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The Hare Krishna mantra (aka maha mantra) is 16 word mantra that glorifies God. When you take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna by chanting the mantra, you are assured of reaching the supreme abode at the end of your material existence. When you chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, you are addressing the energy of God and asking Him to carry you across the ocean of ignorance. You are also asking to be allowed to serve him in his spiritual abode eternally. It's a very wonderful mantra and the more you chant it the more you enjoy it.

This is the book that the Krishna Consciousness movement is based on. The way it's posted now, the Introductory material comes before the main text and it's rather long so you might prefer to skim over it or scroll past it. The text is a little easier to read on the linked website because you can flip to the different chapters easily. If people are interested in this material then I may post the chapters in individual forums and also post some of the Bhaktivedanta purports to the individual verses. As it is right now, each of the 18 chapters is posted in this forum. Just scroll down to reach the main text. Enjoy! This is a link to the whole text online. When you're reading a chapter, you can click on the text number to open up the purport that Swami Prabhupada wrote for each verse. https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/

First the verse from Bhagavad gita Bg. 2.58 यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वशः ।इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥ ५८ ॥ yadā saṁharate cāyaṁkūrmo ’ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥindriyāṇīndriyārthebhyastasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā Synonyms yadā — when; saṁharate — winds up; ca — also; ayam — he; kūrmaḥ — tortoise; aṅgāni — limbs; iva — like; sarvaśaḥ — altogether; indriyāṇi — senses; indriya-arthebhyaḥ — from the sense objects; tasya — his; prajñā — consciousness; pratiṣṭhitā — fixed. Translation One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise draws its limbs within the shell, is firmly fixed in perfect consciousness. Purport The test of a yogī, devotee or self-realized soul is that he is able to control the senses according to his plan. Most people, however, are servants of the senses and are thus directed by the dictation of the senses. That is the answer to the question as to how the yogī is situated. The senses are compared to venomous serpents. They want to act very loosely and without restriction. The yogī, or the devotee, must be very strong to control the serpents – like a snake charmer. He never allows them to act independently. There are many injunctions in the revealed scriptures; some of them are do-not’s, and some of them are do’s. Unless one is able to follow the do’s and the do-not’s, restricting oneself from sense enjoyment, it is not possible to be firmly fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The best example, set herein, is the tortoise. The tortoise can at any moment wind up its senses and exhibit them again at any time for particular purposes. Similarly, the senses of the Kṛṣṇa conscious persons are used only for some particular purpose in the service of the Lord and are withdrawn otherwise. Arjuna is being taught here to use his senses for the service of the Lord, instead of for his own satisfaction. Keeping the senses always in the service of the Lord is the example set by the analogy of the tortoise, who keeps the senses within. Seeing things with the material senses means being blinded to the spiritual reality. The world of sense, maya, is like a thick covering that clouds the soul. When your senses are attached to the objects of sense, it's like being led around by every cloud that passes across the face of the sky, and your spiritual awareness can't develop when you're constantly distracted by the objects of sense. It says in this verse that we should be able to voluntarily withdraw our senses from the things that appeal to them, like a tortoise can draw all its limbs into its shell. Now we all know that it can be difficult to impose this exile from the world of sense on ourselves, so Krsna has made it easy for us to replace our fascination with sense-objects with unalloyed devotional service by giving us the Hare Krishna mantra and the deity in the temple. The way to overcome our addiction to sense objects and appearances is to always be serving the Lord, and to always be taken up in the spontaneous love of the Godhead, which is the token of His grace. So if you're struggling to overcome attachment to appearances, and it feels like you're missing the deeper reality, just remember that Krishna is the all-attractive Personality of Godhead, and He can satisfy your desire for spiritual enjoyment far more than anything He has created. Krishna is the supreme object of devotion, the goal of all sacrifice. Consider this famous statement of St. Augustine, from the first book of his Confessions: "You arouse us so that praising you may bring us joy, because you have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."

ŚB 3.24.43 मनो ब्रह्मणि युञ्जानो यत्तत्सदसत: परम् ।गुणावभासे विगुण एकभक्त्यानुभाविते ॥ ४३ ॥ mano brahmaṇi yuñjānoyat tat sad-asataḥ paramguṇāvabhāse viguṇaeka-bhaktyānubhāvite Synonyms manaḥ — mind; brahmaṇi — on the Supreme; yuñjānaḥ — fixing; yat — which; tat — that; sat-asataḥ — cause and effect; param — beyond; guṇa-avabhāse — who manifests the three modes of material nature; viguṇe — who is beyond the material modes; eka-bhaktyā — by exclusive devotion; anubhāvite — who is perceived. Translation He fixed his mind upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Parabrahman, who is beyond cause and effect, who manifests the three modes of material nature, who is beyond those three modes, and who is perceived only through unfailing devotional service. Purport Whenever there is bhakti, there must be three things present — the devotee, the devotion and the Lord. Without these three — bhakta, bhakti and Bhagavān — there is no meaning to the word bhakti. Kardama Muni fixed his mind on the Supreme Brahman and realized Him through bhakti, or devotional service. This indicates that he fixed his mind on the personal feature of the Lord because bhakti cannot be executed unless one has realization of the personal feature of the Absolute Truth. Guṇāvabhāse: He is beyond the three modes of material nature, but it is due to Him that the three modes of material nature are manifested. In other words, although the material energy is an emanation of the Supreme Lord, He is not affected, as we are, by the modes of material nature. We are conditioned souls, but He is not affected, although the material nature has emanated from Him. He is the supreme living entity and is never affected by māyā, but we are subordinate, minute living entities, prone to be affected by the limitations of māyā. If he is in constant contact with the Supreme Lord by devotional service, the conditioned living entity also becomes freed from the infection of māyā. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā: sa guṇān samatītyaitān. A person engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is at once liberated from the influence of the three modes of material nature. In other words, once the conditioned soul engages himself in devotional service, he also becomes liberated like the Lord.

ŚB 3.24.17 ज्ञानविज्ञानयोगेन कर्मणामुद्धरन् जटा: ।हिरण्यकेश: पद्माक्ष: पद्ममुद्रापदाम्बुज: ॥ १७ ॥ jñāna-vijñāna-yogenakarmaṇām uddharan jaṭāḥhiraṇya-keśaḥ padmākṣaḥpadma-mudrā-padāmbujaḥ Synonyms jñāna — of scriptural knowledge; vijñāna — and application; yogena — by means of mystic yoga; karmaṇām — of material actions; uddharan — uprooting; jaṭāḥ — the roots; hiraṇya-keśaḥ — golden hair; padma-akṣaḥ — lotus-eyed; padma-mudrā — marked with the sign of the lotus; pada-ambujaḥ — having lotus feet. Translation By mystic yoga and the practical application of knowledge from the scriptures, Kapila Muni, who is characterized by His golden hair, His eyes just like lotus petals and His lotus feet, which bear the marks of lotus flowers, will uproot the deep-rooted desire for work in this material world. Purport In this verse the activities and bodily features of Kapila Muni are very nicely described. The activities of Kapila Muni are forecast herein: He will present the philosophy of Sāṅkhya in such a way that by studying His philosophy people will be able to uproot the deep-rooted desire for karma, fruitive activities. Everyone in this material world engages in achieving the fruits of his labor. A man tries to be happy by achieving the fruits of his own honest labor, but actually he becomes more and more entangled. One cannot get out of this entanglement unless he has perfect knowledge, or devotional service. Those who are trying to get out of the entanglement by speculation are also doing their best, but in the Vedic scriptures we find that if one has taken to the devotional service of the Lord in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he can very easily uproot the deep-rooted desire for fruitive activities. Sāṅkhya philosophy will be broadcast by Kapila Muni for that purpose. His bodily features are also described herein. Jñāna does not refer to ordinary research work. Jñāna entails receiving knowledge from the scriptures through the spiritual master by disciplic succession. In the modern age there is a tendency to do research by mental speculation and concoction. But the man who speculates forgets that he himself is subject to the four defects of nature: he is sure to commit mistakes, his senses are imperfect, he is sure to fall into illusion, and he is cheating. Unless one has perfect knowledge from disciplic succession, he simply puts forth some theories of his own creation; therefore he is cheating people. Jñāna means knowledge received through disciplic succession from the scriptures, and vijñāna means practical application of such knowledge. Kapila Muni’s Sāṅkhya system of philosophy is based on jñāna and vijñāna.

CC Madhya 6.242 হরের্নাম হরের্নাম হরের্নামৈব কেবলম্ ।কলৌ নাস্ত্যেব নাস্ত্যেব নাস্ত্যেব গতিরন্যথা ॥ ২৪২ ॥ harer nāma harer nāmaharer nāmaiva kevalamkalau nāsty eva nāsty evanāsty eva gatir anyathā Synonyms hareḥ nāma — the holy name of the Lord Hari; hareḥ nāma — the holy name of the Lord Hari; hareḥ nāma — the holy name of the Lord; eva — certainly; kevalam — only; kalau — in this Age of Kali; na asti — there is not; eva — certainly; na asti — there is not; eva — certainly; na asti — there is not; eva — certainly; gatiḥ — means; anyathā — other. Translation “ ‘In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.’ ” Purport Because the people of this age are so fallen, they can simply chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. In this way they can rid themselves of the bodily conception of life and become eligible to engage in the Lord’s devotional service. One cannot engage in the devotional service of the Lord without being purified of all contamination. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.28): yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇāmte dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ “Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination.” Sometimes people are surprised to see young men and women take so seriously to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. By giving up sinful activity — illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling — and strictly following the injunctions given by the spiritual master, they have become purified of all contamination. They can therefore fully engage in the devotional service of the Lord. In this Age of Kali, hari-kīrtana is very, very important. The importance of chanting the holy name of the Lord is stated in the following verses from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.3.51-52): kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥkīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥdvāpare paricaryāyāṁ kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt “The most important factor in this Age of Kali, which is an ocean of faults, is that one can be free from all contamination and become eligible to enter the kingdom of God simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. The self-realization that was achieved in the Satya millennium by meditation, in the Tretā millennium by the performance of different sacrifices, and in the Dvāpara millennium by worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa can be achieved in the Age of Kali simply by chanting the holy names, Hare Kṛṣṇa.” https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/madhya/6/242/    

There are four kinds of people who take an interest in transcendental realization. O best among the Bhāratas, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me – the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute. Bhagavad-Gita 7:16 Usually, it is when a person becomes frustrated in their attempts to achieve material success and happiness that they begin to search for a philosophical solution to their troubles. Krishna accepts everybody who begins seeking religious answers, even if their motives are not at first pure from all personal interest. Krishna is known to reward his devotees with all kinds of facilities for material enjoyment, but it is not for these things that we should aspire to His service. Krishna Himself is a higher goal than any material benediction that can be obtained. A wise person understands the poverty of their position as long as they are in the body, which is always troubled by the material nature. Krishna is transcendental to the body. He is beyond age and death. People seeking the ultimate answer to life's questions finally discover it in Him. It is not for the body that we should toil and labor, but rather we should offer sincere devotional service to the One who is eternal and is never corrupted by the effects of mortality. All rewards can be obtained in His service, but the greatest reward of all is the sincere desire to serve Him without a thought for the self. That is called prema, unadulterated love of God, and it is entirely a gift from God. It cannot be earned through good deeds, but must be sought with prayer and devotion, and it is the sign of His grace to a soul that is fully surrendered to Him.

One of them Marc Bolan/ T. Rex

I'm thinking about starting some new forums soon just for all sorts of things I'm interested in. I'm willing for this to be one of the most unrestricted clubs on chess.com. If you're ever feeling bored, I want this to be the place you come to to say whatever's on your mind, so please feel free to create forums and comment without reservation. Thanks.

So I like to read a lot of things. I read the Bible, the Srimad Bhagavatam, here lately the Quran, and sometimes I read novels and manga and the like. My conscience has really been bothering me lately, though. Oh yeah, I also like to listen to classic rock from the 60's and 70's. Sometimes I feel a very deep connection with the things I read and listen to, but it feels like I'm worshiping these things as a god, even though that's not what I want. It's like I'm so close to something that I think is going to make me happy, but for some reason it feels wrong, like it's cursed or something. If I want to stop worshiping idols, then I might have to stop using this website altogether, because it breaks my heart to be on here and to only be able to communicate with people through the media of lies and false idols. If I leave suddenly, that's the reason why. I can't stand the insincerity, and I can't tell what's real and what shouldn't be. 

A lot of people these days face depression, which can be described as a lack of enthusiasm about life. I would like to talk about the issue of depression with anyone who is willing from the perspective of how Krishna consciousness can help someone overcome their depression and have joy in living.

In this age, it is very hard to find peace of mind through meditation and other advanced spiritual practices. Because of that, God has made it very easy for us to understand what we should do to be saved in this fallen generation. One should abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto God. This is the conclusion of the Bhagavad Gita, one of God's instructions to all mankind. God is not different from His name, so if you chant His name daily, as often as you are able, in the form of the Hare Krishna mantra, then you will be in the constant shelter of God, enjoying His holy presence. Abandon all forms of religion, and just chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.  Krishna is the prime benefactor of humanity. His revealed scripture, the Bhagavad Gita, should be studied by all persons who wish to escape from the threefold miseries of earthly life, and His name should be chanted at all times to cleanse the mind from every impurity. Offering service to God in loving devotion is all you have to do to attain His transcendental abode. Chant the glories of God and offer service to the Supreme Loving Person, and your whole life will become a success!

I had to make a topic for discussing Bhagavad Gita first, because it is the introductory text to Krishna consciousness, but really all along I wanted to get to talking about this text, the Srimad Bhagavatam, because that's what I'm reading now, and it has even more narrations of the Lord's pastimes than Bhagavad Gita has. So the majority of this 18 volume work consists of spiritual instruction that was spoken to Emperor Pariksit by Sukadeva Gosvami on the bank of the Ganges River during the last week of his life. Knowing that he was going to die, Emperor Pariksit wanted to spend his time learning the things that would prepare him for the afterlife, and he was blessed to hear the narration of one who was a fully self-realized soul and could direct him to pure love of God before he quit his material body. How should we begin to discuss this great text, which is the pure nectar of transcendental knowledge?

Hi, group! I'm starting a new thread to discuss Bhagavad-Gita, if you're interested. There is another thread which contains the text of Bhagavad-Gita, but it's a lot easier to read on its own website or in book form. In this thread I'd just like to talk about it and maybe learn from another student of it. So, if you have some experience with the text, would you like to share your thoughts and knowledge on it some?

### Balaram Purnima and Krishna Janmashtami in the US Here are the dates and details for the upcoming **Balaram Purnima** and **Krishna Janmashtami** celebrations in the United States for 2024: 1. **Balaram Purnima (Appearance Day of Lord Balarama)**    - **Date:** **Sunday, August 18, 2024**    - **Details:** This day celebrates the birth of Lord Balarama, the elder brother of Lord Krishna. Celebrations often include fasting, kirtan (devotional singing), and special prayers. 2. **Krishna Janmashtami**    - **Date:** **Monday, August 26, 2024**    - **Details:** This festival celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna. Celebrations typically include fasting, staying up until midnight, singing bhajans, and reenacting Krishna’s childhood events. Many people visit temples and participate in special ceremonies. ### Time Zones The exact times of observance can vary based on specific time zones across the US: - **Eastern Time:** Celebrations will begin on the evenings of the above dates.- **Central, Mountain, and Pacific Time:** Adjustments will be made based on the respective time zones, with celebrations typically starting in the evening of the same dates. These dates are based on traditional Hindu calendars and the lunar calendar, and they align with the dates celebrated in other parts of the world, including India and Taiwan.

So if you look around yourself, you might get the notion that there is a God. There must be a reason why all this is here, why you and I and all these other living things exist. Something greater than everything must be the cause of everything's existence. According to Vedanta religion, the cause of everything is the Personality of Godhead Govinda Krishna, who looks like the picture in the background. Now God is a good person who likes you. He's so powerful that just His Name has more power than everything in the created universe. When you say His Name and meditate on it by chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, you're doing the number one spiritual activity because you're drawing very close to the pure Personality of Godhead. It's said that by chanting His Name just once in faith you can be delivered from a lifetime of sinful effects and devote your life to an intimate relationship of service towards God. To repeat the words of the founder of the Krishna Consciousness movement, I hope you will accept this mantra and let your soul be purified by consciousness of God.

This is the most challenging part after discovering Krishna. I suggest Silence and Least Engagement with them. After class, after work, No Social Activities. Internet is good substitute.

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa- lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi   I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs or gopīs.   veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam- barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi   I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids.   ālola-candraka-lasad-vanamālya-vaṁśī- ratnāṅgadaṁ praṇaya-keli-kalā-vilāsam śyāmaṁ tri-bhaṅga-lalitaṁ niyata-prakāśaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi   I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, round whose neck is swinging a garland of flowers beautified with the moon-locket, whose two hands are adorned with the flute and jeweled ornaments, who always revels in pastimes of love, whose graceful threefold-bending form of Śyāmasundara is eternally manifest.   aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi   I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth, substantiality and is thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental figure possesses in Himself, the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane.   advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi   I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay, is without a beginning, whose form is endless, who is the beginning, and the eternal puruṣa; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.   (Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.29-33)

According to the Vedas, society is naturally divided into four occupational and four spiritual divisions. It's called varnasrama dharma and the purpose of it is that people can perform their God-ordained duty and also receive a spiritual education in life. The four occupational divisions are brahmana, kshatria, vaishya, and shudra. Brahmanas represent the priests and scholars, kshatrias the rulers and government employees, vaisyas the merchants and capitalists, and shudras the laborers. There are also four spiritual divisions to be taken progressively as one ages in life. This is a natural division of labor in life, and shouldn't be confused for the caste system India used to have. A person's place in this system is not determined by their birth but by their education and their personal nature. In this way, anyone from any walk of life can serve God and be spiritually enlightened by performing no other sacrifice than attending to the spiritual explanations of the brahmanas and chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. This is a scientific way for society to be organized, and only by adopting the Vedic varnasrama- dharma system can society become successful.

Chat here or in the notes. You can post pictures and videos here too, so long as they're appropriate.