I am the fire of digestion in the bodies of all living entities, and I join with the air of life, outgoing and incoming, to digest the four kinds of foodstuff
- Lord Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita

Fire of digestion

A lesson on life

 

Hare Krishna Prabhujis amd Matajis,

Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in continuation of the previous offering titled, "Do not Neglect" wherein we are discussing on the consequences of neglecting Krishna and His pure devotees as detailed in the pastime of Jaya and Vijaya being cursed by the Sanatkumaras. So let us try to meditate on this lesson in this offering.  

1. We offend others when we fail to see Krishna in them.  

a) Ignoring Krishna and His devotees means arrogant behaviour: Krishna is present as Paramatma in everyone's heart. Since Jaya and Vijaya, in this instance failed to see Krishna in the heart of the sages, they ended up offending them. We remember how our beloved spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj, seeing Krishna in everyone, would render obeisances even to the disciples. Maharaj in one of his classes spoke wonderfully about how to see Krishna in every being and to be careful in our behaviour so that we don't cross the border of offense.

"amaaninaa maanadena- Mahaprabhu was very clever, extra clever. He knew our weaknesses. That is why He has advised us amaaninaa maanadenaa. 'Amaani' means  - do not expect any respect for yourself. Maanadenaa - you give respect to others. This is very difficult because we want respect, but we do not care for others. And then we do not know who is coming to us. We have to remember one thing very clearly that during our life, Krishna can come anytime in front of us. If, we just behave arrogantly with everybody and then He comes and sees our reaction and vanishes. And that will be repaid when we are dead so that we have to answer that why we behaved like that. This is without fail. Krishna appears in front of us and that is why a sane person has to follow this instruction amaaninaa maanadena. Whoever comes to your door, we think that Krishna has come and we behave very well with him. Whoever is around us, is also Krishna; whoever meets us, he is also Krishna; whoever will meet us, he is also Krishna and so we are very humble with him. We are very respectful to him. Whatever help we can do, we do. There is no arrogant attitude."

b. Ignoring devotional service means ignoring Krishna: Maharaj says that if we ignore chanting, chanting will ignore us. If we ignore Srimad Bhagavatam then Srimad Bhagavatam will ignore us. If we ignore devotional service then devotional service ignores us. Devotee means who is devoted to Krishna, pure devotees and devotional service. He never ignores any one of them or none of them. He takes it very seriously. But how to develop this quality? Srila Prabhupada very nicely says in the purport to Srimad Bhagavatam verse 1.3.44, "One should hear with rapt attention from the real person, and then he can at once realize the presence of Lord Krishna in every page. The secret of knowing Bhagavatam is mentioned here.  But somehow or other if someone hears with rapt attention from the right person, at the very beginning one can assuredly see Lord Sri Krishna in person in the pages of Bhagavatam."

Once we see the Lord in every page of Srimad Bhagavatam we automatically cultivate this habit of seeing Krishna in every being and in every circumstances. This is the highest stage but we can make a small step towards that objective of seeing Krishna in everybody and Krishna will mercifully help in purifying us. 

Thank you very much.

Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,

Sajjanapriya Krishna das

Abudhabi 

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granthraj] Do not Neglect - Part 2

 

Hare Krishna Prabhujis amd Matajis,

Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

In our life it is always emphasized  and reemphasized by the shastras that Krishna should be the centre of our activities and all other activities should be dovetailed in such a way that Krishna is not ignored, at any phase of our activity. But in this material world we are flooded with so much of material miseries that eventually we tend to ignore Krishna and we try to solve the miseries on our own endeavour. Our beloved spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj says that we put everything else first and last is Krishna. That is the difficulty. What are the consequences of ignoring Krishna is nicely described by the Lord Himself in the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam in the pastime of Jaya and Vijaya being cursed by the Sanatkumara munis.  

One time Sanat kumaras who were perfectly situated in Brahman had the desire of having darshan of the Supreme Lord Krishna. They travelled over the material and spiritual skies and then came to Vaikunta planets and they crossed 6 doors and they were at the last door to enter into to have the wonderful darshan of the Lord. They were stopped at the seventh gate by the two door keepers there, Jaya and Vijaya. The Sanatkumaras become surprised at the behaviour of the two doorkeepers and decided to curse them as they have exhibited their discordant mentality in the spiritual world and were to be called as imposters. They have to be punished and sent out of the spiritual world. Hearing this doorkeepers fell at the feet of the Sanatkumaras and asked for forgiveness .They also prayed that eventhough they may fall into the material world, they should be blessed in such a way, not to forget the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The moment Jaya and Vijaya becomes repentant and asked for forgiveness from Sanat kumaras, the Lord immediately appeared in front of kumaras and the doorkeepers. Sanat kumaras by the dint of their spiritual power nicely glorified the Lord with choicest prayers. The Supreme Lord being pleased with their prayers and started thanking them for the prayers and started speaking with them with nectarean words. The Lord did not blindly support His door-keepers. He accepts the offence committed by the doorkeepers even before He starts to defend them. The Lord spoke with so much of gravity and eloquence in Srimad Bhagavatam 3.16.2

shri bhagavaan uvaaca

etau tau paarshadau mahyam / jayo vijaya eva ca

kadarthi krtya maam yad vo / bahv akraataam atikramam

  

The Personality of Godhead said: "These attendants of Mine, Jaya and Vijaya by name, have committed a great offense against you because of ignoring Me."

 From the above pastime we learn

1. We offend others when we fail to see Krishna in them. This is what it means by ignoring Krishna (kadarthi krtya).

2. Suffering the reactions of the offence is inevitable, even if one is in Vaikuntha.

3. However when devotees engaged in service of the Lord commits mistakes by chance, they are protected by the Lord.

Krishna willing we shall discuss the above points in the subsequent offerings.

Thank you very much.

Your humble servant,

Sajjanapriya Krishna das,

Abudhabi.

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[granthraj] Do Not Neglect - Part 1

Humility; pridelessness; nonviolence; tolerance; simplicity; approaching a bona fide spiritual master; cleanliness; steadiness; self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification; absence of false ego; the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; detachment; freedom from entanglement with children, wife, home and the rest; even-mindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me; aspiring to live in a solitary place; detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization; and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth — all these I declare to be knowledge, and besides this whatever there may be is ignorance.

Lord Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita As It Is 13.8-12

Knowledge Vs Ignorance