Author: Purushottam Nitai Das

Art of Harnessing the Mind Power – a seminar by Iskcon Kolkata

Purushottam Nitai Das July 29, 2013
 
A cool, calm, composed and controlled mind is everyone’s desire but most of us fail to harness the true potential of our mind. Many of us constantly get agitated by the unwarranted dictum of our mind which makes our life chaotic. People mostly commit suicide not because of any physical reason but only because of mental miseries.
Understanding the necessity of the time Iskcon has been conducting various workshops and seminars all over the world educating people as how to channelize the mind’s true potential and helping them to lead a healthy and happy life.  One of the senior sannyasis of Iskcon, HH Radhanath Swami, is being frequently invited by leading multinational companies like Google, Microsoft, HSBC Bank, Apple, universities like Oxford, IIT, MIT, Standford to speak of these important subject matters. He was recently invited to address the British Parliamentarians. As part of this initiative Iskcon Kolkata organized a seminar on the topic Art of Harnessing Mind Power on 27th& 28th July. It was attended by many working professionals.  The speaker was Sankirtan Anand Das, a senior monk at Iskcon Kolkata.

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Unravel Mind’s true potential

Purushottam Nitai Das July 27, 2013
A piece of paper may lie entire day in the sun without getting affected. But if we divert all the rays of the sun through a magnifying glass on a particular spot of the paper then the paper after sometime starts burning. This is the power of being focused. Our mind too has the potential to ignite our life. And this can happen if we utilize our mind to its full potential.
It is verily said – our mind can be our best friend when controlled and can also be our fiercest enemy when it is uncontrolled. As a human being we are far more superior to non humans.  And one of the primary reasons is that we humans have the ability to utilize our mind for our own benefits. Animals basically work as per their instincts without bothering (or thinking) about pros and cons. But as humans we have the divine gift of harnessing the power of mind to its full potential. 
But unfortunately most of us fail to capture the tremendous potential of our mind and thus get destined to lead a below par life.  Many people struggle with life because of their uncontrolled mind. A drunkard or a smoker or even a criminal knows what is right and wrong but still they indulge in such nefarious acts. The reason is their inability to say ‘no’ to the demands of their unchaste mind. If we have a cool, calm, composed and controlled mind then in spite of provoking situations or circumstances we will not panic. We will not just remain undisturbed in trying circumstances but can convert those challenging situations to our own advantage.
A controlled mind is everyone’s desire but it’s not easy to achieve.  Arjuna, the powerful warrior, admitted it to Krishna when he said that it is easy to control the wind than to control the mind (Bhagavad – Gita 6.34). We have seen people going berserk because of their disturbed mind.
Lord Krishna admits that controlling mind is not easy but assures Arjuna that it is possible to do so through practice and detachment (Bhagavad Gita 6.35). We should detach ourselves from the activities which pollutes and disturbs our mind. And we should engage ourselves in those activities which detoxifies our mind like chanting the holy name of the God like the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Once we gain control over our mind then we can lead a very happy, successful and meaningful life.

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Let us not be the killer

Purushottam Nitai Das June 4, 2013
Scriptures compare human body to a boat which should be used to cross over the ocean of material existence. Facilities given to the human bodies are like favourable breezes and scriptures and saintly people are like expert boatmen. All these help the boat to ply smoothly in the ocean of material existence.  If we are not utilizing these facilities then we are categorized as atma – ha, killer of the soul. And the killer of the soul has to live in abject misery always. So, let us not waste these precious opportunity which has been bestowed upon us in the form of a human body. We should utilize each and every moment of our life for self realization.

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Justice for others but mercy for me!

Purushottam Nitai Das April 23, 2013
Can any one of us very confidently say that we have never done anything wrong in our lives? We haven’t behaved in a shoddy or disrespectful way with others? The interesting aspect of our life is that we tend to forget something wrong which we do to others but always remember what others have done to us. We always vie for a person’s blood who misbehaved with us, spoke to us arrogantly or did not show any respect to us. The sight of that person agitates us, their success pains us. We always pray that god should do justice with me and punish our insulters severely. However if we have done something wrong to others then we always hope that god will be merciful and will surely forgive us. Is it not a double standard? If we seek forgiveness for our mistakes from God then should we also not desire forgiveness for others? It would not be better if we ourselves forgive that person who tried to hurt us.

Forgiveness is a great virtue which we should always nurture. History is inundated with the stories of people who are revered today because they had the heart to forgive others. Hiranyakashipu tried all means to savagely kill his 5 year old son Prahlad but Prahlad begged to Lord Nrsimhadeva to forgive his father, Lord Rama was always ready to forgive Ravana, Lord Nityanand Prabhu forgave Jagai and Madhai although they humiliated him and injured him, Hardias Thakura were beaten at 22 market places but throughout his ordeal Haridas Thakura begged the Lord to forgive those who were tormenting him, Jesus Christ begged for forgiveness for those who were crucifying him. Carrying grudge towards others is like carrying a burning charcoal in our hand. It burns us always and increases our suffering. Forgiveness reflects our magnanimity, it also purifies our heart. Once we forgive others then our heart experiences a deep serenity. This is why in Bhagavad Gita 16.3; forgiveness is categorized as one of the divine qualities. So, let us try to follow the footsteps of these great souls and try our best to forgive those who once brought pain in our life.

 

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REVIEW OF THE BOOK: THE GITA FOR DAILY ENRICHMENT

Purushottam Nitai Das April 13, 2013

“Realizing that we are not suspended in the uncertainty of uncaring chance, but are enveloped in the certainty of unfailing love is life’s greatest discovery”: Chaitanya Charan Das reminds us in his newly published book The Gita for Daily Enrichment. The book has been released recently.

365 short and crispy articles adorn the book. An article a day for 365 days for a reader to meditate upon. Several meditational books flood the market but this is the first book which offers thought for daily mediation based on a verse from the Bhagavad – Gita.

An electronics engineer by profession, the author has been an ISKCON monk for last fifteen years. The creative and pragmatic presentation of the message of the Gita with several contemporary examples reflects his profound and insightful understanding of this great literature. Each verse of the Gita is explained very succinctly, intelligently and interestingly. The language is lucid and style is contemporary. It nudges the reader to think, reflect and then act.

Today the importance of Gita has not waned, as the skeptics want us to believe. The present day society is marred with several perplexities – relationships are in tatters, insecurity looms large, fear of future and failure keeps us always in anxiety. Today neither the inflation nor the temperature is increasing at a higher rate than the suicide and drug consumption rate. During these troubled times we need wisdom of Gita to skilfully confront any challenge.

The book empowers the reader with spiritual intelligence to take the right decision. The author prods the reader to understand the importance of human life. He strongly argues that the human life is not just meant for seeking material pleasure but is to strive for eternal spiritual pleasure. The daily nuggets explain about the higher dimensions of life. The author constantly reminds the reader to rise from the intellectual level to spiritual level and to engage in practical devotional service to Krishna if they seriously want to relish the spiritual nectar.

The author is fundamentally acquainted with the subject and he knows his audience well. The book does not quote the verse or its translation verbatim but instead it tries to focus on the applicability of each verse in the present context. Sincere practitioners, genuine seekers, academic – scholars, young and old, men and women, all will find something to contemplate upon. The reputed Hinduism author Steven Rosen phrases the appeal of this book succinctly: “Chaitanya Charan das unlocks many of the mysteries of the Bhagavad-gita, allowing contemporary readers access to an otherwise often impenetrable scripture.”

Overall the 365 articles inspire the reader to embark on a spiritual path. One develops deep appreciation for Gita and also feels closer to Krishna, the ultimate object of one’s meditation. In total, there are 365 good reasons to purchase the book.

The book is available on Amazon as a kindle edition. The hard copy of the book can also be ordered from the author’s site www.thespiritualscientist.comand from amazon.com.

(Purushottam Kumar is a member of congregation at ISKCON Kolkata. He works in Tech Mahindra, Kolkata.)

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We will never die

Purushottam Nitai Das April 11, 2013
Upset over the exam result, a student commits suicide. A man was facing acute economic hardships so he decided to end his life along with his wife and children. Many such incidents we regularly read in newspapers or hear about it. Sometime people get so overwhelmed by their situations and circumstances that they feel by ending their life all their miseries will cease to exist.

But this is not going to happen because we are souls and so our life will never end i.e. we are never going to die. This is confirmed in Bhagavad – Gita 2.13:– As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death.

Human life is a gift of God, so committing suicide is a sin. So, if someone ends his life on his own then he is in fact aggravating his miseries and not reducing it. Our past karma will always accompany us.

The problems which we are facing now are because of something wrong which we have done in the past. Let us try to face the challenges which life offers us with positive mindset and not get too much disturbed by it.  In fact in this world we cannot expect “no miseries”. Bhagavad – Gita 2.14 provides an approach to deal with challenges “O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed”

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2 crore thirsty humans!

Purushottam Nitai Das March 31, 2013

Around 12000 villages of Maharashtra and about 4000 villages of Gujarat are reeling under severe drought which has affected the lives of more than 2 crore people. Is it a natural disaster or manmade disaster?

Our intense greed for self aggrandizement has resulted in massive exploitation of nature. Trees are rampantly cut to pave the way for industrialization, chemical fertilizers are being excessively used to increase the crop yield, industrial wastes are being dumped in the rivers, ground water is getting depleted, water pollution, air pollution, soil erosion, desertification have become the norm.  

Unfortunately today instead of accepting our mistake we are just trying to artificially ward off the crisis. Lots have been written and spoken regarding the misuse of water during Holi festival. True, seeing the plight of the millions of people who are suffering for want of water we should explore all means to prevent the wastage of water. But why those words of wisdom should only be reserved for the Holi festival. The liquor industry, the soft drink industries are known to use thousands of liters of water daily. But why nothing is said, written or discussed about such massive misuse of water. Our exploitative mentality and insatiable desires are the root cause of the calamity which we are facing today.

In fact Srimad – Bhagavatam has already predicted the fate of the people of Kali – yuga: – “In the age of Kali, people’s minds will always be agitated. They will become emaciated by famine and taxation, my dear King, and will always be disturbed by fear of drought. They will lack adequate clothing, food and drink, will be unable to properly rest or bathe themselves: – Srimad Bhagavatam (12.3.39 – 40)”.

Nature is our mother, she sustains us. All our basic necessities are provided by her for free – food grains, air and water are (or were) available in abundance.  We have neither invented these vital substances which give us life nor do we manufacture it. If we do not respect Mother Nature then we will have to pay a heavy price for it. The present crisis which we are facing is not a natural crisis but a man made crisis. As it is verily said there is enough for man’s need but not enough for man’s greed.

Bhagavad – Gita recommends that leading a God centered life (Bhagavad – Gita 3.14) is the only way to ensure that there is proper and regular supply of rain and food grains. Adopting artificial means to deal with droughts may temporarily solve the problem but unless we get into the root of it such disasters will knock us down constantly. Choice is ours; if we are really serious about leading a happy life then we need to orchestrate our lives as per the injunctions of Vedic scriptures.

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Gaura Purnima: The most merciful day

Purushottam Nitai Das March 27, 2013

Along with Holi, which fills our life with various shades of colour, today is also the auspicious day of Gaura Purnima. Gaura Purnima is the birth anniversary of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Chiatanya Mahaprabhu appeared in this world around 500 years ago in Mayapur, West Bengal. Kali – yuga, the present age in which we are living, is widely known to be filled with inauspicious phenomenon but very few know that this age has one great benediction. In kali – yuga water of the rivers may dry but the mercy of the Lord will always flow incessantly and abundantly. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu incarnated with the sole motive of distributing the mercy of the Lord to all. Anyone having even a slightest desire to experience the love of God immediately grabs the attention of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Before Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s appearance people were discriminated on various grounds. Some Brahmins in order to maintain their superiority in the society had shamelessly started discriminating people based on their caste and creed. But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu strongly condemned such mindset and gave a clarion call that every individual irrespective of caste, creed, gender or wealth have equal right to practice devotional life. This is why among the followers of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu were Haridasa Thakur, a great Vaishnava saint who was born in a Muslim family, Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya (a brahmin priest of Jagannath Puri & great Sanskrit scholar), Maharaja Prataparudra, the king of Jagannatha Puri and many millions.

Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gave a very simple formula to practice devotion; He recommended the chanting of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. If we regularly chant this Mahamntra then our heart will get cleansed of all unwanted desires and soon we will experience the presence of God within our heart. Today is the most merciful day, so let us pray to Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to shower His mercy upon us and help us to tread the path of devotion.

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Are we chewing the same tasteless stuff again?

Purushottam Nitai Das March 6, 2013
Imagine someone gives us two buckets – one empty and the other filled with water. Now we are asked to pour water from the filled bucket to the empty bucket and once the bucket gets filled up then again we have to pour water back into the first bucket. If suppose we are told to do this for entire day then how would we feel? And if for an entire year or for decades? We would definitely become insane. Shock therapy and psychological counseling would be required to make us forget the boring and senseless activities in which we were engaged.
Our present life is no better than that. We are doing the same monotonous work since our birth. Everyday we get up, brush our teeth, bathe, eat breakfast, don clothes, run to school, college or work place, take lunch, sip tea, munch snacks, come back to house, watch TV, eat dinner and sleep. Again the next day we do the same thing. This we have been doing for several years thinking that a day will come when everything will become perfect in my life and we will be happy. But still we are waiting for that perfect happy moment.
Our activities are summed up in Srimad Bhagavatam – punah punas carvita – carvananam (Srimad Bhagavatam 7.5.30) i.e. chewing the chewed. There is no taste in chewing the same chewed chewing gum again. Similarly, we should not get too engrossed in repeating the same mundane activities again and again. Instead we should focus on something which will always give a new experience. Absorbing ourselves in chanting the holy names of the Lord like the Hare Krishna Mahamantra gives such experience. Revered Vaisnava saint Srila Rupa Goswami says, “I do not know how much nectar the two syllables ‘Krish-na’ have produced. When the holy name of Krishna is chanted, it appears to dance within the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila 1.99)
 
So, let us try to bring newness in our life by chanting the names of Krishna and allow our heart to dance with joy.

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Why we like movies?

Purushottam Nitai Das March 1, 2013
Because it takes us away from the real world! We may disagree with this harsh reality but the fact on which every one of us will agree is that none of us are fully satisfied with our present life. Movies take us to the fantasy world, where we instantly identify ourselves with the hero. Movies help us to achieve all those things which we were never able to accomplish in our real life. There we sing, we dance, we romance, we fight and we perform several extraordinary deeds. There we are glorified, loved and praised by all. Sadly the fantasy world does not last forever.  But whenever we get an opportunity to be unreal we immediately grab it. Day dreaming, taking refuge of alcohols and other sedatives are the other options availed to run away from the real world.

However there is no use in running away from the truth. Instead of fretting and fantasizing let us understand the nature of this world. Let us try to understand – Who we are? What is this world? What is the purpose of our life? In fact simply eating, sleeping, working, raising children, increasing bank balance could not be our life’s purpose. Even animals can enjoy such life. We are spiritual beings, currently suffering in this material world which is termed as dukhalayam asasvatam (Bhagavad Gita 8.15), an abode of miseries, and the purpose of our life is to return back to the spiritual world. The human life which we have got should be used to cross the mighty ocean of material discomforts. Let us understand the real problem of this real world and endeavour to get out of it as soon as possible.

 

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