CONTENTS:
- Q&A WITH GURU MAHARAJ
- SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
- GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
1. Q&A WITH GURU MAHARAJA
Q1. How does the soul come into this world? Rain and the grain and man eat the grain but what if ladies eat grain?
Not always. There is a description given in 
Mahabharata about the living entities falling from the heavenly planet how do they come? When the good karma is over then he loses his right to stay there then he falls. When he falls, lower than the heavenly planet is where the rakshasas live and the rakshasas start to eat him and due to pain, he cries and the soul leaves through the tears and those tears come down to the earth in the form of raindrops, then that soul enters into grain and the grain one eats and a soul enters into the semen and sperm activates the ovum.
That’s one description but the general understanding is that souls are coming from the spiritual sky we all originally came from the spiritual sky. The first covering of false ego is thinking that I am the enjoyer. The material nature is inferior and the moment we exposed to the material nature we develop a tendency to exploit the material energy. The second covering of intelligence we start to think how we are going to enjoy this material energy. Then through the mind our consciousness flows to the material nature. In this way the soul gets the first three coverings of false ego, intelligence and mind and then accordingly, Mother nature gives him a gross body.
Q2. Can God write off all our karma if I pray to Krishna in this way?
Very nice question. May I ask whose question this is? Did you read Bhagavad Gita? Did you remember what is the s last instruction Krishna gave? The last instruction in Bhagavad Gita Krishna gave BG 18.66:
sarva dharman parityajya
Mam ekam saranam vraja
Aham tvam sarva papebhyo
Moksayisyami ma sucah
Give up all your so-called responsibilities just take shelter of Me. I will deliver you. As you are asking can God free us from our karma, Krishna is giving us the assurance. You surrender unto me all your karma will be immediately written off. To the extent you surrender to Krishna to that extent He will free you, so to what extend are you going to surrender to Krishna? To the fullest extend right. Yes, Krishna can write off all your karma.
Q3. How long does it take for a soul to re-incarnate to the next body?
Very nice question. This depends upon your karma. The more sinful you are the longer time it will take why because it will take a longer time to clean you up. The cleaner you are the less time it takes. There is no specific time limit. The Garuda purana states that it takes one year for a human being generally. Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksa are two demons and were killed by the Lord and were in a kind of deep sleep of one yuga, almost two million years until their next body. They came as Ravan and Kumbakaran and were killed by the Lord and it took them about one million years to get another body then they came as Shishupal and Dandavakra. No specific time. Nature makes arrangements. Whereas when one is very pious then straight away, he is elevated to the heavenly planets without any delay.
Q4. Can I meet my deceased relatives when I die and go to heaven?
Chances are very little. Our coming together in this world is described like dry pieces of grass floating in the river and in course of time brings some of the grass together and it stays together for a short time then separated. In the stream of time, we are all flowing and by some arrangement we may come together then separate forever but due to our attachment we want to be together. There is a way to be together lead your life with Krishna in the center and you develop your relationship with those who are also leading their lives with Krishna in the center and then they will become united forever.
Q5. Sometimes the soul does not want to leave the body at the time of death is this true?
Not only true that’s the case of most of the people. If someone tells you, “You have to die” how many of you will say I am ready? Those who are situated in knowledge are ready but, in most cases, they will say no I don’t want to die. There is a wonderful arrangement a demi-god called Yamaraja is the supreme judge. As in the legal system you have the police there are Yamaduttas. When the time is up then the Yamaduttas come. If you resist then the Yamadutas force living entity to leave the body and he will be judged in the court and rewarded according to your action for the next body.
Q6. What can we do to change past and present karma?
Surrender to Krishna and be free from all your karmic reaction.
Q7. If we commit sin in dream state do we get karma and if we chant in dream state do we get good karma?
In the age of Kali there is one advantage. Mental action doesn’t bear any reaction. Good actions in the mind result reaction. If you do good even in your mind you have the resultant reaction but the bad action won’t so sin has reaction but that does not mean you have a license to commit sin. The tendency it gets grosser and grosser. Thinking, feeling, willing and acting. Wrong thought dwell in your mind ultimately it will result in gross action.
Q8. Does harinaam sankirtan remove all bad karma in previous birth and purify the soul?
Yes. The way to pray to the Lord in this age is to chant the holy name that is why we chant all the time and ask others to chant the holy name. Not only will it purify us when someone hears they will also get benefit. Loud chanting and inviting everyone to come and participate and up to the extent the sound vibration goes to that extent sins will get purified. The atmosphere gets purified of adverse effects.
Q9. I am trying to chant and my mind troubles me so much what can I do to improve chanting?
Chanting has three phases namely:
- Practicing;
- Tasting; and
- Perfecting.
Firstly, we are not perfect so we have difficulties. 
It is like riding a bike you have to practice and you fall and thought of giving up but one fine morning you were riding perfectly. By practice only you get perfection. Even if you not chanting perfectly keep on chanting. When the mind drifts and you are concerned about it bring the mind back. Where should the mind be when chanting? Chanting is the sound and the Lord is present in the sound and you receive sound by hearing so mind should be in hearing. Sravanam, kirtanam. Hear and chant, chant and hear. Make it a point to hear attentively and bring the mind back. Attentive hearing.
Q10. Sankirtan movement is 10 000 years golden age. Kaliyuga is 432 000 years what will sankirtan movement be after 10 000 years?
There is a thing called Yuga sanda it is a conjunction of two yugas. This is a Yuga sanda, Kaliyuga only 5000 years have passed is it a significant time no but, in the Yuga, sanda the effect of the yuga becomes prominent and that’s what has happened. Kaliyuga has begun only 5 000 years ago but the effect has become very prominent. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu came 500 years ago and He predicted the Krishna Consciousness movement would spread all over the world and for 10 000 years Satyuga would be perfectly established for 10 000 years. There will be a decline and will continue for a long time and the whole situation will become extremely critical and at that time Kalki avatar will come and annihilate the miscreants and re-establish the Satyuga at the end of the cycle.
Q11. Does the cycle of re-incarnation end when someone commits suicide? What happens when someone commits suicide?
The suicide is a grievous offense. To get a human form of life is the most precious gift of Mother Nature. If we squander that gift how will Mother Nature react? She is a conscious personality and consciously rewards and punishes. When one commits suicide, they have no gross body they become ghosts therefore a very serious appeal to all of you don’t ever think of committing suicide no matter what happens. Human form develop relationship with the Supreme Personality if Godhead. Prerogative take full advantage of this opportunity be a devotee and go back to the world of endless joy.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
If Srila Prabhupada did not come to preach and if he had not made ISKCON then where would be all be?
GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
- To the extent you surrender to Krishna to that extent He will free you, so to what extend are you going to surrender to Krishna? To the fullest extend right. Yes, Krishna can write off all your karma;
- Even if you not chanting perfectly keep on chanting; and
- Sravanam, kirtanam. Hear and chant, chant and hear. Make it a point to hear attentively and bring the mind back. Attentive hearing.
(The content of this E-magazine was based on a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami at Durban Ratha Yatra on 4 April 2015)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Devi Dasi)