Advancement is through Nama sankirtanam or Karma Yoga ?

As per the point of view of one of the greatest authority of Nama Sankirtanam in Kali Yuga i.e Srila Bhakthivedanta Swami Prabhupad," Only Pure chanting makes advancement in Bhakthi". Directly Right a way no one can  perform nama sankirtanam purely because of the adulteration of mind with different sins commented since time immemorial by a jiva. Therefore there are various sat karmas prescribed in the vedic literatures which slowly purifies the mind of the person and nurtures and cultivates sattva gunam
(i.e the Mode of Goodness) which in turn establishes a strong platform for development of Bhakthi.
The different sat karmas  are on the basis of the proportion of the 3 Gunas in a person, varnashrama dharma, sattvika aharam(food in the Mode of Goodness), no consumption of intoxicants like Tea,coffee,alcohol etc, no gambling,no illicit sex etc....as prescribed by the Bonafide spiritual Master

Phylosophy of Saranagathi- Absolute Surrender

In Saranagathi, Bhagavan Sriman Narayana is himself the highest means to attain him.
What he expects from us is the Hunger,uncontrollable desire to atain him, then
he automatically reveals himself and shows us the path to his Supreme Abode

Symptoms of the Age of Kali- as per Srimad Bhagavatham

SB 12.2.1: Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Then, O King, religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, duration of life, physical strength and memory will all diminish day by day because of the powerful influence of the age of Kali.
SB 12.2.2: In Kali-yuga, wealth alone will be considered the sign of a man's good birth, proper behavior and fine qualities. And law and justice will be applied only on the basis of one's power.
SB 12.2.3: Men and women will live together merely because of superficial attraction, and success in business will depend on deceit. Womanliness and manliness will be judged according to one's expertise in sex, and a man will be known as a brāhmaṇa just by his wearing a thread.
SB 12.2.4: A person's spiritual position will be ascertained merely according to external symbols, and on that same basis people will change from one spiritual order to the next. A person's propriety will be seriously questioned if he does not earn a good living. And one who is very clever at juggling words will be considered a learned scholar.
SB 12.2.5: A person will be judged unholy if he does not have money, and hypocrisy will be accepted as virtue. Marriage will be arranged simply by verbal agreement, and a person will think he is fit to appear in public if he has merely taken a bath.
SB 12.2.6: A sacred place will be taken to consist of no more than a reservoir of water located at a distance, and beauty will be thought to depend on one's hairstyle. Filling the belly will become the goal of life, and one who is audacious will be accepted as truthful. He who can maintain a family will be regarded as an expert man, and the principles of religion will be observed only for the sake of reputation.
SB 12.2.7: As the earth thus becomes crowded with a corrupt population, whoever among any of the social classes shows himself to be the strongest will gain political power.
SB 12.2.8: Losing their wives and properties to such avaricious and merciless rulers, who will behave no better than ordinary thieves, the citizens will flee to the mountains and forests.
SB 12.2.9: Harassed by famine and excessive taxes, people will resort to eating leaves, roots, flesh, wild honey, fruits, flowers and seeds. Struck by drought, they will become completely ruined.
SB 12.2.10: The citizens will suffer greatly from cold, wind, heat, rain and snow. They will be further tormented by quarrels, hunger, thirst, disease and severe anxiety.
SB 12.2.11: The maximum duration of life for human beings in Kali-yuga will become fifty years.
SB 12.2.12-16: By the time the age of Kali ends, the bodies of all creatures will be greatly reduced in size, and the religious principles of followers of varṇāśrama will be ruined. The path of the Vedas will be completely forgotten in human society, and so-called religion will be mostly atheistic. The kings will mostly be thieves, the occupations of men will be stealing, lying and needless violence, and all the social classes will be reduced to the lowest level of śūdras. Cows will be like goats, spiritual hermitages will be no different from mundane houses, and family ties will extend no further than the immediate bonds of marriage. Most plants and herbs will be tiny, and all trees will appear like dwarf śamī trees. Clouds will be full of lightning, homes will be devoid of piety, and all human beings will have become like asses. At that time, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear on the earth. Acting with the power of pure spiritual goodness, He will rescue eternal religion.
SB 12.2.17: Lord Viṣṇu — the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the spiritual master of all moving and nonmoving living beings, and the Supreme Soul of all — takes birth to protect the principles of religion and to relieve His saintly devotees from the reactions of material work.
SB 12.2.18: Lord Kalki will appear in the home of the most eminent brāhmaṇa of Śambhala village, the great soul Viṣṇuyaśā.
SB 12.2.19-20: Lord Kalki, the Lord of the universe, will mount His swift horse Devadatta and, sword in hand, travel over the earth exhibiting His eight mystic opulences and eight special qualities of Godhead. Displaying His unequaled effulgence and riding with great speed, He will kill by the millions those thieves who have dared dress as kings.
SB 12.2.21: After all the impostor kings have been killed, the residents of the cities and towns will feel the breezes carrying the most sacred fragrance of the sandalwood paste and other decorations of Lord Vāsudeva, and their minds will thereby become transcendentally pure.
SB 12.2.22: When Lord Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appears in their hearts in His transcendental form of goodness, the remaining citizens will abundantly repopulate the earth.
SB 12.2.23: When the Supreme Lord has appeared on earth as Kalki, the maintainer of religion, Satya-yuga will begin, and human society will bring forth progeny in the mode of goodness.
SB 12.2.24: When the moon, the sun and Bṛhaspatī are together in the constellation Karkaṭa, and all three enter simultaneously into the lunar mansion Puṣyā — at that exact moment the age of Satya, or Kṛta, will begin.
SB 12.2.25: Thus I have described all the kings — past, present and future — who belong to the dynasties of the sun and the moon.
SB 12.2.26: From your birth up to the coronation of King Nanda, 1,150 years will pass.
SB 12.2.27-28: Of the seven stars forming the constellation of the seven sages, Pulaha and Kratu are the first to rise in the night sky. If a line running north and south were drawn through their midpoint, whichever of the lunar mansions this line passes through is said to be the ruling asterism of the constellation for that time. The Seven Sages will remain connected with that particular lunar mansion for one hundred human years. Currently, during your lifetime, they are situated in the nakṣatra called Maghā.
SB 12.2.29: The Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, is brilliant like the sun and is known as Kṛṣṇa. When He returned to the spiritual sky, Kali entered this world, and people then began to take pleasure in sinful activities.
SB 12.2.30: As long us Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the husband of the goddess of fortune, touched the earth with His lotus feet, Kali was powerless to subdue this planet.
SB 12.2.31: When the constellation of the seven sages is passing through the lunar mansion Maghā, the age of Kali begins. It comprises twelve hundred years of the demigods.
SB 12.2.32: When the great sages of the Saptarṣi constellation pass from Maghā to Pūrvāsāḍhā, Kali will have his full strength, beginning from King Nanda and his dynasty.
SB 12.2.33: Those who scientifically understand the past declare that on the very day that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa departed for the spiritual world, the influence of the age of Kali began.
SB 12.2.34: After the one thousand celestial years of Kali-yuga, the Satya-yuga will manifest again. At that time the minds of all men will become self-effulgent.
SB 12.2.35: Thus I have described the royal dynasty of Manu, as it is known on this earth. One can similarly study the history of the vaiśyas, śūdras and brāhmaṇas living in the various ages.
SB 12.2.36: These personalities, who were great souls, are now known only by their names. They exist only in accounts from the past, and only their fame remains on the earth.
SB 12.2.37: Devāpi, the brother of Mahārāja Śāntanu, and Maru, the descendant of Ikṣvāku, both possess great mystic strength and are living even now in the village of Kalāpa.
SB 12.2.38: At the end of the age of Kali, these two kings, having received instruction directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, will return to human society and reestablish the eternal religion of man, characterized by the divisions of varṇa and āśrama, just as it was before.

Looting of Nation by Kali Dressed as Kshatriya

It is stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam that in Kali-yuga the heads of government will be plunderers and thieves. These thieves and plunderers take the money and property of the public by force or connivance. Therefore it is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam," rajanyair nirghrnair dasyu-dharmabhih".
This has become practically evident from the data recently reported by Swiss Bank which has sent Shockwaves throughout the Country.
According to the data provided by the Swiss bank, India has more black money than rest of the world combined. India topping the list with almost $1500 Billion black money in swiss banks, followed by Russia $470 Billion, UK $390 Billion, Ukraine $100 Billion and China with $96 Billion.
It’s embarrassing for any country to top the list of black money holders. The money which belongs to the nation and it’s citizens, is stashed in the illegal personal accounts of corrupt politicians, IRS, IPS officers and industrialists. An amount which is 13 times larger than the nations foreign debt. Every year this amount is increasing at a rapid speed but the Indian government seem to be silent over this matter from a very long time. The total black money accounts for 40% of GDP of India, if all the money comes back to India then that could result in huge growth burst for India.
A nation where more than 450 million live below the poverty line, which means they make less than 1.25/day and could probably use an easy cash advances from somebody. By bringing back the black money back to the country there is so much which can be done for the development of the nation and the people who live below poverty line. India will also be able to clear all their foreign debts in 24Hrs. Even if all the taxes are abolished, the government can maintain the country easily for 30 years.
It’s been found that about 80 thousand people travel to Switzerland every year of whom around 25 thousand travel frequently. Those travelling on regular basis must be doing it for some reason.
The Indian government needs to take some serious steps to get the money back to India which is stashed in Swiss banks. They should work to find out the names of account holders in Swiss banks and also pressurize Swiss bank to get the black money back to the country. This has also become a matter of pride of nation and if the government still keeps silence about this issue then they will only be making themselves a laughing stock for the entire world.

Degradation of the Great Indian Culture

From the below Statement you will understand what is the message being conveyed.

Lord Macaulay said the following about India in 1835 in British Parliament.

"I have traveled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief. Such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native self-culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation."
Such great Pity on us that today a person is considered Sane and knowledgeable only if he embraces Western Culture and and act English. Parents feel ashamed when their children have some small tinge
of relegiousness and culture within. Society insult us  and consider us a Primitive fellow being if we are relegious. Its time we wake up and understand the reality and and make No Stone Unturned to re-establish our traditional culture-- i.e path of the Great Sages, realize their message and unite on the common strong platform of Krishna Bhakthi.

Basis of Economic Development- The Vedic Perspective

Bhagavad Gita 3.14: All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rains. Rains are produced by performance of yajña [sacrifice], and yajña is born of prescribed duties.

Even the today So called Modern Industrial Enterprises today depend on the excessive supply of natural raw Materials like Water,cotton, oil etc which are nothing but the Gifts of Nature obtained by the mercy of God, these cannot be manufactured by the modern Factories at any costs.

There is a famous saying in tamil,

"Vedam othiya vethiyarkku Oor mazhai,

Neethi mannar neriyinarkku Oor mazhai,

Mathar karpudai mangayarkku oor mazhai

ena maatham mummaari mazhai peyumae"

which means,

If Brahmins recite vedas, if Rulers govern the country in accordance to shastras(i.e.without corruption etc..) and if Women are chaste to their husband then we get rain thrice a month without fail.

So the onus is now on Brahmins,rulers and women to get good rainfall!

'Kshatriya Kulavantas Sinhasanadheeshwar Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj' --Re-establisher of Varnashrama Dharma Culture

When Relegious priciples are stopped and neglected-->Women becomes spoiled because of
improper engagement--> mixing of Caste Takes place-->which results in
Varna Sankaram(Unwanted Population) who are filled with high proportion of Rajas and
Tamo Gunam and are born to destroy the world and harass the Pious.(Bhagavad Gita 2nd Chapter).

When Hindustan was burning under barbaric attacks by the Mughals and when Hindus were loyally serving the Muslims Adilshahs and Badshahs all over India, there was oppression of women, cows, language and temples. The Sultans had converted the whole country into a slaughterhouse. Hindu society was going towards annihilation under Muslim assaults and the blazing Sun of independence had set. In such adverse conditions, exhibiting great bravery, valour and sacrifice, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj established the independent sovereign Hindavi Swaraj by defeating Mughal kings and thus protected Hindus, Hindu Dharma and Hindustan. It was these almost superhuman challenges that Shivaji had accepted even as a teenaged boy. He encouraged Hindus to obliterate Muslim attackers. He created a great future for Hindustan. Thus unto Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, undoubtedly, belongs the chief credit of lighting up the torch of the final freedom struggle against the backdrop of several centuries of Islamic aggression, and ultimately reducing that foreign slavery to ashes. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj created self-confidence amongst Hindus. He made Hindus realize that they had the might of lions but were leading their lives like sheep.
Shivaji Maharaj visited major shrines in Maharashtra before his coronation. He also performed pujas for Mahadeva, Bhavani and other Deities. The ceremony was going on from 30th May to 6th June i.e. for a full week. The crowning was being done with the chanting of holy Veda-mantras and sprinkling holy water from seven rivers and seven seas. People from all castes were allowed to anoint (sprinkle) the king with Panchamrit and holy waters from different places. While anointing him, they used to say. "You are our crowned king (Chhatrapati Raje), you are our protector. We pray unto you to please look after us like a father." Simultaneously the Ved Mantras were resounding in the hall.

As Shivaji mounted the throne for the coronation, the priests chanted the holy verses. Musical instruments began to play and the artillery of all the forts fired salvos of their guns. The main priest held the royal umbrella and hailed him as Shiva Chhatrapati. He was conferred the title of 'Kshatriya Kulavantas Sinhasanadheeshwar Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj' by the priest.

This uprising by the Marathas was to protect the Hindu religion, to toss away the yoke of foreigners and to establish an independent and powerful Hindavi Samrajya (empire). All efforts of Shivaji were overflowing with intense patriotism. People also had become aware of it and hence he was welcomed every where in India, be it the South, North, East or West, as 'the protector of Hindus'. Hindus thought him to be a supporter of their cause.

The contemporary history, legends and literature of that time are full of appreciation and respect for him. There were requests pouring in for Shivaji to rescue Hindus from many towns and states of India. When the Marathas tore the green flags of Muslims and hoisted saffron flags, no Hindu had dared to get crowned after the fall of the kingdom of Vijayanagar. This crowning ceremony was a blow to the invincibility of Muslims. Shivaji had the feeling that he was not protecting his own kingdom but was striving for the protection of Dharma.

Rightly did the great Hindi bard Bhushana, who forsook the royal favours of the Mughal court to come over to Shivaji to record his glories, sing :

Kashiji ki kalaa jaati, Mathura masjid hoti |
Shivaji na hote to sunnat hoti sab ki ||

(Had not there been Shivaji, Kashi would have lost its culture,Mathura would have been turned into a mosque and all would have been circumcised.)

To remind the people of this day, Shivaji started a Crowning Era-'Rajyabhishek Shaka'. In the fight for independence and establishing his own kingdom, in every aspect Shivaji Maharaj did everything possible to promote Hinduism. His assembly of eight ministers was formed based on Hindu ideals. One comes across this concept of eight ministers in the Ramayan and the Mahabharat. King Dashrath too had eight ministers. In the Shantiparva of the Mahabharat also it has been suggested that an exchange of thoughts of eight ministers is necessary. During the coronation ceremony, Maharaj changed the Persian names of the ministers to Sanskrut.

The motto Shivaji inscribed on his coin even at the early stage of his endeavours amply reflects the age-old Hindu ideal pulsating in Shivaji's mind

His seal which read in Sanskrit :

Pratipatchandralekheva vardhishnurvishwavanditaa |
Shaahasoonosshivasyaisha mudraa bhadraaya raajate ||

'This Royal Seal of Shivaji the son of Shahaji, ever increasing in splendour like the moon on the first day of the bright half of the lunar month, shall shed auspicious benevolence and commands the homage of the entire world.'
The successors of Shivaji, the Peshwas had carried the Hindu (saffron) flag right up to Kabul and ultimately crippled the Mughal seat of power, which had remained unchallenged for several centuries never to rise again. They had rightly grasped the life mission of Chhatrapati Shivaji.

Swami Vivekananda once remarked in these glowing terms: "Shivaji is one of the greatest national saviours who emancipated our society and our Dharma when they were faced with the threat of total destruction. He was a peerless hero, a pious and God-fearing king and verily a manifestation of all the virtues of a born leader of men described in our ancient scriptures. He also embodied the deathless spirit of our land and stood as the light of hope for our future."

Essence of Bhagavad Gita

Simple by the performance of our sva Karma(own work) with Detachment i.e as Karma Yogam,one becomes elgibile to go Back home back to Godhead in the eternal spiritual kingdom of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Signifiance of the Sacred Thread(Poonal) in Varnashrama Dharma Culture

 The single set of Poonal consists of  a set of Three-line one and is worn to indicate that we are subject to the Thriputi upadhis (Body, Mind and Intellect or Jagrat Swapna Sushupti Avastha or Satwa Rajas Tamas gunas). The three lines are having a knot (known as Brahma Mudichchu) together, inseparably. The beginning and end portions of the threads are bound together with the knot. This knot is put by Sastrigal or Vadhyar chanting specific Manthra to give us relief from the Tripudi effects. We need to guard against these three upadhis, which are hindrances in our evolution.  Hence Poonal is of three-line structure, symbolically to protect us from the effects of this Thriputi status This is first worn during Thread Ceremony wherein our father takes the seat of a Guru and makes us wear it through chanting manthra and initiates us into Gayathri Japa.  From now on we are eligible to perform all rituals prescribed for Brahmacharis.  It is said that after Thread ceremony only one becomes a Brahmin – Dwijanma or takes a second birth (the real birth of a Brahmin).  Why so?  The word Brahmin means “Brahmani Ithi Charanthi Brahmanaha”.  The one who is established in Brahman is a Brahmana.  After thread ceremony, a Brahmachari is supposed to live on alms and pursue his studies in Vedas and perform Nithya Vruthi and Sadhana prescribed for evolution.  Therefore, he is termed as Brahmin, as he is getting established in the Brahmnical way.

 Different Structure of Poonal for different stages in life:

Brahmacharis need protection for themselves only from the Thriputi status. Hence one set of Three-line Poonal is prescribed to them. After marriage, the Gruhastha has to protect not only himself but his wife too, who is not coming under the Sandhya Vandanam process.  Therefore, he has to wear two sets of Three Line Poonal at the time of marriage – one set for himself and the other for his wife.  Once he becomes a full-fledged Gruhastha (i.e. becoming a father), he has to protect also the offspring (the child in the form of broonam in the womb of his wife) and hence at the time of Seemantha Kalyanam (wedding at first progeny) in the sixth month of wife’s pregnancy, he wears three sets of Three Line Poonal.  Also there is a belief that the three sets has to be worn at the time of marriage itself because a Gruhastha must always has an angavasthram (a piece of cloth on the shoulder) and in case he is going without it any time, this third set will represent that angavasthram.  Also there is another belief that the third set has to be added only while starting performance of apara kriya. 

 Applicability of this rule to Sanyasins:

Regarding Sanyasins, they are beyond the Thriputi, having won over these upadhis through their Sadhana or Tapas.  For them these rules will not apply because, they are always one with the Paramatman in their Samadhi or Sadhana.   .  Sanyasins are beyond this Thriputi, they need not wear Poonal and hence no rituals.   Moreover, they do not belong to any religion, caste or creed. Hence they are exempted from this rule.  As they are believed to be in Samadhi, Sadhana, the Sandhya Vandanam – nay other rituals - is not binding on them. However, when they are not in Samadhi, they also used to perform certain poojaas or rituals during these Sandhyas, as our Puranas have explained.

Nama Sankirthanam- Can we skip our Varnashrama Dharma Karmas in lieu of Nama Samkirtanam?

Supposing you are engrossed in Pooja or Japa from evening till midnight or you are doing Naamasmarana/Naama Sankeerthan from evening till late night.  You are doing a Sadhana with full body, mind and intellect on it that you cannot  break that sadhana.  In such a situation missing Sandhya Vandanam is not harmful because you are doing the same or even a higher sadhana than Sandhya Vandanam.  However, to miss a Sandhya Vandanam, you must not be aware of the Sandhya while doing the above sadhana.  The moment you are aware of it, it is better to take some break from the sadhana and do Sandhya Vandanam and then continue the sadhana.  It is exempted only when you are doing a higher sadhana and you are fully absorbed in it without being aware of the time factor. 

 People always complain that there are so many distractions while performing daily japa of namas or there is tasteless chanting. This is because we conditioned living entities are always subject to influence of  3 factor combination I.e adhidhaivik-adhibautik-adhyatmik or different propertion of  influence of sattva-rajas-tamas.

 Therefore performance of Varnashrama Dharma like sandhyavandanam etc purifies us to perform nama sankirtanam with more purity.