Sound Bhakti

Rūpa Goswami says, "Just as young boys are naturally attracted to young girls, and young girls are naturally attracted to young boys"—if you unload a busload of teenagers in front of the Grand Canyon, they won't see the Grand Canyon because they're in samādhi. He said, "In the same way, may my mind be drawn to you." So when Prabhupāda said, "This is a feeling festival, the Ratha-yātrā," there is a story behind it, a love story. But it's THE love story; it's not any love story, it's THE love story. It's the ādi-rasa that gets perverted in this world as what's called āhlāda-tāpa-traya—the love affairs of this world that end in misery and strife and difficulty and complications. Of course, there are complications in the love story of the spiritual world, but they're all ānanda. And this Ratha-yātrā is so remarkable because what we have here is an apparently ordinary parade, but we're pulling the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and not just an image of God. And we say, "God is great, and we're all small and we're all servants," but there's this very specific story of Lord Kṛṣṇa meeting again the residents of Vṛndāvana, and the depth of their separation from him, which is never broken, because true love is never broken. Even Shakespeare says that. And that's all encapsulated within the Ratha-yātrā festival. So brilliant was Prabhupāda to bring it out to the world that both aspects are there: kevalānanda-kāṇḍa—the bliss of the chanting, the prasādam, the display of booths, and "Here's Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you'll get inner peace." But beyond that, there's the most esoteric of all stories that highly advanced paramahaṁsas relish again and again, and tell over and over again, which they go into the details of again and again, and relish it unlimitedly. So we're part of that legacy to bring Ratha-yātrā to the world, and along with the Ratha-yātrā, we may also distribute Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. For anyone who has such an intervention in his or her life by seeing the Ratha-yātrā and then receiving transcendental literature, what to speak of prasādam and the association of devotees, can then take to the path of devotional service. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #rathyatra #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Māyā gives combinations and permutations of apparent enjoyment to every soul to exhaust that person's idea that "I can enjoy separately from Kṛṣṇa." Queen Kuntī says: 'janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir edhamāna-madaḥ pumān naivārhaty abhidhātuṁ vai tvām akiñcana-gocaram (SB 1.8.26).' We should be very, very humble, because Māyā can sneak into our lives at any time, and one of the ways she sneaks in is through the door of pride. There are some attitudes that we can be very careful about and avoid, like "My preaching is better than everybody else's," or "In general, I'm just better than other people," and become proud. Another one is, "I'm liberated. Why am I liberated? I'm in ISKCON. I'm initiated. I'm beautiful. I'm smart. I'm a Brahmin." I may also justify cheating: "Although there are these principles, I've been here a long time, I've seen many things. Give me a break. I know these things, and I am okay. I'm liberated, I'm entitled." So pride opens the door for Māyā, and then justification allows her to stay inside. It's like, "It's okay, because I'm liberated. It doesn't matter. Who are these people? Mangal Arti, going 16 rounds. Who do they think they are? I know everything. And laxity—being lazy, lazy about following the regulative principles, not strict. Here's a way to close the door on Māyā: "I am not liberated." Say that, "I'm not liberated." "I am a servant of the servant of the servant a million times removed." Prabhupāda says, "When you think, 'I'm the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant, a million times removed,' then you're liberated." But always say, "I'm not liberated." Always say, "I'm not liberated." And also, we shouldn't justify, and don't be lazy. Be careful. Prabhupāda says that besides practicing the rules and regulations in devotional service, you should also be careful. And we should also fortify ourselves by very strong sādhana. Prabhupāda writes in the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta that if we don't read all the books, then we'll fall down. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

There are various ways in which we can organize our lives so that we elevate our consciousness. Now, the first and most important is to take an inventory of what we call the soundscape, or the soundtrack, of your life. Do any of you have a soundtrack in your life? If any of you have ever been to a movie, they have soundtracks. That's what defines the era of the movie, isn't it? Yeah, you look at a movie, you can also understand from the very beginning, after the opening credits, when the movie comes on, you can tell if it's a comedy. If it's kind of whimsical music. "Oh, this is going to be funny." If it's very—there's a dark "uh oh, somebody's getting killed here"—mystery. You know, this is all defined by the soundtrack. And so there's a way in which we also have a soundtrack in our life. And Sūta Goswami addresses this. He's talking about elevation of consciousness, and then he describes a series of practices, or one practice, that evolves our consciousness. One practice that sounds simpler, doesn't it? Technically, it begins with meeting somebody who has a better soundtrack than we have. So he says, and I'll quote what Sūta Goswami spoke to the sages: śuśrūṣoḥ śraddadhānasya vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ syān mahat-sevayā viprāḥ puṇya-tīrtha-niṣevaṇāt (SB 1.2.16) That means, if you can meet somebody who's spiritually awake and their taste in hearing is transcendental sound vibration, they like it. They're absorbed in it. What's more, they've been around others who like it, and they've evolved their consciousness. So he says, if you can get around such people, high-minded souls, and do some sevā—means, try to assist them in their life, in whatever they're doing. If you do that, that rubs off on you. It's a technique that Kṛṣṇa mentions in the Bhagavad-gītā also about getting knowledge from a wise person. He says, "Tad vidhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ." When you want knowledge, approach a person who already has it, but do it in a mood of submission. Don't go there saying, "Yeah, I heard that before, yeah, I know that." It'll close the person down. Just be really open. Don't say, "I already know that," ever. Then also render some service. Back when I was a kid, it was cliché that you would bring the teacher an apple. I don't know if they have that here in New York. Are you supposed to bring your teacher an apple? Did you know that ? ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad Gītā asked us to manage our expectations, and he tells us that the material world is a place of suffering. I know this is a family show, and I don't mean to bring a downer to everybody, but it's just a fact. It's there in the Bhagavad Gītā, where Kṛṣṇa says, "duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam." "Duḥkha" means what? Duḥkha, misery, and "ālayam," it's a place. So duḥkhālayam is the place where you go to get misery. So if you manage your expectation and you know that this is a place of misery, when various inconveniences come to you in your life, you won't be so disappointed, because you'll know that's what happens here. So there's a way that we deceive ourselves, and we say that when my circumstances change, I will become happy. When my circumstances change. What kind of circumstances need to change in order for me to be happy? (Audience: job) I've got to get a different job. What else, to be happy? I've got to have more money or less, because if it's less, see me afterwards, I can help you out. What else? (Audience: Weather) If the weather, if the weather changes, then I'll be happy. What else? (Audience: clothes) If I just had the right clothes, I don't have the right clothes yet. (Audience: car) I need a new car. Yeah, to be happy, I need a new car. I need to be immortal, yeah, then I'll be happy. The problem is the circumstances are always changing, and from moment to moment, when I depend on the circumstances, then my fortune changes and my mood and attitude change. So here's the healthy outlook. Would you like to hear the healthy outlook? Okay, only half of you said yes. The rest of you, cover your ears. When I purify my heart, I'll become happy. You can say that, it sounds nice. When I purify my heart, I'll become happy. Here's a limited outlook: The world is an opportunity for my enjoyment. It's a very limited opportunity. Here's the unlimited opportunity. Are you ready? The world is an opportunity for service. Yes, so devotees learned from reading Bhagavad Gītā that every circumstance is an opportunity to improve my devotion to to Kṛṣṇa. And this is possible because we're human, to make changes in our life, to adjust. So we have voluntary life changes versus forced life changes. Have you ever been forced to change something in your life? Were you happy about it? Not so much, maybe. But you can make your own list and say, "These are the items that I'd like to change in my life so that I can be on the right track." And these are called voluntary life changes, or VLCs, or there's reactionary life changes, which means

This is the sensitivity of the heart of a Vaiṣṇava—that he or she will see within everyone the good qualities. What to speak of a dog who wants to join the party, and he considers him part of our group and Prabhupāda had such quality, he would invite people to stay. Of course, he said it is not a hotel for lazy people, the āśram, but there were some devotees who were slightly dysfunctional, and devotees would complain. And Prabhupāda was very tolerant because he said, "They have not understood the mercy of Lord Nityānanda." So we can remember Śivānanda Sena and how accommodating he was. We don't know what is inside people, what that flame is for devotional service that we can fan, that can grow into something. And that's one of the great exhibitions of life, is to see that grow within somebody's heart. We can always make a facility to give people something so they can be connected. Prasādam is very nice. Distributing books is the heartbeat of our Sampradāya. Chanting the holy names everywhere is very important. Writing articles on science and producing short presentations to give people an idea of how to interpret various scientific theories, to understand the context of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Braja Rasa Bhāvana Prabhu has done a presentation on the big bang that was well received. He followed the footsteps of Sada Puṭa Prabhu and put together a nice presentation. I haven't seen the second one, which was about Darwinism or Darwinian evolution, but I heard that was well received also. These are important presentations. People are aimless or misguided, and all of you have a great opportunity as young people who are Kṛṣṇa conscious and also highly educated to give guidance to people all over the world. So please remember that the Vaiṣṇavas are welcoming of every living entity, and that the more you give yourself to Kṛṣṇa, the more He takes care of you. He takes care of you anyway; He takes care of all animals and everyone. But it's a very personal duty for Kṛṣṇa, a duty of love, to take care of His devotees. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

I took some devotees from a faraway land who visited California into a forest called Muir Woods, and it's got a stream going through it. One day, when we were walking through, we saw a ranger in there pulling out something: these long tongs, in gaiters on boots that go up to your hips. And so, we stopped by to talk to the friendly ranger. That's what you should do: always talk to a friendly ranger. And we asked him, "So, what are you doing?" And he said, "I'm taking micro trash out of the river." And I said, "What's micro trash?" He said, "You know how people open a pack of gum and that little piece that's left over somehow blows away in the wind and ends up in the water? Or somebody else throws pennies in because they think it'll bring them good luck? Everything everyone does ends up in the water, and it disturbs the sensory perception of the fish. And the fish are an important part of the ecology here," he said. And then he told us the story of the Coho Salmon who lived there. He said, "They're born here in this little area, and then they migrate downstream from the fresh water all the way to the ocean. And they swim around in the ocean for thousands of miles for several years, and then they come back to the very stream in which they were born. Not only do they do that, but they also swim upstream to find the very pond where they were born." And I said, "How do they do that?" And the ranger—and rangers know stuff—he said, "It's by smell. They can smell their way back. Of course, there are various theories, but that's a prevalent theory," and he presented it to me that day. And when I walked away, I was thinking, "Aha, this is our process too! Not by smell, but by hearing. We can hear the spiritual world. Golokera Prema dhana Harinama Sankirtana." When we chant Hare Krishna, and we can hear that, the sound of "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare" doesn't sound like anything else in this world. When your ears become so sensitive that you realize this is a different sound that comes from the Spiritual World, and you listen to it, the more you listen to it, the more you're drawn naturally to the spiritual world. It compels you. It changes your heart. 'Ceto-darpana-marjanam' – it cleanses the mirror of your mind, all at once, because Krishna is wonderful, and He's all-powerful, and He loves us. And if we chant His name over and over again and listen, then we will be drawn to the spiritual world. So we're endeavoring for this, and we know that if we're minding our own business, one day, Krishna came and knocked at our door, and we opened it, and He said, "Let's go right now, back home, back to God." He puts out His hand. Would you go? ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna

We don't have to be envious because Kṛṣṇa is so opulent that if you just have your own bhajan, it's enough, because Kṛṣṇa gives everything to everyone, all at once. You don't have to worry that somebody got more fame than you do, or they can sing better, or they have better association. We all have an eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa, who's the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And there's no lack ever—that feeling of, "Oh, I didn't get it," or "Somebody else is better than me," or something. We don't have to have that; it's not necessary. We can just be sincere and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and take shelter of Kṛṣṇa and be very, very, very grateful. And I see the devotees who are most advanced: they're joyful when they see other devotees advancing, when they see others that have shining qualities, they become gleeful. And that's real life. There's no end to the happiness that we experience when we feel grateful for devotees. And we love devotees because they're loved by Kṛṣṇa. That's real life. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Kṛṣṇa does admit in the Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta when He meets Gopā Kumāra, He says, "I made special arrangements for you, although I'm neutral with everybody. I made you take birth in Govardhan, and I came personally. That spiritual master that you met, that was Me. I came personally because I've been waiting too long." So there are ways that Kṛṣṇa tries to bring us back to Godhead, and especially when we take a step towards Him, then He takes license to pull us further. I love this whole section. There's a story I heard from H.H. Girirāja Mahārāja about how in Bombay (Mumbai), when he was the temple president, there was a young man who was helping with the translation for the Marāṭhī Gītā. And he would come to see Prabhupāda regularly to check the translation and ask him philosophical questions. I don't know if Prabhupāda spoke Marāṭhī, but his father would come with him because he his father wanted to get some darśana with Prabhupāda. And the father had a habit of smoking, and he was ashamed of it. So Prabhupāda knew that, and after a few times visiting and knowing that the man was ashamed of it, and Prabhupāda asked, 'Are you still smoking?'" And he said, "Yes," very ashamed. He said, "I need your special mercy to give this up." And Prabhupāda said, "Yes, you can get Kṛṣṇa's special mercy, but it means that you become so miserable that you'll be forced to give it up." Then he said, "Would you like special mercy?" And the man said, "No, no, no, no, I'll do it myself. I'll volunteer." So there's a little push-pull going on. You can do this—they used to say—you can do this the easy way or the hard way. If you want to do the easy way, just make up your mind: sarva-dharmān parityajya, "that's it, I surrender." ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Sometimes, devotees can try to be more Catholic than the Pope. Prabhupāda had certain ways; he had a certain mood, and it wasn't fanatical. We were fanatical, a lot, and a lot of times we amplified certain things Prabhupāda said and just took that as all in all. We think that by being more and more austere, physically punishing our senses and so forth, that we become more advanced. It was in youthful energy like that; it's not sustainable. It can even make the heart hard. I'm not saying we should not be austere to some degree, but we should observe how Prabhupāda was. He was austere for the right reasons, but not just for the sake of it. Like when he went to Kumbha Melā, he went there to preach. It wasn't like he was after some benediction from the Kumbha, you know, Kumbha Melā, right? You're supposed to bathe at the right time, get some benediction from Lakṣmī. Prabhupāda didn't care about that. He wanted that we go there and distribute books and prasādam. Prabhupāda went here, there, and everywhere. His mission was always the same, and he was always aligned with the same principles that his spiritual master taught him. And if we stay aligned with the mood and mission of our guru and the Guru-paramparā very clearly, then we can navigate through life. The decisions we make are based on what's the main thing: the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. (27:31) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Well, maybe we can just give a quick definition of this word: surrender. It also sounds a slightly intimidating from the word itself: surrender. Somebody says, "Surrender your passport," or something, or there's an image of somebody getting chased by police in a car and trying to run away, and then finally they surrender. It can be applicable to us, but śaraṇāgati and the path of taking shelter of Krishna can be more comprehensible in the sense that it describes six methods of taking shelter of Krishna. Śaraṇāgati means that path. So, the first one is to accept everything that's favorable. When there's something favorable to your devotional service, you accept it. That's a kind of surrender. And then, giving up things that are not favorable. When somebody points them out to you that these things won't help your bhakti, you may not be able to give them up right away, but when it becomes your intention, and then you work at it, you finally give them up. That is surrender. Another is that you develop the awareness that The Lord is your maintainer, nobody else. You may have some source of income (briefly inaudible) is to be humble. And then finally, ātma-nivedanam, or offering yourself to Krishna that "Krishna, I'm yours. Everything I have is yours. Even myself is yours." So, does that sound doable? Yes? Then no problem. You're doing it. By the way, you're already doing it. It's a process. If you can have a good strategy for your life, try to have your midlife crisis as early as possible, and then use the last part of your life, or whatever part. Don't even have a midlife crisis, just keep doing what you can to be Kṛṣṇa conscious throughout your life. You'll get more and more favor from Krishna, and you'll also develop more determination and steadiness and everything else. So you have a way better than equal chance of having complete success. So don't worry. Mā śucaḥ. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Vaisesika Dasa: It's easy to surrender to Krishna than not. I stand by that, from extensive experience. Audience: It feels easier sometimes not to surrender. Vaisesika Dasa: That's ignorance. You know, we get absorbed in ignorance. For instance, scrolling may seem to be a kind of shelter, but it's shelter in the mode of ignorance. And Kṛṣṇa then enlightens us In the Bhagavad Gītā, He says, "Shelter in the mode of ignorance leads to more foolishness. The shelter in the mode of passion leads to misery, but shelter in the mode of goodness leads to a sense of happiness." But the only shelter is shelter of Kṛṣṇa. He gives an example: even in the mode of goodness, it's like poison in the beginning, nectar in the end. And shelter in the mode of passion is nectar in the beginning, poison in the end. Relatable, right? So there is some tapasya in taking shelter of Krishna because of the ways in which the senses have become addicted to passion and ignorance and so forth. The remedy: 'śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi vidhunoti suhṛt satām. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī.tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye ceta etair anāviddhaṁ sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati (SB 1.2.17-19).' By hearing Bhāgavatam then gradually all that clears up, and we can understand that our only shelter is Krishna. And then at the verse, "tadā rajas," I know when I was a kid, when we would do a magic show and pull a rabbit out of a hat or something, we would go, "Tada!" So in this verse, there's a point at which tadā means, "at that point." Tadā — I'm free from all these false shelters. Tadā rajas tamo 'bhāvāḥ. They're all diminishing because of the power of Krishna in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So chanting Hare Krishna and hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam—it's the panacea through which we can give up all bad shelters. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Sometimes we meet people and we tell them something about Kṛṣṇa, give them a book, and it's not immediately evident, but later, we'll meet them. Or maybe we won't meet them, we'll meet somebody else who had an incidental contact with the devotee, and then they'll tell how everything started from that one statement. “I heard that thing. He said this, I read this one thing, and then it started.” And we're in a liminal state. Any minute we can cross back over into the spiritual environment by a little encouragement from the sound vibration, or by the same principle, we can always slip into nescience. But once the devotees have been awakened and have experienced the taste of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even if they temporarily slip into darkness, it's not the same, Nārada Muni says, “as it is for somebody who's never experienced it, they always remember it.” Even though they become captured by Māyā, they still remember. As Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura said, they're haunted by the ghost of rasa. Rasāgraha, he said, “they're grabbed by it.” They keep thinking, “Oh, yeah, but I remember that time.” So it's very poignant, what you said about the power of the sound. And the saṅkīrtana movement is based on that; it's spreading that same sound vibration, Bhagavad-gītā, and the holy names to other living entities. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

When I was a new devotee, we went in to meet Prabhupāda in his room. The Temple President very proudly introduced us as his saṅkīrtana team and told the scores for book distribution. Prabhupāda immediately said to us, "You must also read my books. I've not written them just for selling." He went on from there and said more, but I got from that that he wanted us to balance our lives, and we have to be self-determining. That one statement he made so directly and sternly empowered me a lot through a lot of the times, especially in the early days, when everyone was in emergency mode 24/7. I always took my time to read because Prabhupāda told me to, and to have a dose of that is helpful. Now, ISKCON is a community, it's a society, and we want to do a lot of service. It's nectarian to do service, and there's unlimited service to do. Unless you're in a situation where somebody is very thoughtful in meting out service that you take, you have to be a little careful yourself to make sure you don't take on too much and you don't take on too little either. If you take on too little and you get in the mode of, "Well, I'm a Bābājī now," then that can turn into something else. So you have to balance, self-regulate, and be careful if you don't have that already. One of the reasons is, from my own experience, if people notice that you're talented in some way (of course, it couldn't apply in my case, but I'm talking about other people), if they notice that you can get things done in a certain way, you have some life, they'll just say, "Hey, can you do this? Can you do that?" Rarely do they say, "Do you have a timesheet that tells how much time you're using already?" And so, you have to learn some techniques of saying "No" first, and then think about it and see if it fits into your schedule. After all Kṛṣṇa says: "yukta-hāra-vihārasya yukta-ceṣṭasya karmasu yukta-svapnāvabodhasya yogo bhavati duḥkha-hā." Yukta means to be balanced in the way that you approach everything in your life, and that can change from era to era, and obviously from community to community. So the fact that you feel a little confused about it is not out of the ordinary. The human condition is quite confusing anyway. There's never a time when there's not some conundrum causing a spin in your head where you're trying to figure out how to manage, because we're really in a liminal state here in human life, and it always requires repositioning constantly to try to figure out how I should do now. Besides that, just someone once told Prabhupāda... Verse: https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/2/10/10/ ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------

When you're used to something, you don't see it after a while. And when somebody new comes and looks at it, they go, "Oh, that!" Like, if you have a beautiful picture in your house, you see it all the time, so you don't even notice it until you bring someone over and they look and say, "Where'd you get that? It's beautiful!" And you go, "Oh, that? Yeah, I haven't seen it for a year." That's why it's important to bring new people into Kṛṣṇa consciousness, because they come in and they're wide-eyed—meaning, full of wonder. And then we remember that it's not just some ritual, that it's an awakening when we see other people awakening. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

The other one I was thinking of was that Śukadeva Gosvāmī gives this verse (SB 10.90.48): jayati jana-nivāso devakī-janma-vādo yadu-vara-pariṣat svair dorbhir asyann adharmam sthira-cara-vṛjina-ghnaḥ su-smita-śrī-mukhena vraja-pura-vanitānāṁ vardhayan kāma-devam You know that one? It's in the padyātis as a good, recommended verse to say when you first wake up in the morning. And I have said it for a long time when I wake up. But then, when I was studying that section of the Bhāgavatam, I found out that Śukadeva, according to Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, recited that verse for a very specific purpose. Which was, he says, it starts with "Jayati", which is in the present tense: "The Lord is victorious now." "Jayati jana-nivāso", and then he goes on to describe how He walked among all the people, "jana-nivāsa", and what were His attractive features. But the point is, it's in the present tense that it's happening now. And Viśvanātha said, "Because, to assuage the disappointment that people would feel that they were not here for Kṛṣṇa's appearance." They're thinking, "Why couldn't He have just kept His pastimes going here on earth and been fully available even now? Why did I miss it by 5,000 years or whenever?" And so he said, "Don't worry, 'Jayati', they're going on right now. They're fully available through the medium of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam at the present time. Sections read: https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/2/10/9/ https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/2/2/35/ https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/14/27/ https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/11/3/44/ ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

In the verse today, by context, boy met girl, they got married, and then, at some point, the husband went away to the forest to hunt, which means he left his wife for some time. Obviously, he wasn't satisfied, so he went away and tried to enjoy separately. Now he's come back to his wife and to his kingdom. And this verse, after he's been away hunting in the forest, describes him feeling hungry and thirsty. So, he eats, he takes a bath, he puts on sandalwood pulp, and now he's feeling relieved. So, Prabhupāda turns this into a metaphor. In his purport, he describes this as analogous to a person becoming refreshed by finding a saintly person. In this verse, we have a very straightforward understanding of how one can improve one's life: that is by attaining the association of saintly persons. Everything we are now is because of our previous association. "Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu." Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā 13.22 that whatever good or bad we have in our life, or whatever kind of body we have now, it has come about because of our association. And the means by which one can come to the perfection of life is by getting the association of the pure devotee. This is a theme throughout The Bhāgavatam, The Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta, and The Bhagavad Gītā. Bhāgavatam 5th Canto: 'rahūgaṇaitat tapasā na yāti na cejyayā nirvapaṇād gṛhād vā na cchandasā naiva jalāgni-sūryair vinā mahat-pāda-rajo-'bhiṣekam.' This is a verse that, when Jaḍa Bharata meets Rahūgaṇa, he realizes that he has been transformed by the association of the pure devotee. So he says you cannot achieve perfection by tapasya -'na cchandasā naiva jalāgni-sūryair' means that you may go in the summertime and sit next to hot fire just to detach yourself from the body or same thing with cold water. Or you may perform your duties properly in the grihasta ashrama or the sanyasa ashrama, but none of these things will bring you to the perfection of life... ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Chanting the holy name, dancing in ecstasy, singing, and playing musical instruments, the spiritual master is always gladdened by the sankirtana movement of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Because he is relishing the mellows of pure devotion within his mind, sometimes his hair stands on end, he feels quivering in his body, and tears flow from his eyes like waves. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master. (Śrī Gurvaṣṭakam, Verse 1) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Student: How did you find your path? Did you do something else before, right? Vaisesika Dasa: Well, I got involved in this when I was around 16. Student: Oh, that's pretty early. Vaisesika Dasa: I became a monk when I was 16. From the time I was born, I had a curiosity about what life was, why I was here in the world, and why I had to die, things like that. Student:Okay Vaisesika Dasa: But in high school, I came into this Bhagavad Gita and other spiritual knowledge. My teacher is from the tradition of Bhagavad Gita. You know Bhagavad Gita? Bhagavad Gita is from India. It's where yoga comes from, meditation. Teaches that the body's like a machine, but the consciousness, the soul inside, is the driver. ----------------------------------------------------------- To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

There are five stages in Deity worship starting with gathering paraphernalia and putting it together, that's the first stage. And then the second, once the paraphernalia is assembled, it is called Yoga, which means that one has to conceptualize oneself as an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, separate from the body. To that end, there's the Bhūta Śuddhi; 'I am by nature the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, but by misfortune, due to being inimical towards Him since time immemorial, I have been wandering in the cycle of birth and death again and again in this material existence being burnt by the threefold miseries. Now, as a result of some unimaginable good fortune, by the mercy of my spiritual master, I have attained the good fortune of serving at his lotus feet, as well as the lotus feet of Lord Chaitanya Mahāprabhu and Rādhā-Śyāmasundar. And then: nāhaṁ vipro na ca nara-patir nāpi vaiśyo na śūdro nāhaṁ varṇī na ca gṛha-patir no vanastho yatir vā kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramānanda-pūrnāmṛtābdher gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80) I have no material designation. I'm only the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. ---------------------------------------------------------- To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

This morning, I was listening to Prabhupada, and he was talking about how there are different kinds of liberated souls: "muktānām api siddhānāṁ nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇaḥ su-durlabhaḥ praśāntātmā koṭiṣv api mahā-mune (SB 6.14.5).' There are millions and millions of sages and different kinds of people who have achieved liberation through knowledge. They've seen the impersonal Brahman and Paramatma. But it's the most rare that someone can understand Bhagavan -Kṛṣṇa. And it's only by association with pure devotees, He said, that only by understanding Bhagavan is there Ananda. When you have that relationship, you know you have a relationship. And then Prabhupada named the different relationships you could have: as a parent, as a lover, as a friend, as a servitor. Then he started saying, you could be the water in Vrindavan. And he was talking about how, once you have that relationship, then that ānanda is unlimited. It's not like, he said, in the material world, we think ānanda comes from some temporary pleasure, but that, he said, only lasts for a few minutes. So intelligent people, 'ye hi saṁsparśajā bhogā' they don't appreciate it at all. The sages, he said: 'ramante yogino 'nante satyānande cid-ātmani iti rāma-padenāsau paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate (CC Madhya 9.29).' That those who understand that real pleasure comes from Rama, association with Kṛṣṇa, that's the real happiness, and they don't need anything else. Once they taste that ānanda of Kṛṣṇa, then every other kind of pleasure is insignificant for them. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

When we chant with intention, and we remember that we're requesting Krishna for service, or requesting Him to give us the best of association and the wherewithal to take advantage of it, then our chanting can be more pointed. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #makejapagreatagain #mantrameditation #chantharekrishnaandbehappy #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

There's a fairy tale called "The Princess and the Pea." The princess, the true princess, was born into a kingly family and then somehow or other was estranged from her family. There was a mix-up, and when the royal family came to know of it, they wanted to reclaim their daughter, the princess. So they put out a royal edict that anyone could come to their home, because they were in search of the real princess. Thousands signed up for it, and there was a lineup, because everyone thought, "Well, maybe they'll just claim me." And they had a device to determine who was the princess. Does anybody remember what it was? It's in the title: the pea. So, for the sake of this story, it was a garbanzo bean, or a chickpea, that was dried up. If you've ever seen those, if you step on one, you'll know it's like a little stone. So what they did is they put the pea on the floor, and then they put seven mattresses on it, and made the bed for the visiting candidates for princess-hood. They would give a royal feast and then invite the candidate, "Here, here's your room, royal bedstead. Please go to sleep, enjoy yourself." And in the morning, they would interview, "How did you rest last night?" All the candidates, one after another, would say, "Oh, the best sleep I ever had! Thank you very much for your hospitality." And they'd say, "Next." And finally, after hundreds and hundreds, they came to one, and the royal feast, invited her to her room, "Please have a nice rest tonight." And in the morning, the person said, "I couldn't get any rest at all!" And they said, "Why not?" "There was something hard underneath." And they said, "Aha! Here's the princess!" The idea is, her body was so delicate as a princess that she couldn't tolerate even the protrusion of one little pea underneath seven mattresses. That's the idea. In a similar way, no matter what kind of situation we arrange for ourselves in this world, as conscious beings who are used to subtlety, aesthetic beauty that's beyond anything we can see in this world—because this world is a reflection of the spiritual world—we just can't get comfortable. You can never get comfortable in any body, and no matter how much money you have, no matter how fit you feel, still there's a pea under those seven mattresses. And you go, "Ugh, it's not right!" So, this spiritual practice is something that brings us back to a real comfort. When we know who we really are and we don't have to struggle with a false identity and keep up appearances, then we feel naturally enlivened in life and happy, not the least of which is because we don't die. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark

'Bhejire munayo 'thāgre bhagavantam adhokṣajam sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ kṣemāya kalpante ye 'nu tān iha.' Suta Goswami says in the Srimad Bhagavatam, First Canto, Second Chapter, that previously - agre, all the great sages worshiped Lord Narayan because He's beyond the modes of material nature. Therefore, they attained the highest benefit. Anyone who follows in their footsteps, even if they're not great sages, is eligible for the same result. So, this point that Ranchor Prabhu is making is very important: if we follow the pathway of the great acharyas—mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ—however insignificant we may be, we'll attain the same result because of following in their footsteps. And Krishna gives us this encouragement, as He spoke to Uddhava in the Bhagavatam, 11th Canto (11.21.2): 'sve sve 'dhikāre yā niṣṭhā sa guṇaḥ parikīrtitaḥ,' that if you follow according to your capacity, that's a good quality. 'Viparyayas tu doṣaḥ syād'—it's the opposite if you try to do more than you're qualified for. Then, He said, it's a fault. Stay within your limit and do the best you can with what you have right now, and you'll be able to attain everything by the mercy of the process, which is also mentioned: 'tvat-pada-potena mahat-kṛtena, kurvanti, govatsa-padam bhavābdhim.' This means it's a process left behind by the great acharyas. And if we embrace the process that has been given to us by the great acharyas, 'tvat-pada-potena mahat-kṛtena,' then the material world, which is like a dangerous ocean, shrinks to the size of the water contained within the hoof print of a calf, and then one can easily step over by the mercy of the acharyas' process that they have left for us. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

When we hear from Bhagavad Gītā, from Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa mentions how we come to a stage where, externally, we may be suffering. And this is my experience, I mentioned the other day: when my father died, I expected he would at some point, but I didn't know how I would react to it even though I knew, "Dehino 'smin yathā dehe..." I could recite that verse, but I didn't know how I would feel about it. And as it turned out—and here was my realization - "If I cut myself, I'm going to bleed." In the subtle body, when we suffer a loss of a loved one, then the heart bleeds, and it has to heal, the subtle body. Same thing when I lost my mother, I realized the umbilical cord is not just a gross material thing. There's also subtle umbilical cords in the mothers. After all, if you get an A on your report card, who do you run home to show? And that's part of our internal workings, our false ego, and everything is tied into mother, father, and so forth, and to all our attachments in the material world. There's an elaborate way in which we're connected to the world, and we have a construct of what it is and who we are with it. And the Bhāgavatam very helpfully helps us to watch the scenario and then to deconstruct it and say, "How does it look now? And here's what others went through, and here's what they experienced," and we can vicariously heal or experience what they've gone through, and then experience their healing process and go through that. You were saying, "How does one deal with it?" That's one of the ways that we deal with it. And as far as administering compassionate care to others around us, it's important to recognize that we're bidimensional beings, because even though we're souls and we don't die and nor do our loved ones, we still have a subtle and a gross body, and there still is pain, although it's described Third Canto Srimad Bhagvatam to be like a bad dream, but still there's suffering there, even though it's temporary. So we have to address both sides. If one experiences loss, I've found that it's important not to coach people that don't grieve because you're not your body ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #patience #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Prabhupāda writes: 'Regarding your last question about the ecstatic symptoms of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa: You should know that the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra has an equal effect upon all devotees. Just like the sunshine has an equal effect on everyone, but when it is covered, the sunshine has a different effect. Similarly, the influence of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra becomes manifest when one is no longer covered by the ten offenses to chanting. The more we become free from the ten offenses, the more the effect of chanting becomes manifest through us. Everyone can become a great devotee, being freed from the offenses 100%, simply by one's own determination and effort.' (June 16, 1969, quoted in the session) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #makejapagreatagain #mantrameditation #chantharekrishnaandbehappy #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Just to summarize, we are not our bodies; we're spiritual beings. You have to feed the soul. If you're feeding something other than the soul, that's what is causing the anxiety. Simple equation, not a difficult algorithm to change. Change where you're giving your nurture. Don't nurture just the body; just nurture the body enough so the soul can be properly situated in the body, so that you can feed the soul as much as possible. And if you don't feel satisfied, feed your soul more.Just remember that, because it's what the Bhāgavatam says: "All the brightest people in the world got together at Naimiṣāraṇya to discern what is the purpose of life," and they came out with this admonition: "sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati." (SB 1.2.6) That means that if you want to be blissful, if you want to be actually happy, then find out how to be more engaged in feeding your soul by being connected in Kṛṣṇa consciousness through what we call bhakti yoga—doing the activities that connect you directly to Kṛṣṇa. That's always the answer, and there is no other. All the anxieties of the world cannot be fixed—or, I should say, any of the anxieties of the world cannot be fixed—by making more money. It doesn't work. You can't fix the problem. You can temporarily fix it with self-help. And we may need some organization in our life; we may need some physical therapy. If you have a pinched nerve, you've got to take care of it. You may need some psychological therapy. If your mind is so disturbed, you have to get to a place where at least you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa without your mind being in a stage of rage or whatever it may be in. But the ultimate solution, says the Bhāgavatam, is to find out how to integrate this spiritual process, especially chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, into your life by increments, more and more, as we get older, we should do more, not less. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

I saw this sign when we were coming down here.This restaurant is called 'A Land Remembered'. And it just sounded poetical to me - A Land Remembered ! And I was thinking, "Land means somewhere you can land." We can't land anywhere in the material world. There's no place that will accommodate us for very long. We just have to get pushed along. So everyone's remembering that land where we can stay, and that's the place, that's the home we're looking for. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

In the final ceremony, Kumari Gopi will keep her right foot in each circle, and I'll read out seven purposes of their marriage. After each step, everyone can give a hearty Haribol! That's a Hari Haribol, or a hearty Haribol. Kumari Gopi, take the first step as your vow to support and uplift one another on your spiritual journey, helping each other to grow closer to Krishna. You take the second step to cultivate trust by treating one another with respect and kindness, creating a harmonious life together. Please take your third step. This third step is to inspire one another to become the highest versions of yourselves, living with heartfelt purpose. The fourth step: to stand by and support one another through highs and lows, joy and sorrow, sickness and in health. "Are you ready? Please take the fifth step. The fifth step is to create a home centered around Krishna, where you serve and host devotees, friends, and family with love and devotion. "Please take your sixth step. Take the sixth step to communicate with honesty and patience, working together to overcome any challenges that may arise. The seventh step: to cherish your relationship and love, honor, and daily choose each other for the rest of your lives. Please stand here, Dear Sri Sri Pancha Tattva. May Kumari Gopi and Radisham Ananda thrive in all areas of their lives. (1:43:22) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

You have to reinvent yourself every day and don't become disappointed, because progress comes in a series of comebacks. You have to be the comeback kid, because even during one round of Japa, you may have to make 10 comebacks. What to speak of You know, in a lifetime of devotional service, you have to reinvent yourself, start over, make comebacks constantly, and be willing to do that. And that's the way to put together one whole lifetime in which you're on an upward trajectory. And as Prabhupada writes, in the Light of the Bhagavata, missteps may not be detrimental. They may become the pillars to success if we approach with the right attitude. Be humble, and also appreciate devotees who have good qualities. As Voltaire once said, 'When you appreciate the good qualities in others, they become yours. If you're envious of others, you don't get anything. You void the possibility for attaining good qualities in this life.' So, worship devotees. Wherever you see somebody who's more enthusiastic than you, serve that person or appreciate them deeply. And if you keep doing that, especially with devotees, because our main source of advancement is the association of devotees. Find devotees. And it doesn't just mean that there's only one person, there's only Jesus, there's only Muhammad, there's only Prabhupada. Prabhupada is reflected within everyone. In fact, it might be the new person. Lord Caitanya did this in the Jagannath temple, at the Garuda-stambha. He was beholding the beautiful lotus eyes of Lord Jagannath. And an Orissan woman came in and climbed up on the Lord's shoulders, one foot on the Garuda-stambha and one foot on The Lord's shoulder so she could look. She was oblivious to the fact that anybody was standing there, because she was so eager to see The Lord. And then when Govinda, His servant, saw her climb up there, he said, 'Get down! Get down! Get down! Get down! What are you doing?' Mahaprabhu then became aware of what was happening, and He chastised Govinda, not the woman. He said, 'What are you? An uncivilized person?' He said to His servant. 'Don't you recognize the enthusiasm that she has? I wish I had that.' So we should see that in everyone. That's why Sankirtan is a beautiful thing, and the preaching you're doing here is beautiful. Because isn't it when you bring new people into Krishna consciousness, vicariously, you experience what you experienced the first time? ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Don't you find that the more you practice listening to The Holy Name and being fully present, the more the mind has a glimmer of attachment for the chanting of the Holy Name? If so, that's great advancement. Even the slightest inclination of the mind that 'I'd like to do this' shows that you're moving forward in Krishna consciousness. And even if you're not, if you have that sense of determination, that śraddhā in the śāstra, in the words of Guru-Paramparā, that you should do this, and you do it based on this sense of 'I must do it'—in the vaidhī mode—still, there's a taste in that. Because you feel, 'Yes, I'm doing the right thing.' Most of the time in the material world, everyone's doing the wrong thing, and there's cognitive dissonance: 'I'm doing the wrong thing, I'm doing the wrong thing. I wish I could do the right thing.' So even when you're doing it out of duty and you're doing the right thing, there's a sense of victory. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Thank you very much for joining us for Make Japa Great Again. It's our main objective in our practice of Bhakti Yoga to make japa great. Everything else falls into place when that's correct. In Japanese, there's a word hazu. In an arrow here's a little groove or a notch where you drop the bow into so you can shoot it, and that's called the hazu. So, that word is used when people are talking about something that was appropriate, that fit. And so when our japa is correct, we have hazu. That means everything else fits perfectly in our life. If we don't have that, then it doesn't matter what else we do; we'll shoot the arrow in the wrong direction, or it won't shoot at all. So, this is our main service. We have full permission from Mahaprabhu and all our acharyas to give ourselves fully to the process of chanting japa. No one will fault you for that if you shut off everything else and schedule time just for japa. And if they do, they're not the kind of people you want to have in your life anyway. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #makejapagreatagain #mantrameditation #chantharekrishnaandbehappy #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Someone told me the other day that we've done over 150,000 sets of Bhāgavatams from our concerted efforts. You know, so many of these things happen when we're not looking because we're just looking down at what we're doing right now and what we're going to do next. But together, as a team, 150,000 sets of Bhāgavatams! Inconceivable six years ago. But somehow or other, by the combined energy of all of you working together and all of the all over the world devotees feeling the same impetus to do service for service, and believing in that magic of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, as Prabhupāda did when he was aboard the Jaladūta, when he said, "This will be the tip of the spear. This is what will create the revolution in the impious lives of the world's misdirected civilization." Here we are. It's the launch of Bhādra. We have full permission from Śrīla Prabhupāda to give our mind and attention in, as he puts it, "practical samādhi" of distributing Bhāgavatam sets. We have the encouragement from the Bhāgavatam itself, from Śrīla Śukadeva Goswami, who included the verse that says, "Do this! Give it to other people. You'll go back to Godhead in the process." Let everybody go back to Godhead. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Japa is the mainstay of every practitioner, and anyone who takes it seriously, starting with the idea that no matter what every day, "I always finish my prescribed number of rounds." Anyone who thinks like that is a high-level sādhaka, and anyone who does that without fail will make advancement in devotional service without any doubt. So this is "Make japa great again!" And it means make it great again. Even if it was great yesterday, you have to start over again today and make it great today. Every day is a compartmentalized unit, and we can't rely on the past. We have to say, "Today is the day when it's going to be great." So, knowing that we're authorized by the great ācāryas, all of them recommend, "ei mukta-kaler upasyamānam," all the liberated personalities recommend chanting Hare Krishna. The śāstra recommends chanting Hare Krishna. We have full permission to do what we're doing here today. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Sometimes, at a certain age, devotees wonder, "Am I really going to be a devotee? What about the rest of the world? What about my other opportunities and so forth?" These thoughts are all going through a person's head. Jhanavi Jivan talks about how she and her family went to Sharanagati. You know where that is: it's a farm up in Canada, not too far from Vancouver, I believe. And it's a big devotee farm, obviously. Living there was a very famous sādhvī, a female sādhu. Her name was Yamunā Dāsī. She was one of Prabhupāda's earliest disciples, a very famous devotee not just for singing but also for cooking, and most of all, known for her guru-niṣṭhā. She was determined to serve her guru and totally fixed in service to the lotus feet of Śrīla Prabhupāda as her eternal spiritual master. So she, like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who describes in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, had the assets of a sādhu. And what do sādhus have? According to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they have hymns and instructions. And they're doctors. You know, doctors carry a little black bag. What do they have inside? For the devotee doctors, they have hymns - mantras and also have instructions - how to work the mantra. So when they went and stayed at the home of Yamunā Dāsī, Jhanavi Jivan describes how after a few days of watching this sādhvī, this devotee who was fully dedicated, she never stopped chanting. She was always engaged, always praying to Kṛṣṇa, offering to Kṛṣṇa, teaching how to cook—everything about Kṛṣṇa. In that environment. When she came out, she got into the car. They were leaving. She was sitting in the back seat, and it came through her in a visceral way. She could feel it through her whole body, up her spine, throughout her system that, "I've met the person who's my ideal in life. I want to be like her. I want to be a devotee." And this is the power of association with sādhus. They give us the most valuable asset, which is śraddhā, faith in Kṛṣṇa, that "if I become like this, then I'll be perfect. If I could just be like this person, then everything will be good in my life. I'll be fully satisfied and happy. I want to be that person, I want to follow in his or her footsteps and become a devotee." So this is the most valuable asset. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

I heard Prabhupāda speaking this morning. Tāmal Kṛṣṇa Mahārāja, as a very young devotee, was telling Prabhupāda, as he was listening to him in awe, he was saying, "Prabhupāda, I always want to remember you speaking. I always want to be able to remember what you're saying and then to be able to recall it and say it myself." And Prabhupāda said, "This takes cultivation." He said, "Everything takes cultivation." So our "right as rain" process, where we sit down and chant every day and just do it—do the activity—because it's following in the footsteps of the ācārya - 'ācāryavān puruṣo veda', means that you know everything, you're properly situated. If you can cultivate that, then you've got a perfect life as a human being. And that's why it feels so good to every day finish your rounds and do the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. I know after last week's session, I just felt great because I was thinking, "Wow, there's something in this Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting!" If we can stick together and keep doing this and get more people involved, then it's the only way to make the world a better place—to start from that level and then work outwardly. So it's a worthy cause. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

'Māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvat' - Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu chases after the conditioned souls to embrace them and bring them back to Godhead. He'll take anybody back to God who wants to go. But Lord Nityānanda will even take those people who don't want to go. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Nityānanda are the most merciful of all incarnations in the world. Even māyāvādīs with stone-like hearts, when they hear the names Nitāi and Gaura, begin to cry and dance in ecstasy. Let the whole world hear the sound of their Holy Names by going door to door, everywhere we go, every person we meet, give them an opportunity to take this train back home, back to Godhead. And already, if we listen very carefully, we can hear people who have been weeping in their apartments, lonely after hearing about Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu there's a sound vibration coming up. If we listen really carefully, we can hear it now: Gaura Kṛpā Hole he, Gaura Kṛpā Hole he, oh, for the mercy of Lord Caitanya! ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualmusic #soulfulmusic #gauranitai #kirtan #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

'Māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvat' - Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu chases after the conditioned souls to embrace them and bring them back to Godhead. He'll take anybody back to God who wants to go. But Lord Nityānanda will even take those people who don't want to go. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Lord Nityānanda are the most merciful of all incarnations in the world. Even māyāvādīs with stone-like hearts, when they hear the names Nitāi and Gaura, begin to cry and dance in ecstasy. Let the whole world hear the sound of their Holy Names by going door to door, everywhere we go, every person we meet, give them an opportunity to take this train back home, back to Godhead. And already, if we listen very carefully, we can hear people who have been weeping in their apartments, lonely after hearing about Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu there's a sound vibration coming up. If we listen really carefully, we can hear it now: Gaura Kṛpā Hole he, Gaura Kṛpā Hole he, oh, for the mercy of Lord Caitanya! ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Kṛṣṇa declares that he is subordinate to the love of his devotee. Bhakti is so powerful that the supreme controller of all controllers finds the greatest pleasure in being controlled by the love of his devotee. But to realize that love requires Kṛṣṇa's grace. Śrīla Prabhupāda gives an example: when we talk of the oneness of a nation, it doesn't mean everybody merges into a nation. There may be millions of individuals, but the oneness of a nation is that we are united on the higher principle of the nation, the interests of the nation. When we speak about one family, it's not that everybody in the family becomes, you know, like the filling in a samosa—we all get smashed together. The oneness of a family is when the interest of the family is the higher principle that we are all united on, and that's actually oneness. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes that this is the idea of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: that we are all conscious of Kṛṣṇa. We all have our diversity, we all have our natures, we all have our experiences, we all have our individual, unique struggles in life. But there's a higher principle that we unite on: saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam—what will please Kṛṣṇa. And in our life, we know what will please Kṛṣṇa is what will please Śrīla Prabhupāda. Variegatedness, or diversity, without appreciating the higher principle that we've been brought together to represent, could create envy and division. But in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, variegatedness actually creates deeper appreciation for each other with our differences, and that is a test of actually if we're Kṛṣṇa conscious. When we see the wonderful associates of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, there's so much variegatedness. In ordinary society of that time, these people would probably have nothing to do with each other. But they were so loving and so gentle; they actually loved each other, not just the austerity of not fighting, because they were seeing each other according to the higher principle. Mahārāja Pratāparudra was a king, an undisputed king called Gajapati of the empire of Orissa. He had palaces, incredible treasuries, armies. And then there was Kolavecā Śrīdhara. He was so simple and poor; he would sell the leaves of bananas just sitting on the side of the road. And he was so simple; he dressed in rags because that's the only clothes he had. He had a simple little straw house that was one room with a dirt floor, and when it would rain, the rain would come in because it was just a little straw roof. He was so thin because he hardly had money. But whatever he earned, before spending anything, he would donate half for the worship of Mother Gaṅgā, because she was the energy of the Lord, purifying and giving mercy and blessings to all beings without discrimination of who was fit or unfit. Whether you're rich or poor, whether you're of one caste or one color or one sex or one community, still, Mother Gaṅgā is flowing and purifying you, even if you're a buffalo, or an elephant, or a snake, or a lizard. Mother Gaṅgā is flowing for everyone. So Kolavecā Śrīdhara was living so simply, but yet, when he would come to Purī, he didn't think of the king as a gross materialist living in his palace, "King, you are in māyā. Look, you have all of this!" He had the highest regard and appreciation for King Pratāparudra, because he was using what he had in God's service. And King Pratāparudra would sometimes think of giving everything away and becoming like Kolavecā Śrīdhara, a beggar, because whatever little he had, he was giving in God's service. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------

Prabhupāda signed his letters, "Your ever well-wisher," which means he wished us well. He gave us the instructions, which were his blessings. You find at the beginning of his letters, he says, "Please accept my blessings." So the blessing is that I'm giving you this sound, this vibration, and now I'm your well-wisher, but you have to take advantage of it. There's only one kind of true happiness in life: the happiness of applying oneself to the order of the ācāryas. In that endeavor, taking some austerity means prying myself away from what I want to do or what my senses want to do, and instead doing what the ācārya says is good for me. This is tapasya, and in tapasya there's actual happiness. The senses become purified. I feel joy in my heart. I feel aligned with Kṛṣṇa, and I get all good qualities naturally. The supreme process in the Age of Kali-yuga is this chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. So everybody here that's on this call or connected in any way listening to it afterwards is in the right place at the right time. You came to the right Yuga, the right planet, and the right room, because here we're chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. We're following the ācārya to the best of our ability, and that means success. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #makejapagreatagain #mantrameditation #chantharekrishnaandbehappy #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Here's an excerpt from the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, chapter four, in which Prabhupāda quotes from the Bhakti-sandarbha. This is the verdict of Jīva Gosvāmī in describing the process of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa: "Chanting the holy name is the chief means of attaining love of Godhead. This chanting or devotional service does not depend on any paraphernalia, nor on one's having taken birth in a good family. By humility and meekness, one attracts the attention of Kṛṣṇa. That is the verdict of all the Vedas. Therefore, if one becomes very humble and meek, he can easily attain the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa in this age of Kali. This is the fulfillment of all great sacrifices, penances, and austerities, because when one achieves ecstatic love of Godhead, he attains the complete perfection of life. Therefore, whatever one does in executing devotional service must be accompanied by the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, the chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.' ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Every time we're able, even two minutes, to talk about Kṛṣṇa, to be together, to remember Him, it's like that gold that you're talking about that may come in the form of dust, but it adds up. And Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu is also compared to a capitalist, and we are also following in His footsteps, so we want to have that sense of accumulation, but not materially obviously, spiritually. Link to entire talk:https://youtu.be/DTMlTw5ZG4Q ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Now we find out what happens when one who is qualified by Brahma Bhutah. After all, we know from Gita (BG 18.54): 'brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām.' When one comes to this point of Self-Realization, one's no longer obligated to the senses in the way one was before. They're always demanding. Senses always feel entitled, "I demand that, and I deserve it! You give it to me now!" No more. There's no more obligation by the senses, and the incredible weight of the world comes off one's head that "I have no more debt in this world, no one to pay back because I have no more connection to the world." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā, one becomes happy. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati—no more lamentation or hankering and one has no more envy of living beings, because samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Burning envy is a problem in this world, Icchā-dveṣa-samutthena. Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām -from that position, one is at the threshold of the door of bhakti, and one can enter in easily from that position, Krishna is saying there. So here's the perfect situation: the Kumaras are coming into Vaikuṇṭha, and then the verse of ultimate transformation, which indicates the superior quality of bhakti yoga and gives, by example, the very definition of what bhakti is, when Narayan comes near, we hear that "tasyāravinda-nayanasya padāravinda kiñjalka-miśra-tulasī-makaranda-vāyuḥ" (SB 3.15.43)... Verse for discussion:https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/3/15/29/ ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

In this world, it's important to be informed about what's important. We need an intervention. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said to Sanātana Goswami, māyā-mugdha jīvera nāhi svataḥ kṛṣṇa-jñāna jīvere kṛpāya kailā kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa.'" For that reason, Kṛṣṇa personally comes in the form of Śrīla Vyāsadeva, and he makes available very clear knowledge that is comprehensible to humans. Humans can pick up a piece of literature or hear from someone who's heard from others wisdom that's been passed down through an authorized line, and when they hear it, then they can transform and improve their lives. It's not automatic that people come out of illusion. "Māyā-mugdha jīvera nāhi svataḥ" (CC Madhya 20.122) — it's not automatic that somebody just comes out of illusion. There has to be an intercedence by someone who comes along and gives an indication that there's a better choice. In fact, the availability of lesser goals is the main hindrance for human beings. We have a plethora of paths that lead to results in our lives that are not sanguine and do not fulfill our innermost desire. Fortunately, Kṛṣṇa loves us and wants us to have his association in the blissful spiritual world, and he makes every arrangement so that we can have such interventions in our lives. And Prabhupāda once said that two things are necessary to extricate oneself from one's present position and rise to a higher level, and those are knowledge and practice. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

In Vṛndāvan, the devotees depend exclusively on Kṛṣṇa and the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam begins speaking about the holy name in the first chapter: āpannaḥ saṁsṛtiṁ ghorāṁ yan-nāma vivaśo gṛṇan tataḥ sadyo vimucyeta yad bibheti svayaṁ bhayam (SB 1.1.14) If anyone feels fear in their heart—and who doesn't, here in the material world?—bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād. Fear arises at every moment when we forget Kṛṣṇa, as Śrīmad Bhāgavatam says, "To be free from fear and achieve all safety, call out the name of the Lord." So now we're all together in this sanctified place—more mahamantras chanted here than any other hotel in Orlando, Florida. Let's banish all fear from our hearts once and for all. Are you ready? We're going to raise our arms in the air as high as we can in one second, and we're all going to say "Kṛṣṇa!" But really say it with a feeling of, "Kṛṣṇa, please give me shelter." Śrīla Jīva Goswāmī says in one of his commentaries that the pure devotees of The Lord always remember Kṛṣṇa's promise in the Bhagavad-Gītā: "sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (BG 18.66)" We're tired of the material world, right? We're not going to take it anymore, right? We only want Kṛṣṇa, right? And now let's put our arms in the air all at once. We'll say "Kṛṣṇa!" as loud as we can. One, two, three: KṚṢṆA! ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #kirtan #sadhusanga #spiritualmusic #musicforsoul #soulfulmusic #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

In the tenth Canto of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, we find a verse left for all of us here today by Śukadeva Goswāmī. All of those who feel left behind, who feel hopeless in life, who are striving for the spiritual world, find that it's like reaching for the moon. He wrote: 'Jayanti jana-nivāso devakī-janma-vādo yadu-vara-pariṣat svair dorbhir asyann adharmam sthira-cara-vṛjina-ghnaḥ su-smita-śrī-mukhena vraja-pura-vanitānāṁ vardhayan kāma-devam (SB 10.90.48).' The verse starts with the word Jayati, which means victory, but it is written in the present tense because Śukadeva understood that people after Krishna's disappearance would feel separation from Him and wonder, "Why couldn't His pastimes have gone on even to the present day?" And here he's saying they are going on right now for us, right here in this room. 'Jayanti jana-nivāso devakī-janma-vādo' - He's the Lord who is jayanti jana-nivāsaḥ. He walks among us. He gives His association to all human beings, and for those who enter deeply within the sādhana given to us by Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī, He is perfectly present in our lives. We need never fear separation from Him by continuing the transcendental vibration in our lives, and the transcendental vibration is the clarion call for everyone to go back home, back to Godhead. Anyone who wants to go back to Godhead, say, "Hare Krishna!" We're going to be singing the Hare Krishna mahā-mantra. This is the most famous song in the world. It's not only sweeping the nation here, but all over the world: Russia, Australia, China, Mexico, Japan. In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam it is mentioned that in the spiritual world, every devotee of Krishna has a unique rāga or a melody for which he or she sings to Krishna from his or her heart. Then it goes on to say that actually, every species of life has a unique rāga to express their deep yearning for Krishna. This next rāga is called Haṃsadhvani, and it is the rāga of the swan. The gracefulness, the aesthetic beauty of the spiritual world, once captured in one's mind, it never leaves. And the song brings us to the swan swimming back to its home. So let's all take Haṃsadhvani into our heart and go back home, back to Godhead. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Actually, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is the only thing that can completely satisfy the heart, and one of the reasons is—or the main reason is—that we're part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. We have a very intimate relationship with Him. In one sense, we are Kṛṣṇa because we're one of His limbs. On the other side, achintya bheda abheda: we have our own identity. It's achintya, inconceivable. But if you consider how intimate we are, as Prabhupada explains, if you have a limb like a finger, what will you do to protect your finger? How will you take care of it? How important do you consider it to be? So, Kṛṣṇa considers every one of us to be important because we're His limbs, we're His parts and parcels—in one sense, on one side, non-different from Kṛṣṇa. And the feeling of separation from Him, dvitiya, thinking that I'm something separate from Him, is the cause of a completely different world. It's a world in which there's ignorance of the fact that we're part of Krishna, we're eternally His servants, and we enjoy in cooperation with Him, just as the finger does in cooperation with the hand and the rest of the body. So, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa feels so good because we finally have that respite we need from the pounding we get in the material world when we're trying to arrange things separately from Kṛṣṇa. We're just fully putting our attention in the hands of Krishna and just focusing on His name. Just as an experiment for a few minutes, we can probably only take about four or five in the time we have left. But I'd like you to rate yourself on a scale of one to ten. Ten means samadhi, that you attained complete absorption, that you're just fully fixed on the name without any fluctuation of your attention to any other place. One means that you were like sleeping on the floor and dreaming about some other land. Where did you end up on the scale? How do you rate yourself in the last 45 minutes of chanting the maha-mantra? Say a number—you don't have to give a long explanation, just a short one. And then say one thing that you find to be endearing about And then say one thing that you find to be endearing about Kṛṣṇa. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

The main way that we develop our character in this world, or any other is by our association. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Gītā: "kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu." Any situation you're in now, whatever way you've developed in your life, that is because of your association. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when teaching about devotional service to Sanātana Gosvāmī, starts with talking about the power of association. Whenever you can get an opportunity to associate with those that you feel are ideal, take the opportunity to hear from, to serve, and to observe. That's very powerful that when you find somebody who is so high minded that you're impressed with them, you're in good association. Somebody who's doing things better than you could imagine that you could. If you spend some time with such advanced devotees, then there is a way that you'll also start taking on their qualities. And if you can get advice from such gentle souls, you can reveal your mind to such persons and say, here's the specific thing. How should I deal with it? You may even feel safe enough to admit whatever your anartha is, and then it becomes diminished because of exposure to the light, and guhyam akhyati pricchati. Rupa Goswami says, we need this kind of fellowship with advanced devotees to be able to reveal our minds. You can also work on yourself about being vulnerable, meaning start little by little by talking about what your anarthas are. There's a fear we might lose our stature in life. "I wear a mask that this is who I am as a human being or as a devotee, or whatever societal situation I'm in. I feel I have to protect that in order to be whole and to be accepted, to be loved." But if you can find situations where you can practice your vulnerability and find those people you feel safe enough with that you can admit certain things about yourself, then you realize that not only are you okay, but you feel unburdened by that. That's guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati. It's very helpful. (excerpt from the talk) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

When we have service, we feel naturally satisfied. My tendency is, in material consciousness, to think, "Why aren't people serving me enough?" And that's why I'm dissatisfied. "Let's make a list: my such-and-such isn't serving me enough." Suggestions -Wife, husband, start there. Let's start at home. "The kids aren't serving me enough. Who else?" My contractor, whatever it may be. You can make a long list, and you say, "They're not serving me enough." You'll be in endless anxiety, because no one will ever serve you enough, and we'll never be able to serve them enough, either, on the materialistic level. But for ourselves, when we say, "How can I be of service?" and we go into service mind, rather than the false ego of "Why aren't people serving me enough?" then there's a sense of relief, natural relief. It's a very simple switch: from being the center or trying to find a place that's comfortable for me, to being a servant. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

The Bṛhat-bhāgavatāmṛta mentions that devotees don't look for peace. They're not looking for peace of mind; they're looking to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. In the endeavor to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, there are many complex situations, and there are many anxieties. And on record, a devotee asked Prabhupāda, "Devotees sometimes are in great anxiety." For instance he gave the example of distributing books, "they are in so much anxiety about it." And Prabhupāda said, "Tell them that that is spiritual anxiety." Then he gave the example of Yaśodā. And he said, "Yaśodā is always in anxiety. There's never a time when she's Oṁ śānti śānti śānti." She's constantly worried, "Will Kṛṣṇa get into something in Vraj? He's playing with the calves and the cows, and are they getting into trouble somewhere?" For instance, Kṛṣṇa goes and steals from people's houses, and then Yaśodā gets called about it, "Your son's stealing!" And then Kṛṣṇa has this impish look on his face, and so forth. So, constant anxiety for Kṛṣṇa. One takeaway from just the threshold of entering into this cursing pastime is that these kinds of differences of opinion or anxieties or complexities happen in spiritual life because of the uniqueness of the soul and the unfolding Līlā of Kṛṣṇa. And so, we needn't be utopian in interpreting this and saying, "How could this ever happen?" As we will find out tomorrow and onward, from this pastime The Lord appears. And tomorrow, we find that there's more about the nature of the Kumāras and why they became angry and then, subsequently, last point I'll make is that their transformation. This is a pastime of transformation, and it's very important ,because throughout the Srimad Bhagavatam, we find this beacon of pure devotional service, which is directing us towards the highest position of life, which is to attain pure love for Krishna. And in the process, we find different kinds of people from different levels of consciousness.For instance, the Kumaras were at a level of undifferenced monism and they're about to be transformed into Krishna bhaktas. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

We've been given full permission to give our complete attention to chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, talking about Kṛṣṇa, and worshiping Kṛṣṇa. And if somebody brings up another topic, you can say, 'I appreciate it very much. If it were any other lifetime, I would be happy to discuss it with you. However, in this lifetime, I no longer have time, because I have been given one business—and that is to chant about Kṛṣṇa, worship Kṛṣṇa, and spread the Holy Name to people all over the world. If it was any other lifetime, I would be happy to talk to you about it. But in this lifetime, I've dedicated myself to this project, and I don't have time. Like, you know, sometimes people say, "It was any other day," or "any other something." It's like, "It was any other lifetime, it was any other previous lifetime." I would have probably been happy to talk to you about this, but in this lifetime, I won't be able to, because I have one point of dedication: Tasmād ekena manasā Bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ Śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca Dhyeyaḥ pūjyaś ca nityadā. (SB 1.2.14) This is the conclusion of the seminar, the 1000-Year seminar that took place at Naimiśāraṇya. They came up with a few mission statements, and one of them is "tasmād ekena manasā." Therefore, "tasmād ekena manasā" means to just point your mind in one direction. This has been the mission statement; it has been passed down from the top of the company. They already decided, and they gave it to us. So, if someone wants to bring your mind somewhere else, to some other conversation that doesn't sound like it's part of your mission, say, "Yeah, no problem. If it was some other previous lifetime, I would have definitely entertained it with you. But in this lifetime, I've been given 'tasmād ekena manasā bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ.' I can only think of Bhagavān and do that kind of business and topic. ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #makejapagreatagain #mantrameditation #chantharekrishnaandbehappy #soul #mantrameditation #spiritualawakening #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

When Advaita Ācārya started his prayers to Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he held open class and prayed that Lord Caitanya would come and help spread the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world. So, however insignificant it may seem, the way one starts—one person—can change the whole world; one person with a sincere desire. And we feel it in you, Mahārāj, that wherever you go, you set this example of utter humility, at the same time complete seriousness, about this strategy to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. I remember years ago when we talked about New York, and it seemed to be a complicated situation, but I remember you'd always say, "But Prabhupāda started there. He wanted us to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness in New York." And even in the most difficult situations, you've always adhered yourself to Śrīla Prabhupāda's desire. So all the initiates today are fortunate to be able to see you, to observe how you live and how you interact with others, and to be able to adhere themselves to your instructions. And I'm personally grateful to all the devotees here who are following in Śrīla Prabhupāda's footsteps by accepting His Holiness Radhanath Swami Mahārāja as the representative of the Guru-paramparā, who's showing how to use one's entire life to not only expand Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, but to attain the ultimate perfection of life, which is to constantly remember Kṛṣṇa, talk about Kṛṣṇa, and chant Harē Kṛṣṇa. (HG Vaisesika Dasa) Thank you so much, Mahārāj, for keeping us in your orbit, for inspiring not only your disciples, but all of us here at ISV and around the world. And I'm very happy for these initiates to be connected to our glorious Paramparā. Under your shelter, we're so fortunate to be connected to the most glorious Paramparā. It's a big step you're all taking, and the whole community is here to support you and help you in any way you can. And I already see so many of you who do so much here, do so much service, do so much preaching. So however we can continue to serve each other, serve your Guru Mahārāj and serve Śrīla Prabhupāda. Personally, I want to offer my help, my support, and I'm just so happy for you all to be under the shelter of Radhanath Mahārāj and Śrīla Prabhupāda. Thank you. Harē Kṛṣṇa! (HG Nirākulā Dāsī) I am so happy to see that you are under the shelter of Vaiśeṣika Mahārāja and Nirākulā Devī because, from the core of my heart, I appreciate how Śrīla Prabhupāda is so pleased with their surrender, their example, and their spiritual leadership for this community, and actually for inspiring the whole world of our movement.And I'm just a little creature that's crawling around trying to serve, but Vaiśeṣika Prabhu and Nirākulā Devī are really great Vaiṣṇavas, and how they are pleasing Śrīla Prabhupāda is so meaningful to me and so many other devotees. There is nothing more pleasing to me than you trying to assist them and please them.In my own heart, I'm just assisting them by trying to inspire all of you in this connection to Śrīla Prabhupāda and our Guru-paramparā (HH Rādhānātha Maharaja) Link to the complete ceremony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3tMBBPxMt4 ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark