Questions asked to Devotees??? Must Read !!!

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Questions asked to Devotees?? Must ReaD!!!!

Basic principles for spiritual life

Q. When I newly came to Krishna Consciousness I used to dance like a mad person on roads, in yatra and loved chanting Mahamantra very very much. But, after 4 months, I see myself in such a forgotten state that i see my past as a dream. How do I increase my faith in the process?

A. Shrila Rupa Gosvami in his Upadesamrita, gives us three basic principles for spiritual life - Utsah(enthusiasm), Nishchaya(determination) and Dhairya(patience).

Because we are in the practising stage of devotional service(sadhana-bhakti) currently, our attraction for Lord Sri Krishna manifested through our different activities will be subjected to the temporariness that characterises this material world. However, if we follow the advice of our glorious acharyas like Shrila Rupa Gosvami, we are sure to overcome these transitory effects of time and get fixed up in the devotional service of the Lord.

Incarnations of Bhagavan are unlimited

Q. Is Buddha the 9th incarnation of Lord Vishnu? If so Balarama is not the incarnation of Vishnu? Please tell me the quotes from Bhagavatham / Vishnu purana where it describes that Buddha is the 9th incarnation.

A. Srimad Bhagwatam mentions the following about the incarnations.

TEXT 1.3.23ekonavimshe vimshatimevrishnishu prapya janmanirama-krishnau iti bhuvobhagavan aharad bharam

TRANSLATIONIn the nineteenth and twentieth incarnations, the Lord advented Himself as Lord Balarama and Lord Krishna in the family of Vrishni [the Yadu dynasty], and by so doing He removed the burden of the world.

SB 1.3.24tatah kalau sampravrittesammohaya sura-dvishambuddho namnanjana-sutakikateshu bhavishyati

TRANSLATIONThen, in the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha, the son of Anjana, in the province of Gaya, just for the purpose of deluding those who are envious of the faithful theist.

The incarnations of the Lord are unlimited and come like waves of river. There is no point in counting the number, the sequence is given as mentioned in Srimad Bhagwatam

Yoga of the Supreme

Q. Which is the best amongst Bhakti yoga, Jnana yoga, Karma yoga and Dhyana yoga? All these yogas were spoken by Lord Sri Krishna, Himself and I personally feel that all are equally important as Lord's teachings are completely transcedental.

A. Lord Krishna recommends yoga as the means to spiritual emancipation. Contrary to the general notion, Lord Krishna states that mere physical postures and breathing exercises do not constitute yoga; they are just the beginning of one type of yoga. Actual yoga involves harmonizing all energy"material and spiritual" with the original source of energy, the energetic Supreme. Lord Krishna states that meditation (dhyana-yoga), philosophical speculation (jnana-yoga), detached action (karma-yoga), and devotional service to the Lord (bhakti-yoga) are means by which a soul can advance on the path back to harmony. But ultimate success comes only by devotional service (11.53-54); other paths are only stepping stones to the attainment of that devotion(6.47, 7.19, 3.9).

The best method of devotional meditation for the current period in the cosmic cycle (Kali-yuga) is mantra meditation (10.25), especially the chanting of the maha-mantra: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. A person moving forward on the path of harmony discovers in time a decrease in mental agitation from irrational passions, an unshakable inner tranquility, and finally an eternal ecstasy of love coming from the spiritual stratum (6.20- 23). Lord Krishna therefore concludes with an unequivocal call for loving harmony with the Supreme (18.66).

Krishna or Krsna

Q. Why do devotees in ISKCON spell Krsna and not Krishna? What is the technical reason behind this?

A. It is not just Krsna. It has three dots below the alphabets 'r', 's' and 'n'. This system of using "Diacritic" marks to represent Sanskrit syllables using familiar Roman alphabets with minor modifications has many advantages. The problem arises because certain sounds in Sanskrit have no equivalents in the Roman alphabet and certain Roman alphabets have more than one pronunciation in English. To solve this problem, Srila Prabhupada used the diacritic marks in all his books. Standard authoritative books used by the academia always use these marks. So, with these marks in his books, the books would gain acceptance from the scholars and researchers as standard textbooks for studying Vedic culture.

Also, this practice enabled the western devotees unfamiliar with the pronunciation of Sanskrit syllables to pronounce each Sanskrit syllable properly and receive the benefit of correctly chanting the Vedic mantras and verses from Vedic literature like Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam etc. originally composed in Sanskrit. In books written by Srila Prabhupada, you will find many such words that may appear to be different, but on close inspection will tell you that they represent correct pronunciation of the original Sanskrit text.

Scriptures are Torchlights for Kali Yuga

Q. Thank you very much for patiently and caringly answering my questions. Acharyas instruct that the Lord used Arjuna as an instrument to speak the Bhagavad Gita for our benefit. Similarly was Srimad Bhagavatam spoken with the same intention? Then how do we understand the lives of devotees who married more than one wife/husband? How should we approach these informations and follow the 'Mahajans' in Kali Yuga?

A. The Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam are like torchbearers for the spiritually blind people of this age. It will certainly do us good to read and learn from these scriptures.

The Vedic culture, mentioned in these scriptures, is not Utopian. For a man, marriage in this culture involves acceptance of responsibility of a wife. It means taking complete charge of a woman and living peacefully without debauchery. As long as a man is capable of accepting and maintaining more than one wife, he is allowed to do so. This naturally restricts illicit connections. The modern society, although restricting polygamy, gladly espouses sexual freedom. This blatant example of hypocrisy has led it to witness the horrors of increased promiscuity that are visible all around us today. According to Vedic culture, although polygamy is allowed, none of one's wives should be ill-treated. In other words, one may take many wives only if he is able to satisfy all of them equally as an ideal householder; otherwise it is not allowed. The devotees mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam were certainly exemplary individuals and were undoubtedly capable of executing their duties to match the highest expectations. In the present age that we live in, such systems will be exploited by the masses interested only in unrestricted sex life. Therefore, in the absence of able and responsible men, polygamy may not be recommended in the present age.

As for Draupadi marrying five husbands, this incident is a not a regular phenomenon. The Mahabharata clearly explains the special and unusual circumstance in which this took place. Arjuna, after winning the hand of Draupadi in a competition (designed by Maharaja Drupada to ensure that only Arjuna marries Draupadi) took his new bride home to his humble hut where he stayed with his mother and brothers. On arriving, he called out joyfully for them to come and see his prize. Kunti, thinking that Arjuna had obtained something to eat on his begging rounds, did not come out, but said, "Whatever you have, you must share it equally with your brothers." Thus, it was in a mood of respect to their mother, that Draupadi became the wife of not one but all five of the young Pandavas.

Both the devotees that you mention have displayed and proved beyond doubt their explicit and utter dependence on the mercy of the Lord. Draupadi proved her surrender by calling out to Krsna in the most trying situation, when the members of the Kuru assembly attempted to disrobe here. Maharaja Ambarisa proved his dependence on the Lord by not getting agitated in times of great difficulty (SB 9.4.47) . In fact, later, The Lord Himself clarified to Durvasa Muni that He was completely in control of His devotees like Maharaja Ambarisa (SB 9.4.63 ). Ultimately, both Draupadi (SB 1.15.50) and Maharaja Ambarisa (SB 9.5.26 ) perfected their lives.

As you have mentioned correctly, "mahajano yena gatah sa panthah." For achieving perfection, we should follow the path traversed by the past great exemplary teachers. If we lead our lives based on the principles of devotion to the Lord which the past Mahajanas have based theirs on, success of our human form of life will surely wait for us with hands outstretched.

Please Chant: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare And make your life sublime !!!

 

Your Servant,Jagannath DasRADHA GIRIDHARI Temple,ISKCON Mira Road, Mumbai