According to the Vedas, there are five causes of suffering:

 🔶Not knowing who we are

🔶Attachment: Clinging to impermanent things and having expectations

🔶Aversion: Trying to avoid things that are not real or things that cause unpleasant experiences

🔶Identifying with the ego and creating separate realities

🔶Fear of death

Fortunately, the Vedas teach us, among other topics, how to overcome them. It tells us that addressing the root cause and remembering who we truly are will resolve all other issues.

The Vedas say human life is rare and valuable because we can remember who we truly are and develop our dormant love for God. ❤️

"The human being is endowed with a higher, advanced stage of consciousness for escaping the existence of material miseries, but due to his ignorance, he believes that his higher consciousness is only for advancing material comforts of life. Thus, his intelligence is misused in animal propensities- eating, sleeping, defending, and mating - instead of spiritual realization advancing in material comforts, the human being puts himself into a more miserable condition, but illusioned by the material energy, he thinks himself happy, even while in the midst of misery. "⁣

Human life should not be wasted on sex, food, fighting, or sleeping. Even animal bodies are better suited for these activities, and having better facilities for them does not imply that we are progressing in human life. When we acquire a material body, we are confronted with issues such as birth, death, old age, and disease. That is why we should use our intellect to figure out who we are. The pain we feel in our lives, as well as the suffering and death we see in the world around us, are meant to prompt us to ask these critical questions!

🔶Who am I?  & Why am I here? 

🔶What's the meaning of life?  & Why is there suffering?

🔶What happens after death? 

OUR ABILITY TO ASK QUESTIONS DEFINE US AS HUMAN BEING

According to the Srimad Bhagavatam, religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, the longevity of life, physical strength, and memory will all dwindle day by day due to the powerful influence of the Kali age.

The importance of Daya (compassion), Dharma, and religious principles will be reduced. And, rather than protecting you, the government will act like thieves and rogues.

Famine, disease, racism, war, mental illness, suicide, corruption, floods, poisoned food, animal slaughter, the crisis within our government leadership, etc. Our planet and bodies have been displaying a variety of symptoms of serious imbalance. We have progressed in material comforts, but as a culture, we have lost touch with the Divine love within us and have little appreciation for the spiritual dimension of life.

The problems of today reflect our failure to fulfill our deepest desire to love and be loved! ⁣

While we may face many dualities in our lives on Earth, I am learning that these are wonderful opportunities to remind us that God's assistance and Love are always available. The strife and devastation that surrounds us suggest that there is an urgent need for resolution in our lives and the world. ⁣⁣

Life's desires should never be oriented toward just sense gratification. Because a human being is meant to inquire about the absolute truth, one should only desire a healthy life or self-perseverance. Nothing else should be one's life goal.

To receive the gift of awakening that God has bestowed upon you at this time. Make God your first and foremost desire!❤️

"Yoga is the journey of the Self, Through the Self, To the Self" 

8 limbs of yoga

Yoga is meant to connect us to the Divine! When we think of Yoga today, it has been washed down and is usually associated only with asanas/poses. Yoga gives us SO MUCH MORE. Yoga provides systems and tools to help us go deeper within ourselves and connect with God!

While Asanas are an important part of controlling the body, it is important to remember that it is only one-eighth of the Yoga practice. The eight limbs of yoga are a step-by-step guide to achieving Samadhi in our meditation. This is why most people find traditional meditation difficult because they skip to the last step or only do one step.

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First, we begin to develop discipline in the areas of self-restraint & truthfulness. Second, we purify ourselves and come to terms with ourselves through dedication, austerity, and consistent practice. Then we can begin to practice Asanas to control our bodies, as well as pranayama to control our life force. As we become more aware of our breath, we begin to detach from the world. With mindful attention, we start to steady our minds. This is the beginning of true meditation! We begin to ponder and develop deep concentration in order to achieve Samadhi or Bliss.

This path, however, is extremely difficult in the Age of Kali; even Arjuna rejected it in the Bhagavat Gita because he thought it was too difficult. We can see that this is true because no one has been able to embody and sustain True Samadhi or Bliss for an extended period of time since the Gautama Buddha. Continue reading to discover the best method for this age.

4 Paths Of Yoga  

Recognizing that each of us has a unique personality and set of preferences, Vedanta offers four Paths of Yoga, or sets of spiritual practices, to help us realize the absolute truth (nondual substance Brahman (universe), Paramatma (Supersoul or Holy Spirit), or Bhagavan (The Supreme Personality of Godhead).

Personally, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have remembered the path of Bhakti yoga during this lifetime, thanks to Sri Sampradaya and Sri Krishna Chaitanya's grace.

And, over the last few years, as I've delved deeper into the various Vedic texts and worked on integrating all four paths of yoga, I've discovered enormous depth in my Journey.

Heart and Soul of the Vedas!

Out of compassion, the great Sage Vyasa compiled the four Vedas. However, after compiling them, he became dissatisfied with his heart and began to meditate. Then his Guru, Narad Muni, appeared and shared something with him during their conversation.

"It is true that by practicing restraint of the senses by the yoga system one can get relief from the disturbances of desire and lust, but it is not sufficient to give satisfaction to the soul, for this satisfaction is derived from devotional service of the personality of Godhead" -SM

Narad Muni gave Sage Vyasa a special mantra for channeling the additional Puranas. Among the 18 Puranas, Srimad Bhagavatam is regarded as the essence and cream of all Vedic knowledge.

"One can understand the Supreme Personality as he is, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God" (Ch.18, Text 55- Bhagavad-Gita As It Is)

The supreme occupation (Dharma) for all humanity is that by which one attains loving devotional service unto the transcendental lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the Self. By rending devotional service unto the personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world. 

In the revealed scriptures, the ultimate object of knowledge is Sri Krishna, the Personality of Godhead. The purpose of performing sacrifice is to please him. Yoga is meant for realizing him. All fruitive activities are ultimately rewarded by him only. He is supreme knowledge, and all severe austerities are performed to know him. Religion (Dharma) is rendering loving service unto him. He is the supreme goal of life. One should constantly hear about, glorify, and remember the Personality of Godhead. 

In the Upanishads, Brahman, the supreme reality, is described as having both personal and impersonal attributes. The beauty of having a relationship with a personal God is that you can interact with Him: you can serve what He likes to eat, sing the songs He likes to listen to and gaze into His eyes. Knowing what someone likes and enjoys, and sharing these experiences with them, is what it means to love them. In the presence of a personal God, anything is possible.

There is a clear distinction between these two distinct ways of experiencing God. If we believe that God is impersonal, then God has no preferences or likes and dislikes. It is an energy without any qualities. How can we create a loving relationship with an infinite cloud of energy or an old guy with a big beard in the sky that we know nothing about? How can we serve it without knowing what it likes and dislikes?

People recognize God as spiritual, but they may perceive Him as lacking in qualities or as impersonal. And, while Krishna has no material qualities, He is full of infinite transcendental qualities that draw us to Him. Beauty, wealth, fame, influence, knowledge, and renunciation are among the most attractive qualities, and Krishna possesses them all.

Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita (BG 18.66): Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear!

The process of self-realization based on Yugas

SATYA YUGA- The Golden Age, Meditation on Visnu/God is the process of self-realization in this yuga. The majority of the population is in the mode of goodness during this yuga, and the average life span at the start of the yuga is 100,000 years.

TRETA YUGA - The process of self-realization in the silver age is the performance of opulent yajnas (sacrifices). The average life span is 10,000 years, and godly qualities are one-fourth less than in the Satya yuga. Varna-ashrama-dharma is introduced during this age.

DVAPARA YUGA – Bronze Age, the process of self-realization through spiritual pilgrimage and deity worship within temples. Godly qualities have now been reduced to half, and the average life expectancy is only 1000 years.

At the End of Dvapara yuga, Krishna spoke the Gita to Arjuna. After Krishna's departure from Earth, the Age of Kali began and humanity descended to the level of a caveman. (This is where Western history begins)

KALI YUGA – Iron Age of hypocrisy. Humanity was not able to follow his teachings. God consciousness was reduced to 25%, and the average life expectancy was reduced to 100 years. Sankirtana, the chanting of the Lord's Holy Names, is the self-realization process recommended for this age.

This Kali age is not conducive to self-realization in the same way that Satya-yuga, the golden age, or Tret- or Dvpara-yugas, the silver and copper ages, were. People in Satya-yuga, who lived for a hundred thousand years, were able to meditate for extended periods of time in order to achieve self-realization. And in the Tret-yuga, when life lasted ten thousand years, self-realization was attained through great sacrifice. And in the Dvpara-yuga, when life lasted a thousand years, self-realization was attained through worship of the Lord. However, in the Kali-yuga, with a maximum lifespan of one hundred years and various difficulties, the recommended method of self-realization is hearing and chanting the holy name, fame, and pastimes of the Lord. 

So, out of His grace, Krishna appeared in 1486 in His original, transcendental forms as Caitanya Mahaprabhu (Golden avatar) to bestow this greatest benediction on humanity. He made the Love of  God easily assessable to everyone through sankirtana, the chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord. 

“In the Age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by the performance of saṅkīrtana-yajña.” (Bhāg. 11.5.32)

 Five Aspects of God or Absolute Truth(Panca-Tattva)

Jai Sri Krishna Chaitanya
Prabhu nityananda
Sri advaita, Gadadhara
Srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

TRANSLATION: I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna, who is non-different from his features as a devotee (Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu), devotional manifestation (Lord Nityananda), Devotional incarnation (Sri Advaita Acarya), devotional energy (Sri Gadadhara Pandit), and pure devotee/souls(Srivas Thakur)

Maha-Mantra: Hare” is an address to God’s energy, known as Radha, and “Krishna” is the name of God in Sanskrit meaning “He who is attractive to everyone.” “Rama” means “one who gives pleasure and enjoys life.” Chanting the Maha-mantra is a petition to God: “O Lord, O Energy of the Lord, please engage me in Your service.

Glory to the Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death!

Who are the Pancha Tattva?

1. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the combination of Sri Radha and Krishna playing the part of Krishna's devotee.
2. Sri Nityananda is Balarama/Sesa Naga, the first expansion of Krishna and Vishnu-tattva.
3. Sri Advaita Acharya is a fused incarnation of Vishnu and Sada-Siva in the mood of a devotee. 
4. Sri Gadadhara Pandit is the incarnation of devotional energy and Krishna's internal potency (Vishnu Shakti tattva) AKA Srimati Radharani
5. Sri Srivasa represents the "marginal energy" Jiva tattva( all souls) Led by Sri Narada Muni!

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu specified that the Supreme and the individual soul are inconceivably and simultaneously one and different. This means that the Supreme and the Jiva souls are the same in quality, being eternally spiritual but always separate individually. The jivas are small and subject to being influenced by material energy, while the Supreme is infinite and always above and beyond the material manifestation.

Sri Chaitanya taught that the direct meaning of the Vedic shastras is that the living entities are to engage in loving devotional service, Bhakti, to the Supreme, Bhagavan Sri Krishna. Through this practice, there can develop a level of communication between God and the individual by which God will lovingly reveal Himself to those who become qualified.  

The Hari Nam (Maha-mantra) is the primary blessing for humanity in the Kali era. Hari Bol! Chant/Sing, Dance, and Be Happy! :)

Namaste beautiful souls! 🙏

I'm Hari Khanal. I am a Coaching Leader, Shamanic Yogi, and Spiritual Empowerment Guide! 

I was born in a small Nepalese village. In 2003, my parents won the diversity visa lottery, and so my journey to Colorado, USA, began. For a 9-year-old, there were significant cultural and linguistic barriers. This prompted me to try to "fit in," which diverted my attention away from my connection with Spirit. I began to drift away from my internal world and became preoccupied with the external one.

I grew up in a Hindu household, but like most people, it had become more about ritual than understanding and integrating deep philosophy. As I became more interested in science, I lost faith in God and became even more disconnected from my higher self/Soul. In my sophomore year of college in 2015, I experienced a spiritual awakening and began asking myself some basic but critical questions.!?

• Who am I?  & What’s the meaning of life?  
• Why am I here?   & What happens after death? 

I didn’t want to be just a hamster on wheels, paying bills, having some sense of enjoyment, and dying. I began looking for and asking these kinds of questions, which naturally distanced me from family and friends. I felt crazy! 

Then along came Psilocybin mushrooms. (In the Q/A section, you can find my thoughts on psychedelics and spirituality.) My trips quickly brought awareness to the programming and trauma I had. I also became aware of a very unbalanced society, and it turned my life upside down for the better. 
 
I began practicing meditation, yoga, and tantra. My top priority quickly became spirituality and deepening my relationship with God. My heart center began to open up more and more

Then came Covid 19, which shook not only the entire world but also my internal one. While I was grateful for a high-paying 6-figure+ remote job that gave me security, stability, and a safe environment to grow... it wasn't in line with my Dharma. It wasn't the best thing I could do for you, the planet, or God. In 2022, I gave my notice to leave my 9-5 job and pursue my Dharma full-time

I believe our planet is experiencing a great awakening! We are moving from fear to love ( 3D to 5D). Around us, old systems and narratives are collapsing. As we give birth to a new world, we are unplugging from the old earth's systems and narratives and co-creating new ones! The return of ancient knowledge and indigenous traditions during this time will be critical to our ascension back to 5D and, eventually, back to the Godhead.

I've discovered tremendous spiritual depths in integrating this wisdom into my life over the last 11+ years of my spiritual journey. The sages' wisdom from over 5000 years ago was so advanced and relevant not only for ancient times but also for our own.

My mission with Pranahari is to share this timeless wisdom and Empower Spiritual Transformations!