Cooperation is one of the most difficult things in life. We can see that in all spheres: inside families, communities, in business partnerships, or even amongst friends, misunderstandings, quarrels, and oven open conflict are common. Although most can understand that such conflicts are detrimental to their quality of life and peace of mind, most can’t do anything about it. It’s just very difficult to live together and peacefully cooperate.
When it comes to spiritual life, this is even a greater problem, since a great deal of the Vaishnava process is based on cooperation. It’s very difficult to advance on spiritual life alone. We literally depend on each other to progress in the path of bhakti.
Depression and suicide are a problem not only in the general society but also amongst devotees. Although we have the opportunity of practicing Krsna Consciousness and having relationships with self-realized souls, we are still not free from the influence of the three modes.
One may have difficulties in his or her marriage, difficulties with other family members, traumas from the past that are difficult to heal, difficulties in spiritual life, difficulties in dealing with fellow devotees who may act in hostile or envious ways, and so on. The list can quickly become extensive.
What can we do in this situation? What to do if someone is pained enough to take his own life? What to do if we find ourselves in this situation at some point?
In his famous book, “Chariots of the Gods?” Erich von Däniken raises the hypothesis that members of an advanced civilization had visited our planet in the past and supported the advancement of culture and technology in our planet.
Although some of the evidence given in the book was disproved in the following years, still his theory gained traction and found its place in the collective imagination.
What do the Vedas say about that? There are aliens out there? Have they visited our planet in the past and interfered with our civilization? In case of an affirmative, how they look and what kind of technology they possess?
Who am I? This is a question that can have multiple answers according to one’s level of consciousness. The word “Atma” in Sanskrit, which can be roughly translated as “the self” has different meanings according to the context and the listener. Atma can mean the body, it can mean the mind, or it can mean the soul, which is our true and final identity according to the Vedic literature.
The soul originates from an anti-material world that is beyond the limits of our physical universe. That world is not subjected to our physical laws, or even to the influence of time. There, everything is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss, the exact opposite of the situation in this material world. How the soul falls from this position of eternal bliss to the struggle of existence in this material world is a mystery. However, when this happens, the first covering that envelops the pure soul is the concept of false-ego or ahankara. This ahamkara creates a false sense of identity. Based on it, one starts to see himself as a product of this material world and starts to desire material objects and experiences.
The Bhagavad-Gita is possibly the most read book in the history of humanity. It was spoken by Sri Krsna to Arjuna, right before the beginning of the Kurukshetra war, 5154 years ago, and recorded by the celebrated sage Vyasadeva, who also compiled other books that comprise the Vedic literature.
Originally written on palm leaves, the Bhagavad-Gita was carefully passed generation to generation, inspiring many philosophers, sages, great thinkers, and also normal people, like you and me, helping all to find a solution for their life problems and attain transcendence.
In the Bhagavad-Gita, Krsna surprisingly tells Arjuna to fight in the battle, fulfilling his duty as a Ksatriya, by fighting for the right cause and defending the principles of dharma, instead of going to the forest and living as a beggar. We have the tendency of wanting to leave everything when things become difficult, but the Bhagavad-Gita gives us the correct perspective about what to do in difficult situations.
The Gita ends with Arjuna reinvigorated, free from doubt and determined to fight, and Sanjaya concluding that “Wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the master of all mystics, and wherever there is Arjuna, the supreme archer, there will also certainly be opulence, victory, extraordinary power, and morality.”
But, what happened after this? What happened with the Pandavas, and the Kurus? Who won the battle? How do these events connect with known history?
According to the Vedas, Brahma, the universal architect, creates the universe, as well as the first living beings that populate it. By hearing this description, one could think that Brahma is God. Once, Narada Muni committed the same mistake, taking Brahma as the supreme controller. However, he noticed something strange: Although being the creator of this universe and the most powerful living being, Brahma was meditating and practicing austerities to satisfy someone else.
Perplexed, Narada decided to ask. Approaching Brahma in a respectful way, he glorified his activities, but firmly stated his question: being the creator of the Universe, why Brahma was practicing penances to satisfy someone else?
We normally imagine time as a line that started at some point and stretches indefinitely. This affects even our language, with words such as “timeline”. The pyramids were built, then Alexander came, then Cleopatra met Cesar. The Roman Empire collapsed, there were the dark ages, then the Enlightenment, industrial revolution, and finally everyone had the idea of filling the ocean with plastic bags…
Imagine you are a trained warrior, and you are about to fight in a great battle. However, as you prepare your weapons, you notice that most of your kinsmen are on the other side: cousins, uncles, dear friends, and even your grandfather. What would you do?
In the great classic, the Bhagavad-Gita, Arjuna comes across a gruesome choice: face his own relatives in battle, risking killing his own kinsman or being killed by them, or neglecting his sacred duty as a Kshatriya, a sacred warrior, and live the rest of his life in shame. For a righteous and honored person like Arjuna, dishonor is worse than death, but how could he live after the death of his relatives?
In a few passages of the Vedas, we find the idea of a Golden Age inside of the age of Kali, an oasis of happiness and spiritual realization in the midst of the iron age where we live.
According to Srila Prabhupada, such Golden Age is connected with the spread of the chanting of the Maha-Mantra. As more people adopt the process, the vibration of the holy names will affect the collective consciousness and help to turn the tide of materialism and open the path for a spiritual revolution.
We frequently hear about the glories and the importance of sadhu-sanga, association with devotees. In the Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu, Srila Rupa Goswami categorizes 64 principles for executing devotional service, which is explained by Srila Prabhupada both in the Nectar of Devotion and the Teachings of Lord Caitanya. From these 64 principles, five are especially important, since by cultivating these five principles we tend to automatically execute the others:
