Author: Purushottam Nitai Das

In the company of snakes!

Purushottam Nitai Das July 25, 2014

If we are lying on a couch in our room and we suddenly see a snake in the corner, what would be our immediate reaction? Will we continue lying there peacefully anymore? Definitely not. Within no time we will run out of the room and will frantically cry for help. Unless and until we drive the snake out from there and make sure that it never enters again we would not rest. In fact we can go to the extent of killing the snake for our safety and security. Any sane man will do the same.

But the scriptures are not much enthusiastic about our sanity. Why? Because it says that in spite of repeated reminders we prefer the company of the venomous snakes. These snakes are our senseswhich continue to dominate our life and dictate terms to us. They make us crazy and wild and most importantly do not allow us to flourish in Krishna consciousness. True we cannot kill our senses and no one asks us to even do it. We are just asked to detoxify our senses by removing all the poisonous substances from it. What are these lethal elements? It’s pretty simple to identify. Things which are favourable in practicing our devotional life should be preserved and which are not should be purged. We have to ensure that each and every sense gets sanctified because as one snake in the room can make us miserable similarly any one of the uncontrolled senses will make us insane.In Gita 2.67 Krishna says, “As a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the water, even one of the roaming senses on which the mind focuses can carry away a man’s intelligence.”

Once our senses become pure then instead of becoming an impediment they will start enthusiastically cooperating with us in our devotional life. In fact each of the senses can be astutely utilized in serving the Lord. Chaste and controlled senses will help us flourish in our devotional life.

 

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Five different types of liberation can be attained

Purushottam Nitai Das July 24, 2014

Liberation means freedom from material bondage. There are five types of liberation which can be achieved by a spiritual seeker.

These are:

  • Sarsti: achieving opulences equal to that of the Lord.
  • Sarupya: having a form like that of the Lord. Residents of the Vaikuntha planet have four handed form like Lord Vishnu.
  • Samipya: living as a personal associate of the Lord.
  • Salokya: living on a Vaikuṇṭha planet.
  • Sayujya: Merging into the Brahman feature of the Lord.

Sayujya is the aspiration of the impersonalists and so is abhorred by the great authorities of Vedic literatures. Devotees of the Lord are ready to accept the other four types of liberation (sarsti, sarupya, samipya and salokya) but they would never accept sayujya liberation. These liberations can be achieved by those who have developed distaste for frustrating material life and have made a concerted choice to become a part of the God’s abode.

However pure devotees of the Lord do not even want liberation. For them hell or heaven or even the spiritual world is same. They remain so absorbed in serving and remembering the Lord that they never think of their own life and desire. Their love for Lord is so great that even Krishna finds it difficult to understand it; in fact Krishna completely surrenders to them. It was mother Yashoda’s extraordinary love for Krishna that she was able to bind him by a rope.

 

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Flashback of life at the final seconds

Purushottam Nitai Das July 23, 2014
A devotee went to take bath in the Ganges along with his devotee friends. While swimming he went deep inside the river and started drowning. He frantically shouted for help.  His friends and other fellow swimmers immediately rushed to rescue him. The devotee was struggling in the water for life. With lots of effort he was finally saved and was brought to the bank. By this time he was totally unconscious, lots of water had also gone into his body. He was laid upside down and water was forced out of his body. After sometime he regained consciousness.  

His devotee friends who were surrounding him and were praying for him became very happy to see him fine. Many embraced him and all inquired about his health. Everyone was curious to know one thing but seeing the occasion they hesitated and decided to ask it later. When things finally stabilised, situation became normal then his friends asked him a very important question. They asked, “When he was struggling for his life and was about to die then was he able to remember Krishna at that critical moment?” Everyone with bated breath waited for his answer. The devotee’s answer is not just shocking but it is an eye opener for all of us.

He solemnly said that while he was drowning and was about to lose his consciousness he started seeing the images of all the activities in which he had indulged in throughout his life one after the other. Many things which he had even forgotten appeared before him. And finally the flashback stopped at a particular image and that was the image of a lady advertising a soap product. And then he became unconscious. He was not able to see or remember Krishna at that critical time. So shocking!

Whatever activities we do in life get stored in the mind in the form of an image. Many of the events of our life we may forget but still all the information remain intact in the mind. This is why we are asked to practice devotional life with utmost sincerity so that our mind gets over flooded with the thoughts and pictures of Krishna. Our heart gets attached to him and we can constantly and continuously think and mediate on him. Then only there is any possibility that we will be able to remember him while leaving this world and will return back to the spiritual world.  Krishna says in Gita (8.5) that those who remember him at the time of death come to him without fail. So let us start storing Krishna in our heart and mind by becoming serious in our devotional life. And simultaneously stop storing non Krishna conscious images by not indulging in anti devotional deeds.  

Bhagavad Gita 8.5: And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body remembering Me alone at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.

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Know Krishna by knowing his attributes

Purushottam Nitai Das July 21, 2014
Gita has in total 18 chapters. Bhakti yoga which is the highest among all the yogas is explained from 7th to 12thchapters.  7th Chapter is called “Knowledge of the Absolute”, here one gets to know about Krishna and his all the opulence which qualifies him as the Supreme God. Knowing Krishna is simple but it is not easy to be always simple. Only a genuine humble person who is free from ego and has a desire to think beyond this material world will actually inquire about the ultimate truth and will endeavour in that direction. One can be a great scholar, philosopher and even religionist but still they won’t be able to understand God. They may use many lofty arguments, word jugglery and mental speculation but they will always be bereft of love of God unless they give up their desire to separately enjoy this world. They may also read Gita umpteen number of times and also write their own commentary but in spite of these they will not know the goal of Gita which is to surrender to Krishna.

We should not get confused by such material pundits whose consciousness is stuck up in this material world. As spiritualists our topmost priority is to know Krishna and to develop love for him.

Chapter 7 gives us information about Krishna. The below acronym (HEAD) best describe this chapter:

  • H: Hear about Krishna and his energies.
  • E: How to see him Everywhere
  • A: Who Accept Krishna and who Reject Him?
  • D: Who are Demigods and how all the demigods are subordinate to Krishna.

Once we have the understanding of Krishna then our love for him will fructify. Currently we all have forgotten Krishna and our relationship with him. This chapter addresses this problem and gives complete knowledge of the attributes of Krishna and how he is the source of everything. It nourishes our intelligence and helps us to reconnect with him.

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Neglected senses finally surrender

Purushottam Nitai Das July 20, 2014
Senses always crave for our attention. The more we satisfy their whimsical demands more they become demanding and if we fail to satisfy them then they start creating tantrums like a spoiled brat.  People who become slave of their senses constantly remain disturbed, confused and at war with themselves. Frequently being tortured by the senses people are not able to achieve anything substantial in their life.  Their time and energy goes in just confronting the senses.

In this world, even for achieving some worldly success one needs to regulate their senses. For e.g. reputed singers take extreme precaution in protecting their voice. They will not eat or drink anything no matter how much tantalizing it may be if it is harmful for their voice. Renowned singers practice daily without fail to fine tune their voice and avoid things which can lower their voice quality.

Even for material success sense control is needed. Now devotional life is the topmost and so to achieve it we have to work hard to subdue our senses. Every one of us is qualified to achieve love of God but it requires serious and sincere endeavour. Not succumbing to the whims of our callous senses is a must. The senses pull us in several directions making our life miserable.  Every individual has his own unique problem and has to deal with it accordingly. God is of course there to help us and guide us but it is also said that God helps those who help themselves. So we first have to have the desire to control the senses. Simultaneously we have to take practical steps to rein in our senses. Chanting the names of the Lord, reading scriptures, associating with devotees who are determined in their devotional pursuit, going to the temple whenever possible, regularly praying to the Lord for help, eating only those foods which have been offered to the Lord are some of the necessary steps to be taken. Things to be avoided are: not being in the company of those who are gross materialists and who are always busy in sensual gratification, not wasting time watching movies or TV programs which are sexually explicit or violent or which promotes non devotional culture, never indulging in watching pornographic internet content or movies or reading such literatures, avoiding food which is prepared by committing violence on animals or which is unhealthy.

If we start following these dos and don’ts then slowly we will get the determination to say NO to our senses. It is true that our senses will not silently accept our authority, they will create ruckus. But if we tolerate their onslaughts and neglect them and continue to live as per the guidelines of the Holy Scriptures then our senses will become totally helpless. Soon they will be forced to bow to us. Seeing our ruthless senses surrendering to us will be a great feeling. We would be very delighted and along with that will experience extraordinary peace and happiness.

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Overpower emotion through devotion

Purushottam Nitai Das July 17, 2014

Remember Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurushetra. He wanted to run away from the battlefield and was contemplating on the possibilities of begging and living. Suppose that a soldier runs away from the border post during a war then how much disrepute he will bring to his family, society and most importantly to the nation.

 

But Arjuna, overpowered by lots of emotions, was ready to embrace all the disgrace. But fortunately he had befriended with Krishna. Krishna being the Lord was aware about all the pitfalls which affect common man. He knew that Arjuna’s reluctance to not fight was not because of any sound logic but was due to his blind attachment towards his relatives.  Krishna wanted to save the humanity from getting ruled by a tyrant, irreligious, arrogant and selfish Duryodhana. Establishing religious principles which will do good to humanity is far more important than being captive to one’s own feelings and sentiments.

 

Krishna wanted to educate Arjuna about the importance of leading a God centric moral life. Krishna spoke to Arjuna eloquently in an authoritative but friendly tone. Krishna’s words did not break Arjuna’s heart but helped him to see the truth as it is. It is not that Arjuna was less intelligent or coward or was not aware about his duties. He was very knowledgeable and was a very powerful warrior.

 

In the past he had proved his mettle by defeating many fiercest warriors. But somehow his heart was now clouded with emotions and preventing him from discharging his duties. The situation can also be an arrangement of Krishna so that he could deliver the most important message of life during the most extraordinary circumstances to an extraordinary warrior. This conversation has become memorable. The words spoken by Krishna to Arjuna are recorded in Bhagavad Gita. This book is accepted as the crest jewel of all the philosophical literatures of the world.  Gita elaborately and logically talks about isvara (God), jiva (living entities), prakriti (nature), karma (actions) and kala (time). The book has been guiding humanity for thousands of years and has transformed lives of millions of people.

 

In Gita, Krishna highlights the importance and necessity of devotion to God. Devotion simply means doing things which pleases the Lord. For Arjuna, fighting was his devotion because the war would help in re-establishing a God conscious society and culture. Like Arjuna, we too can practice devotion by doing work by keeping Krishna in the centre and offering all the results of our endeavours to him. The process is pretty simple and very helpful as it ensures that we do not indulge in any wrongful deeds. Arjuna got surcharged with energy and enthusiasm after listening to Krishna and said, “My dear Kṛṣṇa, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy. I am now firm and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions. (Bhagavad Gita 18.73)”

 

Whenever our intelligence starts getting troubled by emotions then we should immediately take shelter of Gita. Gita’s pristine message will help us to rise above mind and emotions and will simultaneously encourage us to engage in meaningful and fruitful work.

 

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Determined devotion saves us from all disgraceful situations

Purushottam Nitai Das July 16, 2014
More than the drops of the water in all the oceans we might have committed sins in our past lives and also in our present life. Many protests saying that why are we being punished for our sins which we do not even remember. True, due to our limited and tiny senses and mind we tend to forget most of the things which we do in our life. A child may not remember his childhood but his father knows every detail about his child’s activities. Similarly the Supreme Lord is totally cognizant about our previous activities. It is not that he simply keeps on punishing us. In fact he is unwilling to see us suffer. Whatever token punishment comes in our life is just to remind us that we reap what we sow and so we should be extra cautious about our actions.  

Lord gives us many opportunities to burn our sins and lead a happy and fulfilling life. How it can be done is explained in Srimad Bhagavatam through the story of Prsadhra. Prsadhra was the son of Vaivasvata Manu [Sraddhadeva]. He had been given the responsibility of protecting the cows. Once in a dark and cloudy night a tiger attacked the cows. Prsadhra immediately went to rescue the cows. And in the melee and due to darkness he mistakenly killed a cow instead of the ferocious tiger. He profusely repented for it. But sadly his spiritual master cursed him to take a low birth in the next life. Prsadhra did not want to suffer. So the first thing he did was that he renounced everything of this world – both physically and mentally. And then he fixed his mind completely on the Supreme God, Vasudeva, and began executing devotional service with utmost faith and determination. By doing this he was successful in nullifying the curse and whatever sins might be there in his life. After achieving purity and love of God he was easily able to transcend this world and he effortlessly entered the spiritual world. His determined devotion saved him from leading an ignominious life in this world.

So if we have been put into difficulty due to our past misdeeds then we should not be morose. There is a way to get out of all the unpalatable situations. We just have to take shelter of the Supreme and benevolent God. He will purify us and we then can have a peaceful, dignified and secure life.

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Irrationals reject God and Rationals accept God

Purushottam Nitai Das July 15, 2014
One arrogant scientist challenged God, “I can do whatever you can do.” So, God created seeds and from that seed came out a beautiful flower bearing plant.  Now the scientist’s turn came. He bent down and picked mud from the earth. God immediately said, “Stop. First create your own earth!”

It’s true that nothing of this world belongs to us. In fact everything has been given to us by God and he has allowed us to use all the resources which are present here. By studying and using the assets of this world many people are able to achieve something outstanding.  However among those many get puffed up and start flaunting their achievements. They start deriding God and ultimately start rejecting the very idea of God. They propagate that there is no intelligent designer behind this perfect world but everything happened by some chance.  They claim that they can unearth all the mysteries of this world.  These are those people who have been bewildered by Lord’s illusionary energy – mayayapahrita jnanah (Bhagavad Gita 7.15).

The atheists also advocate that those with scientific mindset are rational and rational people do not accept that God exists. This argument is completely flawed. Science and spirituality does not go ill together. In fact those who are analytical, thoughtful and have scientific bend of mind accepts the existence of God and appreciates his supreme intelligence in creating such a complex yet perfect universe. Renowned scientists like Newton and Einstein were firm believers in God.  Einstein said, “I believe in God – who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of the Universe. I believe that intelligence is manifested throughout all Nature.  The basis of scientific work is the conviction that the world is an ordered and comprehensible entity and not a thing of Chance. When I sit here and watch the mighty ocean, I can imagine the treasures hidden below the bed of the sea, when I see the clear blue sky above, I feel sky is the limit.  When I cast my eyes around I see the wonders and beauties of Nature.  Science must learn to live in Harmony with all these magnificent gifts of God to Humanity.”

Today also there are many scientists, engineers and doctors who are highly successful in their fields and also believe in God. So let us not get influenced by the confused atheists but use our rational mind to know God, the amazing creator.

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Drug, Sex, Death

Purushottam Nitai Das July 12, 2014

A high profile, ultra rich executive of world’s one of the topmost firm was found dead on a yacht due to drug overdose. He had gone there with a prostitute who left him there dying when the executive was struggling for life. According to newspaper reports, the prostitute has many such top executives as her client and she charges hefty amount for her services.

The person had everything – name, fame, money and he was also married.  Still such a disgraceful exit from this world. What does the incident prove? That material success isn’t a guarantee for pure life. Of course there is no harm in endeavouring for a successful life in this world.  But along with that we constantly need to monitor our life’s compass to check if we are going in the right direction or are deviating towards a wrong path. The test is pretty simple. If our fascination for wealth, women (or men) and wine (drug) is increasing then obviously we are inviting disaster.  No amount of sex or drug is going to give us any pleasure. In fact they are going to make us more miserable each time we indulge into it.

Many mistakenly think that drug and sex is the gateway to happiness but actually it ruins a person’s life. Lust is the strongest chain which binds a person in this world and this is why Krishna says that lust is one of the gateways to hell (Gita 16.21). Fascination for opposite sex drives almost everyone crazy.  And getting out of it is extremely difficult but not impossible. It is true that there are infinite amount of impurities in our heart. But if we take shelter of God then ultimately he will purify us. Just like the sun which purifies large swatches of filthy places once it rises. Krishna promises in Gita 18.66 “Surrender all varieties of religion and just surrender unto me I will deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.”

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When we chant on beads then each bead becomes a stepping stone to reach Krishna

Purushottam Nitai Das July 11, 2014

Whimsical living is just like being a two-legged animal. The purpose of our life is to cleanse our hearts and mind of all the impurities and develop deep affection for God. Achieving love of God is difficult but not impossible. Every day we have to endeavour for it. When we chant the holy names of the lord on beads then each bead can become a stepping stone to reach Krishna.

However if we just hold the bead in our hand, utter the names of the Lord mechanically and in the mind continue thinking non devotional or anti devotional things then we may not get all the benefits or may be any of the benefits of chanting (or mantra meditation). Chanting is the most important activity of devotional life. We need to be extremely cautious and careful during mantra mediation.

Rupa Goswami wished to have millions of tongues and ears so that he can chant millions of times the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and continuously taste the nectarine words of Krishna through his ears. Right now we may not have any such desire and devotion. But following the footsteps of this venerable sage we can at least use our one single tongue to reverentially chant Krishna’s sweet names. It is for our own benefit.

Animals can’t chant. They don’t know to chant. They don’t even bother to chant. They enjoy gormandizing on foods or running after opposite sex or sleeping naked on the road or in the jungles. If like animals we too are also always preoccupied with eating, sleeping, mating and defending then we do not have any right to call ourselves as humans.

As humans our most important duty is to behave like humans and endeavour hard to get out of this material world and return back to the spiritual abode. Chanting will help us to achieve that supreme destination. So we need to chant seriously and sincerely.

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