Krishna's Mercy: What We Believe

Sunday, March 29, 2009

What We Believe

Who is Krishna?

Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as described by the Vedas, the ancient scriptural texts of India.

Is Krishna a Hindu god?

God is one and is for everybody. Though He may have many different names, there isn’t a separate God for the Hindus, Christians, or Jews. The Bible, Koran, and other texts tell us that God is great, but the Vedas go one step further by telling us just how great God is, what He looks like, and How we can please Him. Krishna Himself incarnates in different forms under different names such as Lord Rama, Narasimha, or Varaha. Of all these forms, Lord Krishna is the original form of God who can be worshipped by everyone.

I’m a Christian, isn’t it against my religion to worship Krishna?

God comes to earth in different forms and teaches different things depending on the time and circumstance and the people’s ability to understand. Though different religions exist, any religion which teaches one how to love God is a bona fide religion. Worshipping Krishna and reading about Him increases our love for God. In turn, we actually become better Christians, Muslims, or Jews. Every religion has their specific dogmas and rituals, and worship of Lord Krishna doesn’t go against any of those. You’ll find that your love for Jesus, Allah, and all of your fellow men will greatly increase through devotional service to Krishna.

What does the term Vedic mean?

Vedic refers to the Vedas, the original scriptural injunctions, passed down since the beginning of time in India. Veda means knowledge, and thus the Vedas contain true knowledge on every subject, including the soul. The terms “Vedas” and “Vedic literature” also refer to any scriptural text whose teachings are in line with the original Vedas. These texts include the Puranas, Upanishads, Mahabharata, and Ramayana.

Do you worship cows?

It is a common misconception that cows are worshipped by Krishna devotees. Cows are respected in the Vedic culture. Since they freely provide sustenance to us through milk production, they are considered on the same level as one’s own mother. All religions teach people to honor one’s father and mother, and thus the cows are honored and protected in Vedic society.

Don’t Hindus worship many gods, like Shiva, Ganesh, Lakshmi, etc?

Just as the government has many deputy officers to carry out day to day affairs, Lord Krishna has many demigods who manage manage the affairs of the material world. The demigods provide material benedictions through the sanction of Lord Krishna. We respect these demigods, but we our focus is on worshipping Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By devoting ourselves to Him, all the demigods become satisfied at the same time.

How come you don’t eat meat?

According to Vedic philosophy, this human form of life is meant for understanding God. Our eating should thus be limited to only that which is necessary to maintain our body. Our bodies can be easily maintained by eating food grains and milk products, so animal killing is unnecessary. Also, we only eat food which can be offered to Lord Krishna, and He doesn’t accept any animal flesh.

Why is chanting so important?

Chanting is the easiest way to connect directly with God. An appropriate analogy is to think of chanting to be like the singing of Christmas Carols. Christmas Carols are sung during a holy time of the year and they put people in a good mood since they are pleasant songs relating to the birthday of Jesus. The Vedas tell us that we should sing songs about God all the time, not just on His birthday. There is no difference between God and His name, so the more we chant, the more we increase our love for Him.

What is prasadam?

Prasadam means the “Lord’s mercy”. It is the remnants of anything that has been first offered to God, but the term is usually associated with food. Similar to the concept of saying grace before a meal, if prior to eating, we prepare and offer food to Krishna, He eats it spiritually. He leaves the rest for us to consume and distribute to others.

So what are you saying? Somehow regular food becomes magical just by offering it to Krishna first?

That’s right. God is eating the food first, so why wouldn’t it gain special powers? Eating prasadam purifies our eating experience and we gradually become awakened to our original spiritual consciousness.

Are you the type of people that point their finger at everyone and tell them they are going to hell if they don’t listen to you?

We would love to do that, but then would be going to hell too : ) All jokes aside, we love Krishna very much and our only mission is to humbly serve Him. If you get to know Him, you will find that He is the kindest and the most merciful. Our organization exists to distribute the Lord’s mercy to everyone in hopes that they will love Him even more than we do.

So please peruse our website and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or comments.