IF YOU WANT FRUITS WATER THE ROOTS

If you water the root of a tree, all the branches and leaves and flowers will be nourished and will give fruits.

Similarly, if you want to achieve results in any area, find out what foundation you need.

For example, if you want to be a successful devotee or a bhakti yogi, you have to master the chanting of the holy names of the Lord and understand and follow the Bhagavad Gita As It Is.

The principle is: always get back to basics, again and again. When the basics are in place, possibilities for development and success are manifold.

Hearing and chanting about Krsna are the basics for devotee's success. By hearing and chanting, the devotional creeper, bhakti lata, is watered and nourished. And by deliberate spiritual intelligence and the sword of knowledge, the weeds of unwanted habits and qualities are being removed regularly.

NOTES FROM A FRIEND

It is not that only spiritual advancement is important. Sometimes we need to sort out in our head head our health, our family and other factors.

How can I work on my spirituality if I am burdened with other things?

First be a human, then a devotee.

How can we develop characteristics of a devotee, if we have no humanity in life, and we cannot deny that we do not live where we live.

There are no devotees and non-devotees, just particles of Krsna, His creatures, some of them in a human form.

In order to help a person we should see him as a whole.

When a person seeks help do not push him away because he does not talk about spiritual topics. Help is help.

Help people in all aspects as they are closely linked to their spiritual progress.

To help their spiritual progress, help them to establish their internal balance between good and less good.

Then the person will be open to receive spiritual knowledge.

If he is quiet and calm, naturally he will be able to listen, change and improve.

- Bhaktin Maja Muše

SOPHISTICATED EXCUSES

We all have various excuses as to why we are not more happy within and more productive without.

There are simple excuses like: I am not good enough, I have no skills, I am not qualified, Who am I to do this, Who am I to say something. These are more or less obvious.

There are also more sophisticated excuses that is much harder to get free from. They seem to be based on logic and reason and even on Krsna conscious philosophy, Vedic knowledge or scripture.

It is much harder to get rid of them.

Here are some examples: I don't know if Krsna wants me to do this, I wait to see what Krsna wants me to do, I am humble therefore I do not want to take a position of responsibility, I am waiting for Krsna's sign.

What are your favorite excuses? Write them down and read them out loud. It will give you some important insight into how you think against your own interest.

Instead of saying why something meaningful or valuable that you want to do cannot be done, try finding reasons why it can be done.

We have a choice. We can have excuses in our lives or we can have results. If we want results we need to stop making excuses and start setting goals, making action plans and taking action.

YES, BUT ... !

When someone gives me good advice, I will strive to say thank you, not "yes, but!"

Arguing with the people who give me good advice will not help me.

If I intend to respond with "yes, but!" then I will not ask for advice.

SUCCESS

Clarity, charity and austerity are the beginning of success.

GITA COACHING IN ZURICH - VIDEO AND AUDIO

Copy and paste:

http://kadamba.net/akruraprabhu.html

GRATITUDE

The Lord is so merciful that not only does He fulfill the desires of a devotee who is driven by ignorance and desires for material benefit, but He also gives such a Devotee all protection, just as a cow gives milk to a newly born calf.

A transcendentalist is eager to execute his service to the Lord, and therefore he is grateful when the Lord provides material facilities for such service. Mere renunciation of the material world is phalgu-vairagya, or an immature stage of spiritual understanding. One must come to the stage of yukta-vairagya, engaging everything in the service of Lord Krsna. It is our practical experience that a devotee absorbed in spreading Krsna consciousness automatically receives all facilities for his personal maintenance.

Lord Krsna is very kind to His devotees. He is always very grateful and magnanimous, and He possesses all abilities. A learned man does not give up Krsna to worship anyone else.

Akrura: My dear Lord, You are very affectionate to Your devotees. You are also a truthful and grateful friend. Where is that learned man who would give You up and surrender to someone else? You fulfill all the desires of Your devotees, so much so that sometimes You even give Yourself to them. Still, You neither increase nor decrease by such activity.

The Lord is very kind to His devotees, and He is very grateful, able and magnanimous. It is our duty to believe His words, and if we are intelligent and educated enough, we will follow His instructions without hesitation. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.48.26) Akrura tells Krsna:

kah panditas tvad aparam saranam samiyad
bhakta-priyad rta-girah suhrdah krta-jnat
sarvan dadati suhrdo bhajato 'bhikaman
atmanam apy upacayapacayau na yasya

"Who can surrender to anyone other than Yourself? Who is as dear, truthful, friendly and grateful as You? You are so perfect and complete that even though You give Yourself to Your devotee, You are still full and perfect. You can satisfy all the desires of Your devotee and even deliver Yourself unto him."

- Srila Prabhupada

How I Joined ISKCON

In the early eighties I started reading books on yoga and religion and I came across the translation of Isopanisad and Raja Vidya: The King of Knowledge. Somewhat later I got a few Srila Prabhupada's books in English, which a friend got from a book fair: three volumes of Srimad Bhagavatam and one volume of Caitanya Caritamrta. These books looked so authoritative that I wrote to devotees in Los Angeles.

Paralalel to this, I was listening and trying to play Indian music with some friends at weekends and my schoolmate's sister got a vinil record in London from a devotee. It was a beautiful music by the Krsna devotees, but I had no idea that the books I read were related to this music, so I also wrote to the devotees in London.

Both US and UK devotees replied, sent me a magazine, Bhagavad Gita, japa beads, even some little maha prasadam in an envelope. I was so inspired by their letters that in December 1982 I decided to visit the temple near Florence in Italy - Villa Vrndavana, and the Vienna temple in Austria.

Back home I started raising at 3 or 4 am, chanting 16 rounds, translating Back to Godhead magazine, talking to my friends about Krsna consciousness and singing Hare Krsna to them with a guitar. I was also in a band at that time and we sang Hare Krsna at the student club at my farewell concert, for I decided to leave the band to join the temple in Zagreb, Croatia. I joined on Sunday 20 March 1983. My parents gave me a lift half way and the train got me to Zagreb.

GITA COACHING AUDIO ITALY APRIL 2010

http://www.sendspace.com/file/rme2qq

SEX

An important word in this verse is urdhva-retasah, which means brahmacaris who have never discharged semen.

Celibacy is so important that even though one does not undergo any austerities, penances or ritualistic ceremonies prescribed in the Vedas, if one simply keeps himself a pure brahmacari, not discharging his semen, the result is that after death he goes to the Satyaloka.

Generally, sex life is the cause of all miseries in the material world.

In the Vedic civilization sex life is restricted in various ways.

Out of the whole population of the social structure, only the grihasthas are allowed restricted sex life. All others refrain from sex.

The people of this age especially do not know the value of not discharging semen.

As such, they are variously entangled with material qualities and suffer an existence of struggle only.

SB 4.11.5 Purport

I CAN GET NO SATISFACTION

So ultimately I love God. But there are so many impediments. I have forgotten.

I am thinking sometimes to love my body, my mind, like that. But real love is because I am spirit soul, therefore I love myself. And why I love myself? Because it is part and parcel of Visnu. Therefore ultimately you love Visnu. But we have forgotten it.

In relationship with Visnu we have learned to love... Not love. That is our lust. Real love is with Visnu. Because by nature there is love.

Just like the child. It loves the mother. And in the absence of the mother he cries, and when the mother comes he becomes satisfied. So our real love is for Krsna but that we have forgotten. And you are offered, "Why you are crying? You take this. You take this. You take this." No. Nothing will satisfy us unless we again come back to love our original source of life.

Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.6.2 -- Vrndavana, December 3, 1975

EDUCATED IN HOW TO BE SATISFIED

According to the sastras, a brahmana, or a cultured person in Krsna consciousness, will not enter anyone's service to maintain body and soul together, and especially not for satisfaction of the senses.

A true brahmana is always satisfied.

Even if he has nothing to eat, he can drink a little water and be satisfied.

This is only a matter of practice.

Unfortunately, however, no one is educated in how to be satisfied in self-realization.

As explained above, a devotee is always satisfied because he feels the presence of the Supersoul within his heart and thinks of Him twenty-four hours a day.

That is real satisfaction.

A devotee is never driven by the dictations of the tongue and genitals, and thus he is never victimized by the laws of material nature.

SB 7.15.18 Purport

A SPECIFIC PLAN

There is a specific plan being carried out in this material world. What is this plan?

This cosmic manifestation is a chance for the conditioned souls to go back to Godhead, back to home. As long as they have the domineering mentality which makes them try to lord it over material nature, they are conditioned. But anyone who can understand the plan of the Supreme Lord and cultivate Krsna consciousness is most intelligent.

The creation and destruction of the cosmic manifestation are under the superior guidance of God. Thus the Battle of Kuruksetra was fought according to the plan of God. Arjuna was refusing to fight, but he was told that he should fight in accordance with the desire of the Supreme Lord. Then he would be happy.

If one is in full Krsna consciousness and his life is devoted to the Lord's transcendental service, he is perfect.

Bg 11.33 Purport

COME TO YOUR ORIGINAL LOVER

... because I am living within this body, I want to give protection. This is the fact. Just like one protects his country because he lives there. Protects his house, protects his property because he has utilization. Similarly, because we have got utility for this body, we give protection. But when the living entity is no longer there within this body, there is no question of protection. It is thrown away. Even his father, mother or relatives, they take the body and throw away. In a different way, the body is thrown away. It has no more importance.

So, then ultimately it comes that you love yourself. And you love yourself, but the self is the part and parcel of the Supreme Self. Therefore you love yourself because you love the Supreme Self. So therefore, atmanam mat-parayanah. Actually, everyone has got the loving propensity because he loves Krsna. That is natural. So Krsna says that simply by following this process, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji. Mam evaisyasi, you are trying to find out the supreme loveable object. So mam evaisyasi, come and let us live, loving one another. This is the goal of life.

Every one of us, we love Krsna, but we are missing Him. Therefore we are placing our loving propensity wrongly, here, there, here, there, here, there, and we are becoming frustrated. Krsna says that "If you simply follow this process, man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah, you come to Me, come to your original lover." So where is the difficulty? To attain the highest perfection of life, where is the difficulty?

- Prabhupada lecture, Bhagavad-gita 9.34 - August 3, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm)

PURE LOVE

Pure love is unmotivated and interrupted.

Pure love is selfless and unconditional.

Pure love is based on the spiritual beauty not bodily beauty.

Pure love never stops.

Pure love between jivas is possible if they love God purely.

The Science Of Krsna Consciousness

We are very minute sparks of the supreme spirit, just like particles of sunshine. The sun's rays are made up of shining particles, and when these shining particles mix together they form sunshine.

Similarly, we are minute particles of God, and because we are part and parcel of God we have the same propensities as God: thinking, feeling, willing, creating -- everything. Whatever you see in yourself is there in God also.

Therefore, since we are all persons, God cannot be impersonal. I have so many propensities in a very minute quantity, and the same propensities are there in Krsna, or God, in an unlimited quantity.

This is the science of Krsna consciousness.

- Srila Prabhupada

Proper Direction

A living being cannot be vacant of desires. He is not a dead stone.

He must be working, thinking, feeling and willing. But when he thinks, feels and wills materially, he becomes entangled, and conversely when he thinks, feels and wills for the service of the Lord, he becomes gradually freed from all entanglement.

The more a person is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, the more he acquires a hankering for it. That is the transcendental nature of godly service.

Material service has satiation, whereas spiritual service of the Lord has neither satiation nor end. One can go on increasing his hankerings for the loving transcendental service of the Lord, and yet he will not find satiation or end.

By intense service of the Lord, one can experience the presence of the Lord transcendentally. Therefore seeing the Lord means being engaged in His service because His service and His person are identical.

The sincere devotee should go on with sincere service of the Lord. The Lord will give proper direction as to how and where it has to be done.

SB 1.6.22 Purport

HOW TO CONTROL NEGATIVE EMOTIONS

We can control our negative emotions like fear, anger and resentment by understanding that we are the soul and the we are more powerful than the mind.

All emotions appear in the mind.

We are not the mind, and we can choose how we feel, what we think, what we want and what we do.

When we feel bad in any way, we can raise your hands, dance and chant Hare Krsna and we will at once feel better.

We can practice to consciously choose to be happy and cheerful all the time, or at least most of the time.

If we practice gratitude for all that Krsna has given us we will always feel good.

If we understand that we are a servant of Krsna (God) and his parts and parcels (all living entities) than it is easier not to get angry and to be fearless.

HOW TO ACCEPT A GURU

And therefore, unless you find somebody where you can fully surrender, don't accept guru. That is cheating. Unless you are fully confident that "I am surrendering to this person. He is... Actually he is superior to me. He can give proper knowledge..."

So therefore the process is before accepting a guru, one must hear him at least for one year. And when he's convinced that "Here is actually a guru who can teach me," then you accept him, guru. Don't accept whimsically.

This system now should stop that somebody's coming for three days -- "Prabhupada, initiate him." Why? First of all see whether he's fit for becoming a disciple; then recommend. Otherwise, don't recommend. Because the cheap recommendation is creating havoc. One is not fit for becoming a student, disciple, and he's accepting discipleship, and after three days he's going away. This should not be allowed.

Therefore, in the Bhakti-rasamrta..., er, Hari-bhakti-vilasa by Sanatana Gosvami it is directed that the spiritual master and the disciple must meet together at least for one year so that the disciple may also understand that "Here is a person whom I can accept as my guru," and the guru also can see that "Here is a person who is fit for becoming my disciple." Then the business is nice. Because the business is tad viddhi pranipatena [Bg. 4.34], one must be prepared to surrender. So unless that character is there, surrendering, how he can become a disciple? It is not possible.

Srila Prabhupada lecture, Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.25 - Hawaii, January 21, 1974

Do You Want Change In Your Life?

If you really, really want change in your life, first you need to change.

You need to change the way you think, the way you see yourself and others, and the way you act.

If you want to achieve results you've never achieved before, you have to start doing things you've never done before.

PLANS

As long as one is unable to stop the desire for material enjoyment, there is no possibility of becoming liberated from the entanglement of material existence.

It may be argued that the waves of a river are incessantly flowing and that they cannot be stopped, but the waves of the river flow toward the sea.

When the tide comes over the river, it overwhelms the flowing of the river, and the river itself becomes overflooded, and the waves from the sea become more prominent than the waves from the river.

Similarly, a devotee with intelligence plans so many things for the service of the Lord in Krsna consciousness that stagnant material desires become overflooded by the desire to serve the Lord.

SB 4.22.39 Purport

Heart Disease

Improvement of one's economic condition is the aim and object of a materialist, but there is no end to this material advancement, for if one cannot control his lusty desires, he will never be pleased, even if he gets all the material wealth of the world.

In this age we see much material improvement, but still people are struggling to get more and more material opulence.

Manah sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati [Bg. 15.7].

Although every living entity is a part of the Supreme Being, because of lusty desires one continuously struggles for so-called betterment of one's economic condition.

To have a satisfied mind, one must give up his heart disease of lusty desires.

SB 9.19.13 Purport