Author: Purushottam Nitai Das

Know the six glories of Hare Krishna Mahamantra

In Sri Siksastakam, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu describes the glories of Hare Krishna Mahamantra which frees us from sufferings & gives us bliss.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu propagated the sankirtan movement in 15^th century.  Sankirtan means congregational chanting of the holy name of Krishna i.e. the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.  Holy name of Krishna can be chanted publicly or individually, the benefit is the same.

In the first verse of Sri Siksastakam, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu talks about the glories of performing śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam i.e. chanting the names of Krishna – the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.

Sri Siksastakam Verse 1

ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ

śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam

ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ

sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam

“Glory to the sri-krsna-sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.”

Let us discuss in detail the six glories of the holy name of Krishna i.e. the Hare Krishna Mahamantra from the first verse of Sri Siksastakam.

1. Cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years

Dust of lust, greed, pride, anger, envy, illusion and false ego pollutes our heart and keeps us away from Krishna. It is because of these impurities that we suffer in this world. Unless we purify our heart of these contaminations, we won’t be able to lead a pure life of peace and bliss. There is no material pill in this world which can cure this disease of our heart.   By our own efforts it is almost impossible. 

But when we chant the holy names of Krishna then Krishna who is supremely pure purifies our heart of all the dust which is accumulated in our hearts for years. When sun shines darkness flees. Similarly, when Krishna’s name illuminates our hearts the vices which is polluting our hearts just disappears.

Sun is so powerful that it even cleanses the filthy places and remains unaffected. Krishna who is the source of the sun cleanses all the impurities from our hearts and remains completely pure.

In fact, we become pure like him when we remain under the shelter of his holy names.

2. Extinguishes the fire of conditional life of repeated birth and death

You do not want to die. I do not want to die. Ask a 90 year old person, he too does not want to die. We all fear death. We try our best not to die but the cruel laws of material nature do not allow us to live forever.

As long as we are in this material world we will have to die again and again and be born again and again. This is how this material world functions.  

Krishna confirms this in Bhagavad Gita 8.16, “From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place.” But Krishna does not stop here. He further says in the same verse to Arjuna that “But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kuntī, never takes birth again.”  

So, if you and I do not want to die then we have to go to the abode of Krishna, the spiritual world.  Chanting the holy names of Krishna cleanses our hearts, helps to develop and deepen relationship with Krishna and ultimately helps us to attain kingdom of Krishna.

In that spiritual kingdom no one has to die again and again and be born again and again. So, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is saying that chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra extinguishes the fire of conditional life of repeated birth and death.

3. Holy name is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon

We struggle hard for existence in this world. Our efforts to lead a happy and peaceful life again and again gets defeated.  It leads to frustration and lamentation. Life’s uncertainty leads to fear. And fear causes stress and anxiety.

It appears as if we are caught in the midst of a forest fire. We find ourselves helpless and gradually become hopeless.

To save the humanity from this precarious situation the holy name of Krishna appeared.  The holy name is like the soothing rays of the full moon. It calms our restless mind, pacifies our agitated heart and brings hope in our life.

So Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says, “It is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon.”

When Krishna plays flute in Vrindavan all the brajvasis spontaneously get mesmerized by the mystical music. Similarly, the holy name of Krishna which is non-different from Krishna automatically captivates the hearts of the suffering soul and fills their heart with transcendental melody. Holy name is a great benediction for us, we should be grateful to the holy name.

4. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge

The purpose of Vedas is to know Krishna. Krishna says, “By all the Vedas, I am to be known.” Bhagavad Gita 15.15. The final conclusion of all Vedic scriptures is that we are parts and parcel of Krishna. We are spirit souls currently in a material body made of bone and flesh. Our real identity is that we are spiritual beings and are meant to live with Krishna in Krishna’s kingdom.

In this material world because of material impurities our knowledge gets covered and we forget our relationship with Krishna. When we chant the holy name of Krishna then layers of material coverings gets removed and the ray of transcendental knowledge enlightens us. It reveals to us our real identity. We begin to realize that we belong to Krishna.

That is the ultimate goal of all transcendental knowledge. Holy name helps us to achieve that coveted goal. So, holy name is the life of all transcendental knowledge.

5. Holy name increases the ocean of transcendental bliss

As soon as we move closer to Krishna by chanting his names, we start experiencing drops of bliss pouring in our hearts.

Every being has been trying his best to enjoy the life of bliss in this world. But the material nature is not capable to satiate our heart.  As the water of the ocean cannot quench our thirst, similarly things of this ephemeral world cannot bring joy to our heart. We are spiritual beings, so our soul longs for transcendental pleasures and not worldly pleasures.

Krishna is the source of all transcendental pleasures.  When we connect to Krishna by chanting his names, Krishna who is ever eager to grace us with all happiness begins showering transcendental joy upon us.    The more we become serious in our spiritual life, the more we become eager to chant the names of Krishna, our bliss too begins increasing.  

We soon start floating in the ocean of transcendental bliss and start experiencing unlimited joy.

6. Holy name enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious

The holy name is as sweet as sugar candy. Better to say sweeter than the sugar candy.

The holy name is full of nectar and has appeared to fill our life with nectar.

Due to ignorance, we may fail to comprehend the immense potency and purity of the holy name of Krishna. But once we get attached to the holy name, we forget all our misfortunes and just want to chant the names of Krishna. In fact, our misfortunes lose its relevance because it gets driven away by the holy name.

We delight in tasting the name of Krishna which is full of nectar.

Srila Rupa Goswami was so captivated by the holy name that he used to pray to the holy name to give him millions of mouths and millions of ears so that he could chant millions of times the holy name and hear it millions of times.

The holy name is the ambrosia for all sufferings. It helps us to taste the nectar for which we are always anxious and it bestows upon us complete perfection.

Conclusion

The glories of holy name discussed above should inspire us to chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. It will make our life auspicious. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabbhu an incarnation of Krishna appeared in this world to make us understand the benefits of chanting the holy name of Krishna. So, we should take shelter of the holy name by regularly and sincerely chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.

How to worship Lord Jagannath at home and be blessed?

If you worship Lord Jagannath at home with love and devotion, then Lord Jagannath will shower his blessings upon you.  

In Jagannath Puri temple and in Iskcon temples, Lord Jagannath along with his brother Lord Baladeva and little sister Subhadra Devi is worshipped reverentially. Thanks to Iskcon, today Lord Jagannath is worshipped all over the world. Many non-Indians have got attracted to Lord Jagannath and come to the temple to worship him.

But it is not that to worship Lord Jagannath, you always have to go to temple. Its great if you can regularly visit Lord Jagannath temples. But Lord Jagannath can be worshipped at home also along with his brother and sister.  Even if you love to go to temple still you should worship Lord Jagannath at home.  

But can everyone worship Lord Jagannath at home? Or only some are eligible to worship the Lord. Let us see.

Who can worship Lord Jagannath at home?

Anyone who has a desire to worship Lord Jagannath can worship him at home.  One does not need to be a brahmana to worship the Lord. One does not need to be a male to worship the Lord. And one does not need to be a Hindu to worship the Lord. 

Men and women, young and old, Hindus and non-Hindus all are qualified to worship Lord Jagannath.  You and me and everyone in this entire universe are children of Lord Jagannath, the Lord of the Universe. So, each one of us are qualified to worship him.

The only qualification required to worship the Lord is love and intense longing to serve him.

So, if you are a lover of Lord Jagannath and have a burning desire to worship him then read further to know how you can worship him at home.

To worship Lord Jagannath at home, get a beautiful deity or picture of Jagannath  

This is the first requirement. You should get a beautiful deity of Lord Jagannath. You can buy wooden deities of Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladeva and Subhadra Devi.  If you visit Jagannath Puri then you can get one such deity. In many Iskcon temples wooden deity of Lord Jagannath with his brother and sister is also available.  

If not wooden deity, then you can have picture of Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladeva and Subhadra Devi and get it nicely framed. Best is to use that picture of Lord Jagannath which is being worshipped in the temple as per the guidelines of the scriptures. 

We can have picture of Lord Jagannath of Jagannath Puri temple. Or else we can have pictures of Lord Jagannath from Iskcon temples. At many Iskcon temples Lord Jagannath is wonderfully worshiped. You just see the deity of Lord Jagannath worshipped in Iskcon temples and you can see how Lord Jagannath has a big smile on his face. 

Wooden deities or picture of Lord Jagannath can also be bought online.

Please note that Lord Jagannath is mostly worshipped along with brother Baladeva, sister Subhadra and Sudharshan Chakra. Whenever you will see a picture or deity of Jagannath, you will always see him along with his brother, sister and Sudharshan Chakra.

Make a beautiful and big altar for Lord Jagannath

Get a beautiful altar for Jagannath. The altar should not be just beautiful, but it should be big too.

Why we need a big altar? Because the Lord should be easily visible to our eyes.

Sometimes people have small picture of Jagannath, and they keep it in a cupboard or locker in their house. Once in the morning they open the cupboard or locker, offer some puja items to the Lord and then close the cupboard.  This is not the right attitude.

Do not confine Lord to some corner of the house. In fact, in your house, Lord Jagannath should occupy a prominent place.

In some house there is special puja room where deities or picture of the Lord is kept.  That is also good.

But I feel it is better to have a large altar for the Lord in our living room.

What is the benefit of having the altar in the living room?

One does not have to go to any corner of the house to see the Lord.  All the family members daily come to the living room so everyone will see the Lord daily. Not just daily but many times in the day people in the house can have darshan (divine vision) of the Lord.

While leaving the house for work, you will see the Lord.  As soon as you will enter the house, you will see the Lord.  You will always feel the presence of the Lord in your house. The Lord will become the centre of your life.

Not just that when guests visit your house, they can also have darshan of the Lord and will feel blessed.

Having Lord in the living room in a big altar will keep on reminding you that your house belongs to Lord Jagannath. He is the owner of the house. And he has given you an opportunity to stay in the house. For this you should always be grateful to Jagannath.

Our house should become a temple of Lord Jagannath

It does not matter whether our house is big or small, in our house Lord Jagannath should be the centre and should occupy a prominent place.

What if you are a student staying in hostel?

If you are a student staying in a hostel, then you can still have framed picture of Lord Jagannath on your study table.  When I was in hostel, I had made a small altar on my study table and would worship the Lord.   Now with the blessing of Lord Jagannath, I have big altar in the living room for Lord Jagannath who fulfils everyone’s desire.

Follow below steps to worship Lord Jagannath at home

Worshipping Lord Jagannath is simple. It can be easily learned. Lord Jagannath is worshipped along with Lord Baladeva, Subhadra Devi and Sudharshan Chakra.

Following sacred items are required for worship.

1. Achamanam cup having water. Put some Ganges water into the cup.
2. Incense sticks
3. Ghee lamp (Diya)
4. Conch filled with water. Use non blowing conch. Put some Ganges water and if possible rose water in the conch.
5. Cloth of the size of handkerchief
6. Flowers. Do no use hibiscus flower. Better to use flowers having fragrance.  
7. Chamara (Yak tail fan)
8. Peacock fan
9. Bell
10. Small pot to collect water after bathing the Lord.

Before starting the worship of the Lord purify your hand with water from the achamanam cup.

Note: When you are worshipping the Lord, hold the bell in your left hand and keep it ringing while you are worshipping.

Let us see how to worship Lord Jagannath with the sacred items.

1) Worshipping the Lord with incense

Light the incense sticks and move it around the entire body of Lord Jagannath for 7 times in clockwise direction. After that show the incense to Lord Baladeva by moving the incense 7 times around the body of Lord Baladeva in clockwise direction. Follow the same approach to worship Subhadra Devi and then Sudharshan Chakra.  

It is good to have 3 incense sticks at least. If we can have more like 5 or 7 then great.

2) Worshipping the Lord with ghee lamp (Diya)

First show the lamp to the lotus feet of Lord Jagannath by moving it around the feet of the Lord for four times in clockwise direction.  We then show the lamp to the belly of Jagannath. For that move the lamp in clockwise direction two times around the belly of the Lord. We then move the lamp in clockwise direction three times around the head of Jagannath. At the end, we move the lamp in clockwise direction seven times around the entire body of Jagannath.

After worshipping Jagananth with ghee lamp as explained above, worship Lord Baladeva using the same ghee lamp.  The approach will be exactly similar. First worship the feet of Baladeva by moving the lamp four times in clockwise direction, then worship belly by moving the lamp around the belly  two times, then move the lamp around the head for three times and then around the entire body for seven times.  

After worshipping Baladeva with ghee lamp, worship Subhadra Devi followed by Sudarshan Chakra.

The lamp should be offered slowly and with love.  

After worshipping with ghee lamp is completed, the family members can purify themselves by accepting the offered lamp. They can put both the palms above the flame of the sacred lamp and touch their forehead and eyes. 

3) Bathing Lord Jagannath, Lord Baladeva, Subhadra Devi and Sudarshan Chakra

Take the conch filled with water and move it three times on top of Lord Jagannath’s head in clockwise direction and then move the conch seven times around the body of the Lord in clockwise direction.

After that pour small quantity of water from the conch into the small pot.

After that bathe Lord Baladeva using the same conch with remaining water. Move the conch around Baladeva’s head three times in clockwise direction and then seven times around his body in clockwise direction. Again, remove little water from the conch by pouring it into the same pot in which you had poured after bathing Jagannath.

Follow same approach to bathe Subhadra Devi and Sudharshan Chakra.

Use non blowing conch to bathe the Lord. 

Sprinkle the sacred water collected in small pot after bathing the Lords on your family members body and on yourself.

4) Drying the Lord with the cloth

After the 3 deities and Sudharshan Chakra have taken bath, they also have to be dried. Take a small cloth of the size of a handkerchief and move it around the entire body of Jagannath for seven times.  Use the same cloth and move it around the body of Baladeva seven times. Do it in similar way for Subhadra Devi and Sudharshan Chakra.

5) Offering flowers to Lord Jagannath

Move the flower plate seven times around the body of Jagannath in clockwise direction. Similarly move the flower plate around the body of Baladeva seven times in clockwise direction followed by Subhadra Devi and Sudharshan Chakra.

After this take few flowers from the plate and put it on the lotus feet of Jagannath, Baladeva, Subhadra Devi and also Sudharshan Chakra.

6) Fanning the Lord using chamara (yak tail fan)

Fan the Lord using chamara (yak tail fan) by moving it up and down so that the entire body of Jagannath is fanned. Do it for seven times. After that fan Baladeva for seven times followed by Subhadra Devi and Sudharshan Chakra.  If time permits you can fan the Lords for more number of times and not just seven times.

7) Fanning the Lord using peacock fan

Just like you fanned the Lord using chamara, similarly fan the Lord using peacock fan. Fan the entire body of Lord Jagannath for seven times followed by Lord Baladeva, Subhadra Devi and Sudharshan Chakra. As mentioned above if you have time then fan the Lord for more number of times.

While worshiping sing kirtan  

While you are worshipping the Lord you can sing Hare Krishna kirtan. If your family members are also participating they can also sing along with you. They can play cymbals and mridangam. To play mridangam one needs some practice.  But generally, everyone can play cymbals.

Since Lord Jagannath and Lord Krishna is same, so you can sing Hare Krishna kirtan.

Along with that you can chant prayers specifically for Lord Jagannath –

jagannāthaḥ svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me

If you know Jagannathastakam prayer of Sankaracarya then you can sing that too. Its lyrics and tunes are little difficult but with practice you can get used to it.

What should be the mood while worshipping Lord Jagannath at home?

Our mood should be to offer our love to Lord Jagannath. We should offer each item to the Lord with utmost care and with devotion while worshipping. Worship is not just a ritual; it is a means by which we connect to the Lord and invite him to reside in our house and in our hearts.

We should not try to complete the worship in a hurry.  Those who are participating in the worship of Lord Jagannath at home should also be attentive and sincere. It should not happen that they are busy with their mobiles or are looking here and there. The person who is worshipping Lord Jagannath and those who are participating get equal benefit.

If you worship Lord Jagannath at home with love, care and attention daily, your house will become a sacred house. And in that sacred home, you and your family members will always live happily.

Do you know the size of your soul?

You know the size of your physical body, but do you know the size of your soul? Is it too big or too small?  

Vedic scriptures like the Svetasvatara Upanisad, Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad and Chaitanya Charitamrita explains the size of the soul.

What the Vedic scriptures say about the size of the soul?

Svetasvatara Upanisad (5.9) says the following things about the size of the soul:

“When the upper point of a hair is divided into one hundred parts and again each of such parts is further divided into one hundred parts, each such part is the measurement of the dimension of the spirit soul.”

Chaitanya Charitamrita also says the same thing about the size of the soul.

keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya
śatāṁśa-sadṛśātmakaḥ
jivaḥ sūkṣma-svarūpo ’yaṁ
saṅkhyātīto hi cit-kaṇaḥ

“ ‘If we divide the tip of a hair into a hundred parts and then take one of these parts and divide it again into a hundred parts, that very fine division is the size of but one of the numberless living entities. They are all cit-kaṇa, particles of spirit, not matter.’ Chaitanya Charitamrita Madhya 19.140

Let us see what Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad says about the size of the spirit soul.

eṣo ’ṇur ātmā cetasā veditavyo
yasmin prāṇaḥ pañcadhā saṁviveśa
prāṇaiś cittaṁ sarvam otaṁ prajānāṁ
yasmin viśuddhe vibhavaty eṣa ātmā

“The soul is atomic in size and can be perceived by perfect intelligence. This atomic soul is floating in the five kinds of air (prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, samāna and udāna), is situated within the heart, and spreads its influence all over the body of the embodied living entities. When the soul is purified from the contamination of the five kinds of material air, its spiritual influence is exhibited.” Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (3.1.9)

So, all the above three scriptures say the same thing about the size of the soul.

As per these scriptures, the size of the soul is one ten – thousandth (1/10,000) part of the tip of your hair.

Size of the soul is same in all the living entity of this material world

Size of the soul is same in every living entity. Whether it is the ant’s body, or elephant’s body, or your body, or mine body the dimension of the soul, the spiritual spark, is the same.

It means that if you take the tip of your hair and cut it into ten – thousand parts then one of the extremely tiny parts is the actual size of the soul.

Where does the soul reside?

Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad explains that the soul which is atomic in size resides within the heart.

Bhagavad Gita says that soul is invisible and inconceivable

Although too small within the body, soul is extraordinarily powerful. Soul cannot be seen with material eyes nor through any material means.

In Bhagavad Gita 2.25, Krishna says that soul is invisible (avyaktaḥ) to our material eyes.  You can stand in front of the mirror and can see your physical self but not your soul. A doctor can open your body and see many things inside it, but not your soul.   A very powerful microscope which can see extremely small objects also cannot see the soul. Why?

Because soul is spiritual and not material. This is why Krishna describes the soul as inconceivable (acintyaḥ). Unless we become completely pure, we cannot see the soul.

But we can experience the presence of the soul in our body.

How to perceive the soul in your physical body?

You can perceive the soul in your body through consciousness. Soul is the source and cause of consciousness. The emotions which you and I experience and the pleasures and pains which we go through in our life is because of consciousness.  If there is no consciousness in the body, it means the body is dead. Which in turn means that the soul has left the body. 

The body lying on the deathbed may have everything – eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, leg, heart, lungs, kidneys, bones, flesh and so on. Physically the body is complete. But still, it is dead. Because the soul has left the body, so the body cannot function.

Soul is the active principle in our body. It gives energy to the body. Soul never dies. Soul can stay inside the body only for a limited period of time which is allotted to him by God. When the time ends, the soul has to leave the body. And then it has to look for another body in this material world.

Based on his karma it gets a new body and a new destination. If the karma is good soul gets higher birth, even goes to higher planets in this material universe. If the karma is bad, then soul has to suffer. Soul even gets an animal body which is full of misery if it has committed many sins.

Is the size of the soul always one ten – thousandth (1/10,000) part of the tip of the hair?

No. In this material world as long as the soul occupies a material body, its size is one ten – thousandth (1/10,000) part of the tip of the hair. But once the soul regains its original spiritual nature then it has its own spiritual form and size which is not one ten – thousandth (1/10,000) part of the tip of the hair.

Within the material body, the soul is present in seed (bija) form. But it is not that the soul is always extremely small. One should also not conclude that soul does not have any form or soul means some kind of light.

Soul is spiritual. It has spiritual attributes. It has its own spiritual identity and form(sarupa).  But in this material world because of material coverings and contamination, the soul is not able to exhibit its spiritual attributes.

In this material world, to function, soul is given a material body and the soul resides within the physical body in a seed form. Soul gets a specific material body to reside based on its karma and desire. Till the time soul has material desires, it continues getting new physical bodies.

Soul regains its spiritual form once it becomes pure

But once the soul becomes free from all material desires, it does not need any physical body. It regains its original spiritual form.

For example, sage Narada is pure, is free from all material contaminations, so his body is spiritual and not material. He does not need any physical body to function. Similarly, the gopis and gopas of the spiritual world, Goloka Vrindavan, are all pure and does not have material bodies. They have spiritual bodies.

So, if the soul becomes pure then like sage Narada or gopis or gopas, the soul will regain its spiritual form. Once the soul will have spiritual personality then it will start exhibiting spiritual qualities.

As a spiritual person, the soul will return back to the spiritual world. There as one of the associates of the Supreme Lord, the soul will reside along with other pure devotees of the Lord.

As a spiritual person, the size of the soul is as per the form(svarupa) in which it serves the Lord in the spiritual world.

Conclusion

• Size of the soul in the material body is one ten – thousandth (1/10,000) part of the tip of the hair. This is confirmed in Svetasvatara Upanisad, Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad and Chaitanya Charitamrita
• Soul resides in the heart of the body according to Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad.
• Soul is spiritual but the soul within the physical body has material coverings, so it is not able to exhibit spiritual qualities.
• Once the soul becomes pure it regains its spiritual form or spiritual personality.  
• As a spiritual person the soul’s size is not one ten – thousandth (1/10,000) part of the tip of the hair. But its size is as per the form (svarupa) in which it serves the Lord in the spiritual world like Goloka Vrindavan.  

How to cultivate mode of goodness and live happily?

If you want to live happily then cultivate mode of goodness. This is what Krishna is saying to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita.

Krishna to Arjuna, “O sinless one, the mode of goodness, being purer than the others, is illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge.” Bhagavad Gita 14.6

If we are not in mode of goodness, then we will be either in mode of passion or mode of ignorance. What happens to those in passion and ignorance? Most of the time or rather all the time such people are full of anxiety and live in fear. And if the mind is filled with fear and anxiety then where is the question of peace and bliss?

Now the question arises that how to cultivate mode of goodness?  Below are few of the steps we can take to come to the mode of goodness. These are based on the teachings of scriptures like Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam and also based on the lectures of Srila Prabhupada and senior devotees of ISKCON. I have experienced that if we try to adopt the lifestyle discussed below then it helps us a lot in our personal life.  It does make us peaceful and happy.

Lead a regulated life to cultivate mode of goodness

If we want to come to the mode of goodness, then it is extremely important that we lead a regulated life.  Unregulated life makes our life chaotic. Regulated life gives direction to our life. So, regulation is important. And for regulated life planning is must.

It is said that “if you fail to plan you plan to fail.” I personally love this statement! 

So, plan your day properly.  Plan your day a day before.  Before going to bed you can make a list of activities you are going to do the next day. If not possible in the night, then first thing to do in the morning is to plan the day. Write it down in your diary or in your mobile. In mobile you can also set a reminder for each activity, it helps. Do not just plan in your mind and hope that you will remember everything. It does not work.

It takes little time to plan the day. But it is a good investment. In the initial few days planning will take more time but gradually once you learn the art of properly planning your day then you will be able to do it quickly. It will then take 10 – 15 minutes.

If you exactly know what you have to do, you will be productive throughout the day. And in the night, on the bed, before sleeping, when you will reflect on your daily activities you will feel satisfied. May be even delighted!  Remember we also experience happiness when we are able to do our prescribed work properly in a timely manner.  

Doings things at the last moment

Many times, we put ourselves in a difficult situation because we have the habit of doing things at the last moment. This is a problem we all suffer from. 

Once I was attending agile training in IBM. The trainer who was quite learned and senior shared a finding on the working habits of men and women.  He said that a study was done to find out how men and women will act if a task is given to them.

A piece of work was assigned to a group of men and group of women on Monday. They were told to complete it by Friday of the same week.  Study was done to find out how much percentage of work both the genders do on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and finally on Friday. How many are going to complete their work before the deadline i.e. Friday?

I am giving just a summary of the findings.

• Although the work could have been completed before Friday but most of the men and women completed the task only on Friday.
• It was found that most of the men started working on the task on Friday morning.
• Women were little better. They started to work from Thursday onwards.

So, women did not do anything for 3 days and men for 4 days. And then there was last minute hurry and anxiety.

You and I can easily relate with this. We might have been in such situations many a times.

Now, if we want to save ourselves from last minute hurry and worry, then we have to plan our life properly – both personal life and professional life.

Plan each hour of the day

While planning it is better to plan each hour of the day. So, we know what to focus on each hour. If there is no clarity, there will be confusion. We will end up wasting time. In confusion mind will ask (or force) us to do things which is least resistive. And we will end up watching uncountable YouTube videos, movies on Netflix, or spend hours on social media.  Or many times we may just lie on the bed gazing at the ceiling like a stupid person.

When we plan our day, we are able to complete our assigned work for sure. But along with that we will also have time to do certain other things which will improve our life.

• For example, if you are working professionals then you can go for trainings or certification courses which will help you in your career.

• Or else those extra time can also be used for spending time with family members, calling a friend with whom you have not spoken for months, going for a walk in the park, exercise, learning new skills and so on. 

We discussed the importance of regulated life. We also discussed that to lead a regulated life, we have to plan our day properly. But it is also important that in our daily plan we have time for those activities which will uplift our life.

So, let us see how we should plan our life so that we can cultivate mode of goodness and improve the quality of our life.

Plan your work in the following ways to cultivate mode of goodness

When you are planning your day then it is important that you give sufficient time for your spiritual growth. Unless and until you connect to God, Krishna you will not be able to lead a happy life. Secret of happy life is be connected with Krishna, the Supreme Lord always. So, our daily plan should include spiritual activities.

If you are a working professional then it is important that you work effectively and efficiently. And for that intelligent planning is required. Along with that you should have time to take care of your physical health.

Families are important. We need them, they need us. So you should spend quality time with them. You also need to socialize, have friends, have good relationship with neighbors. Not just that we also need to have some fun in our life else we will get bored and frustrated. All these activities need time and for that our life should be properly planned. Let us see how to do it.

First, let us discuss the spiritual activities which we all should have in our daily plan.

3 most important daily spiritual activities which should not be given up

Below are the three most important spiritual activities which will help us in our spiritual growth. Unless and until we grow spiritually it will not be possible to cultivate mode of goodness. So, at any cost do not give up these spiritual practices. Let us discuss them.

1. Chanting the holy names of God

Chanting or mantra meditation is very important. Daily we should chant the holy names of God like the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.  Better to plan your day in such a way that you can chant early in the morning. Assign specific time for chanting. If you are busy in the morning, then you can assign specific time to chant in the daytime.  For example, ladies may have to take care of their children or may be occupied with household chores in the morning then they can chant in the daytime.

One round of chanting consisting of 108 beads takes around 6-7 minutes. Srila Prabhupada recommended to chant 16 rounds. 16 round chanting takes around 100 minutes – 120 minutes. Many devotees including devotees who are working professions plan their day in such a way that they chant 16 rounds daily.

If you have just started chanting, then you may not be able to chant 16 rounds immediately. So, start with one or two rounds daily and gradually increase it. In few months you will be able to chant 16 rounds daily.

There are so many benefits of chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. To know the benefits please watch the below video.

2. Worshipping the deity of Lord Krishna

Devotee of Krishna do mangal arati daily in the morning. It will make your life auspicious. Arati purifies the entire atmosphere. And it takes at the most around 30 minutes.

3. Reading spiritual literatures like Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam

These books are not ordinary books. Bhagavad Gita was spoken by Lord Krishna and Srimad Bhagavatam is about Krishna. These are transcendental literatures. If we read these books, then it will nourish our intelligence and give direction to our life.  We can read for 30 minutes daily. It can be done in the morning if we have time or else in the evening or before going to bed.

Along with reading it is also important that we contemplate on the message given these holy books and apply its teachings in our life.

If we begin our day with the above three spiritual activities, then entire day will be auspicious.  Throughout the day we will have blessings and protection of Krishna. Above three spiritual activities should be done everyday of the week.

After making sure that you have completed your spiritual duty, focus on following activities.

Plan your office work intelligently

Krishna has mercifully given us the job. So, we should do our work honestly and diligently.  So, plan your office work intelligently. Whatever work has to be completed should be listed down in a diary or mobile or even on your laptop.  

As per the deadline, priority should be given to each piece of work.  Once the work items to be completed are listed down then your mind will know what has to be done. 

Start proactively doing your work. Do not procrastinate and start work at the last moment. If you start late the work will appear burdensome. You may eventually complete your work, but you will feel exhausted and sometimes even frustrated.

Better to start early and finish early. You will be happy; your manager will be happy.  Any project needs reliable resources who are proactive in their work.  If you are the one, then you will be a sought after resource in the organization. There will be less fear of being on bench or being fired from the company. 

Also, if you do your duties dutifully then Krishna will be pleased. Krishna likes responsible people. Remember whatever work we may be doing we have to always keep Krishna in the center.

Along with your project work, it is also important to learn new technologies or skills which will be helpful for future growth.

Since I work in IT industry, so I am mostly talking from IT perspective, but it is applicable for other sectors as well.  

Whatever may be your field of activity, if you plan and prioritize your work then you will be productive and will earn appreciation from others.

It is applicable even for students. If a student plans his study properly then he will get good marks and will have good career.

Take care of your physical health

Physical health is also important. Please do not neglect it.  So, we should exercise regularly at least 5 days in a week for around 30 minutes. If not possible in the morning, then we can do it in the evening.

I was hearing an interview of Sundar Pichai, Google CEO. He said that he does not get time to exercise in the morning, so he does it in the evening. One another interesting thing he said was that he walks with his colleagues during official discussions and meetings. A good way to get the work done and also be healthy. 

Spend time with your family

It is important to spend time with your family members. We owe a lot to our mother and father. They sacrificed their life to help us grow in our life. So, we should give time to them.

We should give proper time to our spouse and children. Brother and sister also need our time. Give quality time to them.  

If our brother or sister is married and is staying elsewhere with their families then we may not be able to speak to them daily. But at least once or twice a week we should speak to them.

Take care of your social needs

Spend time with your friends. Develop friendship with the devotees of the Lord. Their association will enrich your life.  Also spend time with your neighbors, they are also part of your life. We may not be able to spend time with them daily but at least we can do it once or twice in a week.

Recreation is also important

If we only work, we get bored. So, it is also important to have fun in our life. For that you can hear nice devotional songs or go for a walk in the park with your spouse. If you know swimming, then go for it. It will refresh you.

Also once in six months you can go for outing with your family members.  Relax and rejuvenate. It will bring joy to your life. It will also make your family members happy.

Practice Cleanliness

It is said that cleanliness is next to godliness. So live clean. Take bath daily. Go for a haircut. Trim your nails both of hands and finger. Wear fresh clothes daily.  It looks like I am speaking to a child.

I remember these things were told to us when we were in kindergarten. I am saying this because I have seen people not taking bath daily especially during winters.  They use perfume or deodorant to supress the bad smell of their body. Their nails are big and untidy. Hair grows like bushes. They repeat same clothes without washing for days. These unclean habits have to be given up if we want to cultivate mode of goodness. 

Keeping ourselves clean does not take great amount of time.  It is just a matter of habit. So, we should develop a habit of living a clean life.

Along with that it is important that we keep our surroundings clean. Lord’s altar should be clean. Our study table or worktable should be clean and not clumsy. Books, laptops, mobiles should be properly kept and not thrown away here and there. Make you bed early in the morning. For these things do not depend on others like your maid or wife or children. Do it yourself. 

If we live clean and stay in a clean environment, then it affects our consciousness. It helps us to rise to the mode of goodness.

What Krishna says regarding mode of goodness

We discussed that you should lead a regulated life to cultivate mode of goodness. And for that you need to plan your life wisely. And while planning the important activities on which you should focus, we also discussed those.

If you adopt this lifestyle then slowly you will come to the mode of goodness. You will grow spiritually and have stable material life.

Krishna glorifies mode of goodness. He says to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita 14.9, “O son of Bharata, the mode of goodness conditions one to happiness.”

So, if you and I cultivate mode of goodness following the steps discussed above then we will be able to lead a happy life which we always aspire for.

What were Arjuna’s five reasons to not fight the Mahabharat war?

What were Arjuna’s five reasons to not fight the Mahabharat war at Kurukshetra? The Pandavas and the Kauravas had assembled at Kurukshetra for the epic war. Arjuna was one of the most formidable warriors. But just before the war, he felt that he should not fight. He was overwhelmed with the situation.

In fact, once he thought that it would be better if he flees the battlefield. At this moment of crisis he turned towards Krishna, the Supreme Lord, who was his charioteer, to share his feelings. He explained to Krishna why he did not want to fight.

Let us what were Arjuna’s five reasons to not fight the Mahabharat war:

1. Compassion

Arjuna was full of compassion. Although a fearsome warrior yet kind-hearted. A dear friend of Krishna and a well-wisher of all. He did not want war.

Krishna had tried his best to convince Duryodhana to not compel Pandavas for the war. But the evil son of the blind king, Dhritarashtra, was adamant. So Pandavas and Kauravas had assembled at Kurukshetra. Both the armies were facing each other.

But Arjuna shuddered at the thought that he will be fighting to kill his own family members. He will be shooting arrows towards Bhisma, his great grandfather, and Dronacharya, his guru. 

He remembered his childhood days when he would sit on the lap of Bhisma and the great grandfather would caress him. Bhisma loved him so much. But today he was standing opposite to him to kill him. How can he do so?

Arjuna was one of the the greatest archer. Everyone accepted it. No one could face him in the battle. Even he pleased Lord Shiva with his archery skill. And all this was possible only because of Dronacharya, the great martial teacher. Dronacharya loved Arjuna like his own son.  He put in his best efforts to make Arjuna the best archer of the world.

How can Arjuna fight against his guru, who was like his father?

The hundred Kauravas were his cousins. All were not bad.  For example, Vikarna was a righteous person. Many were his younger brothers.

And then there were thousands of soldiers on both the sides. What were their crimes? Why to put their lives on risk? Why should they die?

Arjuna shares his feelings with Krishna

These thoughts filled Arjuna’s heart with compassion.  He lost his composure. He was torn apart internally. At this hour of crisis, he turned towards Krishna, his friend, his ever well wisher and said,

• “My whole body is trembling, my hair is standing on end, my bow Gāṇḍīva is slipping from my hand, and my skin is burning.” Bhagavad Gita 1.29

• “I am now unable to stand here any longer. I am forgetting myself, and my mind is reeling. I see only causes of misfortune, O Kṛṣṇa, killer of the Keśī demon.” Bhagavad Gita 1.30

• “I do not see how any good can come from killing my own kinsmen in this battle, nor can I, my dear Kṛṣṇa, desire any subsequent victory, kingdom or happiness.” Bhagavad Gita 1.31

2. Enjoyment

Arjuna further said that even if I am victorious still, I won’t be able to enjoy the kingdom. To win the war I will have to kill my own family members. The kingdom will be soaked with the blood of my family members. My adorable grandfather, Bhisma, guru Drona who is like my father, my uncles, brothers, all will be killed. In their absence even if I win still I will be a loser. Fame and fortune cannot be enjoyed alone. To enjoy it we need to share it. But if they are killed then with whom I will share my joy.

Arjuna said, “O maintainer of all living entities, I am not prepared to fight with them even in exchange for the three worlds, let alone this earth. What pleasure will we derive from killing the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra?” Bhagavad Gita 1.32-35

3. Fear of sinful reactions

Killing is a sinful activity. If we kill others, we will incur sins. Sins will lead to suffering. I understand that Duryodhana and his ilks are aggressors, they are ruffians. So what? If they are acting impiously then should we also act irreligiously. What will be the difference between them and us? If like them we engage in this ghastly war and kill the enemies then we will be committing sins. So, it will be better Krishna if I do not fight.

“O Janārdana, although these men, their hearts overtaken by greed, see no fault in killing one’s family or quarreling with friends, why should we, who can see the crime in destroying a family, engage in these acts of sin?” Bhagavad Gita 37 – 38

4. Destruction of Dynasty

When all the assembled warriors will be killed then what will happen to their family? Who will give protection to the elders of the family? Children will become orphans. Women will be unprotected. If the elders of the family are not there, then who will guide the younger generation. In absence of proper guidance dynasty will be destroyed. And destruction of the dynasty will create chaos in the society and bring great disaster.

Consequences of destruction of the dynasty (Bhagavad Gita 1.39 – Bhagavad Gia 1.43)

• With the destruction of dynasty, family tradition is destroyed.
• When family tradition is destroyed then family members start practicing irreligion. 
• And when irreligion increases then women of the family become polluted.
• When women become polluted then there is unwanted progeny.
• Unwanted progeny causes hellish life for the family and for those who are responsible for destroying family tradition.  These unwanted population will not follow religious tradition because of which:
• Ancestors fall down because no one is there to offer them food and water i.e. pinda daan is stopped.
• Community projects and family welfare activities also stop.

Arjuna contemplated that destruction of the dynasty will bring calamity upon all. He said, “Kṛṣṇa, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession that those whose family traditions are destroyed dwell always in hell.” Bhagavad Gita 1.43

Arjuna did not want hellish life for anyone. And he did not want to be the cause of hellish for others. Expressing his anguish, Arjuna said, “Better for me if the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, weapons in hand, were to kill me unarmed and unresisting on the battlefield.” Bhagavad Gita 1.45

5. Indecision

Arjuna gave reasons as why he did not want to fight the Mahabharat war. But still he did not know if this was the right decision. He was confused. He was not convinced by his own argument. Bewildered and undecided he turned towards Krishna and expressed the feelings of his heart, “O Krishna, I do not know what is better for me. I see that the sons of Dhritarashtra are standing before me. But whether I should conquer them or be conquered by them, I do not know.”  Bhagavad Gita 2.6

Arjuna was thinking why to be part of unnecessary violence.  If Duryodhana was so adamant to be the king, let he be the king. I can live by begging. But he also knew that Duryodhana was cruel. He has committed so many sins.

Commenting on this verse Srila Prabhupada writes, “All these considerations by Arjuna definitely proved that not only was he a great devotee of the Lord but he was also highly enlightened and had complete control over his mind and senses.” Bhagavad Gita 2.6 purport

Finally Arjuna takes shelter of Krishna

Standing between both the armies the fearsome warrior was feeling helpless.  Arjuna had given five reasons to Krishna as why he did not want war.  But still he was not sure if not fighting was the right decision. He was not able to take the right decision. Arjuna the mightiest of the warrior on the battlefield of Kurukshetra decided to take shelter of Krishna. He beseeched Krishna to become his guru and guide him, who was now his surrendered disciple.

“Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.” Bhagavad Gita 2.7

Arjuna’s five reasons to not fight the Mahabharat war did not convince Krishna. Krishna ultimately persuaded Arjuna to not run away from Kurukshetra. The Supreme Lord made sure that his friend and devotee fight for the right cause and establish dharma.

To know the details, please read – Why Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight the Mahabharat war?

Why did Lord Chaitanya appear? To teach us devotion to Lord Krishna.

Lord Chaitanya who is also known as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu appeared on earth to teach you and me how to become a pure devotee of Krishna.   He is an incarnation of Krishna. But he appears as a devotee of Krishna. Why? So that, he can teach us by his personal example how to practice devotion to Krishna.  Lord Chaitanya is magnanimous, extremely merciful. He came to deliver the most fallen of the souls.

Lord Chaitanya is like the monsoon cloud, full of hope and happiness. And like the monsoon rain, He distributes ‘happiness’ freely to all without bothering about friends and foes. He is everyone’s friend.

He appears in this world for an important rescue operation. The mission was to cure the diseased souls of material impurities and take them back to their original home. Our original home is the spiritual world, the kingdom of God.

Lord Chaitanya’s birth

Lord Chaitanya, an epitome of love, best remembered as most benevolent incarnation of God, appeared in Mayapur, India, around 500 years ago.

He appeared on 18th Feb, 1486 CE in Mayapur, West Bengal, India. Srila

Bhaktivinod Thakura writes, “Caitanya Mahāprabhu [Lord Chaitanya] was born in Māyāpur, in the town of Nadia, just after sunset on the evening of the 23rd Phālguna, 1407 Śakābda, answering to the 18th of February, 1486, of the Christian Era.”

Most of the people are not aware that Lord Chaitanya is the Supreme God. It is because he hid his identity. Today also if you speak to people, they will agree that he was a great devotee of Krishna, but they will be not ready to accept that he is the Supreme Lord. 

Lord Chaitanya too did not want people to call him as Supreme Lord. Lord Chaitanya’s associates were self-realized souls. They were aware that he is the Supreme Lord. So, sometimes the devotees would address him as Supreme Lord. But Lord Chaitanya strongly opposed this. He would put fingers in his ears and say that you are committing offence by calling me God.

What Vedas say about Lord Chaitanya?

But Vedic literatures clearly say that Lord Chaitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  Vedas have many evidence which proves beyond doubt that Lord Chaitanya (or Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) is God

Let us see few of those evidence from the Vedas.

• In the Adi-Purana and in the Narada Purana, the Supreme Lord says: “I shall advent in the form of a Brahmana devotee and I shall hide my factual identity. I shall deliver all the worlds.”
• In the Padma-Purana it is mentioned: “The Supreme Personality, Janardana, who is the object of the yogis’ meditation, who saves the devotees from various sufferings, and who is the master of all yogic practices, who is always full of divine transcendental ecstasy and bliss, will advent in His own divine form of Sri Chaitanya.”
• In the Garuda Purana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself states: “I will take birth as the son of Sachi, in Navadvip – Mayapur. I will come in my complete spiritual form in the first part of Kali- Yuga.”

Lord Chaitanya appeared to teach us pure devotion to Krishna

Many religious traditions of the world in order to attract people advertise that by following their path people’s material desires will materialize. And this will help them to live a happy and fulfilling material life.

But Lord Chaitanya did not misguide the people. He never gave any false hope to the seekers. He candidly explained that no one can achieve any peace and bliss in this world because this is a place of suffering. Bhagavad Gita 8.15 explains the nature of this world – dukhalayam asaswatam (full of miseries). No amount of material aggrandizement can reduce our miseries.

This is why Lord Chaitanya said that we should practice pure devotion to Krishna.

The only way to get rid of all troubles and attain unlimited happiness is when we develop relationship with Krishna.  That should be our ultimate goal. And once we attain love of Krishna, we will be able to return back to the spiritual world, the kingdom of Krishna.

Lord Chaitanya has given us the process by which we can practice pure devotion to Krishna. It is by chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Lord Chaitanya’s explains the glories of chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra  

Lord Chaitanya has taught us how to chant the names of Krishna. And also what should be our mood when we are practicing devotion to Krishna.

In Siksastakam he explains the glories of chanting and the benefit we get by chanting Krishna’s names.

“Glory to the sri-krsna-sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. This sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.” Sri Siksastakam Text 1

Chanting purifies our heart of all the impurities and helps us to develop love of Krishna.

What should be the mood of devotee of Krishna according to Lord Chaitanya?

In Siksastakam, Lord Chaitanya describes what should be the mood of a devotee of Krishna. He says that a devotee should not have any material desires. Instead, he should have desire to practice pure devotion to Krishna.

“O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service, birth after birth.” Sri Siksastakam Text 2

So, as a practicing devotee it is important that we give up desire to enjoy this world. Instead, we should develop desire to purify our senses and consciousness, so that we can sincerely practice devotion to Krishna.

If we are able to do so, then we will eventually become pure. And once we become pure our life will become perfect. 

Taking shelter of Lord Chaitanya

To practice pure devotion to Krishna and get freedom from all sufferings it is important that we take shelter of Lord Chaitanya.

We should follow his instructions seriously. And chant the holy names of Krishna sincerely. This will purify our hearts and we will become pure. We will attain love of Krishna.

Lord Chaitanya has appeared for this purpose only – to help you and me attain love of Krishna. Once we attain love of Krishna, we will attain complete perfection. We will not be troubled by any material miseries. We will enjoy unlimited happiness.

Lord Chaitanya appeared in this age of Kaliyuga, the age of downfall, to deliver people like you and me.  So, we should pray to Lord Chaitanya, take his shelter and practice devotion to Krishna for our own benefit.

In Navadvipa Dham Mahatmaya, Bhaktivinod Thakura, a great Vaisnava saint, extols Lord Chaitanya,

“Because people in Kali-yuga commit unlimited offenses, which are difficult to check, there can be no means of deliverance other than Gauranga’s name. Therefore, in Kali-yuga, I see no alternative to Sri Gauranga.”

Lord Chaitanya is called by different names – Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Gauranga, Nimai.

So, why did Lord Chaitanya appear? He appeared for you and me because he was very concerned for us. Let us give up all our material desires and use our body, mind and words in serving, remembering, glorifying and worshipping him.

Read: Who is most merciful – Lord Rama or Lord Krishna or Lord Chaitanya?

Why Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight the Mahabharat war? To establish dharma.

At the onset of Mahabharat war, Arjuna wanted to flee away from Kurukshetra, the battlefield. But Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight the Mahabharat war. You may wonder why Krishna wanted the war? War brings mayhem. So, no sane man wants war. But still Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was unhappy when Arjuna was thinking not to fight.

You and I can list down many benefits if there was no Mahabharat war.

Tens and thousands of soldiers who died in the war would have been saved. Abhimanyu, Arjuna’s son, would have not lost his life. Bhisma and Drona would have not died.  If Pandavas and Kauravas would have not fought there would have been no deaths, no widows, no orphaned children.

It appears to be a noble thought. Now picture a scenario. Group of terrorists have entered a city.  Military comes to know about their hideout. They are about to ambush the terrorist camp. But the leader of the army develops cold feet. He does not want to attack the terrorists. Why should we kill them? They are our brothers; humans like us. Let us be non – violent. Let us let them live. The army aborts the mission. After few hours the terrorists create mayhem in the city. They kill hundreds of people – old, young, men, women, children none are spared.

What will you think about the leader of the army? A kind-hearted soldier? A generous leader or a coward? Will he be glorified or rebuked? Will he be punished or rewarded? The answer is obvious.

Duryodhana was not fit to become the king

Duryodhana was an atrocious person. Corrupt, cunning and cruel. To become the king of Hastinapur, he was ready to go to any extent. He had broken many religious principles to satisfy his wanton desires.  Krishna knew Duryodhana’s demoniac mindset. He knew that if evil Duryodhana becomes the king, he will act against the religious principles. He will be an unjust ruler.

Duryodhana committed five major crimes. For these misdeeds, he should be punished and not rewarded.

Below we discuss the five major evil deeds of Duryodhana.

Five major crimes committed by Duryodhana which justifies the Mahabharat war:

1. Duryodhana tried to kill Pandavas deceitfully

Duryodhana was envious of his Pandava brothers since childhood. He envied them.  Duryodhana especially disliked Bhima when they were kids. He tried to kill Bhima by mixing poison in his food. Later he threw unconscious Bhima into the water. But fortunately, Bhima did not die.

Later he tried to burn the Pandavas alive along with their mother, Kunti, in Lakshagriha. He did not have any hesitation in burning his aunt, Kunti, an old lady who was like his mother.

2. Duryodhana tries to disrobe Draupadi

In Kuru assembly, after the Pandavas lost the dice game, Duryodhana decided to insult Draupadi. Draupadi was his sister-in-law. It was his responsibility to protect her. But he was such a wicked person that he ordered his brother, Dushasana to bring Draupadi in the assembly hall. Karna supported him.

When Dushasana went to bring Draupadi, she was in her personal room. Dushasana dragged Draupadi, his sister-in-law, by her hair and brought her in the assembly. Draupadi was in shock. She was in tears. She feared for her honour and life. Duryodhana, Dushasana, Karna, Sakuni were laughing seeing the plight of Draupadi.

Laughing loudly, madly and arrogantly, Duryodhana gestured Draupadi to come and sit on his left thigh. While saying so, he was slapping his thigh.

None of the elders in the assembly could do anything or say anything. Dhritarashtra, the king, blindly attached to his son, Duryodhana, remained quiet. Elders like Bhisma, Vidura, Drona, Kripa all were helpless.

Duryodhana then asked Dushasana to strip Draupadi naked. Dushasana, Duryodhana’s younger puppet, started pulling Draupadi’s sari. Helpless Draupadi was tightly holding her sari begging everyone to save her.  Duryodhana, Dushasana, Karna, Sakuni were laughing like mad men seeing the plight of Draupadi.

Duryodhana who wanted to be the king of Hastinapur was publicly shaming a woman. He wanted to preside the assembly where he was now shaming a woman.

Did Hastinapur deserve a king like Duryodhana who was abusing a woman publicly?

In the great Kuru assembly, surrounded by hundreds of great personalities, Draupadi found herself all alone. No one was there for her. She begged, pleaded, cried tears but no one came to help her.

Krishna saves Draupadi from Dushasana

Draupadi understood that other than the Lord there is no one who can help a mortal being. She left her sari which she was holding tightly, raised her both harms and helplessly cried Krishna’s names. Krishna was not there in the assembly hall. But Krishna is there in everyone’s heart. He heard Draupadi’s cry for help and immediately came for her help.

Dushasana was trying to pull the sari and Krishna provided unlimited sari to Draupadi. Dushasana tried hard to undress Draupadi but failed. He was exhausted and almost fainted. Krishna saved Draupadi. Evil four – Duryodhana, Dushasana, Karna, Sakuni – stopped laughing. Duryodhana failed to disrobe Draupadi.

Draupadi, seething with anger, took a vow in that assembly, “I will not tie my hair until it is bathed with the blood of Dushasana.”  

Bhima who was somehow controlling his anger, stood up and took two vows:

Bhima’s vow in the Kuru assembly

Fuming with anger Bhima looked towards Duryodhana and Dushasana. He then looked towards everyone present in the assembly and took a vow:

I will kill Dushasana, rip apart his chest and will drink his blood. With that blood I will bathe Draupadi’s lose hair. 

“O kings of the world,” he thundered, “listen to my words! I shall now make a vow unlike any that has been made before. Nor shall such a vow be made in future. If I do not forcefully tear open the breast of this sinful wretch on the battlefield and drink his blood, then may I not obtain the path of my ancestors.” – Draupadī Dragged to the Assembly

Although Duryodhana failed to disrobe Draupadi, but it shows his evil mindset.

3. Duryodhana abducts a Gandharva lady

Pandavas were exiled to the forest after they lost the dice game.  Without any riches, they were living frugally in the forest. Duryodhana, Karna and Sakuni thought to go to the forest to humiliate the Pandavas. They decided to stay near the place where the five Pandavas were residing. Duryodhana wanted to display his opulence. This he felt will embarrass the five brothers. 

In the forest Duryodhana committed another crime. He abducted a lady who was a Gandharva.  Later the Gandharvas led by Chitrasena rescued the lady by defeating Duryodhana and Karna. Gandharvas even captured Duryodhana. Duryodhana and Karna thought they were great warriors, but they were defeated by the Gandharvas. 

In fact, later Arjuna and Bhima went and rescued Duryodhana. Duryodhana had gone to humiliate the Pandavas but himself got shamed.  

This again shows Duryodhana’s character. He had no respect for women.

4. Duryodhana disobeyed everyone including Bhisma, his great grandfather, and Dronacharya, his guru

Duryodhana never listened to anyone’s advice. He disrespected Bhisma, who was his great grandfather. Duryodhana disobeyed his guru, Dronacharya. He always rebuked Vidura, his uncle and one of the most noble souls in Hastinapur. And Dhritrashtra, his father, who was the king was Duryodhana’s puppet. Dhritarashtra was so attached to his son that he did not have the courage to say no to him. 

A king should always be open to advice from the elders and the ministers. But Duryodhana was full of arrogance. He did not listen to anyone. Duryodhana always wanted to have his way. He only wanted to satisfy his ignoble desires.

5. Duryodhana tried to imprison Krishna, the Supreme Lord

Pandavas led by Krishna were very pious. Although Duryodhana had committed so many sins but still they were ready to forgive him and start afresh.

Krishna personally went to Hastinapur as a peace messenger. He wanted to convince Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana to give up all enmity.  Yudhishthira, the eldest Pandava, was the heir of the throne of Hastinapur. But Krishna told Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana that the Pandavas are ready to give the throne of Hastinapur to Duryodhana. However in return Duryodhana should give 5 villages to Pandavas to rule.

But Duryodhana said that he will not give them a land even of the size of the tip of a needle. 

Duryodhana did not stop there. He decided to imprison Krishna who had come as peace messenger.  He asked the soldiers to attack Krishna and capture Krishna. Krishna is not an ordinary person. He is the Supreme Lord. So, how can he be imprisoned? But Duryodhana who was full of pride thought he can capture Krishna and put him in prison.

Krishna expanded himself. He showed his gigantic form. Everyone present there was stunned. Duryodhana’s soldiers were fearful to even go near Krishna.

Krishna left the palace. All attempt to make peace came to an end. The war was inevitable.

Conclusion: Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight Mahabharat war to establish dharma

Duryodhana as a king would have been a disaster. So, Krishna did not want him to become the king of Hastinapur. It is said – yathā rājā tathā prajā. It means “as is the king, so are the subjects.”

The general public follows the footsteps of the ruler. So, if the ruler is corrupt, immoral then people follow his path and become corrupt and sinful.

Krishna had appeared to eliminate wicked people like Duryodhana and his supporters like Karna. He wanted to establish dharma.  

Yudhishthira was pious. He was Dharmaraj – upholder of religious values and principles. This is why, Yudhishthira was fit to rule Hastinapur. So, Krishna wanted Arjuna to fight the Mahabharata war and establish Dharma.  

What is the mood and mission of Srila Prabhupada? To help you attain love of Krishna.

The mood and mission of Srila Prabhupada is to spread unadulterated teachings of Lord Krishna all over the world. So that you and I can lead a Krishna conscious life and ultimately attain love of Krishna. According to Srila Prabhupada the purpose of human form of life is to establish relationship with Krishna and return back to the kingdom of Krishna. This is the panacea for all material sufferings. And this is the ultimate perfection of life.

But for most of the spiritual leaders, spirituality is a means to improve material life.  But Prabhupada did not focus much on improving one’s material well – being. Why so? Because he contends that if we lead a pure spiritual life then our material life will be automatically taken care.

In this world, we suffer because of the sins we committed in the past and because of the sins we are committing now because of ignorance. But when we bring Krishna in our life then he burns our past sins and removes our ignorance so that we do not commit any more sins.  So, by practicing devotion to Krishna we become happy in this world also.  

The mood and mission of Srila Prabhupada is best reflected in the preface of Bhagavad Gita as it is. There are three aspects to it. Let us try to understand:

Three aspects of the mood and mood of Srila Prabhupada

1. To present the message of Krishna to the world without any adulteration.

Srila Prabhupada wrote several books. One of the most widely read books of Srila Prabhupada is his commentary on Bhagavad Gita. He called his Bhagavad Gita commentary as “Bhagavad Gita as it is.” The word “as it is” means that his book presents the message of Krishna without any adulteration.

Srila Prabhupada explains, “Our business is to present the will of Kṛṣṇa, not that of any mundane speculator like the politician, philosopher or scientist, for they have very little knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, despite all their other knowledge.”

There are many scholars who have commented on this sacred book but have misinterpreted Krishna’s message. They use ‘Bhagavad Gita’ to propagate their own agenda. Someone even wrote a book and called it as “My Gita.” It has nothing to do with Krishna’s Gita. Many writers/commentators freely use the word ‘Gita’ because Bhagavad Gita is famous all over the world. Prabhupada strongly condemns these so-called scholars who in guise of writing commentary on Bhagavad Gita present their own mission and not Krishna’s mission.

In his commentary Prabhupada directly talks about Krishna’s mission. Krishna’s words are presented as it is. There is no personal interpretation. Whatever Krishna spoke to Arjuna, the same conversation is presented.  Most importantly Prabhupada’s commentary is as per the knowledge which is coming down through the chain of disciplic succession (paramparā).  So, it authentic.  

2. To establish Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead

In Bhagavad Gita Krishna says that he is the Supreme God.  Few examples are:

• “I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.” Bhagavad Gita 10.8
• “O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.” Bhagavad Gita 7.7

Krishna even shows his virat – rupa (universal form) in which entire universe is situated.

Later Arjuna too confirms that Krishna is indeed the Supreme Lord, and this truth has been accepted by great sages like Narada and others. 

Arjuna says “You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala and Vyāsa confirm this truth about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.” Bhagavad Gita 10.12-13.

In spite of these evidence there are mayavadi scholars and mundane scholars who write commentary on Bhagavad Gita but do not accept Krishna as the Supreme Lord.  They reject Krishna.  These so-called scholars say that Krishna and his inner spirit are different. They deny Krishna’s personality. But this is mental speculation. There is no verse in Gita where it is said that Krishna and his inner self are different. Prabhupada strongly refutes this illogical understanding.

He writes, “Kṛṣṇa is absolute, and there is no difference between Kṛṣṇa’s name, Kṛṣṇa’s form, Kṛṣṇa’s qualities, Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, etc.”  In his Bhagavad Gita commentary, Prabhupada again and again underlines that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.  He gives reference from Bhagavad Gita and also from other Vedic literatures to confirm Krishna’s Supreme position.

3. To educate people that real happiness is in serving Krishna and not in serving one’s senses

Prabhupada has made one thing very clear that no matter how hard you and I try but we cannot attain complete bliss as long as we have material consciousness. The more we try to fulfil our material desires, more miserable we become.

We are souls and Krishna is the Supersoul. As souls, we are part and parcel of Krishna.  We are eternally related to Krishna. Krishna, the Supreme Lord, is the Supreme Controller, the cause of all causes. He is the source of all happiness.

So, to attain eternal happiness, we should connect ourselves to Krishna. We should endeavour to develop relationship with Krishna.  And how to develop relationship with Krishna has been explained in detail in Bhagavad Gita and other books of Srila Prabhupada.

Whatever activities we do in this world, we should keep Krishna in the centre. Whatever results we achieve we should offer it to Krishna.

Krishna in Bhagavad Gita 9.27 says, “Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform – do that, O son of Kuntī, as an offering to Me.”

And instead of satisfying our material senses, we should always try to satisfy Krishna’s senses. This will bring peace and happiness.

And we should regularly chant the names of Krishna like the Hare Krishna Mahamantra – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

By doing so our hearts will get free from all material impurities and we will gradually develop love for Krishna. Once we attain love of Krishna all our sufferings will end. We will attain complete perfection.

Conclusion

The mood and mission of Srila Prabhupada was to fulfil the mission of Krishna.  Krishna does not want anyone to suffer.  Srila Prabhupada, a pure devotee of Krishna, felt pain when he saw people are suffering.  Prabhupada wanted everyone to live as per the teachings of Krishna given in sacred books like Bhagavad Gita. He wanted people to become devotees of Krishna and attain love of Krishna. This is the best way to attain freedom from all sufferings.

To help people lead a Krishna conscious life, Srila Prabhupada established ISKCON.  Today ISKCON is playing a very important role in spreading unadulterated message of Krishna in every nook and corner of the world. Millions of people are becoming devotees of Krishna because of ISKCON.

What happens to an unsuccessful yogi?

I used to always wonder what is the destination of an unsuccessful yogi? If someone starts practicing yoga or spirituality but gives up the practice after few years then what will happen to him? Or if someone is practicing yoga for a long period of time and then falls down then what will be his destination?

Will he be considered sinful because he has given up yoga? Will he suffer like a materialistic person who is only busy in sense gratification? Or will he suffer more than a materialistic person because he is a failed yogi?

Krishna answers this question in Bhagavad Gita 6.41 – 42. He says that the unsuccessful yogi is not doomed, he is not destined to suffer. Instead, a yogi who fails to attain complete perfection gets an opportunity to enjoy heavenly pleasure. And also gets an opportunity to again start practicing yoga in next life so that he can attain complete perfection.

There are two types of unsuccessful yogis. They have been described in Bhagavad Gita.

One who falls after practicing yoga for a short period of time and has made little progress.

• One who falls after practicing yoga for a long period of time.
• Based on their progress in yoga their destinations are also different. Let us see in detail what future awaits them.

Destination of an unsuccessful yogi who falls after little progress

Many people may take to yoga but they may give it up after short sincere practice.  They may fall down because of material attachment. Or they may fall down because they are so materially conditioned that for them to follow the rules and regulations of yoga is difficult.  Krishna bestows his mercy upon such unsuccessful yogi also. He says,

“The unsuccessful yogī, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.” Bhagavad Gita 6.41

There are two destination of unsuccessful yogi who falls after little progress.

They go to heavenly planets

The unsuccessful yogi who falls after short practice of yoga goes to the heavenly planets where pious people go.  They get heavenly body and enjoy heavenly pleasures for a long period of time.  Whatever material desires they had gets fulfilled in heavenly abode. 

They take birth in the family of a righteous person or aristocratic family

After enjoying heavenly pleasures, they again take birth in this material world. In this world they are born either into the family of a righteous person or into a rich aristocratic family.

• If they take birth in the family of a righteous person then from beginning, they will get favorable environment to practice yoga or spirituality.
• If they take birth in a wealthy family then they will not have to worry much about their material needs like food, clothing and shelter. Instead, they will have ample time to practice yoga and perfect their life.

For example, we see in ISKCON there are many devotees who have strong financial background. Alfred Ford is the great grandson of Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company. And he is practicing devotion to Krishna so sincerely.  Similarly there are other devotees who are very rich. Such devotees are able to devote lots of time in practicing devotional life.

Destination of an unsuccessful yogi who falls after long practice of yoga

In BG 6.42, Lord Krishna explains the destination of unsuccessful yogi who falls after long practice of yoga.

“Or [if unsuccessful after long practice of yoga] he takes his birth in a family of transcendentalists who are surely great in wisdom. Certainly, such a birth is rare in this world.” Bhagavad Gita 6.42

If a yogi falls after long practice of yoga, then he gets an opportunity to take birth in the family of transcendentalists. These transcendentalists are pure devotee of God, Krishna. They have lots of wisdom. So, if an unsuccessful yogi gets birth in such a family then from childhood only he will get the chance to practice yoga.

He will always be surrounded by devotees of Lord.  He will hear devotional stories in the house, hear kirtan, eat prasad (spiritual food. His family members will take him to holy places, to the temples. He will always be exposed to spiritual culture. From his spiritual family, he will learn how to practice spiritual life. And under their guidance he will practice yoga or devotion to Krishna with utmost sincerity. In this way he will become a pure devotee of Krishna and attain complete spiritual perfection.

Example

In the purport of this verse Srila Prabhupada tells that his guru, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and he himself was fortunate to take birth in the family of pure devotees.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was son of Bhakti Vinoda Thakura, an exalted devotee of Krishna. Bhakti Vinod Thakura was an exalted devotee of Krishna. He was a great spiritual scholar and a profound spiritual writer. Under his guidance, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura practiced devotion to Krishna since childhood. Later he became one of the most prominent spiritual leaders of India and preached to millions of people.

Similarly, Srila Prabhupada’s father Gaur Mohan De was a pure devotee. Since childhood his father encouraged him to practice devotion to Krishna and Radha. Whenever anyone visited his house, his father would ask him to bless his son so that he becomes a devotee of Srimati Radharani. As child, he saw his father always engaged in devotional activities which inspired him a lot.

He was so motivated that when he was just a small child, he organized a grand Rath Yatra festival. In the festival his family members, his little friends and people from neighborhood participated. They would pull the rath (cart) of Lord Jagannath, sing, chant, dance and distribute prasad. Prabhupada was always grateful to his father for encouraging him to become a devotee of Krishna since childhood.

Conclusion

Anyone who practices yoga or spirituality sincerely as given in the Vedic scriptures gets the mercy of Krishna. Even if a yogi falls during the practice of yoga still he has a great future. He is never lost and he is able to free himself from material miseries. Eventually an unsuccessful yogi becomes successful. Krishna makes their life glorious.

In these two verses BG 6.41 – 42, Krishna is giving us lots of hope.  He is encouraging us to take to the path of spirituality. So, we should try our best to be situated in yoga. Success is guaranteed. Krishna himself confirms.

An example: How to control anger when someone provokes you?

Anger itself is difficult to control. But to control anger when someone provokes you is the most difficult thing to do. In Bhagavad Gita 16.21, Lord Krishna says that anger is gateway to hell. We all have experienced this in our life. As soon as we succumb to anger our peace of mind goes away, we feel terrible from within. So, Bhagavad Gita says that in all situations, we should try to control anger.

Even when someone provokes us, still we should try to control anger. Difficult to practice but not impossible. If we read the life of great devotees of Lord like Ambarish Maharaj or Haridas Thakura we see that they were able to control anger even in very difficult situations. This is why they attained perfection in their life.

If we study the lives of great spiritual personalities then we can learn a lot from them. And if we implement those learnings in our life then we will also attain perfection. Today also there are sincere spiritual leaders who are applying the teachings of scriptures and following the footsteps of acharyas (great spiritual teachers) in their lives.

I heard an incident related to HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami Maharaj from HG Radheshyam Prabhu. Maharaj faced an awkward situation at an airport. He was provoked by a person but Maharaj without becoming provoked handled the situation effectively.

From this example we can learn how to control anger when provoked.

HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami is accused by a fellow traveler

HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami Maharaj is a senior sannyasi in Iskcon. He is a disciple of HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj. Once at an airport he faced a very difficult situation, rather embarrassing one. He was standing near the belt, waiting to collect his luggage. He saw one bag which he thought was his and he picked it up.

Immediately a man rushed towards him and grabbed the bag. “This is mine,” the man said rudely. Maharaj said sorry and gave him the bag.  Maharaj had picked the bag because it looked exactly like his own bag.

We all have experienced this at airport. Many bags come and sometimes it looks exactly like ours. We pick it up and soon realize that it is not ours and so we put it back on the belt or if the bag’s owner comes, we hand it to them. It is quite normal.

But this man had a different mindset.  He did not just snatch the bag from Maharaj but started yelling at him. “How dare you take my bag? Did you want to steal it?”

Maharaj was taken aback. People standing there started looking towards Maharaj and the man. It was so embarrassing for Maharaj. Maharaj maintained his composure. “Your bag looks similar to mine, so I thought it was mine and took it,” he said politely.

The man was not ready to accept Maharaj’s apology. “I do not believe you”, he shouted. The man’s wife rushed to the scene and tried to calm her husband. “It seems it was a genuine mistake. Do not use unkind words. Let’s go now. We have our luggage,” his wife reasoned. The man who seemed to suffer from bad temper did not listen to his wife. He continued with his accusation.

Without becoming angry Bhakti Rasamrita Swami won the battle

Maharaj was being falsely accused of stealing a bag in front of so many people. But Maharaj did not lose his temper.  He did not raise his voice. He did not use any harsh words.

But Maharaj tried his best to make the man understand that he did not have any wrong motive. It was done by mistake and these things normally happens while collecting luggage at airport.  Although Maharaj spoke politely but he did not allow the man to accuse him and take him for granted.

In few minutes Maharaj’s bag also came. He immediately picked his bag and showed to the man. Maharaj put his bag near the man’s bag. They were exactly similar. Only the bag’s owner after close examination could differentiate between the two.

The man looked extremely upset. His wife felt embarrassed. The people present there could easily understand who was right.

In normal situations many of us would have become wild when someone would have accused us of stealing. We would have responded harshly.  It is difficult to tolerate insults and that to publicly.

But Maharaj handled the situation calmly and intelligently. He did not allow the man to dominate. The man spoke harshly. Maharaj spoke politely. The man accused Maharaj. But Maharaj logically countered the accusation. The man continued using unkind words even when his wife was asking him not to do so. Maharaj did not utter any unkind words but did not silently tolerate the accusation. Later Maharaj proved that he is right by showing that his bag and the man’s bag looks similar.

It was a provoking situation, but Maharaj did not become angry. He controlled his anger.  He managed the embarrassing situation intelligently. Without losing his temper Maharaj won the battle. He controlled his anger during the provoking situation.

Strong spiritual foundation can help us to control anger

We all have seen people fighting and quarreling over trivial things at public places. Sometimes people even get into fisticuffs.  They even use cuss words for which they may later feel embarrassed.

When we are insulted or when we are falsely accused of things which we have not done then we should not suffer silently. We should not allow others to insult or dominate us. But it is also not a good idea to lose our cool and behave in an irrational way.  But such situations although difficult to handle can be managed intelligently.

We can control anger when someone provokes us only when we have a strong spiritual foundation.  When we try to connect ourselves with God through spiritual practices like mantra meditation then we develop ability to control our inner self. We do not easily get carried away by our emotions. In fact, we develop inner strength to take charge of our emotions.  

We are able to control our anger. We do not get easily provoked by trivial issues. Even if the issue is serious as in the case of Maharaj we are able to handle it properly.

Three effective ways to control anger when someone provokes you

From Maharaj’s incident we learn how to control anger when provoked and how to handle such situations.

We learn three lessons:

1. Do not suffer silently when someone is misbehaving or insulting. As we saw Maharaj responded to all the allegations, he did not suffer silently.
2. Even in provoking situations do not lose your temper or become angry. Maharaj remained calm and at no point he spoke harshly with the man.
3. Be polite but be firm and present your facts logically. Maharaj countered all the allegations with logics and facts. Finally it was proven that he was right.