Author: Purushottam Nitai Das

Rising above the mode of goodness

Purushottam Nitai Das February 12, 2013
Our actions are determined by the modes of nature which we acquire. Those who are in the modes of goodness are positive in their life and believe doing things righteously. Those in passion often try to achieve things by any means. Those in ignorance are too lethargic to even think about themselves.
Persons in the mode of passion and ignorance do not have concept of who is God and who should be the object of their worship. Srila Prabhupada explains that during World War 2, a man in Kolkata worshipped Hitler because he was able to amass huge wealth because of the war. These people propagate that one can worship anyone, eat anything and do anything because all path leads to same destination. However scriptures abhor this mindset. Srimad Bhagavatam (4.3.23) states that those in pure goodness worship only Krishna, sattvam visuddham vasudeva – sabditam: “When a man is situated in pure goodness, he worships Vasudeva.”
We should try to rise from the mode of ignorance -> to mode of passion -> to mode of goodness. We cultivate a particular mode depending on with whom we associate. For e.g. if we associate with a sadist then we too will become hard – hearted gradually whereas if we associate with devotees who enthusiastically practice Krishna consciousness then soon we will imbibe those qualities.
When Srila Prabhupada went to west then he infused spirituality in the lives of the western youths. The young western devotees got so much enthused by Srila Prabhupada’s godly qualities that they immediately started practicing devotional life with great eagerness. So we should always try to associate with those who are leading meaningful lives and are sincere seekers of divine love. This will help us to rise even beyond the mode of goodness and thus we would develop love for God. Spiritual association is the best way to achieve salvation.

Search

Recent Posts

Categories

>

Are we ready to drive in a car which contains a bomb?

Purushottam Nitai Das February 8, 2013
How many of us would not be tempted when someone offers us a Mercedes Benz car as a gift? We will be floored by the honour. However there is a small catch. The car contains a bomb which can explode any time. How many of us will be delighted to be the proud owner of such a car now? We would think that no sane men will ever think to own such a car. But is it so? We daily ride in a vehicle which has the same destination as that of the car with a bomb. And the vehicle is our ‘body’. Death can come at any moment and at any time. But we hardly bother about it.

The manufacturer of this body has already warned us that the physical bodies which we are occupying constantly changes. Material body passes through six stages – they are born, they grow, they remain for some duration, they produce some by –products, they dwindle, and they vanish (Bhagavad – Gita 8.4 purport). So why to be enamoured by this decaying body? Why to waste our time decorating and delighting in it. The temporary body which we possess should only be used as a tool to reach the final destination.

While travelling on a train our focus is to reach our destination, we do not get so overwhelmed by the pains and pleasure because we realize that the travelling period is temporary. Similarly we should not be obsessed with our bodily demands; instead we should constantly contemplate on the fact that this body is perishable and this life is temporary. So, our focus should be on our final destination which is the spiritual world. Krishna assures us (Bhagavad – Gita 8.15) that those who attain the supreme abode never again return back to this miserable material world. So why not utilize every moment of our life to attain eligibility to migrate to the spiritual abode.

Search

Recent Posts

Categories

>

Why Indra started enjoying the life of a hog?

Purushottam Nitai Das February 7, 2013
This material world in which we live is too strong to deal with. As a soul we have a unique ability to adapt ourselves to any situation, however unpleasant it might be. Once Indra, the king of heaven, committed some grievous mistake and as a result he was cursed by sage Narada to take birth on earthly planet as a hog. So, Indra became a hog and started living on earth. In due course of time he grew, got married and became the proud father of dozens of piglets. He even became the leader of the hog clan. Seeing his friends and family gave him deep pleasure.

As time passed by the duration of the curse on Indra came to an end, but to the utter amazement of the denizens of heavenly planet Indra was not returning back. Since the throne of the heavenly kingdom could not be empty for a long time so the situation became too serious. Finally Narada personally decided to come and take Indra back. Indra was enjoying his hoggish life – playing with his wife and piglets, joking with his friends and enjoying the stool. Narada felt too bad for the king of the heaven, he immediately approached Indra and reminded him of his heavenly designation. Indra wasn’t impressed.  He argued with Narada, “I am happy here with my friends and family members. My wife, my cute piglets all are dependent on me. If I leave then who will care for them.”

Narada was shocked to hear that Indra was ready to forego the heavenly comfort and was contended to live as a hog. Out of compassion he severed his head and dragged him out of the wretched life which Indra thought was blissful.

This illusory material energy is too powerful; it forces us to believe that the life which we are leading is permanent and more enjoyable than anything else. This is why we do not take the words of the scriptures seriously when it asks us to abandon our materialistic life and focus on spiritual salvation. Let us not follow the footsteps of Indra and try relishing hoggish pleasure instead we should heed the advice of sages and scriptures and make a determined endeavour towards our spiritual destination.

Search

Recent Posts

Categories

>

Tolerating the intolerant impulses

Purushottam Nitai Das February 7, 2013
It is too easy to be nice with someone who is good to us. But how difficult it is to deal with those who are nasty to us? Tolerance is celebrated as a divine quality and intolerance is touted as the weapon of the demoniac. We long to develop the quality of ‘tolerance’ but we easily succumb to intolerance when confronted with unpleasant situations and circumstances. After venting out our inner angst we realize our mistake but sadly it is too late by that time. But why do we lack ‘tolerance’? Theoretically we do understand the gravity and necessity of ‘tolerance’ but practically it is too difficult to adopt it in our life. If we throw a stone in a small pool of water then the entire water body gets disturbed whereas if a stone is thrown in a huge ocean then it hardly makes any impact there. The ocean has depth whereas the small pudding of water is shallow, and so the difference in the impact.

Our reaction to any provoking situation is determined by the spiritual depth which we have cultivated through our sadhana. We immediately get provoked because our heart is shallow and so it does not have the ability to withstand any unpleasant situation. But if we have nurtured our spiritual life prudently then we can easily endure any provoking situation without being disturbed. If we want to progress in our life then tolerance is of immense importance. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in his siksastakamprayers has stated that one should be more tolerant than a tree and more humble than a blade of grass. In that state, Lord Chaitanya says one can chant the holy name of Krishna constantly and with deep love.

Search

Recent Posts

Categories

>

Does success bring misery?

Purushottam Nitai Das February 3, 2013
Yes, if our success thrives on others miseries. Our success is mostly comparative in nature.  A student gauges his success by seeing if he has scored more than his peers or not, we get dissatisfied with our jobs when we find that our colleagues are earning more than us. Thus caught up in the quagmire of comparison we hardly feel inner satisfaction and serenity.

We see that Duryodhana had everything in his life. Being the son of the king of Hastinapur his all demands were immediately met with. He soaked in the sights and sounds of material world. But still he never felt contented because he had developed immense hatred for the Pandavas. During the childhood, he tried to poison and kill Bhima. He conspired along with his cunning uncle Sakuni and greedy father Duryodhana to drive Pandavas out of Hastinapur and gave them Khandavaprastha. Khandavaprastha was nothing but jungle and forest; however the Pandavas under the direction of Krishna worked very hard to convert that barren land into Indraprastha. Seeing Pandavas ruling the flourishing kingdom of Indraprastha, Duryodhana’s hatred multiplied manifold. He again conspired with Sakuni and cheated Pandavas in the game of dice and forced them into 13 years of exile. During Pandavas exile Duryodhana usurped the kingdom of Indraprasta also. But in spite of all these he was always in misery. He remained in constant anxiety and always feared for his future.

The Pandavas never had any grudge towards Duryodhana. In fact Pandavas never ever tried to harm Duryodhana in spite of Duryodhana’s malicious campaign against them.  Duryodhana’s greed, envy, hatred and jealously not only ruined his life but it sowed the seed of Mahabharata war in which millions of worthy kings and soldiers perished. How envy is dangerous can be easily understood by contemplating on Duryodhana’s plight.

Real success is achieved when our heart is cleansed of hatred and envy. The panacea for making the world a better place is by cultivating selfless love. In Bhagavad – Gita 16.3, Krishna vividly talks about the godly qualities which a person should strive for and one of them He mentions is adrohah: freedom from envy.  So let us nurture our heart and allow the flowers of love to blossom within our heart whose fragrance will spread joy and happiness far and wide. Then we will not have envy for others but instead we will feel happy when we see others happy and we will feel pain when we see others in pain. That would be the true perfection of our live.

 

Search

Recent Posts

Categories

>

Dhruva’s determiantion

Purushottam Nitai Das February 2, 2013
Determination is what separates a man from an animal. Animals act as per their instincts without bothering much about the consequences whilst the humans have the ability to contemplate on the outcome before any action. As humans we constantly endeavour to better our life. However due to lack of determination our attempts does not bring the desired result. Success is guaranteed if we sincerely try to achieve a goal following the directives of the revealed Vedic literatures

The Vedic literatures narrate the story of a 5 year old prince, Dhruva, who sought shelter of Krishna when adversities gazed him. Rebuked, neglected and insulted by his stepmother, Dhruva was heart – broken. The harsh words of his stepmother pierced his heart and he cried bitterly. His own mother’s pacifying words could not reduce his sufferings, the glitz and glamour of the palace did not attract him. During this precarious situation he decided to take refuge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. Narada, the great sage, was very much pleased with the little child’s intelligence and so he immediately decided to show him the right path. Dhruva under the guidance of sage Narada performed devotional service with full enthusiasm, determination and concentration for six complete months. Lord Vishnu, seeing the sincerity of the little boy immediately came to shower His affection and mercy upon him. Lord Vishnu awarded him the polestar which came to be known as Dhruvaloka, ensured that he will be the emperor of the whole world for 36 thousand years and at the end will return back to the spiritual abode. Dhruva achieved complete perfection by his sheer determination.

So, if we too want to achieve God’s mercy then like Dhruva we need to have determination and also complete faith in the mercy of the Lord. Lord never betrays His devotees; he just tests our sincerity and seriousness.

Search

Recent Posts

Categories

>

Mid – air crisis

Purushottam Nitai Das January 23, 2013
The below story of an anonymous writer about a little child helps us to understand as how being sheltered helps us to overcome any crisis:
An airplane lost its balance in the mid – air. Passengers were terrified, they were screaming. It appeared that the plane may crash at any time. The pilots eventually regained the control but only after hard struggle. However throughout the ordeal one little girl was very calm and composed. She was peacefully glancing over the pictures from an album. Amazed by her behavior, one of the co-passengers inquired, “Weren’t you afraid”? The girl answered – “No”. “But why”, he shockingly asked. She answered confidently, “My father is the pilot of this plane and I know that he will save me from all the dangers”.
Our life too loses balance quite often and we struggle hard to streamline it. But if there is a trustworthy person steering our life then, we too, like the little girl will be fearless. Vedic literatures explain that we are all individual souls and Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is our Supreme father. So, if we take shelter of Krishna then we can remain peaceful amidst great calamities.

Search

Recent Posts

Categories

>

Let us cultivate spiritual emotions

Purushottam Nitai Das January 21, 2013
Dhritrashtra had lots of material emotions. He used to cry tears for it. He wished to remain the king of Hastinapur and also wanted his son Duryodhana to succeed him. He was so much possessed with his material emotions that he committed several and severe blunders. The end result for him was unfortunately very gruesome – he not only lost his kingdom but also his 100 sons were killed. We too are possessed with material emotions. Materially we want to achieve the best of this world – big house, fancy cars, latest gadgets and almost everything especially those which adorn our friends and relatives’ house. We are aware of the horrendous reality that none of these things will accompany us forever but still we are enamored by it. In fact people are ready to do anything to achieve name, fame and money. Lance Armstrong, a famous athlete recently admitted of taking drugs to enhance his performance to ensure all the accolades comes to him.

Historically and logically it is proven that material emotions plunder our life. So it is imperative for us to transform our material emotions into spiritual emotions. To develop spiritual emotion is so easy, so simple and so practical. We neither have to leave our jobs nor we have to spend lots of time and money. We just need to dovetail all our activities in the service of the Lord. Whatever actions we perform we can offer it to Krishna and while doing anything we can remember Krishna. And by doing this we will develop a desire for Krishna (Bhagavad – Gita 12.9). Once we develop desire for Krishna then we can effortlessly transform and transcend our material emotions. 

 

Search

Recent Posts

Categories

>

In a deplorable state, he roamed in the streets of Mumbai

Purushottam Nitai Das January 17, 2013

He was roaming in the streets of Mumbai in a deplorable state. His body was covered with faeces and he was just donning a tattered t-shirt and nothing else. Jagdish Mali was once a renowned film photographer who is credited with immortalizing the famous Indian movie star, Rekha. During his hey days, several movie aspirants would make a beeline in front of his studio. But today he was all alone, in a decrepit state. Aghast by seeing his plight some of the people tried contacting his daughter. But sadly she too decided not to respond. (“Man who immortalised Rekha rescued from streets”, Times of India)

Our deep longing for material glory entangle us in this material world. Due to our intense desire for name, fame and money we develop strong lust and eagerness to achieve it. However, when we discover that our attempts for enjoyment are being thwarted or in spite of achieving it we do not feel any satisfaction then we develop great hatred and anger. This strengthens our illusion and we again run behind it just like a thirsty man runs towards a mirage in the desert. In this endeavor we completely forget our real spiritual identity thus forgetting God and His message. Due to our forgetfulness of God we lose our intelligence and thus we get further entrapped into illusion. Our life becomes miserable, without right intelligence we transform ourselves into a lump of flesh. Our pitiable situation although generates sympathy but it does not do any good to us. This is why in Bhagavad – Gita, Lord Krishna has warned us, “From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool.” Bhagavad – Gita 2.63.

So in our life’s journey we should pause for a moment and ask ourselves, “Are we treading on the right path? Is the goal which we are pursuing will connect us to God and bring ultimate happiness or will it further entangle us in this material world?”

Search

Recent Posts

Categories

>

Fearlessness is indeed possible!

Purushottam Nitai Das January 14, 2013
A thief may dress smartly but within his heart he is extremely fearful. He is always afraid of unseen danger and the chance of being caught. But a law abiding citizen lives a carefree life.

In this world misery afflicts those who mess up with the laws of nature. But those who live as per the injunctions of the revealed scriptures are always happy and hearty. The revealed scriptures such as Bhagavad – Gita, Srimad – Bhagavatam etc. should be our manual for life.  If we purchase any equipment then we get a manual with it which contains guidelines to operate the gadget. However instead of following the guidelines if we start using the machine whimsically then it is bound to give problems. Similarly if we go against the teachings of the scriptures and behave recklessly then we are bound to suffer. Those who understand this and prefer leading a spiritual life lead a very cheerful life.  But those who decry the scriptures often get bewildered by the material world. Uncertainty of the future makes him restive, frustration wanes his enthusiasm and he feels unloved and uncared.

Dealing alone with the material world is like an infant trying to swim across the ocean. Srila Prabhupada explains, bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah syat : fear is caused by our absorption in the illusory energy.  However if an expert boatman picks up the child and puts him in his boat then the child’s misery vanishes. Krishna, the expert boatmen has sent the boat for us in the form of the scriptures. We just need to take shelter of this boat. We can safely and fearlessly cross over through all trials and tribulations of material existence.

As Srila Prabhupada explains that Abhayam, fearlessness, is possible only in Krishna consciousness.

Search

Recent Posts

Categories

>