Pariprashnena — Q&A Archive

lol that i must say has to be my favorite question yet...

personally, if i die now i doubt i will go to Krishna, still have alot of karma and desires to get rid of...

BUT, one day, one day... i will meet my sweet beloved lord again... its were we all belong

silly question, of course I ... hmmmm

yes. btg. eternal abode, Goloka Vrndavana

eventually

> How to know if a devotee went back to Godhead or not? What are the
> criteria? Chanting the holy names, departing in the dhama, being
> surrounded by devotees, being 100% or 75% pure, having given
> everything to Guru and Gauranga?

The criteria are varied. The general ones are:

SAT SANGA DEVARCANA-SAT KATHASU
PAROPADESE BHIRATO MANUSYAH
SA YATI VISNOH PARAMAM PADAM TAT
DEHA AVASANECYUTA TULYA TEJAH

(HARI BHAKTI VILASA 10/482 from BRHAN NARADIYA PURANA)

Those people who enjoy the association of Vaisnavas, who worship the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who listen and speak the
transcendental glories of the Lord, who engage themselves in listening
and hearing to the transcendental glories of the Lord, after giving up
the present body, they achieve the same bright transcendental body as
the Supreme Personality of Godhead and attain His eternal abode.

Among the minimal ones, applicable even for nondevotees, are
(Haribhaktivilasa lists many more):

Garuda Purana 2.38.9 "Undoubtedly one attains salvation if one dies
near a Salagrama stone which is powerful for annihilating all sins and
defects."

VILAYAM YANTI PAPANI PITE PADODAKE HAREH
KIM PUNAR VISNU PADODAM SALAGRAMA SILACYUTAM
VISESENA HARET PAPAM BRAHMA HATYADIKAM PRIYE
PITE PADODAKE VISNOR YADI PRANAIR VIMUCYATE
HATVA YAMA BHATAN SARVAN VAISVAVAM LOKAM APNUYAT

(HARI BHAKTI VILASA 9/68,69 from SKANDA PURANA conversation between
Siva and Uma)

Whoever drinks the water emanated from the Deity of Lord Sri Hari, all
of his sins are removed. I say, oh dear wife, what more can I say
about the water emanated from the bathing of Salagram Sila which
actually cuts the sin acquired by killing a brahmana. Anybody who
quits his body while drinking the water which has emanated from the
lotus feet of Lord Hari, the messengers of Yamaraja run away from him
and he attains the abode of Lord Sri Visnu.

PRADAKSINAM YE KURVANTI BHAKTI YUKTENA CETASA
NA TE YAMAPURAM YANTI YANTI PUNYA KRTAM GATIM

(HARI BHAKTI VILASA 8/395 from VARAHA PURANA)

Those people who circumambulate Lord Hari with devotion, they do not
go to the abode of Yamaraja. They achieve the destination which is
achieved by devotees of the Supreme Lord.

SARANAGATA RAKSANODYATAM HARIM ISAM PRANAMANTI YENARAH
NA PATANTI BHAVAMBUDHAU SPHUTAM PATITANUDDHARATI SMA TANASAU

(HARI BHAKTI VILASA 8/382 from BRAHMA-VAIVARTA PURANA)

Those people who pay obeisances to the Supreme Lord Hari, Who protects
those who come and take shelter at His lotus feet, they do not fall
into the material ocean again. Even if there is some chance to fall,
Lord Sri Hari liberates them again.

BALYE SAMKRIDA MANA YE PANSUBHIR BHAVANAM HAREH
VASUDEVASYA KURVANTI TEPI TALLOKA GAMINAH

(HARI BHAKTI VILASA 20/22 from VISNU RAHASYA)

The children who in their childhood play make a temple out of sand for
the pleasure of Lord Hari also attain the abode of Lord Hari.

Imho, the most wonderful one:

YATINAM VISNU BHAKTANAM PARICARYA PARAYANAIH
IKSITA API GACCHANTI PAPINOPI PARAM GATIM

(HARI BHAKTI VILASA 10/147 from BRHAN NARADIYA PURANA spoken by the
Visnudutas)

One who serves a sannyasi and a devotee of the Supreme Lord Hari, if
such a devotee sees someone else, even if that person (the one he
sees) is sinful, he achieves the supreme abode, Vaikuntha.

So are you saved? 8)

hi. im new here great to have a place to chat though.

Veda,, you said/quoted

"Those people who enjoy the association of Vaisnavas, who worship the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who listen and speak the
transcendental glories of the Lord, who engage themselves in listening
and hearing to the transcendental glories of the Lord, after giving up
the present body, they achieve the same bright transcendental body as
the Supreme Personality of Godhead and attain His eternal abode."

Sure, but what makes one a Vaisnava? does it have anything to do with tilak? I dont think so. You have to see the symptoms by which one operates.

As for the rest of your quotes, they all tend to grey the area for me.

I find it easier to understand and get a perspective of where im at with something like this.

"Of coarse, ones thoughts during the coarse of ones life accumulate to influence ones thoughts at the moment of death, so this life creates ones next life.
If in ones present life one lives in the mode of goodness and always thinks of Krishna, it is possible for one to remember Krishna at the end of ones life.
That will help one be transferred to the transcendental nature of Krishna." (BG. 9.32, purport)

So, what mode of nature am i operating in? What are my motives?

To answer this we need to honestly analyze our thoughts, words and deeds, bit by bit, weed the garden of the subconscious mind.

We need to know our self, the good bits and the bad bits. and get rid of the bad bits so then we can here super soul.

So, do i think i will go back to godhead?

Not without a LOT of work on myself.

Hope this makes sense, Hare Krishna

BG1418, the verse re-quoted by you gives some characteristics of a Vaishnava. More chars are here:

http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/bhaktiyoga/vaisnavism.htm#7

Tilak is only an external sign but one who wears it shouldnt behave like an avaishnava.

Your BG quote is not against HBV quotes. It is about sadhana siddhi while HBV are more about kripa siddhi.

I have been in a few India holy places of those that award liberation.
I wouldnt sit full of faith waiting for it to come, though.

Veda,
Sorry Im kinda new to this, can you please explain the difference between sadhana siddhi and kripa siddhi?

You said,
"Tilak is only an external sign but one who wears it shouldnt behave like an avaishnava."

But since pure devotional service is very rarely achieved, more often than not it is just an external show, not an external sign.

By the way you havent answered the question. Do you think you will go back to Godhead?

Mishra,

especially if you had to hold your breath.

Thanks, Steve

Sadhana siddhi is a perfection achieved by sadhana, spiritual cultivation. Kripa means mercy. SP gave a comparison of a PhD achieved by study and a PhD honoris causa.

No, tilak is not reserved only for pure devotees (there are also various levels of them) but for anyone who affiliates himself with a particular lineage. There are Vaishnava, Shaiva and Shakta tilakas.

Since I trust the sastra, from the above quotes Im convinced I will.

And there is also a specific promise from Prabhupada to take home everyone who helps him with books.

Sorry, are they the quotes above where you are relying on mercy?

I werent trying to say that tilak is reserved for pure devotees. I was trying to say that now days, tilak is more show than go. (Usually)

You said,
(And there is also a specific promise from Prabhupada to take home everyone who helps him with books.)

I wouldnt rely on this without doing the WORK of shedding illusions.

What "mode" are we operating in? Is it love? Or is it ????? Could be so many things. Is it love sometimes, or is it love 24/7?

I think this is what i am trying to say, when we serve Krishna, what is our motive? Is it pure?

At the end of the day it doesnt matter what Prabhupada said, if our motives are not above the mode of goodness. Pure goodness.

One will be recycled, on and on and on and...

There is no other way. Sadhana Bakti 24/7 will bring us to Kripa.

Or, you cant reach Krishna without his mercy, but work for it, pray for it, earn it.

Thanks

Steve

Im sure that all jivas will go back to godhead (at least during the pralaya). In what state... thats the question... We want to go back to Supreme Personality of Godhead, not just your five kinds of liberation. Will I go to Him? May I ask why do _you_ need to know? :-)

Honestly we should hope, but never take it for granted.

> Sorry, are they the quotes above where you are relying on mercy?

They are just a sample.

> I was trying to say that now days, tilak is more show than go. (Usually)

I wouldnt dare to say that.

> I wouldnt rely on this without doing the WORK of shedding illusions.

Your choice. Trust in gurus words is not automatic.

> Sadhana Bakti 24/7 will bring us to Kripa.

The above verses speak about ahaituki (causeless) kripa, not one caused by sadhana. They are two different things.

Goodluck

A devotee is not interested whether he is going to hell or heaven.
Everything is, for him... He knows hell is also kingdom of God and heaven is
also kingdom of God. A devotees kingdom of God means where he gets the
chance of serving the Lord. That is wanted.

Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.2.14 '97 Vrndavana, September 17, 1975

Thanks all for the quotes but do YOU think you are going back to godhead or not?

Im going I think (meaning Im on my way), but I can only hope I will get there. Its not - going going gone.. its a very serious procedure of soul transfer from one reality to a completely different one. I hope to have a next birth in a situation close to Godhead, I do not think I will go back to Godhead in this lifetime, that would make me too lucky.

Srila Prabhupadas 1936 Vyasa-puja offering is a good model for us to emulate in response to this question:

"Personally, I have no hope for any direct service of the coming crores of births in the sojourn of my life, but I am confident that some day or other I shall be delivered from this mire of delusion in which I am at present so deeply sunk. Therefore let me with all my earnestness pray at the lotus feet of my divine master to allow me to suffer the lot for which I am destined due to my past misdoings, but to let me have this power of recollection: that I am nothing but a tiny servant of the Almighty Absolute Godhead, realized through the unflinching mercy of my divine master. Let me therefore bow down at his lotus feet with all the humility at my command."

deena... this is one of my favorite proclamations given by His Divine Grace... and so for this soul going Back Home, Back to Godhead, i figure i will need to learn to serve Srila Prabhupada properly before that ever happens... and that could be lifetimes... truly. Yet, i "hope against hope" and have (even in my current condition) faith that we are all on our way Home. Hare Krsna !!!

thanks deena, perfect and wonderful quote!