Lord Chaitanya's reward for selfless service -with love from Russia

Absorption during book distribution can make a devotee fearless. Ananga Mohan Prabhu, being absorbed in this seva landed up at the underworld den in Moscow. A neighbour warned him and his partner to not enter the building. Undaunted, the duo entered the premises and rang the bell. A mean looking man opened the door and asked them their names. Ananga Mohan Prabhu mentioned his legal name which in Russsian meant 'shark'. No sooner had he mentioned his name fifteen men pulled out their guns and pointed at Ananga Mohan Prabhu. 'Shark' was the rival gang leader with whom these thugs had serious fights. Even the police feared these two prominent gangs. Ananga Mohan Prabhu was fearless, and he told the men pointing guns at him about the kali yuga emergency, and the desperate need to take shelter of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who has come to deliver all the fallen souls of this age by awarding them the priceless gift of congregational chanting of Krishna's Holy Names. Meanwhile Ananga Mohan Prabhu's partner was nervous and kept pulling him back, to leave the place immediately. However Anaga Mohan Prabhu was focussed in his preaching, and believe it or not, after his twenty minute emphatic presentation of the Krishna consciousness philosophy, he distributed fifteen copies of 'Teachings of Lord Chaitanya' to these ill famed gangsters. Later as they came out of the building, Ananga Mohan Prabhu's partner was still shivering from the scary experience of seeing over a dozen guns pointed at them. He asked Ananga Mohan Prabhu if he wasn't frightened on seeing the guns.

Ananga Mohan Prabhu was surprised that these men had guns, for he was oblivious to it and thought they were high on liquor but never noticed the guns. This was the extent of his absorption in his service.
Last August, after having distributed Srila Prabhupada books in Russia daily (even during the minus 40 degrees winter), for over twenty five years, Ananga Mohan Prabhu shocked the temple president with a news, "Prabhu, last night Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in my dream and told me that He is very pleased with me. He also mentioned to me that I should come back to Him for he has some other important services for me elsewhere." The devotees were wonderstruck and asked him to describe further. He revealed how the Lord has a beautiful golden complexion and is dressed in dazzling yellow garments and is performing sankirtana. As the devotees were happily transported to the spiritual world by his descriptions, he shocked them by
repeating the Lord's instructions, "I think Prabhus I've to leave. The Lord is calling me back. Please prepare my papers." (In Russia you need special government papers to perform your final rites in a Vedic way). As the temple president and other devotees dissuaded him, Ananga Mohan Prabhu was emotional, "I am sure this was no ordinary dream. It was a divine vision.
The Lord wants me for another service. I know I am sinful and completely unqualified to receive these instructions, but it is true."

A few days later as Shri Gaura Hari Prabhu and other devotees prepared the papers they got the news about a car accident where Ananga Mohan Prabhu left his body on the spot, seated next to the driver. On reaching the accident site, the devotees discovered there were no injuries or marks on his body;
just smilingly, his hand on the bead bag he was gone. Devotees knew Lord Chaitanya had called him for another service- a reward for his tireless two decades of dedicated and selfless service.

Hare Krishna

Reincarnation as a scientific phenomenon

The philosophy of Krishna Consciousness is fundamentally rooted on certain core tenets one of which is the concept of "transmigration of the soul from one body to another" or in common jargon called "reincarnation".

Reincarnation is a sensitive subject matter for almost everyone as the generally accepted theory is that we have only one life and hence live to the fullest gratification. Majority scientists identify the self to be the body and mind. Judeo-Christian faiths advocate only one life and then follows eternal heaven or hell. Most if not all deal reincarnation with high degree of skepticism as it is very difficult to prove empirically.

Lord Krishna elaborately speaks about this in the Bhagavad Gita some 5000 years ago and clearly supports that the soul is eternal and the body is temporary. After we die, we take another body depending on the current set of actions we perform in this body. Therefore it is paramount that living beings live a life of dharma to get a good future body, better yet live a God centric devotional life to break the cycle of birth and death and return to the Kingdom of God.

Below is a video that presents reincarnation as an empirically verifiable scientific fact than religious dogma. If we approach this concept temporarily keeping aside our preconceived notions, perhaps this video will reveal a truth. Extensive research has been conducted by the renowned and Late Dr Ian Stevenson on this topic for the past 30 years and more information can be found here.

I am happy to say from a philosophy standpoint this topic has already been dealt in a holistic manner by Krishna ages before. Anybody interested in this phenomenon, in my opinion, should read the Bhagavad Gita As it is written by Srila Prabhupada.

Please watch the video



Hare Krishna

Floating stones at Rama Kund in Rameswaram temple, Tamilnadu

The stone weighs about 10-12 Kilos is floating in Rama kund in the temple tank. This is demonstrated by HH.Bhakti Vikasa Swami Maharaj. It's not a big wonder that a simple stone is made to float by the Supreme Lord Sri Ramachandra. The Lord makes planets containing oceans and mountains float in space what to speak of water.

Is it God or is there a scientific rationale?

Hare Krishna

Integrity - what does it mean?

Do not hear from mouths of persons lacking proper conduct. If your conduct is below par you should not publicly preach about the Lord. Close the door and preach to yourself. Bhajan really begins when one’s outside and inside are the same.

- Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati

I pray to my Spiritual Masters to bless me so I am the same outside and inside with integrity.

Hare Krishna

a beautiful planet

If the planet saturn looks so beautiful....imagine the beauty of the creator? One can only fathom the beauty of this creation and the creator. Krishna's proclaims in the Gita (10.41) that this creation is but a spark of His splendor. This picture surely attests to that statement.

Hare Krishna

successive stages of purification

For the purification of the heart it is necessary first of all to listen to the chanting of the Holy Name. After the heart has been purified by listening to the Holy Name the fitness for the manifestation of the holy Form is attained on hearing the recital of scriptural accounts of the divine form. After the full appearance of the divine form, the divine qualities manifest themselves. After the appearance of the divine qualities, due to the characteristic traits of servitors, the knowledge of the distinctive and perfect identification of the devotee arises. Subsequent to this, after the full manifestation of the Name, form, quality and servitor has taken place, the transcendental activity of God manifests itself. For this reason this account of the successive stages of sadhana is written." (Krama-sandarbha commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam 7.5.18)

- taken from a lecture given by His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarawsati Goswami Prabhupada on the Holy appearance of Radhashtami- Sept 19 1931

Material satisfaction is necessary

In the beginning I used to think that spiritual life means complete "no" to material life. Therefore I desperately tried to deny myself things that may entice me into material life. The reason I was doing this is because while I had a desire to come out of material life, I was in fact deeply entrenched in it. So my solution out was to deny my desires...but needless to say it ended in frustration materially and spiritually. The lesson I learnt is one has to have a balanced approached towards material life and simultaneously offer our best in our spiritual life ultimately enabling us to free ourselves from material desires.

The balance can be achieved by controlling our lust and greed but at the same time fulfill our basic needs and necessities. Of course, what is basic for me may not be for someone else. Every individual is a judge of their needs and desires and what is considered "more than necessary". Bottom line, we have to regulate our material life and not imitate "renunciation". I learnt this the hard way but at least I am learning.

Srila Prabhupada in his purport explains this nicely. I was reading this purport just today and reminded my own material needs and wants and how it is also necessary for spiritual progress. At the end, if we dovetail our material desires in the service of Krishna, we can be much more happier and fulfilled versus absolute denial.

Please read the purport.

For spiritual advancement, one should be materially satisfied, for if one is not materially satisfied, his greed for material development will result in the frustration of his spiritual advancement. There are two things that nullify all good qualities. One is poverty. Daridra-doṣo guṇa-rāśi-nāśī. If one is poverty-stricken, all his good qualities become null and void. Similarly, if one becomes too greedy, his good qualifications are lost. Therefore the adjustment is that one should not be poverty-stricken, but one must try to be fully satisfied with the bare necessities of life and not be greedy. For a devotee to be satisfied with the bare necessities is therefore the best advice for spiritual advancement.

Purport by Srila Prabhupada SB - 7.15.21

In conclusion, to reiterate, one should dabble with material desires only to the degree to fulfill one's bare necessities, otherwise not.

Hare Krishna