Bangalore, India, Feb 14 2011 — In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna states that all living beings are His spiritual parts. He is our father and wants to enjoy various loving relationships with us. But most of us have forgotten our eternal relationship with God due to ignorance. Forgetfulness of our real identity is the root cause of all sufferings in this material world: birth, death, old age and diseases.
In order to remind the forgetful souls about their real identity, Lord Krishna Himself descends in various forms, millennia after millennia, to teach us the process of reviving our relationship with Him. Lord Krishna appeared on earth in His original form, at the end of Dvapara yuga (about 5000 years ago) and in His instructions on the battlefield at Kurukshetra, taught us how to surrender unto Him. This easy method of surrender is possible:
by always thinking of Him
by becoming His devotee
by worshipping Him
by offering obeisance to Him
Still, very few took His instructions seriously.
Out of His unlimited compassion, Lord Sri Krishna appeared again as Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a little over 500 ago, in this present age of Kali Yuga. Lord Chaitanya is Lord Krishna Himself in the mood of a devotee and His mission was to teach people how to surrender unto Lord Krishna as the only worshippable object.
He taught the easiest method of surrendering to Krishna: just by chanting the holy names of Krishna one came become purified and go back to Him. Lord Chaitanya recommended that the chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, is the only way to purify ourselves and achieve liberation in Kali-yuga.
His teachings are in line with the Vedic scriptures. All the scriptures conclude that chanting the Holy name of Krishna is the only way of deliverance for people in Kali-yuga. These instructions can be found in the Brhan Naradiya-Purana, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Kalisantarana Upanishad and various other scriptures.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, one of the world’s most renowned Vaishnava acharyas of modern times, comes in the disciplic succession of Brahma Madhva Gaudiya sampradaya.
Srila Prabhupada, as he is fondly called by his followers, was ordered by his spiritual master, to spread the message of Lord Chaitanya all over the world. He established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), to teach the message of Lord Krishna and alleviate the sufferings of people in Kali yuga.
He gave us the process of Krishna consciousness to purify our existence and go back to God. He travelled round the globe and in a very short span of time, established 108 ISKCON centers to teach the process of Krishna consciousness to one and all. In line with the teachings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, ISKCON Bangalore has started the Krishna Ashraya programme.
Krishna Ashraya is a home based programme to encourage people to get together and learn the instructions of Lord Krishna through the teachings of Srila Prabhupada. In this programme, people get together and practice the principles of bhakti yoga by the following activities:
Singing bhajans on Lord Krishna.
Hare Krishna Mantra Meditation
Discussing various teachings and pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna based on Srimad Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam.
Performing arati to Lord Krishna
Distributing Krishna prasadam to the devotees
Practicing these principles at home uplifts the standard of living of mankind. The society, nation and world at large will flourish both materially and spiritually. It gives peace of mind and relieves one from stress and anxiety.
We will be able to experience real satisfaction and joy. We will learn how to positively deal will all problems of life. Ultimately it helps one promote himself back home, back to Godhead and put an end to all sufferings of this world.
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