#SoulFood# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.19

#SoulFood# 3D- Deva, Devotee and Devotion
Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.19
October 5 2016 Wednesday

1. Is Lord Krsna(Deva) a human?
- He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead

2. But he looks human. Hmm?
- He is completely spiritual, looks humanlike!

3. He looks like me!
- No You look like him! God was not made in the image of man but man was made in the image of God!

4.What is the difference between my birth and God's appearance?
- He appears on his sweet will. But we are forced to be born in a certain fashion

5. What is the relation between Deva and His devotees?
- A relation full of pure unadulterated Love

6. Why does Deva love his devotees?
- The devotees devote their lives in his selfless service

7. What happens when we act on the plane of devotion?
- We become happy-unending and uninterrupted joy!

-Amarendra Dasa

#§öùł~Føòđ# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.18

GURU TATWA

#§öùł~Føòđ#
Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.18
Oct 4 2016 Tuesday

1. Who is a spiritual master?

- A Perfect representative of the lord

2. What is the qualification of a perfect spiritual master?

- He must know Krsna in truth

3. Could he be of any Caste creed or nationality?

- Material conditions are irrelevant. Guru Tattwa is transcendental

4. What are some external qualifications of a perfect Guru?

- Complete control over 6 urges

1. Unnecessary Gossip/Speech
2. Mind
3. Anger
4. Tongue(To taste different foodstuffs)
5. Belly(Quantity of Foodstuffs)
6. Lust

5. What are some other Qualities?

-Spiritual Masters may possess some/all of these Prominent Scriptural Qualities

1. Tolerance
2. Compassion
3. Friendly
4. No enemity
5. Peaceful
6. Never wastes Time
7. Materially renounced
8. Doesn't desire respect
9. Offers all respect to otthers
10. Always hopeful
11. Hankers for Krsna
12. Intense taste for Chanting and hearing
13. Can speak/Sing for hours for Krsna
14. Attachment to the holy Dhama of the lord
15. Perfect servant of his Guru Maharaj

6. What is his only duty?

- To save others by spreading the holy name

-Amarendra Dasa

#§öùł~Føòđ# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.17

#§öùł~Føòđ#
Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.17
Oct 3 2016 Monday

1. What causes inauspiciousness?

- Lack of true knowledge

2. What is the root of all inauspiciousness?

-Lust is the root of all evil

3. As a result?

- His plans are selfish and temporary

4. What does a learned man do?

- He practices the path of knowledge and helps others in genuine conpassion

5. So do we have this dual responsibility?

- Yes we must save ourselves and also try to help others.

"Try your best to save the rest"

-Amarendra Dasa

#§öùł~Føôđ# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.16

#§öùł~Føôđ#
Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.16
October 2 2016 Sunday

1. What is the start of spiritual life?
- Know the self

2. Why?
- Know the I then the Mine,
Acting thus, all will be Fine

3. What is the most auspicious path of a jiva?
- The path leading us to God

4. What is the biggest hurdle on this path?
- Not knowing the goal, Not knowing the way

5. What is the goal?
- Pure Love for God and Pure Compassion for others

6. What is the way to achieve it?
- Selfless service to the lord and his devotee as described in the scriptures

7. Why are we not selfless?
- Because we are SELF-less(without knowing the self!)

8. We think we are this body and keeping us happy means keeping this body happy. This is illusion, right?
- Right

9. What is the Do and what is the don't on the path of Bhakti?
- Serve Lot, Envy Not

10. What are some concluding points?
- Overcome Greed, get freed
- Snub Anger, avoid D-anger
- Clean the dust, ignore Lust

-Amarendra Dasa

§öùł~Føôđ Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.14-15

§öùł~Føôđ
Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.14-15

Oct 1 2016 Saturday

1. By carefully following verses 10-13 we will be freed from everything that is inauspicious. Desire for profit and recognition will be uprooted and the material attachments of the heart will be severed

2. To achieve the ultimate, we should depend on the mercy of the ultimate. Offering prayers to krsna and begging for his mercy definitely help!

3. We can make your favorite 'prayers list' picking a few prayers each from Queen Kunti, Vrtrasura, Bhishma, Prahlad, Dhruva and others. Vandanam or repeating the prayers offered by previous acharyas is a very strong means of attracting the lord's mercy

4. We should practise Bhakti and preach only about Bhakti to one and all.What is the use of guiding them to other fallible paths?

5. Strictness in personal practice, tolerance against opposition and humility in preaching are the key weapons of success

-Amarendra Dasa

#§öùĺ~Føöđ# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.10-13

#§öùĺ~Føöđ#
Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.10-13

Sep 30 2016 Friday

20 STEPS TO BECOME HUMBLE

Dear Prabhu/Mataji,

My name is Maharaj Rshabhadeva and I am from the 5th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. I understand how sincerely you are trying to overcome your false ego and thus become naturally humble. So let me give you this letter of instructions. It worked for my sons and so will it for you!

Here you go!

1. Accept a Guru who is a pure Devotee
2. Place faith in Guru and Krsna and Serve them with your heart
3. Implement the principle of Tolerance in every aspect of your life
4. Note that this material world is a place of place of suffering
5. Philosophically search the ultimate truth
6. Practice Austerity on the path of Devotional service
7. Serve Krsna, not your senses
8. Hear Krsna-Katha in Sadhu Sangha
9. Chant Harinama Sankirtana and Harinama Japa
10. See everyone with equal vision
11. Give up the idea of enmity
12. Give up hankering for future, fear of present, lamentation of the past
13. Give up anger and lust
14. Read Shastras with faith
15.Do your worldly duties responsibly
16. Remember no one belongs to you except God
17. Avoid unnecessary talks
18. Always remember the lord in all situations
19. Be enthusiastic, patient and focussed on the goal
20. Practice Bhakti with attention and love

Hope this helps you! Haribol

-Amarendra Dasa

#§öuł~Føòđ# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.9

#§öuł~Føòđ#

Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.9
Sep 29 2016 Thursday

1. To go to the spiritual world, one should be pure

2. To be pure, one should be free from illusion

3. To be free from illusion, one must act on the platform of absolute Reality-Devotional service

4. Devotional service cleanses the consciousness and cuts the knot of inauspicious attachments

5. Devotional service frees one from all past and present sinful activities, sinful reactions and sinful tendencies

6. Devotional service has 9 chief limbs but vibrating the holy name of the lord is considered the most easiest, quickest, fastest and surest means of God realization

-Amarendra Dasa

#SoulFood# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.8

#SoulFood#

Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.8
Sep 28 Wednesday

1. What is the basis of material existence?

- Material desires

2. What is the root of all material desires?

- Lust

3. Does lust mean sexual impulse?

- Any desire to satisfy the senses independent of Sri Krsna is classified as Lust.

4. What is the highest trap in this material world?

- Sexual attraction between male and female

5. Why?

- Male thinks hes the body, and Female thinks shes the body
Thats 200% Illusion!

6. Does illusion cause problems?

- Imagine you are a male and you forcefully act like a female, talk like a female, dress like a female and live like a female, wouldn't that be difficult??
Similarly we are spirit souls but we live all our lives as if we were these bodies! That causes pain and suffering

7. So does this bodily consciousness increase at any time?

- Yes. Material household life increases bodily illusion

8. How can one be in family life yet detached?

- Keep Krsna in the center, for this you need to step out of the center!

9. I have heard this many times but how do I practically implement this?

- Monitor your intentions behind every act performed. Do it for the lord. Do it from your heart, sincerely

10. How can we understand the difference between a Grhastha and a Grhamedhi?

- Grhamedhi(Materialistic family man) is like a silkworm who spins his cucoon of material attachments and gets caught in them.

A Grhastha(devotee householder) is like a spider who makes his net of worldly duties but due to true knowledge and detachment knows the way out!

-Amarendra Dasa

#SoulFood# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.7

#SoulFood#
Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.7
Sep 27 2016 Tuesday

1. Who is wise in this world?

- He who sacrifices material pleasure for spiritual gain

2. Why is material pleasure not relishable for a wise man?

- Higher Taste!

3. What are lower and higher tastes?

- Pleasure derived from Material enjoyment based on sleep and sex is considered lower. The higher taste is the bliss derived from serving Sri Krsna

4. So someone who uses this human form for material sense gratification is a fool?

- Could say so, material sense gratification is found in all creatures.
Why would a wise man use this rare human birth for the same purpose?

5. What is our real interest?

- Enter a college to graduate out of college! So now that we are in the college of this material world, high time we graduate and go home!

6. Return to our spiritual home?

- Yes back to our spiritual home. Back to Godhead

7. Why do we not remember our goal all the time?
I hear this philosophy so many times, still I forget.

- Lack of focus and enthusiastic endeavour

8. I wish to remember the lord always. How can I do that?

- Always remain connected in service and Nama bhajan
- Nama bhajan must be with attention and faith
- Krsna will help you remember him

9. Any practical tips?

- Sip water and remember, this taste is krsna!
- See the sun and remember, this effulgence is krsna!
- Smell the flowers and remember, this scent is Krsna!
- Feel the moonbeams and remember, this coolness is krsna!
- touch the lotus and remember, this soft beauty is Krsna!

10. Thank you very much.

-Jay Srila Prabhupada!

-Amarendra Dasa

#SoulFood# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.6

#SoulFood#
Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.6
Sep 26 2016 Monday

1. What are the 3 material modes in which we work?

- Goodness
-Passion
- Ignorance

2. What are some qualities of the Goodness mode?

- Cleanliness, Austerity, Honesty, Charity, Truth

3. What are some qualities of Passion?

- Aggression, Anger, Lusty pushes, Greedy Impulses, Rat Race

4. What is the problem with rat race?!

- Even if you win, you still remain a rat!

5. Interesting. Ok so now what are the qualities of Ignorance?

- Laziness, Busy doing nothing, Stingy, Procrastination, Attachment to sleep and intoxications.

6. Why is one helplessly dragged and forced to act under these 3 modes?

- Due to our being spiritually weak

7. How to become spiritually strong?

- Develop love for God

8. How?

- To fall in Love, you need to know that person and spend quality time with him

9. Yes you are right. How can we do that?

- To know God,
Hear from his pure devotees
Read books like the Krsna book

-To spend quality time with him

Talk to him with attention and love

10. How can I talk to him privately?

- Your japa beads is your phone
-Prayerful mood is your carrier connection
- 16 digit Mahamantra is God's Personal number

And guess what, He is always available! Just call him and talk to him with attention and love!

-Amarendra Dasa

#SoulFood# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.5

#SoulFood#
Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.5
Sept 25 2016 Sunday

1. What are the different types of activities that one can perform?

- Materially Pious, Materially Impious and Transcendental activities

2. What is Materially Impious activity?

- Sinful activity, that which is against the scriptural injunction. This causes Material painful reactions at the present or future and one suffers immensely

3. How about Materially Pious activity?

- Material activities which are in the mode of goodness, characterized by social work with knowledge charity and compassion. This brings in materially happy reactions in the future.

4. So isnt that good?

-Yes it is. However to accept future good reactions, we have to accept another material body. This is the problem.

5. Do we have to accept material bodies even if we perform materially good work?

- Whether good activities or bad activities, material actions bring in material reactions. To accept these reactions in the form of pain or pleasure, we need to take another body

6. Why does one take repeated birth and death?

- One who fails an exam, without studying his books and sharpening the necessary skills, needs to take it again and again.
Similarly one who does not understand the aim of our life, needs to come back again and again to do the needful

7. What is the aim of life?

- We are fishes and Sri Krsna is our blue water. We are out of that water and hence are suffering. Our Aim of life is to come in contact with our source of joy, the blue waters of Sri Krsna

8. How can we approach Sri Krsna?

- Sri Krsna is all pure and if we become all pure, we can return to our eternal home(His eternal residence!)

9. Well I thought, being spirit souls, we are always pure!

- Yes we are always pure spirit souls. But unfortunately at the moment, due to being in this world, we are covered with impure contaminated consciousness which needs to be cleansed.

10. How can we cleanse our consciousness namely mind intelligence Ego and senses?

- Mind(Man) can be purified by 'Man'tra meditation(Japa and Kirtana)
- Intelligence can be purified by reading and hearing Shastras
- Ego can be purified by co-operation and humble service to Vaishnavas
- Senses can be purified by honoring Sri Krsna Prasād!

-Amarendra Dasa

#SoulFood# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.4

#SoulFood#
Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.4
Sept 24 2016- Saturday

1. Whats the source of all suffering?

- Sinful Reactions

2. Why does one face Sinful reactions?

- Sinful Actions

3. Why does one sin?

- Ignorance of what is right and what is wrong

4. What is his idea?

- That which gives direct pleasure to my body and mind is right and that which does not is wrong

5. How does one become ignorant?

- Due to turning one's face away from Krsna.

6. Well how can I understand this?

- Krsna is light, turn away from light and you are in darkness. In darkness you dont see things as they are. Accidently you happen to step on broken glass pieces and bleed. The source of this suffering is being in darkness.

7. Is this body not for enjoyment?

- Yes it is. But seek true enjoyment by serving krsna. Other enjoyment sources are simply mirages for they trick you with temporary pleasure.

8. Did I get this human form due to past actions in past lives!?

- yes you did. Congrats. Now utilise it properly

9. So if I use it properly, can i get a better birth next life?

- Yes definitely. You could even get out of this repeated birth cycle. Aim high my friend!

10. Sounds good. Thank you!
- No problem. All the best. Hare Krsna

-Amarendra Dasa

#SoulFood# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.3

#SoulFood#

Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.3

Sep 23 2016 Friday

1. How to develop love for Krsna?

- Increase attachment to the lord by engaging in his service. Accept the favorable and reject the unfavorable.

- Keep company of those who pursue this goal and avoid those who are materially motivated.

2. How do purified householders behave?

-They perceive home, wife, children and wealth to be Krsna's property. Hence they deal with them as caretakers and not as sole owners.

3. Does this mean they fail in their duties?

- No.
Realising that all of this belongs to Krsna, they perform their duties with utmost care and concern.

4. Their main focus is self upliftment and Family upliftment through devotional service. To keep this going, they work and collect money.

5. Money and other comforts are never accumulated independent of Krsna's pleasure

-Amarendra Dasa

#SoulFood# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.2

#SoulFood#

Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.2

Sept 22 2016 Thursday

1. Serve Advanced Devotees to get liberated from material bondage

2. How do we recognise Advanced devotees?

- Principle of Equality
- Never agitated by changes
- Peaceful ALWAYS
- Engaged in Devotional service to Sri Krsna
-Free from Anger
- Live simply for others
- No abominable act performed  ever

3. How does this service work?

Path 1:Serve them, please them humbly, they will shower profuse heartfelt blessings by which Devotional service will rise, Rise in Devotion leads to fall in material attachment

Path 2: Devotee association leads to Devotional habits.
By their association, knowledge and renunciation would rise leading to auspiciousness

4. What happens to those who dont seek their association?
- Material enjoyment will devour them
Women hunters and Sex mongers eventually go to hell as lust is one of the doors of hellish life

-Amarendra Dasa

#SoulFood# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.1

#SoulFood#

Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.1

Sept 21 2016 Wednesday

1. Only Humans can fully engage themselves and utilise their birth in the lord's service. Other 8 million species cannot, even if they desire.

2. Even stray animals which eat dirt, get sleep and sex. Hence Humans should not make sex as one's goal of life. GOAL IS ONE- DEVOTIONAL SERVICE TO KRSNA

3. How to achieve this goal? Strive with austerity. Material happiness may distract but tolerate and keep practicing.

4. Devotional service grants Divine bliss. The bliss that is beyond mere things, the bliss that never ends!

-Amarendra Dasa