The essence

The Vedic scriptures are indeed vast so vast we cannot estimate the beginning and end of it. One reason for its vastness is to do with the myriad nature of this world, in other words, there are so many varieties of people in the combination of three modes that one size does not fit all. Therefore the Vedas is but a reflection of this diversity and variety of this world and its people.

A self-realized soul or atmatattva darshis may not know all intricacies of Vedas, in fact is not needed to know. They only know the essence or saransham of the Vedas. If we want to understand the inner meaning of the vast body of knowledge, (a) we should have pure motivation (b) we should seek the appropriate spiritual master (c) we should in all humility surrender to that spiritual master. Once we do these three steps, the inner import, and essence of the Vedas will be revealed from within our own heart.

Yet, Srila Prabhupada very much wanted for his books to be distributed far and wide. The purpose for this is to make available to people genuine spiritual knowledge (gnana) and with that knowledge people are inspired to come to the stage of practice (vignana) which entails the three steps I mentioned above.

Unless we practice what we read (both external practice and internal introspection); we cannot 'realize' ourselves atmatattva, it simply will be like licking the outside of a honey bottle. Therefore gnana+vignana will reveal within us the essence or inner import of the Vedas.

yasya deve parā bhaktir
yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ
prakāśante mahātmanaḥ

Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed - Yajur Veda - Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23

Hare Krishna

Who is dear to Krishna?

Please read carefully. By trying to follow even can make us dear to Krishna.

One who is not envious but who is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor, who is free from false ego and equal both in happiness and distress, who is always satisfied and engaged in devotional service with determination and whose mind and intelligence are in agreement with Me-he is very dear to Me. He for whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not dirturbed by anxiety, who is steady in happiness and distress, is very dear to Me. A devotee who is not dependant on the ordinary course of activities, who is pure, expert, without cares, free from all pains, and who does not strive for some result, is very dear to Me. One who neither grasps pleasure or grief, who neither laments nor desires, and who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things, is very dear to Me. One who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equiposed in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy, who is always free from contamination, always silent and satisfied with anything, who doesn't care for any residence, who is fixed in knowledge and engaged in devotional service, is very dear to Me. He who follows this imperishable path of devotional service and who completely engages himself with faith, making Me the supreme goal, is very, very dear to Me. - BG 13-20 

 Hare Krishna

My gratitude to His Divine Grace!

Today 50 years ago, a great personality boarded the ship with perhaps three people sending him off. Today, in Kolkata, it was reported 20,000 visitors commemorated his journey, thousands more all around the world. Many have spoken, written and sang about Prabhuapda's legacy in this world. I am one of the fortunate souls to have been personally benefited from Prabhupada's journey.

I would be hard pressed to imagine my life without Srila Prabhupada. Practically, he has been like a father to me guiding me through his books. I have gotten guidance and inspiration numerous times by simply reading his books, it is as if he speaks to me directly! It is very special to my heart - the way he appeals to his readers. I felt and always feel a close and personal connection with Prabhupada when I turn the pages of his books. Indeed, he lives through his books!

On this momentous occasion, with whatever humility and gratitude at my disposal, I offer my prostrated obeisances unto the glorious master who traversed the world to share love of God - the final purpose of human life - freely to one and all!

Jai Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krishna

Mother Cow

Mother Cow!

   

Hare Krishna

boundaries of observed science

"It is possible to ask whether there is still concealed behind the statistical universe of perception a ‘true’ universe in which the law of causality would be valid. But such speculation seems to us to be without value and meaningless, for physics must confine itself to the description of the relationship between perceptions" -About the intuitive content of quantum mechanics and kinematics, Journal of Physics, Heisenberg 1927, pg 197

The above quote in my opinion is the bedrock of modern science. Einstein, however, disagreed with this. Einstein believed that science describes the objective universe independent of our observation. But Neils Bohr and Heisenberg were of the opinion that the universe exists as we 'observe' it and not in its 'true' sense. In other words, Bohr opined that science simply describes how matter is observed to behave and not the constitutional nature of matter itself implying that science is limited to our perception of the universe and does not describe the 'true' universe. The quote above captures this idea.

When scientists, therefore, pose questions and quantify evidence within the confines of observed behavior of the universe, then the laws of nature as defined by science is merely in fact laws of 'observed' nature and not 'true' nature. Quite often the boundaries between these two exclusive ideas have been purposefully amalgamated.

What is the nature of the universe in its existential true objective state is not explicable within the boundaries of observed science. We have to look for answers elsewhere!

 Hare Krishna