We think that we can figure out how to get out of illusion on our own. This is our foolishness. Someone who is in illusion cannot know the way out of illusion. This is the nature of being in illusion. We can only be guided out of illusion by someone who is free from illusion.

If a blind man leads another blind man, both of them will fall into a ditch. Such unqualified leaders are described as follows in the Vedic wisdom:

avidyayam antare vartamanah

svayam dhirah panditam-manyamanah

janghanyamanah pariyanti mudha

andhenaiva niyamana yathandhah

"Caught in the grip of ignorance, self-proclaimed experts consider themselves learned authorities. They wander about this world befooled, like the blind leading the blind."

Katha Upanisad 1.2.5

If we want actual knowledge we must approach that person who knows things as they are. This is the bona fide spiritual master. In this connection we are advised as follows in the Srimad Bhagavatam, 11th Canto, 3rd

Chapter, text 21:

tasmad gurum prapadyeta

jijnasuh sreya uttamam

sabde pare ca nisnatam

brahmany upasamasrayam

"Any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation."

The spiritual master is situated beyond the illusory energy by dint of his full absorption in Krishna consciousness. By taking shelter of him we gradually master the art of also being fully absorbed in Krishna consciousness. This enlightened state of consciousness is the greatest opulence that one can possess. There is nothing in this world that compares to it even to the slightest degree. 

The spiritual master teaches us how to purely situated on the deathless platform of eternity, knowledge, bliss. There is nothing more valuable than the training we receive from him. By his mercy we can fully realize that we are unborn and deathless, that the soul is never born and never dies. This realization of our immortality delivers us from the anxiety of

material existence.

"Truly Amazing Information."

This is amazing information because it uproots the threefold miseries of material existence. We suffer pains of the mind and the body. Then we face anxieties caused by other living beings. And there are also the miseries caused by natural influences such as the change of the seasons and natural disasters. All this suffering can immediately be mitigated by the simple understanding that I am not this body, that I am pure spirit soul in quality one with God.

This is the purpose of this course. We want to teach you how to understand and fully realize that you are not your body by engaging you in your actual spiritual identity as the eternal servant of Krishna. 

The Bhagavad-gita is the highest knowledge, it is the highest and most direct and clear knowledge ever revealed in the vast history of eternity. If you will read it carefully and seriously apply its principles, you will truly become one of the happiest, most spiritually perfect beings that has ever existed. 

It doesn't matter who you are, where you live, what your gender or age is, or what your age or occupation is. This ultimate science known as Krishna consciousness is the universal science of the soul. It is fully applicable to all persons in all times, places, and circumstances. If you will take it seriously, we will absolutely guarantee your success no matter how disqualified you consider yourself to be. All you have to do if you want to be successful is take up the regular chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

And at the same time you need to live a holy life by strictly avoiding illicit sex life, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling. If you are willing to make this small sacrifice we will absolutely guarantee your spiritual perfection. No expenditure is required on your part. You simply must become very, very eager to revive your original, but now dormant, Krishna consciousness.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

"The Difference Between a Living Body and a Dead Body."

If we have a little common sense and a sincere desire to know things as they are, there are so many things we can learn just by studying things around us. For example, even by observing the difference between a living body and a dead body we can understand some of the basic underlying facts of reality. Amazingly this basic information remains unknown even to the leading so-called educational institutions on this planet. When Srila Prabhupada was preaching one time at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) he inquired, "Where is the department at this university that teaches the difference between a living body and a dead body." Nobody could answer him because there is no such department.

Why are we attracted to a living body and repulsed by a dead body? The chemical elements are the same. The difference is the presence or absence of the living spark, the atma, the spirit-soul. In the living body the spirit-soul is present, and in the dead body the spirit-soul is absent. So what is actually attractive and meaningful is the spirit-soul, not the material body. Yet in spite of this simple, easily understood point we invest practically our entire life's energy in catering to the demands of the material body, which is a mere covering of the actual self.  And we practically complete ignore the needs of the eternal soul.

Such a misspent life is utter foolishness. It leads to frustration and ultimately devastation at the time of death when everything is ripped away from us. The best thing is to mentally detach ourselves now by understanding and realizing, "I am not this body." Understanding means to grasp the philosophical concept, and realization means to fully imbibe that understanding in our every thought, word, and deed. In other words to always think, speak and act on the platform of being a spirit-soul, rather than a material body. 

How do we accomplish this? We have to engage ourselves fully on the spiritual platform by engaging everything in the service of God. This automatically elevates us to the spiritual platform without any necessity of the gymnastic system as practiced in hatha yoga or the system of mental speculation as practiced in jnana yoga. The platform of bhakti yoga (devotion to Lord Sri Krishna) immediately situates us on the transcendental platform. This can easily be realized by engaging all of senses in the service of the Lord. Through this simply purifying process we gradually awaken the dormant enlightened consciousness, the Krishna consciousness, which has been sleeping within us for countless lifetimes.

"Is Truth Relative or Absolute?" 

There's nothing worse than uncertainty. We live in a world where there is a growing tendency to make all absolutes taboo, to make everything relative. Many argue that there is no absolute standard for right and wrong, truth or untruth. They say that whatever you feel is right and true, is right and true for you, and whatever anybody feels is right and true is right and true for him. Sometimes they put a condition "as long as you don't hurt anybody." But the meaning of not hurting somebody is quite differently interpreted for example by someone who is against abortion as opposed to someone is in favor of abortion. Some people have no qualms about advocating kindness to animals while at the same time they eat them.

The problem is that when my "truth" overlaps your "truth," and we have a very disturbing distressful situation on our hands. Thus fighting is going on between family members, between neighbors, between communities, and between nations. This is all coming because there is no universally accepted standard of right and wrong/ truth and untruth.

If someone tries to impose their brand of relative truth upon others claiming it as absolute, this does not solve the problem. In the Kali Yuga, the age of quarrel and hypocrisy, this is a very common phenomenon. Whoever has the most clout economically or politically will put forward their "ism" and as an absolute and try to use their economic and/or political clout to get everyone else accept it as absolute. But this is artificial and therefore it can stand, it cannot remain.

If we are going to have actually solidity and certainty we must hear directly from God, without any distortion, as to what is the Absolute Truth. Out of His sweet kindness the Lord personally appeared on this material plane of existence 5,000 and carefully and clearly revealed what is the Absolute Truth to His most beloved disciple, Arjuna. After hearing Krishna's or God's revelation of the most confidential knowledge, Arjuna said to Krishna:

param brahma param dhama

pavitram paramam bhavan

purusam sasvatam divyam

adi-devam ajam vibhum

"You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest." 

Bhagavad-gita 10.12

If the human society can follow the wonderful example of Arjuna, then were will be perfect peace and happiness throughout the entire globe. No one has to change his or her religion because religion is actually one, to love God. It doesn't matter if you call Him Krishna, Christ, Allah, or Jehovah. If one can give up the sinful activities of meat eating, illicit sex life, intoxication, and gambling and absorb themselves in chanting the names of the Lord, they will quickly achieve the supreme happiness of pure love of God.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

"Don't Be Disturbed by Happiness." 

I remember back in the spring of 1971 in Austin, Texas when I was first ushered into the sublime world of spiritual enlightenment, Krishna Consciousness, by my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, and his transcendental followers. That was the most incredible time of awakening for me. I always swim in the sweet memories of those days and relish very much the association of those few who were my soul mates in those amazing transformational days. 

One of the most amazing concepts I was introduced to at that time was that I should not be disturbed by happiness. To the uninformed casual observer this idea would seem quite absurd. "What do you mean that I should not be disturbed by happiness? Happiness is what I am always trying to get as much of as I can possibly can."

This concept is described by Lord Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita:

yam hi na vyathayanty ete

purusam purusarsabha

sama-duhkha-sukham dhiram

so 'mrtatvaya kalpate

"O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation." Bhagavad-gita 2.15

How could not being disturbed by happiness make one eligible for liberation? Not being disturbed by unhappiness anyone can easily understand. Nobody wants to be disturbed by unhappiness. But not being disturbed by happiness? What does that mean?

Being disturbed by happiness means to be carried away or intoxicated when things go nicely in this world so much so that one forgets that this material world is after all a place of misery. Sometimes when things are going well we are the under the illusion that we will live happily ever after in this world. But this cannot be because that is not the nature of this world. We are living in the world of dualities. As we discussed in Lesson C9, there are always ups and downs in this world coming again and again like seasonal changes. 

If we become intoxicated by the good times, we will be devastated by the bad times. Therefore the best thing is to not to become giddy or carried away by material happiness. We should soberly take it in stride understanding that it is only temporary. If I base my happiness on material happiness I am sure to be disappointed because it is only temporary. We should instead find our happiness on the transcendental platform where it can never be touched by the dualistic nature of material existence.

The easiest way to attain this transcendental platform is through the ancient science known as mantra yoga. "Mantra" means a transcendental sound vibration that liberates your mind from the dualities of material existence and allows you to enter into the eternal transcendental dimension of bliss and knowledge. There are thousands and millions of suitable mantras. It is recommended in the Kali Santarana Upanisad that in this age of Kali the most suitable mantra is the Mahamantra, the Great Chanting for Deliverance. It goes like this:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

If you will chant it regularly, you will taste a sweet transcendental flavor that will completely liberate you from the dualities of material existence. For the maximum results you should chant it 24 hours daily or as much as you can squeeze into your daily schedule. Give up all frivolous activities and focus your energy as much as possible on reviving your dormant Krishna consciousness. Happy chanting!

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

"Who Are You?" 

Are your eyes seeing, or are you seeing through your eyes? Are you ears hearing, or are you hearing through your ears? Is your skin feeling, or are you feeling through your skin? What is that body and who are you? 

By careful thoughtful analysis we can understand that this body is changing at every minute while I, the passenger within the body, remain the same. I was a little baby. I become a young boy, then a young man. Now I am middle aged and soon to be an old man. But all along through these many changes of body the "I" remains the same. Therefore it is not at all difficult to conclude that the self and the body are different from each other. They are not one and the same. 

Even though with careful thoughtful analysis our spiritual existence beyond the body is quite obvious, still we have developed a society based on economic development and sense gratification that constantly reinforces the false conception of "I am this body." Why do we as a society do this? Because it sells. The general mass of people will consistently spend their money based on the principle of what gratifies their material senses. Therefore advertising plays off of this tendency. The companies that can most successfully exploit the lower pull towards bodily consciousness become the most successful. This creates a downward cycle, a whirlpool that constantly sucks the modern day society into deeper and darker ignorance. 

Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Yes. That light is the Bhagavad-gita. Therefore the Bhagavad-gita should be very widely distributed in every language of the world and should be required reading in every educational program.  In the meantime at least we can become educated and free from the suffering position of bodily consciousness.  And we can do the highest welfare work of sharing this liberating knowledge of the non-material nature of the self with as many people as possible. 

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

"You've Got a Human Form.  Now What?" 

Welcome to the human form of life. There is no greater opportunity than the human form of life for achieving permanent relief from all the miseries of material existence. This is why the Vedanta Sutra enjoins, "athato brahma jijnasa--Now that you've got a human form you must utilize it to realized the Absolute Truth." Just as a fish feels happy and enlivened in the water, similarly as soon as we seriously take up the pathway of reviving our original divine consciousness we become naturally ecstatic.  

There is a tremendous resurgence throughout the world of souls who are seeking relief from the pangs of material existence. What is the reason for such an upsurge of seeking out the Absolute Truth? When a great spiritual master comes the atmosphere of the universe is uplifted. Recently one of the greatest spiritual masters of all times graced this universe with the touch of his lotus feet. That spiritual master is His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He appeared in Calcutta, India in 1896 and disappeared from this mortal realm in Vrindavan, India in 1977. In the 81 years he spent on this planet he had a far more enlightening impact than any other teacher in world history. 

Srila Prabhupada taught the science of bhakti (devotion to God) in its original pure form. Fortunately for the great majority of the world population that did not get the chance to personally meet him, he made all of his teachings fully available and accessible in his books. The best entry point into his teachings is his translation and commentary on the greatest spiritual classic, the Bhagavad-gita. His edition is called "Bhagavad-gita As It Is" because it stands in stark contrast to the hundreds of other editions that are available. While other authors have given Bhagavad-gita as it is not, Srila Prabhupada has given Bhagavad-gita as it is. 

In the other editions invariably there are interpretations added by the translator that minimize the person Krishna. Some authors draw the conclusion that the person Krishna is simply a poetic symbol for the unborn, unmanifested that is within you, me and everything. Using the very words of Krishna they try to kill Krishna by twisting His words. Some editions state that by worshipping Krishna you will become Krishna. Such things are nowhere stated in the Bhagavad-gita. They are simply the fanciful imaginations of the translators/commentators.

In Bhagavad-gita As It Is Srila Prabhupada simply takes the original Sanskrit and translates it into English without any distortion. Since the Bhagavad-gita is spoken in very simple Sanskrit, those who are skeptical can take a semester or two of introductory level Sanskrit at their nearest university and see for themselves the accuracy of Srila Prabhupada's translation. 

In the Bhagavad-gita God Himself is directly speaking to us. By His divine arrangement His devotee and eternal companion Arjuna plays the role of someone who has fallen into illusion for the purpose of enabling the Bhagavad-gita to be spoken for our benefit. We are ones who are actually in illusion. 

The Bhagavad-gita was spoken 5,000 years ago on a battlefield called Kurukshetra. That place is still there today. Even today you can go there by train. You will get down at the Kurukshetra station. Some commentators say that Kurukshetra is simply a symbol for the human body. But we can go to Kurukshetra and see the actual spot where the Bhagavad-gita was spoken. 

If you are serious to know the absolute truth you must carefully study the Bhagavad-gita. This is what we are going to do now in our Ultimate Self Realization Course (TM). By carefully studying and applying the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita you will in fact fully realize the highest truth. We guarantee it.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

"Arjuna's Illusion" 

Arjuna has fallen into illusion. He is forgetting the underlying spiritual reality behind the façade of material existence. He doesn't see that the material world is simply a theatrical display enacted for the rectification of those living beings who have foolishly turned their backs on the Lord. He should be realizing that his only duty is to execute the instructions of the Lord. But because he has fallen into bodily consciousness, considering that he is his body and that his kinsmen are also their bodies, he is now in great anxiety. 

If he would only hear Krishna's words of absolute truth and fully surrender unto them, all of his anxieties would be dissipated. But he instead stubbornly holds onto to his illusory conceptions thus casting himself even deeper into the ocean of grief. 

Actually Arjuna is a liberated soul, an eternal associate of the Lord. He can never be in any kind of illusion. However, for the sake of enabling Krishna to speak the Bhagavad-gita for our benefit Arjuna is placed by the Lord into an apparently deluded condition like the one that we are in. By the Lord's arrangement Arjuna is playing the role of someone who is in our position of bodily consciousness. Therefore when we study the Bhagavad-gita we should understand that the instructions given are for us, to pull us out of our illusory state of consciousness. 

Even though Arjuna is one of the most powerful and confident warriors in world history, he declares to Krishna, "I shall not fight." We may think that this is a very nice quality to refuse to fight. But when an enemy comes to conquer a country, it is the duty of the soldier to protect the nation from the belligerent aggressors who are coming to exploit the citizens. Such defending of the nation is considered glorious and heroic. The rightful kingdom of Arjuna and his brothers had been unlawfully usurped. Lord Krishna wanted that the pious devotees of the Lord should be the rulers, not greedy, wicked-minded exploiters. All attempts were made to recover the hijacked kingdom by peaceful negotiations. But when all alternatives were exhausted there was no other option but to challenge the usurpers, headed by Duryodhana, on the battlefield. 

Krishna has made all the arrangements to rectify the injustice, but now Arjuna is foolishly refusing to co-operate with Him. Arjuna has given many arguments, which on the surface sound quite reasonable. However, when examined minutely from the spiritual platform they all fall apart. Krishna chastises him for his foolishness indirectly calling him a fool, "While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead." 

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

"Why Were We Created?" 

We always hear from the scriptures of the world how God created us. But in the Bhagavad-gita Krishna states that there was never a time that we, the living beings, did not exist. So how can God have created us if we have always existed? It seems contradictory.  

Actually there is no contradiction. We are all the eternal emanations of the Lord. Krishna confirms this in chapter 10 of the Bhagavad-gita in which He states: 

aham sarvasya prabhavo 

mattah sarvam pravartate 

"I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. " 

Bhagavad-gita 10.8 

So it is very clear that we are dependent upon the Supreme Lord for our existence. We are clearly not self-manifested. We are God-manifested. So we can understand that God created us by manifesting us from Himself in way similar to the way that the sun emanates sunshine. And He is presently emanating us from Himself. Were He not doing so, we would not exist. We know that He will eternally emanate us from Himself because He promises us in the Bhagavad-gita that we will always exist along with Him for all of eternity. 

The other day someone asked me if God could choose not to manifest us and thus zap us out of existence. Of course, the fact is that God can do anything He chooses. But this does not mean that He will do this.  Just as an ordinary parent of this world would never think of killing his children, the Lord, Who is unlimitedly more merciful than any being of this world, would never consider the annihilation of His beloved spiritual children. Indeed He is eternally emanating us from Himself simply for the purpose of expanding His own enjoyment by having loving relationships with us. 

So what should this mean to us? This means that we exist for one purpose and for one purpose only, to love God. So do you think you can be happy if you don't love God? Can a fish be happy if it is out the water? No way! It is simply a matter of sanity. We have to learn how to love God perfectly and completely. This and this only will fulfill the purpose of our existence.  

Our ultimate self-realization system, Krishna consciousness, is custom designed by God Himself to bring us back to our original, pure, enlightened state of perfect consciousness.  Kindly accept this process now with full determination, patience, and enthusiasm.  Your life will be unlimitedly sublime. 

Sankarshan Das Adhikari