The 5 levels of ego

Posted by dinesh

Within the body there are five different departments of existence, known as anna-maya, prana-maya, mano-maya, vijnana-maya, and at last ananda-maya. These are enumerated in the Brahmananda-valli of the Taittiriya Upanishad. In the beginning of life, every living entity is food conscious. A child or an animal is satisfied only by getting nice food. This stage of consciousness, in which the goal is to eat sumptuously, is called anna-maya. Anna means 'food.' After this one lives in the consciousness of being alive. If one can continue his life without being attacked or destroyed, one thinks himself happy. This stage is called prana-maya, or consciousness of one's existence. After this stage, when one is situated on the mental platform, that consciousness is called mano-maya. The material civilization is primarily situated in these three stages -- anna-maya, prana-maya and mano-maya. The first concern of civilized persons is economic development, the next concern is defense against being annihilated, and the next consciousness is mental speculation, the philosophical approach to the values of life.

If by the evolutionary process of philosophical life one happens to reach to the platform of intellectual life and understands that he is not this material body, but is a spirit soul, one is situated in the vijnana-maya stage. Then by evolution of spiritual life he comes to understand the Supreme Lord, or the Supreme Soul. When one develops his relationship with Him and executes devotional service, that stage of life is called Krishna consciousness, the ananda-maya stage. Ananda-maya is the blissful life of knowledge and eternity. As long as the living entities are situated in the lower four stages of life -- anna-maya, prana-maya, mano-maya and vijnana-maya -- they are considered to be in the material condition of life, but as soon as one reaches the stage of ananda-maya he becomes a liberated soul.

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Matter comes from spirit - life comes from life not from void

Posted by dinesh

The Mahat Tattva -The Total cosmic material/matter comes from Maha Vishnu in the beginning of creation of this material cosmos. Just as a person comes in contact with a fragrance of the flower without even physical contact, the Supreme Lord impregnates the Mahat by His mere glance and Universes are created. Garbhodakasayi Vishnu enters as the soul of each material universe and maintains it. Ksirodakasayi Vishnu enters into each atom and pervades the Universe. He becomes the smallest in size that He enters even into the smallest individual soul to maintain them.

This is the origin of Universe according to the Vedic scriptures. Not big bang theory which speculates that the hot gases becoming cold after million yearand suddenly all wonderful universes and people are there. These are childish thoughts from so called scientists.

Intelligent people can ask a question like where did the hot gases initially come from? There is no starting point for these bluffers to begin with. We are fooled right from our school days in text books with these speculations.

Best Regards,
Dinesh

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The cycle of sacrifice

Posted by dinesh

The cycle of sacrifice: those who perform activities as per the Vedic rules and regulations will attain heavenly planets, enjoy celestial pleasure for 10,000 celestial years and when the pious credits are finished, they fall down to earth by rain, enter into grain, the food of man, transformed into semen and impregnates the woman to again continue the sacrifice through a new born.

Yours

Dinesh

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Message from Srila Gurumaharaj

Posted by dinesh

My Dear Spiritual Children, Siksa Disciples, well-wishers and other devotees who are helping me and are being helped by me,

Please accept my best wishes and blessings. All glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

I have been wanting to send out a letter to all of you every month, but somehow this has always been delayed. As such, some months have gone by. I will try to catch up.

This year we went on safari to North Bengal, Assam and Tripura. Then we went back to Mayapur for Ram Navami festival after which some devotees observed my Vyasa-Puja. Then I went to the Indian National Meetings, ICC, Advisory Council and Bureau.

From the start of this Gaurabda or our Gaudiya Vaisnava new year, we have been looking ahead at next year's Gaura Purnima Festival 2014 in Sri Mayapur. We are scheduled to have the ILS or ISKCON Leadership Sanga at the beginning of the 2014 festival. We then have the Sankirtan Mela. As usual every five years, there is a Maha Abhiseka of Panchatattva Deities and that is also set for 2014. Thereafter, there is our Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama, but 2014 is special because it would be the 25th year anniversary of the Parikrama. I am thinking of several special additions for the parikrama. One is visiting a new place. Others are surprises! All this culminates at the Gaura Purnima of 2014, after which, for the safari goers, we intend to visit Bangladesh, which is always very ecstatic because the Bangladesh people always receive the devotees with great enthusiasm. To accomplish all this we have to make many preparations and so from the beginning of this Gaurabda we are busy preparing Sri Mayapur for the influx of new devotees.There are some special plans
ahead.

I would like to see all you devotees, but it is not possible for me to travel all of the places I used to. I can only visit some places. We intend to plan that in the future, devotees would be able to see me either in Mayapur, or in the different continents. The preoccupation I now have is how all of you can go back to Godhead in this lifetime. If I can get you all back to Srila Prabhupada, then I am sure you will all reach the spiritual world. Disciples of other gurus, if I can help them to get back to Srila Prabhupada, I am sure you will all reach the spiritual world. There are two factors. One is to maintain spiritual life by chanting, by following regulative principles and by doing sadhana bhakti. The second is to gradually increase and improve our devotional service. It means each devotee has to be very responsible to perform their Krsna Consciousness in a very regulated and progressive way. I hope that you will all be chanting and increasing your devotional service in a responsible way. Those who are grihasthas, should along with their spouses engage in devotional service and see that their children also become Krsna Conscious. Those who are brahmacaris, vanaprasthas or sannyasis should think how they can utilize every thought, every word and every deed in Krsna's service.

I am keeping this short. My best wishes to all of you.

Your well wisher always,
Jayapataka Swami