Urmila Edith Best
Sometimes the mode of goodness becomes prominent, defeating the modes of passion and ignorance, O son of Bharata. Sometimes the mode of passion defeats goodness and ignorance, and at other times ignorance defeats goodness and passion. In this way there is always competition for supremacy. Bg 14.10

Dinesh Mahesh Kumar
How should we deal with the modes mataji. This cycle always repeats..in some proportion to a Sadhaka as he is not completely freed from the modes.

Urmila Edith Best "When a living entity stays in this material world embodied by the material body, it is to be understood that he is under the control of one of the three modes of material nature. When he is actually out of the body, then he is out of the clutches of the material modes of nature. But as long as he is not out of the material body, he should be neutral. He should engage himself in the devotional service of the Lord so that his identity with the material body will automatically be forgotten. When one is conscious of the material body, he acts only for sense gratification, but when one transfers the consciousness to Krsna, sense gratification automatically stops. One does not need this material body, and he does not need to accept the dictations of the material body. The qualities of the material modes in the body will act, but as spirit soul the self is aloof from such activities. How does he become aloof? He does not desire to enjoy the body, nor does he desire to get out of it. Thus transcendentally situated, the devotee becomes automatically free. He need not try to become free from the influence of the modes of material nature."
purport Bg 14.22-25

Urmila Edith Best Sivarama Swami: "Before devotees attain steadiness, the presence of abundant unwanted habits makes them lightning rods for the modes of passion and ignorance. Awake or asleep, such devotees are easy targets. When passion predominates, they feel sexually disturbed and therefore humiliated. When goodness defeats passion they find themselves hoping for imminent deliverance from material
life. But when ignorance defeats goodness and passion, such
devotees despair. Until most of their bad habits leave the heart,
devotees are unable to become steady in their spiritual practices no
matter how hard they try. This summarizes the relatively unfulfilling
state of unsteady devotional service.

But as unwanted habits leave the heart, passion and ig no rance
decrease proportionately and the mode of goodness becomes
increasingly dominant."

Dinesh Mahesh Kumar But what about people like me who are not engaged in direct devotional service? working in firm and at times there is too much frustration due to long travel to the work place. despite my great efforts to rolerate, I fail and get or feel enormous frustration at times....what are the means to get rid I'd frustration ? I see people who get too much pressure getting addicted too sense enjoyment in most cases. but I am trying my level best. There's loneliness and psychological challenges due to mechanical life...

Dinesh Mahesh Kumar I understand from frustration madness arises

Urmila Edith Best The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Those who fix their minds on My personal form and are always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith are considered by Me to be most perfect.
PURPORT
In answer to Arjuna's question, Kṛṣṇa clearly says that he who concentrates upon His personal form and who worships Him with faith and devotion is to be considered most perfect in yoga. For one in such Kṛṣṇa consciousness there are no material activities, because everything is done for Kṛṣṇa. A pure devotee is constantly engaged. Sometimes he chants, sometimes he hears or reads books about Kṛṣṇa, or sometimes he cooks prasādam or goes to the marketplace to purchase something for Kṛṣṇa, or sometimes he washes the temple or the dishes—whatever he does, he does not let a single moment pass without devoting his activities to Kṛṣṇa. Such action is in full samādhi.
purport Bg 12.2

Urmila Edith Best Prescribed duties must be performed with this mentality. One should act without attachment for the result; he should be disassociated from the modes of work. A man working in Krsna consciousness in a factory does not associate himself with the work of the factory, nor with the workers of the factory. He simply works for Krsna. And when he gives up the result for Krsna, he is acting transcendentally.
purport  Bg 18.9

Urmila Edith Best Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kṛṣṇa and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.
PURPORT
This instruction to Arjuna is very important for all men engaged in material activities. The Lord does not say that one should give up his prescribed duties or engagements. One can continue them and at the same time think of Kṛṣṇa by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. This will free one from material contamination and engage the mind and intelligence in Kṛṣṇa. By chanting Kṛṣṇa's names, one will be transferred to the supreme planet, Kṛṣṇaloka, without a doubt.
Bg 8.7

Dinesh Mahesh Kumar Thank you very much mataij.... I felt so depressed and now I will carry on at work place...may be due to fasting I am feeling restless...and difficult..will come to your house for prasadam.....with your permission :))


--
Yours
Dinesh
Blog:http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.com

Worth reading-Perform your prescribed duties in Krishna Consciousness

Question: Was it destined when I was born that I would one day become associated with ISKCON and do all these spiritual activities? If yes,then why do we preach? Won't people destined to join ISKCON join it,and those not destined to join ISKCON not join it? If no, then does it mean that joining ISKCON is outside the influence of destiny?

Answer: Bhakti is supreme, causeless and fully independent - no material cause can either induce or impede bhakti from appearing in one's heart. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarthi Thakura analyses this as follows: if material pious deeds, suffering, blind fortune or any such material condition could guarantee or give rise to bhakti, then that material cause would be considered more powerful than bhakti - this is contradictory and cannot be true.

It is therefore understood that bhakti is attained only by the mercy of bhaktas, who carry pure devotion for Krishna in their heart. In other words, bhakti (present in the heart of devotees) is the cause of bhakti. Lord Caitanya taught that a rare and fortunate soul achieves the seed of bhakti through the mercy of a pure devotee.

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva

guru-krishna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

"According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities,one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bonafide spiritual master by the grace of Krishna. By the mercy of both Krishna and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service." (Cc Madhya 19.151)

Devotional service is thus not predestined. It is by the causeless mercy of devotees that one attains the opportunity for pure devotional service and to revive one's forgotten relationship with the Supreme Lord. Therefore the pure devotees of the Lord move here and there out of great compassion, taking great troubles to create opportunities for people in general to render devotional service.

Even upon receiving the mercy of the devotees, and getting the seed of this devotional creeper (bhakti-lata-bija), it is the choice of the living entity to take up the process of devotion. In other words, it is a matter of individual freewill. At every point, the conditioned living entity has full freedom of choice to turn his misdirected attention back to the Supreme Lord or not - otherwise there would be no meaning to the term freewill at all.

Thus, it is only by the causeless mercy of devotees, when received and accepted by a conditioned living entity by proper use of their freewill, results in their taking up pure devotional service.It is sometimes seen that certain individuals take to the process of

devotional service very quickly and effortlessly, upon coming in contact with devotees - just like dry wood catching fire. In such cases, it can be understood that they are continuing or resuming their spiritual progress from a previous life. One who takes up the path of spiritual realization, or devotional service, but does not achieve complete success in this lifetime is given a further chance in the next life - this is confirmed by Krishna in BG 6.41-44. The Lord arranges in the lives of such persons an environment or an opportunity that is conducive to once again take up the process from where they left. But even in such a case, it is not quite a matter of predestination - the individual still has the full freedom to choose or reject the opportunity given to them, to misuse or to properly

utilize it.

Also, Krishna is fully independent, and so is Bhaktidevi - thus, it cannot be expected that bhakti is obliged to appear because of one's previous devotional practices. Srila Prabhupada explains how the transcendental system of devotional service is fully independent — it may or may not develop in a particular person even after he undergoes all the detailed formulas. Similarly, the association of devotees is also free from material causes. One may be fortunate to have it, or one may not have it even after thousands of endeavors. Thus, freedom is the main pivot in all spheres of devotional service. (Cf. SB 1.6.37p) By sincerely surrendering to the Lord through the transparent medium of the spiritual master, we can hope to attract His causeless mercy.

- HH Romapada Swami

Is Bhakti Predestined?

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10 

TEXT 42:

There is a Mission that regularly propounds that worship of any demigod will lead one to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the supreme goal. But worship of demigods is thoroughly discouraged herein because even the greatest demigods like Brahma and Siva represent only part of the opulence of the Supreme Lord. He is the origin of everyone born, and no one is greater than Him. He is asamaurdhva, which means that no one is superior to Him and that no one is equal to Him. In the Padma Purana it is said that one who considers the Supreme Lord Krishna in the same category with demigods—be they even Brahma or Siva—becomes at once an atheist. If, however, one thoroughly studies the different descriptions of the opulences and expansions of Krishna's energy, then one can understand without any doubt the position of Lord Sri Krishna and can fix his mind in the worship of Krishna without deviation. The Lord is all-pervading by the expansion of His partial representation, the Supersoul, who enters into everything that is. Pure devotees, therefore, concentrate their minds in Krishna consciousness in full devotional service; therefore they are always situated in the transcendental position. Devotional service and worship of Krishna are very clearly indicated in this chapter in verses eight through eleven. That is the way of pure devotional service. How one can attain the highest devotional perfection of association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead has been thoroughly explained in this chapter. Srila Baladeva Vidyabhushana, a great acarya in disciplic succession from Krishna, concludes his commentary on this chapter by saying,

From Lord Krishna's potent energy even the powerful sun gets its power, and by Krishna's partial expansion the whole world is maintained. Therefore Lord Sri Krishna is worshipable. 

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Tenth Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita in the matter of the Opulence of the Absolute.
 
Translation and commentary by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe-Lord Sri Krishna

A patient should not pretend or lie to the doctor, for the doctor might prescribe different medicine than he would have actually given for the actual disease.We are patients too, with the material disease that is keeping us for long in the clutches of the three modes of material nature. The existence of body itself is a sign that we are covered by the modes of material nature. And therefore if we can really describe the disease we are afflicted with, the doctor(spiritual master) can provide proper medicine and get us cured of the disease. If we are not accepting our real state and pretending to be so advanced,then things will blow up suddenly one day and we'll have to regret too much by then. Of Course this doctor(spiritual master) knows our state, even without we explaining the disease by just seeing our deplorable condition. The symptoms of the disease are easily identified by an advanced practitioner of Krishna Consciousness.

The last stage before one falls down is that one will start finding fault in spiritual master himself and then after everything, spiritual and material prosperties are finished and one is pushed deep down into the regions of hellish existence. For a person considering spiritual master to be an ordinary person or deities to be lifeless, he's already in hell and is mentioned that he's residing in hell.
--
Yours
Dinesh
Blog:http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.com

Rx - The right medicine for the right patient from the right doctor!

---

• Just one tulsi leaf
• Time is very short
• The materialist and the devotee
• BBT Africa publishes first book in Xhosa

Just one tulsi leaf Posted: 24 Aug 2011 09:05 PM PDT I was reading in the Padma Purana that all the holy places of the universe are in one tulsi leaf. Just think about that….when you are a sannyasi, they always give you a tulsi leaf when you get the caramrta and it gets stuck in your throat! There were moments when I was thinking, 'oh God here comes the tulsi leaf!' Then Krsna made me read that all the holy places of the entire universe are in one tulsi leaf… (Kadamba Kanana Swami, June 2011, Helsinki, Finland)

Time is very short Posted: 24 Aug 2011 04:36 PM PDT (Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2011) Time…..time is very short……very short. Can anyone think of who they were in their last life? One can go to India to some fortune teller. They will tell you of course, that usually it's a prince or a sannyasi…yes…for a good price! I never heard of anyone who was a dog and somehow or other had some prasadam in that life! Or a worm who was being spat upon by a vaisnava! But whatever it maybe, something went wrong in the last life and somehow or other we didn't make it. Suppose we would have been already engaged in devotional service in last life – it is possible: 'nehābhikrama-nāśo 'sti pratyavāyo na vidyate' (BG.2.40) That there is no loss or diminishing in this devotional service, which means in the last life, we could have been engaged in devotional service, and in this life we continued to where we left off, which means we blew it last time – basically, and these are interesting thoughts to contemplate from time to time! I'm sometimes thinking about it: "My God…possibly I was deeply sunken into a sinful lifestyle and upraised by the mercy of the vaisnavas. Or I was already pulled up by the vaisnavas to somewhat level of devotional service and then I blew it….and what was it in me, that made me blew it in the last life, that is still there in me in this life?" Well if you think life in that way then it is not so difficult to deal with. Everyone can find some quality. In my case it would be my stubbornness and my tendency towards independence, which I have successfully protected all throughout my Krishna Consciousness in various ways. For that I moved to India because there was more space. For that I took sannyas because there was more space! So somehow or other one does not surrender to that one thing….that particular quality – stubbornness and independence, but what can we do? Krishna has ways! He pulls the rug from under us at times and just upsets our whole comfortable life…..he does that!

The materialist and the devotee Posted: 24 Aug 2011 01:20 AM PDT We have to appreciate why Krsna consciousness is better in so many ways. And we have to be thoroughly convinced that our life is much better than the life of others and when we are actually experiencing that then we know that of course it's better. We have the four regulative principles- the regulative principles of freedom. We have it and everyone else is caught in sinful activity, which is just creating a network of reactions leading to death and we are free. All the activities of a devotee, each act, is making us more and more free from distress, whereas a materialist, each activity is pulling him down more. From early in the morning, as soon as a materialist will open his eyes it will begin….put some coffee in there, put some cigarettes in there, put some unedible things in there and just sinful activity after sinful activity the whole day! And karma upon karma upon karma! So each day collecting more and more karma whereas a devotee each day is throwing off karma. Throwing it off, less and less and the burden becomes removed. It is mentioned that a devotee is in this way becoming released from the darkness of the sinful reactions. (Kadamba Kanana Swami, June 2011, Helsinki, Finland)

BBT Africa publishes first book in Xhosa Posted: 23 Aug 2011 09:50 AM PDT On the occasion of Lord Krishna's appearance day, the African BBT has released its first book in Xhosa, one of the eleven official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is the native language for about 8 million people. The book is a translation of Srila Prabhupada's Beyond Birth and Death. Tota Gopinatha Dasa First printing: 5,000 copies. The translator: Tota Gopinatha Dasa. The graphic designer: Khotso Kholopane. read more

KKSblog.com - Just one tulsi leaf