Krishna Philosophy - A Pure Way of Life

Lord Krishna Playing the Flute.

All initiated devotees of the Hare Krishna movement vow to follow four rules...

No gambling - In Krishna consciousness, you're trying to purify your mind--to make it clear and steady for spiritual realization. But gambling makes the mind cloudy. It agitates the mind.

You start thinking: What are my chances? How much could I walk off with? What could I do with my winnings? Even if you just play for the sake of playing, gambling pulls the mind away from thinking about the real purpose of life.

No Intoxicants - No drugs, no liquor, not even coffee, tea, or cigarettes. The world is already high enough--high on illusion, high on greed, high on false power and false ego. The devotee of Krishna wants to be thoughtful, sober.

Material substances like drugs are useless for spiritual realization. They can bend the mind, but they can't free it. They may take you up, but sooner or later they let you down.

The self within is by nature joyful. So we don't need any material stuff to *make* us happy. We just need to purify ourselves and uncover the happiness that's already there.

No Meat-eating - No meat, no fish, no eggs. Devotees of Krishna avoid needless violence. They see other creatures as spiritual living beings. Though these creatures may be less intelligent than we, they are also God's children, our brothers and sisters. So why should we kill them? If a child were to kill a less intelligent brother, do you think the father would be pleased?

By the subtle laws of karma, the suffering we cause others will come back looking for us.

By nature's arrangement we have plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, milk products, and other innocent food. We should content ourselves with this and be happy.

No illicit Sex - Everything has its place, and that includes sex. When sex takes place within marriage, and for the sake of having children, it's fine. You're accepting the pleasure, and you're accepting the responsibility.

Otherwise, sex brings about entanglement, exploitation, disappointment, and illusion. For spiritual advancement, you want to simplify your life and bring your mind and senses under your control. Being temperate about sex helps you.

Real Patience As Per Ultimate Truth...

Bagavad Gita says that the soul never dies, it is not harmed by water, fire, wind, weapons or any others. It dwells in our hearts and witnesses our good and bad deeds. When it enters the body it is called birth, when it leaves the body it is called death. It floats along to another birth, carrying the thoughts of the good, bad deeds and the sense of divinity. The outcome of our actions results in the next birth. The happiness, sadness, sufferings, sickness, healthy life, wealth, family and children are all part of previous actions. This goes on until one gets frustrated of life and yearns to know the cause of birth. Everyone will reach God, but how soon, depends on an individual.

Our mind is the ultimate source of everything. Even our daily meals are decided by our mind before we start to eat. Salvation only takes place when our mind is prepared for it. Our daily prayers, singing the praises of God, doing charity work, caring for the needy, doing japas (rotating the rosary beads) are a sort of motivation for the mind for spiritual upgrading of the feelings. Though due to past deeds (previous life) we might be punished in different ways but why worry for something that has already happened. It is always wise to think and prepare for the future (next life). Gold does not shine when it is dug out from earth, it needs a lot of washing, polishing to glitter. Then it is melted into moulds to become ornaments. Similarly, through pains and sufferings our mind is prepared to face the worst and it makes us perfect (wise) in other ways. The messengers of God had suffered in many ways in guiding mankind and the hope of achieving the missions were finally accomplished.

Those days, messengers of God sacrificed their families, friends and happiness to guide others into spirituality. Today many people claim themselves as someone and are living a luxurious life. Spirituality is being used to become famous and wealthy. When a true saint-like person stays at one place, you can feel the divine atmosphere. There won’t be any natural disasters and it will rain and shine promptly. But now even with many so called saint-like people, you could still see droughts, floods and starvation. Wearing sacred clothes has become a trend for many. Purification of the heart, soul and mind has been misguided in many ways, so as to maintain the followers and popularity. Due to such selfish acts, racial conflicts have arisen. Instead of becoming tolerant (patience), many have become aggressive. Moreover, many are seen fighting for certain rights in holy attires. When a person gets addicted to his desires, knowingly or unknowingly he commits many sins in satisfying himself. When he suffers for his actions, he blames God.

Sri Krishna's Life Timeline

Birth - Appearance at midnite of Sravana k8 (July 19/20), year 3228 BC to Devaki Taken by Vasudeva from Mathura to Nanda and Yasoda in Gokula Till 3Lived in Gokula Killed Putana, Sakatasura, Trinivarta demons

3 - 6 - Moved to Vrindavana Killed Bakasura, Aghasura, Dhenuka and Balarama killed Pralamba Moved to Nandagrama

7-10 - Brahma steals and returns cowherd boysGovardhana pujaPlayed rasa-lila with the gopisInvited to Mathura for wrestling matchKilled Canura and Balarama killed MustikaKilled Kamsa and Balarama killed his brothers

10-28 - Lived in Mathura Intiated with Balarama into chanting Gayatri by Gargamuni Instructed with Balarama in the sixty four arts by Sandipani Muni Protects Mathura from many demons

29 - 125 - Establishes kingdom in DvarakaMarriage to Rukmini and 7 principal queensMarriage to 16,100 princesses161,080 sons born to KrishnaSpeaks Bhagavad-Gita at Kuruksetra Battle(~90)(3138 BC)Saves King Pariksit in the wombInstructs Uddhava

125 - Disappearance on February 18th 3102 BC

Start of Kali-yuga

The Six Basic Principles of Krishna Consciousness

The six basic principles of Krishna consciousnes are:

1. Since everything comes from something and nothing comes from nothing, there must necessarily be an origin or a source for all that exists.

2. Since so many persons exist within reality the source must possess personality. Otherwise how could it produce personality?

3. That Original Supreme Person is emanating us from Himself for the purpose of enjoying loving relationships with each and every one of us. Therefore the purposeof our existence is to love Him. Only this will satisfy us.

4. Out of His infinite kindness upon that Supreme Person has giving us a system by which we can revive our forgotten love for Him, which is currently lying dormantwithin our hearts. That system is known as bhakti yoga or devotional service.

5. Krishna either personally appears or sends His representative, the spiritual master, to us to teach us how to revive the dormant love of God within our hearts.

6. That process of revival is centered around the chanting of the Holy Names of God: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare and eating the remnants of vegetarian foostuffs that have been offered to Lord Krishna with love and devotion.

THE 108 NAMES OF LORD KRSNA

Lord Krishna - Dancing

1. om sri-krsnaya namah Om! Obeisance to the all-attractive Shri Krishna

2. om kamala-nathaya namah - the Lord of LakSmI, KamalA

3. om vasudevaya namah - the all-pervading Lord

4. om sanatanaya namah - the eternal Lord

5. om vasudevatmajaya namah - the son of Vasudeva

6. om punyaya namah - who is consummate piety

7. om lila-manusa-vigrahaya namah - who enacts pastimes of humanlike form

8. om srivatsa-kaustubha-dharaya namah - bearer of ShrIvatsa and kaustubha

9. om yasoda-vatsalaya namah - the object of YazodA's maternal affections

10. om haraye namah - Hari, who takes away

11. om caturbhujatta-cakrasi-gada-sankhambujayudhaya namah - in whose four hands are the wheel, club, conch, and lotus weapons

12. om devaki-nandanaya namah - delight/son of DevakI

13. om srisaya namah - Lord of ZrI (LakSmI)

14. om nanda-gopa-priyatmajaya namah - dear son of the cowherd Nanda

15. om yamuna-vega-samharine namah - who checked the flow of the YamunA

16. om balabhadra-priyanujaya namah - dear younger brother of Balabhadra

17. om putana-jivita-haraya namah - who tookm the life of PUtanA

18. om sakatasura-bhanjanaya namah - who decimated the cart demon (ZakaTAsura)

19. om nanda-vraja-jananandine namah - delighter of Nanda & the other people of Vraja

20. om sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaya namah - whose body is being, cognizance, and bliss

21. om navanita-viliptangaya namah - whose limbs are smeared with fresh butter

22. om navanita-nataya namah - who dances for butter

23. om anaghaya namah - about whom nothing is impure or repulsive

24. om navanita-navaharaya namah - whose first food was fresh butter

25. om mucukunda-prasadakaya namah - who graced Mucukunda

26. om sodasa-stri-sahasresaya namah - Lord of 16,000 women

27. om tribhangi-madhurakrtaye namah - the sweet, threefold-bending form

28. om suka-vag-amrtabdhindave namah - the moon (produced out of) of the nectar-ocean of Zukadeva GosvAmi's words

29. om govindaya namah - who pleases His cows, land & senses

30. om yoginam pataye namah - Lord of the yogIs

31. om vatsa-palana-sancarine namah - who goes about caring for calves

32. om anantaya namah - the unlimited

33. om dhenukasura-mardanaya namah - who beat up the ass-demon DhenukAsura

34. om trni-krta-trnavartaya namah - who made short work of the whirlwind TRNAvarta

35. om yamalarjuna-bhajanaya namah - who broke the two Arjuna trees

36. om uttala-tala-bhetre namah - who broke all the big, tAla trees (killing Dhenuka)

37. om tamala-syamalakrtaye namah - who is blackish like a TamAla tree

38. om gopa-gopisvaraya namah - Lord of the gopas and gopIs

39. om yogine namah - the YogI

40. om koti-surya-sama-prabhaya namah - bright as millions of suns

41. om ilapataye namah - Lord of IlA, the earth

42. om parasmai jyotise namah - the Supreme light

43. om yadavendraya namah - king of the Yadu clan

44. om yadu-dvahaya namah - the preeminent leader of the Yadus

45. om vanamaline namah - wearing a garland of forest flowers

46. om pita-vasase namah - wearing yellow garments

47. om parijatapaharakaya namah - who stole the parijAta flower

48. om govardhanacaloddhartre namah - who held up the Govardhana mountain

49. om gopalaya namah - protector of cows, GopAla

50. om sarva-palakaya namah - protector of everything

51. om ajaya namah - birthless

52. om niranjanaya namah - the unblemished Lord

53. om kama-janakaya namah - who incites the gopIs desires

54. om kanja-locanaya namah - lotus-eyed

55. om madhughne namah - slayer of the demon Madhu

56. om mathura-nathaya namah - Lord of MathurA

57. om dvaraka-nayakaya namah - the hero of DvArakA

58. om baline namah - the strong Lord

59. om vrndavananta-sancarine namah - who loiters about the outskirts of VRndAvana

60. om tulasi-dama-bhusanaya namah - who wears a TulasI garland

61. om syamantaka-maner hartre namah - who appropriated the SyAmantaka jewel

62. om nara-narayanatmakaya namah - the selfsame Nara-nArAyaNa

63. om kubjakrstambara-dharaya namah - who bears the sandal paste taken from KubjA

64. om mayine namah - magician, master of MAyA

65. om parama-purusaya namah - Supreme person

66. om mustikasura-canura-malla-yuddha-visaradaya namah - who expertly fought the wrestlers MuSTika & CANUra

67. om samsara-vairine namah - enemy of material existence

68. om kamsaraye namah - KaMsa's enemy

69. om muraraye namah - Mura's enemy

70. om narakantakaya namah - who dispensed the demon Naraka

71. om anadi-brahmacarine namah - the eternal brahmacArI

72. om krsnavyasana-karsakaya namah - KRSNa, who draws one away from attachment to vice

73. om sisupala-siras-chetre namah - who split the nhead of ZizupAla

74. om duryodhana-kulantakaya namah - who ended the dynasty of Duryodhana

75. om vidurakrura-varadaya namah - who benedicted Vidura & AkrUra

76. om visvarupa-pradarsakaya namah - who displayed the universal form

77. om satya-vace namah - who speaks the truth

78. om satya-sankalpaya namah - whose determination is fact

79. om satyabhama-rataya namah - who is predisposed toward SatyabhAmA

80. om jayine namah - the conqueror

81. om subhadra-purvajaya namah - who appeared before SubhadrA

82. om visnave namah - Lord ViSNu

83. om bhisma-mukti-pradayakaya namah - who gave liberation to BhISma

84. om jagad-gurave namah - preceptor of the worlds

85. om jagannathaya namah - Lord of the universe

86. om venu-nada-saradaya namah - expert in playing His flute

87. om vrsabhasura-vidhvamsine namah - who destroyed the demon VRSabhAsura

88. om banasura-karantakaya namah - who vanquished BANAsura's arms

89. om yudhisthira-pratisthatre namah - who installed King YudhiSThira

90. om barhi-varhavatamsakaya namah - whose crest is decorated with peacock feathers

91. om parthasarathaye namah - charioteer of PArtha (Arjuna)

92. om avyaktaya namah - the Unmanifest

93. om gitamrta-mahodadhaye namah - great nectar-ocean of gItA

94. om kaliya-phani-manikya-ranjita-sri-padambujaya namah - whose beautiful lotus feet danced on the jeweled hoods of the KAliya serpent.

95. om damodaraya namah - bound up at the waist

96. om yajna-bhoktre namah - the enjoyer of (everyone else's) sacrifices

97. om danavendra-vinasakaya namah - destroyer of the leading demons

98. om narayanaya namah - Lord NArAyaNa, ViSNu

99. om para-brahmane namah - the Supreme absolute Truth

100. om pannagasana-vahanaya namah - whose mount (GaruDa) devours snakes

101. om jala-kridasamasakta-gopi-vastrapaharakaya namah - who stole the gopIs clothing while they played in the water

102. om punya-slokaya namah - whose poetic depictions are virtuous

103. om tirtha-karaya namah - creator of holy places

104. om veda-vedyaya namah - the Vedas, and what is known by them

105. om daya-nidhaye namah - repository of compassion

106. om sarva-bhutatmakaya namah - the self of all created beings

107. om sarva-graha-rupine namah - the form of everyone's fate

108. om parat-paraya namah - transcendental even to the transcendental