Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Monday, June 4, 2012
The Supreme Controller
It is natural that a philosophical mind wants to know about the origin of the creation. At night he sees the stars in the sky, and he naturally speculates about their inhabitants. Such inquiries are natural for man because man has a developed consciousness which is higher than that of the animals. The author of Srimad-Bhagavatam (Vyasadeva) gives a direct answer to such inquiries. He says that the Lord Sri Krishna is the origin of all creations. He is not only the creator of the universe, but the destroyer as well. The manifested cosmic nature is created at a certain period by the will of the Lord. It is maintained for some time, and then it is annihilated by His will. Therefore, the supreme will is behind all cosmic activities. Of course, there are atheists of various categories who do not believe in a creator, but that is due to a poor fund of knowledge. The modern scientist, for example, has created space satellites, and by some arrangement or other, these satellites are thrown into outer space to fly for some time at the control of the scientist who is far away. Similarly, all the universes with innumerable stars and planets are controlled by the intelligence of the Personality of Godhead.
In Vedic literatures, it is said that the Absolute Truth, Personality of Godhead, is the chief amongst all living personalities. All living beings, beginning from the first created being, Brahma, down to the smallest ant, are individual living beings. And above Brahma, there are even other living beings with individual capacities, and the Personality of Godhead is also a similar living being. And He is an individual as are the other living beings. But the Supreme Lord, or the supreme living being, has the greatest intelligence, and He possesses supermost inconceivable energies of all different varieties. If a man's brain can produce a space satellite, one can very easily imagine how brains higher than man can produce similarly wonderful things which are far superior. The reasonable person will easily accept this argument, but there are stubborn atheists who would never agree.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
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)
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)
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