Yoga and the Master of Yoga

Yoga means the connecting link between the soul and the Supersoul, or the Supreme and the minute living creatures. Lord Sri Krishna is that Supreme, the Personality of Godhead. Being, therefore, the ultimate object of yoga, Krishna's name is yogeshvara, the master of yoga.

When the yoga performance is described, it is said that Krishna's name is yogeshvara. No one can be a better yogi than the master of yoga, and Krishna is the master. There are many different types of yoga. Yoga means the system, and yogi means the person who practices that system. The object of yoga, the ultimate goal, is to understand Krishna. Therefore, Krishna consciousness means to practice the topmost type of yoga.

This topmost yoga system was described by Krishna in the Gita to His most intimate friend, Arjuna. In the beginning, the Lord said that this system can be practiced only by a person who has developed attachment for it. This Krishna conscious yoga system cannot be practiced by an ordinary man who has no attachment for Krishna, for it is a different system, and the topmost—bhakti-yoga.

There are five types of direct attachment, and there are seven types of indirect attachment. Indirect attachment is not bhakti. Direct attachment is called bhakti. If you are attached to Krishna by the direct method, it is called devotional service, and if you are attached to Krishna by an indirect method, it is not devotional service. But that is also attachment. King Kamsa, for example, was the maternal uncle of Krishna; and there was a warning that Kamsa would be killed by one of his sister's sons. So he became very anxious about the sons of his sister, and he decided to kill his sister. Devaki, Krishna's mother, was saved by her husband, Vasudeva, who made a compromise and proposed to his brother-in-law as follows: "You are afraid of the son of your sister. So your sister herself is not going to kill you." He requested, "Don't kill your sister. Save her, and I promise that all the sons born of her will be brought to you, and if you like you can kill them."

Vasudeva did this in order that his poor wife might be saved. And Vasudeva thought, "When Devaki's son is born, Kamsa may have a change of heart." But Kamsa was such a great demon that he killed all the sons of Devaki. It was told that the eighth son of the sister would kill him. So, when Krishna was in the womb of His mother, Kamsa was always thinking of Krishna. You may say that he was not Krishna conscious, but actually he was. Not directly, not for love's sake, but as an enemy. He was Krishna conscious as an enemy. So, that is not devotional service. One in devotional service is Krishna conscious as Krishna's friend, Krishna's servant, His parent, or His lover.

You may want Krishna as your lover, or as your son; you may want Krishna as your friend, you may want Krishna as your master, you may want Krishna as the Supreme Sublime. These five different kinds of direct relationships with Krishna are called devotion, or bhakti. They entail no material profit.

Ref. Krishna Consciousness The Topmost Yoga System authored by Srila Prabhupada (Founder - Acharya, ISKCON)

The Transmigration of Soul

The transmigration of soul is the most important factor to be understood by the human society. Unfortunately there is no university, there is no department of knowledge, to understand this. Click on the link below to watch a video by Srila Prabhupada (Founder- Acharya of ISKCON)

Srila Prabhupada Nectar

Don’t go there

"Don't go there" is an expression that essentially means you know that if you continue on a certain path or thinking in a certain way, arguing, and inquiring, discussing – behaving, or whatever – it's going to lead to a predictable, negative result, guaranteed. So, very simply, don't do it! Stop. Don't continue.

For example, you might be asking someone at work a series of personal questions and notice that he is increasingly defensive and angry. If there is no actual reason you need the answers to your questions, this might qualify for the "don't go there" wisdom. To continue with your questions virtually guarantees that you will create problems for yourself now or down the road. You'll have a new enemy, or at least someone who is mad at you. Why continue? The same idea applies to so many interpersonal issues. Often, we know deep down what's going to happen if we say certain things to certain people. Sometimes it's best to just "not go there."

Suppose you're feeling sorry for yourself and completely overwhelmed. You're thinking about quitting your job and about how horrible your life has become. Here, the "don't go there" expression would mean "stop thinking along these lines." To continue, only guarantees that you're going to feel even worse. What's the point? Wouldn't it be wiser to wait until later, when you feel better, to analyze your life? Why go on when you know the result is going to be pain?

So often, going down a negative path leads to a series of stressful and destructive actions. If you can nip the problem in the bud early by using these simple words, you can prevent a great deal of stress.

Srila Prabhupada Nectar

Teachings of Lord Chaitanya - Ebook

Hare Krishna

Hope you are doing great! This month we have got this very special E-Book – "Teachings of Lord Chaitanya" for you which you can download right away.

There is no difference between the teachings of Lord Chaitanya and the teachings of Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita. The teachings of Lord Chaitanya are practical demonstrations of Lord Krishna's teachings. Lord Chaitanya teaches the science of Krishna consciousness.

Lord Chaitanya is the ideal teacher of life's prime necessities. He is the most munificent bestower of love of Krishna. He is the complete reservoir of all mercies and good fortune. As confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, Mahabharata and the Upanishads, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna Himself, and He is worshipable by everyone in this age of disagreement. Everyone can join in His sankirtana movement. No previous qualification is necessary. just by following His teachings, anyone can become a perfect human being.

In other words, those who are interested in attaining spiritual existence can be easily relieved from the clutches of maya by the grace of Lord Chaitanya. These teachings presented in this book are nondifferent from the Lord.

Please find the E-book as an attachment with this mail.

Srila Prabhupada Nectar

The Real Peace Formula

The great mistake of modern civilization is to encroach upon others' property as though it were one's own and thereby create an unnecessary disturbance of the laws of nature. These laws are very strong. No living entity can violate them. Only one who is Krishna conscious can easily overcome the stringent laws of nature and thus become happy and peaceful in the world.

As a state is protected by the department of law and order, so the state of the universe, of which this earth is only an insignificant fragment, is protected by the laws of nature. This material nature is one of the different potencies of God, who is the ultimate proprietor of everything that be. This earth is, therefore, the property of God, but we, the living entities, especially the so-called civilized human beings, are claiming God's property as our own under both an individual and collective false conception. If you want peace, you have to remove this false conception from your mind and from the world. This false claim of proprietorship by the human race on earth is partly or wholly the cause of all disturbances of peace on earth.

Foolish so-called civilized men are claiming proprietary rights on the property of God because they have now become godless. You cannot be happy and peaceful in a godless society. In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna says that He is the factual enjoyer of all activities of the living entities, that He is the Supreme Lord of all universes, and that He is the well-wishing friend of all beings. When the people of the world know this as the formula for peace, it is then and there that peace will prevail.

Therefore, if you want peace at all, you will have to change your consciousness into Krishna consciousness, both individually and collectively, by the simple process of chanting the holy name of God. This is the standard and recognized process for achieving peace in the world. We therefore recommend that everyone become Krishna conscious by chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Ref: Science of Self Realization authored by Srila Prabhupada (Founder - Acharya, ISKCON)     

Srila Prabhupada Nectar

Eliminate worry from your life!

There are many reasons to eliminate worry from your life. First and foremost, it's highly stressful. Think about how you feel when you're worried. It's all-consuming and energy draining. It encourages you to focus on problems and on how difficult your life has become. 

When you worry, you are on edge and tense. Therefore you tend to be easily bothered or irrationally upset.

When you worry, it's more difficult to concentrate and focus your efforts. Rather than being completely absorbed in your work, your mind tends to wander toward an uncertain future or a mistake – ridden past. You anticipate trouble, whether it's realistic or not – and you review past mistakes as way to justify your concerns.

Worry is also contagious. When you worry, it either suggests or reinforces the idea (to others) that there is something legitimate to worry about. It spreads a negative message and a feeling of fear. 

Try to eliminate worry from your life!

Srila Prabhupada Nectar

Srila Prabhupada Nectar

God is great

Many people claim, "God is great," but this is a hackneyed phrase. One must know how He is great, and that can be known from authorized scripture. In the Bhagavad-gita God describes Himself. He says, "My appearance of taking birth just like an ordinary human being is actually transcendental." God is so kind that He comes before us as an ordinary human being, but His body is not exactly like a human body. 

It is stated in Bhagavad-gita (9.11):"Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be." 

We have a chance to know about Krishna provided we read the right literature under the right direction, and if we simply know what the nature of God is, then by understanding this one fact alone we become liberated. It is not possible in our human condition to understand the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead completely, but with the help of Bhagavad-gita, the statements given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and of the spiritual master, we can know Him to the best of our capacity. If we can know Him in reality, then immediately after leaving this body we can enter into the kingdom of God. Krishna says, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so 'rjuna: "After leaving this body, one who is in knowledge does not come again to this material world, for he enters into the spiritual world and comes to Me." (Bg. 4.9)

The purpose of our Krishna consciousness movement is to propagate this advanced scientific idea to people in general, and the process is very simple. Simply by chanting the holy names of God—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—one cleanses the dirt from his heart and gains understanding that he is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord and that it is his duty to serve Him. This process is very pleasant: we chant the Hare Krishna mantra, we dance rhythmically, and we eat nice prasada. While enjoying this life, we are preparing to enter into the kingdom of God in our next life. This is not a fabrication—it is all factual. Although to a layman this appears to be a fabrication, Krishna reveals Himself from within to one who is serious about God realization.

Ref: Easy Journey to other planets authored by Srila Prabhupada (Founder - Acharya, ISKCON) 

Sri Narasimha Pranama

Relationships are hard to handle and might even seem impossible at times

There will be many fights and many quarrels, many disagreements and many tears.....

The easiest thing would be to give up.

But if we instead spend half the energy we use in fighting with each other, to keep the relationship strong, then that is love……

Remember, in a relationship, giving up is not the solution. Disagreements, fights and quarrels will always be there.

But you must always fight harder to stay together.

Some fights are truly worth fighting!

Srila Prabhupada Nectar

The Real Source of Energy

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, Sri Krishna, or the all-attractive living being. 

Srila Prabhupada Nectar

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