20-05-04, 06:03 AM
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All Glories to Sri Guru & Gauranga!
by Sankarshan Das Adhikari
______
Would you like to cross over the ocean of all miseries? If
you achieve spiritual perfection you will become completely
transcendental to all the sufferings of this material
existence. That perfectional stage of consciousness is
known as "Krishna consciousness." This is stage in which
you are 100% absorbed in loving and serving God with every
thought, word, and deed in all times, places, and
circumstances.
There are six principles favorable to successfully
mastering the system of Krishna consciousness. They are
stated as follows in the Nectar of Instruction, Text 3:
utsahan niscayad dhairyat
tat-tat-karma-pravartanat
sanga-tyagat sato vrtteh
sadbhir bhaktih prasidhyati
__
(1) Being enthusiastic.
(2) Endeavoring with confidence.
(3) Being patient.
(4) Acting according to regulative principles [such as
sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam - hearing about, chanting
about and remembering Lord Krishna],
(5) Abandoning the association of non-devotees, and
(6) Following in the footsteps of the previous acharyas.
___
These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete
success of pure devotional service.
My spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada, personally told me, "Continue
enthusiastically as you are doing and surely Krishna will
bless you." Because of this personal instruction the
principle of enthusiasm has always been of primordial
importance in my spiritual life. In the above list by Srila
Rupa Goswami we see that it is the very first item on the
list. Enthusiasm is essential for spiritual progress. We
must always remain enthusiastic. If we are not enthusiastic
for spiritual realization we will be enthusiastic for
material sense gratification. Enthusiasm will be there, one
way or the other. Therefore we must be enthusiastic for
Krishna consciousness.
The next principle is to always remain confident of our
ultimate success. We should not doubt for a minute that
through this process of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra we
will attain the highest perfection of pure devotion to Lord
Krishna. Through it we will completely transcend all the
ignorance and misery of this temporary material existence.
How can we be so confident? It is not difficult. Krishna
consciousness is our original nature. It is only through
contact with the material atmosphere that it has now become
covered over with material consciousness. Through this
simple process of purification the layers and layers of
contamination will gradually be removed, and our original
pure state will again be fully manifest.
Patience is required. If we expect immediate results we
are sure to be disappointed. How patient do we have to be
to earn a university degree? It takes many years to
accomplish this. Any good thing requires patience. Things
that come cheaply and easily are generally not that
worthwhile. When a woman gets married she cannot expect to
have a baby immediately. She must first have sex with her
husband and get pregnant. And then she will have to wait
for nine months for the baby to come out of her womb.
It is absolutely essential to act according to regulative
principles. These are the practices that cleanse our
consciousness. Especially we must hear and chant the Hare
Krishna mantra at least 16 rounds daily on japa beads,
remember Lord Krishna throughout the day, and give up
sinful activities. The devotee relishes these regulative
principles. He does not find them to a restriction on his
freedom. Rather he experiences them as the very means of
achieving unlimited freedom.
As we advance more and more in Krishna consciousness we
are naturally more and more inclined to associate with
others on the path of Krishna consciousness, and we lose
interest with associating with those who are not. Of
course, for the purpose of spreading Krishna consciousness
to those who are in illusion we are extremely eager to
associate with everyone. However, when it comes to the
point of whose association we want to take shelter of, that
is only the devotees, not others. This is a good thing
because our consciousness is developed according to our
association. We become like that with which we associate.
The final principle is to follow the pathway chalked out
by the great saintly teachers since the days of antiquity.
There is no need to re-invent the wheel. The self-
realization process, Krishna consciousness, was perfectly
explained thousands and thousands of years ago by Lord
Krishna Himself. His exact words are accurately recorded in
the Bhagavad-gita. Through the ages great saintly teachers
have fully surrendered themselves unto those teachings.
These teachers have also left behind great transcendental
literatures to help us understand in the deepest and most
thorough manner the science of surrender
to God. By Krishna's grace there are living spiritual
masters on this planet right now who are coming in that
unbroken lineage of devotion to Lord Krishna. If we can
seek out such a living master and fully take shelter of him
our spiritual perfection will quickly become manifest.
______
Cource sign up: www.ultimateselfrealization.com
All Glories to Sri Guru & Gauranga!
by Sankarshan Das Adhikari
______
Would you like to cross over the ocean of all miseries? If
you achieve spiritual perfection you will become completely
transcendental to all the sufferings of this material
existence. That perfectional stage of consciousness is
known as "Krishna consciousness." This is stage in which
you are 100% absorbed in loving and serving God with every
thought, word, and deed in all times, places, and
circumstances.
There are six principles favorable to successfully
mastering the system of Krishna consciousness. They are
stated as follows in the Nectar of Instruction, Text 3:
utsahan niscayad dhairyat
tat-tat-karma-pravartanat
sanga-tyagat sato vrtteh
sadbhir bhaktih prasidhyati
__
(1) Being enthusiastic.
(2) Endeavoring with confidence.
(3) Being patient.
(4) Acting according to regulative principles [such as
sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam - hearing about, chanting
about and remembering Lord Krishna],
(5) Abandoning the association of non-devotees, and
(6) Following in the footsteps of the previous acharyas.
___
These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete
success of pure devotional service.
My spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada, personally told me, "Continue
enthusiastically as you are doing and surely Krishna will
bless you." Because of this personal instruction the
principle of enthusiasm has always been of primordial
importance in my spiritual life. In the above list by Srila
Rupa Goswami we see that it is the very first item on the
list. Enthusiasm is essential for spiritual progress. We
must always remain enthusiastic. If we are not enthusiastic
for spiritual realization we will be enthusiastic for
material sense gratification. Enthusiasm will be there, one
way or the other. Therefore we must be enthusiastic for
Krishna consciousness.
The next principle is to always remain confident of our
ultimate success. We should not doubt for a minute that
through this process of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra we
will attain the highest perfection of pure devotion to Lord
Krishna. Through it we will completely transcend all the
ignorance and misery of this temporary material existence.
How can we be so confident? It is not difficult. Krishna
consciousness is our original nature. It is only through
contact with the material atmosphere that it has now become
covered over with material consciousness. Through this
simple process of purification the layers and layers of
contamination will gradually be removed, and our original
pure state will again be fully manifest.
Patience is required. If we expect immediate results we
are sure to be disappointed. How patient do we have to be
to earn a university degree? It takes many years to
accomplish this. Any good thing requires patience. Things
that come cheaply and easily are generally not that
worthwhile. When a woman gets married she cannot expect to
have a baby immediately. She must first have sex with her
husband and get pregnant. And then she will have to wait
for nine months for the baby to come out of her womb.
It is absolutely essential to act according to regulative
principles. These are the practices that cleanse our
consciousness. Especially we must hear and chant the Hare
Krishna mantra at least 16 rounds daily on japa beads,
remember Lord Krishna throughout the day, and give up
sinful activities. The devotee relishes these regulative
principles. He does not find them to a restriction on his
freedom. Rather he experiences them as the very means of
achieving unlimited freedom.
As we advance more and more in Krishna consciousness we
are naturally more and more inclined to associate with
others on the path of Krishna consciousness, and we lose
interest with associating with those who are not. Of
course, for the purpose of spreading Krishna consciousness
to those who are in illusion we are extremely eager to
associate with everyone. However, when it comes to the
point of whose association we want to take shelter of, that
is only the devotees, not others. This is a good thing
because our consciousness is developed according to our
association. We become like that with which we associate.
The final principle is to follow the pathway chalked out
by the great saintly teachers since the days of antiquity.
There is no need to re-invent the wheel. The self-
realization process, Krishna consciousness, was perfectly
explained thousands and thousands of years ago by Lord
Krishna Himself. His exact words are accurately recorded in
the Bhagavad-gita. Through the ages great saintly teachers
have fully surrendered themselves unto those teachings.
These teachers have also left behind great transcendental
literatures to help us understand in the deepest and most
thorough manner the science of surrender
to God. By Krishna's grace there are living spiritual
masters on this planet right now who are coming in that
unbroken lineage of devotion to Lord Krishna. If we can
seek out such a living master and fully take shelter of him
our spiritual perfection will quickly become manifest.
______
Cource sign up: www.ultimateselfrealization.com