Sound Bhakti

This is the title of Jagannath Puri itself-- Vipralambha Kṣetra, the place where Caitanya Mahāprabhu goes to dive deeply within this mood of separation. The residents of Vṛndāvana felt. And so, the benefit of this festival, of course, there are many verses. We have read some in the Nectar of Devotion. There are many verses in the various Purāṇas, that if somebody sees Lord Jagannātha on his cart, or hears about his pastimes, such a person gets eternal benefit. It even says they'll go back to Godhead. And for those who have dedicated themselves to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and his movement, Brahmā gives us a verse in his prayers to Lord Kṛṣṇa that is uplifting and directive. He says: jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir ye prāyaśo 'jita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokyām (SB 10.14.3) And a key part of this verse is where Brahmā says, "jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām," and the word "jīvanti" means to live, but to live for what? To live just to hear about Kṛṣṇa, as is mentioned in this verse, "Don't try to speculate. Don't try to follow your own path." This morning, we were on a japa walk. We went three times around the entire block, and at the end, we had a sharing session to see how it was for everyone and how the japa went. And Bhāgavata Prāṇa, who's sitting right here, said that he had gotten a little behind the parikramā, and so he thought he would cut across somehow and try to catch up. He found himself in the middle of a sprinkler that went off. Dogs barking, (I'm embellishing, a little), zigzag, lost, couldn't find it. And when he finally caught up at the end, he said, "Better just to follow the straight path." The moral is, don't try to take a shortcut. And so, "jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ" means that if you simply take the authorized version given through paramparā and hear about Kṛṣṇa, that's your 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

There have been attempts since time immemorial in this world to try to find abundance. It never happens, ever, not even for one second. But if you're able to connect for one second to the spiritual stratum, you'll immediately feel it for yourself. It's who you are. We don't belong to the temporary world. We belong to the eternal world, and the sages and the Bhagavad Gītā have given us this path. It's very simple. It's not easy, but it's simple, and it's highly recommended. So, what you're all doing here—this is just what the sages were doing 5,000 years ago at Naimiṣāraṇya: sitting in a room together and discussing these points. This is real spiritual practice that you're doing. And then, just take what you can of it and apply it. The more you apply it in your life, the more you'll feel abundant, satisfied, and grateful. I'll end by saying, Oṁ Tat Sat. The scripture recommends it in the Bhagavad Gītā. Do you know that one? Repeat after me: Oṁ Tat Sat. It means, "Whatever you just did, you dedicate it to God." But try to dedicate it ahead of time too, because there's a story of Gopāl Ban. My spiritual master taught us this. He said, "Gopāl Ban was a rascal." All his friends told him, 'Listen, Gopāl Ban, you never give anything to God. Why? Why are you such a miser?'" So, Gopāl Ban was in his field and he was carrying a big basket of grains back to his house, and a big gust of wind came and blew the grains way up in the air, scattering everywhere. He goes, "I offer that to God!" So, Oṁ Tat Sat doesn't mean that. Dedicate whatever you're doing to the supreme and then intentionally keep your consciousness absorbed in Bhagavān through chanting the mahāmantra, and every part of your life will feel complete and abundance will be abundant. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

If we can touch that region of absorption and experience, just for one second, then the controlling of senses is not an issue—because it's a higher taste. And it takes a lot of practice, because the mind has been controlling us since time immemorial—not just this lifetime, but previous lifetimes as well. It keeps forcing us to do things. It's like an overlord. Kṛṣṇa tells that to Uddhava in the 11th Canto of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, that we've been under no other master except for the mind since time immemorial, and it has fearsome, god-like powers over us—as in, practically nobody can do this. We can only do it with the help of Kṛṣṇa. So, the chanting of Kṛṣṇa's names—calling out to Him for help—and the ways that He has extended Himself to us The Holy Name, if we extend back.. Attention, It has the word ten in it. It's the same root as in the word tendon, which comes from Latin tendere, “to stretch.” It means to hold on to something, just like a tendon holds muscle and bone together. So that's our attention: we have to extend ourselves back to Kṛṣṇa. And just from this one process—there is no other process: "harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam," eva kevalam --nothing else. It's only one thing. So don't think you have to go shopping anywhere else for some other process. That's just another trick of the mind—to say, “This is too hard,” or “I'll go find something easier,” or “There must be something fancier or more rasika.” No—the rasika is in The Holy Name, and the real rasikas are the ones who do the hard work. They try it every day. That's why I called you stalwarts: you show up with your lunch box, and you sit down, and you do your work—and that's sādhana-bhakti. No excuses. No cutting class. You show up for your japa, and you make sure that you extend yourself as much as possible and keep practicing. And at some point, the mind becomes attracted to The Holy Name. It starts to sound sweet. Even before that, in nāmābhāsa, there's this radiation from The Holy Name that is described in the Harināma cintāmaṇi—that is bringing us unlimited benefits and preparing us for continuance in the process of chanting The Holy Names. So, nothing is lost in the process. And then, if we can really try to avoid the offenses—especially being inattentive—don't be lazy. Really try to work at it. Do the heavy lifting that nobody else wants to do. Everyone wants to scroll. "Just let the mind do it and maybe figure it out at the time of death." It won't work. You have to do it now. You have to do it when you're young. And you've gotta get really strong now. Then everything else becomes easy. The only thing that makes it hard is the mind. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------

I'm going to relay to you the advice given in the Bhagavad Gītā in the next slide. It may sound commonplace, but one of the main ways to deal with the modalities is to tolerate them because they come and go. If you don't like the mode that you're being assailed by at a particular moment, then if you persevere and you keep going—of course, that would require a little bit of sattva—the modes will eventually change. Tolerate means to be capable of continued subjugation to an environmental condition without averse reaction. So, a person who anticipates the modes, knows what they look like when they come, and is able to recognize that this will pass, doesn't overreact to them. It's not an adverse reaction; adverse reactions entangle one more. But if you're able to tolerate it and let it pass like a storm.. When a storm comes, or when there's a particular geopolitical event that's happening, we can become so absorbed in it that our whole body and mind become affected. Or we can learn to tolerate because it's going to move on. That's why the mantra, 'This too will pass,' is very helpful. In fact, at the very beginning of this show, when we started on Zoom, it was the beginning point of the pandemic. And we talked a lot about this mantra, 'This too shall pass.' That's how the material world works; things come and go constantly. The thing that doesn't come and go is us, because we're the constant; we're the consciousness observing the things coming and going. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

That's really the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You know, maybe you want to stop for a minute and think about where you're going ? Are you heading into a desert somewhere, and you're going to dry up like a little worm in a hot, in a hot field? Bhagavad-gītā gives that perspective. And then, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes to simplify the Bhagavad-gītā. He says, "Okay, you know, you don't have a lot of time for philosophy in this age. After all, you've got to go to kindergarten, and that's a lot of responsibility. You have got to finger paint and all that stuff, and then learn how to cooperate with others. And it never—it doesn't, it doesn't stop either. You know, once you finish college, you've got to get an internship, right? And for the internship, it's like, "Okay, you're hired, and, by the way, you've got to work hard." So, I mean, it doesn't stop in the material world. So, Lord Caitanya said, "Okay, we need a simple way that people can connect directly to that fourth dimension, beyond all the considerations and the anxieties we have here in this world. We need a transport system that takes us to the next level." He said, "It's sound vibration. It's very simple, one thing—that's it, only one thing. And if you just invest your intelligence in it and understand how it's possible on a physical level, you can understand how it works on a metaphysical level, and then you can concentrate long enough to embrace the process. But even if you can't, that's okay, because the chanting is very engaging. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

As humans, we have this ability to rest our own attention from wherever it is and point it where we want to go. "Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ." (BG 9.25) Kṛṣṇa says, "Wherever you point your attention, you're going to end up going there, so make sure you know where you're going little fella." I say that sometimes to earthworms because I see them crawling in the wrong direction. It's like, "Are you sure you want to go there? That's a desert out there." So, there's a principle of attention, and I've rendered it like this: "I respect the principle that I am fully responsible for where I direct my attention at any given point. Giving my attention to the Mahamantra while I'm chanting my rounds is essential to improving my chanting and eventually coming to the pure state of chanting." If you walk your dog and the dog goes off the leash and bites somebody, who's responsible? You or the dog? You are! Similarly, with our attention, we have to direct it. We're responsible for it. If it goes off somewhere else, that's on us. It's not like, "Oh, that's just what my attention does." Well, maybe when you are an animal, but not when you're a human, and especially not when you're a Sadhaka. Sadhaka means, "I take full responsibility for my attention," and you sign the sheet that says, "I'm taking responsibility for my own attention." This is where it really counts when we chant Japa. Because everyone says, "It's too hard, I can't do it." We can do it! Not only that, it's nectarian. "Nāma-cintāmaṇi-kṛṣṇaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ." Kṛṣṇa is fully present in his name, and he's there as a gem, just wanting to benedict our lives. That's what everyone's looking for: benediction. His name is: "Vṛṣākapi" means that when we give our attention to Kṛṣṇa, His reciprocation is to shower us with blessings, to fulfill all our desires, and to take away our miseries. So, is it worth meditating on Kṛṣṇa and taking the austerity to not look at the social media for half a second and just concentrate fully on Kṛṣṇa ? Yeah! The great acharyas do it, and they assure us that it's the doubtless and fearless way of success for all. So don't complain; chant, and don't worry if it's hard. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 #kttvg #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 #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Last point I would like to make is there is a book called From Good to Great, and it's about companies that excel, and they're great, not just good. And I was thinking recently when chanting that as far as our status as devotees, go from great to good. Don't try to be a great devotee; just try to be a good devotee. They go from good to great; we go from great to good. Being a good devotee means: Do your best, be sincere, and just try to be a steady, good devotee, not great. And by becoming a good devotee, then great things will happen. And even though you don't try to become a great devotee, try to chant great rounds and be a good devotee who chants great rounds. Harē Kr̥ṣṇa. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 #kttvg #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

Thank you very much for joining us for the Yuga Dharma. It's a process passed down through millennia, engaging transcendental sound—the names of the Divine. When one chants the names "Hare," "Krishna," "Rama," which are nomenclature for the supreme source of everything, then one comes directly in contact with that source because it's the absolute principle: Advaya-jnana-tattva. There's no difference between the name and the named. Anyone who chants Hare Krishna will rise above any of the complexities of the world by the sublimity of the process. One can chant at any time, in any place. You can chant to yourself, just loud enough to hear, or you can join together with your friends and chant. We also recommend the Bhagavad-gita. It's widely revered wisdom literature that dates back thousands of years. People all over the world have been studying it, taking solace in the Bhagavad-gita. So please help yourself; we have plenty of books. And also, we have this program here at Lytton Plaza every month.------------------------------------------------------------ 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

Remember, Valmiki, one of the tricks of the mind is to say, "I'm too fallen. I can't chant." So Valmiki said that, "I can't chant. I'm too fallen. I might as well just wallow in Maya." And Nārada Muni invented a way. "Okay, you chant 'death, Mara, Mara, Mara, Mara,' and just keep chanting." And the śāstra says: "Nāmcparādha-yuktānāṁ nāmāny eva haranty agham aviśrānti-prayuktāni tāny evārtha-karāṇi ca." You're too fallen? You have too many offenses? Keep chanting. Don't stop. Just keep, keep doing it, no matter what. Find the spaces to do it. Keep doing it, even though your mind says, "You know this, it won't work for you, it works for everybody else," but you keep going. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

From the Bhagavad Gītā again on the chapter that describes the modalities, Kṛṣṇa says the following: "When the embodied beings transcend these three modes associated with the material body, they become free from birth, death, old age, and their distresses, and enjoy nectar even in this life." So, it's not inconsequential to rise above the three modes of material nature. When we are still conditioned by the modes of material nature, it's as if we are in a prison. We can look out, we can see the free light outside and see what it looks like, but that doesn't mean we can go out there. We still have to stay in the prison. And when we're in this body, we may get theoretical knowledge of the self. We may even have a vision of "I'm not my body." But as long as we're conditioned by the modes of material nature, we're still restricted by the habits dictated to us by the modes of material nature, and just like bars, we can't get free from them, unless we do. And that brings us to the last slide, advice for those in the modes. One of the most prevalent descriptions of a way to not just detach, but a symptom of one who's risen above the modes, and also one of the ways in which one does rise above the modes of material nature, is to remain neutral in ups and downs. In other words, don't become more entangled in them by reacting to the modes. You can become indifferent to the modes and aware of the fact that you are not part of them. They're just a part of the material world from which you are separate, and you practice being neutral in happiness, distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat, doesn't mean not to do your due diligence; you have to do 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

People have been noticing how polarized people are. For instance, in America, there's this abject polarization in ideologies, and one of the reasons that some thinkers are putting forward is because of the way we are being controlled by algorithms. When we go online and we make any moves, then immediately it adjusts to trying to catch our attention, to pull us in a certain way, and then it defines who we are according to our profile. You all know more about this than I do. And then, the more we look at it, the more we become isolated in a particular point of view, because we're being controlled by algorithms that are responding to our initial investment of our attention in a certain place that can be measured, and it is being measured at every second. Therefore whatever point of view, whatever rabbit hole we go down, that becomes augmented more and more. That's how Māyā works also. "Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate." For many lifetimes, I've gone down the rabbit hole, and now I come out and I think, "This is who I am. This is how I think. This is my opinion." But it's not your opinion. It's just the algorithms that you've been subjected to. So we're caught in that, and life after life, we're dragged, dragged from one life to the next. "Sarīraṁ yad avāpnoti yac cāpy utkrāmatīśvaraḥ gṛhītvaitāni saṁyāti vāyur gandhān ivāśayāt." We are very subtle, we are being blown along into one next situation because we are locked into these algorithms. So to undo all algorithms: "bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi dṛṣṭa evātmanīśvare." We have to come to see the self as Master. We have to come to see Krishna as master and that we are His servant. We slash through all the algorithms and come to the only algorithm that actually matters, and that is, "I'm a servant of Krishna." The shastra gives us full permission. It says, "You know, break through! Get your algorithm right. You're really messed up, little Jiva. You know, everyone's telling you wrong stuff. Don't believe it. Go to one source, one news channel: Bhagavad-Gītā. Listen to the Bhāgavatam. Don't take in all this other stuff, because it just messes up your algorithms. If you want to fix them, you've got to sit down for a long time every day and really concentrate on these 16 words, 32 syllables. Let it rearrange everything, all the ceta, Ceto-Darpaṇa-Mārjanam. Fix it. And then you'll be happy and you'll have everything. You'll have 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ #makejapagreatagain #mantrameditation #chantharekrishnaandbehappy #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam mentions that those who are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa are at such a high level because The Holy Name is the pinnacle of all Vedic knowledge. "Aho bata śva-paco 'to garīyān yaj-jihvāgre vartate nāma tubhyam tepus tapas te juhuvuḥ sasnur āryā." Devahūtī says, "Aho bata śva-paco 'to garīyān," which means, "Oh, how wonderful it is!" "Tepus tapas te juhuvuḥ sasnur āryā brahmānūcur nāma gṛṇanti ye te." (SB 3.33.7) This means that those who have somehow or other come to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, even if it's just a little bit, with the tip of their tongue, they just say Hare Kṛṣṇa once —these people you should understand to have already graduated. There are levels of education. For instance, one has to go through a process to become a lawyer, an attorney, what to speak of after that, to become a judge. You know that if somebody is a judge, he or she has gone through law school, and that's why that person is sitting behind the bench giving verdicts. In a similar way, Devahūtī is saying, if someone can say Hare Kṛṣṇa, they have to be counted amongst those who somehow or other have come to this high level of connection with the Supreme Personality of God, through His Holy Name. And if someone can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and does so with sincerity, it's also known that that person has superseded the level of Brāhmaṇism. So, accepting The Holy Name as one's life and soul and one's main meditation is the recommendation of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. At the outset of the Bhāgavatam, in the First Canto, First Chapter (SB 1.1.14), it is said: "āpannaḥ saṁsṛtiṁ ghorāṁ yan-nāma vivaśo gṛṇan tataḥ sadyo vimucyeta yad bibheti svayaṁ bhayam'" So, there's no difference at all between Kṛṣṇa and His Holy Name. Therefore, anyone can take advantage of the association of Kṛṣṇa and can get protection from Him just by saying "Hare Kṛṣṇa," because Kṛṣṇa is personally present. And near the end of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, it is said that the essence of everything is the chanting of Hari, the Lord's holy names. https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/3/33/7 https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/1/14 ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

Song Name: Bhaja Re Bhaja Re Amar Author: Bhaktivinoda Thakura Book Name: Gitavali Language: Bengali (1) bhaja re bhaja re āmār mana ati manda (bhajan vinā gati nāi re) (bhaja) braja-bane rādhā-kṛṣṇa-caraṇāravinda (jñāna-karma parihari' re) (bhaja) (braja-bane rādhā-kṛṣṇa) (2) (bhaja) gaura-gadādharādwaita guru-nityānanda (gaura-kṛṣṇae abheda jene' re) (guru kṛṣṇa-preṣṭha jene' re) (smara) śrīnivās, haridās, murāri, mukunda (gaura-preme smara, smara re) (smara) (śrīnivās haridāse) (3) (smara) rūpa-sanātana-jīva-raghunātha-dvandva (kṛṣṇa-bhajan jadi korbe re) (rūpa-sanātane smara) (smara) rāghava-gopāla-bhaṭṭa swarūpa-rāmānanda (kṛṣṇa-prema jadi cāo re) (swarūpa-rāmānande smara) (4) (smara) goṣṭhi-saha karṇapūra, sena śivānanda (ajasra smara, smara re) (goṣṭhi-saha karnapūre) (smara) rūpānuga sādhu-jana bhajana-ānanda (braje bās jadi cāo re) (rūpānuga sādhu smara) TRANSLATION 1) My dear mind, how foolish you are! Oh just worship, oh just worship the lotus feet of Radha and Krsna in the forests of Vraja! (Oh, without such worship there is no means of spiritual advancement!) Just worship the lotus feet of Radha and Krsna in the forests of Vraja! (Oh, giving up all speculative knowledge and materialistic activities!) 2) Just worship Gaura, Gadadhara, Advaita, and Lord Nityananda, the original spiritual master! (Oh, knowing Lord Gaura and Lord Krsna to be the same!) (Oh, knowing the spiritual master to be very dear to Krsna!) Just remember the dear associates of Lord Caitanya, namely Srivasa Thakura, Haridasa Thakura, Murari Gupta, and Mukunda Datta! (Oh, in deep love for Lord Gaura, you should remember, just remember!) (Just remember the two great personalities Srivasa Thakura and Haridasa Thakura!) 3) Just remember Sri Rupa Goswami, Sanatana, Jiva, and the two Raghunathas! (Oh, if you are engaged in worshiping Lord Krsna!) (Just remember the two great souls Sri Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami!) Just remember Raghava Pandita, Gopal Bhatta Goswami, Svarupa Damodara Goswami, and Ramananda Raya! (Oh, if you really seek love of Krsna!) (Just remember Svarupa Damodara Goswami and Ramananda Raya!) 4) Just remember Srila Kavi Karnapura and all his family members, especially his father, Sivananda Sena! (Oh, always remember, always remember!) (Sri Kavi Karnapura and his family!) Just remember all the sadhus who follow the path of Sri Rupa Goswami and who are absorbed in the ecstasy of bhajan! (Oh, if you actually want residence in the land of Vraja!) (Just remember the sadhus who are followers of Srila Rupa Goswami!) ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ #spiritualsongs #spiritualawakening #soul #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualquestions

Some people complain that when they pray to God, they do not feel His presence. We should know that this is due to our incapacities, not God's. There are two conceptions of presence: the physical conception and the vibrational conception. The physical conception is temporary, whereas the vibrational conception is eternal. When we enjoy or relish the vibration of Kṛṣṇa's teaching in Bhagavad-gītā, or when we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, we should know that by those vibrations, He is immediately present. He is absolute. And because of this, His vibration is just as important as His physical presence. When we feel separation from Kṛṣṇa or the spiritual master, we should try to remember their words of instructions, and we will no longer feel that separation. Such association with Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master should be association by vibration, not physical presence. That is real association. We put so much stress on seeing, but when Kṛṣṇa was present on this earth, so many people saw Him and did not realize that He is God. So what is the advantage of seeing? By seeing Kṛṣṇa, we will not understand Him, but by listening carefully to Him and His teachings, we can come to the platform of understanding. We can touch Kṛṣṇa immediately by sound vibration. Therefore, we should give more stress to the sound vibration of Kṛṣṇa and of the spiritual master, and then we will feel happy and won't feel separation. (excerpt from Elevation to Krishna Consciousness discussed in the talk ) https://krishna.com/book/elevation-to-krishna-consciousness Date: 28 Nov 2020 ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

Reading a chapter of Bhagavad-gītā makes you smart, because the Bhagavad-gītā is, as Prabhupāda describes, The Vedic intelligence. It's all there in one place, and Kṛṣṇa is speaking himself. So you get to hear directly from Kṛṣṇa, and you have your intelligence fortified by the Vedic intelligence. So, which would you rather have: the intelligence of the combined forces of everyone who posts on the internet, consumed in 10-second bites at a rate of about 50 per 30 seconds, or would you rather have the infusion of Kṛṣṇa's words and His intelligence? (excerpt from the Talk 'Be Renounced Where it Counts) BG Chapter 10: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/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 ------------------------------------------------------------ #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 an old saying, and it came from (I looked it up) William Gladstone from the 1600s. He said that "Justice delayed is justice denied." Have you ever heard that, any law students in here, or anybody who watches the news? "Justice delayed is justice denied" means when you don't mete out justice when it's due and you delay it, then generally it never happens. In the same way, you can apply this to the itches of the senses by saying, "Sense gratification delayed is sense gratification denied." This comes up in the pastime of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who was visited by somebody in the middle of the night who wanted to interrupt his chanting. And he told that person, "Fine, but wait later." He didn't say no; he just said, "Just sit down, and later we'll talk about it." And "later" never came. In fact, that person became a devotee and didn't want to distract him anymore—minus all the details. So, rather than saying "absolutely no, never again" and then bouncing back into the same thing one was doing before, one can apply this principle of neglect. Prabhupāda mentions it in a purport; we could call it "tender, loving neglect"—TLN, not TLC. So, when those distractions come into one's mind, urges to do something foolish that becomes entangling, then one can say, "Later," delay. Does anybody here know how to procrastinate? Well, there's a university major you can take; it's called applied procrastination, and you can learn it from the Bhagavad Gītā and from this lesson today: when the inferior objects present themselves, if you have the power to procrastinate at that point, that's a good thing. Just say, "Fine, I acknowledge you, but I can't engage with you right now—later," and just keep putting it off. You know how to do that, right? I'm expert at it. So you just have to find the right thing to neglect and keep neglecting it while you steal time to do your bhajan and keep doing it, because there will come a point when the scales will tip in favor of the transcendental sound, then you move to the safe side in 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ #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 respect the principle that I am fully responsible for where I direct my attention at any given moment." Just on that, being aware of the fact that it's up to us—we can't blame it on someone else, we can't blame it on our mind. We have to take full responsibility for where our attention is going, and that's our free will. Our free will is where we're directing our attention. So, if we let our mind run off in a different direction and it bites somebody, then we are the one that the police come to and say, "Hey, your dog got loose and bit somebody." You can't say, "Oh, I know nothing about it." No, he's your dog; you are the one who's going to be held responsible. So, if your attention, if you take it off a leash and let it go and it bites somebody somewhere, then that's on you. So, take full responsibility for your own attention, and don't claim that it's not possible. Don't claim that "somebody else made me do it," or whatever. And then it (the 11th principle of respect written by HG Vaisesika Dasa) goes on to say "Giving my full attention to the Mahāmantra while I'm chanting my rounds is essential to improving my chanting and eventually coming to the pure stage of chanting." ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ #japajolt #makejapagreatagain #mantrameditation #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 problem with the device we keep in our pocket is, it just wants to get engaged in some random thing, and it calls you to do that. So if you, for instance, have a specific reason to go on, then do that. And if there are specific things you can mine out of that huge pile of randomness that say, "This is something I'm working on," for instance, maybe there are some things about how to be articulate. Pick all those things and put them in a separate file somewhere else. So then, when that habit, that urge, comes up, like, "I have to look at things," it's "Okay, only look at this," because you already decided this is what you're going to look at. This is what I'm cultivating something because there's a specific skill I'm trying to develop. Go here. Don't just go to the random site. When you get used to that, then your mind becomes more and more disciplined. If you don't have some parameter and it just goes at the whim of your mind, then your mind becomes more and more flabby. And then when you try to chant, it's just randomness. There's no sense of control of the mind, or what Krishna describes as vyavasāyātmikā-buddhi—the fixed intelligence. So that, that's my suggestion. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 you inquire, there's going to be a response, because Kṛṣṇa is fully responsive. So it's quite natural when one evolves. It's not Darwinian evolution that matter evolves, but we, the soul, evolve through different species by the law of karma. When we come to the human form of life, there's a natural sense of inquiry. And when one exercises that inquiry, then Kṛṣṇa, who's the Antaryāmī within everyone's heart, He says in the Gītā: "Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam yena mām upayānti te," that if you are sincere and you inquire, then I'll guide you from within the heart. So because Brahmā was deeply self-searching, even though he was born into ignorance, he did have that impetus to ask. And Kṛṣṇa fulfilled his desire: "uvāca puratas tasmai tasya divyā sarasvatī" (Bs. 5.24). Divyā Sarasvatī appeared before him as a representative and gave him a mantra: "tapas tvaṁ tapa etena tava siddhir bhaviṣyati" (Bs. 5.25), and she said, "You take this mantra and you'll have all perfection." Then Brahmā chanted the mantra; he got clear knowledge. He also met personally with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa gave him, heart and soul, all the knowledge that he needed, which is the truncated version of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam in four verses. Does everyone know the catur-ślokī Bhāgavatam? ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

'Avatar' means our friend who comes down to get us, and The Holy Name really takes us by the hand. We need a friend in this world to hold us by the hand and to take us out. We can't fend for ourselves here in this world; we are overwhelmed. 'Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te' (BG 7.14) This surrender is actually sweet surrender. It means, "Accept The Lord's hand." He's holding it out, especially through His name. And if I just grab on and say, "Kṛṣṇa, I can't do this by myself. Please allow me to accept Your merciful hand to pull me out of this material world." That's exactly why He comes as The Holy Name, to save us. So, I want to point out too that we don't just have to chant during japa. We have to keep The Holy Name always close to us throughout the day. Keep the vibration going as much as possible—in between, after, during, when you wake up in the morning, when you wake up at night, say, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, always Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare Hare" Prabhupada had a god-brother, Akinchana Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj, whom he liked very much. He loved him. When he would come, they would sit together for hours and talk. And Akinchana Krishna Das Babaji Maharaj, he only chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa. I mean, he spoke very few words; he would chant shlokas and he would chant Hare Kṛṣṇa constantly. And this is the prerogative of a soul ready to go back to Godhead: they just say, "You know, hey, it didn't work out. So I tried for a few trillion lifetimes. It didn't work. So no problem, let me just take shelter of a different course now." ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

The gopīs spoke thus: Dear Lord, whose navel is just like a lotus flower, Your lotus feet are the only shelter for those who have fallen into the deep well of material existence. Your feet are worshiped and meditated upon by great mystic yogīs and highly learned philosophers. We wish that these lotus feet may also be awakened within our hearts, although we are only ordinary persons engaged in household affairs. (SB 10.82.48) ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 #spiritualmusic #kirtan #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

For any reason, if you don't like the material world, then you are in luck because you have the process to rise above it. As a US president used to say during his campaigns, "Don't boo, vote." He would talk about the opposition; people would go, "Boo!" And he said, "No, don't boo. Just vote." In the same way, you don't have to complain. I mean, you can a little bit because it feels good sometimes, but don't complain too much. Just chant and arrange your life so that you can hear. The śṛṇuyāt principle means the medicine is there. It's right on the shelf. You can just take a few steps and take it down. And don't complain if you have a stomach ache, the cure is right there. Just get it and start taking the cure as much as possible, and rise from being a kaniṣṭha-adhikārī to a madhyama-adhikārī. Kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs complain, a lot. In fact, they're always quarreling. Prabhupāda mentions this in the Śrī Īśopaniṣad. He says, "Kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs quarrel amongst themselves about the details of the process, whether somebody else is doing it right or wrong." And then he says the madhyama-adhikārīs—they're absorbed in thinking how to give Kṛṣṇa consciousness to others. Who would you rather hang out with? People who are always quarreling and complaining and criticizing each other for the details of how they're doing devotional service, or those who are thinking about how to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world? ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 is the witness in everyone's heart and is fully aware of every devotee's intention. Complete sincerity is the price for tasting the nectar of one's relationship with Kṛṣṇa through The Holy Name. Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended that if somebody is chanting and feels, "I can't appreciate the name at all, durdaivam I'm unfortunate." Then, He said, "Be very humble and just admit your faults and say, 'I'm so fallen, I'm lower than this straw in the street,' and humbly beg, 'Please give me some standing in devotional service.'" Dar Śrīla Prabhupāda, dear Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, if You so desire, please instill in us sincerity and humility so that we may chant The Holy Name with full attention and love. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

O King, constant chanting of The Holy Name of the Lord after the ways of the great authorities is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all, including those who are free from all material desires, those who are desirous of all material enjoyment, and also those who are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental knowledge. https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/2/1/11 ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari. CC Adi 17.21 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

Tonight, with a heavy heart on one side and lightness of heart on the other, I'd like to honor a dear Godbrother who passed away just yesterday, unexpected to us. He was one of Prabhupāda's secretaries in the early days, and a kind-natured person, Paramahaṁsa Dāsa. Even though we didn't see him all that much, last time we drove up there with Śrutikīrti, he and Paramahaṁsa, who had traveled together to take care of Prabhupāda for several years, talked into the wee hours of the night, remembering their time together serving their Guru Mahārāja. So it came so unexpectedly that he left this world. I would like to pray to Lord Narasiṁhadeva that He may always keep him close to us in our circle. May we see him on the other side. Śrī Paramahaṁsa Prabhu kī jaya! (HG Vaisesika Dasa) He was kind of a hermit, almost, but he was still chanting, he was still reading, he was still talking about Kṛṣṇa. And I'm just so grateful Prabhupāda didn't let him go, and he couldn't let Prabhupāda go. So I feel fortunate to feel these emotions, because he was a great friend and an exceptional devotee who did so much service in the early years. And I'm tolerating, but also glad that I have these feelings that I could express and appreciate. (HG Nirakula Dasi) ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

Before we chant our japā, we can make a saṅkalpa. In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Prabhupāda writes (and I'll read this to you, 2.2.16): "When the mind acts under the spiritual urge, it acts wonderfully for going back home, back to Godhead, for life in complete bliss and eternity. Therefore, the mind has to be manipulated by good and unalloyed intelligence. Perfect intelligence is to render service unto the Lord. One should be intelligent enough to understand that the living being is, in all circumstances, a servant of the 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ #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

Although Kṛṣṇa is nondifferent from His name, and although the process is simple, our minds may become blank or bored and think of some other kind of variety of the material world. This is why practice is required, because that's an obstacle to our ultimate well-being and happiness in life, which is to reconnect with Kṛṣṇa. When we talk about crossing the ocean of material existence, we talk about crossing over these conditions of mind that prevent us from steadiness in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One of them is this sense that chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is boring; that can be counteracted by numerical strength -"saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-nātibhiḥ." It means, even though you may not see the results right away, you still have to show up and do your number. You have to count it, and you have to do it every day, and you can't skip it. That's what determination looks like, and that's what seriousness looks like in spiritual life, that's necessary. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

Although Kṛṣṇa is nondifferent from His name, and although the process is simple, our minds may become blank or bored and think of some other kind of variety of the material world. This is why practice is required, because that's an obstacle to our ultimate well-being and happiness in life, which is to reconnect with Kṛṣṇa. When we talk about crossing the ocean of material existence, we talk about crossing over these conditions of mind that prevent us from steadiness in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One of them is this sense that chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is boring; that can be counteracted by numerical strength -"saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-nātibhiḥ." It means, even though you may not see the results right away, you still have to show up and do your number. You have to count it, and you have to do it every day, and you can't skip it. That's what determination looks like, and that's what seriousness looks like in spiritual life, that's necessary. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Viṣṇu, in Tretā-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in Dvāpara-yuga by serving the Lord's lotus feet can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. (SB 12.3.52) ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 was writing in one of the chapters of my book the other day, which is about mantra meditation. I reread one of the paragraphs, it was about concentration. And really, it's a simple process in doing japa: the main point is to listen. That's simple, but it may not be so simple if the mind runs off here and there. So, Kṛṣṇa recommends in the sixth chapter of the Gita that practice that. In normal meditation, focusing on the tip of the nose or on some singular point. It's like building a muscle. But actually, when you chant japa, you're invoking the avatāra. Kṛṣṇa is making His avatār, His descent, in the name. So He actually takes us by the hand. If we extend ourselves through our attention and we actually sincerely try, then He'll lift us up, because He has the power to do that. He can lift us up above the chatter of the mind, above all the modes of material nature."Māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26)." By Kṛṣṇa's power, which is fully invested in The Holy name – "nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis"– He is no different. All the śaktis are there within His Holy Name. We can be lifted up above. So, it's the most worthwhile practice to take time every day to fully listen with attention to the name, to ourselves repeating the name over and over again, and then self-examine: "How did I do and why didn't I do as well as I thought? What's the defect?" And in that practice, one makes advancement in devotional service without a doubt. It's very, it's the most powerful of all the practices. That's why Prabhupāda insisted, "At least you do 16 rounds every day." ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

Devotional service means that we have a whole lifetime, a fulfilling lifetime, of all these activities. There are so many that it's hard to choose from, which one wants to do next. Material life, on the other hand, by contrast, seems ludicrous. I was just comparing notes with Devavrata last night. He said something that I have noticed many times and even mentioned that at the Los Angeles Ratha-yātrā: everyone lives on one block, all the devotees. So, if you stay there and do service and go to Maṅgal Ārti, you really don't have to leave the atmosphere of the temple at all because you just walk across the street and go back. And usually, we stay there for a few days to prepare for the Ratha-yātrā, and then you get in a car, you go to the Ratha-yātrā, and you get dropped off right at the cart, so you're still in that atmosphere. You get to the festival, you're there, and then when you have to go home, you have to walk across The Venice Beach boardwalk, and there you notice a completely different environment. There is always a very noticeable contrast between the spiritual energy and the material energy. And one of my thoughts oftentimes is, "I'm surprised that people are still doing that," because I start thinking like the whole world's like what we do: sevā and having kīrtan and prasādam. And then when I see somebody else doing it, "Oh, yeah, right, it's still going on." That's a sign of how devotees can become absorbed in devotional service and no longer feel fearful, and also not in anxiety, because they are being fully satisfied. Then, of course, there's the philosophy. As Prabhupāda writes in the Śrī Īśopaniṣad, "All forms of incompleteness are experienced due to incomplete knowledge of the complete whole." By hearing in association with devotees, like in a Bhāgavatam class, there is also an intellectual satisfaction, where we feel that what we are doing it's all reasonable, it's well-reasoned . It's not just some whimsical activity. Like the philosophical statements of the Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are so profound that they satisfy the mind. In fact, I often have the feeling, "How do they know everything?" When we read the Bhāgavatam and they describe what material life is like, it's like, "How do they know that?" They know all the psychology of why someone would be in the material world, and what it feels like to be trounced by the material energy. The sages describe it so accurately that one feels to be properly situated in devotional service. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave these basic concepts that anybody can investigate for themselves. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------

In the Bhāgavatam, there is a description of the various levels of the mind. In one of them, when we are exposed to it, we are really just listening to the echo of all the things we have been doing—not just this lifetime, but previous lifetimes. And it's more or less described as chatter. So we are advised, really, to rise above that. It takes practice to be able to enter into higher levels of concentration on The Holy Name of the Lord and also to purify the consciousness, as I was just saying to Kṛṣṇa Prabhu that you know maybe it's natural we think of service or something like that. But really, the objective of japa is described in one śāstra: where you put your mind in the mantra and the mantra in your mind. With ordinary objects, you can't do that, but with the mantra, you can. So, the more we can become focused and absorbed in the name and the feeling of chanting first that, "Please engage me in Your service," the more effective our japa will be. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

The first section was, 'Change the channel, change your life.'" We talked about why we are where we are now: it's because of what we've been listening to, what we've been reading—the sound that we're allowing to come into our mind and our heart. So, how do I get into this most intimate of services, a connection with a pure devotee, Śrīla Prabhupāda, under whom I've taken shelter in this Krishna Consciousness Movement? How do I do it? How? It sounds okay—maybe it's for others, maybe not me. Page by page, reading Śrīla Prabhupāda's books every day is a prerequisite for knowing him and for advancing in spiritual life. So, we actually have to make voluntary life changes. We call this the VLCs. You are human, you can decide; you make the voluntary life change because you're the agent of your own improvement. Here are the two elements that are necessary: knowledge and practice, that will move you to your destination. Remember that nobody—there's no soul that's permanently unqualified. Everyone can rise in due course of time. And remember, even if you're inept, even if you're not very good at it, at least show up, because there's magic in just being there for the reading. So here's one of the obstacles. After we've surveyed many devotees around the world and asked them, "What's the main obstacle?" The answer is, "I don't have time." Here's breaking news for those of you who may be missing it: it's not time we lack, it's taste, and we only get a taste by taking time. This unlocks and disposes off this particular obstacle that "I don't have time." We already found out we all have 24 hours, at least the ones we interviewed. It may be different in Iceland or something, but we all get the same amount of time. So, it's not time; it's taste. Why do some people read more than others? Because they have a taste for it. How do you get a taste? You have to take the time. So you have to budget some time to start. Another common thought is, "I can't understand Śrīla Prabhupāda's books." Śrīla Prabhupāda said he couldn't understand his guru when he first heard him, but he stayed. That's the reason Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta noticed him at his initiation. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta said, "I marked him. He likes to hear. He does not go away." So if you want to be recognized, you could stay there and listen. There was a brāhmaṇa in South India that Caitanya Mahāprabhu met, who was every day reading the Bhagavad-gītā, but he couldn't read. He just did the best he could; he hacked away at it, and everyone was laughing at him. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw that this brāhmaṇa was crying when he was reading, and He asked him, "Why are you crying?" And he said, "My guru told me to read this every day, but I can't read." He said, "Then, why are you crying?" He said, "Because I think of Krishna when I'm doing this, that He drove the chariot for Arjuna, and He's so kind to His devotee, so I can't help but cry when I think of Krishna and holding this Gītā and trying to read it. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu took that brāhmaṇa with Him. He said, "You've actually understood the Bhagavad-gītā." You don't have to be a great scholar or a Sanskritist. You just have to have a little sincerity and try to read Prabhupāda's books. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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/ ------------------------------------------------------------

Everybody, keep going and remember, Vṛṣākapi—it's a name of Kṛṣṇa. It means when the devotees choose to think of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa becomes inclined towards such a devotee. He showers his benedictions, satisfies his or her desires, and removes all miseries. If the atheistic mind tells you there's somewhere better to be, or "this is boring," don't believe him. Just believe the śāstra that everything comes from our relationship with Kṛṣṇa. We're part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. And just take full shelter of the Mahāmantra and keep going.Pay close attention to the syllables and be aware if you're chanting or not. If you're not aware that you're chanting, your mind's not on the mantra. So be aware that you're chanting and listen to the syllables. Kṛṣṇa is all good. His name's perfect. He's non-different from His name. Just stay focused. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 another mantra: "Scrolling makes you dumb, and reading a chapter of Bhagavad-gītā makes you smart!" Because the Bhagavad-gītā is, as Prabhupāda describes, The Vedic intelligence. It's all there in one place, and Kṛṣṇa is speaking Himself. So, you get to hear directly from Kṛṣṇa, and you have your intelligence fortified by the Vedic intelligence. So, which would you rather have: the intelligence of the combined forces of everyone who posts on the internet and consumed in 10-second bytes at a rate of about 50 per 30 seconds, or would you rather have the infusion of Kṛṣṇa's words and His intelligence? ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

So, wherever you go wearing neck beads, you're sure to find someone in a remote area who unexpectedly says, 'Haribol!' And that's a good thing, because it will remind you that, 'Yes, I'm on a mission here, and I'm representing the Śrī Guru Parmparā. It's a point of high distinction, although we take it very humbly that we're able to display ourselves as Vaiṣṇavas, as the first stage of initiation. It's a process, not an event.' That's tapa, which means you turn away from the material world, realizing that this is not the purpose of my life—to try to settle here or to enjoy—but to serve. (excerpt from the talk by HG Vaisesika Dasa) ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

Everything that we do, especially as humans, has consequences. There's a sequence that takes place when we enact anything—say any word, think any thought, perform any action, or do any work. There's a consequence; there's a sequence that unfolds. The most important of all consequences come from the chanting of The Holy Name.Another point is that if we don't do anything else right in our life, if we don't do it perfectly, if we concentrate all our disciplined energy in chanting good rounds, then everything else will go right. This is because, by chanting good rounds, everything else self-aligns. As Prabhupāda writes in one of his purports, by chanting the mantra, all energies are synchronized in one place. Finally, it feels so good to chant because, first of all, it's perfect alignment. In other words, in the vernacular, we're doing the right thing. It's also Ācāryopāsanā because, as we heard, the great sages, the great devotees, they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Not only that, we got instructions directly from Lord Caitanya and then, through this succession, under whom, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we've taken shelter to chant in a particular way and to finish a particular number. This is numerical strength, and by doing it regularly, we get this ācāryaopāsanā, worship of the Ācārya. And so, everything good comes from chanting The Holy Name. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 #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

We have to tolerate the extremes in the world, and toleration is one of the ways that Krishna recommends throughout the Bhagavad Gītā to be steady in spiritual consciousness. Don't give in to the extremes and the changes of the external world. Also, notice that if you pursue the pleasure of the senses in this world, then the result of it will be—although it may feel like pleasure in the beginning—there'll be misery at the end, because you'll have to contend with the reaction to it. So, we remain neutral while we're in the body, and we go on with our spiritual duty. And as one does that, there's a sense of satisfaction, which is invaluable in this world, because nobody has it. It's very rare because you can only get it from the spiritual platform. You can't get it from having money. You can't get it from having a beautiful property somewhere. You can't get it from having freedom to fly all over the world. Any of these things don't bring lasting happiness; only if one has developed Krishna consciousness can one become happy, and it doesn't matter what the situation is externally. So, although this seems to be a very simple principle in a simple verse, it's one of the essential aspects of practicing spiritual life: learning how to tolerate the dualities and to go on with one's practice in spiritual life. And the final point I'll make is that consistency is king in spiritual practice. If you're able to be consistent, even if you start with a minimal practice, but you keep it up every day and do your quota that you've decided to do, then it will have its effect. And there's an example that someone once gave about how, when you make yogurt, does anybody here know how to make yogurt? You take a big pot of milk—let's just say it is a big pot, and call your life a big pot of milk. If you take a little yogurt that's already there and you put it in the milk, even if it's a little bit, you put it into the big pot of milk, and then you set the pot in a place with an even temperature, not too cold, not too hot, and you leave it overnight, a miracle happens. You come back and the whole pot turns to yogurt. So we have a lot of things going on in our lives, but if you can add that spiritual practice to the big pot of your life, then eventually the whole pot transforms, and everything about your life gets connected to Krishna consciousness. It doesn't mean you have to give up what you're doing. As an example here is Arjuna. He's a warrior, and therefore he has to fight. It's his duty. If you call somebody when you're getting attacked, who's supposed to be a police officer, and say, "Please help me," and they say, "Oh, no, sorry, I'm non-violent, I can't help you," a non-violent policeman or a violent priest are not wanted. Everyone has their duty to do; they have to do it. So we go on with whatever our duties are in life, but if we add this spiritual practice and do it consistently, then gradually, everything transforms. ----------------------------------------------------------- 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 ------------------------------------------------------------

If you just look around, and you're not looking around with an eye to do some service, or you don't have a mission when you're looking at anything, you're scrolling. We're scrolling all the time. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to be conscious of what you're looking at and why you're doing it. And then, of course, there's what's called atyāhāra. 'Ati' means extreme, and 'āhāra' means eating—extreme eating. I'm not going to talk about eating, so don't worry. But that phrase is also extrapolated upon by our great ācāryas to mean, 'Don't collect unnecessarily. Don't collect too much.' And it means collecting too much information also.You don't have to have so much information you can't even process it. And scrolling isn't even really processing information. It's barely touching each subject for just a few seconds and then moving on to something else, with a sense that there might be something better in the next thing. Frankly, those who set up a platform like that are trying to get you to scroll, and they don't care if you stay on one subject or another. Well, they do, because they register that and then put more of it out. But as long as you stay on their platform, that's okay. So, one thing to leave behind that can have an instant, positive effect is to leave behind scrolling. Don't scroll on your phone. Don't scroll indiscriminately, looking at anything randomly. Look at it purposefully, which means... Link to the full video: https://youtu.be/U2149-nBeog ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 is a very exciting time. Find a service to assist in expanding it around the Bay Area and make history. Now is a good time. And yes, of course, everyone has some anxiety. You can count on that. There's going to be problems you have to worry about when you wake up at one o'clock in the morning and you think, "Why did that guy say that to me? Why aren't they paying me enough? Why are they laying people off? Who are these people anyway?" That's just the side-guy stuff, the material world, especially in Kali Yuga. And if you know that that's coming, and then you bypass it, you do the best you can to do what you can within it. But you bypass it by taking full advantage of the opportunity to spread the Krishna consciousness movement. You won't be touched by it. You'll remain transcendental. Thank you for listening so attentively. And so, thank you and congratulations to everyone here for all that you're doing, for representing the Krishna Consciousness Movement, representing Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And experiment with expanding your service by offering, wherever you live, your homestead as a place where people can come learn Krishna consciousness. Every house can be a temple. You can also expand through social media. You can also expand by going out and meeting people door-to-door. You do that; I've seen you. So, with that comes great joy. The members of Lord Caitanya's personal party were quite enthusiastic about it. In fact, the way it's described in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, metaphorically, is they broke open the storehouse. Did you ever break into anything when you were a kid? Alright, I won't ask you. It's kind of fun anyway, nothing too criminal, (couple snow cones). Breaking and entering, smashing open a lock, and then taking the contents out and then giving it away as a kind of Robin Hood-type thing, you know, take it and give it to the masses of people who need it. And this is a mood that is uplifting. It's not boring. The idea of making a faster chip, although it's hard work, it's not that exciting because it hasn't made a difference in the quality of our life or the feeling of satisfaction in our hearts. The fact that, compared to not having a cell phone to now having a cell phone, it hasn't increased the sense of satisfaction in my heart. That's over a span of whatever they came out, 30 - 40 years ago, and I remember somebody saying, "Are you sure you want to carry one of those things around with you?" But it does make a difference when people come in contact with the spiritual sound vibration. So we can emulate Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's associates by this enthusiastic distribution of Krishna consciousness. And it mentions also that not only to distribute it, but they tasted its contents. So, maybe with one hand you distribute, the other one you can be tasting it. And that's the mood of the Krishna Consciousness Movement. ------------------------------------------------------------

As we go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, it's very natural that our Kṛṣṇa consciousness will awaken, step by step, by the force of the spiritual energy that's coming from Kṛṣṇa. No question about it; absolutely certain, 100%. So we have to be patient, and we have to continue with the process and be very, very confident that everything will happen by Kṛṣṇa's arrangement at the right time. The way that you're dedicating yourselves to getting absorbed in chanting Harē Kṛṣṇa—is a sure way to success for everybody. It doesn't matter what your present position or condition is. It doesn't matter which combination of complexities you're dealing with in your life; everybody has them. The process of devotional service and of chanting Harē Kṛṣṇa will be absolutely 100% effective. So you have to continue, despite the fact that you're walking a gauntlet in the material world, where you're being harassed at every step, on all sides, by the mind and by all the miseries that come naturally with the material world. They come to every single living being, from the time that you're in the womb till the time that you're leaving your physical body, that's for sure. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ #japajolt #makejapagreatagain #mantrameditation #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

For the recipients of great mercy, Kṛṣṇa has the Karunya Shakti, through which He delivers those who are not deserving. Anyone who feels that they're not deserving of Kṛṣṇa's mercy, please raise your hand! Then you're eligible for this special stimulus package issued by Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu to save people who don't have any spiritual wealth. There's justice and there's mercy. Justice means you get what you deserve. Anybody would like to get what they deserve? Please raise your hand. If anybody would like to get mercy—which means you get special consideration even though you don't deserve it—raise your hand! Therefore, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends that we keep ourselves in this humble position: “I don't deserve anything. I'm simply depending on The Lord's mercy.” So, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is "Namo Mahā-vadānyāya Kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te." He's giving special mercy to those who don't deserve it, and those who have been ensconced in material energy and illusion since time immemorial, or, as we say, anādi—since a beginningless time. We can't say how long the living entity has been in the material world because, as Śrīla Prabhupāda says, there's no beginning; you can't trace it out. So, what mercy is there? Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes and He imbues the chanting of the holy name with His own prema, and then He distributes it all over the world. Anyone, even if a person isn't intellectual or well-read, but is simply humble and takes the holy name in the mood of, “I need mercy, and I'm surrendering to the Holy Name,” such a person will receive the infusion of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy. It's coming down from Goloka Vṛndāvana: "Golokera prema-dhana Harinama Sankirtana." And this is the way in which we can become delivered and deliver the whole world: by chanting the holy names, beginning with Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita Gadādhara Śrīvāsādi Gaura Bhakta Vṛnda. So let's take advantage of this process given to 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ #makejapagreatagain #chantharekrishnaandbehappy #mantrameditation #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

Circa 1973, there was a precipitous rise in book distribution. Just the conditions were all coming together where it was ready to take off. One of the leaders of book distribution, who was the head of the BBT in Los Angeles at that time, was giving very pointed classes related to Caitanya-caritāmṛta and these sections about the ways in which devotees want to bring others closer as Prabhupāda had done. Prabhupāda commissioned paintings where there was the Rāsa-līlā and the Harīnāma saṅkīrtana (Caitanya Mahāprabhu) in one picture. Of course, we know from the outset of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta: "anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam" (CC Adi 1.4). Caitanya Mahāprabhu's innermost desire was Kṛṣṇa's innermost desire, which is just thinking, "I want to give this to everybody." A lot of people later, after Mahāprabhu's appearance, said, "You're going to give this now in Kali-yuga? It's just an odd juxtaposition when people in Kali-yuga are satisfied with a little fast food, a little screen to look at, no philosophy to speak of, no logic to speak of, and then you're going to give the Ujjvala-rasa ? The highest thing?" You know others—Prabhupāda Sarasvatī, for instance—are saying, "This is unheard of, even amongst the greatest scholars": 'tathā paramahaṁsānāṁ munīnām amalātmanām bhakti-yoga-vidhānārthaṁ' (SB 1.18.20). Kuntī Devī says this is for the paramahaṁsas—what Kṛṣṇa is giving—and now it's being given in Kali-yuga to everybody. And this person was then bringing all these points to bear and saying book distribution—going out into public and meeting people for the purpose of bringing them to Kṛṣṇa—that's related to not just Caitanya Mahāprabhu's pastimes, but because Caitanya Mahāprabhu's pastimes are like a reversible jacket. You know a reversible jacket? You can wear it either way. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, you reverse it, then you have Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa-līlā. As we hear in the song "Gaurāṅgera duṭi pāda," Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura says, you dive into the ocean of the saṅkīrtana movement, and you come out on the shore of the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa-līlā. So he was preaching with this very enthusiastic devotee that book distribution is in the mood of the gopīs. You see how you could get there. You'd have to show your work on paper, like they say in a math class, "I'm going to see your work." You'd show it in the margins. Do they still do that? You don't just give the answer because you could have looked it up on ChatGPT. You have to show that you did the work. So devotees wanted to know, "Is this accurate?" And Prabhupāda confirmed. He said, "Yes, this is an accurate understanding." This is the mood of the gopīs; the mood of all the great devotees is to distribute the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu has come specifically for the distribution of the Ujjvala-rasa to everybody in the Kali-yuga. 'Māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvad,' it is mentioned by Karabhājana Muni that he ran after people to give them this process, even if they were not that interested. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------

One could also argue, using the things Prabhupāda said and what the śāstras say, that chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is our primary business. After all, in taking Dīkṣā or Harinām initiation, one promises to chant The Holy Name. One doesn't promise, you know, other kinds of services necessarily, but that's the main thing that we say, "we'll do every day, without fail." And in that last section I read from Prabhupāda, he said, "If you, if you don't do anything else, you just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then, yeah, you're okay." So it's an important point to remember, this is sevā. We're serving Kṛṣṇa by chanting. One thought I had when we started the chanting was that when we have that perspective—at least I know when I'm chanting, if I think, "Oh, where's the bliss? Why aren't I happy? You know, how come the holy name isn't entertaining me and dancing in front of me or something like that?"—then it's very difficult to chant. But if I'm thinking, "This is a service," I'm more in a service mind and I'm thinking, "I am serving Kṛṣṇa by chanting out loud like this," then it feels very blissful. It opens the pathway for the taste to come, because I'm thinking of doing it for Him, not for me.. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ #mantrameditation #chantharekrishnaandbehappy #makejapagreatagain #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

Question: What instruction would you give to the next generation? Do you see that it's important for us to develop a personal relationship with Śrīla Prabhupāda? Do you see any instruction that you would like to give us, any suggestion, any guidance that you would like to share with us?" Nirakula Dasi: Well, not so much an instruction. I'm grateful for what you just said. And if the devotees are feeling this connection, it's all Śrīla Prabhupāda's mercy. It's just, if I can share some of that, it's just his mercy. But for the generations to come, it is important to develop a personal relationship with Śrīla Prabhupāda. And it's possible, and many of you have. What I would suggest is, of course, reading Śrīla Prabhupāda's books. His spiritual ecstasies are in those purports, and they, they just get deeper and deeper. The more we read them, the more we hear them, the more we share with each other, like-minded devotees, and and and share those realizations together. So that's definitely something. But listening to his lectures, I listen to Śrīla Prabhupāda every day, and I, I kind of crave his voice. And, you know, because I've seen him in person, and because I've watched a lot of videos, I can imagine the facial expressions and the movements of his hands. And not just his classes, but, you know, his morning walks and his, his room conversations, you know, things like that. They, they give a different aspect of of Śrīla Prabhupāda. I think those are a couple of things that are important. But I think the most important thing is, or very, very important, is do something to make you feel part of the mission. When you feel a part of the mission, you have goals, you're excited, you're challenged, you know. And you all have talents, amazing talents and intelligence. Use those abilities, and nowadays it seems to me... ------------------------------------------------------------ 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'm going to read one small section from Prabhupada's teachings on The Holy Name. This is from a lecture on Sri Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu has five features. What are these? Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa manifestation, Kṛṣṇa incarnation. Kṛṣṇa is different, potency in this way. And Kṛṣṇa, the source of devotional service. He is Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya, bhakta-śaktikam. To advance in devotional service requires spiritual strength. It is not so easy thing. The spiritual strength is also Kṛṣṇa, bhakta-śaktikam. Therefore, we have to practice Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Kṛṣṇa advises, 'Always think of Me.' Where is the difficulty? We have to think of something; we cannot keep our mind vacant. That is not possible. So, make it a point that, 'Think of Kṛṣṇa.' That's all. Think of Kṛṣṇa. And if you chant, if you engage your tongue, Hare Kṛṣṇa, and if you hear, then everything is compact in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So handy! Just one mantra and only one duty for the tongue: keep chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa in all circumstances, and everything will be perfect by Kṛṣṇa's arrangement. That's a good deal! Who would pass it up? ------------------------------------------------------------ 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

As souls, we need loving relationships, and we have that eternal loving relationship with Krishna. But we're not at that point yet (I should speak for myself). I'm not at that point where I can always feel that love of Krishna. So, I feel His love through His reciprocation with me, through the devotees. And one of those ways is through acts of kindness. While preparing for this, I was thinking of all the many, many acts of kindness that have been shown to me over the years. I'll tell of a few personal ones, but one thing that came to mind was devotees who have empowered me to do service, or have shared service with me, or given me service to do. It really has turned out to be one of the biggest acts of kindness, in my life. I was in Los Angeles, and I started helping the devotee Jalasayi. She was in charge of the free feast. So I became her helper. We had our first Rath Yatra in 1977, and after a few years, she couldn't continue it, so she passed that responsibility of managing the free feast for the Rath Yatra to me, and I still do it. I passed on the management of it to someone else, but by Lord Jagannath's mercy and Prabhupada's mercy, I still am able to do that every year. So that was in 1977, and I've been through a lot of changes. And the movement has been through a lot of changes. L.A. has been through a lot of changes, so many things, but having that anchor, even though it was a yearly service—you know, there was all the planning every year and the shopping and so many things. I go down a week before Rath Yatra, and so I felt like I had Rath Yatra for the whole week, and not just the day. And of course, I was working, so I had to plan that I would have that time off, and so it really anchored me throughout my whole year. And I'm just thinking back, that was just one of the nicest things that a devotee could have done for me. Even when I first joined, Manjuali was the temple president's wife, and she was exceptionally kind to me. She still is. I had an hour-long conversation with her just the other day, and she's so full of encouragement, kind words, wonderful realizations. But I was fortunate enough to have her as my mentor when I first joined the temple, and she was always encouraging me, always giving me service, so that was something that I thought of when I was thinking of acts of kindness. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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's a very famous book called the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, and it's supposed to be the cream of all the teachings of these ancient literatures. It starts with a king who's famous, and he gets cursed to die in seven days. As soon as he found out he had seven days to live, he left his kingdom. He went to a sacred place and sat down and he got a pad of paper and a pen—just kidding! But he sat and reflected very deeply: "What's the most important thing to do in the last seven days of my life?" Because he asked that question, he met his teacher. There was no internet, there was no way of connecting physically, but spiritually, they lined up, and the teacher came. The whole book is questions and answers between the king and the teacher. His first question was, "What is the duty of a person who's about to die?" And the teacher, Śukadeva, gave an immediate answer: "It's to be in perfect consciousness when you leave this body; to be able to remember the Personality of God when you leave this present body." The rest of the book is instructions about how we can perfect our consciousness. If I don't ask the question, then the teacher, the teachings, they don't come into my life. We are in the same situation as the king. How many days do we have in this world? Well, some people say seven, because Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, they are the same thing over and over again. But if we think like the king, "What's my ultimate duty in the last seven days?", then the rest of our life becomes more rich. Have you ever taken someone that you love for granted? Did you ever become annoyed with them for the way they chew their cereal? When we have an awareness of our ultimate purpose and that we're only here just for seven days maximum, the way we interact with people is very different. This is the kind of vision that is taught in the ancient wisdom literature: to see how everybody's passing through this life very quickly. And a very important point: human life is purposeful, and we can discover the purpose if we ask about it. So the first question is, "What's my purpose?" ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ #purposedrivenlife #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 more we give, the more we grow. It's spiritual mathematics. People mostly miss that class when they're going through grammar school and high school, and so it's a natural phenomenon that when we think about doing good for others, then we become more expansive. And The Holy Name, actually Lord Nityānanda, rewards those who are thinking about how to do his work to give the holy name to the most fallen—we get more mercy. I mean, Krishna says it in the Gītā too, that "anyone who's teaching this to others is the most dear to me." So why wouldn't they feel more ecstasy from chanting the holy name? So that was Prabhupada's formula. He had us all going out, door to door, on the streets, everywhere we could think of. If there were Zoom rooms at that time, he would have had us in Zoom rooms—whatever way we can come up with to spread the holy names. And because of that, we make ourselves more open to the mercy of the holy name. It's the simple formula. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------------------------------------ #mantrameditation #makejapagreatagain #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

It's not that everyone who is steadily chanting Harē Kṛṣṇa or reading feels like doing it all the time, especially in the beginning. And for whatever reason, it could be the punishment-reward system that you had, as you mentioned. It could be subliminal. And the way to deal with that in the beginning of the practice, as I'm sure you know from many of the disciplines that you've applied in your life—education or sports or music or anything like that—is you have to turn professional. There's a book that I like. It's mostly about writing, and it's called The War of Art, not The Art of War. The War of Art means that when you want to do something creative, like write something, you may face what the author Steven Pressfield (who, by the way, is the author of the book The Legend of Bagger Vance, which was turned into a movie about Bhagavad Gītā and stars Will Smith) says: when you go to do something worthwhile, there's this resistance in the universe—instilled Resistance with a capital 'R'—very difficult to overcome. For instance, in writing, people often write books in their head, but when it comes time to sit down and actually do it, there's a strong resistance. Or to paint, or to learn a musical instrument. It's a lot harder in the beginning when you realize that you have to work at it. So what is his solution? He says you have to turn pro, like professionals; they show up and they just do it, whether they feel like it or not. And that's what in the beginning of devotional service, Rūpa Goswāmī described vaidhi bhakti—it's a discipline. In the beginning, you have to use your intelligence. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad Gītā: evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā saṁstabhyātmānam ātmanā jahi śatruṁ mahā-bāho kāma-rūpaṁ durāsadam (BG 3.43) In the beginning, you have to use your intelligence to see what's good for you, like, you know, for studying for school, right? You may not feel like doing it sometimes, right? Is that a correct assumption? Yes. But you know, if I don't study, I'm going to suffer more later, because I'm going to sit down for the test and realize "Ah if I just put in a few more hours a day, I would have been ready for this." And you have to apply a similar principle in the beginning for chanting. ------------------------------------------------------------ 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