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Answer: Essentially there is no difference in the message of Krishna and the message of Jesus. Like father, like son. The very essence of Jesus' teachings is bhakti, or pure devotion to the Supreme Being. Jesus was preaching perfectly, and his universal message is nondifferent from the teachings of Krishna. Examples are as follows: Message of Jesus :- Man has to change his heart, give up sense gratification and turn to God with complete determination--"Thou shalt love The Lord Thy God with all Thy heart, with all Thy soul, and with all Thy might." Bhagavad-gita "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 because you are My very dear friend" (Bhagavad-gita 18.65). "To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me" (Bhagavad-gita 10.10). "To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their h...

By Giriraj Swami As long as we are in this world, we must suffer–pain caused by others, pain caused by our own bodies and minds, pain caused by acts of nature. And unless we can tolerate, we cannot live in this world. But how much can a person tolerate? Should we not, on occasion, resist? Why, then, should we tolerate? And if we must, what will enable us to endure the difficulty without being disturbed. Srila Prabhupada told the story of a young boy who tolerated more than I can imagine, giving some idea of why he did not resist and how he was able to abide without being disturbed: “Prahlada Maharaja–his father was putting him in so many dangerous conditions, even giving him poison. He knew that ‘My father has given me poison to drink. All right, let me drink. If Krsna likes, He will save me. Father is giving poison. Who can check?’ And his father was such a big, powerful demon–Hiranyakasipu. Prahlada’s mother cried, requested, but his father forced her: ‘Give your son this poison.’ Sh...

One way we can come to understand or verify the existence of God is simply by studying the meticulous organization of this universe and all the things happening around us. There is such precise design, order and control in the way everything in nature functions, from the gigantic planetary movements down to the intricate workings of a cell. Is it not illogical to propose that this vast universe is conducted so meticulously just by chance and for no purpose? From our practical experience, we know that without much laborious planning, organization and maintenance, everything quickly degrades to chaos. So who has planned, organized and is maintaining the universe? Consider how is it that the sun rises every morning without fail or why there isn't a tsunami or earthquake every week, consider who has supplied all our necessities like fresh water, air and food? Scientists would try to explain that away as natural laws which have come by blind chance, but law means there must be a law-mak...

It is written in purport of Bhagavad Gita (14.16) that one should not kill any living entity. But, microorganisms (bacteria, virus) are always killed by us and plants are also living entities. While one accepts that one should not kill animals for eating, but what about plants and bacteria and vermins? Does that incur sin? Yes, killing any living entity knowingly, or even unknowingly, incurs sinful reactions. The Supreme Lord is the supreme Father of all beings and every living entity has the right to live in this world, just as we humans do. We do not have the right, because of being in a superior life form, to needlessly take the life of or even cause pain to any other living entity; rather as human beings we are expected to show compassion to these innocent creatures. In fact, Srimad Bhagavatam describes that it is the duty of a grihastha (householder) to protect and maintain even the insects, lizards and other lower life forms as if they were one's own children, what to speak o...

Dharma is sometimes translated as religion,but that is not exactly its meaning. Dharma actually means that which one cannot give up, which is inseparable from oneself. There is nitya-dharma and anitya-dharma, eternaldharma and temporary dharma. Every living or noliving object around us , has its eternal nature or dharma. That nitya-dharma cannot be separated from the an object. Srila Prabhupada gives an example: the warmth of fire is inseparable from fire. Therefore,warmth is the nitya or eternal dharma of fire. Another example is water. Liquidity is the eternal dharma of water. Sometimes if there is freezing cold then water turns into a block of frozen ice. But that is not its eternal dharma. The eternal dharma of water is liquidity. When the temperature rises again, it melts. The ice is temporary, anitya-dharma. The body has its dharma, the mind has its dharma, and the soul has its dharma. Sense gratification is the dharma of the material body. The dharma of the mind is sankalpa and ...

The first step in overcoming this material conditioning is of course to recognize the bad habits themselves. This recognition should be accompanied by sincere regret followed by firm resolve to give up the habit. But often we find that despite being aware and regretful for their habits, many people are unable to avoid their sinful tendencies, because of the lack of proper effort. It takes great commitment sustained over time to accomplish the result. Srila Rupa Gosvami gives us the formula for accomplishing it:(Nectar of Instruction verse 3) utsahan niscayad dhairyat tat-tat-karma-pravartanat sanga-tyagat sato vritteh shadbhir bhaktih prasidhyati i.e.Enthusiasm, determination, patience, following regulative principles under the guidance of saintly authorities, and avoiding bad association. The particular methods for addressing specific bad habits may vary, but these are the fundamental principles and I would like to particularly highlight two key factors that support all the ...

One may ask a question-I have always been a pious man, given in charity and donated to the temple. Then why am I made to suffer? Why do bad things happen to good people?Why do innocents suffer in accidents or natural calamities? Vedic scriptures give a very consistent explanation understanding which, having properly understood, one is not bewildered and shaken in their faith in God in the face of a tragedy. The laws of karma are very intricate. Both scripturally and logically, however, we can conclude that every reaction hints at past actions. In Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says to Arjuna, BG 4.17 : gahana karmano gatih. The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is. While the living entity is indeed dependent on God for both happiness and distress, God is not responsible for either; Human being is responsible for it. Karma can be individual, or it can be collective, i.e. reactions...