is there a such thing as soulmate?

[Guest guest]

Right guestji.

In the spirit world there is always overwhelming love and happiness so everyone is a soulmate /images/graemlins/smile.gif however that love is centered around God.Spirit by nature if full of love.One man who had a near death experience(Saved by the light - book,movie) told the love he felt from a "light being"(angel?) was 1000 times greater than the love he had towards his wife.He now devotes his whole life preaching God conciousness.His wife couldn't handle the sudden change and got divorced.

[Guest guest]

Soul mate searching may be a lot like 'clinging to the clinging' sensation. It is like looking for Martians. Pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. It is a sensation that is attractive & hopefull for many. A pleasant dream. Something that you may never want to really have fulfilled because the idea of it is more attractive than the final destination. Like Pooh thinking about honey.

Krishna is the soul mate you are looking for. Delight in that 'chase'.

[Guest guest]

Guest, you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

 

Guess Guest.

[Guest guest]

I had a similar experience to you. The guy that I am with is very spiritual and he just knew after saying a few words to me that he wanted to marry me. And he said that he believes that in the beginning there were no male and female, and that there were only androgyneous souls. But then later each of these souls split into two and your soul mate...is like that other half of your split being. It's you.

But I don't think a soul mate replaces God. But on the other hand, I don't see why we shouldn't get together with a soul mate if we feel an attraction towards them.

[Guest guest]

Guest,

 

Your experience is not similar to mine.

 

For one thing, I doubt your friend knows what is spiritual by his comments concerning androgenous souls. I mean this general male and female stuff is really basic.

 

My soul mate was experienced in youth and it had absolutely nothing to do with spirituality. And it had nothing to do with sex.

 

But looking back on it, I think I was in love. I remember thinking (not constantly, not obsessively) about him even when we weren't together and how we enjoyed each others company. I was always looking for an excuse to be with him and similarly he would come knockin' at my door often.

 

We were happy to be a round each other no matter what we did and we were definately expereiencing life as one in most ways and not two. Our first exposure to girls, fist fights and even academic pursuit were all the same experience for us.

 

I'm sure Krsna and his childhood friends - in fact I suspect all his close friends (and lovers) - are soulmates.

 

But fate eventually separates everything and everybody. We moved apart. But I have never had that bond with anyone else. I certainly have my intimate relations with wife and children, but even that does not come close to the natural, effortless "soul connection" with my childhood friend.

 

So I know "soul mates" exist for people. They are people you really connect with. The relationship will endure if fate permits because you want to stay connected. It is not a relationship of convienence or circumstances. It is based on connection and love.

 

What you experience is with this I cannot say.

 

Of course, nothing and no one replaces God - agreed.

 

And yes, having a soul mate is a very nice thing to experience.

 

Guess Guest.

[Guest guest]

My soul mate and I were inseperable. We ate together, we slept together. We were always seen together. Even through school.

 

And we never tired of each other!

 

Guess Guest.

[Guest guest]

Vrndavana Bhajana

 

Written by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami in 1958,

Published December of that Year in Gaudiya Patrika,

The Magazine of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti.

 

1.

 

I am sitting alone in Vrndavana-dhama

In this mood I am getting many realizations.

I have my wife, sons, daughters, grandsons, everything,

But I have no money so they are a fruitless glory.

Krsna has shown me the naked form of material nature,

By his strength it has all become tasteless to me today.

 

yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaih

 

"I gradually take away all the wealth of those upon whom I am merciful."

How was I able to understand this mercy of the All-merciful?

 

2.

 

Everyone has abandoned me, seeing me as penniless,

Wife, relatives, friends, brothers, everyone.

This is misery, but it gives me a laugh. I sit alone and laugh.

In this maya-samsara, whom do I really love?

Where have all my loving father and mother gone to now?

And where are all my elders, who were my own folk?

Who will give me news of them, tell me who?

All that is left of this family life is a list of names.

 

3.

 

Like the froth on the sea water mixes again in the sea,

Maya's samsara's play is just like that.

No one is mother or father, or personal relative,

Just like the sea-foam they remain but a short time,

Just as the froth on sea water mixes again in the sea,

The body made of five elements meets with destruction.

How many bodies does the embodied soul take in this way;

His relatives are all simply related to this temporal body.

 

4.

 

But everyone is your relative, brother? on the spiritual platform.

This relationship is not tinged with the smell of maya.

The Supreme Lord is the soul of everyone,

In relation to Him, everyone in the universe is the same.

All your relatives, brother! All the billions of jivas.

When seen in relation to Krsna they are all in harmony.

Forgetting Krsna, the jiva desires for sense gratification,

And as a result he is firmly grasped by maya.

 

5.

 

As a result of past activities he takes on different types of body.

Absorbed in that dress he remains forgetful of Sri Hari.

Therefore maya gives him so many kinds of miseries

And although he bobs up and down in this ocean of misery, he still thinks that he is happy.

Lying on a bed, suffering greatly, having been sick a long time "I am very well today," he says laughing.

I get a laugh out of his "feeling very well"This is the way the soul conditioned by maya feels "well"

 

6.

 

How many plans they have to remain "well"

But time and time again nature destroys them.

daivi hy esa gunamayi that is the Supreme Lord's maya.

Try to understand exactly the meaning of their "feeling well";

No one is well in the whole world, but still they are saying

In this way maya cheats the conditioned soul.

But, ignoring that he is being cheated, he remains absorbed in maya;

And although maya kicks him, he will not give up his mistaken conception.

 

7.

 

Again and again making plans, and again and again they are destroyed.

Sometimes he falls on the dry earth and sometimes in the mud.

In this way the universe is filled with wandering jiva souls who finally by the grace of Guru and Krsna get bhakti--the eternal wealth.

Gaining that wealth if they can give up all other so-called wealth,

Then very easily he crosses over the ocean of samsara.

There on the other side is unparalled spiritual variegatedness.

There he enjoys in eternal happiness and peace.

 

8.

 

The mad say, "There everything is formless,

Without special feature like a kind of nothing."

He is actually the storehouse of spiritual tastes--raso vai sah

The intelligent knowers of tastes serves him becoming his subordinate

Santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya are those tastes and

The best of all, madhurya, is the essence of them all.

But in the spiritual world all these tastes are relishable,

Whereas the material tastes are just shadow reflections and are all contemptible.

 

9.

 

One who worships Krsna is clever

But one who worships maya is a pauper.

Becoming a pauper one engages in temporary pastimes

Without knowledge of the true relationships of things he simply becomes bound up in maya's knot.

Arjuna and Duryodhana both fought in the same war,

But Arjuna was the best devotee and Duryodhana died on one battlefield both dear and detestable

One who is intelligent will be able to understand.

 

10.

 

One who fights the war of life knowing his true relationship,

He will remain alive while all others will perish.

One who does not know his relationship, and takes up some other path,

He will never attain love of god, and his whole life is useless.

First understand properly your relationship with Krsna

And then keeping that relationship, go and fight with maya.

Other than this all the heroes of jnana and karma

Never attained liberation, they were all uncertain.

 

11.

 

In name only they were great sober and unaffected men,

They were all unpeaceful.

Desiring liberation, sense gratification or mystic powers, all had uncontrolled senses.

The uncontrolled senses don't answer to the potency of yoga.

How many yogis and munis there were, and always the senses remained independent.

Without service of the master of the senses there can be no sense control.

They all return to material activities after a short term of peace.

By the process of yoga, no one ever attains sense control.

This is explained extensively in the Vedas and Puranas.

 

12.

 

Visvamitra sat on the yogic asana

But he desired the pure beauty Sakuntala.

In this way the yogis fall down, what to speak of the jnanis

And the karmis are all just asses, suffering in all respects.

The one to whom Krsna is merciful and gives His instruction,

Becomes equally as fortunate as Arjuna.

But one who fights for his own happiness' sake

He, like Duryodhana, dies along with his family.

 

13.

 

One who always fights on behalf of Krsna,

Wealth, power, knowledge are all within his grasp.

Understand properly the Gita's message

You will attain Krsna's service and will worship Sri Hari,

The devotees are endowed with all qualities,

So what are "non-violence" or "freedom from anger" to them?

 

14.

 

Sri Hari teaches the living entities by means of his devotees,

one such helper is Partha.

Arjuna acted just like a conditioned soul

Like one bewildered was the Pandava brother

Violence to his relatives and then enjoyment of the Kingdom

Could this be happiness? Arjuna showed lamentation.

This though, was all dehatma-buddhih identification with the body

one who is a ksatriya gives up such family affection on the battlefield.

 

15.

 

Krsna, seeing his illusion, chastised him

Therefore Arjuna accepted the position of disciple

Becoming a disciple he listened to the Bhagavad-gita.

All his ignorance dissipated as well as his material bondage.

His material bondage was cut, but he was not dressed as a sannyasi.

The householders understand the Gita's meaning this way.

The perfection of mantras, karisye vacanam tava

Therefore the war that he fought brought him an increase in fame.

 

16.

 

The Vaisnavas have no desire, they all chant japa on their beads.

So what kind of Vaisnava is this Arjuna in the middle of samsara?

The Vaisnava freed from duality simply chants japa on his beads,

So say those who are eating the mind's bananas.

The Vaisnava is without desire, and amicable by nature

But he is not a forceless weakling as people foolishly think.

In two great Indian wars, two great personalities;

Leaders amongst the Vaisnavas and were victorious.

 

17.

 

Because of desire for the satisfaction of his own senses he would not fight.

But he is one who is known by everyone as a Vaisnava.

Those who do not see the real Vaisnavas say that a Vaisnava is inactive.

But the Vaisnava is always active in the service of the Lord.

The lifeless kanistha-adhikaris don't perform any service.

For profit adoration and prestige they stay in their lonely place,

Nityananda prabhu, who is worshipable by the Vaisnavas

Suffered blows, but still distributed love of God one after the other.

 

18.

 

Gaura Hari came with the cakra in His hand and gave punishment,

After that the Vaisnava haters were subdued.

The Lord sets example Himself to teach the jivas

So one who performs nirjana bhajana simply cheats himself.

The world has now become full of Jagais and Madhais

The Nityananda Vamsa has increased its following of disciples.

But eating, sleeping, wearing the dress, but remaining unconcerned

It is not proper for the Vaisnavas to remain so uncompassionate.

 

19.

 

Srila Cakravarti Thakura says in his Madhurya Kadambini

Just see his conclusion and what is his judgement.

Devotional service is causeless and self-manifesting

But the Eternally Perfect Substance is always covered over.

The madhyama-adhikari therefore being compassionate

Gives mercy to the innocent souls by awakening devotion in them.

The Supreme Lord acts according to the will of the Vaisnavas,

Therefore by the mercy of the Vaisnavas the bewildered can be awakened.

 

20.

 

The Vaisnavas can awaken the sleeping world

By their mercy the sinful can all become devotees.

Therefore they do not perform nirjana bhajana,

That is the world cheating process of the kanistha-adhikari

All the big big famous vaishnavas were in assembly

And Padri Saheb came in to meet them

He asked some questions about Krsna's lila in Vrndavana

But that association of venerable Vaisnavas was not able to enlighten him as to the real truth.

 

21.

 

The kanistha-adhikaris do not understand these scriptures

In the false pride of being alone they simply hunt for chapatis and dal.

Our spiritual master said these are all kanistha

Now I can understand the truth of what he said.

One well versed in the scripture and who has strong faith

Is an uttama-adhikari and can deliver the whole world.

He is the deliverer of the most fallen and is famous through the world.

Now, save this fallen one and thus become really famed.

 

22.

 

In the Kali-yuga the jivas are all fallen and the lowest of mankind.

Seeing they do not see the different activities

The Supreme Lord Gaurasundara is the most magnanimous

And His instructions are all full of nectar.

One who has taken his birth in the land of Bharata

Should engage in welfare activities according to His instructions.

The Supreme Lord's lila was to relish mellows in the nirajana

But it is not the play of Vaisnavas to imitate these activities.

 

23.

 

This transcendental service cannot actually be tasted by those who are not Vaisnavas.

In the material body one cannot relish this transcendental nectar.

One who has the material concept that the body is his self

Cannot relish spiritual mellows.

But those who have conceptions of the Vaisnavas in terms of birth etc.

Are very bold when it comes to relishing the lilas of the Lord.

Like the clerk in the post office, one caste goswami.

The babajis all pay their obeisances to him a lot.

 

24.

 

The Gosai Thakura has false pride in his birth

Which Nityananda Prabhu cut into pieces.

I see all these things going on in Vrndavana

Therefore I can understand that there is some work to be done here

The prakrta-sahajiyas all commit adultery

Taking someone else's wife they go to relish transcendental lila.

This is not Vrndavana as always think like this my dear mind

Remember the Lotus feet of the six gosvamis.

 

25.

 

The six gosvamis came and preached religious life

They saved the process of devotional service on the order of Lord Caitanya.

They are all eternally perfect associates of the Lord and always remember Radha and Krsna

Remembering them all the conditioned souls sins are cleared away

But if he tries to imitate them taking on their dress and characteristics

He becomes the plaything of maya and does not cross over the material ocean

Always preach! From jiva's door to door

Your life will be successful as a result of your preaching.

 

26.

 

Sri Dayita dasa prabhu gave this instruction

"Chant Hare Krsna loudly, this is my initiation:

Kirtana is not just drums and karatalas

The sound of kirtana is not this modern system

Anything favourable for devotional service is all Madhava

And the only enjoyer of the three worlds is Yadava

Maya's pride and joy, the radio sound

Destroy them all by forceful kirtana.

 

27.

 

Maya's is all these newspapers

Preach that throughout the whole world.

Sitting alone in your room shouting, you may increase your bile's secretion

But in ten million births Sri Hari won't be pleased.

Sri Hari is no one's father's property

Come out of your cage, stop making objection

Everything belongs to Sri Hari and Sri Hari belongs to everyone.

Chant the Hare Krsna mantra loudly

By the performance of such sankirtana there will come remembrance automatically

Then there will be nirjana bhajana manifested in the heart spontaneously.

 

[Guest guest]

Guest,

 

You are trying to do what? What's the point of posting all that concerning soul mates? Just seems totally unappropriate to me. It's like really overkill for this context.

 

We all want to have meaningful relationships, even if they are temporary. We have to deal with the many temporary aspects of our life. We want to be have loving parents or be properly matched to a consort or have nice children. We also want great friends.

 

You don't ignore all these things just because you pursue spiritual life. Even though Prabhupada wrote that bit of spiritual philosophy, he was also very expert at dealing with people. And he himself participated in all these things.

 

Prabhupada probably would have been much better off if he had had some soul mates to help him in America.

 

In any case, are you just trying to s___t on the nature of all material relationships? Get a perspective man.

 

You are putting alot of effort into these cyber relationships, and for what? You spend your time and effort reading and replying, communicating with others. Obviously, you get some fulfillment there.

 

You are the one who posts the futility of real life and yet you make this effort even for a cyber world. Quite inconsistent with your presentation.

 

The world is full of relationships gone bad, why try to trash something nice?

 

 

 

If you are the same quess who posted this...

 

"I don't see why we shouldn't get together with a soul mate if we feel an attraction towards them. "

 

...then you are just nonsense. Your motive is not to make sense. You just want to be a monkey on my back.

 

Guess Guest.

[Narayanidd]

My dear spirit souls,

 

The nature of material relationships is such:

"The illusioned living being conditioned by material nature cannot understand out of ignorance that all our relations here in the mundane world are temporary and full of inebrieties. Such relations cannot help us be happy perpetually, but if the same relation is established with the Lord, the we are transfered to the transcendental world after leaving this material body and become eternally related with Him in the relation we desire."

 

Also I don't think Srila Prabhupada could have been any "better off." He was a pure devotee of Lord Krsna what more does one need? He did have soul mates with him always, his guru maharaj and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

 

your servant,

Narayani d.d.

[Guest guest]

Narayani dd,

 

With all due respect for your lofty observations, they are not wholly practical. I'm sure you also seek "material" relationships in many ways, knowingly or not.

 

If we are not pure, we act materially of course. So if we engage those we come into contact with in Krsna consciousness, that purifies the relationship. If we just relate to people in any of the innumerable ways that ordinary people do without considering favorable spiritual circumstances, then that is a waste of time that you mention.

 

Still, people are ultimately spiritual too and their consciousness is intrinsically linked with their soul. You can learn and benefit from anyone potentially, so let's not forget Krsna is everywhere when you estimate relationships.

 

You can follow some devotees and go to hell and you can follow some materialist and actually advance. It depends on what is going down.

 

The scriptures do alot of pushing and pulling to place the consciousness in the proper mindset. You and guest above chose to be very negative in your outlook by your postings. That is a valid perspective.

 

But scriptures also say even the cow and earth are mother... Your birth father and mother are so high and so on. Scriptures also talk about duty to these superiors and neglecting them opens the doors to hell.

 

Yes, I know all obligations are fulfilled when engaged in service to the absolute. I'm sure Prabhupada transcended his obligations inasmuch as he was accepted as liberated. But you and I?

 

The point is it is a world of duality and opposing views can be simultaneously true. So may I suggest caution in the views you create?

 

Everyone can be better off or worse off... even pure devotees. You think pure devotees can't advance? You think they can't use more facility according to time and circumstances?

 

Krsna trusted Uddhava to talk to the gopis and no one else. The gopis had special qualifications and service other pure devotees couldn't do. Prabhupada was perfect and in need of nothing on one level, that is not to say he personally printed all the books, drove eveywhere by himself and so on. He certainly could've used liberated disciples for disciplic succession.

 

Yes, Prabhupada was always with Krsna and his guru maharaja. Yet, he would pray to them as if they were distant. So again here we have duality, there is contact through yoga, but that is not exactly the same as direct association.

 

And that's why the gopis were lost in seperation.

 

Guess Guest.

[Narayanidd]

My dear guest,

I delieve you have misunderstood my meaning. I had no intention of being "negative" by suggesting that material relationships are temporary. Nor was I implying that we should ignore material relationships. We are after all in the material world. Of course I agree we need to cultivate relationships in this world. It is only natural, however, if we can infuse these relationships with Krsna consciousness how wonderful for that union.

 

Also, this thread is regarding soulmates hence my posting that material relationships are temporary. It has been my observation in reading Srila Prabhupada's books that something like a soulmate exists. For example, Vasudeva and Devaki (Lord Krsna's parents) went through several lifetimes as husband and wife. I have noticed, though, these "soulmates" were all very advanced devotees of the Lord who appeared together for a purpose. I don't honestly know if us conditioned souls trapped in material nature would be so gifted. We are compared to straws in a river; momentarily coming together then quickly scattering apart.

 

We are in this world because our desire to lord it over material nature. We each have our OWN karmic debt to pay. If you feel a special connection with someone JAI! We should all be so lucky to meet a kindred spirit. Hopefully that kindred spirit can help on our journey back to the Lord and not be a hinderance by distracting us from Krsna!

 

Your servant,

Narayani d.d.

[Guest guest]

Soulmates are very rare and very special. I was with mine years ago, we separated due a miriad of interferences, and personal issues that also prevented me from doing what I wanted and needed to. However, ever since, we have been searching for each other and have recently reconnected. What a sense of overwhelming peace! The unconditional love, acceptance and understanding is astounding. We are constantly on the same wavelength on any given issue -- it is wicked! I feel blessed twice over. I don't know what i have done in my life to deserve this reconnection let alone the initial one either, but i am grateful beyond words.

 

Good luck Mystic! I completely understand what you said about reading their minds and just "knowing". Don't ever let it go -- you will let go a large piece of yourself and you'll never be the same again. If you have experienced this now, you'll feel incomplete the rest of your life.

 

Trust me, I know.