In this little jewel of a book, based on the Bhagavad-gita, Srila Prabhupada explains that the king of knowledge is knowledge of God, his creation, and ourselves -- and the relationships between these. He explains that the way to attain this knowledge is through bhakti-yoga, devotional service to the Lord, beginning with the chanting of the maha-mantra, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
The King of Knowledge We may be proud of our academic education, but if asked what we are, we are not able to say. Everyone is under the conception that this body is the self, but we learn from Vedic sources that this is not so. Only after realizing that we are not these bodies can we enter into real knowledge and understand what we actually are. “This knowledge is the king of all education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting and it is joyfully performed.” —Bhagavad-gita 9.2
Srila Prabhupada declares, "We don't say that this scientific knowledge is useless. Mechanics, electronics – this is also knowledge. But the central point is atma-jnana – self-knowledge, knowledge of the soul." In these thirty-one essays, talks, and informal conversations, Srila Prabhupada reveals the central point of essential self-knowledge – a knowledge that makes all other knowledge and activities pale in comparison. Brighten your life with the light of self-knowledge and gain a world perspective usually reserved for ascetics and saints.
The word dharma, originally from the Sanskrit, refers to the inherent, unchanging nature of something – sugar’s dharma is to be sweet, water’s dharma is to be wet, and fire’s dharma is to emit heat and light. Dharma also refers to our natural duty. We humans have ordinary dharma and an ultimate dharma that relates to who we are at soul level. That dharma requires that we ask existential questions and then seek ultimate answers – questions such as Who am I? Why am I here? and What is my ultimate purpose? Dharma, the Way of Transcendence is a compilation of lectures on human dharma given by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1972 as he toured India. Here he teaches that the dharma of all humans and every other living embodied soul – is service. No one can exist for a moment without serving someone or something else, even if it’s only the mind and senses. So the question is, whom or what can we serve if we want to be truest to ourselves?
The quality of our consciousness can go up or down based on how we see the world and act in it. When we act like the eternal spiritual beings that we are – small parts of a supreme whole – makes us happy. But if we focus our attempts at happiness on the temporary body and mind – on matter – and make those our life's priority, our consciousness will shrink and we’ll be miserable. Spiritual elevation – raising our consciousness to higher levels – happens quickly when we revive our God consciousness. In this compact book, Srila Prabhupada recommends seeing the world as it is – a temporary place full of anxiety – and then taking the road to higher consciousness by rediscovering our relationship with the Supreme Person, Krishna. Anyone can become elevated; the journey begins with a single step up.
What makes it different from other books on the subject is the input from ancient Vedic sources, and the writings of Swami Prabhupada who gives a highly clear and complete description of the entire phenomena.
Here, in more than 250 extraordinary photographs, is a showcase of the fabled days of the British Raj. India was at the vanguard of the explosion of photography and the early photographers, both Indian and foreign, mainly British, who strove to document and reveal the landscapes, peoples, cultures, and architecture of the subcontinent. India Through the Lens reveals the history and importance of photography in India, from the appeal of the panorama to the documentation of people, places, and princes. The early Indian photographer, Lala Deen Dayal for example, was unique in being embraced by both worlds- that of the British and the world of Indian Maharajahs. This book appeals to specialists and non-specialists alike- all those who love early photography, British India and the romance of the Raj.
The lagna is basically a reference point from where the various houses in a chart are numbered. The lagna is not synonymous with the ascendant although often used interchangeable. A chart should be delineated from a number of reference points, known as Alternate lagnas in order to give us additional clues. The strongest among Ascendant, Moon & Sun should be taken as lagna. These houses are clubbed into various groups. The first, fourth, seventh and tenth houses are called Kendra, Vishnu Sthans, angular or cardinal houses, implying that they are the center or core of the chart. As lord Vishnu looks after the welfare of the entire universe, the Kendra Houses acting as foundation & pillars of the horoscope, sustains the entire edifice of one s life. Each of the four Kendras, represent one of the basic goal of human life-1st house is part of Dharma Trikone, 4th house of Moksha Trikone, 7th house of Kaam Trikone and 10th house karmas of the native, his means of livelihood, name & fame; 4th house all types of comforts, luxuries, property & education; and 7th spouse, partnership, padprapti, foreign settlement, diplomacy & public relations. The cycle of birth, love & care, death and Karma, which sustain life, are well integrated with the strength & quality of Kendra houses. The Kendras are the major factor in the combinations called Panch Mahapurush and Chatussagar Yoga, which are of rare individual greatness and bestow a great and unique magnetic influence to follow. They also denote native s dynamic involvement in social environment around him. these are very important houses and all the important events of a native s everyday life hinge around them. it is necessary to have a deep understanding of these four houses, which reveals the life as it is lived in the physical world. Taken together, they represent the immediate nature of human impulses. As the immediate is the most important aspect of one s life, the Kendra houses are of supreme importance.
Lord Kapila is a renowned sage and the author of the philosophical system known as Sankhya, which forms an important part of India's ancient philosophical heritage. Sankhya is a system of metaphysics that deals with the elemental principles of the universe; it is also a system of spiritual knowledge, with its own methodology, and culminates in full consciousness of the Supreme Absolute. Lord Kapila, however, is not an ordinary philosopher or sage but an incarnation of God. This book deals with his answers to his mother's enquiry about how to overcome ignorance and delusion and attain spiritual enlightenment. The underlying theme running throughout his answers and throughout Srila Prabhupada's commentaries on them is that one can achieve this goal by practicing bhakti-yoga, the process of linking one's heart to the Lord's heart through loving devotional service. This series, with original Sanskrit, translations, and purports, sheds light on such topics as the significance of the guru, the psychology of consciousness, the characteristics of a self-realized person, the science of meditation, the nature of transcendental knowledge, and the process of ultimate liberation.
Poetry. Asian & Asian American Studies. Women's Studies. This posthumous collection brings together the final poems of Claire Kageyama-Ramakrishnan. Featuring forewords from Jon Loomis and Adrienne Su and an afterword from Rita Dove, VIDYA'S TREE is a warm and touching suite of poems that serve as a mother's legacy for the young daughter she left behind.
