It's important in a community to have sharing of one's realizations called guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati (NOI, verse 4). What's bugging you these days? What's working for you? What are you feeling being a human, in the world today, well, eternal souls walking around the Earth, planet. What are you seeing, feeling, hearing? (excerpt from the realization session) Krsna Jinka Nāma hai 3:23 Vijñāpti Pañchaka 11:30 Mangalacarana Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta 15:19 Śrī Īśopaniṣad 23:00 Khoda Nitai Song 28:27 reflections and realizations starting @ 45:48 ----------------------------------------------------------- To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

I also offer my respects to the great teacher, Caitanya, who, 500 years ago, as a barefoot monk, traveled throughout India and introduced the process of bhakti yoga, going door to door and teaching people that it doesn't matter where you live, it doesn't matter what style you have, you don't have to change any of that. His point was to change the vibration in your life. And just as you may notice, if you have ever been to a movie—have you ever been to a movie? There's a few times, a long time ago. They have a soundscape. You can tell what the mood of the movie is by hearing the sound. I also found out, in research I'm doing for another book I'm writing, that so-called silent movies weren't silent. They were always accompanied either by a live pianist or organist, because we need sound to give us context. And there's a soundscape in our lives, and there's a saying that I like. If you don't like what you're being subjected to, anybody in any part of your life. Do you not like what you're being subjected to? Just say, yes, go along. Then change the subject. That's our free will to change the subject. And one of the ways that the great yogis have taught to change the subject is to change the sound vibration. Upgrade the sound, upgrade your life, because it upgrades your consciousness. (excerpt from the talk) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ (USA only) https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that when you're chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, you should beg for this medicine and beg for the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. And so there's a goal to our sādhana. That's sādhya. And the practice to reach the sādhya, or the goal, is sādhana. And so one has to have some clear idea what one's begging for. It's like Rajendrananda Prabhu said, he's begging for some service, some shelter. And so if we have this mood that we know what we want, we want some service, and we're begging for it, then our chanting becomes much more meaningful and it becomes more potent by adopting this mood. (excerpt from the talk) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

When we come into a temple room, we ring the bell, we offer obeisances. We don't walk in with shoes and so forth. And we do that because we're presenting ourselves. Darśan, as Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura emphasized, is not us going to see the Lord. In fact, oftentimes he would stand near the back of the temple at the Garuḍa Stambha, saying that Kṛṣṇa will look out and recognize His devotee, Garuḍa. If he's standing underneath him, then Kṛṣṇa may also see him. He also oftentimes didn't wear his glasses when he would come to see the Deities because he would say, 'I'm not coming to use these eyes to enjoy looking at the Lord, but I'm here so the Lord can see me.' And coming into the Dhāma in a similar mood. We're here for service. It's not for room service or receiving room service, but it's for being in the mood of how I can increase my affinity for devotional service. That is a kind of service where I can purify my heart of any extra things that have come along for the ride. Somehow or other, things just tend to jump on and go for a free ride until we come to the Dhāma and realize, 'Hey, get off of me. I didn't ask you to come along.' And Kṛṣṇa recognizes these attempts that we make to purify ourselves so that we can offer our hearts to Him. (excerpt from the talk) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

As far as I can remember, I had questions that my parents couldn't answer. One of the main ones was, why do you have to die, and what's life for if you have to die anyway? And when I got into my teens and into high school, I had a sense of existential angst. I really wanted to know more, so I started studying literatures that seemed to me to be spiritual, anything I could find from the library, from bookstores, from wherever. And I was eclectic at that point because I didn't have a clear direction. Then one day, a friend of mine from high school; I was in junior high school at the time—my friend Richie Corsa, had been walking on the street in Berkeley, California, near the UC Berkeley campus, and a devotee had sold him a magazine called Back to Godhead. And Richie wasn't interested in it, but he knew I would be, because anything spiritual, that was for me. So he brought it over to my house and gave me the magazine. When I read that, it clarified everything. It brought together everything I was reading that had some contradiction. It seemed to me there were lots of contradictions that weren't clear and didn't feel complete, suddenly, as when you hear an orchestra warming up and there's a cacophony of sounds, and then suddenly there's a clear note—it felt like that for me. I realized when I looked at the Back to Godhead magazine, there was a culture, there was an organization, a society, and there were young people like me, and they were happily engaged in service. I just thought, I want to do that. That's what I want to be. So, when I read in that magazine that there were books to be had, I researched it. Actually, my mother did, and she found a bookstore in Berkeley. We lived near Berkeley, called Shambhala Books, so she drove me over there, and I went in and told them I wanted anything by the author A.C. Bhaktivedānta Swāmi. They had the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. They had Śrī Īśopaniṣad and On the Way to Kṛṣṇa. Paperback Bhagavad-gītā was a big version. It was very large, but it was paperback. Then the Śrī Īśopaniṣad was hardback. And there was another paperback, On the Way to Kṛṣṇa. So I read all those, and that's when I first felt that I met Prabhupāda, because everything he said—I had read the Bhagavad-gītā and was reading it repeatedly—was just the translations. But when I heard his voice through his purports, I was so impressed. I thought, now I'm being guided properly. Many of the verses that I had misinterpreted in my head, I then saw that, oh, there's more to this. I had become a vegetarian on my own when I was younger because I suddenly thought that there was barbarism occurring in my own house. I had protested earlier, but I couldn't quite defeat my mother in argument. But then finally, when I was an adolescent, no más, that's it. And then when Prabhupāda talked about non-violence and how you can't kill animals and also be spiritual, I thought, okay, everything's here. (excerpt from the talk) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ (USA only) https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark

I'll read the list again of elements that affect determination. 1.Modes of nature we talked about, so try to cultivate sattva in body, mind, environment, and association. 2.Next is sambandha-jñāna. I need a daily reminder of why I'm chanting. Where are we now, in the land of birth, death, old age, and disease? Where are we going? To the param dhāma. 3. And then there's nāma-tattva. If I forget, or I don't remind myself, what is Kṛṣṇa's name that's non-different from Kṛṣṇa? He's the source of everything. I may become distracted. 4. Another is scheduling. If I don't have a specific schedule for finishing my rounds, I may not finish. 5.And the last one I have listed here is remembering the benefits of finishing the vow. One of them is spiritual strength. How valuable is that, to have this yogabalena, otherwise you get pushed around by your senses. 6. And the other is spiritual integrity. When you have integrity spiritually, that you've completed your vow and you know you're good for it, you carry yourself in a different way, interact with other people in a different way. Otherwise, there's a sense of guilt and feeling unworthy and so forth. So just considering this point, varying states of determination to chant great rounds and how we can adjust it so that in our lifestyle, we're able to keep the vow every day. (excerpt from the talk) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

Maraṇam before smaraṇam. In other words, before one is able to comprehend or think of the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa at Rādhā-kuṇḍa, one must begin with the simplest of processes. For instance, what is the instruction of the śāstra: 'ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ.' Yoga doesn't begin with coming to Rādhā-kuṇḍa and trying to remember Kṛṣṇa and staying here, but it begins with 'jihvādau', ādau means beginning, and jihvā means the tongue. One has to start with the tongue. What about our Gaudiya teachers? That's from the Padma Purana. How do they apply this? We came to the last three verses about Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kuṇḍa and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the loving affair she has with Kṛṣṇa here. But where did we start when we recite the Upadeśāmṛta ? The first two words 'vaco vegam' means 'mind your speech'. It's the gateway sense, says the Srimad Bhāgavatam, that you can understand that if you're able to control your tongue then all the other senses are controlled. But if you cannot control your tongue, then you can understand that none of your senses are controlled. Therefore, Rūpa Goswami emphasized 'pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt' if you're able to control your tongue and control your other urges, the urges of the other senses, then you become free from the real masters in this world.Who are the masters of this world ? ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

The root cause of misery is the material body, and a direct process of devotional service, especially chanting japa, has a way of bringing us to the plane of transcendence, and that means also being able to see clearly who we are. 'Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam (SB 1.2.7).' Sūta Gosvāmī said there's a natural way in which we achieve knowledge when we do devotional service. And real knowledge means 'kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata kṣetra-kṣetra jñayor jñānaṁ yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama.' (BG 13.3) Kṛṣṇa says, "My opinion is if you can see the difference between yourself and the field that you're occupying now, that's knowledge." So in summation, the chanting of Japa is the primary means by which we can overcome all of the anxieties of life that are caused by identifying with the body and the mind. What's more, we can experience a connection with Kṛṣṇa through chanting his name, because there's no difference between Kṛṣṇa and his name, and therefore I've come to say to myself, and I'm sure I've uttered it out loud a few other times, that if all else fails, and it will, especially printers and internet connections and so forth, then chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. So my mantra is, if all else fails, and it will, Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. What do you think of my mantra? And we can commiserate with others about how many things fail in this world: relationships fail, governments fail bank accounts, everything, whatever it is, sooner or later, will fail us, but Kṛṣṇa never fails us. So it's nice to be in a practice where there's no fault, no one can find fault with it, and what's more, that it's an infallible process. (excerpt from the talk) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas ultimately bring the point that the soul is an agent. In fact, the āśrute in the Vedānta-sūtra says that if he's not an agent, if the soul, if we aren't agents for our own improvement and change, then there's no purpose to all the śāstra, because, after all, who’s it talking to when it says you can improve if you do this, this, and that? There are all these instructions saying, 'Do this, not that.' And who does that relate to? Who is it speaking to then? And unless you can improve, then the śāstra has no meaning, and the śāstra does have meaning. It's axiomatic truth; it's self-effulgent, therefore you can change. So we may be confronted with destiny or apparent fate, but it doesn't mean that even in that moment, there isn't something we can do about it because we can always respond in that moment to the degree that we have some freedom. Freedom comes from having some knowledge—the difference between my body and myself—and that there is a proper way to act. Some people don't have that at all, so they’re in abject ignorance. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, 'māyā-mugdha jīvera nāhi svataḥ kṛṣṇa-jñāna' (CC Adi 20.122), that people don't automatically come out of ignorance; therefore, there has to be some intervention. That's why he goes on to say, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that that's why we distribute knowledge. Why do you think we distribute Bhagavad Gītā in large quantities just for entertainment, because we have nothing better to do in the last three months of the year? No, because when a soul comes in contact with spiritual knowledge, he or she can read it and then say, 'Aha, now I can do something different.' (excerpt from the talk) Link to the entire talk: https://youtu.be/fXRVOF0RDzQ ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

"Kurvan nirantaraṁ karma loko 'yam anuvartate tenaiva karmaṇā dhyāyan māṁ parāṁ bhaktim icchati" (Brahma Saṁhitā 5.61), which means that "Kurvan nirantaraṁ karma," everybody's got to work. Sorry if I wrecked your day. Every living entity has to work. Kṛṣṇa says that in the Bhagavad Gita also: "Na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api jātu tiṣṭhaty akarma-kṛt kāryate hy avaśaḥ karma sarvaḥ prakṛti-jair guṇaiḥ" (BG 3.5).He said, not even for a moment can you stop working? Not even for a second. You got to go. Everyone's got to move, move along. And so, "Kurvan nirantaram karma," everyone has to perpetually move. Nirantaram karma, perpetually in motion to do something, you can't stop doing something. "Kurvan nirantara karma loko 'yam anuvartate," this applies to everybody in the world. "Tenaiva karmaṇā dhyāyan māṁ parāṁ bhaktim icchati," therefore he says, do your work for me, whatever you're doing, dedicate to me. Kṛṣṇa says it in the Bhagavad Gita also: "Yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam.". Whatever you do, offer it to me; whatever you're eating, offer that to me. That's bhakti. That's what the teaching of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is: don't quit your day job or your night job. You don't have to change your clothes or your hairstyle, nothing like that. Just change the way you work and your attitude towards it; it's a sacrament. You're offering it to God. "Kurvan nirantaraṁ karma loko 'yam anuvartate tenaiva karmaṇā dhyāyan," your meditation should be, "māṁ parāṁ bhaktim icchati," that I'm doing this for God. That's my contemplation. I'm doing everything for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (excerpt from the talk) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/ https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/ https://thefourquestionsbook.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark ------------------------------------------------------------ #vaisesikaprabhu #vaisesikadasa #vaisesikaprabhulectures #spirituality #bhaktiyoga #krishna #spiritualpurposeoflife #krishnaspirituality #spiritualusachannel #whybhaktiisimportant #whyspiritualityisimportant #vaisesika #spiritualconnection #thepowerofspiritualstudy #selfrealization #spirituallectures #spiritualstudy #spiritualexperience #spiritualpurposeoflife #spiritualquestions #spiritualquestionsanswered #trendingspiritualtopics #fanthespark #spiritualpowerofmeditation #spiritualgrowthlessons #secretsofspirituality #spiritualteachersonyoutube #spiritualhabits #spiritualclarity #bhagavadgita #srimadbhagavatam #spiritualbeings #kttvg #keepthetranscendentalvibrationgoing #spiritualpurpose

And today, I just want to mention a principle that's very helpful in staying in the moment and continuing chanting despite the phenomena that the mind will drag us in various ways, as Kṛṣṇa mentions in the Bhagavad Gitā. So, that's a principle called applied procrastination. Procrastination—everybody knows how to procrastinate because all you do is just put things off until the next time. And the same principle can be applied in staying fixed in Japa. When the mind comes with some other idea besides chanting, like, could you name three things the mind might suggest to say, "Rather than doing this, let's go do that"? Sleep. Sleep. Now, it's a "sleep now" movement, so there could be sleep. That's definitely one of the ones that's like, "I'm tired. I want to go sleep." That can also be overcome by going to bed earlier. It is important to manage sleep in order to have good Japa. What's another one? You want to go talk prajalpa instead. Somebody's out on the balcony talking about some juicy gossip, and you don't want to miss it. What's the third one? Planning. Yeah, there might be some plans you have to make, something like that, and it could be a correspondence that you forgot. And then it comes into your mind that, "Oh, if I don't do it now, this person's going to hate me, and I can't tolerate it," so I give up chanting, and I go away. So, that's four, but there could be 1,000 that we could name possibly. So, the principle of applied procrastination was showed to us by Haridāsa Thākura, or the Nāmācharya. When a prostitute came, he didn't say never. He just said later. And the word "later" is really helpful because there's always some later. And instead of saying no, and whatever you resist persists, you just say, "Sure, no problem, but not right now. I'll just wait till later on," and just put it off so that can be really helpful. That works for many different kinds of discipline. Like if you don't want to eat too much, and the mind says to eat, you just say, "Well, you know, there's going to be another meal later. I'll make up for it next time, and I'll eat less. I'll eat half as much this time, and next time I'll eat twice as much." But later never comes. You just keep putting it off. It's the same with taxes. You're supposed to defer taxes till later, when you're in a lower tax bracket. And also, there's a saying that "justice delayed is justice denied." So, it's a tactic in the legal circles. It's like, "Okay, not right now, we'll just deal with it later," and you keep putting obstacles so it's further away. And then there's another principle that helps, which is something they teach in accounting, which is especially for accounts receivable. It's called the law of diminishing intent because the longer you wait to collect on a bill, the less people are willing to pay it because the time factor makes their will less strong. So, just delay and staying in the process of chanting. (excerpt from the talk) Other highlights : Do Your Own Japa Retreat - focusing on personal daily chanting practice Applied Procrastination in Japa - using procrastination to stay focused on chanting Just For Now - emphasizing present-moment awareness during chanting Publish or Perish in Spiritual Life - stressing daily spiritual effort Fear the Fade - addressing the importance of continual improvement in chanting ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/ Join us live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FanTheSpark/ Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sound-bhakti/id1132423868 For the latest videos, subscribe https://www.youtube.com/@FanTheSpark For the latest in SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fan-the-spark