BG 14-5 Different Religion and the the three modes of material nature- Goodness, Passion and Ignorance Material nature consists of three modes-goodness, passion and ignorance. When the eternal living entity comes in contact with nature, he becomes conditioned by these modes. The mode of goodness, being purer than the others, is illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge. The mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, and because of this the embodied living entity is bound to material furtive actions. Know that the mode of darkness, born of ignorance, is the delusion of all embodied living entities. The results of this mode are madness, indolence and sleep, which bind the conditioned soul. Sometimes the mode of goodness becomes prominent, defeating the modes of passion and ignorance. Sometimes the mode of passion defeats goodness and ignorance, and at other times ignorance defeats goodness and passion. In this way there is always competition for supremacy. when there is an increase in the mode of passion the symptoms of great attachment, fruitive activity, intense endeavour, and uncontrollable desire and hankering develop. When there is an increase in the mode of ignorance, darkness, inertia, madness and illusion are manifested. When one dies in the mode of goodness, he attains to the pure higher planets of the great sages. When one dies in the mode of passion, he takes birth among those engaged in furtive activities; and when one dies in the mode of ignorance, he takes birth in the animal kingdom. From the mode of goodness, real knowledge develops; from the mode of passion, greed develops; and from the mode of ignorance develops foolishness, madness and illusion. Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets; and those in the abominable mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds. When the embodied being is able to transcend these three modes associated with the material body, he can become free from birth, death, old age and their distresses and can enjoy nectar even in this life. One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman. And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is immortal, imperishable and eternal and is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness. 17-3 Why different people have different faiths or religion? According to one’s existence under the various modes of nature, one evolves a particular kind of faith. The living being is said to be of a particular faith according to the modes he has acquired. Thus we can find three types of religions in the world. Religion under Mode of Goodness- People following this religion goes to the spiritual planets of the Lord. Example Krishna Consciousness. Mode of Passion- People following this goes to Heaven or is reborn here. Mode of Ignorance- People following this are Born here in the Animal Kingdom or they go to any of the lower hellish Planets.
Dear Alex Happen to read your comments. Your intention is noble but you are ignorant of other faiths. How can you form an opinion about Krishna, without even reading the Bhagvad Git (BG). I have read both the Bible and BG and is of the opinion, that Bible in no way compares to BG, exception being “ sermon on the mount”. Bible is meant for basic human being who knows nothing about God Where as BG is meant for anyone who wants to spiritually advance in devotion and see God face to face or wants to become God realised. Bible is trying to fear the people and make them believers, where as in BG, there is no compulsion. Krishna after giving all the advice has asked Arjuna to make up his mind and take his own decision. Look at what Bible says EXODUS 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, I don’t under how God almighty can be a jealous God. Moreover the so called God gives a threat of punishment. There are many such quotes in old testament which a rational thinking person cannot digest. Now look at what Krishna says in Bhagvad Gita. BG 9.29 : I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion, is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him. If you read BG 5-29, You will know that Krishna is the supreme lord of all planets and he is also the well-wisher of all living entities. He is the father of the universe BG9-17. He is also the generating seed of all existences. There is no being moving or non moving that can exist without Me BG 9-17. He also confirms in the BG that there is no one above him or equal to him. In BG 7:21-22, Krishna says “I am in everyone’s heart as the Super soul. As soon as one desires to worship some demigod, I make his faith steady so that he can devote himself to that Particular deity. Endowed with such a faith, he endeavours to worship a particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone”. From this it is clear, that you are also worshipping Krishna in an indirect way. Krishna says in BG 9-23 “Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only Me, but they do so in a wrong way”. Now You might be wondering if Krishna is the supreme, why is it that many people are not worshiping him. The answer is given in BG itself. BG 7-19 After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare. BG 7-13 Deluded by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance], the whole world does not know Me, who am above the modes and inexhaustible. This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it. 18-55 One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. What is Krishna’s Message ? BG 18-65: Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this. BG 18-66: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear. How can you know about Krishna ? BG 4-42 Therefore the doubts which have arisen in your heart out of ignorance Should be slashed by the weapon of knowledge. BG 4-34 Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth. Finally it would be advisable to keep your belief aside for the time being and enquire from major available scriptures in the world to seek absolute truth. Select the one which best answers all your doubts. I am sure you won’t find any better than Bhagvad Gita and Srimad Bhagvatam. Regarding your doubt about false God, Vedic religion is the oldest in the world and predates Christianity by at least few thousand years. Therefore Krishna is more original than anybody else. Besides Prabhupad comes from a disciplinic succession which is 5000 years old. Now saying that animals have no sprit soul is absurd because If man was evolved from monkeys, then how can you say that monkeys don’t have soul. Therefore my sincere advice is to Read Vedic scriptures especially Bhagvad Gita and know the oldest truth available to mankind. Hare Krishna
TRINITY AS PER SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM (Srimad Bhagavatam 1-2-11) The absolute truth manifests in 3 forms Brahman: Brahman is the invisible, inferior feature of the lord. It is formless or impersonal Brahman. In the Brahma-sutra, Brahman is explained to be like the rays of the sunshine. The impersonal Brahman is the shining rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is like the sun. Impersonal Brahman is incomplete realization of the absolute whole. Just as the sun doesn’t make any discrimination in supplying its rays to all living being, the supreme in its Brahman form treats every one the same way. Those who worship the Brahman form ultimately attains that form and merges with the supreme. Paramatma: As Paramatma, the sub-atomic persons exist in the spaces between atoms and also within each atom. In His Paramatma feature, the Lord permeates the entire cosmos. These Paramatmas, while uncountably multiplied, are actually one single entity through which the Absolute Truth remains fully cognizant of every subatomic point of subspace throughout all creation. Thus as Paramatma, the lord is situated in everyone's heart as Supersoul . Thus when you prays, it is the Parmatma, which listens to your prayers and delivers. Paramatma feature can be regarded as the partial realization of the Supreme Absolute. Bhagavan: It is the full manifestation of the absolute truth. The same Supreme Truth remains manifest at all times under all circumstances in His eternal personal form known as Bhagavan, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Sanskrit word bhagavan is explained in Bhagavad-gita as the Supreme Personality who possesses all riches, all strength, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation. Only Sri Krishna Posses all these Opluences and he is in his spiritual abode known as Go Lok Vrindavan.
Hare Krishna. Jesus states they shall be saved who believe in him that sent me.(John:5:26) Gospel of John was written generations after Jesus had departed. This is the only Gospel that Jesus is God & the only way. Jesus is always about his service to please his Lord Father in heaven. Even on cross jesus stated "forgive them Father". I prefer old Catholic Bible; yet Veda is most complete knowledge of spirit-soul & God Kriste'/Krishna. Hallowed be his Name!
Jackie Joseph Dear Friend, Justin Martyr (the Philosopher who died 165 AD) quotes the Gospel of John extensively in his writings. The historical fact is that the Christian religion, while revolving around the person of Jesus, has always been very eclectic in its expression. Christian "orthodoxy" gained ascendency when it became the religion of the Roman Empire. In any case, New Testament Christianity does not discount that God could've appeared in other cultures previous to Jesus' incarnation (cp. story in Numbers 23:34). Neither does the New Testament deny that God allotted a certain amount of revelation to each culture (Acts 17:26-31). What the New Testament does teach is that Christ did not come in order to correct nations from their disalignment with the Natural Law, but rather to rid us from all impediments to union with God, through His Son. A Christian can most certainly accept God's incarnation in Krishna without compromising the belief that the ultimate incarnation was in Christ Jesus... We certainly can learn from each other with respect and mutual admiration. God bless you on your journey to God-realization.
+Jackie Joseph IT is not about names , names are just that , names we going for the spirith and God is the spirith , and is in us , while we are here and weatheaver we may be
GOD BEING ETERNAL & OMNIPRESEENT HAS THOUSAND NAMES AT LEAST. I can have but God cannot, seems like you cannot accept that there is a Supreme, to know, and be having ecstatic loving exchanges with. You will not come close to your peak perfection without the sound vibration incarnation of the, hollwed be thy Name(s) of God.
Jackie Joseph It really seems that there are fanatical religionists in every sect...would you agree? So let me talk like a blind fanatic as well for the sake of understanding one another. The Bible says that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is LORD. The Bible also says that there is only ONE NAME by which men MUST be saved, and that is the Name of Jesus. Krishna died- his body rotted and became dust. Jesus rose from the grave on the 3rd day, lived with his disciples for 40 days, appeared to 500 disciples at the same time, and then they watched him ascend into the heavens... Krishna aint got jack compared to Jesus. Happy now?
Jackie Joseph My apologies if I have misunderstood you... its just that Im really, really tired of people who claim that their sect is the most perfect way... God comes to mankind in compassion and is the only one that saves us- since none of us can save ourselves. Peace be with you, dear brother in God.
“Krishna is Not God” “Oh Uddhava, you have discussed bhagavata-tattva before me. I don’t know sastra, but I have heard from sadhus and I have this faith that there is one Bhagavan and He is the guru and controller of the universe. He is the mula-karana, the original cause of purusa and prakrti, the living entities and material nature. He is anadi, beginningless. That Bhagavan is sarvesvara, the supreme controller. I know that Bhagavan is Narayan. He is present in our house in the form of salagrama. Uddhava, because you are a mere boy you have said that Narayan is our Gopal Krishna. I excuse you. I have not read sastra, but I have heard from the mouths of mahatmas that Narayan is God, the Supreme Lord. I know to some extent what symptoms are there in Narayan. But those symptoms are not even a single drop with Krishna. How can you say my Gopal Krishna is Narayan? I excuse you because you are a boy. You don’t know what you speak. You have said that Narayan is the cause of all causes, the cause of the whole universe. But my Krishna is a simple, milk-fed child. Narayan is pure. Narayan is peaceful, Narayan is apapa-vidha, sinless. But my Krishna is very fickle, greedy, and angry. Where is the symptom of Narayan in Krishna? Narayan is pure and free from contamination, suddha-sattva-guna-maya. My Krishna is a thief and a liar, abhimani. Narayan is the shelter of the whole world, but my Krishna is dependent on us. Where is the symptom of Narayan in my Krishna? Uddhava, what shall I say? There is no sadrsya, similarity of Narayan to my son Gopal. Narayan is satya-sankalpa, truthful, but my Krishna is very expert in speaking lies. I have heard that Narayan is apta-kama, self-satisfied. He never needs anything. He is beyond hunger and thirst. But I have seen with my own eyes how my Gopal Krishna cries when He becomes hungry. He becomes restless when He is hungry and thirsty. Uddhava, Narayan is worshipable by everyone, but I have seen my Gopal carrying my wooden sandals on His head. Where is the similarity with Narayan? I may commit a mistake, but Bhagavan never commits a mistake. If Krishna is Bhagavan, how can He commit a mistake? If Krishna is Bhagavan, why will He call us baba and ma, father and mother? You say He has no baba, and ma. Krishna is always dependent on us. He feels completely asahaya, helpless, when He cannot get our help. Where is the symptom of Narayan in Krishna, in my Gopal? You are a boy, Uddhava. You are a boy. You have no intelligence at all. In your intelligence you are also a boy. Therefore I excuse you. I have never seen such symptoms in Krishna. It is a fact that by the unlimited mercy of Narayan we have gotten a son like Krishna. I know very well that Krishna is our son. This is the very, very deep-rooted feeling in my heart, Uddhava. Uddhava, how can you say it is not true? More Ablaze “You listen, Uddhava. There is another thing. Suppose your words are true and Krishna is not an ordinary person, that He is Bhagavan. If you say that Krishna is Bhagavan, and that He is not an ordinary person, how can such words soothe our hearts? By hearing your krsna-tattva the blazing fire of separation from Krishna that is burning my afflicted heart has increased thousands and thousands of times. Uddhava, you cannot extinguish it. Rather you only make it more ablaze. We only thought that we had lost a son, but then hearing from you that Krishna is mula-bhagavan, then I understand we have not lost an ordinary son, we have lost Bhagavan! I thought I had lost a piece of copper. Now hearing from you I realize I have lost a piece of diamond! Uddhava, by hearing from you, the blazing, acute fire of separation that we have been burning in has become more and more ablaze. You are a boy, you are a boy. Therefore you cannot extinguish this fire. Are you trying to extinguish this fire by pouring ghee into it? Uddhava you are a boy. Therefore I excuse you.” Saying this Nanda Maharaja’s voice became choked up and tears rolled down from his eyes like torrential rain. -from "Mathura Meets Vrndavan" by Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja
Peace and Good to all! For the love of Jesus Christ, our Blessed Lord and Savior, these are some important things that every ISKCON member needs to know: (1) Prabhupada is not an authority on Jesus Christ. This is of prime importance for you to accept. The sooner you accept it, the sooner will you awaken to the Light of the Glory of the Only Begotten Son of God, the Second Person of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity, the Eternal Word Who humbled Himself, became Flesh and dwelt among us, for us men and for our Salvation. (2) Jesus has His own Divine Tradition which is handed on through Apostolic Succession in the Catholic [that is, Universal] Church. It is the Pope, the Successor of St. Peter who speaks authoritatively on Jesus Christ. (3) Man is not just spirit (ANGELS are just spirit). Man is a UNITY of both BODY and SOUL (immortal but NOT eternal, the soul had a beginning, it was CREATED by God, it is NOT part of God, God is totally OTHER from the human soul). Man is not an angel. Man is a unity of both matter and spirit. (4) Jesus came to redeem the whole person, and has revealed the Resurrection from the dead. Through Him we have the hope of receiving a GLORIFIED BODY (with its 4 qualities of Brilliancy, Agility, Subtility, and Impassibility) like unto His Resurrected Glorious Body and so enter into the Kingdom of God/Eternal Life. [There is no reincarnation or transmigration of souls ... this is an error or a lie, Jesus was not a vegetarian nor did He teach His disciples to become vegetarian.] Jesus said that we are WORTH MORE than animals (because we are made in God's image and likeness, because we have a spiritual soul and they do not). "Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your Heavenly Father feedeth them. ARE NOT YOU OF MUCH MORE VALUE THAN THEY?" (St. Matthew 6:26) Jesus says its more than ok to slaughter a fattened calf to celebrate the return of your lost and wayward son! "And bring hither the fatted calf, AND KILL IT, and let us EAT and make merry: because this my son was dead, and is come to life again: was lost, and is found." (St. Luke 15:23-24) (5) Matter is not evil. It is good. God created all things good. "And God saw all the things that He had made, and they were VERY GOOD." (Genesis 1:31) (6) God is not just one Supreme Person. God is ONE in Three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One Divine Subtance/Nature, Three Divine Persons (Distinct and in Relation to One Another). (7) Krishna is not the Father of Jesus Christ. Krishna is not the God of Abraham. Krishna is not the God of the Bible or of Divine Revelation. In Absolute Truth, Krishna is a false god ... an idol. The True God "proclaims His Word to Jacob, His statutes and Laws to Israel. He has NOT done this for any other nation; of such Laws they know NOTHING. Hallelujah!" (Psalm 147:19-20) (8) Jesus Christ is the Most High God Who became Man so that He may suffer for us and be LIFTED UP on the Cross. And in so doing, He reveals that He and He ALONE is the All-Attractive One Who draws all men to Himself. Jesus Crucified is the All-Attractive One: "And when I am LIFTED UP from the earth, I will DRAW everyone to Myself." He said this indicating the kind of DEATH He would die." (St. John 12:32-33) Repent (change your hearts) and believe the Gospel (the Good News) of Salvation! PRAISED BE JESUS CHRIST!
Dear Alex Happen to read your above comments. Your intention seems to be noble but the fact is that you are ignorant of other faiths. How can you form an opinion about Krishna, without even reading the Bhagvad Git (BG). I have read both the Bible and Bhagvad Gita and is of the opinion, that Bible in no way compares to BG, exception being “ sermon on the mount” which has a little bit of spiritual advice. Bible is meant for basic ignorant human being who knows nothing much about spirituality and God where as BG is meant for anyone who wants to spiritually advance in devotion and see God face to face or wants to become God realised. In the spiritual academic sense, Bible study can be compared to Primary level, Bhagvad Gita to Graduate level and Srimad Bhagvadam to Post graduate level. If you teach graduate level to a primary student, He won’t understand much. Look at the type of people Jesus was preaching to. Bible is trying to fear the people and make them believers, just like we train small kids for accepted behaviour. It is this fear, that makes you to use the word “repent” and “False God” when you speak of other religion. In Bhagvad Gita, there is no such compulsion. Krishna after giving all the advice has asked Arjuna to make up his mind and take his own decision. Look at what Bible says EXODUS 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. I don’t understand, how supreme lord can be a jealous God. Moreover the so called God gives a threat of punishment. This shows that the Old Testament was written to fear and coerce people into believing. There are many such quotes in Old Testament which a rational thinking person cannot digest. In reality, the supreme lord is above all these material qualities (read Bg 7-13 below). Now look at what Krishna says in Bhagvad Gita. BG 9.29 : I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion, is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him. If you read BG 5-29, You will know that Krishna is the supreme lord of all planets and he is also the well-wisher of all living entities. He is the father of the universe BG 9-17. He is also the generating seed of all existences. There is no being moving or non moving that can exist without Me BG 9-17. He also confirms in the BG that there is no one above him or equal to him. In BG 7:21-22, Krishna says “I am in everyone’s heart as the Super soul. As soon as one desires to worship some demigod, I make his faith steady so that he can devote himself to that Particular deity. Endowed with such a faith, he endeavours to worship a particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone”. Demigods are person entrusted by Krishna to do worldly functions. From this it is clear, that you are also worshipping Krishna in an indirect way. Krishna says in BG 9-23 “Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only Me, but they do so in a wrong way”. When a person prays to Jesus, Allah or any other Demigod, the Krishna sitting in your heart is so merciful that he doesn’t even question your faith. Rather he makes your faith steady, even though you are doing it in a wrong way by not taking his name. This is the reason why people in Krishna consciousness do not criticise other religions. A persons who knows this fact will never have to repent. Now You might be wondering if Krishna is the supreme, why is it that many people are not worshiping him directly. The answer is given in BG itself. BG 7-19 After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare. BG 7-13 Deluded by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance], the whole world does not know Me, who am above the modes and inexhaustible. This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it. 18-55 One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. BG 9-11: Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be. What is Krishna’s Message ? BG 18-65: Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this. BG 18-66: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear. BG 9:30-31: Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in my devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination. He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. Declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes. How can you know about Krishna ? BG 4-42 Therefore the doubts which have arisen in your heart out of ignorance Should be slashed by the weapon of knowledge. BG 4-34 Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth. Regarding your doubt about false God, Vedic religion is the oldest in the world and predates Christianity by at least few thousand years. Therefore Krishna is more original supreme God than anybody else. Those who have tasted his nectar of devotion have no doubt about it. As stated in BG 9-11, only fools think otherwise. Besides Prabhupad comes from a disciplinic succession which is 5000 years old. When Bible is saying the earth to be few thousand years old, Vedic religion was talking about billions of years that too before 5000 years. Srimad Bhagvadam says that you can count the no of sand on this earth but cannot count the planets in the galaxies. Just as millions of dust particles go in and out of your nose while you breath, so many millions of new planets are born and destroyed in each breath of the supreme lord. This is the might of the lord and vedic people new about it even before 5000 years. Now saying that animals have no sprit soul is absurd because If man has evolved from monkeys, then how can you say that monkeys don’t have soul. Finally as a humble friend, it is advised to be neutral for the time being and enquire from major available scriptures in the world to seek absolute truth. Select the one which best answers all your questions. I am sure you won’t find any better than Bhagvad Gita and Srimad Bhagvatam. Therefore if you want to know about Krishna, Surrender to a spiritual master of ISKCON or any other god realised soul in the vedic taradition and inquire from him. If that is not possible read Bhagvad Gita as it is or Srimad Bhagvatam with sincere heart and try to understand the oldest truth available to mankind. Hare Krishna
Dear Rishikesh, I very much appreciate the fact that you sought to give some honest feedback to my post. No doubt you sincerely believe what you believe and hold it as special. There are indeed many Rays of the One Absolute Truth revealed to Adam and Noah which can be found in some trace form in the Gita or Bagavatam. But as I have learned, this pure revelation given to Noah (who had three sons--Shem, Ham, & Japheth) was later corrupted by various ways. For example, in the case of the Vedas which came from the Medes (Madai was the third son of Japheth, father of the white colored people's) ... The Vedas' major defect came in the form of PANTHEISM. They began to teach that there EXISTS only One Being (God) and therefore anything you see in the material world is just a mere APPEARANCE or manifestation of this One Being. Thus the visible creation is considered, in the Vedas, as illusory or as MAYA. Thus the concrete reality of God's Creation is swallowed up into this mental abstraction which comes as an inevitable result of the Pantheistic belief. From Pantheism comes also idolatry because later on what before was "manifestations of God" is then deified as divine entities worthy of adoration/worship. These "manifestations of God" in nature are then little gods(idols). Such is the corrupting influence of Pantheism which is still present today in the teachings of ISKCON and Hinduism. So for you it's ok for someone else to worship Jesus because you take the awesome reality of The Son of God Incarnate and reduce it to one of your little "demigods" and then claim that it's just another form of Krishna worship anyways. This is born out of a Pantheistic philosophical ROOT in the Vedic Philosophy. This is a corruption of the pure revelation given to Adam, Noah, and Japheth about the Supreme God and CREATOR of all things OUT OF NOTHING. In Pantheism, the creature becomes an illusory appearance of the Creator and the Eternal and Divine Son of the Father becomes a mere little demigod. This is how the Jesus of Divine Revelation is dismissed so casually by ISKCON. But Jesus warned about false prophets coming in His Name and preaching a different Jesus and who would deceive many. ISKCON preaches a different Jesus. Therefore it is called by Our Blessed Lord a FALSE PROPHET not sent by God. God loves you and all and the purpose is not to intimidate or "fear" others into belief (even though one should reasonably fear the everlasting fire of Hell just as you would reasonably fear falling off a great precipice of a high altitude cliff) but to warn as an act of Mercy the consequences of violating a Covenant Relationship with almighty God whose Name is Yahweh. It is a work of mercy to admonish the sinner about HELL. When the Bible speaks of the "Jealousy" of God ... This is meant to convey that God is Personal and not indifferent to our sins and that He demands exclusive devotion and adoration. It is an anthropomorphism. It is a literary tool not an expression of the vice of envy. One of the things that makes the Holy Bible unique is that it can be read by both children and great and saintly Doctors of the Church like St. Augustine or St. Thomas Aquinas and all can benefit from it since it is objectively speaking THE WORD OF GOD in the form of human words. Always remember this: THINGS ARE BEST EXPRESSED IN A SIMPLE MANNER and Jesus proved this by the way He chose to Teach. Jesus could have chosen learned scribes and Pharisees but He did not. He chose simple fishermen. Why? Because they were teachable and open and not filled with preconceived ideas and philosophies. The Gita teaches nothing of value which cannot also be found in the Christian Revelation. Remember, we do not adhere to the Bible Alone as the Protestant sectarians do. The Word of God is also found in Divine Tradition from the Apostles Saints and Doctors of the Universal/Catholic Church and from the Teaching Authority of the Pope & Bishops/Successors to the Apostles. Read for instance St. John of the Cross about the spiritual life. These saints unpack the Scriptures in an astonishing way and God knew this when He promised to send the Holy Spirit (the Third Supreme Person in God) to His Church. So the Church lacks nothing in the area of Divine Truth and does not need to be "explained" by the Vedas or its adherents. The Catholic Church is in possession and is the guardian and dispenser of the FULNESS of God's Truths willed to be communicated to the human race. To repent means to change your mind and heart and to make a u turn in the direction of your life AWAY from sin and towards JESUS CHRIST the King of kings and Lord of lords by the aid of God's supernatural GRACE. The Holy Mother Church can prophetically denounce false gods as idols because the Church believes that God is a "Jealous" God, the One True God, and because it remains uncontaminated by the corrupting influence of Pantheism and idolatry. The Holy Trinity has no equal and will not share His Glory with your Krishna. You must decide between krishnah and the Jesus of Divine Revelation. The choice is yours to make. I pray for you that in the Name of Jesus and by the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Mary you may abandon all falsehood and error and idolatry and surrender in Faith, Hope, and Love to the God Who loves you and died for you on the Cross and rose from the dead on the third day to open wide the gates of the Kingdom of Heavenly Paradise for you. Praised be Jesus Christ!
Alex Santana Dear Alex, You are confusing Pantheism prevalent in Europe with Deity worship in the east. You are giving your comment without even having any knowledge of Bhagavad Gita or Srimad Bhagvadam. The Deity we are worshipping is physical representation of Krishna so that we can focus on him in a better way as he is not visible to our material eyes. We have 9 prescribed rules of worship and we can follow any one of them. Even you are doing diety worship when you are using image of Jesus or the cross for praying. Krishna says in the Bhagvad Gita BG 18-67: This confidential knowledge may never be explained to those who are not austere, or devoted, or engaged in devotional service, nor to one who is envious of me BG 18-68: For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional Service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. As said earlier, you won’t understand these things as you are only in the primary stages of devotion. To understand Bhagvad Gita, Your level of consciousness must change to a higer level. For that to happen, you will have to take many many berths to ultimately realise that Krishna is the supreme. Let me give you some facts from the vedic scriptures. Our planet earth is one among many planets looked after by Brahma, the demi God. The time on earth is divided into 4 parts known as Yugas. The 4 Yugas are Krath Yug: 17,28,000 years Treda yug: 12,96,000 years Dapar Yug: 8,64,000 years Kali Yug: 4,32,000 years So totaly all of them consist of 43,20,000 years. This is one day of Brahma in his abode. Similarly one night also consists of 43,20,000 years. Therefore 100 years of Brahma= 43,20,000 x2x365x100 It is after Brahmas life span that our planet is fully submerged in water and life forms again after that. It is said in the scriptures that 1000x Brahmas 100 years is one breath of the supreme lord. That is why so many millions of new planets are born and destroyed in each breath of the supreme lord. However, the history of Adam and Eve does not go beyond few thousand years. Krishna came at the end of Dapar yug and nearly 5200 years have passed after that. Bringing people back to life was a simple thing for him. He has brought to life even his Gurus Sons instantly after many many years from their death. That too when his teacher humbly requested him knowing him to be the supreme lord. This is only a tip of the iceberg of Krishnas Miracles. We are in Kali Yug and 5000 years has passed until now. It is said in Srimad Bhagvatam, that people will degrade by ¼ th in each of the yugas. In Kali Yug cheating relegions will be coming into existence with half truth and no truths You can know them by the Chaos it brings to the world. You should judge a tree from the fruit it gives. Just Google yourselves and find out how many millions of people have been killed in the name of Christianity and Islam and compare the result with People killed by following vedic tradition. If the tree is not giving good result, It is better to cut it down and plant new one. Also go through the old testament and find out how many people have been killed for no fault of theirs. This is not the way of ture God. If you belive so, You are terribly mistaken. Vedic scriptures originally came from the supreme lord him selves, It was made into written form after Dapar Yug as peoples meomory also got degraded. This is the reason why we find such detailed description in vedic scriptures and it will with stand the test of time. Any word of God doesn’t have to be altered from time to time. But you cant say so of the Bible. Suppose if a Demon or Satan comes to earth in the disguise of God what will he say ? He will say” I am the only God, You should not pray to any other Gods for Iam a jealous God If you pray to any other God, then I will punish you to the third and 4the generation.” For the one who is all supreme, will never have to worry about his supremacy. For him once intention of praying to the supreme is sufficient to recognize his devotee. Even when Jesus was born, there came wise men from the east(mostly refered to India and Asia). This is because of their spiritual strength or higher conscious level. And Jesus also had said not to preach in Asia. Because he got his Knowledge from the east (during his 13-30 years, with invitation from the so called wise men from the east). You can get all details by Google search. But unfortunately, Jesus teachings have been deliberately twisted from the time of Emperor Constantine. Friend the altered Bible has misled you. Please try to understand the truth. Any way you won’t go to hell because Krishna will save you even though you are praying in a wrong way. But you will have to take many many birth to ultimately realize him. Hare Krishna
Do you believe that the material universe was created by God OUT OF NOTHING? Or do you believe that matter is eternal, no beginning no end? Is matter real or illusory?
Alex Santana BG 7-4 Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego-all together these eight constitute My separated material energies. BG 7-5 Besides these, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature. BG 7-6 All created beings have their source in these two natures. Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know for certain that I am both the origin and the dissolution. Material energy is the inferior energy of the lord. Therefore these energies always exist. They can be transferred into one form or the other. At the time of creation, they manifest in one form and at the time of dissolution they go back to another form. However, since it is the lords energy, it cannot be destroyed. This very well fits with the theory that matter can never be created or destroyed. Regarding illusion please understand that compared to Brahmas time, A mans life span is only 10 seconds to his time. As per the scriptural timing, today is the present Brahma's 50th birthday and it is 10.am in his abode. By the time it becomes 10.00.10 seconds, the whole of the present generation would have passed on earth. In others words, our life span is so short compared to Brahmans time. Hare Krishna
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
~ Hare Krishna ~
🙏🏼✌🏽😎❤️🇦🇺☀️🏄♂️💦🔔🎶🌟
even for those who have achieved spiritual perfection, it is rare to know Krishna.
Hare krishna
Namskar sawamiji jai lord Krishna
super.JAIHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JAI KANAN SWAMI
Very nice lecture..hare krishna.thanks Maharaja.
BG 14-5 Different Religion and the the three modes of material nature- Goodness, Passion and Ignorance
Material nature consists of three modes-goodness, passion and ignorance. When the eternal living entity comes in contact with nature, he becomes conditioned by these modes.
The mode of goodness, being purer than the others, is illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge.
The mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, and because of this the embodied living entity is bound to material furtive actions.
Know that the mode of darkness, born of ignorance, is the delusion of all embodied living entities. The results of this mode are madness, indolence and sleep, which bind the conditioned soul.
Sometimes the mode of goodness becomes prominent, defeating the modes of passion and ignorance. Sometimes the mode of passion defeats goodness and ignorance, and at other times ignorance defeats goodness and passion. In this way there is always competition for supremacy.
when there is an increase in the mode of passion the symptoms of great attachment, fruitive activity, intense endeavour, and uncontrollable desire and hankering develop.
When there is an increase in the mode of ignorance, darkness, inertia, madness and illusion are manifested.
When one dies in the mode of goodness, he attains to the pure higher planets of the great sages. When one dies in the mode of passion, he takes birth among those engaged in furtive activities; and when one dies in the mode of ignorance, he takes birth in the animal kingdom.
From the mode of goodness, real knowledge develops; from the mode of passion, greed develops; and from the mode of ignorance develops foolishness, madness and illusion.
Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets; and those in the abominable mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds.
When the embodied being is able to transcend these three modes associated with the material body, he can become free from birth, death, old age and their distresses and can enjoy nectar even in this life.
One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.
And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is immortal, imperishable and eternal and is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness.
17-3 Why different people have different faiths or religion?
According to one’s existence under the various modes of nature, one evolves a particular kind of faith. The living being is said to be of a particular faith according to the modes he has acquired.
Thus we can find three types of religions in the world.
Religion under
Mode of Goodness- People following this religion goes to the spiritual planets of the Lord. Example Krishna Consciousness.
Mode of Passion- People following this goes to Heaven or is reborn here.
Mode of Ignorance- People following this are Born here in the Animal Kingdom or they go to any of the lower hellish Planets.
Hindu's god krishna is the bramhan, imperishable, infinite absolute truth. He is the self of all living beings.
1:06:48 Oh Krishna this is so funny!!!😂😂😂
Dear Alex
Happen to read your comments. Your intention is noble but you are ignorant of other faiths. How can you form an opinion about Krishna, without even reading the Bhagvad Git (BG).
I have read both the Bible and BG and is of the opinion, that Bible in no way compares to BG, exception being “ sermon on the mount”. Bible is meant for basic human being who knows nothing about God Where as BG is meant for anyone who wants to spiritually advance in devotion and see God face to face or wants to become God realised. Bible is trying to fear the people and make them believers, where as in BG, there is no compulsion. Krishna after giving all the advice has asked Arjuna to make up his mind and take his own decision.
Look at what Bible says
EXODUS 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
I don’t under how God almighty can be a jealous God. Moreover the so called God gives a threat of punishment. There are many such quotes in old testament which a rational thinking person cannot digest. Now look at what Krishna says in Bhagvad Gita.
BG 9.29 : I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion, is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.
If you read BG 5-29, You will know that Krishna is the supreme lord of all planets and he is also the well-wisher of all living entities. He is the father of the universe BG9-17. He is also the generating seed of all existences. There is no being moving or non moving that can exist without Me BG 9-17. He also confirms in the BG that there is no one above him or equal to him.
In BG 7:21-22, Krishna says “I am in everyone’s heart as the Super soul. As soon as one desires to worship some demigod, I make his faith steady so that he can devote himself to that Particular deity. Endowed with such a faith, he endeavours to worship a particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone”.
From this it is clear, that you are also worshipping Krishna in an indirect way. Krishna says in BG 9-23 “Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only Me, but they do so in a wrong way”.
Now You might be wondering if Krishna is the supreme, why is it that many people are not worshiping him. The answer is given in BG itself.
BG 7-19 After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.
BG 7-13 Deluded by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance], the whole world does not know Me, who am above the modes and inexhaustible. This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.
18-55 One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service.
What is Krishna’s Message ?
BG 18-65: Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this.
BG 18-66: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver
you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.
How can you know about Krishna ?
BG 4-42 Therefore the doubts which have arisen in your heart out of ignorance Should be slashed by the weapon of knowledge.
BG 4-34 Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.
Finally it would be advisable to keep your belief aside for the time being and enquire from major available scriptures in the world to seek absolute truth. Select the one which best answers all your doubts. I am sure you won’t find any better than Bhagvad Gita and Srimad Bhagvatam.
Regarding your doubt about false God, Vedic religion is the oldest in the world and predates Christianity by at least few thousand years. Therefore Krishna is more original than anybody else. Besides Prabhupad comes from a disciplinic succession which is 5000 years old.
Now saying that animals have no sprit soul is absurd because If man was evolved from monkeys, then how can you say that monkeys don’t have soul.
Therefore my sincere advice is to Read Vedic scriptures especially Bhagvad Gita and know the oldest truth available to mankind.
Hare Krishna
TRINITY AS PER SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM (Srimad Bhagavatam 1-2-11)
The absolute truth manifests in 3 forms
Brahman: Brahman is the invisible, inferior feature of the lord. It is formless or impersonal Brahman. In the Brahma-sutra, Brahman is explained to be like the rays of the sunshine. The impersonal Brahman is the shining rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is like the sun. Impersonal Brahman is incomplete realization of the absolute whole. Just as the sun doesn’t make any discrimination in supplying its rays to all living being, the supreme in its Brahman form treats every one the same way. Those who worship the Brahman form ultimately attains that form and merges with the supreme.
Paramatma: As Paramatma, the sub-atomic persons exist in the spaces between atoms and also within each atom. In His Paramatma feature, the Lord permeates the entire cosmos. These Paramatmas, while uncountably multiplied, are actually one single entity through which the Absolute Truth remains fully cognizant of every subatomic point of subspace throughout all creation. Thus as Paramatma, the lord is situated in everyone's heart as Supersoul . Thus when you prays, it is the Parmatma, which listens to your prayers and delivers. Paramatma feature can be regarded as the partial realization of the Supreme Absolute.
Bhagavan: It is the full manifestation of the absolute truth. The same Supreme Truth remains manifest at all times under all circumstances in His eternal personal form known as Bhagavan, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Sanskrit word bhagavan is explained in Bhagavad-gita as the Supreme Personality who possesses all riches, all strength, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation. Only Sri Krishna Posses all these Opluences and he is in his spiritual abode known as Go Lok Vrindavan.
Hare Krishna. Jesus states they shall be saved who believe in him that sent me.(John:5:26) Gospel of John was written generations after Jesus had departed. This is the only Gospel that Jesus is God & the only way. Jesus is always about his service to please his Lord Father in heaven. Even on cross jesus stated "forgive them Father". I prefer old Catholic Bible; yet Veda is most complete knowledge of spirit-soul & God Kriste'/Krishna. Hallowed be his Name!
Jackie Joseph Dear Friend, Justin Martyr (the Philosopher who died 165 AD) quotes the Gospel of John extensively in his writings. The historical fact is that the Christian religion, while revolving around the person of Jesus, has always been very eclectic in its expression. Christian "orthodoxy" gained ascendency when it became the religion of the Roman Empire. In any case, New Testament Christianity does not discount that God could've appeared in other cultures previous to Jesus' incarnation (cp. story in Numbers 23:34). Neither does the New Testament deny that God allotted a certain amount of revelation to each culture (Acts 17:26-31). What the New Testament does teach is that Christ did not come in order to correct nations from their disalignment with the Natural Law, but rather to rid us from all impediments to union with God, through His Son. A Christian can most certainly accept God's incarnation in Krishna without compromising the belief that the ultimate incarnation was in Christ Jesus... We certainly can learn from each other with respect and mutual admiration. God bless you on your journey to God-realization.
+Jackie Joseph IT is not about names , names are just that , names we going for the spirith and God is the spirith , and is in us , while we are here and weatheaver we may be
GOD BEING ETERNAL & OMNIPRESEENT HAS THOUSAND NAMES AT LEAST. I can have but God cannot, seems like you cannot accept that there is a Supreme, to know, and be having ecstatic loving exchanges with. You will not come close to your peak perfection without the sound vibration incarnation of the, hollwed be thy Name(s) of God.
Jackie Joseph
It really seems that there are fanatical religionists in every sect...would you agree? So let me talk like a blind fanatic as well for the sake of understanding one another. The Bible says that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is LORD. The Bible also says that there is only ONE NAME by which men MUST be saved, and that is the Name of Jesus. Krishna died- his body rotted and became dust. Jesus rose from the grave on the 3rd day, lived with his disciples for 40 days, appeared to 500 disciples at the same time, and then they watched him ascend into the heavens... Krishna aint got jack compared to Jesus. Happy now?
Jackie Joseph
My apologies if I have misunderstood you... its just that Im really, really tired of people who claim that their sect is the most perfect way... God comes to mankind in compassion and is the only one that saves us- since none of us can save ourselves. Peace be with you, dear brother in God.
“Krishna is Not God”
“Oh Uddhava, you have discussed bhagavata-tattva before me. I don’t know sastra, but I have heard from sadhus and I have this faith that there is one Bhagavan and He is the guru and controller of the universe. He is the mula-karana, the original cause of purusa and prakrti, the living entities and material nature. He is anadi, beginningless. That Bhagavan is sarvesvara, the supreme controller. I know that Bhagavan is Narayan. He is present in our house in the form of salagrama. Uddhava, because you are a mere boy you have said that Narayan is our Gopal Krishna. I excuse you. I have not read sastra, but I have heard from the mouths of mahatmas that Narayan is God, the Supreme Lord. I know to some extent what symptoms are there in Narayan. But those symptoms are not even a single drop with Krishna. How can you say my Gopal Krishna is Narayan? I excuse you because you are a boy. You don’t know what you speak. You have said that Narayan is the cause of all causes, the cause of the whole universe. But my Krishna is a simple, milk-fed child. Narayan is pure. Narayan is peaceful, Narayan is apapa-vidha, sinless. But my Krishna is very fickle, greedy, and angry. Where is the symptom of Narayan in Krishna? Narayan is pure and free from contamination, suddha-sattva-guna-maya. My Krishna is a thief and a liar, abhimani. Narayan is the shelter of the whole world, but my Krishna is dependent on us. Where is the symptom of Narayan in my Krishna? Uddhava, what shall I say? There is no sadrsya, similarity of Narayan to my son Gopal. Narayan is satya-sankalpa, truthful, but my Krishna is very expert in speaking lies. I have heard that Narayan is apta-kama, self-satisfied. He never needs anything. He is beyond hunger and thirst. But I have seen with my own eyes how my Gopal Krishna cries when He becomes hungry. He becomes restless when He is hungry and thirsty. Uddhava, Narayan is worshipable by everyone, but I have seen my Gopal carrying my wooden sandals on His head. Where is the similarity with Narayan? I may commit a mistake, but Bhagavan never commits a mistake. If Krishna is Bhagavan, how can He commit a mistake? If Krishna is Bhagavan, why will He call us baba and ma, father and mother? You say He has no baba, and ma. Krishna is always dependent on us. He feels completely asahaya, helpless, when He cannot get our help. Where is the symptom of Narayan in Krishna, in my Gopal? You are a boy, Uddhava. You are a boy. You have no intelligence at all. In your intelligence you are also a boy. Therefore I excuse you. I have never seen such symptoms in Krishna. It is a fact that by the unlimited mercy of Narayan we have gotten a son like Krishna. I know very well that Krishna is our son. This is the very, very deep-rooted feeling in my heart, Uddhava. Uddhava, how can you say it is not true?
More Ablaze
“You listen, Uddhava. There is another thing. Suppose your words are true and Krishna is not an ordinary person, that He is Bhagavan. If you say that Krishna is Bhagavan, and that He is not an ordinary person, how can such words soothe our hearts? By hearing your krsna-tattva the blazing fire of separation from Krishna that is burning my afflicted heart has increased thousands and thousands of times. Uddhava, you cannot extinguish it. Rather you only make it more ablaze. We only thought that we had lost a son, but then hearing from you that Krishna is mula-bhagavan, then I understand we have not lost an ordinary son, we have lost Bhagavan! I thought I had lost a piece of copper. Now hearing from you I realize I have lost a piece of diamond! Uddhava, by hearing from you, the blazing, acute fire of separation that we have been burning in has become more and more ablaze. You are a boy, you are a boy. Therefore you cannot extinguish this fire. Are you trying to extinguish this fire by pouring ghee into it? Uddhava you are a boy. Therefore I excuse you.” Saying this Nanda Maharaja’s voice became choked up and tears rolled down from his eyes like torrential rain.
-from "Mathura Meets Vrndavan" by Srila Gour Govinda Maharaja
There is no parampara - Bhaktisiddnata did not receive initiation from said guru
Peace and Good to all!
For the love of Jesus Christ, our Blessed Lord and Savior, these are some important things that every ISKCON member needs to know:
(1) Prabhupada is not an authority on Jesus Christ. This is of prime importance for you to accept. The sooner you accept it, the sooner will you awaken to the Light of the Glory of the Only Begotten Son of God, the Second Person of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity, the Eternal Word Who humbled Himself, became Flesh and dwelt among us, for us men and for our Salvation.
(2) Jesus has His own Divine Tradition which is handed on through Apostolic Succession in the Catholic [that is, Universal] Church. It is the Pope, the Successor of St. Peter who speaks authoritatively on Jesus Christ.
(3) Man is not just spirit (ANGELS are just spirit). Man is a UNITY of both BODY and SOUL (immortal but NOT eternal, the soul had a beginning, it was CREATED by God, it is NOT part of God, God is totally OTHER from the human soul). Man is not an angel. Man is a unity of both matter and spirit.
(4) Jesus came to redeem the whole person, and has revealed the Resurrection from the dead. Through Him we have the hope of receiving a GLORIFIED BODY (with its 4 qualities of Brilliancy, Agility, Subtility, and Impassibility) like unto His Resurrected Glorious Body and so enter into the Kingdom of God/Eternal Life. [There is no reincarnation or transmigration of souls ... this is an error or a lie, Jesus was not a vegetarian nor did He teach His disciples to become vegetarian.] Jesus said that we are WORTH MORE than animals (because we are made in God's image and likeness, because we have a spiritual soul and they do not). "Behold the birds of the air, for they neither sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns: and your Heavenly Father feedeth them. ARE NOT YOU OF MUCH MORE VALUE THAN THEY?" (St. Matthew 6:26) Jesus says its more than ok to slaughter a fattened calf to celebrate the return of your lost and wayward son! "And bring hither the fatted calf, AND KILL IT, and let us EAT and make merry: because this my son was dead, and is come to life again: was lost, and is found." (St. Luke 15:23-24)
(5) Matter is not evil. It is good. God created all things good. "And God saw all the things that He had made, and they were VERY GOOD." (Genesis 1:31)
(6) God is not just one Supreme Person. God is ONE in Three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One Divine Subtance/Nature, Three Divine Persons (Distinct and in Relation to One Another).
(7) Krishna is not the Father of Jesus Christ. Krishna is not the God of Abraham. Krishna is not the God of the Bible or of Divine Revelation. In Absolute Truth, Krishna is a false god ... an idol. The True God "proclaims His Word to Jacob, His statutes and Laws to Israel. He has NOT done this for any other nation; of such Laws they know NOTHING. Hallelujah!" (Psalm 147:19-20)
(8) Jesus Christ is the Most High God Who became Man so that He may suffer for us and be LIFTED UP on the Cross. And in so doing, He reveals that He and He ALONE is the All-Attractive One Who draws all men to Himself. Jesus Crucified is the All-Attractive One: "And when I am LIFTED UP from the earth, I will DRAW everyone to Myself." He said this indicating the kind of DEATH He would die." (St. John 12:32-33)
Repent (change your hearts) and believe the Gospel (the Good News) of Salvation!
PRAISED BE JESUS CHRIST!
Dear Alex
Happen to read your above comments. Your intention seems to be noble but the fact is that you are ignorant of other faiths. How can you form an opinion about Krishna, without even reading the Bhagvad Git (BG).
I have read both the Bible and Bhagvad Gita and is of the opinion, that Bible in no way compares to BG, exception being “ sermon on the mount” which has a little bit of spiritual advice. Bible is meant for basic ignorant human being who knows nothing much about spirituality and God where as BG is meant for anyone who wants to spiritually advance in devotion and see God face to face or wants to become God realised. In the spiritual academic sense, Bible study can be compared to Primary level, Bhagvad Gita to Graduate level and Srimad Bhagvadam to Post graduate level. If you teach graduate level to a primary student, He won’t understand much. Look at the type of people Jesus was preaching to.
Bible is trying to fear the people and make them believers, just like we train small kids for accepted behaviour. It is this fear, that makes you to use the word “repent” and “False God” when you speak of other religion. In Bhagvad Gita, there is no such compulsion. Krishna after giving all the advice has asked Arjuna to make up his mind and take his own decision.
Look at what Bible says
EXODUS 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.
I don’t understand, how supreme lord can be a jealous God. Moreover the so called God gives a threat of punishment. This shows that the Old Testament was written to fear and coerce people into believing. There are many such quotes in Old Testament which a rational thinking person cannot digest. In reality, the supreme lord is above all these material qualities (read Bg 7-13 below). Now look at what Krishna says in Bhagvad Gita.
BG 9.29 : I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion, is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.
If you read BG 5-29, You will know that Krishna is the supreme lord of all planets and he is also the well-wisher of all living entities. He is the father of the universe BG 9-17. He is also the generating seed of all existences. There is no being moving or non moving that can exist without Me BG 9-17. He also confirms in the BG that there is no one above him or equal to him.
In BG 7:21-22, Krishna says “I am in everyone’s heart as the Super soul. As soon as one desires to worship some demigod, I make his faith steady so that he can devote himself to that Particular deity. Endowed with such a faith, he endeavours to worship a particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone”.
Demigods are person entrusted by Krishna to do worldly functions.
From this it is clear, that you are also worshipping Krishna in an indirect way. Krishna says in BG 9-23 “Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only Me, but they do so in a wrong way”. When a person prays to Jesus, Allah or any other Demigod, the Krishna sitting in your heart is so merciful that he doesn’t even question your faith. Rather he makes your faith steady, even though you are doing it in a wrong way by not taking his name. This is the reason why people in Krishna consciousness do not criticise other religions. A persons who knows this fact will never have to repent.
Now You might be wondering if Krishna is the supreme, why is it that many people are not worshiping him directly. The answer is given in BG itself.
BG 7-19 After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.
BG 7-13 Deluded by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance], the whole world does not know Me, who am above the modes and inexhaustible. This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.
18-55 One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service.
BG 9-11: Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be.
What is Krishna’s Message ?
BG 18-65: Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this.
BG 18-66: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver
you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.
BG 9:30-31: Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in my devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination. He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. Declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.
How can you know about Krishna ?
BG 4-42 Therefore the doubts which have arisen in your heart out of ignorance Should be slashed by the weapon of knowledge.
BG 4-34 Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.
Regarding your doubt about false God, Vedic religion is the oldest in the world and predates Christianity by at least few thousand years. Therefore Krishna is more original supreme God than anybody else. Those who have tasted his nectar of devotion have no doubt about it. As stated in BG 9-11, only fools think otherwise. Besides Prabhupad comes from a disciplinic succession which is 5000 years old.
When Bible is saying the earth to be few thousand years old, Vedic religion was talking about billions of years that too before 5000 years. Srimad Bhagvadam says that you can count the no of sand on this earth but cannot count the planets in the galaxies. Just as millions of dust particles go in and out of your nose while you breath, so many millions of new planets are born and destroyed in each breath of the supreme lord. This is the might of the lord and vedic people new about it even before 5000 years.
Now saying that animals have no sprit soul is absurd because If man has evolved from monkeys, then how can you say that monkeys don’t have soul.
Finally as a humble friend, it is advised to be neutral for the time being and enquire from major available scriptures in the world to seek absolute truth. Select the one which best answers all your questions. I am sure you won’t find any better than Bhagvad Gita and Srimad Bhagvatam.
Therefore if you want to know about Krishna, Surrender to a spiritual master of ISKCON or any other god realised soul in the vedic taradition and inquire from him. If that is not possible read Bhagvad Gita as it is or Srimad Bhagvatam with sincere heart and try to understand the oldest truth available to mankind.
Hare Krishna
Dear Rishikesh,
I very much appreciate the fact that you sought to give some honest feedback to my post.
No doubt you sincerely believe what you believe and hold it as special. There are indeed many Rays of the One Absolute Truth revealed to Adam and Noah which can be found in some trace form in the Gita or Bagavatam. But as I have learned, this pure revelation given to Noah (who had three sons--Shem, Ham, & Japheth) was later corrupted by various ways. For example, in the case of the Vedas which came from the Medes (Madai was the third son of Japheth, father of the white colored people's) ... The Vedas' major defect came in the form of PANTHEISM. They began to teach that there EXISTS only One Being (God) and therefore anything you see in the material world is just a mere APPEARANCE or manifestation of this One Being. Thus the visible creation is considered, in the Vedas, as illusory or as MAYA. Thus the concrete reality of God's Creation is swallowed up into this mental abstraction which comes as an inevitable result of the Pantheistic belief.
From Pantheism comes also idolatry because later on what before was "manifestations of God" is then deified as divine entities worthy of adoration/worship. These "manifestations of God" in nature are then little gods(idols). Such is the corrupting influence of Pantheism which is still present today in the teachings of ISKCON and Hinduism.
So for you it's ok for someone else to worship Jesus because you take the awesome reality of The Son of God Incarnate and reduce it to one of your little "demigods" and then claim that it's just another form of Krishna worship anyways. This is born out of a Pantheistic philosophical ROOT in the Vedic Philosophy. This is a corruption of the pure revelation given to Adam, Noah, and Japheth about the Supreme God and CREATOR of all things OUT OF NOTHING. In Pantheism, the creature becomes an illusory appearance of the Creator and the Eternal and Divine Son of the Father becomes a mere little demigod. This is how the Jesus of Divine Revelation is dismissed so casually by ISKCON. But Jesus warned about false prophets coming in His Name and preaching a different Jesus and who would deceive many. ISKCON preaches a different Jesus. Therefore it is called by Our Blessed Lord a FALSE PROPHET not sent by God.
God loves you and all and the purpose is not to intimidate or "fear" others into belief (even though one should reasonably fear the everlasting fire of Hell just as you would reasonably fear falling off a great precipice of a high altitude cliff) but to warn as an act of Mercy the consequences of violating a Covenant Relationship with almighty God whose Name is Yahweh. It is a work of mercy to admonish the sinner about HELL.
When the Bible speaks of the "Jealousy" of God ... This is meant to convey that God is Personal and not indifferent to our sins and that He demands exclusive devotion and adoration. It is an anthropomorphism. It is a literary tool not an expression of the vice of envy.
One of the things that makes the Holy Bible unique is that it can be read by both children and great and saintly Doctors of the Church like St. Augustine or St. Thomas Aquinas and all can benefit from it since it is objectively speaking THE WORD OF GOD in the form of human words.
Always remember this: THINGS ARE BEST EXPRESSED IN A SIMPLE MANNER and Jesus proved this by the way He chose to Teach. Jesus could have chosen learned scribes and Pharisees but He did not. He chose simple fishermen. Why? Because they were teachable and open and not filled with preconceived ideas and philosophies.
The Gita teaches nothing of value which cannot also be found in the Christian Revelation. Remember, we do not adhere to the Bible Alone as the Protestant sectarians do. The Word of God is also found in Divine Tradition from the Apostles Saints and Doctors of the Universal/Catholic Church and from the Teaching Authority of the Pope & Bishops/Successors to the Apostles. Read for instance St. John of the Cross about the spiritual life. These saints unpack the Scriptures in an astonishing way and God knew this when He promised to send the Holy Spirit (the Third Supreme Person in God) to His Church. So the Church lacks nothing in the area of Divine Truth and does not need to be "explained" by the Vedas or its adherents. The Catholic Church is in possession and is the guardian and dispenser of the FULNESS of God's Truths willed to be communicated to the human race.
To repent means to change your mind and heart and to make a u turn in the direction of your life AWAY from sin and towards JESUS CHRIST the King of kings and Lord of lords by the aid of God's supernatural GRACE.
The Holy Mother Church can prophetically denounce false gods as idols because the Church believes that God is a "Jealous" God, the One True God, and because it remains uncontaminated by the corrupting influence of Pantheism and idolatry. The Holy Trinity has no equal and will not share His Glory with your Krishna.
You must decide between krishnah and the Jesus of Divine Revelation. The choice is yours to make. I pray for you that in the Name of Jesus and by the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Mary you may abandon all falsehood and error and idolatry and surrender in Faith, Hope, and Love to the God Who loves you and died for you on the Cross and rose from the dead on the third day to open wide the gates of the Kingdom of Heavenly Paradise for you.
Praised be Jesus Christ!
Alex Santana
Dear Alex,
You are confusing Pantheism prevalent in Europe with Deity worship in the east. You are giving your comment without even having any knowledge of Bhagavad Gita or Srimad Bhagvadam.
The Deity we are worshipping is physical representation of Krishna so that we can focus on him in a better way as he is not visible to our material eyes. We have 9 prescribed rules of worship and we can follow any one of them. Even you are doing diety worship when you are using image of Jesus or the cross for praying. Krishna says in the Bhagvad Gita
BG 18-67: This confidential knowledge may never be explained to those who are not austere, or devoted, or engaged in devotional service, nor to one who is envious of me
BG 18-68: For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional Service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.
As said earlier, you won’t understand these things as you are only in the primary stages of devotion. To understand Bhagvad Gita, Your level of consciousness must change to a higer level. For that to happen, you will have to take many many berths to ultimately realise that Krishna is the supreme.
Let me give you some facts from the vedic scriptures. Our planet earth is one among many planets looked after by Brahma, the demi God. The time on earth is divided into 4 parts known as Yugas. The 4 Yugas are
Krath Yug: 17,28,000 years
Treda yug: 12,96,000 years
Dapar Yug: 8,64,000 years
Kali Yug: 4,32,000 years
So totaly all of them consist of 43,20,000 years. This is one day of Brahma in his abode. Similarly one night also consists of 43,20,000 years.
Therefore 100 years of Brahma= 43,20,000 x2x365x100
It is after Brahmas life span that our planet is fully submerged in water and life forms again after that.
It is said in the scriptures that 1000x Brahmas 100 years is one breath of the supreme lord. That is why so many millions of new planets are born and destroyed in each breath of the supreme lord. However, the history of Adam and Eve does not go beyond few thousand years.
Krishna came at the end of Dapar yug and nearly 5200 years have passed after that. Bringing people back to life was a simple thing for him. He has brought to life even his Gurus Sons instantly after many many years from their death. That too when his teacher humbly requested him knowing him to be the supreme lord. This is only a tip of the iceberg of Krishnas Miracles.
We are in Kali Yug and 5000 years has passed until now. It is said in Srimad Bhagvatam, that people will degrade by ¼ th in each of the yugas. In Kali Yug cheating relegions will be coming into existence with half truth and no truths You can know them by the Chaos it brings to the world.
You should judge a tree from the fruit it gives. Just Google yourselves and find out how many millions of people have been killed in the name of Christianity and Islam and compare the result with People killed by following vedic tradition. If the tree is not giving good result, It is better to cut it down and plant new one.
Also go through the old testament and find out how many people have been killed for no fault of theirs. This is not the way of ture God. If you belive so, You are terribly mistaken.
Vedic scriptures originally came from the supreme lord him selves, It was made into written form after Dapar Yug as peoples meomory also got degraded. This is the reason why we find such detailed description in vedic scriptures and it will with stand the test of time.
Any word of God doesn’t have to be altered from time to time. But you cant say so of the Bible.
Suppose if a Demon or Satan comes to earth in the disguise of God what will he say ?
He will say” I am the only God, You should not pray to any other Gods for Iam a jealous God
If you pray to any other God, then I will punish you to the third and 4the generation.”
For the one who is all supreme, will never have to worry about his supremacy. For him once intention of praying to the supreme is sufficient to recognize his devotee.
Even when Jesus was born, there came wise men from the east(mostly refered to India and Asia). This is because of their spiritual strength or higher conscious level. And Jesus also had said not to preach in Asia. Because he got his Knowledge from the east (during his 13-30 years, with invitation from the so called wise men from the east). You can get all details by Google search. But unfortunately, Jesus teachings have been deliberately twisted from the time of Emperor Constantine.
Friend the altered Bible has misled you. Please try to understand the truth. Any way you won’t go to hell because Krishna will save you even though you are praying in a wrong way. But you will have to take many many birth to ultimately realize him.
Hare Krishna
Do you believe that the material universe was created by God OUT OF NOTHING? Or do you believe that matter is eternal, no beginning no end?
Is matter real or illusory?
Alex Santana
BG 7-4 Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego-all together these eight constitute My separated material energies.
BG 7-5 Besides these, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.
BG 7-6 All created beings have their source in these two natures. Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world, know for certain that I am both the origin and the dissolution.
Material energy is the inferior energy of the lord. Therefore these energies always exist. They can be transferred into one form or the other. At the time of creation, they manifest in one form and at the time of dissolution they go back to another form. However, since it is the lords energy, it cannot be destroyed. This very well fits with the theory that matter can never be created or destroyed.
Regarding illusion please understand that compared to Brahmas time, A mans life span is only 10 seconds to his time. As per the scriptural timing, today is the present Brahma's 50th birthday and it is 10.am in his abode. By the time it becomes 10.00.10 seconds, the whole of the present generation would have passed on earth. In others words, our life span is so short compared to Brahmans time.
Hare Krishna