Introduction

The Vedic texts of the ancient, eternal India give both worldly and spiritual knowledge. The spiritual, transcendental sections of the Vedas exist to inform living entities in human form about their eternal relationship with Krishna, God, the Absolute Truth. God has countless names as His pastimes are unlimited. The Sanskrit word “Krishna” means “The All Attractive One". In materialistic consciousness our eternal spiritual relationship with Krishna is not manifest. The practical application of spiritual knowledge, makes the forgetfulness of the relationship with Krishna disappear like snow before the sun. The realisation is beyond the limited world of beginning and end, statistics, creation and destruction, birth and death.

The Bhagavad-gita As It Is is the spiritual ABC of the Vedas. It was spoken by Krishna 5000 years ago at the beginning of Kali yuga, the age of hypocrisy and discontent. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna says that all living entities are equal to Him in quality, as a drop of ocean water is equal in quality to the ocean in terms of analogy. All living entities are eternal integrated fragmental parts of the Absolute Truth. Once we reach the human form we can practice spiritual life to realize his relationship within the Absolute Truth. When the relationship with Krishna is clear, there are no more speculations. All activities become meaningful and satisfying and the fickle, restless material mind is automatically controlled.

The Bhagavad-Gita discusses the following five topics; Brahman (Krishna), the jivas (the living entities), prakrti (nature), kala (time) and karma (activity in illusion under the control of time). The first four are eternal. The last one, karma, is temporary. When a person exits the world of karma, he is liberated from material bondage and has attained brahma-nirvana, total liberation of existence.

In Kali-yuga, which began 5,000 years ago accoring to the Vedic calender and which continues for the next 427,000 years, chanting God's names is advised as the easy & sublime yoga activity. The following mantra is specifically recommended to focus upon the All Attractive One, 

"Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare"

Chanting these names in a humble state of mind is like a highway to liberation from the material energy. These specific names of God are specifically mentioned in the Kali Santarana Upanishad. Additionally, the Vedanta Sutra explains “Om anavrttih sabdhat”, “liberation through sound”. When one is able to reach the Absolute Truth through philosopical deliberation it's of course also perfect.

Enthusiasm and discipline help one to develop God consciousness. By steady practice one reaches full understanding of the eternal, true self. The consciousness becomes crystal clear and you have actual peace as well as lasting happiness. Then you’re no longer disturbed by temporary good and bad, happiness and unhappiness, success and failure.

In the material energy karma and reincarnation are part of the material circumstance as long as the individual living entity has not yet reached the level of self-realization. The individual living being has to come back again and again in a temporary body in the material world. The Bhagavad-gita explains this for example in verse 8.6:

"yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram tam tam evaiti kaunteya sada tad bhava bhavitah"

"Whatever state of existence one remembers at the time when he quits his body, oh son of Kunti, that state he will attain without fail.”

Atheists may believe that everything is just “a coincidence” but that’s a childish fantasy only, this apart from the fact these atheists generally like to control everything in the so-called coincidental world. As long as one chooses to be bound to the material energy by the actions and reactions of work, one continues being subjected to the direction of Maya Shakti, God’s misleading energy, plain & simple.

*The image at the top of the page is from the Radha-Madhava deities of the Sri Chandrodaya Temple in Mayapur Dhama, West Bengal, India.