50 yrs later!

Posted by dinesh

I happened to think deeply about my existence. If we think about it, we can see how limited our time really is in this body.

"Before giving up this present body, if one is able to tolerate the urges of the material senses and check the force of desire and anger, he is well situated and is happy in this world"- BG#5.23

We are drowned into our desires which are like a reflection of our mind. It is this mind which is carrying us to different conceptions of material life as confirmed in the Bhagavad Gita.

"The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas. Thus he takes one kind of body and again quits it to take another"- BG#15.8

It's the mind which enjoys pleasure and suffers the pain. 50 yrs later, I won't be in this body nor would my friends or so called relatives who are expansions of this body. Even if some of us make it beyond 50yrs it would be like an invalid body which won't support normal life. If I won't live in this city of nine gates, beyond 50yrs why should I endeavor so much to care this body taking all my lifetime. This world is a perfect jail and unless we develop intense greed to attain Krishna, He could never be bought. Intense greed is the price to develop Bhakti and purchase Krsna.

Srila Rupa Gosvami, wrote, "Pure devotional service in Krishna consciousness cannot be had even by pious activity in hundreds and thousands of lives. It can be attained only by paying one price – that is intense greed to obtain it. If it is available somewhere, one must purchase it without delay." (Padyavali 14).

Quote starts:

"Following in the mood of Srila Rupa Gosvami, the Vaisnava saint Srila Narottama das Thakura has explained how any tendency that is an obstruction to our spiritual advancement can be transformed by relating it to Lord Krishna. He specifically describes how the 'six enemies' of lust, anger, greed, illusion, envy and pride can be conquered: "I will engage lust, anger, greed, illusion, envy and pride in their proper places. In this way, I will defeat the enemies and with ecstasy in my heart, I will worship Govinda without difficulty. I will engage my lust in eagerness to serve Krishna and I will use my anger against those who are envious of the devotees.

I will be greedy to hear the topics of Hari in the association of the devotees. I will be illusioned if I fail to achieve my worshipable Lord and I will feel proud to chant the glories of Krishna. In this way, I will engage them in their respective duties." (Prema Bhakti-candrika 2.9-10).

Quote Ends

Look at this, look at that, all are pitfalls trapping me in this world every moment. No use to look anywhere but within to hear the call of my Lord. My own desire to enjoy here is a noose that kills my soul life after life. There's a lot of things that happen in our life which sometimes creates a moral conflict and because of being in dualities it drives us crazy to go nuts and get lost. In the Mahabharata, Bhismadev had a moral conflict when Draupadi was pleading for help as she was disrobed by the Kauravas and so he had a hard time making a decision and couldn't help her. Similarly life throws us into many such situations which makes us feel totally drowned in life of sorrows.

"O Arjuna. Be transcendental to all of them. Be free from all dualities and from all anxieties for gain and safety, and be established in the Self." -BG#2.45

"Purport: As long as the material body exists, there are actions and reactions in the material modes. One has to learn tolerance in the face of dualities such as happiness and distress, or cold and warmth, and by tolerating such dualities become free from anxieties regarding gain and loss. This transcendental position is achieved in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness when one is fully dependant on the good will of Kṛṣṇa"

There's no use to waste time in talking about other people's mistakes or how we were ill treated or how we were not understood, despite our constant efforts to make them understand. In the middle of the ocean, what can you do if there is a storm? Only tolerate and try to see how soon you can get out of the ocean. This material life is such a deep ocean where all of us are trapped. We are running out of time to make a chance to get back home out of this ocean which has got ferocious animals that can eat us alive.

Best Regards

Dinesh

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Direct service or Directed service?

Posted by dinesh

Dependency on Krishna in every situation every time every moment makes the difference. Even at workplace. If we rely totally on our strength - may be our intellect or influence or wealth or words or deeds in every activity, we may get disappointed looking for the positive results all the time. If you take the example of Duryodhana, he was puffed up with his strength because all powerful warriors(who never got defeated in battle) were on his side. He was certain about victory. The pandavas had only limited resources, but their refuge was only Krsna in any circumstance. Positive or negative outcome, if we are dependent on Krsna we will be free from attachment, fear, anger( BG#4.10- http://vedabase.net/bg/4/10/en1) and that is the way to liberate our conditioned consciousness. We are not changing our activity but the consciousness. Both Pandavas and Kauravas performed the same act of fighting but the cause and consciousness was different. Pandavas also lost their sons and soldiers in the battle. In my personal realization, when my spiritual life (chanting, controlling senses and mind, surrendered humble consciousness ) was better, I was able to tackle the hardest problems at work or at any other situation with less anxiety about results. It's like we associate everything we see in the world with Krsna in order to remember him as we perform our duties.(BG 6.30

http://vedabase.net/bg/6/30/en). Jatayu the bird who fought with Ravana to save mother Sita was a failure in his attempt but ultimately He was recognized by Lord Ram for his service. The Lord even performed his cremation with His own hands which is victory!!!

If we change our world inside, the way the outside world interacts with us will be certainly different. Many devotees have had those realizations even when dealing with outside world, how Krishna reciprocates with us via every person and every situation. Krishna is controlling the wanderings of all the souls in these machines of body life after life by giving them these facilities of body mind senses and material nature according to what they deserve. Not that he is doing all the activities that the soul desires nor is he responsible for the reactions of our actions. He is a facilitator, observer & one who sanctions.(BG#4.14 - http://vedabase.net/bg/4/14/en1)

Varnashrama dharma(assuming we are performing something close to it) is a gradual process to have regulated sense gratification and at the same time performing sacrifices to please the Lord. The ground rule is "Always remember Krsna, Never forget Krsna". This principle overrides all Vedic rituals, any rules and regulations.

Krishna has given us the resources. Pulling the plug is about changing the consciousness & not the work itself. Currently our consciousness is contaminated by material motivations. The defect of Fruitive work is it makes us loose interest in devotional service. So we should rise above the mentality of Fruitive work(if I do this I will get that, according to Vedic rituals). (BG#2.44 http://www.vedabase.com/en/bg/2/44).

Direct devotional service will be working for Krsna like building a temple or website or fixing a computer that is being used for His service, spreading His message to the world by preaching, book distribution, Sankirtan, Cooking for Him in full consciousness of Krsna. Amount of faith on the Lord also matters in Bhakti Yoga. I wanted to talk about direct devotional service to clearly discriminate what we are currently doing and where we have to get to. We are not there yet but we are taking every chance to do direct devotional services every now and then in every possible way even now.

For now we will see the facilities we get as His mercy and proceed(which is also a way to remember Him) Eventually the goal is to attain complete unalloyed love for Him. Currently we don't have love for Him. So now we are practicing to slowly increase our love for God by this process of Bhakti yoga along with our duties of maintenance based on religious principles. Nature of this world is we got to do some work to maintain the body with soul. So we got to do some work anyway regardless of whether we like it or not, regardless of we are devotee or not devotee. There comes a time when we have to plan to reduce our varnashrama duties and increase directly serving the Lord in every way with spontaneous love at our hear. That's the final goal in our life we are all waiting for.....(BG#9.34 http://vedabase.net/bg/9/34/en1)

Best Regards

Dinesh

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Lawyer lawbook and judge would always be in alignment

Posted by dinesh

Lawyer lawbook and judge would always be in alignment. We can find many times or instances where Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam are inline in every respect.

BG 15.34 purport

The real form of this tree cannot be perceived in this world. No one can understand where it ends, where it begins, or where its foundation is. But with determination one must cut down this strongly rooted tree with the weapon of detachment. Thereafter, one must seek that place from which, having gone, one never returns, and there surrender to that Supreme Personality of Godhead from whom everything began and from whom everything has extended since time immemorial.

It is now clearly stated that the real form of this banyan tree cannot be understood in this material world. Since the root is upwards, the extension of the real tree is at the other end. When entangled with the material expansions of the tree, one cannot see how far the tree extends, nor can one see the beginning of this tree. Yet one has to find out the cause. "I am the son of my father, my father is the son of such-and-such a person, etc." By searching in this way, one comes to Brahmā, who is generated by the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Finally, in this way, when one reaches the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is the end of research work. One has to search out that origin of this tree, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, through the association of persons who are in knowledge of that Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then by understanding one becomes gradually detached from this false reflection of reality, and by knowledge one can cut off the connection and actually become situated in the real tree.

SB 3.25.11: Devahuti continued: I have taken shelter of Your lotus feet because You are the only person of whom to take shelter. You are the ax which can cut the tree of material existence. I therefore offer my obeisances unto You, who are the greatest of all transcendentalists, and I inquire from You as to the relationship between man and woman and between spirit and matter.

Best Regards

Dinesh

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Association

Posted by dinesh

Our dealings with the materialistic minded people should be as limited as possible.
Because we absorb our consciousness on things around us like a gemstone that absorbs light from outside and stores within.
We automatically start imitating things around us even without our knowledge, thats the nature of the mind. When a person is diseased
with a highly contagious disease, that person is usually quarantined to prevent the spreading of the disease to those around.

Similarly the pure devotees of the Lord do not take bliss in the association of materially motivated people.
The pure devotees of the Lord keep themselves aloof from the association of materialists just like, we stay away from the diseased.

This Sankirtan movement of Lord Caitanya is also very contagious but in a good sense.
The association of the followers of Lord Caitanya brings all auspiciousness and it doesn't stop with
one person, the person who got it has to spread, otherwise he can't relish the nectar he is provided
with.

In this regard we have two types of devotees. Gostanandi (serves the Lord via Preaching the Glories
of the Lord where ever he goes or where ever the Lord sends him)and Bhajanandi(Bhajanandi serves the Lords abode/dham,
meditates on the Lord within). Gostanandi is already a Bhajanandi. Most of the devotees in the movement of
Lord Caitanya are Gostanandis.

If Srila Prabhupada didn't come to America, I will not be here to write this article, rather would have been
lost elsewhere in easing out the contact of sense objects with the senses predominantly.

A supporting article, Quotes start here..
" Preaching is the Essence
                His Divine Grace A.C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada
Lord Caitanya wants His followers to preach all over the world:
"Dear Lord, Your personal associates, devotees, wander all over the world to purify even the holy places of pilgrimage. Is not such activity pleasing to those who are actually afraid of material existence?"
There are two kinds of devotees.One is called gosthy –anandi and the other bhajanandi. The word bhajanandi refers to the devotee who dos not move but remains in one place. Such a devotee is always engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. He chants the Mahamantra staught by many acaryas and sometimes goes out for preaching work.
The gosthy-anandi is one who desires to increase the number of devotees all over the world. He travels all over the world just to purify the world and the people residing in it.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu advised: prithvi ache yata nagaradi gram / sarvatra pracara haibemora nama. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wanted His followers to move all over the world and preach in every town and village.
In the Chaitanya – sampradaya those who strictly follow the the principles of Lord Chaitanya must travel all over the world to preach the message of Lord Chaitanya, which is the same as preaching the words of Krsna- Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. The more the devotees preach the principles of Krsna katha, the more the people throughout the world will benefit.
Devotees like the great sage Narada who travel all over to preach are called gosti-anandi.Narada Muni is always wandering throughout the universe just to create different types of devotees. Narada even made a hunter a devotee. He also made Dhruve Maharja and Prahlada devotees. Actually all devotees are indebted to the great sage Narada, for he has wandered both in heaven and in hell. A devotee of the Lord is not even afraid of hell. He goes to preach the glories of the Lord everywhere-even in hell- because there is no distinction between heaven and hell for a devotee.
                                           Narayana –parah sarve
                                           Na kutascana bibhyati
                                           Svargapavarga-narakesv
                                           Ap tulyartha- darsinah
"A pure devotee of Narayana is never afraid of going anywhere and everywhere . For him heaven and hell are one and the same." (Bhag. 6.17.28) Such devotees , wandering all over the world, deliver those ho are actually afraid of this material existence.
Bhag. 4.30.37"

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Material emotions originate from Raga-Dvesha it's useless, perverted unless dovetailed with devotion to the Lord

Posted by dinesh

Raga-Dvesha, The Cause Of Bondage

Raga (attraction), Dvesha (repulsion) and Tatastha Vritti (indifference) are the three important Vrittis of the mind. Raga and Dvesha (like and dislike or love and hatred or attraction and repulsion) are the two currents in the mind which bind a man to the Samsaric wheel of birth and death. Raga and Dvesha are the two Doshas or faults in the mind that have brought you to this world. The Svarupa of Bandha (bondage) is Raga and Dvesha. The Svarupa of Ajnana is Raga and Dvesha. All the emotions come under the category of Raga-Dvesha. These two currents are the Dharma (characteristics) of the mind and not of the spirit. Pleasure and pain, Harsha and Soka, exhilaration and depression are due to Raga-Dvesha. If Raga and Dvesha vanish from the mind, Harsha-Soka also will disappear.

- Swami Sivananda

Best Regards
Dinesh