Author: Purushottam Nitai Das

How he felt while dying?

Purushottam Nitai Das February 28, 2013

What he would have eaten the night before or whether he was able to even eat something? What he might be feeling? How he would have reacted on seeing the noose? How much pain he would have experienced during his last moments? The recent hanging of the terrorists in India may have been celebrated by some and condemned by others – let us not get into the ethical aspect of death sentence. But one thing which everyone discussed and thought about was as how these people would have reacted during their last moments.

We feel for the person who is about to die and this is the human nature. But do we ever think that one day we too will be passively waiting for the inevitable death.  The hangman’s noose is already prepared, the death sentence is already declared. The only solace is that we have not been told about the timeline.

Every moment we move one inch closer to the hangman’s noose. But we hardly think about it. When Yaksha asked Yudhishthira that what is the most surprising thing in this world then Yudhishthira replied, “Everyone sees others are dying everyday but they never think that one day they too would die.” Thinking about this inevitable reality does not imply pessimism. A student needs to constantly remind himself that he has to appear in the final exam and so he should study sincerely. Similarly being cognizant of the fact that one day we have to embrace death makes us serious about our life. Awareness of Janma (birth), mrtyu (death), jara (old age), vyadhi (disease), the 4 primary cause of suffering, is termed as true knowledge in Bhagavad – Gita (13.9).

When we introspect that one day we will lose everything forever – father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, friends, neighbours, relatives, bank balance, house, job, degrees – we become very sober. We realize the temporary nature of this world. We then endeavour to search for something which is not temporary, not flickering and not painful. Thus our journey for self realization begins. 

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The unnatural interference

Purushottam Nitai Das February 27, 2013

·         Meteor shower injures hundreds in Russia.

·         Blizzard hits US, normal life disturbed

·         Tsunami kills thousands

·         Earthquake ravages the city

·         An unknown fever kills people

These are not so uncommon news for us.  Nature can stun us any time.  Weather forecast cannot guarantee if tomorrow it will rain or the day will be sunny.

These phenomenons indicate following:

1.       We are not the controllers of nature.

2.       There is no guarantee to our security.

3.       And the scriptures declaration that this world is duhkhalayam asasvatam, an abode of miseries, is indeed true.

With our material intelligence we won’t be able to understand and overpower the nature. Our unnatural desire to be the controllers of the nature will always be frustrated.  We presume that the nature acts independently and all the visible phenomenon occurs due to some random chance theory. Our presumption is presumptuous.  Bhagavad – Gita spoken thousands of years ago by Krishna clearly establishes that the material nature is not independent but is one of the energy of the Lord and it acts under his direction – “This material nature, which is one of My energies, is working under My direction, O son of Kunti, producing all moving and non-moving beings (Bhagavad – Gita 9.10).”

Our exploitative mentality & unnatural interference with the nature is the primary cause of natural calamities. So instead of us trying to manipulate the nature, if we live as per the laws of nature then nature’s unwarranted onslaught will not torment us.

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Whether we like it or not, someone is digging our grave meticulously

Purushottam Nitai Das February 20, 2013
Do we remember what we did on 20th Feb 2003 or 20thFeb 1997? What did we eat on that day? Whether the food had taste or was it tasteless? Were we happy or distressed? At what time did we get up? What exactly we did at 11a.m.? None of us would remember and more importantly would not care to remember. Similarly, what we are doing today will lose significance after 10 years; this day will become history. The years will keep on passing, we will complete our college education, will retire from our job. Slowly we will become less important to the society. Our needs and desires will not have much relevance to the younger generation during that time. We may not even be able to enjoy our life with our accumulated wealth because physically we may be worn out and our senses will not cooperate with our enjoying mentality. And then a day will come when only our picture will hang in the house and after few years that picture will also be removed. We will be completely forgotten, all our traces from this will be completely erased. This is the truth.

In Bhagavad – Gita 11.32 Krishna says to Arjuna “Time I am, the great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people.”

That is the harsh reality of this world, whether we like it or not. While we are engaged in satisfying our material desires there is someone who is also digging our grave meticulously. Because he knows that one day we are going to be buried there.

Does it not behove us to think about our life more seriously, contemplate on what we are doing, why we are doing and most importantly what is the purpose of our life?

 

 

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Son of a maidservant, becomes Lord’s exalted devotee

Purushottam Nitai Das February 18, 2013
In his previous life, he was the son of a maidservant. He had no educational qualification and neither had any riches. Once he got the opportunity to serve the sages for few months. He associated with these great devotees of the Lord, heard from them about the Supreme Personality of Godhead earnestly and even ate the remnants of the food left by them. Just by associating with these sages he developed immense taste for practicing devotional life. The son of the maidservant in his next life became Narada Muni, an emblem of devotional life and devotional service. Narada Muni, a crest jewel among the devotees, has played a very vital role in preaching the message of the Lord for several generations.  His intense devotion, his enthusiasm, his charm has captivated all.

Narada Muni’s life demonstrates that to advance in spiritual life we need to seek association of the advanced devotees of the Lord. Those devotees who are incessantly chanting the names of Krishna, who only speaks about Krishna and topics related to Krishna and whose life is dovetailed as per Krishna’s instructions given in the scriptures can bring us closer to God. If an iron rod is kept in the fire then in due course of time it acquires the qualities of fire and become fiery. Similarly association of advanced devotees burn all our sins and impregnates our heart with love for Krishna.

 

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No rejection, all are qualified

Purushottam Nitai Das February 17, 2013
We would be plainly asked to “get lost” if we try to seek admission in an institute or apply for a job if we do not possess the requisite qualifications. Many of us would have had the unpleasant experience of being ejected out for want of prerequisite degrees or due to lack of vacancy and the deep pain which accompanies the rejection.

But there is an institute where there is no rejection, there is no restriction on the number of seats and there are no prerequisites. Rich, poor, beautiful, ugly, men, women, young, old, Indians, non – Indian, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Sikhs – all are treated equally, there is no discrimination. And this is “engaging in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna”. Srila Prabhupada explains, “.. advancement in spiritual life does not depend on any kind of previous education or qualification.” Even a sinner who would have committed grievous deeds in the past but if he is repentant then he can also be a part of this wonderful process. Jagai and Madhai, the two felons, who were the symbol of terror and brutality, were accepted by Lord Chaitanya when they regretted their sinful life and agreed to take shelter of the Lord. Once anyone connects to the process then he easily achieves purity. Srila Prabhupada attests this, “The method itself is so pure that by simply engaging in it one becomes pure.”

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A small gaffe and a deer’s life

Purushottam Nitai Das February 15, 2013
Our consciousness is imbued by the activities in which we indulge throughout our life. The people with whom we associate, the book which we read, the type of food which we savor, the places which we frequent –all these plays a role in shaping our consciousness. If we believe in living a carefree life, hardly ever bothering about the consequences then future would be bleak for us. However if we are serious about our salvation then we ought to dovetail our activities in accordance with scriptural injunctions. While practicing devotional life we need to be extremely careful because if we allow our senses to deviate even minutely then the result may be too dangerous for us. Bhagavad – Gita (2.67) warns us “As a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the water, even one of the roaming senses on which mind focuses can carry away a man’s intelligence”.

Srimad – Bhagavatam narrates the story of a great king, Bharata, who was marching very confidently and diligently on the path of self realization. Seers, sages and citizens extolled the devotion of King Bharata. He retired timely from his family life to spend more time in practicing Krishna Consciousness. But he committed a mistake, initially it seemed to be a trivial one, but this one gaffe usurped his devotional life. He got attached to a baby deer and instead of meditating on the Lord he started being too much conscious of the animal. As a result when he was about to leave his body he remembered the deer and not the Lord. Now Krishna declares in Bhagavad – Gita (8.6), “Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kunti, that state he will attain without fail.” So, in his next life King Bharata became a deer. So while treading the path of bhakti we need to be extra careful lest we get caught up in the sights and sounds of this material world. Our entire senses should be utilized only for remembering Krishna and for nothing else.

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He is such a dear friend, let us not neglect him

Purushottam Nitai Das February 14, 2013
Sometimes a child becomes too adamant and wants to run away from house to be all alone. But his concerned mother does not leave him alone. She hides and keeps a vigil to ensure that nothing wrong happens to his little kid. Similarly when we rebel against the Lord in the spiritual world and decide to leave him to lead an independent life then Lord reluctantly allows us to have our way. However he is too concerned about our well – being, so he accompanies us in this material world.

As a Paramatma, he always resides within our heart. Srila Prabhupada explains that there are two kinds of soul – the minute particle soul (anu – atma) and the Supersoul (vibhu – atma): (Bhagavad – Gita purport 2.20). Katha Upanisad (1.2.20) explains: “Both the Supersoul [Paramatma] and the atomic soul [jivatma] are situated on the same tree of the body within the same heart of the living being, and only one who has become free from all material desires as well as lamentations can, by the grace of the Supreme, understand the glories of the soul.

In this world the Supersoul (Paramatma) does not interfere with our free will and allows us to have our own way but through various means he reminds us that this world is not our real home and we should immediately return back to our original home which is the spiritual world. He sometimes descends personally as Lord Krishna & Lord Rama to call us back and at other times through scriptures and his devotees he remind us of our original home which we have abandoned. He is our closest, oldest and true friend who always thinks of our happiness.  When we leave this body and enter into a new body based on our own karma then he again accompanies us. He is always with us whether we are in a human body, a fish body, a dog body, a bird’s body etc. He never abandons us. 

In this world we face so many difficulties but due to our insatiable material desires and ego we refuse to turn towards God.  Lord as Paramatma is residing within our heart and is eagerly waiting for our loving reciprocation. Once we turn towards him then all our miseries will vanish just as darkness disappears the moment the sun appears.

 

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What we eat and drink influences our conscience

Purushottam Nitai Das February 13, 2013
He did not even think twice while unleashing atrocities on his five month old daughter. The man who hails from Bikaner bit his daughter’s lip, cheek and nose in fit of rage. The multiple injuries were too much for the innocent child to bear. After hard struggle she succumbed to her injuries. Her murderous father was under the influence of alcohol when he committed this horrendous act. This isn’t just one of the incidents. Innumerable acts of violence occur throughout the world because of the influence of alcohol and other seductive.

Our thoughts are not just the mirror image of our surroundings but it also gets influenced by what we eat and drink. This is why the Vedic literatures vividly speak on what should be consumed and what should be avoided. The contemporary world’s clarion call for “Just eat, drink and be merry” is not celebrated by the revealed Vedic literatures. These scriptures graphically classify the different varieties of food in goodness, passion and ignorance.

·         Foods which increases the duration of life, purifies one’s existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction is in the mode of goodness. Such foods are juicy, fatty, wholesome and pleasing to the heart. (Bhagavad – Gita 17.8)

·         Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning are dear to those in the mode of passion. Such foods cause distress, misery and disease. (Bhagavad – Gita 17.9.)

·         Food prepared more than three hours before being eaten, food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid, and food consisting of remnants and untouchable things is dear to those in the mode of darkness. (Bhagavad – Gita 17.10).

So, if we want to purify our conscience then we ought to focus on our diet. It’s true that we cannot live without food and if we start consuming the right food then our mind will get cleansed of all wrong thoughts and desires. If we take food which is in the mode of goodness then slowly we too will cultivate qualities of goodness.

However scriptures further assert that the best food is that which has been offered to Krishna. And Krishna specifies what to be offered to him – patram puspam phalam toyam. He likes grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and their derivatives. So, whatever we eat if we offer it to Krishna before consuming then it will wash off our impurities.

Food is a great benediction. If we just regulate our diet by eating what Vedic literatures recommends then our lives will witness remarkable transformation. 

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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.

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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.

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