Discipline by Love

Posted by dinesh

Loving Relationships

Discipline by Love

March 8, 2010

Discipline is not a word that most people like, because it sounds harsh. However, there is also a loving kind of discipline, wherein discipline means making oneself obedient to something that will elevate one in a spiritual sense. In Srila Prabhupada's words, "there is no disciple without discipline". It is kind of self-evident. How can one be a disciple without being disciplined? So, discipline is a voluntary function, one in which we submit to the instruction or the understanding that is being imparted.

The classic example of this is Pradyumna, the son of Krishna and Rukmini. Pradyumna had an ideal attitude of servitude unto his father, Krishna. When Pradyumna wanted something, if Krishna did not want that, Pradyumna would decide to give up his desire for that something. And, the other way around: When Pradyuma did not want to do something but Krishna wanted it, then Pradyumna would do it. So, it was discipline or obedience out of love...In this world, there is no real love because love means without any condition. Similarly, discipline is without any condition and is out of love.

Narada as a small boy was brought to that kind of discipline. Discipline is by love and not by a stick...The qualification to receive is discipline. In order to have a loving relationship with someone, we have to receive the love that they are extending. Acknowledge and feel it. Without receiving, we cannot be in a loving relationship. In this case, Narada as a student was receiving from the Bhakivedantas. In our case, how are we to receive from a spiritual teacher or a spiritual master? Suta Goswami and Srila Prabhupada are giving us the formula in this verse. Three things are required - "without being self-controlled, without being disciplined and without being fully obedient, no one can become successful in following the instructions of the spiritual master, and without doing so, no one is able to go back to Godhead." That is just the beginning and the mature stage is love...So, if we want the mature fruit, we need to take to this process.

-- From a lecture by HH Romapada Swami on 'Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.24', delivered on July 2009, in California, US.

Yours

Dinesh

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Curse of restless travel

Posted by dinesh

Daksha when he found Narada muni giving Sannyasa to his sons, he became angry and cursed Narada muni that you would never get to stay in one place. Daksha said his sons should first enjoy the life and then get the realization that it's miserable to do sense gratication. But it's for less intelligent people who will accept things only after experience. Sense gratification naturally brings miseries and giving up that later after experiencing is not for intelligent class of people. Intelligent people accept simply by hearing and seeing others experiencing.

Narada muni accepted it happily. The same curse was transferred by the parents of American boys and girls to Srila Prabhupada also when he made many young boys in ISKCON as sannyasis.

And before Prabhupada left the planet he also ordered HH.Jayapataka Swami to take the curse for himself to preach the message of Lord Caitanya and assist the mission of Srila Prabhupada. Maharaja says that he can't stay in any place for more than a few days as a result of this curse.

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Kardam Muni's yogic power, planned material enjoyment, liberation

Posted by dinesh

A yogi can multiply himself into 8 or 9 different persons but because his consciousness is one he can feel the same emotions that other expansions are going through. For instance if one expansion is undergoing painful experience, all the other 8 persons will also experience the pain. This is the limitation of the individual souls but Krishna is unlimited and has unlimited number of forms and he can simultaneously be present in different forms and not be affected by the emotions of other forms.

Kardama muni multiplies himself 9 times to satisfy his wife devahuti as her desires to enjoy sex life increased when Kardama muni took her to a tour around the Universe. Nowadays which man can do such wonderful things? It is also mentioned that the lusty desire of woman is 9 times more than that of a man and so Kardama muni expanded himself 9 times to please his wife. However we cannot imitate Kardama muni because his lifetime was different and he was on a different yuga where he had lot of austerities as well. He never did any enjoyment with his wife outside of the religious principles.

When we go back home to the spiritual world we have to be very clear about our goal of seeing Krishna and serving Him. Otherwise on our way Home we might get bewildered as we see various planets where there are higher levels of comfort and sensual pleasures. Some planets will have beautiful men and damsels and others will have many yogis who are expert in doing mystical things. When we see them we should not get disturbed. Because Devahuti was seeing the heavenly realms, he sex desire got agitated and increased. So it's a trap for us when we enter into a very comfortable environment in the material world. Kardama muni had very well organized plan of how much he can enjoy for sometime and how then he has to give up the attachment to sensual pleasures after enjoying with the wife for sometime. He had his austerities which backed him even when he was enjoying the material sense gratification. But what is our position, if we think like enjoying for sometime and come back to devotional service later we might easily get side tracked because we dont have austerities or time like Kardama muni.

Kardama muni's time is in heavenly realm and our time is very very limited 60-70 earthly years. Chances are there that we might totally get lost if we try to imitate kardama muni. He was enjoying for many many years with his wife and which passed like a second. But after that he planned to stop and then go for liberation. They had many daughters. But they carefully planned to get a son, subsequently. Both husband and wife were alert and then prayed to Lord Vishnu to get a son. Kapila dev, the Lord Himself came to deliver both Devahuti and Kardama muni. Since Devahuti didnt receive knowledge from Kardama muni she was praying to the Lord to get knowledge and Lord Kapila dev satisfied her desires.

Yours

Dinesh

Bhakti Yogi @ http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.com

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Not everyone has to undertake the married life to understand it's difficulties and pain

Posted by dinesh

Daksha was not happy with Narada Muni's preaching to make all of Dakhsa's sons to renounced order of life at a young age, because the general understanding is a man and woman having desires to enjoy their senses will undergo lot of difficulties in their Grihastha life and eventually they themselves will understand the nature of problems that arise out of sense gratification. For instance, a woman after undergoing the labour pain during child birth will naturally think about giving up the enjoyment of sex life. But even Daksha would never have thought that the modern world people have other alternative ways of having the same enjoyment without actually giving child birth.

The point is however Narada muni gave them the realized knowledge with which the sons of Daksha were already convinced of the nature of the enjoyment of the material world and so they didnt have any doubt about it and they were perfectly realized souls.

Daksha is trying to get progenies to populate the Universe but he is tired of narada's preaching which makes all the sons celibates. FInally Daksha goes and begets daughters in which case narada muni couldnt do anything.

Yours

Dinesh

Bhakti Yogi @ http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.com

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No reason to feel alone!

Posted by dinesh

No reason to feel alone!

02 Jul 2014 by Ananda Vrindavan Dasi Leave a Comment

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 10 May 2014, Bhaktivedanta Manor, England, Caitanya Caritamrta Adi-Lila 8.31)

Our position is that we cannot see Krsna; we forget him all the time and don’t see him, and then we think,‘Oh, Krsna, why have you left me alone?!’ Come on! The day you came to the material world, Krsna came with you in the heart as paramatma. He never left us alone, not for a moment; he is always with us, seated on the lotus in the heart.

In the concluding words of the Caitanya Caritamrta – I like those concluding words – you can read them in the last book of Antya-lila, Srila Prabhupada describes that Krsna is actually personally seated in the heart of his devotee – and he is not alone! Krsna is there in all his various forms and expansions, so it is getting pretty crowded there!

Imagine all the Deities are packed together in the heart. And Prabhupada says, ‘That is not all: Krsna is even present there in the form of the spiritual master and in that way,’ he said, ‘my spiritual master is always present, is always with me.’ Isn’t that nice? I find that so powerful, that final statement in the end. In that way, we can see that we are never alone as Lord Caitanya is with us every moment

Yours

Dinesh

Bhakti Yogi @ http://dinesh-krsna.blogspot.com

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